Chapter 867 Meeting

Chapter 867 Meeting

Chapter 867 Meeting
Three days before the New Year, a horse-drawn carriage drove into Shanyu Terrace.

When they saw the large group of personal guards arriving, Zeng Yi and others immediately opened the gate and notified Pu An and Pu Pi, uncle and nephew.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Both the uncle and nephew bowed to the ground.

"Get up." Shao Xun walked straight into the main hall without stopping.

After sitting down, he pointed to the single couches on both sides, and then looked at the two of them carefully.

Pu An looked to be in his twenties. He was not very tall, but he had strong limbs and was muscular.

He is not even thirty years old, but his face is obviously weathered and frosted, and there are even small wounds on it, but no one knows where they came from.

He was wearing a fur coat, which seemed to be made of fox fur. The material was high-quality, but the workmanship was average.

There was a hint of uneasiness and anxiety in his eyes.

Shao Xun came to a preliminary conclusion: the Di chieftains who emerged from the bitter cold land of Qinzhou were extremely brave, but they were clear-headed and knew their own situation, the strength of the Liu Han they depended on, and the capital of their opponents.

This kind of person is good at fighting and knows how to adapt to the times. If you are capable, he will be a loyal minister and a good general. If you are not capable, not only will he not help you, he may even bite you back.

As for the little boy next to him, we have just learned that he is Pu Hong’s third son, Pu Pi, who was also known as “Fu Jian” in later generations.

This is normal. He was reluctant to send his older eldest and second sons, so he sent his eight-year-old third son instead. He would not feel sad even if he died. This was probably Pu Hong's mentality.

An eight-year-old boy couldn't really tell anything, and Shao Xun didn't pay much attention to it. He just looked at Pu An and asked, "Where is the Marquis of Yi stationed now?"

"We are stationed west of Chang'an." Pu An said, "We have not been able to return to Qinzhou for a long time, and the soldiers are all complaining."

"What is Liu Can doing recently?"

"We have managed to move the mountains and set up another county in Anding County." Pu An replied, "There are also tribes in the Beishan area who have come to surrender. Last year, more than ten generals and marquises were appointed. Shi Le conquered Shuofang and made some gains."

"It's really busy." Shao Xun said with a smile.

"I'm just the vanguard of the king." Pu An said.

Shao Xun looked at him in surprise. This guy can talk.

"Last year, when the troops left Puguan, was there anyone in Chang'an who opposed it?" Shao Xun asked.

"Yes, but not many, because everyone knows that after the king defeats Dai, he will definitely attack Han."

"Who are the opponents?"

"Most of them are Di, Qiang, Ba, Jie and Xianbei nobles."

"How about the Jin family?"

"Those who have formed an alliance with Tugezi agree to send troops, while the rest remain silent."

"How is Liu Can's army?"

"Initially, there were more than 17,000 imperial guards, which later expanded to more than 20,000, led by members of the royal family. Chang'an still has 6,000 guards, all of whom are carefully selected from the bravest warriors of various tribes. The rest are tribal troops and family soldiers of powerful families."

"If we attack Han, what good plan does General Pu have?"

Pu An thought for a moment and said, "The sooner the better. Every year the war drags on, the more stable the Xiongnu will be. The longer the war drags on, the more secure Liu Can's position as the false emperor will be."

"Are there any people with evil ambitions in the Xiongnu country?"

"Yes." Pu An said, "As far as I know, Jin Zhun has ulterior motives. However, he once suffered a great loss at the hands of the king, and the Xiongnu nobles often use this to criticize him. The Guanxi area was conquered by Liu Can, so even if Zhun has ambitions, he can only lie dormant and wait for the opportunity."

"If I mobilize all my troops to attack Guanxi, will these people respond?" Shao Xun asked.

"Your Majesty, you have to win a few games first before you can have any hope of success," Pu An replied.

Shao Xun nodded with satisfaction. This was the truth.

