The weather is getting warmer and the rumors of war are growing, and the allied forces of the states have recaptured Tongguan and defeated several forces of the Coming to the World, who are all traitors to the officers and soldiers.

Siguo Valley is also engaged in a "war".

The weeds grew unexpectedly and silently, and before dark, they were still a few dozen paces away from the walls, like a herd of tame lambs, and they would never dare to cross the boundary by half a step, but the next morning, when they opened the door, they would be surprised to find a few more patches of green in the doorway, in the corners, and even on the walls.

Even if the real monks live here, there is no way to practice quietly, in the dead of night, the grass and trees that take advantage of the opportunity to grow wildly will make a strange sound, and there are countless insects and frogs hiding in it, the chirping sound is close to the ear, but when you look for it, you can't find their figures.

Xu Ji has a "job" to do, and now carrying water and chopping firewood are trivial matters, and stopping these approaching weeds is the top priority.

The fragrance of plants and trees is no longer a refreshing taste, but the sound of drums, sickles, hoes, and ...... at the beginning of the battle. All the tools that can be used are used, and the earth is covered and the fire is burned...... There is no mercy in the slightest.

When Feng Juniang came again, she was really startled, and said to Chang Yan, who came out to greet her: "Childe said that he was in seclusion, and there was no need to be 'hidden' like this, I almost thought that I was on the wrong path - no, there is no road at all, where did the road go?" ”

Chang Yanzhi parted the grass and said tiredly: "I haven't cleaned up here yet, there is too much grass and too few people." Is this always the case in Jizhou? It is said that the grass and trees in the south of the Yangtze River are prosperous, and they are not so powerful. ”

"Jizhou? I came all the way, but I didn't see any weeds growing so luxuriantly. Would it be a miracle, you say? ”

"What miracle?"

"Mr. Fan happened to pass away, and Mr. Xu happened to arrive...... When I go back to the city to inquire, if Siguo Gu is like this every year, then we are rare and strange, if it is only this year, I am afraid that we will need a mage. ”

Chang Yan laughed, but after laughing, he didn't know the bottom in his heart, "You have to be a real mage, you can't be a liar." ”

"Who can fool me? What about the childe? ”

"Come with me."

After walking a short distance, Feng Juniang's eyes suddenly brightened, the houses in the valley finally appeared, looking shorter than in memory, a few steps to dozens of steps away from the wall, it was an uneven open space, there were traces of fire, clods of soil turned up, and there were several vertical and horizontal shallow ditches.

"Was there just a war here?" Feng Juniang asked in surprise.

"Almost, more tiring than fighting." Chang Yanzhi stretched out his hand and pointed at Xu Ji.

Xu Ji was drinking water and resting in a circle with the old servant and others, talking and laughing with each other, there was no distinction between master and servant.

Feng Juniang asked Yahuan, who had been following her, to check her room, she walked to Xu Ji, smiled at the others first, and then said: "It's just right, this place seems to be unlivable, everyone pack up, and follow me later." ”

The crowd cheered, they were tired of the battle with no end in sight, and felt that there was no point, and even if they succeeded in stopping the spread of weeds, it would still be a deserted valley.

Only Xu Ji shook his head and said with a smile: "Others can go, but I won't go." ”

In addition to Xu Ji, there are fourteen people left in the valley, they really stay by the old master's side, and they would rather die than leave, seeing Xu Ji shaking his head, they also shook their heads.

Yahuan hurriedly came from a distance, "Madam, our accommodation is fine, only a little damp, I opened the doors and windows to ventilate." ”

"It's too hot at noon to work, so let's let everyone rest for a while." Feng Juniang said.

Xu Ji put down the hoe in his hand, "It's really time to rest, wait until dusk, it's a little cooler, and let's make persistent efforts." ”

"Keep up the good work." Everyone sparsely responded to the road, and their morale was insufficient.

"Childe go and sit in my house, I'm going to clean up the house, and I have something to say to you."

