My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 226: Huang Zu is not as talented as the elders, Ni Heng's pearls are shattered at the river head
Cai Mao and Zhang Yun did not dare to let Liu Biao break off relations with Liu Bei immediately, so they could not openly intercept talents from other places in Jingzhou heading to Wuchang.

All they could do was to indiscriminately block commerce and travel, temporarily close the river and freeze all shipping.

So two days later, when Huang Chengyan and Xiang Lang, as well as several other disciples of Pang Degong who had recently come to meet them, were preparing to set off, they soon discovered something unusual - the fleet that had been scheduled to pick them up had not shown up.

According to the original plan, Pang Tong was worried that the night would be too long and there would be more trouble, so he took Sima Hui, Xu Shu, Shi Tao, and Yin Mo and left first. After the clipper fleet arrived at Wuchang Port, they unloaded the personnel and returned to pick up Huang Chengyan, Xiang Lang and others.

Judging from the time, the fleet should have unloaded Pang Tong and others, returned and arrived at Deng County again.

Xiang Lang was a lowly person and could not find out anything for the time being. Huang Chengyan had a wide network of contacts in Jingzhou, so he quickly learned about Fengjiang's situation from Yi Ji.

Huang Chengyan just sneered and sighed when he heard this: "Nonsense! Why did Brother Jingsheng order Cai Mao to close the river? Isn't he afraid of disturbing the people and stirring up the merchants?"

Yi Ji also had a helpless expression: "I also persuaded the envoy, and the envoy said that Zhang Xiu surrendered to Cao last month, and the navy originally allocated to Zhang Xiu for liaison in the Baihe area upstream of the Han River was also incorporated by Cao Cao.

"At present, Yuan and Cao are fighting and it seems that it is about to break out. If we want to keep Jingzhou safe, we can only temporarily not help either side and wait and see what happens. At this critical juncture, we must be on guard against Cao's spies infiltrating and communicating, so we have temporarily closed the river. When Yuan and Cao start fighting and the situation becomes clear, we will lift the blockade as soon as possible."

Huang Chengyan didn't expect Liu Biao to find such a seemingly reasonable excuse, and he didn't know what to say for a while.

If he insisted on leaving, he could ask Liu Biao to send another ship to escort him, and it was even possible to take Xiang Lang with him.

But Huang Chengyan felt that there was no need to rush and commit a crime against the wind. Jingzhou was his hometown anyway, and there would be no trouble if he stayed there for a while longer.

He comforted Xiang Lang and told him to rest assured and stay in Huangjiazhuang for a few more days to see how the situation develops. Xiang Lang's family members were also properly resettled in Huangjiazhuang.

……

On the other side, Pang Tong, Sima Hui, Xu Shu and others arrived in Wuchang from Deng County after sailing downstream for just two days.

Of course, the series of actions taken by Liu Biao and Cai Mao failed to stop these first wave of talents who rushed forward, but only stopped the subsequent continued bleeding.

Before arriving, Pang Tong specially launched a light boat to inform Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang in advance.

When the ship arrived at the dock, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang were already there to greet them in person, which really surprised Sima Hui.

The rest of the people, such as Xu Shu, were naturally not worthy of being welcomed by Liu Bei in person, but Sima Hui had taught Zhuge Liang for a year and a half, so it was only right for Zhuge Liang to show respect to him as a teacher.

"How can a country bumpkin like me deserve to be personally welcomed by the General of Chariots and Cavalry? I am truly ashamed!" Sima Hui, leaning on a rhubarb stick, got off the boat with the help of Xu Shu. As soon as he stood still, he hurriedly returned the greeting to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei held him and repeatedly indicated that there was no need to be polite: "Sir, you once taught me under Kong Ming. You are a great sage of the time, so you naturally deserve this courtesy. I am where I am today because of the two brothers, Zi Yu and Kong Ming. They changed the destiny and mended the world. How can I forget my roots?"

(Note: Liu Bei's title of "Marquis of Wuchang" allowed him to be called "Gu". Later in the text, there is another county marquis being called "Gu", which will not be explained specifically.)
Sima Hui felt a little ashamed after hearing this, and just smiled awkwardly: "Shame on you, shame on you, Kong Ming can have the talent he has today, but it is only one tenth or one twelfth of my knowledge.

