It was almost evening when Shen Zhezi returned to Shen's house. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

In the afternoon, he and several clansmen and captain Liu Meng and other Longxi soldiers went out of the city, detoured to Stone City, and watched from afar for a long time.

Stone Town is perched on a stone mountain, and the buildings are not very majestic, nor are they very beautiful, but the terrain is steep and beautiful, like an iron fist raised to defend Jiankang. The river goes around the mountain, the mountain peak is straight and steep, the big boat with iron cable hooks floats on the river, and two trusses connect the river bank.

Nearby, hundreds of ragged officials stepped on bamboo rafts to clean up water and weeds along the river to avoid silting up the waterways. Most of these people were born in government households, directly attached to the government at all levels, and undertook the service all the year round, but they did not have the prestige of the small officials in the fish and meat towns of later generations, and were more similar to free slaves, and any master could send them at will.

At present, the defense of Stone City is the forbidden six guards, which is the only army directly under the imperial court, with more than 10,000 soldiers. Previously, due to the rebellion of Wang Dun, the emperor issued an edict to levy the young and strong soldiers in the Gyeonggi area, and nearly 2,000 soldiers were replenished.

Shen Zhezi looked at the past from a distance and saw that the banners on the stone city were mixed and the figures were chaotic. The so-called Praetorian Guard Army is still inferior to the Shen Family's Qu Army, which shows the weakness of the imperial power suppressed by the clans.

But further north of Stone Town, there was a military camp, estimated to be about 2,000 based on the size of the barracks, and a number of troops were stationed there. It was one of the exiled army of King Qinwang in the south, but it was also under the banner of Suwei, and it seemed that it was intercepted by the imperial court to supplement the six guards.

Shen Zhezi still wanted to take a closer look, but after walking not far, the group was expelled and not allowed to go closer.

From Stone Town along the river, you can reach Liyang, which is guarded by the homeless Shuai Su Jun, and if you go down the river from the upstream, the speed will only be faster. The emperor's courage in placing such a general with a heavy army and no background there is amazing, and it also shows that he is trustworthy, and he seems to be quite confident in his imperial methods.

Today's emperor is indeed a Ming monarch, not to mention that in this weak Eastern Jin Dynasty, even at any stage in history, his means and abilities are quite outstanding. If he can enjoy the country for a long time, dominate the upper and lower levels, balance the left and right, and survive the few outstanding people of the Nandu generation, he may be able to reinvigorate the imperial power, even if he can't recover the lost territory, history will be greatly changed by his hands.

Shen Zhezi did not alike the dictatorship and centralization of power by the cadres and the cadres, and later generations said that democracy seemed to have become a politically correct choice, but the centralization of power had an incomparable advantage, that is, high efficiency. In troubled times, whoever can mobilize forces faster and more effectively is the king.

After that, Guanlong made a career, and there was no shortage of depictions of the strong Qin military system, unifying the north and south, and ending the troubled times. Or barbaric oppression, but it is a choice that is in line with the world.

When he felt nostalgic for the past and the present outside the city, Shen Zhezi couldn't imagine that he was about to experience the methods of that heroic lord.

When he returned to Shen's house, his servants sent two letters, one of which surprised Shen Zhezi, and it was Sima Zong, the king of Nanton, who made the invitation!

Five horses crossed the river, and one horse turned into a dragon. Sima Zong was one of the horses that failed to turn into a dragon, and the so-called rebellion of the eight kings began with his father, Sima Liang, the king of Runan.

Seeing this abrupt invitation, Shen Zhezi's heart was alarmed. Regardless of his personal sense of the Sima family, Sima Zong's embarrassing identity and situation alone could not make him unvigilant.

There is no need to say how tragic the disaster of the Jin Dynasty clan is, and now the rulers are either tortured to death, or they themselves are victimized, and they naturally have to spare no effort to strike at the few remaining clans. However, the crisis of the power of the Wang Dun Rebellion made the emperor realize the reality of the isolation of the imperial power, and then use the clan, so Sima Zong is now the official general of the left guard, and he has to be in charge of the guard.

Holding this invitation in hand, Shen Zhezi's first thought was how Sima Zong dared to show favor to his family? Was this of his own will, or was it at the behest of the emperor?

If you only look at it from the present, it is obvious that the Shen family, which is known for its military force and is not treated by the high-ranking families, is a perfect match for the alliance of the clan, especially now that the family is singing, the imperial power will be revitalized. Guangwu Zhongxing, the continuation of Hanzuo relies on this configuration.

But the reputation of the Sima family is too bad, and it can stink ten feet against the wind. Shen Zhezi really couldn't find a reason to convince himself to meet Sima Zong. He was not superstitious about the original historical trend, but more convinced of the facts that had happened, and had serious doubts about the conduct of the Sima family.

Throwing this invitation aside, Shen Zhezi picked up another letter sent by Yu Yi, and when he saw the messy handwriting first, his heart sank. It wasn't until I read through the content that I felt cold and my mind was a little dizzy.

Combined with Yu Yi's detention in Taicheng, Shen Zhezi was almost certain that Sima Zong's act of soliciting his own family, even if it was not instructed by the emperor, was to inform the emperor and obtain tacit approval.

picked up the fluttering invitation again, but Shen Zhezi felt a thousand weights. The yellow-bearded Xianbei slave in Taicheng was a big bit of a dog, and as soon as he made a move, he cut off the bridge between the Shen family and the overseas Chinese surname, leaving the Shen family isolated again, either completely surrendering to him, or asking for more blessings, and not worrying about Wu Di turbulent again.

