In a tavern in the east of Xiangyang City, a young man with an ugly face walked into the tavern, his face didn't seem to be very good, he found a desk at random and sat down, and shouted to the tavern guy: "Bartender, bring the wine!" ”

The bartender saw that he was not dressed like an ordinary son, so he hurriedly asked the man to pick up a jar of wine and send it over. The man disliked his ugliness, and went back after putting down the wine jar, and didn't want to talk to him more.

When the man saw that he judged people by his appearance, he also disdained it, and only poured wine and drank it to himself. At this time, an eight-foot man wearing a crane and holding a goose feather fan came over and asked the shopkeeper to bring a seat, a wine table, and a bowl and chopsticks, and share the table with the man to drink.

"Kong Ming, why are you here?" The ugly man asked.

Zhuge Liang put down the feather fan and picked up the wine, and said to him with a smile: "Shiyuan, Nanyang has not seen you and me for three or five years." ”

The ugly man was Pang Tong, he put down his wine and said: "Kong Ming, you are now the chief strategist under Liu Junli's account, and I am just a mere subordinate of Liu Biao, which is a world of difference. Liu Biao is dead, the Cai family is in power, Cao Cao's army is going south, I can't wait for this Xiangyang! ”

Seeing that Pang Tong was unwilling, Zhuge Liang intended to win Pang Tong under Liu Du, so he took up the wine and saluted Pang Tongyi and said: "Today, you are still waiting for the price to sell?" ”

"I Pang Tong has the talent to assist the emperor, looking at the princes of the world, who is worthy of my assistance?" Pang Tong has his own arrogance, and even Zhuge Liang is not convinced.

Zhuge Liang smiled and asked: "Cao Cao descended to Lu Bu, broke Liu Bei, swallowed Yuan Shao, conquered Wuhuan, and commanded many ministers and generals, which can be regarded as the talent of the emperor, why didn't Shi Yuan vote for him?" ”

Pang Tong shook his head and said, "Cao Cao is the lord of chaos, not the king of the world. And he already has Guo Jia to assist, and my vote for him is just icing on the cake. ”

Zhuge Liang heard that Pang Tong also attached importance to Guo Jia, his brows couldn't help but tighten, and said: "My lord Liu Du is dedicated to the Han Dynasty and treats people leniently, although Li Ru and Li Dao's generation are also willing to serve him. Cao Cao hijacked the Son of Heaven, brutalized scholars, and killed Kong Wenju and other celebrities, and everyone in the world hated him. Now my lord wants to unite Liu Bei and Han Xuan to reject Cao Cao, and now is the time to employ people, why don't Shi Yuan assist me together? ”

Pang Tong hesitated: "Liu Du? It's a character. It's just that Cao's army has millions of people, and the Cai family will be afraid of it and surrender to Cao with Jingxiang, and Cao Cao has Guo Jia to assist. Kong Ming, Guo Jia, how sure are you that you can beat him? ”

"It's less than fifty percent, but you and I join forces, how can Guo Jia be enough?" Although Zhuge Liang was not sure that his outwit was better than Guo Jia, Liu Du also had a lot of strategists, and Jiangdong, a powerful foreign aid, it was still possible to defeat Cao Cao.

Pang Tong said: "There are so many strategists under Cao Cao's account. Xun Yu is good at strategizing, Xun Yu is good at internal affairs, and Guo Jia is good at decisive. And the elite of Cao Cao's army is not comparable to my Jiangnan soldiers, so you and I plus Xu Yuan are afraid that they will not be able to break it. ”

Zhuge Liang saw that Pang Tong was persuaded not to move, so it was not good to say anything more. Liu Du also has Jia Xu, an old fox who sacrifices poison from time to time, and it is not a problem to protect himself.

What Zhuge Liang can do is to try to get Jingxiang's talents as much as possible, and not let them fall into Cao Cao's hands. Zhuge Liang knew that Pang Tong was good at knowing people, so he asked what other talents there were in Xiangyang.

Pang Tong said: "Ma's five constants, white eyebrows are the best." Kong Ming, you can go to Xiangyang Ma's house to have a look. ”

Zhuge Liang then said goodbye to Pang Tong and came to visit the Ma family in Yicheng, Xiangyang, the Ma family is a big family in Yicheng, and when he heard the name of Wolong, the Ma family immediately took a few younger brothers out to greet him.

Among them is Ma Liang, Ma Liang is the fourth, and the word is often seasonal. The five Ma Liang brothers are all talented and famous, and Ma Liang is the most outstanding of the five. Because there are white hairs in the eyebrows, people are called white-eyed maleons.

When Zhuge Liang saw Ma Liang, he immediately became interested in Ma Liang. Through some conversations, Zhuge Liang learned that Ma Xuan, Ma Kang, and Ma Jin had all come out and served as subordinate officials in Xiangyang.

