Since leaving Zhuge Xuan, Zhuge Liang came to Nanyang, Jingzhou to seek refuge. In the past six months, many things have happened in the world, and news has come one after another. Some of them were beyond Zhuge Liang's expectations, causing him to have incredible misjudgments about his previous views on the general situation of the world.
He looked at the map and became increasingly confused as to why the world situation had changed so drastically, so he simply threw it aside.
Through the bamboo window of the thatched cottage, the clear chirping of birds could be heard from the empty mountain valley outside. Zhuge Liang remembered that he had weeded yesterday and did not need to go to the fields today, so he took a roll of bamboo slips and leaned against the bamboo couch beside the bed.
In his eyes, the scene outside the window seemed to have turned into the mountains and rivers on the map. Zhuge Liang could not help but think of his uncle who had just passed away. He was worried and could not get rid of it. He gradually tapped the head of the bed and chanted in a low voice.
What he sang was Liangfu Yin, a Yuefu poem he composed himself. When he sang it, the high and low tones flowed like a piece of music.
Although Zhuge Liang was young, just sixteen years old, he had already grown quite tall, and his voice was full of energy and loud. As time went on, the sound of his chanting became louder and louder, echoing in the valley like the roar of a tiger or a dragon.
There were voices outside the thatched cottage, and then there was a knock on the wooden door. Zhuge Liang went out to greet them and found that they were several friends. He opened the wooden door and greeted them one by one. He smiled and said to them, "You all came early today."
The leader said with a smile: "He has the world in his heart, lies down in the autumn, and chants in a harmonious voice, just like a crouching dragon. We can call Kong Ming the Crouching Dragon."
The person who was speaking was Xu Shu, a native of Yingchuan from Yuanzhi. He fled after taking revenge for someone else in the sixth year of Zhongping. In the second year of Chuping, he took refuge in Jingzhou, made many friends, studied classics, and his knowledge became more and more sophisticated since then.
The other two people heard this and clapped their hands and laughed, saying, "This is a very good name."
Shi Tao, whose courtesy name was Guangyuan, was from Yingchuan, the same hometown as Xu Shu. He fled to Jingzhou with Xu Shu to study.
Meng Jian, whose courtesy name was Gongwei, was from Runan. He also came to Nanyang to avoid disaster.
Although these three people were much older than Zhuge Liang, after they became friends by chance, they were all impressed by Zhuge Liang's talent and learning, so they called each other friends and were known as the Four Friends.
Now when Zhuge Liang saw Xu Shu praising him, he could not help but humbly said: "When it comes to calculating the fate of the world and planning strategies in my mind, I am still far behind."
"In the past six months alone, what has happened in the world has been far beyond Liang's expectations. I have missed and miscalculated a lot, and I am really ashamed."
He welcomed the three people in. After Xu Shu sat down, he sighed, "Indeed, the world has witnessed many changes over the past ten years, and heroes have emerged one after another. Now the world situation has changed several times, and there are even signs that a war is about to break out. Who could have predicted this two years ago?"
Several people agreed deeply, and Shi Tao said: "The changes in the world all depend on the victory or defeat of a few places and the strategies of a few people. Who do you think is the hero of the world today?"
Meng Jian raised his hand and said, "Let me throw out some ideas first!"
Everyone laughed, "Gong Wei speaks first."
Meng Jian said, "Yuan Benchu of Hebei has three generations of officials, many of whom are former officials. He controls three states and can be said to be a man who can shake the world with a wave of his hand."
Everyone listened and nodded.
Meng Jian added: "Yuan Gonglu in Huainan has sufficient military supplies and food. He occupies Yuzhou and Yangzhou and is eyeing Jingzhou. He can be a strong enemy of Yuan Benchu."
As everyone nodded, a trace of worry appeared on their faces. Nanyang was the gateway to Jingzhou. If they wanted to capture Jingzhou, they had to take Nanyang first. Yuan Shu was powerful and had long been plotting to take Jingzhou. He would attack sooner or later. By then, the place where everyone lived would probably not be safe.
Xu Shu sighed, "Nanyang has been in turmoil over the past year. The emperor's return to the east has set off a series of events that have spread to this place. The result is truly unexpected."
