The great man will live forever

Chapter 299 The dishonorable first pot of gold

"Hahaha!"

In Youzhou, Zhuo County, three people were drinking in a room.

A man eight feet long, with a majestic appearance, a swallow's jaw and a tiger's beard, a voice like thunder, and power like a galloping horse, this person is Zhang Fei.

There is also a man with a body of nine feet and a beard two feet long. His face is like a heavy jujube, and his lips are as if they are greased. He has red phoenix eyes and silkworm eyebrows. He has a dignified and majestic appearance. This person is Guan Yu.

The only person left is naturally Liu Bei.

Zhang Fei held the wine jar, poured a bowl for the two of them, and said loudly, "Here's a toast to the fact that you and I fell in love with each other at first sight and met by chance."

"please!"

The three of them drank from large bowls and ate meat.

"Sit, sit!"

The three of them knelt down and sat down. Although Emperor Ling advocated the use of benches, kneeling down had been around for a long time and many people were still used to it.

Liu Bei said: "I think both of you are extraordinary people. At present, the Yellow Turbans are rampant, the world is in chaos, the court is powerless, and all the heroes are rising together. I wonder what the plans of these two heroes are?"

"Alas, Guan was in the cold in his hometown. Because he couldn't stand the powerful bullies bullying the people in the village, he killed the guy in a rage and fled the world. It has been five, five or six years now.

I think I, Guan Moukong, am capable, but I can only end up wandering around the world, with no way to serve my country! "

As Guan Yu spoke, his eyes became a little wet. He had never regretted killing someone, but it was just that he couldn't leave his homeland.

At this time, Zhang Fei said angrily: "How about killing people? I, Old Zhang, wish I could kill all the evil people and ghosts in the world."

"Ugh!"

Guan Yu sighed, took a sip from the wine glass, and continued: "I saw the recruitment notice at the city gate today. Guan is interested in joining the army. He will serve on the battlefield with sword and spear. Even if he is wrapped in horse leather, his seven-foot body will not be wasted."

He said, patting his chest with a determined look on his face.

Zhang Fei was very happy to see his arrogant look. He poured him a glass of wine in front of him and said loudly, "Okay, very good. This is what a man is doing. I will join the army with you."

The two of them talked happily and took another sip of wine from the wine glass.

"Ugh!"

Liu Bei looked at them and sighed, and Guan Yu became confused, "Why do you sigh like this? Shouldn't a true man serve his country?"

Liu Bei said very solemnly: "In these troubled times, heroes must emerge. Heroes like you two are at the right time to use force. Why do you have to submit to others?"

Heroes are created without heeding the current situation, and heroes also adapt to the situation?

Nowadays, the Yellow Turbans are rebelling, and the whole country is responding. The imperial court has ordered all states and counties to recruit local warriors to defend the country. This is all because they are unable to do so, there is a lack of soldiers and generals, and they are hampered by eunuchs.

And as a result, local powerful and separatist forces will soon be formed. The day when the Yellow Turbans are pacified will be the time when all the heroes will rise. It is not yet known who will rule the world in this region. "

After hearing this, Guan Yu's eyes lit up, "Listening to your words is better than ten years of reading. I admire you!"

Zhang Fei also had a look of admiration on his face, and quickly poured a bowl of wine for Liu Bei, "I'm a pig butcher. I don't know what the world's major events are. Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

Liu Bei picked up the bowl and took a sip of wine, and sighed again. Zhang Fei said impatiently: "You are really not happy at all."

Liu Bei put down the bowl and stood up, with tears in his eyes, "There was a man who was originally a clan member of the Han Dynasty. His ancestor was King Jing of Zhongshan, the seventh son of Emperor Xiaojing.

Later, because our ancestor Zhuolu Tinghou failed to pay the royalties on time, he was deprived of his title, and one of the tribesmen lived in Zhuo County and settled in Lousang Village..."

When Liu Bei mentioned this, Zhang Fei exclaimed, "About Lousang Village, I know that there is a thousand-year-old mulberry tree in the village. There will be noble people in every family."

This is all recorded. Liu Bei's grandfather Liu Xiong was promoted to Xiaolian and was promoted to Fanling in Dongjun. Liu Bei's father Liu Hong died early. The young Liu Bei and his mother made a living by weaving mats and selling shoes, and their life was very difficult.

