The army arrived at Nanchang City, but no one came to greet them.
Yuan Yao had no choice but to send someone to report it. After a while, he saw an official running out of the city.
"Are these the soldiers of Captain Yuan?"
This man trotted all the way, greeting as he ran.
"I am Yuan Yao!" Yuan Yao responded as he rode out.
The officials ran to Yuan Yao and quickly bowed and saluted: "I would like to express my gratitude to you, the meritorious Cao Cao of Yuzhang County. I have long admired the reputation of Captain Yuan!"
"The county government just received a letter from Captain Yuan the day before yesterday. Both the governor and the subordinates thought that Captain Yuan would arrive tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, but they didn't expect that he would arrive today!"
"It's really rude not to be able to greet you from afar. Please forgive me, Yuan Duwei!"
"It's okay, I'll invite you, Mr. Chen!"
Although Yuan Yao sent someone to inform Zhuge Xuan early that he would lead his army, he did not specify how many days it would take. Therefore, although this meritorious officer was the only one to greet him, Yuan Yao did not feel surprised.
Yuan Yao got off his horse and bowed his hand in return.
The rank of the county captain is second only to the county guard and higher than subordinate officials such as the county meritorious officer, so he does not have to bow in return.
Moreover, he had received a new appointment from Yuan Shu the day before yesterday, and his official position had been promoted a lot. Now even when facing Zhuge Xuan, a prefect with two thousand stones, there is no need to bow down.
Seeing Yuan Yao's peaceful face, Chen Li couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The Nanchang Chen family is a rare noble family in Yuzhang County.
Chen Li's great-grandfather, Chen Zhong, once entered Luoyang and served successively as the captain of Jingfu and the history of Youna, and finally became a high-ranking official at the level of Jiuqing, such as Weiwei and Da Sinong.
Jiuqing belongs to three divisions, and the head of the three divisions is Sangong.
Among the four generations of the Yuan family in Runan, there were as many as five people occupying the position of three princes. Among them, Yuan Tang, the third generation, also served as Sikong, Situ and Taiwei, and Chen Zhong served under Yuan Tang many times.
The so-called disciples and former officials of the Runan family are all over the world, which is not just a boast.
Chen Li was well aware of the importance of the Runan family in the aristocratic family, so when he came, Chen Li was secretly worried, worried that Yuan Yao would get angry because of the reception issue.
Chen Li's grandfather and father also studied in Luoyang, so they were familiar with Yuan Shu's reputation as "Yuan Changshui, the ghost on the road". I heard that Yuan Shu's eldest son, Yuan Yao, had a personality and habits quite similar to his father.
But what you hear is false, and what you see is true.
Although the young man in front of him was wearing a full set of armor, his tall and handsome face gave him the aura of a Confucian general.
He doesn't look like a domineering young man from an aristocratic family at all.
"Is Governor Zhuge in the city? Could you please ask Chen Gongcao to lead me to see you!"
Chen Li's heart tightened, knowing that this topic could not be avoided.
Seeing that Chen Li's expression suddenly turned ugly, Yuan Yao also understood.
"It may be inconvenient, but it doesn't matter!"
"I dare not hide anything from Captain Yuan. The official is hosting a banquet for distinguished guests. I really can't get away, so I asked my subordinates to come and greet them!"
Chen Li hurriedly bowed to apologize again and secretly raised his eyes, only to see that Yuan Yao's calm expression remained the same as before.
"I am new here, so I still have to pay my respects to the master Zhuge Gong, otherwise it will be difficult for me to feel at ease!"
"I'd like to trouble you, Chen Gongcao, to lead the way. I'd like to thank you very much!"
Whether or not he meets Zhuge Xuan is a trivial matter, and Yuan Yao is not here for him.
As long as Yuan Yao can see young Zhuge Liang in Nanchang City, he can completely relax.
Seeing Yuan Yao's persistence, Chen Li had no reason to refuse and could only nod in agreement.
"It's really our fault for not being able to greet you from far away today. Please also ask Mr. Yuan to mount your horse, and I will lead the horse for Mr. Yuan to lead the way!"
