Chapter 172 Ke Zhi’s Thoughts and Deng Zhi’s Threat
A few days after 20,000 Han troops received Sun Deng, a chariot team of more than a hundred people drove from Xiakou City to the Han Army camp.
This team includes four people, Zhuge Ke, who were summoned from Jianye by Sun Quan's order.
Among the more than 100 people in the team, perhaps Sun Quan was worried about arousing Liu Bei's jealousy, so he did not arrange too many soldiers among them.
There are only a dozen guards among more than a hundred people.
The remaining dozens of people are all servants and maids.
Many of the vehicles in the team were loaded with gold, silver, soft goods, and scriptures.
Sun Quan knew that with Liu Bei's character, Sun Deng's life in Jingzhou would not be too bad in the future.
But out of a father's care and love, Sun Quan still gave Sun Deng the best material conditions within his ability.
As for the four heroes of Wuzhong carefully selected by Sun Quan for Sun Deng, Sun Quan had a different intention.
Although Zhuge Ke, Gu Tan, Zhang Xiu, and Chen Biao are all underage, their average age is around seventeen years old, and they have already matured in terms of mental and personality.
Moreover, these four people either came from high-ranking families in the world, or they were famous in Wuzhong when they were young. They are currently the best among the young generation in Jiangdong.
With these four people accompanying Sun Deng, on the one hand, they can study with Sun Deng, and on the other hand, they can be by their side to advise and advise Sun Deng, lest Sun Deng lose his mind by playing with things in Jingzhou.
Another point is that behind these four heroes of Wuzhong, they represent almost all the factions in Jiangdong currently.
By sending these four outstanding heroes from different factions to Sun Deng as companions in advance, Sun Quan was undoubtedly cultivating Sun Deng's political background in Jiangdong in advance.
As long as Sun Deng can get along well with these four heroes of Wuzhong, even if Sun Deng inherits Jiangdong in the future without any political achievements, with the support of these four heroes of Wuzhong and the factions behind them, Sun Deng can initially secure Jiangdong.
the seat of the lord.
This was a hidden move made by Sun Quan in order to prevent the worst situation from happening.
When it comes to political struggle and balance, Sun Quan is a professional.
Of course, these four fledgling heroes of Wuzhong did not understand Sun Quan's purpose.
They only knew that they were ordered by Sun Quan to come to Jingzhou to protect Sun Deng and accompany him in his studies.
When the four heroes of Wuzhong, headed by Zhuge Ke, led a cavalry team of more than a hundred people into the Han army's camp, the cavalry team of more than a hundred people was immediately stopped by the Han army in the camp, and then began to inspect
.
While the Han army was inspecting the chariots, entourage and belongings, Zhuge Ke and four others were taken to Sun Deng's tent by Wang Fu and met Sun Deng.
Sun Deng, who was unaccompanied and uneasy in the Han army's camp, immediately beamed with joy after meeting Zhuge Ke and the other four.
After Zhuge Ke and other four people saw Sun Deng, they each came to Sun Deng and saluted him: "See you, eldest son."
Sun Deng was so happy that he helped the four people in front of him one by one. They were the only confidants he could trust in Jingzhou in the future.
After being helped up by Sun Deng, Zhuge Ke, the oldest among the four companions, took the lead and asked Sun Deng: "Has Guan Yu ever bullied the young master since he came to the Han army camp?"
Zhuge Ke is the eldest son of Zhuge Jin. He is already eighteen years old this year. Although he has not yet reached the age of adulthood, his character and mentality have generally matured.
Zhuge Ke was seven feet six inches tall, with a short beard and eyebrows, a wide forehead, a loud mouth, and a loud voice. He was known for his intelligence and intelligence in Jiangdong since he was a child.
Zhuge Ke was the tallest among the five people present, and he was fat, so he stood in front of Sun Deng, who had not yet grown up, and gave Sun Deng a vague sense of oppression.
Because Sun Quan and Lu Meng had bad feelings towards Guan Yu before, most people in Jiangdong, under the influence of them, felt that Guan Yu was an arrogant, rude and evil neighbor.
Under this impression, Zhuge Ke was very worried that Sun Deng would be bullied by Guan Yu.
