It was not until the seventh day that Yuan Yao led his army to Nanchang that Zhuge Xuan, the prefect of Yuzhang, came out of the city to greet him.
When the two met, Zhuge Xuan was very enthusiastic. He arranged for people to reward the army, and treated himself as an uncle, pulling Yuan Yao to talk about the friendship between the two families.
Zhuge Xuan also took the initiative to explain to Yuan Yao that he was unable to go out in time to meet him because he was infected with a small epidemic a few days ago.
Yuan Yao just laughed it off and didn't want to argue too much with Zhuge Xuan.
After waiting for Zhuge Xuan for a long time, Yuan Yao finally waited until Zhuge Xuan took the initiative to talk about organizing a feast for him.
The location was naturally Zhuge Xuan's prefect's mansion, but the time was three days later.
After Zhuge Xuan led the people away, Lu Dai came up.
"Young Master, I'm afraid that Zhuge Xuan is just showing off to you. He doesn't seem to be sincerely entertaining us. Young Master, please be careful."
Yuan Yao glanced at Lu Dai and smiled:
"Don't worry, I know what's going on."
"He just thought he was hugging Liu Biao's big tree."
Lu Dai took another look at the carts of wine and meat brought by Zhuge Xuan and said dissatisfied:
"Do you want to throw away these sour wines? Do you want to bury those stinky meats?"
Yuan Yao also looked at the "things to reward the troops" brought by Zhuge Xuan, frowned and said:
"No matter how sour the wine is, it won't be bad. Just give it to the people around you."
"As for the rotten meat that only attracts flies and is given to beggars on the roadside for free, I am afraid that others will die of diarrhea."
"Bury them all! Let the cook cook again and use our own wine and meat."
"Command the entire army to have an extra meal today!"
Lu Dai was overjoyed, cupped his hands and said: "No!"
Yuan Jun's current military rations are all transported by water from Shangliao City.
Xiushui flows into Penglize, so Yuan Jun usually transports grain to Penglize in small boats. Then Zheng Bao's naval warships sailed up the Gan River and transported them to the Yuan Army camp in the north of Nanchang City, which is surrounded by mountains and rivers.
Transporting grain by ship is much cheaper and faster than transporting grain by manpower, cart and horse.
Yuan Jun almost didn't even need to hire civilian laborers to carry the load and drive the carts. He only needed to load the grain onto the ship. Without resting on the ship, Yuan Jun could transport ten thousand stones of grain to Nanchang in a few days.
Occasionally, He Kui would have people pull live sheep and pigs onto the ship, transport them to Nanchang, and then slaughter them on the spot.
Therefore, Yuan Jun is living a very comfortable life now. He can have a meal of broth every few days and sip two sips of wine.
"There is one more thing that you should do starting tomorrow."
Yuan Yao stopped Lu Dai who was about to retreat.
"We still have few soldiers now. Including Shangxiao's 1,000 new soldiers, we are only 3,000 horse infantry."
"Even if Zheng Bao's 2,000 navy troops are included, there are only 5,000 men. It is almost as many as Liu Pan's Jingzhou army."
"Tomorrow you will use my name to recruit soldiers in and outside Nanchang City. Recruitment offices will be set up in all the villages and towns around here."
"Publish the word that the conditions and treatment for recruiting soldiers will be favorable, and those who pass the test will be given thirty bushels of grain to feed their families."
Lu Dai was a little surprised and thought that the standard of Anjia Liang was a bit high.
According to the standards of a family of four, saving thirty bushels of grain is enough to feed the whole family for a year.
In this era of recruiting soldiers, there is basically no such thing as food for the family. Most of those who apply are just so they can have a good meal. Then the family can get some tax relief, so the whole family will be better off.
However, after Yuan Yao took over Shangliao, he proposed the idea of "anjia grain" and paid the standard of ten dendrobes per person from the beginning.
This is one of the reasons why Yuan Yao recruited more than a thousand young people in more than half a month.
Now this standard has been tripled.
