"At that time, due to my busy military affairs, I had been running between counties and counties, and I didn't have time to go back to accompany her, ignoring her feelings as a wife, which may be one of the reasons why she applied to leave the palace privately. Actually, I should have found more time to go home and spend more time with her. Zhou Yu was remorseful.

Lu Su comforted him: "Xiao Qiao applied to leave the palace because she wanted to go out to experience life outside the palace, and she has nothing to do with you, so she doesn't have to blame herself." ”

"Anyway, I have a responsibility that cannot be shirked. My love, I must get you back!" Zhou Yu swore to the sky in a tone full of anger.

Lu Su and Kong Ming looked at him sympathetically. Kong Ming didn't expect this to be the case, he originally wanted to use this to stimulate Zhou Yu's fighting spirit against Cao, but unexpectedly ignited the fire of his longing by mistake.

Lu Su said: "Zhou Lang, let's put this matter aside for now, the top priority is to discuss how to resist Cao, I think..."

"No!" Zhou Yu interrupted him, "You don't understand my feelings, how much I love Xiao Qiao, and how much trauma her departure has caused me, you don't understand at all!"

Lu Su had nothing to say, and Kong Ming couldn't say more.

"Little Joe... Xiao Qiao..."Zhou Yu repeated his lover's name.

Suddenly, he turned his head sharply, pointed at Kong Ming and shouted, "Kong Ming, let's go fight Cao Cao!"

Lu Su was startled, thinking that he was insane.

Zhou Yu took a deep breath and said, "Kong Ming, Zijing, I have decided to fight Cao!"

"Really?" Lu Su couldn't believe his ears.

"Really, I'm determined. Kong Ming, you don't have to say much. Although Cao's army is numerous, it is tired from afar, and it is not accustomed to water warfare; although our army is outnumbered, its morale is high, and it is well versed in water warfare, and most of the advantages are on our side, so this battle must be fought!"

"Great!" Lu Su clasped his hand, "You're finally willing to tell the truth! I know you're not this kind of person! Let's go, let's go talk to the lord immediately!"

With that, he pulled Zhou Yu and ran out. Zhou Yu let go of his hand, looked at Kong Ming and said, "Don't worry, the words are not finished yet." ”

Kong Ming had a hunch that it was not a good thing, he had already seen that Zhou Yu had an idea, otherwise it would be impossible to suddenly change the direction of the wind.

As expected, Zhou Yu said: "Kong Ming, you can ask our army to join forces with your army to fight Cao, but there is one condition, I don't know if you are willing to agree." ”

"Governor, please. Kong Ming said.

"I want you to help me get Little Joe back within a month. Zhou Yu said word by word. His eyes told Kong Ming that if he didn't agree, all cooperation would not be discussed.

Kong Ming said briskly: "Okay, I promise you!"

Lu Su was anxious: "Zhou Lang, these are two different things, they can't be mixed up!

Kong Ming stopped him and said, "Zijing Mo Duoyan, this is a private agreement between me and the governor. ”

"'Once a word is spoken, it is difficult for a horse to chase!'" Zhou Yu said as he stared into Kong Ming's eyes.

"A gentleman is a man of his word!" Kong Ming said firmly. In fact, he knew very well in his heart that even if he did not agree, it would not affect the outcome of the cooperation between the two armies, after all, Cao Cao wanted to target more than Liu Beijun; if he did not agree, it would be tantamount to admitting that he was afraid of the Yue people, and for "Fu Long" it was a disgraceful reputation, and others would think that you were even afraid of Shanyue, so how could you fight against Cao Jun? On the contrary, if he agreed, it would be tantamount to announcing that he was a step above Zhou Yu's skills, but he dared to do what Zhou Yu could not do.

Of course, Zhou Yu also saw this, but the problem of face was a trivial matter, and its real purpose was to let Liu Beijun fight with Shanyue, on the one hand, he could test Kong Ming's strength, and on the other hand, he could also borrow the hands of others to fight Shanyue. If Kong Ming succeeds, Xiao Qiao's rescue is of course the best outcome; if Kong Ming fails, it will greatly damage his reputation, and the strategists who were previously refuted by him in the palace can also take the opportunity to save face, proving that he is not omnipotent; In fact, deep down in Zhou Yu's heart, he hoped that Kong Ming would have a way to break through, and hoped that Xiao Qiao could return to his side as soon as possible, after all, the longer the separation, the smaller the insurance coefficient, although he knew that she was as guarded as a jade and loyal.

