Liu Bei hoped to take advantage of the poor communication between Cao Cao and Lu Bu to act as a peacemaker. This is a natural idea.
But Zhuge Liang felt that it was best to discuss this matter with his eldest brother. After all, there were not many opportunities for Liu Bei to send people to Xu Dujun. The division of spoils and cover-ups within some camps must be fully explained to avoid leaving hidden dangers.
When Liu Bei heard that Zhuge Jin was willing to come, he didn't care about waiting a few more days. Anyway, the flight from Wuhu to Guangling is only two days, and the round trip only takes five days.
During the five-day waiting period, Zhuge Liang was not idle either.
Although he was not assigned other tasks by Liu Bei, some minor problems were still exposed after the initial trial production of the gillnet fishing boat. After Zhuge Liang returned, he spent time to make changes and optimized the fishing net winch that resembled a steering wheel to make the winch more comfortable. The net movement is more labor-saving and reduces entanglement during operation.
In addition, now that the technology of using high-purity soft wrought iron to pull wire has been developed, Zhuge Liang has not forgotten what his elder brother originally thought when he talked about this technology with him - Zhuge Jin's original purpose when he mentioned pulling wire was In order to try to see if he could make iron ring chain mail, Zhuge Liang himself did not do his job properly and actually misappropriated the iron wire technology to the barbs of the razor net.
Fortunately, an extra batch of finished wire was produced during the trial production of new razor wire. Zhuge Liang was also afraid of being criticized when he saw his elder brother again, so he kept working on it without stopping. He hired a group of blacksmiths to work in parallel and used the remaining wire to trial-produce several sets. Look at the soft armor.
No matter how effective the protection is, it is only a small-scale experiment, and the materials are readily available, so it doesn't cost much.
Chain armor has never been popular in the East historically, so it naturally has its protective disadvantages.
However, chain armor is suitable for wearing as soft armor. It has the lightest impact on body flexibility among all iron armors, and the protective area can also be the most comprehensive and fit the body best. It is definitely the most useful protective gear for civil and military officials attending special occasions. Prior to this, leather armor could only be worn secretly on occasions such as Hongmen banquets.
Liu Bei nodded repeatedly: "That's what I mean too. I don't know what Ziyu thinks, how to distribute it specifically?"
Zhuge Jin drew inferences and said: "This time we can also let Mr. Changxu play the role of the envoy of our Zhuge family, and Xianhe play the role of the envoy of the envoy - after the death of Zhengli, the sworn brother will not be regarded as the 'Zhengli's envoy on his deathbed". Mr. Li, please ask for help from our Zhuge family. If Mr. Changxu also defected, Cao Cao couldn't say anything."
…
Zhuge Jin glanced at Zhuge Liang, and Zhuge Liang nodded slightly to him. Zhuge Jin knew that Liu Bei was angry with him, so he opened up and said:
Liu Bei once again quietly came to the west of Guangling City, dozens of miles away, to personally greet the fleet coming from the upper reaches.
"Tzuyu! We haven't seen each other for ten months! We have done great things in Jiangnan!" As soon as the ship stopped, Liu Bei rushed forward and personally moved a springboard to the side of the ship. After Zhuge Jin stepped on the platform, he He held him up to avoid falling into the water.
Reputable people in the civil and military circles in Guangling naturally came to support him when they heard that Mr. Tzuyu was back. They were all proud to drink in honor of Mr. Tzuyu. Many people's gratitude came from the bottom of their hearts.
For example, when Liu Biao took office seven years ago, Dong Zhuo appointed him as the governor of Jingzhou instead of the state pastor. However, Liu Biao could still slowly rely on Kuai Liang and Cai Mao to control the power of Jingzhou. Even if Huang Zu was semi-independent, he still respected Liu Biao in name, and Liu Biao would not mess with Huang Zu's three-acre land.
Even Zilong also killed Liang Gang and Lejiu, and was successful in defeating Xuyi. The eldest brother said that he would go to the court this time, and by the way, Zilong would be a captain, so he would be the same as me. He must give me more points next year. Fighting.
