In the Henan government office, several rosewood screens divide the spacious second hall into several independent spaces, each with its own purpose.
For example, the main hall is where Yin Xiaojing of Henan Province summons officials to discuss matters, and is occasionally used to receive guests. The study room on the left is where he writes memorials, handles official duties, and reads and practices calligraphy. The tea room on the right is where he occasionally relaxes.
A place for him to make tea and play chess.
At this time, in the main hall, a huge board-footed table was placed in the middle, and several high-backed chairs were placed around the big table.
Henan Yin Xiaojing, Yinqing Guanglu doctor Cui Luo, Luocheng Xingyingzhiguo school captain Tan Lingde, Taiweigong Taizhuhong Zhiye, Jingyun Temple master Shi Xiaoren, Tongxuan Temple master Qu Bingyu, and Luoyang wealthy family members
Yuan Kuan, the head of the family, Yu Jianzong, the head of the Yu family, and others were sitting around.
Everyone was sipping new tea and eating cakes, all talking about how to intercept the Zoroastrian saint's elaborate plan in a few days.
The discussion seems to be over halfway. According to the "detailed" reports arranged by Xiao Jing, Hong Zhiye, Tan Lingde, Cui Lu and others in Zoroastrianism, first of all, it can be confirmed that the new generation of Zoroastrian saints has arrived in Chang'an. If you run as fast as possible, you will be able to do it in one day and one night.
Arrive in Luoyang.
The reason why he has not set off and postponed his arrival in Luoyang until March 15th is probably because he was secretly planning with Zhuan Zheng and others in Sabao Mansion and taking various precautionary measures to ensure that the Holy Land was safe.
The woman can reach Luoyang safely and rekindle the sacred flame.
In the three Zoroastrian temples in Luoyang, there are no more than a thousand believers who devoutly worship the sacred fire, and most of them are Sogdian merchants and merchants. There are also a small number of Han people, most of whom are not proficient in martial arts, and those who are good at it are even rarer.
.
To sum up, the Zoroastrian people really have nothing to fear!
However, this matter has been planned for a long time. It can be said that the sword has been unsheathed and the arrow has been cocked. There is only one final step left on March 15th. Everyone is gathered here today. The only thing they care about and has not yet fulfilled is that from this joint effort, can
What benefits are obtained.
After all, no matter how good the plan is, everyone here needs to contribute in order to play a good game of chess. Otherwise, all the wonderful plans will be just empty talk!
So the princes talked about the plan, and they all began to talk tacitly about the secrets of the palace. No one made it clear how many men they would send or how many weapons they would prepare... Apparently they were all waiting for Xiao Jing to give them a definite promise.
Xiao Jing's life was full of ups and downs in the officialdom. How could he not understand what the princes were thinking?
It's just that when it comes to controlling people, the most important thing is to be impatient and to subdue the weak and show timidity first; as for the struggle for power, it is even more necessary to have a dark heart and ruthless hands to attack the person's life gate. Those who achieve great things, no matter how anxious their hearts are, they must remain as stable as a mountain on the face, and then figure out the difficult problems.
way.
At this time, I saw that all the princes had raised their heads and clapped their chests with their heads high and promised, but now they were all whispering to each other, looking left and right, and never mentioned the matter of sending people to take action.
Xiao Jing couldn't help but sneer in her heart: They are a bunch of old foxes! When things got tough, they made an appointment to come to my place to argue, but they just wanted to raise the price and get more benefits!
It only took a blink of an eye to understand the joints. Xiao Jing said without any pain or itch: "This time, intercepting the Zoroastrian saint and driving her back to the Western Regions is a good thing that will benefit the court and benefit all the princes! We need to work hard.
Let's work together, work together, and work together. If you don't agree with what I say, I can't force you.
However, there are tens of thousands of farmers in the suburbs of Luoyang. Because they received insufficient land and could not pay the full rent, they have been forced to submit to mediocrity and accept transfers. Many of them have fled into exile. I want to clarify the household registration and redistribute the land to provide comfort to the farmers.
If there is anyone who can't take care of you, I still hope to see Haihan!"
Cui Luo, Yu Jianzong, Yuan Kuan and other wealthy families could not sit still at first.
Although the Cui, Yu, and Yuan clans had several acres of fertile ancestral land, which was enough for them to have enough food and clothing. But in the peaceful and prosperous times, who would really complain that they had so much land? Therefore, when the chaos in Jizhou just subsided, the Cui family, the Yu family,
The Yuan family and other wealthy families took the opportunity to start
They wantonly annexed farmland, and privately took in homeless people who had lost their nationality and had no property, and worked for them. Now, ten years later, Luoyang's wealthy families have divided up how much land they have divided up, how many "rents" they have avoided, and how much cloth and silk they have accumulated...
