Rejuvenation of the Han Dynasty in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 157 Not Conforming to the Image of a Counselor
In Yingtao City, a lot of military supplies, money and food have been transported in the past few days, and the villagers recruited from the city and surrounding areas have also gathered one after another, with a total of more than [-] soldiers and horses.

Liu He ordered Zhu Ling to guard the city, Guan Yu was in charge of reorganizing and training the newly recruited recruits, and Zhang Fei patrolled the city to prevent thieves from entering the city and causing chaos.

One day, after inspecting bows and arrows in a large courtyard, I heard a person laughing and said: "I have heard for a long time that General Liu is brave and good at fighting. He kills thieves like a broken bamboo, but now he hides in the city and dare not go out to fight. It seems that his reputation is in vain!"

Liu He's eyes froze slightly, he stopped and looked over, and saw a tall and strong man with black beard gnawing half a green peach under a tree at the entrance of an alley not far away.

"Who is so bold, courting death!" The soldiers were furious when they heard the words, and rushed over to arrest the man.

"Slow!" Liu He stopped the soldiers, turned around and walked over.

He knew that in this era, there are always such weird people who deliberately attract the attention of others with extraordinary words or actions. Such people usually have some skills.

Looking up and down the person, he saw that he was over forty years old, his clothes were a bit worn out, and his three black long beards were very smooth, although they were only half the length of Guan Yu, they were very thick and grew together from the side of his cheeks to his chin, more like A black mask was hung.

Liu He couldn't think of any general with a long beard, so he clasped his fists and said, "Dare to ask the strong man's name?"

But the man spit a mouthful of scum in the distance first, and then said lightly: "The general recommended me, but don't you know me?"

"This..." Liu He was startled, thought about the person who had recommended to Liu Yu a while ago, and asked, "Is it Liu Zhengli, Your Excellency?"

"Hey, no!" The man shook his head, straightened his body and said, "It's Cheng Yu next time!"

"You...you are Cheng Demou?" Liu He was dumbfounded, unable to react for a while.

He really couldn't believe that the big man in front of him was actually one of Cao Cao's five great counselors. This is too far from the image of people like Xun Yu and Guo Jia, right?

The Cheng Yu in front of him was eight feet tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a long beard that crossed his chest. With such a tower-like appearance, he looked like a general of Kongwu no matter how he looked. It would be easier to accept that he was Yan Liang or Wen Chou Liu He.

Cheng Yu said with a smile: "General, please honor your honor as a talented person, can it be faked?"

Hearing this sentence, Liu He believed that the person in front of him was indeed Cheng Yu, but it was slightly different from the image he imagined. After realizing it, he laughed and said: "I heard that Mr. Dong'e protects Dong'e County. , I thought it was... disrespect, disrespect."

Cheng Yu was also startled, and then he looked up to the sky and laughed loudly: "Hahaha, so the general thought that I was a scribe with some resourcefulness and powerlessness? This would disappoint the general. Although I have read some books, But I have practiced martial arts since I was a child, so I have two arms."

"Mr. is humble." Liu He suddenly felt that the word "Mr." was a bit awkward, and said: "Mr. Cai's words just now must be for advice. Let's talk in the government office first."

Cheng Yu nodded, and followed Liu He to the government office, but Liu He was thinking that Cheng Yu was already over 40 at this time, and he was recommended to be an official by himself in advance, and he would be promoted by Cao Cao a few years later, probably around 50 years old Yes, it seems that he is also a late bloomer.

However, Cheng Yu was a long-lived person. He didn’t die until Cao Pi proclaimed himself emperor. He should be able to live to around 80 years old.

Seeing the image of Cheng Yu at this time, Liu He thought of the veteran Huang Zhong. According to the time, Huang Zhong is now about 50 to [-] years old. Both are late bloomers and long-lived people. I just don’t know if he has gone to Changsha now. .

Asking questions along the way, it turned out that Cheng Yu received the imperial edict sent by the county officials, and only then did he know that he was promoted by Liu Yu as a talented person, but it was recommended by Liu He. He didn't want to apply, but he was very curious about Liu He. So he first planned to go to Zhuojun to inquire privately.

