In the down and out rivers and lakes, there is a wine shop, with a slender waist and light palms.
After ten years, I dreamed of Yangzhou and won the reputation of a brothel.
——Du Mu in "Feelings of Love"
…
Yang Guozhong was very drunk and it was already late at night when he returned to his house.
Xianyu Zhongtong has been waiting in Yang Mansion for a long time. He left the banquet at Daming Palace last night early. At dawn today, he will obey the imperial decree and rush to Jiannan Army.
Before leaving, he still had important matters to discuss with Yang Guozhong.
Seeing Xian Yu Zhongtong, Yang Guozhong had sobered up for the most part and was furious. He said angrily: "It's all because of you bastard that I almost lost my life in the Daming Palace!"
Xianyu Zhongtong was neither anxious nor annoyed. He waited until Yang Guozhong finished losing his temper before replying: "Sir, I have already found out about this matter. We have been tricked by Li Xiang and others."
Yang Guozhong said dissatisfied: "You don't have to say it. Of course I suffered such a big loss because of the tricks of the old fox Li Linfu. To put it simply, what exactly happened?"
Xianyu Zhongtong: "The origin of the Nanzhao border invasion incident is as follows: Nanzhao king Geluofeng passed Yaozhou, Yunnan prefect Zhang Qiantuo insulted Geluofeng's wife and daughter, and opened his mouth to extort bribes. Geluo
Feng didn't respond and made Zhang Qiantuo's request for bribes public.
Zhang Qiantuo became so angry that he sent people to Geluofeng's camp, provoked and insulted him, and falsely accused Geluofeng to the court. In anger, Geluofeng left Yaozhou and returned to Nanzhao to instigate the "Liuzhao" chiefs in the Erhai area to rebel.
Tang.
After successfully instigating a rebellion, Ge Luofeng led the "Six Zhao" ministries and sent troops to rebel. The Nanzhao coalition took advantage of the Tang army's unpreparedness to break through Yunnan, killed the prefect Zhang Qiantuo, and captured Jizhou."
Yang Guozhong said angrily: "The barbarians killed officials and rebelled. How can you not avenge such a big thing?"
Xianyu Zhongtong shook his head and said: "The strange thing is here! Regarding the Nanzhao rebellion, whether it was a letter sent by flying pigeons or a border crossing eight hundred miles away, the relevant memorials were deliberately skipped over Jiannan Jiedu Mansion and submitted directly to the Central Government.
Book, please read it below."
Yang Guozhong frowned and said, "I was in Zhongshu, and I didn't see this memorial?"
Xianyu Zhongtong asked: "Sir, which prime minister is on duty in Zhongshu these two days?"
Yang Guozhong understood it as soon as he heard it, and replied bitterly: "Chen Xilie, this old cunning man, pretends to be a pig and eats the tiger. He is usually harmonious and seems to be indifferent to the world. When he is a prime minister, he is actually a chess piece placed in the cabinet by Li Linfu.
.While he was pretending to be ill, he served as a watchdog for him.
I just hate that I am too trusting and careless!"
Xianyu Zhongtong poured a cup of tea himself, handed it to Yang Guozhong, and said comfortingly: "Sir, don't blame yourself too much. We are in the light, and the enemy is in the dark, so it is inevitable that we cannot guard against it.
I suspect that Prime Minister Li was behind the whole incident, including the provocation and insult by the governor of Yunnan, Zhang Qiantuo, the king of Nanzhao, Geluofeng. I know a little about Zhang Qiantuo. Although he is greedy for money and lust, he is still a high-ranking official.
, he is not a brainless person, how could he stir up trouble for no reason?
As the saying goes, when things go wrong, there will always be a monster."
Yang Guozhong sighed: "The matter has come to this, we can only take one step at a time. Fortunately, the imperial concubine is still in the palace to provide support. As long as the imperial concubine's favor remains, I still have a chance to make a comeback.
Let's do this. You go to Nanzhao first, gather an army, and resist the attack of Geluofeng's army. I hope that by the time I arrive, you will live up to everyone's expectations and have put down the rebellion.
When the time comes, I will personally send a letter to Your Majesty to express my merits for you. I will be promoted to a higher rank in the near future."
The two discussed the deployment of troops, the procurement of food and grass, and the comfort of the people one by one.
Unknowingly, the rooster crowed and the sky was bright. The chariots, horses and soldiers escorting Xian Yu Zhongtong were already waiting at the gate of Yang Mansion.
Just when Xianyu Zhongtong was about to retire, he suddenly remembered something, dismissed his servants, and whispered a few words in Yang Guozhong's ear:
"My lord, the journey from Chang'an to Nanzhao is long, bumpy, and densely covered with jungles. Thieves and bandits appear from time to time. Be careful if someone uses the topic to your advantage, it will be detrimental to you!"
Yang Guozhong was horrified and said: "Assassinate the imperial official! They...are they so bold?"
