The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

Liu Bei arrived in Pengcheng County on this day under the squire of Guan Yu and others.

The name of the word "Peng" in Pengcheng County and Pengchengguo originated very early, because of "Pengguo". Peng State is also known as Dapeng's State. The founder of the country is "Peng Zu" who lived to 800 in legends of later generations. Peng Zu was the seventh-generation grandson of the Yellow Emperor. He was sealed in Pengcheng during the reign of Emperor Yao and established the Peng Kingdom, which became an eastern fence to protect China. Peng Guoguo lasted for more than 800 years, and it was not until the Yin and Shang Dynasties that it was destroyed by Wuding because of the rising national strength. After the state of Peng was destroyed, the royal family and the people of the country took the state as their surname, which is also the origin of the surname "Peng".

Of course, this has already happened in ancient times, Xia and Shang dynasties.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, this place belonged to Song Dynasty, and later belonged to Chu. At the end of the Qin Dynasty, the whole world was chasing the deer, and Xiang Yu, a native of Chu, established himself as the overlord of Western Chu, and he was set to be here. After entering the Han Dynasty, this place was called the State of Chu. During the reign of Emperor Xuan of the former Han Dynasty, the King of Chu, Liu Yanshou, rebelled, so the country was removed as a county and changed to "Pengcheng County", but it was changed back to the State of Chu shortly after. Guangwu Zhongxing, in the seventeenth year of Jianwu, the prince Liu Ying was named the king of Chu, and this place was still the state of Chu. During the reign of Emperor Ming, Liu Ying rebelled, and the country was removed as a county again. It was no longer called the State of Chu, but was renamed the State of Pengcheng, and Liu Gong, the son of Emperor Ming and the King of Lu'an, was relocated to the King of Pengcheng. The current king of Pengcheng, Liu He, is the great-grandson of Liu Gong.

Liu He was succeeded by Jianhe three years ago. He has been on the throne for 40 years. He was famous for his filial piety when he was young. He has been in the throne for so many years. Respect him a lot.

Liu He has won the hearts of the people, which is also a source of confidence for Pengcheng Prime Minister Xue Ligan and Tao Qian to fight against each other.

According to the Han family system, although the king has no right to manage state affairs, he is, after all, the monarch in name of the feudal state. A king who is popular with the people can obviously help Xue Li in his "political call" than a king who is unpopular. Many.

Speaking of Liu Ying, Liu Gong, Liu He, the kings of Chu and Pengcheng of this dynasty, there is a digression that has to be said.

Liu He and Liu Gong are fine, but Liu Ying has something different.

Liu Ying can be said to be one of the earliest royal nobles who believed in Buddhism in this dynasty, and even from ancient times to the present.

Pengcheng is a place with convenient transportation, connecting the north and the south, connecting the east and the west, and it is located on the avenue of the Silk Road extending from Luoyang to the southeast. The economy and culture are relatively prosperous and open. Buddhism was introduced to the Central Plains along the Silk Road, and also arrived. Pengcheng and Liu He were influenced by this. He originally believed in the study of Huang-Lao, but he also accepted Buddhism after being influenced by Buddhism. As a result, a sangha group composed of monks and laymen was assembled.

As the king of Pengcheng, Liu Ying knows the name of a good Buddha even the emperor of Luoyang, so the influence of his belief in Buddhism on the local area and even on the surrounding counties and states of Pengcheng and Xuzhou can be imagined. Zhe Rong of Pi is also a Buddhist believer. If he goes into detail, maybe part of the reason is due to the influence of Liu Ying's legacy.

However, having said that, few of the chief officials and kings of the Pengcheng area after Liu Ying were like him and believed in Buddhism, so as far as the Pengcheng area is concerned, although there are still Buddhist believers in the territory, the number is not very large.

Liu Bei arrived in Pengcheng County, and came to the prefecture to ask to see Xue Li.

After the notification, not long after, someone came out of the mansion.

I saw that this man was about 40 years old, wearing a high crown and black clothes, with a sword in his waist, and a seal bag hanging on the side, looking at the size of the seal bag, there should be a half-pass seal in the bag.

The man arrived in front of the mansion, looked at Liu Bei and the others, and asked, "Which one is Liu Jun from Guangling?"

Liu Bei took a half step forward, saluted and replied, "Liu Bei is here, dare to ask who is your step?"

"It's in the lower warehouse."

"It turned out to be the warehouse owner! I'm rude."

Cangyou is the head of Pengchengguo.

Xue Li sent Cangyu out to greet Liu Bei, but it can be seen from this that he attached great importance to Liu Bei, that is, to Xun Zhen.