Only Ma Liang and Ma Jian have not yet entered the office, Ma Liang saw Zhuge Liang coming to the door in person, and bowed his hand and said: "Mr. Wolong is a military advisor under the account of Brother Liu Huang, is it not to come to my Ma family today to recruit my brothers?" ”

Zhuge Liang said with a smile: "Ji Chang's expectation is good, Cao Cao's army is going south, and Jingzhou is in danger. Our lord Liu Junli cares about the people, and he can't bear the suffering of the people of Jingzhou from the war, and wants to rebel against Cao's soldiers, but he is outnumbered and lonely. Liang has heard the name of Ma's Five Constants for a long time, and I have come to ask you to help my lord. ”

"Mr. Meng Kongming is wrong to love, but he is a good talent and a shallow learner, and I am afraid that he will not be able to repay him." Ma Liang has a good impression of Liu Du, he has not been crowned, and he does not want to be a celebrity. Moreover, the situation is still unclear, and it is not known who will win and who will lose the alliance between Cao Cao and Jingzhou. In case Cao Cao wins, the Ma family will return to Liu Du because of abandoning Cao Cao, and they will inevitably anger the Ma family.

The children of the big family will always put the interests of their own family first, Zhuge Liang saw Ma Liang's worries, and he still hoped that Ma Liang would think about it again.

Zhuge Liang got up to go to the toilet, passed by a courtyard and saw a young man in the courtyard reciting the book of soldiers, "Soldiers, the major affairs of the country, the place of death and life, and the way of survival, must not be ignored and ......."

Zhuge Liang observed the young man, and attracted him at a glance, and the temperament exuded by the young man was very similar to that of his youth. And he was only fifteen or sixteen years old, and he was able to memorize "The Art of War" backwards, and he couldn't help but be amazed again and again.

Zhuge Liang walked over and greeted him: "Who is Childe?" Why do you memorize the Book of War here? ”

"In the dismount, the word is often young. Your Excellency is Mr. Kong Ming? Ma Tan saw Zhuge Liang coming over and bowed to him.

Zhuge Liang asked: "I have never met my son, how can my son know my name?" ”

Ma Tan put away the military book and replied: "I like to read military books, deduce every painting, and often march and arrange in my dreams. I have heard people talk about Mr. Wolong's name, Mr. Yan's lupine scarf, which can kill tens of thousands of male soldiers with a snap of his fingers. Tan Ben didn't believe it, until he heard that Mr. attacked Chen Wu, the little overlord of Jiangdong, with fire, and he bowed down. I saw Mr. today, and I knew that Mr. was as his name. ”

Ma Tan praised Zhuge Liang and was full of joy. Zhuge Liang also asked Ma Jian about his views on the world's major events and the use of soldiers, and Ma Jian answered like a fluent, Zhuge Liang saw that he was a good seedling, so he wanted to keep him by his side.

When Ma Tan saw idols, he was naturally willing to follow Zhuge Liang. Ma Jian wanted to go to Wuling with Zhuge Liang, but Ma Liang resolutely refused, but Ma Jian said to him: "Cai Mao will soon surrender to Cao Cao, my Ma family has been suppressed by the Cai family for a long time, if you follow him to Cao, you will inevitably be afraid of the Cai family." Liu Junli is the brother of the Son of Heaven, and he is also known as benevolence and virtue. This is the opportunity for the Ma family to be honorable, how can you miss the Lord? ”

Ma Liang was persuaded by his younger brother, and it was not impossible to take refuge in Liu Du, but the stakes were too big. But high risk also means high return, just when Ma Liang was entangled, Zhuge Liang helped persuade him, and Ma Liang finally decided to take refuge in Liu Du.

Zhuge Liang shook the feather fan in his hand with satisfaction, and then he was going to get the support of the Liao family, the Huo family, the Deng family and other Jingxiang families, and develop contacts for Liu Du in Jingzhou, but his time was running out.

Cao Cao's army had captured Wancheng and was heading straight for Xiangyang. And Liu Qi was furious when he learned that Cai Mao and others supported Liu Cong as the pastor of Jingzhou, threw the seal letter to the ground, and prepared to raise an army to attack Liu Cong in the name of mourning.

Liu Cong hurriedly asked Kuai Yue, Cai Mao and others to discuss, and Dong Cao Peng Fu Xun said: "Cao Cao's soldiers are menacing, now the eldest prince is in Jiangxia, Liu Bei is in Xinye, I have not reported the funeral, if Bi Xingbing asks for the guilt, Jing Xiang is in danger." Xun has a plan to make the people of Jingxiang as safe as Mount Tai, and to protect the lord and duke. ”

Liu Cong asked: "Will the plan be released?" ”

Fu Xun said: "It's better to dedicate the land of Jingxiang to Cao Cao, and Cao will treat the lord seriously." ”

Liu Cong said: "I have received the inheritance of my father, and I have not yet sat steadily, how can I abandon others? ”

Kuai Yue also persuaded: "Fu Gongyi's words are yes. There is a general situation in the husband's adversity, and there is a fixed trend in the strength and weakness. Now Cao Cao conquered the south and the north, in the name of the imperial court, the lord refused, and his name was not good. And the lord is newly established, the external troubles are not restless, and the internal worries will be made. The people of Jingxiang, hearing that Cao's soldiers are coming, are afraid to cold before fighting, can An be the enemy with them? ”

Liu Cong saw that these civil ministers and military generals did not dare to resist Cao Cao's army, so he had to sigh: "The good words of the princes are not obeyed; But with the father's business, if he abandons others, he is afraid that he will be laughed at in the ears of the world. ”

(End of chapter)