Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 217 Please guard the border!

Su Yun didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and quickly and firmly rejected this unreliable proposal.

Su Yun was not a lustful person and had never thought about taking a concubine, let alone taking a prostitute into his room.

It's not that he is prejudiced against prostitutes, but the profession usually affects a person's three views. Prostitutes have seen too much darkness, and their three views are no longer the same as those of ordinary people. If they are taken in, how can the harem be peaceful?

Zhang Ruo was naturally very happy to see Su Yun so determined, but she still said to Su Yun: "It's fine if my husband looks down on these courtesans, but my husband cannot refuse this matter.

Our Su family is too sparsely populated now, and you are the only one left in your line, so you naturally have to find a way to expand your family. I alone cannot give birth to many children."

Su Yun smiled bitterly, but expressed his understanding of Zhang Ruo's thoughts. After all, Zhang Ruo was a woman of this era, and the idea of ​​being the mistress of the house usually required her to consider these things.

Zhang Ruo is a very decent woman with a broad perspective, so naturally she would not be criticized for this.

Zhang Ruo's support made Su Yun's determination firmer, and the next question was how to put it into practice.

However, Su Yun could not make the decision on this matter alone. He also had to discuss it with his uncle Su Zhe and father-in-law Zhang Dun.

Su Yun first found Su Zhe, who was very surprised at Su Yun's decision.

Su Che thought for a moment and said, "What can you do and what do you want to do when you go to the northwest?"

Su Yun said: "After the great defeat in Yongle City, the Northwest Army is probably at a time when people are demoralized and morale is low. It is a good opportunity for my nephew to go there. He can gather the defeated soldiers and train a new army with new training methods.

My nephew's training method may help him train a group of elite soldiers. The next time we fight, we can rely on them as spearheads and we will definitely not make the same mistakes again."

Su Che was somewhat displeased when he heard this and said, "The Xia people led 300,000 troops and directly pressed on the Xihe border. They did not make any mistakes elsewhere, but only killed people in the places they were fighting. This is obvious. This is not the fault of the Westerners, but the fault of the court.

Doesn’t this great defeat serve as a warning to you? If it weren’t for the government’s vanity, why would these two hundred thousand good men have died in a foreign land?
You are unaware of the danger and still want to join the army as a scholar. Have you never thought about continuing to incite the desire for war?
Don’t you know that once the war breaks out, the war will continue and there will be no rest for three to five years, what can the general do?”

After hearing what Su Zhe said, Su Yun was a little surprised. He had heard in his previous life that Su Zhe was an appeaser, but he didn't expect that he would have such an idea.

Su Yun felt a little uncomfortable.

In Su Yun's opinion, he was certainly not a born warmongerer, but when it came to the righteousness of his country and family, he was very clear about it.

First of all, Western Xia has been China’s inherent territory since ancient times. There is no reason not to take it back.

Secondly, Western Xia repeatedly took the initiative to attack the Song Dynasty, so it was reasonable to counterattack.

In the end, 200,000 brave men of the Song Dynasty died in the northwest. If we don’t avenge this, we would be unworthy of being Chinese.

The above is based on righteousness.

From the perspective of national strategy, peace is fought for. If peace is sought through struggle, then peace will survive; if peace is sought through compromise, then peace will die.

There is no Chinese in later generations who fails to understand this principle.

Therefore, it was difficult for Su Yun to agree with Su Zhe's peaceful position, but Su Zhe was his uncle after all, and Su Yun did not want to argue with Su Zhe, so he smiled and said: "My nephew went there just to train a team of elite soldiers, and he had no intention of starting a war. The national war was not something my nephew could interfere in. I just wanted to do something beneficial to the country."

Su Che said angrily, "With sharp weapons in hand, the desire to kill arises naturally. It would be fine if there were no elite troops, but if there were elite troops, the king would be unable to resist the urge to use force. Why don't you think about this?"

Su Yun frowned, pondered for a moment and said, "Uncle, to defend the country, without an elite army, how can we resist invasion? What my nephew wants to do is not a problem for the court."

Su Che shook his head and said, "Whether there is a problem or not is not for you to judge. Your talent lies in the officialdom. If you stay in Bianjing, your father-in-law will take care of you, and the government will love you. In less than ten years, you can become a minister in the court. Why bother running to the northwest to eat the wind and sand?
If you don't have the idea of ​​making achievements, then you don't need to go to the Northwest. If you go to the Northwest, of course you have the idea of ​​making achievements. Do you think I'm right?"

