Chapter 88: The Startled Bird
To the west of Xiangyang is Zhonglu County.

After Xu Si said goodbye to Sun Qian, he took a deer cart to Yang's manor to attend classes the next day.

The lecturer of the Yang family is Yang Lu, who is sixteen years old this year. He is well-known as a child prodigy when he was young.

Since the year before last, Liu Biao and several governors of the surrounding counties had repeatedly called for him to take up a post, but Yang Lu declined every time.

It was a rare cloudy day today, and when Xu Si arrived, nearly a hundred people had gathered near the Yang family manor.

They all came here to listen to Yang Lu's lectures, but Yang Lu's lectures were definitely not as good as those of great scholars in official schools like Song Zhong.

But Yang Lu has one biggest advantage, which is that he does not hide his knowledge when teaching.

I can explain it to you in detail around one point.

At the same time, it is not bound by the various complicated annotations of the ancient and modern schools of classics, as if it is telling a classic story.

It is easy to understand and not too tiring to listen to.

Therefore, those who came to listen to the lectures were not only young students, but also middle-aged people like Xu Si who had been famous for a long time.

Not long after Xu Si sat down, Liao Hua, a handsome young man dressed in bright green Shu brocade, came to him holding a plate of bamboo slips.

Xu Si moved his butt to make some space: "Why didn't Yuan Jian go to the official school?"

Liao Hua knelt down, sorted the bamboo slips on the plate, and said with a smile: "The official school doesn't allow us to discuss the war in the north, so I simply won't go."

The bamboo slips on his plate were all placed in waterproof silk bags, on which were embroidered passages from Buddhist scriptures.

Liao Hua took out a scroll. This scroll of bamboo slips was very exquisite. The bamboo strips were polished smoothly and the length and width were almost the same.

Ordinary bamboo slips are woven with three warps, and the warp ropes are relatively thick; Liao Hua's bamboo slips are woven with many thin lines, which are strong and extremely fine.

Thin wires are not resistant to wear and tear and need to be re-braided after a period of use.

Liao Hua almost had the word "rich man" stuck on his forehead.

In the entire Zhonglu County, there are only three strongest families. The Kuai family came later than the others, but in terms of foundation and wealth, the Liao family is still stronger.

In this generation of the Yang family, there emerged a child prodigy, Yang Lu, and it was becoming increasingly clear that he would have the last laugh.

While Xu Si and Liao Hua were chatting in low voices about the war in the north, Sima Zhi was copying in the crowd.

His clothes were washed white, there was no extra flesh on his face, but his hair and beard were very neatly groomed.

At this moment, I am copying words onto blank bamboo slips, writing slowly, trying my best not to make a single mistake.

Nearly half of the people who came here to study were refugees from the north, and now they were discussing the war in the north in low voices.

The main force of Cao's army was sucked into the vicinity of Liyang and did not dare to retreat easily.

Too many materials and manpower were invested in the early stage. Not to mention the waste of withdrawing troops, the rising morale in Hebei alone was not something Cao Cao was willing to face.

Once morale is suppressed, we must pursue the victory and kill the enemy directly.

If it rebounds, it will be very troublesome.

Wankou is Cao Cao's side. Liu Bei had stabbed him once and broke two of his fingers.

If we send tens of thousands of troops now, even if they do not go to the front line but just garrison in the Wancheng area, they can strategically coordinate with Hebei and make it difficult for Cao Cao to take care of both ends.

The scholars in the private sector had a strong desire, but Liu Biao's Zhennan Shogunate was reluctant to make a statement.

There is a fundamental difference between capturing and killing a thousand people in the Battle of Bowangpo and capturing and killing five thousand people.

The capture and killing of a thousand people meant the destruction of one-tenth of Xiahou Dun's forces, and with a little replenishment they would form an elite division; and this time the capture and killing of five thousand was equivalent to completely crippling Xiahou Dun's forces.

This proves that Cao's army is still the same Cao's army, which is nothing big.

This also shows that if the people of Jingzhou try hard enough, they can pull the people of the Central Plains off their horses!
While Xu Si was chatting, he was also listening attentively. The opinions here are the will of the people!

Not long after, Yang Lu came over holding a handful of scattered bamboo slips, and he greeted the scholars he knew one after another.

He was sixteen years old, thin, six feet tall, wearing wooden clogs, and when he smiled and greeted people, he had two obvious fangs.

