Chapter 153 Liu Bei accepts the appointment and the two kings meet
When the two armies are fighting, the envoy will not be killed.
Although many people know this sentence, in troubled times, not many people actually follow it.
This mainly depends on the purpose of the mission or who is sending the mission.
If the purpose of the visit is just for normal communication or to make some normal requests, then there is generally no danger.
And if the envoy is Liu Bei, who is famous all over the world, then the safety will naturally be guaranteed.
Even Cao Wei, the enemy, agreed with this.
On the second day, Jiang Ji held the messenger's talisman and, escorted by several soldiers, boarded a small boat and headed towards the south bank of the Han River.
After Cao Cao was crowned queen, in order to continue to control the affairs of the Han Dynasty, he did not give up his original identity as the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty.
The main official position that Jiang Ji holds today is that of chief clerk under the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty.
As Cao Cao's chief secretary, Jiang Ji was already regarded as Cao Cao's confidant and advisor.
And as the chief of hundreds of officials in the prime minister's palace, Jiang Ji was just right to serve as Liu Bei's envoy on Cao Cao's behalf.
Jiang Ji's move to cross the river was quickly discovered by the Han army on the other side, and the news was reported to Liu Bei.
After Liu Bei learned about this, he simply said, "Let it go."
He wanted to see what Cao Cao's intention was when he suddenly sent an envoy to visit.
Without any obstruction, Jiang Ji successfully stepped onto the river bank outside Xiangyang City that Cao Cao had always dreamed of stepping onto.
When Jiang Ji landed, a Han army officer immediately came forward and took him to the camp.
However, Jiang Ji's guards were blocked from the camp by this Han army officer and were not allowed to enter.
Under the leadership of the Han army officers, Jiang Ji quickly passed through the heavy defenses, arrived inside the Han army camp, and came outside Liu Bei's royal tent.
Jiang Ji did not wait long outside. The Han army officer who had just led him walked out of the king's tent and ordered him inside.
Jiang Ji looked at the heavily guarded royal tent, thinking that he would soon see the now powerful Liu Bei. He took a deep breath, and then strode into Liu Bei's royal tent.
As soon as Jiang Ji entered Liu Bei's royal tent, he saw Liu Bei sitting on the throne.
I saw Liu Bei wearing a mysterious armor, looking at him with emotion and anger.
Jiang Ji took a few steps forward, came not far from Liu Bei, and bowed to him: "Jiang Ji, the chief administrator of the Han Dynasty envoy to the prime minister, has come to pay homage to General Zuo on the orders of the Han prime minister."
As soon as Jiang Ji said this, Liu Bei's expression remained unchanged, but Zhang Fei behind him began to have an angry look on his face.
In July last year, Liu Bei had already petitioned the Han Emperor to proclaim himself King of Hanzhong.
This matter has already spread throughout the world, and it is impossible for Jiang Ji not to know about it.
But now he still calls Liu Bei General Zuo, which is obviously saying that Cao Wei does not recognize Liu Bei's identity as King of Hanzhong.
Moreover, Jiang Jikou called Cao Cao Prime Minister and Liu Bei General Zuo. Did this imply that Liu Bei was under Cao Cao?
Zhang Fei respected Liu Bei the most. When he saw that Jiang Ji was just a mere registrar and dared to treat Liu Bei so lightly, he immediately wanted to scold Jiang Ji.
But when Zhang Fei came up from behind Liu Bei and was about to shout at Jiang Ji, Liu Bei's gentle voice immediately reached his ears: "Yide, step back."
Zhang Fei was fierce by nature, but he obeyed Liu Bei's advice.
Therefore, although there was still a sullen look on his face, after hearing Liu Bei's words, he still honestly retreated behind Liu Bei.
Liu Bei sat on the main seat and saw that many ministers in the tent began to have angry expressions on their faces because of Jiang Ji's name. He thought it was nothing.
Cao Cao bullied the Han Emperor and was a traitor to the Han Dynasty. He was a clan member of the Han Dynasty, and he and Cao Cao were at odds with each other throughout his life.
Afraid of Cao Cao's power, it is not surprising that Jiang Ji did not recognize his identity as the King of Hanzhong.
Just like he would never admit Cao Cao's status as King of Wei.
Liu Bei is not a person who values false reputation. He has been away for half his life, and he has never accepted any kind of humiliation or slander.
Jiang Ji's current frivolous behavior was far from making him angry.
Liu Bei looked at Jiang Ji and saw that Jiang Ji's appearance was extraordinary. He praised him: "Although I have lived in the south for a long time, I have heard of Zitong's reputation."
"People in the world praise Zitong as a wonderful person in the world. He has the style of publicity and publicity in the past. Looking at it today, his reputation is well-deserved."
When Jiang Ji saw that his words were condescending to Liu Bei, Liu Bei not only remained calm and refused to allow his ministers to scold him, but instead smiled at him and praised him.
Jiang Ji was very resourceful, and of course he could tell whether the smile on Liu Bei's face was real or fake.
