The crowd was so frightened that they gathered around him one after another.

"You said that I started from a young age to fight against thieves. I pacified Yangzhou, conquered the northern part of Saibei, fought for the Yellow Turbans, and attacked Liangzhou... I had to fight first!" Sun Jian covered his face with his hands, crying uncontrollably. "I put down the chaos in Jingnan, and I fought in Changsha. As a prefect, I swept away the bandits from the four counties regardless of personal gains and losses. When the directors were challenged, the princes were afraid of difficulties. I was the only one who fought on the southern front from beginning to end and never gave up. Even when I was unable to fight in the Fengshi period, I also ignored it. It’s dangerous to go to Luoyang to bury the excavated and stolen tombs... Why do you behave like this and become a thief now?"

"Brother!" Sun Jing was extremely speechless. "You are an old, crazy talker, what are you worrying about?!"

"Are you really talking crazy words?!" Sun Jian suddenly sat up, his face turned red, and he yelled angrily. "Why don't you understand? I killed Wang Rui because of a personal grudge for many years! It was when he crusaded against the bandits in Jingnan in the past. Look down on my background first! To kill Zhang Zi, it was because Dong was the first to ask for supplies and refused to give them, so he was killed in public! But Chen Guo is in such a mess. There was King Chen and Prime Minister Chen before him, and now he is such an old man. Everyone died because of me, how can I justify it? Say it yourself, what do people in the world think of me?!"

Sun Jing was shocked and speechless, and could only kneel down to apologize.

"You don't understand at all." Sun Jian's tone was slightly slower, but his emotions became more and more difficult to control. "It's just Liu Chong and Luo Jun, but Han Tuo died today... Think about it, who is Han Tuo? Is he the same as Zhang Zi or even Liu Chong? He has only served as a tutor twice in his life, and then just wrote poems. There is nothing wrong with him. But this time, both the Prime Minister and the Lord are dead. , he first led the crowd to surrender and saved the people of Chen State; then sent away Luo Jun's surviving family members to preserve the loyalty of his colleagues; he burned the Chen people's own food to prevent warriors and enemies like me who were disgusted by them from taking it. Their food was a disaster; now another one has died, and going to the underworld to see old friends is also a sacrifice... He is innocent, as he said himself, he will not live up to others in life, and will not live up to ghosts in death... But what do you think? Have you ever thought about it? If he is innocent and dies here, then who am I, Sun Jian? If I am not a thief, is this Han Tuo a thief? But if he is innocent, what does it mean if I am not a thief? Hard work For half of my life, I have determined to stand up with my sword and live up to the world, but unexpectedly I was killed by an old man today... So it turns out that I, Sun Jian, am just a thief?"

After saying this, Sun Jian couldn't bear the grief and anger. He lay down again, covered his face with his hands, and cried bitterly.

Most of the generals and warriors beside the car were still incomprehensible, but sensible people such as Zhu Zhi, Sun Jing, Huang Gai, etc. all felt sad. After all, they knew very well that Sun Wentai was a hero in this world, and today's gaffe and collapse were just pressure. It’s just a matter of accumulation, and then being pushed to the critical point... A man’s collapse has always been accumulated too much, and then suddenly.

After repeated defeats against Dong, the entire army was defeated by Jia Xu, Lu Bu, Xu Rong and others. He finally gathered the old soldiers, recruited new soldiers, and gained the qualification to continue marching through his loyalty to Yuan Shu. Over there, Gongsun However, Xun suddenly drove straight in from Tongguan and overthrew Dong Zhuo, leaving Sun Jian without any merit or achievement at all;

Then came the period when the princes of the world divided themselves into separate kingdoms.

In other words, the reason why the arrogant Sun Jian turned to Yuan Shu and acted as his pawn was largely because of Yuan's political ability. He really wanted the position of governor of Yuzhou. However, at this time, Yuan Shao suddenly said that Cao Cao was the governor of Yuzhou.

As the governor of Yuzhou, Gongsun Xun also designated Liu Bei as the governor of Yuzhou, which made Sun Yuzhou's last valuable identity "devalued". With the fourth generation and the third prince, Yang Biao personally declared Liu Bei's orthodoxy in all parts of Yuzhou.

