Chapter 13 1. Recruit talents

The crisp sound of "Dangdangdang" shocked people's eardrums, and sparks splashed in all directions.Under the eaves of a modest earthen hut, a shirtless, burly man swung a hammer in his right hand, hammering a piece of iron on the anvil heavily, with a very devoted expression on his face.Beside him, a thin young man was busily serving water and building fire for him. Inside the Tulu, there were three people who looked like Confucian scholars drinking wine.It is said that they are Confucian scholars, but in fact there is only one older person here who can be regarded as dignified and self-sufficient.Between the other two, one put his bare feet on the desk, and supported his hands on the back of his waist. Because his elbows were behind his body, his clothes slipped down in a mess, his chest was vaguely exposed, and even the basic scarf was covered. Not wearing it, just face up to the sky with disheveled hair, muttering drunkenly.And the remaining person also looked drunk, his eyes turned blue and then white, but he recited leisurely: "In the past fourteen or five years, Zhishang was good at poetry and books. He was pregnant with pearls and jade. , Yan Minxiang and Qi. Open the pavilion to the four fields, climb high and look at what you think. Hills and tombs cover the hills, all generations are at the same time. After thousands of years and long lives, the glory and fame will be safe. I am the disciple of Wuxian, and I will make myself laugh!"

"Ruan Jun's new poem is too negative." The older celebrity sitting upright put down the wine glass on his lips and said with some disapproval, "You are still so young, and you are in the prime of life. How can you be so depressed when you can make great achievements?" "Juyuan (Shantao's character is "Juyuan"), you are here again! You are here again!" The man in messy clothes sitting on the opposite side of him smiled drunkly, "You are from our Zhulin Poetry Club. The most boring 'old man'. As long as you are present at every party, everyone can't relax."

Shan Tao didn't think it was disobedient, he laughed: "Who told me that Shan Tao is the oldest among us? Shan is also doing it for everyone's benefit—well, Mr. Ji, you have played a good fight for Old Man Wu and the others again." An iron pick?" The strong man who had just finished forging iron turned around, looked at Shan Tao foolishly, reached out his hand to wipe the profuse sweat on his face, bared his white teeth and smiled: "Oh! What is the work of forging iron?" It feels comfortable when you wake up, all the blood vessels in the body are unblocked, and all the pores in the body are opened, which is many times more comfortable than eating that five stone powder!"

"Ji Jun, it's a pity that you wasted all your energy on forging iron in this remote village!" Shan Tao chattered again, "Teacher Sima is now selling bronze men and casting weapons to unify the world. Why don't you come?" The effectiveness of his subordinates?" As soon as he said this, the complexion of the strong man surnamed Ji changed abruptly, he coldly dropped the hammer in his hand to the ground, and replied in a deep voice: "My Ji Kang's hands have always been forging things that help people relieve their difficulties. Absolutely not to create a weapon to kill and kill!"

"Hmm..." Shan Tao was choked by Ji Kang's words, and immediately smiled to cover up, "Shan was just joking with you! Why are you so serious?" Ji Kang stared at Shan Tao, and snorted coldly: "Shan Juyuan, you are talented and virtuous, but you are too chasing after fame and fortune, too vulgar and philistine, I just don't like you! If you talk about becoming an official in front of me again, don't blame me for hitting your head with a hammer that smells like copper!" "Well...Ji Jun, you have gone too far! Brother Juyuan is also very kind! You are indifferent to fame and fortune, why bother to shout and kill other people's persuasion? Ji Kang, your character is not good Good!" The man surnamed Ruan raised his hand to stop Ji Kang, winked at the embarrassed Shan Tao, slowly sipped the fine wine in his cup, and said softly, "Ji Yuan, I'll wait for you." Friends of the bamboo forest are very important to communicate with each other, so there is no need to go around again! I see that you seem to have something hidden in your heart when you come here today, so just say it straight!"

