In March, the drizzle was falling, and the water flowed on the eaves of the roof. Zhen Yao, who was sitting in the hall, had no intention of dealing with the political affairs at hand. The stuffy and humid weather made Rang drowsy.
Stopping the brush in his hand and just stretching, he saw his bodyguard walking in quickly: "Lord, there is a secret report coming from Yuzhou."
Hearing these words, whether it was Zhen Yao at the head or Guo Jia and Xu You on both sides, their faces could not help but jump. He waved to his guards to hand over the letter. Zhen Yao quickly opened it after taking it.
The content of the letter was not much, just a few digits, but these few digits made Zhen Yao so happy that he said "good" three times. Seeing this, Guo Jia and others congratulated with a smile on their faces: "My lord, has the matter of filial piety and uprightness been accomplished?"
Zhen Yao nodded heavily, put the letter on the table, and motioned to the conspirators to read it themselves. Xu Youli was the closest and took the lead to pick up the letter and browse it, with an equally happy expression on his face. After handing the letter to Guo Jia, he bowed and said: "Congratulations, my lord, now that the worries of Mount Tai have been eliminated, Zang Ba and other good generals have returned. Cao Mengde's plans over the years have all come to nothing."
Zhen Yao couldn't help but smile and nod. Ever since the incident happened in Qingxu Province, Wuji had quickly responded. In order to ensure the success of the matter, even Fazheng was sent out. The man in gray robe who visited the den of thieves privately was a filial and upright person.
Although it is said that there is a lot of chance of winning after the plan is finalized, nothing is absolute. Zhen Yao does not dare to relax if there is no accurate news in one day. Now that Fazheng's personal letter has arrived, the follow-up plan for Yuzhou must have begun.
Compared with the several conspirators who conspired all day long, Chen Lin, the general manager, was in charge of more practical matters. She immediately said: "My lord, now that the five thieves of Taishan have returned, how to arrange them is a problem. We must not No careful consideration.¡±
"Kong Zhang's words are true," Zhen Yao thought for a moment and immediately asked, "What are you looking for? How should these five people be placed?"
The conspirators immediately stopped laughing and began to think alone. In fact, it is better to say that it is thinking than considering how to speak. After all, Xu You, Guo Jia and others are never limited to the one or two steps in front of them. As early as when Fa Zheng left Wuji, they had thought about it separately. Now All you have to do is sort out your thoughts and then speak.
The first person to speak was Xu You. Although he has not performed well in recent years, no one dares to underestimate his status as a very important minister. He bowed slightly and said: "My lord appoints civil and military personnel, and there is no restriction on his origin. Although Zang Xuangao is the leader of the thieves, he is a rare general who can lead the army. Now my lord's opponents are Sun and Cao, so you think that Zang should be retained." Dominate Xuzhou."
Xu Youzhi said that Zhen Yao had also considered it. Although Cao Cao was now surrounded by him on three sides, his own territory was not necessarily beneficial. Xuzhou in the south was too deep. Except for Qingzhou in the north and overseas in the east, the rest of the area was surrounded by Sun and Cao. But there is only one Taishi Ci guarding Xuzhou. It may be possible for a short time, but trouble will inevitably occur over time.
However, Zhen Yao has always had no good candidates to garrison Xuzhou. Although he has many generals, neither Zhang Zha nor Xu Huang nor Zhao Yun are suitable to garrison him. Because of this, I have been hanging on to this matter, thinking that Qingzhou still has Guan Yu on its side. Even if Sun Cao attacks together, Taishi Ci will not be alone.
But Zang Ba¡¯s actions made Zhen Yao see the loopholes in his own Xuzhou. The precautions he thought were good were actually a bit like paper tigers. Zang Ba's incident was Cao Cao's test. Zhen Yao believed that if he didn't make some changes in Qingxu, Cao Ah Man would definitely not let him go, and a heavy invasion of troops would be absolutely necessary.
Zang Ba¡¯s military talent, in terms of today¡¯s late Han Dynasty, is a bit underestimated even if he is said to be first-rate. Zhen Yao knew this very well, even though he had never asked him to please him. There is also his method of governing a place, but considering that he takes over a mountain as a bandit and can support hundreds of thousands of bandit relatives, he is also a rare talent for governing by the people.
It stands to reason that Zang Ba¡¯s surrender comes at a time when Xuzhou is short of people, so it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a timely help. But as the lord, Zhen Yao still has a lot of worries. Although this guy surrendered, he was basically 'forced' to surrender by himself. How trustworthy is his loyalty?
