Snow is flying outside, but inside the house is as warm as spring.

Yeluzhen and the big man sitting opposite him were only wearing single shirts, but there were still beads of sweat on their foreheads.

In the middle of the wooden floor where the two of them were sitting, in an indented pit, smokeless fine silver charcoal was emitting green flames, and above the fire, there was a grill placed on an iron shelf.

On the plate, pieces of meat of moderate fatness and leanness are being roasted until they are sizzling and oily.

Yeluzhen held a pair of iron chopsticks in one hand, flipping it from time to time, and holding a brush in the other hand. After flipping it once, she dipped the brush in the sauce and brushed a layer on the meat.

Even if the man opposite him is sitting there, he can still tell that he is tall, has a fat head and big ears, and has a smile like the Maitreya Buddha on his face.

This man's name is Yelu Longxu, who succeeded Lu Ben'an as governor of Hebei Road.

Passing by Xijin Mansion, I naturally wanted to pay a visit to my immediate boss, King Yeluzhen of Zhennan.

After Lu Ben'an suffered a huge defeat, he was immediately besieged by the imperial court. Even the Empress Dowager Chengtian could not protect him, so she could only let him leave his post and return to Beijing to wait for inspection.

This victory was also regarded by many as a great victory for the Khitan nation over the Han people.

You must know that after the Empress Dowager Chengtian took full power, the power of Han officials has steadily increased, and it is almost on par with Khitan officials.

With the Han people holding a large amount of wealth and a tendency to be evenly divided in the officialdom, there is no reason why the Khitan nation should not be anxious.

"I didn't expect that the Queen Mother would be willing to let your tiger out of the cage!" Yelu Zhen smiled and put a piece of roasted meat on the tray in front of Yelu Longxu with iron chopsticks. "A big defeat can give you a new life."

It's really worth it to go out. Do you think I should give Lu Ben'an a gift to express my gratitude?"

Yelu Longxu laughed and grabbed the steaming piece of meat with his hands. He was not afraid of burning it and just started chewing it. It made a sizzling sound and his mouth was filled with oil. He looked just like those street gangsters on the street.

No two. On the opposite side, Yelu Zhensi gracefully sliced ​​the meat thinly with a knife and chewed it slowly. They were completely opposite extremes.

Yelu Zhen and Yelu Longxu were both top nobles in the Liao Dynasty.

This person had a close relationship with Lin Ping in the past. Daliao's intelligence agency, the School Affairs Office, flourished in Lin Ping's hands. After Lin Ping was named the King of Nanyuan due to his meritorious service, Yelu Longxu took over the School Affairs Office.

Later, Lin Ping and the Empress Dowager Chengtian lost completely in a battle of wits, and the Lin family was executed by the clan. Naturally, Yelu Longxu did not get the favor, and was immediately thrown out of office and imprisoned. If Yelu Zhen and other friends hadn't interceded, I'm afraid that

His head has long since fallen off.

He stayed in prison for more than half a year, and after he was released, he was detained among the palace guards. In name, he managed the royal land, slaves and other things for the emperor. In fact, the Empress Dowager Chengtian did not trust him at all and put him under her eyes.

Keep an eye on him under the bed to prevent him from doing anything wrong.

This time Lu Ben'an was impeached and resigned. The Empress Dowager Chengtian was able to release this person to take over the post of Governor of Hebei Road, which was beyond Yelu Zhen's expectations, but she was also extremely happy.

"Put aside the personal grievances between each other, Empress Dowager Chengtian has her own uniqueness in both political affairs and employment!" Yelu Longxu picked up the wine glass and took a sip slowly: "Over the years, everyone has

Under her rule, Liao's national strength has indeed become stronger than before."

"Then you still blame me for supporting her to come to power, which caused Lin Ping to end up with his head missing?" Yeluzhen raised his glass and took a sip, saying: "If Lin Ping had won back then, Daliao would have been as powerful as it is today.

?”

"Definitely not!" Yelu Longxu shook his head: "To be honest, you people must be unconvinced and want to oppose Lin Ping when he comes to power. After all, the Queen Mother's status is there, and she is indeed outstanding.

"

"Then why do you still sound sour when you speak?" Yeluzhen laughed.

"The Queen Mother's political reforms are digging into the roots of our Khitan clan!" Yelu Longxu's eyes became sharp: "If this continues, in a few years, Daliao will no longer be Daliao!"

"You are worrying too much!" Yeluzhen shook his head: "No matter how it changes, Daliao is still Daliao. Even if it looks completely different from the outside, the core inside still remains the same."

"I don't think so!" Yelu Longxu said: "If you want me to explain it, I really can't explain it now, but this feeling is quite bad."

"What does it feel like?"

"The Empress Dowager Chengtian seems to be treating Daliao as a toy in her hands. Deep down in her heart, she probably doesn't care what happens to the Liao Kingdom or whether Daliao can last!" Yelu Longxu said: "She

The purpose of everything she did was to expand Daliao's strength in a short period of time. As for long-term planning and thinking, the Queen Mother didn't care at all. She didn't care what Daliao would become in the future. She only cared.

Power, power that can be used by her."

"Why do you feel like this?" Yeluzhen was surprised: "Where do you start with this? Over the years, most of the Queen Mother's policies have been good. The internal conflicts in Daliao are gradually being bridged, and the strength of

Every day becomes stronger. Although it seems that some of our fellow clan members have been deprived of their interests, on the whole, it is still beneficial to Daliao. Don’t you remember that the late emperor also said that Daliao wanted to take over?

The Central Plains unites the world, so is this the only way to learn the culture and systems of the Han people? Now the Queen Mother is practicing the thinking of the late emperor!"

