After returning to Kaifeng Mansion, Wu Haogu has been very busy, there are a lot of accounts to see on the side of the Republic, and there are some major decisions for him to make, and there are a lot of necessary entertainments...... However, it is still indispensable to communicate with the children of the Su family and the Han family.

Although Wu Haogu was subjectively unwilling to get involved in the party struggle of the imperial court, most of the "non-party gentlemen" in the court would not regard officials like Wu Haogu as a fellow party. But the current situation is really a bit complicated, on the one hand, the imperial examination reform has caused a lot of controversy; On the one hand, it is the third time that the river is open.

In this case, the gentlemen in the two sects of Han and Su naturally had to exchange views with Wu Haogu and discuss countermeasures. What's more, Wu Haogu is really not an outsider to Han Zhongyan and Su Dongpo.

"Chongdao, today's Chongzheng Hall asked the right question, and the official family asked the question of how many islands in the eastern and southern seas of the Great Song Dynasty could be occupied." On this day, Wu Haogu and Wu Haowen went to see Han Zhongyan together and exchanged a few words, and the latter talked about Zhao Ji's desire to open up overseas. Han Zhongyan looked at Wu Haogu a little strangely, "Did you mention this matter to the official family?" ”

It may be because the capital of China has been far away from the sea since ancient times, so the whole country does not pay much attention to the interests of the sea, so Han Zhongyan also found it difficult to understand the question raised by Zhao Ji.

However, he still guessed that this matter must be related to Wu Haogu - everything that is difficult to understand now, nine times out of ten, Wu Haogu did it!

Wu Haogu didn't deny it, nodded and smiled: "It's said by the lower officials and the official family, there are quite a lot of overseas islands in the southeast, except for Japan, there are basically no decent countries occupying them, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a terra nullius." Now the official family has the ambition to open up territory, and it is better to occupy them all...... Doesn't that make the territory look bigger? And the cost is also small, so it will not make the finances of the imperial court beyond its means. ”

Overseas interests, Wu Haogu does not expect people like Han Zhongyan to understand. However, it is definitely cheaper to enclose overseas than to recover the land of Lingxia, and the Americas and Australia can't go now, and Taiwan, the Philippines, Borneo, and the Ryukyu Islands can't go? Even if there is no economic benefit, those territories add up to more than 1 million square kilometers! The Northern Song Dynasty is now only 27.8 million square kilometers...... This is a million people who open up a million territory and are famous overseas, how is it not a great martial art?

If Song Huizong had done this great thing, would he not have been blown up as the "Great Song Sea Emperor" and the "Western Pacific Overlord" in the history books of later generations?

If the Australian continent can be "discovered", wouldn't Song Huizong become the first monarch of China? I'm afraid that the temple number of Huizong will have to be changed......

Han Zhongyan laughed twice: "Chongdao, you are still so good at settling accounts, you really deserve the name of 'the world's wealthy businessman' given to you by the official family." ”

"Of course we have to settle accounts...... Wu Haogu said with a smile, "Thousands of miles of overseas expansion in the southeast are just a few boats, and the affairs of thousands of people can be invested in tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands." Even if you get all the wild land, it's worth it, isn't it? If you want to snatch thousands of miles from the Western Thieves and Khitans, you can't spend tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of thousands of dead and wounded? ”

"So, big brother, are you against Hehuang Kaibian?" Wu Haowen frowned and interjected.

Wu Haogu turned his head to look at his younger brother and found that his expression was a little strange, "What?" Erlang, are you in favor of attacking Hehuang? ”

Wu Haowen actually nodded and admitted: "Naturally, I am in favor...... Shouldn't the thieves have been in turmoil for decades, and the whole world has been exhausted? I have read Wang Shao's "Ping Rong Ce" and think it makes sense. The reason why it did not succeed was because the imperial court was uncertain on the issue of the two states of He. ”

He even criticized his father-in-law, Old Taishan Han Zhongyan. Wu Haogu turned his head to look at Han Zhongyan again, and Han Zhongyan just smiled bitterly.

The old party has been suppressed for so long that it has lost a generation of young Confucian students. Moreover, the old party's view that conservatives are beaten is indeed a bit out of line with the tastes of young people.

Wu Haogu smiled: "I really don't approve of the three battles of Hehuang, but the official family has made up its mind, and we can only find ways to become a courtier."

Of course, there is a high probability of winning this time. Western Xia was badly injured in the last Battle of Hengshan, and has not yet recovered, so he may not necessarily interfere in the Hehuang War. The inner part of Hehuang and Tubo fell apart, and there was no way to stop the army from marching westward. Erlang, if you want to make meritorious contributions, it is better to go to the official family to ask for war, follow Wang Hou to be a good time, and then when you return to Kaifeng Mansion, you will be a Beijing official. ”

"That's what my little brother wants!"

Wu Haogu nodded, if his brother wants to make a contribution, he can't stop him, right? After chatting with Han Zhongyan for a while, Wu Haogu didn't have the heart to say any more, so he said goodbye and left. Only then did he return to the Wu family's mansion with Wu Haowen, and one of Wang Hou's personal soldiers came to visit with a famous post, specifying that Wu Haogu was invited to the old Tang family store for a gathering.

The old Tang family store is also one of the 72 main buildings of Kaifeng Mansion, located in the west wing of Kaifeng Mansion, very close to the right Cheng Mansion of Su Dongpo, and is a very clean place.

