Zang Ba tried his best to open his eyes, and Dangmohu's vision gradually became clearer. There were two people standing in front of him, one was wearing a dark robe and was elegant, and the other was his brother Chang Xi.
"Fuck!"
The anger in Zang Ba's heart suddenly rushed into his throat, and a huge force burst out from his body. He wanted to rush towards Chang Xi, but found that his whole body had been tied into a rice dumpling, and he couldn't break free at all:
"Thief!"
"How dare you do this!"
Zang Ba was furious.
He was upset that he had mistakenly trusted the traitor and ended up in the situation he was in today.
With a smile on his face that showed success, Chang Xi stepped forward and patted Zang Ba's cheek: "My good brother, please don't blame me for being cruel. If you want to blame me, I can only blame you for not knowing the current affairs."
.”
"It is impossible for the Han Court in Nanyang to accept us, and it is impossible for me, Chang Xi, to obey the edict of the Han Court in Nanyang. But the Han Court in Chang'an is different. As long as we can capture Xuzhou, we can at least become a county governor."
"Brother!"
Chang Xi smiled and said coldly: "You can refuse such a benefit, but I can't refuse it! This is Li Ru, the doctor in charge of Chang'an, and he came with your Majesty's edict."
"Don't blame me, brother, for not reminding you. Now is your only chance. If you can surrender to the Han court in Chang'an, it is definitely not a dream to be a high official and a generous salary, and to be a general and a marquis. But if you persist in your persistence, today next year will be yours."
..."
"General Chang."
Before Chang Xi could finish what he said, Li Ru interrupted directly, stepped forward, and said softly: "If you step aside for the moment, why not let me communicate with General Zang. Maybe he can understand the current situation and decide to abandon the dark side and turn to the bright side."
The successive failures in the direction of Chang'an have made Li Ru afraid to act rashly, so this time, he personally took action and after several months of analysis and judgment, he successfully captured Chang Xi.
"General Zang."
Li Ru's eyes fell on the fierce general in front of him.
In fact, he could kill Zang Ba, but he was reluctant to do so.
First: Zang Ba is indeed a talented general, and his ability is far better than Chang Xi, Sun Guan, Wu Dun and others. If he can get his help, the chance of bringing Xuzhou to Chang'an will definitely be greater;
Second: Zang Ba has absolute influence among this group of people, and even more influence among the Taishan bandits and soldiers. If he is killed, it will most likely have a counterproductive effect and ruin this plan.
Yes!
Li Ru has not taken action against Zang Ba for the time being, but hopes to persuade him to successfully join Chang'an Hanting, which will be beneficial to the current plan without any harm.
"Although Xu Rong and Cheng Pu entered Xuzhou on the pretext of being wary of Liu Dai, their real purpose is definitely not that. They want to unite with Tao Qian and eliminate you."
"General Chang's example is just an introduction. If you reluctantly accept it this time, it will be an even bigger disaster next time."
"Nanyang Hanting has always been good at cutting flesh with a blunt knife, testing your bottom line step by step, breaking through your bottom line, but by the time you realize it, it may be too late."
However......
Li Ru's remarks did not move Zang Ba: "No matter how nice you say it, in Zang's eyes, Chang'an is beyond reach and is no match for Nanyang. It is impossible for me to take my brothers and join you."
"The general really values friendship."
"but......"
The topic changed, and Li Ru continued: "General Zang should know that victory or defeat is a common matter for military officers. Although we are defeated, it is only a temporary defeat, not permanent."
"Now, the prime minister is recruiting troops and horses aggressively. He has already got 20,000 cavalry and 50,000 elite infantry. When the world changes drastically, he can send out the three assistants and enter Heluo, and then compete with Nanyang. Who will win and lose by then?
It can be known.”
"Of course, this is just an afterthought. For the general, it may be too late to wait until that time, because just today, Li received intelligence from the direction of Nanyang. King Hongnong has sent someone to lead three thousand elite troops to come.
Xuzhou.”
"Obviously!"
Li Ru directly put the shit basin on Xu Rong: "Xu Rong, who is stationed in Pengcheng, Cheng Pu made a request to King Hongnong. They brought troops here, not to be wary of Liu Dai, but to be wary of you."
