Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 955 Private discussion
The patience of the Bingzhou Shang clan has reached its limit, because this year, they can be said to have suffered the most painful blow in the past few decades, and it is already at the end of the family's life and death.

The wealth accumulated over generations, including food and baggage, as well as the weapons and even armor purchased with huge sums of money, were all lost in the battles with the Youzhou Army. The wealth accumulated for future comebacks was also constantly draining the bones and marrow of the nobles of the Southern Huns. A lot of money was lost by means of this method.

Businessmen are profit-seeking. They are not afraid of investing huge sums of money as long as they can recoup their costs and obtain huge profits in the future. What is even more frightening is that now they are at the end of their rope and see no hope.

In this battle of Bingzhou, facing the attack of the Youzhou Army, whether it was the routine plundering of Xianbei in autumn or Cao's army's reinforcements, the situation did not have any obvious impact on the Youzhou Army. Yang has reached a critical point.

Although the battle between Yuan Xi and Xianbei was coincidental, from Jinyang's perspective, the Youzhou Army seemed to have a foresight. In the two battles in the spring and summer, it pushed Xianbei back outside the pass and signed an armistice with Yuan Xi. protocol.

After that, Yuan Xi not only controlled the five northern counties of Bingzhou, but also cut off the trade routes between Xianbei and Bingzhou, and directly brought the trade routes from outside the Great Wall to the inside of the pass under his control.

When this news first reached the ears of the Bingzhou Shang clan, it was like a bolt from the blue. Because of this move, the Bingzhou Shang clan was completely cut off. They were unable to obtain any benefits or money through trade with Xianbei outside the Pass. For hundreds of years, the family The foundation established was destroyed in one fell swoop!
That's why they took refuge in the Southern Xiongnu die-hards in Jiuyuan County, hoping to use the power of the Southern Xiongnu to fight against Yuan Xi. Unless Yuan Xi died, they would not be able to regain control of the trade routes!
But the idea is beautiful, but the reality is cruel. Only after the battle did the Bingzhou Shang clan realize how powerful the Youzhou soldiers were. The coalition composed of the southern Xiongnu soldiers and the Bingzhou Shang clan slaves was quickly defeated by the Youzhou army. The formation came and was forced to retreat to Jinyang City.

During this period, although Huaicheng sent Cao's army to support him, he encountered Zhao Yun when he left the city and fought with the Youzhou army. After the leader of the army, Cao General recognized Zhao Yun's face, his confidence collapsed. Defeated and defeated, they scattered and fled. From then on, Jinyang never received any reinforcements from Cao's army.

During the six months when the city was besieged, the Bingzhou Shang clan also thought of some countermeasures to break the situation, including betraying the Southern Xiongnu and offering the city. However, the news was exposed, and several families were confiscated and exterminated before they could be mobilized, and the rest were used as slaves. , from then on, the Bingzhou Shang clan no longer had the strength and courage to resist.

But the ice cutting under the city the day before yesterday once again aroused the few courage of the Bingzhou Shang people, because they saw that the Southern Xiongnu didn't care about their life or death, and they were clearly asking them to die!

The young man smiled slightly and was noncommittal. Everyone present looked at each other, but they didn't know what to do.

"My source of information is very reliable, so don't deny it!"

"And even if I am a spy, if you are really good for the people here, you will not expose me at this time, but kill me secretly. Instead, I die here. The nobles of the Southern Huns must know that the Bingzhou Shang clan is going to rebel. Yes, isn't it?"

Now they are in a dilemma. Will today's party be a Hongmen Banquet like last time?
While they were hesitating, the young people were also struggling in their hearts.

The last straw for them was the content of the secret conversation between King Guli and Guli that came out today. When they learned that the other party was planning to eradicate the Bingzhou Shang clan after the Chinese New Year, they could no longer sit still.

As soon as these words came out, everyone who was ready to take action hesitated because what the young man said was right, but the spy could not be found. Now everyone is in danger. Who knows whether the Southern Huns will come to kill them tomorrow? Come?
The old man said in a deep voice: "You are obviously threatening us with your words. There is obviously someone behind you!"

Several principals met and discussed secretly, and decided to fight to the death. Since the Southern Huns wanted to cut their flesh with blunt knives and let them die, they would not sit still and wait for death!
Among these people were some of the people who were in charge of cutting the ice before the city. The more they talked, the more impassioned they became. Just when the calculations were settled, an older man suddenly said: "Everyone has good ideas. , but the last time the news leaked and several families were wiped out, everyone has learned from the past and dare not trust others easily. "

The young man said calmly: "What evidence do you have?"

His public identity is Lu Kang, the concubine of the Lu family, a small merchant family in the city, but his private identity is indeed a secret agent of the Procuratorate. He did participate in the last secret meeting.

The elder shouted sternly: "Do you dare to say that you have never participated in the secret meeting?"

Everyone was startled, and as the older man pointed at the young man in the corner who had been saying little, they finally came to their senses and drew their swords to surround him.

"Even I'm not sure if there are any spies from the Southern Huns among us."

"During the last secret meeting, a small family was not punished in any way."

"I also said that you also participated in secret discussions. Can you refute it?"

The old man shouted: "Stop quibbling!"

"And I recently got some news."

The young man said with waning interest: "Even if there is, it doesn't prove that I must be a spy."

