Zhang Zhao is an important minister of Wu State, and he is known as asking Zhang Zhao about internal affairs. But Sun Ce knew very well that Zhang Zhao's greatest advantage was virtue, not ability. He is well-educated and famous, and can play a role in stabilizing people's hearts, especially when Sun Ce and the Jiangdong family have a fierce conflict, it is of extraordinary significance to have a celebrity like him in charge. His ability to handle government affairs is not outstanding, he lacks skill and patience, and his temper is too hard.

Searching through the classics, it is not uncommon for Zhang Zhao and Wu to have discord with the civil and military forces, such as Yu and Yan Zhen, and military generals such as Lu Su, all have contradictions with Zhang Zhao, and most of them are caused by Zhang Zhao himself.

To deal with the family, Sun Ce has his own means, and he doesn't need Zhang Zhao to be in charge, just take him as a banner. Staying by his side, he and Guo Jia will definitely not be able to pee in a pot, so it is better to let him teach and give full play to his strengths. After all, he is a scholar, and his knowledge is not bad.

If you want to talk about the surname Zhang, Sun Ce is more optimistic about another: Zhang Hong. He cared so much that he didn't want to mention it to Tao Qian, for fear that Tao Qian would suddenly become clever and cut off his beard halfway. Asking Zhang Zhao was just an excuse for him to test Tao Qian. If Tao Qian didn't agree, he would have nothing to lose. Now that Zhang Zhao has even moved his home, he is very surprised, and he hopes not to cause Tao Qian to be unhappy.

From another point of view, Zhang Zhao's family left Xuzhou, indicating that many people see the crisis. Liu Bei's southward movement is just a sign, Pengcheng is a battleground for soldiers, and the big war will come again sooner or later. And Zhang Zhao chose Sun Ce, he should still take a fancy to Sun Ce's strong force and believe that he has the ability to keep one side safe. This can be regarded as a side gain of Sun Ce's defeat of Liu Bei, no matter what Sun Ce's background is, it is always good to protect them.

Zhang Zhao traveled west, and Jiang Gan embarked on the journey non-stop, taking Sun Ce's handwritten letter to Guangling to invite Zhang Hong. In order to show respect, Sun Ce equipped Jiang Gan with a new four-wheeled carriage, and wrote a personal letter, expressing his admiration for Zhang Hong and hoping to get his help.

Sun Ce traveled south for more than ten days and arrived at Longkang, where the garrison rested.

The weather is getting hotter and raining frequently, and it is no longer suitable for marching and fighting. Wearing thick battle robes and heavy battle armor, he was sweating when he sat still, and his armor and weapons were hot from the scorching sun, let alone fighting. Since ancient times, it has rarely been fought in the summer unless necessary. Even if Sun Ce is a traverser, he can't go against the laws of nature, he can only ask the soldiers to maintain normal training, maintain their condition, and prepare for battle.

In addition to the fact that the weather was too hot, there was another reason why Sun Ce did not attack: he had not yet received Zhu Jun's permission and could not easily enter the Yangzhou realm. Repelling Liu Bei is his duty to act as the pastor of Yuzhou, and invading Jiujiang or Lujiang is overstepping his authority. He doesn't care, but Daddy can't be explained. Originally, he expected Zhou Ang to take the initiative to attack, he could annihilate the enemy in Runan, and his name was justified, but now that Zhou Ang has become a turtle, he can only wait patiently. Jiao Zhongqing has rushed to Luoyang to complain, and it is estimated that news will come back soon.

Long Kang's biggest family is the Huan family. Sun Ce didn't know it before, but now that he knows, he naturally wants to exchange feelings. However, such things usually don't need him to come forward, and Zheng Za can handle them very well. When they were almost done, Sun Ce came forward to a banquet and had a meal with the people involved, and the matter was over. It's impossible to put your heart in your head, and maintaining the status quo is the best option right now.

At least until the dust settles on Yuan Shu's pursuit.

Chang'an, are you okay?

