Kuangfu Han Dynasty

Chapter 10 The most untrustworthy person in the world
That's it?

Zhang Shao scratched his head after hearing this. He had also read Longzhong's poem and admired Zhuge Liang's prediction of the general trend. But when it came to the upcoming battle, he thought that Kong Ming would have a long list of analysis of the enemy and ourselves, which convinced Xu Shu. .Now it sounds like "the benevolent are invincible", isn't it?It doesn't seem to be very convincing.

Zhang Shao did not know that Xu Shu was a Confucian and chose to follow Liu Bei, the benevolent leader in his mind, and the decisions Liu Bei made in Xinye Fancheng did not live up to Xu Shu's expectations.But Nagasaka lost so miserably that Xu Shu lost all hope and gave up the belief that the benevolent will win.

When Xu Shu heard what Kong Ming said yesterday, he actually didn't dare to believe it. According to the deduction that the enemy and we were outnumbered, the time was right, and the right location, unless Cao Cao suddenly went crazy and lost his head and commanded randomly, there would be no reason for defeat. How could he lose so easily?
But now, combined with Zhang Shao's "dream", Xu Shu began to re-examine the matter. There was a voice in his heart desperately trying to persuade himself: "Just believe Kong Ming's words. He never makes mistakes. The strategies and plans Kong Ming made in the past must be taken from The same goes for personnel and knowing the enemy this time. It's just that time is tight and I don't have time to talk to you in detail. He must have had a chance of winning in his heart. "

To put it bluntly, Xu Shu ultimately chose to believe in people rather than dreams.

After ending his inner calculation, Xu Shu finally made a promise to Zhang Shao and agreed to act according to the situation after entering Cao's camp.

Zhang Shao was overjoyed, but Xu Shu added solemnly: "But don't be impatient, you must take it slow. I have to make sure that my mother, you and the queen are careful before acting, and then I will slowly find out the cause of Cao Cao's defeat and find out If there are any flaws, then carefully contact the anti-Cao people. And in the end, if Cao Cao is really not defeated, he can't act rashly. What does Asao think?"

As Zhang Shao said, Xu Shu can be transformed into a sharp sword hidden in Cao Jun's heart, but he has the final say when to stab, where to stab, and whether to stab!

Zhang Shao finally saw the true level of this gentleman and knew that he was still too young, so he adjusted his position very flexibly, bowed his face and said: "No! I will obey Mr. Xu's instructions!"

Xu Shu actually bowed to Zhang Shao and said, "Actually, it's me who should bow to you in return."

After several trials and tests, Xu Shu finally figured out the trick to dealing with Zhang Shao: as long as he did not look down upon him as an eight-year-old child, but imagined him as an adult who could compete with him in resourcefulness, he would not You will be frightened by some shocking words.

"A Shao asked me to do something of great wisdom and courage, but when Xu Shu suffered a defeat, he lost his mind and just settled for mediocrity. He has neither wisdom nor courage..."

"It was your words that woke me up."

Xu Shu raised his head and showed a relieved smile for the first time today: "Although I am still young, I know my shame and am almost brave, right?"

The matter was settled in this way, in a way that Zhang Shao did not expect, and the process was full of twists and turns and repeated twists and turns.In the end, Zhang Shao's all kinds of pretense and tricks were superfluous. Xu Shu is such a good person. The things I was wary of him were indeed a villain's heart and a gentleman's heart.

Zhang Shao reflected: "Maybe when I interact with Mr. Xu, I should give up the deceitful tactics I used when dealing with the Xiahou family, and be more sincere."

Since we want to trust each other, let's be serious. After Zhang Shao hesitated for a while, he took the initiative and said: "Sir, I will tell you the situation in my dream that Cao Cao will be defeated..." He only needs to leave out the details and only talk about the general outline. There should be no problem.

Unexpectedly, Xu Shu stopped Zhang Shao: "I have said that this matter will be discussed in the long run. There is no need to rush. Rushing will easily lead to chaos. How about Shao observe what I did after I pretended to surrender to Cao Cao in the following days, and wait until After we are sure that you and I are of the same mind, it is not too late to elaborate further."

Does this mean that Zhang Shao still has some hesitation?Mr. Xu, Mr. Xu, why are you so gentle?Zhang Shao was a little touched. Although he had been accompanied by Mrs. Xu and Sister Liu Ruyu for many days, he still felt isolated and helpless all the time. But now it was different. It turned out that the feeling of having comrades was so warm.

"Mr. Xu, I..."

