Shu Han Confucian General of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 178

"Husband, it's a long way to go to Xichuan, so be careful!" Huang Yueying told her husband while packing clothes and parcels in Zhuge's Mansion in Xiangyang.

"I know!" Seeing his wife busy for himself, Zhuge Liang said happily.After a pause, Zhuge Liang said again: "Madam can also make arrangements earlier. My lord has already said that when I return from the mission to Xichuan, I will be transferred to Shouchun. Madam can take care of it earlier, so as not to be in a hurry during the relocation."

"I know!" Huang Yueying nodded, then asked with a slight frown, "I don't know if my lord wants to transfer my husband to Shouchun?"

"The prefect of Shouchun is also in charge of the army of the Taiwei's mansion, Cao Cao." Zhuge Liang laughed.Huang Yueying let out a "huh" unsurprisingly, "Husband hasn't made any great achievements today, why does my lord value him so much?"

"Hehe, wouldn't it be a great achievement for me to go to Xichuan this time?" Zhuge Liang smiled slightly, then thought for a while and said: "It's almost time for my lord to transfer me to Shouchun. My lord's temper is comparable to Cao Cao and the others. too much."

"Husband, what do you mean by that?" Huang Yueying asked in confusion.

"At present, although I assist General Guan in managing the nine prefectures of Jingxiang, Jingzhou was handed over to the lord by Duke Jing Sheng. Most of the civil and military officials in various places are from the hometown of Jingxiang. In the past two years, I have become a scholar of Jingxiang. The leader of the people. If General Zhao did not sit in Jingnan to check and balance, I am afraid that some people would suspect that I have emptied General Guan. If things go on like this, even if General Guan and the Lord don’t mind, what will the world think? It is better to leave this place for a while to avoid suspicion .” Zhuge Liang laughed.

Although Huang Yueying is a talented woman, she doesn't quite understand this kind of political employment.Seeing that Zhuge Liang's words were a little mysterious, he also asked worriedly: "Since that's the case, isn't my lord jealous of your husband? Are you in a very dangerous situation, husband?"

"Ma'am, don't worry!" Zhuge Liang smiled, and then explained in detail: "Since ancient times, the important thing in getting along with monarchs and ministers is the ability to advance and retreat. It is true that the Lord values ​​me, and it is true that he suspects me. However, the Lord and I are both people who know how to advance and retreat. It's like the lord let me go to Shouchun, although he intended to prevent me from being arrogant, but he also held me in high regard. In this way, wouldn't it be cheap for both sides. Moreover, the lord didn't transfer me out of this place until Jingxiang was settled today. It shows that in his heart, he can distinguish between the important and the light."

"My lord, you really said it so well?" Huang Yueying didn't believe it.

"When it comes to marching and fighting, the lord may not be so good. But when it comes to understanding people and using people, the lord is slightly better than Cao Cao. I dare say that within ten years, the general trend of the world will be clear." Zhuge Liang With his wife in his arms, he is full of confidence.

The next day, Zhuge Liang set off from Xiangyang by boat with Liu Bei's autograph letter and the generous gifts he had prepared, entered the Yangtze River via Xiangshui, and then went west to Sichuan to pay a visit to Liu Zhang.If you go by land, the roads in central Sichuan are rough and difficult, and you will have to travel for at least a month; but by water, you will reach Chengdu in only ten months.

Someone told Liu Zhang in advance that when he was the Taiwei, Qi Guogong Liu Bei sent Zhuge Liang, who was engaged in Diannong in Jingzhou and the left army commander, to visit him as an envoy.Liu Zhang was also quite surprised, and quickly ordered Haosheng to be placed in the post office. At the same time, he ordered a banquet to be held in honor of Zhuge Liang at the state pastoral mansion the next day. All the civil and military officials in Chengdu followed him to meet him outside the city of Chengdu.

