"If the generals remain idle for a long time and their troops are unprepared, they can sneak up and attack." Wu Zi discusses generals.
Under the training of good generals such as Gao Shun and Xu Huang, the Northern and Southern armies responded promptly to the emperor's sudden drill. Although they were still a little panicked at first, they quickly stabilized their position, which greatly pleased the emperor. In contrast,
For example, Ping Di General Ma Teng, Zhonglang General Wang Fang and others, who had been ignored by the emperor, had never thought that they would be included in the review by the emperor before. They had never prepared for what they had just done.
When I received the order, I could describe it as being like a chicken and a dog jumping around.
"I have failed to manage the army well and have damaged the appearance of the army. Please forgive me!" General Wang Bin of the Guard tremblingly bowed down.
The emperor glanced at him with a cold expression, then turned his gaze to the people behind Wang Bin without saying a word.
Wang Fang and Li Meng immediately knelt down in a panic and said: "The last general will be punished!"
Ma Teng stood aside by himself. The troops he led had a somewhat passable military appearance among these people. However, seeing the emperor's expression of hesitation, he hesitated for a moment and knelt down.
"What a good soldier!" The emperor said coldly, not knowing who he was referring to: "You think I have my eyes fixed on the Northern and Southern armies and won't care how lazy and negligent you are?"
"The general will not dare!"
Wang Fang and others are really in trouble. They only have more than 5,000 people under their command. When the emperor split up the rebel forces left by Li Guo, most of the elite former Luoyang Forbidden Army were transferred to the Northern and Southern Army.
Some of them were taken away by Dong Cheng and Fan Chou. Except for the old, weak and disabled who were repatriated and resettled in the fields, how could the few remaining ordinary soldiers allow them to pick and choose? It would be good if they could barely maintain a certain combat power.
, how can we impose strict requirements on them?
What's more, when the emperor used troops, he always thought of the Northern and Southern armies. They were as if they were picked up and no one cared about them. Over time, the atmosphere in the army began to become neglected.
The emperor sneered and said: "Don't you dare? You are originally a general, but the imperial court has been extraordinarily kind and gave you a second chance. You don't know how to change your past, like Duan Xuan and Zhang Ji, who have devoted their wisdom and loyalty to the imperial court.
On the contrary, you are greedy for pleasure! Do you really think that if the imperial court pardons you once, you will be safe?"
"Your Majesty!" Li Meng said unconvinced: "I have indeed made mistakes, but since I surrendered, I have always served you with sincerity. The imperial court has mobilized troops several times, and every time the imperial army went first. How could the generals not want to serve your majesty?
We fought hard, but His Majesty didn’t give us a chance, so how can we blame my ministers for being discouraged!”
"Absurd." Before the emperor could speak, Zhao Wen said slowly and calmly: "When marching and using troops, you have your own military methods to follow. Whether you are used or not is entirely up to your majesty. There are many good generals in the imperial court, does it mean that the imperial court must use you? Once
No, you still feel resentful, is this what a minister should do?"
"Opportunities wait for no one." The emperor glanced at Li Meng, who was pretending to be tough but was actually timid, and then looked around at Gao Shun, Xu Huang, Ju Jun and other generals present, and then at Fazheng, Fu Qian and other ministers.
, said slowly: "If you have been diligent in military training, you will stand out in today's review. Why won't I give you a chance? Why are you in such an embarrassing situation? It can be seen that it is not me who is partial, but you.
It’s really useless.”
Although the words were said grandly, everyone present knew in their hearts that the emperor did give priority to the northern and southern imperial guards in many aspects, but the imperial army was the emperor's heart and soul, and they did have the capital to be favored. On the other hand, since Li Meng and Wang Fang's troops, since
If you have the stain of rebellion on your body and are not taken seriously by the court, you should work harder to improve yourself. How can you break the pot and fall? Now it seems that you can't even hold on to the little military power you have.
"Your Majesty." Zhao Wen bowed and said, "Li Meng contradicted your Majesty with his words and deeds, and was disrespectful in his words and deeds. He is incompetent in running the army. I am a foolish minister and should be dealt with according to the military law. I will behead him as a warning to those who come after me."
Both Li Meng and Wang Fang relied on Dong Cheng to survive as Liangzhou generals. Although Dong Cheng was the emperor's father-in-law and largely obeyed the emperor's orders, he still had his own little thoughts and calculations. The emperor used them
It's still not an advantage. Now that Zhao Wen is good at catering to his superiors, more loyal, and more capable, perhaps Dong Cheng's status should be lowered.
It's just that Dong Cheng has done nothing wrong recently, and the emperor will not just let his left hand beat his right hand.
Hiding in the crowd, Yang Xiu quietly observed everyone's expressions, and suddenly thought of Zhao Wen's recent behavior of eager to establish results. He immediately thought he had found the answer and figured out the context: It seemed that his left hand wanted to control more power.
So I took advantage of this opportunity and took the initiative to hit my right hand.
Now, it depends on the emperor's decision.
"Your Majesty." Li Meng's voice trembled, and he looked aggrieved and angry: "Your Majesty, if you want to deal with the general, I will be willing to be punished!"
The emperor's face darkened, he was a little moved, then he smiled and said: "Then I will grant you a favor!"
Chang'an, Huang Wan's mansion.
Ever since he was deposed due to the Huashan Mountain Collapse, Huang Wan, the former Sikong, has been retreating to his home for self-cultivation and thanking guests behind closed doors. In the eyes of outsiders, this shows that he is not interested in fame and fortune and has an indifferent nature, but those who are thoughtful will think that if Huang Wan is really indifferent
With fame and fortune, why not return to his hometown in Jiangxia after resigning from office and live in seclusion in Chang'an?
People who have tasted the taste of power rarely gain or lose freely. Huang Wan seemed to be uninterested in worldly affairs in the mansion, but in fact he was secretly observing.
Zuo Zhonglang brought Liu Fan, Liu Dan, and Liu Zhang to visit together. The first moment they saw Huang Wan, they knelt down and worshiped him as a junior, saying, "I have seen my uncle."
Huang Wan nodded coldly, waved his hand and said: "We are all a family, there is no need to be so unfamiliar."
The eldest brother Liu Fan took the lead and responded, then Liu Dan and Liu Zhang approached and sat down under Huang Wan one by one.
Speaking of which, Huang Wan's father, Huang Qiong, not only had a classmate friendship with Yang Biao's father, Yang Ci, under the Longkanghuan family, but also had an in-law relationship with Liu Yan. Huang Wan's aunt was the mother of Liu Yan, a herdsman in Yizhou.
, in terms of seniority, Huang Wan is naturally the uncle of Liu Fan and others, and is also the only support for Liu Fan and others in the government.
Liu Fan had been uneasy since he was scolded by Liu Yu on the day of the clan banquet, especially when he heard that Lou Gui, the envoy sent by Liu Biao from Jingzhou, visited the ministers in private and bluntly said that Liu Yan, the shepherd of Yizhou, had secretly built a chariot.
When Gu Qiancheng was planning something evil, Liu Fan felt even more uneasy.
Fortunately, Liu Yu went to Bingzhou as soon as spring began. Since the spring plowing, the emperor had been busy encouraging farmers and promoting new agricultural tools. The court also experienced several disasters and wars. It seemed that the attention of Yizhou was diverted, and the court did not reveal it.
He showed no dissatisfaction with Liu Yan at all. This made Liu Fan feel at peace, but not long after, Shanglinyuan faintly pointed the finger at Yizhou due to the incident caused by Li Meng and others.
"I already know about your Majesty's military parade." 11