The next day, King Gongsun sobered up and was taken to the lobby of the government office. Zhuge Liang was sitting in the hall, while Huang Zhong, Wei Yan and others stood behind him with their arms folded, looking fierce.
Chen Zhen took an IOU to King Gongsun and introduced its content: Palace Jade Wine, one hundred and eighty cups. A cup of wine costs one penny, a jar costs three dou, a total of one hundred thousand coins.
King Gongsun looked at the IOU and was completely dumbfounded. When he woke up, he was locked in a cell. He thought he would die. He was thinking about how to survive and thought of many excuses, but he didn't expect that he would become the debtor.
Zhuge Liang looked at the astonished King Gongsun, shook his feather fan and said with a smile: "Although the king said yesterday that this wine is worth one thousand and eighty yuan, General Liu has always been fair in his work and never raises the price. One hundred and eighty is a clearly marked price, and the people of Jingzhou are all I know. The king ate a jar and it cost more than 100,000 yuan. The 100,000 yuan is because the king is a guest from afar. Excluding the fraction, the price is very reasonable, right?"
"A jar of wine costs one hundred thousand?" King Gongsun gritted his teeth and said, "With one hundred thousand, I can form a cavalry of five thousand men. You owe money and are cheating!"
Huang Zhongyan said: "Yesterday, when the king was drinking wine, I still reminded him, is this wine not worth a hundred and eighty yuan?"
"This..." King Gongsun remembered the taste of the wine and swallowed unconsciously, "It's worth it, but..."
Wei Yan shouted sharply: "Since ancient times, people have killed people to pay for their lives, and debts have to be repaid for money. Do you, the majestic king of Mobei, still want to default on your debts?"
King Gongsun's mind went blank, he completely forgot where he was, and said, "But I...I am penniless now."
Zhuge Liang said: "Your Majesty, there is no need to be anxious. Repaying the debt will not be imminent. As long as your Majesty admits his debt and stays in our army to serve, he will have his own salary and can receive rewards for his meritorious service. There are clear rewards and punishments in our army. With Your Majesty's ability, it is only a hundred thousand coins." It’s not that much.”
"Seriously?" King Gongsun was overjoyed to be saved from a desperate situation. He had already planned to surrender and avoid death, but he didn't expect that Zhuge Liang did something different. He hurriedly asked: "If I stay in the army, will I still have this wine to drink? "
Zhuge Liang nodded and said with a smile: "That's natural. People in our army only charge 80 yuan at a preferential price!"
"Great, I do!" King Gongsun was overjoyed and pressed his fingerprints without thinking.
Zhuge Liang added: "If you want to drink wine, you need to repay the debt first. In addition, interest will be charged on the one hundred thousand money, and the interest will be one thousand per month."
"You still charge interest?" King Gongsun said in shock: "I have surrendered, so I can't count myself as one of my own?"
Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "There is a saying that has been passed down in the Central Plains since ancient times: brothers, we must settle accounts clearly. This is the account of the army, and it is inconvenient for us to reduce it for the king."
Wei Yan shouted angrily: "The military advisor spared you from death, which is extremely gracious. Don't you know how to praise me?"
"That's all we have to do!" King Gongsun could only grit his teeth and accept his fate.
Huang Zhong caressed his beard and sighed: "The king once traveled to Mobei with great authority and established a great reputation. If you bargain for a small profit and this matter spreads to Mobei or even Dingling, the king's reputation will be ruined."
King Gongsun was shocked. He followed Cao Cao into the Central Plains this time just to make a name for himself. If his reputation was ruined, it would be a good thing. He asked urgently: "I wonder how your army will be rewarded for killing the enemy?"
Zhuge Liang said: "Kill the enemy's first one hundred gold, behead the generals and captains for five thousand, and the generals for ten thousand..."
"Hurry up and give the order to send out troops!" King Gongsun clenched his fists and roared: "I want to fight ten!"
Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "Your Majesty, please be patient. I will allow you to rest for a while. The interest will be calculated after half a month. A banquet has been set up in the camp to calm the storm for your Majesty. Please!"
King Gongsun was overjoyed and was about to leave when he suddenly turned around and said warily: "You don't have to pay for this wine, right?"
Huang Zhong strode over and said with a big smile, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. All the food and drinks in the army are public funds. You can eat and drink as you like."
