Kong Min, the governor of Yuzhou, had become close friends with the famous scholar Fu Rong, and was later recommended by him to serve as a planner under the prefect Chenliu, which was a civil service.
He didn't want to catch up with Dong Zhuo when he came to power later, because Dong Zhuo wanted to win people's hearts, so he appointed a large number of celebrities, including Kong Ni, and gave him a lot of leverage, so he directly appointed him as the governor of Yuzhou.
Originally he was just a civil servant in name only, but he was suddenly promoted to a guard. Kong Niao was so happy that he almost exploded.
But happiness was fleeting, and by accident, all the princes responded to the imperial edict and formed a coalition to attack Dong Zhuo.
Originally, Kong Niao had become the guard of one party, and he should have been able to lead the party comfortably for a few years... Who would have thought that he would be involved in such a big thing after only a few months?
Originally he wanted not to get involved, but he received a letter from the later general Yuan Shu himself, inviting Kong Min to join the alliance.
It was said to be an invitation, but Yuan Shu's letter contained both threats and threats, and the tone behind the words was as if he was sure to take advantage of Kong Niao. Kong Niao was already timid, and after being threatened like this by Yuan Shu, he did not care about Dong Zhuo's support.
I was so grateful that I immediately agreed to join the alliance.
However, after agreeing to join the alliance, Kong Min still had difficulties on how to send troops. He had just taken office a few months ago, his butt was still warm, and he did not fully grasp the troops and political affairs under his command... He was asked to send troops at this moment.
, to be honest, he even recognized the names of the generals and lieutenants under his command, so sending troops was simply a joke.
It was at this juncture that the pottery merchant's troops arrived at Yangdi, Yingchuan.
The spring breeze softens the green willow branches, and the new buds grow quietly in the rain.
In front of the city gate of Yangzhai, a team of 1,000 elite cavalrymen lined up to wait. Seeing the Xuzhou army and horses arriving, a scribe at the head slowly rode out. He looked thin, elegant, and had a slightly yellow face.
From time to time there was a hint of worry, and there was no doubt that it was Kong Min, the governor of Yuzhou.
With his official position and status, he would not have gone out of the city to greet him in person. However, in today's chaotic world, the size of his official position could only frighten ordinary people in local states and counties, but it was not popular among the princes who relied on their fists to make a living.
Kong Niao's strength is in the circle of princes. If he is to be ranked second to last, then the position of first to last is basically vacant.
Therefore, Kong Ni acted very humbly. This time he brought out all the elite cavalry in Yangzhai City to greet them... This kind of formation can be said to be a great honor to the Xuzhou Army.
"Young Master." Mi Fang called to the pottery merchant softly from the side: "We have to go up and pay tribute to Governor Kong. His official position is similar to that of Tao Shijun. We can't neglect him."
The pottery merchant nodded and said, "Understood."
A group of Xuzhou generals came forward on their horses. Mi Fang, Tao Shang, Xu Chu and others all got off their horses. Kong Min was also very sensible and showed no pretense, so he turned over to greet them.
"Mi Fang, the commander-in-chief of Xuzhou's Western Expedition (the pottery merchant who supervises the army), met with the governor of Kong." Mi Fang and the pottery merchant met at the same time.
As expected, Kong Min lived up to his reputation as a celebrity. He was polite and scholarly when he spoke: "General Mi and Mr. Tao came from afar to meet us, which shows that Tao Gong, Zu Qin and Wang Wang are loyal and sincere. It is indeed astonishing! I remember that I had met Tao back then.
I have had many acquaintances with you. Gongzu is a benevolent gentleman, and his demeanor makes people bow down. He and I know each other well, and we can be regarded as close friends, just like Boya Ziqi. After all, you have to call me Shishu.
"
The pottery merchant kept a humble smile on his face, but he couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Scholars and celebrities are just thick-skinned, and they took advantage of me...shit.
Kong Min didn't notice it, but looked at the pottery merchant carefully up and down for a while, touched his beard and said with a smile: "It's really comforting to see the son of an old friend, who looks like his father.
My nephew lives up to his family name and is worthy of being the descendant of our famous family. Uncle Shi is very pleased."
The potter doesn't know if the relationship between Kong Ni and Tao Qian is really that good... Celebrities and scholars are all good at bragging. Look at Kong Ni opening and closing his mouth to show off his status as a celebrity.
, all he had to do was print the word "famous family" on the top of his forehead to show off.
But at this moment, everyone is talking about knowing your father. If the pottery merchant doesn't say something to suit the occasion, wouldn't he be making it clear that he doesn't want to give Kong Mingshi face?
The pottery merchant bowed his hands to Kong Ni and said: "Uncle Kong..., when I was in Pengcheng, I often heard my father talk about the past affairs of the two of you. Now that I have come to Yingchuan, it is also my father who asked me to pay more tribute to the world.
