Yuan Xi had no reservations about Liu Ye, a close minister, so he asked him to go into the study and wait.
"Zi Yang has met the general, the princess, and several ladies." Liu Ye saluted respectfully.
Gao Yue stood up knowingly and said, "My husband and Mr. Liu have something to discuss. Wu Gu will take the sisters down first."
Yuan Xi nodded. After Gao Yue and the other girls left for a while, he and Liu Ye were the only two people left in the study.
"The matter that the general asked me to investigate has some clues, but I'm not sure yet. Don't Xinpi and Zhuling know about it?" Liu Ye asked doubtfully.
"Only eldest brother and Xin Ping know who sent the secret message." Yuan Xi's face turned cold as he spoke.
"Although Jia Xu and I are both convinced who it is, you should try your best to find evidence to convince them!"
Liu Ye nodded in agreement, and then said: "In addition, only half of the tasks assigned by the general are successful."
"Didn't you find anyone?" Yuan Xi asked.
"There is no Langya Zhuge family in Jingzhou. They moved there to take refuge. Duke Pang De of Xiangyang does have a young nephew. But he does not live with Duke Pang in Xiangyang." Liu Ye replied based on the information from the shadow guard.
Naturally, Yuan Xi didn't know that due to the changes in the war situation in Xuzhou, the Zhuge family had been displaced several times, but had not yet moved to Jingzhou. After all, the direction of history had shifted a lot.
"However, I sent people to the old craftsman's hometown in the old days and brought back his apprentice, who is now settled at Si Jin's place." Liu Ye said.
"I will go there in person in a few days. Si Jinzhonglang will inspect it and tell them to improve the stone-making cart within two years." Yuan Xi ordered.
Liu Ye wrote them down one by one, and then said: "Zhang Ji and Hua Tuo have been invited to Yecheng. I have tried it myself, and they don't seem to want to serve as officials. And the general you asked me to go to Wu County to find. Man, he is really a troublemaker. He committed a murder within a few days of arriving, and I can't make up my mind. I can only let him walk around Yecheng and wait for the general to deal with everything."
"Generally, all heroes with some ability have bad tempers. We are not afraid of their bad tempers, but of their lack of ability. Call Feng Xiao and Xu Chu, and let's go and see these people!" Yuan Xi ordered.
The heavy snow stopped, and although the weather was cold, the shops in the streets and alleys of Yecheng were still open. This was rare in the troubled times of the late Han Dynasty. The Yuan family did some good things after all.
The weather was bitterly cold, but the Heshun Wine Shop was packed. During the long winter, all the rich and powerful idlers in Yecheng would gather in wine shops to warm up and talk over wine. Heshun Winery is famous because of the Zhen family.
Now it has become the most high-end banquet place in Yecheng. The guests are all rich or noble. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is in heaven and on earth.
In the lobby of the wine shop, a group of well-dressed men was undoubtedly the most conspicuous. They occupied half of the lobby of the wine shop, and they kept yelling and cursing. They seemed out of tune with the entire environment. At first glance, they looked like newcomers from outside.
These men all wear a ring-headed sword under their winter coats. The docile shopkeeper waited on these men with a grimace. The shop owner knew from their clothes that they were a group of owners who were not afraid of making trouble, and he did not dare to offend them too much.
Although all the guests in the hall looked at them with disgust. But no one dared to step forward to make trouble. After all, these gangster-like men knew at a glance that they were not easy to mess with.
"Damn it. You guys don't let me drink wine!" There was a sound of scolding from the second floor.
The group of men in brocade uniforms all looked upstairs, and one of them shouted: "Grandpa, drinking here is disturbing you. Come down and say it again if you have the guts!"
"Thump thump thump!" After a burst of hurried footsteps, a dozen men also wearing swords came downstairs. The two young men at present are somewhat similar in appearance, brothers Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang.
Before Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang joined the army, they were also arrogant and domineering playboys. Naturally, they could not tolerate people who were more arrogant than them and run wild in their own territory.
As a result, the two parties escalated from scolding to fist fights. Although they did not dare to use the knife, they showed no mercy in the melee.
Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang were naturally led by soldiers in the army. They thought they could easily defeat each other, but they didn't expect that this group of men in golden clothes were very good at this kind of fist fights.
Boxing and kicking skills are also known as hand fighting skills. Brothers Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang took it upon themselves to finally suppress the situation.
"Everyone, stand down!" the leader of the men in brocade clothes shouted.
The leader walked up to Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang and said: "You two are good at martial arts. I like to make friends with heroes very much. If you two can beat me, Xu will apologize to you today and make two of your friends." how."
"Are you, a foreign barbarian, worthy of being friends with your Grandpa Lu?" Lu Kuang sneered.
"How dare you insult Xu!" The face of the man in brocade changed slightly, and he waved his fist angrily.
Lu Kuang also punched to block it, but unexpectedly the opponent's punch was so powerful that it made Lu Kuang's arm numb. Lu Kuang was shocked and immediately took a step back to guard against the opponent's attack.
Seeing that his brother was at a disadvantage, Lu Xiang immediately punched the man in brocade and hit the ground door.
The two exchanged punches and kicks, and they passed seven or eight moves at once, but the man in brocade had the upper hand.
Lu Kuang was afraid that his brother would suffer a loss, so he immediately stepped forward to help, and the two fought two against one. But after more than ten rounds, he still couldn't defeat the man in robes.
"Open!" The man in gilded clothes shouted, using his skillful fighting skills to pull Lu Kuang aside, and then using pure strength to push Lu Xiang aside.
Brothers Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang were shocked. Not only was the opponent powerful, but his skills were also really powerful. The two of them were not good at hand-to-hand combat, so they had no chance of winning without using weapons.
"I'll see you later!" A rough voice came from the front of the restaurant hall.
"Feel free to come!" The man in gilded clothes was fighting in full swing, wishing that two more people would come.
As soon as the shouting stopped, a strong man like an iron tower appeared in front of the man in golden clothes. Two palm-leaf-sized hands clamped his shoulders and performed sumo wrestling techniques.
Feeling the strength of the opponent's hand, the man in brocade clothes was shocked. His feet were firmly stuck to the ground, and his whole body struggled to resist the strong man's push.
"Ouch!" The strong man used his strange strength to throw the man in robes aside.
Just when everyone thought the man in robes was finished, he made a sharp turn and stabilized his figure, keeping his feet firmly on the ground.
"Good fight!" Lu Kuang, Lu Xiang and others shouted in unison. They had already recognized the strong man as Xu Chu.
Although he was inferior to the opponent in terms of strength, the man in brocade clothes was not convinced and jumped towards Xu Chu with a kick of his feet.
Xu Chu punched and danced hard and forced the man in robes away. The two fought for more than ten rounds with no result, but Xu Chu was obviously more calm and relaxed.
"Xu Chu, stand down!" A clear voice sounded.
When Xu Chu heard this voice, he immediately jumped out of the battle circle and gave up his place to those who came after him.
The man in brocade didn't care about anything else, he waved his fist and chased forward.
"Bang!" A pair of big hands grasped the fist of the man in golden clothes, preventing him from moving forward even half a step. Xu Chu remained motionless. .
"Open!" Xu Chu shouted and pushed the man in robes a few steps away.
"Don't you know that fighting in the market is punishable?" said Yuan Xi, who was following behind. He was accompanied by Liu Ye, Guo Jia, Zhu Gongdao and some Tiger Guards.
The man in gilded clothes looked at the crowd and suddenly burst out laughing: "Haha, then, General Yuan, let's take it down to see the officials!"
"How do you know who I am?" Yuan Xi asked involuntarily.
"I have met the gentleman behind you. Judging from his extraordinary bearing, his official position must be not small, right? He can be ranked behind. You are so young. Who is it but General Yuan who is in the limelight? "The man in brocade clothes replied, neither humble nor arrogant.
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "It seems that you are really quick-witted. But this gathering of people to fight does violate the law. Not punishing them is not enough to convince the people. Let's do this."
The man in brocade frowned. in silence.
"How about I fine you to compensate for the damage to the table and utensils, and also pay for the food and drinks I'm waiting for?" Yuan Xi said with a faint smile.