Under Zhuge Ke's questioning, Gu Tan and others also showed worried looks on their faces.
But unexpectedly, Sun Deng said to Zhuge Ke: "Guan Gong is not as unreasonable as popular rumors.
He is very concerned about me. Before you arrived, all my belongings were prepared by Guan Gong, and Guan Gong also responded to my requests."
After hearing what Sun Deng said, Zhuge Ke and others showed surprise on their faces.
This is inconsistent with the image of Guan Yu in their impression.
But after Zhuge Ke heard Sun Deng's answer, he no longer paid attention to Guan Yu, but asked Sun Deng again: "Has the young master ever seen Mi Zisheng?"
When Sun Deng heard Zhuge Ke mention Mi Yang's name, he remembered the scene when he was in Mi Yang's arms that day, and he couldn't help but have a look of fear on his face.
Seeing Sun Deng's behavior, Gu Tan, Zhang Xiu and Chen Biao all expressed their understanding.
After hearing Mi Yang's name, the expressions on their faces were not much better than Sun Deng's.
At this time, only Zhuge Ke showed a smile on his face and said: "Don't worry, sir."
"General Mi is the apprentice of Duke Kong Ming, and Duke Kong Ming is Ke's uncle. Regarding the relationship between close relatives, it is okay for Ke to call General Mi brother."
"In the future, Ke will be on hand to assist the young master. In view of Ke's relationship with General Mi, and under the care of General Mi, Ke will not let the young master be bullied in Jingzhou in the future."
A look of contentment appeared on Zhuge Ke's face.
Zhuge Ke has been smart since he was a child and is famous in Jiangdong for his quick thinking, but at the same time he thinks very highly of himself.
Although Zhuge Ke could not completely guess all Sun Quan's thoughts when he sent him and Gu Tan to Jingzhou to accompany Sun Deng, but with his intelligence, he came to a conclusion.
The trip to Jingzhou seemed to have caused him to break away from the comfortable and comfortable life in Jiangdong.
But there is no doubt that this may also be an excellent opportunity for him to prosper in the future.
Needless to say, Sun Deng's identity, if there are no special circumstances, then Sun Deng is likely to be the "Prince of Jiangdong" in the future.
Therefore, if Sun Deng had no relatives and no one to rely on in Jingzhou, he would become a confidant that Sun Deng could rely on.
So once Sun Deng returns to Jiangdong to inherit the throne in the future, won't his status of Zhuge Ke immediately rise?
In the end, it is not impossible to become Jiangdong's most important minister like his uncle.
Moreover, Zhuge Ke thought very highly of himself. Among the three people traveling with him this time, Gu Tan, Zhang Xiu, and Chen Biao, he didn't think highly of anyone.
Since he has been arranged by Sun Quan to become one of Sun Deng's four friends, he must either not do it or be the leader of the four friends.
Just now he asked Sun Deng if he had been bullied. In addition to caring about Sun Deng, he also wanted to finally draw him out. Zhuge Ke had a unique advantage among Gu Tan and others - he had an unusual relationship with Mi Yang.
Only with this advantage can Sun Deng trust himself more, so that he can truly become the first of Sun Deng's four friends.
As for the reason why Zhuge Jin did not have any relationship with his uncle Zhuge Liang, it was because Zhuge Liang was far away in Shu.
Sun Deng will stay in Jingzhou for a long time in the future. Compared to Zhuge Liang, who is thousands of miles away, Mi Yang, who has recently become famous and is very likely to stay in Jingzhou in the future, is Zhuge Ke's goal.
As for whether Mi Yang would treat Zhuge Liang a little less favorably, Zhuge Ke thought this was not a big problem.
Although Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jin are two brothers, they are separated by thousands of miles to the east and west, and each is his own master.
But their brotherhood is very deep, and the brothers often exchange letters.
A few years ago, Zhuge Liang wrote to Zhuge Jin and told him that Mi Yang was studying government affairs with him.
At that time, Zhuge Liang had praised Mi Yang in his letter for his benevolence and filial piety. For Mi Yang to be praised so highly by Zhuge Liang, I think the relationship between master and disciple must be good.
After Sun Deng heard Zhuge Ke's confident words, the fear on his face really dissipated a lot.
