My Senior Brother is Too Steady

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 Zi Shou had secretly returned to Chaoge City.

Li Changshou could only hurriedly deliver a speech on behalf of all the domestic servants in the Li family, express a warm welcome to the birth of the young master Jin Zha, and arrange the first musical instrument group in Chentangguan, pretending to be drunk. , left early.

That night.

Most of Chaoge City slept peacefully, and only some service streets were still noisy.

In the Da Shi's 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, his long gray hair is meticulously combed, and he has 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 appetite.

It's three o'clock in the morning.

Two black figures wearing 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 figured out the ropes. Although he is trying his best to hide the fact that he is a "strange person", he has also learned to act expediently.

We still have 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 to appear 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 that, his eyes fell on the rather burly figure behind Wen Zhong, with a little smile in his eyes.

What stood before him now was!

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 arms. At this moment, he slowly raised his head and took off his cloak and hat, revealing a young and angular face. His somewhat narrow eyes exuded an unconcealable confidence.

Li Changshou opened the Taoist Heart of Kongming to prevent himself from being affected by bad luck when he came into contact with King Zhou.

Then, 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 met Prince Zishou."

"Your Majesty, you're welcome."

Zi Shou cupped his hands and cupped his fists, lowered his head slightly, and said seriously: "Zi Shou is not a king. The great historian is an important minister of the Six Ministers, so there is no need to bow to Shou."

Li Changshou smiled and said: "Prince, your words are serious, please take a seat."

"Accepted as a guest, you will be a guest in history."

Wen Zhongye on the side said: "Master, you have to take the seat, otherwise I would not dare to take the seat."

Li Changshou didn't insist much and sat on the main seat. Wen Zhong and Zi Shou were on the left and 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 upright with his chest straightened. He didn't know what to say for a moment.

Wen Zhong considered his words and said with a smile: "Really speaking, Zi Shou's position as heir is thanks to the great historian who spoke out in front of the palace."

Li Changshou looked at Zi Shou and smiled: "What does the prince think of this matter?"

"Um……"

There was some thought in Zi Shou's eyes, but he knew that Li Changshou was testing him and had to be cautious.

Over the years, the young master has praised this great historian to the heavens, and even said that he is a god among gods, which is somewhat exaggerated.

Zi Shou quickly said: "Shou is very grateful to the great historian for what happened back then, but this gratitude is only for the great historian who can speak out and give advice according to the etiquette and law."

"Hahahaha cough."

Li Changshou laughed a few times and said, "I will do my own thing in my position and just do my business."

Wen Zhong smiled and said: "Zi Shou, actually I have some personal relationship with Da Shi."

"Oh? Why haven't you heard the young master talk about it before?"

"This matter should not be made public, otherwise it will easily attract gossip."

Li Changshou said seriously: "Let's not mention this. The prince came here today and I don't know why?"

Zi Shou cupped his hands and said, "I came here to seek advice."

"oh?"

Li Changshou went to touch the wine pot with a smile. Wen Zhong had quick hands and quick eyes, so he picked up the wine pot first and poured wine for Li Changshou first.

"What do you want the prince to do here?"

"Previously, the army killed the victorious general, and the generals wanted to return to Chaoge City to complain."

Zi Shou smiled at himself, showing a bit of helplessness.

"My father ordered Shou to lead the army, and Shou had already laid down the rules and ordered them not to take civilians as prisoners.

There are still generals who go against the rules and take off the uniforms of enemy soldiers who died in battle, and put them on the young and strong bodies of civilians, so as to get through.

Being killed serves as a warning to others, so he draws his sword and kills the general.

However, if this matter goes back to Chaoge City and causes a big fuss, Shou will be quite passive, and the generals and military generals in the army will probably attack Shou. "

Li Changshou thought for a moment and asked, "Did the young master draft the rule that no civilians should be taken as prisoners?"

Wen Zhong sighed: "Yes, he is indeed a disciple. Well, I drew it up."

disciple?

On the side, Zi Shou looked thoughtful.

He then heard Zhong continue: "The excessive number of slaves is a chronic disease of business. Under the building, the foundation is already floating.

Although the Shang Kingdom has fewer wars now, and the slaves obtained through plunder are far inferior to those accumulated over the years, 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 will have many young people and strong soldiers and horses. There will be an endless supply of talents available for various fields, and the national power will be greatly improved. It 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?"

"Don't 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 for a long time..."

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 give instructions to 'King Zhou' tonight...

Although Li Changshou knew in his heart that even if he tried to nudge Zi Shou, the power of heaven's restraint could not be resisted by Zi Shou; but when a certain possibility was presented to him, Li Changshou still wanted to give it a try.

The point is, if you take a step back, this matter will not have any negative impact on you.

Thinking about it from another perspective, there are not many opportunities for me to influence 'Di Xin'. Now 'Di Xin' is still a 'Prince Zi Shou', and his plasticity is still there.

"You are wrong."

"Wrong?" Wen Zhong was a little confused.

Zi Shou asked hurriedly: "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 must 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 question 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 pleasure. There are many lazy and slack people.