There are also his brothers, especially Lao Wuchangxi, who was also a famous Erwuzi in the history of the late Han Dynasty. When it comes to people being repetitive, even Lu Bu, a 'domestic slave with three surnames', can't compare to him. The most troublesome thing is the hundreds of thousands of thieves. These people must be settled, at least they cannot be associated with the five Taishan thieves.
Many worries made Zhen Yao hesitate. Thinking about Cao Cao's arrangements for Zang Ba in the historical facts of his previous life, Zhen Yao couldn't help but smile bitterly. Cao Cao had no choice but to entrust the lands of Qingzhou to him, not to mention that Cao Mengde also had backup plans. . The method of appointing a state is not suitable for him, but if he is only given a sinecure, wouldn't it be a waste of talents.
Zhen Yao was worried about this, but Guo Jia smiled.He said: "My lord, when Xiao He followed Emperor Gaozu in the past, he sent all his children to follow him. My lord, why don't you issue an edict and order Zang Ba, Sun Guan and others to take his family members to live in peace and comfort. To think of him well, Zang Ba will definitely comply."
Guo Jia's advice was not very wise. In fact, in his previous life, Zang Ba did hand over his entire family to Cao Cao, but at that time he was also in charge of the bandits who followed him out of Mount Tai. He was also considered a big official. Naturally, he works faithfully. Zhen Yao obviously didn't want to give Zang Ba such great power. This was the crux of the problem.
Seeing that his lord is still so stingy, Guo Jia couldn't help but laugh or cry, and spoke in a low voice again: "My lord, if you want Zang Ba to use his military strategy and help Ziyi secure Xuzhou, you must give him your troops and horses. However, there are many soldiers and horses in the lord's account, so it is not necessary to hand over the Taishan bandits to Zang Xuangao. He only needs to let Ziyi separate Xuzhou soldiers. "
It would be a good idea to let Zang Ba lead the Xuzhou soldiers and horses under Ziyi's tent, and then hand over the Taishan bandits to the command of Taishi Ci. What Guo Jia said made Zhen Yao think of another young boy from the late Three Kingdoms period, Meng Da.
Guo Jiazhi's strategy is somewhat similar to what Sima Yi arranged for this guy at that time, and both of them are generals. But comparing their character, Zhen Yao estimates that Zang Ba is more reliable, and he does not necessarily have to guard against thieves. Target him.
With the plan in mind, Zhen Yao nodded and said: "I ordered Zang Ba to send a group of people from Taishan to Qingzhou, and handed over a group of old and weak people to Dong Zhao to settle down. The troops and horses were temporarily put in charge of Ziyi. Recruited Zang Ba and his family to come. Wuji will tell you, and then Yao will arrange some practical things for him."
"My lord is wise." Upon hearing this, Guo Jia and others bowed and worshiped.
Zhen Yao waved his hands helplessly. Zhen Yao was tired of hearing these words, and the arrangement for Zang Ba was forced by the situation. But then I thought about it, if Zang Ba had truly returned to Ji, he wouldn't have objected to him reducing his power in this way. Hey, it depends on his performance. If he performs well, it's not impossible to give him a stage where he can showcase his talents.
Zhen Yao thought so in his heart, but Guo Jia's eyes flickered with an inexplicable color. Over the years, Guo Jia has been paying attention to Zhen Yao's various shortcomings, among which the single method of imperial control is the most important. Zhen Yao always used his feelings to win over his subordinates, and made a gesture of "Fuck with me, no loss of money, no loss of power." Although this was very harmonious, it also had many drawbacks.
And now when dealing with Zang Ba, this move of first suppressing and then promoting is somewhat decent. Zhen Yao is slowly becoming more in line with a monarch, which is what Guo Jia is most concerned about. Otherwise, even if a group of people conquer the country, they will find out in the end that they are not the emperor, and that will be a great pleasure.
However, Guo Jia never mentions this kind of thing verbally. He only subtly makes his lord make changes in his daily dealings with various things. This job can be said to be very arduous.
"Compared with the other princes, Zhen Yao was unparalleled in wisdom and vision, but this shortcoming is incredible. Who can stand out in this chaotic situation is not the one who is under the imperial control. It is really incredible that Zhen Yao is such an alternative. However, his power can still dominate the heroes of the late Han Dynasty.
