Chapter 145: The heart of the historian, eloquent Danyang County, Jing County, is located southwest of Wanling, the seat of Danyang County, and is the junction of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River plain and the mountainous area in the south. The county seat is located in a basin among the mountains, surrounded by mountains on all sides. It is connected to the outside world only by two main roads in the east and west. It is a truly easy to defend and difficult to attack place. However, to the south of Jing County, there are a group of mountains which are named Niuguling because they resemble ox bones. There is another village at the foot of the ridge, named Qiaofeng Village. Connecting to the upper mountain, there is a mountain stronghold with many soldiers guarding it. In the main house of the village, a burly man was sitting on the main seat, listening to the reports of his subordinates. This person was none other than Taishi Ci, whom Liu Bei had been thinking about all the time. He had a beard that reached his chest, and looked quite like Guan Yu. He had a mighty appearance, but his body was not as big as Guan Yu's, and he lacked a lot of intimidation. After listening to his subordinates' report, Taishi Ci couldn't help but stroke his beard and said: "So, Sun Ce has already led his army to attack Wuxi, and can reach Wuxian today?"

Hearing this, the man nodded and said: "That's right. When Jiangdong was in chaos, Sun Ce drew troops from Xu Kun's command." "We are now approaching Wu County. Wanling is empty. We only have 3,000 soldiers and no reinforcements!" "General, should we seize the opportunity and seize Wanling in one fell swoop?" "If we don't take action now, we may not have another chance after Sun Ce returns!" As he spoke, his expression became more and more anxious. As soon as Taishi Ci made his decision, he was ready to go and pass on the message. While listening to this man's words, Taishi Ci stroked his beard, pondered and looked at the map without replying. In fact, while Qin Zhen was planning to capture Taishi Ci, Taishi Ci was also planning a sneak attack on Wanling in the hands of Sun Ce. The reason why things turned out this way was naturally due to Qin Zhen's butterfly effect. Sometimes the horror of the butterfly effect lies here. Often a change in one place will lead to global changes. Especially in some special historical events, changing one point will lead to a drastic change in the situation. At this time, Taishi Ci had no intention of seizing Wanling. Because the soldiers under his command only numbered four or five thousand at most, they were no match for Sun Ce at all. But when Qin Zhen added Chen Deng to Chen Yu, the situation changed completely when the five families attacked Yuan. Zhou Yu's early arrival led to Sun Ce's defeat in Huainan. Chen Deng's actions caused chaos in Jiangdong that had never happened before in history. Seeing such chaos, Taishi Ci naturally had an idea that he had never had before - to seize Wanling and take control of Danyang! However, his troops were too few after all, so he was still hesitant. While thinking, Taishi Ci looked at the person in front of him and said: "I wonder if Liu Xuande has made any unusual moves in Huainan?"

Taishi Ci's feelings towards Liu Bei were quite complicated. On the one hand, it was because the two were old acquaintances and there was some gratitude between them. On the other hand, now that he is leading the army here independently, he is no longer the man who would disregard everything and rush into the enemy alone for the sake of loyalty. With the lives of thousands of soldiers in his hands, he naturally could not be as reckless as before. In response to Taishi Ci's question, the man shook his head and said: "I haven't heard of it, but there is a severe drought in Huainan now. I think even if Liu Bei took Huainan, he would not have the strength to mobilize troops!" "General, if you want to act, you must make a decision as soon as possible!" "Our army is running out of food now. If we don't capture the county town, we may have no more food!" "Even if we don't take Wanling, we should take Jingxian first, otherwise we will have a hard time surviving until next year." Hearing this, Taishi Ci frowned slightly and tightened his hands that were grabbing his beard! Money and food are indeed a big problem! His current situation is similar to Liu Bei's previous situation. We don’t have many soldiers and we can’t afford to lose! But he had to fight. Without food and supplies, his several thousand troops would probably die in the mountains. Thinking of this, his voice sank and he said: "Forget it, pass the order down and prepare to mobilize the army!" "Three days later, follow me down the mountain to capture Jing County and launch a surprise attack on Wanling!" After Taishi Ci gave the order, the man hurried out of the house. But as soon as he went out, he saw a young boy walking towards the house with a happy face, saying as he walked: "Father, I have good news!" This boy was Taishi Ci’s son, Taishi Xiang, but he was written as Taishi Heng in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He was only fourteen years old, but already quite tall, and looked like a copy of Taishi Ci when he was young. Seeing this boy coming, Taishi Ci stroked his beard and smiled: "Where are you from, and what's the good news?" As soon as he finished speaking, Taishi Xiang laughed and said: "If I tell you, you will definitely not believe me, because today I went down the mountain to hunt, and I saw a virtuous man in the village, with an extraordinary appearance." "My child misses his father here, but there is no one to discuss this with, so I asked to come and see him." "Unexpectedly, this person said that he was a messenger and came to deliver a letter." "I asked him who he was sending the letter with, and he said he was sent by Envoy Liu, who came because he heard that my father was here."

