Wang Zheng nodded slightly, turned to Lu Ji and asked, "What do you think, Duke Ji?"
"Sending envoys to Jingzhou to ask for food is indeed a solution."
Lu Jidao said: "However, in the troubled times, every family regards food as the basis. It is not easy to persuade Liu Biao. The envoy must be someone who can speak well. I dare not make arbitrary decisions. I would like to ask the state pastor who should be sent.
?”
Wang Zheng looked at His Highness, scanning everyone's faces one by one. He thought for a while and said: "When the Japanese general came to Shouchun for the first time, Yuan Shu hosted a banquet for me. Yuan Tan quoted scriptures at the banquet and talked endlessly.
He shows his heroic demeanor and his courage and wisdom, so he is qualified for this job."
Hearing this, Gu Yong showed a look of embarrassment on his face, stepped out and said: "I dare not resign the state pastor's order, but..."
As he spoke, he touched his eyebrows and said with a wry smile: "Liu Biao is a person who attaches great importance to appearance. If I go to Yangzhou as an envoy with my current appearance, it will not only damage the lord's power, but also worry about making this person unhappy. I'm wrong."
event."
Gu Yong was tall and fit, with fair complexion. He originally had first-rate appearance. However, when Wang Zheng attacked Shouchun that day, there was chaos in the city, and countless people took advantage of the situation to do evil. At that time, Gu Yong's mansion caught fire. In the panic, not only did it burn down.
I lost my beard and hair, and even half of my eyebrows were gone, so now my appearance is somewhat disfigured.
The ancients attached great importance to appearance, both as an official and as an envoy. Not only were they required to be eloquent, but they also represented the image of their country, so generally speaking, it is best to choose someone with a dignified appearance. No matter what kind of figure Cao Cao is
The five shortcomings are ordinary-looking people like Wang Zheng. It's okay to be a monarch, but it's hard to avoid making people laugh and humiliate yourself as an envoy.
Wang Zheng was startled when he heard this, and said with a smile: "That's not true. Yuan Tan's appearance is extremely outstanding, but now it is just a slight blemish on the white jade. What's more, you are still a disciple of the great sage Cai Yong. I have heard that Liu Jingsheng and Cai Yong were related back then.
not bad?"
This is actually the key reason why he prefers Gu Yong.
But Gu Yong sighed and said: "Don't say that Master Cai has passed away. Even if he is still alive, it doesn't mean much. Liu Jingsheng is not a person who cares about the past."
"My Lord, I don't know. At that time, Master Cai valued Wang Zhongxuan very much and went to welcome him. Because of the chaos in Chang'an, this son was unwilling to accept Wang Situ's conquest, so he was recommended by Master Cai to go to Jingzhou to join Liu Biao. Unexpectedly, Liu Biao judged people by their appearance.
Seeing that his appearance is not good, his body is weak, and he is careless, so he has been quite neglected and not taken seriously."
Wang Zhongxuan was Wang Can, the future leader of the Seven Sons of Jian'an. Not only did he come from a famous family with few talents, but he was also from Gaoping County, Shanyang County, and could be regarded as a fellow villager of Liu Biao. In addition, Cai Yong's affection made him more affectionate.
Yu Li, logically, should be entrusted with important tasks by Liu Biao, but because of his unsightly appearance, he was depressed and frustrated in Jingzhou. It was precisely because of knowing this that Gu Yong became worried.
Is Liu Biao such a good-looking person?
Seeing Gu Yong's words, Wang Zheng couldn't help but not believe him. After pondering for a moment, he unexpectedly sent someone there.
As early as when he was in Xuzhou, he basically chose between Guo Jia and Mi Heng on several missions to foreign countries. But now Wang Zheng has no plans to send two more people. Why?
Regardless of Mi Heng or Guo Jia, as Wang Zheng's power has grown in the past two years, their reputations have also risen. They are no longer the unknown people they were back then. Guo Jia, in particular, has repeatedly made strange plans and made great achievements in the three armies. Not only everyone in Xuzhou has done this.
You know, outsiders have also been famous for a long time. How dare Wang Zheng allow such an important minister of the country to penetrate into the territory of a foreign country easily?
Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the unexpected. If Liu Biao has evil thoughts in his heart and he is out of reach in Shouchun, what should he do?
This kind of thing must be guarded against. For example, if Cao Cao sends Xun Yu, even if the two sides are still in alliance, Wang Zheng will definitely take action!
Moreover, it is extremely easy to attack such a powerless scholar, and it is even easier to find an excuse. When he returns, arrange for elite soldiers to intercept and kill him halfway, and then just use the excuse of "bandits are rampant".
However, except for Mi Heng and Guo Jia, the eloquence of the other civil servants in Xuzhou is ordinary, which is enough for ordinary missions. This time it involves the purchase of grain, but their ability is somewhat insufficient.
He thought for a long time and then looked at the ministers of Shouchun, Lu Ji? Li Ren? Shen Shu? Each of them had their own shortcomings. Some were only brave enough, or some were not eloquent enough. For a while, there was no one to choose from, and he couldn't help but hesitate. .
But at this moment, a person in the hall suddenly stood up and said: "Prefect, I would like to recommend someone."
Wang Zheng looked sideways and saw that this person was Liu Ye, the former minister of Lujiang Prefect Liu Xun. He couldn't help but nodded and said with a warm smile: "The person recommended by Ziyang must be a great talent."
"I wonder who this person is?"
Liu Ye said seriously: "Dongcheng Lu Su."
"Lu Su?"
Wang Zheng looked surprised when he heard this.
This is naturally not because he does not know who Lu Su is. After all, no matter how new to history, it is impossible not to know about this future governor of Soochow.
What surprised Wang Zheng was that Lu Su was actually Dongcheng.
This means that such a celebrity has been under his nose for who knows how long. If not for what Lu Ji said today, he would have continued to be in a daze.
The most important thing is that Wang Zheng never neglected Dongcheng as the gateway to Xiapi. He not only visited here in person, but also sent Pan Zhang, the few generals under his command at that time, to guard it.
So whose fault is it that such talented people are omitted?
Thinking of this, Wang Zheng's heart was filled with hatred. Pan Zhang really deserves to be damned. Apart from extortionate expropriation, it seems that he didn't do anything in Dongcheng!
His heart was in turmoil, but Wang Zheng pretended to be calm on his face. He even pretended that he had never heard the name and asked, "Who is this?"
There is no other way but to pretend. If Liu Ye and others now see that he knows Lu Su in advance, they will have other ideas.
Since you have heard of Lu Su, why have you always ignored him?
"Zhenzhou Mu, Lu Su, named Zijing, is from Xiapi Dongcheng County. He has a tall appearance and a bold personality. He likes to read, is good at riding and shooting, and is generous in giving away money. He is deeply admired by the villagers."
Liu Ye said: "At first, Yuan Shu also heard of his name and wanted to ask him to serve as an official, and even entrusted him with the important task of Zhongli County Magistrate. However, brother Zijing thought that Yuan Shu's subordinates were too weak to achieve great things, so he declined politely."
"Brother Zijing?"
Wang Zheng's burning eyes fell on Liu Ye, and he said in surprise: "Why, is Ziyang familiar with this person?"
Liu Ye nodded and said calmly: "I have known Lu Zijing for a long time and are close friends. Therefore, I know that he is both civilized and military and has great ambitions. At the beginning, Liu Xun also asked me to write a letter to recruit Lu Su and invite him to join us. The great undertaking was rejected by Lu Su on the grounds that "my grandmother is still alive and it is inconvenient to travel far away"."
Hearing this, Wang Zheng became interested and said: "As you said, he rejected Yuan Shu and Liu Xun successively, and has never been willing to serve as an official. It seems that he is a high-ranking hermit. Now he may not be willing to work for this general, right?"
"How can Yuan and Liu compare with Zhou Mu?"
Liu Ye smiled and said: "You know that Zhou Mu knows that Lu Su is now in Shouchun City, and he is a Dacao under Zhou Mu."
