Chapter 8 Arrow on the String 3 Li Hong carefully inquired about the scene when Zang Ba led the army to escape from the Gushui River, and was very sure that Zang Ba would never return to Xuzhou again.

If he wants to continue to survive with his group of brothers, he can only take advantage of the continuous melee between Hebei and the Central Plains, and all forces have no time to take care of Qingzhou, put it to death and come back to life, and lay a world in Qingzhou.

After Wei Yan briefly answered the general's question about Zang Ba, he immediately stopped talking, and the expression on his face was very complicated.

He didn't want to betray Liu Biao, he didn't want to betray the Son of Heaven who was far away in Changyi, and he didn't want to betray the loyalty in his heart.

But in the face of death, in the face of the chance of survival that was already firmly grasped in his hands, he wavered, his heart was struggling violently, he tried to give himself a reason to betray, a reason to continue to live.

Li Hong saw the pain and uneasiness in his eyes, and knew that he was facing the most difficult choice of his life.

"You still have time." Li Hong comforted,

"Based on your words just now, I can ask the imperial court to pardon your guilt and rescue you from the prison of the Imperial Palace, but it's just ......" Li Hong paused, and then said solemnly,

"It's just that you have to stay in the Great General's Mansion for the time being. When you have figured out the affairs of Hebei and the Jinyang Imperial Court, you will make a choice, okay? Wei Yan looked at Li Hong in surprise, excited.

The general not only wanted to save him, but also took the initiative to leave him in the general's mansion, and his intentions were not asked. Wei Yan opened his mouth and wanted to say two words of thanks, but he couldn't say it after all.

Wei Yan bowed respectfully, turned around and walked out of the big tent. Zhang Yan, Jia Xu, Fu Gan and others arrived one after another, and after listening to Li Hong's narration, they were all surprised and delighted.

No one expected that the situation in the Central Plains would undergo such a change.

"Once the news from Qingzhou confirms our conjecture, we will immediately send people to Qingzhou to see Zang Ba and Guan Cheng." Li Hong said excitedly,

"In the current situation, we can let Zang Ba occupy Qingzhou, and even help him consolidate Qingzhou, as long as he can gain a foothold in Qingzhou, as long as he can help us contain Cao Cao and Liu Bei, and curb the development of Cao Cao and Liu Bei, we can agree to all his conditions." Zhang Yan frowned and said cautiously: "There is no need to agree to all their conditions. ”

"Zang Ba betrayed the Yellow Turban Army in his early years, and was a head-on enemy with Sima Ju, Xu He, Guan Cheng and others. Although in recent years, he has taken the initiative to appease Sun Guan and other Yellow Turban leaders, and he has also had close contacts with Guan Cheng and others. But he is not the Yellow Turban Army after all, but wants to use the power of the Yellow Turban Army to develop his strength in Xuzhou. Judging from what Zang Ba has done over the years, this person is not simple, once he occupies Qingzhou, he will definitely make full use of the contradictions between the forces in Hebei and the Central Plains to profit from it. ”

"Cao Cao and Liu Bei, like us, knew that after Zang Ba occupied Qingzhou, they would be forced to take the initiative to win him over due to the situation. Not only will they agree to all of Zang Ba's conditions, but they will also make Zang Ba their ally. Deal with Hebei together, but Cao Cao once defeated the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army, once washed Xuzhou in blood, and there is a deep blood feud between Guan Cheng and Zang Ba, Guan Cheng and Zang Ba will not believe this butcher, even if Cao Cao is temporarily agreed to the situation, it is just a void and a snake. ”

"Qingzhou has improved slightly in recent years under Tian Kai's governance, but compared with Yanzhou and Xuzhou, there is still a gap. Even if Zang Ba and Guan Cheng have the talent of heaven, they can't increase their strength in a short period of time to the point where they can compete with Cao Cao and Liu Bei. Therefore, if he wants to gain a foothold in Qingzhou and stand in the Central Plains with Cao Cao and Liu Beiding, he must rely on our help. There are Yellow Turban forces in the Jinyang court and the Northern Xinjiang Army, which Zang Ba and Guan Cheng both know that compared with Cao Cao and Liu Bei, taking refuge in Hebei can not only allow them to survive, but also get permanent benefits. ”

"The situation in the world today is chaotic, and Hebei does not currently show the strength to sweep the world, so from the perspective of the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army, he may be more inclined to take refuge in Hebei, but from the perspective of Zang Ba, he still has to wait and choose." Zhang Yan looked at the people in the tent and said with a slight smile,

"We can wait. With the current strength of Zang Ba and Guan Cheng, they can't gain a foothold in Qingzhou, after all, the strength of Cao Cao and Liu Bei far surpasses them. If Cao Cao and Liu Bei defeat Yuan Shu before the arrival of this winter, Zang Ba will definitely be finished, so now for Zang Ba, the most important thing is to stabilize Qingzhou and gain a foothold in Qingzhou before the arrival of winter, and the only one who can help him do this is our Hebei. Therefore, if nothing else, Zang Ba will soon send someone. ”

