Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chapter 173 Arriving in Chengdu
"Pull the boat over." Peng Yi ordered the rowing soldiers to bring Mengchong to the ferry. It was time to get off the boat.

The soldiers who heard Peng Yi's order naturally didn't say anything. They put down the oars, picked up a long and thin bamboo pole, and stretched the bamboo pole into the water until it touched the bottom. Then the soldiers worked together to push the boat away. We docked steadily at the ferry at the south gate of Chengdu.

After Mengchong reached the ferry, a springboard stretched out from Mengchong. Two soldiers firmly connected Mengchong to the ferry. Then the two soldiers reached the ferry through the springboard and took over the bridge from Mengchong. The cables that were thrown over were rushed up and tied to the wooden pillars at the ferry. The ship, which was still a little bumpy due to the wind and waves, instantly became much more stable.

At this time, it was time for the real master to appear. Peng Yi entered the cabin and informed Liu Zhang. Not long after, Liu Zhang came out of the cabin, walked across the springboard connecting Mengchong and the ferry, and stepped onto the ferry.

As Liu Zhang stepped onto the ferry, he suddenly felt that the feeling of physical and mental shaking on the boat due to the bumps of the wind and waves disappeared without a trace, leaving only the stability of stepping on the ground and a down-to-earth feeling.

Liu Zhang raised his eyes and saw the city of Chengdu lying on the ground like a huge wild beast. It instantly occupied his sight and came into his eyes domineeringly, making Liu Zhang's eyes completely blank.

Seeing the city of Chengdu, a sense of relaxation and contentment filled Liu Zhang's chest. He had a different feeling about Chengdu. This was the place where he was born in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. It can be called his hometown. When he returned to his hometown, he always felt It will make tourists relax and happy.

"Ming Gong." A thin middle-aged man stepped forward and bowed his hands in salute to Liu Zhang.

Liu Zhang withdrew his distant gaze and looked at the middle-aged man in front of him - Pang Jing, the head of the Prefecture Mufu. He came back in a hurry and did not accompany the army, nor did he broadcast the news of his early return. After he returned from the victory, there was no scene in front of him of the Chengdu scholars and common people. Only Pang Jing, the head of the Prefectural Mufu Mansion, came to greet him with dozens of followers.

"Uncle Pang, what happened recently?" Liu Zhang asked. He did not chat with Pang Jing, but directly asked if there was anything important that he needed to handle recently.

When Pang Jing heard this, he immediately replied: "Thank you, Mr. Ming, there has been nothing important lately. Today, the third young master went hunting outside the city again."

"He's quite comfortable." Liu Zhang pursed his lips and sounded a little unhappy. He, a Yizhou herdsman, worked hard and went to fight in ghost places like Nanzhong, while Liu Hao, his elder brother, traveled from time to time. Hunting, life was very prosperous, and Liu Zhang couldn't help but feel jealous.

It was clearly a word of envy, but hearing it in Pang Jing's ears made Pang Jing tremble. After a moment, he straightened his figure and continued: "Today, the third young master went on a hunting trip. For some reason, he invited Mrs. Wu to go with him... Xiao People feel that it is a bit unusual. Since the last incident, the Third Young Master and Madam Wu have not been in contact with each other for a long time. They have never met and communicated... When Madam Wu left the mansion today, the villain observed in front of the mansion. Suddenly, the third young master and Mrs. Wu were just having fun, but they didn’t have the joy of a couple going out together..."

"Huh?" Hearing this, Liu Zhang frowned. He looked at Pang Jing who was hesitant to speak, took a few steps forward, and pulled Pang Jing away from the guards behind him: "Uncle Pang, what do you think about this matter? What do you think?"

