The horses and mounts in the ancient times were also quite strong. When the Li Mansion in Chentangguan held a hundred-day banquet, Wen Zhong and Zishou had secretly returned to Chaoge City.
Li Changshou could only hurriedly deliver a speech on behalf of the domestic servants of the Li family, expressing a warm welcome to the birth of the young master Jin Zha, and also arranged for the first day of playing and singing in Chentangguan. The group pretended to be too drunk and left early.
It’s night.
Most of Chaoge City slept peacefully, and only some service streets were still noisy.
In the Da Shi Mansion, the patrolling guards walked through the front and back yards on time. Occasionally they laughed and murmured in a low voice that this Da Shi was not a womanizer and had no family.
Li Changshou’s paper Taoist is sitting in his study, wearing a dark red robe, with long gray hair combed meticulously, showing a rather rigorous academic style.
Beside the window was a banquet of wine and wine arranged in advance. Although the dishes were simple, they were large in quantity.
After all, the guests we are going to invite today are quite famous in Chaoge City for their appetites.
Three updates at midnight.
Two black figures in cloaks climbed over the wall from the backyard. The cloaks had extremely weak magic power and could hide their figures from mortals.
Li Changshou showed a slight smile.
This Wen Zhong has also figured out the secrets. Although he tries his best to hide the fact that he is a "strange person", he has also learned to act expediently.
We still need to continue to grow.
Not long after, there was a knock on the door. Li Changshou stood up. The study door opened on its own, and the two black figures rushed into the house.
The first person was Wen Zhong. After entering, he took off his cloak and wide hat, bowed his hands to Li Changshou, and said:
"Meet the great historian."
Li Changshou said with a smile: "Young master is more polite, there is no need to be formal."
After saying this, his eyes fell on the rather burly figure behind Wen Zhong, with a little smile in his eyes.
What is standing in front of him now is!
The bearer of eternal infamy, a typical representative of the unscrupulous tyrant, the mourner of the Shang Dynasty, Zishou, Emperor Xin, Zhou!
He was eight feet tall, with long hands and long arms. At this moment, he slowly raised his head and took off his cloak and hat, revealing a young and angular face. In his somewhat narrow eyes, there was an uneasy feeling. Covered confidence.
Li Changshou opened the Taoist Heart of Kongming to prevent himself from being affected by disaster when he came into contact with King Zhou.
Afterwards, he bowed to Zi Shou.
By the way, according to the rules of the Shang Kingdom, if you are not a slave, you do not need to kneel down unless you are making sacrifices or confessing your sins.
"I have met Prince Zishou."
"Master Shi, you are polite."
Zisheng cupped his hands and clasped his fists, lowered his head slightly, and said seriously: "Zisheng Shang is not the king. Da Shi is an important minister of the Six Ministers, so there is no need to bow to Shou. "
Li Changshou said with a smile, "Your Majesty, please come and take a seat."
"Shou is a guest. His Majesty's Majesty."
Besides.Wen Zhong also said: "Master, you have to take the seat, otherwise I would not dare to sit down."
Li Changshou did not insist much, so he sat on the main seat. Wen Zhong and Zi Shou One on the left and one on the right, holding hands around the small round table.
Then...
The atmosphere was a bit awkward.
Zi Shou held his knees with both hands and sat straight with his chest straight, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Wen Zhong considered his words and said with a smile: "To be honest, Zi Shou's position as heir is thanks to the great historian who spoke out in front of the palace."
Li Changshou saw Xiang Zishou said with a smile: "What does the prince think of this matter?"
"Well..."
Zishou's eyes showed some thoughts, but he knew that Li Changshou was there. When you test him, you have to be careful.
Over the years, the young master has praised this great historian to the heavens, and even said that he was a god, which is somewhat exaggerated.
Zi Shou quickly said: "Shou was very grateful to the great historian for what happened back then, but he was only grateful to the great historian for speaking out and admonishing him according to etiquette and law."
" Hahaha cough."
Li Changshou laughed a few times and said, "I just want to do my own business."
Wen Zhong said with a smile: "Zi Shou, actually I am. I also have a personal relationship with Da Shi."
"Oh? Why haven't you heard of the young master before?"
"This matter should not be made public, otherwise it will easily attract gossip."
Li Changshou said seriously: "Let's not mention these. The prince came here today. I don't know why?"
Zi Shou cupped his hands and said: "I came here to seek advice."
"Oh?"
