Two days later.

Boss Cao finally came to Chenliu.

Wu Liang naturally received the news from Cheng Yu in advance and went out of the city to greet him.

In addition, there were also a group of gentry heads headed by Zhu Xun in Chenliu City. Although they meant to force Boss Cao to take the side, they were still showing their loyalty to Boss Cao on the surface, so they naturally had to do enough on the surface.

then.

Under such conditions, Wu Liang met these gentry for the first time.

As the prefect of Chenliu, Cheng Yu was in the middle and naturally had to recommend it to both sides. However, when introducing Wu Liang to many heads of the family, he still had a slight bias and said without a trace: "The one beside me is the current magistrate of Wu County of Yongqiu. Don't underestimate him. He has made great contributions to his follower of the envoy and has long been named the captain. If he hadn't been too humble at the beginning, the position of prefect of Chenliu was his, and I'm afraid it would not be my turn."

Captain?

After hearing Cheng Yu's introduction, Zhu Xun and many family heads immediately became more aware of Wu Liang.

They had underestimated Wu Liang before, thinking that Wu Liang was just an inconspicuous official. In this way, Wu Liang's energy was greater than they thought, at least not a character that could be squeezed by others.

Especially those less powerful gentry, now they were a little nervous and turned their heads to look at Zhu Xun.

"I have met Captain Wu. Captain Wu looks young and can be said to be young and promising. It is better to see him than to hear him."

Zhu Xun, however, calmly pressed towards Wu Liang and said with a smile.

"I have met the head of the Zhu family. I have often heard from my brother Yongkang about the head of the Zhu family, but I didn't find the opportunity to visit. Now when I see the head of the Zhu family, I am really heroic and extremely comparable to those of people."

Wu Liang also bowed his hand and said with a smile.

"Yongkang..."

When Wu Liang mentioned Yongkang, Zhu Xun's eyes were cold without notice, but he still said politely, "Person Wu praised it, I'm glad to know."

"Good luck."

In this way, the first conversation between the two has ended hastily.

Wu Liang has already had a preliminary impression of Zhu Xun. In terms of appearance, this person can only be said to be unpretentious. He doesn't say that he has a public face that is not easy to attract attention, and he doesn't have any temperament that is different from ordinary people. If he changes into a cloth clothes and Wu Liang passes him on the street, he may not have left any special impression.

But as the head of the Zhu family, this is probably a different matter.

This person looks so ordinary, but he can make the Zhu family, who has no official position in the court, become the leader of the Chenliu gentry. He has established a very high reputation among the Chenliu gentry, which is enough to show his cunning and skill.

Especially just now.

After Cheng Yu revealed Wu Liang's identity as a captain, many of the heads present showed some worries. Only he could say hello to Wu Liang without changing his expression, making Wu Liang unable to judge his inner thoughts through these appearances alone, which can already see some clues.

"You did it on purpose!"

Standing in front with Cheng Yu, Wu Liang glanced at him and said in a low voice.

"I am also kind."

Cheng Yu also lowered his voice and showed an old fox-like cunning smile, "If they knew the position of Wu Zhengwei and felt that it was difficult to retreat, the envoy came here to see a harmonious scene in Chenliu. It was a good thing for me and Wu Zhengwei, what did Wu think?"

"But you deprived me of the opportunity to show off and slap in the face!"

Wu Liang said deliberately.

In fact, he knew better than Cheng Yu that Boss Cao came to Chenliu on this trip, firstly to see what he gained from returning from Jingzhou, and secondly, he must have received some news. He wanted to take this opportunity to ease the relationship with the local gentry so that he could lead his troops to attack Xuzhou with confidence.

After all, I just experienced the rebellion of Zhang Miao.

It is impossible for Boss Cao to forget the pain before his scar has healed, especially Zhang Miao was one of his most trusted friends before, which undoubtedly left an indelible shadow on him, and he must be more concerned about this matter.

Even if he continued to attack Xuzhou and vowed to destroy Zhang Miao and Lu Bu's troops, to some extent, he had some intentions to see these Chenliu and even the gentry in Yanzhou.

so.

At this time, Boss Cao and the Chenliu clans were definitely an extremely unknown choice. Wu Liang could understand it, and Boss Cao must have thought it through.

That's why.