"The reason why Zang Ba dared to take the initiative to come to us is because the current situation is in his favor. We desperately need his help, but he doesn't desperately need our help. ”

"Cao Cao and Liu Bei have just returned from a defeat in Jizhou, and the battle between them and Yuan Shu may not be decisive before the arrival of this winter, and Cao Cao and Liu Bei urgently need to appease Zang Ba in order to defeat Yuan Shu. First, to prevent Zang Ba from giving up Qingzhou to Hebei, and second, to use Zang Ba to block Hebei and prevent Hebei from capturing Qingzhou. From these two points, once Cao Cao and Liu Bei can't solve Yuan Shu in the short term, they may retreat to the next best thing, and instead recognize Zang Ba's status, helping him gain a foothold in Qingzhou and continue to control the Central Plains with the power of the three alliances against Hebei. ”

"Zang Ba has nothing to fear."

"He sent someone to contact us, and if he got help, he could quickly gain a foothold in Qingzhou, and then threaten to blackmail Cao Cao and Liu Bei to get more benefits. When he has a foothold, he can in turn unite with Cao Cao and Liu Bei to threaten Hebei. Zhang Yan shook her head,

"Zang Ba occupies Qingzhou at this time, and he is indeed very visionary." There was silence in the big tent, and everyone bowed their heads in contemplation.

"General, Lord Zhang's speculation is very reasonable." Jia Xu suddenly raised his head and said,

"In order to continue to weaken the strength of Cao Cao and Liu Bei, we must take this opportunity to help Zang Ba no matter what, and after Zang Ba uses our strength to gain a foothold in Qingzhou, he will immediately threaten us and threaten Cao Cao and Liu Bei. At that time, if he threw himself at Cao Cao, the Central Plains would be strong. If he throws himself at us, our chances of seizing the Central Plains will be greatly increased. Therefore, the question now is what means can be used to ensure that Hebei controls Qingzhou. ”

"It's simple." Li Hong waved his hand and said,

"As long as we are strong enough to calm the world. Zang Ba will make the right choice. After Li Hong discussed carefully with everyone, he planned to wait in Jizhou for a few more days to see if Qingzhou would send someone over.

If there is no news by the end of September, let Jia Xu and Yu Poison go to Qingzhou for a trip. In addition, Li Hong urgently ordered Gao Shun of the Pingyuan battalion not to disband the soldiers for the time being, and Chen soldiers on the north bank of the Yellow River to attack Qingzhou.

Zuo Zhonglang accompanied Zhong Xuan and Jizhou Assassin Guo Ce to Ding Li, Xu Ming, Song Wen, Zhen Yan and other counties of Jizhou to meet the general.

After the end of the Jizhou War, more than one million people who had migrated inward were returning to their homes, which involved a series of issues such as reconstruction, relief, autumn planting, and tax reduction.

Li Hong discussed with Zhong Xuan, Guo Ce and other officials for a long time. Then Zhong Xuan summarized and reported the relevant matters to the imperial court.

In the evening, Li Hong specially hosted a banquet for these Jizhou officials, and repeatedly instructed them to appease the people and stabilize Jizhou as soon as possible.

The war to pacify the world will soon begin, and whether it can quickly prosper Sheji depends on Jizhou's wealth.

Late at night. After Li Hong sent away the Jizhou officials, he immediately rushed to the partial tent. Zhong Xuan and Jia Xu were ordered by Li Hong to leave Zhen Yan behind and were talking to him in the side tent.

After Li Hong and Zhen Yan said politely, they asked directly, "Did Lord Zhong and Master Jia tell you what I meant?" ”

"It's a great event." Zhen Yan's heart was full of joy, and she couldn't close her mouth with a smile,

"The subordinates don't know how to thank the general." Li Hong shook his hand and asked with a smile, "Lord Zhen agreed to this family business?" ”

"Of course, of course ......"

"Is there really no problem?" Li Hong was not at ease, so he asked again.

"In his early years, Lord Tian followed the general to fight all over the world. It's famous all over the world. Zhen Yan bowed down and said,

"My little sister has admired her for a long time, and if she knew that she could marry Tian Da as his wife, I am afraid that she would be so happy that she would not be able to sleep at night." Li Hong smiled slightly, and said to Zhong Xuan and Jia Xu: "This matchmaker, I will ask the two adults." Zhong Xuan and Jia Xu hurriedly agreed.

"After the battle of Hanoi, Zitai (Tian Chou) will return to Jinyang." Li Hong said to Zhen Yan,

"You go back and ask the old lady for her opinion, and if she agrees, let Zitai take your sister to Jinyang to complete the marriage." Zhen Yanleng paused.

The general seems to be a little too anxious, he has just proposed marriage for Tian Chou here, and the wedding day will be arranged there.

"General, when is it?"

"At the end of this year or early next year." Li Hong said,

"I'm not in Jinyang before the end of the year, and I can't attend Zitai's wedding, it's a pity." Zhen Yan's face stiffened with a smile, quite disappointed.

