Xiahou Heng is going crazy! When he found that there was smoke coming out of the mountain, Xiahou Heng, who was guarding the mountain pass, knew that something was wrong, even if he rushed in with people, hoping to meet Cao Ang, but he didn't want the mountain road to be difficult, and there were people with bows and crossbows to harass him on the way, and when Xiahou Heng finally arrived at the place of the incident, he took people over the boulders blocking the way, but found that Cao Ang and Xu Yi were gone.

The number of this bandit team led by Cao Ang is about 1,800 people, excluding the 800 people divided by Cao Zhen and Xiahou Heng, there are more than 1,000 people around Cao Ang, plus Xu Yi, who inherited Xu Chu's bravery, and the ten tiger guards who are responsible for Cao Cao's safety, it is not easy to endanger Cao Ang.

But now, Cao Ang is gone, and Xiahou Heng can almost conclude that Cao Ang must have been taken captive. First, he was trapped in this narrow valley, and then he fainted with smoke. Looking up at the cliffs on both sides, as long as someone put a rope from it, and then Cao Ang and the others who had fainted were pulled up with ropes, it was not a problem at all.

Thinking that Cao Ang was taken away, Xiahou Heng's heart was a little relieved. I'm afraid to see Cao Ang's corpse, which is tantamount to a catastrophe for Xiahou Heng. Since the kidnappers did not ask for Cao Ang's life on the spot, they must have put forward conditions to themselves, as long as they meet the other party's requirements, Cao Ang will probably be fine.

After such a big incident, the matter of suppressing bandits naturally could not continue, Xiahou Heng left a hundred people to carry out the stunned soldiers in the valley one by one to ventilate the wind, and he took the rest of the people to climb over the boulders blocking the way, trying to find the traces of the kidnappers. Compromise is the last resort, and before that, Xiahou Heng wanted to try to rescue, even if he couldn't rescue him, at least he had to figure out Cao Ang's whereabouts at this time, but except for finding the corpses of the former soldiers led by Cao Zhen, Xiahou Heng found nothing, and no useful information was found.

On the one hand, Xiahou Heng ordered someone to quickly report the matter to Cheng Yu to know, and on the other hand, he ordered someone to go to Runan to recruit the 1,000 county soldiers sent to escort the captives to Woniu Mountain, and he himself took 1,500 people into the mountain to find the cottage of Woniu Mountain, wanting to try to gain as much initiative as possible before the kidnappers came to the door.

……

Cao Ang woke up slowly, he didn't know when he fainted, and when he woke up and looked around, Cao Ang understood his current situation. I was captured, and the situation was not very good, I was put in a wooden cage, although the cage is not small, but this is not a place for people to stay, and the shackles on the body are not the treatment of guests.

"Tiger head, tiger head, wake up." Cao Ang whispered to the big black man in another wooden cage to his left. Seeing Xu Yi's blackened face, Cao Ang knew that his situation was not much better, and on Cao Ang's right was Cao Zhen in another wooden cage.

Three people, three wooden cages, each with shackles, no need to guess to understand, the three of them have now become prisoners, but who is sacred to the person who captured him? Cao Ang was now desperate to know.

Xu Yi was woken up by Cao Ang, and immediately wanted to come to Cao Ang, only to find that his movement was limited, and he struggled hard and found that it was useless, so he had to give up, and asked Cao Ang with concern: "Eldest son, are you okay?" ”

"It's okay for now." Cao Ang replied, turned his head and wanted to call Cao Zhen again, but found that Cao Zhen had woken up by himself, and was looking at himself with a ashamed face, seeing Cao Ang looking over, Cao Zhen said ashamedly: "Zixiu, I hurt you, if I hadn't insisted on coming to this Woniu Mountain to exterminate the bandits, you wouldn't have suffered today's humiliation." ”

"Zidan, don't talk about this now, let's think about how to get out. The tiger head and I both directly asked the thief to stun with thick smoke, how did you get someone to catch it? Cao Ang shook his head and asked Cao Zhendao.

Cao Zhen was even more ashamed when he heard this, bowed his head and said, "I asked the thief to be captured alive." ”

"Do you know what the name of the thief who captured you?" Cao Ang asked again.

"He said his name was Zhou Cang."

