The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 328

The Han people value friendship, and friends are one of the five relationships. The Romans also value friendship, even above family ties. The Romans may not recognize their sons, and may not leave property to their sons in their wills, but they attach great importance to friends. It is not uncommon to share a portion of an estate with a friend.Of course, this refers to those real friends, not the kind of friends who call for friends in name, but actually use each other and are ready to attack each other at any time.

Looking seriously at Alexander's eyes, Momia sighed silently, feeling a little worried.It can be seen from Alexander's eyes that he seems to have regarded Sun Shao as the kind of friend who can entrust his funeral affairs.It is undeniable that Sun Shao is a very loyal person—at least on the surface—and many people are willing to associate with him, but Alexander may have forgotten one question. Sun Shao is the king of Yue first, and then he may be the king of Yue friend.First of all, they are political opponents who use each other, and then they can talk about friendship, but there is usually no real friendship between political opponents.

"Alexander..."

Alexander seemed to know what Momia wanted to say, he put up a finger in front of Momia's plump lips: "Mother, I know how to measure, I will not forget that I am the emperor of Rome, and he King of the Kingdom, but I want to be his friend, at least until I defeat the Sasanians, I will treat him as a true friend."

"Oh——" Momia sighed silently and nodded, but the worry in her eyes did not dissipate, and instead became a little more complicated. She lowered her head, avoided Alexander's inquiring gaze, and forced a laugh : "Alexander, you have grown up."

A smug smile flashed across the corner of Alexander's mouth, but he didn't pay attention to the complex emotions in Momia's eyes. He let go of Momia, walked to the tall window, and opened his arms, as if to embrace the blue sky and the vast empire. Full of pride.

"Mom, do you think I've grown up too?"

Momia frowned, the smile on her face froze for a moment, and soon returned to a faint smile: "Alexander, of course you have grown up, and I am very satisfied that you handled the contingency very well during the four-nation negotiation. I just want to remind you that Ardashir is not easy to be manipulated by others. He will definitely attack at the right time. As long as you can resist his attack, the Four Kings Alliance will be possible. Real success, and when that time comes, you're a real Roman emperor."

Alexander froze for a moment, then turned around slowly, staring at Momia's delicate face with a calm smile on his face: "Mother, when do you think Ardashir will attack?"

……

Taixi closed the city.

Ardashir stood in front of the large map with his hands behind his back, motionless like a stone sculpture. Shapur and his brothers stood at the foot of the steps, holding their breath, looking up at Ardashir's tall back.

"Shapur, when do you want to launch an attack?" Ardashir suddenly lifted his cloak, turned around and glanced at his sons, and finally his eyes fell on Shapur.Shapur is his most valued son, and he is already a self-evident successor. No matter what the other sons think, but in front of Shapur's ability and record, they can only swallow their anger.

"If it is just to deal with Guishuang, we can conquer them at any time. If it is to deal with Rome, we also have enough initiative. When to launch an attack is up to us. The weak Romans have no other choice but to defend themselves." Maybe take the initiative to attack." Shapur frowned, stroking the thick beard under his jaw, and the worry in his eyes was undisguised: "It's just that now, I don't think it's a good time, and we don't have the certainty of winning. "

"The brave and fearless Shapur also has times to fight?" Alpha sneered, and glanced at Shapur with squinted eyes. He is also the bravest of Ardashir's sons. Dissatisfied with his status, he felt that his father Ardashir was eccentric, and deliberately gave Shapur more opportunities to make meritorious deeds, while suppressing others, especially him Alpha.

Ardashir glanced at him, then looked back at Shapur calmly.

Shapur smiled slightly: "It's not that I'm timid, it's just that I don't think it's possible to win."

Alpha sneered a little: "Did you think you were sure of winning the battle before? But we fought the Romans twice in a row, and we won first and then lost. Could it be that you only counted the beginning, but didn't expect it?" to the end?"

Shapur shook his head, still looking calm: "War is a very complicated matter. Even if you can win, you may not necessarily win, and even if you may lose, you may not necessarily lose. But in general, if you have To start a war hastily without solving the major problems, relying on the blessing of Ahura for victory, but not thinking hard, I think this is a risk, abuse of the power of Alahhu, and disrespect to Ahura."

Alpha opened his mouth, speechless, blushed, and lowered his head.

"Why do you think you can't win? Is it because of the shortage of weapons?" Ardashir asked calmly.

