At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 222 Xu Shu is on an envoy
"What's the reason for Ziyu coming here?"

After the greetings, Zhou Qi asked with interest.

Zhuge Jin bowed slightly and said, "I'm here to save the general's life!"

When Xu Chu heard this, he immediately put his hand on the handle of the knife, his eyes widened, and shouted: "Shu Zi, why don't you speak lies and deceive the blade in my hand?"

Zhou Qi narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Zhuge Jin quietly, wanting to see what kind of medicine he was selling in the gourd.

Zhuge Jin was not afraid at all. Instead, he raised his neck and said, "Here is a good man's head. The general will kill him if he wants. He will never blink an eye."

Xu Chu was furious and immediately pulled out his saber. With the murderous momentum of so many years of charging into battle, he swung the saber directly towards Zhuge Jin's neck.

The blade came with strong wind, but Zhuge Jin always kept a smile on his face without any fear, and he didn't even blink his eyes.

"Zhong Kang, please be rude!"

Seeing that the blade was about to behead Zhuge Jin, Zhou Qi finally spoke and scolded Xu Chu.

"Buzz!"

The blade carried strong wind and stopped at a position less than three inches away from Zhuge Jin's neck. The blade was still trembling slightly and buzzing due to the sudden stop.

On the surface, Zhuge Jin seemed not to be afraid at all, but in fact, when facing Xu Chu's terrifying momentum, beads of sweat broke out on his palms, and the fingers hidden in his sleeves were also trembling slightly.

It wasn't until Xu Chu's sword stopped that Zhuge Jin breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he came here to form an alliance, he also represented Xuzhou Mu Liu Xuande. Naturally, he could not grovel and weaken the momentum of his own monarch.

Obviously, Zhuge Jin had the upper hand in the first confrontation between the two sides.

Zhou Qi waved his hand for Xu Chu to step back, then looked at Zhuge Jin with interest and asked, "Why did Ziyu say this?"

Zhuge Jin smiled and said: "General Chariot and Cavalry, do you know that you are not going to die soon?"

Seeing Zhuge Jin's old-fashioned way of appearing as a lobbyist, Zhou Qi was unmoved and said: "I sit alone in two states, with a thousand generals and 20 soldiers under my command."

"In this vast world, who dares to take the life of an orphan?"

"Who can take the life of an orphan?"

Zhuge Jin said seriously: "The general first attacked Jingzhou for no reason, and now he sends troops to attack Yizhou. Where does he regard the imperial law?"

"Yuan Benchu ​​saw that the general was powerful, how could he sit idly by and ignore it?"

"If the emperor issues an edict and calls on all the princes in the world to attack the general, how will the general respond?"

When Zhou Qi heard this, he burst out laughing and said: "Gu was conferred by the emperor as a general of chariots and cavalry. He was responsible for supervising the military affairs of the four states of Jing, Yang, Jiao and Yi."

"Since Liu Jingsheng became the shepherd of Jingzhou, he has not cared about the people and has not cultivated benevolence. As a result, everyone from the wealthy gentry to the common people in Jingzhou petitioned for orders to attack alone."

He stood up, opened his arms, and said: "I am attacking Jingzhou alone. It is in accordance with the will of heaven and the will of the people. When the army arrives, both the scholars and the people will go out to greet them."

"Isn't it ridiculous that Ziyu said he would attack Jingzhou first without any reason?"

Everyone was ashamed when they heard this. They didn't expect their lord to have such a thick face, but no one dared to refute him face to face.

Zhuge Jin did not believe Zhou Qi's lies, but Jingzhou had been captured by him, and there was no need to discuss the issue of Jingzhou now.

What's more, Zhou Qi was indeed on holiday at that time and had the responsibility of supervising the military affairs of the four southern states.

He said loudly: "Let's not talk about the attack on Jingzhou for the time being. I'm afraid it doesn't make sense for General Chariot and Cavalry to attack Yizhou this time."

