Great Han Empire

Chapter 791
At the end of March, Lujiang County, Yangzhou, Wancheng.

The melodious sound of the piano curls from a quiet courtyard, which is beautiful and moving.

Lu Su got off his horse far away and walked slowly to the door.The guard standing at the door hastily bowed and saluted.Lu Su put his index finger to his mouth, signaling them not to speak.

A few people stood in front of the door, continuing to listen to the brisk and melodious music.

Zhou Lang was successful at a young age, not only married a good wife with both talent and appearance, but also was worshiped by the court as a general of Jianwei Zhonglang, it can be described as double happiness.Lu Su was immersed in the sound of the piano and sighed secretly.

=

At the beginning of the year, Zhou Yu married the little granddaughter of the former Taiwei Qiaoxuan, and his long-cherished wish was fulfilled.

This marriage was arranged by Zhou Yu's father Zhou Yi several years ago.The Zhou family is a big family in Yangzhou, and the Qiao family who fled the chaos to Wancheng of Yangzhou is also a high-ranking family, so it can be regarded as a well-matched family.Originally, Zhou Yi had his eyes on Qiao Yu's eldest daughter, but in the year Yuan Shu attacked Lujiang County, Sun Ce accompanied Yuan Shu to visit Qiao Yu, and happened to see the bridge, and was shocked for a moment.Of course, Sun Ce's thoughts couldn't be hidden from Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu proposed marriage to Qiao Yu the next day.Hashiba didn't want to.It's not right that the Sun family and the Qiao family are not well established. Sun Ce himself has neither great reputation nor extraordinary talent, but is just a martial artist. What qualifications does he have to marry the Qiao family?Qiao Yu refused to agree, Yuan Shu refused to leave.The Qiao family and the Yuan family are family friends. When the former Taiwei Qiao Xuan passed away, the family had no money for the funeral, so a group of old friends such as Yuan Feng and Yuan Kai helped out with money, but friendship belongs to friendship. As far as the reputation of the Hashi family and the happiness of the children are concerned, Hashiba will not agree anyway.Yuan Shu saw that it was useless to coerce and lure him, so he became angry. If you didn't agree, I would snatch him away today.Yuan Changshui, the fierce ghost in the road, is very powerful. Qiao Yu has learned it before.

Hashiba was forced to say that Daqiao had been betrothed to the Zhou family.Yuan Shu said, don't you have two daughters?If you marry Daqiao to the Sun family and Xiaoqiao to the Zhou family, you will have the best of both worlds.Qiao Yu was so angry that he blew his beard and stared, how could there be such nonsense in the world?But Yuan Shu had a knife in his hand, so Qiao Yu dared not refuse what he said.So the marriage was settled.

The Zhou family dared not speak out.However, at any rate, Daqiao married the Sun family, and based on the relationship between the two families, the Zhou family had no choice but to laugh it off.

In this way, two years ago, when Sun Ce had just gained a firm foothold in Jiangdong, Yuan Shu urged Sun Ce to marry Daqiao into his family.At the beginning of this year, Zhou Yu married Xiaoqiao.

As the saying goes, good things come in pairs, and it's true.On the occasion of Zhou Yu's newly-married Yan Er, the imperial court came to reward Sun Ce as the general who conquered the captives, and Zhou Yu as the general who built Wei Zhonglang in order to reward the Jiangdong soldiers for their achievements in fighting rebellion.

This award made Zhou Yu uneasy.

Cao Cao is too cunning, it is false to award rewards, but it is true to split Jiangdong.Both General Qulu and General Zhonglang are high-ranking officials with a salary of two thousand shi. Although there is a difference in rank, they can both command troops, and the imperial decree does not stipulate that Zhou Yu is subject to Sun Ce's restraint.To put it bluntly, if Zhou Yu wants to fight against Sun Ce in Jiangdong, now is the time.

At this time, Zhou Yu didn't want Jiangdong to split.He hurriedly wrote to Sun Ce and sent Lu Su to Moling to explain in person.

=

The sound of the piano gradually stopped, and Zhou Yu's laughter came from the door, "Playing the piano today, the sound of the piano is joyful, could it be that there is a guest here?"

Lu Su smiled slightly, pushed the door open and entered, "Gong Jin is very interested."

Seeing Lu Su, Zhou Yu hurriedly pushed the piano to his feet, striding forward to meet him, "Zijing, you came back so soon? What did Brother Bofu say?"

Lu Su did not answer Zhou Yu.After a few words of pleasantries, he asked unhurriedly, "I remember two years ago, when Sun Ce and you led the army to defeat the troops of Liu Yao, Ze Rong, Xue Li, Xu Gong and others and occupied Wu County, He immediately sent you to garrison Danyang, but didn't let you continue to lead the army to attack Kuaiji County with him, why?"

