My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 177 If you don’t see the rabbit, don’t let the eagle fly.

Bu Zhi has already displayed the golden signboard of the General of Chariots and Cavalry's Mansion. What else can Lu Yi say?
Of course, they immediately invited him into the house respectfully, served him good tea and delicious snacks, and spoke to him politely.

To be honest, although the Lu family was once one of the four clans in Jiangdong known as "Gu Lu Zhu Zhang", it has been in a low period in recent years, with few people and a lack of successors. Almost no one can carry the banner of the Lu family.

As a result, Lu Yi was not very well-informed and did not even know that Liu Bei had been promoted to General of Chariots and Cavalry. He thought he was still General of the Left until Bu Zhi mentioned it, which surprised him.

After letting Bu Zhi sit in the main hall, Lu Yi carefully asked about the recent situation in Huainan, the progress of the court's suppression of the rebellion, and the rewards.

Bu Zhi also casually told Lu Yi all the insensitive information he knew, which was 80% true and 20% exaggeration.

After listening to this, Lu Yi could not help but sigh: "Now that I am in Wu County, I am really a frog in a well. Sun Ce has been completely blocked by the General of Chariots and Cavalry, like a bird in a cage. But he is afraid that people's hearts will be weakened, and he often patrols the river with the navy to block the river, so as not to let the news of Huai and Si go south.

We are therefore kept out of touch, and I am sorry to have embarrassed you, Brother Bu. To be honest, although there are uncles in the Yi clan who are officials in the Xudu court, they have been hard to get in touch with for many years. In this old home in Wujun, I have to take over and establish a household."

Lu Yi was an "orphan", which means he lost his father at a young age and lived with his great-uncle.

The officials of Lu's grandfather's generation are now dead. When his biological father was alive, he was the commander of Jiujiang County, but he died during the year of the campaign against Dong Zhuo.

He also has a cousin, Lu Jun, the eldest son of his great-uncle Lu Kang, the prefect of Lujiang, who is now a doctor in Xudu and is considered a hereditary official.

(Note: Lu Yi’s biological father is called “Lu Jun” and his uncle is called “Lu Jun”. They are pronounced the same, but the former has the character “马” on the radical. Don’t get them confused, they are two different people)

Lu Yi also has a younger cousin, Lu Ji, who is Lu Jun's younger brother, but is younger than Lu Yi, only thirteen years old.

Lu Yi also has a younger brother and a cousin, both of whom are in Huating's hometown.

His younger brother was Lu Mao, and his cousin Lu Shang (Lu Jun's son and Lu Ji's nephew) were both fourteen years old.

Historically, two years later, Sun Ce was assassinated and Sun Quan came to power. He then showed goodwill towards reconciliation towards the Four Clan of Wujun and asked his cousin Xu Kun to marry his daughter to Lu Shang. This was considered a marriage alliance between the Sun Clan and the Lu Clan.

But Lu Shang died suddenly less than two years after he got married. In the ninth year of Jian'an, Sun Quan took his widowed cousin's daughter Xu as his concubine, which was quite bizarre.

Of course, all these weird things haven't happened yet. Sun Ce hasn't died yet, and there is no marriage or reconciliation between the Lu and Sun families.

At this moment, after Lu Yi expressed his shame to Bu Zhi, he also asked his younger brother, cousin, and uncle to come out and greet Bu Zhi.

Bu Zhi also knew that the Lu family had no elders in their hometown, but seeing this group of thirteen or fourteen-year-old children bowing to him, he was also a little moved:
The forces I need to win over seem to not even have an adult who can make decisions. Lu Yi, who is only seventeen years old, is already considered the tallest among the short ones.

If Bu Zhi had not known that Lu Yi was well-educated and seemed to be proficient in military strategy, he would not have bothered to make this trip.

……

After Bu Zhi exchanged greetings with the other members of the Lu family, he realized that they were all too young and not worth winning over, so he sent them away in a few words and only discussed important matters with Lu Yi.

Since the Lu family has a small population and Lu Yi is already the boss, there is no need for him to beat around the bush and he can get straight to the point:

"General Chariot and Cavalry has long known that Sun was once a confidant of Yuan Ni and wantonly slaughtered Han officials in the counties of Yangzhou. Now that General Chariot and Cavalry is the governor of Yangzhou, how can he not uphold justice for the people of the counties of Yangzhou?
It was a pity that Sun Yu changed his mind and surrendered to Cao Cao when Yuan Yu claimed the title of emperor, thus washing away the bad name of a traitor. Cao Sikong might not really believe him, but there were priorities. Before Yuan Yu died, he had to win over all the forces that could fight against Yuan Yu, so he had to pretend to be friendly with Sun Yu.

Now, Liu Yangzhou was promoted to General of Chariots and Cavalry by the imperial court for his great merit in conquering the false capital of Yuan Shikai, Shouchun. In the whole world, Liu Yangzhou's military merit firmly ranked first among all the towns that fought against the rebellion. Yuan Shikai abandoned his den of thieves and escaped to the deep mountains of Yinghuo, where he was already lingering on.

