With Li Sheng's series of assurances and the display of strength in his hands, Liu Bei and Lu Su's attitude towards Li Sheng was naturally much better. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoAlthough these may not have the initial intimate feeling for Li Sheng, at this moment, it is not very realistic to want to resume doing the original thing, but it is enough to be able to save it now.

After the meeting, at the next banquet, Li Sheng was even more humble and polite, and he praised and praised Liu Beijun's people from time to time, so that everyone who communicated with him couldn't help but show a smile on their faces. This made him gain the favor of more people, but it also made Kong Ming, who came with Li Sheng, feel a little suffocated. They felt that their lord seemed to be acting a little too lowly.

"My lord, you have to get imposing. You must put yourself on the same level as Liu Bei, Sun Quan, and even Cao Cao. After all, in terms of current strength, we are already about the same as Liu Bei and Sun Quan, and we can even say that our strength has surpassed them: Liu Bei doesn't need to say much, he has nothing but the army in his hands; As for Sun Quan, although he has a territory of six counties, his development is not very good, and the lack of population and sparse population is really his biggest weakness. This is really far from our Jingnan. As far as the number of troops is concerned, if it weren't for the fact that the lord has repeatedly demanded that we not expand our army too much, I am afraid that we will have even 200,000 troops at present. Therefore, the lord really didn't need to smile at Liu Bei and Lu Su, as if he was extremely humble. After the meeting, he returned to his ship, and Kong Ming, as a military advisor, naturally took on the task of persuading Li Sheng.

"But this will win them over. With the support of good feelings, things should be much smoother for us. Li Sheng also has his own reasons: "As long as you can get things done, even if you are humble, what is there to be?" ”

"Lord, you are still too underestimated, Liu Bei and Lu Su are them." Zhuge Liang shook his head and disagreed with Li Sheng's reasoning: "The conversation at the banquet, the politeness of the lord will indeed make Liu Bei and Lu Su have a good impression. However, such a good feeling is really not worth mentioning for these people. They will support the lord because of their favor, but such support must be based on the premise that the lord does not threaten their interests. Liu Bei wants Jingzhou, and Dongwu also has ambitions for Jingzhou, and the plan formulated by the lord can only be completed if Jingzhou is obtained, which makes the three of us all have interests on the Jingzhou issue. There are no eternal friends and no eternal enemies between countries, this is still what you taught me at the beginning, why did the lord forget it now. I can see that the lord has a good opinion of Liu Bei, but no matter how good the view is, it seems that the lord should not affect his decision because of such an opinion. The lord should calmly analyze and treat all this. Being too emotional doesn't do the lord any good. ”

Zhuge Liang said to Li Sheng, his current appearance was as long-winded as a woman in the neighborhood. However, Li Sheng knew that Kong Ming's verbosity only appeared more often when he faced himself alone, and if it was in normal times, unless there was a real need, he would definitely not do so. "This ...... Maybe it's the special treatment of special people. As a brother who grew up with Zhuge Liang, he naturally knew Kong Ming's concern for himself hidden in this nagging.

"Maybe so." Li Sheng was very sincere when Kong Ming said this, and he lowered his head very sincerely, putting on an appearance of humbly admitting his mistake. In fact, he did realize his mistake: "Alas, I was still too deeply influenced by the Romance of the Three Kingdoms." Just remembered what kind of good person Liu Bei was, but forgot that he was also a big hero in the Three Kingdoms. Just thinking about how he should develop, but forgetting that his development is actually robbing Liu Bei's job. Careless, careless. Li Sheng secretly regretted in his heart, and he began to think about how to get out of the current situation.

But is it so easy to change the impression that has already been created on others? Li Sheng thought about it for a long time and didn't come up with a reason, and he was annoyed when he stared. Suddenly, he saw Zhuge Liang's smiling face, and suddenly had an idea in his heart: "Kong Ming, now you have to help me." Now that the bad impression has been made, you are the only one who can change all this. I'll leave this to you now, and you can do whatever you like. I just want results. ”

"Ahh When Li Sheng said this, Kong Ming was drinking tea, and when he heard that his lord was so Laipi threw everything on him, he couldn't help but squirt out a mouthful of tea, and it rained in the cabin very ungracefully. He was stunned, and looked at Li Sheng with his glasses: "Won't it?" You just don't care about anything? ”

"Yes!" Li Sheng nodded heavily, patted Kong Ming's shoulder lightly and said, "Everything will be left to you." Those who can work harder. You just have to work hard. ”

"It's okay to work hard. But is there a subsidy behind this hard work? Kong Ming looked at Li Sheng with admiration, and his two big eyes seemed to turn into the shape of copper coins at this moment, and suddenly revealed a cyan light. There should be subsidies for doing things, and there should be subsidies for overtime. This was originally Li Sheng's usual joke with Kong Ming, and he had always said this to Kong Ming, but at this moment, he was so countered by Kong Ming.

