Liu Xiu was skeptical about fortune-telling, but he was in a bad mood at the moment, and hearing Lu's comforting words was still in his ears. In fact, he was most concerned about the inheritance of the room technique, Wang Chu basically studied it by himself by looking at the book, but Tang Yingzi said that she was not a real room in the room, so she didn't count it at all, and Liu Xiu was a little worried about what he said.

It's just that the Lu family has just come back from Shuzhong, and he hasn't been able to catch his breath yet, so it's a little inappropriate to ask about the room in the room at this time, so I can only talk about it later. Liu Xiu pinched the arms of the Zhang Lu brothers, feeling that although the two brothers were not very old, they were in good health, and they should have been practicing traditional kung fu such as the guidance technique for many years.

The Bashu region is easy to defend and difficult to attack, rich in products, and there are two large granaries in Hanzhong and Chengdu, which occupy there, and can have half of the southwest of the country, and it should be enough for self-protection. From this point of view, the benefits of forming an alliance with the Heavenly Master Dao were far greater for him than for the Lu Clan. However, religious matters cannot be simply calculated by this algorithm, when viewed from both sides, most of the people who have started incidents with the help of religion have not ended well, because the ideal world in religion and the cruel real world are often difficult to coexist, and once the spiritual belief of the people is aroused, failure will follow.

The Son of Heaven intends to let Zang Min lead the army to the north, then he will be idle for a while, maybe he should make good use of it, and he can't be wasted in vain. Time is running out, although great efforts have been made, but the habitual surname of history is also amazingly large, and the signs of troubled times are becoming more and more obvious, and it is too stupid not to make some preparations in advance.

Liu Xiu warmly invited the Lu family to live in the Tai Chi Taoist Hall, which is close to the spiritual platform, and it is convenient to study astronomy or something. Lu Shi said, let's go to Bishan Jinglu, it is quieter and the air is good, which is very beneficial to self-cultivation and surname.

Liu Xiu felt that Lu's words were reasonable, so he no longer insisted, Wang Chu saw it, although he was a little reluctant, but it was not easy to stop him, so he had to pack his luggage for Liu Xiu, so that he could also rush to Jinglu in Pishan.

…… Yuan's mansion is very lively, the Yuan Kui brothers are sitting side by side in the hall, Chen Yu, Han Rong and others are all present, you are talking about what happened in the court today, and Liu Xiu's surprise after Yuan Kui recommended Zang Min is greatly exaggerated.

"Although Liu Xiu is a little clever, he is still vulnerable in front of Lord Situ, I look at the expression on his face at that time, it is like a mourning exam."

"That's not right, I don't think he has any expression on his face at all." A middle-aged scribe said in a pinched tone, and when he attracted enough attention, he laughed and clapped his hands and said, "He's stupid at all." ”

The crowd laughed.

Xun Shuang walked in with laughter, Chen Yu was the first to see him, he couldn't help but be a little surprised, he pulled Yuan Kui's sleeve, got up and smiled: "Ciming, why are you here now, come and sit." ”

Xun Shuang smiled and stepped forward to give Yuan Kui a salute, Yuan Kui hurriedly returned the salute and warmly invited Xun Shuang to take a seat. Chen Yu glanced behind him, "What about you from Sun Xunyu?" ”

"He's on duty in the palace, and he can't get out today." Xun Shuang explained lightly.

The corners of Yuan Kui's eyes twitched, a little unhappy. He felt that he had given the Xun family a lot of face, but Xun You, the young man, just didn't know how to lift up, because Yuan Shao treated him a little slowly when he was in northern Xinjiang, and he had always refused to accept the favor of the Yuan family, and would rather be a Huangmen squire in the palace than serve in Situ Mansion. He didn't care about Xun You, he didn't think that Xun You had anything special except that he was Xun Shu's descendant, what he cared about was Xun You's rejection of the Yuan family.

Among the people here, only Liu Xiu is like this, Xun You was obviously influenced by Liu Xiu and deliberately kept a distance from the Yuan family. Not only did he not accept the kindness of the Yuan family, but he rarely accepted even the rewards of the Yuan beauties in the palace.

"That's a shame." Yuan Feng and Yuan Kui are brothers, and he knows the thoughts of this younger brother best, so he hurriedly interrupted: "This is the young and handsome of the Han clan of Chengchuan, I have always wanted to get close to him, but I didn't expect it to fall short again this time." ”

Xun Shuang glanced at his fingers, and saw that the man was about thirty years old, with good facial features, dignified appearance, and a gentle and reserved taste unique to the children of the family, which was somewhat similar to Yuan Shao, but there was a little less heroism between his eyebrows and eyes.

