The last time Lu Bu and Jia Xu met was when the Liang army surrounded Chang'an. At that time, Lu Bu was provoking Niu Fu and started a fight with him. Unexpectedly, he was ambushed by the Liang army, and then a flying arrow pierced his armor and penetrated his side, so he almost died. The impact of this arrow wound has remained to this day. Whenever it rains, Lu Bu will stoop down and walk, and there will be a faint feeling of acupuncture between his bones and flesh.
When he saw Jia Xu, Lu Bu suddenly felt the pain from the old wound on his side. Only now did he suddenly understand who he was playing against. He said to Jia Xu in a lonely voice: "In today's world, there are not many people that I, Lu Bu, admire, but from today on, you, Jia Wenhe, are one of them."
Jia Xu smiled and did not answer, and then waved the guards to leave, leaving only two people with him, one of whom was Cheng Yi and the other Ma Chao, representing Han Sui and Ma Teng respectively, listening to the secret conversation. Since Jia Xu showed his intention to have a secret conversation, Lu Bu could only accompany him and sent all the accompanying guards to the north. As a result, only four people were left sitting across from each other by the well.
When the two looked at each other, Lu Bu's eyes drifted, while Jia Xu remained calm and composed. Jia Xu took out a pot of water from his waist, placed two wooden bowls in front of him, and poured light red juice into them. It turned out to be plum soup. After handing a bowl to Lu Bu, Jia Xu took a sip and said slowly: "It's just a calculation without any intention. It's just that the general and I are old acquaintances and know the general's preferences. What if it was really a battle on the battlefield?" Dare to fight head-on with the general?"
Lu Bu did not answer. His mind was not here. After taking a sip of plum soup, he asked directly: "You said you are willing to return all the soldiers to me. Are you true or false?"
Jia Xu was stunned when he heard this, then raised his head and laughed loudly, pointed at Lu Bu and said repeatedly: "You, you!"
Lu Bu was upset when he heard this. He didn't really believe in the peace talks. Now when he heard Jia Xu's laughter, he felt even more upset, as if he had come here specially to be humiliated. As soon as he thought about it, he stood up and shouted coldly: "You think I am easy to bully! I am a great man in Northern Xinjiang, and my righteousness will not be insulted! If you want to bring victory and humiliation to others, it will only be blood splattered in five steps, and we will all die here!" After that! , he reached out and held the knife at his waist.
Ma Chao sat aside, just to be prepared for this moment. Lu Bu had not yet drawn his sword out of its sheath, so he immediately took advantage of the situation and stood up. In an instant, the blades of two knives were as bright as the cold moon, facing each other at the edge of the well. Both of them knew that the other was an opponent not to be trifled with, their eyes were focused on the opponent's vital points, and they were always ready for a confrontation.
In this extremely tense atmosphere, Jia Xu reached out and patted Ma Chao beside him, and said with a smile: "Meng Qi, there is no need to wield a sword. I was really rude just now." Then he said to Lu Bu, "Since I In inviting the general to come, he is naturally sincerely negotiating for peace, so why should the general be suspicious? Let’s sit down and let’s continue talking.”
The two of them sheathed their swords and slowly sat back at the table. After the two of them were seated, Jia Xu continued to speak. As soon as he spoke, the scene immediately calmed down. Jia Xu said: "After five days, we will first release ten thousand people to the general." Lu Bu's expression softened a little, and he heard Jia Xu continue to explain, "And I just laughed, not to tease the general. It’s just a feeling in my heart.”
Lu Bu asked: "Why are you feeling sad?"
Jia Xu said: "When I lived with the general in Luoyang in the past, I thought the general was a hero who did not stick to trivial matters and had ambitions for the world. Even if we meet with swordsmen in the future, no one among my colleagues would not admire the general's bravery. But goodbye today, general. My heart is depressed, I care about each soldier, and I no longer have the heroic demeanor of scolding Fang Qiu, how can I not be moved?"
Lu Bu's face turned red when he heard this, and it took him a long time to say: "My defeated generals are naturally not brave enough. Since you have returned my soldiers, you can do whatever you want."