When they arrived in Anping, they heard that the bandits from Heishan were attacking Jizhou, so they turned back to Julu, and wanted to help the officers and soldiers to hunt down the bandits. When they heard that Liu He's reinforcements were coming, they went directly to Yingtao, where they had been staying for two days.

Judging from Cheng Yu's character, he is also a hero who hates evil as much as hatred, and roars when he sees injustice. He doesn't know how he turned into a counselor in the later stage.

But thinking that this guy dared to use human flesh as military rations, he was indeed a ruthless person. It is estimated that ordinary scribes would not be able to do it, and even Jia Xu would not be able to do it. Only his image is suitable for such means.

With emotion in their hearts, the two sat down in the government office, Liu He said: "I just heard what Zhong De said, do you think I should take the initiative to attack?"

Cheng Yu said: "The bandit army is powerful today, and its morale is as strong as the scorching sun in June. The morale of the army and the hearts of the people in the city are not stable. If the general doesn't attack head-on first to dampen his spirit, he will defend to the death when he comes to the city. The bandit army will take advantage of the situation to attack day and night. There were also heavy casualties.”

Liu He sighed: "Why don't I want to take the initiative to attack? But the Black Mountain Bandits are different from the Yellow Turban Bandits. Their army is all young and strong, and there is no large army to restrain them. I am not strong enough. If I attack rashly, is it like throwing a stone into the sea?"

Cheng Yu said: "The general's words are wrong. As the saying goes: To capture a thief, first capture the king! However, if the general wants to capture the king, he must first order the king to appear. If the thief does not come out, how can we break it?"

Liu He thought so, clasped his fists and said, "Sir, it is God's will to come here! Please teach me how to defeat the Black Mountain Army."

Seeing Liu He's modesty and politeness, Cheng Yu didn't get angry at all because of the confrontation just now, and secretly praised him, saying: "The thief is a reckless gangster with no foresight, and it's a rendezvous between two departments. I guess they won't be able to work together, General You can defeat the vanguard first, and once the thieves encounter setbacks and damage, they will blame each other, and they will lose their vigor when attacking the city."

"Zhongde's words are wonderful!" Liu He slapped his thigh and said, "I wanted to go to war before, but I didn't know what to do, and now I suddenly understand."

He actually had this kind of idea vaguely before, but he didn't know how to operate it, and he was regretting not bringing Tian Feng together to discuss it. Now that he has Cheng Yu, he found the key all at once.

Cheng Yu said: "The Black Mountain thieves don't have enough food and grass, so they come to Changshan to meet up with the thieves. The thieves have no ambitions and are greedy for personal gain. The Changshan thieves will definitely have some dissatisfaction. Now that they have won a big victory, they can still move forward with one heart. Once they are defeated, they will change over time."

"I stick to the city because I want to wait for the thieves to cause chaos among themselves!" Liu He nodded slowly, and said, "If I take the initiative to attack, how should I arrange it first?"

"I broke Zhang Niujiao first," Cheng Yu said, "Zhang Niujiao came to vote in Changshan. He was originally a guest, but because of his prestige, he was promoted to be the leader. It is also because the doves occupy the magpie's nest. If he can be defeated, it is considered that his prestige is not enough. To subdue the masses, the bandit army will be in chaos!"

Liu He nodded and said: "Zhang Niujiao stationed troops in Gaoyi, and Chu Feiyan led the troops behind. It can be seen that this person really wants to make meritorious service and conquer the crowd first. He just attacked them and defeated Zhang Niujiao first. He will retreat when Chu Feiyan rushes to help."

Cheng Yu said: "What the general said is true. The bandit army is still stationed in the north of Xushui. The general can refuse to defend along the river. Zhang Niujiao is eager to make meritorious service, and hates the general who broke the bandit's revenge in Zhongshan. He will definitely urge the troops to attack, but Design breaks."

(End of this chapter)