The Warriors of the Three Kingdoms

However, based on his age, that Zhao Zi is the current governor of the East China Sea, so he should be the same person.

Although Zhao Zi is the prefect, he is just a literati, and he is not good at marching and fighting. Even if he relies on the city wall to defend, it is difficult to stop Liu Zheng's army. The hired army's charge was quickly defeated and they chose to surrender.

Liu Zheng didn't kill Zhao Zi either. If he wants to regain Xuzhou and occupy Xuzhou, he has to buy people's hearts. Liu Zheng also needs to take care of these original prefects and county officials. If he is willing to surrender, Liu Zheng is also willing to accept it. .

Otherwise, Liu Zheng would not have so many people to govern these counties for the time being.

These people who can get into the prefect position are naturally not unknown people. They either have real talents and learning, or have a lot of money, and even have the support of a family behind them. Few scholars from poor families can become prefects. job.

No matter how you look at it, it is necessary for Liu Zheng to ease the relationship with them. Otherwise, even if Xuzhou does not have Governor Tao Qian, if Liu Zheng offends too many aristocratic families, it will not be easy for him to completely control Xuzhou.

After taking down the city of Donghai County, Liu Zheng didn't pay much attention to the towns around the East China Sea. He just let Wenpin and Zhou Tai's troops leave the garrison of [-] troops to take charge of the defense after taking down the city of Donghai County. The army went straight to Xuzhou City.

At the same time, the soldiers and horses of the Taishi Ci tribe who went north from Xiapi City to Xuzhou also came outside Xuzhou at this time.

Compared with other places, in Liu Zheng's eyes, although Xuzhou is a military important place, Liu Zheng doesn't care, because the information here is too clear to Liu Zheng.

If he wants to fight Xuzhou, it is simply a breeze, and he can do it at any time. When Liu Zheng annexed Wu County, one of his purposes was to guard against Liu Bei and others in Yanzhou, and another purpose was to have an opportunity. can attack Xuzhou.

Because after the Mi family took refuge in Liu Zheng, their cooperation with Liu Zheng has reached its limit. Xuzhou's intelligence work is almost completely under Liu Zheng's control. How many soldiers and horses are there in which city, who is the general stationed, and where is he? Liu Zheng knows exactly who, where he lives, and even how many wives this person has.

So it was very easy for him to fight Xuzhou. In addition, the increasingly powerful influence of the Mi family in Xuzhou also attracted many aristocratic families for Liu Zheng in advance. Although Liu Zheng did not directly win Xuzhou, But it also has a deep influence in Xuzhou. Many people from small families have directly chosen to join Liu Zheng in private.

Mi Fang, who returned to Xuzhou from Donglai a few days ago, had already received Liu Zheng's order.

Mi Fang knew that Liu Zheng's troops would come to Xuzhou to attack Xuzhou soon, and bring the whole of Xuzhou into Liu Zheng's territory. In this way, the Mi family also gathered the recruited housekeepers and some private soldiers to cooperate with Liu Zheng to attack together. Xuzhou City.

And as early as not long ago, Liu Zheng had promised the Mi family that once Xuzhou City was conquered, the position of governor of Xuzhou would directly belong to Mi Zhu, the head of the Mi family.

Because of this, the Mi family naturally worked harder on this matter.

The Mi family has always been mainly engaged in business, and they also want to enter official careers, but with their qualifications and status, they are at most just working as an official under the original governor. The Mi family's financial resources, in ancient times, emphasized agriculture and suppressed merchants, and merchants had no status at this time.

The Mi family wanted to get rid of other people's contemptuous views, and wanted to go directly to the sky, and it was as difficult as going to the sky to become a governor.No matter in terms of the family status of the Mi family or in terms of Mi Zhu's personal strength, it was impossible.

Only by relying on Liu Zheng and following Liu Zheng can there be a further rise and the possibility of leading the Mi family to glory.

It is precisely because of this that when Liu Zheng chose to cooperate with the Mi family in the early days, the Mi family would cooperate with Liu Zheng, and gradually increased their cooperation with Liu Zheng in the process, which has now completely reduced them to Liu Zheng's vassal.

