Li Su has always believed that as long as the matter of "Zhang Chun's rebellion" is broken. With his own talent and prophecy, it should not be difficult for himself and Liu Bei to climb quickly in the last years of Emperor Ling.

Needless to say, let's take the simplest example: the matter of the Lingdi West Garden selling officials, that's well-known, right?

Of course, openly buying officials will definitely be despised by the Qingliushi people, which is not conducive to winning people's hearts in the future.

Therefore, it is better to combine meritorious service and purchase of officials, and it is better to add more money to seek secrecy, and to make the money top and get benefits within the scope of the discretion of the awarding of officials allowed by the merits.

Secondly, when Emperor Ling bought officials, the small county magistrate known as 400 stone sold for 4 million yuan, and the county guard with 2,000 stone sold for 20 million yuan. But the term of office of these officials is only one and a half years. The name is "buy", but it is actually "rent".

If you really want to calculate the buyout price according to the actual use value of the official position, ten times the price is not enough.

For example, Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, spent 50 million to buy a Taiwei in order to live the addiction of the third prince, and he did it for three or five months.

However, Li Su knew when Emperor Ling would die and when the princes would ask for Dong. In other words, Li Su can "rent" until the last term of the Ling Emperor before his death.

This is equivalent to you being a rented house in the north, and you only paid three mortgages. As a result, as soon as I moved in, the landlord died violently.

There is still a dead household register, the legal heirs can't find the kind of one, and there is no will about the distribution of real estate.

And then you actually rented a landlord, is there anything more cool in the world than this?

Li Su's general policy for the next two or three years is to make meritorious contributions while trying to "turn buying into rent", magnifying the benefits of his and Liu Bei's meritorious service, and making a move at the time difference before the landlord dies violently to maximize his own interests.

It's not in vain that I read so much about international relations and game theory in my last life.

……

From Anxi to Wuji, it is only ninety miles.

Li Su's riding skills were not very good, so the group rode for nearly two hours.

In order to support the horsepower, the horse was changed once in the middle.

Along the way, Li Su and Liu Bei discussed the world, and they almost figured out the above strategic layout in their hearts.

At about three o'clock in the afternoon, the city walls of Wuji County finally appeared on the horizon.

Zhang Fei took the lead, took off a leather bag from the horse's neck, and poured half a skin into the Zhongshan Winter brew, just like drinking water, and complained after drinking:

"Big brother, going to Zhen's house to mourn is just an excuse. Anyway, we have brought enough dry food and felt tents, and it is better to have more than one thing, and it doesn't matter if we go around Wuji and hurry more. ”

Liu Bei couldn't help but laugh when he heard this: "How can you be so reckless!" When we went out of the city, we talked to the doorman to go to Zhen's house. Tomorrow, when the county magistrate sees that we have not returned, he will inevitably inquire. When the time comes, if someone is sent to Wuji to verify, only to find that we have waited and not come, won't the previous concealment be in vain?

And I remember that Brother Zhen's wife, Zhang, seems to be a person from Changshan Zhending. Only by having a good relationship with the Zhen family can we help us smuggle across the Hutuo River to Changshan, and it will not be half a day. ”

Guan Yu listened, and nodded again and again: "The eldest brother is very safe, third brother, we just have to listen to the arrangement." ”

Between the words, I arrived at the east gate of Wuji County.

Wuji's guards are obviously not as good at talking as Anxi County. Especially when he saw Liu Bei's cavalry, he became nervous after more than 100 meters, and drew his swords and spears one after another.

"Who are you waiting for! Quickly show the talisman! The doorman's hands holding the sword and shield were sweating, lest the other party be a small group of deep black mountain thieves, who had missed the officers and soldiers patrolling the border of Changshan County and Zhongshan County, and sneaked here.

"Liu Bei, the county lieutenant of Anxi, recently heard that his old friend Zhen Yi had passed away, and he came to mourn at the same time." Liu Bei didn't play a big name, he held the official rumor in his hand from afar, and signaled Guan Zhang to restrain his subordinates to wait, and he rode forward alone to answer.

The doorman took the official handbook and read it carefully, and confirmed that it was an official from a neighboring county, so he breathed a sigh of relief, but still asked: "If it is a mourning, why do you bring more soldiers and horses?" ”

There were 19 horsemen and nearly 40 horses.

