After Lu Su completely surrendered to the Zhuge brothers' insights, he quickly regained absolute freedom.
He promised Zhou Yu that he would deliver his letter to Sun Ce, and this task still had to be completed. You have to be honest as a human being, and Zhuge Jin also enjoys the beauty of adulthood.
On the other hand, as time enters July, Zhuge Liang still has some last personal matters to deal with in Wuhu.
Before leaving for Guangling, Zhuge Jin gave his second brother a rare few days off so that he didn't have to worry about any official duties.
Because Huang Chengyan's family had just been taken by Gan Ning from Chaisang to Wuhu for a "tour", of course the Huang family's daughter was also brought along. Zhuge Liang has to entertain guests these days and accompany Huang Chengyan's family as a "temporary tour guide". By the way, he also has to complete the lottery acceptance procedures for him and the Huang family's wife.
Etiquette and laws in the Han Dynasty were relatively strict. From the Zhuge family's status, it was best to control the time from receiving the lottery to getting married within about six months, not too long, otherwise it would be a bit arrogant.
Since Zhuge Jin has planned to let his second brother get married when he turns eighteen next year, it is already July, the second half of the year, which is a good time to receive the lottery. Zhuge Liang is going to Guangling again this time. He doesn't know how many months he will stay there, but he can't delay it.
Zhuge Liang's wedding vacation in early July was just long enough for Lu Su to go to Moling to deliver letters and make a round trip without any delay.
…
On the second day of July, the day after meeting Zhuge Jin, Lu Su packed his bags and headed north from Wuhu in a small boat.
After listening to Guan Yu's emotion, Lu Su had a deeper and more vivid understanding of Zhuge Jin's level of righteousness. At the same time, he was also more curious about the whole story of how Liu Bei borrowed troops to help the Zhuge family rescue his uncle.
In just one day of sailing, they arrived at Niuzhu and were intercepted and inspected by Zhou Tai's Jiang Defense patrol fleet. Lu Su took out Zhou Yu's token and sealed it. Zhou Tai didn't recognize it and didn't dare to take a closer look, so he divided himself into a boat and escorted Lu Su all the way north.
"Kong Ming! Second brother! I already know the current situation in Yuzhang and Danyang. It's great to pacify Zulang, capture Wuhu, and defeat Liu Xun! Zilong and Yide also defeated Ji Ling many times in Xuyi .
On the other side, Sun Ce saw that he agreed happily, so he first left Lu Su in front of the letter. Looking at the back, I noticed that Zhou Yu's letter strongly recommended Lu Su as a man of great talent and extraordinary knowledge. He also said that he recommended Lu Su out of public motives and not out of repayment of gratitude.
Lu Su was originally worried about this issue, fearing that Zhuge Jin would suddenly become shameless after seeing that he had completed the first stage of the task. Now it seems that this is purely unnecessary worry.
The fleet sailed all the way. Because it set sail in the evening, it was midnight when it arrived at Niuzhu. The Yangtze River was very wide. Guan Yu tried to sail as close to the north bank as possible and did not have any intersection with Sun Ce's navy.
…
Ji Ling has been marching for more than a month now and is already exhausted. It seems that our army will completely force Yuan Shu to retreat and it is just around the corner! Seeing that the defense in front was strengthened, I withdrew and returned to Guangling. "
"I will convey this to the general, so that Gong Jin can make an early decision." Lu Su agreed one by one, and at the same time, he also observed Sun Ce.
"Mr. Zijing, right? Come on, come on. I have little study. Although I am in a high position, whenever I feel that I am not up to my standards, sir, I will teach you. However, I am tired of traveling and traveling today. Please take a rest first. I have ordered a banquet."
Sun Ce quickly changed his expression to that of a courteous corporal, paid more attention to Lu Su, and asked if his family members had settled down.
Of course, as mentioned before, this kind of "harmony" has a shelf life, and you won't know it after one year.
Lu Su only responded by saying, "There are many old and weak people in the tribe who cannot bear the bumps, so they slow down and have not yet reached Danyang. I have a mission and travel quickly day and night, so I arrive first."
However, Lu Su now has other plans in mind, and he will no longer make hasty conclusions based on Zhou Yu's one-sided praise.
"Before, my attitude towards Yuan Tie's proclaiming himself emperor was indeed ambiguous, which made it difficult for Gong Jin. Your name is Lu Su, Lu Zijing, right? Zijing, I really appreciate you being in danger and leading this for Gong Jin. letter.
Zhuge Jin also wrote another letter, which his second brother would forward to Liu Bei at that time, and also prepared several scrolls for Zhuge Liang - but this time they were not study materials, just some reference books that might be used.
Lu Su looked serious, cupped his hands and said: "A gentleman looks at things carefully, starting and ending carefully. Gong Jin has entrusted me with a heavy responsibility, so I should handle it with caution. If others don't know the geography, are not familiar with the current situation of the nest, and Ruxu, when they reply to the letter, it is Yuan What the thief gained from inspecting the general's school, didn't he harm Gong Jin?
