When the first furnace of glazed test products was released, Zhou Mo had already left Langzhong, taking only Lao Mu and a few other personal followers with him, and headed to Yong'an, planning to meet up with Deng Zhi as planned, and then the two of them would go eastward along the river.

Mission to Soochow.

Before leaving, Zhou Mo received a letter from Zhang Ni saying that his body had fully recovered, so he ordered Zhang Ni to rush from Nanchong to Langzhong, pick up Lang Xing and his mother, and escort them all the way back to his home in Chengdu.

During these days, my mother and Lang Xing got along day and night. Lang Xing was simple and cheerful, and my mother was kind and kind. They had the same temperament and got along very harmoniously, just like their biological mother and daughter.

He often avoids Zhou Mo mysteriously and talks about women in private, making Zhou Mo seem like an outsider.

Zhou Mo's hard work, coupled with Lang Xing's assistance, finally convinced his mother and she agreed to live in Chengdu.

After all, Zhou Mo was busy with official duties and transportation was inconvenient in ancient times, so it was impossible to come back to Langzhong every three days. Taking his mother to live in Chengdu was the best choice.

Zhou's mother is getting older and is attached to her homeland. She didn't want to leave, but she wanted to see her grandson or granddaughter who was about to be born as soon as possible, so she agreed to move.

On this day, Zhou Mo arrived in Yong'an by boat. Li Yan, the Central Protector, came to greet him wearing a military uniform and the same face as if he didn't recognize his relatives.

Zhou Mo could clearly feel that compared to the last time they met, Li Yan's attitude was even colder. Especially when he talked about sending an envoy to Soochow and promoting the second alliance between Wu and Shu, Li Yan's face suddenly stretched.

His face also became quite gloomy.

Zhou Mo is well versed in history and can completely understand why Li Yan is so unhappy.

Before Liu Bei's death, he left Li Yan to guard Yong'an to guard against invading enemies from the east.

This strategy was very correct at the time.

Because the situation in Jingzhou before and after Liu Bei's death was indeed quite unclear.

Wei Caozhen, Xia Houshang, Zhang and tens of thousands of troops besieged Wu Zhuran alone in Jiangling and were about to break the city. Sun Quan hurriedly sent Zhuge Jin, Pan Zhang and other troops to rescue him.

However, Zhuge Jin's ability to lead troops was really useless, and he was quickly discovered by Cao Jun and successfully intercepted. Other reinforcements were never able to approach Jiangling City and provide effective support to Zhu Ran.

Jiangling is the seat of Nanjun County and an important town in Jingzhou. Its geographical location is extremely important. If Cao Wei captured Jiangling, it would basically be equivalent to capturing the entire Jingzhou, directly bordering the eastern border of Shuhan.

Even if Cao Wei failed to capture Jiangling, Liu Bei would have hated Sun Quan for his duplicity and repeated backstabbing. Zhuge Liang could have put aside his prejudices and formed an alliance with Soochow for the sake of the overall situation, but Liu Bei felt the pain. He would never do this.

Do it.

Therefore, it is impossible for Liu Bei not to send heavy troops to garrison Yongan.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Ran defended the city alone and held on for six months. He survived until the summer, when the river surged and Cao Jun had to retreat.

This was Zhu Ran's highlight moment. He single-handedly forced Cao Jun back and saved Jingzhou in Soochow.

Speaking of which, Guan Yu played a more or less role in Zhu Ran's success in defending Jiangling.

When Guan Yu was stationed in Jingzhou, he was well aware of the importance of Jiangling's strategic position, so he spent a lot of effort to build Jiangling city defenses. Therefore, Jiangling city was extremely strong and extremely difficult to conquer by normal siege.

Although the city wall is strong, it's a pity that the gate is not welded shut. Mi Fang opened the city gate and handed the ascending and descending watch. No matter how strong the city wall is, it is of no use.

Now, thanks to Zhu Ran's heroic performance, Jingzhou in Soochow has been preserved, and Wu and Shu can continue to share the border with Yong'an and Wu County without being cut off by Cao Wei.

Only under this prerequisite can the two countries renegotiate and rebuild their old friendship.

