Li Hao led Luo Youdu to an elegant place with beautiful mountains and clear waters.
The person Luo Youdu came to visit was a wise man in Shu. The real wise and capable counselor in Shu was named Wu Zhaoyi.
Wu Zhaoyi was from Longmen, Hedong Province. He was very knowledgeable and insightful when he was young.
Meng Zhixiang, the founding emperor of Later Shu, served as Taiyuan Yin of the Later Tang Dynasty and stayed in Beijing to guard Hedong. Therefore, Wu Zhaoyi joined Meng Zhixiang and became his confidant.
Meng Zhixiang established the Kingdom of Shu, established a separatist rule in Shu, defeated Shi Jingtang and Xia Luqi, and Wu Zhaoyi was second only to Zhao Jiliang in terms of merit, and Meng Zhixiang was called a strange man.
After Meng Chang ascended the throne, Wu Zhaoyi also served as prime minister and was in charge of salt affairs. He assisted Meng Chang in eradicating old ministers to govern Shu and rectifying the administration of officials.
However, due to the stability of the Shu region and favorable weather conditions, the country's national strength increased greatly. Then the Khitans destroyed the Jin Dynasty and the Central Plains fell into chaos.
In the later Jin Dynasty, He Jian, the military commander of the Xiongwu Army, attached the three prefectures of Qin and Cheng to Shu. Then Liu Zhiyuan of Taiyuan established the Liu Han Dynasty, and the Han general Zhao Siwan occupied Yongxing.
Guanzhong, fighting for the world with Liu Han.
Wu Zhaoyi tried to persuade him again and again.
Meng Chang's Li Ling lost his wits and did not follow his advice, so he sent An Siqian to increase his troops and march eastward to seize Guanzhong. As a result, the army was defeated miserably, wasted troops and money, and failed to gain a foot of land.
Meng Chang was also severely hit by this, and began to give up on himself. From a virtuous king who persuaded farmers to forgive punishment, promoted culture and education, diligently sought governance, and rested with the people, he turned into the first generation version of the dim-witted Meng Chang.
When Wu Zhaoyi saw that Meng Chang had lost his ambition and repeatedly tried to persuade him, he was so angry that he retired from office and lived in seclusion in Huanhua River.
Luo Youdu wanted to rectify the atmosphere in Shu, and he planned to lead the military commander Quan Shixiong. This civil servant was Wu Zhaoyi, who was favored by everyone and loved by the people.
In history, Li Hao suffered two consecutive subjugations, and both times he wrote a petition to surrender. The Shu people were dissatisfied with what he had done, and secretly inscribed "Shixiu surrendered to the Li family" on the door of his mansion.
Now he still writes surrender orders, but because of Luo Youdu's strict military management, he is deeply supported by the people of Shu.
Li Hao was not given any trouble, and he helped Luo Youdu without any worries.
Even calling the door is done personally.
"Master Wu! Your Majesty personally came to visit and wanted to see you..."
Not long after, a sixty-year-old man hurried out and saw that Luo Youdu had not entered, but was standing outside the fence. He hurriedly said: "Heaven's home is approaching, and the common people are scared. Please come in quickly!"
Luo Youdu entered the small courtyard, and Wu Zhaoyi bowed respectfully in the courtyard.
"The common people pay homage to the Emperor of the Central Plains!"
Luo Youdu smiled casually and said: "Sir, there is no need to be polite..."
He glanced left and right and said, "Sir, you are so elegant. Living in seclusion here, I'm afraid you won't be able to live like a god."
Where Wu Zhaoyi lived in seclusion, there was a sea of flowers in front of the door, a bamboo forest behind the house, a gurgling stream on the right, and a thatched thatched house that was unsightly on the left.
But Luo Youdu knew the essence of this place, which was this thatched cottage that disfigured the scenery.
The thatched cottage has a name called Du Fu Thatched Cottage.
Back then, Du Fu wandered in Sichuan and arrived in Chengdu. With the help of Yan Wu and others, he built a thatched cottage on the bank of Huanhua River in the west of the city.
Du Fu lived here for four years and wrote more than 240 poems.
Hundreds of years have passed, and the original thatched cottage has long since collapsed. Wei Zhuang, a poet in the late Tang Dynasty, found the ruins of the thatched cottage and rebuilt the thatched cottage to preserve it.
