Cao Thief

Chapter 757 Assassination at dawn
It has been a year and a half since that night in Changbanpo in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Yun went to Longqi City for a year.But from the outside, the new wind in Longqi city didn't have any influence on him.Still vigorous, still personable, not the slightest bit old.

"How is Zilong recently?"

In the Duwei's Mansion in Longqi City, Cao Peng sat down and asked with concern.

Zhao Yun quickly sat up straight, and replied respectfully: "My lord, Yun Zai Longqi is very good."

"That's fine, that's fine..."

Cao Peng looked at Zhao Yun with concern in his eyes.

"On the way here, I heard people say how many good battles you fought?"

"Ah...Young Master Lai's prestige, you can only have a small victory, and you can't use the word 'beautiful'."

"What does it have to do with me?" Cao Peng couldn't help laughing, "The gang of Qiangdi wished for me to die, so they didn't care about my reputation. Zilong was brave. He killed countless enemies every time he fought. He is a model in our army.

When I came to Longqi City, Wang Duwei once said to me that Zilong, you are the most suitable person to take over Longqi City.

You also know that Captain Wang was seriously injured this time.

I originally wanted him to spend a period of time in Didao to recuperate before returning to Xudu with his wife and children.But he can't even go to Didao, he probably needs two to three months of cultivation in Lintao before he can act reluctantly...

If Wang Duwei returns to Xudu this time, it is estimated that another appointment will be made soon.

You also know that he has been in Longqi City for nearly five years, and his wife and children have never even been to Xudu.I couldn't even attend his wedding, and I felt very guilty.He was seriously injured this time, so he took the opportunity to rest.It's just that once he leaves, the position of captain of the western region will be vacant.Captain Wang recommended you, and I am quite appreciative of it.But your achievements are not enough now, and you still need to work hard if you want to officially take over. "

The implication is to tell Zhao Yun that I am going to let you serve as the captain of the western region.

However, your credit is not enough, you need to make more contributions.

The rank of the western captain is not low, and he is a special military post with heavy responsibilities.In the northwest, there are a total of Southern Captain and Western Captain, which are divided into two counties, Longxi and Lintao.In terms of rank alone, it is not inferior to the seat of a Xiajun prefect.In other words, the existence second only to the prefect in Jincheng...

It is under the rule of the prefect of Jincheng, but not under the jurisdiction of the prefect of Jincheng.

Its duty is to supervise Hehuang and govern the Qiangdi; the southern captain, who is the same in nature as the western captain, is to rule the Qianghu abnormalities in Huangzhong.In short, this is an extremely important position, especially when the Northwest is governed and the Hexi trade route is prosperous, the western captain and the southern captain also have the function of maintaining the safety of the trade route and maintaining the Hu-Han trade.Therefore, in terms of the scope of its governance, it is still better than the prefect of Jincheng County.

Zhao Yun was stunned for a moment, but was overjoyed immediately.

"Yun will act to his death, and live up to the high hopes of the young master."

Unbeknownst to him, Cao Peng's gaze was very complicated.

After a while, he said in a deep voice: "Zilong, I will stay here for a few days, temporarily stationed in Muchenggu."

"what?"

Zhao Yun hurriedly said: "Young Master is coming to Longqi City, why don't you station in Longqi City?"

Cao Peng smiled slightly, "It's okay, I stationed in Muchenggu for another reason. Zilong doesn't need to worry about it, and he should first rectify the troops and stabilize the morale of the army. In a few days, there will be a big battle. I hope Zilong will be brave when the time comes. Take the lead and build up your military exploits. I will quietly observe Zilong's majesty, and ask for credit for you, Zilong."

"Zhao Yun, follow orders."

One advantage of Zhao Yun is that he will ask when it is time to ask, and he will never ask more when it is not time to ask.

After lunch, Cao Peng, led by Zhao Yun, inspected the situation in Longqi City.This small border town is quite prosperous.This is a military town with a population of about [-] people.However, there are countless Qiang Han merchants who come and go every day, which also makes the border town very lively.Hu merchants in the Western Regions, Qiangdi tribes, and merchants in Guanzhong all gathered here to conduct trade.Hehuang is rich in horses, cattle and sheep, fur and other materials, and is most popular with Guanzhong merchants.The tea, salt, wine, silk and other luxury goods trafficked from the Central Plains were the favorites of Qiangdi, including Hu merchants in the Western Regions.According to statistics, in the Longqi city market, the daily transaction volume reaches one million yuan.As Cao Cao vigorously promoted the circulation of Jian'an heavy treasures, Longqi City also set up a silver house, which has guaranteed and facilitated the use of trade, and is very popular among Longqi City merchants.

