In the Wucheng County government office, Fan Yuan, who was occupying the magpie's nest, suddenly woke up and touched his forehead, his hands covered with cold sweat.
After freshening up a little, Fan Yuan walked out of the bedroom and looked at the newly whitened sky. He was still thinking about the dream he had last night. He couldn't remember the content, but it seemed that it didn't portend anything good.
Looking back on these two days, Fan Yuan had a bad feeling in his heart.
On the one hand, it was because the Tang army had appeared yesterday. Fan Yuan ordered Dong Kang to send hundreds of cavalry to hunt down the Tang army. He guessed that these should be the remnants of the Tang army who fled from Xiabo City. After all, after Xu Shanhu's defeat, Bei Zhoujun turned against him. .
But Dong Kang ordered someone to report yesterday evening. Almost all the four hundred cavalry were wiped out, and only a dozen of them fled back to the camp.
How many people are there in this remnant of the Tang army, which can nearly wipe out four hundred cavalry?
Fan Yuan didn't quite believe Dong Kang's statement. With only two or three hundred cavalry, four hundred cavalry could be wiped out?
Yesterday evening, a message was sent to Dong Kang to check today whether Weizhou and Bozhou are sending troops to the north. If so, the number of troops left in Beizhou plus the local soldiers is only three to four thousand, and I am afraid that they will not be able to cope with it. .
On the other hand, Fan Yuan was still worried about his eldest son Fan Xing. Before the Battle of Xiabo, the cavalry in the army dispersed with the Turkic cavalry to investigate the military situation. Fan Xing also went south and came to Beizhou to contact the old troops of King Xia and King Dong of Han Dynasty. The soldiers revolted.
Things went smoothly. After the defeat of Xu Shanhu, the general manager of Beizhou, all the counties turned against each other. However, Fan Yuan did not expect that his eldest son Fan Xing never returned and there was no trace of him again.
The Fan family was from Wucheng, Beizhou. Fan Yuan took the initiative to ask Ying to travel east to Beizhou to supervise the grain and grass management, and also wanted to find out the whereabouts of his eldest son.
Fan Yuan has already found out that the eldest son went to Qingyang, Zhangnan, and Wucheng in Beizhou. He was eventually hunted by the Tang army outside Wucheng County. After being defeated, he fled north, but there was no news after that.
He might be dead... Fan Yuan had a bad omen in his heart, but he had to consider another issue. There was also a group of Turkic knights who followed Fan Xing south that day. They were of high status. If they were also killed, what would happen to the Han? It was difficult for the Eastern King and the Turks to get along.
"Are those Turks gone?"
"Leaved before dusk yesterday." The attendant whispered: "Before I left, something happened in the east of the city..."
"Zhang family?"
"Um."
"Teach them a lesson." Fan Yuan said coldly, "Go and fetch that kid."
A quarter of an hour later, Fan Yuan stared at the fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy who was being escorted, "Have you thought about it?"
The young man held his head high and said calmly: "The Zhang family in Qinghe has left his descendants to his descendants and has never attached himself to thieves."
Fan Yuan's face was a little dark, "The king of Xia Renyi was killed by Li Tang, and the king of Han Dong is now sweeping Shandong. If the Zhang family in Wucheng refuses to join the whole family..."
The Zhang family of Qinghe was one of the three great heroes of the early Han Dynasty who stayed in wait for Zhang Liang. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, they served as officials in the Southern Yan, Northern Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, and Sui dynasties. They had many senior governors and officials. They were the largest family in Beizhou after the Cui family.
Fan Yuan gritted his teeth and continued, "The story of Heyin may not happen again."
The young man's name was Zhang Wenguan. His expression changed slightly when he heard these words, but he closed his eyes and remained silent.
During the Heyin Incident, many descendants of aristocratic families were massacred. Many descendants of Longxi Li, Zhaojun Li, Taiyuan Wang, and Xingyang Zheng were killed, and there were countless descendants of the next-level aristocratic families.
Fan Yuan threatened him with this, and it can be said that he was torn apart.
But Zhang Wenguan still refused to nod in agreement. After Wucheng County turned against him, the Wucheng Zhang family was forced to provide food and grass, and was forced to provide people. Forget it, but joining Liu Heitai's command... This is possible Bringing down the entire clan.
There were many high-ranking officials in the ancestors of the Zhang family in Qinghe, but at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, only Zhang Wenguan's father, Zhang Qianxiong, became an official and served as the county magistrate of Yangcheng.
Yangcheng, which belongs to Zezhou, Guannei Dao, is Li Tang's base... This is also one of the reasons why Fan Yuan chose Zhang Wenguan.
