"Second brother, can you let me take a look at that jade seal passed down from the country?"

As soon as they retreated to Guangling City and returned to the lobby of the Guangling Prefecture where the Xuzhou army held business meetings, Tao Ji was the first to rush to Tao Ying and asked Tao Ying with a flattering face to show him the imperial seal. Zhang Jie, Xie Yan and Xu

Sheng and other Xuzhou generals also surrounded Tao Ying, vying to see with their own eyes the jade seal that Tao Ying had kidnapped and kidnapped, the legendary jade seal carved from the Heshi Bi.

"You can watch all you want, why are we so tight? Spread out, spread out." Tao Ying complained and pushed away the generals around him, untied the package tied to his back, took out the imperial seal and threw it to Tao Ji.

He scolded angrily: "Here, you can see as much as you want, you bumpkin, you are making a fuss." After cursing, Tao Ying ignored the whereabouts of the national jade seal and went straight to the back hall to bathe and change clothes.

"Second brother, don't throw it away. This is the jade seal of the country! The jade seal of the country!"

Tao Ji was so frightened by Tao Ying's rough movements that he screamed like a pig. Fortunately, he caught it in a hurry and took it in his hand to look through it carefully. The generals of Xuzhou also swarmed around Tao Ji and got closer to admire this precious stone.

There were countless quarrels over who could see and touch the national jade seal that had been passed down through countless legends. Only Lu Su, the military advisor of the Junzi Army, did not join in the fun. He sat aside and read military official documents, making statistics on the people who had visited the station in the past few days.

The weapons and baggage were consumed and preparations were made for the next stage of the war.

It wasn't until Tao Ying, who hadn't washed his face for two days, took a bath and changed clothes, changed into a scholar's dress and returned to the lobby of the prefect's mansion that the Xuzhou generals basically looked at the jade seal handed down from the country. Tao Ji loyally guarded the jade seal.

After supervising the last Xuzhou general to read and appreciate the national jade seal, Tao Ji took the jade seal back and was about to return it to Tao Ying for disposal, but he saw Lu Su sitting aside and looking through the bamboo slips, so he kindly

He held the jade seal in front of Lu Su and said with a smile: "Military advisor, you haven't seen this national jade seal yet, have you? Take a moment to look at it, and then I can return it to my brother."

"Thank you, Third General, for your kindness, but I'm not interested and don't want to see it." Lu Su replied without raising his head.

"What?" Tao Ji was stunned and asked hurriedly: "Military advisor, is it possible that you are like those pedantic nerds and think that the means by which my second brother obtained this national jade seal is disgraceful?"

"What is glorious and not glorious?" Lu Su finally stopped reading the bamboo slips, raised his head and said calmly: "Is it true that Sun Jian and his son took advantage of the chaos to hide and engulf this national jade seal? It was glorious that the young master treated him in his own way.

What’s wrong with a human body?”

"Then why don't you look at this imperial seal?" Tao Ji was completely confused.

"Because in Su's eyes, there is no difference between this national jade seal and a venomous snake and beast. If you are not careful, it may cause fire and disaster, so I don't even want to touch it." Lu Su replied calmly.

"Zijing's words are so right." Tao Ying said while holding a tea cup: "In my eyes, this jade seal is as terrifying as a savage beast. Holding it in your hand is like holding a poisonous snake in your hand.

It's just as dangerous in my arms. Only Third Brother and you idiots treat this piece of broken stone as a treasure. It's simply embarrassing and you don't know how to write the word "death."

Hearing Tao Ying's words, Tao Ji, Zhang Jie and others were of course confused. Lu Su, who had always been expressionless, breathed a sigh of relief, raised his hands to Tao Ying and said, "It seems that I have really misunderstood you, sir.

I am still worried that you will be greedy, sir. Since you can understand this truth, I can rest assured. However, I still want to remind you that this imperial jade seal is an unknown thing and must not be kept. If you keep it, you will bring disaster.

!”

"Of course, I'm stupid to leave this imperial seal. Such a dangerous thing will cause trouble if I leave it in my hand for a day!" Tao Ying's answer made Lu Su completely relieved, and also made Tao Ji and others

People are completely confused.

"Second brother, military advisor, what are you talking about? Why can't I understand at all?" Tao Ji couldn't help but asked tentatively: "Listening to the tone of the second brother and military advisor, don't you want to pass this on?"

Will the national jade seal be sent out again?"

"If you don't give it away, why stay here?" Tao Ying smiled and turned to Tao Ji and asked: "Third brother, if we keep this imperial seal, what do you think will happen? We Cao Cao around Xuzhou,

What actions will Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, Lu Bu and others take?"

Apart from being too young and having too little experience, Tao Ji was actually not stupid. After hearing Tao Ying's question, Tao Ji quickly came to his senses and exclaimed: "Second brother is right, this is the national jade seal."

If we don’t stay, once we do, the powerful enemies around us will never give up, and will definitely raise troops to punish them and reach out to rob them!”

"Yes, the third brother has finally made some progress." Tao Ying said with a smile: "Our five counties in Xuzhou are relatively wealthy and have relatively weak military strength. We have always been the lamb and fish meat in the eyes of the surrounding princes, and they have long coveted our Xuzhou. Here.

