Sun Qian left the banquet early and went back to his house to rest and prepare. He would set off early tomorrow morning to return to Xiapi and bring a letter of persuasion to surrender for Cao Ren.
Of course, the purpose of the surrender letter is not to persuade Sun Qian to surrender, but to give Sun Qian a reason to go back. As for how to avoid being blamed by Tao Qian or immediately imprisoned, it depends on his own eloquence.
In Zhang Han's mansion, he and Xi Zhicai are still not over yet. Since the beginning of spring this year, they have been either fighting or preparing for war. They rarely have the opportunity to sit down, drink and talk.
Therefore, everyone tacitly did not mention the end of the dinner. Dian Wei had already gone to the other side to sit and drink and eat meat by himself, occasionally bringing up wine glasses to invite the two of them.
The two people who were really talking were Zhang and Xi.
"Xuzhou will definitely be defeated this year. The biggest reason is not the military strength, but the sky!"
Xi Zhicai patted Zhang Han's arm. At this time, his expression was already confident. It was not easy to talk when Sun Qian was here just now, so he kept it in reserve. "You are going to make another great achievement! I I’m sure that’s the case!”
"You knew that Zhang Miao and Chen Gong were going to rebel, so you planned farming improvements and water storage methods in advance to protect the farmland at the intersection of Juancheng, Dong'a, and Fan County, in order to ensure that the foundation of Yanzhou is not lost. , because you don’t know what Zhang Miao and Chen Gong are capable of, so you can only do your best. If most of Yanzhou switches sides in an instant, then there are still farmland cultivated by the three cities that can gather disaster victims and refugees."
"With a little mobilization, these ordinary people can become a steady stream of new recruits."
Big soldiers who rush ahead of the elite, and they will spontaneously fight for farmland and peace.
This is completely different from conscription. The combat power is not unpowerful.
"No... the wine sacrifice is ridiculous," Zhang Han shook his head quickly. He really hadn't thought about it so much. The main thing was that he had merit and could support the people, so it was a matter of course.
What I want is different from yours, and no one in this world can understand it.
"I understand you," Xi Zhicai gave Zhang Han a thumbs-up and said, "Zhang Bo always makes suggestions for the people and is unparalleled in benevolence. He will definitely be able to rule the country in the future!"
"In front of me, no matter how much you strive for merit, I recommended you, so how can I block your path to fame? But if you stand in the court in the future, you must not do this! You should be humble and hide your edge...hide your talents. , like a sharp sword that is sheathed and unsheathed when it is ready to be used, sealing the throat with one sword.”
"Jiujiu, you are drunk." Zhang Han reminded with a smile.
"I'm not drunk," Xi Zhicai waved his sleeves and said loudly with a cool posture: "Although I don't dare to call myself a sage of wine, I boast that I am a wine demon. The big man can't get drunk with the wine that I, Xi Zhicai, have!"
Zhang Han: "..."
Why was my first reaction "91", Mr. Drunken Demon Show... I was almost out of hope.
"Brother Dian, let's go to the front yard to find a room to sleep in."
"Hey," Dian Wei stood up and was stunned: "Why is it the front yard?"
"I live in the backyard," Zhang Han rolled his eyes at him, "You and the sacrificial wine squeeze into the three rooms in your courtyard, am I treating you badly??"
"He is a wine sacrificer in the army," Dian Wei reminded, Master Planner, are you drunk? You are just a bookkeeper.
Oh, yes, he has not done anything as a bookkeeper in the past two months, so Duke Cao appointed another bookkeeper to help him manage the government office.
Zhang Han thought carefully for a while, then held Xi Zhicai, who had fallen towards him, with one hand and said, "Then cover him with an extra quilt."
…
Sun Qian returned to Xiapi and brought Tao Qian a letter of persuasion to surrender, but Tao Qian ignored it and just called Sun Qian into the inner room, screened everyone away and had a private conversation with him.
No one knows the content of their conversation. All they know is that after Sun Qian came out, he resigned from his post as a guest, bid farewell to Tao Qian and returned home, returning to the ranks of Bai Ding.
After a few days, many people came to visit the family. After Sun Qian received and said goodbye one by one, the people he wanted to see finally arrived.
Brothers Mi Zhu and Mi Fang were the last to visit Sun Qian, and they waited until all the other guests had arrived before meeting again.
This is already an unwritten rule. Sun Qian had a lot of connections when he was leaving. After returning home, the first batch of people who came were often people he had known before. If he had a meal to say goodbye, he might not be so close in the future. .
The second batch of people who came were mostly people with whom we had friendships, but not very close ones. They usually came to express a few words of comfort or to inquire about the true circumstances of Sun Qian's resignation.
The last people to meet are basically people with deep conflicts of interest and friendship. Only then will Sun Qian reveal his true feelings a little.