Cao Peng inspected the silver building in Longqi City and asked about the operation of the silver building.

Then, accompanied by Pang Tong and Du Shu, he entered the market with Chief Long Qi to check the situation.

"Is this horse open for supply?"

"Returning to the general, there is a special horse market for horses, and the transaction must be reported and inspected by the government... In contrast, the cattle, sheep and livestock in Hehuang are completely open. Last year, the cattle that entered Guanzhong from Hehuang There are nearly [-] sheep...but the war started this spring, and the business is much quieter than last year."

"Nail horses can be opened, but war horses need to be monitored more.

Every war horse that flows into the Central Plains from Longqi City needs to be registered... Well, it is best to set up a horse market to strengthen management. "

War horses are an important commodity in this era.

And Hehuang is an important area for horse production, so we must be careful.

Chief Long Qi quickly responded and asked someone to record it.

After visiting the market, it will be late.

Cao Peng rejected Zhao Yun's invitation, led his troops to leave Longqi City, and set up camp in Mucheng Valley, [-] miles away from the city.

"Shiyuan, is this really the case?"

Pang Tong bit his lip and said with a wry smile: "It's not that I want to doubt General Zilong, but his wife is too mysterious. When Young Master was inspecting Longqi City today, I asked the little poisonous snake privately.

That Mrs. Zhao is not in Longqi City.

It is said that Mrs. Zhao is good at hunting, and she often takes some subordinates to hunt outside, and sometimes it takes more than ten days to go there.General Zilong loved this lady very much and never asked her anything.

But every time Mrs. Zhao hunts, the Hehuang horse thief will inevitably appear...

In the eyes of others, it may be just a coincidence.But both the little poisonous snake and I feel that this matter is quite strange. "

"I will not fail Zilong, and Zilong will not fail me."

Cao Peng wandered around in the big tent, it could be seen that he was a little anxious.

Originally, he didn't care about Mrs. Zhao's affairs.After all, Zhao Yun's wife, why should he care too much?
But the problem is that both Pang Tong and Jia Xing think that Mrs. Zhao is quite suspicious.

The most suspicious thing is that Mrs. Zhao often leaves Longqi City, which is not the behavior of an ordinary woman.

And every time Mrs. Zhao leaves, there will be horse thieves haunting Hehuang.

Zhao Yun also asked Mrs. Zhao, she said that she was looking for her clansmen and wanted to reunite the lost clansmen.This sounds reasonable at first glance, but when you think about it carefully, it is a bit abnormal.All kinds of signs indicate that Wang Mai was ambushed, and the news was leaked, so that he almost died in Hehuang...

Did Zhao Yun do it on purpose?
Cao Peng categorically did not believe it...

How could a person who could bear humiliation and surrender on his knees for the sake of his lord, how could he do such a thing?
Zhao Yun?

One mouthful of spittle is the master of one nail!

Since he belongs to Cao Peng, it is absolutely impossible for him to do anything wrong to Cao Peng.

But that being said, do I really understand Zhao Yun?

Most of Cao Peng's understanding of Zhao Yun came from the legends of later generations.But Cao Peng didn't know what the real Zhao Yun looked like.

He is willing to believe in Zhao Yun, but it does not mean that Pang Tong and others will believe in Zhao Yun.

"Then what do you say?"

"This one……"

Pang Tong pondered for a moment, stepped forward, and whispered in Cao Peng's ear: "My lord, whether it's true or not, whether you're loyal or treacherous, you'll know once you try it. You can't hide from the one who should come...I know too, my lord. You value General Zilong very much. But if you can test the truth, wouldn’t it be better for you, Young Master?”

"How to try?"

Pang Tong whispered in Cao Peng's ear for a while, causing Cao Peng to nod slightly.

After a while, he took a deep breath and made up his mind, "In that case, let's try it.

You are responsible for this matter, let the little poisonous snake stare at Longqi City, and pay more attention to the movement in the city. "

"Young master, don't worry, Pang Tong understands!"

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Cao Peng took over as the captain of Sili, and Wei Qi was transferred to Yecheng.

When Jia Xu arrived in Chang'an, Wei Ke officially left Guanzhong.However, Cao Peng appeared in Longxi, which made people quite puzzled.

