Chapter 5 The fifth round of Wolong coming out of the mountain

Seeing Zhuge Liang's silence for a long time, Liu Bei thought that Zhuge Liang must refuse to come out to help, so he couldn't help feeling sore, knelt down on his knees, and said with tears streaming down his face: "If the master refuses me, Liu Bei, it will be the death of Liu Bei and the people of the Han Dynasty." Zhuge Liang saw that Liu Bei was really sincere, and he knew that the fate was hard to break, so he stretched out his hands to help Liu Bei, and said with emotion: "The fate is hard to break, the general is sincere, how can I bear to refuse?"Zhuge Liang has no choice but to go into the world alone.

Liu Bei was overjoyed, raised his forehead with his hand and said: This is God helping me! Just as Liu Bei was about to say more, Zhuge Liang suddenly smiled and said: "The two younger brothers, the general, are getting impatient. It's enough to just jump around outside." Before Zhuge Liang finished speaking, Zhang Fei rushed in angrily and shouted, "Zhang Fei and second brother waited outside for half a day without even having a sip of water, but my brother talked endlessly with this man." When Liu Bei saw Zhang Fei, he hurriedly said, "My dear brother!"Come in with your second brother to pay homage to Mr.

Zhang Fei had no choice but to call Guan Gong in and pay homage to Zhuge Liang together.Zhuge Liang was not polite, but accepted it calmly.Although Zhang Fei paid homage to Zhuge Liang, he was unconvinced in his heart, and said fiercely to himself: This white-faced scholar was born to be worshiped by me and my second brother, a general. You have real talents and learning, otherwise I, Zhang Fei, will kill you sooner or later kill!Zhuge Liang observed Zhang Fei's thoughts, but he talked and laughed freely without realizing it. After a while, Diaoxue and Simazhi also came in.Zhuge Liang told the two daughters his intention to go out of the mountain, and ordered the two daughters to pay homage to Liu Bei.Then, after tidying up a bit, he returned to Xinye together with Liu Bei, Guan Gong, Zhang Fei and others.

Returning to Xinye, Zhuge Liang, Diaoxue, and Sima Zhi were standing still in Liu Bei's mansion. A Yingwei general laughed and walked in. It turned out to be Zhao Zilong. He walked quickly to Zhuge Liang and held four hands with Zhuge Liang. Holding hands, smiling happily: Zilong pays homage to his sworn brother!As the righteous brother expected, it is not bad at all. Now you and I vote for the same master, and we can be together forever. Liu Bei was also very happy at this time, caressing the shoulders of Zhuge Liang and Zhao Zilong, sighed: "Wolong, Zilong, today they are finally by my side with Liu Bei."

Zhuge Liang nodded to Zhao Zilong with a smile, Zhao Zilong understood, turned around to pay homage to Liu Bei and said: "The last general Zhao Zilong will see the lord."At this time, Zhao Zilong officially joined Liu Bei's command, and paid homage to Liu Bei with the etiquette of his subordinates. Liu Bei was very excited, with tears in his eyes, and was speechless for a while.He knew that Diaoxue was Zhuge Liang's junior sister, and Sima Zhi was Zhao Zilong's close friend junior sister, so he wanted to worship the two girls as female generals.But the two women firmly refused, and said to Liu Bei at the same time: I will just follow my brother and do not ask for a title.Liu Bei saw that he couldn't force it, so he gave up.

From then on, Liu Bei regarded Zhuge Liang as his teacher, sharing meals at the same table, sleeping at the same bed, and discussing the general trend of the world all day long.This left Guan Gong and Zhang Fei in the cold.Guan Gong knew what Liu Bei was thinking, so he could hold his breath, but Zhang Fei secretly gritted his teeth in hatred, wondering what kind of ability this white-faced scholar has, to fascinate my brother so much!Zhang Fei was furious behind his back, vowing to grab Zhuge Liang's painful foot, and then let out a fierce breath of anger. Liu Bei was very surprised to see Zhang Fei's arrogant and rude attitude towards Zhuge Liang, so he apologized to Zhuge Liang repeatedly, and begged him not to blame Zhang Fei for being extremely reckless.Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "Zhang Fei is a loyal and brave general. Once he is convinced, he will never change his mind. I like it so much. Why is it so strange?"Liu Bei was relieved when he heard this.

