On the "Boluo River" beach, a group of Korean cavalry galloped along the river bank. The leader was a veteran general. Although his hair and beard were all white, he was full of energy and strong. He was the powerful minister who once competed with Han Wu, the Marquis of Li, in the temple. , Kang Gong Han Hu.
"Uu——"
When they came to the river bank, Kang Gong and Han Hu looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was about to set. He frowned slightly and called out: "Meng Fei (Tong Fei)."
As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged general rode forward from the team and came to Kang Gong Han Hu. He cupped his fists and said, "The last general is here."
I saw Kang Gong Han Hu raising his hand and pointing to the other side of the river, asking: "How far is this place from Hao County?"
Meng Fei raised his head to look at the sky and said tactfully: "I'm afraid it will be difficult to arrive before sunset. Mr. Kang, I may have to force you to sleep in the wilderness tonight."
When Kang Gong Han Hu heard this, he waved his hand and said: "I don't want to do your business. I asked you to go both ways. Otherwise, I could have stayed overnight in Yuanshi City today."
After that, he pointed to the other side of the river and said, "After crossing the river, find a place to stay."
"Yes!" Meng Fei answered with clasped fists.
About half an hour later, Kang Gong and Han Hu's cavalry finally found a bridge across the river and crossed the Boluo River along the bridge.
By this time, it was already dusk, and the surrounding temperature had dropped sharply. So Meng Fei found a place leeward, ordered his cavalry to set up tents, cut down nearby trees, and lit a bonfire in the camp.
After finishing all these things, it was around the time of Xu, and Meng Fei and other cavalrymen boiled water and cooked rice in preparation for food.
During this period, Kang Gong and Han Hu used logs as benches and sat by the bonfire to warm themselves up. He looked at the jumping bonfire with his eyes, thoughtfully.
"I never thought that I would have the opportunity to return to the temple in this life..."
Rubbing his hands, Mr. Kang and Han Hu couldn't help but sigh at the impermanence of the world.
I remember that during the "Five Parties Attack on Wei", he, Duke Kang and Han Hu, single-handedly promoted the "Third Battle of Northern Wei and Han Borders". I thought that this war would definitely lead to the fall of the Wei State, but I never expected that the Wei State not only withstood the The pressure of the offensive from all sides even resulted in the defeat of all armies in the end.
After the war, because the expected goal was not achieved and huge war indemnities had to be paid to Wei, Kang Gong and Han Hu, who once enjoyed a great reputation in Korea, suddenly lost the support of the domestic aristocracy - because The war initiated by Duke Kang and Han Hu not only failed to benefit the aristocracy, but actually caused them to lose too much benefit.
Under this situation, one was ebbing and the other was ebbing. Han Wu, the political enemy of Kang Gong and Han Hu, seized this opportunity and kicked Kang Gong and Han Hu out of the temple, sending the latter back to the "Nine Gate City".
Jiumen City was originally a fortress pass where Kang Gong and Han Hu stood to defend against the northern Rong and Hu. When Korea was at its weakest, it was Kang Gong and Han Hu who carried the country on their shoulders, repelling the foreign armies again and again, and became the leader of Korea. People admire and praise heroes.
In order to commend Kang Gong Han Hu's achievements, the previous king of Korea, Han Wangqi, after inheriting the throne of his brother Han Wang Jian, in order to gain the support of the former, officially awarded the nine gates to Kang Gong Han Hu as a fief.
Although Jiumen is the place where Kang Gong and Han Hu made their fortune, this city transformed from a fortress was not as prosperous as the royal capital Handan, especially after the death of King Han and the new king Han Wangran came to power. Kang Gong and Han Hu took advantage of the power of the king. In the alternating stages, he successfully stole a lot of rights. Inevitably, this former Korean hero could not help but have unreasonable desires for the throne.
Of course, he is not so bold to seize the throne himself, but he hopes that his son or grandson can sit on that seat. After all, the former king Han Qi only has one son, the new king Han Wangran, and this young king has lost his ambition in playing with things. With no prestige at all, Kang Gong and Han Hu may not have a chance to achieve their wishes.
In contrast, the biggest problem is Han Wu, Marquis of Li. This is the last son of the previous king Han Jian. Mr. Han once missed the throne because he was too young. He has been Kang Gong Han Hu's confidant from the beginning.
If Lihou Hanwu is just a reputation, the problem is that this boy really has some ability and means, so much so that Kang Gong Han Hu once deliberately tried to bring down Lihou Hanwu, but failed.
