After Liu Qi read it, it turned out to be the handwriting of Xu's mother, saying that she was imprisoned by Cao Cao and asked Xu Shu to rescue her.
"This must be Cao Cao's plan to find out Mr. Cao's identity and use her as an old man as a threat."
Xu Shu shed tears and said: "I regret not listening to the general's advice and bringing my mother to Jingzhou earlier, which caused the trouble today. Now that my mother is imprisoned, she is in a state of confusion and cannot do her best, so she has to bear the pain and say goodbye."
"Since ancient times, it has been difficult to have both loyalty and filial piety!" Liu Qi sighed, and it was time to show off his acting skills again.
He returned the letter to Xu Shu and said: "I have always known that your husband is extremely filial, and it would be unjust to leave him alone to destroy your son and mother. But your husband once said that he is the most virtuous person in the court. Although he is imprisoned by Cao, he may not be willing to write a letter asking for help." , I'm afraid it's a forged letter, and if you go, your Majesty will be offended."
"This..." Xu Shu was shocked. He picked up the letter and read it carefully. He gnashed his teeth and cursed: "It is indeed a treacherous plot by Cao Cao!"
Zhang Fei was furious when he heard this and said: "What a good Cao Ahao. He raised an army to massacre Xuzhou to avenge his father, but now he uses his parents as a threat. He deserves to be killed by the thieves."
Xu Shu held the letter and was silent for a long time, then said with a sad smile: "After all, my mother is imprisoned, I can't sit still, I have to go. Don't worry, general, even if Cao Cao forces me, I will not make any plans in my life."
"It's not because I don't want to leave my husband!" Liu Qi frowned and said, "But your majesty is a righteous person. With her old temperament, she will be ashamed to see her husband. What if... wouldn't it be self-defeating?"
Xu Shu was in a state of confusion at the moment. He only wanted to save people, but did not think about the consequences. He was awakened by Liu Qi's words, and he immediately sat there paralyzed and said blankly: "What should I do?"
Everyone was silent. There was no doubt about Xu Shu's ability. He knew it was a plan, but he couldn't persuade others not to fulfill their filial piety. Putting himself in his shoes, everyone was in a dilemma.
Liu Qi walked back and forth several times with his hands behind his back. Suddenly he grabbed Cao Cao's letter on the table and shouted: "I have it!"
Xu Shu hurriedly raised his head and asked, "General, what good advice do you have?"
Liu Qi took the two letters together and said slowly: "For the current plan, we have to exchange people for people. We can use Cao Ren in exchange for the imperial palace. This will ensure that we are safe."
"General... how can this be done?" Xu Shu was shocked and said hurriedly: "Let Cao Ren go, Cao Cao will definitely march south. Those money, food and horses are being used to prepare for war. If..."
"Sir, there is no need to say anything!" Liu Qi interrupted Xu Shu and said with a smile: "Keeping you here, sir, is ten times better than Cao Ren! As long as the military advisor plots and manipulates Cao Cao to lead millions of troops, what is there to fear?"
"What a magnificent statement the general made!" Zhang Fei laughed and said, "Let Cao Ren go. Cao Cao will come again just in time. I will capture him again."
Gan Ning chuckled and said: "It's best to capture all the Cao family's children, and then slowly exchange money for land. If it's my fault, the old thief will go bankrupt."
Liu Qi comforted Xu Shu and said, "With the bravery of all the generals and the cleverness of my husband, how can I not avenge this?"
"I regret not listening to the general's original words!" Xu Shu was deeply moved and fell to his knees.
I remember that Liu Qi wanted to exchange Cao Ren for the emperor and Luoyang, but in the end because of his own self-righteousness, he only returned as an old mother. This kind of kindness is difficult to repay in this life.
Liu Qi helped Xu Shu up and said with a smile: "Sir, don't worry, as long as she returns safely, we will work together to capture Cao Cao and avenge him one day."
Xu Shu burst into tears: "A certain person has little talent and little intelligence, but he is favored by the general. He has received such great kindness, and his body is broken into pieces and it is difficult to repay him."
Liu Qi comforted Xu Shu for a while, and ordered Mi Zhu to reply to Cao Cao and exchange hostages as quickly as possible. The scene should come to an end.