"Everyone, why did Zhuge Liang come here suddenly?" Liu Zhang called together important civil and military officials in Chengdu the night before.Everyone look at me, I look at you, finally Zhang Song said: "It must be the former master who helped him attack Zhang Lu and Nanman, and the special envoy came to thank you."

"If you sent an envoy to thank you, why did you delay until now? You must know that the war has already subsided!" Huang Quan frowned.Intuition told him that this Zhuge Liang did not come so easily, but he couldn't detect anything wrong for a while.

"It's probably as Zhang Gong said. Although we have already quelled the war, Uncle Liu didn't quell the Sun Clan's rebellious party until the end of the year. The envoys will come right now in the spring, so it's not a long delay!" Fazheng pondered for a while. .This said, everyone feels the same, after all, people still have to celebrate the New Year.Liu Zhang saw that there was no objection from the crowd, so he said immediately: "Since that's the case, you will come with me to welcome this Zhuge military adviser tomorrow." After saying this, everyone chatted about other things and dispersed.Before leaving, Zhang Song quietly gave Fazheng a wink, and the latter understood, and drove away with Zhang Song until Zhang Song's residence.

"Xiao Zhi, you said that Uncle Liu Huang suddenly sent an envoy, why?" Zhang Song asked after the two sat down in Zhang Song's study.

"Acknowledgments are a matter of course, but as far as I can see, that leader Zhang in Hanzhong might be in trouble." Fazheng thought for a while and said.

"Xiaozhi, what kind of person do you think the lord is?" Zhang Song asked suddenly.

"Lord of Mercy." Fazheng said cautiously.

"This statement is true, the lord is indeed a benevolent person. But in my opinion, although the lord is merciful, he does not have the majesty of the lord. Although he loves the people, he is also greedy for pleasure and wastes political affairs. If it is in peace, It is still possible to keep the shepherd side. But in today's troubled times, I am afraid that the master of Xichuan is not what he can do!" Zhang Song said with some regret.

"Brother Yongnian, be careful with your words, be careful that walls have ears!" Fazheng's expression changed slightly, and he kept yelling.

"Haha, what Xiaozhi said is right, the partition wall really has ears!" Along with a long laugh from outside the door, a person walked in.The expressions of Zhang Fa and the two changed drastically, and they didn't feel relieved until they saw who it was. "Zidu, you scare us!" Zhang Song said happily.

"Hehe, Xiaozhi, what Yongnian said just now is exactly what I thought in my heart!" The visitor was only in his 30s, and he was their best friend Meng Damengzidu.

"Xiao Zhi, you and I are both acquaintances, so you might as well say it clearly. Before Cao Cao's strategy of the six armies marching together, you broke it, and the lord instead sent troops to Hanzhong and Nanzhong. From your point of view, I'm afraid it's not just for the sake of Duke Shu, It's also for the sake of Shouchun's Uncle Liu Huang." Zhang Songyi saw Meng Da, so he simply talked about it openly.

Fazheng was slightly taken aback when he heard the words, and then smiled wryly: "Brother Yongnian really knows the details, I knew I couldn't hide this from you."

"Xiaozhi, why do you go out of your way to give advice to Uncle Liu Huang? In your heart, he is so worthy of your service?" Meng Da also asked with some meaning in his words.

"In just ten years, from a county magistrate to today's Duke, who sits in the land of five states. What do you two think of such a person?" Fazheng asked back with a smile.

Zhang Song and Meng Da couldn't help nodding silently when he heard the words, and Meng Da even sighed: "Hero!"

"Such a hero, and the reputation of benevolence and righteousness is spread all over the world, and is deeply loved by the people. Zidu, Yongnian, if we can join such a person, it will not be in vain for us to learn!" Fazheng said meaningfully.

"Since that's the case, Xiaozhi, what do you think should be done?" Meng Da asked hastily after finishing his emotion.

"There is no conclusion yet, let's find out the purpose of Zhuge Liang's trip first." Fazheng still chose a safer approach.The three discussed for a long time before Fazheng and Mengda bid farewell and went home.