Half a month after Zhuge Liang arrived in Xinye, he received news that Cao Cao was intensifying his training of the navy at Xuanwu Lake in Jizhou. So Liu Bei quickly sent people north and south to pay close attention to the situation of Cao Jun and Jiangdong Sun Quan. At this time, Sun Quan had inherited his elder brother Sun Ce and lived in Jiangdong for several years. During this period, Sun Quan recruited talents and paid respects very much.Generals Lu Meng, Xu Wei, Ding Feng, Pan Zhang and others defected successively; another young man, Lu Xun, also joined Sun Quan. Soon, Sun Quan received Cao Cao's imperial edict, asking him to send a son to the court to serve as the emperor.Sun Quan discussed with Zhang Zhao, Zhou Yu and other confidant ministers in the inner hall.Sun Quan was very respectful and filial to his mother, Mrs. Wu Tai, and would report to her all important matters, and this matter was related to Sun's blood, so he specially discussed matters in the inner hall, so as to listen to his mother, Mrs. Wu Tai's ideas.And Sun Ce, who personally created Jiangdong's foundation, once told Sun Quan on his deathbed: If you are not sure about foreign affairs, you can ask Zhou Yu; if you are not clear about internal affairs, you can ask Zhang Zhao.Therefore, whenever Sun Quan encounters a major event, he must have two people present.

Zhou Yu followed Sun Ce when he was young and helped Sun Ce start his own business in Jiangdong. Sun Ce regarded him as his younger brother and trusted him very much.When Sun Ce died, he told Sun Quan to treat Zhou Yu like a brother. Therefore, besides Mrs. Wu, the person Sun Quan respected most was Zhou Yu.Zhou Yu was at the age of thirty-two at this time, with a majestic appearance, an imposing aura, and the air of a general.He is also good at strategy, but he is not broad-minded and narrow-minded. He is very careful in all matters in the army, and he refuses to rely on his subordinates.This weakness of character eventually clouded his career.

At this time, after Zhou Yu heard the news that Cao Cao had forced the hostages, he pondered for a while, and then said decisively: "This matter cannot be accepted."But Zhang Zhao was very worried and said: Cao Cao asked me to send hostages to the court. It was the method of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when a big country restrained other princes.If it is not sent, Cao Cao will use this as an excuse to send troops south to invade Jiangdong, and Jiangdong will be in danger. Sun Quan was twenty-six years old at the time, and his descendant, Sun Heze, was only five years old. How could Sun Quan be willing to send him to Xuchang as a hostage? Therefore, Sun Quan focused his attention on Zhou Yu and said: "I think it is impossible, why?"

Zhou Yu said: "The general inherits the foundation of his father and brother, and has the people of the six counties. He has enough soldiers and food, and has both civil and military skills. He is united and united to resist foreign aggression."Why do you send your parents and children as hostages at the slightest oppression?As soon as the hostages go, they have to join forces with Cao Cao; if Cao has a transfer order, the general has to follow. Jiangdong has been controlled by others since then, and has no right to be independent!Therefore, hostages must not be sent away, and then wait and see what happens, and if Cao comes to commit an offense, use good strategies to resist.