After revealing his identity, Sun Yuzhou's statement became a joke and the object of ridicule.

However, the biggest blow was the recent series of military operations. Er Yuan broke with Gongsun and completely stood on the opposite side of the court. Then King Chen died and Luo Jun was assassinated. These two things really risked the disapproval of the world.

…

In fact, Sun Jian had already expected that these two incidents would cause a huge blow to his reputation, because people in the world would not care whether King Chen died unexpectedly, nor would they care whether he knew about Luo Jun's death. However, he absolutely

Unexpectedly, this blow would be so big and so unexpected that people could not even refute or confront him - Han Tuo came here to die! He used his innocence to add to the conclusion that Sun Jian was a thief.

An irreversible comment!

This logic couldn't be simpler and more correct - Han Tuo and Guo Fu are a clean person with no blind spots, so the opponent Sun Jian he fights with his life can only be a thief!

if not?

"What is your ambition as a prince?"

After all, Sun Jian was Sun Jian. After a brief gaffe, he finally regained his composure. Then he straightened up his appearance and stood up, preparing to mount his horse and return to camp to continue commanding his army. However, at this moment, Zhu Zhi suddenly asked him from behind.

"Can you speak directly to us?"

"What's not to say?" Sun Wentai rode on the horse, motionless and without looking back. "When I was young, I asked for the title of Marquis immediately, which would bring fame and fortune. When I saw General Wei in Yingchuan, I was shocked in my heart and asked for convenience.

Is it possible for me to stand up like him and live up to the world? By this time, the title of marquis has long been passed, but the world is in chaos, why don't I want to take a chance on a greater future? But I have never failed.

The ambition of the world..."

Sun Jian was really honest today. In fact, all the heroes in the late Han Dynasty had this kind of semi-realistic and semi-idealistic schizophrenia... On the one hand, he had strong ambitions for his family and the country; on the other hand, he was full of selfishness and could only take one step further.

.

However, at the beginning of last year, Gongsun Xun, who was far away in Hedong, suddenly proposed a third concept, that is, the current situation dictates that it is understandable whether it is the family, the country, the world, or selfishness, but no matter what the posture is,

They cannot be cruel and disregard the livelihood of the people, otherwise they will be as unpardonable as Wang Kuang.

No one paid much attention to the news at first, but as Gongsun Xun successfully defeated Dong Gong and took control of the center, his three political declarations from Gaoliang Pavilion to Weiyang Palace and then to the banks of the Wei River inevitably attracted people's attention, and for many small forces, they also

To some extent, it served as an exhortation.

And this is actually a huge legal support for Han Tuo's actions today. His actions after the fall of Chen State not only conformed to the various values ​​​​of traditional Han Confucian scholar-bureaucrats, but he was also probably the first to quote this political declaration, and then stood up for the common people at the bottom

People who criticize the instigators of war from different perspectives.

In other words, only this old man who cares about folk life and wrote "Mo Shang Sang" is the most qualified to be the first to stand up and criticize from such a standpoint.

Of course, to be fair, this criticism is somewhat inappropriate and indeed biased.

But his faults cannot be concealed, and his moral and political criticism is almost unstoppable, and will definitely be passed down to future generations...especially the criticized Sun Jian himself, who is at the critical juncture of transforming from a simple military general to a politician.

He is actually vaguely aware of this political truth and is particularly sensitive to it.

But it happened that Sun Wentai was born a warrior. Unlike Cao Mengde, who had been studying since childhood and taking care of the people, he was a politician with his own opinions; nor was he like Liu Bei, who followed Gongsun Xun when he tied his hair and was deeply influenced by him.

He has a tough character and has become a character of his own.

This is his sorrow. When he gradually wakes up to these truths, the things he did with his martial style in the past have become a conclusion; but it is also his retribution, because a person cannot erase the results of his actions because of his ignorance.

.

To put it bluntly, he, Sun Wentai, has the style of a warrior, the mentality of a warrior like Dong Zhuo who does not take human life seriously, but he thinks that he is asking Dong Zhuo, living up to the world, and being righteous, so he can be irresponsible... But

This kind of evil consequences came so quickly and so violently that it even made someone as powerful as Sun Wentai lose his temper.

