Koto.
In the history of the Three Kingdoms, Sun Ce's biggest reliance in conquering Jiangdong was two people, one was Zhou Yu and the other was Zhang Zhao.
These two are the top counselors in Jiangdong. They are on the same level as Cao Cao's talented Wang Zuo Xun Yu and the genius Guo Jia. They are the top group of wise men in this era. One is good at fighting and the other is good at governing.
Historically, in the fifth year of Jian'an, after Sun Ce was assassinated, he left for a few days without support. Before his death, he handed over the country of Jiangdong to Sun Quan. At the same time, he also gave Sun Quan a sentence: Ask Zhang Zhao for internal affairs and foreign affairs. Bu Jie asked Zhou Yu.
This means that you can rely on Zhou Yu in military affairs, and you can rely on Zhang Zhao in government affairs. You can imagine Zhang Zhao's status in Sun Ce's heart.
Sun Jian has been paying attention to Zhang Zhao since he came to Jiangdong, and wanted to find this top counselor in advance. However, he didn't know much about Zhang Zhao's history, and he was busy with conquests, and there was a huge crowd, so he had no clue.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Zhao actually delivered it to his door today. Sun Jian was suddenly happy. He really couldn't find anything after wearing iron shoes.
"Gong Jin, are you saying that this person is worthy of my personal greeting?" Sun Jian was slightly startled, raised his brows, and glanced at Zhou Yu. He was in a high position, so he was naturally arrogant.
"It's worth it!" Zhou Yu nodded firmly. The official historian Zhou Yu was not only magnanimous, but also tolerant and able to recommend talents, such as Lu Su and others. Those recommended by Zhou Yu were all Jiang Biao and Hu Chen.
If Zhang Zhao is not worthy of Sun Jian's personal welcome, Zhuge Kongming is not worthy of Liu Bei's visit to the thatched cottage.
In fact, Yuan Xi from the north has a better understanding. He has been in this world for a long time, and he deeply understands the kind of respect that talented people in this era want.
"Okay, uncle, I believe in your vision. Come with me, everyone." Sun Jian was silent for a moment, then shouted.
"promise!"
Although everyone was a little reluctant, Sun Jian had already set off, and they had no reason to sit still.
Although Sun Jian only listened to Zhang Zhao's reputation, he did not despise him. He believed in Zhou Yu's vision. Since Zhou Yu, who was always picky, valued this Zhang Zhao so much, then this Zhang Zhao must be outstanding.
So he followed Zhou Yu's wishes and led the officials from the county governor's house to go out to meet Zhang Zhao in person.
Sun Jian's action startled Zhang Zhao, who was already in a somewhat uneasy mood.
"Pengcheng Zhang Zhao, Zhang Zibu, pay homage to General Polu." In the front yard of the county governor's house, Zhang Zhao looked at Sun Jian and the others. He was not only surprised, but also a little moved. He took a deep breath, cupped his hands, and said respectfully. of giving gifts.
Although he made a bit of a statement in Pengcheng, Xuzhou, he was just an unknown person to Jiangdong. Sun Jian was the world-renowned Marquis of Wucheng, General Polu, and even the famous Tiger of Jiangdong, so he could come to greet him in person. He was the one who valued him the most, and now he still brought hundreds of officials from the county governor's office with him, which further showed the respect Sun Jian had for him.
This made him even more convinced of his decision. Sun Jian was a hero worthy of his refuge. And he thought in his heart that he would never lose to his brother Zhang Hong.
"Zi Bu, it is my blessing that you come to seek refuge with me. No need to be polite. Let's talk inwardly."
Sun Jian stared at him with a pair of tiger eyes. In front of him was a middle-aged Confucian scholar who looked a little downcast. He was about thirty-four or five years old. His clothes were a little shabby and had several patches on them, but he was very neat.
Although Sun Jian still couldn't see anything special about this Zhang Zhao, he still patiently held Zhang Zhao's hand and walked into the lobby.
"No!" Zhang Zhao was a little flattered. As everyone entered the strict lobby of the County Sheriff's Mansion, he glanced slightly and immediately understood that the dozen or so people here were all high-level officials of the Jiangdong Army.
