In Liu Bei's study, Liu Hui presented a bamboo tube with both hands.

Liu Bei opened the well-sealed bamboo tube, took out the letter written on the silk cloth by Zhang Rang, and slowly read it.

In the letter, Zhang Rang only said one thing.

Help me.

Zhang Rang mentioned the promise that Liu Bei made to him back then, and asked Liu Bei if that promise was still counted, whether he would really save him, if it was fake, Zhang Rang would hate Liu Bei for the rest of his life, if it was true, let Liu Bei quickly find a way to save him.

He Jin is no longer under his control, and Liu Hong's Xiyuan New Army does not have his share, he is now very panicked, very panicked.

Once Liu Hong and He Jin faced off head-to-head, the Xiyuan Army and the Luoyang Forbidden Army were not within his control, and his reliable armed forces were only more than 1,000 and less than 2,000 Dongyuan agents, which was not enough for those two armies.

No matter which party in Luoyang City wanted to attack Zhang Rang and the others, Zhang Rang and the others had no power to fight back, and even their lives were in danger.

They have nothing else to rely on, only Liu Bei can rely on alone.

So, Liu Xuande, didn't you say you were going to protect me?

Now is the time, come and protect me, I'm sure you have a way back!

After reading Zhang Rang's letter, Liu Bei was silent for a while, and then looked at Liu Hui, who had been standing motionless on the side.

"Deran, do you know what is written in this letter?"

"I don't know, it shouldn't be a matter of selling salt, otherwise there is no need to be so solemn."

"Well, indeed, it's a distress letter."

"Help?"

Liu Hui was stunned: "Zhang Rang? Ten permanent attendants? They call you for help? ”

"Well, he's begging me for help."

Liu Bei smiled and said: "At the beginning, Zhang Rang helped me a lot and helped me sweep away some bastards who wanted to target me, so I owed him a favor, so I told him that after that, if he got into any trouble and was targeted, someone wanted his life, let him come to me, and I would save his life." ”

"This ......"

Liu Hui thought for a while and said slowly: "Zhang Rang is such an arrogant person, and he still needs you to protect him?" He is so powerful, he calls for wind and rain, and he doesn't know how many people he has harmed over the years, and he still uses others to protect him? ”

"Isn't it?"

Liu Bei said with a smile: "But at this time, at that time, in the current Luoyang City, the Son of Heaven has a heavy army, the general He Jin has another heavy army, Zhang Rang, except for more than a thousand Dongyuan spies, there is nothing, so he is very afraid, and the ten permanent servants are very afraid." ”

"The army of the Son of Heaven...... Can't they intervene? ”

Liu Hui was surprised and asked, "I think it's incredible, they have such a close relationship with the Son of Heaven, and they also do salt business together and share profits and dividends, how can this be?" ”

"Who knows what the Son of Heaven thinks, the New Army of Xiyuan, there is no Zhang Rang to interfere."

Liu Bei smiled: "So, Zhang Rang felt unsafe, so he asked me for help, Deran, do you think I should save him?" ”

"If you want me to say, it is best for Zhang Rang to die as a thief who has brought disaster to the country and the people, but if he is allowed to live one more day, more people will suffer."

Liu Hui looked at Liu Bei's unchanged smiling face, and said relaxedly: "But you have made a promise, then it depends on your own choice, save or not, it should not look at Zhang Rang, but on you, what is good for you, you should do it, and if it is not good for you, think twice." ”

"The current situation in Luoyang is actually very interesting."

Liu Bei stood up, walked to Liu Hui's side, and said with a smile: "The Son of Heaven has heavy troops in hand, He Jin and Yuan Kui join forces, the power is not weaker than the Son of Heaven, the ten permanent servants are sandwiched in the middle, there are no people inside and outside, look left, look right, I don't know which side I should stand on, which side I can stand." ”

Liu Hui was a little curious.

"It stands to reason that the Son of Heaven is hostile to the Yuan clan and the He clan, so naturally they are dueling, so what does it have to do with the Ten Standing Servants?"

"Deran, have you ever heard of a sentence?"

