When Li Ran heard this, he couldn't help but nodded and said:
"Exactly, the Zhao family in Handan is of the same clan as the Zhao family after all. And the current leader of the Zhao family, Zhao Yang, is an alliance with us, so maybe we can go to Handan to borrow troops."
However, Confucius hesitated for a long time when he heard this, and then said:
"It's just... that the Handan Zhao family, although they seem to be at peace with our sect, are said to be very close to the Fan family and the Zhonghang family, and the current sect leader Zhao Wu's mother is the Zhonghang family. daughter. Therefore, her attitude is very unclear, it is really hard to say..."
When Li Ran heard this, he also nodded and agreed with what Confucius said. However, although he knew it was difficult, he had no other choice now:
"At that time, Xun Shu, the general of the Jin army, was originally a member of the Zhongxing family and was used by Fan Yang. In the end, it was just a few words from Li Ran that convinced him. Now the Zhao family in Handan is just a man who has both sides. It needs to be said whether there are advantages or disadvantages, or there may be opportunities that can be exploited.”
"What's more, now Yunyi is in danger, the attitude of the Marquis of Qi is unclear, and Zheng Guo is far away and cannot solve the immediate problem. For the current plan, we can only give it a try! Even if it fails, we can try other methods. .”
So, after everyone discussed for a while, they finally decided to divide the troops into two groups. Confucius went to Qi State, while Li Ran went to Handan.
Confucius had gone to the State of Qi in advance when the Marquis of Lu was on the run, and as an envoy of Lu, he had met the Marquis of Qi, Yan Ying, Gao Zhang (Gao Zhaozi) and others.
Moreover, he convinced Qi Hou at that time. This time he went there again. Although he would not be welcomed by Qi State, after all, he had accumulated some connections in Qi State and should be able to speak better.
As for Li Ran, he considered that he was on good terms with Zhao Yang, the leader of the Zhao family, so if he came forward in person, he might be more sure.
At this moment, Guan Congze sent someone from Luoyi to bring news:
Xing Guan observed the sky at night and saw that stars frequently fell in the direction of the Lu State, which may indicate that many prominent people on their side will fall one after another in the near future. Therefore, the observer asked Li Ran to pay more attention and it would be best to go out less in the near future. That's great.
Li Ran actually didn't believe in astrology. But he also knew that if they had such concerns, they might not be groundless.
Just like the Shikoku fire that year, perhaps Guan Cong got some new news from other places, but he couldn't explain it.
When Sun Wu heard this, he felt quite uneasy, so he admonished Li Ran and asked him to take Chu Dang with him to prevent any unexpected events.
However, Li Ran was worried about Yunyi, while Sun Wu sighed and said:
"Sir, don't worry, Sun Wu will be fine. Now we only need to reinforce the city defense day and night, and we will not take the initiative to attack."
"As for the brute strength of Chu Dang, Wu was afraid that if he stayed here, he would tear down the city wall. It would be better to let him go out with Mr., to avoid suffocating him. .”
Sun Wu wasted no time in teasing him, which actually made everyone laugh. The originally solemn and gloomy atmosphere suddenly became a bit humorous.
】
So everyone agreed on this, Zi Lu followed Confucius, and Li Ran took Chu Dang with him.
…
After the meeting, Li Ran returned to his residence and told Ji Le that he was going to Handan to borrow troops. Ji Le was quite reluctant to leave, and couldn't help but hug her husband delicately.
"Husband, you are always running around like this, Le'er feels so uncomfortable..."
"Le'er, you've been too worried recently. You must stop thinking about it while your husband is away. If this can be done and everything goes well, the matter of Ah Chou's return to China can also be solved!"
Ji Le caressed Li Ran's cheek.
"You have lost weight... Husband, you must pay attention to safety when you are away from home. Leer is actually fine, but he misses Guang'er a little, and... he is just worried about your safety..."
"Guang'er is accompanied by Fan Li, and I have Chu Dang as my guard. This time, Le'er can rest assured!"
Ji Le nodded gently, and Li Ran held her face lovingly.
"Ma'am, thank you for your hard work..."
Ji Le smiled.
"Husband, you don't have to worry about Le'er. In fact, it's good for Le'er to spend more time with Ah Chou, but Ah Chou... seems to be getting weaker and weaker recently... ugh..."
Ji Le also noticed something strange about Lu Houchou's body, so he was a little worried.
"Don't worry, madam, Ah Chou's illness is actually a knot in his heart. Once we escort him back to the country, everything will be solved..."
The two of them looked at each other as they talked, as if they had endless things to say...
A night of silence
Even though Li Ran and Ji Le were reluctant to part, they still had to part ways.