As the head of the palace, Pang Jing gritted his teeth and expressed his suspicion. After Liu Yan passed away, as a servant, he had only Liu Zhang in the sky. He could only serve and be loyal to Liu Zhang, and there was no other way to go: " The villain thinks that it may be because of some recent rumors in Chengdu. The third young master and Mrs. Wu are traveling together to eliminate the rumors... There is only one thing that the villain finds strange. If it is to eliminate the rumors, it is Mrs. Wu who invites the third young master. Instead of Third Young Master inviting Mrs. Wu... With Third Young Master's character, he would never do such a thing, well, do such a thing for Ming Gong."

As a servant, Pang Jing's words were very cryptic, but Liu Zhang also understood. He was famous for his reputation. As a shepherd of Yizhou, he was naturally a figure often talked about on the streets, by the common people in Guizhou, and by wealthy nobles.

Firstly because Liu Hao mistreated Wu Ran, and secondly in order to win over the two generals Wu Yi and Wu Ban of the Wu family, Liu Zhang moved Wu Ran to another courtyard. If this matter spreads, people will make random guesses. , and with the help of thoughtful people, rumors spread that he "stealed his wife".

The best way to dispel this rumor is to have the parties involved, Liu Hao and Wu Ran, come forward to clarify.Liu Zhang's sister-in-law Wu Ran might nod in agreement. Worrying about the future of the Wu family, Wu Ran would hold her nose and come forward together with Liu Hao, but Liu Hao would probably never stand out, as Pang Jing said. Likewise, it is impossible for Liu Mao to have the idea of ​​​​cleansing Liu Zhang's dirty information.

In this way, Liu Hao, who came forward to invite Wu Yuan to travel with him, had very suspicious motives. He didn't know what he was planning secretly.

Liu Zhang lowered his eyes. He felt that Liu Hao was like a fly. Although Liu Hao was a very weak fly, as Liu Hao was his elder brother, it was hard for him to kill Liu Hao with a knife. Fly, the crime of killing your brother is too great.

He is not Li Shimin, the general of Tiance. He has captured two kings in one battle, conquered the Tang Dynasty, and started the rule of Zhenguan. He killed two brothers, forced his father to abdicate, and married his own younger siblings. These evil things All these things were ignored by the world under the brilliance of Li Shimin's majesty.

Maybe Liu Zhang could let Liu Hao die secretly, but there is no airtight wall in the world. If it is done, there will be traces. Even if there are no traces, ordinary people will have guesses and doubts. After all, Liu Hao has always been in good health. Suddenly, If he died, everyone would be suspicious.

Seeing Liu Zhang's silent silence, Pang Jing thought for a moment and added: "The little man has concerns, so he arranged for Zhang Ba to lead a team of people to guard Mrs. Wu."

Liu Zhang's expression became more relaxed. He knew that Zhangba was a warrior who was nearly one foot tall and had a waist that was eight inches thick. In the past, he had been thinking about the figure of Tiger Marquis Xu Chu, who was more than eight feet long and had a waist that was ten inches thick. Compared with Zhang Ba, I don’t know who is better.

With Zhangba guarding Wu Ran, more than a hundred ordinary soldiers could not get close to Wu Ran, but they were enough to protect Wu Ran. This shows that Pang Jing is very competent as the chief officer.

"Uncle Pang, you did a good job." Liu Zhang praised and encouraged Pang Jing.

Pang Jing, who heard Liu Zhang's praise, didn't look proud at all. He raised his hands and reported back: "Ming Gong is too complimentary. Pang Jing was just doing his part."

After Liu Zhang and Pang Jing walked forward for a certain distance, Liu Zhang suddenly turned around and asked, "Where is Zhao Zhonglang?"

"According to the news received by the government, General Zhao Zhonglang arrived at the headquarters of his troops outside the city yesterday...Basically, about half of the time in a month, General Zhao Zhonglang will go outside the city to urge the soldiers to practice martial arts." Pang Jing He immediately answered and explained the reason why Zhao Wei went to the army camp.

Pang Jing, who was walking forward while answering, suddenly saw Liu Zhang's figure stopped in front of him. He immediately stopped and fell one position behind Liu Zhang. He put his hands aside and waited for Liu Zhang's instructions. 'Is it a coincidence? A gloom arose in Liu Zhang's heart, which made him feel a little uncomfortable, as if something bad was about to happen.

