Three Kingdoms

Although it was said to be a dinner for Yang Xiu to welcome him, in fact, neither Fei Qian nor the officials and nobles in Pingyang really wanted to wait for Yang Xiu, the host and guest, to arrive before starting the dinner. When Yang Xiu arrived at the banquet site, , in fact the dinner party has already started.

This is of course very rude behavior.

But this level of rudeness is actually nothing nowadays.

Maybe this is a response to the etiquette mentioned before?

Yang Xiu suddenly remembered the stories of those envoys who were sent to the Xiongnu or the Western Regions, who had their clothes stripped off and their faces smeared with ink and feces. He couldn't help but feel some heroic spirit in his chest, and he walked in with his head held high, "Hahaha... …』

But Yang Xiu's laughter soon seemed to be strangled by something, and it was stuck for a moment, "Ha...ah?" 』

Fei Qian was sitting at the head of the hall. On his left and right, except for the important officials of Pingyang Marquis Mansion, they were basically representatives of the Hedong gentry. As for ordinary officials, or those with ordinary status, they can only attend in the corridors on both sides of the courtyard.

None of this was surprising, and was more or less expected by Yang Xiu, but Yang Xiu didn't expect to see someone in Fei Qian who he never expected...

Yuan Shang.

Yang Xiu couldn't help but closed his eyes and then opened them.

That's right, it's Yuan Shang!

Yuan Shang stood up and waved to Yang Xiu, "Dezu, come this way." 』

Yang Xiu hurriedly took a few steps forward, "Xianfu... Guo, is it really you?" ! 』

Yang Xiu could hardly believe his eyes.

where is this place?

Could this be a dream?

Or in Luoyang?

This, how is this possible?

Yang Xiu didn't see any Yuan Liu with Cao Cao! Not to mention openly sitting at the table!

If Yuan Shang was sitting far away in the courtyard and became one of the ordinary petty officials, Yang Xiu would not be so surprised. After all, Yang Xiu more or less knew what happened to some of Yuan Shao's sons in the hands of Cao Cao. , so when he saw Yuan Shanghao sitting quietly under Fei Qian, and seemed to be in good condition, he was immediately confused.

Fei Qian said he was helping Yang Xiu to wash away the dust, but he really just wanted to catch the wind and wash away the dust. He sat down and drank three rounds of drinks with Yang Xiu, then got up and left directly.

Alas? !

Yang Xiu waited until Fei Qian left, then his eyes suddenly widened.

I haven’t said anything yet! What about the drama about me, Yang Dezu, talking to the Confucian scholars?

Is this going to be cut off?

Recalling the few words Fei Qian said just now, Yang Xiu thought it was just the polite greetings at the beginning, but didn't he expect that it was all?

He originally planned to talk about the righteousness of the world and all living beings, and then talk about Cao Cao's army having crossed the river, marching straight to Zhongtiao Mountain, and would soon march to Anyi, etc., but the result was that he had not finished thinking about it before. After the secret was revealed, Fei Qian left?

Then why don’t you say it yourself?

Yuan Shang sat next to Yang Xiu. As Yang Xiu's companion, his expression was very calm. There is neither flattery nor humiliation. Sometimes I talk about old things in Jizhou, and my tone is calm and not impatient.

After Fei Qian left, Xun Chen hosted the dinner on his behalf.

Xun Chen himself had a good literary talent. After drinking for two more times, he struck the fou with chopsticks, beat the beat, and sang loudly:

"The land of Pingyang is so prosperous!" The collar leads to Hefen, and the control leads to Weihan. On the left is the Chongxi of Taihang, on the right is the great river..."

"The city of Pingyang is so majestic!" Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce all find their own safety. The flowers and leaves are gorgeous in spring and summer, and the fields are full of crops in autumn and winter..."

"People from Pingyang, you are so brave!" Talents emerge in large numbers and their minds are widened. In the past there was King Wuling of Zhao, but now there is..."

"Haaaah... Come on, come on, drink and win!" ! 』

Xun Chen didn't finish what he said, but everyone understood the meaning.

Scholars all have this tune.

Just like I can only say that I understand everything about this matter, and even if I don’t understand it, I don’t understand it...

But this poem is indeed extremely plain, so Yang Xiu naturally understood what Xun Chen didn't finish.