Before leaving, Li Ran specially prepared a letter and sent it to Dong Anyu in Jiangcheng.
Since Yang Hu's strategy was to encircle but not close, leaving some gaps for people in the city to escape, Li Ran and Chu Dang successfully left Yunyi and headed for Handan under the cover of night.
Regardless of the traveling all the way, the two of them arrived in Handan very smoothly.
When Zhao Wu, the Handan doctor, heard that Li Ran, the Taishi of Luoyi, was here, he warmly entertained Li Ran and treated him as an honored guest.
Li Ran explained his purpose of coming, while Zhao Wu didn't seem to have any fluctuations on the surface and just said:
"Wu understands Li Taishi's intention, but as for borrowing troops, please forgive Wu for not being able to act independently at the moment. I'll send someone to Jiangcheng to inquire about the sect leader's intention. If the sect master agrees, I, the Handan clan, will be shouldering the responsibility!" It is also appropriate to give some troops and horses to Li Taishi."
Although Li Ran was a little anxious, he also knew that what Zhao Wu said was indeed reasonable. Although the Handan clan has established its own clan in name, they still want to recognize the Jinyang Zhao clan as their clan. Therefore, if they want to lend troops to Li Ran, it is natural to ask Da Zong what he means.
What's more, he had no friendship with Zhao Wu, and Zhao Wu would definitely not kill him first and report later.
"Then there's Doctor Lao Handan!"
Zhao Wu waved his hand and said:
"Li Taishi doesn't have to be so polite. It's been a hard journey. I will arrange a place for Taishi to stay in Wu. When I get the response from the sect leader, I will notify Taishi as soon as possible!"
When Li Ran heard this, he cupped his hands and said:
"If that's the case, then it's annoying!"
So, Li Ran and Chu Dang temporarily stayed in the post house in Handan.
However, several days passed without any news.
Li Ran also knew that there was still some distance between Handan and Jiangcheng, so it was not that fast to transfer information back and forth.
However, he still felt a little uneasy in his heart.
And Zhao Wu was very polite to him, and would send someone to greet him every day. But there was no mention of borrowing troops.
Even though Li Ran asked occasionally, the visitor said that the sect master's reply had not yet arrived.
That night, Li Ran was about to lie down to sleep when he heard Chu Dang knocking loudly on the door.
"Sir! I have a guest asking to see you!"
Li Ran stood up and opened the door, only to see a man wearing a bamboo hat standing outside, followed by a convoy of people, who seemed to be businessmen.
The man opened his bamboo hat and smiled at Chu Tang.
"What's the guest? It's me!"
The two of them took another closer look, and it turned out that this person was none other than Owl Wings!
When Chu Dang saw it, he couldn't help but smile stupidly:
"It turns out it's you! I'm still wondering in my heart, who is so sneaky and wraps himself up so tightly!"
Li Ran hurriedly welcomed him into the house. Chu Dang was guarding outside, while Owl Yi greeted him politely:
"I have met my lord. Owl Wings brought his caravan to Handan. He learned that my lord was here, so he came here to pay his respects."
Owl Wing uses his business acumen to travel back and forth across various countries, collecting intelligence from all parties along the way. On the one hand, he is looking for business opportunities, and on the other hand, he is also acting as Li Ran's eyes and ears.
It was also a coincidence that I met my lord in Handan today.
Li Ran was naturally very happy to meet an old friend in a foreign country.
"Owlwing, where did you come from?"
"Back to my lord, I came directly from Zheng Yi this time."
"Oh? How is Guang'er doing now?"
"The young uncle has always taken good care of the young master. The young uncle is very considerate and the young master likes him very much. Moreover, the young master's illness seems to be stabilizing, and there is no sign of recurrence in recent days!"
After hearing the news that his daughter was fine, Li Ran couldn't help but nodded, feeling very happy.
"Young uncle, he is very resourceful, so asking him to take care of the children is a bit difficult for him."
Owl Wing replied:
"Haha, the young uncle is a man with sharp ears and eyes, and he is quite talented in doing business. The barter transaction with the Handan family this time was facilitated by him. The lord's foundation in Zhengyi may be able to be used in the future. Leave it to him..."
"Well, he is indeed talented in this area. Shao Bo is a man who adheres to the scriptures and is able to make changes. He has a quick mind and is indeed a good hand in business."
It's not surprising that Li Ran had such an evaluation of him. After all, after experiencing the last incident of transporting copper with the country, Li Ran already knew that Fan Li was indeed different from ordinary people in this aspect.
——
Chapter 519_Handan Suffering
At this time, Owl Wings suddenly approached Li Ran and whispered in Li Ran's ear:
"Master, shouldn't he be in Yunyi? What's the important thing for you to come to Handan?"
