The reason why Zhang Xiu decided to vote for Cao Cao was because the benefits given by Cao Cao were too great.

Originally, he thought that Yuan Shao was powerful, maybe Yuan Shao had a better chance of winning, but he couldn't stand Jia Xu's constant persuasion, telling him that Cao Cao was more wise and martial than Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao would win the final victory.

Therefore, Zhang Xiu has been wavering, neither daring to really vote for Cao, nor daring to respond to Yuan Shao's attack on Xudu.

Now Cao Cao has made another bloody investment, and even the revenge of the eldest son can be abandoned, so that the second son can marry his daughter, and the eldest daughter can marry his son.

Zhang Xiuyi pondered, if he helped Cao Cao, Cao Cao would win more, plus his daughter married Cao Cao's sister-in-law, if Cao Shuo ascended to the throne in the future, with this kind of friendship with his mother and brother and sister, he should not settle accounts after the autumn.

At that time, if Cao Cao really wins the battle of Guandu with his own help, the Cao family will gain power, and as the sons and daughters of the children of the lineage, their Zhang family will naturally rise up in the wind, and the chicken and dog will ascend to heaven.

In contrast, when he goes to Yuan Shao, he is at most an ordinary general, and he may not have much power, and he has little interest in the family.

So after weighing the pros and cons, Zhang Xiu thinks that it would be better to take refuge in Cao Cao.

It's just that what he doesn't know is that Cao Shuo was indeed the second son of Cao Ang after his death, but he was frail and sick in history, and died of illness within two years of the end of the Battle of Guandu, and since then Cao Cao's eldest son and second son have died, making Cao Pi, the third son, the emperor.

As for Princess Qinghe, this woman who dares to murder her husband has a very bad temper and is not good at stubble.

Therefore, the so-called sons and daughters are actually false.

In addition to Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, Cao Zhi and others born to Mrs. Bian, Cao Cao's favorite sons are Cao Ang and Cao Chong, but unfortunately these two died too early, so Cao Pi picked the peaches of Emperor Wei Wen.

If Zhang Xiu really chooses to marry, it will be a wrong treasure, and Cao Pi will have to kill his whole family in the future.

Of course.

Now Zhang Xiu definitely doesn't know this.

He felt that Cao Cao took his son-in-law and daughter to marry, which could be described as very sincere, and Jia Xu repeatedly persuaded Cao Cao to be stronger than Yuan Shao, and he would definitely be able to win the battle of Guandu, so he happily planned to lead his troops north to Kunyang according to the plan.

But it also takes time for the soldiers and horses to move, so in the next few days, while preparing grain and grass, he and Wang Bi planned how to complete the marriage of the children of both parties.

To put it simply, Wang Bi first took Zhang Xiu's daughter to Xudu, and then brought Cao Cao's daughter to Nanyang.

In this way, there is no need to worry about Cao Cao taking his son hostage.

At that time, the status of women was not high, like Yuan Shu sent someone to take the initiative to ask Lu Bu for marriage, Lu Bu gave his daughter to Yuan Shu's messenger, or Chen Deng destroyed the harmony, so he went to chase his daughter back.

So this kind of thing is very common, as long as the son doesn't go to Xu Du.

As for how to send it, don't worry.

Because at that time, in addition to Ye County, the entrance to Nanyang was that there were many places in Dabie Mountain in the east that could be directly from Runan.

It's just that those places are all from the mountains, not avenues but small roads, which are not conducive to large-scale marches, and there is no problem for small groups of people to shuttle, and there is no need to pass through Kunyang, Yexian County.

So in the early morning of the first day of August, when the people in the whole city were still asleep, Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu sent Wang Bi to the outside of the city, less than a hundred zhang away from the pavilion.

At this time, in the pavilion, a young man stretched his waist, he looked around, and saw that his friend was not there, so he got up and put on his clogs, took a robe from the hanger next to him, and put it on, and shouted: "Boyan, Boyan? ”

"Uncle Ji, are you awake?"

There was a voice in the courtyard, and the person who was the writer walked out and saw his friend Zhang Ying in the courtyard standing on the pavilion looking out.

"What are you looking at?"