On the day when Yuan surrendered, how could the court tolerate Sun's wanton attacks on Han officials? By then, the General of Chariots and Cavalry would be able to obtain an imperial decree from the court to raise troops to attack Sun, and he would also be able to use his position as the governor of Yangzhou to legitimately clear out the disloyal people in Yangzhou.

How can it be uncertain to punish the rebels with the obedient? I also know that you may have doubts. You think that the previous Fang Bo Liu Zhengli, who also has the position of governor and the support of the governors of various counties, is no match for Sun Ce.

But how can the reputation and benevolence of Lord Xuande now be compared with that of Lord Zhengli in the past? Lord Zhengli couldn't even defeat one of Yuan Shu's generals, but Lord Xuande was armed and took Shouchun in person, breaking through the pseudo-capital! And his reputation for benevolence and righteousness spread throughout the world! The Lu family will make achievements and wash away the previous shame, today is the day! "

Lu Yi listened quietly, without any rebuttal or interruption.

Emotionally speaking, it was not difficult to convince the Lu family. After all, they had a deep hatred for Sun Ce, and Liu Bei was in a righteous position.

The only thing the Lu family was worried about was that they responded too early and Liu Bei had not yet had time to attack the three counties of Wu and Hui. Then their entire family would have been killed in vain by Sun Ce.

So when Bu Zhi finished speaking, Lu Yi immediately asked, "Is Lord Xuande going to take action against Sun Ce today? Is he preparing to come to Danyang and Wujun to restore order on the day Yuan Shu officially surrenders?
If this is the case, when Lord Xuande's army arrives at Wujun, my family will have no choice but to serve as an internal supporter. But if Lord Xuande does not come for a long time, even if we are willing to serve, I am afraid there will be no way. And by then, will Cao Sikong really see through Sun's abuse of power for personal gain and authorize Lord Xuande to raise troops? "

Bu Zhi couldn't help but smile when he heard this, as the other party was the kind of person who wouldn't release the eagle until he saw the rabbit.

Bu Zhi stopped dragging his feet and pointed out the key point directly: "My dear brother, you are right. Right now, Lord Xuande really can't take action against Sun Yu directly, because the court has other important matters that need him to do. Jiangxia Huang Zu killed the court angel Ni Heng more than a month ago. Maybe a large army will be needed to attack him at any time.

However, we will definitely take action against Sun the thief in the future. If Cao Sikong cannot see clearly, it only means that he has selfish motives. Lord Xuande has always taken it as his responsibility to help the world, so he naturally has ways to deal with the chaos! It’s just that before the signs are clear, perhaps we have to do our best to mediate, and this time will not exceed one or two years. "

Bu Zhi's words today were quite bold. If it were a formal public occasion, he would definitely not say such a thing.

But this is to call on others to help you resist behind enemy lines. If you don't make the pie bigger, how can others dare to fight you? Anyway, the other party has no evidence, so just make it bigger first.

Lu Yi was also a smart man, and he immediately knew that this meant that the Lu family would have to pay a price first. Fortunately, he also knew that opportunities and wealth were directly proportional. If they surrendered only when the time came, it would not be considered a credit.

He did not pursue Bu Zhi's words and asked directly: "If my Lu family is willing to cooperate, what should I do?"

Bu Zhi looked around and said, "My dear brother, there don't seem to be many people in your family in Wuxian, nor are there any officials. If you are willing to follow me to Fujian in secret, I can help Wang Fujun in Dongye and Houguan to contain Sun the thief, so that Sun the thief will have no time to look west for a year or so.

When Lord Xuande settles accounts with Sun Yu in the future, the Lu family will certainly have made a great contribution. To be honest, I have also studied in Haiyan County for a year. I have heard that you are well-educated and have a broad knowledge, and you seem to know some military tactics. The Lu family has always controlled the clansmen and troops, and went to sea to do business to accumulate strength.

Although Lord Xuande has warships and naval forces, he is not familiar with the wind and waves of the East China Sea and sailing. If the Lu family is willing to help sailors and pilot hundreds of people, and if you personally lead and teach the Danyang sailors, I can, with the authorization of the General of Chariots and Cavalry, secretly grant you the position of military commander.

If you continue to help Wang Fujun defend Dongye and Houguan, you will naturally be rewarded. When you defeat Sun, you will be rich and powerful in the near future. If you feel that there will be no one to take care of you after you leave, you can also ask the Lu family to plan a temporary relocation. Anyway, I will definitely come back in one or two years. "

When Lu Yi heard this, he finally got a little nervous. He didn't expect that Bu Zhi actually knew that he had read some military tactics and knew a little about sailing, hydrology and navigation.

He started reading military books secretly after his great-uncle was killed by Sun Ce four years ago. He felt that in such a chaotic world, it would be difficult to preserve his family if he did not learn some military tactics.

As for the basic skills of navy and navigation, the Lu family is in Wu County, which is a coastal area, and also a place with dense commercial and travel exchanges like the Yangtze River Estuary. It is normal for them to know some skills to make a living along the coast.

I didn't expect that this little skill that I had only learned to entertain myself for three or four years would be noticed by Bu Zhi.

