After Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang finished assembling their soldiers and horses in the school field, they thought that before leaving, Han Zhan would come to tell them a few more important things. Who knew that after waiting for a long time, only Rob was alone, which made the two of them feel a little disappointed.

However, since Han Zhan sent Luo Bu here, it proved that he would be the one who would represent him with full authority, and the two did not dare to have the slightest slackness, so they hurriedly threw their hands at Luo Bu on horseback and asked politely: "I don't know what the lord commands?" ”

"The lord said," Rob replied, "If the two sons of the Yuan family have already packed their bags, they will be pulled out immediately, and there must be no mistakes~!" ”

"The last general obeys!" Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang agreed in unison, and then urged the horse to come to the front of the Yuan Tan brothers, clasped their fists at the two and said, "Yuan Gongzi, let's go." ”

Yuan Tan, like the two brothers Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang, thought that before leaving, Han Zhan would come out to say a few words to him, but who knew that only one of his subordinates was sent forward, and he was somewhat disappointed in his heart. At this moment, when he heard Lu Kuang say that he was going to go, he nodded, and walked forward with the mount under his crotch.

The soldiers and horses left Yecheng and headed north along the official road. Yuan Xi and Yuan Tan walked side by side, and said in a low voice: "Big brother, I don't know if you have noticed that the war horses used by the Jizhou cavalry are different from ours. ”

"It's different, how is it different?" When Yuan Tan heard Yuan Xi say this, he was stunned for a moment, and then understood what was going on: "That's right, if you don't say it, I almost ignored it." The high and low saddles used by Jizhou's war horses are very stable during riding; Also, they have something to step on in the saddle, so when we get on the horse, we don't need to get on the horse stone, which is really convenient. I don't know who came up with these things. ”

"Who else could it be," Yuan Xi smiled bitterly and said, "I asked the soldiers, and they said that these stirrups and saddles were all thought up by Han Tinghou. By the way, you may not know it yet, but there are also iron palms on the horse's hooves, so that when the cavalry charges, they are no longer afraid of the rough ground. ”

After Yuan Tan heard what Yuan Xi said, he was silent for a long time before he spoke: "Second brother, when we get to Nanpi, we must equip the cavalry with these horseshoes, stirrups and saddles no matter what, even if we are righteous to the white horse of Shanggong Sun Zhan, we will not be left behind." ”

Hearing Yuan Tan mention the White Horse Yicong, Yuan Xi sneered and said: "What is the White Horse Yicong, the last time they were in the crossbow array of General Lu Yi, they were defeated and defeated. If it weren't for the fact that they were about to run away on horseback, it is estimated that the entire army would have been wiped out long ago. ”

"You can't say that," Yuan Tan had carefully studied the case of Lu Yi severely inflicting on Gongsun Zhan's white horse Yicong, and at this moment, hearing Yuan Xi's comments in such a nonchalant tone, he taught him with a straight face: "At that time, Gongsun Zhan's White Horse Yicong had just rushed over from the boundary bridge, and he hadn't had time to reorganize the team, and the horse speed was not fast, so Lu Yi was able to use crossbowmen to severely damage the department. If it is on the plain and meets the white horse Yicong, the soldiers and horses of the Koji are also in danger of being wiped out. ”

Yuan Tan's words gave Yuan Xi a wake-up call, he calmed down and thought about it carefully, and found that his eldest brother's analysis still made some sense. So he nodded and said, "In this way, in the field battle, if you want to defeat the white horse Yiyou, you can only rely on cavalry. ”

"That's right." Yuan Tan nodded and said, "As long as our cavalry is equipped with stirrups, saddles, and horseshoe, then the combat power will be greatly improved." Think about it, can the cavalrymen who have to grasp the reins of their horses with one hand to stabilize their bodies when charging compare with our cavalrymen who hold weapons in both hands? ”

Yuan Xi glanced at Lu Kuang in front of him, and continued: "Big brother, Brother Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang are our old department, I don't know if we can bring the two of them over for my use." In this way, we will be more sure of dealing with Gongsun Zhan's dog thief. ”

"It probably can't be helped." Yuan Tan knew very well in his heart, don't look at Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang escorting their brothers back to Nanpi, and in the next two months, they will also obey their orders, but if they want the two of them to rebel against themselves again, they don't even think about it. "According to Brother Yu's observation, the two of them are loyal to Han Tinghou, and it is almost impossible to persuade them to surrender, so let's not take this risk. If the two are angered and they return to Yecheng with their troops, our plan to control Nanpi will be frustrated, and we will be lambs to the slaughter under Xianfu. ”