Li Changshou touched the wine pot with a smile. Hearing that Zhong's hand was sick, he picked up the wine pot first and poured wine for Li Changshou first.
"Why did the prince come here to seek advice?"
"Previously, the victorious general was killed in the army, and the generals wanted to return to Chaoge City to complain."
Zi Shou smiled at himself, showing a bit of helplessness.
“My father ordered me to lead the army, but I had already laid down the rules and ordered them not to take civilians as prisoners.
There were still generals who violated the law by stripping off the uniforms of the enemy soldiers who died in battle and wearing them with their clothes. The young and strong civilians were able to get away with this.
They were killed as a warning to others, so they drew their swords to kill the generals.
However, if this matter returned to Chaoge City and caused a big problem, I would be afraid. They are quite passive, and the military generals and military generals are afraid that they will attack the group."
Li Changshou thought for a while and asked: "The rule of not taking civilians as prisoners is the young master's rule. "I made it up?"
Wen Zhong sighed: "Yes, it is indeed a disciple. Well, it was made up by me."
Disciple?
Zi Shou looked thoughtful.
I heard Zhong continue: "The overabundance of slaves is a chronic problem of Shang. Under the building, the foundation is already floating.
Although the Shang Kingdom has fewer wars now, The slaves obtained through plunder are far inferior to the slaves accumulated over the years, but this is the first step that can be taken now.
Only by first rejecting the practice of robbing prisoners of war and turning them into slaves, may we be able to restore the slaves who were originally captured by our ancestors to their normal status as civilians.
In this way, the Shang Kingdom has many young people and strong soldiers and horses. There is a continuous supply of talents available for all walks of life, and the national power will leap forward, which is just around the corner! "
"Then what? "
Li Changshou asked with a smile.
Wen Zhong pondered for a few times and then said: "Are you asking? ”
“Let’s not talk about anything else, just talk about the Shang Kingdom itself. "
"Then, the Shang Kingdom will be able to continue its national destiny and survive forever..."
Li Changshou looked at Zi Shou and said with a smile: "The prince thinks so too? "
Zi Shou's eyes were full of light and he said firmly: "Young Master's words, Zi Shou's ambition! "
Li Changshou sighed slowly: "Let's raise a toast and drink together, and talk while drinking. ”
The three of them raised their glasses and drank together. After finishing the wine in one gulp, Li Changshou closed his eyes first and put his hands in his sleeves, as if he had fallen asleep.
He was thinking whether he should instruct 'King Zhou' tonight...
Although Li Changshou knew in his heart that even if he tried to instigate Zi Shou, the restraining power of Heaven's law would not be resisted by Zi Shou; When a certain possibility is presented to him, Li Changshou still wants to give it a try.
The point is that if he takes a step back, this matter will not have any negative impact on him.
Thinking about it from another perspective, there are not many opportunities for you to influence 'Di Xin', and now 'Di Xin' is still a 'Prince Zi Shou', and his plasticity is still there.
"You are wrong. "
"Wrong? "Wen Zhong was a little puzzled.
Zi Shou hurriedly said: "Could it be that our Shang country has other ways to revive it? "
Li Changshou sighed: "Young Master's words are reasonable, but his actions are too reckless. The prince should have studied the history of Shang. Do you know why Shang's national power is gradually declining? ”
Zi Shou said:
“Zi Shou thinks about this problem every day, for four reasons.
One is that before the ancestors of Wencheng established the method of passing the throne to the eldest son, the fight for the throne often set off bursts of blood, and the internal consumption of the country's power was too serious.
Secondly, the aristocratic families are becoming more and more stable. Most of them do not think about progress and only care about enjoyment. There are many people in the family.
The third reason is that there are too many slaves, which has become a hidden danger. Businessmen are impatient and have an almost hopeless trend of enjoyment and luxury, and there is gradually no available talent.
The fourth lies in the princes.
When my businessman was in civil strife, the eight hundred princes were cultivating themselves and recuperating, and there were many ambitious people among them.
The Jiang family who is about to get married to Shou is the daughter of Dongbohou. I have not met her yet, so I don’t know the details. I have only seen her portrait, but she will definitely become my queen.
This is my father’s strategy for stability. "
Li Changshou put a piece of beef in his mouth and said with a smile: "Prince, let's deduce it.
If you get the support of the king this time, the killing of generals in the army will be the beginning of your reform of internal governance, and what will happen nextWhat's the matter?
