Zang Ba, who was originally a giant entrenched in the area of Mount Tai, accepted Chen Deng's suggestion, and then led Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Chang Feng and others, who were also giants, to submit to Lu Bu. Zang Ba and others are often active in Mount Tai, so they are quite proficient in mountain warfare, and Lu Bu also attaches great importance to Zang Ba and others. It's just that Lu Bu never dreamed that the two of them who he had high hopes for chose to betray at this time.

Chen Deng's betrayal was to keep the family business, while Zang Ba's betrayal was entirely out of personal likes and dislikes. Zang Ba doesn't like Lu Bu! And Lu Bu is not as good at winning people's hearts as Liu Xie, so that although Zang Ba surrenders to Lu Bu on the surface, he is extremely unwilling to go along with Lu Bu in his heart. In the past, Lu Bu was powerful, and Zang Ba didn't dare to have two hearts, but now that Yuan Cao joined forces to destroy Lu, Zang Ba of course didn't want to give Lu Bu a funeral. In addition, Chen Deng's tongue was as bright as a flower, and Zang Ba agreed to Chen Deng's suggestion and returned to Cao Cao.

Since he was determined to submit to Cao Cao, Zang Ba naturally did not want to surrender so quietly. In order to prove his ability, Zang Ba decided to perform.

……

Xiapi

Cao Bao was checking the accounts at home, and suddenly saw the housekeeper rushing in in a panic, Cao Bao hurriedly reached out and closed the account book, and shouted angrily: "What's the matter? Have you even forgotten the rules of the house? ”

"Old, sir, it's not good, yes, someone has surrounded our house."

"What?! Who is so bold? Dare to besiege my mansion? Cao Bao was furious when he heard this, and immediately got up and walked out. Although Lu Bu didn't treat Cao Bao very well, since he married his daughter to Lu Bu, Cao Bao basically no one dared to mess with him in Xiapi City.

When he came to the gate of the mansion, Cao Bao saw Zang Ba with an angry face, "Zang Ba! You are not stationed in Xiaopei, and you brought the troops back to surround my house, are you preparing to rebel? ”

Regarding Cao Bao's questioning, Zang Ba did not explain, and snorted coldly: "Cao Bao! Hugh wants to spew blood! The lord ordered me to be stationed in Xiaopei, but he never said that I should raise my own food and grass. Let me ask you, why have you not given me food and grass for so long? Delayed the lord's major event, can you afford to be guilty? ”

Cao Bao was stunned by what Zang Ba said, if you want to talk about the dispatch of grain and grass, it is really him Cao Bao who is responsible. But Cao Bao can be sure that he really didn't dare to attack the military grain and grass. Since Lu Bu led his troops north, Cao Bao would send troops to escort grain and grass to Xiaopei every ten days, and the most recent one was two days ago Cao Bao personally watched the grain cart go out of the city, how could Zang Ba not receive grain and grass?

"You talk nonsense! Two days ago, a batch of grain and grass was just sent to Xiaopei, and I have an account book to prove it. ”

"Hmph, accounts can be faked, but it is true that I have not received grain and grass there so far. Cao Bao, if you don't give out food and grass today, don't blame me for not giving face to the lord. Zang Ba was about to make a move as he spoke, Cao Bao hurriedly retreated when he saw this, and the soldiers of Cao Mansion also hurriedly stepped forward to confront the men and horses brought by Zang Ba.

Seeing that the conflict was about to break out, I suddenly heard someone shouting, "Stop, stop, don't be impulsive." ”

Zang Ba and Cao Bao looked at the place where they spoke almost at the same time, and saw Chen Qi hurriedly walking over and stopping the two of them: "Two generals, don't do it, the current enemy is really not suitable for infighting." ”

"Gong Chen, it's not that I want to do something with this thief, but that this thief deceives people too much. I obviously sent a batch of grain and grass to Xiaopei every ten days, but he just said no, and brought people to surround my house. Cao Bao pulled Chen Qi and complained.

"General Cao, don't be impatient, and let the old man ask." Chen Qi appeased Cao Bao, turned his head to look at Zang Ba and said, "General Zang, this is not the place to speak, if you can trust the old man, why don't you go back to the house with me, how about everyone calmly say it?" ”

“…… Just according to Chen Gong. ”

"General Cao, you come along."

"It's nature."

Under Chen Qi's persuasion, Zang Ba and Cao Bao went to Chen's house together. After the guests and hosts sat down and listened to Zang Ba and Cao Bao's respective stories, Chen Qi said slowly: "General Cao is not a person who does not know the importance of things, but General Zang is not a vain person. Not...... Could it be that there was an errand on the way to escort the grain and grass? ”

"Gong Chen, if something really goes wrong, it's excusable to go back or twice, it's impossible to go back on a business trip, right?" Zang Ba frowned and said.

