Ji Han Grand Commander

Chapter 209 203. Persuasion
Xu Shu took the handwritten letter from Grand Commander Feng Xi and opened it to read.

What caught my eye was a piece of paper with handwriting that was not too pretty but very neat. I could still get some clues about the person's character from the handwriting.

"Dear Mr. Xu Shu, I have long heard of your name from the three generals, Prime Minister Zhuge, and even the late emperor. It is a pity that you and I have never met. It is a pity.

I heard that Mr. Wang had helped the late emperor to defeat Cao Ren's Eight-Gate Golden Lock Formation, which made the princes and three generals submit to him. Later, Cao Cao, a traitor, used Cheng Yu's plan to abduct Mr. Wang's parents to Xuchang, forcing him to go to Xuchang.

However, I heard that your mother had reprimanded you for this matter, because although Cao was evil, he would not harm your mother. After your mother passed away, Xi asked the Prime Minister why you were reluctant to return to the Han Dynasty even though you were no longer in chains.

When Xu Shu saw this, he sighed, thinking that Feng Xi knew very little about him. He basically heard everything from Zhang Fei, Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang and others, so he would not understand his difficulties.

"I heard that you have two concerns. First, you are worried that if you betray Cao Cao and return to the Han Dynasty, you will be ridiculed by the world and thought that you are as treacherous as Lu Bu. Second, you think that with Kong Ming by your side, the Han Dynasty can be safe. This is my humble opinion, please forgive me if I have missed it."

Xu Shu was somewhat helpless. The reason why he didn't want to return to the Han army was basically the same as Feng Xi's. It was mainly a matter of reputation. Death was a minor matter, but reputation was a major one. Xu Shu also didn't want to be mentioned in the future like Lu Bu, who spitted at everyone.

"Since you have read this letter, you must have known the news of the late emperor's death and seen the late emperor's handwriting. Although I don't know what the late emperor said, I was always by his side during his last days. The late emperor always sighed that you were not by his side to help him solve his problems.

The master thought that the talents of Crouching Dragon and Phoenix were better than his own, and with the two of them around, the late emperor would have nothing to worry about. However, Master Fengchu died young, and now in Sichuan, Prime Minister Zhuge is alone and can hardly support the country.

In this Eastern Expedition, the late emperor will lead the troops himself, leaving the prime minister in Chengdu, with only Ji Chang by his side to discuss countermeasures, and he even needs to ask for advice from a warrior like me who only knows how to march and deploy troops. "

Xu Shu knew that this was just Feng Xi's self-deprecation. Judging from his current performance, Feng Xi's strategies and battle formations were absolutely outstanding, but his words were not powerful enough to stop Liu Bei in the Battle of Yiling.

"Thanks to the blessing of God, our army turned defeat into victory in Yiling. The late emperor blamed himself very much and sighed with hatred. He only regretted that you were not by his side. If you were here, you would definitely be able to persuade Your Majesty."

Feng Xi's words actually confirmed Liu Bei's letter, making Xu Shu feel even more depressed.

"So the two you led don't exist. Now our Han Dynasty only connects the two states of Jing and Yi, while Cao Wei controls eight states. There is a huge gap in manpower and materials. How can Prime Minister Zhuge alone make up for it? Moreover, the Prime Minister is too busy to do anything. Now that the late emperor has passed away, there will be unrest in Sichuan. The Prime Minister will definitely not be able to get away for a year or so. How can he have time to 'pacify the world'?"

"As for the one you led, I secretly thought you were worrying too much. In the past, you were besieged by Cao Cao in Xiapi. In order to protect your two wives, you surrendered to Cao Cao and made three agreements. Cao Cao thought that high positions, generous salaries, wine, meat, gold and silver could move you, but you were unmoved.

After hearing the news from the late emperor, the prince sealed the gold and hung the seal, escorted the two ladies to the emperor thousands of miles away. Who dares to laugh at the prince now, saying that he is a coward and fickle person? Everyone in the world praises the prince for his noble character, and he has lived up to the promise of Taoyuan!
How similar are you to the former nobles? Did you surrender to Cao voluntarily? Didn't Cao kidnap people's families and use them as coercion? This is Cao Cao's despicable behavior, what does it have to do with you? You followed your parents to Xuchang to see your mother off, which is filial piety, and no one can say that you are not right. Now Cao Wei is threatening you privately, and you are even more daring to usurp the throne of the emperor, which is against the will of the world. Everyone in the world is eager to kill Cao's nine clans.

At this moment, you should abandon Cao and return to Han, which should be in accordance with the will of the people, your own heart, and even... your mother's wish. Cao betrayed you before, so even if you leave, you will not owe anything to Cao Wei, and you don't need to blame yourself. "Feng Xi has thought about this for a long time. Feng Xi feels that Xu Shu has been tricked by Cao Cao into coming. It was Cao Cao who used despicable means to trick Xu Shu, but in the end, Xu Shu felt psychologically burdened and felt that he would be sorry for Cao Cao if he left. How could this be justified?

"Sir, returning to Han means, first, abandoning darkness and joining light, second, complying with the will of the people, and third, living up to your parents' expectations. If you feel that Cao Wei treats you well and are willing to be an official of Cao Wei, abandoning Han and becoming a Wei citizen, then I am just wasting my words."

Xu Shu couldn't help but get a little angry when he saw this. Feng Xi actually thought he was a person who was greedy for fame and wealth. If he was such a person, why did he join Liu Bei back then? Wouldn't it be better to go directly to Cao Cao to flatter him than to follow Liu Bei and live in fear?

"Xi only wants to leave one word for you. Some people and some things, once missed, will never come back. Whether you want to regret it for the rest of your life or wake up in time, it all depends on you. Accepting the manipulation of others and then surrendering without a fight is the act of a coward. A real man should be resolute and will not change his will even if he dies nine times.

If you change your mind in the future, you can come to Jiangling. There is a prime minister and three generals in Sichuan, so you can be safe. Jingzhou is a place where we need to fight on all four sides. We need to occupy Cao Wei in the north and destroy Sun Wu in the east. We urgently need the help of a great talent like you.

That’s all I have to say. Please take care, sir.”

"..."

After reading Feng Xi's letter, Xu Shu fell silent. In fact, Xu Shu understood the key points Feng Xi mentioned, but he really didn't know much about the current situation of Ji Han. He felt that since Zhuge Liang was still there, there was no need for him to go back. But Feng Xi also said that Zhuge Liang had to take care of the teenage Liu Chan in Chengdu, so how could he have time to take care of the world?
Moreover, Feng Xi's words "Once you miss it, it will never come back" made Xu Shu think of Liu Bei again. He had not yet recovered from Liu Bei's last letter, but Feng Xi's letter aroused his emotions again.

"You go first, let me think about it."

Xu Shu waved his hand, spread the two letters on the table, stared at them intently, his eyes constantly moving between the two letters, no one knew what he was thinking.

"Master Xu, I live in the Yuelai Inn not far away. If Master Xu has any instructions, please come to me."

When Wang Yi saw Xu Shu's expression, he knew that it was time to end it here for today and give Xu Shu some time to think on his own, so he just told Xu Shu his contact address, then pushed the door open and left, leaving the Xu Mansion under the guidance of the servants.

"..."

Xu Shu waited until Wang Yi left, then picked up the wine glass in front of him, drank it all in one gulp, and then without pausing, immediately refilled the glass and drank another one.

(End of this chapter)