They are not one person, but a group. When there are many people, they will naturally have their own ideas. To unify their cognition, changes in the external situation are needed.

Pu An's answer was indeed not cunning, but the truth.

"Where is Yao Yizhong?"

"Fufeng."

"Why are you stationed in Fufeng?"

"Liu Can wants to move his troops eastward to fight against the king."

Shao Xun nodded and asked one last question: "Did Tuoba Yihuai send anyone to Chang'an?"

"Yes." Pu An replied, "The two families have agreed to form an alliance to fight against the king together."

"Sure enough!" Shao Xun smiled and said.

This year, Shengle did not send anyone to Pingyang to pay tribute, and its attitude was very clear.

He is asking for death himself, so don't blame others.

Shao Xunxuan looked at Pu Pi again and said to Pu An with a smile: "We have been asking and answering questions for a long time. This boy is neither arrogant nor impatient. He is indeed a rough diamond."

Pu An was surprised and happy when he heard this.

What was surprising was that he also liked this nephew very much, but his two elder brothers were already adults or about to become adults, so he was sent here as a hostage. If he displeased King Liang or made him suspicious, he would not be allowed to leave for the rest of his life, if not die, it was not impossible that he would not be allowed to leave for the rest of his life, and that would be the end of him.

He was happy because if his nephew was appreciated by King Liang, and King Liang was broad-minded, it would be a blessing. In the future, even if he didn't make great achievements, just inheriting the family's tribes would be a matter of a word from King Liang.

They are not the Tuoba Xianbei. They have had a lot of exchanges with the Jin people. There are very few conservative people in their tribe, and the incident of the Desert Khan will not happen again.

So Pu An was very conflicted and could only say vaguely: "Since my nephew entered Hongnong, he told me that the king is a hero of the time, and he is willing to serve as the king's vanguard and make great achievements in the future."

"Oh? Really?" Shao Xun laughed happily, "Then I have found another good talent."

Pu An gave a dry laugh.

Pu Pi looked up at Shao Xun, then quickly lowered his head.

"You probably haven't given me a courtesy name yet, right?" Shao Xun asked again.

Of course, if you haven't reached the age of twenty, you don't have a courtesy name, but there are exceptions to everything...

Upon hearing this, Pu An immediately said, "Please grant him a name, Your Majesty." "Since you have promised him great achievements, why not call him 'Jianye'?" Shao Xun said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the gift of a name." Pu An immediately pulled his nephew and saluted together.

Shao Xun helped them up, looked at the high wall, and said, "Children love to move by nature. It's not good for them to live here all the time. After the first month of the year, I will find a manor for you to live in. It's not very convenient for people to come and go in Shanyutai. Well, the name should also be changed. Pu Pi is easy to be heard by people with ulterior motives. It's better to change it to 'Fu Jian'. Fu in Lu Fu, Jian in Jianyong."

"This is a very good name. Thank you, Your Majesty, for giving it the name." Pu An said with a smile.

"That's all. Live well and we can talk about the rest after the New Year." After Shao Xun said this, he left Shanyu Terrace surrounded by soldiers.

Pu An and his nephew stood in silence for a long time before returning to the house.

"Now that we've met, what do you think?" Pu An asked, avoiding others.

"It seems that King Liang is also a brave man." Pu Pi said.

"If it's just about bravery, Zhang Fang would be the worst." Pu An shook his head and smiled bitterly: "This man is not a simple one."

After all, Pu Pi was still too young and didn’t quite understand.

"You will know later." Pu An said, "He must be the one who will unify the North."

Unify the North? Pu Pi blinked.

"After this New Year, you should study hard. Since you are in the Central Plains, you can ask a famous teacher to teach you." Pu An said: "Of course, martial arts and military strategy cannot be neglected."

"Yes." Pu Pi replied.

"Your two brothers are grown up now. If you want to have a future, perhaps you can only rely on King Liang..." Pu An touched his nephew's head and sighed.

******
As expected, all the ceremonial items sent by Liu Tun's team were rejected, with the reason being "I am of low moral character, how dare I accept these things."

