In the backyard, Mrs. Liu Zhang gently held her son's hand and asked about the current matter.
Xiao Wu ran back and forth to serve them food. After taking it, he sat next to Liu Taozi and listened to the adults' conversation with a smile.
"I heard that Hu Luguang also came to Pingcheng?"
"Yes, I just saw him a few days ago."
"Then what did he say about starting a family?"
"Never said."
"What did that say?"
"Talked about leading troops to guard the border fortress."
Liu Zhang's face was full of helplessness. She looked in the direction of the inner room and couldn't help but said: "Taozi, you are already in your twenties, how can you not start a family?"
"Don't imitate your grandpa. Your grandpa got married late, just because there were many wars in the past, and he had no fixed place to live, and he was homeless. Now that you are in charge of the North Road, I don't urge you to get a wife, but you have to take concubines, right?"
"
"I see that there are no female relatives around you, they are all soldiers."
"It's inappropriate, it's inappropriate."
Liu Taozi's expression was serious, "Mom, the current situation is even more chaotic than in the past."
"I'm in Pingcheng today, outside the Great Wall tomorrow, and maybe in Zhoujing the day after."
“How can we take care of these things if we haven’t completed the big things yet?”
Mrs. Liu Zhang knew her son's temper, so she didn't try to persuade her. She simply skipped the topic and asked again: "You went on a big war in the north this time and killed many people. Many people said that you were practicing tyranny and fled to Henan."
Well, why didn't you take over the southern lands in one fell swoop, instead of using the river as the boundary?"
"There are not enough officials and there are not enough soldiers."
"There were frequent Turkic incursions in the north. The Zhou people sent Wei Xiaokuan to Xiazhou. Wei Xiaokuan frequently mobilized troops with evil intentions. The Chen people purchased a large amount of supplies and calmed down the domestic turmoil. Now they are ready to make a move."
"If I rush to capture the south, I'm afraid I will be attacked on all sides."
"My counselors told me that we must first stabilize Hebei, the treasure land of Hebei, and if we manage it properly, we can conquer the world."
Mrs. Liu Zhang laughed and said, "I only thought that my Taozi was radical and violent. When I heard about your military use, I thought that you were going to march to all parts of Qi State and never return until you were defeated. Unexpectedly, you actually reined in the horse and returned in the river."
"I have despised my son. My son is still able to listen to advice. Yes, yes."
"Wei Xiaokuan is not easy to deal with, right?"
Liu Taozi said calmly: "It's still unknown."
Mrs. Liu Zhang then said slowly: "Wei Xiaokuan's people have been spread all over the country for a long time. I don't know how many of his people are hidden in the newly acquired land. Your grandfather has fought against them many times in the past. Maybe you can
Let him help you deal with the bandit army."
Liu Taozi said nothing.
Liu Zhang just ordered it till now.
While the two were chatting, the sergeant just now opened the door again, walked quickly in front of them, glanced at Mrs. Liu Zhang, and whispered to Taozi: "My lord, Zhang Qianxiong wants to see you."
Liu Zhang was stunned, "Qianxiong? Didn't he say he was serving as a county magistrate in Youzhou?"
Liu Taozi looked at the sergeant and said, "Let him come in."
The sergeant turned around and walked out. Liu Taozi looked at her mother, "He protected his subordinates from committing crimes in Youzhou, deceived the governor, and contradicted the governor."
"I was dismissed from office and flogged."
Mrs. Liu Zhang was a little surprised. Before she could continue to ask, Zhang Qianxiong limped into the house.
When he saw Mrs. Liu and Zhang, he immediately cried and knelt down with great ceremony.
"Sister."
Mrs. Liu Zhang quickly stood up and walked to his side. The two of them had not seen each other for a long time.
"Get up, get up."
"What's wrong with your legs?"
"Sister, Tang Yong, the governor of Youzhou, has a tyrannical administration. He kills people at will just for some small crimes. I just gave him a few words of advice, and he beat my legs like this!"
Zhang Qianxiong wiped his tears and began to complain.
Liu Taozi sat aside, not even getting up or even looking.