Because of this, after being kicked out of the temple by Li Hou Han Wu a while ago, Kanggong Han Hu realized that it would be difficult for him to return to Handan in this life, so he returned to Jiumen in despair, feeling depressed all day long.
But who would have thought that the road is boundless and that Han Wu, the Marquis of Li, whom Kang Gong and Han Hu had failed to defeat in nearly ten years, unexpectedly failed when he led his army to attack Julu and surrounded the Wei army led by Wei Gongzi Run. Shen was captured by the Wei army.
It is no exaggeration to say that after learning the news, Kang Gong Han Hu was overjoyed in his mansion in the Nine Gates. Without saying a word, he rushed to Handan with a team of cavalry, intending to make a comeback and take advantage of the situation. Han Wu, Marquis of Li, was captured by the Wei army. When the people of Handan were in panic, they regained control of Handan.
In his eyes, as long as Li Hou Han Wu is not around, no one in this country can compete with Han Hu: Zhuang Gong Han Geng? He is just a coward with a thief heart but no courage; and Han Wangran needless to say more , Han Hu has never taken this new king seriously.
Even more, if we can find a way to get Wei Gongzi Run to kill Lihou Han Wu, Han Hu can truly take control of the country and become the most powerful official in South Korea.
At that time, if everyone responds to the call and thinks of any way to get rid of Han Wangran, he will be able to successfully send his son or grandson to the throne of the king.
When he thought of this, Kang Gong and Han Hu felt a burning sensation in his heart, and he couldn't wait to arrive in Handan immediately.
I don’t know how much time passed, but his general Meng Fei came to Kang Gong and Han Hu. He cupped his hands and said, "Kang Gong, the sentry sent out has brought intelligence from the front. In the area of "Baren", the deputy general of the Wei State Yanling Army "Sun Shuke" is leading the Wei army to attack the city in recent days. The general suggested that we had better take a detour to avoid being implicated in the war there."
Hearing this, Kang Gong and Han Hu couldn't help but feel a little anxious. He secretly cursed Sun Shuke, the Wei general, for not attacking sooner or later, but for sending troops just when he was in a hurry to go to Handan. Wasn't this causing trouble for him?
Sighing helplessly, Duke Kang and Han Hu nodded and said, "This is the only way."
After that, he cast his gaze towards the dancing bonfire and prayed secretly in his heart, praying that no one else would take the opportunity to steal the power before he arrived in Handan.
Take Zhuang Gong Han Geng as an example. Although Han Hu does not think highly of this guy, it cannot be denied that under the current circumstances, Zhuang Gong Han Geng may actually steal power.
Another example is the Prime Minister Shen Buhai in the court. Although this colleague never participated in the struggle for power between Han Hu, Li Hou Han Wu, and Zhuang Gong Han Geng, he may not have thought of taking the opportunity to seize power. Anyway, Shen Buhai was Han. There are very few ministers who cannot see clearly.
As for the most crucial figure, Han Wangran, Kang Gong Han Hu never thought of it at all.
At the same time, in the palace in Handan, Han Wangran, accompanied by Ma Kuo, was waiting to receive the general "Zhu Man".
Zhu Man was not an ordinary Korean general. He was the confidant of Li Hou Han Wu, and was even appointed by the latter to the important position of "Wu'an City Guard".
The so-called city guards are equivalent to the combination of county magistrates and military officers in the Wei State, a military and political guard.
Although the garrison of a city sounds far less intimidating than the "Jiang Shou"-level garrison generals such as "Yanmen Shou", "Beiyan Shou" and "Yuyang Shou", you must know that Wu'an is South Korea. The capital of Handan, the royal capital, is a military town-type capital. It is the headquarters of Lihou Hanwu's forces. Almost Korea's most cutting-edge smelting technology is concentrated in the city. In terms of status, it is higher than the "Yecheng" next to Daliang, the capital of Wei Dynasty. More than one step higher.
Therefore, if it were not for Li Hou Han Wu's close confidants, it would never be possible to take charge of Wu'an.
On the other hand, if Han Wangran wants to regain his power, then Wu An, who is very close at hand, and Zhu Man, a reclusive but powerful general, must be eliminated.
"Why aren't you here yet?"
After waiting and waiting until Zhu Man came, Ma Kuo couldn't help but feel a little anxious and walked back and forth in the palace impatiently.
