Chapter 5 second quarter

Liu Bei was able to enter the cottage only when he visited for the second time. When he came for the first time a month ago, he saw a lock on the door. He asked the neighbors, it turned out that Zhuge's family took their newborn to see the old man.Liu Bei still did not see Zhuge Liang the second time.He walked into the small courtyard with gurgling water, walked around the stone sundial, and looked down, it was almost noon.The thick shadow of the tree fell on the stone path, and occasionally a leaf floated down. In the gap between the emerald leaves, two little orioles parked, chirping and talking about love.Liu Bei was both happy and envious of this simple and tidy courtyard, and the sense of loss because he had not seen Zhuge Liang quietly turned into a kind of waiting at this time.

"General Liu!" On the corridor, a little boy greeted him with a smile. "Oh!" Liu Bei adjusted his clothes. "Why didn't the general leave?" Tong'er deliberately joked. "Just go, just go..." Liu Bei said, holding Zhang Fei who was enraged. The two encounters made Zhang Fei angry; unlike Guan Yu, he could wait outside the door and take out "Spring and Autumn" from his sleeve to read; in Zhang Fei's view, Liu Bei was knowledgeable, ambitious, and a bloodline Noble person: It is said that Liu Bei is the uncle of today's emperor after King Jing of Zhongshan——for this kind of person, Zhang Fei has always respected and looked up to him.Therefore, no matter where Liu Bei is, if possible, he will always follow closely. This makes Zhang Fei often very childish.

"What!" Zhang Fei couldn't help muttering. The little boy had sharp ears, pointed at Zhang Fei and said, "Say it again?" "What..." As soon as Zhang Fei opened his mouth, Liu Bei pulled him behind him.Liu Bei bowed his hands to the boy: "Since Mr. Kong Ming is not here, we won't stay any longer." As soon as he turned around, the boy said with a smile: "Madam, please tell the general in the hall." When Zhang Fei recklessly wanted to follow, Liu Bei ordered him to stop outside the door.In Liu Bei's view, it was incredible to be invited into the inner hall by Zhuge Liang's wife.He took off his shoes outside the hall and looked up: there were three young people sitting in the hall.Two men in their early twenties who were about the same age were sitting opposite each other in front of the chess game. One was dressed in blue plain clothes and the other was in a white gown.It was the turn of the chess player in blue, he held the white piece in his hand and frowned; the man in white put his finger into the chess box, smiled and said nothing.Looking at the small window again, the third young man was sitting on the ground, holding a small knife in his hand, and was concentrating on chopping wood. The sun fell on the young man's face, drawing a very gentle shape.

"Sister-in-law, General Liu is here!" The man in white saw Liu Bei first. sister in law?Liu Bei was taken aback. The young man sitting by the window threw the knife away, stood up and faced Liu Bei.Only then did Liu Bei realize that it was a woman, a woman with clear eyebrows and a smile on her face!This is Zhuge Liang's wife: Huang Shunying.Shun Ying specially changed into men's clothing this time because she had to receive strangers whom she had never met before. "The general has come to work hard." Shunying bowed and asked Liu Bei to sit down. It wasn't until this time that Liu Bei had time to look at the room. To be honest, it was a mess: there was a picture of "Sun Tzu's Soldiers" hanging on the wall, a seven-star sword, a pile of letters on the small table, and three uncleaned brushes inserted into the room. Inside the bamboo pen holder, the brush holder was tilted to the side; a small couch was facing Liu Bei, on the couch hung two sets of long coats and a pair of socks that could be folded away, and the surroundings of the players were even more messy, obviously they were in a moment of interest. Just moved the chessboard, and pushed the original things where the chessboard was placed, to both sides.