But just knowing that Liu Bei's praise for him was true gave Jiang Ji a new understanding of Liu Bei.
Liu Bei's move reminded Jiang Ji of a past incident.
Two years ago, there were rumors that Liu Bei had died of illness.
After receiving the news, all Cao Cao's ministers clapped their hands to celebrate, but Yuan Huan, who was the admonishing official at the time, did not express any congratulations.
Later, someone told Cao Cao about this incident, and Cao Cao questioned Yuan Huan about it.
Yuan Huan only replied lightly: "Xuande, you are kind to me, and you don't know how to like it."
Although Cao Cao later did not punish Yuan Huan for this incident, Cao Cao's ministers at that time laughed at Yuan Huan for being too pedantic and just an old master. What was there to miss? He even risked offending the King of Wei by not congratulating him.
Now Jiang Ji may understand a little bit.
Facing Liu Bei's praise, Jiang Ji felt moved because of Liu Bei's sincerity. He bowed to Liu Bei and said, "Xuan De Gong is so complimentary."
After praising Jiang Ji, Liu Bei asked Jiang Ji: "Cao Cao ordered you to send an envoy, why did you do it?"
Liu Bei respected Jiang Ji, who was one of the most extraordinary men in the world, and called him Jun.
But for the Han thief Cao Cao, Liu Bei called him by his first name without any courtesy.
After listening to Liu Bei's inquiry, Jiang Ji took out a letter from his arms and presented it to Liu Bei with both hands.
"My lord has a message for me to present to you."
Upon seeing this, Liu Bei's waiter immediately stepped forward to take the letter from Jiang Ji and handed it into Liu Bei's hands.
Under the gaze of the officials in the tent, Liu Bei opened the letter Cao Cao had given him and read it.
After reading it, Liu Bei's expression changed a little, but he remained calm after all.
He then looked at Jiang Ji and said, "I'd like to trouble Zitong to go back and tell Cao Cao that he will definitely live up to his invitation."
After Liu Bei said these words, the faces of all the Han officials in the tent showed shock.
Cao Cao wants to meet their king?
Even Mi Yang felt a little surprised.
If this thief Cao didn't retreat immediately, why would he suddenly hold a video conference?
Because of their surprise, the Han officials in the tent began to discuss the matter in low voices.
Amid the discussion among the ministers, after receiving Liu Bei's approval, Jiang Ji bowed to Liu Bei and left.
After Jiang Ji left, one of the ministers in the tent came out and said to Liu Bei: "Your Majesty, Cao Cao has always been cunning. You need to be careful about his request for a meeting."
The person who came out to advise Liu Bei to be careful was named Sheyuan.
Sheyuan, a native of Fufeng, Sizhou, is currently engaged in Zhonglang and military consultation Zhonglang General.
Sheyuan's original surname is Xie, and he is of the same clan as all the Xies in the north. His ancestor Xie Fu went on a campaign as a general. The emperor named Xie Fu because it was not his command, so he changed it to She, and his descendants' surname was Yan.
At the beginning of Xiandi's reign, there was famine and chaos in the three auxiliaries. His brother Shejian resigned from office and went south to Shu with Sheyuan to support Liu Zhang.
There are few people who are famous in shooting aid. Taiwei Huangfu Song showed his talents and took his daughter as his wife.
He was also one of the eleven ministers under Liu Bei who led the effort to persuade Hanzhong to advance in last year's "The King of Hanzhong's Persuasion to Advance".
After Sheyuan advised Liu Bei, most of the officials in the tent showed signs of agreement with Sheyuan.
Even Guan Yu came from behind Liu Bei to Liu Bei and advised him: "The king's body of thousands of chariots should not be taken lightly."
Facing the advice of Sheyuan and Guan Yu, Liu Bei said with a smile on his face: "What you said is reasonable, but I have already promised Cao Cao that in life, you should be based on faith. How can you break your promise?"
"Now that I have become a king, the king's words are not to be trifled with."
The worries on the faces of the ministers did not make Liu Bei nervous. On the contrary, he did not regard this matter as something worth worrying about.
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry too much. When I was in Xudu, I had less than a hundred soldiers around me, but I dared to accept Cao Cao's promise. What's more, today I have tens of thousands of troops behind me."
Liu Bei's words gradually dissipated the dissuasion of Guan Yu and other ministers.
But out of concern, Guan Yu still said to Liu Bei: "If the king insists on going, please take your ministers with you to protect the king."
After Guan Yu said these words, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong also went out to worship and asked Liu Bei to take them with him.
Facing the generals' request, Liu Bei's face did not show a look of promise.
He smiled and pointed out the generals who were bowing to him and said: "If we take them all here, Cao Cao will probably not dare to show his face."
"I just want to meet Cao Cao, not to kill him."
"Besides, Cao Cao stated in the letter that on the day of the meeting, all parties will only bring their sons and nephews to meet."
After Liu Bei said this, Guan Yu's generals saw that Liu Bei had made up his mind. Although they looked worried, they could only obey the king's order.
