mtl008 Chapter 685 Asking for help
Chapter 685 Asking for help
Infiltration means sending one's own people to other camps through various reasons and means, allowing them to take root and rise in the opposing camp, gradually gain control of their power, and eventually take over everything from them.
The people sent for infiltration were mainly special forces trained by Guan Xing. This army was originally intended to infiltrate Cao Wei. A portion of them were transferred to Liaodong to join the Gongsun clan's army. Through meritorious service and promotion, they gradually gained control of the Gongsun army. In this way, when the court launched its northern expedition, these people could cooperate with the court from within and without, or even directly rebel and bring the Gongsun army back to the court.
Liu Bei laughed and said, "That's exactly what I meant. There's also Goguryeo and Buyeo. These small tribes seem insignificant now, as if they could be wiped out with a flick of a finger. But if we let them develop unchecked, they will eventually become a major threat to the Central Plains. Anguo said that the powerful Sui Dynasty was dragged down by Goguryeo."
Besides the Gongsun clan, Liaodong currently has two other small clans: Goguryeo and Buyeo. To be precise, they are one clan, since Goguryeo split off from Buyeo.
In the second year of Emperor Yuan of Han's Jianzhao era, Prince Jumong of Buyeo failed in his struggle for the throne and was forced to flee, establishing Goguryeo, which has been more than two hundred years ago.
In other words, the history of Goguryeo is longer than that of the Han Dynasty established by Liu Xiu, and Buyeo, being the mother country of Goguryeo, has an even longer history.
If these two small countries with such long histories are not contained, they will sooner or later grow into a major threat to the Central Plains.
Although Liu Bei is currently only in a precarious position in the south, he harbors ambitions to conquer the Central Plains and unify the world. In his heart, he has long considered himself the master of the world. Given this, he must make arrangements in advance to eliminate Goguryeo and Buyeo after unifying the Central Plains, so as to prevent them from growing into behemoths like those of the Sui and Tang dynasties in later times.
Zhuge Liang pondered, "It is possible, but it is probably not feasible to select people from the special forces in Anguo for the time being. Most of the special forces are from Jiangnan, and they will freeze to death if they go to Liaodong."
Liaodong is a notoriously cold place with winters lasting up to half a year. In those days, there were no down jackets, cotton-padded coats, or heating, so people from the south simply couldn't endure it.
Zhuge Liang said, "Furthermore, the languages of Jiangnan and Liaodong are not mutually intelligible, making communication too difficult. Therefore, I suggest that the Gongsun family send a group of people from Liaodong to teach Anguo. The people of Liaodong are also subjects of the Han Dynasty and have no barriers with the court. If they are educated by Guan Xing's ideas, they will definitely turn to the court."
Rather than sending special forces, Zhuge Liang preferred to have the students from Liaodong come over. With Liu Bei's personal charisma and Guan Xing's ideological education, these students from Liaodong would surely be transformed into loyal subjects of the Han Dynasty.
Moreover, people from Liaodong were more trusted by the Gongsun family, and were more likely to be given important positions by the Gongsun family after they returned from their studies.
Liu Bei pondered, "That's fine. Anyway, Anguo has already taught a batch, so teaching another batch will be a piece of cake. But then again, since we can teach the students from Liaodong, can we teach the students from the Central Plains? We can bring a batch of students from the Central Plains, teach them, and then send them back..."
Zhuge Liang said speechlessly, "Your Majesty, your use of the word 'turn' is truly apt, but we can give it a try."
The emperor and his minister discussed the plan to bring the students from the Central Plains to Jiangling. Zhuge Liang then took his leave and began preparations to welcome Gongsun Yuan.
Gongsun Yuan is nominally a Han official but in reality an outsider, making his status quite special. Now that he has personally come to Jiangling, the court will certainly make sure to handle the reception arrangements well.
Four days later, Gongsun Yuan arrived in Jiangling. Zhuge Liang ordered Jian Yong, the Minister of Rites, to go and greet him, and arranged for him to stay at the post station.
Gongsun Yuan's status was not high enough for Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang to personally greet him; sending Jian Yong was already a great honor.
As for why he was left hanging, the reason is quite simple: you are a subject who has come to pay homage, and when you are summoned depends on the mood of Emperor Liu Bei.