Cang You spoke quickly and hastily, and at first glance he looked impatient. He paid a salute and said, "You have come from Guangling from a long distance, and the journey has been hard work. The minister of the state ordered me to welcome you all into the residence."

"Yes."

Cang You led the way, Liu Bei and others followed, and everyone entered the mansion.

When they got to the mansion, someone took over the mounts of Liu Bei and others and led them to the stable, while Liu Bei and Guan Yu followed Cangyou to the main hall of the mansion to meet Xue Li.

After a short walk, the front lobby, with carved beams and painted walls, is very majestic.

Cang You paused, turned his head and said to Liu Bei, "This is the main hall of my mansion, and the prime minister of the state is waiting in the hall." After looking at Guan Yu's group, he said, "Please, Lord Liu, come with me to the hall."

Liu Bei knew what he meant by "look at Guan Yu and others", and immediately ordered Guan Yu and the others, saying, "You wait for me outside the hall."

Guan Yu and others responded.

Liu Bei followed Cangyou to the hall.

Entering the hall, in the deep hall, there are many government officials in black robes sitting on both sides, and a person sitting at the end, dressed in 2,000 stone clothes, around the age of 50, with a thin face and a nose, needless to say, it should be Pengcheng. With Xue Li.

Cang Yu introduced to Liu Bei that this person was Xue Li.

Liu Bei bowed down and saluted, and heard Xue Li say, "Liu Jun, please get up."

After the ceremony, Cangyou returned to his seat.

A seat was prepared for Liu Bei in the hall, and Xue Li asked him to take a seat as well.

Xue Li's voice was rather shrill, and it fell into his ears, giving people a somewhat uncomfortable feeling.

A few words of greetings were exchanged between the host and the guest.

Xue Lixiao said to Liu Bei, "I've heard for a long time that Duke Xun is valiant and military, and he has four thousand righteous followers, and all of them are tigers. He sat at the end of the hall, pointed to Guan Yu and the others standing in the courtyard outside the hall, and asked, "Who is the one standing in front of the guards? The tiger's lofty vision seems to be very human."

Liu Bei followed his fingers and looked back, thinking: "Xue Pengcheng's eyes are quite good. From such a distance, you can still see that Yun Chang's looks like a very person at a glance." He replied respectfully, "This is when I was young. The old friend I made, the surname Guan Mingyu, is also from Hedong."

"Oh! I heard that there are several warriors under Xun Gong's account, one is Xin Ai, one is Jiang Xian (Xu Zhong), one is Liu Deng, one is Dian Wei, and one is Zhao Yun. , Liu Deng's semicolons 'Hidden Wood House' and 'Sit in the Iron Room' are famous and invincible. In the past, when Duke Xun asked for the yellow turban, Xin Yulang forced Zhang Jiao to death, and he was famous all over the world. Are these guys coming from Junjun today? ?"

Although Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were enemies of ten thousand people, they were not as long as Xin Ai, Liu Deng, Dian Wei, etc. in their days with Xun Zhen, and they were not as good as Zhao Yun, who was always around Xun Zhen. Not as good as Xin Ai and others.

Liu Bei replied, "No."

"Liu Jun, I have something I want to ask you, and please tell the truth."

Liu Bei was ordered to see Xue Li from afar, but Xue Li did not ask what he wanted to do. Instead, he bluntly said that he wanted to ask Liu Bei about something, and asked Liu Bei to tell the truth. This made Liu Bei a little confused. He didn’t know what he wanted to ask and replied: "Ming Gong asks, as long as you know, you will answer truthfully."

"How many are there under Duke Xun's command, such as Jiang Xian, Liu Deng, Xin Ai, Dian Wei, and Zhao Yun?"

"Jiang, Xin, Liu, Dian, and Zhao were all heroes of the moment, and they were all enemies of ten thousand people. However, the heroes and heroes under Duke Xun's command were like clouds. The number of sovereigns is like rain, and it is difficult to count them."

"How many are there like you and Guan Yu outside the hall?"

"If Xun Gong's subordinates are prepared to fight Guan Yu, the amount of fighting in the vehicle is innumerable, and the preparation and Yu are not enough to mention."

Xue Li laughed and said, "You are exaggerating!"

"Prepare what you say, and tell the truth."

Liu Bei always gave people a sense of loyalty. He knew that his words were exaggerations, but when he said it, Xue Li and others believed it by three points.

Xue Li changed the subject, stopped talking about the matter, and said, "Jun Liu, I have something else to ask you."

"Ming Gong, please speak."

"Duke Xun lives in Guangling, and I live in Pengcheng. I am neither Fangbo, nor Pengcheng nor Guangling. Why did Duke Xun send you to see me?"

