Guan Yu was true to his word and agreed to introduce Zhuge Jin, so naturally he had to honor it on the spot.
The Song family and others on the side were inevitably a little frightened when they saw this. All these emergencies were not included in the escape plan at all.
Zhuge Jin had no choice but to comfort him in a different way: "Don't worry, mother. Let's go back to the house to rest today. The child will have his own plan to escape. Maybe you will see my clever plan and be willing to send troops to escort us away in the future."
After that, he asked Shiren to send out some cavalry to escort his mother and uncle home.
Then he followed Shiren in person and quickly rode his horse to the Guangling government office.
This place was originally the official residence of Tao Qian's subordinate Zhao Yu, the prefect of Guangling. However, when Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou the year before last, there was also a rebellion in Guangling County. Zhao Yu was killed by the rebel general Zuo Rong, and many local wealthy households were massacred and looted. Then Zuo Rong crossed the Yangtze River south with his belongings and rebels and fled to Yangzhou.
After Liu Bei took control of Xuzhou, due to the dilapidation of Guangling, the position of county governor was once vacant, and no one repaired the government office. Now it has been temporarily used as the shogunate of Liu Bei's Zhendong general.
When Zhuge Jin was led to the front yard to wait, he even saw some servants tinkering there and piling up various decorations that fit the shogunate's appearance.
He couldn't help but sigh with a wry smile, knowing that Liu Bei didn't realize that the crisis was approaching, and was still immersed in the joy of just being promoted.
Even the move to retreat from Xuyi to Huaiyin may have been part of Liu Bei's plan, perhaps to arrogantly entice the enemy to penetrate deeper.
But this is not surprising. Liu Bei's starting point was too low. Until the year before last, he was only a Pingyuan prime minister, and he was appointed by Gongsun Zan. Later, although Tao Qian secretly granted him the title and actually controlled several counties in Xuzhou, these official positions were all "self-accepted".
It wasn't until last month that Liu Bei led his troops to fight Yuan Shu for several battles. Cao Cao saw that he could be used to win over Yuan Shu, so he granted Liu Bei the title of General Zhendong and Marquis of Yicheng Ting in the name of the Emperor.
Because Liu Bei was temporarily granted a title while he was leading the army, he couldn't even wait to return to Xiapi to start planning for opening a mansion, so he just had a good time in Huaiyin.
Misfortunes are where blessings depend, and blessings are where misfortunes lie.
Liu Bei is indeed a bit arrogant now.
…
While Zhuge Jin was waiting outside, Shiren had already entered to report.
Liu Bei was checking military supplies with Hu Cao, who was engaged in Sun Qian, and checking Huaiyin's grain and grass warehouse accounts. After he was done with it, he turned around and asked Shiren why he came.
Shiren was annoyed that Zhuge Jin had troubled Guan Yu and increased his workload, so he selectively said:
"There was a cowardly scholar who originally tried to leave the city to avoid the battle. After General Guan closed the city gate, he suddenly changed his words and said that he wanted to offer advice and uttered wild words because he could not escape.
General Guan originally wanted to blame him, but was swayed by his words. He was afraid of hurting his lord's reputation as a virtuous man, so he had to promise to introduce him to him. "
Liu Bei frowned after hearing what he said. He felt that the other party was not a person, so there was no need to be too polite.
He then touched his stomach and said, "After taking care of official duties for most of the day, I feel a little tired. Let the cook prepare some food and see you while we eat."
…
Zhuge Jin looks white and speaks softly. He was left hanging for a long time before anyone took him inside, which made him quite unhappy.
What was even more surprising was that when he entered, Liu Bei was holding a dagger and cutting a roasted deer.
The charcoal fire must have been freshly grilled. Liu Bei cooked it thinly along the outermost layer and ate it with black bean sauce just like the Turkish barbecue in later generations.
He has very long arms, and he is holding a large grill by himself. His dagger is flying, cutting from the head to the legs of the deer without getting up. He looks relaxed and relaxed.
It is impolite to meet strangers while eating, let alone eating with a knife.
Zhuge Jin didn't want to lose face, so he bowed his head and teased lightly: "Zhuge Jin of Langya, I have met the general. I have heard for a long time that the general is not very interested in studying, and he despises Confucianism like the great ancestor. Today it is true."
From the Zhou Dynasty to the Qin and Han Dynasties, the ritual of bowing was complicated. The humble person needs to bow to the sky to bow to the respected person; if the status is equal, the earth bow is required to bow; the honored person only needs to bow to the earth to respond to the courtesy.
Although Zhuge Jin is white, he considers himself a guest and does not belong to the other party. If you are doing Tianyi, it seems that you are looking for an official position with a shy face and want to get into the system.
