Thirteen, Chess Club and Chicken Club

During the ten days after taking a boat from Jiangzhou to Jinling, Zhou Xuan not only drank and played chess, sipped tea and flirted every day, but also learned about the current situation of the Chinese countries from Judge Fan and Lin Heishan, which was confirmed with the historical facts of the Five Dynasties Southern Tang that he had mastered. He had a clear outline in his heart. Today, he came to see Chen Kai, the Minister of War, today.

Zhou Xuan asked the first sentence: "What did Uncle Chen think that the Tang Dynasty can last until now?"

Chen Kai was stunned. Zhou Xuan asked this question very boldly and sharply, but Chen Kai liked such a young man who showed his strength and sharpness. His personality had long been revealed to Zhou Xuan by his nephew Chen Ji. He pondered for a while and said solemnly: "The long-lasting country is the blessing of Haotian!"

With this sentence alone, Zhou Xuan felt a sudden respect for Chen Kai. This was an honest and not exaggerated official. He praised: "Uncle Chen's eyes were indeed like a raging. If it weren't for the brothers of Zhao and Song who killed each other and the momentum of Song's killing Chu and destroying Shu, he thought that Tang was in danger. Uncle Chen, Duke Rui He Jingzhu, and Lin Renzhao, the governor of Ningguo Army, disagreed with the opposition and advocated taking advantage of the chaos in the Song Dynasty to recover Huainan, and reverse the decline in one fell swoop, and never pay tribute to the Northern Song Dynasty again. This is really a courageous idea. The protection of the Tang Dynasty is indeed the blessing of Haotian, but without the foresight and great knowledge of Uncle Chen, it would be useless to give God the opportunity to seize it. How could he keep the peace for more than 20 years!"

Chen Kai was originally half-closed and silent. At this time, he opened his eyes in horror and said, "Young Master Zhou is indeed very knowledgeable. I would like to hear the high-profile discussions of the current trends of the countries."

Zhou Xuan felt that he had no momentum while sitting, stood up, paced back and forth, and said, "Zhou Shizong Chai Rong used Wang Pu's "Pingbian Ceremony" to unify the world first, and then north, and half of the country that he had worked hard to conquer was cheaper for Zhao Kuangyin. Zhao Kuangyin destroyed Shu and captured Concubine Fei, the lord of Shu Meng Chang, who was the prince of Shu, and was very favored by Mrs. Huarui. Unexpectedly, his brother Zhao Guangyi also coveted this devastating concubine with both talent and beauty. In the fifth year of Kaibao, Zhao Guangyi killed his brother and usurped the throne. Zhao Dezhao, the son of Zhao Kuangyin, joined forces with another uncle Zhao Tingmei to occupy Shu. The land of Chu established its own national throne and competed with Zhao Guangyi. The Song State fell into a civil war for years and had no time to expand. This was the blessing of our Tang State. He then recaptured the fourteen prefectures in Huainan, no longer paid huge tribute every year, and the land crossed the Yangtze River and Huai River, and the benefits of tea, salt, rice, and silk were given. The Tang State became increasingly rich—"

Chen Kai leaned forward, listened very sensiblely, nodded and said, "Young Master Zhou analyzed it very well, please boldly talk about the pros and cons of the current situation."

Zhou Xuan said: "But the ruler and ministers of the Tang Dynasty were relatively peaceful and did not want to make progress. They were satisfied with maintaining the land of the thirty-six states. Don't you know that once the Song Dynasty was unified, you would be able to march south. Song Dynasty was a tiger and wolf army that had been fighting for many years, and the Tang Dynasty's military preparations were lax, and it was probably difficult to resist. My nephew heard that Hu Yanzan, the general under Zhao Guangyi, was unstoppable and seized the twelve cities under Zhao Dezhao. I wonder what the latest battle situation was?"

Chen Kai replied: "I received a quick report seven days ago. Zhao Tingmei fought with Hu Yanzan in Bazhong. Hu Yanzan was injured by arrows. Zhao Tingmei died in battle. The big city of Dongchuan was captured by Hu Yanzan. Hu Yanzan is currently recovering from wounds and soldiers. After the spring is rich and snow is melted, Zhao Tingmei is Zhao Dezhao's left and right arm. Zhao Dezhao is in danger. Moreover, Zhao Guangyi used Zhao Pu's plan to surrender Zhao Defang, and promised that he would be the King of Shu. In less than half a year, the land of Shu and Chu would be fully in the hands of Zhao Guangyi. At that time, the warships went straight down from Jingmen, and the Yangtze River was no longer in danger!"

Zhou Xuan said: "Did Uncle Chen advise His Majesty the Emperor on this? When the two Zhaos maintained a balance of power, it was good to sit in the mountains and watch the tiger fight, but seeing that one of the tigers was about to bite the other to death, we should send troops to help the weak tiger immediately."

