After the banquet, Wei Xiao sent someone to bring She to rest. After Lai She left, there was an explosion in the house. People were talking about everything, and they could be roughly divided into two factions.
One group believes that our side should be sincerely loyal to Liu Xiu. Since Luoyang has shown distrust of itself, then our side should show more goodwill, such as sending troops to Shu to attack Gongsun Shu.
The other faction believed that their side should not be loyal to Liu Xiu. They were stationed in Xiliang and had hundreds of thousands of troops under their command. Even if they were not loyal to Liu Xiu, there was nothing Luoyang could do to them.
Except for the people from these two groups, the rest basically did not express their stance.
Listening to people from the two groups arguing and arguing, Wei Hao suddenly felt a headache. He waved his hands to everyone and said: "Okay, let's not argue anymore. Let me think about this matter carefully."
If you have nothing else to do, just go back!"
Everyone looked at each other, stood up one after another, and excused themselves to Wei Xiao.
After everyone left, Wei Xiao paced back and forth in the room upset. He was not very courageous. Otherwise, with his strength, he could have followed Gongsun Shu and proclaimed himself emperor in Xiliang.
Now that Liu Xiu ordered him to send troops to Western Shu, he could not act in accordance with this order no matter what.
If he sent troops to Western Shu, fought Gongsun Shu to death, and allowed Liu Xiu to reap the benefits of being a fisherman in Luoyang, wouldn't he be a fool?
Even if he could really defeat Gongsun Shu, his own vitality would be severely damaged. By then, Liu Xiu would be able to take over Xishu and Xiliang without any bloodshed. He was just making a wedding dress for Liu Xiu. In the end, he might not even be able to save Xiliang.
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Therefore, sending troops to Western Shu is absolutely impossible here in Kaixiao.
If he cannot obey Liu Xiu's order, then the only thing left is to send his son to Luoyang as a hostage. Now, the main consideration for Wei Xiao is whether he should send his son to Luoyang.
While he was thinking about it in his mind, a guard came in from outside, stepped in and saluted Kai Xiao, and said, "General!"
"What's the matter?"
"General General Wang Yuan and General Wang Jie are asking for an audience!"
Wang Yuan was named Huimeng, and Wang Jie was named Huide. They were brothers, and both were Kui Xiao's confidants.
Hearing that the two of them were coming, Wei Xiao's heart suddenly moved. During the discussion just now, Wang Yuan and Wang Jie had not expressed their stance. Now that they came to see him, it seemed that they had something to say to him.
Wei Xiao raised his head and said, "Please!"
Not long after, Wang Yuan and Wang Jie both walked in. When they saw Wei Xiao, they bowed their hands and saluted, and said in unison: "General!"
Wei Xiao hummed, waved his hand and said, "Huimeng, Huide, please take a seat!"
"Thank you, General!"
Wei Xiao smiled and asked: "Just now, the two generals didn't say a word. Now the two generals have left and come back again. They must have something to say to me, right?"
Wang Yuan and Wang Jie looked at each other, bowed to Kai Xiao and saluted, saying: "It is true that nothing can be hidden from the general!"
After a pause, Wang Yuan asked: "Who does the general think will own this world in the future?"
Wei Xiao was stunned and said thoughtfully: "The Luoyang court has defeated Chimei, Deng Feng, Peng Chong, Qin Feng, Liu Yong, and controls Youzhou, Jizhou, Jingzhou, and Yuzhou, and will be able to control the world in the future.
The one, I’m afraid, must be Liu Xiu.”
Wang Yuan shook his head and said: "No!"
"oh?"
"The general has a different view! Now, although Liu Xiu controls several states, he still has many powerful enemies. There is Gongsun Shu in the west, Lu Fang in the north, Tian Rong in the south, Zhang Bu, Dong Xian, etc. in the east. In Luoyang,
The situation can be described as being surrounded by powerful enemies.”
When Wei Xiao heard this, he frowned and fell into deep thought. Wang Jie then said, "The general must not forget Liu Xuan's lessons learned from past mistakes!"
