My younger brother Lü Fengxian

Chapter 245 Winning People’s Hearts
On the official road from Luoyang to Hebei.

Lu Yi and his group were on their way back to Bingzhou.

They came with ambition and wealth.

On the return journey, I brought back the rights as I wished.

Although there were some twists and turns, Lu Yi's idea was finally realized.

Therefore, Lu Yi was quite satisfied with this trip to Luoyang.

and……

Lu Yi glanced inconspicuously at Chen Gong, who was sitting in an empty carriage beside him with an expression of disbelief still on his face, and he couldn't help but feel even more proud.

He originally wanted to go to Chen Gong's hometown and spend some effort and time to search for him.

Then he would go through the process of reasoning, appealing to his emotions, enticing him with benefits, and trick Chen Gong, who was now just a commoner, into getting on his chariot.

But unexpectedly, before he even left the city gate of Luoyang, he met his target who came to Luoyang to seek an official position.

Historically, after young Cao Cao was entrusted by Wang Yun to present the Seven Treasures Sword, which was treasured in his family, to Dong Zhuo, he was worried about Dong Zhuo's repayment, so he hid his achievements and fame and wanted to return to his hometown to avoid him.

But what he didn't expect was that Dong Zhuo was the kind of person who would repay even a drop of kindness with a spring of gratitude.

After being appointed as prime minister by Emperor Xian, he issued an announcement to the world, ordering officials at all levels of the Han government to find their benefactor Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was discovered by Chen Gong in Zhongmou County in a panic and was invited to Longchang to attain enlightenment for a day.

With this enlightenment, Cao Cao seemed to have been enlightened. He experienced the truth, goodness and beauty of the world and began to walk towards a life of counterattack and success.

Seeing this, the ungrateful Chen Gong not only failed to express Dong Zhuo's gratitude, but instead admired Cao Cao very much, so he decided to follow him.

Cao Cao was once discovered by the bailiffs of Zhongmou County and brought back to the county government office. He also wanted to establish a relationship with Huangfu Song, but was seen through by Chen Gong.

What Cao Cao didn't expect was that Chen Gong had some connection with him.

It turned out that when Chen Gong was young, he went to Luoyang to seek an official position. He went to Cao Cao's door but didn't even see him, so Cao Cao hated him.

During this meeting, the enemy came right before his eyes. As long as he handed over Cao Cao, dead or alive, Dong Zhuo would reward him with a thousand gold coins and make him a marquis.

However, Chen Gong, who was well aware of the righteousness of the matter, was unwilling to do so. Not only did he release Cao Cao privately, he also risked his life to escort him back to his hometown.

However, when Cao Cao repaid Lü Bushe's kindness with enmity and killed his entire family, Chen Gong's belief in justice collapsed, and he severed his ties with Cao Cao, and they went their separate ways.

From then on, Chen Gong regarded Cao Cao as his lifelong enemy, and his only goal for the rest of his life was to cause trouble for Cao Cao and make him unhappy.

So, no matter who you bully, you can always bully honest people, otherwise, after they turn evil, they can do anything.

Although Lu Yi knew this story, he didn't know the specific date.

I didn't expect to run into Chen Gong directly. It was a rare good luck.

It would be fine if I couldn't meet him, but now that I have met him, how can I let this second-rate top counselor get away?
Ignoring Chen Gong's confused face, Lu Yi invited him back to the small courtyard that he had not yet vacated, without giving him any time to explain.

After a heated exchange of words, Lu Yi played to Chen Gong's wishes and successfully used the last cash he had to donate a county magistrate position to Chen Gong. He successfully touched his uneasy and lonely heart and tricked him into his chariot.

And this county magistrate is naturally Pingcheng, which is under the jurisdiction of Lu Yi. Lu Yi is not so stupid as to spend money to send this talented person to another place and let others get the advantage.

However, it is easy to get on this chariot, but it is difficult to get off.

And Lu Yi was not a treacherous hero like Cao Cao who was more loyal than Lu Bu.

He was able to kill his old friend Lu Bushe and his family who had warmly entertained him.

This is how the honest man Chen Gong was forced to rebel.

Besides, one still has to be considerate of the way and method when doing things. Even if one really wants to kill him, can't one send Chen Gong away first and then kill him secretly?
"Jiuyuan is located in a remote area and the journey is long. I wonder if this carriage is comfortable for Gongtai to sit in?"

Lu Yi slowed down his horse and rode side by side with Chen Gong, then asked with a smile.

"The county governor has been very considerate along the way. Thanks to your care, I am very comfortable sitting in this carriage..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Gong subconsciously touched his butt, which was the thick cloth pad specially prepared by Lu Yi, and couldn't help feeling a little warm in his heart.

