At the edge of the woods, Zhao Tuo, who had just returned here and was about to eat something, was stunned when he received the news from Shejian ahead.
It is not surprising that the Duke of Zhongli County could see through Qu Ming's trick of defrauding the city. After all, the Qin army was traveling all the way, and the news that they were pretending to be the Chu army to defraud the city must have been leaked long ago. This was expected.
Zhao Tuo didn't even have any expectations, he just gave it a try so that he could take the opportunity to rest his soldiers before attacking the city again. He didn't expect that the Zhongli County Guild in the city would suddenly show up like this.
"Interesting, Duke Zhongli surrendered to our Qin army and was willing to provide supplies and transport our army across the Huaihe River. Isn't he afraid that after our army leaves, the King of Chu will deal with him?"
"Gu, what do you think?"
Zhao Tuo turned his head and looked at Xiqigu beside him.
Xiqigu thought for a while and said: "After returning to the army, in my opinion, the Duke of Zhongli County should be a smart man. Whether the King of Chu will deal with him is a matter for the future, but if he does not surrender now
Instead, we will occupy the city and defend ourselves. When the city is destroyed, we may be in danger of death."
"So it is possible for him to voluntarily surrender to our army in order to save his life and property. As for how he will be punished by the King of Chu afterwards, it is definitely better than being beheaded by our army and the city of Zhongli suffering a military disaster."
"And didn't he also send an envoy out of the city to negotiate terms with our army? This approach actually shows that he is sincere in surrendering this time."
Zhao Tuo nodded, what Xiqigu said made sense.
If you don't negotiate terms and just open the door and surrender, it will make people feel cheated.
But Zhao Tuo always felt that this matter might be a little too smooth?
After he pondered for a while, he said: "I'll go ask General Xin. You can ask the envoy to come over later, and then we'll hear the county man's terms."
"only."
…
After the Chu envoy was searched by the Qin soldiers and confirmed that he was not carrying any weapons, he followed the Qin general who led the way towards the forest.
Along the way, he saw that the forest was filled with black-armored Qin soldiers with heads held high and chests held high, holding halberds and swords.
There were a lot of them, and although these Qin soldiers had many broken armors and dirty hair, faces and necks, they were in good spirits. The pairs of eyes were staring at him closely, and with their hands
The shiny weapon gives off a sense of oppression.
The Chu envoy hesitated for a moment, lowered his head, and moved forward slowly. Every time he took a step, his legs trembled slightly, as if he was full of fear for the road ahead and the Qin soldiers beside him.
Xiqigu looked back and saw this scene, and secretly laughed in his heart: "I thought what kind of person this messenger was, but it turns out he is a courageous person. He can send such a person as a messenger. It seems that Zhongli County Lord has no knowledge of people. He is a coward."
What a mediocre person."
"Don't be afraid, envoy. Since Lord Zhongli is willing to surrender, our army will naturally not make things difficult for the envoy."
Xiqigu comforted the other party with a pleasant look.
The Chu envoy nodded hurriedly and said: "Very good, very good. I would like to ask the general to lead the way. I am just wearing thin clothes today and am a little chilly. I wish I could see the general as soon as possible to complete my mission and go back to the city to put on more clothes."
After saying this, the envoy showed an embarrassed smile to Xiqigu.
Xiqigu glanced at the other party's still trembling body and couldn't help but burst into laughter. He was scared because he was afraid. He said that it was cold and the clothes were thin. It was really funny.
Thinking of this, Xiqigu didn't bother to talk to such a small character and led him directly towards the general.
The general of the Qin army was sitting in a wide open space in the forest. The weeds and branches on the ground had been cleared away by soldiers, making them look quite neat and tidy.
The Chu envoy walked into the open space and boldly raised his head.
I saw a middle-aged man in his forties sitting at the main seat.
This man was wearing a toga, with a square face, and a calm and authoritative temperament between his brows. At first glance, he looked like a veteran who had commanded on the battlefield, but the posture of one of his arms hanging down was a little strange, and it looked like
What injuries did you suffer?