Wen Zhong also thought about it together. ”
So, Wen Zhong and Zi Shou thought about it separately.
After all, Wen Zhong is a Qi practitioner. He has lived a long time, is well-informed, and can consider problems more comprehensively. Soon, Realizing the seriousness of the problem, Zi Shou frowned.
Zi Shou was still more angry, and after thinking for a while, he said:
"There will definitely be objections from many veterans. . "
Wen Zhong hurriedly answered: "Not only that, this matter involves more than just a family of military commanders.
To resolve the slave issue, it will inevitably affect all the current princes, nobles, aristocratic families, and even the common people.
Slaves only need a ration of food, but they can cultivate fields, dig canals, and serve as household servants. They are born this way, and most of them have never thought of resisting.
If we take action directly... hiss!
I am afraid it will be a shocking change. "
Zi Shoudao: "Is what the young master said a bit too exaggerated? "
"Prince, I took it for granted before and didn't think carefully," Wen Zhong looked a little gloomy, "Slave matters must be dealt with from the rear and from the right.
This killing of generals in the army must be covered up.
As we discussed before, it is absolutely impossible to argue about the harm of slaves to the country in the court! "
Li Changshou nodded with a smile.
Zi Shou looked angry and said firmly: "What are you afraid of? Debate it! "
Wen Zhong sighed and said, "If you argue forcefully, something big might happen. "
"The worst thing is that this position is not guaranteed," Zi Shou stood up, "It doesn't matter if I give this life to them! "
"Prince, prince," Li Changshou said hurriedly, "don't be excited, act in accordance with authority, and don't be impatient.
The four points that the prince just mentioned hit the point. They are indeed the current shortcomings of the Shang Kingdom. These shortcomings have been existing for many years and have existed for an unknown period of time. They cannot be easily changed in one or two sentences.
But if a future monarch like the prince, who has the ability to support the great merchants, is easily defeated by those old stubborns, that would be the great misfortune of the great merchant nation.
Your ancestors are watching you from heaven! "
Zi Shou looked ashamed, made a deep bow to the air, and sat down.
Li Changshou smiled and said: "In that case, I won't hide it." , offering three strategies for the prince and the young master. "
Wen Zhong said happily: "With your help, Dashang will be stable! ”
Zi Shou also listened attentively.
He was actually a little dissatisfied with the young master’s flattery to the great historian. Later, if the great historian talked nonsense, he would say something to make him give up the reform of political affairs. He immediately turned around and left.
But he heard Li Changshou say slowly:
"The first strategy is to be stable.
Before the prince becomes the king, he needs to win the support of businessmen, people and dignitaries inside and outside Chaoge City.
The prince must understand this truth - you are not the king’s only heir.Due to the pressure from the top and bottom of the Shang Kingdom, the prince had to be killed, but there was still an heir to the throne.
It is always the king, not the prince, who calls the shots. "
Zi Shou couldn't help but remain silent.
Li Changshou said again:
"This second strategy is still stable.
The incident of "Yi Yin exiled the king" is enough to be a warning.
The royal power is not without constraints. The process of the formation of the Shang royal power was centered on the civil servants, military generals, and powerful princes who ruled around them. Government orders needed to be carried out by someone, and the army needed to be led by generals, so the royal power was restricted by them.
This one is particularly important. "
Zi Shou thought for a while and asked: "Can the great historian please elaborate? ”
“Ask him specifically,” Li Changshou pointed at Wen Zhong, “To put it simply, you must first win over the ministers and generals, let them be of the same mind as you, and then step by step, in detail to drive your change.
Whether it is weakening the princes or converting slaves into people, it needs to be implemented gradually. It is impossible to achieve results in three to five months, and it will be somewhat reluctant in three to fifty years.
As you take longer steps, it’s easy to pull the muscles on the inner side of your legs! "
Zisheng nodded slowly, feeling quite touched by this.
Li Changshou continued: "Military power is the most important thing. At this time, the prince must cultivate himself to be able to absolutely The trusted general in the army has absolute say in Chaoge City.
This is the basis of everything and the reason why the princes are afraid of Lord Shang. ”
“Listening to the great historian’s words, I suddenly became enlightened! "
Zi Shou's eyes were full of emotion, and he held a glass to Li Changshou to toast.
"Don't be impatient, I haven't finished speaking yet. "
Li Changshou responded with a slight smile, served the wine, and said with a smile: "This third strategy is still stable.