Liu Bei patted Liu Hui on the shoulder and said with a smile: "There are three brothers in a family, the eldest and the second brother fought, but the third died." ”

"Huh?"

Liu Hui was stunned again, with a look of surprise: "What does this mean?" The eldest and the second child fought, why did the third one die? ”

"For the eldest and second, as long as it is not the last moment, there is no need to fight."

Liu Bei said slowly: "Although the boss can kill the second child, but he will also be beaten half to death, with heavy losses, after beating the second child, the boss will be greatly injured for a considerable period of time, which is equivalent to an empty shelf, at this time, what do you think the third child will do if it is intact?"

The third child who is intact continues to surrender to the dying boss, or takes advantage of his illness to kill the boss, swallow all the inheritance of the boss and the second child, and become the real new generation boss? Deran, if it were you, what would you choose? ”

Liu Hui was a little stunned at first, but gradually came back to his senses and felt that what Liu Bei said was quite meaningful.

"If I am the third child, and the first two are killed and injured, of course I will kill them all, and then become the boss myself, such a good opportunity, once in a hundred years, how can I let it go?"

"That's right, the Son of Heaven is the boss, and the He family and the Yuan family are the second one, so guess who the third one is?"

Liu Bei looked at Liu Hui with a smile.

Liu Hui understood everything and laughed.

"Ten permanent attendants."

"Therefore, if the Son of Heaven goes to war with the He clan and the Yuan clan, will he really attack with all his might, completely ignore the big battle, and then give up the fruits of victory?"

Liu Bei shook his head and said: "The Ten Standing Servants are not stupid, they can be arrogant for so many years, and they are also a little capable, they know that they are now a piece of meat in other people's bowls, and they know what their situation is."

The battle between the Son of Heaven and the Yuan and He clans, no matter who wins, is not a good thing for them, it depends on when someone comes to eat them, and of course they don't want to be eaten. ”

"You mean, the chaos in Luoyang may end with the destruction of the Ten Permanent Servants?"

Liu Hui asked, "What about the Son of Heaven?" What about Yuan and Ho? Who will win between them? ”

"Then I don't know, there are too many variables, and anyone can win."

Liu Bei pursed his lips, was silent for a while, and then said slowly: "But what I hope most is that I become the final victor myself......"

Liu Hui's heart sank.

As the person under Liu Bei's command who had the most access to core secrets, he was the first to know Liu Bei's true purpose, he knew that Liu Bei had been planning to return to Luoyang to take the supreme authority, and he also thought that Liu Bei should be the final victor.

He has no one else in his heart, only Liu Bei who saved him, whether it is Liu Hong or Zhang Rang, he has no feelings, and he is the first person who is truly loyal to Liu Bei personally.

"Of course, I also very much hope that you can be the final victor, but the situation in Luoyang is weird, until the end, no one knows who will win, and you are not in Luoyang now, and the army cannot take Luoyang, how can you win?"

"I'm sure, though I'm only 30% sure now."

"Sancheng?"

"At least the ten permanent servants want me to win, and they will help me, this is 30% certainty."

Liu Bei raised three fingers: "As for the rest, it has to be accumulated slowly." ”

"But without a valid reason, your army will not be able to go to Luoyang, and if the army does not go to Luoyang, how can you strive for victory?"

Liu Hui worried: "It's not easy to do this." ”

"It's not difficult to go to Luoyang justifiably."

Liu Bei shook his head: "It's just that the current situation is still unclear, I have to continue to wait and see, don't worry, let's train with peace of mind for the time being, make preparations, there is always a chance, I believe, I always have a chance." ”

"That one makes that ...... over there"

"I will write back to him and let him know that I will keep my promise and that I have not forgotten the promise I made to him."

Liu Bei said slowly: "It's just that when they will help him, I can't be sure yet, and at least for the moment, they are safe, so that they can be less restless and not too anxious." ”

Liu Hui nodded and did not continue to ask.

He has a deep trust in Liu Bei, and his experience along the way has made him believe that Liu Bei can cope with the current problems.

But at the same time, Liu Hong has doubts about his ability to cope with the problems he is currently facing.

(End of chapter)