Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 612 Lobbying
But Li Zhu heard what Le He said and thought to himself: Could it be that Zhao Zhen was really seriously injured? There are many rumors, and I am afraid I can't figure it out without seeing it with my own eyes.

Thinking of this, and hearing what Wu Yong said, Li Zhu said, "Military Advisor, that's not right. To form an alliance, we must be sincere. When I came here, the King of Chu ordered me to bring a [Ox-Headed Animal Face Patterned Copper Square Ding] as a pledge of allegiance."

Wu Yong shook his head and said, "If the King of Chu can't come in person, what's the point of preparing so much?"

Li Zhu said, "Military Advisor, the war in Shannan is raging right now, but the King of Chu still sent me to Liangshan, which shows his sincerity. No matter what, you must let me see you. If you still don't agree, I will give up and go back to Nanfeng to report to the King of Chu."

"How can we ignore such a good situation? I can't say that we can unify the world, but I can always call you the King of Liang. By then, the military advisor and others will all make great progress."

Wu Yong hesitated for a moment and said, "I will go and report to you, sir. I cannot guarantee whether I will see you or not."

After hearing this, Li Zhu thanked him repeatedly.

The next day, after tossing and turning all night, Li Zhu finally met Zhao Zhen.

Looking at Zhao Zhen, who looked pale and was obviously trying hard to stay strong, Li Zhu asked, "What's going on, sir?"

Wu Yong on the side began to explain.

Li Zhu listened while secretly calculating.

After Wu Yong finished speaking, Li Zhu first praised Zhao Zhen for his deep sense of justice, and then said: "Sir, now the court is dominated by treacherous ministers, slanderers and flatterers are in power, and they only employ relatives and take money. This is what we call chaos in the world. Sir, you are now in charge of a region, and you have countless elite soldiers and generals under your command. Even if you don't consider yourself, you should think about the people and soldiers under your command. You must not let Shandong fall under the rule of the court again."

"The stars are shining in the east, and the celestial phenomena indicate that this is exactly what is happening here. The elite imperial guards of the imperial court are now guarding the borders, conquering the King of Chu, or suppressing the King of Wu. Bianjing is empty, and this is the perfect opportunity for the right time, right place, and right people. Raising an army now is the perfect opportunity to destroy the Zhao and Song dynasties."

Zhao Zhen heard this and said, "Not to mention that Bianjing is a huge city with countless food and grass, and the people in the city number in the millions. With a little motivation, it is more than enough to defend the city. Let's not talk about whether we can capture Kaifeng. Even if we can capture Kaifeng, won't the world fall into chaos? By then, we will fight each other endlessly, and the people will suffer."

"Besides, I am injured now and cannot lead the army to fight. This proposal to take Bianjing is nothing but a joke."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Zhu said, "Your Excellency is concerned about the people under your rule. You are truly a benevolent ruler. As the saying goes, a short pain is worse than a long pain. If the Zhao and Song dynasties are not destroyed, with such corrupt officials, the people will never have peace."

"As for the warlord separatism and endless wars that you are worried about, there is no need to worry. The King of Chu has already considered this and sent me here to form an alliance. With Jingji Road as the boundary, the two roads in Hebei, the two roads in Jingdong, and the two roads in Huainan all belong to you. The two roads in Jiangnan, Fujian, and Guangnan all belong to the King of Wu, and the King of Chu will occupy Jingxi, Qinfeng, Yongxing and other places."

"The three kings are not from aristocratic families, so they understand the suffering of the people best. The three of us swear an oath not to attack each other and to divide Zhao and Song into three parts."

When Zhao Zhen heard this, his brows twitched.

Zhao Zhen coughed, and Bai Zhi, who was serving beside him, got the message and frowned, saying, "My lord, you are tired today. Military Advisor, please entertain the guests. We can talk again after you have rested well."