Under such heavy pressure, officials will be more generous in their actions.
Because you only need to draw the shape of each piece of "fabric" of the armor, and then let different blacksmiths roll the wire into small iron rings and stack them to make them strong. Finally, add a row of iron rings where each piece of "fabric" is spliced.
Liu Bei actually won in this regard!
In this way, Ziyi got part of Yunchang's land credit, but all the water battle credit was given to Yunchang. Xingba's credit for the Spring Valley War will also be given to Yunchang. I will separately explain his contribution to the surprise attack on Ruxukou Village and the subsequent blockade of the Yangtze River. In short, I will find a way to compensate Xingba and prevent Xingba from suffering a loss.
Zhuge Jin couldn't help being amused by Zhang Fei, and said casually: "A full-scale attack on Lujiang will definitely take place next year, and we are too anxious to do anything now. But I want to make some small contributions, and it will look better on the watch this time, so that's not impossible."
Liu Bei also had a high degree of emotional intelligence and responded accordingly: "Ziyi, I remember that I met you when we were in Beihai, and you told us a lot of past events. He also said that you avoided trouble in Liaodong because you were in your hometown in Donglai and was used by the prince. Go to Beijing to submit the form.
Guan Yu's participation in the land battle in Danyang was much more sensitive, and it would easily deepen Cao Cao's impression of the depth of Liu Bei's previous cooperation with the Zhuge family.
The eldest brother definitely still doesn't trust me. Not to mention the second brother's repeated great achievements, the court will definitely give him the title of general this time.
Liu Bei couldn't help but smile: "It was the same last time, but last time Xianhe was completely hidden in the dark. At that time, Changxu was asked to pretend to be deaf and dumb and continue to show off in the name of Brother Zhengli."
Although the governor is not as good as the governor, in such troubled times, in those states that do not have a governor, whether the governor can take charge of the affairs of the whole state depends on whether the governors below support him.
As for Guangling County's fight against Ji Ling and the capture of Xuyi, you naturally know better than me. "
I heard that there is going to be an attack on Lujiang River soon? Then there is no need to rely on water to fight, I can fight on land, Lao Zhang! If I continue to be a captain, there will be no place for me to put my face! "
While everyone was chatting, they had already returned to the governor's mansion in the city on horseback. Liu Bei inevitably held a big banquet to welcome Zhuge Jin.
Liu Bei immediately readjusted his expression, and while talking about reminiscing about the past, he pulled Zhuge Jin onto his horse and rode together.
"It is better to attribute the military achievements of the six southern counties of Danyang County and Wuhu County, that is, the contribution to the destruction of Zulang, to Ziyi and Aliang. In this way, we can also ignore Yunchang's experience of fighting in Danyang. These battles It happened deep in the mountains, and the opponent was also far beyond the mountains. He would not be able to communicate with Cao Cao, and Cao Cao would not know.
When Liu Bei heard Zhuge Jin's name, he was stunned for a moment and felt a little disappointed. He remembered that Zhuge Jin called him "General" or "Gong Xuande" last year, but now he called him "Shijun" instead.
Zhuge Jin saw that Liu Bei valued his opinion so much, so he did his part. Before they even returned home, they were assigned on the way:
Therefore, Zhuge Jin called him the envoy, which already represented the attitude of Yuzhang and Danyang counties in Yangzhou towards the governor of Yangzhou.
Liu Bei listened very carefully, reviewing it in his mind while listening. Indeed, if all the credit for the Yangtze River Water War was given to Guan Yu, the memorial would look much better. Liu Bei himself has two ports, Guangling and Hailing, on the Yangtze River. Although they are still a bit far away from Yuan Shu's main navy station, it still makes sense to go upstream four hundred miles to fight a water battle. of.
