The Grandmaster Strategist

In the sixteenth year of Xiande, Suiyun wanted to take the imperial examination, so he left Jiangxia and went to Jianye.

-- "The History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties: The Biography of Jiang Suiyun"

In the sixteenth year of Nanchu Xiande, the world was still in turmoil, but the situation was much clearer. Most of the south of the Yangtze River was occupied by Southern Chu, and the north of the Yangtze River was the world of Dayong. Jiangxia was a strategic place to defend Dayong, and the guard Jiangxia's Zhenyuan Hou's Mansion is an important military area, so it is heavily guarded at all times. Although my position is not low, I have to obey orders obediently, hide in the study and try not to go out, so as not to get into trouble. As I flipped through the book, I was thinking about when I would be able to eat. There was no way. Lu Xin, the Marquis of Zhenyuan, was an important military official. According to Nan Chu's practice, his family had to stay in Jianye. Only the fifteen-year-old son Lu Can was arrested. Lu Xin appointed him as a bodyguard to stay by his side, but the imperial court allowed it. Although Lu Can studied literature with me, the children of the general family also had to study military affairs. Today is the day when Lu Xin, the governor of Jiangxia, held a military meeting. The attendant was taken to the audition, so I had to wait for him in the study. We had agreed to have dinner together, but today's military conference was not over until noon, and all the people who participated in the military conference did not have any meals. If Xixi is full, he will definitely yell jealously when Lu Can comes back, and then he wants to find a chance to plot against me, so I'll just wait for him. Thinking of this, I patted my flat stomach and sighed helplessly. You said how the father and son are so different. Lu Xin is generous and generous, but Lu Can cares about everything. The last time he was punished by Mr. Lu, I couldn't help snickering when he saw him, and the next day he tricked me into going out to relax. , What do you say I have been filial piety for three years, I should go out for a walk, but I was tricked into Yanyuelou, if I hadn't slipped quickly, my first time was taken away. While thinking wildly, I flipped through the book boredly, sigh, although the study in Zhenyuan Hou’s mansion is good, I have almost finished reading it in the past three years, and after all, it is a family of military generals, so they are all relatively easy-to-read books. The bookstore gave a copy of all the books, otherwise there are even yellow calendars, but there are no real treasures.

I was there watching Riying to calculate the time when Lu Zhong, Lu Can's attendant, came and told me that the military meeting was over. Lu Xin invited his subordinates to a banquet and asked Lu Can to accompany him, and told me not to wait for him. I happily agreed, and even though the food was cold, I went to gobble it up. I was happily eating when suddenly there was a commotion in the hall in front of me. At first, I didn't pay attention to it, but then the sound became louder and louder, and I only heard the deafening sound of "catch the assassin, catch the assassin". I was shocked, bad, there are assassins here, and in all likelihood, the Marquis of Zhenyuan was assassinated. He is my backer now, so he can't be killed by assassins. I knew that I had no ability to protect the Marquis of Zhenyuan, so it was better to hide, but I felt uneasy and picked up a delicate crossbow from the bookshelf. A crossbow arrow, this was originally a gift from Lu Xin to Lu Can, but Lu Can didn't like to use the crossbow because it was not bright enough. Instead, it was cheap for me. Who told me that I can't use martial arts? The bow and arrow will definitely not be used. It's my favorite, put the crossbow bolt on, open the window a crack and look out, the study I stayed in is not very far from the front hall, I saw a forest of swords and guns outside, and a large group of red-clothed sergeants were surrounding it. Two men dressed as servants were fighting. After a while, I saw Lu Xin, the Marquis of Zhenyuan, coming in the company of his generals. His right arm was wrapped in white cloth and blood stained, but Lu Ping, a trusted bodyguard who was always by his side, was nowhere to be seen. I saw that Lu Xin's face was pale, and the man on his left was Lu Can, who looked very angry. Seeing this, I guessed that the two assassins must have sneaked into the Hou's mansion. According to the situation, it may be that Lu Xin entertained his subordinates. When he pretended to be a servant serving the food, and then suddenly assassinated, I guess Lu Ping 80% has done his duty.

I was looking at it hard, and I saw that the two assassins suddenly made a color on each other, and suddenly took out two black balls from their arms and threw them on the ground.

Immediately, white smoke billowed, covering a space of more than ten meters in a radius. At this moment, I saw a fierce light flashing in the eyes of a general wearing a general uniform not far from Lu Hou. The dagger slipped from the cuff and fell into his hand. I didn't know it well, so I hurriedly shouted, "Master Hou, be careful." When the smoke cleared, the frightened people saw that the two assassins were still surrounded, and behind Lu Hou, a general fell to the ground with an arrow in his heart, and he still held a dagger tightly in his hand. , the edge of the dagger glowed with blue light, and it was less than half a step away from Lu Hou. Even a blind man knows what's going on.