The next day, Liu Zhang personally led civil and military officials out of Chengdu ten miles to welcome Zhuge Liang. "Liang's official position is humble, so how dare he bother the Duke of Shu to welcome him!" Even though Zhuge Liang had predicted things like a god, he never thought that Liu Zhang would be so hospitable, and he personally led his people to greet him, and hurriedly stepped forward to salute.

Liu Zhang didn't take it seriously, and introduced Zhuge Liang's main figures in Shu with a smile, and then everyone returned to Yizhou Mufu, giving Zhuge Liang enough face.

After everyone sat down and explained the situation, Zhuge Liang also cut to the chase and said, "Liang came to Sichuan this time, at the order of my lord, to thank the lord of Shu for helping me defend Jingzhou against Zhang Lu and Nanman. My lord once said that he I was originally a brother of the same clan as the Duke of Shu, but because I was busy with business, I was unable to thank you personally, so I ordered Liang to come here. This is a letter written by the Lord himself, and a small gift is attached, and please don’t decline, Duke Shu.” After finishing speaking, he handed over two letters.

"Brother Xuande is so polite!" Liu Zhang's doubts disappeared when he heard this, and he accepted the letter from Zhuge Liang with a smile.I read Liu Bei's handwritten letter first, but I saw that the words in the letter were extremely modest. It not only recounted the old relationship, but also thanked Liu Zhang for his help this time, and finally said that there is a gift list.

After reading Liu Bei's autographed letter, Liu Zhang picked up Liu Bei's gift list to read again.It didn't matter, but Liu Zhang was taken aback.Rao, as the governor of a state, he is well-informed, and now he is somewhat unable to react to such a generous gift.The gold and silver things are worth it, and in the end there are [-] copies of the best clothes and armor, and [-] good Liaodong horses.Even if Liu Zhang has no experience, he also knows that these strategic materials cannot be given away casually.

"Military Master Zhuge, how can Zhang dare to accept such a generous gift?" Liu Zhang asked in surprise as he put down the gift list.

"The Duke of Shu's words are serious. The lord once said that in the past, the father of the Duke of Shu was kind to his brothers. Now that the two families are adjacent to this place, it is more important to watch and help each other. These armored horses have the right to fight against Zhang Lu for the Duke of Shu. It's all about your strength." Zhuge Liang smiled and said with a calm and unhurried expression.

When Liu Bei's three brothers launched an army to crusade against the Yellow Turban, Liu Zhang was only a teenager in his teens, and he didn't have a deep impression of his brother from the same clan.But since he came to Chuanzhong, Liu Zhang heard that his father Liu Yan praised this clan brother and praised him as a hero.Over the years, Liu Zhang also admired how Liu Bei grew from a small county magistrate to the Duke of Qi and the current Taiwei step by step.

Now this heroic elder brother actually took the initiative to thank him, his words were kind and polite, and he gave him such a generous gift, Liu Zhang suddenly felt that his face was full of shame.In addition to being excited, he hurriedly ordered a banquet to entertain Zhuge Liang graciously.

During the banquet, Zhuge Liang had a pleasant smile and socialized with everyone one by one, and the atmosphere of the banquet was very harmonious for a while.After drinking for three rounds, Zhuge Liang suddenly asked: "I don't know why the Duke of Shu marched into Hanzhong, why didn't he wipe out Zhang Lu's Yaodao in one fell swoop?"

Liu Zhang couldn't help being a little embarrassed when he heard the words, but he forced a smile and said: "Hanzhong is a dangerous place, and Zhang Lu can't defend it, so it's just that he couldn't attack for a while!"

"That's true!" Zhuge Liang nodded.Then he looked solemn and said: "Don't hide it from Duke Shu, my lord deeply feels the kindness of Mr. Liu in the past, and always regrets that he can't repay him. He said before dispatching Liang this time, but if he wants a word from Duke Shu, he will go and send that Zhang Lu Yaodao will be brought to justice, and Duke Shu will never be troubled by swords!"