Liu Bei was originally instigated by Shiren and had a preconceived idea that Zhuge Jin must be a flatterer.
At this moment, seeing that the other party is neither humble nor arrogant, gentle and elegant, eight feet tall and good-looking, I feel a little regretful for having underestimated him.
There's no way around it, this era is still very judgmental. He is genetically similar to his second brother Zhuge Liang, and his temperament is naturally outstanding.
Although his face is a bit long, this does not prevent Zhuge Jinshuai - Wang Leehom's face is also very long.
So Liu Bei quickly wiped his hands, stood up calmly and bowed his head: "Everything in the army is simple, but I don't care about etiquette. I am not as light as my ancestors - young gentleman, don't be rigid."
As he said this, Liu Bei took out another dagger from somewhere, threw it away, and motioned for Zhuge Jin to sit across from him and eat something together.
Zhuge Jin saw Liu Bei being arrogant in front of him and respectful in the back. He pondered for a moment and guessed that there was probably a villain causing trouble in the communication process. He didn't take it seriously. He sat down, took the knife and started cutting.
"Three Kingdoms" said that when Liu Bei was in Pingyuan County, he was even polite to assassins, which made the assassins feel embarrassed to take action. Now it seems that it is somewhat credible.
After Liu Bei sat down again, he also asked while grilling: "I heard from the Langya Zhuge clan that a few years ago there was a Mr. Jungong, named Zhong Qingxu, who was appointed as a prime minister by Ying Shao, the governor of Taishan County. I don't know how to call him Shaojun." ?”
Zhuge Jin put down his sword and cupped his hands toward the north: "It's the first test."
Liu Bei nodded slightly: "It turns out that he is a descendant of Mr. Jungong. I wonder if I can give you advice if I come here today?"
Zhuge Jin repeated what he had just said to Guan Yu.
Because it was the second time I spoke, my vocabulary became more and more proficient.
Liu Bei touched the moustache on his lips and asked thoughtfully: "Although I allowed Yuan Shu to attack Huaiyin, I actually had other agendas. Why did you, sir, arbitrarily conclude that our army should not stay with Yuan Shu for a long time?"
In fact, Zhuge Jin couldn't come up with a very rigorous argument. This kind of strategic prejudgment can often make some sense from both pros and cons.
But he already knew that Zhang Fei would be stolen by Lu Bu, so he tried his best to lean in that direction and work backwards from the results.
So he pretended to analyze:
"The method of stalemate since ancient times is beneficial to those who have strong virtues, but not to those with unstable foundations. Although the general claims to be in charge of the five counties of Xuzhou, before he was taught by Tao Qian, he was just a plain man, and his foundation was too shallow.
The generals who have complete control so far can only control the two counties of Xiapi and Pengcheng, plus the newly occupied Guangling. The rest of Langya Zang Ba and Sun Guan did not listen to the general's orders.
As for Mi Zhu, Chen Deng, and Cao Bao, these three are all on the right side of Donghai, Guangling, and Xiapihao. If they are willing to work together to assist the general, these three counties will be safe and peaceful. If the stalemate between the general and Yuan Shu lasts for a long time, making him suspicious and wavering, and worried that the general will not be able to resist Yuan Shu, he will easily develop elbows and armpits.
In contrast, although Yuan Shu was cruel, he was also unethical because of his strict military laws, which made people fearful and intimidating. The accumulation of his four generations and three nobles cannot be rivaled by his reputation of benevolence and righteousness in just a few years. Even though Yuan Shu had been leading the troops outside for a long time, no one in the rear dared to betray him easily, only the general would watch. "
Liu Bei listened patiently and frowned, feeling that what Zhuge Jin said seemed reasonable, but there were also negative examples in history.
Moreover, he brought Yuan Shu in to fight in order to lengthen Yuan Shu's food path and shorten his own. It not only uses the fortified city to consume the exhausted enemy, but also prevents the relatively prosperous and peaceful hinterland of Donghai and Xiapi from being destroyed.
When the time was right and the enemy troops were exhausted, Liu Bei felt confident in launching a counterattack and outflanking him.
It's just that he won't explain these specific details to Zhuge Jin, as long as he knows them in his heart.
The two of them had just met for the first time, how could they easily leak the military information.
So Liu Bei just found another excuse and casually tested whether the other party had real talents and learning: "In the past, Gaozu and Xiang Yu had a quarrel in Xingyang. Liang and Ping both advised Gaozu to be patient, while Fan Zeng advised Xiang Yu to fight quickly.
