"General Mou Jing is a strong man."
Liu Qi sighed and said slowly: "But when a person dies, it's like a light goes out. If you die like this, you are disloyal to the country and useless to the people. You have not accomplished anything and you have no reputation. How is it different from grass and trees?"
Xiahou Dun was startled, then sneered, "No matter how much you say, if you want me to betray the Prime Minister, forget it!"
"Yuan Rang, what's wrong with your brain?" Zhang Fei stood up anxiously. "General Liu told you not to fight against us when you return. You didn't understand what he said. No wonder you keep losing battles."
Xiahou Dun was furious and asked, "Zhang Heizi, can you be smarter than me?"
Zhang Fei scratched his head: "Anyway, I'm better than you..."
"Okay, you two don't have to argue!" Liu Qi quickly stopped them and said, "The world is in chaos now, and there are many places where military force can be used. Not to mention the distant past, Sun Quan has already sent troops to Huainan a few days ago, and Lujiang, Chaohu and other places have been occupied by the Eastern Wu..."
"What?" Xiahou Dun was shocked when he heard this. "Sun Quan, you little brat, the two families have only been married for a short time, and you are already harming others like this. How can this be justified? What is the current situation of the war?"
Liu Qi briefly described the battle situation and said, "Soochow is full of treacherous villains. Sun Jian hid the imperial seal, Sun Ce deceived Yuan Shu and deceived Liu Xun. These were all villainous acts. We were stabbed in the back when we married them. On the other hand, you and I fought against each other, but I spared the lives of the generals. If it were Soochow, would you still care about the lives of the two generals?"
"So what?" Xiahou Dun snorted slightly, his tone softened.
What Liu Qi said was true. On the battlefield, swords and guns were merciless and human lives were worthless in the fighting. Killing generals and enemies was the best opportunity to make meritorious service. He had seen many famous generals fall over the years, but it was rare to be able to save lives like Liu Qi did.
Liu Qi smiled and said, "Instead of marrying with the Sun family, it's better to marry with us."
Xiahou Dun glanced at Liu Qi and snorted coldly: "I don't have a daughter!"
"No, no, no!" Liu Qi waved his hand and said with a smile, "Our two families are still married. My niece and Yide have secretly got engaged. Although they have children, the ceremony was not completed after all, which is a pity in life. Why not make this a grand event and marry them officially?"
“General…” Zhang Fei was stunned when he heard this, staring at Liu Qi with his big eyes, full of emotion.
He acted generously and openly throughout his life, never fussing about trivial matters, but the only person he felt sorry for was Xia Hou Juan, who had followed him with humiliation and endured heavy burdens, wandering around for many years and unable to meet her family. Occasionally, Zhang felt bad when he saw her secretly worried.
The most important thing is that Xiahou Juan is deeply loved by the Xiahou Dun brothers. At that time, there was chaos in the Central Plains and people were living in dire straits. Xiahou Yuan, due to lack of food and hunger, cruelly abandoned his young son and raised his third brother's orphan daughter. Unexpectedly, the girl he raised with great effort was snatched away by Zhang Fei. How could the two brothers not be angry
Xiahou Juan was always grateful for the upbringing of her two uncles. Although she was determined to follow Zhang Fei, she often felt guilty. However, both parties served their own masters and put the greater cause first. This was a regret that could never be made up for.
Although Liu Bei and Guan Yu were both very loyal, they only cared about their greater cause and brotherhood. They didn't care about their children's personal affairs. Liu Bei even abandoned his wife and children at any time, not to mention the marriage of the two brothers.
Today, Liu Qi suddenly mentioned personal matters, which was tantamount to poking at the softest side of this steely man.
Let Xiahou Juan marry in style, get the blessing and recognition of her family, and have a real status. This is a scene that he and his wife would never dare to dream of, and Liu Qi actually wants to match them up.
Xiahou Dun didn't expect Liu Qi to care about such trivial matters, and asked in confusion: "Is it that simple?"
"It's that simple!" Liu Qi nodded and smiled, "The general's ransom can be regarded as a betrothal gift. You should send more relatives from the niece's family to marry off your niece in a grand manner. I think General Xiahou Yuan will be happy to see this happen, right?"
