Chapter 397: Heroes of the World (I)
"Brother Cheng, you have a heart as strong as iron!" Zhang Xun from Liuyang exclaimed with a pale face.
He Peng from Changsha also smiled bitterly with a pale face and said, "I'm afraid we are not far from death."
Cheng Fu was originally angry for a while, and his purpose was to destroy the relationship in the Chinese court. Now that he had calmed down, he felt that what the two brothers said might be correct. According to Cheng Fu's observation, the two people from the Jiangzhe faction in the Chinese court understood it, and Huo Chong also understood it.
Although he was also uneasy, Cheng Fu did not want to show weakness, so he responded: "I think Huo Chong has never known the methods of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang families. If we can make him understand now, maybe we can shake his mind. If Hunan is not hit by the war, why should I be afraid of death!"
Such a big hat was thrown out first, and no one else dared to take it. As the one who threw it out, Cheng Fu was freed from the fate of being questioned further.
However, in the Chinese court, Gong Yu, the personnel director of the Ministry of Rites, who had not attended the meeting, rushed to see Luo Yiren after hearing the news. Seeing Luo Yiren's ugly face in deep thought, Gong Yu knew something was wrong. After asking, Gong Yu sat on the chair and fell into deep thought.
After thinking for a moment, he didn't know what to say, so Gong Yu could only ask: "Your Majesty, what do you think about this matter? "
Luo Yiren shook his head, "I think your majesty has listened to you."
"What's so good about this nonsense!" Gong Yu shouted. But Gong Yu also found that his speech was a bit harsh but weak.
Luo Yiren said with some disappointment: "It's useless for you and me to speculate. Besides, what those Hunanese said may not be unreasonable. Think about the drama written by your majesty, don't you understand it? It's just that your majesty doesn't have time to care about the details of this matter."
Gong Yu also knew that Huo Chong could not fail to understand this, and said helplessly: "What should we do? Should we take action against Jiangsu and Zhejiang?"
"You and I are his majesty's subjects, and even more so, we are from the Ministry of Rites. Whatever his majesty wants us to do now, we will do it. Besides, is what Jiangsu and Zhejiang are doing right? Haha." With a sneer, Luo Yiren finally cheered up, and there was a gleam in his eyes.
Gong Yu knew Luo Yiren's character. He would make a scene once he made up his mind. He quickly advised, "That's not the case. What the Hunanese said was the means by which the Jiangsu and Zhejiang noble families manipulated the officials' promotions. If Your Majesty takes this seriously, what should we do? Could it be that the performance of officials in Jiangsu and Zhejiang was manipulated?"
"Yes or no, of course His Majesty will make the decision. We just need to follow his orders and do our work. If you feel there is anything wrong, we can discuss it at the Ministry of Rites meeting. Brother Gong, do you think I will favor the Jiangsu and Zhejiang families?"
Gong Yu was choked by these words. But then he thought, Luo Yiren's wife is from a wealthy family in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, so Luo Yiren would naturally care.
Gong Yu was concerned about something else, which was the review of the new members of the Ministry of Rites in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Seeing that Luo Yiren could not be negotiated, Gong Yu simply stopped talking about it. If Luo Yiren could not be relied on, then Huo Chong would have to be relied on.
At this time, Huo Chong was discussing with the Military Commission on how to solve the Hunan issue. This time, the Hunan scholars made Huo Chong feel that he had figured out the Hunan issue. The power holders in this province might be the Manchu government, but the leaders of this place were the scholars.
When this was told to the generals, they were either completely baffled or thought it was natural.
"Your Majesty, where is there a place where scholars don't lead? Hunan is no different from other places."
"In Shandong, the Kong family used to stamp their feet and both sides of the canal would tremble. What can they do now? The Kong family has fled to Xi'an, and the court has taken all their land. What can the Kong family do? They'd better be obedient."
Huo Chong was very disappointed to hear these guys who were so straightforward because they had never seen anything. Just when he was about to say something, he heard Hu Yue hesitantly say, "Your Majesty, do you want to completely get rid of the Hunan scholars? Let them lose face?"
