The grandfather and grandson stayed briefly in Fancheng for one night, and prepared to cross the river to Xiangyang the next day.
But when they arrived at Fancheng, it was already getting dark soon, there were no Guizhou people on the road, and the surrounding countryside was deserted. There were only a few guards at the city gate preparing to close the gate.
When Deng Hong saw that the city gate was about to close, he quickly shouted: "Don't close the city gate. I am an assistant under Liu Shijun and I am going to Xiangyang."
At this time, there was a strong man on the tower with a piece of dogtail in his mouth, lying boredly on the parapet. He heard the shouting and glanced over.
At seven o'clock in the evening, it was not completely dark in the midsummer season. When I saw that the other party was dressed as a Confucian scholar and had a child beside him, I thought of a joke, so I raised my head and said sideways: "There is an order from above.
It must be closed.”
Deng Hongdui put on a smile and said: "Please general, please be accommodating. If we can't enter the city, our grandson and grandson will have to sleep outside the city. It's okay for me. I'm just afraid that my grandson will get sick if he is exposed in the wild at night."
Already."
"That's it."
The man smiled and said: "That's true. I see you are dressed as a Confucian scholar. How do you memorize the scriptures?"
"Forehead"
Deng Hong raised his head and asked hesitantly: "Does this have anything to do with me going to the city?"
The man said: "I admire talented people the most. If you don't have any talent, but you wear Confucian clothes and show off through the city, wouldn't it be a stain on the reputation of scholars? So I have to test you, otherwise I won't let you enter the city."
Deng Hong was speechless.
But people under the eaves had to lower their heads, so they had to say: "I govern the Analects of Confucius."
I feel a little embarrassed to say this.
The man thought for a while, tilted his head and said with a smile: "Then tell me, what does it mean to say, "In ancient times, scholars were for themselves, but today's scholars are for others"?
Deng Hong looked at Shen Chen.
Shen Chen whispered a few words in his ear.
Deng Hong said loudly: "In ancient times, scholars worked for themselves, and they eventually achieved success. Today's scholars work for themselves, and they eventually lost themselves. When sages and sages discuss the gains and losses of scholars' intentions, they have said a lot, but there is no such thing.
It’s very important. If you discern clearly and reflect on it day by day, you will not be ignorant of what you want to follow.”
The man originally just thought that Deng Hong could translate it a little and talk about knowledge. Unexpectedly, the explanation was quite clever. He immediately realized that the other party was not an ordinary person. He sat up and looked at the two grandfathers and grandsons in the city.
It was only then that Deng Hong and Shen Chen saw the man's appearance clearly. They saw that he was about twenty-seven or eighty-year-old, with a tall build and a particularly resolute face. He was wearing luxurious silk brocade clothes and had strange bird feathers on his head.
Sitting cross-legged on the parapet like this, looking down.
Gan Ning!
Before the man introduced himself, Shen Chen almost called out his name.
In fact, the bird feathers on his head and the brocade clothes are so famous.
He is famous not only in later generations, but also in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, because this guy doesn't care about human affairs.
Gan Ning had previously organized a criminal gang and was known as the "Jinfan Thieves" to commit crimes in Bajun, and his reputation had long spread to Jingzhou.
Last year, Liu He from Jingzhou rebelled against them, but Liu Biao's army was defeated by Liu Zhang. Gan Ning went to Nanyang to fool around, but he didn't expect that he was actually in Fancheng.
At this time, Gan Ning was also looking at his grandfather and grandson.
In fact, the Fancheng area of Caiyang is Gan Ning's ancestral home. Liu Biao placed him under Zhang Yun. Now he is stationed in Fancheng, looking at the city gate all day long and getting bored.
I have nothing to do today. I originally wanted to tease the scholar in the city, but I didn't expect that he was quite knowledgeable.
We must know that Gan Ning did do evil in his early years, but later he changed his mind, read and learned calligraphy, and studied Confucian articles. Later, because of his talent, he was recruited by the state government, and was even slowly promoted to the rank of county magistrate in Shu County.
This shows that his level is not too bad.
Because of this, he was able to discover the extraordinary qualities of the other party.