But it wasn't such a coincidence. Liu Hao and Zhao Wei, two of his confidants, were outside the city. In addition, Liu Hao unusually invited Wu Ran to travel with him, which was a bit too much.

Liu Zhang greeted him back. Upon seeing this, Peng Yi immediately walked up to Liu Zhang from a distance of about ten steps behind Liu Zhang, and listened accurately to Liu Zhang's instructions.

After Liu Zhang whispered a few words to Peng Yi, Peng Yi immediately handed over and left.Looking at Peng Wei's figure riding away, Liu Zhang relaxed a little. He just wanted to see what kind of show Liu Hao and Zhao Wei would put on for him.
-
Zhao Wei did not expect that Liu Hao actually suggested that he seize the city of Chengdu. In vain, he initially thought that the third son was a shrewd man and difficult to control, so after Liu Yan passed away, he and Wang Shang recommended him. The cowardly Liu Zhang served as the shepherd of Yizhou.

Now it seems that he has no sense of understanding people.Liu Hao in front of him first started slashing at the knight who fell to the ground. He didn't look like a noble man at all. He looked more like a vulgar warrior and a warrior who loved killing.

Then Liu Mao suggested that he capture the city of Chengdu, saying this extremely ridiculous idea. He only had a few people, three thousand soldiers, of which one thousand had to be removed, leaving only two thousand children from the Zhao family who were absolutely loyal. For him, there are no less than ten thousand Dongzhou soldiers loyal to Liu Zhang outside the city. This is not throwing an egg against a stone.

Stupid, stupid, what a stupid thing. Compared with his younger brother Liu Zhang, the third young master Liu Hao in front of him is really a dolphin-like thing. He De Zhonglang, Zhao Hao, said to Liu Hao in his heart Judgment.

However, what he thought in his heart was one thing. Zhao Wei's face showed no contempt for Liu Hao's character and ability. He spoke earnestly and advised Liu Hao: "Master, if you send troops to Chengdu, you will definitely be attacked by Chengdu during the march." I noticed that in the city of Chengdu, Wang Shang, the governor of Shu County, Chen Shi, the commander of Chengdu, Dong He, and the county lieutenant, Yan Yan, are all loyal dogs of the Fourth Young Master. They will definitely close the city gates and prevent us from entering the city... I We only have [-] troops under our command, but there is absolutely no way we can capture the city of Chengdu."

"In addition, there are more than [-] Dongzhou soldiers outside the city under the control of Huang Quan. The Dongzhou soldiers have always been powerful. We can't take the city of Chengdu forward, and we can't defeat the Dongzhou soldiers led by Huang Quan from behind. I'm afraid the situation is critical. Come on...Young Master, who has just escaped from the cage, will be trapped by the cage again."

First, when he heard Zhao Wei talking about the difficulty of taking Chengdu City, Liu Hao's face flashed with displeasure. Then he heard Zhao Wei say that he might be captured by Liu Zhang and be controlled by Liu Zhang again. There was a sudden panic on Mao's face. He had had enough during this period. He couldn't eat well, couldn't sleep well, and the pain of having his destiny controlled by others was so torturous that it almost drove him crazy.

His mood surged rapidly, and the worried Liu Hao stepped forward and held Zhao Wei's hand: "Mr. Zhao, please give me some advice."

Zhao Hao, who was holding Liu Hao's hand, felt Liu Hao's palms covered with sweat due to fear. As a noble son from a noble family, he felt a little nauseous, but he couldn't break free and suppressed his disgust for Liu Hao. , and at the same time comforted himself, with Liu Hao's character, he was an easy puppet to control.

