Chapter 39, Chapter Six: The Perils of Building a Home
Liu Jun did not rest for long. Only ten days after Xu Run's death, he was able to mount his horse and was summoned to Liu Kun's headquarters.
"My lord." After much deliberation, Liu Jun chose this form of address, which could be used both in public and private.
Liu Kun still didn't look too pleased. "A few days ago, Wen Qiao, the Chief Secretary of the Eastern Palace, sent me a memorial by express courier. He mentioned three policies, which I think are quite feasible. Today, I would like to invite you all to discuss them together."
The fact that he addressed him in this way suggests that Sima Ye's position as heir apparent has already been decided.
Liu Jun sat quietly with his eyes lowered. He and Wen Qiao had previously drafted this plan together and presented it to Sima Ye for review. He believed that all three strategies had their merits, but he was unsure whether the delicate relationship between himself and Liu Kun would affect the final decision.
Liu Kun looked at the advisor beside him and nodded. The advisor took out a scroll and began to read it aloud, word by word.
Wen Qiao's writing was eloquent, but in essence, it had three meanings: first, to send envoys to Wang Jun to seek peace and offer him a large sum of money in exchange for horses; second, to send small groups of troops to Yizhou, Jingzhou, and Hanzhong to scout; and third, to continue to sow discord between Liu Cong and Shi Le, and to contact powerful clans in Guanzhong as internal allies.
Before he finished speaking, the crowd began to discuss the matter, but most of them were against it. The reason was simple: Bingzhou was already weak, and it had only grown slightly in recent years through land reclamation and military recruitment. It often needed the help of Xianbei cavalry to fight against the Xiongnu. If the troops were to be divided again, it was very likely that they would not only fail to recover the lost territory, but also lose Jinyang, which would be a loss.
"I have been trying to sow discord among the barbarians, but with little success," Liu Kun frowned. "As for the powerful families in Guanzhong, I have little connection with the Wei and Du families."
"Du Yu's son, Du Yin, was the Prefect of Hongnong. After the Yongjia era, he occupied a fortified village, but was killed by Wei Gai's scheme, and the fortified village was also taken away." Liu Jun said respectfully. "Grand Commandant Xun Fan appointed Wei Gai as General of Wuwei, in charge of the people of Yong and Liang in the western part of the fortified village. Guo Mo, the Governor of Yongzhou whom you previously recruited, had some connections with Wei Gai. In addition, Du Yu's other son, Du Dan, fled to Liangzhou."
After the fall of China, the three places where scholars went the most were Jianye in the south, Bingzhou in the middle, and Liangzhou in the north. The Zhang family in Liangzhou had been operating for a long time and now had the air of ruling over their territory.
Liu Kun nodded slowly, "Indeed, we need to find a reliable person to make contact. As for Wang Jun, I have already written to Liu Zun, and he will handle it himself. As for the second plan..."
This was the most absurd suggestion in everyone's opinion, but Liu Kun still decided to adopt it. What's even more unbelievable and intriguing is that Liu Kun's gaze lingered for a while before finally settling on Liu Jun.
Those who were on good terms with Liu Dan and Liu Jun were all taken aback, but even the shrewd Zhuge Quan sighed heavily.
Liu Jun was not surprised at all; in fact, he felt a sense of relief. He had had enough of being a caged bird in his previous life, and he would rather take the risk than be trapped in Bingzhou.
He was recovering from serious injuries, his lips were still a little pale, but his posture was upright and dignified, and his eyes were calm as an ancient well, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
"Liu Jun," Liu Kun had never addressed his beloved son by his given name before, and felt that these two words, like his face, were inexplicably unfamiliar, "This plan is fraught with danger, and only someone with both wisdom and courage can succeed. You previously sent a few dozen riders to Luoyang, and now I'm giving you five hundred elite soldiers. Do you dare to go?"
Liu Jun stood up and said solemnly, "A man should be willing to die for his country. What is there to be afraid of!"
Looking at the handsome young man before him, Liu Kun said, "Very well! You may choose from the soldiers of Bingzhou or the officers of the military headquarters."
