In the blink of an eye, it is the fourteenth year of Jian'an, and it is spring again.
Spring in Shu seems to come earlier than in the Central Plains. In early February, buds can be seen on the treetops, and the city is full of green and vitality.
Liu Qi repeatedly received Liu Xun's eight battle plans, but ignored them and practiced swordplay in his house all day long. Recently, he had begun to gain a glimpse of his swordsmanship and made rapid progress. This greatly increased his confidence and made him practice more diligently.
I have read many martial arts novels in later generations. Although the theory may not be suitable for actual combat, some of the insights are quite useful. By integrating the swordsmanship taught by Wang Yue, Xu Shu is no longer an opponent and can fight Shi A resonantly.
On this day, I was practicing swordsmanship with Zhao Yun. Suddenly, Xu Shu came quickly, holding a brocade box and two letters with a solemn expression.
Liu Qi put away his sword, wiped his sweat and asked, "News from Jingzhou?"
"Not bad!" Xu Shu didn't stop and motioned Liu Qi to the study and put down the brocade box: "Jiangdong has been making moves recently. Sun Quan actually sent an assassin to kill Taishi Ci, and Zhou Yu also sent a secret message."
"Oh?" Liu Qi was a little surprised. It seemed that the trajectory of history had changed. He frowned and said, "How can we conclude that the assassin was sent by Sun Quan?"
Xu Shu said: "The assassin's name is Zhou Shan, and he is a general of the Sun family. As soon as he arrived in Xiangyang, he was spotted by Ma Su. Seeing that his whereabouts were suspicious, he followed him for half a month and captured him in the hospital."
Liu Qi smiled and said: "Hey, Ma Youchang, this kid, you can do it!"
Xu Shu nodded and said: "Ma Su is a smart man, has a photographic memory, knows Xiangyang's scenery very well, and is very decisive in situations. He will be of great use in the future!"
"You can teach me!" Liu Qi said noncommittally.
Being recognized by Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang shows that Ma Su is still capable, but he was possessed by Zhao Kuo and his reputation was ruined. Whether he can be reused depends on his later performance.
He turned to ask: "Zhou Shan is a general of the Sun family, and he is here to carry out such a confidential matter. He must be a dead soldier. How can he be willing to reveal Sun Quan's secrets?"
Xu Shu said: "This man had an ancient ingot knife on his body. A quick check revealed it, but he remained tight-lipped. Later, Kong Ming asked Tai Shi Ci to tell Sun Ce about his poisoning and death, and Zhou Shancai told the truth."
While Taishi Ci was being treated in Xiangyang, Zhuge Liang cleverly arranged to let Taishi Ci know that he was poisoned by a strange poison, and then revealed the news to Yu Fan, which aroused the suspicion of the two.
However, the two of them had a deep friendship with Sun Ce and were loyal to his final entrustment. They did not dare to believe the matter. During the discussion, Sun Quan sent an assassin. This made Taishi Ci shocked and angry, and almost died of anger on the spot.
Liu Qi pondered for a moment and asked: "Is it possible that Sun Quan was worried that Taishi's kindness would be unleashed and wanted to kill people to silence him?"
Xu Shu smiled and said: "Zhou Shan is the general adopted by Sun Ce. How could Sun Quan tell him about this? Otherwise, he would not have betrayed Sun Quan when Tai Shi Ci was poisoned."
Liu Qi asked: "Then how did he convince Zhou Shan to assassinate him?"
Xu Shu replied: "Because Taishi Ci has not been heard from for half a year and was once a general under Liu Yao, Sun Quan was worried that he would leak military plans or even betray Soochow, so he took this policy."
"The heart of a villain!" Liu Qi shook his head and sighed: "Sun Zhongmou is young and promising. He appoints talents and talents. He is highly respected in Jiangdong. He is confidant with his subordinates. Lu Su and Zhuge Jin are both considered confidants. Taishi Ci is Sun Ce's sworn friend. , how could you do such a stupid thing?"
Xu Shu said slowly: "It is precisely because he is an old general who is Sun Ce's confidant that Sun Quan is worried about him!"
"The higher the power, the more selfish! When Cao Mengde called on the world's righteous men to attack Dong Zhuo, he never expected that one day he would become Dong Zhuo."