——

At the foot of Lantian Mountain, Cao Cao rode his horse and rushed up a dirt slope and looked far away.

Lü Bu, Zhang Liao and others were leading the cavalry to pursue the defeated Xiliang soldiers. The outcome has been decided, and there is nothing to worry about, but Cao Cao's mood is even heavier. In order to pardon the Xiliang soldiers, Yang Biao and Wang Yun have been competing for a long time, and the truth has been explained countless times, but they just can't make a decision. Wang Yun was enraged by the opposition of all mouths, and threatened to resign, and the matter reached an impasse.

The opportunity was fleeting, and Hu Zhen, who was stationed in Lantian for a long time, did not receive the edict of pardon for a long time, and his heart was uneasy, coupled with the lack of military rations, he had no choice but to indulge the soldiers and plunder. For a time, the surrounding area of Chang'an was harmed by them, burning, killing and looting, doing everything, and even eating people.

As a last resort, Cao Cao and Lü Bu could only go out of the city to attack and expel the Xiliang soldiers. Once a war breaks out, the contradictions tend to intensify. Cao Cao was very restrained, but Lu Bu was very excited, and even shouted the words of killing all the people of Xiliang. He may have been angry when he saw Xiliang soldiers brutalize the people, but as soon as he said this, his taste changed. Xiliang Bing originally suspected that the imperial court had an attempt to kill them all, but Lu Bu's words just confirmed their worries, and they exploded all at once.

The battle went very well, Cao Cao and Lu Bu joined forces, Hu Zhen did not have the strength to fight back at all, and was defeated several times in a row, but it was difficult for the Xiliang rout to be expelled at once, they were like a group of hungry and crazy wolves wandering in the pass, burning, killing and looting, and doing all kinds of evil. The people complained and were greatly disappointed in the court.

Cao Cao was worried. He was not only worried about these routs, but he was even more worried about Hu Zhen joining up with Jia Xu's troops. Hu Zhen is a mediocre talent, brave and unscrupulous, and not to be feared, but Jia Xu is a very clever opponent. With him planning for Niu Fu and Hu Zhen, these Xiliang soldiers were gathered together, and the threat was by no means comparable to Hu Zhen.

It was not only Jia Xu who worried Cao Cao, but also Ma Teng and Han Sui. They were invited by Dong Zhuo to come from Liangzhou and arrived in Yongxian, but Dong Zhuo died. They lost their ground, so they temporarily stationed on the right side of Fufeng to wait and see the situation. The imperial court has not given a clear decision on how to deal with it. Now that the rout of the Hu army is advancing westward, it is likely that the rumors of "killing all the people of Xiliang" will reach their ears, and they are likely to decide to confront the imperial court, and the consequences will be unimaginable.

In He Jin's general's mansion, Cao Cao met Han Sui, Han Sui persuaded He Jin to kill the eunuchs, He Jin did not listen, Han Sui refused He Jin's expulsion and returned to Liangzhou. At that time, Cao Cao felt that Han Sui was a dangerous person, very ambitious, and radical, the key was that he still had that ability. Now, Han Sui has become the leader of the Xiliang rebels, and he is no less dangerous than Niu Fu and others.

Cao Cao felt very helpless, he had said these words to Yang Biao and Wang Yun, but none of them took it seriously. He could only watch the situation deteriorate step by step.

A fast horse galloped from afar. When Cao Cao saw it, his heart throbbed, as if he had been caught. The knight on horseback has a special emblem, which is the meticulous work of the drama Zhicai, and when it appears here, there must be important news.

The knight stopped in front of Cao Cao, turned over and dismounted, walked quickly in front of Cao Cao, and handed over two bamboo slips sealed together. Cao Cao opened it and looked at it, and his short black and thick eyebrows suddenly raised. There are only a few words on the short bamboo slip: Sun Ce entered the court, and the Pei Guoshi clan asked for Yuan Shu.

"Inform Wen Hou, collect the troops and return to the camp!"