Mrs. Wu also said at this time: "Gongjin's words are very true, so we can act accordingly." Seeing that his mother Mrs. Wu and Zhou Yu had the same opinion, Sun Quan no longer hesitated, and said resolutely: I will never send hostages, and send another person to explain to Cao Cao that my son is young and it is not suitable to travel long distances. hostility. So the next day, Sun Quan sent someone to Xuchang to visit Cao Cao. On the other hand, Zhou Yu knew that Cao Cao would try to take Jingzhou and Jiangdong sooner or later, so he advocated stepping up the training of the navy in order to take advantage of the Yangtze River's natural danger and geographical advantage to resist Cao's invasion.Jiangdong concentrated his efforts to build more than 7,000 large and small warships, and the naval force reached 300,000.Sun Quan also worshiped Zhou Yu as the commander-in-chief of the army and the commander-in-chief of the land and water troops in Jiangdong. Soon after, Sun Quan used Zhou Yu and Gan Ning to lead an army of 100,000 troops to attack Huang Zu in Xiakou, Jingzhou under the pretext of avenging his father Sun Jian's killing by Liu Biao's Huang Zu. Huang Zu lost and was captured and killed by Zhou Yu and Gan Ning. The Jiangdong army captured Xiakou, stationed troops in Chaisang, and threatened Jingzhou. All this was soon learned of by Xinye Liu Bei, who was closely monitoring the situation in Jiangdong. Liu Bei received the report and quickly sent someone to invite Zhuge Liang to come to discuss. While Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang were discussing, Liu Biao had sent someone to invite Liu Bei to Jingzhou to discuss matters.Zhuge Liang said: "This matter must be because Liu Biao was captured by the Jiangdong army and threatened Jingzhou, so Liu Biao sent someone to invite him to make a plan to resist Jiangdong."I will go with the lord, let's go with the camera. Liu Bei left Guan Gong to stay in Xinye. At this time, Zhao Zilong had been ordered by Zhuge Liang to go to Fancheng to guard, and Sima Zhi also went with the army. Therefore, Liu Bei ordered Zhang Fei to take 500 soldiers and horses to follow and protect, and went to Jingzhou together. On the way, Liu Bei asked Zhuge Liang and Kong Ming: "The incident in Xiangyang happened. I saw Liu Biao. We were a little embarrassed. How should we deal with it?" Zhuge Liang and Kong Ming smiled and said: "Be the first to strike first, plead guilty to Liu Biao first, and let him clear up his doubts."If he wants the lord to lead troops to attack Jiangdong, he will never agree. It can be said that he will return to Xinye to rectify the troops.Liu Bei nodded in agreement. Arriving outside the city of Xiangyang, Liu Bei ordered Zhang Fei to station troops outside the city as a countermeasure. He and Kong Ming led 20 soldiers and drove straight into the city to Liu Biao's mansion. Liu Bei first asked Liu Biao for the crime of leaving Xiangyang without saying goodbye. At this time, he was panicked by Jiangdong's army, and the only thing he could rely on was Liu Bei, so he quickly helped Liu Bei up with both hands, and said: "I know about the danger of my virtuous brother!"At that time, he wanted to behead Cai Mao in order to apologize to his virtuous brother. Because everyone begged for mercy on his behalf, he was temporarily spared from death. I hope my virtuous brother will forgive me. According to Zhuge Liang's arrangement, Liu Bei hurriedly said: "I'm afraid this is not General Cai's instigation, but his subordinates. Don't worry about it, brother." When Liu Biao heard it, his expression widened, and he said, "Your brother must know that Sun Quan has captured Xiakou in Jiangdong, and the Jiangxia area is about to be lost."Because of his relatives, he invited his virtuous brother to come to discuss and conspire together for revenge. Liu Bei saw that Liu Biao had the intention to attack Jiangdong, so he hurriedly said: "Huang Zu was born with a fierce nature and didn't make good use of people, which is why this disaster happened."If for this reason he used force to the east of the river, Cao Cao would attack from the north, how would he deal with it? When Liu Biao heard this, he felt anxious, so he said to Liu Bei, "I'm old and sick, and I can't manage the affairs. My virtuous brother can take over the important affairs of Jingzhou on my behalf. When I die, my virtuous brother will take over Jingzhou as the master." Liu Bei couldn't help but said: Why do you talk about it, brother?How dare my younger brother take on such a heavy responsibility?Liu Bei paused for a moment, and when he saw Kong Ming pointing his eyes at him, he said again: "Brother, please wait for my younger brother to think carefully about this matter before making any