Chapter 205: The past is revealed, Kong Ming meets Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei for the first time!
Chapter 205: The past is revealed, Kong Ming meets Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei for the first time!
"Someone come here!" Wei Yan's voice brought Zhuge Liang back from his thoughts.

The guards hurried forward: "General."

Wei Yan pointed at the broken lamp on the ground and asked: "How many lamps of this kind are there?"

The fragments of the lamp on the ground are simple and exquisite in shape, graceful and majestic, and obviously not an ordinary lamp.

The guard said, "General, these lanterns were given by the emperor when the King of Chu returned from Xuchang. The army still has seven large lanterns and forty-nine small lanterns."

Wei Yan waved his hand and said, "Go and find those lanterns, big and small. After I leave, light them all."

"Yes." The guard retreated hurriedly.

Only Wei Yan and Zhuge Liang were left in the military tent.

"Mr. Kong Ming..." Wei Yan smiled and saluted Zhuge Liang: "I have really wronged you for so many days."

After Zhuge Liang agreed to work for Liu Wu, the first task Liu Wu assigned to him was to secretly serve as the commander of Wei Yan's army and lead Wei Yan to delay Cao Cao.

Zhuge Liang originally wanted to refuse. It was he who had been the one who had caused Wei Yan to rebel. When Wei Yan first defected to Liu Bei, he had almost ordered him to be beheaded. Now that he was to be above him, how could he forget the old grudge?
Sure enough, Wei Yan began to "dig up the past": "I offered Changsha to that big-eared thief, saying that I had a rebellious mind, and it was you who almost made him fall and chop off my head..."

"It is also you, sir, who is now leading Wei Yan to fight against Cao Cao in the north."

"Mr. Kong Ming, why is the change so great?"

Wei Yan had witnessed Zhuge Liang's abilities, and he admired this Mr. Wolong.

However, Wei Yan still felt resentful about the fact that he had offered Changsha City, but was accused of being a traitor by the enemy and was almost dragged out and beheaded.

What kind of rebellious mind?
Wasn't it because Liu Xuande didn't like that he had killed his old master that Zhuge Liang said this to cooperate with Liu Bei, and at the same time let Liu Bei save him and win the hearts of the people. Did he really think that he, Wei Wenchang, couldn't see it?
But Wei Yan never expected that Zhuge Liang, who had once said that he was a traitor, would now work with him again?

"Now, sir, you are leading a traitor like me to attack Tongguan. It is really an injustice to you." Wei Yan felt unprecedentedly happy. The bad temper he had felt back then had long since dissipated.

At this moment, he only felt endless novelty. The twists and turns of things in the world were truly mysterious.

Zhuge Liang, who had been keeping his eyes slightly closed, finally spoke coldly: "If you dare to make noise again, I will chop off your head!"

Just one word,

Wei Yan felt a chill on the back of his neck, as if he was back to the day when he offered Changsha to Liu Xuande.

At that time, Wei Yan felt for the first time the fear of having his life and death in the hands of others.

After such a long time, he thought he had forgotten this feeling, but now Zhuge Liang's words made him remember it all.

Moreover, before the departure, the King of Chu had already made it clear that Zhuge Liang was the commander-in-chief of the army heading to Tongguan this time, and everything was decided by Zhuge Liang. If he really killed himself as the commander-in-chief...

The hairs on Wei Yan's neck suddenly stood up.

"Don't be offended, sir. I was just joking with you just now." Wei Yan smiled dryly and bowed to Zhuge Liang, then talked about business: "The King of Chu said that all important military affairs should be decided by you. You also saw what happened today..."

"Cao Mengde ordered Yu Jin to stop our army from heading to Tongguan. If our army wants to advance westward, a mere thousand cavalrymen will not be able to stop us. However, if this is the case, I am worried that the King of Chu's plan will be exposed."

"If our army advances now and a conflict occurs with Yu Jin, I am afraid that the fact that the King of Chu is not in the army will be lost."

"If we stop, the King of Chu's plan to contain Cao's army will not work...Should we advance or retreat? Please decide for me, sir!"

If this matter is not handled properly, it will affect Liu Wu's strategy of entering the pass.

Zhuge Liang sat still and said: "Cao Cao sent Yu Jin to stop our army, and the King of Chu ordered us to contain Cao Mengde. In this case, our army should just advance slowly."

Slowly advance?

Wei Yan stood there in a daze.

In the dim tent, Kong Ming sat behind his desk and said: "Cao Cao is blocking our army because he is afraid that our army will attack through the pass and join forces with Ma Chao to attack him. Wen Chang can order the army to march only 30 miles a day."

"This way, we won't threaten Tongguan immediately, and we can also make Cao Cao restless. All his energy will be focused on our army, Ma Chao, and Han Sui. He will have no time to care about other things, and naturally he won't notice the King of Chu's plan to enter the pass."

Wei Yan was still a little hesitant: "Cao Cao has always been treacherous, if he is dissatisfied..."

"That's not up to him." Zhuge Liang said coldly, "We have already given him enough face by marching thirty miles a day."

"If Cao Cao continues to press on, our army will march day and night to Tongguan, what can he do? Cao Cao is currently fighting a bitter battle with a Xiliang army of more than 100,000. Would he dare to withdraw more troops and fight on two fronts?"

"Cao Mengde is very clear about the current situation. At most, he will send Yu Jin to warn Wen Chang. As for the rest... he can only turn a blind eye!"