But then everyone knew that a fierce battle was about to take place. Whether they could catch Cao Cao's thunderous strike would determine their future success or failure.
The envoy was dispatched, but Xu Shu was still uneasy. Liu Qi simply asked Wei Yan to escort Cao Ren, and rushed to Bowang with Xu Shu. They replaced him at the front line so that his mother and son could reunite as soon as possible.
During this period of time, he came to report that Cao Cao had assembled heavy troops in Xuchang, Runan and other places. Liu Qi had transferred Guan Yu to Bowang and garrisoned troops in key places, ready to fight at any time.
On this day, I was writing and drawing on a map in the study. The soldiers came to report. Xu Shu took her mother back safely and went to the post to see her in person.
Seeing Mrs. Xu's elegant demeanor, she wanted to thank Liu Qi. He quickly supported her and said with a smile, "I should say thank you. It's all because of your skill in raising children that I have such a talented person to help prosper the Han Dynasty."
Xu's mother smiled happily and said: "I heard in Xuchang that the general was a blockbuster. He followed the emperor's uncle's ambition to revitalize the Han Dynasty and eliminate thieves. When I saw it today, it was indeed a well-deserved reputation. The dog's talent was shallow and he almost abandoned the bright and turned to the dark, making a big mistake. Today If you get the master, you should do your best to assist the general in order to repay the grace of salvation."
Xu Shu also said yes again and again. If he was just moved by Liu Qi's sincerity before, now he is so heartbroken that he is completely devastated.
Liu Qi held a banquet in Guanyi to receive Xu's mother, and discussed with Xu Shu to bring her to Xiangyang and live with Liu Bei's two wives, so that she could be taken care of.
The next day, Xu Shu sent his mother out of the city, and immediately came to see Liu Qi. He smiled bitterly and said, "My mother said that a war was coming. She told me to put the overall situation first and not to go to Xiangyang with her."
Liu Qi said with emotion: "She is really a righteous person. She is many times better than those self-righteous hermits and masters."
Xu Shu's face changed slightly, and he laughed and said, "Is the general complaining about Kong Ming's refusal to meet?"
Liu Qi shook his head and sighed: "I am not referring to one person in particular, but I am lamenting that people's hearts are not as old as they are. If we are like them and let traitors run rampant, how can we have free and easy days for them to live in? As the saying goes, the rise and fall of the world depends on one man. Responsible!"
"Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world!" Xu Shu murmured to himself.
After chanting for a while, he sincerely clasped his fists and said: "Now that Cao Ren has returned, Cao Cao will definitely raise an army to take revenge. A certain person is short-witted and may miss the general's great cause. Kong Ming has talents in the world, and please ask the general to go and ask for him in person."
After saying that, he looked at Liu Qi worriedly, fearing that he had failed last time, and Liu Qi felt resentful because of this.
Unexpectedly, Liu Qi nodded and said, "That's exactly what I meant!"
Xu Shu was overjoyed: "I will go with the general."
Liu Qi rolled up the map on the table and said with a smile: "The last time I went there was a bit abrupt. This time I am prepared and I will impress Wolong with my sincerity."
Cao's army was approaching and time was running out. The two of them prepared to rush to Longzhong again with Zhao Yun leading the troops to escort them.
Liu Qi was also a little uneasy along the way. History has changed. The angry Cao Cao went south ahead of schedule and had no time to play the trick of visiting the thatched cottage three times.
Relying on Xu Shu alone to deal with counselors such as Cao Cao and Xun You is indeed not enough.
Once the war breaks out, it will last for years. This time he is going to show his trump card directly, but he doesn't know whether he can succeed.
When he returned to Wollongong for the second time, he saw a curved shaft plow at the door. Xu Shu was overjoyed and said, "This must have been made by Kong Ming according to the general's drawings."
Liu Qi was also secretly happy. Zhuge Liang's actions might be a hint, indicating that at least he would not dislike him and would ignore him.
Excited, Xu Shu stepped forward and knocked on the door. The person who opened the door was an elegant young man who said in surprise: "Sir, please come in quickly."
Xu Shu ignored the politeness and asked directly: "Can Kong Ming be in the village today?"
Unexpectedly, the young man shook his head and said, "Sir, it's a bad time to come. The second brother's wedding is coming soon. He went to Huang's house yesterday to hire someone, but he didn't come back."
