When Li Ran heard this, he couldn't help but nodded and said:
"Exactly, the Zhao family in Handan is from the same clan as the Zhao family after all. And the current leader of the Zhao family, Zhao Yang, is an alliance with us, so maybe we can go to Handan to borrow troops."
However, Confucius hesitated for a long time after hearing this, and then said:
"It's just... that although the Zhao family of Handan seems to be at peace with our sect, it is said that they are very close to the Fan family and the Zhonghang family, and the current sect leader Zhao Wu's mother is the Zhonghang family.
daughter. Therefore, her attitude is very unclear, and it is really hard to say..."
When Li Ran heard this, he nodded and agreed with what Confucius said. However, although he knew it was difficult, he had no other choice now:
"At that time, Xun Shu, the general of the Jin Dynasty, was originally a member of the Zhongxing family and was used by Fan Yang. In the end, it was just a few words from Li Ran that convinced him. Now the Zhao family in Handan is just a man who has both sides.
It’s unclear whether there are benefits or harms, or there may be opportunities that can be exploited.”
"What's more, now that Yunyi is in danger, the attitude of the Marquis of Qi is unclear, and the State of Zheng is far away and cannot solve the immediate problem. For the present plan, we can only give it a try! Even if it fails, we can try other methods.
.”
So, after everyone discussed for a while, they finally decided to divide the troops into two groups. Confucius went to Qi State, while Li Ran went to Handan.
Confucius had gone to the State of Qi in advance when the Marquis of Lu was on the run, and as an envoy of Lu, he had met the Marquis of Qi, Yan Ying, Gao Zhang, Gao Zhaozi and others.
Moreover, he persuaded the Marquis of Qi at that time. This time he went again. Although he would not be welcomed by Qi State, after all, he had accumulated some connections in Qi State, so he should be able to speak better.
As for Li Ran, he considered that he was on good terms with Zhao Yang, the leader of the Zhao family, so if he came forward in person, he might be able to gain more confidence.
At this moment, Guan Congze sent someone from Luoyi to bring news:
Xingguan was watching the sky at night, and there were frequent stars falling in the direction of Lu State, which may indicate that many prominent people on their side will fall one after another in the near future. Therefore, the observer asked Li Ran to pay more attention, and it is best to go out less in the near future.
That's wonderful.
Li Ran actually didn't believe in the stars. But he also knew that since they had such concerns, I'm afraid they were not groundless.
Just like the Shikoku fire that year, perhaps Guan Cong got some new news from other places, but he couldn't explain it.
When Sun Wu heard this, he felt quite uneasy, so he admonished Li Ran and asked him to take Chu Dang with him to prevent any unexpected events.
However, Li Ran was worried about Yunyi, while Sun Wu sighed and said:
"Sir, don't worry, Sun Wu's side will be fine. Now we only need to reinforce the city's defenses day and night, and we will not take the initiative to attack."
"As for the brute strength of Chu Dang, Wu was afraid that if he stayed here, he would tear down the city wall. It would be better to let him go out with Mr., to avoid suffocating him.
.”
Sun Wu joked like this without missing a moment, which actually made everyone laugh. The originally solemn and gloomy atmosphere suddenly became a bit humorous.
So everyone agreed on this, Zi Lu followed Confucius, and Li Ran took Chu Dang with him.
…
After the meeting ended, Li Ran returned to his residence and told Ji Le that he was going to Handan to borrow troops. Ji Le was quite reluctant to leave, and couldn't help hugging her husband delicately.
"Husband, you are always running around like this, Le'er feels so uncomfortable..."
"Leer, you have been too worried recently. You must stop thinking wildly while your husband is away. If this can be done and everything goes well, the matter of Ah Chou's return to China can also be solved!"
Ji Le caressed Li Ran's cheek.
"You have lost weight... Husband, you must pay attention to safety when you are away from home. Le'er is actually fine, but he misses Guang'er a little, and... he is just worried about your safety..."
"Guang'er is accompanied by Fan Li, and I have Chu Dang as my guard. This time, Le'er can rest assured!"
Ji Le nodded gently, and Li Ran held her face lovingly.
"Ma'am, thank you for your hard work..."
Ji Le smiled.
"Husband, you don't have to worry about Le'er. In fact, it's good for Le'er to spend more time with Ah Chou, but Ah Chou... seems to be getting weaker and weaker recently... ugh..."
Ji Le also noticed something strange about Lu Houchou's body, so he was a little worried.
"Madam, don't worry, Ah Chou's illness is actually a knot in his heart. Once we escort him back to the country, everything will be solved..."
The two of them looked at each other while talking, as if they had endless things to say...
A night of silence
Even though Li Ran and Ji Le were reluctant to part with each other, they still had to part ways.
