Chamber.

Outside was still bustling and bustling, and people were wandering among the lights and drunken gold fans that Xu Ji had prepared for them. I didn't know that there were a few fewer people in that hall, and I didn't know that the prologue for hegemony was going to be staged in this secret room.

The representatives of all parties, except for Li Dao Guo Yan's people and Lu Bu's envoy Song Xian, did not come, and they were all here. There is a round table in the middle, on which are placed all kinds of Yanzhou dim sum, without entering the mouth, the color and fragrance will make people feel appetizing, not to mention the world-famous Yanzhou wine on the table.

But no one touched these things, after all, everyone didn't come here to eat.

Xu Ji and Xun Yu sat peacefully in the position of the director, watching the envoys sent by the other princes find their positions one after another, and then sat there in a precarious position, thinking in their hearts how they could get the maximum benefit from these treacherous characters.

So it became a situation where everyone sat down but no one spoke.

However, Xu Ji and Xun Yu did not rush to the point, but chatted and laughed with everyone, frequently persuaded everyone to drink, and persuaded everyone to eat something.

This is the knowledge of negotiation, first consume the patience of the other party's neutral and anxious person, and increase the curiosity of those who like to think, so that the negotiation will be smoother.

The crowd absentmindedly moved the cups and spoons, and then the matter was settled. In the end, Zhang Song, who had just suffered a big loss from Xun Yu, couldn't help it, and said angrily to Xu Ji: "Lord Sikong, what you call something beneficial to all of us doesn't mean inviting us to have a snack and chat, right?" ”

Xu Ji and Xun Yu glanced at each other, knowing that the time had come, and the former said leisurely: "Mr. Yongnian, please sit down." The night was long. Just like a boring life, just eating is of course a boring thing. And since I invite you here today, of course, I will not talk about such a prosaic matter. He said. Raising the wine glass that he had been playing with in his hand, he said aloud to everyone, "Come." Everyone toasted this first, and then for the sake of the face of this glass of wine, you can have the patience to listen to what I am going to say today. Perhaps, everyone will feel that this trip to Chang'an is worthwhile. ”

Everyone looked at each other, and then toasted in unison. Each drank a glass of Chinese wine with a ghostly heart. Xu Ji saw that everyone responded one after another, and even Zhang Song, who was so unruly and unruly as the opponent of himself, bought his own account, and was very satisfied, put down the wine glass in his hand, and said in high spirits: "This time, the envoys who gathered important ministers from all walks of life gathered in Chang'an. Of course, it is the idea of the saint, and it is my heartfelt expectation. One strongly advocates things, after all, the Holy Lord is pro-government, and my Han wants to have a new atmosphere, but everyone must wonder why the Holy Lord made this decision as soon as he returned to Chang'an. ”

Everyone nodded, this matter was indeed strange, but no one doubted Xu Jidi's words. The reason why these people were appointed as emissaries. Of course, it is because they have a strong political sensitivity. Therefore, as soon as these talents arrived in Chang'an, they immediately observed the shape, so they were very clear about the distribution of power in Chang'an.

It can be said that the current shape of Chang'an City is indeed delicate.

Liu Xie summoned the princes to Chang'an. Of course, there is the implication of uniting foreign princes to contain Xu Ji, after all, Xu Ji almost controls the military power of Chang'an, and the only one who is not controlled by Xu Ji is the eighth lieutenant of Xiyuan. Of course, there is also a Zhang Xiu, whose attitude has always been difficult to understand. But the eighth lieutenant of the West Park is unreliable. Xu Ji himself was born in the West Garden, and was once the second most powerful person in the West Garden, although the West Garden is very different from that time. But Xu Ji's identity will not change, and this identity is enough to win a lot of help for Xu Ji that would not have been possible. But even so, Xu Ji's distress is not small. That is, the current team of ministers in the Chang'an Dynasty is not a henchman created by him, and for a period of time, there are many things that Xu Ji cannot do as he wants.

Of course, Xu Ji can use the military power in his hands to kill, but these people who know Xu Ji's character well know that Xu Ji will never do this.

As everyone knows, Xu Ji attaches great importance to prestige, and that is not Xu Ji's unprincipled reputation to Yuan Shao. It's because Xu Ji sees prestige as a weapon to suppress others and strengthen himself.

