“The two gentlemen must have mistaken me for someone else.”
Sensing the hostility from Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, Lu Xun smiled and replied, “You two gentlemen think of us as enemies, but… I am quite fond of the phrase ‘unconventional.’ If you insist, I shall oblige.”
Lu Xun then poured himself a cup of wine and drank it down in one go.
Lu Ji also poured a cup and drank it down.
Zhou Tai, however, waved his hand. “You two are certainly straightforward, but this wine cup is too small!”
With that thought, Zhou Tai called out, “Waiter, bring two large bowls and ten catties of yellow wine!”
Lu Xun and Lu Ji were startled at the mention of “ten catties of yellow wine…”
The waiter said apologetically, “Sirs, ten catties of yellow wine is too much to drink!”
Unexpectedly, Zhou Tai pointed at Lu Xun and said, “This young master is treating, why are you trying to save him money? In my opinion, ten catties isn’t enough. Bring twenty catties!”
“Yes, yes!” The waiter dared not delay… Soon, four large bowls and several large jars of wine were brought and placed on the table.
“Come, fill four bowls!” Jiang Qin looked up at Lu Xun and gestured.
The waiter, as instructed, filled the bowls and pushed them towards Lu Xun and Lu Ji.
Lu Ji immediately found the aroma of the wine pungent and somewhat unpleasant. He was only a little over ten years old and had only occasionally had a few drinks at the Lu manor. He had never seen such large wine bowls before and couldn’t help but frown.
“Come, bottoms up!”
Jiang Qin said with a laugh, and as he spoke, he and Zhou Tai drank their wine in one gulp.
Lu Xun also finished his cup… Lu Ji, with his head held high, forced himself to drink it down.
Unexpectedly… as soon as the bowl of wine was finished.
Zhou Tai exclaimed, “Why are men so hesitant when drinking? Shall we four start with ten bowls each? What do you say?”
Zhou Tai’s gaze was filled with mockery and disdain. If it were any other time, Lu Ji would have politely declined, claiming he couldn’t hold his liquor!
But now… their Lu family intended to recruit these two, so how could they allow themselves to be looked down upon?
Instantly, he puffed out his chest.
“I will accompany you to the death, gentlemen. Do not blame me if I misbehave after drinking!”
With that, he picked up his wine bowl and drank it down with a gulp.
Though the wine was drunk, each bowl was half a catty. Lu Ji’s stomach felt as if a fierce fire was raging within, and his mind became muddled.
Seeing him drink so heartily, Zhou Tai was unexpectedly pleased and laughed heartily, gaining a degree of good feeling towards the young master Lu Ji. “Spirited!” he shouted, also lifting his bowl, tilting his head back, and drinking it dry. He then refilled two more large bowls.
He intended to lead his brothers from Jiujiang to seek justice from the Kong family. The Kong family was one of the four great families of Kuaiji, and their connections with the various influential families in Jiangdong were intricate. To be frank… after this venture, even if they saved their fellow villagers, they would find it difficult to establish themselves in Jiangdong!
Wine emboldened him, so he might as well… drink bowl after bowl, without thinking of what lay ahead!
Moreover, Zhou Tai felt that his fists were hard and his neck even harder. He truly didn’t fear these so-called great clans.
Jiang Qin, however, noticed Lu Xun…
“Your brother has been drinking continuously? Why aren’t you drinking? A person’s drinking reflects their character. You are not as straightforward as your brother!”
“Of course, I will drink, but there’s no rush!” Lu Xun narrowed his eyes. “It so happens that I overheard the difficulties you two gentlemen are facing. I was contemplating, what if you two gentlemen get drunk? How will you save people? And if we get drunk, how will we help you gentlemen save them?”
Heh… As soon as Lu Xun spoke.
Jiang Qin’s eyes darted.
This young man is interesting, and he even offers to help them save people?
He paused slightly.
“What the young master says makes sense, but words should not be spoken carelessly. You want to help us save people?”
