The Sage of Confucianism and Taoism

Chapter 1994 The debate between advance and retreat

Seeing the chaotic relationship between ministers and subordinates, the officials suddenly remembered what Fang Yun meant when he said before that he should avoid red tape.

It's not that Fang Yun doesn't want to worship the people and the king, it's that Fang Yun doesn't want people to worship him.

All the officials are thinking about a question. If Fang Yun insists on worshiping, will Jing Jun be the first to kneel on the ground?

At the court meeting, only Fang Yun dared to teach the king of a country. Everyone knew that this was against the Confucian etiquette of monarchs and ministers, but no one in the left-right party dared to criticize Fang Yun.

If one person is lucky enough, he can overwhelm a country.

The officials looked at Fang Yun with increasingly complicated eyes.

If Liu Shan, the left prime minister, was not the leader of Zong Sheng, Fang Yun would have razed Liu Mansion long ago and let Liu Shan get out of Jingguo.

Fang Yun's eyes passed over the curtain behind Jing Jun, passed over the officials, and finally landed on Generalissimo Chen Zhixu.

Chen Zhixu, the Grand Marshal of Jingguo, had been promoted to a great scholar and was supposed to travel. However, due to the large-scale invasion of Cao barbarians, the Holy Court granted him permission to travel to ancient lands after this battle.

After Chen Zhixu became famous, he lived in seclusion and seldom appeared in public. It was the Queen Mother and Jing Jun who really controlled the Grand Marshal's Mansion. This time all three sides were broken, so Chen Zhixu had to step forward, but he usually just sat there practicing and did not participate in military and political affairs.

Chen Zhixu once requested to lead troops to fight in the north, but not only the Queen Mother blocked it, but even the leftist prime minister and his party did not agree.

The capital needs Chen Zhixu to be in charge. If Chen Zhixu is defeated, the blow to Jingguo's military will be devastating.

"Marshal Chen, should Jingguo advance or retreat at this time?" Fang Yun asked.

Chen Zhixu was originally wandering in the sky with a vague aura. Now that he was out of the state of practice, he immediately looked like a tiger general on the battlefield. Even sitting there, he seemed to be galloping among thousands of troops, overflowing with power.

Chen Zhixu opened his eyes slightly, glanced at Fang Yun, remained silent for a moment, and said: "It is the duty of soldiers to guard the land. If you are defeated after fighting, you can retreat. There is no reason to retreat without fighting."

"Thank you, Marshal Chen, for your advice." Fang Yun said.

Liu Shan suddenly said: "Marshal Chen's words are wrong. He knew that he would be defeated, so why didn't he retreat in advance?"

"Since the left prime minister can predict the victory or defeat of a country, he should also have a remedy. Zhixu listens attentively." Chen Zhixu said.

Everyone held their breath and held their voices. With the arrival of Fang Yun, the battle in the court entered the final stage.

"I concluded that Jingguo was defeated for three reasons. The national power was weakening day by day, the population was declining, and the available soldiers were becoming increasingly scarce. One of them was that the three sides were lost, the veterans were exhausted, and the barbarians officially dispatched their elite troops. Each tribe pointed their swords at Ning'an City and Yinma Yishui. river, This is the second one. The hearts of all the saints are tied to the two realms. The Shui people are almost ready to turn against each other. The semi-holy wolves are gathering their strength and strength. This is the third one. At this time in Jingguo, there is a gap in the sky, the earth is broken, and there are not enough people. , if we get help from outside, it may be possible to fight, otherwise, we will lose the battle.”

The officials were silent.

Jingguo's Tianshi was naturally the semi-saint Chen Guanhai. Everyone knew about the seriousness of his injuries, and he was probably going to die within two or three years.

Now that three sides are lost, the barbarians are marching straight in. The north of Yuyang Pass is about to be surrendered, and the geographical advantage has also disappeared.

After years of fierce fighting, Jingguo's treasury was empty, and the people were greatly affected. If the number of scholars had not been increasing and successfully deflected the conflicts, and if the major aristocratic families and holy courts in various countries had not helped Jingguo overtly and covertly, Jingguo's people would have been in dire straits.

