Chapter 41 Section 8 Turning Enemy into Friend

Li Yi led Liu Xiu, and after many twists and turns, they arrived at a hall. There were nearly ten people gathered in the hall, all of them were young and strong men. When they saw Liu Xiu, they all stood up and saluted.Li Yi introduced them one by one, this is Li Shu, this is Li Chong, this is Li Song... They are all descendants of the Li family of the same generation, Liu Xiu returned the courtesy one by one.There was only one person, with thin brows and mouse eyes, who sat arrogantly. After casting a cold glance at Liu Xiu, he turned his head away. Li Yi smiled awkwardly, and introduced to Liu Xiu: "This is Shen Tujian, the younger brother of Shen Tuchen, and Yu Li's family is not an outsider." Liu Xiu also smiled awkwardly, understanding, after all, his elder brother killed his elder brother, It was already a big advantage to only receive a blank stare from others.

When the host and guest were seated, Liu Xiu saw that the host, Li Tong, did not show up, so she asked.Li Yi replied: "My brother is sick in bed and has taken medicine to rest. When my brother wakes up, I will introduce him." If the enemy does not move, I will not move.Liu Xiu wandered around, admiring the furnishings and decorations of the hall.Li Yi deliberately started the conversation, and said to Liu Xiu with a smile: "Today, my brothers and sisters are gathered together, so I invite Uncle Wen to talk about the general trend of the world." When a person is getting older and more or less famous, it is inevitable that people will often ask for advice, but on this occasion, Li Yi is not so much asking for advice as he is testing.

You can only talk about three points when you meet people, but you can't give up all your heart.Liu Xiu didn't even want to say a word, and prevaricated: "I'm in Chongling, and I've been plowing the fields all day long. I've been indifferent to the affairs of the world for a long time, and I just want to ask the gentlemen for advice." Li Yi laughed and said: "Nowadays there are chaos everywhere in the world, and Wang Mang's defeat is imminent. Such a major event can be said to be heard and seen by all. How can Uncle Wen not know?" What Li Yi said, Liu Xiu really didn't know, but the Li family's intentions were unclear, and small talk could be fatal, so he continued to evade, "I'm also humble, and I can't bear to talk about state affairs."

Seeing that Liu Xiu insisted on avoiding the topic, Li Yi showed disappointment on his face, and said sharply: "Uncle Liu Wen is the descendant of the great ancestor of the previous dynasty, and his ambition is so small! Now that the four directions are in chaos, the new house will die, and the Han Dynasty will be rejuvenated. The Nanyang clan, Your Excellency's brother loves everyone and can do great things. Therefore, we sincerely invite you to join us in the great cause of restoring the Han Dynasty, and your Excellency avoids you again and again. What's the reason for that?"

Li Yi has already shown his trump card: "Liu Xiu, let us rebel together!" Liu Xiu had a vague premonition before that the Li family might be looking for him for the purpose of rebellion.But once I heard Li Yi's naked confession with my own ears, I was still shocked.Is this about to rebel?It seemed that the long-awaited thing finally happened, but timidly couldn't believe it. With the power of the Li family, if they really had the sincerity to rebel, they would certainly be a rare and powerful ally, but whether the Li family was really sincere, Liu Xiu had serious doubts in his heart.Li Tong's father, Li Shou, was an official in the Wang Mang Dynasty, and he lived as a teacher of Zongqing. Li's family is a vested interest in the new dynasty. He should be a royalist party, so why did he take the initiative to become a rebel?

As soon as Li Yi mentioned the rebellion, Zhu Li immediately became emotional and chattered: "The new dynasty is about to fall, and people think about Han, so it's time to raise troops." "The officers and soldiers are weak and vulnerable, so they are not as good as thieves. We can't let the refugees take advantage of it for nothing." "With the strength of the Liu family and the Li family, if you are far away, you can take Chang'an and establish the emperor's career. If things are not harmonious, you can also sit in Nanyang and rule one side separately, just like princes."

Li Yi stopped the crowd, focused on Liu Xiu, and said loudly, "Uncle Wen, this is the end, I just wait for your word." Liu Xiu knew very well that the Li family's right to speak was in Li Tong's hands, and Li Tong was the real decision maker.Before seeing Li Tong, before finding out Li Tong's thoughts, Liu Xiu never dared to express his opinion lightly, so he said: "Xiu Chu admired each other because of the way of a gentleman, so I came to answer. It’s not something I dare to take on, so please don’t say it again.” Shen Tujian stared at Liu Xiu, and said with a sneer: "Coward, Li Zi! If I knew it earlier, I should have discussed it directly with Liu Bosheng. Such a big matter is beyond your ability to decide."