Seeing Wei Xiao looking at him in surprise, Wang Jie said meaningfully: "At first, Liu Xuan took control of Chang'an and became emperor. The general went to join Liu Xuan, but what was the result? The red eyebrow army conquered Chang'an, and the general
He was forced to flee back to Liangzhou. After that, the general destroyed the power of nine cattle and two tigers, and God's favor allowed the general to regroup in Liangzhou and drive away Lu Fang. The lessons learned from the past are still vivid in his mind. General Wan
Don’t make the same mistake again!”
Ah! Wei Xiao nodded while thinking about it, and said: "Huimeng, Huide means that I shouldn't be loyal to Liu Xiu!"
Wang Yuan said solemnly: "No matter whether the general wants to be loyal to Liu Xiu or not, he cannot give up his foundation in Liangzhou and go to Luoyang to serve. This is abandoning the dignity of a thousand times and running to be inferior to others. Please think again, general!"
Wei Xiao originally didn't want to go to Luoyang. After listening to Wang Yuan and Wang Jie's analysis, he strengthened his determination. He frowned and said: "Now, Liu Xiu gave me three ways. The first way is to go to Luoyang."
, I can’t do it.”
Wang Yuan and Wang Jie nodded together.
Wei Xiao continued: "The second way is to send troops to Shu to attack Gongsun Shu."
"This is even more unacceptable!" Wang Yuan said urgently: "This is Liu Xiu's strategy of driving away tigers and devouring wolves! Liu Xiu asked the general to attack Gongsun Shu. No matter who loses or wins in the end, both the general and Gongsun Shu will be seriously injured.
, when Luoyang sends troops, they can easily capture Shu and Liangzhou, killing two birds with one stone. The general must not be fooled by Liu Xiu."
Wang Yuan's analysis also came to mind with Wei Xiao. Wei Xiao nodded and said: "So, I can't do this second way. Then, the only way left is the third way. Let me
His son went to Luoyang to be a hostage."
Wang Jie glanced at Wei Xiao, who was frowning, and said: "Although the general does not have to sincerely surrender to Liu Xiu now, it is not appropriate to fall out with Liu Xiu."
Wang Yuan responded: "The Xiongnu in the north, Gongsun Shu in the south, and Lu Fang in the east are all powerful enemies of Liangzhou. If we fall out with Liu Xiu again, Liangzhou will be attacked from all sides and it will be difficult to protect itself!"
This is what makes Kai Xiao feel embarrassed.
He stood up, paced back and forth in the room, and said, "I can't fall out with Liu Xiu, so I can only continue to respect Liu Xiu. But of the three paths Liu Xiu gave, the first two are not feasible. I
...The only way is to take the third way?”
Wang Yuan said solemnly: "The general needs time now! As long as he takes time to raise his troops and horses, when the troops and horses are strong, he can attack Xihe and Shangjun from the north, and seize the three auxiliaries from the east. With Qin as the leader, the mountains outside and the rivers inside are mutually beneficial.
Great things can be accomplished.”
Wang Jie said: "Taking a step back, even if the king's career fails, the general can still guard Hangu Pass and dominate Xiliang."
Finally, Wang Yuan said: "General, we must slow down the troops!" The implication was to ask Wei Xiao to accept Liu Xiu's request and send one of his sons to Luoyang as a hostage to buy enough time for his own side to grow bigger.
.
Wei Xiao thought about it, finally took a deep breath, nodded, and said, "I understand."
In terms of his original intention, Wei Xiao was really unwilling to send his son to Luoyang as a hostage, but the current situation forced him to do so. In desperation, Wei Xiao finally decided to send his eldest son, Wei Xun, to follow She.
Go to Luoyang.
Wei Xun is about the same age as Liu Xiu, in his twenties, and looks very similar to Wei Xiao.
When Wei Xiao was young, he was a talented person, with a Chinese character face, thick eyebrows and big eyes. Even now that he is older, he is still graceful and extraordinary. Wei Xun is like a replica of Wei Xiao when he was young, with a tall and straight figure and a face like a crown jewel.
, sword-shaped eyebrows and tiger-like eyes, a straight nose and a square mouth, deep facial features, and an angular face, giving him a very masculine look.