Lu Dai's lips moved, but in the end he did not speak to dissuade him.
He abides by his duties, and as a highly regarded general under Yuan Yao, Lu Dai also knows that although Yuan Yao comes from a famous family, he never spends extravagantly, but is very calculating.
Therefore, Lu Dai believes that Yuan Yao must have his reasons for doing this.
"promise!"
Yuan Yao was a little surprised by Lu Dai's response, but it was good to have Lu Dai as a subordinate who didn't ask too many questions, and it saved him the need to explain himself.
"Since the Anjia food standard has been tripled, the requirements for recruiting soldiers this time will also be increased accordingly. You must do this well."
"The soldiers recruited must be physically strong and clean, and the younger the better!"
Yuan Yao explained.
His food did not come in vain. The real purpose of recruiting soldiers with food this time was not actually to recruit soldiers.
"Promise! The general will strictly control the soldiers recruited and they will live up to the expectations of the young master."
Lu Dai nodded in agreement.
"Well, this general believes in Duke Ding!"
Yuan Yao patted Lu Dai on the shoulder and asked Lu Dai to go down.
Looking at the sky, the sun has completely risen and the weather is getting hotter.
Yuan Yao shook his head and said to himself: "Oh, I just finished my morning training, and I was interrupted by Zhuge Xuan before I could practice sword practice."
"Let's change today's morning training to morning training in the tent, and practice swordsmanship and archery in the evening."
After saying that, Yuan Yao turned back to his tent.
…
Three days passed quickly, and Yuan Yao arrived at the banquet on time.
Yuan Yao still took Huang Yi with him and entered the city under the escort of a hundred horsemen.
When I arrived at the place, I found that there were many more armored soldiers in the prefect's mansion than my own followers.
Huang Yi sneaked up to Yuan Yao's ear and said warily:
"There are many Jingzhou Army generals here, do we still want to go in?"
Yuan Yao glanced around and his expression became serious.
"are you sure?"
Huang Yi whispered: "I have been in Jingzhou Military Camp almost every day for the past ten days. Can I not distinguish the color of their armor? Can't I hear their accent?"
"Then we have to go in. Even if it's the Hongmen Banquet, Zhuge Xuan and Liu Pan can't do anything to me."
"And these Jingzhou soldiers don't avoid people at all, and they don't necessarily target us."
Yuan Yao calmly analyzed the situation, but in order to avoid a tragedy like He Jin's happening, he still ordered:
"Send someone to inform Lu Dai and ask him to be on the lookout for any changes in the city or the Jingzhou army."
"Twenty soldiers are ordered to follow me into the mansion. Don't touch your chopsticks after entering. Be on guard at all times."
"Those people who stay outside, let them be careful and watch the door!"
Huang Yi responded and immediately made arrangements. Yuan Yao deliberately rubbed off his boots and put them on slowly.
Entering the mansion, Zhuge Xuan and his wife immediately greeted them.
"I've met Mr. Zhuge Mansion."
"I've seen General Yangwei."
Yuan Yao and Zhuge Xuan bowed to each other.
"This concubine has seen the general showing off his power."
Mrs. Zhuge also bowed.
"You are Huang Yi, right? Do you remember your aunt?"
When Mrs. Zhuge saw Huang Yi, she immediately looked him up and down.
Huang Yi looked at the beautiful Mrs. Zhuge and said suspiciously: "How did you know that I am Huang Yi and you are?"
Mrs. Zhuge covered her mouth and chuckled: "Have you forgotten, Yi'er?"
"When you were a child, your parents took you to Xiangyang to seek medical treatment. You even dropped by my house in Yi County. At that time, my eldest brothers and sisters also introduced you to several famous doctors who diagnosed and treated you..."
Mrs. Zhuge was about to continue talking, but Huang Yi reacted immediately and screamed strangely, interrupting Mrs. Zhuge's next words.
"Little aunt, please don't tell me about that matter!" Huang Yi quickly made a silencing gesture, almost pleading with his eyes.