Facing Shen Tujian's insults, Liu Xiu was amused, she couldn't hide if she couldn't offend us, she was about to take the opportunity to leave, but she saw a servant coming in and whispering to Li Yi.Li Yi was overjoyed after hearing this, and said to Liu Xiu: "My brother is awake, and I want to meet Uncle Wen." Liu Xiu's kindness was hard to give up, so she could only follow Li Yi and enter Li Tong's bedroom.Li Tong was really sick in bed, his face was as white as paper, and he was haggard. When he saw Liu Xiu, he couldn't hide his joy and forced himself to sit up.Liu Xiu hurried forward and said, "Brother Li is sick, please don't be polite."

Li Tong didn't follow him, and after barely sitting up, he stretched out his hand, wanting to chat with Liu Xiu.Liu Xiu was shocked, and captured him!However, it was too late to dodge, and there was no reason to dodge, so he was caught right away.Li Tong grabbed Liu Xiu's arm firmly, shook it vigorously, and said, "Jiu Muwen's name is finally met today." Liu Xiu's big acupoints on both arms were caught by Li Tong, unable to move, he could only reply vaguely: "I dare not take it." Seeing Liu Xiu's strange expression, Li Tong couldn't help being suspicious, he rubbed his hands a little, and felt a strip of hard object, he was very surprised, why did he grow here?After touching it carefully, I realized that it was a sleeve knife, so I laughed and said, "Uncle Wen is so brave to see a sick man with a knife in his arms!"

Embarrassed, Liu Xiu said with a smile: "Who can live without a knife in the rivers and lakes. It's not for hurting others, but for self-defense." Li Tong looked serious, and said: "The matter of Shen Tuchen has long passed, Uncle Wen doesn't have to worry about it anymore. I invite you to meet today, and I really have an important matter to discuss with Uncle Wen. My brother must have heard Uncle Wen's intentions through word of mouth before. How about next?" Liu Xiu evaded and said, "This is a big matter, and it needs to be discussed in the long term."

