After hearing what the pottery merchant said, both Kong Min and Xu Jing didn't quite understand.
There is nothing wrong with this self-evaluation. The question is... is it too pedantic?
If the "Yuedan Comment" really evaluated the pottery merchants in this way, the pottery merchant's name would have been spread, but it was not that he lacked some urine...
A gentleman is loyal and good? These are troubled times, and he thinks that he is so diligent and mediocre, so he can easily be bullied.
"My dear nephew, I think you should think twice about this comment."
Kong Min shouldn't go too far. After all, being loyal to a gentleman is not a bad thing. It can even be said to be a spirit worthy of great respect. However, there are some things that upper-class nobles like them can only understand in private but cannot express in words.
It was not easy for him to get such a good opportunity to be rated on Yuedan, but the pottery merchant's evaluation of himself really made Kong Ni feel a little... it was such a waste.
The pottery merchant was stubborn, shook his head, and said firmly: "My nephew is young and has little knowledge, and he has never done anything shocking. It is better not to think too highly of yourself, so as not to become the target of public criticism...Two seniors, in this world
There are too many tigers and wolves in the world. We are in the center of this whirlpool. I hope you can understand the painstaking efforts of this younger generation."
Kong Min didn't react, but Xu Jing somewhat understood that something was coming...
Okay! The way of pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger, this kid... is really not easy. A true gentleman, Zhongliang, would definitely not be able to say such a thing.
Old Man Tao's son... looks like he's really not a good guy today.
"That's fine." Xu Jing nodded, agreeing with Tao Shang's point of view, and said: "Since this is Mr. Tao's initiative, Xu will naturally obey you and agree to it."
The potter secretly breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him.
Based on my current situation, it is better to keep a low profile. The 'Yuedan Review' is a good thing. If you are on its list, you will be famous all over the world. The effect is the same as the hype of the big packaging companies in later generations.
But the people evaluated in the 'Yuedan Review' are still mixed with water after all. Many people are not worthy of their names. They are on the list because of the mutual interests of the noble families, just like Xu Jing's personal relationship with the pottery merchant today.
, let him get it and he can get it. At the critical moment, he will not pull the shuttle at all. If you are a talent, you are a talent. If you are a waste, you are a waste. You can't do it wrongly. It is quite domineering!
But the pottery merchants didn't mind. Such things as behind-the-scenes operations existed in every era. Everyone acted with great righteousness and served the country and the people, but no one wanted to find some trouble with the resources in their hands. This was very difficult.
Normal! It’s just the most fundamental development phenomenon of human society.
After the matter was settled, Kong Min changed the subject and spoke to the pottery merchant about another matter.
"My dear nephew, today I received a letter from Yuan Shu, saying that we would lead the light cavalry to the Jujube Alliance on a certain day. He and Sun Jian also arrived on a certain day, and most of the troops of the princes were stationed at the same place for the time being.
Standby."
Having said this, the three people in the hall were silent for a moment.
The princes all have different ambitions and evil intentions, and they are currently dividing their forces to defend themselves. On the surface, they seem to be strong and pressing forward step by step, but in fact they are all holding back and waiting. Now that all the princes have gathered at Jujube, they must have seen it.
So far, no one has entered the army, so they held an alliance ceremony and formulated a strategy to defeat Dong in order to achieve further results.
Tao Shang thought about it in his mind and said: "This alliance must go. If you don't bring heavy troops, you won't bring heavy troops. Light cavalry can go quickly. All the princes will gather together to form an alliance. Nothing big will happen...Uncle Shi,
Yuan Shu has said this, so you and I don’t have to hesitate, let’s set off tomorrow... We are already weak, if we go too late, it will be easy for us to live up to our words.”
Kong Nao turned to look at Xu Jing, Xu Jing nodded and said: "Master Tao's words are very kind. It doesn't matter if you go, Mr. Xu. There is Xu here in Yangzhai to help you take care of everything."
…
…
The next day, after Tao Shang returned to the military camp, he arranged for Mi Fang to lead most of his troops to garrison in Yingchuan. He led Xu Chu and a thousand cavalry from the Xuzhou army, plus Xu Chu's clan cavalry and the surrendered Yellow Turbans.
Five hundred cavalrymen, together with Kong Miao's light cavalry, rushed to the Jujube Alliance at starry night.
Jujube is located in the north of Yanjin. In modern times, it is also in the territory of Henan Province. From the day when the princes gathered to attack Dong Zhuo, there have been Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, Qiao Mao, the governor of Dongjun, and Chen Liu along the way.
