On the same day, after the luncheon, Zhang Xianzhong, Xu Yixian and Zhang Dingguo, as well as the twenty personal guards, were all left in Yushan Village by King Chuang.
However, Pan Duao, because King Chuang did not express his intention to let him stay, so he followed Ji Gui and returned to Cao's camp to rest temporarily.
Cao Cao and Luo Rucai were also shocked by how he dealt with King Chuang. He had a premonition that Zhang Xianzhong would be in trouble. He couldn't help but deeply regretted his dealings with Meng Lang and being deceived by Li Zicheng and Song Xiance. How could he be worthy of Zhang Xianzhong and Zhang Xianzhong? Soldiers from Xiying.
On the other side, Zhang Xianzhong, although he knew that he had fallen into Li Zicheng's hands, could not break it with words, and still tried his best to maintain a semblance of harmony on the surface.
After all, judging from the surface, Li Zicheng was very friendly to him and the generals of Xiying, and there was no indication that he had any intention of harming him. However, Zhang Xianzhong has been on the edge of a knife for more than ten years, and he has been involved in intrigues all the time. Has he seen a lot, even he himself doesn’t know how many he has done?
Therefore, he knew that the more dangerous the situation was, the more cautious he had to be. He had to pretend not to know what was going on, deal with it calmly, wait for the opportunity, and then slowly find a way to turn disaster into good luck.
What he is most worried about now is whether Cao Cao will change his mind. He always insists that as long as Cao Cao does not betray his friends, he will definitely find ways to save him and leave.
As for Li Zicheng, if he cannot reach an agreement with Luo Rucai, then he will never rashly kill him!
On this side, King Chuang knew that Zhang Xianzhong and others were not as good at enjoying themselves as he was, so he ordered his old camp manager to prepare very comfortable military tents for Zhang Xianzhong and others. Zhang Dingguo and the twenty The soldiers guarded the adjacent military tents on the left and right.
After sending Ji Gui and Pan Du'ao away, King Chuang ordered Li Shuangxi to lead Xu Yixian to the military adviser Song Xiance's tent to rest. He talked with Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai and others for a while.
Then he took Zhang Xianzhong's hand and, accompanied by Luo Rucai and Song Xiance, personally sent Zhang Xianzhong to the military tent to rest.
Zhang Xianzhong saw that although the furnishings in the tent were not luxurious, they were still clean and tidy. He couldn't help but smile and said: "Brother Li, if I had known you were so comfortable here, I, Old Zhang, should have brought any of those aunts here." .
For more than half a month, Ding Qirui, Zuo Liangyu and a bunch of bastards have been pestering me, making it impossible for me to sleep peacefully for a day. Now that I am here with you, I can sleep peacefully and happily! "
Li Zicheng also said: "You go to sleep and have a good rest. I have sent people to pick up Guibao's family and all the soldiers in Xiying. We will pick them up before dusk today."
He turned back to Zhang Dingguo and said, "Ning Yu, you and the brothers should go and have a rest. If you sleep until dinner, Shuangxi will come and wake you up."
After Li Zicheng and others left, Zhang Dingguo had a premonition that the matter was serious. He refused to leave Zhang Xianzhong's military tent and did not allow his soldiers to sleep.
Zhang Xianzhong naturally understood what he meant and whispered to him: "Dingguo, don't worry, go and have a rest. The soldiers don't have to be on duty here, let alone guard outside the tent."
Zhang Dingguo replied with a very concerned tone: "Commander Father, I think something is not right. Thirty-six strategies, it is best to leave. After a while, when the sky is getting dark, Dingguo rushes out of a bloody road, Commander Father mounts his horse and leaves. !”
Zhang Xianzhong cursed softly: "Nonsense! At this point, let alone riding a horse, you can't escape from this village, even with wings, you can't fly out! Although the chess situation is dangerous, I know it well. At this point, the game is still a living game, not a dead one. Chess. Go and have a rest with your brothers, it’s all right!”
After sending Zhang Dingguo out, Zhang Xianzhong lay down with his clothes on and put the sword in his hand, but he could not fall asleep for a long time. But then he was too tired and started snoring.
