Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

After seeing Tang Ziyue and Luo Guanzhong off, Chen Chun said from the side, "My lord, are we really going to help Zhang Shicheng fight Zhu Chongba? What about the hatred for the invasion back then, and the death of the Grand Elder? Were they all for nothing?"

This might discourage the soldiers.

Chen Jie said, "I know whether people are on the side of the people or not. Go and make preparations. I estimate that Zhu Chongba's men will arrive tomorrow."

"Zhu Chongba, are you saying he'll also try to win over our lord?"

Chen Jie looked at Chen Chun and said, "Did you just listen to that strategist Luo Guanzhong talking about the Three Kingdoms?"

Chen Chun said, "I've heard a little about it, but it's just an obscure dynasty. Is there any need to know about a separatist regime?"

Chen Jie laughed and said, "Wei, Shu, and Wu back then were just like Chen, Zhu, and Zhang today."

Upon hearing this, Chen Chun asked, "Then, my lord, who do you think Cao Cao is?"

Chen Jie chuckled and said, "Actually, in terms of politics, military affairs, and economics, I should be Cao Mengde. However, in this world, there is also the martial way. The martial way is revered, and it can overcome worldly forces. The emperor is the one with the strongest military power!"

Chen Chun frowned upon hearing this. Chen Jie was right. In the end, the world was still a contest between three fourth-level Molten Gods. Although Zhang Shicheng's foundation was shallow, he was still his lord's biggest worry.

Chen Chun looked at Chen Jie and asked, "My lord, between Zhu Chongba and Zhang Shicheng, who is stronger?"

Chen Jie said, "Based on the information I have so far, Zhang Shicheng should be stronger. He is only one step away from the fifth level of the Fusion God Realm. Who knows when he will enter the fifth level? With the power of the fifth level, coupled with the Tiger Soul Blade, I really don't know who can be his opponent!"

Chen sighed deeply as he finished explaining.

Upon hearing this, Chen Chun looked at Chen Jie and said, "So, my lord intends to join forces with Zhu against Zhang?"

Chen Jie said, "Actually, it is necessary for Zhu Chongba to fight Zhang, because it doesn't matter who wins between me and Zhu Chongba, but Zhang Shicheng cannot win."

Why?

Chen Chun looked at Chen Jie with a puzzled expression.

Chen Jie said, "Zhu Chongba and I both sincerely want to end this chaotic world and restore the Han dynasty. Zhu Chongba has been studying our Huangzhou Prefecture like crazy these past few years. If he succeeds, or if I succeed, the world will become a peaceful and prosperous place."

"It's simply a matter of whether it's good or even better."

"But Zhang Shicheng is different. He seized the world through tyranny and has already exhausted his military power before achieving much. Moreover, the foundation he has for raising an army now is his ten thousand ninja soldiers."

"Fusang is a country of beasts. Its foundation is not upright. If we take over the country, the country will become corrupt, and in the end, it will be the people who suffer."

"Therefore, I and Zhu Chongba can both win, but Zhang Shicheng cannot."

"Whether I or Zhu Chongba wins, we can continue the legitimate line of the Han Dynasty. But Zhang Shicheng himself is not clean. He wants to conquer the world. He's dreaming."

"Even if we have to give up this country, we cannot let him be the final victor. This is not a matter of personal honor or disgrace, but of the honor or disgrace of the nation."

“Zhu Chongba understands, and so do I.”

Chen Jie looked at Chen Chun and said, "Some things are always more important than personal honor or disgrace."

At this moment, Chen Chun said, "My lord, since Zhu Chongba knows that you will definitely join forces with him, will he still send someone to contact you?"

Chen Jie said, "He may know, but he still has to put on a show, right?"

Chen Jie smiled.

As Chen Jie had predicted, Zhu Chongba's delegation arrived the next day, and the person who contacted Chen Jie was the one he had always wanted to meet.

Liu Bowen.

This time, Zhu Chongba sent Liu Bowen and Tang He to contact Chen Jie.

Zhu Chongba knew that Zhang Shicheng had sent an advisor to join forces with Chen Jie. Although he felt that Chen Jie was not the kind of person who would disregard national affairs for short-term gains, he still couldn't help but send someone to sound out Chen Jie's intentions.

The people sent this time were also quite special. Tang He was an old acquaintance of Chen Jie, and Liu Bowen was the junior brother of Yuan Sanjia, one of the only four-fold fusion masters in Huangzhou Prefecture.

This relationship is much better than that of Tang Ziyue, Chen Jie's former fellow townsman and rival, whom Zhang Shicheng sent.

Same location, same level of hospitality.

This time, Chen Jie sat there, and Liu Bowen and Tang He stepped forward to pay their respects.

"Liu Bowen, the military advisor under the King of Wu, and General Tang He greet Prefect Chen."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at the middle-aged man at the head of the group, Mr. Liu Bowen from Qingtian.

This person is very famous, and in later generations he was even called a demigod.