"I would like to ask Junhou a few more questions." Zhu Zhi continued to ask.

"Is there anything we shouldn't ask among us?" Sun Jian was already on his horse, not moving, and didn't look back. He just held the reins in his hands and smiled.

"Junhou, you are living up to the world. Is there any reason to live up to the Han Dynasty?" Zhu Zhi asked with a serious look on his horse, raising his head.

"Jun Li asked this question." Sun Jian turned around and smiled at Zhu Zhi and others behind the horse. "Now I have lost the support of the people and hated the scholar-bureaucrats. If I fail even the Han Dynasty again, then I will really succeed.

A thief? In fact, the so-called "living down the world" means that now I can only reluctantly tell the world that I, Sun Jian, have never betrayed the Han Dynasty."

"I understand." Zhu Zhi nodded and continued to ask. "As for personal relationships, are you more grateful to Yuan Gongli? Or are you more attentive to Cao Mengde and Liu Xuande?"

"Is there any need to ask?" Sun Jian continued to sneer on the horse. "As the lord of Yuzhou with the same name, Liu Xuande really retreated to avoid me, and although Cao Mengde's retreat was a bit cunning, he actually had an explanation with me... People

Even though the oath made in the middle of last year still rings in my ears, how could I remain indifferent? As for Yuan Gongli, I begged Dong to deprive him of food. I fought in the front and he sent people to do this kind of thing in the back... As a result, he lost the territory.

The Prime Minister of the country needs him to act, but here I am regarded as a thief by the entire Chen Kingdom and even the people of the world? Now that things have happened, do I still need to go one step further and bow down to him and call him my lord?"

"Then let me ask you one more question." Zhu Zhi continued to ask with a straight face. "Now the situation in the world seems to be that the Gongsun family and the Yuan family are fighting side by side... What do you think the outcome will be?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone from Sun Jian on down was awed. But after a long time, Sun Jian took the initiative to dismount and meet Zhu Zhi... He was about to say something but stopped.

However, Sun Wentai was Sun Wentai after all. After a while of silence, he finally confessed his opinion: "I thought that the victory of this battle was not in the Central Plains, but in Hebei. It was about watching the decisive battle between General Neiwei and Yuan Chaqi for several years... But right now

The so-called victory or defeat depends on the general situation. If Liu Biao is defeated at Yuanjiao Road in the Central Plains and turns around to attack the key points with all his strength, General Wei will not be able to use his elite field forces in Guanzhong. Then the outcome of Hebei will really depend on it.

I am leaning toward the Yuan family; and whether Yuan Jiujiu can defeat Liu Biao depends on whether I can quickly defeat Cao Mengde and turn around to help him!"

Having said this, Sun Jian could not help but look solemn and solemn: "Therefore, although I dare not say that the situation in the world depends on me, I, Sun Wentai, am not an unknown person... Just looking at the situation in the Central Plains, the victory or defeat depends on me!"

"Since whoever the king helps will win, why not go to Yuan and follow the court?" Zhu Zhi finally said this.

"Jun Li, do you want me to be the one who betrays you?" Sun Jian stared at Zhu Zhi and asked.

"How can it be considered a rebellion to follow the instructions of the Central Committee of Chang'an to attack Yuan?" Zhu Zhi disagreed. "Didn't the ruler say that he must live up to the Han Dynasty?"

"Why cover up such a thing?" Sun Jian sneered. "The emperor is only ten years old. If Yuan Gongdao can enter the pass in three or four years, the central government can also issue an edict to attack Gongsun! On the contrary, it is me, the governor of Yuzhou and the general.

It comes from Yuan Gongdao. If we go to challenge Yuan again, how can we not be rebelling?"

"So what if we rebel?" Zu Mao next to him suddenly couldn't help but interrupt in annoyance. "Isn't it Yuan Shu who forced us to rebel? Forcing the monarch to beat his own brother! Forcing the monarch to bear such a stigma! Forced the monarch to bear such a stigma!

