Chapter 140 Two thieves turn against each other, Chen Lan sends troops
According to the plan, Lu Su's first stop was Chen Lanchu.
Chen Lan used to be the leading general under Yuan Shu. He had the most troops and occupied Tianzhu Mountain, a stronghold that was easy to defend but difficult to attack. It was really difficult to attack by force.
However, precisely because of Chen Lan's strength, those who were afraid of him were not only the government, but also two groups of local bandits, Lei Xu and Mei Gan.
As Lu Su went to Tianzhu Mountain, Liu Fu and Jiang Ji relied on the power they had accumulated before to release news to Lei Xu and Mei Gan.
In order to make the strategy more realistic, He Yan began to personally lead his army to transport grain to the Chaoxian area, making preparations to store grain here and attack Chaohu.
Liu Ye, the prefect of Lujiang, did even more ruthless things. He took the craftsmen directly to the dock near Wanshui River to build ships on a large scale.
All of this, without any deliberate concealment, was discovered by Lei Xu and Mei Gan's spies, and aroused their vigilance.
"Lujiang County is going to be in chaos again."
Lei Xusheng is tall and mighty, while Mei Gan has fair skin and short stature.
Both of them are natives of Lujiang. Although they are not very close to each other, in order to protect their own interests, they still communicate frequently and give each other gifts. They are not strangers.
Now, because of the government's actions, the two met again at a dock in the north of Chaohu Lake to discuss countermeasures.
"Originally, Liu Fu's attitude towards us was relatively gentle, but now there are signs that he is going to attack us!"
"First, He Yan sent by Cao Cao easily captured Wan County and captured Li Shu's troops. Then he got a thousand elite soldiers from the Sun family. His strength cannot be underestimated!"
The two of them had also found out what was going on in Wan County these days, and they had a pretty good idea of the government's current military strength.
"But the biggest problem now is not Liu Fu or He Yan, but Chen Lan."
Although Lei Xu and Mei Gan are both thieves, they are somewhat different.
Lei Xu himself is from a local wealthy family, has a broader vision, and knows how to take advantage of the general trend of the world to protect himself wisely.
Mei Gan is a pure bandit with limited knowledge and doesn't care about things outside Lujiang County.
Now it is Lei Xu who is helping Mei Qian analyze the situation between the two of them and find the most suitable way out——
"Chen Lan used to be a subordinate of Yuan Shu and had an official status, which is different from us."
"If He Yan really tries to win over him, he might really surrender to Cao Cao with his troops!"
Anyone who has been an official is unwilling to become a bandit again.
Lei Xu used his own psychology to infer Chen Lan's approach: "Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao in Guandu at the height of his power, and everyone in the world wanted to rely on him. If He Yan really wanted to win over him, even if he promised him a lieutenant As a general, Chen Lan might devote himself to the government."
"After all, no matter how big a bandit is, they are still bandits. How can they be compared with the government? How was the power of the Yellow Turbans back then? Weren't they still wiped out by the government?"
"So Brother Mei, I'm afraid we have to deal with not only the government, but also Chen Lan!"
Umeboshi has no culture, but he can still do simple arithmetic.
With more than 10,000 people on his side, plus Lei Xiu's side, he could form an "army" of 20,000 to 30,000 people in front of him.
But the government has more than 30,000 people from Li Shu's old army. If Chen Lan's 20,000 soldiers and horses are added to it, a full 50,000 soldiers can be gathered!
Moreover, both Li Shu's old troops and Chen Lan's troops were regular troops who had actually been on the battlefield. With the same number of people, it would be easy to fight against the bandits under their own command, let alone those who were twice as many as themselves.
Suddenly, Mei Gan felt a little unsure.
But Mei Gan, who started out as a bandit, did not show the panic in his heart. Instead, he licked his yellowed front teeth extremely ferociously: "So what? As long as we go into Chao Lake, we can use the reeds and water vines to Hiding your whereabouts, I won’t be afraid at all even if Chen Lan and He Yan come together!”
Lei Xu quickly revealed the nature of Mei Gan's external strength and internal strength: "Although Chaohu is big, how can it hide ten thousand people? It is said that they also have their families. Does Brother Mei regard the government as a blind man or a fool?"
"And as long as they block a few exits near Chao Lake, how many days can you last with the fish and shrimps in Chao Lake?"