And because Liu Bei raised troops in Zhuo County, the cavalry under his descendants were all mixed with Hu and Han. Especially this time it was too hasty, and the Han cavalry had to settle down in a small family, so most of the people he brought were Wuhuan Tu horses.

This team looks very elite, no wonder the other party is afraid.

Liu Bei replied without humility or arrogance: "Black Mountain thieves are rampant, the roads are not quiet, as a military attache of the imperial court, how can you not be vigilant when traveling?" Aren't you county lieutenants like the same - what's your name, but you are also diligent and commendable. ”

These words are very cleverly said.

The first is to convey that he and Wuji's Lu County Lieutenant are colleagues. secondly, he praised the county lieutenant of Lu County for being on a par with him, and praised the doorman by the way.

It's a bit like "General Patton" saying "I'll promote you to sergeant, California boy" to a strict law enforcement orderly.

The doorman finally changed his attitude and sent him off with a smile: "What County Lieutenant Liu said is very true, please enter the city - do you want to lead the way?" ”

"No need." Liu Bei made a full set of plays, pretending to ask the other party's name seriously, as if he would really go to the county lieutenant Lu to give him a few kind words, and then rode into the city.

……

The group soon arrived at Zhen's Mansion, Liu Bei dismounted first, and then Chen Qing came to his senses, and someone reported the introduction.

The cavalry rested under the porch.

When I walked to the third entrance of the main courtyard, I saw two young men dressed in white silk robes with gray-yellow kudzu scarves on their heads descending to greet them.

The Han Dynasty's requirement for mourning clothes was that they were not allowed to be dyed, that is, to retain the natural color of the fabric. The headscarf can only be made of kudzu cloth or linen, and cannot be made of silk, so there are few pure white ones.

But there is no limit to the material of the clothes. The rich man's silk filial piety clothes are pure white; Only the poor wear hemp and kudzu. Later, when Cao Cao was in power, he cracked down on the style of thick burials and simplified the level of filial piety, so he forcibly unified the material of filial piety clothing in etiquette.

So looking at the young man's dress, he knows that they are Zhen Yi's sons.

Liu Bei politely bowed his hand and explained his intention: "The two young gentlemen mourn on the festival, and Liu Bei, the county lieutenant of Anxi, had a slight friendship with Ling Zun in his early years. These are my second brother, third brother, and Mr. Shupeng Li. ”

"It turned out to be County Lieutenant Liu, Hugh said so, Your Excellency came at the same time, closed the door up and down, and felt generous." The teenagers also returned the salute and introduced each other.

The older one on the left is named Zhen Yan, fifteen years old, and the one on the right is called Zhen Yao, who is only thirteen years old.

After all, Zhen Yi was only in his thirties when he died, and the men in the family were naturally relatively young. Seeing that the Zhen Yan brothers are not very mature in their speech, they don't dare to hold it up when receiving guests.

This is just the right thing to do.

The group was led to the mourning hall by Zhen Yan, Liu Bei saluted in front of Zhen Yiling, and said some clichés such as "Brother Zhen walks slowly, and the younger brother is one step late", and the worship is over.

The white matter has been on the table for a month and a half, and the people who should have come to pay tribute have already come, so they are not so particular about their group of guests today.

When Liu Bei was worshipping, Li Su had been curiously observing from the side.

The mansion is very luxurious, and he also knows that Zhen Mi belongs to this family, but the little girl is only four or five years old now, and she probably can't see the beauty and ugliness when she sees it. Even if it was her four sisters, she had to serve three years of mourning before she could think about it, so Li Su had no sex.

"I'm here to ask for help today, and I'm thinking about what I'm doing." Li Su secretly admonished himself in his heart, and then he retracted his mind.

On the other side, Zhen Yan had already finished the salute and asked casually: "County Lieutenant Liu has been tired of the journey, and he is really lazy." The little nephew was young and ignorant, and his father didn't have time to explain many things, so he didn't know why Liu County Lieutenant and his father met, and he had to ask for advice. ”

It can be seen that Zhen Yan is also a little suspicious that these people are here to make friends with the autumn wind. It's just that as a son of a family, you still have to pay attention to decency, so I didn't show it when I worshiped just now.

