Chapter 28 first quarter

Zhuge Liang is forty-seven years old, and this is the peak of his life.He still looks like a handsome man, with smooth eyebrows, a slender figure, and a smile on his lips, just like when he was twenty-seven!However, twenty years passed in the blink of an eye.The young man in Longzhong who hugged his knees and shouted, compared himself to the wind music, already had a more prominent reputation and position than Guan Zhong and Le Yi. People without exception described him as the Duke of Zhou and Yi Yin of the three generations.He opened the mansion and conferred the title of Marquis, and he had a group of loyal officials under him to support the operation of the court.Emperor Liu Chan once even joked: "To govern the country, it depends on the father; as for offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors, it depends on widows."-Although this sentence made Zhuge Liang uncomfortable, it did tell a part of the truth .

Although he thought about whether he should hand over some power to others, Zhuge Liang dismissed this idea time and time again.He is unique in the court of the Shu Han Dynasty, with unreachable mountain peaks and unreachable sea water.Zhao Zhi once said: "Zhuge Liang is too arrogant and too cautious. He intends to do everything he can do! Even proofreading the books, he has to do it himself, and sweat profusely. How can such a person Hope to live a long time? How can I let go of the power and follow the example of Zhang Liang, the three masters of the early Han Dynasty, to learn immortal arts such as ascension and bigu?" After finishing speaking, he sneered and sneered twice, as if he was very disdainful.Zhang Yi passed the words to Zhuge Liang as usual, and said: "Zhao Zhi maliciously slanders, the crime cannot be pardoned!" Zhuge Liang pondered for a long time and said, "Zhao Zhi is smart. However, once you make some mistakes, you must continue to make them."

Once a bird takes off, it never stops; it stops only once in its life, when it dies. Legend has it that it has no feet. Zhuge Liang looked down at his legs and feet, thinking: When can I stop? With a low sigh, he picked up the vermilion pen, only to hear a "squeak", the main hall door opened, and a woman walked in, holding a lacquer plate in her hand, on which was placed a cup of hot tea and small four-color dots.The woman was eighteen or nineteen years old, with only some rouge on her lips, her face was as clean as silk.She was wearing a pure white cloth skirt with a collar, and a rose vine embroidered on the corner of the skirt. Three bowl-sized roses were adorned on her knees and waist, which made Zhuge Liang's eyes shine.

"Ling'er... come." He patted the seat beside him. Ling'er sat down, her fingers wrapped around her belt. She is Zhuge Liang's concubine, and she just married into the prime minister's mansion five months ago.The marriage was arranged by Shunying alone, and Zhuge Liang was not informed until the dowry was given.Shunying once again talked about his son, although he said that he had succeeded his elder brother's second son, Zhuge Qiao, but also changed Qiao's character to show that Zhuge Liang regarded him as his own son. Change it to "Bosong", and "Bo" is the eldest son; despite this, Shunying still hopes that her husband will have prosperous children. "Besides, Qiao's health has always been poor..." Shunying said again, "Ling'er is a very innocent girl, with a gentle personality and a good family background..." This time, before Shunying could finish speaking, Zhuge Liang smiled wryly Waving his hand: "Forget it, alas, I won't recover the dowry."

This became a pro. She handed over her virginity to him completely. She wanted to give him a boy because she wanted to see his lighter, happier smile. "It's unique today," Zhuge Liang pushed the refreshments to Linger's hand, and asked with a smile, "New clothes?" "It was a gift from Master Li Yan." She answered with her head bowed. "Zhengfang? Oh..." Zhuge Liang laughed, "Understood." After Cao Pi died of illness last year and his son Cao Rui took the throne, Li Yan wrote to him, saying: "Brother Kong Ming has a lofty reputation and great virtues. He has benefited the country and the people infinitely. In today's turbulent world, it is better to be a good brother." Heaven responds to people, add Jiuxi, and become king, so as to comfort the hearts of the people to look up to." Zhuge Liang saw this letter at first glance, but he didn't feel that the pen in his hand dropped!Be king?Add Jiuxi? !That was what Cao Cao did, did Li Yan actually persuade him to do it? "Brother Zhengfang wants to roast Liang on the fire." When he came back to his senses, Zhuge Liang smiled, put the letter aside, and did not reply.Unexpectedly, Li Yan was unyielding, and wrote books again and again to talk about this matter, one after another, seeing Zhuge Liang drowsy on the one hand, and on the other hand like a light on his back, he had no choice but to write back:

"I have been with you for a long time, but why do we no longer understand each other? My husband advised me to expand the country and discipline me with the ancient system of "no one can be called a king without the surname Liu" of the great ancestor. His words are so convincing that I can no longer Silence. I am a lowly person, fortunate to be reused by the late emperor, an extremely human minister, and received countless gifts. Now the Cao thief has not been eliminated, and the king’s favor has not been repaid. If you are diligent in personal power and arrogant, where will you put "loyalty" ?! If one day, Liang can destroy Wei, capture and kill Cao Rui, and bring His Majesty back to the capital of the Han Dynasty, then I will be promoted together with you, even 'Ten Tin' can accept it, let alone 'Nine Tin'?"

Afterwards, Li Yan hurriedly wrote to admit his mistake; Zhuge Liang wrote a very "homely" letter and sent it to show that he did not hold grudges, saying: "The reward I received was 800,000 hu, and now the family has little savings. No, there is not even an extra piece of clothing in the side room. Liang is not good at managing money, which shows it." Unexpectedly, Li Yan was concerned about this, and hurriedly sent a lot of clothes to Zhuge Liang's family members, and the size was as good as the tailor-made ones! The candlelight was flickering, Ling'er lowered her head, and heard the rustling of bamboo leaves outside the window.

"It's March, and this year's bamboo is especially good." Ling'er said, and suddenly noticed that Zhuge Liang was staring at her clothes, with a twinkle in his eyes.The woman's heart tightened, and she quickly took her fingers out of her belt, and said, "Do you want to return it to Mr. Li? It's me... I'm not sensible." "No need, it's pretty." Zhuge Liang picked up her hand, held it in his palm and asked, "Afraid of me?" Ling'er shook her head, caressing her lower abdomen imperceptibly with one hand. "I'm afraid I can't see the bamboo leaves falling in the courtyard." Zhuge Liang smiled, pointed to the inkstone and said, "Help me study the ink, I have to write a seal."

Nanzhong was pacified, the national power was restored, Cao Pi died, and the morale of the soldiers was high; food and grass were sufficient, weapons were repaired, plank roads were built, and the court was looking forward to it.Zhuge Liang was urged to do a major event, which he wanted to do decades ago, and which he has been working hard for.Zhuge Liang took a deep breath, opened the window, and saw the deep blue night, densely covered with stars, and couldn't tell which one was brighter and which one lasted longer.What follows is the most severe and difficult contest in your life, right?he thinks.Unconsciously, he sat with his knees hugged, raised his face, and blew a whistling sound slowly.This time the broken lips are extremely high-pitched, like a golden arrow flying straight up in the sky, originally it was just a sharp trace, and then gradually spread, so that the rustling of bamboo seems to be inspired, more joyful and more rapid!Ling'er stared blankly at the man in front of her: the prime minister of the country, her...husband, her chest heaved.Husband, Husband!A feeling of timidity and warmth captured her in an instant. Is it happiness?She thought in a panic, it was as solid and warm as when she shyly hugged him as a newlywed.Accidentally, the woman poked her fingertips into the ink, which made Zhuge Liang smile slightly and asked, "Have you researched it?"

"Yeah." She blushed with embarrassment. Zhuge Liang unfolded Su Xuan, thoughtfully wrote: "The minister Liang said..." This is a watch that has been passed down through the ages. When people in later generations saw it, they often couldn't help wiping their tears; some people say that if you look at this watch and don't shed tears, you are a disloyal person.At night, Zhuge Liang wrote down line by line, and when he reached the point of hesitation, he looked up and thought for a while, outside the door, the night was quiet, even the stars fell asleep; beside him, sat a woman as gentle as catkins, with her hands on her lower abdomen on, looking at him quietly and silently.One more drum, two more drums, and when the woman was almost falling asleep with her arms in her arms, she felt a collar draped over her back.