The man in brocade clothes took off his torn brocade clothes and laughed loudly: "It is my great honor to invite the world-famous General Yuan to drink with me!"
This man in golden clothes is Xu Sheng. Before the expedition, Yuan Xi once ordered Liu Ye to send out the manpower of the shadow guard "Black Ice" to find some heroes, among whom was Xu Sheng. This was Xu Sheng, a pillar of talent in the later period of Soochow. In the future, Soochow Jiangbiao The tiger minister was heroic and courageous, and he was a good governor of thousands of people. His talents and abilities were not as good as those of Zhou Yu, Lu Xun, but he and Lu Meng could still compete with each other. They once defeated Cao Pi with a fire attack.
Xu Sheng was originally from Xuzhou, but during the melee in Xuzhou between Yuan Cao, Tao, and Liu Sun, he went south to Jiangdong to seek refuge. At this time, Xu Sheng gathered a group of young people in Wu County and wandered around. He was a light knight who killed people and fled in hiding. He was very famous in Wu County. .
As soon as the Black Ice Shadow Guards arrived in Wu County, they inquired about Xu Sheng. Xu Sheng originally planned to go to Sun Ce to ask for a fortune, but was intercepted by the secret guards in advance. After some making friends and lobbying, Xu Sheng, who had an official position and had nothing to do, was Sheng agreed to go to Yecheng in the north to meet Yuan Xi.
Of course, Yuan Xi's reputation was also Xu Sheng's original intention in agreeing to go north, because Yuan Xi not only led Hebei to dominate, but was also highly respected by the younger generation because of his legendary deeds. The most important thing was that there were relatively few naval generals in the north.
In Yuan Xi's heart, Xu Sheng's overall strength is probably still higher than that of Hao Zhao and Guo Huai. In terms of defensive ability, Xu Sheng is not as good as Hao Zhao; in terms of commanding ability, Xu Sheng is not as good as Guo Huai, but his overall ability is better than the two.
If there were not too many governors in the early period of Soochow, including Zhou Gongjin, a generation of heroes, Lu Meng later, and Lu Xun later, Xu Sheng would not have had many opportunities to display his talents, otherwise he would have shined and become a unique figure. general.
It was not until the middle and late period of the Three Kingdoms that the heroes gradually passed away, and Xu Sheng and Ding Feng emerged together and became the strongest pillars of Soochow! Unfortunately, Xu Sheng also died young.
Although he was extremely happy in his heart, Yuan Xi tried hard to restrain his joy and did not show it on his face. If you are too excited, it will definitely give people a feeling of frivolity, and if you praise Xu Sheng's talents too much, it will inevitably make people suspicious. If you don't know him, how can you know how capable he is?
"Two friends, Xu was offended just now! I'm here to apologize to you!" Xu Sheng saluted brother Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang.
Although brothers Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang were still angry, they still greeted him politely under Yuan Xi's intimidating gaze.
When the owner saw Yuan Xi, a distinguished guest, coming, he naturally entertained him very attentively. Everyone was seated on the second floor, and soon the waiters served drinks and food.
"I wonder how the general knew about Xu?" Xu Sheng asked doubtfully.
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "I heard my friends in Xuzhou talk about Xuzhou in the past, and they mentioned that there is a group of Renxia in Xuzhou who are familiar with water. It happened that I needed a general who knew water to form a navy, but later I heard that he I went to Jiangdong, so I sent someone to find you."
Although Yuan Xi's words were not very satisfactory, Xu Sheng's face was bright after hearing it and he didn't care about it so much.
Yuan Xi pulled Xu Sheng's man with a smile on his face and tried his best to win over him. His words were extremely respectful, and he said something to ask Xu Sheng to work for him.
"Xu Zhuangshi, I see that you are skilled in martial arts and very courageous. Why don't you join me in Hebei? Although I, Yuan Xi, are not talented, I already have the rich land of Hebei in my hands. I have hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers and dozens of good generals in my hands. I am also recruiting troops and talents from all over the world, so please stay and create great achievements with me!"
