Chapter 38 Chapter 12 Fire and Ice Vision

Jingzhou, Jiangling, and Governor's Mansion. Huanxuan hung Yuhan on his waist, dressed in casual samurai clothes, and received Jiang Hailiu who came from Jiankang to attend the funeral in the inner hall. They sat on the ground, and Jiang Hailiu described Jiankang's situation in detail. The news of Feishui's success spread to Jiangling an hour ago, and the whole city was in a commotion. Huan Xuan immediately ordered his generals to assemble their troops and prepare to launch the army tomorrow to overcome the lost ground in the north in one fell swoop. Hearing that Xie Anken nodded to his succession to Naixiong's position as Grand Sima, Huan Xuan heaved a sigh of relief, smiled and said: Count him as a wise man!

He also said to Jiang Hailiu, "Hailiu, you worked hard for this matter. I, Huanxuan, are very grateful and will never forget it." Jiang Hailiu smiled and said, "Mr. Nanjun!"It should be Da Sima, who has always supported me Jiang Hailiu, now I have the opportunity to serve Da Sima, how can I not do my best. Huan Xuan said happily: My Huan family never regards Hai Liu as an outsider. As long as I am in power, the Dajiang Gang will continue to grow, and everyone will share weal and woe.Yes!Xie An forced you to cut off the deal with Sun En, you don't have to have any scruples, you can say anything.

Jiang Hailiu said dejectedly: Frankly speaking, Mr. An's instructions made me very embarrassed.I have absolutely no affection for Sun En, but he controls most of the salt trade along the coast, and the price is very cheap because he doesn't pay salt tax, which is very important to my gang's financial resources.This is not the most important reason. If Sun En colludes with Nie Tian, ​​the damage to our Dajiang Gang will be incalculable. Huan Xuan snorted coldly and murmured: Nie Tian returns! Staring at Jiang Hailiu again: What do you think of his warning? Jiang Hailiu pondered for a moment, then sighed: "Grand An said that if Fu Jian was defeated, he would take advantage of the situation to deal with Sun En."Frankly speaking, I have great respect for Mr. An. Since the old man has spoken out, it is difficult for me to disobey his will.Moreover, my gang also regards him as a god. It is difficult for us to openly oppose him, so we have to find another way.

Then he tentatively said: Of course, it also depends on what Da Sima thinks. Huan Xuan said in a deep voice: "I also have a respect for Xie An. Hailiu's doing so is also in line with the situation. I have just ascended to the position of Grand Sima, and it will take some time to strengthen the hearts of the soldiers and people in Jingzhou. Fortunately, the opportunity is in front of me. When I recover Xiangyang After waiting for more than ten cities, immediately sent troops to Bashu, captured Hanzhong, threatened Guanzhong in the north, and went to the source of disaster in the west of Jingzhou.

Jiang Hailiu breathed a sigh of relief, what he fears most now is that Huan Xuan forces him to defy Xie An openly, and when Xie An is angry, his Dajiang Gang will definitely suffer.With Xie Xuan's prestige in defeating Fu Jian's army of millions, who would dare to compete with him at this time.Even if he is as strong as Huan Xuan, he still has to hide his strength and bide his time, and temporarily point the finger at Sichuan and Shu. Nodding his head, he said, "With Da Sima's instructions, Hailiu understands!" Huan Xuan said confidently: "Uncle Xie An's nephew is more aggressive, and Brother Sima Yao is more suspicious of him. Their days of glory are numbered. Let's do a good job in Jingzhou first, and then wait for the opportunity."

Jiang Hailiu said: "However, if it is delayed for too long and Nie Tian is still sitting on the ground, it will definitely threaten Jingzhou's defense, which will do us a lot of harm and no benefit." Huan Xuan smiled and said: In the past, we were exhausted in dealing with the threats from the north, so we had no time to take care of the area around the two lakes in the south, and let Nie Tian continue to be king and hegemony, so much so that we didn't pay attention to my Huan family. Then his eyes flickered sharply, and he said coldly: Whoever dares to oppose my Huan family, I will teach him to regret being a human being.I have a comprehensive plan for Lianghu to help me, so what if Nie Tian is still complacent?

Jiang Hailiu felt a chill in his heart. He was familiar with Huan Xuan's style and methods, and he had to listen to Huan Chong in everything before, so he had to restrain himself.Now that Huan Chong has died of illness, the military and political power in Jingzhou has fallen into his hands, and he has no scruples about the temperament of those who rebel against me.Although these words were aimed at Nie Tian, ​​they were still warning him not to have any disagreements. Huan Xuan looked at him again, his expression returned to normal, and he said calmly: "The time Xie An came to Qinhuai Tower with you, he just warned you along the way. The real purpose is to teach Maitreya, right?"