Wu Haogu already knew that his younger brother intended to follow Wang Hou to Hehuang, so he took his brother out again.

When Wang Hou made an appointment in Shen, the evening market had not yet started, and it was about the time to eat tea and dim sum and chat - although most Song people still had two meals a day, it was already a habit of eating three or even four or five meals a day in a metropolis like Kaifeng Mansion. In addition to the main meal, there is also a refreshment supper, which can be eaten from the rooster to the ghost.

Wu Haogu and Wu Haowen arrived a little earlier than the agreed time, and Wang Hou, the host of the treat, had not yet arrived, but he had already sent someone to book a private room in the old Tang family's store. After Wu Haogu entered the door, he reported Wang Hou's name, and was immediately welcomed into a side room on the second floor.

"Erlang, let's wait here for a while." Wu Haogu untied his sword and handed it to Wu Chengjiu, who followed-Wu Haogu's uncle didn't actually know any martial arts, but he looked more powerful, so after Olga was busy taking care of the children, and Zhou Yunqing served as the head of the Jiehe Yuntai Academy, Wu Haogu made him a follower.

"It's okay......" As soon as Wu Haowen's words fell, there was a burst of applause from the private room next door, and the shouting was wanton and wild, with a little sharpness. The steward of the old Tang family's shop, who accompanied the Wu Haogu brothers upstairs, explained with a smile: "Two officials, next door is the Gongsheng who came to Beijing to catch the exam this time, and one of them is a child of the Tang family from Chengdu......

The owner of the old Tang family store is naturally surnamed Tang, and he is from Shuzhong - the Tang Gate in Shuzhong is their home! The ancestor is also very powerful, he is His Royal Highness Yiergan, the founding king of the former Shu State in the fifth dynasty of the Tang Dynasty, and the founding hero of the former Shu. Later, when the former Shu was passed to the later lord Wang Yan, it was decayed and attacked by Li Cunmiao, and the ancestors of the Tang family abandoned the darkness and surrendered to the Later Tang Dynasty. Later, the Xichuan Festival of the Later Tang Dynasty made Meng Zhixiang rebel, and the ancestor of the Tang family once again abandoned the darkness and surrendered to Meng Zhixiang, and became the founding hero of Hou Shu. Later, Hou Shu was not good, Zhao and Song sent troops to attack, and the ancestor of the Tang family once again abandoned the darkness and surrendered to the Song Dynasty, so he was summoned to Kaifeng Mansion and became a nominal empty official, the old Tang family store was opened at that time, and it was the best Sichuan restaurant in the entire Kaifeng Mansion......

However, there are many Tang families, and they don't all come to Kaifeng Mansion to sell Sichuan food, and many people open restaurants in Sichuan, known as the century-old Tangmen in Shuzhong.

"You don't have to change it, it's here." Wu Haogu was not a picky person, and with a wave of his hand, he let the Tang family steward leave.

At this time, the private room next door came from the sound of Sichuan official dialect.

“…… The next subject is going to take the Tianli human desire of Shizi, Brother Zhongda is not worried, Chengdu Xie Yuan, this subject must be successful! I'm miserable! ”

A voice that sounded steady said, "What's there?" Isn't it just two more exams? And there are still left and right lists in the lower department, the martial arts of your Tang family in Shuzhong, are you afraid of a right list jinshi? ”

"Brother Zhongda, don't make fun of me, I'm a scholar, and I learn some martial arts to strengthen my body, how can I use it to get into the Jinshi?"

Another person with a very sharp voice spoke: "Now that the world is going down, do you all know that Mu Daogang is performing martial arts?" The dignified son of heaven is going to see a group of vulgar martial artists selling fists, what kind of thing is this! ”

"Isn't it that old idea?" The self-proclaimed Tang Xiaoyao said, "Businessmen just don't enter the stream...... How can officials trust merchants? ”

"Yes, yes! A merchant is the last business, worse than a farmer......"

Wu Haogu laughed bitterly when he heard this, he, the big proprietor of the Republican Bank, the head of Jiehe Shang City is a lowly businessman, and the century-old Tang Sect that opened a restaurant is not a businessman? And that Lu Jia asked "Lu Xiucai" (Wu Haogu didn't know that Lu Xiucai was Zhang Dan's pen name), now they are all coal bosses, aren't they businessmen? There is also Ji Yi, who was born in the Ji family maritime business, and now he still wants to learn to run a business market by himself...... The head of this Jiehe Shang City is a businessman, why is the head of Jingdong Shang City not a businessman?

When Wu Haogu was thinking about how the people of the Song Dynasty defined a businessman, the door was knocked a few times, and then it was pushed open, and the steward of the old Tang family led two people in, one of them was Wang Hou, and the other was Wu Haogu's friend Gao Yu.

After Gao Yu entered the door, he saw that Wu Haowen was also there, so he smiled and said, "Wu Erlang is also there!" Today, I asked your brother to come out to talk about the martial arts on the sixth day of the first lunar month, you are full of history books, why don't you also give us a martial arts staff officer? ”

It turned out that Gao Yu also gave Zhao Ji a military attaché, and the day of Mu Daogang's military performance was also set, on the sixth day of the first month of the third year of the Yasukuni Dynasty.