"Brother, don't blame me... If I had redeemed you and returned to my country, I might not have been able to secure the throne..."
In the evening of that day, Li Hou Han Wu stood at the window of his study room in his residence, and his younger brother Han Wangran's words echoed in his ears.
At this time, a guard walked into the study and raised his hands and fists towards Lihou Han Wu: "Lihou."
This guard was called Han Hou, and he was a close clan brother of Han Wu, Marquis of Li. However, he could not inherit the family business because he was a commoner, so he defected to Han Wu, Marquis of Li. He was a loyal and reliable man. Han Wu, Marquis of Li, served as a hostage in Wei for nine years. He has been with him for nine years and is one of the most trusted people by Marquis Han Wu today.
"Marquis Li, I've asked about this." After approaching Han Wu, Marquis Li, Han Hou said in a low voice: "This mansion has been under renovation since Han Ran moved his capital to Jicheng, but it has never been hung with a plaque and has been vacant. It wasn’t until a few days ago that I hung it up..."
The mansion he mentioned is the mansion where Lihou Hanwu and his family currently live.
"Yeah."
Li Hou Han Wu let out a long breath and nodded to signal Han Hou to step back, while he still stood at the window.
He did not doubt the authenticity of what Han Wangran said to him today. In fact, objectively speaking, it was a good thing for him, Han Wu, and Han Ran that he stayed in Wei as a hostage.
On the other hand, if he had returned to South Korea at that time, it would have caused the brothers to completely turn against each other - after all, at that time, Han Ran had designed to kill Kang Gong Han Hu and Li Hou Han Wu's confidant Wu Anshou Zhu Man. Of course, all previous efforts will not be wasted because of concern for brotherly feelings. If Han Wu was still in South Korea at that time, the two brothers would most likely turn against each other because of the struggle for power, and even fight each other with swords.
This is why when Han Wu, the Marquis of Li, was captured by the Wei army and became a prisoner or hostage of the Wei state, instead of trying to redeem him, the King of Han secretly asked Wei King Zhao Run not to release Han Wu back to South Korea.
However, from the fact that Han Wangran renovated the Lihou Mansion after moving the capital to Jicheng, it is not difficult to see that he actually misses his sworn brother Lihou. However, Han Wangran has always been concerned about whether to welcome Han Wu back. There was some hesitation - the reason was simply that he was afraid that Han Wu would come back and compete with him for power.
The so-called "fear" here does not entirely refer to the fear that the power will be taken away by Han Wu. It also includes Han Wangran's worry that he must get rid of Han Wu for some reasons. Instead of doing this, it is better to simply let Han Wu stay in Wei.
But this time, the situation is a bit special.
Because Han Wangran seemed to be terminally ill.
Perhaps it is for this reason that the relationship between brothers Han Wu and Han Ran has become more complicated.
The next morning, Lihou Hanwu got up early and sat in the lobby drinking tea, looking at the people in the house who came and went from time to time, and at the strange faces.
Once upon a time, he was the most powerful official in this country, but now, returning to his homeland after many years of absence, he feels inexplicably uncomfortable even in his own mansion.
At this moment, there was a clicking sound in the courtyard. Li Hou Han Wu turned his head and saw a young general wearing military armor hurriedly running towards the hall.
Before Han Wu could react, he saw the young general running into the hall, knelt down in front of Han Wu with a thud, and said happily: "Father."
Li Hou Han Wu was stunned for a moment, then put down the tea cup in his hand and looked at the person carefully: "Are you... Chi'er?"
Only then did he see clearly that the young general in front of him was actually his eldest son Han Chi.
Mentioning this eldest son, Marquis Han Wu felt warm in his heart.
If after the death of Kang Gong Han Hu, Han Wangran unceremoniously confiscated the former's family property, then after Li Hou Han Wu became a hostage of Wei, Han Wangran did not touch his family property, and even deliberately cultivated Han Wu, who was only 10 years old at the time. The eldest son Han Chi, who is in his teens, is probably looking forward to inheriting his father's family business when Han Chi grows up.
Only Han Xin, Han Wu's youngest son who was only a few years old, was sent to Wei by Han Wangran along with Han Wu's wives and concubines. Probably Han Wangran did not want his sworn brother Han Wu to live alone in Wei.
