Cao Cao's eyesight has always been extraordinary, and he can judge people from the smallest details.
For example, although Zhang Jue had never met him personally, he could tell that he was a general just by looking at Zhang Shun's letters.
It is a necessary condition for any talented general to be able to convince the crowd, have courage, and know how to advance and retreat.
Zhang Jue was able to pacify the bitter cold land of two states, recruit 50,000 troops, and support them without any worries. It can be seen that he is capable of running the army and herdsmen, and he can win the hearts of the people. Otherwise, the small ping camp would have been at war long ago. All around.
In addition, Yelu Chun and Xiao Qian were both powerful Khitan ministers. A hero like Guo Yaoshi was afraid of Xiao Qian like a tiger, but Zhang Jue blatantly assumed a semi-independent posture, forcing the two of them to do nothing, showing their courage. A spot.
This man had a powerful army and was very courageous. However, when he defeated Zhang Shun in a big way, as soon as he heard the name of Lao Cao and learned about his situation, he immediately and decisively surrendered without any luck or pretense. It can be said that you know how to advance and retreat.
Because of this, Lao Cao did not hesitate to put down his affairs and went to Pingzhou to accept the surrender in person to show his sincerity.
On October 28, Lao Cao was surrounded by five hundred leopard cavalry and arrived in Pingzhou.
Pingzhou had already seen the scouting horse, and galloped back to report. It was a group of soldiers and horses entering the country, with the word "West Wind" written on the flag.
At this time, uncles and nephews Zou Yuan and Zou Run had returned to Luanzhou to help Duan Sanniang lead the army. Only Zhang Shun and Li Ying were left here. When they heard this, they said happily: "It must be my brother who sent someone to bring back the letter."
Zhang Jue said: "In that case, I should welcome you personally."
He then invited Zhang Shun and Li Ying, with only a dozen guards, to go out of Guo for five miles and wait at the roadside.
When Cao Cao's troops arrived, Zhang Shun saw it and said happily: "Ah, my brother is here in person!"
Zhang Jue was overjoyed. He jumped on his horse and was about to run out. His generals grabbed the bridle and said: "General, there are hundreds of people there. The general is going alone. If he has something unexpected, what should we do? Why don't we mobilize more troops and horses?" Protect yourself."
Zhang Jue's face turned cold, he whipped his general with his backhand, pointed and shouted: "Zhang sincerely surrenders, how can Wu Mengde, the hero of the world, be willing to harm me?"
He threw his whip to the ground and galloped to the front of Cao Cao's army. He dismounted and bowed down by the roadside, saying loudly: "Ignorant young general, he mistakenly violated the tiger's power and knew that he was committing a great crime. Now he is willing to surrender. Camp two states, 50,000 men." Soldiers and horses all return to Wu Jiedu to give orders!"
Cao Cao reined in the reins, jumped off the horse, with a smile on his face, strode forward to help him up: "Hahahahaha, although fifty thousand soldiers and horses are good, they are not as good as a good brother. I have a good brother, like a dragon taking water, like a tiger gaining wings!" Why worry about failure?"
Zhang Jue glanced at it and saw that although this man was short, he had the power of a dragon and tiger in his movements. When he looked at him, he showed his domineering attitude. He secretly admired him in his heart: That's all, this man really has the majesty of a hero!
Hearing him call him a good brother again, I couldn't help but feel warm in my heart. He cupped his fists and said, "My little brother calls himself a hero and has refused to obey others all his life. Now that I see my brother's demeanor, I now know what a hero is!"
Cao Cao took his hand and laughed and said: "Only a hero can recognize a hero. After listening to my virtuous brother's praise, I finally believe that the ancients are sincere and will not deceive me!"
The two laughed.
Zhang Shun and Li Ying also came forward to pay their respects. Cao Cao smiled and supported Zhang Shun, and first praised Zhang Shun: "Brother Zhang Shun entered the city on horseback, and his courage and courage made me a good general in the world. It is a great achievement!"
Zhang Shun was so happy that his face blossomed, and he kept saying: "Whatever contribution I have made, I owe it all to my elder brother Huwei."
Cao Cao took Li Ying's hands again, shook them and said, "I've been separated from senior officials for several years, and now we can finally fight side by side. It's really great!"