However, except for Sun Jian, these people were obviously hostile to him. This was expected by him. From the fact that he said at the door that he could relieve Sun Jian's worries, he undoubtedly offended these Jiangdong Army senior officials. As long as he The fact that he can gain a firm foothold in Jiangdong Army is not a big problem.
"Zibu, come, sit here!" After walking into the lobby, Sun Jian sat at the front seat again, then stretched out his hand, pointed to the seat next to him, and said with a smile.
Swish, swish, swish... all eyes suddenly stared at Zhang Zhao with some jealousy.
"No!" When he got here, Zhang Zhao didn't have any stage fright. Instead, he felt relieved and knelt down next to Sun Jian calmly. This made Sun Jian's eyes light up slightly. Although he didn't know what Zhang Zhao's talent was, But at least he was good at cultivating his energy.
After all, it was not something ordinary people could do for a stranger to sit next to him calmly in front of Jiangdongjun's senior officials.
"Mr. Zhang, you just said that you can relieve my lord's worries. Do you know what my lord's worries are?" Everyone obviously distrusted this middle-aged Confucian scholar. In the lobby, a man stood up and asked in a sharp voice.
"certainly!"
Zhang Zhao took a deep breath and looked up at him without flinching at all, showing a toughness. He knew that if he wanted to gain a firm foothold in Jiangdong Army, he could not shrink back and must show that he could match the weight Sun Jian valued him. Come.
If you treat me like a countryman, I will repay you as a countryman!
"My lord, there is nothing more worrying than Zhang Chu, Gu Zhou and Xu Gong!" Zhang Zhao said softly.
"This is something that everyone in Wu County knows, why bother talking about it!" An official from the county guard's office said coldly.
"Haha... Zhao also knows that the lord is only afraid of the Jiangdong nobles now. What he is thinking about now is not whether to kill or not to kill the three people. The lord does not hesitate to use the safety of the eldest son as a lure to lure these three people out. It’s nothing more than wanting to use them to deal with the deep-rooted gentry in Jiangdong.”
Zhang Zhao had already analyzed these things when he came to the Sheriff's Mansion. Now he was talking eloquently without any hesitation, exuding a unique arrogance and confidence.
"Zhang Zhao, you can't talk nonsense." Cheng Pu's expression changed slightly and he shouted loudly.
The Jiangdong gentry were deeply rooted and intertwined in Jiangdong. It was one thing for Sun Jian to want to deal with them, but when he said it so openly, everyone's expressions changed.
"Hahaha, it's okay!" Sun Jian didn't care. He looked at Zhang Zhao with a pair of tiger eyes and said, "Zibu, since you know my general's sorrow, do you have a solution?"
"Then Zibu needs to ask about the result that the general wants!" Zhang Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had received Sun Jian's initial approval, so he asked respectfully.
"The result?" Sun Jian narrowed his eyes slightly and said domineeringly: "I want peace in Wu County, but I will not allow Wu County to have power that I cannot control!"
"This is simple!"
Zhang Zhao was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice: "Behead Xu, kill Gu, and keep Zhang!"
"Behead Xu, kill Gu, and keep Zhang?"
Everyone's hearts moved slightly, and the eyes looking at Zhang Zhao were not so hostile, but more serious. They understood the meaning of Zhang Zhao's words, but they did not understand Zhang Zhao's intention.
"Why?" Sun Jian asked with a brow.
"Killing Xu Gong in public is a shock to everyone in Wu County."
Zhang Zhao knew whether he could get Sun Jian's attention, so he just looked at this time. He stood up and analyzed it loudly, saying: "Although Gu Zhou is a member of the Gu family, he must not stay. However, the lord does not want to completely break up with the Gu family now." Turn over, so you can't kill them blatantly, because this will definitely discredit the Gu family. The most important thing for a wealthy family is reputation. Now the Gu family is in trouble. The lord can try to discuss with the Gu family to use food, grass, or land as equivalent. For profit, in exchange for Gu Zhou's 'death of illness', on the one hand, he can warn the Gu family, and on the other hand, he can get what the lord wants."
"This is a great plan!"
Sun Jian looked slightly happy, smiled, and stared at Zhang Zhao with a trace of satisfaction.
"Then why do you want to keep Zhang Chu?" Zhou Yu stared at Zhang Zhao and asked suddenly.