At this time, Shen Zhezi even regretted dissuading his father from rebelling. Where did the emperor's courage come from? Naturally, it is to destroy Wang Dun and make his confidence burst.

Without my father's involvement, the turmoil caused by the Wang Rebellion was far weaker than the original history, and at least Sanwu was able to stabilize it. Now that the Wang clan has been defeated, with the momentum of a great victory, and is in charge of the soldiers of a hundred battles in the north of the river, how can the emperor still worry about Shen Chong, who is lonely and difficult to speak?

This history really can't be changed lightly, once it is changed, not to mention the change in the situation, the change in people's mentality in the current situation is the most fatal.

Shen Zhezi was in a dilemma, the invitation card was rummaged over and over in his hand, and it was difficult to make a decision.

He knew very well that once he went to the banquet to express his position, the Shen family might become a hardcore royal party, and he would be isolated from the current situation, and he would be attacked by the joint efforts of Wang Yuqiao. This is exactly what the emperor wants, that is, to isolate the Shen family from the times, and can only be loyal to him, holding this chess piece, which can not only better control the Wu land, but also form a counterbalance to the emerging exile marshal.

To be honest, this situation is not unacceptable to Shen Zhezi, once he becomes a king, as long as he is still useful, he does not have to worry about security. But the problem is that Sima Shao's buddy will not live long, and although he is eloquent and strategic now, he will die next year.

In less than a year, how could the Shen family be able to resist the power of Wang Yu Gaomen, even if Dad worked hard, he was not qualified to get a position as a minister. When the list is pulled, it is really dumbfounded.

At this time, Shen Zhezi really realized what it meant to be in a dilemma. If you don't bow your head, the disaster will be in an instant, and if you bow your head, the disaster will be in the new year.

"It's terrible!"

Leaning on the bed and covering his face, Shen Zhezi's thoughts were racing and he was miserable.

The entanglement of this choice lies in the fact that the emperor's life is short, even if this brother can live for three more years and five years, Shen Zhezi will definitely not hesitate to agree to be his little pony. But there is only one year, and there is really no way to resist the joint counterattack of the family.

There are some absurd speculations about the cause of the death of this emperor who died young, and Shen Zhezi himself is curious about how Sima Shao died so hastily. Even if something goes wrong, Shen Zhezi doesn't think that he can help him continue his life, he is still a sick man. Do you tell this guy that you have to take care of your health, otherwise you will die next year?

Or cut *** into the palace for personal protection, eliminate all potential threats in advance? Don't say he doesn't want to, even if he does, the confident emperor will listen to him as a little kid?

"Or is it the other way around?"

As soon as this thought popped up in his mind, even if Shen Zhezixuan denied this idea, this was the real death.

Immediately, Shen Zhezi thought of the feasibility of going south to Jiaoguang for farming and development. Although it is still a barren land at the moment, it actually has a foundation. Not all of the Nandu Shi people were concentrated along the Yangtze River, and some of them migrated to Jiaoguang further south. In addition to farming, you can also go to Southeast Asia to develop maritime business, and if you have a certain foundation, you can either infiltrate into Yizhou Chenghan, or go directly across the ocean to the north.

With such an idea, Shen Zhezi's mind is a little calmer, and no matter how feasible it is, at least there is no way out, even if it is difficult to go north in this life, but a little bit of science and technology trees should support the development of the south.

But if he wants to give up Wu Xing's family business foundation, Shen Zhezi doesn't know how to convince his father, and he can't convince himself. At the moment, I haven't reached the end of the road, and it seems that I can still work hard.

After his mood returned to calm, Shen Zhezi first instructed Liu Meng to transfer dozens of Longxi soldiers into the city, and at the same time informed the troops on the south bank of the river to prepare for the response. After arranging the retreat, Shen Zhezi began to think about a way to break the game.

The reason why the emperor wanted to persecute the Shen family was naturally to create his own power, and the reason was that the Shen family was in an embarrassing situation. It is not a Jiangdong Gaomen, there is no strong alliance politically, the original backer Wang Dun is finished, and he has just taken the line of the Yu family and was cut off by the emperor, which is the moment of isolation.

If he wants to break the current situation, what Shen Zhezi has to do is to let the Shen family reintegrate into the Shi clan group in the shortest possible time, regardless of the north and south, and get rid of the situation of isolation and helplessness. At the same time, it is necessary to dampen the emperor's confidence and make him understand that the current strength is only vain, and he must not blindly act resolutely.

Each of these two purposes is not easy. In order to integrate into the noble community as soon as possible, it is necessary to unite the most prominent people of the moment. And the source of the emperor's confidence is the exile marshal he uses, which is also beyond the reach of the Shen family, and non-trivial wealth can be disintegrated.

Shen Zhezi combed through all the people who were now famous and prominent in the government and the opposition in his mind, and gradually locked on a goal, that is, Nanshi Jizhan who led Xi Jian into the court!

Ji Zhan This person is the crown of Nanshi, the premier existence among the Jiangnan scholars, who has the merit of the first plot in the turmoil just past, not only leading Xi Jian into the court to make the court use the homeless marshal, but also lying to protect the six armies, and the prestige and meritorious deeds have climbed to the extreme!

Although the candidates are locked, it is particularly difficult to achieve the goal. Gu Lu Gaomen's disregard is still in front of him, not to mention Ji Zhan, who is even more brilliant than him.

If before, Shen Zhezi didn't dare to think like this, but now the situation is different. The invitation in his hand has certainly forced the Shen family into a corner, but it is not an important bargaining chip obtained out of thin air!