Curious, Izu walked over.

Zhang Ying said: "When I was boiling water before, I saw a lot of people outside the courtyard, so I saw what the situation was. ”

"What guest deserves to be sent together?"

Yi Yi climbed up the stairs to the pavilion, stood on the pavilion and looked into the distance, and saw dozens of cavalry escorting several carriages and horses on the east road of the city.

Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu rode on horseback and said goodbye to one person.

The Han Dynasty carriage did not have a carriage, so Yi could vaguely see a woman on one of the carriages, and a young general beside the carriage.

"It seems to be General Zhang's son and daughter."

Zhang Ying said casually.

He was born in a local noble family, and because he was a branch vein, he only got a pavilion chief position, and even if Zhang Xiu went to Nanyang, there were not so many talents to help him manage it.

Therefore, in addition to the county order, the officials of the city and the surrounding cities controlled by him were all local clans.

Yi is now the chief bookkeeper in Chaoyang County in the south, and before Liu Biao sent some of his low-level scholars who were attached to him to Nanyang to serve as grassroots managers, such as Li Yan and Han Ran, it was not to control the grassroots level of Nanyang, in case his control of Nanyang was weak.

And Zhang Ying and Yi are friends, there has been nothing in the county recently, Yi came to Zhang Ying to play for a few days, but when it was just dawn this morning, I saw Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu outside the city Farewell to a group of strangers, which was surprising.

"These people are really weird."

Yi was very puzzled, Zhang Xiu seemed to be sending her daughter somewhere.

Zhang Ying climbed down from the pavilion, and said lazily as he climbed: "We don't have to worry about General Zhang's affairs. ”

"I'm afraid there's something hidden here."

Iran continued to wait and see.

After a while, Zhang Xiujia Xu said goodbye to Wang Bi, and he asked his son Zhang Quan to take hundreds of cavalry to protect Wang Bi to the east.

Seeing this situation, Yi Yuan felt more and more wrong, because he felt that the person who said goodbye to Jia Xu Zhang Xiu was very familiar, and he seemed to have seen him somewhere.

But he couldn't think of it for a while, so he simply put this problem behind him and considered another issue instead.

General Zhang sent his daughter to the east?

Where is the east side?

Out of Dabie Mountain is Runan.

Could it be that Zhang Xiu wants to marry Yuan Shao or Cao Cao?

That's a big deal.

Yi didn't think about it, and after seeing Zhang Xiujia Xu return to the city from afar, he planned to lead his horse from the stable in the backyard of the pavilion and go south to Xiangyang to find Liu Biao to report.

Zhang Ying was still about to go to the fire to cook, and when he saw that he was leaving, he was surprised: "Uncle Ji, where are you going?" Will you be back to Chaoyang so soon? ”

Yi Yuan shook his head and said: "Zhang Xiu sent her daughter away, and it was to the east, it is very likely that she entered Runan by Wuyin, and she must have gone north to marry, I don't know if it is with Cao Cao or Yuan Shao, I must report to Ming Gong immediately." ”

"Then I'll go with you."

Zhang Ying said.

Yi thought for a while and said: "No, you are the pavilion chief, if there is no one in the pavilion, you will report to Zhang Xiu, if he notices that it is not good, I will go." ”

"Okay."

Zhang Ying nodded, this matter is indeed very big, although I don't know the internal causes, but there is no problem with having to report.

At that moment, the Ichi rode alone to the south.

Halfway through, when he was about to arrive in Chaoyang County, he suddenly slapped his head.

"I remember."

He exclaimed, "That man is the king!" ”

Wang must be a native of Yanzhou.

In the early years, Cao Cao was the pastor of Yanzhou, and Wang Bi followed him.

At that time, the Yi family was still young, the Yi family was a big Yanzhou clan, because Cao Cao killed the border and caused the Yanzhou family to rebel, at that time the Yi nationality moved south to Xiangyang with the clan and defected to the fellow villager Liu Biao.

Before Cao Cao killed Bian Rang, the teenage Yi had met Wang Bi at a banquet with his parents, but in the past seven or eight years, he didn't remember it for a while.