…………
The troops of Yang Wenyue, the governor of Baoding in the Ming Dynasty, and Fu Zonglong, the governor of the three sides, were close to the territory of Xincai. On the other hand, the governor Ding Qirui and Zuo Liangyu's army Chen Bing were in the north of Xinyang, echoing Fu Zonglong and Yang Wenyue from a distance.
In order to deal with this situation, after discussion, it was decided to send Li Guo to lead a group of troops to set off immediately, which naturally included a group of Cao Ying's troops, preparing to contain the officers and troops of Yang Wenyue and Fu Zonglong in Xincai, and wait for an opportunity to defeat them.
After the military meeting, Liu Zongmin, the general sentry of the camp, asked: "Jingxuan and the troops from the Xiying camp are traveling together?"
Li Zicheng said: "This matter will be decided tomorrow."
Cao Cao and Luo Rucai were shocked when they heard this, but at the same time, they also heard that King Chuang had not yet made a final decision on how to deal with Zhang Xianzhong.
He spoke at the right time and said to Li Zicheng: "Brother Li sent someone to pick up Jingxuan's family in the afternoon and asked the soldiers of Xiying to come with them. I also sent someone to accompany them to show King Chuang's care and kindness.
However, the officers and soldiers of the Western Camp were afraid that something unexpected happened and they did not see Jingxuan return with them. They were afraid that they might be suspicious and fearful, so they might not come immediately as ordered. Now that the war was about to begin, if some traitors took the opportunity to incite and cause trouble, thus shaking the morale of the army.
In my brother's opinion, I have nothing to do here, so I can return to the camp for the time being. On the one hand, I can prepare 5,000 elite horse and infantry troops to accompany them to make up for the fourth watch, and on the other hand, I can re-pass the command of the generalissimo.
It is only said that the Generalissimo has been tired for days because he has been caring about the soldiers of the Western Camp. If he is not in a hurry to move the camp today, he can still keep them waiting at the original station. As for Jingxuan Bao's family, if they don't want to come today, it doesn't matter if they come again tomorrow. There is no need to force them. This will eliminate the doubts of the Xiying soldiers!
As for whether to keep Jingxuan in Brother Li's residence, and how to arrange it so that Brother Li can achieve great things, you can wait until I come back tonight to give you my first opinion, and ask Brother Li to make a decision. "
Liu Zongmin asked in a broken voice: "Why don't you tell me your opinion right now? Wouldn't it be better?"
Luo Rucai said with a smile: "We are not afraid that Jingxuan will leave without saying goodbye, so why are we in such a hurry? You have to ask me to think more carefully, Jixuan!"
Everyone laughed, and then everyone sent Luo Rucai out of the tent and watched him gallop away on horseback.
Because Li Guo wanted to lead his army at night, he rushed back to his base to take care of matters.
Because Li Zicheng was still unsure about Zhang Xianzhong, he took the opportunity to see Li Yan off and said to him: "Lin Quan, we were discussing the matter of Jingxuan this morning, but you have never said anything.
Later I asked you what your decision was. You said you were thinking about it. Today is almost over, but have you made up your mind yet? "
Li Yan stopped when he heard the sound, thought for a moment, and then replied: "Generalissimo, I remembered a story about Cao Cao, which is worth thinking about for the Generalissimo!"
Li Zicheng couldn't help but be confused, and asked: "Rucai? What's his story?"
Li Yan smiled in his heart, but on the surface he remained calm. He said seriously: "Generalissimo, I am not talking about the general, but the real Cao Cao from the Three Kingdoms."
He went on to say: "At first, when Lu Bu attacked Tapi, Liu Bei went to surrender to Cao Cao. Cao Cao's people tried to persuade him to kill Liu Bei, saying that Liu Bei was a hero and won the hearts of the people. After all, he would not be inferior to others for a long time, so it was better to do it as soon as possible. Clean him up to avoid any further trouble.
Cao Cao couldn't make up his mind for a while, so he asked his counselor Guo Jia for his opinion. Guo Jia replied: "My lord raised an army to eliminate violence for the people; he promoted honesty and trustworthiness, and recruited talented people. Are you afraid that the talented people in the world will not come to you?"
