Chapter 3219: Heartfelt words
Su Dingfang remembered what Fang Jun had said to him, thought about it, and said slowly: "The navy's transportation capacity is limited, and it is impossible to escort these 30,000 prisoners back without delaying the transportation of food and supplies. Besides, Anshi City There are more than 20,000 prisoners there waiting to be disposed of... In this case, why not ship the young and healthy patients back, and send an army to escort the rest, the old, weak, sick and disabled, from Liaodong back to the Tang Dynasty..."
Zhu Suiliang wanted to refute Su Dingfang by saying, "How long does it take to walk by land, and in the severe winter when the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, it is extremely difficult to walk by land." However, he remembered the pain caused by his previous words and pursed his lips. , swallowed this sentence again.
But in my heart, I despise Su Dingfang very much. This man is the Navy Commander, but in fact he seems to be a fool. This suggestion is completely unworkable...
Unexpectedly, after everyone pondered for a long time, Li Ji spoke first: "I second the proposal."
Then came Cheng Yaojin: "I second the proposal."
Then Xue Wanche and Ashina Si also expressed their position: "I second the proposal."
The rest all agreed.
Zhu Suiliang: "..."
His eyes widened, wondering if there was something wrong with these people's minds? Or is it specifically about me today?
This is obviously an unreliable proposal. The climate in Liaodong is extremely cold. In winter, heavy snow often seals the mountains and the dripping water turns to ice. How can a group of old, weak, sick and surrendered soldiers from Goguryeo survive if they walk back to the Tang Dynasty? It's better to kill him with one knife, because he still has to send an army of soldiers to escort...
However, His Majesty Li Er soon made a final decision: "Let's implement it like this. However, we cannot claim to the outside world that those who take the land route are the old, weak, sick and disabled. We can only say that the navy's transport capacity is insufficient and can only transport some of the soldiers, and the other part needs to go." Just reach Datang by land.”
"Here."
The generals take orders.
His Majesty Li Er also ordered: "The navy should start transporting prisoners immediately, but the army must not be short of food and supplies."
When Su Dingfang agreed, he glanced around among the generals and pointed at Zhou Daowu: "If the captives are escorted back to the Tang Dynasty by land, it will be left to Governor Zhou to carry out the task."
Zhou Daowu's mouth was filled with bitterness. This was not a good job. Not only could he not participate in the most critical battle of Pingrang City, but the road to Datang was long and it was difficult to travel in the severe winter. However, he also knew that among so many generals, This kind of hard work can only be done by my consort, and anyone else would probably complain about it.
Sometimes the hard work can only be done by those close to you.
I hope this is what His Majesty means...
"Here! The general will definitely complete his mission."
"Well," His Majesty Li Er glanced at him and then warned: "It is difficult to travel by land to the Tang Dynasty. As the leader of an army, you must not only take good care of yourself, but also take good care of your soldiers, including food and warmth. You have to be considerate of everything. If the commander of the army impeaches you for being disrespectful to your subordinates, don’t blame me for being unkind.”
Zhou Daowu immediately became energetic: "Your Majesty, don't worry, the general will know what to do!"
The implication is that as long as you take good care of your soldiers, as for the life and death of the prisoners...
"Okay, I'm a little tired. The British Lord will clear out the remaining enemies in the city as soon as possible, open the ferry, organize a large army to cross the Yalu River early tomorrow morning, and strive to arrive at Pingrang City as soon as possible. The unparalleled achievement only requires one last step. Step by step, I hope you can share the joys and sorrows with me and continue to work hard. I will pay tribute to you in the Lingyan Pavilion, and your achievements will be passed down to future generations in the historians' books."
< br>
His Majesty Li Er was in high spirits and boosted morale.
"Here!"
The generals responded with a roar.
The meritorious deeds of the fall of Goguryeo can indeed shine through history and be remembered for generations. Everyone worked hard, struggled, and was excluded, and now they are even in the battle. Isn't it for such an unforgettable achievement?
If there is no such merit, I am afraid that in the future, the court will be occupied by children like Fang Jun, allowing them to be arrogant but helpless...
……
Returning to the central military tent, His Majesty Li Er's spirit suddenly sluggished, probably because he was too excited just now. He only felt that his head was dizzy and his whole body was sore and weak. After drinking a glass of water, he leaned on the soft couch to rest.
When he opened his eyes and saw Zhu Suiliang arranging documents, he asked someone to make a pot of hot tea and said to Zhu Suiliang: "Dengshan, take a break and drink tea with me."
"Here."
Zhu Suiliang simply gathered the documents at hand and put them on the desk. He got up and went to the basin at the door to clean his hands. He went back and knelt down in front of His Majesty Li Er, reaching out to make tea.
