After a short time, a man full of Confucian spirit walked into the main hall, he lowered his head slightly, did not look directly at the emperor with his eyes, his steps were calm but light, and he did not dare to make a little noise, for fear of disturbing the emperor.

Walking forward, he knelt down in front of Emperor Liu Xie of the Han Dynasty, and bowed respectfully, but he was neither humble nor arrogant: "Chen Xunyu pays a visit to Your Majesty." ”

As a powerless emperor, many ministers don't have much respect for Liu Xie, and the white-haired and pale Shangshu Ling, who is called "my son's room" by Cao Ying, is very courteous to his words and deeds, which is really rare.

Liu Xie felt relieved for a while, and he was busy getting up, raising his hand and saying, "If Wen Ruo is not polite, please get up quickly." ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xun Yu bowed again, then straightened up, and sat down under Liu Xie, his face and expression were still as calm as water.

Liu Xie glanced at the attendants on the left and right, and the attendants retreated one after another. Now the power inside and outside the DPRK is held by Cao Ying, and most of the courtiers in Xu Du are also Cao Ying's cronies, but fortunately, Cao Ying has not yet extended his hand to the palace, and the people around Liu Xie are basically his cronies.

There were no outsiders in the palace, and Liu Xie said: "Wen Ruo, I haven't asked about the court for a long time, I heard that not long ago, my imperial uncle Liu Xuande recommended himself as the pastor of Yizhou, I don't know if there is such a thing?" ”

Xun Yu said truthfully: "Back to Your Majesty, there is indeed such a thing, last year Liu Xuande led the troops like Shu, then Liu Jiyu was forced to give up Yizhou, so Liu Xuande won Yizhou." However, the prime minister has rejected his self-recommendation. ”

Liu Xie sighed and said: "If you say that this Uncle Liu Huang of mine is also a hero, he wants to support the Han family, and now that he has two states, he may be able to come to Xu Capital to meet me in the future." ”

Liu Xie's words have another meaning, he is actually saying that my imperial uncle is getting more and more powerful, and in the future, the army will go north, maybe he can fight back to the north and save me, the emperor, from the clutches of Cao Ying.

Of course, Xun Yu could hear the deep meaning of his words, but said: "Your Majesty, although Liu Xuande is Your Majesty's imperial uncle, this person is also a generation of heroes, Your Majesty should not expect too much from him." ”

Liu Xie was stunned, smiled reluctantly, and said: "Liu Xuande is a member of the Han family, if his heart is to the Han family, who else can he be." ”

Xun Yu said: "Liu Xuande's heart is for the Han family, but it may not be His Majesty." With Yu's understanding of him for so many years, this person is by no means a subordinate person, if His Majesty falls into the hands of this person, I am afraid that the situation may not be much better than now. ”

Xun Yu's answer was not too tactful, Liu Xie was shocked, was silent for a long time, and muttered: "Could it be that the world is so big, except for Wen Ruo, there is no longer a loyal person who really cares about the Han family and shares worries for me?" ”

Liu Xie's tone was sad, and his expression was painful.

Liu Xie's pain, Xun Yu felt as if he was empathetic, his old face couldn't help twitching slightly, and said: "Your Majesty, don't worry too much, the prime minister will drive from Luoyang, save Your Majesty from fire and water, and calm the entire north for Your Majesty, how can you not be a loyal person who is loyal to the Han family." ”

Liu Xie snorted coldly and said: "Prime Minister Cao Cheng is indeed interested in the Han family, so he will take all the power, and use it all his own cronies, he is probably afraid of overwork, so he will take the power inside and outside the court alone." ”

Liu Xie was obviously satirizing Cao Ying's so-called "loyalty", and these words sounded like a man's back to Xun Yu.

One is the emperor of the Han Dynasty, and the other is a person who has trusted him for more than ten years, and the pain and happiness of any of them affect his heart. Xun Yu felt like his body was being pulled by two horses, and the tragedy was that the two horses seemed destined to go in opposite directions, so no matter which one was forced, he would be in pain.