Liu Tun had expected this.

Next, the Prince of Liang would present a memorial to decline the offer, and only after the Emperor sent another earnest edict would the Prince of Liang accept the ceremonial guard.

However, Liu Tun was not in a hurry to go back now. He planned to leave after the New Year.

There are still two days before the Chinese New Year, and people are still arriving at the inn one after another.

Seeing them brave the wind and snow and work tirelessly, Liu Tun suddenly felt that the emperor's ceremonial procession was indeed very suitable for King Liang, and whether he would accept it was just a matter of thought.

He even thought about what he should say as the prime minister of the Jin Dynasty if the King of Liang asked him to abdicate, so as not to offend the King of Liang and at the same time save his face.

After thinking about it over and over again, I couldn't find a solution, so I just gave up thinking about it.

In the evening, when he was about to ask someone to prepare dinner, Wang Yan came to visit.

"Long rise."

"Yifu."

Er Deng took their seats, while Liu Qun closed the door and waited outside.

"Pingyang is a good place to live." Looking at Wang Yan's rosy face, Liu Tun teased, "Since Yi Fu came to Pingyang, he rarely came to Luoyang. It's hard to see him. The next time I see you, I'm afraid it will be--"

"We'll meet next time in Jinyang," Wang Yan said.

"Why in Jinyang?" Liu Tun asked curiously.

"The matter of the honorary official offended many people." Wang Yan sighed, "Now it is still a short time, many people have just learned about it, in a few months, I am afraid there will be a lot of discussion. In order to calm this matter, I ask King Liang to invite people from the noble families to discuss it."

"Yi Fu is confused." Although Liu Tun was dissatisfied, he was a wise man after all, and he immediately said, "I think it's not a discussion of morality, but an insult. Although the King of Liang is not a rough warrior, he is not a well-educated man either. I'm afraid he will get angry if he is questioned by a few people."

Wang Yan's frown deepened, and he said, "But this must be done. Since the end of the Han Dynasty, which powerful minister or emperor has not discussed the Dao with scholars?"

Liu Tun was speechless.

In an era when the king and the scholars rule the world together, you have to maintain good relations with them. However, can the King of Liang still maintain good relations with the scholars?

"What are we talking about in this conversation?" Liu Tun asked.

"Let's talk about the general situation of the world." Wang Yan said.

Liu Tun was speechless.

The topic was too broad, and he had a vague feeling that this discussion would not be simple.

Sure enough, Wang Yan said, "The King of Liang will summon all the honorary officials above the seventh rank, the officials of the Longxiang Palace, and the generals of the country to gather in Jinyang in April or May. He may select some people to participate in the discussion."

When Liu Tun heard this, he almost cursed.

Is this just idle talk? I'm afraid it's not a palace coup.

Establishing the status of warriors in formal occasions lets people know that such a group exists and also boosts the self-confidence of warriors.

"Yi Fu, what are you going to do?" Liu Tun asked.

"Please help to attract some Qingzhou scholars and stop chasing them relentlessly," said Wang Yan.

"What about you?" Liu Tun asked.

"Of course I have to control the overall situation." Wang Yan said helplessly: "It is better to discuss the general situation of the world than to talk about other things. The King of Liang should not make a fool of himself in this matter, but he still has to keep an eye on it."

Liu Tun was amused.

Wang Yifu wanted to take sides. Not only did he want to take sides, he also wanted prestigious scholar leaders from various states to help him take sides. But would everyone really give him face?
It may be possible for small things, but it’s hard to say for big things.

"Does King Liang feel that there are undercurrents in the world, so he agrees to the discussion?" Liu Tun asked in a low voice.

"That's right." Wang Yan nodded without any hesitation.

Liu Tun remained silent after hearing this.

In fact, the fact that King Liang had this idea had already surpassed most military leaders in troubled times.

Forget it, just give him a hand. I still have something to ask Wang Yifu for.

(End of this chapter)