No one went to talk to Yang Xiu, and no one cared that Yang Xiukai was unhappy or said something. He was like a guest, but also like an outsider.

The sound of laughter filled my ears.

The wine and meat are full of aroma.

But Yang Xiu felt as if there was always a gap between himself and the people around him.

Pingyang, was he really so relaxed and turned a blind eye to Cao Cao's army?

This is impossible, absolutely impossible!

In Shandong, although the children of the gentry did not miss drinking, having fun, writing poems, singing and dancing, in Shandong the people had to delay a lot of farming time due to successive wars, and the tax levy also made food extremely tight. Cao Cao has repeatedly issued orders to ban wine making. Of course, the Shandong gentry and gentry also had ways to deal with this ban. For example, it was not brewed after the order, but brewed before.

But why can the land of Pingyang be so carefree?

These questions still had no answers until Yang Xiu returned to the post house.

What on earth does Fei Qian want to do?

…

…

"The casualties among the men were considerable..."

Near Zhang Yangchi, Zhang Xi said to Cao Hong cautiously.

Although the snowy weather affected the performance of gunpowder and long-range weapons, for Sima Yi, he cleverly made Cao Hong lose his cool...

To be honest, which father can remain calm after seeing his child’s head?

And it’s also a pickled product.

Therefore, Zhang Xi could not stop him at that time.

But now, the location chosen by Sima Yi is really a headache.

The battle took place with Sima Yi's military camp behind him, so no matter how Cao Jun chose, he would be at a relative disadvantage.

At the beginning, Cao Jun directly attacked Sima Yi's formation.

Couldn't get it down.

Then Cao's army divided into two groups. One group was led by Zhang Xi to attack Sima Yi's camp, while the other group was led by Cao Hong himself to cause trouble for Sima Yi. Cao Hong still failed to capture Sima Yi, but Zhang Xi, who went around to attack the military camp, fell into a trap. Under the drifting snow, there were dug trenches and iron caltrops. More than forty people were injured before the battle started...

In particular, Cao Jun's leg was injured by a caltrop. It's not considered seriously injured, but if these soldiers are to fight with their injuries, their combat effectiveness will be reduced by at least 30 to 40%...

As time went by, the casualties of Cao's army gradually increased, and in this kind of weather, it was difficult to effectively treat the wounded soldiers, which caused more and more troubles.

Now in Cao Jun's rear camp, there are many wounded soldiers scattered around, moaning and howling day and night.

These soldiers of Cao's army who had lived in Shandong for a long time in relatively warm areas, when they arrived in a bitter cold place, not all of them could adapt. The armor they wore could not protect the soles of their feet, nor their exposed fingers and toes.

The lack of seemingly inconsequential details on weekdays has now led to inexplicable injuries among Cao Jun's soldiers.

The knife was not greased and was frozen in the scabbard. When I pulled it out, I accidentally hurt myself or the person next to me.

Without enough linen strips to keep his hands and feet warm, chilblains and frostbite began to occur frequently while fighting in the wild.

The armor has no padding, and the metal armor does provide protection, but it also quickly takes away the heat...

These problems were not encountered by Cao's soldiers in Shandong. Strictly speaking, they seemed to be trivial matters, but the accumulation of small things one by one made the soldiers led by Cao Hong gradually lose their vigor.

In the freezing cold, even a breath of heat seems to be frozen.

The breath of death is so close that it makes people's hearts tremble.

As the core general of Cao's army, Cao Hong has three layers of heavy armor. Frost has condensed on the outer layer of the armor, which makes a rattling sound when moved.

Cao Hong listened to Zhang Xi's report on the casualties of the soldiers, his face expressionless.

Losing so many people in this small Zhangyangchi made Cao Hong start to beat his heart.

The current huge number of casualties in the army has exceeded the psychological expectations of many Cao soldiers. If a certain victory cannot be achieved, then...

When Cao Hong was hesitating, suddenly a scout from Cao's army came hurriedly, covered with snow powder and mud, "General!" The hussars...the hussars have withdrawn! 』

"Wha...what?" ! ” Cao Hong was stunned, “Withdrawn? ! 』

Cao Jun's scouts reported that during their investigation, they found birds falling in Sima Yi's military camp. They sensed something was wrong, so they boldly approached the military camp, only to find that Sima Yi's military camp was empty. Some empty shells and broken tents were left behind, as well as various abandoned wastes. It seemed that the evacuation was in a hurry.