Zhang Zhao is Zhang Zhao, and he has a great reputation. He can leave such a great reputation in history. He is definitely not an ordinary person. He solved the problem that they had been embarrassed for a long time in a few seconds.
"My lord, the local gentry is more difficult to deal with than the aristocratic families in Jiangdong. After all, they control more than 60% of the land and population of Wu County. If you are not careful, it will inevitably cause chaos in Wu County. They cannot be surrendered overnight.
If you keep Zhang Chu, you will keep the Zhang family, and then cut off the several gentry families that are united by the Zhang family. From now on, if the Zhang family wants to survive, they can only stand on the opposite side of them. The only reliance is on the lord. He must only obey his master's words. "
Zhang Zhao looked at the young man in the wheelchair with some surprise. After thinking about it for a moment, he turned to look at Sun Jian and said softly: "These local gentry must be divided from within, so that we can better control them." .”
hiss!
Everyone took a breath of air and looked at Zhang Zhao in shock.
Zhang Zhao’s move is so cruel! It was even more cruel than killing Zhang Chu directly and annihilating the entire Zhang family.
"Hahahaha... Zibu is really a talented person!"
Sun Jian looked at Zhang Zhao, feeling a little excited in his heart. His eyes were bright and shining with light. He stood up and said with a big smile: "Zi Bu, now that the world is in chaos and the people are in dire straits, someone has the intention to calm the world. Can you?" Will you help me?"
"How dare you disobey your orders!" Zhang Zhao bowed slightly, raised his hands, and said seriously.
"Everyone, from today onwards, Zibu will be the governor of Wu County." Sun Jian grabbed Zhang Zhao's hand, stared at everyone, and said loudly: "General, I will leave this matter to you. , make it look better.”
Changshi is equivalent to the official position held by the governor next to him. Under normal circumstances, this position can only be found in border counties. There is no such position in the history of Wu County. In fact, it represents Sun Jian's chief of staff. First Military Division.
"Greetings to Mr. Changshi!" Everyone was slightly surprised, a little shocked, and even a little jealous. However, Sun Jian was strict in his rule. Zhang Zhao obviously had an official position and was above them. They were not someone they could look down on casually. They looked at each other. Zhang Zhao shouted respectfully.
The Sun family's father and son's ability to control people is indeed very good, no worse than Cao Cao, Yuan Xi and others.
East County.
The elegant and graceful Xun Yu also came to the city in person to organize soldiers to defend the city.
Man Chong's iron armor was stained with blood, his eyes were swollen and red, with a chilling air, and he had lost his elegance, "Mr. Wen Ruo! The Black Mountain thieves are in a hurry to attack the city. It is really dangerous here. You'd better go down. I will be on the city wall." Can keep it!”
Xun Yu held the sword on his waist, "Of course I know that Boning is brave and resourceful, but with the family of the lord and the generals in Dongjun City, there is really no room for any mistakes. I have also been practicing martial arts since I was a child to protect myself. Not a problem.”
Taking advantage of the break between the Black Mountain Army's attack on the city, Xun Yu loudly said to the nearby soldiers: "The Black Mountain bandits and the Huns are ferocious. If the city is broken, they will surely loot, burn and kill them. For the sake of the people in the city and your own lives, you must defend Dongjun until Duke Cao comes back." Everyone will be rewarded!"
The defenders and soldiers responded and cheered loudly.
Man Chong nodded with satisfaction, "Mr. Wen Ruo, the morale of the army is high. Defending Dongjun will not be a problem."
Just as Xun Yu was about to say something, a soldier suddenly pointed in the distance and shouted in surprise: "There is a large army coming from the south. Look at the flag... Oh my God, it's the word 'Yuan'!"
Xun Yu and Man Chong were also shocked, squinting and looking into the distance.
Sui Gu, who had broad shoulders and round waist, and eyes like copper bells, was directing the siege. He was angry at the lack of cooperation of the Xiongnu soldiers and the delay in Yuan Shu's arrival. In the past few days, he had lost two to three thousand men in vain, but the city wall was tightly defended and the Montenegrin army made no progress at all.
Sui Gu couldn't help but regret taking this job, "Grandma, I wish I had taken the order and went to Jizhou if I had known earlier. This Dongjun is like a stone, it can't be chewed at all!"
