Runan County, Shen County.
The strong wind mixed with the heavy snow almost buried the world.
The entire county has long been covered in silver, and no pedestrians can be seen inside or outside.
This county is an important gateway from Yuzhou to Yangzhou. Roads extend in all directions. On weekdays, merchants are constantly coming and going. But now, under the raging wind and snow, the roads are empty, not even footprints, so pure and innocent.
Five miles south of the county town, there is an unknown pavilion. This pavilion is very simple and is where the postmen usually stay.
At this moment, outside the pavilion, there were nearly a hundred fully armed soldiers, guarding different positions, holding crossbows and wearing thick winter coats, carefully observing all directions.
Zhuge Dan was sitting in this pavilion, with wine on the stove in front of him.
There is a servant holding a stove beside him, and green smoke is slowly rising.
Zhuge Dan placed many different types of wine cups in front of him, poured some hot wine, took a sip, and then sang: "Zhan Zhan Lusi, the sun is shining brightly, I'm tired of drinking at night, I'm not drunk and I'm not going home."
Just when Zhuge Dan was showing off his noble demeanor, a general suddenly rushed in.
"General, they are coming!"
"Why are you panicking? You've been with me for so long, why are you still so restless?"
Zhuge Dan scolded him, then took another sip of wine and asked, "How many people are here?"
"Two people."
"Um??"
Zhuge Dan finally lost his composure and looked at the general beside him suspiciously, "Two people?"
"Indeed, we all saw it clearly, there are two coming."
"What about in the distance? Will there be an ambush?"
"We haven't found it yet. Are we going to take someone to investigate?"
"No! He's not afraid of Qiu Jian. How can I be afraid of him?"
After Zhuge Dan finished speaking, he picked up the wine cup in his hand again, but his hand was shaking a little, and it seemed that he was not as calm as he said.
Zhuge Dan did not wait too long. After a while, two people hurried into the pavilion.
There was an old man and a young man, and it was Guanqiu Jian who walked in the front.
At this moment, his cheeks were red from the cold, he patted the snowflakes on his shoulders, walked up to Zhuge Dan in a swagger, and sat down as if there was no one else around him, "The snow this year is heavier than before, it's really deadly."
Guanqiu Jian complained, then raised his head and looked at Zhuge Dan in front of him.
"Long time no see, the general is still as handsome as ever!"
Zhuge Dan replied calmly: "The general looks a lot rougher."
This is not Zhuge Dan deliberately looking for trouble. Guanqiu Jian's skin has become a bit rough and his clothes are not exquisite. Although he is still very elegant, he is far inferior to Zhuge Dan.
Guanqiu Jian smiled and said: "I am already very old, not as old as I was then."
Zhuge Dan looked at the young man behind Guanqiu Jian. The young man was quite tall. He was staring in front of him indifferently without saying a word, holding a gift box in his hand.
"The general is so brave. He dared to come to my land of Runan with only one knight."
Guanqiu Jian shook his head, "Under Pu Tian, is it the land of the king? Is it the shore of the land? How can the land of Runan be owned by the king's ministers? Aren't they all the land of the Wei Dynasty? As a minister of the Wei Dynasty, how can I Are you afraid to come?"
Zhuge Dan was stunned. He didn't want to lose to Guan Qiujian in words, so he sarcastically said: "You have stepped on the flawless snow in Runan to create two traces of filth."
"I'm also wondering why there's so much snow in Runan? The roads here are really difficult to walk on."
"Isn't it great to see such beautiful scenery with white snow?"
"I don't know how many people will be frozen to death."
Zhuge Dan was speechless again, with anger already in his eyes.
Guanqiu Jian pointed at the young man behind him and said with a smile: "I originally wanted to come alone, but I just prepared a gift for you. I can't carry it by myself, so I asked him to follow."
"Give the gift to the general!"
Guanqiu Jian waved his hand, and the young man placed the gift box in front of Zhuge Dan.
The anger in Zhuge Dan's eyes immediately disappeared.
Many years ago, he and Guanqiu Jian were very good friends, and their friendship was very good. Because of Wen Qin, the two grew farther and farther apart.
Zhuge Dan sighed, "I thought you didn't dare to come."
"You are my friend. If I don't even dare to come to you, then where else can I go?"
"There were so many friends at the beginning, but now only the two of us are left."
Guanqiu Jian's eyes were a little sad, "I am already very old, and I don't know if I will be able to see you again in the future."
Zhuge Dan was speechless for a long time.
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat silent.
"Zhong Gong, just treat today as a gathering of old friends. Let's just drink and have fun, just like before, okay?"
Zhuge Dan suddenly spoke.
Guanqiu Jian nodded, "Of course."
Zhuge Dan immediately started asking people to pour wine, and Guan Qiu Jian did not hesitate and started drinking directly with him. The two gradually talked about the old days and their former friends, as if they had left everything behind, and the more they talked, the happier they became. , the attitude became more and more intimate.
At this moment, Guanqiu Jian suddenly said: "Gongxiu, where is your son now?"
Zhuge Dan's smile solidified again.
His son has returned to him, which also represents his alliance with the general.
"Didn't you agree that we would only drink alcohol today?"
