Chapter 14: The King's Center >

to reduce vassal states is somewhat overly hasty" 。“Liu Aiqing said,” The tone of Emperor Xizong remained as emotionless as ever. 。"Saintly one, when I look at the world, the most arrogant are undo...Although the Shatuo army was still outside the city, Zhu Wen could hardly wait to welcome a middle-aged man named Zhang Quanyi and begin discussing with him how to restore the economy.

This is not just about silencing Li Kequan and responding to the tragedy of his family starving to death, but also about creating a stable rear base for himself, ensuring a continuous supply line, so that he can achieve great things in the future. 。As the two were happily conversing, Lord Shi Shicong's voice rang out:"Master Zhang, Master Zhang!"Zhu Wen glanced at Zhang Quanyi, chuckled helplessly, and replied, "Old Lord, come over here." 。Shi Shuchong walked into the yamen and didn't look at Zhang Quanyi 。It's not that he looked down on others, but Zhang Quanyì genuinely had a very shabby appearance. Although he was only in his forties, his hair was already starting to turn gray. More exaggeratedly, he even had wrinkles all over his face. Coupled with his dull eyes, he looked like an old farmer who had been exposed to wind and sun for years. 。Although the soldiers of Xuanwu Army did not despise Zhang Quan'yi, no one was willing to be his close friend. 。Zhu Wen spoke, “Lao Shi, what brings you here”Shi Shucong smiled, “I’ve come to congratulate the Prime Minister on receiving the title of Marquis!” 。"Now that so many are being enfeoffed, they are more like dogs than loyal servants." 。"To be granted a marquis title, what's there to celebrate"At this moment, Ge Cong Zhou also walked in on crutches and upon hearing this, quickly said: "Did the official bestow a new name on San Lang as well"Zhu Wen wryly smiled: "My given name was bestowed by my parents! Now that the official says to change it, I shall... The saying goes, loyalty and filial piety cannot be fulfilled simultaneously. Zhu某 understands this now." 。There is a hint of discontent in his words. 。

Shì Shū Cóng smiled and said, "Your Excellency Minister, the emperor bestowing a name is a great honor, bringing glory to one's ancestors. It is an immense blessing! Why are you..." He glanced at Zhu Wen's face, still as dark as water. Although puzzled, he did not speak further.

Zhu Wen looked at Ge Congzhou: "Tongmei, is your injury getting better" Ge Congzhou's face flushed hot. 。He was shot off his horse by Shi Jing, breaking two ribs. He has been recuperating ever since. 。Hearing that the emperor had bestowed a name upon the envoy, he reluctantly rose, leaning on his cane as he made his way to the office and expressed his congratulations to the envoy. 。At this time, when asked about his injuries, he could only truthfully say: "Thank you, Sanlang, for your concern. In fact, my injuries are not that serious." 。To speak of it, one has to thank Ziming for later challenging that man, which could be considered as avenging Ge. 。Zhu Wen nodded. At this time, Wang Yanzhang, Zhang Cunhou, Ding Hui, Huo Cun, and other generals all came to congratulate the envoy. Zhang Cunhou even suggested that a new marquis' mansion be built. 。Zhu Wen's heart became increasingly uncomfortable, yet he couldn't bring himself to speak plainly, so he brushed aside the good intentions of his generals. 。Ge could see clearly from beside Zhou. A sudden thought struck him, and he chuckled, "Third Brother, while I've been recuperating these past few days, I've learned a trick of reading character by analyzing the lines." 。

Zhu Wen casually asked, "Measure the characters"

Ge Congzhou said, “That’s right. The subordinate dares to do so, and I will dissect the two characters ‘Quan,’ and ‘Zhong’ bestowed upon the official by the emperor, for you to see >>>" 。"Zhu Wen came to some interest: 'How about after opening it'""Ge Congzhou dipped his finger in tea and wrote: 'First, this "whole" character, the top is "person" and the bottom is "king"; then look at this "loyalty", the top is "middle" and the bottom is "heart"' " 。"Oh my!" he cried out suddenly, startling everyone, and even Zhu Wen looked at Ge Congzhou. 。Ge Congzhou laughed: "I didn't expect that after opening it, it would be such four characters - human, king, center, heart! Congratulations to Sanlang, it's a great auspicious sign!"Shi Shouchong hurriedly stepped forward to see the characters Ge Congzhou wrote, and said in surprise: "It is really 'human king center' four characters! Haha, it seems that all the generals in the world should ask Sima to be a central figure!"Ding Hui smiled and said: "Indeed, it's very coincidental" 。Zhu Wen also came to be interested, hurriedly dipped his hand in tea water, wrote the two characters "Quan Zhong," and looked at them carefully, saying: “Indeed not bad, it is exactly the four characters ‘Ren Wang Zhong Xin’.” 。Zhang Guihou hurriedly joined in, “Among the forty-eight Road Marshals of the world, all can be called ‘Human King,’ only the Marshal himself is their center. ” 。Thus speaking, making someone truly one who surpasses all under heaven! 。