He came from a poor family and had been studying and farming at the same time, trying his best to make ends meet.

However, after the Xianbei invaded Hebei.

Not only Hebei suffered a catastrophe, but other states and counties of the Han Dynasty also had to draw troops and money to support the war in Hebei because of the invasion of the Xianbei people.

Chen Gong, who was originally only able to hold on, was suddenly knocked to the bottom by the ruthless reality.

Not only were all the surplus food and money that the family had painstakingly saved up drained away, but they also incurred a lot of debt because of their mother's illness.

So, after waiting for his mother's condition to improve a little, he harvested some grain after the autumn harvest to exchange for some money, and then prepared to go to Luoyang to look for some opportunities to change his life.

But reality is always so cruel and ruthless.

At least this has always been the case for the powerless Chen Gong.

Paper is in great demand in Luoyang. Although the area is hundreds of miles, there is no place for poor scholars to survive.

Chen Gong did not bring much money with him to begin with, and he spent most of it in a few days. However, he had no way to seek an official position.

After being repeatedly turned away, he finally found out that Cao Cao seemed to be somewhat different from the powerful people in Luoyang. He wanted to meet him, but was bribed by his servants.

It was not that Chen Gong did not know the rules, but he was short of money and had no money to bribe those servants, so he was kicked out of the door by those servants who did not know the importance of a great man and was also ridiculed.

Although Chen Gong was poor, he always regarded himself as a scholar and was respected by his neighbors in the countryside because of his talent and knowledge. He had never suffered such an insult.

The frustration he had suffered in Luoyang for a few days and the humiliation he suffered now were about to overwhelm Chen Gong's sanity. Just before this honest man was about to turn evil, Lu Yi appeared!
Not only did Lu Yi promptly give the successful renewal balance to Chen Gong, whose sense of respect had already fallen below the warning value, he also generously recharged Chen Gong's heroic spirit.

It helped him to raise the donation money that his family could not save in ten lifetimes, thus realizing his current ultimate dream in life of becoming successful.

Although the county magistrate is only an assistant official to the county magistrate and the county head, he is the lowest level official.

Pingcheng is the poorest, most desolate, most remote and least promotion-oriented county in the country, without a doubt.

However, even so, Chen Gong was grateful to Lu Yi.

Because in this way, he would have a place to stand and a foundation to establish himself.

The family's land had long been mortgaged to the creditor because of unpaid debts, and the old mother had just recovered from an illness and was still asking for money to buy meat to nourish her body.

With this position as county magistrate, he could use his salary to pay off his debts and support his mother. Lu Yi's help was timely and great.

Therefore, although they had only been together for a few short days, Chen Gong frequently felt certain and fortunate in his heart.

I was so grateful to Lu Yi that I was willing to go through fire and water for him!
However, Lu Yi seemed to be possessed by Lei Feng. Not only did he not make any demands on him and never said any words to recruit him, but he also took good care of his diet and life along the way.

The carriages at that time did not have any shock-absorbing springs. In order to prevent Chen Gong from being shaken for a long time, Lu Yi even sewed a thick cotton cushion for him by hand.

A few days ago, Chen Gong was still wondering why Lu Yi, who ate and slept with him every day, stayed up late to do some hand-sewing work after such a tiring day of traveling.

Chen Gong originally thought that this was just a little hobby and pastime of Lu Yi.

Just like I like playing with crickets.

But today, when Lu Yi, with a look of satisfaction, finally sewed the finished product after he had stayed up for several nights and his eyes were dark, and placed the cushion under his butt solemnly on Chen Gong's seat, he realized that Lu Yi had been silently paying for him these days.

I am just a commoner without any fame. What virtue or ability do I have to deserve Lu Yi's treatment?

Therefore, while Chen Gong was grateful to Lu Yi, he also felt a complex sense of shame.

"That's great. My hard work over the past few days has not been in vain..."

When Lu Yi saw Chen Gong's grateful face, he couldn't help but feel very satisfied. However, he knew that although this kind of social skills were worthless and seemed useless, if the time line was extended, it would be the most rewarding contribution.

However, he felt that it was still a little lacking, so he continued.

"Although Jiuyuan is remote, Yizhiwu Fort is quite spacious. It has everything you need for food, clothing, shelter and transportation. Gongtai and I hit it off right away. Gongtai's mother is my mother. I have never seen my biological mother since I was a child. After Fengxian takes Gongtai's mother to Luwu, I will definitely take good care of her and show my filial piety to her!"

"What virtue and ability has Gong possessed to make His Excellency treat him with such courtesy? There is no wiser ruler in ancient times than this!"

Chen Gong was even more moved when he heard this. He immediately ordered the coachman to stop the car, then got off the car solemnly and bowed to Lu Yi.