"Zhou Cang?" Cao Ang tried hard to think about it when he heard this, and finally remembered this Zhou Cang. Before sending troops, Cheng Yu once handed Cao Ang a piece of information, which recorded in detail the list of thieves operating in the Nanyang area, among which Zhou Cang was one of the objects that Cao Ang needed to pay attention to. Cao Ang originally planned to exterminate some small thieves first, and he used Lei Xu just to establish his authority, and then went to find Zhou Cang, but he didn't want Zhou Cang to take the initiative to find him.

"I didn't expect that Zhou Cang is still a brave and resourceful person this time, and it's a pity to be a thief." Cao Ang said to himself.

Cao Zhen on the side shook his head when he heard it and said: "Zixiu, I have seen Zhou Cang that time, it is a rather powerful horseman, and there are other people who design us." ”

"Who?"

"I guess it's the staff around Zhou Cang, and I heard that he is the second leader here."

"Two masters? …… I don't know what these thieves are trying to do when they capture us without killing us? Cao Ang said worriedly.

……

When Cao Ang woke up, it was already early afternoon, and when it was approaching evening, someone brought dinner, one nest head per person, and a bowl of water. Cao Ang took advantage of someone's time to make a request to the person who came to deliver the meal, wanting to meet the leader of the other party. The person who delivered the food did not say a word, but put down the food and left on his own.

When Cao Ang and the others finished eating the food in their hands, Zhou Cang appeared with the second master. Cao Ang looked very calm, as if he was not a prisoner, but a guest who came here as a guest, and asked Zhou Cang with a smile: "Leader Zhou, I don't know what you want to do when you took the trouble to ask me to invite you here?" ”

"Hahaha, this person who has studied just speaks differently. Lu Gongzi, this is your job, you come. Zhou Cang laughed and said to the second master beside him.

The second master also smiled slightly when he heard this, stepped forward and looked at Cao Ang and said, "Cao Gongzi, Xiao Ke Lu Xun Lu Boyan, this is polite." ”

"Lu Xun!" Cao Ang was shocked. However, Cao Ang was surprised, even Cao Zhen in another cage was also surprised. Looking at the age and temperament of the person in front of him, he should be the young head of the Lu family in Jiangdong at the beginning, whose real name was Lu Yi, and he later changed his name to Lu Xun. It's a pity that the bad luck was bad and I voted for the wrong person. Liu Bei's whereabouts were unknown when he left, and he thought he had died in the chaos, but he didn't want this guy to fall into the grass here.

“…… Now that your lord Liu Bei is in Jingnan, why don't you go to defect? Cao Ang pondered for a moment and asked.

"Huh...... Liu Bei ......" Lu Xun couldn't help but smile when he heard this, shook his head, and said to Cao Ang: "Young Master Cao, instead of caring about these, why don't you think about your current situation?" ”

"How are you going?" Cao Ang's expression changed, and he stared at Lu Xun vigilantly and asked.

"Huh...... Cao Gongzi rest assured, Xiao Ke will not use you to threaten your father, but there are some small favors that need Cao Gongzi's help. Lu Xun said with a smile.

“…… If you want to join the army, I can introduce you. Cao Ang thought about it and said to Lu Xun solemnly. But he didn't want to attract Lu Xun to shake his head and chuckle again, "Cao Gongzi, if a good bird chooses a tree to perch, your father will be unable to protect himself, if it were you, would he stake his life at this time?" ”

"What about you...... Do you want to take refuge in the imperial court? Cao Ang came to his senses as soon as he spoke, and asked in a deep voice.

"Gongzi Cao is really smart, and he deserves to be your father's favorite heir." Lu Xun praised with a smile.

"Hmph, you want to give me a greeting gift? Delusion! ”

"Gongzi Cao, I advise you not to have the idea of killing yourself. I know that you are not afraid of death, but you also have to think about the future of your Cao family. Yes, without your gift, I need to find another way, but don't forget, if you die, your Cao family will have no successor. ”

"Hmph, my younger brothers are all smart, how can my Cao family have no successors. On the contrary, it's you, as far as I know, the Lu family has declined, and the current Jiangdong Lu family is just surviving with some remnants left by the ancestors. ”

"Huh...... Cao Gongzi doesn't have to be excited, you are not wrong, the Lu family has indeed declined now, so I have the same ambition as today's son, but when today's son wants to recover the big man, and all I want is the Lu family. Lu Xun smiled indifferently.