"It's you, I'm curious about where you got the news."

The young man's expression remained unchanged. He looked at everyone and said with a smile, "Do you think I am a traitor?"

"You are either from the Southern Huns, or you are from the Fierce Tigers!"

But in the last incident, he was careful and did not use the name of the Lu family. Instead, he falsely claimed the name of another small family and participated in two secret meetings in a row.

The reason for this is to prevent the Southern Xiongnu spies among the crowd, and to ensure that other families will not go to check their identities privately. After all, who would publicize such a beheading?
This caution also allowed him to escape disaster. For some reason, the incident was exposed and several families were implicated. Even the small family he pretended to be was purged.

Although that family was wrongly accused, the Southern Huns also took the opportunity to confiscate all the family's property and beat both men and women into slaves. After Lu Kang learned the news, he knew that among the people who had defected to the South last time, they definitely Spies of the Huns! Moreover, in order to conceal his identity, this person also cooperated with the Southern Xiongnu to beat all his family members into slaves. Of course, if the Southern Xiongnu can repel Yuan Xi's army in the future, the members of this spy family should be free again.

Lu Kang couldn't talk about the twists and turns in this. The matter became darker and darker with more arguments, and it was impossible to clear it up. It was better to deny it to the end.

What worries him most now is why the old man learned about what he had secretly discussed before. Could it be that he was a Southern Huns spy?

But in this case, Lu Kang could not act rashly. If he killed the old man, the Southern Huns would immediately know that something had happened, and they would definitely hunt down the people who attended the party today, and even take the opportunity to drive out all the Shang clan.

Thinking of this, Lu De couldn't help but feel a headache. The task of mobilizing the merchant clan to merge with the state was too difficult!

But no matter what, the Bingzhou Shang clan must mobilize. Only if they cooperate internally and externally, and in the future attack the city, will they be more likely to capture Jinyang.

Thinking of this, he said aloud: "Don't you think that if we are so suspicious of each other, nothing can be done?"

"Perhaps the spies among us are using this method to make us achieve nothing. When we become a piece of loose sand, they will be turned into human beings!"

Everyone looked at each other, and someone swallowed and said, "Then what do you think we should do?"

"You know there are spies, but you still start trouble. Isn't this a dead end in vain?"

Lu Kang sneered: "So you are all a bunch of trash from the beginning to the end."

"You know you will die if you don't resist, but you still don't take the gamble. You deserve to be killed like a pig or a dog."

After hearing this, everyone couldn't help but blush, and some people said nonchalantly: "What should we do?"

Lu Kang stood up and said, "Just go back and be prepared. When the Youzhou Army comes, those who want to survive will naturally stand up and respond. There is no need to discuss anything."

"If you don't want to, just stay home and be a coward, but you'd better hope that the Southern Huns won't take action first."

"Farewell."

After he finished speaking, he stood up and walked straight out. The others looked at each other and no one stopped him.

After Lu Kang came out, he received a secret letter the next day, asking him to set off somewhere at midnight.

He arrived as promised and came to an abandoned house in the city. After meeting someone, he was blindfolded and led away. After walking for a long time, the mask was taken off and he found himself in a dark secret room with damp surroundings. The unpleasant smell led him to conclude that this must be a cellar.

Not long after, a masked man came in, exchanged codes with him, and asked him to describe in detail what he had done as an undercover agent from beginning to end. After Lu Kang finished speaking, he was led out again.

Shortly after Lu Kang left, another person appeared in the secret room. This person was actually the old man who accused Lu Kang of being a spy at the last party!
He faced the same masked man, and after doing the same thing as Lu Kang, he was also led out.

After the old man left, the masked man took off his mask, but it was Yang Feng.

She thought about what the two said before and after, because Lu Kang and the old man were both spies of the Prosecutor's Office. Yang Feng's direct subordinates were the Black Mountain Army. The Prosecutor's Office was not her subordinate, but Tian Yu who was directly under Yuan Xi's command. .

The reason why she has the right to investigate is because the last time the secret meeting of the Bingzhou Shang clan was leaked, the murderer was not traced, but the prosecutor's office detectives involved in the matter could not escape suspicion, and Tian Yu could not investigate the matter outside the city. , and asked Yang Feng for help.

However, it is extremely difficult to find spies. Not only is it easy to alert the enemy, but the bad guy may also be wrongly accused. Just like the incident of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, the murderer has not yet been found.

Yang Feng did not fully confirm who the spy was through the conversation with the two, but he appreciated Lu Kang's previous words. Even if the murderer cannot be found, it does not necessarily mean that he cannot do anything.

Moreover, Yang Feng also had a backup plan, and she immediately left the secret room. In less than half a moment, the abandoned house was surrounded by people, but found nothing.

After Yang Feng learned about it, he finally determined that the old man was the one who had the problem, because Yang Feng deliberately left a loophole for the old man to trace the hiding place.

Yang Feng was not happy at all when the spy was found. The prosecutor's office would still have spies, not to mention a secret society like Taiping Dao. How could they ensure that Taiping Dao with such a large number of people would not have any problems in the future?
She thought of Yuan Xi's words again. In this world, conspiracies can indeed bring temporary success, but in the end, it is the truth on the surface that determines the outcome.

(End of this chapter)