After gaining another county, Wu Sheng finally woke up and his health was getting better day by day. Wang Zheng's mood was very different from the previous episode, and he had more smiles on his face.
After a busy few days, he did not forget the mysterious scholar Yi who was captured in Philadelphia. He went to see him every now and then, not talking about military and political affairs, but only gossiping about romance.
From the first time he met Shi Yi, Wang Zheng could tell that this man was extraordinary in both temperament and intelligence, so he naturally wanted to recruit him. However, he also knew that with his status, poaching Cao Cao was not easy, nor could it be done overnight.
become.
It doesn't matter, compared with the impetuosity of his previous life, what Wang Zheng, who is in a high position today, lacks most is capacity and patience.
Just treat the other party as an NPC and slowly build up your favorability.
Whenever the two of them had a casual chat, Wang Zheng would almost always take the initiative to find a topic, either picking up some past battle cases or bringing some historical records to discuss with them.
This is a sign of his own shortcomings as a miscellaneous and half-hearted person.
At the beginning, even if there were occasional mistakes in his words, Shiyi just laughed at them and did not expose them, but he did not respond much.
When they got to the back, either because he was impatient or because he was annoyed by Wang Zheng's ignorance, Shiyi's smile was filled with sarcasm, and he even occasionally spoke out to argue, but only two or three sentences left Wang Zheng speechless.
Wang Zheng was not angry, but secretly happy in his heart. He was most afraid that you would not take it seriously, so just keep silent and just speak!
Whenever he was refuted and was speechless, he would immediately change the subject and praise him sincerely, even calling him a famous person in the world, with truly extraordinary insights.
After going back and forth like this, Shi Yi was too lazy to talk to him again, so Wang Zheng changed his strategy again and talked more about using allusions from later generations.
This time it worked, which often made Shi Yi greatly surprised. He often couldn't restrain his curiosity and asked, "How is the funeral?"
After chatting like this for many days, the two sides became more and more familiar with each other. Shiyi finally took the initiative to ask about Cao Jun and the current situation of Taishan County, but Wang Zheng was vague and avoided answering.
At the same time, Xu Fang was ordered to arrange for his soldiers to inform Dianman of some matters first, and then let Shiyi know through this person's mouth.
For example, the hard battle in Yingxian County was distorted and turned into an easy situation, such as "the army reached the city and defeated it" or "surrendered without a fight".
Sometimes he deliberately exaggerated, and sometimes he pretended to be understatement, letting Shi Yi know the changes in the outside world, but he always had nine truths and one falsehood.
On this day, Wang Zheng came to the courtyard where Shi Yi lived again. After chatting with him for a few words, he ordered his bodyguard to hand over a brocade box, place it on several cases, and then said: "Taishan ginseng is famous in the world. This
One plant was found by Zheng's subordinates. It is said to be three hundred years old and is a great source of nourishment."
Staring at Shi Yi, Wang Zheng said sincerely: "It is said that the clever work hard but the wise worry. Mr. Xiang is used to thinking too much, so he must be tired and hurt his body. In spring, diseases are easy to occur, so he made soup with it to nourish the body and help it resist external evils.
"
"However, the tonic has strong medicinal properties, so you should not take too much every day."
Hearing this, Shi Yi was startled for a moment, then smiled, cupped his hands and said, "In that case, thank you so much, General."
The other party did not show any moved expression, which was also expected by Wang Zheng. People with high talents must be arrogant. No matter how heavy the gift is, it may not be able to move him. But it doesn't matter. The key is that this kind of behavior will last forever. The so-called drop of water will eventually wear away the stone.
The moment when the opponent's psychological defense is exhausted.
He cupped his hands towards Shi Yi and was about to lift his feet to leave, but Shi Yi suddenly called Wang Zheng: "General, wait a moment."
"Is there something wrong, sir?" Wang Zheng turned his head and asked in surprise. This seemed to be the first time that the scholar took the initiative to speak.
Shi Yi smiled casually, flicked his robe sleeves, and stood up leisurely: "General, Dianman and I stayed in your army for many days. The general is also a smart man. He must have known that we are not afraid of death and betraying our master."
It is useless to force people to stay like this."
"If you are willing to give me a way out, then I would like to ask the general to let us go home. If you can do this, I would like to thank the general!"
After saying that, he bowed his head and bowed his head in salute.
"Why is this so?" Wang Zheng was startled, then smiled and said: "Zheng naturally can't bear to hurt Mr. Zheng. If you say let go, it's actually okay, but..."
