Chapter 314 Changes in the Situation
“Master, Mr. Zhu and Mr. Zhang are here to visit.”
The housekeeper approached Gu Yong and reported in a low voice.
Gu Yong's expression condensed. The Zhu Gong and Zhang Gong mentioned by the steward were none other than Zhu Huan, the head of the Zhu family, and Zhang Yun, the head of the Zhang family, among the four major surnames in Jiangdong.
As the saying goes, there are five of the Four Heavenly Kings.
The four major surnames in Jiangdong are naturally not exempt from customs.
In fact, there are five real Jiangdong four major surnames, two of which are the Zhu family.
The two Zhu families are actually distant relatives. One of them is the Zhu family of Wu County, represented by Zhu Huan, Zhu Zhi, and Zhu Yi. They are also representatives of the four major Zhu families on the surface. The other branch is the Zhu family of Pei, represented by Zhu Zhi and Zhu Ran. This family joined the Sun family much earlier than the previous one. Moreover, this Zhu family is the ancestor of the Neo-Confucian Zhu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty.
The person who comes to see Gu Yong now is naturally Zhu Huan, the head of the Zhu family in Wu County.
Zhu Huan joined the Sun family quite late in history, several years later than Gu Yong. It was not until Sun Ce died and Sun Quan came to power that he clearly expressed his desire to reconcile with the Jiangdong gentry that Zhu Huan began to serve Sun Quan.
Strictly speaking, unlike Gu Yong, Zhu Huan had never served Sun Ce.
Zhang Gong and Zhang Yun were the heads of the Zhang family, the last of the four major surnames in Jiangdong. His son was Zhang Wen, who was evaluated by Gu Yong as an unparalleled genius today.
What does this mean?
To put it simply, Zhang Wen's reputation was so prominent in Jiangdong. He had a strange and majestic appearance, and was elegant and smart in conversation. This made Sun Quan very curious and asked the officials at the time, who could Zhang Wen be compared to?
The two Han Dynasties followed the ancient times and history, especially liked allusions, and they also liked to compare themselves with others when testing their talents.
Great Sinong Liu Ji, the son of Liu Yao, said at that time: "It is equal to Quan Cong."
This praise is already quite high, and Quan Cong is Sun Quan's favorite.
In the end, Gu Yongyou, who was still too often, felt that it was not enough, and praised Zhang Wen as the unparalleled one in the world. This means that he is the leader among Zhang Wen's generation and no one can compare with him.
Even taking into account the factors that the four major surnames raise each other's worth, Zhang Wen's own talents are indeed evident.
In particular, Zhang Wen himself was one of the few pro-Han faction in Soochow, and his political views were to harmonize with Ji and Han and to expand the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains. This is really commendable.
Gu Yong knew in his heart that something big was obviously going on if these two people could ignore the tense situation in Wu County and come together to visit.
So, he hurried into the mansion and soon saw Zhu Huan and Zhang Yun in the hall.
Don't think that the four major surnames of this era are all gentlemen. In fact, both Zhu Huan and Zhang Yun are tall and burly.
Zhu Huan was heroic by nature, he valued righteousness over wealth, he was arrogant, courageous, but quite unruly, and only those with ability could not achieve his power.
Zhang Yun's personality is quite similar to that of Zhu Huan, but there is one word difference. Zhu Huan despised wealth and valued righteousness, while Zhang Yun despised wealth and valued people. Zhang Yun had a very good reputation among the Jiangdong gentry and had friends everywhere. He even helped his friend borrow money to rescue Sheng Xian, the former governor of Wu County, which shows his chivalrous courage.
The three of them are similar in age, Gu Yong is the eldest, he is twenty-nine years old this year, Zhang Yun is the second, he is twenty-eight years old, and Zhu Huan is much younger than them, he is just twenty-one years old this year.
Therefore, Gu Yong was the leader among the three. When Zhang Yun and Zhu Huan saw Gu Yong, they immediately stood up and saluted.
After Gu Yong returned the gift, he invited the two of them into the secret room to talk.
In the secret room, three people sat down.
Zhang Yun and Zhu Huan looked at each other, and the latter asked tentatively: "Where did brother Yuan Tan return from?"
"I'm returning to my uncle's house."
Gu Yong immediately replied: "My wife is worried about my brother, so I specially asked me to come over."
As soon as Gu Yong said this, Zhang Yunhe Zhu Huanju laughed.
Lu Ji’s recent activity has been a bit abnormal.
No matter what reputation Lu Ji has as a child prodigy, he is only a nine-year-old child after all, and he will obviously be very eye-catching.
In fact, Zhu Huan and Zhang Yun also covered up a lot for Lu Ji. After all, the four major surnames in Jiangdong were related to each other and were married to each other. They were all related to each other, so they were naturally different from the others.