"Prime Minister?" she asked in a low voice. Ling'er has always referred to Zhuge Liang by his official position. "Okay." Zhuge Liang said with a smile while holding the book with wet ink on it, "Read it again and listen?" "This is a national event..." "It's a major national event!" He was full of energy, "In less than three days, it will be posted everywhere for everyone to see!" After finishing speaking, Zhuge Liang read word by word: "The List of Teachers". "Unfortunately, the first emperor passed away before he started his business. Today, the situation of the country is difficult, and it is at the critical moment of survival. However, the guards never slack off inside, and the soldiers of the three armies forget their lives outside, just to commemorate the deep kindness of the late emperor. , I want to repay Your Majesty. Your Majesty should listen to opinions extensively, promote the virtues of the late emperor, and carry forward the morale and morale. You should not belittle yourself, talk and use inappropriate metaphors, and block the way for loyal ministers to give advice. The palace and the mansion are one. Rewards and punishments, It must not be different. If there are people who commit crimes or are loyal to good deeds, they should be handed over to relevant officials to discuss rewards and punishments, so as to show that Your Majesty is fair and clear, and should not be partial, causing the Prime Minister's Office and the court to have different legal systems." After reading this, Zhuge Liang saw Linger's doubts. "Strange?" he asked. Ling'er nodded: "Isn't it... a sign of being a teacher?" "Compared with the wars that I can control, what is more worrying is how His Majesty will govern after Liang goes north." Zhuge Liang sighed, "Liang will be thousands of miles away at that time, if something goes wrong, it will be too far away... ..." He exhaled heavily and turned his gaze back to his watch. "The servants, the servants Guo Youzhi, Fei Yi, Dong Yun, etc., are all loyal and steadfast people. They were promoted by the late emperor and left them to His Majesty. I think that in matters in the palace, no matter how big or small, we should first listen to their opinions and then implement them. , it will definitely make up for the gaps and make some gains. General Xiang Chong is fair and gentle, and he is proficient in military affairs. The late emperor once praised him for his ability, so everyone elected him as the commander-in-chief of the central government. I think that all matters in the camp, no matter how big or small, should be consulted. , will be able to make the army harmonious and make the best use of their talents. If you are close to virtuous ministers and far away from villains, the former Han Dynasty can prosper;When the first emperor was there, whenever he discussed this matter with his ministers, he would sigh and hate the stupidity of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling.At present, the servants, ministers, long history, and joining the army are all loyal and good ministers at the death festival. I hope that your majesty's relatives will believe in them, and the revival of the Han Dynasty will be just around the corner. " Linger fell asleep. The long hair is scattered on the shoulders, like the fragrance wafting in the dark night. So Zhuge Liang lowered his voice: "I was originally a commoner, and I worked hard in Nanyang. I only wanted to save my life in troubled times, and had no intention of being famous among the heroes. The first emperor did not regard his ministers as humble. He visited the thatched cottage and asked about the affairs of the world. He made him grateful and determined to be loyal. When the army was defeated and in distress, the minister accepted the appointment. Today, it has been twenty-one years. The former emperor was cautious, so he entrusted the country to the minister before his death. Therefore, crossing Lu in May, penetrated deep into the barren. Now that the south has been settled, and the soldiers are capable, it is time to motivate the three armies and set the Central Plains in the north. Now, I will do my best to revive the Han Dynasty and restore the old capital. This It is also the duty of the minister to repay the late emperor and be loyal to His Majesty. As for weighing profit and loss and offering loyal advice, that is the responsibility of You Zhi, Fei Yi, and Dong Yun. May Your Majesty entrust the matter of crusade against the enemy and revitalizing the Han Dynasty to the minister, if it fails If there is no good suggestion to rejuvenate the country, punish Youzhi and others, and announce their faults. Your Majesty, please think more about yourself, ask about the strategy of governing the country, adopt