Three Kingdoms

The war drums roared, one after another.

The soldiers in Wancheng were running around the city wall in a slightly panic, shouting and shouting from time to time, moving wood, rolling stones, arrows and spears back and forth. Facing the attack of Cao's army, Wancheng's defenders were obviously not as calm as the veterans of Qiusi's command.

By the time Pang Shanmin received the message and climbed onto the city wall with Huang Wan and Jiang Gan, Huang Zhong had already mobilized his troops, set up sentries and warning soldiers, and placed the entire city under martial law to maintain vigilance both internally and externally.

Jingzhou Cao Jun, there are not many cavalry in the military formation, they seem to be responsible for active battlefield, roaring back and forth. Occasionally, some Cao Jun cavalry deliberately come to the edge of Wancheng's range to test, and then twist around on their horses. Go, just like this, you can show off your riding skills and lower the morale of the soldiers in Wancheng.

In the eyes of the hussars in Chang'an or the Northern Territory, the behavior of these Jingzhou Cao troops was like clowns, but to the soldiers in Wancheng, most of them were infantry, separated by rows like mountains, and they had no idea at all. What's the use of twisting like a soft soup cake on horseback? They don't know whether being able to move freely on horseback is considered a superb riding skill. They just feel that Cao Jun's flag blocks the sky and the sun, which is a bit overwhelming for them. Out of breath.

"About five thousand troops. 』

Huang Zhong squinted his eyes, made an estimate, and said to Pang Shanmin, "Don't worry, I'm probably here to demonstrate." 』

The number of soldiers in Wancheng, excluding Huang Zhong's tribe, is 800, and the auxiliary soldiers are more than 1,000, but their combat effectiveness is doubled, which is 500. As for the civilians, they are basically We can't expect them to have any combat effectiveness. At most, they just help transport some artifacts. Therefore, it can be said that the combat effectiveness of the Wancheng defenders is about 1,500. So Cao Jun wants to besiege Wancheng...

Five thousand is a little less.

"It's true," Jiang Gan said from the side, "The art of war has this saying: if you are ten, you will surround it, if you are five, you will attack it, if you double it, you will divide it. If the enemy is small, you can fight it, if it is small, you can escape from it, if it is weak, you can avoid it... ...Cao's army today is only three times as large as mine. Even if they gather together to attack, it will be difficult to defeat them, so don't worry. 』

Pang Shanmin nodded.

Jiang Gan turned to comfort Huang Wan again.

When Huang Zhong heard Jiang Gan chirping, he turned his head slightly and looked at Pang Shanmin.

Pang Shanmin nodded slightly.

Far below the city, Cao's troops gathered in formation and shouted in unison. Following the deployment of the generals of Cao's army, they would raise their flags high from time to time and march in orderly formation. Then the flags would fall to the ground, and the soldiers would either hit their shields or stand on the ground with great momentum.

War, as a gathering of human beings, forms from a single individual to a huge array, so that everyone standing in front of such an array cannot help but feel the fear of having to face so many people alone. If there is no strong will, It is very easy to get caught up in the tension and be unable to extricate yourself.

Huang Zhong also began to give orders, asking Wancheng's soldiers to begin their arrangements under the leadership of his troops. In front are the sword and shield bearers, behind are the spear and sword bearers, and behind them are the archers in formation. The sound of shouting and shouting also started on the city wall, and these Wancheng soldiers also lined up in order, slowly eliminating the fear of Cao's army coming in force.

Huang Zhong's troops are naturally considered to be elite. After being mixed into the ranks of other soldiers in Wancheng, it was like Huang Zhong immediately spread out countless tentacles and immediately integrated the originally loose defense of Wancheng. There were some changes in momentum between the appointments.

Cao Ren looked up in the distance.

In the Han Dynasty, it was said that people could hope for success, observe the momentum, and then make various judgments, but it is obvious that most of them are false words. The so-called "looking at Qi" is just a comprehensive consideration. Just like Cao Ren is looking at Wancheng, it is actually "looking at Qi" from a certain perspective.

Cao Ren needed to come and see for himself.

The Cao family and the Xiahou family under Cao Cao, at least in the minds of Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun and other Ruotou chiefs, still put unity and the overall situation first, and the interests of people are relatively not too important. They basically adhere to the principle of one loss. It undermines the concept of mutual prosperity and mutual prosperity, and individual temporary concessions and forbearance, even sacrifices, are considered acceptable.