"Shan knows it, Ruan Jun, you're happy!" Shan Tao scratched the back of his head embarrassingly, and said with a smile, "Well...that's how it is, that little cousin of Shan, uh, is Sima Zhao, the Minister of Duzhi, has always admired the suave manners of all the gentlemen here, so he specially entrusted Mr. Shan to give a message, and I beg you to come here to visit when you find it convenient." As soon as his words fell, the field fell silent like a deep pool of water.Shan Tao opened his eyes wide, looking eastward and westward, his eyes full of anticipation. After a long time, the famous scholar Liu Ling who was drunk on the ground said slowly: "Juyuan, a free-spirited idler like me, Liu Ling, is afraid to sit at the same table with a man of courtesy and law like Sima Zhao." It's also a ridiculous thing, and Sima Zhao might not be proud to see me, Liu Ling. So, you can push him away for me!"

"Liu Jun, why wouldn't he be proud to see you? You...you really don't want to see him?" After bumping into a wall from Liu Ling, Shan Tao had to turn his head to Ji Kang and asked, "Ji Jun ,And you?" Ji Kang slowly put on his robe and belt, and said calmly: "Since Ji has been traveling in Shanyang, even Xiahou Taichu and Deng Xuanmao (Deng Yang's character is "Xuanmao") have not let them see, Juyuan, do you think Ji will meet Sima Zishang again?" "Shu Ye, Shu Ye," Shan Tao couldn't help evoking Ji Kang's words, and persuaded him patiently, "Master Sima is actually a Confucian scholar who is elegant and easy-going."

Ji Kang didn't answer any more, but turned his head and told Xiang Xiu who was helping him with fire and water just now: "Brother Xiang, go and help me get that guqin." "Sizong... you, come and persuade Shu Ye!" Shan Tao had no choice but to cast his eyes on Ruan Ji for help. "Shu Ye doesn't mean that, so why do you bother to force him?" Ruan Ji smiled lightly, and said slowly, "Speaking of which, Ruan is no stranger to Sima Zishang, and we used to play 'talking' in Xiahou's mansion before. '. His written advice to the late emperor was not bad, with a strong character and a sense of integrity. Juyuan, how about this, Ruan will notify you to come and meet him when it is convenient for you. "

"Thank you Sizong! Thank you Sizong!" Shan Tao thanked repeatedly. "Hey... Sizong, why can't you see that he wrote the "Remonstrances" to gain fame for himself?" Liu Ling said lazily from the side. Shan Tao's face tightened suddenly, for fear that Ruan Ji would change his mind if Liu Ling persuaded him.But Ruan Ji put down his wine glass and said calmly, "Actually, in Ruan's opinion, even if he has the heart to gain fame, it's better than completely abandoning fame and righteousness. This is like the relationship between Wang Mang and Dong Zhuo. difference."

"Oh? Then you mean that a hypocrite seems to be better than a real villain?" Liu Ling smiled "chuck". "A hypocrite is a person who uses the way of a gentleman as a means to seek power and self-interest. Therefore, he at least understands some of the value of the way of a gentleman. But a real villain is like a bird or a beast, like an owl or a scorpion. His nature is undisguised, without restraint, and he sees the way of a gentleman as nothing. Of course, this is the most abominable thing." Ruan Ji replied leisurely. Liu Ling looked at him drunkenly for a while, waved her hands, and muttered, "No matter what you say, I, Liu Ling, just can't be that hypocrite who wears a mask and runs around everywhere."

