Chapter 15 The Dragon's Back is Broken by Thousands of Miles
"You seem confident?"
The night after Zang Ai left, Xu Shu, who was lying on the same bed as Guo Jia but had no intention of sleeping, finally couldn't help asking the doubt in his heart. "After all, Zang Xuangao is the real owner of this place, right? You are annexing it again.
His subordinates are coercing his son and humiliating him by criticizing Sang and Huai. Are they not afraid of really angering him? If the 40,000 troops on the other side of the river really come over, isn't this camp a joke? "
"You're right, I'm really confident." Guo Jia, who was lying on the other end of the couch, came to his senses from the sound of cicadas chirping outside the tent and couldn't help laughing.
"..." Xu Shu was silent for a long time, and finally spoke with difficulty. "I...I don't understand."
"It's normal not to understand. It's not like I've been in Qingzhou for a long time and I'm very familiar with Zang Xuangao." Guo Jia didn't mean to show off, but gave a simple and direct explanation. "Actually, I won't hide it from you.
Before I came here, I felt that Zang Xuangao would not rebel. After I came here and saw him in person, I immediately reconfirmed that this person would not rebel!"
"Why?"
"What good will it do to him?" Guo Jia said calmly. "You have seen him. He has abilities, but the pattern is here... He certainly wants fame, wealth, power and position.
It is not too much to ask for; with a warlord, the selfish temperament developed by bandits over the years will never cross the line. Such a person has no reason and dare not betray Hebei at this critical moment. What's more, it is even more terrible.
Yes, if he really rebels, regardless of whether the matter can be accomplished or not, it will destroy the foundation of Zang Xuangao's standing in Qingxu for many years, that is, trust and loyalty. Why do you think he should rebel? But with his temperament
, nine times out of ten, they will cover up for those who collude with Zhou Yu, and there must be some self-righteous tacit understanding towards a romantic figure like Zhou Gongjin, that's all."
Xu Shu was silent for a while again, and then continued to ask: "So, is the person who hooked up with Zhou Yu really Zang Ai?"
"I guess there is him!" Guo Jia answered frankly. "This person has been a hostage with Tao Qian for many years. He almost grew up in Tancheng and Xiapi. It would be wishful thinking to say that he has no contact with the south... but it doesn't matter.
Already."
"How to say?"
"This is just like whether Chang Xi colluded with the Confederate Army or not, we have to kill him to establish our authority. Whether Zang Ai colluded with the Confederate Army, we don't have to and cannot kill him." Guo Jia replied slowly. "Actually,
It doesn't make sense who is the traitor. Under the general situation, Chang Xi is not a traitor and is the biggest threat, so he must be killed. And even if Zang Ai is indeed a traitor, as long as his father will not rebel, what is the point of who he is hooking up with?
Instead, by forcefully pursuing him, killing him and convicting him, we can truly force Zang Ba to rebel and ruin the overall situation."
Xu Shu paused again: "So, you didn't want to find out the traitor in the first place?"
Guo Jia yawned in response.
"I haven't met Zang Ai before, so you are saying that besides Chang Xi, you already have two suspicions in your mind...what do you mean?" Xu Yuanzhi became more and more vigilant. "Isn't your plan going to be more than that?"
Guo Fengxiao began to snore gradually.
Needless to say one night, Guo Jia dispersed his five hundred subordinates in the camp early the next morning, and after controlling most of the key points, he and Xu Shu calmly led the senior officers of the Changxi Department, the so-called
The respectable people in Dongguan easily crossed the pontoon bridge and entered Kaiyang City. They saw Zang Ba and several other generals who had been waiting here for a long time, but Zang Ai was the only one who was not seen.
The two parties met outside the official temple and then entered the hall and took their seats. Zang Ba naturally sat on the main seat, while Wu Dun, Yin Li, Xiao Jian, Sun Guan, Sun Kang and other generals sat behind a row of tall tables on the right.
He sat down in the Taiwei chair, but the row on the left was empty, so Guo Jia, Xu Shu and several Dongguan generals sat down directly.
After sitting down, a soldier suddenly appeared and closed the gate of the official temple. At this point, the conversation between the two parties inevitably started with the surprise attack last night.
"I already know everything about yesterday, and that's all. I just have one question, Deputy Ambassador Guo, please make sure to make it clear... What is Captain Changdu's crime?" Zang Ba, who was sitting in the main seat in the lobby, asked in a deep voice.