His Majesty Li Er raised his hand feebly and dismissed the servant in the tent.
Zhu Suiliang put the tea cup in front of His Majesty Li Er with both hands, opened his mouth, but stopped talking.
His Majesty Li Er picked up the teacup and took a sip. The hot tea went into his throat, leaving a fragrant aroma on his teeth and cheeks. His body felt like dry rotten wood being moistened by water vapor. Instantly, a warm current surged through his body, which was very beneficial.
Putting down the tea cup, His Majesty Li Er asked: "Are you confused about what happened just now?"
Zhu Suiliang blushed and nodded, feeling very ashamed.
His Majesty Li Er had previously warned him not to talk nonsense and to keep his mouth shut and read more and think more. However, he couldn't hold it back for a moment and was jointly resisted by almost all the generals in the army. Whether it was embarrassing or a trivial matter, the most important thing was that he had always been arrogant and felt that even though he was not a talented person, he still had outstanding abilities. Such an encounter was a blow to his self-confidence that was close to collapse.
He would rather everyone boycotted him because they hated him, rather than have this result because his views were wrong. It was too shocking...
His Majesty Li Er was not harsh. He took another sip of tea and then said: "There are some things that can be done but cannot be said. Su Dingfang suggested that all the old, weak, sick and disabled prisoners should be killed. For the Tang Dynasty, this was It is the best way to weaken the population of Goguryeo and relieve the Tang Dynasty’s supplies. However, this is against benevolence and will be criticized by the world, so everyone is opposed to it.”
Zhu Suiliang was stunned for a moment, then realized: "So the objection is not that killing prisoners is unlucky, but that it is due to the public opinion of the world?"
His Majesty Li Er nodded, pointed to the teacup and signaled Zhu Suiliang to pour tea, and then said: "When you are studying, you can believe in the way of benevolence and righteousness, and take it as your duty to spread benevolence and virtue in the world. But if you become an official, you must clearly distinguish between ourselves and the enemy, and how to deal with them." I understand that your salary comes from the people, I Our throne comes from the support of our people. We are supported by the billions of people of the Tang Dynasty, not the people of the Barbarian and Barbarian barbarians. ?”
In his life, he looked down on rotten scholars the most. He talked about benevolence, righteousness and morality but could not understand his own identity. While receiving support from the people of the Tang Dynasty, he advocated teaching without distinction and teaching the barbarians with kingly ways. You have suffered for more than a thousand years. What do the people who are being bullied by the barbarians think of you?
Feeding a bone to a dog can make it wag its tail, but these corrupt people are worse than dogs...
Zhu Suiliang was not a fool, but His Majesty Li Er's words were contrary to the meaning of the sages' scriptures that he had learned since childhood, causing a huge subversion in his cognition.
His Majesty Li Er added: "Everyone agrees to kill prisoners, but they know that they cannot do it openly, because once they kill prisoners openly, learned scholars like you who claim to be the disciples of saints will jump out and criticize, and the people in the world who do not know the truth will definitely They will also be coerced by your remarks, which will cause them to single out the old, weak, sick and disabled. No one can criticize this method of arriving at the Tang Dynasty by land. It cannot delay the supply of the army just to transport prisoners, right? However, the road from Goguryeo to the Tang Dynasty is long and winding, and it is a severe winter. Among the ten prisoners? It is considered a great fate to have one of you reach the Tang Dynasty alive..."
Zhu Suiliang understood that everyone's opposition to Su Dingfang was not against killing prisoners, but because they felt that it would be good if it was done and could not be talked about everywhere.
The result is the same. Those old, weak, sick and disabled prisoners will all die in the end, even more miserably. They are far less happy than being tricked and killed...
The military values had a great impact on Zhu Suiliang, which was contrary to what he had learned since childhood.
His Majesty Li Er took the trouble to say so much, but in fact he was too fond of Zhu Suiliang's talent and could not bear to see him "go astray and reach the officialdom." He sighed softly and said: "So, don't do anything to Dengshan in the future." Paying attention to these mundane matters, everyone is good at it, and some people are not good at it. Where you are good at, using your strengths and avoiding your weaknesses is the way to live in the world. If you stay by my side, I will naturally ensure that you will be rich and prosperous throughout your life, but if you step into the court rashly, without protection, you may fall into a trap at any time. , I will never be able to climb out.”
Zhu Suiliang naturally understood the meaning of these words, and immediately blushed: "Your Majesty has taught you, I should take it to heart."
It seems that I can only delve into knowledge, and I am not the material to be an official at all... But why is there always such a trace of dissatisfaction in my heart?
Everyone who is ambitious will naturally strive to reach the top. Princes, generals, and ministers would rather be kind, but I just want to taste the feeling of being high and powerful. Is it really that difficult?
(End of chapter)