Liu Qi left Longzhong and asked his soldiers to escort Xu Shu back to Wancheng, while he returned to Xinye.
Huang Zhongyan said: "On the way just now, I saw that the military advisor was hesitant to speak several times, as if he had something to hide."
Liu Qi sighed: "When it's time to say it, he will naturally say it."
Huang Zhong frowned and said, "Just now in Longzhong, the boy called the military advisor 'Yuan Zhi'. He must have a suspicious identity."
Liu Qi smiled and said: "The title is just a code name. As long as the military advisor sincerely helps me and no one knows about it, that's enough!"
Huang Zhong nodded slightly, and the two came to Xinye, which was now managed by Huo Jun, Sun Qian and Yi Ji, and handed over the list of recent recruits.
Liu Qi looked at them one by one and found that although many people were recruited, none were famous. Basically, all the celebrities in Nanyang had been poached.
As for whether a dark horse will emerge from this list, it depends on their respective abilities and performance.
Times make heroes, and those who have no names may not be incompetent, but the opportunity has not come yet.
Even those whose names are left are just short-lived. For example, the young general Qu A that Liu Qi met may be in another situation if he can be reused.
No one can predict the impact of the butterfly effect!
What's more, Liu Qi has changed history, and while the current overall situation has not changed, he will collect as many talents as possible.
After reading the list, Liu Qi asked: "Has Deng Ai been found?"
This time I came to Xinye not to look at the list, but specifically to see this famous general from the late Three Kingdoms period.
Yi Ji replied: "There are three people who meet the requirements, but none of them are named Deng Ai. I also asked the general to see it in person."
When setting out for Fancheng, Liu Qi asked Yi Ji and Deng Zhi to send people to search. Although the Deng family was a large Xinye family with countless side branches, it should not be difficult to find a stuttering child of about ten years old.
And Liu Qi also has an even more peculiar request, he must be a person who lost his father when he was young, and the mother and son depend on each other for life!
This made the two of them doubt whether Liu Qi and Cao Cao had the same hobbies!
After the news of the missing person came out, it caused a shock in Xinye, and the rumors became more and more outrageous. In the end, it was said that they were looking for Liu Biao's illegitimate son.
"Bring them all in!" Liu Qi suddenly remembered. Deng Ai later changed his name.
After Cao Cao pacified Jingzhou, he forcibly relocated people to fill the population gap in the Central Plains. Deng Ai changed his name only after arriving in Runan.
A casual word from a superior person may very well determine the fate of thousands of people.
Soon three teenagers were brought in, the oldest was twelve years old and the youngest was seven years old. All three of them were carefully dressed.
One of them was wearing coarse linen clothes, even patched, and he was also cleanly washed.
Liu Qi is the eldest son of Jingzhou Mu, and he became famous in one battle. What an honor it is to meet him?
Even those who originally laughed at other people's children's stuttering were envious, not to mention their own parents, who were naturally extra attentive.
Looking at the three of them, Liu Qi smiled and asked, "What are your names?"
The older one clasped his fists in a dignified manner and said: "I am here... I am here, Deng Deng Deng... Man~" After speaking, he twitched the corner of his mouth fiercely.
The younger one also quickly replied: "I, I... shout... Deng, Deng Ming!"
Liu Qi nodded slightly, but his eyes were always on the children in coarse cloth. Deng Ai's group had long since declined, otherwise he would not have become a cowherd boy.
He stood alone behind the two of them, looking slightly inferior, lowering his head and pinching the corners of his clothes.
As the saying goes, if a person is poor but has short ambitions, coupled with his stuttering, he will be ridiculed a lot in daily life.
"It's your turn!" Yi Ji saw the child lowering his head and stepped forward to remind him.
The young man clenched his fists, his chest kept rising and falling, he inhaled hard, raised his head suddenly and said loudly: "My name is Aniu!"
"What?" Liu Qi was surprised, "You don't stutter?"
"General, Deng Aniu has been stuttering since he was a child. He, he, he..." Li Zheng, who brought him here, stuttered anxiously. He pointed at the young man and said sternly: "You, please speak up!"