Because the servants in the palace had been dismissed by Ma Kuo, Han Wangran no longer had to pretend to be crazy. He smiled and said calmly: "Don't worry, Zhu Man is Lihou's confidant. After learning of such changes, he will definitely come forward immediately." Come, Major General, please be patient."
While speaking, Han Wangran glanced at Ma Kuo and made a secret assessment in his heart.
Ma She, Ma Kuo and his son, needless to say in terms of loyalty, are both loyal ministers of the king. However, in comparison, Ma She is calm and steady enough to take on important tasks, while Ma Kuo, because he is young and energetic, has a slightly more temperamental personality. Frizzy.
However, being impetuous, Ma Kuo's courage was also admired by Han Wangran, because before that, Ma Kuo had suggested that he should trap and kill Zhu Man and seize the latter's military power. This momentum of a newborn calf not afraid of tigers made him Han Wangran admired it very much.
At this time, there was a faint sound of footsteps outside the palace. Hearing the sound, Han Wangran looked at Ma Kuo and immediately pretended to be panicked.
At this moment, a chamberlain hurriedly walked into the palace, followed a few steps behind him by a burly general - to be precise, this general was not actually 'following', but was obviously waiting. He broke in without warning.
"Your Majesty, General Zhu Man wants to see you..."
No, before the chamberlain could finish speaking, he was pushed aside by the general behind him. Then, his tiger eyes glanced at Han Wangran and Ma Kuo, and asked with a gloomy face: "Who is Ma Kuo?"
After hearing this, Ma Kuo raised his fists towards the opponent and said with some respect: "The last general is Ma Kuo, and you are General Zhu Man?"
Zhu Man took a deep look at Ma Kuo, nodded and said: "Exactly!... But the news you sent, Marquis Yan Li was accidentally captured by the Wei army?"
To be honest, if Ma Kuo's identity was not unusual and he was the son of Ma She, the guardian of Shanggu, then Zhu Man would have grabbed the man's clothes and started questioning him instead of asking him politely.
After listening to Zhu Man's words, Ma Kuo deliberately showed a bit of sadness on his face, and roughly told the story of how Lihou Hanwu was captured on the Julu battlefield - although he did not see with his own eyes how Lihou Hanwu was captured, but His father, Ma She, also roughly understood the process from the oral description of Sima Shang, the acting county governor.
After quietly listening to Ma Kuo's statement, Zhu Man's face turned red with suppressed emotion. He seemed to be anxious and angry, and he cursed "Damn it" in a low voice.
At this time, Han Wangran saw the opportunity and asked in a pretense of panic: "General Zhu Man, my sworn brother was captured by the Wei army. What should we do?"
"..." Zhu Man glanced at Han Wangran with disgust and remained silent.
He was thinking about the possibility of rescuing Li Hou Han Wu from Wei Gongzi Run.
Forcibly will not work, because there are no more troops in South Korea to force Wei Gongzi Run to submit obediently. The new troops recruited last winter have already been sent to Julu by Zhu Man, so there are no more abundant troops.
What's more, on the battlefield in Hanoi, the situation of his Korean army is getting more and more difficult. Generals such as Bao Yuan and Jin Mao have written several times and sent people to Wu'an to ask Zhu Man for help.
Since we can't force it, we can only negotiate with the Wei army. In other words, at the cost of South Korea admitting defeat in this battle, we can ask the Wei army to release Li Hou Han Wu.
But the problem is that this battle is so critical. Even if Zhu Man holds most of the military power of the remaining troops in Handan and Wu'an, and is even fully capable of putting pressure on the imperial court, he would not dare to do that - because not only does this The person will become the target of public criticism. Even if Lihou Hanwu can be rescued, Lihou Hanwu must bear most of the responsibility for this defeat.
Suddenly, Zhu Man's heart moved, and he said to Han Wangran in a arrogant and respectful manner: "Your Majesty, don't be alarmed. Even if Marquis Li is accidentally taken advantage of by the Wei army, Zhu Man will protect your Majesty to the death and guard Handan."
"Hey!"
Han Wangran sneered secretly, how could he not guess what Zhu Man was thinking?
No, after expressing his loyalty, Zhu Man revealed his purpose: "As for the matter of Marquis Li... I will think that Marquis Li is the pillar of our country. If anything happens, the country will be in turmoil. At that time, ambitious people like Kang Gong and Han Hu may come back and take a peek at the royal power... Therefore, the general thought that he should negotiate with the Wei army and find a way to get the Wei army to release Marquis Li."