"Zhang Ji led his troops to attack Nanyang Rangcheng and died. His nephew Zhang Xiu stationed his troops in Wancheng. Although he reconciled with Liu Jingzhou, the Xiliang soldiers are fierce and violent. I'm afraid Nanyang will be in trouble from now on."
Everyone shared the same feeling and felt a lot heavier.
Shi Tao said: "If a war really breaks out, we scholars who are weak and helpless will not be able to stop the war. I'm afraid we can only go to Jingzhou to study."
Several people were moved, but Zhuge Liang sighed: "The world is so big that we can avoid disasters everywhere, but if there is war everywhere, where can we hide?"
Xu Shu heard this and said with a smile: "Kong Ming has great ambitions since he was young, and he has the world in his heart. Since he has such thoughts, why not go to a wise leader and do something?"
After hearing this, Kong Ming shook his head and said, "Most of the princes in the world are selfish and they can hardly be called wise rulers."
Meng Jianqi asked, "Are the two people I just mentioned not qualified?"
Kong Ming said calmly: "Yuan Gonglu is extravagant and cruel to the people. His intentions are sinister and he is not a wise leader."
"Yuan Benchu loves fame and success, is suspicious and indecisive, and has no tolerance for others. He can hardly be called a wise leader."
Meng Jianqi said: "Kong Ming has a broad vision. The envoy Liu Jingsheng rode alone into Jingzhou with extraordinary courage and insight. He turned the tide and defended Jingzhou alone. Can he be called a wise leader?"
Zhuge Liang sighed, "Liu Shijun was indeed a hero in those days, but now he is a ruler who only cares about the status quo. I am afraid it will be difficult for him to leave Jingzhou and influence the world situation."
Meng Jian listened and said, "Cao Cao, Cao Mengde, is from a prominent family. He welcomed the emperor and had many brave generals under his command. He valued talent over morality and recruited talents from all over the world. He especially valued people from Yingchuan. Can he be called a wise ruler?"
As soon as he said this, Xu Shu hurriedly tried to interrupt him, but Zhuge Liang's face suddenly darkened, "You value talent over morality, which means you put profit first and have no sense of shame. If a person has no morality, he is no different from a pig or a dog!"
"If this continues, most of his subordinates will inevitably be profit-seeking people who forget their principles. They will form cliques and engage in petty and despicable activities. This will inevitably cause trouble and become a laughing stock for the world."
"Allowing soldiers to massacre the city and eat the people is a great harm to the harmony of nature. If you do not accumulate good deeds, you will surely suffer retribution."
Xu Shu smiled bitterly. Meng Jian had hit a wall. Zhuge Liang was massacred by Cao Cao because of his hometown Langya. Although what he said was fair, there was some personal sentiment in it.
I'm afraid that given Zhuge Liang's personality, he would never vote for Cao Cao, right?
Meng Jian also realized that he had said something wrong, and hurriedly asked: "Then according to Kong Ming, how many wise leaders are there in the world worth following?"
Xu Shu laughed and said, "All the princes in the world are governors and provincial governors. If you count them one by one on your fingers, there are only a few left."
Everyone started discussing one by one, and finally found that the remaining people were far inferior to the two Yuans in strength.
Zhuge Liang just sighed: "They all have their merits, and they all have their shortcomings."
"Liu Yao is indeed a heroic and chivalrous man, but he is seriously ill. I am afraid that Yangzhou will fall into the hands of Sun Ce."
"Sun Ce is a tiger and wolf from Jiangdong. He is good at attacking cities but not at defending them. I'm afraid he will be in trouble."
"Liu Yuzhou is from a humble background, but if he makes friends with loyal and righteous people, he may be able to accomplish something."
"There is still one person. If time permits..."
He suddenly thought of someone and immediately shook his head, saying, "Even if it's bright, I can't see through this person."
Shi Tao asked curiously: "Who is it?"
Zhuge Liang replied, "Yuan Xianyi, the governor of Xuzhou."
Xu Shu heard this and asked curiously, "That bastard from the Yuan family?"
"Although he has done a lot of great things in the past two years, how much power can he have in the bitter cold land of Youzhou?"
