Three Kingdoms

The night breeze is cool and cool. Looking out from the high-rise building in Taiyuan City, you can see the sparkling lights of Jinyang City in Taiyuan. The courtyards and streets look so peaceful and peaceful.

Inside the high-rise building, the room was brightly lit and the curtains were gently swaying. Cui Jun and Cui Houzheng were raising their wine glasses to drink. There were some singers and dancers in the room, dancing gracefully, and there were several musicians beside them, playing music.

Cui Jun originally came from a family of officials, so he naturally understood these extravagant tunes. After all, Cui Jun's father, Cui Lie, was once one of the Three Dukes. Although he had to pay a lot of money to Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty to hold this position at that time...

Amidst the sound of musicians playing and the singing of singers, Cui Jun and Cui Hou came close to each other and were drinking and talking in a low voice. In such an environment, even the adopted son who stayed around to serve might not be able to hear clearly what they were talking about, let alone the ears through the wall.

In Taiyuan, Cui’s surname is a foreigner after all.

Cui Hou has been traveling east and west and north and south over the years, and has gained a lot of knowledge. In addition, his subordinates are also in charge of many caravans, and his momentum has gradually developed. This time, Jizhou needs another batch of supplies, so Cui Hou borrowed I took the opportunity to come to Jinyang, firstly to meet my newly appointed cousin Cui Jun, and also to discuss the future direction of the Cui family.

"... I have read through the history books. Since ancient times, those who are purely engaged in business have always been unable to last long... My current business mostly relies on General Zhengxi... Some businesses are just one-stop, and I dare not get involved too deeply... I believe that the elder brother can understand the relationship... For the Cui family, the land of Jinyang is not bad... The elder brother wants to establish a lintel here, and the younger brother also agrees... It's just the Wang family and the Wen family... I heard the comments from outside. , it’s a bit big...Everything you do for others needs to be done carefully..."

Cui Hou didn't have much ill will towards General Fei Qian of Zhengxi. In a sense, Cui Hou was able to make a fortune again and soared along with Zhengxi. However, these words between him and Cui Jun were really heartfelt. . If the Cui family develops too fast in Taiyuan, it will arouse the vigilance of the local nobles and even some rejection reactions. Cui Hou also means to persuade Cui Jun to first solidify the foundation of Jinyang City and then expand in other areas.

Of course, there are things that Cui Hou cannot say. For example, as for General Zhengxi, Cui Hou, as an important person in charge of the caravan, no matter how famous he is, does not hold any specific official position in the Zhengxi system. This is something he It seems that the fundamental reason is that after he controls the money, it is naturally impossible for General Fei Qian of Zhengxi to let him control the power...

Cui Junneng was transferred to the post of Taiyuan Governor, and Cui Hou felt that General Zhengxi was very good. For Cui Jun, he must first consider the interests of General Zhengxi, and then he can do something about it, and use the power of General Zhengxi to overwhelm local snakes such as the Wang family and Wen family in Taiyuan.

Those in power must have a balance, Cui Hou certainly knows this.

After the Cui family came out from Heluo, they always had to choose a place to take root again. Pingyang was obviously Fei Qian's private land. Even if he gave Cui Hou seventy or eighty courage, Cui Hou would not dare to take Pingyang's idea, so Cui Hou They were all ready to re-establish the Cui family's lintel in Taiyuan, and Cui Hou readily agreed and was willing to support it.

For people like Cui Hou, without a noble base or a piece of territory of their own, it seems that they can never feel at ease. After all, they still have a floating identity.

No matter what you do, of course it takes time.

Cui Hou told Cui Jun that he also hoped that Cui Jun would not act rashly and unsteadily just because he was now the Taiyuan prefect. But of course, he also hoped that Cui could really settle down, no matter what. There is a sense of wandering again. So Cui Hou himself is also very conflicted.

Doing business and being an official are completely different.

Doing business represents risks. From purchasing to transportation to selling, there are all kinds of expected and unexpected risks. But being an official is different. People in the officialdom seek stability no matter what they do. If you can't afford to take risks, don't take risks.

The problem is that if Cui Jun wants to do this, there will definitely be risks.

But the fallen leaves return to their roots.

If you don’t know where the roots are, how can they fall down?

