Han Dao world

Page 314

Seeing Zhuge Liang for the first time, Zhou Zhong breathed a sigh of relief.

This trip to Xiangyang, he will not return empty-handed.

Although Zhuge Liang is only 17 years old, he is nearly eight feet tall, with a good appearance, bright eyes, and a calmness that is rare among his peers.Even Zhou Yu, whom Zhou Zhong admired the most, might not be able to beat him.

After the two met, Zhou Zhong didn't go around in circles, and asked straight to the point: "You live in seclusion in Longzhong, do you know the deeds of the Son of Heaven?"

Zhuge Liang cupped his hands and said, "I also ask Duke Zhou for advice."

Zhou Zhong started from the battle of Huayin, until Han Sui led his troops to Guanzhong to prepare for the war, and the emperor stayed in Jincheng.As a shepherd of Yuzhou, he was in the same city as Yuan Shu for more than a year. He was able to receive reports from the imperial court, and he also knew the news from Yuan Shu's daughter and son-in-law. He was generally clear about the whereabouts of the emperor.

Finally, Zhou Zhong looked at Zhuge Liang with piercing eyes. "Are you willing to assist such an emperor?"

Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment, then asked Zhou Zhong. "The son of heaven is sage, knows people and uses them well. It's just that I am still young and have little knowledge. Why is Duke Zhou so serious? Is it just because I have an old relationship with my uncle?"

Zhou Zhong stroked his beard and shook his head. "I just think that your idea of ​​living in seclusion in Longzhong is similar to the emperor's decision not to return to Luoyang. It is not something ordinary people can do without being confused by short-term benefits, based on the long-term, and not afraid of hard work. Although you are young, you They are all heroes with great ambitions, and they should be able to know each other and make great achievements together. I am old, if I can recruit a talent for the emperor, it will help Zhongxing, this life is enough."

Zhuge Liang thought for a while and bowed. "I would like to follow the teaching of Duke Zhou."

-

Zhou Zhong took Zhuge Liang to Wancheng.

Hussar General Zhang Ji personally greeted them with great enthusiasm.Ding Chong, the military adviser, was also very polite and treated Zhou Zhong as a disciple.

Zhou Zhong felt very relieved.

Although he had held the official post of Yuzhou Shepherd for the past two years, he was actually kicked out of the court by the emperor, and Yuan Shu didn't have much respect for him at all.This time he came back in defeat and returned to the court. He was already mentally prepared to be ridiculed.When Liu Biao treated him like that, he was just sullen and didn't argue with Liu Biao.

People under the low eaves had to bow their heads.He has been an official for so many years, with ups and downs, and he still has this self-consciousness.

Seeing Zhang Ji being so polite, especially Ding Chong being so respectful, he was very happy and felt a little warmth.

"Youyang, you are too polite." Zhou Zhong said with a smile, "I can't bear it."

"No." Ding Chong said solemnly: "Duke Zhou is the state shepherd of my state, as it should be."

Zhou Zhong was a little embarrassed. "It's a pity that I have a name in vain, but I haven't been able to set foot in Yuzhou."

"Liu Bei has never set foot in this state, but he regards himself as Liu Yuzhou. Zhou Gong has an edict from the emperor, even if he has never set foot in Yuzhou, he is still an upright Yuzhou shepherd." Ding Chong held Zhou Zhong's arm with a sincere attitude. "Although the Duke of Zhou is poor, he has come and gone, and the sun and the moon can learn from his love for the court. After returning to the court, the emperor will be able to reuse him."

"Thank you for your kind words." Zhou Zhong was very grateful, holding Ding Chong's arm and shaking it twice. "Youyang, I haven't seen you for two years, you are more and more like a minister, and your future is limitless."

Ding Chong laughed loudly, and asked Zhou Zhong to get in the car and enter the city together.

"Duke Zhou, let's go to Nanyang Academy first." Ding Chong said. "General Hussars has ruled Nanyang for two years, which is his greatest achievement."

Zhou Zhongxin understood and agreed.

When he was in Xiangyang, he heard people say that Ding Chong had recruited many people in Nanyang over the years. He not only promoted enlightenment in Zhang Ji's army, but also set up many schools to recruit the children of common people to study.Although Zhang Ji and Ding Chong's personal reputation is not good, this move is very popular, and even Liu Biao can't say anything wrong.

After all, enlightenment is the most respected virtue of Confucianism, and Liu Biao himself vigorously promoted enlightenment in Xiangyang, but his objects and goals of enlightenment were different from those of Zhang Ji and Ding Chong.