Seeing that the two assassins had difficulty breaking through, and finally died in battle, Luhou ordered his generals to take care of the aftermath and summoned me to the White Tiger Hall where he handled military affairs. He looked at me with a complicated expression, and asked, "Thank you Suiyun for saving my life." I said humbly, "It's all Marquis who has a lot of good fortune, so he can avoid being framed by a traitor, and being late is just a fluke." Lu Hou asked suspiciously, "How did Suiyun know that the man was going to assassinate Ben Hou?" This was a question he couldn't understand. How do I know, of course I saw it, but I can’t say that, this is my self-defense magic weapon, my six senses are naturally different from ordinary people, let’s put it this way, my ear power, within a hundred paces, can hear falling leaves Feihua, my eyesight can be seen within a few miles, my sense of taste, anything, as long as I touch my lips, I can distinguish it clearly, my sense of smell, just a smell, I can follow him for ten miles, Sometimes I doubt whether I am a human being, but I also know that if those things are known to others, they will inevitably be hated by others. You don’t want someone who can eavesdrop on your whispers. In order to keep them as self-defense weapons, these I never told anyone about it, except my dead father. So I made up a lie and said: "It just so happens that Wansheng was originally defending himself with a crossbow, and seeing the two assassins releasing smoke, I couldn't help but feel strange, thinking that no matter how skilled the two assassins were, it would be difficult to escape from this situation. , let out the smoke must be to create opportunities for others, so the late life will think that there must be assassins hiding around the Hou Ye, and shouted out in a hurry, remembering that there was no one behind the adults at that time, presumably if the assassin wanted to assassinate, and then come from there, So I shot an arrow at random, but fortunately Hou Ye was virtuous and could kill the assassin."

Lu Xin nodded suspiciously and let me out. Later I heard that Lu Xin was assassinated by Dayong. They bribed the general and wanted to assassinate the Marquis of Zhenyuan, and then attacked while Jiangxia was without a leader. Who knew that the foolproof assassination plan failed, so their army again back. Afterwards, Lu Xin saw that I was smart and wise, and wanted me to enter his shogunate, but I thought about it, he is across the river from Dayong, and he often has to fight. If he is unfortunately defeated, what can I do? , Moreover, what if Dayong knew that I rescued Lu Xin and sent assassins to kill me, so I refused, of course I can't use this reason, it is said that my father was quite incompetent before his death, so I refused. Decided to participate in the imperial examination, this is a high-sounding reason, no one can stop me from making progress. So Lu Xin not only sent someone to Jiaxing, my hometown, to get the exam qualification for me, but also sent me to take the exam two months before the Enke exam, and asked me to go to Jianye to take the exam. For my personal safety, he also They asked me to go with their military personnel. In desperation, I had no choice but to follow those people on the road. Fortunately, I thought of a way on the way, saying that I occasionally felt a cold, and there was still time, so I took a two-day rest before leaving. So I finally regained my freedom. I'm not an idiot. Nanchu became a minister to Dayong in the ninth year of Xiande, and went to the emperor to call himself the lord of the country. Now there are rumors that the lord of the country wants to restore the title of emperor, which will definitely be annoyed Dayong's future will definitely be a series of military disasters. Although I don't want to go to war, I know a lot about the art of war. Others Dayong is a strong soldier, but Nanchu is a monarch and a minister who is drunk with life and dreams, and the school is greedy for life and fear of death. It is the famous and famous general Lu Hou. My subordinates, I heard that there are quite a few cowards, and Lu Hou was so angry that he would behead them several times, but due to the power of their family, they could only be raised. At this time of the imperial examinations, I still do not want to be a minister of the subjugation of the country.

Sitting tucked on the deck of a passenger-cargo ship, I was comfortably enjoying the fresh river breeze at night. This medium-sized ship, the bottom cabins are full of cargo, and the upper cabins are divided into small rooms It is definitely more comfortable than a special passenger ship for guests, but the price is also much more expensive. However, now I have a few hundred taels in my waist, which is enough for me, so I will spend it extravagantly. Looking at the cold and bright moon and the starry sky, I couldn't help but burst into poetry and recited: "The fine grass is on the shore with the breeze, and the danger is on the night boat. Retire from illness. What is it like fluttering, there is a sea gull in the world." While I was chanting, I heard someone clapping and applauding behind me. When I looked back, I saw a young man standing there. Although the moon was dark, he could rely on it With my eyesight, I could clearly see that there was a handsome and mighty young man standing there. Although he was wearing casual clothes, his aura was extraordinary. No matter how I looked at it, I felt that he was more dignified than Lord Lu, and he seemed to have an amazing charm. It makes me feel like a spring breeze. I look at myself a little ashamed. I have an ordinary body, but it just collapses when there is no wind. Although my appearance is still beautiful and handsome, no matter how I look at it, I am a weak scholar. A handsome young man with both civil and military skills, he is a warrior. Even if he doesn't know a few characters, as long as he is a little more polite, he will be able to attract girls' eyes more than me. Ask me how I know that, of course, because the maids in Luhou's mansion are never upright. For my sake.