Looking at him, Ruan Ji's eyes dimmed slightly, but his face was full of smiles: "Of course, you are a real gentleman! No matter how you say it, you can't learn from that hypocrite!" While they were talking, Ji Kang was already sitting on the ground over there, put the qin on his knees, and slowly stroked him up.The sound of the zither made Ruan Ji, Shan Tao, and Liu Ling stop arguing immediately, as if they were in a deep forest and valley. I can't help but feel as calm as an abyss, forget all worries and joys, and all thoughts are empty.Wandering and lingering, gradually drifting away, a few rustling sounds, leaving only infinite charm... After Sima Yi was promoted to Taifu, a new distribution of power went through the temple of Wei State, and the power structure of the entire court center became clear soon.Man Chong, the governor of Zhendong, took over the position of Taiwei vacated by Sima Yi. Promoted to Wei Wei, Sima Shi was transferred from the position of regular servant of Sanqi to the Central Guard Army who was released by Jiang Jikong. Later general Niu Jin stayed in the palace and served as General Xiaoqi. Cao Shuang's second brother Cao Xi was promoted from the position of servant of Huangmen As the leader of the army, the third brother Cao Xun took over the position of general of the military guard vacated by Cao Shuang himself, the fourth brother Cao Yan was transferred to the position of regular servant of Sanqi vacated by Sima Shi, and Sima Zhao was replaced by Da Nei Yilang He was promoted to the position of Minister of the Taidu branch of Shangshu, He Yan was appointed as the right servant of the official department as the son-in-law captain, Deng Yang's position of the left servant of the official department remained unchanged, and Ding Mi, a rising star of the Ding clan from the Han family in Guanzhong, He rose up from the position of Secretary Lang of Shangshutai, and took over the position of Da Nei Yilang who had been vacated by Sima Zhaokong. On the second day after Sima Shi was transferred to the Da Nei Zhonghu Army, he summoned Deng Ai, the general who conquered Shu, Zhou Tai, the governor of Jingzhou, Zhuge Dan, the governor of Yangzhou, and the governor of Xuzhou and the governor of the east of the town, in the name of his father Sima Yi. Shi Lifu, together discussed the plan to pacify Wu and destroy Shu. In the side hall in the backyard of the Sima Mansion, Master Sima sat majestically on the couch with a gold helmet and silver armor all over his body.On the left and right sides of him sat Niu Jin, Liang Ji, Zhou Tai, Deng Ai, Li Fu, Zhuge Dan and other key elites cultivated by the Sima family in the Eastern and Western armies of the Great Wei Dynasty. Today's Sima Division holds the military power in his hands and is full of confidence, which is quite different from the aura and demeanor of the previous one who was in a favored position.His bright eyes moved slowly, staring at the faces of everyone in the audience for a while, nodding sincerely and smiling, looking extremely cordial, as if an old friend who hadn't seen him for a long time reunited, revealing endless surprises.He looked at the guests one by one, his face straightened, his smile faded away, his face showed a solemn and solemn expression, and he said in a clear voice: "My father is ill today, and I specially entrusted the teacher to preside over Pingwu here on his behalf." Research meeting on the strategy of destroying Shu. Ping Wu and destroying Shu is the top priority for the people of Wei Dynasty. It is imperative and must not be neglected! "You all know that since the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the end of the previous dynasty, Dong Zhuo's monopoly, Liangbing's rebellion, Liang Yuan's rebellion, Sun's good fortune, Taizu's four expeditions, Liu Bei's seizure of Shu, and the three kingdoms' confrontation, the war has lasted for sixty years! These 60 years have been 60 years of disasters, 60 years of hunger and cold, 60 years of family ruin, and 60 years of bones covering the wild! Not only the people in the world were killed, but also the blood of the famous families was unavoidable. Disaster of the day and night! Thinking back to the experience of my father and grandparents, which family has not suffered from chaos? Which family has not suffered from the disaster of swords and soldiers?" When he talked about this, Deng Ai, Zhou Tai, Zhuge Dan and other people from remote and remote