Sitting down, Yang Lu read the scattered bamboo slips and lowered his head to look at the words on them: "Today, a friend wanted to hear the story of lips and teeth being cold. Compared to lips and teeth being cold, I think of carrying firewood to put out a fire, only to get burned."

He picked up the bamboo slip and shook it in his hand, looking around at the scholars around him: "Since the battles of Guandu and Cangting, everyone knows that Hebei has lost more than 100,000 soldiers. In the past two years, the loss of men and women has been at least 130,000, and at most 160,000 or 170,000."

Seeing that no one refuted this argument, Yang Lu continued, "We have more than three million men and women in Jingzhou, about 700,000 households, and one million men and women. We can easily get 30,000 to 50,000 elite soldiers to station in Wancheng and respond to Hebei from a distance. But if Cao Gong comes south next year, Hebei may have enough strength to harass him from behind?"

At this time, a scholar spoke up: "Mr. Weifang, should we miss this opportunity?"

Yang Lu shook his head: "A good opportunity is only a good opportunity in the eyes of Jingzhou. Looking at the whole world, Hebei is changing from the old to the new, and no one knows whether Yuan Jizhou can hold on. If Cao Gong can take over Hebei, the whole world will be at peace. Why should our state raise troops?"

"This world has been in chaos for twenty years. It is time for it to end with the death of Yuan Benchu."

Yang Lu looked around and saw that most of the northern scholars held an approving attitude. Only a few of them were resentful but unwilling to stand up and refute.

This shows that from the perspective of justice, there is nothing wrong with quietly waiting for the unification of the North.

These people must have personal grudges against Cao Cao and cannot come forward at this time.

Yang Lu was inclined to believe that the world would be at peace and was happy to see this happen, so he opposed large-scale conscription in Jingzhou.

Immediately, several scholars stood up and left, as they preferred to deal with the Jingzhou Expansion Faction.

Liao Hua readily put his bamboo slips into a bag, stood up with the plate and nodded slightly to Yang Lu.

Yang Lu also nodded and smiled, watching Liao Hua leave.

Liao Hua was a young man with high spirits. Although Cao Cao had never harmed him in the slightest, he did not want to live under Cao Cao's rule. When several hesitant scholars from Zhonglu saw Liao Hua leave the table, they immediately followed him.

Cao Cao was too far away from them, and Liao Hua in front of them was their good friend.

After Yang Lu's lecture, Xu Si stayed overnight.

At night, Xu Si asked: "Given your ambition, I'm afraid what you said today is not what you really meant."

“So what if it is, so what if it’s not?”

Yang Lu raised his hand and waved his fan: "What do you think, Mr. Xu?"

"From what I can see, that person doesn't care."

Xu Si chuckled. He had followed Lu Bu for many years. He asked, "What does Wei Fang think?"

"Mr. Xu is too decisive. In my opinion, he may be hesitant. Whoever dares to gather public opinion to make a decision for him will be persecuted."

Yang Lu sighed and said sarcastically, "He may have forgotten how he escaped from the persecution of the eunuchs during the Party Ban."

"It is precisely because he fled that we are now in charge of Jingxiang that we are not leaving him alive."

Xu Si said disapprovingly: "Wei Fang, you think too highly of him. He doesn't really care whether he recruits soldiers or not. What he cares about is that no one dares to offend him in Jingxiang, and everyone obeys him. As for the future, if he cares about the future, how could he have been silent for more than ten years?"

In the past, Liu Biao had too many opportunities, but every time when the group opinion was strong, he had to pretend to do something, and then he would stop.

For example, eight years ago, Liu Zhang of Yizhou succeeded to the throne, and the new governor appointed by the court had arrived in Hanzhong; Liu He, the deputy governor of Jingzhou, and his group thought it was a good opportunity to advance into Yizhou.

Liu Yan was from Jiangxia and brought many scholars from Jingzhou to Yizhou, so Jingzhou had no shortage of guides when it attacked Yizhou.

Liu Biao agreed, and Liu He instigated Gan Ning and others to rebel. As a result, Gan Ning and others fought hard but could not get any reinforcements, so they had to withdraw to Jingzhou.

Shortly after the war, Liu He was executed by Liu Biao.

This was even more true for Zhang Xiu who was stationed in Nanyang. He retreated all the way from Wancheng, but Liu Biao watched helplessly.