"Subsidies? That's fine. Catch up with Ming'er, I'll send you a beautiful woman, and it's all about this labor fee. Li Sheng said with a snicker. The rhetoric of subsidizing is what he came up with, and he is also familiar with how to resolve the countermeasures against himself by others using this. For Kong Ming, Li Sheng naturally understood what he was most unwilling to.

"You ......" Kong Ming was completely dumbfounded. Everyone knows how much he loves his wife, if he has to make a "good man" selection among the officials in Changsha City. This Kong Ming can really take the lead. Even Li Sheng's wives often compare Kong Ming's concentration with Li Sheng's "flower heart", although Li Sheng's wife and concubine are considered to be few among the officials and rich people in Changsha City, but compared with the single-minded Kong Ming, they are still too careful, even if this "flower heart" is not his own volition, but it is also a big crime for Li Sheng's wives, and they usually do not talk about Li Sheng less about this matter. made Li Sheng always depressed, and began to think about when to pull Kong Ming into his ranks of the "flower heart" clan - of course, this is just a thought, if he really does this, he is reluctant to make Ah Shou sad. Kong Ming's family and Li Sheng's own family have always had a very good relationship.

The matter of entrusting everything to Kong Ming was generally determined in this fight and coercion. In fact, not only Li Sheng himself thinks that only Kong Ming can do this well, but even Kong Ming knows that he can't reposition the relationship between his side and Liu Bei and Jiangdong. Because, among all the people brought by Li Sheng, only his identity is the most suitable to deal with such a thing: he is not the sovereign, but at some point what he says is as valid as what the sovereign says, which is the prerogative of the so-called military advisor.

Li Sheng shook his hand, but the shopkeeper handed everything over to Kong Ming. When he left to rest because of the fatigue and laziness of the day, Kong Ming was the only one left in the cabin. He drank the sobering soup and did not rest there, but quietly waited silently in front of the night scene outside the window. He was waiting for Lu Su's arrival. Although Lu Su didn't say anything like he was coming before or after eating, Kong Ming was still sure that Lu Su would come here. If he really wanted Jiangdong to achieve greater benefits, it would undoubtedly be much better for them to support two forces in Jingzhou that could compete with Cao Cao than to support only one Liu Bei. At this moment, while his side was planning to form an alliance with Jiangdong on this side, Lu Su on Jiangdong's side should also be thinking about forming an alliance with his side like this.

"This is driven by interests, I think Lu Su, who is a wise man, should come." Kong Ming thought about it, and the feather fan in his hand fanned gently. Although it is not hot at the moment, it has become a subconscious habit for Kong Ming to take the feather fan with him anytime and anywhere, and to shake him from time to time. There is no way to do this, who called this white goose feather fan a gift from Kong Ming's wife Huang Shou. Kong Ming is a man who loves his wife, and he always cherishes his wife's gifts.

I don't know how long I waited, but in short, the following people finally reported: "The Jiangdong Army has asked Lord Lu Su to see me." ”

"Invite him here. Just say that the lord has rested, just tell me if there is anything. Kong Ming commanded with a smile. Since he had already planned to put on a high posture towards Jiangdong, it was normal for his lord not to talk to Jiangdong directly, and it was normal for his own courtier, who had been given full power, to talk to the envoy of the other party. Kong Ming thought about it before and after, and it was not a faux pas to do it himself.

"Yes!" The soldier nodded and took the order. After a while, Lu Su was brought up.

"Mr. Zijing, please take a seat." Zhuge Liang politely greeted Lu Su and asked him to sit down. He carefully observed Lu Su's expression and found that he was not too surprised that only he was the one who came to receive him, and his signature old smile always wore calmly on his face. "My lord is tired and has completely entrusted this matter to me, if Lord Lu Su has any questions and requirements, you can tell me." Although the other party was not dissatisfied, Kong Ming still explained the situation to him again at the beginning.