Cao Bao also shook his head on the side and said: "The people in charge of escorting the grain and grass are all my cronies, they don't have the courage to take the opportunity to make profits, and the receipts they get back can't be faked." ”

"Hmm...... How about that? General Cao made a hard trip, hid in the team escorting grain and grass and went to Xiaopei to see what happened on the way? ”

"This ......" Cao Bao hesitated a little when he heard this, "Gong Chen, it's nothing to go to Xiaopei in person, but the matter of the lord ordering me to dispatch grain and grass is inseparable from people." ”

"That's a problem...... General Cao, if you can trust the old man, how about the old man for you during the time you left Xiapi? Chen Qi asked Cao Bao after thinking about it.

"Oops~ If Chen Gong is willing to help, Cao Bao can't ask for it."

……

In order to ensure his own safety, Cao Bao sent 3,000 men and horses to escort the grain and grass this time, and these 3,000 people were all private soldiers of the Cao family, and they only obeyed Cao Bao's orders.

Chen Jue personally sent Cao Bao out of the city, and Zang Ba did not turn his face for the time being because of Cao Bao's actions. However, he did not go on the road with Cao Bao, and took his five hundred men to take the first step and left Xiapi.

After Lu Bu occupied Xuzhou, Zang Ba and Sun Guan returned to obedience, and the rest of the people who were not in the climate also surrendered to Lu Bu, so that the security of Xuzhou became better. The large number of thieves has basically disappeared, but Cao Bao still does not dare to be careless. Based on his understanding of Zang Ba, this is not a person who is a man of false words, saying that the grain and grass have not been received, then maybe he has not received it. But he did distribute grain and grass, maybe it was really as Chen Jue said, the person in charge of the grain did it. If this is really the case, Cao Bao will never spare this person.

The grain team slowly marched in the direction of Xiaopei, and because the grain and grass escorted this time was several times that of usual, the speed of the team's march was relatively slow. When it was nearly evening, Cao Bao did not want to rush in the starry night, so he ordered the team to find a shelter and set up camp, preparing to wait for dawn before leaving.

The night was shrouded, and Cao Bao, who was used to being pampered, couldn't sleep, but seeing that everyone else had slept peacefully, he couldn't make a big noise, so he could only lie in the carriage and force himself to fall asleep with his eyes closed. Cao Bao rode a horse when he set out, but he also carried a carriage with him, so that he could use it at night while sleeping.

If you have something on your mind, it's troublesome to want to fall asleep. Cao Bao was trying to make himself fall asleep, when suddenly a rapid sound of horses' hooves sounded in his ears, followed by the screams of someone. Cao Bao was shocked, hurriedly turned over and sat up, and looked out through the window of the carriage, and saw that there was a fire outside, and an enemy was attacking his camp.

Cao Bao was so frightened that he subconsciously wanted to jump out of the car and escape, but before he could reach out and push the car door, he suddenly stopped. At the moment of life and death, Cao Bao's mind was unusually calm, he did not jump out of the carriage in a hurry, but returned to the position where he was lying just now, and after opening it, a round hole was revealed.

This is a secret that only Cao Bao knows, hiding under the carriage along the round hole, Cao Bao carefully observes the movements around him. At this time, the camp was already in chaos, full of murderers and slain, and although the people brought by themselves resisted hard, they could not support it for long, depending on the situation.

Cao Bao didn't think about coming forward to turn the tide, but just waited for the best time to escape. When the opportunity came, Cao Bao saw the opportunity that no one paid attention to him, and quickly got out of the carriage, bent on his waist, holding a knife he picked up casually, and quietly looked into the shadows to move.

At this time, Cao Bao's face was full of blood, and there was blood in many places on his body, of course, these blood were not Cao Bao's own, in order to avoid being discovered, Cao Bao smeared the blood on his body while picking up the knife, as long as he saw someone approaching, Cao Bao lay on the ground and pretended to be dead.

At this time, it was already chaotic, so naturally it didn't care whether the person lying on the ground was dead or alive, as long as he didn't move, he would have a chance to get by. With this tactic, Cao Bao successfully dodged several groups of fighting people, and with dozens of steps, he could roll into the grass and hide until dawn. But at this moment, a team of people appeared in Cao Bao's sight.

Zang Ba! It turned out that he led someone to ambush himself!

Cao Bao knew that this was not the time to jump up and fight with Zang Ba, but it seemed that it was too late to play the trick of pretending to be dead, because he had already asked Zang Ba to see it. Looking at Zang Ba who was approaching, Cao Bao stood up straight and looked at Zang Ba coldly.