Li Tong smiled slightly, and said: "Humanistic Chongling Liu brothers, Bo Sheng is bold and magnificent, and Uncle Wen is wise and cautious. When I saw you today, it is true. Uncle Wen must be thinking in his heart at this time, my Li family is rich, My father is also the teacher of the imperial court Zongqing, and he has received great favor from the new court, so he is so powerful, why did he want to abandon the family and go bankrupt, and raise troops to restore the Han Dynasty?" Liu Xiu was distracted, so he had to admit it honestly: "I have this suspicion." Li Tong leaned forward, and said in a low voice, "Uncle Wen must have heard of Master Liu Xin." Liu Xiu went to other people's houses to set fires and burn down buildings, how could he not know about Liu Xin, but he just didn't understand why Li Tong mentioned it, so he replied flatly: "I heard about it." Li Tong asked again: "Does Uncle Wen believe in prophecies?" Liu Xiu was startled, but said noncommittally, "God's will is profound, so I dare not speak nonsense." Li Tong nodded and said: "My father became an official. He first met Liu Xin, the teacher of the state. He studied the ephemeris and prophecies. He heard a prophecy and said, 'Liu's revival, Li's assistant'. I didn't think that this Liu was Brother Your Excellency, this Li family is my brother. Since the prophecy is like this, God’s will cannot be violated, so I don’t think presumptuously, I specially invite you, and I want to join forces to join forces, to obey God’s will, and to bring peace to the country!” After Li Tong said this, Liu Xiuquan understood that Li Tong rebelled because he was tempted by prophecy.With the motivation clear, Liu Xiu began to seriously consider Li Tong's proposal.However, it was the first time for the two parties to meet each other, and they were not familiar with each other. In addition, there was a period of enmity between Liu Yan and Shen Tuchen, so the two parties could only stay on guard and approach slowly.There is an indecent comparison. The relationship between Liu Xiu and Li Tong is like that of a prostitute and a lady. Although they know that cooperation can be a win-win situation, they are both worried that the other party will be dirty.But having said that, it's nothing to worry about, but the lady is undoubtedly more eager than the client when it comes to the desire to complete the business.When it comes to cooperation and rebellion, Li Tong is more eager than Liu Xiu. Li Tong also served as an official in the new dynasty. He successively served as General Wuwei and Wuxian County. With a bright future ahead of him, he resigned and returned home, intent on brewing a rebellion.Now, the young people in the entire Li family have been instigated by him, and the rebellion seems to be imminent, and they have to be launched. Liu Xiu also saw through this verse, so he asked the last question in his mind, not afraid that Li Tong would not answer it.Liu Xiu asked: "If you raise an army, and Master Zongqing is in Chang'an, what should you do?" Dad's life can be ignored?How can I believe it? Li Tong expected that Liu Xiu would ask this question, and replied, "I have my own arrangements." Now he explained in detail how he planned to rescue his father. Liu Xiu was overjoyed after hearing this, and said: "Brother Li has far-reaching plans, and he must have a strategy for raising troops in his mind. I would like to hear the details." Li Tongzhi was even more surprised than Liu Xiu, and his already weak voice trembled even more at this moment, and asked, "So, Uncle Wen agreed?" Liu Xiu nodded, although not too much, but she knew the weight in her heart.He was nodding on behalf of his elder brother Liu Yan, on behalf of the guests of the Liu family, and on behalf of the Chongling Liu family.At this point, there is no way out, and we can only bear it to the end. It is absolutely impossible to rebel halfway through, and suddenly say, well, I will not rebel, rebellion is not fun, rebellion has no future, Wang Mang, come, come, salute , Shake hands, we are still good friends. Seeing Liu Xiu nodded, Li Tong expressed relief, and said: "I have long wanted to join forces with the Liu family, but unfortunately I never got the chance. My brothers all said that we should make a special trip to Chongling and discuss with Bo Sheng face to face, thinking that we have made a decision. When Uncle Wen comes to Wanwan, Uncle Wen can also make decisions about the affairs of the Liu family. Uncle Wen’s promise is Bo Sheng’s promise.” Seeing that Li Tong compared him with Liu Yan, Liu Xiu was not happy but worried. In front of outsiders, he must always maintain the authority of his eldest brother Liu Yan, so he replied: "I have always known the ambition of my brother, so I boldly agreed. Of course, it all depends on my brother." Li Tong took a meaningful look at Liu Xiu, and seemed to understand Liu Xiu's painstaking efforts, so he cut to the point and said, "Since Uncle Wen has agreed, the Li family will send troops in Wancheng to win this important town, and Nanyang can be settled. Brother Yu Chongling raised troops to respond, during which time they contacted heroes from all over the world, and they rose together at once, thinking that it would be like a prairie fire." Liu Xiu asked, "How did brother Li get Wan?" Li Tong said with a smile: "I have conspired with Zhang Shun, the governor of Nanyang Prefecture, and others. At that time, we should cooperate internally and externally, and it will not be a problem to take Wan." Liu Xiu asked again: "When will it be launched?" Li Tong replied: "Every soldier wants to be in a hurry, quickly, quickly, first, and once ready, start immediately." Li Tong's words were bold and strong, after listening to Liu Xiu, instead of applauding, he responded with silence.Seeing Liu Xiu's troubled face, Li Tong asked, "What's your opinion, Uncle Wen?" Liu Xiu replied: "We are different from the refugees when we rise up. The refugees rebelled because they were hungry and cold, but they wanted to survive. Therefore, it is better to hit the sun than to choose a day. We have no worries about hunger and cold. , so hitting the sun is not as good as choosing the day.” "According to Uncle Wen, when is the best time?" "After autumn." There are many advantages to raising troops in autumn: at this time, the people have to pay all kinds of exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and they are resentful and resentful;The Autumn Harvest Uprising, which is well known to us, has