Laizhou, Shouguang City, the royal capital.
At this time, Yuan Chong was sitting in the palace, his face full of silence.
His sworn brother Yan Xiong was still chattering to His Highness.
"My lord, you should know that the King of Yuzhou has given Shen Tuguan a generous gift. If I am not mistaken, Shen Tuguan has become disillusioned and wants to join the King of Yuzhou!"
"No matter what, the lord is the lord of Donglai. Even if you are giving a gift, it should be given to the lord first. This Shen Tu Guan is clearly beyond the gift of a monarch and his ministers!"
Including Yan Tang, the other two or three adopted sons sat aside and also frowned. People like them were all adopted and raised by the old King Yuan. No matter what their abilities are, they are still members of Donglai's family.
As the eldest brother of his adopted son, Yan Xiong gritted his teeth the more he spoke.
"Now Shentu Guan's military power must be taken back. Otherwise, our last 40,000 troops in Donglai will not be able to be saved. My lord, please don't forget that these people like me are my lord's true brothers."
Yuan Chong silently raised his head and looked at the dusk outside the palace. After returning to Donglai, he saw more and more clearly the general trend of the world that was gradually becoming clear.
Dongling in the south, which was once extremely powerful, was defeated by King Xu of Western Shu. He ceded territory for peace and retreated to Wuzhou. To the north, Yuzhou Wang Chang Xiaotang also occupied half of the country and was subduing the Hebei rebels and preparing to devour the world.
But his Donglai Three States were caught between the two. No matter whether it is south or north, he has no way to fight. Under the general trend, the last resort is to choose one of them as a vassal.
If all the vassals are rejected, they will most likely be destroyed.
Yuan Chong breathed a sigh of relief.
If he really had to choose between the north and the south, he would prefer Xishu. At least, compared to the unfathomable King of Yuzhou, King Xu of Xishu is still half an old friend. He has never made enemies, and even helped him a few times.
But now...his general Shentu Guan has a vague connection with the King of Yuzhou. If not, why would you send these gifts?
"Your Majesty, General Shentu wishes to see you." Just as Yuan Chong was thinking, he suddenly heard the voice of his attendant.
In the palace hall, Yan Xiong, who was chattering endlessly, quickly stopped his voice and sat down hurriedly after hearing the name.
"Let him come in." Yuan Chong sat upright. In a daze, I remembered my father's dying words again. Let him trust Shen Tuguan and not fall into the enemy's scheme.
Perhaps, this gift-giving thing... is a way to sow discord?
"Shen Tu Guan pays homage to my lord." Shen Tu Guan, who had removed his armor, stepped in steadily and kowtowed to Yuan Chong on the throne.
"General Shentu, no need to be polite."
Shen Tuguan nodded and stood up, without any hesitation in his tone, "My Lord, I must have heard about the gift given by the King of Yuzhou."
"Of course I've heard of it, General Shentu, you are so majestic, even the King of Yuzhou——"
"Shut up." Shen Tuguan turned his head and his voice was neither urgent nor slow. Yan Xiong, who was speaking, suddenly became exhausted, stopped his voice and glared angrily.
"My lord, the gift-giving is a vicious plot by the King of Yuzhou to alienate you and me. There are still 40,000 troops in Donglai, and the recruitment of new troops is also in progress. At the end of the year, At that time, I am confident that I can recruit more than 60,000 Donglai troops."
"And these more than 60,000 people, guarding the border of Donglai, and cooperating with Xishu, can at least hold back the army of the King of Yuzhou for several months."
"The King of Yuzhou must have thought of this before he used a trick to drive a wedge between you and me. General of the fifth generation of the Shentu family, I would like to ask my lord to observe clearly. In addition, I have not accepted any of the heavy gifts sent by the King of Yuzhou, and they are all in Shouguang City." Outside the city gate, a fire burned."
Shen Tu Guan's appearance, coupled with these explanations, finally made Yuan Chong's expression soften a lot.
"General Shentu, of course I believe you."
"My lord is more generous than the late king and is more willing to make concessions." Shen Tu Guan also looked relaxed. What he fears most is that Yuan Chong will fall into the enemy's plan by mistake. After all, in this case, Donglai's situation was too passive.
Yan Xiong, who was nearby, glanced at Shen Tu Guan dully, but did not dare to say anything due to Shen Tu Guan's prestige.
…
In the inner city of Changyang, the late autumn weather began to feel refreshingly cool.
Liu Ji walked out of the mansion and declined Chen Que's dissuasion.
"Doctor Chen, I'm just going out for a walk."
"Mr. Zhongde, please go back to your room to rest. If you get cold, your condition may worsen."
The old counselor smiled and shook his head, "There is no difference between how many days you die early and how many days you die later. The original Marquis Yuan probably understood this truth. If you can still move around, you might as well do more things."
Chen Que was silent for a while, but finally stopped trying to persuade him. He stood in the cool breeze of late autumn and sighed bitterly.
With the support of his attendants, Lao Zhongde staggered into the carriage. The carriage moved forward, not towards the palace. Instead, he went in the opposite direction, to a quiet alley in Changyang.
In a house at the end of the alley, a young man was waiting in front of the yard, his face extremely calm. In his arms was a yellowed ancient military book.
When the carriage arrived, the young man politely walked down the stone steps and bowed to wait.
"Student Chang Shu, meet the teacher."
After coughing twice, Lao Zhongde smiled happily and said, "Chang Shu, you forgot again. Your clan brother helped you change your name. You should be called Chang Sheng."
"When you are studying, you call it Changshu. When you are marching and fighting, you call it Changsheng."
"Haha, not bad, very good."
After entering the house, Lao Zhongde coughed a few more times, and his face became paler.
Chang Sheng raised his head, with sadness in his eyes.
"Teacher, what did Divine Doctor Chen say?"
"Can't get into winter."
Just four words left Chang Sheng silent and eyes closed.
"Chang Shu, although I am the eldest gentleman invited by the Chang family, there are only two people in the entire Chang family that I look up to the most. One is the lord, and the other is you. As for Chang Jiu, it is really a bizarre thing. Son."
Chang Sheng nodded.
"Chang Shu, how many years have you been studying?"
"Starting at the age of three and a half, excluding the half year of war, it will be a total of nineteen years."
"Have you read enough?"
"The sea of books is vast, but I am just like dust and sand."
"Then I won't read it anymore." Old Zhongde raised his head, "I searched all over the North, all the aristocratic families, even the hermits... and found one thing."
"Teacher, what's the matter?"
"Only you, Chang Shu, can support this huge half of the world."
Chang Sheng was not excited. He lowered his head and silently looked at the military book at his waist.
"After my death, you will immediately give up your books and join the court, become Beiyu's first military advisor, assist your family brother, and unify the thirty states in the world."
Chang Sheng didn't know how to answer.
"I, Liu Zhongde, am about to die, and I am also a master. Chang Shu, why don't you agree?"
"Teacher." Chang Sheng raised his face and said with a hint of bitterness in his voice, "I know the etiquette of loyalty, filial piety, and etiquette. Teacher persuaded me on the verge of death. How dare I, Chang Shu, disobey."
"Okay, okay, okay!" Lao Zhongde shouted three times in a row. He was probably too excited and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"teacher!"
Old Zhongde raised his head and expressed joy, "There is a successor, and the lord's hegemony can be expected. I, Liu Zhongde, can go with peace of mind."
…