Mrs. Liu Zhang helped him up, let him sit aside, and then began to ask about his situation. The two talked for a long time. When Zhang Qianxiong's mood calmed down, she reprimanded: "The ten governors of this place,
Which one is not Tao Zi’s important minister? Which one is not trusted by him?”
"When they arrive, they all do things under Taozi's orders."
"How can you not tell the difference between closeness and distance?"
Zhang Qianxiong is a little surprised, I don’t understand??
Liu Zhang continued: "As Tao Zi's uncle, why don't you support what Tao Zi wants to promote, but go against him?"
Zhang Qianxiong thought for a moment and then replied: "I am not against Taozi, but what Tang Yong did is definitely not the right way."
"Why didn't I see you so strong when I was in Yecheng?"
"When a villain like He Shikai was in charge of the government, why didn't you stand up against him?"
"When you came under Taozi's command, you started to prioritize public affairs over private affairs?"
Zhang Qianxiong was overwhelmed by Liu Zhang's few words.
Mrs. Liu Zhang sighed, and then said: "What's more, Duke Tang is an old official in the country. He has assisted several generations of kings before he can be known to the world. How can you know how to manage government affairs better than him?"
"Of course he has his own reasons for what he wants to do. When you first became an official, you didn't even think about anything, so you relied on your status to fight against the governor. Oh, what are you thinking?"
Listening to Mrs. Liu Zhang's words, Zhang Qianxiong was a little dumbfounded, with a trace of confusion in his eyes.
Mrs. Liu Zhang then looked at Liu Taozi and said, "Taozi, just listen to me. Don't let him hold any official position for the time being. Let him study more and study more. With his current character, no matter where he is an official, he will
They’ll all cause trouble!”
She looked at Zhang Qianxiong seriously, "From now on, you will stay with us, read your books and write your articles with peace of mind! Don't cause any trouble for me!"
Zhang Qianxiong slowly lowered his head, "Wei."
Liu Zhang's attitude became gentle again, and she chatted with her brother for a long time before letting the sergeant send her brother back.
After Zhang Qianxiong left, Ms. Liu Zhang sighed and looked at Liu Taozi.
"Your uncle is not a bad person, nor has he done anything bad. It's just that he has been hanging out with the children of wealthy families since he was a child. Naturally, his thoughts are different from yours."
"Don't blame him. I will keep an eye on him from now on and won't let him come out to cause trouble for you again."
Liu Taozi nodded.
"Will you stay at home today?"
"I'll make you something to eat."
Liu Taozi was silent for a moment, "I still have some things to do."
"Then come back during dinner? You have to eat, right?"
"good."
Walking out of the backyard, Liu Taozi hurried to the lobby of the General's Mansion.
As the territory expanded, Liu Taozi had to do more and more things. Although Gao Jun could solve most of the things for him, Gao Jun's orders had to go through Liu Taozi first, otherwise it would be difficult to actually issue them.
implement.
In the lobby, there was already a person waiting for Liu Taozi.
When this man saw Liu Taozi appear, he jumped up from his seat and came over with a smile on his face.
That's right, it's Zu Jue.
"My lord is finally back."
Zu Jue's eyes were bright. He walked to Liu Taozi's side, immediately looked at the other officials, and motioned for them to step back.
The officials did not dare to refute, lowered their heads, and left one after another.
Liu Taozi sat in the upper seat, and Zu Jue was very close. He asked with a smile: "Is there no need to worry about the border fortress?"
"The Turks should not invade the border again in the near future."
"I am going to let Hu Luguang command the border troops as General Wei, and be responsible for the defense of the North together with Bao Xian."
Zu Jue narrowed his eyes, "Hu Luguang and Baoxian are enough. Hu Luguang's younger brother is also quite talented and can send him to King Lanling's side, but the army they brought cannot
Continue to give them to them, they are elites and can be divided into the armies to disperse them."
"Hu Luguang and others have also arrived, leaving only Duan Shao in Jinyang."
Liu Taozi said slowly: "Hu Luguang told me that Duan Shao was unwilling to come. He also said that if he wanted to destroy Qi, he must be killed first."
Zu Jue smiled and said, "I have also heard this sentence."