If Ziyu hadn't disliked the poor situation of his territory and was still willing to make suggestions, I'm afraid General Zhengnan would be homeless now, right? "
Considering that Lu Su had indeed just arrived, Sun Ce did not doubt that he was there, but he changed his words and tried to persuade him to stay: "In that case, sir, you can rest in peace in Moling, wait for your family, and settle down your household chores. I will write a reply to Gong Jinzhi after I finish it. , you can also ask someone else to bring it back, so as not to disturb your husband's family affairs."
Liu Bei glanced at him, patted his thigh, and smiled heartily: "In this case, I have underestimated Mr. Equestrian's skills."
The news brought back by Lu Su this time can be regarded as confirmation for Zhuge Liang. At the same time, it also made Lu Su admire Zhuge Liang even more. He felt that each of the Zhuge brothers was much more powerful than him.
Please reply to Gong Jin and tell him that I have made up my mind. I sent an envoy to Xudu ten days ago to express my intention and will never collude with the Yuan thief! Gong Jin is ready to come and surrender at any time. I will sweep the couch to greet him. There is no need to worry about destroying the relationship between me and Yuan Thief, there is no relationship left to destroy. "
And until these two are solved, they will never dare to take action against Liu Bei's Guangling or Zhuge Jin's Wuhu, otherwise Sun Ce will take the initiative to seek death.
Three or five days later, Zhuge Liang finally settled all his personal matters. After taking a short vacation, my overall energy level has recovered even better.
…
So Lu Su and him just met in the past two days, and they still need to get familiar with each other.
Ziyu had already paid off the favor of borrowing troops to save his uncle "with interest", and this time he allowed me to bring three thousand men back to Guangling to build a navy team, and also brought his own military rations. He is truly a righteous man in the world. "
"Master Fu, I got some good news from General Sun. In fact, General Sun sent Hua Ziyu to Xudu ten days ago to express his goodwill and ask for a seal.
After returning to Wuhu, Lu Su was not embarrassed by Zhuge Jin.
Liu Bei couldn't help but rub his hands, showing a moment or two of "How embarrassing is this?", but he quickly controlled it.
Sun Ce indeed looked quite heroic and had a ruthless and heroic aura.
Because Liu Bei was not informed of his arrival time in advance this time, Liu Bei could not go to the riverside dock to greet him.
On the other hand, after Guan Yu returns to Guangling, he will definitely help Liu Bei expand his navy. After the number of soldiers increases, warships will become a problem. Now that the number of warships is exceeded according to half the number of personnel, the size of the army can be directly doubled in the future without being hampered by shipbuilding capabilities.
…
Guan Yu listened patiently to Liu Bei's words, and then he grabbed Liu Bei's arm tightly: "Brother! Is this the time to talk about this? I can't say when the military situation will be, but you sent me to Ziyu for more than half a year. !It’s now the eighth month!
Lu Su also sent someone to send a reply to Zhou Yu. After completing all the promised things, he agreed to go with Zhuge Liang to Guangling to see the world.
After dawn, his mind relaxed. Looking at his huge fleet, he couldn't help but sit on the deck and sigh: "It was a wise decision for my eldest brother to lend troops to Ziyu.
Lu Su couldn't help but thought to himself: "I thought that all the princes in the world who wanted to borrow troops were like the intrigues between Yuan Shu and Sun Ce. One took the national jade seal as a pledge, and the other wanted to borrow the money with the profit after borrowing it. Get it all under control.
"I didn't know that sir was coming, so I only prepared Yun Chang and Kong Ming's horses, which was rude. Sir, I didn't mind, so I rode this one first. Although it is used by ordinary soldiers, it is also docile. Brothers Bei are both somewhat skilled in martial arts, and they are used to it. Riding on a fierce horse, it is inconvenient to change."
Now it seems that I have been in the abalone shop for a long time and no longer feel the smell. There are still such princes in the world who act purely on faith.
Zhuge Jin could even rely on these new evidences to roughly deduce Sun Ce's inner drama: kill Yan Baihu first. After all, Yan Baihu is a thief, not a Han official. After showing loyalty to Xudu's court, he can still continue to kill thieves. As for Wang Lang later, he must be looking for excuses to create friction.
Out of gratitude, Lu Su also gave Zhuge Jin a piece of information that he had just spied on for free, which was what Sun Ce told him personally:
Lu Su, Guan Yu, and Zhuge Liang chatted when they woke up, and when they were tired, they went back to the cabin to rest for a while. Another day passed quickly, and the voyage was finally over.
Lu Su had never met Guan Yu before. During the days when he was in Wuhu, Guan Yu was busy practicing as a sailor and wanted to take him back to his eldest brother. He didn't care about anything else.
Zhuge Liang also took the opportunity to help introduce: "Liang happened to be traveling with a friend this time, and was about to introduce to the general: This brother of Lu, whose name is Su and whose courtesy name is Zijing, came from Yiyi under the rule of Yuan Shu.
When Liu Bei heard this, his eyebrows immediately jumped.
Even if there is no other ability, just in terms of overall view, if you can be as high-ranking as Zhuge Jin, that is very remarkable.
Before Lu Su arrived, Zhuge Liang had already guessed that Sun Ce's mood had stabilized again after Wuhu was captured. But Zhuge Liang only had some circumstantial speculations, after all, there was no real direct evidence.