Fan Yuan served as a minor official in Wucheng County Government in his early years. Later, he followed Dou Jiande and recommended Liu Heitai to the position. He believed that Dou Jiande's disappointment was largely due to his failure to win over those wealthy families.
Of course, Dou Jiande's background was too low to be able to pull him away... However, Fan Yuan believed that Dou Jiande's methods were too graceful and too particular about benevolence and righteousness. If his methods were more ruthless, it might not be impossible.
Fan Yuan did not dare to provoke the Cui family of Qinghe, who had five surnames and seven families, so he chose the Zhang family of Wucheng. Zhang Wenguan's father was the magistrate of Yangcheng County and served as an official in Li Tang, so he was a suitable target to scare the monkeys.
Although Zhang Wenguan was young, he was very adventurous. After the Battle of Hulao Pass last year, when the Tang army entered Hebei, Zhang Wenguan cheered...
Of course, besides this, Fan Yuan had another reason... Zhang Wenguan was the one who instigated the Tang army in Wucheng to hunt down Fan Xing and his party.
A few days ago, Fan Yuan arrived in Wucheng to investigate the details. The first thing he did was to hunt down Zhang Wenguan, trying to use this as a breakthrough to get the Qinghe Zhang family to join him.
Even if it doesn't succeed, Zhang Wenguan's death can still shock the aristocratic families in various states.
There was a long silence, and the sky was gradually getting brighter. Despite Fan Yuan's threats and inducements, Zhang Wenguan remained silent.
Fan Yuan finally got impatient and said, "When the Xia king was in Shandong, he showed great kindness to the Zhang family in Qinghe. After the battle of Hulao Pass last year, Zhang Qianxiong decided to join Li Tang."
"Under the Nine Springs, if you want to blame it, blame your father..."
Before he finished speaking, someone shouted a report outside, with a voice filled with fear and anxiety.
A follower ran over in a panic, accidentally fell and rolled over.
"Why are you so nervous?"
"Jingting camp was attacked, food and grass..."
"How is the food and grass?" Fan Yuan's pupils shrank. The most important thing he did when heading east to Beizhou was to collect food and grass.
Before the Battle of Xiabo, Liu Heitai's old troops were preparing for this matter. When Xu Shanhu was defeated and killed, the counties turned against each other and divided their forces to advance eastward, just to transport grain and grass to Luozhou in time.
"It's been burned, it's all burned." The attendant cried sadly, "General Dong's personal guards came to report..."
"Dong Kang is a waste!" Fan Yuan cursed and was suddenly startled, "Dong Kang didn't come?"
Seeing his entourage shaking his head blankly, Fan Yuan's expression changed drastically. If the food and grass were burned, Dong Kang would definitely come in person and only send a few personal guards to report...
Thinking back to the annihilation of the four hundred cavalry yesterday, Fan Yuan can be sure that it was the Tang army that attacked the camp, and the Dong Kang personal guards who came to report...
Several thoughts quickly flashed through his mind, and Fan Yuan trotted out. Before he left the inner courtyard, the sound of fighting and shouting suddenly rang out.
"Go, go quickly!"
"Go to the stable!"
Zhang Wenguan, who was fully prepared to die, looked around blankly. The courtyard that had been filled with wind a moment ago was already empty.
Fan Yuan responded quickly, but unfortunately it was too late.
After using prisoners to trick the city gates into opening, Su Dingfang and Liu Jun led two hundred cavalry to rush to the school grounds, easily defeating hundreds of enemy troops who had not yet gotten up. Fan Laosan led dozens of cavalry to rush straight into the county government office.
But when Fan Yuan was trying to escape, he bumped into Fan Laosan and his entourage. The blood on one side's knife was not dry, and the other side escaped with his heart's desire. There was no suspense about the outcome.
The door of the county government office was covered with blood. Su Dingfang first looked at Fan Shiyi who was covered in bruises, and then turned to stare at Fan Yuan who was kicked to the ground.
"Su Dingfang?"
"Su Dingfang!"
Fan Yuan stared at Su Dingfang in disbelief, and suddenly asked in a loud voice: "North of Wucheng are Zaoqiang and Wuyi. Dalang... Dalang is you..."
Su Dingfang was an old subordinate of Dou Jiande and Liu Heitai. Even if his adoptive father Gao Yaxian's subordinate was taken away, he would never suddenly defect to the Tang Dynasty for no reason. Fan Yuan immediately connected Su Dingfang with the disappearance of his eldest son Fan Xing.
Su Dingfang was silent for a moment, then suddenly pulled out the long knife in his hand.
Guo Pu stepped forward to stop him, but Su Dingfang shook his head slowly but firmly, took a step forward, and with a flick of his wrist, the tip of the knife had already penetrated Fan Yuan's throat.