Seeing the smiles of the two people, Gu Yong immediately understood what was going on. He also had a wry smile on his face and shook his head.
"Shaowen, Xiu Mu, you two came over here to see my uncle's jokes, right?"
Hearing Gu Yong speak like this, Zhang Yun and Zhu Huan The two men immediately straightened their faces and saluted Gu Yong together: "Brother, the land of Wu is now at war with the sky, and the powerful soldiers and people are in danger. We are people from the county, and we are all villagers on the left and right. We have come here to implore you to give me some help." An idea."
The reason why Zhang Yun and Zhu Huan said this is because at this stage, only the Gu surname among the four major surnames, that is, Gu Yong has the closest relationship with the Sun family and has the best relationship.
Let’s not mention the blood feud between the Lu family and Lu Ji, who was only nine years old and wanted revenge.
The Zhang family and the Zhu family don't deal with the Sun family very much. They both look down on the Sun family and prefer the emperor. Sun Ce, who followed Yuan Shu and returned to Wu, extorted violent taxes and killed countless people. Naturally, he was regarded by Zhang and Zhu as a traitor and traitor.
"Why is Lu Lang such a joke!"
Gu Yong's words made Zhu Huan unhappy. He straightened his body and scolded him: "Brother Yuan Tan really thinks that Lu Lang Is what he did just a joke? "
Gu Yong's face changed slightly, knowing that Zhu Huan's words were half-truth and half-false, but they actually had the intention of forcing him to clarify his stance.
However, Gu Yongming knew the other party's intentions, but he could not ignore him, otherwise Zhang and Zhu would probably sever ties with him on the spot.
Gu Yong pondered for a while and then answered: "Ji Lang acted recklessly and was happy and angry. Acting like this may not be beneficial to the court, but may be taken advantage of by villains."
Zhang Yun answered at this time and said: "Are Xiu Mu and I a villain?"
Gu Yong deliberately showed an unhappy look: "What does Shaowen mean by this? You despise wealth and value people, and you are well-known in the state and county. , in the land of Jiangdong, who doesn’t admire Xiu Mu? How can he be a villain if he is ambitious and courageous and can do things that others cannot?”
“Good!” br>
Zhang Yun and Zhu Huan left the table and paid their respects, pleading: "We have something to ask for, and I hope Brother Yuantan can help me."
Gu Yong was shocked in his heart, but his face was full of surprise. He was still calm and said: "If it is a matter of great righteousness, Yong'an dares to save his strength. Two wise brothers, please come back and talk again."
Zhang Yun and Zhu Huan did not listen, but just bowed: "We want to send someone out of the city and go north to Qu'a."
"Who?"
Gu Yong's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately realized that this must be a hot potato.
Sure enough, Zhang Yun replied: "It's the former governor Sheng Xiaozhang."
A trace of shock flashed across Gu Yong's face. He had some vague guesses, but he really didn't guess that it was Sheng Xian.
Many people may be unfamiliar with this Sheng Xian, but this man is really a big shot in Jiangdong. He is not only a celebrity in Kuaiji, but also serves as the prefect of Wu County. He is quite prestigious and respected in both places.
Sheng Xian became famous when he was young. He was born as Xiaolian. After being gilded in Luoyang, he became a minister.
According to the rules of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Xiaolian needs to go to Luoyang to study every year. After studying, he can become an official.
At that time, only the best among the filial and honest people could serve as ministers, that is, only one person was selected every year.
This shows how talented Sheng Xian is.
Subsequently, Sheng Xian also made a brother in Luoyang, who was also an old acquaintance of Liu Bei - Beihai Prime Minister Kong Rong, and the two had such a good relationship that they became sworn brothers.
But this man also has a shortcoming, that is, he is exactly the same as his sworn brother. He can be called one of the representative figures who has high ambitions but low power.
When he was in the central government, he was still able to get by. When he became a local official, because he had been a minister, he went out directly to serve as the prefect of Wudi, instead of starting from a county.
As a result, after arriving in Wudi, he was unable to compete with the captain Xu Gong, so he simply gave up his position as governor and wanted to resign and go into seclusion.
When Sheng Xian was the prefect, he was forced by Xu Gong to have no place to stay. After resigning, he was no longer the prefect, and he even thought that Xu Gong would let him go.
In the end, Xu Gong was about to kill him, but Gao Dai, Zhang Yun, and Shen worked together to save him.
I thought they had sent Sheng Xian home before, why are they still in Wu County?
“Why is Sheng Xiaozhang still in the city!?”
Gu Yong couldn't help but ask.
