"Where is the messenger?" He hurried over with his jaw open and asked the messenger first before he could read the letter.
Letters are dead, people are alive. In a sense, this messenger is more valuable than Yuan Shao's own letter. A messenger who has traveled a long distance from Yecheng will get more valuable information from his mouth.
Not surprising either.
"The man is dead..." The city guarding sergeant pointed to the bottom of the city. A corpse was lying on its back. It was covered with scars. There were several arrows inserted in the front and back of the body. One of the arrows penetrated the left chest and heart. It should be
It's a fatal blow.
The story of the city guard sergeant proved Zhang Jia's suspicion.
"At first I only saw a puff of smoke, but after a while I saw clearly that it seemed like someone was chasing each other, and then this person appeared. At first he was riding a horse, but then the horse probably died of exhaustion, or maybe he was hit.
He hit the arrow and suddenly fell down. He ran here as hard as he could, but the city gate couldn't be opened, so his subordinates had no choice but to fall down with ropes. But before he had time, the Qingzhou Rangers caught up with him. Before he died, he handed over the letter
Put it in the basket..."
During the narration, the officer on duty had a trembling look on his face and observed his words. He found that General Zhang valued this messenger very much and was afraid of being offended. You know, the atmosphere in the city has been very bad recently. Anxiety and uneasiness are the norm. Lian Xin joined the army and behaved like that.
Graceful people appear to be very irritable, so don't be careful.
"You are not to blame for this." Fortunately, Zhang Jia didn't get angry, he just nodded lightly, with a thoughtful look on his face.
The sergeant's eloquence was average and the narrative had no focus, but the scene at that time was not difficult to imagine. Even if Zhang Jia himself was at the scene, he couldn't have done better.
After the dead soldiers who broke out of the siege left the city, the southern city gate was not blocked again, but even if it was not blocked, it would still take time to open and close the city gate. Wang Yu's attack on the city was not decisive at all, and he did not even deal with the moat outside.
, the messenger seemed to have swam here on his own, and the suspension bridge probably didn’t have time to release it, or perhaps it didn’t dare to release it.
After all, the situation is unclear at the moment. Who knows whether the messenger is the real messenger or the Qingzhou dead soldier who is deceiving the door? If the city gate is really deceived and the Qingzhou cavalry swarms in, then the situation is really over.
Wang Yu was not willing to casualty his troops in the attack, he just didn't want to be wasted by Zhang Zha taking advantage of the geographical advantage. It wasn't that he didn't dare to fight! If the city gate was solved, he would surely become decisive immediately, and Zhang Zha was not confident that he could stop it.
other side.
Therefore, the actions of the soldiers guarding the city are understandable, but a problem arises. Zhang Jia cannot confirm the authenticity of the messenger. The only thing that can be used to determine the truth is the letter.
But……
Again, the letter is dead after all, it cannot speak, and the information it brings is incomplete and may not be reliable!
After thinking about it, Zhang Jia couldn't think of any good solution for a moment, so he could only point to the city and ordered: "Call more people to come and see if anyone has seen this person."
Sending a letter is a life-and-death thing, and people with status will definitely not come. People with no status are naturally unknown. Although there are many people in the Zhang Jaw Army, the hope of recognizing the identity of the other party is also very slim. Quan is a dead horse and a living horse.
The horse is healed.
"Here!"
Watching the personal guards leave as ordered, Zhang Jaw took the letter and climbed down the city wall. He wanted to find someone to read the letter. The probability of such a letter being intercepted was very high. In order to prevent the leakage of military information, it must be encrypted. Among Yuan Jun, this letter
This kind of thing is usually taken care of by those who join the army.
"Junyi, where is the letter? Where is the messenger?" As soon as he came down from the city, he saw Xinpi rushing there, his face full of joy.
"Here is the letter, the messenger has..." Zhang Jia shook his head and handed over the sheepskin in his hand.
"Only faith?" Xinpi's face suddenly sank, his joy turned dim, he opened his jaw and thought of what he was thinking. Without the evidence of the messenger, it would be difficult to tell the authenticity of this matter.
