Pawn Crossing the River

The men in black have withdrawn from the West Gobi, but have not yet returned to Loulan and are still stationed in Yongzhou.

Qin Wubing was still leading the army.

"General, this is an official letter from Dao Sect Tiangang Hall." A man in black, dressed in military attaché uniform, strode into the Chinese army tent and handed an official document to Qin Wubing's hand.

Qin Wubing felt a little guilty for no reason: "Tiangang Hall...couldn't they be here to investigate? It shouldn't be. They know that we are not responsible for this matter. In the final analysis, it is still due to their own internal fighting. By the way, which department is it? No Will he be the new leader?"

The general hesitated and said, "It's the Eighth Division."

"Eighth Division?" Qin Wubing was startled.

"It is the original Ninth Division Yaoguang Division, which was integrated with the original Seventh Division of Shangguan Master to become the Eighth Division. The current deputy hall leader is Zhang Yuelu, the disciple of Master Cihang." The general explained.

Qin Wubing nodded and looked at the official letter in his hand.

There are not many words, so you can read it quickly.

Qin Wubing frowned: "There is no one named Wei Wugui among my soldiers, but this name is very familiar. I seem to have heard it somewhere."

The general reminded: "General, the man who saved the county lord."

Qin Wubing was busy with military affairs, and it was impossible to keep an insignificant person in his mind. After the general reminded him, he immediately remembered: "It's him, I gave him a sign."

Then Qin Wubing flicked the official letter in his hand with his fingers, and was a little confused: "Listen to the meaning behind Zhang Yuelu's words, this kid used the sign I gave him to cheat? He even alerted the Taoist Tiangang Hall."

The general said with a wry smile: "This person had forced his way through the border back then. He was a very daring person and even killed one of our soldiers. It's just that we were wrong first and had the face of the county leader, so we didn't care about it."

Qin Wubing walked back and forth with the official letter: "What did Zhang Yuelu ask him for? Is he going to write an article for us? The key is what he committed. There is not a single word in the official letter."

Because Zhang Yuelu was just guessing and suspecting without any real evidence, and because the imperial court and the Taoist sect were separated by a layer and needed to leave some room, Tian Baobao never stated anything about Wan Xiuwu in the official letter.

At this time, there was also a white-haired old man in the big tent. This man had a good status and was the mastermind of two generations of Jiangling County kings. His name was Sikong Song, and he came from a Confucian family. Before the generals came in, Qin Wubing was playing chess with Sikong Song.

Sikong Song, who had been silent all this time, said: "If it's an ordinary matter, that's all. But if it's a major matter involving internal fighting in the Taoist sect, at this sensitive and critical moment, we must not get involved, or even have the slightest connection. have."

Qin Wubing stopped and said, "Sir, you are right. Shangguan Jing's matter has already involved us. We cannot get involved any deeper, otherwise there will be no way to escape."

The two looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

After a while, Sikong Song slowly said: "Taoism teaches inaction, at least in the explicit sense, it means there is no way to live without a king. The position of Grand Master has been vacant for ten years, and the three deputy Grand Masters have It is not impossible for the real person to take turns to be the leader. However, after all, the three deputy head masters are already old and their promotion period is approaching. Therefore, judging from this situation, the election of the chief head master will be within the next few years. , Master Donghua, Master Cihang, Master Qingwei, Zhang Yuelu is the close descendant of Master Cihang, she came to us at this time, I'm afraid the so-called Wei Wugui is just a pretext, the drunkard's intention is not to drink. "

Qin Wubing said thoughtfully, "Sir, please explain more clearly."

Sikong Song lowered his voice: "Your Majesty has met Master Qingwei, and it goes without saying that he intends to interfere in the internal affairs of the Taoist sect. However, the government and the public are not monolithic. Many elders do not dare to oppose openly, and secretly hold The objections are, on the surface, against the Li family. In the final analysis, His Majesty has the legacy of the five generations of Taoist masters. He is only slightly restrained because of the Taoist sect. We little people, even the cabinet elders, can only kneel down and kowtow. That is the real dictatorship of the leadership, and the cabinet is just a fake. This is what the cabinet elders don't want to see. "

Qin Wubing said along the way: "Furthermore, the Li family is deeply involved with the royal family, and several pavilion elders have good relations with Zhengyiyi and Quanzhen Tao. It can even be said that they have interests and interests, advancing and retreating together."

"That's right." Sikong Song said softly, "Now it seems that His Majesty's intervention in the internal affairs of the Taoist sect has four consequences."

"The first outcome is that Your Majesty successfully takes over the Taoist sect, and as the Grand Master and Emperor, there is no second day in the sky, and no two saints in the country. This is undoubtedly the result that Your Majesty hopes to see the most, but it is also the most difficult."

"The second outcome is that Your Majesty supports the Li family to ascend the throne, and both parties join forces to completely suppress other forces. The Qin and Li families jointly rule the world, just like Xuansheng and Gaozu did in the past. However, because it is the Li family who has requests from Your Majesty, they still have to use His Majesty took the lead, and after the Li family came to the throne, a pattern was formed in which the Taoist sect was subordinate to the imperial court. A hundred years later, the world would praise His Majesty for subduing the Taoist sect. On the other hand, the emperors of the previous dynasty were controlled by the Confucian sect, like puppets, falling into the water. The number of dead people is countless and cannot be compared.”