I asked my uncle to study and asked me to pay my respects to Uncle Shi on his behalf."
"Well, good! Good! As expected, I am a gentleman. My nephew, the banquet has been laid out in Yangzhai. Let's go and have a few drinks with Uncle Shi."
Kong Niao was very happy to recognize his nephew! So he reached out to pick up the pottery merchant and went into the city.
Over there, the generals under Kong You arranged for Mi Fang, Xu Chu and others to enter the city respectively. Mi Fang went in together, but Xu Chu did not. He just wanted to arrange the camp outside the city himself.
The long main road runs through the entire Yangzhai, surrounded by tic-shaped streets paved with compacted clay. They are connected with the surrounding stalls and houses in an orderly manner, like a large fishing net, almost covering the entire city.
The entire main city area.
During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Yingchuan was also the main battlefield, but it still has such a peaceful appearance after six years, which shows that the heritage of this place has a long history. It deserves to be known as the first capital of the Central Plains.
Kong Niao's governor's office is located in the middle of the main street of Yangzhai.
Kong Ni arranged a banquet for the pottery merchant and Mi Fang. There was wine and meat at the banquet, which suited Mi Fang's appetite. The old boy didn't say a word, but kept eating with his head lowered. The pottery merchant looked at him and picked out the food from time to time.
eyebrows, sometimes frowning...
Shame on you!
Kong Ni was also very particular about eating, and looking at Mi Fang's eating style, he seemed a little embarrassed...it was obvious that Mi Fang's eating method was not in the eyes of this celebrity Kong.
"Come on, nephew, you and I will have another drink!" Kong Min once again raised his wine cup to the pottery merchant and signaled from a distance.
"Thank you, Uncle Shi." The pottery merchant raised his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.
Kong Min couldn't help but look strange when he saw this, nodded and said: "My nephew is young, not only has Tao Gongzu's paternal style, but also knows the etiquette of a gentleman, and he also has such a strong drinking capacity! My nephew... you...
How many drinks have you had?"
The pottery merchant thought for a moment and said, "Uncle, don't blame me. My nephew didn't count carefully, but there should be at least seventeen or eighteen."
Kong Min's eyes shone brightly and he praised: "My nephew is drinking too much! We, the older generation, can't even compare. I think at your age, I can only drink ten glasses of wine in one meal. Not only does my nephew
If you have the demeanor of a gentleman, you are truly a hero."
The pottery merchant rolled his eyes quickly without being noticed. He didn't know how people in this era determined the standards for recognizing people... Is a wine grinder a hero?
However, it’s not that potters were good at drinking it, but that the brewing technology of this era was really lagging behind. This low alcohol content was like boiled water in later generations, and it didn’t feel as strong as beer.
In his current state, Tao Shang feels that he can drink Kong Niao to death, and he can still do two liang...
I really want to drink some really strong liquor.
Looking at the potter's nostalgic expression, Kong Min seemed to be mistaken, and he laughed and said: "My nephew, has he never tasted such a good-tasting wine? Hehe, to be honest with my nephew, today there are thirteen states in the Han Dynasty.
When it comes to the level of wine making, we in Yingchuan are the best! Unfortunately, due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, nearly half of the world's farming industry has been deserted for several years. Grain harvests have become increasingly low, and the harvested fruits are still not enough. How can there be so much surplus grain to make wine? It's really
What a pity for our great art industry in Yingchuan."
The pottery merchant was surprised when he heard this: "Is Yingchuan's wine making the best in the world today?"
Kong Niao raised his head proudly and said, "That's natural!"
The pottery merchant lowered his head and looked at the wine cup in his hand, secretly thinking that Yingchuan was the first brewer...the first brewer's wine was so bland, and the wine brewed in other places was so unpleasant.
If you want to drink good wine, it seems that you will have to rely on yourself in the future.
At this time, the guard at the door walked into the hall, holding a slip in his hand, walked quickly to Kong Ni, handed the slip to him, and whispered a few words in his ear.
Kong Min's expression instantly became lonely.
In fact, from the very beginning of their meeting, this boastful celebrity had a somewhat depressed expression, and now that sadness seemed even more profound.
Tao Shang still had some talent in observing words and expressions. Seeing Kong Zhou's frown, he immediately asked with concern: "Uncle Shi, have you encountered something difficult?"
Kong Nao was distracted, and it took him a long time to react, and he said vaguely: "Is this my wise nephew talking to me?"
It seems that this guy is really mentally disturbed. He can't hear it when it's so loud?
The pottery merchant expressed concern: "Uncle Shi is mentally ill, but what difficulties have he encountered? If you need help from my nephew, I will..."
Kong Min's eyes lit up and he said: "Is it obligatory?"
The potter touched his nose and said, "It's about doing what you can."