Chen Kai said helplessly: "What Mr. Zhou said is so true. I have also advised His Majesty to send troops to help Zhao Defang. However, Lord Xu, the master of the imperial edict, did not advocate sending troops. Lord Wei of the Left Prime Minister, advocated sending troops, but he wanted to send troops to deal with Zhao Defang and seize the land of Jingchu. Therefore, the three sides could not stand up, and Your Majesty did not make a decision."

Zhou Xuan said: "My nephew is in good terms with His Royal Highness, but he may help his uncle. Uncle, there are no outsiders here. I would like to ask, "Who is the prince or King Jing who is virtuous?"

Chen Kai has been practicing in the officialdom for many years, but he didn't know what Zhou Xuan meant? The situation of the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty was very subtle. When Li Yu's father Li Jing ascended the throne, in order to appease his brothers, he established a brother-in-law alliance in front of the coffin of the advanced emperor, but this caused the mutual destruction. Li Kun's father Li Hongji was a cruel person and poisoned his uncle who was made the crown prince. However, Li Hongji himself died in an unknown way. After Li Yu ascended the throne, he decided to abolish the brother-in-law and make his son Li Jian the crown prince. If Li Jing's inheritance alliance in the past, Li Kun should be made the crown prince. Then after Li Kun ascended the throne, Li Jian was appointed as the crown prince. Therefore, some old ministers were dissatisfied with Li Yu's restructuring of the old system of the advanced emperor.

Chen Kai said: "Nephew Zhou, I am in charge of the Ministry of War. Just be concerned about the outside world. Don't ask me about the affairs of the government."

Zhou Xuan said: "We must first calm the country when fighting against foreign countries. Uncle Chen's important officials and the people's expectations, how can we not ask about the government's affairs!"

Chen Kai smiled and said, "If the virtuous nephew Zhou can convince His Majesty to send troops to rescue Zhao Dezhao, then I would like to follow the virtuous nephew's leader."

Zhou Xuan said: "Uncle has ruined his nephew, but he can try his best and ask him to give him ten days."

Chen Kai was overjoyed and stayed Zhou Xuan and Judge Fan, and Lin Heishan had dinner in the mansion. Zhou Xuan said: "Dinner is still early. My nephew heard that his uncle was very good at chess skills and wanted to ask his uncle for a game."

Only then did Chen Kai learn that Zhou Xuan was one of the three chess players selected by the Fenghua Army, and said happily: "How dare I play chess with the masters who participated in the Lantern Festival chess battle? Since my nephew wants to give me advice, I can only bite the bullet and respond. I just hope that my nephew will not kill too hard, so I can't resist it."

In the game of chess, Zhou Xuan asked first, and then to play black. When the chess was in the middle game, Zhou Xuan tested Chen Kai's chess power. It was indeed not weak, which was equivalent to the three-stage strong amateur. He was decisive in killing and powerful, but his layout was weak and he was not good at managing the empty mid-abdomen. Although he occupied four big horns, he was surrounded by the mid-abdomen. If the territory was large, he could put down a slap.

The strength difference is huge, and Zhou Xuan did not use all his strength. The game ended with a black chess wins two and a half.

Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Uncle, my nephew dared to say that this is a failure to be ignorant of the general trend and a peaceful situation."

...

After dinner at the Chen Mansion, Chen Kai personally sent Zhou Xuan and others to the door of the mansion, watched them get on the horse and leave by car before turning back to the mansion.

Judge Fan sighed: "Young Master Zhou is so talented. Mr. Chen has always been arrogant and cold in dealing with people. If he hadn't valued the young master very much, how could he send him out in person!"

Lin Heishan also looked at his brother-in-law with admiration and said, "Mr. Chen is extremely strict in his power. Many generals are very respectful to Lord Chen. How can he say it just like Brother Xuan? Brother Xuan is really knowledgeable. His words just now are too insightful!"

Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "I relied on Chen Ji's relationship, and I talked about Lord Chen's worries, so I appreciated him. It was just a different way to interact with others. I would like to his preferences or to relieve his worries. Now I just hope that His Majesty the Emperor summoned me soon, and I would like to use poetry as a door-to-door brick. When I work hard at night, I can fill in a wonderful poem and let His Highness present to the emperor to the emperor to read. This is to suit his preferences."

Judge Fan was impressed.

The beginning of spring has passed, and the cold is still there. The night in Jinling is noisy and prosperous. Every family is sings and every household is singing. I am impatient and have already hung various lanterns in front of the door.

Everyone left Qingxifang and went west along Tongji Avenue to return to the residence of Mochou Lake. When they passed by Xiangrufang Gate, Zhou Xuan suddenly heard a familiar voice in the carriage.

"I said, my second brother, why did you sell that mighty general before the final battle? Then what would you take to participate in the Lantern Festival Chicken Battle tomorrow?"

Another familiar voice said: "This is what my third brother asked me to sell. I listened to my third brother. He is my think tank."

"Third brother, why did you ask your second brother to sell chickens?"