"Just what?" Shiyi raised his eyebrows and asked.
"It's just that in the past few days, Mr. Zhenghe has not only benefited a lot from the talks, but I have also gained a deeper respect for your great talent. I don't want to bury all my glory in the dust!"
"how do I say this?"
"Sir, please don't forget that since our army entered Mount Tai, when we conquered various cities, whether Feiguo, Nancheng, or even Fenggao, you were not only in the army, but also often appeared in front of the battle." Wang Zheng said seriously: "Now
Many Yanzhou generals and civil servants escaped..."
Having said this, Wang Zheng paused, glanced at Shi Yi first, and continued: "Zheng heard that Cao Cao was suspicious by nature. If there is a fish that slips through the net and wants to get away with it, it is not a crime of war, but Shi Yi's plan.
Wouldn't that be..."
"It's ridiculous!" Upon hearing this, Shi Yi changed his color in anger and sneered again and again: "Does Shu Zi think that I am a three-year-old child and bully him with such nonsense?"
"I would like to teach you that if you hear Shiyi's name, Mr. Cao will definitely not be suspicious!"
He suddenly turned his back and even uttered contemptuous names.
Finally told the truth.
"I know." Wang Zheng replied with a smile.
He understood the implication of Shi Yi's words. Since the names he told Wang Zheng were all false, how could he surrender to him?
Cao Cao's city will be able to see through this counter-intuitive plan immediately.
"There is no such person as Shiyi in the world, so how can he betray the Lord?"
"Then sir, would you like to tell the political leaders what your name is?"
"It turns out that the general has known about it for a long time." Since Wang Zheng was not angry, Shiyi immediately became calm and said with a smile: "It's just that I am not a famous person, so I just told the general my name. I'm afraid the general will be disappointed.
"
"Sir, you are looking down on politics too much." Wang Zheng shook his head and said, "I want to know your real name, but I only regard you as a friend, and hope that you will treat me with sincerity."
"It's only a matter of time before your talent becomes famous all over the world."
"What's more, when literacy begins to worry about life, you can stop memorizing names roughly." Wang Zhengdao: "The meaning of existence of names is nothing more than to let yourself remember them and let others remember them."
"You can forget the rough names..." He lowered his head and murmured several times. When he raised his head again, Shiyi glanced at Wang Zheng with complex eyes, suddenly spread his hands and said: "Ten beauties!"
"Deal!" Wang Zheng clapped his hands and laughed: "Sir's real name is so precious. Not to mention ten women, it's a hundred, so why should I begrudge you?"
"Hey, that's because someone's price is too low." Shi Yi smiled and said, "I dare you to tell the general that I am from Yangzhai in Yingchuan. My surname is Guo and my given name is Jia."
What?
Is this person actually Guo Fengxiao?
After hearing this, Wang Zheng was stunned on the spot, his heart was in a state of confusion, and there were many distracting thoughts. Countless thoughts popped up one after another, and finally they all turned into one sentence.
It turns out that the people in front of us are the biggest gain for Taishan and his party!
...
The second day.
"Taishan has been decided. I will leave tomorrow and go to Pengcheng first to meet with Cao Cao's envoy."
In the lobby, looking around at the generals, Wang Zheng said in a deep voice: "Then we will return to Kaiyang. Yuan Shu has even invited the emperor's imperial edict and policy documents. Regardless of whether it is true or not, it can be regarded as a good intention. After all, he has to go back to pick up the emperor."
Got it."
Now that the decision has been made, we must quickly arrange the defense after leaving.
Not to mention that the joint talks have not yet begun, even if the talks are completed, Cao Cao and Lu Bu cannot be taken lightly.
Before the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Liu Bang betrayed his alliance and attacked Chu, and later Sima Yi's Oath of Luoshui, which killed the tiger, proved that politicians' promises are the most unreliable.
Xu Fang was ordered to take command of Fenggao, while Zhang Rao and Chen Jiao were stationed in Mou County and Bo County respectively, forming a triangle shape, serving as the horns of each other. At the same time, Wu Niu and others were asked to protect the logistics along the way in Fei State, echoing each other from a distance, not to mention Cao Cao at this time.
You may not have enough energy to attack, but even if you do come, you will still be able to protect yourself.
With this in mind, not long after, Wang Zheng took the Thousand Heavenly Punishment Camp up again.
.....
After meeting Cao Cao's envoy, Wang Zheng rushed to Kaiyang without stopping. As soon as he entered the city, he wiped himself for a while and washed away the dust, and then immediately asked Ni Heng to summon Yuan Shu's envoy.
