My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 134 Zhuge Jin: It is not your turn to take care of other things of my second brother, just marry a wife first
"Om-"

"Boom-"

With two continuous humming sounds of the bowstring and the trembling of the arrow feather, a wooden arrow with the metal tip removed was firmly stuck in the straw arrow stack on the bow of the ship.

On the bow planks to the left and right of the arrow slit, there were still two or three arrows that had missed the target. As for the many more that had fallen into the sea, they had long since disappeared.

Zhuge Liang breathed a sigh of relief and put down the bow in his hand. He only felt his arms were numb, but he felt a sense of accomplishment in his heart.

He recalled the breathing techniques and perception of wind direction taught by Zhao Yun, shot a few more arrows, and his hit rate increased slowly and steadily.

On the way north last time, he had already finished reading all the scrolls that his elder brother had prepared for him. Later, when he was in Hebei, he didn't have anything to do every day, so he studied when he was bored. He had read the contents of astronomy and calendar over and over again and had already memorized them by heart.

So on the way back from Hebei, Zhuge Liang was completely bored after watching the seascape for three days. There was nothing worth reading, so he had to practice archery with Zhao Yun to keep fit.

Archery is one of the six arts of a gentleman, and Zhuge Liang also played with a bow. However, he was separated from his elders at the age of fourteen, and there was no one to teach him. He played with a soft country hunting bow.

This time, he asked Zhao Yun for advice, and finally used the horse bow for regular horseback archery. Horse bows are lighter and shorter than foot bows, and Zhao Yun's bow is only about one stone, which is equivalent to 70 or 80 pounds in later generations. Zhuge Liang is eight feet tall and has a good physical foundation, so he can pull it well from the beginning.

After two days of getting used to the slow-draw and slow-release practice, he was able to practice shooting with real arrows. However, the sea was rough and the wind often blew the arrows all over the place. In the end, he chose an angle with the wind, and after practicing for more than a dozen times, he finally hit the target.

"I didn't expect that Zhuge Liang was omnipotent and even improved his archery skills so quickly. On only the third day, he was able to adapt to the hard bow. It is not easy to achieve this." Zhao Yun, who was standing aside, confirmed Zhuge Liang's progress and gave a heartfelt and pertinent comment.

Zhao Yun was not a flatterer, nor would he make exaggerated remarks of praise. His evaluation was plain and simple, emphasizing only that "this rate of progress is very good among the novice civil servants."

Zhuge Liang wiped his sweat off his forehead, looking pleased. "Zilong, you are too kind. I am ashamed to say that last year, my elder brother taught me to practice sword and archery to cultivate my mind. Unfortunately, I didn't have a famous teacher in Jingzhou, so I could only do other exercises to strengthen my body, which delayed me for a year."

Zhao Yun did not think that Zhuge Liang was too late to exercise. He pointed out pertinently:
"It is only right to build a good physical foundation before practicing weapons. If you are too young and have no famous teacher to guide you, it is easy to bend your muscles and bones if you practice shooting rashly.

Just like in archery practice, pulling the bowstring in vain can certainly exercise arm strength, but it must never be released in vain. It must be released slowly, otherwise the vibration force of the bowstring cannot be released by the arrow, which will not only damage the bow, but also cause injury if it hits the arm.

For someone like you who has not yet reached adulthood, you should practice shooting no more than twenty arrows on each side, and try switching hands to draw the bow, so as to avoid uneven stress on the muscles and bones on both sides. "

What Zhao Yun said is actually the medical understanding of later generations on "long-term practice of archery with a strong bow leads to scoliosis". However, Zhao Yun could not use the medical terms of later generations, so he could only describe it with the simple experience of the ancients.

Under his guidance, Zhuge Liang had slowly shot more than twenty times with his right hand. Now he quickly switched to his left hand and started to get the feeling again.

Because I had never used my left hand to draw the bow and aim, and my left hand was weaker after all, my hand would shake easily when I pulled the string to its full extent, and I also had to re-experience the perception of wind direction. At the beginning, it was inevitable that more than ten arrows in a row would miss the target.

Then gradually the pace increased to one arrow hitting the target with six or seven arrows, one arrow hitting the target with four or five arrows, and finally shooting a pot of fifty arrows with both bows, resting several times in between, and half a morning had passed.

Zhuge Liang quickly returned to the cabin and wiped his body to avoid getting sick from the sweat. He had learned these health tips from his elder brother a long time ago, and he always did them meticulously.

When he returned to the cabin, Zhen Yao happened to be there too. While Zhuge Liang was wiping, he came over to chat and flatter him: "Sir, you are truly a man of both civil and military talents, a rare sight in the world. I am really a frog in a well. I have traveled in Hebei before, but have never seen a great scholar like you in the world.

Wen can chat and laugh with Yuan Gong and his advisers, and has the upper hand. He is also familiar with military strategies and can practice archery in person. In this cold winter, I feel cold just by going to the deck to blow the sea breeze. You are a southerner, but you can tolerate the cold better than us northerners. "

Zhuge Liang wiped the dust and responded casually: "My Zhuge family is from Langya, so we can't be considered southerners. Of course, we can endure the cold, but we are just a little bit further south than you Jizhou people."

