Liu Xie is really a bit big this time. He underestimated Yuan Shao's business in Hebei, thinking that he would not be eye-catching after separating from Tong Yuan, but he still made people see the flaws. After a fierce battle, although Wang Yue kept no accidents, Wang Yue was also seriously injured.

If Wang Yue was alone, Wang Yue would not necessarily be injured, after all, it was easy to get out alone, but now that Liu Xie is a burden, then Wang Yue can't just care about his own safety. But in order to protect Liu Xie, Wang Yue also paid a lot of price, at least for a short period of time, he could not move freely.

Liu Xie was already in the vicinity of Huguan at this time, and as long as he passed Huguan, it would not be easy for Yuan Shao's subordinates to find him. Wang Yue, who was injured and unable to hurry, was entrusted to a nearby farmer to take care of, and Liu Xie passed through Huguan alone. Liu Xie left at night, when Wang Yue knew about it, the person had long disappeared, and the farmer who had obtained Liu Xie's money and promised to take care of Wang Yue did not know where Liu Xie was at this time.

Liu Xie didn't want Tianyan to be known by the princes of all walks of life too early, the later he knew, the more accurate information he could get. However, this is an extraordinary time, before going to see Zhang Yan, Liu Xie is ready to contact the eyes and ears of the court who remained in the party, and then decide whether to meet Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan's life has been very unsatisfactory recently. When Yuan Shao and Gongsun Chan were at war, Zhang Yan once helped Gongsun Chan contain Yuan Shao, and this feud was recorded by the cautious Yuan Shao. Now Gongsun Chan is being defeated and retreating under Yuan Shao's attack, and it is only a matter of time before he perishes. Once Gongsun Chan is destroyed, then Yuan Shao's next target is Zhang Yan's black mountain thief.

Zhang Yan also tried to reconcile with Yuan Shao, but unfortunately what he was waiting for was the head of the messenger who was sent back. In order to protect herself, Zhang Yan could only choose to continue to help Gongsun Zhan, and recently discussed with Gongsun Zhan, the son of Gongsun Zhan, about sending troops, and Zhang Yan received a reply from the imperial court that he intended to meet him.

Zhang Yan is about to forget about this matter! Earlier, when he learned that the imperial court intended to Zhao'an the Black Mountain thieves, Zhang Yan casually said at that time, if the imperial court was interested, he would invite the saint to come and talk to him, and then the imperial court did not hear back. Zhang Yan doesn't care, he knows his identity very well, he is a thief for one day and a thief for life, Zhang Yan thinks that he is the rival of the imperial court, and the imperial court wants to appease him, but he must not be well-intentioned.

I didn't want to hear the echo of the court today, and asked Zhang Yan to meet at the Huguan Pass. When Zhang Yan first learned the news, he almost suspected that he had heard it wrong, and only after confirming it again and again did he have to accept this fact. Regarding the fact that Zizhen was waiting for him at the Huguan Gate today, Zhang Yan was always skeptical.

Sent someone to stabilize Gongsun Xu first, anyway, it was not a matter of a day or two to send troops, Zhang Yan rushed to Huguan with a few cronies overnight. Through the intermediary and the imperial court, I met Liu Xie, who was waiting at the gate of the pot.

"Are you the son of today?" When only Zhang Yan and Liu Xie were left in the room, Zhang Yan couldn't help but ask.

"Well, it's a fake."

“…… Are you not afraid that I will not believe in my word, and will take you hostage or do you any favor? Zhang Yan asked.

"It's impossible to say you're not afraid. However, when I left Chang'an, I had already left a 'testament', and if something happened to me, the court would have a new son of heaven to succeed me. If you want to use me as a hostage to blackmail the imperial court, it is probably impossible. And since you, Zhang Yan, can lead the Black Mountain Army to fight Yuan Shao for so long without being defeated, then this brain should also be considered smart. For the sake of the old and weak women and children of the Montenegrin Army, you will not take the risk of completely offending the imperial court. ”

"You seem confident." Zhang Yan said with some unhappiness.

"Huh...... If you don't even have this confidence, how dare you come to see you? Zhang Yan, let's talk nonsense, I'm not here to talk to you. To tell you the truth, I am not here for you, but for the hundreds of thousands of people up and down Montenegro. The court needs them now, so you have a chance to live in the sun again. ”

“…… So how is the court going to settle those people? Zhang Yan was silent for a moment and asked.