But that's good too, at least the Mi family has seen a glimmer of bright future, which Mi Zhu doesn't regret at all.

Two days later, outside the Mi family's Wubao outside Xuzhou city.

Liu Zheng has been here more than once, so he is no stranger to this place, when he led his troops here.Mi Zhu, the head of the Mi family, and Mi Fang, the second master, had already been waiting outside Wubao.

After all, Liu Zheng's status is different now.Mi Zhu and Mi Fang also had to change their attitudes towards Liu Zheng.

After seeing Liu Zheng, Mi Zhu greeted Liu Zheng respectfully.

"My lord, I have been waiting here for a long time."

"Mr. Mi, I kept you waiting, go in."

Liu Zheng was not polite to Mi Zhu either, and after a short greeting, he entered the Wubao under the leadership of Mi Zhu. After a brief chat about the recent situation of the Mi family and some business matters, Liu Zheng brought the topic to On the point.

The most important thing for him this time is naturally to attack Xuzhou and seize Xuzhou City.

So Liu Zheng asked immediately.

"Mr. Mi, Tao Qian died in Qingzhou a few days ago, and I wiped out all the soldiers and horses under his command. Except for a small number of Tao Qian's people who escaped to Liu Bei's men and remained, the [-] troops that Tao Qian took away from Xuzhou before , can no longer come back.”

"Now we only need to break through Xuzhou City as soon as possible to control the entire Xuzhou in name. As long as we control Xuzhou, we will no longer be afraid of the imperial court's encirclement and suppression. In the future, we will have an equal share with the imperial court and will no longer be afraid."

After Liu Zheng finished speaking, Mi Zhu nodded, but he was already prepared in his heart, and Liu Zheng answered immediately after he finished asking.

"The Mi family has been paying close attention to what your lord is planning for the past two months. Now there are only [-] soldiers and horses left in Xuzhou City. The person in charge of commanding these soldiers and horses is Tao Qian's son and the largest family in Xuzhou City. Chen control."

"Although it is Tao Qian's son who controls Xuzhou, it is actually controlled by the Chen family and his son."

Chapter 6 and Five

"Father and son of the Chen family?"

After Liu Zheng heard Mi Zhu's words, there was no need for Mi Zhu to explain. Some deeds of the Chen family and his son had already appeared in Liu Zheng's mind.

Father Chen Gui and son Chen Deng are famous scholars in Xuzhou. They first assisted Tao Qian, then Liu Bei, and finally belonged to Cao Cao. They behave like Jia Xu, and they are all talents with very high emotional intelligence.

They have one thing in common with Jia Xu and Lu Bu, that is, they have served different forces many times. However, Lu Bu has been infamous for thousands of years and is called a family slave of the three surnames, while Jia Xu and Chen Deng are praised by others. Lord, they are very conscientious in giving advice and counseling, and only seek the way of self-protection until it is too late. Liu Zheng still appreciates their personalities. They have a modern style, which is somewhat different from the ancient people's idea of ​​loyalty to the end.

Chen Gui is okay, Liu Zheng doesn't have much impression of him, but Chen Deng, Liu Zheng has a great impression of this person.

Chen Deng, who is knowledgeable, capable of governing the country and the people with his literary skills, and capable of defeating Sun Quan twice with his martial arts, is a very important figure in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The three-point structure of the world is inseparable from him.

Chen Deng once helped Cao Cao eliminate Lu Bu by cooperating with the outside world; when he was the lieutenant of Diannong in Xuzhou, Chen Deng started to build water conservancy, and rice was abundant; after he became the prefect of Guangling, he defeated Sun Quan and Sun Ce brothers twice!It can be said that if Chen Deng hadn't died too early, his resourcefulness and achievements would definitely not be inferior to Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang!

Maybe people like Chen Deng are envied by heaven.

