Lin Nan stopped his subordinates, looked at them fixedly, and asked, "Who are you?" ”

"Xingyang Taishou, former general Xu Rong, have been waiting for General Lin here for a long time!"

Lin Nan's face was stunned and asked, "Do you know I'm coming?" ”

Xu Rong laughed and said, "General Lin, please don't pursue further, take another step forward, don't blame me for being unkind." ”

Lin Nan was very puzzled in his heart, he was thinking about what was going on, since Xu Rong could wait here, it meant that the enemy knew that Li Dao would be defeated, and he also knew that he would pursue, but he took the initiative to abandon Bishui Pass, and did not set up ambushes to ambush, but stood there blatantly. He couldn't figure it out, so he asked, "General Xu, there is something unclear below, and I want to ask one or two." ”

Xu Rong said with a smile: "You don't need to ask, Mr. Li said, in order to thank you for killing Li Dao, this Bishui Pass will be given to General Lin, if you want to attack Luoyang, gather all the soldiers and horses of your coalition army to fight to the death at Tiger Prison Pass, and leave here!" ”

Xu Rong's soldiers and horses began to retreat slowly, covering the Xiliang rout army that had retreated from the defeat of Bishui Pass, heading westward, and gradually disappeared into the night.

Under the moonlit night, Lin Nan stood on that flat ground, his mind still thinking about what Xu Rong said.

"Lord, what did Xu Rong mean by what he said just now?" Zhao Yun was also very puzzled, he fought desperately, but he was said to be giving it away.

Lin Nan pondered for a while, and said slowly: "Mr. Li in Xu Rong's mouth should be Li Ru, Li Tie once told me that Li Dao and Li Ru are not in harmony, it seems that this is true." is a good plan to kill people with a knife, Li Ru used it really ingeniously, not only borrowed our hands to kill Li Dao, but also got cheap and behaved. Li Ru is really not to be underestimated. ”

Zhao Yun seemed to understand a little, according to the original troop setup brought back by Li Tie, it should be 50,000 soldiers ambushed in that dense forest, and Li Ru led 10,000 people to guard Bishui Pass. But when the battle began, only 30,000 people actually participated in the battle, and the remaining 20,000 troops disappeared out of thin air. And Bishui Pass suddenly became an empty city. He asked lightly, "Lord, what should we do now?" ”

"Go back to Bishui Pass, since it was sent by the enemy, then don't do it in vain, temporarily straighten out the soldiers and horses, and wait for Cao Cao's army to arrive, and then discuss how to attack the Tiger Pass."

"No!" Zhao Yun turned his horse's head and shouted to the soldiers behind him, "Go back to Bishui Pass." Fall back! ”

When he returned to Bishui Pass, Lin Nan let the soldiers rest well, and he walked to the east gate of Bishui Pass, went up to the city wall, and said to Hua Xiong stationed at the pass: "Is Tai Shici here?" ”

"Lord Qiqi, Tai Shici has not come back for the time being." Huaxiong Road.

Lin Nan was a little worried, and hurriedly said, "Strange, from the place of the battle." The distance to this section of Bishui Pass is only ten miles, according to the speed of Tai Shici's march. This time should have arrived. Don't...... Could it be that those Xiliang infantry counterattacked and surrounded Tai Shici? ”

Hua Xiong said comfortingly: "My lord, Tai Shi Ci is brave and good at fighting, and the 1,000 cavalry under his command is enough to deal with 10,000 infantry, besides, the infantry he pursues is only more than 3,000 people." Moreover, Sun Jian's army is still following behind, and this will not happen, please rest assured. ”

Lin Nan nodded slightly, but he was still relieved, and said to Hua Xiong: "You take two hundred people with me." Let Zhao Yun garrison Bishui Pass, let's go and see what it is. ”

Putting on his horse again, he swam the dragon spear, and together with Hua Xiong, he quickly drove out of Bishui Pass with two hundred cavalry and ran eastward.

At this time, the sky is already dawning, and the next morning is about to usher.

Lin Nan and the others ran forward for less than three miles, and saw that on the edge of the official road, Tai Shici was directing his soldiers to behead the unarmed Xiliang soldiers. When he was about to get closer, Lin Nan suddenly saw many corpses piled up in a dry ditch on the side of the road, blood staining the land red, and human heads piled up on the corpses.

