novelAbuy Chapter 46 "The Scholar's Intentions Are Going Too Far"
Chapter 46 "The Scholar's Intentions Are Going Too Far"
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei felt a pang of emotion.
He certainly had many advisors under his command in his previous life.
Most of those people came from prominent families and had been well-versed in military strategy and tactics since childhood.
Wu Yong was just a village schoolteacher.
It is truly rare for him to have this self-awareness and take the initiative to study military strategy.
Liu Bei picked up the book "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
The pages were yellowed and the edges were worn.
"Reading military books is a good thing, so why are you reading these folk tales?" Liu Bei asked.
Wu Yong picked up the teapot on the table and poured Liu Bei a cup of water.
"Military treatises are too dry; they make you sleepy if you read them for too long." Wu Yong pushed a teacup in front of Liu Bei. "These folk tales about the Three Kingdoms are vivid, with many characters and strategies. They'll help me relax and I can also learn some of the methods of our predecessors."
Liu Bei looked at the book in his hand that told the story of his past life and felt a little strange.
He randomly turned to a page.
The illustration above depicts Guan Yu warming wine before beheading Hua Xiong.
The lines are rough, and the proportions of the figures are somewhat out of balance.
Liu Bei closed the letter.
"Do you like things from the Three Kingdoms period?" Liu Bei asked, looking at Wu Yong.
Wu Yong nodded.
"That was an era of great contention. Heroes rose up everywhere, and strategists were everywhere."
Liu Bei leaned back in his chair.
"So, which character do you like the most?"
When Liu Bei asked this question, he actually already had the answer in his heart.
Most scholars admire Zhuge Liang.
Bow down and die.
Zhuge Liang's loyalty and wisdom have always been a model for scholars and poets.
He felt that Wu Yong would also give this answer.
Wu Yong did not answer immediately.
He picked up his teacup and took a sip of water.
"My favorite characters are Jia Xu and Cheng Yu."
Liu Bei was stunned.
He looked at Wu Yong, thinking he had misheard.
Jia Xu?
Cheng Yu?
Neither of these two people has a good reputation.
Jia Xu was known as the "Poisonous Strategist," and one of his schemes threw the entire Han Dynasty into chaos.
Cheng Yu was an even more ruthless man; for the sake of military rations, he even dared to use human flesh to make minced meat.
Liu Bei leaned forward.
"The scholar actually likes these two?"
Wu Yong smiled as he looked at Liu Bei's surprised expression.
He picked up the feather fan on the table and gently waved it twice.
"Does your brother find this strange?"
Liu Bei did not hide his thoughts.
"When people read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, they often praise Zhuge Liang for his unparalleled wisdom and Guan Yu for his unparalleled righteousness. But Jia Xu and Cheng Yu don't have such good reputations."
Wu Yong put away his feather fan.
He watched the flickering flame of the oil lamp.
"Prime Minister Kongming was indeed a genius throughout the ages."
"But he suffered so much."
"He acts too uprightly and has too many concerns."
"He had to take care of everything, uphold the duty between ruler and subject, and consider the suffering of the people."
Wu Yong turned his head and looked at Liu Bei.
"Brother, the situation we are facing now does not allow us to talk about benevolence and morality."
Liu Bei did not interrupt.
He listened quietly to Wu Yong's analysis.
Wu Yong stood up.
He took two steps in the narrow room.
"The Jurchens to the north will attack us sooner or later."
"They don't understand propriety, righteousness, integrity, or a sense of shame; they don't uphold benevolence, righteousness, or morality."
"All they know is looting and killing."
Wu Yong stopped in his tracks.
"If we still adhere to our bottom line when facing this pack of jackals, we're just courting death."
Liu Bei looked at Wu Yong's thin back.
"So you like Jia Xu and Cheng Yu?"
Wu Yong turned around.
"right."
"Jia Xu was ruthless and never considered the consequences. He only sought to achieve his goals, regardless of how many people died. This kind of vicious scheme was perfect for dealing with those barbarians."
"Cheng Yu has no bottom line when it comes to doing things."
