Volume 4 is in the ascendant Chapter 411: Old?
Mrs. Wen finally understood. No wonder she had felt before that this young man seemed different from the people in the county and even from Lord Zhang Xiu. It turned out to be His Royal Highness the King of Chu!
She hurriedly wanted to pull the two children away to give her husband space to talk in detail with the King of Chu.
Wen Ping looked at the gifts in his two sons' hands, feeling somewhat helpless...
"Didn't I tell you that you can't accept gifts from other people?" Wen Ping finally put on a stern face and asked his two sons to put down the things.
It was said that they were just some small items, but... Wen Pin's actions were undoubtedly a rejection of Bai Tu.
The two children put the gifts on the table with grievances. However, after Wen Xiu hesitated for a moment, he still did not let go of Wen Pin's figurine. Instead, he said in a tearful voice, "Daddy, can I keep this?"
"...No." Wen Pin naturally knew who this was, but he still said it with a hardened heart.
Bai Tu did not stop them at this time, but Zhang Chunhua and Lu Lingqi had already shown their impatience - neither Pang Degong nor Sima Hui were that powerful!
I should have brought the fire with me...
Fortunately, Bai Tu had asked Lu Bu not to come into the front hall, otherwise Wen Pin would have been beaten.
"Why is Zhongye doing this? If the world is not yet settled, Chu State is in need of people. Why doesn't Zhongye show his strengths?" Bai Tu said sincerely.
"Your Majesty, I have been favored by you. When I was serving under Master Liu Qi, I could not protect the country and the people, and I could not defend my master. Later, I wanted to keep Xiangfan for Master Liu Cong and repay Liu Jingzhou's kindness, but it was difficult to achieve... So what strengths do I have?" Wen Pin said without any sharpness.
If Wen Pin had not looked old and prematurely aged at this time, he might have been regarded as a "provocation" to the authority of the Chu State.
After all, according to official statements, Jingzhou Prefecture voluntarily submitted to the Chu State, and Wen Pin was still talking about "protecting the territory and the people"...
"How are your child's grades in the rural school? Can he be admitted to the county school?" Bai Tu asked.
Wen Pin was also briefly shocked by Bai Tu's change of topic, but he still said, "It's OK. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."
"Hey, Zhongye joined the army when he was young and has been fighting on the battlefield for nearly ten years. This...may not be a bad thing. When they grow up and go to county and county schools, the world will definitely be better than it is now." Bai Tu looked emotional.
"I'm ashamed." Wen Pin said with a frown.
Wen Pin showed more resistance than when he faced Cao Cao in history - he was not resisting Bai Tu, but resisting continuing to be a general.
Mainly because when he led the army with Liu Qi in Jiangxia, although it was Sun Ce and Zhou Yu who deliberately indulged him, the continuous victories at that time really made Wen Pin feel a great sense of identity with Liu Qi...
Now that Liu Qi has been killed and Liu Cong has returned directly to Chu, Wen Pin wants to be loyal, but has no one to be loyal to. He wants revenge, but he can see that the people's will is in favor of him. He is tormented by a sense of powerlessness and contradiction.
"Why did Zhongye join the army in the first place? For Liu Jingzhou's appreciation? I've walked around the area before. The Erlang of the Wen family as people call him, was the one who was elected as the leader by the villagers when Yuan Shu left Nanyang and rebels were wreaking havoc in the countryside. He protected the village when rebels were rampant." Bai Tu then talked about what he had heard before.
"Pin is already old and doesn't know what he is fighting for. I am sorry to disappoint the king." Wen Pin said dully.
"Old? No one gets old by living a few more years. People get old only because they abandon the ideals of their youth! I don't know what we are fighting for..." Bai Tu said as he stood up excitedly, walked to the window and pushed it open.
"Then look outside! There are farmers working in the fields, laborers working in workshops to supplement their families, women weaving and cooking at home, students in rural schools, smoke rising from cooking fires, singing and dancing... Naturally, there must be people fighting and protecting these things! Now that demons are everywhere and the world is in turmoil, you tell me you don't know why you are fighting?"
