My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 419 Zhang Song Fa Zheng VS Huang Quan Wang Lei
Sun Shao's contacts with Zhang Su and Zhang Song can only go so far and it is impossible to make any substantial progress.

The outcome of this trip to Chengdu will depend on the subsequent discussions between Liu Zhang and his many advisers. As an outsider, Sun Shao has no say in the matter.

However, Sun Shao used this opportunity to enhance mutual understanding, and also found out that Zhang Song had a slight liking for Liu Bei and wanted to introduce external forces to help Liu Zhang realize the centralization of power. With this understanding, these few days were not wasted.

In the days of waiting at the post house, Sun Shao could seize this opportunity and slowly make friends with those talents in Yizhou who wanted to do something big and achieve centralization, and let them all work together to promote Liu Zhang's friendship with Liu Bei.

Sun Shao's expectation was not in vain, because the news of "Liu Bei's envoy" soon caused ripples in the stagnant water of Chengdu.

Zhang Song also has his own circle of friends. Two days later, he came to visit again and introduced a new friend, Fa Zheng, to Sun Shao.

Fa Zheng was in Chengdu. He was a typical "Dongzhou scholar". He entered Shu from Guanzhong with Pang Xi and others. His hometown was Mei County in Youfufeng, Sanfu.

In the absence of enough official positions for local people in Yizhou, Fa Zheng, even though he was a descendant of a famous scholar in Guanzhong, could not have achieved a high position. After entering Shu, he wasted several years before becoming a county magistrate, and worked in the position for several more years. Now he has been recalled to Chengdu, and it is said that he has been appointed to another position, but it is estimated that he is only given an honorary title of military advisor.

Of course, Sun Shao did not hesitate to give more gifts and try to establish a good relationship with Fa Zheng. He chatted with him about many issues, including the latest news in the outside world, especially how Liu Bei was committed to the Han Dynasty and how he united his clan members and hoped that the old brothers with the surname Liu could cheer up and not be sidelined by treacherous villains like Cai Mao.

Therefore, anyone who is close to Liu Zhang and can promote peace between Liu Zhang and Liu Bei will surely become a celebrity in the future.

Fa Zheng also heard it all, and his heart was filled with enthusiasm. He gradually began to look forward to Liu Bei, so there was no need to mention anything else.

Anyway, these are just idle chess pieces. The seeds have been planted first, and there is no need to rush for them to sprout.

……

Two days later, at Yizhou Governor's Mansion.

After allowing Zhang Su to fully understand the envoy's intentions, Liu Zhang did not forget to take time to listen to his report.

In such a private occasion, Liu Zhang certainly would not be polite with his own people, so he asked directly:

"How's the progress of your friendship with Sun Shao these days? Have you found out Liu Bei's true intentions?"

Zhang Su had also done his homework, and he answered respectfully and calmly: "Sun Shao has a noble demeanor and behaves calmly, and he is not too worried about the mission. As for Liu Bei's intention, it should be just to ask us to send people to watch the ceremony and participate in the grand event, nothing else.

"I think that you should send someone to the meeting, so as not to give others an excuse to talk. All you need to consider is the selection of the messenger."

After hearing this, Liu Zhang did not express his opinion immediately. Instead, he remained silent for a few seconds, and then suddenly raised some objections:
“But yesterday Huang Quan and Wang Lei advised me that if we send an envoy to Liu Bei this time, Liu Bei might do something to oppose Cao Cao and force our envoys to sign the petition together. This could backfire and cause our army to offend Cao Cao for no reason.

Our army has been blocking the roads for years. If we continue to play dumb, perhaps we can avoid offending Cao Cao and Liu Bei and wait and see the outcome - what do you think of this argument?"

"This..." Zhang Su didn't know how to respond for a moment. First, he was just doing his job and didn't want to speak for Liu Bei. Second, what Wang Lei and Huang Quan said made some sense.

He pondered for a long time before saying to Liu Zhang: "I think that my lord is indeed prudent in worrying about offending Cao Cao. But directly refusing Liu Bei's worship and watching the ceremony is really disrespectful to the previous kings whose tombs were robbed by the Han Dynasty.

Once this bad reputation is exposed, even if Liu Bei does not want to turn against us, what if Liu Biao instigates Liu Bei and brings up the old scores, which is disadvantageous to Yizhou? Liu Bei can completely use Liu Biao's name to send a coalition army to punish us.

Cao Cao is far away and Liu Bei is nearby. If we become enemies with Liu Bei and Liu Biao, Cao Cao will not be able to rescue us for a while. After all, there is Zhang Lu of Hanzhong in between us.

Even the road from Guanzhong to Hanzhong was not completely controlled by Cao Cao himself. Cao's army only controlled Chang'an, and could only enter Hanzhong via Ziwu Road and Baoxia Road. As for the Chencang Road, the westernmost and easiest to travel, the entrance was still under the control of Han Sui in Longxi.