It has to be said that apart from refusing to welcome Han Wu back to the country, Han Wangran did not treat his sworn brother and his family badly. Han Wu's ending was indeed much better than that of Kang Gong and Han Hu.
The father and son met again after many years, which made Li Hou Han Wu temporarily forget about Han Wangran's affairs. He looked at his son's military uniform with a smile on his face and asked with a smile: "Chi'er, we haven't seen each other for a few years, and he has become a little more like a man. You’re a loser..."
Han Chi was praised by his father, and his face showed a bit of joy, and he said impassionedly: "My uncle once taught me not to ruin your reputation, father. Therefore, I have not dared to slack off in these years..."
Han Wu was stunned for a moment, and then he realized that the uncle his son referred to was his younger brother Han Wangran.
When Han Wu was lost in thought, Han Chi looked at his father and said with great interest: "In the battle of Julu, although my father was unfortunately defeated, you refused to surrender to Wei. In the end, you loudly ordered Lord Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin, to attack Julu. His heroic spirit has made the world admire him greatly..."
This is indeed true. After Han Wu, the Marquis of Li, was captured alive by Wei General Wu Ji, regardless of his own safety, he still shouted and ordered Han Yang to step up the attack on Julu City. Not to mention that the Koreans admired him extremely, even the Wei people, and even the Wei The king of the country, Zhao Run, was impressed by it.
But after hearing this, Han Wu felt inexplicably embarrassed. Firstly, he was defeated in that battle and became a prisoner of Wei. Secondly, it was his son Han Chi who was praising this matter. , which made him feel very uncomfortable.
Therefore, after he smiled faintly, he immediately changed the subject: "Look at the armor on your body. Are you on duty in the army now?"
Hearing this, Han Chi chuckled and said with some pride: "Reporting to my father, the boy is now under the command of General Qin Kai of Yuyang Shou, serving as a general with two thousand men..."
"..."
Li Hou Han Wu looked at his son silently.
"So similar..."
Looking at Han Chi in front of him, Li Hou Han Wu secretly thought in his heart.
Looking at his son, he seemed to see his former self.
When he was young, he was also cultivated by Han Wangqi, who was both his uncle and adoptive father. This led to the future Lihou Han Wu. On the contrary, if Han Wangqi had not deliberately cultivated him, he would have been allowed to eat, drink and have fun like an ordinary dandy. , how could he later compete with Kang Gong and Han Hu for power and become the most powerful official in South Korea?
When thinking about the rise of King Han, Marquis Han Wu's mood was inexplicably complicated: apart from his refusal to return the throne to him, this uncle had never treated him badly.
Of course, it is precisely because of this that Han Wu regards Han Wangqi's son Han Ran as his own brother.
But now, it seems to be copied from decades ago...
"...After this disaster is over, I am willing to return the throne to my sworn brother."
In the ears of Li Hou Han Wu, the promise made by his younger brother Han Wangran yesterday seemed to echo again.
"Chi'er..." he called.
"Father?" The eldest son Han Chi looked at his father in confusion.
I saw Li Hou Han Wu staring at his son for a long time with a complicated expression, and said: "Do you want to be... No, it's okay." He shook his head and said: "Go to the house to say hello to your mother."
"Yes, father."
Han Chi bowed his hands, said goodbye to his father, and happily walked quickly to the house to say hello to his mother, who had been away for many years.
Looking at his son's leaving figure, Li Hou Han Wu's expression was inexplicably complicated.
After returning to the study and sitting in silence for a while, his confidant Han Hou walked in and said with seemingly profound meaning: "Marquis Li, Wei Qing Ma Kuo came to pay homage and said that he would invite Marquis Li to... have a drink."
Han Wu nodded after hearing this, and then took Han Hou to the lobby of the outer courtyard to meet Ma Kuo. Then, at Ma Kuo's signal, he went to the palace again.
In the carriage, Ma Kuo asked intentionally or unintentionally: "Marquis Li, have you ever seen Prince Ling?"
The prince he refers to refers to Han Chi, the eldest son of Han Wu, Marquis of Li.
Li Hou Han Wu glanced at Ma Kuo and said coldly: "I see you... I wonder what Sir Wei Qing wants to ask?"