Cao Hong frowned.

This is not entirely impossible.

Because Cao Jun had injured soldiers here, there were also wounded soldiers on Sima Yi's side.

Of course, it was impossible for Cao Hong to know the number of wounded soldiers under Sima Yi, but if the wounded soldiers under Sima Yi reached a certain limit, it seemed to be a reasonable reason to withdraw the troops and return to Puban County to rest.

What is the real situation?

But no matter what it is, just hearing the scout's description is not enough to clearly understand the situation, so...

Cao Hong glanced at Zhang Xi.

Zhang Xi rolled his eyes and said, "General...could he be deceitful?" 』

"A fraud?" ” Cao Hong asked in a deep voice, “Tell me and listen. 』

"this……"

Of course, Zhang Xi didn't know what the deceit was, but he felt that Sima Yi had not withdrawn his troops for no reason, and the morale of Cao's army was not high, and they did not have enough supplies to keep out the cold, so he rushed forward in one go and continued to attack Pu. Banxian City, I’m afraid it’s not a good idea.

But he couldn't explain it clearly, so he could only rack his brains and laugh dryly: "This... subordinates heard that this little Sima thief is treacherous. This... withdrawal of troops is probably an ambush..."

As for what kind of ambush and what means, Zhang Xi didn't know, but it didn't prevent him from guessing.

It is better to be more cautious when expecting the enemy, so no matter what the reason for Sima Yi's retreat was, we have won the battle now anyway. Shouldn't we report the good news to the rear, then transfer supplies, and wait for new troops to be replenished?

Cao Hong frowned, thought for a moment, and shook his head. He had a different understanding of Sima Yi's withdrawal.

"The hussars and horses have sharp firearms, but now under the wind and snow, the firearms have been severely damaged..." Cao Hong said in a deep voice, "The little thief Sima has now used up all his firearms. It is difficult to replenish the baggage at Pu Ban, so he retreated timidly... ...If we let the little thief return to Pu Ban, wouldn't we be indulging in the enemy? 』

That said, it seems to make some sense.

In the past few days of fighting, Sima Yi had indeed used firearms to maintain his advantage on the battlefield, and in windy and snowy weather, the damage to firearms must have been very serious. Not only Cao Hong knew this, but Zhang Xi also understood this. . Therefore, it seems reasonable that Sima Yi ran out of firearms during the battle and now did not dare to continue fighting. He fled Zhang Yangchi.

"What the general said..." Zhang Xi couldn't find any reason to refute, "It's very... my subordinates are stupid..."

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter..." Cao Hong patted Zhang Xi on the shoulder, "It's urgent, you can lead an army as a vanguard!" A certain leader of the Chinese army is behind, don't let that little thief escape easily! 』

Zhang Xi bowed his head and accepted the order, "I will obey...the general's order..."

Although Zhang Xi had a vague premonition in his heart, he was not the commander-in-chief, he was just Cao Hong's subordinate and must obey Cao Hong's orders. Even if this order carries certain risks, Zhang Xi must do it, otherwise according to military law, Cao Hong can directly have his head chopped off.

I hope...

Everything was as Cao Hong expected.

…

…

After what happened, everyone was a god.

Standing on the shoulders of history, everyone is God.

But if you really know what happened and understand the context of history, can you really fully grasp everything?

If you let these gods and gods predict your future...

Who can know this?

When he was in Heluo before, Yang Xiu never imagined that he could come to Pingyang to meet Fei Qian, and also meet Yuan Shang.

Yang Xiu looked at Yuan Shang who seemed to be sitting very calmly in the palace of General Pingyang, appearing as a guest. Yang Xiu had been in a state of chaos since returning to the post house, feeling that his brain power was suddenly not enough.

The dishes at General Hussar's dinner were naturally very exquisite. However, after Yang Xiu returned to the post house, he suddenly found that he could not remember what dishes he had eaten. Almost all his thoughts were disrupted. Like chaos.

Yang Xiu prides himself on being smart and good at guessing people's hearts.

This is an ability he has always been proud of...

