When the two sat down again, they looked at each other again and felt different. They were much closer.
However, Zhou Shang had just made it clear that he was infatuated with Huang Lao and was not very keen on losing his fame and fortune. His recognition of the throne was more of an expedient for Zhou Yu, so the names of the two remained the same.
Of course, now that the titles of monarch and minister have been preliminarily decided, Zhou Shang will inevitably give some words of advice. After all, if nothing unexpected happens, the Lujiang Zhou family and Wang Zheng will be in the same spirit in the future, and they will share weal and woe.
"The state pastor values Yu'er, so I am naturally very happy and honored, but..."
Having said this, Zhou Shang paused and looked hesitant.
Wang Zheng knew that what Zhou Shang wanted to say might not be agreeable to his ears, so he smiled, waved his hand and said, "If Duke Zhou has something to say, just speak it out. Zheng is all ears."
Zhou Shangdao: "I have heard before that when Zhou Mu, together with Tao Qian and Liu Bei, hunted Xuzhou, every time they visited a city, in addition to reducing taxes and appeasing the people, they would also issue a "recruitment order". I wonder if this is true?
"
Seeing Wang Zheng nodding slightly, Zhou Shang immediately looked solemn and said solemnly: "There are so many talents in the world. Naturally, not all of them are perfect. No one is perfect. It is impossible to discard someone because of some shortcomings.
To obtain usable talents. Therefore, even if talented people have some shortcomings and shortcomings, they cannot be discarded and used."
"But on the other hand, virtue is indispensable. If there are talented but not virtuous people, we can share wealth but cannot share hardships. The state pastor must be aware of it."
Wang Zheng was speechless when he heard this. Zhou Shang's words were simply the noble version of "why not eat minced meat".
Of course, he also wanted to find those heroes with both talent and virtue. The problem was that at that time, his family's foundation was not stable, the climate was not mature, and his subordinates were already weak in martial arts and civil affairs. In terms of domestic affairs and people's livelihood, it was almost to the point where no one could use them. How could he still be qualified?
Picky and picky?
Even now, Wang Zheng is quite self-aware and thinks that he is still in the stage of "the minister chooses the master". Until the situation is achieved, it may be difficult to change to "the master chooses the minister".
Of course, although he disagreed in his heart, for Zhou Yu's sake, he immediately made a gesture, stood up again, and saluted Zhou Shang upright: "What Duke Zhou said is true, Wang Zheng will definitely do what Duke Zhou said, even more
Work hard, and you will pay more attention to character when recruiting talents, and you must rather lack than overwhelm."
A boy can be taught. Zhou Shang nodded with satisfaction and said, "I have one more bold thing to say, and I would like to ask the state pastor."
"Please speak, Duke Zhou."
"It is said that a son of a rich man cannot sit down in the hall. When I was treating the injuries of Zhou Mu at the city gate, I once said that with Zhou Mu's current status, it is really inappropriate to take the lead and charge into the battle personally. Even speaking of it, Zhou Mu
It would be quite inappropriate to personally lead the troops in Yangzhou."
Having said this, Zhou Shang glanced at Wang Zheng meaningfully and said, "I wonder if Zhou Mu has other plans besides helping Yuan Gongdao put down the rebellion?"
Seeing that there was something wrong in Zhou Shang's words, Wang Zheng was startled for a moment. Then he came to his senses and couldn't help but smile to himself. I'm afraid Zhou Shang, Guo Jia, Mi Heng and others had the same idea. The latter suggested that he would destroy Guo in a false way, but the former
I thought I had such a plan...
It’s just that he really doesn’t have this idea!
If he really had an ulterior motive, he just wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to kill Sun Ce, a very threatening enemy, as soon as possible.
"Why did Duke Zhou say this?" Wang Zheng sighed secretly and said: "Zheng came to Yangzhou just to help Yuanzhou Mu quell the chaos. What else could it be for?"
Zhou Shang smiled and said, "You know, Zhou Mu, but this was Yu'er's guess before."
What Zhou Yu said?
Wang Zheng asked: "What did Brother Gongjin say?"
