Although Zhuge Jin proposed the idea of "relief for work" with Chen Qun and others to solve the livelihood and management problems of the 40,000 families of soldiers who had just moved south and the Danyang soldiers who were eliminated by Lu Bu.
But how to do it specifically, and which project to choose that has the fastest return on cost and is most suitable for the current construction period and project volume, all need to be studied slowly.
Therefore, at the moment, he can only give an idea and let Chen Qun and others sort out the details of how to manage the wages of the follow-up project and how to maintain order.
Today is the day to catch the wind, so you should not be too tired.
After Zhuge Jin ate and drank enough, he returned to where he stayed and had a good night's rest. The next day, he went south to Guangling County with Liu Bei. Anyway, when he finally went to Yuzhang, he had to start from Guangling on the Yangtze River, so he had to walk this way. of.
Zhuge Jin's family is still staying in Guangling and needs to tidy up and prepare for moving.
The total journey is 280 miles, and takes almost three days by canal boat.
…
The words were divided. While Zhuge Jin continued to go south, Chen Deng, who had parted ways with him since Xiaxiang County, had also gone north and returned to Xiapi.
And he asked to see Lu Bu early the next morning to convey Xu Du's imperial court's reply.
Lu Bu was originally full of expectations and felt that if Cao Cao did not hold back his old grudges and granted him the title of Xuzhou Shepherd, he would be grateful and serve Cao Cao in the future.
Even if Cao Cao regrets his old evil, he still prevented Yuan Shu's forces from entering Xuzhou, and Liu Bei also sincerely expressed his gratitude to Xuzhou. Even if you get a small discount, it's not too much to give it to the governor, right?
As a result, after hearing the decree read by Chen Deng, Lu Bu became furious instantly.
"What? Just the governor of Xiapi? Can even Wenyuan be in charge of Pengcheng and Gongtai as the prime minister of Pei?"
"You can be the governor of Guangling? Your father was also named the Marquis of Guannei? How dare Zhu Zi'an betray me! I can't ask for Xuzhou's pastoral care, but you and your son have both won high officials and are on the same level as me? It's too much to deceive! Could it be that you think that Am I not good with my sword?!"
A fire of ignorant karma surged from Lu Bu's heart and went straight to his forehead, and he pulled out his sword with a clanking sound.
Fortunately, Chen Deng had already thought of a response. At this time, he never dared to breathe loudly. He laughed out loud and aroused Lu Bu's curiosity: "Hahahahahaha..."
Lu Bu put his sword on Chen Deng's chest and said angrily: "Why are you laughing!"
Chen Deng had laughed enough and then said: "I am running around for the general to seek an appointment, but the general does not distinguish between loyal and traitorous. Isn't it ridiculous?"
Lu Bu: "How can I not distinguish between loyal and traitorous people?"
Chen Deng: "I met Cao Gong and tried my best to explain. He said that raising a general is like raising a tiger. If the tiger is full of its meat, if it is not full, it will eat people. But Cao Gong laughed and said: No, I raise Lu Bu like raising an eagle's ear." The fox and the rabbit dare not be full before they have rested! Hunger is for me, but when I am full, I will go away!"
Lu Bu's expression changed, and he threw his sword to the ground angrily: "The thief Cao knows about me!"
Chen Deng's life and death crisis was passed safely according to the original inertia of history.
Lu Bu's anger comes and goes quickly. It's all a matter of surprise or whim.
However, history has been changed by the butterfly effect after all.
Just after Lu Bu put Chen Deng's unsuccessful attempt to seek an official position behind him, he quickly thought of another question - Chen Deng was actually appointed as the prefect of Guangling, and Guangling was now under the rule of Liu Bei, so wouldn't he be willing to surrender? Liu Bei?
Thinking of this, Lu Bu once again picked up the sword he had just thrown on the ground, pointed it at Chen Deng and asked:
"Since you are the governor of Guangling, could it be that you conspired with Liu Bei from the beginning just to save Liu Bei's family! I remember your hometown is also in Guangling!"