"Tai Shi Ci! What are you doing? Lin Nan rode his horse and whipped, galloped quickly to Tai Shici's side, jumped off the horse, thrust the dragon spear in his hand into the ground, and shouted angrily.

On the edge of the ditch, a group of soldiers pushed a row of Xiliang soldiers to kneel on the ground, raised the saber in their hand, and cut off all the heads of a row of people when the knife fell. Thirty heads rolled off and fell into a dry ditch, blood gushing from the headless body, and finally the beheaded corpse was kicked into the ditch by the beheaded soldiers.

Tai Shi Ci was watching the decapitation on the side, when he suddenly heard a shout from behind, and when he turned around, he saw that Lin Nan had come to his side, so he arched his hand and said, "Lord, why are you here?" ”

Lin Nan saw that thirty more Xiliang soldiers were brought over, and they were pressed to their knees in the same way, and the soldier who performed the beheading was just about to raise his knife, so he shouted loudly: "Stop-"

Unfortunately, before the sound reached the soldier's ears, the knife in the soldier's hand was cut down, and thirty more heads fell to the ground.

Lin Nan looked at the Xiliang soldiers who were surrounded by soldiers on the side, and saw that there were about sixty people left, so he said to Tai Shici: "Ziyi! What are you doing here? Why kill captives? ”

Tai Shi Ci said eloquently: "Lord Qiqi, these people refuse to surrender, and it is a waste of food to keep them, it is better to kill them, and they are all Qiang people, killing them is equivalent to avenging the Han people who were killed by the Qiang people." ”

Lin Nan suddenly remembered that Tai Shi Ci had a habit of killing prisoners, when he attacked Xuanxuan County, Tai Shi Ci killed many prisoners, but killing prisoners was indeed not a glorious thing, and he didn't want Tai Shi Ci to continue this bad habit in the future. Therefore, he grabbed Tai Shici's hand and walked in front of the remaining dozens of Qiang people, and he could clearly see the anger in the eyes of those dozens of Qiang people. immediately said to Tai Shici: "Look at them, I don't know how much I hate you in my heart now?" Even if they don't surrender, you don't need to kill them all, do you? ”

"You dog thief! We all surrendered, and this executioner killed us indiscriminately along with those who did not surrender, and even if I died, I would not let you dog thieves go. Dog thief! An angry Qiang scolded loudly.

When Lin Nan heard the Qiang man's scolding, he was even more shocked in his heart, so he asked again, "Ziyi." You killed even those who surrendered? ”

Tai Shi Ci was very frank, nodded, and said loudly: "I killed their clansmen who did not surrender, these Qiang people who surrendered are just afraid of our army, not really surrender at all, and will definitely avenge their dead clansmen in the future." I'm killing them now. It's also equivalent to solving the troubles, what's wrong? ”

"Dog thief! We are the first to be Lingqiang, they are white horses, not a people at all! The Qiang man, who was extremely angry, scolded again.

"What is the first zero Qiang, white horse Qiang, I can't control so much, as long as you are Qiang, you must be killed. Whoever let you cause trouble in Liangzhou and poison our Han people before, now they are all following Dong Lao Thief to trouble the Central Plains. I'm too a manly man. You foreigners will never be allowed to bully us Han Chinese. If you hate me, hate me, but when you're dead, you won't be able to hate me. If I attack Liangzhou in the future, see if I don't slaughter all your Qiang people! ”

When Lin Nan heard this, his face was stunned, he didn't expect Tai Shici's killing intent to be so big, which reminded him of the famous future who also liked to kill prisoners in history. The founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty often met spring. is also a general who likes to kill prisoners, and his approach is almost no different from the current Tai Shici. He sighed. Shaking his head, he said to the captives: "It is not in vain that you can die in the hands of Tai Shi Ci, I originally planned to let you go, but unfortunately you have seen things that you should not see, and Tai Shi Ci's actions have also ignited the anger in your hearts, and it is estimated that you will be my enemy for the rest of your life." In order that there will be no trouble later. Be generous and righteous. ”

"Dog thief! We won't let you go if you're dead! A group of Qiang people scolded.

Tai Shici's face was overjoyed, and seeing that Lin Nan did not blame him for killing these people, he immediately said to his subordinates: "Pull it over and behead them all!" ”

With two collective swords, all sixty remaining captives were beheaded.