"If you don't abandon me, I am willing to lead your horse and hold the stirrup for the rest of my life, without any complaints!"

"Oops..."

Lu Yi was shocked when he saw this and immediately jumped off his horse to avoid it.

"Yi is just as good as Gongtai in terms of character and talent, and I am doing my best to help. Why is Gongtai like this..."

"Wouldn't that be a real pain for me?"

"I, Chen Gong, studied hard for ten years, thinking that I could gain a position in the officialdom with my talent, but I didn't expect that the result would be the opposite. I clearly have a lot of strategies, but no one in Luoyang can recognize my talent."

Chen Gong still looked determined after hearing this.

"I didn't expect that you would generously help me when I had nowhere to turn to for help."

"I am not talented enough, but I will definitely repay you for your kindness today!"

With Chen Gong's intelligence, he had thought that Lu Yi might also take his mother to Luwu as a hostage.

But on second thought, Chen Gong is now powerless and has nothing at home, so what can Lu Yi do to him?

Therefore, I feel ashamed of myself for judging others by my own mean standards.

Seeing that Lu Yi actually arranged for his own brother Lu Bu, a commander of the Han Dynasty, to personally lead people to his hometown to pick up his mother, Chen Gong could not help but feel even more moved.

Little did he know that the superior in front of him, who looked selfless, helpful and courteous to him, was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing.

The reason why Lu Yi made such arrangements was that he was determined to keep Chen Gong under tight control, so he arranged his strongest fighters, Lu Bu and Gao Shun, to go together to pick up Chen Gong's mother.

With these two great generals around, even if Guan, Zhang, and Zhao had sworn brotherhood in advance and met them on a narrow road, Lu Yi was confident that the two of them would be able to bring Chen Gong's mother back without any risk.

Moreover, Lu Yi's action also gave Lu Bu the opportunity to establish a good relationship with Chen Gong, laying the groundwork for the future partnership of this natural CP.

"I don't want Gongtai's great talent to be lost in the countryside. My original intention was to discover talents for the court, not to do this for Gongtai's reward. Please don't humiliate me!"

After Lu Yi stepped forward and helped Chen Gong up, he took advantage of the situation and continued to work hard to build his image as a person who was courteous to others and did not ask for anything in return.

Sure enough, the latter recognized Lu Yi even more and couldn't help but secretly feel fortunate that he could meet such a good person when he just started out. It was really a blessing from his previous life.

What he didn't know was that Lu Yi was more grateful than Chen Gong to have met him.

Now he has many brave generals under his command, and Lü Bu is an unparalleled flying general.

Gao Shun, Cheng Lian, Hou Cheng, Wei Xu, Song Xian, Zhang Xun and even Gao Lan, who had just joined Lu Yi's camp and had regained his vigor after recuperating for several months, were also great generals.

Zhang Liao and Zhang He, who had not yet grown up, were first-class generals far superior to the above-mentioned people.

But the only thing missing was a wise and capable minister like Chen Gong.

The generals under his command, whether Lu Bu or Gao Shun, are brave enough but their vision is still a little narrow and they are not able to stand on their own.

Now that he has Chen Gong, Lu Yi can now safely entrust him to Lu Bu as his strategist and develop on two fronts.

However, Chen Gong was just the beginning. Lü Yi's power was now gradually beginning to emerge, and he was qualified to recruit talented and wise ministers.

There is a person who is more talented and loyal than Chen Gong who has long caught his eye. After he takes office in Pingcheng, he will follow Liu Bei's example and visit Zhuge Liang three times at his cottage. If he can invite this person out of seclusion in advance, he can help Lu Yi to become the leader!
This man was not only the best counselor in Hebei during the late Han Dynasty, but also a loyal and steadfast minister comparable to Wei Zheng of later generations.

It's a pity that in the end, although he gained a reputation for loyalty, he failed to show his wisdom.

However, now that we have this little butterfly, Lu Yi, it may be possible to stir up the general trend and slightly change this person's situation of not being reused and his miserable future.

Having obtained Long, one is greedy for more.

Thinking of this, Lu Yi couldn't help but have infinite expectations for this person.

However, this matter still requires careful planning, and for now we should first win over Chen Gong's heart.

"It's getting late, let's continue on our journey... I've already sent someone to deliver a letter, and I've selected a spacious and unique courtyard for Gongtai and his mother in Lvwu. I'm sure Gongtai and your mother will like it when we get to Jiuyuan!"

"Moreover, this courtyard is adjacent to the residence of Mr. Bo Ji, a great man of the time. Gongtai can be more friendly with Mr. Bo Ji in the future..."

"Mr. Bojie?"

Chen Gong was stunned when he heard this.

"Could it be that you have met the famous Mr. Cai Yong?"

……

(End of this chapter)