"If you send someone to negotiate with Mr. Wei at this time, wouldn't this be a sheep entering the tiger's mouth?"
Han Wangran secretly sneered in his heart, sneering at the fact that Zhu Man was really loyal to Li Hou Han Wu, and even sacrificed the interests of the entire country in order to rescue the latter.
Who is Wei Gongzi Runna?
This person demanded compensation from the defeated party after the war, which was far more vicious than he did during the war. The Chu State, South Korea, including Sanchuan, which had not surrendered to the Wei State, were not brutally beaten by the Wei Gongzi after the defeat. Kill with a knife?
Some people have even maliciously speculated that although Wei Gongzi Run has contributed a lot to Wei's strong rise in recent years, Chu, South Korea, including Sanchuan, may also have contributed a lot to Wei - Wei's smelting How did the bureau develop? Isn't it because Wei Gongzi Run invested astronomical amounts of war reparations?
Han Wangran can guarantee that if he sends someone to negotiate with Wei Gongzi Run at this moment, then the latter will definitely open his mouth and give him a severe blackmail.
Of course, money is not the most fundamental issue, the most critical issue is... Han Ran doesn't want to save Li Hou Han Wu at all!
At least at this stage, before he has regained power, he has not given it any thought.
But having said that, in front of Zhu Man, Lihou Hanwu's confidant, Han Wangran still pretended to be extremely hopeful to rescue Lihou Hanwu, panicked, nodded repeatedly and said: "Yes, yes, we need to negotiate with the Wei army." ..." After saying that, he shouted towards the outside of the palace: "Who is coming, summon the prime minister into the palace quickly."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Man's expression suddenly changed and he said with a strange expression: "Your Majesty, why did you summon the Prime Minister? This matter can be left to the general."
While sneering in his heart, Han Wangran pretended to be puzzled and said: "How can you leave the prime minister behind for such a big event?"
"This..." Zhu Man was speechless.
In view of Prime Minister Shen Buhai's prestige in the court, he did not dare to say anything nonsense and could only wait until Shen Buhai arrived.
About half an hour later, Prime Minister Shen Buhai arrived at the palace. After bowing to Han Wangran, he glanced at Zhu Man intentionally or unintentionally, without any surprise in his heart.
After all, Shen Buhai also had his own information channels, so he naturally knew about Zhu Manyu coming to Handan from Wu'an today.
"Shen Xiang."
"General Zhu."
Shen Buhai and Zhu Man greeted each other, and then asked Han Wangran: "Your Majesty summoned the old minister, I don't know why?"
Seeing this, Han Wangran still put on a panicked expression and told Shen that Lihou Hanwu was accidentally captured by the Wei army, and that Zhu Man hoped to send someone to negotiate with the Wei army and try his best to rescue Lihou Hanwu. Not horrified, I just heard the old prime minister frowning.
In fact, after hearing that Zhu Man rushed to Handan from Wu'an, Shen Buhai realized that something big might have happened, but he really didn't expect that it would be so serious.
"What do you think of Shen Xiang?" Zhu Man asked eagerly.
As far as Handan is concerned today, as long as Zhu Man obtains the support of Prime Minister Shen Buhai, it is almost certain to negotiate with the Wei army to rescue Han Wu, the Marquis of Li; otherwise, if Shen Buhai objects, Zhu Man can also forcefully negotiate with the Wei army. , but the consequences will be serious.
Under Zhu Man's earnest gaze, Shen Buhai looked thoughtful and remained silent for a long time.
It has to be said that even this old prime minister is in a bit of a dilemma when faced with this problem.
To be fair, Shen Buhai still has some appreciation for Lihou Hanwu. After all, although this monarch is obsessed with fighting for power, Lihou Hanwu has never been ambiguous about major issues related to national affairs, and has not violated national interests for personal gain. At most, it only damages the interests of some of its political opponents.
But the problem is, how easy is it to rescue Han Wu, Marquis of Li, from the Wei army?
Although Wei Gongzi Run is not a greedy wolf, but he is a tiger with a huge appetite. The last time he was defeated in Korea, the defeat compensation agreement he signed after that had already caused him to suffer in Korea. If this time is added to it... Shen Buhai could not imagine how much land the Wei people would ask them to cede and how much war compensation they would pay if they lost this battle.
After thinking deeply, Shen Buhai had already made up his mind: no rescue!