Liu Xie couldn't help nodding secretly when he heard this, feeling that although the Zhang Yan in front of him was rude in appearance, his heart was not bad. Seeing Zhang Yan looking at himself waiting for an answer, he didn't hide it, "The imperial court has newly acquired Liangzhou, and the Han and Qiang live there mixed, and the proportion of Han people is not large, so in order for Liangzhou to be truly in the hands of the Han people, increasing the population of the Han people has become a top priority." It is precisely because of this that the imperial court will intend to Zhao'an the Black Mountain Army. You ask how the imperial court will settle the people of the Black Mountain Army, do you know the Baibo Army that was previously ordered by the imperial court? What kind of treatment they are, what kind of treatment your Montenegrin army is. In addition, the army under your command must also be reduced, and it is estimated that it is impossible for you to go to farming. You can choose 10,000 people from the Montenegrin army to form a new Montenegrin army, and the imperial court will be responsible for allocating the necessary expenses. But I said ugly things ahead, since I have become an official of the imperial court, then you must know to abide by the military discipline, if you commit it, then you don't blame me for not being merciful. ”

“…… Isn't there a knighthood? Seeing that Liu Xie was no longer talking, Zhang Yan couldn't help but ask.

"Of course there are officials, but you have to take credit for it, and I don't have the habit of giving benefits to people for nothing." Liu Xie replied when he heard this.

Zhang Yan is a real person. He is not loyal to the Han at all, otherwise he would not have rebelled with the Yellow Turban. However, it is precisely because of the lack of loyalty to the imperial court that Zhang Yan pays more attention to practical interests. And he first asked Liu Xie how to settle the people under his hands, which can also show that he is not a selfish person. As for the matter of asking for officials later, it is not so much that he wants to get benefits from Liu Xie, but that he is testing Liu Xie's attitude towards them.

It is very easy to confer an official title, and the Son of Heaven Chrysostom will open it. But if the Son of Heaven is not willing, then even if he gets a high-ranking official, he may not be able to hold it firmly. Now Liu Xie said that he would let his people use credit in exchange for it in the future, which is more reliable in Zhang Yan's opinion.

Joining forces with Gongsun Chan is for self-preservation, and the Zhao'an court can also protect itself. And unlike joining forces with Gongsun Zhan, the price paid to accept the imperial court's Zhao'an was far smaller than joining forces with Gongsun Chan to deal with Yuan Shao. The Montenegrin army claims to be a million people to the outside world, but in fact the number is only four or five hundred thousand, and not all of these four or five hundred thousand people are young and strong, and most of them are old and weak women and children. And because these people are carrying the identity of a thief, they can only hide in the deep mountains and old forests all day long, although they have also cultivated some fields, but the harvest can't feed so many mouths at all.

At present, the imperial court intends to edict peace, which means that these four or five hundred thousand people will regain the legal identity of the Han people, and they will no longer have to hide in the mountains and compete with wild beasts for food. Although Liangzhou is a little hard, it has its own fields, its own houses, and the protection of the Han army by its side, which is enough to make Zhang Yan's heart move. As for himself and those cronies who have followed him for many years, the newly built Montenegrin Army has enough stage for them to perform.

Zhang Yan didn't care about the official title that Liu Xie gave him, he had the self-credit to exchange for the official title he wanted. Originally, he thought that he could convince his subordinates very smoothly, but unexpectedly, he was opposed by some of his subordinates in this link.

The Montenegrin Army is not owned by Zhang Yan alone, among them, in addition to Sun Qing and Wang Dang as their irons, Li Damu, Yu Poison and others all have their own subordinates and territories. When Zhang Yan summoned them to explain the conditions set by the imperial court, Li Damu, Yu Poison and others opposed it most fiercely.

Zhang Yan didn't expect that Li Damu, Yu Poison and others would oppose him at this time, and the reasons for their opposition made it impossible for him to refute. He himself believed in the promise of the imperial court, but there was no guarantee that the imperial court would keep its promise. In this way, the Montenegrin army's matter of the imperial court Zhao'an was divided into two factions.

Zhang Yan persuaded hard, hoping to persuade Li Damu, Yu Poison and others, but Li Damu and others were like Wang Ba eating scales at this time, and they refused to believe Zhang Yan's words. Zhang Yan had no choice but to inform Liu Xie of the trouble she had encountered when she agreed to meet Liu Xie again, hoping that Liu Xie could come up with an idea for herself.