Cao Peng is the lieutenant of Sili and should stay in Chang'an.

Jia Xu is a shepherd in Liangzhou, and he will go to Longxi to take up his post...

But these two people switched, the one who was supposed to stay in Chang'an went to Liangzhou; the one who was supposed to go to Liangzhou stayed in Chang'an.

But it was such an exchange that made Northwest calm down immediately.

Jia Xu's prestige in the northwest is definitely not as high as Cao Peng's.Even if he is from Liangzhou, he can't compare to Cao Peng's prestige.Moreover, facing the complicated and chaotic situation, it is not suitable for Jia Xu to go to Liangzhou.In the military, he can make suggestions, but he can't command those arrogant soldiers.

After all, Jia Xu is a counselor.

But Cao Peng is the real deal, the prestige he earned.

Therefore, Jia Xu is the most suitable to sit in Chang'an; and Cao Peng is undoubtedly the best candidate to fight in Liangzhou.

In June of the 14th year of Jian'an, Liangzhou was extremely hot.

However, the Battle of Bingzhou changed again.After Deng Ji occupied Shangdang County, he stood still.

Li Dian marched his troops under the Great Wall, assuming he would march at any time.

Gaogan and Liu Bao gathered troops to defend against the attack of Cao's army. Cao Cao issued an edict ordering Cao Zhang to lead his troops to attack as the general of the Xiongnu Zhonglang.Cao Zhang immediately assembled his troops, and even recruited 19 Karasuma cavalry from the tower, and entered the cloud from Yanmen County... Liu Bao obviously did not expect that Cao Cao would use a [-]-year-old boy as his general.He concentrated all his energy on the three of Deng Ji, Yang Qi and Li Dian, so he expected that Cao Zhang would be the main force?Caught off guard, Liu Bao hastily responded.

The Xiongnu's [-] troops gathered on the west bank of the river.

When Cao Jun arrived, Liu Bao ordered the boats to be burned, trying to use the river water to stop Cao Jun from attacking.

Who knew that Cao Zhang was already prepared.

When soldiers approached the east bank of the river, Cao Zhang attacked overnight.

Thirty thousand sheepskin rafts, which had been prepared long ago, carried Cao Jun across the river forcibly.

It was summer, and the river was not very turbulent.Even so, Cao Jun killed and injured thousands of people and suffered heavy losses.However, the result of such a tragic loss was that Cao Jun forcibly crossed the Yellow River and conquered Shanan.

Immediately, Cao Peng ordered Niu Gang and Dian Cun to garrison Shanan, and spent five days commanding the troops to cross the river.

It was too late when Liu Bao realized it.

He immediately dispatched troops to recapture Shanan.

A bloody battle ensued... The Battle of Shanan was also the most tragic battle in the entire Battle of Bingzhou.The Xiongnu soldiers attacked wildly, while Niu Gang and Diancun fought calmly and resisted the Huns' army.

Five days later, Karasuma succeeded in crossing the river on a sudden ride, and under the command of Cao Zhang, he attacked from both wings.

The Xiongnu's [-]-strong army was almost wiped out.

Liu Bao ran away in despair, fled back to Meiji, and regrouped his troops.

However, the fall of Shanan also made the natural barrier of the Yellow River, which the Southern Huns regarded as a natural moat, no longer exist.

Cao's army continued to flow from Shanan to the Southern Huns.

At the same time, Deng Ji of the Shangdang attacked again, Huang Zhong was still the vanguard, and he crossed the Great Wall to capture Baitu County and was close to Pingding.

Pingding is only eighty miles away from Guluo City.

And Xiahoulan led his troops to conquer the fortress of Shuofang, opening a huge gap in the Hetao area.

Qubei led the Southern Huns from Dacheng to Hetao, and Liu Bao was attacked on three sides.

Gao Gan privately sent someone to ask Cao Cao to surrender.But he didn't want to leak the news, so Liu Bao led his troops to attack.Internal strife broke out between the two sides in Guluo City, and Gao Gan was brutally torn to pieces by the Huns and died tragically in Guluo City.

When Cao Cao heard the news of Gao Gan's death, he couldn't help but look up to the sky and sigh.

"From now on, the bloodline is cut off!"

Immediately, Cao Cao ordered that the five armies advance together, and the Battle of Bingzhou must be ended before August.