"I can understand that." Lu Su laughed honestly, completely giving people a sense of the innocence of an elder. He looked at Kong Ming's face, was slightly silent for a while, and as soon as he opened his mouth, a sentence came out that didn't seem to match the business they were facing at the moment: "You are not like your brother. ”

"Huh? What do you say about that? Didn't you say it looked like? Kong Ming couldn't help but be stunned for a moment when Lu Su suddenly said this, and he was a little unable to react to the young man, so he could only passively respond to Lu Su's words.

"The look is the same, and the voice is the same, but the feeling you give me is not the same as the feeling your brother gives me. How so? Well...... It's the connotation, the connotation of the two of you doesn't want to. You seem to have a difference in thinking about things. Lu Su said while thinking, and finally gave Zhuge Liang such an answer.

"Oh!" Kong Ming fell silent and did not say anything about it. He thought it was normal. After all, their brothers hadn't seen each other in fifteen years. When he was separated in Yangdu, he was still a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, and his brother was already an adult who had just performed the crown ceremony. However, the time in between is so long, even adults can't always be the same as they were at the beginning, not to mention that Kong Ming himself has also grown over the years, in addition to the change in his thoughts because of his age, he is also influenced by other people around him. Especially the influence of his own lord, the young man who had many strange thoughts at all times.

"My brother is alright." Kong Ming asked with concern. Although there is also a correspondence between the two, how can what is written on paper be more real than what is seen with one's own eyes? Kong Ming hadn't met his brother himself, but he wanted to get some updates from Lu Su.

"Brother Ling is now the head of the rebel general's mansion, and he is very trusted by the lord's side. He gets along very well with the lord, his words and deeds are unscrupulous, and he has some jokes to make with each other. Lu Su said with a smile. He didn't say too much detail, but just these two short sentences made Kong Ming completely relieved.

"Then I'll be relieved." Kong Ming nodded, smiled happily, and changed the topic: "Mr. Zijing hurriedly came to me tonight, not to say that my brother's situation is so simple. I don't know if I guessed wrong...... Is Zi Jing planning to form an alliance with us as equally as he did with Lord Liu Bei? ”

"That's natural, after all, you have such strength." Lu Su nodded and said. When he saw that Kong Ming said that sentence so openly, he naturally confessed. He knew that since he wanted to form an alliance with the other party, he certainly couldn't hide it in some things.

"I see." Kong Ming smiled, "This is also what I hope for." That's why I'm waiting for you here. ”

"Oh? You guessed it all? Lu Su looked at Kong Ming's eyes with a hint of surprise: "Sure enough, it's Wolong." It seems that the legend of your Jingzhou is not unreasonable. ”

"That's Miaozan." Kong Ming said humbly with a feather fan. The so-called legend refers to the saying that "Wolong, phoenix chick, can settle the world". This word came from the mouth of the teacher Shui Jing, although it was widely spread in Jingzhou, but it seemed that this way was not going to work outside Jingzhou. Of course, this so-called difference in this path is only for ordinary people, a master like Lu Su, Kong Ming thinks that it is normal to know these things.

"Miuzan? That's impossible. How could the words of a great Confucian like Mr. Shui Jing be wrong? Lu Su shook his head: "Although today is the first time we have met, I have been observing you for a long time at the banquet in front of us. At the banquet, you didn't say much, but you got to the point. Compared to Ma Jian on Liu Bei's side, you seem to be more calm and powerful. Although there are many talents in Jiangdong, only Gongjin can be compared to you. As far as my personal feeling is concerned, you and Gongjin are indistinguishable. Very bluntly, Lu Su expressed his feelings for Zhuge Liang.

"Oh? You think so highly of me? Gong Jin can be regarded as your important minister in Jiangdong. The so-called 'Wen Zhangzhao, Wu Zhouyu', the two names are familiar even in our Jingzhou, Zijing is really ......" Kong Ming shook his head, his attitude was still humble and tight, he stopped his words in time, and then asked Lu Su: "What kind of person is Zhou Yu in Zijing's opinion?" ”

"He's here. It's hard to say. In short, it feels a little contradictory. In him, you can see the elegance of the literati, and you can also see the straightforwardness of the generals; You can feel his sincerity, but you can also find his insidiousness. He's very powerful, he has his own set of ideas about everything, and he doesn't hesitate, but you can't describe his actions as reckless or bold. Lu Su frowned and said his opinion of Zhou Yu carefully. In his opinion, Zhou Yu is indescribable and graspable, he can indeed be called "Mei Zhoulang" for his own people, and he is a very attractive person, but it is not an exaggeration to add all kinds of negative adjectives to others to him.

