The Chu envoy headed by Zhuge Jin set out from Jianye and went north by water from Qu'a Port to Xiapi, Liu Bei's seat of government.
The envoys were arranged to stay in a villa, and Zhuge Jin was also informed that the King of Han would receive him tomorrow. At this moment, sitting opposite him were Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang, the military advisors of the King of Han.
Xu Shu can be regarded as an old friend of Zhuge Jin, but if possible, Zhuge Jin would like to sit down and chat with Zhuge Liang alone. Because the two brothers haven't seen each other for several years.
But this is just a naive hope after all.
Zhuge Jin didn't know whether it was the King of Han's intention to have them come to receive him, or it was the idea of his meticulous younger brother. The two of them knelt down on the table and looked at each other from a distance, a few steps apart. They were speechless for a long time. There is an invisible gap between these few steps.
Zhuge Jin opened his mouth and said with some bitterness and emotion.
"Brother, I didn't expect you to become an official. I originally planned to wait until the lord captured Jingzhou before recommending you. You have always been calm, but this is the first time I have seen you acting emotionally."
Not to mention that the eldest brother Zhuge Jin didn't expect it, even Zhuge Liang himself never thought of it? Just sighing is like plain wine. Once you drink it, you will rest for a lifetime. Half drunk and half awake, you lose your sense of direction. Sometimes you are hot-blooded and sometimes you are faint. Zhuge Liang lowered his head and sighed softly. He had long known that Liu Biao was just a mediocre person, but he still hoped that he could create a miracle. However, the cruel reality made him understand again why many capable people throughout the ages have longed for a wise king.
"Hahaha, thanks to Kong Ming's emotion, otherwise I would be in trouble."
Xu Shu laughed and cleared away the gloom, he raised his glass and said.
"Come, brother Ziyu, I haven't seen you for many years, I want to give you a toast."
"Haha, Yuan Zhi is toasting, and Brother Yu will definitely drink it. Go for it!"
"Dry!"
After a few glasses of wine, the three of them seemed to have returned to the days when they had studied and traveled together, argued with each other, and drank happily, and the atmosphere suddenly became cheerful. Xu Shu put down the cup and looked at Zhuge Jin curiously and asked.
"There are rumors among the families that Sun Ce is arbitrary, arrogant, and unruly. Brother Ziyu has been an official in Chu State for many years and holds an important position. How do you evaluate the King of Chu?"
If it is true as the rumors say, it is naturally taboo for ministers to discuss it. This question itself is a kind of test, and Xu Shu can get an answer whether he answers it or not. Pointing at Xu Shu's naughty head and shaking it, Zhuge Jin chuckled. He thought for a moment and commented.
"Loyalty is spontaneous, and Fang Qiu is scolded. He does not look like a king, but the ministers return to their hearts, all the people admire his virtue, and the king's power is like the sea."
"So what if I don't know the King of Han?"
Zhuge Jin toasted Xu Shu in return, but it was Zhuge Liang who answered.
"The phoenix soars in the sky. It will not rest unless it is a sycamore tree, it will not eat unless it is practiced, and it will not drink unless it is a sweet spring. My king values benevolence and righteousness, and will not do anything unless he is a virtuous person."
Zhuge Jin looked at his younger brother and nodded with joy and smiled.
"It seems that we have all found the wise king in our hearts."
"How's the battle going on your side?"
Zhuge Liang let out a long sigh, and after joking for a while, they finally got down to business.
There was nothing to hide. Even if I didn't mention it here, Chu State would only be a few days behind them in getting the corresponding information.
"Oh, that's not good. Wei's 100,000-strong army is approaching fiercely and has captured Dongping and Rencheng. Our army resisted desperately and finally blocked their offensive in Xiaopei. If Qin hadn't revealed something strange and needed to be on guard, there would have been another one this winter. It’s extremely cold, I’m afraid the Wei army has already reached Xiapi City.”
Zhuge Jin burst into laughter after hearing this.
