"Be prepared for the first thing, and make amends for the later. Although it cannot be eliminated, it must be restored." One of the notes of Yuewei Thatched Cottage is listened to by Guwang.
After paying a heavy price, Sun Ce, Sun Ben and others retreated into Pingyu City with more than 2,000 remaining soldiers.
Guo Jia and Tian Chou had no intention of commanding the cavalry to attack the city. They just sent someone to notify Zhang Chao, and then they set up camp under the city openly.
In the big tent, Liu Ai, the prefect of Runan, was sitting in the main seat, and Tian Chou, the captain of the Yue Cavalry School, and Guo Jia, the military advisor's sacrificial wine, were sitting opposite each other. It was already noon the next day, and a scout opened the tent and came in, reporting that He has caught up with Zhang Chao, the captain of the Diannong School in Henan, in the rear, and persuaded him to withdraw his troops and return in the name of Liu Ai. He is now outside the tent.
At this time, Guo Jia was leaning unceremoniously on the simple wooden table, glanced sideways, and said, "Where did you catch up with Captain Zhang?"
"The wine offering is on the outskirts of Shangcai City." the scout said calmly.
"Going to Cai?" Guo Jia couldn't help but laugh. He turned to look at Liu Ai and Tian Chou, and said sarcastically: "Our Dian Nong captain is not very capable of fighting, but we are quite capable of escaping."
Guo Jia was the assistant of former general Zhu Jun, and he could be said to be colleagues with Zhang Chao. Logically speaking, he had to say something good for Zhang Chao, so why did he do the opposite?
Tian Chou calmly thought about the obstacles involved. Before he could speak, Liu Ai, who had been silent during the march and formation, spoke first, with some teasing in his words: "Even the best archer will miss the target one day, let alone Zhang." In his early years, Chao was also a general who exterminated the Yellow Turbans under the command of the former general. His momentary oversight is not unforgivable."
"Colonel Zhang fled in the face of battle, causing great disaster. If we were not severely punished, how could all the soldiers surrender?" Guo Jia disagreed and said righteously.
Liu Ai stared at Guo Jia for a long time. If the other person's sitting posture and momentum were not so casual and fake, he would have thought that the other person was joking. So Liu Ai nodded lightly, suppressed a smile, and said with a serious face: " Then there is no need to see him, just take him into custody, remove the seal and ribbon, and leave him to the court."
If nothing unexpected happens, he will also assume certain military responsibilities after this war. Runan is no better than Hongnong, which is surrounded by peace and tranquility. To the south is Jingyang, and to the east is Liu Bei, the prime minister appointed by Xuzhou Mu Tao Qian. In the north, Cao Cao and Zhu Ling of Yuan Shao's line are separated from Chen State. If we don't use Zhang Chao to establish our authority first, how will we be able to command the troops under our command in the future?
What's more, when Liu Ai came here, he figured out the holy will and thought that since some people in the court were worried about handing over the entire military affairs of Guandong to Zhu Jun, then the emperor must have had this idea in his heart. Since he was assigned by the emperor to come to you Nan, we have to find a way to divide Zhu Jun's power, just in case.
Guo Jia picked up the tea bowl with one hand, and as if he had seen Liu Ai's thoughts clearly, he said with a smile: "Li Tong and Xu Chu, the two righteous men who have led their troops to surrender, it is best for Mr. Liu to meet him."
"This is natural." Liu Ai nodded and said, whether it was for the upcoming war or for the convenience of governing Runan after the war, he had to show mercy to local powerful people like Li Tong.
"Jinnuo." The scout heard the two people make a decision, agreed readily, turned around and went out.
Tian Chou couldn't help but look up, and his eyes met Guo Jia's half-smiling look, and he suddenly understood what Guo Jia was trying to do to show favor to the court through Zhang Chao!
But what is his intention in doing this? To protect former general Zhu Jun, to protect himself? Or to protect himself?
Tian Chou, who is only in his twenties this year, has not seen much political trickery, and can't help but fall into deep doubts about this matter.
At this moment, Li Tong and Xu Chu opened their tents and came in. They were both captains conferred by Zhu Jun at this time. After seeing Liu Ai and others, they were all very respectful.
"Thank you Mr. Liu Fu for your help in this battle, otherwise I would have been in danger this time." Xu Chu's voice was like a bell, and his burly figure made everyone's eyes shine.
"I think he must be Xu Chu of Qiao Kingdom? He is indeed a warrior with an oxtail hanging backwards. The rumors are true. Ai has seen it today." Liu Ai's eyes showed joy and he greeted him intimately: "You two sit down first, no need to be formal."
