On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Liu Xuande, who was only separated from Jiangxia by a river, arrived belatedly. However, as soon as he arrived at Xiling City, the emperor sent an eunuch to come here to express his condolences. The eunuch left, but only for a moment. Liu Biao's chief secretary Kuai

Liang Kuai Zi Rou then came directly to visit.

Liu Biao himself arrived the day before yesterday, but he neither came in person nor invited Liu Bei to come over. He only sent an envoy to visit... This is of course reasonable and reasonable, because although the emperor did not admit it, Gongsun had given Liu Bei a job in Jingzhou after all.

According to the statement, Jingzhou Mu, who had withdrawn Liu Biao, was indeed not embarrassed about the status of the two families.

Of course, there is no essential contradiction after all. Liu Bei just wanted to eat the Sun family before, but Yizhou was too fast and Jingnan was too mysterious. Under such an urgent situation, Liu Jingsheng suddenly had only a mere

As a county, there will naturally be some tension and precautions.

But the more dire the situation becomes, the more unity is needed, so Kuai Liang hurriedly came here to exchange opinions.

"Brother Zirou came just in time."

After the two parties met and exchanged greetings, they came to sit down in the hall. When the tea was served, Liu Bei calmly made a small suggestion to Kuai Zirou. "I was just thinking of asking if I could ask the virtuous Kunzhong and General Cai to help me.

Take charge of Nanjun’s military administration?”

Even though Kuai Liang was considered a wise man, he couldn't help but be stunned, and then said in dialect for a long time: "General Zuo, don't be joking!"

"Have I ever been kidding?" Liu Bei raised his hands in response.

"My master only has Nan County left. How can he take all the military and political affairs of Nan County with General Zuo with just one word?" Kuai Liang felt more and more ridiculous. "If Nan County is gone, then where will my master go?"

"Just stay in Xiling to accompany the emperor!" Liu Bei became more and more calm.

Kuai Zirou laughed angrily and stood up directly: "What does General Zuo mean?"

"It's just a sincere intention." Liu Bei raised the pottery bowl and took a sip of tea before continuing expressionlessly. "Can I ask you a few things?"

Kuai Liang sneered and then sat down.

"First...do you guys in Jingzhou or Nanjun really want to surrender?" Liu Bei responded seriously. "Secondly, if you don't surrender, can we only try our best to join forces and fight hard for safety? Thirdly, if you want to fight, who will

Who can be handsome instead of me?"

Kuai Liang sighed: "If I hadn't known this truth a long time ago, I would have walked away just now... It's just General Zuo, how can there be anyone in the world like you who wants to steal money when the boat in the river is about to capsize?

Is it the goods? This is not a robbery! It’s a big piece of furniture that’s in the fire!”

"Brother Zirou, you don't have to be like this. Listen to me slowly...Actually, I have thought about it. Doing this will be good for everyone!" Liu Bei said calmly.

Kuai Liang shook his head repeatedly.

"For example, my brother Jing Sheng, now that the situation has been overturned, what does he ask for?" Liu Bei did not pay attention to the other party, but continued to ask, and asked and answered the questions, and he revealed the answer. "What he asked for was actually just wealth and life.

...Because the matter of his former colleague Lu Bu is right in front of him, because he accepted Lu Bu, settled the emperor, and supported Yizhou, so he is worried, fearing that if he is defeated or surrendered, others will live, but he himself will die.

No burial place! Otherwise, with his temperament, he would have been dead long ago!"

Kuai's conscience moved slightly, but he did not refute.

"Then there are you people." Liu Bei continued with a smile. "You also want to surrender, but you don't dare to surrender. You want to fight, but you don't dare to fight... Why? Because you, the noble families of Jingzhou, or Nanjun, are weak.

It is unbearable, but it is the most disgusted by my brother in the north."

Kuai Zirou couldn't help but swallowed, and finally retorted: "General Zuo is being alarmist. Jiaozhou can surrender, but we, Jingzhou, can't surrender?"

"You really can't surrender Jingzhou." Liu Bei immediately sneered. "Jiaozhou is really beyond the reach of the central government. Basically, we just want to unify. However, Shiweiyan has always been close to my brother's colleagues in the ministerial office for many years.

If there is no grudge, then it will be surrendered, but what about you? Don't you know your own affairs clearly?"