Zhou Shang smiled and suddenly lowered his voice and said: "Yu'er said that Zhou Mu divided his troops into two groups this time and raised a large army. I'm afraid he has evil intentions. Yang Hong is so smart that Yuan Shu lured the wolf into the house without knowing it!"
Wang Zheng was silent for a long time, and said seriously: "To be fair to Duke Zhou, before Zheng set out, his military advisers did make some suggestions, saying that Jiangdong is the foundation of hegemony. It is a land of wealth and danger, and it is surrounded by the dangers of the Yangtze River. If you advance, you can spy on the Central Plains, and if you retreat, you can separate your empire.
Self-reliance is a must-have, and the government also deeply believes that, but..."
"Perhaps Duke Zhou doesn't know that Yuan Shu and Zheng have formed an alliance for the second time. The first time they formed an alliance in Linzi, Shi Zheng was already burdened with an alliance due to the situation. This time, he really doesn't want to betray Yuan Shu again."
Zhou Shang was startled when he heard this. At first he thought that Wang Zhengxin could not defeat him, but after looking at him for a long time and seeing that his expression did not seem to be hypocritical, he finally couldn't help but said: "Zhou Mu, if you want to achieve great things, how can you have the kindness of a woman?"
, If Emperor Gao had not betrayed his alliance and attacked Chu, how could the Han Dynasty achieve its four hundred years of glory?"
"The government does not dare to claim to be benevolent and righteous, but if it is not necessary, I will not let others down if they fail me."
This "if not necessary" naturally means that his own interests are not damaged and his safety is not threatened. For example, when Wang Zheng killed Chen Jiao that day, he hesitated and struggled, and heaven and man were at war. In the end, just to be safe, he
He still made the decision that he would rather kill the wrong person than let it go. At that time, he directly threw these bottom lines of principles into his mind.
Zhou Shang didn't know about this. Although he was slightly disappointed when he heard it, he was also impressed and thought deeply about it.
People don't let me down, I don't let people down...
If this person can be so benevolent and righteous even to his potential competitors, he must have a good character. He is not like Emperor Gou Jian, who looks down upon others and shares the suffering but cannot share the glory!
For me, the Lujiang Zhou family and Yu'er, this is not a bad thing.
"It's rare for Zhou Mu to have such a benevolent heart." Zhou Shangdao said: "But we still need to be careful. Even if Zhou Mu has no intention of taking over Jiangdong, there is no guarantee that Yuan Shu and his ministers will have such concerns."
"Now that Sun Ce's rebellion has been brought to an end, the host and guest are enjoying themselves. There is no doubt that if Zhou Mu had relieved Yuan Shu of such a serious trouble..."
Zhou Shang's words were quite reasonable, which made Wang Zheng's heart tremble.
A tiger has a mind that is harmless to people, but a tiger has the intention to hurt others!
Even if they have no intention of seizing Yuan Shu’s foundation, what if Yuan Shu is persuaded?
After all, the two of them live next to each other now. Xuzhou and Yangzhou are too close to each other. If there is no accident, there will be a battle sooner or later.
"What Duke Zhou said is true, Zheng Zihui will pay attention to it secretly." Wang Zhengdao: "But the most important thing now is to take care of Sun Ce first."
"In the hearts of the government, this person has superior military skills and is a greater threat. He also has an old grudge with the government. If he is not eliminated as soon as possible, he will really have trouble sleeping and eating!"
"That's right." Zhou Shang sighed with emotion: "Sun Bofu is indeed a young hero. If it weren't for his arrogance... I am actually very optimistic about his future. However, my family has a close relationship with the Sun family of Wu County. Yu'er and
Sun Ce has a close relationship with his mother, so I am afraid it will be difficult to help Zhou Mu in this matter."
"What is difficult for a strong man is that the Duke of Zhou does not say anything and the government does not want to do it." Wang Zheng waved his hands and said: "However, Duke Zhou and brother Gong Jin miss the old relationship, but this may not be the case for Sun Ce. Even Sun Ce misses the old days and fights on the battlefield.
The war is fierce and dangerous, and not all of his subordinates know that at this time, they know Duke Zhou and brother Gong Jin."
"It's not safe for you two to continue to stay in Hefei."
