The great man will live forever

Chapter 234 The price of growth

In the mansion of the lord of Wancheng City, Liu Xuan was sitting, with Zhu Tuna and Li Yi below. Now Li Yi had completely surrendered to Liu Xuan.

"Your Majesty, Liu Ji also said that the reason why Your Majesty cannot touch Liu Yan is because they are still needed. In the future, when Your Majesty unifies the country, they will no longer be needed."

"If you don't need them, so what?"

"Your Majesty, I think Liu Ji is an alcoholic and a martial artist. His words may not be credible."

Li Yi said this, and Zhu Tuna next to him quickly looked directly at him, good guy, I want you to slander them, and you still speak for him. What are you saying?

Liu Xuan said with a smile but not a smile: "You also know that Wufu is arrogant, so don't you ignore it?"

Seeing that something was wrong, Zhu Tuna quickly said: "Your Majesty is right, this Liu Ji is indeed a martial artist, haha."

As he spoke, he smiled awkwardly, and then changed his voice and said: "But how can he say such a thing as a martial artist? I'm afraid that this is not what he said, and his brain cannot say such a thing , could it be that he overheard the conspiracy between the two brothers Liu Xiu and Liu Yan? That’s why they shouted nonsense in the army."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Xuan's face turned cold, but he didn't say anything. Zhu Tun struck while the iron was hot and said, "Your Majesty, I have one more thing to report. The five cities in the father city have also surrendered to Liu Xiu. Previously, Duke Kuang of Dingguo led troops to attack , Father City refused to surrender, and knowing that it was Liu Xiu, he came to offer the city as promised. Now it seems that there may have been collusion in this matter."

Liu Xuan sneered, "What Da Sikong said is reasonable, but the world is still uncertain and we still need people who can fight."

Zhu You continued to fight and said, "Now that the elite of the new army have been wiped out, and they are attacking from all directions, Wang Mang has nothing to worry about. However, the Han army will soon tell Liu Ji that they are not needed when they take Luoyang and Chang'an. Liu Yan is by no means a person who is willing to be inferior to others. Your Majesty, you should make plans in advance. As the old saying goes, strike first to gain advantage, and strike later will suffer disaster."

Zhu Tuna said, pulling Li Yi to kneel down, "Your Majesty, I am also loyal. Please consider it carefully."

He knelt down, stood up, turned around and left, very simply and resolutely.

At this time, Liu Xuan was no longer silent, and shouted quickly: "Wait a minute, there are so many people around Liu Yan, shouting at each other, how do you deal with them?

Zhu Jun smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, Liu Yan's success is due to his loyalty, but his loyalty will also be destroyed. Isn't Liu Ji waiting for your Majesty's reward? Let's start with him first."

After several people conspired, Zhang Xun led people to confer a reward on Liu Ji, and he was awarded the title of General of Resistance. Liu Ji was naturally dissatisfied and refused to accept it, and cursed, "No, anyone who wants it can go, I don't want it." "

Zhang Xuan asked, "You are disobeying His Majesty's reward. Are you being brave?"

Liu Ji was furious, "I'm disobeying my order. Why am I disobeying my order?"

He called Liu Xuan by his first name, "What did Liu Xuan promise in the first place? What has he been granted the title of, General of Resistance?"

Zhang Xuan said coldly: "Be content. If it weren't for your eldest brother Liu Yan's sake, General Kangwei would already think highly of you."

"Don't you fucking follow me like this. Who is Liu Xuan? What battles have he fought? What achievements have he made? If it weren't for my eldest brother, why would he be the emperor? Why should he order me? Go back and tell him that this I don’t want the reward.”

Zhang Yan looked at him coldly, "Liu Ji, you insulted His Majesty. Do you want to rebel?"

"Chong!"

He said and drew out his sword. Liu Ji was very brave, so he was naturally not afraid. He held down his hand and inserted the sword back into his hand. "Put away your firestick. Grandpa, when I fight, you I don’t know where you are yet, but you are wagging your tail like a dog in front of Liu Xuan.”

Zhang Xuan sneered, "I'm wagging my tail? Even under the protection of your elder brother Liu Yan, you are as crazy as a mad dog. When you come back to His Majesty, you still shrink back."

