In the silent valley, people gathered in several groups, and a few whispers could be heard from time to time.
"What happened?" Everyone was confused, and there was uneasiness floating in the air.
Although the last thing Zhao Liu said was serious, it was not much more deadly than the previous ones. It was like a house whose roof had been blown off by the wind. Is it still afraid of a few more holes in the wall and ground?
But when difficulties came one after another before, Xu Shu remained calm and actively came up with many targeted strategies. Why did he become so embarrassed when he heard the last one?
Everyone was whispering and asking each other, while looking towards the place where the sound of water came from in the valley - General Yuan Zhi had been wandering there alone for several hours.
"Xiao Liu, what on earth did you say? Is there anything else you haven't told everyone?" Pan Zhang has a lazy temperament, and he is also an acquaintance. He has been very friendly with everyone along the way, pretending to be fierce and intimidating.
Human movements are also done very naturally.
"No, didn't you just say it in front of everyone?" Zhao Liu said with a sad face. He had been asked this question several times. He was frightened and confused. He couldn't figure out what he said wrong.
.
"That's true." Pan Zhang was not unreasonable, "But there's nothing wrong with that? Even if the Xiliang Army and Mrs. Guo didn't collude, wouldn't this be a fatal situation?" He turned to look at Pei Yuanshao: "
What's the difference?" Then he turned to Guan Hai and muttered: "What's the difference?"
Seeing that the two generals were shaking their heads, he spread his hands and said, "No, right? Although the Xiliang army has strong momentum, it has not yet crossed Anyi. If we have something to do, we cooperate with Bai Bo and capture Wenxicheng. The deadlock will be solved."
Well, even if there is collusion between the two enemies, the claws of the Xiliang army cannot reach out, right? Unless..."
"Unless?" It didn't matter that he changed the subject, everyone's attention was attracted to him. The question now is, isn't it that I don't know why General Yuan Zhi is worried?
"Unless..." To everyone's disappointment, Pan Zhang smacked his lips and ran out of words. His "unless" was purely influenced by his chatterbox attribute, and he just said it casually. He had no idea at all.
"Hi!" Everyone sighed in unison, feeling disappointed and angry. Zhao Liu, who had been interrogated by Pan Zhang as a criminal for a long time, even showed his arms and rolled up his sleeves, obviously planning to settle the score.
At this moment, a calm voice suddenly sounded: "Unless Mrs. Guo is not colluding with Dong Zhuo, but with someone else."
"Who is it?" Pan Zhang was stunned and asked subconsciously.
"Then how do I know?" Ma Zhong casually revealed the truth in the tone of discussing what to eat for dinner: "Anyway, he is someone other than Dong Zhuo who can have an impact on our mission."
"Apart from Dong Zhuo, aren't they the only ones who will have an impact on our plan?" Everyone was confused and could only continue to ask Ma Zhong.
But Ma Zhong only relied on the advantage of being a bystander to figure out the reason for Xu Shu's hesitation. It would be too difficult for him to explain the mystery.
His embarrassment didn't last long. He didn't say a few words before someone started arguing with each other and left him alone.
"What other impact can there be? No matter what you do, it will be a dead end. Why take such risks for other people's affairs? What if Baibo is like Heishan, wouldn't it be..."
"What are you talking about? Are Yang Shuai and the others the ungrateful people in Montenegro who think their wings are stiff?"
"I mean... if you know someone well but not their heart, and you haven't seen them for two years, how do you know what they are thinking?"
"Yang Shuai and the others are all upright and upright men!"
After a long journey on the mountain road, we finally reached the end, but bad news came one after another. Even though there were many elites who followed here, the morale of the army was inevitably shaken.
The quarrel didn't last long, and the noise alarmed Xu Shu, who was in deep thought. The latter was so surprised that he almost thought it was a surprise attack by the enemy. After hurried back, he realized that it was a false alarm.
After asking what happened, Xu Shu first took a deep look at Ma Zhong, and he was a little surprised by this man's behavior. When Pan Zhang first recommended him, Xu Shu thought that Ma Zhong and Pan Zhang should be similar, they were close friends who had similar feelings for each other.
, but upon actual contact, he found that Ma Zhong's personality was completely different from Pan Zhang's.
The former is low-key, while the latter is flamboyant; the former is taciturn, while the latter is a complete talker; Ma Zhong's utilitarianism is far worse than Pan Zhang's. From Xu Shu's observation, although this man's martial arts are good, he is somewhat happy-go-lucky.
If he were really allowed to return to the academy as a teacher, he might be much happier than he is now.
Maybe it was because of his personality that he was able to tell the truth of the matter without any accurate information, right?
The appearance of this person is indeed a surprise. If you want to find a way out of this dead situation, you may need to rely on this person's calm analysis and judgment.
"Shou En is right. What we are worried about is that someone other than Dong Zhuo is colluding with Mrs. Guo in Chang'an. In this case, our goal will have to change, or it will be expanded to severely damage Mrs. Guo."