Zhen Yao looked at the tendons on Zhuge Liang's arms and recalled how his fourth sister hid in the cabin yesterday and peeked through the gap in the cabin to see Zhuge Liang drawing his bow on the deck, and how he sighed and looked absent-minded after returning.

Zhen Yao couldn't help but ask indirectly, "Sir, you are so young and accomplished. Gan Luo in ancient times was no different. But I heard that you performed the ceremony of coming of age in advance, so you should not have married yet, right?"

During Zhuge Liang's trip to Hebei, he always kept his real age a secret. When outsiders asked him, including Yuan Tan who asked him at the beginning, Zhuge Liang always said, "I just came of age this year," and his specific age was thus evaded.

This is neither a lie nor a rip-off. It can also mislead the other party into estimating his age too high. Normally, people reach the age of 20. Zhuge Liang just entered the government this year, so it is reasonable to perform the ceremony of entering the government.

However, since he was already on his way back, he no longer had to worry about being looked down upon by Yuan Shao and his advisers because of his young age. Zhuge Liang no longer had to keep it secret and openly admitted:

"It is indeed an early coming-of-age ceremony. I will be eighteen next month during the Chinese New Year. Although I am not married yet, my eldest brother arranged a marriage for me six months ago, and we can get married after the Chinese New Year."

When Zhen Yao heard that Zhuge Liang was engaged, there were some things he couldn't say for the time being.

But on second thought, the other party was already the Chief Clerk of the Left General's Mansion at the age of 18. With such a status, it would be difficult for the Zhen family to marry him even if they were not engaged.

Especially his fourth sister's situation is a bit special. She had discussed marriage with Han Heng's son Han Chen before. Although it didn't reach the stage of accepting the marriage proposal, the early contact was not kept secret. Later, in order to avoid being involved in the fight between the eldest and second sons, she fled far away. After all, such a thing would not be good for her reputation if it were spread.

To put it in a broader sense, this is a bit "unjust".

But there is no way around it. The Zhen family has many brothers and sisters, and it is impossible for them to be entangled in the right and wrong of the fourth sister and put everyone in an awkward situation from which it is difficult to extricate themselves.

Zhen Yao then calmly made a few indirect remarks, mostly flattering him, saying that "to be matched with a great and elegant sage like Mr. Zhuge, the woman must also be a lady from a famous family, with both talent and beauty."

Zhuge Liang didn't care about being trapped. A tender feeling rose in his heart, and he truthfully praised Huang Yueying for her intelligence and understanding. As for her family background and appearance, Zhuge Liang disdained to mention them as they were too vulgar.

……

Zhen Yao sighed helplessly for a while, went out of the cabin to the deck and pretended to get some fresh air, then turned to the back of the deck and knocked on the hatch of the next cabin.

This was the female cabin, where his two sisters and several maids from Lu Yu's family lived, so he couldn't rush in. The cabin door opened quickly, revealing a beautiful girl in fox fur, with a delicate, smooth, white face only visible between the fur of the fox fur hood.

The girl was not shy and asked in a soft and charming voice, "Second brother, have you found out any news? I just saw Mr. Zhuge shooting arrows through the cracks in the board. He was really heroic."

Zhen Yao felt embarrassed and annoyed. Among the five sisters in the family, the fourth and fifth sisters were the best looking. Relatively speaking, the fifth sister was slightly better, but the difference was not obvious. She was prettier than the three married sisters.

It’s a pity that the fourth sister’s temper is not restrained and quiet enough, but too lively and active, so the wealthy families look down on her, so they can only discuss marriage with the Han family, who are from a county official family.

In comparison, the fifth sister is completely different from the fourth sister in terms of temperament and grace. She is polite and restrained in her dealings with others, and seems to be otherworldly.

Zhen Yao couldn't help but pat Zhen Rong's head gently and whispered a lesson:

"It's so hard to get to the south, no one knows how impetuous you used to be, why don't you change your ways and pretend to be quiet! Otherwise, even if you become Mr. Zhuge's concubine, he won't look down on you!
I have already asked about what you asked me to do. Although Mr. Zhuge has not married, he has been engaged. The woman may not be outstanding in appearance or family background, but she should be smart. Mr. Zhuge may value this very much. "

"Engaged already?!" Zhen Rong leaned against the deck in a daze for a few seconds, but did not say anything. After catching his breath, he whispered, "In that case, there is no need to rush. Let's think of a solution. Anyway, we have left our hometown and there is no one left to lose..."

……

During the next ten days, there was nothing new to say about the sea voyage.

Zhuge Liang had no books to read, so he practiced archery on the deck every day and asked Zhao Yun to teach him. After ten days, he could shoot arrows into the target from five to six arrows to two to three arrows. It must be said that the speed of improvement in the early stage of fitness is fast, and Zhuge Liang is indeed very smart in learning any technical things.

Zhen Rong also hid behind the gap in the wooden boards of the cabin and peeked every day. Seeing that Mr. Zhuge was becoming more and more heroic and handsome, the more he watched, the more he felt he couldn't let go, and the resentment he had at the beginning gradually dissipated.