I stood up and said apologetically, "I'm sorry to disturb your rest."

The young man shook his head and said, "There, if I didn't have a rest, wouldn't I miss a good poem like the son, is it the work of the son?"

I was happy in my heart, but I said humbly on my face: "It's hard to make an elegant gesture, Your Excellency laughed."

The young man looked at me up and down for a long time before he said: "Young master is so young, he is so outstanding in his writing skills, I really admire him. Under Li Tianxiang, he is a businessman under the rule of the king of Shu. This time he is working in Jianye. May I ask your son's name and name? What's the business for?"

I murmured in my heart, although this person has a Shu accent, I always hear something awkward, but I care so much about other people's affairs, so I politely said: "Later born Jiang Zhe, the words follow the clouds, this time to Jian The industry is to go to the examination.”

A strange look flashed in Li Tianxiang's eyes, and he said, "Young master's talent is unparalleled, it must be Toad Palace's laurels, it's easy."

I smiled embarrassedly. If it wasn't for the sake of lying, I wouldn't want to take part in the scientific examination. Anyway, I have a way to avoid the middle class, and let others say nothing. Seeing that I was embarrassed, Li Tianxiang didn't talk about the scientific expedition, and said with emotion: "Oh, this time I came from Shu, and I saw that the situation in the Central Plains was tense, and there was almost a war in Jiangxia. Now business is getting worse and worse. Yes. A while ago, the Lord of the Kingdom of Chu ordered to increase tariffs. Fortunately, the Lord of the Kingdom of Shu sent an envoy to Nanchu to negotiate, otherwise our cargo ship will lose money!" I said casually: "Actually, the Lord of the Kingdom of Shu doesn't have to bother at all, Nanchu. , Shu is interdependent, as long as this relationship is explained thoroughly, the lord will definitely reduce tariffs, and even provide preferential trade deals?"

Li Tianxiang asked with a smile: "How do you say this, I don't understand it."

It is rare to meet someone who wants to know my opinion, so I proudly said: "This starts with the situation in the world today. In today's world, Nan Chu and Dayong are confronting the north and the south, but this is only a superficial matter. They are not as good as Dayong. They can only defend and cannot attack. The so-called rigid can not last long and soft cannot be defended. Everyone knows that if this continues, Nanchu will die sooner or later. Therefore, the current state lord will seek peace with Dayong, go to the emperor, and say The lord of the country, in order to seek peace, but the situation is different now. Shuzhong is under your country’s rule, and the army is abundant. Although the country of Shu can only be a partial peace due to geographical constraints, it is condescending to me, Southern Chu. If the state of Shu and Dayong unite, Dayong will attack the Yangtze River, and the state of Shu will go down by the river, our southern Chu will surely perish. Once Yong's army attacked Southern Chu, the Northern Han would respond to Southern Chu from the north, and Dayong faced the natural danger of the Yangtze River, as long as he defended it for more than three months, Dayong would definitely retreat."

Li Tianxiang looked solemn, and it took a long time to say: "If this is the case, it will be difficult for the world to be unified forever, but it will only hurt us ordinary people."

I comforted him and said, "I'm just talking about the ideal situation. Now the monarchs and ministers of Southern Chu are a little arrogant. They think that the Yangtze River is very dangerous and the crisis is looming. If Dayong has a wise man, there is still a possibility of unification."

Li Tianxiang seemed a little curious, and asked, "Didn't you just say that Dayong is unsustainable, why do you say that Dayong may still dominate the world?"

I rationalized my thoughts and said, "Although Dayong is in a place of hundreds of battles, it has obvious advantages. There are wise rulers and worthy ministers above, and millions of troops below. As long as the strategy is correct, it will be possible to dominate the world within 20 years. The layout of Shu is the key, but the middle of Shu is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If you want to conquer the world, you must first form a good relationship with the Northern Han, stabilize the rear, and then divide Shu and Chu."

Li Tianxiang asked suspiciously: "There is still a way to form a good relationship with Northern Han.

