Duan Piyan was afraid that Kong Chang would kill his brother's army, so he did not dare to wave his army to attack, and the two sides confronted each other outside Jixian County, and occasionally there were some skirmishes, and there were only a dozen dead and wounded. In this way, the conditions were put back and forth, and it dragged on for more than ten days.

Finally, Kong Chang's plan was sold, and Shi Le personally led thousands of elite cavalry from Xiangguo to reinforce him. Duan Piyan was caught off guard, resulting in a big defeat, Duan Wenyang was the queen of his palace, personally led three hundred parts, launched a decisive counter-assault, and once killed less than twenty steps away from Shile!

Shi Leyu immediately raised his whip and said: "I wanted to subdue the last man, but I didn't want him to be chased away by the pi and flee without a trace. Seeing Wen Yang today, the brave posture is just as in the past under the city of disgusting...... If this person can be captured alive, it must be said that he will surrender, then Youzhou will not be assured! ”

The subordinate general Zhi Qu Liu bowed his hand on horseback and said: "Since the lord wants to get this person, and the last general will go to capture the lord!" "Slap the horse and twist the gun, and take Duan Wenyang directly.

At this time, Wenyang fought for nearly half a day, and it was the end of the strong crossbow, and he competed with Zhi Quliu for a few moves, and gradually felt that his arms were sore, and his strength was weak, so he was forced to sell a flaw and turn his horse away. He finally got rid of the pursuit of Zhi Qu Liu, and then broke through the encirclement, and then looked left and right, and the three hundred horsemen who were initially brought into battle were now less than twenty people left......

The Duan brothers fled to Xu Wu one after another, and Shi Le occupied the Yan Kingdom, and completely cut off the two counties of Shanggu and Guangning in the west, and it was only a matter of time before they wanted to be collected. However, Shi Le considered that although the Duan clan was defeated, his remaining strength was still strong, and he did not have enough strength to completely annex it, so he adopted the advice of Zhang Jing, who was in action, and took the initiative to send an envoy to escort Duan Shujun to Xu Wugo, so as to reaffirm the good relationship with Duan Piyan.

Then he signed Kong Chang as the assassin of Youzhou, so that the counties west of Dingyan Kingdom, and Shi Le himself returned to Xiangguo.

Before leaving, Kong Chang actually bowed to Shi Le at the gate of the city, and did not call him "Ming Gong", "Zhao Gong", or even "Lord Gong", as soon as he opened his mouth, he was "Supreme". When Shile heard this, he was confused, and asked, "What is the name, and who taught you?" ”

The word "supreme" was originally a description of the Son of Heaven, but it was rarely used as a face-to-face title until the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when Lu Su and others wanted Sun Quan to practice the title of respect, they turned out this word from the pile of old papers to offer it. Or Zhang Jing heard about the "lord", so he looked for "Three Kingdoms" everywhere to check it carefully, found this title, and felt - "This is more flattering than the lord, and ...... The intent is clear! ”

Zhang Jing secretly taught Kong Chang, and Kong Chang will come out to show off in front of Shi Le - because Zhang Jing is a person who is attached after all, unlike Kong Chang who was originally from the "Eighteen Horsemen", an important town, and only Kong Chang dared to interview Shi Le like this.

Shi Le didn't understand at first, and asked Zhang Jing, who looked at him left and right. It wasn't until he returned to Xiangguo and asked Zhang Bin that Zhang Bin couldn't help but be shocked, so he was forced to tell Shi Le the source. Shi Le pondered for a long time, and suddenly said: "Shi Hu said that after King Yunyong Bingzheng, he will be sealed with my King Zhao, and I haven't seen an angel so far, I'm afraid it's just a rumor......"

In fact, this matter is really not a rumor, it is true that Liu Yao made such a promise to Shi Hu, but Liu Cong forced it and refused to allow it.

Although Liu Yao successfully entered Pingyang and took charge of national affairs, Liu Cong also seemed to have regained his strength, and he had to come to the court every three days to listen to the government, so Liu Yao's authority was difficult to calculate compared to Liu Cang in the past.