"What I just mentioned was all done by us, Liu Jingzhou." Kuai Yue tried his best to explain. "That's why he is worried. As for the people below us, they belong to the enemy country. How could Duke Yan get involved with his subordinates for these things?"

"Brother Zirou, why do you deceive me into being ignorant?" Liu Xuande sneered even more. "Let me ask you, remember when Liu Jingsheng rode into Xiangyang alone, dozens of clan thieves were wiped out, and their land, property, and population were all confiscated?

How much have you allocated to the Zuojin clan in Xiangyang? How much have been allocated to resettle the refugees in the north? As for the refugees, there are countless refugees in the north. Not to mention the officials who gather to protect themselves, only the poor people, and how many of them are organized by the government to work in the fields.

, how much were you locals plundering and enriching yourself? Outsiders say that the land of Nanjun is divided into three parts of the world by Liu, Cai, and Kuai. Is this false? "

Kuai Yue was finally speechless.

"You people in Nanjun are clearly members of powerful families. In half of the state, you have complete control over the economy and your career path. And my brother has made it clear enough. He has worked hard for decades to get here.

, what I want is to kill all of you!" Liu Bei's tone became more serious. "And how come you smart people don't understand this? That's why you are both timid and stubborn. Otherwise, if there is any gap in the north,

Come on, you sold Liu Biao and the Emperor together a long time ago, why did you wait until now? Do you really think I don’t know what you said to Shen Zhengnan when you were the envoy in Ye last year?”

Kuai Liang's face turned pale, but he was unable to refute.

"Brother Zirou!" Liu Bei rarely raised his eyebrows and sighed. "The current situation is that your Nanjun side has outstanding strength, but both the monarch and the ministers want to resist but dare not resist, want to surrender but dare not surrender... because they are afraid

Resistance will anger the north, and surrender will be in vain and become a fish on the chopping block. But what if Nanjun and I are put together now? I dare to fight hard! And with me as the master, you can only give me the strength of each family.

You don’t have to come forward at all. Even if you lose then, my brother will definitely hate me very much, but you might be able to escape, so why not?"

Kuai Liang was silent for a long time, but couldn't help but ask: "In this case, what benefit does General Zuo have?"

"This matter is also simple." Liu Bei sighed quietly. "I was also forced to the north and was at the end of my rope. This is the only way to survive... If you lose, you will die. But if you win the battle, Nanjun, Yuzhang, and Danyang are in hand.

, Jiangxia is actually under my control. The power of the four counties is enough to turn around and sweep the four counties in Jingnan, and then subdue the Sun family and the Shi family. By then, I will be sitting on the southeast half of the wall, and I can still manage to turn around and hold on to the stalemate. This is also my curtain.

Lu Zijing gave me the last way out."

Kuai Liang thought carefully and nodded slowly.

"Go!" Liu Bei didn't say much. "Let's tell Cai De and others today's words. As for Brother Jing Sheng, with his intelligence, he naturally knows how to go with the flow, so it doesn't matter if he doesn't say anything... Just be quick, I

Before I came here, I finally persuaded my brother Yide to fight for me. I will get my title in front of the palace in two days. Once the spring plowing is over, maybe we can take advantage of it first."

Kuai Liang did not dare to stay any longer, so he bowed and left.

But after Kuai Zirou left, Liu Bei was still sitting in the hall, full of energy, as if he was waiting for someone. And sure enough, not long after, another attendant came to report that it was Cui Yan, a famous scholar from Qinghe, who handed over the famous sword.

Please pay a visit to General Zuo.

Liu Bei just nodded slightly, and his attendants brought Cui Yan in.

"Mr. Cui, I haven't seen you for many years, but you still have the same charm." When Liu Xuande saw Cui Min entering, he stood up to greet him. From his words, he seemed to have the same old look as him.

"General Zuo." Cui Yan bowed his head slightly and saluted, but he was calm. "General Zuo is also in the same spirit as before... Speaking of which, it has been thirteen or four years since we parted ways in Hebei, which is really sad."

"Yes." By the fire in the hall, Liu Xuande, who was wearing a toga, sat down by himself as the attendants changed the tea, and then pointed casually, looking particularly relaxed. "Sir, please sit down. Since we are old friends, we don't need to talk more."