The rest is just his own extraordinary talent and intelligence, coupled with his brother's extraordinary talent and family background. How dare I take all the credit for what I have done."

When everyone heard this, they all laughed and said that Mr. Shuijing was too modest. After Liu Bei exchanged greetings with them, he quickly asked someone to bring a few carriages.

The first one was wrapped with Pu wheels, and Sima Hui was invited to get on the Pu wheel cart. Liu Bei also rode with him, and Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu followed in the second car, and everyone entered the city together.

Sima Hui was also well-versed in history books, so he naturally knew that this was the etiquette used by Emperor Wu of Han when he summoned Mei Sheng and Shen Gong to the capital. The year before last, when Yuan Shao conquered Zheng Xuan, he also used a Pu-wheeled cart for shock absorption.

The convoy left the dock and walked along the river for only a few hundred steps before arriving at an area with a wide view of the river. The driveway in front was about to turn left to the east and head towards the west gate of Wuchang City.

There is a sudden rise of earth mound in front of the corner of the driveway, on which there is a pavilion. In the pavilion, there is a monument with inscribed words, and the red pillars and green tiles look brand new.

Sima Hui had been to Shaxian, Xiakou and other places in previous years, but had never seen such a pavilion or stele. Moreover, the pavilion was so beautiful that he could not help but become interested, so he casually asked Liu Bei:

"May I ask the General of Chariots and Cavalry, what is the story behind this pavilion? Could it be that the General built it after he changed the name of Wuchang County to commemorate the great event?"

Liu Bei quickly and politely ordered the car to stop: "Sir, if you are interested, why don't you climb the hill to have a look? I am just an ordinary man, not a man of elegance, and there is no need to build a building to commemorate my achievements. This pavilion was left by Ziyu and Yunchang after they defeated Huang Zu half a year ago."

When Sima Hui heard that he would have to delay his trip, he felt a little embarrassed: "I was just asking casually, how can I cause trouble and delay our trip?"

Liu Bei said with a smile, "What's the point of delaying? We can just have a banquet to welcome you back to the city. As long as you are not hungry, feel free to delay. It will just be a stretch for you. You can eat more later."

As he said this, Liu Bei turned around and shouted to the people in the car behind him without any airs: "Kong Ming, are you hungry?"

Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu naturally quickly indicated that they were not hungry yet.

Sima Hui was slightly surprised: Is this general so humble? Such a grand show of honoring the wise, but the itinerary changed at any time, so down-to-earth.

Sima Hui had no choice but to accept the kindness. Just as he was about to reach out with his stick to support the ground and get off the car, Liu Bei took the stick, then supported Sima Hui under his armpit with one arm and gently helped him get off the car.

This kind of thing was originally done by servants, and the posture would look rather humble. But Liu Bei had very long arms, and when he stood on the ground, he only needed to raise his arms slightly to reach the height of the people on the car's armpits, and everything seemed so natural and not artificial at all.

After Sima Hui stood still, Liu Bei supported one of his arms and climbed the hill with the other hand, leaning on a stick. After walking a few dozen steps, they arrived at the pavilion.

Sima Hui whispered to the stone tablet:

"Huang Zu's talent is not comparable to that of the elders. Ni Heng's pearls were shattered at the river head. Now I come to the edge of Parrot Island, and only the ruthless green water flows.

Hmm… Is this song about the story of the imperial envoy Ni Heng being killed by Huang Zu? It is quite appropriate. Below the Parrot Island, the clear water of the river flows eastward, but the people are gone. Whether it is Ni Heng or Huang Zu, it is really touching. I wonder who wrote this song?

Sima Hui had just asked when Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu came up behind him. Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "Sir, you can look at the back of the stone tablet. There is another inscription describing the scene."

Sima Hui hurriedly turned the back of the stone tablet with his walking stick and saw "General Fu Bo of the Han Dynasty and the princes killed the traitor Huang Zu here, to mourn the murdered Han envoy Ni Heng, and to recall the debates in Xu Du in the past... to commemorate the event, it was erected on the eighth day of the seventh month in the fourth year of Jian'an."

Sima Hui finally understood: "So it was written by your brother, General Fubo. General Fubo is a man of both civil and military talents, and the world knows that his writing is indeed brilliant, and what is even more rare is his broad mind.

I heard that when you were in Xudu, before the emperor summoned your brother to the throne for questioning, your brother had several debates with Ni Heng and refuted him thoroughly. Is this true?"