At this time, Bingzhou's resistance was almost gone.The Southern Huns themselves fell into chaos, and Liu Bao was also seriously injured when he was on fire.In the face of Cao Jun's attack, Qubei is pressing harder and harder.In desperation, Liu Bao had no choice but to make the same choice as the senior officials, begging to surrender!
In the past, this was the only magic weapon for the survival of the Southern Huns.

If you lose, please surrender, if you win, you will conquer the city.Anyway, this Shuofang has always been the territory of the Southern Huns.

Only this time, Liu Bao made the wrong idea.

Cao Cao showed an unprecedented tough attitude.

In his letter to Cao Zhang, Deng Ji, and Li Dian, he used the folk song "If you lose Yanzhi Mountain, you will keep my animals from living there; if you lose Yanzhi Mountain, you will make my women colorless."

Hugh has a heart of compassion for this, and the nature of the Huns and wolves cannot be tolerated.

In the past, Huo Hussars failed to complete all his achievements, and today he will not repeat the same mistakes.Order the three armies to attack continuously, and anyone who resists, men, women, old and young, will be shot to death... Today's mercy will be tomorrow's disaster!

This letter is a secret letter.

Only Deng Ji, Cao Zhang and Li Dian received it.

It means: kill me cleanly...

In history, Ran Min once killed Hu Ling and was praised by later generations.But in fact, Cao Cao's letter is not inferior to the power of killing Hu Ling.As the secret order was issued, Deng Ji took the lead in responding...

In Pingding City, blood flowed like a river.

Sixty thousand Huns were slaughtered by Deng Ji.

Even when Li Dian crossed the river and arrived in Pingding, he was overwhelmed by the strong smell of blood and couldn't help but want to vomit.

In Li Dian's eyes, Deng Ji, who was dressed in fluttering white and stood alone with one arm, looked a little scary.

Before, there was a King Cao Yan who went on a killing spree in Xudu. After seeing more than two thousand heads, his expression did not change and his heart skipped a beat.

Li Dian felt at that time that Cao Peng was ruthless.

But if compared with Deng Ji in front of him, Cao Peng is ruthless, then what is Deng Ji?No wonder Cheng Zhongde sent someone to tell me before I went to battle, never to offend Deng Ji.This guy is missing an arm, but he is more vicious than that Cao Yanwang.This guy is clearly a murderer!

Originally, Li Dian was not convinced that Deng Ji took the lead in capturing Pingding.

But now, after seeing the blood-stained Pingding City, Li Dian's discomfort disappeared in no time.

Forget it, it's just a little thing, why worry about it?
Anyway, the Cao Youxue family are not normal people...

After Deng Ji sacrificed the butcher's knife in Pingding, Xia Houlan immediately sacrificed the butcher's knife in Dacheng Fortress.In just a few days, twelve Hun tribes were wiped out one after another, and nearly [-] people were killed... Xiahoulan would have held back only if she hadn't gone to beg and beg.Otherwise, it is unknown how many people will be killed in this killing.

After Deng Ji and Xia Houlan took action, Li Dian immediately murdered [-] Huns in Guluo City.

In less than ten days, the population of the Xiongnu in Shuofang dropped by one-third.Many Huns fled to Xianbei one after another and asked Xianbei for asylum.But to see this situation, how can you not know Cao Cao's true intentions?

At the end of June, an envoy was sent to Beibei to implore Cao Cao to become the Southern Huns.

Shuofang Southern Xiongnu, all naturalized people moved to the interior, such as Jizhou, Qingzhou and other areas;

In July of the 14th year of Jian'an, Cao Cao accepted the request to go to Bei.

Immediately, Cao Zhang ordered that the three armies move together to launch a final attack on Wudu...

The end of Liu Bao is coming!

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The war in Bingzhou reignited, while the northwest was quiet and silent.

Perhaps it was because Cao Jun beat him so hard that Ma Chao felt inexplicable fear and dared not act rashly again.

At this time, Cao Peng secretly ordered Zhao Yun to send troops from Longqi City to attack Xihai Yanchi.

West Sea Salt Pond is where Po Qiang is located.

Facing the sudden order, Zhao Yun was also very puzzled.

Could it be that Cao Peng wanted to cut off the arm of Di Wang Dou Mao first, and then kill the Di people?

It was possible after thinking about it, so Zhao Yun didn't react too violently.Saying goodbye to his wife, Zhao Yun left overnight.

The defense of Longqi City will be temporarily taken over by Chief Longqi.

In fact, there is no need for Chief Longqi to take over, Cao Peng is in Mucheng Valley, thirty miles east of Longqi City.If something really happened, Cao Peng would immediately accept the military affairs of Longqi City.

