In the third year of Guangqi, there was heavy snow that covered the earth.
The howling north wind chilled the hearts of all the people in Heshuo.
The great General Zhu Li, the invincible and unconquerable guardian god in their hearts, was actually rejected in marriage; this must be a very shameful and humiliating thing for anyone.
Even the entire Heshuo people felt ashamed, let alone Zhu Li, the person involved.
Just when the people of Heshuo were immersed in extreme confusion and depression, the third year of Guangqi slowly turned over the old page, and the fourth year of Guangqi slowly came.
In the first month of the year, Li Keju, the governor of Lulong, was critically ill. As he had no children, he unexpectedly passed the position of governor to Yuchi Jin for the first time. Thus, another female monarch came to the forefront of history in the northern border of the Tang Dynasty.
In February, Li Xuan's condition became more serious.
The eunuchs headed by the Secretary General Liu Xingshen wanted to establish Prince Ji Li Bao as the Crown Prince; but in the court, the officials headed by Yang Fugong and others wanted to establish Prince Shou Li Jie as the Crown Prince. The two sides, with equal power, were deadlocked for a while.
This dispute between the crown prince and his younger brother soon affected the military governors of various places.
Wang Yueyao, a newcomer who dominated Jiangyou, was the first to stand up and express his support for the promotion of Prince Ji Li Bao; on the second day after Wang Yueyao expressed his position, the newly appointed Lulong Jiedushi Yuchi Jin made his own voice and chose to support the promotion of Prince Shou Li Jie.
Tit for tat, neither gave in. These two female rulers who had just risen in the Tang Dynasty seemed to have a lot of grudges against each other.
However, the veteran military governors and generals from all sides were not in a hurry to express their opinions. For example, Zhu Li of Heshuo, Li Keyong of Hedong, Zhu Quanzhong of Henan and others kept their mouths shut and had no intention of getting involved.
Shuozhou, General's Mansion, Zhu Li has been much quieter.
Every day, if he is not handling government affairs, he is reading ancient books. Even the martial arts that he has been practicing diligently, no one has seen him practice recently.
The door of the main hall was gently pushed open. Two cute little heads poked their heads out towards Zhu Li behind the table. After looking around for a while, they pretended to be little ladies and walked in.
Zhu Li raised his head from the pile of documents and caught a glimpse of the two little girls pretending to be pretentious. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up into a graceful arc.
Perhaps, this is the reason why I hold on. The happiness of my loved ones is enough to comfort me in my life.
The people who came were none other than my younger sister Zhu Ning'er and my adopted sister Lin Heier. Since they experienced an accident, the two little girls seemed to have grown up a lot.
"Brother, haven't you finished yet?" A crisp and pleasant voice suddenly came.
"Oh, almost there." Zhu Li looked at Zhu Ning'er gently, "Why are you two here? Is class over?"
"Yes, brother, we came to see you." Hei'er was older after all, and he spoke and acted more methodically than Zhu Ning'er, and was more considerate of others. Although he had not finished speaking, he did not directly state his purpose.
"Oh, Sister Hei'er, just say it directly." When Ning'er saw that Hei'er did not tell her purpose, she immediately became anxious. In a flash, she turned from a little lady into an anxious little monkey.
"Brother, let me ask you, are you really not going to Youzhou to bring Sister Jin'er back?" This is probably the purpose of their coming here.
Zhu Li glanced at her sister calmly and said gently, "Is this what you came for?"
"Yes." Zhu Ning'er ignored Hei'er's signal and stuck her head out to confess, "Sister Jin'er, you are such a good wife. It must be because of you, big brother, that you made Sister Jin'er angry, so she doesn't want to marry you."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Li was stunned, and then fell silent for a while.
But his expression made Zhu Ning'er think that she had guessed correctly, so she comforted him like a little adult: "Brother, didn't you always teach us, 'No one is perfect, but it is the greatest virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them!'"
"Since you have made a mistake, go to Youzhou and say a few nice words to Sister Jin'er and try to be humble. With Sister Jin'er's temper, she will definitely forgive you." Zhu Ning'er clenched her little fist and waved it upward vigorously, as if to cheer up her elder brother.
Hearing this, Zhu Li stood up, walked around the office desk, came to Zhu Ning'er, and very naturally reached out to rub her little head, sighing: "Ning'er is really smart, such a philosophical words, and she remembered it firmly."
After praising his sister, Zhu Li looked out the door without any focus, and continued leisurely: "It's just that Ning'er, in one's life, one has to face countless choices every day. At the beginning, I chose to marry your sister Jin'er, but your sister Jin'er chose to leave."
“No matter what the reason is, respecting other people’s choices is the best support for them. You have to know that in this world, the thing that cannot be forced the most is the human heart.”
"I don't know why your sister Jin'er left. If she had a reason to leave, my going to Youzhou would just be forcing her to do something against her will."
"Forcing others to do something will only embarrass yourself. Tell me, should I go or not?"