It is true that Liu Cong played most of Liu Yao's series of administrative measures, including appeasing the Qiang, winning over the Jin people, harmonizing Xianbei, resting troops and raising horses, rewarding hundreds of officials, rewarding cultivation and weaving, etc., and did not hinder them. But there are also some invitations, Liu Cong just refused to agree, such as worshipping Shile as the king of Zhao. Liu Cong said, a different surname is not a king, this is a system left by Emperor Guangwen, even if I am inconvenient to destroy it.

In fact, Liu Cong was afraid that Shi Le would be virtuous to Liu Yao because of this, and when the time came for the two to join forces, he might be completely hollowed out, and even something unbearable to say-

"Shi Shilong has made great contributions to the country, and when this Jin Dynasty was re-energized, the imperial court also relied on him to fight in the east to protect Pingyang. However, the seal of the county prince has been extreme, if the king is added, it will be to Tai'a to reside, which is unfavorable to the country, and for Shi Shilong, it may be difficult to protect his loyalty. ”

So he issued an edict appointing Shi Le as the Great Sima, so that the capital governor You, Hebei, and the three prefectures and the military of Sizhou east of Hanoi, and added the title of Julu County - but the name of Zhao Gong remained unchanged.

The angel came to Xiangguo, just in time for Shi Le to return from Youzhou, after receiving the edict, all the generals shouted, all said: "Benyun Wangjue's seal, now add the seal of Ming Gong a county, how stingy King Yong!" ”

Zhang Bin persuaded: "This must not be the intention of King Yong, but the Son of Heaven does not allow it." He turned to Shi Le and said: "It can be seen that the Son of Heaven is still jealous of King Yong, and hopes for the crown prince in the diaspora, I am afraid that in a few years, there will be chaos in Pingyang, and the Ming Duke should prepare early......

The general Hu Yanmo said: "The country has come to such a field, the monarchs and ministers are still at odds with each other, such a faint lord, does Ming Gong still want to continue to serve him?" ”

Shi Le flicked his sleeves and scolded: "Don't talk nonsense! The Son of Heaven has always been a saint, and I know it, but I am proud of my victory, thinking that the world is not enough, so I will temporarily indulge in wine. I have heard that I have now cheered up, and if I look at the court in three days, the revival of the country can be expected - I should be careful to observe the minister's festival and do things in the north! ”

Cheng Yao arched his hand and said: "When the country is in danger, we must remove the old and cloth the new, how can the system of the previous generation not be changed?" Jin also has a different surname not the king system, but when the Jin lord was trapped in Luoyang, he still knew that Tuoba Yi Lu King was in the country, and now the country hopes for the Ming Duke, and more than the Jin people in the past, why don't they want to give the prince? King Yong is wise, so he promises that although the Son of Heaven is a saint, he does not dare to move forward in this matter, so that the country can cheer up?

"And King Yong has a promise, but the Son of Heaven does not allow it, it is to hinder King Yong's governance, and weaken his prestige. The great enemy of the country today, there are Jin people in the south, Xianbei in the north, although Yilu is dead, Yu Lu is still strong, if it echoes with the Jin people, the iron horse can go to Pingyang City overnight! It must be a restraint and a tuoba, so that it can temporarily obtain security, accumulate to the enemy Jin people, and the Jin has been crowned the king of Yulu, but the emperor and Han are still obsessed with the system of not having a different surname and not a king, how can he move the heart of Yulu?

"All this, Ming Gong Mingsen, there is no need for his subordinates to say it explicitly, but he doesn't dare to think deeply. The minister has advice because of this, and if the Ming Duke does not blame, he will dare to submit. ”

Shi Le stared at Cheng Yao without blinking, and asked, "What does Qing say, but to put it clearly—I don't blame." ”

Cheng Ziyuan took a long breath and said, "Minister, why don't you want to be the king of the east?" Without waiting for Shi Le's reprimand, he said in one breath: "Today, Pingyang is weak, and he does not dare to break with the Ming Duke, even if the Ming Duke is the king, the court can only recognize it." In this way, the old system can be broken, and King Yong can act as the king, try to collect and expand, and the country may be able to turn the crisis into safety. ”

Shi Le waved his hand and said, "How can anyone obey the king?" ”

Zhang Jing took the opportunity to say: "Ming Gong has the potential to be the king today, if he doesn't do what he is the king, he is afraid of a catastrophe!" After attracting Shi Le's gaze, he said: "Today, the Ming Dynasty controls the three states, the tiger sits on the river, and defeats the Duan clan, and his prestige is like the sky. In contrast, Pingyang is embarrassed, and it has naturally become a weak lord and a strong minister. Since ancient times, An has been meritorious, and the leader can be protected?!

