Hearing this, the man's expression became even more respectful, and he said solemnly: "You are so righteous and have such good character. If I ignore a righteous man like you, wouldn't it be a waste of reading the books of sages?"
"Hahaha" Zhu Li laughed, a little shy. It was the first time he heard someone praise him in person. He was a little overwhelmed. He waved his hand at the other person and said politely, "Sir, you are too kind. I am Zhu Li, and I dare not call myself a righteous man."
Hearing Zhu Li's name, the man looked a little confused, then he suddenly thought of something, his expression immediately brightened, and he bowed more respectfully and said, "My name is Yan Keqiu, my ancestors lived in Guanxi, and I moved to Yangzhou with my parents when I was young. Please forgive me for my poor eyesight and for not recognizing General Zhu Li of the Left Guard who fought three battles to conquer Chang'an. Please forgive me for my sin."
He was still recognized. Yang Zaixing's expression immediately became very gloomy, and he seemed to have the urge to kill to silence the witness. However, Zhu Li didn't take it to heart at all.
He was just curious, why this scholar was so sure that he was the Zhu Li. You know, he just rescued the two of them, and they only spent a short time together. Why was this scholar so sure
The more Zhu Li thought about it, the more confused he became. Who was this person
If he was a famous figure in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, Zhu Li had no impression of him at all; but if he was the reincarnation of a heroic spirit, the Classic of Mountains and Seas in Zhu Li's sea of consciousness was still silent and unresponsive.
This person had only been in contact with him for a short time, but he was able to guess his identity from his name. This ability was definitely extraordinary and he should not be an ordinary person.
Thinking of this, Zhu Li said, "Mr. Yan, how can you be sure that Zhu is the Zhu Li you are talking about? There are many people with the same name in the world. Can't Zhu be called Zhu Li by coincidence?"
Zhu Li's words undoubtedly verified Yan Keqiu's guess. His expression changed when he heard it, and he felt lucky in his heart. This person was really the Zhu Li who recaptured Chang'an.
However, he still showed a confident look and said respectfully: "There are indeed many people named Zhu Li in the world, but there are not many Zhu Li who have the courage to threaten Lu Yongzhi."
"When the general rescued my father and daughter, he knocked the two guards of Taoxie City away with one punch and one kick. Such strength is rare. With such martial arts skills, how could he be unknown?"
"In addition, the general has a majestic aura, and his demeanor is even more vigorous and solemn. This kind of aura can only be possessed by someone who has experienced life and death for a long time."
"He has been on the battlefield for a long time and is well-known in the area. In addition, his name is Zhu Li. With these three points, even if I am stupid, I can guess the general's identity. Moreover, I happened to hear about the bloody battle at Weiqiao, where General Zhu Li was seriously injured and fell into the water, and his whereabouts are unknown. The court's wanted notices for the general are posted everywhere. Although the general is not wearing armor and is not as majestic as in the portrait of Ji Wen, if I still can't recognize the general, I don't care about these eyes."
In fact, there was a lot of speculation involved in Yan Keqiu's confirmation of Zhu Li's identity, but in order to demonstrate his ability in front of the young governor, he had to disguise his expression to appear very confident.
He is now in a very bad state, and his daughter was almost kidnapped by someone. The father and son have been through the gates of hell, and finally met an important person.
, how could he not seize the opportunity.
Besides, the imperial court announced to the world that Zhu Li's secret plan to seize Hetao and expel the Dangxiang people was a fact. Although the other party was still a governor of a lower state in name, in fact, he was a local emperor who controlled ten states.
If he had taken Zhu Li's money and left just now, a person like him who didn't know how to run a business and was also a weak scholar would soon end up on the streets, and his future and fate would be even more unimaginable.
To him now, finding a job is more important than the silver. "It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish." This is the basis for making a living. Thinking of this, how could Yan Keqiu miss the person in front of him? Although the other party is in a destitute situation now, it is precisely because of his destitute situation that his service becomes more precious, and the chances of success are naturally greater.
Zhu Li couldn't find fault with Yan Keqiu's words. He smiled bitterly and said, "Good, good eyesight and good judgment. Even if Mr. Yan knows Zhu's identity, what good will Zhu do to you now?"
Yes, there was a reason why Zhu Li asked this. He was now down and out, with countless assassins chasing him. What benefit could he give to the other party? Zhu Li couldn't figure it out.
Upon hearing this, Yan Keqiu's expression immediately became very solemn. He bowed respectfully to Zhu Li and said earnestly, "I am a humble man, but I would like to follow you, General. I hope you will not abandon me and accept me as your assistant."
Yan Keqiu's sudden move instantly stunned Zhu Li and Yang Zaixing. They had never imagined that this scholar had been pestering them for such a long time just to follow them.
The two looked at each other, looking somewhat helpless.