"It was originally a small matter, but it will be brought to the attention of the emperor. In the eyes of King Hongnong, he has realized that Tao Qian cannot suppress you at all, so he can only take action to eradicate you."
"Although General Zang wholeheartedly wants to surrender, in the eyes of King Hongnong, you are just bandits after all. The thieves in you are difficult to eradicate. It is impossible for him to trust you."
Zang Ba's eyes began to become less determined, and Li Ru added another fuel to his anger: "So General Zang, there is no way for you to survive with King Hongnong. If you want to survive, you can only surrender to Chang'an."
"I am the doctor of the imperial court, and the son-in-law of the current prime minister. I also hold the emperor's edict. The benefits at your fingertips are right in front of you. I hope the general can think about it."
Zang Ba frowned and tried to ask: "Did the imperial court really send troops to station?"
Li Rudan smiled and nodded affirmatively: "Of course! If nothing goes wrong, the general will receive the news tomorrow. They should have come with King Hongnong's decree. If nothing goes wrong, they will still be wary of Liu Dai.
Settled in Langya."
"No!"
Zang Ba shook his head: "Absolutely not. Tao Qian and I have an agreement. We..."
"General Zang!"
Before Zang Ba could finish speaking, Li Ru interrupted directly and said coldly: "Do you think Tao Qian was sincere when he made the agreement with you? He couldn't wait any longer, so he was forced to agree."
"Now that Tao Qian has returned to Nanyang and has a better backing, he will naturally not take you seriously. Your life and death are not that important to Tao Qian at all."
"The reason why King Hongnong did not remove Tao Qian is because he wanted to use his power to temporarily appease you and others, and then wait until the troops and horses are fully mobilized before attacking you and others. This is the best strategy."
Having said this, Zang Ba's eyes were already full of doubt.
Li Ru did not continue to attack, but sighed and said softly: "I believe that General Zang is a smart man. King Hongnong's attitude towards you will be revealed soon."
"Of course, I also believe that after General Zang learns about King Hongnong's true intention, he will definitely make the right choice instead of being as stubborn as he is now."
Chang Xi then echoed: "Yes, my eldest brother is just stubborn. What are the benefits of following King Hongnong? How can it be compared to the generosity of Hanting in Chang'an."
****
Xuzhou, Pengcheng.
Xu Rongying.
Chinese army tent.
At this moment, Xu Rongduan was sitting at the top, and there was a map spread on the bed. It was a detailed map of the vicinity of Pengcheng, including villages, rivers, bridges, official roads, and the garrison positions of Danyang troops.
Xu Rong lay on the bed, running his fingers on the map, constantly calculating various plans and routes in his mind, trying to find the safest and most convenient way to eliminate thieves.
"Still not working!"
Xu Rong shook his head.
He has rejected seven or eight plans in succession. Either they will alert the enemy, or they will affect Tao Qian's safety. There is no plan that can have both sides in mind.
"Gonghua."
Cheng Pu frowned and said tentatively: "We can hand over the Danyang soldiers in the direction of Pengcheng to Cao Cao who is stationed in Pei. He has two thousand cavalry under his command and many powerful generals. He may not be a match for the Danyang soldiers."
.”
"And we can find a reason to enter Langya first. You can rest assured that Langya can be handled by me. Their five armies have not yet joined forces. As long as Zang Ba is destroyed first, the others will wait.
, it’s not worth mentioning.”
Xu Rong has naturally considered such a plan.
He frowned, shook his head, and said softly: "Zang Ba is a powerful general, and he is the most powerful of these five troops, with a total strength of five thousand."
"Even if you are good at fighting, you will definitely not be able to defeat Zang Ba in a short period of time. Once the war begins, I am afraid that Sun Guan, Wu Dun and four others will rush to help, and you will most likely be surrounded."
"If Cao Bao's Danyang soldiers are not controlled by Chang'an, they will just surrender. Once they are controlled by Chang'an, Xu will not dare to win against them easily, so how can they support you."
"This plan is too risky."
Xu Rong denied it without hesitation: "I cannot sacrifice you, Demo, in order to regain military power."
Cheng Pu naturally knew the danger: "But Gonghua, besides this method, can you think of anything better? Recently, the conflict between us and Zang Ba has become more and more serious. That Chang Xi is obviously stirring up trouble."
"I guess..."