Now that he suddenly remembered that the person was Wang Bi, Yi immediately guessed that the object of Zhang Xiu's marriage was Cao Cao!

Thinking of this, Yi Yuan looked at the north in horror.

If Zhang Xiu and Cao Cao marry, then Shen Chen and Liu Yuanjun, who were stationed in Kunyang, would be in danger.

I have to report it.

But Ming Gong's side must also go.

Freshno!

Izu immediately made a decision.

Kunyang must go to report the news, and Liu Biao must also go.

But he is a person who lacks skills and can't report both.

However, Xinye County ordered Deng Mao to be Shen Chen's maternal grandfather, and he happened to pass by Xinye when he went to Xiangyang from the south of Yucheng, so Yi immediately planned to inform Deng Mao about this.

Soon he changed direction, originally planning to go south from Yucheng to pass through Chaoyang, and then from Chaoyang to Fancheng, and cross the river back to Xiangyang.

Now it is to the east, Xinye is on the opposite bank of Chaoyang County, the distance is only twenty or thirty miles, very close.

At the same time, Shen Chen was also in Xinye County at this time.

Xinye has now become his territory, with more than 200,000 people under his rule, plus Huyang and Huangmenting, the population under his control is more than 300,000, nearly one-third of the entire Nanyang, which is the guarantee that he can send troops.

So after Shen Chen returned to Xinye, he immediately went to his grandfather Deng Mao and asked him to help transport last year's old grain to Xiangyang, and found a grain merchant to sell it in exchange for some meat products to send to Kunyang.

The food on the front line is actually enough, after all, Shen Chen has accumulated for four or five years, and he has not fought everywhere like Cao Cao, so there is a lot of old grain saved.

But meat is in short supply right now.

The fact that the soldiers of Huangmenting can march fifty or sixty kilometers a day has a lot to do with the fact that they can always eat meat to supplement protein.

At the beginning, the budget was enough, but later Shen Chen collected Gan Ning's military power, and now the two armies are one, and they must be treated equally, and there is a shortage of meat products, and some soldiers in the army have foot diseases, which is not because of the lack of meat.

Therefore, when I came back this time, in addition to talking to Zhang Xiu about sending troops, I was also preparing to supervise the supplies in the rear, as well as the newly made weapons and blades, and the equipment and armor would also be transported to the front line.

And just the day after Shen Chen returned to Xinye County, he was discussing things with his grandfather, when a servant suddenly came from outside the hall to report: "County Zun, Xiaolang, Chaoyang is the master of the book, asking to see him." ”

"I'm from Iraq?"

Shen Chen was surprised: "Let him come in." ”

Liu Biao sent some scholars to the grassroots level in Nanyang to help manage things, and Shen Chen was very clear about what he actually thought.

However, these people are indeed very talented, such as Li Yan, Yi Yuan, Han Ran, etc., are all outstanding, so Shen Chen has always maintained a friendly relationship with them.

Now that I suddenly ask to see you, there may be something important.

Sure enough, after Yi Ji came in, he saw that Shen Chen was also there, and immediately said with joy: "Shen Langjun, you are actually here, that's great." ”

"Uncle Ji."

Shen Chen stood up and arched his hand, "What's the matter?" ”

Yi Yuan hurriedly replied: "I have been meeting friends in the city for a few days, and this morning I lived in the pavilion of friends, and I saw Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu outside the city to see off one person, and also sent Zhang Xiu's daughter away, I saw that person was familiar, and I thought for a long time, and then I remembered that he was Cao Cao's master bookkeeper Wang Bi, and I saw him when I was in Yanzhou!" ”

"What? Wang Bi! ”

Shen Chen was shocked.

What benefits did Cao Cao promise Zhang Xiu?

As soon as he walked with his front foot, Zhang Xiu sent his daughter to Xu Du to make peace with Cao Cao, and he said so much in vain.

"Exactly."