Chen Deng continued to show his innocence: "General, why do you doubt me? Although my ancestral home is in Guangling, my father is now an official in Xiapi. How can I betray my father? What's more, what happened today, Liu Bei expressed his sincere letter to General Xuzhou Mu. , How could Liu Bei know that Cao Cao didn't allow it?
The three counties of Xuzhou were taken by the general from Liu Bei's hands. Not only did Liu Bei not care about it, he also covered up the general's shame and showed his rank as a general. He only wanted to go home to his family. In the end, it was Cao's thief's fault that he was not allowed to serve. What does it have to do with Liu Bei?
What's wrong with me cooperating with Liu Bei in seeking an appointment for the general? If we don't cooperate, how can we have this memorial? "
Lu Bu was finally silenced by the question.
Although he is capricious, he still has basic logic and a sense of shame.
Even when Lu Bu killed Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo, he was actually convinced by someone's reasoning first that "the clouds could clear the clouds and the sun was revealed, and a sudden enlightenment came to light". He felt that it was the right thing to do and found a psychological suggestion to comfort himself, and then he did it.
He is not shameless enough to say, "I know clearly that this is wrong, unfaithful, unjust, unkind and unfilial, but I still insist on doing it."
And this time Liu Bei did not feel sorry for him in the slightest from beginning to end.
Two years ago, Lu Bu came to surrender, and Liu Bei took him in at Xiaopei and provided him with military rations.
Now he betrayed Liu Bei and stole nearly three counties, but Liu Bei did not fall out with him. He also sold fish to buy grain with him and helped him express his official status.
With Lu Bu's moral integrity, he really couldn't find an excuse to hate Liu Bei.
After all, in the original history, after Liu Bei was stolen from Xiapi, he tried to counterattack, but he couldn't defeat Lu Bu. In that case, it could be said that the two sides were fighting and enmity.
Lu Bu later returned Xiaopei to Liu Bei and shot a halberd through the gate, so that he felt that he had regained the moral high ground. "I have paid off all the injustice I owed Liu Bei. I also shot a halberd through the gate to make Liu Bei owe me." A righteousness”.
But none of this happened in this time and space.
Liu Bei neither counterattacked, nor asked Xiao Pei, nor did he ask him to shoot a halberd at the gate.
Lu Bu couldn't find any psychological hint to express his anger at Liu Bei, so he could only act in a rare and aboveboard manner.
I saw Lu Bu throw his sword to the ground for the second time: "Gong Xuande has indeed not sorry for me. From the beginning to the end, I hate Cao Cao!"
Since I am very fond of Yuan Shu and cannot be taught by the imperial court, I might as well show my goodwill to Yuan Shu again and tell him clearly: I can join forces with Yuan Shu to guard against Cao's thieves!
However, I want Yuan Shu to send me another 100,000 stones of food and grass, some equipment and military supplies, and this joint venture is only for the Cao thieves, not for Duke Xuande, Yuan Long. Are you sure you can send me an envoy again? "
Even though Chen Deng had already planned it, he couldn't help but stay where he was when he heard these words, not knowing how to deal with it.
With his IQ, he didn't expect that Lu Bu's patience would be so low. Just because he failed to get the governor of Xuzhou from the court, he would instantly make up his mind to rebel again and want to betray Cao and Yuan.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Lu Bu's tone and expression turned serious: "What? Is there any difficulty in this trivial matter?"
Chen Deng had no choice but to admit that his mind was not fast enough, and sincerely begged: "The general's ideas are too out of the ordinary, and I can't figure it out for the moment. Please calm down, general, and allow me to think about it carefully."
Chen Deng was prevaricating while thinking rapidly in his mind.
Thinking back on the past ten days, on the way back from Xuchang, when Zhuge Jin had nothing to do, he talked to him about the future diplomatic options of Liu Bei's camp.
"Tzuyu once said that although Xuande Gong now has Guangling County and several counties along the coast of Donghai County, the situation is still serious. To break the situation in the future, the most critical factor is to promote Yuan Shu's rebellion. Once Yuan Shu becomes the public enemy of the world, Xuande Gong's death situation was finally solved.