"Even more rare are these four characters, they were bestowed by the Imperial Court! Saburo, this is truly Heaven's will,"

Zhu Wen thought for a moment, and finally smiled: "Very good! This time, I will follow the emperor's wishes and call myself Quanzhong!"All the generals together clasped their hands and bowed: "Yes, sir!"Zhang Quanying said something that somewhat ruined the atmosphere: "Prime Minister, when Zhang entered the city, I heard that the eldest son was still arresting a child"Zhu Quanzhong looked at Zhang Quanying, who had a sincere face, and helplessly replied: "This is not an ordinary child, he is the third son of the one-eyed thief..." 。Zhang Quanyi insisted on his point of view: “No matter what, it’s better not to make things difficult for a young child, as it might damage the face of both parties.” 。Now, another sage has bestowed a name upon him. Why not take advantage of this happy occasion and pardon this child" Zhu Quanzhong found it amusing: Zhang Quan'yi, when he served as the defender in Luoyang, was attentive to agricultural production. He would personally go into the fields and if he found weeds, he would make the people work for a month as punishment; but if there were no weeds, he would reward them with five hundred wen. 。He again recruited commoners from all directions, allowing them to receive land for farming, keeping 30% of the harvest for themselves. 。But in just two years, the area around Luoyang had become a place with no idle farmland and a thriving population. The government treasury was full, making it a paradise amidst the chaos of war. 。When Zhu Quanzhong heard of this, he paid special attention to Zhang Quan'yi. At just that time, Li Hanzhi, a general from Hedong, invaded Luoyang from Heyang. Zhang Quan'yi urgently asked Zhu Quanzhong for help. Zhu Quanzhong then sent Ding Hui with 20,000 soldiers to drive back Li Hanzhi. 。After this battle, Zhang Quanyi felt that in the midst of chaos, it was still better to find a big tree to lean on. He simply threw his allegiance to Zhu QuanZhong. 。When Zhu Quanzhong heard the news, he was overjoyed. He disregarded the fact that the Shatuo army was still outside the city and personally went out to greet Zhang Quanying. This led to a heartfelt conversation between the two men. 。It was a conversation that allowed Zhu Quanzhong to understand Zhang Quan'yi. This man truly was a simple farmer. 。Ambition has nothing to do with him. 。This characteristic, on the contrary, made Zhu Quanzhong admire Zhang Quanyi even more: "That's good. You be a good farmer for me and plant well." 。At this time, when Zhang Quanyi pleaded for a young boy who had been making noodles to be spared, Zhu Quanzhong was willing to agree and stop pursuing the child. 。But there is a concern. If I easily agree to Zhang Quan'yi's request, will this country bumpkin underestimate me, and even become arrogant in the future Zhu Quanzhong firmly believes that things obtained too easily are not cherished by anyone; favors given too easily are not considered valuable by anyone. 。He didn't answer right away, but instead seemed to glance casually at Ge Congzhou. 。Ge from Zhou Xin Ling Shenhui, immediately said: "Zhang Gong's words are wrong" 。If we capture Li Keshu, in the future he will also be afraid to act recklessly and harm the Central Plains and the people of the Tang Dynasty. Only then can the people of the Tang Dynasty live in peace and cultivate their studies. 。"A farmer has land to cultivate, a scholar has books to read, and every commoner finds their own calling. Is this not the scene of a flourishing era that General Zhang yearns for” Zhang Quanyi smiled: “General, what you say is naturally what Zhang has always aspired to in his life.” 。"Ge Cong Zhou also laughed: "Yet again! Capturing this boy is a means to resist the Shatuo people's raids, how can it be said that we are making things difficult for him"Zhu Quanzhong felt that Ge Congzhou's words were not very pleasant, so he coughed and looked at Zhang Quan yi: "It's just this sentence, but by allowing scholars and farmers to each get what they deserve, even if Zhu has a loss of face, what's the big deal"Zhang Quanyi only then realized that he had been led astray: If he insisted on pardoning the boy, it would be tantamount to condoning the Shatuo people's raids. This naturally contradicted his own pursuit. How could he reconcile this If he wanted peace in Bianjing, he could only allow the envoy to continue capturing the boy." 。Could he possibly be slapping himself in the face At a loss, he could only stare blankly at Zhu Quan, hoping that he would do him a favor. 。Zhuan Quanzhong smiled: “Zhang Gong is the most compassionate, so even he wants to protect the Sha Tuo children.” 。With such compassion, one will surely enjoy a long life in the future. 。Have a look at Zhang Quanyi's wrinkles, everyone. We're all secretly laughing our heads off inside. 。He works so hard on the farm that he probably won't live to see his destiny even if heaven knows it. 。