It turns out that Zhuge's family is like this... Liu Bei thought. Shunying also noticed that the house was in a mess, so she went up and patted each of the two young men on the head, and said, "Get up, tidy up! Quick!" Turning to Liu Bei, she said with a smile, "I'll make the general laugh. If Kong Ming isn't around, the house won't be like that." It's home...Jun!" She caught a glimpse of Zhuge Jun in blue who was arranging a few scrolls, and hurriedly said, "Don't move, Kong Ming can't remember the number of scrolls..." Shunying looked at Liu Bei again, and he was looking at Liu Bei with a half-smile Two young people in a hurry.How happy, Liu Bei thought to himself.The quiet trees outside and the tidy courtyard will make Liu Bei feel respectful, while the lively busyness in the thatched cottage will make him feel close to him from the bottom of his heart.It's just a group of young people, Liu Bei thought: the so-called things flock together, and people are divided into groups, that Zhuge Liang, even if he is talented, is not too arrogant to be uncontrollable... Thinking of this, Liu Bei couldn't help showing some restraint.

After a while, the room was cleaned a lot, only a few scrolls were left untouched. "Should the general stay for dinner?" Shunying said. "No, no." Liu Bei waved his hand. "Drink at least a cup of tea. The ingredients are chrysanthemums picked by my sister-in-law. The fragrance will last for a long time!" The man in white laughed, "I'll cook it!" "Tell Jun to cook!" Shunying stopped him, and turned to Zhuge Jun, "Ji Chang is a guest, how can a guest make tea for the host?" "Is he considered a guest? My sister-in-law is blindly biased." Zhuge Jun pretended to complain, bowed to Liu Bei, and withdrew.

The relationship between this man in white and Zhuge's family is obviously extraordinary.Liu Bei asked: "Where is the next step?" "My name is Ma Liang, and my name is Jichang." The young man leaned forward and replied, his eyebrows and eyes were as moist as a full moon. Ma Liang?Liu Bei was stunned, and asked: "'Ma's Wuchang, Baimei is the best', do you mean your step?" "Ma" is also one of the common surnames in Jingzhou. It is widely rumored in the village that among the five brothers of the Ma family, Baimei Maliang is the most outstanding.Liu Bei had always thought that since he had white eyebrows, he must be in his sixtieth year. Unexpectedly, when I saw him today, he was only a twenty-year-old boy. On closer inspection, his eyebrows like wild goose feathers were really mixed with a few traces of frost and white!

"The word 'best' is just a false award." Ma Liang smiled shyly, looked at Shunying and said, "General Liu mentioned this to make my sister-in-law laugh at me." "Ji Chang, don't be too modest." Shunying looked at Liu Bei with a smile, "General, Kong Ming has gone to Lin's house to propose marriage to Jun, and he has to go to Lingshan to meet Feng Jiugong..." She calculated, "I'm afraid it will take ten days It will take half a month to come back." "Bei is a man of unlucky fortune! I came to visit twice, but I didn't see Mr. Kong Ming." Liu Bei originally thought that this sigh must make the people in the seat very grateful, but Ma Liang and Shunying still laughed.

"It's hard to say that it's not a gift from heaven to the general to go back twice!" Ma Liang said. "How?" Liu Bei was surprised. "If Zhang Liang didn't pick up the shoes that the old man dropped under the bridge three times, how could he get the "Taigong Art of War"? Without that adventure, he would be just a young man who assassinated the emperor in Bolang, and he would not be a hero of Kai Han!" Ma Liang said softly Said, "General, if you want to do extraordinary things, you need extraordinary people. If you want to open up the world in troubled times, Brother Kong Ming is just the person the general needs. Starting with Sangu, it is a legend. Legend..." Ma Liang repeated this word, "Next, the world will depend on the general and brother Kong Ming. It's really... looking forward to!"

There was hope in Ma Liang's eyes, which made Liu Bei puzzled and admired: Why do talented people like Xu Shu and Ma Liang show envy and anticipation when talking about Zhuge Liang?As if he is really a dragon, as long as he rides the cloud to the sky, he can change the situation of the world in an instant! "What's more, a thousand pieces of gold buys a bone!" Shun Ying burst out laughing. "Thousands of gold?" Liu Bei didn't like reading, and most of the allusions were half-understood. Ma Liang explained: "During the Warring States period, King Yanzhao wanted to recruit talents, so he asked his adviser Guo Wei. Guo Wei told King Zhao a story: Once upon a time, there was a king who liked BMWs and spent a lot of money to buy them. Three years later, there was no one. Presenting horses. One of the king’s courtiers went out with a thousand pieces of gold and only bought a pair of horse bones. The king was furious, but the courtier replied: “Once word spreads about the money bought by the king, everyone will know the sincerity of the king’s love for horses. Good horses.” It will appear under your rank soon.' Sure enough, in less than a year, someone sent three thousand-mile horses. After Guo Wei finished speaking, he said to King Zhao: "Your Majesty recruits talents, you might as well start with me..."

