It was night, and the temporary headquarters of the Fifth Division in Zhengzhou Dongcheng was camped. In the small living room on the second floor, Zhu Panzao was smoking a large cigarette. The smoke filled the originally small living room. Sitting on the other side of the coffee table was exactly
Cai Chengxun, deputy mayor of the Fifth Division, and Chen Guangyuan, chief of staff, were originally chatting about the transfer of troops, but for some reason the topic turned to Yuan Su's so-called surprise attack on Hankou.
"Everyone says this is a daydream, but Yuan is so determined. Look at the way he spoke at today's meeting, as if he was sacrificing his own life for righteousness. It's really unpleasant, especially for the boss.
" Cai Chengxun said this complainingly, while nodding the cigarette in his hand on the edge of the ashtray. The lingering smoke smoked in front of his eyes, making him have to squint his eyes. This made his attitude when speaking even more contemptuous.
meaning.
"Hmph, I still wonder what this person named Yuan is worried about. I didn't expect that he actually had contact with the rebel party before. I'm afraid he is worried that the rebel party will release the news first, so
I just deliberately pretended to be righteous and Lingran first. I was afraid that he would play some tricks next." Zhu Panzao said angrily.
"Who says it's not the case? Alas. If we miss something big then, this guy named Yuan might even throw dirty water on us." Cai Chengxun seemed to be a little absent-minded and echoed the old leader's words in a vague way.
"In my opinion, this matter cannot be concluded hastily. Commander Yuan has finally said this, what else can he have on his mind? It would be better to say that Commander Yuan is also desperate. If he can handle this matter well,
It saves us a lot of worry." Chen Guangyuan is younger than Zhu Panzao and Cai Chengxun. Although he does not agree with Yuan Su, he can still be somewhat fair in dealing with things.
"Xiu Feng, you have always been prudent in dealing with things. Why did you fall for that boy Yuan Su so easily today?" Zhu Panzao looked at Chen Guangyuan with a somewhat displeased look.
"Sir, I just think that the matter has come to an end, and we don't need to worry about it anymore. The worst is to wait and see. It will only take ten days and a half. By then, won't it be obvious immediately who Yuan Su is?" Chen Guangyuan
He explained.
"I have said this over and over before, and I am afraid that the night will be long and the dreams will be too much. Now the slightest disturbance will be very implicated. If we really wait for Yuan Su to cause some trouble, who can clean up the mess by then?" Zhu Panzao said.
Chen Guangyuan didn't want to have any dispute with Zhu Panzao on this matter, so he chose to remain silent.
At this moment, an idea suddenly flashed in Cai Chengxun's mind. He immediately sat up straight and said, "Brother Ziqin, you are right, but we still can't take matters big or small lightly. I thought of a good way to save money."
We need to continue to think about how to calculate what Yuan Su is planning. If we don't do anything, we might as well expose this matter and remove Yuan Su from the position of commander-in-chief first."
Zhu Panzao squinted his eyes and asked, "What do you mean?"
Cai Chengxun lowered his voice and further said: "Isn't Yuan Su going to Hankou to meet Cao Kun under the pretense of secretly communicating with Cao Kun? Let's release the news that Yuan Su intends to attack Hankou before he leaves."
Zhu Panzao frowned slightly. He thought he was already very bold, but he didn't expect Cai Chengxun to be bolder than him. He sat up straight, put down the big smoking gun in his hand, and seriously questioned Cai Chengxun.
Said: "Do you know what you are talking about? If something goes wrong, we will become Beiyang's sinners, big sinners."
Cai Chengxun looked nonchalant, waved his hand and said: "You can't say that. We still don't know what Yuan Su is thinking. Even if he really planned to risk his life and attack Hankou by surprise, this plan was successful.
What are the possibilities, right? He took such a risky action in Hankou, and once the two sides fight, he may even take his own life. Let's leak the news in advance, and when Yuan Su arrives in Hankou, he will be directly captured by Cao
Taking the prisoner will ensure that he survives."
Zhu Panzao thought carefully about Cai Chengxun's words. Although Cai Chengxun's words were crooked, it did not mean they were unreasonable. The two most critical doubts now are that one is not sure whether Yuan Su can play tricks, and the other is what is the plan to surprise Hankou.