Liu Zheng's subordinates lack counselors. If he can surrender the Chen family and his son, it will be of great help to Liu Zheng, no matter in terms of the personal abilities of Chen Deng and his son, or the influence of the Chen family in Xuzhou.

"The Chen family's father and son have great influence in Xuzhou. On the surface, Xuzhou is governed by Tao Qian, the governor, but the governor changes frequently, but the Chen family can stand in Xuzhou for decades."

"Chen Gui's grandfather used to be the prefect of Guanghan, and his uncle Chen Qiu was a former prefect. Both elder brothers are prefects. Therefore, the Chen family has great influence in Xuzhou and is the largest family in Xuzhou. If you can persuade The surrender of Chen and his son is equivalent to controlling half of Xuzhou."

Although the Mi family is considered a big family in Xuzhou, the Mi family is only rich in financial resources, and it is still far behind families with high political status like the Chen family in Xuzhou.

Therefore, Mi Zhu did not directly encourage Liu Zheng to attack Xuzhou and destroy the Chen family, but suggested that Liu Zheng talk about surrendering the Chen family and his son.

After all, the Chen family and his son are more aware of current affairs and will not live and die with Xuzhou City.

After understanding the current situation in Xuzhou City, Liu Zheng also understood what he should do. He took people to the Wubao of Mi's family to rest for a day, and led the crowd to the outside of Xuzhou City the next day.

Martial law had already been imposed outside Xuzhou City, because Tai Shici had already led the crowd here two days ago. Although Tai Shici only had [-] people left at this time, more than [-] people were enough to besiege the city. The Tao merchants, Chen Deng and his sons would not go out of the city to fight Tai Shici, they would just besiege the city and wait for Liu Zheng's army to arrive, then attacking together would be enough.

In Xuzhou City, because of the siege, Tao Qian’s eldest son Tao Shang and Chen Deng had been waiting for the army outside the city at the tower. It's a sad face, a frowning look.

Although Tao Qian had great ambitions, his two sons had no ambitions, not even the idea of ​​becoming an official. After Tao Qian left Xuzhou, although the Tao merchants temporarily managed Xuzhou on behalf of their fathers, most of them were led by Chen Deng and his son. My lord, the potter is just a name.

"Yuanlong Chen Dengbiao, what's the situation now, have the people outside the city increased, and the enemy army has come to reinforce the army?"

The pottery merchant was a little worried. After seeing the increase in the number of people on Liu Zheng's side, the worry on his face naturally became more intense, so he could only turn to Chen Deng for help.

Chen Deng, who is only 26 years old, is quite well-known in Xuzhou city. He is the most famous celebrity nearby and has won the trust of Tao Qian.

Although the pottery merchant is not interested in being an official on weekdays, he has a good relationship with Chen Deng in private, and the two of them are called brothers.

"Brother Tao, don't be afraid. Although the enemy's army has increased in strength, we still have 3 soldiers in the city. Last night I asked my father to go to the city to recruit brave soldiers. It is not a problem to recruit thousands of soldiers and horses based on the people in the city. After that, we can recruit at least [-] troops, and unless the enemy has [-] people attacking the city, I am sure that I can stop the enemy's attack."

After the pottery merchant heard what Chen Deng said, the anxiety on his face calmed down a bit, but he was still worried.

"I heard from those soldiers who fled from the north that my father was already in Qingzhou"

The potter didn't finish his sentence, because talking about it was his heartbreak.

Chen Deng's calm look at the beginning changed slightly when the potter talked about this matter.

"Brother Tao, in this matter, I can only advise you to express my condolences. After all, Lord Inspector has been on the battlefield for a long time, and there will always be such a day. Such a result may not be a bad thing."

Chen Deng didn't know how to persuade the potter not to be sad, but now that things have happened, it's useless for the potter to be sad. If you have time to be sad, why don't you find a way to deal with these enemy troops outside the city.

When the potter and Chen Deng were communicating, Liu Zheng had already met Tai Shici. After learning some details about Tai Shici's conquest from Huainan, Liu Zheng took Tai Shici and began to appear outside the city, ready to fight with Tai Shici. Chen Deng in the city negotiates.

