Five hundred and fiftieth chapters sacrifice oneself for righteousness
"The peach is on the dew well, the plum tree is beside the peach, the insects come to eat the peach roots, and the plum tree replaces the peach root." [Yuefu Poetry Collection·Cockcrow]
Liu Xi held an arrow shaft with the sharp edge shaved off, slowly lifted it up, and threw it into the pot with a narrow mouth and a wide belly in the distance. The straight arrow shaft turned into an arc and was thrown into the pot with a clang. The pot shook twice, then stood firm.
"Good." Xiao Jian, dressed in soap-colored uniforms, said with a leisurely expression, stroking his palms: "His Majesty is a leader in throwing pots."
Liu Xi smiled lightly and looked at the beautifully patterned pot standing on the ground. The sunlight coming in from outside the hall cast a long and slender shadow, and the white feathers on the arrow tails showed their tiny details.
"This is the only thing I can do well."
Xiao Jian's lips moved but he made no sound.
"When the late king was here, he often said that I was tired of being humble and close but wanted to be high and far away. Before Langxie could take care of it, he wanted to take care of the world." Liu Xi smiled self-deprecatingly: "But he didn't know that I had already visited every place in Langye. In a county, the scenery of every place is tacitly known to the heart. The late king often said that the people were suffering, but what exactly were the people suffering and why were they suffering? He didn’t know, I knew, because I once pretended to be a scholar and lived in the countryside one by one. I asked, I even suffered those hardships. So I thought, what would it be like if I came to cure Langxie and rule the world? Would it be better than him? He is about ten years younger than me. What a godsend. The British Lord."
Xiao Jian glanced at him but didn't say anything after all.
"By the way, you and I did this together. At that time, I asked the eunuch Yannian to wear my clothes and pretend to be sick. He did not see the outsiders, which made the late king and others anxious." Liu Xi showed a nostalgic look in his eyes. I couldn't help but look at the open door of the palace: "Yannian is no longer here. That day Yuan Tan attacked the palace. He wanted to run away with me, but he was shot to death by a stray arrow."
"They are all dead." He lowered his head, played with the dark arrows, and took a deep breath: "It will be my turn soon."
Liu Xi was looking forward to Xiao Jian talking to him. In the past, when he would talk enthusiastically about the current situation, scriptures or anecdotes, Xiao Jian would sit aside and discuss with him with gusto. Every time after the conversation, it was hard to pass the time. After that, the uneasiness in his heart also subsided, so Liu Xi was very happy to talk to Xiao Jian, but this time the other party did not answer his words. Xiao Jian sat quietly and smiled softly.
"Don't you want to talk to me?"
A faint smile appeared on Xiao Jian's lips and he replied: "Your Highness will be a wise king in the future."
"What are you talking about now?" Liu Xi sighed, picked up the arrow shaft and started pointing at the thin-mouthed pottery pot.
Xiao Jian still smiled softly and was noncommittal.
Liu Xi suddenly became disappointed. He put down the arrow and turned to look at Xiao Jian. He felt something was wrong, but he didn't quite understand. Xiao Jian's always clear eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of dust. He straightened his head and looked at Xiao Jian. Sitting there, his posture was no different from usual, but it made Liu Xi feel weird from the bottom of his heart.
Xiao Jian was silent for a while and said in a very affirmative tone: "The vassal prince is a relative of the Liu family, and only the emperor can convict him. As long as Cao Cao has a loyal heart, he will not do anything to His Highness, but will try his best to protect His Highness. safety."
"But this is just a temporary plan. After the war is over and the documents are submitted to the state, who can protect me? My uncle?" A glimmer of hope ignited in Liu Xi's heart. His uncle Liu Miao is now the prefect of Taiyuan. , was deeply appreciated by the emperor, Liu Yu and others. He also said good things about Cao Cao to the emperor and ministers in the court when he was in decline, and was kind to Cao Cao. Liu Miao took the best care of Liu Xi, his nephew, and would never ignore him.