"On a public holiday, I am not your drinking buddy. I have known you for many years and have already regarded you as a best friend."
Guanqiu Jian spoke seriously.
"I know you are in trouble, and you also know what I am doing now."
"I don't blame you. Many things are not ours to choose. You also have tens of thousands of people to take care of. Sometimes, you can't help yourself."
"As the general of Zhendong, I would like to advise you to abandon the dark side and join the bright side, and work with me to defeat Sima Shi."
"But as a friend, I just want to advise you not to get involved in these things."
Guanqiu Jian said sincerely: "You should know best what kind of people the Sima family are. They are treacherous, betrayal of friends, and shameless. I don't know what words to use to insult them anymore. Since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, all the people have used There are no words to describe them!"
"What will happen to you if you hang out with such people?"
"What kind of guarantee can you get?"
"The Sima family has always wanted to harm the local generals. Now they are trying to win over you just because of me. If I die, who will they deal with next?"
"Even if they don't move you, how will future generations evaluate you a hundred years from now?"
"Even if I die this time, future generations will certainly not be disrespectful to me. They will say that there was a loyal minister Guanqiu Jian who died for the sake of the king even though he was incompetent!"
"And even if you are alive and become a third prince, future generations will despise you and think that you are helping evil and murdering loyal people!"
Guanqiu Jian spoke very fast, but did not mean to scold him. His words were full of sincerity, and he looked directly into Zhuge Dan's eyes.
Zhuge Dan felt very uncomfortable under his gaze. Guan Qiu Jian's words hit his ears like a heavy hammer, leaving him at a loss. He didn't even dare to look at Guan Qiu Jian anymore.
Facing Guanqiu Jian's persuasion, Zhuge Dan lowered his head and said nothing.
"Gongxiu, I know what you are like. When I came here, everyone advised me not to come here, lest I be harmed by you, but I don't think so. Gongxiu is a world-famous moral sage. He will Are you plotting to kill your friends?"
"When I learned that you were conspiring with Master Sima, I was very scared."
"I'm not afraid that you will join forces to deal with me, I'm afraid that my friend will not be safe in the evening!"
Zhuge Dan's face was particularly hesitant. He lowered his head and felt even more entangled in his heart.
Zhuge Dan and Guan Qiu Jian had always had a good relationship, but because of Wen Qin, the two began to drift apart, and Zhuge Dan had always been a little jealous of Guan Qiu Jian.
He believed that his ability was not inferior to that of Guan Qiu Jian, but Guan Qiu Jian's luck was always better than his own.
He can become famous all over the world if he fights barbarians, and he can be sung by people all over the world if he writes something. Even when he dealt with Soochow, he was so lucky. Soochow collapsed without a fight. He inexplicably became the general of Zhendong. We are all generals of the Four Towns. Why do you have one more big character than me? Why are you so lucky?
I'm obviously so outstanding and my style is unique in the world, but why am I always being suppressed by you?
He wanted to replace Guanqiu Jian.
However, after hearing Guanqiu Jian's sincere words, Zhuge Dan suddenly felt a little bitter in his heart, and he really didn't know what to say.
"Gongxiu, if you are not willing to listen to my advice, then I won't leave. You can just tie me up and give me to Master Sima."
Zhuge Dan's eyes widened, "Who do you think I am?!"
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to humiliate you. If the general comes with troops to attack, I won't be afraid. But if you want to lead troops, how can I resist? Rather than being captured by you on the battlefield, it's better to do it now. Take it easy"
The corners of Zhuge Dan's lips curled up, but he quickly calmed down.
"Zhong Gong is a famous general in the Wei Dynasty. How can I be your opponent?"
Guanqiu Jian shook his head and said with a wry smile: "If others don't know, don't I know it myself? I'm just lucky, but I don't have the talent of others. How can I dare to be called a famous general?"
"Zhong Gong is really too self-effacing. You are not a middle-aged man. Even the general is in awe of you!"
"He used to be in awe, but since he won you over, he is no longer in awe."
Zhuge Dan looked at Guan Qiu Jian, who bowed his head and showed timidity in front of him. For some reason, he felt very relaxed. He no longer had the restraint and uneasiness he had just now, and suddenly became strong and confident.
"Zhong Gong! Today, we will only drink. You don't have to worry about the rest!"
"good!"
The two started talking again, and Zhuge Dan commented on the people in the world, his words were very arrogant and heroic.
When the banquet was over, Guanqiu Jian said goodbye to him, took the young man with him, and left on horseback.
The general whispered: "General, if we cover up the killing at this moment, we will definitely kill them."
Zhuge Dan was furious, "Wouldn't this mean that everyone in the world would laugh at me?!"
"go back!"
"only!!"
Guanqiu Jian, on the other hand, rode his horse and galloped quickly in the direction of Yangzhou, not daring to stop for a moment.
After leaving there, Guanqiu Jian's expression quickly became indifferent.
Wen Yang said with some displeasure: "Zhuge Dan is indecisive. He promised you today, but he might have to promise Master Sima tomorrow. Such a person is not worthy of trust!"
Guanqiu Jian asked calmly: "Do you think Master Sima doesn't know about his meeting with me?"
"With Master Sima's suspicious character, will he still believe Zhuge Dan?"
"I see!!!"
