Hearing these words, the venue instantly became very quiet.
No one spoke. Lu Bu and Zhang Yang looked at each other and could see the horror in each other's eyes.
Why are you shocked?
Because Wei Xi's identity is very special.
He himself said that he was just an ordinary person, but everyone knew that he represented the position of the Luoyang court.
Cao Cao, the pastor of Yanzhou, was personally conferred by the imperial court, and he was a loyal faction to the imperial court. He was also a firm ally with Liu Bei of Qingzhou.
Now the imperial envoy actually came to Lu Bu and asked him to attack Cao Cao in Yanzhou. What does this mean?
With Lu Bu's intelligence of 30, he thought it was a trap without even thinking, and tricked him into committing suicide.
After all, Yuan Shao's current strategy is very simple, to win over people like Yuan Shu and Cao Cao.
Even if you can't help him, you can't come over to cause trouble for him. Jizhou's current strategy is to comprehensively focus on attacking Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan.
As long as he defeats Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao will be able to own the entire north. By then, Qingzhou, which already controls the world's salt price, and Youzhou, which produces horses, will all be under his control, and he will be able to compete for the entire world in the future.
And now Lu Bu is at least nominally subordinate to Yuan Shao. Let's not say whether he can take his 20,000 troops south to attack Yanzhou. Even if he can take them away, he will instantly become a target of public criticism.
Yuan Shao couldn't tolerate him in the first place, but it was strange that he could endure it when he saw Lu Bu going to attack Cao Cao, whom he had been wooing.
Cao Cao's strength should not be underestimated. Under Wang Fen's order, Lu Bu once attacked Yanzhou. The two sides held a stalemate for several months with no results. How could Yanzhou be won so easily? There was still a risk of defeat.
Finally, there are Liu Bei, Sun Jian and even Luoyang. Although I don’t know the specific situation, who knows if they will send troops to intervene?
By that time, if he moves, he will be attacked from all directions, and he will die without even knowing how.
So when he heard Wei Ji's words, Lu Bu sneered and said, "You want me to fight against Yanzhou? The court seems to think that I don't die quickly enough? What are your intentions, you thief?"
"oh?"
Wei Jian pretended to be surprised and said: "Why did the general say that? I obviously did it for the general's good."
"For my own good?"
Lu Bu's anger suddenly rose, he pointed at Wei Jian and shouted: "Don't think that I don't know, you want to lure me to attack Yanzhou, fight to the death with Cao Cao, and then take the opportunity to sneak attack on Jizhou."
Wei Jian sneered and said: "General Lu is overthinking. I have absolutely no intention of doing so. Instead, I know the general's situation well and came here specifically to help the general plan a place to stay."
"Can you be so kind?"
Lu Bu said suspiciously: "Since you are on an envoy from Luoyang, don't you represent the imperial court? The imperial court wants to attack Yuan Shao now. Shao's army is all in the east. As soon as I leave, you can take Wei County."
Wei Jian scratched his head, it was really difficult to deal with people like this who only think about superficial meanings.
What's the point of transferring you alone?
Will the 20,000 Jizhou troops under your command leave with you?
After thinking about it, Wei Jian could only use his ultimate move and said directly: "General, think about it, even if we want to lure the general, will the 20,000 Jizhou soldiers under your command obey the general's orders?"
"How could you..."
Lu Bu's guard was broken at that moment. He was surprised, embarrassed, and resentful. His face was full of expressions, and he didn't know how to respond.
Because he was a little shocked to find out that it was clearly his own matter, so why did Luoyang know so well about it?
Even this situation was discovered only after Lu Bu had been in charge of this army for a period of time.
At first, he thought that all armies were the same and would follow him as long as he was provided with food and grass. But later he found out that in order to keep this army under control, Wang Fen actually chose locals from Jizhou who had families and families.
Imagine that the natives of Jizhou would be very willing to fight a defensive war against foreign invasion. But if they followed him out of their hometown to fight, how could these soldiers know the answer?
Therefore, after figuring this problem out, Lu Bu became extremely depressed. Only then did he realize that he had been tricked, and all he could really take away was the one or two thousand Bingzhou troops he brought back from Chang'an.
Therefore, in the past few months, at Li Su's suggestion, Lu Bu also consciously went to Shangdang County in Bingzhou to recruit troops.
However, the population of Bingzhou was originally small. During the period of Emperor He, the population of the whole state was only 700,000. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, even Shangdang County, where the largest number of Han people gathered, only had more than 100,000 people left. Coupled with Dong Zhuo's Rebellion,
The entire Shangdang County became dilapidated.