In addition, Zhou Yu was very jealous of Kong Ming's talent, knowing that his resourcefulness was above his own, and even Zhang Zhao, the first strategist in Jiangdong, was dwarfed in front of him. Zhou Yu was afraid that he would become the great enemy of Eastern Wu in the future, so when he saw him for the first time, he came up with a conspiracy to get rid of him after retiring Cao to prevent future troubles.

Lu Su didn't know anything about the above thoughts, he only felt that Zhou Yu was too much, and said: "Zhou Lang, how can you treat Kong Ming like this? You have to distinguish between public and private, this matter has nothing to do with him, and you can't use this as a trading condition." Kong Ming, you can't promise him easily, it's not fair to you!"

Zhou Yu and Kong Ming were stunned for a moment, and then smiled. Lu Su looked at them puzzled.

Kong Ming patted Lu Su on the shoulder and said, "Please rest assured, I have always done things in a measured manner, and I will not make promises." ”

Zhou Yu said to Kong Ming: "The Cao army will not be in a hurry to attack, they need time to train the navy. A month should be enough, right?"

"Don't worry, Governor, this matter is on me. Kong Ming seems to have thought of a countermeasure.

"To be honest, I really hope you can send Little Joe back safely. Zhou Yu patted him on the shoulder.

"I also hope that the Governor will be able to reunite with his wife soon. Kong Ming said sincerely.

The two shook hands for the first time, and the grip was tight and strong.

Lu Su said, "The lord will not agree to you doing this, Zhou Lang." ”

"Don't worry, Zijing, for my sake, the lord will definitely not object, not to mention that he also hopes that Xiao Qiao can come back, right? ”

Lu Su sighed. The three of them walked towards Sun Quan's bedroom.

After listening to Zhou Yu's thoughts, Sun Quan frowned and said, "Gong Jin understands Xiao Qiao's longing very well, but it would be too rude to let Mr. Kong Ming save people. Uncle Liu Huang and his entourage are the VIPs of this state, not to mention that they don't know much about the Yue people, so they think..."

"Don't worry," Zhou Yu interrupted, "since Mr. Kong Ming has agreed to this, we might as well listen to his opinion first." ”

Sun Quan said, "Then please ask Mr. Kong Ming to tell me what you think." ”

Kong Ming paused and said, "As General Sun said, our army does not know much about the Yue people, and if we act rashly, we will definitely be defeated, but I have a suggestion, but I don't know if it is feasible without spending a single soldier." ”

"Sir, please. Sun Quan said.

"My suggestion is, can you exchange one of your state's national treasures for Mrs. Little Qiao?"

Sun Quan was stunned for a moment and said, "What does Mr. mean..."

Kong Ming said: "Yes, exchange things for people. I heard that the leader of the Yue tribe is a collector and loves to collect all kinds of treasures. In my opinion, if we can solve the problem peacefully, why bother to fight each other? Although it may not be successful, we might as well give it a try and make plans if it doesn't succeed. ”

"When it comes to national treasures, I really have one that fits it. Sun Quan glanced at Zhou Yu and said, "Gong Jin, do you see if that thing is..."

Zhou Yu immediately knew what Sun Quan was referring to, and immediately knelt down and said: "Don't you, lord, I'd rather not have a wife than sacrifice my lord's most beloved treasure!"

In fact, Zhou Yu was thinking that if the exchange of things for people was successful, then the verbal agreement between him and Kong Ming just now would be meaningless, not only would Kong Ming be able to smoothly transfer the pressure back to Soochow, but Liu Beijun would not have to confront Shanyue head-on. Kong Ming's rhetoric is bound to shake Sun Quan's determination, Zhou Yu must not let him have a preconceived idea, this is not his original intention, he wants to see Kong Ming work hard.

Of course, Sun Quan didn't think about it so much, he helped Zhou Yu up, and said: "Gong Jin's loyal and patriotic heart is very admirable, but Gu will never ignore his wife because he is stingy with a treasure! If it weren't for Mr. Kong Ming's reminder, Gu really didn't think of exchanging things for people! Gong Jin doesn't need to say much, he has made up his mind!"

Lu Su raised doubts: "The problem is that we can't determine Xiao Qiao's location, we only know that she was kidnapped by the Yue people, but we can't confirm whether she is by the side of King Yue, how to trade?"

Kong Ming said with a smile: "Since I have a word with Zhou Dudu, this is my task." I will find out the location of Mrs. Little Joe in the shortest possible time. My instinct told me that she was right next to King Yue. ”

Zhou Yu said: "The lord should think twice, this is an ancient Persian holy relic, it is not easy to come by!"