Kong Min was stunned when he heard this, and sighed: "My good nephew speaks impeccably, he is really a formidable person..."
After saying that, Kong Niao waved to the guards and ordered the people serving in the hall to go down. Only Tao Shang and Mi Fang were left in the hall. Then he said to Tao Shang solemnly: "My dear nephew, it's true that
To be honest, my detailed work in Runan just brought back the situation from the south. Sun Jian, the governor of Changsha, responded to the call and launched an army to attack Dong Zhuo. When he failed to get permission to borrow food in Nanyang, Sun Jian killed Zhang Zi, the governor of Nanyang..."
Mi Fang's expression suddenly changed: "This is Sun Jian's daring act. No matter what, Zhang Zi is the Nanyang Grand Administrator personally appointed by the imperial court. His position is similar to that of Sun Jian. Sun Jian has no imperial edict, so how can he act so arrogantly!?"
Kong Nao sighed and said helplessly: "Killing Zhang Zi is just one of them. When he first launched his army, Sun Jian also forced Jingzhou Governor Wang Rui to death..."
Mi Fang asked in surprise: "The governor of Jingzhou was also killed by Sun Jian?"
Kong Ni nodded: "Sun Jian's troops arrived in Jingzhou, and claiming to have a message from Guanglu doctor Wen Yi, he directly robbed Jingzhou's arsenal. Wang Rui was desperate and committed suicide by swallowing gold."
Mi Fang turned to look at the pottery merchant. Seeing that he was deep in thought, she asked Kong Jian again: "Why is Sun Jian like this? According to his position, Wang Rui, as the governor of Jingzhou, is also his superior. How dare he offend his subordinates?"
Kong Min did not answer Mi Fang's question directly, but said slowly and authentically: "Sun Jian is known as the Jiangdong Tiger, and he is one of the few heroes in the world. It is said that he has a very temperamental temperament. I heard that he has now transferred to Yingchuan... My nephew,
You and I are both gentlemen, and facing such people... I feel really uneasy."
Mi Fang heard this and said, "Is it possible that Kong, the governor, was afraid that Sun Jian would use force to maintain his courage? Didn't you just say that Sun Jian killed Zhang Zi because Zhang Zi didn't give him food and grass? Your situation is different from his. If Sun Jian asks you
If you want food, just give it to him. Anyway, everyone is just a member of the board of directors and is loyal to the Han Dynasty."
Kong Ni just shook his head after hearing Mi Fang's words, with a somewhat mocking look in his eyes, but he didn't say anything.
Tao Shang pondered for a while and tentatively asked Kong Niao: "Uncle Shi, do you think that the fundamental reason why Sun Jian killed Zhang Zi was not because of food and grass... Sun Jian would kill him if he was given food and grass, but he would also kill him if he was not given food and grass."
Find other reasons to kill him...and the situation of Wang Rui, the governor of Jingzhou, is the same?"
Mi Fang opened her eyes in confusion: "Sun Jian and Zhang Zi have nothing to do with each other. Why do they have to make trouble for them when they are so good?"
The pottery merchant smiled slightly and said nothing, but he roughly understood in his heart.
Before coming to challenge Dong, when he was in Xuzhou, Tao Qian briefly told himself some of the relationships between various princes.
Now Sun Jian is Yuan Shu's staunch ally. Yuan Shu is the general of the post, and he can be said to have the highest official position among the princes. Before challenging Dong, Yuan Shu fled from the capital to Nanyang. His status was just a guest minister, and there was no reason to officially take over.
Nanyang County...but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to.
Now that Sun Jian has killed Zhang Zi, to put it bluntly, he is preparing for Yuan Shu to control the Nanyang area.
As for forcing Wang Rui, the governor of Jingzhou, to death, it was just Yuan Shu's attempt to extend his power deeper into Jingzhou... But Yuan Shu and Sun Jian didn't know that Liu Biao, Liu Jingsheng, one of the "Eight Horses", was taking over the position of governor of Jingzhou on his own.
Later, he will become a more difficult character than Wang Rui.
According to the current situation, Yuan Shu's strategic goal is to focus on himself and Sun Jian as a supplement, so as to dominate the southern center of the entire Han Dynasty in the future.
The central areas in the south mainly include Yangzhou, Jingzhou, and Yuzhou!
Now Yuan Shu has made arrangements in Yangzhou and Jingzhou, and Yuzhou is the birthplace of the Yuan family. Its influence and importance on Yuan Shu are self-evident.
Who is the governor of Yuzhou? He is the one in front of you.
Thinking of this, the pottery merchant glanced at Kong Ni without leaving any trace.
It is very likely that the governor of Kong, like Wang Rui, the governor of Jingzhou, and Zhang Zi, the governor of Nanyang, were already on the menu of Yuan Shu and Sun Jian.