Jiang Hailiu could only nod his head. Huan Xuan leisurely said: "Let me give you some advice, if you are doing business, it is best not to offend people casually, and you must be well-rounded in every aspect, so that you can eat all directions."In the end, Jiankang is still under the control of Brother Sima Yao. If I don't nod my head for a day, Xie Xuan still dare not rebel even though he has Beifu soldiers in his hands. Jiang Hailiu frowned and said: Da Sima means Huan Xuan cut him off and said: I hope you understand the way to protect yourself wisely, and don't get involved in the struggle between Xie An and the emperor's brothers.Otherwise, if Xie An loses power one day, it will be your turn to lose power. Xie Xuan and I are beyond our reach, and it will be very difficult to keep your business in Jiankang.The traitor Sima Daozi only needs to instruct Wang Guobao to embarrass you, but he can teach you to walk around endlessly.That's all I have to say, the rest is up to you to decide.

Jiang Hailiu's heart sank, and he realized that he could no longer be happy everywhere like the time when Huan Chong and Xie An had a good relationship, but had to choose a position. Although Huan Xuan said it lightly, there was a serious warning behind it. With a wry smile, he said: I understand the currents! Ren Yao, Qing Ti and Man Miao stood where Yan Fei was lying down just now, staring at the weird and terrifying scene in front of them like they couldn't believe their eyes. The ground was scorched black, as if it had been burnt by a fierce fire, or like a thunderbolt from the sky. The soil is covered with thin ice, like a half-foot-wide ice belt surrounding the scorched earth inside.

Not only had the three of them never seen such a terrifying vision, they had never even thought about it, and of course they couldn't guess what happened. Qingti pointed at the center of the scorched earth with a bleak face, and said: Yan Fei was lying here just now. Ren Yao turned his gaze to the southwest. It was a dense jungle, but now there was a gap that could allow people to pass through. The branches were broken and the leaves were falling, which was obviously created by the extremely powerful qigong. Surprisingly, there were no traces of any footprints on the soil. Man Miao gasped, and said: Could it be that Yan Fei turned into a ghost because of his terrible death.

