Thief Emperor

Chapter 255 The imperial envoy has arrived!

The world is hot and cold, and it has been like this since ancient times.

Su Jing has been unemployed at home for more than ten years. Few people contact him, and not many people visit him.

Some time ago, after he put down the rebellion in Yuezhou and escorted Qiu Dian to the capital, not to mention countless people coming to pay him a visit in person, even at his ancestral home in his hometown, he didn't know how many people visited him every day.

But now, seeing that the war in the Central Plains was not going well, those who came to visit disappeared again.

Especially in recent times, his eldest son Su Sheng was imprisoned, and he himself was urged by several imperial edicts from the court. The situation has become very difficult.

At this time, even though he was recuperating in Songzhou, the governor and local officials of Songzhou did not even visit him, let alone take the initiative to come to his house to ask questions or offer help.

On the contrary, a young man he had met during his few months in Jiangnan did not forget him at this time. After learning the news, he sent someone over from afar to ask if there was any way he could help.

Although there wasn't much Li Yun could do to help in this matter, his kindness had deeply touched Su Jing, a nearly sixty-year-old man.

After all, Liu Bo had not seen much of the world. Seeing General Su shed tears, he could not help but feel a little flustered. He said hurriedly, "General, did I say something wrong?"

Su Jing wiped his tears with his sleeves, then looked at the tear marks on his sleeves, stunned for a long time, and then sighed: "I'm old, old."

"Delicate."

He said self-deprecatingly, "I was stabbed several times before, but I never cried. But you made me cry with just one sentence."

Liu Bo was at a loss. He scratched his head and dared not say a word.

Su Jing looked at him, shook his head slightly and said, "It's rare that Li has such a heart. It's worth it for this old man to get to know him. It's hard for you to come here. Go back... go back and tell him."

General Su coughed and said, "There is nothing he can do to help with this matter, and I cannot let him get involved."

At this point, General Su wanted to send the guest away. After a moment of silence, he added: "That kid may become a big shot in the future. Go back and tell him..."

"If they meet my descendants in the future, he will lend a hand if it is convenient for him. If he can save one or two lives and continue the Su family's legacy, I will be grateful for his kindness even in my grave."

Liu Bo nodded first, then looked up at Su Jing and whispered, "General, Sima Li is very capable. If you have any difficulties, just tell me and I will report to him immediately. Maybe he can help you."

"No need, no need."

Su Jing shook his head and sighed, "For me, the situation in the Central Plains is a dead end. I am lingering on now just to buy some breathing time for my soldiers. In the future..."

"The court will probably send someone down to take charge of the troops."

"Go back and tell Li Zhao, tell him..."

General Su closed his eyes and said, "If you encounter the defeated troops under my command, please help to shelter them."

After saying that, the old general waved his hand and said, "You...you go."

At this time, Su Jing already had white hair.

He really couldn't see any hope of breaking the impasse.

If the imperial court could give him full authority and allow him to mobilize and control all nearby states and counties, he could then recruit soldiers while fighting the rebels. In a few years, he might be able to wipe out the rebels.

But now, the imperial court may be afraid that another warlord will appear in the local area, so it is counting on him to lead his Jiangnan soldiers to fight a decisive battle with the rebels, and then consume all of this force on the battlefield in the Central Plains.

In this way, hidden dangers will be eliminated and the rebels' vitality will be consumed, making it easier for the court to deal with the next step. For the court, doing so is naturally the best of both worlds.

Liu Bo looked up at Su Jing and felt quite touched.

Although he had never met Su Jing in Yuezhou before, he had heard of the deeds of General Su and knew that General Su was not yet sixty years old this year.

Now General Su looks very old and seems to be a man over seventy years old.

This is because the mental and physical energy is wasted too much. Even if this disease is fake, I'm afraid... I'm afraid...

He shook his head and did not think about it any further. He just knelt in front of General Su and said, "I have written down everything the general said. When I return, I will report it to Li Sima without missing a word."

"Ah."

General Su waved at him weakly.

"You...you tell Li Zhao to..."

"Take care of yourself."

Su Jing closed his eyes, his voice still hoarse: "If anything else, let him..."

"Find me a successor."

"Yes."

Liu Bo stood up, took one last look at the white-haired general, then turned and left.

