Chapter 378 Another Taishi Ci! Another Zhou Gongjin!

Cao Cao’s order was to recruit troops;

The order Xiahou Dun carried out was a forced conquest;

But according to Xia Houmao's statement, it was a violent conquest.

Originally, among the hundreds of counties in the Wei Dynasty, if only three of them could complete the recruitment, it would be a good achievement. At worst, if they failed to complete the task, they would resign and be demoted to nothing.

But what if it was the three bead chain clans? That's the new story.

It is inevitable that those counties and counties that cannot complete the task of recruiting soldiers will "grab strong men". This will undoubtedly cause huge damage to the "popular support" and "popular popularity" that Cao Cao cared about most in his later years.

But... consider the purpose of this conscription.

Xiahou Dun couldn't help clenching his fists.

It is no exaggeration to say that his relationship with Guan Yu is "incompatible".

He was not only Xiahou Dun's "deputy general" and "confidant", he single-handedly promoted him to serve for him in the death of Han Hao before his eldest brother.

After passing five levels, six generals were killed, including Kong Xiu, Han Fu, Meng Tan, Bian Xi, Wang Zhi, Qin Qi, and Qin Qi's uncle Cai Yang. Six of the seven were Xiahou Dun's lieutenants.

After passing five passes and killing six generals, Guan Yu's reputation spread throughout the country, but Xiahou Dun was simply reduced to a laughing stock.

This is a deep hatred!

Of course, in order to appease Xiahou Dun, Cao Cao promoted him again and again...

But this kind of "promotion" made Xiahou Dun feel ashamed, like a ray of light on his back!

Finally, Xiahou Dun clenched his fists. He looked deeply at his son Xiahou Mao in front of him, and at the soldiers. He made the final decision, "General, I will lower my requirements. Within one month, the governor of one county will be defeated." If a county magistrate cannot complete the recruitment of 800 soldiers, if a county magistrate cannot recruit 300 soldiers in Wancheng, he will be demoted to a white body and will never be hired by the Wei Dynasty. His crime will be increased by one level and he will be sent to the border and implicate the three tribes! If he can complete it, Otherwise, the reward set by the Prime Minister will be doubled again!"

This can be regarded as clear rewards and punishments——

But Xiahou Dun clearly chanted this sentence fiercely.

If he hadn't been irritated and if Han Hao's death hadn't been a huge blow to him, he would never have made such a "hurtful" decision.

But now, Xiahou Dun just wanted Guan Yu to die so that Zhang Fei and Liu Bei could feel the pain of losing their brothers.

"My child accepts the order, and I will personally handle the matter of recruiting soldiers!"

"The last general takes orders——"

"The last general takes orders——"

As Xiahou Dun made the final deployment and arrangements in the palace of Yecheng, a massive "forced conquest" began in Cao Wei.

Fight against the odds and fight -

The wind and clouds surged, and the sound shook the sky——

This is no longer a question of "whether the storm is strong or not, whether the fish is expensive or not." This is almost a matter of fishing from the marsh and killing the goose to get the eggs!

…

…

In Hefei City, in a study room of the government office, Sun Quan, the leader of the Soochow Kingdom with blue eyes and purple beard, was meditating at the moment.

He would think about it quietly for an hour every day.

At this moment, he often meditates on the art of balancing power!

Thinking about how to check and balance Jiangdong?

How to consume the military power of your subordinates?

How to keep the most military power in Jiangdong firmly in his hands?

Only in this way can he secure his position as the leader of Soochow.

He has come out of the "Hell Beginning". He knows the feeling of "power" falling to one side, and he has suffered the loss of "military power falling to one side".

It was during the Battle of Chibi. Sun Quan handed Zhou Yu his 30,000 soldiers and horses. He never thought that Zhou Yu would win the Battle of Chibi, but these 30,000 soldiers were like mud cows drowning in the sea, never to be returned.

This incident made Sun Quan realize that no one can be trusted, and anyone who has soldiers will turn bad.

At that time, he learned from the pain and made the final decision - you Zhou Yu got these 30,000 soldiers based on my ability, then I, Sun Quan, will get them back based on my ability!

Facts have proved that Sun Quan succeeded. That is to say, after the Zhou Yu incident, Sun Quan's troops in Jiangdong tended to be firmly in his hands.

This is why Sun Quan knew that his ability in commanding troops was not high, but he always went to the battlefield and led the troops in person.

He can accept defeat!

But similar to what Zhou Yu did, Sun Quan was asked to hand over his military power to others, and his military power was once again "left aside". Sun Quan could not accept this kind of thing no matter what.

"Lord..." At this moment, Gu Yong walked in from the door.

Sun Quan, who was meditating, suddenly opened his green eyes, "Mr. Gu is here so late. Is there something wrong?"