"Cao Bao, didn't expect it, right?"

"Hmph, I thought you Zang Ba was a man, but I didn't expect that at the critical moment, he was just a villain who forgot his righteousness." Cao Bao looked at Zang Ba with a mocking expression and said.

"Success or defeat, Cao Bao, today next year will be your death day." As soon as Zang Ba's words fell, someone immediately rode a horse and Cao Bao rushed over.

Cao Bao was not known for his martial arts, and when he saw Zang Ba, he knew that he was in a catastrophe today, so it was not surprising that he was killed. When Cao Bao's head fell to the ground, Sun Guan, who killed Cao Bao with his own hands, picked up Cao Bao's head and hung it on the saddle, turned around and shouted at Zang Ba: "Boss, what are we going to do next?" ”

“…… Gather the brothers to go to Xiapi, although Mr. Chen has the chance to win, we still have to rush to help one or two as soon as possible. Zang Ba thought for a moment and commanded left and right.

……

Xiapi

Chen Qi, who took over the power of Xiapi, suddenly ordered someone to invite the guards of the city to Chen's house in the middle of the night. Although everyone didn't know what medicine was being sold in Chen Jue's gourd, Chen Jue was highly respected, and he sent someone to invite him, and everyone had to go. And among these people, there are those who are attached to Cao Bao.

There are only a dozen people in Xiapi City who hold military power, of which three or four belong to the Chen family, two or three belong to the Cao family, and the rest are those who remain neutral in peacetime. These people gathered at the Chen family, but they did not see Chen Qi, the old head of the Chen family. Facing the soldiers of the Chen family who surrounded the living room with a crossbow in hand, everyone who came to visit was a little flustered.

"Old man Chen, get out of here!" The people who were attached to Cao Bao took the lead and couldn't hold their breath, and while gathering in one place to be on guard, they scolded and tried to provoke Chen Qi. It's just that if Chen Qi can be provoked by a few scoldings, then he is not worthy of being called a wise man in Xuzhou.

After the situation was stabilized and everyone was controlled, Chen Jue slowly appeared in front of everyone. Ignoring the few "dead people" who glared at him angrily, Chen Qi glanced at everyone and said slowly: "Everyone, don't panic, the old man is not trying to kill you, on the contrary, the old man is saving your life." ”

"Fart! Old Puff! If you have a kind, you will let go of grandpa! Look at grandpa if you don't tear down your old bones. ”

"Drag it out, slash!" Chen Qi commanded in a cold voice. Immediately, someone dragged the person with a bad exit to the courtyard with a knife in his hand, and then sent the head back to restore his life.

In the face of the bloody reality, everyone is honest. Seeing this, Chen Qi shook his head and said, "Don't think that the old man is playing tricks on you. You are also smart people, you must also know that the difference in strength between Lu Bu and Yuan Shaozhi, and now Cao Cao has been added, do you think Lu Bu can still hold Xuzhou? ”

"Gong Chen, where did you hear about Yuan Cao's teaming up?" Someone asked aloud.

"You know me, don't you? To tell you the truth, my son was ordered to garrison Xiaopei with Zang Ba, and now he has returned to Cao Cao, and Yuan Shao's alliance will naturally be known. Ladies and gentlemen, Lu Bu can't count on it, if you want to keep your family business in Xuzhou, I hope you can help me. ”

Hearing Chen Qi's words, everyone looked at each other. Cao Yuan's alliance is terrifying, but Lu Bu is not easy to mess with, not to mention that Xia Pi is still under Lu Bu's control at the moment, if he is attached to the Chen family, even if he succeeds in the end, the biggest credit is also the Chen family. But if you don't cooperate, I'm afraid you'll end up like those headless corpses in the courtyard.

"Don't worry, the old man has been promised by Cao Gong, but anyone who is willing to submit to Cao Gong can not only ensure their family business in Xuzhou, but also be entrusted with important tasks. But if someone dares to do something bad, then don't blame the old man for being unreasonable. ”

"Your old man didn't pay attention to it from the beginning!" Everyone cursed secretly in their hearts. However, the current situation is pressing, and everyone has to choose to cooperate. No matter what the final distribution of benefits is, since the Chen family has abandoned Lu Bu, Lu Bu's chances of winning have become even lower, and with the support of the Cao family alone, Lu Bu is difficult to support alone.

The children of the family, the first thing they need to consider is the interests of the family, and when Lu Bu cannot guarantee his own interests, it is not strange to abandon Lu Bu and vote for others. Although there are also people who want to take refuge in Yuan Shao, but now that the Chen family has taken refuge in Cao Cao, they naturally will not allow anyone to cause trouble for themselves at this time.