Huo Chong felt relieved that there was finally someone who understood. Qian Qing was about to give birth, and after the baby was born, he would not have to worry about Qian Qing for a year or two. At this time, he could rely not only on ability, but also on knowledge.
Just as he was about to express his agreement with Hu Yue, Huo Chong still felt it was inappropriate. After thinking for a while, Huo Chong said, "Since those scholars want Hunan to be autonomous, we will help them. Go tell Cheng Fu and let him take the news back. If Hunan wants autonomy, it is not impossible. After they go back, they can kill the Qing officials in Hunan or drive them away. If they can do that, our army will only stop at the border between Hunan and Hubei."
"Why?"
"Your Majesty, no. If we do this, it will show that we are afraid of those filthy people!"
Voices of opposition immediately arose within the Ministry of War Committee.
Huo Chong was amused by this. "Haha, I'm talking to you. Before the establishment of the Chinese court, you still thought that the Qing Dynasty still had the meaning of a court. Now you think the Qing Dynasty is a thief, but you are afraid of us being afraid of those guys. Do you really think I'm afraid? Besides, we are not afraid of those people. What we are afraid of is something else, that is, the fruits of the revolution being usurped by the landlord class."
"A bunch of landlords have lost their land, so what is there to be afraid of?"
"I see they are farming their own land now, aren't they?"
A group of honest guys immediately began to show that they were much stronger than the landlords.
Huo Chong was just a little hesitant at first, but when he saw the look on the faces of these guys, he could only make a decision in his heart. But he didn't announce it immediately.
Cheng Fu and others learned of the conditions given by Huo Chong and could not help but want to bargain. It was impossible to let Hunan scholars rebel against the Qing Dynasty.
Then the messenger said coldly: "Don't talk nonsense now. Either leave, or stay and be shot. It's your choice!"
Cheng Fu wanted to confront them, but he didn't dare to say it. The murderous aura emanating from the people opposite him made Cheng Fu feel dangerous. He could see that these people might really kill people if they said they would.
Soon, the Western Expedition Army also received the order. The Western Expedition had already achieved a phased victory, and the next step was to stabilize Hubei and seize the entire Anhui.
Lei Hu felt that there were too many things in the news. When he saw that it asked him and several core members including Yu Qian to return to Xuzhou, he knew that things were not simple.
When Lei Hu rushed back to Xuzhou, he saw that all the core members of the Chinese court had gathered in Xuzhou.
The first thing Huo Chong told everyone was a piece of news: the capital would be moved from Xuzhou to Kaifeng.
Gao Pang asked in confusion: "Why not go to Jiangning?"
Huo Chong answered decisively: "Nanjing is close to the south, so we still have to rely on the manpower and material resources of the Central Plains."
The faces of several people from Jiangsu and Zhejiang turned unhappy, and then Huo Chong continued, "Two days ago, Gong Yu summarized the number of members of the Ministry of Rites, and the total number has exceeded 20,000. I think the number of members of the Ministry of Rites in other places must have been missed. At this time, the only province we have to attack in the short term is Guangdong. From now on, we have to enter a period of consolidation. In the next few years, in addition to forging the Ministry of Rites into a real Ministry of Rites, we must also build our civil service team."
Everyone was savoring Huo Chong's words, and Lei Hu couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, what about the Qing Dynasty?"
"We have already occupied most of the foundation of China. If the Qing Dynasty drags on, it will only survive. As for us, there are good and bad people, and many speculators have sneaked in. Don't underestimate speculators. Speculators know how to build achievements and gain status. When the time comes, we will be afraid to make too much noise. In this case, it is better to satisfy the present and leave room for future comrades to make achievements. "
Lei Hu felt as if he understood, but still felt he couldn't accept it. He could easily destroy the Qing Dynasty, and after that he could slowly clean up the internal affairs, wouldn't it be much more calm and generous?
Before Lei Hu could express his opinion, someone else had already proposed it. But no matter who said it, Huo Chong firmly rejected it.
After the meeting, Lei Hu, feeling somewhat guilty, went to see Qian Qing with the gifts he had prepared, which were small local Hubei specialties.