Gong Jin's words are wrong. Sun Quan said, "After all, the holy object is only an external object, and it is always less important than a living person, and it is a person who is especially important to Zhou Jin." If this can be exchanged for Xiao Qiao and Gong Jin can regain his love, this deal will definitely be feasible. Lone doesn't care about any holy things, Lone only knows that for Gong Jin, Xiao Qiao is the most important. ”

Zhou Yu was deeply moved, and thanked him: "The lord's love for the minister, the minister will do his best to repay it!"

Sun Quan helped him up and said: "Gong Jin is Lone's favorite general, Lone still has to rely on you to consolidate the country, how can he be stingy with a treasure!"

Kong Ming asked, "What are the ancient Persian holy relics you just mentioned?"

Sun Quan said: "The so-called ancient Persian holy relics refer to a transparent glass ball as large as a human head from the ancient Persian Empire, called a 'crystal ball'. It is said that the ancient Persians worshipped this object as if it were a god, because it was used not only to predict the future, but also to see people and things in different places and distant places. ”

"Is there such a thing?!" Kong Ming was shocked, "The Persian Empire has been destroyed for hundreds of years, and there is still this divine artifact left in the world?"

"Yes, the legendary Persian divination is to use a crystal ball to predict the future, of course, this is just a rumor, whether it is true or false has not yet been confirmed. This kind of magic was created by the ancient Persians, and no one knew it in the Han Dynasty, which is enough to prove its value. Therefore, Lone treasures it as a national treasure. ”

"I see, the heritage of ancient Persia was acquired by your state, and although it is not produced in the country, it can indeed be regarded as a national treasure. Kong Ming looked at Zhou Yu after speaking, "I think King Yue will definitely not refuse this deal." ”

Zhou Yu pretended to agree on the surface, but in his heart, he thought: "Kong Ming, you really have ruined my plan and put yourself in an advantageous position." If you have the ability, we'll see!"

"How did General Sun get this ball?" Kong Ming asked.

"Two years ago, a Central Plains man sold it to Lonely. The man refused to reveal his name, only told the origin of the crystal ball, and then asked Gu if he was interested. ”

"Can you tell me what happened at that time?" Kong Ming wondered.

Sun Quan said: "Two years ago, a person from the Central Plains came to the palace with a crystal ball to ask for a meeting, saying that there was a holy relic to recommend. Lone Yi always did not like to be sold at the door, so he did not enter the meeting, but later heard the soldiers convey his words, saying that this thing is an ancient Persian holy relic, which is rare in the world; Lone Yi was moved, thinking that even if he didn't buy it, it would be okay to take a look, so he arranged to meet him. Gu observed it and found that this ball was dazzling and crystal clear, and it really didn't look like a thing of Han soil. To be on the safe side, Lone asked an expert to appraise it on the spot, and after confirming that it was a foreign thing, he asked him for the price. He said that it would cost him five hundred taels of gold. Although he is a bit of a 'lion mouth', seeing that he is not like a charlatan, Lone and can't put it down for the crystal ball, after careful consideration, he decided to buy it. ”

"According to General Sun's judgment, is it possible that person is from Yue?"

"Impossible, judging from his accent and attire, he is definitely from the Central Plains, not to mention that the Yue people don't dare to make this kind of deal with us. ”

"And does he have any external characteristics?"

Lone only remembered that there was a scar on his face, and at a glance he knew that he was a person from the rivers and lakes, but he didn't look like a bandit, but like a dissolute ranger. ”

"General Sun really gave him five hundred taels of gold?"

"Yes, there must be no one or two to do. ”

"With so much gold, how can he hold it alone?"

Lone sent two soldiers to help him transport the gold to the designated place in a carriage, as if it was a mountain, and Lone couldn't remember it for a while. ”

"As far as I guess, this person should be a flying thief, and the ball was stolen by him from the Central Plains. Kong Ming analyzed, "Since he can have people transport the gold to the designated place, it proves that his current place of residence is in Jiangdong, not the Central Plains, and he must have emigrated from the Central Plains." If you can ask the two soldiers who were transporting the gold at that time, you will know where he is. ”

"Well, it should work. But it seems that there is no need to know about this, anyway, the transaction has been completed, the payment has been settled, and there is no dispute between the two parties. ”

"Everything in the world is connected, and the more information I get, the more helpful it will be for me to find the hiding place of Little Lady Joe. But now, I implore General Sun to take me to see the crystal ball first. Kong Ming requested.