Jia Xu shook his head and laughed, and said: "Why am I laughing at the general? The general has forgotten that in addition to returning the prisoners, we also have an original intention, which is to serve the general as our master! The general is so decadent, how dare we Trust me with your life?”
Lu Budun was disgraced. When he came this time, he only wanted to get back his old army, and did not take Liang Ren's intention of surrender seriously. But Jia Xu mentioned it again in front of him. Lu Bu couldn't help but look at Cheng Yi and Ma Chao's face, and wondered in his heart: Could he be telling the truth?
At this time, Jia Xu asked seriously: "General, do you think the general and the general Liu Bei are both better and worse?"
Lu Bu didn't expect this question, but there was no one around, and he didn't bother to tell lies, so he said angrily: "Liu Bei is just a little slippery. Compared with ordinary people, he can naturally be regarded as a hero, but if we are discussing the merits of someone , but mediocre."
When Jia Xu heard this, he couldn't help laughing in his heart, but his expression remained as usual, and he still asked: "Then why is it that Liu Bei is not rewarded for his achievements, and he is a highly respected minister, but the general is still here sighing?"
Lu Bu hesitated, and he had to sigh and said: "He is a member of the Han clan, studied under Lu Zhi, had military skills at Guanzhang, was a literary supporter of Chen Chong, and had Gongsun Zan as his support, so he was able to achieve great things because of people. And a certain person is from the border area. A general has no foundation at all, how can he be compared with him?" When he said this, he felt upset in his chest, so he picked up the water bowl and drank it all in one gulp. Only then did he remember that this was plum soup, not a drink to soothe his sorrows.
While he was at a loss, he heard Cheng Yi on the side say: "The general is wrong. Although Liu Bei has won people, can't the general's Bu Qu be considered a good man? The three men under the general's command, Gao Shun, Zhang Liao, and Cao Xing, are well-known in Longshang. , we all thought he was one of the most talented people in the world, and the general would be so belittling him, which would probably make the generals sad!"
Lu Bu was silent for this. Jia Xu knew that he had no way to refute, and his mood had reached the extreme. This was the best opportunity to persuade him in this trip. So he took another pot of cold wine and filled it for Lu Bu. After he drank it, Jia Xu slowly said: "Is it possible that the general doesn't know this? This is all Chen Tingjian's plan!"
Lu Bu was stunned, raised his head to meet Jia Xu's soul-stirring eyes, and couldn't help but murmured: "Where do we start talking about this?"
Jia Xu said: "Although Jia Xu is a rebel wanted by the court, he also knows about political affairs. For the emperor, the general is the first minister to kill the grand master. Without the general, peace will be difficult anyway. Just cut off his life, and the emperor will die." How can the division be defeated? To take a step back, if there is no general to guard Gaoling first and then guard Chang'an, we will waste more than a month without being able to advance. How can we let Liu Bei and others lead their troops south and gain unrewarded achievements? I heard that Your Majesty If the general is given the Zhongxing Sword, it can be seen that the general's merits are great."
Speaking of this, Jia Xu looked at Lu Bu's reaction again and saw him gently stroking the hilt of the sword at his waist. He knew that his mind was also restless. Land, enjoy the wealth of ten thousand households. But how can you be the shepherd of Liangzhou? It is often said in the court that if you are not an official in Liangzhou in life, you will not be a ghost in Longyou. Liangzhou has been unjust for decades. With the intelligence of Taishi (Dong Zhuo) , Chariot and Cavalry (Huangfu Song)’s strategy cannot be defeated, how about the general? Chen Chong and Liu Bei used Liangzhou as a reward, and let the general fight with us for years. This is like Yanzi of Qi State, who was afraid of the warriors To seize his power and position, use two peaches as bait to make the three soldiers kill each other."
When Lu Bu heard this, he felt that it made sense. He was ashamed and angry for a while, and he didn't even bother to drink. Soon, he got up and wandered around the well. He first looked up at the wind and flowing clouds in the sky, but he was still filled with anger; then he looked down at the well, and saw in the well water that he looked haggard, with a beard covered with wind and frost. Only then did Lu Bu realize: It turns out that I am also old. .