“In my eyes, those who have drunk together are brothers,” Lu Xun said with a smile. “As the saying goes, one who knows a friend will find a thousand cups insufficient. If a brother is in trouble, how can one stand idly by?”
Huo…
Lu Xun’s drinking habits did not win Jiang Qin’s approval, but these few words made him suddenly agitated.
This is interesting, truly interesting.
“Alright, then I shall take your kind words to heart. I hope that after we save my fellow villager, we can still drink here together! If there comes a moment, I, Jiang Qin, will drink thirty cups myself as penance!”
With that said…
Jiang Qin grabbed Lu Xun’s hand and led him downstairs.
Zhou Tai, understanding, also grabbed Lu Ji’s hand. In their view… this was a desperate attempt, a last resort. Two young masters? Even if they came from noble families, what influence could they possibly have against the Kong family, one of the four great families of Kuaiji?
The four of them descended from Songhe Tower…
Jiang Qin and Zhou Tai walked faster and faster, and upon reaching the ground floor, they quickened their pace, striding along the main road. Along the way, more and more fellow villagers from Jiujiang joined their ranks.
It turned out that…
Many fellow villagers had come to join the heroic leader with Jiang Qin and Zhou Tai.
Due to a series of events, they naturally could not join Sun Ce, so they found some manual labor nearby to support themselves while awaiting orders from their two elder brothers.
Who would have thought… that a fellow villager had offended the Kong family.
As they walked along, by the time they reached the Kong family, there were already over a hundred people, and more fellow villagers were continuously joining.
At first glance, it looked like bandits descending from the mountains to raid.
Lu Xun and Lu Ji were also very surprised.
They had not expected Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin to have so many fellow villagers under their command.
Crucially, these burly men from Jiujiang were all exceptionally robust, far more formidable than the troops they had recruited or the retainers of figures like Yan Baihu.
…
…
On the road between Xinye and Wancheng in Jingzhou, on the sides of a mountain path called Bowang Slope.
On one side, seventy thousand Jingzhou soldiers were camped and ready for battle, while on the other, Xu Shu had set up a “beggar-version” Eight Gates Formation.
At this very moment, a handsome young man of seventeen or eighteen years stood at a high point among the mountains of Bowang Slope.
He wore a white hat, had an extremely handsome countenance, and a white feather fan was particularly conspicuous. This feather fan was a gift from his junior sister.
And he, naturally, was Zhuge Liang, although at this time… to the outside world, people believed him to be the third son of the Zhuge family – “Zhuge Jun.”
Behind him stood a dignified woman, her face veiled in black gauze, seemingly deliberately unwilling to show her true face.
Besides Huang Yueying, the daughter of Huang Chengyan, who else could it be?
She stood motionless, waiting for Zhuge Liang…
Speaking of which, they were sent by Huang Chengyan. Half a month ago, Liu Biao had sent Cai Yong to invite his brother-in-law, Huang Chengyan, to come out of seclusion to break the “Eight Gates Formation” at Bowang Slope. However, Huang Chengyan had immediately discerned the situation and sent only his daughter, Huang Yueying, and his intended son-in-law, “Zhuge Jun”…
This was also a form of training for his daughter and son-in-law.
At this moment, Zhuge Liang had stood at the edge of the high cliff for a full half stick of incense. He had been observing.
Half an hour, a quarter of an hour…
Finally, Zhuge Liang’s lips curved into a smile, and he said faintly, “A fine Eight Gates Formation. If it were my fifth senior brother, he would not have set up this Eight Gates Formation, but rather the ‘Feng Hou Eight Formations Diagram’!”
Hmm…
As these words left his mouth, Huang Yueying’s eyes narrowed slightly, showing some surprise. “You say this Eight Gates Formation was set up by Senior Brother Yuan Zhi?”
“Precisely!” Zhuge Liang nodded. “Xu Shu, Xu Yuan Zhi, the fifth of the Eight Wonders of Shuijing. However… since our fifth senior brother has set up the strategy of the five-pronged attack on Cao and the struggle for dominance of the Central Plains, why would he personally resolve this situation? It is truly extremely strange…”
Speaking of this, Zhuge Liang paused.