families couldn't help tears on their faces and cheeks.Yes!Deng Ai remembered that his parents starved to death after the food at home was robbed by the rebels when Lu Bu rebelled!However, Zhou Tai was an orphan whose parents died in the war since he was a child and was adopted by Sima Mansion.However, Zhuge Dan remembered that Emperor Taizu Wu had bloodbathed Xuzhou to avenge his father, forcing his father who lived in Xuzhou to die of fear, and also forcing his two cousins—Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang—to leave their hometowns and live far apart...all of this Disasters are all brought about by this sixty-year-long war!It has indeed carved a deep brand of pain in the bottom of everyone's heart! Seeing their grief-stricken expressions, Sima Shi seemed to have been strongly infected. He couldn't help standing up excitedly, and continued to make a speech: "This tragic situation must end as soon as possible! This is the voice of thousands of families. , It is also an irreversible will of God! Since the year my father was established, he has assisted Emperor Taizu Wu, Emperor Gaozu Wen, and Emperor Lie Zuming to monitor the public opinion and fight day and night, defeating the Prime Minister of Shu. Zhuge Liang wiped out the traitor Gongsun Yuan, expanded the land for two thousand miles in the Jiangdong area, forced back the rampant invasion of Sun Quan and Lu Xun, and laid a solid foundation for clearing thousands of miles and unifying Liuhe! "Nowadays, with the destruction of Wu and the destruction of Shu, the important task of reunifying the world is placed in front of everyone. Everyone is in the prime of life. Although they are not well-known for the time being, they all have a strategic strategy and are both civil and military. The elite! You will be the backbone and main force of my great Wei to conquer Wu and destroy Shu, and to unify Liuhe. The turbulent history of Yijiazi will end in your hands! Your achievements will surely overshadow Bai Qi, Han Xin, Huo Qubing, Wei Qing, yours The honor will last forever! You must be full of confidence, take it as your mission to destroy Wu and destroy Shu, and unify Liuhe, to end the chaotic war of Jiazi, to clear up thousands of miles, to bring together the eight wildernesses, to usher in a peaceful and prosperous age, and to establish a vision for the people of the world. Gong, become the name of immortality! Master is here today to encourage each other to make progress together and create a great cause together!" As soon as he said this, there was a pause in his voice, but he saw that although no one answered on the field, almost everyone's eyes were shining with excitement and strange brilliance.Master Sima's gaze swept over slowly, and he could see that the strange brilliance in their eyes was more real than any rhetoric!He calmed down his fluctuating mood, and continued: "Do you have the confidence to follow my father to carry out the great cause of 'putting down Wu, destroying Shu, and unifying Liuhe' to the end?" At this time, Deng Ai stood up in awe, clasped his fists and said: "Sima Jun upholds the great ambition of the Taifu, and Niannian takes it as his duty to help the world and calm chaos. I will never fail the expectations of Master Taifu and Lord Sima!" He is the most outstanding talent among the former officials of Sima Yi's disciples, and a few words are enough to say a lot.His public statement made Zhou Tai, Zhuge Dan, Li Fu and others also stand up, bowed and said: "We vow to follow Master Tai Tuo and Sima Jun to go through fire and water, and destroy Wu and Shu!" Sima Shi was originally a man of temperament, and was moved to tears immediately, stood up and saluted them with fists, "Since you are so valued by brothers and sisters, I thank you on behalf of my father!" After the host and guest sat down again, Master Sima stopped being polite, and asked straight to the point: "Today, the master respectfully invited the four brothers here by the order of my father, and I really have something important to ask for advice. In today's world, Wu and Shu stand side by side, and they are all enemies. If the Great Wei wants to send troops to fight against dissenting ministers, who should take the lead?" Deng Ai saw Master Sima cast his gaze towards him, and did not avoid it, so he answered bluntly: "I want to report to Mr. Sima, Deng has been in Guanzhong for a long time, and he has a better understanding of the situation