Zhu Quanzhong continued, "Quanzhong has an imperial decree to pacify bandits and rebels for the country and resist barbarians.

It is a pity that Zhang Gong is so compassionate, which puts Quan Zhong in a very difficult position. 。"Ge Cong Zhou's heart brightened, and he immediately said: "Third Brother, this subordinate has an ungentlemanly request..." 。Zhu Quanzhong nodded: "Let me tell you..." 。"Master Ge from Zhou said, 'Third Brother, why not make a wager with Master Zhang'"

Zhang Quan yi looked at Master Ge from Zhou in surprise, wondering how gambling came up. Yet he heard Master Ge from Zhou continue:

"If Master Zhang is truly willing to worry about the country and offer Third Brother a year's worth of military supplies, Third Brother will pardon that young boy first..." 。"But, I wonder if Mr. Zhang would be willing to contribute a year's worth of military rations to save this child's life"

Zhu Quanzhong almost laughed out loud. Zhang Quanyi had governed Luoyang for two years, with little success the first year, but last year he had a bountiful harvest" 。He had taken a year's worth of military rations from Luoyang, just enough to take all his year's harvest, everything he had scraped together, along with the two years' hard work of this peasant, and in the end, almost everything went into his own pocket. Zhu Quanzhong was in high spirits! Tong Mei truly is a capable official! His request perfectly matched his principle that he couldn't just casually send gifts to people. 。His two eyes were fixed on Zhang Quan Yi, but in his heart he muttered: "If you want to save the child, let's see if you are sincere"Zhang Quan Yi could have refuted him. Wasn't this like extortion from bandits Besides, Zhang was just asking for a favor, and Zhang and the child were not related by blood or marriage, so why should he be cheated But he had always been honest, and after hesitating, he opened his mouth and asked, "I wonder how much grain for one year's use by an official would cost Although Luoyang had some savings last year, it might not be enough." 。Zhu Quanzhong laughed heartily in his heart, but he didn't want to make things too difficult for this honest man. 。One is to have Zhang Quanyi come to Luoyang to provide logistical support. The other is to also have the deputy envoy of the military, Pei Di, and the grain commissioner, Wei Zhen, go to Luoyang to learn from Zhang Quanyi's experience and then improve the agriculture in Xuanwu Town. 。

Those warlords back then, when they rose up in rebellion, were naturally ruthless devils, like Huang Chao, a peasant rebel who looted wherever he went. His conquests left scorched earth; but once they had established their own territories, they understood that it was better to raise livestock and fatten them before slaughtering them. So, they began to protect their own land.

Those who are doing well, after becoming a local military commander, let their ass decide their head, then they should work even harder to develop the economy. 。 。Having these considerations in mind, Zhu Quanzhong smiled generously and said: “Alright, Tong Mei, you accompany Zhang Gong to find Li Maoshi (military logistics officer) Wei Zhen. Let’s calculate the military supplies needed on the spot.” 。If Zhang Gong is truly in a difficult position, there might still be room for negotiation. 。"Big Lang!"Zhu Youyu had been listening with relish all this time, and now that his father called him, he immediately responded loudly. 。

Zhu Quanzhong said, "Since Zhang Gong used a year's worth of military supplies to save that child, from today onwards, let us no longer pursue that child."

Zhu Youyu was, of course, delighted. That child had fled to Cai State, and there was nowhere to catch him. Now his father had, with a simple act of courtesy, exchanged him for a year's worth of military rations, relieving him of this duty. He admired his father immensely. 。And when Zhang Quanyi heard that the child was no longer being pursued, he thought to himself that he had saved a young life and felt very pleased. 。Outside the city of Bianzhou, Li Kuang, also received news from Wang Chongrong. 。It is said that the court not only bestowed upon him the title of "Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi" but also enfeoffed him as the King of Longxi. He was greatly comforted in his heart. 。Upon hearing the news, all the generals came to offer congratulations. 。

Li Ke looked at Zhou Dewi, smiling and asking: "What is Zhenyuan's view on this matter"

Zhou Dewi hurriedly clasped his fists and said: "The last general is finally able to call Simakong the king, naturally overjoyed.