“What’s more interesting is this Eight Gates Formation. It’s true that Yuan Zhi set it up, but it’s full of flaws, merely a facade, lacking a central commander, as if it were rushed. Xiu, Sheng, Shang, Du, Jing, Si, Jing, Kai. Entering from any gate and exiting from any gate will break the formation! Yet… it is precisely because of such a superficial formation that our Governor of Jingzhou hesitates. It seems your father saw through this crucial point long ago?”
“Crucial point?” Huang Yueying retorted.
Zhuge Liang nodded. “Governor Liu is observing. If the victory at the Guangling battlefield in Jiangdong is great and Yuan Shao marches south, he will also advance north. But if any route falters, he will undoubtedly retreat to Jingzhou, citing his inability to break this formation. This way, he will preserve his troops and not offend Yuan Shao!”
After hearing Zhuge Liang’s analysis, Huang Yueying understood. In fact… she could also see that the formation was not difficult to break, but… the “understanding of human affairs” involved was not something a woman like her could grasp.
“Shall we go… report to Governor Liu?” Zhuge Liang shook his head slightly.
“Report what?” Huang Yueying continued to ask.
“Now that Yuan Shao has returned north and Jiangdong has suffered defeat, the reply he wants to hear is naturally… that we also ‘cannot break’ this formation!” Zhuge Liang turned his head and said softly, already taking a step, intending to head down the mountain.
Huang Yueying pouted. For the first time, she felt a sense of “powerlessness.” Clearly, the formation could be broken, yet they insisted on saying it couldn’t be broken.
Alas… the matters of this world!
Indeed…
It is not black and white, nor is it all about rigid principles.
Just then…
“Senior brother, look?”
Huang Yueying grabbed Zhuge Liang’s sleeve and pointed down the cliff, to the enemy encampment behind the Eight Gates Formation.
Zhuge Liang turned around again and looked down.
The moment he looked, he was instantly startled.
This…
What met his eyes were wooden oxen and flowing horses.
That’s right… oxen and horses made of wood were transporting grain and fodder, requiring only a few elite guards for escort.
The most crucial point was that in such mountainous terrain, these wooden oxen and flowing horses moved as if on flat ground. This was too incredible.
“Such miraculous transportation skills are too mysterious… With this, wouldn’t escorting the grain be effortless?”
Zhuge Liang exclaimed…
Huang Yueying nodded. “We both tried before, but… we both failed. If only we could capture one of these wooden oxen or horses, we could then discern where we went wrong?”
Speaking of this, Huang Yueying couldn’t help but feel a hint of regret…
Just then…
Perhaps because Huang Yueying’s sigh was too loud, a Jingzhou soldier escorting them heard it. He stepped forward.
“Young Master Zhuge, Miss Huang, this is called ‘wooden oxen and flowing horses.’ According to intelligence reports, almost all of Cao’s army now uses them to transport grain. Our spies in the Central Plains managed to send one over, which General Cai is keeping. If you two wish to take a closer look, you might ask General Cai for it.”
Because the Huang family had intricate connections with the Liu and Cai families, and Huang Yueying was Huang Chengyan’s daughter, the soldier dared not be negligent and quickly revealed what he knew.
This…
Zhuge Liang and Huang Yueying exchanged glances.
They were indeed very interested in these wooden oxen and flowing horses.
“Then thank you…”
Before Zhuge Liang could speak, the soldier seemed to remember something else. “Oh, yes, I forgot to mention… I heard that in Cao’s army, the one who invented these wooden oxen and flowing horses and drew the manufacturing diagrams is Lu Yu, the Grand Minister of Han, and the one who specifically made them is a student of the Imperial Academy, the second son of the Zhuge family of Langya Commandery, Xu Province – ‘Zhuge Liang.’ I heard that Lu Yu specially established workshops, managed by Liu Ye, the Imperial Uncle, and the deputy manager is this student, Zhuge Liang!”
