When Li Ran heard this, he couldn't help but nodded and said:

"Exactly, the Zhao family in Handan is from the same clan as the Zhao family after all. And the current leader of the Zhao family, Zhao Yang, is an alliance with us, so maybe we can go to Handan to borrow troops."

However, Confucius hesitated for a long time after hearing this, and then said:

"It's just... that although the Zhao family of Handan seems to be at peace with our sect, it is said that they are very close to the Fan family and the Zhonghang family, and the current sect leader Zhao Wu's mother is the Zhonghang family.

daughter. Therefore, her attitude is very unclear, and it is really hard to say..."

When Li Ran heard this, he nodded and agreed with what Confucius said. However, although he knew it was difficult, he had no other choice now:

"At that time, Xun Shu, the general of the Jin Dynasty, was originally a member of the Zhongxing family and was used by Fan Yang. In the end, it was just a few words from Li Ran that convinced him. Now the Zhao family in Handan is just a man who has both sides.

It’s unclear whether there are benefits or harms, or there may be opportunities that can be exploited.”

"What's more, now that Yunyi is in danger, the attitude of the Marquis of Qi is unclear, and the State of Zheng is far away and cannot solve the immediate problem. For the present plan, we can only give it a try! Even if it fails, we can try other methods.

.”

So, after everyone discussed for a while, they finally decided to divide the troops into two groups. Confucius went to Qi State, while Li Ran went to Handan.

Confucius had gone to the State of Qi in advance when the Marquis of Lu was on the run, and as an envoy of Lu, he had met the Marquis of Qi, Yan Ying, Gao Zhang, Gao Zhaozi and others.

Moreover, he persuaded the Marquis of Qi at that time. This time he went again. Although he would not be welcomed by Qi State, after all, he had accumulated some connections in Qi State, so he should be able to speak better.

As for Li Ran, he considered that he was on good terms with Zhao Yang, the leader of the Zhao family, so if he came forward in person, he might be able to gain more confidence.

At this moment, Guan Congze sent someone from Luoyi to bring news:

Xingguan was watching the sky at night, and there were frequent stars falling in the direction of Lu State, which may indicate that many prominent people on their side will fall one after another in the near future. Therefore, the observer asked Li Ran to pay more attention, and it is best to go out less in the near future.

That's wonderful.

Li Ran actually didn't believe in the stars. But he also knew that since they had such concerns, I'm afraid they were not groundless.

Just like the Shikoku fire that year, perhaps Guan Cong got some new news from other places, but he couldn't explain it.

When Sun Wu heard this, he felt quite uneasy, so he admonished Li Ran and asked him to take Chu Dang with him to prevent any unexpected events.

However, Li Ran was worried about Yunyi, while Sun Wu sighed and said:

"Sir, don't worry, Sun Wu's side will be fine. Now we only need to reinforce the city's defenses day and night, and we will not take the initiative to attack."

"As for the brute strength of Chu Dang, Wu was afraid that if he stayed here, he would tear down the city wall. It would be better to let him go out with Mr., to avoid suffocating him.

.”

Sun Wu joked like this without missing a moment, which actually made everyone laugh. The originally solemn and gloomy atmosphere suddenly became a bit humorous.

So everyone agreed on this, Zi Lu followed Confucius, and Li Ran took Chu Dang with him.

…

After the meeting ended, Li Ran returned to his residence and told Ji Le that he was going to Handan to borrow troops. Ji Le was quite reluctant to leave, and couldn't help hugging her husband delicately.

"Husband, you are always running around like this, Le'er feels so uncomfortable..."

"Leer, you have been too worried recently. You must stop thinking wildly while your husband is away. If this can be done and everything goes well, the matter of Ah Chou's return to China can also be solved!"

Ji Le caressed Li Ran's cheek.

"You have lost weight... Husband, you must pay attention to safety when you are away from home. Le'er is actually fine, but he misses Guang'er a little, and... he is just worried about your safety..."

"Guang'er is accompanied by Fan Li, and I have Chu Dang as my guard. This time, Le'er can rest assured!"

Ji Le nodded gently, and Li Ran held her face lovingly.

"Ma'am, thank you for your hard work..."

Ji Le smiled.

"Husband, you don't have to worry about Le'er. In fact, it's good for Le'er to spend more time with Ah Chou, but Ah Chou... seems to be getting weaker and weaker recently... ugh..."

Ji Le also noticed something strange about Lu Houchou's body, so he was a little worried.

"Madam, don't worry, Ah Chou's illness is actually a knot in his heart. Once we escort him back to the country, everything will be solved..."

The two of them looked at each other while talking, as if they had endless things to say...