As Chen Li said this, he went to take the reins of Yuan Yao's horse. This kind of etiquette was actually very common, and Yuan Yao naturally accepted it.
"It's getting late now. Mr. Yuan can let the generals camp outside the city to rest for one night. I will definitely arrange for people to eat pots of juice tomorrow to welcome the army!"
Chen Li's proposal is reasonable and reasonable. If the army rushes into the city, it will disturb the soldiers and the people. It is better to wait until the Yuzhang government has made arrangements before entering the city.
But just in case, Yuan Yao still said: "Just do everything as Chen Gongcao said!"
"But if I bring a hundred relatives into the city, there should be no problem, right?"
"Don't worry, Cao Chen Gong. My men will strictly abide by military discipline and will not disturb the city. I will take them back to the military camp in the evening after visiting Governor Zhuge."
What a grand gesture!
There are a hundred cavalry alone, so this army must have hundreds of cavalry at least!
How many troops and horses did Yuan Shu give to Master Yuan?
Chen Li was secretly surprised, but soon realized that this was reasonable.
Without hundreds of cavalry and thousands of elite soldiers, how could Yuan Yao defeat the Peng clan with more than 10,000 households so quickly?
"General, please excuse me!"
Yuan Yao stopped nagging and asked Lu Dai to choose a place to set up camp. He also sent someone to call Huang Yi to go into the city with him.
Nanchang City faces Dongda Lake to the east, and is about five miles long and wide. It is not very large. The area inside the city is small, but it has a large population. There are large areas of private houses outside the city.
Walking to the city gate, you can see that the entire city wall is made of rammed earth, that is, an earthen wall. It is only one and a half feet high, and it cannot be called a strong city at all.
Today's Nanchang City is still the old city built by Guan Ying four hundred years ago. Although it has been repaired in the past dynasties, it still has an air of decay.
There were mostly wealthy families in the city, and the market was closed only when there was a big market. When pedestrians saw Yuan Yao's one hundred cavalry, although many of them looked surprised, they did not cause any commotion among the people.
This actually surprised Yuan Yao.
War horses are an absolute rarity in Yuzhang County. Even a powerful family like the Peng family only has a dozen or so horses that cannot be ridden and can only be used as chariot horses.
Therefore, more than a hundred cavalrymen under Yuan Yao's command, riding tall horses, came all the way from Chaisang. Wherever they went, they would arouse the admiration of the people of small tribes and small households, causing ordinary people to bow their heads and kneel down, which had the effect of intimidating the young people. Good effect.
When I walked to the prefect's mansion, I saw people walking out of the mansion from time to time. Most of them were drunk and staggering. They were supported by the servants on both sides when they walked.
When Chen Li entered the city, he sent someone to inform the prefect's mansion again.
But at this time, Zhuge Xuan was still not greeted at the gate of the mansion.
Chen Li frowned and quickly turned around and said, "Captain Yuan, please stay here for a moment. Allow me to go in and report to the Duke."
Yuan Yao hadn't responded yet, but Huang Yi on the side was furious and said: "What kind of guest does Zhuge Xuan invite to the banquet? Is it more important than me?"
"I've traveled thousands of miles on this trip, so it's okay if he doesn't go out of the city to greet me. But when I get to his government office, I don't even come out to meet him?"
Chen Li hurriedly confessed: "General Huang, don't be angry. Duke Zhuge really has no choice. The guest we are receiving today is not an ordinary person, but Liu Pan, a partial general from Changsha County."
Because he arrived suddenly, Yuan Yao did not ask Zhuge Xuan who the guests at the banquet were.
At this time, I couldn't help but be surprised when I heard that it was Liu Pan.
"But Liu Pan, the son of Liu Biao, the shepherd of Jingzhou?"
"Exactly this person!" Chen Li replied.
Huang Yi immediately calmed down after hearing this.
If it were an ordinary person, he would really not take it seriously.
But Liu Pan was a descendant of the clan, the nephew of Liu Biao, the shepherd of Jingzhou, and was much more noble than the son of his aristocratic family in terms of family background.