Prefect Zhang Miao, Prefect Shanyang Yuan Yi and others are stationed here, and now other princes from all walks of life are arriving one after another at starry night.
Tao Shang and Kong Ni traveled day and night. When they arrived on both routes, all the princes probably also arrived on Qiba Road. Tao Shang and Kong Ni arrived not too early but not too late.
Although many people had arrived at this time, the most important princes Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and others had not yet arrived, so everyone just set up their troops around Suanzao County, marking the ground and waiting quietly.
Suanzao County is under the joint jurisdiction of Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, and Zhang Miao, the prefect of Chenliu. Therefore, even when the princes from all walks of life came here, they did not use their troops to cause trouble, but only arranged their arrangements in an orderly manner out of consideration for the friendship of the alliance.
The barracks are quite important.
After arriving, Tao Shang followed Kong Ni to meet Liu Dai and several other princes. Everyone was only polite and polite, and exchanged casual greetings without much communication.
Especially for the pottery merchant, although he came to the alliance on behalf of his father Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, he was only a young man with a weak title and did not even have a serious official position. Liu Dai, Qiao Mao and others
None of the princes took him seriously, and casually asked him a few questions about Tao Qian's situation and then settled the matter. Tao Shang was happy and at ease.
Liu Dai was the host and wanted to arrange a banquet for the various princes who had arrived in the evening. The pottery merchant did not want to have much interaction with them, so he declined by lying that he was not feeling well. Liu Dai and others did not pay much attention to him.
After returning to the military camp where he was temporarily stationed in the west of Suanzao County and making some arrangements, the pottery merchant had nothing to do, so he and Xu Chu pretended to be merchants and went to stroll around the neighborhoods in Suanzao County to see the Central Plains.
The customs and customs of small counties.
Suanzao County is not a big place, and it is not as lively and prosperous as Xuzhou's government offices and merchants. On the contrary, it looks extremely desolate. The main roads in the county have no bluestones and are all dirt roads. Fifty-six out of ten dilapidated houses on both sides of the road are
It was tightly closed, and the vendors on the street were sparse and deserted. The passers-by had hurried faces and looked around in panic. Although it could not be said to be lifeless, there was not much life.
The surrounding area was an important battlefield during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and now the princes are stationed here. Obviously, these have a great impact on the people living here.
However, no matter how noisy the city is, there are places that are dilapidated, and no matter how delicious the food is, there are also taboos about meat and vegetables. Just like this Suizao County, even though it looks dilapidated and withered due to the sequelae of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, it is still a county after all, a place known as
A place that serves as a county seat has its downtown center.
When they arrived at the Dongshi of Suanzao County, Tao Shang and Xu Chu finally discovered that this was a lively gathering place in the county. People were coming and going, shouting and selling, and there were quite a lot of people coming and going. After all, it was because of this lifeless place.
The county town has been paved with a layer of vitality.
"Qiang Qiang Qiang Qiang..."
A loud gong sound shook the potter's eardrums.
The pottery merchant turned his head curiously and saw where the sound came from, but four shirtless men were beating gongs vigorously and shouting to attract people.
When the pottery merchant saw this, he was surprised that he was just a showman!
"Dear elders and neighbors, please stay here and listen to someone's words. We escaped here to escape the drought in our hometown. Today we passed by a treasure land. We have nothing of any size, so we can only show off our skills. Bo Jun smiles.
Seeing that my brothers and I haven’t had a full meal in a few days, I’d like to stop and take a look, just to have some fun! This is a show for my four brothers! Thank you very much!”
Such beating and shouting really caused a group of people to stop and watch... There are many idle people in troubled times.
Tao Shang and Xu Chu were also among the spectators. After beating the gongs to attract the crowd, the four men put down their gong hammers and picked up juggling tools beside them.
It was indeed a stone plate weighing a hundred and ten kilograms. The four men did indeed have some strength. They stood at the four corners and threw the stone plate diagonally to each other. The stone plate was passed back and forth.
It's fast and quite impressive.
The residents of Suanzao County don’t know whether it’s because their life is too boring or they are oppressed by this troubled world and they are too miserable. Just such a shabby show with four people passing on the big rocks actually made the people around them happy and cheering loudly.
The cheers continued, one wave after another, one wave after another, one wave after another...
After the four people passed the big stone plate back and forth for twenty rounds, they were tired and panting, and then put the big stone plate down.