Li Ran sighed, briefly told Lu Houchou's recent situation, and finally said:
"It's really helpless that we came to Handan to borrow troops. Now Zhao Wu is still waiting for news from Jiangcheng before deciding whether to borrow troops!"
Owl Wing frowned, thought for a while, then looked condensed, and whispered to him solemnly:
"Master, in my opinion, it would be better for you to leave this place overnight!"
Li Ran couldn't help but be startled when he heard this:
"Oh? What's the rumor?"
Owl Wing nodded slightly and said:
"To be honest, my lord, Owl Wings entered Handan today to hand over goods to the Zhao family. They accidentally discovered that there were a lot of extra soldiers and armor in the Zhao family, and there were even some piled up in the backyard. I guess there will be something in the near future. Action. Moreover, according to Owl Wing's observation, there is now increased security around the post house! If Zhao Wu did this to borrow troops in the future... then why was there no sign that they were raising a piece of food and equipment? ?”
"It can be judged from this that Zhao Wu may not be able to settle down in the near future. There will definitely be changes in the city! Owl Wings is really worried about the safety of his lord!"
Li Ran couldn't help but frown when he heard this. In fact, his trip was indeed quite dangerous. After all, the Handan Zhao family is not simple. Before he came to Handan, he had already sent a letter to Dong Anyu. If everything went well, Zhao Yang should have given instructions to Zhao Wu.
However, Zhao Wu responded with no response, and sent people to visit him every day. He seemed to be concerned, but in fact he was deliberately trying to keep him here.
Li Ran thought about it, and couldn't help but feel a sense of fear. He also thought that he couldn't stay here for a long time. So, he decided to go to Handan no matter what tonight.
"Well, Owl Wings, go and make arrangements, and don't tell Chu Dang. He is impatient and may cause trouble if he hears this!"
Owl Wing responded and went out to make arrangements for escaping from Handan at night.
Chu Dang was still unaware at this moment, only half-leaning against the corner of Li Ran's room and dozing there.
"Chu Dang!"
At this time, Chu Dang suddenly woke up after hearing this:
"Oh! What's the matter, Master?!"
Li Ran couldn't help but smile when he saw his honest and honest attitude, and continued:
"Since you are so sleepy, why not take a rest quickly!"
Chu Dang was worried:
"No, no, no, before leaving, my wife specially told Chu Dang to protect the safety of my lord at all times. I'm not sleepy now!"
Li Ran smiled again and said to him:
"There are owl wings in the inn tonight, what do you need to worry about? Just go and rest!"
Li Ran knew that there might be some commotion tonight, so he let Chu Dang rest for a while so that he could gather some energy at night, just in case.
Chu Dang was obedient and retired to sleep.
In the middle of the night, Owl Wings gently knocked on Li Ran's door again. Li Ran opened the door immediately without taking off his clothes and boots. Owl Wing said softly:
"My Lord, we are ready, we can leave now!"
Li Ran nodded and asked Owl Wing to call Chu Dang. When Chu Dang came out, he rubbed his eyes and said strangely:
"One moment he asked me to sleep, and the next moment he asked me to wake up in the middle of the night. What is your lord doing?"
Owlwing hissed.
"My lord is afraid that there will be danger tonight, and Zhao Wu may want to harm my lord!"
When Chu Dang heard this, he suddenly woke up and widened his eyes:
"Ah?! How dare that Zhuzi... Huh! I have to poke a few transparent holes for him!"
While talking about peace, Chu Dang immediately held up his personal euphorbia.
As for his big halberd, since he lost the three-piece halberd when he last escaped from the prince's military camp, he has never found such a handy weapon again. This halberd was also specially made for him, with a slightly increased weight of bronze, but it was still much lighter than the Sange halberd. For Chu Dang, it could only be used temporarily.
Owl Wing arranged several carriages of his own at the stables, and had those carriages go out in batches to distract the guards of the posthouse.
When Chu Dang, Li Ran, and Owl Wings came to their carriage, they could only smell a foul smell. When they took a closer look, they saw that their horses had diarrhea all over the ground at the same time, and were now limp and lazy. on the ground.
Li Ran was stunned for a moment and secretly yelled, "Not good!"
However, he didn't show it. There happened to be an Owl Wing Caravan carriage that hadn't left yet, so they decided to take this carriage out.
However, at this moment, someone outside the post house was heard shouting:
"The water is breaking out, the water is breaking out, come and put out the fire!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a fiery red reflection outside the wall. Owl Yi had already spied on the surrounding situation of the post house, and immediately took Li Ran and Chu Dang to the back door. As soon as he opened the door, who knew there were several people there immediately? Ten black shadows rushed over directly.