"Mr. Zang Mansion, do you want to ask a public question or a private question?" Guo Jia sat upright and looked at each other solemnly.
"It's a public question that day!" Zang Xuangao frowned.
"There is no need to ask if you are a public official," Guo Jia replied loudly. "When we are doing business in Jing'antai, there are documents from Qingzhou Mu Shen Gong here. If Mr. Zang and his colleagues have any questions, according to the law and rules, they can send a letter to
Guan Zhendong, examine Qingzhou to inquire, or simply write to Shangshu Province. If you feel that I have done something wrong, you can also write to the Yushitai to report it, or simply give Yan Gong justice in Shuqiu... But no matter what, today Mr. Zangfu
I am here to inquire, but please forgive me that I am unable to answer and do not want to answer because of my responsibilities."
Zang Ba took a long breath, glanced at the "brothers and colleagues" on his right side who were about to lose control, and could only continue to look at each other solemnly: "Then you dare to ask Deputy Ambassador Guo, so what if you ask him privately?
"
"If you want to ask privately, brothers, you can just call me as a filial piety." Guo Jia said with a smile on his face. He raised his hand and took off the Jinxian crown headband on his head, which represented status and scholar status, and threw it away.
On the desks in front of him, he then even took off his leather shoes, stepped on the imperial chair with his bare feet, and collapsed in the seat. "You should have said it was a private question! If it was a private question, I would answer it privately.
, based on our friendship as young colleagues, what can I hide from you brothers?"
Xu Yuanzhi couldn't help but cast a look of disdain.
"Appreciate further details."
"This matter is simple..." Guo Fengxiao leaned on the back of the chair crookedly, holding his chin with one hand, pointing to the sky with the other, and scratching his toes on the chair. The so-called pointing fingers is really very appropriate. "Actually, I killed yesterday.
Chang Xi, like all the other gentlemen who were driven by poison in the past, is a family affair! To put it bluntly, even I, Guo Jia, can be considered a well-known hero in the Qingxu area, but I just feel that Chang Xi is a waste, so I harbor ill intentions towards him.
I just want to seize his territory! And thanks to the care of the brothers in Dongguan, I will naturally be the master of Dongguan now! It is considered an internal change in Dongguan, and it is none of your business... Don’t you think so?"
At the end of Guo Jia's words, he simply turned to ask the Dongguan officers accompanying him, and the officers naturally joined in and kept talking nonsense, which made Xu Shu's face change.
The twitching doesn't stop.
Zang Ba and several Langya army leaders were stunned for a long time before they came back to their senses, but they were stunned again.
"Deputy Ambassador Guo wants to join the gang?" Yin Li couldn't help but speak.
"Can't I do it?" Guo Jia responded. "Since Yuan Shao's death, I have been running around in the Taishan area of Qingxu. I am also a well-known luxury person in Qingxu. I can only occupy Dongguan and Changxi, but I can't occupy it?"
Am I not as good as him, or am I not as good as him? Or maybe I have no friendship with you? I drove Yu Du here that day, and he was like a lost dog. Didn’t you give him a place to stand? I committed suicide.
I will replace you with Changxi, and you won’t have to divide the territory, so why not?!”
"But I am the deputy envoy of Jing'antai..." Xiao Jian responded with a sneer.
"You were once the governor of Langya!" Guo Jia responded jokingly. "Aren't you also joining the gang?"
Xiao Jian was immediately speechless.
In other words, Xiao Jian is different from others. When Tao Qian took control of Xuzhou, Yin De, the original governor of Langya, had to resign and return home sadly. After that, Dong Zhuo appointed Xiao Jian as a serious governor of Langya from Luoyang. And
After he took office, he found that Langya had been divided by Zang Ba and others, and there was no place to stand... On the contrary, Zang Ba had always been unwilling to do anything, and seeing that he was pitiful, he sent Haiqu (Rizhao) to
A county was given to this person. After he settled in Haiqu, he found that the world was full of wars. It was difficult to protect his hometown and the center. However, Zang Ba was more peaceful here, so he simply brought his family from Qingzhou and started eating in Haiqu.
He has been eating seafood for six or seven years, and has gradually become one of the tycoons with the deepest roots in Langya.
This is exactly the same as Xue Li, the Prime Minister of Pengcheng who was expelled by Tao Qian and lived at the intersection of Guangling, Wujun and Jiujiang counties! And Xue Li now happened to surrender after being defeated by Liu Bei and became a guard at the river mouth.