The lieutenant general shook his head, "Shuai Yan personally went to Jizhou to fight. If we go there, we can only serve as a shield for him to get stabbed, and we won't get any benefits afterwards."
The Black Mountain Army is just a general name, and many peasant uprising armies in Bingzhou and Jizhou use the name of the Black Mountain Army. They have contact, but they work independently and do not belong to each other.
But the most powerful Zhang Yan tribe began to use various forms to annex the Black Mountain Army and nominally unite them together. For this reason, Zhang Yan often annexed other Montenegrin forces overtly or covertly.
Sui Gu wanted to take advantage of Yuan Shu's invitation to go out to Yanzhou to develop his own power and break away from Zhang Yan. "Isn't it that Yuan Shu has been attacking Chenliu for a long time? Why hasn't he taken it yet? More than 100,000 people are so useless."
"Commander, look! Yuan Shujun."
Sui Gu took a look and saw that it was indeed Yuan Shu's army. The infantry was all black and there were cavalry in front.
Humphrey, who was waiting in formation outside Dongjun City, also discovered a large number of soldiers appearing from the south.
Since being attacked by Man Chong at night, Yuvluo has lost a lot of troops, horses and food. The Huns soldiers who originally despised the Yanzhou Army began to become less confident.
Yufuluo, who has a high nose and protruding eyes, thought that Yuan Shu had finally arrived. He wanted to try his best to gain benefits after the city was defeated, and he also wanted Yuan Shu to fulfill his promise and help him obtain the title of Shanyu.
More than a dozen cavalry rushed out and came between the Xiongnu soldiers and the Montenegrin army.
Sui Gu and Yu Fuluo each came out with their own soldiers.
A young general in his mid-twenties with a short beard came out from among the dozen riders, "You are Yufuluo, the Hun master, and the Montenegrin army, right?"
"Sui Gu is me, who are you?"
The young general smiled arrogantly, "I am under the command of General Hou. General Li Feng, the Zhonglang of the Left Army, is the vanguard of the army."
Yufro asked with concern: "Where are the generals? Has Chen Liu captured them?"
The young general looked at the two men and said disdainfully: "The latter is stationed at Chenliu and sent me as a vanguard to capture Dongjun."
Sui Gu came from a humble background. Although he hated those nobles and dignitaries, he still lacked confidence when facing the powerful officials and soldiers. "The city of Dongjun is too strong. We have been fighting for a long time without making any progress."
As he said this, he glared at Humphrey, "The Huns are not cooperating in the battle and are sitting on the sidelines. Only my men go to attack the city!"
Humphrey wanted to argue, but the young general said considerately: "Master Humphrey, there is no need to explain, the cavalry is not good at attacking strongholds. Please take your troops back to the camp and make room to see the military power of the general behind you."
Humphrey thanked him gratefully, and then slowly returned to the camp with his nearly five thousand Huns cavalry.
Sui Gu was angry at the young general's arrogance and deliberately wanted to see him make a fool of himself. "Then I will lead the troops to one side and see how the general attacks the city." After that, he ordered the Montenegrin army to move aside as well.
The young general waved his hand, and a total of more than 20,000 horses on foot and cavalry drove into the front of Dongjun City.
Among thirty thousand men and horses, Cao Cao was in the formation with his generals.
Cao Cao smiled and said: "God helps me. Gongda and Zhicai have already sent the Huns back to camp according to their strategy."
"Zixiao did a good job and did not expose our army. Now that the Huns have returned to camp, they are probably unloading their saddles and armor. Our army quickly stepped forward to surround their camp. They became dismounted infantry, and they were bound to be defeated in this way. "Xizhong said.
Xiahou Dun worriedly asked: "There are also a lot of Black Mountain bandits. Should we divide our troops to attack on both sides?"
Cao Cao was weighing the pros and cons in his mind. If he attacked the Huns first, the Montenegrin army would be on guard and would not be able to swallow them all in one go. However, in comparison, he cared more about the Huns cavalry.
■■■
Yecheng, Jizhou
After Shen Pei and Xin Ping, who were left behind, finished their official duties, Yuan Tan personally escorted them out to the front door of the Prefectural Shepherd's Mansion.
Xin Ping narrowed his eyes and said to Shen Pei: "Brother Zhengnan, please invite me first."
