Can I get to the other side?

In the prefect's mansion, Yuan Tan fell into deep thought.

He knew Yuan Xi's character well.

Compared with his third brother who is immature and has no power, Yuan Xi is more tolerant, has a deeper mind, and has a more ruthless personality.

Apart from anything else, he couldn't do anything but kill his brother and imprison his father.

Therefore, he felt that there was something strange about Yuan Xi coming to seek refuge with him and telling him this information.

"How can I trust you?"

Yuan Tan narrowed his eyes and looked at Yuan Xi, his eyes full of scrutiny.

"Brother!"

Yuan Xi's bruised and swollen face showed a trace of sadness and anger, "We are brothers whose blood is thicker than water! I have always regarded you as my dearest brother in my heart! How can you not believe me?"

"The reason why I killed my younger brother and imprisoned my father was because my father wanted to make the third younger brother his heir! If my father wanted to make the eldest brother his son, then I would have no complaints at all and would be his pawn!"

Yuan Xi burst into tears and looked extremely sincere.

As he spoke, he lifted up his shirt, revealing his scarred body underneath, with a fierce look in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "Zhang Liao's fellow was crossing the river to demolish the bridge. He beat me like this. I can't wait to eat his flesh and sleep with him." Skin!"

"Since I can't monopolize the emperor, I can't let him succeed. No matter what, I can't take advantage of outsiders!"

The hatred for Zhang Liao in Yuan Xi's tone did not seem to be fake.

Or it's simply true.

Because Zhang Liao really hit him, and the wounds on his body were all real and not mixed with any water. How could he not be resentful?

Seeing this, Yuan Tan became more convinced after combining the information sent by the spies.

Yuan Xi indeed broke with Zhang Liao.

However, compared to the bullshit brotherhood between Yuan Xi and him, and his unwillingness to take advantage of outsiders, he believed that Yuan Xi came to tell him the news out of revenge.

This is in line with Yuan Xi's character of retribution.

Yuan Tan asked: "When does Zhang Liao plan to leave Yecheng with the emperor? Do you know his specific marching route?"

"Of course I know!" Yuan Xi nodded heavily and said directly: "Brother may not have guessed that Zhang Liao was worried that Yecheng could not be defended, but also refused to give up the three counties he had conquered in Jizhou."

"So instead of escorting the emperor across the border with a large army, he sent a small team to secretly kidnap the emperor and go to Xiapi."

"And now, the team escorting the Emperor has arrived in Dongguan County!"

Yuan Xi once again released a piece of bombshell news. This news made Yuan Tan unable to remain calm anymore.

"What?" A look of shock appeared on Yuan Tan's face, and he said in disbelief: "The Emperor is in Qingzhou? In Dongguan County? You are not joking with me?"

He really couldn't believe it.

The emperor is actually under his nose?

How is this possible!

"How dare I joke with my eldest brother."

Yuan Xi grinned and said, accidentally touching the wound, and immediately grimaced in pain, but he still endured the pain and spoke sarcastically.

"Zhang Liao thought he had concealed this matter very well, but in fact I already knew everything about it through the internal agents buried beside him!"

"According to the information given to me by internal agents, as long as the emperor arrives safely in Xuzhou, Chen Bing's Lu Bu on the border of Xuzhou will immediately respond and launch a large army to attack Qingzhou."

"At that time, Zhang Liao will also take advantage of the situation and raise troops to respond. The two armies in front and behind will attack together to capture Qingzhou, and then go north to capture the entire territory of Jizhou!"

Yuan Xi told the whole plan.

After hearing this, Yuan Tan broke out in a cold sweat.

He originally thought that Zhang Liao would dispatch all his troops to escort the emperor to forcefully cross the border from Qingzhou.

Who would have thought that while Zhang Liao was worried about not being able to defend Yecheng, he would be so greedy. Not only was he unwilling to give up Yangping County, Guangping County and Wei County, but he was also thinking about the entire territory of Jizhou!

At this time, Zhang Liao did the opposite, building plank roads openly and secretly visiting Chencang. If he really succeeded and secretly kidnapped the emperor to Xuzhou, Qingzhou would really be in danger!

Lu Bu takes the emperor's chariot hostage and goes into battle himself. This scene makes people shudder just thinking about it.

Seeing Yuan Tan's fearful expression, Yuan Xi continued to strike while the iron was hot: "Brother, the emperor has not yet left Qingzhou. This is the best opportunity to intercept, so you must not miss it!"

"If you don't believe me, brother, you might as well send someone to inquire about Lu Bu's situation and see if he is raising troops on the border of Xuzhou."

The bitter meat scheme is just the first layer of insurance.

If Yuan Tan wants to truly believe that the emperor is in Dongguan County, Lu Bu's movements are the best evidence.

Yuan Tan's expression changed. After a moment, he stretched out his hand to help Yuan Xi up from the ground, and said displeasedly: "Xianyi, what are you talking about? You and I are brothers, how can I doubt you?"