"Well, you A Liang, you're here to trick me again! I just don't believe that with the skills of the two of you, a mere hundred thousand Wei army can reach the gate of Xiapi City. I'm afraid that now the Wei army has been trapped in the quagmire of Xiaopei and can hardly advance even half a step. Right? Otherwise you and Yuan Zhi wouldn't dare to leave the front line and come back to entertain me."
Xu Shu couldn't help but smile when he saw the two brothers fighting each other.
"No! Kong Ming showed off his magical power and beat Wei General Xiahou Chun to the point where he screamed. My lord greatly appreciated this, and all the generals were also convinced."
"It's all thanks to Yuan Zhi's strong recommendation to my lord, otherwise how could Liang be able to use what he learned?"
"Hey, what did Kong Ming say? You are such a talented person. How could your lord bury such a rare treasure as Kong Ming?"
Hearing this, Zhuge Jin interjected.
"Come on, Yuan Zhi, don't praise him. He is very arrogant and can't help but praise him. If one day he can learn to be as humble as you and not offend others in vain, then I will feel relieved."
"Haha, brother is right. Yuan Zhi has this bad habit of being too modest. It would be great if he could be like me one day."
"Hey, look what I said!"
During the banquet, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves and were extremely happy.
······
The next day, Zhuge Jin took Hua Xin and Jiang Qin into a carriage and went to pay homage to the King of Han Liu Bei.
When you open the car curtain, you can see that the business travelers along the way are in good order and the people are happy. If they had not known the corresponding information, they would not have known that the Wei army had reached Xiaopei, the gateway to Xiapi. After passing through several streets, the carriage stopped in front of the Governor's Mansion in Xuzhou.
Yes, there is no mistake, this is the Han Palace. Liu Bei said that the queen did not build a new palace, but changed the original state pastoral palace and replaced it with a plaque, transforming it into her own palace. Although the Prefectural Mufu Mansion is newly decorated, it is still a little smaller than a "royal palace".
What they saw along the way made Zhuge Jin and his party couldn't help but nod secretly. What they saw through this little story was the great magnanimity of the King of Han.
After some etiquette, everyone sat down one after another. Facing the Chu people were the military advisors of Xu Han, Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang, the military advisor generals Sun Qian, Jian Yong, and Mi Zhu, and the generals Zhou Cang, Chen Dao, and Liao Hua. As for generals Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, they must be resisting Cao Bing in Xiaopei. Liu Bei, sitting in the middle, has a majestic appearance and elegant temperament, which makes people's eyes light up.
At this moment, Liu Bei asked Zhuge Jin.
"I heard that Sun Ce has formed an alliance with Dong Zhuo. I wonder why the envoy came to Xuzhou this time?"
"Haha, where did King Han hear these ridiculous rumors?"
As soon as Liu Bei finished speaking, Zhuge Jin burst into laughter, cupped his hands and said.
"There is a male lion in the north. One day the lion wants to eat the leopard. The wild wolf wants to overthrow the lion's rule. The tiger thinks it has an opportunity and wants to take a piece of the pie. Does this mean that the tiger and the wild wolf are brothers?"
"Cao Cao fought in the north and south and made many enemies. He was ambitious and wanted to annex the world and achieve the great achievements of Qin Shihuang and Han Gaozu. However, he made people angry. How could our Chu country form an alliance with a villain like Dong Zhuo? He was just following the trend of the times. It just happened. They all have the same purpose. Cao Wei invades Xuzhou, doesn’t your Majesty want to counterattack Cao Wei and restore the glory of the Han Dynasty?"
Zhuge Jin looked at Liu Bei sincerely, their enemies were all Cao Cao.
Zhuge Jin bowed deeply and said.
"I came here on the order of the King of Chu, hoping to form an alliance with the King of Han to defeat Cao Cao's traitors together."
Except for Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu who squinted their eyes and looked thoughtful, Xu Han's ministers couldn't help but whisper.
Chen Dao stroked his beard on his chin and stared at Zhuge Jin with suspicion.
"To put it nicely, I am afraid that if our army attacks Wei with all its strength, the Chu army will take the opportunity to capture our city; or we can lead the main force of Wei army to our army, and we will drag Wei to attack the city and seize territory alone, and enjoy the benefits of being a fisherman."
Xuzhou is a vast area, making it easy to attack but difficult to defend.