"If you have the guts, would you like to say something again?" Liu Ji said and was about to take action. Then Li Yi beside him quickly took his hand and said, "Let go, let go quickly."

"If you take action, your eldest brother will not be able to explain it in the future, so I will go to His Majesty and ask for clarification. It will not be too late to discuss rewards, so that others will not say that we are in the wrong."

Zhang Xuan scolded angrily, "It's none of your business, get out of here."

Before Li Yi said anything, Liu Ji felt very embarrassed and yelled, "I'll ask Liu Xuan myself. He walked out of the camp as he said that."

"Don't go." Li Yi pretended to shout from behind, but Li Yi was too emotional to care about it for more than a year.

Looking at the back of him leaving, Li Yi and Zhang Xuan looked at each other and smiled. Their goal was achieved. One of them pretended to be a white face, and the other pretended to be a red face. In fact, they were just to anger Liu Ji and make him take the initiative to find Liu Xuan. Trouble, then they would have reason to take him down for questioning.

Sure enough, not long after, Li Yi hurried over and found Liu Yan who was practicing swordsmanship.

"Brother Bosheng, something happened to Liu Ji."

Liu Yan was helpless, "What could happen to him?"

Li Yi hurriedly said, "Your Majesty appointed Liu Ji to resist the might of the General. Liu Ji refused to accept it and disobeyed the order in public. Zhang Xian forced him to go to see your Majesty and said that he was unworthy of the throne and should be executed for his crime."

Liu Yan's face turned pale and he said quickly: "Let's go, take me to see your Majesty." He followed Li Yi with his sword.

Here Liu Ji has been beaten with blood on his head and his whole body is tied up. Liu Xuan's generals and soldiers with swords are standing around.

Liu Yan came over and saw that he was tied up and his head was covered with blood. He clenched his fists tightly and wanted to get angry, but he could not get angry. He could only admit defeat, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please ask Liu Ji What did you commit?"

Zhang Yan on the side said unhurriedly, "Master Situ, Liu Ji has repeatedly spread rumors to cause trouble in the army, deceived the emperor, and was dissatisfied with His Majesty. Today, in front of everyone, he resisted orders, disrespected the emperor, and insulted you. Your Majesty, if you are found guilty, you should be killed."

Liu Yan glanced at him coldly and said quickly, "Your Majesty, Liu Yan has nothing to do with you. I hope your Majesty will see that he is also a disciple of the Nanyang Zong clan and will be generous. I beg your Majesty for mercy."

As proud as Liu Yan, he also began to humble himself.

Naturally, Liu Xuan would not let it go easily, and pretended to be helpless and said: "I have endured what Liu Ji did."

Zhu Tun on the side said quickly: "Da Situ, when the Han army entered the city, you said that you wanted the army to be run strictly and not to bend the law for personal gain. Now that you are advising His Majesty, it is clearly to protect His Majesty for personal gain. How can Your Majesty convince the public?"

Liu Yan said quickly, "Your Majesty, Liu Ji has been brave and adept at fighting since he joined the army, and has repeatedly made military exploits. Especially in the battle of Wancheng, he killed countless enemies..."

Zhu Tun on the side naturally retorted, "You have killed countless enemies. According to your point of view, as long as you have military exploits, you can deceive the emperor and ignore the emperor?"

Liu Yan quickly shouted, "The world is not yet settled. The Han army is employing people. Your Majesty also asks you to be magnanimous and give Liu Ji another chance to atone for his sins."

"Your Majesty, Liu Ji insulted Your Majesty in public. Not killing him is not enough to show his majesty."

Zhang Xun, who was on the side, also echoed, "Your Majesty, Liu Ji must die, otherwise all the soldiers can take credit and be proud of themselves."

"Yes, Liu Ji must die."

"Should be killed."

Liu Yan became angry at this time. He stood up and shouted, "Who dares to kill him?"

Liu Xuan sneered, "Who dares to kill him?"

There seemed to be something clashing between his and Liu Yan's eyes, and the atmosphere was extremely solemn.

At this time, Liu Yan also came to his senses. Knowing that this was what they were waiting for, he quickly said: "Your Majesty, I was just angry for a moment. I hope your Majesty will forgive me."