Mei Gan's tongue suddenly froze, obviously realizing that if the government really took action, he and the bandits under his command would have no chance of winning.
"hey-hey!"
Mei Gan, who had been tough just now, suddenly changed his face and asked Lei Xu for help with a flattering smile: "Brother Lei! Everyone in the Jianghuai area knows that you have the best brains! Don't you have any good ideas and can fight them off directly? Government?"
Lei Xu didn't care when he saw Mei Gan like this.
We are all bandits, who doesn’t know how to compromise?
Only this time, Lei Xu was helpless.
"If the government and Chen Lan really unite, then we have no chance of winning. We might as well surrender to the government as soon as possible and be free of death."
Lei Xu still yearns for a normal person's identity.
Gathering tens of thousands of people may seem impressive, but only you know the risks involved.
Not to mention that Cao Cao has an unstoppable trend now. If he acts like a chariot at this time, there is no guarantee that he will end up with no bones left.
"surrender?"
After hearing what Lei Xu said, I stopped drying plums!
The flattering smile just now turned vicious again, as if it had never existed before——
"How can I surrender?"
Lei Xu, as a local wealthy family, has some connections in the state and county, so he can live a good life even if he is not a bandit.
But Mei Qian himself had committed many crimes and had enmity with many prominent Huainan families.
If the two of them really surrender, Lei Xu will only lose his power, but he will still be a rich man.
But if Mei Gan surrenders, who knows how many former enemies will swarm up and tear him apart.
Even if those enemies are saints and are willing to let Mei Gan go, Mei Gan is still unwilling to surrender.
You can tell just by looking at the name of the prunes.
"No money".
If he really had the ability to eat prunes seriously, he would naturally not fall into trouble.
If we lose this power in Chaohu and our plum blossoms return to normal order, it won't take long for them to decline like before.
This was obviously unacceptable to Mei Gan, who had finally become a "superior person", so Mei Gan immediately rejected Lei Xu's proposal.
"No big deal, I'll take people out of Chaohu and go to Jiangdong!"
Of course, prunes also have a way out.
"Whether it's Taihu in the east or Pengze in the west, I know everyone there! They're all just dogs anyway. Instead of surrendering to the government, it's better to continue to follow those people and become the overlords of the mountains and fields!"
There are also big thieves hiding in Taihu Lake and Pengzezhong, and Mei Gan can definitely lead people there.
When the time comes, whether it is relying on local thieves or grabbing territory by force, Mei Gan will be able to live a good life, and naturally there will be no need to bow to the government.
"Brother Mei, wait a minute!"
Lei Xu heard that Mei Gan seemed to be moving his position, and he was so frightened that he quickly called Mei Gan to stop.
Mei Gan's men are all water bandits, so they can run easily, but Lei Xu himself can't run.
Besides, if Mei Gan really ran away, it would be embarrassing for Lei Xu.
If the government and Chen Lan, who already had the upper hand, saw Mei Gan running away, they would definitely focus their firepower on Lei Xu.
Lei Xu did intend to surrender, but this surrender must be conditional.
If you want to have conditions, you must have capital.
Together, Lei Xu and Mei Gan might be able to negotiate a good deal with the government based on their military strength, but if there was only one person, Lei Xu would definitely be alone and be eaten alive by the government.
"Brother Mei, the surrender to the government I just mentioned is just one of the ways!"
Lei Xu deserved to have some knowledge, and he quickly pointed out the second way for Mei Gan——
"As long as the government and Chen Lan are not allowed to unite, we will not have no chance!"
"I know Chen Lan well. He is a person with both sides of his head and a rat's head. He is not a decisive character."
"If the government tries to win over him, even if he is interested in it, he will not agree immediately. He will most likely sell it for a price and let the government wait for a few days."
"If we can take this opportunity to capture Chen Lan and annex his tribe, we won't have to worry about the government officials!"
"even……"
Lei Xu said in a seductive tone: "We can take advantage of this opportunity to lead troops to suppress the government and seize Huainan!"
"When that time comes, even Cao Cao can only hold his nose and admit it!"
"At that time, one of my brothers wants to ask for the governor of Lujiang, and the other wants to ask for the governor of Jiujiang. That will be an opportunity to rise to the top in one step!"
