I will not be king in the Spring and Autumn Period

Hearing this, Li Ran couldn't help but nodded in response:

"Exactly. After all, the Zhao family in Handan and the Zhao family have the same origin. And the current Zhao family suzerain, Zhao Yang, is allied with us, so maybe we can go to Handan to borrow troops."

However, Confucius hesitated for a long time when he heard the words, and then said:

"It's just... to say that the Handan Zhao family is peaceful with this sect on the surface, but it is said that they are very close to the Fan family and the Zhongxing family, and the current suzerain Zhao Wu, whose mother is the Zhongxing family daughter. Therefore, her attitude is very unclear, and it is really hard to say..."

Li Ran nodded when he heard the words, agreeing with what Kong Qiu said.However, although he knew it was difficult, he had no other choice now:
"At that time, Xun Bi, a general of the Jin State, was originally a member of the Zhongxing family and was used by Fan Yang. In the end, Li Ran persuaded him with a few words. But now the Zhao family in Handan is just a generation of people who have the right and wrong. It is not known whether there is an opportunity to take advantage of it or not.”

"What's more, now Yunyi is in danger, Qihou's attitude is unclear, and Zheng Guo is far away from the water and can't cure the near-term illness. For the current plan, we can only try it temporarily! Even if it doesn't work, we can try another method .”

So, after discussing for a while, the people finally decided to divide the troops into two groups, Kong Qiu went to Qi State, while Li Ran went to Handan.

Kong Qiu went to Qi State before Lu Hou left, and also met Qi Hou, Yan Ying, Gao Zhang (Gao Zhaozi) and others as an envoy of Lu.

Moreover, he persuaded Qi Hou at that time.This time he went again, although he would not be welcomed by Qi State, but after all he had accumulated some contacts in Qi State, so he should be able to speak better.

As for Li Ran, he considered that he was on good terms with Zhao Yang, the patriarch of the Zhao clan, so if he came forward in person, he might be more confident.

And at this moment, Guan Cong sent someone to bring news from Luoyi:
Star officials watch the sky at night, and there are frequent stars falling in the direction of Lu country, which may indicate that many prominent people will fall on their side in the near future. Therefore, Li Ran should pay more attention to the observation, and it is best to go out less in the near future better.

Li Ran actually didn't believe in the astrology.But he also knew that since they had such concerns, it was probably not groundless.

Just like the fire in the Four Kingdoms that year, perhaps Guan Cong got some new news from other places, but he couldn't explain it.

When Sun Wu heard about it, he was also quite disturbed, so he advised Li Ran to take Chu Dang with him in case of accidents.

However, Li Ran was also worried about Yunyi, while Sun Wu sighed and said:
"Don't worry, Mr. Sun Wu is safe here. We only need to strengthen the city defense day and night, and we will not take the initiative to attack."

"As for the brute strength of Chu Dang, Wu was afraid that he would stay here in vain, and that he would tear down the city wall. It would be better to let him go out with Mr., so as not to suffocate him .”

Sun Wu took the time to tease him, which made everyone laugh.The originally extremely solemn and gloomy atmosphere suddenly became a bit humorous.

Therefore, everyone also agreed on this, Zilu followed Kong Qiu, and Li Ran took Chu Dang with him.

……

After the meeting ended, Li Ran returned to his residence and told Ji Le that he was going to Handan to borrow troops, but Ji Le was quite reluctant, and couldn't help hugging her husband tenderly.

"Husband, you are always running around like this, Le'er is really uncomfortable..."

"Le'er, you've been worrying too much recently. During the time you're going out for your husband, you must stop thinking about it. If this can be done, and everything goes well, Ah Chou's return to China can also be resolved together!"

Ji Le caressed Li Ran's cheek.

"You've lost weight... Husband must pay attention to safety when you go out. Le'er is actually fine, but I miss Guang'er a little, and... I'm worried about your safety..."

"Guang'er is accompanied by Fan Li, and I have Chu Dang as guards. This time, Le'er can rest assured!"

Ji Le nodded slightly, while Li Ran held her face lovingly.

"Madam has also worked hard..."

Ji Le smiled.

"Husband, you don't have to worry about Le'er. In fact, it's good that Le'er can accompany Ah Chou more, but Ah Chou...he seems to be getting weaker and weaker recently...hey..."

Ji Le also noticed the abnormality of Lu Houchou's body, so she was also a little worried.

"Ma'am, don't worry, Ah Chou's illness is actually a knot in his heart. When he is escorted back to the country, everything will be resolved..."

While talking, the two looked at each other, as if they had endless things to say...

Nothing in the night

No matter how reluctant Li Ran and Ji Lezong were, they still had to part.