"Two things." Gu Yong reminded: "The first is that the news of the collusion between Zhang Liao and Guan Lin has been released according to the plan of the Governor of Lu, and some key clues and evidence have been sent to Shouchun City..."

Having said this, Gu Yong raised the corner of his mouth and revealed a sly smile, "Of course, these are all fakes, but... firstly, we made them realistic, and secondly, Cao Cao is suspicious by nature... I predict that this Liao's life will not be long."

Having said this, Sun Quan's eyes opened even wider, and his purple beard moved automatically without any wind.

He opened his mouth bitterly: "How many people did Zhang Liao kill for me, Jiangdong Erlang? His reputation as 'Mighty Xiaoyaojin' and 'Child's Cry' is so resounding... Humph, if he died because of Cao Cao's suspicion in the end, Haha, how ironic this must be!"

Although his tone was harsh, Gu Yong's words obviously made Sun Quan feel better.

Nothing could bring happiness to the leader of Soochow than Zhang Liao's pain.

"Tell me the next thing?"

Sun Quan had already retracted his legs from sitting cross-legged. He sat up on his knees and continued to talk to Gu Yong in a rather formal capacity.

Gu Yong, on the other hand, his expression suddenly became serious, "There is one more thing about General Ling Tong?"

"What?"

"Since the last time General Ling Tong openly refuted my lord, in accordance with my lord's instructions, I have closely monitored the residence of General Ling Tong and his tribe. Recently, I intercepted a secret letter sent from an unknown source."

this…

Hearing this, Sun Quan suddenly became nervous. He narrowed his eyes, stroked his purple beard with his fingers, and asked in a low voice full of suspicion: "What secret message?"

Gu Yong also narrowed his eyes, "What's strange is that this is a very normal letter. There is no sender. The guy with the prosthetic hand turned around and ran away after being discovered by us. He even jumped into the river in the end, but the words in the letter were different." But, someone asked if Ling Tong was in good health? Logically speaking, this letter can be delivered to the Ling Mansion openly, so why run away? Why do it need to be so secretive? "

Before Gu Yong could finish his words, Sun Quan said firmly: "There must be an engraving, and there must be a letter within the letter——"

It is said that Cao Cao was suspicious by nature, but when Sun Quan became suspicious, it had nothing to do with Cao Cao.

"Then do you have the letter in your hand?" Sun Quan had already stood up.

Gu Yong carefully took out the letter and handed it to Sun Quan respectfully.

Sun Quan scanned it roughly. As Gu Yong said, the content of the letter was normal, but Sun Quan was already suspicious. He raised the corners of his mouth and smiled faintly.

"There must be an engraving. No wonder Ling Gongji dared to contradict Yu Gu so openly. It seems that he relied on something... But this letter, he was careless..."

At this point, with a "bang" sound, Sun Quan slapped the letter directly on the table, "Since it is a secret letter to Ling Tong, the engraving must be in Ling Tong's mansion!"

Sun Quan uttered a sharp word, and Gu Yong quickly handed over his hand: "My lord Mingjian..."

"Investigate! This matter must be investigated!" Sun Quan's words became even sharper, "I want to search Ling Tong's mansion, I want to find this carved tablet, I want to know what the meaning of this letter is?"

At this moment, Sun Quan's expression was extremely gloomy...

Gu Yong, on the other hand, remained as calm as ever. He reminded: "My lord, there is another problem now. Ling Tong has soldiers! He returned to Yuhang, Wu County this time to recruit 'people from the mountains'. Raising an army on his own and attacking Shouchun in the north seems... to be an unusual dedication to that woman, but in reality, who knows?"

Following Gu Yong's words, Sun Quan clenched his fists with both hands and slammed them on the table. He snorted coldly, "Another Taishi Ci, another Zhou Gongjin."

"Huh, you really know how to choose the right time. Just like Taishi Ci and Zhou Gongjin, they both threatened Gu and 'betrayed' Gu when Gu Teng couldn't make a move!"

As soon as these words came out, especially the word 'betrayal', Gu Yong was startled.

This is of a serious nature...

Gu Yong quickly met Sun Quan's sharp gaze, "My lord, I have two candidates... My lord only needs a piece of edict to make Ling Tong ready to be captured!"

…

…

There are some native people in the mountains of Wujun.

Ling Tong took the initiative to invite soldiers to attack Shouchun but was rejected by Sun Quan, so he decided to recruit these people from the mountains as soldiers.

Because the Marquis of Wu did not give him troops to attack Shouchun, Ling Tong chose to lead the troops himself. Soochow's "military system" allowed the general to recruit troops on his own.

Even if Shouchun cannot be captured, it only needs to win one or two battles to force Cao Cao to hand over Zhuo Rong...

Ling Tong is a man who values ​​righteousness and even more so, love.