plans."Knowing that Liu Bei was hesitant, Liu Biao had no choice but to ask him to leave first. Back at the post house, Kongming whispered to Liu Bei: Liu Biao wants to entrust Jingzhou to you. This is a good opportunity for my lord to sit in Jingzhou. Why do you refuse? Liu Bei sighed, and said: "Although I have this intention, but Liu Biao took me in Jingzhou when I was in danger, and he was kind to me. How could I make trouble and take away his inheritance when I was in danger?"This move is afraid of being ridiculed by the world. When Kong Ming heard this, he couldn't help sighing: "My lord's idea is not a good strategy, but it also shows that my lord is really a benevolent master!"That being the case, please discuss another strategy. While the two were talking, a soldier came to report that Liu Biao's eldest son, Liu Qi, had asked to see him. Liu Bei hurriedly greeted him.Liu Qi was still standing still, seeing no one around, he hurriedly cried to Liu Bei and said: Uncle, Mrs. Cai, the stepmother, can't tolerate it, and sooner or later she will harm my nephew, but I hope my uncle will take pity on me and save my life. Liu Bei didn't want to get into trouble again, so he hurriedly said: "This is my nephew's family business, how can you ask me?"Seeing Kong Ming smiling, Liu Bei said, "What does Kong Ming think?" Kong Ming said: "This is a family matter. I dare not hear it and it is inconvenient to comment." Seeing this, Liu Bei didn't ask any more questions, and signaled Liu Qi to stay calm.When sending Liu Qi out, Liu Bei whispered to Liu Qi: I know Kong Ming must have a clever plan to save you, you can treat me tomorrow, I will make arrangements. Liu Qi was dubious, so he had no choice but to leave first and go back. The next day, Liu Bei complained that he had a stomachache and asked Kong Ming to pay respects to Liu Qi on his behalf. Kong Ming nodded with a smile, and agreed without thinking.Kong Ming came to Liu Qi's house and went in to meet Liu Qi.Seeing Kongming's visit, Liu Qi hurriedly greeted him into the back hall. After offering tea, Liu Qi immediately whispered: Liu Qi's life is threatened by his stepmother, please help me. As soon as Kong Ming heard it, he immediately said: Kong Ming is a guest, how dare he talk about the flesh and blood relatives of your family?Don't mention this matter again, son. Liu Qi was helpless, so he invited Kong Ming into the study for a drink.After drinking half a cup, Liu Qi hurriedly said again: "It's really hard for my stepmother to tolerate Liu Qi's existence, and my husband can save my life with just one word!" Kong Ming said: "This is indeed something I dare not talk about."After finishing speaking, Kong Ming stood up and wanted to leave. Liu Qi suddenly said: "Sir, I want to go back, but I don't dare to stay with you, but Liu Qi has an ancient book, and it is difficult to understand its secrets. Please enlighten me."Kong Ming couldn't refuse, so he agreed to read ancient books. Liu Qi led Kong Ming up to an attic, but before he sat down, Liu Qi cried to Kong Ming and said: "Liu Qi's stepmother threatens him, his life is in danger, sir, do you have the heart not to save him?" As soon as Kong Ming's expression changed, he wanted to go downstairs, but saw that the stairs had been removed. Kong Ming couldn't help being amused and annoyed. He thought to himself, do you think a small staircase can trap me, Kong Ming?But he had other plans in his mind, so he didn't attack, just kept silent. Seeing that Kong Ming was angry, Liu Qi hurriedly bowed again: "Mr. has the ability to observe the world, and he must have a clever plan to teach you."Now this place does not go up to the sky, and goes down to the earth. It just goes out of the king's mouth and enters my ears, so it will not leak out. Kong Ming was embarrassed and said: I'm afraid I will violate the ancient teaching of estrangement and intimacy. Liu Qi cried: How could they regard Liu Qi as a close relative?If Mister doesn't save Liu Qi, Liu Qi will surely die sooner or later, it is better to die in front of Mister so as not to be humiliated by them.After Liu Qi finished speaking, he drew his sword and wanted to kill himself. Seeing this, Kong Ming flicked his finger to the sword in Liu Qi's hand, and a ray of inaction and innocence shot out, which instantly made the Taiyuan acupoint on Liu Qi's wrist numb, and he couldn't hold the sword, and fell to the floor.While Liu Qi was in shock, Kong Ming nodded with a smile and said: "I have a plan to save the young master." Liu Qi was overjoyed, and hurriedly said: Please advise, sir. Kong Ming smiled and said: In the past, the sons of Jin State, Shen Sheng and Chong Er, Shen Sheng died inside, and Chong Er was safe outside.Now that Huang Zu in Xiakou was attacked and