Wu Yong heard this and quickly pulled Li Zhu out of Baishi Manor. On the way, Wu Yong said to Li Zhu: "Mr. Li, for such a major event, the husband must lead the troops personally. Now you can see that the husband is indeed injured, so this matter has been delayed."

Assistant Li said: "My husband, this is..."

Wu Yong said: "When the lord first learned Taoism, he fought with Gao Lian. He used the secret method of self-mutilation, and although he defeated Gao Lian, he was also seriously injured. Fortunately, the [Divine Doctor] An Daoquan treated the lord, but the inner court was shaken and it will take a year or so." Li Zhu said: "Military Advisor, this alliance..."

Wu Yong said: "My lord, I don't have the energy to think about this now. I'm afraid Mr. Li's trip was in vain."

"Fortunately, you are now in a close fight with Song Gongming, and the imperial army is not at an advantage. We can discuss this again after you recover from your injury."

Li Zhu heard this and said, "Military Advisor, I am not saying too much. The world is in turmoil now, and the stars are shining in the daytime. This is a good opportunity sent by heaven. Once we miss it, we will have no chance to start a rebellion. Although you are injured and cannot start an army, why don't you issue a manifesto to make your position clear, in response to the prophecy of heaven abandoning Zhao Song."

Le He on the side said: "Mr. Li, please don't say anything more. This matter is of great importance. Who dares to make the decision for you? Moreover, after the announcement, the court will have to send troops to attack. For Liangshan now, the gain will not outweigh the loss."

Li Zhu retorted, "You can't say that. Publishing a manifesto is in response to the celestial phenomena and is meant to take the lead in justice. Now that a long time has passed since the celestial phenomena, we can't delay any longer."

Wu Yong listened and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "I have heard many such prophecies in Liangshan. They are either pointing to Huaixi or Jiangnan. Although Liangshan is the place where the stars fall, it is the quietest place."

"My husband is also a cultivator. He is a disciple of the contemporary earthly immortal, Luo Zhenren of Erlong Mountain. Now [Into the Clouds Dragon] Gongsun Sheng is in Liangshan. It goes without saying where this prophecy came from. I'm afraid it won't work if I ask my husband to swear an oath."

After hearing what Wu Yong said, Li Zu knew that he would not be able to fool the people of Liangshan.

Li Zhu was not embarrassed, and smiled slightly and said: "I am also doing this for my husband. After all, once you have a righteous position, God will help you."

Wu Yong still shook his head and said, "To be honest with you, Mr. Li, I am also dissatisfied with the court, but it will be difficult for you to start a rebellion. After all, once you start a rebellion, the stability of Liangshan will no longer exist."

"Besides, you have never had the aspiration to rule the world, and my brothers and I only want to protect one side. If the world really turns upside down in the future, whether it is the King of Chu or the King of Wu, you will definitely make a choice."

Li Zhu was a smart man. He understood Wu Yong's subtext after hearing what he said. He nodded and invited Wu Yong and Le He to have dinner with him.

Wu Yong said: "Now is the time to avoid suspicion. Before Mr. Li leaves, my brother Lehe and I will host a banquet and invite Mr. Li to try the Liangshan specialty - the whole fish banquet."

"Okay, it's settled then." Li Zhu replied.

Without going into details about how Li Zhu tried to persuade Zhao Zhen, it is only said that Wu Yong and the other man sent Li Zhu away and returned to Baishi Manor.

Zhao Zhen saw it and said with a smile: "My two brothers, Wang Qing is not even a little bit inferior to Song Gongming. I was thinking of selling him a new pattern, but now it seems that it is better to let Song Gongming win."

Wu Yong also laughed after hearing this and said, "My lord, you are right. This fellow is not honest at all. Everyone can see what he is up to. I have made it clear to him, but he still won't give up."

Le He said, "I heard that this guy was a fortune teller in Bianjing. Wang Qing was exiled after he used him to tell fortunes. Could this guy be a disaster?"

Everyone laughed after hearing this.

(End of this chapter)