Solved Cao Bao's cronies left in Xiapi, those people who originally belonged to the Cao family were quickly annihilated by the Chen family and the families under the leaderless group, and by the time Zang Ba arrived with the people, the matter had come to an end.

"Chen Gong is scheming, and Zang Ba admires it."

"Hehe, Xuan Gao don't be polite, this old man will be handed over to you." Chen Qi said with a smile.

When Zang Ba heard this, he hurriedly excused himself and said, "Huh? Chen Gong, this Pi is obviously the credit of Chen Gong, how can Zang Ba take the credit of others. ”

"Huh...... Xuan Gao, the old man is already half of the person who has been cut into the ground, why do you want to do so much? You don't have to excuse yourself, just take it. And you don't have to think that Xiapi will be slackened if he succeeds, if Lu Bu learns that Xiapi has fallen, he will lead an army to take it, and the defense of Xiapi City will be entrusted to you. ”

“…… Thanks to Chen Gong for his guidance, Zang Ba will arrange the defense. ”

"Well, you can use a few people from the Chen family with confidence, as for the others, the old man is not sure, you should keep more snacks yourself. Also, Lu Bu's family has now been invited to the Chen family by the old man, so don't send someone to disturb you. ”

"Yes, Chen Gong rest assured, Zang Ba has written it down."

Zang Ba sent Chen Jue away, turned his head and began to arrange defense, except for Chang Xuan, who was not around, Zang Ba assigned the defense of the four gates of Xiapi, Sun Guan guarded the west gate, Wu Dun guarded the east gate, Yin Li guarded the south gate, and he guarded the north gate. As for the security in the city, Zang Ba entrusted it to the generals who were attached to the Chen family.

Xiapi changed hands, and the first guests who waited for him were not Lu Bu, but Cao Cao, who led his troops to come after learning that Xiapi was lost. Knowing from Chen Deng that Xiapi is currently controlled by Zang Ba, Cao Cao was a little unconvinced at first. But after confirming it again and again, Cao Cao immediately sent troops from Xiaopei and went straight to Xiapi.

After entering Xiapi, Cao Cao praised Zang Ba fiercely in front of everyone, and Zang Ba naturally had to be humble and introduce Chen Qi, the biggest hero of Cao Cao's seizure of Xiapi.

"Gong Chen, I heard that Xuan Gao said that there are Lu Bu's family members in Duke Chen's mansion?"

Hearing this, Chen Jue glanced at Cao Cao and asked softly, "Cao Envoy Jun, lovely Lu Bu's bravery?" ”

"Huh?" Cao Cao was stunned when he heard this, he asked about Lu Bu's family, just because he remembered the world-famous beauty Diao Chan, and wanted to see Fangze, if he could have the opportunity to kiss Fangze, it would be even more unbelievable. But listening to Chen Jue's meaning, it seems that there is something in the words.

"Lu Bu Wuyong, I saw it with my own eyes before the Tiger Prison Pass in the past, and to be honest, Cao Mou really admired it for a long time. Chen Gong asked this at this time, isn't it sure to help me subdue this evil tiger? ”

"Although the evil tiger is fierce, it is the kindness of a woman, and she misses her home. If Cao Yuanjun uses his family as bait, he is not worried that he will not be able to let him comply. ”

Chen Jue's meaning is very clear, if you Cao Cao wants to be beautiful, then you can only give up Lu Bu, a fierce general, but if you want Lu Bu to work for you, then you'd better not beat Lu Bu's family.

You can't have it both ways! Although Cao Cao got Guan Yu at this time, Cao Cao couldn't help but be a little disappointed after finding that Guan Yu's oil and salt did not enter. Maybe Guan Yu will stay by his side because of the oath he made, but he always has such an attitude of rejecting people thousands of miles away, so how can Cao Cao, who always uses a hot face to stick to people's cold ass, feel embarrassed?

"Gong Chen, are you sure about this?" Cao Cao asked softly.

"As long as Cao Yuanjun is willing to cooperate, the old man can wait for Lu Bu to come back and give it a try."

"That being the case, then it will be more troublesome for Gong Chen."

……

"What do you say? Lost in Xiapi? Chen Deng, Zang Batou Cao? Lu Bu, who was confronting Yuan Shao in Linqu, almost strangled to death the person who came to report the news after receiving the news. When Zhang Xiu, Cao Xing and others rescued the person who reported the news from Lu Bu's hands, they saw that Lu Bu had lost his soul, as if he had suddenly become loveless.