Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao sat opposite each other, relatively speechless. Zhang Miao waved his hand, signaled the post guard who had finished the report to retreat, and asked people to reward him with some money and let him go back to continue monitoring.

Jiang Gan lived in a post house, even if it was a single courtyard, Zhang Miao had a way to arrange someone to monitor it. The post pawn is the best eyes and ears, this is common sense for Zhang Miao, when he and He Hao were running around to rescue the party members, I don't know how many such things he has done, only Lu Cui's self-righteous scholar knows nothing.

"Regardless of whether what Jiang Ziyi said is true or not, at least he still knows the severity." Zhang Chao said.

"What he wants is not only money, grain, and dyes, but also Chenliujun as the gateway to Yingchuan and Runan."

Zhang Chao nodded, his eyes uneasy. "Brother, the snipe and the clam hold each other, and the fisherman profits, not to mention that Yuan Shao is not an ordinary bird, he is a yellow bird. We must be cautious in our fight with him, and we must not be in a hurry. ”

Zhang Miao let out a long sigh. "Zhong Zhuo, if he didn't want to kill me, why would I be here? You don't have to worry too much, though. He can't tolerate people until he finishes his big things, and it's not easy to succeed. Cao Mengde was still cunning, taking advantage of the defeat of Nanyang, he ran directly to Guanzhong, leaving only one son here to support Yuan Shao. ”

"Brother, is there still a chance for Zhongxing in the imperial court?"

Zhang Miao shook his head. "No, don't forget, Wang Yun is Yuan Shao's sworn friend, he has been unwilling to pardon the Xiliang people, I always feel that there is something wrong here. This Wang Zuozhicai, the king in his heart is probably not surnamed Liu, but surnamed Yuan. It's just that he has the blood of hundreds of people in the Yuan family on his hands, and if Yuan Shao really becomes a big deal, how he will repay him in the end is really uncertain. ”

"Having said that, after all, he is now in power, and if we mobilize a large army to encircle and suppress the Sun family's father and son, we are likely to be implicated. Before the situation is unclear, we should not get too close to Sun Ce. ”

Zhang Miao smiled. That depends on Yuan Shaoken's refusal to bow his head. The jackal said, and Ann asked the fox. Yuan Shao refused to bow his head, even if Wang Yun wanted to treat Sun Ce as a rebel, it would be difficult to convince the public. Zhong Zhuo, Gongsun Zhan has not been destroyed, Niu Fu and Dong Yue have entered Hedong again, Sun Ce is in the south, and there are yellow turbans in Qingzhou, Yuan Shao is now under enemy on all sides, and he can't spare his hand, he wants to break this situation, so he can only bow to the imperial court, but he is bent on revolution and establishing a new dynasty, how can he be willing to be wronged? He suddenly had an idea, and looked up. After Lu Cui hits a wall with Jiang Gan, you go and meet him. ”

"Go through him to see Yuan Tan?"

"That's right, Yuan Tankong has a good reputation, but he doesn't know what kind of person his father is, you go and wake him up and let him not be deceived by Yuan Shao. If we can ease relations with Yuan Tan, even if the Yuan family gains power in the future, we will not be defeated. In addition, you send someone to contact Zang Hong, who is a loyal and righteous man, and in case of emergency, he can help us. ”

Zhang Chao nodded again and again.

——

No matter how soft and hard Lu Cui was, Jiang Gan insisted on one: there is no knife, other things can be traded, especially new paper, and the ten paper mills in Nanyang have been mass-produced and can be supplied openly.

Lu Cui is very difficult. What Yuan Tan wanted to buy most was a knife, whether he wanted to buy other things, how much he bought, and how much he was willing to spend, he really didn't know. He could only be vague, first talked to Jiang Gan about some intentional transactions, and then wanted to rush back to Pingqiu and ask Yuan Tan for instructions.