Next to the veteran general, there were several Qin army generals. Perhaps because of the long journey, the crowns that originally symbolized their titles were damaged on these Qin generals' heads, so they did not wear them, making it difficult to see them at a glance.
of title.
It didn't matter. Anyway, the Chu envoy couldn't tell the Qin people's titles very well, but there was something about the order of these people that surprised him.
A young man, younger than him, who looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old at most, was actually sitting on the right hand side of the middle-aged general.
The people of Qin are still right.
Doesn't this sitting order indicate that this young man's status in the Qin army is second only to the general.
What is his identity?
After keeping this doubt in mind, the Chu envoy stepped forward, saluted the Qin generals, and spoke in a trembling voice.
"The villain Zhong Lizhen was specially ordered by the county prince to come to discuss the surrender. I have met all the generals here."
The moment Zhongli Mei said his name, he seemed to see the body of the young General Qin move, and a surprised expression appeared on his face. Although it only flashed past, he quickly regained his composure, but he still felt surprised.
Zhongli Mei noticed it.
Why is this person like this?
Have you heard my name?
Of course, Zhongli Mei just thought about it in his mind and denied it with a smile.
Just kidding, he is a small Chu man, he is not from a high-class noble family, and he has never achieved any fame. How could his name reach the ears of a Qin general? I think there must be another reason for the strange look on his face.
Perhaps feeling Zhong Limei's gaze, the young general Qin also turned his head and looked at him.
Eyes facing each other.
Zhongli Mei was stared at by those eyes, and he felt like he was being seen through. He hurriedly lowered his head and looked afraid.
At this time, the Qin army commander in the center also spoke.
"My general, Xin Wu, is General Pi under the command of General Li Xin. Since the Duke of Zhongli County wants to surrender, I don't know how to do it? You, the envoy, can tell me."
General Pi?
Zhong Lizei was startled, but he immediately calmed down, pretended to be afraid, and spoke according to his original answer.
"I dare to report this to the general. This time the general led a large army to the city. The county official wanted to fulfill his responsibility of guarding the land, blocking the city to resist the enemy, and staying with the city. However, he pitied the lives of the Zhongli clan and tens of thousands of people in the city. In order to save Zhongli's life,
Only then are you willing to surrender to the general to avoid the flames of war."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "The county official said that when the general led his army, he must want to cross the Huaihe River from Zhongli and go to Huaibei. Therefore, I, Zhongli, are willing to provide all the ships to help the general's troops.
When the soldiers cross the Huai River, they are willing to provide all the food, grass and baggage, and will never let the general's subordinates lack food and clothing."
Xin Wu glanced at the generals and saw that everyone nodded in agreement. Hei Butt, Zhang He and others were even more happy.
What Zhongli Mei said is exactly what everyone in the Qin army wants most now.
The ships crossing the Huaihe River are well supplied with food and fodder.
If Zhongli County Duke is willing to offer it, it will definitely be much better than them attacking and seizing it by force. At least the Qin army will not have to attack the city, and no Paoze will die in the battle.
"County Lord Zhongli is a smart man, I don't know what conditions he has."
Xin Wu spoke calmly and explained the matter directly.
"The county magistrate has nothing to ask for. I just hope that the general will not carry out killings in Zhongli. It would be best if he could lead his troops to stay outside the city and not enter the city." Zhongli Mei said carefully: "As long as the general agrees to this, the county magistrate will
We will definitely give our full assistance and immediately collect ships to help the general and his men cross the Huaihe River as soon as possible."
All the Qin generals looked at each other and nodded slightly.
The Duke of Zhongli County was afraid that the Qin army would enter the city to kill and rob, so he did not want the Qin army to enter the city.
The Qin army did not enter the city. This was his condition.
In exchange, he helped the Qin army cross the Huaihe River and provided food, fodder and baggage.