Zhou Yu's face changed slightly, and his smile gradually faded away.

"Is it because of your Zhou Gongjin's intelligence and achievements, and because of your Yangzhou Zhou family's prominent reputation, that Sun Ce felt threatened?"

Zhou Yu looked up at the gray sky outside the window, feeling sad.

"At that time, Sun Ce's most effective adviser, Sun Jian's old subordinate Gongsun said, died in the battle of crossing the river, and Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong had just defected to Sun Ce, but they did not gain Sun Ce's reuse and trust. Sun Ce relied on your strategy and talent You have won consecutive victories. Although your outstanding talent helped Sun Ce gain a firm foothold in Jiangdong, it also made Sun Ce feel threatened. Therefore, after Sun Ce took Wu County, he immediately drove you to Danyang. Since then, Sun Ce has fought against several times. , a small Kuaiji County, he actually fought for nearly a year, this kind of person..." Lu Su raised his eyes to look at Zhou Yu, and sighed softly, "Gong Jin, with your family background and talent, why should you follow Zhou Yu?" For him? With this kind of person, can you display your talents? Can you realize your ambitions? Can you accomplish great things?"

Zhou Yu's expression was very complicated.He walked slowly to the table and sat down, silent.

"This time to evacuate Jiujiang County, Sun Ce withdrew to Jiangdong with an army of 3000, and took away all the navy, warships, and all the looted property. What about you? In addition to our original [-] troops, plus our attack The three thousand captives Shouchun surrendered had nothing, not even enough food and grass, but he let you stay alone in Lujiang County to fight against Yuan Shu's army."

"On the surface, it seems that Sun Ce trusted you and handed over Lujiang County to you, but if you think about it carefully, this is actually a trick to kill with a knife."

"If Yuan Shu wants to fight Jiangdong, he must first take Lujiang County to avoid being attacked by the enemy. We only have 6000 troops and [-] are prisoners. We can't beat Yuan Shu. You will either be defeated and die, or you will lose Lujiang County and go back to Jiangdong to accept the crime. Of course Sun Ce will not Because of this incident, you were killed, but based on your fault, Sun Ce can completely idle you and throw you aside. Can't you see Sun Ce's sinister intentions?"

Zhou Yu shook his hand at Lu Su, signaling him not to speak.

Lu Su snorted coldly, and continued: "Everyone in Yangzhou knows how Yuan Shu treated Sun Ce, but how did Sun Ce repay him? Do you think we can speak against Sun Ce with just a few words from the two of us? The reason why Sun Ce I want to invite you to Jiangdong because I want to use you and the reputation of your Zhou family in Yangzhou to save some face for his shameless betrayal of Yuan Shu. To him, you are indeed his brother, but he also used you As a tool, when you are of no use to him, you can imagine what will happen to you. Thinking about Yuan Shu's miserable situation today, you will know how ruthless Sun Ce is."

Zhou Yu showed anger, and his handsome face twitched violently a few times.

"What did Brother Bofu tell you?"

"Sun Ce wants you to join him in attacking Jiujiang County." Lu Su took out a roll of bamboo slips from his arms and handed it to Zhou Yu. "He said that this is the imperial edict of the emperor, and he asks you to obey his order."

"Attack Jiujiang County? Why?" Zhou Yu asked in amazement, "Aren't you courting death by beating Yuan Shu who is in a rage at this time?"

Lu Su smiled wryly, with mockery and disdain on his face, "Yuan Shu is Yuan Shu. He dared to do things that others dared not do. He re-established the imperial system in Shouchun. I heard that the new emperor is the grandfather of today's son, King Chen Liu Chong."

Zhou Yu was stunned for a moment, then slammed the bamboo slips in his hand to the ground, "Is Huangtong a joke? Yuan Gongtong has gone too far."

"Isn't Sun Ce too much?" Lu Su sneered, "Yuan Shu will build the imperial system again, and Cao Cao and Liu Bei will naturally attack him. At this time, he actually threatened you in the name of the emperor's decree and asked you to attack Yuan Shu. His intention is self-evident. .You are dead, who else has the strength to compete with him for Jiangdong?"

"Do I have the strength?" Zhou Yu said angrily, "Zijing, I trust Brother Bofu, don't be suspicious."

"Of course you have strength." Lu Su stared at Zhou Yu, "Now that you have occupied Lujiang County, as long as you take Yuzhang County, you can get Liu Yao and Ruo Rong's tens of thousands of troops, nearly a thousand warships, and more You can control the Yangtze River about [-] miles from Wuhu to Chaisang. With your strength, can't you still compete with Sun Ce and compete with him for Jiangdong?"