The young man hurriedly came over and saluted: "Yingchuan Han Fu, Ziwen Festival, meet Mr. Ciming." ”

Xun Shuang returned the salute and talked a few words with Han Fu, only then did he know that this Han Fu had just been recruited by the Situ Mansion and was preparing to participate in the big exam in October this year. Although the results of the exams in the first two years disappointed many people, but now it is Yuan Kui who is Situ and returns to his hands with human rights, and he insists on continuing to take the big exam, probably because he wants to make some achievements, not only to give the Son of Heaven a little face, but also to take the opportunity to recruit talents from all over the world and strengthen the strength of the Yuan family.

Xun Shuang thought of Xun You's opinion on the big exam, and couldn't help but feel a little melancholy. Xun You went to Northern Xinjiang, the whole person seemed to have changed, he was no longer interested in Jingyi, he read some military books and territorial geography all day long, and he was afraid that he would not get any good results in this exam.

"Ciming, today in the court, we have won a great victory, and finally snatched the military power of the northern Xinjiang from the hands of Liu Xiu's erector." Chen Yu stroked his beard and said with a smile, he was more than twenty years younger than Xun Shuang's father Xun Shu, but he was more than twenty years older than Xun Shuang, and he had a very good relationship with their father and son.

"Then Liu Xiu thought that he could figure out the mind of the Son of Heaven, but he didn't know that the Son of Heaven was now unsustainable, and the Northern Xinjiang could only be resolved quickly, and he also said something about a ten-year plan, which is simply whimsical."

Everyone echoed and belittled Liu Xiu, Xun Shuang frowned, turned his head and asked Yuan Kui: "Is Ming Gong ready to let Zang Min take over and assassinate the state?" ”

Yuan Kui listened to the word "Ming Gong", his heart was very comfortable, and he nodded: "What is Ciming's opinion, please advise." ”

Xun Shuang shook his head and smiled modestly: "How dare I make a tongue in front of Ming Gong." However, Ben Chu had followed Liu Xiu to fight in the annex state, he knew more about the situation in the merger state, and it would take a few days for Zang Min to rush to Luoyang, why didn't Ming Gong ask Ben Chu's opinion? ”

Yuan Kui and Yuan Feng exchanged glances, and they both felt that it made sense. He then said with a smile: "Ciming reminds us that in fact, the barren state is indeed not enough to support the entire northern Xinjiang, and if you want to win this battle, whether Jizhou's support is effective is the key." ”

Xun Shuang nodded again and again, "Jizhou has a million household registrations, and the people of Jizhou are abundant, and it has always been the best choice to support Youzhou and Merge Prefecture." ”

"Of course, Jizhou alone is not enough." Yuan Kui glanced at Han Rong, Han Rong understood, and laughed softly: "The thirteen states of the Han Dynasty, except for the subordinates, Yanyu Qingxu has always been the foundation and the source of wealth. Northern Xinjiang is the northern frontier of the Han Dynasty, but it is not just the secluded and cool northern frontier, since this battle is going to be fought, these four states cannot be spectators. ”

Xun Shuang understood that this time Yuan Kui planned to use the advantages of the Yuan family's protégés and former officials all over the world to gather the national strength of the entire Han Dynasty to fight with the Xianbei people. He suddenly thought that such a good thing, Yuan Kui would give up his reputation to Zang Min?

Xun Shuang glanced at it, and saw that Brother Yuan Kui, Chen Yu, Han Rong and others were all looking at him with a smile, and the expectation in his eyes was self-evident. He quickly weighed it and smiled slightly: "Although Zang Min is good at using troops and pacifying the rebellion of Huiji, the terrain of Huiji and Northern Xinjiang is very different, and he can be like a bamboo in Huiji, but I am afraid that he may not be able to play Kai in Northern Xinjiang." ”

"Then who can recommend Ciming?" Yuan Feng put down his wine glass and asked in a calmest tone as much as possible.

"Naturally, it's Yuan Benchu." Xun Shuang laughed, "I am familiar with reading military books, he has always been the leader of young scholars, and he has fought bloody battles in Northern Xinjiang and has made many achievements, if he can lead the troops to the battle, he should have a few more chances of winning than Zang Min." ”

Yuan Feng hesitated: "At the beginning, he is also a suitable candidate, but he still lacks some experience in reading and leading troops......"

