Chapter 117 – Losing his Deer in Liyang (Middle)

Zhang Bian Guan slowly raised his head, tears streaming down his face, and said in a trembling voice, “Father, you are always this high up in the sky, saying the loudest words under the sky, and doing the most courageous things under the sky. But have you forgotten to look back and look down at us children?”

Zhang Julu did not look sideways at this young son and snorted, “Why, are you afraid? That’s right, who in the world is not afraid of death. Even those Qing officials who are not afraid to let their families prepare coffins and then go to their deaths generously are also afraid of death. I do not come to mind an interesting thing, some were put into the imperial prison of the Secretary, perhaps it is rare really not afraid of death, just more afraid of dying for no reason, almost everyone in the prison wall with charcoal pen to write down the book of desperation, the world may not know that a charcoal pen in the Imperial Prison, that is to spend several hundred taels of silver, in order to buy the hands of the poorer, but it is not difficult for them to dip their fingers in the blood, as always, they can write a song of the book of the blood. Your older brother is stereotypical, can’t do this kind of thing that can accumulate the most prestige, your second brother is a little more clever, if really lucky to become a noble official, is trying to do but also dare not. As for you Zhang Banguan, probably do not care for it?”

Zhang Banguan stood up and snatched the small stove in Zhang Julu’s hand, and smashed it hard on the snowy ground under the steps, and the roaring coals that rolled out of the stove quickly dissipated.

Zhang Julu did not care about this son’s “disobedient” behavior.

Not to mention what licked the calf, and even to personally give his sons to serve three bowls of severed head rice, even if the son wants to beat him as the first minister of the father a few punches, it seems to be nothing.

Zhang Julu slowly turned his head, looked at his young son’s face, asked: “Do you really think that your elder brother and second brother half do not know the situation? Do you really think they don’t know the end of the Zhang family? Do you really think they don’t know what will happen to the Zhang family? Are you only allowed to be smart for a lifetime, and they are not allowed to be smart for a single time?”

Zhang Julu retracted his eyes, coldly laughed: “Then you are also too self-righteous, I Zhang Julu’s son, number you Zhang Bian Guan’s heart is the most heavy, but your two brothers, pedantic to pedantic, will not really stupid, learn from the current situation for so many years, the mind again simple and also early enlightenment.”

Zhang Bian Guan squatted down, murmured: “When you insisted that our three sons marry only small families, is waiting for this day, right? If it’s a woman from a high family, the number of people implicated in the scourge would be much greater. His Majesty the Emperor will be afraid to kill, you are really a rare conscientious chief minister, and you do not let the monarch sitting in the dragon chair be embarrassed. Sister-in-law and sister-in-law are considered to be a good family, these years their family is also considered to be dipped in the light of the Zhang family, openly and secretly profit a lot, vaguely have become the local county big family, you also exceptionally turn a blind eye to this, hey, you are thinking of letting their conscience feel better, right?”

Zhang Julu did not speak.

Zhang Bian Guan rubbed his cheeks, looked at the small fireplace left by his grandfather in the snow, and softly said, “Father, in order to be a good official, from the very beginning on my grandparents’ side, he was not a good son, then he was not a good husband, then when he came to us, he wasn’t a good father, and as a result, in the end, he wasn’t even a good grandfather. Is it really worth it?”

Zhang Julu raised his hands, puffed a mouthful of mist, and laughed, “A good official?”

Zhang Julu was lost in thought, and remembered his best friend’s Tantan Weng once said some drunken words, in their own, loyal and treacherous ministers easy to do, the Qing officials easy to do, only sandwiched between the king and the people’s good officials, the most difficult to be, a word or two is difficult to say clear. But the king of the world is already very difficult, to win the life after the name, it is even more difficult.

