"General Yangwei has arrived!"
Following a loud shout from the door servant, dozens of soldiers filed in and stood on both sides of the courtyard aisle.
All the Yu Zhanghao people in the hall stood up to greet him.
Yuan Yao walked in wearing a helmet and armor. After scanning the crowd, he sat down directly in the main seat.
Yuan Yao was born with a good skin. His face is like a crown jade, his body is seven feet eight inches long, his shoulders are broad and his arms are long. Wearing an iron sleeve armor made of fish scales, it looks even more majestic and powerful.
Although he certainly couldn't frighten a warrior with a vicious vision like Huang Zhong, it was more than enough to frighten these Yuzhang natives who had never seen the world.
Those present were all representatives of Yuzhang Qiang clan. After seeing Yuan Yao himself, they couldn't help but secretly nod their heads in praise.
"This General Yuan, in terms of appearance and momentum, is much better than that General Liu!"
"That's right! Otherwise, why is it that one is a well-known and upright general, and the other is just a partial general?"
"Hey, that's not what you said just now, Old Xiong. I remember you just said clearly that Yuan Yao is a child of an aristocratic family with no knowledge or skills. He only got the title of general because of his father's protection?"
"Did I say this? Why don't I remember?"
Zhuge Xuan hosted a banquet for Liu Pan yesterday, and these people were also present. We are gathered here again today, naturally with the intention of comparing.
"Hmph! I don't think so. From a certain point of view, this Yuan Yao is far inferior to General Liu!"
"In terms of decisiveness in killing and attacking, this man is not as good as General Liu Pan. He is just a tough guy with a soft heart!"
There are also people who still highly praise Liu Pan and dismiss Yuan Yao.
Some people remained silent and did not express their opinions.
For these powerful families, if they are on the right team, they may become wealthy nobles in the county. But if you stand in the wrong team, you may face annihilation.
Moreover, their roots are in the countryside, so they don’t necessarily have to take sides in advance. Perhaps it would be the wisest choice to wait for these princely forces to decide the winner and then work for the side with the last laugh.
Although Yuzhang is a large county, it has not been a county since ancient times.
The Zhou Dynasty lasted for eight hundred years, while the Han Dynasty only lasted for more than three hundred years. Therefore, the name of the motherland in the Spring and Autumn Period has left a very profound historical imprint on this era.
At this time, the historical heritage of Yangzhou was naturally inferior to that of the land of Jingchu, Yan, Qi and Zhao.
Within Yangzhou, Yuzhang County is often overlooked. Wu County and Kuaiji County are the hometowns of Wu and Yue. Lujiang County and Jiujiang County, located in Huainan, have vast land and abundant food. In comparison, Yuzhang County is only slightly better known than Jiaozhou.
In these troubled times, when heroes are rising together, all the princes in the world seem to have temporarily forgotten Yuzhang County. Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, no force has touched Yuzhang County.
For example, Liu Yao, the Yangzhou shepherd officially appointed by the imperial court, would rather fight with Wang Lang, Xu Gong, Zhou Shang and others in Jiangdong than take Yuzhang County as his foundation.
Not to mention the fleeing scholars and people in the Central Plains, all of them had their heads sharpened and ran to Jiangdong without even looking at Yuzhang.
Although the powerful families in Yuzhang feel looked down upon by others, they are happy that no one cares about Yuzhang County, so they can continue to be rich.
But this year, the situation suddenly changed.
Suddenly two prefects came.
The man who came from the north was called Zhuge Xuan, and he was from the Langya clan. He was appointed by Yuan Shu in Huainan and had a close relationship with Liu Biao, the pastor of Jingzhou.
The man who came from the south was called Zhu Hao, the son of Zhu Jun, the younger brother of Zhu Fu, the governor of Jiaozhi, and had Liu Yao, the shepherd of Yangzhou, as his backer.
Zhuge Xuan and Zhu Hao arrived at Yuzhang County, and immediately occupied the top of the mountain and raised their banners.