Sun Deng has a humble attitude and is never proud of his status.
Therefore, after hearing Zhuge Ke's assurance, in order to express his gratitude, Sun Deng took the initiative to bow slightly to Zhuge Ke and said:
"From now on in Jingzhou, Brother Lao Ke will be there to protect you."
Although Zhuge Ke thinks highly of himself, he has not yet developed to the level where he thought highly of himself as he did in history.
So when faced with Sun Deng's gift, he immediately bowed down and avoided it, not daring to bear it.
Gu Tan and others looked a little unhappy when they saw Zhuge Ke stealing the show.
We are both young people, who would like to have the limelight stolen by Zhuge Ke.
Sun Quan's original intention was to have Zhuge Ke and the other four people work together to help Sun Deng.
But considering that Zhuge Ke is among the four, it is not certain whether Sun Deng's life in Jingzhou will be easy in the future.
In Yong'an City, a hundred miles away, Sun Quan, who had sent Sun Deng away, had not thought about food or food for the past few days and was quite depressed.
Because he missed Sun Deng and felt guilty for Sun Deng, Sun Quan was in a very bad mood these days.
As the lord of Jiangdong, Sun Quan certainly would not just let himself feel the misery.
In the past few days, Sun Quan's temper has been very bad, and most of the people around him who were not as good as Sun Quan's wishes were killed by Sun Quan's rod.
Because of Sun Quan's erratic temper, Yong'an City has been filled with an uneasy mood in recent days.
Just when Sun Quan could not vent his bad emotions, he received a letter from Liu Bei.
Liu Bei mentioned in the letter that he would send Shangshu Deng Zhi to Yong'an to formally sign an alliance with him in a few days.
Although Sun Quan handed over Changsha, Guiyang and Sun Deng before, he did not formally sign an alliance with Liu Bei.
It’s not that Sun Quan didn’t know about the formal signing of the covenant.
It's just that he has no intention in his heart to completely sever friendship with the north.
Therefore, he has been hesitant about whether to sign a written covenant.
Now that he saw Liu Bei taking the initiative to bring up this matter, he felt even more upset.
But now, he did not dare to refuse Liu Bei's sending of envoys.
Sun Quan could only place his hope in Liu Bei's envoy Deng Zhi, who was easy to fool.
Three days after Sun Quan received Liu Bei's letter, Deng Zhi, escorted by a group of Han troops, came to Yong'an City.
Deng Zhi, courtesy name Bon Miao, was a native of Xinye County, Yiyang County. He was the successor of Deng Yu, a famous general of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Deng Zhi settled in Shu to escape the war in the early years of Jian'an, but at that time Deng Zhi's reputation was not well known and no one knew about him.
At that time, Chang Yu, who was working in Yizhou, was good at face-to-face. Deng Zhi asked him to do a face-to-face for him. Chang Yu said to Deng Zhi: "When you are over seventy, you will be promoted to general and be granted the title of marquis."
Later, Deng Zhi learned that Pang Xi, the governor of Brazil, had good friends with scholars, so he went to rely on him.
In the 19th year of Jian'an, Liu Bei took control of Yizhou, and Deng Zhi was appointed governor of Picheng Mansion.
One day, Liu Bei passed by Pic City and talked with Deng Zhi. He was very surprised and promoted him to Piling and then to the prefect of Guanghan.
Deng Zhi was honest, rigorous and accomplished during his tenure. After Liu Bei heard about Deng Zhi's political achievements, he recruited him to serve as minister in the court. Since then, Deng Zhi has become one of the five ministers in the Hanzhong Wang Shangshu Desk.
When Deng Zhi entered Yong'an City holding the envoy talisman of the King of Hanzhong, Sun Quan deliberately refused to meet Deng Zhi.
A few days after Deng Zhi arrived in Yong'an City, he had not been summoned by Sun Quan, so he guessed what Sun Quan was thinking.
Deng Zhi thought about the news that Liu Bei was still waiting for him in Xiangyang City, and he knew that he could not delay it any longer.
So Deng Zhi wrote a letter himself and ordered his entourage to send it to the Hussar General's Mansion in Yong'an City.
