Invitation

"The Wu envoy who came to discuss the matter of war horses rushed to Ji County three days later. Fei Wenwei once went to Jiangdong as an envoy. I originally intended for him to take charge, but now he has other things to do and cannot get away. And Xiang Juda is too senior.

, it’s hard to sit down and talk with him; it’s hard for Bo Song to come forward. Zijin just returned and has nothing else to do for the time being, so I’ll handle the negotiation for you.”

When he left the prime minister's office, Zheng Pu was still surprised by the prime minister's instructions.

Who was the envoy from Jiangdong who actually asked the Prime Minister to say that Zhuge Qiao was not good enough to come forward?

Could it be that Sun Quan sent Zhuge Ke here?

Well, Zhuge Jin's eldest son, Zhuge Ke, had a great reputation in Jiangdong, and had been favored by Sun Quan since he was a child. He said: "It is true that jade comes from Lantian."

Now that he is proclaimed emperor, Zhuge Ke is given the title of Prince Zuofu, Zhang Xiu is Youbi, Gu Tan is Fuzheng, and Chen Biao is the Commander-in-Chief of Yizheng.

It is clear that he will be regarded as an important official of the next generation.

It seems that I heard that Zhuge Ke was a man of quick wit and good words. If he really came here, it would take a lot of effort.

Zheng Pu walked out slowly, thinking secretly.

The servant Qi Yacuo, who had been waiting outside the government office, walked over, handed over a small piece of cloth, and said softly, "Mr. Zhuge, just before he left, Mr. Zhuge passed this book on to me."

Brother Bosong, are you looking for me?

You haven’t seen me for a long time, so you invited me to have a banquet with you, right?

Nodding lightly at his retinue, Zheng Pu took the cloth and looked at it, only to find that there was only one sentence on it, "If Zheng Jun has some free time, he might as well go to find Anguo and take a walk."

Brother An Guo, are you looking for me?

Or could it be that Brother Bosong has no free time now, so he persuaded me to go find Brother Anguo and the banquet?

Zheng Pu looked slightly happy, took the horse's reins from the retinue, got on the horse's back and went back.

Well, Zhuge Qiao and Guan Xing have always had a close friendship.

It’s not surprising that everyone is invited to share the joy.

The horse's hooves were slowing down, and Zheng Pu was thinking about whether to hold a banquet by himself and invite people he knew well in Longyou to join in the fun, when his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He vaguely guessed what Zhuge Qiao meant.

Guan Xing’s father and brother were both killed in the Battle of Xiangfan!

Now that Sun Quan is proclaimed emperor, I am afraid that he is one of those who has warned that he does not want to form an alliance with Sun Wu again.

Moreover, since he has always been with the Prime Minister, he must also know the attitude and decision-making of the court officials and the Prime Minister on this matter. Under the indignation of the sworn hatred between father and brother, although he will not abandon the official position for personal reasons, he will eventually be hard-pressed.

Isn't he in the government office today?

well!

Perhaps, Brother Bosong’s intention is for me to give Brother Anguo some relief?

After thinking about this, Zheng Pu pulled the reins of the horse and waved his hand for the other followers to go home first.

He only took his retinue and went to the place where Guan Xing lived.

Before the wealthy Yizhou families settled in Hanzhong County and Longyou one after another, many court officials had already set an example and settled their new residences in Longyou. For example, Guan Xing built a house and purchased acres of property in Ji County last year, and moved his concubine Guan Yi

He and his mother moved here to settle down.

Moreover, it was planned that when Guan Yi grew up to be a young man, he would be allowed to step out from his deceased brother Guan Ping's independent family.

In the past few days, Guan Xing took a leave of absence and stayed at home because he felt unwell.

It was not that I was angry because of the Prime Minister's decision, but that I felt really hard to calm down at the moment, and it was unfair to do something for personal reasons when I didn't want to do it.

After all, it's one thing to understand, but it's another thing to accept it.

He was also quite surprised to hear that Zheng Pu came to visit unexpectedly.

It is rude to visit without warning.

However, both of them are always in the army, so there is no need to worry about red tape.

Moreover, as soon as Zheng Pufu returned to Hebei County, he explained his responsibilities to the prime minister and came here without even returning home, which further shows that the friendship between the two does not need to be formalized.

As he walked out the door to be greeted, he saw Zheng Pu standing outside holding a leather wine bag in each hand. Before he could say anything, he said first, "When I was in Didao, I accidentally got some sheep milk wine from the Qiang people. I don't know that Brother An Guo

Would you like to drink together?"

Due to heavy consumption in the war, the Han Dynasty has once again banned the use of grain to make wine.

If everyone wants to enjoy a cup of leisure time, they can only endure the sour water made by the Qiang and Di tribe here using mare and goat milk.

