Blood sedge

Chapter 1177 A combination of kindness and power
Chapter 1177: Coercion and Inducement

"Zhang Xiong is only a lieutenant general, and you are the general of Luoyang. How dare he make decisions on his own without your approval? How can he mobilize a single soldier?" Liu Xunyi seemed to be deeply skeptical of Guo Xian's words.

"Brother Liu, you may not know that I, the general of Luoyang... am now in name only." Guo Xian sighed, "The Luoyang soldiers are now in the reserve of the Southern Expedition Army. Every two or three years, a group of soldiers will be drawn from the various camps under the Southern Expedition Army to replace them. In the past, when Zhang Xiong was not around, I could still control them, but since Zhang Xiong came... he has centralized all military power, and I can no longer interfere."

"Zhang Xiong is so capable?" Liu Xunyi was still skeptical. "How could a mere lieutenant general like him snatch the military power from General Luoyang?"

"Zhang Xiong didn't, but Commander Wang behind him..."

"Cough cough!"

Hu Jin subconsciously tried to defend himself, but before he could finish his words, Guo Xian glared at him fiercely, and his face changed. He dared not talk nonsense anymore.

"In short, I hope Brother Liu will trust me. I only want to make a big deal out of a small matter, and I have no intention of making a fuss out of nothing."

"Since Zhang Xiong refuses to obey discipline, how do you plan to make things less serious?"

"This... is indeed difficult..."

"If Zhang Xiong insists on doing what he wants, will Your Excellency allow him to do whatever he wants and make the relationship between the Xianwang Mansion and the General's Mansion irreconcilable?"

"This……"

"Your Excellency should have heard of my methods, and you should also know something about the ways of the Xianwang Mansion. I have no interest in being wrongly accused, and even less in being a scapegoat for Jin Fuyu. If the situation develops to the point where it is out of control, not only will Zhang Xiong have to pay a very painful price, but even Your Excellency... I am afraid it will be difficult for you to stay out of it. Can Your Excellency consider the pros and cons here?"

"This……"

Liu Xunyi asked three questions in a row, each one more direct, sharper, and more cruel than the last, which made Guo Xian tremble with fear and sweat pour down like rain. He kept muttering curses: "Bastard Zhang Xiong... I am really going to be killed by you this time... It's fine if you want to die yourself, but why do you have to implicate me..."

"It seems that the adults are unable to handle it properly."

"Brother Liu, this matter is indeed difficult for me..."

However, Liu Xunyi turned a deaf ear to Guo Xian's dilemma. Before Guo and Hu could react from their confused thoughts, he suddenly made a move, grabbing Guo Xian and Hu Jin's necks with his hands at lightning speed, and slowly lifted them up until their feet were off the ground, with their lives hanging by a thread.

"Spare...spare my life..."

In front of Liu Xunyi, Guo Xian and Hu Jin had no power to resist. Their cheeks were swollen and purple, veins on their foreheads were bulging, and they could only barely make a few intermittent and weak howls despite their best efforts.

Liu Xunyi stared at Guo Xian's dying struggle expressionlessly, indifferent to his pain and pleas for mercy, and said calmly: "I don't care about tearing my face with the Mongols. I believe you have already prepared to perish together with me and sacrifice your life for the country."

"No... it's none of my business... it's all Zhang Xiong's will..."

"What does Sui Zuo's death have to do with me?" Liu Xunyi sneered at Guo Xian's refusal. A cold light flashed in his eyes and the strength of his ten fingers suddenly increased.

"No... there's no need to do this... Brother Liu, please... please listen to me..."

Even though Guo Xian's eyes bulged out and his tongue stuck out, he still had a strong desire to survive. He waved his hands in the air and slapped Liu Xunyi's arms, trying hard to attract Liu Xunyi's attention.

Perhaps out of curiosity, Liu Xunyi relaxed the five fingers that were pinching Guo Xian's neck a little, giving him a chance to catch his breath.

"Brother Liu... listen to me... listen to me!" Guo Xian, who had regained his life, had no time to rejoice. He was afraid that if he spoke too late, he would arouse Liu Xunyi's murderous intent again, so he hurriedly begged for mercy, "This matter is not your fault, nor is it mine. It's all the fault of that bastard Zhang Xiong... Ugh!"

As if he didn't get a satisfactory answer, Liu Xunyi used his five fingers to exert force again, and Guo Xian's rapid voice and heavy breathing were cut off again.

"Save this nonsense for your own use before telling it to the King of Hell!"

"I... I have a way..." Guo Xian, unwilling to give up, endured the strong feeling of suffocation that his throat was about to break, and squeezed out a few words from his throat with difficulty.

"What method?" A terrifying gleam of light with hidden meaning appeared in Liu Xunyi's eyes, and at the same time, his five fingers slowly relaxed.

"All the troubles are caused by Zhang Xiong. As long as... as long as I can drive him out of Luoyang City... all the troubles can be easily solved..." This time, Guo Xian did not dare to beat around the bush and spoke directly what he was thinking. "Brother Liu, there is no need to be enemies with Mongolia because of a 'false' charge. If there is a real fallout... Prince Xian's Mansion will not gain anything... I don't want to be implicated by that bastard Zhang Xiong. As long as he is driven away, we can all live in peace." "What your Excellency means is..."

