"King of Shu, my lord has his own ambition to surrender to Shu. I remember back then, you and I fought side by side and supported each other——"
On the riverbank in Cangzhou, Xu Mu personally came to receive his old friend. Unfortunately, Yan Tang, who was chattering endlessly, had not finished speaking when Gongou suddenly walked in from outside and spoke in Xu Mu's ear.
Xu Mu's face showed bitterness.
As early as when the envoy was intercepted and killed, Dongfang Jing sent out a second round of people. It's a pity that due to the terrain, the final step was delayed, coupled with Yuan Chong's mistakes, the entire Donglai, with Shen Tuguan's betrayal, has completely fallen to Beiyu.
"Brother Yantang, let's rest for now."
Xu Mu's face was silent.
The situation has changed drastically. Laizhou, Yanzhou, and Qingzhou are all under Beiyu's control. As for Kezhou, although each family has half of it, for now, they can take it back at any time as long as they are willing.
The only way left is to rely on the danger of the river, train the navy, and stabilize the situation of the North-South separatism.
"Please don't be angry, King Shu..."
Xu Mu stopped, turned around and patted Yan Tang on the shoulder.
"Yan Tang, we are all acquaintances. I will tell you the truth. The traitor Yan Xiong was killed in the three states of Donglai. General Shen Tuguan has surrendered to Beiyu. As for your lord, he has been spared. Prepare to cross the river and enter Shu."
"What!" Yan Tang looked shocked.
"Although this situation has been expected for a long time. But I have to say that Lao Zhongde of Beiyu fought a beautiful strategy by taking advantage of the convenient location."
For Xu Mu, the biggest loss should be Shen Tu Guan. After this world-famous general surrenders to the north, he will be an extremely difficult opponent for Xi Shu in the future.
He could vaguely guess that Shen Tu Guan's choice might have something to do with his family. After all, no matter what, the general trend of the world today is biased towards the aristocratic Beiyu, rather than the people-oriented Xishu.
"King Shu, forgive me—" Yan Tang cried and knelt down. He had just gone on a mission, but he never expected that his home behind him was gone.
"Brother Yan Tang, what are you guilty of? You are a kindness to me, Xi Shu. As for your lord, please rest assured after entering Shu, I, Xu Mu, will never be in trouble. If there is a chance, I will help you. Your lord, take back your homeland."
Now, it seems that this is the only thing Yuan Chong can use.
But Xu Mu's words were not false. A down-and-out hero like Yuan Chong is not like Zuo Shiren. It doesn't matter if he eats a few more loads of rice. There is no doubt that it will be of great use in the future.
…
In Changyang, the inner city, standing outside the palace, Chang Shiro rarely smiled after learning that Shen Tu Guan had surrendered. But then, there was a long sigh.
"If the little boss knew about it, would he be angry?"
"Probably not." Next to Chang Silang, the stooped old Zhongde's face became even paler. "He will only learn from the painful experience and try his best to hold back the lord's army and march south into Shu."
"He seems... to be this kind of person."
Supporting Lao Zhongde, Chang Silang was afraid that he would catch cold and wanted to go into the palace. Unexpectedly, he was stopped by Lao Zhongde.
"As soon as late autumn passes, there will be snow scenes soon."
"Zhongde, the people who supervise Tianqin said that there will be snow in the next two or three days. I have asked someone to make a new thick cloak to protect Zhongde from the cold."
The old counselor smiled. He had been hiding his own health from the Lord in front of him. In addition to settling on Donglai, he still had one last step to take. After taking this step, he can rest in peace.
These days, I can barely lift my waist. With no other option, he begged Chen Que and used some heavy medicine to temporarily lift his spirits.
"My lord, the snow scene is approaching, how about we take an oath of arms in the snow?"
Changshiro was startled, "Swearing an army in the snow?"
"Indeed, when the time comes, in addition to the generals at the edge of the town, the lord's subordinates and staff can all come together and gather together to inspire the military's power."
"Then follow Zhongde's wishes. But Zhongde, don't stand outside anymore. I, Chang Shiro, rarely listen to what others say, except for old Zhongde."
The old counselor laughed happily and patted the hand on his shoulder.
"The general trend of the world has gradually become clear. My lord is a wonderful man, and he really guessed it right. The little commoner who made wine at the beginning, step by step, became a hero in the world."
"Without him, I guess this country will soon belong to the Lord."
Changshiro smiled helplessly, "Somehow, I always don't want to fight my little boss."
"One day, Xu Buyi will bring the entire Western Shu to become my lord's vassal. My lord must remember that he must not be trusted. Only after Xiao Qing, the rebel in Hebei, has eased the people's resentment, will the lord start the southern expedition. .Those who seek the world should have no emotions or desires and be kind to women."
"The great ancestor of the Ji Dynasty also killed his sworn brother to establish the state of Zuo for more than 400 years."
"If you don't attack Western Shu, Western Shu will attack you. In war, what often determines the outcome is predicting the enemy's opportunity. My lord, when the time comes, don't fall behind."
"Zhongde, I always feel...are you explaining the funeral arrangements? Earlier you said that Divine Doctor Chen had a solution."
The old counselor smiled and said, "My lord, look at me. When I entered the palace today, I was obviously in high spirits."
"it seems that."
"That's right, don't worry, lord."
"Without Zhongde in the world, I would feel so boring. Other people would say that I was tired of what they said, and I would probably go under the knife. Only Zhongde would tell me, and I would listen carefully."
"My lord's temperament needs to be changed. If, if one day, my lord becomes the overlord of the world and ascends the throne, he will be the founding emperor of the new dynasty. He will be engraved in a bamboo book and passed down for generations to come."
"Zhongde's contribution is indispensable if that day comes. I will grant Zhongde the title of Prime Minister of the World. It's a pity that Zhongde did not have a granddaughter, otherwise he could have been a queen."
Old Zhongde's face looked pleased, and his eyes in the wind began to become moist and cloudy. In this world, he can't wait for that day.
In the Chang Family School, when he first met his lord, he was about fourteen or fifteen years old. After using his martial arts to kill bandits outside the city, he was covered in blood and carrying a pear blossom gun steadily. Sitting in the school.
At that time, he knew that this young man was going to be something special.
"What is Zhongde thinking?"
"I'm thinking about swearing to the army. At that time, all the generals from Beiyu and our families will gather together. How majestic it will be."
Tsuneshiro laughed.
"Since Zhongde likes it, I will urge him again and let Chang Wei handle it himself."
"Zhongde, you have to take care of yourself. When winter is over and spring begins, we will go to Hebei together to see the rice warehouses in the north and the famous horses in Yanzhou."
"Hearing what my lord said, I can't wait any longer."
Old Zhongde stood in the wind, and his voice was suddenly crushed by the wind. His rickety body was able to hold himself up several times without Tsuneshiro noticing.
…