"Duke Xue just kept the festival straight, and since Duke Xun's county has often heard of Duke Xue's name and respected him, it was because he was dispatched to visit Duke Xue."

"I heard that Duke Xun had just entered the county a few months ago, and before he arrived at the prefecture, he killed a state official who was urging grain. Liu Jun, honestly, Duke Xun sent you to see me, and this has nothing to do with it. Does it matter?"

Liu Bei didn't answer immediately, but turned to the Zhu Pengcheng county officials who were sitting with him in Gutang.

Xue Li said, "Everyone present here is my trusted confidant, so it's okay for Liu Jun to say it straight."

Liu Bei is loyal and loyal, it doesn't mean he can't speak, he didn't answer directly, but replied: "It's related or not, it depends on what Duke Xue thinks."

"See what I think?"

"Exactly."

Xue Li looked at Liu Bei playfully, and Liu Bei sat calmly.

The hall was silent for a long time.

Xue Li retracted his gaze, laughed loudly, and said, "Liu Jun said it well! Then I'll ask you again, what do you think I think?"

Liu Bei calmly smiled and said, "How can Bei know what Duke Xue is thinking?"

Xue Li turned to the officials on the table and said, "Liu Jun doesn't know what I think, so tell me, what do I think?"

Cangyu stood up and replied, "I take the liberty of an official, please try to explain Duke Ming's thoughts."

"you say."

"Ming Gong's thoughts, of course, are the same as Xun Gong's."

Xue Li turned his eyes to Liu Bei again and said, "Liu Jun heard what the Cang Master said?"

"heard it."

"Then what kind of thoughts does Duke Xun have, can you listen to Liu Jun?"

"Xun Gong's idea is very simple."

"How easy is it?"

Xue Li continued to question, but Liu Bei remained calm, and he said slowly: "Although Guangling and Pengcheng are not bordering, they are in the same state, and the Qing and Yanhuang scarves are powerful. If they invade the south, both our counties will suffer. Duke Xun is willing to work together with Duke Ming, join forces to ventilate, and fight foreign aggression together."

Liu Bei's words put it plainly, that Xun Zhen is willing to form an alliance with Xue Li, and as for whether this alliance is to resist Qing, Yan Huangjin, or to resist Tao Qian, those who are clear will naturally understand, but there is no need to explain further. .

"It turns out that Duke Xun had this idea."

"Then may I ask Duke Ming, what does Duke Ming mean?"

Xue Li turned around to look at Cang You, then turned to look at Liu Bei, and said, "Didn't the Cang Master said just now? Duke Xun's thoughts are my thoughts, and my thoughts are the same as those of Duke Xun."

In Xue Li's continuous questioning and Liu Bei's calm answer, in just a few words, the matter of forming an alliance was actually settled like this.

That night, Xue Li arranged for Liu Bei and others to stay in the mansion and hosted a banquet.

The next morning ~www.wuxiaspot.com~ Liu Bei bid farewell to Xue Li and returned to Guangling.

On the way back to Guangling, Guan Yu couldn't help but say: "You saw Xue Xiang in the hall yesterday, and I watched him from a distance outside the hall. Seeing that Jun and Xue were similar, they only had a few words of dialogue and then decided to form an alliance. Really. I didn't expect it to be so easy to do!"

Thinking of the conversation with Xue Li in the hall yesterday, not only was Guan Yu surprised by how easy it was to form an alliance, but the whole process of negotiating the alliance was completely different from what Liu Bei originally imagined.

Liu Bei replied, "Xue Pengcheng should have long ago intended to form an alliance with Xun Jun!"

"how do I say this?"

"Yesterday, during the conversation in the classroom, he mentioned Jiang, Xin, Liu, Dian, and Zhao Zhujun successively, and he was very clear about the past deeds of Shujun. If he had not intended to form an alliance with Xunjun long ago, how could he have worked hard? To understand the obedience of Xun Jun’s subordinates?”

"So, it was Xue Xiang who had this intention long ago. No wonder it was so easy to do."

"Although it's easy, this Xue Pengcheng seems to be someone who is easy to get along with!"

"How do you say this?"

Liu Bei didn't answer Guan Yu, he just shook his head.

Yesterday in the hall, Xue Li was aggressive and kept asking questions, always keeping the initiative in his own hands. At first glance, he was a strong person. Such a strong person, of course, is not easy to get along with, and of course is not a good alliance partner. Although the covenant between Xun Zhen and him has been reached, this covenant can be used for immediate urgency. In the long run, I am afraid that it will break sooner or later. ◤ To be continued, if you like this work, you are welcome to vote for the author or a monthly ticket at 3G Bookstore. Your support will be the greatest motivation for the author to create. ◢