Lin Nan glanced at the hundreds of corpses lying under the ditch. sighed, and said to Tai Shici: "This time, forget it, if you dare to kill the prisoners in the future, I will definitely ask you to feed me the horses!" ”

Tai Shi Ci smiled, showed a silly face, straightened the steel helmet on his head, and said to Lin Nan: "No! Subordinates keep in mind! ”

"Only so many captives? Isn't there more than 3,000 Xiliang infantry? Lin Nan asked after looking around for a week.

Tai Shi Ci said: "Oh, they fled separately, and then General Sun led people to chase after them, so they split up and pursued after the other Xiliang soldiers." ”

Lin Nan said: "This matter must be kept strictly secret, and you must tell your subordinates that if anyone dares to spread it, they will cut off their heads." Killing captives is not a glorious thing after all, and it is not a glorious thing for people to bury all these people. ”

Tai Shi Ci nodded heavily, and went to order his subordinates.

Hua Xiong walked to Lin Nan's side and said softly: "Lord, although Tai Shici is brave and unmatched, if he has always had this vice, it will be very disadvantageous to his lord in the future." At that time, the general of the Qin army, Bai Qikeng, killed Changping in the first battle, and killed 400,000 people in Zhao, which became infamous in the world. Later, Xiang Yu, the overlord of Chu, also killed 200,000 Qin soldiers who surrendered, and was also scolded by the world. The subordinates thought that Tai Shici should be restrained. ”

Lin Nan nodded and said, "I have already thought about it, in the future, let Tai Shici charge into battle and collect the prisoners, and leave it to others to do." This time it was an oversight on my part, I only thought that Tai Shi Ci killed Li Dao and made a great contribution, which can deter Li Dao's subordinates. Alas...... You also take the troops to help Tai Shici clean up this place, and clean it up before Sun Jian's army arrives. ”

"No!" Hua Xiong bowed, and immediately turned around and led his subordinates to help.

Lin Nan pulled out the dragon spear, clenched it in his hand, turned over on the horse's back, looked at Tai Shi Ci's busy figure, smiled, and thought slowly: "It seems that if there is a war against foreign clans in the future, Tai Shi Ci will not be allowed to participate in the war, otherwise, he, a general who loves to kill, will have a counterproductive effect." ”

The soldiers began to shovel dirt into the dry ditch with their weapons, and took some branches from the woods on one side and covered it. With the joint efforts of more than 1,000 people, all the headless corpses were buried, the small ditch was filled in, and a tomb plaque was erected, telling the passers-by that the corpses were buried here.

After all this, the soldiers and horses of the various departments walked over to this side with the prisoners, and everyone gathered together. With a happy heart, I went towards the water pass. As for what Xu Rong said, Lin Nan didn't say a word.

Inside and outside the Bishui Pass, tens of thousands of troops are gathered here, all kinds of flags are fluttering, and the camps are connected one after another. The prestige of the coalition was fully displayed.

In the hall of the Bianshui Pass City Guard's Mansion, Liu Yu sat in the first position as the deputy leader of the alliance, stroked his gray beard, and said loudly: "In just three days, we have conquered the Bishui Pass where Dong Zhuo's 60,000 troops are stationed, and Ziyu and Wentai have achieved the first merit of the coalition army." Now that we and other soldiers and horses from all walks of life have gathered together, how to attack the Tiger Prison Pass, please express your opinions. ”

At the lower head of the hall, on the left sat Lin Nan, Sun Jian, and Liu Bei. On the right sat Cao Cao, Tao Qian, and Zhang Chao, and together with Liu Yu, there were two generals who followed each other.

Standing behind Lin Nan were two scribes, Jia Xu on the left and Xun Yu on the right, two people stood behind Lin Nan, without saying a word, only pricking up their ears to listen.

Lin Nan had already looked through the audience and saw that no one spoke. He spoke first: "Now Dong Thief's soldiers and horses have been stationed in the Tiger Prison Pass, and the Tiger Prison Pass is connected to Songyue in the south. It is bordered by the Yellow River in the north, and the mountains are staggered, which is a natural danger. There is a husband in charge, and the trend of ten thousand people is not open, and it has always been a battleground for soldiers, which can be described as easy to defend and difficult to attack. The Battle of Bishui Pass. The Xiliang soldiers only lost more than 10,000 people, and they did not suffer much damage, their strength is still there, and Dong Thief will continue to lead the army to the Tiger Prison Pass. What we have to do now is not to launch a quick attack, but to wait for the Northern Route Army to conquer the banks of the Chenggao Yellow River and join forces with the Tiger Pass. ”

After hearing this, everyone nodded silently.