According to Mr. Xiang's theory, after Xiang Yu's generation of Chu generals, his prestige has always been high, but Gao Zu only became the chief of the pavilion. As the stalemate lasted for a long time, shouldn't it be that the hearts of Emperor Gaozu's subordinates were unstable? In fact, why was Xiang Yu repeatedly harassed by Peng Yue and betrayed by his relatives? "
When Zhuge Jin heard this, he subconsciously wanted to refute it head-on. But when the words came to his lips, he realized that some words were too distant and could be self-defeating if he said them directly.
He could only take a deep breath, suppress his desire to complain, and use a euphemistic expression:
"Based on common sense, Gaozu certainly shouldn't have stalemate with Xiang Yu in Xingyang. But Gaozu was able to win in the end because he knew people well and used Xiao He to guard the pass. This ensured that he could collect grain, grass and troops from the rear, but not Thieves arose.
Without Xiao He's talent, the Xingyang stalemate would probably be a disaster - and from my perspective, today's Zhang Yide and Chen Yuanlong are far inferior to Xiao Xiangguo. "
Zhuge Jin couldn't say that Zhang Fei and Chen Deng were incompetent in guarding the family, as that would offend others, so he had no choice but to praise Xiao He. This was absolutely politically correct in the Han Dynasty.
Liu Bei really had nothing to say. He thought seriously for a while and solemnly thanked:
"Sir, I have already accepted your kindness. However, the battle plan for the army has been decided, so it is easier to rush and inconvenience. However, I will send people back to Xiapi and ask my third brother to be more careful, follow Chen Yuanlong's advice, and report the war situation by the way. To avoid this. The civil and military forces in the rear did not know the progress of the war, and people's hearts and minds became unstable over time."
Seeing that Liu Bei had reached this point and was willing to partially adopt his suggestions, Zhuge Jin didn't know what to say.
If Zhang Fei can be reminded and Cao Bao is not allowed to attack, maybe things can turn around. As long as Xiapi is not stolen, there will be no problem in Guangling's front line if they continue to fight as they are now.
Anyway, the primary purpose of coming today is to sell a favor first and strive for a safer environment for myself and my family.
Seeing that this small goal had been initially achieved, Zhuge Jin could only sigh slightly and planned to stand up and leave.
Liu Bei has a very high emotional intelligence. When he saw him sighing awkwardly, and combined with the situation just relayed by Shiren, he immediately guessed:
"It seems that Sir still has no confidence in me. In this case, I will not take the liberty to recruit and retain you. I heard that you originally planned to leave the city today? I have been elected as a cavalryman and will escort Sir to leave at dawn tomorrow -
Sir, don't worry, these are not soldiers specially sent for you. I was going to send a messenger back to Xiapi to remind my third brother, but it was just a way to go. "
When Zhuge Jin heard this, he was slightly shocked and felt a little embarrassed.
I have to admit that Liu Bei's emotional intelligence in dealing with people is indeed very good.
With just a few expressions, it was apparent that Zhuge Jin was worried about his family's safety, and then he offered to send troops to escort him.
In order to prevent Zhuge Jin from feeling owed a favor, he specifically said that he was just doing it casually.
However, Zhuge Jin had already done everything he could do, and it was not appropriate to say too much else, so he sincerely thanked him:
"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey orders. I wish the general more benefits to the few, correct the mistakes and make up for them, and ultimately determine the victory."
Liu Bei walked him to the door, and then said, "What I said today will come out of your mouth and into your ears. Please don't leak it. It affects the morale of the army, so you must be careful."
When he said this, Liu Bei's tone was solemn, without any emotion, and he had no trace of the easy-going and sincere tone he had just shown.
There are rules for treating soldiers, and there are rules for running an army. How can they be confused.
Zhuge Jin also showed a serious look on his face and solemnly promised: "General, why do you want me to do this? Since ancient times, people have died, and the people will not stand if they have no faith. Since I am offering advice in private, I naturally know the importance. If I come out of this door, I will not mention it again." sentence.
A certain person also had something to say in return to the general: The general knows how to keep secret even such speculative words that may shake the morale of the army; he hopes that one day, if he encounters real bad news, he should pay more attention to blockade and delay. "
…
After Zhuge Jin left, Liu Bei continued to eat barbecue and quietly thought about how to write a warning letter to Zhang Fei and Chen Deng.
Before there was any time for a cup of tea, there was another rush of footsteps outside. Liu Bei didn't even need to look up to know that it was Guan Yu. After all, others were not qualified to barge in directly.
As soon as Guan Yu entered the door, he saw his elder brother grilling meat. He unceremoniously picked up the idle dagger on the table and reported the city defense deployment while cutting the meat:
"Brother, today is really a happy day! Before noon, I intercepted and killed a group of spies sent by Ji Ling into the city in advance at the north gate. I also followed the plan and burned firewood inside the city gate, pretending to shout in chaos.
