The first snow of the twelfth year of Jian'an came earlier than usual. Carriages and horses were traveling on the mountain road, and dead leaves were flying.
Liu Qi came to Wolonggang again. The surrounding areas were vast and desolate, with only the bamboo forest being the only green in the valley. Under the thatched cottage, there were still red lanterns and ribbons hanging, which left a hint of joy.
Zhuge Liang came out to greet them early, and standing next to him was a woman in brocade fur, with her hair tied up high and an elegant temperament. She looked like a perfect match for Zhuge Liang, a perfect match made in heaven.
Liu Qi dismounted from his horse, and Zhuge Liang and his wife came forward to greet him. Liu Qi looked at Huang Yueying, but could not see anything ugly about her. He wondered how the name of ugly woman came about.
"This is..." Zhuge Liang looked at the large and small carts behind him, all wrapped in oilcloth and as tall as hills, and was obviously quite surprised.
Liu Qi smiled and said, "I was not able to personally pay my respects to you on your wedding day. I was really rude. I am here today to make up for it."
Zhuge Liang quickly declined, saying, "I am very grateful for your kindness, but my thatched cottage is too small to accommodate all these things."
Liu Qi waved his hand and said, "Sir, please don't be in a hurry to refuse. These are not vulgar gifts, but just some furniture and utensils. I guarantee that you will be satisfied."
Zhuge Liang was about to decline, but Huang Yueying said, "The furniture of Hanxing Hall has already caused a sensation in Luoyang. Every family in Jingzhou is vying to place orders. It must be unique. Since it is a sincere gift from the general, there is no need for you to decline."
When Liu Qi heard the voice, he immediately got goose bumps. It turned out that Huang Yueying had a hoarse voice and her speaking sounded like a saw, as if her vocal cords were injured.
I used to have a colleague who had surgery on his vocal cords, so he had difficulty speaking and his voice was shrill, but I got used to it after hearing it many times.
"I'm sorry to accept it!" Zhuge Liang seemed to respect Huang Yueying very much and accepted it with a bow.
Huang Yueying smiled and said, "Since it is just furniture, it is just right to replace it together. My husband, please accompany the general to the study to rest first, and I will put it right."
Zhuge Liang nodded slightly, and Liu Qi asked Liu Neng to ask everyone to move things. The two came to the study, where there was a clay stove with a blazing charcoal fire and a pot of wine was warming.
The two men sat opposite each other, and Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "It just so happens that there is still half a pot of wine left by Mr. Huang. Please have a taste, General."
Liu Qi said with emotion: "A small red clay stove, green ants brewing new wine. It's going to snow in the evening, can you have a drink?"
"Good poem, good poem!" Zhuge Liang put down the feather fan that he always kept in his hand, poured wine and said with a smile: "Young Master's poems are not sparse in words, but seem to be natural, and they should be made clear."
Liu Qi raised his cup and said with a smile: "When the world is at peace and the people are at peace, I will retire to the mountains and sing to the wine, and then I will have lived a fulfilled life."
Zhuge Liang sighed, "The king's way is in chaos, and the princes are divided. The general is responsible for the restoration of the Han Dynasty, which is not a matter of a day or two. If you want to retire after success, it may be as difficult as ascending to heaven."
"It's just a momentary emotion!" Liu Qi raised his head and drank, then laughed: "A man's ambition is to travel far and wide. Even if the Han Dynasty is revived, I will conquer Langjuxu and ride into the Western Regions. I will never regret fighting a hundred battles in the desert and spread the name of China throughout the world."
"The world..." Zhuge Liang was slightly startled, and said, "The world map that the general drew earlier opened my eyes. There are the Japanese in the east, the Qin in the west, the Xianbei in the north, and the Kushan in the south. If I can conquer any of them in my lifetime, it will be an unprecedented achievement."
"To resist foreign aggression, we must first stabilize the country, so the sooner we stabilize the country, the better!" Thinking of this, Liu Qi became a little anxious and said, "A few days ago, I happened to find Cao Cao's sword. Yuan Zhi has ordered people to take it to Nanxiang as soon as possible, and Wei Yan will pretend to be Cao's army to lure Wuguan. If this plan succeeds, we can spy on Guanzhong. What do you think?"
"Wuguan?" Zhuge Liang took a sip of wine and nodded, "Wuguan is the gateway to Nanyang. We can send troops to Guanzhong and defend Nanyang. Yuanzhi's move is brilliant. But Guanzhong is blocked by the Qinling Mountains. Cao's army in Luoyang will arrive the next morning. It is impossible to reach the enemy if we send troops. It is not something that the general can plan!"
