vrcanaries Chapter 299 A Brand New World
Chapter 299 A Brand New World
The King of Chu and the King of Xiang lost interest in the wonders and beautiful scenery of Western Shu. Instead, they became interested in the government governance and the living conditions of the people in Shu, and truly became "spies" spying on the enemy.
They traveled between small villages and towns, rushed around in the cities, stayed in small inns, and stayed in ordinary people's houses. They crossed mountains and ridges, traveled long distances, from north to south, from west to east, and in three months, they traveled all over Shu.
A tanned face, a strong and sturdy body, brisk steps, eyes full of deep thought, and a heavy heart.
The land of Western Shu today is a brand new world for them. As two princes of the Zhao royal family of the Song Dynasty, they have extremely complicated feelings.
"Brother King, I think that we two brothers must meet Lord Luo, the person in charge of Shu!" King Xiang said with a firm look in his eyes.
The King of Chu was filled with emotion: "Yes! In such a new world where every household has a farm, everyone has food to eat, lives and works in peace and contentment, is full of enthusiasm for the future, and officials work hard, are diligent and down-to-earth, and are fair and honest, we must meet Lord Luo who is in charge of Shu's government affairs!"
Prince Xiang said anxiously, "After meeting Lord Luo, we must hurry back to the capital and report everything to the Regent in detail so that he can make preparations early!"
The King of Chu smiled faintly, "Third brother, the token for us to enter Shu was given by our brother the Regent. Do you think he is blind about the affairs of Shu? He knows nothing?"
King Xiang's body shook!
He asked in surprise: "Brother Wang, are you saying that... the affairs of Western Shu are all under the control of the Regent Brother?"
The King of Chu, who was riding steadily on his horse, smiled calmly again, "At least, he knows!"...
It would be difficult for two outsiders with unknown identities and suspicious behavior to request to meet the highest official in Shu. If they were not careful, they might be detained and imprisoned as spies.
However, the two princes were unwilling to not see the young and promising Lord Luo, who governed Shu in such a "unique" way.
With an attitude of giving it a try, the brothers King Chu and King Xiang arrived at Chengdu Prefecture and went straight to the gate of the Shu government. They handed over the small black wooden sign and asked to see Lord Luo.
The concierge who had gone in to report came out in a hurry. A middle-aged man who looked like a legal advisor bowed respectfully and said, "Dear guests, Lord Luo wants to see you."
The two brothers looked at each other. This small wooden sign given by Regent Zhao Defang really worked! How could he enter and leave this important place without even giving his name?
Luo Wen'an had long known from the secret letter from the Regent's brother-in-law that the two princes were traveling in Western Shu. He simply sent people to protect them secretly and allowed them to walk around and look around freely in Western Shu.
After wandering around West Shu for three months, the two noble princes came to the government office to ask for an audience. The distinguished guests must be treated well. Luo Wen'an welcomed them at the second gate, fearing that there would be too many people in front of the government office.
The King of Chu and the King of Xiang followed the advisor through the front office and arrived in front of the second gate.
"I am Luo Wen'an, your humble servant. I greet His Royal Highness the King of Chu and His Royal Highness the King of Xiang." Luo Wen'an bowed respectfully to the ground.
The footsteps of the King of Chu and the King of Xiang were nailed to the spot, their eyes fixed on the handsome, elegant, and graceful young man, their mouths open in shock...
"You...you are the eldest son of Lord Luo Jiluo's family, the elder brother of the Regent Princess?" The King of Chu, who had met Luo Wen'an once, was incredulous. He pointed at Luo Wen'an and asked his true feelings with a trembling voice.
Luo Wen'an smiled politely, "Your Highness, the King of Chu, I am Luo Wen'an from Luo Xueshi Mansion in the capital."
King Xiang slapped his thigh, understood everything, and became furious!
Pointing at Luo Wen'an, he questioned: "Luo Wen'an, your father Luo Ji was not imprisoned by the bandits and then rescued and brought back to Beijing. You are just in cahoots with the bandit leader "Wu Qiren" Chen Hang, right?"
The King of Chu pulled down his third brother's angry finger and said, "Third brother, the biggest thief may be our Regent Zhao Defang."
Prince Xiang became even angrier. His tanned face turned red and purple, and his lips trembled. "Brother, Zhao Defang...how dare he! At that time, my father...my father was still fine!"
The King of Chu was also a little depressed and gloomy. He patted his third brother on the shoulder and comforted him silently.
"Your Highnesses, please come inside and talk." Luo Wen'an politely invited the guests to come in.
