A waning moon hung in the sky, sprinkling the clear light on the undulating mountains, and there was a solemn aura between the heavens and the earth.

A team of about 10,000 soldiers and horses, under the banner of the word "Han", escorted 50,000 stone of grain, packed in nearly 1,000 carriages, walked on the trail of Qingsnake Ridge, and marched towards the Guandu camp.

The first general, holding a bronze knife and a red horse under his crotch, was one of the "Hebei Four Court Pillars" under Yuan Shao, the general Han Meng. appeared on the Green Snake Ridge late at night, but on the order of Yuan Shao, he transported grain and grass from the Wuchao granary to the Guandu camp.

In order to avoid accidents, Han Meng sent more than a dozen scouts to investigate the military situation in advance, and they came to report one after another, but the wind and waves were calm along the way, and no trace of Cao Jun was found.

Although a few scouts did not come back, in the dark night, the place was unfamiliar, and the scouts got lost and returned late from time to time, Han Meng did not take it to heart, escorted the grain and grass from the black nest, and took advantage of the night to rush to the Guandu camp.

The road of Green Snake Ridge is winding, looking out from the top of the mountain, like a long snake; And because there are many green snakes in the valley, it is named "Green Snake Ridge".

"Wow...... I stepped on a snake! ”

In the darkness of the night, a timid soldier let out a scream, frightened by the reptile at his feet, and completely forgot the military discipline of not making noise.

The captain who led the team was as famous as frost, and Le Ma turned his head and glared at the frightened soldiers, and pointed at the horsewhip in his hand: "Damn coward, is the green snake more terrible than the guillotine knife?" Left and right, behead this guy who violates military discipline! ”

"No!"

Behind the lieutenant, several wolf-like soldiers came out and dragged the noisy soldier to the side of the road. Wuhua tied up and fell to the ground, raising the guillotine knife that flickered in the cold light reflected by the waning moon, and was about to cut it down......

On a March night, it was cold and cold, and the wind blew, which made people can't help but shudder.

"Whoosh ......"

Suddenly, bows and arrows fell from the top of the hillside, like a shower of rain and as dense as a waterfall.

The unsuspecting Yuan army was taken by surprise, and four or five hundred people fell under the rain of arrows.

The soldiers who were about to be executed had taken off their armor. He was shot as a hedgehog. Before he could scream, he fell to the ground, crushing the soldiers who were kneeling and waiting to die......

On the Green Snake Ridge, there was a sound of panic. Yuan's army was in chaos. The frightened soldiers rushed one after another. The sound of shouting and shouting shook the valley one after another.

No one cared about the little soldier who had violated military discipline, and the poor creature was curled up under the sword and axeman. Pretending to be dead, he cautiously survived, longing to live.

As a result, the roles of the two changed rapidly, and the axe hand was killed, but the soldier who was waiting to die survived......

Of course, this is only the beginning, and no one knows the final outcome, and no one wants to know the end.

In this troubled world, human life is as cheap as ants, who cares about the life or death of a soldier? This humble life is just a wave in the ocean, fleeting, faster than a meteor......

"Shieldman, block in formation, archer shoots back!"

Han Meng waved his knife at Diaoling, and at the same time loudly commanded the panicked team to protect the grain and grass, and counterattacked in formation.

The sound of horses' hooves sounded, and a general flew into the horse, rushing over with a big axe to open the mountain, and all the blockers were invincible, all of them were flying with flesh and blood, "Hedong Xu Gongming is here, and the thief will not be captured?" ”

"Don't be ashamed, watch me take your dog's head!"

Han Meng was annoyed, he couldn't imagine that he was careful in every way, and he was still ambushed by Cao Jun, and immediately danced his sword and rode towards Xu Huang.

In the dark night, the shouts came and went, and the two generals passed more than 20 rounds with torches, Han Meng couldn't resist it, and his shoulder was slapped by Xu Huang, and the pain was unbearable; Fortunately, with the protection of the armor, there was no major problem, but for a while, he could no longer use his strength, so he could only pull the horse and drag the knife away.

Xu Huang rode his horse in hot pursuit, but was stopped and killed by Han Meng's personal guards, and could only watch Han Meng escape and disappear into the ranks of the Yuan army.

The sky illuminated by the torches on the Green Snake Ridge was as bright as day, and 5,000 Cao soldiers and 10,000 Yuan soldiers were strangled together. The Cao army was elite, and the Yuan army was numerous, and it was difficult to distinguish between victory and defeat for a while.

The Cao army could neither hijack the grain carts, nor the Yuan army could break through the interception, and the war was stalemate; As the screams came and went, soldiers on both sides continued to die in front of the battle.

"Set fire, burn grain and grass!"

Seeing that he could not rob the grain and grass, Xu Huang decisively ordered the grain to be burned, even if the grain and grass could not be taken as owned, after burning, it could also dampen the morale of Yuan Jun.

