HLnovel Chapter 483 Is Zhong Yao feeling frustrated again? Zhang Lu launches a counterattack!
Chapter 483 Is Zhong Yao feeling frustrated again? Zhang Lu launches a counterattack!
Sima Yi was very efficient.
Just as Dong Bai and his party were about to leave the border of Longxi, they encountered a hundred-man squad sent by Sima Yi.
Ma Yunlu took out his weapon, and Dong Bai and his uncle and aunt were also prepared to fight to the death.
But just as tensions were running high between the two sides...
The centurion of this hundred-man squad suddenly smiled and said to Dong Bai:
"You must be Miss Dong Bai?"
"I am acting on the orders of the Prefect to invite Miss Dong Bai to Chang'an."
"Go to Chang'an? What for?"
Dong Bai was very smart, but he couldn't understand the other party's logic at first.
"Don't worry, Miss Dong Bai. It was the Commandant of the Guards who invited you, not Wang Ling."
As a trusted confidant of Sima Yi, the centurion was just as perceptive as Sima Yi himself.
To prevent Dong Bai from making a pointless resistance due to the confusion of information, he openly told Dong Bai that Wang Ling was not the mastermind behind this matter.
Seeing that Dong Bai and his uncle and aunt still had doubts, the centurion added:
"General Ma is also in Chang'an now, and he really wants to see Miss Yunlu."
Only then did Dong Bai and his group's doubts gradually dissipate.
The centurion successfully completed his mission and was further promoted by Sima Yi upon returning.
As for Sima Yi himself, although he angered Wang Ling.
But those who work for our Commandant Su all receive great benefits!
Sima Yi would never forget who helped him obtain his position as the Prefectural Governor.
On the surface, it's all thanks to Zhong Yao, but in reality, Zhong Yao is just a naive fool who's being used and is even smug about it!
There's no way around it, Zhong Yao may be strong, but Commandant Su has a cheat code!
……
Changan
Wang Ling finally understood why Sima Yi ignored him.
If he were in Sima Yi's shoes, he would definitely make the same choice.
Those who understand the times are the heroes.
However, as the current patriarch of the Wang family of Jinyang, Wang Ling obviously has many more issues to consider than Sima Yi.
He prepared generous gifts and personally delivered them to Su Yu's residence.
On the other hand, they randomly selected a few death row inmates, pretending they were members of the Dong family, to give the old fogies of the clan an explanation.
The Dong family incident, along with the previous "Jia Kui incident," served as a wake-up call for Wang Ling.
Gathering intelligence is very important, especially regarding women; don't get in the way of the Commandant of the Guards.
……
Sili Xiaowei Office
Zhong Yao was meeting with an envoy sent by Zhang Lu, a man named Yang Song.
Yang Song smiled slightly and cupped his hands in greeting to Zhong Yao:
"This humble servant, Yang Song, pays respects to the Commandant of the Capital Region on behalf of my master, Zhang Tianshi."
Zhong Yao waved his hand:
"No gift."
"Zhang Tianshi has been stationed in Hanzhong for many years, where he implemented benevolent policies and was deeply loved by the people."
“It is I, Zhong Yao, who should thank Zhang Tianshi for his outstanding contributions on behalf of the imperial court.”
Yang Song shook his head and said:
"You flatter me, Commandant of the Capital Region."
"Although the people of Hanzhong are not starving, they are far from being wealthy."
"Sigh, I'm short of money."
Seeing Yang Song's feigned poverty, Zhong Yao's face flashed with displeasure.
There are generally two reasons why someone might complain about being poor.
First, whether or not to repay the money borrowed from the other party on time is another matter.
Second, if you don't want to lend money to someone, try to appease them by pretending to be poor beforehand.
Applying this logic to Zhong Yao and Yang Song, Zhong Yao believed that Yang Song was asking him for money on behalf of Zhang Lu!
Zhong Yao was not poor, but it depended on who he was compared to.
Compared to Su Yu, he was truly a poor wretch.
The previous incident involving a minor official had already greatly displeased Zhong Yao.
