Xuzhou.
Xiapi.
Xiapi City, which had just experienced the baptism of war, was no longer the tranquility and comfort it once had, but was full of trauma and vicissitudes of life.
The bluestone bricks on the city wall have been cracked by the war, the originally tall and solid city gate was smashed to pieces by the car, and many houses in the city were also damaged.
Entering the city, what you see and hear is full of traces of war.
The messy streets were filled with rubble and rubble, shop windows were broken, stalls were overturned, and most of the houses on both sides of the street had been devoured by flames, leaving only ruins.
Bodies and bloodstains were everywhere on the streets, and the cries and calls for help were heartbreaking.
The laughter of children no longer, and the chatter and laughter of the elders also disappeared, replaced by whines and silence.
The fields outside the city also suffered serious damage. The farmland was flattened, the crops were burned, and it was a mess.
The hoofbeats of war horses once galloped across this land, but now only ashes and desolation remain.
From the brutality inside and outside Xiapi City, we can know how intense the war was not long ago.
But the winner is Zang Ba after all!
In Xiapi City, in the blood-stained government office lobby, he could finally put down his bloody ring-shou knife.
Sitting slumped on the main seat, Zang Ba's weathered face was laughing.
"Hahaha~"
After this battle, he finally secured Xuzhou.
certainly
It's just a temporary defense. If you want to truly become the king and break the earth, this battle is far from enough.
This battle has been prepared for many days. Zang Ba pretended to divide his troops to recapture Langya County and Donghai County in order to attract Yili to attack. Unexpectedly, Yili was really fooled and entered the city. Then, he ambushed him. After a bloody battle, Yili was defeated. He left, his troops were reduced to ten, and now there is no one who can replace him in Xuzhou.
Although Wei Jun also wants to enter Xuzhou, Wei Jun is an outsider after all, and Xuzhou can only be ruled by Xuzhou people, and the people will feel at ease.
At the very least, no matter how vicious the people of Xuzhou are, they will not massacre their own people.
And Wei Jun will!
That's the difference.
"Report~"
An old man with a brocade robe tied up came forward. He first saluted Zang Ba, and then said: "My lord, I caught a big fish. This person is Jiang Gan, the envoy of the King of Wei!"
The envoy of King Wei?
Zang Ba's eyes lit up and he sat upright.
His eyes moved to the old man who was tied up.
At this moment, Jiang Qian was tied up, and his former grace had disappeared. His figure was slightly stooped, and wrinkles were deeply carved on his forehead and corners of his eyes. His hair was gray and sparsely scattered on his head, and its old color highlighted the vicissitudes of time.
Even though he looked embarrassed, Zang Ba still recognized him.
"It's really Jiang Gan!"
Zang Ba stood up with the knife in hand, walked up to Jiang Gan, looked at it carefully, and then laughed up to the sky.
"Hahaha~"
Jiang Qian's robe was already shabby, with the corners torn, revealing some tattered fabric. His wrists were tied tightly together with ropes, preventing him from extending freely. Despite this, his back remained straight and showed no sign of weakness.
"Thieves, kill them if you want, why do you need to say more?"
Originally, Yili did not dare to come and capture Pi, but Jiang Gan kept persuading him. Finally, Yili made up his mind and came to capture Pi.
If you don't want to attack, you will fall into Zang Ba's plan.
"Why should I kill Mr. Jiang? You have done great service for me. Without you, how would I have achieved this victory today?"
"you!"
Jiang Gan glared angrily, his chest heaved violently, his eyes turned white, and he almost fainted before he could catch his breath.
"Then Yi Li is used to being cautious. If he dares to attack the city, you must be instigating him, right?"
Jiang Gan tilted his head, not wanting to say another word to Zang Ba.
"Untie Mr. Jiang! Mr. Jiang is a famous scholar. He is famous for his talent and eloquence. He stands alone between the Jiang and Huai Rivers. Don't fight against him. How can such a famous person be tied up in such a big way? Isn't this an insult to him?"
The general was stunned for a moment and immediately said: "Untie, untie quickly!"
The rope was taken off, but Jiang Gan looked at Zang Ba coldly and said in a cold voice: "Does this traitor want me to submit to you? Humph! I, Jiang Gan, will not serve as the second master. If you really respect me, , just give me death!"
Originally, he wanted to help King Wei take back Xuzhou and wash away the shame of many years ago. Unexpectedly, the shame was not washed away, and another layer of shame was added to it.
I don’t have the face to meet the king!
It's better to just die and forget it!
"Mr. Jiang is a famous scholar, how can I want to kill you? However, Mr. Jiang just said something wrong."
Seeing that Jiang Qian had his eyes closed, Zang Ba smiled and said softly: "I am not a traitor, but a loyal minister! It was only after being instigated and deceived by Yi Li and Wu Dun that I turned against Wei. Now these two people We are all defeated, so I want to wash away my grievances and return to King Wei's tent."