What Luo Youdu saw at this moment was Wei Zhuang's thatched cottage.
"Being next to Du Shaoling is really a great joy in life."
Wu Zhaoyi's face showed a bit of desolation. He had worked in Shu for many years, and now the only place where he can reflect his achievements is this secluded place.
The things left over from his early years as prime minister had been completely destroyed by Meng Chang. He said: "Shaoling Ye Lao has been worried about the country and the people all his life. I feel ashamed to have Shaoling Ye Lao as my neighbor."
Luo Youdu heard that little bit of unwillingness and said with a smile: "I have two things I want Mr. Wu to help me with."
Wu Zhaoyi bowed and said: "The Heavenly Family speaks frankly, and the common people will do their best. Please come to the humble house to talk..."
He invited Luo Youdu to come in.
Luo Youdu asked Li Hao and his party to wait outside the house, and he walked into the thatched cottage with him.
The two of them sat down.
Luo Youdu said: "When you were appointed prime minister, you were at odds with the Central Plains. You often communicated with Dali, and you must know about Dali's national conditions. I need an official to go to Dali to pay a visit to the Duan family. Is there anyone you can choose, sir?"
Wu Zhaoyi frowned slightly and asked: "The ordinary people dare to ask, what is the intention of the Tianjia? With the power of the Central Plains now, we only need to show some goodwill. The ordinary people can guarantee that Dali will not be able to kneel down, so why bother?"
Luo Youdu said without hesitation: "I have always aimed to unify the world and restore the homeland of the Han and Tang Dynasties. The whole country of Dali is the homeland of the Han and Tang Dynasties, and I will take it sooner or later. However, it is not worthwhile to launch a large army against Dali at the moment. I just want to make a temporary decision.
The border between the two countries is bounded by the Jinsha River, which controls the gateway to the Ancient Tea Horse Road."
Wu Zhaoyi paid homage and said: "The Tian family has great ambitions, and the common people admire it. Our Xia has such holy masters as your majesty, and the prosperous times of Han and Tang Dynasties are not far away. But Dali is a high place, and it is not easy for people. He has been in Jianchang Mansion in Dali for a long time.
To take precautions, move the local people inward and let our tribes with enemies in Xia fill in. The layout has been laid out for many years, and your Majesty's move will definitely lead to a battle."
Luo Youdu didn't care and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter, his ancestors from Gao Fang were all my subjects in the Xia Dynasty. As long as the barbarians surrender, I can tolerate them and I have the confidence to conquer them like the Marquis of Wu."
He paused and said: "I'm not afraid of a battle, but I'm afraid that they won't dare to fight. The southern barbarian land is mountainous and forested. If Dali hides its troops in the mountains and doesn't confront us head-on, it will be a headache.
matter."
When Wu Zhaoyi heard this, he understood and said: "Therefore, the Tian family needs someone to come to Dali and create some trouble for Gao Fang."
Luo Youdu praised: "The Duan family of Dali should not be willing to be manipulated by the Gao family all their lives, right? Not long after the founding of Dali, the Gao family was not the only one who had minister Conglong. In the end, the Gao family was the sole master of power. Some people were dissatisfied, and it was natural.
If Gao Fang intends to consume, then I will let his backyard catch fire."
Wu Zhaoyi marveled and said: "The Tian family is far-sighted."
Luo Youdu said: "Nowadays, there are many people in the temples in Sichuan who are vegetarians, and there is no one who can shoulder this important task. I have many capable people in my hands, but they are not familiar with Dali, so it is difficult for them to take on the important task."
Wu Zhaoyi said: "There is indeed a candidate here among the grassroots. His surname is Shi Ke and his courtesy name is Zi Zhuan. He is a well-known painter in Shu. He is best at painting gods and ghosts. He is bohemian and has excellent eloquence. Dali worships Buddhism and has invited Shi Ke to join him many times.
Dali paints murals. Gao Fang has very strict control over the Dali royal family, which is difficult for ordinary people to see. However, the Dali royal family likes to become a monk, and Shi Ke is the best choice."
Luo Youdu's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands and said: "Mr. Wu has solved a big problem for me. I wonder if he can solve the fatal disaster for Bashu?"
Wu Zhaoyi hesitated again and again, thinking about the current situation in Shu, and then looked at Luo Youdu in front of him, and bowed: "The common people are willing to serve your Majesty!"