PS: It's late, sorry, there's another chapter in the evening

Zigong and his entourage have indeed arrived in Cao State, compared to the time, there are many more fresh faces in his small convoy, but there are no Fan Li and Wen Chong.

When he arrived in Yingdu, it was the end of February, and he took Ji Ran's handwritten letter to Wen Chong's house to look for it, but learned that he was too late. It turned out that at this time, it coincided with the breaking of Wu by the Gou of the Yue Kingdom, and Xiong Zhen, the king of Chu, was greatly boosted and decided to send an envoy to the Yue Kingdom to make a good marriage. After camping in Yingdu for a long time, Wen Chong finally took a relationship and became a deputy envoy, and his friend Fan Li also followed as a translator because he understood the Yue language.

When Zigong went to visit, they had already left Yingdu for half a month, went south along the Han River, went to the east of the river by boat, and arrived at a distance of several days.

Unable to invite Fan and Wen, Zigong was disappointed and helpless, so he could only leave gifts at Wenchong's house and leave. He didn't want to return empty-handed after he pounced, so he looked for some unambitious people from the Chu State in Yan, Ying and other places.

Among them, Zigong is most optimistic about the Yandi Qingxia named Shi Qi, who is proud, brave, not afraid of death, and has a desire to do great things in his eyes. Zigong got acquainted with him in the Yandi wine shop, and after talking, he felt that this was a usable talent similar to Tian Ben, so he lured him to go north to join Zhao and conspire with him.

Shi Qi is neither a prince nor a prince or a close clan, there is no channel for officials to be knighted in Chu State, and he is ambitious, so he has long been a little dissatisfied, so he agreed to Zigong, and this person is also bold. The next day, he scattered all his wealth and left with Zigong.

He even divorced his wife, who had just been married, and asked her to go home and remarry. This approach really surprised Zigong......

Shi Qi explained: "If I go to the north, I still can't reuse it, and I work hard to fight food. Seeing the humiliation of the gangsters, she waited for me here in vain, rather than treating her to be lonely and fornicating with others, it is better to break off the relationship early. ”

"What if you get reused?" Zi Gongxiao asked with interest.

Shi Qi raised his head: "If I can get the position of Wuding Doctor, I will naturally marry Shiqing's daughter as my wife, with my temperament, I will definitely dislike her as a country woman in Chudi, rather than the more I look at it, the more tired I am, it is better to take a break early!" ”

Zigong nodded. I feel even more that this person is calm and ruthless, capable of doing big things, just in the matter of divorce from his wife, he is much better than his "gentleman Confucian" brothers who left Lu and traveled for more than ten years, but did not prepare a way for his family to make a living, and asked his wife to stay at home and be widowed!

After arriving at Shangqiu and meeting Ji Ran, who was waiting here, Ji Ran saw Shi Qi and whispered to Zigong: "Zigong." You've found an outlaw for General Zhao......"

Zigong said with a smile: "However, it is a good piece of iron that can be used on the blade of the sword, and the luck of entering Chu this time is good, although I failed to bring Fan Li and Wen Chong back." If you can get Mr. Ji and Shi Qi to be literate and martial, it is not a loss. ”

They stayed in Shangqiu for a few days and left before the Song army could be marched. Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the territory of Cao State, he met Cao Bo and convulsed with Gongsun Jiang. declared war on Song......

……

The city of Taoqiu is not what it used to be, and five acropolises have risen on the outskirts. The walls are tall and heavy, and they surround the clay mound like a valve that protects the heart. Now it seems that Gongsun Jiang and Cao Bo built these five small cities, not only to divert the growing population in Taoqiu, but also to turn Tao, a commercial capital, into a military fortress that is easy to defend and difficult to attack!

Further outside the five cities with many guards, a remote inner and outer area, Duanmu Ci and Ji Ran and their party stayed here. The crowd chatted without saying a word, and looked out onto the wide road; The stone beggar, who had shaved his beard clean, was silent, and only kept sharpening his short sword with his belt; Only Ji Ran was the calmest, and he lay leisurely on the couch of the carriage, flipping through the books copied from the Song State Guardhouse with relish.

"It's back, Mr. Duanmu is back." Someone shouted, Ji Ran glanced at it, but saw Zigong returning from the car, he was holding on to the car with one hand, and his face was a little solemn.

"It's true, Uncle Cao has betrayed Zhao and declared war on the Zhao clan's ally, the Song State." After getting out of the car, Zigong announced to Ji Ran and Shi Qi.

Shi Qi paused, and then sharpened his sword faster, and Ji Ran put away the book, and sneered: "Ignoring the life and death of the people of Cao State, and not analyzing the surrounding situation well, it is really a joke that the fate of a country is handed over to such a person, it is really sad." Zigong went to Taoqiu, but what else did he gain? ”

Zigong sighed, seeing the familiar Cao State become like this, he was depressed in his heart: "I haven't even been able to enter the city, Gongsun Jiang is trusted by Uncle Cao and has mastered the military power, and now Taoqiu and the armament of the five acropolises are all under his orders." When he saw me knocking on the door and asking to see me, he directly refused to open the door, saying that Uncle Cao didn't want to see me again, and ordered me to leave Cao Jing within three days, otherwise he wouldn't miss the old feelings and would use my head to sacrifice the flag! ”

He couldn't laugh at this, this capital can become as prosperous as it is today, and he also has a share of the credit from Duanmu. Zigong stayed in Taoqiu for three years, and he knew Cao Guo very well, not only in the name of "Tao Zhu", but also with all walks of life in Cao State, the world's merchants and nobles.

