. Mount Taishan, since the Qin Emperor unified the world, has been the treasured place where the emperors in power were granted Zen status. It is also the first of the Five Mountains in the Central Plains, and is known as the "No. 1 Mountain in the World". (w/w/wcom/o/m %%Updated super fast) It¡¯s just that wars broke out in the late Han Dynasty and the emperor did nothing. Today¡¯s Mount Tai is a smoky mess mixed up by thieves, with constant quarrels and hustle and bustle. One thing is enough.
Deep in the mountain forest is the habitat of many bandits. The camp is large enough to accommodate soldiers and horses from several states. In the room in the middle of the barracks, Zang Ba was reading a bamboo scroll when he saw his brother hurriedly walked in and said, "Brother, there are rumors everywhere that Cao Cao has received an order and is going to the mountains to annihilate us. "
Although Zang Ba no longer easily comes out, he still has many eyes and ears. Because Zhen Yao deliberately publicized things that were known to both Yan and Henan, he, as the victim, would naturally not be unaware of them. Seeing his brother Chang Xi being in such a hurry, he couldn't help but shake his head: "Zhen Yao did this on purpose. How could Cao Cao be willing to make wedding clothes for others? I told you to go ahead and ask the brothers to go out less in the near future. After a while, everything will be fine." "
Chang Xi was a bandit. Although his temper improved a lot after following Zang Ba, he was still a tinderbox. Seeing that his eldest brother was about to hide in the mountains, he immediately shouted: "Is the eldest brother afraid of Zhen Yao and Cao Cao? Yi Xiaodi In view of this, it is better to gather all the brothers, kill them down the mountain when they are not prepared, leave Cao Cao and Zhen Yao alone, and let them look at each other!"
Zang Ba knew that his fifth brother was a troublemaker, so he was not afraid of serious trouble. He would scold him with a frown to make him remember. But just when he was about to speak, Sun Guan and Yin Li walked in. The former patted Chang Xi on the shoulder and said with a chuckle: "Fifth brother has such courage, it is really a great blessing for us brothers. But it is not the case now. When force is used, fifth brother still needs to be patient."
When Chang Xi saw that his second and third brothers were here, he couldn't help curling his lips, knowing that he had nothing to think about, so he sat down on the ground and sulked alone. Seeing this, Sun Guan ignored him, smiled, walked to Zang Ba's side, and said in a serious voice: "Brother, I'm afraid things won't go well this time. Cao Cao has ordered all his troops and horses, and they will be stationed at the foot of the mountain soon. "
When Zang Ba heard this, his originally determined expression flashed with annoyance, and he asked in a deep voice: "Who led the troops?"
"The person leading the army is an old acquaintance," Yin Li interrupted at this time, shaking his head and sighing: "Yu Wenze has already passed Jibei with five thousand troops and horses."
Hearing that it was Yu Jin who was leading the troops this time, and that there were only five thousand soldiers and horses, Zang Ba had not yet spoken, but Chang Xi jumped to his feet: "Brother, why is Yu Jin looking down on me so much? I will lead the killing for my younger brother." Let¡¯s talk about it when we get back!¡±
"It's none of your business, don't make a fool of yourself!" Yin Li slapped his right hand and made Chang Xi sit down again. He shouted to Zang Ba, "What did Cao Mengde think he would do with this move?" intention?"
Zang Ba touched his chin and said nothing, while Sun Guan shook his head and sighed softly: "Cao Mengde has always wanted to recruit us. This time coincides with the emperor's edict, and I am afraid he will force my eldest brother to go down the mountain. Yu Jin came here this time. A prelude.¡±
While Zang Ba and others were discussing how to deal with the current situation laid out by Cao Cao, Wu Dun, the fourth of the five Zang Ba brothers, had an uninvited guest in his residence. Staring at the gray-robed man in front of him, Wu Dun said coldly: "Who are you? Why are you pretending to be my Taishan son? What are your intentions in entering the mountain?"
The man in gray robe smiled nonchalantly, sat on the wooden post minding his own business, shook his head and said: "It doesn't matter who I am, what matters is you. Now my life is in danger but I don't know it. It's ridiculous and sad~ ~¡±
Wu Dun's face darkened, and he couldn't help shouting angrily: "Don't worry about Qiao Ling's yellow tongue, my leader lives in the village, what's the risk for his life!"
The man in gray robe seemed too lazy to speak. He took out a silk scroll from his sleeve and threw it towards Wu Dun. The latter reached out to take it, frowned but spread it out for a brief look. It doesn't matter at this glance, but after seeing it, he was extremely frightened and angry. If he didn't have the last trace of reason left, he would probably draw his sword and kill people at this moment.