Wei Xun obeyed his father's order and followed Lai She to Luoyang.
To make a long story short, a few days later, Wei Xun arrived in Luoyang.
Coming to Luoyang, Wei Xun's eyes were opened. He had never seen such a large and prosperous city in Liangzhou. To be more precise, the current Luoyang City was completely superior to Chang'an.
Entering the city, Wei Xun's eyes were almost exhausted. He looked around and marveled.
Entering the palace, Liu Xiu personally met with Kai Xun. Liu Xiu had always preferred people with better images. Liu Xiu had a good impression of Kai Xiao's eldest son and gave him all the courtesy he deserved.
After Wei Xun paid his respects, Liu Xiu offered him a seat and asked with a smile, "How are you doing, your Majesty?"
Hearing this, Wei Xun looked sad, lowered his head and said, "Father often can't sleep at night recently!"
Liu Xiu asked in confusion: "Why is this?"
"The Huns in the north, and Lu Fang in the east, sent troops to harass Liangzhou from time to time. Lu Fang colluded with the Huns, eyeing Liangzhou with covetousness, and regarded his father as a thorn in his flesh. In order to resist the invasion of powerful enemies, his father had already suffered physical and mental injuries.
We're all exhausted!" At this point, Wei Xun almost burst into tears.
He came to see Wei Xun, and then looked at Liu Xiu meaningfully, and then lowered his eyes. He didn't know whether Wei Xiao was really sleepless at night as Wei Xun said. After all, he did not live under the same roof as Wei Xiao.
.
But when he met with Wei Xiao, he felt that Wei Xiao was quite energetic and did not look like he could not sleep at night at all.
The reason why Wei Xun said this was, firstly, to highlight the importance of Weixiao in Liangzhou, which could help Luoyang resist the Xiongnu and Lu Fang, the two powerful enemies. Secondly, it was to make excuses for Weixiao not to send troops to Shu.
When Liu Xiu saw Lai She's reaction, he immediately realized that Wei Xun had not told him the truth. He originally had a good impression of Wei Xun in his heart, but after Wei Xun finished speaking, the good impression in his heart disappeared in an instant.
No existence.
He smiled slightly and said: "Kui Gong is not only resourceful, but also a victorious general who is good at fighting. I think your martial arts are also passed down by Duke Wei, so you must be good!"
Wei Xun said in a panic: "Your Majesty has given you such an absurd compliment, and I am too ashamed to deserve it!"
"Haha!" Liu Xiu looked up and smiled and said, "You are in Luoyang. How about temporarily taking up the post of Captain Hu Qi?"
Captain Hu Qi is one of the eight captains of the Northern Army. The eight captains are Zhongbao, Tunqi, Infantry, Yueqi, Changshui, Huqi, Shesheng and Huben. They are collectively called the Eight Colonels of the Northern Army.
Among them, Captain Hu Qi and his cavalry horses were all tribute horses from Dawan and other countries in the Western Regions, including sweat-blooded horses. This is how Hu Qi got his name.
However, the Eighth School of the Northern Army only existed in the Western Han Dynasty. After Liu Xiu founded the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Eighth School of the Northern Army was transformed into the Fifth School of the Northern Army. The middle base among the Eighth School was directly cut off, and Hu Qi was merged into Changshui and Huben.
The incident sound is first incorporated and then extracted separately.
Now Captain Hu has only a false title and no real rights. When Liu Xiu appointed Wei Xun Captain Hu, he just gave him an empty title.
Wei Xun didn't know much about the official positions in Luoyang. Hearing that Liu Xiu appointed him Captain Hu Qi, one of the eight captains, he felt that Liu Xiu had put him in a good position, so he hurried forward to kowtow and thank him.
Having said that, even if he now knows that Liu Xiu gave him a false title, given his status, he has no room to refuse.
Liu Xiu waved his hand to Wei Xun and said, "Get up!" After Wei Xun got up, Liu Xiu said with a smile: "From now on, you can work in the palace with Huben!"
To put it bluntly, Wei Xun's status in Luoyang was that of a proton. Even if he was a proton, Liu Xiu would of course have to keep him by his side to prevent him from escaping.