killed by Jiangdong, and Jiangxia was threatened by Jiangdong, you can ask your father to lead troops to garrison Jiangxia. Firstly, you can show your bravery, and secondly, you can avoid the disaster of family rebellion. When Liu Qi heard this, he couldn't help being overjoyed, and quickly thanked Kong Ming again and again.He also ordered people to reset the ladder again, let Kongming go downstairs, and then went away. Liu Qi really asked his father Liu Biao to lead troops to guard Jiangxia.Liu Biao was very happy to see that his son was brave enough to take care of him, so he dispatched 5,000 troops, led by Liu Qi, to defend Jiangxia. Kong Ming went back and told Liu Bei, and Liu Bei thanked Kong Ming: "On behalf of Liu Qi, I would like to thank you for your virtue of saving each other."Kongming smiled slightly and said, "To tell you the truth, this is my strategy to save others and myself." Liu Bei hurriedly asked why. Kongming said: "Cao Cao will attack Jingzhou within a day, and Xinye will bear the brunt. The army is weak and it may be difficult to hold on. Xiangyang in Jingzhou is controlled by Mrs. Cai's family. How can you allow the lord to retreat?"At that time, the land of Jiangxia guarded by Liu Qi will be the only escape route for the lord. When Liu Bei heard this, he understood why Kong Ming asked Liu Qi to beg again and again before he came up with a plan to avoid disaster. The purpose was not only to save Liu Qi, but also to arrange an excellent escape route for the future.He couldn't help but sighed: "Mr. Liu Bei's subtlety is beyond Liu Bei's reach." Kong Ming smiled lightly and said: "The current situation is not the time to be polite and calm."I guess Cao Cao's army will enter Jingzhou soon, and a fierce battle will come soon. Liu Bei was shocked and didn't dare to stay in Xiangyang City anymore, so he hurriedly bid farewell to Liu Biao, and together with Kong Ming, joined Zhang Fei's five hundred troops waiting outside the city, and galloped all the way back to Xinye. At this time, Cao Cao was in Xuchang, and he abolished the positions of the three princes of the court, and he served concurrently as the prime minister. The power of the government was all controlled by him.He also appointed a group of civil servants, among whom was a newly appointed civil servant in charge of the Chaoyan Literature Academy, a young man named Sima Yi who was only 21 years old, and who had been separated from Sima Zhi for more than ten years The elder brother Sima'er has the same pronunciation, but it is unknown whether there is any relationship between the two?This point, until now, is still a mystery full of mystery to the people of the world. Cao Cao Beike Yuan Shao, sitting in the thirty-six counties of Kyushu, half of the country, has come under his control, and his character has also begun to become arrogant.He once asked Sun Quan of Jiangdong to send his son to the court as a hostage, but Sun Quan politely refused. He couldn't help being furious, and he had already hatched the idea of ​​​​taking Jiangdong. He convened ministers of civil and military affairs to discuss the strategy of advancing southward. His powerful counselor Xun Yu said: "The prime minister wants to conquer Jiangdong, and there is a Jingzhou in the middle. Haste makes waste, so it is better to think long-term." Cao Cao said proudly: "In this case, I will take Jingzhou first, and then conquer Jiangdong." Gou Yu said: "Jingzhou is forced too quickly, so we must join forces with Jiangdong Sun Quan in the south. If the two join hands, our army may not be able to easily win." Cao Cao said displeased: "I can't attack Jiangdong, and I can't take Jingzhou first. Do you want me to sit and wait for them to grow stronger?" Cao Cao's favorite general Xia Houdun said: "My lord, don't worry. The last general is willing to lead an army of 100,000 to take Xinye and Fancheng in Jingzhou first, get the forward position to attack Jingzhou, and then take advantage of the momentum to take Jingzhou." At this time, Xu Shu, a counselor who helped Liu Bei defeat Cao Ren and captured Fancheng, was forced to join Cao Cao because his mother was kidnapped by Cao Cao. Cao Cao heard Zhuge Liang for the first time at this time, and he didn't know who this person was. If he knew that this person was Kong Ming, the young hero who helped him defeat the brave Lv Bu when he was young, Cao Cao would have to think twice. But he said proudly: "Who is this Zhuge Liang?"Dare to stop my million troops. Xu Shudao: "Zhuge Liang is known as Mr. Wolong. He has the talent to know the world, and has unpredictable strategies. He is a strange man in the world and should not be underestimated." Cao Cao snorted slightly and said, "But what if this person is better than you, Xu Shu?" Xu