Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 631
The next day, when Wang Kuang learned that all the enemy troops besieging the city had left overnight, he couldn't believe it and hurriedly ran to the top of the city to take a look. Looking from a distance, he found that the outside of the city was empty and the ground was in a mess. Yes, apart from the horse manure and filth, there is not a soul around.

Wang Kuang was overjoyed and passed by. When he looked back and saw the bones on the city head, he couldn't help but wonder. Could it be that Duan Yan really ate the flesh of the siege soldiers and scared them away?
Not long after, Duan Xuan also arrived at the top of the city. Wang Kuang came up to meet him and said with a smile: "The general is really powerful. He feasted on the flesh and blood of the thieves and scared off tens of thousands of troops in one night. It is a good story!"

But contrary to Wang Kuang's expectation, Duan Xuan looked solemn and said: "Things are not that simple."

"When the two thieves Ma and Han raised their troops, they also committed cannibalism on women and children. How could they be scared off now because of this?"

"I guess they just don't want to spend time with us doing things that are more important to them."

After Wang Kuang heard this, he immediately reacted. He looked at the footprints of people and horses outside the city and said, "General, are you saying that they went to Hedong?"

Duan Xuan nodded, "I'm afraid they were just passing through Hanoi on the way when they chased me."

"Now their intention is very obvious. The target is Huaicheng in Hedong, where the Emperor Luanjia is!"

Wang Kuang was shocked, "What should we do?"

Duan Yan said in a deep voice: "I will organize my army to leave the city now and pursue the Ma Han bandit army!"

After hearing this, Wang Kuang worriedly asked: "Is this a tactic used by the enemy to lure them? They have laid an ambush in advance and are waiting to trick the general out of the city?"

Duan Yan sneered: "Of course it's possible, and I'm sure that Ma Chao is waiting for me."

"This time I go out to rescue Huaicheng, I'm afraid it's going to be a disaster."

Wang Kuang was shocked, "Since the general knows, why bother leaving the city?"

"Wouldn't it be better to stay in the city and stay safe?"

Duan Xuan was silent for a while, then slowly said: "Of course I know."

"But I, a member of the Xiliang tribe, have respected the orders of the Han Dynasty and guarded the frontier for hundreds of years. Although the border area is bitterly cold and the Han court has insufficient food and salary, the Central Plains nobles also look down on us and feel that we live together with the Qiang and Hu, and our status is low."

"So there were also many dissatisfied people among them who thought that the Han Dynasty had lost the Liangzhou Army. Therefore, after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, many people became concerned."

"First there were Li Jue and Guo Si, and then there were Ma Teng and Han Sui. Because of their own selfish desires, they aimed their knives at the border people and the Han court that our ancestors had always protected, causing chaos in the world and a loss of lives."

"Over the years, when people all over the world mention our Liangzhou Army, they all harbor resentment and want to kill us."

"Xiliang has a bad reputation, but it shouldn't be like this, so I thought I could do something to clear up the reputation and prevent my ancestors from being shamed."

Wang Kuang's face showed bitterness, "Having said that, the general is the clear stream among them. He lives in the chaos and bandits and keeps himself safe. He is the only one who is pure when he is out of the filth. But..."

Duan Xuan waved his hand, "Thank you for your comfort, Governor, but I have looked away now."

"Only by myself, there is no way to change this world."

"But just because the world is in ruins, I can't do nothing."

"After all, the Han Dynasty is not destroyed, and I am still a minister of the Han Dynasty."

He cupped his hands to Wang Kuangyi and said, "If I leave Anyi this time, I'm afraid I won't be able to see the prefect again. Please say goodbye!"

Wang Kuang stood at the top of the city, watching Duan Xuan leading his troops and horses out of the city, rushing towards Huaicheng, bowing deeply and bowing.

Within Huaicheng, Zhang Yang, the prefect of Hanoi, welcomed a guest.

Chen Gong.

Zhang Yang hurriedly led Chen Gong to his seat and said, "Long time no see, Mr. Gongtai. Why are you here today?"

Chen Gong said: "I'm not worried about something, and I want to ask Uncle Zhi for help."

Zhang Yang hurriedly said: "Thanks to Mr., you think highly of me, but what happened that made Mr. Wen find me instead of looking for Marquis Wen?"

Chen Gong sighed secretly, wasn't it because Lu Bu didn't want to!
He could only say vaguely: "After Marquis Wen left, I remembered something."

"Now Marquis Wen is leading his troops outside to resist Yuan Shu. It's too late for me to let anyone report to him, so I came to see the general."

Zhang Yang was also curious, "What's the matter, sir?"

Chen Gong said: "I suspect that there will be changes in Huaicheng."

He couldn't directly say that Zhang Yan had a problem, after all, he didn't know whether Zhang Yang's men had Zhang Yan's spy, so he went around in circles and said: "I suspect that there is something bad going on in Heishan, east of Huaicheng. "

"I sent people to check, it's too conspicuous, so I want to ask the general to send some capable men to enter through the Black Mountain Pass to investigate the situation inside to see if anyone is plotting to capture the city."

"If you encounter an enemy, don't alert them, and return as soon as possible to report them."

Zhang Yang didn't know what he meant, but he still agreed: "Don't worry, sir, I will allocate manpower and rush to Montenegro immediately!"

"But this part of Montenegro is controlled by Yuan Shang, in case there is a conflict."

Chen Gong shook his head and said: "I have received news that there was a fight in Yecheng. He rushed back. I am afraid there are not many Jizhou soldiers there now."

