My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 53 I've been working overtime for three months, can't I just enjoy myself?

Zhuge Jin accepted Liu Bei's kindness and asked Guan Yu to send troops to Yuzhang as soon as possible, which was more out of consideration for the filial piety environment of the Han Dynasty.

Because the history books he read in his previous life clearly stated that Zhuge Xuan lived to the age of 197, but it is only the 196th year now.

If the butterfly effect of the time traveler has not yet affected Yuzhang County, the trajectories of Zuo Rong and Zhuge Xuan will not be changed, and Zhuge Xuan will not be in danger this year.

But since he had received accurate information about his uncle, if he did not respond immediately, he would be criticized. At this time, entrusting a brave general like Guan Yu to go ahead became a necessary gesture to show filial piety.

Zhuge Jin would rest for another ten days or half a month to relieve the fatigue of the journey to and from Xu Du and adjust his physical condition, and then he would go with them.

Long-distance travel in this era is very challenging to the body's ability to adapt. It is easy to suffer from acclimatization after traveling all over the world without stopping.

It will take about half a month on the road. We will make sure to arrive in the twelfth lunar month and spend the New Year with our family. This pace is good.

……

After accepting Liu Bei's proposal, the group rode into the city together.

Liu Bei had already arranged a welcoming banquet, but it was not evening yet and Zhuge Jin had just been jolted so hard that he could not eat, so he said there was no need to rush into the banquet.

Naturally, Liu Bei let him do as he pleased and had some tea and fruit set out while he chatted with the other civil and military officials who were at the table.

When Zhuge Jin returned to where he was staying, he asked someone to boil water for a bath and then told them to spread paper and grind ink. Then he wrote a family letter to Zhuge Xuan and a short letter to Guan Yu, mainly explaining some military precautions to fill in the gaps after going to Yuzhang.

After both letters were written, they were first handed over to the messenger sent by Liu Bei, who then sealed them and sent them to Guangling.

The messenger also carried a military order written by Liu Bei and a corresponding token. Guan Yu would follow the orders when he saw them.

After finishing all this, the hot water is almost ready, so you can wash directly without adding cold water.

Zhuge Jin took a short bath and asked his maid to massage and tap his whole body to relieve fatigue and eliminate the fatigue from continuous running around.

After cleaning herself thoroughly, she changed into a newly made silk lining, and then put on the brocade robe and jade belt that Liu Xie personally awarded her.

She also picked out two pieces of jewelry that Liu Xie had given her as a reward to replace the "fifty kilograms of gold" that could be worn by men, and put them on solemnly.

There were more than a dozen pieces of jewelry, but most of them were for women. Zhuge Jin had no use for them now. At most, he could give a few pieces to his stepmother as a filial piety. The rest would only be used when he got married and had concubines in the future.

The only things the man could use were a Jinxian crown inlaid with gold beams and pearls, and a jade pendant with a dragon pattern.

After everything was packed up, Zhuge Jin went to the welcoming banquet in great style.

……

The welcoming banquet was held in the back hall of the former Zhendong Shogun's mansion, but it was obvious that the sign at the door would be removed soon.

Liu Bei’s new shogunate may not be located in Huaiyin County, and the words must also be re-engraved.

When Zhuge Jin arrived, everyone had been chatting and enjoying the fruit for a while.

As soon as Liu Bei saw Zhuge Jin wearing a bright red robe of high-quality Shu brocade, which he had never seen before, and a soft jade seven-ring purple brocade belt, he came over and pulled his sleeve to take a closer look.

He was also a person who "loved music and beautiful clothes", and he could not help asking: "Where was this robe and belt cut? How come I didn't know there were such skilled craftsmen in Guangling? It must have been purchased in Xudu?"

Zhuge Jin replied solemnly: "This was personally bestowed upon me by His Majesty when I summoned him on the day I left the capital. This, along with the horse I am riding on, was also bestowed upon me by the Emperor."

"Is that so? Did you accomplish many meritorious deeds during this trip to Xudu?" Liu Bei and the other civil servants and staff who accompanied him were all in awe when they heard this. Even Liu Bei didn't dare to play with his sleeves casually anymore.

Zhuge Jin briefly recounted how he assisted Kong Rong in doing things for the royal family, and how he was finally summoned by the emperor to find a theory of ruling authority for the precarious Han Dynasty.

