Chapter 205: The thief who is in chaos, a delaying tactic But when Qin Zhen just arrived in Xiangyang, he saw Kuai Liang coming to greet him, saying that Liu Biao had already prepared a banquet. Faced with this situation, Qin Zhen entered the city. Although Liu Biao had no martial ethics, he still had to save his face. After entering the city, Kuai Liang took Qin Zhen to the inn and said with a smile: "I know that the general has come here all the way, hundreds of miles away, and must be exhausted." "Why don't we wash up and take a bath first, and then go to the office to gather together?" Seeing this, Qin Zhen saw that it was still early, so he looked at Kuai Liang with a smile and said: "Didn't Lord Kuai say that the banquet was already prepared and only one person was waiting for me?" "If I take a bath now, I will have to keep you all waiting for a long time!" When Kuai Liang heard this, he knew that Qin Zhen was unhappy, so he smiled and said: "Although all the wise men have arrived, they are still debating. General, you know that such a grand gathering is rare in Jingzhou."

"Not only have great scholars come, but many students from the academy have also come." "During this sutra meeting, people usually get up early in the morning and stop at dusk. It's still early now, so you can wash up and go!" When Qin Zhen heard this, he sneered and thought to himself, you guys are just warming up here! I'm afraid that this time, in addition to Liu Biao's instructions, this group of old scholars also wanted to embarrass him. After all, there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts. If scholars want to gain fame, they must constantly output values ​​and debate. The bigger the debate, the greater the reputation; the greater the reputation of the debater, the better the effect of the debate. It just so happened that his father-in-law Cai Yong was a first-rate Confucian scholar, and second-rate Confucian scholars like Song Zhong might have wanted to take this opportunity to become famous. If he was slapped in the face by these people today, it would not only be his face that would be hurt, but Cai Yong's reputation would also be affected. I have to say, although this trick is useless, it is quite vicious! After thinking about this, he smiled calmly and said: "I see. Then I must thank you for your kindness, sir." "Well, since you gentlemen are not in a hurry, I will take a bath first. I hope Mr. Kuai will wait for a while!" As he said this, he led his followers and walked towards the inn. Seeing Qin Zhen enter the relay station, Kuai Liang finally breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, he also felt that coming to greet Qin Zhen was a chore. After all, Liu Biao's behavior this time was a bit rude. If you meet someone with a worse temper, you might start cursing and walk away. Qin Zhen's appearance saved him a lot of trouble. But he felt something was wrong with Qin Zhen's behavior. Because Qin Zhen is not a simple person. If he can make such a big name for himself, how could he not see that this is a trap? But after seeing through Liu Biao's plan, Qin Zhen remained so calm. There was only one possibility: Qin Zhen was not afraid of this situation at all.

