With Zhu Wen's attitude of letting go and the elite soldiers of the Xuanwu Army, it is not easy for the 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers and horses left behind in Pinglu to hold on for ten months.
Rao Shangguan Qingcheng led the fine cavalry, lightly dressed and traveled quickly to help, the possibility of a final decision is not high.
Moreover, Zhu Wen has the help of monks from the Immortal Court, so the Yaozu may not be able to take advantage of it.
But Li Ye still didn't plan to go back to Pinglu first to stabilize the general situation, even if he went back to Pinglu, it would definitely have a huge impact on the battle situation.
When Song Jiao asked about it afterwards, Li Ye gave his own reasons.
The reason couldn't be simpler: "Because of Cui Keli. He is a Confucian scholar."
With Song Jiao's intelligence and sophistication, she quickly figured out the deep meaning of Li Ye's move: "You want to test the attitude of Confucianism and the layout of Confucianism in the world?"
Li Ye nodded with deep eyes: "The Taoist fairy court has ruled the world for a long time. Any class that has played the role of ruler for a long time will have that annoying virtue. But Confucianism is different. Their ideals have always been The great order of the world and the establishment of a life for the common people in the world determine that they will choose the master to do things. Choosing the right monarch and realizing the ideal of great harmony in the world together is the foundation of Confucian behavior."
"So you think that Confucianism might choose you?" Song Jiao had a teasing smile in her eyes. Although this guy was understanding, she didn't want to show it easily.
Then she changed the subject and said with a smile: "Most of the officials in the world come from the Confucian school, but look at their style, how is it different from Taoists? No matter what ideals, once they encounter power and wealth, they have to give way. Dong Zhongshu can even say the words of "divine right of the king", which shows that they have forgotten their ancestors at all costs for Confucianism to enter the center of power."
Li Ye was noncommittal: "This is a troubled world after all. There will always be some changes in troubled times."
Song Jiao pondered for a while: "What if the Confucian School didn't choose you?"
Li Ye said lightly: "It doesn't matter to me whether the Confucianism chooses or not. The important thing is whether they choose Zhu Wen. After three days of farewell, Zhu Wen is completely different from the Huangchao Rebellion today. Immediately To fight Zhu Wen, I have to find out his details."
Song Jiao asked, "How did you know?"
Li Ye said: "If the Confucian sect also chooses Zhu Wen, Cui Keli will open the door of Pinglu to welcome Zhu Wen in."
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Song Jiao was stunned: "Cui Keli is your uncle! The Cui family is really like this?"
Li Ye chuckled: "In front of Jiangshan, even father and son can kill each other. How has there ever been a place for family affection?"
Song Jiao said in a deep voice, "So you are betting!"
Li Ye said: "The bet is Pinglu."
Song Jiao's voice became colder: "Pinglu is your foundation!"
Li Ye said: "Compared to finding out the choice layout of Confucianism, the land of Pinglu Five States is not impossible to put on the gambling table."
Song Jiao was dumbfounded.
Li Ye's gaze gradually became as sharp as a blade: "This is the great struggle in the world!"
Affected by him, Song Jiao also had a murderous look in her eyes: "So Hedong must be taken down, and there is absolutely no room for loss!"
...
Being willing to put Pinglu on the gambling table does not mean that you have to abandon it, otherwise Li Ye would not have sent Shangguan Qingcheng to lead an army back to help. Even if Cui Keli opened the gate of Qingzhou City, Shangguan Qingcheng led more than 20,000 elite cavalry, and cooperated with the monster monks, it would be enough to hold the two states west of Pinglu, until Li Ye led the army back to help.
The mopping up of the states in Hedong went smoothly unexpectedly. The reason for saying this is that before the army moved out of Taiyuan City, Li Ye received letters of surrender from several states.
In fact, it is not a letter of surrender, because the governors of these states all claim to be loyal ministers of the Tang Dynasty.
They sang praises to Li Ye in their letters, praising Li Ye's feat of driving away Li Keyong, an ambitious man, and relieving the people of Hedong from their dire straits, and explaining to themselves that they never intended to be thieves...
Of course Li Ye knew that these assassins were afraid that he would punish them, so seeing that Li Ke's power was gone, he scrambled to show his loyalty.
This is also the result of Li Ye's previous arrangements.
When he attacked Qinzhou earlier, he treated the governor with courtesy and did not blame Qinzhou officials, but when he attacked Fenzhou, his attitude was much stricter. After the war, they were taken into custody on the grounds that the governor of Fenzhou did not welcome Wang Shi, and they were going to be sent to Chang'an to be punished by the court.
But to get to the bottom of it, it's all because Li Ye's current power is at its peak, and the mopping up of Hedong is a foregone conclusion. If these governors don't express their loyalty quickly, they will lose their official positions and die.
Li Ye was also delighted that things went so smoothly. If there are fewer battles, the soldiers will have fewer casualties, and money, food, and weapons can also be saved. After all, Zhu Wen will have to deal with it next.