Zhu Li had a melancholy look on his face, as vicissitudes of life as an old man under the setting sun. He could no longer withstand any more hardships. If God had destined the people he loved to leave one by one, no matter how hard he struggled, it would be in vain.
Some people have slept with countless women in their lives, but no matter how bad he is, there are still countless women who jump into his bed like moths to a flame.
Some people have never even touched a woman's hand in their entire life. No matter how well they do, they still cannot avoid being abandoned again and again. Perhaps this is their fate. What can they do if their horoscopes are foul
"But..." Looking at her elder brother with a bitter face, Zhu Ning'er wanted to continue persuading him, but was immediately stopped by Hei'er beside her.
At this moment, Yi Jiangnan, who was dressed in military uniform, saw that the door of the meeting hall was not closed, so he walked in quickly, came straight to Zhu Li, and bowed, saying: "General, we have news about Madam Wang."
"Well, just say it directly." Zhu Li turned around and looked at Yi Jiangnan.
After more than three months of recuperation, the injuries of Yi Jiangnan, Li Gufeng and Meng Taiji had been healed by the end of the year; after experiencing life and death in Khitan years ago, the three of them had made great progress in martial arts.
Among them, Yi Jiangnan made the greatest progress. Now, he has become a strong man in the late natural stage. He was appointed by Zhu Li as the commander-in-chief of the Ghost Guard, and can control Li Gufeng, Jing Ming, Wang Chong and others.
After recovering from his injuries, Meng Taiji, as a follower of Wang Yueyao, naturally followed his master; and because Yuchi Jin was the only person who knew the whereabouts of Wang Yueyao at that time, in order to find out the news of his master as soon as possible, he had already left Shuozhou and followed Yuchi Jin to Youzhou.
I'm afraid that by now, Meng Taiji has already gone south to Jiangyou, following Wang Yueyao. The ancients regarded east as left and west as right. The Jiangnan West Road where Wang Yueyao is located is abbreviated as Jiangyou.
As for the other party's family, Meng Fangqian, Meng Chenghui and others, they had been released by Zhu Li, and two of them were appointed as generals to go south to assist Zhao Yun.
"General, according to my observation, the wife of the Wang family was probably coerced into taking over as the governor of Jiangnan West Road. It must have been a helpless move." Yi Jiangnan spoke seriously, but his words were mostly speculations.
Because, even for the omnipresent ghost guards, it is not easy to get close to Wang Yueyao.
"Being coerced?" Zhu Li frowned. "Was it the black-robed Li Gong and his gang?"
"That's right. The Mr. Li in black robe has already made his public appearance. His name is Li Fazhu, and he looks to be in his thirties or forties." Yi Jiangnan said frankly.
"This Master Li seems to be very prestigious in the entire Jiangnan West Road. Almost all the civil and military officials under Madam Wang have to give him some respect."
"Master Li?" Zhu Li frowned even deeper when he heard that. Maybe others didn't understand, but Zhu Li knew it very well.
In this world, there are not only the original residents, but also some heroic souls who escaped from the Monument to Heroes, as well as the reincarnations of rebellious heroic souls.
In history, there may be many people named Li Fazhu, but the most famous one is Li Mi; Li Mi, whose courtesy name was Fazhu, was a famous hero in the late Sui Dynasty.
A powerful person seldom does things casually.
If it was Li Mi who coerced Wang Yueyao and promoted her to the position of Jiedushi of Jiangnan West Road, what was his purpose
Combined with Wang Yueyao's performance in the past few months, Zhu Li has roughly understood Li Mi's intentions; at the same time, he also began to doubt Wang Yueyao's identity.
In just less than half a year, countless heroes from the Western Road of Jiangnan rushed to join them, and Wang Yueyao must have played a crucial role among them; otherwise, with the unwillingness of the hero Li Mi to be outdone, he would naturally not have gone to such great lengths to promote Wang Yueyao to a high position.
From this, it can be seen that Wang Yueyao must have unparalleled prestige among the heroes who gathered in Jiangnan West Road. If so, her identity must be extraordinary.
However, Zhu Li, who knew Wang Yueyao inside and out, knew that it was impossible for Wang Yueyao, a businesswoman, to have such power.
In addition, the names of Wang Yueyao's subordinates are almost the same as those of the famous generals of the old Sui Dynasty. Zhu Li naturally speculated that Wang Yueyao might also come from the Monument to Heroes, and she must be an important figure in the old Sui Dynasty.
Although he had such a speculation, Zhu Li did not dare to conclude.
If Wang Yueyao's formation came from the Monument to Heroes' Souls, then why wasn't it identified in the Classic of Mountains and Seas
This was something that puzzled Zhu Li, because no matter whether it was the reincarnation of a heroic soul or a rebellious heroic soul, as long as Zhu Li had seen the other party's face, the Classic of Mountains and Seas could immediately identify the other party's previous life identity, and it seemed that there had never been any delay.