Cao Cao said loudly: "I'm afraid that the original army hasn't arrived in Pingao yet, right?" Although the Bingzhou soldiers had already set out from Yewang, according to the scout's report, Dong Thief asked Zhang Ji and Fan Chou to lead 50,000 troops to garrison the Chenggao area, and there was a natural danger of the Yellow River, so it was very difficult to cross the river, even if the Bingzhou soldiers were strong, it was impossible to break through the 50,000 army in a short time. I thought that a reinforcement should be sent from here to attack Chenggao from behind and give aid to the Northern Route Army. ”

"That's a good idea, I agree." Tao Qian stroked his gray beard, and he was already full of silver hair, and said loudly.

"General Lin, General Sun, you have just made a great contribution, and the soldiers and horses also need to rest, this time I will lead the soldiers and horses to Chenggao." Cao Cao ignored Tao Qian, he looked down on Tao Qian, and he didn't bother to pay attention to it.

Tao Qian saw that his horse's fart was slapped on the horse's hooves, and it was inevitable that his heart would catch fire, but he didn't dare to attack. For him, Cao Cao was a threat, because Cao Cao's aggressive expansion of the army made him feel like he was on pins and needles in Xuzhou. Yanzhou and Xuzhou are adjacent to each other, and he is worried that Cao Cao will encroach on his Xuzhou in the future, so he can only make a stammer.

"Well, General Cao's words do make sense, then General Lao Cao will lead his troops towards Chenggao." Liu Yu nodded yes.

Cao Cao stood up first, arched his hand to everyone present, opened his mouth and said: "Then Cao will leave first, and when Chenggao is broken, I will definitely send someone to ......."

"Report-" A scout ran briskly from outside the hall in a long voice, interrupting Cao Cao's words, "Report to the deputy alliance leader, the alliance leader has sent an urgent military situation!" ”

Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what happened to Yuan Shao's side.

"Bring it on!" Liu Yu has an aristocratic demeanor, and he is not surprised by the changes, and he said loudly.

The scout said "promise" and handed the letter in his hand to Liu Yu.

After Liu Yu hurriedly watched it, he laughed and said, "Okay! It's really good, I didn't expect the Bingzhou soldiers to be so brave, they actually broke through the defense line of Dong Thief in Chenggao at noon yesterday, and now they are on the tiger prison. ”

After hearing this, everyone was shocked, even Lin Nan and Sun Jian did not expect that the soldiers of the state would win the victory one day earlier than them. The two of them glanced at each other, and it was self-evident in their hearts that there was a person in their minds.

"Haha! It's really great news, and in this way, we can go straight to the end of the tiger's prison. The soldiers have completely exceeded my expectations, it seems that it should be the brilliant record won by the person named Lu Bu, right? Cao Cao laughed, glanced at Liu Yu, and asked.

Liu Yu said: "Meng De's guess is right, it is indeed the credit of Lu Bu, I didn't expect him to conquer Chenggao, which was garrisoned by 50,000 people, with only 5,000 light cavalry, forcing Zhang Ji and Fan Chou to retreat to the Tiger Prison, and we were originally asked to rush to the Tiger Prison Pass within three days to join the division." ”

There was not a single one present who did not rejoice when they heard the news.

"Damn, I didn't expect the first merit of the coalition to let that person named Lu Bu snatch it. That guy can repel 50,000 men with 5,000 light horsemen, and he seems to be a figure. Second brother, do you think that if I compare with Lu Bu, which of us is better? As soon as Zhang Fei, who was standing behind Liu Bei, heard the news, he rubbed his hands and said to Guan Yu beside him.

Guan Yu squinted Danfeng's eyes. stroked his long hair, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, and then he returned to a state of expressionlessness, and said lightly: "I have never tried it, so it is difficult for me to draw conclusions." ”

"Lord, should we go to Chenggao then?" A tall and fat guy with a sideways face behind Cao Cao suddenly asked.

