"If you are a true scholar, you will be like a clear mirror hanging in the air. When anything comes, you will be able to distinguish it. How can it be moved by that object? How can you deceive people's minds?"
Wei Xu's words did not take the so-called celebrities and powerful men seriously at all, and even vaguely encouraged Lu Bu to kill people to establish his authority.
In his heart, Lu Bu also looked down upon those powerful men who were seeking profit through false righteousness, but after all, he was more sensible than Wei Xu. He knew that now was the time to rely on powerful men, and he must not antagonize them. He had already thought of his words in his mind.
, but still had time to turn around and observe Dong Zhao's expression.
Dong Zhao bowed his back on the horse and looked forward calmly. His face was calm and unconcerned, but his hand holding the horse's rein was tightened imperceptibly.
"Don't talk nonsense here! Those famous people don't want to join me. It's because I have no virtue and can't be with them. What have I got to do with them?" Lu Bu scolded him with a look: "You must not offend others like this again in the future.
The idea, otherwise I will never forgive you!"
In front of Dong Zhao, Lu Bu needed to express his position. However, since Wei Xu was his in-law and confidant, this was actually a bit much.
He knew very well what kind of temper Lu Bu was. When Lu Bu pretended to feel sorry for Tai Shici's departure just now, Wei Xu was already laughing in his heart. If he really admired Xinyi, Zhang Liao and Gao Shun were ordered to serve as officials.
Why didn't Lu Bu say anything to persuade them to stay? Instead, he looked like he was eager for them to leave, and now he knew he couldn't bear to see Tai Shici whom he had only known for a few days?
Wei Xu pretended to be Weiwei and stopped answering, but he disagreed in his heart, because he knew that as long as everything was profitable, Lu Bu would not care about his background or integrity. Now he is just driven by profit, and he needs to put on a pleasant disguise.
Come and invite powerful men; when the day comes that they are no longer needed, Lu Bu will never be merciful if he should be killed or beaten.
Dong Zhao slightly relaxed his eyebrows and said loudly: "Xu Qian is not interested in fame and wealth, he is a noble man, and he is not willing to devote himself to secular affairs, which is in line with his ambition. Even though the officials and people in Qingzhou counties are suffering from cruelty, there are also many people with lofty ideals and talents.
Besides Xu Qian, there are others who can be driven by the prince."
Because the powerful people thought they were noble and had nothing to say to a lowly person like Lü Bu, it was Dong Zhao who came forward to entertain the powerful people and appease the counties for him these days. At this time, hearing Dong Zhao talk about it, Lü Bu became interested and asked: "What else?"
Anyone?"
"Brother Teng Dan from Jixian County, Tengzhou, is well-educated and good at literature. He is worthy of serving." Dong Zhao listed his family treasures and told them clearly which powerful scholars there were that could be recruited in the local area. He sounded like he was for Lu Bu.
The plan: "There are also Zuo Chengzu, Liu Yixun and others, all of whom are people of the Qing Dynasty. They were originally vassals in the Duke Kong's mansion. When Duke Kong was recruited into the court, they stayed here, and the ruler of the mansion happened to be close to them.
"
Lu Bu nodded and accepted the candidates proposed by Dong Zhao without hesitation, showing great trust and acting like a good and qualified lord, at least on the surface. In addition, he seemed to ask questions casually.
Said: "I remember that the great scholar Zheng Gong was from Gaomi, Beihai. He is currently taking refuge in Xuzhou. Now Beihai is about to be stabilized. Why don't you send someone to invite me to make my reputation better?"
Dong Zhao still said unhurriedly: "The Lord of the House has thought carefully. I was just about to talk about this matter. I heard that there are many virtuous people among the Yellow Turban thieves. They admire the great virtue of Zheng Gong, so they restrained the people.
Consciously avoid it. Gaomi County is the hometown of Zheng Gong, but it has never been raided by the Yellow Turbans. This shows that Zheng Gong is virtuous. If the governor had not sent people to repair Zheng Gong’s former residence first, and then sent people to invite him after the Beihai was conquered, this would be all right.
The name of the prince."
One hundred Xu Qian took refuge with Lu Bu, but none of them could compare to one Zheng Xuan who accepted Lu Bu's courtesy.
Teng Zhou, Zuo Chengzu and other local scholars took refuge in Lu Bu, which was just to help Lu Bu quickly establish a foothold in Beihai. But if Zheng Xuan could accept Lu Bu's kindness, then with Zheng Xuan's reputation and the thousands of students under his disciples, The huge political resources will allow Lu Bu to blend into the circle of scholars represented by Zheng Xuan. As a result, his power and reputation will undergo a qualitative change, rising to a level that seems out of reach now.
Even Lu Bu could see how important Zheng Xuan was to him. Couldn't Dong Zhao still see it?
