Everything starts from Menghualu

Chapter 385 Negotiation and Counterattack on the Capital

"Father, my idea is very simple. I want to try to win over Fan Xuan. After all, he is different from other Jiedushi. Others will not think of rescuing the court."

"So Fan Xuan is actually a very good partner, father. Judging from the current situation, it won't be a big problem for us to eventually take over the capital, but what happens after that is the key."

"From the current situation, we can't compete with King Liang at all, and this won't work, father. If we don't get it this time, King Liang will definitely turn against us."

"So we have to be on guard. If my son can win over Fan Xuan this time, we can then work together with him to deal with King Liang." Liu Changfeng said

"Hmm? Are you so confident that you can convince Fan Xuan?" Liu Xing knew

"Father, to be honest, I don't have much confidence, but even if I don't have confidence, I still have to give it a try, right?" Liu Changfeng said

"Well, you are right. You must be careful on this trip. Safety is the most important thing." Liu Xing knew

"I understand, father. Don't worry, I will never let you down." Liu Changfeng said

Time quickly came to the next day, and Liu Changfeng set out with Liu Quan and several personal guards. For him, these people were enough. Time passed quickly, and Liu Changfeng arrived soon.

When Fan Xuan learned that the coalition forces in front had sent people, he was very surprised. After looking at Zhou Gaolang, he directly asked someone to invite Liu Changfeng in.

"Junior Liu Changfeng greets Envoy Fan and General Zhou." Liu Changfeng bowed and said

"Liu Changfeng? So you are the fifth son of Liu Jiedu. Please take a seat. Let's talk about what we have to say." Fan Xuan said with a smile.
Liu Changfeng naturally followed the host's wishes and sat down directly.

"Nephew Changfeng, can I call you that?" Fan Xuan said with a smile

"Of course you can. You and my father have known each other for a long time, so this is the way to go." Liu Changfeng said

"Okay, then I won't be polite with you. I wonder what brings you here this time, my dear nephew?" After hearing this, Fan Xuan directly asked his question.

"Uncle, you should be able to guess the purpose of my visit. We don't have to go to Youzhou this time. After all, Youzhou is not important to us."

"Our goal has always been the capital, but because of your behavior, we have no choice but to go there. Now I am here to ask what you two think."

"If you two are determined to be our enemy, then there is nothing to say. We will continue to fight, and I promise that we should be able to take Youzhou before you return to Youzhou."

"So now it depends on your choice, whether to make peace with us or not." Liu Changfeng said

"Hmm? Nephew, I admit that you are right, but so what? Don't forget what my mission is in Youzhou. I guess you are here for this reason, right?" Fan Xuan said
"Haha, uncle is really wise. He knows that he can't hide it from you. Yes, I came here because of this. There is nothing I can't tell you."

"After all, this is the problem that lies on the surface, but don't think that we really need you. In fact, we just need someone who can stop Xiliang."

"As for whether he can still be like you two, that has nothing to do with us, right?"

"By the way, let me tell you two another piece of news. The court sent you 30,000 old, weak and sick people, but they were annihilated by my brother a few days ago." Liu Changfeng said

After hearing this, Fan Xuan and the other person didn't say anything for a while. Instead, they stared at Liu Changfeng's eyes, trying to see if he was lying, but unfortunately, they failed.

There was no other expression on Liu Changfeng's face except a faint smile.

"Hahaha, nephew, I have to admit that you are indeed extraordinary. No wonder I sent you here this time. Tell me about your conditions." Fan Xuan said helplessly.

"Uncle, actually I came here for another reason. That is to ask you on behalf of my father whether you are willing to cooperate with my Liu family?" Liu Changfeng said with a smile

"Hmm? Nephew, what do you mean by that? Are you? Haha, that's right. There are two coalition forces, but there is only one throne. It will inevitably be like this in the end." Fan Xuan said sarcastically
"Haha, uncle, I'm glad you understand. In fact, many things are not what we want them to be, but they are destined to be like this from the beginning."