Cao Cao shook his head and said with a smile: "Zhongkang, you go and inform Xiahoudun and Cao Ren, so that they can prepare the soldiers and horses." Have a good night's rest, and tomorrow lead the army to the Tiger Prison Pass. ”

The fat man who was called Zhongkang was another fierce general next to Cao Cao, nicknamed Xu Chu, a tiger idiot. Xu Chu's figure is tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, his waist is very thick, and his belly is also very big. In appearance, he is about the same as a fat man. But. The difference is that the fat man's body is fat, while his body is muscles, and the reason why he grows like this is because he eats a lot of food, and his skin is rough and thick. On the contrary, he has honed a unique martial art.

Xu Chu is a native of Qian County, when Cao Cao was conquering the Yellow Turbans in the area of Yuzhou, he gathered thousands of people from his fellow villagers to build a dock wall to defend against the Yellow Turban Army, and later Cao Cao passed through Qian County. He led the clan to take refuge and served as Cao Cao's left and right guards together with Dian Wei. At this time, he heard Cao Cao ask him to run errands, so he rubbed his stomach, patted his chest, and said to Cao Cao: "Okay, I'll go and inform them." ”

Turning around, Xu Chu patted Dian Wei beside him and said with a smile: "Brother Wei, if I leave, the lord will hand it over to you." ”

Dian Wei didn't like to talk very much, nodded, and still stood there with his arms protected, with a cold face, which made people feel that his whole person was very cool.

Everyone almost heard the conversation between Cao Cao and Xu Chu, and immediately reacted. I only heard Tao Qian say to Mi Zhu and Sun Qian, who were standing behind him: "You also go and let the soldiers prepare and set off tomorrow." ”

Mi Zhu and Sun Qian nodded together, bowed to Tao Qian, and said, "My subordinates retire!" ”

Zhang Chao is the younger brother of Chen Liutaishou Zhang Miao, he got up in front of everyone, and arched his hand: "Everyone, since the alliance leader has given the order, then we should follow it, I think, we don't need to discuss it anymore, we will wait until the alliance meeting in the Tiger Prison Pass and then ask the alliance leader to make plans." Everyone, please discuss slowly, I still have important matters, so I will leave first. ”

Without waiting for everyone to answer, Zhang Chao turned around and left the hall without looking back.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please forgive my lord for being presumptuous. My lord does have something important, so the etiquette is not careful, and I ask for your understanding, Ziyuan is here to accompany you. Gong Cao Zanghong, who had been standing behind Zhang Chao, stood up and hurriedly explained for Zhang Chao.

Zang Hong is also a celebrity, his father is called Zang Min, in the Han Dynasty successively made the Xiongnu Zhonglang General, Zhongshan, Taiyuan Taishou. Zang Hong, who was born in a bureaucratic family, adhered to righteousness and etiquette since he was a child, and was an early figure in the Three Kingdoms, on the same level as Chen Deng. In history, he died at the hands of Yuan Shao, and it is indeed a pity that he died young.

Everyone knew that Zang Hong was a famous person at home, so they returned the salute and did not displease. Because everyone here knows that Zhang Chao's temper is very stinky, and it is difficult to get along with others, and he is a little arrogant. The reason why Zhang Chao participated in the Kwantung Coalition Army was also influenced by his brother Zhang Miao, and the only benefit was probably to obey Zang Hongyan.

Cao Cao saw Zang Hong walking out with Zhang Chao, so he shook his head and said with a sigh: "It's a pity, such a talent is followed by a mediocre master, if it is under my hands, there will definitely be a time for him to show his ambitions." ”

After Liu Yu heard this, he only smiled, and said: "Since the matter has come to this point, there is no point in discussing it like this, please go back and prepare for it, early tomorrow morning, we will send our troops to the Tiger Prison Pass and join the North Route Army." ”

So, everyone dispersed, Lin Nan, Sun Jian, Cao Cao, walked in front, Liu Bei and Tao Qian followed behind, but Liu Yu did not leave, but said to Xian Yuyin and Tian Chou who were standing behind him: "You all go and prepare soldiers and horses, you are all tired for a day, I will rest here, don't worry about me." ”

Xian Yuyin and Tian Chou said: "No! ”

For a while, the crowd of heroes who had gathered together dispersed like this, and Sun Jian invited Lin Nan and Cao Cao to drink. The three of them went to Sun Jian's camp together.

When Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei walked out of the city to guard the mansion, they suddenly heard someone behind them shouting, "Three please stay", the three of them turned their heads together, and saw that the person who called them was actually Xuzhou Thorn Shi Taoqian. The three of them arched their hands towards Tao Qian together, and Liu Bei said softly: "It turned out to be Tao Yuanjun, don't you know what is the matter with calling me and other brothers?" ”

Tao Qian has been in officialdom for many years. What kind of person has not seen it, but he still has the ability to recognize people. At that time, in the hall, he saw Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei for the first time, and from the meeting to the present, he had never heard anyone mention these three characters. When he saw that Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were all extraordinary, he had the heart to get acquainted, so he deliberately walked behind them and looked for an opportunity to stop.

He smiled and arched his hand at Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei: "The three heroes are extraordinary. It must not be a layman, but the little old man is clumsy and can't recognize who the three heroes are, and I want to ask for the names of the three heroes. ”

Liu Bei said: "Liu Bei, who is the great-grandson of His Excellency Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty and King Jing of Zhongshan, these two are my sworn brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. ”

Zhang Fei listened to Liu Bei's words of self-reporting. He said silently in his heart: "Alas, the eldest brother is here again." Why did anyone ask him, he said this sentence, and my ears were calloused. ”

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei arched their hands towards Tao Qian, and at the same time said, "I've seen Tao Envoy", and they did it hastily, but they didn't have a good impression.

Tao Qian is very exaggerated. There was a look of surprise on his face, and he immediately said: "Oh, it turns out that the three of them are the famous Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, they have really admired them for a long time." I didn't think that Liu Yingying was still a member of the Han family, it was really disrespectful and disrespectful. It is really an honor for the little old man to be lucky enough to meet three heroes today. Xiao Lao'er and the three heroes hit it off at first sight, I wonder if I can invite the three heroes to have a glass of wine? ”

The three of them have been unknown in the coalition forces, and often have not officially attended any major occasions. Today, I don't know which tendon Liu Yu pulled, but he actually called the three of them to the conference hall together. The three of them have been very depressed since they joined the coalition army, and at this time, they were suddenly praised as heroes by the princes of a town, and inexplicable joy rose in the hearts of the three people. Everyone needs compliments, and they all like to listen to good words to satisfy their vanity, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei are also people, and naturally they are no exception.

When Zhang Fei heard Tao Qian praise him like this, his whole person was already fluttering, and he immediately laughed and said: "Tao Yuanjun, even if you have vision, I Zhang Fei is a big hero." Since you're going to invite us to drink, of course we're not going to refuse, right, second brother? ”

Guan Yu was also very happy in his heart, this was the first time someone praised him like this, but he said lightly: "Listen to the eldest brother." ”

Liu Bei glanced at Tao Qian, and he slowly thought in his heart: "This Tao Qian is also a prince of a town, and my three brothers have always been unknown, and it is indeed a good thing to be appreciated by Tao Qian today." It's just that although Tao Qian seems to be kind-hearted, he is not like this in his heart, and it is the first time we have met him. The first time we met, they invited us to drink, and they were very humble, and there must be something unspeakable. There are a lot of people here, so it's good to go to a banquet and see what he's going to do. ”

"How? Liu Yingying, how do you think about it? Tao Qian saw that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were looking forward to Liu Bei, so he asked directly.

Liu Bei nodded and arched his hand: "Since it was Tao Envoy Jun's kind invitation, my brothers naturally will not refuse." ”

Tao Qian smiled: "Okay, those three heroes, please come with me." ”

So, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei followed Tao Qian to his military camp.

Tao Qian's military camp was located on the east side of Bishui Pass, next to Zhang Chao's military camp. Tao Qian brought Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei into the camp, and asked people to prepare a banquet, and invited all the generals under him to participate in the banquet, which was very grand, as if Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were envoys sent by the Son of Heaven.