Therefore, although this matter is risky and may not please both sides, we still have to do it.

"Where Jizhou is..." Cui Jun also lowered his voice, mixing his words with the music, "My dear brother, let's see... how is the situation..."

The most important thing in Taiyuan affairs is the defense of the east and north. At the moment, General Zhengxi is so powerful that he naturally follows Zhengxi. However, if there is an eventuality, Cui Jun will naturally have to consider how to go.

"...Business is still there..." Cui Hou said slowly, "Jizhou has also increased the number of weapons and equipment recently... Within two or three years, it should still be...the number of soldiers nearby is not enough to fight...Jizhou Most of the troops are stationed in the north..."

Cui Jun nodded.

Cui Jun listened to Cui Hou's judgment to some extent. After all, after traveling all over the country over the years, he could judge whether there were heavy troops stationed in an area based on the military food reserves and equipment requirements.

"Two or three years..." Cui Jun sighed, then picked up the wine cup.

Cui Hou understood and picked it up. The two of them gestured and drank it all in one gulp...

…………………………

Outside Yanmen Pass, the sky is filled with stars.

More than a dozen tents stood on the edge of the meadow, and a group of men in leather robes were grilling prey around several bonfires.

Yan Rou stood outside the tent, looking back at the towering mountains in the darkness. In the Yanmen area, everything seemed desolate, although it had been prosperous for a while.

For many things, he spent the last year traveling around Yanmen Wuyuan. After the death of Liu Yu, the shepherd of Youzhou, many things changed. When Liu Yu led his troops to encircle and suppress Gongsun Zan with more troops than Gongsun Zan, he still wanted to bring Gongsun Zan to justice in an honest and fair manner. However, he did not expect that he was suddenly attacked by Gongsun Zan and broke the center...

Liu Yu was kind to Yan Rou.

If Liu Yu hadn't heard about Yan Rou's story and recommended Yan Rou as a go-between to pass words to Wuhuan and Xianbei, Yan Rou might not have the same status in the hearts of Wuhuan and Xianbei people today.

After following the Hu people for a long time, I almost forgot that I was still a Han. If it weren't for Liu Yu and Liu Shijun...

Yan Rou touched the robe she was wearing. This piece of clothing was donated by Liu Yu himself.

"We will set off tomorrow to King Wuhuan's tent!" Yan Rou ordered. There are some things that should be done, otherwise you will be uneasy for the rest of your life. "If... if one day, I die in a foreign land, you guys You want to burn me, then bring my ashes back and scatter them on the land of the Han family..."

…………………………

In the cool morning, the envoy Yuan Yin tidied up his clothes and walked into Kebineng's newly built, slightly simple and even shabby Xianbei royal tent.

Yuan Yin came with a mission. It has been three months since he went north. He brought a lot of gold, silver, porcelain, and silk. These days, he visited many Xianbei ministers, gave away a lot of things, and bribed many people. . Today, Xianbei King Kebineng finally wanted to see him in person.

This is the moment when the dust settles and the beginning of everything...

In the Xianbei king's tent, the ups and downs of words continued to be heard.

"...a pair of mutton-fat flawless white jade cups, a pair of mutton-fat flawless emerald bowls, a pair of sapphire carved dragons and phoenixes, a pair of carved gold bowls, a pair of silver cups inlaid with red jade..."

As the gift list was read, gift boxes were received one by one. When the deputy envoy read out the gift items, Yuan Yin secretly looked at the faces of the Xianbei ministers around him, as well as the expression of Ke Bineng sitting at the top.

These things, even if placed in the Han region, are enough to make people covet, let alone the area north of Daijun, which has always been a barren land and has little output except cattle, sheep and horses.

As a new force that suddenly emerged to replace the old Xiongnu, Xianbei was not a noble family with deep heritage and inheritance, but a pure nouveau riche. However, as a nouveau riche, Xianbei was not qualified.

As far as Kebineng's royal tent is concerned, even the shadow of the nouveau riche is not visible. It is neither wearing gold or silver, nor is it exquisitely decorated. The only thing that can be praised is that it occupies a relatively large area, with wood. For the structure, the felt laid on the ground still has some patterns, and then the tiger skin is laid on top, which makes it look a little more powerful, but compared to any family with a little bit of background in the Han Dynasty, this kind of decoration can really only be called A shabby room.