I won't go into the details here. Zhuge Jin cleverly avoided saying things that were not suitable to be said in public.

Liu Bei, Mi Zhu and others couldn't help but gasp.

"I didn't expect that you could be so appreciated by the emperor in just a few days. It's true that a capable person can do anything. After this incident, I'm sure all the governors and governors in the world will soon know your name." Liu Bei praised sincerely.

Mi Zhu also praised highly, but at the same time showed a look of envy and worry, but not out of jealousy.

There were also several new civil servants who praised from the bottom of their hearts:

"Sir, you have far-sightedness and vision, and you are incomparable to ordinary people. When Mr. Tao passed away, we advised you not to get involved in the dispute between Lu Bu and Yuan Shu, saying that you might be attacked from all sides in the future and unable to withdraw.

Now that you have helped the envoy to plan and turn the tide, I know that what everyone thought back then was really shallow. Your virtue is like that of Mengchang and Xinling in ancient times, who can help the poor and the needy, and save the dead and carry on the family line. This is admirable. "

Zhuge Jin looked over and saw that the person speaking was a young man in his twenties, about the same age as himself, whom he had never seen before.

This person was there when he was welcoming them at the city gate just now, but because there were so many people, Liu Bei did not introduce them to each one of them.

Liu Bei saw the inquiry in his eyes and then he remembered that he hadn't introduced himself yet, which was a bit rude, so he quickly said:
"This is Chen Changwen, who just escaped from Lü Bu. Two years ago, when Lord Tao recommended me as the governor of Yuzhou, I asked the Prime Minister of Pei to recommend him as a filial and honest official and appointed him as the deputy governor of Yuzhou.

When Xia Pi was lost last time, I was unfortunately captured by Lu Bu. Fortunately, I was able to sneak back during Lu Bu's release of his family members."

After Liu Bei finished his introduction, he turned to Chen Qun and said generously:

"Don't be too modest in writing this long article. Although I have Tzuyu's help in turning the tide and turning danger into safety, such an opportunity is hard to come by. What you said back then was indeed a cautious statement."

Chen Qun quickly declined and thanked him profusely.

Zhuge Jin, who was listening, thought to himself: Liu Bei's self-reflection is similar to Cao Cao's self-reflection after defeating Wuhuan and eliminating Tadun. Although Cao Cao won the battle, he still rewarded those staff members who dissuaded him after returning, saying that they were cautious and concerned about the country.

Although Liu Bei survived this time, it was all thanks to Zhuge Jin's efforts to change his fate, otherwise Chen Qun would have really predicted it right.

Historically, Chen Qun finally surrendered to Cao after Liu Bei and Lu Bu successively lost Xuzhou.

Now Liu Bei had at least retained some of his territory, and his official position was even higher than before. He also asked Lu Bu to return the families of the soldiers in the army.

This series of butterfly effects made it natural for Chen Qun to turn from evil to good.

After all, Liu Bei had been his sponsor and had also recruited him as his deputy (although he was the deputy governor of Yuzhou). If Chen Qun betrayed him, he would be criticized.

Zhuge Jin was very pleased to see more and more people from the original Xuzhou team joining him.

When he first arrived, there was not a single civil servant under Liu Bei with a "political value of 90+".

During this trip to and from Xu Du, Chen Deng and Chen Qun were brought back one after another, and the internal affairs of Liu Bei's camp could be left to them.

After Zhuge Jin went to Yuzhang in person, he no longer had to worry about the dual-line operation failing, and he could hold on until next year to bring his second brother over.

……

Zhuge Jin drank and chatted happily with Chen Qun and other civil servants who had turned from evil to good, and they became initially familiar with each other.

Liu Bei hurriedly pulled him aside and continued the unfinished topic.

He really wanted to know what profound details Zi Yu had told His Majesty that deserved such a generous reward - with Liu Bei's emotional intelligence, he had already heard that Zhuge Jin was actually holding back, and it was obvious that some of his words were not suitable to be said in public.

So, after three rounds of wine had passed and they no longer had to worry about the banquet etiquette, Liu Bei sat on Zhuge Jin's couch in a very undignified manner and asked Zhuge Jin to whisper in his ear.

Zhuge Jin couldn't hide it, so he briefly elaborated on the metaphor of "Emperor Yi, Overlord and Emperor Gao" that he had just omitted.

