The Grandmaster Strategist

In April of the first year of Tongtai in the Southern Chu Dynasty, the lord of the country Long sent Dayong to pay tribute and become a minister. He then asked for peace and paid a lot of money for ransom.

--"History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties·Biography of King Chu Yang"

I was sleeping soundly in the middle of the night when I was suddenly woken up by someone. When I opened my eyes angrily, I saw Xiao Shunzi happily holding a basket of hot osmanthus cakes as a treasure. I was surprised and asked him where he got it. , after all, this is the specialty of Guixiangfang, the most famous pastry shop in Nanchu. I took a bite and it was sweet, soft and melted in my mouth. I asked with satisfaction: 'Where did you buy it? I will visit more often in the future. '

Xiao Shunzi's expression changed, and he looked gloomy. I asked strangely: 'What's wrong? '

Xiao Shunzi hesitated for a long time before telling the truth. It turned out that he had thought about it for a long time and finally decided to find a delicious food from Dayong instead. Who knew that as soon as he left the house, he heard that the envoy from Nanchu had arrived in Chang'an. He went to the posthouse all night to inquire. I originally wanted to see if there was anything detrimental to me, but unexpectedly the mission brought two masters from Guixiangfang over, and they just happened to make two baskets of the most famous osmanthus cakes, ready to be sent to the under house arrest king Zhao Jia and Princess Changle. , maybe they wanted to please Princess Changle in order to achieve peace, but they took advantage of Xiao Shunzi. He used the trick of scheming to steal a basket of freshly made osmanthus cakes.

I almost fainted. I didn’t know if the Nanchu delegation who lost the osmanthus cake would report it to the official. Then I thought about it and decided to eliminate the evidence as soon as possible. I wolfed down a basket of osmanthus cakes equally with Xiao Shunzi. At this time, the sky turned dark. It was getting brighter, and Xiao Shunzi slipped away. I was just about to sleep a little longer when Xiao Shunzi came to report again: 'Sir, Lu Can, the envoy of Southern Chu, wants to see you. '

I thought, why did this former student of mine come to see me? Shouldn't he be dismissive of me? After all, I am already a rebel in Nanchu. I asked Xiao Shunzi for advice in confusion, and Xiao Shunzi said in a dumbfounded voice: "Master, now you are a close confidant of His Highness King Yong. His Highness can at least be the leader of the fourth quarter in the peace talks. If you want to start from His Highness, you, Master." Isn't it the best candidate? Although they are defeated and seeking peace, it is also beneficial to Nanchu to get one more benefit. '

I sat up and took the coat handed over by Xiao Shunzi. While dressing, I thought about how to solve the problem. Originally, I was thinking of "seeing each other but not seeing each other" and was not prepared to meet Lu Can, but if he wanted to negotiate peace, He was lobbying everywhere, so it would be a bit excessive if he did not give him a chance. In any case, he was once a minister of Southern Chu, and now he is a subordinate of King Yong. If he declined politely, then outsiders would think that His Highness King Yong was unintentional. Peace negotiation, this matter is big or small, I can't handle it at will. After walking a few steps, I felt that I was in good health today and would have no problem meeting guests, so I said, "General Lu, please come to the flower hall to meet me. It's still early. I'll ask someone to send breakfast to the flower hall. Prepare more, and I'll invite you." General Lu ate. His Highness should already know. You send someone to ask His Highness if he wants to receive the envoy from Nanchu. I don’t know much about the peace talks. Gou Lian should know better. If it is inconvenient for His Highness to come, please invite Brother Gou to come. As a companion, I can also explore Nanchu's bottom line. Xiao Shunzi, did Lu Can come alone? '

Xiao Shunzi replied: "Sir, General Lu has brought a young man with him. He has a good appearance and must be a man of extraordinary intelligence." '

I smiled slightly and said, "That's fine. Lu Can is young after all. If he came alone, I suspect he just came to see me privately. Since there are people to accompany me, it's business. Okay, go and invite them in." Bar. '

Lu Can stood quietly in front of the gate of Prince Yong's Mansion. At the age of twenty-two, he was in the prime of life, but his many years of military service made him appear more mature than his peers. His appearance was rough and rough, and he did not look like a person from Jiangnan, but he was the only one who could see him. With a faint divine light in his eyes, and a heroic and elegant temperament, he knew that this young general was a genius with both civil and military skills. Standing half a step behind him is a young man of twenty-six or seventeen years old. He has a square scarf and a Confucian crown. He is handsome and elegant. There is a unique demeanor in his behavior that makes people feel like they are happy to be close to him.