Against the backdrop of the firelight, the spears in their hands shone coldly, and they rushed directly to Li Ran.
When Chu Dang saw this, he held a big halberd and shouted:
"Suffer death, you bastards!"
It can be seen that although those people had their hair loose, they deliberately pretended to be barbarians and took advantage of the situation to rob them. But inside his black clothes, a stomach was looming. Obviously, these are the manpower arranged by Zhao Wu.
Although Chu Dang was impatient, he was not stupid. Before these people could take action, he had already waved the big halberd in his hand into the enemy formation, and hit the same spot with dozens of people.
Li Ran and Ou Yiqi retreated to the back door of the post house. Although Chu Dang was brave, he could not defeat four hands with two fists. Those dozens of people were wearing armor and stomach, and they advanced and retreated in a measured manner. They had obviously been prepared for a long time.
Chu Dang was unable to disperse them for a while, and couldn't help but fell into a hard fight.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Owl Wing saw Li Ran's crown and took it into consideration.
"Lord, please take off your crown!"
Li Ran didn't want to think too much, so he took off the crown and reached out to take it. Li Ran suddenly thought of something and retracted his hand.
"Owl Wings! What are you going to do?"
"My lord, let Owl Wings lure away these bad guys for my lord! Only in this way can my lord and Chu Dang have a chance to escape!"
Li Ran shook his head hurriedly and said:
"Owl Wings! Although we are called masters and servants, we are actually like brothers! As brothers, how can we let you do such a dangerous thing?! This is absolutely impossible!"
Owl Wing glanced at the fighting outside the door, and was so anxious that he suddenly knelt on the ground.
"My lord! Owl Wing has been following my lord for more than thirty years, and has been with my lord since he was young. My lord does not regard Owl Wing as inferior, and always treats him as brother and foot. Owl Wing is so grateful! If I can no longer be by my lord's side in the future, , Owl Wing can’t bear it in his heart. However, if today’s situation were not like this, I am afraid that both you and my master and servant will be buried here!”
"You should continue to suffer the consequences! Please don't hesitate, my lord!"
Owl Wing is the servant Li Er left for Li Ran when he left Luoyi.
Owl Wing was originally from Qi, but after his parents died, he had no choice but to follow his tribe to do business. After the businessman arrived in Luoyi, by chance, he was stayed by Li Er and named him "Owl Wing", which means "flying here".
However, Owl Wing was also young at that time and did not know Li Er's identity. Due to his misfortune in his early life, Owlwing is quite independent and very easy to please.
Later, when Li Er left for Qin, he left Owl Wings with Li Ran. From then on, Owl Wing recognized Li Ran as his master and has always been loyal.
At that time, Li Ran was only a few years old and regarded Owl Wings more as a playmate.
Just as Owl Wing said, the master and servant have been together for too long. It is no exaggeration to say that he single-handedly brought up Li Ran. Although they are masters and servants, they are indeed brothers and sisters.
It is precisely because of this that Li Ran cannot agree to Owl Yi's behavior.
"My lord... I'm offended!"
In a hurry, Owl Yi suddenly stood up and snatched the crown from Li Ran's hand. Li Ran wanted to take it back, but Owl Yi pushed Li Ran away. Li Ran was unsteady and almost fell down.
Owl Wing instinctively wanted to help him, but he still held back. He quickly bowed goodbye to Li Ran, put on Li Ran's crown, and rushed out of the back door.
"I, Li Ziming, am here!"
Owl Wing shouted such a cry, attracting the attention of those people directly.
Those people ran over one after another, and when they saw that he was really wearing the crown of the Taishi of Luoyi, they immediately chased after him without thinking about the authenticity.
Chu Dang killed several people and turned around to see Li Ran with disheveled hair. He didn't understand the key at this time. He only wanted to protect Li Ran's safety. He ran over, pulled Li Ran up, and headed in the opposite direction.
Li Ran wanted to break free, but Chu Dang was as strong as an ox after all. How could he, Li Ran, say that he could break free just by breaking free?
He was about to speak again, trying to get Chu Dang to let go of him, but suddenly found that there was a spear tip stuck straight on Chu Dang's shoulder, and crimson blood had already stained half of his body.
Li Ran was shocked, but when the words came to his lips, he suddenly couldn't say them out.
After all, he couldn't let Chu Dang be surrounded again. Now that Owl Yi has lured away the killers, if he insists on going back now, I am afraid that not only will Owl Yi's hard work be in vain, but Chu Dang's life will also be in vain.
Li Ran endured his grief, and while being led away by Chu Dang, he was crying silently, with tears pouring out!
