Chapter 800 Road to Glory
Among the army returning south, Yan Song yawned.
Yesterday, the local officials were too enthusiastic. After a few drinks, they actually became relatives with him. Yan Song thought it was just a petty trick, but he didn't expect that the other party was actually Ouyang's distant nephew.
Then he drank a few more glasses under the other party's flattery.
So it was natural that he had another great general under his command... Although this distant nephew of Ouyang was only a judge, it would not be difficult for him to be promoted as long as he was loyal to him.
Du He rode over and said, "Prime Minister, we are getting closer and closer to the capital. The soldiers are anxious. Should we... hurry up?"
The army returned in a mighty manner. They were received by government officials along the way and the people came out of the city to welcome them. The cheers were earth-shaking and kept people in a state of intoxication.
Why do people pursue fame and fortune?
Isn't it just for this moment?
This is the highest enjoyment in life, and Yan Song even felt that it was better than the pleasure he gained from governing the Ming Dynasty.
Unconsciously, the old prime minister was immersed in the warm reception and cheers along the way.
Zhilu is power.
And this journey is glorious.
Power is intoxicating.
But isn’t the goal of power to gain glory?
Yan Song frowned slightly, and Zhang Yuan said calmly: "Marquis Xianzhang, just accompany us."
This was said out of consideration for Jiang Qingzhi's face. Otherwise, according to the current trend of suppressing military power with culture, as Yan Song's aide, Zhang Yuan would not dare to say a word even if he scolded Du He.
Du He laughed, "I was just wondering how many people in the capital are waiting for the army to return victoriously."
Yan Song was startled and woke up from his drunken state.
The march was getting slower and slower. What would the Emperor Jiajing think as he waited for the army to return in triumph?
Are you, Yan Song, trying to win people's hearts?
Old dog, where do you put me?
Zhang Yuan sneered, "Why, Marquis Xianzhang, are you in a hurry to go back? You can do as you please."
The army is safe within the territory of the Ming Dynasty. All that is required is for the generals to be present.
Du He did not directly lead the army, so his presence or absence did not matter much.
Du He felt the hostility, but he thought that this was the first time he dealt with Zhang Yuan, which meant that there was no grudge or conflict between the two of them.
So, this guy is coming for Jiang Qingzhi!
Du He smiled, his eyes were filled with coldness, "When I was killing the enemy, you were just parroting the words of the Prime Minister. It was of no use to the war. Now you are sneering at me, who gave you the courage?"
Zhang Yuan was furious, "Is Xianzhang Hou going to be rude to Yuan Fu?"
Big hat is coming.
Du He glanced at Yan Song, who was in introspection and didn't notice the argument between the two.
Du He said with a fake smile: "What do you mean, Prime Minister?"
Yan Song was stunned for a moment, then came back to his senses.
He glanced at Du He, but Du He still had a fake smile on his face.
Yan Song smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your help."
Du He nodded, "You're welcome!"
Then, Du He glanced at Zhang Yuan and said, "This aide Yuan Fu is quite dissatisfied with me. I don't know what he means."
Yan Song said calmly: "Zhang Yuan."
"Motosuke!"
"Be careful!"
As the prime minister, Yan Song naturally could not slap his own aides in the face in front of Du He.
But a word of caution will suffice.
This is a slap in the face in disguise.
Logically, this should have been enough, but Du He smiled at Zhang Yuan before leaving.
I'll slap you again!
How!
Zhang Yuan was silent.
But his fists were clenched in his sleeves.
Shen Jun rode over and whispered, "Yuan Fu, is Du He trying to show goodwill?"
Yan Song nodded, "I have been feeling a little dizzy these days."
He used dizziness to cover up his gaffes in the past few days, "Du He's reminder is quite timely."
A few days later, Emperor Jiajing would become furious and dissatisfied with Yan Song, the old dog.
It’s too early. Yan Song will probably take it as sarcasm.
Du He!
not simple!
Zhang Yuan blushed slightly, and Zhao Wenhua smiled and said, "Does Du He want to learn from Lu Bing?"
Lu Bing's fence-sitter nature is despicable. If he didn't control the Jinyiwei and was not the brother of the Taoist, Zhao Wenhua felt that this guy would have been killed long ago.
Shen Jun said, "No. If Du He wanted to learn from Lu Bing, he wouldn't have given this reminder in public."
If someone told Jiang Qingzhi about this in public, given his character, he would not stop until he had tortured Du He half to death.
Zhao Wenhua was startled, "Yes..."
"Jiang Qingzhi!" Yan Song's old face turned red.
Jiang Qingzhi could actually predict that he would indulge in vanity along the way!
Moreover, Du He was arranged to remind him at this time. This was not only a good intention, but also had some interesting implications.
"Normally, after the war, Jiang Qingzhi and I will become estranged. Could it be that Jiang Qingzhi is hoping to join forces with us to deal with the literati?" Shen Jun murmured, "But that's impossible!"
"We have different ideas from Jiang Qingzhi and cannot make plans together!" Zhang Yuan suppressed the humiliation and said, "The literati are hostile to us because we stand in front of His Majesty and prevent them from facing His Majesty directly. The literati's hostility towards Jiang Qingzhi and the Mohists comes from interests. The struggle for interests... will not end until one's death. Jiang Qingzhi should have guessed that we will not help him to take advantage of the situation or provide him with charcoal in the snow." There have always been more people who add icing on the cake, and very few who provide timely assistance.