If Dong Zhao really thought about Lu Bu, he would not have only focused on the Xu family, Teng family and other small powerful people in Beihai, let alone turn a blind eye to such an important person as Zheng Xuan.
But now, although the other party didn't take the initiative to mention it, he followed Lu Bu's words and supported him in being courteous to Zheng Xuan. This made Lu Bu somewhat elusive about Dong Zhao's true thoughts. He looked at Dong Zhao's sincere face and felt hesitant in his heart. Could it be that the other party just didn't have time to say it?
Of course, this was just Lu Bu's idea, but Dong Zhao knew in his heart that a gentleman would not build a dangerous wall. Since Zheng Xuan had taken refuge in Xuzhou, he would never come back until his hometown was settled.
Therefore, Dong Zhao could make a verbal promise and gain the other party's trust step by step. Anyway, Lu Bu's existence value is only these two years. Qingzhou is destined to be unstable in these two years, and Zheng Xuan is destined not to accept the olive branch offered by Lu Bu.
Lu Bu suppressed the doubts in his heart and deliberately probed further: "When we came from the plains to Beihai, we were intercepted by Tian Kai and others on the road. Although we had repulsed them at that time, I felt unsatisfied that this revenge was not avenged. , after Beihai is stabilized, I want to send troops to Qi and live in peace, and I hope Gongren will help me then."
Sending troops to Qi, attacking Tian Kai, and directly becoming an enemy of Gongsun Zan would play into the hands of Yuan Shao and others, but it would not be a good thing from Lu Bu's point of view. However, Lu Bu suddenly brought up this matter on his own initiative and was willing to be a pawn. The intention is too obvious.
Dong Zhao did not hesitate, but immediately objected: "No! The situation in Qingzhou is complicated now. In Le'an, Qi State has Tian Kai and Liu Bei occupying the county; there are also pirates Guo Zu, moth pirates Xu He, Sima Ju and others who are bandits in Baoshan. .And Gongsun Zan is so powerful that once he attacks them all, it will inevitably cause shock to Qi State, Le'an and other counties. This must not be done before the foundation of the government is stable."
At this time, Lu Bu's expression finally changed a few times, and he seemed to be moved by Dong Zhao's sincerity. He opened his mouth and said, "Since we can't go to Qi State for the time being, what should we do?"
"After Beihai has been stabilized, why don't you lead troops to conquer Donglai?" Dong Zhao explained: "Beihai and Donglai, in addition to the moth thief Guan Hai, there are also pirates Guan Cheng, Wang Ying, Cong Qian and other powerful supporters. Thousands of families were in chaos, and when Kong Gong was there, bandits from Donglai repeatedly invaded Beihai. What's more, Gongsun Du from Liaodong sent troops across the sea to invade the people and defend the county. These bandits were unfavorable, and the king of the government was an Anhan General, it is your duty to quell troubles for the imperial court."
"Donglai County is adjacent to the mountains and seas. Outside, Gongsun Du crosses the sea and occupies land. Inside, there are Yellow Turbans. The local heroes are rebelling..." Lu Bu thought about it in his heart and said, "Compared to Qi, Le'an is not far behind in this situation. "
"Even so, we have to try." Dong Zhao said seriously: "Beihai is located between Donglai, Qi, and Le'an. It can be said that it is surrounded by enemies on both sides. If the prince wants to stand on his own, he must defeat them one by one. Donglai has his back. If we are close to the sea and capture Donglai, we will have no foreign enemies behind us. We can advance westward calmly, and we can also reap the benefits of fishing and salt from Donglai and use it as military resources."
Lu Bu was moved. He was not only moved by the benefits of fishing and salt in Donglai, but also changed his perception of Dong Zhao. He originally thought that if Dong Zhao accepted his words and supported him to have an enmity with Tian Kai and Gongsun Zan behind him,
Then Dong Zhao's position and loyalty are worthy of Lu Bu's suspicion. But Dong Zhao has always been planning for Lu Bu from the beginning to the present. Even if Lu Bu is suspicious, he can't help but have some trust in Dong Zhao at this time.
I saw Dong Zhao continue to say: "Gongsun Du is far away from the sea, and it is difficult for his troops to attack. The troops stationed in Donglai are isolated, and they can just attack them for fun. As for Guan Cheng and other bandits, they are good people.
Those who are not born with chaos are just accustomed to chaos and cannot turn back. If you push people too hastily, they will inevitably fight together in fear. In this way, it may not be easy to win, and even if you win, you will hurt the officials and the people.
It will delay the opportunity of fighting and allow Tian Kai to take action. It is better for the prince to send someone to explain it as a sign of kindness without disturbing the troops."
"Good." Lu Bu put his hand on Dong Zhao's back, truly treating him as one of his own, and said in a friendly tone: "I have justice, so why worry about not being able to accomplish anything!"
Dong Zhao still smiled to himself and said nothing.