The young man looked at Lu Can who looked indifferent and said,

My heart is in turmoil. His name is Yang Xiu, and he was originally from the Shu Kingdom. When the Shu Kingdom fell, he was still studying abroad. When Nanchu occupied Shuzhong, he returned to his hometown. Shuzhong was very peaceful under the governance of Marquis Lu. Although the Jinxiu League was raging, But they did not cause any big disturbance. Yang Xiu lived a very peaceful life at home. Two and a half years ago, one of his cousins ​​was convicted for participating in the assassination of Lu Hou. Yang Xiu was also implicated and imprisoned. The person in charge of the trial It was Lu Can, the only son of Marquis Lu. This young general handled things quickly, decisively and reasonably. Yang Xiu was soon acquitted. Moreover, Lu Can saw that his temperament and talent were outstanding, so he came to invite him in person. Be your own soldier. Yang Xiu is not a pedantic person. He has never achieved any fame in Shu, and it is not considered out of character to serve Nan Chu. After following Lu Can, he feels more and more outstanding about this young general. Although Lu Can is young, he has great fighting skills. The formation planning and military strategies are all superb. When King Yong raided Southern Chu, Marquis Lu led his troops to return for reinforcements. King Qing of Dongchuan took the opportunity to attack the border of central Shu, and Lu Can led his troops to meet the enemy. The two armies clashed several times. Lu Can's hard-trained elite troops actually defeated Dayong's powerful troops, forcing King Qing to retreat, ensuring that Southern Chu would not be attacked on both sides. Although Lu Can's achievements have not been made public due to the fall of Jianye, the Southern Chu army has vaguely regarded Lu Can as the heir of Prince De Zhao Jue. What impressed Yang Xiu even more was that although Lu Can came from a family of military generals and could not write poetry or composition, he had unique insights into classics and history. He often talked about the victory and defeat of generals in history, and he had many treasures, even when he had time. I have to admire Lu Can's broad knowledge.

A few days ago, Yang Xiu couldn't help but ask Lu Can who could teach the children of military generals like Lu Can to be proficient in literature and history, but Lu Can remained silent. Unexpectedly, he just arrived in Dayong yesterday and handed over his credentials. Today Lu Can Take yourself to visit Jiang Zhe, whose name you have heard for a long time. Although Yang Xiu knew Jiang Zhe, he didn't take him seriously. He was just a talented man from Southern Chu who surrendered to Dayong. If the assassination incident a few days ago hadn't made him pay attention, he wouldn't have paid attention to it. You will notice Jiang Zhe's presence. Only yesterday did he find out that Jiang Zhe was Lu Can's mentor. He still remembers that last night, under the silver lamp, Lu Can's face was hidden in the shadows, and he said lightly: "I have been naughty since I was a child. Every day I would either climb trees on the wall, play with guns or sticks, or go to fight with others." Those green men on the street were fighting. My father didn’t want to see me being so ignorant, so he hired a teacher to teach me. I used my fists to fight and beat away several teachers. Mr. Jiang was the fourth teacher. I originally wanted to I wanted to give him a blow, but he told me as soon as he came that he was just a bastard. Anyway, if I beat him away, my father would have to hire a new one. If I was willing to compromise with him, he would let him go. It's better for both of us. '

Speaking of this, Lu Can showed a faint smile on his face and continued: "Mr. Jiang said that as long as I stay in the study room every morning and do whatever I want in the afternoon, he will not leave me too much homework, and he will also Will help me hide it from my father. I agreed at the time, but I regretted it within a few days. Every morning I would sit in the study room, watching Mr. Jiang read with gusto and ignore me. However, it would be too embarrassing to go back on my word, so I had no choice but to beg Mr. Jiang later. Find a way for me to kill time. Mr. Jiang said, in this case, you might as well teach me a book. Although I feel bored, it is better than being bored alone. But I didn’t expect that Mr. Jiang is really talented. He will not let me be confused by those Four Books and Five Classics, nor He asked me to write poems and compositions. He said that I was from a noble family and didn’t need to take the imperial examination. There was no point in learning those things. He first taught me the Analects, a book that others said was boring, but he made it very interesting. Then he When he read history books to me, he didn’t tell me the original text. He just told me the historical facts like a story, mixed with a lot of his own opinions and some unofficial historical facts. From then on, I listened to it every morning. He told stories. Later, he saw that I preferred fighting with soldiers, and told me about the art of war and battle examples. I don’t know how he knew so many things. He was obviously not a few years older than me. Unfortunately, I was too playful at the time and didn’t understand. How precious your teacher's teachings are. It wasn't until I led the army later that I realized how important the things he taught me were. Unfortunately, I no longer had the opportunity to ask him for advice. Yang Xiu, I say this to let you understand what kind of person my mentor is. Now that he has surrendered to Dayong, it is inevitable that we will meet on the battlefield in the future. You are rich in strategy and will be his opponent in the future. I am alone. Definitely not, you have to seize the opportunity to get to know him well. If you don't understand your enemy, then you won't be sure of victory. '

The more Yang Xiu thought about it, the more excited he became. He wanted to see what kind of person this young general he respected so much his mentor was like. So the longer he waited, the more worried he became that Jiang Zhe would not meet them.