"Although you have made big mistakes before, don't worry, as long as you successfully intercept the emperor this time, I will definitely plead with my father to plead for you and let you atone for your sins."

"Brother has a heart-to-heart with you!"

Although Yuan Xi didn't take it seriously, his face was touched and he said with tears: "Brother, you are so kind to me... I really know I was wrong."

After saying that, he lay in Yuan Tan's arms and cried loudly.

Yuan Tan patted Yuan Xi on the back and sighed: "My stupid brother, what does one family say when it comes to two families? It's a good thing if you can correct your mistakes and correct them."

"Okay, you are seriously injured. Hurry down and find a medical officer to take care of the injury, and then take a good rest."

"I will visit you again tomorrow."

Yuan Xi nodded repeatedly and left the lobby with his guards.

As soon as he left, Yuan Tan calmed down his expression and said to Wang Xiu: "Shuzhi, send someone to inquire about the situation in Xuzhou to see if Lu Bu is really there as Yuan Xi said. Border Chen Bing.”

Naturally, he would not completely believe Yuan Xi.

Be sure to verify it yourself.

If Lu Bu really sent troops to the border, it means that Yuan Xi's words are very credible, but if not, it means that Yuan Xi is lying to him.

"promise."

Wang Xiu accepted the order.

…

Dongguan County, somewhere deep in the mountains.

Cao Xing hid here with 500 soldiers.

In order to facilitate transit and keep a low profile, they disguised themselves as traveling caravans to avoid the patrolling Qingzhou Army and pass through major passes.

However, as the troop movements in Qingzhou have become more and more frequent recently, even caravans will be subject to strict interrogation, so they can only temporarily suspend their journey and hide in the mountains.

This hideout lasts for more than half a month.

During this period, Wang Chong, who was sent by Cao Xing to report the situation to the emperor in Yecheng, also came back and conveyed Liu Xie's wishes.

"General, Your Majesty has your orders. If the puppet emperor can be escorted to Yecheng, he will be escorted. If unable to be escorted or his whereabouts are exposed, we will attract Yuan Tan to search as much as possible, disperse Yuan Tan's troops, and cooperate with your majesty to use the puppet emperor as bait to regain Qingzhou."

"During this period, if we find that the false emperor dares to escape, or if the team is surrounded by Yuan Tan and cannot escape, we will kill the false emperor immediately!"

Wang Chong relayed Liu Xie's order truthfully.

Cao Xing looked at the imperial edict in his hand with a complicated expression.

He knew in his heart that the bait was not just a false emperor.

They are also bait.

In Qingzhou, once the whereabouts are exposed and Yuan Tan's army intercepts and attacks, it is no different from death.

Regardless of whether the emperor can regain Qingzhou, these five hundred people will probably die in the end.

"well……"

Cao Xing couldn't help but sigh, but his expression soon became resolute, and he said to Wang Chong: "Go and gather all the brothers together. I want to say a few words."

"promise!"

Wang Chong clasped his fists to accept the order and hurriedly left the camp.

Not long after, everyone in the escort team gathered outside the camp, no more and no less.

"Brothers!"

Cao Xing looked at the five hundred people standing in front of him and said in a deep voice, "Now that we are trapped in the mountains, it is extremely difficult to safely escort the puppet emperor to Yecheng."

"I just received His Majesty's order, and I don't hide it from my brothers. We will have a narrow escape from death!"

As soon as this statement came out, there was some commotion among the soldiers.

But no one spoke to question it.

Cao Xing raised the imperial edict in his hand and said to the soldiers: "But the so-called wealth is obtained in danger!"

"His Majesty's will is here. As long as we can fulfill it this time, the survivors will be directly awarded the title of Duke! A hundred gold rewards will be given!"

"If we die, the imperial court will support our family and provide a large amount of pension, and our heirs can directly enter the Yulin Guards!"

The Han Dynasty still followed the twenty military merit system.

Starting from the seventh level of Duke Dafu, one is already considered to be a high nobility, and Gongcheng is the eighth level of nobility. Under normal circumstances, one has to accumulate a lot of military exploits and escape death many times on the battlefield before he can hope to obtain this title.

But now as long as you complete the mission and survive, you can be directly knighted!

And you can also get a hundred gold reward!

As for the later step of letting the heir directly enter the Yulin Guards, it is an unparalleled honor, even higher than the reward of the title!

Yu Linlang was born as an official!

Liu Xie knew how dangerous the task that these five hundred people shouldered was, so he didn't try to make a big deal and just gave out the benefits.

Title, money, supporting family, future for future generations!

For these soldiers who have been through life and death, any passionate words of encouragement are not as attractive as the tangible benefits.

Therefore, after Cao Xing finished talking about the rewards, the five hundred soldiers present put all their fears behind and were all ecstatic!

"It's done! It's done!"

"Does His Majesty want us to kill Yuan Tan?"

"Habayashi Guards, if my son can go in, my death will be worth it! This is the glorious ancestor!"

"Being a soldier means keeping your head on your waist for fear of nothing!"