But before Li Ran left, he specially wrote a letter, and the messenger must send it to Dong Anyu in Jiangcheng.

Since Yang Hu's strategy was to encircle but not cooperate, leaving some gaps for the people in the city to escape, so Li Ran and Chu Dang left Yunyi smoothly and headed towards Handan only by taking advantage of the darkness.

Leaving aside the rush all the way, the two of them reached Handan very smoothly.

And Zhao Wu, the Handan doctor, heard that Li Ran, the Taishi of Luoyi, was here, so he warmly received Li Ran and regarded him as a guest of honour.

Li Ran explained the purpose of coming, but Zhao Wu didn't show any fluctuations on the surface, just said:

"Li Taishi already understands what Li Taishi means, but as for the matter of borrowing troops, please forgive Wu for not being able to do it himself right now. Waiting for Wu to send someone to go to Jiangcheng to ask the suzerain's intentions. If the suzerain agrees, I, the whole Handan family, will be duty-bound! It is also appropriate to give some soldiers and horses to Li Taishi."

Although Li Ran was a little impatient, he also knew that what Zhao Wu said was indeed reasonable.Although their Handan clan established their own family in name, they still want to recognize the Jinyang Zhao clan as their clan.Therefore, if they want to lend troops to Li Ran, it is only natural to ask Da Zong what he means.

What's more, he didn't have any friendship with Zhao Wu, and Zhao Wu would definitely not kill him first and then kill him.

"Then there will be Doctor Lao Handan!"

Zhao Wu waved his hand and said:
"Li Taishi doesn't have to be so polite. He has worked hard all the way. I will arrange accommodation for Taishi in the afternoon. When I get a response from the suzerain in the afternoon, I will notify Taishi as soon as possible!"

Hearing this, Li Ran cupped his hands and said:

"If that's the case, let's bother!"

Therefore, Li Ran and Chu Dang temporarily stayed in the post house in Handan.

However, several days passed without any news.

Li Ran also knew that there was still some distance between Handan and Jiangcheng, so it was not so fast to send information back and forth.

However, he was still a little uneasy.

And Zhao Wu treated him very politely, and would send people to greet him every day.It's just that there is no mention of borrowing soldiers.

Even if Li Ran asked occasionally, the person who came also said that the suzerain's answer had not yet arrived.

That night, Li Ran was about to lie down and sleep when he heard Chu Dang knocking on the door.

"Sir! There is a guest asking to see you!"

Li Ran turned over and opened the door, only to see a man wearing a bamboo hat standing outside, followed by a motorcade, who seemed to be a businessman.

The man took off the bamboo hat and smiled at Chu Dang.

"Where is the guest, it's me!"

The two of them took a closer look, and it turned out that this person was none other than Xiaoyi!
When Chu Dang saw it, he couldn't help but smile silly:
"So it's you! I'm still thinking in my heart, who is such a sneaky person who wraps himself up so tightly!"

Li Ran hurriedly welcomed him into the house, Chu Dang was guarding outside, and Xiao Yi said politely:

"I have seen the lord. Xiaoyi brought the caravan to Handan and learned that the lord is here, so I came here to pay a visit."

Owl Wing used his business acumen to travel back and forth in various countries, collecting information from all parties along the way.On the one hand, it is looking for business opportunities, and on the other hand, it is also acting as Li Ran's eyes and ears.

It also happened to be that today I met my lord in Handan.

Li Ran was very happy to meet an old man in a foreign land.

"Owl wing, where did you come from?"

"My lord, the villain came directly from Zheng Yi this time."

"Oh? How is Guang'er doing now?"

"Young Uncle has always taken good care of my little master. The young master is as careful as a hair, and the young master likes him very much. Moreover, the young master's illness seems to be stabilizing, and there is no sign of recurrence recently!"

Hearing the news that his daughter was safe, Li Ran couldn't help but nodded, feeling very happy.

"Uncle Shao is extremely witty, so it's hard for him to let him take care of the children."

Owlwing replied:

"Hehe, Uncle Shao has sharp eyes and ears, and he is quite talented in business. This time he came here to barter with the Handan family, and it was he who facilitated it. The lord's foundation in Zhengyi may be able to grow in the future." Leave it to him..."

"Well, he does have talent in this area. Uncle Shao is a master of the scriptures, he is quick to change, and he has a quick mind. He is indeed a good hand in business."

It's not surprising that Li Ran had such an evaluation of him. After all, Li Ran already knew that Fan Li was different from ordinary people in this aspect after experiencing the copper transportation with the country last time.

-

Chapter 519
At this moment, Owl Wing suddenly approached Li Ran, and whispered in Li Ran's ear:

"Shouldn't my lord be in Yunyi? What's the point of coming to Handan?"