There is a mulberry tree on the fence in the southeast corner of Liu Bei's house, which is more than five feet high. From a distance, it looks like a car hood. People who come and go think that this tree does not look like an ordinary thing, and think that this family must have a noble person.

When Liu Bei was a child, he was playing under a tree with other children from his clan. He pointed at the mulberry tree and said, "I will definitely ride in a carriage like this in the future."

Liu Bei continued to nod and said: "Yes, I have also heard such a saying. When it comes to this 18th generation great-great-grandson, the family is completely destitute and impoverished."

Guan Yu asked doubtfully: "This man is an emperor. He really doesn't want to regain his clan and revive his family tradition?"

At this time, Liu Bei was already in tears, "When he was 15 years old, he studied abroad, looked for teachers and friends, and often thought of reporting to the country to bring peace to the people.

But now that he is already twenty-eight, he has accomplished nothing. In the end, he can only have empty ambitions and cry in his heart. "

Zhang Fei asked, "Who is that person you are talking about?" He thought it was Liu Bei's brother.

At this time, Liu Bei knelt down and said, "I don't dare to hide it from you. It's me."

Guan Yu exclaimed, "Ah? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"It turns out that the noble man is right in front of you. Brother Liu, tell me, what do you want me to do?" Zhang Fei patted his chest and said vowedly.

Liu Bei stated his purpose at this time, "I want to recruit the villagers and bravely fight against thieves to calm the people. I just hate the lack of financial resources."

"Hahaha, what's the point of this? I have a lot of family resources, and we have done great things together with you, and I also heard some news recently."

"what news?"

Zhang Fei smiled slightly and said, "Zhongshan merchants Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang recently sold horses to Zhuojun. Let's ask them for some money."

"This is not good." Liu Bei was actually moved.

"What's wrong? Their businessmen are not engaged in production. They are opportunistic, cheating, and only seeking profit. Brother Liu, do you know how much they sold this horse for?"

"How many?"

"Two million dollars. This is more money than me, Lao Zhang, by killing pigs. It's simply a money grab. This is ill-gotten wealth. Besides, we are recruiting Xiangyong and serving the country, so what's the matter with taking some money from him? ?”

"That's right." Guan Yu agreed.

Anyway, since the Qin Dynasty, the status of merchants has been low.

Liu Bei nodded, "Okay, but don't hurt their lives. I will pay them back when you have money later."

As a result, the three of them chatted more and more and became more in tune with each other. They slept together almost every day, and they treated each other like brothers. Together, the three of them, along with the people they recruited, received support from Zhang Fei, and then found Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, the big merchants in Zhongshan.

Several people surrounded Zhongshan businessman Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, and they panicked.

"Heroes, what can I do?"

Liu Bei asked Zhang Fei and others to put down their weapons, and said softly: "My dear Liu Bei, the Yellow Turbans are everywhere and the world is in chaos. I want to recruit local braves to protect my hometown and serve the country. But I don't have enough money, so I want to borrow some from my two brothers."

"This..." Zhang Shiping was speechless. This was naked blackmail.

"Don't worry, two brothers. When you have money in the future, you will definitely pay back double the amount. For the sake of the world, I have wronged you two. You are not short of this money even if you think about it. I ask you two brothers to donate generously."

Liu Bei said and made a big salute with a sincere look on his face.

Probably because Liu Bei was so talkative, Su Shuang still wanted to struggle a little, "It's not that we don't want to give, it's just that we don't have any money anymore." "Brother, these businessmen are so clever. The horse trade has made such huge profits, how can we have no money?" After I kill them, I'll search the carriage myself."

Zhang Fei said that he was about to take action, and Liu Bei quickly went to pull him.

Zhang Shiping looked at Zhang Fei's murderous eyes and said quickly: "Wait a minute, brave man. For the sake of the world, I am willing to sponsor you with 50 horses, 500 gold, and 1000 kilograms of iron."

Seeing Zhang Shiping surrender, Su Shuang could only say helplessly: "I am willing to sponsor you 10 horses and 500 gold."

