Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

Liaoyang is located in the foothills of the Taihang Mountains. Its real name is Shiyang. It is named after the Shishan Mountain and Shishui River within its territory. The Shishui River is the western source of the Qingzhang River. This place was named Zuoquan County in later generations. Today, because it is located between Jinyang and Yedu, the military and political center of the Northern Qi Dynasty, Qi leader Gao Yang often stayed here when traveling between the two capitals.

Liaoyang Ganlu Temple is a famous temple in the region. Many Jinyang nobles are believers and sponsors of this temple, including the Northern Qi royal family. Even the policy of destroying Taoism and worshiping Buddhism that was enacted by Qi Lord Gao Yang in his country was said to have a close relationship with the eminent monks of Ganlu Temple.

Because Liaoyang was often used as the residence of saints, there was also a palace built in the territory. However, because Ganlu Temple enjoyed the support of many powerful people, the temple was even more gorgeous and spectacular than the palace.

The emperor respected the eminent Buddhist monks in the temple and did not think it was an overstep. Sometimes he would simply stay in the temple after arriving in Liaoyang. After the emperor withdrew from the front line and arrived in Liaoyang this time, he simply moved into Ganlu Temple.

At this time, in the outer hall of Ganlu Temple, Changshan King Gaoyan and Changguang King Gao Zhan, who had just been summoned here from Yedu, were sitting in their seats, waiting for the emperor's summons.

Gao Yan was reading a book of scriptures at his desk, and Gao Zhan beside him seemed a little restless. He frequently looked out of the hall, but no visitor came to call him. He couldn't help but feel more anxious, so he couldn't help but get closer to Gao Yan. The man next to him whispered: "Brother, according to what you see, why did the Supreme Lord call us here? The division and brigade were defeated and things were not going well before. This can't be blamed on us, right? As for Duji Chaozhong, Everything is still functioning as usual, so what else has to bring people here?”

Although Gao Yan looks calm on the surface, the scroll in front of him has not been moved since it was unfolded. It can be seen that his mind is not here, and it is just to cover up the chaotic emotions in his heart.

Hearing Gao Zhan's question at this time, he spoke again after a moment of silence: "No matter why you are called, now that you have come to Liaoyang, just wait with peace of mind. After meeting the Supreme, everything will naturally become clear."

This answer was obviously not satisfactory to Gao Zhan, so he continued to ask in a low voice: "Brother, are you not worried at all? The former Prince Zhao and others joined the East Palace and participated in the government, and Yang Zunyan and others also took advantage of this to regain power, but you I... don’t talk about side affairs, even if you want to inquire about government affairs, there is no need to summon my two brothers! "

After hearing these words, Gao Yan suddenly looked gloomy again. When the emperor just left Yedu, he stayed behind in Yedu and controlled the military and political power with one hand. Even the real prime ministers such as Yang Min had to step aside, which was very glorious.

However, as Gao Rui, Gao Guiyan and others were sent back to Yedu, and the emperor explicitly ordered the prince Gao Yin to supervise the country, Gao Yan's situation suddenly took a turn for the worse. The military power in his hands was quickly taken back, and many affairs They no longer have decision-making power and were quickly pushed to the margins.

This also shows that the emperor still has strong control over the situation of the court. Gao Yan is just a pawn and tool in this. There is no stable and reliable personnel team to control and extend the power he has obtained. Keep it.

As Gao Zhan said, there is no need for the emperor to summon his brothers to see him as soon as possible after returning home, whether it is for side affairs or court affairs, unless it is for accountability or to solve some hidden dangers.

When Gao Yan received the order, he was originally going to find an excuse to delay and not come to Liaoyang. However, after discussing with other officials, he still felt that it was not appropriate to continue to offend the emperor at this sensitive moment. That would be counterproductive. It will make the situation more dangerous. Moreover, in addition to summoning the two brothers, the emperor also summoned Gao Guiyan, King of Ping Qin, and 5,000 soldiers of the Forbidden Army.

In other words, it doesn't matter if Gao Yan doesn't want to come. If he refuses to come, he may be directly escorted here by Gao Guiyan, King of Ping Qin, and the situation will become even more passive and bad.

After the group arrived in Liaoyang, Gao Guiyan was the first to be interviewed by the emperor, but Gao Yan and Gao Zhan, as the emperor's direct brothers, are still waiting outside.

Such treatment undoubtedly revealed that the emperor had higher trust in Gao Guiyan than in them, and this was also a major reason why Gao Zhan was restless and fearful. At least so far, the emperor's summons has not revealed much positive information to them.

Unlike Gao Yan who sometimes dared to rebuke the emperor, Gao Zhan's fear of Gao Yang, his brother, was deep in his bones. The longer time passed, the more panicked he felt. Seeing that Gao Guiyan had been called into several After an hour, there was still no visitor to lead them to the meeting with the Holy Spirit, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"If, if the Supreme Being summoned you this time is to accuse Sixth Brother of your previous rejection of dissidents and monopolization of government affairs, I, I am afraid that it will be difficult for you to cover up for you. There are many people who know this matter, and I am involved in it. Simple and practical..."

Gao Zhan became more and more nervous and couldn't help but start to distance himself from the relationship. However, he also felt that this was somewhat unloyal, so he began to attack Gao Yan again: "I originally wanted to talk to Brother You cooperated internally and externally to get out of Jizhou, but brother, you would rather recommend Gao Dezheng than trust me. The result is that if you can do it then, you won't have nothing to gain now..."

