Fu Tang

Seeing Li Congjia's expression, Shi Xueting knew that Zhao Kuangyin's letter to him must be unusual, but he didn't ask much.

However, intervening more in politics is the bottom line that Shi Xueting has drawn for himself, and this bottom line will allow him and Li Congjia to go on in the long run.

Now it seems that Li Congjia's heart is indeed tied to him, but they still have decades. Li Congjia's father, Li Jing... has a bad criminal record.

Moreover, not intervening in politics will prevent people from coming to him and going astray. Shi Xueting thinks that he can withstand any temptation, but he still has an apprentice, Yang Xin has a wife and will have children in the future, Shi Xueting You can't give others excuses. If Yang Xin himself loses in the political struggle, Shi Xueting, who stays out of it, can take advantage of him instead.

Of course, Li Congjia took the initiative to talk about it, and he would not pretend to be arrogant. He needed to grasp Li Congjia's thoughts. After all, the current Li Congjia was no longer the king Zheng who was cornered.

Li Congjia sat there thinking for a long time, then turned to look at Shi Xueting, for some reason, no matter how violent his heart was, as long as he saw Shi Xueting's face, he could be calmed instantly.

He's not violent now, but he's irritable.

Shi Xueting held his hand and kissed him, without saying anything, but Li Congjia felt silent support.

Li Congjia sighed and said, "Zhao Kuangyin wants to buy gunpowder with good stability."

Li Congjia specifically emphasized the four characters of good stability. These four characters show that Zhao Kuangyin already knows what Li Congjia is using. If he knows what Li Congjia is using, it means he has it, but his is not as easy to use as Li Congjia's.

This letter was a request for purchase, and it was also pointed out from the side. Zhao Kuangyin was not afraid of what Li Congjia had, because he knew what it was.

Li Congjia was a little hesitant. He thought about selling gunpowder when he was short of money. Of course, the first choice was Beihan or Khotan. However, what Khotan did before made him very unhappy. It would be a shame to send such a powerful weapon to the other party at this time. Also too cheap.

Then the remaining one is the Northern Han Dynasty. Of course, Jingnan is also good, but if you want to go to Jingnan, you have to pass through the land of Shu. No matter how stable the gunpowder is, it is still gunpowder. Don't even think about living.

Zhao Kuangyin was never on Li Congjia's sales list, but since Zhao Kuangyin wrote this letter, he was probably testing whether Li Congjia really wanted to form an alliance with him.

Li Congjia really doesn't want to confront Zhao Kuangyin now. He wants to settle Ganzhou first, and then move to Zendan. After all, it is closer to the Central Plains, and if there is no accident, the next move may be a long time later, so Li Congjia There is great hope for taking Zendan.

Before that, he didn't want to make any troubles. After he realized that Zhao Kuangyin was trying to test him, he really wanted to refuse. Even if he sold the gunpowder, it might be used on him in the future, so he didn't do it.

But now he can’t be impulsive, so he procrastinated for a while, only saying that the production was not enough, and he didn’t plan to sell it. He also lost the way of business before. Later, Li Congjia hadn’t had time to reach an agreement with Beihan after the way of business was established, so it didn’t look so good. Perfunctory.

It was not surprising that Zhao Kuangyin received Li Congjia's reply. He knew that Li Congjia would not sell to him. In fact, it was different from what Li Congjia thought. What Zhao Kuangyin tested was Li Congjia's attitude, but his focus was on how hostile Li Congjia was to him. .

If the hostility is serious, people like Li Congjia may tell him directly not to sell. If he is not so firm, there is always room for maneuver.

Zhao Kuangyin seldom had the word fear in his head since he was a child, and he also knew that fear was useless. If something terrible happened, he could only face it head-on, so that he would not be afraid, and hiding would be useless.

However, this time he was really scared. He didn't see the scene of Tang's siege, but the spies he had placed in Ganzhou saw it, and even the spies were lucky. He heard that Tang's army was marching in the direction of his city. It was near, so he didn't report to the higher authorities, and just ran away. Thanks to his fast running, Zhao Kuangyin could still get some news.

It is said that for cities that are more cooperative, as long as they are willing to surrender, Tang's army is still very gentle and will not disturb the people. They will only attack the local wealthy families. They are all fat sheep, who will let them go?

As for the uncooperative city, the spies said that it was simply a catastrophe.

He couldn't think of other adjectives other than that, it was a hell on earth.

Zhao Kuangyin imagined what it would look like, because he also had people test the power of black powder. I have to say that this thing is really scary, but what is even more frightening is that this thing is not stable, and if you are not careful, it will make people Those who used it were destroyed. Zhao Kuangyin's subordinates who fiddled with these things have already folded in a dozen people, all of whom were killed.

