dtnovels Chapter 201 If You Were Here, Would You Agree With Me?
Chapter 201 If You Were Here, Would You Agree With Me?
Not long after, Xuanli withdrew his troops.
Ling Shumo received an imperial edict from the court requesting peace talks and wanting to hand himself over as a hostage.
He was not at all surprised to learn this.
This Emperor Jiaxing is a rare incompetent ruler. The pro-peace faction in the court is powerful. Even if he can escape once, he will definitely anger others later...
Ling Shumo looked at the white lotus jade pendant in his hand and suddenly thought of Bai Wan:
"When you left to paint in Jiangzhou that day, it was actually to get away from the palace and the monarch!"
He understood the meaning of Abai's choice...
What kind of imperial examination is it to become an official and a court painter?
How to serve the court and become famous throughout the world?
A talented person will be useless if he encounters a tyrant or an unscrupulous royal family.
君要臣death,臣不得不death!
at night.
Faced with this situation, the pen in Ling Shumo's hand became heavier.
Because, in a few days, the eunuchs and soldiers would take him to the capital.
Emperor Jiaxing repeatedly treated his loyalty as worthless, and even repeatedly harmed loyal ministers, generals, and court officials.
In order to negotiate peace, Li Simeng's faction will definitely hand themselves over to Xuanli's army.
Dingzhou, which they had fought hard to defend, would also be ceded to them, and the people would suffer terribly.
Ling Shumo dealt with the remaining government affairs all night, and hastily wrote out the strategies for compiling the "Dingzhou County Chronicles", repairing the official roads, and resisting the enemy.
And ordered all officials to do the paperwork first.
He wrote down the strategies for defending against the enemy and keeping the people safe tonight, only hoping that his departure would make life a little better for the people of Dingzhou.
At this moment, a guard outside the door suddenly came to report.
"Lord Ling, there is a guest who claims to be your old friend and wants to see you."
If it were A Yan, he would definitely not call him an old friend.
An old friend?
Ling Shumo's eyes suddenly lit up, his eyebrows raised, his heart was excited, and he hurriedly dropped the pen.
He ran to the door in a hurry without even putting on his outer robe or shoes, completely disregarding his demeanor.
"Abai..."
When he saw the person coming, he lowered his eyes in disappointment, straightened his body quietly, and did not say a word or move.
Not the person I thought of—
The scene was extremely quiet, even a little eerie.
"Lord Ling, how are you?"
The man was wearing armor and had a sword on his waist. He looked like a strong and powerful man.
"General Song Qingzhu's son, Song Yuanshan?"
Ling Shumo's pupils contracted, and he was a little surprised.
In my impression, Song Yuanshan is always dressed in golden, gorgeous clothes.
Zhengzhou City had long been occupied by Xuanli. As the most dissolute man in the city, he was probably either made a slave or a refugee, so he would not be dressed like this.
"The person you just called was Brother Bai, he's not here?" Song Yuanshan asked puzzledly.
After all, when they were in Zhengzhou City, these two people were almost inseparable.
The terrible act of Bai Wan chopping and digging up all the thresholds in Luo Wenqi's garden in order to allow the man in the wheelchair to pass freely spread over a hundred miles.
Ling Shumo just felt a little stiff in his heart, and a little lonely in the night.
"He... is... somewhere else..."
Somewhere else where you don't even know where it is.
After sighing a little, Ling Shumo tried his best to calm himself down and said to the person opposite him politely:
"What do you want to see me for?"
Song Yuanshan said with a serious expression: "Brother Bai advised me to join the army, so I joined the Zhengzhou Army without telling my father and became the commander of the army."
Bai Wan might not have thought that just a joke would lead this man to try to pursue his dreams and join the army anonymously.
What was even more unexpected was that Song Yuanshan was promoted to commander in less than two years by virtue of his own abilities.
"Lord Ling fought bravely against the enemy, but was abandoned by Emperor Jiaxing. Are you willing to accept this?" Song Yuanshan bowed.
This sounds righteous, but it also seems to have something else in it.
Ling Shumo glanced at him gently, "You might as well tell the truth!"
Song Yuanshan's expression was uncertain.
He sighed lightly and said, "Master Ling, what do you think of the world now?"
"The court is corrupt, the people are living in poverty, the gap between the rich and the poor is huge, and there are internal and external troubles."
As he spoke, Ling Shumo closed his eyes, feeling extremely sad.
Song Yuanshan's eyes suddenly froze: "The Zhengzhou army could have resisted Xuanli that day, but because of the emperor's edict, we became prisoners for nothing. If I hadn't led the garrison to hide in the mountains, I'm afraid we would have died a long time ago."
"Do you know what happened to the people in the occupied city of Zhengzhou? Women became prostitutes, men became slaves. My father... died in the chaos!"
As the words left his mouth, he gradually became choked with sobs.
Ling Shumo seemed moved: "What do you mean?"
Song Yuanshan bowed and said, "If Lord Ling helps me to establish an uprising army in Dingzhou and recapture the three ceded cities, I will definitely protect your life so that you will not be killed by Jiaxing."
He said he wanted to recapture the three cities, but a little thought would reveal that he seemed to have other ambitions in mind.
Ling Shumo has never liked chaotic times, but if Daying continues to give in like this, he will just fall into Xuanli's hands.
Feeling that the person on the other side was silent, Song Yuanshan watched sincerely.
"This world has never belonged to Jiaxing and Li Simeng."
Ling Shumo smiled sadly: "You want me to rebel with you?"
Song Yuanshan couldn't help but say: "It's not us who lost the big winner, but it's its own fault!"
Ling Shumo could only smile bitterly: "What if I don't agree?"
Taking up arms is no joke, especially during this time of internal and external troubles. If a military or state-run uprising is launched, it will surely be strangled by the imperial court.
"If you don't respond, you will be killed in vain in Jiaxing if you go to Beijing, and you won't even be able to protect the well-being of the people in Dingzhou. Dingzhou City will become the next Zhengzhou City!" Song Yuanshan looked at him decisively.
"Your Majesty is not worthy of the position and is not fit to be the king at all."
Ling Shumo choked suddenly, as if he understood the meaning of this person's words.
He had heard similar words from Bai Wan a long time ago, that the current emperor was not worthy of the position and something bad would happen sooner or later, and there would always be someone who wanted to be the emperor.
It was a snowy night with falling flowers. Ling Shumo stood in front of the window with a reserved mind, his eyes filled with countless thoughts.
He was silent for a moment before speaking: "You know, once an uprising begins, it will be a chaotic world."
Song Yuanshan's face darkened: "If we don't revolt, won't we all be living in a chaotic world?"
This is not a threat, but more of a reminder, and this reminder is the great sorrow in Ling Shumo's heart.
He recalled what Bai Wan had once told him about the painting scene of "Wan Li Min Yuan", the scene of piles of bones and starving people everywhere.
Since Abai dares to risk his life to give advice on behalf of the people, why should I be afraid?
"If you were here, would you approve of my uprising?"
It was as if someone was looking at him.
How nice it would be if there was a soulmate...