"Come on, hurry up!" King Gongsun couldn't wait, dragging Huang Zhong and ran out first.
Wei Yan shook his head and said doubtfully: "Although this man is brave, he is also greedy for profit and afraid of death. You only need to fool him and he will surrender obediently. Why go to such trouble?"
Zhuge Liang laughed and said: "Hu people are arrogant and arrogant. They love profit but despise righteousness. They have never been to the Central Plains. They know what is good and evil, but they are just playing the harp to an ox. They live and enjoy themselves and are capricious. Today they will surrender to me and tomorrow they will surrender to Cao. Today. Driven by profit, make him cherish his wings and be wary, so he will naturally bow his head and listen to you. This is the art of training a wolf into a dog!"
"The military advisor is brilliant!" Wei Yan was greatly impressed.
…
Zhang Liao returned to Xuchang from Guandu and saw that the originally compact palace had become empty. He sighed in his heart, and for some reason he remembered the scene in Chang'an.
After hearing the news, the county magistrate Man Chong rushed over and said anxiously: "Guan Yu is proud by nature. He is fighting fiercely in the Central Plains and will not flinch even if his arm is cut off. He must be malingering. Why did the general abandon Guandu and come here?"
Zhang Liao said: "Guan Yu's reputation is the most important thing. If he loses an arm, he will not be able to fight in battle again, which is no different from death. This is an expedient measure. I have found out clearly. Don't worry about it."
Man Chong said: "If Guan Yu doesn't return to Jingzhou and lies down in Yingchuan, what should we do?"
Zhang Liao smiled and said: "Zhang Wei still stays in Xuchang, which shows that what he said is true. This person is Xiahou Zilin's confidant. Can the prime minister's son-in-law still lie to others?"
Man Chong advised: "That Zhang Wei appeared from Xiangyang and seemed to be helping me, but in fact he made big mistakes time and time again. I am a guest here. I hope the general will think twice."
"This person's identity is no longer important!" Zhang Liao shook his head slightly and said with emotion: "Xuchang's power is exhausted. Only by retrieving Kunyang can we stop Guan Yu's power. Otherwise, we will be restrained everywhere. We will just sit back and wait for death. The only way to break the situation is to fight with a last ditch effort."
Man Chong was also well aware that the situation was unfavorable. Seeing that Zhang Liao was determined to fight to the death, he stopped persuading him and allocated money, food and weapons, and set off for Kunyang on the same day.
Most of the Xuchang garrison was transferred, and the city became increasingly deserted. Although Guan Yu was injured and retired, Xuchang had been transformed from the imperial capital to a frontline position. People in the city were still unstable. Man Chong ordered the police officers to strengthen patrols and security to prevent anyone from taking the opportunity to cause trouble.
After Cao Pi moved the capital, he and his family members all moved to Hebei. Many palaces and mansions in Xuchang were allocated to the children of various clans.
Xiahou Dun was awarded the east courtyard of the palace and the general's residence because of his meritorious service. After Xiahou Dun was promoted by Cao Cao, he moved into the general's residence. However, Xiahou Dun went on an expedition with the army, and his wife only lived in the backyard. The huge front courtyard became a wintering place for birds and beasts.
It was a beautiful spring day, and the servants were all basking in the sun on the porch in the front yard, watching the sparrows chirping and bickering under the trees, and they were bored.
At this moment, the courtyard door was suddenly forced open. The loud noise made the sparrows fly up and disappear behind the eaves.
"Who is bold?" The servants stood up and shouted angrily.
Although there are few people in the mansion, this is the residence of Xiahou Dun's eldest son and Cao Cao's son-in-law. Who dares to break in?
Before he finished speaking, he saw a group of officers surrounding the front yard without any explanation. Although they were not soldiers, the servants' faces changed drastically when they saw this outfit. They did not dare to make any more noises and stood aside obediently.
Although these officers were not of high status, they were favored by the Xuchang County Magistrate. They were known to be ruthless officials who strictly enforced the law and were deeply trusted by Cao Cao. Their authority was even higher than that of Tingwei. Cao Hong's relatives and retainers could be killed at any request. Who dared to offend them?
In the middle of the queue, a man came out with his hands behind his back. He was short in stature and had a thin face. A pair of triangular eyes scanned the crowd. The servants felt as if they had been hit by frost, and their whole bodies were shivering.
"Where is Zhang Wei?"