"What does Zijing think Zhou Lang will think of this matter?" Kong Ming listened to Lu Su's description of Zhou Yu, and he had a feeling in his heart: "It seems that Zhou Yu is much more difficult than Lu Su." ”

"There are the same, and there are differences." Lu Su narrowed his glasses as he spoke: "On the issue of opposing Cao Cao, the two of us have the same opinion. But when it comes to how to deal with Cao Cao, there is a difference between the two of us: I think we should unite the forces of the majority to deal with Cao Cao together. And Zhou Lang, he is more sure of his strength. Lu Su said frankly.

"In other words, Zi Jing is a joint war of resistance, and Zhou Lang is an independent war of resistance." Kong Ming's feather fan shook slightly, he looked at Lu Su, who said everything so frankly, and couldn't help but be a little curious: "The contradiction between you and Zhou Lang is an internal matter of your Jiangdong, why do you say it so clearly to me?" ”

"Because I'm going to let you convince Zhou Lang." The smile on Lu Su's face was still blooming brightly: "It's good to even convince my father-in-law." ”

"Oh? Convince Zhou Lang? I can understand that. But...... Convince your father-in-law...... What can be said about this? Could it be ......" Kong Ming put down the feather fan in his hand and looked at Lu Su with wide eyes: "Is there also Cai Mao's generation in Jiangdong?" ”

"Sort of." Lu Su saw that Kong Ming understood what he meant, but he smiled even more happily: "It's not impossible that people from all over the world have such similar ideas. Although my father-in-law also has a certain judgment in his heart, he still needs to listen to the opinions of more people before deciding on such a major matter. ”

"Understood." Zhuge Liang nodded, although what Lu Su said was only organized with the most plain reasons, expressing a meaning that Sun Quan seemed to respect the opinions of his subordinates, but Kong Ming connected a concept from Lu Su's words that was completely different from Lu Su's literal meaning: "Jiangdong is also very chaotic at the moment. Many of them were in favor of surrendering to Cao Cao. The power of these people is very large, and even Sun Quan, the lord of Wu, has become hesitant because of the influence of these people on the side. Of course, as far as Sun Quan's own wishes are concerned, he is inclined to fight Cao Cao to the death, but because of those people, there is Lu Su's move to come to Jingzhou. ”

"The forces that can have such a great influence in Jiangdong are only afraid that they are the local wealthy families in Jiangdong, right? Most of them are people of local origin, and seem to be more inclined to the idea that 'the lord wants us to choose'. They believe that the interests of their own family are higher than the existence of the sovereign, so they often sacrifice the interests of the sovereign to ensure the existence of their own family, such as surrendering. Kong Ming guessed and thought, he asked Lu Su directly: "People who have such thoughts, the most prominent one is Zhang Zhao and Zhang Zibu." I heard that their Zhang family has a lot of power in Jiangdong. ”

"That's why I have a headache......" Lu Su admitted with a wry smile.

"And it does." Kong Ming nodded: "This kind of thing involves a lot of relationships between you, if one is not handled well, it is easy to have a situation where the monarch and the minister are not in harmony and disintegrate." With all due respect, the area of Jiangdong is too large, the population is small, and most of it is controlled by local wealthy families, and the place where the rebel generals control their elbows is here. If these matters are not resolved for a day, the rebellious general will not be able to claim hegemony in the world. ”

"We all know what you say, but it's easier said than done. This kind of thing has too much to do with it, whether it is me, Gongjin, or the lord, there is no urgent means to solve it. Perhaps only Xu Tu's slow movement can be regarded as a solution to this problem. For now, it's better to deal with those surrender remarks first......" Lu Su babbled, he glanced up at Kong Ming, and said sincerely: "This matter still needs Kong Ming's help." ”

"I can only do my best." Compared with Lu Su's eagerness, although Kong Ming felt a little strange in his heart, he only asked after a faint agreement: "I heard that Mr. Zijing also asked Yu Chang to help?" ”

"That was Liu Bei's own request. The smartest of his men is also this young man. I don't think he can do it, though. It's not that the ability is not enough, it's the personality - the child is often a little too impatient. Although this is a common thing for young people, and it is not a big problem, when it comes to dealing with the problem at hand, this impatience is likely to lead to the failure of the matter. I don't want to see the alliance fail, and I don't want this defeat to lead to the final surrender of the lord. This is definitely a disaster for the lord. Lu Su said sincerely. Obviously, he is not optimistic about Ma Jian as a person.