Liu Qi sighed with emotion. In recent years, Jiangdong has been stable and Sun Quan has grown up. Naturally, he is eager to cultivate his own power. This is human nature.
Xu Shu said: "Now Taishi Ci has suspected this and is unwilling to return to Jiangdong. As long as he can be persuaded to avenge Sun Ce, Jiangdong can be disrupted!"
"It's too early!" Liu Qi shook his head. If he messed up Jiangdong at this time, wouldn't that give Cao Cao a chance?
Xu Shu smiled and said: "This matter cannot be solved in a day, the timing is actually just right. Recently, I have reported that Cao Cao's condition has worsened, his body is getting worse, he often falls into coma, and he may not die soon!"
"Huh, is Five Stone Powder really that delicious?" Liu Qi sneered coldly. He knew that the sulfur in it was not a good thing. He pointed at the brocade box and asked, "What is this?"
Xu Shu shook his head and said, "This secret letter is written in Zhou Yu's handwriting. We dare not open it."
"A letter from Gong Jin?" Liu Qi was a little curious. He opened the brocade box and saw that there were two snacks inside and the other two places were empty. He laughed and said, "This Gong Jin is so stingy. He gave two snacks and took away two."
Xu Shu was also full of doubts: "Zhou Yu has returned to Chaisang to recuperate. What is the purpose of sending a box of cakes all the way?"
"A box of cakes?" Liu Qi rolled his eyes, put his hands on his hands and laughed, "What a coincidence. God wants you and me to share it. The military advisor is in a good mood today..."
Then he picked up one and handed it to Xu Shu: "Come on, let's try Xiao Qiao's skills!"
Xu Shu did not reach out to pick it up, but cupped his fists and asked, "What is God's will?"
Liu Qi raised his eyebrows and smiled: "One box of cakes, doesn't it mean one bite of cakes for each person?"
"Uh--" Xu Shu was startled and laughed: "Although the young master's explanation is wonderful, Zhou Yu is by no means a boring person. He sent half a box of cakes thousands of miles away. I'm afraid there is a deeper meaning. It's better to read the letter first before eating. .”
"That's fine!" Liu Qi reluctantly picked up the letter.
I thought that if Pang Tong was around, he would be able to understand this humor. Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang are sometimes too rigid.
Opening the letter, he saw three pages. After scanning a few lines, Liu Qi's expression became solemn. He quickly browsed it and then read it again.
After watching, Liu Qi stood up and said, "We can't play with Liu Xun anymore. We have to return to Jingzhou as soon as possible."
Xu Shu hurriedly asked: "What happened?"
Liu Qi handed the letter to Xu Shu and sighed: "Zhou Yu... was also poisoned!"
Xu Shu was surprised. He took the letter and saw that Zhou Yu told the story about Ganlu Temple in detail, and also told Mrs. Wu's healing words. He suspected that there must be something wrong with one of the pineapple cakes and the ointment, and hoped to join forces with Liu Qi to investigate the matter.
Liu Qi thought for a moment and said in deep thought: "It turns out that Zhou Lang had known about this for a long time, but he didn't dare to investigate easily because of Sun Ce's will. Is Sun Quan really the man behind the scenes?"
Xu Shu looked at it and thought: "We have tested before and found that Zhou Yu was not poisoned. He and Sun Ce had eaten the pineapple cake a long time ago. It seems that the problem lies in the ointment."
"No!" Liu Qi shook his head and said, "As far as I know, Mrs. Wu did not treat Tai Shici's injuries."
Xu Shu said: "In any case, we finally have some clues. Zhou Yu is involved in this matter, which makes it easier to investigate. You can ask Taishi Ci first."
"It's so dangerous!" Liu Qi wiped off the crumbs on his hands and closed the brocade box. "This pineapple cake is the key item. Yuan Zhi will take it back to Xiangyang and ask Tai Shici for evidence first."
Only Xu Shu knew many details of this matter. The war in Yizhou was basically over. It was enough to have Pang Tong and Fa Zheng as military advisors.
After Xu Shu left, Liu Qi immediately issued an order for all battalions to make preparations and march to Luocheng in three days.