Yelu Longxu shrugged: "I know you don't believe it, but I have nothing to do in the past two years, so I just think about it. After thinking about it, I always feel that something is wrong, but I can't figure out the reason. You see

Look, I lost more than ten pounds because of this."

Looking at the other party's big belly, Yeluzhen couldn't help but laugh.

I really can't tell where the other person has lost weight.

"Stop thinking." She put another piece of meat into the opponent's bowl and Yeluzhen said: "The Queen Mother is really ignoring past grudges this time. Do you know how many people are vying for this position? Originally, I thought that the Queen Mother would be there.

I chose someone from a Han family to balance the competition between the Han people and the other nations. I never expected that it would be you in the end!"

Yelu Longxu said: "Qu Zhen didn't do anything, and Lu Ben'an didn't make a living for the Queen Mother. This defeat greatly reduced our prestige in the south. Li Chun on Qinfeng Road was also ready to make a move. This person is just fine, but

Zhangcheng, which is entrenched in the Qinling Mountains, has to be considered."

"Little Lieutenant Zhang!" Yeluzhen said with a smile: "He still has some prestige in the local area."

"Before leaving, the Queen Mother had a deep talk with me." Yelu Longxu said: "In fact, what she cares about is not Li Chun or Zhang Cheng, but in this way, the Western Army is very likely to have a full-scale confrontation with Jiangning New Song Dynasty.

confluence."

Yelu Zhen frowned: "Li Chun, Li Shilong and Jiang Ning have many conflicts, and Zhang Cheng and Xiao Ding even have the hatred of killing their father. Even if the Shaanxi Road falls into their hands, we still have a chance to take action."

"Instead of placing your hope on others, why not take it into your own hands?" Yelu Longxu sneered.

"Lu Ben'an suffered a great defeat, and our strength in the south was seriously lost. Qu Zhen was unable to help. Liu Yu only wanted to preserve his strength. We won't be able to occupy these places in a short period of time!" Yelu Zhen sighed.

"It's just to clean up Li Chun. How many soldiers and horses are needed?" Yelu Longxu said disdainfully.

"Grab Li Chun and beat him?" Yeluzhen was stunned.

Yelu Longxu nodded and said: "This man has always been on both ends of the spectrum. Seeing us suffering losses under Xiao Erlang this year, he thought of taking advantage of us. We just need to let him see our power.

He will be honest again."

"And then win over him?"

"Not only him, but also Li Shilong on Yizhou Road, and even Zhang Cheng, it's not like we can't win over him!" Yelu Long said.

"How is this possible?" Yeluzhen was displeased: "Don't entertain me!"

The wine glass in Yelu Longxu's hand was spinning in circles in his broad palm. He was also thoughtful, and after a long while he said: "It's not that I'm entertaining you, but the Empress Dowager Chengtian came up with a brilliant idea, saying

To be honest, I never expected it."

"What's the idea?" Yeluzhen sat up straight.

"Zhao Jing!" A playful smile appeared on Yelu Longxu's face. "Tell me, if Zhao Jing returns to Kaifeng and becomes the King of Song Dynasty, what will be the effect?"

There was a clatter, and the iron chopsticks in Yeluzhen's hand fell into the fire pit, causing sparks to fly and smoke to rise.

"When I first heard these words from Empress Dowager Chengtian, my reaction was the same as yours!" Yelu Longxu said with a smile. "Zhao Jing, that is the serious emperor of the Song Dynasty! If he comes back, Jiang Ning

Who is the Emperor of Song?"

"How will the Empress Dowager Chengtian let Zhao Jing become the emperor again?"

"It's King Song!" Yelu Longxu said with a smile.

"Zhao Jing is willing to accept such humiliation?" Yeluzhen felt a little incredible.

Yelu Longxu flattened his mouth, "This man has no backbone and is even worse than the old emperor of the Song Dynasty. I have carefully evaluated and found that this man will definitely agree. Even if he is a puppet king, he will always

It’s better than herding sheep over there in Five Kingdoms City, isn’t it?”

"So, it's really a little bit interesting!" Yeluzhen stroked his beard and laughed: "When you say that, I'm really looking forward to it. Tiandi Jun's personal teacher! When Zhao Jing returns, those Song people in the south will be a

What kind of attitude is that? I think Xiao Cheng’s face must not look good.”

Both of them laughed.

"These two are really brothers and sisters, they are both very powerful!" Yelu Longxu raised his glass and drank it all.

"Be careful!" Yeluzhen's face darkened.

"There are no outsiders here, so there is nothing to say!" Yelu Longxu said: "The Queen Mother sent me here to preside over this matter."

"No wonder it's you!" Yeluzhen suddenly realized: "When it comes to conspiracy, you and Lin Ping are the best choices."

"Not as good as the Queen Mother!" Yelu Longxu sighed: "My defeated generals dare not speak bravely. Next, five thousand Pishi generals secretly came south. Let's attack Li Chun head-on and give him a few big sticks first.

Hit him until he is dizzy, and then throw the sweet dates to make sure he doesn't take the bait!"

"If Qinfeng Road and Yizhou Road surrender to Daliao, then Xiao Erlang will not be able to play anymore. There will be no need to talk about the Northern Expedition in the future, and he can only try his best to think of how to make the turtle shell harder!

"Yeluzhen laughed. "Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

Yelu Longxu grinned: "Comprehensive, everything!"

"Okay!" Yeluzhen didn't hesitate, "I'll give you whatever you want!"

The two cups clinked together, and they looked at each other and smiled.

Yeluzhen understood that this was the reason why the Queen Mother sent Yelu Longxu. If a Han minister was sent, even if this person was more talented than Yelu Longxu, she would not support him unreservedly.
To be continued...