The young man pursed his lips and looked very angry. His face turned red and he said: "A gentleman, a gentleman, respects, respects the virtues of others, promotes, promotes others'...beauty, as a general...why should he...be respected by others?" Is it fun to be short-lived?"
"How presumptuous!" Li Zheng was furious and stepped forward to hit him: "What a good boy, you don't know how high the sky is."
"Stop!" Liu Qi shouted, waving his hands and saying, "Only Deng Aniu, mother and son will be kept, and the rest will be sent back."
Yiji immediately ordered people to take out the other two children and send them home by the police.
Liu Qi already knew in his heart that even if this boy was not Deng Ai, he was still a promising talent with his temperament and knowledge.
Soon a middle-aged woman followed. Seeing that the child was okay, she came up and hugged her tightly.
Liu Qi asked with a smile: "Deng Aniu spoke the words of the sages, so he must have read and practiced essays. Who can teach him?"
Deng's mother carefully replied: "There are some classics at home. Although my late husband passed away early due to illness, I have been teaching him to read, hoping that he will succeed in the future."
Liu Qi said with a smile: "In the past, Meng's mother moved three times, which was said to be a good story. You guarded the poor and taught your children, which is quite like Meng's mother."
Mother Deng smiled happily and said, "Although A Niu speaks slowly and dull, he is able to read and write with ease. His hard work is finally worth it."
Yi Ji wondered: "Is this the person Dalang is looking for?"
"Exactly!" Liu Qi explained: "That day when I was keeping vigil for my uncle in the city, I had a dream at night. My uncle asked me to find the stuttering child of the Deng family. He will become a great asset in the future and can help me revive the Han Dynasty. My son is far more courageous. If you are the same age, you must be the one who fulfills your dream.”
Yi Ji was also surprised and reminded: "But his name is not Deng Ai!"
Liu Qi looked at the mother and son and said with a smile: "My son is as ordinary as mugwort in appearance, but as noble as an orchid in heart. How about I name him Deng Ai?"
"Thank you, General, for the name!" Deng's mother was flattered and hurriedly pulled Deng Aniu to kneel down: "Thank you, General."
Although Deng Aniu still didn't understand the reason, he saw that Liu Qi had no ill intentions, so he knelt on the ground and kowtowed obediently.
"This...is this okay?" Yi Ji's eyes widened.
I couldn't find Deng Ai, but he actually gave me his name. Is this a trick?
Liu Qi said: "This matter has made a big fuss. If you stay in Xinye, you will inevitably be disturbed. You can clean up and I will send him to Rangxian Academy to study."
Deng's mother replied: "To be honest, my mother and son depended on each other for life. At first, I thought that the government was recruiting corvee labor, so I had already packed up and left, preparing to flee to another country."
Liu Qi sighed with emotion and said: "Don't worry, everything will be fine in the future. I will also ask someone to diagnose and treat Deng Ai's stuttering."
"General, my mother and son are willing to repay each other for your great kindness!" Mother Deng knelt down again, covering her mouth and crying. She had suffered so much for this child for so many years, and finally got through it.
"Okay, you guys go to Guanyi to rest first and leave the city tomorrow morning." After finding Deng Ai, Liu Qi felt a stone fall in his heart.
During the troubled times of the Three Kingdoms, heroes emerged in large numbers, but there were only a handful of versatile civil and military talents who could both charge into battle and make suggestions. Deng Ai and Jiang Wei, the old enemies, were the most famous.
Although it is said that becoming famous requires opportunities, as long as the name goes down in history, it must be a genius.
Deng Ai was self-taught from a cowherd boy and was on par with Jiang Wei, who came from a noble family. If he was carefully cultivated, he would surely reach a higher level.
"Dalang, since this is Liu Shijun's dream, you can't be so hasty." Yi Ji believed Liu Qi's words to be true.
Liu Qi smiled and said: "My uncle said in his dream: This man was born in the rough and still needs to be carved."
Yi Ji pinched his beard and was doubtful: "Is this person a jade?"
Liu Qi nodded seriously and said: "Obviously, he is!"