The brothers King Chu and King Xiang were invited into the house with mixed feelings and unhappy faces.
After taking two sips of tea, the King of Chu looked up at Luo Wen'an and asked, "What is going on in Shu? Lord Luo, can you please tell me in detail?"
King Xiang stared at Luo Wen'an, waiting to see how he could speak eloquently.
Luo Wen'an thought about the words in the secret letter from the Regent's brother-in-law, and smiled frankly without any guilt, "When the Northern Expedition was launched last year, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin predicted that the Song Dynasty would definitely return in defeat."
The King of Chu nodded and said, "I am also worried about the Northern Expedition that my father hastily launched. Most of the court officials are also strongly opposed to it. It is normal for the experienced King of Qin to predict that the Song Dynasty will fail."
"Your Highness the King of Chu is wise and intelligent. It's good that he can understand and sympathize with the King of Qin's feelings at that time." Luo Wen'an praised with a smile.
The King of Chu smiled bitterly. Of course he could understand and sympathize. The Northern Expedition that day was not only a problem of high failure rate, but it was also a trap designed by his father to use the Liao army to get rid of the King of Qin. Fortunately, the King of Qin was strong enough to overthrow everything and escaped unscathed after fighting a beautiful guerrilla war in the Liao territory.
King Xiang also thought of this, and the anger in his heart gradually disappeared.
"At that time, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin said that this Northern Expedition would end in a huge defeat. If... it would be a disaster for the Song Dynasty. If the Liao Kingdom and the Tangut Li Yuanhao joined forces to invade the Song Dynasty, even if the soldiers fought to the death to drive out the enemy, the Song Dynasty would be shaken and the people would be in panic. In addition, the trend of suppressing military power and promoting culture became more and more popular, and the soldiers were disheartened. The army lost its combat effectiveness. After many years, how could it resist the iron cavalry of foreign races?"
Luo Wen'an stopped here and observed the reactions of King Chu and King Xiang.
The two princes were in a heavy mood. Prince Xiang spoke up, "Fortunately, the King of Qin had a brilliant plan and turned the tide. He won a great victory in Chenjia Valley and scared off Empress Xiao and Yelu Xiu'ge of Liao. That's why our Song army didn't suffer such a terrible defeat."
Luo Wen'an quickly praised him again, "Your Highness Prince Xiang is wise and fair, what he said is fair."
King Xiang suddenly remembered that King Qin had made such a great contribution but did not receive a decent reward from his father, and he couldn't help feeling guilty.
Luo Wen'an straightened his back and became even more resolute in his heart. "At that time, His Royal Highness the King of Qin also said that some of the national policies of the Song Dynasty had deviated from the direction. Although the economy seemed to be prosperous, in the long run, the wealth would only be concentrated in the hands of the aristocratic families and the privileged class. If the trend of suppressing military power and promoting culture becomes more and more popular, the Song army will lose its combat effectiveness, and the prosperous Song Dynasty will be nothing more than a piece of fat meat in the mouths of the Khitans and the Dangxiangs. In the end, it will be swallowed up by the iron cavalry and bows of foreign races!"
The King of Chu and the King of Xiang broke out in cold sweat. Thinking carefully, if the enemy army had caused trouble in the territory during the Northern Expedition, the Song Dynasty would have been seriously injured and its foundation would have been shaken. It would probably not take more than a few decades for the seemingly powerful and wealthy Song Dynasty to fall into such a tragic end.
King Xiang looked directly at Luo Wen'an and said, "This land of Western Shu... is it what King Qin prepared early to save the fate of the Song Dynasty?"
The fish took the bait willingly, and Luo Wen'an, who had never used sweet words to deceive anyone before, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“When His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin learned that the Eastern Route Army had suffered a major defeat at Qi Pass, he risked being trapped behind enemy lines and led several thousand troops with Yang Yanzhao to fight guerrilla warfare in Liao territory, delaying the main force of Yelu Xiezhen and covering the retreat of our Song Army and more than 200,000 Han people.
At the same time, he ordered Shu to launch a reform pilot site operation, leaving a safe retreat for the Song Dynasty in this easy-to-defend and difficult-to-attack Shu. Fortunately, in the end, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin defeated the main force of the Liao army with a beautiful ambush in Chenjia Valley and turned the tide. "Luo Wen'an didn't want to use rebellion or coup, so he found a fresh word.
"My two princes, you have been traveling around Xishu for three months. What do you think of this reform experiment?"
After Luo Wen'an threw out the bait of the question, he looked at the King of Chu and the King of Xiang quietly.