Before leaving, Li Ran specially prepared a letter and sent it to Dong Anyu in Jiangcheng.
Since Yang Hu's strategy was to encircle but not close, leaving some gaps for people in the city to escape, Li Ran and Chu Dang successfully left Yunyi under the cover of night and headed towards Handan.
Regardless of the traveling all the way, the two of them arrived in Handan very smoothly.
When Zhao Wu, the Handan doctor, heard that Li Ran, the Taishi of Luoyi, was visiting, he warmly entertained Li Ran and treated him as an honored guest.
Li Ran explained his purpose of coming, while Zhao Wu didn't seem to have any fluctuations on the surface and just said:
"I understand Li Taishi's intention, but as for borrowing troops, please forgive me for not being able to act independently at the moment. I'll send someone to Jiangcheng to inquire about the sect master's intention. If the sect master agrees, I, the Handan clan, will be responsible for borrowing the money."
It is also appropriate to give some troops and horses to Li Taishi."
Although Li Ran was a little impatient, he also knew that what Zhao Wu said was indeed reasonable. Although their Handan clan was nominally their own family, they still wanted to recognize the Jinyang Zhao clan as their clan. So, if
They wanted to lend troops to Li Ran, so it was natural to ask Da Zong what he wanted.
What's more, he had no friendship with Zhao Wu, and Zhao Wu would definitely not kill him first and report later.
"Then there's Doctor Lao Handan!"
Zhao Wu waved his hand and said:
"Li Taishi doesn't have to be so polite. It's been a hard journey. I'll arrange a place for Taishi to stay in Wu. When I get the response from the sect master, I will notify Taishi as soon as possible!"
When Li Ran heard this, he cupped his hands and said:
"If that's the case, then it's annoying!"
Therefore, Li Ran and Chu Dang temporarily stayed in the post house in Handan.
However, several days passed without any news.
Li Ran also knew that there was still some distance between Handan and Jiangcheng, so it was not that fast to transfer information back and forth.
However, he still felt a little uneasy in his heart.
Zhao Wu was very polite to him and would send people to him every day to inquire about his welfare. However, he did not mention a word about borrowing troops.
Even though Li Ran asked occasionally, the visitor said that the sect master's reply had not yet arrived.
That night, Li Ran was about to lie down to sleep when he heard Chu Dang knocking loudly on the door.
"Sir! I have a guest asking to see you!"
Li Ran stood up and opened the door, only to see a man wearing a bamboo hat standing outside, followed by a motorcade, who seemed to be a businessman.
The man opened his bamboo hat and smiled at Chu Dan.
"Why is this guest? It's me!"
The two of them took another closer look, and it turned out that this person was none other than Owl Wings!
When Chu Dang saw it, he couldn't help but smile stupidly:
"It turns out it's you! I'm still wondering in my heart, who is so sneaky and has wrapped himself up so tightly!"
Li Ran quickly welcomed him into the house, while Chu Dang was guarding him outside, while Owl Yi greeted him and said:
"I have met my lord. Owl Wings brought his caravan to Handan. He learned that my lord was here, so he came here to pay his respects."
Owl Wing used his business acumen to travel back and forth across various countries, collecting information from all parties along the way. On the one hand, he was looking for business opportunities, and on the other hand, he was acting as Li Ran's eyes and ears.
It was also a coincidence that I met my lord in Handan today.
Li Ran was naturally very happy to meet an old friend in a foreign country.
"Owl Wings, where did you come from?"
"Back to my lord, I came directly from Zhengyi this time."
"Oh? How is Guang'er doing now?"
"My young uncle has always taken good care of my little master. He is very attentive and my little master likes him very much. Moreover, my little master's illness seems to be stabilizing, and there is no sign of recurrence in recent days!"
After hearing the news that his daughter was fine, Li Ran couldn't help but nodded, feeling very happy.
"Young uncle, he is very resourceful, so asking him to take care of the children is a bit difficult for him."
Owlwing replied:
"Haha, the young uncle is a man with sharp ears and eyes, and he is quite talented in doing business. The barter transaction with the Handan family this time was facilitated by his efforts. My lord's foundation in Zhengyi may be able to be used in the future.
Leave it to him..."
"Well, he is indeed gifted in this area. Shao Bo is a man who adheres to the scriptures and is able to change his mind. He has a sharp mind and is indeed a good hand in business."
It's not surprising that Li Ran had such an evaluation of him. After all, after experiencing the last incident of transporting copper with the country, Li Ran already knew that Fan Li was indeed different from ordinary people in this aspect.
——
Chapter 519 The Suffering of Handan
At this time, Owl Wing suddenly approached Li Ran and whispered in Li Ran's ear:
"My lord, shouldn't he be in Yunyi? What's the important thing for you to come to Handan?"