Chief Long Qi, there is no pressure!
On the third day after Zhao Yun left Longqi City, Cao Peng suddenly received a message from Chief Longqi: bandits were found outside Longqi City, and Cao Peng was asked to go to Longqi City to discuss and decide whether to send troops to destroy them.

Cao Peng immediately replied to Chief Longqi: He will take over the military affairs of Longqi City.

That night, Cao Peng brought Sun Shao and Wang Shuang to Longqi City.

At this time, there was a tense atmosphere in the city, and the sudden appearance of bandits made the people living in Longqi City and those doing business in Longqi City feel a sense of inexplicable depression.The city is heavily guarded!

"Have you ever found out who the bandits are?"

Chief Long Qi replied: "But I don't know... But looking at its movement, it seems a bit like a horse like a wind bandit."

"Ma Rufeng, are you here?"

Cao Peng narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice: "Pass my military order, Longqi City will immediately close the city gates and put a curfew on the whole city.

Tomorrow, I will lead my troops to attack to find Ma Rufeng's trace and wipe him out in one fell swoop.

A mere horse bandit dares to invade our city, he really doesn't know how to live or die... But I want to see what kind of abilities this fierce bandit, Ma Rufeng, who shocked Hehuang, has. "

Cao Peng's words were understated, with a hint of disdain for that horse Rufeng.

Long Qi was relieved after hearing this.

He withdrew from the official post and let out a sigh of relief.

It has to be said that Ma Rufeng's horse thief did a lot of harm to Longqi City.First, they robbed merchants, and then even developed to ambush the western captain.Although the horse thief hadn't appeared yet, it made people feel extremely depressed.I hope that General Cao can defeat him in one fell swoop and restore peace to Longqi City.

"Ahead, but Mr. Tang?"

Chief Long Qi's name was Tang Fang, and when he heard someone calling his name, he immediately stopped and turned to look.

"Ah, it's Mrs. Zhao."

A beautiful woman in her early twenties with a beautiful face but very plain clothes was walking towards him.

Tang Fang hurriedly stepped forward to salute, "Why is Mrs. Zhao here?"

"My husband is going to war, and I have some concerns in my heart.

He also heard that there were horse thieves in and out of Longqi city, so he couldn't help feeling depressed, so he came out for a walk. "

This Mrs. Zhao was very beautiful, but she carried very obvious traces of the Qiang people.

When speaking, she also has the unique accent of the Qiang people, which all shows her identity as the Qiang people.

Hearing this, Tang Fang immediately felt relieved, "It's just a few horse thieves, who are clown ears! Don't worry, Madam, these horse thieves will be wiped out sooner or later... Hehe, the weather in Longqi City this year is hotter than in previous years. It's good to go out for a walk, to get some fresh air , so as not to worry about being alone at home, it's good, it's good!"

"Where did Master Tang come from?"

"Oh, I just paid my respects to General Cao in the official post."

"General Cao?" Mrs. Zhao showed a look of curiosity, "but that General Cao Peng Cao who is so powerful in Liangzhou."

Tang Fang laughed, "In this city of Longqi, besides him, who dares to call himself a general?"

"Isn't he in Mucheng Valley?"

"Uh, it's not that the horse thief has been found, so naturally the general must be notified.

The general came here to eliminate the horse thief... Tomorrow General Cao will lead the army to march, and he will stay in the city tonight. "

"I see!"

A look of worry appeared on Mrs. Zhao's face.

"However, there are horse thieves outside, and the city may not be peaceful, so we should be more careful."

Hearing this, Tang Fang scratched his head and smiled and said, "I tried to persuade you that way, but General Cao said no... Madam doesn't know, General Cao is also a skilled general, and ordinary people are no match for ordinary people. Besides, he still has two hundred Follow me, where do you need my protection? Madame just rest assured..."

"That's good, that's good!"

Lady Zhao patted her chest lightly, and said goodbye to Tang Fang.

Looking at the graceful back of Mrs. Zhao leaving, Tang Fang shook his head, and said to himself: "I don't know what is so good about Zhao Zilong. General Cao valued him, and even when he went out for inspection, he could find such a beautiful lady. It's really enviable."

After speaking, he turned around and walked towards the county government office.

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The night, unknowingly, enveloped Longqi City.

The people in the city closed their doors early and even blew out the lights.The whole city fell into unspeakable silence...

Night is coming!

(End of this chapter)