“…… Lu Xun, why are you so sure that my Cao family can't defend the Central Plains? Cao Ang was silent for a moment and asked.

"Master Cao, why do you deceive yourself? Now that the Central Plains is indeed occupied by your Cao family, but your father is not greedy enough and sent troops to try to attack Hebei, how could the Son of Heaven, who is bent on reviving the Han Dynasty, miss the opportunity in front of him? Once the imperial court sent troops, Cao's army would either defeat the Yuan clan as quickly as possible and return to the army to fight; Either strike with the Yuan clan and return to the army to fight. The former is unlikely to be realized, Hebei is strong, and it is almost impossible to defeat it in the short term. But if the latter is chosen, the Yuan family is willing to strike the army, and even if the Yuan family agrees to the two families to strike the army, it is unlikely that they will be willing to join forces with Cao Jun to resist the imperial court at this time. Watching from the wall is the greatest possibility. ”

Speaking of this, Lu Xun paused for a moment, and waited for Cao Ang to almost digest his words before continuing: "Once the Yuan family chooses to stand by and watch, then Cao Jun can only fight alone. But Cao Gongzi, you must know better than me about the changes in the Chang'an court over the years, do you think that your Cao family alone can resist the soldiers of the imperial court? Don't expect your Cao family to find helpers, back then, your father worked together to seize the Central Plains, and those potential allies were wiped out by your father. ”

"There are also Liu Biao and Sun Ce." Cao Ang reminded unconvinced.

"Ha~ Don't mention those two. Liu Biao is now terminally ill, and what Jingzhou is thinking about is who to make the next King of Jing, how can he care about the life or death of your Cao family. And Sun Ce of Jiangdong, that is also a lord who is unprofitable and can't afford to be early, let Jingzhou that can be monopolized not be occupied, but go to help your Cao family, do you think Sun Ce is that kind of stupid person? Even if Sun Ce is stupid, his subordinates Zhou Yu and Zhuge Jin are not stupid. ”

"Since you said that my Cao family will be defeated, then what deal do you want to use me to make with the imperial court?" Cao Ang asked in a deep voice.

"Gongzi Cao, don't take yourself too seriously, you are just a meeting gift that I use to talk to the court, and I don't plan to exchange you for anything with the court. What I want, I will rely on my own ability to fight for it, not rely on your gift. ”

Lu Xun's words were a little hurtful, but Cao Ang had no intention of caring about Lu Xun's faux pas. From the conversation with Lu Xun, Cao Ang had already determined that the imperial court would definitely send troops to the Central Plains, and he wanted to inform his father who was far away in Qingzhou about the news and ask him to prepare as soon as possible. It's just that I can't help myself, and now I'm in a cage, with no way to go to heaven and no way to enter the ground, and there is no other way than to be anxious.

……

"Lu Gongzi, do you really plan to take refuge in the imperial court?" On the way back, Zhou Cang couldn't help but ask Lu Xundao. Lu Xun glanced at Zhou Cang with a smile, this honest and rough man actually had some eyes, and asked himself if he really planned to join the court at this time, just because he was worried that he would leave him alone.

In fact, this is Zhou Cang's worry, Lu Xun was desperate at the beginning, and he was taken in by him, so he had a place to live. Originally, Lu Xun also thought about returning to Jiangdong and his hometown for life. But he didn't want to receive the news before he crossed the river and learned that Lu Ji was the new head of the family and took refuge in Sun Ce.

Lu Xun knew that he couldn't go back, not that he was worried that Lu Ji would compete with him for the position of head of the family, but that the Lu family at that time could no longer withstand any toss, and once he went back, it would be tantamount to giving Sun Ce, who wanted to take the Lu family, the best excuse.

I can't go back home, so Lu Xun will be a thief for the rest of his life, and Lu Xun is unwilling. Originally, he also thought about going to Liu Bei, but Liu Bei himself sent someone to the fence, what kind of care could Lu Xun get if he went? And once Lu Xun shows up beside Liu Bei, I am afraid that it will bring trouble to the Lu family in Jiangdong again.