Li Ran sighed, briefly told Lu Houchou's recent situation, and finally said:
"It's really helpless that we came to Handan to borrow troops. Now Zhao Wu is still waiting for news from Jiangcheng before deciding whether to borrow troops!"
Owl Wing frowned, thought for a while, then looked condensed, and whispered to him solemnly:
"Master, in my opinion, it would be best for you to leave this place overnight!"
Li Ran couldn't help but be startled when he heard this:
"Oh? What's the rumor?"
Owl Wing nodded slightly and said:
"To be honest, my lord, Owl Wings entered Handan today to hand over goods to the Zhao family. They accidentally discovered that there were a lot of extra soldiers in the Zhao family, and there were even some piled up in the backyard. I guess there will be something in the near future.
Action. Moreover, according to Owl Wing's observation, there is now increased security around the post house! If Zhao Wu did this to borrow troops in the future... then why was there no sign that they were raising a piece of food and equipment?
?”
"It can be judged from this that Zhao Wu may not be able to settle down in the near future. There must be changes in the city! Owl Wings is really worried about the safety of his lord!"
When Li Ran heard this, he couldn't help but frown. In fact, his trip was indeed quite dangerous. After all, the Zhao family in Handan was not simple. And before he came to Handan, he had already given it to Dong Anyu.
After going to the letter, if everything went well, Zhao Yang should have given instructions to Zhao Wu long ago.
However, Zhao Wu responded with no response, and sent people to visit him every day. He seemed to be concerned, but in fact he was deliberately trying to keep him here.
Li Ran thought about it, and couldn't help but feel a sense of fear. He also thought that he couldn't stay here for a long time. So, he decided to go to Handan no matter what tonight.
"Well, Owl Yi, go make arrangements, and don't tell Chu Dang. He is impatient and may cause trouble if he hears this!"
Owl Wing responded and went out to make arrangements for escaping from Handan at night.
Chu Dang was still unaware at this moment, he was only half-leaning against the corner of Li Ran's room, dozing there.
"Chu Dang!"
At this time, Chu Dang suddenly woke up after hearing this:
"Oh! What's the matter, lord?!"
Li Ran couldn't help but smile when he saw his honest and honest attitude, and continued:
"Since you are so tired, why not take a rest quickly!"
Chu Dang was worried:
"No, no, no, before leaving, my wife specially told Chu Dang to protect the safety of my lord at all times. I'm not sleepy now!"
Li Ran smiled again and said to him:
"There are owl wings in the inn tonight, what do you need to worry about? Just go and rest!"
Li Ran knew that there might be some commotion tonight, so he let Chu Dang rest for a while so that he could gather some energy at night, just in case.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Chu Dang was obedient and just retired and fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, Owl Yi gently knocked on Li Ran's door again. Li Ran opened the door immediately without taking off his clothes and boots. Owl Yi said softly:
"My Lord, we are ready, we can leave now!"
Li Ran nodded and asked Owl Wing to call Chu Dang to get up. When Chu Dang came out, he rubbed his eyes and said strangely:
"One moment he asked me to sleep, and the next moment he asked me to wake up in the middle of the night. What is your lord doing?"
Owlwing hissed.
"My lord is afraid that there will be danger tonight, and Zhao Wu may want to harm my lord!"
When Chu Dang heard this, he suddenly woke up and widened his eyes:
"Ah?! How dare that Zhuzi... Humph! I have to poke a few transparent holes for him!"
While talking about peace, Chu Dang immediately held up his personal euphorbia.
As for his great halberd, since he lost his Sange halberd when he last escaped from the prince's military camp, he has never found such a handy weapon again. And this great halberd was also specially made for him, with a few additions. Although it weighs less than bronze, it is still much lighter than the San Ge Ji. For Chu Dang, it can only be used temporarily.
Owl Wing arranged several carriages of his own in the stable, and let the carriages go out in batches to distract the guards of the posthouse.
When Chu Dang, Li Ran and Owl Wings came to their carriage, they only smelled a foul smell. When they took a closer look, they saw that their horses had diarrhea all over the ground at the same time, and were now limp and lazy. On the ground.
Li Ran was stunned for a moment and secretly yelled, "That's not good!"
However, he didn't show it. There happened to be an Owl Wing Caravan carriage that hadn't left yet, so they decided to take this carriage out.
However, at this moment, someone outside the post house was heard shouting:
"The water is breaking out, the water is breaking out, come and put out the fire!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a fiery red reflection outside the wall. Owl Yi had already spied on the surrounding situation of the post house, and immediately took Li Ran and Chu Dang to the back door. As soon as he opened the door, who knew there were several people there immediately? Ten black shadows rushed over directly.