"Big brother, I think, if it's possible, it's better for the younger brother to test them." Yuan Xi thought that when he was in Yecheng, Han Zhan asked Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang to only obey Yuan Tan's orders, and he was quite unconvinced, so he always wanted to bring the two together, so he took the initiative to propose to Yuan Tan: "If it doesn't work, it's fine; If the younger brother is lucky enough to convince the two, then it will be like a tiger with wings for us. ”

Yuan Xi's words made Yuan Tan's heart pound. He knew in his heart that he and Yuan Xi were now alone, and if they could get the help of a few generals, then the chances of success would be greatly improved. Therefore, he did not explicitly oppose Yuan Xi's proposal, which was tantamount to acquiescing to his behavior.

Seeing that Yuan Tan did not object to his proposal, Yuan Xi couldn't help but feel ecstatic in his heart. He looked at Lu Kuang, who was opening the way in front, and then turned his head to look at Lu Xiang, who was behind the hall at the end of the team, thinking in his heart who should start first. After careful consideration, he decided to contact Lu Xiang first, after all, he had dealt with him a lot in the past.

As soon as he camped that night, Yuan Xi got into the tent where Lu Xiang was and greeted with a smile: "General Lu! ”

Seeing Yuan Xi coming in, Lu Xiang didn't know what was going on, and hurriedly got up to greet him: "I don't know if the second son of Yuan has arrived, and he has never greeted him from afar, and I ask for forgiveness." ”

"General Lu is polite," Yuan Xi said to Lu Xiang with a smile: "You two brothers escorted us back to Nanpi, and it was too late to be grateful, where would you blame something." ”

Lu Xiang knew that Yuan Xi would not come to his tent for no reason, so he asked vigilantly: "I don't know if Yuan Ergongzi is here, what is his opinion?" ”

Yuan Xi pretended to be casual and said, "If I'm not mistaken, the general is from Dongping County, Yanzhou, right?" ”

"That's right, the two brothers are from Dongping County, Yanzhou."

After Yuan Xi waited for Lu Xiang to finish speaking, he sighed intentionally and said: "General Lu and the two brothers used to be generals under their father, but unfortunately their father didn't know how to use people, so he never entrusted the two of them with important tasks. ”

Yuan Xi's words immediately aroused Lu Xiang's vigilance, and he guessed that the other party must have come to persuade him, and he wanted to go back to the absolute side and then drive him out of his tent. But after thinking about it, I still need to continue to get along with him in the next two or three months, and it is really not a wise move to rashly turn my face. Therefore, he stood up and said politely to Yuan Xi: "Second son, I have to go to patrol the camp in the future, so I can't chat with my son anymore." Childe please! ”

Seeing that Lu Xiang gave him an eviction order, Yuan Xi's face showed an embarrassed expression, but he still tried his best to hide it and said: "Since General Lu has something to do, this son will not bother and say goodbye!" ”

Lu Xiang sent Yuan Xi away, stood in the tent and thought for a while, feeling that Yuan Xi had touched a nail in his place, and he would definitely go to woo his eldest brother soon, so he immediately left the tent and went to the big tent to find Lu Kuang.

Lu Kuang was explaining the matter to several subordinates, and when he saw his brother coming in, he looked anxious on his face, so he guessed that something must have happened, so he hurriedly sent his subordinates away, and then asked, "Second brother, what's wrong?" ”

"Big brother, Yuan Ergongzi just came to me." Lu Xiang said briefly.

"What is he doing with you?" Lu Kuang asked curiously.

"He is nominally reminiscing about the past, but in the opinion of the younger brother, he wants to win over the two of us brothers and rejoin their Yuan family." Seeing that there were only two of his brothers in the tent, Lu Xiang had no scruples when he spoke: "I'm worried that my eldest brother will be moved by him, so I'm here to inform you." ”

After listening to his brother's worries, Lu Kuang nodded and said, "Second brother, if the lord hadn't appointed you and me as generals before our trip this time, maybe after listening to the persuasion of the second son of Yuan, the foolish brother really has plans to rejoin the Yuan family." Seeing that Lu Xiang wanted to say something, he hurriedly raised his hand to stop the other party and continued, "But after thinking about it repeatedly during this time, the foolish brother feels that although the lord is young, he knows how to use people, and there are many civil ministers and military generals around him to help, and sooner or later he will become a hegemon." With such a lord, how can a foolish brother not be satisfied and run away to the new master? ”

After listening to Lu Kuang's heartfelt words, Lu Xiang suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, he knew that his brother was a person who missed the old days. In case Yuan Xi came to persuade him, he refused because of his bad face, and agreed to the other party's words, it would make things complicated. At this moment, hearing him make it clear that he would not take refuge in the Yuan family, the boulder hanging in his heart finally fell to the ground.