"No." Shapur shook his head, "Our weapons are not in short supply to that point yet, but what I am worried about is the King of Yue. He has traveled thousands of miles and is sitting in Axum himself. Is it because he is greedy for coffee in Axum? To protect their commercial roads, he sent two fleets and attracted the Arabs. In real terms, nearly half of the money he earned from Rome or Sasan was spent on these two items. Compared with the previous It has not increased, on the contrary, it may have decreased, so what is he doing? I think he is uniting Rome, Guishuang, and Arabs to deal with our Sassanid. With the help of the Vietnamese, Rome, Guishuang, and Arabs are also good. Whether it is people or people, their strength has increased, but our Sassan has encountered a lot of trouble. If this situation is allowed to continue, Sassan will inevitably weaken. In the end, he will no longer have the strength to contend with him. Accepting his exploitation is the same as Rome and Guishuang now."

"So, you think the attack should be launched as soon as possible?" Ardashir interjected.

"Yes, but there is another problem." Shapur nodded solemnly: "From the general situation, the sooner the attack is launched, the better for us, but from another point of view, launching an attack now is not easy. Not a good time. The four-nation alliance has just been completed, and many people do not want war. If we Sasanians attack first, we will definitely be surrounded by other people, and those people will turn their backs on us. Although I Sasanians are brave and good at fighting, But it is never wise to be outnumbered, so launching a hasty attack is not a good idea."

"Then what can you do?" Ardasil smiled and glanced at his sons.Those few looked different, but they shook their heads in unison. They were a little confused by Shapur's words. They wanted to fight, but they couldn't fight. So should they fight or not?Ardasil finally cast his eyes on Shapur's face again, but Shapur smiled slightly: "Then create some trouble, let others attack us first, and then we will fight back, as long as the other two are stabilized first." For some time, let us calmly defeat one."

Ardasil laughed loudly: "Then who should we pick first?"

"Guishuang!" Shapur said without hesitation: "Guishuang is the weakest and the easiest to defeat, and if you defeat Guishuang, you can get iron and ease the crisis of weapons. We attack with the whole army. If the Romans are not safe, then Just gave us an excuse."

"What about the country of Yue?" Alpha asked a puzzled question.

Shapur waved his hand and said dismissively: "The Yue Kingdom only has naval forces. They can only support Rome and Guishuang with supplies. It is impossible to personally send troops to join the battle. If they dare to go ashore to join the battle, it would be great. , we can just defeat them on the shore, so as not to have to take the trouble to fight them at sea. What we have to do is to defeat the Guishan people before they react, to solve our worries, and to give those who think and Yue If you have a relationship with the country, you will have a backer to give a warning, on land, our Sasanian cavalry is still the world, let him put away his heart to interfere here."

Ardasil nodded in satisfaction, and said after a while: "It is said that in addition to Yue, Han also has His Majesty the Emperor, as well as Wei, Wu, and Shu. We should also send people to check it out. What is it like? Knowing the enemy and knowing the enemy can win every battle.”

"Father is wise." Shapur responded.

……

Jianye, the capital of the State of Wu, was written by Lieutenant Colonel Lu Yifu.

Lv Yi stroked his short, neatly groomed beard, his thin face showed some suspicion and worry, and he glanced at a brocade box on the table from time to time, in which were some flowers with branches attached to them. Flowers, although the flowers have shriveled, can still see the beauty when they are fresh.

"This is Wangyoucao? Does it mean that its beauty can relieve people's worries?" Lu Yi stroked his beard and looked warily at the businessman with a professional smile on his face. He didn't know why this businessman suddenly came to his door. What is it for, but he has to say, if the Wangyoucao in front of him is really effective, it will be an opportunity for Lu Yi to make a fortune.

Sun Quan has a headache recently.

After Sun Li died, many people thought that Sun Deng would re-enter Sun Quan's choice of successor. After all, besides Sun Deng, Sun Quan's oldest son, Sun He, was only 12 years old, and the prince, Sun Deng, was living quietly. Yuzhang fired porcelain, except for asking Anshu every month, basically did not ask about political affairs. Even if Sun Quan wanted to abolish his position as prince, he couldn't find any excuses, but Lu Yi understood that as long as Sun Quan had the slightest possibility, he would He would not let Sun Deng go to Jianye to continue to be his successor king. It was hard for Sun Quan to believe that Sun Deng would not care about this experience. He did not want Sun Deng to repay everything now after he succeeded to the throne.More importantly, although Sun Quan often has some minor problems now, he believes that he will definitely live for another ten or twenty years, and he will have enough time to choose another successor without pinning his hopes on Sun Deng. .