Now it seems like it is stuck in a quagmire, with no edge at all.

When he came to Pingyang, everything seemed to be fine, but everything seemed to be problems, problems that he could not understand or understand.

Yang Xiu asked the Yang guards who came with him and learned that his guards and the other Cao soldiers were only confined to the post house and could not move around at will. They did not make things difficult or insult them, not even ridicule them. None of the words were heard.

It's just like……

Yang Xiu sat in a place with bright lights, closed his eyes, and began to recall everything since he arrived in Pingyang.

When he first arrived in Pingyang, Yang Xiu suddenly had an idea and felt that Fei Qian must be in Pingyang.

Because there are three rings in Pingyang!

Pingyang and Chang'an are almost two extremes.

In addition to the original city and tombs in Chang'an, Fei Qian did not build any new city walls. At most, he only repaired the damaged parts of the original city walls, but in Pingyang...

Those red bricks and stones seem to have become stronger and stronger after going through the baptism of wind and rain, and they also reveal a vicissitudes of life and a calm atmosphere. The towers and turrets on the city wall seem to be loyal giants guarding Pingyang, always vigilant and patrolling around.

Yang Xiu couldn't help but think of Luoyang City, which he had always wanted to repair but had never been completely repaired. Layers of sadness arose in his heart, making his throat tighten.

Not only that, the defenders of Pingyang also impressed Yang Xiu deeply.

The Pingyang defenders who were on duty at the top of the city and on the main road were basically equipped with spears and swords as standard equipment, and were usually equipped with an exquisite animal-faced buckler. Basically, he is very tall and tall, standing there like a small iron tower. He must be an elite among the elite, and belongs to the direct guard of the hussar.

The city is strong and the soldiers are capable, so it seems inevitable that Fei will hide here...

Everything seems reasonable.

But Yang Xiu felt that something was wrong.

Suddenly, Yang Xiu seemed to realize something, but he was not sure, so he closed his eyes and concentrated on recalling...

Faces flashed through Yang Xiu's mind.

Yuan Shang.

Xun Chen.

In addition to these two people who left a deep impression on Yang Xiu at the banquet, other people attending the banquet included...

The Hyun family is the Chen family.

He was a member of the Shangdang Party and came from a military background.

Also on the list are the Shentu clan and Shentu Yi, whose ancestor was the prime minister...

By the way, there was also Tongtan Li Xi. He was sitting in the corridor on the left. When he saw Yang Xiu, he slightly cupped his hands, but Yang Xiu couldn't think of him for a while...

On the right side of the corridor, those from Taiyuan County seem to be dominated by the Taiyuan Linghu family, the Wang family, the Wen family, the Jiexiu Guo family, and the Zhongdu Sun family...

By the way, when Sun Zi saw him, he seemed to throw down his sleeves in contempt.

In addition, there are also Pei family, Liu family, Chang family and so on in the land east of Hedong.

"That's it, that's it..."

Yang Xiu muttered.

No wonder Fei Qian didn't need to say anything more to Yang Xiu. The scene at the banquet had already explained everything.

No wonder Yuan Shang's eyes were a little weird when he poured himself wine, as if he saw his companion...

I should have thought of it a long time ago!

Yang Xiu suddenly became a little angry. His face turned red, and he clenched his fists. He really wanted to yell, pointing his fingers at the sky and the earth, saying that he was killed on the spot by swords and guns, kicked to death by war horses, or had his head chopped off. , even if he hangs himself, he will not live in Feixiong Xuan like Yuan Shang!

But after a moment, Yang Xiu thought that Yuan Shang might have thought the same way back then.

It's easy to want to die, but to die...

Yang Xiu sat down again in frustration, his shoulders drooping.

If Yang Xiu was a human being, he might really have the courage to face death.

But he is not. There are seniors, juniors, and a large group of people in between. If he was unwilling to shoulder this responsibility, he would have been killed on the stone steps when he was humiliated before. He would not have been captured by Cao's army, nor would he have reached Pingyang.

Therefore, Yang Xiu is the next Yuan Shang.

Yuan Shang looked at Yang Xiu as if he were looking at Yuan Shang himself, and there seemed to be nothing wrong at all.

But Fei Qian asked these people to come, really just to show this?

No other meaning?

Yang Xiu frowned and thought hard...