After receiving the order of General Xu Huang, Cao's sergeants had a clear division of labor, some were responsible for connecting with Yuan's army, and some were burning grain under the cover of their companions. The fire borrows the wind, the wind helps the fire, and only burns all over the mountains and fields, and it is red.

Yuan Shao saw the flames on the Green Snake Ridge more than ten miles east of the camp, and guessed that nine times out of ten Han Meng's grain transport team was ambushed by Cao's army, he hurriedly ordered Zhang He to lead 5,000 cavalry to help, and Gao Ran led 10,000 elite soldiers to follow.

Zhang He and Gao Ran received the order, one after the other to kill the Green Snake Ridge, when they arrived, 50,000 stone grain and grass had been burned eighty percent, Yuan Jun was defeated and retreated, Zhang He hurriedly attacked Xu Huang from behind, while commanding some soldiers to fight the fire.

Seeing that the enemy had reinforcements arriving, and the food was almost burned, Xu Huang ordered a retreat. Carrying a big axe to break through in person, Yuan Jun couldn't stop it, and it happened that Gao Ran led his troops to kill, joined forces with Zhang He, and followed Xu Huang to pursue.

After chasing five or six miles, a drum sounded, and the two generals Le Jin and Li Dian were ordered by Cao Cao to lead 10,000 elite soldiers to arrive and come to support Xu Huang. Got reinforcements, Xu Huang then led his troops to turn back and fight to the death with Yuan's army, the two sides fought fiercely in the middle of the night, there were casualties on each other, after dawn, they each Ming Jin collected their troops and retreated to the camp.

"Haha, that's great...... Make a decision at the right time, burn Yuan Jun's grain and grass, Gongming really has the style of Zhou Yafu, and he is really a model for the generals, and he is rewarded! ”

After learning that Xu Huang had successfully ambushed and burned more than 40,000 stones of grain and grass in Yuan's army, Cao Cao was overjoyed and promoted Xu Huang to the general of Pingbei, the military horse in the front of the governor, among the generals with foreign surnames under Cao Cao. The status is second only to the ban, and it is prominent for a while.

In Yuan Shao's camp, when he heard that most of the grain and grass escorted by Han Meng was burned by Cao Jun, Yuan Shao was furious and scolded angrily, wanting to behead Han Meng.

After Han Meng drooped his head and retreated, he said: "Our army has more than 100,000 people, and we need to consume about 3,000 stone of grain and grass every day. 40,000 stone is a ration for ten days; was burned by Cao Jun's fire. It's really deplorable. Moreover, according to the current situation, I am afraid that it will be difficult to win for a while, and we should send a capable person back to Yecheng to prepare grain and grass. Get ready for a long battle! ”

Yuan Shao nodded in agreement with the suggestion of the trial: "Zhengnan is reasonable. It's up to you to handle this matter yourself! I have so many troops under my command. Only you can reassure me! ”

After receiving the order, he immediately took a team of followers and rode back to Yecheng. Purchase grain and grass and supply the front.

A few days later, someone suddenly beat the big drum in front of the governor's mansion and shouted injustice.

As the governor of Jizhou, the governor of the shogunate, since Yuan Shao was not there, the military and political affairs of Yecheng were tied to him alone.

There are 200,000 people in Yecheng, and civil disputes are naturally indispensable every day, but there are Ye County County Officials and Wei County Taishou Mansion, all of which can judge cases and ask for crimes and distinguish between right and wrong; If there is no urgent matter, beating the drum of the state pastoral mansion without authorization, how is it tantamount to killing yourself?

"Who's drumming? Bring it to the hall and ask questions! ”

The judge frowned, and ordered with some annoyance. Preparing food and grass every day and recruiting new recruits has already made him busy, how can he have the time to deal with folk affairs?

After a short time, the drummer was brought to the lobby. The judge stared at it, but it was a woman, but she also knew that it was Xu You's daughter-in-law Zhou. At the time of the wedding, he once went to Xu's mansion as a colleague of Xu Yu to congratulate, so he recognized it.

"Zhou, why did you go to the state pastoral palace to beat the drum and disturb the order? For the sake of me and your father-in-law, forgive you once, and go home quickly! ”

The judge pressed the anger in his heart and waved his hand to let Zhou retreat. He is engaged in the governance of his own dignified government, the governor of the shogunate, and the control of Hebei's civil and military officials, how can he have time to deal with the short and trivial things of the parents? A woman's family also dares to go to the state pastoral mansion to cry out for grievances, isn't it because of her father-in-law's prominent status that she came to entertain herself?