Yang Song's blatant demand for money made Zhong Yao feel like he had suffered a massive blow to his character!
But Yang Song didn't care about that.
He said with a smile:
"Speaking of which, Guanzhong is still the richest."
"Your Excellency, Commandant of the Capital Region, you must have reaped considerable rewards during your years in Guanzhong, haven't you?"
Zhong Yao stood up angrily, pointed at Yang Song, and asked:
"What do you mean by that?"
"Official positions or titles are negotiable."
"But how could Zhang Tianshi, as the third-generation leader of the Five Pecks of Rice sect, be controlled by such a worldly thing as money?"
Yang Song snorted coldly:
"You make it sound so easy, Commandant of the Capital Region."
"Zhang Tianshi has been in Hanzhong for many years, using his own money to support so many people in Hanzhong. Is it appropriate for the court to only give him a retirement position?"
Zhong Yao was dumbfounded!
No way... Zhang Lu, you're supposed to be a feudal lord, how can you be so greedy?
But Zhong Yao's temper flared up as well, and he pointed at Yang Song, saying:
"There is no money. If Zhang Tianshi insists on resisting, all that awaits him is the wrath of the imperial court!"
Yang Song ignored Zhong Yao and turned to leave.
Zhong Yao slowly sat down, unable to calm his restless heart for a long time.
In fact, what he didn't know was.
The problem isn't with Zhang Lu, but with Yang Song!
Yang Song's greed for money was extremely well-known.
Yang Song was naturally unhappy that he couldn't get the money he wanted.
But in the eyes of Zhong Yao, who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and never had to worry about money, talking about money was really vulgar!
Therefore, it has nothing to do with emotional intelligence, IQ, or political maneuvering.
Zhong Yao could never understand Yang Song.
Yang Song also disliked his aloofness.
It would be truly strange if the two of them could empathize!
……
After returning to Hanzhong
Yang Song embellished Zhang Lu's words, saying:
"Master, I've been wronged!"
Zhang Lu was a benevolent ruler who was also very protective of his trusted subordinates.
Upon hearing the news that Yang Song had been wronged, they immediately asked what had happened.
Yang Song pointed to the handprint on his face and said to Zhang Lu:
"Master, these are the marks Zhong Yao made on me!"
"It's been almost a month since I came back and forth, and the mark still hasn't faded."
"He also insulted you, Celestial Master, saying that you only became the Prefect of Hanzhong because of your mother..."
"shut up!"
Zhang Lu quickly stopped Yang Song.
His mother, Lady Lu, passed away in Chengdu six months before Liu Yan died.
This is also an important reason why the relationship between Zhang Lu and Liu Yan deteriorated rapidly.
Now, if Zhong Yao really brings up Zhang Lu's mother, how can Zhang Lu not be furious?
A glint of cunning appeared in Yang Song's eyes.
Yes, compared to a great figure like Zhong Yao, he is nothing.
But even ordinary people have their own wisdom.
If you, Zhong Yao, are unwilling to bribe Yang Song, then I'll make you pay a small price. That's not too much to ask, is it?
Moreover, Hanzhong is really difficult to conquer.
Historically, the Shu Han regime always regarded Hanzhong as a military base; as long as Hanzhong existed, Shu Han existed.
Only two months after Hanzhong was lost, the incident of Deng Ai's smuggling across Yinping occurred.
Yizhou is incomplete without Hanzhong.
It would be extremely difficult for outsiders to penetrate Hanzhong.
Don't underestimate Zhang Lu just because he only had Hanzhong.
However, if he were to make up his mind to rebel against Cao Cao, it would undoubtedly consume a large portion of Cao Cao's army's strength.
Moreover, this war itself is meaningless and should not have happened.
……
PS: Historically, Zhang Lu originally intended to surrender to Cao Cao, but he fought back for nearly five months before finally surrendering.
There are no specific records of what happened in between. However, it can be inferred that the two sides definitely couldn't agree on a price.
Happy New Year to all my fathers-in-law! I'm hoping to bring you some good luck and ask you to send me more gifts and support me with your love!