Liu Taozi said: "Duan Shao is a powerful enemy. He has tens of thousands of Jinyang elites under his command. There are a lot of grain and grass reserves in the city. It will take a lot of time to capture Jinyang."
"Maybe it won't take that long."
Zu Jue whispered, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes, and combined with his half-smiling face, there was always a chilling feeling.
Liu Taozi suddenly looked at him, "What did you say?"
Zu Jue's face changed instantly and returned to his original face filled with a sunny smile.
"My lord, what I mean is that Gao Wei is mediocre and cruel under his rule. I'm afraid Duan Shao won't be able to hold on for too long, and he will definitely show his cowardice."
"My lord, you shouldn't worry about these things."
Liu Taozi stared at Zu Jue for a moment, and then reminded: "If you want to do anything, let me know in advance."
"only."
Zu Jue agreed, and then he took out a few documents from his sleeves and placed them in front of Liu Taozi.
"Lord, our initial strategy has been achieved. I think we can proceed to the second step."
"At present, we have occupied the land of Hebei. The Lord has ten governors under his command. These ten people have different political practices, but they are all rare virtuous ministers in the world. They are more than enough to govern a state. Local government affairs can be handed over first.
Let them take care of it."
"The situation in the ten northern states is not very good. The people's livelihood is poor and the government is in chaos. If you want to implement more policies in the ten states, I am afraid it will be counterproductive. It is better to let these ten governors do it themselves. I believe it will not take more than three years.
, these ten states will definitely undergo great changes."
"As for the court matter, Gao Xun believed that we should continue to focus on farming. I argued with him several times, and his attitude was very firm."
"However, food is indeed important. Recently, the temple has been repeatedly formulating new agricultural and mulberry policies, and almost all ministries are busy with this matter."
"Then let's not make things easier for the time being and let Gao Yan continue to do it."
"The most important things are two things."
"The first thing is about official assessment. I think we can follow the example of Nanguo and set up standard assessment to promote officials."
"The second thing is the military government, ten states, ten generals, and ten government soldiers."
"If we can train these ten state soldiers within three years, we will have more than 100,000 soldiers and be completely self-sufficient in food and grass."
Zu Jue once again set a short-term goal for Liu Taozi.
Since meeting Liu Taozi three times, Zu Jue has known how to gain Liu Taozi's approval. Under the long-term goal of unification, Zu Jue has small goals that are not hierarchical.
But the problems Zujue faces now are different from those before.
At first he was only thinking about how to make Liu Taozi listen to him, but now he also has to think about how to make Liu Taozi not listen to others.
As the number of people under Liu Taozi's command increased, the ancestral court gradually lost its past monopoly.
Facing young boys like Tian Zili and Cui Gang, Zu Jue can rely on his experience and experience to crush them.
But now Liu Taozi has more than just these young people under his command. The old men from Yecheng are not much less talented than Zu Jue. Speaking of which, it is difficult to compare these heroes of the founding generation of the country. From Corpse Mountain
After walking out of the sea of ​​blood and living to this day, no one is weak.
Especially when an old man came here recently.
This old man has never met Liu Taozi, but he has talked with Zu Jue, and the views of both parties are not consistent yet.
Zu Jue was very worried that Liu Taozi would listen to the old man's slander.
Seeing Zu Jue who was extremely excited and dancing in front of him, more excited than ever before, Liu Taozi asked softly: "Grandpa Zu has already met Cui Gong?"
Zu Jue's face condensed and he said slowly: "I've seen it before."
"Have you seen him before, my lord?"
"I haven't seen it yet."
Just as Zu Jue breathed a sigh of relief, Liu Taozi took out a document from his sleeve.
"However, I have seen his thoughts."
Looking at the document in Liu Taozi's hand, Zu Jue suddenly laughed and said, "This old man is really quick to start."
The new old man Zu Jue was afraid of was none other than Cui Gang's father, Cui Jishu.
Cui Jishu originally served as the governor in the south. It was not until Liu Taozi started to officially attack those around him that the old man gave up his official position and came to join him.
He seems to be eyeing Zu Jue's current position, and wants to become a "servant" next to the general and participate in decision-making.
In terms of qualifications or other aspects, Zu Jue seems to be no match for him.