Captain... It is said that the old society turned officials into thieves, and the new society turned thieves into officials. It has been repeated over the years, and it is by no means a new thing.
At this point, Guo Jia suddenly thought of something, and he struck the case again and confronted Zang Ba: "Mr. Zangfu, I have remembered that there is a reason for me to establish myself in Langya! The Yin family of Nanyang, the former Langya prefect Yin Degong, is our Ying family.
The benefactor of the Chuan Guo family is here! At that time, Yin De Gong's brother Yin Xiu Gong once served as the prefect of Yingchuan. My brother Guo Tu was promoted by him. I also studied in the public school run by Yin Xiu Gong.
, he can be regarded as a disciple of the Yin family... In terms of origin, Langyahe should have a share of my inheritance!"
Normally, Zang Ba would have laughed in anger at the other party's nonsense, but the words Zang Ai came back yesterday still rang in his ears, which made him unable to laugh.
"Brothers, there is no need to hold such grudges, and Deputy Ambassador Guo does not need to cause trouble." At this moment, Sun Guan, one of the Sun brothers whose prestige in Langya was second only to Zang Ba's, suddenly spoke. "Let's close the door, what's the matter?
What can't be said? In fact, Deputy Ambassador Guo's meaning is very simple... In terms of status, it is not our turn to comment on Chang Xi's matter; in terms of reality, he has already killed Chang Xi and captured 7,000 Dongguan soldiers, so we should also take it.
There was nothing he could do."
Guo Jia couldn't help but laugh, but he put down his bare feet and began to arrange his hair.
"However, what I mean is very simple." Sun Guan continued to speak slowly. "Please also ask Deputy Envoy Guo to stop pretending to be confused. You suddenly came to Langya and asked Brother Zang to gather troops here and make a surprise attack.
Killing Lao Chang... is nothing more than Hebei doubting us. In fact, during this war, Hebei can't say it's wrong to be suspicious of people like us, but you are so wanton and wanton that even people like Lao Chang will be killed.
, what’s the point of putting everyone in danger? Do they really treat us like lambs?”
"Then what does General Sun think I should do?" Guo Jia wrapped his hair in a bun, put it on and sat upright again.
"We understand Deputy Envoy Guo, and Lao Chang's character of causing trouble by himself is not unknown." Sun Guan continued. "We also understand that with the power of just one county, we are not qualified to sway between the two armies.
’s... Otherwise, I wouldn’t have asked you to come here to negotiate. But please give us an accurate word today. How can Hebei trust us? Pay the proton? Or let Hebei dispatch army commanders to supervise the logistics? There must be something clear.
Mark down the path?"
Guo Jia squinted at Sun Guan, but slowly shook his head: "No need for these... I just want to ask you, have you thought about what will happen in the future? How will you deal with yourself after the war?"
Sun Guan and others looked at each other and frowned, even Zang Ba was a little rude.
"Does your Majesty want us to hand over our troops immediately and go to Hebei to work?" After exchanging glances for a while, Wu Dun couldn't help but speak to each other.
"That's not what I mean." Guo Jia shook his head again. "I have known you all for many years, and I know your thoughts clearly. Although you also understand in your hearts that the world will be unified sooner or later, and no matter who it is, Hebei or the Central Plains,
You won't be able to survive for long if you gain power, but if you want to act recklessly in the separatist areas, who would be willing to give up this kind of fun easily unless it is absolutely necessary?"
The Langya generals in the hall couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"But if you don't have long-term worries, you will have immediate worries." Guo Fengxiao continued to speak calmly. "You are here today and just want to live in peace and happiness. Why should you base yourself in Hebei when the overall situation has been decided in the future? When that day comes, why can't we?
How can I kill you all as easily as I killed Chang Xi?"
The atmosphere in the hall turned tense.
However, Sun Guan was the only one who cheered up: "I understand what you mean! What you mean is that we take the initiative to send troops to the East China Sea and make achievements. This will not only make Hebei feel relieved, but also can rely on us if we have such achievements in the future."
If military success is based in Hebei, will one be rich or noble?!"
"That's right!" Guo Jia opened his hands in response. "General Sun is right! You have already arrived at Kaiyang, why not continue to go south along the Yishui River to Tancheng? And once you arrive at the front line and start a war with the Southern Army, we in Hebei
My doubts will naturally disappear, and there is no need to talk about your military achievements in the future... You must know that in this big battle, the achievements of one battle will be better than the previous eight years of stalemate!"