Under the background of the firelight, the spears in their hands shone coldly, and they rushed directly to Li Ran.
When Chu Dang saw this, he held a big halberd and shouted:
"Suffer death, you bastards!"
It can be seen that although those people had their hair loose and deliberately pretended to be the Yi Di taking advantage of the situation, but their armor stomachs were looming under their black clothes. It was obvious that these were people arranged by Zhao Wu.
Although Chu Dang was impatient, he was not stupid. Before these people could take action, he had already waved the big halberd in his hand into the enemy formation, and hit the same spot with dozens of people.
Li Ran and Owl Yi retreated to the back door of the post house. Although Chu Dang was brave, he could not defeat four hands with two fists. Those dozens of people were wearing armor and stomach, and they advanced and retreated in a measured manner. They had obviously been prepared for a long time.
Chu Dang was unable to disperse them for a while, so he couldn't help but fell into a hard fight.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Owl Wing saw Li Ran's crown and became concerned.
"Lord, please take off your crown!"
Li Ran didn't want to think too much and took off the crown. Owl Wing reached out to take it. In the flash of lightning, Li Ran suddenly thought of something and retracted his hand.
"Owl Wings! What are you going to do?"
"My lord, let Owl Wings lure away these bad guys for my lord! Only in this way can my lord and Chu Dang have a chance to escape!"
Li Ran shook his head hurriedly and said:
"Owl Wings! Although we are called masters and servants, we are actually like brothers! As brothers, how can we let you do such a dangerous thing?! This is absolutely impossible!"
Owl Wing glanced at the fighting outside the door, and felt anxious for a moment. He couldn't help but suddenly knelt on the ground.
"My lord! Owl Wing has been following my lord for more than thirty years, and has been with my lord since he was young. My lord does not regard Owl Wing as inferior, and always treats him as brother and foot. Owl Wing is so grateful! If I can no longer be by my lord's side in the future, , Owl Wing can’t bear it in his heart. But if today’s situation were not like this, I’m afraid that both you and my master and servant would be buried here!”
"You must continue to suffer the consequences! Please don't hesitate, my lord!"
Owl Wing is the servant Li Er left behind for Li Ran when he left Luoyi.
Owl Yi was originally from Qi. After his parents died, he had no choice but to follow his tribe to do business. After traveling to Luoyi as a trader, by chance, he was kept by Li Er and named him "Owl Yi". It means "flying over".
However, Owl Yi was also young at that time and did not know Li Er's identity. Due to his misfortune in his early years, Owl Yi was quite self-reliant and very lucky.
Later, when Li Er left for Qin, he left Owl Yi with Li Ran. From then on, Owl Yi recognized Li Ran as his master and has always been loyal.
At that time, Li Ran was only a few years old, and he regarded Owl Wings more as a playmate.
As Owl Yi said, they have been together as master and servant for too long. It is not an exaggeration to say that he single-handedly brought up Li Ran. Although they are master and servant, they are indeed brothers and sisters.
It is precisely because of this that Li Ran cannot agree to Owl Yi's behavior.
"My lord... I'm offended!"
In a hurry, Owl Yi suddenly stood up and snatched the crown from Li Ran's hand. Li Ran wanted to take it back, but Owl Yi pushed Li Ran away. Li Ran was unsteady and almost fell down.
Owl Wing instinctively wanted to help him, but he still held back. He quickly bowed goodbye to Li Ran, put on Li Ran's crown, and rushed out of the back door.
"I, Li Ziming, am here!"
Owl Wing shouted such a cry, which attracted the attention of those people directly.
Those people ran over one after another, and when they saw that he was indeed wearing the crown of the Taishi of Luoyi, they immediately chased after him without thinking about the authenticity.
Chu Dang killed several people and turned around to see Li Ran with disheveled hair. He didn't understand the key at this time. He only wanted to protect Li Ran. He ran over, picked up Li Ran and headed towards the counter. Go in the direction.
Li Ran wanted to break free, but Chu Dang was as strong as an ox after all. How could he, Li Ran, say that he could break free just by breaking free?
He was about to speak again, trying to get Chu Dang to let him go, but suddenly he found that the tip of a spear was stuck straight on Chu Dang's shoulder, and crimson blood had already stained half of his body.
Li Ran was shocked. The words came to his lips but he suddenly couldn't say them out.
After all, he could not let Chu Dang be trapped in a heavy siege. Now that Owl Yi has lured away the killers, if he insists on going back at this moment, I am afraid that not only will Owl Yi's hard work be in vain, but also
Chu Dang would have lost his life in vain.
Li Ran endured his grief, and while being led away by Chu Dang, he was weeping silently, with tears pouring out like a fountain!