Where did he know that he had been calculated by Wang Ling. Soon after Yuan Tan withdrew from the army, news about Cai Ji's escape from the predicament and Pang Tong's arrival for help reached Pingcheng. After hearing the news, he hurriedly sent men to get in touch with Pang Tong, and the response he received was that Pang Tong's vanguard would arrive in the city at noon the next day.

In this way, the day after the siege of Pingcheng was lifted, he led the civil and military bureaucrats in the city out of the city to meet Pang Tong's department as promised. However, the flags that finally appeared on the horizon were not the familiar "Cai" flags, but the "Cao" flags that were blowing in the wind. Realizing that the situation had changed, he immediately wanted to order the whole army to fight, but was blocked by a hand.

Seeing Wang Ling pulling the sleeve of the move, he urged calmly, "The king has arrived, and the general has not stepped forward to greet him." ”

Zhao was stunned for a moment, and then looked back at the civil and military forces around him. Due to the pursuit of Yuan Tan before the performance of the rear, he led away a large number of elites of the Qi army, and now there are only 2,000 defenders left in Pingcheng City. Not to mention, most of the people present were just as unprepared for the mutation in front of them. Fighting, apparently, has no chance of winning. If you don't fight, how can you stop Cao's army from entering the city.

Just when Zhaozhao's face was cloudy, Wang Ling stepped forward in time to persuade him, "Cao Cai has an alliance of in-laws, and the general welcomes the imperial court and the prince into the city, how can the Marquis of Qi embarrass the general." ”

Wang Ling's words made his heart move, and the ups and downs of the past few months passed through his mind one by one like a picture. The wolf bèi under the rumbling cannon, the shock when he first saw Cai Ji, and the forbearance when facing Koji...... So after a while, the general, who had only been attached to the Qi camp for more than four months, finally moved the reins as if he had made up his mind and went up to meet the Cao army in front.

Wang Ling was secretly happy in his heart when he saw this, and immediately followed with a horse. After a while, he and Zhao Zhao came to Zhong Xuan. saw Zhao turn over and get off the horse, and knelt silently on one knee in front of Zhong Xuan. And Zhong Xuan hurriedly stepped forward and helped him up. patted him on the shoulder and praised, "The general is really a loyal minister of Han." "Yiqiē is so logical, as if he has come to greet Cao Jun from the beginning.

The first day of the fifth month of the eighth year of Jian'an. The general of the Qi army and Wang Ling, the Taishou of Yanmen, welcomed the lieutenant Zhong Xuan into Pingcheng. When the news reached Qiying, Pang Tong was eating. When he learned that Zhong Xuan had taken Pingcheng under his nose, the angry Pang Tong couldn't care about the vegetable soup that had been knocked over on his body, and directly rushed out of the military tent and grabbed the little colonel who reported the news and asked sharply, "Koji Yan!" Where are the koji actors! How could he let Zhong Yuan often enter the city! ”

Facing Pang Tong, whose eyes were red with anger, the newspaper colonel hurriedly stammered and explained, "Koji...... Shogun Koji is leading ...... Led the troops to pursue Yuan Tan's troops. ”

"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Although he burst into foul mouths three times in a row, Pang Tong was still not burned by anger. After calming down a little, he hurriedly gathered a cadre general to discuss how to deal with it.

Speaking of which, the meeting is also one of the major features of Qiying. In the beginning, according to the habit of the previous life, Cai Ji would convene a meeting of his civil and military retainers to discuss countermeasures when he encountered important matters. Attendees regardless of their official position. No matter how old or young, you can speak your mind at the meeting. But once the meeting has come to a conclusion, all of them must act strictly in accordance with military orders, and must not act privately or deliberately hold back. Over time, this habit became a common practice in the camp. This time, however, the generals, after an initial wave of indignation, did not speak as freely as usual. Instead, there was a quick silence.

In fact, it is no wonder that Zhongqi will have such a reaction. The first to besiege Pingcheng were Yuan Tan and Bu Dugen. After the first battle of Guandu, Yuan Tan had already become a spurned incompetent, and everyone naturally did not take him to heart. As for Budugen and other Xianbei people, they are also a rabble in the eyes of the generals. But if the opponent is replaced by Zhong Xuan, it will be a different matter. Zhong Xuan's prestige and record are undoubtedly far superior to the first two. Cao's current strength in Bingzhou is also twice as large as the Qi army. Not to mention, Zhong Xuan has taken the opportunity to take Pingcheng, so he has a high wall as a barrier. With the little soldiers and horses that Pang Tong is now commanding, it is really impossible to recapture Pingcheng from Zhong Xuan.