Li Ying was moved and couldn't help but feel ashamed: "I just hate that my younger brother is blind. If he had followed my elder brother earlier, how could he have been humiliated in Jizhou?"
Cao Cao shook his head and said with a smile: "Since ancient times, heroes have encountered hardships. A wise brother comes from a wealthy family and endures some hardships. This is not a bad thing."
Qin Ming and Huang Xin were introduced to Zhang Jue, and Zhang Jue invited Lao Cao into the city.
Cao Cao accepted the offer magnanimously and followed Zhang Jue into the city.
Zhang Jue was very excited and introduced local customs along the way.
Lao Cao took a closer look along the way and saw that although most of the residents here had food, they were still full of energy. Their clothes were inevitably shabby, but they were all starched and mended.
What is particularly rare is that these people are not afraid of Zhang Jue. When they saw him coming, they all smiled and saluted. Lao Cao nodded secretly, stroked Zhang Jue's back, and praised: "I read Zhang Shun's letters before, and I know that my wise brother is extraordinary in military skills. Now Seeing the love and affection of the people, I realized that my virtuous brother’s ability as a herdsman is not inferior to that of famous ministers from ancient times.”
Zhang Jue heard the sincerity in his tone and couldn't help but feel moved. He said with emotion: "My brother is too praised, but my little brother has no ability as a herdsman. He only has a little sincerity. Like these common people, the quality of his livelihood depends on the sky and the officials." , God's will has been difficult to ask since ancient times, and only officials can realize it. Why did my younger brother have a bad relationship with Xiao Qian and others? The magistrate he wanted to send was a famous corrupt official. The place where I camped is my hometown. Although my younger brother is not very capable, why? Are you willing to see the elders in your hometown being bullied by corrupt officials?"
Cao Cao nodded repeatedly: "The most valuable thing about the herdsman's way is your sincerity."
While they were talking, they arrived at Zhang Jue's mansion. When they came in, a banquet had already been prepared. Lao Cao talked with him so speculatively that he became a little drunk without knowing it.
Zhang Jue was in high spirits and gradually got carried away. He clenched his fists and clasped his sleeves, and was about to express his heroic spirit when suddenly there was a rush of footsteps.
Everyone looked at it, but it was General Zhang Jue who looked anxious: "General Zhang, gentlemen, something bad has happened! Yuguan was attacked, and hundreds of people were killed. We only discovered it yesterday when we sent food and grass."
Zhang Jue was shocked, his expression changed instantly, he stood up and shouted: "Did the Jin soldiers come in?"
When Qin Ming and others heard this, their expressions changed at the same time.
Yuguan is the easternmost pass of the Great Wall. It was built during the Kaihuang period of the Sui Dynasty. It is adjacent to Yanshan Mountain, close to the Bohai Sea, and controls the Chongqing River. It has an unparalleled momentum -
In the original time and space, during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, general Xu Da was ordered to build Guancheng. After observing the situation, he found that the Yu River was far less swift than in ancient times and the ancient Yuguan no longer controlled the key point. Therefore, he asked to abandon it and use its bricks and stones. Sixty miles east of it, a new pass was built, which became Shanhaiguan, the most powerful pass in the world.
The Chongqing River will be the stone river of later generations.
Zhang Jue established himself in peace and camp in the two states, relying on the Great Wall to the north. If he wanted to come here, he had to pass through Yuguan. Therefore, when he heard that Yuguan was massacred, he immediately believed that the Jin soldiers were entering.
The general looked blank, shook his head and said: "There are no warnings in the counties and towns within the pass. Could it be that the Jin soldiers retreated after killing someone?"
"Absolutely impossible!" Cao Cao shook his head and said resolutely: "My dear brother, the golden man is a tiger and a wolf. If he succeeds, he will march straight in. Is there any reason to withdraw?"
Zhang Jue knew that Lao Cao had a lot of dealings with the Jin people, so he believed in him and wondered: "Not the Jin people? But who are they?"
Zhang Shun suddenly showed a guilty expression and glanced at Lao Cao.
Lao Cao smiled bitterly and said, "Li Jun?"
Zhang Shun nodded: "At the beginning, we agreed to divide the troops. I would attack the four states in Jidong and take Yuguan to resist the Jin soldiers. Brother Li Jun would attack Tanzhou and take Huangyaguan. Could it be that he took Huangyaguan and followed the plan? Along with the Great Wall, you also took Yuguan?"