"Is this my fate?"

Xun Yu asked himself in his heart, but he couldn't get an answer.

He pondered for a long time, and had to say: "Your Majesty, there are some things that Prime Minister Cao Cheng can't help himself, and His Majesty still has confidence in him, and the minister believes that when the world is calm, Prime Minister He will definitely keep his oath to support the Han family and return the power of the world to His Majesty." ”

Obviously, Xun Yu still has illusions about Cao Ying.

Liu Xie didn't think so, he threw the few pieces on the case to Xun Yu, and said with a wry smile: "Wen Ruo, you persuaded me not to have hope for Xuande, so why do you believe that person's so-called oath." See for yourself. ”

Xun Yu paused, silently looking at the pieces of persuasion of the emperor to confer the title of the prince of the country for Cao Ying, the expression on his face changed, obviously, his heart was also struggling between hope and despair.

"As a retainer, I have given him everything he can have, but he is not satisfied. Wen Ruo, look at it, he still wants to force me to make him the Duke of Wei, and he has to add Jiuxi, and then, do you want me to crown him king? And then, is he not even letting go of the position of emperor! ”

Liu Xie was emotional, his words were a little intense, and he forgot for a moment that the Shang Shuling in front of him, although he was loyal to the Han family, but in the end the relationship with Cao Ying was extraordinary, and it was inappropriate to pour out the anger in his heart like this.

Or maybe Liu Xie knows that today's court is already the world of the Cao family, and who else can help him except Xun Yu. Therefore, he had no choice but to break the kettle, hoping to impress this upright old minister.

Liu Xie's fierce accusation stung Xun Yu's nerves, his brows gradually furrowed, his eyes diffused with a certain anger, and his fists became tighter and tighter, as if he was about to crush the music in his hand.

"Alas, that's it, if Heaven's will wants to exterminate my Han family, I have nothing to do. I know that if you are deeply gracious to him, he can give you everything you want, but I have nothing, and if you are indifferent, I understand. ”

Liu Xie played the emotional card, hoping to arouse the compassion of this old minister with self-pity.

Xun Yu was indeed moved, but it was not because of Liu Xie's angry and resentful performance, but the original principle hidden in his heart.

That principle, since he devoted himself to Cao Ying's command, has never changed, for many years, he has never forgotten that he exhausted his efforts to assist Cao Ying, just to find a strong man, a strong man who can protect the emperor and support the Han family.

Suddenly, he closed the dazzling piece in his hand, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, rest assured, the prime minister will definitely do his best to stop the prime minister's entry into the Duke of Wei, and the minister will never sit idly by and watch the prime minister make a mistake again." ”

Liu Xiechang breathed a sigh of relief, bowed his hand to Xun Yu, and said: "Whether the four-hundred-year-old society of the Han family can continue depends on Wen Ruo, and I am here to thank Wen Ruo for the loyalty of the ancestors of the Liu family." ”

The undercurrent of the northern country is surging, and the short-term tranquility of distant Yizhou will also be broken, perhaps in this troubled world, the longer the tranquility of those who enjoy, the more ugly the death will be.

This time, Fang Shao personally came to Zhuge Liang's mansion with a thick stack of bamboo paper. After months of continuous exploration and improvement, the craftsmen have become more and more transparent about the papermaking process, and the quality of this batch of paper made this time is better than that when Fang Shao dedicated it to Liu Bei before.

"Well, yes, yes, Zhongzheng, your bamboo paper is really a good thing, it is convenient and easy to use, much easier to use than bamboo slips and silk books, I think it can be boldly promoted and used in the government in the future, which should save a lot of money." Zhuge Liang touched the smooth bamboo paper and was full of praise.