"Huh?" Pan Zhang's jaw almost dropped to the ground. The target had indeed expanded, but the degree of expansion was too great, right?
"Yuanzhi, you mean to severely injure Mrs. Guo? But Xiaoliu has just inquired about it. Mrs. Guo also has a crowd of more than 100,000, including many veterans and ruthless bandits who have been on the battlefield since the Zhongping period. By the way, there are others behind him.
The Huns are backing up... My lord is not here. You have stayed behind to support the surrendered soldiers in Hanoi. It's just us, No. 100, plus Bai Bo, whose face was beaten with blood by the Xiliang army... This,
Is this business profitable or not?"
Xu Shu did not explain, but asked directly: "Gui, are you afraid?"
"Afraid? Who would be afraid?" Pan Zhang jumped up and said, "It's just for a man to lie down drunk on the battlefield. What's so scary?" After yelling a few words in anger, he felt guilty again and murmured in a low voice: "It's just that
This life-or-death business is not a good deal."
Although no one present agreed, the sad look in their eyes undoubtedly showed their inner thoughts.
Xu Shu knew what everyone was thinking. The situation in Qingzhou was very good now. Even if he stayed with his lord, even if he did not take big risks, the tide would rise in the future. If a foreign enemy invaded the territory, everyone would naturally fight to the death, and would not shrink back even in the face of a strong enemy.
But now it's time to rescue Bai Bo. If it succeeds, it will be a great achievement. If it fails, it won't cause much loss to Qingzhou.
In the worst-case scenario, we can also try to break into the siege and assist Yang Feng and other leaders in withdrawing, instead of risking all their lives and property for the sake of forces other than Qingzhou forces.
Even generals such as Pei Yuanshao and Guan Hai, who were also from the Yellow Turban lineage, showed hesitation and confusion in their eyes. Only the oldest veterans of the Juefeng Battalion showed firmness. Even though Li Le had originally selected them.
At that time, I specially chose a single man who had no relatives, but the relationship that came from this was not something that could be given up just by giving up.
He was like a mirror in his heart. Xu Shu no longer struggled with Pan Zhang, turned to everyone, and said loudly: "You have been appointed by the lord and came to Hedong with Xu Shu. You must have the same desire to repay the favor with death. But now,
The situation is ten times more dangerous than expected. As Gui said, it can be regarded as a situation of life and death."
He looked around for a week and took in everyone's expressions. He said word by word: "Since ancient times, the only way to die is to die. Now is the time for men to make contributions. The Lord is thousands of miles away and cannot fully understand the situation here. If you feel that the decision of the concubine is too great,
It's too impulsive. You can return here, no matter whether there is a chance to see you again in the future. I will not hold you accountable for this."
There was a commotion in the crowd, and no one expected that Xu Shu would say such words.
Doesn't this encourage everyone to flee? In the countless battles that the Qingzhou forces have experienced from scratch, this has never happened before!
Those who came with Xu Shu were either Pan Zhang who was more utilitarian or fearless. No matter how he thought about it, being regarded as a coward was an unbearable shame.
His face turned red, his fists clenched, and many people looked at Xu Shu with a bit of evil in their eyes.
Xu Shu had no doubt that if he continued to use a sharp tone to stimulate people, someone would stand up and argue with him, but he had no intention of changing his mind.
"I know what you are thinking. You are not greedy for life or afraid of death, nor are you not loyal enough to the lord. You just think it is unnecessary to sacrifice your life for a group of people who are not even allies and are in a desperate situation. This idea is right or wrong, lord.
Whether you agree or not, I dare not say anything, but one thing is for sure..."
Xu Shu emphasized his tone: "That is because since the Lord raised his army, whether he went to danger alone or faced the enemy in battle, he made sacrifices and retreated, but he never gave up any of his allies or subordinates because of the dangerous situation! Someone thought I was in Qingzhou
The reason why we are victorious in every battle and are so powerful in the world depends on our fearless spirit and mutual trust!"
The powerful words echoed quietly in the valley. Looking at the young general's suddenly serious face, the dissatisfaction and anger in everyone's eyes slowly disappeared, replaced by deep thought.
"Allowing people to go back is not to shrink from the battle, but an opportunity to ask the lord. What the lord thinks, I can't guess, and I won't guess. I only know that the lord solemnly entrusted the affairs of Hedong to me. I
Just try your best to complete it.”
Xu Shu solemnly said: "Now, those who are willing to stay and die with me, please take a step forward. The remaining people will be led by Gui and return the same way."
"What?" Pan Zhang was shocked and angry, and jumped up. But before he could say anything, more than a dozen veterans from the Deefeng Battalion had already loudly agreed, and they all took a step forward.
"A certain person is willing to die together with the general!"
Immediately afterwards, Guan Hai shrugged his shoulders and stood up with dozens of colleagues from the Kirigakure Army. He also said softly: "It was you who captured me and joined the army. It was you who carried out assassinations together in Xuzhou. We were together in Mount Tai."