Cao Cao thought for a moment, shook his head and said: "No, Li Jun has his own strategies for doing things. Unless you tell him that you can't do it, if you haven't told him, he shouldn't act like this."
Zhang Shun whispered: "Then...what if?"
After hearing this, Lao Cao couldn't help but feel a headache. Although Li Jun acted steadily, it was his first time leading troops. He might have succeeded in fighting smoothly, and he might have taken advantage of the situation... but there was no reason to just run away after killing everyone.
He stood up and said: "Random guesses are of no use. Dear brother, I will go with you for a walk. Seeing is believing."
Zhang Jue nodded repeatedly: "Okay! This pass is my northern gate. If you don't take a look for yourself, I won't be at ease. How many people should I bring?"
Cao Cao considered it and said, "I have five hundred fine cavalry. If you have cavalry, just bring them with you."
There were more than 3,000 cavalry under Zhang Jue's command. After hearing this, they brought them with them. The two sides combined about 4,000 troops and headed straight for Yuguan.
Lulong County is more than a hundred miles away from Nayuguan, and we arrived the next day.
The soldiers and horses transporting grain were not willing to do their duty and still stayed in the pass without permission.
When Cao Cao dismounted and entered the pass, the corpses had been piled up by the grain transporters. Cao Cao took a look at them personally and sighed: "Look at this, he has been dead for less than three days. In other words, the grain transporters were dead not long after the murder." People will arrive.”
Then he called the general who was escorting the grain and fodder and asked him about his story in detail. The general told him about it, but there was nothing suspicious about it.
Cao Cao thought for a moment and asked him if he saw anything strange when he came along the road.
The general thought for a moment, then suddenly clapped his legs and said: "That's right! When I came, I saw dozens of large ships in the Chongqing River. I was surprised at that time. These large ships can all enter the sea, but for some reason they sailed in. Once in the river, a big boat like his could not pass through the water gate of Yuguan. The young general replied that he did not know the waterway and fell into this way by mistake, so he turned back."
Cao Cao summoned Zhang Jue: "Needless to say, the murderer must be the group on the boat."
After hearing this, Zhang Shun asked the general about the number and size of the ships.
Zhang Jueqi said: "Occasionally, pirates plunder my place, and there are only one or two ships. Could it be that the navy of Goryeo came to fight against wildfires?"
"No!" Zhang Shun said, looking at Lao Cao: "Brother, according to the style this person said, those ships should come from Jiangnan."
"Jiangnan?" Lao Cao frowned, surprised.
Everyone looked at each other and couldn't figure out why Jiangnan's boat would travel thousands of miles to Yingzhou and kill the generals guarding the pass.
Cao Cao pondered for a moment and said slowly: "This matter is strange and must be investigated. We will follow this water and we may have some clues."
Zhang Jue had no objection, so he left five hundred men to guard the pass. He took the rest of his troops with him and walked along the Yu River. The water meandered back and forth in the mountains. They walked along for dozens of miles, approaching the entrance At the seaport, I suddenly saw more than twenty large ships hidden behind a cliff.
Zhang Jue said angrily: "How brave! The person who killed me still dares to stay here. Isn't he eating the heart of a bear and the courage of a leopard?"
Cao Cao sneered and said: "These people came here specially, and they must have big plans! Zhang Shun, you are an expert in water matters. We will listen to your command today. We are going to manipulate him to see what his intentions are."
Zhang Shun nodded, jumped off his horse, found a mountain and climbed it for a closer look. He came down and said with a smile: "Brother, we are all cavalry. If he rushes up rashly, he will see the strength of our army and sail away. What can I do to him? Therefore, my humble opinion is to find a narrow place and build a dam to block the water. When the tide goes out, he will be stranded and he can be captured in one fell swoop."
Lao Cao said happily: "It's really a great idea! Let's follow this!"
Zhang Shun took a look around and decided on a place five or six miles upstream. More than 3,000 cavalrymen dismounted, cut down trees and moved rocks, and threw them all into the water. Sure enough, the water gradually slowed down. As the dam was built higher, the water level downstream gradually slowed down. It went down.
