[Three Kingdoms] Carnival

Wancheng, Nanyang County, Jingzhou

The sun was going west, and the shadows were slanting eastward. At the second quarter of Shenshi, Xu Huang, the guard of Wancheng, and all the officials in the city gathered at the gate of the city.According to the news sent the day before yesterday, Luo Yang's reinforcements will arrive today.

Because Xiangfan blocked the front, until now, Wancheng has not seen the menacing Shu army coming, but the constant news from the south made people in Wancheng panic.Especially after the capture of Xiangyang City, Lu Hun's old people, Sun Lang and others raised troops from Jiaxian County to invade Luoxu. Although the mob was not a big deal, after Xu Huang personally led the troops to encircle and suppress them, they were defeated in less than ten days.But this incident still cast a haze over everyone's hearts.It wasn't until the news that Cao Cao personally took over Luoyang and that reinforcements were about to arrive in Wancheng came that the turbulent discussions gradually subsided.

"When the reinforcements arrive, let's see how rampant the Shu thieves are!"

"With Wei Wang personally supervising the military, even if it is a divine soldier, it will surely be defeated!"

The existence of Cao Cao is like a reassurance to almost everyone.Even if the situation in Jingzhou is still that bad, with Cao Cao around, most people will think that recovering Jingzhou is nothing more than a matter of time.

Nearly five o'clock, the sound of horseshoes sounded louder and louder in the distance, and everyone at the gate of the city was shocked.

However, unlike what was expected, the leader of the army was not a general in uniform, but a scribe with a whip and a horse.When they reached the gate of the city, everyone took a closer look, only to find that the reinforcements that had arrived were no more than a hundred people. For a while, the whispering came back again.

Xu Huang was calmer than the others.It is difficult to move with so many soldiers, and to be able to rush to Wancheng so quickly, the generals must be led by cavalry, and there will not be too many of them.He stepped forward to greet him: "Mr. Guo has worked hard all the way."

"Time is running out, so Jia won't greet the general." Guo Jia reined in the reins and dismounted, "Please general, please send all the information sent to Jingzhou to Jia, the sooner the better."

At three o'clock in the morning, the moon is covered by dark clouds.

It was already the third watch, except for the night guards, at this hour, most of the government office was completely dark, except for the room where Xu Huang was going to be still brightly lit.Looking through the window, on the desk full of bamboo slips, the orange candle flickered slightly, creating a hazy warm color, but it still couldn't hide the tiredness on the human face.According to the soldiers who came to Wan with Guo Jia, they traveled day and night in the past few days, and even killed several horses. Even the young and strong soldiers felt that it was too much.But until now, Guo Jia seems to have been sitting in this room reading military newspapers without even drinking his saliva.Having been in Cao Ying for many years, Xu Huang had heard about Guo Jia's behavior habits, but he did not expect that what he saw with his own eyes was even more exaggerated than the anecdotes he heard.

He walked to the door and knocked lightly.

"come in."

Xu Huang walked into the room as he said, and when he walked around the screen to the desk, he happened to see Guo Jia with his eyes closed and his hand gently pressing the center of his brow.The lights were reflected on the screen, and a huge shadow was cast on the wall behind Guo Jia, as if it was going to swallow Guo Jia.Knowing that business matters come first, and knowing that he should not talk too much, perhaps because the scene in front of him is too unsettling, Xu Huang still couldn't help but said: "Sir, you still need to take care of your health and rest early."

"I'm afraid Jia won't be able to rest anymore. Early tomorrow morning, Jia will lead the troops to Fancheng."

Xu Huang was surprised and said, "So urgent? But..."

"Don't worry, Jia knows what you want to say." Guo Jia stopped Xu Huang's words while ticking off the bamboo slips in his hand, "By the way, not all of these here."

"Yes, to save sir's time, the confirmed false reports have been eliminated."

"Then send over the rest. Jia remembers that even if it's a false report, there should be a record in the official office."

According to the military law, regardless of the authenticity of letters and information in the army, the clerk must be ordered to copy a copy for future use.So there are indeed records in the official office.But Xu Huang was very puzzled: "I don't know what the master wants those for?"

"There must be a reason for everything. There is so much false information in Jingzhou this time, has the general thought about the reason? Looking at those fake things, it is easy for Jia to understand. They most want to mislead us, what they really care about What is it?" Leaning over to write something on the desk, Guo Jia put down the bamboo slips in his hand, and finally raised his head to look at Xu Huang, "However, it may not be 'them', but 'he'."

