Xu Shu added: "In the past, Liu Zhongda was well-known in the Chu State for his literary talents and virtues. Now he is famous in Xiangyang for his martial arts. He is both literary and military, and his talents are amazing and beautiful. People can't help but yearn for him."
He had been living in Xiangyang for seven or eight years, and when Liu Jing went north to Xiangyang three years ago, he had not yet met Zhuge Liang, so naturally he had no chance to get acquainted with Liu Jing through him.
Among Zhuge Liang's four friends, Cui Jun was the only one who had met Liu Jing. He said: "Three years ago Liu Zhongda went north to Xiangyang. Deng Zixiao saw him and called him 'Wang Zuo's talent.' Song Zhongzi also praised him."
"National weapon.' I once met him once. He has a majestic appearance, a lot of erudition, and a world-class talent. He is indeed worthy of such praise and fame. But I didn't expect that he actually has the ability to lead troops."
Shi Tao also participated in the conversation of several people. He and Xu Shu were both from Yingchuan. They came to Xiangyang together many years ago to escape the chaos and study.
Among the five, only Meng Jian was not very interested in Liu Jing. He seemed taciturn and a bit unsociable. It was not that he was arrogant, but that he had been struggling with something for a while and now he finally made up his mind.
When several people stopped talking one after another, Meng Jian said: "Zhou Ping, Yuan Zhi, Guang Yuan, Kong Ming, let me tell you something. I am planning to return to my hometown soon."
Meng Jian is from Runan and has been living in Xiangyang for six or seven years. He misses his hometown very much. Cao Cao's capital is in Xu County, Yingchuan, and Runan is close to Yingchuan. This is Yuan Shao's hometown, and his disciples and guests are scattered in various counties.
, supported the troops and refused to defend, disobeying the king's order. Cao Cao was deeply concerned. Last year, he appointed Man Chong as the prefect of Runan, recruited 500 troops, and led the troops to capture more than 20 dock walls. He killed more than ten commanders who had not surrendered after being lured.
As a result, the chaotic situation in Runan was changed in one fell swoop. From this, Meng Jian had the idea of returning home.
Zhuge Liang advised: "There are few scholar-bureaucrats in China, so why bother traveling to their hometown?"
Meng Jian shook his head and said nothing. In addition to being homesick, he also had thoughts of becoming an official. Now that Cao Cao was serving the emperor to protest against his dissatisfaction, the Central Plains decided that it was the right time to employ people. With his family background, talents and knowledge, he should be able to be used when he returns to his hometown.
.
Cui Jun and Shi Tao actually had this intention, but for a while, it was difficult to make up their minds.
Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu had no intention of going north. Needless to say, Zhuge Liang would never join Cao Cao. Xu Shu, on the other hand, came from a poor family and would find it difficult to be reused even if he returned to Yingchuan. It was better to stay in Xiangyang and wait for the opportunity.
Seeing that Meng Jian had made up his mind, Zhuge Liang sighed secretly and stopped trying to persuade him.
…………
Pan Jun took a bath today and was in the house. He was still tall and well-dressed and neatly dressed. He sat leisurely on the couch, taking out tea leaves from the pottery pot and throwing them into the boiling water in front of him. In an instant, the whole room was filled with fragrance.
In the fumigation furnace.
Pan Jun's habit of drinking tea was naturally learned from Liu Jing. When he first drank tea, he fell in love with the fragrant and elegant taste.
While drinking the fragrant and refreshing tea, while holding the "Book of Han", I couldn't help but marvel at every wonderful part I read.
"Is Chengming at home?" Suddenly, a voice came from outside the house.
Pan Jun raised his eyebrows when he heard this. This voice was all too familiar to him. It was Wang Can and Wang Zhongxuan. He immediately put down his tea bowl and book and stood up to greet him. As soon as he went out, he saw the short and unattractive Wang Can standing outside the courtyard.
Pan Jun invited Wang Can into the house and asked: "Your Majesty, please come in quickly. How come you have time to come to my house today?"
Wang Can said with a smile, "The general has something to call me today. He happened to pass by here when he came back, so he came over to see if you were in the house." Then he smelled the fragrance in the room and said, "It smells good. Is Chengming making tea?" ? Just in time, after talking all morning, my mouth is dry." Wang Can also drank tea with Liu Jing in the past. But in comparison, he still prefers drinking. Of course, if he is allowed to drink tea and water, Given a choice between them, he is still willing to drink tea.
Pan Jun immediately took a tea bowl and poured tea for Wang Can. His technique was elegant and skillful, and it was obvious that he had put in a lot of hard work in this regard.
Wang Can took a few sips of tea and said with a smile, "I haven't seen you for a long time. Chengming's tea-making skills have greatly improved. I feel that your tea-making skills have almost surpassed Zhongda's."
Pan Jun waved modestly and said: "Zhongda is the master here. Compared with Zhongda, I'm still far behind."
Wang Can smiled and asked again: "Cheng Ming, does he know why the general recruited me?"