But starting from the second generation...

Cao Ren squinted and looked at it, estimating the time it would take from Huang Zhong's order to the response of various departments, and he was probably a little worried about it.

The side of the Wancheng wall close to Cao Ren was already crowded with people. Layers of large shields and spears stood on the side of the battlements, and the sounds of trumpets were heard. Some smoke also began to fill the sky above the city.

Cao Ren knew that he was boiling some boiling water, or even golden juice...

After all, if the offense and defense are really launched, we can't just pull it out temporarily and then burn it out temporarily?

"Zi Dan's defeat is not unjust... Huang Hansheng is very strict in running the army..." Cao Ren grunted and immediately ordered, "Come here, go and shout in front of the formation!" 』

Most of those who hold the position of shouting in front of the battle are true warriors.

After all, these days, everyone relies on a weak voice. If you want your words to be heard clearly by the other party, on the one hand, you have to have a loud voice, and on the other hand, you must be close. Otherwise, you are thousands of miles away, and your safety is It's safe, but what's the use of saying anything if you can't hear it?

One of Cao Ren's military officers came out of the crowd and went straight to the city. Facing the cold light on the top of Wancheng City, he was not afraid at all. , then asked Huang Situ to move his feet and go to Xiangyang! 』

After the man finished shouting, Cao's soldiers also shouted loudly, "Huang Situ, move your feet and go to Xiangyang!" Move your feet and go to Xiangyang! 』

Huang Wan's face couldn't help but turn a little pale, feeling tired and scared. He turned to look at Pang Shanmin and then at Huang Zhong, his body trembling slightly.

Jiang Gan comforted him and said, "Don't be afraid, Mr. Huang. This is just Cao Jun unwilling to lose his temper and coming here to save face... Commander Pang is a loyal and good man of the country, and he will definitely not let Mr. Huang..."

Jiang Gan suddenly saw Huang Zhong's gaze in the middle of speaking. His breath suddenly froze, he laughed twice and remained silent.

Huang Zhong glanced at Jiang Gan up and down, then turned to Pang Shanmin and whispered: "Cao's army did not carry any siege equipment." 』

Looking down from above, it is naturally clear whether there are big guys like Chongche Yunlou in the array under Cao Jun's city.

"So... I understand..." Pang Shanmin pinched his beard, "If you don't respond, you will lose your momentum." 』

After saying that, Pang Shanmin waved to the First Military Academy. The military academy came and listened to Pang Shanmin's instructions. Then he turned around and went to the array of Wancheng guards to convey the order. After a while, he shouted slogans and together they He shouted: "If you want to fight, fight, if you want to attack, attack. Stop talking nonsense and come see Zhenzhang!" 』

The meaning of the word is simple and straightforward, and the soldiers in Wancheng also shouted it, and then burst into laughter.

Cao Ren snorted under the city, but he was not angry, but waved his hand slightly. I saw a road branching out from the Cao Jun formation, and then some Cao Jun soldiers dragged a few corpses out. Every corpse is basically a mold of flesh and blood, which is too horrible to look at.

Obviously, these corpses were those who followed Huang Wan and fell behind on the road, or were those who sacrificed their lives to intercept Huang Wan.

Cao Ren sneered, "Tell Huang Gong, since you don't want to be a guest in Xiangyang, that's all!" However, the mountains are high and the water is deep, so be careful on the road! 』

The guards around Cao Ren responded loudly, and then shouted Cao Ren's words towards Wancheng, hitting Huang Wan's ears.

Not knowing whether it was anger, fear, or some other strong emotion, Huang Wan immediately broke away from Jiang Gan's support, rushed to the edge of Wancheng's battlements, pointed at Cao Ren and shouted hoarsely: "Traitor!" The universe is bright, and one day, all of you will be killed! Punish him to death!

』

Cao Ren raised his head and laughed, then waved the order and began to evacuate.

Cao Jun retreated in an orderly manner amidst the sound of drums and trumpets.

What does Cao Ren mean?

Cao's army withdrew slightly abruptly, as if they had arrived suddenly. It seems that Cao Jun came to Wancheng just to demonstrate or for an outing?

Seeing that Cao Ren had withdrawn, Huang Zhong also ordered to gradually lift the alert of Wancheng and put away the weapons, hammers and wood, etc. The key point was to put out the gold juice first so that it would not continue to burn.

