Uncle Emperor, I am really not Wolong Zhuge!

Chapter 228

Chapter 226

Zhuge Liang was startled, and the feather fan in his hand almost fell to the ground. He took a step forward and tightly grasped Sun Qian's hand: "Gongyou, how is my brother doing?"

Instead, Ma Liang, smiling, supported Liu Bei with one hand and said, "My lord, don't panic. Let's listen to what Sun Gongyou has to say first."

Sun Qian looked at Ma Liang, laughed, and gently pried open Zhuge Liang's shaking arms: "Kong Ming, you are confused and panicked at the moment, but not as calm as Ji Chang."

He turned to look at Liu Bei, bowed and said in a serious tone: "According to the report from the scouts, when they arrived at the scene at Mount Tai, the people had already retreated. It is said that Zhuge killed Zang Ba on the spot and walked away without suffering any injuries."

Liu Bei placed his hands on his forehead and prayed to the heavens: "May God bless me, Zhuge, the military advisor, and may I turn misfortune into fortune and encounter disaster into blessing!"

Ma Liang took his arm and gently sat him down at the stone table. He opened the tea bowl and poured him a bowl of fresh hot tea. Then he smiled and said, "My lord, you said at that time that you only worship the military advisor and not the heavens. Why are you praying to the heavens to bless the military advisor now?"

Liu Bei was startled, then burst into laughter and said, "Not bad! Not bad! Ji Chang is right!"

"Why am I worried about the military advisor? That's just worrying for nothing!"

When Zhuge Liang first heard his brother's advance warning, he was also panicked and confused. Now he calmed down and realized how ridiculous he was just now. He embarrassedly said: "Just as the lord said, the heaven protected the lord for twenty years, but he could not own his own city and troops. Now my brother has only assisted the lord for a few months, and he has become one of the most powerful people in the world!"

"It can be seen that if my brother has the will, no one in the world can do anything about it."

"If your fate is already determined, even if you beg the heavens, you can't change it!"

The four of them gathered around the table and laughed out loud.

Ma Liang waited until everyone stopped laughing, then squinted at Kong Ming and said teasingly, "Kong Ming, your nickname is 'Mr. Crouching Dragon', but your name is not on the list of counselors compiled by Xu Shao. Why is that?"

Liu Bei and Sun Qian were stunned and felt extremely embarrassed. They secretly blamed Ma Liang for being a man with very high emotional intelligence, so why did he suddenly speak so unkindly?

This would make Kong Ming embarrassed in public and unable to save face!

But Kong Ming smiled calmly, fanning himself with a feather fan and said leisurely: "The title of 'Wolong' is false. I am just a scholar, a young man who has just started out. I should humbly seek advice, serve my brother day and night, and listen to his teachings. How can I be intoxicated by such illusory glory?"

"My elder brother Zhuge Wende, whose talent is unrivaled and whose wisdom and strategy span the universe, what decent nickname does he have? Instead, he should be the first of the "Zhuge Eryong"!"

"But did it affect his fame and make Cao Cao, who controlled the Han Dynasty and commanded a million troops, tremble with fear?"

Liu Bei listened, nodded constantly, and sighed in praise: "Kong Ming has a broad mind and extraordinary insights. He deserves the name of 'Wolong'!"

Ma Liang and Sun Qian, who were standing nearby, also looked at Kong Ming with admiration.

With Kong Ming's talent, if he were placed under the control of a powerful party, he would be able to become a king and achieve great things!
Even though he may not be regarded as a pillar of the country like Xun Yu, but looking at the list of Xu Shao's five great counselors, he is no less than Zhou Yu, Xun You and Jia Xu!
Seize Jingzhou, connect with Jiangdong, resist Cao Cao, set up a maze, and trap Cao Ren!
The reason why Zhuge Wende could sleep soundly was largely due to the fact that Kong Ming was able to understand his strategic intentions, draw inferences from them, and implement them 100%, meticulously and without any mistakes.

"With such great talent, who else in the world could be so humble except Kong Ming?"

Ma Liang looked at Kong Ming's tall and handsome figure and sighed sincerely. Sun Qian beside him suddenly remembered something and asked, "Ji Chang, you have been in Jingzhou for a long time, so you should be familiar with Pang Tong, the 'Phoenix Child' who also came from the Pang family of Jingzhou, right?"

"I don't know what about that person?"

Ma Liang frowned slightly, then suddenly raised his eyes and looked at the person who walked in from outside the door. He whispered, "Although Pang Tong is two years older than Kong Ming, he is still prouder than my brother!"

Sun Qian turned around and saw a handsome young man in white walking in with a smile on his face. He saluted Liu Bei and said, "Ma Youchang greets my lord!"

Liu Bei only glanced at Ma Su. Although he was in high spirits, he was still arrogant. He frowned slightly and nodded in agreement.

When Kong Ming saw Ma Su, he smiled and said, "Ji Chang, why are you so late?"

Ma Su handed over the account book in his hand and laughed, saying, "According to my brother's order, I have negotiated with Ma Chao's envoy to exchange horses for food and fodder. I have increased the original amount by 30%! Haha!"

"Moreover, more than a dozen of the war horses this time are slightly old and frail. I have already ordered the horse farm to refuse to accept them and sternly warned the envoy that if this happens again, we will never trade with them again."

Kong Ming took the account book and looked at it, then shook his head and said, "I'm afraid that when my brother left, he repeatedly reminded me that the trade price with Ma Chao should not be easily changed, and that we should be kind to others. I'm afraid that what Youchang did was inappropriate."

Ma Liang, who was standing beside him, blushed and said sternly, "Youchang, every word in Zhuge's rules has its reason. You just need to follow the rules!"

"How dare you change it at will?"

"If there is any mistake and the military advisor's plan is ruined, can you bear the responsibility?"

Ma Liang became more and more angry. Even though he was usually mild-tempered, he couldn't help but want to give Ma Su a few slaps in the face.

Ma Su did not expect that his "clever operation" was not recognized at all by the deputy military advisor Zhuge Liang and his brother Ma Liang. Instead, they took the orders of Zhuge Wende, who was not in Jingzhou, as a benchmark and criticized him harshly.

"Brother, why do you have to do this?"

Ma Su also blushed, spread his hands and made a gesture of grievance.

"Although Zhuge Military Advisor has given instructions long ago, the enemy's situation and ours are different. The situation in the world is changing all the time. How can we be bound by one pattern and stick to the rules?"

"Ma Chao's food and fodder were burned by Cao Cao, and the 200,000 Xiliang soldiers and horses are crying for food like babies. Even if our food and fodder is left for another two years, it will not go bad, but his war horses and cavalry cannot afford to delay."

"Wouldn't it be foolish not to take advantage of this opportunity to raise the price and make an extra profit?"

Ma Su was indignant and muttered in a low voice: "I am also dedicated to the public. No matter how much money or horses I have, they will not go into my private pocket. Why are you so harsh on me, brother?"

Seeing this, Kong Ming didn't want his two brothers to have a falling out over this matter. Moreover, he had a good impression of Ma Su. Although he was young and frivolous, he did have real talent and knowledge in his mind. With a little training in the future, he would be of great use.

"Although Youchang's actions were not appropriate, he was wholeheartedly thinking about Jingzhou and had no selfish motives."

(End of this chapter)