That night, the pottery merchant held a grand banquet in Pengcheng, Xuzhou, and all the famous civil and military officers in Pengcheng came to attend.
Although the power of the pottery merchants is getting stronger and stronger, such large banquets are usually held very rarely.
Mr. Tao actively responded to the call for diligence and thrift.
But no matter how diligent and thrifty you are, sometimes you need to do some team building. Eating and drinking is just a situation. The important thing is to boost the morale of these civil servants and generals, so that everyone can find motivation and centripetal force.
The banquets of the Han Dynasty were relatively easier to handle than those of later generations. In formal occasions these days, people did not eat around a big table. Instead, they sat on couches, each with a small low-foot table. The dishes were also divided into separate dishes.
.
Although it has been more than six years since he traveled back in time, Tao Shang is still not used to it. This way of eating feels similar to eating KFC or McDonald's in a fast food restaurant in his previous life, except that in his later life he ate fried chicken burgers, and in this life he eats roe deer.
Meat.
Xu Chu and Han Niang of the Xu family, as the most meritorious ministers, were placed at the head of the ranks of military generals.
Xu Chu was a local powerful man from Qiao County. Although he was a close associate of the pottery merchant, his status among the Xuzhou gentry was not high. To put it bluntly, he was not considered a gentry.
However, things are different now. After the battle against Zulang and the deliberate support of the pottery merchants, the Xu family finally began to enter the uppermost aristocratic circle. Although they were still not aristocrats, at least they were
It can be considered a wealthy family.
In addition to the dishes, wine is a must, and the graceful local dancers and musicians are indispensable.
It was a very cheerful banquet.
Xu Chu was in the army during these days, restricted by military orders and under the supervision of Xu Hanniang. He had never drank. Now that he had the opportunity, he finally let himself go.
Xu Chu drank so much that he couldn't even hold his tongue straight. When people asked him about his military expedition this time, he was also drunk and blurry, and he could only say two words repeatedly... "Drink, drink, drink."
”.
Xu Hanniang looked at Xu Chu's unworthy appearance and wished she could beat him up at the banquet.
Due to the face of the pottery merchant and others, she gritted her teeth and endured the matter.
Just wait for this bastard to sober up after returning home, and then clean him up properly.
However, there are some things that Xu Hanniang still has to explain to the people headed by the pottery merchant.
Xu Hanniang said to the pottery merchant: "Although Grand Tutor and Zu Lang were killed, after our exploration and inquiry during this expedition, we learned that there are still many thieves ready to move in Shanyue in the east of the Yangtze River.
Gathering the mountain people with the intention of becoming powerful, the more famous among them are Pan Lin, Fei Zhan, Mao Gan, Jin Qi and other Shan Yuequ commanders. They are all powerful and will inevitably cause disaster in the long run. Although they are not as famous as Zu Lang now
It’s loud, but we need to ask the Tutor to make plans early to avoid causing harm to Jiangdong in the future.”
Xu Hanniang went on an expedition and was able to explore the Shanyue situation in Wu so clearly, which really impressed the pottery merchant.
Regardless of whether the mother-in-law is fierce or not, Xu Hanniang can be regarded as Xu Chu's virtuous wife based on this exquisite thought alone.
The pottery merchant drank another glass of wine and asked everyone: "The extreme thing Mrs. Xu said is that Shanyue seems to be insignificant, but it is actually of great importance. If Jiangdong's rear is unstable, it will have a great impact on our army's future wars on the northern front."
, in view of this, you might as well give me a way to see how to deal with it. "
Chen Deng stood up and said to Tao Shang: "Dealing with the Shanyue clan bandits is different from the Baiyue clan in the south. Blindly suppressing the rebellion and suppressing the bandits is definitely not a long-term solution. I am afraid that they will be defeated and then rebelled, and the rebels will come out again.
There is also a need for a capable person with both intelligence and strategy to take charge of the overall situation. Whether it is recruiting, pacifying, or suppressing, it all depends on the current situation, so we cannot just sit down and talk."
Tao Shang looked at Chen Deng with a smile and said: "I'm afraid only Brother Yuanlong or Fengxiao can be such a talented person."