As soon as the envoy entered the room, Wang Zheng was startled and couldn't help but touch his nose. A rare embarrassment appeared on his face.
It turned out that they were acquaintances when they arrived.
It was Yan Xiang, an old acquaintance whom I met in Linzi at the beginning of the year.
In order to prevent the other party from mentioning his breach of trust, Wang Zheng took the initiative and said with a smile: "It turns out that it is Mr. Xiang who came to our city. I am really lucky, very lucky."
Yan Xiang was startled, but he immediately realized what he was doing. The two looked at each other for a moment, and laughed in unison.
Grain bow
If I break your promise and you make false claims, no one will mention anyone else's fault.
Mi Heng had already read the edict, which contained nothing more than some words of encouragement and the appointment of Wang Zheng as the governor of Xuzhou. However, both Wang Zheng and Mi Heng knew that Yuan Shu's real intention must be to wait for Wang Zheng himself to receive the edict in person.
It was informed personally by the messenger Yan Xiang.
Otherwise, Yuan Shu's second-in-command would not only be a mere messenger, but why would he not leave until today?
Sure enough, as soon as Yan Xiang sat down and exchanged some pleasantries, he went straight to the point:
"The general is back just in time. I have something to report to you, and no one but the general can make the decision."
"When your envoy came, there were frequent military affairs in Mount Tai. Mr. Lao Yan has been waiting for a long time, and I hope you will forgive me." Wang Zheng raised his sword eyebrows when he heard this, and said with a smile: "What is going on, I am all ears."
"Before we get down to business," Yan Xiang said, "I would like to congratulate the general first."
“Where does joy come from?”
"General Yi congratulated you on acquiring Mount Tai. It is a great blessing to have this precious land."
"Er congratulations, it's because the general is a brave young man who is a pillar of our great Han Dynasty. The emperor also attaches great importance to him. The angel who went to Yangzhou once said that if he can perform extraordinary feats again, he will be granted the title of Marquis not far away.
"
The Eastern Han Dynasty still inherited the 20th rank of the Qin Dynasty, and Liehou was the highest level among the meritorious titles. It was originally called "Chehou". Later, to avoid the taboo of Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, it was changed to Liehou, also called "Tonghou".
The feudal lords had their own fiefdoms (i.e. fiefdoms). According to the size of their fiefdoms, they were divided into three levels: county lords, township lords and pavilion lords.
For example, Yuan Shao was granted the title of Marquis of Ye, which meant that he had over 10,000 households, so the county lords were also commonly known as the Marquis of Ten Thousand Households. For example, Guan Yu was granted the title of Hou Tinghou of the Han Dynasty, which was the lowest rank of Tinghou among the lords, but it was already a great honor.
.
Under the feudal lords, there are also the Guannei marquis who have a city with hundreds of households, and the title lords who only have names but no fiefdoms.
For such an honor, Wang Zheng's expression did not change. Instead, he glanced at Mi Heng, their eyes met, and they both knew that the key point of Yan Xiang's words was the phrase "make another outstanding achievement."
"Thank you, Emperor, for your great hope." Wang Zheng smiled, pretending to be humble and said, "It's just that my general's name is of little virtue, so it's very difficult to achieve the title of Marquis."
"Sir, please don't joke."
"Otherwise." Yan Xiang said seriously: "Taishan County is the most important town in the world, but the general can only be appointed in one month. It is so powerful that even in thirty states in the world, there are not many people who can match it!"
"Now that the generals are in Xuzhou, their prestige has long been spread throughout the north and south. The Yangzhou Shepherd has always rewarded meritorious deeds and will never run out of talents."
Oh, are you so eager to throw out the real owner?
Looking at Yan Xiang with a smile but not a smile, Wang Zheng pretended to burst into tears with gratitude and said: "The emperor and the Yangzhou Shepherd have such great love that I can hardly repay him even if my body is broken into pieces."
Shuzi, this is what I’ve been waiting for!
Yan Xiang said: "General, why should you not mean what you say?"
"Huh?" Wang Zheng was stunned: "Why did you say this, sir?"
But there was a thump in my heart, and I secretly screamed that something was wrong, as if I had fallen into the opponent's trap.
"General, I really want to be grateful to the emperor. But we know that the emperor is in danger now, why don't he personally command the elite and go north to rescue?" Yan Xiang shook his head and sighed, "A broken body, hey, easier said than done."
"The emperor is in danger?"
