The fifth day of May is the annual Dragon Boat Festival.
However, in the Song Dynasty thousands of years ago, this day had another name: the evil month and the evil day. It was the day when evil spirits were strongest in the year. Therefore, people had traditions such as hanging cattails, burning mugwort, and taking five yellows. , in order to remove bad odor and make the body healthy, so later generations have the saying of Dragon Boat Festival health.
As for the well-known belief that the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the death of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan by throwing himself into the river, it is not popular at this time. Of course, making rice dumplings is not popular anymore. But there is one activity that has been passed down for thousands of years, and that is dragon boat racing.
In this era when the world is considered peaceful and the world is simmering with fire, both the government and the people always like to do many things in a lively manner. The dragon boat race is one of the most popular events, especially in the capital of the Song Dynasty. In Bianliang, every few days before and after the Dragon Boat Festival, the dragon boat race has become a hot topic for everyone. From high-ranking officials and dignitaries to low-ranking peddlers, almost everyone participates in it.
Because only on this day will the royal family be kind enough to open up the Jinming Pond, which belongs to a corner of the Forbidden Palace, and then allow several famous dragon boat racing teams in the city to enter to compete. At the same time, they will also allow the people in the city to pour in and watch the event. This is now the highest level dragon boat race in the country.
As for those people who cannot enter the venue due to various reasons, they still have their own way to participate in this national carnival, and that is to bet on which dragon boat team can win in the end. Every Dragon Boat Festival, just for the sole proprietorship of the dragon boat race, the large and small gambling houses in Beijing total millions of dollars. It is really an astronomical figure. From this, we can also see that the people of Bianjing Gambling is so important, and how much wealth is hidden among the people.
Perhaps for the common people, such grand events are indeed enough to make them feel excited and devote themselves wholeheartedly to it. However, for many officials in the DPRK and China, being involved year after year still makes them feel tired, especially when they have to be with you at the wheel, working from morning to night. This kind of suffering can make even young and middle-aged people stare. If you don't come down, let alone an old minister like Cai Jing, whose body and bones are not as strong as before.
But even so, as the current Grand Master and Prime Minister, such a grand event is still indispensable for him. Today was just like an ordinary day. He followed the enthusiastic emperor into the Jinming Pond from early in the morning, and was busy until noon, when he had some time to eat, and then he had to watch a dragon boat final with full emotions.
But just as Cai Jing had some snacks and drank slowly with the introduction of Qi-tonifying and spleen-boosting food, Gao Qiu came over with a solemn expression, holding a document in his hand. Seeing his expression, Cai Jing's heart suddenly tightened, thinking that something had happened at the border, otherwise the other party would not have been so rude.
Since Tong Guan was targeted by Cai Jing and the others for leaving Bianjing because he was worried about being implicated by Sun Tu, the Privy Council has gradually fallen under the control of Gao Qiu, the Taiwei, so any battle report in the Song Dynasty will be reported first Deliver it to him.
When the other party came closer, Cai Jing put down the cup in his hand and said solemnly: "Captain Gao, is there any trouble in the north?" If this is the case, he has to think carefully about whether he should report it to the officials today. Don't ruin his enthusiasm.
"Master, don't worry. It has nothing to do with side affairs. This
The battle report comes from Shandong. "Gao Qiu hurriedly explained, and then respectfully handed over the battle report in his hand.
Although Cai Jing felt relieved when he heard this, his brows continued to frown. After taking it, a few strange rays of light flashed in his eyes: "Then Sun Tu actually defeated the Liangshan bandits? Before and after. In just over a month, he has solved the imperial court's personal problem?"
Gao Qiu smiled bitterly in silence, Sun Tu's ability indeed exceeded his expectations. Liangshanbo has been troubled in the area for many years. The imperial court sent troops to suppress it many times, but every time they came back defeated, and sometimes even the generals who led the army were involved. It is precisely because of this that they continue to urge Sun Tu to send troops to suppress, with the idea that both sides will lose if he is in trouble. It is best for Sun Tu to be completely defeated in front of Liangshanbo, so that they can take the opportunity to launch an attack and convict and eradicate him. .
In order to achieve this goal, Gao Qiu even went to great lengths in terms of logistics, but he did not expect that Sun Tu would be so bold as to sneak attack on the grain-containing army, seize grain and kill people. During this period of time, Gao Qiu had actually been sending people to investigate the case in Wuqiu Town, hoping to use it to deal with Sun Tu after finding out the truth.
Unexpectedly, Sun Tu actually defeated the Liangshan bandits first. In this way, all his plans were completely in vain, because with this victory, all the previous problems would be completely covered up. . Sun Tu will become a hero, and the imperial court will only give him a large reward. Otherwise, it will chill the hearts of the soldiers in the world and make it difficult for Gao Qiu to have any excuse to attack Sun Tu.