"We might as well start with Kong Ming." Shunying laughed. The forty-seven-year-old General Zuo visited a twenty-seven-year-old young man three times. This is a rare event in itself; "The prophecy is also spreading from Sima Hui's courtyard, spreading in a planned way. When the chrysanthemum tea was ripe, the fragrance of the tea was clear and sweet, and penetrated into Liu Bei's body. When Liu Bei came out of the thatched cottage, it was like a different person. He was full of vigor and energy. After getting on his horse, Liu Bei said to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, "Go back to Xinye. I will visit you again in 20 days!" , Liu Bei fasted and bathed, and never let up at all. His overly pious attitude spread from the Xinye General's Mansion to Xiangyang and Longzhong. Intensified interest and anticipation. When Liu Bei came to Longzhong for the third time, along the way, men, women and children looked at each other and pointed at each other: "That is Mr. Xuande, and the ones behind... are Zhang Fei and Guan Yu... oh, that one, that one is the most beautiful Yes, it’s Zhao Yun! Zhao Yun...yes, go to see Zhuge Liang, for the third time...go to see Mr. Fulong, Zhuge Kongming..." Liu Bei listened to all these arguments, and couldn't help feeling elated, he did what he wanted to do The first thing he did was to catch the first move of Zhuge Liang, whom he had never met, and attracted the attention of countless people to Longzhong and to the thatched cottage, making Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei the most famous celebrities in Jingzhou.What about Zhuge Liang?In what form will he see me?What kind of gift will he give when they meet for the first time?Liu Bei walked slowly on the bridle until he reached the thatched hut, the only thought in his mind was: Could it really be a horse's bone?Thousands of money buy bones, haha, it's so interesting! "General Zuo, please!" This time, the boy who opened the door was very polite. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun stopped in the courtyard, while Liu Bei walked into the living room alone. Liu Bei saw Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang stood up to meet Liu Bei, and he saw the amazement in Liu Bei's eyes.Zhuge Liang smiled slightly.Liu Bei, who has been up and down for most of his life, has never seen such a good-looking person as Zhuge Liang.He couldn't use words like handsome and tall to describe him, he could only use the simplest "good-looking".In terms of heroic appearance, Lu Bu can be regarded as the dragon and phoenix among the people; in terms of elegance and beauty, Guo Jia can also lead the coquettish; as for Cheng Yu, Sun Ce, Yuan Shao, Zhao Yun... which one is not dignified?However, when Liu Bei saw them, he could only praise them. He is not a delicate person, so he would not take those faces in his heart and chew them slowly.I just love Zhuge Liang!But there was an extraordinary mood that shocked him!Zhuge Liang was tall, even taller than Zhao Yun. He was dressed in a light gray cloth robe and a snow-white lun scarf on his head. He was clean and neat.A few strands of black hair protrude from the sideburns, like the night floating in the day; the eyes that look at people with a smile are blacker and brighter than the hair, just like... oh, the moment Xu Shu pushed open the window that night, it was like Zhuge Liang look at you!The corners of the lips are slightly raised, embellished with a kind and proud smile.The young man holds a white feather fan in his hand, adding to the endless romance. "Please, general." Zhuge Liang pointed the feather fan at the seat. Liu Bei sat down "oh, oh". This meeting changed the lives of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, and it will also change the whole of China. The conversation that followed was straightforward and pleasant. "The general visited the thatched cottage three times, and Liang is very grateful." Zhuge Liang cupped his hands and said while pouring tea for Liu Bei, "Liang wants to know the general's ambition." Being so straight to the point made Liu Bei's affection for Zhuge Liang even more. Liu Bei said: "Today's Han Dynasty is in decline, treacherous officials are in power, the emperor is controlled by powerful traitors, and the throne is stained with dust. I am overestimated, and want to uphold righteousness in the world, but it is a pity," he sighed, "I am short-sighted and busy. I have achieved nothing for more than twenty years. Even