Qingti tremblingly said: Don't scare me!He thought that if Yan Fei turned into a zombie who would seek revenge, he would definitely be the first one not to let go. Ren Yao was the calmest among the three, looked towards Qingti, and said in a deep voice: Are you sure he has taken your carefree spirit? Qing Ti was still in shock and said: I am not sure anymore. Ren Yao sighed: This kid is indeed unpredictable, if he hadn't made a sound, Old Demon Jiang would be doomed. It turned out that after he escaped from Ningjia Town with injuries, he searched for a place to heal his wounds, and after healed his internal injuries, he chased after the convoy at full speed, even in front of Yan Fei. The signal rocket lured Jiang Lingxu here, and was about to encircle and wipe out Jiang Lingxu with the strength of the three of them, but was destroyed by Yan Fei like a ghost, scaring Jiang Lingxu away.The three of them came to look for Yan Fei's bad luck, but they didn't know what they found was such a vision. Ren Yao made a decisive decision: Qingti, you are responsible for sending Man Miao to Jiankang, and I will be responsible for chasing and killing Yan Fei. Even if he turns into a ghost, I have a way to make him never rebirth. Sima Daozi returned to the palace angrily, and Wang Guobao and Gu Qianqiu, two henchmen, came back with him from the palace. The three of them went straight into the inner hall and sat down separately. Sima Daozi slapped the small table next to him with a palm, and said angrily: "The war has not yet come to a final result, so the emperor can't wait to make Xie An the Duke of Luling County, Xie Shi the Duke of Nankang County, and Xie Xuan the Duke of Kangle County." , Xie Yan is the county magistrate of Wangji, a family of four lords, the world's most incomparable.But if Fu Jian counterattacked with the army gathered in the frontier and crossed the Huai River again, Xie An could no longer keep half of the imperial brother's country, would the imperial brother have to deprive them of their rewards in a hurry.well!What the emperor did was really incomprehensible. Wang Guobao frowned and said: "According to the logic, the Emperor Yu knew that Xie An was arrogant because of his favor and ordered his subordinates to bully Young Master Yuan Xian, so he should be on guard. Sima Daozi said angrily: Not to mention this matter, before he met Xie An, he personally warned me and asked me to discipline my son, and he almost died of anger. Gu Qianqiu said gloomily, "Your Majesty, don't get angry, the Emperor came here suddenly because of the Feishui victory, and it was not easy to come by, so he was excited and overjoyed, it's human nature, so he is grateful to Xie An.Once the enthusiasm for victory subsides, he will have to return to various practical issues, and the emperor will definitely listen to what the prince said at that time. Sima Daozi replied calmly, and muttered to himself: "Brother Huang let Huan Xuan inherit the imperial decree of Da Sima, and it has been sent to Jingzhou. Xie Xuan and Huan Xuan have always been at odds. How could Xie An support Huan Xuan on this matter? It makes people wonder." Puzzled.Even if you are afraid of Huanxuan's rebellion, you can delay the matter and think of a solution after the victory with Fu Jian is clear. What do you think of this matter? Wang Guobao's eyes flashed with jealousy. The discord between the two Xuans is a well-known thing in Jiangnan, but his relationship with Huan Xuan is even worse. He and Huan Xuan once had a quarrel at a banquet, which was very unpleasant. He nodded and said: With Xie An's style of protecting his weaknesses, Xie Xuan should be promoted to the position of chief minister after defeating Fu Jian. Gu Qianqiu said with a sinister smile: "In my opinion, Xie An is expressing his position, implying to the emperor that he has no ambitions for power, and his Xie family does not care about the position of Da Sima." Sima Daozi snorted coldly: This may be his strategy of retreating. Gu Qianqiu said with a sinister smile: Xie An is far-sighted, it is not surprising that he has such a thought, but he has a big flaw, if we make good use of it, we can easily bring him down. Among Sima Daozi's confidantes, Gu Qianqiu is the most resourceful and resourceful, full of intrigues and tricks, Sima Daozi heard the words and said happily: "Don't tell me yet!" Gu Qianqiu deliberately said slowly: Xie An's shortcoming is that he has the habits of Jiangzuo famous scholars, he pursues the spirit of indulgence and freedom, and he can't help but miss the old way of life of retiring to Dongshan.As long as we deal him a heavy blow, it will cause him to think of retiring. At that time, as long as the emperor doesn't keep him, he will definitely lose all hope.At that time, Jiankang will be the prince's world, and the prince wants to deal with whoever he wants, who dares to object? Sima Daozi frowned, and said, "Under the current atmosphere, if we act rashly towards Xie An, it will make the emperor unhappy. In the end, it's me who will be blamed again?" Gu Qianqiu said confidently: As long as we make up our minds and then act, Xie An will not be able to catch us. Even though Xie An knows that we did it, he is unable to prove it. The best thing is that this matter is nothing to the emperor. Xie Anjin had no choice but to resign sadly. Wang Guobao said, "Master Gu, don't be a fool, okay?"Say it out loud and see if it works. Gu Qianqiu said lightly: Kill Song Beifeng! Sima Daozi and Wang Guobao looked at each other. Song Beifeng was a loyal servant who had followed Xie An for many years. Wang Guobao shook his head and said: "Your Majesty just reprimanded the lord, and he ordered the lord to discipline Mr. Yuan Xian, so we turned around and went to kill Song Beifeng, how will the lord explain to the emperor?" Gu Qianqiu said: "The subtlety is here. Song Beifeng is an irrelevant person, but he has great significance to Xie An. Our people are completely out of this matter, and we arrange for capable people to take action, and arrange it into a fair duel. How can the emperor blame the prince, Xie An is a dumb man who eats coptis, he knows what he suffers. Sima Daozi let out a breath and said: "Although Song Beifeng's status is low, his swordsmanship is first-class. Looking around Jiankang, apart from me and the national treasure, I am afraid that no one is his opponent."If you want to kill him, you must adopt the method of ambush and siege. Wang Guobao also nodded and said: Even if there is such a person, if he kills Song Beifeng, let alone Xie An, the emperor will definitely not let him go. Gu Qianqiu happily said: Let us invite a person who even the emperor dare not convict, whose martial arts is sure to beat Song Beifeng, so what? Sima Daozi was startled and said: "Little Maitreya!" Gu Qianqiu nodded slowly, and said: "Zhu Leiyin will set off tomorrow to meet our