Shu said: "Compared with it, I am like the light of a firefly, compared to the brightness of a bright moon." Cao Cao was suspicious for a while, suspecting that Xu Shu did not forget his old master Liu Bei and deliberately exaggerated to frighten him from marching to Jingzhou, so he couldn't help but snorted heavily, looking very displeased. When Xiahou Dun saw this, he quickly shouted: "This is the opinion of a scholar, so why not worry about it!"I regard Zhuge Liang, a mere white-faced scholar, as reckless, and I swear to capture Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei alive to present to the prime minister. Cao Cao rejoiced and said, "Excellent!"I have made up my mind, and now I will dispatch an army of 100,000, led by General Xiahou Dun, to attack Xinye, the forward of Jingzhou first!No objection, neglect of the morale of the army, and those who disobey the order will be executed. Xiahoudun led the order to mobilize troops and horses on the same day, and a hundred thousand troops drove out of Xuchang and went straight to Xinye, the forward of Jingzhou. At this time, Liu Bei was in Xinye, treating Kong Ming as a teacher and a friend, and respected him very much. He would sit with Kong Ming every day and never leave him for a while. Guan Gong and Zhang Fei lived at the same table and bed with Liu Bei every day, but now because of Kong Ming, they were left out by Liu Bei. I couldn't help complaining to Liu Bei, saying: Brother He is too obsessed with Kong Ming. Forgive this Kong Ming. He is young and ignorant.Why does brother treat him so respectfully?At this time, Guan Gong was beside him, and he also nodded in agreement with Zhang Fei. Liu Bei couldn't help being surprised, and hurriedly said: "What do you two know?"I have Kong Ming, just like a fish in a drought to get water!Please don't neglect sir. Seeing that Liu Bei was angry, Guan Gong and Zhang Fei didn't dare to argue any more, so they retreated angrily. One day, someone sent an oxtail. Liu Bei was afraid that Zhuge Liang would be afraid of the cold, so he knit a woolen ox hat for him to keep out the cold by himself. When Kong Ming came back from the training ground, he couldn't help but sigh slightly when he saw this, and said solemnly: "I beg my lord, but insisting on ambition is enough, and you don't need to treat Kong Ming with the favor of a woman." Liu Bei's heart was shocked, he quickly threw his hat on the ground, and said: Yes!I know what Mr. wants. Kong Ming enlightened again: Now that Cao Cao's attack is imminent, do you think it is possible to fight Cao Cao? Liu Bei said: "Our army is not as large as Cao's army." Kongming said: "The Lord's soldiers are only thousands of people. If Cao Jun kills them, how can they resist the enemy?" Liu Bei was surprised and said: "What you saw is very true, and I am also worried about it." Kong Ming saw that Liu Bei was on guard, so he said: My lord, you can quickly recruit the people in Xinye City to serve as militiamen. I will teach them in person, which can help repel the powerful enemy. According to Liu Bei's words, he went out to recruit soldiers, and the people in Xinye, knowing that Cao Cao had brutally massacred Xuzhou with blood, all enlisted in the army one after another in order to protect their lives. Soon they gathered 3,000 people and formed a militia team, taught by Kong Ming himself. The basics of combat formation. On the other hand, as a military adviser, Kong Ming sent many groups of spies to go deep into Cao Jun's inland hinterland and Xinye frontier positions to closely monitor all movements in Cao Cao's barracks. Kong Ming also strictly enforced the military discipline, taught excellent tactics such as marching troops and deploying troops, and supervised and trained Liu Bei's main force day and night. On this day, Kongming took advantage of the gap between military training and specially summoned Zhao Zilong, who was guarding Fancheng, to Xinye, and invited all the soldiers to discuss the defense plan. let.I saw Kong Ming boarded the commander-in-chief seat, and Liu Bei sat aside and waited.Liu Bei's subordinates are Guan Gong, Zhang Fei, Zhao Zilong, Zhou Cang, and Liu Feng.Since this was a major pre-war gathering, Diao Xue stayed in the inner hall of the Military Advisor's Mansion as a guest, while Sima Zhi temporarily took Zhao Zilong's military affairs and stayed in Fancheng, so neither of the two daughters attended. Kong Ming left the mountain from Wollongang in Longzhong, and was busy with military and government affairs after arriving in Xinye. It was not until this time that he formally met Liu Bei, Guan Gong, and Zhang Fei for the first time, that is, he had the opportunity to carefully examine the relationship between Liu, Guan, and Zhang. Fate in shape.