Lu Yi thought about it, took a deep breath, and said, "The General of Chariots and Cavalry actually agreed to grant a 17-year-old boy like me the position of military commander. This is really a great honor to a talented person. How can I dare to refuse?

However, Brother Bu said that he hoped that our Lu clan would send a large number of people to help, and even consider relocating. I cannot agree to this rashly. Firstly, if our Lu family escapes again, we will be liquidated by the Sun family, and the farms, servants, and countless ancestral properties that cannot be taken away will be seized.

Secondly, even if we can take back the family property in the future, the various clans in Wu County are intertwined and we cannot harm others - my aunt, that is, Uncle Ji's sister, married my uncle Yuan Tan (Gu Yong), and my younger sister has been betrothed to Yuan Tan's eldest son, my cousin Gu Shao, since she was a child. The Gu and Lu have been married for generations, and if we run away together, it will implicate others. "

The reason Lu Yi gave was indeed very sufficient.

Moreover, in the original history, this kind of marriage would continue to occur repeatedly in the future - in history, Lu Yi's youngest daughter later married Gu Yong's grandson Gu Rong, who was the head of the four local clans of the Eastern Jin Dynasty during the Yongjia Southern Migration.

If a reader with some knowledge of genetics and biology saw this kind of marriage, he would probably shake his head. It was a miracle that there was no mentally retarded child after so many cousins.

When Bu Zhi heard Lu Yi politely decline the offer by offering family marriage, he felt it was not easy to force it, and the atmosphere became a little awkward.

Bu Zhi was in a strong position, so he certainly would not give up, so he put pressure on him: "My dear brother, there are not many opportunities to serve the General of Chariots and Cavalry. Since ancient times, it is easy to add icing on the cake, but it is difficult to help in times of trouble. Are you going to serve the General of Chariots and Cavalry alone?"

Bu Zhi has already changed his rhetoric, both overtly and covertly. He did not give Lu Yi the option of "completely waiting and watching", but only asked him to choose "to serve alone secretly" or "to serve with a group of retainers and professional talents".

There is no third option.

Lu Yi also realized the other party's toughness, and since he was willing to go, after thinking about it for a while, he suddenly thought of a compromise.

He thought about it again, and then suggested: "Brother Bu is kind and General Chariot and Cavalry appreciates me. How can I be a person who doesn't know what is good for me? I suddenly thought of a plan, which may work, but it will take a few days to prepare."

Bu Zhi looked him up and down and said, "I don't know what you're going to do? Can you tell me first?"

Lu Yi bit his lip subconsciously, covered his mouth with his hand, leaned over and whispered, "My uncle Yuan Tan has served in various counties, but after the fall of Kuaiji, he returned home and stayed idle.

Four years ago, when my great uncle died of grief and anger, I was only thirteen years old, already the oldest of my generation in Wu County. At that time, my third aunt, who was married to Yuan Tan, came back to her parents' home to preside over the family affairs, leaving me in charge of the household.

Now four years have passed, and Uncle Ji is thirteen years old, the same age as when I first took charge of the family, and he is even more famous for his study and virtue than I am. I would like to go to the residence of Lord Yuan Tan, secretly meet with my aunt, and beg her to let Uncle Ji take charge of the Lu family on the grounds that Uncle Ji has grown up.

I can also stage a small dispute with my aunt, and then I will have to hand over the affairs of the clan to Uncle Ji. In this way, if I rely on the management of the family affairs in the past few years and secretly transfer some manpower and materials for other purposes, outsiders will surely think that it is a split within the Lu family and will not be wary of it. I will get out and follow Brother Bu to make achievements. "

Strictly speaking, Lu Yi's aunt who married Gu Yong was a "cousin", that is, the daughter of his great-uncle Lu Kang.

To that cousin, Lu Ji is her brother and Lu Yi is her nephew. Four years ago, Lu Yi was made the housekeeper because Lu Ji was too young to be in charge of things. A nine-year-old child was the only one who could be in charge. (Of course, the old housekeeper would help.)
Now that the nine-year-old child has grown into thirteen years old, it seems reasonable to replace him with someone else.

If Lu Yi was dissatisfied and disappeared, no one would think much of it.

After Bu Zhi figured out this logic, he secretly looked up to Lu Yi again: Originally, he only knew that this guy had read the Art of War and knew a little about navy and navigation, but he didn't expect that he was so good at this kind of dirty little conspiracy to cover up the truth.

It seems that if he brings Lu Yi with him to Dongye this time to help him share the task of leading the navy, his job will be easier.

Bu Zhi did not push the other side too hard: "If that's the case, fine. Anyway, I will go to Wu County tomorrow to formally meet Sun Ce and tell him some of the General of Chariots and Cavalry's advice. I will stay in Wu County for two or three days at the least, and three to five days at the most.

My dear brother, if you have the will, you can use these few days to secretly devise a plan for your escape, so don’t delay.”

Lu Yi: "Thank you for your trust, Brother Bu. Three to five days will be enough. I will go to see Lord Yuan Tan and my aunt tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)