The powerful families in Yuzhang are not wealthy noble families, so they can support whomever they want.
Their clans are all based in their own county and hometown, so they will support whoever Zhuge Xuan or Zhu Hao is in their territory.
Yuzhang County is wide in the north and narrow in the south, so it is divided into three parts. Northeastern Yuzhang, northwest Yuzhang and southern Yuzhang.
Zhu Hao moved north from Jiaozhou, and with Liu Yao as his backer, he gained support from the indigenous people in southern Yuzhang and northeastern Yuzhang.
Zhuge Xuan crossed the Yangtze River from the north and entered Nanchang first. Therefore, he received the support of the indigenous people in the northeastern Yuzhang, including the Chen family and the Xiong family of Nanchang.
Because Zhu Hao's Yuzhang governor and Liu Yao's Yangzhou pastor were both formally appointed and conferred by the imperial court, Zhu Hao and his supporters were called the "orthodox faction."
Zhuge Xuan came from a noble family, and his nominal backer Yuan Shu also came from a famous family. Therefore, the Chen family and the Xiong family, the natives of western Yuzhang who supported Zhuge Xuan, jokingly called themselves the "gentry faction."
Originally, the gentry faction wholeheartedly supported Zhuge Xuan and provided money and food to help him recruit soldiers. And when they heard that Yuan Shu sent his son Yuan Yao to lead reinforcements, the noble faction was even more happy.
But he did not expect that Liu Biao, the herdsman of Jingzhou, would suddenly send his nephew Liu Pan to lead his army to help in the battle.
A well-informed person immediately uncovered the old story that Zhuge Xuan was Liu Biao's subordinate. This time, the gentry faction was immediately on the verge of splitting.
Although Yuan Shu and Liu Biao currently support Zhuge Xuan, it is obvious that Yuan Yao and Liu Pan came to Yuzhang County to win over and control Zhuge Xuan.
In fact, no matter who Yuan Yao or Liu Pan is, they can replace Zhuge Xuan at any time.
Therefore, supporting Zhuge Xuan at this time has little meaning. The key is to see who can become bigger and stronger in Yuzhang, Yuan Yao or Liu Pan!
That's why today, these powerful families asked Chen Li to come forward and entertain Yuan Yao. I just want to compare Yuan Yao and Liu Pan to see who has more hope of taking over Yuzhang County.
Many of the people's whispers also reached Yuan Yao's ears.
He had already guessed what these people were thinking before he came.
On the way to Nanchang, Yuan Yao came up with a plan to bring the entire Yuzhang County under his rule.
When everyone sat down, Chen Li also began to express his friendship as a landlord, raising his glass and praising: "General Yuan's beauty has long been heard by the people of Nanchang."
"Today I get to meet General Yuan in person. He really lives up to his reputation as 'Jun Yuan Lang'!"
Yuan Yao just wondered, Jun Yuan Lang? When did you get this nickname?
"I've heard for a long time that among the young talents in Huainan, there are only two who can be said to be beautiful!"
"The first is Mr. Jun Yuan, and the second is Mr. Mei Zhou! We met today, and he really lives up to his name!"
The person next to him also raised his glass and praised him repeatedly.
Yuan Yao was elated when he heard this. He never thought that he would have the opportunity to be as famous as Zhou Yu!
Although he knew in his heart that these people were just telling nonsense to show their goodwill, Yuan Yao decided to take it seriously!
"You all are really wise and discerning!"
"You, the rich people from the south, are much more knowledgeable than those so-called noble families from the middle-earth families!"
Everyone was stunned when they heard this, and they all suspected that they had heard wrongly.
I thought that Yuan Yao would not accept the compliments humbly, or at least half-assed them, but he didn't expect that he would accept them all!
This Yuan Yao is a bit unexpected!
But no one was angry, after all, Yuan Yao also complimented them on their good vision.
Chen Li was already used to Yuan Yao's thinking, and he quickly smiled and said: "General Yuan is joking, how can our local clans compare with those aristocratic families in the Central Plains!"