Not to mention that Liu Pan's title of partial general was just half as high as that of Huang Yi, who was newly promoted to general Pi.
"Even if Liu Pan comes to visit, we can't be left alone!"
"Our Lord Yuan was awarded the title of General Yangwei the day before yesterday. He is just a partial general. What's so great about him!"
"alright!"
Yuan Yao stopped Huang Yi with his hand and gave him a fierce look.
"There is no distinction between guests, and everything is done on a first-come, first-served basis. Since General Liu Pan arrived before me, Prefect Zhuge is also showing his kindness as a master by receiving him!"
"But now that we are here, I would like to ask Chen Gongcao to come in and tell me that I, Yuan Yao, have taken the liberty of visiting me. Please tell me!"
"I have also heard of General Liu Pan's reputation for bravery. It's better to meet him than to be famous. It just so happens that I also want to meet General Liu's majesty!"
Chen Li nodded secretly in his heart. It was really rare for Mr. Yuan to come from a famous family without any arrogance.
"You two, wait a moment, I'll be back as soon as I can!"
Yuan Yao was in a very good mood at the moment, so he was very sensible.
According to historical records, Huang Zhong followed Liu Pan to guard You County, Changsha County. He asked Huang Yi before, which also proves that this is true.
If this time he could not only see his idol Zhuge Liang, but also Huang Zhong, one of the Five Tiger Generals, wouldn't that be great luck?
Both of these two people are among the top talents of this era. If they could acquire both civil and military skills, wouldn't their great cause of unifying the Three Kingdoms be unstable?
Seeing Yuan Yao's face glowing red, Huang Yi said in confusion:
"What happened to you today? Normally if something like this happened to you, you would have started shouting and cursing in the street."
"Why are you so polite today, not like a gangster but like a gentleman?"
Yuan Yao was speechless for a while. If I leave you here, my image will always be that of a gangster?
Yuan Yao raised his whip, ready to whip it.
Huang Yi had long been on guard against Yuan Yao's move, so he immediately jumped off his horse and dodged to a distance.
Although Yuan Yao is not good at practicing weapons such as swords, spears, swords and halberds, he has a unique understanding of the whip method. He is almost self-taught. The whip flower whip sound is so easy to play now.
Huang Yi has suffered a lot in the past few months.
"I think your skin is itchy, right?"
Yuan Yao didn't say this, and Huang Yi didn't feel itchy until the stab wound on his back healed.
At this time, Yuan Yaoyi said that he suddenly felt the scab on his back was itching unbearably.
"Quick, quick, take off this armor for me, I want to scratch it!"
The attendants rushed forward to take off Huang Yi's armor, but Huang Yi couldn't wait any longer.
"Don't take it off yet, tickle me first!"
Not long after, Chen Li walked out of the mansion.
But his face was extremely embarrassed, and he forced out a smile and apologized again:
"Captain Yuan, no, General Yangwei. When I came in just now, the Duke had already had three drinks with General Liu and was quite drunk."
"Your Majesty feels that he has lost his composure and should not meet with the general. He has sent me here to tell you that he will visit tomorrow. I hope the general will forgive me!"
In fact, the real situation inside is that Liu Panqiang stopped Zhuge Xuan from drinking wine and threatened him not to see guests.
But Chen Li naturally couldn't tell Yuan Yao the truth.
But this time I am afraid that this mighty general will really get angry!
"Oh~"
Yuan Yao just replied lightly, as if he didn't care at all whether he could see Zhuge Xuan or not.
"Chen Li, you can't lie to me!"
Yuan Yao stared closely into Chen Li's eyes, and the aura of a superior person instantly spread out.
The Chen family is also a dominant force in Yuzhang County.
But Chen Li has never encountered such momentum.
Is this the background atmosphere of the House of Four Generations and Three Dukes?
Chen Li was sweating on his forehead. He was afraid that he would not be able to continue his role as a peacemaker.
With his peripheral vision, he glanced at the hundreds of fierce cavalry behind Yuan Yao, and Chen Li complained secretly.