Xu Si had seen the grand scene in the Central Plains, so what about the governor?
When public sentiment changes drastically, you, a governor of a state, can also become a stray dog!

Looking at the young and tender prodigy, Xu Si said earnestly: "Wei Fangni is like the rising sun, and he is the setting sun. What he cares about is that the clouds cannot block his brilliance. As for what the earth will become when the sun sets, what does it have to do with him?"

"How can this person be so heartless?"

Yang Lu found it hard to accept and stared at Xu Si, as if he wanted Xu Si to change his mind.

Xu Si smiled and said, "How can a truly noble and loyal person escape the persecution of the party and eunuchs?"

In an instant, the auspicious light that enveloped Liu Biao was shattered in Yang Lu's heart.

In an instant, Yang You suddenly realized: "Such an old villain, no wonder he is like this!"

He looked anxiously at Xu Si again, but Xu Si didn't smile much: "The people of Hebei will never surrender. With Hebei's strength, Cao Cao can't conquer it quickly. So at the moment, the only things that make him uneasy are Lord Xuande and the white goose thief."

Xu Si also looked at Yang Lu: "Jingxiang has been in trouble since then. Lord Xuande is about to attend a banquet and invite me to join him. After this matter is over, I will seek refuge in Yizhou. Weifang has become famous at a young age, and I am afraid that the old villain will harm the great scholar of the Jingxiang clan."

After hearing this, Yang Lu lowered his head slightly. He knew that he was not safe.

Seeing Xu Si was about to leave, he was even more surprised: "Sir, how did things get so bad?"

"The Chu people are so bloody, it's a miracle that he could suppress them for more than ten years."

Xu Si said this with a cruel smile, which looked ugly under the orange light: "The soldiers in the Central Plains are strong, especially the soldiers in Qingzhou and Taishan. The former are fierce and stubborn, while the latter are tenacious. However, Lord Xuande and the White Goose Bandits were able to defeat the enemy with fewer troops and greatly crush their large numbers."

"Many people regretted that our province did not send a large army to help in the battle. Otherwise, we would have been able to take advantage of the victory and make it difficult for Cao Cao to deal with both ends."

"For someone like me who is tired of disputes, how can I still have the heart to blame or regret? I just want to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible."

Xu Si looked at Yang Lu and revealed his true purpose: "Why don't you come with me to Jingshan to escape the summer heat and wait for an opportunity to escape to Yizhou. Zhonglu is good in every way except that it is too close to Xiangyang."

Yang Lu considered it for a moment, but still shook his head and refused: "My father passed away a long time ago, and now without me, it is difficult to take care of my mother and younger brother. Moreover, if I leave, it will inevitably bring trouble to my family."

He was a child prodigy known far and wide. If he fled, it would be a blow to Liu Biao's reputation.

Having already determined Liu Biao's character, bottom line and methods, Yang Lu dared not take any risks.

Seeing that Xu Si wanted to persuade him again, Yang Lu said, "It would be unfilial to take my mother and younger brother with me and run away with a bleak future."

"In that case, Wei Fang, please take care of yourself."

Xu Si gave up trying to persuade him. He was a man who had seen a lot of things and had been to all over the world. He could leave alone at any time.

Only as long as he is alive will he have the opportunity to reproduce and inherit the family glory.

Yang Lu then sent Xu Si to the other courtyard to rest, carrying a dim paper lantern. Before parting, Yang Lu asked in confusion, "Sir, I don't understand why the White Goose Thief is so worried?"

"Wei Fang, Lord Xuande is upright and honest, and his heart is in the Central Plains, not in Jingxiang."

Xu Si raised his hand and pointed to the north: "The White Goose Bandits are rampant and reckless. Now they have defeated the famous generals and strong soldiers in the Central Plains, and they have Gan Ning as their henchmen. The soldiers in Jingzhou are weak, and these two people eat Jingzhou's millet to feed their people. How can they not have any ideas when they are controlled by others like this?"

Jingzhou refused to provide food, and the only option for Hei Xiong and Gan Ning was to disperse.

Or they could resist and seize food.

Yang You figured out the key in the blink of an eye: "Aren't they going to Guanzhong?"

"Guanzhong is full of wolves and has very poor resources. How can it compare to the abundance of Jingxiang?"

Xu Si asked in return, and sighed: "The soldiers of Jingzhou are weak, and the situation has accumulated over time. How can we stop them?"

(End of this chapter)