of the pseudo-Shu. Since Zhuge Liang died of illness, the pseudo-Shu The vigor has been greatly damaged. Apart from the fact that Jiang Wei, a puppet general who has been stationed in Hanzhong, has been dying to fight back, it can be said that there is not much threat to our great Wei. However, the Shu bandits are sitting on the natural danger of Jianmen and the advantages of the mountains. Insufficient, self-regulation is more than enough. In addition, Zhuge Liang has always been good at taking precautions, and sent troops to guard all the main entrances of Wei that can take the opportunity to enter Shu. Therefore, if we want to forcibly attack the puppet Shu, the price we pay must be It is very serious! Taifu and Sima Jun please think twice!" "Well... Master understands. Master will definitely pass on your opinion, General Deng, to my father." Master Sima nodded deeply, then turned his gaze to Zhou Tai who was stationed in the Jingxiang area, and asked solemnly, "Then , what is the situation in the Jingchu region?" "Mr. Sima, the territory of Jingchu has always been the lifeblood of the puppet Wu, so they have never been ambiguous about the protection here. And Lu Xun, the governor of the puppet Wu stationed in Wuchang, has almost no literary and military strategy. Fu Shixia, Zhoutai and Wang Zhennan have joined forces for these years, and they can only barely draw with him! Therefore, it is very difficult for the great Wei army to directly wedge into the pseudo-Wu Jiangnan from the Jingxiang area. !” Zhou Tai also replied with a sad face. When Master Sima heard this, his face darkened slightly, and his brows were tightened immediately: "So, it is difficult for our Great Wei to expand outward from the two directions of west and south? Gongxiu (Zhuge Dan's word is "Public holiday"), how is the situation on your side? Isn't it also a stalemate?" Zhuge Dan, who was nearly fifty years old, had a well-maintained face like a crown jade and beard like lacquer. He looked as if he had just turned forty.He stroked his black beard, and replied ponderingly: "Hearing what Brother Deng and Brother Zhou said, I feel that the situation here in Xuyang and Yangzhou seems to be much easier than that in Yongliang and Jingchu. .Master Li, do you think so? You are eloquent, so let's have a good talk with Sima Jun." Li Fu nodded: "What Mr. Zhuge said is very true. The puppet Wu does not have any particularly powerful veterans to guard the east wing of our Great Wei. The so-called 'a raging army, a raging nest', we Xuyang Erzhou naturally The pressure is not great. But they have the most troops stationed here. If the Great Wei wants to wedge into the puppet Wu from the eastern front, it must be fully prepared for a tough battle. The deployment and delivery of troops, food and grass must be timely In place!" "Oh? According to you, the weak point of the puppet Wu is in the east wing?" After hearing this, Master Sima's eyes shone brightly. Set in Xuyang Erzhou!" "Mr. Sima, Mr. Li said just now that there is no shortage of gaps in the east wing area, but the battle line is too long and the roads are bumpy. The smooth distribution and transportation of troops, food and grass is a big problem!" Zhuge Dan reminded Master Sima, " If we don't solve this problem in advance, even if we spread the battlefield in Xuyang and Yangzhou, we may not be able to take advantage of it!" "Then, how should we solve this big problem?" Master Sima wrinkled his eyebrows and thought hard, "Just recruit more laborers from Youzhou, Jizhou, Qingzhou and other places to come to support..." "Sima Jun, in Deng's opinion, there is no need to adopt such a waste of money and money." Deng Ai interjected at this time and said, "Zhuge Jun, Mr. Li, you two are no wonder, Deng always likes to figure out the world's four directions. The advantages and disadvantages of the Xingsheng Fortress have been deeply studied in the area around your east wing in recent years. Deng foolishly thought that the fields in the two prefectures of Xuyang and Yangzhou are not rich enough to make the best use of the land, and it is appropriate to open a canal to divert water for irrigation, so as to greatly promote the army. , and the way of water transportation can be said to serve multiple purposes. At the same time, it can also widen the Yingshui River, Dazhi along the north and south banks of the Yingshui River, and then build two Guangcao Canals and Baichi Canals to divert water