The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 42: Those who play tactics are all cunning; Zhuge Liang's strategy of sowing discord.

"By order of the Left General! We wish to unite those of like mind to jointly support the Han dynasty!"

Zhuge Liang spoke in a solemn and dignified tone, and his reasons came readily to him.

Subconsciously.

Liu Dai thought of the letter that had been used to seduce Wang Zhong.

The words, "General, you have been stationed in Changlu for years, never leaving your armor, yet your achievements are not recorded. Are you not like a dragon trapped in shallow waters? I wish to hunt with you on the banks of the Si River and together support the Han dynasty," still resonate in my mind.

But soon.

Liu Dai then realized something was wrong:

"It is said throughout the counties that 'Che Zhou plotted to assassinate the Left General at a banquet, and the Left General submitted a memorial requesting to resign and return to Zhuojun to teach.' And now you say that 'the Left General wishes to unite like-minded individuals to support the Han dynasty!'"

What is the reason for this?

The feather fan waved, and laughter gradually rose.

Liu Dai frowned: "Why are you laughing?"

Zhuge Liang bowed to the north and said, "When General Zuo was in the imperial court, he lamented the hardships of the people; when he was in the countryside, he worried about the decline of the Han Dynasty."

"Although I was forced to return to my hometown to avoid disaster due to the slander of petty people, I have never forgotten my concern for the country and its people. Now I wish to unite like-minded people to support the Han dynasty. What is wrong with that?"

Liu Dai was speechless.

Zhuge Liang circled back to the topic of "slanderous words from petty people".

The message is the same: Liu Bei was not wrong, it was all Cao Cao's fault!
a long time.

Liu Dai defended Cao Cao, saying, "The Minister of Works never sent an envoy to secretly order Che Zhou to harm the Left General, nor did any villains slander him before the Minister of Works. It was the person impersonating the Minister of Works' envoy who deliberately sowed discord between the Minister of Works and the Left General."

Zhuge Liang feigned great surprise: "Is this really true? Who would impersonate the Minister of Works' envoy to sow discord between the Minister of Works and the Left General?"

Seeing that Zhuge Liang did not seem to be faking it, Liu Dai thought to himself: I may have a chance to make amends!

Mind this.

Liu Dai raised his voice: "The Minister of Works has always valued General Zuo highly, and even calls him a 'hero'. How could he possibly harm General Zuo?"

"In my opinion, it must be that Yuan Shao of Hebei did not want the Minister of Works and the General of the Left to be on good terms, so he deliberately sent someone to impersonate the Minister of Works' envoy to deceive Che Zhou."

"It's a pity that Che Zhou was so foolish as to believe the imposter's false words, which caused the Minister of Works and the General of the Left to become suspicious of each other, leading to the current situation."

Zhuge Liang was so shocked that he dropped his feather fan: "If what the Chief Clerk said is true, then General Zuo is like a lamb entering a tiger's den."

"Strategist, my elder brother is in danger! We can't stay in Xiaopei any longer!" Guan Yu suddenly shouted, his face turning red with urgency.

From the day Guan Yu met Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Liang was never seen to be flustered.

And just now.

Zhuge Liang was startled and even dropped his feather fan.

Guan Yu immediately understood Zhuge Liang's intention: he was deceiving Liu Dai!

Ever since.

Guan Yu immediately activated his "brute" personality.

"Don't be anxious, Guan Sima. Yuan Shao shouldn't harm General Zuo." Zhuge Liang lowered his head to pick up the feather fan, feigning hesitation.

Liu Dai was secretly pleased, and then added fuel to the fire, saying, "Yuan Shao is a suspicious and distrustful person. In the past, Qu Yi was killed by Yuan Shao simply because of his great achievements and fame."

"General Zuo has a long-standing reputation and is considered a hero along with the Minister of Works. How could Yuan Shao, with his narrow-mindedness, possibly tolerate General Zuo?"

"If any wise person speaks up again, General Zuo will surely be placed under house arrest by Yuan Shao; at that time, in order to protect General Zuo's life, you will have no choice but to be at Yuan Shao's beck and call."

"Sikong has always respected General Zuo. If he is forced to fight against you all again in the future, wouldn't that make his friends grieve and his enemies rejoice?"

Although his military command was a complete mess, Liu Dai's debating skills were quite good.

In just a few words, he appealed to their emotions and reasoned with them.

Someone with lower intelligence might have been persuaded by Liu Dai.

pity.

Liu Dai chose the wrong opponent. Who was Zhuge Liang?
Before even venturing out of his ivory tower, he dared to compare himself to Guan Zhong and Yue Yi, and was even hailed by others as a genius comparable to Jiang Shang and Zhang Liang.

