xymnovel Chapter 57 There's plenty of time? A classic case of fleecing someone to death!
Chapter 57 There's plenty of time? A classic case of fleecing someone to death!
Strictly speaking, Li Jun's rebellious intentions were not firm, otherwise he would not have actually sent his son to Kaifeng as a hostage.
While sending troops to occupy Tianjing Pass, he also sent his son as a hostage, actively reported evidence of contact between him and the Northern Han, and at the same time, he did not hide his exchanges with envoys from the Northern Han.
While accepting the investiture from Zhao Kuangyin, he also took out a portrait of Guo Wei and vehemently denounced Zhao Kuangyin in front of Zhao Kuangyin's envoy.
His actions might seem abstract in other eras, but in the Five Dynasties period, they were just so-so. Wasn't he just showing off his seniority and negotiating terms? In modern terms, it was a form of united front work.
So you, Zhao Kuangyin, became emperor, and now I'm causing all sorts of trouble and acting arrogantly. Even though you have less seniority than me, I don't want to submit to you.
You want me to take Tianjing Pass and become the King of Hedong? That's all. If you don't let me, I'll collude with the Northern Han, or even the Khitan. You see, I'm really going to collude.
He's from Taiyuan. While it's unclear whether he's a Shatuo or Han Chinese, he's certainly a Han Chinese who has been assimilated into Shatuo culture. This kind of thinking is purely from the grasslands.
As for ethnic integration, the Shatuo people assimilated into the Han people over several decades, almost to the point of merging themselves. The Han people were inevitably influenced and became more aggressive, and many of the older generation of generals had this kind of barbarian style.
The late Tang and Five Dynasties period was indeed different from other eras. At this time, most of the dozens of regional military governors were observing the situation, and it is likely that most of them thought the same way, some even more so than Li Jun.
After stabilizing the situation in Kaifeng, Zhao Kuangyin also needed to fight a battle to establish his authority and make an example of Li Jun. Li Jun's geographical location is so important, and he has enough prestige and seniority, yet he still dares to be so arrogant. If he doesn't fight you, who will he fight?
Therefore, it's normal for Li Shoujie to feel that they were wronged.
In just a few words, Li Shoujie had practically revealed his true colors. He hadn't intended to hide it, after all, who could get a large amount of alum these days? To say he had nothing to do with the Zhaoyi Army would be fooling a fool. Wang Lu just hadn't expected that he was actually Li Jun's eldest son, Li Shoujie.
After thinking for a moment, Li Shoujie shook his head and smiled, "How about this, regardless of whether there will be war at Tianjing Pass, I am willing to send someone to transport a batch of alum down to sell to the shop owner. However, I still think that the battle between the imperial court and the Zhaoyi Army will not break out."
How do you know?
"Because I am Li Shoujie, the eldest son of Li Jun, the military governor of Zhaoyi Army and the current Grand Secretary of the court. If my father really has rebellious intentions, what reason do I have to come here?"
Whether my father intended to rebel or not, how could I not know? Before I left, he specifically instructed me to be loyal to the court and serve it to the utmost.
This time, it was Wang Lu's turn to be stunned. He hadn't expected him to suddenly self-destruct, and he certainly hadn't expected that he was actually Li Shoujie. He quickly clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "My apologies, my apologies."
"Hehe, it's not a matter of disrespect. The Battle of Luzhou, in the end, didn't lie with the imperial court, but with the Zhaoyi Army."
Unless the commander-in-chief truly intends to rebel and clearly shows signs of rebellion, given the current emperor's benevolence, how could he possibly send troops voluntarily? He needs to make an appearance, to show the other regional warlords.
For a moment, Wang Lu was at a loss for words.
You can't exactly scold your son for being his father, can you? Wang Lu's gaze toward Li Shoujie already held a hint of sympathy.
In truth, Li Shoujie was an unlucky fellow. Historically, he was very pragmatic. Ever since Zhao Kuangyin donned the yellow robe, he had been urging Li Jun to submit to Zhao Kuangyin and opposing Li Jun's rebellion.
During the Five Dynasties period, it was common for fathers and sons to fight together. Li Shoujie himself had a certain prestige and influence in the Zhaoyi Army. With him holding him back, Li Jun could not directly rebel, so he pretended to obey. When Zhao Kuangyin tested and recruited him, he even gladly sent his son to the capital to serve as an official.