However, Yan Keqiu's expression of his true feelings made Yang Zaixing no longer hostile to him. He just sighed helplessly and said apologetically: "Mr. Yan, I have to apologize to you first. Just now, I saw that you recognized my envoy and wanted to harm you. I didn't expect that you would be so kind and make me ashamed."
"However, sir, you should also know our situation. To be honest, in addition to the wanted list, there are countless assassins secretly hunting us down. If we accept you at this time, not only will we not be able to protect your safety, but we may also drag you and your daughter down. I'm afraid we will let you down."
What Yang Zaixing said was right. This was also what Zhu Li wanted to say to the other party. They were now exhausted from dealing with the situation themselves, so how could they dare to involve innocent people? Otherwise, Zhu Li would not have let Yue Pengju send all his relatives to Shuozhou.
It might be okay to secretly eliminate some treacherous people who are harming the country and the people occasionally, but it is simply unrealistic to recruit subordinates.
What's more, Yan Keqiu is a genuine scholar. He is different from Chen Gong. Chen Gong is a military general and can at least protect himself. Once they accept Yan Keqiu and his daughter and are discovered by those fearless warriors, no matter who they are, they dare not say that they can protect the other party.
Unfortunately, Zhu Li didn't know what kind of person Yan Keqiu was. He was a strategist with extraordinary abilities. In the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, there were many talented people and strategists, and Yan Keqiu was definitely one of the best.
Xu Wen was able to establish the Later Tang Dynasty, but Yan Keqiu was not able to do so.
No, it shows that his ability is extraordinary.
Zhu Li's refusal was obviously expected by Yan Keqiu. This was a good leader who would rather die than protect his subordinates.
Even though he was stranded in Yangzhou, when he saw the evil man wreaking havoc in the local area, he disregarded his own safety and immediately took action against Lu Yongzhi. He had the world in his heart and the people in his heart. He was a general worthy of his followers' life.
After hearing Yang Zaixing's refusal, Yan Keqiu remained calm and confident, as if he had it all planned out. He said confidently: "I understand the general's noble character, but I don't think my daughter and I will be implicated by the general. The general thinks the situation is serious, but in my opinion, the general can return to the north smoothly in a month at the shortest and half a year at the longest."
After these words were spoken, Zhu Li and Yang Zaixing looked at each other, their hearts slightly stirred, but they didn't know why.
Yan Keqiu's confident expression immediately puzzled Zhu Li and Yang Zaixing. Zhu Li asked suspiciously, "Why are you so sure, sir? Even I am not as optimistic as you."
"Hahahaha" Yan Keqiu laughed loudly and said calmly: "The general, with his own strength, has restrained the countless secret forces of the eunuchs. The general can delay, but can the eunuchs afford it?"
Can the eunuchs afford to delay? Yes, if they can't kill themselves in a short time, can the eunuchs really delay indefinitely? Will they do nothing else
No matter whether it was the eunuchs, Li Keyong, Li Sigong and others, no matter how much they hated Zhu Li, they would kill him at all costs, but they could never fight with Zhu Li endlessly, they could not afford it.
As the saying goes, those who are involved are often confused, while those who are not involved can see things clearly. Yan Keqiu's words awakened the dreamers, causing Zhu Li and Yang Zaixing's eyes to light up and they understood what he meant.
This is a very realistic issue, and also a very simple truth. I think anyone with a discerning eye can see through it. It's not that the eunuchs, Li Keyong and others are unwilling to fight with Zhu Li, but that they can't afford it. Even if they are willing to fight, their subordinates would not be willing.
Seeing that Zhu Li and the others had understood, Yan Keqiu became more confident. Although he was wearing a coarse linen shirt, he still looked high-spirited. He continued, "So, the general's current predicament is temporary and will never last long. This is the first reason. The second reason is that the general has controlled Lu Yongzhi, the biggest demon in Jiangdu, and can use the power of Taoxiedu to counter the four dead soldiers. To a certain extent, he is safe. At least the general's safety is no worse than Gao Pian's."
"If the general takes advantage of the opportunity to do something else, for example, instigating the Yangzhou army to attack the Caizhou bandits, or the Xuzhou Shi Pu and other thugs and warlords, when the war breaks out, how many people on the other side will still focus on the general?"
"What's more, the general's base is in the north. As long as the general passes on the news that he is still alive, his subordinates will not leave him alone. With the general's benevolence and righteousness, there must be many loyal people under his command. As long as they support the general, the day when the general's exile ends is just around the corner." Yan Keqiu said very affirmatively.
The pursuit could not last too long. Zhu Li realized this truth. What reason was there for him to refuse to recruit Yan Keqiu? With this thought in mind, he immediately decided to accept Yan Keqiu's offer and bring the two back to Gaoyou.