Under such circumstances, if we keep this traditional jade seal in our hands, we will immediately give these wolves and tigers an excuse to raise armies and accuse them, and also give them the opportunity to annex Xuzhou. Therefore, before our strength is strong enough to dominate the world

, this heirloom jade seal is not worthy of being owned by us, we can only throw it out quickly, a little delay may lead to catastrophic disaster."

Hearing Tao Ying's words, the Xuzhou generals looked at each other. They felt that what Tao Ying said was reasonable, but also felt that it was too pity. Tao Ji, who was rarely praised by Tao Ying, was also happy and regretful, "My second brother is still better than me.

I have thought of this for a long time, but it is such a pity. It is such a pity that the national jade seal should be handed over to others like this."

"Of course I feel bad, but it's useless. We are still too weak now. It's so difficult to defeat Sun Ce who has just debuted, let alone the mature Cao Cao, Lu Bu and Yuan Shao." Tao Ying shrugged and spread his hands.

He took back the Jade Seal from Tao Ji, played with it and admired it, and said: "Besides, I once broke an arrow and swore in front of everyone that I would return this Jade Seal to the Emperor of the Han Dynasty. If I break my promise, I will be punished."

If I keep this imperial seal and hide it, why don't I die like Sun Jian by swords and arrows?"

"What you said is absolutely true. You have sworn to return the imperial seal to the emperor. You cannot break your oath." Xuzhou veteran Zhang Jie was more superstitious and echoed: "It is said that when Sun Jian got this jade seal, Yuan Shao forced him to hand it over.

, he denied it flatly, and also swore that if he concealed the jade seal secretly, he would be killed by swords and arrows. In the end, he actually fulfilled such an oath. I just heard that you also swore such an oath. In this case, I will think that

Young Master, you'd better keep your promise and never make the same mistake as Sun Jian."

"Then let's take advantage of the fact that Yuan Shu's army has not yet laid siege to the city, and quickly return the imperial seal to Xuzhou City to our uncle, and ask him to send someone to send the imperial seal to Chang'an and return it to the Emperor of Han Dynasty." Tao Ji suggested: "This way

Come, the emperor will be overjoyed and will definitely give my uncle a promotion, and second brother, you will definitely get a court official position and title."

"I just complimented you a few times, why did you say something stupid again?" Tao Ying scolded with a smile: "The imperial seal is so precious, Xuzhou and Chang'an are thousands of miles apart, no matter which way our seal messenger takes,

We have to pass through the territory of other princes. Can other princes not be greedy? Let our envoys carry the imperial seal through their territory and go to Chang'an to ask for merit and fame? Among the princes around us, which one is like this?

Fool?"

"What should I do if I can't deliver it to the emperor?" Tao Ji looked confused.

"Simple." Tao Ying took a sip of tea and said calmly: "Since we can't deliver the Jade Seal to the Emperor, we can ask others to return it to the Emperor, and first hand over the Jade Seal to someone with enough strength.

The princes asked him to help us return the Jade Seal to the Emperor for us. In this way, I have fulfilled my oath, and the Jade Seal can be returned to the Emperor safely, and the princes who helped us can also get some credit.

Everyone is happy."

"Second brother, you are talking like a nerd again." Tao Ji complained: "Please ask someone to return the imperial seal to the emperor. Aren't you afraid that the princes will withhold the imperial seal?"

"I would rather teach the world to betray me than teach me to betray the world." Tao Ying said without batting an eyelid: "I treat others with sincerity, and people will treat me with sincerity. I believe that no matter which prince I entrust to return the jade seal,

He will definitely take care of your kindness, keep his promise, and deliver the jade seal to the emperor for me."

Tao Ji was in a hurry and was about to refute Tao Ying's nonsense, but Tao Ying waved his hand to stop his questioning, turned to Lu Su next to him and asked: "Military advisor, in your opinion, which prince should I ask to return the jade seal?"

?”

"Young master has already made up his mind, so why bother asking me?" Lu Su asked with a smile.

"I do have a plan in my mind, but as I said, my strategic vision is not as good as that of the military advisor." Tao responded: "So I ask the military advisor to give me some advice and correct my mistakes."

"Then I will take the liberty to speak out." Lu Su was not polite and said loudly: "In Su's opinion, among the heroes around Xuzhou, Cao Cao should be eliminated first. Cao Cao is known for his treachery and will not be able to see through the young master's intentions.

The jade seal is of no use to him. Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan in the north are fighting to the death, and they cannot look south until they decide who is the male. After they decide the winner, you will have no need to be afraid of them, so they can be eliminated. Lu Bu repeatedly

Impermanence, greed is like a wolf and weak in strength. It is unnecessary to give him the jade seal, and it may make him think that you are weak and can be bullied, and become greedy for Xuzhou. Liu Yao, Yan Baihu and Wang Lang in the south are all mediocre.

Incompetent people, sir, if you don't deal with them, they will be grateful enough, so they don't have to think about it."