That’s why some people say that if you want to know who your true friends and relatives are, you have to see them in difficult situations.
Yan Song regained his composure. The old minister said, "The victory report has reached the capital, and the capital is shocked. Your Majesty has long wanted to eliminate many of the evils of the Ming Dynasty, but was blocked by Yang Tinghe and others. Now that Yang Tinghe is dead, I am in power. Altan Khan in the north has been defeated, and there is less external threat. You can focus on the internal affairs of the Ming Dynasty... Your Majesty feels that the time has come."
"Jiang Qingzhi is the number one general in your Majesty's new policy!" Shen Jun said, but Zhang Yuan showed a gloating smile.
"Yes!" Yan Song said, "If Jiang Qingzhi wants to implement the new policy, he will definitely need my cooperation. Money, grain, craftsmen, official administration... everything is needed. I..."
Yan Song's eyes were complicated. "Since Your Majesty wants to implement a new policy, I have no choice but to do so. The world will inevitably be in an uproar over this. I have to continue to hold up this wall."
Yan Song felt that he had a miserable life.
After he came to power, he was denounced as a treacherous villain by the scholars and officials all over the world because he stood in front of the Taoist priest and built a wall of isolation.
Finally, Jiang Qingzhi came. Wearing the armor of a reformer and a Mohist leader, he blocked most of the attacks from the literati, and Yan Song and his party got a chance to catch their breath.
Yan Song knew that the internal situation of the Yan Party, including Yan Shifan and Zhao Wenhua, all felt that they should just sit back and watch Jiang Qingzhi throw himself into a flame.
But Emperor Jiajing is watching!
How do you expect me to avoid it?
Jiang Qingzhi ordered Du He to show goodwill, which was a hint.
——Old Yan, we are in the same boat. Don't do something stupid that will make your opponent happy.
For example, just sit back and watch!
Even stabbing in the back.
"Jiang Qingzhi has just arrived in the capital not long ago, right?" Yan Song asked.
"Yes." Shen Jun said.
"That is to say, as early as the end of the war, this guy was already laying the groundwork for the new policy." Yan Song narrowed his eyes, recalling how drunk he had been along the way, and couldn't help but sigh.
Am I getting old?
The old is being replaced by the new!
Zhang Yuan said: "Prime Minister, if the new policy is implemented, it will definitely cause an uproar. If we interfere too much... it will bring disaster upon ourselves!"
Yan Song remained silent, his face solemn.
Of course he knew that getting too involved in the new policy would backfire.
Don't interfere!
It will also bring disaster to yourself.
"You forgot about another fire, a fire that can easily burn us to ashes!" Yan Song said darkly, "That fire is called the emperor's wrath!"
Du He returned to the back, and his son Du Bao came over and asked, "Dad, why are you looking for Yan Song?"
"Chang Wei Bo has something for me to tell Yan Song."
"What?"
"At this moment, the Yan Party is a friend, not an enemy."
"What happens next?"
"after?"
"Yes! Will we still be friends in the future?"
"Long Wilbur didn't say, but when I think about that time ..."
Du He said softly: "Of course, he is an enemy, not a friend!"
……
Politics is similar to the relationship between states.
There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests.
Jiang Qingzhi's splash at Duke Cheng's mansion was truly earth-shattering.
Zhu Xizhong's subsequent statement was less eye-catching.
The wife of the Duke rushed over upon hearing the news and asked someone to invite Zhu Xizhong out. The two of them talked in low voices outside the garden.
"Isn't it too early for my husband to express his opinion now?"
"Sooner or later, you have to make your stand clear. If you stick your head out, you'll get a knife. If you hide your head, you'll get a knife too. If that's the case, then just be quick!"
"From now on, I'm afraid there will be a lot of trouble." The Duke's wife said disappointedly.
"If it was before, I could still muddle through, but now Qingzhi is deeply involved. Even if he wants to retreat, those people will not give up. This matter will not be over until he is ruined and forced to flee to the wilderness."
"Killing people is not the right path." The Duke's wife sneered, "Aren't those people afraid that the instigator will have no descendants?"
"They seem to be targeting Qingzhi, but they are actually targeting Your Majesty!" Zhu Xizhong said, "When Your Majesty first ascended the throne, he launched a new policy. But Yang Tinghe and the Queen Mother in the palace joined forces to suppress it."
"My husband, are you saying... that the great etiquette dispute back then still has this meaning?"
"Do you think you are fighting for status? You are fighting for power, for... whether the new policy should be implemented!" Zhu Xizhong said, "Yang Tinghe is a shrewd man. He knows that once the new policy is implemented, he will be the first to bear the brunt and there is no escape. But who is he? He is the messenger of the literati. In other words, he is the spokesperson in Qingzhi's mouth. If he stands on the side of Your Majesty to support the new policy, it would be a betrayal!"
The Duke's wife didn't expect that there were such undercurrents in the past, and she couldn't help but be surprised, "Then is it appropriate to launch a new policy again today?"
"Qingzhi once said that if the Ming Dynasty remains unchanged, it can probably survive for another hundred years. Then dust will return to dust, earth will return to earth. Your Majesty is unwilling, and neither is he. Therefore, reform and new policies are imperative!"
"Those people won't sit still!"
"So there was Liao Jiang's test today."
"Then let's..."
"If you stick your head out, you'll get stabbed. If you hide your head, you'll get stabbed. Then we'll get stabbed together. If we're lucky enough to make it through this path, then, let's share the glory together!"
(End of this chapter)