But Wang Yueyao has been with him for so long, but the Classic of Mountains and Seas has not responded, which seems to contradict Zhu Li's speculation. Invisibly, a veil of mystery is cast over Wang Yueyao.
Unable to figure it out, Zhu Li waved away her thoughts, looked at Yi Jiangnan, and asked worriedly: "Is she in danger now?"
After hearing this, Yi Jiangnan hesitated for a moment and immediately replied, "It shouldn't be. According to my observation, there seem to be people around the Wang family's wife who can be used. One of them is called Gao Ying, one is called Su Wei, and the other is called Zhang Xutuo."
"All three of them are highly respected heroes, and they are very disdainful of Li Mi. With these three capable people in front of Madam Wang, Li Mi should be unable to do anything to her." Jing Ming still had a speculative tone, but he spoke with certainty.
"Gao Ying, Su Wei, Zhang Xutuo?" Zhu Li narrowed his eyes slightly.
He had also heard some rumors from the outside world. The capable ministers under Wang Yueyao's command all had a very distinctive feature, that is, their names were exactly the same as those of the famous generals of the old Sui Dynasty.
But Zhu Li thought that if these people were famous generals of the old Sui Dynasty, Wang Yueyao's identity would be obvious.
Historically, Gao Ying of the old Sui Dynasty was a talented person who assisted the country. He was loyal and kind-hearted. The only wrong thing he did in his life was marrying his daughter to the wrong person, which led to him standing on the wrong side in the dispute over the crown prince. He was finally killed by Yang Guang.
Su Wei of the old Sui Dynasty was very capable, but he was a veteran in the officialdom. During his life, he served several lords, including Yuwen Tai, Yang Jian, Yang Guang, Li Mi, Wang Shichong, and Yang Tong. Finally, he wanted to surrender to Li Yuan, but was despised by Li's father and son.
In the words of later generations, Su Wei was a worker who would "work for pay". No matter who your boss was, as long as you needed me and paid me, I would work for you. I didn't care about loyalty or anything like that.
But we cannot despise this person just because of his personality. His ability to govern is still worthy of recognition. Using words like "two brushes" is obviously not enough to describe his ability. He is also a great talent.
As for Zhang Xutuo, he was a pillar minister at the end of the Sui Dynasty. Let's not talk about how powerful he was. Let's just look at the people who were under his command. From their subordinates, everyone can speculate on his ability.
Among the heroes who founded the Tang Dynasty, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, and Luo Shixin, these brave men, all served under Zhang Xutuo. As a military general, Zhang Xutuo was able to intimidate these three people, which shows how brave he was.
Now Gao Ying, Su Wei and Zhang Xutuo have all turned to Wang Yueyao. If they are really the three from the old Sui Dynasty, then if Wang Yueyao gets these three, Li Mi will be nothing.
"General, Madam Wang should be safe for the time being. In addition to the three people mentioned above, the Jiangyou heroes Wei Quanfeng and Wei Zaichang are also willing to follow Madam Wang until death."
"The Wei brothers were born and raised in Jiangyou. When Xin Dan was in charge of Jiangnan West Road, they had already gathered countless strong soldiers. My lady has their support, so it is clear that no one dares to touch her."
"Now Madam Wang has both the soldiers and the generals. I don't think that Master Li can do anything to her." Yi Jiangnan said with certainty.
Zhu Li nodded after hearing this.
If Wang Yueyao still allowed Li Mi to manipulate her with the support of Gao Ying and Zhang Xutuo, she would not be the lady of the Wang family that he knew.
What's more, Wang Yueyao has the support of the Wei brothers in Jiangyou and has already gained the upper hand as a landlord. Li Mi must be starting to have a headache.
As for who Wei Quanfeng was, he was not a simple character. Although there were not many records about him in history, he was a real hero who ruled Jiangyou and dominated the country for a time.
Now, for some unknown reason, he chose to work for Wang Yueyao, which made Zhu Li feel greatly relieved.
"What's the situation in Youzhou?" After asking about Wang Yueyao, who was the most worrying person, Zhu Li casually asked about Yuchi Jin's situation.
Although he didn't say it explicitly, Yi Jiangnan was a shrewd man after all. He knew what the other party was asking immediately and quickly said, "Youzhou, since Madam Yuchi took office, she has appointed He Ruobi to guard Juyongguan and General Yu Juluo to guard Mozhou to confront Wang?"
"General Shi Wansui went to Tanshui to confront Wang Chucun; Yuchi Xin stayed in Dingzhou to confront Li Keyong's Hedong army."
"Li Keyong is now at war with Wang Xi. It is only a matter of time before the fire spreads to Dingzhou. Madam Yuchi's situation is very worrying." After Yi Jiangnan finished speaking, he secretly glanced at Zhu Li.
Just by looking at the other person's face, Yi Jiangnan understood that with this person around, it would be difficult for Li Keyong to bully Yuchi Jin; because, when Zhu Li heard that Yuchi Jin was in a worrying situation, his face became very ugly, as if someone had touched his reverse scale.