"That's right. The two countries have been at war on all fronts for four years."
Hu Quan shook his head. "In the past four years, the Jin people have come every autumn, from Hebei to the Central Plains, and the people have suffered. Zizhi's family went from Jeju to Bashu, and then returned this time. They must have seen a lot, so I won't talk about it. Even when I saw the local bandits and thieves rise and fall in Jiangxi, plus the ruined towns I saw along the way to the capital, I feel that this world is worthy of being called a chaotic world."
"really."
Yu Yunwen recalled the internal turmoil in Bashu after the Jingkang Incident, and what he saw and heard during his trip down the Yangtze River to Jingxiang and from Jingxiang to here. He was filled with emotion...especially those almost empty cities, which really shocked him at the age of only twenty.
"And in troubled times, if Yunwen's guess is true, with the approval of the envoys, it would not be a big deal for the court officials to kill a military general who had harmed the country. Is it more serious than the Jingkang Incident? Right now, all systems, people, and things should be focused on resisting the Jin army. However, people's minds are settled, and there are always people who don't want to think about the Jingkang Incident, or the two emperors who were imprisoned in the north and humiliated, and even more unwilling to think about the fall of the two rivers and the slaughter of millions of people. They just think that the government seems to have some ability now, guarding the Yellow River and returning to the old capital, so they want to shrink their heads and enjoy a temporary peace in Tokyo. As a result, Zhang Caosi in the west acted like this, which easily opened the scar and seemed a little inappropriate. This is the fundamental reason for such a commotion this time..." Hu Quan continued to talk unscrupulously, but he also opened the scar in public, so that several tables of scholars and students in the restaurant were embarrassed and silent.
Hu Quan ignored them and continued to expose their scars: "But have these people ever thought that after this special examination, as long as the weather turns cold, there is no telling if the Jin army will move? I don't know, when the siege of Tokyo comes again, after this special examination, how many people will follow the example of Liu Yu and Hong Ya of the pseudo-Qi and easily follow the enemy?"
The situation became increasingly awkward, but the people sitting at the same table had been together for a long time and knew the temperament of this talented man from Jiangxi very well, so they did not dare to try to persuade him and just shook their heads.
Yu Yunwen was the youngest among the group, and he was talented and good-natured. He was often taken care of by everyone, so he spoke out at the right time:
"Brother Bangheng, rest assured. I was just guessing. Even if there are one or two bad people in the court, it doesn't matter. The officials and ministers know it. Apart from other things, the Daxiangguo Temple is working day and night. The trenches on all sides of Dongjing City are deep, the city walls are reinforced, and the Bianhe River is being cleared and deepened. It is obvious that the central government has no intention of slacking off."
Hu Quan nodded immediately, but then shook his head slightly: "It is this theory, and it is not this theory... It is now, but what about the future? I am afraid that the official is young, and he has only been revitalized for two years and has been deceived by others. It is not like he has never been deceived before..."
As soon as these words were spoken, even though the autumn heat had not yet dissipated, the restaurant inevitably became chilly for a moment.
By the way, the scholars and students around had already heard the general background of the people at this table. It was obvious that they were a group of young and particularly war-oriented students.
Of course, groups like the Imperial College students are naturally in favor of war, and the current government does not allow peace talks at all. So if one wants to become an official, one can only advocate war. So, not to mention ordinary Imperial College students, even those extraordinary Imperial College students who came to the capital by redeeming refugees from Hebei are all in favor of war.
So the problem is not here, but that this loud-mouthed student from Jiangxi Province, who was discussing the past affairs of the government in public, was somewhat suspicious of "criticizing the emperor". The so-called past affairs of the government, combined with the words "student" and "criticizing the emperor", made people think of Chen Dong who died unjustly.
I can only say that this person is so frank, he must be really brave, and he is definitely the Lord of War!
In fact, after these words were spoken, not only did the surrounding scholars and students fall silent for a moment, but even the people at the same table did not dare to speak. Only Yu Yunwen, who was not sure if he was young, remained calm and continued the discussion as usual:
"I still think that Brother Bangheng is over-worrying. The emperor ascended the throne hastily as a prince, and he had no calculations or plans at the beginning, so he was temporarily deceived by Huang Qianshan and Kang Lu... After all the things that happened later, it seemed that he had made up his mind, and he has hardly wavered in the past two years."
"I still have doubts." Hu Quan shook his head calmly. "I am worried about the emperor and some people... However, if I am to the emperor, since I am here to take the exam, if I am accepted, I will naturally do my duty as a minister and give honest advice at all times. However, some people do not mean to do so, but they are pedantic and harm the country. They can manipulate the classics and confuse the people. I can't help but worry that I will be incompetent in the future and will just sit back and watch the emperor be confused by them."
The people present heaved a sigh of relief.
Chao Gongwu also took the opportunity to ask: "Brother Bangheng, what did you encounter or hear?"
"That's right," Hu Quan, who picked up his chopsticks, suddenly laughed. "Do you remember? When I first came to Beijing, because I was about the same age and was from the south, many people in the Imperial College saw that I had a wide range of friends and guessed that I was the younger brother of Hu Jinglie..."
Everyone at the table laughed.
But amid the laughter, one of them suddenly seemed to be thinking: "Speaking of which, I heard recently that Hu Jinglie's father and brother also came to Tokyo together, and they were summoned by the government as soon as they arrived in Beijing. Brother Bangheng, are you referring to this? But Hu Jinglie's father is a world-famous Taoist scholar, and his brother, who is the same age as Brother Bangheng, is also quite famous. Is there something wrong with that?"
"Of course not!" Hu Quan said sternly. "I learned from Liu Zihui what Hu Jinglue's father Hu Anguo said to the emperor, and I think it's ridiculous!"
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