On the throne, Kebineng was looking at these dazzling treasures that were brought in with great interest.

As the king of Xianbei, his title of king, unlike Bu Dugen, was not really awarded, but was obtained by fighting for his power. After the death of Tan Shihuai, there was a lot of bloodshed in order to compete for the throne of the king. Bu Dugen was able to stand out among them, and even now his overall strength is slightly better than that of Qi Dugen, so he naturally has some abilities.

Kebineng was very big, with a burly body and thick arms. It was said that he was born with supernatural powers and could fight bears and tigers with his bare hands. This is not necessarily a boast. Even in later generations, there were tribes in Siberia who raised bears and tigers as kittens and puppies. Therefore, as a Xianbei king who advocated force, Kebi could certainly not be too bad in terms of force.

As Yuan Shu's envoy and coming from a big family like Yuan's, Yuan Yin himself was naturally a good dancer and good at observing faces and people. In the process of dealing with these stinky Xianbei rough guys, he also knew that these vulgar guys still have one advantage, that is, they speak seriously and do whatever they say. Not sure what to think.

If you like it, you like it, if you don't like it, you don't like it. The words and attitudes are basically the same.

During this period of time, Yuan Yin has visited many Xianbei ministers who bribed him. He also knows that Xianbei has been arguing about this matter. Today, looking at these Xianbei ministers who were fascinated by the brilliance of gold and jade, Yuan Yin I think this matter should be no problem.

Various gifts were given, and then the gift list was handed over. Ke Bineng accepted it, just glanced at it, and then frowned and put it aside. He didn't know many Chinese characters, and he didn't know many. Look. It looks like a ghost painting.

"What a good thing..." The surrounding Xianbei ministers were chattering about those exquisite jade bowls and golden cups, and those beautiful silks and satins, but they really couldn't find any adjectives to describe them specifically, so they could only repeat, "...It's really good. Something..."

"Your Majesty..." Yuan Yin looked at the smiling Ke Bineng and said, "I don't know about the alliance..."

Ke Bineng laughed out loud, like a bear grinning: "It's easy to say, easy to say, is it an alliance... It's okay, of course it's okay..."

Yuan Yin was overjoyed. Although it was as expected, after receiving Kebi Neng's personal agreement, he felt relieved and said: "In this case, I will trouble the king to give you a token so that I can go back and do business..."

Ke Bineng laughed and said: "We Shiwei tribesmen, what we have said is ironclad, what else do we need as a token! What a petty person! Haha, forget it, take this! Come on, we will hold a dinner party today to entertain us. Friend!" Ke Bi Neng casually took an old knife from the side and asked someone to hand it to Yuan Yin. Then he stood up and loudly ordered a bonfire dinner, which attracted bursts of excited shouts from the rest of the Xianbei people.

Yuan Yin rolled his eyes. Although he didn't know whether this sword belonged to Kebineng, and it was also a bit worn out. It was really worthless in terms of value. But since Kebineng could give it to him, he could only accept it like this. He stood down and then resigned to Kebineng...

Looking at Yuan Yin's retreating figure, King Xianbei Zuoxian, who was sitting next to Ke Bineng, said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, do you really want to listen to this Han just for these things?"

Kebi Neng picked up a golden bowl and said, "If this is yours, are you willing to take it out and give it away?"

King Zuo Xian shook his head: "How can you give such a good thing away casually?"

Ke Bineng let out a haha, dropped the golden bowl, grinned, and looked into the distance, like a greedy bear eyeing the delicious meat: "The Han people sent these...do you know what it means? What does it mean?" There are more things in the hands of these Han people, even more exquisite and beautiful things than these! I heard that the Han people are beating themselves up... In this case, why can't we go and take a look?"

"When King Tanshihuai was alive, he said that there is a warm land to the south of here, with the best water and soil, the most suitable sunshine and weather..." Ke Bi Neng looked into the distance and said, " There are countless lands, countless pastures, countless treasures, and countless beauties... But why are we trapped here and fighting against our brothers? Instead of grabbing more and better things?!"

Kebi Neng waved his arms as if he was cutting off a person's head, "Go! Tell that timid guy Bu Dugen that if he is willing to go south with me! He can take the title of king!" "