"Your Highness cannot seek out Marquis Yangdu." Xiao Jian calmly poured cold water on Liu Xi: "I am no better than Chen Guo. Apart from those few exchanges of correspondence with Zang Ba and Cao Cao, he has done nothing else. This is
At that time, as long as Your Highness is quiet and doesn't say anything, Marquis Yangdu will naturally try to save it."
"But." Liu Xi stood up and walked to Xiao Jian. He put his hand on Xiao Jian's shoulder: "I'm just afraid of Cao Cao..."
Liu Xi's hands were trembling, but Xiao Jian's voice was firm: "I know what Cao Cao is worried about, and I will try to reassure him."
The emotions that had been suppressed for too long almost poured out. Liu Xi put his hands back into his sleeves, clenched them into fists, and turned his body away without saying anything.
The sound of coughing suddenly woke the two of them up.
Liu Xi and Xiao Jian turned around together and saw Guo Jia wearing a fitted dark coat, with her thin body tightly wrapped in expensive embroidery. When Liu Xi saw Guo Jia's leisurely and calm look, he suddenly felt like something had been revealed.
Flustered, Guo Jia also stood by the door, stretched out his shoes and kicked the pottery pot filled with arrows out of curiosity.
"Who allowed you to come in?" Liu Xi was furious and showed off the airs of King Langxie: "You don't greet anyone when you enter the palace, and you don't take off your shoes. Guo Jijiu is so disrespectful of etiquette."
"Oh?" After being criticized by Liu Xi, Guo Jia panicked like a child who had made a mistake. He looked left and right, then stepped back and jumped over the high threshold. His body was as light as a bird entering and exiting at will.
Someone else’s swallow.
Guo Jia pushed each other's feet out of their shoes with their heels, then bowed their hands to Liu Xi in the palace in a routine manner and said: "Former general and military advisor Guo Jia offered wine to ask for an audience with His Highness King Langxie."
Liu Xi was so angry that he was shaking with anger at the other party's frivolous and casual attitude, but he couldn't say anything. The other party had given him enough face and walked in again wearing a pair of white socks, with a calm and calm expression.
"I would like to borrow someone from His Highness." Guo Jia said before Liu Xi could speak.
"Who?" Liu Xi glanced at Xiao Jian involuntarily from the corner of his eye, feeling that he was asking unnecessary questions about who else was around him.
"Of course it's Mr. Xiao of Lanling." After saying that, Guo Jia turned to look at Xiao Jian, cupped his hands and said with a smile: "As expected of the grand master Xiao Gong, his appearance is extraordinary."
This was a sign of embarrassment to Xiao Jian's face, and Xiao Jian humbly bowed his hand to express his gratitude.
Without saying much, the two walked out of the hall side by side. The sun before sunset shone down from their sides, and Guo Jia's shadow half covered Xiao Jian's body. Guo Jia walked briskly in front, and he moved freely, holding the
Xiao Jian fell behind, not noticing that Xiao Jian walked slower and slower, getting out of his shadow.
Liu Xi stood at the door of the palace, watching Xiao Jian lingering on the steps outside the palace, and turned to look at him. Strong sadness suddenly poured out of Liu Xi's heart like spring water, giving him no chance to suppress or escape.
, he felt cold and numb all over his body. He regretted it very much. He wanted to go out and bring Xiao Jian back. He wanted to resist Cao Cao as King Langxie and protect Xiao Jian, but he didn't dare.
Xiao Jian didn't say anything. He stood still and bowed to Liu Xi seriously for the last time.
Liu Xi refused to look at the other party. He turned around angrily, walked to the exquisite pottery pot, raised his foot and kicked the pot away. The arrows in the pot flew out and scattered.
On the ground, the body of the pot hit the beam heavily and broke into several pieces.