It seems reasonable.
Xin Wu thought for a while, then nodded and said: "Yes, our Qin army is not an army that kills indiscriminately. As long as the county government provides enough ships and food, we will not enter the city, let alone kill anyone."
Hearing this, Zhongli Mei was overjoyed and said: "Thank you, general, for your promise."
As he said that, he said awkwardly: "It's just that the county official said that if the general just agrees verbally, it won't work. It's better to set up a contract letter as proof. This way, it can also make people feel at ease."
Hearing this, Xin Wu and the generals looked at each other and smiled and said: "This county man is quite interesting. Since we have agreed, we will naturally not regret our promise. I will naturally restrain my men, let alone attack the city."
But since you want to prove it, just write one."
Soon, Xin Wu had someone cut a wooden tablet, write down the relevant matters on it, and give it to Zhongli Mei, asking him to take it back and resume his life.
Before Zhongli Mei left, Xin Wu looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was beginning to set in the west. He expected that it would be too late to cross the Huaihe River today, so he said to him: "Since the two parties have agreed on the terms, go back and tell this person
County Lord, we need to immediately send the grain, food, clothing, and food we need out of the city, and they must be sent out today."
"We also need to collect ships as soon as possible. Early tomorrow morning, our army will cross the Huaihe River. When the time comes, if the county man cannot do it, it will break the agreement. Don't blame me for being ruthless."
As he spoke, Xin Wu had a straight face and slapped his thigh with his good arm. The Qin soldiers surrounding him shouted loudly and raised their weapons in demonstration.
Zhong Lizhen was frightened by the voice, and his legs softened immediately. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed: "Yes, yes, I will explain the general's words to the county magistrate when I go back. Tomorrow morning, the county magistrate will definitely be able to help the general cross the Huai River."
, please don’t be angry, general."
All the Qin generals laughed when they saw the Chu envoy named Zhongli Mei confessing his crime and leaving tremblingly.
"I didn't expect that the Duke of Zhongli County was so knowledgeable. With his help, we will be able to successfully cross the Huai River this time. When we reach Huaibei, we can go all the way back to the state of Qin. It's amazing that we can reach here so smoothly today.
It’s all thanks to you, Zhao Tuo.”
Xin Wu turned around and smiled at Zhao Tuo, his eyes full of praise. He was very happy when he thought that he was one step closer to going home.
The generals also echoed and said: "It is only because of the good leadership of the generals and military commanders that we can have a smooth journey."
Black Butt turned his head to Xiqigu, Zhang He and others laughed and said: "As you can see, the boy named Zhongli Mei just now was very cowardly. When the second or third son shouted, he was so frightened that he immediately knelt down.
I saw the King of Chu at the top of Shouchun City. He looked like he was laughing to death. Is there really no one in Chu?"
Xiqigu also started teasing: "Yes, Zhongli Mei started to shake his feet in fear just now outside. It would be great if all the people in Chu were like this. How could we fail in our attack on Chu?"
"Hahaha, it turns out that boy is so cowardly. In my opinion, we don't need to talk about surrender. We might be able to capture Zhongli City with a single charge, so there is no need to negotiate terms with these Chu people. Military Marquis,
Do you think so?" Black Butt looked at Zhao Tuo while chatting and laughing.
Zhao Tuo ignored him.
But he had just listened to everything Xiqigu and Heiyi said.
Zhao Tuo closed his eyes, and the timid and cowardly look of Zhongli Mei just appeared in his mind.
Is that really the attitude a messenger should have?
"is it him?"
"Xiang Yu's loyal minister, Han Xin's 'lifelong friend', and General Zhongli Mei of the Chu Army."
"If this is really this person, will he surrender to the Qin army?"
…
Outside the forest, Zhongli Mei, who had just walked out of the woods, couldn't help but look back.
He thought that the generals of the Qin army showed no signs of doubt after hearing his surrender speech just now.
Only the young General Qin never said a word from beginning to end.