He and the brothers Mi Zhu and Mi Fang had known each other in their early years. When troubled times came, they all had ambitions and wanted to do something good. When they were unable to do so and their background was not enough, they could only support Cong Deng.
"The Duke Xuande who is stationed in Xia Qiu, as reported in previous years, has a righteous heart and lofty ambitions. He is truly a hero! Gongyou, we once visited and talked with Duke Xuande until dawn. It's really a great conversation..." Mi Zhu said excitedly, her black robe's wide sleeves kept rising, showing her excitement.
The short and fat Mi Fang beside him also raised his hand and echoed: "Xuan De Gong is a generous man. He also said that he has heard of your name for a long time. He is determined to make friends with famous people and help the Han Dynasty. He is surrounded by heroes. Why not go with Gong You?" ,how?"
It turned out to be a lobbyist... Sun Qian felt a little disappointed. He originally thought that the two of them were here to care and comfort and talk about their ambitions.
But I didn't expect that they were here to be lobbyists for Liu Jun. However, there are two types of lobbyists. If Liu Bei invited them, they would be inferior.
But if Liu Bei never mentioned it, but just made it clear that he wanted to make friends with him, and these two people spontaneously became lobbyists... then it would be completely different, which shows that Liu Bei also has full charm.
"Did he ask you to come?" Sun Qian asked calmly.
"Of course not. Didn't Gongyou say in the past that he would follow the Ming Lord and make friends with righteous people? Now such a hero is in Xia Qiu, why not go there? Although Xuande Gong has no great cause, it is also a place where heroes have no use. But he is firm in his heart and determination, and if he gets a good opportunity one day, he will be able to turn a fish into a dragon."
Sure enough, this is enough to prove that Liu Jun's character is admirable; he can gather heroes around him, and his talent is impressive.
Sun Qian felt a little complicated in his heart, but at this moment Zhang Han's words suddenly appeared in his heart: "A gentleman's promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold."
He took a deep breath and sighed: "You two, you are both blinded by a leaf."
Mi Zhu and Mi Fang were stunned at the same time and glanced at each other unconsciously, not understanding the meaning of Sun Qian's words.
"How do you say this?" Mi Zhu became serious and asked seriously.
They all come from extremely wealthy families in Xuzhou, but they come from a wealthy family that is no better than officials for generations. In the past, most of them asked Sun Qian to make decisions. In his early years, he was able to act as a disciple of Zheng Xuan, which was already different from many others.
"Although Xuande Gong is not a treacherous person, he still chooses to stay here despite knowing the current situation in Xuzhou. He neither helps Tao Gong nor immediately leaves Xuzhou, a place of right and wrong. He is not waiting for two people with lofty ideals. Are you going to pay a visit and make friends?”
"This can only show that Xuande Gong has ambitions, but not his benevolence and righteousness. The reason why the two of them praise him so much is because they have heard many rumors. This is the reputation of Liu Bei's management, not his actual performance."
"As for the heroes gathered around him, Guan and Zhang are his sworn brothers. This is no different from those princes whose families raised armies and gathered their relatives around them. It's just because he himself has no relatives to follow him."
Sun Qian thought for a while and said: "I recognize his ability. There are many clan members in the Han Dynasty, but he can reach this point by virtue of his almost negligible status. It is rare in the world."
"Yes," Mi Zhu stroked his beard gently and stared at Sun Qian with bright eyes: "Based on this alone, we can know that he is a man of great ability, but he has no background or family support. If we can become sponsors, we will be able to help him in the future." The status is immeasurable.”
The fat little Mi Fang nodded repeatedly when her brother said this.
"I don't think so," Sun Qian glanced at him, "Xuande Gong has sworn brothers, and once he rises to power, he must take care of those wealthy families who help him in times of need. We have limited funding, and being a hero may not lead to fame, and for ordinary people, Funding requires a return, and I can’t see much return for the time being.”
He just praised Liu Bei for his abilities just to make Mi Zhu dissatisfied and echo him with words, so that it would be easier for him to say the next words.
"Oh, Gongyou is too conceited. When a person like this comes to Xuzhou, he naturally attracts Yu Yinghao to follow him. And he has no intention of forcibly wooing him. We follow him voluntarily. As you said, he comes from a humble background. But to be able to achieve fame in the north and south, and to have made great achievements, isn’t he considered a hero in this world?!”
Calculate! Sun Qian directly confirmed Mi Zhu's words in his heart, and he was very moved and admired him... If it weren't for Zhang Han, he would have chosen Liu Bei without hesitation, but I'm sorry now! He has promised me a knighthood!
Moreover, Zhang Han must have a very high status in Cao Cao's layout, and I am the first "family" behind him, which is also a big gamble.
But it has to be said that after being captured to Xiaopei and having a deep chat with Zhang Han and Xi Zhong all night, Sun Qian no longer hesitated.
So now he is going to make a big decision.