Cheng Pu frowned and carefully analyzed the current actual situation in Xuzhou: "The assassins from Chang'an will not give up this opportunity. It is even possible that they have been waiting for such an opportunity."
"If we don't send troops into Langya, the other side is likely to seize this opportunity, declare independence, and then collude with Cao Bao from the Pengcheng direction to launch a counterattack against Xuzhou."
"Gonghua!"
Cheng Pu was worried: "Once the situation develops to this extent, I am afraid that we will not be worthy of His Majesty's trust. I, Cheng Pu, would rather take risks than sit back and watch something like this happen."
"rest assured!"
Speaking of this, Cheng Pu, in order to dispel Xu Rong's doubts, patted his chest and promised: "Once something happens, I, Cheng Pu, will bear all the blame."
"Demo, what do you mean?"
Xu Rong suddenly raised his eyes, stared at Cheng Pu in front of him, and said coldly: "Your Majesty's military order, before the military power in Xuzhou is taken back, I, Xu Rong, am the commander in chief. You have to listen to me. Even if something happens, I will be responsible for it."
"
"But......"
"Nothing but!"
Before Cheng Pu could speak, Xu Rong waved his hand to interrupt, and said loudly: "I am the commander-in-chief of the army. Everything obeys me. If I say you can't take risks, you can't take risks!"
"Demo!"
After Xu Rong spoke sternly, his voice softened: "If we think about it carefully, there will definitely be a solution. Don't be anxious. Langya Zangba can't defeat scabies. The main thing we need to guard against is Cao Bao's Danyang soldiers."
.”
call-
Cheng Pu took a deep breath and nodded slowly: "Okay, let's continue thinking about it."
Xu Rongen groaned and continued to focus on the drawing: "Demo, we currently only have 5,000 troops. Even if we include county troops from various places, the total strength still does not exceed 8,000."
Cheng Pu picked up the conversation and continued his analysis: "Moreover, these 30,000 Danyang soldiers are not stationed in a centralized manner, but are guarding the northwest sides and the interior of Pengcheng. It is simply impossible to eliminate them in one fell swoop."
"But what if..."
Cheng Pu's thoughts once again returned to the starting point: "Cao Bao has colluded with Zang Ba. Once something happens to Langya, he will definitely send troops to support. Then we can act on two fronts and try to kill them all!"
Xu Rong frowned: "Langya is too dangerous. Once you introduce troops to intervene, it will definitely make the opponent uneasy. From Pengcheng to Kaiyang, even the cavalry will take at least two days, and the infantry will probably take more than ten days."
"You don't have many soldiers and horses to support you. I'm afraid you won't be able to hold on for that long. Once we are delayed by the Danyang soldiers, both sides will suffer and the whole front will be defeated."
"no!"
As expected.
Xu Rong could not afford such a deduction result: "It is too dangerous and must not be violated!"
Cheng Pu frowned and said softly: "Why don't we apply to His Majesty to mobilize troops to Xuzhou? The number of troops does not need to be too many, but as long as they are good soldiers and can defend the city, they will still be able to fight."
Xu Rong took a deep breath: "In terms of time, is it still too late?"
Cheng Pu shook his head and said he didn't know: "Maybe it's too late."
"Report—!"
At this moment, a message came from outside the tent.
Xu Rong looked up.
However, he saw that his own messengers hurriedly broke into the military tent. He leaned over and cupped his hands and said: "General, there is an urgent message from the direction of Nanyang."
Xu Rong waved his hand and said loudly: "Send it over quickly."
The messenger cupped his hands: "Here."
Immediately.
Submit the letter.
Xu Rong opened the envelope and started browsing. His eyes rolled up and down, and he couldn't help but exclaimed: "Your Majesty is really a god. He really solves our urgent needs!"
"ah?"
Cheng Pu couldn't help being stunned and asked curiously: "Gonghua, what's going on?"
Xu Rong handed the letter to Cheng Pu and let out a sigh of relief: "De Cao, read it yourself."
Cheng Pu took the letter, glanced over it quickly, and was immediately surprised: "His Majesty actually sent Zu Mao to lead three thousand troops to rush for reinforcements? And he also brought information about assassination in Chang'an and hiding in Langya?"
"kindness!"