Fortunately, after some time, a young guard came over and saluted: "General Lu, Lord Sima is meeting the general in Hanyuan. The Lord has just recovered from his serious injury and it is inconvenient to go out to greet him, so he specially sent Hu Yanshou to greet him." '

Lu Can took a look at the young guard and saw that this man had a simple appearance, but his eyes were gleaming with coldness. His hands were wide and big, with protruding knuckles and tangled tendons. He must be a practitioner of external martial arts, but there was no trace of his actions. Even if he is not shocked at all, it can be seen that Huo Hou has reached the level of perfection. Looking at the murderous look all over this man's body and his tall and straight posture, he must be a warrior who has been in the army for a long time. King Yong asked such a person to be his mentor's bodyguard, which shows that he Value for mentor. Thinking in his mind, Lu Can smiled and said: 'Please ask Guard Huyan to lead the way. '

The two followed Hu Yanshou for a long time before arriving at a quiet and far-reaching garden. Seeing the plaque on the garden gate, Lu Can knew that he could finally see Jiang Zhe. Hu Yanshou greeted the four colleagues guarding the garden gate and led them into the cold garden. As soon as he walked into Hanyuan, Lu Can felt a big shock in his heart. Although he didn't see it, he could vaguely sense that there were people hiding in all the key places in the garden. With murderous intent, you know that the guards here are at least as good as Hu Yanshou. It seems that King Yong's respect for his mentor is unparalleled.

The two were invited into the flower hall, and the first thing they saw was Jiang Zhe sitting there and Xiao Shunzi standing behind Jiang Zhe.

Yang Xiu looked boldly and saw a thin and pale young man sitting at the table. He was wearing a light green robe, and his hair was only tied up with a hairpin and a snow-white silk scarf. He just sat there leisurely, with a peaceful look on his face. If he hadn't seen him look haggard, he would never have thought that he had just struggled back from the brink of death. Yang Xiu was impressed in his heart. He originally thought that since Jiang Zhe had escaped from the Nanchu assassins just now, he would inevitably be very indifferent to Lu Can. He didn't know that there was another person who successfully assassinated Jiang Zhe. The truth had been hidden long ago, and it was King Yong. It was also said externally that Jiang Zhe was seriously injured after being assassinated by a Nanchu assassin. After all, no one wanted to expose Dayong's internal disputes to the outside world. Therefore, Jiang Zhe was not disappointed with Nanchu, but he did not hate him very much.

I glanced at Lu Can. He looked calmer than the last time we met. He must have matured a lot after being on his own. I stood up and said with a smile: 'Little Marquis, I haven't seen you for a long time, you are getting more and more majestic. '

Lu Can was stunned as soon as he saw me. He woke up when he heard me speak. He quickly stepped forward and bowed down and said, "Disciple pays homage to my mentor." ' His tone actually choked up. I knew he was sad to see me describe it like this. Even when I looked at myself in the bronze mirror, I felt a little out of shape. This was something I couldn't do anything about. I was lucky to be able to save my life. How can I dare to ask for it? Anyway, I can recover in a year and a half at most.

I raised my hand and said: "Little Marquis, get up quickly. No, you are now the general of Nanchu. I should call you General Lu. Zhe has only been a general's teacher for a few days. How dare he be called master and apprentice?" . '

Lu Can's mood had calmed down and he said calmly: "The disciple was naughty back then and didn't know the importance of the teacher's teachings. Now he regrets it too much. Please don't shirk the teacher. The disciple will not ask the teacher to do extraordinary things based on his status as master and disciple." thing. '

I smiled slightly and said: "You are still so straightforward, that's all. I don't want to argue with you. Get up. I haven't eaten yet. Please accompany me for a while. Who is this?" ‘I looked at Yang Xiu.