good words, and remember the last emperor's edict. Much appreciated.” A tear rolled down Zhuge Liang's cheek. Falling to the ground, like splashing a little flower. When the second tear was about to roll out, Zhuge Liang raised his hand to wipe it away.After he walked back to the table, he dipped his pen and added a sentence at the end of the watch: "Now you should stay away. When you come to the watch, you don't know what to say." A person who looks into the infinite world tends to ignore the things around him.For the next half month, Zhuge Liang was busy in the court, the palace, and the mansion. He left Zhang Yi as the governor of the mansion, and asked Jiang Wan to be promoted to join the army to help with general affairs; The authoritative axes and Yubao chariots mobilized 100,000 soldiers—in the "Edict to Conquer Wei" drawn up for the posthumous master, he declared that it was "200,000" to send generals Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, and Wu Yi... Recall them one by one.Apparently Zhuge Liang was going to arrange a vigorous expedition, which made the whole country rejoice and couldn't sleep all night.He did it: On March 23rd of the fifth year of Jianxing, the main gate of Chengdu was opened, and the people gathered on Xuanwu Street, shouting and pointing. Even the emperor is coming!When Liu Chanzhi came, the generals all led their horses to follow.Zhuge Liang was wearing the prime minister's robe, holding the white biscuit for offering sacrifices to the river in one hand, and was tightly held by the emperor with the other.There is no Shunying among the senders: she is busy designing a small car that is convenient for transporting food, and she often says that she doesn't like to join in the fun; there is no result: she is angry with her father recently, because he has not betrothed her to Fei Yi so far; There is no spirit: the submissive woman is worried that when she sees Zhuge Liang, she will not be able to help but run forward, hold his hand, and tell him: there is a lively little life that is about to move in her belly! Ling'er was pregnant with Zhuge Liang's child. Zhuge Liang didn't know yet. Zhuge Liang ignored this because he seldom went home. Although Ling'er hoped that that person could see the birth of the child with her own eyes, she couldn't stop him from going to Hanzhong, or from going to war, because that... couldn't be stopped. One hundred thousand people are majestic and mighty, and the shadows of swords and swords make people dare not look at them.In the past, the Southern Expedition was nothing more than a small test, but today it is the sharpest blade that is drawn out of its sheath!One hundred thousand people melt into the vast sky like a silver thread. Even if you stand on the 30-foot-high reading platform in Chengdu, you can't see the shadows of people, you can only see some distant hustle and bustle.It's started... Zhuge Liang thought: It's started! Before the army arrived in Hanzhong, Zhuge Liang had already thought about what he should do in the next year.The first is to fight for Mengda.Nine years ago, Meng Da abandoned Shu and went to Wei. He was highly regarded by Cao Pi and became the prefect of Xincheng.Now that Cao Pi has passed away, his situation is getting worse and worse, and he can't help but feel the heart of returning to Shu. "Combining internally and externally, we may be able to take Luoyang in one fell swoop." Zhuge Liang thought in his heart, he wrote many friendship letters and sent them quietly to Shangyong where Meng Da was. The second is to determine the route of the Northern Expedition.On this point, he had a disagreement with General Zhenbei and Sima Weiyan, the leading prime minister.Zhuge Liang couldn't help sighing when he thought of Wen Chang (Wei Yanzhi's character) staring and akimbo.Wei Yan is a resolute person, his face is like a knife and an axe.To be honest, Zhuge Liang didn't want to argue with him, he respected and cherished him, but Wei Yan's suggestion to raid Chang'an via the Meridian Valley was really dangerous and risky! "It's better to set up camp step by step. First capture Longyou and then Guanzhong." Zhuge Liang tapped the feather fan on a corner of the map, and said calmly, "This time, we must not fail in 'light advance'." The last move was to arrange suspicious soldiers and threaten to attack Meicheng to confuse Cao Wei. "Just send Zilong and Bo Miao to go..." Having made up his mind, Zhuge Liang leaned in the car and closed his eyes leisurely. As soon as he closed his eyes, he could see the golden and iron horses galloping happily on the vast land, and see the flags flying high. , Flying arrows like locusts! "Cao Wei is good at cavalry, but our army is stronger than bows and crossbows. If there