After the court meeting, Li Ran summoned Guan Cong. He will be asked to sneak into Cheng Zhou to discuss with him.
After watching and listening, not only did he not show any fear, but he actually seemed quite excited and beamed with joy for a moment.
If he remembered correctly, this should be the first time the young master assigned him a task. And the fact that the young master is now able to let him take on this important responsibility means that the young master has reached a reconciliation with his past views and obedience in a sense.
Moreover, Guan Cong seems to have a natural obsession with this kind of "espionage work". Going deep into the tiger's den and toying with everyone's applause, the sense of accomplishment was indescribable to him, even if he might lose his life because of it.
And Li Ran obviously knew about Guan Cong's nature, so he let him go. Guan Cong stood up, bowed and said respectfully:
"Young Master, don't worry. We will go there from now on. The good news that Young Master is waiting for is! Even if we can't win Chengzhou in one fell swoop, it will definitely make them uneasy!"
Li Ran also stood up, walked to Guan Cong, patted Guan Cong on the shoulder and said:
"Things are tough and you have to be careful yourself."
Since Guan Cong took refuge with Li Ran, he had kept to himself and had not done anything extraordinary. Moreover, he had made contributions in attacking the capital and identifying refugees.
Although Li Ran has not yet expressed his full confidence in Guan Cong, he has gradually let down his guard against him.
Guan Cong seemed quite touched when he heard these words of care:
"Thank you for your concern, young master. I will never betray your trust!"
The next day, Guan Cong packed his bags, and Li Ran personally sent him out of the city gate and watched him go away before returning.
Li Ran did not rest there, but went to find Gong Jian again. When Gong Jian saw that Li Ran left and returned not long after, he felt happy:
"Ziming, has His Highness the Prince agreed to let Jane go?"
Li Ran nodded slightly towards him.
"Yes, but I don't know if I were to let you go back like this, how would you explain to Dan Qi, sir?"
"Haha, without bothering Zi Ming to worry too much, Jian has already thought of her words. All she needs to say is that Wang Zichao believed that he was destined to belong to destiny, and in order to keep his reputation intact, he did not kill the old members of the Zhou family. Just leave."
"And this statement must be suspicious of Shan Qi. Jian will take advantage of the situation and ask him to stay away from the court temporarily, so that he can be saved. Shan Qi has always cherished his feathers. Since the prince will not kill me, an old minister of Zhou Dynasty, then he You won’t harm me at will!”
After hearing this, Li Ran quite agreed with this.
"Since Mr. Gong has made such a plan, it is best. If this is the case, then you will feel at ease. In that case, Mr. Gong, please!"
Li Ran selected a few soldiers from the previous prisoners who refused to surrender, and asked them to protect his lord and leave.
Gong Jian got on the carriage returning and saluted Li Ran again:
"Jian admires the gentleman for being so upright and true to his word. If there is an opportunity in the future, Jian should repay him! Let's say goodbye today!"
Li Ran laughed, but didn't reply and watched Gong Jian walk away.
Next, under Li Ran's instructions, Sun Wu, Wu Ge and others recruited soldiers near the capital and stepped up their training. At the same time, they sent many scouts in batches to spy on the military situation, setting up spies in dozens of miles around, quietly Hou Chengzhou's situation.
On this day, Wang Zichao finally received information from Chengzhou, saying that Shan Qi and Liu Di had left Chengzhou with Zhou Wangmeng, stationed in Puche, and deployed troops in the imperial city.
After learning the news, Wang Zichao immediately summoned Li Ran and others to discuss.
Wu Ge has always been reckless. After following Sun Wu these days, although his mind has stabilized a lot, it is said that a country can change its nature but it is hard to change it. When he heard the news, he immediately became excited.
"Your Highness! The city of Chengzhou was impregnable and difficult to conquer for a while, but now Shan Qi and Liu Di took the prince to Puche and Huangyi. This is a golden opportunity!"
Nangong Ye also said from the side:
"Your Highness, I think we should indeed take the initiative. Now our army has reached 40,000 people! If we can capture Puche and Huangyi, and kill the two culprits Shan Qi and Liu Di, then the chaos in the Zhou Dynasty will be over It will be settled directly!"
When Li Ran heard the news, he suddenly remembered what Gong Jian had said, that was Shan Qi's plan to lure the enemy!
Surrounded by Dan Qi and Liu Di, King Zhou left Chengzhou Luoyi and brought him to Puche. This temptation was indeed worth a pound of gold.
Wang Zichao couldn't help but raise his eyebrows after hearing what Wu Ge and Nangong Yan said. He suddenly had an idea that was about to move, but after thinking about it, he still looked at Li Ran.
Li Ran then stood up and took a step forward and said:
"This is an absolute must!"
When Wang Zichao heard this, he thought that Li Ran would never miss such a good opportunity, but when he heard that Li Ran directly objected, he felt a little disappointed:
"Oh? What do you think, sir?"
"Although Puche and Huangyi are not as strong as Chengzhou, they are on the only way for the Jin army to come to Zhou! A few days ago, we have also received intelligence that Jin has sent troops to help Danqi. Shanqi is here The first move is to lure the enemy, and the second move is to wait for the Jin army to arrive, so that we can combine our forces inside and outside and defeat them in one fell swoop!"
When Yin Buying heard this, he couldn't help but sneered:
"Sir's words are too alarmist! These days of no fighting, could it be that Mr. Ziming is resting on peace of mind and not thinking about making progress?"
When Li Ran heard this, he couldn't help but feel angry, and pretended to sigh:
"Oh, Master Yin is joking, but if you only care about stability, you can just stay with your wife and daughter in Zheng Guo, why bother coming here? In my opinion, it is best to hide your capabilities and bide your time at the moment. If there is a gap in the week, then take advantage of the situation. Capture Chengzhou. Never advance so easily that all previous efforts will be wasted!"
"Sir, it is true that he is like a god with his troops, but he is too careful!"
Yin BuNi still had a weird look when he spoke, and even Wang ZiChao couldn't bear to listen.
"No sycophancy! Don't be rude to Mr. Ziming!"
Yin Bu Ni lay prostrate on the ground.
"Bu Ni once led troops. The war is raging right now and His Highness's foundation is not stable. How can we not make progress and be content with the status quo? Today, God has given you a good opportunity. If God doesn't take it, what will happen to people? I'm afraid. This is not a good idea, I hope Your Highness will think twice!"
When Wang Zichao heard this, he couldn't help but stand up and pace back and forth, unable to make a decision.
Li Ran didn't care about the sinister words, but he also needed to make Wang Zichao firm in his belief:
"Your Highness, although our unit has achieved two great victories before, the real test begins now. The Jin State's dispatch of troops is no small matter. If we are not careful, we may be plotted!"
The prince put his hand on his forehead and waved.
"You all should stand down and wait until I think about it before we discuss it again!"
Everyone had no choice but to retreat. Li Ran still wanted to speak, but seeing the prince acting like this, he had no choice but to leave for the time being.
After everyone left, Wang Zichao sat down again. He was not a passionate person. However, now the king of Zhou suddenly left Chengzhou and came to Puche, Huangyi. The temptation was too great for him.
Although attacking these two places involves the risk of advancing, it is indeed easier than Cheng Zhou who is in a deep ditch and high base.
What's more, in Wang Zichao's view, he is still holding high the banner of Qingjun.
If he had ignored it and only taken Chengzhou, he would have been ridiculed by the world. As for the attack on Puche and Huangyi, it can be said that Shan and Liu held the King of Zhou hostage. It seemed more legitimate for him to raise his troops and go to Qingjun's side.