As the saying goes, Zhuge Liang divided the country into three kingdoms, while Liu Bowen unified the country.

Therefore, Chen Jie paid special attention to Liu Bowen at this time: "Hehe, Mr. Qingtian, I have long admired your name and have often heard Mr. Yuan mention you. He said that you have extraordinary talent and strategies for governing the country. How about it? Are you interested in taking a position in my Huangzhou Prefecture? As long as you come, you can choose any official position in the prefecture."

When Chen Jie saw Liu Bowen start undermining his own people, Tang He stared wide-eyed and said, "Lord Chen, what are you doing? Why are you trying to undermine my people right from the start!"

Chen Jie then laughed and said, "A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on. I'm giving talented people a chance. By the way, Tang He, we've known each other for a long time. How about it? Come and work for me, and I'll give you the position of a military commander."

Upon hearing this, Tang He said, "That won't do. A loyal minister does not serve two masters. I am my elder brother's man in life and in death."

After Tang He finished speaking, he glanced at Liu Bowen, and the meaning in his eyes was very clear: don't be ungrateful and actually get fooled by him.

Liu Bowen smiled helplessly and said, "Lord Chen is joking. Your subordinates are full of talents. You have Prime Minister Hu Weiyong in civil affairs and Zhang Dingbian in military affairs. You are skilled in both civil and military affairs. How could you lack someone like me, the Third Master?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie laughed and said, "The Duke of Zhou spat out his food to welcome guests, and the world turned to him. Who in this world would complain about having too many talented people under their command?"

Liu Bowen said, “It is not important to have many talented people, but to know how to use them well. Many of the great talents under Lord Chen’s command came from Mianshui. They were originally from the mountains and fields, but Lord Chen brought them to this position, and they were able to give full play to their great talents.”

"So talent is superficial, but a discerning eye is real. Lord Chen may not need a country bumpkin like me." Chen Jie laughed after hearing Liu Bowen's words: "Hahaha, good, good, I like whatever Bowen says. I think so too. If you are not happy working for my brother Zhu, come to me. My promise remains unchanged. There will definitely be a suitable position for you, Bowen."

As he spoke, Chen Jie looked at Tang He and said, "Tang He, don't tell your elder brother about my poaching. Old Zhu is a petty man. I've heard that he often records your every word and action on small notes. If Old Zhu finds out about this today, he'll definitely make things difficult for Bowen later."

"That's not good. If that happens, I won't be the one to blame Bowen for his great talent."

Chen Jie chuckled as he spoke to Tang He. Liu Bowen, listening nearby, felt his eyelids twitch. "Are you afraid someone will report you?" But Liu Bowen was also a proud man. He believed that if the master doubted him, it was better not to use him. Therefore, he did not explain and just watched Chen Jie and Tang He plotting loudly.

Tang He's cheek twitched. He didn't really want to go back and report to Zhu Chongba, but his master was such a person. If he didn't report it today, and Zhu Chongba heard about it tomorrow, it would be a serious crime in the future.

Therefore, Tang He had no choice but to go back and report, because he couldn't sell himself out to protect Liu Bowen.

Chen Jie naturally knew who Zhu Chongba was. This man was extremely petty. Historically, Li Shanchang was executed because of his pettiness. During the interrogation, Li Shanchang's servant Ding Bin and his younger brother Li Cunyi confessed that when Hu Weiyong rebelled, he tried to win over Li Shanchang, saying that if the rebellion succeeded, Li Shanchang would be granted the title of "Prince of Huaixi".

Li Shanchang did not agree, nor did he report the matter to Zhu Chongba. Zhu Chongba directly labeled it as treason. Of course, there were deeper reasons for this. For example, Zhu Chongba wanted to seize all power, and Li Shanchang, as the head of the Huaixi nobles, was blocking Zhu Chongba's way.

Of course, the main reason is one thing, but the secondary reason is also a reason. The fact that such a thing can be used as a reason for punishment shows just how petty Zhu Chongba was.

Chen Jie bet that Tang He dared not fail to report, and Liu Bowen, being a proud man, would not lower his noble head to admit his mistake to Zhu Chongba.

Because Liu Bowen did nothing wrong. First, he didn't agree to Chen Jie's request to become an official in Huangzhou Prefecture. Second, he refused on the spot. He must have felt that he was loyal and devoted. As for whether Zhu Chongba believed him or not, he was clear in his conscience.

Even if you knelt before Zhu Chongba and declared your resolve, he might not believe you, let alone someone as aloof as Liu Bei.

You have a clear conscience; it seems to Lao Zhu that you have ulterior motives and are afraid to face yourself.

This will be one of your biggest crimes in the future.

Chen Jie's plan was undeniably ruthless, manipulating people's hearts and sowing discord. It seemed ordinary, but the problem was that people would think about it carefully, and once they did, they would inevitably develop suspicions against each other.