However, Wang Zheng pondered for a while and then continued: "Gong Zhou, what do you think of this? During this period, you can tidy up your belongings. Zheng will leave for Linhu soon, leaving a hundred loyal and brave men behind to wait for Gong Jin."
Once my brother has recovered from his injuries, how about we escort you and Brother Gongjin to Xuzhou to avoid the war?"
Zhou Shang thought for a while and nodded.
He also believed Wang Zhengcai's words. From the first day Sun Cejun appeared in Hefei, Zhou Yu was in a dilemma, and he was frightened. And this time Zhou Yu was injured while rushing to the camp, which made him want to retreat.
This is one of the reasons why Zhou Shang was so eager to recognize Wang Zheng as the master.
It would be best if Wang Zheng took the initiative to propose, so that he could just go with the flow.
Of course, Wang Zheng's suggestion actually had an ulterior motive. Moreover, swearing in words was always risky. Once Zhou Shang and Zhou Yu went to Xuzhou, they would naturally be in his pocket and they would not be able to escape.
The two discussed for a while, until it was almost dusk. Seeing that it was getting late, Wang Zheng was about to visit Zhou Yu. When he just walked out of the main hall, he saw Wang Xiong, who had been waiting outside the door for a long time, running directly up to him with a look on his face.
He said anxiously: "General, General Huang has sent a messenger to Hefei."
Wang Zheng immediately paused: "What happened?"
"General." Wang Xiong said: "Just the day before yesterday, Sun Ce's army launched a large-scale fierce attack on Linhu. It is said that a large number of siege equipment was used, and the defenders tried every means to defend it. At the critical moment, the west gate was lurked in the city.
Sun Ce's military intelligence was opened, and guard Chen Lan died on the spot!"
"What?" Wang Zheng raised his eyebrows: "Linhu was lost?"
"Not yet." Wang Xiong said: "General Huang has now retreated into the inner city with the remaining defenders!"
"Convene a military meeting immediately!"
Wang Zheng secretly cried out that he was lucky, but he also knew that the inner city defense of any city was definitely inferior to that of the outer city. No matter how capable Huang Zhong was, he could not hold on for too long. He immediately did not dare to neglect, even Zhou Yu was too late to see him: "Order the whole army
Get ready immediately, prepare your luggage, and set off in two hours!"
.....
As the saying goes, blessings never come in pairs, and misfortunes never come alone.
Bad news also comes from time to time.
Before setting off, Wang Zheng naturally went to say hello to the county king of Hefei, He Hong, but received another piece of information from him, which confirmed Wang Zheng's previous guess.
Sun Ce was indeed attacking in the east and in the west. His main army had already moved south to attack Lujiang County.
While letting his general Cheng Pu continue to attack Linhu, Sun Ce personally led a strange force, staying day and night, only walking on mountain trails, and silently bypassed Juchao and Shu counties in the northeast of Lujiang River.
, directly attacking Wancheng, the capital of Lujiang County and Liu Xun’s hometown!
If they don't move, they will startle. On the first day when Sun Ce's troops arrived at the outskirts of Wancheng, the first people to notice their traces were the nobles from Wubao in the outskirts. They immediately sent people to notify Liu Xun, and Liu Xun heard that
A group of strangers appeared in the territory, so they naturally sent sentries to investigate. When they learned that the enemy's troops numbered only a few thousand, they ignored them and even ordered the city's defenders to take the initiative to attack.
The result... was naturally a fiasco!
Afterwards, Sun Ce's army was overwhelmingly powerful, and in just two or three days, all the villages and towns around Wancheng were wiped out!
Seeing the troops approaching the city, Liu Xun finally became anxious and immediately asked the counties in the county to rescue him. As a result, Sun Ce encircled the points to provide reinforcements, and defeated all the troops who came to the nearest Juchao and Tongxiang for reinforcements, and then launched a fierce attack on Wancheng.
, Sun Ce, the commander-in-chief of the three armies, took the lead and was the first to board the city of Wancheng, and actually directly defeated the outer city of Wancheng on the first day of the siege!
Almost at the same time, the two important towns of Wancheng and Linhu fell to the outer city at the same time. This can actually be said to have captured two-thirds of the entire city.