However, this was only Sun Quan's own plan, and the courtiers were not very clear about it. Sun Quan is 44 years old this year. According to the current normal life expectancy, he has already entered old age with one foot. Compared with his brothers, he Already considered a long life.The prince Sun Deng is 27 years old, and he will soon be in his thirties. It is obviously inappropriate to let him burn porcelain in Yuzhang. In addition, when Sun Li died last time, when many people slandered Sun Deng, Sun Quan declared himself sternly He had never doubted Sun Deng, so many people felt that Sun Quan was waiting for someone to speak to let Sun Deng come back. They kept probing, making it difficult for Sun Quan to decide. How many people really think so, it is not easy to make a decision.

Lu Yi knew this very well. He stayed by Sun Quan's side every day, knowing that Sun Quan was very troubled by this, and from his own point of view, he didn't like the crown prince Sun Deng either—Sun Deng trusted those who were knowledgeable, Scholars with family backgrounds don't value a capable official like him. If Sun Deng becomes the successor king, he can be sure that Lu Yi's official career will end here.

On the other hand, Mrs. Wang, Sun He's mother, asked people to pay tribute to him many times, asking him to speak well in front of Sun Quan. Of course, he may have promised that once Sun He succeeds to the throne, he will definitely repay him generously.Lu Yi knew that Mrs. Wang had no backing in the palace. Although she had a relationship with Zhuge Jin and his son, Zhuge Ke was a close confidant of the crown prince Sun Deng and did not have a good impression of Sun He. Afterwards, the oldest prince, but the hope is not great, especially after Sun Ba was born, Sun Quan clearly showed affection for Sun Ba, which made Mrs. Wang feel even more hopeless.

Lv Yi knew that helping Sun He at this time would be much more useful than helping Sun Quan after he showed his intention to make Sun He the crown prince, because he had been paying attention to how to get Sun He to win Sun Quan's favor. Worrying about the prince's affairs and often being restless, if it can make him happy, it will be a great achievement.

The Wangyoucao in front of him may be an opportunity.

Lv Yi has been an official for many years, and he is engaged in confidential and important matters. He has a careful mind and will not easily trust anyone, let alone a businessman.He looked at the businessman cautiously, hoping to judge the authenticity of what he said from his words and demeanor.

The businessman saw Lu Yi's hesitation, he smiled, stood up, and pulled the box towards him: "This Forgetfulness Grass is a rare and expensive item, and it is not something ordinary people can enjoy. I have heard for a long time that your lord is knowledgeable and rich, so I came here to offer it to you. If you have any doubts, I can give you three days to think about it. After three days, if you still can’t make a decision, then I have no choice but to I'm looking for another buyer. To tell you the truth, there are actually people who want to buy these forget you grass, but the price has not been negotiated for a while, so there is no transaction."

Lu Yi smiled slightly: "Such a box of grass sells for twenty gold, I don't think there will be many people buying it in Jianye."

"Hey, my lord, this is a rarity in Rome. It is mentioned in the poems of the great poet Homer. It is a sacred thing that can only be enjoyed by the gods. How can it be represented by a mere twenty gold?" The businessman said calmly. With a smile, he put away the brocade box, cupped his hands, and walked away.

Lv Yi sat for a while, got up and went back to the study, took out a copy of "Homer's Epic" from the bookshelf, looked through it carefully, and found the content of Wangyoucao in it, and there is a note below, explaining it in detail The shape and function of the Nemenica grass are exactly similar to what the businessman said.Lu Yi closed the book lightly, frowned and said to himself: "Since it is such a wonderful thing, why did His Highness the King of Yue never mention it, and didn't ask anyone to give it to me? Could it be that it is so rare that the King of Yue Your Highness doesn’t even know?” He thought for a while, then got up and took out a few volumes of "New Classic of Mountains and Seas", flipped to the Roman part, and looked through them one by one, but couldn't find the contents of Wangyoucao, so he couldn't help laughing.

"His Royal Highness King Yue is busy with state affairs, and this knowledge becomes more and more barren."

Two days later, Lv Yi sent someone to find the merchant, after several rounds of haggling, he finally bought half a box of Wangyoucao at the price of eight gold, and then he handed over the Wangyoucao to Mrs. Wang. The lady accepted it dubiously, and then cooked a pot of soup according to the recipe attached by the merchant, added some forget-me-not grass, tasted it first, and found it delicious, and drinking it made people feel more refreshed, so I was overjoyed. He personally sent it to Sun Quan.Sun Quan was still a little reluctant at first, but later Mrs. Wang insisted, so he reluctantly took a sip or two. After a taste, he was also attracted by the deliciousness of the soup. shed tears.