Suddenly, Lu Bu saw a scar between his right cheek, and he remembered that it was Sun Jian's scratch on his face. The vague memory suddenly emerged, and he seemed to be back in front of Guangcheng Pass. On a battlefield full of shouts, arrows, and gold and iron, he saw a man in black armor riding a horse on a mountain of corpses, mocking him coldly, which made him furious.
Lu Bu also remembered that when he followed Ding Yuan out of the army, he had looked back at Tianjing Pass. Tianjingguan Mountain was so strong and sharp, it was as sharp as a ghost axe. Such a scene once made him feel proud, and he secretly swore: When a man is born between heaven and earth, he should be taller than the mountains. Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, but it seems that he has accomplished nothing, which makes him even more unwilling.
He was so excited that he didn't know what to say, so he drew his sword and struck the water, raised his head to the sky and screamed, startling the birds around him.
Jia Xu waited for him to stop, and then asked slowly: "Jia Xu came here today just to ask the general, how much ambition does the general still have in his chest? Can he dare to make immortal contributions and leave a name for the ages?"
Lu Bu was sincerely convinced by Jia Xu. After hearing this, he returned to the table and sat down, bowing his head and saying sincerely: "This is Lu Bu's long-cherished wish in his life. I hope Wen He can teach me more."
When Jia Xu knew that the trip was done, he smiled and nodded and said, "General, you're welcome. Since the general is famous for his rescue work, don't you want to save the emperor from danger again?"
During the conversation just now, Lu Bu had vaguely heard that Jia Xu was trying to persuade him to raise troops to rebel against Liu. It was not surprising to hear such words at this moment. But now that he had made up his mind, he calmed down and said to Jia Xu: "Now Liu Bei has about 300,000 troops spread all over the east and west of Guandong. If we start a hasty attack, we may not have a good chance of winning!"
Jia Xu said: "As long as there is no war in Guanxi, Liu Bei will have to mobilize at least 200,000 troops to fight in Hebei. How many people will be left in Guanxi? This is not difficult."
Lu Bu said: "But as long as 30,000 people are left, we can always defend Chang'an. I have defended Xijing, and you have also attacked it. This city is extraordinary. Without 100,000 people, it cannot be conquered in a few months. Even if Liangzhou is full of troops, And if you go out, you can only get 80,000 yuan at most!"
Jia Xu smiled and said: "This is not a problem, because the general still has two people who can provide assistance."
"who?"
"Your Majesty and Jianping General Dong Gong." Jia Xu looked directly at Lu Bu and said, "The year before last, Liu Bei forced you to attack your majesty, which must have made your majesty resentful. However, Dong Gong was sent to Chencang and stationed in Wudu to train troops. He must also be secretly working for your majesty. Run around, as long as the general contacts Dong Gong, he will definitely gain His Majesty’s support and gain the reputation of righteousness!”
Speaking of this, Jia Xu said with a smile: "Or maybe Dong Gong has sent someone to contact the general, but the general has been busy with the war in the past two years and has no interest in the court situation, so he cannot tell him. As long as the general is idle at home for a few more days, After saying "Emperor" a few times, Dong Gong's envoy will come uninvited."
Lü Bu was doubtful and said goodbye to Jia Xu and others. He returned home and rested continuously. When Wang Yi came to contact him, he asked a few questions about the emperor's current situation in public. That night, a book of arrows actually fell in Lu Bu's backyard. The book said that he wanted to make a secret appointment with Lu Bu to discuss loyalty and filial piety. Lu Bu met as promised, and he was indeed Dong Cheng's envoy.
From then on, Lu Bu was convinced by Jia Xu and secretly invited him to his house to discuss the future arrangements in detail. Jia Xu, on the other hand, changed his name to Duan Xun in Lingzhou and joined the state government as an aide. He wore a black scarf all day long and lived in seclusion. The state did not know who he was, let alone the impending disaster.
