Zhang Jun quickly pulled out the interlayer, but fell back in shock. It turned out that the bottom of the food box was covered with a layer of snowflakes and ice chips, and on the ice chips there was a frozen head. The head was lifelike, and it was Liu Guangshi, the Grand Commandant! At this point, we can only say that it is a pity that the people who were once the generals of the Western Army for generations have fallen into a situation worse than a duck after their death. It is really lamentable.
"In fact, I didn't want to bring Liu Guangshi's head." Zhao Jiu continued to speak hastily. "It's New Year's Day, bringing this would be a bit of a letdown, but if I don't bring it, I don't know what else I can bring..."
"Liu Guangshi is really dead?!" Zhang Jun finally couldn't help but speak, but he didn't know whether it was a sigh or a question.
"He's really dead." Zhao Jiu answered calmly. "He died the night we crossed the river. I asked Wang De to hold his left hand and Fu Qing to hold his right hand. I personally drew the knife and killed him in front of me... Then I cut off his head and showed it to the three armies. I brought it here tonight specifically for you to see because I was afraid you wouldn't believe it."
Zhang Jun was quite embarrassed: "When the other side sent an imperial decree to tell me about this matter, I thought it was just a rumor."
"Let's not talk about this anymore." Zhao Jiu said as he put down the stove and took out something from his arms. It turned out to be a bunch of frosty grapes. When he put it on the table, it made a clanging sound. "This is for you, too."
Zhang Jun reached out to touch it, only to find that such lifelike grapes were actually made of glass. Needless to say, this was an extremely valuable treasure.
"This is something the governor of Yangzhou sent as a tribute." Without waiting for Zhang Boying to pretend to thank him, Zhao Jiu continued to explain. "This time, the military states in the southeast sent a lot of good things, and Prime Minister Lu advised me to smash them all to show my frugality... If Prime Minister Li (Li Gang) was here, I'm afraid I would have to smash them, but since it was Prime Minister Lu, I said it was unnecessary, so I kept them, and then gave them all away during the day during the New Year. And I guess this bunch of grapes should be the most valuable one among them, and I happened to hear that you are a good person in other aspects, but you are greedy for money, so I left it for you alone."
Zhang Jun opened his mouth to speak, but still didn't know what to say.
"In fact, the civil and military officials on the other side have been discussing these days, saying that you will definitely surrender, and then advised me to leave here as soon as possible and go to Yangzhou." Zhao Jiu continued to hold the stove and said. "And I also think so, because people who are greedy for money will definitely be greedy for life... and in the current situation, if you suddenly surrender, or abandon the city and run away, I really have nothing to say."
Zhang Jun was about to kneel down again, but Zhao Jiu reached out and grabbed his arm. Zhang Jun didn't dare to move and could only sit back with difficulty.
"General Zhang, I came here today to reassure you, but I don't know if my coming here will be of any use. If I don't come here to give you this duck, this head, this bunch of grapes, and say these few words of nonsense, what else can I, the emperor, do at this moment?"
At this point, Zhao Jiu put down the stove with one hand and sighed. "I came here today for this reason... First, to give you a New Year gift and to reiterate the promise I made to Dongtai Pavilion that day. As long as you can fight against the Jin, I will not be stingy with what I can give you. Second, I want to make a gentleman's agreement with you. Liu Guangshi caused a disaster and made Xiacai City an isolated city. So if you can defend this city, you can defend it. If you can't defend it, you can surrender or abandon it. I don't blame you. But if my dragon flag is still on the other side by then, please be sure to give me a message in advance for today's sake! That's all!"
Having said that, Zhao Jiu didn't delay any longer. He stood up, put on his helmet, and was about to leave.
Zhang Jun stood up in a daze, ready to follow, but Zhao Jiu raised his hand to stop him. He could only let Emperor Zhao come and go in a hurry... After a full half hour, when it was already beginning to get dark, Tian Shizhong, who had sent Emperor Zhao back on board, came back, only to find that General Zhang was still sitting at the table, staring in a daze at the saltwater duck that was beginning to turn into oil, the human head that was turning into blood, and the bunch of grapes that never faded.
"What's wrong with the commander today?" Tian Shizhong entered the room and first glanced at the head. After swallowing for a long time and recovering, he couldn't help but look puzzled. "Yang Dalang and I sat outside and listened for a long time. The emperor is really sincere. If the commander wants to leave, why not take this opportunity to say it? If he wants to stay, why not take this opportunity to show his loyalty? Why has he been so submissive for half a day without saying a word?"
"I am still dreaming!" Zhang Jun suddenly raised his head, revealing two red eyes. "Xiaotian, you said that such a sincere person, who is soft but tough, is really a Zhao Song official?"
Tian Shizhong was also silent for a moment.
After a full stick of incense, Master Tian said with emotion: "I'd like to let the commander know one more little thing... Yang Dalang secretly asked me for Zhao Yushi in the courtyard before, so I secretly arranged for someone to send Zhao Yushi to the ferry to meet the marquis."
"That's right." Zhang Jun answered casually.
"Then, after meeting the emperor at the ferry, Censor Zhao was unwilling to cross the river south and return. Instead, he stamped his feet and made up his mind, saying that he would stay to help the commandery defend the city. The emperor also awarded him the right to be sent to Shouzhou... Now he is the prefect Zhao."
Zhang Jun looked at Tian Shizhong in a daze, but was speechless.
It is said that the heavy snow gradually stopped overnight. Before dawn, the two small boats met again in the Huai River. Their outlines became clearer, but they still ignored each other and each carried the key figures on their boats back to the camp.
When the sky was getting light, the second year of Jianyan officially arrived. The Song army on the south bank continued to break ice along the river, and the Jin army on the north bank continued to scout as usual. Most of them had no idea what their commanders had done at night. Even Xiacai City, which had a frustrating New Year, finally began to become active.
In the morning, the Jin army suddenly sent an envoy into the city to persuade them to surrender... No matter what, the situation keeps changing, just like the Huai River never stops flowing, and the rhythm of the war never changes, just like Bagua Mountain has not been shaken for thousands of years.
PS: Good night everyone
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