After all, that thing is so fragrant that one person can combine it with one drink...

Ahem.

On the other side, Pang Shanmin also hurriedly asked Huang Wan, who was tired from continuous work and had great mood swings, to go back to rest. Fortunately, in these days of the Han Dynasty, even the food of the officials was far from as sophisticated as that of later generations. Three highs were not too common, so Huang Wan did not burst a blood vessel in public. However, it was obvious that his face was gray and exhausted. .

Pang Shanmin gave his confidant a wink and asked him to accompany Huang Wan and Jiang Qian, saying that he would take care of them nearby. If you need anything, just give him orders, but in fact everyone understood that it was still surveillance.

Huang Wan didn't say anything, just sighed slightly.

Jiang Qian, on the other hand, expressed his regret for having troubled Pangshan people and just wanted to go to Chang'an as soon as possible.

Pang Shanmin hummed, haha, he didn’t say no, and he didn’t say yes either.

It's not Huang Wan and Jiang Gan who are in trouble now. Because except for Zhen Min and three or five others who were somewhat brave, the rest of this group had little fighting ability.

But what happens next to these people...

kind of hard.

Seeing Jiang Qian supporting Huang Wan and walking away, Pang Shanmin pondered for a while, turned around and climbed up the city wall, then supported the battlements and looked towards Xiangyang. After a while, he softly said to Huang Zhong: "It's a little weird... Han Sheng, what do you think?" ? 』

Huang Zhong frowned and said, "If I have to explain it, it makes sense." 』

That's right.

Pang Shanmin nodded.

He escaped from Xu County because Ren Jun was assassinated and at the same time he was on good terms with the city guard, so he was able to escape amid internal and external chaos.

After leaving Xu County, you can go straight to Heluo, but you can also choose to go around Wuguan in a circle. Of course, the reason is also reasonable, because there are many Cao troops stationed in Yangcheng and it is difficult to pass easily.

Almost all of Huang Wan's people died on the road, leaving only one personal servant. This can also be explained. After all, Huang Wan followed the route of the Holy Word. Even if he had some power of words, he would not be able to use it on the way to escape.

As for Jiang Gan's talkativeness, it can also be explained as being impatient or running loyally for Huang Wan.

As for Cao Ren's army arriving at just the right time, it is possible that Cao's army from Bowangpo notified Xinye Jingzhou nearby...

It's all explainable, but the problem is that there are too many coincidences.

When a coincidence occurs, it can be a coincidence, but too many of them come together, just like buying a lottery ticket in later generations and actually winning the jackpot.

Is this lottery real or fake?

Of course, Pang Shanmin couldn't be like Mr. Jia, shouting and vouching for his head, insisting that Huang Wan and Jiang Qian were real or fake. After all, this matter concerned the emperor.

Pang Shanmin is a native Han Chinese, so he has very complicated emotions towards Liu Xie.

Therefore, in his heart, there was even hope of eventuality.

What if, what if it's true?

Pang Shanmin let out a long breath and stood silently on the edge of the battlements, looking into the distance.

Although Huang Zhong instinctively sensed something was wrong, his ability was more in the battle formation, with the sword and bow and arrow in his hand. For these complicated matters, his ability in this area was lacking. After all, Huang Zhong was originally just a hunter in Jingxiang, so he couldn't give any particularly good advice to Pang Shanmin.

"This Huang Gong... and Jiang Ziyi are all thin... In terms of speaking ability, maybe it is not bad, but when it comes to fighting in battle to capture the flag, it is inevitably not enough..." Pang Shanmin whispered, "Only that one The ranger named Zhen is quite brave, so he needs to be very careful..."

Huang Zhong nodded.

Pang Shanmin thought for a while, then shook his sleeves, "Forget it, this matter is indeed quite fishy, ​​but the details are not clear for the moment, so... now the focus is on what to do..."

Huang Zhong said: "I feel that Cao Jun came here with the intention of forcing the emperor to make a choice as soon as possible." 』

Pang Shanmin nodded.

The so-called disposal, or choice, is actually nothing more than three types.

One is to keep these people in the city.