The third reason is that there are too many slaves, which has become a hidden danger. The merchants 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 merchant was in civil strife, the eight hundred princes were cultivating their health and recuperating, and there were many ambitious people among them.

The Jiang who is about to get married to Shou is the daughter of Dongbohou. I haven't 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 king's support this time, and the killing of generals in the army becomes the beginning of your reform of internal governance, what will happen next?

Wen Zhong also thought about it. "

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 considers problems comprehensively. He soon realized the seriousness of the problem and frowned.

Zi Shou was still more energetic. After thinking for a while, he said:

"There will be many veterans who will oppose it."

Wen Zhong quickly answered: "Not only that, this matter involves more than just military generals' families.

To solve 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 domestic servants. They are born this way, and most of them have never thought of resisting.

If we take action directly... hiss!

I'm afraid it will be a shocking change. "

Zishou said: "Is what the young master said a bit too exaggerated?"

"Prince, I took things for granted before and didn't think carefully." Wen Zhong looked a little gloomy, "Slave matters must be handled from behind 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 showed an angry look on his face and said firmly: "Why should Shou be afraid of this? We should argue it out!"

Wen Zhong sighed: "If you argue forcefully, something big might happen."

"The worst thing is that this position is not guaranteed," Zishou stood up, "It doesn't matter if I give my life to them!"

"Prince, prince," Li Changshou said hurriedly, "Don't be excited, follow the 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 in existence for many years and cannot be easily changed in one or two sentences.

But if the prince, a future monarch 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 merchants.

Your ancestors are watching you from heaven! "

Zi Shou looked ashamed, bowed deeply to the air, and sat down.

Li Changshou smiled and said: "In that case, I will not hide it and offer 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. If the great historian later talked nonsense and said something to make him give up reforming political affairs, he would immediately turn around and leave.

But I heard Li Changshou say slowly:

“The first strategy is to be stable.

Before the prince can become 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. If the king has to kill the prince due to pressure from the Shang Kingdom, there will still be an heir to the throne.

It is always the king, not the prince, who calls the shots. "

Zi couldn't help but remain silent.

Li Changshou said again:

“This second strategy is still stable.

The previous incident of "Yi Yin's exile of the king" is enough to be a warning.

Royal power is not without constraints. The process of forming the Shang king's 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 promote your changes step by step and in subtle ways.

Whether it is weakening the princes or converting slaves into people, it needs to be realized gradually. It is impossible to achieve results in three to five months, and it will be somewhat reluctant in thirty to fifty years.

If you take a long step, it's easy to pull the muscles on the inside of your big...legs! "

Zi Shou nodded slowly, feeling quite touched by this.

Li Changshou continued: "Military power is the top priority. At this time, the prince must cultivate military generals that he can absolutely trust and have absolute say in Chaoge City.

This is the basis of everything and the reason why the princes fear Lord Shang. "

“Listening to the great historian’s words, I suddenly became enlightened!”

Zi Shou's eyes were filled with emotion, and he held a glass to toast Li Changshou.

"Don't be impatient, I haven't finished 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 it is time to 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."

"Shou, 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 standing up and sitting with the merchants?

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 have the opportunity to realize your deepest ambitions.

You can discuss it with your young master as to how to use it specifically. "

Wen Zhongque said: "But, great historian, he did one thing before he came to the throne and another after he came to the throne. Isn't it criticized by others?"

Li Changshou smiled and said: "Does Zishou care about the reputation?"

"Hahaha!"

Zishou laughed a few times and suddenly felt heroic!

"Since childhood, I have been poisoned, beaten, fell into a well, house collapsed, and even rumored that I have a strange fate.

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 defenseless people and felt that the king's division should not plunder and plunder, so he ordered them not to plunder civilians.

Those two generals disobeyed military orders first and need to be killed.

To persecute the weak with cruel means is against martial ethics and discredits the Shang Lord, so he must be punished.

After the incident was revealed, they intended to incite a 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 eight hundred princes, Master Wang laughed generously.

After the prince thought deeply, he 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. "

Zishou asked with some confusion: "Then do they not know the truth, or do they have unpredictable motives?"

"That 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. In everything, don’t be eager for quick success or quick success. Only by pursuing stability and change can you achieve success. "

Zi Shou stood up and bowed deeply: "Thank you, Master, for your guidance."

"Also," Li Changshou said with a smile, "I am the king's great historian. 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 filled with relief, while the latter's eyes were filled with stars.

Before Zi Shou left, he asked Li Changshou a question, but Li Changshou could not answer it.

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 his 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 struggles of ancestors in the past generations and the admonitions of the ancestor Wencheng are still in front of me, and I really dare not forget it.

Can the Great Historian teach me whether it is necessary to kill my elder 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 about this for a while and could only say:

"Move from your heart, the decision lies with you. Never forget that the ancestors of Shang are watching you from above."

…

"Liu Jiao."

"bump!"

Youqin Xuanya frowned and looked at the certain innate treasure with an arrogant face, and continued to think seriously.

She almost lost half of the spiritual stones she earned working as an errand in Heaven.