The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 122 Meeting of the Two Generals
Runan County, Shen County.

The strong wind mixed with heavy snow almost buried the world.

The entire county town was already covered in snow, and no one could be seen inside or outside.

This county town is an important gateway from Yuzhou to Yangzhou. The roads extend in all directions and merchants usually come and go. But now, under the ravages of wind and snow, the roads are empty, without even footprints. It is so pure and flawless.

Five miles south of the county town, there is an unnamed pavilion. The pavilion is very simple and is where the postmen stay on weekdays.

At this moment, outside the pavilion, there were nearly a hundred fully armed soldiers standing guard at different positions, holding powerful crossbows, wearing thick winter clothes, and carefully observing the surroundings.

Zhuge Dan was sitting in this pavilion with wine on the stove in front of him.

There was a servant holding a stove beside him, and blue smoke slowly rose up.

There were many different kinds of wine cups placed in front of Zhuge Dan. He poured some hot wine, took a sip, and then chanted: "The wine is clear and bright, and it will not be dry unless the sun is shining. I am tired of drinking all night, and I will not go home until I am drunk."

Just when Zhuge Dan was showing off his celebrity demeanor, a general suddenly rushed in.

"General, they're coming!"

"What are you panicking about? You've been following me for so long, why are you still so impatient?"

Zhuge Dan scolded him, then took another sip of his wine and asked, "How many people are here?"

"Two people."

"Ok??"

Zhuge Dan finally lost his composure. He looked at the general beside him suspiciously, "Two people?"

"Indeed, we all saw clearly that there were two of us coming."

"What about the distance? Could there be an ambush?"

"Nothing has been found. Do you want me to take people to investigate?"

"No need! Even Guanqiu Jian wasn't afraid, so why would I be afraid?"

After Zhuge Dan finished speaking, he picked up the wine cup again, but his hand was shaking a little, and he didn't seem as calm as he said.

Zhuge Dan didn't have to wait too long. After a moment, two people hurried into the pavilion.

One old and one young, the one walking in front was Guanqiu Jian.

At this moment, his cheeks were red from the cold. He patted the snowflakes on his shoulders and walked in front of Zhuge Dan with a swagger. He sat down as if no one was around. "The snow this year is heavier than ever before. It's really killing me."

Guanqiu Jian complained, then raised his head and looked at Zhuge Dan in front of him.

"It's been a long time since we last met. The General is still as elegant as ever!"

Zhuge Dan calmly replied, "The general does look a lot rougher."

This was not because Zhuge Dan was deliberately looking for trouble. Guanqiu Jian's skin had become a little rough, and his clothes were not exquisite. Although he was still very elegant, he was far inferior to Zhuge Dan.

Guanqiu Jian smiled and said, "I am already very old, not as I was in my youth."

Zhuge Dan looked at the young man behind Guanqiu Jian. The young man was quite tall. At this moment, he stared coldly at the front without saying a word, holding a gift box in his hand.

"General, you are so brave! You dare to come to Runan with only one knight."

Guanqiu Jian shook his head. "Under heaven, all land belongs to the king. All the lands are the king's subjects. How can there be any land called Runan? Isn't it all the land of the Great Wei? As a subject of the Great Wei, how could I not dare to come?"

Zhuge Dan was stunned. Not wanting to lose to Guanqiu Jian in a verbal duel, he sarcastically said, "You've trampled two filthy streaks on the pure white snow of Runan."

"I'm also wondering why it snowed so heavily in Runan? The roads here are really difficult to travel on."

"Isn't it wonderful to see such a beautiful scene with snow all over the place?"

"But I don't know how many people will be frozen to death."

Zhuge Dan was speechless again, with anger in his eyes.

Guanqiu Jian pointed to the young man behind him and said with a smile, "I originally wanted to come alone, but I prepared a gift for you, and I couldn't carry it by myself, so I asked him to come along."

"Give the gift to the general!"

Guanqiu Jian waved his hand, and the young man placed the gift box in front of Zhuge Dan.

The anger in Zhuge Dan's eyes suddenly disappeared.

Many years ago, he and Guanqiu Jian were very good friends, and their relationship was very good. However, because of Wen Qin, the two of them drifted further and further apart.

Zhuge Dan sighed, "I thought you didn't dare to come."

"You are my good friend. If I don't even dare to come here, where else can I go?"

"There were so many friends back then, but now there are only two of us left."

There was some sadness in Guanqiu Jian's eyes. "I am already very old. I don't know if I can see you again in the future."

Zhuge Dan remained silent for a long time.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat silent.

"Zhong Gong, let's just treat today as a gathering of old friends. Let's just drink and have fun, just like we did in the past, okay?"

Zhuge Dan suddenly spoke.

Guanqiu Jian nodded and said, "Of course."

Zhuge Dan immediately began to order wine, and Guanqiu Jian did not hesitate and started drinking with him. The two gradually talked about the past days and their former friendship, as if they had left everything behind. The more they talked, the happier they became, and their attitudes became closer.

At this moment, Guanqiu Jian suddenly said, "Gongxiu, where is your son now?"

Zhuge Dan's smile froze again. His son had returned to his side, and this also represented his alliance with the general.

"Didn't we agree that we would only drink alcohol today?"