The unoccupied prefectures and counties in Hedong fell by more than half in the next few days, and the situation was very good. Li Ye didn't bother to talk to these governors, and never asked about his crimes. The soldiers who were originally planning to attack these places naturally did not need to be dispatched again.
This made Kang Chengqian, Xue Wei and others regret it.
After all, they can all see that if they fight in these states and counties, the battle will not be difficult. And once the city is captured, you can take the opportunity to make a fortune. There are fewer wars now, and they have less opportunity to loot money.
Money and income are destined to decrease, but the reputation of following Master Wang to rebel is still there. After the war, he will definitely be promoted to a noble, and Kang Chengqian and others will not have any complaints.
Of course, not all the counties in Hedong Prefecture have surrendered, and Daizhou is one of them. The reason couldn't be simpler. Li Keyong fled here with thousands of troops and took control of the city.
...
A few days later, Li Ye had finished handling all kinds of government and military affairs, and when he was about to go north, someone found him at night.
Master Feihong.
After reviewing the last official document on the desk in front of the window, Li Ye put down his jade pen and raised his head. Through the window sill, he saw Master Feihong standing on the roof of the palace across a yard.
The window lattice restricts the width of Li Ye's field of vision, but it also outlines a complete composition of artistic conception.
The bright and clean full moon is falling on the broad cornices, the tiles are covered with Kaikai white snow-like brilliance, and the branches and leaves of the locust tree next to it are lush, and the rhythmic salsa can be heard in the wind.
Master Feihong in white clothes and skirts stood quietly at the corner of the cornice, his hair and feet dancing lightly in front of the bright moon. She was holding a wine jar in her hand, she didn't know how long she stood there, it was so long that she merged with the moonlight without distinguishing each other.
Li Ye was busy with mundane affairs these days, but he ignored the agreement with the other party.
"I'm going back to the Buddhist realm soon. You promised me wine, but you haven't invited me yet," she said.
Li Ye was a little lost.
He never realized that Master Feihong's figure is also so thin, as thin as a leaf that will blow away with the wind.
Maybe it's the full moon as a backdrop, maybe it's the night wind blowing Buddha, maybe the parting that has already come, some emotions that have never been discovered, just float on the brows and sink into the heart at this moment.
It turns out that some people, even if they don't look at their faces, can make people feel the suffocating beauty.
Li Ye stood up from behind the desk, swept out of the window sill, and landed on the cornice.
However, when he saw this face so close at hand, he didn't know what to say. Although this face has creamy skin, perfect facial features without any blemishes, and is as exquisite as porcelain, this is not the reason.
Zeng Jin, he has faced this face day and night for forty years, but he has not been particularly moved. That's because the expression on this face is always the same, no matter how beautiful she is, even if there is a faint melancholy hidden in it, like a light rain in the south of the Yangtze River, he has never paid attention to it.
And tonight, maybe it was Qinghui who made the suet-like skin have a strange luster, which made her look fresh and no longer the same.
But Li Ye knew that the moonlight was not the reason, there was indeed something special on Master Feihong's face at this moment.
Master Feihong handed the wine jar in his hand to Li Ye who was not without embarrassment, his movements were gentle, and his voice was the same, but it sounded a little different, because a bright smile appeared on her face: "When you When you want to drink, you don’t particularly care who bought it.”
The two sat side by side on the cornice, Master Feihong took out the mutton fat jade bottle, and the two drank for a round first.
Even if he is not qualified to be called a drunkard, Li Ye is still a person who loves wine, but at the moment when the wine is roaring, he failed to taste it. Most of the spirits did go straight into the roar, without staying on the tip of the tongue.
Continuing what Master Feihong said just now, Li Ye smiled wryly and said: "Probably only when one person drinks too much, and one person drinks for too long, will he feel happy when he has a suitable drinking partner. Have the mind to take care of other miscellaneous things."
Master Feihong looked at the bright full moon, and said in a distant voice, "How much is too much, and how long is too long?"
Li Ye bowed his head in silence for a moment: "It's so much that the sea water can measure it, and it's so long that thousands of years slip through your fingertips."
Master Feihong smiled inexplicably.
After a while, she spoke, her voice fluttering from far to near: "In the western sky, thousands of miles away, there is a place called Buddha Land. There are clouds and fog surrounding the golden light, and there are indescribably splendid Buddhist temples. Visible devout monks. Zijin flowers bloom in the Thunder Pond, and seven-color rainbows hang on the same day. It is the place of longevity that the world envies. But do you know, what is missing here?"
Li Ye took a sip of wine: "Drinker."
"That's right, a drinker." Master Feihong turned his head, his extremely clear but bottomless eyes were so shallow at this moment that the meaning contained in them was so easy to understand: "Then you You know, what is the most in it?"
Li Ye turned his head and stared at the beautiful face in front of him, and suddenly found that his heartbeat was a little out of order, which made him feel absurd, but when he got to the answer, he still blurted out: "Lonely."
"Yes, lonely." The smile on the corner of Master Feihong's mouth was about to overflow from his dimples, probably because he sensed Li Ye's embarrassment. , In fact, compared to the endless boring, boring, and boring, loneliness is also a vivid and precious thing? At least, it can make people feel a little vitality." Li Ye was silent.