After Yuan Xi touched the nail here with Lu Xiang, he originally wanted to convince Lu Kuang. But when he walked near Lu Kuang's big tent, he happened to see Lu Xiang walk in first. Seeing this situation, he knew that the matter of persuading Lu Kuang was in vain, so he could only return to his and Yuan Tan's residence in despair.

Seeing Yuan Xi walk into the tent with a lost face, Yuan Tan didn't wait for him to speak, and knew that his persuasion had failed. He sighed softly and asked, "Second brother, are you not going well with the persuasion of the Lu family brothers?" ”

Yuan Xi nodded, and said helplessly: "The junior brother went to persuade Lu Xiang first, but I didn't expect that before I could say what I meant, he kicked the younger brother out." I had the heart to persuade Lu Kuang, but as soon as he walked near his big tent, he saw that Lu Xiang had entered first, and the younger brother could only come back disappointed. ”

"Second brother, don't worry." For Yuan Xi's failure, Yuan Xi had already been prepared, and he comforted the other party and said: "We are going to Nanpi, and it will take almost half a month on the way." After waiting for Nanpi, they will stay and help us for two months, and the time is that this persuasion failed, and it is not too late to persuade us when we have the opportunity in the future. I believe that as long as the two brothers show enough sincerity, Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang will come back sooner or later. ”

After marching on the road for seven or eight days, the army approached the boundary bridge. Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang began to discuss: "This is Gongsun Zhan's territory, we pass by here, do we need to say hello to the guards?" ”

Lu Xiang thought for a while, and then said: "Although the lord once united with Gongsun Zhan to deal with Yuan Shao together, it was also an expedient measure. I think Gongsun Chan must have greeted the guards here at Jieqiao, and if we don't greet them, they will be able to send troops to intercept us. ”

After some discussion, Lü Kuang sent one of his subordinates to the Jieqiao to inform the guard general Zou Dan so that he would not clash with Gongsun Zhan's soldiers and horses when passing through the area.

When Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang were considering whether to send another messenger to negotiate with Zou Dan, Yuan Tan urged the horse to come to the two of them and asked curiously: "Two generals Lu, why did the army stop here and refuse to advance?" ”

"Grand Prince Yuan," Lu Kuang explained to him when he heard Yuan Tan ask, "Ahead is Gongsun Zhan's territory, and if we want to pass, we must greet them." But the messengers sent had been gone for more than an hour, and they had not yet returned. My two brothers are considering whether or not to send another messenger to the Boundary Bridge to find out the news. ”

Yuan Tan was silent for a moment after hearing this, and then said, "Two General Lu, please forgive this son's blunt words. Since the messenger you sent has not heard from you for so long, even if you send a new messenger, it is estimated that the other party will not reply. How about we go around the city? ”

"Bypassing the Boundary Bridge?" Regarding Yuan Tan's proposal, Lu Kuang and Lu Xiang glanced at each other, and they both saw hesitation in each other's eyes. After a while, Lu Kuang opened his mouth and said: "Eldest prince, if the soldiers and horses of Youzhou are not at ease, as long as a soldier and horse are stationed on the other side of the boundary bridge, we will not be able to pass. ”

"Then we can't wait like this indefinitely." Yuan Tan knew that if there were two of his brothers among the guards of the boundary bridge, they would definitely meet each other, so he urged Lu Kuang: "If you don't give it a try, how do you know if you can break through?" ”

Regarding Yuan Tan's proposal, Lu Kuang didn't dare to make the decision casually, so he turned his head and asked Lu Xiang: "Second brother, do you think we should lead our troops across the boundary bridge according to what the eldest prince said?" ”

"It's not proper," but after Lu Xiang heard Lu Kuang's question, he shook his head and said, "Anyway, Jizhou and Youzhou are still allies, how can they use swords and soldiers?" Once the lord is held accountable, who can afford to pay this responsibility? In my opinion, we will send two more messengers to contact the Boundary Bridge Keeper and ask him to lend us the way. ”

"Okay, since the second brother said so, then I will send another messenger to the boundary bridge to ask for a meeting with the guard, hoping that he can lend us the way." Lu Kuang said, called a Dubo, and asked him to lead ten cavalry to rush to the boundary bridge.

After Du Bo left with the cavalry, Lu Kuang smiled at Yuan Tan and said, "Grand Master Yuan, we will wait here, as long as the guard agrees to borrow the road, we will set off immediately." ”