After Zhang Yang heard this, he felt relieved, but Chen Gong's heart was still hanging and he couldn't feel at ease at all. The Yuan family and the Cao family in Yecheng fell out, and a war was expected to break out soon. Will the subsequent results be like this? Spread to Huaicheng?
Not long after, Zhang Yang's general Sui Gu led Bai Shi out of the city and headed straight for the Black Mountain Pass. He was originally a Black Mountain bandit and was most familiar with the terrain of Black Mountain. Having him lead him was already the best choice Zhang Yang had made.

However, what Chen Gong and Zhang Yang didn't know was that their every move was being watched.

The information was quickly written on a bamboo slip, then delivered to a certain mansion and placed on a desk in front of someone.He picked it up with one hand and slowly unfolded it. After reading the contents, the owner of the hand handed it to the person opposite and said, "General, you can take a look."

The person who spoke was none other than Zhong Yao, and the one he called a general was Zhang Yan, who was once known as a flying general and is now the commander of the emperor's imperial guard.

When Zhang Yan read the contents of the letter, she couldn't help but frowned, "What the hell are you doing out of the city at this time, Sui Gu?"

"He actually went straight to the Black Mountain Pass. Is he going to find out my details in Black Mountain?"

Zhong Yao smiled and said: "The general is right, I think so too."

"If he is found in Black Mountain, the general still has some soldiers and horses inside. Whether he reports to the emperor or informs Marquis Wen when he comes back, the general will probably be in trouble."

Zhang Yan's eyes turned cold. He naturally knew the consequences of raising soldiers privately and secretly helping Cao Cao.

Zhong Yao then threw out another powerful medicine.

"General, don't you know that the emperor is planning to arrange a group of confidants recently?"

Zhang Yan's eyes flashed, "What does this have to do with me?"

Zhong Yao smiled and said: "General, do you really not understand, or are you just pretending to be stupid?"

"The emperor has recently broken up a lot of the personal guards under the general, right?"

"I heard that the three thousand people who went out to be taken away by Marquis Wen, and the remaining thousands of people, will be led by Wang Zifu and others. By then, the general will probably become a naked man, right?"

Zhang Yan was angry, but he could not show any dissatisfaction with Liu Xie, so he suppressed his anger and said: "The emperor has his own considerations, it is not for us to comment."

"And this matter is groundless. Is it possible that someone with evil intentions is spreading rumors?"

Zhong Yao said leisurely: "But what if there are sycophants around the emperor who make false claims?"

Zhang Yan was startled and her expression changed. Zhong Yao saw the other party's expression and knew that his words were effective. He hit the railway while it was hot and sighed: "I was quite optimistic about the general."

"With his talents as a general, he is actually qualified to be a general."

After hearing this, Zhang Yan shook her head and said, "Sir, you are joking. I still know how much I am capable of."

Zhong Yao smiled and said: "I think back then He Jin was just a butcher. What he could do, the general couldn't do?"

"But the situation of the general is not very good now. He is jealous of being too high. Thinking of the general's loyalty, some people are afraid that the general will threaten his position. They have made repeated slanders in front of the emperor, so that the emperor and his ministers are drifting away. It is really frustrating. People sigh with regret."

Zhang Yan gritted her teeth and said, "Who is it?"

Zhong Yao said slowly: "Dong Cheng."

After hearing this, Zhang Yan lost her temper and shook her head: "His daughter is a noble concubine, how can I compare?"

"At worst, I'll just tolerate him a little bit."

Zhong Yao sneered: "If the general can endure it for a while, can he endure it for a lifetime?"

Zhang Yan was a little irritated, "He has a higher status than me and is closer to the emperor than me. What else can I do to him?"

Seeing that the time had come, Zhong Yao said slowly: "General, now is a great opportunity."

"Marquis Wen is not in the city now. Isn't it the general's decision to do what he wants to do?"

"After all, the general has the most soldiers in Huai City now!"

Zhang Yan was horrified: "Sir, you are saying that this is not acceptable!"

"If I do such a thing, wouldn't it be tantamount to betraying the emperor?"

Zhong Yao said leisurely: "On the contrary, Dong Cheng is hated by the emperor, and the two sides are in harmony with each other."

"The emperor has long been dissatisfied with Dong Cheng!"

"You came late, I'm afraid you didn't see Dong Cheng instigating the assassination of Queen Fu when we crossed the river."

Zhang Yan also heard about this and believed Zhong Yao's words even more.

Although Liu Xie knew more or less about the factions in the court, he never expressed his likes and dislikes clearly. As the emperor, what he had to do was to use the abilities of his ministers as much as possible to eliminate and suppress the resentment between them, so that It is for one's own use.

But precisely because of this, officials who are not politically sensitive are far less knowledgeable about the inside story than the gentry with intricate connections when taking sides.

This is the case with Zhang Yan now.

As a demoted general, he has an awkward position. He is called the commander of the guards, but in fact he is quite marginalized.

Everyone knew that he was the emperor's personal guard, so they did not want to befriend him too much, lest they be suspected of having evil intentions. Zhang Yan also knew that Liu Xie didn't like him making friends with others, so he would not get involved in some social occasions.

Over time, Zhang Yan's circle became narrower and narrower. Except for the leader Zhong Yao and a few others, he rarely interacted with anyone, so he did not know the situation below the court very well.

Now, he was slowly led astray by Zhong Yao's words, which were [-] percent true and [-] percent false.

(End of this chapter)