Li Ran sighed, briefly described Lu Houchou's recent situation, and finally said:
"It's really helpless. This is why I came to Handan to borrow troops. Now Zhao Wu is still waiting for news from Jiangcheng before deciding whether to borrow troops!"

Xiao Yi frowned, thought for a while, then focused his expression again, and whispered to him very solemnly:

"My lord, in my opinion, it's better for my lord to leave here overnight!"

Li Ran was startled when he heard this:
"Oh? What's the rumor?"

Owl Wing nodded slightly and said:
"To tell you the truth, my lord, Owl Wing entered Handan today and handed over the goods there with the Zhao family. It was unexpectedly discovered that there were a lot of extra soldiers in the Zhao family, and some were piled up in the backyard. Presumably there will be some troubles in the near future." Action. Moreover, according to Owl Yi's observation, the security around the post house has also been increased! If Zhao Wu did this to borrow troops in the future...then why didn't he find any signs of them raising a supply of food and supplies? ?”

"From this, it can be judged that Zhao Wu will not be safe in the near future. There must be changes in the city! Xiaoyi is really worried about the safety of the lord!"

Hearing this, Li Ran couldn't help but frown.In fact, to say that his trip was quite dangerous.After all, the Zhao family in Handan is not simple.And before he came to Handan, he had already sent a letter to Dong Anyu. If everything went well, Zhao Yang should have given instructions to Zhao Wu long ago.

However, Zhao Wu was perfunctory because he didn't get a response, and sent people to visit every day. It seemed that he was concerned, but in fact he wanted to keep him here.

Li Ran thought about it, and couldn't help feeling a little bit of fear. He also thought that he couldn't stay here for a long time.So, he decided to go to Handan no matter what tonight.

"Well, Xiaoyi, you go and arrange it, and don't tell Chu Dang, he is impatient, and he is afraid of trouble when he hears this!"

Xiaoyi responded, and went out to make arrangements for escaping from Handan at night.

Chu Dang still didn't know it at the moment, he was only half leaning against the corner of the wall in Li Ran's room, dozing there.

"Chu Dang!"

At this moment, Chu Dang woke up suddenly when he heard the words:

"Oh! What's the matter, my lord?!"

Seeing his simple and honest attitude, Li Ran couldn't help but smile, and continued:
"Since you're so tired, why don't you take a rest!"

Chu Dang was worried:
"No, no, before leaving, my wife specially told Chu Dang to protect the safety of the lord at all times. I am not sleepy now!"

Li Ran smiled again, and said to him:
"There are owl wings in the posthouse tonight, what else do you need to worry about? Just go and rest!"

Li Ran knew that there might be some disturbances tonight, so let Chu Dang rest for a while so that he could gather some energy at night, just in case.

Chu Dang was obedient, so he retreated to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Owl Wing lightly knocked on Li Ran's door again. Li Ran opened the door without taking off his clothes and boots.Owl Wing said softly:

"My lord, we are ready, we can leave now!"

Li Ran nodded and asked Xiaoyi to call Chu Dang to get up. When Chu Dang came out, he rubbed his eyes and said strangely:

"Sometimes you want me to sleep, and then you wake me up in the middle of the night, what is the lord doing?"

Owlwing hissed.

"The lord is afraid that there will be danger tonight, so Zhao Wu may harm the lord!"

When Chu Dang heard this, he suddenly woke up and widened his eyes:

"Ah?! That Zhu Zi'an dares...huh! I have to poke a few transparent holes for him!"

While making peace, Chu Dang immediately picked up the close-fitting halberd.

As for his big halberd, since the last time he escaped from Wang Zichao's camp, the three-handed halberd was lost, and he never found such a handy weapon again.And this halberd was also specially made for him, which slightly increased the weight of the bronze, but it was still much lighter than the three-armed halberd. For Chu Dang, it could only be used temporarily.

Owlwing arranged several carriages of his own at the stables, and let those carriages go out in batches to distract the guards of the posthouse.

When Chu Dang, Li Ran and Owl Wing came to their carriage, they could only smell a foul stench. When they took a closer look, they saw that their horses had been dragged to the ground by diarrhea at the same time. on the ground.

Li Ran was taken aback for a moment, secretly yelling that it's not good!

However, he didn't show it. It happened that there was still a carriage of the Owlwing Caravan, so they decided to go out in this carriage.

However, at this moment, someone outside the post house shouted:

"It's water, it's water, come and put out the fire!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a blaze of fire coming in from outside the wall. Owl Yi had already spied on the surrounding situation of the post house, and immediately brought Li Ran and Chu Dang to the back door. The ten black shadows rushed over directly.