"Brother Liu, please give me some time. I will find a way to punish him for disobeying his superiors, and then report to the court to dismiss him from his position as lieutenant general, expel him from Luoyang City, and never use him again. What do you think?" Guo Xian spoke rapidly, "Now Zhang Xiong is biting Brother Liu and the Xianwang Mansion. As long as he is driven back to Mobei, I can take back the power. By then, I promise that the Luoyang General's Mansion will never embarrass Brother Liu because of the death of General Sui Zuo... No, no, no! Not only about Sui Zuo, the General's Mansion will never go against Brother Liu no matter what."

"How can the Mongolian court let this go?"

"Brother Liu, rest assured. As long as Zhang Xiong is not around to get in the way, I have a plan to deal with it."

"Since you are sincerely helping me to seek justice, I will naturally understand your difficulties."

Seeing that Guo Xian had been frightened by him and no longer cared about "colleague friendship" in order to save his life, Liu Xunyi chuckled with satisfaction, then slowly put down the dying Guo Xian and Hu Jin, and continued: "Jin Fuyu went to great lengths to get me involved, and he must have calculated that the Mongolian court would not give up easily. Your Excellency is the general of Luoyang, reporting to the Khan and ruling the people, and with a lieutenant general like Zhang Xiong who doesn't know what's good for him by his side, it's really hard for you to get along."

"Brother Liu is very wise and righteous. I am deeply grateful to you..." Guo Xian stroked his neck which was sore and painful from being strangled. He agreed carefully and flatteringly, while taking a step back with lingering fear.

"Since you and I are both being coerced, we should stick together and help each other."

"Brother Liu, I find your words a little confusing." Guo Xian looked at Liu Xunyi cautiously, "What do you mean by... working together and helping each other?"

"Let me ask you, sir, are you really not going to perish with me?"

"It's so true! Every word is true!" Guo Xian nodded without hesitation, "If there is even a single lie, I will die a miserable death!"

Liu Xunyi's eyes sparkled as he silently examined Guo Xian, whose body was shaking with emotion. After a moment of silence, he finally let go of his murderous aura and said faintly, "In that case, please name a price, sir!"

"Ask... an offer?" Guo Xian was shocked, thinking that Liu Xunyi was testing him, so he shook his head like a rattle. "Brother Liu, do you think I am taking this opportunity to ask for a bribe? Misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding! Brother Liu has been wronged and humiliated, and it is a great favor to spare my life today. How dare I covet money?"

Hu Jin echoed: "As long as Master Liu believes that my master and Zhang Xiong are not on the same side and no longer vents his anger on us, we will be satisfied. Zhang Xiong led his troops to Danfeng Garden on his own initiative, and it was definitely not instructed by my master. The suggestion just now by the master... was also made with the best of heart for Master Liu."

"My lord has misunderstood!"

Looking at Guo Xian who was confident in what he said and Hu Jin who was terrified, Liu Xunyi waved his hand gently: "I believe that what Zhang Xiong did has nothing to do with you, sir. I asked you to name a price not to bribe you, but to buy something from you."

"Buying things?" Guo Xian and Hu Jin looked at each other, and they became even more confused.

After a moment's thought, Guo Xian waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "Hey! Brother Liu, just take whatever you like in our house. How can we talk about business? I won't take a penny. I just want to be friends with Brother Liu."

"If it was Zhang Xiong's head, would you still be generous?"

"hiss!"

Liu Xunyi's words immediately shocked Guo Xian and Hu Jin so much that they felt a chill down their spines. They couldn't help but gasp, and were so shocked that they couldn't express it in words.

"Liu...what did Brother Liu just say?" Guo Xian couldn't believe his ears. He stammered and carefully confirmed, "What you want to buy is..."

"Since Zhang Xiong dared to mobilize troops to besiege Danfeng Garden without your consent, it shows that he is fearless. Just now, you also said that there seems to be a big man behind Zhang Xiong. In this case, I believe it will not be easy for you to punish him and expel him from Luoyang City." Liu Xunyi said calmly, "For such a daring and ambitious subordinate, keeping him will only bring more trouble to the General's Mansion and even Luoyang City. Why not sell his life to me? First, it can prevent me from being disturbed. Second, it can eliminate the trouble for you forever. Third, it can eliminate the misunderstanding of the General's Mansion by everyone in the Xianwang Mansion."

"Master Liu, please be careful with your words!"

While trying to stop Liu Xunyi from continuing to speak, Hu Jin quickly walked to the door. After he looked around again and again and confirmed that there was no one around, he closed the doors and windows and tiptoed back to the table.

"Brother Liu, please stop joking..." Guo Xian was overwhelmed by Liu Xunyi's trick, and his mind was in turmoil. "No matter how incompetent Zhang Xiong is, he is still a lieutenant general of the general's mansion. Although his status and position are not as high as Sui Zuo's, he is also a legitimate official of the court..."

"That is why I asked your Excellency to name the price."

"Master Liu, this is not about money at all." Hu Jin hurriedly defended, "Zhang Xiong is not an ordinary petty official. If he is killed, the higher-ups will investigate and punish him severely. My master, as the general of Luoyang, cannot escape the blame and will inevitably be implicated..."

"That's right!" Guo Xian, who had gradually come to his senses, was already full of fear on his face. He said in a serious voice, "If anything happens to Zhang Xiong, my career... will probably be over. If someone else told me about this, I would definitely think he was a traitor who was plotting something bad and deliberately trying to harm me. Today, it's just that you, brother Liu, are not particular about trivial matters and speak without restraint. I... will just pretend that I didn't hear anything."

……