I have to say that after all, Li Hou Han Wu was a man who had seen the world, and he was once a powerful official with great power. How could Ma Kuo hide his little thoughts from him?
I still remember yesterday, when Han Wangran proposed to return the throne to Han Wu, Han Wu noticed that Ma Kuo's expression changed and he showed an expression that he was hesitant to speak.
The meaning is self-evident.
Perhaps seeing the cold expression on Lihou Han Wu's face, Ma Kuo said with a scornful expression, "It's just a casual question."
"snort."
Han Wu snorted softly, closed his eyes to rest, and ignored Ma Kuo.
To be honest, Han Wu didn't have a good impression of Ma Kuo. Who told him that when Han Ran seized power, it was Ma Kuo who tipped off the latter? Ma Kuo even killed Han Wu's confidant Wu Anshou. Zhu Man.
Han Wu had no hatred for Han Wang, because the two brothers had a deep relationship since childhood, but to Ma Kuo - who do you think you are?!
It's no wonder that Han Wu is so arrogant. After all, back then, even if Ma Kuo's father came to guard Ma She in the valley, he would have to clasp his fists in salute and call him "Lihou" respectfully.
Under the leadership of Ma Kuo, Li Hou Han Wu followed the road he had visited yesterday and once again came to the palace where his brother Han Wangran was resting.
When Han Wu approached the couch, Han Wangran was still lying on the couch, looking attentively at a map of the Central Plains countries spread out on the quilt, his face still haggard.
"Didn't I say that the palace doctor in the palace told you to take a good rest?"
After taking a look at the rough map of the Central Plains countries, Li Hou Han Wu said with some persistence that even he himself could not explain why he felt angry when he saw Han Ran disobeying the doctor's instructions - it was obvious that this person had My beloved brother stabbed him when he needed help the most, didn't he?
"I've had a good rest, but I can't sleep, and there's nothing I can do about it..." Han Wangran raised his head and explained with a smile.
Immediately, he asked Han Wudao: "Sister-in-law, how are you thinking about it?"
Of course, Li Hou Han Wu knew what Han Ran meant. After looking at the latter for a few times, he said calmly: "Do you think I returned home this time because I want to fight for the throne?... If I, Han Wu, want to fight for the throne, Can you still sit on this throne now?"
His words are absolutely not lies. In fact, after the second Northern Battle between Wei and Han, Kang Gong Han Hu had already been kicked out of the center of power due to defeat. At that time, Li Hou Han Wu was in power. If he had not worried about his relationship with his younger brother Han Due to his strong brotherhood, the position of king was easily within reach for him at that time.
Even Shen Buhai, the prime minister at the time, could not stop Li Hou Han Wu. He could only persuade Han Wu through persuasion: You have obtained the power equivalent to a monarch, so don't plunge the country into chaos by seizing that false name. .
It is no exaggeration to say that if Lihou Han Wu had not been too stubborn and refused to escape first on the Julu battlefield, which caused the morale of the army to collapse, Han Ran would not have been able to regain the royal power.
This is the reason why the King of Han has been hesitant to redeem Lihou Hanwu from Wei: as the only son of King Jian of Han, Lihou Hanwu's prestige in Korea is too high.
"Brother-in-law has misunderstood."
After hearing what Li Hou Han Wu said, Han Wangran was stunned, and then quickly shook his head and explained: "That's not what I meant, I meant..."
"I didn't misunderstand anything."
Han Wu, the Marquis of Li, interrupted his brother's words rudely and said in a deep voice: "I did not flee back to the country because of the throne."
"What's the reason for that?" Han Wangran asked subconsciously, and then he realized his gaffe and smiled awkwardly.
"Why..."
Li Hou Han Wu glanced at Han Wangran's lapel.
In fact, on the way back to the country, he had imagined this scene many times, in which he grabbed Han Wangran by the lapel and asked him loudly, "Why did you do that to me in the first place?!" - Of course, the premise was that his brother Han Ran was still alive.
Yes, this is the reason why Han Wu fled back from Wei: to see if his brother Han Ran is dead or alive. If he is really dead, he will see him for the last time and end the brotherly love; if Han Ran is not dead... …hum hum.