General Su opened his eyes, looked at his departing figure, and then sighed deeply, saying, "I have known countless people in the officialdom for decades..."

General Su shook his head.

"It's better to be with a young boy I've known for a few months in Jiangnan."

"possible…"

He exhaled and said, "Only a young boy can do such a thing..."

…………

After Liu Bo left the place where General Su was recuperating, he sat down with a few people in a roadside restaurant. After they ordered the dishes, but before they were served, Liu Bo realized that something was wrong.

He was keenly aware that someone seemed to be staring at him.

After thinking about it, he didn't even dare to eat. He stood up, put the meal money on the table, and said to his followers, "No more eating, let's go."

After saying that, he led a group of people and left the inn directly. After they got on their horses, they left Songzhou city directly. They did not dare to stop along the way and tried to take the main road as much as possible, heading straight for Yuezhou.

After riding for five or six days, on the morning of the sixth day, Yuezhou City finally came into sight. He did not enter Yuezhou City, but found Yuezhou Camp outside the city. After arriving at the gate of Yuezhou Camp, he jumped off his horse and asked the two soldiers at the gate of the camp, "Is Sima Li in the camp?"

The two soldiers shook their heads: "Not here."

Liu Bo wiped the sweat from his forehead, took a breath and asked, "Is Lieutenant Li Zheng here?"

"Not here either."

"I haven't seen Captain Li for several days."

The soldier recognized Liu Bo and did not hide anything. He spoke directly, "It seems that the imperial envoy of the court will come to Yuezhou today. Sima Li and Captain Zhou have gone to the official road to welcome the envoy."

Liu Bo exhaled a breath, mounted his horse again, and rushed to the outside of Yuezhou City. Finally, four or five miles outside Yuezhou City, he met a group of Yuezhou officials headed by Du Qian.

Li Yun was among them, walking almost shoulder to shoulder with Du Qian. The two were talking and laughing. Zhou Liang and Deng Yang followed behind them.

Behind them were all the officials of Yuezhou.

Judging from the scale of this event, it was obvious that the imperial envoy of the court had informed the Yuezhou government office in advance, which was why the officials of Yuezhou lined up neatly on both sides of the official road to welcome the guests.

Liu Bo tied the horse aside, hesitated for a moment, and then walked towards the crowd.

Mr. Li had sharp eyes and quickly spotted Liu Bo. He smiled at Du Qian and said, "Sir, the imperial envoy hasn't arrived yet and the weather is getting hotter. I think we should find a cool place to rest and cool down."

"Otherwise, when the imperial envoy arrives, we, the officials of Yuezhou, will fall to the ground, which will be even more embarrassing."

At this moment, Du Qian also looked up and saw Liu Bo not far away. He smiled and said, "Then let's take a break."

As he spoke, he turned around and looked at the Yuezhou officials, and said calmly: "Take a break."

All the officials breathed a sigh of relief and found shade to rest. Li Yun found a big tree and sat on a stone under the shade of the tree. He waved to Liu Bo and said, "Old Nine, come here quickly."

Liu Bo then jogged all the way to Li Yun. He had no place to sit, so he simply sat down on the ground.

"Second brother."

Li Yun looked at him and asked, "You're back so soon? Did you deliver the letter?"

"It's because of the letter."

Liu Bo smiled bitterly and said, "I was followed as soon as I came out of the general's mansion. I was afraid that it was someone from the imperial court, so I hurried all the way back to Yuezhou. I didn't even dare to stay in an inn along the way. It wasn't until I entered the Jiangnan area that I felt a little relieved."

Upon hearing this, Li Yun immediately frowned.

This means that at least someone has been keeping an eye on Su Jing.

"Have you seen the general?"

Liu Bo nodded and told the whole story of meeting Su Jing. At the end, he looked at Li Yun and said, "Second brother, the general finally asked you to find a successor for him..."

"Look at the general's complexion."

Liu Bo looked around and lowered his voice: "I'm afraid... I'm afraid I can't hold on for too long."

Li Yun closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before he calmed down.

He opened his eyes and looked at Liu Bo. When he was about to speak, Du Shijun stood up not far away, pointed to the ceremonial guard vaguely visible at the end of the official road, and shouted to Li Yun.

"Sima Li."

"The imperial envoy has arrived!"

(End of this chapter)