It is not a safe move to offend a neighbor just to avoid offending a powerful enemy far away. Please understand! However, I have no personal relationship with Liu Bei, so it is not convenient for me to persuade you to accept it privately.

Since the Lord has doubts, there is no need to ask us individually. It is better to choose a day to discuss it together and invite colleagues who oppose the Lord's sending of envoys to attend. Let's talk about the reasons and stop the slander. "

Liu Zhang was a man without his own opinion. He heard that Zhang Su's words made sense. Moreover, Liu Zhang tried his best to avoid suspicion, took the initiative to propose an open debate between the pros and cons, and avoided making private comments. Naturally, Liu Zhang had no doubts about Zhang Su's motives.

He originally summoned them one by one, but he was afraid of destroying internal unity and making things awkward. Since Zhang Su felt that he had no selfish motives, he could have an open debate.

Liu Zhang finally made a decision: "Then we will discuss this matter publicly tomorrow. You can also count who strongly supports making friends with Liu Bei, and come forward to make suggestions tomorrow."

……

After Zhang Su returned, he naturally told his younger brother Zhang Song about his lord's summons today.

After hearing his brother's response, Zhang Song was also very annoyed: "Brother, how come you can't even explain this point clearly? In my opinion, Huang Quan and Wang Lei's opinions are completely missing the point and are easy to refute. You should have refuted them directly!"

Zhang Su's face was calm: "I can imagine what they said, it is indeed a little inappropriate, but I should not criticize them privately, otherwise it would seem that I have accepted Sun Shao's favor and want to help Liu Bei. As the deputy driver, I should avoid suspicion."

Zhang Song was so angry that he shook his head: "In that case, tomorrow you bring Xiaozhi and I to see the master. I will have my own excuses to avoid suspicion and explain the truth to the master."

Zhang Su had no objection to this, because Liu Zhang had already authorized him, and it was an open debate, not against people, so there was no suspicion of slander. The next morning, Zhang Su brought Zhang Song and Fa Zheng to Liu Zhang. Wang Lei and Huang Quan, who held opposing views, arrived on time.

Zhang Su didn't want to speak today, he was just an opinion collector, so it was two against two, and the debate was fair.

Wang Lei's side apparently learned about the latest "debate opinions" of the "affirmative side" from Liu Zhang last night, which were what Zhang Su told Liu Zhang yesterday, so they also made full preparations and organized their "debate speeches".

Wang Lei suggested to Liu Zhang as soon as he opened his mouth: "My lord, if you are worried that not sending someone to watch the ceremony may offend Liu Bei, we can find an excuse. For example, my lord can claim illness, or say that there is no one in the royal family who is old enough to take the position.

Moreover, the people of Shu had never left Sichuan for many years, and they were tired from traveling by boat and carriage, and they were not used to the local climate and water, so they might not live well. As for paying tribute to the reconstruction of the tomb of King Xiao of Liang, there were other alternative ways, such as setting up an altar on Jinping Mountain outside Chengdu to offer sacrifices remotely, and the lord personally came to pray and invite Sun Shao to observe the whole process.

As for the spirits, it is not necessary to go to Pei County to pay tribute to them. They can only be seen in heaven! Aren't the spirits of the gods able to roam the world? In this way, wouldn't it be the best of both worlds, fulfilling the responsibility of being a relative of the Han Dynasty, and avoiding being coerced by Liu Bei and causing trouble and offending Cao Cao. "

Zhang Song and Fa Zheng did not expect that Wang Lei would be able to plug the leak so quickly. This talk of ghosts and gods was so illusory that it was impossible to refute it. After all, some people believed in "sincerity for effectiveness" when it came to sacrifices, and there was no rule that the sacrifices must be made in a certain place.

Even if it was at Jinping Mountain outside Chengdu, as long as it was grand and formal enough, if Liu Bei still found fault with it, then Liu Bei would be in the wrong.

Zhang Song knew that he could not dwell on this issue any further. He just had to take the initiative to lead the topic to the core contradiction. He bowed to Liu Zhang, then turned to Wang Lei and questioned:
"Although this method can be used as a workaround, it is ultimately unnecessary and makes me look like a villain in vain. Wang Congshi said that if we send an envoy to Pei County, we may be coerced by Liu Bei. Then I would like to ask you, how else can Liu Bei coerce us?"

Wang Lei had been thinking about how to refute Zhang Su's words last night, but he couldn't figure it out for a while. Huang Quan next to him quickly took over the conversation and talked freely:

"If Liu Bei wants to coerce us, he has many ways to do it. For example, if Liu Bei asks the representatives of the Han Dynasty's relatives to sign a manifesto to attack Cao Cao, and the people we sent sign it, and Liu Bei deliberately distributes it everywhere, isn't that tying us to his chariot?