"The Yuan family of Runan, where General Yuan was born, is the family of the fourth generation and three princes! The Zhou family of Lujiang, where Zhou Gongjin was born, is also the family of the second generation and three princes!"
"This kind of noble clan is the one we clans look up to!"
"I'm not kidding!"
Yuan Yao, however, had a serious look on his face: "Everyone knows that Yuzhang County has a large population, powerful clans and powerful commanders, but no family of ministers."
"Everyone says that although Yuzhang County has a vast territory and a large population, it is an uncivilized place!"
"When I meet you today, I want to say that the world has misjudged this Yuzhang County!"
"You, such a wealthy family, have been buried under the huge Yuzhang County."
"How do you say this?" Someone was very puzzled.
Didn't I just praise you for your good looks? How could you involve Yuzhang County and a powerful family like ours?
Yuan Yao took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:
"In the fifth year of Yonghe, he ruled twenty-one cities in Yuzhang County, with 446,496 households and 1,668,960 people."
"This kind of population is second only to Nanyang and Runan counties in the world!"
"However, all the families in the Central Plains regard our Yuzhang County as an uncivilized place. The filial, honest, and talented people promoted from Yuzhang are not reused by the imperial court."
"In the past few decades, there have been very few ministers from this county!"
"The old county of Yuzhang, the new mansion of Hongdu. The stars are divided into wings, and the ground is connected to Henglu. The three rivers lead to the five lakes, and the wild bushes are controlled to lead Ouyue. The treasures are rich and natural, the dragon's light shines on the ruins of the cow fight; the people are outstanding, Xu I'll be on Chen Fan's couch."
"It is really hateful that such a place with such outstanding people and outstanding people suffers discrimination from the middle-earth families just because it is not the hometown of Wu, Yue, Jingchu!"
Yuan Yao's words immediately shook the jaws of everyone present.
Everyone could tell from the first few sentences. It turned out that Yuan Yao was deliberately talking about the goodness of Yuzhang and deliberately praising them.
But when the opening chapter of "Preface to Prince Teng's Pavilion" came out of Yuan Yao's mouth, the way everyone looked at Yuan Yao changed instantly.
Except for the sentence "Hongdu New Mansion" that everyone was puzzled by, each of the other fifty-six words struck a chord in the hearts of everyone present.
"The old county of Yuzhang...the stars are divided into wings and the ground is connected to Henglu." The Xiong clan leader, who is familiar with astronomy, geography and Zhouyi metaphysics, murmured to himself and couldn't help but nod.
This sentence directly tells the location of Yuzhang County. With Luoyang as the center, Yuzhang County belongs to the boundary between Yi and Zhen in the sky, and connects Hengshan and Lushan on the ground.
"The three rivers lead to the five lakes; the wild bushes are controlled to lead Ouyue."
This sentence compares the three rivers to the skirt of a garment, with the five lakes as the belt, controlling the land of Chu and connecting Fujian and Yue.
In one sentence, the importance of Yuzhang County’s geographical location is clearly stated!
This is completely different from the fact that Yuzhang County is recognized by the world as an indisputable place for military strategists!
Patriarch Xiong nodded secretly, looking at Yuan Yao with a hint of envy in his eyes.
For a child of a family with such extraordinary experience, if his old friend Xiaoyang Lu was present, he would surely be as amazed as himself.
"The treasures of nature are astonishing, the dragon's light shines upon the ruins of the Niu Dou; the outstanding people are like Xu Ru, who is sitting on Chen Fan's bed."
Chen Li looked at the head of the Xu clan in Nanchang, who was already flattered.
Chen Fan was a famous official in the Eastern Han Dynasty and once served as the governor of Yuzhang. The person he invited was Xu Ru, the grandfather of Patriarch Xu, and his son Xu Zhu.
Although Corporal Chen Fanlixian's act of inviting Xu to stay was well known to the world, and was highly praised by the people of Yuzhang.