Thinking of this, he turned around and looked at Fu Xun and Pei Qian and said: "You two just met Qin Zhen. What do you think of him?" In a sense, Fu Xun and Pei Qian were not Liu Biao's men. Fu Xun was originally from the north. His ancestor was Fu Jiezi, Marquis of Yiyang in the Western Han Dynasty. He was a man of tall and strong appearance and well-read. He was once recruited by three ministers and started his career as a Shangshu Lang. Now he lives in Jingzhou. Pei Qian was a descendant of the Pei family, a prominent family in Hedong. He fled south to avoid disaster, and Liu Biao treated him like a guest of honor. The reason why he brought two people to welcome them this time was to show goodwill to Qin Zhen and express that his Kuai family had no objection to Liu Bei's army. On the other hand, he also wanted to bring two more people to take a closer look and see what kind of person Qin Zhen is. When he asked this question, Pei Qian smiled and said: "This person has the ability to endure and is very tolerant. He can accomplish great things!" Upon hearing this, Fu Xun narrowed his eyes and pondered: "I heard that Xu Zijiang once described Cao Mengde as 'a capable minister in a peaceful era, and a treacherous hero in a chaotic era'." "Looking at this person now, perhaps we can apply this to him. He is a man of great talent who can help the world and bring peace to the thieves who can put an end to chaos!" As soon as he said this, Kuai Liang was shocked and asked in surprise: "Why does Gongti come to such a conclusion?" Pei Qian's words were not much different from his opinion, but Fu Xun's remarks were somewhat shocking. Generally speaking, when we say "benefiting the world", it is followed by a positive word, but Fu Xun added the word "thief", which instantly turned the evaluation into a negative one. In other words, in Fu Xun's opinion, Qin Zhen is a very talented person, but he is not a good person at heart! This is completely contrary to the world's traditional evaluation of Qin Zhen as a gentleman! How did Fu Xun come to this conclusion? Was it just because of this short meeting? Facing Kuai Liang's question, Fu Xun stroked his beard and smiled: "This is just a lie, just listen to it and don't spread it to others!" "I saw that this person must have been angry just now, but he didn't show it on his face, which shows how cunning he is." "It will be very difficult for you to deal with this person!" When Kuai Liang saw him changing the subject, he felt depressed for a moment. You know, Fu Xun is the best at judging people. I generally don’t judge others easily, but once I do, my words are always right on target. Now that Qin Zhen is like this, it can be seen that this guy Qin Zhen is very difficult to deal with. But he was arranged to contact Qin Zhen. If Qin Zhen used his tricks, he would be in great trouble. Thinking of this, he stroked his beard and pondered: "I also know this, but you asked me to come and meet him, what should I do?" When Fu Xun heard this, he thought for a moment and then smiled at Kuai Liang: "This is easy. I think Qin Zhen is a difficult person to deal with, but he is quite tolerant!" "He must know that this matter is embarrassing for the envoy, so he must find an excuse to embarrass the envoy." "Sir, you are caught between the two of them and will definitely suffer. You might as well take this opportunity to report to the mansion first, and then call others to welcome them, so as to avoid accidentally hurting Kuai Shi." When Kuai Liang heard this, he thought that the best strategy was to flee, so he smiled at Fu Xun and said: "This proposal is in line with my wishes. If so, please wait here for a while. I will return to the palace to report first!"

After saying this, he asked the two to continue waiting in the inn while he led his men towards the mansion. On the other side, Qin Zhen, Zhuge Liang and Wang Can entered the inn and heard Zhuge Liang say: "Sir, although Liu Jingsheng is generous on the outside but cautious on the inside, he would not be so rude." "Just now I saw Kuai coming to greet us, so I know this is probably Cai Degui's plan." "Tonight's banquet is not a good one. I am afraid it will humiliate our teacher!" After Qin Zhen met Wang Can, he introduced Kong Ming, his second-generation junior fellow apprentice, to Wang Can. Wang Can also liked this clever "little junior brother". When he heard this, he nodded to Qin Zhen and said: "Brother, what Kong Ming said is very true. Brother, you are not good at studying classics. Now that all the great scholars have come, if you are questioned by them, you will certainly humiliate Master Cai." "How can we, the people of Cai Sect, allow them to act like this?" Listening to what the two said, Qin Zhen turned around and said with interest: "Then according to your opinions, how should I deal with it?" Zhuge Liang thought for a while and suggested: "Since classics are not your forte, you can decide the outcome with poetry. First, think of a sad poem. If you find the situation is not right, you can recite it." "Use the power of the country and the hardship of the people's livelihood to silence their mouths." "In this way, even if it is difficult to argue with the meaning of the scriptures, you can use this as an excuse to avoid being criticized!" Upon hearing this, Wang Can immediately agreed that this was a good idea and said to Qin Zhen: "I happen to have a poem that I can share with you, brother. It's called 'Seven Elegies'!" "If you recite it like this, those corrupt scholars will surely be ashamed." He immediately recited his work in front of Qin Zhen. When Qin Zhen saw this, he smiled at Wang Can and said: "I know you are talented, but if you want to write a poem, why do I need to borrow your work? Don't worry!" When it comes to copying poems, he just doesn't want to copy. If he does copy, he really doesn't need to borrow Wang Can's works. Zhuge Liang's ideas were similar to his. If it came to debate, he was certainly no match for these people. But he is not stupid. Why would he debate with everyone when he knows he is no match for them? The best way to deal with this situation is to pull them into his area of ​​expertise and launch a fierce attack. However, before doing this, he still needs to delay Liu Biao for a while and let these Confucian scholars exhaust themselves for a while! He immediately ordered Zhuge Liang to prepare the gifts he had brought. In addition, Wang Can was asked to go out and talk to Pei Qian and Fu Xun to find out whether they had any intention of joining them. You must know that Pei Qian and Fu Xun are both talented people. If you are interested, you can poach them together. He had three purposes for coming here this time: things had to be done, relationships had to be established, and people had to be recruited. In short, he couldn't return empty-handed. After making these arrangements, he went to the bathroom to take a bath peacefully. While he was bathing leisurely in the inn, Kuai Liang, after listening to Fu Xun's advice, came to the mansion and said to Liu Biao: "Sir, Qin Zhen, the envoy of Liu Bei's army, has arrived in the city. I have taken him to the inn to bathe." The governor's mansion was extremely lively at this time. Many great scholars were sitting in the front hall discussing philosophy, and many disciples and scholars were listening.