Zhu Kun said happily, "Your Majesty, Liu Yan is proud of himself and has been disobedient for a long time. He has been doing bad things for a long time..."

"Zhu Tuna, I have no grievances with you, why do you want to trap me? You...you..."

Liu Yan was speechless at this time. He rushed forward and wanted to hit Zhu Tuna. Zhang Xuan shouted at the side, "Liu Yan, do you dare to do it in front of His Majesty?"

He said it was too late, but he was quick. He drew his sword and slashed at Liu Yan. Seeing this, Liu Ji rushed over and blocked the sword. A large gash was cut in his back and he was bleeding.

"A Ji, A Ji, A Ji." Liu Yan hugged him, his face changed greatly, and he quickly took out the cloth that was stuffed in Liu Ji's mouth. "Brother, leave quickly, they are going to kill you, leave quickly, leave me alone, leave!"

At this time, Liu Ji's mouth had begun to bleed.

Liu Xuan looked directly at him, "Bosheng, Liu Ji's crime is unforgivable, do you really want to protect him?"

Liu Yan couldn't guess what they were thinking, and shouted angrily: "Liu Ji is my brother. Anyone who wants to touch him is going to touch me, Liu Boxheng, Zhang Xuan. Today I will make you pay with blood."

"Qiang!" Liu Yan drew out his sword and pointed at Zhang Xian.

Zhu Tun cursed loudly and took the lead, "How bold is Liu Boxheng to commit murder in front of His Majesty?"

"Come here, protect your majesty." What Zhang Xuan wanted was for Liu Yan to move his sword. Following his order, outside the main hall, the soldiers from the green forest were already ready. They were holding swords, halberds, and more. With a shield, he quickly ran into the hall and surrounded Liu Yan.

Liu Yan held the sword and looked around, his eyes sharp and full of murderous intent, "Which of you dares to step forward?"

Zhang Xuan sneered, these were his confidants, "Kill!"

Many soldiers rushed forward, and Liu Yan's sword struck the shield.

"Clang, clang!"

There were sparks flying. Liu Yan jumped up and wanted to jump out of the siege. Dozens of halberds came down from his head and pressed him directly to the ground. Then the spears came and stabbed him. He rolled around and dodged.

Liu Yan continued to fight bravely and skillfully. He kicked two soldiers directly with a roundhouse kick until they fell in front of Liu Xuan. Dozens of soldiers surrounded him, but he was not at a disadvantage for a while.

Unfortunately, after a long time, he finally showed his defeat. Zhang Xuan saw that he was tired and was about to take the opportunity to attack him. Liu Ji on the side used all his strength to knock down several soldiers and rushed towards Zhang Xuan. He was tied up and could not find a way to attack him. He used his skills and was pierced through the abdomen by Zhang Xuan's sword.

But Liu Ji's eyes were fierce, and regardless of his injuries, he pounced on Zhang Xuan and bit Zhang Xuan's ear.

"Ah!" Zhang Xuan screamed in pain, his ear was almost bitten off, and he kicked Liu Ji away.

"Liu Ji!" Liu Yan, who was under siege, looked at this scene and his teeth were about to burst. He shouted, wanting to rush over and kill Zhang Xun.

At this moment, he was temporarily absent-minded. A soldier stabbed his back with a spear. As expected, he couldn't hide.

At this critical moment, Liu Yanji used all his strength to stumble over and withstood the fatal blow.

"Brother, let's go, let's go."

Blood spurted out from his mouth and body, and in less than 5 seconds, he completely lost consciousness.

"Brother Ji!" Liu Yan shouted, holding him up with red eyes, "Kill!"

He yelled, the more he fought, the braver he became. Unfortunately, it was difficult for two fists to defeat four hands. The enemy was already prepared, so what could he do...

He was dead, stabbed several times and stabbed all over with spears. He fell to the ground forever and could never get up again.

In the chill of winter, the soldiers' cold clothes have long since faded away, and the dead branches with green leaves are swaying in the wind. In this troubled world where life is worth less than grass, it adds a bit of sadness.

Liu Yan left this world with regret and died miserably.