"Even if the Ming Duke cares about the kindness of Emperor Guangwen, and is not afraid of Han and Peng, and the generals under his command, who can bear to see the Ming Duke move from Chu to Huaiyin and move from Huaiyin to the bell room from Huaiyin?!" This is a metaphor for Han Xin's affairs - "And Li Zuoche and Kuaitong's generation, who were originally Han Xin's henchmen, can be a prince, and when Han Xin is killed, he is in a panic, although he has to protect his head, he will eventually sink into his subordinates." The ministers learned from the previous car, worried about the future, who is willing to serve Ming Gong again?!

"Ming Gong but the king, not from the cloud dream tour, but without worrying about Han Xin's end, and there is a seal of the nations, which can be passed on to descendants. Today, the people of Hebei and other states are mostly unwilling to go to the emperor and Han, and they cherish the old Jin, only the prince of Ming is in his place and is good at appeasing, so that he can really be my people. Duke Zhao, but a few counties of the seal, the people will worry about the court do not send a shepherd, impose harsh government, or will flee to Henan, by that time there will be no loyal and brave ministers in the Ming Duke, and there will be no people outside the heart, that is, millions, or scattered. With such a catastrophe, didn't Ming Gong have any foresight?! ”

His big set of words made Shi Le stunned for a moment. After all, Shi Le was illiterate and didn't read, and he relied on Zhang Bin and others to tell him about the classics, so what Zhang Jing said, he had to turn around in his head a few times and translate himself before he could fully understand. So he took advantage of the opportunity of Shi Le's stunned mind, and the civil and military officials "hula", knelt down a large area, and all begged him to call himself the king of Zhao.

Including Pei Xian, who was engaged in Zhonglang, Du Yan, who joined the army, Zhang Li, etc., as well as generals Hu Yanmo, Lu Ming, Wu Yu, Zhi Quliu, Shi Sheng, etc., all of them are what you say and I say, and they each supplement what Cheng Yao and Zhang Jing said. The former quoted scriptures, and the latter went straight to the point, making Shi Le have a head and two big ......

Shi Le was forced to look at Zhang Bin and asked him, "What does the Right Marquis say?" ”

Zhang Bin naturally did not approve of Shi Le's claim to be king, and he felt that it was not yet time to completely break with the Pingyang regime. Although Cheng Yao said that the Hu Han Dynasty would not dare to declare Shi Le a rebel because of the current situation, and most of them could only pinch their noses and posthumously admit it, but ...... The suspicion is getting deeper and deeper, and it is possible to cooperate with each other and rely on each other? However, seeing that more than half of Jin and Rong Wenwu knelt down to ask Shi Le to be king, he couldn't go against the tide completely, otherwise he was afraid that he would become the target of the public!

Besides, it is difficult to see what Shiler's intentions are, and if he disobeys Shiler's intentions, will he fall out of favor?

It's just that with Zhang Bin's temper and his long-standing position, it is not good to turn around immediately and kneel down with this group of short-sighted people, so when he heard Shi Le's inquiry, he couldn't help but smile slightly bitterly and said: "Even colleagues and others want to invite Ming Gong to ...... from the king."

