Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 179 Zhuge Liang as a Disciple, Liu Bei Plots for Qingzhou (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)
Besides the three brothers Zhuge Jin, Zhuge Liang, and Zhuge Jun, Zhuge Gui also had two daughters, Mengxue and Ruoxue, who were both younger than Zhuge Jin and older than Zhuge Liang.

The person bowing inside was Zhuge Gui's eldest daughter, Zhuge Mengxue.

Although she was a woman, Liu Bei did not treat her with any disrespect and returned the gift.

This time, Liu Bei came to Yangdu not only to take Zhuge Liang with him, but also to take Zhuge Gui's widow and children with him.

Although Yangdu was remote and not a strategically important location, it was not easy for a group of orphans and widows to survive in this chaotic era of war.

No one knows whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.

Liu Bei's humility surprised and moved the brothers Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang.

After entering the house and exchanging greetings, Liu Bei slowly explained his connection with Zhuge Gui and the purpose of his visit:

“When I was studying under my mentor, Master Lu, some students from Langya mentioned Brother Jun Gong’s reputation for loyalty and filial piety. My mentor also praised Brother Jun Gong for his extraordinary talent and knowledge. At that time, I had the intention to befriend him.”

"When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out again, I was the county magistrate of Anxi in Zhongshan State of Ji Province, and my brother Jun Gong was the county magistrate of Liangfu in Taishan County of Yan Province. Upon hearing his name again, I felt even more eager to befriend him."

"Later, when I entered Luoyang, I heard that my brother Jun Gong had fallen ill and returned to his hometown. I entrusted Governor Gai to take care of him after he entered Xuzhou. I never expected that before I could meet my brother Jun Gong, I heard that he had passed away. I was deeply saddened."

"Although the rebels have been quelled, the unrest has not ended, and the Yellow Turbans are rampant in the Qing and Xu regions. Although the Zhuge clan of Langya is a powerful family, it is difficult for them to protect you. Therefore, I have entered Langya on light cavalry to bring you to Luoyang, so that you will not suffer from the calamity of war in the future."

Given Liu Bei's current status, position, reputation, and talent, he is already someone that Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang can look up to. Now, Liu Bei is also willing to take Zhuge Liang as his disciple and protect Zhuge Gui's widow and children. This genuine affection that is revealed cannot be hidden from the Zhuge brothers.

If Zhuge Gui were still alive, Zhuge Liang, who had received such a great favor from Liu Bei, would certainly have readily agreed. However, Zhuge Gui had only passed away last year, and to go to Luoyang now for wealth and career advancement would be contrary to filial piety and righteousness.

The Zhuge family of Langya passed down their traditions as Legalists and Confucians, and also valued loyalty and filial piety, which made it difficult for Zhuge Liang to make a choice.

"Uncle, please forgive me. My father passed away last year, and the mourning period is not yet over, so it is inconvenient for me to leave."

Zhuge Liang lowered his head, looking apologetic, and dared not meet Liu Bei's gaze.

The journey from Luoyang to Yangdu is two thousand li.

Normally, all that would be needed is to issue a recruitment notice to Xuzhou, and a local official would come to Yangdu to have Zhuge Liang report to Luoyang. However, Liu Bei made a special trip to Yangdu to find Zhuge Liang, which is extremely rare in any era.

Zhuge Liang was just a simple village boy. What virtue or ability did he possess to deserve such treatment? Even if King Wen were to pull a chariot, he wouldn't have received such treatment.

This favor, however, conflicted with filial piety, leaving Zhuge Liang in a difficult position: going to Luoyang would be a violation of filial piety; not going to Luoyang would be a rejection of this favor.

Seeing Zhuge Liang in a dilemma, Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Out of concern for Zhuge Liang's safety, Liu Bei wanted to bring Zhuge Liang to Luoyang.

However, Liu Bei could not ignore Zhuge Liang's predicament. If he forced Zhuge Liang to give up his mourning period, even if Zhuge Liang went to Luoyang, he would find it difficult to concentrate on his studies, which was not what Liu Bei wanted.

Liu Bei respected Zhuge Liang.

Even when Zhuge Liang was still a young boy, Liu Bei would still give him enough respect.