Um?
Jiang Gan was stunned.
He opened his old eyes, stared at Zang Ba with a smile on his face, and asked, "What are you planning again?"
Zang Ba sighed and said, "I am loyal and loyal. Doesn't Mr. Jiang not know that?"
loyalty?
I know the heart of a wolf and the lungs of a dog.
Seeing that Jiang Gan didn't speak, Zang Ba also made it clear.
"Now Xuzhou is in my hands. When the Wei army comes, can they really defeat us? Even if they defeat us, can they really take Xuzhou back? Not to mention that Sun Quan of Jiangdong is watching from the side, but the crown prince of Hanzhong has more ambitions than me. , What’s more, I am not Wei’s great enemy.”
Yes.
Zang Ba planned to show his enemy weakness first.
After he led tens of thousands of people to search in Feishui, his number of cronies decreased a lot.
There are many people in Xuzhou who disobey him.
His ability to gather a large army now was entirely supported by the savings from the previous business alliance.
However, now that the war is not going on, and he and Wei are at loggerheads, the benefits of the business alliance are no longer in his hands.
Without money and silk to buy people's hearts, those people will not obey him.
Even if he is obedient on the surface, he will not sacrifice his life for him.
He has to spend time to truly conquer these people.
To conquer them with money and silk alone, you can only get the superficial support of these people. Only by fighting with each other and letting them know how brave I am, Zang Ba, can we truly conquer these people.
That's why
He needs time.
And if the Wei army comes, he will definitely suffer losses from both sides, and may even lose his life.
When he saw Jiang Qian this time, he wanted to surrender.
"I would like to submit a list of people in Xuzhou to welcome the king's troops, and ask the king of Wei to appoint me as the governor of Xuzhou and the commander-in-chief of Xuzhou's military affairs."
In fact, Zang Ba wanted to add someone from Qingzhou, but considering the temperament of King Cao Pi of Wei, he might not even be appointed governor of Xuzhou, let alone Qingzhou.
Of course Jiang Gan could see that Zang Ba was not sincerely surrendering, but just wanted to provide time for himself.
but.
The current Wei State also needs time!
Why did he urge Yili to attack Xiapi?
It's not Shouchun who's urging me, but there's nothing he can do!
It can be seen that the king is very anxious. Since Xuzhou cannot be recaptured with weapons in a short period of time, it seems that it is not impossible to return Xuzhou to its original state.
Although I didn’t get the money, I at least got the face, right?
Zang Ba saw Jiang Qian's thoughtful look on his face and hurriedly continued: "With this achievement, Jiang Gong's trip is not a failure. We can even discuss the conditions. As long as it is not excessive, I agree to it." .”
Seeing that Jiang Qian still didn't speak, Zang Ba's voice became colder at this moment.
"If Sir agrees, I will immediately reward you with a thousand gold coins, send Mei Ji and ten people to serve Duke Jiang, and immediately send Sir to Shouchun. If Sir does not agree, then I, Zang Ba, will only be a minister who rebels against the Wei Dynasty. Which one is more important, which one is more important?" Let Mr. Jiang decide whether it is right or wrong!"
Zang Ba's words already contained a hint of threat.
Jiang Gan gritted his teeth and said, "I may be able to convey your message to the king's ears, but I am not sure whether this will happen."
"As long as Mr. Jiang does it, it will be a great favor to me, Zang Ba. The reward of a thousand gold coins will not be small. If this can be done, you will be my Zang Ba's great benefactor. In the future, I, Zang Ba, will be your great benefactor." Ba will not refuse!"
"That's fine."
This move seems to be a win-win-win choice for Zang Ba, himself, and Wei.
Everyone has selfish motives, and Jiang Qian is no exception.
Dying outside is still a meaningless death that cannot bring any benefit to his family. It is not worth it to die like this.
"I will go meet the general and explain this matter."
Cao Ren led his troops and arrived at Pengcheng.
"With Mr. Jiang's words, the matter will be stable."
Bang bang~
Jiang Gan clapped his hands, and someone immediately came up carrying three boxes.
They are all things that have just been searched from the treasury.
Zang Ba asked people to open all the boxes.
One box was filled with glass objects, another box was filled with beautiful porcelain, and the last box was filled with gold and silver.
The contents of these three boxes cannot be measured in terms of thousands of gold. They can even be described in terms of ten thousand gold.
"These things are all thank you gifts."
Jiang Gan shook his head.
"No reward for no merit."
"It's not entirely for Mr. Jiang. I'm going to Shouchun to take care of things along the way. I also need some money and silk. These three boxes are really not enough as a gift."
Jiang Gan knew that Zang Ba was bribing him.