"only!"
Although his fate on this journey was uncertain, his efforts in the army over the years had not been in vain. Apart from his personal retainers like Liu Yong and Yin Xiaocheng, many soldiers were willing to follow him. In particular, almost all the soldiers he had gathered from Ningping City to Luoyang knelt down and begged to go west with him.
If you calculate it that way, five hundred is simply not enough.
Besides Liu Dan, Zhuge Quan was also willing to go, which surprised and pleased Liu Jun.
After the count was completed, Liu Jun suddenly had five hundred Bingzhou soldiers, plus Liu Dan's more than one hundred Yuzhou soldiers, which seemed quite impressive at first glance.
He set the departure date five days later, ordered all soldiers to bring as much food and weapons as possible, and returned to his residence to pack his belongings.
“Young Master,” Lu Jing greeted him, his face even showing a hint of sympathy, “the Old Madam and the Madam already know, and are waiting for you to pay your respects in the hall. You… well, good luck to you.”
Liu Jun smiled and said, "They'll only feel sorry for me. Others should be praying for their own good fortune. You're overthinking it."
Unfortunately, he still misjudged the situation. As soon as he entered the door, he was surrounded by Madam Guo and Madam Cui. One of them hugged him and shouted, "Maotou, take your mother with you! It's better to shield you from swords and knives than to follow your heartless father. That way, we can at least preserve our mother-son bond!" The other hugged him and wept bitterly, "You wretched child! I failed to discipline my son properly and gave birth to such a good-for-nothing who can't distinguish right from wrong and is easily swayed by traitors. He has even implicated my good grandson!"
Liu Jun had not yet died on the battlefield, but he was almost strangled to death by them. He hurriedly looked to Liu Fan for help.
Unexpectedly, Liu Fan also burst into tears, leaning closer to gaze at his face as if trying to remember it forever. "Your grandmother and I are both getting old. Your journey will be fraught with difficulties, and this may be the last time we see each other!"
Liu Jun had only thought about escaping Bingzhou and making a name for himself, without considering the dangers of this journey or whether he would be able to fulfill his filial duties to his elderly grandparents and lonely mother. Now, thinking about it, he realized that he was being somewhat unfilial.
So he painstakingly separated himself from them, then knelt down respectfully and kowtowed, saying, "I am unfilial and have caused you elders to worry! I am only going to scout the way, and I will be extra careful. Please do not worry about me."
Considering the state of affairs and the perilous situation in Bingzhou, Liu Jun hesitated and said, "This time, without Father's permission, I killed the magistrate of Jinyang. I was wrong to begin with, and it is right that I should be punished. Grandfather and Grandmother, please do not blame him anymore."
He ultimately did not utter the word "Father," clearly intending to help Liu Kun out of a predicament, but in reality, he himself was still filled with anger, causing Lady Guo to sigh involuntarily.
"Grandparents are in good health and will surely live as long as the pine and cypress," Liu Jun said gently. "When I return from Liangzhou, I would like to ask my grandfather to give me a formal name and a formal title."
Cui's eyes were red from crying, but she still rallied her spirits and comforted her aunt and uncle, "Yes, Maotou will also be in charge of the wedding arrangements. Aunt has a sharp eye for finding a noble lady, how can we do without Aunt's help?"
Upon hearing this, Guo immediately began to scrutinize Liu Jun from head to toe.
Liu Jun knew exactly what she was thinking, and quickly said, "I'll set off in five days..."
It was a bit rushed, so Guo had to suppress her thoughts and shake her head, saying, "He's even getting shy. He looks mature on the surface, but he's still just a child."
Liu Jun thought to himself that he had been married to concubines and princes in his previous life, so why would he feel ashamed? But he still smiled and pursed his lips.
“Come here,” Cui said, pulling him to her side with tears in her eyes. “When you came back from Guanzhong, I knew I couldn’t keep you here. During this time, the maids and I have made a lot of light clothes. Don’t find it troublesome, take them with you.”
Overwhelmed with sorrow, Liu Jun choked up and could not speak for a long time before finally saying, "Thank you, Mother."
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