Zhang Julu suddenly said: “When I was young, I read a poem of the border of Anonymous, which has a ‘horse west to the sky, more west over the moraine feel the sky low’ line, especially pleased to be, always thinking that one day, if the officialdom is not pleased, the big deal is to throw the pen into the military, to see the border that wild low sky scenery, but also I always thought that one day if I was not successful in my official career, I would join the military and go to the border to see the scenery of the open countryside and low sky. It was only later that your career was stabilized, and after your mother gave birth to you, she named you ‘Bian Guan’.”

Zhang Bian Guan somehow calmed down a lot, squeezed out a smile and laughed at himself, “Because of this name that doesn’t live up to its name, for so many years it has been flirted with and mocked by the gang of second-generation ancestors in the capital, saying that you, the chief minister, might as well have taken the name of Zhang Tai’an or Zhang Jingcheng.”

Zhang Julu smiled as he walked down the steps, bending down to retrieve the small stove, picking up the poker to put in some charcoal and handing it back to this young son, softly saying, “Knowing that a few of you have had cold hearts for many years, there’s not much dad can do.”

Zhang Bian Guan froze, forgetting his words.

Zhang Julu beckoned the steward to bring another small bench, sat down and asked: “The reason for this trip, is it that Man Er asked you for a letter of repudiation? I feel that a mouthful of pent-up anger can not come out? I’ve been married to a chicken and a dog for so many years, but I’m abandoning you at this juncture. Do you have the feeling that husband and wife were originally birds in the same forest, but they flew apart in the face of great difficulties?”

Zhang Bian Guan, who was asked several questions in succession, shook his head and said, “I don’t mind if she does that.”

Zhang Julu was about to say something, but finally just said, “Don’t annoy her, of the three daughters-in-law in the Zhang family, she is the one who has the least difficulty. It’s hard for her to be this evil person, such an intelligent and kind-hearted woman from a good family, it’s our Zhang family that can’t do right by her.”

Zhang Banguan looked straight at this father, who asked in return, “Understand?”

Zhang Banguan suddenly remembered something and choked up.

When a woman is heartless, she is the most ruthless.

When a woman is sentimental, she is the most deeply touched.

Zhang Banguan seemed to have unraveled the knot in his heart and nodded vigorously.

Zhang Julu laughed and asked: “That Tantan Weng always said, even if there is a million years of fame behind you, it is not as good as a cup of wine before you die. In the past, I have never believed it, why don’t we have a few drinks today?”

Zhang Bian Guan naturally would not refuse.

So the biggest official in the capital and the most unproductive playboy in Tai’an City, so a pair of eccentric masters and masters across the fireplace, face to face, one person sitting on a small bench, slowly drinking wine, the wine pot on the edge of the stove.

Zhang Bian Guan said: “Father, in fact, no one complained about you.”

Zhang Julu drank a mouthful of wine, silent.

One cup after another, father and son just drank.

The steward tiptoed to bring a second pot of wine, and brought a thick coat for the head minister to put on.

Zhang Bian Guan finally staggered away drunk, Zhang Julu sent to the door of the residence, and finally gave the fur to his son to wear.

Zhang Julu stood on the steps, stretched out his hand to catch some snowflakes and held them in his palm.

The world is helpless people helpless, can say when do not want to say, want to say when already can not say.

Maybe half a year ago there is no one would believe that the West Chu naval division can be like today so on the downstream of the Guangling naval division, presenting the momentum of the lion wrestling with the rabbit posture.

Like an arrow on the string, just waiting to go downstream and pounce on Chunxue House.

Even at this moment in the night, only in the light of the lamp, that a lofty building ship also exudes a hideous war atmosphere, must be every age of the Western Chu remnants to see this scene, can not help but be sad and happy, twenty years the world only heard of the Northern Liang iron cavalry A world, can also remember the past years of the great Chu sailors spectacular world? In recent months, there are constantly elderly people on foot or by car to the far side of the river to look at the scene, or kneeling or bowing, all of them are not pathos, and then seemingly maniacal laughing away, back home to tell their old friends in the same village.

Cao Changqing personally sit in the town scheduling naval division!

