In Xuzhou, Qin Zongquan stood at the head of the city, looking at the ironclad army array that stretched like a sea outside the city, and his expression was solemn.

The siege of the city is naturally the soldiers and horses of Zhu Wen, the envoy of the Xuanwu Festival. It's just that in just ten months, Zhu Wen's soldiers and horses have swelled from 100,000 to more than 600,000, the Xuanwu army has not expanded too much, and the other soldiers come from the feudal towns that were subdued by Zhu Wen.

Now Zhu Wen has 400,000 armor and is attacking Xuzhou on a large scale. When Qin Zongquan heard the news, he didn't even have the courage to lead the loyal army to meet the battle, but he ordered to shrink his forces, abandoned the northern prefectures and counties, and gathered the main force to hold Xuzhou City for reinforcements.

At this moment, Qin Zongquan's gaze fell on the front of the army outside the city. There is a battle formation there, the number of people is only five hundred, but it has the potential to swallow heaven and earth, whether it is Qin Zongquan or the soldiers of the loyal army, they don't have to feel too much at all, they can feel the pressure of the mountain on their shoulders.

The five hundred armor soldiers were dressed in white and held spears in silver armor, and they were all floating in the air, standing higher than the city wall of Xuzhou.

"That's the Dao soldier that Zhu Wen relied on to sweep through the various feudal towns?" Wu Hook's eyes lowered and his voice was heavy, "Five hundred True Realm monks, wearing talisman armor and holding magic weapons, how can ordinary soldiers match them?"

Qin Zongquan's expression was not only slaughtering, but also a strong anxiety, hearing Wu Gou's words, his voice was a little cold: "Since ancient times, the princes of the mortal world have been chasing the Central Plains, although there are also many monks involved, and there is no shortage of reincarnated immortals, who use immortal methods to bewitch the will of the enemy's generals and lords, so as to achieve a great victory. But this kind of situation where the Immortal Court Corps directly went to the lower realm is simply unheard of! If the war was fought like this, what kind of deer would the princes of the world chase, and they would have directly surrendered to the Daomen!"

Wu Gou's eyes changed: "It's not for nothing that the Daomen has controlled the orthodoxy of heaven and earth for so many years...... It wasn't that there were no Dao soldiers before the lower realm, and the last time was when there was chaos at the end of Qin. At that time, the elite corps of Great Qin had not long been in the world, and its combat power was still at its peak, and it could be described as invincible, and the heroes of the world could not match it. If it weren't for the immortals who bewitched the minds of the important ministers of the court and sent Taoist soldiers to the lower realm, those elite corps led by famous generals would have extinguished the chaotic army long ago......"

Qin Zongquan slammed his fist on the female wall, his eyes gradually turned red, and he gritted his teeth and said, "It's useless to say these things now, when will His Highness's reinforcements arrive?"

As early as when Li Ye pacified Hedong, Qin Zongquan ordered Wu Gou to go to Hedong to meet Li Ye and ask for an alliance to jointly deal with Zhu Wen, who was supported by the Daomen.

At that time, Li Ye had a tough attitude and did not agree to the alliance, but let the loyal army unilaterally obey the order, and Qin Zongquan was still resentful.

Fortunately, Qin Zongquan did not tear his face with Li Ye and completely rejected Li Ye's order, which retained the possibility of cooperation between the two sides.

This time, Zhu Wen swept across the Central Plains and sent troops to attack Xuzhou, and Qin Zongquan sent people to Pinglu early to ask for help, hoping that the Pinglu army could take action.

In the whole world, only Pinglu, who also has the Great Monk Regiment, can deal with Zhu Wen and save the loyal army.

Wu Hook said: "The envoy has already been sent, and he should have come back a long time ago, but the reason why there is no news back now is probably that His Highness is also considering ......."

In Wu Gou's view, Li Ye categorically had no reason not to support the Loyal Army. Once the Zhongwu army is destroyed, Zhu Wen will not have an opponent worth facing in the Central Plains. At that time, the Yellow River in the north, the Huai River in the south, the sea in the east, and the boundary of Tongguan in the west will fall into the hands of Zhu Wen.

The Central Plains has been rich since ancient times, with a large number of people, although the wealth of Huainan has surpassed that of the Central Plains at present, but in terms of population, the Central Plains is still the largest. If Zhu Wen is allowed to completely occupy the Central Plains, it will be the foundation of the real great cause.

......

Pinglu, Qingzhou City.

The political hall of King An's Mansion was already full of people, the main seat was empty, and Cui Keli sat in the position of the head, followed by Liu Dazheng, Shangguan Chengcheng and other generals. Now Cui Keli is presiding over the discussion, and what everyone is discussing now is whether to send troops to rescue Xuzhou and how to rescue it.

When Li Ye was not in Pinglu, in ordinary times, Cui Keli was in charge, Liu Dazheng was in charge, and whenever there was a major event, everyone would discuss it together.