But to do these things, it is naturally impossible to be airtight. It is necessary to have overt and covert connections with important officials in the court, and to make friends with Henan Yin and other local officials, so that they can turn a blind eye.
Therefore, Xiao Jing's few polite words, although they were just the duties that Henan Yin should be assigned, to them, were tantamount to draining the firepower! It was actually more effective than any coercion or inducement.
Cui Luo and the heads of the other clans looked at each other and said, "Just now, Brother Yu Jianzong agreed to send the 'Xuanyu Guards' in the mansion to take action, and brother Yuan Kuanyuan sent the 'Mulan Guards' to help. Although my Cui Mansion has no hope,
The private soldiers of Jiahuyuan also have some skilled warriors and staff, and they are all at the disposal of Master Xiao. I just don’t know how Master Xiao plans to arrange his troops."
Xiao Jing cupped her hands and said with a smile: "Thank you in advance for the high righteousness of the family heads! According to the news obtained by Wuhoupu, the Zoroastrian believers in the city are preparing to welcome the new generation of saints at the foot of Xianglu Mountain, ten miles west of the city. The water flow in Luo River is slow here.
The terrain is flat and broad, so whether the Zoroastrian saint is walking on horseback or sailing, it is easier to detect ambushes.
Therefore, first of all, Yuan Kuan's family leader's "Mulan Guards" must be stationed in the surrounding area, surrounding but not attacking, so as to attract the Zoroastrian believers and not dare to act rashly. Then, Yu Jianzong's family leader's "Xuanyu Guards" and Cui Luo's family leader's martial arts masters must
Along the Luoshui River, go west and set up an ambush at a place called Lingshan Col..."
After hearing this, Tan Lingde twitched his beard and raised his eyebrows slightly: "Since ancient times, those who use military force have relied on the virtual and the real, relying on the right combination to win by surprise. Master Xiao's arrangement like this can be seen in the art of war, and it is also quite successful! I, the ten soldiers who camped in Luocheng
I am a strong general, and I am willing to be a pawn in front of you, clearing the way for the rear troops! But... there is no harvest in the spring, and there is not much food and grass left for the camp. I hope Master Xiao will open a warehouse as soon as possible to help."
Hong Zhiye clasped his fists and said with a smile: "General Tan is joking! Luoyang Hanjia Cang is directly managed by the Ministry of Household Affairs of the Imperial Court. It is not an exaggeration to call it an 'imperial warehouse'. How can it be opened at the request of Mr. Xiao?"
Tan Lingde snorted coldly and looked at Hong Zhiye: "Then according to what Hong Taizhu said, we have tens of thousands of soldiers stationed in Luocheng, so we can only feed ourselves and tighten our belts to protect the country and the people?"
Xiao Jing saw Hong Zhiye's sarcasm, but Tan Lingde responded with a word, and hurriedly said: "Don't worry, General Tan! Regarding the money and food needed for the camp in Luocheng, I wrote a handwritten note and reported it to the court more than a month ago. I believe it.
It won't take long before Prime Minister Yuan will issue an ultimatum.
Moreover, the former Prime Minister of the Yuan Dynasty sent a flying letter and was very concerned about stopping Zoroastrianism. If this can be done this time and the prosperity of Zoroastrianism can be curbed, the Prime Minister of the Yuan Dynasty will definitely ask the saint for credit on behalf of Captain Tan.
At that time, money, food and weapons will be nothing more than a matter of edict."
Hong Zhiye looked slightly stunned, but it was difficult to get angry. After all, he was invited to recruit soldiers for the Luocheng camp on the order of the palace envoy. After thinking for a while, he turned his attention to Shi Xiaoren.
Shi Xiaoren was thoughtful and understood immediately, and stood up and said: "What Zoroastrianism believes in is really a heresy. I heard that in its teachings, there are intermarriage between father and daughter, and intermarriage between brother and sister, which is really a disaster to ordinary human relations! Its burial customs are even more disturbing.
It is shocking that the corpses of the dead are fed to eagles and dogs, euphemistically called 'sky burials'. The eagles and dogs are obsessed with killing children, causing many tragic disasters...