No matter how courageous Zhao Kuangyin was, he would not dare to use this thing. At the same time, he also had a question in his mind, how did Li Congjia solve this problem?

Zhao Pu said: "I heard from the people below that Tang Jun is very proficient in using this thing, and there are several weapons that he has never seen before."

Zhao Kuangyin's face was incredible: "How did Li Yu do it? What capable people does he have?"

Zhao Pu shook his head. It's not that he didn't know, but that this guess is a bit unreliable. Li Congjia's people can tell at a glance that it is all the foundation of Southern Tang. Do you want to be destroyed by the state of Zhou?At that time, it is Zhou Guo who should be destroyed.

However, the Southern Tang Dynasty was destroyed, and now the Tang Dynasty is rising in the Western Regions. Zhao Pu felt that the use of gunpowder must be related to Li Congjia, and of course it might be the monk beside him.

However, there are various indications that Tang Guo's gunpowder research and development organization is firmly in the hands of Li Congjia, under his direct leadership, and other people can't even intervene with cabinet ministers, so... it is very likely that he was tinkering with it from the beginning .

After listening to Zhao Pu's analysis, Zhao Kuangyin suddenly said, "It should be him."

Zhao Pu was a little surprised, and Zhao Kuangyin sighed: "It hasn't been long, why did I forget it? He used this thing when I confronted me for the first time, but I didn't know it was him at that time."

After Zhao Pu thought about it, he realized that what Zhao Kuangyin was talking about was the inexplicable battle he lost in Jiangdu Mansion. At that time, no one knew who the enemy was, but the other party won.

Now that I think about it, at that time Li Congjia had only a nest of bandits, and the bandits were naturally even more unable to do things that the entire court of the Southern Tang Dynasty could not do.

Thinking of this, Zhao Pu couldn't help but feel incredible: "The king of Tang...could it be the heir of the Mohist family?"

Zhao Kuangyin sneered, he didn't believe that Li Congjia was a descendant of the Mohist school. After all, there was information about Li Congjia before this, and he never mentioned that he had studied this, but until now... it can only be said that it was a gift from heaven.

Zhao Kuangyin said with a gloomy face, "It's a pity that I regard him as a great enemy. Only now do I know that I can't be an enemy with him at all."

Zhao Kuangyin has never been so discouraged in the face of the three sides of Ganzhou, Dangxiang, and Zhou. At that time, he dared to show his muscles against the covetous regime, but he was a little afraid of Li Congjia. He was not afraid of war, but he was afraid of his subordinates Erlang died for no apparent reason.

The opponent doesn't have to exert any effort to kill all of you, so how can you fight this battle?Not only that, Zhao Kuangyin even felt that even the Zhou Kingdom in its heyday might not be able to resist, but...the Central Plains is different from the Western Regions. Li Congjia dared to go on a rampage in the Western Regions, but when he arrived in the Central Plains...in order not to be drowned by the spittle of the world, he I dare not use this thing.

Of course, Zhao Kuangyin knew that he was an exception, because he was a traitor and was scolded by the world. If Li Congjia dealt with him harshly, he might be praised.

Zhao Kuangyin suddenly said: "If I take refuge in Li Yu, what do you think he will do?"

Zhao Pu turned pale with shock: "How can your majesty say such despondent words?"

Zhao Kuangyin waved his hand. Looking at the gloomy sky outside, he said, "I'm not saying any more depressing words, but now, we may have become Li Congjia's roadblock."

Yes, the roadblock is not even a roadblock. Ganzhou is stronger than him, so it is not forced to ask Khotan for help. , and even exchanged treasures, obviously to repair the relationship with Li Congjia.

These two powerful countries are like this, what else can Zhao Kuangyin do?

The more he thought about this possibility, the more he calculated that there were not many people under Li Congjia who could fight. Of course, this not many were aimed at the battlefield in the Central Plains. After all, the place is too vast to be handled by one or two generals.

Zhao Kuangyin is very confident in his ability to lead the army. If Li Congjia trusts him, then he will lead the army to fight north and south, and he can always fight for what he wants. It doesn't matter if he doesn't trust him. He still remembers that Li Congjia was his son's teacher back then No matter what Li Congjia's status was at the time, the relationship between the teacher and the student was always very pure. At worst, he would retire and push his son out when the time came.

Of course, Zhao Kuangyin thought so in his heart, but on the surface he couldn't do such a loss of status. This was the worst plan, and he would only adopt it after Li Congjia's troops came to the city. Before that, he could negotiate peace with Li Congjia.

Then... find a way to marry his daughter to him!

So Li Congjia, who rejected Zhao Kuangyin, was still very vigilantly waiting for Zhao Kuangyin's reply. He was afraid that Zhao Kuangyin would directly mobilize troops without saying hello. At that time, he was fighting on two fronts. The most important thing was that Zhao Kuangyin was on the front line.

