That night.
The autumn night was starry, and the breeze blew through the mountains and forests with a bit of chill, blowing away large pieces of autumn night flying in the wind.
Xu Sheng's heart was as messy as these flying fallen leaves. The first batch of cavalry was about to arrive, but they didn't know if there were any envoys from the country in these carriages, so they didn't dare to take action easily.
This is a dead move.
If he followed Jingguo's method and divided his 500 troops into eight teams to intercept and kill the envoy's convoy in batches, their combat effectiveness would be greatly weakened, and the result would be death instead of interception.
The cavalry that can be sent out to send envoys are definitely not ordinary soldiers. They are most likely Zhang Xiu's elite soldiers.
"General, the first cavalry is less than fifty miles away from here."
The scouting horse galloping ahead came to report.
Xu Sheng's heart suddenly rose, but he still couldn't make up his mind. Should he take action?
If not, all their efforts will be wasted. If they don't take action, what if there is one in the first batch?
After thinking about it, Xu Sheng became irritable and stared at the official road ahead. The official road below was opened from Chang'an to Wancheng. The official road was wide and flat, making walking very convenient.
"Report! General, the cavalry is less than thirty miles away from here!" Tan Ma continued to report.
Xu Sheng's eyes flashed and he ordered crisply: "Get ready to take action!"
"Here!"
The soldiers lowered their voices, but they were still murderous.
Xu Sheng made up his mind and would rather kill by mistake than let go. If the envoy from Jingguo succeeded in his mission, the threat to Chu would be too great.
Soon after, the sound of horse hooves could be heard on the official road, and the wooden carriage wheels made a creaking sound on the road.
high speed.
Xu Sheng's eyes were like knives staring at the fast-moving carriage. As the carriage was about to enter the ambush circle, he slowly raised his right hand. The soldiers immediately drew their bows and arrows, aiming at the moving carriage below.
The carriage drove into an ambush circle.
Just when Xu Sheng was about to wave his hand and give an order, his eyes suddenly froze, he looked carefully, he was overjoyed, and he immediately retracted the order. The soldiers relaxed in confusion.
The guard was puzzled: "General, we have entered the ambush circle, why should we let him go?"
Xu Sheng smiled and said, "I almost fell into their trap. Did you notice anything unusual about the carriage just now?"
The guard thought for a while and shook his head: "Aside from being fast, there is nothing unusual about it."
Xu Sheng laughed confidently: "It's the speed that's the problem. Usually carriages pull people, especially Jingguo's carriages, which are large, wide and heavy. Plus the weight of people, how can they walk so fast? I'm sure that There was no one in the carriage."
The guards suddenly understood and looked at Xu Sheng with even more awe.
As Xu Sheng expected, the two carriages were empty, but what he didn't expect was that these eight carriages were all empty. The purpose of these carriages was to attract Xu Sheng's full attention, so that they could be honest and open. way to leave.
Caravan.
Back then, Lu Meng crossed the river in white clothes and deceived Guan Yu's eyes. Now, Qin Mi crosses the river in white clothes and deceives Xu Sheng's eyes.
While Xu Sheng was waiting for the fourth cavalry, Qin Mi and Bu Zhi were already standing on the boat at Fancheng Ferry, boarded the Cai family's merchant ship and left the ferry.
The two sat across from each other and drank.
Bu Zhao raised his wine and said with a smile: "Zi Chi! Your plan is similar to that of when Han Xin built a plank road in secret and secretly attacked Chen Cang."
Qin Mi hurriedly raised his glass and said humbly: "How dare you compare to the wisdom of the ancients, but it is still of some use against military generals."
"Hahaha, Zi Chi is so humble." Bu Zhi laughed.
At this time, Cai Ji walked in from the port of the boat, with a smile on his face: "Two adults, I say hello."
They were able to get on the ship smoothly because of Cai's full help. Bu Zhi and Qin Mi did not put on airs and got up to invite him to have a drink.
How could Cai Ji dare to sit at the same table with them? With a smile on his face, he said: "The adults have offended the villains. Just tell me when I come here that we have left the land of Xiangyang. Sir, you can rest assured."
"Okay," Qin Mi said, "Thank you very much!"
Cai Ji didn't dare to stay any longer and retreated.
…
Outside Wuguan.
Xu Sheng frowned. Tonight was the arrival of the fifth batch of carriages, but he felt anxious and uneasy in his heart.
Four batches of carriages have passed ahead, all of them empty, but twenty days have passed. If we had taken another route, we might have reached Nanyang.
The more I think about it, the more it feels wrong.
"Is there some conspiracy in this?" Xu Sheng thought hard, but he didn't understand how they could pass under his nose?
What is certain is that there is only one road from Chang'an to Nanyang, and it will be further away.
"General, the next batch of carriages is less than fifty miles away from here." The guard came to report.
Xu Sheng nodded and asked casually: "These days, are there large groups of carriages passing through here during the day?"
The guard thought for a while and said: "No, a caravan and carriage passed here more than ten days ago, and there are no others."
"Caravan?" Xu Sheng's eyes suddenly trembled.
"Yes, Cai's caravan." The guard said.
"It's a plan to build a plank road secretly to seize Chen Cang, and I fell into the trap." Xu Sheng woke up with a start and was so angry that he couldn't sit still.
"Fell into a trap?" The guard didn't understand what happened at all.
Xu Sheng said angrily: "The envoys of Jingguo have already gone south in Cai's caravan, but we are still waiting here."
"Ah? What should we do?" The guard was shocked.
Xu Sheng said decisively: "Quickly set off, go south to intercept, and then send the troops back to Xiangyang to report to the king. Since Jingshi dared to blatantly take Cai's carriage south, he must also take Cai's carriage to the east, and he can intercept it at Jiangxia Ferry. .”
"Here!"
The guards hurried out to prepare.
…
Inside Xiangyang City.
After learning that Envoy Jing had sailed east on Cai's merchant ship, Liu Bei was furious: "Cai and the others are so brave, they dare to secretly liaise with Jingguo and protect Envoy Jing in Gu's territory!"
Since Liu Bei occupied Jingzhou, he has implemented benevolent governance and let bygones be bygones. He also turned a blind eye to the four major families in Jingzhou.
I didn't expect that Cai would dare to go so far and take advantage of the convenience of merchant ships to send Jingshi to Soochow. This is a hateful thing and must not be tolerated lightly.
Kuai Yue said: "Please calm down, Your Majesty. This matter is just General Xu's speculation and there is no evidence. The Cai family is a big family in Jingzhou and has far-reaching influence. If there is a change in the Cai family, everyone in Jingzhou will be in danger. Please think twice, Your Majesty." "
Hearing Kuai Yue's words, Liu Bei's anger intensified. Liu Biao was unable to let go of things because he was implicated by the nobles. Now when it comes to him, these nobles still want to unite and fight against him. He is not Liu Biao.
But this matter cannot be rushed. If it is not handled correctly, it may cause civil strife in Jingzhou. It must be done step by step. Fortunately, Liu Biao already had the foundation.
Taking a deep breath, Liu Bei said slowly: "In that case, I'll leave this matter to you to investigate. If Ambassador Jing is really on board, don't blame me for being disrespectful."
"Here!"
Kuai Yue bowed his waist, feeling a little afraid of Liu Bei in his heart.