At this time, Xu Huang realized that although Guo Jia looked tired, his eyes were shining and shining.Facing this pair of clear pools and clear streams, he suddenly had an illusion: it's okay to die, no one can defeat this person in front of him.

Even if it is a majestic way of heaven.

"General Xu? General Xu? Mo stared at Jia, first tell me why you came to see Jia."

After Guo Jia mentioned it, Xu Huang realized that he had been staring at Guo Jia for a long time.There was a hint of embarrassment on his face.He coughed lightly, collected himself, and looked serious.

"Sir, forgive Huang for speaking bluntly. In Huang's opinion, it is not appropriate to send troops from Wancheng to rescue Fancheng at this time. Now that the Han River has not retreated, it is difficult to march, and it is inconvenient to use large-scale troops. Moreover, most of the soldiers in Wancheng are recruits, and their combat power is limited. If If we fail to save Fan in one fell swoop, Huang fears that he will repeat the mistakes of Generals Yu and Pang."

"You're right. So before Jia came to Wan, the king of Wei ordered Jia Ding to repeatedly tell the general: Luoyang has sent two generals Xu Shang and Lu Jian to lead ten thousand people and provide reinforcements to the general. Don't use troops." Guo Jia said, "And, after the army arrives in Wan, the general had better advance troops to garrison Yancheng, and save Fancheng after the water recedes."

Yancheng is to the west of Fancheng, and is isolated from Fancheng due to the surge of the Han River.If you lead a large army to station in Yancheng before the Shu army, it will be like a horn, and when the Han River retreats, you will be able to break the thief.The King of Wei was the most knowledgeable soldier, so how could he give orders rashly because he was eager to save Fan.It seems that he is worrying unfoundedly.

But Xu Huang suddenly realized what was wrong: "Then just now, sir, he said that he led the troops to Fancheng tomorrow—?"

"Send food."

Food delivery?Xu Huang was a little puzzled.Fancheng had been besieged for many days, and it was true that there was a shortage of food in the city, but it was not necessary to go there, and there was no need for Guo Jia to go there himself.

"Forgive me to be blunt, the grain is heavy and it is inconvenient to transport. If you want to send grain from Wan to Fan...how many people will you bring?"

"In addition to the hundred cavalry brought by Jia, the general will transfer Jia a few lieutenants, eight hundred infantry will be enough."

so few people?Xu Huang was even more puzzled and surprised: "Shu Huang speaks bluntly again, sir..."

Before Xu Huang finished speaking, Guo Jia laughed: "Stop being blunt. Jia knows what you want to say. Although Fancheng is short of food, it can still persevere. There is no need for Jia to be so anxious. Besides, there must be people outside Fancheng. It is full of Shu troops, if Jia only brings a few people and heavy food and grass, he will be sent to Liu Bei as a target." He turned the pen in his hand, "But if you don't put heavy bait, you won't be able to catch any fish. , not to mention Qianlong. Speaking of which, among the lieutenants of Wancheng, is there anyone who is difficult for the general to use?"

What Guo Jia said earlier was exactly what Xu Huang was worried about.But Xu Huang didn't understand what was said later, except that he could hear the meaning of "how can you catch a tiger if you don't enter the tiger's lair".But before he could ask, Guo Jia changed the subject in the next second. He could only speculate on Guo Jia's thoughts, and replied, "Don't worry, sir, Huang will definitely send the most capable lieutenant around to assist you."

"The general misunderstood, Jia didn't mean that." Guo Jia shook his head again and again, "It's a pity to hand over capable people to Jia. Jia just wants to know that Jingzhou has been turbulent in the past few months, and there are not a few traitors. Then in Wancheng, is there anyone who makes the general worry?"

Xu Huang was taken aback.He suddenly understood Guo Jia's meaning: "Hu Xiu, the governor of Jingzhou, and Chuanfang, the prefect of Nanxiang, fled to Wancheng after being captured by the Shu army, but all his family members were captured by the Shu army. A soldier once reported The two of them spread the news privately outside the city, but there is no evidence."

"Then transfer the two of them to Jia. The governor of Jingzhou and the prefect of Nanxiang have lived in Jingzhou for many years, so they must be more reliable than others." Guo Jia's eyes were full of cunning when he said this.He waved to Xu Huang, beckoning him to come forward: "Besides, there is one more thing to trouble the general..."

————————————————————

Five days later, ten miles north of Fancheng.

"Sir, after passing through this canyon and walking another five miles, you will arrive at Fancheng."

Fancheng is located between the two mountains of Tongbai and Wudang. The original road connected to Wan was blocked by the Han River, so we had to take another road that Guo Jia was not familiar with.Fortunately, both Hu Xiu and Chuanfang have stayed in Jingzhou for many years, and they know the way as well as the locals know.Thanks to their hard work along the way, the food transport army was lucky not to encounter a single Shu pawn.