After hearing this, Xu Sheng felt something move in his heart. As soon as he came into contact with him, he was very fond of Yuan Xi's polite image. After all, you have to sacrifice your life for anyone, so why not reward your confidant with your skills?
"Since the general appreciates it, Xu Sheng is not talented, so I am willing to do my best!" Xu Sheng shook his body and saluted Yuan Xi to thank him.
"But there is no lake water network in Hebei, so why set up a naval army?" Xu Sheng asked.
"Does Zhuangshi Xu not know that my general is a man who has achieved great things, so he will not live in Hebei. He will go south to the Yangtze River and Huaihe River in the future. Will he need a navy soon?" Liu Ye said.
"And when our army goes south, it is necessary to form a river boat army." Guo Jia added.
"If Wen Xiang agrees to you, I will entrust the navy of Jizhou to you." Yuan Xi said solemnly.
Xu Sheng was a rough and straightforward man. When others respected him, he naturally reciprocated the same. Moreover, Yuan Xi was a powerful figure, and he actually valued him so much that he immediately agreed when he was excited.
Yuan Xi's use of land was also a combination of kindness and power. For a rebellious person like Xu Sheng, he could not just appreciate and reward him generously, but also needed to suppress his arrogance, otherwise he would be as difficult to approach as Ji Bu. Only then did Xu, Chu and Xu Sheng come on to compete.
"The general, this guard, is extremely powerful." Xu Sheng sighed.
"He is the most famous warrior in the army, Xu Chu and Xu Zhongkang are the same. He is not only powerful but also has extraordinary martial arts. You can compete again someday." Yuan Xi introduced.
Xu Sheng's eyes shone with an expression of eagerness to test.
"Wen Xiang, you will be naturalized in the army immediately, and I will ask someone to make arrangements for you. Xu Wenxiang is a rare talent with martial arts skills. I will reward you as a military marquis. You will be promoted after you have made great contributions!" Yuan Xi said. In a good mood, he patted Xu Sheng on the shoulder and promoted him to military commander. In fact, in Yuan Xi's mind, Xu Sheng's appointment as a captain would be a sign of failure. However, qualifications are still important in the army. Xu Sheng has just joined the army. If he promotes him too quickly, it will be difficult to convince the public.
Although Yuan Xi felt that the position of the military commander was low, Xu Sheng was already very satisfied. He knelt down on one knee and thanked him: "Thank you for your extraordinary promotion, sir. How dare Xu Sheng not do the hard work?"
"You're welcome, Wen Xiang, put your talents to good use, I believe you have the talents of a general!"
In fact, before this, Xu Sheng had also considered whether to join the Yuan family. However, I heard that Yuan Shao had a good reputation and valued fame over talents. He greatly appreciated and favored celebrities from the gentry clan with great names, but the Han clan who came from a poor family were not so valued. After careful consideration, he still took a dozen of his neighbors with him and decided to go to Jiangdong to seek refuge with the high-spirited overlord Sun Ce.
Unexpectedly, he met Yuan Shao's son, the envoy, here. What was even more unexpected was that Yuan Shao's son did not have the rumored style of Yuan Shao and was polite to others, so Xu Shengcai changed his mind and decided to work for the Yuan family.
But this Xu Sheng was really a nuisance. He learned from Liu Ye that not long after he arrived in Yecheng, someone called him a "Nanbarbarian" and he was killed in the street.
In the end, Liu Ye came forward to save him. Moreover, Xu Sheng did not restrain himself and still led a group of subordinates through the streets and alleys, going his own way and swaggering through the streets.
Yuan Xi secretly smiled bitterly. Among the generals he could find who knew how to fight with water, apart from Zhou Yu and Lu Xun, they were also Xu Sheng and Lu Meng. They were talented naval commanders. Zhou Yu was Sun Ce's sworn brother, Lu Xun was a son of a wealthy family, and Lu Meng had already joined the Sun family.
Fortunately, I came into contact with Xu Sheng in advance, otherwise I would have missed it. As history says, Xu Sheng was brave, resourceful, and righteous, but he was also full of heroism. It is not an exaggeration to say that Xu Sheng was a gangster.
