Chapter 172 Er Chen Guitan
Liu Feng also knew this very well. He was really generous before, after all, the person he was with was his idol.
It doesn’t matter if the name is called, it just makes the idol owe him a big favor.
In exchange for the favor and debt of Marquis Wu, Liu Feng at least felt that he had gained a lot by just naming him.
When it comes to seeking fame, Liu Feng has plenty of means and is not lacking in this.
Therefore, he was very happy that his idol named the quill.
But now it seems that it is really difficult to sell this favor.
Helping, Liu Feng could only answer Zhuge Jin first: "This pen has a very short life and can only be used for seven to ten days. However, after each ink is drawn, it can write twenty to thirty words. ”
The quill pens of later generations can write 100 to 120 English letters and 50 to 70 Chinese characters.
But those Chinese characters are all simplified characters, with far fewer strokes than the fonts of the Han Dynasty.
Although many simplified characters have appeared in the Eastern Han Dynasty, seal script and official script are still used in most formal books.
Cursive script is limited to low-level clerical notices and draft letters. As for regular script, although it has already appeared, it will take a full two hundred years to defeat official script and become the most mainstream font. Now, it is just a font. younger brother.
Considering this, Liu Feng reduced the number of words written with the quill pen to one-third of the original level.
"Is this pen so short-lived?"
Zhuge Liang's attention was once again attracted to the quill pen. In his opinion, even if it can only write twenty or thirty words at a time But the efficiency is still far better than that of a brush.
After all, a brush dipped in ink can only write three or four words at most, and the efficiency gap between the two sides is more than five times.
However, the lifespan of a brush is much longer than that of a quill, but it is also difficult to make and requires good maintenance, which is very troublesome.
To sum up, it is indeed much more convenient to use a quill pen.
Not only is the price low, but the lifespan is also short, easy to use and can be replaced at any time. In such a comparison, the brushes are really inferior.
Later, after visiting the papermaking workshop, Liu Feng took Xun You and three others to Liu'er Camp to see the orphans adopted in the name of Xuzhou Prefecture.
Both Xun You and Zhuge brothers were thoughtful, obviously touched and had many ideas.
When the sun set in the west, Liu Feng hosted a banquet for three people in the state capital. Today's invitation has come to an end.
Xun You didn't think much about it. This was the invitation Liu Bei had sent to him in his letter.
When Liu Feng saw Xun You off today, he also asked him if he was interested in going to Xiangbi to view the farming.
When Xun You expressed interest, Liu Feng said he would arrange it as soon as possible.
Along the way today, Xuzhou greatly touched Xun You.
If Xuzhou is a paradise, then Jingzhou and Xiangyang are actually not bad, and are even much more comfortable than Xuzhou.
After all, there are traces left by Cao Cao on the city walls of Tancheng last fall, indicating the war that the city has just experienced.
But Xiangyang is like a peaceful time, far away from the war, and it is not as peaceful as a troubled world.
But Xun You felt that compared with Jingzhou, Xuzhou was more lively.
Although Xiangyang is comfortable and stable, it has inherited the decadent atmosphere of the late Eastern Han Dynasty.
Although it seems peaceful and prosperous, there is a lot of rot inside, just like the old empire of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it is slowly sliding towards collapse.
But Xuzhou is completely different. Although it has been traumatized and has traces of war everywhere, Xuzhou, whether it is the state capital, the nobles, the common people, or the soldiers, all show positive and optimistic emotions. .
Although Xun You couldn't tell the difference between Xuzhou and Jingzhou, the difference was very clear.
After today's viewing, Xun You became more and more curious about Xuzhou, and he really wanted to stay.
As for the Zhuge brothers, after they returned home, they also discussed their encounters during the day.
Liu Feng's actions undoubtedly confirmed the Zhuge brothers' previous guesses.
"Second brother, Mr. Liu really treats my family differently."
Zhuge Jin looked solemn and frowned slightly: "Mr. Xun is a direct descendant of the Xun family in Yingchuan and a famous person in the world. . He even participated in the plan to kill Dong Zhuo in Chang'an, and was later recommended by the court as a county governor. How can you and I be ranked on the same level as Mr. Xun? "
Zhuge Liang nodded in agreement? , but his expression was much more relaxed than Zhuge Jin: "Brother, no matter what, Mr. Liu is always kind to my family. Previously, Liu Shijun also recruited his uncle and recommended him as the county governor, which shows how much he is valued by my family. I have been deeply indebted to Liu Shijun and his son, so I should think about how to repay it and not be suspicious rashly."
Zhuge Jin looked shocked and looked apologetic: "What the second brother said is true. The Liu family has been kind to my family, and it was a life-saving favor. I am really suspicious."
