Early the next morning, on the bank of Chaisang River.
Brothers Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang are saying goodbye.
Zhuge Liang was confused: "Brother, you just arrived yesterday, why are you leaving today?"
"And why didn't you let me tell General Yuan that you were leaving?"
At this time, Zhuge Jin seemed to be a completely different person compared to yesterday.
Yesterday I was a handsome young student.
Today, he looks mature and steady.
"Second brother, it's not that I don't want to spend a few more days with you, it's just..."
"The position of county magistrate in Poyang has been vacant for a long time, and those powerful clans are ready to make a move."
"Brother, I have high hopes from my young master, so I should share my worries with you as soon as possible!"
Zhuge Jin's eyes were firm, and he seemed to understand overnight what "a heavy responsibility" meant.
"If I tell the young master that I am leaving, the young master will hold a banquet for me to say goodbye. But now that I have not made any achievements, how can I afford it?"
Zhuge Liang's eyes were as wide as copper bells: "You want to go to Poyang... to be the county magistrate?"
"I thought you were going to..."
As if he guessed what his brother was going to say, Zhuge Jin hurriedly kept silent.
"Second brother, don't talk nonsense!"
"The young master has the appearance of a heroic master. Maybe you haven't discovered this yet... But in troubled times, it is truly a blessing in life to meet such a wise master!"
Zhuge Liang asked in confusion: "What about the clan motto?"
Zhuge Jin shook his head: "The clan motto is correct, but I am not wrong either."
Zhuge Liang was stunned: "Brother, if you are right, wouldn't it be me who was wrong?"
"On a first-come, first-served basis, I came first. I was appointed by General Yuan before you..."
"Even if Yuan Yao is the Ming Lord, but according to the family motto of 'dividing things into troubled times', he should be my Ming Lord, not yours!"
"You should choose another Ming master!"
Zhuge Liang wanted to continue talking, but Zhuge Jin had already jumped on the boat and directly urged the boatman to leave the shore.
"Second brother, what are you talking about? The wind and waves are so strong that I can't hear you clearly!"
"If anything happens, write to me!"
"Come to Poyang to play with me when you have time!"
Not long after, Zhuge Jin took a boat away, leaving only Zhuge Liang alone and messy in the wind.
Since you are in the first grade of junior high school, don’t blame me for being in the fifteenth grade!
Zhuge Liang gritted his teeth and decided to take up the post of "strategist offering wine" appointed by Yuan Yao immediately after returning.
Let’s see who takes office first!
…
Yuan Yao stayed in Chaisang for nearly a month.
First, we dealt with Liu Yao, Xu Shao and others who had never had time to deal with them.
One of these two people was a genuine Yangzhou pastor appointed by the imperial court, and the other was the first critic in the late Han Dynasty. Their influence was extraordinary.
Whether he is killed or imprisoned will cause major repercussions in public opinion across the world.
So Yuan Yao decided to let these two people go directly.
In this way, people in the world will not give me a bad name for harming Han clan members and insulting celebrities.
As soon as Yuan Yao's decision came out, it was immediately highly praised by Lu Su, He Kui, Zheng Hun and others.
In particular, He Kui and Zheng Hun had written several memorials before, asking Yuan Yao to forgive Liu Yao and Xu Shao for their mistakes.
Even many county magistrates and county magistrates under Yuan Yao's rule had submitted many letters of plea before, but these people did not dare to ask Yuan Yao to release Liu Yao. They all wrote letters hoping that Yuan Yao could release Xu Shao.
This is easy to understand. Liu Yao, as the mortal enemy of Yuan Shu, Yuan Yao and his son in Yangzhou, is now a prisoner, but he still has huge appeal in Yangzhou.
For example, Taishi Ci, who now occupies Jing County and proclaims himself the governor of Danyang, still swears allegiance to Liu Yao.
Releasing Liu Yao was tantamount to leaving behind a disaster.
Therefore, most people have no hope at all for Yuan Yao to release Liu Yao.
Many people are even secretly discussing when Yuan Yao chopped off Liu Yao's head.
Should he attack immediately after repelling the Jingzhou army, or should he wait until Yuan Shu's order arrives before attacking.
But Xu Shao's situation is different from Liu Yao's.
Although Xu Shao was Liu Yao's military advisor, he also participated in the conspiracy between Liu Yao and Liu Biao. But strictly speaking, Xu Shao was just Liu Yao's guest.
In addition, Xu Shao had a special status and prominent reputation in the hearts of scholars all over the world, so Yuan Yao had no need to kill Xu Shao.
Killing him would only provoke criticism and abuse from the scholars, but letting him go would not pose a threat to his rule.
In this case, it is better to make a show and write a letter to plead for Xu Shao. It will not only help Yuan Yao to release Xu Shao to a higher level, but also earn himself a reputation as a rescuer.
Why not?
After Yuan Yao read a few letters like this, he was disgusted and couldn't stand it anymore.
It’s just a bunch of people who just ask for their names to buy their straightness!
After releasing Liu Yao and Xu Shao, Yuan Yao didn't even read the letters sent by Lu Su, He Kui and others.
You don't need to think about it to know that these people are either bragging about their benevolence or their kingly style.
But who knows that the reason why I released them so happily was because I knew that both of them were dying soon?
Two people who were seriously ill and about to die were released as soon as they were released.
Yuan Yao arranged for Liu Yao to be sent to Liu Biao's residence in Xiangyang, Jingzhou on a boat.
After hearing about this, the new military advisor Zhuge Liang hurriedly came to persuade him.
"Young General, Liu Yao is a mediocre person. He can be harmless if he is left alone, but he must not be left to Liu Biao's side!"
"Now that Liu Biao has the intention to annex Yuzhang, and the young general is his enemy, aren't you afraid that Liu Biao will use Liu Yao's name as Yangzhou Shepherd and justifiably send troops to attack?"
"Even if the major general is wise and powerful, this action will also damage morale!"
It was rare to be able to act cool in front of Zhuge Liang, so Yuan Yao decided to act cool.
So without raising his head, he threw a seal to Zhuge Liang.
"With this seal, you can board the ship to see Liu Yao one last time."
"When you see him, you will know why I spared his life."
Zhuge Liang picked up the seal, his face a little angry.
However, when he came back, his face was full of shame.
"Did the young general know that Liu Yao was seriously ill?"
Yuan Yao was reviewing the report and still said without raising his head: "Yes."
"I knew the first time I looked at him that he wouldn't survive next year."
"I can't bear the crime of harming Han clan members, so I can't kill him."
"But if he dies here, whether he died of illness or how he died, it will have nothing to do with me."
"Instead of causing shame all over, it is better to give it to Liu Biao. I guess Liu Biao can give him a grand burial for the sake of being a member of the Han clan."
Zhuge Liang couldn't help but nod, obviously he believed deeply in Yuan Yao's words.
"But how can the general conclude that Liu Yao will not survive next year?"
"Liu Yao is only in his mid-forties and is still in his prime. Maybe he can survive this time..."
Yuan Yao raised his head and met Zhuge Liang's eyes.
"Yes or no, let's see!"
…
Three months after Liu Yao arrived in Xiangyang, he fell seriously ill and passed away.
When the news reached Yuan Yao, Zhuge Liang was shocked: "The young master can decide between life and death, he is truly a god!"
"I must study medicine carefully so that I can keep up with it!"
Of course, this is something for later, so I won’t mention it for now.