Outside the window, one could only see the old gatekeeper staring at Lu Bu cautiously from afar. One could not see the fields at all, let alone the workshop.
But...the atmosphere is always right!
After hearing Bai Tu's words, Wen Ping lowered his head and clenched his hands, which could not help but tremble. It was obvious that he was very conflicted.
At this time, Bai Tu said, "I'll take the rest, but this... is for the two young masters. If Zhongye doesn't like it, just throw it away... Wancheng will have another 3,000 new recruits next month. I'll reserve the position of Yijun General for you until next month. If you want to think it through, go to Wancheng to take up the post and train the troops there before next month."
Bai Tu only pointed at the remaining Wenpin figurines...
Bai Tu would only call himself "the King" when discussing official matters.
After saying this, Bai Tu turned and left, knowing that forcing Wen Pin to express his opinion on the spot would be fruitless.
After returning to Wancheng, Bai Tu heard the secret report and learned that Cao Bang had left with Yang Xiu and others, and he couldn't help but feel even more sad.
However, Bai Tu did not expect that he would hear news about Cao Bang again the next day...
Originally, Bai Tu was inspecting the Nanyang army with Zhang Xiu. At this moment, urgent military intelligence suddenly came!
"Show it up." When Bai Tu saw the scouts coming on war horses, he quickly asked the guards to let them pass.
Because it was a message transmitted by a signal tower, the content was written very concisely. After reading it, Bai Tu's face darkened and he handed the urgent report to Zhang Xiu beside him.
At first, seeing Bai Tu's expression, Zhang Xiu thought that someone was courting death and provoking the State of Chu, but after looking at the military situation, he found that it actually had little to do with the State of Chu.
It was Yang Feng who sent troops to attack Xu County!
In fact, it would be more appropriate to say that it was a recovery and takeover rather than an attack. After all, Xu County was about to be abandoned by the State of Wei.
If Cao Bang and Yang Zheng had not been on the way this time, perhaps there would have been no battle at all!
However, Yang Feng did not expect that after he had thought that the "recapture" would be a piece of cake, he would find Xiahou Yuan in Xu County when he arrived at the city...
As one of the most powerful figures in the Wei army, why did Xiahou Yuan appear in Xu County which was about to be abandoned?
This operation made Yang Feng completely confused!
Does Wei want to steal the chicken by surprise?
But it is true that Xu County still only has those pitiful 3,000 to 5,000 defenders...
Could it be that Xiahou Yuan is just traveling on vacation?
However, Xiahou Yuan was not idle. He actually took over the military power of Xucheng and even took the initiative to attack and defeat Yang Feng's vanguard army that was sweeping through Xu County!
In fact, Bai Tu didn't understand why Xiahou Yuan appeared in Xu County, but he knew why Xiahou Yuan went against the overall strategy of Wei State and launched a rash attack - Cao Bang, Yang Xiu and others were still on their way back to Xu City at this time.
If Yang Feng is allowed to do whatever he wants, it is likely to affect them. Although there are some guards in the team, their size is only enough to defend against bandits.
Even though he didn't know Cao Bang's true identity, Bai Tu was still a little surprised. Xiahou Yuan was just a man who valued friendship and loyalty, and he rashly went into war with Yang Feng for the sake of his distant nephew!
After reading the battle report, Zhang Xiu felt puzzled. This has nothing to do with us?
Why did the king have a gloomy face before?
"Yang Feng has not changed his evil nature. He is so bold and reckless that he attacked the envoys from Chu and Wei. It is really despicable!" Bai Tu said viciously.
Zhang Xiu: ???
Zhang Xiu didn't quite understand this logic. Logically... Cao Bang had already left Wancheng, and unless someone secretly ambushed or framed him, he would have been involved in the war between the pro-Han forces and the Wei State on the way. What did this have to do with the Chu State?
But it doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the logic, it doesn’t affect Zhang Xiu’s reaction speed!
"Yang Feng is a bastard, his crime is unforgivable... Xiu invites you to fight!"