This Zhuo Rong, he wanted to save both emotionally and rationally——

At this moment, in the mountains of Wujun, Ling Tong's tribe brought gift boxes and cages, and a group of people from the mountains were greeting them. Ling Tong's tribe spoke humbly, and the people in the mountains seemed to be easy to talk to.

"General Ling Tong's reputation and character... We admire Jiu Yi. In the past, the Wei general Zhang Liao suddenly rushed to the north of Jin and surrounded Sun Quan, the Marquis of Wu. It was General Ling Tong who led three hundred close soldiers to rush into the enemy siege and escort the Marquis of Wu to break through. and came out. General Ling Tong turned back to fight again. All the soldiers on his left and right were killed in the battle. He still personally killed dozens of enemy soldiers... He did not retreat until Wu Hou was completely safe... Even though we were living in the mountains, this act of justice was awe-inspiring, especially for me. I can’t wait to admire you so much!”

"Yes, and General Ling Tong has always loved and cared for his soldiers. He was humble and polite. Even when he saw a small county magistrate, he would hold the three boards and be respectful... The people in Wu County were full of praise for General Ling Tong, calling him a national scholar. Zhifeng, who is so courageous and has the style of a national scholar, isn't he the general we and other people in the mountains admire? If he doesn't serve General Lingtong, how long will we have to wait?"

There were more than ten thousand men living in the mountains, which Ling Tong valued.

But Ling Tong's clansmen didn't expect that the recruitment would go so smoothly.

The tribesmen looked at each other with relief.

——"Now that's good, General Ling Tong has these ten thousand extra soldiers, so he no longer has to worry about the troops attacking Shouchun!" 』

Immediately, the representative of the tribe handed over his hand: "Today we will deliver a gift box for General Ling Tong. Tomorrow General Ling Tong will come to the mountain in person. Then you can pay homage to the general!"

When the people in the mountains saw that the gifts sent by Ling Tong included gold, silver, jewelry, and silk... they immediately shook their heads and said, "We admire General Ling Tong's character and demeanor. Please return all these gift boxes..."

this…

The tribesmen were a little embarrassed, but the people in the mountain waved their hands, "If you retreat, retreat. From now on, we are all soldiers of General Ling Tong. If the general wants to reward us, he will never refuse after we have made meritorious service. But now, this gift box cannot be accepted, you should take it back!"

At this time, Ling Tong's clan members just agreed and retreated to the mansion with these gift boxes.

When transporting…

A tribesman opened the box and looked at the gifts inside. It was obvious that there was a lot of gold and jade. He couldn't help but sigh: "The patriarch is usually frugal, diligent to himself and generous to others. He is reluctant to even buy meat, but he is quite generous in giving gifts, isn't it? Gold is like jade…”

Other clan members asked: "The clan leader is not here, but there are so many gift boxes? They were sent in secret. These people in the mountains don't want them... so what should I do?"

The tribesman just now said in a distraught voice, "Send it back secretly to the tribe leader's mansion. If they don't want it, it will be given to our master for his own use!"

In this compartment, the convoy transporting gift boxes slowly returned.

Over there... after the people in the mountains saw off Ling Tong's tribe.

From the back hall, an old man in his seventies slowly walked out while stroking his beard, "You have done a good job in this matter. The Prime Minister will report to the emperor that the official title edict you requested will be delivered within a few days." !”

As soon as this statement came out...

These people from the mountains raised their hands to the seventy-year-old man and said, "Thank you, Prime Minister, and thank you, Mr. Cheng -"

That's right, the person who secretly arrived at Wu County in Jiangdong was none other than the man who dared to dry human flesh into dried meat and eat it with gusto when he was young - Cheng Yu and Cheng Zhongde.

Others...Cao Cao was really worried about Jia Xu's vicious plan.

Thanks to Cheng Yu's initiative, this "counselor" has always been as bold as a fighter, and his expression remained unchanged despite the collapse of Mount Tai...

Going deep behind enemy lines, adding fuel to the flames, and resorting to alienation tactics... This is something he can easily do!

…

…

Wu Jun, Zhou Mansion.

This is the former residence of Governor Zhou Yu. It is the most prosperous place in Wu County. It is only separated from the palace of Wu Hou by a wall and is crowded with people all year round.

But because Zhou Yu was no longer there, the place suddenly became deserted.

In the winter, the courtyard is gray and withered.

On the contrary, in this room, the sizzling and oily barbecue was roasting on the stove, and the hot wine was taken out of the warm wine pourer.

Zhou Yu's son Zhou Xun was not yet twenty years old, he was in his prime, and his behavior seemed quite old-fashioned. He cut off a piece of barbecue and sent it to the plate of a general who was over thirty-five years old in front of him.

This general has a very distinctive appearance, short beard, resolute, straight nose, slightly pursed lips, a pair of red phoenix eyes, slightly slanted sword eyebrows, staring into the distance through the window, exuding an awe-inspiring aura.