However, Liu Bei had already thought about it on the road: "The Zhen family is in charge of the Liaodong Trade Road, who in this county doesn't know?" Zhuojun Zhang Shiping, Su Shuang and other wealthy businessmen who sell Wuhuan war horses, you should also have more dealings, right?

In his early years, he traveled to Luoyang, and was a guide for Zhang and Su, selling horses to Sili. Three years ago, Su Shuang got a batch of Wuhuan horses from Liaoxi, and met Brother Zhen on the way back. Brother Zhen took a fancy to one of them and wanted to buy it, but Su Shuang also promised to give it when he came back.

It's just that on the way back, he encountered the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and Bei hurriedly gathered the disciples and rebels in the township to fight the thieves, so Su Shuang gave the horses to Bei. Remembering that being diligent in the national disaster was the first, he appropriated it for the time being. Unexpectedly, after a few years of delay and neglect of the visit, he actually let Beibei lose his trust in Brother Zhen. This time, you should present this horse. ”

Li Su was beside him, and when he heard Liu Bei's words, he was also quite impressed. Fortunately, he was well educated and did not show a surprised expression.

Liu Bei, the emotional intelligence of making friends is really powerful.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Zhen Yan immediately thanked him: "Uncle Shi is so righteous, comparable to Ji Za's hanging sword, and the little nephew is ashamed." ”

The allusion of Ji Zha's hanging sword is that when Ji Zha, the son of Wu State, visited Xu Guojun in the Spring and Autumn Period, Xu Jun fell in love with the sword he was wearing, and Ji Zha, because he still had a mission to other countries, it was inconvenient to give the sword immediately, so he promised to send it when he returned.

But when Ji Za came back, Xu Jun had already died of illness, so Ji Za hung the sword on the tree in front of Xu Jun's grave, so he was regarded by the world as a moral model of renewing promises and keeping promises.

Now Zhen Yan has never heard his deceased father mention that Liu Bei owes him horses, but Liu Bei took the initiative to "keep his promise", and he really deserves this reputation.

Zhen Yan thought about it for a while, and then invited graciously: "I don't know if Uncle Shi's military affairs are handsome, if you have time, it is better to stay in the cold house for a few more days, so that the little nephew can enjoy the friendship of the landlord." Four days later, it will be the day of the seventh day of the father's break, and there will be many other distinguished guests to visit, and Uncle Shi will just talk to you. ”

Liu Bei's face remained unchanged, but his demeanor was obviously hesitant.

It is estimated that he also regretted acting in his heart, which caused the Zhen family to be too moved, but it was self-defeating to stay too attentive.

Of course, it is impossible to stay and participate in Zhen Yi's Breaking the Seven Rites, and when the time comes, the corpses of the post will stink, and they will not be arrested in this line.

Seeing this, Li Su knew that he needed his help to relieve the siege at this time, so he hurriedly spoke: "Lord, didn't you say that you have recently been on discord with Zhang Duyou and Pang County, and you have to go to Yecheng to complain about this matter?" ”

"Boya! This is a private matter for me, so why bother others. Liu Bei answered very understandingly, and then turned to Zhen Yan, "Let the virtuous nephew smile, Li Shupeng is also afraid that he will stay for a long time, and when the time comes, it will be difficult for you to meet those colleagues who have bad intentions here." ”

Zhen Yan originally mentioned it casually, but when she saw this, she no longer insisted: "It's okay, Brother Li is also kind." This matter is the little nephew's presumptuousness, since the uncle has another business trip, he does not dare to force him to stay. ”

Liu Bei took the opportunity to request: "Actually, Bei originally planned to do something here, so he had to go to Yecheng to appeal for some affairs. But I went out in a hurry today, and I didn't have time to go to Lunu to ask for a talisman, so it was difficult to pass the customs inspection. I wonder if my nephew can help me and send me to Changshan? It also saves the labor of preparing for the return trip to Lunu. ”

"What's so difficult about this, let Uncle Zhang take you with you in a while. With the banner of our Zhen family caravan, the patrol Sima of Zhendingdu, I don't dare to make a mistake if I want to. Zhen Yan agreed, this help was a complete matter for the Zhen family.

"Thank you very much." Liu Bei gestured.