If Zhuge Liang ultimately decides to stay in Yangdu, Liu Bei will only settle for second best and secretly deploy fierce warriors in Yangdu to protect Zhuge Liang's family, rather than forcing Zhuge Liang to abandon his filial piety and righteousness.

Only by treating each other with sincerity can one truly gain Zhuge Liang's loyal following.

Zhuge Jin's gaze swept back and forth between Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Jin was deeply moved by Liu Bei's genuine feelings; he also understood Zhuge Liang's thoughts.

[Since the Imperial Uncle is so fond of A-Liang, and A-Liang feels the same way, how can I delay A-Liang's future?] After thinking it over, Zhuge Jin made a decision.

As the eldest brother, Zhuge Jin was like a father to his family. After Zhuge Gui passed away, even though Zhuge Jin was not yet of age, he was still the pillar of the family.

Now, all major family matters are decided by Zhuge Jin.

The laughter drew the attention of both Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Jin pretended to refute, saying, "A-Liang, you are mistaken."

“I am the elder brother, and you are the younger brother. It is our duty as sons to observe mourning for our late father, but my younger brother and two younger sisters are still young, and our mothers are all alone and helpless. If we brothers observe mourning at the same time, it will be difficult to establish a family business.”

"It is unfilial to cause our mothers to suffer; it is unbrotherly to cause our younger siblings to suffer. We are brothers from the same mother, and we should help each other in harmony."

“If A-Liang enters the Imperial Uncle’s tutelage, he can set up a business in Luoyang to help me support my mothers and take care of my younger brother Jun and my two younger sisters. This is also for the sake of filial piety and brotherly love. As for me, I have already been recruited by Governor Gai, so I can stay in Yangdu to observe the mourning period. After my mourning period is over, I can enter the state government as an official.”

“In this way, I can fulfill my duty of filial piety and brotherly love, uphold my reputation for loyalty and filial piety, and live up to my late father’s teachings. The world is in chaos, and everything can be changed according to circumstances, not by sticking to the old ways. Ah Liang, you can’t refuse any longer.”

Zhuge Jin's words were so reasonable and well-founded that Zhuge Liang found it difficult to refute them.

Ma Chao was still thinking about how to persuade Zhuge Liang, but upon hearing Zhuge Jin's reason, his impression of Zhuge Jin improved dramatically, and he exclaimed:
“Junior brother, your elder brother is right! If you two are both in mourning, who will manage the household affairs? In this time of war and chaos, it would be too dangerous for the women in the family to go out and manage the household affairs.”

“Your elder brother is enough to keep you in mourning. You can bring your family and come with us to Luoyang. I will give you land, houses, gold and silver, so you can focus on your studies and martial arts without worrying about family matters.”

"Don't stand on ceremony with me. My father is the Left Fengyi Commander, so I don't need to worry about family matters. I am now a captain in the Lingyan Army, and I can't even use up all of my salary."

Ma Chao's brain is basically all muscle; he doesn't have many tricks up his sleeve, nor does he understand the concept of boundaries.

All we know is that Zhuge Liang wanted to become Liu Bei's disciple, and Liu Bei required his disciples not to compete with each other and to be as close as brothers.

Ma Chao is only ten years old now. He comes from a good family and can make money. He is in a situation where he only needs to eat his fill and his whole family is not hungry. He doesn't have much of a concept of money.

As long as Zhuge Liang is willing to enter Luoyang, he can give him gold, silver, land, and houses as he pleases, and distribute his salary as he pleases, without even flinching.

Zhuge Liang was deeply moved.

Whether it was Zhuge Jin's solution that satisfied both sides or Ma Chao's enthusiastic assistance, it was all a brother's care and love for his younger brother.

Filial piety and brotherly love are the source of benevolence, and benevolence is the foundation of achieving the Way.

This principle applies to both being a person and pursuing knowledge.

Now that things have come to this point, it would be pedantic to dwell on it any longer.

Zhuge Liang composed himself, bowed deeply to Zhuge Jin, and said with tears in his eyes, "I am grateful for your help, brother."

Zhuge Jin laughed loudly: "This is how it should be between brothers."