Seeing Qian Qing's big belly, Lei Hu felt very jealous. Qian Qing was very happy to see Lei Hu. With a pace that was not as fast and powerful as before, but very calm, Qian Qing smiled and said, "Tiger, I want to see Master Chang Dao. You are here, just in time to accompany me."
"Why are you going to see the Taoist priest?"
"I couldn't help it. I wanted to do some calculations for the baby in my belly."
Lei Hu thought this was too inappropriate and advised: "He hasn't even been born yet, and doesn't even have a birth date."
"Are you going or not?" Qian Qing asked concisely.
Lei Hu said nothing more and immediately accompanied Qian Qing to the Taoist temple where Master Chang Dao was. When they met, Qian Qing immediately asked the Taoist when he was going to leave since the capital was to be moved to Kaifeng and it was probably not going to be moved again.
At this time, the Taoist priest Changxin had white hair and beard. Hearing this news, he replied calmly: "When I feel like it one day, I will go there naturally. I am not in the mood to move now."
"If that's the case, I'd like to ask the Taoist priest to tell my child's fortune."
"Haha. Little girl, find someone else. I have no interest in your child."
Qian Qing was stunned and couldn't help frowning.
Lei Hu was also very surprised and asked, "Why?"
"God's will is on you. These children are just the result of your actions. It's meaningless for me to count them as children." After saying that, the Taoist priest turned to Qian Qing and said, "Little girl, you now think that your children are everything to you. However, in my opinion, you are everything to your children. Children should have their own destiny, but before your child was born, there was no choice. I am not in the mood to calculate such things."
Lei Hu felt that he could fully understand what the Taoist priest meant, and was shocked. He had always thought that the Taoist priest was not an ordinary person, but he did not expect that he could see the extraordinary qualities of the Taoist priest even more.
After getting used to this shock, Lei Hu suddenly felt some sympathy for Qian Qing's child.
Whether it was Huo Chong, Qian Qing, Lei Hu, or other well-known figures in the Chinese court, they all relied on their own choices and efforts to get to where they are today.
However, Qian Qing's child did not have such an opportunity. If the child was a boy, according to the tradition of establishing the eldest son as the heir, the son would be honored by the mother, and the eldest son born by Qian Qing, who had the title of King of Qi, would be the next emperor of the Huaxia Dynasty.
Before this child was born, there was no choice. This was not God's will, but a path that was already arranged by others.
What Master Changxin cares about is people who follow the will of heaven, not people whose future is determined by others. However, Master Changxin dares to say this so decisively and clearly, which is something that ordinary Taoists would not dare to say no matter what.
The Taoist priest is indeed a true Taoist practitioner.
Just as I was thinking about what Qian Qing would say, I saw Qian Qing's eyes were red. She hadn't been sitting down to begin with, and now she said angrily, "Tiger, if you have any questions, just ask the Taoist priest. I'll go back first."
After saying that, Qian Qing wiped his eyes and just left.
Lei Hu hurried to chase after him, but saw that the maid who came with him had already helped Qian Qing away. Lei Hu wanted to chase after him, but he couldn't help but worry about the Taoist priest. Moreover, Lei Hu himself did have something to ask the Taoist priest. If he followed Qian Qing this time, given the Taoist priest's temper, he didn't know when he would see him next time.
He was determined not to chase him, and Lei Hu couldn't help but sigh: "Master, what you said... is too straightforward."
"I have always been like this. You know that. Even if Monk Huo came, I would say the same thing." After saying this, Master Changxin stood up and picked up the teapot.
Lei Hu quickly took the teapot, poured a cup of tea for Master Changxin, and then poured himself a cup.
The Taoist priest took a sip of tea and then asked, "Little friend, Brother Huo is not just moving the capital, is he? Is there something else?"
Lei Hu asked back: "According to Feng Shui, doesn't moving mean changing your luck?"
"Oh? You also understand Feng Shui. It seems that children can also read Feng Shui for others." The Taoist priest replied calmly.
Lei Hu knew that the Taoist priest was mocking him, so he waved his hands and said with a smile: "I was just talking casually. It's just..."
Although I feel that it is inappropriate to bring up the core issues in the court, the person on the other side is Taoist Priest Chang. If we only consider the merits, especially the recommended personnel, Taoist Priest would be ranked in the top ten in the court without any problem.