Zhuge Liang comforted his brother. : "Brother and young man are running the house and fighting against the odds. How can I act carelessly?"
Zhuge Jin showed a smile and nodded towards his younger brother to show his gratitude.
In the next few days, Chen Deng, Lu Su, and Chen Qun returned to Tancheng one after another, while envoys from Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Guo Gong also arrived in Tancheng in turn.
Yuan Shao's envoys were naturally Xin Ping and Guo Jia. They should have arrived a long time ago, but because Yuan Tan and Tian Kai had another large-scale war in Qingzhou, they had to postpone their departure. .
There are two roads from Jizhou to Xuzhou, one of which is to cross the Yellow River from Qingzhou, then go south via Beihai State, follow the valleys of the two rivers, follow the Yishui River and cross Kaiyang, and finally reach Tancheng.
The other way is to cross the Yellow River from Cangting in Dongjun, then pass through Dongping State, go to Nansi Lake in Rencheng, turn from Surabaya into Yishui, and go upstream to Tancheng.
Qingzhou Yuan Tan cannot leave due to the battle with Tian Kai, but the road to Yanzhou is also impassable. At this time, Cao Cao is fighting with Lu Bu, and the relationship between Yuan Shao, Lu Bu, and Zhang Miao is also the same. Water and fire.
Xin Ping has always been wise in protecting himself, but he does not want to risk his own life.
This delay lasted for more than two months. In the end, after Yuan Tan defeated Tian Kai, Xin Ping and others came south from Qingzhou.
The envoy sent by Cao Cao this time was the famous Yanzhou wise man Cheng Yu.
Guo Gong hired his own official, Huang Jiu, who was also a local celebrity in Liang State. .
At this moment, entrusted by Guo Gong, he was sent as an envoy to Xuzhou.
After Chen Qun arrived in Xuzhou, he first asked to see Liu Bei.
"Mr. Chen is really coming to Tancheng?"
Liu Bei was so surprised that he almost stood up, with a look of surprise on his face.
It turns out that Chen Qun's request to see Liu Bei this time was to tell Liu Bei that his father Chen Ji was already on his way to Tancheng.
Since Pingyuan surrendered, Chen Ji lived in seclusion between Donghai Kingdom and Xiapi Kingdom for a period of time. After the situation in Yingchuan stabilized, he returned to Yuzhou.
Later Liu Bei was recommended by Tao Qian as the governor of Yuzhou. When he was stationed in Xiaopei, Chen Ji recommended his son Chen Qun to Liu Bei. The latter was overjoyed and worshiped Chen Qun as his farewell commander.
To be fair, the Chen family does value Liu Bei very much. Chen Qun is the eldest son of Chen Ji, and he wants to inherit the family business and bring glory to the family.
Chen Jineng arranged Chen Qun to work under Liu Bei, which was equivalent to entrusting Chen Qun to Liu Bei.
Although Liu Bei at that time had the title of governor of Yuzhou, he also had five or six thousand troops.
But that title is false. Tao Qian’s performance has not been authenticated by the Central Committee of the Han Dynasty. As for the troops, two-thirds of them were donated by Tao Qian.
For such a down-and-out little warlord, Chen Ji was willing to let his son assist him, which shows how sincere Chen Ji's appreciation for Liu Bei was.
From Liu Feng's point of view, the only thing Liu Bei could attract Chen Ji was his benevolence and love for the people. And coincidentally, history also records that Chen Ji was a famous person who loved the people and was kind-hearted, which can be regarded as mutual confirmation.
Although Chen Ji is not Liu Bei's old master, he can definitely be regarded as Liu Bei's nobleman, and the two of them are extremely harmonious when they get along.
When Liu Bei heard that Chen Ji was coming, he was naturally very happy.
"Okay, great!"
Liu Bei was a little excited, so he simply stood up, walked to Chen Qun and asked, "Changwen, Mr. Chen is here, is there anyone on the way? Arrangement? Nowadays, there are many bandits and rebels running rampant. We must ensure that Mr. Chen arrives in Tancheng safely and be prepared to go out of the city to greet him."
When he heard that Liu Bei was going to go out of the city to greet him, Chen Qun was moved and kowtowed in gratitude: "Meng. We are extremely grateful for such kindness from Duke Ming, and we will definitely do our best to repay Duke Ming in case anything happens.”
"Bei Su knows the heart of long essays."
Liu Bei helped Chen Qun up, held his hand and asked, "Does Mr. Chen have any intention of prefectures and counties when he comes here?"
>Chen Qun quickly shook his head. He and his father Chen Ji had already exchanged opinions in letters.
I had just become the county guard, and I skipped the county magistrate rank directly. This was all due to Liu Bei's promotion. Generally, after leaving office normally, Biejia would serve as the magistrate of a large county.