"Zhu Wen swept through the towns of the Central Plains, and the rescue letters we received were not once or twice, and the reason why we did not send troops before was nothing more than to be afraid of those Xianting Dao soldiers. Now that the Dao soldiers are not damaged, we will not have the strength to fight with them unless we do our best to fight the demon monks. But if all the demon clan monks leave Pinglu, once Zhu Wen takes advantage of the situation, Pinglu will be in danger. ”

It was Liu Dazheng who spoke, and his words were quite neutral, "And Pinglu's immediate priority is to stabilize the north, govern the various feudal towns well, and establish His Highness's authority in the north." This is also the plan set by His Highness before leaving. So the general still said the same thing, before His Highness returned, the Pinglu Army was not involved in the war in the Central Plains. ”

Cui Keli pondered for a moment and slowly spoke: "If you don't save the loyal army, then Zhu Wen will get the entire Central Plains." Once His Highness does not return in time, and Zhu Wen pours troops from 'Henan' to attack Pinglu and 'Hebei', we will not be able to deal with it. ”

The opinions of the two basically represented the intentions of the officials, and the opinions of the officials present were divided into two factions, and they argued for many days, but there was no result. The same is true today.

After the deliberations were dispersed, there were only three people left in the hall: Cui Keli, Liu Dazheng, and Shangguan Chengcheng.

At this time, Cui Keli was able to say what he thought without fear, he sighed, and said with emotion: "The world is fighting, in the final analysis, the world is fighting." If today's Immortal Court intervenes, and even the demon clan monks have to join in, is this still a great battle in the mortal world?"

"Although there are monks in the mortal world, they are very few after all, and there are very few of them even in the real human realm. In front of the immortal court monks and the power of the demon clan, how are all living beings different from ants? The immortal realm can destroy a city and turn 100,000 people into dust with a single move, is this still a big dispute in the world?"

After he finished speaking, Liu Dazheng and Shangguan Chengcheng were silent.

At this time, a loud voice came from outside the door: "This troubled world is no longer just a troubled world in the mortal world, but a catastrophe of heaven and earth. What is the Great Tribulation? Great Chaos. The immortals are immortal and suffer heavy injuries, what is the great chaos? The immortals are one, and this catastrophe sweeping the world is also the proper meaning of the question. ”

Cui Keli and the others looked out the door, but they didn't see anyone, but there was no strange look on their faces.

It was the red boy who spoke, and when they were deliberating, the other party was also listening, but they didn't show up to participate in the debate.

Cui Keli frowned and said: "Immortals and mortals are one, but immortals and mortals cannot be separated!" In fact, this official has never thought that mortal affairs should be mixed and decided by immortals. Since the immortals don't care about the clouds and rain and benefit the common people, then mortal things should be done by mortals, and the immortals only care about the fairy world. Whenever there is a troubled time, what is the matter with the immortal court meddling in the situation of the great dispute? The unity of immortals and mortals is not a good thing in the first place, there should not be any providence in this world, and it is enough to have public opinion!"

Red Boy smiled: "It's useless for you to tell me about this, now it's such a situation, do you still want to change it?"

Cui Keli lowered his eyebrows and said with a straight face: "In the final analysis, this is the situation of the Daomen, not my Confucian!

The red boy didn't speak again, as if lost in thought.

At the end, before Cui Keli got up, he said to Shangguan Chengcheng and Liu Dazheng: "Please also ask the two generals to prepare for the battle in case of emergency." ”

"It's nature. Liu Dazheng said, "Regardless of whether the Pinglu army goes to war or not, this is necessary." ”

After leaving the palace, Cui Keli did not return to the official office or the mansion, but still came to a academy in the east of the city.

This academy is Cui Keli's words, Li Ye approved the construction, it is larger than the private school, now there are 3,000 students, than the Tai Academy it accepts a wider range of disciples, eunuchs and commoners.

According to the curriculum of the college, every five days, there is a time for Cui Keli to teach, no matter how busy he is with political affairs, he will come on time when the time comes.

There were only thirty bookcases in the room where Cui Keli taught, but hundreds of people came to attend the lectures. Not only the corridors outside the house, but also the courtyard were crowded, and even the courtyard walls were crawling with disciples. This is very unusual for Confucian students, who have always valued gifts.

Fortunately, Cui Keli has a literary master, but he doesn't have to worry that no one will hear him.

After the lecture, when Cui Keli left the academy, it was already sunset.

There was a scholar standing outside the academy.

The setting sun stretched his shadow long in the streets.

"Senior brother, Yangzhou Wenhui, Mr. and the other three sages are together, commenting on the world's Confucian scholars, and then setting the list of eight masters and seventy-two handsome people, are you really not going?" Zhang Zhongsheng asked, with a look of anger between his eyebrows.

He had already left Pinglu, but now that it was approaching June, Cui Keli, who had promised to go to Yangzhou earlier, suddenly said that he was not going south, and he came to inquire angrily.

Cui Keli shook his head: "The situation in the Central Plains is changing, and the political affairs in Pinglu are complicated, and it is really impossible to get away from being a brother. ”

When Zhang Zhongsheng heard this, the anger in his eyes became even stronger, so that his voice suddenly became a little louder: "Senior brother, as a disciple of Confucianism, should know that this literary meeting is a grand event of Confucianism! With the talent of senior brother, after all these years of precipitation, he may not be able to rank on the list of eight masters. When the time comes, the fame will be passed on to the world, respected by the world's scholars, and praised by future generations of scholars, isn't it more important than mere secular affairs?!"