Fa Cao was in charge of post office affairs, and his salary was less than three hundred dan. He was considered a sesame mung bean official. Wang Zheng was shocked when he heard this: "How could Ziyang wrong Lu Su?"
Liu Ye knew that Wang Zheng had misunderstood. He had made many meritorious deeds in pacifying Sun Ce before. Now his official position was Shouchun Changshi. A law officer could decide without having to submit a memorial. He quickly explained: "Zizhou Mu, Lu Suzhi
Therefore, I was appointed as Dharma Cao, but it was not because of my minister’s recommendation.”
"After I became the state pastor, I wrote to him again, hoping to recommend him to serve as the state pastor, but Lu Su refused. Later, after the state pastor moved to Shouchun, didn't he write a letter to recruit talents? After Lu Su knew about it,
On the same day, I rushed from Dongcheng to Shouchun, took the initiative to apply, and after passing the examination, I was awarded the official title of Facao."
"Rejected your recommendation and then took the initiative to apply?"
Wang Zheng understood immediately upon hearing this that Lu Su must be relying on his own talent, so he did not want to "take the back door". As for whether he had talent, Wang Zheng probably knew better than Liu Ye.
Moreover, in his impression, Lu Su seemed to be often engaged in missions to other countries. It seemed that both his image and his eloquence were very suitable.
Wang Zheng immediately nodded and ordered the guards outside the hall: "I will pass the law to Cao Lusu and come to the hall to see him." Someone responded and left.
Lu Su's sudden appearance immediately reminded Wang Zheng of his good friend. He turned to look at Zhang Zhao and asked casually: "Mr. Zhang, how are Zhou Shang and Zhou Yu doing in Xiapi?"
Zhang Zhao came out of the queue and replied: "Your Majesty, not long after Zhou Shang's uncle and nephew entered the city, many clansmen have moved into Xiapi. They should be willing to live there for a long time. Zhou Shang has even accepted the invitation from the minister and is now the Prime Minister of the country. Recently,
He has performed very diligently, but Zhou Yu has not yet entered the official service."
Wang Zheng nodded. Zhou Yu and Sun Ce were close friends. There must be some knots in their hearts at the moment. It was normal not to want to serve him immediately. He asked again: "What does Mr. Zhang think of Zhou Yu?"
Zhang Zhao was silent for a moment, then said seriously: "Young handsome man, with majestic appearance and handsome hair, he is the talent of a general and should not be underestimated."
After a pause, he glanced at Wang Zheng, and then added: "From what I have seen in my life, in terms of prowess and military prowess, there is no one else who can compare to me except my lord and General Xu."
Wang Zheng laughed when he heard this. In terms of appearance, he was not as good as Xu Fang. Although Xu Fang was also a handsome man, he was actually quite different from Zhou Yu.
Putting the two of them together with Zhou Yu would be a bit against Zhang Zhao's will.
He said no more, changed the subject, and began to discuss the matter of buying grain in Jingzhou with his ministers again. Unknowingly, it was already noon, so Wang Zheng asked his guards to go to the dining room to spread the message and cook more food, leaving everyone to discuss it.
use.
It wasn't until we had almost finished discussing the matter of buying grain and had almost eaten lunch that we heard hurried footsteps outside the palace. However, the guards who were looking for Lu Su finally turned around and said, "General, Lu Su has brought the Fa Cao."
."
Before the banquet was cleared, Wang Zheng stopped his chopsticks and said, "Please invite him in."
Not long after he finished speaking, I saw a man walking out of the palace. He was about twenty-five or six years old, eight feet tall, and very handsome. When he entered the palace, even though there were a group of high-ranking officials and dignitaries on the left and right, they looked at him with sophisticated eyes.
But he was neither humble nor arrogant. He just bowed slightly, saluted Wang Zheng, and said loudly: "Fa Cao, the principal of Lu Su, pays homage to Zhou Mu."
Although his voice was not high-pitched, it still vibrated and reverberated in the hall like a loud bell or a drum. Just by hearing his voice, one knew that this man must be a majestic and powerful man.
Before Wang Zheng could speak, Zhang Zhao frowned slightly and asked first, "Are you Lu Su?"