With just a few words, Zhuge Liang decided on a countermeasure and analyzed Cao Mengde's current situation clearly.

Wei Yan did not hesitate: "Wei Yan understands, let's gather all the generals and act according to your plan."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saluted Zhuge Liang, turned around and walked away.

Zhuge Liang was the only one left in the dim tent.

In a moment,

Wei Yan's personal guards brought seven large lamps and forty-nine small lamps, and lit them all.

The entire military tent was instantly brightly lit, as bright as day.

The guards retreated.
Zhuge Liang stared at the desk in front of him, lost in thought.

After a long while, he took out a blank bamboo scroll from the corner of the desk.

Wow~

The yellow and smooth jade bamboo slips were spread out, and Kong Ming picked up the pen to add ink.

He wants to write a letter.

Write a letter to Liu Xuande. I thought that I would do my best in this life to assist Uncle Liu to achieve great things, but fate played tricks on me and I had to work for Liu Wu in the end.

A loyal minister will not serve two masters, but he eventually became a traitor.

Uncle Liu treated me with sincerity, and I didn't want to deceive him, so I simply explained the whole story to him.

Even though Zhuge Liang was despised by the world for being disloyal, he had to make Liu Bei understand why he was "disloyal".

On the bamboo slips, Zhuge Liang's writing moves with great vigor.

[Your Highness, I say that your lord has not yet started his business, and you have already parted ways with me in Jianye…]

【Since leaving Jianye, Liang was captured by the eldest son and trapped in Xiling. He was in a daze and didn't know what to do. Every time he thought about the lord's three visits to his thatched cottage and the King of Chu kneeling in his thatched cottage, it seemed like yesterday.】

[Everyone thinks that Liang went to Wolong Hill because the lord visited him three times, but they don’t know that even if the emperor’s uncle had not come to look for Liang, Liang would have gone out of the mountain to visit the lord. I still remember that in the fourth year of Chuping, Cao Mengde’s father was killed by a general under Tao Qian’s command...]

Beep~
The lamp sparkled with a loud noise, and the wolf-hair brush in Zhuge Liang's hand stopped at some point.

He looked at the lights in front of him in a trance, and seemed to see his displaced youth again.

Kong Ming was originally from Yangdu County, Langya Commandery, Xuzhou.

His grandfather Zhuge Feng once served as the Inspector of the Imperial Guards during the reign of Emperor Ling, supervising the seven counties of the capital. He was a true high-ranking official with a salary of two thousand stones.

When Kong Ming was eight years old, his father died of illness, and he, his elder brother Zhuge Jin and his younger brother Zhuge Jun lived with their uncle Zhuge Xuan.

In the fourth year of Chuping, Cao Cao had already established himself in Yanzhou. His father Cao Song, who was also hiding from disaster in Langya County, took his young son Cao De to Yanzhou to join Cao Cao after hearing the news.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived at the border of Xuzhou County, he was killed by a general under the command of Xuzhou Mu Tao Qian.

Cao Cao was furious, so he raised a large army, under the banner of revenge for his father, vowing to massacre everyone in Xuzhou!

Wherever Cao's army arrived, almost nine out of ten houses in Xuzhou's counties were empty.

In order to avoid Cao Cao's war, Kong Ming brothers and their uncle Zhuge Xuan fled to the south.

Along the way, all Kong Ming saw were the smelly and cold corpses of the people.

Until he passed by Xuzhou Xiapi City...

"kill!"

"what!"

The spears and swords were rampant.

The blood flowed like a river.
The corpses piled up like a mountain!

Amid the screams of grief, countless Cao soldiers, covered in blood and with ferocious faces, pounced on the unarmed civilians.

These Cao troops slaughtered civilians like they were slaughtering pigs and sheep!

Outside the city of Xia Pi, the young Zhuge Liang looked at the hell on earth around him with a pale face.

It was the first time that he witnessed the brutality of war, and the first time that he understood how cruelly the powerful could oppress the common people in troubled times.

He watched helplessly as several Cao soldiers, holding swords, walked towards the mother and daughter.

He saw the grim smiles on the faces of Cao's troops, and also saw the despair on the faces of the mother and daughter.

Zhuge Liang was angry, but powerless and confused...

When will this chaotic world end?

Is there really anyone in this world who can change this chaotic world?
Is there anyone in this world who is really willing to change this chaotic world?

Da da da! ~
Whoosh! ~
Several sharp arrows flew towards him.

It pierced through the throats of those Cao soldiers and stabbed into their backs.

Under the terrified eyes of the mother and daughter, these Cao soldiers fell to the ground with a bang.

"kill!"

"Stop these beasts!"

"Hurry up and save people!"

Boom! ~
A troop of soldiers suddenly arrived outside Xia Pi City and charged into the fierce army of Cao.

They stopped Cao's army from killing the people.

"who!"

"They must be Tao Qian's accomplices!"

"You don't know how to live or die, kill!"

Cao's troops from the four states trapped the reinforcements like a tide.

There was no confusion among the support troops. Although they were obviously losing, they continued to fight while retreating.

The leaders were extremely brave.
Or with a face as red as a jujube, holding a green dragon knife,

Or a leopard head with round eyes, wielding a 10-foot spear,
Or with ears hanging down to shoulders, holding a double-edged sword, moving back and forth,
The last person turned out to be a teenager, who looked a few years younger than Kong Ming himself, but he was extremely powerful, and his Fang Tian Hua Ji moved as fast as the wind...

(End of this chapter)