Mei Gan's breathing quickened after hearing Lei Xu's words.
The governor of a county!
This official position of two thousand dan is completely out of reach for people like Mei Gan.
But if he follows Lei Xu's plan, he might actually be able to become a prefect! He can be regarded as a glorious ancestor, right?
Mei Gan immediately made up his mind: "Okay! Just follow Brother Lei's plan!"
"I've long disliked that outsider Chen Lan! It's really in line with God's will to kill him this time to help us!"
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The signs that Lei Xu and Mei Gan were going to jointly send troops were caught by the scouts who had been waiting for many days, and quickly reported it to He Yanlusu and others.
"It's time to meet Lei Xu and Mei Gan!"
Lu Su had already left and returned from Chen Lan during this period.
Compared to Lei Xu and Mei Gan, Chen Lan undoubtedly has a clearer grasp of the general trend of the world.
He knew that even if Yuan Shao was defeated by Cao Cao in Guandu, he would not fall easily.
As long as Yuan Shao is given some time, Yuan Shao will definitely make a comeback, so Cao Cao's future attention will definitely be in the north and he will have no time to pay attention to the affairs of Lujiang.
In this case, Chen Lan can naturally be the king of his mountain in Tianzhu Mountain with peace of mind, and there is no need to rush to find his own way out.
Therefore, as expected from Lu Su, Chen Lan decisively rejected Lu Su's suggestion to recruit troops, and violently drove Lu Su out of Tianzhu Mountain.
"But our goal was finally achieved."
Lu Su said proudly: "When I visited Chen Lan this time, I also gave him more than a hundred gold cakes."
"This is not a small amount of money. It is impossible for Lei Xu and Mei Gan to believe that we gave Chen Lan such a large amount of money for no reason."
"In this way, the two people will be more afraid of Chen Lan, and our chances will be greater."
Creating a rift between Chen Lan, Lei Xu and Mei Gan is only the first step.
Because the government does not have the ability to directly eat either side of the coalition forces of Chen Lan and Lei Xumeiqian.
If you want to win, you can only continue to divide them and take apart Lei Xu and Mei Gan.
In this way, the government can defeat them one by one and achieve the goal of pacifying Huainan.
"Zijing, solemnly!"
He Yan saw Lu Su off and said: "When I go to Lei Xu, the place with dried plum blossoms is not as good as the one at Chen Lan."
"The two of them are in constant contact, so they are not easily separated."
"If Zijing finds that something cannot be done, he needs to get out as soon as possible to protect himself!"
Lu Su is much more important than Lei Xu and Chen Lan.
If the plan fails, He Yan would rather bite the bullet than involve Lu Su in it.
"Don't worry, Marquis Shen!"
"I chose this path myself, and I can definitely go on it!"
How could Lu Su achieve "a blockbuster success" if he did not risk his own life to pacify Huainan?
If he didn't achieve "a blockbuster success", wouldn't Lu Su have to continue to endure qualifications like he did in Jiangdong?
If he wanted to continue to qualify, why would Lu Su go north to join Cao Cao?
Going to the north is just to see the many opportunities in the north.
And in Huainan, there is a ready-made opportunity here, and Lu Su will naturally not let it go!
However, after Lu Su heard that He Yan attached great importance to his own safety, his heart warmed up, and he assured He Yan: "If something cannot be done, I will find a way to get out!"
"Did Marquis Shen forget? After all, I lived in Chao County for a while, and my water skills are pretty good. Even for swimming, it's time to come back from Chao Lake!"
Hearing that Lu Su actually had the intention to joke with him, He Yan couldn't laugh or cry: "Lu Zijing, what a hero! If a person like you still can't rise to prominence in the future, then God really has no eyes for you."
Lu Su bowed his hands to He Yan and said goodbye: "Thank you, Marquis Shen. Whether you will continue to prosper or die, you will know after today!"
Waving his sleeves, Lu Su took on the momentum of going to a meeting alone, and rushed to the bandit camp one man and one horse.
He first came to Lei Xu, used his status as a wealthy family to talk to Lei Xu, and revealed his intention to recruit.
Afterwards, without waiting for Lei Xu to agree, Lu Su rode a fast horse to the prunes.
Compared to Lei Xu, Mei Gan is undoubtedly the most dangerous place.