"Although your brothers are all thieves now, they also had official status when they were suppressing the Yellow Turbans. Even your eldest brother's military rank is not low. He is probably the Cavalry Captain of Xuzhou." The man in gray robe shook. Shaking off the dirt stained on his upper body from climbing the mountain, he shook his head and said, "Only you and Chang Xi have always been bandits. Chang Xi is somewhat brave. Where is Leader Wu leading you?"
"Now Yujin is at the foot of the mountain. No matter whether your eldest brother surrenders or fights, you will not be able to please him. So, how dare you say that you are safe?"
Holding the silk scroll, the five fingers of his right hand were clasped tightly, Wu Dun's face was also full of fierceness, but the other party's words cut into his weak points, and the letters in his hands also had price tags. It was impossible to say that he would not be tempted.
But this does not mean that he will really let the other party control him. He glared and said again: "How do you know that I will definitely have this difficulty? My eldest brother has always been upright and has nothing to say to his brothers. He will never do this. And betray me.¡±
The man in gray robe nodded silently after hearing the words: "Yes, my lord also admires Zang Ba. He is a righteous man and would indeed not betray his brothers. But now that what happened is not his choice, Zang Ba. I want you to surrender, and Cao Mengde also Of course. But if your eldest brother still clings to Mount Tai, due to the sacred mandate, Cao Cao will definitely have to go to the mountain and do something first!"
"If you want to make a deal, you must at least take the heads of five brothers including you to be qualified. Leader Wu, think about it for yourself, among you and other brothers, whose head is the best? Apart from you, I am afraid there is no second place."
When the man in gray robe said this, Wu Dun's expression changed and he didn't know how to speak. He even panicked. This change in him was what the gray-robed man was most happy to see. Thinking of striking while the iron is hot, he immediately spoke again: "Of course, if your eldest brother leads everyone down the mountain to defect to Cao Cao in order to preserve brotherhood, that's fine too. It¡¯s not a bad idea.¡±
"But in this case, you will not be as comfortable as you are now. In order to quell the public resentment caused by you and other Taishan thieves in recent years, Cao Cao may even single out one or two of them as a warning to others. But even so, You Wu Dun may be able to escape, but what about the future? How does Cao Cao compare to my lord? He only holds Yan and Henan in his hands. If you follow him, you will eventually be defeated."
"This is what your eldest brother has always been worried about. Now that the opportunity has come, Leader Wu should seize it. Should he be trapped in the mountains all his life and commit banditry, or should he escape from the prison, seek an official position, and serve as the shadow of his ancestors?"
"Sir, you are so talented, why can you teach me?" Wu Dun couldn't resist the verbal attack of the gray-robed man after all, so he bowed and asked for advice.
The man in gray robe nodded with a smile and said: "Yes, those who know the current affairs are heroes. Leader Wu, you can act like this, and your eldest brother will not blame you too much when it happens. You and your brothers can join any party together, no matter what you do here." Do you want to be happy when you are stuck?" Wu Dun seemed to be looking forward to success and fame in the future, but Wu Dun laughed out loud, and his laughter became louder and louder.
Naturally, no one knew about this secret conversation. At least Zang Ba and others did not notice some changes in their fourth brother. It was not until three days later, when Ren Jun, who was appointed by Cao Cao as an envoy to Mount Tai, came to the barracks that things changed drastically. change.
Ren Jun seems to have no fame or position, but this is not the case. As one of the old heroes who followed Cao Cao to fight against Dong, he also promoted farming in Yan and Henan for many years, allowing Cao Cao to use the land of the two states to fight against Dong on several occasions. Zhen Yao, Sun Jian and others played games, and their hard work and achievements were not inferior to other civil servants and generals. It can be said that they were highly valued by Cao Cao.
This is natural. If Cao Cao hadn't valued him and believed in his abilities, he wouldn't have given him such a dangerous mission. After all, we were going deep into the enemy's nest. Without good courage and strong diplomatic skills, it would be very difficult to leave a whole body intact.
Since Ren Jun entered the mountain, he was forced into the mountain stronghold by a group of bandit soldiers. Zang Ba also kept an eye on this and did not give Ren Jun a chance to know the terrain of the mountain and the stronghold. He was beaten into the dark after he entered the mountain. It was not until he entered the hall of the big house where Zang Ba lived that he was awakened by the soldiers on the side.
"General Xuan Gao, is this how you treat guests?" Although Zang Ba was the leader of the thieves, he had made meritorious deeds in his time. Later, he did business with Dong Zhuo and others, and was appeased by the emperor and given a careless gift. An important military attach¨¦. Ren Jun was woken up by someone. He looked around and knew that he was at the end of the road. Looking at the man in front of him, although he had never seen him before, he guessed who he was.
Chang Xi had always advocated the path of embracing the mountains as thieves and dominating one side. Now when he saw Cao Cao's envoy, he would definitely not have a good temper. He glared and opened his mouth, and shouted: "What are you doing? I didn't kill you and throw you away." By feeding the animals, big brother is giving face to Cao Cao!"
