Han Dao world

Yuan Shao wanted Yuan Tan to recommend him as a talented person, not so much as a kindness, but as a threat.

This is the only favor he has for Yuan Shao and his son, once Yuan Tan named him a talented person, it would be considered repayment of the favor.If there is any more conflict, you don't have to show mercy.

Of course, the main reason was that Yuan Shao would not show mercy to him.

Liu Bei thought for a while, raised his head, and bowed to Chen Lin. "Dare to ask Kong Zhang, how will Duke Yuan treat me?"

"If the envoy does not give up, Yuan Gong is willing to present the envoy as the shepherd of Yuzhou and visit his own state."

"I've been running around for several years, and I'm exhausted physically and mentally. I'm afraid I can't bear this heavy responsibility." Liu Bei said with emotion: "I want to go back to my hometown, is it possible?"

"Back to Zhuo County?" Chen Lin was slightly startled, a little surprised.

"Yes, when Yuan Xiansi came to Bizhou, he must be able to think about his old love and take care of him. I know that I have little talent and virtue, and I am not a hero fighting for world hegemony. I would like to disarm and go home to weave shoes." Liu Bei said, raising his hand Picking up the straw sandals that have not yet been woven, his face is bitter.

Chen Lin thought about it, but still shook her head and refused.

He knew in his heart that Yuan Tan did not control Youzhou at all, it was just him lying to Liu Bei.Really letting Liu Bei return to Zhuojun is tantamount to letting the tiger go back to the mountain.

"Your envoy is too modest. You just meet people you don't know, so you are useless. If you have Yuan Gong's support, it will be more than enough for Yuzhou shepherd. Please don't refuse."

Liu Bei said again: "It's about the future, can you allow me to discuss with the generals, and then I will reply."

Chen Lin readily agreed.

He didn't think Liu Bei had any room for bargaining.Zhang He and Gao Lan are on their way to attack Chen Deng, and there will be good news within a few days.At that time, Liu Bei had no choice but to surrender.

He ordered someone to send Chen Lin to rest in the post house, and Liu Bei called Zhang Fei, Mi Zhu and others to discuss.

Knowing that the memorial sent to the imperial court was intercepted by the interrogator, everyone's expressions changed, and they didn't speak for a long time, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

"Gentlemen, life and death are at stake here, and I hope you can speak freely." Liu Bei said.

Zhang Fei regretted it too late.

If he hadn't lost Pei County, the situation wouldn't have collapsed like this.

"My lord, I..."

Liu Bei waved his hand, signaling Zhang Fei not to speak.

"If I'm wrong, it's my fault first." Liu Bei sighed: "I knew that Cao Bao, Xu Dan and others wanted to speak up for Brother Tao Ying, but I was worried that they would not be able to get rid of them. If they can be arranged properly, Cao Bao will If the generation can stick to it with peace of mind, it will not be like this."

Mi Zhu and the others looked at each other in blank dismay.

Liu Bei's words are correct, but now is not the time for self-criticism, the most important thing is to find a way to defend Pengcheng.

"My lord, the past is gone, so don't worry about it. The most urgent thing is to decide how to fight and defend." Jian Yong clasped his hands.

"What Xianhe said is true." Liu Bei turned to Mizhu. "Zizhong, what's your opinion?"

Mi Zhu said without hesitation: "Since the minister is married to the lord, they are one body, and should advance and retreat with the lord."

Liu Bei breathed a sigh of relief. "In this case, I have an idea, I don't know if it is feasible or not, and I want to discuss it with you."

"My lord, please speak."

"Pengcheng has more than [-] soldiers. If everyone can fight to the death, it may not be impossible to stick to it. I want to follow the plan of the dragon and offer rewards for farms and houses to boost morale and stick to Pengcheng." Liu Bei said: "Your farm and house have not been sold yet. Can you lend it to me and reward the soldiers?"

Mi Zhu thought for a while, then agreed.

Chapter 592

With Mi Zhu's support, Liu Bei gained confidence, and immediately announced the reward.

As long as Pengcheng can be defended, all soldiers who participated in the war will be rewarded with at least [-] acres of fertile land.If he dies in battle, he can also be inherited by his parents or children.Those who don't want land can convert it into cash, and it can be converted into thousands of dollars per mu.