Liu Qi said: "Now the time to take Yizhou has not come yet, and we are not strong enough to seize Guanzhong. How about defending Wuguan and taking Hanzhong?"
Zhuge Liang shook his head and said, "Zhang Lu of Hanzhong and Liu Zhang have been enemies for many years. Although Liu Zhang has the wealth of Yizhou, he is very afraid of Zhang Lu. If you attack Hanzhong, you can only secure Yizhou. This place will be taken by you sooner or later, so why rush it now?"
Liu Qi said helplessly: "Dongwu has withdrawn its troops in Huainan and built Ruxu to defend against Cao's army. The navy is not yet complete, and Jiangdong is not an option. Cao Cao has just been defeated and his vitality has been greatly damaged. We cannot let him rest and recuperate. What countermeasures does the military advisor have?"
Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "Ma Teng is stationed in Chencang now, and he is a threat to Guanzhong. Cao Cao wants to transfer him to the court as a hostage, but because of the defeat in Nanyang, his prestige has been greatly reduced, and Ma Teng is still waiting and watching. Recently, I heard that Cao Cao has forged an imperial edict to order Ma Teng to attack Hanzhong. This is a strategy of driving a tiger to devour a wolf. Maybe we can act accordingly."
"Unite with the Western Liang Army?" Liu Qi's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands and laughed, "Great idea! Ma Teng and the emperor's uncle are both people who responded to the imperial edict, and they are also descendants of General Fu Bo Ma Yuan. They are loyal to the Han Dynasty and must hate Cao Cao secretly. If we use the imperial edict to contact them, they will definitely respond."
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Ma Teng was summoned to court by Cao Cao, but was killed for plotting rebellion, forcing Ma Chao to launch a rebellion.
But in fact, it was after Ma Teng entered the court that Ma Chao rebelled for unknown reasons. Cao Cao was furious and killed Ma Teng's entire family. He can be said to be the number one person who betrayed his father in the Three Kingdoms.
However, it can also be seen from this that Ma Chao was indeed dissatisfied with Cao Cao. If he could be used, he could not only stir up Guanzhong to contain Cao's army, but also subdue a powerful general. How could Liu Qi not be happy
Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "Ma Teng is brave but not wise. We can send someone who is good at speaking to Guanzhong to expose Cao Cao's evil plan and explain the benefits and disadvantages to him, and then help him capture Chang'an. Cao Cao will definitely send troops to fight him. The general will just sit back and watch and act according to the situation."
Liu Qi asked hurriedly: "What's the plan?"
Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "I have a plan to deceive the heaven and the sea, but you must take Wuguan first before we can act."
While they were discussing, Huang Yueying came in and said, "There is another set of desks to be placed in the study. Please move to the guest hall."
Liu Qi saw Huang Yueying with her sleeves half rolled up, wearing an apron, and her hair covered in dust, actually working herself, and she was obviously a good wife and mother.
The two men then went to the living room and saw that the furniture in the room was brand new. The Eight Immortals Table and the armchairs were all made of the finest red rosewood. Zhuge Liang admired them, but he also knew that these furniture were extremely expensive, so he thanked them profusely.
Liu Qi smiled slyly and said, "Sir, you don't need to thank me. As the saying goes, one should return a favor. Today I sent you a set of furniture, and in the future you will have to return me a lot of equipment. Mr. Huang has a lot of good things!"
"So the general has already had a plan!" Zhuge Liang shook his head and laughed, but then frowned and said, "It's just that my father-in-law is still unwilling to hand over those drawings. I am very confused. I am afraid..."
When Liu Qi was wondering, he heard Huang Yueying say at the door: "Those drawings are in my mother's hands. Because they are too powerful, she is worried that her husband will kill too many people and his life will be affected. She doesn't want to make them public."
Liu Qi looked at Huang Yueying who came in and said with a smile: "In this case, I will personally go to your house to ask for it. For the sake of the great cause of the revival of the Han Dynasty, what's the harm if this sin is only on me?"
Zhuge Liang said hurriedly: "General, that is not what I meant..."
"I have my own reasons!" Liu Qi signaled Zhuge Liang that there was no need to explain.
Perhaps Huang Yueying's mother blamed herself for being so ruthless in killing Cai, and was unwilling to hand over those sharp weapons. She wanted him to go and apologize so that the matter would be put to an end.