At this time, Huang Yi had already remembered that this Mrs. Zhuge turned out to be a distant aunt of his.
The Nanyang Huang family, and later the Jiangxia Huang family, were actually branches of the Huang family in Enxian County.
The founder of the Huang family in Enxian County, Huang Jizhong, was a powerful general under Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, and made great contributions in quelling the Yingbo rebellion. Therefore, he was granted the title of Marquis with a different surname - Marquis of Yin, and Yin County was granted the title of feudal state.
The Marquis of Yin passed down to the fourth generation, and was exterminated due to crimes. Later, he was transferred to the imperial edict to restore his family, and continued to flourish and develop in Yin County.
By the time of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Huang family in Yi County had transformed from a noble family into a wealthy noble family, and had produced many high-ranking officials.
Yuan Yao glanced at Huang Yi and said disapprovingly: Isn't it just that he has jock itch and eczema? Is there anything that can't be said?
After thinking about it, Yuan Yao also discovered something was wrong. Although jock itch and eczema are serious diseases, there is no need to seek medical treatment everywhere.
It seems that I was deceived by this guy and that old man Zhang Ji!
Mrs. Zhuge also reacted. It was not easy to reveal the eldest nephew's background in front of everyone.
"Yi'er, let's break the bones and connect the meat, but we are all named Huang. Yin County is your family, and you and I are all one family."
"My aunt has been away from home for several years, and today I finally meet a relative..." Mrs. Zhuge said, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes.
This scene also made everyone moved, and for a moment they couldn't help but think of their relatives far away.
"I heard, Yi'er, that you became the Yuan family's son-in-law, and now you are General Yuan's brother-in-law."
"In that case, husband, you and General Yuan don't have to be so formal. We are all relatives!"
Mrs. Zhuge wiped away her tears and pulled Huang Yi and Yuan Yao in by their arms with red eyes.
As thick-skinned as Huang Yi, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at this time.
This distant little aunt can really pull off anything.
Although our two families both have the surname Huang, we have been separated for not even 200 years, but 180 years, so we can still be one family.
He can also describe Yuan Yao, an outsider who cannot be beaten with a big stick, as a relative.
I was convinced too.
However, Huang Yi then thought about it. In this world, intermarriage between aristocratic families is very frequent. Maybe the Huang family in Yi County is really related to the Yuan family in Runan.
This distant little aunt is just borrowing her chance to get close to her.
Mrs. Zhuge shed tears again and said nice words through sobs. This scene almost made Yuan Yao believe it.
At this time, he also had to admire Mrs. Zhuge. If her acting skills were put on the big screen in later generations, she would have no problem winning a supporting actress Oscar!
No matter how distant relatives are, they are still relatives.
After Mrs. Zhuge's appearance, Yuan Yao and Zhuge Xuan were no longer as cautious as before.
The two of them walked together, really like a pair of uncles and nephews reminiscing about the past.
After walking a few steps, Yuan Yao's eyes were suddenly attracted by a young man next to Zhuge Xuan.
Although this young man's face is a little childish, he is already seven feet tall. There is a sense of prosperity between his brows, and his appearance is quite extraordinary.
Yuan Yao walked straight towards the young man, swallowed secretly, pretended to be calm and asked:
"Are you Zhuge Liang?"
Although the young Zhuge Liang is seven feet tall, he still looks a bit thin in front of the seven-foot-eight-inch Yuan Yao, who is fully clothed in armor.
Zhuge Liang bowed slightly and said respectfully, "I am Zhuge Liang."
After receiving the affirmative answer, Yuan Yao's mind was like an earthquake with a magnitude of 18. Although he had been prepared for it, when his idol appeared in front of him, he was still so excited that he couldn't control himself.
"I have heard about the general's literary and military tactics for a long time. I am so lucky to see him today!"
Zhuge Liang was neither humble nor arrogant, and faced Yuan Yao with a smile.
Literary and military strategy?