I thought it would be better to make some military merit replacements to ensure that none of the generals suffered obvious losses. Even if there was a slight injustice, it could be made up for in the future. "
Liu Bei finally made the decision: "Okay, let's write the memorial like this. After writing it, let Changxu be the chief envoy, Xianhe the deputy, and send it to Xudu. Does Tzuyu think this choice is appropriate?"
When Liu Bei heard this, he glanced at Taishi Ci, who was accompanying Zhuge Jin to protect Zhuge Jin, and said a few joking words to suit the occasion. Taishi Ci was a little embarrassed at first, but Liu Bei immediately resolved it.
At that time, there were many discords at the state and government levels. Every time there was a local public case, Qingzhou's Jiao Cishi was always pushed to Donglai County, and the Donglai Prefecture king had to push Jiao Cishi. At the imperial court, the first-come-first-served basis is always the priority, and the same matter will no longer be accepted. Therefore, the first to arrive at the table of the state and county will benefit.
To be honest, Zhuge Jin didn't even think of this, and Zhuge Liang didn't understand the twists and turns of the officialdom. He was too young and didn't know yet.
On the other hand, Cao Cao probably also wanted to see Yuan Shu and Liu Bei continue to fight, the more brutal the better. The war was not over, and Cao Cao did not want to take the initiative to "settlement midway."
Because the fighting in Xuyi on the northern front had ceased, Xuyi and Huaiyin were defended by Tian Yu and Chen Dao respectively. Guan, Zhang and Zhao all rushed back to Guangling temporarily to meet Zhuge Jin together.
However, Liu Bei reacted quickly. He immediately realized that Zhuge Jin's change of words was to emphasize his authority to manage Yangzhou affairs.
The original intention of Liu Bei's words was to relieve Taishi Ci's embarrassment, and at the same time make Taishi Ci feel that "my experiences and lessons can actually help everyone", giving Taishi Ci a subtle sense of accomplishment.
However, Taishi Ci would not stay long. At most, he would accompany everyone to have a banquet and build a team, and then he would lead his troops back to defend Wuhu. With Tai Shi Ci around, Sun Ce didn't dare to make random decisions.
Zhuge Jin: "Of course it's appropriate. I remember A Liang said that the two of them went to Xudu last time."
At the wine table, Zhang Fei was naturally the most active in toasting. He hadn't seen him in ten months, so he was very grateful. He kept saying, "Sir, it's up to you, I'll drink it all." He pulled Zhuge Jin and begged:
Zhuge Jin comforted Zhang Fei, turned to Liu Bei and said: "Your Majesty, on the way here, I did think of some small contributions to rob Yuan Shu, and I can make Yuan Shu admit his defeat without overly irritating him. Yide Since he’s so eager, let him warm up.”
Liu Beijun and the Zhuge family have never been commended by the court for their new achievements since Yuan Shu became emperor in June. On the one hand, the credit was not great at that time, and some of the credit was only completed recently.
"Xuan Degong's emotional intelligence is really high. This helps people gain face silently, and it can all be associated with..." Zhuge Jin secretly thought to himself that he hadn't seen Liu Bei for ten months, and he originally had no idea about Liu Bei's emotional intelligence. The impression is already a little blurry, but now I have regained my energy and no longer dare to look down upon it.
Liu Bei felt a little embarrassed when he saw Zhang Fei pestering Zhuge Jin like this, and he quickly yelled: "Yide! Don't be rude to sir! The war is about peace and urgency. Sir, you have your own calculations. You just obey the order. How can I urge you to fight?" reason!"
In terms of official position, the general who conquered the south was certainly greater than the governor of Yangzhou. If there are generals on the front, back, left, and right, they are even bigger than Zhou Mudu - this is why in history, when Liu Bei visited the thatched cottage three times, Zhuge Liang always said "general". General Zuo is much more senior than Yuzhou Mu, and he has a golden seal and a purple seal. Ribbon.
In contrast, when Jiaozhou was first established, the imperial court sent Zhang Jin. Unfortunately, each of the four Shixie brothers occupied a county in Jiaozhou, and they all opposed Zhang Jin, so Zhang Jin could not take office.