Since Zhen Yao's edict was issued, it reached Yuzhou very quickly. Within ten months, Zang Ba and others got the transfer order from Fazheng from the lord who had not yet formally paid a visit. As soon as this order came out, all the thieves leaders who knew the situation couldn't sit still, and all of them had their own thoughts. Even the five leaders had strange thoughts in their minds.
Zhen Yao's transfer order is not cruel to the Taishan bandit leaders. It is not a big deal for the families of the thieves below to enter Qingzhou, but the key is that all the soldiers in their hands will be exploited. These days, if you don¡¯t have military power in your hands, it¡¯s useless for you to be the emperor.
Therefore, when Wu Dun learned about this Wuji edict, he immediately became furious: "Brother, my brother is wrong this time. My brother should not have listened to the rumors about Fa Zheng. My brother will go and kill him now. We brothers will go back to the mountain." , I will never believe these princes¡¯ words again!¡±
Wu Dun thought that Fazheng had deceived him. He had agreed on the mountain that all his brothers would have a good future when they came down from the mountain. But now that he doesn't even see his master, he is going to be nothing. Why bring his family to Wuji? Who knows what will happen after he goes there.
Chang Xi also said eagerly: "Brother, we thought that Zhen Yao had already turned against Cao Cao, but now he wants to take away the military power of the brothers. This method is inappropriate. Without the soldiers, wouldn't we be left to our own devices? He slaughters!"
Zang Ba didn¡¯t know why Lao Si Lao Wu was furious, but he still had to consider more things, such as the edict in his hand. Is Zhen Yao really going to deal with him?
Like Zang Ba, although Sun Guan and Yin Li were also angry at Zhen Yao's orders, they still controlled their emotions and secretly wondered what Zhen Yao meant. If he really wants to reduce his power and kill people, he and others will not sit back and wait for death.
After thinking for a moment, Sun Guan assessed:He then said: "Brother, from what I can see, Zhen Yao's edict is not to kill me and silence me. After all, without our brothers, we will definitely not obey Zhen Yao's arrangements honestly." .¡±
"The second brother is right, and Li also thinks so." Yin Li nodded in agreement: "It's just that the power in the hands of the eldest brother is too heavy. There are hundreds of thousands of people up and down Mount Tai. Zhen Yao is afraid that he will be on guard against me. Moreover, if he stabilizes in the future , I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy for you and my brothers.¡±
Sun Guan and Yin Li could think of it, why Zang Ba didn't know it. What he was thinking about now was not these, but whether he could get Zhen Yao's approval even if he did what Zhen Yao said. If not, how should I deal with myself.
As for the tens of thousands of men under his command, Zang Ba is not worried. He, a person who often causes trouble, knows very well about the stability under Zhen Yao's rule. Much better than in the mountains.
"Zang Ba also dared to boast about the troops and horses he had at his disposal. Although the Taishan soldiers were rogue soldiers, compared to the level of elites, many of the current princes' soldiers could not match them. Zhen Yao has always valued elites, and his troops were entrusted to Taishi Ci of Xuzhou. With the help of elite equipment and equipment, they will only become more powerful and will not sink.
Zang Ba was speechless, so Chang Xi encouraged him: "Three brothers said so. If we still go to Wuji to play ball, why not kill Fa Zheng first and go back to the mountains to relax. After these few months, wait until Qiu receives it, and then Come out and do something to him."
"General Chang, do you want to take the lower rank?" As soon as Chang Xi finished speaking, a man walked in outside the hall, wearing a gray robe and a handsome face. Who else could he be if he wasn't Fazheng? He looked at Zang Ba who was sitting in the first seat, but smiled and said to Taishan Laowu: "General, do you think that by killing me, you and Taishan and the others will be free?"
"I shouldn't have listened to your slander that day, which brought our brothers and us into this predicament." Fazheng came into the hall and argued with Chang Xi in such a high-profile manner, but it aroused Wu Dun's anger. He pulled out the long knife in his hand, but It's going to be bloodied and killed.
When Fazheng saw this, his expression did not change, but in fact, he had already begun to curse in his heart. No wonder that when he asked his lord for an errand that day, Guo Jia and Xu You supported him wholeheartedly, without the slightest thought of claiming credit.
??????????????????????????????????????????? Unexpectedly, the difficulty of this matter was still to come. Now, even his life was in the hands of others.
Indeed, it was not difficult to persuade the Taishan gang to join Zhen Yao. Fazheng quietly broke into the gang and used a strategy to divide Wu Dun. Then he easily killed Ren Jun with a borrowed knife and solved the problem.