Raising the wine glass in his hand, the half-old Tao Qian cleared his throat and issued a slightly eloquent words: "Xuande, I see that you are a brother with great ambitions, and the little Liaoxi is only afraid that it will be difficult to display your talents, Xuzhou is fertile for thousands of miles, with a million household registrations, is a place where heroes can be used, the old man wants you to stay in Xuzhou after the alliance and show your life's ambitions, I don't know if you are willing?" ”

When Tao Qian's words fell, everyone present was quite shocked, and Tao Qian's subordinates all aimed their eyes at the unknown Liu Bei. They hadn't even heard the name

In the big tent, although there were only a few of Tao Qian's subordinates, there were some sergeants standing around everyone waiting to pour wine, and more than a dozen pairs of hot eyes stared at Liu Bei together, most of the eyes in their eyes were skeptical, and all of them did not speak. For a moment, the hall was silent, and the sound of each other's heartbeats could be heard.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were also looking at Liu Bei, with a trace of joy on their faces, and great expectations in their eyes.

Liu Bei looked around for a week, and saw that everyone's eyes were all focused on him, so he straightened his body and arched his hand towards Tao Qian: "Bei is a martial artist, he has no reputation, and Tao Envoy Jun can be so important, and it is also a blessing in the next." It's just that...... There's one thing I can't figure out. I also want to ask Tao Yuanjun for advice. ”

Tao Qian saw that Liu Bei did not say no, but he did not agree, he always felt that he had the ability to recognize people, since he pacified the Yellow Turban in Xuzhou and expelled it from Xuzhou, he promoted Chen Deng, Mi Zhu, Mi Fang, Cao Bao, Sun Qian and others one after another, and the people appointed were also very appropriate. Although he only saw Liu Bei today, he could see Liu Bei's talent. Mixed in officialdom for many years. He has no other abilities, that is, he can look at people. Therefore, he firmly believes that he will not be mistaken.

Tao Qian put down the wine glass in his hand, stroked the gray beard, nodded silently, and said slowly: "Hmm...... This is just too abrupt. After all, the old man and Xuande had just met, and it was indeed a little difficult to accept that he suddenly said such things. However, the old man is kindly invited, what do you not understand. Even if you ask, the old man must know everything. ”

Liu Bei said: "Tao Envoy Jun, although it is the first time to meet Envoy Jun in Xia, I also have the feeling of being familiar at first sight and hating to see each other late. It's just that I really want to know, why did Tao Yuanjun invite me to Xuzhou so kindly? ”

Tao Qian smiled, the reason why he invited Liu Bei so graciously was that he naturally had his own plans. When he saw that Liu Bei had asked at this time, he waved his hand to the sergeant on the side, and said loudly: "You all go out for the time being, you don't need to serve here, tell the guards outside, no one is allowed to come in without my order." ”

More than a dozen sergeants said "no" and withdrew from the tent one by one.

Tao Qian straightened his sitting posture, raised his hand slightly, pointed to a few people on the left, and introduced to Liu Bei: "Xuande, these people are all people I put in my heart, and they are also my officials in Xuzhou, in order, Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, Mi Fang, Cao Bao, you get to know each other first, and then I will explain the reason." ”

Liu Bei arched his hands to Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, Mi Fang, and Cao Bao, and said slowly: "Under Liu Bei, the word Xuande, a person from Zhuo County, is the great-grandson of His Excellency Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, after King Jing of Zhongshan, he is currently the Taishou of Liaoxi. These two are my sworn brothers, on the left is my second brother, Hedong Xie Liangren, surnamed Guan Yuzi Yunchang, and on the right is my third brother, a native of Zhuo County, surnamed Zhang Mingfei Ziyide, who has seen four adults. ”

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei listened to Liu Bei's words in such detail, and Tao Qian treated them very well, and they were also a little happy in their hearts, and they liked these officials from Xuzhou in their hearts, and they couldn't wait for their eldest brother to agree. The two of them also arched their hands towards Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, Mi Fang, and Cao Bao, and said "I've seen four adults", and did something hastily.

Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, Mi Fang, and Cao Bao on the opposite side also introduced themselves, and then bowed their hands to Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei at the same time: "I've seen three adults." ”

After getting to know each other, Tao Qian stood up and said loudly: "Xuande, although all the heroes in the world are now allied here and are fighting against Dong Thief, some things still have to be planned early. Now the coalition forces are in full swing, and the allied forces are as many as 400,000...... Of course, you and I also have this number of troops in our hearts, although it is a fraudulent claim, but there are still 300,000 soldiers and horses. Dong Thief has a total of 200,000 Xiliang soldiers, and he also has to garrison Liangzhou and Guanzhong, and the troops that can really be invested in Luoyang are only 1780,000. With 180,000 people to resist an army of 300,000, and it is still the enemy of the world, how can it be undefeated? But once the Dong thief is defeated, it is unknown whether the allies will continue to attack. That's why it's important to know what happens after the Alliance, you're a smart person, and you'll be able to understand what I'm saying. ”