But looking at his brother's haggard look yesterday, Li Hou Han Wu finally didn't take action.
After a moment of silence, Li Hou Han Wu said calmly: "The throne is not divided between brothers, there is no need to give it to others... I have heard about everything you have done in Wei over the years while sitting in this position. good……"
"..." Han Wangran looked at his brother in surprise.
"Except this time!" Glancing at Han Wangran, Li Hou Han Wu said displeasedly: "Getting married for someone else."
Han Wangran was stunned, and then said with a wry smile: "What the sworn brother taught me is, but... there is really nothing we can do. If we can't bring Wei down this time, I'm afraid that in ten or twenty years, the entire Central Plains will have the surname Zhao." …”
After hearing this, Han Wu, the Marquis of Li, thought for a moment and asked, "Do you really think Chu can defeat Wei?"
Han Wangran shook his head and said seriously: "I can't guarantee that the Chu State can defeat the Wei State, but I know that if there is really a country in this world that can defeat the Wei State, then the country must be the Chu State, and the other countries, Qi, Lu, Yue, Including me, Dahan..." At this point, he shook his head again.
Seeing Han Wangran sighing, Li Hou Han Wu felt a little uncomfortable in his heart.
Because he also understood that, in a sense, Han Wangran was actually dealing with the mess for him and Han Hu - if South Korea had not been defeated by Wei in the previous few wars, would South Korea have fallen to this point?
You must know that the strength of South Korea back then was comparable to that of Wei today. However, the successive tragic defeats made South Korea increasingly weak, and eventually it fell to where it is today.
Among them, the 50,000-strong Daijun heavy cavalry formed by Han Wu, the Marquis of Li, was deceived by Wei. This heavy cavalry, which cost Korea an astronomical amount of money, defeated more than 100,000 Donghu cavalry in one fell swoop. , in the war with the Wei State, they have done nothing so far. Instead, Wei Gongzi Run easily killed more than 30,000 people, which completely shattered the dream of Han Wu, the Marquis of Li, who tried to use this cavalry to sweep across the Wei State.
After being silent for half a stick of incense, Li Hou Han Wu said: "...make "Ji" the crown prince. You can continue your plan of cheating death. I will come as regent to deal with Han Pu, the Hou of Yuanyi. .”
The "Ji" in his mouth is Han Wangran's eldest son "Han Ji", who is just thirteen years old this year.
After hearing this, both Han Wangran and Wei Qing Ma Kuo looked at Lihou Han Wu in surprise.
They have no doubt that this is Han Wu's method of retreating in order to advance. Firstly, this method is not in line with Han Wu's character. Secondly, this method is unnecessary.
After all, yesterday Han Wangran had made a clear promise to return the throne to Han Wu or Han Wu's son Han Chi as long as the national crisis was overcome this time. Therefore, Han Wu did not need to use any tricks at all - if he cared about this throne.
"Sworn brother..."
Han Wangran called out movingly, but was immediately interrupted by Han Wu.
"I have not forgiven you." Looking at Han Wangran, Li Hou Han Wu said seriously: "Aran, Brother Yu treated you well back then, but it was you who stabbed Brother Yu hard when he was in trouble... ...I have been a hostage in Wei for nine years, and I have always been worried about this. You have to be lucky that you are sick in bed at this moment, otherwise...even if this kid is around, I can't stop me from picking you up and throwing you to the ground." He pointed at Ma Kuo, the minister of defense who was standing beside him.
"...You should know that even the arrogant Han Hu didn't dare to fight with me back then." Han Wu said with a straight face.
Han Wangran was stunned for a moment, then a complicated smile appeared on his face, and his eyes were slightly red: "My sworn brother is right."
Noticing that there seemed to be a few glimmers of light flashing in his younger brother's eyes, Li Hou Han Wu took a deep breath and shifted his gaze, changing the topic and said: "As for Yuanyi Hou Han Pu... If he is really as you said, he has secretly taken refuge. Wei Guo, then we need to be more cautious about this matter." At this point, he thought for a while and then said: "I recommend one person, this person is the most suitable to deal with Han Pu!"
"Who?" Han Wangran asked curiously.
Han Wu, the Marquis of Li, glanced at Han Wangran thoughtfully and said word by word: "Marquis Dangyin, Han Yang!"