"Is it related to Liu Zhongda?" Although it was a question, Pan Jun's expression was quite certain.
"Of course." Wang Can nodded.
Pan Jun nodded, and now the whole of Xiangyang was in an uproar because of Liu Jing. This was the reason why he chose to take a break today. Everyone knew that he and Liu Jing had an unusual relationship, and he didn't want to be involved in the whirlpool, so he planned to take a break. Take a few days to avoid this storm.
Wang Can sighed: "Liu Zhongda is really a blockbuster. Last year when the general sent troops to Jingnan, I was worried about his safety. Now it seems that I was unnecessary."
Pan Jun said: "If Liu Zhongda knew that Wang Jun had this intention, he would be very happy."
Wang Can couldn't help but sigh: "I don't know when I will see Liu Zhongda again."
Pan Jun was silent for a while. Liu Jing's battle had disgraced Cai Mao. With the influence of Cai Mao and his family in Xiangyang, the possibility of surrendering to Liu Biao was almost eliminated.
In the future, even if Liu Biao cherishes talents and ignores Liu Jing, he will definitely be wary of Cai and dare not reuse him. With Liu Jing's ambition, he will never give in.
The day we see each other again is far away...
…………
Liu Jing kept Jiang Wan for three days, during which the two talked happily. Unfortunately, he was not able to recruit people like Jiang Wan now. Although he was entrusted by Zhang Xian to take charge of the nine counties in southern Changsha, he did not have the chief officials of the nine counties. Although he has the power of appointment and removal, his actual position is still that of a county magistrate.
Liu Jing did not pay attention to Jiang Wan in the past three days. Jiu County was his top priority right now.
The specific distribution of the nine counties is like an irregular five-pointed star. The lower left corner is Zhaoling, the left corner is Liandao, the upper corner is Hunan, the right corner is Liling, and the lower right corner is Chaling, Youxian, Rongling, and Anseong counties. .
Xiangnan in the upper corner is only more than a hundred miles away from Linxiang, and light troops can reach it in a day. If Liu Jing sends troops to Xiangnan, he will definitely be attacked by the Jingzhou Army's infantry and cavalry at the first opportunity.
Therefore, Liu Jing decisively gave up on southern Hunan and only prepared to extend his tentacles to the right corner of Liling, which is nearly 300 miles away from Linxiang. If the Jingzhou army launches an attack, they will have enough reaction time.
Cai Sheng was the perfect choice to take charge of Liling. His previous camp was stationed in the Liling area. In the past few years, he led his army to defeat all the Yuzhang refugees and thieves who had repeatedly caused trouble in Liling, and drove them back to Yuzhang. Therefore, he enjoys high prestige in Liling.
The Zhaoling Mausoleum in the lower left corner and the connecting road in the left corner can be regarded as one. The location of the two counties is too remote and out of reach for Liu Jing, so he plans to send his clan brother Liu Xiu to take charge personally.
Between Liu Zong and Liu Xiu, Liu Jing hesitated for a while, but in the end, his heart fell towards Liu Xiu.
In the lower right corner, there are four counties: Chaling, Youxian, Rongling, and Ancheng. Among them, Ancheng is located in a remote location, close to Yuzhang County in Yangzhou. The remaining three counties have formed an alliance, and the people of the three counties jointly elected Wenchun, the magistrate of Chaling County, as the leader.
Wen Chun, whose courtesy name is Ji Qiu, is from Guiyang County. He is nearly fifty years old this year. He is a man of integrity, kindness and kindness. He is one of the few celebrities in Guiyang County. He is the same as Quhong Changxiong Shang and Lingling County of Guiyang County.
The commander-in-chief of the county, Du Hui, the Marquis of An, was well-known.
To be honest, for such a person who is old, famous, and has a good official reputation, it is useless for Liu Jing to send anyone, and he can only take action himself.
However, given that the situation in the three counties was relatively stable under Wen Chun's leadership, Liu Jing did not go there rashly. Instead, he first wrote a modest and sincere letter to Wen Chun, along with a letter of appointment from the Changsha County Government.
A few days later, Wenchun wrote back, saying that Chaling, Youxian and Rongling counties were willing to accept Liu Jing's command.
Liu Jing breathed a sigh of relief, but he did not leave immediately because Deng Yuan was about to give birth, and he did not want to miss the birth of his child in just a few days.
Giving birth was a very dangerous thing for women in ancient times, so Liu Jing asked a breast doctor and a healthy woman who had given birth to multiple children to be on standby in the official residence a few days ago.
At night on March 9, Deng Yuan suddenly felt a severe pain in her abdomen, which was like a twisting pain. When the breast doctor and the healthy woman saw this, they immediately knew that Deng Yuan was about to give birth.
They immediately covered the bed with a thick straw mat and made Deng Yuan lie on it to give birth.
"Huainanzi Benjing" written by Xu Shen, a great scholar of this dynasty, says: "A pregnant woman is a woman who relies on grass during pregnancy." It was a custom in the Han Dynasty that women could only use straw, or mats made from grass such as wheat straw as mats when giving birth.