Guan Yu, who had just reformed more than 2,000 water pirate prisoners in recent days, took these new soldiers, plus his close personal guards, gathered 3,000 sailors, divided them into 50 ships, and took Zhuge Liang and Lu Su with them. The two of them had a few drinks with Zhuge Jin, exchanged respectful words, and then set sail.
But how can one survive in such a troubled world with so much sincerity towards others? No wonder there were four counties in Xuzhou at this time last year, but now only one and a half counties are left.
As Liu Bei spoke, he personally went to the crowd of cavalry attendants nearby, ordered a cavalryman to dismount, and then personally pulled the horse over:
When he arrived in Xudu, it was the day when he officially broke with Yuan Shu. Kong Ming's guess the day before yesterday was really accurate and admirable. "
Lu Su's first reaction after hearing this was to brag, but after hearing that Guan Yu could tell many details with ease, Lu Su gradually couldn't help but believe it.
Wuhu and Yuzhang had a complete harvest this year, and there had been no disasters before. The weather was cold in the late Han Dynasty, and the south was less susceptible to disasters than the north.
I have been temporarily staying in Juchao for two years and am familiar with Yuan's bandits' defenses. Please don't doubt me, general. "
On the one hand, he considered that although Guangling had overcome the food famine this year, the situation last year was too poor. It was estimated that Liu Bei could only avoid famine and could not save much food. So give more cockroaches and transport thousands more dan of food, which will be enough for these sailors to eat for a long time.
Of course, 3,000 soldiers do not need fifty ships to transport them. In theory, each ship can hold at least a hundred people, so Zhuge Jin obviously allocated more ships to Guan Yu this time.
So after Lu Su came in, explained his purpose and conveyed Zhou Yu's difficulties, Sun Ce agreed without hesitation:
Lu Su said this, and Sun Ce suddenly encountered a moral dilemma. He also had to fulfill the other party's faith, so he didn't mention recruiting again.
Lu Su quickly took the reins and bridle, then thanked him, turned over and mounted the ordinary cavalry horse steadily.
He couldn't help but ask Guan Yu about the details, and Guan Yu was very fond of talking about this kind of act of righteousness, and of course he would not be stingy with his words.
Zhuge Jin is also a gentleman. He had not forced to read Zhou Yu's letter to Sun Ce before, and he would not open Sun Ce's reply this time.
This time A Liang went to Guangling to bring this new information to Liu Bei.
After comforting his own people, Liu Bei couldn't neglect his guests. He looked at Guan Yu and told him not to be impatient. He wanted to entertain Kong Ming first.
Moreover, this can better and faster demonstrate Liu Bei's determination to "build a navy and defend the Huaihe River to the end", and help Yuan Shu understand the situation faster. In short, it is not a loss, everything is considered in the details.
My brother talked with him for several days and found that he had a good understanding of the general situation, a great understanding of virtue, and his views on the destiny of the world, which actually coincided with what my brother said during the prelude to His Majesty's Imperial Majesty last year. "
At this time, it had been more than ten days since Sun Ce sent the envoy Hua Xin to Xudu to express his loyalty to Cao Cao.
Out of caution, Guan Yu personally kept watch on the deck all night, looking around for fear of seeing fire patrols on the river.
Liu Bei smiled heartily and patted Guan Yu on the shoulder: "Brother Yu, of course I know that you have worked hard, and you should take all the credit! That's all, let's not talk about business today, let's drink all night long! Ji Ling will retreat in a few days, and he will suffer with Yide Zilong again. Drink! You haven’t seen Zilong in three years, right?”
But after hearing the news, Liu Bei immediately rode out of the city gate and briefly greeted him at the city gate.
In his words, his eldest brother and Tzuyu cherished each other so much, and they were both extremely righteous people.
Lu Su only stayed in Moling for one day. In the afternoon of the same day after meeting Sun Ce, Sun Ce had someone deliver the reply he had just written to Zhou Yu to the posthouse and give it to Lu Su. Early the next morning, Lu Su set off from Moling and returned south with the letter.
After Zhuge Jin heard about it, he was also very satisfied. He didn't expect that Lu Su's trip would also facilitate the establishment of a better temporary harmony and tacit understanding between Liu Bei and Sun Ce. This at least meant that Sun Ce would not fall out with Liu Bei within a year. .
I helped Ziyu train the soldiers who had returned to the county, and also helped train the captured Yuan army, water bandits, and Shanyue Danyang soldiers... We organized 20,000 soldiers and horses, and then they gave me 3,000 to come back as the seed of the navy army. "
Seeing this, Sun Cecai's expression changed slightly. He originally came in a hurry, thinking that Lu Su was a messenger with a relatively trustworthy character, but that was all. Now it seems that it is a failure to treat talents as a courtesy.
They arrived at Moling in the evening of the next day, entered the city with Zhou Yu's token, and were properly accommodated. On the morning of the third day, they were personally received by Sun Ce.
Everything was ready, and on the evening of the eighth day of July, Zhuge Jin personally practiced it for everyone at Wuhu Pier.