Not to mention the fact that the establishment of the new "Five Virtues and the Beginning of the Theory" won Xu Ji the status of an academic master, and in turn suppressed the Yanzhou family, since he and Liu Yu raised the banner of supporting Liu Xie, Xu Ji regarded himself as a supporter of the Han Dynasty, and always carried out public opinion offensives in this regard before attacking his enemies, and only after shaking the morale of the other party's army. It is this method to deal with Yuan Shao and Shu, and of course it is also this method to take away Youzhou from Liu He's hands.

Although it was rumored some time ago that Guo Jia and Xu Ji were at odds, people like Cao Cao who knew the details well and got great benefits knew that this was just a smoke bomb released by Xu Ji. Now it seems that Guo Jia was sent to Bingzhou, Zhang Zhao's Xuzhou assassination history is as stable as Mount Tai, Yu Fu not only continued to train the Xuzhou army, but also designed this mansion for Xu Ji, so in the final analysis, the biggest beneficiary of Xuzhou is still Xu Ji, no one will forget that the beginning of the Yanzhou army's use of troops in Xuzhou is the emperor of Xiapi.

It can be said that Xu Ji's strongest point is to use the imperial order to fight others, and this is precisely where Xu Ji's weakest place is now: Xu Ji cherishes his reputation, and because the ministers of Chang'an have not yet been convinced of him and become his henchmen, he has adopted a soft policy towards Liu Xie, and on the surface he is very deferential to Liu Xie, but he is even more blind to Liu Xie's behavior, and more often he is fighting a war of words. And Xu Ji's own identity is also a trouble, which is also what Xu Ji was worried about at the beginning, once he is in a high position, once he has an authoritarian tendency, his identity as a colt will become his biggest burden and stumbling block.

In response to this situation, Xu Ji took the risk of transferring Xun Yu from Yanzhou to Chang'an, to be honest, Xu Ji was actually reluctant to Xun Yu to come to Chang'an, he was afraid that history would repeat itself, he might not be as decisive as Cao Cao, after all, Xun Yu was his best friend, and he had done his best for him in the past few years. And the reason why Xun Yu was transferred is precisely because Xun Yu is the most powerful master of verbal warfare under Xu Ji.

Of course, Liu Xie also saw that Xu Ji did not dare to act excessively towards himself in order to maintain his prestige, so he had the intention and action to show goodwill to other forces.

It is precisely for this reason that these envoys have various actions in Chang'an. The appearance of Ma Teng's precious daughter in Xu Ji's mansion tonight was just the most obvious of these schemes. It is conceivable that these envoys representing the wishes of the princes did not know how many of their deeds were directed at him. It can even be said to be blatant. Because they were sure of Xu Ji's temper, they knew that Xu Ji would not do anything to them at the moment. At least in Akari can't do anything about them.

In the eyes of those of them who don't know that Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu belong to Xu Ji's forces, the struggle in Chang'an is in the ascendant, although Xu Ji can be regarded as a power-leaning government and opposition. But after all, the heel is not stable. Xu Ji should go all out to deal with the internal enemy. Therefore, in their hearts, they always thought that Xu Ji was right to have a fierce opposition to the matter of the princes' envoys entering Chang'an to meet Liu Xie.

After all, Liu Xie's attempt to consolidate his power in Chang'an City can be seen at a glance by these old foxes from outside, let alone Xu Ji?

Who knew that the news they got was that they wanted the envoys of the princes to enter Chang'an, and it was Xu Ji who took the initiative to propose it. This makes them incomprehensible, which is simply setting up an enemy for themselves. What kind of "imperial examination system", although it is consistent with Xu Ji's consistent strategy of attacking the big clans, but in the final analysis, it is still for the imperial power, is Xu Ji really loyal to Liu Xie?

And this is obviously not possible. I'm afraid that there are no smart people in the world who think that Xu Ji is a person who is truly loyal to Liu Xie, so the only explanation is that Xu Ji has other intentions at all.

However, as far as the immediate situation is concerned, the matter of summoning the envoys of the princes into Chang'an has not seen its benefits, and it has seen its harms first. But Xu Ji still did this, which proved that there was a greater interest tempting Xu Ji.

But what are the benefits? Judging from Xu Ji's current strength, the biggest temptation is only the world, right?

Could it be that he called these envoys to Chang'an because he wanted to take advantage of his tongue to let the soldiers of the various princes unload their armor and return to the field, and let the princes surrender to Chang'an without a fight to pay allegiance to him Xu Ji? I'm afraid it's a dream, right? I believe that Xu Ji will not be so naïve.

Listening to Xu Ji's words just now, it seems that he is talking about mutually beneficial things with everyone.