Liu Taozi placed the document next to Zu Jue's document.
"Cui Jishu's ideas are very different from yours."
"He believed that when the Zhou people were unable to go north, they should focus on Lingzhou, build more fortresses there, garrison the fields to pacify the people, train the new army, accept the dead, and attack Lianggan and other places, so that the Zhou people were always tired.
On the northern line, it is unable to extricate itself and cannot rest until it is eaten away."
Liu Taozi slowly talked about Cui Jishu's thoughts.
Many ministers in the court wrote to Liu Taozi and expressed their thoughts and plans.
The most mature plan among them comes from Zu Jue and Cui Jishu.
The two people had almost opposite ideas. Zu Jue focused on his homeland, while Cui Jishu focused on Zhou.
Liu Taozi looked at the two documents in front of her.
Both of them mentioned that local government affairs should be handed over to the Ten Governors. The main difference was whether to continue to operate local forces or expand investment in Lingzhou.
Zu Jue glanced at the document and laughed.
"My lord, why does Cui Jishu despise you so much?"
"oh?"
Zu Jue raised his head slightly, "Maybe he is too afraid of the Zhou people."
"I can understand his thoughts. He wants the Zhou people to keep busy fighting with us, delaying their recovery of national strength, and pushing them into the quagmire so that they cannot climb out."
Zu Jue paused and then said: "However, to defeat the opponent, you do not have to weaken the opponent's strength, but to improve your own abilities."
"The people of Zhou should not be underestimated, but how can my lord be so afraid?"
"Those who have achieved great success in ancient times must first lay the foundation and then attack the enemy. Cui Jishu is putting the cart before the horse and is not advisable."
"I think the lord will definitely not hesitate."
Zu Jue smiled and looked quite confident.
Liu Taozi nodded, "I have my own considerations."
Zu Jue did not ask Liu Taozi to come up with a conclusion now. Although he was afraid of Cui Jishu, he was not afraid of him. Besides, he felt that there was nothing wrong with his strategy. It was better to use more energy than delaying the Zhou people.
Development itself, the Lord must be able to see this clearly.
After Zu Jue left, Liu Taozi met with several different ministers.
Of course Cui Jishu is among them.
However, he came late, arriving just after dark.
Compared with previous years, Cui Jishu has not changed much, and has even become a lot more kind. After meeting Liu Taozi, he did not show too much flattery and was still somewhat restrained.
"I knew from the beginning that a great general could accomplish great things."
"I didn't expect that this day would come so quickly."
"I wonder if the general has read my petition?"
"I think..."
Liu Taozi sat in the upper position and watched Cui Jishu talk eloquently. There were many ministers coming, one after another. Everyone was talking about their own political ideas. Everyone had a pursuit. It was already dark, and there were scouts.
I brought Liu Zhang's words so that Liu Taozi could do things with peace of mind and we could have dinner together tomorrow.
When Liu Taozi walked out of the lobby, the sky was filled with stars.
The whole world is pitch black, yet exceptionally bright.
"Are you done?"
In the darkness, someone suddenly asked.
Liu Taozi looked over there, and Lu Qubing slowly walked out of the darkness.
"Get rid of illness."
"Why are you standing here?"
"There are too many people looking for you. I dare not disturb you. I will just stand here and wait for you to finish your work."
"What kind of letter do you have?"
Lu Qubing shook his head and raised the bag in his hand, "I brought some beans."
"oh?"
"It's for Qingshi. I heard that Qingshi was injured?"
Liu Taozi looked at him.
In the night, the two of them were standing in front of the stable. Liu Taozi was holding food in her hands and feeding the green lion, while Lu Qubing was sitting aside, chattering.
"I didn't know that war horses could eat so well and even eat chicken. I usually don't eat so much."
"You don't usually carry soldiers to the battlefield."
"Hahaha, you are right. Can the blue lion still go to the battlefield?"
"The green lion is also getting old. Maybe I should change it to a war horse and let it rest."
"Why don't you change it to a white one? A white war horse looks the best."
The moon is bright in the sky and the stars are twinkling.
Under the night, two good friends and an old horse chatted peacefully.
Chapter completed!