Besides, you've come here seeking help, so you definitely need to find a way to visit important officials in the court and try to get close to Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei.
If you, Gongsun Yuan, don't even have this much ability, then don't bother asking for help. You should just go home and surrender to Cao Wei as soon as possible.
To put it simply, you can ask others to help you, but you have to prove yourself and show them your value, so they can see the potential benefits of helping you. Otherwise, if I help you and you not only fail to succeed but also drag me down with you, why should I help you? Haven't you had enough of the good life?
Gongsun Yuan was aware of this, so he was not discouraged after being left out at the post station. Instead, he took the initiative and actively visited important officials of the court, bringing with him Liaodong specialties such as ginseng, sable fur, and deer antler.
When he visited, Gongsun Yuan did not immediately ask for their help. He left the gifts, chatted briefly, and then left.
The purpose of this visit was only twofold: first, to become acquainted with them, and second, to ask them to either nod in support or remain silent when they sought help from Liu Bei, without explicitly opposing him.
To put it bluntly, it's about buying peace with money. We don't expect these important officials to help us; we just want them to stop us from doing anything wrong at crucial moments.
After all, we're not familiar with each other, and this small gift isn't worth their help.
After establishing all connections, Gongsun Yuan brought generous gifts to Xiahou Ba. Xiahou Ba was a former official of the Han Dynasty, while Cao Wei had surrendered to Xiahou Ba. To be precise, Xiahou Ba was a former official of the Han Dynasty, because Cao Pi had not yet become emperor when Xiahou Ba surrendered. From this point of view, Gongsun Yuan and Xiahou Ba naturally had a certain closeness.
Therefore, Gongsun Yuan approached Xiahou Ba, who then visited the Xiahou clan through Xiahou Ba. Through the Xiahou clan, he contacted Zhang Fei, who eventually took him to the Prime Minister's residence to request an audience with Zhuge Liang.
On the way to the Prime Minister's residence, Zhang Fei stared at Gongsun Yuan and said leisurely, "You think you can get from Liaodong to Jiangdong with just a small boat? You've got some nerve."
He had heard Guan Xing recount history and knew that this young man eventually seized the position of governor from his uncle Gongsun Gong, was appointed Grand Marshal by Cao Wei, and at the same time became the Duke of Lelang and was promoted to king, becoming the so-called King of Yan.
Zhang Fei initially looked down on this so-called Prince of Yan, but his opinion changed when he received news that he was coming to Jiangling by boat.
Facing a formidable enemy like Cao Wei, Gongsun Yuan dared to step forward and even dared to cross the sea in a small boat. Putting aside everything else, his courage alone is truly admirable.
Gongsun Yuan smiled ingratiatingly and said, "General of Chariots and Cavalry, you flatter me. Liaodong is a barren land with insufficient troops. If we want to stop the Wei army, we can only ask the court for help."
Zhang Fei patted his shoulder and said, "I, Old Zhang, am a rough man who doesn't understand the intricacies of officialdom and is too lazy to care about such nonsense. So, bringing you to Prime Minister Zhuge is enough to complete my mission. Don't expect anything else from me."
Diplomatic negotiations are too mentally taxing; if his wife hadn't intervened, Zhang Fei really wouldn't have wanted to get involved.
Gongsun Yuan smiled obsequiously and said, "I understand. I am already extremely grateful that you brought me before Prime Minister Zhuge. How could I dare to trouble you any further?"
As they were talking, the two arrived at the Prime Minister's residence. Zhang Fei pushed aside the gatekeeper who was about to announce their arrival and swaggered in, going directly into Zhuge Liang's room. He clasped his hands in greeting to Zhuge Liang, who was working, and said, "Prime Minister, this man is Gongsun Yuan from Liaodong. You two talk, I'll be leaving now."
After saying that, he turned around and left, afraid that if he was too slow, trouble would come his way again.
Gongsun Yuan was speechless. Was Prime Minister Zhuge really that scary? Did you have to run so fast?
While complaining, Gongsun Yuan bowed deeply to Zhuge Liang and said in a grand manner, "This humble official, Gongsun Yuan, the Prefect of Liaodong, pays his respects to the Prime Minister."