(In this chapter, in order to keep the characters’ personalities from their original settings, I used a lot of Huang Lao’s original text. Please understand!)
A man and a woman stood facing each other under the moonlight.
They all have extraordinary looks, like golden boys and girls walking out of a painting.
These two people are Shi Feixuan and Xu Ziling.
Shi Feixuan suppressed the thoughts in her heart and said: "Ziling! You once said that if Li Shimin wanted to ascend to the throne, you would persuade Kou Zhong to withdraw. For the sake of the common people in the world, can Ziling adopt a positive attitude and fulfill Concubine Xuan's wish? "
Xu Ziling also had thousands of words in his heart that he wanted to say, but when he heard these words, he instantly calmed down.
Xu Ziling shook his head dejectedly and said: "It's too late! It's too late! Now that Mr. Zhong is in a great position, he cannot retreat if he wants to. One man and two brothers, I can't hold him back when he is about to unify the world."
The master concubine said: "Kou Zhong cannot unify the world. Master has analyzed that if Kou Zhong wins and Li Tang collapses, the generals who originally belonged to Li Tang will take over the territory and proclaim themselves kings to avenge Li Tang, and the northern regime will collapse. The allied forces outside the Great Wall will take advantage of Kou Zhong's busy cleaning up the mess to invade the south. It is very rare for Kou Zhong to be able to secure Guanzhong and Luoyang. Under such circumstances, what will happen to the Central Plains? "
Xu Ziling remained silent.
Shi Feixuan continued: "Among the outstanding figures in the north, only Li Shimin has all the conditions to make the people of Middle-earth happy. This is something that even Kou Zhong cannot deny. His only flaw at present is that Li Yuan did not appoint him as the prince. This gives the Demon Sect an opportunity to take advantage of, and gives Jie Li a chance to fish in troubled waters. If Li Shimin ascends the throne and proclaims himself emperor, all problems can be easily solved. "
Xu Ziling still shook his head and sighed: "It's too late. Mr. Zhong doesn't give up the fight for world hegemony at this time. How can he explain it to Song Que? Even if he is willing to withdraw, Song Que will still send his army north to attack Luoyang Chang'an. Without Kou Zhong, Song Dynasty Que still has the ability and strength to defeat Li Tang."
The master Fei Xuan said: "That is the situation that Fei Xuan least wants to see. Song Que has been living in remote Lingnan for a long time. Although no one is afraid of his power, fear does not mean that he is convinced. Kuang Nan people are not convinced by the soil and water of the north, and they have to leave their hometown. Well, those who followed Song Que were mainly military soldiers. They were regarded as barbarians by the northerners, and they surrendered unwillingly. By then, it is conceivable that the north and the south would be divided again. "
Xu Ziling nodded and said: "Kou Zhong and I are not as far-reaching as you think. What can we do now that the matter has come to this?"
Shi Feixuan smiled and said: "You are the protector of our mountain sect. It is up to you to use your brains to find a solution."
Xu Ziling lost his voice and said: "I..."
The imperial concubine Xuan put her jade finger on his lips to stop him from talking, then withdrew the slender finger that made Xu Ziling's soul ecstasy, and said softly with her beautiful eyes deeply focused: "The road from chaos to return to Ye is not the same. It's not easy to leave. Fei Xuan can only do her best with an attitude of not caring about success or failure. However, personal power is limited. All Fei Xuan can strive for is the opportunity for peace. When this situation arises, Zi Ling, you must stand up and fight. It’s your duty to go out and don’t let down the trust and expectations others have placed in you.”
In the end, Xu Ziling decided to take Shi Fei Xuan to see Kou Zhong.
. . . . . .
When Shi Feixuan came to Kou Zhong's tent, she began to explain her purpose.
Kou Zhong naturally disagreed and said angrily: "Why do you think I can't secure the throne and seek welfare for the world?"
Shi Feixuan said calmly: "Because it's not ruthless and heartless enough."
Kou Zhong stared at Shi Feixuan, not knowing what she meant by her words.
Shi Feixuan continued: "Feixuan is the roadblock in your way to the throne. As long as you kill me, Li Shimin will completely lose support and will die."
Hearing this, Kou Zhong suddenly felt murderous thoughts in his heart, and the moon in the well in his hand began to emit a faint yellow light.
That's right!
Kou Zhong was tempted. As long as the master concubine Xuan was solved, Li Shimin would be killed by the Demon Sect if he could not be rescued. In this way, he would lose an opponent.
Xu Ziling suddenly stood in front of Shi Feixuan.
In an instant, Kou Zhong began to restrain his murderous intent and said with a wry smile: "You know that I will never kill you for the sake of Young Master Ling, so why bother provoking me!"
Shi Fei Xuan said coldly: "This is the reason why you are not qualified to be the emperor at all!"
Kou Zhong's eyes widened when he heard this.
Shi Feixuan said slowly: "Those who have achieved great things in the past and present are all ruthless people. All obstacles blocking the throne will be removed."
Kou Zhong smiled bitterly and said: "Then when you picked Li Shimin to be the future god, did you realize that he had this quality?"