from the Yellow River upwards. The Tonghuai and Yingzhiliu, starting from Gyeonggi in the west and ending in Shouchun in the east, can sail all the way down the river! In this way, our Great Wei’s deployment of troops, food and grass to Huainan will be completely smooth..." "High! High! Really high!" Hearing this, Zhuge Dan couldn't help staring at Deng Ai with wide eyes, and sighed, "I've heard that Deng Jun is smart, studious, and talented, and after listening to advice today, he really deserves his reputation! " Li Fu also twitched his beard and praised with a smile: "Once Mr. Deng comes out with this strategy, Huainan's military logistics support will no longer have to worry about! As long as the three waterways of the Yellow River, Yingshui River, and Huaihe River are connected, our army will no longer have to fight in Huainan." Don't worry about military power, food supply is not in place!" Master Sima also smiled when he heard it, rubbed his palms, and said excitedly: "General Deng Ai, since you came up with such a clever plan, it's up to you to carry it through to the end! That's it! If there is a big battle, the master will tell my father to temporarily transfer you to Shouchun as the Sima of Taifu's army, and will be in charge of the implementation of the strategy of "connecting the three rivers, and the army on both sides" of the Yellow River, Yingshui River, and Huaihe River!" When Deng Ai heard the words, he didn't make a fuss, stood up straight with a "swipe", and answered with cupped hands: "Deng, but at the command of Master Tai Tuo and Sima Jun, there is absolutely nothing else to say." At this moment, Liang Ji said intentionally or unintentionally from the side: "Sima Jun, will the current governor of Zhendong, Wang Ling, support General Deng in this task at Shouchun? Will he hinder General Deng from it?" ? He has always been famous for his narrow-mindedness and stubbornness... Zhuge Jun, Mr. Li, what do you think?" "Hmm... Mr. Liang is really worried." Li Fu squinted his sharp eyes slightly, slowly twisting the roots under his chin, and said quietly, "However, after all, Wang Ling is still the governor of the east of the town! Why doesn't he want to have unimpeded waterways and unimpeded food roads in his own military jurisdiction? This will also be of great benefit to his future attempts to make meritorious service in war! In Li's opinion, the strategy of "connecting the three rivers, and the military settlements on both sides" is not good for Wang Ling. In other words, it can be regarded as a matter of public and private convenience, he will not be too disruptive in this matter. Sima Jun, General Deng, you can do it freely!" After hearing this, Master Sima raised his thick eyebrows, pressed his right hand on the scabbard around his waist, and said solemnly: "Even if he intends to restrict and make trouble, I am not afraid. If he dares to interfere with the public for personal reasons, I will report it to you." The Taiwei and my father will deal with him by military law and punish him severely!" Deng Ai also solemnly expressed his position to Master Sima: "Don't worry, Mr. Sima, when Deng arrives in Huainan, he promises to successfully complete this important task." After discussing the great plan to destroy Wu and destroy Shu, Master Sima relaxed his mood, took a sip of tea, and said politely: "Besides, Master has an important matter to ask the four brothers here. Everyone knows, Qin Lang, the former Xiaoqi general, fell into the enemy's trick and lost more than 13,000 imperial knights when he fought against Zhuge Liang of the puppet Shu in Wuzhangyuan during the Qinglong period. At present, there is a shortage of soldiers in the Xiaoqi battalion of the Imperial Army. My father intends to Select troops from the towns of Sifangzhou to enrich the Xiaoqi battalion. After the four brothers returned, they each selected two or three thousand loyal and reliable cavalry soldiers under their command, and prepared a roster to submit to the Taiwei's mansion. Here, we will transfer people by name to join the Buxiao Cavalry Camp. What do you think of the four brothers?" "Yes! I will do it carefully after I go back." Deng Ai, Zhou Tai, Zhuge Dan, Li Fu and others all replied in unison, "I will secretly train those soldiers who have been selected for the Xiaoqi Battalion, and explain to them what to do next." At any time and anywhere, you must obey any orders from Master Tai Tuo and Sima Jun!"