"Otherwise, experience is accumulated. The terrain of northern Xinjiang is open, when the cavalry is used to win, at the beginning of the Changshui battalion Sima, he has already won in the exercise, and then conquered the northern Xinjiang, and it is a succession of battles, and now as Zhongshan Taishou, the people of Zhongshan are fierce, if he does not have some ability, how can he govern Zhongshan smoothly? ”

Xun Shuang said several advantages of Yuan Shao in one breath, and Chen Yu and others added from the side, and it didn't take long for Yuan Shao to become the most suitable candidate. Yuan Kui's brothers are still modest, Xun Shuang said, Ming Gong should be like the sage Qi Huangyang to learn, for the country, there can not be too many taboos, Yuan Kui said excitedly, and said in a loud voice, Ciming really woke up the dreamer with a word.

Guests and hosts have fun.

After the banquet, the half-drunk Xun Shuang returned to the post house, and Xun You, who was reading in the room, heard the sound outside, and hurriedly came out to help Xun Shuang in. Xun Shuang seemed to be a little excited, and couldn't wait to tell him about the matter in Yuan's mansion. He rushed to Yuan's mansion today, just to get close to Yuan Kui and relieve the recent unfamiliar atmosphere, but he didn't expect Yuan Kui to give him a chance.

Of course, this opportunity was actually reminded by Xun You.

"Yuan Shao is on the expedition, can he win?" Xun Shuang blinked at Xun Yu with some red eyes, and without waiting for him to answer, he smiled again: "With the strong support of Situ Mansion and the participation of Yuan's protégés and former officials all over the world, the strength of this expedition will be the strongest in the past." ”

Xun You listened to him quietly, and said lightly, I want to go back to my hometown.

Xun Shuang was puzzled.

Xun You smiled and said, there are some things that I am not very sure, I want to go back and discuss it with Uncle Wen Ruo.

Xun Shuang looked at the military book spread out on the case, and tapped it lightly with his fingers: "You don't want to serve the Yuan family, and you don't want to tear your face with them, right?" ”

Xun You smiled silently.

Xun Shuang sighed, he knew that since Xun You did this, it was naturally because he was still not optimistic about the Yuan family and Yuan Shao, but he himself felt that no matter from which point of view, Yuan Shao was much stronger than Liu Xiu, how could the meager strength around Liu Xiu be comparable to Yuan Shao.

But since Xun You had made up his mind, he had no choice but to let him go.

…… Xun You carried a simple bag and stepped into Liu Xiu's room. The outline of the green mountains has been revealed, a small building is hidden in the thick shade, and a few green bamboos are swaying in the wind by the stream at the foot of the mountain.

"Good landscape." Xun You praised.

"Gongda, why don't you become an official and want to go home?" Liu Xiu continued to paint while asking people to serve tea to Xun You. The Han people generally used to serve their guests with wine, but he has now switched to tea.

"My lord, this tea is good, and you can see the spirit in the light place." Xun You took a sip of tea and praised it, "Drinking it can make people more quiet, and it is a few points better than intoxicating wine." ”

Liu Xiu was stunned for a moment, the pen in his hand hesitated for a moment, a drop of green on the pen melted on the paper, Tang Yingzi was anxious, stared at Xun You and shouted: "Don't you speak, affect the big brother to paint, look, the painting is broken." ”

Xun You didn't speak, just met Liu Xiu's gaze and nodded slightly. Liu Xiu smiled, and grabbed Tang Yingzi, who was about to drive Xun You out, "Yingzi, it's okay, just draw a new one later." ”

Tang Yingzi saw that Liu Xiu was protecting Xun You, but he didn't dare to be presumptuous, so he had to mumble two sentences indignantly. Xun You walked over with a teacup, looked at the unfinished painting, and suddenly said, "My lord, why don't you give me this painting." ”

Liu Xiu smiled, picked up the pen and dipped the paint in the color palette, and said to Tang Yingzi: "Yingzi, you go down and ask Aunt Luo to prepare some food and bring it over." ”

Tang Yingzi glared at Xun You angrily, twisted his body, and went out angrily.