Chen Deng sighed and said: "I also want to help Taifu solve the Shanyue rebellion in Jiangdong. But now the north is uneasy, and Yuan Cao and I are about to compete for supremacy... I am trying to raise my own status, but I think that right now
Guo Fengxiao and I are indispensable to the Grand Tutor."
As soon as Chen Deng said these words, among the people present, many local scholars in Xuzhou felt unconvinced, but due to the status of the Chen family in Xuzhou, they did not dare to refute.
What do you mean, you and Guo Jia are the only capable people, but we are all trash?
The pottery merchant thought about it and found out that what Chen Deng said was indeed true.
Planning a large-scale mountain crossing. Such a complicated situation requires both soldiers and brains, as well as proficiency in diplomacy and politics. It is really a trivial job. It is not something that a strong general like Xu Chu or a somewhat partial person like Mi Zhu can do.
Overview.
He must be an all-rounder who is unique among ten thousand.
In addition to Guo Jia and Chen Deng, Tao Shang also has Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi under his command, but Tao Shang still hopes that they will gain more experience and stay by his side to help him.
Guo Jia also drank a lot today. Unlike Xu Chu, although he drank a lot, his mind was clear.
"For Yuan Long to speak like this, there must be some unparalleled genius recommended to Tai Tu, right?" Guo Jia asked drunkenly.
Chen Deng laughed and said: "Those who know me should be filial... Yes, I do know that there is a capable person, but I only heard about his abilities from hearsay. Whether Chen is really capable or not...
Dare to grasp it."
The pottery merchant narrowed his eyes and looked at Chen Deng with complicated eyes.
Tao Shang was somewhat cautious about the talents recommended by Chen Deng.
Because people like Chen Deng are double-edged.
It is true that he is loyal to himself.
However, the Chen family is also the head of the Xuzhou gentry. While Chen Deng worked hard for himself, he also did not forget to fight for the interests of the Xuzhou gentry.
If the talent he recommends is a native of Xuzhou, the pottery dealer will have to weigh it carefully.
It simply increased the energy of the Xuzhou gentry group and was not conducive to balance.
However, what Chen Deng said next made the pottery merchant feel at ease a lot.
"The person I recommend does not live in Xuzhou itself."
The pottery merchant looked at him doubtfully and said: "You are not a native of Xuzhou? Which master from somewhere can make Yuan Long treat him so differently?"
Chen Deng said to Tao Shang: "The person I recommend is originally from Xuzhou, but he left Xuzhou many years ago. He is from Dongcheng County, Linhuai County. His name is Lu Su and his courtesy name is Zijing."
"It's him." The potter's heart began to beat.
Although the pottery merchant had never seen Lu Su in this era, in his previous life, the pottery merchant had carefully studied the history of Soochow's fortune and had some self-identification of Lu Su.
Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Lu Meng, and Lu Xun are well-deserved four heroes of Sun Wu. Everyone admires them. They are all confidants of Sun Quan, the great emperor of Wu. Among them, Zhou Yu became famous for his fierce battle at Chibi, Lu Xun became famous for his battle at Yiling, and Lu Meng became famous for crossing the river in white clothes.
.
So what does Lu Su rely on?
In fact, after careful consideration, you will find that Lu Su was actually the chief architect of Jiangdong strategy in history!
The design and layout he made for the development of Jiangdong can be described as terrifying.
The idea that Lu Su was a good old man is purely nonsense made up by later generations.
After the fierce battle at Chibi, Lu Su asked Sun Quan to lend half of Nanjun to Liu Bei. The main reason was that Cao Cao's military deployment on the southern front was extremely focused on Soochow.
Historical records record: 'The army arrived at Qiao, made light boats, controlled the water, entered the Huaihe River from the eddy, came out of the fertile water, and marched to Fei', etc... Every military action of Cao Cao's army means that Cao Cao's main attention at that time was on Sun Quan.
Boss Cao's determination to peel off the cramped skin of the blue-eyed child is evident.
However, after Lu Su tried to lend half of Nan County to Liu Bei, the situation in the south was different. Liu Bei replaced Soochow in Jingzhou and directly faced Cao Jun's edge, which greatly attracted Cao Jun's military deployment in Huainan and shared the burden.