And even if he led the thieves down the mountain not long ago and defeated Yu Jin and the soldiers and horses stationed at the foot of the mountain in one fell swoop, it would not be a difficult task for Fa Zheng. Although letting Yu Jin escape was not a full achievement, it was still a great achievement.
And just when Fazheng thought that everything was settled and he could return to Wuji with peace of mind to receive his reward, an edict suddenly caused everyone in Taishan to suddenly change. Fazheng was sure that when he was eager to ask for orders that day, Guo Jia and others had already seen this step, and knew that this step was not so easy. This errand.
Knowing that he had been tricked by Guo Jia and others, Fazheng felt a little resentful in his heart. At the same time, Fazheng was also quite frightened by Guo Jia and others' calculations. You don't need to think about it to know that the famous conspirators in Wuji are much better than me in terms of vision and layout. Fortunately, when I was not popular in Shu, I often compared myself with them. Now I see that This is a bit ridiculous.
However, no matter what Fazheng was thinking at this time, the first thing he had to consider was how to successfully overcome the current difficulties. Only by saving his life and successfully completing the edict issued by his lord, could he gain a firm foothold in Wuji. . Otherwise, the first delegation task will be messed up. Needless to say, being refrigerated is the best outcome.
"Fourth brother, stop. Ba still has something to discuss with Mr. Zang Ba." Zang Ba stopped sitting at this time, stepped down from the front seat, came to the front of Fazheng, stared at him, and looked at him for a long time before asking: " Sir, what do you think of me, the son of Mount Taishan?"
"Up and down Mount Tai, it seems that they are of one mind, but in fact they are not." Fazheng was thinking a lot in his mind, and then replied: "Even if the general is here, there is still fear of trouble. My lord's transfer order is definitely not with the intention of harming these people, otherwise it will There¡¯s no need to send someone here.¡±
Regarding Fazheng's words, Zang Ba knew that there was a certain degree of credibility. During this period of time, he was able to figure out Fazheng's abilities. Even if they were not among the top conspirators in the world, Wang Zuozhi Talent, but real.
If Zhen Yao was determined to kill himself, he would not send such a great talent to die. But just knowing this is not enough. Zang Ba walked a few steps to the threshold of the hall. When he looked up into the sky, he couldn't help but mockingly said: "Sir, do you think that Ba has no way out now?"Let's go, there is only one way to go, Beitou Wuji? "
Zang Ba seemed to speak lightly, but the coldness and murderous intent in his words never dissipated. Fazheng squeezed the palms of his hands and said with a calm smile: "General, what you said is exaggerated. The general surrendered to my lord as a general." I met a wise master, and he also had the grand plan of serving our emperor. How can we call it a 'helpless move'?"
"Cao Mengde deceived the king and turned a blind eye. When the alliance attacked Chang'an that day, he had different intentions. The general punished him. Our Lord has clear rewards and punishments, so how could he turn a blind eye? Wouldn't this chill the hearts of the soldiers below? "
Fazheng also knew at this time that Zhen Yao wanted to convince Zang Ba by suppressing first and then promoting, so he could not express his lord's overall plan clearly. He could only appease Zang Ba by making insinuations like this.
Zang Ba is not a fool. He understands the meaning of these words, but understanding it does not mean that it is credible. Although Zhen Yao's reputation has not been bad since his debut, and his actions can be said to be clear-cut, it is precisely because of this that Zang Ba hesitates even more.
"I have been against Zhen Yao several times. If he holds a grudge, he will be a sheep in the tiger's mouth if he goes to Wuji. But if he doesn't respect this edict, where will Zang Ba and the Taishan bandits go?
It is no longer possible to surrender to Cao Cao. After killing Ren Jun and driving Yu Jin back to Changyi, Liangzi has become a powerful force. There is no difference between defecting to Cao Cao and venturing to Wuji now.
As for going back to the mountain, Zang Ba realized that this way was impassable. If Cao Cao and Zhen Yao were provoked to attack him first and kill him first, all his sons would end badly.
"Xuan Gao, leaders, my lord has never been someone who cares about the past." Fazheng felt that after saying these words, he was somewhat sure of success, so he hurriedly said: "There are many surrendered generals under my lord's account, such as Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, who hasn't fought fiercely with my lord? My lord sees Zang Ba's talent and has no reason to discard it. Don't let some trivial matters blind you and waste my lord's efforts!"