These two sentences fully express Kou Zhong's resentment and anger. Xu Ziling, who could only be a bystander, felt the same way and wanted to hear any satisfactory answer from Concubine Xuan.
Shi Fei Xuan calmly replied: "When you take the throne of the emperor as your most noble goal, you will make any sacrifice for it. Not to mention killing me, even Zi Ling will not hesitate. What a pity! You don't have the necessary equipment for an emperor. .”
Kou Zhong and Shi Feixuan argued for a while, still unable to convince each other, and then Shi Feixuan left.
actually,
Kou Zhong became fierce.
It's just that I can't be cruel to Xu Ziling.
The [Longevity Technique] practiced by the two of them is extremely evil and can change a person's personality.
Xu Ziling was cowardly, inferior and passive, but was gradually transformed into a recluse who was indifferent to fame and fortune.
He was affected in this way, so Kou Zhong was naturally affected too.
Kou Zhong's character became more and more cold and ruthless.
Kou Zhong only valued affection and righteousness towards a few people.
. . . . . . . .
Kou Zhong glanced at Xu Ziling. He and this brother had been together since they were young. Naturally, he could guess what he was thinking. He smiled bitterly and said, "Young Master Ling still wants to persuade me?"
Xu Ziling didn't say anything, but the meaning was obvious.
Kou Zhong smiled bitterly and said: "If I were still the little gangster who wandered around the world alone with you before, you, Brother Xu, could do whatever you want, and I would only have to be obedient.
However, after going through countless hardships and building up a young marshal's army in poverty and desolation, many soldiers shed blood and sacrificed their lives for me, Kou Zhong, and everyone went through life and death for me, Kou Zhong. Now I suddenly ran to them and said, I quit! Because Li Shimin wanted to be emperor.
If you were me, could you say it?
They are willing to follow me because they trust me, Kou Zhong. They trust that I will not betray them, but will also lead them to unify the world, achieve immortality, and leave a reputation that will be passed down for generations. "
Xu Ziling fell silent, with a look of endless pain and helplessness in his eyes.
After a while,
Ba Fenghan also entered the camp and wanted to discuss with Kou Zhong the details of tomorrow's battle. After learning what happened between Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling and the others.
He brought over wine and food, hoping to ease the atmosphere between his two friends a little.
Xu Ziling remained silent and depressed, and the atmosphere between the three of them was extremely awkward.
After Kou Zhong drank a glass of wine, he smiled and said: "In fact, Zi Ling is thinking about me, knowing that I don't want to be his emperor, but maybe no one will accept this solution?
Do you want my young commander's army to surrender to Li Shimin when the momentum is like a rainbow and victory is just around the corner? "
Xu Ziling said: "This may be your only way to make Song Yuzhi change his mind about you. You, Kou Zhong, are not driven by the desire for profit and will do whatever it takes to be the emperor. You can even make her understand that you are not fighting for the world for personal gains and losses, but for honor and disgrace. He is selflessly thinking about the people of China.
I don't want you to surrender, but I want you to actively help Li Shimin, help Li Shimin, help him ascend the throne, and counterattack the conspiracy of Li Yuan, Momen and Jieli to kill him. "
Kou Zhong was stunned when he heard this. This was Kou Zhong.
If Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang would have killed Xu Ziling at this time.
Asking him to surrender is not just a matter of asking him to become a dog.
In fact, Kou Zhong was just saying a polite word. Xu Ziling's behavior was too fucked up. Kou Zhong was afraid that Ba Fenghan would think Xu Ziling was not worth dating in the future and stayed away from him. He deliberately said that he did not like being the emperor.
he does not like?
Don't you like being beaten to death like this?
Can you persist day and night for ten years?
It is said that he decided to conquer the world because of a woman, Li Xiuning.
actually,
When Kou Zhong was still a gangster in Yangzhou, he was developing in the direction of conquering the world.
At that time, he was determined to join the rebel army and become a high official.
This situation is the same as when Zhu Yuanzhang joined the rebel army and served as the leading soldier.
It's just that the existence of Li Xiuning made his ambition instantly expand, and he immediately wanted to be the emperor.
Without Li Xiuning, he would have ended up on this path.
The difference is that Kou Zhong will proceed step by step:
Major soldier, captain of ten, captain of centurion, captain of thousands, general, great general...
In the end, it may be another Zhu Yuanzhang who unifies the world, or it may be Zhao Kuangyi who wears the yellow robe, or it may be Li Chuang who comes to nothing.
To use the words of the Whale Shark King: Human desire is like a rolling stone on a high mountain. Once it starts, it can never be stopped.
In any case, it is impossible for Kou Zhong not to be interested in the throne.
Kou Zhong was stunned by what Xu Ziling said. It took him a long time to recover and ask Ba Fenghan for help: "Your brother is the best friend of our two brothers. How about you give me some fair words?"
Ba Fenghan said: "Which one can I help? My heart is divided into two bloody halves! On one side, Ke Neng fought side by side with you, Marshal, to invade Luoyang and wipe out Guanzhong; while the other half deeply understands Ziling's noble spirit. Feelings, understand that he saw the disaster of the Turkic Jieli Khan's invasion! And Ziling is my beloved friend and brother of Ba Fenghan."