Now Liu Bei has a reputation as a hero, but after being defeated and surrendering, he killed him, and gained the reputation of harming the virtuous. As a result, all wise people will have doubts and leave the lord. Who will the lord join with to bring peace to the world in the future?
Killing one person to get rid of future troubles will only damage the hope of the world. This is a matter of safety and security, so you must think twice before doing it. '
After hearing this, Cao Cao smiled and said to him, 'You are right! '.
Immediately, not only did he add more men and horses to Liu Bei, but also gave him food. He also asked him to go east to the Peixian area to collect scattered troops to contain Lu Bu. "
Li Zicheng fell into deep thought after hearing this. After a moment, he suddenly took Li Yan's hand and said to him with a smile: "Lin Quan, you are really my good teacher and helpful friend. You are the wise star sent by God to help me! After your discussion In ancient times, I can see the chess moves more clearly."
Li Yan smiled knowingly and said: "Perhaps the general has other wise ideas, and the generalissimo cannot ignore them."
Li Zicheng smiled and said: "If he has a wise opinion, I will also listen to him."
Both Li Zicheng and Li Yan had a tacit understanding of how to maintain their relationship with Luo Rucai.
…………
After Li Yan mounted his horse and left, Li Zicheng walked directly to where Zhang Xianzhong's military tent was. He heard Zhang Xianzhong's thunderous snoring from a distance, and immediately stopped and smiled knowingly, turned around and headed towards He left his military tent.
After the dinner, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong chatted in the tent, accompanied by Liu Zongmin, Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance, Xu Yixian and others.
Xu Yixian was placed in Song Xiance's tent to rest after lunch. He never had a chance to discuss an escape plan with Zhang Xianzhong. Although he looked calm on the outside, he was extremely anxious in his heart.
Although he sat down with Zhang Xianzhong again at the dinner, he had no chance to talk alone. Now he could only try his best to show his courtesy to Song Xiance beside him.
While King Chuang, Zhang Xianzhong and Liu Zongmin were talking about the old events of conquering Fengyang and burning the imperial mausoleum, and there was a cheerful atmosphere in the tent, he asked Song Xiance in a low voice: "Song Military Advisor, since you are willing to stay under the command of King Chuang. , should he also be called a general like Commander Cao?"
How could Song Xiance not understand the meaning of testing Zhang Xianzhong's safety in his words? He smiled and said softly: "Just step in and take it easy. The generalissimo always has a far-sighted approach to his work, so he must make proper arrangements for Jingxuan."
Xu Yixian still didn't seem to feel very relieved. He paused and then said: "Jingshuai came to serve under King Chuang today. If he is favored, he must repay with all his strength. King Chuang also knew that King Chuang's name was a prophecy. , it is destiny that he is willing to assist King Chuang to determine the world."
Song Xiance still had a smile on his face and said: "The commander-in-chief is also a hero of the world, so how can he be willing to live under others for a long time? King Chuang and all the generals knew this.
What's more, among the civil and military generals around Jingshuai, including his subordinates, who doesn't want to support Jingshuai to conquer the world, occupy the upper position, and dominate the world?
Even if you have no intention of respecting the commander, you will not be willing to let the commander live under others for a long time. My brother has read the few poems that Lao Pan wrote in the army, as well as Shi Shi's poems.
How can you be willing to respect your commander and be inferior to others? "
When Xu Yixian heard this, he was shocked. He felt a chill running down his spine, but he had no other choice but to cover it up and said: "That time, this time. Today, the commander-in-chief and his surroundings know their destiny." Where we are, we should comply with the destiny of heaven and obey the people's wishes. This is completely different from what we thought in the past."
"It will be different in the future!" After Song Xiance finished speaking, he laughed.
At this time, Zhang Xianzhong knew that Li Zicheng agreed that his family and the soldiers of Xiying could come here tonight without moving camp. For a while, he couldn't figure out whether Li Zicheng had any intention to harm him.
However, precisely because he was uneasy, he muttered secretly in his heart while talking. Although he sometimes laughed with the crowd, who could understand the pain in his heart?
Now he just wants Luo Ru to come back quickly so that we can plan an escape plan together!