"Brother Xuande really said that?" Liu Zhang was really surprised and happy when he heard the words, and asked quickly, almost not suspecting that his ears had heard it wrong.

"How dare Liang deceive Duke Shu!" Zhuge Liang said sincerely.Liu Zhang pondered for a while, but still asked everyone with his eyes.

"The lord must not agree. In the past, Tao Gongzu asked Liu Bei to resist Cao Cao, but Xuzhou was his income; Liu Jingzhou King Sheng asked Liu Bei to quell the rebellion, but Jingzhou also fell into Liu Bei's hands. It shows that he is an ominous person. If the lord is like this now To act, then Tao Gongzu and Liu Jingsheng are lessons from the past!" The person on the left suddenly stood up and hurriedly remonstrated.The words were quite impolite, calling Liu Bei by his name without mentioning him, and even denouncing him as an ominous person.

"Wang Zheng's words are too much!" Zhuge Liang recognized that this person was Wang Lei introduced by Liu Zhang just now. Seeing him in such a hurry, Zhuge Liang knew that this man must be more repulsive of Liu Bei's influence than Shuzhong.

Clearing his throat, Zhuge Liang said in a loud voice: "My lord is benevolent and righteous. On that day, Cao Mengde invaded Xuzhou and slaughtered the people. Lord Tao begged all the princes, but except my lord, no one dared to be Cao Cao's power. Only my lord acted bravely in righteousness. Several times I wanted to entrust Xuzhou, but my lord refused to accept his resignation. It was not until Tao Fujun passed away that he was recommended by Xuzhou officials and people. Falling aside. Although he escaped from Ascension to Heaven, he was unable to put down the rebellion by himself, so he invited my lord to punish the rebels. Afterwards, Mr. Jing Sheng thought that he was too old and weak to be a director, so he entrusted the time of Jingzhou. These two things Xuzhou Jingzhou Millions of people and officials all know that my lord did not take the slightest bit of plunder. Wang Zheng kept talking about falling into it, and even slandered my lord as an ominous person, isn't it turning black and white and spitting blood?" Although the voice was still gentle , but the words are sharp and have a majesty of their own.

"Wang Lei, be presumptuous!" Liu Zhang was already dissatisfied with Wang Lei jumping out so eagerly, and hearing Zhuge Liang's words added fuel to the fire.Seeing Wang Lei being reprimanded, Huang Quan was afraid that Liu Zhang would continue to blame him, so he quickly changed the topic and said, "I don't know where Duke Qi wants to march from?"

"Naturally, General Jingzhou Guan sent troops to Xicheng County via Shangyong." Zhuge Liang smiled.After a pause, Zhuge Liang said again: "Of course, if we can send a strange army to attack Hanzhong from Jiameng Pass through the noble land, we will get twice the result with half the effort."

"Mr. Kong Ming's plan to destroy Guo is really clever. Could it be that he deceived me that there is no one in Shu?" It was not Huang Quan and Wang Lei who said this, but Zhang Ren, the No. 1 general in Shu.

"General Zhang, when we march into Hanzhong, one is to get rid of the serious troubles of Duke Shu, and the other is to avenge Zhang Lu Yaodao's previous unprovoked attack. Hanzhong's army is only tens of thousands, and we only need to send a surprise soldier, no more than ten thousand. For the rest of us, we can march from Jiameng Pass to Hanzhong. With such a force, is the general afraid of destroying Guo by false means?" Zhuge Liang asked with a smile, and Zhang Ren couldn't help being speechless.

"It's rare that brother has such a heart. If that's the case, I, as a brother, won't reject my brother's kindness." Liu Zhang was originally a person with no ideas. It made him feel good, and he quickly made a decision.Wang Lei, Huang Quan, and Zhang Ren were waiting to talk again, but Liu Zhang had persuaded him to drink again. The three of them exchanged eyes and sighed inwardly.At the same time, Fazheng Zhang Song and the others saw a glimmer of joy in each other's eyes.

(End of this chapter)