Chapter 592: Visiting and Recruiting (Part )

"Troops? The court wants to borrow troops from me, Luo?" Luo Tianjin repeated thoughtfully, "I see."

"That's right!" Seeing that Luo Tianjin's reaction was not intense, Shen Dongshan couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I wonder what the Luo family thinks?"

"I'm afraid that I have the will but not the power to deal with this matter." Luo Tianjin said in embarrassment, "You know, the whole Xianwang Mansion only has more than 2,000 people, including many women, children and the elderly. How can we talk about soldiers and horses?"

Zhao Yuan frowned slightly and corrected, "Palace Master Luo has misunderstood. The troops the court is borrowing are not the two thousand disciples of the Xianwang Palace. Instead, they are..."

"Do you want me to encourage the people of Luoyang to join the army?"

"Of course not." Shen Dongshan waved his hand and said, "In fact, the court is interested in the entire Central Plains martial arts world. Lord Luo is the leader of the martial arts world. If he can make a call from a high place, I believe..."

Shen Dongshan wanted to say something but stopped himself, but he was sure that Luo Tianjin had completely guessed what he was thinking.

Luo Tianjin was skeptical and asked, "Could it be that Lord Zhao wants me to call on all the heroes in the martial arts world to... submit to the imperial court?"

"Exactly..."

"I'm sorry, I can't do that." Before Zhao Yuan finished speaking, Luo Tianjin suddenly waved his hand and refused without any questioning.

"Why?" Zhao Yuan was anxious and asked, "Could it be that what Palace Master Luo just said was all false?"

"Of course not! It's just that Luo was bitten by a snake once, so he is afraid of ropes for ten years."

"how do I say this?"

"At the beginning, the Prime Minister also mentioned this matter to me. At that time, I was full of ambition and even sent Xie Xuan to Lin'an City to discuss it with the Prime Minister. However, I didn't expect that before my people arrived in Lin'an, someone had already set up a lot of ambushes on the way and almost killed my daughter. It is said that 'the bow is put away after the birds are gone, and the dog is cooked after the rabbit is dead'. Now the birds are not gone, and the rabbit is not dead, and there are people in the court who are eyeing me covetously and are murderous. If it were you, what would you do?"

"This matter was caused by the West Mansion, and has nothing to do with the East Mansion. According to the Emperor's ruling, the affairs of the martial arts world are now under the control of the East Mansion, and the West Mansion is not allowed to interfere, so..."

"I'm afraid even Lord Zhao himself won't believe this." Xie Xuan said with a wry smile, "Who ordered Yu Wenxiu of Peach Blossom Sword Island to participate in the martial arts conference that just ended? And who gave him the title of 'Martial Arts Marquis'? Lord Zhao, although we are far away in the martial arts world, we are not isolated from the news. The farce at Sanjiangkou has long been known to everyone. Is this what you mean by 'the West Palace must not interfere'?"

"But……"

"If it weren't for the difference between the East and West Palaces, I wouldn't have received the two adults today, let alone spent all my wealth and did my best." Luo Tianjin said lightly, "I hope Lord Zhao can put himself in my shoes and not force me. I am not interested in the factional disputes in the court, and I don't want to be involved in unnecessary disputes. In the final analysis, Luo respects and fears the court. I claim that I am not talented and knowledgeable, and it is difficult for me to gain a foothold in the officialdom. I can only stay away from it. I hope Lord Zhao will understand."

"Lord Luo has no interest in fame, wealth or status, so you don't need to associate with us." Zhao Yuan pondered, "You just need to command the heroes and be loyal to the emperor. When the war is over, dust will return to dust, and we will have nothing to do with each other. How do you think?"

"It seems that Lord Zhao doesn't know much about the Central Plains martial arts world." Luo Tianjin said self-deprecatingly, "It's true that I am the leader of the martial arts world, but 'leader of the martial arts world' is not the same as 'master of the martial arts world'. Leader is just an empty title given to me by my friends in the martial arts world. In fact, each martial arts sect is independent and equal to each other. There is no subordinate relationship. Therefore, even if I have a thousand mouths, I can't command other sects. Of course, I have no right to influence other people's choices. If Lord Zhao can convince other sects, that is Lord Zhao's ability. Luo will applaud and praise him, and will never hinder it. As for Luo and the disciples of the Xianwang Mansion... We are used to being idle and wild, and we really have no intention of entering the temple."