Little did he know that no sooner had he left than Li Jun began preparing his army, procuring provisions, and colluding with the Northern Han. Zhao Kuangyin had already received the news, but Li Shoujie was still unaware, foolishly believing that his father was really going to surrender to the Song.
Li Jun clearly wanted to use Zhao Kuangyin to kill his son, while also maintaining a moral high ground. However, Zhao Kuangyin didn't fall for it and released his son.
There haven't been many fathers throughout history who have been so cruel to their sons.
"Young brother, although my true self has already entered the capital, my false self is still far away in Zhengzhou. It will take another three or four days before I can enter the capital and pay homage to the current emperor. I treat you with sincerity, young brother. I wonder if you could keep this a secret for me for these three or four days?"
"What does the young marshal plan to do during these three or four days?"
"What can I do? I just want to take this opportunity to spy on Kaifeng's true situation."
Wang Lu nodded: "That's only human nature."
"But now it seems that there's no need to spend three or four days to investigate Kaifeng's true strength and weakness. In just half a day today, I dare not say that I have a clear understanding, but I do know that the current emperor is indeed wise and powerful."
The change of dynasty had only lasted three months, yet the inns were already full of out-of-town merchants. This small example shows that unless the Zhaoyi army truly followed Shi Jingtang's example and led the Khitans south, they had absolutely no chance of winning.
As he spoke, Li Shoujie looked into Wang Lu's eyes earnestly and said, "My son and I dare not claim loyalty, but we have absolutely no intention of betraying our country to foreign tribes or doing such things as before. Can you believe me, young brother?"
I believe you.
That's true. In his memory, Li Jun never agreed to the Northern Han's proposal to let the Khitans go south. He even said that if the Northern Han dared to let the Khitans go south, he would turn his guns on the Northern Han. He never made any contact with the Khitans until his last moment when he was defeated and died.
In this respect, he is at least more admirable than people like Shi Jingtang.
Li Shoujie smiled upon hearing this and said, "This batch of alum is for you, young man. More alum will be delivered in succession. I heard your father also has a brick and tile workshop business? Does he need coal?"
"We really don't plan to fire bricks and tiles anymore, but we still need to use coal, and in large quantities. That brick and tile workshop now has twenty kilns. My father is planning to switch to iron smelting."
"Using coal to smelt iron? Can coal really be used to smelt iron?"
"These are some of my father's unique skills."
Li Shoujie's eyes lit up. Coal was everywhere in Hedong and cheaper than soil. He quickly said, "That's strange. May I learn how to use it? I can guarantee you and your son a supply of coal and alum."
During the Five Dynasties period, there was no military governor who did not engage in business. It truly achieved the integration of military and commercial affairs. Objectively speaking, in ancient feudal society, it was not a bad thing for the army to engage in business. It greatly enhanced the army's combat effectiveness. It is wrong to compare modern armies with ancient feudal armies.
So Li Shoujie switched to talking about business very naturally, and he was very knowledgeable about the coal and alum trading situation in the market. Wang Lu talked to him, but he couldn't help but be distracted.
After all, barring any unforeseen circumstances, his father is going to rebel next month, and the two of them might even meet on the battlefield. They, father and son, will become the monkey Zhao Kuangyin used to make an example of, no, to warn others, adding another achievement to Zhao Kuangyin's reputation as a brilliant strategist.
What's there to talk about? All we can do is make a quick buck.
Li Shoujie didn't dawdle, eating heartily. After finishing, he put down his chopsticks, got up, and was about to leave when he suddenly said:
"Young Master Wang, within a month, I will get you 10,000 catties of alum and 100,000 catties of coal. I know you and your father don't have cash on hand right now, but that's alright, I'll give it to you on credit. In a few days, we can become friends. I believe we can definitely make it work, and there's plenty of time in the future."
Having said that, he turned and left.
This made Wang Lu a little embarrassed.
This Li Shoujie is quite an open-minded person. Could it be considered that I am taking advantage of someone else's personal interests?
But it's like taking advantage of someone who's already dead; you might as well take advantage of them.