Zhang Shun calculated the time and said with a smile: "Chengye, if we go down now, he will be stranded."
Sure enough, when we returned to the original place, we saw that the sea water had just receded, and there was no water coming upstream. All the big ships were stranded.
It was getting late at this time, and lanterns were lit on the boats, which were brightly lit.
Cao Cao was waiting in the dark, and saw many people running on the deck and shouting: "Why is the water flow here so weird? It was fine the past few days, so why did it suddenly stop flowing today?"
Zhang Shun looked at the position of the moon and whispered: "The water upstream cannot hold him back for long. I will wait at least half an hour to seize his boat, otherwise the water will rush in and sink my house."
Lao Cao laughed ferociously and said: "One hour is more than enough! If I hadn't brought a rocket, a stick of incense would have turned him into ashes."
Then he ordered the troops to disperse, step on the knee-deep river water, and use the cover of darkness to surround and kill them.
Although it is close to the entrance to the sea, there is a screen like a cliff blocking the sea. The boat has to go around this cliff before entering the sea.
Therefore, the mooring place is like a natural bathtub, with dark mountains and forests on several sides. If there are no waves and no wind in normal times, it is a rare and beautiful place, but now it has become a place full of murderous intent.
You must know that high mountains and dense forests absorb the most light. At this moment, the moon has not reached the zenith, and the light cannot shine in. The lights on the boat cannot reach far. Lao Cao and others have been hiding within three feet, and only then were they noticed: "Ah! ,who!"
Cao Cao roared: "Kill!"
All the troops shouted in unison and fought hard to kill the generals.
Those in the front row were all leopard knight warriors. They had trained hard in Liangshan for several years. Even though they were still at the lowest level, they were still elites. At this moment, they all used short instruments, either along the rope, or on their shoulders and hands. In an instant, He quickly got on the deck and killed them.
Among these ships, there was one ship that was particularly huge. Zhang Shun pointed at it and said: "This ship must be the flagship. Brothers, help me catch the thief chieftain!"
After saying that, he straightened his body, dug his fingers into the ship's plank, and climbed up like a gecko. Several screams were heard on the deck, and several cables were immediately thrown down. Zhang Jue, Qin Ming, Li Ying, and Huang Xin rushed to grab them first. Suddenly the sound of killing became more intense.
Lao Cao also grabbed a rope, climbed up one by one, climbed onto the deck, and pulled out the dragon knife. He saw Zhang Shun and five people standing side by side, each holding a short weapon and going forward to kill them. Blood was flowing on the deck, and sailors were everywhere. The corpse was so greasy that it was hard to stand.
At this time, someone in the cabin shouted: "Who are you? What kind of hatred do you have? There is no room for it!"
Zhang Jue yelled: "If you dare to come to my camp to kill people, I won't be able to kill you!"
The man shouted: "It turns out to be Liao Gou. In that case, I'll fight with you!"
The cabin door of the talking room suddenly opened wide, and dozens of men came out fiercely. The leader was a strong man in his thirties, wielding a steel fork, and shouted: "Grandpa is the 'Dongting Jiao' Zhongxiang, Liao Dog, come and fight I will fight!"
Qin Ming was the first to bear the brunt and slashed with his sword. The man danced his fork to greet him. Qin Ming fought with him for a few times. This man was very skilled at fork-handling, and his steel fork seemed to come alive. He killed Qin Ming as he stepped back step by step, roaring angrily. Said: "If I have a mace in my hand, I will kill you with one blow!"
Huang Xin saw this and hurriedly helped. Master and apprentice joined forces to block this person.
Zhang Shun and others killed more than ten sailors and were about to besiege him. Suddenly, a man in his twenties rushed out of the cabin and shouted: "Wuna Liao dog, can you recognize Wang Zongshi, the 'Reciting Sutra Bodhisattva'!" The iron rod will come up headlessly.
Cao Cao first heard the name of Zhong Xiang, but he didn't remember who it was for a while. Then he heard the name of Wang Zongshi, and suddenly remembered the origin, and secretly said in surprise: Ah! How did the Mingjiao people come to the North?
There are different religions: Blood stains the Dongting and turns into sunset, corpses lie across Yanshan Mountain and crows are crows. Where is the Dragon City treasure house now? But he returned to Yuguan and returned to the Wu family!
(End of chapter)