Since Gan Ning began to study, he still admired those truly educated people. Seeing that his grandfather and grandson really could not spend the night outside the city, he shouted: "Open the city gate and let them in."
"Thank you, General!"
Deng Hong was overjoyed. After bowing and saluting, he asked the driver to drive the donkey cart into the city.
When the grandfather and grandson came in, Gan Ning was still watching them from the tower, and Deng Hong once again expressed his gratitude, and the donkey cart drove slowly towards the post house.
When Shen Chen saw Gan Ning, he also wanted to chat with him, but unfortunately he had no reason to talk to him, and he had to guard the city gate, so he couldn't disturb him, so he had no choice but to give up and leave.
But unexpectedly, when the two arrived at the posthouse in a donkey cart, they were not accepted.
Because Deng Hong was on his way to an appointment, he did not go to the place, and he did not receive his identity card. The stables in the post house were used by Jingzhou officials who came and went. He had no identity, so naturally he could not move in.
There were actually inns in the Han Dynasty. The problem is that in the recent chaos in Guanzhong, a large number of refugees have poured in from the direction of Wuguan. Among them, the powerful Guanzhong families with a certain financial strength will basically go to the surrounding areas of Xiangyang. Therefore, Fancheng inns have been full recently. I asked a few of them. There are no rooms.
In desperation, the grandfather and grandson had no choice but to look around in despair for a building that could accommodate them.
When it got dark, I couldn't find it anywhere.
At this time, Gan Ning got off work and handed over the city defense affairs with other generals. He was riding his horse to return to his mansion. He happened to see them and urged his horse to come closer and asked, "Why are you still on the street?"
When Deng Hong saw that it was Gan Ning, he smiled bitterly and said, "Because I am going to Xiangyang to take up my post and have not yet received the official waist badge seal, so our grandparents and grandchildren will not be admitted to the building."
Gan Ning thought for a while and then said: "Then you can come and stay at my house for one night. Anyway, I live alone and my house is quite big."
"Thank you, General!"
Deng Hong was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly: "I am so lucky to meet the general when I go out."
"You guys come with me."
Gan Ning was leading the way, taking them towards the south of the city.
Fancheng is very large. With the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty, people from everywhere migrated to Jingzhou, and Xiangyang gradually formed a metropolitan area.
Zhonglu County, Linju County, Yi County, and Yicheng in the south, and Shandu County, Deng County, Fancheng, and Caiyang in the north. Within the surrounding area of 30 to 40 square kilometers, there are more than ten county towns with a population of one hundred. Thousands.
The grandfather and grandson followed Gan Ning and walked about two kilometers in the city, and finally arrived at his home.
It was a very large mansion. Gan Ning was quite luxurious and his family was very rich, so he had to pay attention to luxury in his life. He said he lived alone, but in fact he had twenty or thirty servants.
After arriving at the door, a slave took his horse and the donkeys of his grandfather and grandson to the stables in the backyard. The two of them followed Gan Ning into the yard and headed towards the middle hall.
By this time, it was completely dark, and it was almost nine o'clock in the evening. Gan Ning ordered the guests to come to his house and prepare some food and wine to entertain them.
Although Deng Hong said a few polite words, he could not resist Gan Ning's enthusiasm, and soon candles were lit in the middle hall, making the hall brighter.
While waiting for the food to be served, Gan Ning turned his head and asked Deng Hong: "Sir, you are very knowledgeable. I wonder what official position you plan to take when you go to Xiangyang this time?"
Deng Hong said with a slight embarrassment: "It's the history of the Prefecture's Secretariat."
Gan Ning frowned and said, "Sir, if you are so knowledgeable, can you just teach the history of the family?"
"actually, I"
Deng Hong wanted to say that his talents and learning were just that.
But Shen Chen suddenly said: "Nowadays, the world is in chaos, and talented people may not be reused. I think the general is so powerful, can't he just guard the gates of Fan City?"
Gan Ning's expression changed, he sighed and said nothing.
Deng Hong hurriedly said: "Ah Chen."
Shen Chen ignored him and continued: "By the way, I haven't asked the general's name yet."