Therefore, after a long time, the cavalry governor Xian Yuyin finally couldn't help but break the silence and said, "Don't drive, according to the last general, it seems that we should still meet with the lord and then send troops to Pingcheng." ”

The construction of fresh silver won the unanimous support of everyone present. But Pang Tong was still frowning and silent. Seeing this, Deng Zhan, the captain on the side, leaned over and hugged his fists and raised yì to him. "Don't drive. Zhong Yuan will always set up a banquet to win over the generals of Pingcheng, and Zhan can sneak into the city at night to take his head. ”

Deng Zhan studied martial arts, was good at using various weapons, and was also able to enter the white blade empty-handed. As soon as he said this, a fierce killing intent suddenly flashed in Pang Tong's eyes. Indeed, no matter how resourceful and brave Zhong Xuan is, he is essentially only a fifty-two-year-old scholar after all. Once Deng Zhan's assassination of Zhong Xuan was successful. Cao's army will surely fall into the chaos of the dragons without a leader. When the time comes, don't say that Pingcheng will be recaptured, and the situation in the entire state will also change dramatically with Zhong Xuan's sudden death.

Pang Tong is a person who doesn't care about means. After going north, he was under the connivance of Cai Ji and the edification of Guo Jia and Jia Xu. This little Mr. Feng Xiao completely left Wen Lianggong behind and thrived all the way in the direction of the poisoner. Deng Zhan's construction undoubtedly scratched Pang Tong's itch. But just as he was secretly thinking about how to put this plan into practice, a familiar voice came from outside the military tent.

"If you really take off the head of Yuanchang, I am afraid that the world will roll people's heads again." I don't know when Jia Xu, a certain lord of the Qi camp, has already stood in front of everyone.

Jia Xu, who was supposed to be cultivating in Jicheng, suddenly appeared on the front line of Bingzhou, which obviously greatly surprised everyone. Pang Tong hurriedly got up to greet him, "Why is Mr. here?" ”

Jia Xu walked straight through the big tent and looked around at the crowd, before he replied loudly, "It's a matter of the survival of Qi Ying, how can the old man not come." ”

In other words, Jia Xu has been paying attention to the situation in Bingzhou during his recuperation in Jicheng. He knew very well that Zhong Xuan had taken advantage of Cai Ji's trap to encroach on Qiying's large territory, and he also knew that Yi Pangtong's temper would not give up. If Cai Ji had already torn his face with Cao Cao and declared war at this time, then Jia Xu would not care what means Pang Tong used to deal with Zhong Xuan. However, the current Cao Cai still maintains a superficial alliance relationship, and the internal Qi camp is full of unknown variables due to Cai Ji's previous distress. In this case, if he rashly turned his face and started a war with Cao Cao. Not only is the odds of winning extremely low, but a little carelessness may completely bury Cai Ji's long-term business. Therefore, when he received Lin Feifei's message and learned that Cai Ji was safe, Jia Xu immediately took his cronies and entourage all the way north to pursue Pang Tong. lest they make irreparable mistakes because of a single thought.

What a character Pang Tong is. Jia Xu's words had only just begun, and he realized the problem. Indeed, once he succeeded in assassinating Zhong Xuan and recapturing Pingcheng, Cai Ji and Cao Cao would inevitably turn their faces and start a war because of this. As the saying goes, pull a hair and move the whole body. Even if Pang Tong has always opposed the so-called Cao Cai Alliance, he does not dare to guarantee that the current Qi camp is ready for an all-out war with Cao Cao. Not to mention that this kind of decision, which is related to the life and death of Qi Ying, can only be made by Cai Ji, who is the master.

There is a cloud in the art of war, and the Lord cannot raise an army in anger, and he will not be discouraged and lead to war. Pang Tong, who calmed down, immediately took a deep breath and solemnly clasped his fists at Jia Xu and said, "Mr. is reasonable. The stakes are important, and the changes in the city need to be decided by the Lord. ”

In fact, Jia Xu was not the only one who didn't want the Cao Cai family to start a full-scale war immediately. At this moment, Zhong Xuan, who was in Pingcheng, was writing in his own line. Wang Ling, who came to visit, couldn't help but ask curiously when he saw this. "Zhong Gong is showing his merit to the prime minister?"

Zhong Miao put down the brush in his hand, shook his head and smiled, "No, the old man is explaining to Qi Hou the hardships of entering the city." ”

Wang Ling, who didn't expect Zhong Xuan to answer like this, suddenly changed his face. You must know that Wang Ling's visit was to discuss with Zhong Xuan how to deal with the next counterattack of the Qi army. After all, Pang Shiyuan is close at hand. If Zhong Xuan can't hold the city. Or simply return Pingcheng to Cai Ji, then he Wang Ling is not a villain.

Seeing Wang Ling standing in place awkwardly with an expression of wanting to speak and stopping, Zhong Miao happily got up and patted Wang Ling on the shoulder, and explained with a pleasant face, "It will take some time for the prime minister to transfer troops from Jingzhou to the north, so the old man first appeases Cai Anzhen and makes him not an enemy of the imperial court. ”

Zhong Xuan's words can be described as half-truths and half-truths. It's really Cao Cao who really has the heart to unify Hebei. But before that, Cao Cao had to deal with Liu Bei and Sun Ce, who were entrenched in the south. Therefore, the "it will take some time" in Zhong Xuan's mouth may be a month or two. Or maybe a year or two.