Just for the sake of Liu Bei's safety, Zhao Yun advised Liu Bei: "Since Cao Cao's thieves have asked each of them to bring his two sons and nephews, then Guan Ping can go."
Among Liu Bei's nephews, Guan Ping ranks first in terms of military force.
Even if Zhao Yun fights against him, it will take a lot of effort to win. Sending Guan Ping to accompany Liu Bei also guarantees Liu Bei's safety.
If Cao Cao had evil intentions, Guan Ping's bravery would be enough to support Guan Yu and others in the future.
Liu Bei did not refuse Zhao Yun's suggestion.
After all, what Zhao Yun said is reasonable. He must meet with Cao Cao, but his own safety must also be guaranteed.
As for the candidate for the other nephew to accompany him, Liu Bei did not wait for Zhao Yun to say anything, but directly selected Mi Yang.
Faced with Liu Bei's arrangement, Guan Yu and others had no objections.
Although Mi Yang is not as brave as Guan Ping, he has been trained by Zhang Fei and others since he was a child, and he is also a skilled bowman and horseman.
With the cooperation with Guan Ping, it is not difficult to protect Liu Bei.
Under Zhao Yun's recommendation and Liu Bei's advice, Mi Yang and Guan Ping looked at each other, and then they all came to the big tent to receive orders and bow.
Mi Yang had already expected Liu Bei to directly ask her to go with him.
After all, due to his previous performance, among Liu Bei's nephews, he is one of the candidates who is very likely to go with Liu Bei.
What Mi Yang didn't know was that the reason why Liu Bei ordered him to go there was that Cao Cao specifically stated this in his letter.
The traitor Cao wants to see his outstanding descendants, how could Liu Bei refuse to allow him?
Cao Cao chose the meeting place in the Han River.
Although the water volume in many places downstream of the Han River has dropped sharply due to seasonal reasons.
But in this place in the upper reaches of the Han River, the flow of the Han River continues unabated and is vast.
Cao Cao chose the meeting place in the Han River, firstly for the safety of both parties, and secondly to reassure Liu Bei to show that he had no intention of ambush.
On the day of the meeting, Liu Bei got up early in the morning, and under the service of his attendants, he put on a suit of fine armor. On top of the fine armor, Liu Bei also put on a heavy robe.
This is Zhao Yun's strong request.
Under the protection of fine armor and thick robes, ordinary blades were unable to cause harm to Liu Bei.
After Liu Bei finished dressing, he walked towards the shore under the protection of Mi Yang and Guan Ping.
Mi Yang is also fully armed today. He is wearing bright light armor and a ring-headed sword on his waist.
Mi Yang's outfit is nothing special, it's considered normal.
Guan Ping was in a terrible situation. Not only was he fully armed, he was also asked by Zhao Yun to carry a shield on his back.
Well, he looks a bit like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles of later generations.
It's just that yesterday, Guan Ping was not harassed much, but he was Mi Yang, and his tent was almost surrounded by Guan Yu and others.
These current and powerful generals began to give temporary lessons to Mi Yang.
Especially Zhao Yun, who told Mi Yang almost face to face about all the things to pay attention to after the meeting.
For example, where to pay attention, for example, what happened and how to deal with it.
In the eyes of Guan Yu and others, among the three Han troops, Guan Ping was responsible for keeping an eye on Cao Cao and the other three, while Liu Bei was responsible for negotiating with Cao Cao.
Mi Yang, on the other hand, was responsible for keeping an eye on the whole place, checking for any changes in the surrounding environment.
I think Guan Yu and others regarded Mi Yang as the brains of tomorrow's guard Liu Bei.
Although on the vast Han River, it is extremely difficult to arrange an ambush or release cold arrows, especially for the Wei army who mostly do not understand water.
But be careful in everything and you can never go wrong.
Facing the careful teachings of her uncles, Mi Yang accepted it very humbly.
Although he felt that this knowledge would be less troublesome than giving each of the three of them a lifebuoy.
Later, if it weren't for Mi Yang's lack of energy the next day, Guan Yu and others could have talked in Mi Yang's tent until dawn.
After Mi Yang and Guan Ping escorted Liu Bei to the bank of Han River, Mi Yang and the other two got on the boat.
The warship is a small warship wrapped in oilcloth.
Because of its small size, it can move very fast on the water and can quickly return to the shore if it encounters danger.
Moreover, it is wrapped in oilcloth and is strong enough to withstand ordinary arrows.
After boarding the stern, they were punted by Mi Yang and soon arrived at the center of the Han River outside the military camp.
Not long after Mi Yang and others arrived, they saw three people appearing in the Wei army camp opposite.
They also got on a stern and headed towards them quickly.
Soon after, the bows of the two ships were facing each other, and Liu Bei also saw Cao Cao standing on the bow.
Cao Cao wore a snow-white coat today to keep out the cold, and underneath his snow-white coat, he was also wearing well-made armor.
After Cao Cao saw Liu Bei, there seemed to be some fighting spirit in his weak eyes.
He shouted to Liu Bei: "Selling your shoes, your father is here!"
Also, keep coding.
(End of chapter)
This chapter has been completed!