"Jun, I would like to thank the general for not killing him." Ren Jun is also a courageous person, otherwise he would not have devoted his whole family to help Cao Cao when Dong Zhuo danced for joy. Hearing Chang Xi say this, he bowed slightly, as if this was the case.
"That's enough, fifth brother, shut up for now." Zang Ba looked directly at Ren Jun and sneered: "Sir, you are not afraid of me waiting, but please explain your purpose. If you are here to spy on the enemy, don't blame Zang Ba for being ruthless!"
Ren Jun nodded slightly to show that he understood very well, then looked at the rest of the people in the hall, and after a moment he said: "Jun is here on the order of my lord, to declare a challenge." After that, he put his hand on his sleeve. I dug around but found nothing.
"Are you looking for this?" Zang Ba picked up a silk scroll from his desk and said, "I have already read this letter. But it's not that a certain family is boasting about it. Just Cao Mengde, a certain family has not Keep it under your eyes!¡±
Ren Jun immediately knew that he must have been searched after being knocked unconscious. Hearing Zang Ba's domineering words, he did not refute, but instead asked: "The general hides in the mountains all day long, even if a hundred thousand troops come. You won¡¯t get a bargain. But there will always be a day when the general will be left with nothing. As far as Jun knows, the general¡¯s current food supply may be running out.¡±
Ren Jun's words once again pinched Zang Ba's weakness. As he said, if the food in the mountains had not been exhausted, he would not have made this deal with Cao Cao. But Cao Cao had only paid the first batch of grain so far, and most of it had not yet been cashed, so he encountered Zhen Yao's move.
Zang Ba was furious for a while, but he couldn't really get angry at Ren Jun, otherwise he would become Cao Cao's enemy after offending Zhen Yao, and he would be unable to run his own village.
Ren Jun saw the change in Zang Ba's expression. He smiled secretly in his heart, but still said calmly on his face: "Xuan Gao should know that our lord is the hero of the world, and he is very thirsty for talents. He has invited Xuan Gao to Changchun many times. Jun is here to accompany you. Today, when Jun comes here, he also has something to say clearly to Xuan Gao. You, who occupy the mountain and become the king, can run rampant for a year or several years, but there is no possibility of lasting long!"
"Even if there is no edict from the emperor, my lord will not tolerate the concerns of the people under his rule. Xuangao should not consider himself, but should also consider the interests of his subordinates. There are nearly a hundred thousand people in Taishan's den of thieves. !¡±
Ren Jun¡¯s words have actually been on Zang Ba¡¯s mind for many years. He also knew that it was impossible to be a bandit for the rest of his life. Heishan Zhang Yan was so majestic that he had not been eliminated by Zhen Yao long ago. Zang Ba naturally understood this truth.
But just because he knew it, Zang Ba thought more deeply about where to defect. He had considered Zhen Yao, Cao Cao, and Sun Jian, but he did not feel that these three were suitable for him or Taishan.
Zhen Yao¡¯s power is pretty good now, even Dong Zhuo¡¯s power back then was far behind him. But over the years, he has secretly opposed Zhen Yao many times. Even if he has the same mind, he has to consider whether others want him or not, or whether he will openly accept him but secretly create obstacles for himself or everyone in Taishan.
Sun Jian is further back. If the Sun family could gain a foothold in Xuzhou, maybe Zang Ba would really go to Jiangdong. After all, Jiangdong is not very discriminatory towards first-rate thieves. This can be seen from the fact that Gan Ning, Zhou Tai and others now hold high positions in Jiangdong.
Jizhou and Jiangdong were not allowed to surrender, so Cao Cao became the last possibility. However, Zang Ba was not very optimistic about Cao Cao, because Mount Tai was in Yuzhou, and Zang Ba also had a certain understanding of the actual situation of Cao Cao's men.
Compared with the various princes of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao was very poor. His soldiers and horses were always unable to develop and grow, and the amount of money, food and other utensils and equipment was far behind that of Jingzhou, not to mention Zhen Yao.
In this situation, he had to be responsible for his brothers and be worthy of his sons who would follow him through life and death. Zang Ba was determined not to defect to Cao Cao because he really couldn't see how much chance Cao Cao had of winning.
It is precisely because of this that Cao Cao made several attempts to recruit people while taking advantage of the transaction, but Zang Ba, Sun Guan and other brothers found excuses to evade him. This time Ren Jun came, I am afraid that Cao Cao's patience has been exhausted. If it fails, it is inevitable that the swords will fight.
Zang Ba was thinking about how to respond, but Wu Dun jumped out and said coldly: "Your master is not a good person. He failed to recruit him several times, and now he wants to threaten my elder brother? We brothers are not afraid of trouble. Man, if he wants to fight, I will take care of him!"