"As for the last prince." Lu Su paused here and said with a smile: "Whether it is a strategic or tactical need, he is the most ideal person to entrust him to, and the Jade Seal of the Kingdom was handed over to him.

Another chance to get the jade seal back."

Tao Ying grinned and said: "Strategist, it seems that we have thought of the same thing again. I wonder if the military adviser is willing to go through the trouble and serve as this envoy?"

"Young master sent me, Su Dare to disobey." Lu Su agreed and looked at Tao Ying and laughed. Next to him, Tao Ji, Zhang Jie and other Xuzhou generals were confused. They didn't know what Tao Ying and Lu Su were talking about.

Who, and what is their strategic and tactical purpose?

……………………

While Tao Ying and Lu Su were laughing, Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, two old subordinates of Sun Jian and Sun Ce, were shouting and furious because they didn't have time to board the boat and cross the river with Sun Ce's body.

They were blocked on the shore by the navy led by Yuan Shu's general Chen Fen. Then Yuan Shu's troops on board quickly landed and quickly surrounded hundreds of Sun Ce's remnants, forcing Sun Ce's remnants to lay down their weapons and surrender. A small number of Yuan Shu's troops among Sun Ce's remnants

The soldiers quickly put down their weapons, but after careful consideration, Huang Gai and Cheng Pu finally put down their weapons to temporarily save their lives. They tried their best to defend Sun Ce in front of Chen Fen, saying that Sun Ce had no intention of rebellion.

What made Cheng Pu and Huang Gai extremely angry was that Chen Fen did not listen to any of Cheng Pu and Huang Gai's explanations, and flatly refused to send Sun Ce's body to Qu'a to be handed over to Sun Jian's widow, and decided that Sun Ce's body should be sent to Shou first.

In the spring, Chen Fen handed it over to Yuan Shu for disposal. At the same time, Chen Fen disarmed all Sun Jian's old soldiers. He used natural resources to break up these elite soldiers and put them on the warships to work as coolie oar sailors. Cheng Pu and Huang

Gai was also disarmed and put into a prison car, and sent to Shouchun along with Sun Ce's body, where he was handed over to Yuan Shu for disposal.

Cheng Pu and Huang Gai weren't miserable. The worst person was Sun Jian's old officer Zhu Zhi. In order to report the news of Ji Ling's troops to Sun Ce, Zhu Zhi abandoned his wife and children in Shouchun and fled alone. As a result, Sun Jian's

The old favor was repaid, and when he fell into the hands of Yuan Shujun again, Zhu Zhi didn't even have a chance to explain in front of Yuan Shu. He was directly beheaded by Chen Fen according to Yuan Shu's order. His wife, children, and children in Shouchun also

He has already been imprisoned, awaiting the fate of being demoted as a slave.

The luckier person was Zhou Yu, because Zhou Yu was not Sun Jian's old subordinate, and he led civilian volunteers to join Yuan Shu's army as the commander of Chaohu, so Chen Fen did not make things too difficult for Zhou Yu, and decided to recruit Zhou Yu into the army, along with other remnants of Sun Ce's troops.

Like the soldiers of Yuan Shu's army, he continued to stay in Yuan Shu's army to serve as soldiers and eat food. However, Zhou Yu did not accept Chen Fen's kindness, and took the initiative to say to Chen Fen: "General Chen, please put me in a prison car and send me to Shouchun."

Go and give it to General Zuo. Sun Ce is my best friend and I know everything about him. Please give it to me as a gift to General Zuo. General Zuo will definitely reward you heavily."

"What do you mean by this?" Chen Fen asked in surprise: "Is it possible that you want to expose Sun Ce's crime in front of the lord?"

"That's right." Zhou Yu ignored the mad roars of Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and others in the distance, and nodded calmly and replied: "Sun Ce does have a disobedient heart, and he also has disrespectful words towards General Zuo. Sun Ce sent troops to Guangling this time.

I also know all about my other plans, and I am willing to take the blame and make meritorious service, and expose Sun Ce’s crimes to Yuan Gong face to face.”

Speaking of this, Zhou Yu paused and then said: "General Chen, I can be regarded as a descendant of a famous family. My grandfather Zhou Jinggong and uncle Zhou Zhong both served as Taiwei of the Han Dynasty. My father Zhou Yi also served as

Luoyang Order, they all have a relationship with General Zuo, so Mr. Yuan will definitely receive me, let alone blame the general for making a fuss."

After Zhou Yu had reached this point, Chen Fen certainly could not refuse, so Chen Fen no longer hesitated and immediately agreed to Zhou Yu's request and decided to send Zhou Yu, Sun Ce's body, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and others to Shouchun

, and handed it over to Yuan Shu. However, Shouchun was too far away from the Yangtze River. It was not as convenient and fast to take Zhou Yu and others to Shouchun by land, so Chen Fen quickly arranged a team of people to escort Zhou Yu and others to the west. Chen Fen

The navy of Yuan Shu's army led by Fen was temporarily stationed at Guangling Ferry, blocking the connection between Guangling's Xuzhou army and Liu Yao, another enemy of Yuan Shu's army, while waiting for the arrival of the main force led by Ji Ling, or waiting for the next order from Yuan Shu.
To be continued...