Xiahou Dun was silent for a while, and finally said, "I want to see Juan'er!"
Zhang Fei held back his red eyes and took a deep breath: "I'll take you to Xiangyang tomorrow."
Xiahou Dun looked at Zhang Fei's expression and felt relieved that he seemed to be very affectionate towards his niece. He put his hands behind his back and raised his head: "Call me father-in-law first!"
"Get out!" Zhang Fei growled, lowered his head and walked out quickly.
“You can call me Second Uncle too!” Xiahou Dun followed him out.
Having already been captured and being laughed at, he decided to find someone to take the blame for him, to disgust Zhang Fei and to avenge the robbery of his niece.
After dinner, Liu Qi brought Xiahou Dun to see Cao Ren and told him about the war in Huainan. Cao Ren was furious. After all, it was his daughter who married Sun Kuang, and he didn't expect Sun Quan to turn against him so quickly.
Xiahou Dun cursed, "If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have let my niece marry far away in Jiangdong."
Cao Ren punched the table and broke it into pieces. He said in a deep voice, "I will go to Huainan in person to seek an explanation from the Sun family."
Although women's marriages were merely political tools in this era, she was his own flesh and blood after all, and Cao Ren was reluctant to let her marry far away in Jiangdong. Now that Sun Quan had turned against him, his daughter's life in the Sun family would be even more difficult.
Liu Qi took the opportunity to say, "Sun Quan wants to take this opportunity to enter Huainan and control Jianghuai with the advantage of the navy. He must be planning to seize Xuzhou and even the Central Plains. I am planning to send troops to avenge the killing of Huang Zu. If the two generals fight against Dongwu, you and I will respond from the east and the west, which will make Sun lose more than we gain."
Cao Ren quickly calmed down and looked at Liu Qi: "General Liu, are you really willing to let us go without asking for ransom money or food?"
Liu Qi nodded and smiled, "Of course, this is a gentleman's agreement between you and me, I think the two generals will abide by it, and will never be as capricious as Sun Quan, right?"
"Hmph, don't mention Bi Yan'er again!" Cao Ren snorted coldly and said sternly, "I was captured twice. Although I underestimated the enemy, I was defeated wholeheartedly! From now on, I, Cao Ren, will never set foot in Jingzhou again. If I meet you in front of the battle, I will ask for a change of commander. How can a defeated general have the face to fight again?"
Xiahou Dun clasped his fists and said, "Same to me!"
"Okay, today's agreement is for the heavens and the earth to witness!" Liu Qi grabbed the arms of the two men and sighed, "The world is falling apart, and the two generals still have a lot of room to use their skills. One day in the future, perhaps we can fight side by side."
The two men bowed their heads and sighed. It was a great shame and humiliation to be defeated by a sick man who had never led an army. If it weren't for Cao Cao watching them from above, they would not have the face to return to Xuchang.
Although today's agreement is a compromise, it is also for the purpose of helping Cao Cao build his career again. We cannot let the Cao family's great foundation be ruined. The South and Xiliang are still unsettled, and there is a lot to be done if we keep a useful body.
As for Jingzhou, once Cao Cao reorganizes his troops and leads other generals to avenge the previous defeat and eliminate Liu Qi, today's agreement will vanish into thin air, and who will remember it
Just as the two of them were thinking their own thoughts, Liu Qi suddenly asked, "Does General Cao have any daughters?"
"No, no!" Cao Ren waved his hand decisively and stared at Liu Qi warily: "There is still a daughter, but she has already been betrothed to the Wei family."
"What a pity! I had wanted to find a good in-law for my brother..." Liu Qi shrugged regretfully, which was actually a hint to the Cao family.
All of this was discussed by Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu, and the current strength is not enough to wage a full-scale war with Cao Cao.
Only by trying to make the relationship between Sun and Cao stand off and ease the relationship in Jingzhou can we develop towards Yizhou with peace of mind.
The purpose of releasing these two people was to contain the Eastern Wu. Otherwise, Zhou Yu would never sit idly by if the troops moved westward.