"..."
Han Wangran and Ma She looked at each other with strange expressions.
"Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin, is also Han Hu's close nephew. He was more respected by Han Hu than Han Pu. As long as Han Yang is persuaded to side with Jicheng, the rumors of Han Pu, the Marquis of Yuanyi, who slandered Jicheng and you, will naturally not stop him. Attack and break..." Li Hou Han Wu said seriously.
Han Wangran still agreed with Han Wu's words.
After all, Han Pu, the Marquis of Yuanyi, and Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin, are both nephews of Kanggong Han Hu, and strictly speaking, Han Yang is more valued by Han Hu. Therefore, using Han Yang, the Marquis of Dangyin, to deal with Han Pu, the Marquis of Yuanyi, no matter in the war Neither in terms of public opinion nor in terms of public opinion can we find any flaws.
But the problem is that Han Wangran and Han Yang have some troubles. In fact, Han Yang also swore in front of everyone that he would not be used by Han Ran in this life...
As if guessing the hesitation in Han Wangran's heart, Li Hou Han Wu said seriously: "Leave this matter to me... I will send someone to invite him, and Han Yang will give me some face."
Han Wangran nodded when he heard this. Of course he knew that the former Dangyin Marquis Han Yang respected this sworn brother in front of him.
Indeed, at that time, even Lihou Hanwu's confidants Yan Kui, Jin Piao and others gave up on redeeming Hanwu for various reasons. Only Dangyinhou Han Yang tried to rescue Lihou Hanwu from Wei no matter what. It's a pity that Han Wangran blocked it - think about it, if Li Hou Han Wu returned to the country at that time, would Han Ran still be able to firmly grasp the royal power?
"Sister-in-law, do you know where Han Yang is going?"
Han Wangran asked.
Li Hou Han Wu nodded and said: "He visited me in Daliang two years ago, and then he seemed to be living in seclusion in Hanoi County of Wei...I will ask Yan Kui to send someone to invite him later."
Having said this, he glanced at Han Wangran with seemingly deep meaning.
Han Wangran understood immediately, and quickly raised his hands and said: "Then I leave all the authority to my sworn brother... If my sworn brother has any instructions, just ask."
"Instructions?"
Li Hou Han Wu sneered, then turned to look at his haggard brother, and said in an inexplicable tone: "Then take a good rest. When you recover in the future, I will come back to settle the debt with you nine years ago... Before that, , don’t die so easily.”
"..."
Han Wangran opened his mouth, and after a while, he said with an inexplicable smile: "Okay."
After a while, Li Hou Han Wu said goodbye and left.
Seeing his sworn brother disappear into the palace, Han Wangran let out a long sigh, shook his head and smiled with some bitterness and some self-deprecation.
"Ma Kuo, do you think I did something wrong back then?" he asked Ma Kuo softly.
Ma Kuo was stunned for a moment and said hesitantly: "I thought that the king's actions at that time were just out of helplessness..."
"What about this time?" Han Wangran said with a wry smile: "Let's just say that in order to get help from my sworn brother, I used the throne to lure him..."
"This..." Ma Kuo was at a loss and speechless.
At this time, Han Wangran couldn't help coughing violently, but he helped Ma Kuo to relieve the situation. He quickly said: "Your Majesty, are you okay?"
I saw Han Wangran covering his mouth with his hand and coughing for a while, and then gradually calmed down.
"..."
He caught a glimpse of the bright red color in his palm, and immediately clenched his hand without letting Ma Kuo see it.
"It's out of the way."
He took a deep breath, steeled himself, spread the map of the Central Plains on the quilt again, and examined it attentively.
"If Han Pu, Marquis of Yuanyi, cannot be resolved in the near future, then the key to the entire situation will become...here!"
His finger slid gently on the map and finally pointed at the Mount Tai area.
"Yes, as long as Qi's Tian Dan holds Mount Tai and Wei general Shaohu cannot advance, Wei will not be able to open up the situation, and may consider starting from our side, Han..."
A somewhat relieved smile appeared on his face, and he closed his eyes slightly tiredly.
He lied to Han Wu. In fact, it was not that he could not sleep at night, but that he had a fear of sleep, fearing that once he closed his eyes, he would never be able to open them again.