"I heard that he has been using troops for several years, but his force has never exceeded 5,000. He can only serve as a vassal under Yuan Benchu. I'm afraid he can't accomplish anything independently, right?"
Zhuge Liang shook his head and said: "The soldiers are not the problem. The key lies in what they do and what they accomplish."
He thought of what happened in Fei County that day and remained silent.
Seeing that Zhuge Liang was in a daze, Xu Shu and his companions did not disturb him. They started discussing and deducing among themselves. In the end, they found that in the end, the world would still be dominated by the two Yuans.
Several people turned to Zhuge Liang and asked, "Kong Ming, who do you think will rule the world in the end?"
Kong Ming showed a mocking look on his face, "Yuan Gonglu? I'm afraid he will be the first to die."
Everyone was shocked. "Yuan Gonglu claims to have an army of 300,000, which is much larger than the 100,000 Jizhou troops. Why did Kong Ming say that?"
Kong Ming said decisively: "As long as the Han Dynasty is not destroyed, there are many loyal and righteous people in the world. Yuan Gonglu is seeking his own death by establishing himself despite the disapproval of the world."
"If they are cunning, they would have already started to make arrangements at the border of Yuzhou, thinking of destroying them and strengthening their strength."
"So from what I see, Cao Mengde, Liu Xuande, Liu Jingsheng, and even Sun Bofu may all rise to prominence through this."
"But Liu Jingsheng probably has no intention of expansion, and the rest..."
Thinking of this, Zhuge Liang was suddenly stunned. The fierce tiger of the Yuan family only occupied Guangling, so he could only attack Yuan Shu from Liu Bei's Xia Pi. It seemed that there was no chance.
But the Jingzhou governor who was just appointed by the Han court...
Did it plan ahead of time?
Zhuge Liang's face became solemn. If he wanted to predict the general trend of the world, he must not miss this person. After all, he had underestimated Yuan Xi's role several times before!
Zhuge Liang thought again of Yuan Xi's thankless efforts to save the people in Fei County, and thought that this person's style of doing things was completely incompatible with the Yuan family's.
Next, I have to take a good look at how the world is changing and whether some people are really hiding something.
Xuzhou Xiapi.
Zhang Fei angrily threw the bamboo slips with the intelligence on them to the ground, and said angrily: "This Yuan family member is going too far!"
"He is the governor of Xuzhou, so what are we?"
"We have become his subordinates?"
Guan Yu glared at Zhang Fei and said, "This decree was issued by the emperor with his seal. Are you saying that the emperor did something wrong?"
Zhang Fei listened and said hesitantly: "That's not what I meant, I just feel aggrieved!"
"We clearly agreed that the three of us would share Xuzhou, but in the end we were made the scapegoats!"
Liu Bei sat at the head of the table and waved his hand, saying, "Third brother, be patient. Things may not turn out as you think."
Seeing Zhang Fei sit down indignantly, Liu Bei sighed and said, "I just realized that status, especially the status of the emperor, is so important."
"But we woke up too late. We are one step behind and we can't blame others."
"Besides, Yuan Xianyi may not have aimed at this position from the beginning. His own Youzhou was given to Zilong by imperial decree."
Hearing this name, Zhang Fei's face became even more stiff. Liu, Guan, and Zhang were like brothers at the beginning. In Zhang Fei's view, Zhao Yun was an outsider, and Zhang Fei looked down on and neglected him.
But what he didn't expect was that within less than three years after Zhao Yun joined Yuan Xi's army, he had become the General of Four Directions and the Governor of Youzhou!
This is a position that Zhang Fei would never dare to dream of in his entire life. Zhao Yun can be on par with Liu Bei. Moreover, this is not a provincial governor who was privately nominated by Liu Bei, but a personal appointment with the seal of the emperor!
When the emperor returned to the east, he was hunted down by Li Jue and Guo Si all the way, and the ministers were all humiliated. Whoever came to rescue him at that time would be rewarded, especially when the Baibo Army was appointed as the generals of the four directions. The emperor's title became a joke.
Then things took a turn for the worse. Lu Bu, Cao Cao and Yuan Xi joined forces to please the emperor, and actually restored some of the prestige of the Han Dynasty. The title of emperor also went from being a laughing stock to a coveted commodity that everyone coveted!