A night of silence

Even though Li Ran and Ji Le were reluctant to part with each other, they still had to part ways.

Before leaving, Li Ran specially prepared a letter and sent it to Dong Anyu in Jiangcheng.

Since Yang Hu's strategy was to encircle but not close, leaving some gaps for people in the city to escape, Li Ran and Chu Dang successfully left Yunyi under the cover of night and headed towards Handan.

Regardless of the traveling all the way, the two of them arrived in Handan very smoothly.

When Zhao Wu, the Handan doctor, heard that Li Ran, the Taishi of Luoyi, was visiting, he warmly entertained Li Ran and treated him as an honored guest.

Li Ran explained his purpose of coming, while Zhao Wu didn't seem to have any fluctuations on the surface and just said:

"I understand Li Taishi's intention, but as for borrowing troops, please forgive me for not being able to act independently at the moment. I'll send someone to Jiangcheng to inquire about the sect master's intention. If the sect master agrees, I, the Handan clan, will be responsible for borrowing the money."

It is also appropriate to give some troops and horses to Li Taishi."

Although Li Ran was a little impatient, he also knew that what Zhao Wu said was indeed reasonable. Although their Handan clan was nominally their own family, they still wanted to recognize the Jinyang Zhao clan as their clan. So, if

They wanted to lend troops to Li Ran, so it was natural to ask Da Zong what he wanted.

What's more, he had no friendship with Zhao Wu, and Zhao Wu would definitely not kill him first and report later.

"Then there's Doctor Lao Handan!"

Zhao Wu waved his hand and said:

"Li Taishi doesn't have to be so polite. It's been a hard journey. I'll arrange a place for Taishi to stay in Wu. When I get the response from the sect master, I will notify Taishi as soon as possible!"

When Li Ran heard this, he cupped his hands and said:

"If that's the case, then it's annoying!"

Therefore, Li Ran and Chu Dang temporarily stayed in the post house in Handan.

However, several days passed without any news.

Li Ran also knew that there was still some distance between Handan and Jiangcheng, so it was not that fast to transfer information back and forth.

However, he still felt a little uneasy in his heart.

Zhao Wu was very polite to him and would send people to him every day to inquire about his welfare. However, he did not mention a word about borrowing troops.

Even though Li Ran asked occasionally, the visitor said that the sect master's reply had not yet arrived.

That night, Li Ran was about to lie down to sleep when he heard Chu Dang knocking loudly on the door.

"Sir! I have a guest asking to see you!"

Li Ran stood up and opened the door, only to see a man wearing a bamboo hat standing outside, followed by a motorcade, who seemed to be a businessman.

The man opened his bamboo hat and smiled at Chu Dan.

"Why is this guest? It's me!"

The two of them took another closer look, and it turned out that this person was none other than Owl Wings!

When Chu Dang saw it, he couldn't help but smile stupidly:

"It turns out it's you! I'm still wondering in my heart, who is so sneaky and has wrapped himself up so tightly!"

Li Ran quickly welcomed him into the house, while Chu Dang was guarding him outside, while Owl Yi greeted him and said:

"I have met my lord. Owl Wings brought his caravan to Handan. He learned that my lord was here, so he came here to pay his respects."

Owl Wing used his business acumen to travel back and forth across various countries, collecting information from all parties along the way. On the one hand, he was looking for business opportunities, and on the other hand, he was acting as Li Ran's eyes and ears.

It was also a coincidence that I met my lord in Handan today.

Li Ran was naturally very happy to meet an old friend in a foreign country.

"Owl Wings, where did you come from?"

"Back to my lord, I came directly from Zhengyi this time."

"Oh? How is Guang'er doing now?"

"My young uncle has always taken good care of my little master. He is very attentive and my little master likes him very much. Moreover, my little master's illness seems to be stabilizing, and there is no sign of recurrence in recent days!"

After hearing the news that his daughter was fine, Li Ran couldn't help but nodded, feeling very happy.

"Young uncle, he is very resourceful, so asking him to take care of the children is a bit difficult for him."

Owlwing replied:

"Haha, the young uncle is a man with sharp ears and eyes, and he is quite talented in doing business. The barter transaction with the Handan family this time was facilitated by his efforts. My lord's foundation in Zhengyi may be able to be used in the future.

Leave it to him..."

"Well, he is indeed gifted in this area. Shao Bo is a man who adheres to the scriptures and is able to change his mind. He has a sharp mind and is indeed a good hand in business."

It's not surprising that Li Ran had such an evaluation of him. After all, after experiencing the last incident of transporting copper with the country, Li Ran already knew that Fan Li was indeed different from ordinary people in this aspect.

——
To be continued...