The sun sets in the west and the twilight becomes darker.
Watching the afterglow of the setting sun disappear little by little, the anxiety in Zhang Xiao's heart became more and more intense. Taking risks should not be done casually. If one mistake is not made, it will lead to catastrophe.
In order to contact Tao Qian and get the warrant to open the city gate, the Qingzhou secret agents used the hidden secrets of the governor's office. Everything went smoothly at first. Xu Fang, a famous scholar who took the initiative to serve in Qingzhou, agreed to Qingzhou's request, patting his chest and promising that he would definitely succeed.
The task will be completed.
But as soon as he turned around, as two messengers from the south and the north entered the house, the situation quickly changed. Xu Fang went back on his words and betrayed Zhang Xiao's companions.
Although Zhang Xiao and others remained vigilant and were not caught by the other party, the ensuing martial law throughout the city completely ruined any hope of completing the mission.
It is useless to deal with Chen Ye now. Before Xu Fang rebelled, he had already made preparations to become a benevolent person if he failed. With the arrows of the governor's office, it was Xu Fang's four families who replaced the four city gate officials.
Will.
Family generals are dead soldiers! For them, the only authority is the order of the family leader Xu Fang. Others, not even Tao Qian, can command them.
Martial law also brought great trouble to the spies in the city. Their movements were restricted and they were unable to come and go as easily as before.
Zhang Xiao finally understood why most of the spies sent to Xuzhou were novices. Newcomers who were recruited from the local area only experienced a short training before starting to perform tasks.
Because this place is used as a training place, and because of Tao Qian's cooperation, the Qingzhou secret agents in Xuzhou have very little pressure and no danger. However, they can experience the atmosphere of carrying out secret missions. It is a good place for military training. Xuzhou is a good place for military training.
When the person in charge is changed, the pressure suddenly increases exponentially, and it becomes difficult for the novices to move forward.
The worries caused by martial law go beyond that.
What worries Zhang Xiao the most is the situation in the governor's house. He wonders if Tao Qian is on his deathbed or even dead. If he couldn't hold on to power anymore and there was such a big commotion in the city, how could he
No consciousness at all?
Or is it true that as Lieutenant Li feared, Cao Bao has made up his mind and can't even wait for the last few months or even days? Only the collective rebellion of the direct lineage can completely and silently destroy Tao Qian.
Empty.
You must know that in addition to less than 5,000 county soldiers, there are more than 1,000 Danyang elites in the city. This is Tao Qian's last source of strength and should be enough to control the overall situation.
Thinking of this, Zhang Xiao's heart felt cold, like a sharp spring breeze blowing in his heart.
The Lord rode lightly to Tan City, but in the end he might not even be able to enter the city gate. Even if he did, he would be in danger. This was undoubtedly a dereliction of duty by himself and others.
If possible, Zhang Xiao would be willing to jump from the top of the city to atone for his sins with death. But he knew that even if he did that, it would not help. Only by remaining useful can he be able to play a role at critical moments.
The county soldiers also realized something. They stood far away from Zhang Xiao. Although no one betrayed him, to anyone with a discerning eye, Zhang Xiao's identity was already obvious. The reason why no one came to arrest him was just
Because the time Xu Fang and others controlled Tancheng was too short, they had no time to pay attention to these details.
Zhang Xiao, who was determined to die, did not notice this. He just looked northward and prayed to the gods and Buddhas in the sky, hoping that his lord would believe him soon and not continue to enter this city full of thorns.
However, contrary to expectations, just as the sun was setting in the west and the Jade Rabbit was rising in the east, a rare moment when the sun and moon coexisted in a day, he heard the sound of thunder beating in the wind!
Coming!
A silent throbbing spread throughout the North City Gate, and the soldiers conveyed the same message with their eyes. Soon, thousands of county soldiers stationed at the top of the city and on standby below the city got the news, and the entire Tan City was moved.
stand up.
"Hurry! Hurry up to the city, don't be slow, if you don't want to fill the shoes of the Qingzhou people, just run faster!"
"The Qingzhou Army came to seize Xuzhou by force. They took advantage of Tao Shijun's serious illness. They were killing people in mourning! They were taking advantage of people's danger! What other atrocities could such unjust people not commit? Don't worry.
Just by chance, I was bewitched by Qingzhou’s spies!”
"Divide some people and block the city gate, don't give Qingzhou Xizuo a chance to cause trouble..."
The powerful private military generals headed by Xu Fang shouted loudly and ordered the troops to deploy defenses. The reasons they gave may not be convincing, but in times of crisis, they are enough. Ordinary army operations do not require much.
It is too grand a righteous name, as long as there is a slogan that makes sense and can be shouted out with confidence, it is enough.
This was the arrangement on the surface, but secretly, hundreds of private soldiers were gathering in several high-gate courtyards. After the gathering was completed, they headed to the military camp in the east of the city one by one.
Some of Tao Qian's more than a thousand Danyang soldiers were guarding the governor's mansion, and the rest were on standby in the military camp in the east of the city. The purpose of the powerful private soldiers was not to defeat this army, but to cut off the last group in the city who might be able to support the king.
The power of feathers.