A thousand dollars per mu is the price of a good farmland, and fifty mu of land is worth hardware. Even for the most elite Danyang soldiers, this is a huge sum of money.

If it weren't for the support of Liu Bei, who is backed by the wealthy Mizhu in the East China Sea, few people would believe Liu Bei's promise.

With Mi Zhu's financial support, Liu Bei's promise is no longer empty talk, but a practical reward.

Mi Zhu not only married his younger sister to Liu Bei, but also supported two thousand family members, obviously planning to tie him up with Liu Bei.For this reason, he offered all his family property as a reward, even if the number was a bit scary, it was credible.

As a wealthy man in the East China Sea, he must be able to spend hundreds of millions of dollars.

For a time, the morale was boosted.

Liu Bei took advantage of the opportunity to implement the method of training troops mentioned by Guan Yu in the army, using the song as a unit, arrange them to specific combat positions, familiarize themselves with the positions, and prepare for the battle.

At the same time, Liu Bei gathered the generals above Qu Junhou alone to express his determination.

He issued the edict of the emperor.

As long as I can hold on to Pengcheng, I have hope to restore my clan status, and I will not forget the merits of your lords by then.If you are willing to follow me, I will reuse it.If you want to go to the imperial court, I will write a letter of recommendation for you, entrust Zhao Yun and Guan Yu to take care of you, and guarantee your future.

In order to boost morale, he exaggerated the achievements of the emperor, and tried his best to prove that Yuan Shao was just a momentary glory, and he would be defeated by the emperor in the end.Surrendering Yuan Shao now seems to be safe, but it is actually the biggest mistake.Sticking to Pengcheng is the wisest choice.

With the endorsement of the emperor's legendary record, coupled with the influence of Guan Yu and Zhao Yun, Liu Bei finally stabilized the morale of the army.

-

Naturally, the movement of Pengcheng could not be concealed from Chen Lin's eyes and ears, and Chen Lin immediately found Mi Zhu.

"Zizhong, why are you here?" Chen Lin smiled. "Although the Mi family is rich, the billions of dollars of family wealth has been accumulated by generations, and it was not given by the gods in the sea. Why do you put all your eggs in one basket?"

Mi Zhu smiled and invited Chen Lin to the hall. "If I didn't do this, would Kong Zhang come to my door?"

Chen Lin was a little embarrassed and smiled embarrassingly.

Although Mi Zhu is extremely rich, he has no status in his official career.Before Tao Qian became Xuzhou Mu, he was just a commoner, just a wealthy commoner.If they want to meet, it will only be Mi Zhu who visits him, not him who visits Mi Zhu.

It is a social consensus that businessmen are pariahs.Those who run business in high-ranking families are generally disregarded clans, or bastards with no future, but those who want to achieve something will not engage in careers related to economics and production, so as not to degrade their status and affect their reputation.

"You want to climb the dragon scales of Shijun Liu, but I'm afraid you may not be able to do so." Chen Lin said, "To tell you the truth, when I set off, Zhang He and Gao Lan had already led ten thousand cavalry to Xiapi. Although Chen Yuanlong was good at fighting , but not Zhang Xi and Gao Lan's opponents. How long can the ten thousand mobs in Pengcheng defend?"

Mi Zhu's heart tightened, and then he calmed down again. "Regardless of whether Chen Yuanlong can keep Xiapi, Liu Shijun will not give up Pengcheng. Since you are telling the truth, I will not hide it from you. I have already explained to my younger brother that Tan County can abide by the rules, and break through if it can't. , go to the court and serve the emperor."

Mi Zhu smiled, and said again: "Even the Son of Heaven is willing to educate the Qiang Hu, so I don't think he will despise the merchants. If the Donghai Mi family can get rid of their low status and live an upright life from now on, I will lose my family and property, so why not? "

Chen Lin let out a long sigh, but still did not give up. "Zizhong, you misunderstood. Yuan Gong has no contempt for merchants. Not long ago, he wanted to marry the Zhongshan Zhen family. You are a great merchant, and you should know that the Zhongshan Zhen family is also a merchant."