Such evil demons and heretics should be punished by everyone! Although I am not talented in Jingyun Temple, I have several acres of Taoist land, which is enough for the temple to eat, so there is no need for Master Xiao to provide one and a half horses. I only wish to unite with the disciples of Temple
Use your power to expel the Zoroastrian evildoers and rectify our prosperous dynasty!"
After listening to this, Xiao Jing's eyes were full of brilliance: "Shi Daojiang forgets his own selfishness, speaks out for justice, and breaks the poison of Zoroastrianism with one word! It coincides with what I have been thinking for many years. When this matter is settled, I will take the government with me.
The government officials, please go to Jingyun Temple to offer incense!"
When Qu Bingyu saw Shi Xiaoren's impassioned speeches, Xiao Jing was greatly appreciated. He felt anxious and his head was hot, so he blurted out: "I, the Taoist priest of Tongxuan Guan, are not afraid of death the most! I kill Zoroastrian demons one by one.
Come two and kill a pair! Anyway, we can’t let them talk nonsense again!”
After hearing this, everyone frowned, and two words came to their mind: vulgar.
Xiao Jing knew that he meant flattery, but he was not good at modifying his speech and was too straightforward. Now when employing people, naturally he could not make people's hearts cold, so he also smiled and said: "When Qu Daozhang is a hero in this world, I rely on you Tongxuanguan."
!”
During the verbal exchange, all the gentlemen present here went over the entire plan to intercept the Holy Lady from beginning to end, and filled in the ill-thought-out links one by one. Only then did they finally decide on the time for all parties to assemble.
The location, and the leader of the entire plan: Wuhou Pu, Daohuafang, Wuhou Xiao Zhan.
Xiao Zhan, the little Wuhou who will represent Henan Prefecture and command all the people, was naturally recommended by Xiao Jing.
After Xiao Jing recommended Xiao Zhan, she struck while the iron was hot and directly called Xiao Zhan in to meet with the princes one by one. Her feelings of cultivation and support were beyond words.
Everyone had just received the promise they wanted, so they were naturally happy to be a favor and praised Xiao Zhan one after another. There were all kinds of beautiful words and witty words. Xiao Zhan just smiled and nodded, accepting it happily.
When the princes were sent out of the gate of the government office, Hong Zhiye slowed down a few steps and stayed at Xiao Jing's side: "Master Xiao! The palace envoy knows that you have always been a benevolent government and can't bear to kill people in your actions. But you still asked me to take a person with you.
The team of "Tiger Guards" is ambushing outside the battle group in case of emergencies. Today I need to ask for a word from you. If this goes well, will the remnants of the Zoroastrian religion be slaughtered? If it does not go well, will the Zoroastrian saints be killed with all their strength?
Woman, can you accomplish your feats in one battle?"
Mr. Xiao sighed: "Since it is an interception, there will inevitably be confrontation and killing. My bottom line is that except for the new generation of saints, everyone else can be killed... That saint has a special origin. If she is killed accidentally, nine people will be killed.
People with the surname Hu will undergo great changes! When the saint is blamed, it will be difficult for me and the palace envoys to wash away their sins even if they die ten thousand times. Therefore, you must tell your people that the saint must not be killed."
Xiao Zhan stood two feet away, clasping fists and bidding farewell to the princes. His ears trembled slightly, and he took in an overview of Xiao Jing and Hong Zhiye's whispers, and raised the corners of his mouth slightly: As expected, most people in power tend to look forward and backward; on the contrary,
He is a knight errant, and can take revenge as he pleases.
After the princes got on their oil-walled cars one by one and walked away, Xiao Zhan turned around and paid homage to Xiao Jing: "Shao Yin Chen Wanglu came back from Xiangshan Temple and said he would return to you. He is waiting at Shao Yin's office now."
Xiao Jing looked kind, raised her right arm slightly, and wanted to say a few words, but she saw Xiao Zhan's face was cold. She could only sigh: "Zhan'er, I know you think very highly of yourself, and you don't want to be trapped in Luoyang City for a long time.
.In this way, now that the matter is over, I will recommend you to go to Luocheng to camp, so that you can accompany the army in autumn defense, march westward to Tibet, and fulfill your 'manly ambition'. Okay?"
Xiao Zhan turned his face away and said indifferently: "Whatever Mr. Xiao tells me, I will do my best to do it. There is no need to put on such a warm gesture, I can't bear it!"
Xiao Jing looked slightly embarrassed, but not angry. She turned around and walked slowly towards the second hall of the government office. A low voice came slowly: "Tell Chen Shaoyin to have a cup of tea and come to see me in the second hall."