Finally, Lei Hu lowered his voice and told the Taoist priest that Huo Chong wanted to temporarily stop expanding and turn inward.
"I observed the celestial phenomena and found that Ziwei actually had the intention of the stars to protect the sky. But I don't know who made this suggestion."
"...I heard that a Hunanese came to your majesty and talked nonsense." Lei Hu told the Taoist priest the reason somewhat helplessly.
"Haha. Is that so? It seems those Hunan scholars don't know their fate."
Seeing the Taoist priest laughing happily, Lei Hu was very surprised, "The Taoist priest said this because the Hunanese really made His Majesty wary of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang families?"
"Don't confuse cause and effect. Would Hunan and Jiangsu and Zhejiang be different with or without Your Majesty? They have always been the same. The art of destiny lies in encounters. If there were only the sun in the sky and no stars, the world would never change. Besides, Monk Huo said that the so-called starry sky, except for the planets in the solar system, every other star we can see is a sun. It is because of the encounters of countless people like you that the world is constantly changing."
Lei Hu was stunned. The Taoist's words shocked Lei Hu, who had not thought deeply for a long time. These days, every day is a battle, and all he thinks about is how to make his people obey orders completely and how to mobilize the enemy. Suddenly he heard about an unexpected encounter. It was a wonderful feeling to be pushed by others in the long river of fate.
But at this time Lei Hu just wanted to relax, so he picked an interesting topic, "Master, do you think the Hunanese and Jiangsu and Zhejiang people don't know that they are being pushed?"
"They may know, or they may not. But what difference does it make? They are already involved. Perhaps they know they are involved, so they are using all their means to create something that does not change. Since it does not change, it will naturally be seen through."
"Master, are you saying that Your Majesty will not be seen through?"
"What Monk Huo seeks is the Tao, the Tao that drives change in the world. As long as you seek the Tao, it doesn't matter if you are seen through. You think you are so powerful. I give you a knife and you can cut off the water of the Yangtze River. Can you do it? Or you think you are invincible leading an army of 100,000. Throwing a whip to stop the flow of the river, even if you succeed, it will still be wasted when the river rises. What does it matter if you can see clearly? If you go against the Tao, the clearer you see, the more desperate you will be."
After hearing what the Taoist said, Lei Hu couldn't help but recall the memories of sailing on the Yangtze River. The surging river water, and the steamboats that broke through the river water and sailed upstream. That feeling really made him feel the power and the insignificance of the individual. And that power was given by Huo Chong.
"Your Majesty will remain standing?"
"Fool! How come you have lost your knowledge after becoming an official! What Monk Huo seeks is the Tao, and it is the Tao that does not fall, not Monk Huo. Monk Huo follows the Tao and moves forward all the way, why should he stay where he is and wait for decay? Monk Huo will not degenerate. It's you, kid. Seeing that you are willing to tell me the truth today, I will tell you a few words. Monk Huo is about to forge a more effective organization, you kid, keep up, don't fall behind. The stars come and go, showing the trend of guarding Ziwei Star. This guarding may not be understood by the stars themselves, they just come. If you can understand, don't fall behind, you can stay. All right, I'm going to do the deduction, you go."
Lei Hu was confused and didn't understand what was going on. He was "invited" out by the two Taoist boys. Standing helplessly at the door, Lei Hu suddenly had the urge to break in. After all, he was a commander of 100,000 troops, and being driven out like this was too embarrassing.
However, Lei Hu also found this thought funny. On the one hand, he admired the Taoist's metaphysical knowledge, but on the other hand, he wanted to use force to force the Taoist to bow down because the Taoist refused to bow down to him. This state of mind was indeed far from Huo Chong, who could always tolerate the Taoist.
However, Huo Chong never seemed to take the Taoist priest seriously. And the Taoist priest just regarded Huo Chong as an experimental subject to verify his metaphysical ideas.
From an ordinary person's perspective, the attitudes of these two people are really puzzling.
Looking at the small Taoist temple in front of him, Lei Hu sighed in his heart. This time he went to Kaifeng, and he didn't know when he could come back to see the Taoist priest again.