Lu Can stood up and said, 'This is Yang Xiu, who joined the army under my disciple. '

Yang Xiu stepped forward and saluted: "I have heard for a long time that Mr. Jiang is famous far and wide. I would like to pay my respects to him." '

I wanted to step forward to help him, but I felt a pain in my heart, so I could only frown and said, "Please forgive me for the inconvenience of returning the courtesy." Yang Canjun is also invited to sit down. '

Yang Xiu saw cold sweat on Jiang Zhe's forehead, and said quickly: "My lord is inconvenienced, so there is no need to be polite." '

The three of us sat down, and Xiao Shunzi personally brought three bowls of porridge. I smiled and said: 'These porridges are carefully made with medicinal ingredients, and nourishing medicines are added to them. You two might as well try them. '

Lu Can stood up and took the bowl handed over by Xiao Shunzi. He knew that this Li Shun killed the poisonous hand Xiexin at the Yangtze River ferry a few days ago. The poisonous hand Xiexin was one of the top masters in Nanchu before he took refuge with Prince De incognito. This time He even "succeeded" in the assassination attempt in Prince Yong's Mansion, and even traveled thousands of miles to escape from Dayong. His reputation skyrocketed. Unexpectedly, he was killed by this young man on the bank of the Yangtze River on a moonlit night. Overnight, Li Shun's name spread throughout the world, so Lu Shun became famous. Chan didn't dare to neglect.

Lin Xiu also stood up and took the bowl of porridge. He couldn't help but glance at Jiang Zhe. What was so strange about this thin young man that he allowed such a master to be willing to be a slave and do the things of a servant?

Seeing how restrained they were, I couldn't help but smile and said: 'I heard this time, Lu Can, that you are the envoy of Nanchu. You must have made a comprehensive plan. I wonder how I can help? '

Lu Can looked a little stunned, but soon returned to normal, and said respectfully: "Although Nanchu was defeated, a new king has been established, and everyone is united, with all the troops and horses ready. Therefore, although he will surrender and seek peace this time, he hopes that Dayong will Don't ask for too much gold and silk, and hope to redeem the Supreme King and all the civil and military officials. This is only possible with the approval of the Yong Army. His Royal Highness King Yong is the most important figure among them, so the disciple has to know Your Highness means,'

I said calmly: "The peace talks are presided over by the ministers of the court. Who dares to guess the thoughts of His Highness King Yong? Besides, His Majesty has no intention of embarrassing Nan Chu. You are overly worried. I don't pay much attention to these things." You are looking for the wrong way. '

Lu Can knew that Jiang Zhe's words were just an excuse, and was about to continue persuading him when a cheerful voice came from outside the door and said: "Why are you looking for the wrong way? If General Lu hadn't come to see you first, I would never have let you go." Nanchu felt relaxed and at ease. '

With that said, Li Zhi walked in with Gou Lian. Lu Can and Yang Xiu both stood up and saluted. Li Zhi said with a smile: "General Lu, I once had a relationship with your father Lu Gong. I had heard long ago that there was a tiger at the knees of Lu Gong. Today, when I saw him, he was truly worthy of his reputation. My third brother wrote a letter saying that General Lu is like a god with his troops." He was very impressed. '

Lu Can said calmly: "The young general is just a fake father, Yuwei. His Highness King Yong is the most powerful soldier in the world. How can the light of a firefly dare to compete with the bright moon?" '

Li Zhi sat down and said calmly: "I, the king, know that it is imperative for the two countries to reconcile. However, your country has claimed to be emperor without regard to the status of its subjects. I, the Great Yong, raised troops to attack because of the great righteousness. Although your country suffered losses, It's a heavy life, but the land should be ceded and compensation should be paid. As for the ransom of the captives, I have no objection, but how much ransom does your country want to pay? '

Lu Can said solemnly: "Although Southern Chu has its faults, it is also true that your distinguished guest, King Qi, first invaded the country. Your Highness captured Jianye, kidnapped our kings and ministers, and even took away countless gold and silk. Now our country is united. If your country returns, If you want to bully us, even though our country is small and weak, we must resist to the end. Although Dayong of Southern Chu is a monarch and a minister, he is also an in-law, and your country has long wanted to invade and occupy it. Now, although we kneel down and seek peace, we cannot allow your country to take whatever you want. Our country The new king has ascended the throne, and the former king is a commoner. If your country wants to stay, please do so. The former king and your country's Princess Changle are husband and wife, and it is natural for the son-in-law to live dependent on his father-in-law. '

Li Zhi's eyes lit up and he said with a smile: "Well said, he is indeed a young hero. There are so many talented people in Southern Chu." I admire you. 'Then he said meaningfully: 'Things can also be discussed. Although I cannot make the decision, I will not embarrass General Lu. '