‘哐’
Seemingly hearing the sound coming from the hall, Guo Jia stopped in time and stood opposite Xiao Jian on the platform: "I don't need to say anything more. Xiao Jun is a smart man and knows how to do what is good for everyone."
Xiao Jian turned his head and looked at the sun, his eyes narrowed by the sunlight: "I personally contacted Cao Gong, Chang Xi, Zang Ba and others. I also packed up each other's letters and put them in my
The house has been captured. Now, to Mr. Cao, there is only one threat left, and that is me."
Guo Jia touched the knot on his chin, as if he thought it was tied too tightly: "Both Duke Cao and King Langxie are uneasy with each other, and the crux of the problem lies entirely with Mr. Xiao."
Xiao Jian knew that as long as he was gone, there would be no evidence that Cao Cao had colluded with King Langxie. He thought wishfully that as long as Cao Cao was no longer a threat, he would naturally let Liu Xi go: "I understand."
Guo Jia stared at him for a while, then couldn't help but glance at the palace door in the shadow, and asked: "King Langxie is not pure and kind, are you worthy of this?"
"A scholar will die for his confidant." Xiao Jian said quietly, with a hint of brilliance in his gray eyes.
Guo Jia said nothing, nodded lightly, leaving Xiao Jian where he was, turned around and left.
He walked in the desolate palace and slowly looked at the scenery of the palace, just like visiting someone's garden somewhere. It is said that the first generation of Langya King Liu Jing was favored by his brother Emperor Xiaoming, and was rewarded with countless gold treasures and property when he left the country.
The palaces in Beijing were built with great skill, and the walls of the palaces were decorated with gold and silver.
Guo Jia felt extremely sad when he thought that the luxurious and wealthy Langye Palace had become so decadent. At this time, the setting sun smeared the afterglow on the wall, reflecting the brilliant golden light, as if the Langye Palace had returned to the glorious moment of the past.
How did this palace wall stand for two hundred years?
Guo Jia looked at his own shadow reflected diagonally on the wall and paused. A guard ran over from behind him and said breathlessly: "Oh no, Guo Jijiu, Xiao Jian has committed suicide!"
"Did I kill him?" Guo Jia blinked and asked innocently.
"No, no, of course it's not." The guard was stunned for a moment.
"Then why are you talking to me?" Guo Jia said inexplicably, raising his hand and pointing to the main hall where Liu Xi was: "You should tell him."
Langye Kingdom, outside Yangdu City.
After Cao Cao's troops entered Kaiyang, he immediately sent Huaiyi Colonel Zang Ba to lead his 3,000 men and Dianjun Colonel Xia Houyuan's troops to attack Changxi. Since Changxi followed Yuan Tan, he had been disgraced and lost troops and generals. Earlier, he had hoped that
The expectation that the Yuan family could give him a powerful position was shattered, especially after Lu Bu's death. Chang Xi instantly thought of defecting and surrendering. As soon as he arrived in Yangdu, he hurriedly sent a letter to Zang Ba, requesting
In view of their past friendship, he persuaded Cao Cao to accept his surrender.
Zang Ba had regarded Chang Xi as his brother when he was in Langye, but he was betrayed once by the other party and almost died in the army. Now that he saw Chang Xi's letter begging for mercy, how could he remember the old love again? So he handed the letter to
Cao Cao, who was in the rear, immediately used troops without stopping and sent people to attack Yangdu.
Chang Xi did not expect that the other party would be so decisive. The long-term severance of brotherhood made him angry. For a moment, he forgot his own responsibility in it, and instead scolded Zang Ba for his lack of friendship.
On this day, the city gates were opened wide. Chang Xi raised a banner in an exaggerated manner, led thousands of men and horses behind him to break out of the siege, and charged straight into the enemy's formation with great courage.
This kind of majesty made Zang Ba and Xia Houyuan on the opposite side have no doubt that Chang Xi had planned a large-scale military operation. Zang Ba and Chang Xi had worked together for many years and knew that the other party's favorite troops were to charge with full force, and Zang Ba could often win first in terms of power.