This stable goal is aimed at the major princes, and the princes are used to control the princes. Be gentle when you should be gentle, wait for the opportunity, and then transform it. This is the most important thing. "
Zi Shou thought carefully, and his eyes gradually filled with light.
Wen Zhong asked again: "How should we solve today's situation?
Li Changshou smiled and said: "It's easy to say, and it can also be beneficial to Zishou." ”
“Yes, I would like to hear the details! "
"The prince should, in the name of benevolence and righteousness, never mention the matter of converting slaves into people, and do not reveal your innermost aspirations. Even if you have said it before, when someone mentions it, you will firmly deny it. ”
Li Changshou smiled and continued:
“The prince can say that the foundation of the great merchant nation lies in the bloody battles of the merchant ancestors. How can the descendants of the defeated be worthy of being with the merchants?” Get up and sit together?
Of course, this is just rhetoric.
Prince, you must learn to shape yourself, clearly distinguish interests, and stabilize your identity as an heir.
In this way, you will have the opportunity to realize your deepest ambitions.
You can discuss it with the young master on how to use it. "
Wen Zhongque said: "But, great historian, he did one thing before he ascended the throne and another after he ascended the throne. Isn't it criticized by others?"
Li Changshou smiled and said: "Does Zishou care about the reputation? "
"Hahaha! ”
Zi Shou laughed a few times and suddenly felt heroic!
“Shou has been poisoned, harmed, fallen into a well, house collapsed, and even rumored since he was a child. Call me weird.
Infamy is just a cloud.
If the country wants to reform, the king should bear the burden! ”
Li Changshou said sternly: “But we must also pay attention to our reputation. This will also affect the effect of the decree and its implementation.”
In this way, this time in the name of benevolence and righteousness, on the grounds of martial virtue.
Why did the prince kill the two generals?
It was because the prince disdained the killing of unarmed people and felt that the king's division should not plunder and plunder, so he ordered them not to plunder civilians.
The two generals disobeyed military orders first and need to be killed.
Persecuting the weak with cruel means is against martial ethics and discredits the Shang Lord, so he must be punished.
After the incident was exposed, they intended to incite mutiny in the army and cover up their own guilt. They needed to be killed immediately, otherwise the army would lose control and the consequences would be disastrous. In front of the eight hundred princes, Master Wang laughed generously.
After careful consideration, the prince decided to kill the victorious general in the army.
And those military generals who clamored to ask the king to order the punishment of the prince either did not know the truth or had ulterior motives. "
Zi Shou asked with some confusion: "Then do they not know the truth, or do they have unpredictable intentions? "
"It depends on whether you want them to know the truth or whether you have unpredictable motives. "
Li Changshou smiled slightly: "The word "power" comes from the heart of the people."
I also hope that you will not forget what I said today. Don’t be eager for quick success or quick success in everything. Only by seeking survival in stability and change in stability can you achieve success. "
Zi Shou stood up and bowed deeply: "Thank you, great historian, for your guidance. "
"Also," Li Changshou said with a smile, "I am the king's great historian, so it is not appropriate to talk to the prince about this. Later, it all depends on the prince and the young master's joint efforts. ”
Wen Zhong and Zi Shou looked at each other. The former’s eyes were relieved, while the latter’s eyes were full of stars.
Before leaving, Zi Shou asked Li Changshou a question. Li Changshou But he failed to answer.
What he asked was:
"Da Shi, I am confused.
Over the years, there have been many people who have been looking forward to Shou's death and seizing Shou's position. For this reason, the powerful have colluded and their brothers have conspired to cause trouble.
Before Shou was born, many nobles from aristocratic families had secretly joined his brother.
Now that my father is old, civil strife is already in front of me. I have no fear or hatred, but I am afraid that the civil strife will further damage the national destiny of the Shang Dynasty. The battles of ancestors in the past generations and the admonitions of King Wencheng are still before my eyes. , I really dare not forget it.
Can the Great Historian teach me whether I must kill my brother and destroy my siblings in order to become the king?
If there is no other way, you should kill with a sharp sword to avoid chaos. "
Li Changshou thought a little about this and could only say:
"BecauseMove your heart, the decision is yours, never forget that the ancestors of Shang are watching you from above. "
......
" Six. "
" Touch! ”
Youqin Xuanya frowned and looked at the arrogant-looking certain innate treasure, and continued to think seriously.
She almost lost half of the spiritual stones she earned while working as an errand in the heaven.