Zhang Yun and Zhu Huan looked at each other and smiled bitterly. The former replied: "First Xu Gong and then Sun Ce are both wanted to hunt down Duke Sheng. In addition, the war is intensive and the war is fierce. How can we dare to let Duke Sheng leave? City."
Gu Yong was speechless. He also knew that the other party was telling the truth. Sheng Xian was indeed a human treasure. Even Sun Ce wanted to arrest him. He later died in the hands of Sun Quan. It was simply because he had too strong influence on Wu and Kuaiji. .
Gu Yong was speechless. He had previously thought that Zhang and Zhu came to him to apply for the Southern Conquest together. Unexpectedly, although it was not this, the consequences would be the same. serious.
Gu Yong suddenly remembered something. Since Sheng Xian was already in the city, why didn't he see them coming to him before?
In terms of precautions, when Sun Ce had won many battles and overwhelmed Yu Quan, Wu County's defenses were not as tight as they are now.
Remembering that Zhang and Zhu had just used Lu Ji to test him, Gu Yong still didn't understand why he was being implicated by his uncle.
It was Lu Ji's performance that caught the attention of Zhang and Zhu. They must have checked Lu Ji's performance. Lu Ji's behavior naturally could not be hidden from their eyes.
After testing myself again, I naturally found out my true position.
Even if they make a mistake, the four major surnames are united and believe that they will not betray them.
"Okay."
When the matter came to a close, Gu Yong would not be indecisive and made a decision immediately.
"General Wu is collecting grain and fodder now. I have promised to deliver a batch of grain and fodder to the city. You two should each contribute three thousand dan."
Three thousand dan is really not a small amount. The number was given, but Zhang Yun and Zhu Huan agreed immediately, and they didn't seem to feel too distressed.
Gu Yong continued: "In a few days, I will send people out of the city in the name of delivering food. You ask Sheng Gong to dress up as a team of Chinese scribes and sneak out of the city. There should be reliable manpower outside the city, right?"
"Thank you, brother Gaoyi!"
Zhang Yun and Zhu Huan immediately bowed and thanked him. As long as they left the city, local snakes like them would naturally have many ways to send Sheng Xian to Qu'a.
Although Gu Yong's method has some risks, it is the best method that can be thought of now. How could the two of them disagree.
********
Back in time, after Liu Feng sent troops to Moling, Zhou Yu took his 4,000 men, Zhang Ying and Yu Mi's 4,000 men, and set off to Danyang County to govern Wanling.
Zhou Yu's troops who stayed in the north of the Yangtze River were replaced by Liu Bei's men, so they naturally caught up with him and joined forces with Zhou Yu before he left.
Zhou Yu was very happy to see this. No one would dislike the excessive number of direct troops.
Subsequently, the 8,000-man army marched south to Wanling, and the journey was smooth. Wuhu along the way also prepared wine and meat for the army, and replenished the army's rations.
By the time Zhou Yu arrived at Wanling, Zhou Shang had already gone five miles out of the city to greet him.
"Yu pays homage to Cong father!"
Zhou Yu dismounted from a distance and stepped forward to pay homage to Zhou Shang.
Zhou Shang's face was full of smiles at this time, and he enthusiastically helped Zhou Yu up, praising in his mouth: "You are really my Qilin son."
At this time, Zhou Shang was not ready yet Knowing that it was the Zhou family's rebellion that led to Sun Xiang's capture and the destruction of Shouchun City.
But at least the Zhou family successfully jumped ship and moved from the sunken ship of Yuan Shu to the newer, bigger and stronger Liu Bei. This was enough to make Zhou Shang overjoyed.
Zhou Shang then introduced Zhou Yu into the city, settled many soldiers and horses in the camp to rest, and arranged accommodation for Zhang Ying and Yu Mi. After agreeing on a banquet in the evening, the uncle and nephew had some time alone.
The first thing Zhou Shang asked was not the situation in Jiangbei, but the situation of his eldest brother Zhou Chong.
Of course Zhou Yu would not hide anything, and told Zhou Shang everything that had happened in the past six months in detail.
Zhou Shang listened silently and did not interrupt Zhou Yu, but his expression changed again and again.
After Zhou Yu finished speaking, Zhou Shang sighed: "It turns out that my brother has given up the position of head of the family to Gong Jin."
Zhou Yu hurriedly said humbly: "Uncle, because Yu is the only one around him, he temporarily entrusted him with important tasks. Now that Yu sees that he obeys his father, he should naturally take it as his priority."
Zhou Shang is very open-minded. Otherwise, historically, he would not have been able to persuade Zhou Yu and stab Liu Yao in the back.
He has always admired Zhou Yu. Now that three generations have withered, only Zhou Yu and a few others can survive. Among them, only Zhou Yu is the most heroic and accomplished, and Zhou Shang is the elder who admires Zhou Yu the most. .