Mrs. Wang was very grateful to Lu Yi, and specially asked someone to send fifty gold to Lu Yi, and asked him to buy some more at the same time.Lu Yi was also a little overjoyed, he also tried the Forgetfulness Grass that he had intercepted privately, and found it very delicious, so he really believed the businessman's words.But when he found the businessman again, the businessman shook his head and said that he only brought these this time, because of the mysterious source, these forget-sorrow grasses cannot be bought in the market at all, and whether he can buy them depends on luck, and the price Not sure, if you want more, you must pay a full deposit in advance, and if the opportunity is good, you may be able to buy some more.

Lu Yi was a little suspicious, so he had to pay ten gold first, and then sent the Wangyou grass that he had intercepted to Mrs. Wang, telling her that there were only so many of them now, and the next batch would not be available until at least half a year later. Let her use it slowly, don't use it up all at once.

After Mrs. Wang learned about it, she became more careful. She hid the forgetfulness grass in the most secret place, and even Sun He didn't let her know about it. She only cooked soup for Sun Quan in a few days.But what she didn't expect was that Sun Quan soon fell in love with this soup, praised her for her good craftsmanship, and asked her to make soup every now and then, and sometimes even rushed to her palace to drink it, which made her overjoyed at the same time Also feeling the pressure, the consumption rate of Wangyoucao was much faster than her expectation, and it was gone within three months.

After Sun Quan drank the soup with forgetyoucao, he always felt tasteless when he drank other soups. He was a little annoyed when he saw that the soup Mrs. Wang made twice in a row did not have the same delicious taste, and he would never see Mrs. Wang again. The palace came, making Mrs. Wang anxious like an ant on a hot pot, so she could only urge Lu Yi to find some more such Wangyoucao no matter what.

Lv Yi had no choice but to search for it himself. Only after this search did he know how precious the Nestle Grass is. The Nestle Grass is a sacred product enjoyed by the nobles in Rome and Sassanid. However, people who own Wangyoucao are not willing to spread the seeds of Wangshoucao, so many people only hear its name, but they may not see it face to face, including many businessmen.In the past two years, this Wangyoucao has become even more difficult to come by. According to gossip, a mysterious businessman has contracted the production area of ​​Wangyoucao. The place where there was Wangyoucao was destroyed. This person is so capable and ruthless, it is simply unimaginable.

Hearing this, Lv Yi became even more anxious, but he was helpless. Seeing that a good thing was about to go to waste, he beat his chest and stamped his feet, hating himself for not buying all those forget you grass, for a small profit, he let go of a great opportunity .

Just when Lu Yi got angry, the businessman appeared again. He put the remaining half box of Wangyoucao in front of Lu Yi and asked for twenty gold.Knowing that he had killed Lu Yi, he had no choice but to cut the flesh. Fortunately, Mrs. Wang would give him more money in the end. If Sun He became the crown prince, he would benefit even less.

There is a saying that if you want to hold a man's heart, you must first hold his stomach. This principle is an example from ancient to modern times.With this half box of Wangyoucao, Mrs. Wang successfully won back Sun Quan's heart. In just half a year, she became the most favored woman in the palace. In her eyes, even Mrs. Bu, who has always been favored by Sun Quan, can only bow down.

The ministers are all smart people. Every time they saw Mrs. Wang sitting next to Sun Quan at a banquet, they were still a little surprised. The second time they understood the meaning, many people changed their direction one after another. Others began to pay attention to Sun He, who was only 12 years old. Mrs. Wang not only recovered the investment in buying Wangyoucao, but also made a lot of money, which can be described as both fame and fortune.

As she became more and more favored in front of Sun Quan, Mrs. Wang's ambitions rapidly expanded. She began to act like a baby in front of Sun Quan, implying that Sun Quan would bestow her son Sun He, and even hoped that Sun Quan would make Sun He the crown prince. He was still awake at the time, and he reprimanded Mrs. Wang, ignoring her for a few days, but before Mrs. Wang came to plead guilty, he himself became restless, either restless, or eating and sleeping. It was tasteless, and the imperial doctor's order could not find out what the problem was, and several prescriptions for calming the nerves did not improve. It was not until he drank the soup delivered by Mrs. Wang again that he miraculously recovered.

Seeing this result, Mrs. Wang, who was a little trembling at first, immediately knew that she had the upper hand in the contest with Sun Quan. She knew that Sun Quan could not do without her soup. A covert method to realize one's wish, on the other hand, more and more to hide the matter of Wangshoucao.

Under Mrs. Wang's gentle offensive, Sun Quan's attitude slowly changed. Zhuge Ke saw it and was anxious in his heart. He had no choice but to rush to Yuzhang in person and told Sun Quan about the changes in the past few months. Sun Deng.Sun Deng was silent for a while, and finally let out a wry smile: "Yuan Xun, is it possible that I really have nowhere to go?"

　The long vacation is over, let's start coding!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)