"Hahaha~~~~"

Hearing this, Guan Xing laughed heartily, "Zijin is really a wonderful person! I haven't known the taste of wine for several months!"

Even the hearty laughter can't drive away the ray of sadness lingering between his eyebrows.

After joking for a few words, the two of them entered the house side by side.

Along the way, Guan Xing also asked his servants to cut meat for the feast, but Zheng Pu waved his hand to stop him.

"Brother An Guo, don't bother."

Zheng Pu smiled gurglingly, shook the wine bag and said, "My entourage has told my cousin about my return to Ji County, and he will definitely come back and have a meal with me. I haven't seen Brother An Guo for a long time, so I wanted to come and have a drink with him."

After a while, I went back after all my bag was empty."

"Forget it, I'll invite Zijin to have fun together someday."

It was quite free and easy, and Guan Xing no longer insisted.

Just saying that, a hint of teasing appeared in his eyebrows, "But Zijin is in a hurry to go back, so he has to eat with his brother, right? I seem to have heard that Zijin's elder brother Shang Suo is sent to Longyou."

Yes, Shifang Mulberry Garden was also divided into Longyou.

It's just that the Zheng family is not prosperous, so the one assigned to it is the branch of Zheng Pu's cousin Lu Huang, who uses the tapestry of Mulberry Garden to draw the Silk Road benefits.

He also implemented the long-delayed concubinage proposal proposed by his brother Zheng Yan and his mother Lu. When Lu Huang moved with his family and caravan, he also looked for good concubines for Lu's mother.

Du family brought it.

Anyway, taking a concubine at this time is based on property as a loan, and there is no need for three betrothal gifts or six gifts.

This move also made some busybodies chatter after dinner.

Because some unscrupulous person secretly called the disfigured Zheng Pu "Scar Pu" and spread the word among the army and in Bashu, making Zheng's mother and brother Zheng Yan even more worried.

After all, Zheng Pu, who led the expedition, was already twenty-four years old, but he still had no blood or bones.

"Haha, brother Anguo, don't laugh at me."

Hearing this, Zheng Pu's face paused slightly, and he couldn't help but smile bitterly, "I was told by the Prime Minister that I will be working in Jixian County in the near future. I also thought of taking this opportunity to hold a small banquet and invite Brother An Guo, Brother Songbai and others to join us.

It’s just fun.”

"Haha~~~"

After stroking his long beard, Guan Xingwu raised his eyebrows and joked, "What is the etiquette of human relations, Zijin has nothing to say? However, Zijin has the intention to hold a banquet, and I will definitely go there!"

“So best.”

Zheng Pu nodded and smiled, "When I set a time, I will send someone to inform Brother An Guo."

Walking and laughing, the two of them went to the small pavilion in the courtyard and sat down in order.

He talked and laughed about the long separation, the war between Didao, etc., and invited him to drink frequently.

When they were young, they both saw the bottom of the huge leather wine bags in their hands.

Zheng Pu, who looked faintly drunk, finally saw it and gently said to Guan Xing, "I heard that Brother An Guo has been feeling unwell recently. I wonder if he is feeling sick?"

Guan Xing has a reputation for drinking heavily. He often drinks several stones without getting drunk.

Therefore, when he was not even drunk at all, he tilted his head slightly when he heard the words, half smiling but not smiling, and asked, "Did Zijin come here because of Bo Song's words?" After saying this, before Zheng Pu could say anything,

He continued, "Zijin doesn't need to persuade you too much. As a court official, I also know that state affairs are the most important thing. Although I feel dissatisfied about renewing our alliance with Sun Wu, I will not interfere with state affairs due to personal anger.

"

Well.

Zheng Pu was speechless for a while.

It seems that he is just being sentimental?

After thinking for a while, he simply said bluntly, "Brother An Guo thinks that if our great Han recaptures Longyou now, will he be able to regain his former glory in the future?"

"That's natural!"

Guan Xing threw the wine bag in his hand on the table and said loudly, "With the favorable geographical location of Longyou, we can defeat the Wei army several times! If I, a big man, can gather strength for several years, I will first go north to capture Liangzhou, and then appease the Qiang and Hu Wu."

After internal troubles, within ten years at most, tens of thousands of horsemen can sweep through Guanzhong and restore the old capital!"

"good!"

Zheng Pu praised him greatly after hearing this, and then asked again, "If I, a big man, can occupy Qinchuan, which is 800 miles away from Guanzhong, and with the abundance of Bashu and the strength of the four fortresses in Guanzhong, I can advance and retreat with ease, then we can conquer the Central Plains in a long time."

"Given Sun Wu's traitorous nature, why would he want to be a general?"
To be continued...