Guo Jia looked at the towering mountains on both sides in front of him, and a narrow road with no end in sight. He could not help but look worried: "This road looks dangerous... but there are other roads?"

Chuanfang respectfully said: "There is still another way. If we take a detour now, it will be two days later than the original journey."

Hearing this, Guo Jia lowered his head and thought.Unexpectedly, before he could make a decision, Hu Xiu behind him said in a rough voice: "I've come here, why go around! Mr. Guo, if you are afraid, just ride behind. If you really encounter the enemy Jun, Xiu cut it for you!"

Hearing that one of these two people sang red faces and the other sang bad faces, they blocked the possibility of diversion without any trace.A smile flashed in Guo Jia's eyes, but his face was still full of hesitation, and a little bit of anger towards Hu Xiu: "The general is wrong. If there is really an ambush in the valley, so many carts, grain and grass will be killed." The Shu army took it away, and the king of Wei will rule the general in the future as a crime of entrusting the enemy. I don’t know if the general will be so brave at that time.”

"Hmph! You don't need to use King Wei to suppress me!" Unexpectedly, Hu Xiu has a violent temper, so he immediately quarreled, "These days you have repeatedly said that the military situation is urgent, and the grain and grass must be sent to Fancheng as soon as possible.

If you drink saliva at the post station, you have to be urged to go on your way.Now that Fancheng is close at hand, you have to take a detour again, and it's almost the same to deal with your cowardice first! "

Chuanfang hurriedly persuaded: "Young man, shut up!"

"Why, he is timid and afraid of Xiu's words?"

"That's enough!" Guo Jia said, "Let's go this way." After finishing speaking, before Hu Xiuchuanfang could respond, he whipped his whip hard and rushed into the valley, as if he really got angry.

Behind him, Chuan Fang and Hu Xiu looked at each other, and whispered: "You said, is he real, or—?"

"Of course it's true." A sneer curled up on Hu Xiu's mouth, "The flattering thing, being so aggressive by Xiu, is not obediently hooked. Let's go, let's see how Xiu will send him to Huangquan Road in a while!"

Chuanfang was still a little uneasy.It stands to reason that Guo Jia would never be someone who could be provoked by a few words from Hu Xiu.But he thought about it again, no matter if Guo Jia really lost his mind or was mistaken because of his cleverness, as long as he entered the valley, Guo Jia, a scholar with no strength to restrain a chicken, could beat him and Hu Xiu.Thinking of this, he immediately felt relieved, and followed with a flick of his whip.

The valley was much narrower than the outside, and the soldiers had to change their formation and move forward.In this way, Hu Xiu and Chuan Fang, standing side by side, separated Guo Jia from the rest of the soldiers without much effort.Seeing Guo Jia's ignorant appearance, the smiles on Hu Xiu and Chuanfang's faces became bigger and bigger, even a little ferocious.

Killing Guo Jia will not only save their family members, but also make them a marquis and a noble, and it must be just around the corner.

After halfway through the valley, they suddenly saw a group of people and horses in front of the road, as if they had been waiting for a long time.

"Maybe General Zhengnan sent someone to greet him." Hu Xiu tried his best to suppress the sarcasm in his tone.

"Does Governor Hu still think that maybe the feather fan in that man's hand is a token of General Zhengnan?" Guo Jia glanced at him lightly, and the latter choked and paused.But at this moment, Guo Jia had reined in his horse and stepped forward.Facing the leader of the enemy army ahead, his tone was more familiar than that of a close friend he hadn't seen for many years.

"Brother Kong Ming, please stay safe."

Hu Xiu resentfully put down the hand that was holding the hilt of the sword just now, only a second away.Guo Jia's head must have fallen to the ground one second before the night.

Chuan Fang glanced behind vigilantly, seeing that no one noticed Hu Xiu's actions, he breathed a sigh of relief: "There is still a chance, let's wait and see what happens."

Ahead, when Zhuge Liang saw Guo Jia, he also showed a cordial smile: "I haven't seen you in ten years, but the filial demeanor is still the same."

"Kong Ming's words, Jia will take it seriously." After the words fell, Guo Jiabiao gradually became serious, "To be honest, Jia didn't expect that you would really come to Jingzhou."

"Feng Xiao was joking. If you really didn't expect it, why put yourself in danger here?"