Early the next morning, Lu Cui went out of the city, but found Zhang Chao waiting for him on the side of the road. Zhang Chao was very polite, first congratulated Lu Cui, and then asked him to apologize to Yuan Tan. I want to meet with Yuan Tan, can Wen Wei do me a favor?

Lu Cui was distressed that the first task could not be completed, Zhang Chao sent a step, how could he not be reasonable, he agreed to the next moment, and left happily. Back in Pingqiu, he reported the incident to Yuan Tan, of course, not truthfully. He said to Yuan Tan that he met Jiang Gan and entrusted him with the prestige of the king, and I convinced Jiang Gan with morality, made him realize his mistake, and persuaded Zhang Chao to force him to ask the envoy for his guilt.

Yuan Tan was skeptical, but Zhang Miao changed his mind, of course he couldn't ask for it. Tearing his face with Zhang Miao was definitely not what he wanted. Even if you can't be as intimate as before, it's good to maintain a semblance of harmony. He agreed to Zhang Chao's request and decided to wait for Zhang Chao in Pingqiu. As for Sun Ce, since he said that there is no knife to sell, let him slow down for the time being, buy a little less paper, horse-drawn carriages and other usable things, keep in touch, and then see how the situation develops in the future.

Lu Cui rushed to Chen Liu again and informed Zhang Chao. Zhang Chao followed Lu Cui to Pingqiu and met Yuan Tan. After he asked Yuan Tanping to step back, he asked Yuan Tan a question: "Do you know why my brother doesn't dare to see you?" ”

Yuan Tan was puzzled. Where does that begin? Zhang Jun's words made Tan Cheng sincerely frightened. ”

"Because Ling Zun wants to kill my brother. His brother once folded him, he was angry and ordered Cao Mengde to attack, but Cao Mengde refused. ”

Yuan Tan was stunned and inexplicable, and stared at Zhang Chao for a while before confirming that Zhang Chao was not joking. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. What kind of temper Yuan Shao is, he knows very well that since he can kill Zhu Han and Han Fu, it is not impossible to kill Zhang Miao. Moreover, Zhang Chao said it in detail, it didn't look like it was made up, and Cao Cao also had a reasonable explanation in avoiding the pass.

But what Yuan Tan was even more disturbed was another thing: since Yuan Shao and Zhang Miao were separated, why didn't he remind me a word? Thanks to Zhang Miao, he is an elder, if he has sinister intentions, my little life will be lost here.

Could it be that my father wants to kill me too?

Seeing the beads of sweat on Yuan Tan's forehead, Zhang Chao knew what Yuan Tan was afraid of. He patted the back of Yuan Tan's hand and added quietly. "Xiansi, your mother died too soon."

Yuan Tan's cheeks twitched twice, and his face became more and more pale. That's right, my mother died early, and now my father's favorite is my stepmother, Mrs. Liu. not only spoils Mrs. Liu, but also spoils his younger brother Yuan Shang. Since Yuan Shang arrived in Yecheng, no matter how busy he is, he has to hug him every day.

He wants to kill me and make Yuan Shang his heir?

Yuan Tan was so frightened by his inference that he didn't dare to speak for a long time. He was born into a powerful family and was used to seeing blood, but when it was about to splash on himself, he was terrified. He looked at Zhang Chao and wanted to see a little flaw on Zhang Chao's face, but he knew in his heart that Zhang Chao might have another purpose, but his father's move was really problematic. The crown prince will only supervise the country, and will not lead troops to fight abroad. If it weren't for his father's desire to abolish the longevity, he shouldn't have let him come to Yanzhou at all.

Thinking of this truth, Yuan Tan quickly made a decision. Regardless of whether this matter is true or not, it is necessary for him to have a good relationship with the Zhang Miao brothers and firmly control Yanzhou in his own hands. Even Sun Ce can be an ally if necessary.

Yuan Tan held Zhang Chao's hand, bowed down, and greeted each other again. "Although Xian Yan unfortunately passed away, her spirit in the sky has never been far away, and she has been taking care of my brother. If it weren't for that, how could I have received the attention of my two uncles? ”