Although the voice of the judge was flickering, Zhou had no fear, and kowtowed and said: "The lord of the middle of the country is above, please be the master of the people's daughter, I want to sue no one else, it is Xu You's father and son!" ”

"What? Are you going to sue your father-in-law Xu Ziyuan? The judge was very unexpected, and put down the paperwork in his hand, "Let me listen carefully, why do you want to sue your father-in-law and husband?" ”

Zhou came to the state pastoral mansion in anger to complain, because his husband Xu Ning recently accepted a concubine Jiang and doted on her, and even wanted to divorce his wife Zhou for this new concubine, which made Zhou desperate to run to the state pastoral mansion to sue Xu You's father and son.

"The people's daughter Zhou sued Xu You's father and son for embezzlement and bribery, embezzled military salaries and public funds, and dug a cave in the rockery in the back garden of the Xu family, and countless gold, silver and jewelry were hidden in the cave, as well as a large number of coins, which were enough to cover the financial revenue of Ye County for half a year. Zhou's cloak knelt on the ground, telling the sins of Xu You's father and son.

Xu You is a member of the Yingchuan faction, who has followed Yuan Shao for many years, and is the leader of the Hebei faction, and his relationship with Xu You is not good or bad, but can only be regarded as average. Moreover, the judge has an upright personality and is jealous and hateful, and he can't tolerate such lawless things happening.

couldn't help gritting his teeth and scolding: "If this is true, this Xu Yu is really a sin and deserves death!" The lord treats him like a mountain, and entrusts him with the heavy responsibility of controlling money and food, but this guy does not want to repay the service, but embezzles and embezzles, which is really unreasonable! ”

Immediately summoned his nephew Xianrong to the hall, and ordered: "You immediately mobilize five hundred ironclad guards, follow the Zhou family to Xu You's mansion, surround and strictly search, if there is any corruption and perversion of the law, arrest the Xu family, put him in prison, and wait for the lord to come back and send out!" ”

"Obey my uncle's orders!"

Xian Rong was overjoyed when he heard this, he had long had a grudge with Xu You's son, but Xu You was also an important minister in Hebei, and Xu Ning had always been cautious in his actions, and he had never been able to catch the handle of the Xu family, so he didn't dare to be reckless. At this moment, he can finally take revenge on the Xu family, how could Xian Rong miss such a good opportunity?

A team of people came to the Xu Mansion, surrounded the mansion, forcibly broke in, and arrested nearly 100 masters and servants of the Xu family in the courtyard. Then Zhou took him to the back garden to search, and sure enough, countless gold and silver treasures were found in the cave under the rockery, the evidence was conclusive, and the evidence was there.

The trial was furious, and personally repaired a book, in which he denounced Xu Yu for the crime of perverting the law for bribes and embezzling huge sums of money, and put the Xu family in prison, waiting for Yuan Shao's return, and then make a fall.

Zhou was spared because of his meritorious report, and was ordered to dissolve the marriage contract and send him back to his parents' home.

It can be seen from this that starting from the women's side, investigating and dealing with corrupt officials is not only after 2,000 years, this is the long historical tradition of the Chinese nation throughout the ages, I don't know how many corrupt officials have fallen into the hands of women, and it is not an exaggeration to call it "red face and trouble".

It's just that the people of Jizhou know that the Zhou family has harmed the Xu family, but what they don't know is that the Zhou family's rebellion not only harmed the Xu family, but also harmed the Yuan family, as well as the entire Hebei civil and military staff.

Just imagine, if it weren't for Zhou's lawsuit against Xu You, which led to the trial and arrest of all the Xu family, Xu You would not have defected to Cao Cao in desperation, and then offered the plan of "burning the black nest". In the end, a fire burned all the grain in Wuchao, which led to the loss of the Yuan family's army, and finally the defeat of Yuguandu.

There is nothing more than this!

Cao Cao didn't know that his credit book should give a note to the two jealous women of the Zhou family and the Jiang family, if it weren't for them, if he wanted to defeat Yuan Shao, who had the advantage of strength, I am afraid it would not be so easy!

Of course, that's just history, and now with Yuan Mai's crossing, no one knows what the answer will be!

In Yuan Shao's camp, Xu You didn't know what was happening in Yecheng, and was talking eloquently: "My lord, in my opinion, Cao's soldiers are full of food, and it is difficult to break through for a while. It is better to send a general, ride deeply, and sneak attack Xuchang along the trail. When Cao Cao learned that his troops were approaching the city, he would be in a panic, and our army would then pursue him, and he would definitely be able to win a complete victory! ”

Yuan Shao thought for a moment and vetoed Xu You's suggestion: "Cao Cao is good at using troops, and his cunning is far beyond the reach of you and me. If the thief ambushes a heavy army on the middle of the road and covers and kills our army, the losses will inevitably be heavy, and this plan is not advisable! ”

"Lord Qi, the urgent documents from Yecheng will be delivered!"

The envoy from Yecheng entered the big tent, knelt on the ground, and presented the documents for the trial. (To be continued......)