Zhou Yu frowned slightly, and asked anxiously, "Is there any news from Yuzhang County?"

"This is the main reason why Sun Ce is eager to trick you into attacking Yuan Shu." Lu Su took out another letter from his arms, "This is a message from a friend of mine from Yuzhang County. Ze Rong was defeated by Liu Yao is fleeing to the southern counties of Yuzhang County, and Pengze is now an empty city."

Zhou Yu snatched the letter from Lu Su's hand and read it carefully, the expression on his face became extremely serious.

"Taishi Ci is still in Lingyang?"

"Yes, Tai Shici's army is still in Danyang. With him in the east of Yuzhang County to help us block Sun Ce, we can easily defeat Liu Yao and Hua Xin, and take the whole territory of Yuzhang."

Lu Su looked at Zhou Yu and asked word by word, "Is Sun Ce really your brother?"

"But Sun Ce is now the governor of Yangzhou, and all counties and counties in Yangzhou are under his command."

"According to what you say, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Liu Bei should be Cao Cao's subordinates." Lu Su stroked his beard and smiled, "In today's world, if you want to survive, you need strength. If you don't have strength, you have to die."

Zhou Yu gritted her teeth and slammed her fist on the table, "I'll cross the river immediately and kill Peng Ze."

Lu Su waved his hand excitedly, "Okay, I'll help you defend Lujiang County."

"How many people do you want?"

"Yuan Shu can't take care of himself, how can he have the energy to take care of Lujiang?" Lu Su stretched out a hand, "500 people are enough."

=

In April, Chang'an.

The camp of the Western Frontier Army.

Pound strode into the prison tent.With disheveled hair, Ma Chao sat on the ground like a madman.Long iron chains bound Ma Chao's hands and feet, making it impossible for him to move an inch.

Seeing Pound, Ma Chao shot a fiery look in his eyes, "Pang Dao, come and save me..."

Looking at Ma Chao's embarrassed appearance, Pang De felt sore and did not speak for a long time.

A few days ago, Ma Chao led his troops out of the barracks to attack Du Ling without authorization. Although he killed him happily for a while, he was arrested by Han Sui after he came back.Ma Chao's army was also disarmed and trapped in the camp.

Ma Chao suddenly realized something, with a look of despair on his face, "Are you leaving?"

Pound nodded, and sat next to Ma Chao. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't speak.Before leaving, he begged Han Sui to let Ma Chao go.Han Sui agreed, but he asked Pang De to take Ma Chao away, otherwise, he would keep Ma Chao in prison until the army defeated Yuan Shao.

"Why did you leave? Is it because my father once fought bloody battles with Li Hong in Xijiang? Is it because my father attacked the Northern Army in Guanzhong? Is it because my father attacked Jizhou? Is it..." Ma Chao stared With big blood red eyes, he roared loudly, "Tell me, why are you leaving? Sir, he didn't hit Chang'an to avenge my father, he did it for Guanzhong. If you leave, he might kill me, maybe Will send me to Yuan Shao."

"Meng Qi, calm down." Pound shook his head and advised in a low voice.Ma Chao has been blinded by hatred, and his reason has been burned by anger. It is useless to say anything at this time.

"I beg you, please help me..." Ma Chao wanted to kneel down, but his legs were bound and he fell on the ground powerlessly, "Pang Dao, please save me, get me out, I want revenge , I want revenge..."

When Pang De saw Ma Chao curled up on the ground in pain and misery, his eyes became hot, and tears almost rolled out.

Pound helped Ma Chao up and let him sit on the ground, "Would you like to go to northern Xinjiang with me?"

"I'm not going, I'm not going, I'm not going anywhere..." Ma Ultrasound screamed, "I want to stay in Chang'an, I want revenge..."

"Meng Qi, how do you take revenge like this?" Pang De said helplessly, "Revenge requires strength and timing. If you take revenge like this, what revenge can you take besides death?"

"Strength? Strength?" Ma Chao was like a scarred wild wolf, howling and screaming, "Strength, I want strength."

"Meng Qi, come with me." Pang De put his arms around his shoulders, "When you reach the northern border, you will have strength and opportunities, otherwise, you will never be able to avenge this bloody revenge."

"No, I won't go, I won't go..." Ma Chao shook his head again and again, "Pang Dao, I beg you, go and beg Mr. for me, I will obey him, I will obey him in everything, I will not fight with him Do it right, and I won't do it again."

=

Pound left, he sent Ma Chao to his barracks, and then left Chang'an with the army.

When he looked back at the camp of the Western Frontier Army with banners and flags unfurling, a flash of fear suddenly flashed through his heart.

Can the master take down Guanzhong as he wishes?
=

In Chang'an City, Guanzhong Xingyuan.