If a rift develops between the ruler and his advisor, their cooperation will be difficult to achieve at its best.

In this way, Zhu Chongba's power can be weakened without him even realizing it, and the only cost is for Chen Jie to say a few words.

This is the difference between a chess player and a chess piece. No matter how much skill a chess piece puts on the board, in the end, it's no match for the words of the player who wields the piece.

Chen Jie's single sentence was enough to arouse Zhu Chongba's suspicion, which was exactly what Chen Jie wanted to see.

Chen Jie smiled and invited Liu Bowen to sit down, his attitude extremely amiable and the process extremely intimate, as if he couldn't wait to keep Liu Bowen as his chief strategist.

Chen Jie smiled and looked at Liu Bowen. Today, his attitude would be reported back to Tang He, and Liu Bowen's attitude would also be reported back to Tang He.

The beauty of it all lies in the fact that, as Chen Jie, you speak softly and gently to Liu Bowen. Liu Bowen can't possibly respond with a cold face, right? Even the most basic courtesy would be to smile and even agree with him a little.

When Tang He returned to report, even if he reported the truth, it was still said that Liu Bowen and Chen Jiu Si had a very pleasant conversation.

With just this one sentence, Liu Bowen will probably never be able to turn his life around.

In the end, it would be better to seek refuge with Chen Jie.

Therefore, a ruler must have the means and cannot act blindly.

Liu Bowen could no longer resist Chen Jie's enthusiasm and said, "Lord Chen, we have come here on the orders of my master, the King of Wu, to join forces with you to attack the false king Zhang Shicheng."

Chen Jie chuckled upon hearing this, then looked up at Liu Bowen and asked, "Mr. Bowen, may I ask you, what is the true king among the false kings you speak of?"

Liu Bowen was startled, then looked at Chen Jie and asked, "What does Lord Chen mean?"

Chen Jie chuckled and said, "Hehe, don't be nervous. I'm just asking. Your King Zhu has accepted the imperial decree and acknowledged the court's investiture. But we are a righteous army. We want to overthrow the court. Now that he has accepted the court's investiture, is he my enemy?"

“Zhang Shicheng is a rebel leader who declared himself King of Wu. You two are Kings of Wu, one was appointed by the Mulan people and the other proclaimed himself. So tell me, who should I recognize as the true King of Wu?”

Chen Jie smiled as he looked at Liu Bowen, who frowned.

Chen Jie continued, "Bowen, I don't mean to make things difficult for you. You should know that Zhang Shicheng has also sent someone to find me, wanting to join forces with me to attack your King Zhu Chongba."

"Moreover, he didn't just come with empty promises; he came with complete sincerity. He said he would give me a full 300,000 shi of grain. You know that Huangzhou Prefecture has suffered a great disaster and is in dire need of grain. How could I not be tempted?"

"Three hundred thousand shi of grain and fodder."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bowen was greatly surprised. Zhu Chongba was definitely unwilling to part with such a large sum of grain.

Tang He then angrily said, "Zhang Shicheng seized the granaries of Suzhou and Hangzhou and obtained a million shi of rice, which is the staple food of the people in Jiangnan. He is so generous. It is simply shameless."

Chen Jie looked at Tang He and said, "Yes, it is shameless, but they did bring me provisions, so I can't refuse to accept them!"

“Lord Chen, our king said you are a loyal and righteous man who will not be misled by that shameless villain Zhang Shicheng. How can you live up to the word ‘loyal and righteous’ now?”

Tang He couldn't hold back any longer and asked. Chen Jie looked at Tang He and said, "Tang He, are you still asleep? Let me ask you, who shamelessly accepted the imperial court's investiture?"

"Who is it that shamelessly disregards the dignity of the Han people and is willing to grovel before the enemy?"

"Is it your King who should be mourning? Does he deserve to utter the words 'loyalty' and 'righteousness'?"

"On the contrary, it was me who killed the imperial messenger and cut off my escape route. And you? Where is your king? Now you come out to question my loyalty and righteousness. Do you have any shame? Or have you lost all sense of shame?"

Chen Jie's voice was icy as he questioned Tang He. Tang He was speechless for a moment, his face turning red, unable to utter a single word.

Liu Bowen then sighed and said, "General Tang spoke without thinking, please don't take offense, Lord Chen."

Chen Jie waved his hand and said, "I still know Tang He's character. I'm just saying that since you've become prostitutes, don't pretend to be virtuous, right?"

Tang He remained silent. Liu Bowen then looked at Chen Jie and said, "Our king has come with sincerity, but he simply cannot produce 300,000 shi of grain. Could we perhaps change our terms?"

Chen Jie laughed upon hearing this, "Alright, since you can't produce any grain, let's make a deal. My men have already reached Yuncheng in Shanxi, but unfortunately, transporting grain uphill via Shaanxi is a bit of a detour. So, I'll ask your king to give me Luoyang in Henan as a granary. If he's willing, I can agree to the alliance!" (End of Chapter)