He always had an inexplicable hostility towards Zhao Kuangyin, which probably originated from history. Although he knew that Zhao Kuangyin now had no chance to make him a "Marquis of Disobedience" or give him a glass of poisoned wine, but Li Congjia was in front of him. When dealing with Zhao Kuangyin, he will always be vigilant.

As a result, he never expected that Zhao Kuangyin would actually reply him a letter. After Li Congjia opened it, his eyes grew wider and wider.

It was rare for Shi Xueting to see his expression like this, he felt as if he saw a frightened owl, and after holding back for a long time, he asked, "But something happened?"

Li Congjia reflexively hid the letter paper behind his back. Seeing this action, Shi Xueting raised his eyebrows. He knew in an instant that Li Congjia might not want him to know about this, but it was not serious enough to affect the overall situation, so he just kept silent. Staring at Li Congjia intently.

After Li Congjia finished this action, he wanted to slap himself twice. Isn't this the same as three hundred taels of silver here?Could it be any more stupid?

Of course, he doesn't have to tell Shi Xueting, anyway, even if he doesn't say it, Shi Xueting will considerately ignore it, but this matter... Li Congjia has to discuss with the cabinet, although Shi Xueting is not a cabinet minister, but he But he also has status in the cabinet, because in order to build momentum for him, Li Congjia always brought Shi Xueting to show up when discussing politics.

Everyone's acceptance of Shi Xueting is also quite high, after all, it was like this when they first started their business, and now it has become a habit.

So... this matter cannot be hidden.

Li Congjia said with a sad face, "Zhao Kuangyin wants to be included."

Well, the term internal attachment is used very precisely. You don’t say surrender or admit defeat, just say internal attachment. I will be your general. When the Tang Dynasty was still prosperous, Tuyuhun Turks had all been internal attachments.

Shi Xueting was a little surprised, but it made sense after thinking about it. Seeing Tang Jun's attacking methods, I am afraid that no one would not be terrified, but if it is a request to enclose...how could Li Congjia have such an expression?

Shi Xueting asked almost immediately: "What conditions did he raise?"

Except that Zhao Kuangyin's conditions are very harsh, he can't think of any other possibility, but... Even if Zhao Kuangyin's conditions are harsh, Li Congjia can continue to talk, or ignore them. Anyway, Zhao Kuangyin can't beat them, so...how can he be so worried ?

Li Congjia glanced at Shi Xueting, and sighed: "Zhao Kuangyin still respects my father-in-law."

Shi Xueting was stunned for a moment before realizing that Zhao Kuangyin's first condition was to marry his daughter to Li Congjia?

But this is not impossible. Marriage has always been a common method. In fact, compared to marrying his daughter to Li Congjia, Zhao Kuangyin might let himself or his brother marry a princess.

However, there is no princess in the Tang Dynasty now. Yes, when Li Jing fled abroad, he brought his concubine and his ministers, meaning to bring the queen, and then left his children behind, but none of his daughters came out.

So Zhao Kuangyin can only settle for the next best thing, hoping that his beautiful and talented daughter can make Li Congjia fall in love at first sight. As for the status of the main wife...that is really a no-brainer.

Shi Xueting understood why Li Congjia had such a face, he was pretending to be pitiful to him, after all, when Dangxiang wanted to marry him last time, Shi Xueting took advantage of that opportunity to make Li Congjia miserable.

In fact, Shi Xueting is really jealous, but it's not that he doesn't understand this possibility, he just... Through this incident, he just expressed his care for Li Congjia, because he doesn't want you to marry another woman because he cares, and According to his observation, Li Congjia also likes this.

However, once is fun, twice is fun, three times and four times... Then it is easy to go wrong. Shi Xueting is very measured in this kind of thing, so he just asked: "It is impossible for Zhao Kuangyin to only have this request, right?" ?”

Li Congjia took a serious look at Shi Xueting, but he didn't find any trace of jealousy. Yes, it will be even more...

Now that the two of them are alone, he doesn't respond?

Li Congjia had doubts in his heart, but he couldn't ask why you didn't do anything, so he said, "Well, he asked for the autonomy of the army."

Shi Xueting sneered and said, "He's dreaming."

All the generals wanted the autonomy of the army, but Li Congjia was determined to keep the army firmly in the hands of the royal family. Facing so many military meritorious generals, Li Congjia did not let go. Zhao Kuangyin's request was tantamount to nonsense.

Li Congjia put the letter on the table and said: "It is indeed a dream. If he is willing to come, not only will I not give him the autonomy of the army, but I will even dismantle his army and disperse it directly. Datang does not want to be the next state of Zhou. "

A person who has been a rebel once, unless he himself is the emperor, no matter what boss he is, he will suspect that he will betray, unless he has a reason not to betray.

