Early the next morning, Xinpi Kaicheng welcomed the Han army into the city, and the people lined the streets to greet them, all wanting to see Wolong's grace.
When he arrived at the government office, Zhuge Liang ordered people to go out to calm the people. He still appointed Xinbi as the prefect of Xingyang. He held a banquet in the government office to celebrate his achievements, receive officials of all sizes, and appease people's hearts.
Xin Pi said: "Cao's army was defeated in Guanzhong, and the military commander made a surprise attack on Henan. Now Luoyang is empty, why not take advantage of the situation and defeat it in one fell swoop?"
Zhuge Liang said: "Zhong Yuanchang is also a loyal and good man. In the past, he supported the emperor in times of crisis and traveled to the east and west capitals with unswerving determination. If he can follow the trend and capture the entire east capital, he can rectify the imperial court and continue its good fortune. This is the time when the Han Dynasty is continuing and the way of heaven is unified. With the wisdom of Lord Zhong, how could he not know this?"
Xin Pi said: "Zhong Yao is highly regarded by Cao Cao. I don't know what his intentions are. Xu Huang has retreated to Hedong. If the military advisor wants to persuade him to surrender, he should send someone to deliver a message that morning."
Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "I have already sent people to Luoyang. Even if Zhong Yao hesitates and nearly 200,000 troops from Guanzhong are dispatched, can Xiahou Zhu'an hold Tongguan? If Tongguan is lost, Xu Huang's remaining troops will be defeated, and my return route will be cut off. There is no way to save the day."
Xin Pi also knew that the Han army was unstoppable due to the current situation, and asked: "Since Luoyang is in the pocket, is it possible that the military advisor is targeting Xuchang?"
"Guandu!" Zhuge Liang's eyes gleamed slightly and he said slowly: "In the past, Cao Cao defeated the strong with the weak and won a great victory in Guandu. Now I will fight against Guandu again. This is also the fate of the Cao family!"
…
To the east of Luoyang City, the West Garden of the Imperial City was originally the location of the imperial garden. Cao Cao ordered people to build a painting terrace with flowing water pavilions and blooming flowers for calligraphy, painting and literati entertainment.
In an octagonal pavilion in the center of the lake, Zhong Yao stood melancholy with a pen in hand. He was even thinner than in Chang'an, with disheveled beard and hair, and even a bit haggard.
There is a piece of Yellow River bluestone here. Zhong Yao comes here every day to practice calligraphy by dipping in water. A few months ago, he integrated seal script and official script into one. Suddenly he had an idea. While he was practicing, news from Guanzhong came, which made him uneasy. .
The feeling of wanting to come out but not knowing where to start made him almost crazy.
It's like having to go to the toilet urgently and unbuttoning your pants, but you can't urinate. It's also like carrying on the family line with your concubine every day, but you can't fully enjoy it.
After returning to Luoyang, he heard that the Taoist priest Zuo Ci was quite effective. Zhong Yao also personally went to Shaoshi Mountain to pay homage to the hexagram and inquire about his descendants' incense.
Zuo Ci hinted that he was acting against the will of heaven and was entrusted to other than human beings. This was punishment from the underworld. If he could not accumulate more yin virtues or return to the right path, he would be doomed to have no future.
This lottery was like a huge stone weighing on his heart, making Zhong Yao feel depressed all day long, and even gave up his hard work every night. Since his efforts were fruitless, why waste energy, make his back hurt, and feel dizzy?
Just as he was lamenting that nothing had been accomplished, suddenly the soldiers ran in quickly and went to the flower pond to report loudly that Xingyang had been lost and the Jingzhou army was heading towards Hulao Pass.
snap——
Zhong Yao trembled all over, dropped the pen in his hand to the ground, pointed outside and shouted: "Quick, hurry up and urge Xu Gongming to come!"
Xingyang fell, and Luoyang was attacked from both sides. It would be difficult to defend it with only Hulao Pass and Hangu Pass. The pass was lost. If Zhuge Liang captured Yanzhou, Luoyang would become an isolated city. At this time, only Xu Huang could return to the city as soon as possible to save the defeat.
Hurrying back to the government office, all the officials were already there. The news from Guanzhong originally made everyone uneasy, but Xingyang was lost again, and they suddenly felt that a crisis was coming.