"In that case, I won't be polite and go ahead."
Yuan Tan quickly called for the judge's carriage, cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Zhengnan, please go."
After the judge returned the gift, he got on the carriage. Xin Ping said thoughtfully: "Eldest Master, this time my lord asked you to stay in Yecheng and assist me and Shenpei in handling government affairs. This is a test for you."
Yuan Tan understood and said, "Sir, what you said is that you just don't know what kind of achievements you should make to show your father."
Xin Ping stroked his beard and smiled, "No fault is merit. As long as you do your best as a son, the lord will naturally treat you differently. For example, be filial to your parents, respect the wise elders, and pay more regards to your wife."
Jia Xu also suggested that Cao Pi do this because Cao Pi's younger brothers were too good and he could only do this. The same was true when Li Jiancheng faced Emperor Taizong Li Shimin.
Yuan Tan heard that there was nothing in the front, but later he said angrily: "Greetings to that woman? You can't do it! She is not my mother, and she often slanders me from my father."
"My eldest son, don't you know the allusion of Confucius Min Sun's 'Lu Yi Shun Mu'?"
Yuan Tan became even more angry after hearing this, "Sir, you want me to learn from Min Sun? I asked myself that I can't do it. That woman is nothing to Yuan Xi's son. I am the eldest son of the Yuan family! I am the young master of the Yuan family!"
"It's hateful. My father favors Yuan Shang and values Yuan Xi's son, but he always ignores what I do!" Yuan Tan said hoarsely. He has always lived in the shadow of Yuan Xi's brother.
Xin Ping wanted to persuade him again, but at this time, there were shouts of killing and the light of fire coming from far away. The two were shocked and didn't know what was happening.
There was a sound of horse-drawn carriages kicking, and the assigned horse-drawn carriage turned back to the Prefectural Shepherd's Mansion. He also had a look of horror on his face, "Some soldiers have made a rebellion and were discovered by General Yan Liang. They are fighting now. The rebels are coming here. Go quickly and take your wife and third son to the camp in the north of the city."
Yuan Tan was greatly frightened and looked at Xin Ping at a loss.
"Immediately send someone to take all the officials and family members of Ye City to the camp in the north of the city!" Xin Ping knew the danger, so he ordered.
The judge agreed and asked Xin Ping to handle it. But the shouts of death are getting closer and closer. By the time Mrs. Liu, Yuan Shang and others were taken out of the gate, a group of several hundred soldiers had already surrounded the governor's house.
"Capture Yuan Shao's little boy alive!" "Anyone captured alive will be rewarded with a hundred gold coins!" the rebels shouted loudly, causing Mrs. Liu and brothers Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang to be frightened.
More than 300 guards from the Prefectural Mufu Mansion immediately rushed out to protect the carriages and horses to resist the increasing number of rebels.
Mrs. Liu got on the carriage, and Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan also rode in front, but the rebels gradually caught up, and the guards either got separated or fought to the death, and the number of more than 300 people turned into a dozen.
Yuan Tan was frightened and angry, but rebels appeared everywhere, so they had to take a detour to the north in Yecheng.
In the end, the dozens of guards turned into more than a dozen. However, the rebel army rushed up crazily for the reward. Just as Mrs. Liu was panicking and Yuan Tan was lamenting, the sound of horse hooves sounded from behind the rebel army. More than two hundred horsemen rushed towards Yuan Tan and others, and ignored the resistance of the rebel army, trampling to death and injuring many rebel soldiers.
Yuan Tan felt like he was coming back from the dead frequently, and lamented that the reinforcements came in time.
When more than two hundred horsemen approached, Shen Pei, Mrs. Liu and Yuan Tan realized something was wrong. Those men's armors and uniforms were not the style of the Jizhou Army at all.
A middle-aged general with a lean and vigorous figure rode forward, "Are they Mr. Yuan and Yuan Cheqi's wife across from you?"
Yuan Tan didn't understand why, so he forced himself to calm down and replied: "Exactly, I wonder who the general is?"
The vigorous middle-aged general laughed loudly, "You must recognize me, my surname is Zhang and my first name is Yan."
"Black Mountain Zhang Yan!" Yuan Tan was so frightened that he almost fell off his horse.