However, Liu Xun did not make the same choice as Huang Zhong to retreat to the inner city. Instead, he led the remaining army to flee that night and went directly to Longshu County, north of Wancheng, to survive.
After winning consecutive battles, Sun Ce actually created an impressive record of annihilating nearly 10,000 enemies with 5,000 troops in half a month. It was truly terrifying!
Just after capturing Wancheng, Sun Ce's general Huang Gai suggested taking advantage of the victory to pursue the victory and directly kill Juchao. Sun Ce greatly appreciated it and immediately assigned 2,000 troops to Huang Gai. On the day when the flag was changed at the top of Wancheng,
Huang Gai marched five hundred miles from the sea and launched a surprise attack on Juchao at night!
The people in the nest who were worried about Wancheng a moment ago did not even receive the news of the fall of Wancheng, but they did not expect that Sun Cejun, who had been unable to get in last time, came straight this time and attacked from afar, completely defenseless.
Next, there was another rout. Not only did the city fall in a battle, only less than a hundred of the more than 2,000 defenders escaped!
By this time, Sun Ce had captured three cities in Lujiang!
The throat is home to the nest...
Linjiang gateway Xiang'an...
Anhui County, the capital of a county...
It can be said that each one is more majestic and richer than the other, and each one is more important than the other!
Juchao has fallen, and the outer city near the lake has fallen. How many days can Shu County, which is located between the two towns, hold on under the foreseeable front and rear attacks in the future?
After hearing He Hong finish the information one by one, Wang Zheng was silent for a long time, watching him standing by the wall with his hands behind his back, staring at a map of Lujiang River in a daze, and suddenly asked: "How many troops does Sun Ce's army have now?"
He Hong smiled bitterly upon hearing this, pointed at the picture and said, "Wang Zhoumu, take a look at this."
Wang Zheng looked at the map after hearing this. It was very detailed. Mountains, rivers, roads, landforms, and even some slightly higher mountains were all marked. There were also some triangular flags of various colors stuck on the map. He thought for a while and asked: "
Mr. He, is this a battle map?"
Those small triangular flags are pricked with small needles. At first glance, they look messy, but if you take a closer look, you will know that the blue ones are mostly distributed in the south, the white flags are mostly in the north, and there are only two red flags, both at the very end of the map.
To the north, the one with the most three small flags is in the direction of Hefei City, which naturally indicates the current battle situation and the current three-party forces in Jiangdong.
Wang Zheng had roughly guessed that the white ones were Yangzhou Army, the blue ones were Sun Ce's Army, and the red ones, needless to say, were his Xuzhou Army.
only...
Wang Zheng calculated in his mind and murmured to himself: "My general's heavenly army currently has only 5,000 troops in Yangzhou, and there are only five red flags. Does that mean each side represents a thousand people?"
He Hong's eyes flashed with admiration: "This is what I did in my spare time. Wang Zhoumu is really smart and reacts faster. He can see the meaning at a glance, but..."
At this point, he stretched out his hand and quickly picked off ten white flags on the map, and sighed: "My Yangzhou army has lost nearly ten thousand soldiers in less than half a month. What can I say? The little overlord Sun Ce, what happened?"
Brave and fierce."
Wang Zheng had no time to respond to his sigh. Instead, he counted the blue flags on the wall in detail. The more he counted, the more solemn his expression became: "Sun Ce has stationed 5,000 men and horses in Xiang'an, and there are another 5,000 men and horses at Linhu City. In addition,
He personally led the 5,000 troops who captured Wancheng, plus the 6,000 troops in Hefei..."
He Hong nodded: "Zhou Mu's calculation is good. Sun Ce's troops now surfaced are at least over 20,000!"
"How can it be!"
Wang Zheng had a look of disbelief on his face. There were 20,000 people who came to the surface. How much was the total number? 30,000, or even 40,000?
"How long has he been independent? Where did he get so many people?!"
Are you kidding me? If Sun Ce really had 30,000 or 40,000 troops, even after Wu Sheng joined forces all the way, Wang Zheng felt that his chances of winning were slim.
After all, not all of his fifteen thousand men are system soldiers.
Even if they are all system soldiers, this battle... is not easy to fight!