"When Cao Cao was short of food, he would mix the flesh of the common people into the army's rations."
"In times of peace and prosperity, this would be a crime punishable by a thousand cuts."
"But when it comes to the point of national subjugation and racial extinction, the barbarians will have their knives at their throats."
"Are we really going to send our soldiers to their deaths on empty stomachs just for the sake of some so-called reputation?"
Liu Bei remained silent.
In his previous life, he established himself in the world through benevolence and righteousness.
He never wanted to do anything immoral or immoral.
But in the end, he still lost.
He failed to restore the Han Dynasty.
Now reborn, facing an impending invasion by alien races, will he continue to uphold the principles he held in his previous life?
The Hu people don't talk to him about benevolence and righteousness.
The Five Barbarian Invasions brought true devastation and suffering to the people.
Liu Bei looked at Wu Yong and suddenly smiled.
He stood up and walked to Wu Yong's side.
He reached out and patted Wu Yong's shoulder heavily.
"The scholar put his heart into it."
Liu Bei's tone was full of admiration.
"You're right."
"To deal with jackals, you have to be even more ruthless than them."
"We need not only Zhuge Liang's strategy, but also Jia Xu's ruthlessness, and even more so, Cheng Yu's decisiveness."
Upon hearing Liu Bei's affirmation, Wu Yong smiled.
He knew he hadn't followed the wrong person.
This Brother Chao Gai had the world in his heart, not empty fame.
Liu Bei withdrew his hand.
"It's late, you should get some rest."
"We still need to take over that house tomorrow. There are so many things to do with the escort agency, you'll have to handle them."
Wu Yong bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.
"I understand."
Liu Bei turned around and opened the door.
A night breeze blew in, and the flame of the oil lamp flickered violently a few times.
Liu Bei walked into the night.
Wu Yong closed the door.
He sat back down at the table and opened the book "Six Secret Teachings".
……
The next morning.
Liu Bei and Wu Yong took Wu Song to the house in the west of the city.
This house originally belonged to Sun Biao, a local ruffian.
Now that Sun Biao is in death row, the business has fallen into Shi Wenbin's hands.
Shi Wenbin then did Liu Bei a favor and gave it to him.
The house occupies a very large area.
The street-facing area consists of five spacious shops.
Behind it are three courtyards.
There is also a huge training ground at the very back.
The weapon racks were all intact.
Wu Song walked around the training ground.
He walked to the weapons rack, picked up a stone lock, and weighed it in his hand.
"Brother, this place is spacious enough to house dozens of people without any problem. It's perfect as a camp for a security escort agency."
Wu Song threw the stone lock on the ground with a dull thud.
Liu Bei stood at the edge of the training ground.
He looked at the high courtyard walls all around him.
"It's a good place."
"Just running a security escort agency isn't enough; you need both a name and the right gear."
Liu Bei turned to look at Wu Yong.
"Scholar, go to the cloth shop in the city and order a uniform of the same style. The color should be dark, durable, and resistant to dirt and wear. Embroider the words 'Han Style' on the chest."
"Weapons should also be standardized."
"Have Zhang Tiebi speed up the process and get a hundred top-quality broadswords made first."
After Liu Bei gave his instructions, the group began assigning people to clean the house.
In the afternoon.
The main gate of the house has been freshly painted.
A huge plaque covered with a red cloth was carried over.
Song Jiang also rushed over from the county government office.
He brought a document stamped with the official seal of the county government.
"Brother, the permit for the escort agency has been issued."
Song Jiang handed the document to Liu Bei.
"Master Shi specifically instructed the household affairs department to ensure everything went smoothly."
Liu Bei took the document and glanced at it.
He handed the document to Wu Yong for safekeeping.
"You've worked hard, my dear brother."
Song Jiang wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"This is all part of my job."
"But I overheard something while I was at the yamen."
Song Jiang lowered his voice.
Liu Bei looked at him.
"What is it?"
Song Jiang looked around.
He moved closer to Liu Bei.
"An official document from Jeju Prefecture."
"Yang Zhi, who has been searching and confiscating manors everywhere, has arrived in Zengtou City."