is a kind of crossbow, it can increase the power of the target ten times, no, even five times..." This idea suddenly hit Zhuge Liang's heart, and he suddenly opened his eyes!Grabbing the pen and ink, he drew a sketch on the wall of the car. "Bang bang bang!" Someone tapped on the car window outside. He opened the window and saw that it was Ma Di who was with the army. Ma Di held two letters in his hand, one was signed "Meng"; the other was "Huang", which was written by Shunying.Zhuge Liang took the letters together, and opened Meng Da's letter first.A jade ring fell out of the envelope with a "plop". "The great event has been accomplished." Zhuge Liang said with a smile, and the letter really contained the words "Meng Jun will not give up, and is willing to act like a dog and horse; he must act as a camera to help the prime minister succeed". "Jue" has the same pronunciation as "jue", which means that Meng Da has made up his mind.Shunying's letter was longer. She said that the grain truck was almost ready, but the load was not enough; she said that after reading your eight formation diagrams, the names like wind, cloud, birds and beasts sound good, but life and death may not work. and said that she was obsessed with smelting and wanted to worship Pu Yuan as her teacher; finally Shunying wrote: "I have never seen such a dull husband like you, who can't even tell that the concubine is pregnant. Do you want me to take good care of Ling'er and the child to be born? Just return an apology letter." Zhuge Liang was startled, blinked, and suddenly burst out laughing. The laughter startled Ma Di, he opened the window and asked, "Prime Minister?" Zhuge Liang smiled like a child, and said with a smile, "I'm going to be a father again...haha." He actually wrote an apology letter and went back, and according to the usual practice, he copied the word "stupid" that Shunying scolded him fifty times.He hoped that the reply letter could bring some comfort to Ling'er. When he thought of that weak and slender woman who was tirelessly conceiving his Zhuge Liang's flesh and blood, he was grateful, happy, and seemed a little... guilty. "Shunying can take good care of her." He thought. In December, Zhuge Liang received a letter from home with a red ribbon in Shima.He looked up at Zhang Yi, who was delivering the letter. There was a smile on the jade man's lips, which made him feel relieved knowing that Ling'er, mother and child were all well. "Sit, sit!" Zhuge Liang greeted, "unexpectedly, the emperor came in person." "Madam, please ask the prime minister to name the young master." Zhang Yi said with a smile. "Master?" Zhuge Liang quickly unwrapped the ribbon. "Exactly." When Zhang Yi replied, Zhuge Liang had seen Shunying's letter saying: "Ling'er gave birth to a son, very much like you. I am so happy to have this child." A silk handkerchief was attached to the letter, so that the father would write down the name of the child.Zhuge Liang pinched his pen with a smile on his face: he is forty-seven years old and has a second biological child, a healthy and handsome son.What would you name it?Which word can carry the expectations, blessings and waiting of a family of three, and even more people... When the brush touches Sipa softly, Ma Di rushes in: "Urgent letter from Shangyong Mengda!" Zhuge Liang didn't answer, just wrote the word "Zhan" correctly. "The "Poetry" says: Looking at the sun and the moon, I think about it." He handed the silk handkerchief to Zhang Yi, "Look, Zhuge Zhan." He took Meng Da's letter casually.Taking it apart, the joy on Zhuge Liang's face froze for an instant, and his brows were full of gloom, like a sky that was about to fall. "What?" Zhang Yi asked. Zhuge Liang threw the letter to him, and sighed through gritted teeth: "Zidu (the word for Meng Da) underestimates the enemy, and he will surely be captured by Sima Yi." Sima Yi, this is the first time Zhuge Liang mentioned him. This person will become Zhuge Liang's last and toughest opponent. Ma Di and Zhang Yi read Meng Da's letter side by side: "Sima Yi, the general of Hussars in Wancheng, guessed my thoughts and wrote many times to appease me. I dare not delay, and I will act soon. The emperor is in Luoyang, eight hundred miles away from Wan, and Wancheng is one thousand and two hundred miles away from Shangyong! Sima Yi knew that I was up to something, so he decided to act on behalf of the emperor, and wait for the emperor's order. It would take a month at least to come and go. By then, I would have strengthened the city and reorganized the generals, and I would just wait for work at leisure. Besides, Sima would not dare Self-conquest, I don’t have to worry about someone else coming! The prime minister is just waiting for the good news.”