Shu region, south of Chengdu, Guangdu County, Longge.
In this place, which was changed to Shuangliu County in later generations and an airport was built, it was a desolate mountainous area. In a remote mountain ridge, there was an imperceptible cave entrance, with a faint light of fire and curling smoke. Without the dozens of heavily armed guards standing at the door, no one would have imagined that there would be people here.
A slender figure wearing a black robe and a bronze mask slowly walked out of the forest. The sergeants guarding the entrance of the cave suddenly became alert and pointed their guns at the intruder: "Who is he? Stop?"
The black-robed man turned over his hand, and a token was displayed in his palm: "General Yang sent me to inspect the prisoners."
The officer guarding the cave laughed: "It turns out that they were sent by General Yang. Please come in quickly. I will lead the way."
The black robe waved his hand: "No need, there is only one person named Huan here. I can find him. Just guard the entrance of the cave. General Yang asked me to bring these to reward you."
He waved his hand, and several sergeant-looking people ran out of the forest behind him, either holding wine jars or holding lotus leaf bags. The aroma of various barbecued meats and wine mixed together, making these sergeants beam with joy. After thanking them repeatedly, they left. He rushed up, and the black robe walked straight into the cave, and took down a torch outside the cave. After walking more than thirty steps, Huan Qian suddenly opened up in front of him. In a wooden cage, Huan Qian was imprisoned. He was convinced and was staying there with a sad face. As soon as he saw the black robe, he immediately became energetic: "You, who are you?"
The black robe took off the mask on his face, and Tao Yuanming's face was revealed in front of him. At this moment, Huan Qian almost cried: "It's you, Mr. Tao, you, why are you here?"
Tao Yuanming smiled slightly: "As commissioned by King Yao Tian, I came to see Duke Huan."
Huan Qian sighed: "When I first wanted to come here, the King of Heaven said that Qiao Zong would not tolerate me, but I didn't listen. I also wanted to come back and recruit some of Wen Gong's old troops to rebuild the army and fight back to Jingzhou, but... Unexpectedly, Qiao Zong didn't even give the King of Heaven face, and took me down directly. Mr. Tao, since you were sent by the King of Heaven, you have to save me. I knew that you were from Jingzhou and were on our side. On this side!”
Tao Yuanming shook his head gently: "Mr. Qian, you are here to restore Huan Chu's country, and I am temporarily lurking under Liu Yu, waiting for the opportunity. We are partners on the same chariot. It's a pity that I came here." It's a little late, but it doesn't stop you from setting off. After all, the King of Heaven treats you as a guest and can't force you to stay, but don't worry, your life is not in question."
Huan Qian's eyes flashed with joy: "Is it true? But I heard the guards say a while ago that Qiao Zong wanted to kill me!"
Tao Yuanming smiled slightly: "It's not that Qiao Zong wants to kill you, but some of the big families in Shu. When Wen Gong destroyed the Han Dynasty, some of their families were killed by the army. What you see is that there are Wen Gong's old troops here, but in fact, He has more enemies here. Look, when you came here to recruit talents, how many of your old men came here?"
Huan Qian said bitterly: "I didn't expect that in the place where Wen Gong conquered, no one remembers the love of the past!"
Tao Yuanming shook his head: "This land of Shu is not the foundation of your Huan family. Back then, Duke Wen conquered Shu just to gain credit for himself and to be independent. Later, when he captured Xichuan, he didn't even stay. Only a small number of garrison troops were left, and even the governor was given to Zhou Fu, who was sent by the imperial court. The so-called old troops of Duke Wen here as you imagine have never existed."
Huan Qian was speechless for a long time, and then he sighed: "I shouldn't believe He Danzhi, but why did he tell me like this? Isn't this hurting me?"
Tao Yuanming smiled slightly: "Because Lao He was originally from Beifu, not from Jingzhou, and he didn't have any affection for Dachu. At least he didn't have any favors from the Huan family. He came to seek refuge in the past just because the late emperor was powerful and wanted to He was just a man of great success, but later he escaped with you and came to the Later Qin Dynasty, not because of how loyal he was, but because he knew that the Beifu Army hated traitors the most. If he fell into the hands of Liu Yu, he would never be pardoned by Yin Zhongwen or Hu Fan. , we can only run for our lives. To put it bluntly, he and you are not the same people."
"After you arrived in the Later Qin Dynasty, you wanted to restore the country and take revenge, but he had long since lost all his ambitions and only wanted to survive. You wanted to sneak back to Nanyang, gather old troops, and even lure Lu Zongzhi to surrender. This kind of crazy thing He is not willing to come with you, so he will trick you into coming to Xishu and make you suffer a bloody blow and sober up, or he will borrow Qiao Zong's knife to kill you and live in peace and quiet from now on!"
Huan Qian punched the straw mattresses under him hard: "The traitor is really hateful. When I was under my command, why didn't I realize that this guy was so bad?! I thought he was a loyal subordinate! "
Tao Yuanming said calmly: "Knowing people, knowing their faces, but not their hearts. This has been true since ancient times. It's not surprising. But now Mr. Qian still has to find a way to survive. Only by living can everything turn around."
Huan Qian said quickly: "Mr. Tao, save me. Since you can come in, you can take me away. As long as you take me back to Hou Qin, you can do anything you want. You, you are the number one benefactor of our Huan family!" "
Tao Yuanming shook his head: "I can take you away, but in that case, Hou Qin and Xi Shu will completely fall out. In Qiao Zong's view, you are just a subordinate sent by Yao Xing to win over him and seize As a chess piece of Western Shu, if the Jin army comes again, the Later Qin Dynasty will never send troops to rescue it. Without the control of Western Shu, the Jin army can easily launch an expedition to the north. Your dream of returning to your hometown in this life may not be realized. Here you go."
Huan Qian sat down slumped: "Then, am I going to wait here to die? You also said that there are many enemies of Duke Wen who want to kill me for revenge!"
Tao Yuanming smiled slightly: "The only one who can kill you is Qiao Zong, and if I kill you, I will completely fall out with Hou Qin. As long as you don't give Qiao Zong this excuse, you can survive. Remember, unless Qiao Zong issues an edict, I order you to be released, otherwise, no matter who comes to find you and flee, even if it is your brother or son, don’t follow him, if you step out, the King of Heaven will not be able to save you!"
Huan Qian gritted his teeth: "But, how long do I have to stay in this damn place?"
Tao Yuanming said calmly: "Qiao Zong locked you up here as a kind of test to see if there is really any old subordinate coming to rescue you, and also to see if you want to escape. If you stay here peacefully, He won't kill you. Maybe in ten days and a half, he will move to a better place and continue to imprison you. When the Jin army retreats and the Shu land is stable, he may send you back to the Later Qin Dynasty. However, I suggest You should stay here and don't make friends with people from Shu, but you can recruit Jingzhou refugees. One day, you will have the opportunity to return to your hometown!"
