Survival Three Kingdoms

Chapter 48
Now Zhou Cang deeply felt what it was like to wish for wings.After Dong Zhuo left, everyone thought over and over in the tent and didn't have any good ideas. Hu Zhen strongly supported Xu Rong, and this may be the only time for him.If there is no reason to argue, all the generals will disperse.

Thinking about the solution alone is not enough, so Zhou Cang asked Niu Fu, Dong Zhuo's son-in-law, to look around the terrain. At this time, he was surrounded on three sides, and the camp stretched across.Several groups of Qiang sentry cavalry were spying on Dong Zhuo's camp, and every move of the army could not escape their eyes.

"Oh, the enemy army is gathering more and more, if you don't come up with an idea as soon as possible, you won't be able to leave if you want to." Niu Fu sighed.

The enemy camp couldn't find any openings, so Zhou Cang dragged Niu Fu to the side of the small river. The river was neither wide nor urgent, and could be more than ten feet long. Zhou Cang racked his brains to recall the battles he knew, but he couldn't find a good way.

After going back and forth by the river a few times, Zhou Cang slapped his cheek with the cold river water, and suddenly had an idea.

"General Niu, I have an idea."

"Ah?" Niu Fu hadn't reacted yet, "Do you have an idea?"

"Really, I just don't know whether it will be successful or not. You and I will go to see the adults and ask the adults to decide."

"Okay, but when the time comes..."

"When the time comes, I'll say it was the two of us discussing by the river, and finally came up with the idea together."

"Hehehe."

Dong Zhuo was sitting there in a daze.

"My lord Yuezhang, Zhou Weiguo and I were checking by the river, and we came up with a solution, so I came here to report to you."

"Huh? Tell me." Dong Zhuo didn't have much confidence in his son-in-law.

"Wei Guo, tell me, even if you tell us what we think, Lord Yue Zhang won't blame you."

Zhou Cang offered a suggestion: order the soldiers to build a high dam in the river to cut off the upstream water, and then send people to catch fish and shrimp in the dam to fill the army rations.

Dong Zhuo’s actions were quickly overheard by the other party, and the Qiang people were baffled by the news sent back by Qiang cavalry reconnaissance. Eat for a few days. Don’t worry about him, continue to besiege and not attack, trap Dong Zhuo to death, and we will eliminate him when there is chaos in his army. Keep an eye on him and report at any time.”

Therefore, the Qiang people relaxed their vigilance.Seeing that the Qiang people did not move, at dawn two days later, Dong Zhuo led his army to retreat quietly. After crossing the river, only a small group of troops were left to dig the upper dam to release the water, and the water surged.

No matter how secretive Dong Zhuo's actions were, he was discovered by Qiang cavalry, and they immediately reported back to the leader who had just woken up. "Hahaha, I knew they were running out of food, so I woke up all the sons, eat quickly, and follow me in pursuit."

The Qiang and Hu people came to Dong Zhuo's camp in groups, and the camp was quiet except for a few soldiers dozing off privately against the camp gate. "This is an empty camp, and these pawns are also fake, rush in."

Sure enough, there were only a few scarecrows in armor at the door. "If they can't run far, they will send an order across the river to pursue them, and they will not accept the army until they annihilate Dong Zhuo."

However, when they came to the river, the Qianghu people were dumbfounded: the small river in their memory suddenly became deep and urgent, making it impossible to cross the river.The leader of the Qiang people scolded Dong Zhuo for being cunning.

When the flood passed, half a day had passed, and when they tried to pursue them again, Dong Zhuo's army disappeared without a trace. The Qiang people were afraid of being ambushed and stopped chasing them.

"General Niu, it's a great plan. It won't hurt a single soldier and save the army from retreating." Hu Zhen boasted of Niu Fu.

"You're welcome, you're welcome. I'm also sharing my worries for Mr. Yuezhang, and I'm quick to gain wisdom." Niu Fu said very self-effacingly and a little proudly.

"Going back this time, the general has made a great contribution, and the general will be promoted soon."

"Hahaha, it's all thanks to everyone, and we have to drink together."

Niu Fu's reputation rapidly increased in Dong Zhuo's army. Except for Xu Rong who still didn't talk much, everyone else was making friends with Niu Fu.Judging from this posture, Niu Fu is expected to become the second in command in the army. Dong Zhuo saw it, and kept his face calm.

"Wei Guo helped me this time, and he will definitely reward me generously when I go back." Niu Fu whispered to Zhou Cang.

"General Niu is out, and he is doing things for the imperial court. It is Zhou Cang's honor to work with General Niu. I will ask the general for more guidance in the future." Zhou Cang dare not take credit, let alone be proud.

"It's easy to say, easy to say. Although we Xiliang people don't read many books, the most important thing is loyalty..."

The two armies fell into a confrontation again.In the confrontation stage, it depends on who is patient and does not make mistakes; who is more stable in the rear and cannot afford internal disputes; who has a richer background and can persist longer.Zhou Cang said goodbye to Dong Zhuo and returned to the base camp. Dong Zhuo didn't know whether he wanted to recommend Zhou Cang out of gratitude or to win over Zhou Cang. Zhou Cang expressed his gratitude ambiguously.

After returning to Chang'an, Zhou Cang was taken aback by the news, and was so anxious that he wanted to grab the wall: it turned out that after Dong Zhuo and Zhou Shen went to pursue the victory ahead, Zhang Wen entertained the officials to celebrate, and Tao Qian made another mistake. During the toast, Zhang Wen was finally annoyed by some irrelevant remarks, and Tao Qian was sent to guard the border.Zhou Cang stomped his feet, not knowing what to say about Tao Qian.

After thinking about it, Zhou Cang begged to see Zhang Wen, and persuaded Zhang Wen: "My lord treats Mr. Tao well because he values ​​his talent, but because Mr. Tao said inappropriate things while drunk, he will not forgive him for giving him the barren land." , I am afraid that you have lost your reputation of generosity, and you will disappoint people of insight. It is better to call him back and let go of the past, and your virtue will definitely be transmitted." Zhang Wen thought it made sense, and asked Zhou Cang went to chase Tao Qian back.

Zhou Cang immediately went after Tao Qian again, and said to Tao Qian, "My lord, Mr. Zhang is the third prince of the court. He was appointed by the emperor. He is also your superior no matter what. You can't easily offend him. When he recalls you, you should be humble." One point, thank you, and let this matter go." Tao Qian promised yes, yes.Zhou Cang went back to see Zhang Wen again, "Master Tao knows he was wrong, he will come to apologize to you, you can meet him then."

Zhang Wen was waiting for Tao Qian to admit his mistake in the mansion. Tao Qian came, but he said in front of the door: "I am dedicated to the public, and I thank the court." Zhou Cang almost vomited blood after hearing this, but Zhang Wen laughed. Laughing: "This is Tao Gongzu, this problem can't be changed." He set up a banquet to entertain Tao Qian, and treated Tao Qian as before.Zhou Cang's heart was bleeding, my brother really broke his heart, his feet were worn out, and his legs were broken when he ran, why did this happen.Through this incident, it was a wake-up call to Zhou Cang: never take it for granted, and never use your own logic to judge the thinking of those bureaucrats and literati.

After a while, Dong Zhuo sent Niu Fu to report the situation ahead to Zhang Wen, and especially praised Zhou Cang for his bravery in battle, and his achievements in battle. The credit for opening the embankment to cover the escape of the brigade was left to Zhou Cang, but Zhou Cang didn't tell the difference.

(End of this chapter)