"King of Shu, my lord has his own ambition to surrender to Shu. I remember back then, you and I fought side by side and supported each other——"
On the bank of the river in Cangzhou, Xu Mu came to receive his old friend in person. Unfortunately, Yan Tang, who was chattering endlessly, had not finished speaking. Suddenly, Gong Gou hurried in from outside and spoke in Xu Mu's ear.
Xu Mu's face showed bitterness.
As early as when the envoy was intercepted, Dongfang Jing sent out a second round of people. Unfortunately, due to the terrain, he was a step too late. Coupled with Yuan Chong's mistake, the entire Donglai army was
The betrayal has completely turned towards Beiyu.
"Brother Yantang, let's rest for now."
Xu Mu's face was silent.
The situation has changed drastically. Laizhou, Yanzhou, and Qingzhou are all under the control of Beiyu. As for Kezhou, although each family has half of it, for now, as long as the other side is willing, they can take it back at any time.
The only way left is to rely on the danger of the river, train the navy, and stabilize the situation of the north-south separatism.
"Please don't be angry, King Shu..."
Xu Mu stopped, turned around and patted Yan Tang on the shoulder.
"Yan Tang, you and I are all acquaintances. I won't hide it from you. The traitor Yan Xiong was killed in the three states of Donglai. General Shen Tuguan has surrendered to Beiyu. As for your lord, he has been spared.
Prepare to cross the river and enter Shu."
"What!" Yan Tang looked shocked.
"Although this situation has been expected for a long time, it has to be said that Lao Zhongde of Beiyu fought a beautiful strategy by taking advantage of the convenient location."
As far as Xu Mu is concerned, the biggest loss should be Shen Tu Guan. After this world-famous general surrenders to the north, he will be an extremely difficult opponent for Western Shu in the future.
He vaguely guessed that the choice of Shentu Guan might have something to do with his family. After all, the general trend in the world today is to favor the aristocratic Beiyu, rather than the folk-oriented Xishu.
"Forgive me, King Shu -" Yan Tang cried and knelt down. He had just set out as an envoy, but he never expected that his family behind him would be gone.
"Brother Yan Tang, what are you guilty of? You are a kindness to me, Xi Shu. As for your lord, please rest assured after entering Shu, I, Xu Mu, will never be in trouble. If there is a chance, I will help you."
Your lord, take back your homeland."
Now, it seems that this is the only thing Yuan Chong can use.
But Xu Mu's words are not false. A down-and-out hero like Yuan Chong is not like Zuo Shiren. It doesn't matter if he eats a few more loads of rice. There is no doubt that it will be of great use in the future.
…
In Changyang, the inner city, standing outside the palace, Chang Shiro rarely smiled after learning that Shen Tu Guan had surrendered. But then, he let out a long sigh.
"Would the little boss be angry if he knew about it?"
"Probably not." Next to Chang Silang, the stooped old Zhongde's face became even paler. "He will only learn from the painful experience and try his best to hold back the lord's army and march south into Shu."
"He seems... to be this kind of person."
Supporting Lao Zhongde, Chang Silang was afraid that he would catch cold and wanted to walk into the palace. Unexpectedly, he was stopped by Lao Zhongde.
"As soon as late autumn passes, there will soon be snow scenes."
"Zhongde, the people who supervise Tianqin said that there will be snow in the next two or three days. I have asked someone to make a new thick cloak to protect Zhongde from the cold."
The old counselor smiled. He had been hiding his personal affairs from the lord in front of him. In addition to settling on Donglai, he had one last step to take. After taking this step, he would be able to rest peacefully.
In the past few days, he could hardly lift his waist. With no other option, he begged Chen Que and used some heavy medicine to temporarily lift his spirits.
"My lord, the snow scene is approaching, how about we take an oath in the snow?"
Changshiro was startled, "Swearing an army in the snow?"
"Indeed, when the time comes, in addition to the generals at the edge of the town, the lord's subordinates and staff can all come together and gather together to inspire the military power."
"Then follow Zhongde's wishes. But Zhongde, don't stand outside anymore. I, Chang Silang, rarely listen to what others say, except for old Zhongde."
The old counselor laughed happily and patted the hand on his shoulder.
"The general trend of the world has gradually become clear. My lord is a wonderful man, and he really guessed it right. The little commoner who made wine at the beginning, step by step, became a hero in the world."
"Without him, I guess this country will soon belong to the Lord."
Changshiro smiled helplessly, "Somehow, I always don't want to fight with my little boss."
"One day, Xu Buyi will bring the entire Western Shu to become my lord's vassal. My lord must remember that he must not be trusted. He will only wait for Xiao Qing, the rebel in Hebei, to ease the people's resentment, and then he will start the southern expedition.
.Those who seek the world should have no emotions or desires and be kind to women."
"The great ancestor of the Ji Dynasty also killed his sworn brother to establish the state of Zuo for more than 400 years."
"If you don't attack Western Shu, Western Shu will attack you. In battles, what often determines the outcome is predicting the enemy's opportunity. Lord, when the time comes, make sure not to fall behind."
"Zhongde, I always feel...are you explaining the funeral arrangements? Earlier you said that Divine Doctor Chen had a solution."
The old counselor smiled and said, "Master, look at me. When I entered the palace today, I was obviously in high spirits."
"it seems that."
"That's right, don't worry, lord."
"Without Zhongde in the world, I would feel so boring. Other people would say that I was tired of what they said, and I would probably go under the knife. Only Zhongde would tell me, and I would listen carefully."
"My lord's temper needs to be changed. If, if one day, my lord becomes the overlord of the world and ascends to the throne, he will be the founding emperor of the new dynasty. He will be engraved in a bamboo book and passed down for generations to come."
"When that day comes, Zhongde's contribution is indispensable. I will confer Zhongde the title of Prime Minister of the world. It is a pity that Zhongde did not have a granddaughter, otherwise he would have been a queen."
Old Zhongde's face looked pleased, and his eyes in the wind began to become moist and turbid. In this world, he couldn't wait for that day.
In the Chang Family School, when he first met his lord, he was about fourteen or fifteen years old. After using his martial arts to kill bandits outside the city, he was covered in blood and carrying a pear blossom gun steadily.
Sitting quietly in the school.
At that time, he knew that this young man was not an ordinary person.
"What is Zhongde thinking?"
"I'm thinking about swearing in the army. At that time, all the generals from Beiyu and our families will be gathered together. How majestic it will be."
Tsuneshiro laughed.
"Since Zhongde likes it, I will urge him again and let Chang Wei handle it himself."
"Zhongde, you have to take care of yourself. When winter is over and spring begins, we will go to Hebei together to see the rice warehouses in the north and the famous horses in Yanzhou."
"Hearing what my lord said, I can't wait any longer."
Old Zhongde stood in the wind, and his voice was suddenly crushed by the wind. His stooped body, without Chang Shiro's attention, he struggled to hold himself up several times.