The people here are not stupid, if Xu Ji talks about something, there is something that harms their interests. How could they agree? Therefore, they were very curious about what Xu Ji was going to talk about with them.

Xu Ji looked at the curious faces of these people and knew that he had whetted his appetite. Immediately said with seven emotions and six desires: "Before I talk about this reason, Xu Ji has something in his heart that he is not happy to vomit. There was a pause. With a look of remembrance on his face, he said: "When I entered Luoyang before, I was fortunate to meet the first emperor, and the first emperor once said to me and Mr. Wang Yue. He hoped that his youngest son, who is now the Holy One, would be able to live happily and happily, and that no one would hurt him. This phrase has always been ringing in my ears. Lingering. ”

Everyone was silent, and everyone knew about Xu Ji's entry into Luoyang back then. It was also attracted by Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, Empress Dowager He, He Jin and other forces, and then, a big battle with Wang Yue and the god of war Lu Bu in the suburbs of Luoyang was even more well-known. Of course, it was Chen Zhi who actually fought, but only Lu Bu, Wang Yue and Chen Zhi knew about this matter. From this point of view, if Xu Ji is hypocritical to Liu Xiequan, it is naturally unreasonable. A trace of pain flashed in Xu Ji's eyes and said: "Back then, Mr. Wang Yue fought and died, seeking benevolence, and I was the only one left to fight alone, and it turned out that there was Lord Liu Yu, but he died in the hands of Gongsun Zhan." Over the years, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Que Xuan and others have been attacked in order to fulfill the promises made to the first emperor. In the final analysis, the imperial examination system proposed some time ago is also to carry forward the Hongdu Gate of the first emperor, and some people have criticized me for taking the saint out of Chang'an. But I don't know that this is my promise to the first emperor, otherwise why would I take the risk myself?" Xu Jidi's words were half-truths and half-truths, and these people's faces showed emotion, but only they knew how much they believed in their hearts.

Xu Ji looked at the faces of these people, sneered in his heart, and said solemnly: "You have to understand one thing, I am not here to invite people to buy people's hearts. It's not a show of merit, as for how the saint views my behavior, it's even more insignificant, the crux of the problem is that we are all courtiers of the Han Dynasty, and we must always be anxious to share the worries of my Han and the Son of Heaven. Xu Ji moved Liu Xie out again, and everyone had something to say, so they nodded their heads in response, after all, the surface article still has to be done.

Xu Ji saw everyone's statements, and then said after shouting "good": "Although my Han Dynasty was in turmoil some time ago, with the death of Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Liu Yan and others, my Han has gradually entered a period of peace. Although there are still occasional wars in various places, the general trend is to eliminate them. I wonder if you think so? ”

No one disagrees with this, not to mention that Xu Ji has a lot of trouble internally. Even the princes in various places have a lot to adjust their policies, and no one wants to fight if it is not necessary. Especially Xu Ji, you can hear it from what he said today. Xu Ji has a lot of trouble.

The struggle in Chang'an, the war situation in the north, the restoration of land in various places, etc., are all imminent matters, and it is impossible for Xu Ji not to ignore them.

One Year War. No matter how strong Yanzhou is, it will not be able to bear it. So. Xu Ji said that he would not use military force to discuss all parties, and immediately won the trust of these people.

Xu Ji looked at the appearance of these people, smiled secretly in his heart, and said solemnly: "It stands to reason that everyone is a holy courtier, so the first thing that should be done is to hand over the military power in ......"

Xu Ji's words were spoken, and everyone immediately changed color. Xu Ji smiled and said: "Don't get me wrong, I know that this matter is actually difficult for strong people, and everyone knows it, including me Xu Ji." In fact, our army is all peasants who usually work in the fields, and it is because of the war that they come out of the fields to serve as soldiers, so let's talk about it carefully. Our army cannot be called an army at all, so there is no way to talk about handing over military power. What's more, as far as I know, there are quite a few troubles in various places. The barbarian clans in the south of Yizhou, Jingzhou, and Yangzhou have yet to be pacified, and General Ma Teng needs to guard the border passes in Xiliang, so asking everyone to hand over their military power is fundamentally harmful to the imperial court. Xu Ji said. Everyone's faces immediately softened, but no one noticed that Xu Ji was secretly changing concepts. The army under Xu Ji's command is actually different from other people's armies. The army under Xu Ji's command was completely trained and set up in the way of professional soldiers in later generations, but these people are only glad that Xu Ji is not making a fuss about cutting military power. didn't notice Xu Ji's little conspiracy at all, but believed Xu Ji's previous discussion that he didn't want to fight.