For a moment, the whole mansion was filled with smoke and the sound of elegant conversation. It could be said to be a grand Confucian gathering. While everyone was discussing in the front hall, Liu Biao stayed in the back hall with his close ministers such as Kuai Yue, Cai Mao, and Liu Xian. Seeing Kuai Liang coming to report, Liu Biao did not think much about it, and stroked his beard and smiled: "That's perfect, but I wonder if Qin Zhen is doing anything unusual?" Upon hearing this, Kuai Liang recounted Qin Zhen's reactions one by one, and then concluded: "This person has not done anything unusual, nor has he ever complained about anything!" When Liu Biao heard that Qin Zhen was not abnormal, he stroked his beard and smiled: "From this perspective, this person is quite calm!" As soon as he finished speaking, Cai Mao stood up and said with a smile: "Qin Zhen is probably panicking, but he just doesn't show it." "He is a genius. Now that all the famous people in our state have gathered here, it will be difficult for him to argue!" "If you cannot win the argument, come and meet me tomorrow. You will not have the face to talk to our army again." Liu Biao just smiled and said nothing when he heard his words, but Liu Xian frowned when he saw this: "Liu Xuande did not cause any trouble to our army. If our army treats him like this, isn't that against the principles of benevolence and righteousness?" As soon as he spoke, before Liu Biao could respond, Cai Mao stood up and sneered: "Don't say that, my dear. If it is against benevolence and righteousness, it was Liu Bei who did it first." "We are living in Jingzhou. If he wants to take Jiangdong, he will have to take our army with him!" "My dear, you must know that whenever there is a war, people will die. These are the men of Jingzhou. How can we sacrifice them for others?" Liu Xian listened, frowned for a moment, and did not refute. Seeing this, Liu Biao stood up and said with a smile: "Don't worry too much, Shizong. Liu Xuande and I are from the same clan." "Although he is unrighteous, I will obey the emperor's order. Today's debate is only to kill him." "Just ask me to see you tomorrow, and I will discuss it with you and will not disobey the Emperor's orders!" Seeing him like this, Liu Xian didn't know what to say and could only remain silent. This look also made Liu Biao quite satisfied. Seeing that it was already late, he glanced at Kuai Liang and said: "Although Qin Zhen needs to take a bath, it won't take long. You can send someone to wait for him in the inn and bring him to the banquet!" Kuai Liang nodded, said yes, then went out of the mansion and arranged for the carriages and horses in the mansion to go and welcome Qin Zhen. But less than half an hour after the carriage had set out, the servant returned and said: "Mr. Qin has just packed his luggage and taken a shower. Please let me know that I can leave in half an hour!" Everyone was stunned when they heard this, but Liu Biao frowned and said:

"It will take half an hour to pack the luggage. Go and tell the guests that they have been waiting for a long time and ask them to come as soon as possible!" When the servant heard this, he left the house again. As soon as he left, Cai Mao frowned and said: "Qin Zhen is a cunning fellow. Could it be that he is trying to buy us some time?" "It's already the evening hour. If we let him delay for a few more hours, I'm afraid we won't be able to attend this banquet!" Liu Biao was quite displeased when he heard this: "If he really dares to do this, even though it is rude, what can we do?" Cai Mao, as the mastermind of the plan, felt something was wrong when he heard this and could not help but glance at Kuai Liang secretly. He thought, wasn't it Kuai Liang who was asked to pick someone up this time? When Kuai Liang came back just now, he didn’t think anything of it. Now it seems that this guy probably anticipated Qin Zhen's reaction, so he came back to report directly. He is really insidious! Thinking of this, he knew it was unrealistic to let Kuai Liang go again, so he said in a deep voice: "To prevent Qin Zhen from delaying time, please go and contact him!" Seeing that he was asking for orders, Liu Biao nodded and asked Cai Mao to go again. When Kuai Liang saw this, he felt happy and at ease. He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, waiting for Cai Mao and Qin Zhen to fight. (End of this chapter)