Your Majesty has been wronged like this today! Why don't you fight back?!"

On the bank of Suishui River, outside the military camp, the spring breeze was rolling, but everyone was silenced for a moment by Zu Mao's rude words.

"Your Majesty," Huang Gai, who had always been steady and valued by Sun Jian, was the first to speak and broke the silence, and continued to express his position. "We are all from Jingxiang and Jiangdong... We worked hard in the Central Plains to defeat Dong and for the country.

, of course there is nothing to say... But now we are required to work hard in the Central Plains for the selfish interests of the Yuan family, and we are still looked down upon by the locals and the people of the world. What does this mean? And if we are trying to dissuade Yuan, then aren't we justifiable?

Go to Nanyang and Jingzhou, and then settle down by the Yangtze River?"

As soon as these words came out, not to mention several generals, but also the confidant knights who followed him became energetic.

Sun Jian suddenly realized: "Do you all want to go back to the south?"

At this moment, even Sun Jing nodded slightly.

"Your Majesty, if it's time to break it, break it off!" Zhu Zhi stepped forward and held Sun Jian's arm and said sincerely. "The people of Yuzhou are not convinced by us, and the central government does not recognize us. This Yuzhou governor has now become a joke, and Yuan's kindness has also become a joke.

It's no longer interesting. But if we want to challenge Yuan, we can justifiably join forces with Liu Xuande and go south together with Cao Mengde, who was abandoned by Yuan Shao! By then, we will take Nanyang and Jingxiang, and hold Yingchuan and Chen. We can go north.

A glimpse of the Central Plains will help you realize your ambition; if you go south, you can also plan south of the river for settlement, and live up to your left and right... Why take chestnuts from the fire for others?"

Sun Jian was not a hesitant person. He thought for a moment and asked two key questions: "Will General Central Guard accept me? Are Cao Mengde and Liu Xuande willing to join forces with me?"

"I don't know about this kind of thing." Zhu Zhi shook his head repeatedly. "But you might as well ask... It is so convenient to evacuation from Fuyuan Pass, why not ask Chang'an if we can return to Changsha after the war against Dong is over?

As for Cao Mengde, he is on the other side of the river. Why don't you write a letter asking him to come out and have a chat? You are brothers who have agreed to entrust your family with life and death. Is there anything you can't explain clearly in person? "

"Actually, even if we don't have these things, we can do it ourselves!" Zu Mao couldn't bear it anymore. "The Yuan family can consider themselves a general of chariots and cavalry, and appoint governors, generals, and princes at will. If the prince has soldiers and is good at fighting, why can't he do it?"

Sun Jian ignored Zu Mao, but turned back on his horse without saying a word and returned to camp.

The generals behind him couldn't help but be overjoyed, and then they followed one after another... For a moment, there was only an ox cart, a soldier kneeling on the ground without armor, and a calm river of water.

————I am the dividing line that has been determined————

"Yuan Shu, named Gongdao, was the youngest son of Yuan Feng in Runan. When he grew older, he became the captain of Changshui School. He loved extravagance and lewdness. He rode rich chariots and horses to impress others. People at that time said: 'Yuan Changshui defends the ghost on the road'."

The world was in chaos, and after Shu, the general left Nanyang and took over Runan and Huainan. The situation was great. At the beginning of Jian'an, Shu attacked Liu Biao and led Sun Jian out of Yuzhou. The Central Plains was shaken, and Taizu was also worried. When Kong Wenju went to Chang'an, he paid a visit to Taizu.

He said: "Why should Yuan Jiu worry about the evildoers who have forgotten their homeland and the dead bones in the graves? Only Yuan Benchu ​​knows people and is good at their duties, and has enough soldiers and food to shake up the world. He can rest assured and wait for the autumn harvest to merge with Hebei. There is nothing to worry about in the Central Plains.

.' As he was leaving, Taizu looked around and said, 'Kong and Wenju are just sitting here chatting with guests, so why should I worry about the Yuan Highway? But I worry that the people of the Central Plains will suffer misfortune if they encounter the evil spirits on this road!'" - "Old Yan"

Book》.Volume 26. No. 1 in the family
Chapter completed!