In fact, Zhong Xuan, who was born in a famous family in the Central Plains, always believed that Cao Cao should take the Central Plains first, and then set Hebei. In the end, it was to leap south and sweep the four states of Jing, Yang, Yi and Jiao. The outside world calls this strategy the "Central Plains Theory". At present, among Cao Ying, there are also advisers such as Sima Lang, Jia Kui, and Yang Xiu who adhere to the "Central Plains Theory" like Zhong Xuan. It's a pity that the battle of Guandu that year made Cao Cao have to pinch his nose and accept Cao Cai's marriage. And now Cao Cao has another group of Jingzhou strategists around him. It is said that these people were mainly newly attached Jingzhou bureaucrats, each of whom was good at flattery, and had always instigated Cao Cao to attack Liu Bei in the south and Sun Ce in the east. So much so that he missed the great opportunity for Cai Ji to be trapped in western Liaoning. Fortunately, Yuan Tan's invasion gave Zhong Tan enough excuses to "pursue" Yuan Tan under the banner of crusading against the traitors, and encroaching on Cai Ji's territory in Bingzhou on the other. It's just that this matter has to be taken step by step, and we can't rush it.

Wang Ling, who had just taken refuge in Cao Ying, knew the reason. After listening to Zhong Xuan's explanation at this moment, Wang Ling's face, who was secretly relieved in his heart, finally eased. But after thinking about it, he felt that Zhong Xuan's method of appeasing Cai Ji was like covering his ears and stealing the bell. After all, what they took away from Cai Ji this time was Pingcheng, an important town in Bingzhou, and how could they calm the anger of the whole camp with just a letter. Thinking of this, Wang Ling asked Zhong Xuan worriedly, "Cai Anzhen really knows how to throw a mouse bogey?" ”

"Yes." Zhong Xuan nodded in a determined tone. His self-confidence is not to fool Wang Ling, but from years of observation and analysis of Cai Ji. You must know that Cai Ji, as the only female prince in this era, her various achievements and political achievements have always been the focus of analysis and attention of all forces. Zhong Xuan, as Cao Ying's important minister, will naturally be no exception.

Unlike those mediocre people who often myth that Cai Ji has witchcraft, or simply belittle her as a "Israelite courtier", in Zhong Xuan's view, Cai Ji is proficient in government affairs, and can govern Qingzhou and other coastal border counties into the granaries of the Central Plains in just a few years, which is really a self-taught talent. But in military affairs, the appearance of this female prince can only be regarded as decent at best, and it can even be said to be unsatisfactory. The reason why Cai Ji has been able to achieve such brilliant results over the years is due to the abundance of talents under her account, and secondly, because she is good at management, so that every time she goes out to fight, the military resources and troops of the Qi army are higher than those of her opponents. From the eastward expedition to Lu Bu to the later northward extermination of Yuan, this is not the case. It can be seen that Cai Ji will only take the initiative to attack when his strength is stronger than his opponent. Otherwise, she would wait quietly like a pit viper dormant in the grass.

For now, Cai Ji's strength has not overshadowed Cao Cao, and after the previous siege of the White Wolf, Cai Ji's prestige and morale have been frustrated one after another, and the internal Qi camp is not stable. Zhong Xuan judged from this that as long as he handled it properly, Cai Ji would not take the initiative to start a war with Cao Cao for a mere flat city. And when Cai Ji had accumulated enough strength, Cao Cao should have already taken the two states of Jingyang and even the entire Guanzhong. In this case, the strength of the Cao army is still higher than that of the Qi army, and Cao Cao has the Son of Heaven in his hands to occupy the righteousness of the world. Cai Ji's final fate was either to be defeated by Cao's army, or to be pressured to sacrifice his territory and army to the imperial court in order to protect himself.

Therefore, seeing that Wang Ling was still tightly knit and looked uneasy, Zhong Xuan analyzed unhurriedly with both hands behind his back, "Cai Anzhen has always acted before acting. However, the first battle in Liaoxi greatly damaged his vitality, and he did not dare to take the initiative to provoke the imperial court. ”

Although Wang Ling has not been in contact with Cai Ji for a long time, he still has some knowledge of this female prince's personality and way of doing things. At this moment, after listening to Zhong Xuan's analysis and thinking about Cai Ji's actions, Wang Ling also had to admit that Zhong Xuan's inference was very accurate. At the same time, the boulder hanging in his heart also fell to the ground.

Seeing that Wang Ling was appeased, Zhong Xuan returned to the bookcase, and took up the pen to leave the handwriting of the dancing crane on the white Donglai paper. It is said that this kind of paper produced in Donglai was created by Cai Ji, and its special effect of collecting water and halo ink has always been praised by Zhong Xuan. If there is fate, Zhong Miao hopes to ask Cai Anzhen for the process of paper-making in person, but that day must be Cao Gong's vomiting, and the world will return to his heart. Because what the common people need is continuous stability and peace, not a fleeting genius like a meteor. (To be continued......)