As soon as Wu Dun finished speaking, Chang Xi agreed: "Fourth brother is right. If Cao Mengde dares to come, I will kill him!"
Ren Jun knew that these two were the fourth and fifth sons of Taishan Bandits, but they were not the ones he valued. He didn't pay any attention to what they said. He looked at Zang Ba and said with a smile: "Xuan How about Gao Zhiyi?"
Zang Ba didn't say anything. Although his brother was a little impulsive, Zang Ba would not undermine his brothers when there were outsiders around. Even if Wu Dun and Wu Dun said something wrong, Zang Ba would still follow up. Besides, the two brothers had nothing to do with each other. Bad words.
Zang Ba did not speak, but Sun Guan, who had always been the strategist of the Taishan thieves, straightened his throat and whispered: "Mr. Ren, even if your lord wants to fight, how much fighting power can he spare? Don't forget the two states of Yan and Yu. , is now surrounded by Zhen Yao¡¯s rule.¡±
This is also a threat. As far as Zhen Yao's current territory is concerned, Ji and Yanzhou are bordered by Xuzhou to the east, Ji and Qing to the north, and Sili to the west. Except for the southwest and south, the rest of the surrounding areas are Zhen Yao¡¯s territory. However, Si Li Gao Lan Tian Feng was watching, and Guan Yu of Qingzhou and Tai Shici of Xuzhou were also watching with eager eyes. If they made the slightest move, there was no guarantee that they would not be invaded and killed by several groups.
However, Ren Jun had also considered these things. When he heard that Sun Guan used this as a threat, he couldn't help but shook his head and said with a smile: "Sun Er is in charge of the house. This is wrong. The suppression of thieves is an edict from the emperor. Zhen Yao wants to 'serve the emperor'." When it comes to matters, you must respect the holy will."
"So I don't need to worry about this matter. Even if Jizhou doesn't send reinforcements, it won't take the opportunity to launch an attack. Besides, my lord has already made other arrangements, and he is not afraid of Zhen Yao's temporary deployment of troops."
No matter what the facts are, this verbal momentum cannot be weakened. Ren Jun looked like my lord is determined to defeat you thieves.Sun Guan was immediately speechless and stepped back to think carefully.
"Hmph, you have the power of words. I think Cao Mengde is just a strong man on the outside but a weak man on the inside!" At this time, Wu Dun spoke again. He pulled out a little of the sharp blade at his waist and sneered: "I know you are Cao Mengde's brother-in-law. What if I kill you?" , is Cao Mengde brave enough to go up the mountain to avenge you? Ah~~!"
After the words fell, the sword from Wu Dun's waist had been pulled out, and the tip of the knife was pointed directly at Ren Jun's head. This turn of events surprised everyone present. They wondered what happened to the fourth child today.
"Fourth brother, please don't be reckless (fourth brother put down the knife first)." He shouted repeatedly, but it was Zang Ba and others who spoke together.
"Why can't we take action? Anyway, our brothers are determined not to surrender to Cao Cao!" Wu Dun spat, the steel knife in his hand still shining brightly in front of Ren Jun, looking at him and sneered: "Mr. Ren, you speak now Huh? Could it be that I was so frightened by my sword that I didn¡¯t dare to speak!"
The closest place to Wu Dun for the Taishan brothers was Chang Xi, but Sun Guan tried several times to signal this guy to hand over Wu Dun's sword, but he ignored him gracefully. After Ren Jun was in a trance for a few breaths, he forced himself to calm down. He looked directly at Wu Dun who was holding a knife. After a moment of silence, he said, "If the Fourth Master feels that killing me will solve the problem for you, then I will do it." Yes, Jun is not a person who is afraid of death!"
"You are a person who is not afraid of death, then I will try to see how hard your head is!" Wu Dun showed a fierce look on his face, raised the knife in his hand, but a head flew into the sky. No one expected that even Chang Xi, who only thought he wanted to scare the fourth brother, actually took action, and his action was so ruthless.
Ren Jun's head fell to the ground, and there was silence in the hall. Only Wu Dun, who was covered in blood, gasped with a murderous look on his face. After a few breaths, Ren Jun's body fell to the ground, and everyone was awakened. Seeing such changes, Sun Guan and Yin Li were almost speechless. They could only point to the corpse on the ground and murmured: "Fourth brother, you"
After killing someone, Wu Dun held the handle of the knife upside down with both hands and said in a deep voice: "Brother, it's not the fourth brother who is good at making decisions, but this person must die."
Zang Ba was dumbfounded while sitting at the desk, but he regained his consciousness after a while, nodded with a wry smile, and asked in a low voice: "Fourth brother, do you have any dealings with that Wuji person?"