"The third result is that although neither His Majesty nor the Li family can seize the title of Grand Master, the status quo is maintained, which makes the three pillars of the Taoist sect stand in the middle, and the court mediates. Although the court cannot completely control the Taoist sect, all forces in the Taoist sect are seeking help from the court. , which puts the imperial court in a relatively aloof position. However, it is not easy to find a balance. It was fine when His Majesty was alive. The next few generations of emperors, who were born in deep palaces and were skilled in the hands of women, may not have such means. Can they? It’s difficult to maintain this situation.”

"The fourth result is the worst result. Stealing the chicken will end up losing the rice. Your Majesty will be completely defeated. Instead, the Taoist sect will be integrated and a powerful leader will be elected to counterattack the imperial court in an all-round way."

Qin Wubing asked: "What does this have to do with this matter?"

Sikong Song said softly: "The noble faction has always been headed by the Prince of Jiangling. The old Prince rarely handles political affairs now, but the general has already become an official. Although he has never been in the cabinet to worship the prime minister, he should not be underestimated. In the eyes of others, the general's every move They all represent the trend of Xungui’s faction.”

"I have always known Zhang Yuelu of the Taoist sect. He was born in the Zhang family of the Zhengyi Taoist clan, and was favored by the earth master. Furthermore, when coupled with the visit of the Quanzhen Taoist master to Yunjin Mountain, it can be seen that the Zhengyi Taoism and the Quanzhen Taoism are no longer an alliance but rather an alliance. First of all, Zhang Yuelu is a very key figure. If Quanzhen Dao and Zhengyi reach a compromise on the choice of the Grand Master in the future, it is unlikely that it will fall on her. On the one hand, she is a descendant of the Zhang family. On the other hand, she is a descendant of the Zhang family. , she is not a direct descendant of the Zhang family, but a branch, but she was personally promoted by the Earth Master. This is the gift of knowing and encountering, which is equivalent to reincarnation. In this way, Quanzhen Taoism and Zhengyi will regard her as one of their own, and if it comes to it, they will do anything. On the day when we all fight against Taiping Dao, let her come out and be the puppet leader, and there won’t be too fierce opposition from both sides.”

"As for the little man who saved the county lord, the general has seen it with his own eyes. He is just a martial artist in the Yuxu stage. It doesn't matter. Even if he is really a demon in a secret society, what can he do? Even if the ancient immortal comes, it will not affect the overall situation. , So he really doesn't mean anything. At this moment, Zhang Yuelu actually asked the general about such a trivial matter. Doesn't the general feel strange? "

"It's strange, of course it's strange." Qin Wubing's eyes became dark, "Then how should we reply to Zhang Yuelu? If we say that the sign in Wei Wugui's hand was given by us, it is equivalent to being caught by Zhang Yuelu. Very passive. Are you going to die?"

"No." Sikong Song said decisively, "The sign sent by the general is genuine. When it was sent and to whom it was sent, there are clear records. If this person falls into the hands of the Taoist sect, the sign will be If we don't know, we will fall into passivity, and may even get into a grudge against Zhang Yuelu. More importantly, this move may lead to misjudgment by those behind Zhang Yuelu. I think we intend to stand on His Majesty's side. It's not that we can't stand on His Majesty's side, but we don't have to stand on His Majesty's side. It's not time to stand down yet."

Qin Wubing looked at Sikong Song and asked, "In your opinion, sir, what should we do?"

Sikong Song stroked his beard and said: "There is a customary word 'drag' in official circles. Big things can be turned into trivial matters, and small things can be put off until they can't be settled. We might as well use the word 'drag' this time. Without giving a clear answer first, just He said that he needed to investigate and wait until the matter becomes clear, at least until he understands Zhang Yuelu's true intentions, before deciding how to reply to her. "

Sikong Song paused for a moment: "Remember what happened with Beichen Hall last time. They used the secret association to make a fuss about us and let us die without saving them. This is a handle. We might as well use it as an excuse to let them fight on their own. Tiangang If we go to court with Beichen Hall, we can get rid of ourselves and put the matter in order.”

Qin Wubing smiled and said, "Good advice, sir."

Qin Wubing looked at the general again and ordered: "Reply to Zhang Yuelu." Qin Wubing, Deputy Protector of the Western Prefecture, wrote to Zhang Yuelu, deputy director of the Yaoguang Department of Tiangang Hall, Yuelu Taijian: March 12, the 42nd year of Jiushi I am writing to inform you that our troops are not from one place, and there are thousands of guest troops. It will take time to investigate the specific results of the investigation. I will also send you a letter to inform Jiushi 42. In the first month of that year, Beichen Hall claimed that among the thousands of Xizhou guest troops who entered Yongzhou territory, there were core figures of the secret association Qingpinghui hiding among them, with evil intentions. Afterwards, our department conducted an investigation and found out why the members of the secret association were not found. Got such incredible information? Is what Tiangang Hall asked about today related to the information from Beichen Hall? Deputy Hall Master Yue Lu should have given him some advice."