roughly the same reasoning, and it can be said to coincide with Liu Xiu. Things may look complicated on the outside, but the core is often simple. All great wisdom will defeat the appearance at a glance and look directly at the core.In Western language: Great mind think alike, in Chinese: Heroes see the same thing. Li Tong understood it immediately, and immediately agreed, seeing that Liu Xiu still looked troubled, so he asked again. Liu Xiu said again: "You don't need to fight hard to get Wan." Li Tongqi said: "If you don't fight hard, the plan will come out?" Liu Xiudao: "Capture the thief first. Capture the king first. On the day of the beginning of autumn, the strong men from all over the country will gather in Wancheng to try out soldiers. The prefect of Nanyang and the captain will come to the school grounds in person. Take advantage of this day to kidnap two people on the spot and order the public. , Wancheng is not complacent.” According to Liu Xiu's strategy, without any effort, officials can be captured and sealed, and the city can be captured.Li Tong patted the bed with his palm, there was a sound of the bed board breaking, and he said: "This is a great plan." After saying that, seeing Liu Xiu's face was still troubled, he had no choice but to ask again without shame. Liu Xiu knew in her heart that the plan to raise troops externally had been preliminarily determined, and next, it was the turn of internal negotiations.Some words must be explained now, no matter how ugly the words are, or how hurtful they are. Liu Xiu pondered for a moment, and said calmly: "What the people want, the sky will follow. Today's people think about the Han Dynasty. When we rise up, we should use the Liu family as our name and call ourselves the Han army. Words are smooth, high and far away." Liu Xiu's meaning is very clear. Rebellion is not marriage. There is no so-called notarization of pre-marital property. Once rebellion, Liu's name must be used, with Liu's as the main force. The army is Liu's army, and the leader is also Liu's leader. Li Tong had never had much ambition, nor did he intend to become a king. The reason why he rebelled was because he believed in the prophecy passed down to him by his father.In his opinion, he was doomed to assist the Liu family, and there was nothing to fight for or balance, so Su Rong replied: "The prophecy says: The Liu family will rise up, and the Li family will be the assistant. God's will, how dare Li Tong go against it?" God! The position of master and servant is determined today, and I am willing to listen to Uncle Wen's orders." Liu Xiu said seriously: "The person in charge is my elder brother Bo Sheng." Li Tong changed his words and said, "I would like to listen to Bo Sheng's orders." When Liu Xiu heard the words and bowed down, Li Tong hurriedly supported him and asked, "Why did Uncle Wen do such a great gift?" Liu Xiu struggled and said, "I'm here to worship Brother Li, for the Liu family, and for the Han family. Please accept the ceremony." Li Tong had no choice but to accept the gift.Now that the two families of Liu and Li have formed an alliance, they set up an altar, with Liu Xiu in the center, surrounded by the Li brothers, and made an oath by blood: The Liu family revived, and the Li family was assisted.Restore the Han Dynasty together, never lose each other! There was no lightning and thunder, no dark wind, no ghosts crying, no night terrors in children.The mountains still have edges and corners, and the sea is still deep. An alliance that is about to shock the world just happened quietly in the dark room. Human feelings are impermanent, and the prosperity and decline of the world are uncertain.There is a line in Wang Wei's "Ode to Xishi": "At that time, Huansha was a companion, and it was impossible to return in the same car." Today we are companions, and there is no difference between each other.These young people at this moment swear an oath to walk together and support each other forever. The light shines on their faces, and the future looks forward to in their eyes.Little do they know that in the near future, they will have their own ups and downs, ups and downs, some will die early, and some will soon turn against each other. However, at this time, they didn't know about it. They just wanted to move forward tenaciously, and to witness the unknown destiny with their youthful blood. Besides, Liu Xiu and Li Tong had established a conspiracy, and it happened that this time they sold the grain and made a lot of money, so they bought a large number of soldiers, armor, bows and crossbows in Wancheng, and secretly sneaked back to Chongling.Li Yi, as the representative of the Li family, accompanied him all the way. As for raising troops, Liu Yan had only a three-point certainty before, so he has been hesitant to make a decision.This time, Liu Xiu not only brought back a large amount of armaments, but also brought back the perfect plan to join forces with Li Tong. Liu Yan's confidence suddenly became 70%.However, seven points was still not enough, so Liu Yan distributed hero posters and invited heroes from all over Nanyang.The so-called heroes are usually those who have nothing to worry about. They have a lot of free time, and Liu Yan's great reputation, so they come when they are called.Liu Yan set up a high-level wine meeting, raised his glass during the banquet, and said generously: "Wang Mang was tyrannical, and the people fell apart. This is the time of continuous drought and military revolution. This is the time when Wang Mang is destroyed in the sky. Restoring the career of the ancestors, it will be the autumn of all generations." !" Alcohol is strong and courageous, what a hero!So all of them blushed and had thick necks, tears flowed before they spoke, and agreed in unison.Liu Yan was overjoyed, and agreed to raise troops at the same time on the day of the capital test, and all the heroes returned to their counties to prepare not to mention it. Liu Yan is full of ambition, and he is very sure of raising troops.Judging from the book, his strength is already strong enough. Once the day of the Liqiu Capital Trial arrives, troops will be raised in all places at the same time. Within three days, he can control the entire territory of Nanyang.Once you have Nanyang, the world can look forward to it. Besides, on Li Tong's side, apart from actively preparing for the battle in Wancheng, there is another matter that needs to be settled, and that is to rescue his father Li Shou who was in Chang'an first.