Su Yun fell silent. Su Zhe was right. Since he was going to the Northwest, he naturally had to do something. If he didn't do anything, what was the point of going to the Northwest?

Su Che snorted when he saw this, "Listen to my advice and stay in Bian Jing. If you want to make achievements, when you become a high-ranking official or even participate in politics, then you can go to the northwest to command the overall situation, wouldn't it be better?"

Su Yun shook his head and said, "Ten years is too long, my nephew only wants to fight for the day.

Moreover, if I don't train elite soldiers, what's the point of me commanding the overall situation? Fighting a war depends on elite soldiers.

Without elite soldiers, even if my nephew has the wisdom of Prime Minister Zhuge, he will find it difficult to give full play to his abilities.

Uncle, I came here today to say goodbye to you in advance. My nephew will not be in Bianjing anymore. Please take good care of yourself, aunt, and your brothers and sisters."

Su Zhe became angry when he heard this. What Su Yun meant was, I'm not here to discuss this with you. I've already made the decision, so don't try to persuade me anymore.

The uncle and nephew parted on bad terms.

Su Zhe didn't even leave any food for Su Yun and went to his study room on his own.

Auntie came out quickly to talk to Su Yun.

Su Yun comforted his aunt, then said goodbye and went to the Zhang Mansion.

Zhang Dun sneered when he saw Su Yun, "Oh, it's really rare for you to come. You used to come here often, but since you married my daughter, you rarely come. Are you here for no reason today?"

Su Yun couldn't help but laugh and said, "Your sarcastic remarks are hilarious. How could you not know what my son-in-law has been doing recently?"

Zhang Dun smiled when he heard this. He was just joking. He always paid attention to his son-in-law's affairs.

"Yeah, I heard that after visiting a brothel, the courtesan confessed her love to you in public. Wow, that's incredible. She offered herself to you, redeemed herself, and insisted on marrying you with a jewelry box."

Su Yun: “…”

Damn, who are these gossips?

Su Yun was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and said, "Even you know about it, so I'm afraid there is no one in the court who doesn't know about it, right?"

Zhang Dun laughed loudly, then asked curiously, "Isn't it true? Prime Minister Cai told me this, and it has spread throughout the three provinces and six ministries.

It is said that Su Zhuangyuan has surpassed Liu Qigong and become the killer of the brothel's courtesans. They also dug up your deeds in Huangzhou. I heard that there is also a courtesan in Jiujiang Tower in Ezhou who redeemed you and wants to be your concubine, right?"

Su Yun smiled bitterly and said, "It's just a rumor. The one from Jiujiang Tower in Ezhou just borrowed my fame to escape from the brothel. After he became successful, he has long since hidden his identity and lived his own life.

Liu Xianglan from Fanlou might be taking the same approach. She wants to redeem herself, and my son-in-law doesn't bother with them anyway."

Zhang Dun laughed and said, "You don't have to be so shy about this. These are considered elegant things for scholars. They won't affect your reputation. They may even make you more famous. For a man, the romance of a brothel is nothing."

Su Yun glanced at Zhang Dun and said, "Does my mother-in-law know what my father-in-law said?"

Zhang Dun smiled and said, "Go ask your mother-in-law if she will stop me. Also, go ask Ruo'er if she will avoid these things."

Su Yun: “…”

Well, after all, everyone’s three views are somewhat different.

After talking and laughing for a while, Su Yun said, "Father-in-law, I have something to discuss with you. I plan to ask to guard the border, and then go to the northwest."

Zhang Dun suddenly looked up in astonishment, looked at Su Yun, and said, "Tell me in detail."

Su Yun nodded and said, "The Song Dynasty's troubles lie in the borders and the army. If we don't think about changing it, one day, the enemies in the northwest and north may move south, and the disaster of destroying the country will not be far away."

Zhang Dun frowned upon hearing this and said, "Not really, you are exaggerating a bit.

Whether it was the Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty or the Western Xia, they fought and made peace for more than a hundred years, with wins and losses, but they were just trying to maintain a balance.

The Liao Kingdom had long ago given up the idea of ​​destroying the Song Dynasty. Even though the Western Xia had repeated conflicts with our Song Dynasty, it was actually just because they felt threatened by the Song Dynasty and took the initiative. If you say that they have the idea and strength to destroy the Song Dynasty, I don’t believe it. "

Su Yun nodded and said, "Liao and Xia have been assimilated to Han culture for many years and have become stable, but there are barbarians in the grasslands and the northeast. When the barbarians first rose up, they were full of vigor, just like the Five Barbarians during the invasion of China. If the Song Dynasty does not have a capable army at that time, what will happen then?"