Yuan Yao's first reaction was that Zhuge Liang was talking politely to him.
But a few seconds later, Yuan Yao suddenly remembered the beggar's version of "The Preface to Prince Teng's Pavilion" that he plagiarized and adapted a few days ago.
Yuan Yao felt quite guilty and said with an embarrassed smile: "What about literary skills and martial arts, it's just the ridiculous praise that the world gives me."
"I still have many shortcomings and shortcomings... Well... I still hope to be supported by an unparalleled talent in the future."
Yuan Yao thought to himself, "Tao Wu Lue", you will be a model for ancient society in the next two thousand years, you are TOP!
As a time-travelling party member, even if I open my eyes, I still wouldn’t dare to be too arrogant in front of Mr. Wolong, who is so wise that he is almost a monster!
Zhuge Liang was also staring closely at Yuan Yao's face at this time, capturing any subtle expression that he thought was wrong.
But what surprised him was that Yuan Yao's self-effacing words were not false. Although the expression is strange, it is by no means false.
I couldn't see through this person's appearance for a moment.
Zhuge Liang suddenly came up with a plan and deliberately smiled and said: "I heard that the general wrote the "Yu Zhang Fu" in six steps a few days ago, and wrote it in seven cups of wine. Is this true?"
At this time, Yuan Yao couldn't help but feel a little flustered, thinking that Zhuge Liang had seen through at a glance that he had plagiarized other people's works.
But then I thought about it, if it is to be considered plagiarism, there must be evidence. The evidence of plagiarizing "Preface to Prince Teng's Pavilion" has not yet been born!
But at this moment, his mind was in chaos, like a primary school student who was caught by the class teacher plagiarizing an essay. He said uneasily:
"Yes and no!"
"Liang'er, how can you speak to General Yuan like this in a questioning tone!"
Zhuge Xuan was even more flustered than Yuan Yao at this moment. His nephew, who was usually mature and prudent, why was he so ridiculous and presumptuous today!
"It's okay!" Yuan Yao waved his hand to stop Zhuge Xuan who was still talking, and uttered the word "It's okay" repeatedly.
It seemed that he didn't want others to disturb the conversation between him and Zhuge Liang.
“I had this article in mind for a long time, I just took advantage of the time to write it!”
Yuan Yao's words are 100% true. He has memorized "Preface to Prince Teng's Pavilion" by heart since high school, so it can be said that he has "already had it in his mind".
The so-called "taking advantage of the moment" also meant that I thought it was a good opportunity to make a big splash at that time, so I recited it along with the situation.
But this sentence didn't mean anything like this to Zhuge Liang.
Looking at Yuan Yao's serious expression, Zhuge Liang, who is good at reading people's faces, was also very convinced that Yuan Yao's words were 100% true.
"So, the general is not talented at speaking in written form, nor can he write it down in six steps?"
Zhuge Liang looked directly into Yuan Yao's eyes, as if he wanted to pull out any wrong emotions in Yuan Yao's eyes.
Zhuge Xuan was shocked when he heard this. Zhuge Liang was playing with fire with these words.
If something goes wrong, Yuan Yao may turn against the person on the spot!
"Liang'er, how can you... be so presumptuous..."
Zhuge Xuan was about to speak, but suddenly he felt a chill in his head. When he turned his head, he realized that Yuan Yao was staring at him, so he swallowed the rest of his words.
Yuan Yao's cold eyes seemed to warn him that if he dared to interrupt again, it would be Zhuge Xuan who was so presumptuous.
At this time, Zhuge Liang turned a deaf ear to Zhuge Xuan's warning. He looked directly into Yuan Yao's eyes and asked:
"And General Yuan already had a draft of "Yu Zhang Fu", but he just had an idea for a while and was inspired to write it?"
Zhuge Liang, however, took Yuan Yao's explanation as saying that Yuan Yao was just using a masterpiece that he had prepared for a long time to amaze everyone with his skills.
Yuan Yao smiled secretly in his heart, this is what you think, I didn't say that.