"My father is dead and my mother is married, and I take care of myself. Zhang Yan, you are not Yu Poison, Li Damu's Laozi, they don't want to go with them, although the imperial court needs someone to expand the number of Han people in Liangzhou at the moment, but they don't want to leave the hidden danger in Liangzhou. If they don't want to be Zhao'an, then leave them alone. You just need to gather the people who are willing to accept it. By the way, if you are not afraid of 10,000, you are afraid of what happens, and you had better pay more attention to your own safety these days. ”

"Holy Lord, those are brothers who were born and died with me." Zhang Yan emphasized to Liu Xie with some dissatisfaction.

“…… Zhang Yan, the heart of defense is indispensable. For the sake of the word rights, fathers and sons have become enemies, and brothers have turned against each other There are countless examples throughout the ages. If you leave here with people, you will naturally be their brother in life and death, but once you want to leave, and you have to take many people with you, it is equivalent to digging up their flesh. At times like these, brotherhood is not necessarily useful. Because once you die, everything you have will be in their pocket, so you are now a thorn in their eyes, a thorn in their flesh. ”

Zhang Yan was suspicious of Liu Xie's words, but the anti-human heart still worked. Zhang Yan didn't want to doubt his partners who had been friends for many years, but in the face of the facts, he had to be suspicious of his little friends. In the Montenegrin army, Zhang Yan naturally has his own ears and cronies, and through them, Zhang Yan has received some unwanted returns. After he said that he planned to accept the imperial court's edict, Li Damu, Yu Poison and others all made some changes and secretly mobilized people with unclear intentions.

Zhang Yan didn't want to turn his face with Li Damu, Yu Poison and others. If you are together, you will get together, and if you don't, you will disperse, but the actions of Li Damu, Yu Poison and others obviously do not intend to discuss with Zhang Yan again. Zhang Yan is not a person who is willing to sit back, and after receiving the report from his subordinates, he remained silent, and once again ordered someone to invite Li Damu, Yu Poison and others to his village to discuss important matters.

"Zhang Yan, what are you going to do?" Li Damu, Yu Poison and others, who didn't know what the plan was, were surrounded by Zhang Yan's men, and Li Damu questioned Zhang Yan angrily.

"Li Damu, don't be nervous, although you are unkind, I, Zhang Yan, will not be unjust. As long as you stay honest, I won't be embarrassed for you. Zhang Yan said coldly.

"Zhang Yan, do you really want to be a dog for the imperial court?" Yu Poison also asked angrily.

“…… It's not that I, Zhang Yan, want to be a dog for the imperial court, but for hundreds of thousands of people in our Montenegrin army to find a way to live. Yu Poison, you are not a stupid person, do you think that now this world is still the way before, and our Montenegrin army can occupy the mountain as the king for a lifetime? Now that Yuan Shao in Hebei is powerful, it is almost a foregone conclusion that Gongsun Chan will be destroyed, once Yuan Shao pacifies Youzhou, do you think he will choose to merge with the state or go south to the Central Plains? ”

“…… The Han family is exhausted, since you want to be a dog with people, why don't you choose a promising owner? Yu Poison asked loudly.

"Hmph, then in your opinion, who should my Black Mountain Army go to?" Zhang Yan snorted coldly and asked rhetorically.

"Since you want to vote for the imperial court, then I will choose Yuan Shao. The fourth and third dukes of the Yuan family are about to become the overlord of Hebei, and my Montenegrin army will vote for him, wouldn't it be more beneficial. ”

"I'm afraid that you will already fall to the ground before you enjoy the glory and wealth of the poison." Zhang Yan said coldly: "You also said that the fourth and third princes of the Yuan family, why did you, the thief, get the reuse of the Yuan family?" Yuan Shao, the overlord of Hebei, is he rare for you, who was born a thief, to defect to him? Still reuse you? Why? Just a hundred thousand old and weak women and children under your hands? ”

"That's better than defecting to the imperial court and being exiled to Liangzhou, where birds don't lay eggs." Yu Poison screamed with his neck cried.