Unfortunately, before Zhang Shao and Xu Shu could exchange a few more words, the courtyard door was suddenly opened from the outside!Xiahou Ba stood at the door with several fully armed Cao soldiers.He finally realized that it was inappropriate to let Xu Shu stay with the hostages. The time for Zhang Shao and Xu Shu's conspiracy was over.

Seeing that everything in the courtyard seemed to be normal, Xiahou Ba breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward and said, "Mr. Xu must be tired after running around for several days. Please follow me to the next door and have your own room and bed to rest."

……

Mrs. Xu was still angry and did not come out to take a look at Xu Shu. Instead, Zhang Shao and Liu Ruyu reluctantly escorted him to the door.

The residence that Xiahou Ba arranged for Xu Shu was indeed not far away. It was separated by an alley from the small courtyard where the hostages were staying. It was fully furnished.Xu Shu didn't care about washing his dirty hair and face, nor did he care about Cao Bing who was closely watching in the courtyard. He just lay down on the couch with his clothes on and never wanted to move again.

He was so tired that he could fall asleep with his eyes closed, but he still forced himself to open his eyes and sort out today's events.

Looking back now, Zhang Shao's plan is indeed very simple and crude, and the reliance is also weird and unbelievable.But the idea is actually very good. If Cao Cao is really defeated by the front line, the newly occupied Jingzhou will inevitably fall into turmoil. With Xu Shu's ability, as long as he seizes the right opportunity, he can indeed stir up trouble here - who knows better than Xu Shu , are there any forces close to Liu Bei in Nanjun?
If they can really be gathered together, although they dare not say that they will seize the city and seize the territory for Liu Bei's counterattack in Nanjun, they can still launch a surprise attack on a small town and rescue the hostages.

Even if we don't consider the ghosts and gods who entrusted us with dreams, by the standards of an eight-year-old child, Zhang Shao is already outstanding and rare in the world. Xu Shu only sighed in his heart: "I thought Ah Shao was just a piece of stone still hidden in the stone, waiting to be figured out." Uncut jade.”

"But in fact, he is already a dazzling orb that can shine thousands of miles away!" But there are still flaws. From what happened today, it can be seen that Zhang Shao's calculation is full of quick success and quick gain, and he borrowed Xu Shu's mother several times To induce him to submit is not the right way.

Acting like this reminded Xu Shu of an old friend.

"Pang Tong, Pang Shiyuan."

Pang Tong was the brother of Pang Lin who followed Liu Bei. He was the leader of the younger generation in Nanjun. He was praised as the "Fengxiao" by his uncle Pang Degong, and the "Crown of Nanzhou Scholars" by his teacher Mr. Shui Jing.

But since Xu Shu got to know Pang Tong, he felt that Pang Shiyuan's path was getting more and more crooked. He neither imitated Pang Degong's indifference to fame and fortune, nor was he interested in Mr. Shui Jing's Confucianism and Confucianism. He was only obsessed with the "Emperor's Secret Strategy."A member of Nanjun's top Guan clan, instead of studying the Confucian classics intensively, he studied the "Warring States Politicians' Letters". Slowly, Pang Tong's words and deeds took on the style of a political strategist.

Xu Shu criticized him as a friend, but Pang Tong ridiculed him in turn!It is ridiculous to say that in his early years, Xu Shu was a knight and a brave man, but after putting on Confucian clothes, he became sluggish and restricted by moral restrictions.In troubled times, the princes are vying for the world, intrigues and deceit are coming and going, and it is common for scholars to choose trees to live in. Who can you show your integrity?
Pang Tong also predicted: "A gentleman can bully others, and Yuan Zhi will be bullied by others sooner or later!"

Now, it has become a prophecy. Xu Shu was caught in Cao Jun's weakness. If he had not met Zhang Shao, even if his mother decided to commit suicide, Xu Shu would probably have given up on himself. In order not to be laughed at by others, he would silently endure it and live in Cao Ying. His fate is even as tainted as turbidity, right?
But probably due to God's will, Xu Shu was aroused by Zhang Shao's words, and felt unconvinced in his heart.

"Anyway, I have lost my loyalty. The only thing I can keep now is filial piety. I just ask my mother to forgive me for my big mistake. As for reputation and respect, if it dies, it will die!"