It simply implies that "strike first to seize the world is not stable, because later generations will see that you succeeded in striking first and will follow your example. On the other hand, strike later to avenge the previous emperor is stable, because strike later requires a reckless man to take the lead, and reckless men are rare, so conspirators may not have the material to imitate."

After listening to this, Liu Bei obviously felt very involved. In his heart, he regarded Liu Xie as the current Righteous Emperor, but he didn't know whether Cao Cao would become a tyrant like Dong Zhuo.

As for Emperor Gaozu... Liu Bei now is not crazy enough to dare to bring himself in.

But after he listened to the whole speech, for the first time, an idea finally arose in his heart: "If Cao is impatient, I will be lenient; if Cao is violent, I will be kind. If I go against Cao, things will be accomplished."

In the original history, Liu Bei did not have such thoughts until at least around the Battle of Red Cliffs. It was only when he was cornered by Cao Cao that he realized that Cao Cao had taken the lead in many aspects.

If he imitated Cao Cao, Cao Cao would have the first-mover advantage over him, so there would be no way out. He had to change lanes and overtake, and establish an opposite personality, in order to have a glimmer of hope.

It’s just that Liu Bei hasn’t been forced into such a desperate situation yet, and he hasn’t yet regarded Cao Cao as his only opponent - on paper, the two Yuans are still stronger than Cao Cao.

Therefore, he would not "oppose just for the sake of opposing. We must oppose everything that the enemy supports."

His mentality is more peaceful, pragmatic and realistic than that of the same period in history.

He just thought that "Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Xiaowu and Cao Cao were both wrong in that they used the sword instead of the brain. They did not have a strategic plan before deploying troops, but just fought battles according to the number of soldiers they had."

Therefore, I must avoid this lesson of the past. In the future, I must use my brain to command the sword, and set strategic goals and political programs before using troops. I can't just fight another battle because "after fighting this battle, there are still a lot of troops left, and they are idle anyway."

If there are more troops and more resources, they should be used for people's livelihood. The core purpose of using troops is to "ensure safety and order for the people of the world at the lowest cost", and we must not forget this original intention.

After Liu Bei sorted out these principles, he felt extremely moved, as if a new world had opened up.

He was afraid that he would not be able to remember it, so he asked someone to bring him a pen and ink, and secretly wrote down these few insights he had just summarized on the sleeves of his robe so that he could look at them often in the future to remind himself.

……

After Zhuge Jin finally dealt with Liu Bei, he could finally drink in peace without having to worry anymore.

Unfortunately, he was too dazzling now, and soon Mi Zhu, Chen Qun and others came over to surround him and toast to him, asking him for some advice on governance and asking him some specific questions.

Zhuge Jin couldn't refuse, so he had to talk about some of the real internal problems that the Guangling Army was facing.

For example, Chen Qun took the opportunity of toasting him to tell him that "in the past month, Lu Bu has finally returned the families of our soldiers, as well as the expelled Danyang soldiers of Xu Dan and Zhang Kuang and their families, to the envoy and moved them to Guangling."

Then, Chen Qun said that the envoy had now handed over the task of resettling these families to him. A total of more than 40,000 people appeared out of nowhere. Although the food was barely enough, the distribution was chaotic and management was difficult.

In the middle of winter, the families had nothing to do but eat and were prone to causing trouble. Some people also lined up repeatedly to receive the donated multi-grain porridge, and the governor was unwilling to put an indelible mark on the hands of the families of soldiers who had received relief to mark who had received it.

In short, he complained about a lot of internal difficulties.

After hearing this, Zhuge Jin did not take it seriously at all, and just said subconsciously: "Then use work instead of relief."

Isn’t this how Wang Anshi and Su Dongpo, who later helped with disaster relief, restored order? Even if it was difficult to farm or reclaim wasteland in the winter, they could still build water conservancy projects to lay a good foundation for the next year.

However, for people in the late Han Dynasty, work-for-relief was an absolutely new concept that had never been heard of before. Even Chen Qun, who was “Politics 96”, was confused for a moment.

"How can we use work as relief?" Chen Qun asked humbly.

"I can't explain it clearly right away. We need to observe and we'll tell you in a few days." Zhuge Jin didn't say anything definite.

(End of this chapter)