Liu Biao aimed at scholars, while Zhang Ji and Ding Chong aimed at ordinary people and their children.

Chapter 570

Ding Chong led Zhou Zhong to the county school first.

The county school is next to the prefect's mansion, and the gate is only slightly lower than the prefect's mansion, and slightly higher than the prefect's office on the other side of the prefect's mansion.In front of the gate stood a double que, engraved with the two ancient seal characters "Wenchang". Twenty armored soldiers wore martial crowns on their heads, wore armor, held a halberd in one hand, and a shield in the other. They stood upright like pine trees, solemn and solemn.

Zhou Zhong was very surprised, pointing to the soldiers on both sides and said: "This is..."

Zhang Ji took a step forward, smiling brightly. "This is a soldier I specially arranged, so that no one else would disturb the teaching. The scholars in this county school are the pillars of the country, especially those young people who are selected from the entire county. They are all talents."

Zhou Zhong turned his head and glanced at Ding Chong.

Ding Chong echoed: "Everything General Hushi said is true. There are 350 students in Nanyang County School, and 210 five of them are young people selected from various counties. Most of them are from poor families and could not afford to study. It is Huqi With the money the general squeezed out of military expenses, he bought them clothes, paper and pens, took care of food and shelter, and gave them [-] yuan of pocket money every month."

"Really?" Zhou Zhong looked at Zhang Ji in surprise. "Hussars, this is a great virtue."

Zhang Ji smiled and said repeatedly: "It should, it should be. The emperor in Liangzhou regards the children of Han and Qiang as one family, and sends doctors to teach the people to read. I am ordered by the emperor to guard Nanyang. Reading, let down the benevolence of the emperor?"

Zhou Zhong nodded in satisfaction. "After they finish reading, how will they be settled?"

"Those who are willing to join the army join the army, and those who don't want to join the army can work as officials in counties or counties, or study engineering, and work as engineers in workshops, or study medicine, and become doctors in the future..."

Zhang Ji was obviously well prepared, and he talked eloquently, sometimes dragging out a few sentences.At first glance, no one would have guessed that he was a martial artist, with the demeanor of a Confucian general.

The more Zhou Zhong looked at it, the more surprised he became, and he became very curious about Ding Chong.

He didn't believe that Zhang Ji, a warrior from Xiliang, would turn over a new leaf, study hard, and become a modest gentleman.

This must be due to Ding Chong.

The county school had been notified before that Song Zhong, the supervisor Qi Wukai, and the current students were all present, neatly dressed.Zhou Zhong took a quick glance and knew that Ding Chong's words were true, most of them were eleven or twelve-year-old boys.Most of the clothes worn by these children are similar. Although they are half-worn, they are clean, and even if there are patches, they are neatly mended.Judging from their faces, their usual diet is not bad, at least they are enough to eat.

Zhou Zhong randomly called a few teenagers out and asked them what they had learned. The older ones had already learned "Mencius" and "Xunzi", while the younger ones were still learning "Book of Filial Piety" and "The Analects of Confucius".No matter what they study, most of them are catchy, and they are still very familiar with their homework.

"These children are already smart, and they cherish the opportunity to study and work very hard." Qi Wukai, the school supervisor, seized the opportunity, approached Zhou Zhong, and introduced the situation to Zhou Zhong.

Zhou Zhong was very satisfied, stroked his beard, and nodded repeatedly.

Finally, he said something. "Nanyang is worthy of being the hometown of an emperor, with outstanding people. The county school is even more talented. I only have a little regret."

"I also ask Duke Zhou for advice." Song Zhong and Qi Wukai said in unison.

"Do you know that the Son of Heaven educates the people in Liangzhou, regardless of gender, as long as they want to learn, they can learn? All the students here are men, but there are no women."

Song Zhong frowned, and the smile on his face faded a bit. "The sage has three thousand disciples, but there is not one daughter."

Zhang Ji and Ding Chong remained silent, but stared at Zhou Zhong to see how he would react.

Zhou Zhong was also a little unhappy when Song Zhong choked on him.He didn't necessarily want Nanyang to enroll women. He himself was very disgusted with women's enrollment and even being an official. He just said it in passing, with a little joking meaning, to show his easy-going.

But now, he had to argue with Song Zhong.

"The sage has traveled around the world, but has he ever been to Nanyang?"

"I once went to Ye County and Xiangcheng, and saw Chu Kuang accepting public opinion in the city."

"Why don't you come to Wancheng?"