The reason why Zhao Yu and Wang Lang were able to become county guards was because Li Jue and Guo Si lacked allies. After seeing Tao Qian take the initiative to pay tribute, the special commendations given to Tao Qian were also mixed with some sand.
Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult for Bie Jia to become a county guard.
But Chen Qun did it, and he only served as a driver for less than half a year. After arriving in Xuzhou, he became a professional.
Strictly speaking, he did not transfer to a county guard, but was engaged in a transfer to a county guard. At the same time, he was still an outsider.
Even though Liu Bei became more and more powerful in Xuzhou, he encountered a lot of resistance at the time. Chen Qun knew all of these situations and was very grateful to Liu Bei for this.
Now hearing that Liu Bei still wanted to arrange for his father, Chen Qun quickly declined and said: "Qun is deeply favored by Ming Gong, and my father is also honored. This time I came to Xu because Yingchuan suffered another military disaster, so I had no choice but to find a place." A quiet place to treat classics."
Liu Bei suddenly realized that Chen Ji was here to escape.
What Liu Bei didn't know was that in history, Chen Ji also fled to Xuzhou later, but it was none other than Cao Cao who scared him to run away.
Chen Jixian was frightened by Cao Cao's brutal methods of killing his ministers Tai Chong, Shangshu Feng Shuo, Yilang Hou Qi and others. Later, when he went to Hebei to worship Yuan Shao as Taiwei, the latter despised the official position. He was under Cao Cao and refused to accept it. Instead, he had to give up the Taiwei to Chen Ji.
In the end, although the matter was calmed down because Cao Cao gave up the position of general to Yuan Shao and gave in himself as Sikong.
But the cautious Chen Ji was worried that he had offended Cao Cao, so he gave up his official position as Shangshu Ling and ran away again.
When Chen Ji fled to Xuzhou, Liu Bei had already been stabbed in the back by Lu Bu to Xiaopei.
Later, Chen Ji and Chen Gui worked together to destroy the marriage between Lu Bu and Yuan Shu, leading to Lu Bu's defeat.
The two of them met again later, already at Baimen Tower.
Historically, Liu Bei had no chance to repay Chen Ji, but it is different now.
Hearing that Chen Ji just wanted to ask for a quiet local governance classic, Liu Bei pondered for a while and said: "In that case, I can temporarily surrender Chen Gong to work as a scholar in Xuzhou, and Chen Gong can live in our state capital, and I can listen to him day and night. Chen Gong’s teachings.”
Liu Bei had real feelings for Chen Ji, so he was very considerate.
Chen Qun once again bowed down with gratitude, willing to follow Uncle Fang’s orders.
Shortly after Chen Qun returned to Tancheng, Chen Deng also came back.
After he entered the city, he did not go to visit his father first, but first went to the state capital to visit Liu Bei.
Liu Bei was overjoyed when he saw Chen Deng.
Immediately went out to greet Chen Yuanlong in person and welcomed Chen Yuanlong into the main hall.
After Chen Deng paid homage to Liu Bei, he began to report seriously on the situation of the three counties of Langya.
Don’t think Chen Deng is just the prefect of Dongguan County and the military commander of the three counties of Langya.
Ke Mi Fang admires Chen Deng very much. He is undoubtedly Chen Deng's younger brother. Even if the other party openly interferes in the affairs of Langya County, he will not have any objection.
Chen Qun is low-key and cautious, and Chen Deng is a fan of the Chen family.
Yes, Chen Yuanlong, who is extremely talented and proud of his talent, is a true fan of the Chen family.
Not only did he admire Chen Qun's grandfather, Chen Shi, but he also admired Chen Qun's father, Chen Ji, and uncle, Chen Chen. They were also very warm and friendly to Chen Qun, and they often exchanged letters and became good friends.
Therefore, Chen Deng was actually able to control the military and political power of the original Langya County.
Liu Bei had heard about this for a long time, but he didn't care at all. He had the utmost trust in Chen Deng.
Chen Deng finished reporting on Langya's situation. Generally speaking, Langya's grain harvest this year can be stable at last year's level.
Chen Deng's main focus at present is to adjust the official team. He clearly rewards and punishes, emphasizes power and rule, and in one breath he replaced one county magistrate, two county magistrates, four chief registrars, and thirty county-level officials. Seven people revived the lax officialdom in the three counties of Langya.
At the same time, he also actively organized and trained elite troops. With both kindness and power, he successfully divided the powerful local armed forces in Langya, brought them under his command, turned them into his own use, and fully upgraded the Langya County soldiers.
