At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty

As a result, heated discussions about going north and returning home gradually arose in the academic hall.

Probably hearing about this trend, Liu Biao also felt uneasy. Under the policy of the trinity to defend Guo Peng, he sent troops northward to attack Guo Peng's rear, trying to win a battle to boost his popularity.

The result was a complete failure.

Not only him, both Liu Zhang and Sun Ce were defeated in a mess.

Everyone has never played against each other before, so they don't know the real level comparison. Looking at the three aspects united, the Trinity, I feel hopeful. Let Guo Peng face enemies all around, and it seems that he is not in a good state.

As a result, as soon as the two sides fought, it was immediately clear who was strong and who was weak. Trinity's army was defeated like a mountain, and the enemies on all sides showed their true strength.

The strong are respected, in this era, or in any era, no matter how good-looking it is on the surface, the real rule is that the strong are respected.

Strong soldiers and strong horses themselves represent strength and orthodoxy.

Liu Biao couldn't keep people's hearts.

There are constant people who say goodbye to the school and choose to return to the north. They want to return to their hometown and return to their roots.

Afterwards, Guo Peng announced to the world that he was going to hold a talent discussion ceremony in Yecheng in his capacity as the Duke of Wei and the monarch of the Kingdom of Wei.

Regardless of age, origin, place of origin or past achievements, he selects outstanding talents for Wei. He only looks at talent, and organizes everyone to compete for talent. The selected outstanding talents can directly enter his shogunate, work for Wei, and become officials of Wei. .

When the news reached Jingzhou, the nine counties of Jingxiang were shocked.

It happened to be the time when Trinity collapsed in all directions.

Although it was not yet the time for Guo Peng to conquer Hanzhong and threaten Jingzhou in an all-round way, people have seen through the decline of the three great princes in the south of the Yangtze River and Guo Peng's absolute strength, and they know that fate is in Guo.

After the enfeoffment of the Eight Kingdoms, anyone who knew the past of the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States period predicted the coming of the Warring States, and the unification of the Han Dynasty no longer existed.

This was even more so after the Hongnong court was extinguished. At that time, some people realized that the world would belong to Wei and no longer belong to Han.

Hongnong was destroyed by military disasters and burned down by a fire, which is a clear proof.

Rumors at that time were spreading that the Han Dynasty was about to perish, and disasters would inevitably happen. As a result, when the Hongnong fire broke out, the emperor was killed, and the central court was destroyed.

Well, the market is there, so there is no need to say anything.

Now, who would doubt this matter?

The scholars who were already dissatisfied with the Han Dynasty had some expectations in their hearts, while those who still had feelings for the Han Dynasty were depressed and wanted to die, feeling that everything was hopeless.

The northern exiles in Jingzhou collectively realized that Wei was about to replace Han and become the orthodox in the world. If they didn’t return to the north as soon as possible, and if they didn’t seize this last opportunity to go to Yecheng to join Guo Wei’s political group, when would they have to wait?

Many sensible people had such thoughts, so a large number of people in the academy who thought they were capable returned north, and rushed to Yecheng, the capital of Wei, to participate in the ceremony of discussing talents with all their strength.

Zhuge Liang’s classmate Meng Jiangongwei was from Runan, and another friend Shi Tao Guangyuan was from Yingchuan. After hearing the news, the two hit it off and immediately decided to leave the school and return north, with the destination of Yecheng.

Even before this, Cui Junzhouping, an older Boling native who admired Zhuge Liang, chose to return north after the news of the death of the emperor. Do.

Afterwards, Shi Tao persuaded Xu Shu Yuanzhi, a friend from the same village, to leave the Jingzhou Academy together and go to Yecheng to attend the Talent Discussion Ceremony.

After that, Xu Shu came to Zhuge Liang.

"Recently, many friends in the Academy have chosen to return to their hometown in the north. They have no plans to continue their long-term plans in Jingzhou. Kong Ming's family is in Xuzhou. Now that Xuzhou is pacified, won't Kong Ming go back and have a look?"

Xu Shu smiled.

"Has Yuanzhi decided to return to his hometown?"

Zhuge Liang poured Xu Shu a glass of water and wine.

"Yes, Guangyuan asked me to go back to my hometown together. After returning to my hometown, I will go to Yecheng again. Weigong will hold a talent discussion ceremony in Yecheng. Outstanding scholars can enter Weigong's shogunate and work for Weigong. The Duke is a hero in the world, so it is a good thing to be able to do things under the command of Duke Wei."

Xu Shu took a sip of water.

Zhuge Liang also smiled a little.

"Duke Wei is powerful and powerful. He is the number one lord in the world. Yizhou, Jingzhou, Jiangdong and Heli are no match for Duke Wei. Seeing that Duke Wei is about to go south to clear up the chaos, the general trend of the world is Wei, and everyone in the school said so , isn’t it the best time to go north at this time? Yuan Zhi, am I right?”

Xu Shu froze for a moment, opened his mouth, and then a wry smile appeared on his face.