"That's right, the official."
The thing about eyesight is really strange. For some reason, even though it was the first time for Zhang Zhao to see Lu Su, he felt that the person in front of him was inexplicably unpleasant. He immediately said in a deep voice: "My lord called you here an hour and a half ago. You are the Dharma Cao."
, the official residence is only a few streets away from the palace, why have you arrived so late and only now?"
At this point, his tone became more severe: "As a subordinate, do you know that it is disrespectful to keep the superior officer waiting for so long?"
Did Lao Zhang take some medicine today?
Wang Zheng glanced at Zhang Zhao and felt slightly surprised. However, although Zhang Zhao's attack was sudden, it was not without purpose. He thought for a while and did not interrupt. He only watched Lu Su from the side to see how he would respond.
But Lu Su replied in a deep voice: "When Zhou Mu summoned the official, it happened that Marquis Wen's delegation had something to do. As the sages have said, a gentleman values others but despises himself. He puts others before himself, and public affairs before private affairs. Zhou Mu summoned the official.
, this is for my internal affairs in Yangzhou, this is private, Marquis Wen’s envoy has something to do, and it is for our foreign affairs in Yangzhou, this is public, and the responsibility of the lower official lies, so even though he is called by the state pastor, he must first deal with the affairs of Marquis Wen’s envoy
After handling it, come back to see me again."
He is a legal officer, in charge of postal affairs. Although he is not the head of the embassy, receiving foreign envoys is considered one of his duties, which makes sense. The mention of Wen Hou's envoy can be regarded as an explanation to Zhang Zhao.
After all, it was considered that his family was doing him a favor. After all, everyone now knows that Zhang Zhao played a big role in the marriage between Wang Zheng and Lu Bu.
Sure enough, after hearing this, Zhang Zhao's expression softened a little, but he was still a little dissatisfied: "The envoy's affairs are certainly public, but how can the lord's affairs be regarded as private? Are you trying to cover up your wrongdoing?"
Since he entered the imperial government, he has always been courteous and courteous, which is very different from his original style when he served Sun Quan in history. This is because the former is a young ruler, while Wang Zheng is a male ruler. It does not mean that Zhang Zhaozhen is a good-tempered person.
people.
At this moment, the true color of serious remonstrance suddenly appeared. Under the rebuke, even Mi Heng and Guo Jia who were listening were slightly moved.
Lu Su showed no fear at all. He glanced up at Zhang Zhao and said calmly as before:
"When the envoy from Wu County came to Shouchun, he represented the Marquis of Wen, Lu Bu. His lower official position, Tian, was Cao Cao. Although his official position was low, he represented the state shepherd."
"The state pastor summoned me. Although I don't know why, even though it is as big as heaven and earth, it is for my private affairs in Yangzhou. Marquis Wen's envoy has something to do. Even if it is as small as a mustard seed, it is a national matter and a foreign matter. Compared with the two, how can they not be distinguished?
Public and private, internal and external?”
Zhang Zhao accused Lu Su of being late and disrespectful to Wang Zheng. Lu Su retorted that it was because he put public affairs first before private affairs. The two of them stood at different angles, so they had different opinions. I can't say who is wrong, I can only say
Everyone has their own reasons.
At this time, Liu Ye came out to smooth things over and said: "Lufa Cao, how can you be so rude in front of Zhou Mu? Mr. Zhang is right. If it were not for official business, why would Zhou Mu call you here?"
"You are already late, but you are already negligent. How can you still dare to argue so cleverly? Why don't you quickly plead guilty to Zhou Mu and Duke Zhang?"
As he said this, he winked at Lu Su secretly, but Lu Su turned a deaf ear to it, pretending not to see it, as if he firmly believed that he was right.
There is a big gap between this Lu Zijing and the good old man on TV.
Wang Zheng found it interesting, smiled slightly, and changed the topic directly: "Lufa Cao, what I am most curious about right now is what is the important matter of Wen Hou's envoy that has delayed you for so long?"
PS: Historically, the relationship between Zhang Zhao and Lu Su has indeed never been friendly. It was the kind of "dislike" for no reason.