"..." Song Zhong was at a loss for words for a moment.When Confucius traveled around the world, Wancheng belonged to Chu.Chu Yinan regards himself as a barbarian and is not the same as China.Confucius went to Ye and Xiangcheng but not to Wan. In fact, he disliked the lack of culture in Chu.

"The sage's chariot does not reach Wanwan, but the emperor's iron cavalry has already crossed the grassland. Could it be that the emperor is wrong? In your opinion, should the emperor sit in Luoyang like the emperor of Zhou, sit and watch the states and counties fight for hegemony, and do their own thing?"

Beads of sweat dripped from Song Zhong's forehead, and he dared not speak any more.

Zhou Zhong accepted it as soon as he saw it, and said something lightly. "As a disciple of Confucianism, follow the sage's legacy, educate the world, and follow the sage's will. You can't be a prisoner, stick to your deeds. Bringing the sage back to life will definitely not stop at Ye County and Xiangcheng."

"Duke Zhou is right." Ding Chong called out in good time. "Duke Zhou, let's go inside and have a look. Song Jijiu and Qi Wu's supervisor not only teach their children very effectively, but also their knowledge is improving day by day. They just finished a book called "The Essentials of the Five Classics", which has quite new meanings."

Song Zhong and Qi Wukai heard this, and quickly invited Zhou Zhong in to correct their masterpiece.

Zhou Zhong readily agreed, followed to the atrium, and sat down in the hall.The students of the county school sat in the hall and under the corridor according to their age and grade. The courtyard also set up a pergola, spread out mats, and filled the courtyard.

Song Zhong ordered someone to hold out the manuscript of the new book, and asked Zhou Zhong for advice.

The guest and the host discussed the scriptures and meanings happily, as if no conflict had happened.

Zhang Ji sat on the side, he was so confused, his face was almost frozen with laughter.It was finally over, and after leaving the hall, he pulled Ding Chong aside, and said in a hurry: "Youyang, can this be all right?"

"This is the prelude." Ding Chong persuaded patiently: "What is important in the battalion is the key point. Hussars must not relax."

"Hmm." Zhang Ji understood and clenched his fists. "I've already said that if anyone ruins my business, I will kill him. I can't be the chief general of the Eastern Expedition, at least I have to take the lead. I can't just stand by and watch Han Sui make meritorious deeds. You Yang, you too , this is a rare opportunity to become a Marquis, don't miss it."

The two looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

After reading the county school, Zhang Ji and Ding Chong led Zhou Zhong to the barracks again.

The atmosphere in the barracks was stronger than that of the county school. The soldiers lined up and lined the road to welcome them, which made Zhou Zhong feel a little unbearable.

Zhang Ji asked Zhou Zhong to board the general's platform, first inspected the men and horses, and watched the cavalry performance.

During Zhou Zhong's two years in Shouchun, he had met Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's men, as well as Sun Ce and Zhou Yu's subordinates.

I haven't seen him for two years, but Zhang Ji's military capacity has improved significantly, and he feels a bit elite.

Zhou Zhong didn't know if Zhang Ji could deal with Yuan Shao, but he felt that if Zhang Ji marched into Lujiang and defeated Yan Liang, it should be no problem to regain Lujiang, and going south to deal with Liu Biao would be a sure thing.

"Youyang, when will you send troops to Xiangyang?" Zhou Zhong whispered to Ding Chong.

Chapter 571

Ding Chong didn't speak, just shook his head calmly.

Although Zhou Zhong was puzzled, he suppressed his curiosity, watched the performance with great interest, and discussed with Zhang Ji the way to run the army.

Zhang Ji was very excited, and talked about his experience in military training, saying that he was ready, and he could go south and east to serve the emperor with only a piece of edict.

After watching the rehearsal, Zhang Ji invited Zhou Zhong to the camp to check the results of the soldiers' education.

After they arrived in Nanyang, Ding Chong tried every means to recruit many scholars to the barracks.At first, he just taught the soldiers to read and write. Later, I heard that Jia Xu set up a military academy to teach the art of war.

Now there are more than 200 scholars under Zhang Ji's command, and almost every song has a full-time teacher.Most soldiers have basic reading and writing skills, can read and write family letters by themselves, and keep in touch with their families.

They learned many things about Liangzhou from the family letters of the soldiers.Liangzhou is stable, and the families live and work in peace and contentment, which also allows these soldiers to train with peace of mind and prepare for the expedition.

After the grand welcome banquet, Zhou Zhong stayed in the camp.

Zhang Ji drank a lot of wine and couldn't bear it any longer, so he went back first.Ding Chong drinks tea and chats with Zhou Zhong.

At this time, he answered Zhou Zhong's question.