Uh…
As these words left his mouth, Zhuge Liang was completely stunned.
These wooden oxen and flowing horses were made by… by Zhuge Liang?
In a daze, he suddenly understood. Most likely, the Zhuge Liang mentioned by the soldier was his third brother – Zhuge Jun!
Heavens…
Zhuge Liang’s face was filled with astonishment!
These… these miraculous wooden oxen and flowing horses were made by… by Junior Brother Jun!
Before he could react.
“Zhuge Liang… the Zhuge clan of Langya? Then he is a fellow clansman of yours, Senior Brother!” Huang Yueying murmured, “It seems this Young Master Zhuge is also a very talented young man!”
Uh…
Zhuge Liang was utterly bewildered and felt a bit awkward!
…
…
Xuchang City, Situ Mansion.
At this time, Lu Yu was alone in his study. On his desk was a simple map drawn by Lu Yu.
He had marked many points on it.
For example… the five-pronged attack on Yuan.
In fact… according to his plan, the five-pronged attack on Yuan was merely a formality to force Yuan Shao to make a choice. If a real battle were to ensue, Lü Bu, Gongsun Zan, Han Sui and Ma Teng, Zhang Yan, and the Southern Xiongnu… even if all five were combined, they might not be Yuan Shao’s match.
Of course, as for the future, it was hard to say.
After all, these five routes were nails planted behind Yuan Shao. Given his nature, he would surely be on guard, thus… the pressure on the main battlefield would be greatly reduced.
If the main battlefield could be won, then pursuing the defeated enemy with the remnants of their strength would be a beautiful story.
Hu…
Taking a deep breath, Lu Yu’s eyes continued to flicker over the map, and his mind was also working rapidly.
He was accustomed to going over the entire plan in his mind multiple times.
This was due to his reverence for ancient wisdom.
He was self-aware. If it weren’t for his prior knowledge of this period of history, any ancient person would have been enough to defeat him in strategy.
It was for this reason that every deployment should be more cautious.
Just then.
“Tap tap…”
Heavy footsteps sounded from outside the door. “Young Master Lu, Sima Zhongda requests an audience…”
Dian Wei’s voice followed.
Sima Zhongda?
Lu Yu blinked his eyes. He knew that Sima Yi had visited many times recently, and the first time was even through Yang Xiu’s introduction.
One sentence from Sima Yi left a deep impression on Lu Yu.
– He wanted to be useful to Young Master Lu and the Long Xiao Camp.
As for Lu Yu, he had always been hesitant about whether or not to employ Sima Yi.
Strictly speaking…
The eventual unification of the Three Kingdoms under the Jin dynasty was not necessarily Sima Yi’s fault.
To put it plainly, Cao Wei was unable to suppress the Sima family of Henei, nor could it suppress those aristocratic families. If Cao Cao or Cao Pi had been on the throne, let alone the Gao Ping Ling Coup, Sima Yi would not have dared to harbor any rebellious thoughts even if he were scared to death!
Moreover, it was also due to Cao Wei’s extensive suppression of its own imperial clan brothers and the implementation of the Nine-Rank System, which further empowered the aristocratic families!
To put it bluntly, it was a case of “the winner takes all” for Sima Yi.
These things could not all be blamed on Sima Yi.
Besides, in historical records, Sima Yi restrained his ambitions internally, concealed his sharp edge, sought good fortune and avoided disaster externally, feigned weakness, and pretended to be ill. However, now, due to Lu Yu’s appearance, he couldn’t quite understand what Sima Yi was thinking, as he had actively sought to enter officialdom.
It could be said that the wheels of history had undergone a tremendous reversal for the Sima family of Henei.
But…
Lu Yu felt quite uncomfortable at the thought of employing Sima Yi. Even the name “Sima Zhongda” was uncomfortable, like a fishbone stuck in his throat, like sitting on pins and needles, like having eyes in the back of his head!
He immediately waved his hand and instructed, “Tell him I’m not seeing him. Send him back!”