In order to prevent Wang Yu from taking control of Xuzhou, and in order to prevent the Qingzhou New Deal from spreading to Xuzhou, Xu Fang and others staked all their fortunes! The powerful man who was once the pillar of the Han Dynasty, and the power he unleashed with all his strength, is naturally no small matter!
The crisis in Xuzhou broke out a long time ago and was much more violent than in history. Such a change was unexpected by Wang Yu, who was familiar with history.
Although the layout was well-organized and seemed to be foolproof, Cao Hong, who was watching the enemy on the top of the city, still had no idea. He asked tremblingly: "Mr. Zifang, those soldiers in the East Camp have already obtained my order, so there should be no danger.
Wouldn't it be safer to gather all the soldiers from each family to defend the city?"
"No need!" Xu Fang categorically rejected: "The intelligence from the front has been sent back. Wang Yu's light cavalry rushed forward without any infantry. Even if there were any, it doesn't matter. Langya's spies have already found out clearly that Zhang Jaw's army does not have enough infantry.
siege equipment. It will take at least half a month for Qingzhou to organize an effective offensive!"
He sneered and said: "By that time, the various forces in Xuzhou have already reached an agreement, and he hastily attacked, how can he easily fall into the city? For the current plan, as long as he strictly guards the city and does not allow anyone in the city to respond to him, it will be fine.
That’s enough.”
As he spoke, he laughed ferociously and said with hatred: "The gentry system is the foundation of our country, the Han Dynasty. It is the unchanging cornerstone that has been passed down for thousands of years to this day! How dare a mere boy from Huangkou dare to change it at any time? Let this person
How can a benevolent gentleman gain a foothold when a man of this kind takes control of Xuzhou? I just hate that this officer is too fierce and stubborn, otherwise, I would love to let him into the city and kill him with my own hands!"
According to the original plan, if Wang Yu could avoid Zhang Kai's assassination and Zang Ba's interception, Tancheng's powerful forces would wait for Wang Yu to enter the city before launching their attack, leaving him unable to escape.
But when the battle report from Fulong Valley came, all the powerful men were frightened, and many people retreated. If it weren't for Xiapi's letter, knowing that Cao Bao had finally made up his mind, it is still unknown whether this operation could have been launched.
What's the number?
Xu Fang himself had actually vacillated for a while, taking the initiative to take action, which meant hedging his bets. Who would have thought that the Qingzhou secret agent suddenly came to him and asked him to help him with things, which made things difficult for him.
In Xu Fang's view, the unintentional actions of Zhang Xiao and other novices forced him to give up his original position and make the final choice.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally chose the glory of the family. With Cao Bao's defection, Xuzhou's ability to coordinate with Wang Yu was very little. As long as he could be kept out, there was no fear that he would really seize Xuzhou. Hussars.
Although there are many people, the battle line is also very long. It is destined to be unable to attack Xuzhou with all its strength, so what is there to fear?
Now that he had made such a choice, there was no way out. Xu Fang didn't want to be the only one like him, so he tried his best to drag others into the water, which led to this massive mutiny.
Cao Hong wanted to say something else, but at this moment, in addition to the thunder, a desolate and majestic war song suddenly sounded in the wind. His heart suddenly trembled, and all the words that came to his mouth were choked back in his throat.
"A long wind blows and the sky becomes blue,
The sky is burning and the wild fields are vast,
Facing the wind and fire..."
The unknown war song, majestic and generous, attracted the yearning of the brave and trembled in the hearts of the coward. As for Cao Hong, who had never experienced a battle and only invited favors based on his relationship with Tao Qian, he felt cold all over.
.
If you can hear the singing, it means that the singer is very close. In Langya, this powerful army annihilated more than 5,000 bandits with great singing. Now they sang the same war song and came to Tancheng... I really
Do you have the ability to compete with such an army?
Xu Fang's expression was also very bad, but fortunately it was concealed by the dim twilight, otherwise it might have shaken the morale of the army.
No, the military morale is already wavering.
The veterans were all listening attentively, while the recruits who had never been in battle were dumbfounded and moved closer to each other, trying to gain confidence and support from their companions.
Not only the city wall, but most of Tan City was also disturbed.
The people of Xuzhou were not at ease to begin with, and the heavy traffic throughout the city during the day further aggravated the panic.
Rumors are flying around, anything is possible.
Some people say that when Tao Gong died, the officials of the governor's office did not announce the funeral secretly and had evil intentions;
Some people also say that Tao Gong is still alive, but he has been ignored by the officials of the governor's office;
Of course, there are many arguments that are beneficial to the powerful, but generally speaking, arguments that are not favorable to them prevail. Qingzhou attaches great importance to public opinion, and Tao Qian indulges Qingzhou's spies a lot. In the end, this is
People in Donghai know more and more about Qingzhou's new policies than other places, and people's hearts are more inclined to Qingzhou's side.
The private generals quickly realized the problem. They shouted loudly and tried to divert the soldiers' attention from the war songs, but their efforts were in vain.
Because the singing not only came from outside the city, there were also people inside the city who started humming along. Especially the line about bringing peace to troubled times resonated with many people from the bottom of their hearts.
I don’t know how long it took, but the singing finally came to an end, and was replaced by a powerful roar: "Wang Yu came at the invitation of Tao Gong, the sergeant on the city, why don’t you open the city gate quickly!" (To be continued...