Yi said: "I saw that the situation was different, so I immediately went south to report to Liu Yuanjun, and suddenly remembered that if Zhang Xiu colluded with Cao Cao, I was afraid that Xiaolang and Liu Yuzhou would be in danger, so I came to Xinye to inform the county of this matter. ”

Deng Mao was also shocked and said: "This embroidery is really a jackal, the people of Xiliang are capricious, if it weren't for Liu Yuanjun, he would have been destroyed a long time ago, and he would have rebelled." ”

Shen Chen muttered: "This matter is not trivial, Zhang Xiu has more than 6,000 people on foot, not an idle person, even if we have been prepared, we may be attacked from both sides, and we must destroy their harmony, Uncle Ji, do you know where Wang Bi is going?" ”

"To the east, I'm afraid I'm going to cross Dabie Mountain from Wuyin."

Yi replied.

Shen Chen said: "Uncle Ancestor, you immediately send someone to inform Liu Yuanjun and ask him to help send soldiers and horses to the north to surround the city, Uncle Ji, the two of us immediately pursue Wang Bi, we are bound to kill him." ”

"Huh?"

Yi was startled and said, "But they have hundreds of cavalry guards. ”

Shen Chen said coldly: "Ban Dingyuan once said that if you don't enter the tiger's den, you will get the tiger." We were ambushed halfway, and they were absolutely surprised. ”

"This"

Yi Ji hesitated for a while, but seeing that Shen Chen was full of pride, he was inevitably infected a little, so he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll give up my life to accompany Xiaolang!" I'll take you there. ”

"Thank you!"

Shen Chen immediately said to Deng Mao: "Uncle, please send someone immediately, begging Jun to send troops quickly, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable." ”

"I see."

Deng Mao immediately arranged for manpower.

And Shen Chen went out of the county office, gathered many knights, and ordered them to bring bows and crossbows, and hunted down Wang Bi with him.

Soon, the knights lined up and marched north out of the new field.

At this time, it was actually more than eight o'clock in the morning, and it was more than 30 kilometers from the city to Xinye, and the Yi nationality was just dawn in the morning, and it was about five o'clock to find the situation, and then it took another hour to come to Xinye.

According to the footsteps, Wang Bi's convoy was a horse-drawn carriage that walked slowly, and at most it reached Anzhong County, so Shen Chen immediately went north and set up an ambush east of Anzhong along the turbulent water.

It is also a coincidence to say that the ambush point was actually the place where Shen Chen set up an ambush on the left bank of the turbulent water east of Anzhong when Cao Cao was conquering Nanyang.

The mountain forest was still there, Shen Chen sent someone to ask the nearby villagers, and learned that the convoy had not passed, so he still ambushed the old place, on the mountain where Cao Cao was ambushed.

But I didn't expect that the left couldn't wait, and the right couldn't wait.

Shen Chen sent people to the north to inquire in the direction of Nieyang, because there was still a bridge in the north, which was the place where Cao Cao sent Yu Ban to make a detour and was ambushed by Gan Ning, and he could also go to the east bank of the turbulent water.

Sure enough, Wang Bi's convoy went north, and some villagers working in the fields confirmed that the convoy had just passed.

So Shen Chen chased after him again.

Through their direction, it can be known that they planned to go from Qicheng to Nieyang, and then cross the river from the south, pass through Wuyin, and pass through the Dabie Mountain Mountains from the small road in Zhongyang Mountain to Wufang County in Runan.

This road is very safe, the middle area is not under Shen Chen's jurisdiction, and even the area around Wancheng is barely in Zhang Xiu's hands, with a certain number of soldiers and horses stationed.

Zhang Xiu sent his son Zhang Quan to escort him, apparently wanting the convoy to carry out work such as changing guards in Wancheng in his name.

This is also not easy to arouse suspicion.

As for why you don't go out day and night, it's easy to choose to travel at night.

First, the vision is not good at night, and it is too conspicuous if you light a torch. Second, they are hundreds of cavalry guards, and they go out to pass through the pavilion at night, and the movement is too loud, if the local pavilion chief and the village elder report to the village, it may arouse the suspicion of those local county orders.

After all, there are very few areas that Zhang Xiu can control now, that is, a few counties in the northwest of the city near Wuguan, and those cities in the east are currently under the jurisdiction of officials sent by Liu Biao.