Of course, there are good reasons, such as Cao Jun intercepting and ambushing outside, and there is no time to go to Chang'an for the time being. However, neither Huang Wan, nor Jiang Gan, nor the taciturn Zhen Min, are people familiar to Pang Shanmin and Huang Zhong. . It is not impossible to stay in Wancheng and be under strict supervision, like house arrest. However, in the face of someone with the "Emperor's secret edict" acting like this, no matter how you say it, it is a bit too much. You must at least respect the big man on the surface. completely violated his loyalty.

In other words, there is a slight suspicion of detaining the minister.

What's more, what if Huang Wan said that he would go on the road regardless of life or death and safety?

Detained by force?

So if Huang Wan and others are left in Wancheng, even if it is in the name of Huang Wan's personal safety, but Huang Wan doesn't agree? He is the Third Duke personally awarded by the Emperor. No one can detain him unless the Emperor orders it.

If someone is accused of secretly detaining a minister, if something goes wrong, Pang Shanmin will bear the responsibility personally. However, the Han Dynasty is not an era where one person does things and one person bears the responsibility. Don't think that death will make the crime disappear. You can go up, and you have full right of recourse without time limit...

At the same time, Huang Wan and others staying in Wancheng are also hidden dangers.

The other is to throw it away and let it fend for itself, or send it back to Xu County.

But the problem is that neither Pang Shanmin nor Huang Zhong know whether the emperor really issued a "secret edict" to Qiusi. If this is true, then Pang Shanmin and Huang Zhong will ignore Huang Wan and others, or simply push them to Cao Jun, using this method to avoid trouble...

Regardless of what Emperor Liu Xie does, it would be bad if this affects the subsequent development of Qiusi Feiqian's layout.

Even if we take a step back, even if Huang Wan is handed over to Cao Ren, will Cao Ren thank Pangshan citizen Huang Zhong for this, and will he let Wancheng go?

It's obviously impossible.

The last solution is, of course, to send it to Wuguan.

But this method is the most troublesome.

It is also the most dangerous.

Sending out troops on a large scale can certainly make Huang Wan and his party safer, but what about Wancheng?

The more people escorted, the weaker Wancheng's defense would be.

If a small force is used to escort, it will not only be necessary to find a way to avoid Cao Jun's possible pursuit, but also an ambush. Whether they can successfully reach Wuguan or not, it is basically difficult for the elite personnel who have gone out to come back. Even if they are If he did not die on the road, he would not be able to return to Wancheng quickly after arriving at Wuguan.

If Huang Wan's safety must be ensured, in fact, Huang Zhong is guarding it with his troops. If he finds an opportunity, he can break through Cao Jun's interception. Even if Cao Ren pursues him, he is not afraid. But if Cao Ren does not pursue Huang Wan and his party, he turns around and attacks Wancheng. Woolen cloth?

As long as they choose to escort, it will definitely mean the reduction of Wancheng's power.

"So..." Pang Shanmin pinched his beard, "This may be a conspiracy..."

Huang Zhong was silent.

"Hmph..." Pang Shanmin smiled, "But...it's easy to break it. The only thing I'm worried about is...whether Cao Jun has a plan..."

Since from Wancheng's point of view, no matter what we do, it is inappropriate, so if we want to break this situation, we naturally need to introduce external forces.

Pang Shanmin thought for a long time, then smacked his lips, "Oh, the mountain people are stupid and can't think clearly... so we can only use carrier pigeons... inform Chang'an to formulate a plan..."

Homing pigeons are not a naturally occurring resource in Wancheng. They need to be brought from Chang'an. Within a period of time, if you use one, you will lose one. Homing pigeons are one-way, and safety is not guaranteed. After all, they may encounter eagles or hunters on the way...

In other words, the pigeon simply got lost. Although this possibility is relatively small, it does not rule out that there are always a few homing pigeons that are fools.

When the accident happened in Wancheng before, a carrier pigeon was already used. Now there is only one carrier pigeon left in Wancheng that can fly to Chang'an. If it is used on Huang Wan now, then there will be no new ones. Before the carrier pigeon arrives in Wancheng, if something happens to Wancheng, it will be impossible to contact Chang'an urgently.

Is it worth it?

This is how to look at it.

After all, sometimes, information is priceless. The earlier you know it, the earlier it may be.

Seeing that Pang Shanmin had made a decision, Huang Zhong couldn't say anything, but he was still slightly worried in his heart.

The wings of the carrier pigeon fly and fly, and this flight lasts for a day...