"If my prediction is correct, I'm afraid it won't be long before the emperor will issue an edict to blame the chariot and cavalry generals and take away the general's power to maintain discipline."

"At that time, what excuse did the general have to continue attacking Yizhou?"

Zhou Qi said seriously: "Tzuyu's words are wrong. No matter what happens in the future, at least now I still have the responsibility of supervising the military affairs of the four southern states."

"Moreover, it was not the initiative to raise troops to attack Yizhou alone, but the scholars and people of Bajun, who could not bear the oppression of Liu Yan and his son and the Dongzhou people, took the initiative to raise troops to hand over Bajun to Gu's jurisdiction."

"How can I ignore the people's desire to fight?"

"And Liu Yan cut off traffic, built the emperor's chariot in vain, and refused to pay tribute. It was obvious that he was disobedient."

"His son Liu Zhang was not conferred by the imperial court, so he imprisoned the governor of Yizhou who was appointed by the imperial court without authorization, and took the post of Yizhou pastor on his own. What is the difference between this act and an act of rebellion?"

"The late emperor appointed Gu as a chariot and cavalry general, in charge of conquests and quelling rebellions. How could he sit back and watch disobedient people occupy the land of Bashu?"

"I conquered Yizhou alone, obeyed the heaven and responded to the people, and I am blameless!"

Zhou Qi's words were so sonorous and powerful that Zhuge Jin was speechless.

He smiled bitterly twice and said: "I am not as good at eloquence as the chariot and cavalry generals. However, I am afraid that the general does not know that the imperial court does not approve of the general's behavior. It has issued an edict and ordered my lord and Yuan Guangdu to raise troops south to attack the general."

"If the general does not withdraw his troops at this time, it will be too late to regret when Jing and Yang states are captured by the army!"

When Zhou Qi heard this, his face darkened.

Although he had long expected that Yuan Shao might take advantage of his attack on Yizhou to make some small moves, after all, he still thought that the two had an old relationship after all, and held on to some illusions.

But he didn't expect that Yuan Shao would act so decisively.

I'm afraid that from now on, the two people who were once inseparable will really have no choice but to go to the enemy side and fight each other with weapons.

He stared at Zhuge Jin and asked in a deep voice: "Ziyu is here, do you want to declare war? Do you want to demonstrate?"

Feeling the oppression brought by Zhou Qi's long-standing high position, Zhuge Jin shook his head and said: "General Chariot and Cavalry has a different idea."

"My lord Su heard that General Cheqi was highly valued by the late emperor and was loyal to the emperor and patriotic. He specially sent me to conclude an alliance with the general and jointly prosper the Han Dynasty."

Zhuge Jin's words surprised Zhou Qi, Tian Feng and others.

Zhou Qi exchanged glances with Tian Feng, a smile gradually appeared on his face, and asked: "I have heard that Mr. Xuande is loyal and kind, and I just wish I couldn't meet him."

However, Zhou Qi still asked aggressively: "Since Yuan Benchu, in the name of the emperor, asked Duke Xuande to raise troops to attack me, why did Duke Xuande not only refuse to obey, but instead made an alliance with Gu?"

Zhuge Jin sighed: "The imperial court has experienced Dong Zhuo's Rebellion, Li Jue and Guo Si's Rebellion, and the Emperor's Eastward Movement Rebellion. Countless officials were killed and injured. The Emperor seemed to be the ruler of the world, but in fact he became a puppet in the hands of ambitious people. .”

"The fourth and fifth princes of Yuan Shu in Runan were favored by the emperor throughout their lives, but they did not know how to repay the kindness of the court. Instead, the Yuan brothers became ambitious and separated themselves."

"Yuan Benchu ​​welcomed the emperor to the west and seemed to be loyal to the Han Dynasty. However, after the emperor moved to Yecheng, all the people he granted were his confidants, almost completely ignoring the imperial court and the emperor."

"Such ambitious people are just using the Emperor to command the princes. Although my lord has no choice but to obey because of the Emperor's majesty, he also knows that the General of Chariots and Cavalry has received the favor of the late Emperor, and his heart is towards the Han Dynasty, so he cannot bear to fight with the general. Facing each other.”