However, once Wu and Shu form an alliance, Li Yan's position in Yong'an will instantly become very embarrassing.

When Liu Bei died, he was the late emperor's entrusted lone and important minister, and the highest military officer in the eastern defense zone of the Shu Han Dynasty. He was responsible for guarding the east gate of the Shu Han Dynasty, to defend against Cao Wei and Soochow, and his position was extremely critical.

Today, several months later, looking eastward from Yong'an, Cao Wei retreated to Xiangfan, and Sun Wu was about to become an ally. Looking around, there were no enemies in the lower reaches of the river.

Yongan went from the front line to the rear in seconds.

Li Yan changed from a border defense general to a janitor in seconds.

No wonder Li Yan’s face is longer than that of a donkey.

After bidding farewell to Li Yan, Zhou Mo came to the post house to visit Deng Zhi to discuss the visit.

Deng Zhi, courtesy name Bo Miao, was a native of Nanyang, Jingzhou. His ancestor was the famous Deng Yu, the leader of the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai under Guangwu Zhang.

When Zhou Mo met Deng Zhi, he was tall, well-groomed, mature and prudent. Although he was not young, he was energetic.

In terms of image alone, he is indeed suitable as an ambassador to a foreign country.

Deng Zhi reported to Zhou Mo that he had arrived in Yong'an many days in advance and that the preparations required for the visit had been completed.

The gifts brought on this trip include 200 horses, thousands of Shu brocades, and various specialties from Shu, and countless gifts. All large and small ships have been prepared, and all the guards in Soochow along the way have also sent ultimatums to ensure smooth traffic.

No obstacles, just wait for Zhou Mo to arrive and then you can set off.

Deng Zhi was indeed reliable in his work. No wonder when he was still a minor official in Pixian County, Liu Bei inspected Pixian County and fell in love with him at first sight. He was promoted through the ranks until he entered the court and became minister.

Deng Zhi was impatient and had been waiting in Yong'an for many days. He couldn't wait to set off, so he said to Zhou Mo: "General Zhou has been tired from the journey. Do you need to rest for a day or two? When should we set off?"

Zhou Mo said: "I don't need to rest. Since Deng Shangshu has arranged everything, everything is ready. I think we can set off at any time."

Deng Zhi laughed and said: "That's great. I think it's still early today. If we give the order now, the fleet can weigh anchor and set off within an hour."

"What, so fast?" Zhou Mo was amused by Deng Zhi's straightforward impatience, "Deng Shangshu is so impatient."

Deng Zhi laughed and said: "I just want to complete this important mission as soon as possible so that I can return to Chengdu. Otherwise, I will always be worried and I won't be able to sleep well."

Zhou Mo smiled and said: "Deng Shangshu is quick to talk and does his duty for state affairs. I admire him very much." He thought for a while and said: "It's just that I still have a small matter to deal with. I'm afraid an hour is too urgent. Can I be accommodating for half a day?

?"

Deng Zhi said: "What did General Zhou say? If the general has something to do, just go and do it. Deng is here to prepare the departure. We will leave immediately after the general's matter is finished."

Zhou Mo said goodbye to Deng Zhi, and took his sergeants without stopping to a courtyard on the west side of Yong'an Palace. This was Zhou Mo's previous residence in Yong'an.

Under Zhou Mo's order, the sergeants dug up the land in the courtyard to reveal the entrance to a cellar.

Zhou Mo removed the wooden board and sealing paper at the cellar entrance, and a strong aroma of wine hit his nostrils.

The green plum honey wine he brewed last year has been fermented for nearly a year and is now more fragrant and mellow.

After tearing off the seal of a jar and scooping out a little with a wooden spoon, Zhou Mo praised: "Ah! Good wine! Although the alcohol content is still a bit low, the flavor is rich and long, the entrance is soft, and the aftertaste is sweet. It is already rare.

Very good wine."

"I heard that Sun Quan is a heavy drinker, and I, Zhou Mo, have a good drinking capacity. I'm a little curious, who of us is the better drinker?"

Zhou Mo said loudly: "Come here, carry all this wine to the boat. These are all gifts for Soochow. Take care of them, please be careful. If anyone breaks the wine jar, be careful and I will kick you."
Chapter completed!