little living Maitreya Master Zhu Bugui, his martial arts is second only to the big living Maitreya, and he is on the same level as Ni Huihui, with his old man's kung fu , as long as he agrees to make a move, Song Beifeng will surely die. Wang Guobao said excitedly: "This is indeed a feasible plan. As long as we cleverly arrange it and pretend that Song Beifeng offended the little living Maitreya, Xie An will have nothing to say." Sima Daozi was still hesitating. Gu Qianqiu drummed his tongue and said: This plan is absolutely foolproof, and the stunning beauty we are about to arrive is talking at the emperor's bedside, Xie An is indeed a master of great merit, and he will surely fulfill the prince's wish. Wang Guobao was confused and asked: What stunning beauty? Sima Daozi and Gu Qianqiu ignored him, the former looked at Gu Qianqiu and said word by word: Qianqiu thinks about the perimeter, this plan is indeed feasible.However, if Song Beifeng is killed, it will affect the entire Xie family. Xie Xuan firmly controls the military power of the Beifu army. If this matter becomes a big deal, our plan to introduce Protestantism may be abandoned halfway. How to explain to Dahuo Maitreya? Gu Qianqiu calmly explained, "Xie An made Huan Xuan the Great Sima, he was in a cocoon, Huan Xuan restrained Xie Xuan, and he still didn't dare to act rashly with Beifu soldiers in his hands."What's more important is Xie An's tireless mentality. If such a thing really happened, and the emperor indulged in not returning to the master, I'm sure Xie An can only resign, and there will never be a second possibility. boom! Sima Daozi slapped the table with his palm, and said coldly, "Just do it like this!" Xie An resigned in the middle of the palace banquet, and Sima Yao was happy to let him go without him watching, so he gave permission immediately. Xie An first sent Wang Tanzhi back to the palace. At this time, the whole Bird Clothes Lane was completely enveloped in a joyous atmosphere. The wealthy families were decorated with lanterns and festoons, and every family opened their doors. Although it was past the second watch, no one was willing to sleep at home obediently, especially the younger generation, men with fancy crowns and clothes, and women dressed up in fancy dresses, shuttled through various houses in groups, frolicking in the streets, and it was very lively. There are also loud drums and music, singing and dancing in the tall mansion. Compared with the situation before tonight when everyone was in danger, every house was closed, and the situation before the end came, the contrast is so strong that it is impossible for those who have not experienced the two scenes personally. imagine. Xie An's carriage was everywhere, everyone cheered and applauded, and a group of children even chased after the carriage, receiving the warmest welcome everywhere. However, the entrances and exits of Bird Clothes Lane are still guarded by guards, only those from high families are allowed to enter and exit, and those from poor families are strictly prohibited from entering. The excitement of Xie's mansion was unprecedented. More than a hundred people belonging to the generation of Xie An's grandchildren gathered in the big square in front of the mansion to play with fireworks and firecrackers. The crowd expressing their gratitude crowded the square. After finally entering the gate of the mansion, there was an immediate burst of applause, shouting the name of Mr. An, everyone vying to see the demeanor of the hero who won this battle. Xie An's heart was even more heavy. It was a very bad omen for Sima Daozi to leave midway. At this moment, his Xie family reached the pinnacle of prosperity, but looking at the fate of all the officials in the Jiangzuo regime, it is better not to make meritorious deeds than to make meritorious deeds, and it is better to make small deeds than great deeds. The great meritorious deeds are still unprecedented since ancient times, and the consequences are unimaginable. Since Xie An became an official in Dongshan, the romantic, unrestrained and open-mindedness he used to have when he lived in seclusion is no longer there. Under the appearance of being free and unrestrained, his heart is full of sadness that hurts the world, and he has to endure long-term internal strife and external aggression, killing and death The mental burden left behind.And at this moment, the ecstasy of victory and the deep worry about Da Jin's future combined into a complicated heart that he could not confide in anyone. If he could choose, he would rather avoid the bustle in front of him, hide in Qianqian's Yuping Terrace, quietly listen to her playing the piano and singing, and pour two glasses of fine wine into his stomach. Of course, he can't get away and leave. Under the expectation of everyone, he must have fun with everyone. Song Beifeng and the rest of the attendants couldn't intervene to wait for Xie An to get off the car. The disciples of the Xie family who occupied a favorable position rushed up and surrounded the carriage parked at the gate of the mansion. Among them was the first beauty of the Xie family, who was eighteen years old, Xie Xuan's youngest daughter Xie Zhongxiu, and another charming and incomparable, A girl of similar age opened the car door for him. As soon as Xie An stepped on the ground, more than a hundred boys and girls saluted in unison and shouted: Hello, Mr. An! Then there was no embarrassing laughter at all, and the people around cheered, pushing the already noisy atmosphere to the highest peak. A child rushed towards Xie An, crashed into his arms, and shouted: Grandpa is a great hero! Xie An picked him up. This child is called Xie Hun. He is Xie Yan's third son and Xie An's favorite grandson. The Xie family's greatest hope after Xie Xuan. Not to be outdone, Xie Zhongxiu grabbed Xie An's other side and held his arm tightly. Xie An suddenly remembered his daughter's wrong-married husband, and secretly thought that he must remind Xie Xuan to be careful in choosing a husband for Zhong Xiu, and not to repeat the mistakes he regretted too late. At this moment, he put all his troubles behind him, his heart was filled with the warmth of family affection, and he was even more grateful for the support of the masses. His eyes fell on the face of the beautiful young girl who was looking at him with admiration and respect without blinking, and opened the car door for him with Xie Zhongxiu. He thought to himself that this woman's beauty is above Xie Zhongxiu's, and definitely not below Ji Qianqian, why he has no impression of seeing her at all.Judging from her familiarity with the children in the mansion, she should be the lady of a certain high school. Xie Zhongxiu whispered in his ear: Uncle!She is Wang Gongzhi's Queen Danzhen, she Seeing Xie An, the crowd burst into applause, covering up Xie Zhongxiu's words below.