"My lord wanted to bluff and pretend to attack Danyang, but he sent me to come secretly to make an alliance with General Chariot and Cavalry."

"If the covenant is made, it will never be broken!"

When Zhou Qi heard this, he couldn't help but look solemn. After thinking for a while, he said: "This matter is serious, so Tzuyu will go down to rest for the time being. I will reply to Tzuyu after the discussion with my ministers is completed."

After Zhuge Jin left, Zhou Qi immediately looked at Tian Feng and Xu Shu and asked, "Is the alliance between Liu Bei and Gu credible?"

Tian Feng pondered for a long time and said, "There should be nothing wrong." Zhou Qi asked, "Why did you say that, sir?"

Tian Feng said: "Xuzhou is a place of four battles. Liu Xuande is surrounded by powerful enemies and fights with fear every day."

"My lord did not choose to take advantage of the chaos to attack Xuzhou, but instead captured Jingzhou. It was probably because Xuzhou was difficult to defend and was surrounded by enemies on all sides."

"If Liu Bei follows Yuan Shao's advice and attacks Yangzhou, he will definitely become resentful of his lord and will be isolated and helpless in the future."

"He obeys Yuan Shao on the surface, but secretly forms an alliance with the lord. This is the best choice. This way, he can at least preserve the foundation of Xuzhou."

Zhou Qi asked: "Isn't he worried that he will go back on his word in the future and refuse to save him?"

Tian Feng asked: "Will the Lord do it?"

Zhou Qi couldn't help laughing when he heard this.

He really won't.

For Zhou Qi now, there is no benefit in attacking Xuzhou. Putting Liu Bei there will help him contain the northern princes, with no harm at all.

As long as Liu Bei is there, there is no need to worry about Yuan Shao and Cao Cao going south.

Zhou Qi looked at Xu Shu and asked, "Do you think Yuan Zhi can form an alliance with Liu Bei?"

Xu Shu nodded and said: "Of course you can, but it is easy to form an alliance, but it is not easy to make the alliance strong."

"Since both my lord and Duke Xuande urgently need to form an alliance with each other, it is better for them to exchange protons, so that they can gain trust between each other."

When Zhou Qi heard this, his eyes lit up.

In exchange for protons in order to form an alliance, this kind of thing is not uncommon in history. During the Warring States Period, three monarchs of the Qin State were used as protons when they were young. They were King Qin Zhaoxiang, King Qin Zhuangxiang and Qin Shihuang.

Except for King Zhuangxiang of Qin who reigned for a short time, King Zhaoxiang of Qin laid the solid foundation for the unification of Qin. Qin Shihuang even swept across Liuhe and unified the world, becoming one emperor for all eternity.

Zhou Qi asked: "If protons are exchanged, who should be sent to Xuzhou?"

Tian Feng and Xu Shu looked at each other, but neither dared to speak.

Sending a proton is no small matter, and the proton's identity is not enough for both parties to form an unbreakable alliance.

If you want Proton's identity to be sufficient, you must dispatch Zhou Qi's heirs.

Even a daughter is not important enough, it is better to be a son, but this kind of thing involves Zhou Qi's family affairs, and even if his emotional intelligence is as low as Tian Feng, he would not dare to speak casually.

Seeing that both of them were silent, Zhou Qi suddenly realized after thinking about it.

He pondered for a long time, and then said: "I heard that Liu Xuande married Mi Zhu's sister and gave birth to a son not long ago, who is his eldest son. Is this possible?"

Tian Feng said: "It's true."

Liu Bei's eldest son was not Liu Chan, but he had a son and two daughters as early as when he was in Xuzhou. However, Liu Bei was defeated and his wife and children were kidnapped by Cao Cao. Since then, the whereabouts of his son and two daughters are unknown and there are no records.

It was precisely because of this incident that the middle-aged and childless Liu Bei recognized Liu Feng as his adopted son.