"Gongxiu, I'm not your drinking buddy. I've known you for many years and I've already considered you a close friend."

Guanqiu Jian spoke seriously.

"I know you're in a difficult situation, and you know what I'm doing now."

"I don't blame you. Many things are beyond our control. You have tens of thousands of people to take care of, and sometimes you have no choice."

"If I were the General Guarding the East, I would really like to persuade you to abandon the dark side and join me in a great cause to defeat Sima Shi."

"But as a friend, I just want to advise you not to get involved in these things."

Guanqiu Jian said sincerely, "You should know best what kind of people the Sima family is. They are treacherous, betray their friends, and are shameless. I don't know what words to use to insult them. Since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, all the insults used are not enough to describe them!"

"What will happen to you if you hang out with someone like this?"

"What kind of guarantees can you get?"

"The Sima family has always wanted to harm the local generals. They are now trying to win you over only because of me. If I die, who will they go after next?"

"Even if they don't touch you, how will future generations judge you a hundred years from now?"

"Even if I die this time, future generations will certainly not disrespect me. They will say that there was a loyal minister like Guanqiu Jian, who, although incompetent, died for the king!"

"Even if you live and become one of the Three Dukes, future generations will still despise you and think you aided and abetted the tyrant and murdered loyal officials!"

Guanqiu Jian spoke very quickly, but there was no intention of scolding. His words were full of sincerity, and he looked directly into Zhuge Dan's eyes.

Zhuge Dan felt very uncomfortable under his gaze. Guanqiu Jian's words were like a heavy hammer hitting his ears, making him at a loss. He didn't even dare to look Guanqiu Jian in the eye again.

Faced with Guanqiu Jian's persuasion, Zhuge Dan lowered his head and said nothing.

"Gongxiu, I know what kind of person you are. When I came here, everyone tried to persuade me not to come, lest I be harmed by you. But I don't think so. Gongxiu is a world-renowned man of virtue and virtue. Would he murder his friend?"

"When I learned that you were conspiring with Sima Shi, I was terrified."

"I'm not afraid of you guys joining forces against me, I'm afraid my friend's reputation will be ruined!"

Zhuge Dan's face was extremely hesitant. He lowered his head and felt even more conflicted.

Zhuge Dan and Guanqiu Jian had always had a good relationship, but because of Wen Qin, the two began to drift apart. Moreover, Zhuge Dan had always been a little jealous of Guanqiu Jian.

He believed that his abilities were no worse than Guanqiu Jian's, but Guanqiu Jian's luck was always better than his.

He could become famous just by defeating a barbarian. He could be sung by the world by writing something. Even when he was fighting against the Eastern Wu, he was so lucky that the Eastern Wu was defeated without a fight. He was inexplicably appointed the General of the Eastern Frontier. We were all generals of the Four Frontiers. How could you have one more title than me? Why are you so lucky?
I am so outstanding and my charm is unparalleled in the world, why am I always suppressed by you?

He really wanted to replace Guanqiu Jian.

However, after hearing Guanqiu Jian's sincere words, Zhuge Dan suddenly felt bitter in his heart and really didn't know what to say.

"Gong Xiu, if you don't want to listen to my advice, then I won't leave either. Just tie me up and send me to Sima Shi."

Zhuge Dan's eyes widened, "Who do you think I am?!"

"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not trying to humiliate you. If the general leads his troops to attack me, I'm not afraid. But if you do, how can I resist? Rather than being captured by you on the battlefield, I'd rather surrender now."

Zhuge Dan curled his lips, but quickly retracted them.

"Zhong Gong is a famous general of the Wei Dynasty. How can I be your opponent?"

Guanqiu Jian shook his head, smiled bitterly, and said, "Others may not know, but don't I know it myself? I'm just lucky. I'm just an average person, so how can I dare to call myself a famous general?"

"Zhong Gong is really too modest. You are not an ordinary person. Even the general is in awe of you!"

"He used to be in awe of you, but since he won you over, he's no longer in awe of you."

Zhuge Dan looked at Guanqiu Jian, who was bowing his head and looking timid in front of him. For some reason, he felt very relaxed. He no longer felt the restraint and uneasiness he had just felt, and suddenly became strong and confident.

"Zhong Gong! Today, we are only drinking. You don't have to worry about anything else!"

"it is good!"

The two men started talking again. Zhuge Dan commented on the people in the world, his words were very arrogant and heroic.

When the banquet was over, Guanqiu Jian bowed to him and said goodbye, then rode away with the young man.

The general whispered, "General, if we attack them now, we will surely kill them."

Zhuge Dan was furious, "Won't I be ridiculed by the world if I do this?!"

"go back!"

"only!!"

Guanqiu Jian rode his horse and galloped towards Yangzhou, not daring to stop for a moment.

After leaving there, Guanqiu Jian's expression quickly became cold.

Wen Yang said somewhat displeasedly, "Zhuge Dan is indecisive. He agreed to your request today, but might agree to Sima Shi tomorrow. Such a person is not worthy of trust!"

Guanqiu Jian calmly asked, "Do you think Sima Shi doesn't know about his meeting with me?"

"With Sima Shi's suspicious nature, will he still trust Zhuge Dan?"

"I see!!!"

(End of this chapter)