"My name is Ganning, Bajun, and my courtesy name is Xingba."
Gan Ning replied.
Deng Hong said quickly: "I am the Deng family of Xinye. My name is Deng Hong, and my courtesy name is Youshuo. This is my grandson. His name is Shen Chen. He is eight years old. He speaks a little carelessly. Please forgive me, general."
Gan Ning waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter, this childish guy is right. I originally couldn't stand Liu Zhang and Liu Yan and his son, and rebelled against them. However, after defecting to Liu Biao, he placed him under Zhang Yun, guarding the city all day long. The door is irritating.”
Shen Chen said: "I have heard of the general's reputation. He has a reputation as a chivalrous man in Bashu, but Liu Biao does not use him seriously. This is because he does not practice martial arts. In my opinion, his inheritance will one day be taken away by others. go."
"Achen, you."
Deng Hong's eyes almost stared down, and he hurriedly wanted to cover his mouth.
Unexpectedly, Gan Ning was not angry at all. He suddenly seemed to have met a close friend and began to look at Shen Chen up and down. He was quite surprised and said: "You kid. Wait a minute. When I asked you a question just now, I saw you exchanging words with my uncle. Could it be?"
Deng Hong said helplessly: "The general's guess is correct. It was Ah Chen who said he was very smart since he was a child. Last year we went to see Liu Jingzhou, and it was because of Ah Chen that I was awarded the title of Shi Ling Shi."
"I didn't expect a child like you to be so talented. That's what I thought too."
Gan Ning said: "The year before last, after I rebelled against Liu Zhang and went to Liu Biao, I found that his military equipment was lax and his generals were all useless. Generals like us who can fight cannot be reused at all. They are doing nothing all day long. Sooner or later, if things go on, Jingzhou will be destroyed." People took it away."
Deng Hong was surprised and said: "In that case, why doesn't the general leave?"
Gan Ning laughed at himself: "I grew up on the river, and I only wanted to stay in the south and follow the Ming Dynasty. But now Liu Zhang of Yizhou in the south and I have turned against him, and Jiangdong is in chaos again, and no master has appeared, so I have to If you commit yourself to Liu Biao, you will just get by all day long."
Shen Chen laughed: "General, don't be discouraged. "The Book of Changes" says: "A gentleman hides his weapons and waits for the time to move." What the general lacks now is not a wise master, but an opportunity. Before that, the general must do something. Be prepared."
"oh?"
Gan Ning asked curiously: "What do you think?"
Shen Chen said: "Nanyang is a good place. I predict that in another two years, Nanyang will be in chaos. The general should take this opportunity to join us to expand the army, occupy some cities, recuperate, and wait until the time comes. When the general shows off his skills."
Gan Ning smiled and said: "Although Liu Biao did not practice martial arts, he had tens of thousands of troops. He reached Bashu in the west, blocked Henan in the north, attacked Wuyue in the east, and conquered Jiaozhi in the south. There is no one in the world who is much stronger than him. Who can Will they come to attack Nanyang?"
Shen Chen smiled confidently and said: "If you don't believe it, general, you will find out next year or the year after that. Someone will definitely attack Wancheng by then, why don't we just wait and see?"
"Okay, I want to see if it's really what you said."
Gan Ning would not be able to convince a child with just a few words, or in other words, even if it was not a child, it would not be possible to convince him immediately.
Before the prophecy becomes reality, everyone has their own ideas except those who have no independent opinions.
Shen Chen said: "If Chen is lucky enough to be right, what should the general do?"
Gan Ning said without hesitation: "That means you are a person who can really understand the world's situation. I will listen to whatever you say."
"It's a deal."
"It's a deal."
"General, just remember to come find me when the time comes."
Shen Chen showed a sly look like a fox.
Since the Huangmenting incident, he has begun to reflect on many things.
The biggest mistake at that time was that he did not expect that Cao Cao would hear his name, which led to the murder of hundreds of relatives in Zhenyang Ju.
Since then, he has begun to summarize and think every day, and his intelligence and strategy have gradually grown a lot.
Perhaps this is the best interpretation of the saying "I examine myself three times a day".