Although Zhong Yao was anxious, he stabilized his posture when he reached the door, walked in slowly, and said to everyone: "Hulao Pass is heavily guarded, so don't worry. Xu Huang will lead his troops to Luoyang soon. When the army arrives, At this time, we can send troops at the same time as Zhang Liao, attack from the front and back, and stabilize the Central Plains in one fell swoop."
Everyone relaxed a little, and Zhong Yao comforted them for a while, ordering them to perform their duties, appease people's hearts, and not to cause chaos among themselves.
The next day, Zhengming people inquired about the news about Xingyang. After Zhuge Liang took Xingyang, he did not rush to advance the army. Instead, he took over the counties in Henan, issued lists to calm the people, and promoted Jingzhou's new policies. The people were all happy.
Zhong Yao frowned when he heard the report. If Zhuge Liang urgently sent troops to attack Hulao Pass, and the two armies were in a stalemate and the people were resentful, they could wait for an opportunity to counterattack. This way of winning people's hearts and attacking steadily would be a serious disaster.
Just as he was thinking about how to break the situation and report to his family, someone asked to see him. Zhong Yao took the invitation and saw that the handwriting looked very familiar. His heart skipped a beat and he asked in a voiceless voice, "Who is here?"
"It's none other than Young Master Changqian."
Zhong Yao's face changed slightly, and he quickly ordered: "Please go to the Qingluan Pavilion in the backyard quickly, and don't let others see it."
When the family members left, Zhong Yao picked up the letter and read it carefully. He shook his head unconsciously and said, "Hiss—this boy's handwriting is exactly the same as Wen Ruo's. It's so strange!"
The visitor was none other than Xun Yun, the eldest son of Xun Yu. Although Zhong Yao was surprised by his arrival, he was even more shocked by the words on the greeting card.
When it comes to today's calligraphy attainments, except for his predecessor Cai Yong, there are very few who can compare with Zhong Yao. Trying to deceive him about his handwriting is tantamount to playing tricks on his own.
In order to deceive Xu Shu into going to Xuchang, Cheng Yu imitated Xu's mother's handwriting. Cao Cao and others thought that it was enough to confuse the fake with the real one. He even sent someone to send the book to Chang'an and asked Zhong Yao to identify it. Zhong Yao could tell at a glance that it was an imitation of the handwriting.
But Xun Yun's handwriting on the greeting card was exactly the same as Xun Yu's, with no trace at all. How could Zhong Yao not be shocked?
He quickly came to the secret room and saw Xun Yun dressed in Tsing Yi, dressed as an alchemist. After seeing the ceremony, he did not bother to ask why he came. He pointed at the letter and said: "My nephew's calligraphy skills are astonishing. He is no different from Wen Ruo. It's like he came from his own family. I don't know why. I hope you can teach me your experience."
"This..." Xun Yun was taken aback and hurriedly bowed and said: "Most of the students' calligraphy was taught by Uncle Shi, but they haven't seen the secret yet. How dare they try to follow suit?"
"What about this?" Zhong Yao read the letter again, but still couldn't tell the difference, and couldn't help but doubt himself, "Could it be that I'm old and blind, so I read the wrong handwriting?"
After reading it carefully for a while, not only did the words become unfamiliar, but they also didn't look like Xun Yu's handwriting.
He put the letter down with a sigh, motioned for Xun Yun to sit down again, collected his thoughts and asked: "My good nephew is not at home to observe his filial piety, why did he come to Luoyang dressed up like this?"
Xun Yun cupped his fists and said, "I am here to advise my uncle to be aware of current affairs and not to follow in the footsteps of my father."
"What did you say?" Zhong Yao had just calmed down. After hearing this, he stood up suddenly, stared at Xun Yun and said in a deep voice: "You dare to teach me how to do things?"
“Students dare not!”
"Is there another secret?" Zhong Yao was slightly startled and snorted coldly: "There are countless people in the world who imitate other people's handwriting and confuse the fake with the real one, but there is no way of escaping from my eyes. The strength and charm of the handwriting in this book are the same as the prose. So far. There are only a handful of people who can reach this level, unless..."
"You mean..." At this point, Zhong Yao's face suddenly changed and he said in a trembling voice, "Where is Wen Ruo...?"
Xun Yun took out two more letters and handed them over: "Uncle Shi has read this book and will understand for himself."
Zhong Yao hurriedly took it over and saw that one was from Xun Yu and the other was from Zhuge Liang. He murmured: "I see, that's true..."