However, Gongsun Jiang only came to prominence after he left Cao State, and Zigong ran around for Zhao Wuxian in the past few years, and he didn't pay much attention to what happened in Taoqiu. Who would have thought that Gongsun Jiang, who was born as a mere hunter, would be bold enough to encourage Cao Boyang to play such a play?

"Since I can't see Uncle Cao to convince him, there is only one way for the Song army and the Zhao army to join forces to attack Cao, but it's a pity that all the people in Taoqiu will suffer this unwarranted disaster because of the madness of the monarch."

He sighed there, but Ji Ran laughed beside him, laughing very happily.

Zigong frowned: "Why is Mr. laughing?" ”

Ji Ran stroked his beard and said: "Zigong is too different from the person I have heard of, I heard that Tao Zhu Shang is rich and famous, and he is righteous and thin, and if he lives in an alley, he will be rich in an alley, and if he lives in a city, he will be rich in a city, and if he lives in a country, he will be rich in a country. ”

Zigong's face turned red: "That time, this time." ”

"Otherwise, since you are so powerful, isn't there any way to enter Taoqiu?"

After being taught a lesson by Ji Ran, Zigong was a little ashamed, raised his head and said: "Of course there is a way, Cao Bo's control over the lower levels is actually very lax. I have many friends in the city, whether they are doctors, scholars, soaps, public opinions, subordinates, bureaucrats, servants, and Taiwanese. Many of them have been blessed by me, or owed me money, or have been rescued by me, so that I can find more than a dozen ways to enter the city, which are not only safe and secure, but also safe and undetectable to anyone. ”

"That's not it."

Zigong made another mistake: "But even if you go in, it's in vain, Gongsun Jiang has mastered the military power, Cao Bo leaves the palace, I can't enter, I can't persuade him, what's the use of just relying on these dozens of people to go in?" “

Ji Ran disagreed, he said: "Zigong, your words are inconsistent, do you want to ensure the continuation of Cao Shuzhen's family and surname, or do you want the war to stop in front of Taoqiu and ensure the safety of tens of thousands of Li Shu merchants in the city?" ”

Zigong said: "Naturally, it is the latter, but if you want to protect its people, you have to persuade its monarch to let go of his delusions and stop using force with the Song State and the Zhao family, isn't it?" ”

Ji Ran nodded, and shook his head again, he knew that pedestrians like Zigong were common to pedestrians, they took the upper route, and their eyes were only focused on the monarch, rulers, and clans of a state that could be won over, but they ignored more important things.

This son is a material that can be made, but it's a pity that he has been engaged in the work of a pedestrian for too long, and the concept of making friends with the superior cannot be reversed.

It's time to wake him up......

Ji Ran suddenly sneered: "If you persuade the monarch, can you save a country from peril?" It's like treating a disease but not the lungs, but only the skin. ”

"Let me ask you, how many mad monarchs have been persuaded since ancient times? Hou Yi is addicted to hunting, no one advises? Xia Wei is brutal and absurd, no one persuades him? Is there no one to persuade you to rejoice in the business? King Zhou Li is greedy and rude, and no one persuades him? King Zhou You's lustful waste, no one persuaded him? Wei Yigong played the crane and lost the country, no one persuaded him? Cao Gonggong is rude and rude, is no one persuading? Jin Linggong is stubborn and doesn't change, no one persuades him? Chen Linggong is filthy and unruly, and no one persuades the court? King Chu Ling's eyes are low, and King Chu Ping is perverse, is there no one to persuade him? What happened to these faint kings? If you die and the country is broken, you have to affect the people in the end! ”

Ji Ran's voice became louder and louder, and finally he almost roared, as if with the disappointment and anger of being familiar with the history books. These words stunned everyone, so that Shi Qi stopped sharpening his sword and listened quietly, so that Zigong was silent like a stick.

As an envoy of the pedestrians, of course, he had to make friends with powerful people from other countries, please the king, know their hobbies, and then do what he liked, and induce them to join him. But now Ji Ran has belittled the object of Zigong's camp to the point of uselessness, and he wants to show a new path in front of Zigong.

A road full of thorns, but also a road full of flowers!

Zigong bowed to Ji Ran: "The kid is taught, please talk about it!" ”

Ji Ran said earnestly: "Zigong, your eyes shouldn't just be staring at the high-ranking but vulgar meat eaters......

With a wave of his hand, he pointed to the dust that was everywhere but together formed a solid earth. "You must also see the billions of people who have surrendered to their authority! Did your master say that the boat and the water were summarized and streamlined by General Zhao, do you remember? ”

"The master said, "The king, the boat, the man, the water." The water will carry the boat, and the water will overturn the boat...... And the lord said, water can carry a boat, and it can also capsize a boat! Zigong realized.

Ji Ran knew that Zigong had already understood, he patted the young man on the shoulder, and whispered in his ear: "Use your connections in the city to sneak into Taoqiu, Cao Bo and Gongsun Jiang will go crazy and kill themselves, but the hundred businessmen and merchants under the influence of the utilitarian interests of goods may not be willing to accompany them to perish." These people seem to be weak trickles on weekdays, and they are slaughtered by others, but they can be angry, but they are also monstrous waves that can overturn the giant boat! (To be continued.) )