Liu Bei was also amazed by Zhuge Jin's sense of responsibility.

Although Zhuge Jin was not as famous or talented as Zhuge Liang, his sense of responsibility as the eldest brother was enough to earn Liu Bei's respect.

With no worries left, Zhuge Liang had no more hesitation and immediately bowed, saying, "If you do not despise me, I am willing to do anything for my mentor."

Liu Bei was overjoyed and helped Zhuge Liang up, saying, "It is my great fortune to have another talented person as my disciple today!"

Liu Bei was overjoyed to have Zhuge Liang as his disciple. After obtaining Zhuge Jin's consent, he went to pay respects to Zhuge Gui. Zhuge Jin then led his mother and two sisters to pay their respects.

Whether it was Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Jun, or Zhuge Gui's widow, they were all women and children who could not travel on horseback. The journey from Yangdu to Luoyang was two thousand li, and having a carriage would reduce their fatigue. Therefore, Liu Bei sent Ma Chao to the village to buy the best carriage for them. After resting for the night, Liu Bei, along with Zhuge Liang and the others, departed early the next morning.

Before his departure, Liu Bei gifted Zhuge Jin a set of soft armor and a sharp sword for self-defense, and carefully instructed him: "If there is any change in Xuzhou in the future, you must not act rashly, and you must prioritize your life. Zang Ba, Mi Zhu, Chen Deng, Sun Qian, and Zhang Liao are all trustworthy."

Zhuge Jin kept this in mind.

Watching the departing crowd, and then glancing back at the empty courtyard, Zhuge Jin couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness.

However, in chaotic times, it is extremely difficult to preserve one's life.

To obtain more, one must expend more energy than the average person to roll.

Only by dragging others down can you avoid being dragged down yourself.

Soon, Zhuge Jin encouraged himself: "Although I am alone, I can still study and practice martial arts to improve my knowledge and repay the kindness of my imperial uncle."

on the official road.

The carriage moved slowly, with Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang riding together on the same horse.

To be honest, if Liu Bei didn't have such a special status, he would have wanted to take Zhuge Liang as his son rather than his disciple.

Even without the historical filter, Zhuge Liang was the most talented young man Liu Bei had ever seen!

Not only does he possess a photographic memory, but he also grasps knowledge of both literary and martial arts with ease and can apply it to other situations. He always has unique insights when he thinks deeply.

Even when Liu Bei deliberately showed Zhuge Liang the "Lun Zhu Lun Yu" (a commentary on the Analects), Zhuge Liang was able to compare it with the "Zheng Zhu Lun Yu" (another commentary on the Analects), without discussing whether it deviated from the norm or not, but only whether it could solve the problem.

If we only consider the subject matter, among the four disciples: Ma Chao needed a year's worth of study, Cao Ang needed three months, Fa Zheng only needed ten days, while Zhuge Liang only needed one day. This is the difference.

Zhuge Liang also possessed extraordinary perseverance and temperament. He was not at all uncomfortable with Liu Bei's requirement for him to study literature and martial arts every day without fail. On the contrary, he thought that Liu Bei's schedule could be revised.

The hour of Mao (5-7 AM) is too late, and the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) is too early.

However, Liu Bei rejected this suggestion.

Zhuge Liang was only twenty years younger than Liu Bei, and Liu Bei did not want Zhuge Liang to ruin his foundation because he was too arrogant since childhood, and that he would not live as long as Liu Bei.

Even if it's a collection of books, it still needs to be arranged scientifically.

Your health is the foundation for success.

No body can withstand high-intensity exercise.

Without a good sleep schedule, you can't reach new heights.

We arrived in Kaiyang.

The families of Zang Ba, Sun Guan, Sun Kang, Wu Dun, and Yin Li also joined the group. To avoid any accidents along the way, Zang Ba accompanied them again, intending to take them to Xiaopei before returning to Kaiyang.

It took Liu Bei nearly a month to travel from Xiaopei to Yangdu and then back to Xiaopei before he finally returned.

Tao Qian, who went to Tancheng to make arrangements for his funeral, had also arrived in Xiaopei with his family half a month ago. Instead of taking the opportunity to leave, he took advantage of the time before arriving in Luoyang to teach his family and relatives how to conduct themselves in Luoyang.