Wang Zheng didn't know about this at first, but Sun Ce mentioned it at the banquet when he came to Kaiyang last time. Now he knows it in his heart. He also recalled that it should be this year that Cao Cao welcomes Empress Xian and is about to usher in a complete take-off.
At this time, he still pretended not to know, and said in surprise: "How can I say this?"
"General, please don't pretend to be confused." Yan Xiang snorted coldly, and started to talk more and more, pressing forward step by step.
Wang Zheng laughed loudly and said: "So you are talking about the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si?"
"These unintelligent and courageous people are just fighting each other. How can they dare to hurt the emperor's dragon body? How can they talk about danger?"
"Li Jue and Guo Si will naturally not endanger the emperor." Yan Xiang said: "But the Huns will not have any scruples!"
"General, you know that this year, the Southern Xiongnu has a new Chanyu - Huchuquan. Seeing the melee in the Central Plains, this Xiongnu is about to seize the opportunity to enter. It has entered Guanzhong ten months ago!"
Are you asking me to save Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty?
Wang Zheng was speechless.
Please, I also started out as a rebel, right? Don't you naively think that just a false position will turn me into a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty?
Although he was complaining secretly like this, his face was solemn: "In your opinion, sir, what should I do?"
"If the general can raise 20,000 troops and go north to rescue him, then the emperor's first contribution will be to save him from danger."
Do you want to look at the map first before talking?
Wang Zheng was speechless. Let’s not mention his Yellow Turban identity. Looking at it objectively, whether Pengcheng, Kaiyang or even Mount Tai, they are all in the east of the Han Dynasty. From here to Sili, Jingzhaoyin, or Chang’an?
Isn’t this forcing others to do something difficult?
Also, twenty thousand people?
After I defeated Taishan, including the new soldiers and the defenders from various places, the total number was less than 50,000. This number almost required Wang Zheng to spend all his money and march out!
but...
I just received the imperial edict, so I have to think of a good reason for rejecting it.
After pondering for a long time, Wang Zheng slapped the case and stood up: "Unless you reminded me, sir, I really don't know about this."
"When the emperor is in trouble, he should help you. Let's do this. I will gather all the generals to discuss it and make a plan. Then I will inform you sir."
"If this is the case, the general is truly a loyal and righteous man." Yan Xiang also stood up and said, "The emperor and the Yangzhou Shepherd will definitely be overjoyed when they find out."
"It's just..." Wang Zheng said hesitantly: "Our troops suffered a lot when they attacked Mount Tai. Now we not only have a small number of generals, but most of them are new soldiers and their combat power is not strong. I will lead the army to the north, and the army will rise.
I'm afraid I'm no match for the two thieves and the Huns."
"General, what do you mean?" Yan Xiang was startled, and then his expression suddenly changed: "Are you teasing me?"
"No, sir, don't be impatient." Wang Zheng pressed his hands and said, "I just made it clear beforehand that there is always something wrong with fighting alone. If the emperor cannot be saved, it will be my fault."
"If we can get Yangzhou's elite herdsmen to go with us, our chances of winning will greatly increase."
If you want me to come to rescue him, fine, we have to go together!
I don't believe that Yuan Shu, a man who proclaimed himself emperor, would waste his soldiers for the sake of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty!
"Since it is for the sake of the emperor, Zhou Mu will naturally send troops!"
Yan Xiang's answer was beyond Wang Zheng's expectation: "I am sent by Zhou Mu to see what the general wants. I have already made it clear in advance. If the general is loyal, he can dispatch elite troops to Yangzhou, and then the two parties will meet up."
Let’s go north together hand in hand.”
Forehead....
Wang Zheng finally found out that he had been tricked.
It turns out that this is your true purpose.
Do you want me to lead troops to Yangzhou?
"If we go to Yangzhou first and then Chang'an, it will take a lot of time and time." Unable to guess the other party's purpose, Wang Zheng hesitated and said: "Isn't the emperor more dangerous?"
"General, please relax." As if he had known that Wang Zhenghui would use this excuse, Yan Xiang said with a smile:
"Our Yangzhou waterway extends in all directions and is famous all over the world. If we go to Yangzhou and the army takes the waterway, it will only take faster than setting off from Xuzhou!"
"This..." He couldn't think of a suitable reason for the time being, so Wang Zheng could only repeat the old words: "Okay then."
"I will discuss with the generals first and arrange the troops, horses, food and grass."
It only said that deployment should be made early, but did not mention when the troops would be deployed.
He needed to discuss with Mi Heng and others first what Yuan Shu's intentions were in asking him to go to Yangzhou.