In addition, Zhuge Liang gained more experience at the age of fifty-four after the fact.

In Zhuge Liang's eyes, Liu Dai's self-satisfied remarks were like childish ramblings, making people laugh.

Zhuge Liang feigned enlightenment and bowed to Liu Dai again: "If it weren't for your wise words, Chief Secretary, I would have been a fool. I wish to write a letter explaining the situation. I urge you to return to Xuchang as soon as possible and present it to the Minister of Works. We will also hurry to Pingyuan to prevent the Left General from being harmed by Yuan Shao."

Liu Dai, thinking he had outsmarted the situation, replied, "If that's the case, Yuan Shao can be defeated!"

Immediately.

Zhuge Liang ordered someone to bring pen and ink, and wrote a letter to Cao Cao in front of Liu Dai. He then handed the letter to Liu Dai to review in order to avoid "further misunderstandings".

Liu Dai glanced at it.

The letter stated:

The Han dynasty was in decline, and treacherous officials usurped power.

Sikong took the lead in raising righteous troops to help the young emperor out of danger. Although Liang was dull-witted, he also understood the importance of this matter.

The fact that General Zuo is now being unjustly sent north is not due to his failure to serve the Minister of Works, but rather a result of Yuan Shao's treacherous scheme.

Fortunately, Chief Clerk Liu was insightful and saw through the scheme to sow discord in Hebei, which made Liang and others understand the truth.

Sikong possessed great wisdom and magnanimity, yet Liang and others suspected him of being misled by slander, which made them feel deeply ashamed.

I spare Chief Clerk Liu's life and entrust him to deliver this letter.

I wish to express my sincerity with this.

Liang and others will also travel to Hebei overnight to clear the name of the Minister of Works and the General of the Left, and suggest that they can act as an inside agent for the Minister of Works.

When the Yuan family is executed, the Left General will surely burn his straw raincoat in Ye City, and reheat green plums with the Minister of Works, then discuss heroes once more.

Zhuge Liang was capable of deceiving people.

The phrase "Fortunately, Chief Clerk Liu has keen insight and saw through the scheme to sow discord in Hebei" directly deceived Liu Dai, making him overjoyed.

In this way, Liu Dai could not only atone for his sins, but also make another great contribution.

"I will present this letter to the Minister of Works in person. There is no time to lose; I must return to Xuchang immediately."

Liu Dai put the letter into his bosom, clasped his hands, and took his leave.

Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan, ordering someone to bring Liu Dai's warhorse, and also gifted him water, dry rations, gold, silver, and silk.

the end.

Zhuge Liang leaned closer to Liu Dai and lowered his voice: "Does the Chief Clerk have any grudge against Wang Zhong? Should I, Liang, do something to protect the Chief Clerk?"

Liu Dai instantly thought of Wang Zhong's two sentences: "If you are not afraid of death, you can personally intercept Guan Yu" and "If you had followed my plan earlier and found a dangerous place to set up a camp to confront him, how could you have fallen into the ambush and trickery!" A hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes.

"This person is neither related to me nor is he a friend. Military Advisor Zhuge, you can decide for yourself." Although Liu Dai did not explicitly state his grudge, his indifference towards Wang Zhong was evident.

Zhuge Liang feigned understanding: "I will definitely satisfy the Chief Clerk. When you return to see the Minister of Works, please put in a good word for me."

Liu Dai mistakenly thought that Zhuge Liang wanted to seek promotion, and laughed and promised: "If you ever need anything in the future, you can come to Xuchang to find me."

Only after Liu Dai had left the city and gone far away did Zhuge Liang order Wang Zhong to be brought in. As soon as he spoke, Wang Zhong was so frightened that his legs went weak.

"Liang has already reached an agreement with Liu Dai. Liu Dai's condition is: You, Wang Zhong, cannot live."

Looking at Wang Zhong's wide eyes, Zhuge Liang slowly said, "But I despise petty people the most, so I will give you a chance to live."

Although Wang Zhong couldn't hear the specifics of what Zhuge Liang and Liu Dai discussed, he saw that Zhuge Liang and Liu Dai were getting along amicably, and Zhuge Liang even gifted Liu Dai a warhorse.

Upon hearing Zhuge Liang claim that Liu Dai's condition was for his death, Wang Zhong could no longer contain his anger.

"Damn it!"

"Liu Dai, you treacherous dog, caused my defeat and now you want to kill me! How infuriating and hateful!"

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(End of this chapter)