Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

"Yesterday, when we were having a drink, you wandered around everywhere. You didn't buy anything at the market, you just kept looking around. I walked so much that my legs were almost straight. Where are you going today?"

Following the rough voice, an elegant young scholar and a strong man walked out of the restaurant. They were the people who were watching Liaoyang Prefecture from the restaurant yesterday. The young man surnamed Wang looked at his companion and said helplessly, "Brother Gao, you are from Liaoyang Prefecture after all. Why do you come back to your hometown and ask me where I'm going? Shouldn't you be the one taking me around?"

The sturdy man laughed: "We have known each other for many years, I don't know your temper. I think you already have an idea of ​​where you want to go when you came here, why should I bother to think of a route for you, why don't you just follow me?"

"You are like this... If we hadn't studied under the same professor, I would almost think you were a brainless warrior."

"Hahahaha——" The sturdy man surnamed Gao laughed out loud, ignoring the strange looks from the people around him, and sighed, "Sometimes I would rather be a crude warrior, at least I don't have to think about what to do in the future."

The two men talked as they walked, watching a horse-drawn carriage loaded with goods slowly passing through the street, the dust raised by the wheels. They stepped aside to wait for the dust to pass. There were people dressed as yamen runners running past in a hurry, and there were also men in military uniforms leading horses and walking quickly towards the city gate.

"But I didn't expect the Great Yuan Kingdom to pass by so quickly, as if it had never existed." With a sarcastic look on his face, the strong man surnamed Gao stretched out his hand to isolate his friend behind him: "I thought it could last another ten days or half a month."

"I can only say that destiny is not with him." The young man had a lazy expression on his face and spoke carelessly: "Before, the emperor sent someone to find me and wanted me to work for him."

"Yeah, I know about that, too. You were quick to withdraw." Looking at the back of the bailiff running away, the two men started walking again: "I was a little slower. I didn't have a chance to escape until the rebels entered the city."

From time to time, vendors could be heard shouting their wares, and women in coarse cloth were seen selecting things. In the rice shop, the clerk walked to the door and shouted, "A liter of rice is two taels of silver. They are all new. Come and see!"

"The price of rice is a bit high..." The young man hesitated for a moment and then said, "I remember it was only 900 wen last year."

"It's much better than before." The strong man clapped his hands and let the old woman with the basket pass. "Some time ago, it was at least three strings of money, but now it's more than half less. What's wrong with you?"

"That's right." The young man nodded and looked at his companion thoughtfully: "Are you regretting taking off your official robes and running away now? If you were still in the government office, you would probably be working for the General of Cavalry now."

"Who knew what kind of person he was before he came?" The strong man shrugged, "But you are right. If I had known, I would have stayed and not resigned without permission."

"No one asked you to go back afterwards?"

"How should I know? Didn't he go to Shenzhou to find you?"

"Aren't you looking for your mother?"

The two men looked at each other and laughed immediately. They turned their heads and said something from time to time, but they saw a circle formed in front of them. The yamen runner who was walking in front of them just now was walking out and quickly went somewhere else.

"The notice board at the market." The strong man took a look and then pulled his companion: "Let's go and take a look. Maybe the General of the Cavalry has issued some new rules."

The two men walked over, with the strong man surnamed Gao in front, and squeezed out a passage. On the notice board in front was a rectangular piece of paper with three big characters at the beginning - Recruitment Order.

"The General of the Cavalry is recruiting talented people..."

"Brother Zhang, don't you always say that you are a talented person but not appreciated? Why don't you give it a try?"

"Of course I have to go. Actually, I have a classmate, so I should go with him." Voices rang in my ears. The two people standing under the list looked at each other and started to retreat at the same time. The onlookers opened a gap and then quickly closed it.

"Those who are talented, filial, and have high moral character will be given priority. Those who are talented, filial, and have no moral character will be given second place. Those who are talented but not filial will not be considered..." The young man touched his chin, "It seems that the general attaches great importance to filial piety."

Snapped--

A big hand patted his shoulder, causing the young man to grimace in pain: "Brother Wang, are you going? I have made up my mind to enter the official career again."

"Of course I will go." The young man glared at him and said, "In the future, the surname of Liaodong will either be Lü or Wanyan. If you don't take such a convenient opportunity now, are you going to cross that single-plank bridge in the future?"

The sturdy man clapped his hands and laughed: "That's perfect. Hurry up and go before the news spreads. If you go now, you won't have to queue up."

Both of them were quick to act. The young man stopped being lazy and went with the strong man to the place where the Talent Recruitment Hall was located as shown in the notice. When they arrived, there were only a few cats and dogs. The strong man stepped forward and saluted the people who came out to greet him: "Excuse me, Wang Zheng from Xiongyue, Chenzhou, and Gao Zhen from Liaoyang Prefecture heard that the General of the Cavalry was recruiting talents, so we came here to meet you."

Behind him, the young man also smiled and bowed.

……

The sun is shifting and thick clouds are blocking out the sunlight.

There were still many people coming and going in the General of Cavalry's mansion. Zhang Lin, who was wearing new clothes, put down his pen, stood up and stretched, with a look of satisfaction on his face.

For him, staying alive is the most important thing. After satisfying the former, being powerless and marginalized would be the second most unacceptable thing. Now he was pulled in to handle official documents. Even if they were not related to confidential documents, it was enough to let the prime minister of the Southern Palace of the Liao Kingdom know that this was a signal from him. From then on, as long as his family was brought over and he did not take the initiative to contact the outside world, he would be able to enter the core of this emerging force sooner or later with his means.

He stood up and opened the window, looking at Fang Xuedu who happened to be walking outside, with curiosity in his eyes.

A bird flew across the sky, and the moving figure looked up, then hurried to the lobby. Along the way, several familiar officials saluted him. The seemingly elegant man smiled and returned the salute, walked through the courtyard, and soon stepped over the threshold.

Lu Bu was sitting behind the table, while Pei Xuan was holding official documents and a pen in his hands. The two were talking in low voices, and the latter lowered his head from time to time to write something.

Seeing Fang Xuedu coming, Lu Bu stretched out his hand to signal him to wait. The iron-faced man who was writing furiously took the time to nod at him, and then recorded what Lu Bu said.

Soon, the person behind the desk looked at his waiting subordinates.

"General, Zhenhai Prefecture reports that Muzhou has been taken, and we have started to contact the Jurchens in Hesuguan, but the results are not ideal."

Fang Xuedu, standing outside the table with his hands hanging down, said, "Perhaps the Jurchens of the Jin Kingdom in the north have made contact with them before us."

Inside the lobby, two other pairs of eyes simultaneously showed a thoughtful look. (End of this chapter)