Against the backdrop of the fire, the spears in their hands gleamed coldly, and they rushed towards Li Ran directly.

Seeing this, Chu Dang held a big halberd and shouted loudly:

"Shuts shall die!"

It can be seen that although those people have loose hair, they deliberately pretend to be Yidi taking advantage of the fire to rob.But within his black clothes, armor looms.Obviously, these are the manpower arranged by Zhao Wu.

Although Chu Dang is impatient, he is not stupid.Before these people could make a move, he swung the halberd in his hand and rushed into the enemy's formation, and fought with those dozens of people.

Li Ran and Xiao Yi retreated to the back door of the post house. Although Chu Dang was brave, he was no match for four hands. The dozens of people were dressed in armor, and they advanced and retreated at a certain pace. It was obvious that they had been preparing for a long time.

Chu Dang couldn't disperse them for a while, and couldn't help but fell into a hard fight.

Owl Yi saw that the situation was not good, and when he saw Li Ran's crown, he took it to heart.

"My lord, please take off your crown!"

Li Ran didn't want to think about it, he took off the crown, Owl Yi reached out to take it, Li Ran suddenly thought of something, and retracted his hand.

"Owl Wing! What are you doing?"

"My lord, let Xiaoyi lure these villains away for my lord! This is the only way now, my lord and Chu Dang have a chance to escape!"

Li Ran hurriedly shook his head and said:
"Owl Wing! Although you and I are called master and servant, we are really like brothers! How can I let you do such dangerous things as a brother?! This is absolutely impossible!"

Owl Yi glanced at the battle outside the door, feeling anxious for a moment, and suddenly knelt on the ground.

"My lord! Xiaoyi has been with the lord for more than [-] years, and has been with the lord since he was young. The lord does not regard Xiaoyi as cheap, and always treats him as a sibling. I am grateful! If I can no longer be by the side of the lord in the future , Owl Yi couldn't bear it in his heart. However, if today's situation hadn't been like this, I'm afraid you and I, master and servant, would both be buried here!"

"Don't stop being chaotic! Please don't hesitate, my lord!"

Owl Wing is Li Er's servant left by Li Ran when he left Luoyi.

Xiaoyi was originally from Qi, and after his parents died, he had no choice but to follow his tribe to do business.After traveling to Luoyi, by chance, Li Er kept him and named him "Owl Wing", which means "flying".

However, Xiaoyi was still young at that time, and Li Er's identity was unknown.Owing to the misfortune of Owl Wing in his early years, he is quite self-reliant and very easy-going.

Later, when Li Er left for Qin, he left Xiaoyi by Li Ran's side.From then on, Xiaoyi recognized Li Ran as his master, and has always been loyal.

At that time, Li Ran was only a few years old, and he regarded Owl Wing more as a playmate.

As Owlwing said, their master and servant have been together for too long.It would not be an exaggeration to say that he brought up Li Ran single-handedly.Although they are divided into masters and servants, they are indeed brothers and sisters.

It was precisely because of this that Li Ran could not agree to Xiaoyi's behavior.

"My lord... offended!"

In a hurry, Xiaoyi stood up and took the crown from Li Ran's hand. Li Ran wanted to take it back, but Xiaoyi pushed Li Ran away. Li Ran couldn't stand stably and almost fell down.

Owl Yi instinctively wanted to help, but he still held back. He quickly bid farewell to Li Ran, put on Li Ran's crown, and rushed out the back door.

"I, Li Ziming, am here!"

Owl Wing yelled, and directly attracted the eyes of those people.

Those people ran over one after another, seeing that it really was wearing the crown of Luoyi Taishi, and they couldn't think carefully about the authenticity, so they immediately chased after him.

Chu Dang killed several people, turned around and saw Li Ran with disheveled hair, and he didn't understand the key at this time, he only wanted to protect Li Ran's safety.He ran over, pulled Li Ran up, and headed in the opposite direction.

Li Ran wanted to break free, but Chu Dang was as strong as an ox after all, so how could he, Li Ran, say that he could break free if he broke free?
He wanted to speak again, wanting Chu Dang to let him go, but suddenly found that a spear point was stuck straight on Chu Dang's shoulder at this time, and the crimson blood had already stained half of his body.

Li Ran was startled, but suddenly he couldn't speak when the words came to his lips.

After all, he couldn't let Chu Dang fall into heavy siege anymore.Now that Xiaoyi has lured away those killers at this moment, if he insists on going back at this moment, not only will Xiaoyi's efforts be wasted, but also Chu Dang will lose his life in vain.

Li Ran endured his grief, and while being led away by Chu Dang, he wept silently and burst into tears!