If Yuan Yao forced his way into the prefect's mansion, there would be no way he could be stopped by dozens of county soldiers who were eating and drinking!
"Are Zhuge Xuan's family, including his nephew Zhuge Liang, all in this courtyard?"
Chen Li let out a long breath.
I thought what were you going to ask?
You asked me this question three times on the road!
"That's natural. Zhuge Xuan treats his brothers Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jun as his own sons, and they both raise them with his own sons!"
Yuan Yao nodded: "Then it'll be fine!"
"Thank you, Chen Gongcao, for telling me!"
"Come here, give me a gift!"
Yuan Yao waved his hand, and a bodyguard immediately came to Chen Li with a box and presented it with both hands.
Huang Yi opened the gift box beside him: "This jade was once collected by Marquis Haihun. I have seen it. It is not a trespassing gift from the emperor. Cao Chen can rest assured!"
"Yao, thank you, Chen Gongcao, for receiving me today. Please prepare some small gifts. Chen Gongcao, please don't refuse!"
Yuan Yao is now truly wealthy. He has acquired all the hundreds of years of accumulation of the Peng clan and the Haihun Marquis Kingdom in one fell swoop.
For Zhuge Liang, he specially selected many treasures. He just wants to establish a good relationship with Zhuge Xuan first so that he can kidnap and not adopt his nephew.
Chen Li could tell at a glance that the jade was extraordinary, but he was too embarrassed to take it.
But Yuan Yao's attitude was that if you don't take it, you won't give me face. Chen Li could only accept the treasure in flattery.
But I was wondering in my heart, was the eldest son of the Yuan family being too polite to me?
Do you have some ulterior motive?
Do you want to fight one by one and unite with me, the Chen clan, to deal with other clans similar to the Peng clan?
Under the pressure of Yuan Yao, Chen Li could only accept the jade, but he also secretly made up his mind to make more contacts with the Yuan family on behalf of the family.
"Oh, by the way, General Liu Pan didn't come alone, right?"
Yuan Yao inquired again.
Chen Li couldn't help but get a headache. Why did Mr. Yuan come here and ask so many troublesome questions?
I am just a small meritorious official, and the Chen family is just a local clan that is neither a powerful family nor a noble family in the county, but a non-trivial local clan!
Don't get me involved in the competition between you big guys and big forces!
Chen Li only felt that the jade in his hand was very hot.
But he could only bite the bullet and said: "General Liu Pan, at the request of Prefect Zhuge, he has brought five thousand elite soldiers from Jingzhou!"
Chen Li specifically said "at the request of Governor Zhuge" very seriously, and everyone else knew the neutral meaning of it.
However, Yuan Yao's reaction after hearing this exceeded his reaction again.
Not only did he not get angry because the Jingzhou forces were involved in Yuzhang, but he looked happy.
Could it be that this son of an aristocratic family who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth is a playboy with no political or military acumen at all?
Chen Li heard Yuan Yao's tone become rough.
"Does Chen Gongcao know that among the generals brought by Liu Pan, there is a general named Huang Zhong?"
"If I tell you more, think about it carefully. This Huang Zhong is from Nanyang. His courtesy name is Hansheng. He should be a Zhonglang Jiang or something now! He should be quite old. Old Huang, how old is your clan uncle now? "
Huang Yi finally understood why Yuan Yao reacted like this today.
"This year is almost the age of confusion!"
Chen Li was speechless for a while, unable to keep up with Master Yuan's thoughts.
After thinking seriously for a while, Chen Li shook his head and said, "Today the Duke is hosting a banquet for General Liu Pan. All generals and commanders above are on the banquet list."
"I personally checked the banquet list, and there is no general named Huang in it."
Yuan Yao was greatly disappointed, and his enthusiasm was instantly doused by cold water.
"However, there is a general named Huang under General Liu Pan, and I had to deal with him several times because of camp and food issues."
"His military rank is not low either, but I don't know why I didn't see this person at the banquet today."
"Maybe the person General Yuan is looking for is him!"
