"Forming an alliance and borrowing power?" Xu Bei furrowed his brows in embarrassment. "This … I'm afraid it's going to be difficult. She's already nineteen. She's a little old. "
Han Yu was startled. He looked at his lord's face and asked silently.
Where is your brain going?
What does forming an alliance have to do with someone's age?
In the end, she was his lord. No matter how stupid she was, she had to give him face and not let him make a fool of himself.
"It's okay," Han Yu said.
Xu Bei shook his head like a rattle-drum. "That won't do. My eldest son is only ten years old. I can't bear to push him into the fire pit."
Han Yu was expressionless, but in fact, he was dumbfounded.
Xu Bei saw that Han Yu did not respond and thought that Han Yu was silently resisting. He said helplessly, "Wenbin, you can't possibly make me, your lord, go there personally … This won't do. Whether Lanting is willing to marry or not is another matter. Even if she is willing to marry, the first wife is still around and her subordinates are not willing."
Since ancient times, the Alliance had always used two methods.
First, it was an exchange of benefits. Second, it was a marriage alliance.
Most of the time, these two situations would complement each other and coexist.
Although their relationship by marriage wasn't strong, it was better than not having this relationship to make him feel at ease.
After Han Yu recovered from the shock, he calmed down and said helplessly, "I'm afraid my lord has misunderstood. I didn't mean that."
This time, it was Xu Bei's turn to feel awkward.
But as a lord, which one of them was not thick-skinned?
He quickly regained his composure, coughed twice, and asked calmly, "Wen Bin, tell us quickly, don't keep us in suspense."
Han Yu said, "My lord has a good relationship with Liu Xi. Why don't you send someone to prepare a batch of provisions and send her a generous gift to congratulate her for taking down the three cities of Shangyu? My Lord, you don't have to be afraid. You can directly describe the conflict between you and Second Master Xu. After the beginning of spring, Liu Xi was bound to wage war with the Northern Borderline. One could imagine how much pressure he would be under. We can't support her troops, but we can allocate some rations to her … "
The territory under Xu Bei's rule was one of the few fertile lands in Dongqing. The food was plentiful and there was no need to worry about food and drink.
They were not short of food.
Although Jiang Pengji had been farming for many years, the war consumed too much food.
Once there was a shortage of food, they could only tighten their belts and fight.
The gift was just an excuse. The real purpose was to hint to Jiang Pengji that the two families should form an alliance.
She supported Xu Bei, and Xu Bei gave her rations. Both parties took what they needed.
Not only that, but Xu Bei could also gain a good reputation. Supporting Jiang Pengji was equivalent to contributing to the resistance against the foreign tribes.
He didn't need to pay a single soldier. He only needed to contribute a bit of food and he would be able to benefit from it.
Xu Bei thought about it and nodded in agreement to Han Yu's suggestion.
"Since that's the case, let's do as Wen Bin says."
Xu Bei was very annoyed with that cousin of his. Unfortunately, the other party was always opposing him. It was infuriating.
In terms of seniority, no matter what, he was more qualified to be the successor of the Xu family. However, that old undying grandfather of his doted on his youngest son and grandson, oppressing him, the eldest son of the first wife, in every way. Their battle was already out in the open, and Xu Bei had nowhere to retreat.
If he could borrow Liu Xi's power and influence to suppress Xu Fei, Xu Bei would be more than willing.
Nansheng Nation, Jiangzhou.
As the saying goes, nothing in this world is difficult for those who set their minds to it. An Cui's persistent pestering finally moved Lu Zheng's heart.
The feeling of having a strategist and not having one was really different.
When he didn't have a strategist, he had to rely on himself. His internal affairs were a mess, and he didn't have anyone to help him strategize.
With the help of a strategist, the organization was reinvigorated, and everything was arranged properly.
Lu Zheng was deeply "moved" by An Cui and came out of seclusion to assist him. In the first battle, he helped An Cui conquer half of Jiangzhou, stabilizing his foundation.
Now that more than a year had passed, Lu Zheng had successfully won over the hearts of An Cui's subordinates and stabilized his position as the number one strategist.
It was a little embarrassing to say it, but there were no decent strategists under An Cui's command, except for Lu Zheng himself.
"Teacher, are you still not asleep?"
The boy servant lit the lamp and added oil to it, making it easier for Lu Zheng to read.
"Today's matter ends today. It's hard for me to sleep if I haven't finished it."
Lu Zheng was dressed in plain pajamas with a large cloak draped over his shoulders. Half of his face flickered in the orange candlelight.
The boy servant sighed. If he had known that An Cui would be so tired, he wouldn't have persuaded his teacher to help An Cui.
"What are you reading, teacher?"
The boy servant noticed that Lu Zheng had been looking at the secret report for a long time, not moving his eyes away.
"A secret letter from Dongqing … The lost three cities of Shangyu have returned. Teacher should be very pleased."
Lu Zheng smiled. There was still green stubble on the side of his lips, and his eyes were bruised and swollen. He looked a few years older than his actual age.
The boy servant let out a short "ah" and asked, "Teacher, is what you said true?"
Lu Zheng raised his hand and adjusted the cloak draped over his shoulders. "Of course it's true. Your teacher can't slack off either. Light another lamp."
Although he said that he disliked An Cui, Lu Zheng had been secretly observing him.
Seeing that the successive setbacks had slowly worn away An Cui's edges and arrogance, Lu Zheng reluctantly agreed to become an official.
As soon as he became an official, he did everything he could to help An Cui find a peaceful place to live.
Half of Jiangzhou!
Next, it was time to move steadily and further expand his power.
An Cui was good in every aspect, except for one thing that gave him a headache.
His power was still too weak, and his personnel structure was seriously biased.
If he couldn't find someone to share his workload, Lu Zheng suspected that he would overwork himself to death.
Zhongzhao, Bianzhou.
"Little Emperor, you've gone too far. Why don't we just rebel against him!"
The man in the black robe slammed the short table heavily. The dull thud hit the hearts of the people present.
Ever since the death of the former Empress Du, the Emperor had become more and more obsessed with women. He had no interest in court affairs, even allowing relatives and eunuchs to kill loyal subjects.
The aristocratic families watched coldly from the sidelines. At first, those involved were mostly commoner families and had little to do with their interests.
Who knew that after two or three years, the eunuchs and relatives had become so powerful that they could shake the country?
The two great powers worked together to deal with the aristocratic families, and even plotted several court coups in an attempt to seize power from them.
The Nie family of Bianzhou could be considered a first-rate aristocratic family in Zhongzhao. They had a long history and were naturally the first to bear the brunt.
Their political enemies were closing in, but they couldn't keep retreating.
"What's there to rebel about? This isn't as simple as eating and drinking. There are many implications. We can't act recklessly! "
"If we continue to endure, are we just going to let those rootless eunuchs and peasants bully us?"
The other party didn't say anything.
After a while.
"This matter still needs to be discussed with Father and the elders. Second Brother, don't act rashly."
The man called "Second Brother" frowned and swallowed his anger. He gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, I understand."
Because of the incompetent ruler and the Demon Empress, there were more and more uprisings in Zhongzhao.
Until the coup of the eunuchs and relatives conspiring to kill the aristocratic families was exposed, Zhongzhao was no longer a country.
The nobles supported by the aristocratic families revolted.
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