Of course, this is just one of the methods. I have always known that Zhuge Jin is resourceful and Zhuge Liang is a master of calculation. It would not be surprising if they could come up with a plan that is a hundred times more ingenious and forcibly alienate our army from Cao Cao."

After hearing this, Zhang Song immediately responded and retorted: "I thought it was some kind of trick, but it's just a coercion on paper. What's the point? If you are worried about this, you can give the envoy who is watching the ceremony a few documents and have him deliver them to Liu Bei.

As long as the document was worded cleverly, the envoy's authority could be cleverly restricted, authorizing him to do only certain things. As for things beyond his authority, even if the envoy was forced by Liu Bei to sign it, it was just his personal behavior.

As long as we send people to the court in Xudu to pay tribute as usual and make a statement, will Cao Cao be angry with us? By then, Cao Cao will not have enough time to win us over - so, my lord, you can only send people to Pei County to better play both sides. "

Huang Quan was speechless for a moment, he just felt that this approach was unreliable, and said: "Although this method sounds reasonable, it will be extremely difficult to implement. If a state deputy governor goes to another state and then uses the authorization to prevaricate after arriving at the place, how can the other party not be angry?
If the envoy reveals a flaw in the provocation, Liu Bei will find a handle to accuse him, which will be bad. Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang are so smart that we cannot guess what conspiracy they will come up with, so the safest decision is not to deal with people named Zhuge. No matter what they say, we will ignore it. "

Zhang Song laughed loudly when he heard this. "Huang Gongheng! You usually boast that you are a man of many plans, but you are so cowardly that you dare not negotiate with Zhuge Liang just by hearing his name! I have a way to ensure that you can make friends with Liu Bei without any mistakes!"

Zhang Song made this boast. Liu Zhang, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, finally became curious and asked, "Oh? I'd like to hear more about it."

Zhang Song shook his sleeves and said, "My lord, you can send a subordinate who is not afraid of losing his position as an envoy. In this way, even if he arrives in Pei County and is manipulated by Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang, he will be mistakenly believed to have done something to offend Cao Cao.

When he comes back, if Cao Cao doesn't care, then the lord will be happy to continue to pretend to be deaf and dumb. If the offense is serious, the lord wants to show goodwill to Cao Cao and repair the relationship, so he can demote the envoy and then tell Cao Cao that all this is the envoy's personal behavior!"

When Liu Zhang heard this, he thought that this arrangement was indeed foolproof. After all, outsiders would not listen if they were told that someone's behavior was personal and not authorized.

But if you completely dismiss that person from office and punish him, or take some actions that can be made public and witnessed by all the people, and then submit to Cao Cao, then no matter what offense you have committed before, you can make up for it.

However, this method also has a difficulty, that is, the selection of the envoy will directly turn from a lucrative job into a tough job, after all, there is a high possibility that he will be blamed in the future.

Under such circumstances, Liu Zhang would feel a little embarrassed if he let Zhang Su go again.

Zhang Su also noticed his lord's hesitation, and seeing that Huang Quan and Wang Lei were also stunned by these words and unable to refute, he sighed and decided to volunteer.

But at this moment, Zhang Song jumped out first and said, "My lord, if I let others take the risk of my idea, it would be ungentlemanly. So, if you don't mind, I am willing to take on this mission myself."

By then, if Song could respond appropriately and gain the best of both worlds, stabilizing Liu Bei without offending Cao Cao, then after returning, he would be able to accept his lord's promotion and reward with peace of mind.

If Song messes up and is coerced by Liu Bei to cause the lord to offend Cao Cao, then the lord can demote me to a commoner or even send me to Xu Du, and tell Cao Cao that all the actions that offended Cao Cao were my personal fault, and Song will have no complaints!

In this way, the lord will not offend any of the princes, and the lord can also gain the reputation of participating in the grand event for nothing!"

Zhang Song's loyalty and righteousness finally moved Liu Zhang.

Indeed, Huang Quan and Wang Lei seem to be loyal, but are they willing to take the blame?
Thinking of this, Liu Zhang subconsciously looked at Huang Quan and Wang Lei.

Unfortunately, this is impossible, because Huang Quan and Wang Lei always oppose Liu Zhang and Liu Bei's relationship. Even if they are loyal, they will not take the blame for doing something they oppose. It is not worth it.

Seeing that the two did not ask for orders, Liu Zhang finally made the decision: "Zi Qiao is indeed loyal and righteous, so I will leave this matter to you. I will give your brother another important position, and as for the position of Yizhou Beijia, you will take over temporarily, and you can follow Sun Shao to Pei County today."

Wang Lei, who was standing aside, had an unpleasant expression on his face. He finally managed to squeeze out a reminder: "Since this is the case, I dare not oppose your decision any longer. I just hope that you will remember what I said today: If Zhang Song really acts on his own in the future and causes you to offend Cao Cao unnecessarily and bring disaster to Shu, then you must punish the person who caused the disaster severely!"

(End of this chapter)