In fact, he only needs to say four words - "can be discussed by the public", and he can solve the problem, but he is unwilling to immediately use today's me to defeat yesterday's me, resulting in a soft mouth, which gives others an opportunity to take advantage of. Cheng Yao, Zhang Jing and others all want to overthrow Zhang Bin for a long time, how can they allow him to climb the pole and use our momentum to brush up his prestige? Therefore, Zhang Jing immediately unceremoniously interrupted Zhang Bin's words and said:

"What the right marquis said is wrong, it is not us who implore Ming Gong to be the king, but because of the situation, Ming Gong can't help but be the king! The right marquis is loyal to Pingyang, but the imperial court is no longer confident, and the Ming Gong has a foundation, so we can only wait for the good to assist and plan by ourselves! ”

Zhang Bin retorted: "Who said I was loyal to Pingyang? ”

Cheng Yao also couldn't let him finish his words, and interjected: "We should be loyal to Zhao Gong, but Zhao Gong is the king or not the king with today's situation?" We think that we will be kings, and we will be kings, and the right marquis has always been leaning on the Ming Duke like a humerus, but why don't we think so? Without waiting for Zhang Bin to say anything, he immediately led everyone to bow their hands to Shile: "I also hope that Ming Gong will conform to the will of heaven and reluctantly obey the public!" ”

So he gossiped again, not giving Zhang Bin a chance to speak again. Even Shi Le was forced to take his eyes off Zhang Bin, looked around at everyone, and said with some hesitation: "This matter is very big, and you should consult the group all over the world." ”

Cheng Yao asked: "Does Duke Ming have no worries about going to the party and county dukes, and the two generals Kong and Gan?" ”

The so-called Shangdang County Duke is Shi Hu, and he, Kong Chang, and Xuan An are all entrusted with important responsibilities and guarding one side, and occupy a pivotal position in the Shile regime. Cheng Yao asked Shi Le if he was worried that he would be the king in Xiangguo, and if those people objected, there would be a rift between the monarch and the minister, and it would be inconvenient to transfer him in the future?

Zhang Jing took the opportunity to say: "Don't be Ming Gong before General Kong, the title of 'Supreme', do you remember Ming Gong?" Then his heart can be known without asking. As for the county prince of Shangdang, the Duke of Ming regards him as his own son, and General Yu and the Duke of Ming are the most close, and they all want the Duke of Ming to go further, so that the title and fame are not different, and there will be no objection. ”

Zhi Qu Liujiao stiffened his neck and shouted: "Don't hesitate anymore, the lord is the king, the heart of heaven is in line with the will of the people, how can the general obstruct it?" ”

Cheng Yao said: "The shape is forbidden, it has to be, even if one or two people still have different opinions, Ming Gong should also obey the public." These "one or two people" are naturally aimed at Zhang Bin.

Shi Le had no choice but to take a few shots: "Don't say more, this matter is very big, and let me think about it!" He turned around and went back to the inner room.

Zhang Bin and others begged outside, but Shi Le was nowhere to be seen. waited until the evening of the same day before summoning Zhang Bin into the room to discuss. Zhang Bin analyzed the current situation to Shi Le in detail, saying that it was really not appropriate to claim the title of king at this time, but then changed the tone and said: "However, if the Ming Gong does not allow it, it will lose their hearts." For today's plan, the lesser of two evils, Ming Gong should also promise yes. ”

After Shi Le summoned Cheng Yao again, Cheng Ziyuan discussed with Zhang Jing first, and after coming in, he didn't mention the matter of claiming the king, but asked: "Does Duke Ming know about Xun Wenruo's death?" Shi Le was stunned when he heard this, and said If Xun Wen is not Xun Yu? I heard that he is Cao Cao's henchman, which can be compared to Xiao Cheng, the prime minister of the Xinghan Dynasty, so how did he die?

Cheng Yao smiled: "Xun Wen was really killed by Wei Wu. Then he said that Dong Zhao and others asked the court to add Cao Cao Jiuxi that day, Xun Yu resolutely objected, and Cao Cao was angry, so he gave Xun Yu an "empty weapon" and forced him to commit suicide. Then he explained his intentions: "The minister knows that the right marquis does not want the right marquis to be called the king, and his intention may be the same as Xun Wenruo, but please remember the high work of the Ming duke, and must not be suspicious like Wei Wu, so that the right marquis is ......"

Pretending to help Zhang Bin ask Shi Le for forgiveness, asking Shi Le not to blame Zhang Bin too much, in fact, he deliberately compared Zhang Bin to Xun Yu, implying that Xun Wenruo's heart is towards Yan Han, this Zhang Mengsun, he is still loyal to the Pingyang regime!