The ship divine phoenix is named after the capital city of chu. A originally is picking a lamp to see the map of the middle-aged green Confucian raised his head, gently extinguished the lamp, out of the cabin located in the top floor, looking at the right bank of the Guangling River, see a different from the naval armor of the cavalry suddenly appeared, and then the leader of the rider and a few squire in a small boat leisurely across the river to come, the bow of the small boat proudly stood a man, slender, probably that is the woman’s heart so-called Jade tree is the wind. With the boat approaching, the lights in the face of the knight is also more and more clear up, resolute and conceited, heroic, lacking a few points of gentleman warm, but this young man really can not be demanding anything more, in three months will be the vassal Zhao Yi painstakingly more than ten years of turf hard with the hoof trampled down, if only a good with the people of the gentle scholar, that would be strange.

Song Yuanhang, one of the vice marshals of the Great Chu Naval Division, stood beside the green-clothed Confucian scholar, and did not hide his displeasure upon seeing that uninvited guest. Not only is he, the divine phoenix building ship lower several layers of successive out of the cabin of the marine division generals, the young man can not talk about good feelings, young people sharp is not bad, but no one to the point of never take the rules as the rules of the ground, it is quite annoying. The same as the first class of Chu’s rich and powerful children, Pei Sui, who has made great achievements earlier, how respectful and frugal? You Kou Jianghuai if you are not in charge of the naval division of this to help you round, long ago in the scolding in a roll cover roll back to the Shangyin Palace to read your book of war to go. Previously three times several times to disrupt the layout, AWOL deployment of troops, this does not go to say, this night visit to the division, you even greeted the boy did not play? Really when the great Chu missing you a Kou Jianghuai can not become a big thing?

The next scene, but also let the boat sailor commanders anger.

Kou Jianghuai did not board the building ship to meet the commander-in-chief of the three armies of the Chu Cao Changqing, but according to the sword stood in the bow of the boat, looked up to the green clothes, called his name and then asked in a deep voice: “Cao Changqing, why not allow me to eat Song Kasa fell into the pocket of the 6,000 soldiers and horses!

Cao Changqing, whose temples were frosty and gray, was silent and looked at this young man.

The tall Kou Jianghuai did not realize that he was talking to the second pin of Chu after Ye Baikui, his words were indignant and dissatisfied, almost like an accountable interrogation, “The opportunity of war is fleeting, that Song Kasa is not a stupid person who is not familiar with military affairs, wait until he has gained a firm footing on the eastern front, and straightened out the internal strife in Chunxue House, then I want to make an effort again”.

“Kou Jianghuai, you are already General Kou at this time. As for the imperial decree to remove you from office and remove your armor, you will receive it a few days later, but it’s actually the same if it arrives early or late.”

“Cao Changqing!”

“I, Kou Jianghuai, had thought that there were at least two and a half people who knew how to use the military in Great Chu, enough to go on to fight for the world, and since there are only half of them left tonight, it’s a nail in the coffin that there’s no hope of restoring the country, and it doesn’t matter whether or not I’m an official! I will open my eyes to see if that half can help you take down Spring Snow House!”

Kou Jianghuai angrily threw his sword into the Guangling River.

The canoe turned around and left.

Song Yuanhang asked softly, “Lord Shangshu, has this kid lost his mind?”

Cao Changqing smiled and said, “Not crazy, Kou Jianghuai is very lucid, and his view of the war situation on the eastern front is right.”

“This ……”

“It’s just that what Kou Jianghuai doesn’t know is that he is blinded by a single leaf.”

“Lord Shangshu, what do you mean by this?”

“The main general of the Eastern Front that I, Cao Changqing, want shouldn’t fix his eyes only on Chunxue House and Zhao Yi. If we stop there, that half of the people he called, Xie Xijian will be able to do it.”

The green-clothed Daiguanzi looked down at the rolling east-flowing waters of the Guangling River, lost in thought.

You, Kou Jianghuai, should be looking farther, it should be that Tai’an City.