Xianyu Zhong Passage: "Nanzhao is remote and sparsely populated, and it is inevitable to encounter bandits. If they want to take action, they will definitely let the assassins disguise themselves as ordinary bandits. No matter whether they succeed or fail, they will not leave any clues and can't involve them.
On the body.
Sir, this is probably the real reason why they tried every means to get you to leave the capital!
This is a serious matter, so we must take precautions!"
Yang Guozhong fell down on the couch, his face turned pale.
When Xianyu Zhongtong saw this, he quickly expressed some relief and said, "Isn't the Huben Army composed of masters from various martial arts sects? Sir, why don't you ask the Holy One to ask the Huben Army to send someone to escort you all the way?"
Yang Guozhong was overjoyed and praised him repeatedly.
Xian Yuzhong said: "I will also say hello to Jiang Yinnong, the leader of the Sichuan Gang, and ask him to send someone to protect your safety. The Bashu area has high mountains and far rivers, and it is the world of the Sichuan Gang. In one word, Gang Leader Jiang can compare with the Jiedushi, the prefect and other feudal frontiers.
All the officials will take care of it."
Yang Guozhong nodded and said, "I heard a lot about Gang Leader Jiang's energy when I was working under Master Zhang Qiu."
Xian Yuzhong said: "The Bashu Guild Hall is the branch of the Sichuan Gang in Chang'an. When I considered placing the Jiannan Jiedu Mansion's headquarters there, I deliberately wanted to make good friends with the Sichuan Gang and establish a relationship with the leader of the Jiang Gang.
By the way, sir, there is one more thing I don’t know whether to talk about or not.”
At this time, Yang Guozhong relied more and more on Xian Yu Zhongtong and said with a smile: "Sir, don't be polite, just say what you have to say."
Xianyu Zhongtong pondered for a moment and said: "Baifu, who was not selected for the Tiger Ben Army, is rumored to be a closed disciple of Gang Leader Jiang. When I was in Yizhou, I saw with my own eyes that Sichuan Gang Changle Tangtang advocated Fen to take special care of this child.
Mr. Yang, you have a lot of money, so you are so noble, so don’t argue with him anymore.”
Yang Guozhong blushed. He learned that Bai Fu Hong Wen Guan was dismissed from office and went into service. Xian Yu Zhongtong learned about it. A dignified prime minister of the Tang Dynasty was competing with a small school secretary. When word spread, he was ridiculed.
Yang Guozhong patted his chest and nodded in agreement.
…
Prince Qing's residence was also brightly lit that night.
The rules of the Shangyuan Festival Polo Competition have been initially announced: the royal grandsons of each family are free to form teams, and each participating team must have a royal grandson to direct and compete.
At the same time, in order to increase the excitement and enjoyment of the event, the team can hire polo masters from civilians and the military to join the team to help out.
After listening to the team preparation plan reported by Li Qiu, Qing Wang Li Cong readily agreed.
Qing Wang Li Cong said: "It seems that the Holy Emperor has made up his mind to make the emperor's grandson an important part of the selection of the heir apparent. Therefore, in this ball game, we must not only participate, but also win, and even win beautifully!"
Only in this way can you change the inherent impression in Grandpa Huang's eyes and let His Majesty know that you Five Tigers will never lose to the two brothers Li Chu and Li Tan."
Li Qiu and Li Yan looked at each other with high morale.
Li Yandao: "In each family, except for Li Chu and Li Tan who are slightly better at playing football, the other emperors and grandsons have similar skills. I think that the emperors and grandsons of each family will bet their money on foreign aid. When it comes to recruiting talents, the Eight Immortals cross the sea and each shows his talent.
Supernatural powers.
Li Cong, the king of Qing, smiled and said: "We can't lose to them in recruiting talents. You can do whatever you want, no matter how much money it costs, my father will support you!"
Li Qiu, Li Yan and other five brothers were overjoyed.
Li Qiu said: "Father, there are only a few top polo masters in Chang'an, and everyone is probably vying for it. In the end, it will be evenly distributed, and each family will have masters in charge. Therefore, if you want to be sure of victory and win unexpectedly, you need to find someone to join.
"
Li Cong, the king of Qing, smiled and said: "Then I will pay you a lot of money!"
Without further ado, start as soon as possible! It is estimated that the threshold for the good golfers in Chang'an will be broken from today on, and they will not be able to live a solid life throughout the year. Haha."
Li Qiu smiled and said: "This master has no record of competing in Chang'an. I'm afraid no one else knows about it. Even if they know, they may not be able to invite him.
To ensure nothing goes wrong, I’m afraid I’ll have to ask my father to take part in this trip?”
"Oh?" King Qing Li Cong heard this and became interested. He laughed and said, "For the sake of the children, my father, I am willing to imitate Liu Xuande and pay three visits to the thatched cottage!"