Feng Juniang's house is the best one in the valley, although it is not big, but it is cleaned up, although it has not been lived for a long time, there is still a faint fragrance.

Xu Ji also came in for the first time and praised: "It's hard for you how to clean it up." ”

"I have a ring, let her clean it up." Feng Juniang said, closing the door, the window was still open, "Childe, please sit." ”

Xu Ji sat on the chair, and Feng Juniang sat on the edge of the bed, "Childe guessed right." ”

"What did I guess?"

"Lou Ji, he did not flee back by himself, but was ordered by King Ning to offer advice to the lord of the county. King Ning has a military advisor by his side......"

"Zhang Wenbi?"

"What kind of military advisor is he, just a scholar who can write, it's Guo Shifeng, the Guo Shifeng who is very familiar with his son."

Xu Ji patted his forehead lightly, "I almost forgot about him, I sent him to Huaizhou in the first place—so he chose King Ning himself." ”

"Whether it's a choice or a forced choice, in short, it's Guo Shifeng's idea for King Ning, King Ning released a few Lou family members and asked them to come to Yecheng to make peace." Feng Juniang waited for a while, "Childe has already guessed the details of the offering, hasn't he?" ”

"A little eyebrow."

"Childe will speak first, and I will judge." Feng Juniang likes this kind of game.

Xu Ji thought for a while, "Originally, there was only a little eyebrows, but since Guo Shifeng is the military advisor, I can guess more carefully." Did King Ning surrender to the court of Stone Town? ”

"This matter has been rumored for a long time, and everyone knows about it."

"In the name of escorting the Queen Mother?"

"King Ning snatched the Queen Mother, there must be some use."

"The Ning army has already entered the city?"

"That's not true, so far the news has come that King Ning led his army to garrison outside Stone City, and got the title of a general, he refused to hand over the Queen Mother first, and the emperor did not allow him to enter the city. But Gongzi also knows that now that the news is not good, Jiangdong is far away, and King Ning may have entered the city. ”

"Hmm...... If he didn't enter the city at that time, he won't do it now, King Ning has few soldiers, and he still has a chance to gain a foothold, and when the city sees the truth clearly, it will be dangerous for him to enter the city. ”

"That is, he didn't enter the city, but this has nothing to do with Lou Ji's plan, and he doesn't know these things."

"King Ning wants to enter the city to kill the emperor, and get rid of the Liang and Lan families, in exchange for Yecheng's recognition of King Ning's name."

Feng Juniang couldn't stop laughing, and only stopped after a while: "I won't say right or wrong first, just ask a few things about my son." ”

"Excuse me."

"King Ning can't enter the city, how can he kill the emperor?"

"The king of Guangling was killed, and the Jiangdong soldiers were transferred to catch up with the death of the Emperor of All Things, so among the states, the chaos in Jiangdong is probably second only to Qinzhou, which has been famine for many years. The Seven Clans were still unable to gain a foothold in Jiangdong, and the emperor who rushed to take refuge could only defend a stone city alone. If there are rebellious troops preparing to attack the city, the Liang and Lan families will have to beg King Ning to enter the city in a hurry. ”

"Are the Liang and Lan families really that stupid?"

Xu Ji nodded, he knew too well the personalities of Mrs. Liang and Lan Sui, the two families wanted to collude and compete for favor, and they believed that their status was noble, and it was easy to believe the flattery of others.

"The people who live in Stone City are the emperor after all, who dares to attack the city?"

"Qingjun's side, this is a ready-made excuse. The Liang and Lan families will be even more panicked. ”

"If King Ning kills the emperor, isn't he afraid that he will become the target of public criticism?"

"Look at how he chooses, if he wants to be the leader of the righteous army, he will generously admit that he killed the emperor, although it is the target of the public, it is also the expectation of the public, if he wants to be the overlord of one side, he will plant the crime of killing the king on the heads of the Liang and Lan families."