When Mei Gan heard that a government envoy was coming, although he did not set up a big cauldron that could throw people into it and cook it, he still set up a Hongmen Banquet and wanted to kill Lu Su.
At the banquet to receive Lu Su, there were no rituals and music, but there was a strong smell of blood.
Several water bandits carried a sturgeon as thick as a bucket and threw it in the center, letting the sturgeon jump helplessly, with weird laughter coming from its mouth from time to time.
The laughter was not directed at the sturgeon, but at Lu Su who was sitting on top.
"Lu Zijing? I have heard of your reputation!"
Mei Gan wielded a fish chopping knife as long as her arm and twisted a weird dance step to get close to the sturgeon.
"Crack!"
Lifting the knife with his hand, Mei Gan slashed the fish chopping knife down hard, causing the sturgeon to twist in even more pain.
Mei Gan refused to let go, and stabbed him several times again, until the sturgeon completely stopped moving, then Guessai slowly got up and walked towards Lu Su.
At this time, Mei Gan was covered in blood and looked around Lu Su's body with playful eyes.
Sudden.
Mei Gan lay down on Lu Su's back and gently helped Lu Su comb his beard with the fish chopping knife that smelled of blood.
"Didn't you follow Sun Ce to Jiangdong? Why did you come back to Lujiang to work for Liu Fu?"
Lu Su's expression remained normal and he replied quite naturally: "As a citizen of the Han Dynasty, I will naturally go wherever the imperial court sends me. I am definitely different from you gang of bandits who have no fixed abode!"
As soon as these words came out, all the Chaohu water bandits at the banquet widened their eyes and glared at Lu Su.
Even the prunes were sharpened with the blade, and the blade slowly slid down to Lu Su's throat, and asked fiercely: "What did you say?"
"I said, I am an official of the imperial court, and you are just homeless bandits."
Lu Su's words were filled with disdain.
Even though his Adam's apple that vibrated when he spoke was a little painful from being cut by the plum knife, Lu Su still didn't care.
"Lu Zijing! You are looking for death!"
Mei Gan moved the knife half an inch deep into Lu Su's neck, and immediately cut Lu Su's skin, turning up a thin layer of flesh.
"You don't care whether I am seeking death, but you will definitely not survive!"
Lu Su turned his head slightly. This action caused the sharp blade in Mei Gan's hand to make a cut on his neck again, and blood soon oozed out.
But Lu Su didn't care because he had already seen Mei Gan's eyes.
A pair of eyes full of anger, but underneath the anger was fear.
"The governor of Yangzhou has presented himself to the emperor to declare Chen Lan as the general who broke the captivity. He will soon lead his troops to attack you."
"Besides, I've been to Lei Xu's place before..."
Mei Gan, who was still calm at first, tensed up when he heard what Lu Su said next: "Why are you looking for Lei Xu?"
"What to do? Naturally, persuade him to surrender!"
Lu Su showed his disdain for Mei Gan: "After all, Lei Xu is from a noble family! How can he join in with a bandit like you?"
"I have made a promise to Lei Xu. If he is willing to surrender, I will appoint him as the magistrate of Shu County and take charge of the land."
"Although the official position of the magistrate of Shu County is not high, after all, Shu County is the former county seat of Lujiang, and the people are prosperous. Lei Xu should be satisfied with such a position!"
"It's you~"
Lu Su's voice suddenly rose a bit: "Now that Chen Lan and Lei Xu are willing to submit to the government, what are you using to fight with the government? Ah?"
The last loud drink made Mei Gan tremble, and the sharp blade in his hand was a few inches away from Lu Su's neck.
"impossible!"
Mei Gan doesn’t believe it!
"Lei Xu said before that he would attack Chen Lan with me. Why did he suddenly choose to surrender and wait for you?"
"Attack Chen Lan?"
Lu Su seemed to have heard something funny.
"Even if you take down Chen Lan, what will you get?"
"If you take down Chen Lan, you are still bandits! But if you join the government, you will have an official status in the future! If you don't understand the truth, how can Lei Xu not understand?"
"As a Shu County magistrate, if he does well, Lei Xu may be promoted to the governor of a county in the future! Why should he take such a big risk to fight against the court and Duke Cao?"
"Plumbs... you are still too naive after all, ha!"
After hearing Lu Su's words, Mei Gan was struck by lightning!