Another familiar voice said: "I had a dream last night that I dreamed that my second brother's mighty general was pecked and covered in blood and was defeated, so I asked my second brother to sell it."

"Ah, you sold the chicken just because of a dream. Dreams are against each other. Dreams are a big defeat, and dreaming of a big defeat means a big victory!"

"Big brother, second brother, third brother, I am different from others since I was a child. It can be said that I am gifted and have no dreams, but I am all right."

Zhou Xuan laughed loudly, poked his head out of the car window, and shouted, "Three Young Masters Xu, how much money did the good chicken sell?" He stopped the carriage.

Three fat men walked out of the light and shadow and asked in unison: "Who is it?"

Four people were followed by the three fat men, one in charge and three servants. The manager recognized Lin Heishan who was riding on the horse and said in surprise: "General Lin, you have also entered Beijing!"

Lin Heishan couldn't remember this person, he just felt familiar.

Zhou Xuan also pretended to be injured and was inconvenient to get out of the car. Judge Fan came down and said, "Manager Liu, haha, three young masters Xu, why don't you go back to Jiangzhou during the New Year!"

These three fat men are the three sons of Xu Duan, Xu Yong and Xu Shu, the governor of Jiangzhou. They received Zhou Xuan’s good prescription in early August last year and started to go to Li County, Zhou Li, and fought cocks everywhere. After the three fools left, the Xu Mansion was in purity. Xu was very grateful to Zhou Xuan.

Manager Liu Xi said: "It turns out to be Lord Fan, who is Lord Fan--"

Manager Liu began to complain: "Since last August, I accompanied the three young masters to leave Jiangzhou, traveling westward, and traveled over fifty counties. In early November, I arrived in Jinling. I originally planned to play in Jinling for ten days and a half months before leaving for Jiangzhou. I always have to go home for the New Year, but the three young masters heard that there was a grand Lantern Festival chicken party after the New Year, so I refused to go back. They said that it would be difficult to come and attend the chicken party after the New Year. Oh, it was all the blame for Mr. Zhou. What a strange formula, it made the three young masters crazy."

The three young masters Xu don’t like to listen to this. Zhou Xuan is their benefactor. Without Zhou Xuan, the three brothers would not be as free and happy as they are now. The boss A Duan retorted: “Mr. Zhou’s prescription is very good, and it is extremely strange. All three of us brothers feel that our minds are very open and they are more than a thousand times smarter than before, right, second brother, third brother?”

"Yes!" Ayong and Ashu said in unison.

Judge Fan knew the infatuation of the three sons of Governor Xu, and it was really difficult for Manager Liu to be the one who was in charge of Manager Liu, and said, "Thank you for Manager Liu, you have worked hard, and Master Zhou is in the carriage."

Manager Liu then recognized that the person in the car window was Zhou Xuan, and his face froze and he felt very embarrassed.

Zhou Xuan patted the car window and smiled, "Manager Liu, don't complain, let the three young masters Xu share half of the money they sold for the chicken."

When the three young masters Xu saw Zhou Xuan, they were particularly intimate. They gathered outside the car window and said nothing more than that.

Because Xu Danyuan is the wife of Lin Dai's second son, Judge Fan cannot neglect it and ask Manager Liu where they are now living. When he learned that he was in the inn, he immediately sent several servants to follow Manager Liu and three Xu's servants to the inn to move all their luggage to the shore of Mochou Lake.

On the way, Zhou Xuan asked the three young masters Xu what the meaning of Lantern Festival chickens mean?

Xu Duan said: "Even the famous chickens from the 36 states of the Tang Dynasty came to Jinling to fight. Wow, it's so fun to fight for a month."

Judge Fan smiled and said, "Jinling holds Lantern Festival Chess Battle, Lantern Festival Chicken Club, Qingming Yuanshe Championship, and Double Ninth Festival insect battle, which is very lively. Moreover, there is no limit on this Lantern Festival Chicken Club. Anyone can bring a chicken to fight. Therefore, although it is not as orthodox and solemn as the chess battle held by the Hanlin Academy, it is much larger than the Lantern Festival Chess Battle."

Zhou Xuan laughed loudly. It was so interesting to hold the Lantern Festival Chess Festival and the Lantern Festival Chicken Festival! The people of Tang Dynasty lived a happy life!

Zhou Xuan felt comfortable when he saw these games and played. Fighting for power and profit was boring. Although his generous speech just now made Mr. Chen look at him with admiration, thank you for your hard work. Go, Cuju, and fighting insects are Zhou Xuan's favorites. However, the Tang Kingdom is in such a stormy moment, and the prosperity is a serious crisis under the surface. If you are not careful, the country will be destroyed and the family will be destroyed. This is something Zhou Xuan would never be willing to face. Therefore, he must help Li Jian stabilize the position of crown prince. First, he must persuade Li Yu to send troops to rescue Zhao Dezhao, so that Song Kingdom will continue to confront the uncle and nephew, and have no time to go south.
Chapter completed!