It was not out of personal grudges, but out of consideration for national interests. In Shen Buhai's view, Li Hou Han Wu was just a high-ranking minister in the final analysis. In terms of marching and fighting, he was far inferior to Li Mu, Le Yi, Ma She, etc. And in terms of political achievements, his contribution is not as good as that of Shen Buhai, Zhang Ping, Xia Lei and other ministers. In general, whether Lihou Hanwu is there or not, it has little impact on him in Korea.
Since the impact is not big, why bother negotiating with the Wei army at a huge cost?
In Shen Buhai's view, South Korea should be committed to this war now. Although it is almost empty talk to defeat the Wei State or even overthrow the Wei State based on the current war situation, but dragging the Wei State's economy to death, he South Korea is still It can be done - as long as this war is dragged out for a year or two, South Korea's domestic economy will be ruined, and I believe Wei will not be much better.
What Shen Buhai is willing to bet on is that before the two sides "die together", Wei may propose peace talks, or Wei may agree to the peace talks proposed by South Korea.
You can definitely find a way to save Lihou Hanwu when the time comes!
However, if he lived to the age of Shen Buhai, he would certainly not directly oppose Zhu Man. Firstly, he would only offend Zhu Man. Secondly, his opposition would be useless. Zhu Man could contact Wei Jun by himself.
Thinking of this, Shen Buhai said in a deep voice: "As General Zhu Man said, Marquis Li is the pillar of our country. We must ensure that he can return safely, but negotiating with the Wei army... the stakes are too high. If Mr. Wei Run's exchange request is for me, Dahan, to admit defeat and surrender to the Wei State. Will we never obey? Because of one person, I, Dahan, have become a vassal of the Wei State. Think about it, even if Lord Han Wu is here He will never agree to this!"
"..."
Although Zhu Man wanted to object to Shen Buhai's words, but because it involved Lihou Hanwu's position, he could only nod in agreement with the old prime minister's words. Could he still say: If Lihou Hanwu is here, even if he does not hesitate to let him become the leader of South Korea Will Wei's ministers also support negotiations with the Wei army to rescue him?
After thinking for a while, Zhu Man whispered: "Prime Minister Shen, do you have any clever ideas in mind?"
Shen Buhai was waiting for Zhu Man to ask this question. When he heard this, he stroked his beard and said, "I don't think this is a clever plan. I thought we might as well stabilize the Wei army first, then secretly mobilize the army to surround Julu, and treat him in his own way." He used Wei Gongzi Run’s personal safety as a threat to force Wei Jun to compromise..."
"This..." Zhu Man frowned and said nothing, thinking about the feasibility of Shen Buhai's strategy.
At this time, Shen Buhai thought to himself and said: "Speaking of which, Marquis Li was captured by the Wei army. I think this incident must have had an impact on the morale of the army in Julu. In my opinion, Your Majesty should recruit Kang Gong. …”
"Kang Gong?"
Zhu Man frowned and looked at Shen Buhai, his eyes full of displeasure.
Ignoring Zhu Man's displeased expression, Shen Buhai said calmly: "Yes, Mr. Kang. Mr. Kang is our heroic veteran in Korea. Only his intervention at this time can stabilize the situation and find a way to rescue Li Hou Han Wu. .”
When saying this, Shen Buhai glanced at Zhu Man without leaving any trace.
Of course he didn't take the opportunity to help Kang Gong Han Hu return to the temple, but he didn't come up with this plan sincerely. He brought this up just to dispel Zhu Man's thoughts - Kang Gong Han Hu and Lihou Han Wu were inseparable. Will the former rescue the political opponent who is intolerable to the latter? It is already benevolent and righteous not to add insult to injury.
In Shen Buhai's view, as long as Duke Kang and Han Wu returned to Handan, Zhu Man would not be able to insist on negotiating with the Wei army.
But at this moment, I suddenly heard King Han stroking his hands and saying, "What Prime Minister Shen said is absolutely true. Only Duke Kang can stabilize the situation now!"
"..."
Shen Buhai was stunned for a moment, then he narrowed his cloudy eyes and looked at Han Wangran.
"This reaction... shouldn't be right."
He felt that something was wrong with Han Wangran's reaction.
But he couldn't tell what was wrong for a while.
He just had an illusion: it seemed that His Majesty also hoped that Duke Kang and Han Hu could return to Handan as soon as possible.
However, Duke Kang and Han Hu were the powerful ministers who paid the least attention to His Majesty in the past.