"I know, but it didn't work." Mi Zhu sneered. "How could I know that Yuan Benchu ​​was not forced by the situation and had to make compromises. After the crisis was over, he changed his mind."

"Zizhong, this is really not..." Chen Lin swallowed the words again.

He couldn't say that the marriage failed, it wasn't Yuan Shao's repentance, but Zhen's rejection of Yuan Shao.

"Okay, you and I are in the same state, I am very grateful for your kindness. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will definitely report it generously. Now I also want to tell you a piece of news. Your fellow countryman Zhang Zigang should have arrived now."

Chen Lin frowned and said nothing.

Mi Zhu had made up his mind, and it was useless to say anything.Liu Bei spared no expense for that clan, and it was impossible to surrender.All he has to do now is to go back as soon as possible and inform Yuan Shao of the situation in Pengcheng so that Yuan Shao can prepare well.

The siege of Pengcheng must be a bitter battle, and it is impossible to expect Liu Bei to surrender without a fight.

Chen Lin quickly left the city and rushed to the camp where the judge was assigned, and first reported the situation in the city to the judge.

After contemplating for a while, the commissioner asked Chen Lin to rush to Yuan Shao's camp immediately, suggesting that Yuan Shao change his plan, abandon Tan County, concentrate his forces, and surround Pengcheng.

The reason why they attacked Tanxian County and Xiapi was to turn Pengcheng into an isolated city and make an emergency landing on Liu Bei.Since Liu Bei is determined not to surrender, the gains and losses of Tanxian County and Xiapi are not important. The key is to seize the time to encircle Pengcheng.

Pengcheng is a big city, and there are 1 people in the city. There is no more than [-] troops, and there is no possibility of victory.

He only has [-] paces, which can restrain Liu Bei and prevent Liu Bei from leaving the city easily, but it is not enough to attack the city.Only when Yuan Shao came with the main force, would there be sufficient troops available.

One more day of delay is equivalent to giving Liu Bei one more day to prepare.

Chen Lin felt reasonable and set off immediately.

When Chen Lin arrived at Yuan Shao's camp, Zhang He and Gao Lan's news of victory also arrived.

Zhang He and Gao Lan led [-] cavalry to Xiapi within three days and intercepted Chen Deng who was ordered to rush back to Xiapi to garrison.Although Chen Deng was vigilant, he didn't expect Yuan Jun to appear here, and they were all cavalry. They were defeated and the whole army was wiped out.

Chen Deng himself was captured, but he refused to surrender.

This gave Yuan Shao a headache.

With Zang Hong and Liu He's affairs ahead of him, it is impossible for him to let Chen Deng go.If Chen Deng refused to surrender, he could only kill Chen Deng, even if he offended the Xiapi Chen family.

After Chen Lin reported the situation in Pengcheng, Yuan Shao immediately gave him a task to persuade Chen Deng to surrender.

When Chen Lin saw Chen Deng, she was shocked.

Chen Deng was covered in blood and unkempt, as if he had just come off the battlefield.Lying on the couch, motionless, breathing weakly.Chen Lin was furious, and asked the guard why Chen Deng was not allowed to wash, but the guard told him that it was not that they did not allow Chen Deng to wash, but that Chen Deng refused to wash.

Not only that, Chen Deng also went on a hunger strike, wishing to die.

Chen Lin didn't understand very much. She squatted in front of Chen Deng and said, "Yuanlong, victory or defeat is a common matter in military affairs. You are in a hurry, and you lack cavalry. You are suddenly attacked, and defeat is inevitable. Why is it so?"

Hearing Chen Lin's voice, Chen Deng slowly opened his swollen eyes and stared at Chen Lin for a long time.

"Kong Zhang, the reason why I don't die is because I want you to ask Yuan Shao a question." Chen Deng said hoarsely.

"What?"

"Zhang He and Gao Lan refused to accept the surrender and decided to exterminate our troops. Whose order was it?"

Chapter 593

Chen Lin turned pale with shock.

It is common knowledge that killing prisoners is ominous.

Although Zhang He and Gao Lan are not learned men, they are not greedy, cruel and easy to kill warriors either.Especially Zhang Yun, who loves Confucianism and learns, and behaves like a Confucian in everything. How could he do such a thing as killing prisoners?