Seeing that he was obsessed with poison, Zhang Yan didn't want to talk nonsense anymore, and said coldly to Li Damu and others: "Everyone has their own ambitions, don't force them." I hope I can get together with you and have a good time, I don't want to tear my face, but your actions in private are disappointing. If people don't know, unless you do it, you don't have to deny it, since I dare to say this, it is the exact news. I just don't want to let the Montenegrin army fight and make outsiders laugh at it. Since you are not willing to accept the edict of the imperial court with me, then I will not force it, and when the people who are willing to leave with me and wait are gone, I will naturally let you go. ”

After Zhang Yan said this, he asked Li Damu and others to be escorted down, and then instructed Sun Qing, Wang Dang and others: "You already know the conditions set by the imperial court, and if there are people who are unwilling to leave, I will not force them." ”

“…… Yan Shuai, why do you believe in the imperial court so much this time? Sun Qing couldn't help but ask Zhang Yandao.

"Sun Qing, do you remember my reply to the people from the court when the imperial court sent people to contact us?" Zhang Yan thought about it and asked Sun Qingdao in a low voice.

"Remember, at that time, Yan Shuai said that if the court was interested, let the son of today come to talk in person...... No way? Sun Qing came to his senses after speaking, looked at Zhang Yan in disbelief and asked.

"Sun Dazui, what won't you?" Wang Dang on the side asked puzzled when he saw this.

Sun Qing ignored Wang Dang, just stared at Zhang Yan, saw Zhang Yan nodded slightly, and said in disbelief: "Actually, I can't believe it until now, but the facts are in front of me, and I can't help but believe it." Sun Qing, I want to take a gamble. ”

“…… He was so daring. ”

"Yan Shuai, what are you talking about with Sun Dazui?" Wang Dang shouted with some unhappiness.

"It's nothing, you go and inform the people below, if you are willing to believe me Zhang Yan, then pack your bags and prepare to leave with me, if there is someone who is unwilling to leave, then don't be embarrassed for him, let him do his own thing."

"Oh, the last general obeys."

After sending Wang Dang away, Zhang Yan said to Sun Qing again: "Sun Qing, Li Damu's gang will be handed over to you for the time being, don't be embarrassed for them." ”

"Yan Shuai rest assured."

……

Zhang Yan's reputation is still good in the Montenegrin army, not only more than eighty percent of Zhang Yan's subordinates are willing to follow Zhang Yan, that is, Li Damu and others belong, but also more than half of them are willing to believe Zhang Yan. Nearly 300,000 out of 450,000 people chose to leave, and Zhang Yan was overjoyed when she learned about it.

The large-scale migration of hundreds of thousands of people cannot be prepared overnight, and the imperial court also needs time to prepare, so Li Damu, Yu Poison and others stayed in Zhang Yan's camp for almost a month. Li Damu tried to buy the people in charge of guarding them, but Sun Qingyong guarded them all the old people who followed Zhang Yan's father, Zhang Niujiao, in the past, and they were loyal to Zhang Yan, and they would not betray Zhang Yan if they wiped their necks, and Li Damu and the others couldn't buy them at all.

In the eyes of Li Damu and others, these people are now in danger, and Zhang Yan's words that he would release them afterwards are regarded as nonsense by them, and they need to find a way to save themselves, but they are unarmed, and it must be themselves who really turn their faces and suffer. But if you don't resist, you can't guarantee that you won't be killed by Zhang Yan in the end.

"Congratulations, several." Sun Qing appeared in front of Li Damu and others, and said happily when they met.

"Congratulations on what? Is Zhang Yan ready to poison us? Li asked in horror. Before he became a thief, he served as a cell boss in a government prison, and in prison, only condemned prisoners were congratulated when they were about to be executed. Being under house arrest these days is no different from a death row prisoner waiting for death, Sun Qing suddenly congratulated himself, which reminded Li Damu, who was already suspicious, of his past professional habits.

"Li Dayan, you don't talk nonsense. Yan Shuai said that if it is not difficult for you, it will not be difficult for you. Congratulations on you because you are about to be free, come with me, Yan Shuai wants to see you. Sun Qing glanced at Li Da angrily and said to everyone.

Li Damu saw that he had guessed wrong, and couldn't help but be a little embarrassed, and walked out of the tent with Sun Qing with his head down. When everyone got out of the tent, they found that the camp was much cleaner than before, and there were many fewer people moving around.

"Since you will not leave with me, then this stockade will be left to you. What will happen to you, you will do it for yourselves. Zhang Yan didn't talk nonsense, after carefully reading Li Damu and the others, he dropped a sentence, took Sun Qing and the others away, and left Li Damu and the others, who still didn't believe that Zhang Yan would really let him go.