"How does Childe think King Ning will choose?"

"King Ning wants to be the leader of the rebel army, Guo Shifeng wants to be the overlord of one party, who of these two can convince whom, I can't guess for a while."

"Guo Shifeng will definitely not be able to compete with King Ning." Feng Juniang was more familiar with Ning Baoguan and didn't believe that anyone could make him change his mind.

"Guo Shifeng won't fight, he will convince King Ning that temporary hegemony is a better idea."

"Perhaps, I don't recognize this surnamed Guo. If it were a childe, what would he do? ”

"There are pros and cons to both elections, people are not in Jiangdong, and empty words are useless."

"Whatever you want. No, no, what I want to know is not this, but how should Yecheng deal with the different choices of King Ning? ”

"If King Ning generously admits to killing the emperor, Yecheng needs to immediately claim revenge for the emperor, but there is no need to send troops, the Huaizhou Sheng family and the Jingzhou Xi family will rush to enter Jiangdong, and Yecheng will sow discord from it, which is the only feasible policy. If King Ning is persuaded by Guo Shifeng, blames Liang Lan, and is satisfied with temporary hegemony, Yecheng's best strategy is to immediately send troops and share the land of Jiangdong with Sheng and Xi, and the middle strategy is to join forces with King Ning and share Huaizhou in the middle. ”

"Childe really values King Ning."

"King Ning only lacks a few points of luck, and when the time comes, he will definitely be able to achieve a career."

"Even if he did something like burning Wu Bing and snatching the Queen Mother?"

"King Ning is thirsty for killing, but I have to say that this has nothing to do with whether he can be dominant or whether he can compete for the crown."

"Don't regret it...... Childe" Feng Juniang didn't continue.

"I regretted it." Xu Ji smiled, one of the purposes of his "cultivation" was not to let remorse affect his judgment, "What I said is right or wrong, can you say it?" ”

"Roughly the same. However, the hero who sent people to Yecheng to ask for peace was not just King Ning, as far as I know, there are at least three groups of envoys in Jiangdong who are now in the city, and it is very coincidental that the people who are looking for them are the King of Jibei, the King of Xiangdong and the Lord of the Great Commander. ”

"Guo Shifeng is still smarter than others." Xu Ji said with a smile, it must be Guo Shifeng's idea to come and offer advice to the county lord of Huanyan.

"Although the big county lord didn't say it, I can see that she wants to use these three groups of people in Jiangdong at the same time, as soon as the emperor of Stone City dies, the prince of Jibei here will be the first to ascend the throne. I don't know something, there were rumors before that the king of Xiangdong also had the heart to be the emperor, why didn't the big county lord help his father, but help a nephew - it turned out that the big county lord was the aunt of the prince of Jibei, I really didn't expect it. ”

Xu Ji smiled, "Because she's smart enough." ”

"Hehe, if the big county lord hears this answer, he will definitely be happy."

"You came from the city for this?"

"Of course not, I'm here to pick up my son into the city."

"One, I shouldn't go into the city, and two, I don't want to go into the city."

"I said I would protect Childe's safety, but in this broken valley, there is no safety at all. I have persuaded the little princess to change her mind, it is she who wants the prince to enter the city, at least the first problem does not exist. As for Childe's reluctance to enter the city - please think about the others, and if you come to the assassins, you may not be the only one who will kill Childe. ”

"Can you make Lord Fonde change his mind? It wasn't a change of heart, she never thought of letting me into town. Xu Ji was really a little surprised by this.

Feng Juniang said with a smile: "Childe has the ability of childe, and I have my means." It is not easy to persuade the little county lord, and the noble daughter of He Rong, who just got married, did me a favor. ”

Xu Ji was even more surprised, "You know a lot of people. ”

"Actually, I don't know, this noble lady...... How to say it, it's rare that my sister-in-law is not an enemy, which helps me and my son. Feng Juniang was very happy, and there were also things that the son didn't understand.