Li Hong smiled, reached out and patted him on the shoulder,

"Although I am not in Jinyang, the wedding will be organized by my two wives, and the eldest princess will also attend. In addition, on the New Year, Hebei civil and military officials gathered in Jinyang, and this wedding must be very grand. Then Li Hong leaned into Zhen Yan's ear and whispered,

"I'm going back to Jinyang soon, you'd better tell Lord Cui Lie about this in advance. After returning to Jinyang, I hope to hear Tsubi-sama's congratulations. Zhen Yan nodded thoughtfully, and suddenly shuddered in her heart.

In late September, people came from Qingzhou. Sun Guan rushed to Handan to see the general. Li Hong didn't see him, so he arbitrarily arranged for him to rest in the military tent.

At night, just when Sun Guan was panicking, he casually accompanied Yu Yu Yu and walked in. The two are both famous leaders of the Yellow Turban Army, but they don't know each other.

Arbitrarily introduced the two of them, turned around and left. When Sun Guan heard that the person who came was Yu Poison, the former leader of the Yellow Turban Army in Montenegro, his mood suddenly relaxed.

The two exchanged pleasantries a little, and Yu Xuan immediately asked about the situation in Qingzhou. Sun Guan started from Zang Ba leading the army to escape from the Gushui River, and continued to say that Zang Ba conquered Linzi and conquered Beihai.

"Now Zang Ba is leading the army to attack Jinan, Guan Cheng and Guan Hai are attacking Donglai, it is estimated that more than a month later, in addition to Pingyuan County, the other five counties in Qingzhou will all be conquered. I can't imagine that the dream of the Yellow Turban Army for many years has come true in such a short period of time. It would be great if Sima Ju was still alive. Yu Poison thought of Sima Ju, his heart ached faintly, and he couldn't help but show a sneer on his face,

"Did the Yellow Turban Army capture Qingzhou, or did Zang Ba capture Qingzhou?"

"Does it make a difference?" Sun Guan didn't react for a while, and asked strangely.

"Zang Ba is not the Yellow Turban Army, and he has not been for a long time." Sun Guan hesitated for a moment and sighed,

"It doesn't hurt to tell you. Guan Cheng and Guan Hai, like you, don't believe in Zang Ba, and the condition they promised to help Zang Ba is that South Qingzhou belongs to them, and North Qingzhou belongs to Zang Ba. Yu Poison immediately understood Sun Guan's intention.

Zang Ba can't handle the management and management at all, although the two sides are temporarily peaceful, but as time goes by, the contradictions between the two sides will become bigger and bigger.

Qingzhou was a little careless and lost all the games.

"We want to take root with the General, I wonder if you can help?" Sun Guan asked weakly. The incident in Qingzhou was a bit unexpected by Li Hong, Zhang Yan and others.

Zang Ba's purpose was to get help from Hebei and quickly stabilize Qingzhou. However, due to the fact that Guan Cheng, the leader of the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army, and others did not trust Zang Ba, things suddenly became complicated.

Once Zang Ba and Guan Cheng fight each other, it is likely that Cao Cao will be cheapened in vain when Hebei is not suitable to enter Qingzhou immediately.

Is it to help Zang Ba, or to help Guan Cheng? Li Hong, Zhang Yan and others discussed repeatedly, but in the end they were unable to make a decision.

This matter was not handled well, Qingzhou was lost, and Hebei immediately lost an excellent opportunity to weaken the strength of Cao Cao and Liu Bei.

"I'll go to Qingzhou in person." Zhang Yan said,

"If I can convince Zang Ba and Guan Cheng to work together to gain a foothold in Qingzhou, then the situation in the Central Plains will be very beneficial to Hebei." Li Hong thought about it for a long time and agreed to Zhang Yan's request.

In September, Yanzhou East County, Linyi City. After Xu You hurried to Dong'e, he heard that Yuan Shu had not rescued the Son of Heaven, so he was stupid and disappointed, and looked at Yuan Shu like a dead man.

He said goodbye to Yuan Shu, made a detour from afar, and ran to Linyi City. Cao Cao heard that Xu Yu had arrived, and personally went out of the city to greet him.

After Xu You and Cao Cao exchanged a few words, they proposed to meet the Son of Heaven. Cao Cao laughed,

"Ziyuan, did you come to Linyi to visit the safety of the Son of Heaven, or to persuade Yuan Shu to quit for me?"

"It's a bit of both." Xu You said again and again. Xu You met with the Son of Heaven and asked the Son of Heaven to move to Luoyang immediately.

Cao Cao stood aside, smiling without saying a word. That night, Cao Cao invited Ma Teng to the big tent. After Ma Teng's troops were defeated and fled to Cao Cao, he withdrew with Cao Cao and crossed the Yellow River.

He once wanted to say goodbye to Cao Cao and return to Guanzhong, but in the face of the upcoming Central Plains War, he was embarrassed to open his mouth to Cao Cao and stayed in Cao Cao's camp.

Cao Cao asked Ma Teng with a pleasant face,

"Shoucheng, can you lend me something?" Say yes. Cao Cao suddenly smiled brightly like a flower,

"Can I borrow your head for it?" Jump to