"The soldiers under the hussars are basically Xiliang people. Although they have been educated, their wildness has not been eliminated. There is no problem in defending the city. Once they see blood in the field, they will inevitably relapse and kill innocent people indiscriminately. Whether it is Jingzhou or Yanyu, they are all dressed in clothes. The location, the fat land. I have been slaughtered before, and I can't experience such a catastrophe again."

Zhou Zhong was stunned, and Zhuge Liang on the side nodded as if he had realized something.

Ding Chong looked at Zhuge Liang curiously. "Who is this……"

"This is Zhuge Liang, the son of my old friend Zhuge Xuan, whose name is Kongming. He lives in seclusion outside Xiangyang City. I passed by Xiangyang and brought him here. I intend to recommend him to the emperor's side."

Ding Chong let out an "oh" and didn't ask any more questions.Although Zhuge Liang was handsome, he was an official in the court, and I saw many people like this, so I didn't think it was unusual.

"I heard that Han Sui was stationed in Guanzhong under the order to prepare the army for war, and the Hussar General was a little anxious." Ding Chong laughed twice. "Before admonishing, he sometimes listened and sometimes didn't listen. After hearing the news, he obeyed me."

"Is that the case with those boys in the county school?"

"Master Zhou." Ding Chong smiled even more proudly. "Did Liu Jingsheng mention Song Zhong and Qi Wukai when you passed Xiangyang?"

Zhou Zhong shook his head.

Zhuge Liang said: "Duke Zhou didn't know something. These two people were originally in Xiangyang, and the "Five Classics Essentials" was probably compiled together with Liu Jingsheng. I just saw the two of them, and I was a little surprised why they came to Nanyang County to study and serve as sacrificial priests." Wine, supervisor."

"I spent a lot of money to invite them two." Ding Chong raised two fingers. "The standard of two thousand stones."

"Two thousand stones?" Zhou Zhong was taken aback.

"Two thousand stones, there are other gifts in different seasons." Ding Chong said: "However, it took me more than a year and more than ten envoys from Xiangyang to invite them here. There is one reason why they agreed to come. General Hussars is willing to expand the scale of the county school and recruit more common people's children."

"Then the cost of this county school is not small."

"It's really big. Fortunately, Nanyang is not a big place, and the county school provides board and lodging. Those teenagers can live in the county school without having to travel back and forth, so the county schools in various counties can wait until the world is settled down. "

"Where did you get the money?"

"There are Xinye and Huyang in Nanyang, and there is no shortage of food. Now the medicinal materials business earns a lot of money, and there is no shortage of money."

"What about Nanyang's taxes?" Zhou Zhong couldn't help asking. "Nanyang has a lot of household registrations, so there are a lot of taxes, right?"

Ding Chong glanced at Zhou Zhong, hesitant to speak.

Zhou Zhong coughed twice.He has been in the court for many years, how could he not know that Nanyang is the hometown of the emperor, there are too many relatives of the emperor, those people occupy the best land, but they don't have to pay a single grain.There are many household registrations in Nanyang, but few taxes, and few people dare to do anything.

"They won't pay nothing at all, will they?"

"Talking is better than nothing." Ding Chong smacked his lips. "Looking at it now, Wei Gu and Fan Xian should have been killed at the beginning. The rebellion can survive, so what is there to be afraid of? The Nanyang clan is confident, and we dare not act rashly, for fear that Nanyang will cause chaos and ruin the emperor's plan. Today, the son is calm. After we left Liangzhou, we had some confidence."

Zhou Zhong looked at Ding Chong and smiled silently.

"Then the general from the west of the town is going to the east, can the general of hussars send troops to support him?"

Ding Chong put away his smile and looked solemn. "Duke Zhou, forgive me. General Hussars has been in Nanyang for more than two years, and he dare not let go of his education for a day, and he dare not let go. General Zhenxi's men are all soldiers from Xiliang. We have doubts about military discipline. I discussed with General Hussars, and I want to ask Duke Zhou to speak to the emperor, and General Hussars will be the vanguard to send troops to Runan, isolate Jingzhou, and try his hand at the sword."

"Why don't you go directly to the book?"

"I'm from Yuzhou, so I should avoid suspicion. General Hussars and Han Sui are at odds, so we should avoid suspicion."

"So you leave this trouble to me?"

Ding Chong laughed. "Duke Zhou is strong without desire."

Zhou Zhong stared at Ding Chong for a long time, feeling very complicated.Ding Chong said that he can be strong without desires, but in fact he is not strong without desires, but he knows that his future is limited, but he is calm and puts his mind on supporting the backward.