But now that Yuan Shu is defeated, he will not take advantage of his defeat to become emperor, but will give him a few more sweet treats to strengthen his heart. The Zhuge family took off the Yuzhang and pretended to be submissive to Yuan Jiaxu, which was one of the bargaining chips. If Sun Ce makes further progress in the future, such as defeating Wang Lang and reporting victory to Yuan Shu, it will be considered a bargaining chip.
If Lu Bu can be used this time to show that he is angry at being played by Cao Cao and throws himself at Yuan again, and joins Yuan against Cao, it may further encourage Yuan Shu to become arrogant.
In this way, Wang Lang may be saved a life, and there is no need to wait for Sun Ce to make a breakthrough against Wang Lang. As long as the Zhuge family gets Yuzhang and secretly pretends to surrender to Yuan Shu, and Lu Bu joins forces to fight Cao, these two bargaining chips should be enough for Yuan Shu. It’s really not possible to conspire against him, so I might as well sacrifice Wang Lang in the end..."
Chen Deng was thinking about this in his heart, his expression was uncertain. He is not a roundworm in Yuan Shu's belly, and it is impossible to accurately measure how high Yuan Shu's psychological threshold for rebellion is.
But of this kind of bargaining chip, one more is obviously better.
As for whether Lu Bu will follow Yuan Shu in the future after his true rebellion, it can still be discussed.
With Lu Bu's capriciousness, it is entirely possible to say, "I just support you to deal with Cao Cao's thieves together, and I didn't say that I would support you in becoming emperor."
When the time comes, I will go to Cao Cao to explain it and make repeated jumps. At worst, Cao Cao will change to the "cash on delivery" model to win back his sincerity. It's okay to teach Lu Bu the Xuzhou pastoral education first, and then break up with Yuan Shu again in exchange for Lu Bu, and jump horizontally again and again.
After today's round, Chen Deng already has a full and comprehensive understanding of Lu Bu's potential for repeated horizontal jumps.
After thoroughly thinking through his thoughts, Chen Deng showed a look of justice on his face and solemnly handed over his hand to Lu Bu:
"Cao's thief was indeed very unfair to the general. I can completely understand that the general wants to join forces with Yuan to fight against Cao again. This time I failed to come to Xuzhou for the general's appointment. In this case, I should settle the matter!
Although Yuan Shu would definitely be angry because the general had previously sent the heads of Xu Dan and Zhang Kuang to Xu Capital. But after all, the two thieves were not really Yuan Shu's internal agents. Yuan Shu could be regarded as only hurting his face, not his actual strength.
When I go this time, the most he can do is humiliate me, and he won't kill me in anger. I am willing to take another risk for the general to atone for my incompetence this time! "
Chen Deng's words showed his loyalty and righteousness, which was quite similar to Jing Ke's generosity in repaying the crown prince's pill.
All I have to do is sing the song "The wind is rustling and the water is cold."
Lu Bu was touched by Chen Deng's sincerity and was also quite moved: "Yuan Long is really a loyal man! Xuande Gong is also a loyal and honest man! What happened this time is purely the despicable traitor Cao, what does it have to do with you!"
However, after all, Cao Cao has just given us the posts of governors and prime ministers of three counties. It is now the twelfth month of winter, so we must first firmly control the three counties. In the first month of the next year, Yuanlong will contact Yuan Shu for me. There is no need to rush. "
Chen Deng managed his expression very well. While pretending to be acquainted, he secretly sighed at the depth of Zhuge Jin's thoughts:
The two people casually chatted about "trying every opportunity to coax Yuan Shu to make Piao Piao from all angles", but they actually had the opportunity to put it to use.
——
PS: I received a sudden notification from the editor today that this book will be on the shelves on August 1st, which is next Tuesday.
Because the climax I originally designed will be a little later, I have to speed up the progress now. I will have a little more words tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. I will add more words on Sunday and Monday, and then I will move part of the slow-paced farming to later when I have time.
There will be more updates on the day it is released on Tuesday (I don’t know how much it will be, as the actual release is in a hurry and I don’t have much to save. I have to save like crazy in the last four days. I’ll calculate how much I have first, and then I’ll figure out how to do it based on the results)
If the results are good, I will try to update 10,000 words in a few days in the first month of publication, so that everyone can enjoy it. Thanks.