"Kong Ming, you really don't show us any mercy with your mouth. No wonder Guangyuan and Gongwei are reluctant to talk to you. You just opened our mouth and stripped us of our magnificence. Why bother? The world The general trend is right in front of our eyes, who can't see it?"

Xu Shu shook his head and smiled wryly, but Zhuge Liang didn't smile.

"We are friends, I just said that, when did you see me say that to others?"

"Well, because you never talk to others, you are not willing to make friends with you."

Xu Shu rolled Zhuge Liang's eyes, Zhuge Liang blinked and couldn't help laughing.

Xu Shu couldn't help laughing too.

Chapter 633 Er Liang is not a person who cannot see the general trend of the world clearly

The two smiled at each other for a while, and then slowly put away their smiles together.

"Do you really want to go back?"

"Well, Jingzhou has no future. Staying in Jingzhou or going north to Jizhou, which one has a future, Kong Ming, can't you see it?"

"I can tell."

"Then you... because of your wife?"

Xu Shu also knew Zhuge Liang's situation. Among their friends in the North, only Zhuge Liang's family managed to open up the situation in Jingzhou.

This is thanks to Zhuge Liang's uncle, Zhuge Xuan, who is very capable of drilling camps. The north is still in a war-torn era, and people are constantly fleeing south to Jingzhou. Many people envy Zhuge Liang for having a good uncle.

Zhuge Xuan laid the foundation for Zhuge Liang, allowing Zhuge Liang to enter the upper-level social circle of Jingxiang scholars and have a huge network of relationships.

This relationship network is an important reliance for him to win Liu Bei's favor in another time and space in the future and to help Liu Bei win Jingzhou.

With this network, Zhuge Liang is valuable and has energy, so that he can open up the situation for Liu Bei in the weird situation of Jingzhou after the Battle of Chibi. .

But the situation changed suddenly, and the north was quickly wiped out by Guo Peng. After Yuan Shu became emperor, the north was beaten by Guo Peng's combination of punches.

In Hebei, Central Plains, Huainan, Huaibei, and Kansai, no one could compete with Guo Peng, and they were defeated one after another.

Soon, Guo Peng wiped out the elite areas of the whole Han Dynasty. Except for the two wild lands of Liangzhou and Liaodong, the elite areas were all controlled by Guo Peng.

With the restoration of stability in the north, there will be a foundation for development.

Afterwards, Guo Peng made a big effort to farm, build and restore, and various major projects were launched one after another. People's livelihood and trade flourished.

In contrast, the first attractive element of "safety" that Jiangnan once possessed no longer exists.

The north is also beginning to regain security.

In Jingzhou, he has to be angry with the locals and has no future for development. Liu Biao can't meet the needs of so many people and can't meet the expectations of outsiders. Of course, outsiders can only be disappointed in him.

The northern region is vast and more developed, the culture is more prosperous, the economy is more prosperous, and it is more open. They also have more opportunities to return to their original places. The choice is certain and definitely not unfounded.

Ever since, everyone returned to the north one after another without any hesitation, and Xu Shu was just one of them.

None of them have a good uncle like Zhuge Liang who paved the way for him, paved the way for the Zhuge family from Xuzhou in Jingzhou, and let Zhuge Liang have a way to go in Jingzhou.

They all have nowhere to go.

In fact, Xu Shu also understands very well that many people don't like Zhuge Liang, don't associate with him, and even despise him. Part of the reason is that they are jealous that Zhuge Liang has a good uncle who can pave the way for him.

For this reason, they even created public opinion, saying that the Zhuge family used marriage to raise their status, sold their daughters for honor, had ulterior motives, and deep thoughts.

Zhuge Liang, who was forced by this, could not even become a filial and honest official in Jingzhou. He had to live in Longzhong for a long time on the grounds of concentrating on studying to raise him, and made a corresponding gesture to maintain the reputation of Zhuge's family.

Zhuge Liang walked carefully, for fear that if he took a wrong step, the Zhuge clan's layout in Jingzhou would be over, and there would be no way out even among the gentry groups.

heart...

Xu Shu kept shaking his head and sighing.

"There is also part of the reason for the wife, but the most important thing is the uncle."

Zhuge Liang frowned, and his tone was not kind.

"Uncle worked so hard for the Zhuge family to gain a foothold in Jingzhou, so that the Zhuge family is today. If I give up everything and leave Jingzhou, wouldn't my uncle's sacrifice be meaningless? What is the significance of my sister marrying the Kuai family and the Pang family?" place?"

In front of Xu Shu, Zhuge Liang did not tell lies, but spoke out what was in his heart.

Those people are right, the Zhuge family is selling their daughters for honor.

Zhuge Xuan was sacrificing his daughter to Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jun in exchange for a way out in Jingzhou.

Because of sacrificing two sisters, Zhuge Liang and Huang's marriage was exchanged, and Zhuge's was included in Jingzhou's upper social circle.

As far as luck is concerned, it is Zhuge Xuan's skill to be able to drill camps. There are so many noble families in exile who have no way to sell their daughters.