Chen Lin didn't dare to be careless, and asked for details carefully.

Chen Deng has led the army for many years, and he also has hundreds of guard cavalry under his command, so he knows the key points of infantry and cavalry confrontation.When he felt the earthquake caused by the galloping cavalry and saw thousands of cavalry rushing out, he knew that the defeat was over.

The infantry in the marching state had no armor, no bow, and no formation, so they couldn't stop the cavalry's assault at all.

He immediately raised the flag and expressed his willingness to surrender, but the opponent did not stop attacking.

Thousands of cavalry clashed and slaughtered until all his subordinates were killed.He was furious, and wanted to ask Zhang Yun for an explanation, but was surrounded by several Xianbei people and tied him up directly.

After Chen Deng finished speaking, he still couldn't hide his anger, his eyes were bloodshot. "How is this different from leading beasts to eat people?"

After Chen Lin listened, she didn't dare to answer Chen Deng's topic.

He was willing to believe that what Chen Deng said was true, but the problem was that it was difficult to be sure.When the two armies were fighting, Zhang He and Gao Lan went deep into the enemy's territory, so they must be decisive and not procrastinate.Most of the cavalry under their command are Xianbei and Wuhuan people, and it is possible to disobey orders on the battlefield.In other words, this may not be the order of Zhang Xi and Gao Lan, but it may be the spontaneous behavior of those wild knights.

On the battlefield, such things are very common, and it is far-fetched to say that it is an order from someone.

Especially if it is possible to point to Yuan Shao himself, it is likely to cause unnecessary trouble.

Chen Lin thought about it carefully, and persuaded: "Yuanlong, the dead are gone, and those who come can be chased. The most urgent thing is that you want to live. Only if you are alive, will it be possible to find out the truth in the future."

As soon as Chen Deng heard it, he knew that Chen Lin didn't believe what he said.He paused for a moment and let out a wry laugh.

"Even if I am willing to drag myself out, so what can I do? My forearm is broken, I can't be a general, I can only be a counselor, a puppet of Yuan Benchu, abandoned by both men and gods. Although the Xiapi Chen family is not a wealthy family, they are Loyalty is passed on to the family. I cannot shame the family. Kong Zhang can’t give me the answer, so I’ll look for it under the Nine Springs.”

"Under the Nine Springs?" Chen Lin was at a loss.

Chen Deng's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm going to ask Master Wang, who ordered the killing of more than [-] Yuan family members, and even the child refused to let go." After finishing speaking, he closed his eyes and never said a word to Chen Lin.

Chen Lin's face was pale, and she quietly exited the tent without daring to ask any more questions.

Standing outside the tent, he looked around, and a chill rose behind his back.

Chen Deng refused to bow down to Yuan Shao.Yuan Shao refused to let Chen Deng go, and repeated the mistakes of Zang Hong and Liu He, so he had no choice but to kill Chen Deng.In this case, the Xiapi Chen family will inevitably break with Yuan Shao.

Will Yuan Shao kill the Chen family in Xiapi?

Killing Xuzhou will inevitably arouse the resistance of Xuzhou people. Yuan Shao's wish to take Xuzhou quickly will inevitably come to nothing.

If you don't kill them, once the Xiapi Chen family decides to surrender to the court, it will affect the morale of the entire Xuzhou people.

A single Wang Lang is already a headache, but the influence of the Chen family in Xiapi is by no means comparable to that of Wang Lang, and should be compared with the Liu family in Donghai.

Chen Lin had a headache and didn't know how to repay Yuan Shao.

After much deliberation, he decided to report the truth to Yuan Shao.There may be a deeper struggle of interests behind this incident. As a native of Xuzhou, he cannot remain indifferent.

-

After listening to Chen Lin's narration, Yuan Shao's eyebrows immediately frowned.

He thought of Tian Feng almost immediately.

Only Tian Feng had such influence and motivation to instruct Zhang Xi and Gao Lan to make such a choice.

But like Chen Lin, he couldn't find any evidence to prove this unless Zhang Xi and Gao Lan appeared to testify.