Chen Deng, Chen Qun and Mi Fang have only been in office for a few months, but they have already stabilized the people of Langya. At the same time, they have also encouraged production and taught farming and mulberry farming, and they have performed very well.
After hearing this, Liu Bei's face was full of satisfaction, and he praised Chen and Deng.
Then, Chen Deng straightened up and said loudly: "Deng has something to ask for, and I sincerely ask for your permission."
"Yuanlong has something to do, but it doesn't matter."
Liu Bei smiled and waved his hand: "There is nothing that cannot be said between you and me, the monarch and my ministers."
Chen Deng also laughed. There is nothing better than this for monarchs and ministers to know each other.
"Ming Gong, please request the map of Langya."
Chen Deng's request was immediately met. Liu Bei and Chen Deng walked to a desk, and Liu Bei personally pulled out the map of Langya County and opened it.
Chen Deng glanced around for a few times and soon landed in a valley.
"Ming Gong, please take a look."
Chen Deng pointed to the valley and said: "Ming Gong, this is the Wushui River Valley, sandwiched between Mengshan Mountain and Nishan Mountain. It is Taishan County, Yanzhou The key passage into Langya. "
"When Tao Gong was here, he controlled Huayin and Meng counties in this valley."
Having said this, Chen Deng showed a look of resentment on his face, and continued: "It's just that when Cao Yanzhou entered Xu for the second time, he easily broke through this mountain road, bypassed Kaiyang, and went south to Tancheng."
Liu Bei also knew about this, nodded, and asked: "What does Yuan Long want?"
Chen Deng continued: "I sincerely ask the Duke of Ming Dynasty to allow me to expand the army by 4,000 people, and write another letter to let Xuan Long With Gao's help, we can easily regain the Wushui River Valley."
"This..."
Liu Bei frowned, feeling a little embarrassed at the same time.
This military expansion does not involve Chen Denglangya's army.
If Chen Deng doesn’t mention it, then it will be fine.
But now Chen Deng took the initiative to request the expansion of the army, and the reasons he gave were very reliable. Even Liu Bei himself had had plans in this regard before, but he had to put it on hold for the time being.
Chen Deng now takes the initiative to ask for a job. It is both emotional and reasonable, and it is difficult for Liu Bei to refuse. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a loss to his loyal minister, capable minister and confidant?
Seeing Liu Bei's hesitation, Chen Deng was so alert that he quickly realized that there might be some unknown situation that affected Liu Bei's decision, so he tentatively asked: "Ming Gong, But what’s wrong?”
Liu Bei woke up, showed a smile and comforted him: "What Yuan Long said is very reasonable, and Bei deeply agrees with it. It's just the expansion of the army, which is still being discussed at this time. It is also for this reason that I am recruiting you back this time."
Speaking of this, Liu Bei paused for a moment, giving Chen Deng time to think and sorting out his subsequent thoughts, and then continued: "For this military expansion, Guangling needs to expand at least 10,000 troops, so that the Guangling Army The number reached 20,000. Xuan Gao, Guorang, and Zijing were on the front line, surrounded by Yan and Pei, and they were ready to expand their troops to 6,000 from the three schools. "
In this way, these two places. The total number is 38,000. Taking into account Xuzhou's existing military strength, it goes straight to the 70,000 mark.
At this time, Chen Deng didn't know that Liu Bei wanted to reduce the troops in Donghai and Xiapi counties, so he naturally included these two troops.
When Chen Deng thought of this, he immediately understood what Liu Bei was worried about.
It is not easy to raise troops in Xuzhou, and it is even more difficult this year.
Seeing Xia entering the warehouse, Liu Bei finally breathed a sigh of relief.
If we don’t plan carefully when expanding our military this year, starting early next year, we won’t have to make the same mistake again.
However, Chen Deng did not intend to give in this time, because he felt that the location of the Wushui Valley was too important. If Langya could control the Wushui Valley, he would not be afraid of Yanzhou's sudden attack from here.
The increase in Langya's total military strength is also to better defend the north.
Therefore, Chen Deng took the initiative to make suggestions and wanted to reduce the troops in Guangling.
"Ming Gong, now that Guangling has been captured, the situation in the south is naturally very different. Guangling is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is protected by many cities and surrounded by lakes. Why does it need a garrison of 20,000 troops? Just watch it from the top. It’s only a matter of chance.”
What Chen Deng thought is actually not wrong. If it is purely defensive, putting 12,000 men in Guangling is more than enough, as long as the main support of Xuzhou can be guaranteed. If they arrive in time within a month, even if they put six to eight thousand people in Guangling, they will be able to do it with ease.
But Chen Deng didn't know that Liu Bei and Liu Feng both wanted to take advantage of Liu Yao's God-given opportunity to get involved in Jiangdong.
(End of this chapter)