…………
Around the second watch of the day, Luo Rucai just arrived.
He first reported to King Chuang that his subordinate Yang Chengzu, with 2,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry, was ready to join Li Guo before the fourth watch tonight, so that he would not miss the departure date.
After a few people chatted for a while, he whispered to King Chuang, and then got up and accompanied King Chuang Li Zicheng to the back tent.
Xu Yixian persisted and couldn't help but wonder in his heart: Will Cao Cao betray Jing Shuai?
Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai sat across from each other and said, "Old Cao, what do you think about how to arrange Jingxuan?"
Luo Rucai looked into Li Zicheng's eyes and said very cautiously: "Brother Li, I know that Jingxuan did something not very good, and some of your men are eager to get rid of him.
But since he dares to come from afar, he has his own reasons. Firstly, because you are honest and aboveboard in everything you do, and always put the overall situation first, regardless of small details, and do not report personal grudges. Secondly, because I, Cao Cao, am here, I will be able to keep him safe. All right!
I dare to bring him to see you today because, Brother Li, you will put the overall situation first, and for the sake of our kindness, you will not harm him in vain.
Otherwise, I could have secretly helped him with some troops last night and sent him away quickly. Why would I bring him to Yushan to see you, Brother Li? "
Li Zicheng also nodded and said: "I don't know what you said, so just tell me what you see in your heart?"
Luo Rucai then continued: "Nowadays, there are still many officers and soldiers. There are nearly 100,000 officers and soldiers such as Ding Qirui and Zuo Liangyu in Huguang. Together with the garrisons stationed in Yun, Jing, Chengtian and Xiangyang, they are scattered north of the Yangtze River. Two hundred thousand horses.
In the area from Luzhou in the north of the Yangtze River to Qianshan and Taihu Lake, there are two general soldiers, Huang Degong and Liu Liangzuo. Although they are not many, they are very capable of fighting.
I think the best way now is to help Jingxuan with some troops and let him contain the army from the east of Han River to the west of Anhui Province, so that we can focus on raiding the Central Plains.
Although it is said that Jingxuan is the sole leader, he must regard you as the leader, and he must do so under the banner of you, the "Civil and Military Marshal who advocates righteousness for heaven". "
Li Zicheng had long given up on the idea of murdering Zhang Xianzhong. After hearing what Luo Rucai said, he could kill two birds with one stone. He could not only further win over Luo Rucai, but also buy a good one from Zhang Xianzhong, and also spread his reputation further.
Immediately, he said: "This is a good method, it suits my purpose!"
Luo Rucai was overjoyed, but said calmly on his face: "Since the Generalissimo also thinks it is feasible, why not explain it to Jingxuan right away, so as not to create complications and arouse suspicion and fear among the soldiers in the Xiying."
However, Li Zicheng stopped him and said, "Don't worry, you're the only one. I've always regarded Jingxuan as an old friend, and I don't forget any past grudges."
There are still conflicts between teeth and tongue, let alone between friends? For a moment, Ya bit his tongue and it hurt for a while. Afterwards, Ya and Ya became good friends. They ate together and couldn't live without each other.
Jingxuan is like these teeth, and I am like the tongue. Can I hold a grudge against Jingxuan?
You know that I am a cheerful person who does not bear small grudges, so I have failed several times, but still today, even you, Cao Cao, come to work with me. "
Luo Rucai naturally knew the meaning of Li Zicheng's words, and immediately struck a chord while the iron was hot: "Of course I know this advantage of Brother Li best. In fact, Jingxuan also knows it very well, so he dares to join in."
Li Zicheng smiled and continued: "What I am most worried about are the old brothers Jixuan and Yigong. I am afraid that they will not be able to change their minds for a while, and they will never forget Jingxuan's ruthlessness and ruthlessness..."
Luo Rucai suddenly interrupted: "This is too much. In fact, Jingxuan is not this kind of person..."
Li Zicheng stopped him and said to him with a smile: "Is that too much? The 'six-character mantra' that his military advisor Xu Yixian taught him is worse than what I said."
Luo Rucai was shocked, but knowingly asked: "What is the 'Six-Character Mantra'?"
(End of chapter)