"The difference between three and seven." Guo Jia said, "Three points think you will come because Jia can't figure it out. If you didn't join the army, how could Jingzhou be in the situation it is today; seven points think you won't come because Jia wants more It doesn't make sense, what will Yizhou do if you join the army?"

Zhuge Liang plucked the feathers on the fan: "Yizhou has its own long history official to supervise the affairs, Fengxiao doesn't have to worry about Liang."

"The local nobles, the barbarians in Nanzhong, and Liu Chan, the son of Liu Zhang... When Duke Xuande falls in Jingzhou, Kong Ming really thinks that there is still time for you to return to Yizhou?"

"It seems that Feng Xiao not only cares about Liang, but also cares about the lord very much. Don't worry, Feng Xiao, the lord is in good health, free from disease, and will be able to regain Jingzhou and return home with great victory."

"If it's really healthy, where is Duke Xuande now? Why didn't Kong Ming come with him to talk about old feelings with Jia? Kong Ming is not lying to Jia."

"It's either Keyan, or Zhuxiang, or it's not far away from Fancheng, or Liang is lying about Fengxiao. Fengxiao and his lord met many years earlier than Liang. I believe you don't need to ask Liang, Fengxiao can guess. Find out where the lord is."

After going back and forth, Zhuge Liang slowly shook his lupine, and there was no slight fluctuation in his brows and eyes smiling. This calm and composed appearance was exactly the same as ten years ago, just like a fox that has become a spirit.It stands to reason that having said this, ordinary people should retreat in the face of difficulties.But Guo Jia was able to regard the sword-fighting soldiers behind the two of them as floating clouds, and continued to bargain with Zhuge Liang leisurely:

"For the sake of past love, how about Kong Ming giving Jia a hint?"

"Then, for the sake of past love, Feng Xiao is now in the battle, and Liang will take Feng Xiao to see the lord."

"..."

Before he finished speaking, Guo Jia suddenly saw Zhuge Liang's expression change.The next moment, the gust of wind passed by, and the blade was only three inches away from Guo Jia, and was blocked by the general fan.

Seeing the piece of lacquer cut off by the sword on the handle of the fan, Guo Jia suddenly lost the amiable look he had when facing Zhuge Liang.The sudden murderous intent in his eyes made Hu Xiu involuntarily back several steps.It wasn't until a moment later that he came back to his senses, suddenly feeling extremely ashamed and angry.He quickly winked at Chuanfang, thinking that the two would work together to kill Guo Jia.But he never thought that Chuan Fang fell off the horse before he drew out his sword.Hu Xiu was shocked, and suddenly felt the pain in his chest was unbearable, and the smell of blood in his mouth became stronger and stronger.Not long after, the sword fell to the ground with a "click", and the man also fell off the horse.

The accident happened suddenly, and it subsided even more suddenly.When the soldiers caught up, Hu Xiu and Chuan Fang were already bleeding from their seven orifices, and they were dead.In the astonishment of everyone, Guo Jia was the only one who calmly wiped away a drop of blood accidentally splashed on the handle of the fan, and then carefully put the fan back into his sleeve.Obviously, except for the injury to the fan, everything was within his expectations.

But it seems that it was not in Zhuge Liang's expectation.

Thinking of Zhuge Liang's eclipse just now, a gleam of clarity flashed in Guo Jia's eyes.Looking at Zhuge Liang's complicated expression, he kindly explained to him:

"When we left the last inn, Jia invited the two of them to have a cup of tea." In other words, they were declared dead before they committed any act of betrayal.

"...What if you made a mistake?"

"That would be a pity."

Zhuge Liang's eyes darkened even more.He still had a smile on his brow and eyes, but his temperature had already lost.The person in front of him is smart and cunning, looking forward to flying, and ten years have not worn away his spirit.But what remains unchanged is the differences between oneself and others.Right and wrong, domineering and domineering, these cannot be covered up with a few friendly greetings.On the contrary, when both the pleasantries and the cruel words are spoken in the same gentle and smiling tone, the strong contrast is like an axe, cutting a bottomless ditch, which cannot be stepped on.

Out of an inexplicable tacit understanding, Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang looked at each other for a long time, but did not say a word.After a while, they each retreated to their own army formation.Originally, there was a clear distinction between Wei and Wei, and each was the master. At this time, the two armies are confronting each other, and it is useless to talk too much.

It took only a moment for the valley to be filled with fighting from quietness.Zhuge Liang finally understood why Guo Jia would rather kill by mistake than let him go when he was at a disadvantage in terms of military strength.The cavalry behind Guo Jia were all highly skilled in martial arts, and they were no match for ordinary soldiers.In a short while, the corpses of the Shu army were all over the valley, but there were very few battle losses on Guo Jia's side.If this continues, it is nothing more than a matter of time to break through the siege.

