Liu Zhang blurted out this series of questions, which caught Zhuge Liang off guard.
Since the meeting, the two men have talked about nothing related to the exchange of prisoners.
This undoubtedly seriously disrupted the rhythm that Zhuge Liang had planned in advance.
Even Liu Zhang suddenly mentioned the past more than ten years ago and suddenly recruited him personally, which made Zhuge Liang a little panicked.
"Mr. Qin, Liang is here to..."
"Kong Ming, listen to me first."
Liu Zhang interrupted directly without giving Zhuge Liang a chance to speak.
"As the saying goes, good birds choose trees to roost in, and wise ministers choose their masters to serve!"
"Since you are a top wise man, why do you do such meaningless things?"
"For example, Xun Yu and Guo Jia of Yingchuan abandoned Yuan Shao when he was most proud, and instead went to Cao Cao, who was extremely depressed."
"Without the help of these two people, how could Cao Cao contend with Yuan Shao?"
Zhuge Liang once sat in Longzhong and discussed the world, so he naturally understood Xun Yu and Guo Jia mentioned by Liu Zhang very well.
Xun Yu helped Cao Cao allocate grain and grass and secure his position in the rear.
Guo Jia followed Cao Cao to conquer the north and south, and brought peace to the world!
The names of Xun Yu and Guo Jia have long been known to everyone.
These two people are undoubtedly the biggest contributors to Cao Cao's achievements today.
"What Mr. Qin said is very true. It reminds Liang of Jia Xu and Xun You under Mr. Qin!"
"I wonder what Mr. Qin thinks about Jia Xu and Xun You compared to Xun Yu and Guo Jia?"
Zhuge Liang raised a rhetorical question at the right time, forcibly taking back a trace of the initiative in the verbal battle.
He also wanted to take this opportunity to slightly attack Liu Zhang's arrogance.
"How does Kong Ming think Cao Cao compares to Gu?"
Liu Zhang did not answer and threw the question back to Zhuge Liang again.
Zhuge Liang thought for a moment and then answered Liu Zhang.
"Qin Gong is a descendant of the great ancestor and a clan member of the Han Dynasty. Like Liu Shijun, he probably takes it as his own duty to help the Han Dynasty."
"Cao Cao is just an eunuch and a huge thief of the country. How can he be compared with the Duke of Qin?"
Zhuge Liang's answer did not surprise Liu Zhang.
Just like history, Zhuge Liang still hates Cao Cao extremely.
It is very likely that Cao Cao once massacred Xuzhou.
"Then what does Kong Ming think of the isolated Qin State compared to the prefectures and counties controlled by Cao Cao?"
"Although Duke Qin only has three states under his command, he is superior to the four states in the Central Plains occupied by Cao Cao in terms of troops, population, defense, and strategic depth!"
Zhuge Liang didn't have time to think about the purpose of comparing Liu Zhang and Cao Cao, so he could only say everything in nice words.
After all, no one can resist a sycophant.
Furthermore, Zhuge Liang thought that what he said did not deviate too far from the status quo.
At present, Liu Zhang's strength is obviously stronger than Cao Cao.
Liu Zhang smiled. Although he was happy, he did not become proud of the praise.
"Kong Ming, to be honest, Gu still admires Cao Mengde."
"If we look at personal ability alone, Gu cannot compare to Cao Cao, but why does he achieve higher achievements than Cao Cao?"
"There is only one reason. The civil servants and generals under Gu's command must be better!"
"Do you understand it?"
When Zhuge Liang heard this, he suddenly realized that this was what Liu Zhang meant.
Belittle yourself and give all the credit to your subordinates!
This also indirectly answers Zhuge Liang's question.
Jia Xu and Xun You are more capable than Xun Yu and Guo Jia!
"Qin Gong is worthy of being the Lord of the Ming Dynasty, and Rang Liang admires him greatly!"
After just a moment of communication, Zhuge Liang was already attracted to Liu Zhang.
Perhaps once again, he might really have to reconsider his future.
Unexpectedly, Liu Zhang shook his head, showing a disappointed look.
"This is not enough. At least the rebellion has not been eliminated and the Han Dynasty has not been revived!"
"Kong Ming, do you know why?"
Zhuge Liang also shook his head with a heavy expression.
"Please give me Duke Qin's advice!"
Suddenly, Liu Zhang reached out and put his hand on Zhuge Liang's shoulder.
Then he showed an expression of extreme expectation.
"Because of the lack of help from intelligent people like you, the revival of the Han Dynasty has temporarily stopped at Yizhou and Guanzhong!"
Zhuge Liang was shocked. He didn't expect Liu Zhang to offer solicitation again!
"Qin Gong, Liang..."
Liu Zhang once again put out his hand in front of Zhuge Liang, not giving him a chance to refuse.
"Kong Ming, this is the third time I've said it!"
"A good bird chooses a tree to roost in, and a wise minister chooses his master to serve! People will not despise the wrong decision of abandoning the dross and choosing the essence again!"
"On the contrary, you will be judged by history if you persist in your stubbornness and help others commit evil!"
"Liu Bei is a hypocrite and a villain! He is a great thief of the Han Dynasty and has long been determined to be independent!"
"And you are the queen of Zhongliang, the top talent in the world!"
"Your talent is by no means within ten thousand miles. Why let yourself fall into the mud by mistake and be trapped in a small Jingzhou?"
Zhuge Liang's mood was extremely complicated. He actually found a sense of identity with Liu Zhang that he had never experienced before.
Especially when I think of Liu Bei's recent change in attitude, Guan Yu's ruthlessness and unscrupulous beatings against him, I feel even more emotional.
Maybe Liu Bei was also the right destination, but that was only before he met Liu Zhang.
Unfortunately, it's too late!
The education Zhuge Liang received completely made it impossible for him to accept any behavior that betrayed his master.
"Thank you very much Liang for your attention, Duke Qin, but you can only live up to Duke Qin's expectations..."
"Loyalty is the foundation of one's life. Even if one dies, one cannot abandon Lord Liu!"
Liu Zhang felt greatly disappointed. Only when he saw the recognition in Zhuge Liang's eyes did he think he could directly instigate rebellion!
It seems that Zhuge Liang's will was underestimated after all!
After all, he was the one who said that he would die after dedicating himself to his whole life.
However, Liu Zhang was not discouraged and once again persuaded him from another angle.
"Kong Ming, you are a talented person with great talent, and naturally you have great ambitions in your heart!"
"But can Liu Bei let you realize your ideal?"
“It should be noted that the capital is small, and the income that can be created is even more limited!”
"Even if you integrate all the resources in Jingzhou, you will only have a population of more than two million, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, and millions of stones, grain and grass!"
"Not to mention unifying the world, even Sun Quan can't take it!"
"But the lonely Qin State has a population of tens of millions, nearly a million soldiers and horses, and countless money and food!"
“Don’t you want a platform like this?”
Zhuge Liang froze on the spot, and the swaying feather fan stopped immediately.
This temptation is huge!
Especially for talents with great ideals and ambitions, this is an opportunity to make their name in history and become famous!
In fact, what surprised Zhuge Liang even more was Liu Zhang's persistence and attention to him.
I thought that today's Duke Qin was already lofty and looked down on his younger self.
Unexpectedly, it was Zhuge Liang himself who was so naive!
From beginning to end, perhaps the only person who looked down upon Zhuge Liang was Zhuge Liang himself.