Fa Zheng, who was recuperating in Qiao County, returned to Xiaopei a few days ago.

Upon learning that Liu Bei had specially gone to Langya to take on a new disciple, Fa Zheng was also excited and joined Cao Ang in welcoming him.

Liu Bei currently has only four disciples, and it's a good thing to let them interact more, so he doesn't interfere much.

For geniuses, all you need to do is provide them with resources and an environment, and then establish a consistent worldview in the general direction. There is no need to personally teach them too much.

After nearly a month, Xiao Pei returned to her former tranquility.

The unique style of the Lingyan Army also made the people of Xiaopei more favorable to the imperial court in Luoyang.

The prestige of the Han Dynasty was gradually eroded, leading to the disappointment of the people. To rebuild its prestige, it was necessary to rebuild it step by step.

During this period.

Because Tao Qian was captured, Zang Ba, Cao Bao, and others, heeding Tao Qian's advice, all chose to surrender to Liu Bei.

Furthermore, Zang Ba's killing of Zhang Chao allowed Gai Xun to extend his control over Xuzhou from Xiapi to Pengcheng, Donghai, Langya, and Guangling.

Although there are still some powerful and unruly forces within the territory, such as Zang Hong, who is defending the city and seeking revenge for Zhang Chao, and Chang Xi, who is outwardly compliant but inwardly resentful, overall, Gai Xun has been able to gain initial control over Xuzhou.

It will take time to completely gain control of Xuzhou.

For Cao Cao, the situation remains difficult.

Since abandoning Yuan Shao and choosing Liu Bei as his allegiance, Cao Cao has faced considerable resistance.

Although Yuan Yi was captured and the rebel army collapsed, Cao Cao was still unable to successfully take control of Shanyang Commandery.

Yuan Shao's words, "You will not be the governor of Yanzhou for long," were not just empty talk. There were simply too many of Yuan Shao's protégés and former officials in Yanzhou, so many that Cao Cao found it difficult to move an inch in Shanyang County.

In the first year of Chuping, August 7th.

After re-analyzing the situation in the world, Liu Bei summoned Cao Cao back to Xiaopei and changed Cao Cao's mission.

“The Yuan family in Yanzhou has a great deal of influence. Neither Dongjun nor Shanyangjun is suitable for Brother Mengde to establish a foothold.”

Liu Bei took out a strategic plan and handed it to Cao Cao, saying:
"The Prefect of Mount Tai, Kong Zhou, has just died, and the Governor of Qingzhou, Jiao, and the Prefect of Beihai, Kong Rong, are both empty talkers with empty reputations."

“Brother Mengde, you can abandon Shanyang County and lead your troops to Hua County and Fei County in Taishan County. I will have Zang Ba of Kaiyang assist you in taking over the counties of Taishan.”

"After you take Taishan County, Brother Mengde, you can then seize Beihai and Donglai, defend strategic locations, cultivate land and support the people, and wait for the right opportunity."

"Liu Yu and Yuan Shao have joined forces to attack Gongsun Zan. I don't know how long Gongsun Zan can hold out, so there isn't much time left for Brother Mengde."

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. My core requirement is only one: in all matters, the common people must be put first. Officials, scholars, gentry, powerful families, and wealthy clans who are unwilling to submit should not be spared!"

"Brother Mengde, you must remember: In this great Han Dynasty, the common people are the most numerous. Only when the common people live a peaceful life can the country enjoy long-term stability."

"Therefore, whether they are officials, commoners, or powerful families, anyone who violates the laws of the court can be executed!"

The Yuan clan in Yanzhou was too powerful, making it difficult for Liu Bei to break through.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion in Qingzhou presented Liu Bei with an excellent opportunity.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion meant that the power of local strongmen was weakened, and the weaker the strongmen were, the less obstacles there would be in implementing Liu Bei's laws.

Before Yuan Shao could take control of Qingzhou, we should first help Cao Cao seize Mount Tai, Beihai, and Donglai to establish a foothold and connect with Xuzhou. This would give us a greater chance of winning against Yuan Shao in the future.

(End of this chapter)