Of course, this is no longer the most critical issue now. After calming down, Cai Jing's face became extremely gloomy: "This Sun Tu is so brave. He actually asked the imperial court for a title for these thieves. They All of them have committed such heinous crimes, there is no reason why they should be appointed officials!"
Cai Jing knew very well what Sun Tu was up to. He wanted to bring all the power of Liang Shanbo under his command. This would inevitably increase the strength of the already extraordinary Shandong army and horses, and he would want to attack him again in the future. It's getting more difficult.
"So the official thinks that this matter must not be allowed. We must persuade the officials to deny this request. We can even order Sun Tu to personally escort these bandits to the capital. By then, maybe we can kill Sun Tu in one fell swoop. A disaster has been solved." Gao Qiu quickly suggested.
However, Cai Jing did not respond to this statement. Instead, he looked at him strangely, until Gao Qiu became a little flustered, and then he said coldly: "Captain Gao, do you think Sun Tu will be so obedient?"
This question immediately made Gao Qiu speechless. Yes, Sun Tu had never been a loyal minister who obeyed the court's arrangements. Asking him to escort the Liangshan bandits to the capital was asking him to send the sheep into the tiger's mouth. As long as Sun Tu was not stupid enough It is absolutely impossible to do such a thing.
Cai Jing glanced at him and sneered: "Have you ever thought about the worst consequences of this?" Without waiting for the other party to reply, he gave his own answer: "I'm afraid that by then, Sun Tu will be there Shandong rebelled. Now that his troops have greatly increased, Shandong has already become his territory. Even if there are officials loyal to the court, they will not be able to change all this. By then, Shandong will be in chaos. What good will it do to you, me and the court? ?”
"This..." Gao Qiu was really speechless this time.
"Also, if he is smart enough, he will shoot a needle like Qingjun's Side
Regarding your and my flag, do you think the officials in the DPRK and China will take this opportunity to attack us? Also, if he is more ambitious, he may even join forces with the anti-thief Fang La and others in Jiangnan. If this is true, chaos will not be far away. Can you afford the consequences? "
After a few words of questioning, Gao Qiu was dumbfounded and his forehead was dripping with cold sweat. He was really scared. Although he has not had several contacts with Sun Tu, judging from his behavior over the years, it is really possible for him to do such lawless things as Cai Jing said. And if it turns out to be what he said, then the guilt of himself and others will be too great. No matter how much the officials favor and protect him, they are afraid that they will attack him in order to give an explanation to the world.
"This... what should I do? Is it possible to just let it grow and become so powerful that it cannot be lost?" After a while, Gao Qiucai asked.
"Hmph, Sun Tu is indeed much more difficult to deal with than the officials we have dealt with in the past. He is capable and has less worries, which makes us more worried. But as long as he is still my minister of the Song Dynasty, there are some You have to obey your orders. Do you still remember the countermeasures I came up with after discussing with you? "
"The grand master is asking him to lead troops to Jiangnan to quell the rebellion?" Gao Qiu finally had some memory and said quickly.
"Leaving him in Shandong will be a big disaster after all, but if his troops can be transferred to the south of the Yangtze River, it will be another matter. The rebels there alone are much more powerful than the Liangshan bandits. , not to mention that he only has 10,000 or 20,000 men, even if he has 50,000 or 60,000 men, they may not be of much use in the south of the Yangtze River. And as long as he is defeated there, we can make use of it. Besides, there are still people there who can Help us deal with him together. Under internal and external difficulties, it will be difficult for him to die even if he wants to."
Gao Qiu couldn't help but smile when he heard this: "The Grand Master is still wise. What you said is absolutely true. Letting Sun Tu lead troops to Jiangnan to quell the chaos is the best choice. If he is really lucky and peaceful, The Fang La Rebellion will be a good thing for the court. It will be much easier to transfer him to the capital at that time. After all, he is a guest army in Jiangnan, and it is impossible for him to be as comfortable as he is in Shandong. "
"Yes, that's the key. So let him be proud for a while. Didn't he make a contribution? Then reward him and his subordinates well. He doesn't want the court to pardon the Liangshan bandits for their past crimes. , do you still want to appoint them as officials? We also agree to him. But in addition, we also want him to go to Jiangnan to quell the chaos. By then, he will have to obey the court's orders, right?" The gloom on Cai Jing's face finally faded. Dissipated, smiling and giving his own advice.
At this time, a group of people walked over slowly, and surprisingly it was Zhao Ji, the current official, who was leading people to find him. As soon as he saw Cai Jing, Zhao Ji smiled and said: "Why is the grand master hiding here, but he is so easy for me to find? The dragon boat finals will be held soon. Come with me to watch."
Cai Jing hurriedly came forward to apologize and said, "I apologize, I just learned about a great event, so I forgot about the event. Your Majesty, this is the good news that just came from Shandong. The Liangshan bandits have been captured by Sun Tu." Lead the army to defeat..."
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A new week, a new journey begins. . . . . . . . Please vote for me, everyone. . . . When such a great victory is reported to the court, shouldn't everyone celebrate and count the votes