Everyone woke up one after another, and then looked at Zang Ba Zang Xuangao with Guo Jia who had not spoken for a long time... After all, no matter how chaotic the Langya warlord is, Zang Ba's prestige and his own military capabilities are all here.
The death of Chang Xi, who had always been unconvinced by Zang Ba, made Zang Ba's position unshakable.
But Zang Xuangao hesitated for a while.
The more Xiao Jian and others thought about it, the more they felt that they were against each other, but they urged again and again. Sun Guan stood up with his sword in hand: "Brother Xuan Gao! You must understand that today's situation, from a big perspective, is either from Hebei or the Central Plains, and
There is no other way; even considering the situation here in Kaiyang, Deputy Ambassador Guo will not give us a chance to hesitate. He was able to kill Chang Xi and 7,000 Dongguan soldiers with 500 men last night, and he can kill them tomorrow.
None of us... until now, there is no hesitation!"
Zang Ba was shaken and couldn't help but look at Guo Jia again.
Guo Jia was not polite when he saw this, but directly stood up with his sword in hand: "Zang Fujun, I have always wanted to say a personal word to you."
"Speaking."
"You are a person who believes in loyalty and keeps promises. That's why you can become the co-leader of Langya, and that's why you can stand still in troubled times. But loyalty is constantly changing with the overall situation of the world." Guo Fengxiao responded sincerely. "Today's loyalty
It may not be useful in the past, and the loyalty of the past may be harmful today."
"I would like to hear the details." Zang Ba also became serious.
"For example, when the world is in chaos, there is no truth in the government and the so-called upright world. At this time, you go to the mountains to act as bandits, gather people to protect people, and let those who cannot survive survive. This is the world
The greatest loyalty!" Guo Jia talked a lot. "But when Dong Zhuo brought disaster to the country, all the heroes in the world rose up, and there were more than 40 people who were separatists. It can be said that they were fighting for and occupying everywhere, and the thieves and generals had soldiers and horses in their hands.
, capricious, today belongs to the left, tomorrow belongs to the right, rises today, and dies tomorrow. At this time, from the standpoint of tens of thousands of troops under one foot, being able to keep one's word and keep one's word, and live up to the superiors, subordinates, and frontmen, this is the most precious thing in troubled times.
It’s also another foundation for you to stand here!”
Most people in the hall nodded.
"However, the general situation of the world is different now." Guo Jia turned around and left his position, held his sword and came to the hall, and continued to speak loudly. "In other words, the situation of the world is actually very clear, that is, my family Yan Gong
The momentum of annexing the world has become unstoppable, and many of the Central Plains princes also have intentions of integrating... In a word, in the past, the people of the world were thinking about how to seek peace in chaos, but at this time, the people of the world are thinking about how to get from chaos to chaos.
Governance; the great righteousness of the past was to ensure peace, and the great righteousness of today is to unify the world. In the past, all laws, human relations, and principles were rebellious and false if they could not be consistent with stability; but it is the same now. If someone relies on the
If human feelings, principles, and loyalty cannot be reconciled with redefining the world, then no matter how virtuous or talented this person is, he is just a rebellious person! Mr. Zangfu, today you can help Hebei go south, or you can help the Central Plains go north.
, these are just positions, and I don’t blame you in any case, but if you rely on yourself to grasp the key points of the north and the south, stand still, and wait and see, then no matter what happens in the future, you are destined to be just a villain and a traitor who rebels against the world! Thank you for your hard work.
Do you want to lose all your honor and integrity for half your life?"
After saying this, Guo Jia turned his back to Zang Ba, facing outside the lobby door and stood with his hands behind his hands, waiting for a reply. However, the hall was already silent, and even Xu Shu opened his mouth many times, but was speechless.
Just like that, after waiting for an unknown amount of time, Zang Ba slowly stood up and left his seat, bowed his head to Guo Jia, who had his back turned to him, as a courtesy: "Today, thanks to Deputy Ambassador Guo's advice, I suddenly became enlightened!
Having made up my mind, I will immediately open all the treasury, reward the three armies, and then unite the entire army to the East China Sea to help Yan Gong re-establish the world!"
The generals on the left and right did not dare to neglect and stood up solemnly to say yes. Xu Shu, on the other hand, looked embarrassed and reluctantly stood up, but did not know who to speak to.