Although Liu Biao's main force is currently quelling the rebellion in Jingnan, his current strength is much stronger than in history, and he still arranged 20,000 or 30,000 soldiers and horses in Xiangyang.

At this time, the team did pass Nieyang and went to the direction of Nanzhuoxiang, as long as they passed Nanzhuoxiang, went to Wuyin, and entered the Dabie Mountains, they could safely reach Runan.

On the west bank of the river, in the area of Wolong District, Nanyang City, in the Han Dynasty, it was like a barren jungle here, the left bank of the water was full of trees, the trees covered the sky and the sun, and there were large farmlands, villages and ponds on the other side of the river.

Wang Bi's convoy arrived here in the afternoon, and it was almost thirty kilometers away from the city, but they were walking on horseback, so they didn't know that Shen Chen had arrived on a flying horse and set up an ambush early.

"Master Book."

When he arrived at the left bank of Nanzhuo Township, Zhang Quan said to Wang Bi by the river under the forest: "After here, you will go to Jianyang, my father said that the team of people and horses should not be too ostentatious, we will separate here, we will go north to Wancheng, you can dress up as an ordinary family and go to dance yin." ”

Among the hundreds of cavalry, Zhang Quan's Xiliang soldiers were all regular soldiers, all wearing armor with blades, while Wang Bi's convoy knights mostly wore ordinary clothes.

After crossing the south to the township, you will arrive at Jianyang, which is no longer Zhang Xiu's territory, and the county magistrates and other officials are all Liu Biao's people, and if the regular army passes over, it will arouse suspicion.

So the two sides agreed to send it here, anyway, it is very close to Wuyin after Thorn Yang, and you can get to Zhongyang Mountain before dark.

Wang Bi thanked him: "Thank you, general, don't leave it at that." ”

"Say goodbye!"

Zhang Quan looked at his sister again, and said softly, "Sister, be obedient." ”

"Hmm."

Zhang Quan's sister lowered her head and remained silent.

After all, at the age of fifteen or sixteen, no one will be happy if he is suddenly married off like a gift.

It's just that in this era, children can't be the masters, and the words of the parents' matchmakers, regardless of men and women, as long as the parents agree, it is a marriage, and there is absolutely no free love.

Now the king will set out again.

Dozens of families disguised as Miss Protector went out to play, and went south to the countryside.

Zhang Quan stood on the road behind and watched, his sister was about to get married, and he would not be happy as a brother, but he was helpless, so he could only watch from afar.

At this moment, there was a sudden burst of drinking in the forest.

"Kill!"

In an instant, dozens of men came out of the grass and trees, and shot at the front and rear knights with bows and crossbows.

Only the carriage in the middle of the team was left to protect Zhang Xiu's daughter.

Everyone was caught off guard, and more than ten people were shot dead in an instant, and then the forest men abandoned their bows and crossbows and drew their knives into the convoy.

It was too late for Cao's army to assemble a team to fight back, the horses were scattered, and the soldiers were fighting separately and in a mess.

Shen Chen took the lead, rushed to the front, stared at Wang Bi with his eyes, first cut down an enemy horse, and then pounced on another horse, slashing him from behind.

There was a sudden clanging sound on his body, but he was safe and sound under the protection of the armor, and turned around and slammed it.

Wang Bi shouted, "General Zhang! ”

"Shen Chen!"

Zhang Quan's eyes widened, and then he roared angrily: "Kill! ”

"Kill!"

The Xiliang Iron Cavalry launched a charge.

The distance between the two sides is actually not far, but it is only a hundred meters, and it can be reached in just a few seconds.

At this time, Shen Chen had already cut down the Cao Jun who attacked him, approached Wang Bi, and suddenly jumped and slashed with his sword.

Poof!

In Wang Bi's panicked eyes, white light flickered, and the head had already fallen to the ground.

"Zhang Quan, do you want your sister to die?"

Shen Chen slashed Wang Bi to death, and had already arrived in front of Zhang Xiu's daughter's car, grabbed Wang Bi's head, stood on the roof of the car and roared: "You dare to try? ”

The human head, which was still dripping blood, frightened the girl in the carriage and let out a terrifying scream.

(End of chapter)