In silence, he took the secret letter and read it carefully: "Zhongde will come over tomorrow at noon for a banquet. There will be many guests and friends..." His face softened slightly, and he explained to Zhang Jia: "It's our army's secret message, but it's true. …”
"What's the problem?"
"That's not really a problem," Xinpi shook his head with a solemn expression, "But this code was used in the past..." He pointed to the parchment and explained.
Zhongde is the word for a senior official, and here there is only one word "Zhong". It should be read backwards at noon tomorrow, which means the moon. These two sentences indicate the time, that is, Zhongqiu. When you go to the government for a banquet, there are many guests and friends. This means that princes from all over the world came to help in large numbers.
"Generally speaking, these secret words are agreed before the war begins. This set of secret words was used by the lord when he entered Jizhou that day, which is somewhat inappropriate. But on the other hand, before this war, the lord did not issue a new code word. Use There’s nothing wrong with this.”
Yuan Shao was not an espionage person, and he would not engage in mystery for nothing. He would only come up with a set of code words before carrying out major military and political operations. One set for taking control of Jizhou, and another set before the battle at Jieqiao. Each set They are all different, and at the same time, each set is also targeted.
"Before the war started in the plains, Bi also received a set of code words, but this set of code words was relatively simple and could not express too complex meanings. The incident happened suddenly, and it was helpless for the lord to adopt the previous code words. But the problem is..."
It is reasonable, but it also brings a lot of doubts. In recent times, the choices faced by Xinpi and Zhang Jia basically follow this routine. Questioning things when they encounter them, Xinpi has almost formed this conditioned reflex.
The open-jawed brows were also frowning. After making so many sacrifices, it was easy to wait for the news. Wouldn't it be a pity if I missed it because of my suspicion? What would I look like in the future, going to meet the brothers who sacrificed for this? ?
Among the dead soldiers last time, several were slightly injured and hid in the wild for a while. The survivors who escaped at night brought back some information about the death squad.
The road to break out was only fifty miles in total, but it was a road of thorns. Every mile we walked, we had to leave behind at least three brothers. By the time these wounded soldiers fell behind, they had only walked two-thirds of the way. The reduction in personnel has already reached half, and it can be said that blood is being shed every step of the way!
How many people will finally break out and reach Yecheng, 30%, 20%, 10%, or even less? Zhang Jia can't think of it, and he doesn't dare to think about it. He only knows that the sacrifices these hot-blooded men have made are absolutely worthless. Should be wasted!
However, it was equally difficult to distinguish the authenticity of the secret message in his hand. He felt as if there were two more strong men in his mind, tearing him apart in completely opposite directions, leaving him in a dilemma. Going crazy.
"General, general, someone has recognized the messenger!" Relatively silent, a man suddenly ran out of the city, shouting as he ran quickly.
"Who is he?" Zhang Jia and Zhang Jia asked in unison.
"He is Cui Ping, the court official of Qingyuan City, and a collateral descendant of the famous Cui family in Boling!"
"Qingyuan? Cui family?" This is another confusing answer.
In the dispute in Hebei, the Boling Cui family sided with Yuan Shao, but the problem is that Boling County is located in the Zhongshan Kingdom and is currently under the control of Gongsun Zan. The lives of the whole family are in the hands of others, and this person's trustworthiness
The reliability is naturally questionable.
The location of Qingyuan is also very awkward. It is at the northernmost point of Yangping County, bordering Qinghe and Anping, and is considered the frontier. Wang Yu is moving westward in a large scale, and it is difficult to say who is in the hands of Qingyuan.
This Cui Ping may have been captured by Yuan Shao after escaping to the rear and arranged this unfortunate task; it may also be that he was captured by Wang Yu and then sent to deliver a message using his family as hostage, and finally was sent by Wang Yu to
Killed and silenced.
Zhang Jia has no way of judging what the truth is. It’s not that his IQ is insufficient, but that his intelligence is insufficient!
After hesitating for a long time, he finally came up with no idea. Zhang Jia could only convene the generals again for a discussion. This time, he also summoned the magistrate and other officials of Yan County, thinking that more people would have more strength.