It was not until Mrs. Gan gave birth to Liu Chan that Liu Bei finally had his biological son again.

Nowadays, Liu Bei's eldest son has just been born. He is still an infant and Liu Bei's only heir. He is indeed quite heavy.

Zhou Qi walked back and forth with his hands behind his back, and after a long time he said: "Guyu sent Tong'er to Xuzhou as a hostage in exchange for Liu Xuande's eldest son, what do you think?"

Tian Feng and Xu Shu looked at each other, and after all, the former said bravely: "Liu Xuande now only has one eldest son. Although Gongzi Tong has a noble status, he is not the eldest son after all. The identities of the hostages are not equal. I am afraid Liu Xuande will not agree."

The exchange of protons is not only about the face of both parties, but also about real trust and interests.

Although Zhou Qi is stronger, he already has many children, so the value of sending his son to serve as a proton is not as good as that of Liu Bei, who only has his only son.

What's more, the other party still uses the eldest son who has the right to inherit, but Zhou Qi only wants to send his second son, which is even more unreasonable.

Zhou Qi couldn't help but frown slightly when he heard this.

The eldest son Zhou Ji is 11 years old. Zhou Qi has been cultivating him as his heir over the years. Zhou Ji, who is only [-] years old, has lived up to Zhou Qi's expectations. He is smart and steady.

If you cultivate it carefully, given time, you may not be able to become a qualified monarch.

He had worked hard to cultivate it for 11 years. If it was just to exchange for Liu Bei's newly born son, Zhou Qi would not be reconciled.

After thinking for a long time, Zhou Qi thought of his grand plan for hegemony. In addition, he knew Liu Bei's personality and knew that the proton would not be in danger in Xuzhou. After all, he gritted his teeth and said, "What if the son succeeds?"

Tian Feng and Xu Shu hesitated. Zhou Ji was the eldest son and would inherit Zhou Qi's legacy in the future. It was somewhat risky to send him as a hostage.

Zhou Qi took a deep breath and said: "If Young Master Ji stays by his side, he will be like a canary in a cage. He will eventually be embarrassed by his big job."

"It would be good for him to be sent out to train as a proton."

Zhou Qi then ordered someone to call Zhuge Jin and said bluntly: "It is my wish to make a covenant with Duke Xuande and never betray him."

"But if we just rely on a piece of covenant, it may be difficult to bind both parties."

"Gu Yu sent people to Xuzhou to discuss specific matters with Duke Xuande. What do you think of Ziyu?"

Zhuge Jin couldn't help but be overjoyed when he heard this, and said hurriedly: "It's my wish, but I don't dare to invite you!"

Zhou Qi then sent Xu Shu as an envoy to Xuzhou to meet with Liu Bei.

After Xu Shu arrived in Xuzhou, he did not directly discuss the exchange of protons. Instead, he took the lead in meeting Liu Bei's son, who was less than one year old, and remembered his appearance.

Returning the proton is no small matter.

Liu Bei's son is too young and he is an only son, so the other party may not be willing to do so.

If Xu Shu had told him to return the proton in advance, the other party would most likely use the civet cat to exchange for the prince trick, hiding his biological son and replacing him with another baby.

The baby's appearance has not yet been determined, making it difficult for outsiders to determine.

Xu Shu also found out that Liu Bei's son had a mole on the sole of his left foot, and he was relieved.

After confirming the identity of the baby, Xu Shu went to Liu Bei and said, "The chariot general wants to make an alliance with the envoy, but he is worried that it is difficult to bind both parties with a piece of paper."

"If you don't follow the ancient method and send each other's eldest son as a hostage, I wonder what your Majesty will do?"

Xu Shu's suggestion put Liu Bei in a bit of trouble.

He is 35 years old and has a son in his middle age. He is very happy and regards him as his heir.

If a baby under one year old is sent out as a hostage, regardless of whether there is a possibility of premature death, Liu Bei is also worried that he will have no heirs.

He is not like Zhou Qi, who has several sons who can inherit the inheritance.

(End of this chapter)