He suddenly found that when facing Li Xian and Master Feihong, especially when the two confided their hearts, he often could only deal with them in silence.
He has been a human being for two lives, so he has a lot of experience, but at this moment, he can only admit that in the face of some heavy feelings, in the face of tens of thousands of years, he still has too many feelings that he has not deeply felt.
The Wangfu is high enough to overlook most of Taiyuan City. Looking from where the two of them were sitting, under the moonlight, the streets of Taiyuan City were as neat as a chessboard. At the end of the night, countless windows shone with dim light, like fireflies on a summer night.
The syllables spit out from Master Feihong's teeth, with her faint body temperature, are touching: "Back then, when I left the mortal world and ascended to the fairy world, I ignored the prosperity of the world, thinking that above the white clouds, there were countless people who were more beautiful than mirages. Nice view."
"However, after seeing for a long time and living for thousands of years, I realized in the dullness that the lights of thousands of families are the most beautiful scenery in the world, because there is always so much warmth in it. Only then did I realize that the true meaning of the Three Thousand Ways lies here In the depths of the fireflies, the so-called enlightenment and immortality overlooking the common people are nothing but illusions woven by monks' arrogance."
"At first, I thought that I would break through the world of mortals, that I would never be moved by love again, that I would be free and unrestrained, and that I would be truly free and at ease. I have indeed been at ease for thousands of years. However, after thousands of years, when I looked back, I realized that I have lived as a statue, a majestic statue enshrined in front of the incense table in the temple."
"At that time, I realized that the years without heartbeat are no different from a pool of stagnant water. Without life, there is really no nostalgia. No nostalgia, no fear of death, you can leave this world at any time, whether it is I don't care about oblivion or rebirth, is this the freedom of a monk?"
"So I looked at other people, those Bodhisattva Vajras. I thought I would see similar loneliness, but I was surprised to find that they had already thrown themselves into the vortex of fighting for power and profit. For the sake of cultivating resources and improving their status, they turned hideous faces and completely forgot themselves. What is the difference between this and ordinary people, the rich, powerful, and officials who are looked down upon by them? Is this the fairy whose heart is for the Dao? Is this the Dao?"
"Since then, the mutton fat jade bottle has been filled with inexhaustible spirits."
"Thousands of years have passed, but I still like the beautiful scenery of the mortal world where the moon reflects the autumn wind, the peach blossoms fall for hundreds of miles, the quiet warmth of the streets and alleys, and the lights of thousands of houses. Because there used to be a heart that was not indifferent, but could be moved, vivid and vivid. A heart that can be happy, angry, sad, happy, and will not feel boring after thousands of years. I buried... that heart with my own hands."
At this point, Master Feihong finally stopped, and she held up the jade bottle and drank it headlong.
The wine overflowed in strands and filled his chest.
Li Ye could only drink with her.
No matter in the previous life or in this life, he is always struggling on the road to becoming a fairy, and he has the pressure of precarity. Struggling to survive, the ordinary is like a mortal.
He can empathize with Master Feihong's high degree of melancholy, but he has never really experienced it. Instead of judging and saying innocuous words of comfort, it's better to drink up the spirits in the altar together.
In that case, at least at this moment, she is understood and not alone.
"I'm going back to the Buddha Land." Putting down the jade bottle, Master Feihong said this sentence for the second time.
She is indeed very different tonight, maybe her mask has been taken off, maybe there is no mask at all, only a dead soul. But now a ray of vitality entered into her soul, so she came alive, even when she was speaking, the melancholy was so obvious and palpable.
She turned her head and stared at Li Ye again.
She just looked at him like that, her eyes seemed to be full of azaleas blooming all over the mountain, beautiful is beautiful, but there was also the sadness and cruelty of azaleas crying blood. After a while, there was a smile on her vermilion lips, dimples, and corners of her eyes.
She said earnestly yet playfully: "On the eighth day of April in the second year of Guangming in the Tang Dynasty, at this moment when Haishi is about to end, you and I sit on the cornice and drink wine. Enjoy the bright moon and enjoy the breeze, and there are thousands of lights in front of you. Because You and I will remember this moment. From now on, you and I are friends, at least Zeng Jin, you can’t change, because the time of Haishi has passed.”
These words made Li Ye stand there in a daze, staring at the other party in a daze.
Compared with thousands of years, this moment is so short.
But so what, it will be remembered longer than the tastelessness of being exhibited on a cliff for thousands of years, or the presumptuousness of crying on the shoulder of a lover all night. Because the latter will be recalled from time to time.
The bright smile on Master Feihong's face didn't last long, she sat down again and started drinking again.
Just like in the boundless sea, no matter how beautiful the waves are, they are just for a moment, and everything will return to calm in the end.
After a long time, she put down the wine bottle and said softly: "Some things, those people and those things, when you are destined to lose them and can no longer have them, what can you do?"
Li Ye looked at her side face, which was well-defined with flying black hair, and said heavily: "The only thing we can do is to let ourselves not forget."