"What's so difficult about this, I heard that some people in the Southern Chu Dynasty wanted to restore the emperor's title recently. If Dayong is now showing his hands and feet, it is difficult to fight, the monarchs and ministers of Nanchu will be confused. If Dayong sends meticulous work, bribes with kind words and generous gifts. Favorite ministers, prompting Southern Chu to restore the title of emperor, then the estrangement between Southern Chu and Shu will inevitably increase, and even the Northern Han will have doubts in their hearts. At that time, Dayong temporarily recognizes Southern Chu as emperor, and the two countries will be governed by a river. , and then join forces with Nanchu to attack the State of Shu. The monarchs and ministers of Southern Chu are short-sighted and must be fooled. Although it is difficult to attack in the middle of Shu, it is also difficult to resist the offensive of the two countries. At that time, the State of Shu will definitely hate Nanchu. If you get most of the central part of Shu, then Dayong will attack from both sides, and you will definitely be able to destroy Southern Chu. By this time, you will be able to recharge your batteries and destroy the Han in one fell swoop.

Li Tianxiang was very excited when he heard this, and said: "It seems that as long as I have a good relationship with Nanchu, it is Dayong's ability, and there is no way to do it. Fortunately, Brother Jiang, you are not a child of Dayong. If you go to Dayong, you will get If it is reused, our Shu Kingdom will be in danger."

I said lazily: "I don't go to Dayong. I heard that military merit is the most important thing there. A weak scholar like me can't eat there. After a few years, I will earn more money and go to the countryside to buy some Is it the joy of life to marry a gentle and virtuous wife?"

Li Tianxiang smiled and said, "Then I congratulate Your Excellency on your wish, but listening to your plan, Dayong shouldn't need twenty years."

I was already feeling sleepy and said, "I didn't need it at first, but if it takes five or six years to capture Southern Chu, I heard that the emperor of Dayong is already high in spring and autumn, and the crown prince Li An Although he is the prince, his military achievements are far inferior to that of his second son, King Yong Li Zhi. When Dayong established the country, Emperor Yong Li Yuan gave him the title of King Yong with the national title because of his high achievements. However, after the Dayong regulations and systems were completed, Li Yuan established Li An as the heir, according to the system of establishing a direct descendant and establishing a chief. Therefore, the Xiao Qiang Rebellion will inevitably arise because of this, and it may not be possible for Dayong to fall apart because of this. I say two Ten years is still under the premise that the scope of civil unrest will not be too large."

Li Tianxiang lowered his head slightly, and said for a long time, "Yes!"

I didn't understand what he meant, and I didn't bother to think about it, so I left and went back to the cabin. When I woke up the next day, I heard that Li Tianxiang had disembarked ahead of schedule, which was strange.

Originally, my plan was good, but who knows that God's will is unpredictable, and I became a pauper on the first day I arrived at Jianye.

Looking back at that time, I saw Jianye for the first time, and saw the capital city with tigers and dragons. I was really dumbfounded, so I went out to play after leaving the store. At the Confucius Temple on the Yonghuai River, I met a lucky star. , of course, for me at the time, he was my calamity.

I was walking along the street when I suddenly saw a group of people gathered in front of me. I couldn't help but get in curiously, but it turned out that it was a child selling his body to bury his father. I suddenly remembered that when my father died, I was completely empty. If not for the opportunity When I entered the Marquis of Zhenyuan, I was afraid that I could only sell my body to bury my father. Impulsively, I took out one hundred taels of silver and gave it to the child. With a grateful look on his delicate face, he said respectfully, "Sir, wait for the funeral of the little one. After my father goes to serve the son, where does the son live?" I smiled awkwardly, looking at the jealous eyes from the people around me, thinking that I have already broken the old adage that money is not revealed, so why not tell others about me? where do you live. Without answering, I hurriedly ran away. In order to return to the inn quickly, I walked quickly with my head down. When I reached an alley, I felt someone leaned up behind me, and I didn't have time to turn around. I felt something hard against my waist, so I was taken into the alley honestly, and then I felt like I was hit on the back of the head. When I woke up, I was lying on the ground empty, and went back to the inn with a sad face. I am very fortunate to have saved 10 taels of silver in the cabinet, but I can live for a month at most with this money. What should I do, what should I do? I tossed and turned for a whole night, and then I thought of the only solution, that is, I will take the scientific examination seriously, and then get a ranking, and then I will have the official salary to spend, and the mansion given by the government to live in. I think I should come to Nanchu. I won't be destroyed soon. When I earn enough silver taels, I can resign and go into seclusion. At that time, there should be no one who can't get along with me, a person without an official position.