Li Ke smiled: “Your calculations back then are really useful now.” 。This gives us titles and honors, like princely ranks. Now the court is eager to bestow upon us... 。Zhou Dewi's eyes flashed: "Your Majesty, I remember that we originally said to keep petitioning the court about this matter. We should keep Zhu San under the emperor's watchful eye at all times." 。Li Kuang thought for a moment, then suddenly asked with feigned curiosity: “Zhenyuan, I bestowed the title of Prince of Feng upon you. Why are you so pleased”Zhou Dewei naturally understood Li Kuang’s meaning and immediately said loudly: “Your Majesty, there are four reasons why I am happy about this matter: First, all of us have followed Your Majesty in battles north and south, precisely to restore the country and save the people from peril. It is of paramount importance for the court to acknowledge our contributions.” 。"

Li Ke used a slight nod: "And the second one"

Zhou Dewi immediately replied: "The second one is, to be honest, quite embarrassing. It's that everyone has their own selfish interests..." 。We who follow the king naturally also want to rely on this sword and gun, to seek wealth and honor. 。Now that the king has been made a Duke, everyone's future is bright, naturally they are pleased. 。Everyone, including Miao Ji Lie, shouted with approval. 。Li Kekong looked at Miao Ji Lie, and suddenly remembered a thing: "Although this is the case, the court has also bestowed upon Zhu Wen the name Zhu Quan Zhong." 。"Humph, let's see where his loyalty lies He must be a treacherous villain!"Seeing the generals nodding frequently, Li Ke use continued with a proud chest and said: "The imperial court bestowed a name, this prince can also bestow a name! Miao Ji Lie, I bestow upon you the new name Li Siyuan!" Li Siyuan hurriedly knelt down: "Thank you, Father King, for bestowing your name!"Li Ke use let him up, Zhou Dewei smiled and said: "Congratulations to the Grand Protector, 'Siyuan' two characters, quite imposing" 。Li Sizhen bowed to Zhou Dewei. 。Only then did Li Ke use ask, "Does Zhenyuan have any other concerns"

Zhou Dewei said: "The third concern I want to say is the ceremony for celebrating Wang's enthronement. It's probably going to be officially held when we return to Taiyuan, one is to make it grand and solemn, a sign of respect for the imperial court." 。Another is to let the people of Taiyuan have fun with the Great King, and in the future, everyone will share in its prosperity. 。Li Ke frowned, tapping Wang Chongrong's letter with his finger: "Wang Gong also said that the imperial edict was sent to Taiyuan..." 。We should hurry back to Taiyuan to receive the imperial decree. 。Li Cunxiao then asked, "Aren't we going to attack Bianzhou" Li Keku looked at him and said, "Cavalry attacks on cities are not our strong suit." 。Let's just spare Zhu San this time. 。Li Sizhen pulled Li Cunxiao, and only then did Li Cunxiao realize that the joyous atmosphere just now had subsided because he mentioned attacking Bianzhou. 。He hastily changed the subject, asking Zhou Dewei: "Zhenyuan, do you still have any grievances Tell me quickly!" 。Zhou Dewei smiled and looked at Li Cunxiao: "If we return to Taiyuan, there are two roads" 。Either through Luoyang or by way of Heyang. 。Luoyang Zhang Quan Yi and Zhu San were close friends, but I'm afraid it might be a little embarrassing. 。Li Ke decisively said, "We definitely won't go to Luoyang. Let's pass through He Yang and go see Li Hanzhi." 。The Shatuo army finally left Bianzhou. 。When the dust raised by tens of thousands of troops gradually dissipated, a vast expanse of freshly dug graves stood alone on the open plain. 。The May wind swept across the tombstones, passing over those stones that marked the graves of Shi Jingcun, Xue Tieshan, He Huihuoluo, and Chen Jingshi. 。These stelae will stand in this wilderness, weathering wind and rain and snow until they crumble to dust. 。The historical turning point of the Shangyuan Yi Incident has finally come to an end. 。But the conflict between the two families, Zhu and Li, which would influence China's political landscape for decades to come, was only just beginning. This vast expanse of fresh graves was a testament to the brevity of life in the midst of upheaval, a silent reminder of the tragedy that unfolded at the Battle of Shangyuan Station. 。, it would surely cause a great uproar. 。Since Master Tian is busy selecting candidates, it would be best to hold the selection immediately. 。Xizong said, "Immediately draft an edict and ask Chen Jin...