Seeing that Shi Xueting really didn't seem to care, Li Congjia breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately asked the cabinet ministers to be summoned to the Xuanzheng Hall, and of course the military attache of the Privy Council went with him.

Zhao Kuangyin's letter was circulated by everyone, and there was nothing shady about it, so Li Congjia didn't mind being read, and it could be seen that Zhao Kuangyin's private correspondence was just to express an intention, not to really use diplomatic means to confirm the content. In addition, if he is not satisfied with the conditions, he may go back on his word.

Zhao Kuangyin willing to surrender?If this is true, then it means that after taking Ganzhou, Datang will be able to take down the five states in Guanzhong without a single soldier. Zhou Zong, the chief assistant of the cabinet, who showed no signs of emotion or anger, couldn't help laughing and said: "This Zhao Kuangyin is also aware of current affairs."

In Zhou Zong's view, no matter how large the territory is in the Western Regions, it means "not doing business properly". However, once it enters the Central Plains, it is announcing the strong return of the Tang Dynasty to those regimes in the Central Plains. This kind of thing is what Zhou Zong and others hope. After a long time, how could you be unhappy?

As for Zhao Kuangyin's request, the matter of marrying his daughter can be discussed. If Dangxiang wants to marry a princess, people in the court will neither support nor oppose it, but Zhao Kuangyin's daughter is different from Dangxiang. After all, Zhao Kuangyin is Han Chinese like them. They are of the same race. When Zhao Kuangyin's daughter married, he was a courtier of the Tang Dynasty and had no second identity.

And the party item...even if it is attached, it is a special existence, not to mention that the leader of the party item now has the qualifications to sit on an equal footing with Li Congjia.

As for the autonomy of the army, this can’t be given at all. You must know that Zhao Kuangyin’s current soldiers may be similar to Datang’s soldiers and horses. Of course, Li Congjia’s horses are better. If so many people are vassals, they must give each other some preferential treatment.

The ministers of the cabinet were secretly looking at Li Congjia. If Zhao Kuangyin opened a back door, even if it was a small one, military autonomy would likely become a joke. After all, the premise of military autonomy is that all military power is in the hands of the royal family.

Li Congjia said very resolutely: "Military self-government is definitely not an option, but this is not allowed, and the rest... Even if his daughter becomes a concubine, he may not agree to include it."

Yes, he is a good king of the mountain, but if he insists on running down the mountain to be your younger brother, is it possible that you are good-looking?Isn't it because it's profitable?

But how much does Li Congjia have to give him to get the army out of his hands?It is impossible to impress Zhao Kuangyin without enough bargaining chips.

Just when Li Congjia was hesitating, another news came that Zhao Kuangyin had taken Qinzhou again.

Although there are factors of Zhou's split, this speed is not uncomfortably fast. Zhao Kuangyin has proved the fighting ability of his army with practical actions. The device was frightened.

After Li Congjia got the news, he heaved a long sigh. In terms of territory, Li Congjia was bigger than Zhao Kuangyin, but in terms of gold content...it seemed that the other party had more.

Li Congjia needs a price that satisfies Zhao Kuangyin, and all he can think of is to be a Marquis, but... he will be a Marquis now, and after Zhao Kuangyin is attached, it is impossible for Li Congjia to let him idle, and with his ability to lead troops, It is almost certain to have greater credit, so what should we do then?Is it necessary to confer a king with a foreign surname?

But for the throne, Li Congjia didn't want to confer it easily, and a king with a foreign surname represented an unstable factor, especially a hereditary king with a foreign surname.Not hereditary... How embarrassing to give someone a lower-ranking throne for such a great contribution?And it's so harsh, no one is willing to work hard for Li Congjia.

Li Congjia was very entangled, but the matter of marrying Zhao Kuangyin's daughter was probably unreasonable. His reason was very legitimate, a concubine was not enough for Zhao Kuangyin to dedicate his army.

Naturally, Zhao Kuangyin would not agree, so Li Congjia replied to him with a letter. If it was of a personal nature, there was no need to be so strict in wording. Li Congjia directly told Zhao Kuangyin the official position of the Privy Council. Know.

After Li Congjia sent the letter, he was very worried. He understood the truth, but what could he give?

Seeing Li Congjia's appearance, Shi Xueting said, "Actually, it's not that there is no room for maneuver, and there is no need to be crowned king or marquis."

Li Congjia turned to look at Shi Xueting, and asked strangely, "What is it?"

The author has something to say: Li Congjia: All they care about is my money and power, you have to trust me!

Shi Xueting: Of course I believe in you, but it is also good to have money and power, at least the jade bead chain sent by Khotan is good.

Li Congjia's chrysanthemum tightened suddenly...