"Lord Luo, this is a serious matter. Why refuse it outright? Please think twice..."

"Hey!" Luo Tianjin interrupted Shen Dongshan's advice and said generously, "Master Zhao, Master Qiu, all the food, drink and entertainment you have in Luoyang City are all on me. As the saying goes, 'even if the deal fails, the friendship remains.' Although we cannot serve in the same court, meeting is fate. I am very happy to make friends with you two masters."

"Lord Luo, is there really no room for negotiation on this matter?" Zhao Yuan asked tentatively, "Do you really want to watch the people of the world suffer the pain of their country being destroyed and their families being ruined?"

"I am just a commoner. I have neither the talent to rule the world nor the power to save the country. If the country is really destroyed and the race is extinct, I will perish with my ancestors." Luo Tianjin sighed, "As for the general trend of the world, how can a mere person like me control it? Alas!"

Seeing Luo Tianjin's pretentiousness, Qiu Han couldn't hold back his anger and said in a deep voice, "May I ask what you just said, was it Lord Luo's intention? Or was it the intention of the Central Plains martial arts community?"

"Luo has already said that I am me and the Central Plains martial arts world is the Central Plains martial arts world, and the two must not be confused." Facing Zhao Yuan and Qiu Han's singing of the same tune, one warm and one cold, Luo Tianjin was neither sad nor happy, and remained calm.

"So, Lord Luo is determined to disobey the imperial order?" Qiu Han said in a bad tone, "Do you know what the crime is for disobeying the imperial order?"

"If I remember correctly, this place is no longer the territory of the Great Song Dynasty." Xie Xuan interrupted, "Why don't you take the imperial edict of the Great Song Emperor to the street and see how many people in Luoyang will kneel down? Young man, you must know how to adapt to local customs and govern according to the times. In Lin'an City, you may be a powerful official of the court. But in Luoyang City, you are no different from the merchants and peddlers passing by, all of you are strangers from a foreign land."

"you……"

"It seems that we came here too rashly today." Zhao Yuan didn't want to break up with Luo Tianjin, so he softened his tone and said, "Lord Luo still has a knot in his heart about the court, so it's inevitable that he has some resistance in his heart, which is also human nature."

"Lord Zhao is very righteous, and I admire him."

"However, Zhao has been entrusted with the Emperor's orders. If I return empty-handed, I'm afraid it will be difficult to complete the mission." Zhao Yuan thought, "How about this, we don't rush to persuade Lord Luo, and Lord Luo doesn't have to rush to refuse the Emperor's grace. You and I will think about it for a few days, weigh the pros and cons, and then make a long-term plan. How about that?"

"This……"

"Mr. Shen said something very poignant. This is a serious matter, and we must not act on impulse." This time, Zhao Yuan did not give Luo Tianjin a chance to refute, and said bluntly, "This concerns the country and the people. No one can be arbitrary, and we must not become a sinner for all eternity because of our own mistakes." "Haha... a sinner for all eternity? Mr. Zhao's words make Luo Tianjin tremble with fear and trepidation."

"I have no intention of threatening you. I just hope that Lord Luo can put the overall situation first. Even if he doesn't think about himself, he should think about his descendants." Having said this, Zhao Yuan cast a meaningful look at the uneasy Liu Xunyi and asked with a smile, "Little brother, do you think what I said makes sense?"

Seeing Zhao Yuan pointing the finger at Liu Xunyi, Luo Tianjin could not help but frown slightly, and turned to Liu Xunyi and asked: "Xunyi, what do you think?"

"This..." Liu Xunyi understood what Zhao Yuan meant, but he didn't dare to show it too obviously, so as not to arouse Luo Tianjin's suspicion, so he replied hesitantly, "Lord Zhao and the Palace Master each have their own reasons. In the final analysis, they just have different standpoints."