"This kid speaks with an accent from the Central Plains, why is he called a Xianbei person?" Xun You watched Tang Yingzi leave with great interest, and then suddenly said. Liu Xiu shook his head, he didn't know why, Tang Yingzi had always called him the eldest brother, but instead of calling him the eldest brother like other Han people, it was a bit similar to Fengxue, he also suspected that Tang Yingzi was a Xianbei person, but Tang Tang Yingzi himself couldn't tell where his hometown was, and Zhang Jiao, the only one who knew the inside story, had never been able to meet him now.

"Do adults know about Zang Min?" Xun You looked at the painting and asked softly.

"I just heard from the Tai Lieutenant that it is said that a few years ago, the rebellion of the Hui Hui Ji Xu Sheng was quelled, and the use of troops was quite orderly." Liu Xiu said while depicting the texture of the green mountain.

"Yes, but he only makes good use of foot soldiers, and there are many mountains and forests in the area of Huiji and Danyang, and the waterways are vertical and horizontal, which is very different from the situation in Saibei. He can fight in Huiji, but he may not be suitable to fight in Saibei. ”

"I know this, but Your Majesty doesn't know." Liu Xiu smiled bitterly: "He just wants to cut through the mess quickly and defeat Tanshi Huai in one fell swoop." Whoever can guarantee this, he will listen to whomever he wants, and he will not listen to my plan at all. ”

"He'll listen." Xun You raised his glass, "Just like this tea, the fragrance always comes after bitterness." ”

"It's a pity, that's the surname of countless people, it's not just bitter." Liu Xiu suddenly became a little irritable, his hand shook, and a mountain ridge deformed. He threw down his pen, spit out two mouthfuls, and said to Xun You embarrassedly: "It's really rude." I've been a little upset lately, and I can't calm down. ”

Xun You had been looking at him quietly, and when he saw him apologize, he smiled: "It's no wonder that adults, even the tigers who are the best at hunting, sometimes miss." Quiet as a virgin, moving like a rabbit, but not anyone can do it, many people think that they are smart, think that they are strategizing, decisive victory thousands of miles away, in fact, he has neither the wisdom of people, but also the wisdom of self-knowledge, even if a moment of success, it is impossible to win a hundred battles. ”

Liu Xiu blinked, smiled slightly, stopped talking, moved his pen like the wind, and quickly finished the painting, and the two flaws were also transformed into magic by him for other purposes, the cyan dots were hidden in a moss green, and the weak mountain ridge became the corner of the hermit on the stone.

"The adult's drawing is really wonderful." Xun You praised it with satisfaction, and talked to Liu Xiu for a while. Hao Zhao sent some snacks, Xun You ate some, and when the painting was dry, he rolled it up and put it in his bag, and swept it away.

Liu Xiu stood alone by the window, looking at the prosperous Luoyang City in the distance, and was silent for a long time.

Tang Yingzi jumped in, looked at the empty bookcase, and shouted dissatisfiedly: "Big brother, when will you draw my house." ”

"Now." Liu Xiu turned his head, and a smile appeared on his face that he hadn't seen for a long time: "Bo Dao, lay the paper and study the ink, and I will draw it immediately." ”

…… The Son of Heaven watched the landscapes painted by Liu Xiuxin, looking at them one by one, standing for a long time for each one, and then praising a few words, the interest was very high, and it was mixed with some envy and unwillingness.

"If I could be as idle as you, I could paint such a good landscape." The Son of Heaven said.

Liu Xiuqiang couldn't help but smile: "What Your Majesty said is very true. Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, rich in the world, and orders are all over the world, and the noble people are out of reach, and naturally there are also high places that are not cold and suffering. ”

"It's cold in the heights?" The Son of Heaven tasted it for a moment, and sighed with the same feeling: "No, otherwise how can I be called a lonely widow, I am not a lonely person." ”

"Your Majesty has the queen mother, two sons, queens, nobles, and countless beauties, how can you be alone." Liu Xiu hurriedly persuaded, "In addition, there are many courtiers in the palace who are good at calligraphy and painting, and the secretary of the Lantai collection is also a minister who dare not think about it, isn't it enough for recreation?" ”

"Although there are many secretaries in Lantai, but where do I have time to see, the daily government is just that, if it is not all those thorny problems, maybe it can make people happy, but now, it is either a natural disaster or [***], nothing makes people happy. It's August again, and the thought of the end of the year makes my brain hurt. As for the palace, not to mention, there is no one who is worry-free, how can it be like you, the eldest princess takes care of the housework for you, Wang Chu, who is no less smart than a man, assists from the side, and there is a beautiful bearded girl who warms the quilt for you......"