"The boy asked him who the envoy was, and he said his name was Bei, his courtesy name was Xuande, and he was an old friend of my father." "I thought my father had said that he had some friendship with this envoy Liu, so I invited him into the camp to have a chat. Then I learned that this man was here to recommend my father to be the governor of Danyang." "I dare not conceal such a happy event, so I come here to report it!" He was young and didn't know how complicated things were, but when Taishi Ci heard this, he secretly thought it was not good. When he heard that it was Liu Bei's envoy who came, he had a bad feeling in his heart. After all, he and Liu Bei haven't seen each other for many years. Now that his troops are stationed here, where did Liu Bei get the news? When he heard that the other party was here to appoint him to a new position, his heart sank even more. Given the current situation, Liu Bei and Sun Ce are at odds with each other, so he is most likely planning to move south. Could it be that he wants to get something for nothing? Do you want to use the position of Danyang governor to let him lead his army north to surrender? Or does he want to use him to contain Sun Ce? If that was the case, it would be difficult for him to refuse. But given the current situation, even if he is asked to go north, his subordinates may not be willing to do so, and he certainly cannot abandon his troops and leave. Similarly, the troops under his command were all brought here with great difficulty, so it was impossible for him to take them to fight with Sun Ce. While thinking, he asked Taishi Xiang: "Envoy Liu sent an envoy? Where is this envoy?" Taishi Xiang was puzzled when he saw that Taishi Ci did not look happy. When he heard the question, he hurriedly replied: "He is waiting outside the hall to be summoned! Father, do you not want to see this person?" "If that's the case, I'll drive him out!" But when Taishi Ci heard this, he raised his eyebrows and said: "How can this be possible? Envoy Liu is my friend. He has sent me an envoy. I must not neglect him!" "Quickly call the messenger in and have someone prepare a banquet!" After being scolded like this, Taishi Xiang left in embarrassment, and then went out to invite the envoy Jiang Gan into the house. Seeing this, Jiang Gan bowed to Taishi Xiang and walked towards the house. When he entered the hall, he saw Taishi Ci in person and bowed, saying: "The general must be my master's old friend, Taishi Ziyi." "I am Jiang Gan, courtesy name Ziyi, and I come to pay my respects to you on the orders of my lord Liu Yuzhou." When Taishi Ci saw that Jiang Gan had an extraordinary appearance, he nodded secretly. He thought that even though they had not seen each other for many years, Liu Bei was still so polite. This man must be an extraordinary person. He smiled and said: "Since we parted at the North Sea that year, the envoy and I have not seen each other for several years." "As for the day before yesterday, I learned that the envoy had actually gone south to Jiujiang, which is only separated from Danyang by a river." "I wanted to send someone to pay me a visit, but I was afraid you would forget my name." "Unexpectedly, before I arrived, the envoy sent an envoy here first!"