This is true for everyone from the royal family to the common people.
Liu Jing stood guard outside the door, listening to Deng Yuan's intermittent screams in the room. He couldn't help but feel anxious and restless.
There was a wall between the Prime Minister's residence and the official residence where he lived solemnly, so he rushed over as soon as possible. He saw that Liu Jing, who usually kept his expression calm even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him, was now as anxious as an ant on a hot pot.
I couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion. At the same time, I also remembered how nervous I was when my first child was born.
He solemnly comforted Liu Jingdao: "The Ming Dynasty does not need to worry, my wife is much taller than ordinary women, and she will definitely give birth to an heir smoothly."
"I hope it's as Bomu said." Liu Jing said this, but he was still nervous and couldn't control himself.
Soon after, stepmother Zhang and sister-in-law Lai Ci arrived with Liu He, Liu Rao, and Liu Qun. Nine-year-old Liu Qun was obviously pulled up in his sleep, and his white and delicate face looked listless.
Stepmother Zhang asked: "How long has it been since Shaojun went in?"
Liu Jing replied: "Almost half an hour."
Hearing the intermittent screams of his second sister-in-law in the room, Liu Rao changed his usual pampering look and asked timidly: "Is it so painful to give birth?" When his sister-in-law Lai Ci gave birth to Liu Qun, she was only six years old. She remembered
It was already blurry.
Stepmother Zhang said from the side: "My mother was lying on the bed from dawn, and she didn't give birth to you until sunset."
"So long?" Liu Rao suddenly fell into great shock and panic. Will she have to experience such pain in the future? Moreover, it must have been more than once. It is scary to think about it.
Seeing Liu Jing's anxious look, Lai Ci said, "Young Jun is giving birth for the first time. He has no experience, so he must be scared. I'll go in and have a look."
Liu Jing frowned and said, "Then I'll trouble my sister-in-law."
Lai Ci nodded and pushed the door open.
Time passed minute by minute, and it was midnight in the blink of an eye. During this period, Liu Qun and Liu Rao went to the wing to rest one after another. In the end, even stepmother Zhang couldn't hold it anymore. Although Liu He was very sleepy, he always stayed with her. Liu Jing's side.
The first ray of morning light bloomed from the sky and the earth, and a loud cry of a baby came from the room, falling in Liu Jing's ears as if hearing fairy music.
Liu Jing murmured to himself: "Am I a father?" In addition to Hutou, the second generation male heir of the Liu family has another person."
Liu Jing was so anxious that he didn't even bother to answer his sister-in-law and rushed directly into the room.
I saw a group of people surrounding the bed. In addition to the breast doctor and the healthy woman, there were also several maids of Deng Yuan, and his son, Liu Qi, was lying in the arms of the maid Ah Shu.
Ah Shu handed Liu Qi to Liu Jing and said: "Master, the little master looks very cute..."
Liu Jing took over his son. Because he was a naturally born baby, he was dark and could hardly be called beautiful. He had an oval head, no neck, small arms, short legs, pink skin, and looked particularly transparent. , the blood vessels are clearly visible, and they are covered with a layer of soft villi, like an alien.
Maybe it was because Liu Jing's hug was uncomfortable, so Liu Qi couldn't help crying.
Liu Jing was at a loss and handed him back to his maid Ah Shu. He came to the bedside and looked at Deng Yuan, who was pale and sweaty, as if he had just been fished out of the water. He held her hand tightly and said: "Shaojun ,Thanks a lot."
Deng Yuan lay exhausted on the grass and said weakly: "It is my responsibility as a wife to give birth to an heir for Liu Lang."
Liu Jing turned to his maid Ah Shu and said, "Let me take a look at my son."
Ah Shu immediately carried Liu Qi to Deng Yuan.
Deng Yuan looked at her baby son, who was babbling in his infant clothes. Tears wet his eyes unconsciously, and he felt that all the pain he had suffered before was worth it.
At this time, the breast doctor hid the afterbirth, that is, the placenta, in a bottle and placed it on Deng Yuan's bedside. Due to the alarming infant mortality rate in the Han Dynasty, there was a custom of hiding the afterbirth in bottles and bowls to prevent the baby from being harmed by ghosts. infringement.
Stepmother Zhang had also woken up at this time and took Liu Rao into the room.
Liu Rao happily said: "Let me see my little nephew, let me see my little nephew..."
Liu He couldn't help but roll his eyes at his sister. He really had no eyesight at all.
At sunrise, Deng Yuan's brother and sister-in-law hurried over. Since Deng's residence was outside the city, they did not know about it after the city gate was closed last night. It was not until the city gate opened today that they received the notice and hurriedly Come.
In addition to Deng Yuan's brother and sister-in-law, Liu Jing's generals, county and temple officials, and even members of the Liu family in Longqiu came one after another. For a time, the inside and outside of the official residence were crowded with people who came to congratulate him.
The birth of Liu Jing's son was definitely a great joy for Ling County.