Many people from Bingzhou have gone to Hedong or the adjacent Hanoi County. Even if there are currently only tens of thousands of men, women, old and children staying in Shangdang County, how many of them are young and strong enough to abandon their families and join the army?
Secondly, after all, Shangdang is Zhang Yang's territory. Zhang Yang is already doing very badly. Lu Bu really can't open his door if he tries to pry his troops again.
As a result, he now has less than 3,000 soldiers and horses that truly belong to him.
What can these people accomplish?
The reason why Lu Bu has been sighing all day long these days is because it took him a year or two to finally understand these problems and he felt hopeless.
The world is so big that there is no place for him.
But now, someone suddenly came to his door and told him that he wanted to plan a place for him. Moreover, this person was from a hostile force. How could Lu Bu not be suspicious.
However, Wei Jian smiled and said: "General, in fact, I am sent as an envoy to Dangyin by one person."
"who?"
Lu Bu asked subconsciously.
"Doctor Chen."
"Which Dr. Chen?"
"Of course it's Dr. Guanglu Chen Zigui!"
Wei Qi raised his hands to Dongfang to show respect, and then said: "He should be an acquaintance with the general."
Lu Bu clenched his teeth immediately. How could he not be an old acquaintance?
When he was chasing the four brothers, he was beaten to the point of vomiting blood by Chen Mu's three brothers.
Later, he fled Chang'an and was ridiculed by Chen Mu standing on a hill.
Lu Bu wished he could eat his flesh raw and drank his blood.
When he heard Chen Mu's name, he clenched his fists and his veins jumped. He suddenly looked at Wei Qian fiercely and said angrily: "Okay, it turns out it was Chen Zigui who sent you to harm me. Today I will
I will cook you alive!"
The punishment of cooking has existed since ancient times, and in the late Han Dynasty, Dong Zhuo did this and cooked and killed Li Min, the prefect of Yingchuan. Later in Luoyang and Chang'an, many people who disobeyed him also suffered such torture.
Lu Bu did not learn all the bad things from Dong Zhuo. Although he had never done it before, when he thought of Chen Mu's abomination, he decided to get some interest from Wei Ji first.
Unexpectedly, Wei Jiyi was not afraid, looked at Lu Bu with a smile, and asked: "Is the general really going to do this?"
Lu Bu didn't like him either, so he shouted at that time: "Where are the guards?"
"General!"
The guard outside the door walked in immediately.
"Go, bring the biggest cauldron, I will boil this madman to death!"
Lu Bu stared at Wei Qian with a fierce look in his eyes.
"only!"
The guards then went to carry the cauldron.
In the Han Dynasty, there was no cooking, only cooking, so there were large cauldrons in the army to cook food for many people.
The shape of the cauldron is somewhat like a basin. The largest cauldron can hold several people. Several soldiers carried it. Lu Bu also ordered people to tie up Wei Jing and find firewood.
It was still raining and snowing outside and it was difficult to start a fire, so they decided to boil him to death in the middle of the hall.
The halls of mansions in the Han Dynasty were very large because it was popular at that time to support singers and musicians to dance and play music, which required a lot of space, so cooking in the hall did not seem cramped.
Wei Jian remained unmoved throughout the process, keeping a smile on his face and watching the soldiers busy inside and outside. After a while, a large cauldron was set up in the hall, with water in the cauldron and piles of firewood under the cauldron.
"What else do you want to say?"
Lu Bu said covetously to Wei again.
Wei Jian smiled and said: "Jiang is not afraid of death."
"Well, let's help him!"
Lu Bu gave an order, and soldiers lifted him up and threw him into the pot.
Wei Jian burst out laughing: "Hahahahahaha!"
"Wait!"
At this moment, Zhang Yang suddenly stopped him and asked: "Put him down first."
"Uncle Zhi?"
Lu Bu looked at him puzzled.
Zhang Yang waved his hand and said to Wei Jian, "Why are you laughing?"
Wei Jian was put down and said with a smile: "I am laughing because a great hero like General Lu will die with me. I feel that my life is worth it, so I laugh."
"hateful!"
Seeing that Wei Jian was still mocking him before he died, Lu Bu was furious. He stood up, pointed at Wei Jian and shouted: "Cook him to death!"
"Fengxian!"
Zhang Yang stopped him again, grabbed Lu Bu and pushed him down on his seat, saying in a low voice: "You calm down first and listen to what he has to say. If it's not right, it won't be too late to boil him to death!"
"Damn it, this madman."