Mei Qian knew how much Lei Xu longed for an official career.
If there really was a Shu county magistrate waiting for Lei Xu, it would not be impossible for Lei Xu to sell himself out?
"..."
wrong!
Mei Gan suddenly realized something and put the knife close to Lu Su's neck again: "Since Lei Xu is also willing to join the government, you can join forces to attack me! Why send you to me as a lobbyist!"
"hehe!"
Lu Su's arrogant expression was palpable: "No wonder Chen Lan and Lei Xu don't want to work with you! Bandits are bandits after all! What else can they do besides fighting and killing?"
"In war, there will always be casualties!"
"Now that the population of Huainan is declining, neither the imperial court nor Governor Liu want to see a large number of young men die in battle. If it can be solved peacefully, it will be solved peacefully!"
"Of course, if you are really stubborn, the government will naturally not bother tens of thousands of troops to wipe you out!"
Lu Su had an attitude of "You're dead" from the beginning to the end. Such determination made a thief like Mei Gan feel a little flustered and his will became loose.
"snort!"
With a thought in her mind, Mei Gan finally removed the knife from Lu Su's neck and moved it elsewhere.
"Lu Zijing, let me ask you."
Mei Gan lowered his head and asked: "If I am willing to surrender to the government, can I do it for a county magistrate?"
"cannot!"
Lu Su sneered: "If all three of you are given official status, what will be the difference from before?"
"Besides, when Chen Lan returns to the north, without his suppression, won't you two rebel again?"
Only now did Mei Gan understand what Lu Su meant.
It turned out that the government was still wary of himself and Lei Xu, fearing that they would be unable to get rid of them.
"What if we promise not to rebel in the future?"
Lu Su's disdain grew stronger: "Do you believe this?"
Mei Gan was silent.
After a long while, Mei Gan said in a gloomy voice: "You mean... Lei Xu and I can only live together?"
"You can live, but not the way you live now."
Seeing that Mei Gan finally revealed his purpose, Lu Su not only did not become excited, but became more cautious in his heart.
"Meigan, I advise you to make a decision quickly. Otherwise, when Chen Lan and Marquis Shen arrive with their troops, there will be no chance!"
Lu Su's attitude remained the same from beginning to end.
It's just simple arrogance, simple certainty.
Even now, Lu Su has not shown any signs of timidity, and is still extremely arrogant, as if he has determined the fate of the plums.
at this time.
Suddenly, Mei Gan's subordinates broke into the place and shouted at Mei Gan: "Captain Bandit! There is a large group of soldiers approaching from the west!"
The man looked panicked: "There are at least tens of thousands of these people! They are all flying the banner of Chen Lan! Commander-in-chief, Chen Lan is really here!"
"What did you say?"
Mei Qian didn't care about Lu Su and grabbed the other party's collar: "Is Chen Lan really here?"
"It's coming! And it's all coming!"
The army was approaching. Mei Gan was not concerned about how to defend the enemy, but asked his subordinates: "Did Chen Lan only come for me, or did he divide his forces to attack Lei Xu?"
"there's only us!"
For a moment, Mei Gan's eyes were full of fierceness: "Lei Xu! Do you really dare to betray me?"
…
In fact, the soldiers Mei Gan saw were not Chen Lan's subordinates.
On the edge of Chaohu Lake.
Liu Ye was leading 20,000 Li Shu's surrender soldiers in a bright place, holding Chen Lan's flag and waving the flag and shouting.
And He Yan was in the dark, with his Yaoyao camp, staring closely at the direction of Lei Xubuqu.
"As long as Zijing's plan succeeds and Mei Qian refuses to send troops to rescue him, we can directly capture Lei Xu!"
"When we capture Lei Xu, we will naturally have a dried plum at our fingertips."
"Similarly, after dried prunes, we can concentrate on dealing with Chen Lan and completely quell the banditry in Huainan!"
He Yan turned around and ordered his soldiers to start: "Second and third sons! Prepare to march!"
"Here!"
The army had already started marching, but an urgent military message came from the rear. He Yan immediately waved his arm and ordered the march to stop.
This military information was very simple, with only six words, but He Yan felt like he was in an ice cave when he saw it——
[Chen Lan sends troops and returns quickly]
There is another chapter in the evening, I am slowly trying to recover in the past few days~