The big man at the head stood up, wiped the rainy sweat on his forehead, picked up the gong again, beat it with a "clang, clang, clang, clang, clang", and then began to collect money from the surrounding villagers one by one, nodding and bending. Tao looked at them.
Shang Da shook his head.
The standard of this showmanship is too low. He took a broken stone plate and walked around like moving bricks for a few times, then closed and collected money? There is obviously something wrong with his professionalism. It is strange that he can collect money by fooling the audience like this.
.
Sure enough, after sweeping the gong, almost no one came to support me with money.
Most of the people screamed in joy while watching, and when it came time to pay, they dispersed one after another, looking around and going about their own business.
After a while, the man's gong was handed to the pottery merchant.
The potter thought for a moment, took out two five-baht coins and threw them inside.
The man was overjoyed at first, and then he looked up and down at the potter's clothes. The potter didn't wear armor and came in plain clothes, but he was also wearing fine fabrics.
The man saw that his robe was not ordinary and should be very luxurious. He smiled, licked his face and said, "Sir, please give me some more."
The potter couldn't help but feel funny after hearing this.
This guy is really trying to get something right. He doesn't want money if others don't give it to him, but he still wants more money if he gives it to him? He's really a freeloader.
The potter smiled and shook his head, saying: "It's not that I don't want to pay you more, it's just that your performance is worth the price. I'm sorry for my conscience if I give you more."
When the man heard this, his smile froze, and then he said unconvinced: "Sir, you are young and your tone is not small. Do you know how heavy this millstone is?"
Next to the pottery merchant, Xu Chu let out a loud "hum" and said, "It's only a hundred or ten kilograms, what's so rare about it?"
The man glanced sideways at Xu Chu. He wanted to say a few curse words to greet his mother, but seeing that Xu Chu had a big waist, a round waist and a burly figure, he had to hold back the words!
The man said disdainfully: "What you said is easy. You have the ability. Are you going to trick me?"
Xu Chu sneered and said, "Boy, what's your name?"
The man raised his head and said in an old-fashioned tone: "My surname is Pei, and my last name is the character Qian."
"Pfft!" The pottery merchant standing aside almost lost his joy when he heard this. He stroked his chest and said, "Where are your other three brothers?"
Pei Qian pointed to the other three men who were partnering with him and said loudly: "Those three are the brothers of my mother's compatriots, the second brother Pei Guang, the third brother Pei Jing, and the fourth brother Pei Ben."
The pottery merchant stared at Pei Qian in shock for a moment, then came back to his senses and exclaimed: "Your father is really talented... Just looking at the names of brothers, I know that your family must be from a scholarly family, and you are named like this A prodigal... can be considered admirable."
Pei Qian raised his head and said, "Stop talking nonsense. The millstone is there. If you are capable, why don't you give it a try?"
The pottery merchant sighed, shook his head and said: "Forget it, today I will teach you how to make money... The four of you will have to pay less when you travel around the world."
After that, the pottery merchant walked up to Xu Chu, and the two whispered to each other. Then the pottery merchant borrowed the gong from Pei Qian's hand and walked to the middle of the field.
"Qiang Qiang Qiang Qiang..."
"Don't miss it when you are passing by. If you miss it, you will have a hard time in the future. Come and see, fellow villagers! If you bet two bahts, you will have a chance to get a hundred bahts! With a small amount, you can make a big difference, and you will not be deceived! Opportunities Rare! Don’t miss this opportunity!”
As the shouting continued, within a short while a large crowd of people gathered, three levels inside and three outside.
People looked towards the field one after another, excited and hesitant.
"Really or not? Two cents can get one hundred cents?"
"What does this mean? How to do it?"
"Which young master is making a stunt here!"
The potter picked up a wooden stick, drew two circles on the ground, then reached into his money bag, took out a piece of gold foil, and threw it into one of the circles.
Everyone in the venue couldn't help but take a breath of cold air.
The pottery merchant pointed at Xu Chu and said loudly: "This man said he could lift a stone plate weighing 100 kilograms over the top and squat it ten times! Use your strength to gain wealth. The loser will pay a hundred coins, and the gold foil will be pledged as proof. The winner will win." Put two baht in your pocket and you won’t get a penny back!”
"Qiang Qiang Qiang Qiang..."
The potter beat the gong again and shouted: "Bet, bet, bet, bet he can't lift it, I'll lose two cents!"