The moment he entered the palace, he realized that he was on the wrong track. He didn't expect that the heroes of the green forest were so wild in their ways. They didn't follow any political rules at all, and they started fighting among themselves just after they had established a foundation?Don't bring it for fun!

I regret not listening to my brother Liu Xiu!

In short, everything is too late, the former comrades have already raised the butcher's knife.

Under the butcher's knife, Liu Ji and Liu Yan fell in a pool of blood.The good eldest brother of the Liu family in Chung Ling went to reunite with his parents, younger siblings, and with endless regret and reluctance. When he was dying, he only thought of Liu Xiu, and he was worried.

It doesn't matter if he dies, his only brother will have to fight alone in this strange world, and he doesn't know what risks there will be in the future.

"Axiu, you must hold on, don't do stupid things, and you must avenge your elder brother!"

The funny thing is, after Liu Yan and Liu Ji were executed for the crime of disrespect, although the Liu family in Chongling and the heroes of Nanyang were dissatisfied, no one publicly stood up to defend them.

Everyone bowed to reality. After all, the Gengshi Emperor Liu Xuan was also surnamed Liu, and the status of monarch and ministers had been determined. Any further action would be rebellion. Even if Huo Bin won, it would still be a fight between two tigers, which would only give the enemy an advantage.

Besides, Liu Yan's good brother Liu Xiu is in the limelight now. He hasn't expressed his position yet, so they shouldn't make any fuss. Let's see what his attitude is?

When Liu Xiu heard the news of his brother's murder, he had already captured Yangdi, the capital of Yingchuan, and then moved to the southwest to capture his father's city.

He had accumulated a group of direct descendants such as Feng Yi, and his career was booming. However, when the news of the death of his eldest brother Liu Yan came, his heart suddenly collapsed.

When his mother died alone in his grandfather's hometown, he did not collapse;

When he watched his sister die at the hands of officers and soldiers, he did not collapse;

When Wang Yi's million-strong army pressed down on the city like black clouds, he did not collapse;
But now, his eldest brother, whom he respected as a father, was killed, and except for his eldest sister Liu Huang and his younger sister Liu Boji, he had lost all his family members. This was such an unbearable weight in life that he suddenly couldn't bear it.

"drive!"

He was riding his horse and was about to go back, but Feng Yi held him back.

"You get out of the way."

"If you go back now, you are throwing yourself into a trap."

"I asked you to get out of the way, I want to go back."

"Only by enduring what ordinary people cannot endure can you achieve results. Don't die in vain."

The two were at loggerheads, and finally Liu Xiu compromised. He did not return to Wancheng immediately, but thought about it all night.

No one knew how lonely and desperate he felt that night, how painful and sad he was.

But after a sleepless night, Liu Xiu wiped away his tears, and with an extremely strong will, he told himself, "Liu Xiu, you must hold on, even if you can't hold on, in order to complete your brother's unfinished business and in order to counterattack." For the sake of the overall situation, in order to realize the glory and dream of the family, and to live up to the expectations of the world, for the dead relatives and friends, as well as the living relatives, lovers, soldiers, friends..."

Then Liu Xiu told his subordinates, "I want to go back to Wancheng, and I will go back right away."

Deng Chen and Feng Yi quickly advised Liu Xiu, "You must not go back. If you go back, won't you die? Why don't we rebel?"

Liu Xiu smiled. He actually smiled. There was three parts of sadness in his smile, three parts of calmness, three parts of fearlessness and one part of determination.

"First, we can't fight back. We are no match for them at the moment, and if we fight now, it will give Wang Mang an advantage.

Secondly, I did not go back to die, but to apologize to Your Majesty. Liu Ji refused to accept the appointment, and Liu Yan protected his subordinates. The two of them gathered a crowd to resist, which was a great loss of the courtesy of a monarch and his ministers. They were really rebellious and unfaithful. If you don't punish them, you won't be able to show military discipline; if you don't punish them, you won't be able to show the principles of the Ming Dynasty! "

His men were stunned, and some could not understand, but smart people, such as Feng Yi, had already thought of it and admired it from the bottom of their hearts.

Growth mostly requires experiencing pain and suffering. At this moment, Liu Xiu became more mature.

(End of this chapter)