After a pause, he continued: "It seems extremely absurd to give up the world for a woman, but Zi Ling's words are not unreasonable. Only in this way can she show that she is more important than anything else in your heart."
Kou Zhong said in shock: "Are you helping Ziling?"
Ba Fenghan raised his hands in surrender and said, "I won't say any more!"
Kou Zhong stared blankly at Ba Fenghan for a long while.
Ba Fenghan is a Turk.
But the Turks are divided into Eastern Turks and Western Turks.
And this Turkic Jieli Khan happened to be his mortal enemy.
Ba Fenghan played mahjong with Jieli Khan's wife.
If Kou Zhong can conquer the world and successfully become a stable king, he will naturally not be afraid.
But after listening to Xu Ziling's words that Kou Zhong must be defeated, naturally...
Koo Zhong looked at his empty wine glass and suddenly laughed, his smile turned into laughter.
It's Xu Ziling and Ba Fenghan's turn to look at me. I don't know why he can still laugh.
Kou Zhong laughed so hard that he gasped: "Pour some wine!"
Ba Fenghan was busy pouring wine.
Kou Zhong waited for the wine to be filled, raised the glass, poured it into his mouth, poured it down his throat, and said happily: "Good wine!"
Tan put his arm around Xu Ziling's shoulders and sighed: "If you can put aside your grudge with Li Shimin, Ziling's move is really awesome. If it succeeds, it can really avoid the possibility of the division of the north and the south. I don't have to accept being the emperor. I have a hard job and can win Yuzhi's heart. Alas! His grandma's bear, Ziling, is doing it for my own good! Right?"
Xu Ziling said calmly: "Is there any unsolvable grudge between Li Shimin and you?"
Kou Zhong was slightly startled and looked thoughtful.
Blood feud!
With so many soldiers and generals under the command of the young marshal, who followed him from Pengliang to conquer the world, how many brothers did Li Shimin kill?
How much blood was shed?
Those were his soldiers, and they all died for him. Those soldiers were optimistic about him, Kou Zhong, so they followed him to conquer the world.
Can this hatred be small?
Is it open?
Once surrendered, the deaths of these people would become meaningless.
Xu Ziling smiled bitterly and said: "Assuming that the situation continues to develop as it is now, I don't know when and what day Shengping will come?
Or maybe China-Earth will be divided forever and the situation of Wu Huan and China will be repeated! But I know that as long as we join forces with Li Shimin to destroy the alliance between Yuanji, Momen, and Jieli, and if Li Shimin, who knows how to run the army and manage the people, becomes a good emperor who cares for the people, the world can be reunited and the foreign enemies can be defeated. Let the people of the world live in peace and happiness.
After weighing the seriousness, I know I am going to embarrass you, but I have no choice but to tell you my rights and interests. "
Kou Zhong nodded dejectedly and said: "Zi Ling's words are so thought-provoking, but are you sure that Fan Qinghui can convince Song Que? What she couldn't do in the past decades, why can she do it today?"
In fact, Kou Zhong already knew the answer at this moment.
"boom"!
Kou Zhong suddenly let go of Xu Ziling's hand and slammed the table with his palm. All the cups and plates on the table shattered, and the wine flowed everywhere. He shouted: "It's so unfair! Since the battle of Cijian, I have been in a desperate situation. I fought hard to survive, exchanged my blood for every possibility and opportunity, and worked hard to achieve the results in front of me. Why didn't Li Shimin come to vote for me, and why did I vote for Li Shimin? "
Xu Ziling said calmly: "Do you want to be the emperor? And can you really be a good emperor? You must know that your martial arts and strategy may surpass Li Shimin, but do you have his literary talent and political and economic strategy to govern the world?"
Finally Kou Zhong decided to surrender.
Kou Zhong is so cold-hearted!
He lost the courage to continue fighting.
Because he has no one to support him!
His two best brothers hope that he will surrender and not become enemies of Li Shimin.
Make him keep going! It seems that he is an enemy of the world and is harming the common people of the world.
actually,
These are not enough to make him give up the world!
What really left him no choice was the news.
A piece of news that drove him over the edge.
A piece of news brought by Xu Ziling and Shi Feixuan.
That was when Fan Qinghui went to find Song Que.
He knew that Fan Qinghui had gone to persuade Song Que, but he still had confidence in Song Que before.
But just now, he lost confidence.
I took a look at Xu Ziling, a good brother who grew up together and supported each other through adversity.
he knows!
He lost!
He lost completely!
He had no chance of winning.
Xu Ziling could be seduced by his master's concubine and come over to surrender regardless of brotherhood.
What about Song Que?
Kou Zhong knew that Song Que and Fan Qinghui had a relationship, and at the same time he also knew that Song Que still had feelings for Fan Qinghui.
Then my old father-in-law, Song Que, probably wouldn't be able to handle it either.
A large part of Kou Zhong's power relied on the Song clan. Without Song Que's support, half of his empire could collapse at any time.
Chasing book artifacts