Wu Liang had never thought about competing with Zhu Xun and the Chenliu gentry in this matter.

He just wants to take this opportunity to achieve his goal...

"Pretty slap in the face?"

This word that I had never heard before made Cheng Yu look puzzled.

"Anyway, you have to remember that I treat you as a close friend, but you plotted against me for your own selfish interests. I have recorded this grudge. From now on, you owe me a favor in addition to the ten kilograms of gold."

Wu Liang said arrogantly.

“…”

Cheng Yu suddenly felt like he was cheated, but seeing Wu Liang's unyielding look, he had to nod helplessly and said, "As long as Captain Wu promised me to put the overall situation first this time, I will accept this favor and I will do my best to make up for it in the future. How about it?"

His meaning is also very obvious.

It is nothing more than asking Wu Liang to hold back his temper and suffer some grievances, not to fight against the gentry, not to make himself embarrassed, and not to make Boss Cao embarrassed, so that the result of "he is good, I am good" can be achieved.

result.

Wu Liang's answer immediately made Cheng Yu nervous. He smiled and said without objection: "It depends on their ability."

...

at the same time.

Zhu Xun and the Chenliu gentry were also discussing privately.

"The head of the Zhu family, this county magistrate is actually Cao Meng... the envoy personally appointed by the envoy. This matter should not be too extreme, and it is necessary to make a long-term plan."

Some people are already a little unconfident.

"As long as we work together, we have the final say whether Chenliu is in chaos or not. What can a captain do?"

Zhu Xun looked disdainful and tried to stabilize the morale of the army.

"But Prefect Cheng said that he had made great contributions. I heard that Cao Mengde was quite protective of his shortcomings, so he might not be biased towards us."

Another whispered.

"Don't forget that we will also offer 5,000 stones of food. Cao Mengde is about to go to war. The most scarce thing now is food and wages. He should know which one is more important!"

Zhu Xun said confidently, "But..."

"But what?"

Everyone asked quickly.

"But since this person is not just a county magistrate, but also a meritorious lieutenant, we should also increase our weight in Cao Mengde's heart and teach him that he can't help but lean on us."

Zhu Xun said.

"Increase the price? How to increase the price?"

Everyone asked with confusion.

"I increased the food to 10,000 stones. My Zhu family originally contributed 2,000 stones, but now I am willing to receive 4,000 stones by myself. You will also double the original basis!"

Zhu Xun said confidently, "If you want to say that you are a Cao Mengde, even if Yuan Benchu ​​meets him, he cannot refuse him. How could Cao Mengde not be moved? The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is bustling, all for profit. As long as we give enough, no one can refuse us."

"this……"

Speaking of this, some heads of the family have already frowned.

Not everyone is like Zhu Xun, and they are willing to double the donated food at will. They must consider the gains and losses of this move.

Especially the matter is still led by the Zhu family, I am afraid that Cao Cao will remember more of the Zhu family.

If they accidentally make up the numbers, they will become "someone who supports Boss Cao", and even their names may not be remembered by Boss Cao.

Seeing this, Zhu Xun seemed to have seen through their thoughts, and then said, "Of course, the extra grain cannot be given for nothing. As long as everyone is willing to cooperate with me, I will definitely ask Cao Mengde to seek some real power for each family within their respective spheres of influence. From now on, I will never be afraid of any so-called magistrates of Wu County, magistrates of Li County, Zhang County, etc. What do you think?"

"If so, we can rest assured once and for all."

When he heard this, someone nodded and responded immediately.

As the same goes, since these people are gentry, even though some of them have become poor families, they still have an almost crazy desire for power and have a deep understanding of the importance of power.

So Zhu Xun's rhetoric still touched them...

Although this move is somewhat similar to buying an official.

But what happened to buying an official? The official you bought is also an official. As long as you can be recognized, it will not be shabby at all!

"I also think this plan is feasible, so I will rely on the head of the Zhu family."

"I wish to listen to the dispatch of the Zhu family leader."

"It's still the Zhu family leader's vision..."

“…”

...

The people who welcomed Boss Cao had their own thoughts.

Just as everyone whispered, a team of people holding the "Zhang" flag high finally appeared in sight. This was Boss Cao's accompanying people.

Wu Liang has good eyesight.
To be continued...