"The imperial court will take action against us sooner or later. After all, the existence of the Jiedushi is just a position that was obtained through compromise between the two sides."

"Uncle, you should know the temperament of the current prince. Why do you think the court only sent you 30,000 reinforcements, and they are all old, weak and sick?"

"What was the reason for the fight with Wang Shanquan? In fact, the fundamental reason was because of this prince. This prince does not look like a king at all." Liu Changfeng said

"Haha, nephew, you said so much, but you didn't say the key thing, which is why I chose you. It seems that King Liang has a greater advantage than you."

"Then why don't I go to find King Liang, but come to you instead?" Fan Xuan said with a smile

"Uncle, you are right. King Liang is indeed stronger than us, but correspondingly, he is also much more demanding. This condition is natural. I think you understand, uncle."

"There are gains and losses. Many things require weighing the pros and cons. Fairy, it depends on your uncle's choice. Will you choose us or them?" Liu Changfeng said

The atmosphere gradually fell silent. After a while, Fan Xuan said, "My dear nephew, this matter is a bit too big. We need to discuss it first. I'll ask you to go and have a rest first."

After hearing this, Liu Changfeng naturally had no objection, so he nodded in agreement. After he left, Fan Xuan asked, "Brother, what do you think?"

"Brother, don't you understand me? How could I understand this? I'll listen to you. We'll do what you say." Zhou Gaolang said nonchalantly.

It was his nonchalant tone that touched Fan Xuan deeply.

"My dear brother, I know the King of Liang. He has always been selfish and mean. If he ascends the throne, he will definitely kill all the meritorious officials." "So he is not a good choice. The Liu family has always had a good reputation. Even if they are pretending, they will not reveal their true nature after they sit on the throne."

"After all, Liu Xingzhi has been able to hold on to Sichuan Province for so many years. He is definitely not a person without self-control. So, my choice is Liu Xingzhi. Now it depends on what conditions they can offer."

After hearing this, Zhou Gaolang naturally had no objection, so he nodded directly to agree.

Soon Liu Changfeng was invited back. The moment he saw Fan Xuan, he knew that the matter should be settled, and the following conversation also confirmed his guess.

"My dear nephew, we have discussed it and we think we can cooperate with you, but shouldn't we discuss the specific details?" Fan Xuan said
"Of course, of course, uncle. Actually, this matter is very simple. What you want is stability, and that is what we can give you."

We are not forcing you to help our family when the time comes. We just want you to continue to protect Youzhou and not help King Liang. "Liu Changfeng said

"My dear nephew, since we have agreed to cooperate with you, it proves that we are sincere, so your condition is not acceptable. How can we not help?"

"My dear nephew, go back and tell Brother Liu that if anything happens in the future, I will definitely send troops to help and will never stand idly by." Fan Xuan said
"I understand, uncle. When I return, I will tell my father exactly what you said. Uncle, if you have no other instructions, I will take my leave now." Liu Changfeng said

After hearing this, Fan Xuan naturally sent the man away. After Liu Changfeng left, Zhou Gaolang asked, "Brother, why did you agree to send troops to help him just now?"

My dear brother, since many things have been decided, you cannot hesitate. If you hesitate, you are doomed to lose. From the moment we make the choice, there is actually no turning back.

"We can only hope that we are on the right side, but what is right and what is wrong? In the end, it all comes down to who wins and who loses."

"This is the situation now. The choice we made just now has already determined the outcome." Fan Xuan said
Zhou Gaolang remained silent after hearing this. He was naive and felt that he was not suitable to think about these things. Fortunately, he had his elder brother around, so he didn't have to think about it.

Time passed slowly, and Liu Changfeng returned to his own military camp, and then said directly, "Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission. Fan Xuan has agreed to stay in Youzhou and not come out again."