Ji Ling was seduced into taking the risk to seize the door. When I was very close, I launched my crossbows. In this battle, I killed at least more than 200 of Ji Ling's riders! "
Guan Yu was so excited that he even talked and gestured, and Liu Bei also praised him frequently.
After eating a few pieces of meat, Guan Yu noticed that the handle of the dagger in his hand was very greasy.
He remembered that he had met Zhuge Jin at the gate of the mansion just now, and asked, "Brother, have you seen the rotten scholar that Shiren brought back?"
Liu Bei stirred the fire: "You didn't even ask the other person's name, and you just brought him to me? His name is Zhuge Jin, his courtesy name is Ziyu, and he is from the Zhuge family in Langya."
Guan Yu was slightly unhappy. As expected, the knife was used by his elder brother to treat that guy to eat meat, so he explained in a cold voice:
"There were a lot of people at the gate of the city at that time, so I was crowded and had to introduce him. I think this man has some knowledge, but unfortunately his mind may not be right. The strategy he proposed may be just to imitate the alarmism of politicians."
Liu Bei raised his hand to stop Guan Yu's speculation and commented fairly:
"Although Tzuyu's advice just now may not be completely correct, as long as he is sincerely helping me, no matter how talented or talented he is, he should be treated with courtesy. As for people who have selfish motives, so what? Who in the world doesn't have selfish motives? "
Guan Yu nodded and didn't say anything.
The two brothers were drinking wine and eating roasted deer, while talking about military aircraft, and they didn't realize that the night was getting darker.
Seeing that it was already midnight, it suddenly started raining heavily outside, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Liu Bei felt that his spirits were waning, so he ordered his people to clean up the dining table, spread paper and polish ink, and prepared to write a warning letter to Zhang Fei, and then rested.
However, at this moment, there was another noise from people and horses outside the house.
Liu Bei put on his robe and stood up. He looked into the courtyard and saw an awkward black figure covered in rain in the darkness. When he walked closer to the light, he recognized Zhang Fei.
Liu Bei was stunned: "Why are you here, dear brother? What's going on in Xiapi?"
That Zhang Fei fell to his knees with a thud: "Brother! I'm sorry for you! I lost it in Xiapi!"
Liu Bei was in a trance for a moment. Guan Yu quickly supported him and asked sternly on his behalf: "How could he lose it? Where is my sister-in-law?"
Zhang Fei's face was ashen, and he beat the ground with his hands in grief. Blood burst out from his knuckles, and he cried out in hatred: "It's lost too! It was Cao Bao who colluded with Lu Bu to rebel! Brother, I'm sorry for you. I have brought the letter to you. You should die to apologize!"
After saying this, he wanted to draw his sword and kill himself.
Upon seeing this, Liu Bei suddenly regained his agility, rushed forward, grabbed the sword and threw it to the ground. He was stunned for a long time, and then sighed:
"The ancients said that brothers are like brothers. If a limb is severed, it can be restored again! Even though we have lost Xia Pi, a good brother made a mistake for a moment, so why should he sacrifice his life in the middle way?"
When Guan Yu and Zhang Fei heard this, they were moved and cried.
Liu Bei should have cried along with him, but at this moment, he suddenly remembered Zhuge Jin's reminder just now, slapped his thigh and said: "Third brother! Did you reveal anything to the defenders when you entered the city this time? Who else knows that Xiapi is missing?" ?”
Zhang Fei was stunned and quickly replied: "Only the officer Ren of Beimen Gate who is on duty tonight knows."
Liu Bei felt a surge of adrenaline, and saw a glimmer of hope to nip the bad news in the bud, and quickly gave a sharp order:
"Quick! Yun Chang, take the people there in person, replace all the officers on duty at Shiren and Beimen, and station them alone. Don't allow them to have contact with outsiders! Be sure to block the news! Arrange for them to escort Ziyu's family out of the city tomorrow morning! And... …Gongbless, Gongbless!”
Liu Bei shouted several times before Sun Qian hurriedly entered. Liu Bei grabbed Sun Qian's hands, shook them solemnly a few times, and said urgently: "Go and ask for Tzuyu quickly! He must be a great talent in divination! Now that the matter has come to this, I should ask him if he has any good strategies to save it!"
Zhang Fei looked confused and couldn't help but ask: "Who is Mr. Ziyu?"
Liu Bei shook his head in anger: "This person can predict that you may lose Pi before you lose him. His talent is at least not inferior to that of Qingzi's champion!"
Alas, if I could have discovered this great sage a few days earlier, I might have been able to avoid today's disaster. God bless me, a big man. "