so, until today, my ambition has not faded. I heard that Mr. Kong Ming is generous, and I would like to hear your good suggestions." As soon as he opened his mouth, he confided all his thoughts, which was unexpected by Liu Bei.He didn't expect that as soon as he sat down, Zhuge Liang's feather fan swayed, he became a veritable scholar, a respectful seeker, and the arrogant airs he originally planned could not be put on at all. "Is that so..." Zhuge Liang took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "It turns out that the general has the ambition to be a king." He folded his hands on his knees again, this posture, in Liu Bei's view, was quite casual; but anyone who is familiar with Zhuge Liang knew that once he hugged his knees to talk, he was bound to say shocking words. "I can help the general realize his ambition." Zhuge Liang thought for a while and smiled, "I can present a country to the general and make you the king of the country. I just don't know if you are willing to accept it? I mean, a brand new country, instead of maintaining the declining and muddled Han dynasty." Liu Bei was taken aback. For many years he had always regarded himself as "supporting and protecting the Han family". Although he had hidden the idea of ​​"self-reliance", he never mentioned it to anyone.Unexpectedly, this young man who met for the first time pierced into his most secret desire without saying a few words.Liu Bei wanted to get angry, pretended to be angry, and refuted the other party's presumptuous words, but he heard a sincere and eager voice coming from his lips: "Mr. Wang will not hesitate to enlighten me!" Zhuge Liang looked up and smiled. He looked at the roof, as if he was seeing the wind and dust of the past few decades. "Since Dong Zhuo, there have been countless heroes who have occupied states and counties and dominated one side. Comparing Cao Cao with Yuan Shao, the former has a low reputation and weak power, but Cao Cao finally defeated Yuan Shao, making the originally weak force stronger day by day , To dominate the Central Plains, this not only depends on the weather, but also on the strategy of him and his capable men. Now Cao Cao has millions of soldiers, and the emperor is in command of the princes. No one can compete with him. General..." Zhuge Liang laughed, "General Remember, you can't either at the moment." "Oh..." Liu Bei's face became hot. The reason why I added the sentence "You can't do it now" is because Zhuge Liang knows that Liu Bei is the most stubborn person in the world who is against Cao Cao.It's just that the more he resists, the stronger Cao Cao will be, and the stronger Cao Cao will be, the worse Liu Bei's defeat will be.It is not easy to survive today. "Sun Quan occupied Jiangdong, and his father and brother have passed the foundation of the third generation. There is a natural danger in the Yangtze River, the people support it, and the wise men are attached to it. It seems... alas," Zhuge Liang sighed, as if he saw his elder brother Zhuge Jin in official uniform, standing sideways Under the rank of Sun Quan! "It seems that he can only be used as foreign aid and form an alliance with him, but cannot and cannot plot him." "Sun Quan...Okay. Then me?" Cao Cao, Sun Quan... Liu Bei drew a picture of the current situation in his heart, and thought, where will Zhuge Liang build a brand new country? "There is a good place for the general." Zhuge Liang chuckled, patted the floor and said, "Here." "here?" "Well, here, Jingzhou!" "Jingzhou... belongs to Liu Jingsheng." Liu Bei hesitated. Zhuge Liang didn't answer Liu Bei right away, but said: "Jingzhou has the power of the Han River and the Mian River in the north, and the benefits of the South China Sea in the south; it connects Wujun and Kuaiji in the east; it leads directly to Bashu in the west... that's great. It is the best place to use it! No matter where you want to point the flag, you will not have to walk hard. And Liu Biao, the lord of Jingzhou..." Zhuge Liang mentioned the name that made Liu Bei hesitate, "He can't defend here. Jingzhou , is a generous gift from heaven to the general, is the general going to refuse it?" Before Liu Bei could speak, Zhuge Liang said again: "There is still Yizhou!" Great reputation! Back then, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty relied on it to achieve hundreds of years of imperial career! Now Liu Zhang who leads Yizhou..." Zhuge Liang sneered, "He is a cowardly and incompetent person. When