Can it be successful? Put these two doubts together, and any reasonable person will reject it outright.
It is impossible to gamble in military operations, at least not easily. Now it is obvious that there is no need to gamble, as long as it is carried out according to the rules, but Yuan Sufei wants to gamble this time!
After a pause, Cai Chengxun could see that Zhu Panzao was already moved, so he continued: "Brother Ziqin, think about it, this plan is full of loopholes and extremely risky, with almost no chance of success, and even
It may lead to other changes. Even if we put aside these things and don't care about it, just assuming that Yuan Su successfully captured Hankou and solved such a big crisis without losing any blood, wouldn't it be true that all the credit should be given to him alone."
Zhu Panzao glared at Cai Chengxun and said angrily: "Is this the time to worry about this?"
Cai Chengxun nodded in agreement and said: "Yes, yes, you really shouldn't think so, but are we brothers really not making any plans? If Yuan Su is allowed to take the credit alone, we will still have a foothold in the future.
Do you have to live under Yuan Su's command? When the time comes, whether he is the emperor or the president, he will definitely rely on Yuan Su. Now that Yuan Su knows that we don't like him, what will the new official do first when he takes office? He will definitely do it.
Use us to show off your authority."
Zhu Panzao was really sarcastic in his heart. Yuan Su could at least foresee the situation happening today a few months ago, but he never expected that someone like Cai Chengxun could only have such far-sighted insights into intrigues. In contrast,
He was really ashamed. But even so, he had to admit that Cai Chengxun's words were right. People will be punished if they don't do it for themselves. The struggle in the officialdom is cruel and unkind, and one must be ruthless to gain a foothold.
Seeing that Zhu Panzao still didn't express his position, Cai Chengxun couldn't help but persuade him: "No, anyway, Yuan Su's plan to surprise Hankou is unreliable and has no chance of succeeding. After all, if we do this, we can still protect him.
It's too late for him to be grateful to us for his life. What's more, if he plans to conspire with Cao Kun, we release this news just enough to make them turn against each other, which is equivalent to making a great contribution."
Zhu Panzao finally made up his mind. No matter which angle he looked at, Yuan Su could not successfully execute his plan to attack Hankou. He nodded slowly, picked up the big smoking gun and took a puff, and said leisurely
: "You're right, we really need to get involved in this matter."
Chen Guangyuan on the side thought that Cai Chengxun was just talking nonsense, but he didn't expect that Zhu Panzao really took this matter seriously. He couldn't help but become a little worried, and quickly persuaded: "Master Zhu, this matter is serious.
Don't mess around..."
He had long expected that Chen Guangyuan would have complaints. Zhu Panzao didn't wait for him to finish his words, then put on a serious look and said: "Xiu Feng, you don't need to pay much attention to this matter. The reason behind it has been made very clear by Lao Cai just now."
, whether it’s right or wrong, it’s a good thing for us.”
Chen Guangyuan naturally could not agree with this statement. He said: "But Yuan Su is the commander-in-chief after all. If this happens..."
Zhu Panzao interrupted again: "I know what you are worried about. You don't have to worry. We will definitely be able to handle this matter without leakage. Besides, when Yuan Su is captured by Cao Kun and Tian Huanting takes over as commander-in-chief, I will definitely
I recommend you to accept the Tenth Division. As long as we can successfully capture Hankou next, Yuan Su's power will definitely collapse afterwards, and I will let you clean up the mess."
Chen Guangyuan took a slow breath and finally said nothing. He didn't know the situation of the Luanzhou Group. He only thought that Tian Wenlie and Zhu Panzao had taken over Luanzhou's army, and it wouldn't be too troublesome to take over when it was his turn.
It was indeed a good opportunity to expand his strength. He could finally get rid of the control of people like Zhu Panzao and establish his own business. What's more, he also had a very clear understanding that no matter how much he tried to persuade, he would never be able to convince Zhu Panzao.
He didn't have a good impression of Yuan Su in the first place, but he just didn't want to miss important events because of it. Now that Zhu Panzao insisted on this, he could only sit on the sidelines and watch. No matter whether this matter was successful or not, it was best to stay out of it.