Chapter 420 Prepare a generous gift
Minister Zhan believed that not only him, but many people saw the Grand Tutor as such.
The reason why Taifu has such a high reputation today and is firmly established as a leader in the hearts of scholars all over the world is not only because of his unquestionable ability and knowledge, but also has a lot to do with his style of conduct that has remained the same for ten years.
Tutor Chu is a man who is able to stick to his original intention. He has been like this since he first entered the officialdom as a teenager. His determination to confront others has not changed in the slightest because of his status or age.
He disdained making friends with the powerful, let alone forming cliques to abuse power. Therefore, when he first became an official in Beijing, he suffered a lot of exclusion and suppression.
But the Taifu is a very stubborn person. Although he likes to go crazy, he has extraordinary abilities and wisdom to support him.
There were many stories about the Taifu who were ostracized when he was young, and these stories are still circulating among literati today. For example, he was framed by his colleagues and thrown into prison. Within ten days, he walked out of the cell leisurely and vacated his place to the person who framed him.
There were many seemingly innocuous exclusions. At that time, there was a treacherous minister who disliked him very much. One day after the morning court session, when two imperial censors passed by, he deliberately whispered to the Grand Tutor, who was not yet the Grand Tutor at that time: "I wonder if the matter I asked Lord Chu to do last time has come to fruition?"
This move is intended to deceive people, create ambiguous rumors and drag people into trouble.
If the other party denies it hastily, it will be exactly what you want.
The very young master did not deny it. Instead, he showed a look of realization and said in a low voice: [You are talking about that matter...]
The man was stunned for a moment, and at the same time had a bad premonition -
The young tutor was already showing an embarrassment: [Although someone in my family is somewhat knowledgeable in medicine, when it comes to curing hemorrhoids, they are not very good at it...]
The official's face suddenly changed. Just as he was about to interrupt, he heard the other party's sincere suggestion: "Since Lord Jia's illness has affected many people, he should not be afraid of seeing a doctor. It is better to report to the emperor and issue a notice to find a good doctor..."
[I really can't help you, I hope you can forgive me.] After saying this, he sighed, bowed, and left.
Noticing that the two censors were looking at his buttocks, the official wanted to defend himself, but he didn't know where to start, so he could only leave in anger and shame - but such a reaction seemed to confirm the words of the Grand Tutor.
Soon, the rumor that he was suffering from hemorrhoids spread like wildfire in the court.
So the official soon discovered that more and more people in the court were staring at his buttocks, intentionally or unintentionally, and many people even secretly recommended doctors who were good at treating hemorrhoids to him. No matter how he explained, it was in vain.
There are many more such things.
Afterwards, as the Taifu's official position became higher and higher, his reputation was gradually recognized by scholars and he became a very suitable check and balance in the eyes of the late emperor. The situation was slowly reversed. From being excluded by his colleagues in the officialdom at the beginning, he eventually excluded the entire officialdom alone.
In addition, the Taifu was indeed upright in his actions, had no desire for power, always remained neutral, and even had no intention of letting his descendants enter the officialdom. He had no desire or ambition, only the unyielding pride of a scholar. Gradually, those hostile people were unwilling to offend him again, and when facing the Taifu, their attitude changed from gnashing their teeth at the beginning, "Who can get rid of him?" to a headache, "Who has provoked him again?"
The Grand Tutor did not allow his descendants to enter the government, and his reasoning was very Grand Tutor--Which of you can be an official better than me? Since none of you can, you should stay away as soon as possible, so as not to ruin my reputation.
Although the descendants of the Chu family did not hold official positions, they all had achievements in the literary world. The family was clean and honest, so the Chu family was increasingly respected and praised by literati.
Thinking about the many passionate deeds of his teacher when he was young, and looking at the thin old man with white hair in front of him, Minister Zhan was suddenly filled with emotion.
But the teacher hated people who sighed in front of him, so Minister Zhan just tried to say, "The charcoal fire in the teacher's study is burning especially vigorously this year...I wonder if it's because you are afraid of the cold?"
As people get older, they become sicker. Every winter, he always worries about his teacher's health.
Unexpectedly, I heard the old man say: "A little lamb gave me some money for charcoal, and I accidentally bought a little more charcoal this year..."
Although the tone is light, there is a sense of light joy and satisfaction.
After dropping a piece, the old master looked up at Qiao Yang and Minister Zhan beside him, and asked again: "Why, you don't have any?"
Qiao Yang and the other two thought that the "little lamb" mentioned by the Grand Tutor must be a descendant of the Chu family, so Minister Zhan smiled and said, "How can those people in my family be so filial!"
Qiao Yang said, "My two are not yet out of the cage. Not to mention honoring me, I have to raise them."
That's not right. Mianmian is a lamb that has been released from the stalk. After all, she works in the Imperial College Medical Hall and gets paid every month...