Xu Shu thought of Su Qin's chapter in "The Letters from the Zongheng Family" that Pang Tong had given him to read. It was different from the general records in which Su Qin was united by the six kingdoms to fight against Qin. In that work of strategists, Su Qin's story was even more bizarre: At that time, Yan Qi was weak and strong, and was almost destroyed by King Min of Qi. In order to repay King Yan Zhao's kindness, Su Qin decided to join Qi and pretended to provide advice to King Qi. In fact, it encouraged his ambition and made Qi conquer enemies everywhere. He also rashly destroyed Song Dynasty, which shocked the world. , and finally led the five countries to attack Qi, and King Yan Zhao sent Le Yi southward, conquering more than [-] cities in a row, which was a national humiliation.

Xu Shu thought to himself: "My lord, he is courteous to the virtuous and corporal, knows people well and is responsible for his duties. He is my King Yan Zhao. And Kong Ming, haven't you always compared yourself with joy and perseverance?"

"Now my lord's situation is in danger of the weakened Yan State, and Cao Cao is far stronger than Qi State."

"If you want to turn defeat into victory, in addition to uniting with Jiangdong, you also need 'Su Qin'! Let Xu Shu do it! I will turn my true surrender into a false one and become the most untrustworthy person in the world!"

This is the decision Xu Shu made to follow Su Qin's example!However, when King Yan Zhao and Le Yi defeated Qi, Su Qin was not able to witness the victory because he had been exposed in advance and was killed by King Qi's car. The so-called death penalty was indeed true.

Xu Shu still cares about his mother, so he will be cautious to avoid injuring her.If luck finally comes, Xu Shu will have to bear some consequences, such as being criticized by the township party.As the foundation for Cao Cao, the tendency of the Yingchuan Guan clan scholars was very obvious. They would definitely scold and despise Xu Shu for being "hard to support over and over again." Xu Shu would probably never want to take his mother to his hometown in this life.

But what he got in exchange for his notoriety was worth it. He might really be able to make his mother feel comforted and understand what he had done.Sister Hou and the family members of the captured colleagues were also rescued, and many families were spared the separation of life and death.Of course, the most important thing is that Zhang Shao, this precious jade bead that cannot conceal its light even if it is worn in his sleeve, can also be sent back to his parents and sent to the lord's command.

Xu Shu admired Zhang Shao very much. With his intelligence and talent, if he could stay by his lord's side and be influenced by his benevolence, virtue and majesty, as well as Professor Kong Ming's true kingly wisdom, the shortcomings of his eagerness for quick success should be wiped away and transformed into Gotta be flawless.

Xu Shu was full of expectations: "Ah Shao, if this is true, in ten or twenty years, you will definitely become an unparalleled talent, help my lord and Kong Ming defeat Cao Cao, and help the Han Dynasty!"

……

Thinking about these things, Xu Shu fell into a deep sleep without even dreaming.When he woke up again, it was already noon the next day. He got up quickly, feeling hungry. After hastily eating the porridge and rice prepared by the servants, Xu Shu asked to see Xiahou Ba. He hoped to be allowed to see his mother and daughter-in-law, and also There is Zhang Shao.

Soon, Xu Shu was taken outside the courtyard where Xu's mother and others were imprisoned by Cao Bing, but he saw a shocking scene here: Cao's soldiers here were all wearing armor and holding swords, or carrying hemp ropes, as if they were going to tie someone up. posture.In the courtyard, Mother Xu was like a hen protecting her chicks, guarding her three children tightly behind her, as if she wanted to fight Cao Bing, while Xiahou Ba stood by the door with an embarrassed look on his face, shouting inside. , said it was a misunderstanding...

"Captain Xiahou, what do you mean?" Xu Shu hurriedly stepped forward to ask. Before Xiahou Ba could answer, a powerful voice sounded from behind them.

"I came to see Mr. Xu have had enough rest."

When he turned around, it was Xia Houyuan, the captain of the Dian Army, who was riding on a horse, fully armed and wearing a heavy hood, making his face even colder.

Xu Shu asked about the matter in front of him, and Xia Houyuan said lightly: "Prime Minister Cao's army has arrived at Changban and is about to arrive in Dangyang!"

"I plan to present victory to the Prime Minister outside the city. The old lady is old and may not go, but Liu Bei's two daughters and Zhang Shao must be present."

Xia Houyuan was not polite to Xu Shu. He looked at his messy hair and dirty clothes: "I wonder if Mr. Xu wants to be dirty and be bound with the captives of this generation? Or is he a belated guest and put on a brand new suit?" Are you going to stand with me in the welcoming procession waiting for the Prime Minister to summon you?"

(End of this chapter)