In the fierce battle, you were the one who killed Zang Ba and those thieves, and now you want to abandon me, hehe, don’t even think about it.”
Almost at the same time, Pei Yuanshao murmured in a low voice while standing up with the most powerful subordinates among the water bandits: "Last time General Ziyi went to charge the battle, he disliked me and refused to take me with him. This time there is no one."
If you can find fault with my riding skills, then you would be a fool to leave."
Ma Zhong didn't say anything, but he didn't lag behind others at all. He took a step forward silently, leaving his old friend Pan Zhang in place.
Pan Zhanglai was about to argue with Xu Shu, but when he saw the posture, he no longer cared about the argument. He quickly jumped forward and shouted: "Yuan Zhi, are you too straightforward? How could I say I want to leave? Let's go.
You have come such a long way to hear some news and then go back... I am not a spy! Shou En, you are not honest, why are you trying to help your brother? How can you make a fortune by yourself in a sullen manner?"
Ma Zhong counterattacked without looking back: "Didn't you say that this is about losing business? Who dares to drag you along to pay for it?"
"That's an analogy, just an analogy!" Pan Zhang said plausibly: "In business, it is most reasonable to make profits and lose money. Sometimes, people can't be too persistent, even if they know they are losing money.
When it comes to buying and selling, you have to spend money on it before you can see the outcome, right?"
"Have you ever done business? Why didn't I know?"
"That's a metaphor, just a metaphor..."
In the end, Pan Zhang's theory was not fully explained, because Xu Shu spoke up.
"Very good. Since everyone is willing to live and die together, we might as well talk about some confidential things..."
What Xu Shu wants to talk about is, of course, Wang Yu and Jia Xu's analysis of the situation in Chang'an. If Chang'an wants to launch an attack, someone must contain the main force of Dong Zhuo's army. The more ideal result is to have a few more obedient troops willing to respond outside
, and even went to Beijing to Qin the King's troops at a critical moment.
Qingzhou is too far away, and the ministers may not like Wang Yu who is a saint. Recently, the most direct ones are Ma Teng, Han Sui of Xiliang, Bai Bo of Hedong, and Liu Yan of Yizhou; the nearest one is Liu Biao of Jingzhou
, Yanzhou Cao Cao, Luoyang Lu Bu, Hanoi Zhang Yang.
It seems that there are many choices, but if you study carefully, you will find that Changan actually has very little choice.
Liu Biao and Liu Yan have no interest in King Qin at all. If Emperor Xian dies or is deposed by Dong Zhuo, both of them are qualified to inherit the throne.
Ma Teng and Han Sui were rebels themselves, so even if they accepted the recruitment, they would not change much. More importantly, Dong Zhuo's roots were in Xiliang, and Ma and Han's roots could not compete with Dong Zhuo.
Lu Bu and Zhang Yang were limited in strength and could not break through the Xiliang army's defense line. Although Cao Cao had the intention and strength, he had to face the pressure from Qingzhou on the one hand and could not mobilize enough strength at all. You must know that he wants to be loyal to the king, and he also needs to be diligent.
After breaking through Zhang Ji's defense line in Wancheng, they had to face Niu Fu's second line of defense in Shangluo and Wuguan before reaching Luoyang City.
The best choice is Baibo.
The only problem is that Bai Bo and Wang Yu were involved too much. When Wang Yu left Hedong and was given the opportunity, he solemnly told Yang Feng and Han Xian to just stick to their rules and not risk getting involved in disputes among the princes.
Wang Yu had a very high status in the minds of Yang Feng and others at that time. Of course they would take his advice to heart. If Wang Yu had disappeared from then on, Yang Feng and others might have forgotten his words.
But in the past two years, no one in the world knows about Wang Peng's family. Which major event in the Central Plains has nothing to do with Wang Yu?
Yang Feng and others have long regarded Wang Yu as a god, so his words will naturally be regarded as divine decrees, and there is no way for Chang'an to take advantage of him.
Of course, the existence of Bai Bo restrained the strength of the Xiliang Army. But the problem is that Bai Bo was in a defensive position from beginning to end. Their containment was not reliable at all. Li Jue and others could withdraw from the battlefield at any time. As for King Qin
or something, then there is no hope at all.
It was at this time that Mrs. Guo, who was hiding behind Bai Bo and could replace him, officially entered the field of vision of the anti-Dong Shi Party in Chang'an.
"In other words, if we just try to help Bai Bo escape, even if we successfully escape, Mrs. Guo will take over the role of Yang Shuai and others. In the current situation, if we just break out, it is impossible to escape intact.
Judging from the pre-determined route, most of the losses of captured prisoners will fall on Guo Tai's hands, supplementing his strength."
Xu Shu had been meditating for so long and had analyzed the entire situation very thoroughly. Now he was talking eloquently, and everyone could easily understand it.
"The strength of the Xiliang Army has been preserved intact, which is beneficial to our army. Even if there is a way to think of it, we should try to avoid attacking it. So, in the final analysis, the best way to complete the mission is to try to severely damage Mrs. Guo once and for all.