With Liu Zheng's current military strength outside Xuzhou City, it is not difficult to take down Xuzhou City. Tai Shici's 1 soldiers and horses, Liu Zheng's more than [-] people, and some private soldiers gathered by the Mi family. There are also thirty thousand.

Liu Zheng has great confidence in the [-] army against Xuzhou City, which has only a few thousand soldiers, but Liu Zheng has taken a fancy to Chen Deng's ability and wants to persuade Chen Deng to surrender, so it is best not to commit murder.

"On the tower, but Chen Yuanlong?"

Chen Deng, who was communicating with the pottery merchant, was attracted by Liu Zheng's voice, raised his head, looked down the city, and saw Liu Zheng in front of the team at a glance.

After seeing Liu Zheng, Chen Deng's gaze changed slightly, he hesitated for a moment, and finally responded.

"This is Chen Yuanlong, who is your Excellency? Why are you besieging my city of Xuzhou?"

At this time, Chen Deng didn't know that the famous Liu Zheng had arrived in Xuzhou, although he knew that these people under the city were Liu Zheng's soldiers.But he only thought that these people were Liu Zheng's army, and Liu Zheng should be in Qingzhou at this time.

Chapter 6 and Six

"My name is Liu Zheng. I wonder if Mr. Yuan Long has heard of it?"

Liu Zheng is about the same age as Chen Deng, so he has a good impression of Chen Deng.

If Chen Deng could be recruited, it would give Liu Zheng another available person.

"Liu Zheng!"

Chen Deng's expression changed drastically after hearing Liu Zheng's self-reported family name.

He naturally knows who Liu Zheng is.Even if you don't talk about the things Liu Zheng did in Qingzhou recently, even some things Liu Zheng did in the past few years are enough to make Chen Deng pay attention to him and remember him.

"Aren't you in Qingzhou? Why did you come to Xuzhou?"

A look of surprise appeared on Chen Deng's face, but even though he was surprised, Chen Deng quickly calmed himself down and responded to Liu Zheng.

"Your governor Tao Qian died in the rebellion in Qingzhou, and now Xuzhou has no owner. Naturally, I, Liu Zheng, can't just watch Xuzhou become increasingly chaotic, so I volunteered to take over Xuzhou. I also hope that Brother Yuanlong will be open." The door of convenience, let my men and horses enter the city."

Chen Deng and the pottery merchants beside him felt a little sad because of Tao Qian's death at this time, and naturally they were brought up again by Liu Zheng, and naturally they were even more sad, but they had to face this fact.

"Liu Zheng, you murdered my father and you want to attack Xuzhou. I, a potter, are at odds with you!"

After hearing Liu Zheng's words, the pottery merchant on the side was naturally angry. Although the pottery merchant had no interest in being an official, he was still very interested in killing his father and enemy like Liu Zheng. If there was a chance, the pottery merchant would naturally want to To avenge his father.

But after seeing the potter, Liu Zheng didn't despise the potter, but explained to the potter instead.

"This must be a relative of Tao Qian's governor. I want to correct you. I didn't kill your father Tao Qian. He died in the rebellion. It has nothing to do with me. If you insist on saying it was me If you kill your father, then I can't help it, what I want to say is that your father died on the battlefield, it is the highest honor, some people want to die on the battlefield but have no chance."

"I know that you have no interest in official career. After opening the city gate, I will not embarrass your Tao family. Both you and your younger brother can keep the family blood. You can choose to stay in Xuzhou or find a place to live in seclusion. From then on Be an An Legong."

Liu Zheng has no interest in pottery merchants. This person is not well-known in history, and he has no intention of official career. If he is willing to surrender, Liu Zheng will not embarrass them. Not much rancor.

"My father died at the hands of your subordinates. You can still say that it has nothing to do with you. Do you think I'm a fool?"

The potter still wanted to argue with Liu Zheng, but Liu Zheng ignored the potter, but continued to look at Chen Deng, who was the main figure in whether Xuzhou could surrender.