The two of them sat down next to Tian Chou and Guo Jia respectively. As soon as they sat down, Li Tong asked: "The Japanese military newspaper said that the reinforcements led by Fu Jun will not arrive until today. Why did they arrive last night?"
"The horses in the Yueqi camp are good, so they can naturally run faster than ordinary cavalry." Tian Chou said lightly, with a hint of pride in his words: "Even so, it is too late after all, otherwise the battle last night would not have been like this. ."
Li Tong raised his eyebrows, seeming a little surprised by the strength of the Yueqi camp. He had secretly observed the cavalry of the Yueqi camp when he came here, and naturally he could tell that what Tian Chou said was true. If it were just a Yueqi camp, The battalion has such strength, so what should the imperial court's northern and southern armies do?
It seems that I have taken the right step.
Liu Ai intended to build a relationship with Li Tong and Xu Chu, and took the initiative to ask: "Now the enemy is defending the city, our army's morale is low, and it is difficult for the cavalry to attack. Winter is coming, whether it is the former general or the country, They are all keeping an eye on the war in Runan, and if there is no result, it may not be easy to explain."
Xu Chu looked troubled. He had thought about this problem many times, but he never had a clue. A few days ago, when Zhang Chao's subordinates were purging their subordinates, they had exhausted all methods, and they had not been able to capture Pingyu. Now he could come up with something. What good idea is coming?
Liu Ai also seemed to think that Xu Chu, a powerful and powerful man, was poor at military planning. He did not put his expectations on Xu Chu from the beginning. Instead, he stared at the humble Li Tong with bright eyes.
Li Tong glanced at Tian Chou and Guo Jia subconsciously, and said in deep thought: "I have something to tell you. We were attacked by the enemy last night and had difficulty leaving. At that time, my subordinates heard the enemy general Sun Ce in the chaos. , Cheng Pu's name, suddenly thought that Zhang Xiaowei seemed to have a relationship with the enemy general, so he asked Zhang Xiaowei to plead his case on his behalf. This was also a helpless move. I didn't expect that Cheng Pu actually agreed to let go of his life."
As soon as Guo Jia heard this, he immediately became energetic. He straightened up from the desk he was leaning on and looked as if he had suddenly realized something. He seemed to have just remembered: "Zhang Chao and Cheng Pu? Ah, I remember. Yes, Sun Wentai once served as a general under the former general."
"But Zhang Chao has been imprisoned now," Liu Ai said hesitantly with a trace of regret on his face, but then he thought about it. Guo Jia's time under Zhu Jun was not short. How could he not know about the relationship between Sun Jian and Zhu Jun? It can be seen that Guo Jia's time under Zhu Jun is not short. In the beginning, he agreed so simply to arrest Zhang Chao, just because he wanted to invite him out again at this time to make meritorious service. If so, where would he put his face?
Guo Jia didn't seem to be exposed to Liu Ai's unclear gaze and said indifferently: "Where does the friendship come from on the battlefield? I have never heard that Cheng Pu and Zhang Chao are in harmony. This playback of Zhang Chao is probably not for Zhang Chao. He saves face, but it should be because he is worried and does not want to stalemate the relationship."
Although the Sun family is similar to Yuan Shu's family generals, they still retain a certain degree of independence. Now that Yuan Shu is competing with the imperial court for Runan, the Sun family who is caught in the middle certainly does not want to take the blame for Yuan Shu's rebellion against the imperial court.
"Since they intend to form a good relationship and don't want to fight to the death, why not send people to the city to exchange ideas and persuade them to surrender?" Liu Ai suppressed the resentment in his heart and suggested.
"If he really wanted to surrender to me, why did he have to fight fiercely in the city for many days? Why did he take advantage of the opportunity to attack me last night?" Guo Jia said, looking back at Liu Ai with a frank smile on his face: "It's just that he wanted to please both sides.
That's all, it's a pity that Zhang Chao is in jail, otherwise it's unclear whether he could have made peace with him or it would be effective."
Under Guo Jia's gaze, Liu Ai seemed to have thought of something. He took a deep breath and said decisively: "No need."
"No need?" Not only the others, but also Guo Jia was surprised for a moment, and he said seriously: "This is a way of defeating others without fighting. You should think twice."
"Did Guo Jijiu not know why Sun Wentai had a bad relationship with the former general? In order to persuade him to surrender, we must first settle the matter." Liu Ai looked at Guo Jia meaningfully.
Guo Jia grinned, but there was no smile on his face. He raised his tea bowl, as if he was raising the wine baron in a somewhat meaningful salute: "What Mr. Liu Fu said is that I will wait for a few days below the city."