threatened by Zhang Lu in the north, he was trembling and could not be safe. .Although he has many people and abundant products, he doesn’t know how to care for, preserve, utilize and manage them, so that Yizhou is full of powerful people and is in chaos! All the talented people there are looking forward to another wise monarch...General, " Zhuge Liang smiled and said in a low voice, "Wouldn't it be good for General Zuo to be that monarch?" After all, Zhuge Liang stopped. He put his chin on his knees, hugged his legs quietly, even closed his eyes, and let the feather fan hang down to his feet. At first glance, he looked like a child who was tired from playing and was going to sleep !After a while, Liu Bei couldn't bear it any longer, and asked, "What about...Kong Ming? What about after?" "After that? Ah..." Zhuge Liang waved his hand, his voice was very soft. This very soft voice sounded in Liu Bei's ears, but it was as loud as Huang Zhong and Da Lu, shaking his internal organs. "The general is the royal family of the Han Dynasty. Afterwards, benevolence and morality spread all over the world, leading heroes, and yearning for talents. If you can overcome obstacles and benefits, strictly guard the dangers, make friends with Rong and Di in the west, appease the barbarians in the south, unite with Sun Quan externally, and revise politics internally, That's enough." "enough?" "Enough." Zhuge Liangliang nodded, "Just wait then." "What are you waiting for?" "Wait for another change in the world. Once the world changes..." Zhuge Liang's eyes flashed for a moment, awe-inspiring and dignified, "the general will send a general to lead the army of Jingzhou to attack Wan and Luo, and the general will personally lead the army of Yizhou to go north to Qin Chuan! When the common people hear about the general’s benevolence and righteousness, how can they not welcome you with wine and food? If this is the case, the monarch’s hegemony can be achieved, and the Han Dynasty... can also be revived.” "Han Dynasty?" Zhuge Liang smiled faintly: "The general is a descendant of the Han Dynasty, ha ha." In the name of the Han Dynasty, create a new country; this country spans the two richest and most dangerous regions, and has an extremely bright and brilliant future, and has a future of unifying the world-this is what Zhuge Liang dedicated to Liu Bei Greeting ceremony.He didn't even use a map to illustrate, but put the whole world in front of Liu Bei, telling him, where is whose, where is yours, where can be obtained, where should be used; there is no one in the world like Zhuge Liang. Arrogant and arrogant, there is no one person who can make the world in the next thirteen years run according to his words!Liu Bei suddenly became angry!He shouldn't have believed Zhuge Liang's words. He was only twenty-seven years old. He had never fought a battle or made a plan. He was just a young man talking on paper. He didn't know how complicated and dangerous the outside world was. However, Liu Bei believed he!It's like believing that the North Star can dispel the haze of the night, and once the sun rises, the chill in the early morning will fade away!What an amazing person... Liu Bei took a sudden step forward, took Zhuge Liang's hand and said: "Please come out and help Liu Bei, sir, so as to achieve a career that will last forever!" "Wait." Zhuge Liang whispered. "Mr. Kong Ming?" Liu Bei was anxious, "Will you not agree, sir?" "I have no objection." Zhuge Liang didn't get up, he leaned back, still hugging his body, "Don't worry, general, there are many people outside, and everyone wants to know what you talked about with me. These words, where are they?" What should the third person know?" Zhuge Liang closed his eyes and said, "Don't go out in a hurry, general. You and Kong Ming will be grasshoppers tied to the same rope for at least ten years. Why bother to bear the hard work outside? I’m sleepy. To entertain the general, I don’t have time to take a nap today... Let them wait a little longer, until they get flustered, so they won’t be able to guess what we said.” Zhuge Liang’s voice gradually weakened, “There are books in the room, look Look, sleep for a while, wake me up in an hour, this time the general should have dinner in the humble house..." Zhuge Liang really fell asleep. At twenty-seven, he sleeps like a child. Liu Bei stared at the sleeping Zhuge Liang dumbfounded, completely unaware that the fierce and galloping demeanor just now emanated from this person.