You must know that Zhou Shang himself still has a son alive, but his eldest brother Zhou Chong and second brother Zhou Zhong have no heirs alive.
Logically speaking, the direct lineage of the Zhou family should be inherited by Zhou Shang and then passed on to his own son.
But Zhou Shang loved Zhou Yu very much, supported him very much, and doted on him far more than his own son.
"You are my Qilin son. Your father will always grow old. No, your father is actually already old."
Zhou Shang smiled and touched his temples. I can see the white hair.
"The future of the Zhou family is yours, don't act like a daughter."
Zhou Shang said seriously: "Since the eldest brother has chosen you, my father will definitely support you."
Zhou Yu endured the joy in his heart and nodded heavily.
Subsequently, Zhou Shang seemed to not want to continue this somewhat heavy topic, and asked another question: "Piao... the general really said that I can choose whatever I choose?"
Liu Bei is a hussar general at this time, but many people, especially Liu Bei's men, often call him general to show their closeness and respect.
Anyway, Cao Cao is far away in Luoyang, and no one will care about him, and there is no way to care about him. After all, Liu Bei is a real hussar "general".
Zhou Yu laughed and nodded: "After the general arrived in Shouchun, he summoned his nephew and mentioned the matter in person."
Zhou Shang clicked his tongue in disbelief: "The general thinks so highly of our Zhou family. It shows that although our Zhou family has suffered many disasters and has no children, it still has good luck."
Zhou Yu asked curiously He said: "Father, have you already made a choice?"
Zhou Shang shook his head and showed a happy wry smile: "Those positions are all beautiful positions, any one of them is worth it. Better than the governor of Danyang, not to mention that I, the governor of Danyang, am actually only half of him."
Zhou Shang's joke is because Bei Danyang has always obeyed Liu Yao's orders and ignored Zhou Shang, a decent Danyang. This is also the conflict between Zhou Shang and Liu Yao.
Zhou Yu frowned: "I follow my father, but Zhang Ying was ordered to conquer the south and came to take over the post of Danyang Prefect."
To Zhou Yu's surprise, he originally thought Zhou Shang would be a little dissatisfied. After all, he had not made a choice yet.
But who would have thought that Zhou Shang said with a cheerful face: "If Zhang Ying wants to take over, I will naturally hand over the power."
Looking at Zhou Yu who couldn't believe it, Zhou Shang said It was very relaxing: "I'm tired too, and I can just take a rest. The choice given by the general is quite generous. I have to think about it carefully. If I choose the wrong one, my father will regret it very much."
Only then did Zhou Yu realize that Zhou Shang did not care about the position of Danyang Prefect, so he quietly breathed a sigh of relief. When he came, this was what he was most worried about along the way.
In fact, Zhou Shang is quite knowledgeable. In the original time and space history, after Zhou Shang and Zhou Yu stabbed Liu Yao in the back and helped Sun Ce sweep across Jiangdong, Yuan Shu could not wait to replace Zhou Shang with his cousin Yuan Yin. As the governor of Danyang, his food and appearance were extremely ugly.
But Zhou Shang still showed no resistance and even handed over his position as Danyang Prefect without any complaints and returned to Shouchun to obey his orders.
It can be seen that Zhou Shang himself does not have much ambition, which is consistent with his style of handing over the power of the Zhou family to Zhou Yu.
Of course, the friendship between Zhou Yu and Sun Ce was also a helpless decision made by the Zhou family after losing an entire generation of elites and military force. It was not something Zhou Yu could decide at the beginning.
It’s just that after Zhou Yu met Sun Ce, they fell in love, and the two sides developed a true friendship.
Zhou Shang's full cooperation completely dispelled Zhou Yu's worries, so he then laid out his follow-up plan.
After Zhou Shang heard this, he frowned and shook his head repeatedly.
Zhou Yu was taken aback and asked with some confusion: "Does Congfu think there are any shortcomings in Yu's plan?"
Zhou Shang did not answer but said: "You yourself I returned to Shouchun at the beginning of the year, and a lot of things happened in Jiangdong."
Afterwards, Zhou Shang told some things, which made Zhou Yu feel a headache.
Originally, according to the plan discussed by Liu Feng and Zhou Yu, he was going to go to Guzhang, then pass through Wucheng, flank Sun Ce's army, relieve the pressure on Wang Lang of Kuaiji, and at the same time allow Liu Feng to attack Wu Commandery all the way. To gain time.
Originally, whether Guzhang or Wucheng, Yan Baihu was the most powerful force, and Guzhang was even under the influence of Zhou Shang.
As a result, something is wrong this year. From Guzhang to Wucheng, there have been huge changes.
(End of this chapter)