But how could Zhuge Liang's killing array be so simple.

The accident came from behind.The enemy army, which had been in ambush for a long time, came from the rear of the team. The sound of horseshoes was loud and the ground trembled.Guo Jia originally retreated behind the cavalry for safety, but now he has turned into a trap for himself.Hearing the sound of fighting behind him getting closer and closer, Guo Jia frowned, and his face gradually became difficult to look.Calling the cavalry back for help now, he can be safe, but what about the dozens of carts of food and grass behind? !

But after a moment of hesitation, the enemy army was already behind him.Hearing the whistling wind, Guo Jia hurriedly dodged, but was pierced through the hem of his clothes by the silver spear.The white horse and silver spear in front of him, the murderous enemy general is not Hu Xiu Chuanfang and his like, every move is a killer move.If a cavalryman hadn't rushed back to block Guo Jia, Guo Jia would have been pierced by the silver spear.

"Sir, let's go!"

"But—" Guo Jia looked back hesitantly, but he didn't expect that in such a short time, most of the dozens of carts of grain and grass had fallen into the hands of the enemy, except for the few carts in front.It's a done deal, it's useless to entangle, so Guo Jia had no choice but to give a loud order: "Advance to Fancheng!"

"Food and grass are the most important thing." Almost at the same time, Zhuge Liang also gave an order.

Abandoning the heavy grain trucks, and the enemy's attention seemed to be attracted by the grain, a group of cavalry guarded Guo Jia, and soon tore a hole from the encirclement in front, and rushed out of the valley at full speed.Zhao Yun just wanted to lead his troops to chase, but Zhuge Liang raised his hand to stop him.

"Military division, relying on the defense outside Fancheng alone, Yun worries that they won't be able to stop them."

"No problem." Looking at Guo Jia's back, Zhuge Liang narrowed his eyes slightly, "Liang is relieved when he enters Fancheng."

"Cloud doesn't understand."

"If you were Guo Jia, what do you think is the most important thing to solve Jingzhou's predicament?"

Zhao Yun put the gun behind his back, pondered for a moment, and asked uncertainly: "Is it the general or the time of day?"

"No." Zhuge Liang shook his head, "Guandu wins more with less, and Wuhuan defies the sky. Although these two have influence, they are not enough to tie Guo Jia. For Jingzhou, the most important thing is information."

If the army is less than the enemy, you can still use all kinds of tricks to win by surprise; if the weather is not favorable, maybe you can also rely on manpower to make the time work for you. Only in the matter of intelligence, if the information sent is insufficient or there are too many mistakes, The decision makers are not even sure of the real situation in Jingzhou, let alone devising a strategy to save Jingzhou.

Since the siege of Fancheng, Zhuge Liang's first order was to completely cut off correspondence between inside and outside the city.As for the military newspapers sent to Yecheng and Wancheng, he ordered people to imitate nine parts of the truth and one part of the fake, or deliberately leaked false information for Cao Jun's spies to listen to.Although the changes were not major, on the battlefield, there was a slight difference, and there was a huge difference. Yu Jin and Pound were defeated before they had time to fight. This is also the reason.

"But since Guo Jia came to Fancheng, does it mean that Cao Jun has discovered the problem in the military newspaper?"

"Of course." Zhuge Liang said, "Thinking about it, after Guo Jia read the military newspapers in Wancheng, he suspected that Liang was planning in them, so he had to come to Fancheng in person. Being in the game and going to the battlefield in person, naturally he would not It will be hindered by intelligence again."

"Then why did you let him enter Fancheng?"

"Zilong," Zhuge Liang looked at Zhao Yun with a smile, "do you think, is the blind snake hiding in the dark dangerous, or the eagle locked in a cage? Only by cutting off Guo Jia's connection with the outside world can the lord and Yizhou be at peace." .”

At this moment, Zhuge Liang and Zhao Yun suddenly heard a commotion behind them.They turned around to check and found that the soldiers had surrounded the grain truck and were opening sacks for inspection.Unexpectedly, except for a few sacks filled with grain, the rest of the beam trucks were filled with bags of sand!

"It's as difficult as ever to take advantage of him." Zhuge Liang sighed with a smile.He wasn't too annoyed, but he just thought of Guo Jia's reluctance to give up these "grain and grass", and finally had to cut off his wrists due to helplessness, and his heart was full of helplessness and... a trace of anxiety.

"Take those bags of food and return to the camp with the whole army."

He and Guo Jia may have to play this game of chess in Fancheng for a long time.