Zhang Fei laughed loudly, "Haha, you could have said this earlier. I, Mr. Zhang, would have said that you are not short of money."

Liu Bei said sincerely, "Well, thank you two brothers."

This time, Liu Bei got another large amount of money, which was much higher than Zhang Fei's family property.

In the end, Liu Bei got his first pot of gold, which included Zhang Fei's family property and more unclean 'protection money'. Most of the boss's original funds were bloody.

Due to "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", most people think that Liu Bei's first pot of gold was mainly funded by Zhang Fei, but this is not the case.

"Three Kingdoms·Book of Shu·Biography of the First Lord" records: "It is easy to make friends with heroes, and they compete with each other when they are young. The great businessmen of Zhongshan, Zhang Shiping, Su Shuang, etc. have accumulated a lot of money, and they sell horses and go around Zhuo County. They see different people, but they often follow them. Gold and wealth.

The First Master had to use the disciples together. At the end of Emperor Ling's reign, the Yellow Turbans rose up, and all the prefectures and counties raised voluntary soldiers. The First Lord led his subordinates, the school captain Zou Jing, to fight against the Yellow Turban thieves, and eliminated An Xiwei. "

In the official history of "Three Kingdoms", Liu Bei's first pot of gold was not directly related to Zhang Fei. It was Zhang Shiping, Su Shuang and other businessmen who gave him the money to recruit troops.

Regarding this description, Chen Shou, the surviving minister of the Shu Han Dynasty, chose to brush it off, and Zhang and Su seemed to have disappeared from the world after that, and they never had any interaction with the seed players they funded.

Perhaps even Chen Shou and later Luo Guanzhong had doubts about this, because it was completely inconsistent with common sense.

Businessmen have always been unable to afford early profits. For example, Lu Buwei made a very good investment in his early years, and the return was so high that it can be counted among the best in the entire history of mankind.

At that time, Lu Buwei went to Handan to do business. When he saw the foreigner, he was overjoyed and said: "The foreigner is like a rare item. You can hoard it and wait for it to be sold at a high price."

This is the origin of the idiom "a rare thing can live in".

Lu Buwei then returned home and asked his father, "How many times can we profit from farming?" His father said, "Ten times."

Lu Buwei asked again: "How many times the profit can be made from selling pearls and jade?" His father said: "A hundred times."

Lu Buwei asked again: "How many times the profit can be gained by establishing a monarch of a country?" His father said: "Countless."

Lu Buwei said: "Now that we work hard in the fields, we still cannot have enough food and clothing; if we support the emperor and build the country, we will benefit future generations. I decided to do this deal."

Later, Lu Buwei supported Yiren and helped him sit on the throne of Qin. He himself became the prime minister of Qin, under one person and above ten thousand people.

Therefore, if Zhongshan businessmen Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang really started angel investment when Liu Bei was still a commoner, then Zhang and Su should have come to seek refuge with Liu Bei after he became prosperous and collect returns. Even if they died unfortunately, they would still It is only right to ask his descendants to come.

But there are almost no records of them later. For example, the Mi family who later supported Liu Bei with their whole family, many people became important officials of the Shu Han Dynasty and played an important role in the Shu Han Dynasty.

And why did they just support Liu Bei, a man in white clothes? They could have found someone more powerful. It was Liu Bei who was cheating in front of him, and others thought he was strange, so they just gave him money and horses?

Therefore, the most likely thing is that Liu Bei blackmailed them. It would be great if they could save their lives. But he still wants something in return?

Moreover, when Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei met, Liu Bei was not too poor to buy straw sandals.

Liu Bei was indeed very hardworking when he was a boy. He and his mother made a living by weaving mats and selling shoes.

But in the fourth year of Xiping (175), when Liu Bei was fifteen years old, his mother asked him to go out to study. Liu Bei, together with his fellow sect Liu Deran and Gongsun Zan from western Liaoning, studied under Lu Zhi, the former prefect of Jiujiang and a native of the same county.

Liu Deran's father Liu Yuanqi often supported Liu Bei and treated him and Liu Deran equally. This move aroused dissatisfaction from Liu Yuanqi's wife. Liu Yuanqi said: "There is such a child in our clan. He is not an ordinary person."

Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei became good friends. Gongsun Zan was older than Liu Bei, and Liu Bei regarded Gongsun Zan as his elder brother.

Later, when Liu Bei returned to his hometown, he didn't like reading much. He liked dogs, horses, music, and beautiful clothes.

Everyone was surprised to see that he was seven feet five inches tall, with his hands hanging down to his knees, and that his ears could be seen.

Of course, this is an exaggeration, but Liu Bei's appearance must be somewhat different from ordinary people.

He doesn't like to talk, but he can be kind to his servants. He is indifferent to emotions and anger, and likes to make friends with heroes.

Therefore, local heroes are vying to attach themselves to Liu Bei, who is equivalent to the leading brother in Zhuo County.

In later generations, he would be a bit like the boss of a gangster or the leader of a gang.

This year, with the Yellow Turban Uprising, Liu Bei began to make his fortune.

On the other hand, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun of the imperial court led 40,000 elite troops to attack the Yellow Turban Army in Yingchuan County (now Xuchang City, Henan Province and other places).

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun each led an army, preparing to defeat the Yellow Turban Army in a "two-pronged attack" and reverse the previous decline in one fell swoop, so as to set an example for inspiring fighting spirit and building confidence on the battlefield across the country.

However, at this time, the Yellow Turban Army, which had a large number of people and had won consecutive battles, was gaining momentum, full of fighting spirit, and overwhelming fighting power, and no one was convinced.

Zhu Jun, who was eager to fight, first fought head-on with Bo Cai, the general of the Yellow Turban Army, but was defeated.

"Withdraw the troops from Changsha!"

Seeing that it was difficult to eliminate the enemy in one fell swoop in a short period of time on the frontal battlefield, Zhu Jun made a decisive decision and immediately led his troops to station in Changshe County (now northeast of Changge County, Henan Province).

"General, I am willing to be the vanguard. In this battle, our army only suffered a temporary defeat."

It was Sun Jian who spoke. He was about 29 years old at this time, with a handsome appearance, a strong body and sharp eyes.

Sun Jian was born into the Sun family. He had been an official in Wu for generations. He served as the magistrate of three counties. Wherever he went, he was very prestigious, and the officials and the people were close and obedient. The number of people who interact with him often reaches hundreds.

There are old and famous people in the village here, as well as young people who are willing to do good deeds. Sun Jian treats them like his children, relatives and friends. Reception and care, do your best.

Zhu Jun knew about Sun Jian's reputation, so he asked Sun Jian to serve as an assistant army commander.

Sun Jian left all his family members in Shouchun County, Jiujiang County, and recruited some soldiers in the Huai and Si areas. Together with the young men from the same country who followed him on duty in Xiapi County, he had a total of 1,000 elite soldiers.

After that, Sun Jian led more than a thousand soldiers to fight with Zhu Jun in the north and south.

Chen Shou of the Western Jin Dynasty recorded in "Three Kingdoms: Sun Polu Tui Biography":

"In the third month of the lunar month, when all thirty-six factions were attacked, the whole country responded, setting fire to counties and killing officials.

The Han Dynasty sent chariot generals Huangfu Song and Zhonglang general Zhu Jun to attack them. Junbiao asked (Sun) Jian to serve as Sima of the army, and all the young men and women in the village who followed him in Xiapi were willing to obey. "

Sun Jian fought fiercely and often ignored life and death, and was highly appreciated by Zhu Jun.

Zhu Jun pulled his beard and said calmly: "Wentai, victory or defeat is a common matter for military strategists. This is just a small defeat and cannot be fought over.

Now the enemy's morale is rising, and the number of troops is several times ours. If we fight with all our strength, our army may be able to win, but if it is a tragic victory, it is not necessary.

At this time, we should adopt the method of avoiding their vigor and attacking their laziness, and not confronting the Yellow Turban Army with its large numbers and super powerful combat power.

First hold on to the fortified city, drain the energy of the Yellow Turban Army, wait for General Huangfu’s reinforcements to arrive, and then look for opportunities to seal the throat with a sword, striving to wipe out the Yellow Turban Bocai with minimal losses..."

"The general is still wise, and his subordinates understand." Sun Jian nodded repeatedly after hearing this.

(End of this chapter)