Lu Bu was extremely angry, but despite the persuasion of his close friends, he had no choice but to give up and took a sip of wine angrily.
Zhang Yang calmed down the furious Lu Bu and then said to Wei Jian, "Tell me something."
Wei Jian said calmly: "General and Liu Qingzhou are mortal enemies, and Yuan Shao will not tolerate it. This world is so big that there is no place for them. When the outcome of the battle between Liu Qingzhou and Yuan Shao is determined, no matter which side wins, they will not
If you let the general go, what else is it if your death is imminent?"
"you!"
Lu Bu was shocked at that time.
Many people did not know that he was not tolerated by Yuan Shao, even Zhang Yang only knew about it. Because he was afraid that Yuan Shao would harm him again, he never dared to speak out.
Unexpectedly, Wei Ji knew about this matter and already knew the situation he was in. How could he not shock Lu Bu?
In fact, this is caused by information gap.
Chen Mu knew the history well and also learned some clues through the Military Intelligence Department lurking in Jizhou, so he was able to use the plan.
Guo Jia and the others were not aware of this matter. Even if they analyzed that Lu Bu might have the intention of not being willing to be subordinated, they should still understand that with Lu Bu's current situation and ability, even if he wanted to rebel and attack Yanzhou, he would not have the strength.
Yuan Shao and his soldiers would not allow it.
This is also the reason why Cao Cao would confidently and boldly invade Xuzhou. Around Yanzhou, Liu Bei, Sun Jian, and Luoyang would not attack him for no reason. The only possible ones were Yuan Shao and Lu Bu, but one of them had no skills at all, and the other did not have his own army. Why?
You should know that Yanzhou is very safe.
Therefore, the brilliance of this plan is to hide it from the enemy. Even if you know that Lu Bu and Yanzhou are close at hand, Luoyang threatens you, and Lu Bu is not strong enough. Naturally, you would never think that Lu Bu would go and attack Yanzhou.
And because Lu Bu knew his situation well, he was extremely shocked when he found out that Wei Ji actually understood it so well.
Zhang Yang only understood the matter after Lu Bu complained, so when he saw that Wei Qian seemed to have great powers, he immediately asked: "If this is the case, where is Fengxian's way out?"
Wei Jian smiled and said nothing, looking down at the ropes that bound him.
"Untie the rope!"
Zhang Yang immediately asked the soldiers to untie the rope.
These soldiers were Lu Bu's personal guards of the Bingzhou Army. Knowing the relationship between Zhang Yang and Lu Bu, and seeing that Lu Bu had no objection, they hesitated for a moment, untied the rope, and walked out backwards.
After they left, there were only three people left in the hall.
Wei Jian smiled and glanced at the still burning cauldron next to him. In this freezing and snowy weather, the steaming heat from the cauldron made the room much warmer.
"You can talk now."
Zhang Yang said again.
Wei Jian then walked over, reached the main seat where Lu Bu and Zhang Yang were sitting, pulled up a mat, sat down, and said with a smile: "Now you two should understand that I am really here to help General Lu."
Lu Bu remained silent, while Zhang Yang said, "Could your so-called way of survival be to attack Yanzhou?"
"Exactly!"
Wei Jian nodded.
"Why?"
Zhang Yang asked.
Wei Jian said: "Two generals, please listen to me in detail."
"Nowadays, there are wars everywhere in the world. Except for Liu Qingzhou, no one regards Luoyang as the orthodoxy anymore."
"Cao Mengde and Liu Jingsheng were nominally loyal to the imperial court, but in fact they had already established themselves as kings and refused to obey the imperial court's orders. Previously, the imperial court appointed Jin Shang, the governor of Yanzhou, who was killed by Cao Cao."
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Therefore, these people, such as Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Tao Qian and others, are no different. It's just that they serve the imperial court in name, so the imperial court cannot make any accusations."
"But the general is different. Although the general is not tolerated by the world, he does not know that the general has killed Dong Zhuo and has achieved great achievements. The princes of the court have always praised the general. If the general is willing to surrender to the court, he will attack Yanzhou and seize it.
With Cao Cao's foundation, the general will not only have a foothold, but the imperial court will not stop him."
The court won’t stop it?
Lu Bu was doubtful and asked: "Really?"
Wei smiled covetously and said: "General, if you don't believe it, I have a letter here for you to read."
Then he took out a letter.
Zhang Yang took it and gave it to Lu Bu. Lu Bu knew how to read. Historically, when he was in Xuzhou, he once wrote a letter to Xiao Jian, the Prime Minister of Langya. His words were well-founded and his writing was pretty good.