Soochow's flank pressure even changed the offensive and defensive positions of Soochow and Cao's army in the military strategy against Hefei and Xuzhou in the following years.
People always say that it was Liu Bei who borrowed Jingzhou. In fact, it should be said that it was Lu Su who borrowed Jingzhou.
This loan was voluntarily borrowed and given voluntarily. You don’t want it!
Moreover, after Zhou Yu's death, as soon as Lu Su took office, he renovated Yiyang City, his hometown, less than a hundred miles away from Changsha City, and stationed heavy troops to closely monitor Liu Bei's territory in Jingnan.
From a military point of view, the city was almost built up to Liu Bei's face.
Taite is bullying!
A few years later, when Liu Bei faced huge military pressure from Hanzhong in Sichuan and Shu, Lu Su, who was the military commander at the time, did not tolerate Liu Bei. Instead, he asked Liu Bei to re-divide Jingzhou's territory and use the Xiang River as the boundary.
, all the east of Changsha, Jiangxia, and Guiyang counties were placed under the rule of Soochow.
Liu Bei's mood must have been very complicated at that time.
I borrowed half of Nan County and served as Sun Quan's watchdog for nine years to withstand Cao Ren's military pressure. As a result, people named Sun and Lu are now taking advantage of others' danger and asked me to return two and a half counties!
This is the most losing business in the world.
Anyone who dares to say that Lu Su is a good guy will definitely be slapped by Liu Bei.
Moreover, from the potter's personal point of view, Lu Su also did something extremely secretive and terrifying.
Of course, this is just the potter's personal guess.
That is why he recommended Pang Tong to Liu Bei.
Mr. Feng Chu, who had served as a meritorious officer under Zhou Yu, was arranged by Lu Su to go to Jingzhou when Liu Bei first settled in Jingzhou and was recommended to Liu Bei.
Soochow needs Liu Bei, but it does not mean that he should live next to him in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River all year round. Tigers need it, but they cannot keep it around for a long time.
Sending them to the west to suppress Cao Cao would be better for Sun Wu, and would also make our future strategy of occupying all south of the Yangtze River faster.
Pang Tong, let you use your talents and let Liu Bei carry out the Great Western Expedition.
Pang Tongzhi went to Liu Bei's place with great satisfaction, seeing that Lu Su's plan was about to be realized, but a sudden change almost made Lu Su's plan aborted.
Liu Bei's first reaction when he saw Pang Tong was: Too ugly.
It's so ugly that I don't really want to use it.
So Liu Bei sent Pang Tong far away and asked him to try to guard Leiyang County.
Pang Tongzhi came here very proudly, but was eventually sent to the countryside.
Lu Su almost died of anger when he found out about this.
I cut my own meat and feed it to Liu’s dog, but this Liu’s dog is still not up to par? Liu Bei, do you have any objections to me?
The great designer did not give up. He personally wrote in handwriting and sent Liu Bei a "Pang Tong Instruction Manual."
It shows that Pang Tong is talented, and he is definitely not a talented person...
After Liu Bei received Lu Su's recommendation letter and was persuaded by Zhuge Liang, he finally put aside his grudge and began to re-employ Pang Tong.
After Pang Tong gained power under Liu Bei, he began to spare no effort to do what Lu Su wanted him to do.
Pang Tong spared no effort to urge Liu Bei to go west, seize Yizhou, take Hanzhong... and threaten Guanlong!
Almost all the forces of the Liu Group tilted to the west. Not only did they move all the main battlefields of Cao's army to Guanxi, but the pressure from the north on Soochow was suddenly reduced.
However, this powerful imperial ally was suppressed in Xichuan from then on, and his influence in the Jingzhou area became a vacuum. He could no longer threaten Soochow, leaving only Guan Yu with a very flawed character.
The next step may be to capture Jingzhou if the strength is sufficient, and then go up the river to capture Yizhou and prepare for Hanzhong; or it may be to plot the Central Plains. In short, Soochow can advance, retreat, and defend.
of invincible territory.
But the only thing that went beyond Lu Su's calculations was that Pang Tong died, which caused Liu Bei's army to lose control to a certain extent. This was the only thing that Lu Su, a sinister designer, had not planned well in his life.