But that little monthly salary was always not enough to cover expenses. The child recently set up a medical tent outside the city to treat the illnesses of some refugee women and children who were not allowed to enter the city. As a father, he also had to pay a lot of his salary.
Hearing what Qiao Yang said, Master Chu showed a hint of satisfaction - it seems that the lucky money... Bah, the silver for the charcoal, is for him alone? But two hundred thousand taels is too much, how can he burn it all just by burning charcoal?
I just heard Qiao Yang mention that his daughter set up a medical tent outside the city to help refugees——
The Grand Tutor thought of this and said, "I still have some extra silver for charcoal, why not take it to your daughter's medical shed."
Qiao Yang thought it was just a matter of a few hundred taels at most, so he happily thanked him and accepted the money.
When he heard the word "medical shed", Minister Zhan asked a few questions out of curiosity.
After hearing this, he could not help but sigh in admiration: "Qiao Jijiu has taught his daughter well... I have also heard a lot about your son's talent. Given time, your two children will surely achieve great things."
Qiao Yang smiled and waved his hands: "No, no..."
Minister Zhan then praised the student he taught - the Governor of Jiangdu.
When mentioning this Governor Chang, the wrinkles between Minister Zhan's brows widened a lot.
War is the most expensive thing, but the governor Chang managed to "fight to support the war" in his fight against the Japanese army.
Japan's request for peace this time will inevitably cost a huge price, and tribute and compensation are inevitable. Governor Chang went personally to get the peace letter, so how could Japan get away with it?
As for Dong Luo, with the change of ownership, they also need the help of Governor Chang, and the amount of tribute they will pay next year will surely be very considerable...
Several old men in the Ministry of Revenue had already done the math in private and roughly estimated that after deducting the losses in the battle of Jiangdu, there would definitely be some surplus.
How could anyone not like such a general?
At this time, facing the general's teacher, Qiao Jijiu, Minister Zhan was very generous in praising him.
However, it was difficult for Qiao Jijiu to concentrate on enjoying the praise. The Grand Tutor suddenly became more and more aggressive on the chessboard. He was anxious to respond, and the charcoal fire was too strong, so he was already sweating profusely.
Until Minister Zhan mentioned other generals who were also away.
It is inevitable to mention the headache-inducing rebellion in Kangding Mountain, and then when we talk about Duke Hanguo Li Xian, the headache doubles again.
"Mr. Hanguo has been gone for half a year, right?" Seeing that he was about to lose, the resigned Qiao Yang found the time to strike up a conversation.
"Yes." Minister Zhan sighed, "In the past half year, we lost Dongting Lake first, and then Yuezhou... Now we just hope that Jingzhou can be defended. It should be fine before the New Year. The area around Jingzhou is very cold and snowy now, so Bian Chunliang's army dare not attack for the time being."
Qiao Yang asked politely, "Saint... don't you have any other instructions?"
Although victory and defeat are common in the military, and it is common for a general to lead troops outside and achieve nothing for half a year, Dongting and Yuezhou were lost in Li Xian's hands, and Jingzhou is so important, how can he be assured to hand it all over to Li Xian? Although Li Xian is the sage's own junior, the sage is naturally assured to use him, but when it comes to the safety of the country, the sage should not put the priorities in the wrong place, right?
"The Saint has made arrangements." Minister Zhan said, "We are waiting for General Xiao Min to return to the capital."
Xiao Min was ordered to leave Beijing earlier to quell a rebellion in the Gyeongju area. Most of the disturbances were caused by local tyrants who gathered refugees. Now that they have been completely quelled, Xiao Min is on his way back to the court.
"After a short rest during the New Year holidays, General Xiao should be ordered to rush to Jingzhou at the beginning of next year," said Minister Zhan.
Qiao Yang felt a little relieved. This General Xiao was the one who had fought against Xu Zhengye together with Sui Ning. He was said to be a calm and cautious person and a trustworthy person.
Qiao Yang said, "In this case, I just hope that things will turn around next year... As long as the rebellion of Bian Chunliang is not put down, the capital will not be at peace."
It was already night in Jingzhou, which was only 1,200 miles away from the capital.
The news of Chang Suining's victory over the Japanese army at Huangshuiyang had reached the Jingzhou military camp a few days earlier. Li Xian ordered strict suppression on the grounds that it would "shake the military's morale" and did not allow the soldiers to discuss it privately.
At this moment, the huge military camp was in deathly silence. The soldiers standing guard in the snow looked numb and tense.
Even though it has been raining and snowing recently, they have not stopped training. Li Xian wanted to take advantage of the bad weather before the New Year when the Bian army could not attack and intensify the training of his soldiers.
In his opinion, the biggest reason why he lost to Bian Chunliang was that his soldiers were loose and incompetent. If his aunt had been willing to hand over the 30,000 Xuan Ce troops in the capital to him, he would have defeated Bian Chunliang long ago! But he was not qualified to make demands at this moment. His aunt was already disappointed and dissatisfied with him, and it was impossible for her to hand over the Xuan Ce troops stationed in the capital to him.