"I wonder how you have been these past few years, sir? Is there any problem with your health?" Seeing this, Jiang Gan smiled and said: "Thank you for your concern, General. My lord is in good health and is not in any trouble." "I just often think of the general's loyalty and bravery. I heard that the general had abandoned Liu Yao and left, and his whereabouts are unknown, so I sent people to search everywhere." "I found out that the general was living here, and thinking of our past friendship, I was asked to come and greet him!" Hearing this, Taishi Ci was moved. He wanted to say a few polite words to see what Liu Bei thought. But Jiang Gan's words made him recall his previous interactions with Liu Bei. It seems that Liu Bei was also so kind in the past. Talking with him often makes people feel like they are in the spring breeze. If Jiang Gan's words were true, it would really warm his heart. However, Jiang Gan first involved Liu Bei because of their friendship, so he was afraid that things were really as he thought, and Liu Bei had bad intentions. Seeing that the other party didn't say it clearly, he sneered: "You can listen to what my son said. Your Excellency is here to ask me for the position of governor of Danyang." "Now you say you just came to say hello, why is that?" Seeing him like this, Jiang Gan smiled solemnly and said: "General, I'm afraid you have misunderstood. My Lord did ask me to come and greet him. He has no other intentions." "But I heard that the general stationed troops here and appointed himself as the governor of Danyang. I wonder if this is true?" "Yes, that's the case. What are you waiting for?" Taishi Ci looked directly at Jiang Gan and said: "Could it be that your Excellency's intention to appoint me as the governor of Danyang was not yours, but your own decision?" When Jiang Gan heard this, he laughed again and said: "General, you have misunderstood again. It was indeed my lord's intention to recommend you as the governor of Danyang, not my own decision!" Taishi Ci listened to these words and couldn't help but wonder if this man was a fool. He first said that Liu Bei came to recommend him for the position of prefect of Danyang, and then said that he just came to say hello and had no other intention. But now he says that Liu Bei wants to recommend him as the prefect of Danyang. Isn't this inconsistent and self-contradictory? As soon as he thought about it, he frowned and said: "Sir, your previous words are not as good as your later ones. Isn't that funny?" Seeing this, Jiang Gan asked: "General, please stop laughing. I would like to ask you if you are willing to accept the position of governor of Danyang?" When Taishi Ci heard this, he thought that this guy was setting a trap for him. If he agreed, and the other party took out the seal and asked him to lead the army north, he would naturally have no way to refute. But if I don't agree, I will be unwilling to show favor to Liu Bei.

With his eyes rolling around, he stroked his beard and said with a smile: "It is true that no one should receive a reward without merit. Although I have a history with you, I should not accept this position for nothing!" But after he said this, Jiang Gan also laughed and said: "Because of this, my lord originally wanted to recommend you to be the governor of Danyang, but I am afraid that you, such a trustworthy person, would not be willing to accept the position!" "So before coming here, I have already denied this matter on behalf of the general!" "What a pity, you didn't even listen to me before you said I was here to ask you for the position of governor of Danyang, so you misunderstood me, not because I was contradicting you!" When it comes to the art of debate, it's all about taking the initiative at all times. Therefore, he had prepared two sets of excuses. If Taishi Ci said he wanted it, he would make a promise. If Taishi Ci said he didn't want it, he would say it like he is doing now. Liu Bei originally wanted to appoint you, but I rejected you. See how good I am to you? His words shocked Taishi Ci so much that he stared with his eyes wide open, unable to utter a word. I thought, how can this be? Do I know you well? Are you just going to deny me the appointment? Even though he had no intention of accepting it, he didn't want it, but he couldn't let anyone decide for him. But Jiang Gan's words were correct, and he couldn't deny it. He could only take a deep breath and said: "Sir, you really know me. I am not the kind of person who would take credit for nothing." But after saying this, he said in a deep voice: "Since you are only here to greet me, now that we have met, please go down and rest. I will prepare a banquet for you, and then you can leave!" Since this kid was so rude, he naturally prepared to see him off. As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Gan calmly shook his head and said; "I dare not go. Since I am here today, I will stay for a while and collect the general's body before returning!" "So that I won't have to go south to pay my respects again in the future!" With a bang, before he could finish his words, Taishi Ci slapped the table and shouted angrily: "How dare you curse me, you rude boy!" Although he and Liu Bei were friends, it did not mean that the envoy could say whatever he wanted. But when Jiang Gan saw this, he chuckled and said: "What are you talking about, General? Everything I said is the truth!" "You must know that the imperial court is still in existence. The general has gathered troops here, and has taken the position of governor of Danyang without being appointed by the imperial court. How is this different from rebellion?" "Haven't you seen that Yuan Shu usurped the throne and was still suppressed by the imperial court? Now he is defeated and about to perish." "Although you are brave and strong, you only have a few thousand soldiers and horses. How can you compare with Yuan Shu?" "Even Yuan Shu is like this, how can the general not be worried?" "Being trapped here like this is a way to death!" "This is the truth, and I don't mean to curse at all!" Hearing this, Taishi Ci was stunned again. This kid is really good at talking! Seeing that he was retorted several times by the other party, he simply frowned and said bluntly: "Then according to your opinion, how should I proceed?" As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Gan stepped forward, bowed and said: "If the general does not want to die here, there is only one plan that will work!" "Write to my Lord, submit to the court, and seek the position of governor of Danyang!"

(End of this chapter)