Zhang Dun laughed and said, "You are daydreaming. Liao and Xixia are both powerful countries. How can any barbarian tribe defeat them at this time?

Moreover, at present, the Song Dynasty has suffered such a great defeat. I am afraid that the support for the army will be reduced to the minimum in the short term. Even if the emperor wants to give support, I think the ministers in the court will no longer allow it.

Therefore, in the past ten or eight years, guarding the border is no longer a place where you can get promoted quickly. It is better for you to stay in Bianjing. If you make some achievements, no one can stop your promotion. "

Su Yun sighed in his heart. It was no wonder that Su Zhe and Zhang Dun tried to stop him. This was indeed the current situation. After the defeat of Yongle City, the imperial court would certainly be afraid of border wars. Within ten years, if anyone dared to talk about war again, he would probably become the target of public criticism.

But this is the right time to reform the military.

Two hundred thousand elite soldiers from the northwest were wiped out, and now the soldiers have to be recruited again. The newly recruited soldiers are just like a blank slate, on which they can start their work.

Moreover, at this time, all the generals in the army were discouraged. If I went over and proposed a new training method, they probably wouldn't dare to stop me.

Hehe, if we can find a way to get some chicken feathers from Zhao Xu that can be used as a token of authority, we will have more room to maneuver.

Su Yun nodded and said, "Father-in-law is right, but I just want to verify some of the training methods I have summarized, and I also want to study the military formation. If it were any other time, it might not be easy to go there, but it will be much easier to go now."

Zhang Dun nodded. What Su Yun said made sense. Many officials would probably be afraid of being assigned to the northwestern counties and prefectures at this moment, and would definitely not go if they could avoid it. If Su Yun was willing to go at this time, he would naturally be able to get the assignment quite easily.

Zhang Dun knew that his son-in-law was a man of strong ideas. Once he made a decision, it would be difficult to stop him, even for himself. Su Ziyu must have tried to stop him, but failed.

Zhang Dun thought for a moment and said, "Does Ruoer know that you want to go to the northwest?"

Su Yun nodded and said, "Sister Ruo already knows. Sister Ruo wants to go to the northwest with my son-in-law."

Zhang Dun sighed and nodded when he heard this, "You two have no objection, so what can I say? Go ahead."

Su Yun was a little surprised and asked, "Father-in-law, aren't you afraid that Sister Ruo will suffer in the northwest?"

Zhang Dun smiled and said, "Since she has married you, she will go wherever you go. Whether she can endure hardships or not depends on your ability as her husband.

If you two have a good relationship, it doesn't matter if you suffer a little. Life is never smooth sailing. Since you are married, you should share the joys and sorrows. "

Su Yun couldn't help but sigh that he was lucky to meet Zhang Dun and his daughter.

Su Yun couldn't help but compare Su Zhe and Zhang Dun, and felt a little worried.

Political views sometimes do not change because of family ties.

Just like himself, if in the future, Su Che became the prime minister and wanted to return the land acquired by the Song Dynasty to Western Xia and demolish the built fortress, could he ignore this matter just because he was Su Che's nephew?
The answer is no.

Similarly, Su Zhe and Su Shi would not agree to let him start a war against Xia or even Liao just because they were their nephews, and disputes would inevitably arise at that time.

These are fine, the key is the issue of party struggles. When Empress Dowager Gao comes to power and the old party returns, the old party will inevitably purge the new party. When that time comes, Zhang Dun will be purged, so how should he stand on the side?

Oh, forget it. It's a good opportunity for me to go to the northwest to avoid the limelight, so as to avoid getting into trouble here.

It is now the end of the fifth year of Yuanfeng, and it will soon be the sixth year of Yuanfeng. Zhao Xu passed away at the beginning of the eighth year of Yuanfeng. In total, it will be only two years before Empress Dowager Gao and the Old Party will be in power.

As soon as Su Yun came out of Zhang's house, he wrote a letter requesting to go to the northwest to guard the border.

But he was soon beaten back.

Su Yun asked again, but was rejected again.

But Su Yun was determined to go to the northwest and write another letter.

This time there was finally a response. Zhen Shixuan came, and was sent by Zhao Xu to bring him into the palace.

When Su Yun saw Zhao Xu, he was shocked. In just over a month, Zhao Xu seemed to have aged ten years. He was only 36 years old, but his temples were already gray and he looked old!
(End of this chapter)