Trekley was silent. He knew very well that if he didn't go to Yangzhou, let alone rank among the eight masters, he might even lose the identity of seventy-two Junyan.

Yangzhou is where the Huainan Jiedu envoy governs the state, and now the Huainan Jiedu envoy Gao Biao has subdued most of the feudal towns in Huainan, and is the princes of the world, and the ambition of becoming a great cause has been revealed. Confucianism held a literary meeting in Yangzhou to evaluate the world's scholars, and there was no meaning of attracting talents for Gao Biao.

In other words, the last princes chosen by Confucianism were Huainan Gao.

Cui Keli did not directly answer Zhang Zhongsheng's question, he turned to look at the plaque of the academy and asked Zhang Zhongsheng, "Do you know, why did my brother run this academy?"

Zhang Zhongsheng didn't expect the other party to suddenly talk about this stubble, slightly stunned, and also curious: "Why?"

Cui Keli, who was bathed in the glow of the sunset, had a strange brilliance in his eyes, "Everyone in the world says that Confucian scholars are useless in troubled times and virtuous in prosperous times." Whenever there is a troubled era, the soldiers are great, and the scholars are not familiar with the battle array, so they can only deal with the head and tail for the soldiers, and their status is humble; every time they are prosperous, the scholars are among the courts, but they are busy suppressing the soldiers, fighting for power and profit, or flattering the superior, or seeking fame in history. ”

Therefore, people with lofty ideals all over the world laughed at Confucianism, saying that since the contention of a hundred schools, Confucianism has become the most unrecognizable, and it is simply forgotten its ancestors. The previous people and nobles sacrificed themselves for righteousness, and became kings, ministers, fathers, sons, and sons, and even the words 'divine authority of the monarch' can be spoken......."

He turned around and looked at Zhang Zhongsheng: "Yangzhou Wenhui, in the final analysis, is just a clear talk. Even if the so-called Eight Masters and Seventy-two Junyan can be given this holy weapon, which greatly increases the power of the article and allows more people to be 'loyal to the monarch', in the eyes of me, Cui Keli, this is not more important than the decree that can solve the problem of the autumn harvest of the people of a village!"

Zhang Zhongsheng sank his face: "Senior brother thinks so?"

He clearly disagreed with the other party's assertion.

Cui Keli didn't argue with Zhang Zhongsheng, Fu looked up at the plaque of the academy again, and said slowly: "The princes all think that there is no need to use Confucian scholars in troubled times, because it is more important to know the way of the battlefield and know how to plow and fight. Wait until the world is peaceful, and then use scholars to govern the country and study. Therefore, in the era of a hundred schools of thought, we Confucianism did not make much achievements, and it was not until the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that it began to really show itself in the world. ”

"However, scholars don't go to the battlefield in troubled times, they don't go to the border in prosperous times, they haven't seen the blood in the desert, and they haven't seen the bones in troubled times, they will forget why the world is governed and why scholars want to be in the court!"

"The Confucian scholar I want is not such a Confucian scholar. The people I want to read are those who can make achievements in troubled times, and even more in prosperous times, who can not only calm the world, but also govern the world! With such scholars, the troubled times can be peaceful, the prosperous times can be governed, and the affairs of the world can be truly brought to order!"

"In this way, the people of the world will not be disappointed in the current situation, will not be crushed by the hard life, or because they are uneducated and ignorant, they will burn incense and worship the Buddha, and ask for the blessing of the immortals!"

"If this world is really prosperous, there should be no incense in temples and Taoist temples, and immortals don't have to exist!

"Immortals don't die, the world can't be cured! A real scholar should still be alive and well, give thousands of well-being to the people, make incense offerings, and kill the immortals in the sky!"

"Establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a life for the people, continue to study for the saints, and open peace for all generations, this is what a scholar should do! This is the reason why I, Cui Keli, set up this academy!"

These words are like Jin Ge, better than thunder, and the aftermath is lingering and enduring.

The words fell, but Trikley didn't look back.

His figure is not magnificent, but he has a light on his shoulders.

Zhang Zhongsheng fell silent, thoughtful.

In the middle of the ring, he woke up in horror, and saw that Cui Keli's eyes took on a strong look of horror, and he cried out in a lost voice, "You...... No wonder you don't go to Yangzhou Wenhui, it turns out to be ...... It turns out that you want to set up another door and become a Confucian sect of your own!"

Cui Keli flicked his sleeves and snorted coldly: "Why not?"

Zhang Zhongsheng was speechless.

Because he discovered an even more terrifying truth.

Trikley has a golden glow on his body.

He had thought it was sunset.

And now he's seeing that it's not.

He took three steps back, pointed at Cui Keli, and was dumbfounded: "Wen ...... Wensheng! You ...... How is this possible!"

Trekley didn't answer.

He just stared at the college plaque.

That was his ambition and hope, the way to which he could die.

Name of the Academy: Junzitang.