“Young Master Lu…” Unexpectedly, Dian Wei added, “Sima Zhongda has come this time with the official seal of his father, Sima Fang, the Administrator of Jingzhao. He also mentioned donating all of the Sima family’s assets to assist Grand Minister Lu and Chancellor Cao in their decisive battle against Yuan Shao! He mentioned that his father and brothers will all return to their hometown in Henei and will never serve as officials again!”
Hu…
This…
Lu Yu blinked his eyes. This was sincerity to the fullest. To refuse such sincerity would be unreasonable.
“Let him in!”
With the instruction, Lu Yu washed his face to make himself more alert.
Not long after, Sima Yi entered the study. Not only had he come, but a woman also accompanied him. Sima Yi bowed to Lu Yu, and the woman also gracefully curtsied.
– “Your humble servant Sima Yi pays his respects to Grand Minister Lu!”
– “Your humble servant Zhang Chunhua pays her respects to the Grand Minister!”
Zhang Chunhua?
As this name was spoken, Lu Yu immediately thought of some lines from a certain card game.
Such as… “No coming, no going, no regrets, no complaints,” “The heartless wound others, the sentimental wound themselves,” “Your life or death has nothing to do with me.”
In short… in Lu Yu’s impression, this was a very fierce, very wild woman, a tigress!
He blinked his eyes slightly. According to ancient texts, by this time, she might have already given birth to Sima Yi’s eldest son, Sima Shi.
“Both of you, rise. There’s no need for formality!”
Sima Yi and Zhang Chunhua stood up. Sima Yi first presented the Administrator of Jingzhao’s official seal and the list of sold assets to Lu Yu.
“This is my father’s official seal, and this is the list of assets sold by our Sima family. We offer it all to Grand Minister Lu to assist Grand Minister Lu and Chancellor Cao in their decisive battle against Yuan Shao!”
“Our Sima family will also retreat entirely to our ancestral home in Henei. Only then can Chancellor Cao and Grand Minister Lu rest assured.”
Even when donating…
Sima Yi’s tone was humble, displaying the demeanor of a subordinate towards a superior.
“That’s not what you want to express, is it?” Lu Yu narrowed his eyes and asked proactively, “Tell me, your father’s refusal to serve as an official, is the purpose to allow you to serve as an official?”
With a gulp, having his intentions revealed, Sima Yi was not flustered. This was all within his expectations.
If Lu Yu couldn’t guess his intentions, that would be strange!
“Grand Minister Lu, I heard that… some time ago, due to an inexplicable large fire in the tomb complex, the Mojin Camp of the Long Xiao Camp lost some soldiers. Now… the entire Mojin Camp is filled with fear, and no one dares to take the lead in tomb raiding!”
Sima Yi said loudly, “I am thinking, as a student of the Imperial Academy… I am untalented and cannot charge forward like De Zu, nor can I achieve merit in workshops like ‘Kongming,’ nor can I even provide weapons and armor for the three armies like Miss Cao Mu…”
“Therefore, the only thing I can do is to take risks for Chief Director Lu. While others dare not tomb raid, I, Sima Yi, dare! While others fear the inexplicable flames and hesitate, I, Sima Yi, am willing to be the first!”
“I only hope, I only hope that Young Master Lu will give me an opportunity. The Sima clan has now retreated, and my wife and I only wish to be useful to Chief Director Lu and the Long Xiao Camp!”
Huo…
As Sima Yi’s words left his mouth, Lu Yu’s eyes narrowed.
In that instant, he understood three-tenths of Sima Zhongda’s intentions.
First, the Sima family’s retreat was to make the Emperor and the Han officials’ faction give up hope. This was a form of avoiding disaster.
Second, Sima Yi actively sought officialdom and joined Lu Yu’s faction. This was to offer himself as a hostage, to reassure Cao Cao…
If these two points were already considered quite thorough.
But the most crucial third point, the deepest one, was the reason why Lu Yu had to accept him!
Sima Yi was indeed Sima Yi!
At such an age, his consideration of matters was so meticulous, so airtight!
Impressive, very impressive!
…
…