Fang Shao was a little proud, and said: "The price of a roll of bamboo slips or a leaf of silk books is enough to make more than 20 pieces of bamboo paper, even if the price of the official camp is set at one-tenth of the simple silk, there is also a high return, and this transaction is sure to make a profit." ”

Zhuge Liang pointed at him and said with a smile: "You kid, I can't imagine that you are still very business-minded." A tenth is too cheap, in my opinion, a fifth of the price is enough. Your government-run workshop must be set up as soon as possible, the scale must be large, and the secret recipe of papermaking must be kept well, so that the things that make money cannot be easily exposed. ”

Fang Shao said: "Sir, don't worry, I have my own measure." ”

Zhuge Liang nodded with satisfaction, changed his words, and said: "You probably also know that Pang Xi of Pasir County has always refused to submit, and the lord has decided to send troops to conscript, and in a few days he will discuss who to send to lead the army, do you have any candidates?" ”

Brazil County is adjacent to Hanzhong, and if you don't take this place, you can't enter Hanzhong with all your might, and Liu Bei is now preparing to put the attack on Brazil on the agenda, obviously preparing for the next attack on Hanzhong.

However, Fang Shao had a different view.

This Pang Xi also belongs to the Dongzhou scholars, is the important minister of the Liu Yan era, when Liu Yan entered Shu is to get his full help, Liu Zhang came to power soon after the outbreak of the Zhao Spoon Rebellion, but also with the help of Pang Xi to calm down. After Zhang Lu invaded repeatedly, Liu Zhang took Pang Xi as the Brazilian Taishou to resist Zhang Lu's invasion.

It was only later that this person had a conflict with Liu Zhang, so he supported his own army, gradually broke away from the control of Chengdu, and became a great threat to Liu Zhang's regime.

It can be said that Pang Xinai was the strongest shareholder of the state scholar force during Liu Zhang's period. In the original history of Liu Bei's capture of Shu, Pang Xi had a heavy army behind Liu Bei, but he sat back and watched Liu Bei calmly attack Liu Zhang, and surrendered soon after Liu Bei captured Chengdu.

It's just that now that history has changed, Liu Bei has taken Yizhou lightly, but this Pang Xi has been repeatedly persuaded to surrender, which makes Fang Shao feel a little strange.

Fang Shao came to the conclusion that Liu Bei attacked Yizhou at the beginning, and the strong combat ability of Jingzhou soldiers made Pang Xi afraid of Liu Bei's military ability, and he thought that he was invincible, so he obediently surrendered. Now Liu Bei did not spend a single soldier to defraud Yizhou, although he was widely benevolent, but he did not show his military might, so he did not convince the number one general in Yizhou, who had supported the army for more than ten years.

"With the strength of our army, no matter who is sent to fight, it will be a matter of time before Pang Xi is defeated, but this person has been in possession of Brazil for more than ten years, and his troops are strong and strong, if he attacks strongly, even if he takes our side, there will be a lot of losses. Before Shao, before attacking Hanzhong, our army should try to avoid unnecessary losses. ”

A hint of strangeness flashed in Zhuge Liang's eyes, and he said with a smile: "Zhongzheng, listening to what you say, could it be that there is a strange strategy?" ”

Fang Shao smiled and said, "Qi Ce is not a good idea, but it may be called a plan to kill two birds with one stone." ”

Zhuge Liang was very interested, and said busily: "Don't sell it in front of me, sir, come and listen." ”

Fang Shao then said: "Sir should know that Pang Xi and Zhang Lu in the north have been fighting for many years, and the two sides are mortal enemies. However, the lord and Zhang Lu have never had a grudge, and they can barely be regarded as friends and foes. So, why didn't the lord repair a secret letter and agree with Zhang Lu to attack Pang Xi in the north and south and divide the county of Brazil. I expected that Zhang Lu was greedy for cheap, and he would inevitably fall for it. At that time, the lord only needs to pretend to send troops to support, and if Pang Xi can't take care of each other, he will definitely take the initiative to surrender to the lord. At that time, we can get Brazil without spending a single soldier, and then we can use Zhang Lu's invasion as an excuse to send troops to attack Hanzhong, wouldn't it be justified, this is a plan to kill two birds with one stone. ”

Zhuge Liang pondered for a long time, and suddenly a strange smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and said: "Zhongzheng, your trick is really insidious." ”

(To be continued)