Xu Rong nodded affirmatively: "It must be Tao Qian's memorial that caught His Majesty's attention. His Majesty's move is obviously to ask us to take the initiative and strive to eliminate Xuzhou's hidden dangers in one battle."
Cheng Pu deeply agreed with Xu Rong's interpretation. He followed the train of thought and continued: "The last general is familiar with Wen Sheng. He is from Fanyang, Youzhou. He fights bravely and his soldiers are all elites who have fought in hundreds of battles."
"His Majesty sent him to station in Langya, which will definitely cause panic among Zang Ba and others. If he raises troops to surround him, with Wensheng's ability, if he can hold on for ten days, there will be no problem."
call-
Xu Rong let out a long sigh and completely let go of his hanging heart: "General Zu Mao should be arriving soon. Let's just wait for Tao Shijun's order with peace of mind. We must not arouse any suspicion."
Cheng Pu nodded: "It should be so."
Noon the next day.
really.
While Xu Rong and Cheng Pu were discussing military affairs, Tao Qian's troops came to invite them, and the imperial court sent people to station in Xuzhou.
Xu Rong had expected it, so he was not surprised at all. He got up and rushed to the governor's office in Pengcheng.
He galloped on his horse and arrived at the Governor's Mansion in about a quarter of an hour.
"Brother Gongzu—!"
Xu Rong shouted loudly from a distance.
"Brother Gonghua."
Tao Qian took the initiative to greet him, clasping his hands and saying, "Do you know what I'm calling you to do today?"
Xu Rong frowned, but Yang Zuo didn't know: "This... I'm really not sure. Could it be that I miss you and want to drink with me?"
Tao Qian twisted his beard and smiled: "You must drink wine, but not only you and me, but also General Zu Mao sent by the imperial court."
"oh?"
Xu Rong was stunned for a moment. He glanced past Tao Qian and looked into the palace: "General Zu Mao? The imperial court sent him here, how could I not know?"
A figure emerged from behind the door, cupping his hands and fists toward Xu Rong: "The last general, Zu Mao, has met General Xu."
Xu Rong's eyes were full of shock: "It's really you, aren't you in Nanyang? How could..."
Zu Mao sighed: "Oh, don't mention it. General Wentai's troops have been changed to naval forces. I am from Fanyang, Youzhou, and I really am not familiar with water warfare. Your Majesty ordered me to come here to assist you."
"That's it!"
Xu Rong nodded with interest: "Then how many soldiers and horses did you bring?"
Zu Mao answered honestly: "Three thousand people."
"Is it possible..."
Xu Rongyang pondered and deliberately retreated from Liu Dai: "The imperial court is finally going to attack Yanzhou? I heard that the Black Mountain bandits Yu Du, Bai Rao, Sui Gu and others attacked Dongjun, and Wang Hu, the prefect of Dongjun, died for his country."
"No!"
Zu Mao shook his head without hesitation and took out the letter: "This is your Majesty's letter to the envoy and the general. Your Majesty has personally ordered that it be opened only when you are needed together."
"oh?"
Xu Rong frowned: "Why is it so mysterious?"
Tao Qian pinched his beard and said, "Since Brother Gonghua has arrived, let's open it."
Zu Mao leaned forward and held up his hands: "Here."
Immediately.
He opened the letter, took out the contents, and presented them to both parties.
The two of them spread out, their eyes rolling up and down.
hiss-!
They all gasped in unison.
Tao Qian was even more surprised: "How is this possible? The assassin from Chang'an has already sneaked into Langya?"
Zu Mao nodded with absolute certainty: "That's right! The imperial court's school affairs office has been paying attention to the assassination in the direction of Chang'an. It had previously uncovered the traitor's deployment in Runan and Pei State, and now it has found out that it entered Langya.
"
"That's why Your Majesty will send the last general to assist General Xu and strive to cooperate with Tao Shijun to eradicate all the assassins in Langya territory and in the direction of Chang'an."
Since His Majesty the Emperor has made it so clear, Xu Rong naturally wants to make a fuss: "Brother Gongzu, although I have always believed in you, this matter involves Chang'an after all. Tell me honestly, is Zang Ba reliable?
"
"this......"
Naturally, Tao Qian could not guarantee Zang Ba's loyalty, otherwise this person would not have become Xuzhou's legacy problem. To this day, it has not been resolved:
"this......"