"I have already told him about the imperial reinforcements. He knows the seriousness of the matter. Now they will not cause trouble for us anymore."

"Good, good, good, nephew, you are so good this time. You did a great job. Very good." Liang Wang said
Your Highness, thank you for your compliment. I am just relying on our strength to bully others."

"If there weren't a large army approaching, Fan Xuan wouldn't have accepted it so easily." Liu Changfeng said

"Hahaha, my dear nephew, you are too modest. No, we have to celebrate today. Come on, I'll have someone prepare it." King Liang laughed.
Naturally, Liu Xingzhi and his son would not lose interest in King Liang's words, so they quickly started toasting each other, and did not go back until the evening.

After the Liu family's two sons and father returned to the tent, they immediately woke up.

"Chang Feng, tell me, what did Fan Xuan say?" Liu Xingzhi asked directly
"Don't worry, father. Fan Xuan agreed. He also promised to send troops to help when the time comes. I think what he said is credible." Liu Changfeng said

"Well, that's good. If that's the case, then I feel much more relieved. But we can't be too relieved. After all, everything will change." Liu Xing knew

"Father, don't worry. I was wondering but I didn't expect Fan Xuan to help me. I have made preparations. When we attack the capital again, it will be absolutely safe." Liu Changsheng said

"Okay, if that's the case, then you should go back and rest first. If there's anything, we can talk about it tomorrow." Liu Xingzhi nodded and said directly.

At the same time, the same thing happened on King Liang's side, but the conversation between father and son was much more dull.

"Father, I don't understand. Since you know everything, why do you still want Liu Changfeng to go? Wouldn't it be the same if I went?" Liang Wencheng said

"Son, you don't understand. It's impossible for you to do this because your father's reputation is not as good as Liu Xingzhi's. So if you go, Fan Xuan won't believe it."

""In order to confuse the emperor over the years, I have done a lot of disguises and extraordinary things. However, those were disguises at the beginning, and later on, I don’t know whether they were sincere or just pretending."

"Maybe I really wanted to do this, so they kept misunderstanding me, so that now my reputation can be compared with Wang Shanquan." Liang Wang said
"Father, how could that be? They have misunderstood you. That won't happen." Liang Wencheng said

"Haha, don't comfort me, kid. There are many things that don't require comfort, because it's not important at all. What's important is how to win in the final game."

"Compared to this, the rest is not important at all. After all, for many things, only if you are alive can you have a future, and only if you succeed can you have a say."

"Remember, the army must be under our control. When we return to the capital tomorrow, many things should not be the same as before. We must learn to preserve our strength."

"Don't let the other side see the flaws. Also, make sure you take the capital. I know it's difficult, but you must try to do it." King Liang instructed.
"Don't worry, father. I know what to do." Liang Wencheng said seriously.

After Liang Wencheng left, King Liang's face became a little gloomy, and he sat there thinking about something.

Time soon came to the next day, and the two sides got together again.

"Brother Liu, since Fan Xuan's problem has been resolved, I think it's time for us to return to the capital. After all, the longer we delay, the more disadvantageous it will be for us." Liang Wang said
"Your Highness is right. I think so too." Liu Xing knew

The two sides hit it off immediately, and the army changed direction and headed back to the capital. However, the capital at that time had actually become a mess.

Because the news of the annihilation of the 30,000-strong army had already reached the capital, some people had a premonition that something bad was going to happen, so they began to flee the capital.

When faced with this situation, the prince naturally would not let them get their wish, so soon people were allowed to enter but not leave the capital, which increased the spread of panic.

"Chun'er, why do you do this? Do you know how serious the consequences will be? Have you thought about it?" Emperor Rong said
"Father, I have certainly thought about these things, but if we allow them to continue like this, won't the final result be just as bad?"

"Since both sides are the same, then we should make the choice that causes the least harm, right?" said the prince.
"Do you think what you are doing now is the least harmful?" Emperor Rong asked directly
(End of this chapter)