Even so, prices in Jingguo still skyrocketed. Countless people were hoarding gold and selling antiques, and the entire Shengyuan Continent was affected.

If this trend continues, Jingguo will not be able to survive for more than a year. One year later, in order to fight against the barbarians, Jingguo will inevitably increase taxes and corvee, and will inevitably continue to force strong men. When an entire country wins a war of this magnitude at all costs, it also means that other aspects will stop.

At that time, it was a time of war that no one wanted to see.

The left prime minister did not continue to speak, but he had already expressed his opinion and asked Jingguo to defect to Qingguo or Wuguo.

Fang Yun said: "Mr. Zuo Xiang is very insightful and his analysis is good. However, the fourth reason should be added, that is, the inner ghost is at work and the traitor is trying to gain power. If the inner ghost can be eradicated and Jingguo is united, there will also be a solution. The power of war.”

Officials from the left prime minister's party showed annoyance, but Liu Shan remained calm and said, "Fang Xusheng's words are true. If we find out those insiders who have ignored the lives of hundreds of millions of people, we will severely punish those who let the soldiers die in vain." You traitor, the whole country will retreat and hold on to the Yangtze River. With the help of the Yangtze River Water Demon, we should be able to fight. "

"What should happen to the land north of the Yangtze River?"

"Give it to the barbarians for the time being. When the time is right, send your troops north and we will surely recover it!" Liu Shan said.

"At that time, it will be the Qing Kingdom and the Wu Kingdom that will send their troops north," Fang Yun said.

Liu Shan said helplessly: "Fang Xusheng keeps saying that he wants to protect the people of Jingguo. If Qingguo and Wuguo come forward, wouldn't it be the best way to protect the people of Jingguo? As for the country, as long as the people are there, it will be recovered one day. We must protect the lives of the people and yet let them go to war. This is indeed a contradiction. I hope you will think deeply about it.”

Gu Mingzhou said: "What Mr. Zuo Xiang said is true. I have been studying for many years, and I am no longer a hot-blooded boy. We should pay attention to strategies for the country and the people. If we know that we cannot do something, then we are just disciples. Acting as a hero and harming the country and the people should be like a leftist prime minister, who knows how to advance and retreat, thinks about gains and losses, and fights blindly, which is a disgrace to the sages who have read. "

"Xiang Liu, Gu Shangshu, don't you two even give up on justice?" Sai Zhixue asked.

Gu Mingzhou snorted coldly: "The righteousness of a country is a small righteousness, and the righteousness of a clan is a great righteousness! The great righteousness is in the Holy Court! Instead of wasting military strength in vain, we should ask Wuguo and Qingguo to send troops to fight against the barbarians together. After the matter is done, we will send troops to Liangjie Mountain. This is the great righteousness! Your so-called righteousness of Jingguo is more like selfish desires!"

"The barbarians cannot determine the outcome if they have not broken through Yuyang Pass." General Zhou Junhu said.

"I remember someone said that the victory or defeat cannot be determined if the three borders are not broken!" Gu Mingzhou sneered.

"Humph!" Zhou Junhu snorted coldly and did not refute.

Fang Yun did not refute Gu Mingzhou, but scanned the crowd, looked at Zhou Junhu, and asked: "Why do you want to fight against the barbarians?"

Zhou Junhu was stunned, and did not know Fang Yun's purpose, and said honestly: "I have not thought about this question carefully. If I have to answer, the reasons are different in different periods. When I was a child, I read books and listened to adults' stories, and I instinctively regarded monsters as enemies; later I grew up and found that monsters and humans are both creatures of the universe, and neither can tolerate the other. As a human, in order to survive, I must kill monsters. As for now, the reason is simpler. The monsters attack my country, and I can't just watch! Just kill them!"

Many scholars nodded, and some generals even cheered loudly.

Fang Yun asked General Li nearby: "Why do you fight against the barbarians?"

"In terms of personal interests, it is to make achievements and use the barbarians as a whetstone to sharpen my own holy way; in terms of public interests, since I am a soldier, I should defend my country. How can I watch the country fall?"

Fang Yun looked at Sai Zhixue again and asked: "Why do you fight against the barbarians?"

"Reading the books of sages and being a Jing countryman, it is natural to fight against the barbarians."

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