Thanks."

Cui Yan nodded slightly and sat casually in the hall. The two parties had finished their greetings.

However, although Cui Ji sat down and looked calm on the surface, he still felt a little uneasy in his heart. This was because the two of them had not been so happy when they met in Hebei.

Of course.

If you think about it, you will know that if there is an intersection between these two people, it must be during the period when Liu Bei was in Pingyuan after the Yellow Turban Rebellion. At that time, Liu Bei was a county magistrate who started out as a martial artist, but Cui Ji was a rising star of the Cui family in Qinghe next door.

, and he is also Zheng Xuan's favorite disciple. Although one is an official and the other is a citizen, there is not much difference in so-called social status. On the contrary, there is a clear distinction between civil and military affairs, and there is an obvious gap in family status. It seems that there are some obvious differences in the ideal path, which is naturally unlikely.

Feeling like old friends at first sight.

This is indeed the case.

It was also the New Year's Eve that year. Cui Yan returned from Qingzhou and was preparing to go home for the New Year. When passing through the plains, he naturally stayed at Gongsun Du's home with a group of classmates. Liu Bei brought Jian Yong to visit. Naturally, both parties were polite during the visit.

There was nothing wrong with the people... But the custom at that time was to comment on people, so as soon as Liu Bei left, everyone asked Cui Yan to comment on the Pingyuan County magistrate.

Cui Yan's words at that time were a bit rude. He thought that since Liu Bei was the magistrate of Qianshi County and an upright high-ranking court official, he had to talk about the hierarchy of superiors and inferiors. And that Jian Yong was lame and couldn't sit up straight. After all, there was a reason for everything.

But he actually called Liu Bei Xuande directly, without even calling him "Jun", which was too presumptuous in etiquette. And the people around him behaved like this, which shows that Liu Bei, and even Gongsun behind Liu Bei, still have the style of a border commander.

It is truly a disaster for the country.

Liu Bei naturally heard about this incident later, but there was no chance for the two parties to contact each other again, so the matter was naturally left undisturbed, but unexpectedly they met again today.

The more worried he became, the more he worried about something. After the two parties sat down, Liu Xuande remained casual, but directly mentioned the previous matter:

"It's presumptuous to say it, but I'm really curious. My brother expelled Lord Cui that day because he used me to belittle him in the past. Has it been revealed that he used me to belittle him?"

Cui Yan was silent for a moment, but simply shook his head: "I originally thought so too, but after traveling around all these years, I somewhat understood it in my heart... If there is a specific intention, given that person's temper and temperament, there must be some, but at all

This is not the case above.”

"How?" Liu Bei was curious for a moment.

"It's really because I am too conflicting with his big politics." Cui Yan said sincerely. "He wants to suppress aristocratic families, but the Cui family of Qinghe is the top aristocratic family in Hebei; he wants to take the imperial examination, but he is a famous family in Hebei.

Talking about famous people... In addition, he also wants to coerce and win over my teacher to be the lintel of his university. How can he tolerate a disciple of the Zheng Sect whose background is different from his own? On the surface, that person is targeting me, but...

Just use it as a target to achieve your goals. As for just a few words or round-about criticism, how can he care?"

"That's right." Liu Xuande also laughed. "In that situation, we had to beat the wealthy families of Hebei and the talkative celebrities, we had to intimidate the students of the Zheng family, and we had to intimidate the Yuan family to surrender. It was just the right thing to do in one step.

If I don’t look for you, who will I look for?”

Cui Yan couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"However, it has been so many years. Have you ever thought about returning to Hebei? Judging from the fact that your clan brother Cui Min and clan brother Cui Lin are both reused now, what if they ask for a favor and go back to the north? I remember one is already a minister.

, one is already a young prince, right?"

"That's right... but even if the person from the north wants to pardon me, I can't tolerate him going back like this." Cui Yan became more and more bitter. "After half a lifetime of studying Confucian classics, I became an official and became a Zhonglang general. As a result, I was said to be a hundred.

Useless...I have to prove to the world that I am not a useless person, right?"

"We are both fallen people in the end of the world, how can we meet again, let alone know each other before? I understand Jun Cui's thoughts very well." Liu Bei sighed with a smile, but then he took tea from the seat to moisten his throat. "But I have one more question...please
To be continued...