You helped Donglai Prefecture intercept the watch handed over by the Qingzhou Governor's envoy and submitted it to Donglai Prefecture. In the end, you were convicted and had to flee - this actually inspired me, Ziyu, you said that if we also Let’s have another ‘competition between states and counties’,
"If we can report according to the actual merits of the generals, the rewards and punishments will naturally be the clearest, and it will be easiest to convince the public. However, the many details of the Zhuge family's soldiers and horses that your Majesty borrowed from us can be concealed or concealed to minimize irritation to Cao Cao.
Zhuge Liang, who was next to him, also came over quickly and saluted his eldest brother first. Zhuge Jin also signaled that there was no need to be polite.
Although Liu Bei's original motivation was out of emotional intelligence and giving people face...
After all, there are no obstacles on the river, and it is possible to travel a thousand miles downstream, let alone four hundred miles.
As long as there are enough people, it will be no problem for five or even ten blacksmiths to build the same set of iron ring chain mail in parallel.
But now Yuan Shu's main force has turned back to fight with Cao Cao. Cao Cao's pressure has increased sharply, and it will be difficult to delay if he wants to delay it. If the relationship with Liu Bei becomes tense again, Lu Bu will not be able to cease the war smoothly. Cao Cao is really overturned. possible.
Five days passed quickly, and it was already the eighth day of September.
"Kong Ming taught me that when I send people to Xudu to reconcile with Cao and Lu, I should be the first to demonstrate their previous achievements, and then supplement them with other negotiations to exert pressure from the side in order to maximize profits. I don't know how many months have passed since then. How should we distribute our accumulated merits so that we can avoid being suspected by Cao Cao?"
Zhang Fei scratched his head: "I'm not rude! I'm not toasting you! If you take a sip, I'll drink a pot. If you plead, I'll drink a pot. How polite!"
Traditional chain mail and scale armor require a blacksmith to make them from start to finish. Forcing multiple blacksmiths to work together to build the same set of armor will waste a lot of time on the connection. However, iron ring chain mail does not have this problem.
In just five days, Zhuge Liang built three sets of samples, which he could show off as a small achievement when his elder brother came.
Hearing this in the ears of Brother Zhuge made Zhuge Jin's eyes light up: Damn it! Did Liu Bei himself use some tricks to negotiate with the court? And it’s used in a stylish way...
Guan Yu had just met him not long ago, and he and Zhuge Jin separated only two months ago. Zhang Fei, on the other hand, had not been seen since the twelfth lunar month of last year, just like Liu Bei. Zhao Yun has never seen him even once.
"Sir, when you come back this time, you have to put in a good word for me in front of my eldest brother. Lao Zhang has completely changed his mind since he left Xiapi last year. But in the past six months, he has only been able to defend Xuyi and repel After defeating Ji Ling's two offensives, there was no other opportunity to make meritorious deeds.
Zhuge Jin carefully stood on the shore and then handed over his hand: "I have thanked you for your help. My uncle can take office in Yuzhang smoothly. In the end, I have to thank you for lending me troops and Yunchang to help me."
However, Yunchang made the most of his contribution. Yuzhang and Danyang almost all relied on him to borrow troops, lead troops, train troops, reorganize and recover the surrendered troops, so Yunchang must not be at fault. All the credit for the subsequent decisive battle with Yuan Shu's Yangtze River Navy in Chungu County should be attributed to Yun Chang.
The two brothers repeatedly praised the idea and asked Liu Bei to operate it on his own to see how to improve it.
Everyone was riding on horseback. Because Liu Bei had done his homework by asking Zhuge Liang in advance and knew what the primary topic of today was, he asked Zhuge Jin unceremoniously:
Danyang County and Yangzhou Governor's Office asked for merit, and each took credit for their own people. How would Cao Cao view us? Maybe when I was given an official position, I would be less afraid of our disagreements, right? "
As usual, Zhuge Jin brought two to three thousand guards and thirty scorpions, protected by Tai Shici, to meet with Liu Bei.