Liu Bei really understood Tao Qian's words, and he also had to admire Tao Qian's insight, the allies of the alliance were just temporary armies put together, and there was still a little dislike between many princes, which also gave the allies an unstable factor. Now everyone is here to crusade against Dong Zhuo, once Dong Zhuo escapes, then everyone's goal will be lost, and the rift between them will emerge again, and there will likely be a fight. Therefore, after listening to Tao Qian's words, he nodded.

Tao Qian saw that Liu Bei understood his words, so he continued: "Although Xuzhou is fertile for thousands of miles and has a household registration of millions, it is also a place where soldiers must fight. Cao Cao, the assassin of Yanzhou, brought 50,000 armor and had enough soldiers and food, this person is known as the capable minister of the world and the traitor of the troubled times, Cao Mengde, who is really a feared figure. My fear is that once Dong Zhuo retreats westward, and the coalition forces fall into a situation of intrigue, the world will fall into chaos, and then the various princes will start a fierce battle and kill each other for the city. Xuzhou and Yanzhou are adjacent to each other, and in order to prevent Cao Cao's intrusion, Xuzhou must have a man of great talent to sit in the town. ”

After Liu Bei heard this, he finally understood Tao Qian's thoughts, and he wanted to use him to deal with Cao Cao. He and Cao Cao had met during the conquest of Yingchuan and Runan Yellow Turbans, and he could also see that Cao Cao was indeed a person who thought he was quite ambitious. But what he didn't expect was that Cao Cao's luck would be so good, and after two years, he became the assassin of Yanzhou, and he was also the most powerful one among the world's heroes. He thought about it for a while, and then said lightly: "So, Tao Envoy Jun wants to invite me to sit in Xuzhou and lead the troops to resist Cao Cao?" ”

Tao Qian nodded and said with a smile: "Xuande is really a smart person, what you said is exactly what the old man thinks." Xuzhou with 30,000 armor, the people are simple, although the old man has the talent to know people, but there is not much strategy, if you encounter a strong enemy invasion, I am afraid that even Xuzhou can not hold. Xuande is a person of great talent, not to mention that Xuande's two sworn brothers are not good-looking and absolutely very human, if you can get Xuande's help, Xuzhou may be able to turn the crisis into safety, and Xuande's great talent can also be shown in Xuzhou, such a beautiful thing, why not Xuande? ”

"Big brother, Tao Envoy Jun warmly invited, and the eldest brother agreed, anyway, there is nothing to show your ambitions in that corner of Liaoxi, and even the population is only tens of thousands of people, it is better to be a county commander in the Central Plains than to be a Taishou in that kind of place." Zhang Fei's heart was also very itchy, he once went out to play in private, and unconsciously came to Cao Cao's camp, and when he saw Cao Cao's majestic soldiers and horses, he complained that he didn't even have a decent cavalry. Now that he has encountered such a good thing, he naturally will not refuse, let alone Liu Bei.

Guan Yu, who has always been relatively calm, also spoke at this time, close to Liu Bei's ear, and whispered: "Big brother, what the third brother said is right, the poor countryside in western Liaoxi really has nothing to be nostalgic for, and Liu Yu is not lukewarm to the eldest brother, not even one-tenth of Lin Nan's, and the eldest brother is also Qu Cai to stay in Youzhou." Now Tao Envoy Jun is warmly invited, Xuzhou is a place where soldiers must fight, and it is indeed possible to show the ambitions in the heart of the eldest brother, and the third brother and I should also bring some decent soldiers. Big brother, this is a great opportunity, please big brother must grasp it well, Tao Qian is old and weak, it is estimated that he will not live long, although the eldest brother temporarily condescends to Tao Qian's account, once Tao Qian drives the crane west, presumably with the talent of the eldest brother, this Xuzhou is equivalent to our brother's. Xuzhou is rich and rich in salt and iron, if the eldest brother takes this as the foundation, recruits troops and horses, and the ideal of supporting the Han family can be realized soon, please think twice. (To be continued......)