This is something that everyone is well aware of, and it is something that families have always done in order to seek superiority. It is nothing unusual in itself.

But when doing this kind of thing, you need a fig leaf. Confucian scholars need a fig leaf, and you have to pay attention to a nominal rationality when doing things. Now some people don’t talk about the rules of the game and lift the fig leaf. What’s the use of it? ?

Those people have no way out for themselves, so they don't care about it, and they come to harm others and benefit themselves. What can the young Zhuge Liang do?

He can only live in seclusion in Longzhong, pretending to be a family heir to farming and studying, wasting his good youth and raising hope to tide over the crisis.

Xu Shu, who understood this deeply, sighed.

"Kong Ming, we cannot go against the general trend of the world. The general trend of the world is right in front of us. In the past, Jingzhou was a rare pure land. In order to survive, it is not difficult for the elders in the family to make such a decision. , the situation is different from the past.

The north has been basically pacified, Wei Gong has occupied Sili, Bingzhou, Youzhou, Jizhou, Qingzhou, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Xuzhou, thirteen states in the world, Wei Gong alone occupies eight of them, where is the general trend of the world, can't Kong Ming see it ?This Talent Discussion Ceremony is our last chance!

In the past, the contribution of the elders was meaningful, but the current situation suddenly changed, and the flexibility you made, is it meaningless?Stay in Jingzhou, Kong Ming, can you really revitalize the Zhuge clan?It is a foregone conclusion that Wei Gong will go south, you stay in Jingzhou, are you going to resist Wei Gong for Liu Jingsheng? "

Zhuge Liang was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head.

"It's nothing more than a car with a mantis arm. How can I do that kind of thing? Liang is not a person who can't see the general trend of the world."

"So, Kong Ming, I understand your mood, I also know your thoughts, but the general trend is like this, and we cannot go against the general trend, whether it is me, Guangyuan, Gongwei, or Cui Gong who left before. , Are we all people who have misread the general trend?"

Xu Shu took Zhuge Liang's hand and persuaded him: "Don't wait, it's impossible. Wei Gong will go south sooner or later, and the world will be wiped out by Wei Gong sooner or later. If we don't leave Jingzhou and return to our hometown, we will inevitably encounter the disaster of war. Is this what you want to see?"

Zhuge Liang was silent for a while, then shook his head.

"This is definitely not what I want to see, but if I leave, what will my sister do? They can't leave. Pang and Kuai are both Jingxiang scholars, so they will not leave. Once Duke Wei Going south, isn't my sister in danger?"

"Unless the Kuai family and the Pang family are determined to fight Wei Gong, how can Wei Gong attack the Kuai family and the Pang family? Even if Jingzhou is breached, the real disaster will only be Jiangxia Huang's, and the others , which family is willing to follow Liu Jingsheng to resist Duke Wei?"

Xu Shu smiled sarcastically and said, "Cai's family? Cai Degui praised Wei Gong for his heart for the country and the people, and even wrote an article to praise Wei Gong's merits. I don't know which one in our school? In my opinion , if Duke Wei goes south, Cai Degui will be the first to surrender!"

Zhuge Liang stopped talking.

Ordinary people don't know, but they are the first group of people in Jingzhou to know what happens in the world if they are in the circle of the upper class and study in the school.

To put it bluntly, Cai Mao is like Guo Peng's licking dog, and often speaks out to praise Guo Peng's great achievements, as if Guo Peng is his master and Liu Biao is not.

Liu Biao was not without objections to this, but he was helpless.

If he wanted to secure his position as the General of Mu Zhennan in Jingzhou, he could not do without Cai's help. Without Cai's help, what could Liu Biao do?

Therefore, Liu Biao is already a leader who has been emptied. Facing Guo Peng, who has a powerful army in the world, Liu Biao is so fragile that he has almost no resistance at all.

What's the point of him staying here?

Is it just to be a scholar in the occupied land?

Zhuge Liang lamented unceasingly, leaned less, and showed Xu Shu the letter Zhuge Jin had written to him.

After Xu Shu finished reading it, he was very surprised.

"Brother Ling has already served under Duke Wei?"

Chapter 634. 640 Three Zhuge Liang's Decision (Revision)

Now, even though Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang had such a good relationship, they couldn't help being a little sour, so they picked up lemons.

There is an uncle in Jingzhou and a brother in Jizhou. How come there are people paving the way for Zhuge Liang everywhere?

It feels like no matter when, someone has prepared for Zhuge Liang in advance, as if waiting for Zhuge Liang to display his talents.

Thinking of his bumpy journey, Xu Shu couldn't help sighing, the difference between people is bigger than the difference between people and pigs, it's unbearable!

"Since brother Ling has already left his official position, you should return to the north quickly to meet brother Ling. Kong Ming, not everyone can encounter such an opportunity. If you are in such a situation, you should seize it immediately without hesitation, otherwise , how can you let me wait for these people who have to find a way out by themselves?"

Seeing Xu Shu looking at him with a frustrated expression, Zhuge Liang suddenly understood everything.