Sun Quan, who deliberately avoided Deng Zhi, saw that Deng Zhi had made a request, and thought that Deng Zhi was asking to leave.
He happily opened Deng Zhi's memorial and took a look at it. One sentence in it made Sun Quan feel suspicious.
"I want to be a general now, not just my king."
After this sentence, Deng Zhi added another sentence.
"If the general is missing, the army will not retreat."
After seeing this sentence, Sun Quan's eyes narrowed and he immediately summoned Deng Zhi.
When Deng Zhi came to Sun Quan with the talisman in his hand, he bowed to Sun Quan and said: "Deng Zhi, the Minister of Hanzhong, has come to pay homage to General Hussar on the order of the king."
Even though Sun Quan had been in a bad mood these days, and even Sun Quan's bad mood was caused by Deng Zhi's master Liu Bei, Sun Quan still had a gentle attitude on his face when he saw Deng Zhi.
Sun Quan asked Deng Zhi to stand up. After he asked Deng Zhi to sit down in the hall, he said to Deng Zhi: "Gu Jin is busy with government affairs and has delayed the time to see Bo Miao. I hope Bo Miao will not take offense."
After saying these words, Sun Quan deliberately sighed with a look on his face and said: "Gu Cheng is willing to sign an alliance with the King of Hanzhong and declare it to the world."
"However, Jiangdong is now weak and the country is small and powerful. I am often afraid that Wei will take advantage of him and cannot be saved."
"Now Gu has given the two counties and his eldest son to the King of Hanzhong. The King of Hanzhong has gained substantial benefits, and everyone in the world knows Gu's sincerity."
"In this case, why does the King of Hanzhong insist on asking for a paper of alliance?"
After Sun Quan finished speaking, he looked at Deng Zhi with helpless eyes.
What Sun Quan said to Deng Zhi now was half true and half false.
The reason why he was unwilling to sign an alliance was that he was afraid of offending Cao Cao and causing Cao Cao to send a large army to attack him in the future.
Second, Sun Quan wanted to leave himself a way out. Although he wanted to make peace with Liu Bei, he did not want to completely break up with Cao Cao.
In this way, he will be able to balance the two forces in the future and gradually regain his strength.
After he regains his strength, he will make further choices based on the current situation.
The old man is being duplicitous.
When it came to the demarcation of the Xiangshui River, there was actually no formal alliance signed between the two families, it was just a verbal agreement.
This later gave Sun Quan the opportunity to talk nonsense.
But how could Liu Bei, who had suffered a loss once, leave this loophole again?
Moreover, if the covenant is not formally signed and announced to the world, how will Mi Yang's plan be completed?
Deng Zhi was well aware of Sun Quan's purpose, but he did not reveal it to his face.
He just looked at Sun Quan, and then said in a solemn tone: "The signing of the alliance is not for my king, but to rectify the eyes and ears of the people in the world."
"If the name is not right, the words will not be right. If there is no covenant in hand, how can the two families work together to fight against the enemy in the future?"
"My king and his generals occupy the territory of the four states. My king is the hero of the world, and the general is also the hero of his time.
When the two families form an alliance, the dangers and the obstacles of the three rivers are integrated into one, and these two lengths are combined into lips and teeth. If they advance, they can unite the world, and if they retreat, they can stand as a tripod. This is natural.
If the general does not sign an alliance today, my king will definitely be suspicious.
If the general intercedes with Wei, Cao Cao will definitely hope that the general will enter the court to correct his ambition.
If the general does not obey his orders, Cao Wei's army will arrive.
By that time, the 20,000 Han troops in Xiakou will be led by General Mi and will advance along the current. In this way, the land north of the Yangtze River may not belong to General Fu."
Hearing the threat from Deng Zhi, Sun Quan had an angry look on his face.
He gave away his land and son, and now he is saying that he will send troops to attack him.
Moreover, sending Mi Yang here is too much to deceive others!
There are only 2 chapters today, and I will write another chapter soon, which will be posted in the early morning.
The exam didn't finish until around five o'clock in the afternoon, but it went very well, and my results should be good.
Thank you to some readers for their encouragement.
There is only one chapter left, and a new volume will begin.
Thank you all for your continued support.
(End of chapter)
This chapter has been completed!