After all, Zang Ba was a famous general in the Qingxu area. Once he made up his mind, he sent out troops quickly. On August 22nd, he was persuaded by Guo Jia. On August 23rd, he swore an oath to sacrifice the flag and reward the entire army.
On the fifth day, the entire army crossed the Yishui River and headed south.
On August 28, the forward Sun Guan arrived at Qiuhou, the only city between Tancheng and Kaiyang. However, he took advantage of Xuzhou's soldiers and horses being caught off guard and captured it directly. This was regarded as a great success for the division.
By the first day of September, Langya's army, with Danyang as its logistics base and Yishui as its supply line, easily arrived at Tancheng and surrounded Zhou Yu and the 10,000 soldiers and horses he had gathered in a hurry.
In response to this, Zhou Gongjin stayed behind closed doors and took strict precautions.
But on the third day of September, something shocking happened. The real elite in Zhou Gongjin's hands, that is, the more than 10,000 people who had been fighting at sea, should theoretically be stationed in Qu County (later Lianyungang) to prepare for the Qingzhou Navy.
The Xuzhou Navy actually appeared on the Yishui River in an incredible manner!
The Xuzhou naval force showed off its power, with hundreds of boats connected one behind the other, with sails raised, blocking out the sky and the sun. They ignored the Langya camp on the shore, and instead easily sailed upstream with the help of the southeasterly wind in September!
The Langya generals, including Zang Xuangao, the recognized Qingxu general, all felt cold in their hearts.
Of course it will be cold, because everyone knows what this means...their food route is cut off! Their already empty nest Danyang, including the foundations of the other generals on both sides of the Yishui River, is also wide open in the face of such a navy.
!It is impossible to say that there is no way of retreat behind you, even if it is a hill!
There was no time to go back and save it. How could anyone catch up with such a sailboat?
"Did you expect this?" Xu Yuanzhi, who was standing in the camp with his sword in his hand and watching this scene, couldn't help but taunted Guo Jia beside him, who was also shocked by this scene to the point of being speechless.
Guo Jia, who came back to his senses, sneered, but couldn't help but shook his head: "The navy crossed the inland river, it was so spectacular, I really didn't expect it!"
"Shouldn't you admire someone's careful planning and strategizing thousands of miles away? And his determination to risk his family's fortune?" Xu Shu sneered even more. "The sea-going ship is long and slender, but the draft is very deep, so it can only be used during the post-autumn flood season.
Can enter the inland river, and if the navy appears here at this time, he can only make a decision at the beginning of the flood season, secretly transport the navy in from the Huaihe River, and then hide it behind him, and
That was also the time when the rumors about Qingzhou appeared... They seemed to be waiting for you to persuade Zang Ba to go south! Oh, and there was also the southeast wind of Xiaoyangchun after the flood season in September... After working hard for many days, I thought I had the overall situation, but in fact
Isn't it a good feeling to be completely manipulated by a more intelligent person?"
"That's not what you meant." Guo Jia turned around and looked at Xu Shu calmly. "I had already guessed this. I was just sighing at how spectacular the navy is in the interior!"
Xu Shu was startled for a moment, then smiled again: "You damn duck has a tough mouth! Don't worry, when the day comes when the whole army collapses, even though I only have one sword, I will try my best to keep you safe!"
Guo Jia looked at the other party again for a long time, but finally nodded repeatedly, and sighed for a while: "No matter what, Yan Gong is really accurate in judging people! When Zhou Gongjin uses troops, the time, place, and people are both favorable, and it is difficult to know like the shadow, and the movement is as unpredictable as the clouds.
Lei Zhen...is indeed a bit like the Marquis of Huaiyin!"
————I am such a spectacular dividing line————
"In the case of Chen Song, Zhou Yu grew up in Jiang and Huai, and was familiar with the dangers. He went in and out of Peng and Li, waded in the waves for a long time, and was familiar with each other. He was also elegant and generous, and was elegant and wise. Taizu was one of the three heroes of Huainan in Yaoxi, and he belonged to Huaiyin.
Liu Bei said that he was the master of literary and military planning and the hero of ten thousand people. How could it be just a lie if he relied on one aspect?" - "Dian Lue". Notes by Yan Pei Song
ps: Apologize for the daily delay...
I read Zang Ba's biography again last night and found that apart from the early period when he divided Qingxu, his main military exploits and reputation were actually attributed to Lu Fan and Han Dang... It's really interesting.