As if they had been given a shot of chicken blood, many of the soldiers screamed and screamed. They were extremely excited and wanted to take action immediately.

"quiet!"

Cao Xing frowned and shouted coldly, his face straightening, "There is no room for any mistakes in the important tasks entrusted to you by Your Majesty. Anyone who dares to disobey orders will be killed!"

"promise!"

All the soldiers agreed with a loud voice.

Not far away, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and Dong Cheng were tied to a tree. They couldn't hear what Cao Xing said to the soldiers, but they could see the excitement of the soldiers. They couldn't help but feel Waves of uneasiness.

"Why are they so happy? Could it be that Yuan Tan has relaxed his vigilance and they plan to continue setting off?"

Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty said with a horrified look.

These days, he learned about their current situation through the chatter of the soldiers. Because Yuan Tan was moving troops everywhere, they had to hide in the mountains.

He was happy about this, because as long as he did not arrive at Yecheng, he would be alive.

But now that he saw the excitement of the soldiers, he began to wonder if these people were continuing to escort him to Yecheng.

Dong Cheng snorted coldly: "It doesn't matter whether you die early or late. You should have been prepared to die when you dared to pretend to be the emperor. Only now do you know how to be afraid??"

"If you had listened to me and went to Jingzhou, we wouldn't have ended up like this. Who can be blamed for all this?"

Emperor Xian of Han turned pale and remained silent.

He has actually been regretting this for a while.

If he had gone to Jingzhou, even if Liu Biao was still unwilling to surrender and took his throne away, he wouldn't have killed him and wouldn't have become a prisoner.

But it's too late to regret now.

Thinking of this, Emperor Xian of Han felt a strong sense of grievance in his heart, and at the same time, he missed Empress Fu more and more.

"I don't know how the Empress is now, whether she has fallen into the hands of Cao... Empress, I'm sorry for you, I didn't take you away with me."

Emperor Xian of Han closed his eyes painfully.

He only hoped that Empress Fu would be safe.

……

Linzi, the governor's mansion.

Wang Xiu walked into the hall and reported to Yuan Tan: "Sir, I have investigated it clearly. At present, Lu Bu has completely withdrawn from Yangzhou, and 20,000 troops are gradually being transferred to Langya!"

Yuan Tan's face changed immediately when he heard this.

At this time, he had no doubts in his heart.

Because everything is the same as Yuan Xi said!

This also means that Zhang Liao sent a small team to quietly enter Qingzhou and secretly kidnapped the emperor to Xuzhou. It is very likely true!

"Zhang Liao, what a Zhang Liao!" Yuan Tan's eyes flashed, and he couldn't help but sneered: "You took the initiative to send the emperor to my door, so I will accept this great gift!"

Since it has been confirmed that Yuan Xi did not lie, he will naturally not remain indifferent.

Zhang Liao and Lu Bu attacked Qingzhou from front and back, and he couldn't stop it, but he could barely hold on until Yuan Shao came to support.

But once the emperor arrived in Xuzhou, Lu Bu kidnapped the emperor and led the expedition in person, and he couldn't hold on even if he was given 20,000 troops.

Once the war started, it was foreseeable that the army would be defeated like a mountain, and it was impossible to hold on until Yuan Shao came to help.

The only way to break the situation now is to intercept the emperor.

Yuan Tan immediately ordered Wang Xiu: "Shuzhi, write a letter to my father immediately and ask him to lead troops to help Qingzhou as soon as possible!"

"Also notify Jiang Qi and Lu Kuang, let them lead 10,000 troops to disperse around Dongguan County, search every city and deep mountain, and make sure to find the emperor!"

"Yes, General!"

Wang Xiu was secretly happy and took the order and left.

Yuan Tan ordered the troops to disperse and search everywhere, which made it impossible for the troops to concentrate. He had fallen into the trap!

...

A private residence in Beihai County.

Taishi Ci walked into the study quickly and said to Kong Rong: "Taichang, Wang Biejia sent a letter saying that Yuan Tan had fallen into the trap and began to mobilize 10,000 troops to gather in Dongguan County to search for the traces of the false emperor."

"We can prepare to raise troops to respond."

Kong Rong had secretly returned to Beihai County under the escort of Taishi Ci. During this period of time, he had been secretly contacting various forces and successfully gathered an army with his own reputation and the will given to him by Liu Xie.

Although there are only two thousand people, it is enough.

Because their purpose is just to create chaos and cooperate with the troops sent by Lu Bu and Yecheng.

Kong Rong nodded and said, "Ziyi, keep an eye on the movements of Yuan Tan's army. Once the war starts, we will respond immediately."

Taishi Ci said with a firm look, "Don't worry, Taichang, I will definitely hold back a group of Yuan Tan's troops and create a chance for your majesty to defeat Yuan Tan's army!"

After that, he turned around and strode out of the study.

Kong Rong watched Taishi Ci leave, couldn't help but let out a long breath, and cast his eyes on the letter on the table, his eyes were burning.

One battle to win Qingzhou, this is it!