Before leaving Beijing, his aunt had promised that once he defeated Bian Chunliang and established a reputation in the army, she would hand over the Xuan Ce Army to him. But now...
When thinking of the words "reputation in the army", a young girl's face that had just lost her childishness flashed before Li Xian's eyes.
The Battle of Huangshuiyang made Chang Kuo's daughter famous again. The stupid rumors about the reincarnation of the general became more and more rampant, and everyone knew about it...
Being in the midst of a long and unfavorable situation, Li Xian, who usually kept his emotions expressionless, now revealed an unconcealable hostility between his brows.
He returned to the capital from the southern border, thinking that he would have a chance to show off his talents, but everything he saw was different from what he expected...
All the credit and fame belonged to Cui Jing and Chang Kuo, father and daughter, while he could only stay here with this defeated army during the New Year's Day.
Thinking of the harsh criticism and reprimand from the capital a few days ago, and the way all the civil and military officials in the court must have looked down on him...
Li Xian clenched his hands on the sand table, suppressing his inner irritability.
At this time, a soldier entered the tent and reported: "Commander-in-chief, according to the scouts, Bian Chunliang's army is drinking and having fun in Yuezhou City, celebrating... The people in Yuezhou City are all in a panic."
The people in Yuezhou City had experienced several looting and killings by the Bian Army. The first time the Bian Army killed people were the nobles and officials in the city, and the second time they turned their butcher knives on the common people.
The situation of those surviving people is no doubt similar to that of slaves. While they are working according to Bian Jun's orders, they also have to face the fear that Bian Jun will draw his sword if they disagree with him.
At this moment, the soldier concealed many details and only used the four words "anxious" to summarize the situation of the people of Yuezhou.
"Drinking to celebrate..." Li Xian's attention was only on Bian Jun's arrogance. His eyes sank a little bit, and then he turned to look at the blue-dressed woman kneeling beside him and serving him.
"When the weather warms up next year, I want to prepare a generous gift for Bian Chunliang..." He said slowly, "How should I prepare this generous gift, Allan? I need you to work with me to decide."
Arlan seemed to realize what he meant, his eyes moved slightly, and then he nodded.
There was a look of determination in Li Xian's eyes.
By April next year at the latest, he will wipe out the Bian army in one fell swoop! ...
On the other hand, when Chang Suining left Japan, he learned that Yuezhou had been conquered and Ishimoto Takehiko had been killed, so he led his army on the return journey with peace of mind.
Xingzhou and Dongluo are on the way that Chang Suining's army must pass on their way back to Jiangdu. Chang Suining's original plan was to watch Jin Chengyuan's coronation ceremony in Dongluo and then rush back to Jiangdu, so that he could just return to the governor's mansion to celebrate the New Year.
But this year is an unusually cold winter. Just as the twelfth lunar month began, sea ice has already formed on the surface of some areas of the Huangshui Ocean.
The time taken to reach Dongluo was nearly twice as long as expected.
After Chang Suining discussed with Wu Jue and his generals, they finally decided to wait until after the New Year before returning to Jiangdu.
The floating ice on the sea surface and the ice reefs below are both challenges for ships. Not only do they slow down the journey, but they are also very dangerous.
Now that the war is over, there is no need to risk sailing in a hurry to travel before the New Year. This is the consensus of the generals in the army and Chang Suining.
As for Jiangdu, there are armies garrisoning there that are several times larger than theirs. Chu Xing and Deputy General Jin have also returned. With them around, Jiangdu can be kept safe.
After deciding on this matter, Chang Suining had everyone in the army informed, and the soldiers did not feel disappointed because they could not return to Jiangdu to celebrate the New Year.
Most of them were not originally from Jiangdu. After this great victory in the war, they, as the victorious army, were treated with great courtesy by the people of Dongluo. It was a very novel thing for them to be able to stay in a foreign land to celebrate the New Year.
Jin Chengyuan was very happy to see this. He specially ordered people to allocate two small islands for Sheng’s army to station and rest, and all necessary supplies and medicinal materials were arranged in sufficient quantities.
After everything was settled, Chang Suining stood on a high island on the outer edge of Dongluohan Prefecture and looked out at the Bohai Sea.
On the other side of the Bohai Sea is Youzhou.
Cui Jing must have led his army to Youzhou, right?
There was a thoughtful look in Chang Suining's eyes.
…
The news that Chang Suining would not return for the New Year was reported back to the Jiangdu Governor's Mansion on the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.
Wang Changshi took the letter to Chang Kuo. The reason why he came in person was that he wanted to ask Chang Kuo for advice on something.
Good night! (There will be additional chapters at the end of the month, and Xiao Cui will also be there) (End of this chapter)
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