"So you chose me?" Kong Ming's glasses widened.

"Exactly." Lu Su nodded heavily: "Your knowledge, your demeanor, your calmness, and your reputation are all convincing." At least, it's much better than the hairy boy who was young. At best, he can be regarded as a simple member of the army, and you can be far above it. It's just a pity......" Lu Su's words stopped here, and he didn't seem to intend to say the rest again.

This made Kong Ming very dissatisfied, although he knew that this pity was not a good thing to say, he still wanted to understand what Lu Su wanted to say. So, he asked tightly, "What is the pity?" ”

"It's a pity that you are a pearl." Lu Su hesitated for a moment, but still said his words: "If Your Excellency follows someone like my lord or Lord Liu Bei, then you can establish a meritorious career and achieve your own prestige. But now Your Excellency is following Li Taishou. Although there are reasons for your close relationship with Li Taishou. But with all due respect, a person who likes witch words, admires alchemists, and is content with pleasure is really not a master. As he spoke, Lu Su looked at Kong Ming's expression. Although he had already planned to let it go, saying bad things about the lord in front of other people's courtiers really made him feel uneasy when he was not like this on weekdays. He is very fond of Kong Ming, this is a fact.

Regarding Lu Su's words, Kong Ming did not get angry or drink, but smiled faintly and asked him calmly: "Zijing is very optimistic about Lord Liu Bei?" ”

"Well, I think he's the kind of person who won't be betrayed by his subordinates." Lu Su was stunned for a moment and said bluntly.

"How?" There was a sudden smile in Kong Ming's eyes.

"How so? You have seen Lord Liu Bei yourself, and you should be able to see how Lord Liu Bei treats people with your eyes. Think about it, who can betray a person like him who is so heartfelt to his courtiers and subordinates? He should be considered lucky, although no one has taught him, he has mastered the highest means of controlling his subordinates. I am afraid that the common desire to unify the minds of subordinates is something that few people can do. Lu Su said with a sigh.

Kong Ming could see that Lu Su was extremely fond of Liu Bei. He knew why: "Zijing and Xuande Gong are basically the same kind of people." That's why he can understand the other person's thoughts. Thinking of this, Kong Ming smiled faintly: "Zijing does have a unique set of people to look at. You see that Xuande Gong is indeed very accurate. But looking at my father-in-law, it may be a little biased. ”

"Oh?" This time it was Lu Su's turn to raise his eyebrows, "Then what kind of person do you think your lord is?" ”

"What is the Duke of Xuande, what is the general situation of the lord of my family. But it's a little different, my lord is a little more decisive than Xuande. Kong Ming said calmly.

"Really? How is it different from what I usually hear? Lu Su knew that Kong Ming would not tell lies, but he was still a little skeptical.

"For Lord Liu Biao, the lord is Lord Liu Biao's courtier. If you show your ambition at that time, it is not a betrayal, and betrayal is often severely attacked by the sovereign. Confronting Jingzhou with a corner of Changsha in this way is a move to hit a stone with an egg, which is not a choice for a wise man. Since my father-in-law has such ambitions, and is not a stupid person, he naturally understands what to do in such a situation. Kong Ming explained lightly.

"Is that so?" The doubts in Lu Su's heart were not completely dissipated by Kong Ming's words.

"Naturally." Kong Ming nodded affirmatively, and he visited Lu Su with a smile: "Have you ever seen the Taishou who developed a border county into a prosperous county like Xiangyang in just a few years?" Have you ever seen a general who can expand his army to tens of thousands without even realizing it? Have you ever seen a lord who has already decided how to deal with Cao Cao's strategy for this southward journey before everything has even happened? My father-in-law has already done all of this. If Zijing still looks at it from an inferior perspective, he is afraid that he will suffer a big loss in the future. ”

"Before everything happened, the strategy of how to deal with Cao Cao's southward movement had already been decided? Could it be said? Regarding what Kong Ming said, Lu Su was most shocked by this sentence.

"I need to teach my son that the reason why Lord Liu Bei was able to escape to Hanjin without any loss was actually the result of my father-in-law's arrangement in advance. If it weren't for the fact that Zhao Yun, the general under the account of the lord of my family, used 2,000 cavalry to defeat Cao Cao's tiger and leopard cavalry elite and Nagasaka, I am afraid that Lord Liu Bei's losses would be even greater. After all, at that time, he was in chaos. Kong Ming looked at Lu Su with a smile, and calmly reported another fierce news.

"Ah......h