After Gao Yan heard Gao Zhan's complaint, his face suddenly darkened again, but before he could refute it, another visitor finally came in from outside the door, bowed to the two of them and said: "The Supreme Lord ordered me to lead the way. The two kings came in to meet."

After hearing this, Gao Yan didn't bother to argue with Gao Zhan anymore, and immediately stood up and walked away. After Gao Zhan paused for a moment, he could only bite the bullet and catch up.

There were numerous Baibao sergeants guarding the inner hall of the temple. These heavily armed soldiers greatly destroyed the peaceful atmosphere of the Buddhist resort, but no one dared to raise objections.

When Gao Yan and the two came here, they saw the tight security inside and outside, and they became more and more nervous. When these Forbidden Army soldiers came in to greet them, they nodded slightly in response with a straight face, and then looked at these people without squinting. The guards walked straight through the armor and staff.

In addition to the emperor, there were several eminent monks and sutra copyists sitting at the side of the temple, copying scriptures. The hall smelled of sandalwood and ink, and was also mixed with the smell of soup that could not be concealed. Gao Yan entered the hall. After smelling this complicated aura, his eyebrows couldn't help but jump, but he didn't say anything more and hurriedly entered the room and knelt down: "I pay homage to Your Majesty."

Compared with Gao Yan's calmness, Gao Zhan showed more emotion. After entering the hall, he knelt on the ground with a plop, and then raised his head to look at Gao Yang, who looked haggard and sick, and said repeatedly: "I heard before. The war happened, and I was worried to death. I wished I could go to the front line and sacrifice my life to kill the enemy! Now that I see His Majesty in such a bad state, my heart is cut like a knife..."

Gao Yang didn't like this brother very much, and his physical condition and mood were both bad now. After hearing Gao Zhan's words, he immediately snorted and said, "Do you think you can defeat the Qiang thieves if you go out to fight?"

"I don't dare, I... I just deeply hate the Qiang thieves for disturbing our country. Although I am not powerful enough to save the overall situation, if I had been here at that time, I would have fought tooth and nail to protect His Majesty's safety!"

After hearing this, Gao Zhan hurriedly paused his head on the ground and said in a trembling voice.

When Gao Yang saw this, he snorted again, raised his finger and pointed at Gao Zhan and said rudely: "The most disgusting thing is clever words and pretense! Even if you say it hurts, it doesn't mean that your heart is cut like a knife. Is there no knife in it?"

After saying this, he took off his sword, raised his hand and threw it in front of Gao Zhan, and then looked at the boy expressionlessly.

Gao Zhan didn't expect that the emperor's anger would all be vented on him. Of course he didn't dare to actually cut his heart with a knife, and he was afraid that if he said too much, he would be wrong, so he simply bowed his head to the ground, pretended to be dead, and never said a word again. .

After beating Gao Zhan, Gao Yangcai looked at Gao Yan again and said in the same unceremonious tone: "When I left Duki a few days ago, how did you promise me that what would happen after I left? You Dare you say that you feel no guilt at all? The failure of today is not your fault?"

Hearing this angry rebuke, Gao Yan not only did not panic, but actually breathed a sigh of relief. Before leaving, he discussed with his staff the possible attitude of His Majesty the Emperor. If the meeting was followed by an indiscriminate rebuke, that would be the best situation.

Because the emperor returned from his personal expedition with a huge defeat, he was naturally depressed to the extreme and needed to vent his anger. His scolding and scolding Gao Yan was mainly due to his emotions rather than deliberately targeting him or inflicting punishment on him. What a substantial punishment. But if the emperor restrained his emotions after meeting and asked him about some details, then he might really have to be dealt with severely.

Therefore, after hearing the emperor's reprimand, Gao Yan quickly paused his head on the ground and said in a deep voice: "I am indeed guilty! I was at the forefront of the national crisis, and I was in an important position, but in the end, I failed to exert all my strength to overcome the difficulty. The army was defeated, and I I am also responsible. I am ashamed to bow before you today, and I will let you be beaten and punished. I just want to keep my humble body to continue to serve the country and fight against the murderers!"

Seeing Gao Yan sincerely and straightforwardly admitting his mistake, Gao Yang couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. He felt as if his punch with full strength had landed in the air. After a while, he coldly snorted again: "If it had been like this today." Awakening, how come things have gone so far? How can punishing one person make up for the current difficulties? If you know your mistakes and are willing to correct them, do you have any insights into the current situation?"

Gao Yan was also prepared for this, and after hearing the words, he quickly said: "I don't know the details of the current situation of the thieves. However, I have also seen a little bit about the repair of the national strength. Since the beginning of summer, there has been a drought and poor harvest, and the divisions and brigade have suffered new losses. If the supply continues to be scarce, morale will inevitably become even more depressed. Nowadays, there are many public and private servants, and there are many wastelands along the river. Freeing the slaves and cultivating the wasteland can increase the cultivated land of the people. In addition, the governors in the states can send goods to the officials and reward them with titles... …”

Gao Yang's face softened slightly when he heard Gao Yan's introduction of a series of domestic policies to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. After Gao Yan finished speaking, he sighed and said, "You can have such a thorough insight, so why not do this?" When the country is in danger, he is indeed more suitable to defend the country than the prince."

As soon as these words came out, Gao Yan froze on the spot, while Gao Zhan, who was still pretending to be dead, immediately raised his head after hearing this, his eyes were so wide that they almost fell out of his sockets. His face was in disbelief.