Zhuge Liang responded, "It is true, but it was just some insignificant academic dispute. My brother and Ni Heng had no personal grudge. Later, Ni Heng was sent as an envoy to mediate the friction between Lujiang and Jiangxia counties. My lord and my brother also treated Doctor Ni with great courtesy."

Sima Hui sighed deeply: "Your brother is truly a gentleman in the world! He was able to refute Ni Heng so easily, and later he faced the challenge with a smile. After Ni Heng was killed, he was able to avenge him without holding a grudge.

Judging from this song, it is not an excessive denigration of Huang Zu, but just a lament for the current situation, the need to rectify the government, and the public good. "

After Sima Hui finished expressing his feelings, he walked around the pavilion again and saw a stone tablet next to it. It was lying upside down on the ground with uncarved seals. There were also steel chisels, hammers and other tools next to it, so he knew that the craftsmen were still working on it.

Sima Hui read a few sentences and realized that it was the "Ode to the Parrot" written by Ni Heng when he came to Jiangxia on a diplomatic mission last year.

The content of this fu was not widely circulated, but the title had been spread. It is said that at the banquet where Huang Zu and Huang She received Ni Heng, a merchant from Jiaozhou in the south presented Huang Zu with a parrot as a gift.

Huang Zu showed off in front of the angel, and Huang She also asked Ni Heng to write a poem to commemorate him. Ni Heng casually wrote this "Ode to the Parrot", which was completed in one go, with 600 to 700 words, which shows that he still had some literary talent. The place name "Yingwuzhou" was named after Ni Heng wrote this "Ode to the Parrot". It was originally just an unknown sandbar on the Yangtze River outside Xiakou City.

However, not long after writing it, Huang Zu and Ni Heng both got drunk, and Ni Heng argued with Huang Zu, angering him, and was then chopped to death by the axemen. If not for this, how could Liu Bei enter Jiangxia and be granted the title of Marquis of Wuchang?

After Zhuge Jin and Guan Yu captured Jiangxia, they specially searched for the site where Huang Zu had held a banquet to kill Ni Heng, and erected a stele pavilion to show their magnanimity.

After reading this song, Xu Shu, Shi Tao, Yin Mo and others also sighed from the bottom of their hearts: "General Fu Bo's literary talent and integrity are extraordinary and unconventional, and he is worthy of being the leader of the world."

"We were really narrow-minded before. Although we knew the name of the Zhuge brothers, we still underestimated their talents in both literature and martial arts. This time, I can learn from the wise men of Yangzhou and learn from them. It is really a great blessing in this life."

……

After visiting the Parrot Island Monument Pavilion and expressing their admiration for Zhuge Jin's versatility, everyone got back on the bus and returned to the city.

Liu Bei naturally arranged a banquet to welcome the wise men from Xiangyang, with all the courtesy, and the process needs no description.

At the banquet, Liu Bei also emphasized his principles of employing people to Sima Hui and others.

On the one hand, it means that Mr. Shuijing is old and virtuous, and has devoted his life to studying, so he should be taught in a refined manner. A school should be set up in Wuchang so that he can teach students and not be bound by worldly affairs.

As for others like Xu Shu, Shi Tao, Yin Mo and others, they need to follow the established rule that "a prime minister must start from the prefectures and counties, and a brave general must start from the ranks", and start as grassroots local officials to see their abilities.

But at the same time, it is guaranteed that as long as one has political achievements, or even just expertise in a certain area, he or she will be adjusted to a more suitable position after six months of observation to ensure that people are put to the best use of their talents.

In order to prevent people from being dissatisfied, Liu Bei also specifically cited the examples of Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong:

"You may not know that when Kong Ming first came, he was the advisor to Yuzhang government affairs, which was similar to the county magistrate. When Shi Yuan first came, he was only the magistrate of Pengze County. He served in several counties and was later promoted to county magistrate. Young and knowledgeable people also need to be honed in practical work to avoid empty talk."

Upon hearing this, Xu Shu and others were not dissatisfied. After all, they knew that they were far inferior to Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong.

After pacifying everyone, Liu Bei instructed Zhuge Liang to take everyone to visit various places in Wuchang in the next few days, so that everyone could appreciate the difference between Liu Biao's rule and here, and then assign official positions.

(End of this chapter)