Settling down incognito in Runan, Lu Xun did not give up caring about the general trend of the world, when the imperial court defeated Yuan Shao in Hebei, Lu Xun knew who he should sell this ability to. At the beginning, Lu Xun was not optimistic about the imperial court in Chang'an, of course, this cannot be completely blamed on Lu Xun, because this was the mainstream at that time, that is, the general trend of the Han family was gone, and it was difficult to restore the glory of the past. But the court of Chang'an used facts again and again to slap those who insisted that the Han family was difficult to revive in the face.

Especially after defeating Yuan Shao, someone who secretly counted the current family background of the Chang'an court, only to suddenly find that the current court has become strong and strong, and the government is harmonious.

Lu Xun, who was interested in the Chang'an court, naturally had an understanding of Liu Xie, the current master of the court, and the more he understood, the more Lu Xun found that today's son is a "real person", and he will never easily appoint a person because of family background, background and other factors. If you want to be taken seriously, you must have the ability to do it.

Lu Xun is confident in his own ability, what he lacks now is a reason, or an excuse, an opportunity to show his ability to today. Mao Sui's self-recommendation is not very good for today's imperial court, and the reopening of Taixue will absorb most talented people, even if there are people who are recommended by Mao Sui, it is impossible to get high-ranking officials as immediately as at the beginning, and they must enter Taixue for further study before they have the opportunity to become officials.

In fact, this is still Lu Xun's self-esteem, if he really goes to Mao Sui to recommend himself, Liu Xie will definitely reuse him. One move to burn the company camp will burn Liu Bei to the end of depression, how can such a capable person not be reused.

"Leader Zhou, don't worry, I won't leave you alone and go to the court alone." Lu Xun felt that he needed to give Zhou Cang a reassuring pill to eat, so that he would not have to think too much to cause extraneous branches, but it would ruin his own big things.

"Master Lu, you are a smart person, and we are just some mud legs, I am really afraid that we will be sold and help people count the money, please don't blame." Zhou Canghan said with a smile, blushing at all because Lu Xun had pierced his mind. It's not that Zhou Cang is really thick-skinned, it's really that there are more than a thousand old and weak women and children behind him counting on him.

Since following Zhang Mancheng to rebel and fail, Zhou Cang has taken him to live a paradise life in a valley in Runan. Life in this paradise sounds beautiful, but it's actually hard. The lack of materials is the biggest problem that has always plagued Zhoucang.

The bandits are not so easy to be, the county town does not dare to attack, so as not to provoke a large number of officials and soldiers to encircle and suppress, the past businessmen will be rerouted if they rob once or twice, and it is not easy to find a fat sheep in these years. Zhou Cang also thought about which princes to take people to defect to for a while, but before he defected to Cao Cao, he heard about what happened to those peers in Qingzhou; Before he defected to Liu Bei, Liu Bei himself lost his foundation first and became a lost dog.

The days are like this, and Zhou Cang doesn't know when it will be a head. He regretted that he hesitated when the imperial court on the Chang'an side recruited displaced people. If you want to go now, even if the imperial court is willing to want it, you can't get past the blockade line laid by Cao Jun. The greatest possibility waiting for him is that the young and strong among his people were selected into the death camp of the Cao army, and those old and weak women and children were classified into the Tuntian camp.

Cao Jun's tuntian can be different from the tuntian on the Chang'an side, I heard that the tuntian on the side of the imperial court is to rent the public land of the imperial court to those prisoners of war or criminals, and the annual land tax is higher than that of those yeoman farmers. When the year of cultivation reaches a certain point, those who have cultivated the fields will have two choices: either they will register and become homesteaders, and the fields they have cultivated over the years can be owned by individuals, or they can regain their freedom and do whatever they want.

But Cao Jun's Tuntian is different, in one sentence, the Tuntian soldiers of the Tuntian Battalion except for themselves, all other gains are Cao Jun's. Zhou Cang once secretly went to see the treatment of the Tuntian soldiers, but there was nothing else except two meals a day to save his life.

Zhou Cang would rather be a Tuntian soldier of the imperial court than a Tuntian soldier of Cao's army. If there is no hope in this day, then what kind of strength is there to live! Therefore, after learning that Lu Xun also intended to defect to the imperial court, Zhou Cang immediately expressed strong support.

"Leader Zhou, let people take a good look at Cao Ang's three people, remember not to let them have any accidents. Without them, we wouldn't have a reason to connect with the court. Lu Xun reminded Zhou Cangdao with a smile.