"Young Master, I and Yan Pu, the governor of Hanzhong, Zhang Lu's subordinate, are both from Anhan County, Brazil County. I exchanged letters with Yan Pu last time, and Yan Pu made it clear that Zhang Lu is very convinced of the young master and has the same feelings as me. I want to support the young master as the lord of Yizhou... Now I can't go to Chengdu. In my opinion, the young master might as well escape to Badi. With the reputation of the young master, plus the little name of my Anhan Zhao family, after arriving in Badi , the people of Badi should be enthusiastic about it, and they can be used by the young master, and Badi can be easily obtained... In addition, Pu Hu and Yuan Yue, two generals under Zhang Lu's tent, are attacking Badi. They can be used as foreign aid to quell the disobedient people in Badi. power."

Listening to Zhao Wei's words one after another and Zhao Wei's impetus and reasonable analysis, Liu Hao's high-spirited heart calmed down a lot, and the worry on his face also dropped. After hearing what happened next, he felt sorry for Zhao Wei. The blueprint he planned made his eyes light up.

"When the time comes, Young Master, you will seize Badi and Hanzhong, and then dominate Chengdu. With Young Master's talents, won't it be easy to win Chengdu." Zhao Wei put an end to the blueprint he had planned for Liu Hao.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes." Liu Hao nodded frequently and said yes repeatedly. He seemed to have seen that Badi and Hanzhong were under his control. He led tens of thousands of elite troops to attack Chengdu and capture him alive. My younger brother, Liu Zhang, should repay Liu Zhang for the kindness of imprisoning him during these days.

"Zhao Gong's words made Mao clear the clouds and see the sun, and he suddenly understood." Liu Mao showed his true feelings and expressed his gratitude to Zhao Hao.

"Young master, you don't have to be like this. This is your duty as a minister." Zhao Wei said politely. He had no loyalty to Liu Hao, but as Liu Zhang's minister, if he betrayed Liu Zhang, he would not gain righteousness, but would Because infidelity is despised by the world.

Therefore, Liu Hao's role is revealed. As Liu Zhang's brother, Liu Hao naturally dominates Liu Zhang. Brothers and brothers are the fate that a younger brother cannot escape. Not to mention that now that Liu Yan is dead, the eldest brother is like a father. Liu Hao Although his character and ability are not good, his identity can be used to make a fuss.

Therefore, Zhao Wei secretly sent people to spread the rumor that Liu Zhang had stolen his wife, widening the rift between the brothers Liu Hao and Liu Zhang, causing the brothers to break off their friendship, and allowing Liu Hao to join forces with him and come under his control.Now it seems that everything is going well. He can hold Liu Mao in his hands and use Liu Mao as a banner to fight against Liu Zhang.

If he just treated Liu Hao as a puppet, Zhao Hao wouldn't have to say a lot of eloquent words to persuade Liu Hao to give up the idea of ​​attacking Chengdu. He could directly arrange for warriors to kidnap Liu Hao and run away to Badi with Liu Hao hostage.

However, Zhao Hao considered that in order to make Liu Hao willing to be a puppet, so as to prevent Liu Hao from being restless and causing any trouble, he still spoke a lot of advice to Liu Hao confidently.

Now Zhao Wei breathed a sigh of relief. Although Liu Hao in front of him was stupid, he was not too stupid. He could still listen to good words. He knew that what he said was right and was willing to follow his advice.

"Without further delay, please get on your horse, sir. I'll go to Bajun." Zhao Wei said with a cupped hand. If you stay here for a while longer, you will take more risks.

"Yes." Liu Hao responded, got on his horse, and did not immediately gallop away after getting on the horse. He thought of an incident, or to be precise, a person. He raised his hand to Zhao Hao and said: " Mr. Zhao, there is something that needs to be settled, otherwise it will be difficult for Mao to let go."

"What's the matter?" Zhao Wei asked patiently, trying not to frown.

"Kill that bitch Wu Ran." Liu Hao's tone was full of murderous intent. He was very worried about the recent rumors that Wu Ran had cuckolded him. The reason why he took Wu Ran out of the city today was to He took this opportunity to kill Wu Ran.

(End of this chapter)