"In your opinion, should Lord Luo accept the imperial court's offer of amnesty?" Qiu Han asked bluntly and aggressively.

Liu Xunyi secretly complained that Qiu Han did not understand Luo Tianjin's character and his rash forcing of him not only failed to make the matter come true, but had the opposite effect, making Luo Tianjin more resistant to the court.

"Whether it is right or not, the mansion lord has his own plans, so there is no need to worry about it, Lord Chou." After hesitating for a long time, Liu Xunyi decided to retreat in order to advance and not act too hastily.

Hearing this, Qiu Han's face suddenly turned extremely ugly, and his fists clenched in his sleeves made a crackling sound.

It seemed that Qiu Han did not understand Liu Xunyi's good intentions, but was very angry at his repeated excuses.

"Forget it!" Zhao Yuan stood up suddenly and bowed to Luo Tianjin. "Haste makes waste. This matter is of great importance. Please allow Palace Master Luo to take his time to consider it. Zhao will take his leave first and will come back another day to bother you."

"I have ordered someone to clean up the room. Why don't you rest in the mansion, Lord Zhao?"

"I appreciate the good intentions of Lord Luo, but Mr. Shen has already made arrangements for us, so it is inconvenient to disturb you in your house."

"In that case, I'll forgive you for not being nice enough." Luo Tianjin didn't force it, and said with a light smile, "Tonight, I'll host a banquet in my house to welcome you, my Lord."

"No need to bother!" Zhao Yuan declined with a hint of meaning in his words. "In fact, compared to the welcoming banquet of Lord Luo, Zhao would rather host it himself and set up a banquet to form an alliance, drink with you and discuss important matters together. I just don't know if Zhao has this blessing?"

Facing Zhao Yuan's indirect questions, Luo Tianjin just laughed out loud and was reluctant to give a direct answer.

After the greetings, Zhao Yuan, Shen Dongshan and Qiu Han came with high hopes but left disappointed, leaving Prince Xian's mansion in a huff.

After they left, the smile on Luo Tianjin's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a look of contempt.

Seeing this, Liu Xunyi couldn't help but feel nervous, and a sense of foreboding quietly rose in his heart.

"Where did this idiot come from? He has no idea of ​​his own limitations!"

Upon hearing Luo Tianjin's comments on Zhao Yuan and Qiu Han, Liu Xunyi was shocked and felt mixed emotions.

"Brother Xie, send someone to check their background and see where they come from?" Luo Tianjin narrowed his eyes and said faintly, "These two court officials are used to being bossy and domineering, and now they can't let go of their official airs in Luoyang City. Although they always say they are humble and cautious, they always inadvertently reveal a hint of lecturing in their bones, which is really disgusting."

The more Liu Xunyi listened, the more frightened he became. He wanted to mediate, but he was unsure of his identity for the moment, so he didn't know where to start.

"Looking for clothes!"

Just as Liu Xunyi was lost in thought, Luo Tianjin's voice suddenly rang in his ears: "Qiu Han is arrogant and has been disrespectful to me many times. What crime should he be punished for?"

"This..." Liu Xunyi's eyes changed, and he quickly thought of a countermeasure in his mind. He stammered, "Qiu Han is young and successful, so it is inevitable that he does not know the current situation. He should be severely punished. But he is an official appointed by the court after all, and he came here by order. The master of the palace should not give face to the monk, but to the Buddha. Should we..."

"Who is the monk? Who is the Buddha?" Luo Tianjin interrupted, "A mere Qiu Han, who is worthy of my respect? If I don't even dare to teach him a lesson, how can the leader of the martial arts world keep his dignity?"

"The mansion master taught me that."

"Xun Yi, I'll leave this matter to you."

"Yes." Liu Xunyi responded calmly, "I just don't know...how does the mansion master plan to teach him a lesson? How about...let him have a taste of physical pain?"

"Eh!" Luo Tianjin waved his hand nonchalantly, "Although it's just a minor punishment, it can't be perfunctory."

At this point, Luo Tianjin's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he sneered: "Tonight, you go and take Qiu Han's head. I want to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, punish the 'small' and warn the 'big'!"

……

(End of this chapter)