She also wanted to ask her fifth sister to spy with her, but Zhen Mi was of a calm and chaste nature, and would not look at anything inappropriate, so she was unwilling to do such a thing.

Zhen Rong was not amused, so he had to enjoy the fun alone, but he couldn't help but complain in a low voice: "You don't look at anything, don't you want to pick someone you like in the future?"

Zhen Mi: "These are all arranged by our parents and matchmakers. Even if we have to leave our hometown, we will just listen to our second brother in the future. What's there to see? Besides, you, the fourth sister, have already chosen her, so there's no need for me to look at her either."

Zhen Rong was reminded of bad memories when he heard this:
"That's right. You have never been involved in a marriage proposal, so you will definitely be able to marry into a good family as the principal wife in the future. For someone like me, who would be willing to be the principal wife in the future unless I find a family that is even more destitute than the Han family? Mr. Zhuge already has a principal wife, so you don't need to look at it."

Zhen Mi couldn't help but feel shy, her face flushed as she defended herself: "You said it as if I didn't want to look at you inappropriately or I had some other ulterior motive. I won't pay any attention to you!"

Ten days passed quickly, and the fleet sailed into the Huai River at Haixi County, and after another two days, they landed at the Huaiyin Wharf. Afterwards, everyone changed carriages and horses and headed for Guangling.

The men rode horses, and the women rode in carriages. As soon as the fleet landed, they sent express messengers to Guangling to notify them.

There are many plants such as reeds and calamus in the south. You can grab a handful of them on the banks of the canal, and they can grow even in winter.

So the soldiers quickly harvested a large pile of fresh calamus leaves, wrapped the wheels with them and then continued on their journey to reduce vibration.

Those scholars recruited from the north, including Lu Yu, only then realized:
For General Zuo, "Anche Pulun" is just a basic operation to treat virtuous people. It is not like Emperor Xiaowu and Master Yuan, where only senior virtuous people in their seventies or eighties like Lord Shen and Lord Zheng can enjoy it.

The group traveled slowly, about a day behind the fast horse messenger. So the next afternoon, between Sheyang County and Guangling County, Zhuge Liang and Zhao Yun were greeted by Liu Bei and Zhuge Jin.

Liu Bei personally dismounted to greet him, and Zhuge Liang also dismounted quickly. Liu Bei quickly shook his hand:
"Sir, you have been through a lot, and life at sea must be tough. You must take a good rest this time. Zilong must also take good care of himself.

Now the court has appointed me as the Left General and the Governor of Yangzhou. After the spring plowing next year, I will join forces with Cao and Lu to defeat Yuan Shu with all my strength. This New Year period will give me some rare leisure time."

Zhuge Liang originally had a lot to report, but when he heard Liu Bei start with such a slow pace and asked everyone to rest more, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious, and analyzed in order to fill in the gaps:

"My lord, I have been adrift on the sea for a long time. I have no idea how the various lords in the Central Plains have progressed in the past half month. But if the other lords are making rapid progress and Yuan Shu's main force has been annihilated, our army should not miss the opportunity to intensify the siege.

In fact, we don't have to wait until the spring ploughing next year to start the war. It's winter now, and if we can seize the time, there will be another month and a half to attack in February next year. Moreover, our army is not like other princes. This year, we have tried to plant winter wheat in Sheyang and Haixi counties, and rice will be planted in April and May next year.

Yuan Shu is busy with farming, but we haven't started the busy season yet, so it's okay to start using troops now."

Liu Bei was a humble man who was willing to accept advice. After listening to Zhuge Liang's words, he couldn't help but glance at Zhuge Jin next to him.

Fortunately, Zhuge Jin was as steady as ever, and unlike his second brother, he had been offline for more than 20 days and was unaware of the latest situation in the world, and was easily impatient.

Zhuge Jin collected very comprehensive and timely intelligence on the progress of Cao Cao and Lu Bu, and it can be said that he had a real-time map at his fingertips.

Zhuge Jin slowed down his pace and said, "Aliang, you know that you haven't heard about the general situation in the world for more than 20 days. You don't have to worry about these things. Cao and Lu are not progressing that fast. And after all, we are only planting winter wheat in one and a half counties. The rest of the places will still have to plant in February next year!

More haste, less speed. You and Zilong have worked too hard. Why don't you take a good rest during the New Year? I have made a plan. If we need to mobilize troops next year, Zilong will lead the charge in Xuyi to attract Yuan Shu's troops. If Zilong doesn't take good care of himself, how can he handle this important task?

And you! Take a good rest these days and take good care of yourself. You have to get married in the first month of the year! During the time you were at sea, the Huang family and I have decided on a good date! The first three of the six ceremonies have also been completed!
It will be on the 18th day of the first lunar month, three days after the Lantern Festival! Before you marry Yueying, you are not allowed to worry about anything else! Just complete the rest of the six ceremonies!"

Zhuge Liang originally wanted to discuss military affairs, but his eldest brother had already helped him prepare for the wedding. How could he dare to disobey his elder brother on such a matter? He could only accept all arrangements.

"Thank you for your hard work on my behalf, brother!"

(End of this chapter)