Lü Bu took the letter and saw that it was written by Sun Rui, his close friend in Chang'an. The content of the letter expressed his longing for Lü Bu.
Unlike people like Zhong Yao and Wei, the ministers like Shisun Rui are the emperor's best friends and cannot join Liu Bei.
So this letter was actually written by Zhong Yao's deceiver Sun Rui, hoping that he could persuade Lu Bu to surrender, so that Yuan Shao would have less help to help the Luoyang court unify the world.
Because the two people did have friendship in Chang'an, Shisun Rui happily wrote this letter. Little did he know that it was this letter that made Lu Bu a little shaken.
Seeing this letter, Lu Bu suddenly remembered the past with Shi Sunrui and other friends in Chang'an, and showed a nostalgic look.
"It was indeed written by Jun Rong, who wanted me to submit to the imperial court, but..."
Lu Bu still hesitated: "Will the court really pardon me?"
Seeing that he was still suspicious, Wei Jian sneered: "Haha, General, think about it carefully. If I don't come, you will die. It's just a matter of time, right?"
"Forehead......."
Lu Bu stopped talking. This was a fact. Liu Bei had a grudge against him. Yuan Shao had even assassinated him once. No matter who won this war, he would not end well.
"So I definitely didn't come here to harm the general. If I expected the general to die, why would I come here?"
Wei Jian spread his hands.
This is a logical question. The reason is that if Wei Xiang fails to come, Lu Bu will die. So if he really wants to harm Lu Bu, he does not need to come here to take risks and wait for the outcome of the war between Yuan and Liu.
Therefore, there is only one reason for Wei Ji's trip, and that is, as he said, the imperial court does not want Cao Cao to serve as the shepherd of Yanzhou, so it wants to persuade Lu Bu to surrender and let him capture Yanzhou.
Once you understand this, it makes sense logically.
But Lu Bu was still a little worried and asked, "But what about Liu Xuande and me...won't he have any objections?"
Wei said with a smile: "General Lu, let me tell you the truth. Although the general has a grudge against Liu Shijun, how can these grievances compare to the great cause of unifying the imperial court? Nowadays, counties are kings and counties are emperors.
How many people are loyal to the imperial court?"
"If the general can abandon the dark side and surrender to the imperial court, the imperial court will definitely be happy. When the general and Liu Shijun become ministers in the same palace, the old grudges will be nothing more than a trivial matter that goes away with the wind."
"When the general takes Yanzhou and attacks Yuan Shao together with Liu Shijun, as long as he has made meritorious service to the court, is he still afraid that the Manchu ministers will not admit his defeat?"
"The general will also have military power by then. Are you still afraid that Liu Shijun will seek revenge on the general? What's more, even if this is the case, wouldn't the general have Yanzhou much better than being trapped in this small place now?
"
These words touched Lu Bu's heart.
Lu Bu read the letter, then looked at Wei Xi, and suddenly sighed: "What a pity. Even if I want to submit to the imperial court, how can I capture Yanzhou if I don't have any soldiers or generals?"
Wei Ju smiled and said: "This is why Dr. Chen sent me here. He has already planned everything for the general."
"oh?"
Lu Bu was surprised and said: "Could it be that the Luoyang court will send troops to help?"
"No."
Wei Jian shook his head: "Cao Cao is nominally the official official of the imperial court, and the emperor cannot take action against him. Therefore, the imperial court can only watch and cannot send troops."
"If the imperial court can't send troops, what's the use?"
Lu Bu became frustrated.
The 20,000 Jizhou soldiers he currently has cannot be used at all. How can there be soldiers going south?
Wei looked at Zhang Yang with a smile: "Prefect Zhang, don't you have soldiers?"
"I?"
Zhang Yang frowned, he didn't have many soldiers and horses, less than 10,000 people, what could these few people do.
Wei Jian said: "We don't need many troops to take Yanzhou this time."
"Why?"
Lu Bu asked.
Wei Ju smiled mysteriously: "Because Cao Cao has been dragged to Xuzhou by Dr. Chen, and his army is all in Guangling County. At this moment, Yanzhou is almost empty and unguarded."
"real?"
Lu Bu was immediately pleasantly surprised.
If that's the case, maybe this is indeed a good opportunity.
Wei Jian nodded: "It is absolutely true. I am willing to go with the general this time. If there is any lie, I will let the general handle it."
"good!"
Lu Bu didn't want to be trapped here for a long time. After hearing this, he immediately kowtowed to the west and said loudly: "Bu, I am willing to submit to the imperial court and serve the imperial court through hard work, through fire and water, no matter what!"