If Wang Yu were here, he would definitely tell Zhang Jia with sincere words that when making such a decision, the fewer people involved in the decision-making should definitely be better, not the other way around. In fact, if Zhang Jia didn’t have so many tricks, he wouldn’t have tried to make such a decision.
Judging Wang Yu's plot from clues and purely relying on intuition, there is no room for Wang Yu to use these methods.
It's a pity that Zhang Jia didn't have the chance to get Wang Yu's guidance. Although he was aware of his shortcomings to a certain extent, he couldn't correct them. The more sacrifices he made, the less he dared to gamble, and he tended to find a safe one.
Response plan.
The result can only be disappointment.
At the military meeting, everyone held different opinions and became very noisy.
Military generals are inclined to fight!
I can't bear it anymore, I don't need to bear it anymore, I just rush out and fight to the death. Anyway, if Zhang Jia's judgment is correct, there will be a big war in Hebei. Even if there is no way to contact the rear, being able to destroy part of the strength of the Qingzhou Army can be regarded as contributing to the overall situation. If you are lucky, it will happen.
Hitting Wang Yu's weak spot is an advantage.
Civil servants tend to stick to it!
They believed that even if they could not contact the rear, as long as Yan County was nailed here, it would be able to contain part of the Qingzhou Army's strength, making them dare not take it lightly. Once they contacted Yecheng, they could coordinate with the main force to dispatch.
To defeat the Qingzhou Army, the inside should cooperate with the outside.
What both sides said made sense, and Zhang Jia had thought about it over and over, but the result was that he was even more confused.
He doesn't dare to bet, and he's not willing to bet either. This is a common problem for people with a lively mind. If he has enough information, he can make a wise judgment, but now he seems to be in darkness, where can he find the direction? No.
Any choice can be made by drawing lots.
After thinking about it for a while, he finally decided to keep calm.
"No matter whether this Cui Ping is sent by my lord or not, as long as our army does not move, we will not be fooled. For such a big matter, it is impossible for my lord to just send a messenger. Even if it is, without a reply from our army, he should be able to
Keep sending people over, and as long as the lord's messenger arrives, Wang Yu will suffer the consequences!"
"The general is wise." The response was not enthusiastic.
The military generals have been dizzy from the torment and would rather fight to the death than continue to break their heads and guess the riddles; while the civil servants are not willing to fight desperately. In their opinion, there is no need to open their jaws like this.
Want to make meritorious deeds? The army was defeated like a wave. Isn't the merit of defending the isolated city alone great enough? No matter how great it is, it will be tabooed! Didn't you see that Duke Ju surrendered his military power after the battle at Jieqiao? For those who are ministers,
Being a master of great power is definitely the biggest taboo among the taboos!
As one of the frontier strongholds for conquering the plains, Yan County has sufficient food and grass. With the current size of the army, as long as it remains stationary, it can last for a year or two.
When the dust of the Hebei War is settled, no matter who the winner is, it is impossible not to show respect for the warriors in the city. When the time comes, everyone can choose calmly and show their magnanimity. Isn't it beautiful? Why bother so much?
"There are many crossbowmen at the top of the city. If someone comes again, you don't have to rush to open the city gate, but you must protect the suspected messenger to reach the city safely. Whether it is true or false, you must ask someone face to face."
If you don't get a response, you can't do anything about it even if you open your jaw. A man should always act with a clear conscience instead of just thinking about his own interests. No matter how strong the enemy is, he can't lower his head before engaging in battle, even if he is a trapped beast.
, I have to give it a try!
"Here!"
Ps. Apologize.
After being reminded by an enthusiastic book friend, Xiaoyu noticed a geographical error. The Yan County where Zhang Jia was guarding should be Yixian County. The map in Xiaoyu's hand was not high enough in resolution and he couldn't see the word clearly. He mistakenly thought it was Yan County and checked the information.
, I found that Yan County is also in Hebei, so I mistakenly wrote it down.
It will be corrected now, but the previous chapters will not be modified. It would be too much work, so I will explain it here and apologize. (To be continued. Please search Piao Tian Literature, the novel will be better and updated faster!)