Tao Qian thought for a long time and finally spoke: "I can only start from my personal feelings. Zang Ba probably just wants to protect himself, but what about Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Chang Xi and others under his command?"
And I know."
"After all, they are all thieves and bandits. Although they have lived a peaceful life in these years, it is impossible to eradicate the thieves in them. If the assassins from Chang'an really sneaked into Langya."
"perhaps......"
Tao Qian's voice was very long, and he was obviously not confident: "He may start with Sun Guan, Wu Dun and others, especially Chang Xi, who is an extremely greedy guy."
Zu Mao leaned forward and cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, according to your Majesty's wishes, let the last general lead the troops and enter the Langya garrison on the pretext of assisting in defense, just in case."
"If the Chang'an assassination had not penetrated here, everything would have been fine. If the Chang'an assassination had really penetrated into Langya, we would eventually become the target of the thieves' attack."
"At that time, your Majesty can send Captain Cao and General Xu to rush to help the general. We and I will work together to wipe out the rebellion in the direction of Langya in the shortest possible time."
Tao Qian frowned and waved his hand: "This must not be the case. If the imperial court sends troops to station, won't it trigger Zang Ba's prohibition? Aren't we forcing them to rebel?"
Xu Rong's reasons are also very good: "Brother Gongzu, if the Chang'an assassination has penetrated, once it controls General Zang Ba, it will have a huge impact on the entire Xuzhou."
"I thought..."
At that moment, Xu Rong leaned over and handed over his hand, and said solemnly: "Rather than sit back and watch Chang'an assassinate and cause chaos in Langya, which will eventually affect Xuzhou's security, it is better to take the initiative and catch the opponent by surprise."
"If there is no problem with Zang Ba, the two sides will naturally be in peace. But if the assassination of Chang'an has already begun, then forcing them to act hastily will also be beneficial to us."
Acting hastily means not being prepared.
Although Tao Qian has lived up to his former bravery, his judgment is still good.
After pondering for a long time, Tao Qian finally made a decision: "Well, since it is His Majesty's order, I will naturally follow it, but I will write a personal letter to Zang Ba to tell him the court's intentions."
"Can!"
Xu Rong agreed without hesitation: "If Zang Ba has surrendered, he will definitely be unable to sit still. If he has not surrendered yet, he will naturally cooperate with General Zu Mao's temptation."
"That's right."
Tao Qian nodded affirmatively: "That's exactly what I mean."
Zu Mao bowed and held up his hands: "It all depends on the general, your ensign."
Tao Qian said softly: "In that case, get up early tomorrow morning and rush to Langya Jiqiu County to station troops. This place is closer to Donghai County, making it easier for us to rush to rescue."
"I will send Cao Bao to lead a part of the Danyang troops to station in the direction of Tan County. Once there is action in the direction of Langya, we can rescue the general more quickly."
"Ah, this..."
When Xu Rong heard this, his heart suddenly dropped.
If Cao Bao led Danyang soldiers to station in Tan County, then Zu Mao's three thousand soldiers and horses might be even more difficult: "I'm afraid this is not necessary. Danyang soldiers still need to defend Pengcheng."
"We are already trying to scare off the enemy. If the Danyang soldiers station troops in Tan County again, I'm afraid Zang Ba will think more, and the gains will outweigh the losses."
After all, Cao Bao was Tao Qian's personal guard. Even if Xu Rong suspected that Cao Bao had defected to the enemy, he would not identify him casually without absolute evidence. This would be counterproductive, so he could only give circumstantial advice.
"Brother Gonghua, don't worry."
However, Tao Qian was extremely confident: "Since we want to test Zang Ba's loyalty, we should be more thorough. If the Danyang soldiers appear, they will have a corresponding effect."
"But......"
"What you say makes sense, as it should be."
Before Xu Rong could speak, Zu Mao on the side interrupted and readily agreed: "If General Cao is in Danyang, the general will be more confident. We will definitely be able to completely solve the Langya problem."
Tao Qian nodded: "Yes, that's what I mean. Why does Gonghua think it's inappropriate?"
Since Zu Mao has already agreed, Xu Rong cannot persuade him any further, otherwise Tao Qian will be suspicious, so he can only nod his head: "Since General Zu Mao agrees, I have no other words."