At this time, the audience was all excited. Not to mention that the stakes of two five-baht coins were not high, but the gold foil alone made people feel itchy.
"I'll come! I'll come! I'll bet two coins!"
"I'll take custody of you too!"
Looking at another circle drawn by the potter on the ground, five baht coins clanked into it, making all the four Pei brothers stare straight in the eye.
The pottery merchant took out short wooden sticks from the Pei brothers' miscellaneous bags to make receipts, distributed them to everyone, and continued to shout: "Is there any more to bet? Is there any? No more! Okay! Open the bet!"
Xu Chu raised his eyebrows and strode to the center of the field. Without looking at the Pei brothers, he stretched out his left hand and clasped the millstone with one hand. He didn't seem to use any strength. He bent his legs slightly and easily lifted the huge millstone.
Shi Mo raised his head above his head, extended his free hand with his right hand, and even stretched out.
The audience present couldn't help but gasped when they saw Xu Chu's state.
The four brothers of the Pei family were stunned, each with their mouths wide open in surprise. Several of them held the stone millstones they were throwing at each other with their arms in front of their chests. This man raised it above his head with one hand, and it didn't seem to take any effort at all!
It’s like a calf turned into sperm!
Xu Chu held up the stone plate, walked slowly around the field, and then began to squat continuously.
The pottery merchant counted lazily: "One, two, three...nine, ten! Thank you for your patronage!"
In the crowd, those who placed bets all let out a burst of helpless sighs, as well as countless sighs and unwillingness.
Fortunately, the two baht was not much, and everyone was just having a good time. The onlookers were talking and making noise for a while and then dispersed in twos and threes.
"Alas?"
Suddenly there was an exaggerated sound of surprise from behind.
The potter turned around and looked.
I saw a man in his thirties, short in stature, dark and thin, with scattered eyebrows, a slightly protruding nose bridge, and a slightly sloping forehead. In modern vernacular, it would be "a boy holding a spoon in front of the back"
'.
The little black thin man walked quickly to the pottery merchant, looked up and down Xu Chu, who was playing with the millstone like a puppet, in confusion, and said with bright eyes: "What kind of trick is this? Could it be the legendary Overlord Lifting the Cauldron?"
The potter squinted and rolled his eyes at him: "Is that a tripod he lifted? It's obviously a grinder."
The little black thin man suddenly realized: "Bawang Lamo?"
The potter shook his head: "The word "pull" is usually used to describe "shit", so it clearly means "lift".
"The Overlord Jumo!"
The pottery merchant nodded and said, "Of course!"
The thin black man looked at the pottery merchant with envy on his face and inquired: "Brother, is this strong man who is like a man of heaven the servant of your Excellency?"
The potter grinned when he heard this.
Look at the word he used... He's like a 'celestial' warrior...
The pottery merchant nodded and said, "You can put it that way."
"Brother Xian is so lucky." The thin black man rubbed his hands, stared at the potter with a smile, and said: "I think this brother Xian is a scholar... Scholars, it is important to promote filial piety and integrity and promote talents.
, hanging out with warriors every day is sacrificing one's own foundation to seek the last... I think brother Xian might as well give up his love and give this hero to me, how about it?"
When the pottery merchant heard this, his jaw almost fell to the ground in surprise.
This was the first time since he traveled back to the Eastern Han Dynasty that he met such a direct and shameless person. When they met for the first time, before they had finished ten sentences, he directly asked the person he wanted... How did he think about it?
Woolen cloth?
"Brother, are you kidding me? I don't seem to be familiar with you." The potter looked at him like a monster.
The little black thin man was extremely exaggerated. He clasped his fists and gave a big gift: "My dear brother, I sincerely beg you... I really beg you! This hero looks like a man of unparalleled courage. I will be able to do it in a few days."
I will go to the battlefield to eliminate harm for the country! If I can get the help of this hero, I will definitely be a fierce tiger Fu Yi! If the Han Dynasty is revived by then, I will be a well-deserved hero!"
Eliminate thieves for the country? Revitalize the Han Dynasty?
The pottery merchant looked sideways at the thin black man, and raised the corner of his mouth: "Only you? Are you going to revive the Han Dynasty? Serve the country and eliminate traitors? Who are you?"
The little black thin man straightened his body, smiled, rolled his beard on his chin with his hand, and said, "To be honest, my dear friend, my surname is Cao Cao, and my courtesy name is Meng De. I am a modern Fenwu general. I wonder if you have ever heard of Cao."