It’s like I’ve experienced a huge setback…

It made him look somewhat depressed and depressed.

"I haven't congratulated General Lu on his return from Jiaozhou. If you survive the catastrophe, you will be blessed later..."

This general was Lu Meng. According to the previous deal between Sun Quan and Lu Xun, one hundred thousand members of the Lu family were exchanged for the stability of Huainan and the return of Lu Meng and his three sons.

Speaking of which, Lü Meng has been back for half a month. Sun Quan did not summon him to Shouchun, so Lü Meng temporarily stayed in Wu County.

Just this morning, he received a letter from Sun Quan, giving him an action... and even more, asking him to capture a person, a young general who had a good reputation in Jiangdong and had the style of a national scholar.

Lu Meng did not dare to neglect, and rushed to Zhou's mansion immediately to ask to see Zhou Xun.

"If you survive a catastrophe, you will be blessed later? I hope so?" Lu Meng drank the wine bottle in front of him in one gulp. He didn't say too much and got straight to the point, "Young master Zhou should also have received an errand from the master, right?"

As this sentence came out, the atmosphere here suddenly became cold.

Zhou Xun looked around the courtyard suspiciously. He closed the door and closed the window himself, and then he opened his mouth:

"You mean Ling Tong Ling Gongji?"

Lu Meng nodded, "A sword must be used to cut, and an ax must be used to cut. You and I are subordinates, and the Lord has ordered... we must do something when we need to do something, and we must not be soft-hearted!"

Lu Meng's words made Zhou Xun ponder for a while, and he said calmly: "I think back in the past, when my father was here, how could the generals in Soochow be duplicitous and court Qin Muchu? But now... alas... what a pity... what a pity!"

Zhou Xun's words made Lu Meng silent for a moment, but soon he calmed down his original mood. He knew that... at this time, it was not time to dwell too much on the past when Zhou Yu was the governor.

He quickly changed the subject.

He asked Zhou Xun: "Did Mr. Zhou understand the meaning of the lord's letter?"

Zhou Xun paused for a moment, and then said word by word, "I think the investigation is fake. Marquis Wu wants to make the entire Ling Tong clan disappear——"

As soon as he said this, Lu Meng held the wine glass tightly. He was shocked that the young man in front of him could be so transparent at such a young age. He also pretended to be open-minded and said: "He is worthy of being praised by the lord as a Cavalry Commander who has the legacy of Zhou Lang." , so insightful, so courageous——”

"Why are you talking about this?" Zhou Xun's eyes narrowed, "My lord asked me to check, and I will check it later. Is it possible that with the secret letter and the secret envoy in front, the corresponding engraving cannot be found in Ling Tong's mansion? Is it true or false? Yes Enemies are friends, the true meaning can be seen under the engraving!"

At this point, Zhou Xun's tone became more serious: "General Lu, the master of this case has ordered you to preside over the trial. I will be the deputy judge. You will decide how to conduct the trial. I, Zhou Xun, will fully cooperate with you. The master is afraid of the two thousand pieces in Ling Tong's hands." , but my Zhou family still has 10,000 pieces in Wu County, which should be sealed up, interrogated, and arrested... My Zhou family is loyal, and the only person loyal to Wu Hou is Wu Hou!"

Zhou Xun's courage and loyalty... surprised Lu Meng. Lu Meng raised his hand, "Well, I have a plan..."

Just when Lu Meng was about to reveal his plan.

The sound of "bang bang" came from outside the door, and someone knocked on the door. Immediately, Zhou Xun and Lu Meng became cautious.

I heard a female voice coming from outside the door: "Mr. Xun, are you in the house? Mrs. Qiao has returned to Wu County and asked you to go to the inner hall to talk..."

Well…

As the voice came out, Zhou Xun was the first to lower his guard. He explained to Lu Meng: "She is my mother's maid. It seems that my mother has returned from her hometown. It is strange that she came back earlier this year... "

Lu Meng waved his hand and relieved his nervousness, "I think it will be colder this year. In the Zhifu Mountain in Shu County, the cold is very cold... How can Mrs. Qiao's precious body withstand it?"

After saying this, Zhou Xun shouted outside the door: "Tell my mother, my son will be there later!"

"yes!"

The maid outside the door agreed and walked away.

Lu Meng stood up and said, "Young master, I still have something to do. Then Lu will come again tonight..."

"No need!" Zhou Xun said solemnly: "General Lu came here to discuss justice, and my mother called me for personal reasons. I, Zhou Xun, am the son of the Grand Governor Zhou Yu, and the Cavalry Commander personally appointed by the Marquis of Wu. How can I do it for personal reasons?" reason and abolish righteousness.”

"General Lu, it doesn't matter. How can this junior cooperate with the general to capture the criminal - Ling Tong!"

…

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