Ba understood that as long as he stopped Chang Xi's first attack, the other party would be weak again and become the weakest point in the war.
So Xia Houyuan led the infantry to the left and right, and Zang Ba alone led a brigade to guard in the middle, and attacked Changxi in an enveloping manner with spread wings.
Most of the troops led by Xia Houyuan were archers. When Chang Xi's troops arrived at the encirclement, Xia Houyuan put an arrow on the bow string, loosened his finger, and fired it with a shot.
For a moment, arrows were flying like rain. Chang Xi, who was charging, led his troops to turn without hesitation and hit Cao Jun's right wing. In addition, he sent Sun Guan to lead a force to penetrate into the center in an attempt to disrupt Zang Ba's position.
Chang Xi found a gap in the busy Cao army and passed through the formation. His Qing Cong was extremely powerful and defeated the thin right wing in a blink of an eye.
"Send the order to join forces!" Xiahou Yuan calmly ordered: "Chang Xi is about to run away, let the cavalry go over and chase him, and leave him alone!"
The soldiers on the left wing, led by Xia Houyuan, quickly put down Sun Guan and other soldiers who were attacking Zang Ba, and went directly to the right wing to encircle him. After a moment of panic, the soldiers on the right wing began to gather strength and move forward. Chang Xi led most of the troops alone.
The men and horses fought their way out of the enemy formation, while Wu Dun and other troops who were behind were attacked by Cao Jun's left and right forces. Sun Guan, who was in the middle and rushed into the formation, was in an even more difficult situation.
Chang Xi deeply hated that he did not have cavalry under his command, otherwise how could he not be able to defeat the Qingzhou soldiers?
But when Sun Guangang led his troops and rushed to Zang Ba's army, he immediately realized that he was trapped in a tight siege. Suddenly, Cao's troops and horses were all around him. Zang Ba, who was on the opposite side, looked indifferent and waved his hand to lead his troops to press forward.
Zang Ba held a knife in his hand and slashed a member of the primary school head-on. Many of Sun Guan's subordinates were familiar faces, but now he had to kill them with his own hands. The more people he killed, the more Zang Ba's movements of slashing with the knife became more and more popular.
The smoother the flow, Sun Guan felt guilty in his heart, and he was even more horrified when he saw this. He had no intention of fighting anymore, and couldn't help but take a few steps back. Seeing that the situation was critical, he and Chang Xi had not achieved their intention of defeating Cao Jun's right wing.
Knowing that he was about to lose his life, he hurriedly cried out to Zang Ba and begged for mercy: "Xuan Gao, Xuan Gao, Zang Nuko!"
It wasn't until he called out Zang Ba's alias that Zang Ba made a move and put some distance between him and Sun Guan.
At this time, more than a thousand people under Sun Guan's command had been killed and injured. He looked at the dozens of cronies around him and begged: "I was forced to have no choice. Back then, I rebelled against Langxie and robbed the palace. It was really not my intention! Now I can't wake up.
Late in the evening, I hope Xuan Gao will spare my life for the sake of my past kindness!"
"What I hate is that you rebelled against King Langxie?" Zang Ba felt ridiculous. He pointed his knife at Sun Guan and said in a cold tone: "What I hate is that you treat our friendship of many years as nothing!".
"These are Chang Xi's ideas!" Sun Guan quickly led his men to abandon their weapons and kneel down, trying to excuse himself: "It was Chang Xi who listened to Dong Zhao and the others. Seeing that Yuan Shao was powerful, he wanted to use this to become the leader of Qing Xu.
Lord! We are also confused by him. We know that you still remember the kindness of the Langye royal family and Tao Shijun, and will not plan anything with me, so we want to finish the matter first and bear all the blame on ourselves. Then we can
I advise you to join the gang.”
"Is this the reason why you attacked and killed my soldiers and almost killed me?" Zang Ba angrily rebuked.