Although there were some shortcomings, Lu Su planned big plans for Jiangdong for half his life and was decisive in all directions. He can be said to be the chief architect of Jiangdong.
…
The pottery merchant put down his wine cup and looked at Chen Deng calmly: "Where is this Lu Su now?"
Chen Deng cupped his hands and said: "After this person left Dongcheng, he should have lived near Chaohu. I heard that he was an old acquaintance with Sun Ce's mastermind Zhou Yu. I accidentally heard that his grandmother passed away and that Lu Su had returned to Dongcheng to attend to the funeral.
If the Grand Tutor is interested in this person, he might as well send someone to summon him and test his knowledge to see if he can be used..."
When he finished speaking, the pottery merchant shook his head and said: "Get ready to ride fast and set off overnight. I will go to Dongcheng in person to meet him."
"ah?"
Everyone didn't expect that the pottery merchant's elegance was so high. He actually wanted to meet someone who had just been recommended by Chen Deng.
Chen Deng didn't even know whether he was really capable or just a wasted reputation.
It should be noted that Dongcheng is not close to Pengcheng.
Guo Jia hesitated for a moment, then stood up and said: "Master, now the troops of Xu Sheng, Zhao Yun, Tai Shi Ci, Zang Ba and others are on the road and have not returned yet. Zhang Xun has no faith in persuading Lei Bo and others to surrender to Huainan, right?
Wait and go again..."
When he finished speaking, the pottery merchant reached out his hand to stop him from speaking.
"None of these things is a big deal to me now. Going to Dongcheng is the most important thing to me right now... You and Yuanlong can help me take care of the family affairs. I went to Dongcheng and met with Lu
Be careful and return immediately."
The potter had nothing else to think about at the moment.
To him, Lu Su was as important as half of Jiangdong.
Once Lu Su leaves Dongcheng and returns to Chaohu, Zhou Yu will probably beat him to it.
…
Linhuai East City.
Lu Su was a very filial person. Although he had left his old home and wandered outside over the years, the death of his grandmother made him rush back to his hometown after traveling thousands of miles.
In fact, when returning to his hometown to arrange a funeral for his grandmother, one of the reasons was to observe filial piety, and the other was that Lu Su also had to think about Zhou Yu's invitation to him some time ago.
When Zhou Yu was the chief of the nest, he had some friendship with Lu Su, and the two valued each other very much.
To a certain extent, he and Zhou Yu were close friends.
But Zhou Yu invited him to join Sun Ce some time ago. To be honest, Lu Su didn't want to go... at least he had to think twice about going.
Sun Ce was a capable man, and Lu Su knew this, but he was too aggressive. Although he replaced Yuan Shu in occupying Huainan, he was working with the tiger and wolf Lu Bu.
These two powerful generals of the world may be able to achieve great things, but they are not the careers that Lu Su wants.
Lu Su didn't want to mix too much with murderous people, as it would be of no benefit.
But if he doesn't submit to Sun Ce, if he really wants to pursue an official career, Lu Su really doesn't have any good options at the moment.
Yuan Shu also invited him back then, but he declined politely.
These people are not the ones he likes.
"Sir, there are guests outside who have brought filial gifts, saying they want to pay homage to the old lady."
The butler's words pulled Lu Su out of his reverie.
"who is it?"
The butler presented a greeting card and gift list.
Lu Su scanned it roughly and sighed to himself: "What a great effort."
Then he looked at the signature and was stunned.
It is signed anonymously and has only one surname.
"pottery?"
Lu Su closed the greeting card, pondered for a moment, and said, "Follow me out to greet you."
The pottery merchant stood outside the house. After waiting for a moment, he saw a lean and dark-looking man wearing white mourning clothes walking out.
Judging from his age, this person seems to be Lu Su.
"I have met Taifu." Lu Su bowed to the pottery merchant respectfully and said hello.
Tao Shang smiled and helped him up with his hands: "Tao didn't write his name on the post. How did Zijing know my identity?"
Lu Su's answer was very simple: "Guess."
The pottery merchant looked up at the door plaque and said, "Since Tao is here to mourn, let's go in first to pay homage to our ancestors. What does Zijing think?"
Lu Su stepped aside to make way for the pottery merchant and said: "Grandma Su, thank you for your condescension... Your Majesty, please come in."