But Patriarch Xu still didn't expect that Yuan Yao would actually regard his ancestor as an example of "outstanding people" in Yuzhang.
Elder Yu on the other side kept repeating it and couldn't help but praise:
"Good parallel prose, good parallel prose!"
"I have written countless parallel essays, but none of them has such profound ideas and teachings as simple as General's!"
The Yu family in Nanchang is not considered a powerful surname, but it is a rare surname in Yuzhang County and a highly educated family. It has always been respected by the powerful people in Yuzhang. The clan leaders and elders of all ethnic groups are proud to ask Yu family to pass on their teachings.
At this time, when the elder Yu, who was always eager to learn but not vain, spoke, they all cast envious glances at Yuan Yao.
Who said before that Yuan Yao is a child of an aristocratic family who is ignorant and unskilled?
Stand up and I promise not to yell at him!
Even if Yuan Yao did this deliberately to show off Yuzhang and show favor to the major families.
But if you can use such good parallel prose to praise others, then we have to accept it!
Regarding the four words "outstanding people and outstanding people" in Yuan Yao's parallel prose, Yuzhang County must be the next one!
Over time, these four words will inevitably become an idiom, an idiom allusion specifically describing Yuzhang County!
And it will definitely be copied and used everywhere to boast, but by that time, these four words, because of this parallel prose, will be firmly connected with my Yuzhang County.
As long as you think of outstanding people, you will think of Yuzhang County!
The scholar in Yuzhang was filial and honest, so why did he not change his reputation and make a comeback?
Elder Yu said excitedly: "General Yuan, although this paragraph of parallel prose is excellent, it seems to be just the beginning. Is there any sequel?"
Yuan Yao thought hard, and he had memorized the rest of "Preface to Prince Teng's Pavilion" by heart since he was in high school.
However, there are many allusions in the whole text that have not happened yet, so Yuan Yao had to do his best to make them up now.
"Of course it will follow!"
"Bring me the wine!"
Chen Li directly picked up the wine cup on Yuan Yao's desk and poured out all the wine in the cup.
"Bring me the jar of fine wine from my cellar! Give it to General Yuan!"
While the Chen family's servants were moving the wine jars, Yuan Yao was also drafting.
Hey, I didn’t expect that to deceive these people, just the beginning is not enough!
Everyone present held their breath and concentrated, not daring to disturb Yuan Yao at all.
The wine cup was full, Yuan Yao took a sip and walked into the hall holding the wine cup.
After walking six steps, Yuan Yao raised his wine cup and bowed to everyone:
"Xiongzhou is full of mist, and the stars are galloping. The king of Taiwan rests at the intersection of Yi and Xia, and the guest and host enjoy the beauty of the southeast."
This sentence continues the above sentence and still praises Yuzhang's outstanding people. He just praised Nanchang City and the guests present again.
Almost none of the natives present had ever been out of Yuzhang County and had never seen the world. The largest city they had ever seen in their lives was Nanchang City at their feet.
Therefore, Yuan Yao praised Nanchang City as "Xiongzhou", and these people did not hear anything wrong.
And the last sentence was to praise everyone present, it can be said that they have gathered all the talents from the southeast.
There is also Jiangdong in the southeast. The voice-over of this sentence naturally means that both the host and the guests present are better than those bumpkin in Jiangdong!
It also satisfies everyone's vanity to the greatest extent.
"The Duke of Zhuge's noble wishes, the halberd is coming far away; the Yifan of Changshui Xinzhou, the curtain is temporarily stationed. The ten-day vacation brings a cloud of distinguished friends; the welcome from thousands of miles away, the house is full of distinguished friends. Soaring dragons and rising phoenixes, Yuan Langguan's poetry "Purple lightning and green frost are the arsenal of General Liu. The king of the family is the butler, and his way is famous. How could a boy know that he will be rewarded with victory?"
In this section, Yuan Yao replaced Zhuge Xuan, Yuan Shu, himself and Liu Pan to make up the number.