"Brother Yuanlong, you have also seen my people. There are [-] troops here. In your Xuzhou city, there are only a few thousand soldiers. If you want to defend Xuzhou city to the death, what do you think the odds are?"

"I won't say anything else. Without Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, how many prefects in Xuzhou can still obey your orders?"

"In all parts of Xuzhou, you probably don't have reinforcements, and my soldiers can continue to be mobilized. It's only a matter of time before your defeat. Listen to my advice and don't make unnecessary resistance."

"I treat the prisoners kindly. Cao Bao in your army is now under my command."

Liu Zheng looked at Cao Bao as he spoke, and at the same time motioned to Cao Bao. Cao Bao naturally knew what he should do at this time, so he took a few steps forward and stood by Liu Zheng's side.

Cao Bao was originally a general under Tao Qian, so he naturally knew Chen Deng and others.

"Mr. Yuanlong, you still know me."

"General Cao, you are such a good general. It is in vain that Lord Inspector trusts you so much, but you surrender to the enemy."

How unfamiliar are Chen Deng and others with Cao Bao? They also knew about Cao Bao's defection to Liu Zheng a few days ago, but at this moment, when they went to Cao Bao's family, they found that Cao Bao His family, big and small, had already been taken out by the Mi family a few days ago.

So Chen Deng knew that Cao Bao's defection to the enemy was premeditated.

When Cao Bao was told by Chen Deng, the expression on his face was not very good-looking. Tao Qian said that Cao Bao was fine with him. It was Cao Bao who defected to the enemy. I'm sorry for Tao Qian.

But for the current Cao Bao, Tao Qian is already in the past tense, and Liu Zheng is the person he should be loyal to.

"Mr. Yuanlong, it's not that I, Cao Bao, felt sorry for Tao Qian. It was because of the situation that I had no choice but to do it. But after I took refuge in Mr. Liu Zheng, I realized that Mr. Liu Zheng is the wise master. Only by relying on Mr. Liu Zheng , you can have a way to survive, listen to my advice, surrender, I think everyone is a former colleague, I guarantee your life."

Cao Bao understood that Liu Zheng wanted to persuade him to surrender, so he said a few words to Chen Deng and others to persuade them to surrender. As for whether Chen Deng and others could really obey his words and surrender, it is unknown.

Chen Deng's face was still as calm as ever. For Chen Deng, Cao Bao's choice could not replace him. Cao Bao could represent himself, but Chen Deng could not. Chen Deng represented the entire aristocratic family in Xuzhou. The interests of the aristocratic family are what Chen Deng wants to choose.

"Master Liu Zheng, your strength really makes me feel tricky, but you want to let us open the city and surrender with just a few words, isn't it a little bit of a joke?"

Liu Zheng was waiting for Chen Deng's answer. Chen Deng's sudden words eased Liu Zheng's frowning.

Originally, Liu Zheng couldn't see Chen Deng's intention clearly, but after hearing what Chen Deng said, Liu Zheng knew that Chen Deng didn't want to fight. , he needs Liu Zheng to show a more convincing look before he can take a step back and start peace talks between the two sides.

"Mr. Yuanlong, it is my greatest sincerity to be able to stand here and talk to you softly. I came down from Qingzhou and passed through several counties and counties. I didn't make any big moves because I know that you are A person who understands current affairs, we can sit down and have a good talk, as long as you are willing to surrender, I can accept the conditions you put forward, how about it, think about it?"

Hearing what Liu Zheng said, Chen Deng didn't refuse Liu Zheng, so he could only turn his head to look at the potter.

After talking to the potter, Chen Deng poked his head out again.

"Lord Liu Zheng, the matter is of great importance. I, Chen Deng, am not the only one who can decide. We need to go back and discuss, and we hope to wait here for a while."

"Well, I'll wait for you here for an hour. After an hour, you need to reply to me."

Chapter 6 and Seven Conditions

Of course, Chen Deng couldn't be the master. After all, his father Chen Gui is still the master of the Chen family. Although he is the eldest son and already weak, his father still has more say.