Yuan Shao put down the document in his hand, and looked down at the map on the table.

The letter from Jushou explained in detail that Yuan Shu forcibly re-established the reunification of the emperor despite dissuasion.Yuan Shu's purpose is very simple, vowing to drag Yuan Shao together to fight against Cao Cao and Liu Bei.In fact, under the current circumstances, even if Yuan Shu did not reestablish the imperial system, Cao Cao and Liu Bei would still fight Yuan Shu.One of them wants to take back the two Jiangbei counties in Yangzhou, and the other wants to take back their own Xiapi County. It is impossible not to fight this battle.

Originally, this was the best opportunity to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and take the opportunity to win the Central Plains. However, because the battle in Guanzhong was tense and Hanoi was eager to start the war, Cao Cao and Liu Bei were confident, but Luoyang was helpless.

Hebei will pay attention to the Guanzhong battlefield this year, and will also go to Liaodong to suppress the rebellion and stabilize northern Xinjiang. Therefore, it is unlikely that the northern Xinjiang army will launch an offensive in Hanoi again.Jushou suggested to suspend the war in Hanoi, and send some of Hanoi's troops to the south to join with the remaining Yuzhou army, so that when Cao Cao and Liu Bei fought fiercely with Yuan Shu in the Huai River area, they could threaten the Central Plains and wait for an opportunity to take the Central Plains.

To achieve this goal, the Guanzhong battlefield must decide the outcome as soon as possible and drive Han Sui out of Guanzhong.Luoyang does not have the strength to fight on two battlefields at the same time.

"Determine the outcome as soon as possible?" Yuan Shao shook his head with a wry smile, "Tell me, how can we force Han Sui to fight us?"

Xu You, Tian Feng, Feng Ji, Xin Ping and other staff members looked at each other speechlessly.

In order to force Han Sui to fight decisively, he tried his best, but Han Sui insisted on defending the two cities of Feng and Hao and would never fight.

"Stopping the war in Hanoi, the northern army in Hedong will not attack Guanxi, so we can ensure the unimpeded flow of food roads." Yuan Shao said, "However, the stalemate in the war situation is very unfavorable to us. In my opinion, are we Considering withdrawing from Chang'an, leading Han Sui to Baling and Xinfeng to destroy him?"

Tian Feng strongly opposed it.There are many iron cavalry in the Western Frontier Army. Once the army retreats, the iron cavalry will take the opportunity to pursue them, and the army may be defeated.

"It's better to use alienation. Han Sui has patience, and so do we. Whoever can endure until the end does not make mistakes will win." Tian Feng said, "Recently, we have sent people to see Han Sui every now and then, and every time we bring Pay attention to courtesy. Han Sui is really poor and frightened, and he will not refuse anyone who comes, and he will accept gifts. If this continues, Ma Chao and some generals in the western border will definitely feel resentful towards Han Sui, and sooner or later something will happen."

"How is the matter of buying the generals of Xijiang going?" Yuan Shao asked.

"A lot of people have accepted our gifts." Tian Feng said with a smile, "Yang Qiu, Cheng Yi, and Li Kan, the leaders of Xijiang, were delighted when they saw money. I heard that Liang Xing told the gift givers that Xijiang is rare to see." When it comes to beautiful women, it means..."

"Then send it to them, and some to Han Sui." Yuan Shao waved his hand indifferently.

"In my opinion, Hebei may not want to see Han Sui occupy Guanzhong." Xu You said, "I heard that Pang De has left."

"The news is reliable?" Yuan Shao asked in surprise.

"Reliable, it was leaked by one of Han Sui's staff. The people in Xijiang are too poor, and they can buy any news with money." Xu You smiled contemptuously, "For Hebei, Han Sui's strength is still limited. Well, this way Hebei can control Han Sui, and he can encourage him to send troops to threaten Guanzhong. This trick is very effective for us. But once Han Sui takes Guanzhong, things will be different. Han Sui has strength and can join forces with us to fight Hebei. Hedong is in jeopardy, and Hebei is in trouble."

"If Han Sui is willing to negotiate peace with us, that would be great?" Yuan Shao sighed, "Xijiang is the gateway to Guanzhong, and we really need Han Sui to sit in Xijiang. The reason why Fufeng County was given to Ma Teng was to let Han Sui Did you stay in Xijiang?"

"We still have a chance to meet and make peace." Tian Feng said calmly, "If Han Sui loses with us, Guanzhong may be handed over to Hebei, and Western Xinjiang will not be guaranteed, so neither we nor Han Sui are willing to lose It's terrible. This battle is all about patience."

"I believe that Ma Chao, who has lost his mind, will eventually explode one day."

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(End of this chapter)