When the Son of Heaven said this, he squinted at Liu Xiu: "I really haven't seen the golden-haired woman, why don't you let me see it for your own use?" ”

Liu Xiu shrugged: "Your Majesty, as the Son of Heaven, is he still interested in a barbarian?" ”

The Son of Heaven couldn't help laughing, and shook Liu Xiu with his sleeve: "Don't worry, I'm not in the mood to rob you of women." You can afford to sprinkle, but I can't afford to lose that man. ”

Liu Xiu rubbed his nose embarrassedly, and laughed dryly.

"That...... If you like Secretary Lantai, don't delay it any longer, I'll teach Yuan Meiren from tomorrow, Secretary Lantai is in charge of her, I have already issued an edict, Secretary Lantai is at your disposal, as long as you don't take it out of the palace. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"There's one more thing I'd like to ask you again." The Son of Heaven put away his smile and said solemnly: "If you give me a heart-wrenching word, is it possible to defeat the Xianbei people in a battle?" He raised his hand and signaled Liu Xiu not to speak in a hurry: "If I can prepare two billion military expenses for you." ”

Liu Xiu frowned, carefully considered for a while under the somewhat urgent gaze of the Son of Heaven, and finally shook his head: "Your Majesty, your ...... There is no certainty that the Xianbei people will be defeated within a year. Xianbei people control nearly 200,000 strings, but they are not Dongqiang ......"

The Son of Heaven waved his hand, interrupted Liu Xiu's explanation, and didn't say another word, but the disappointment in his eyes couldn't be concealed. Liu Xiu wanted to comfort him, but he knew that now except for agreeing to go on the expedition, the Son of Heaven would not listen to anything, so he had to accompany the Son of Heaven to be silent and suffer in an embarrassing atmosphere.

"You go to Lantai." The Son of Heaven waved his sleeves, signaled Liu Xiu to retreat, and watched Liu Xiu disappear outside the palace gate, then turned to Zhang Rang and said, "Xuan Zangmin enters the hall." ”

"Yui." Zhang Rang answered, turned around and went out. The Son of Heaven reluctantly glanced at the green landscape hanging on the wall, and sighed faintly. After a short time, a middle-aged man of medium stature walked in hurriedly, untied his sword at the entrance of the hall, took off his shoes, knelt a few steps, made a big salute, and said in a slightly nervous voice: "Yangzhou Assassin Shi Chenmin pays a visit to Your Majesty." ”

The Son of Heaven didn't turn his head, but just turned his head to look at the figure kneeling on the ground, and nodded: "You come here." ”

"Whew...... Only! Zang Min's face turned red, he bowed his waist, and walked to the Son of Heaven with arched hands and stood in three steps. Seeing that he was nervous like this, the Son of Heaven couldn't help laughing: "Zang Qing, am I a poisonous snake and beast, can I make you, a fierce general who crisscrosses the battlefield, so nervous?" ”

Seeing that the Son of Heaven spoke calmly, Zang Min also joked with him, his nervous mood relaxed slightly, he pulled the corners of his mouth, and said with a forced smile: "Your Majesty's benevolence is given to the world, and grace is given to all people, how can it be a poisonous snake and beast." It's just that His Majesty is the son of heaven, and the power of heaven is on his own, and he is not an ordinary person who can do it, so he trembles. ”

The Son of Heaven laughed, waved his hand, pointed to the paintings, and said, "You come and take a good look, this is the place where you are about to go to battle." I hope that you will be as brave and invincible as you are in Huiji, drive the Xianbei people out of Yinshan, and let Tanshi Huai pay tribute to me, wagging his tail and begging for mercy. How, are you confident that you can do it? ”

Zang Min hesitated for a moment and bent down again: "Your Majesty, your Majesty is blessed by heaven, and I am willing to serve Your Majesty." However, before the minister understood the situation in northern Xinjiang, the minister did not dare to make assertions to deceive His Majesty. Please ask Your Majesty to understand the situation and formulate a strategy, and then ask Your Majesty to learn clearly. ”

The Son of Heaven raised his eyebrows and nodded approvingly: "Zang Qing doesn't speak out in vain, and I am very relieved." ”

......—————— Lao Zhuang raised his eyebrows and shook his head sadly: "You don't vote, I'm very anxious, I don't have the energy, how can I add more." ”

(To be continued)