After all, Xu Ji said all the reasons for the prevarication in their hearts, and he saw his sincerity. Xu Ji just wanted these people to think so, so he smiled and said, "So, we might as well retreat to the next best thing, although we can't disband the local army in a short time and let them go back to the fields, but we can break the barriers of some other things." ”

Everyone was vigilant in their hearts, and Liao Li, a wizard from Jingzhou who had been listening to Xu Ji's words attentively, frowned and said, "Could it be that Lord Sikong wants us to open up the Yangtze River?" ”

Of course, this matter must not be agreed. That is equivalent to handing over the Yangtze River defense line to Xu Ji. Who knows that Xu Ji shook his head: "What kind of person does Mr. think of Xu Ji?" The Holy Lord has entrusted me with the six northern states to govern, and I am still too busy to take care of myself here, so do I want to meddle in the local affairs of various places? ”

The two of them are talking very explicit at the moment, and it is completely a matter of division of interests.

Liao Li nodded when he heard this, and said to Xu Ji: "Lord Sikong, please continue." ”

Xu Ji knew that the time had come, so he smiled bitterly: "Speaking of this, I'm really not good at it." Let's talk about it, Lord Szeto. Everyone was stunned when they heard this, but they didn't expect that the protagonist of today's meeting was not Xu Ji but Xun Yu.

Only Xi Zhicai and Cao Hong did not show strange expressions, obviously guessing what Xun Yu was going to say.

Xun Yu knew that these people had been covered by Xu Ji, and he was a little confused, so he made a long story short: "Actually, this matter is very simple, I hope that the north and the south will resume business contacts before the war, so that it will be beneficial to everyone." Everyone was stunned when they heard this, they didn't expect Xun Yu's purpose to be so simple. Only then did I understand why Xu Ji wanted Xun Yu to say, because Xun Yu has been in charge of these things in recent years, and he is the most powerful business player among the people in Yanzhou, and the prosperity of Yanzhou in recent years has a direct relationship with Xun Yu. As for Xu Ji, there is only one way left to fight.

But the problem is that Xun Yu did this at Xu Ji's behest in the final analysis, so everyone was thinking about what was the purpose behind Xu Ji after hearing Xun Yu's words.

Xu Ji is his enemy, this is a certain thing, but the matter in front of him can't see any disadvantage for him in any way. And Xu Ji also made it clear that this is a matter that is beneficial to both parties, which makes people confused about whether it is true or false.

Jian Yong, Kuai Yue, and Cao Hong are all veterans of business, and of course they know the benefits of doing business.

The scene became silent, and after a while, Kuai Yue, who was cautious by nature, spoke up: "Dare to ask Mr. Wen Ruo, what do you mean by business dealings?" Everyone showed a look of attention, if Xu Ji took the opportunity to do business to break through their defenses, it would definitely not be allowed.

Xun Yu glanced at everyone and said with a smile: "Don't misunderstand, business is business, you want to buy and sell things, it's so simple, everyone put down their swords and soldiers, and make money in harmony." Looking at the puzzled look of everyone, Xun Yu smiled and said: "I know what everyone is worried about, everyone should know, what is my Han like in recent years, after the war, full of devastation, no one wants to see this situation, everyone Jiangyan City hopes to quickly restore the local economy, but businessmen, water virtue, businessmen play the biggest role in the way is like water circulation, although we will also prevent floods in the face of floods, but the most important thing is to channel, now the country is peaceful, if the merchants around the country do not pass, That's not good for us big guys, I don't know if you think so? Xu Ji smiled bitterly on the side: "To be honest, if I go into battle to kill the enemy, I Xu Ji won't even blink, but I am a complete layman in the economy, and today I can only express my sincerity to you, as for how to do this business, Brother Wen Ruo has the final say." ”

Everyone nodded, Xun Yu and Xu Ji said this very sincerely, and they also heard that Xun Yu's purpose in doing this was to deal with the economic recovery of the northern states controlled by Xu Ji.

And they believed it. It seems that what Xu Ji said earlier is a foreshadowing.

It was only now that they truly believed that Xu Ji would not use force against them in a short period of time.

Seeing that they breathed a sigh of relief, Xu Ji didn't sneer in his heart until things finally got on the track Xun Yu expected: "If Xun Yu doesn't squeeze out your bone marrow, Lao Tzu will follow your father's surname!" (To be continued......)