"This is absolutely unacceptable."
"If you don't accept it, then I will kill myself here."
With that said, Zang Ba raised his sword and made a suicidal gesture.
"Your Majesty, you must not do this!"
Jiang Gan looked righteous and solemn, and said: "To save the general's life, I have to reluctantly accept these yellow and white things. General, don't worry, I will do my best when I leave."
After seeing Jiang Gan put away the things, Zang Ba finally felt relieved.
After the war in Xuzhou has stopped, we can do the rest.
Guangling County.
The Crown Prince of Hanzhong.
Zang Ba's eyes flickered.
He borrowed three thousand soldiers from the Crown Prince of Hanzhong. If Guangling County is really cut off, he will be heartbroken!
But if Guangling County is not ceded, won’t Zang Ba become a man who breaks his word?
Am I a Jiangdong rat?
so!
King Wei, go and beat him!
If you can pin down Liu Gongsi, the crown prince of Hanzhong, and beat him so that his vitality is seriously injured, I will have the confidence not to give it to Guangling County, but to give him something else.
If not.
How dare I disobey such a powerful Liu Chan?
But not disobedient?
Could it be that Guangling County was really handed over to others?
Temporarily surrendering to the Wei State, Zang Ba didn't have his own little thoughts in his heart.
After bidding farewell to Jiang Gan, another guest was welcomed into Xiapi City after the war.
Compared with Jiang Gan who was tied up with five flowers, this person looked much better.
He is wearing a Confucian robe, which is quite chic. If Liu Chan were here, he would definitely recognize this person.
That can be said to be Liu Chan's old acquaintance: Zhuge Jin.
"I'd like to pay my respects to General Zhendong."
At this moment, Zang Ba has changed his outfit. At least the blood and blood stains on his body have been washed away.
"Sir, what are you doing here?"
Zhuge Jin thought for a moment and said, "I came to save the general."
help me?
Hahaha!
Zang Ba had an unceremonious look of sneer on his face.
"Why didn't your Lord save me when I was in Chengde Wu Camp? Instead, he came to save me when I returned to Xuzhou? How ridiculous!"
Being sprayed at, Zhuge Jin's face showed no signs of color.
I'm really used to it.
When facing Liu Chan, he was sprayed even worse, but he still survived.
"Before was before, now is now. Your Excellency is now attacked by the Wei army, and was defeated by the Wei army at Feishui before. Don't you want to avenge your shame and defend Xuzhou?"
"Zhongmou doesn't have to worry about this."
Zang Ba sneered and waved his hand at Zhuge Jin, as if to shoo away flies.
"Forget about the alliance, who dares to trust your Jiangdong's credibility now? As for the others, I, Zang Ba, have already made an idea. Why do I need to rely on your lord's power? Please return, envoy."
"this"
Zhuge Jin had a bitter look on his face. He originally thought that Xiapi had just gone through a bloody battle, but his coming this time would be more able to convince Zang Ba. Unexpectedly, his strong will made him unable to say a word.
As for the reason, he naturally knew it well.
I can only say that reputation is still useful, but my lord threw it away too quickly.
"My lord's intention is to form an alliance with you. The general will involve the main force of the Wei army in Xuzhou. I will lead the army directly into Shouchun, so that the head and tail cannot be taken care of. How about that?"
hehe.
The sneer on Zang Ba's face became even worse.
To put it nicely, it is an alliance.
To put it bluntly, isn't this treating him like a fool?
I'll attract the main force of the Wei army, and you'll get the benefits of coming later?
Could it be that you, Sun Zhongmou, have taken advantage of all the good things in the world?
Should you be like Sun Zhongmou when you have a son?
If I were born with this thing, why not strangle it to death on the spot?
Unlucky thing!
"Please come back, envoy. It's just a Wei army. Don't worry, your lord."
"I"
Zhuge Jin still wanted to insist on trying to save one or two, but Zang Ba no longer wanted to hear what he had to say. He immediately waved his hand and personal guards came to surround Zhuge Jin.
"Sir, please stop."
The intention of seeing off guests is very obvious.
"In that case, I'll take my leave."
Zhuge Jin bowed to Zang Ba, then turned and left.
The failure of this mission was not a crime of war.
At the very least, it has nothing to do with Zhuge Jin and me.
His record as an envoy was not good in the first place, but now it is even worse.
Hey~
I’m afraid I won’t even be given the task of being an envoy in the future.
Zhuge Jin thought with some pity.
And on the other side.
Lu County.
This is now the place where Yili defeated and retired.
Located between Pengcheng and Xiapi.
Yili, whose morale was depleted and his troops were insufficient, also received a messenger.
This messenger is not Jiang Qian or Zhuge Jin, but someone else:
Zong Ziqing!
He came with Liu Chan's mission.
(End of chapter)