With Xu Han's military strength facing Wei alone, even if Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang were confident enough to repel the Wei army, the situation would still be difficult. After all, Wei was not a soft persimmon. I am afraid that Cao Cao has not yet used all his strength, but is always on guard against his greatest enemy, Qin.
The two of them had also expected that Qin would send troops to Wei sooner or later, but Zhuge Jin's arrival far exceeded everyone's expectations. They never expected that Qin could persuade Chu.
In Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang's repeated deductions, this time the three kingdoms of Wei, Qin, and Han were entangled. Chu would definitely take the opportunity to seize the thousands of miles of Shuchuan to the west, while Qin and Han would swallow Wei's land and drive Cao's troops to the Yellow River. to the north.
However, Chu State actually left Shu State alone and instead wanted to get involved in this chaotic war. This has to be said to have added many variables to the already chaotic situation.
Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu both believed that there must be something unknown to them that quietly changed the situation. Everyone's suspicion is inevitable, and Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu also hope to learn the true motives of Chu State through everyone's mouth.
"Our army needs all its strength to conquer Wei. As the army marches north, the hinterland east of the Yangtze River is also empty. My king believes in the loyalty of the King of Han. Does it mean that your Majesty thinks that my king is a villain who deceives the world and steals his reputation?"
Just as Chen Dao was worried, Chu State also had the same worries.
When facing a powerful enemy, if partners who are fighting together suddenly stab themselves in the back with a short-sighted eye on easier-to-obtain interests, the result will be disastrous.
That's why Zhuge Jin wanted to go to Xuzhou as an envoy, and Chu needed a treaty. For people like Dong Zhuo, it might be just a piece of waste paper, but for people like Sun Ce and Liu Bei, this piece of paper is worth more than ten million taels of gold.
A gentleman's word is as hard to chase as a horse; a king's promise is as heavy as a tripod. If you don't follow your words and don't keep your words, how can you set an example for the world, convince the ministers, and let all the people follow you?
Zhuge Jin let out a long sigh. He knew that persuading Xu Han's ministers could be done with benefits, but it would not be enough to convince Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu. So he briefly explained the grudge between Sun Ce and Cao Cao in front of everyone in Xu Han.
All the ministers looked at each other in confusion. Sun Jian's betrayal of the alliance was widely known. Who else except the people of Jiangdong always believed in Sun Jian's loyalty? What's more, they said that the jade seal was a prop used by Cao Cao to frame Sun Jian?
"I believe."
But Liu Bei nodded. Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu looked at each other and nodded lightly to Liu Bei. They just didn't expect that what made Sun Ce decide to attack Cao Cao was not some foresight, but the simplest personal hatred in human nature.
Zhuge Jin breathed a sigh of relief. No one else mattered. Only these three people were willing to believe that they could continue to talk.
"In the early spring of next year, the Chu State will send out 100,000 troops to attack Yuzhou. In order to avoid conflict with the Qin army, we will give up Sili Prefecture. Yanzhou and Qingzhou will be given up to the King of Han. How about that?"
"As for the four states in Hebei, Chu will not participate in the struggle between Qin and Han."
"Before I left, my lord also said that if the King of Han agrees to form an alliance, our country of Chu will promise not to invade Han territory within ten years. How about that?"
This is to divide the behemoth Wei State into three pieces of fat. Everyone can be sure that Wei State will not be able to withstand the attacks of the three families. While Chu State only had Yuzhou, it is conceivable that in addition to Yanzhou and Qingzhou, the four states in Hebei would also be divided between Qin and Han.
All the ministers could not help but be solemn, and turned to look at Xu Shu, Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei.
Liu Bei said.
"Mr. Zhuge, please go back to the villa to rest first and let us discuss it."
Zhuge Jin took Hua Xin and Jiang Qin and said goodbye.
Two days later, Chu and Han reached an alliance: the Chu army would first help the Han army to repel Cao's army in Xiaopei. After that, the two armies acted together. After the main force of Cao's army was defeated, the Chu army took Yuzhou and the Han army took Yanzhou and Qingzhou. Chu and Han promised each other not to violate the border within ten years.
