It was March, and the mist and rain in the south of the Yangtze River were hazy.
The peach and apricot blossoms outside the pavilion were blown away by the wind and were in a mess. A winding cobblestone path was wet and full of crimson and pink, which added to the melancholy.
The man in green shirt walked over with pink and white apricots everywhere and stopped outside the pavilion.
"Have you really decided?"
"Um!"
The woman in the pavilion, with her back to the man, just hummed softly.
A thin Zen robe fluttered in the breeze, clinging to her curvaceous body, outlining a beautiful scene.
Her temples were towering, revealing her snow-white and soft-lined neck, which was a bit tempting. The man looked at her back and couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.
"I begged this from the old god, please keep it."
"Thanks."
"Then I...take my leave."
"Way to go!"
The man put down a jade bottle of suet, turned around and left.
But after taking two steps, he stopped again and said, "Wan'er, actually..."
Before he finished speaking, he heard the faint sound of the piano coming from the pavilion. When the words reached his lips, he finally swallowed them back. He sighed, turned around and walked away through the dew on the path.
"Are there still twenty-eight days?"
A faint murmur came from the woman's mouth, which was immediately blown away by the wind!
Depart from Guangling and go to Jiangdu first.
The Jiangdu here is not the Jiangdu of later generations, but a place name under Guangling, located on the bank of the river.
Although Cao Peng and Xia Houlan did not attract the attention of others after Xun Yan joined the large group of troops, in fact, the team that went to Jiangdong as envoy were all famous people with extraordinary backgrounds. Not to mention Wang Lang, the commander of the Dian Military Academy, and Wang Lang's subordinates
, it was impossible for them to notice the changes in the little bookboy and coachman beside Xun Yan. Xun Yan only brought ten generals of the Xun family with him on his trip to Jiangdong this time...
In Xun Yan's words: "I came here just to enjoy the mountains and rivers, and bringing so many followers with me only disturbed my mood."
Cao Peng didn't pay much attention to this.
Anyway, he knew very well that Xun Yan had his special mission.
As for what kind of mission it was? Cao Peng didn't bother to guess, nor did he want to guess.
He could have refused, but Xun Yu and Guo Jia joined forces to commit suicide, making it impossible for him to refuse...
I just hope that I can successfully complete this mission and return to Guangling. Cao Peng has many things to do. Just repaying Diao Chan's kindness will take a lot of thought on his part. It probably won't take too long, maybe in May
By then, we can return to Guangling.
After resting for a day in Jiangdu, the delegation boarded the boat at Jiangshui Temple Pier.
The river water at this time was quite gentle. The vast, smoke-like surface of the river gave off a majestic charm.
The Yangtze River in the late Eastern Han Dynasty was far more vibrant than the Yangtze River in later generations. The broad river surface always showed its majestic and boundless spirit.
"Youxue!"
"Here!"
Xun Yan took his own people in a boat.
The carriage was parked at the stern of the ship, and Xia Houlan was in charge of taking care of it.
He took Cao Peng to the bow of the ship. The ten masters behind him automatically dispersed, giving the two of them enough space to talk.
"I heard that you were not happy in Guangling?"
Cao Peng was startled and said, "It's okay, it's not a bad idea."
"Haha, I know that the people in Guangling are quite xenophobic. If you want to gain a foothold in Guangling, I'm afraid you still need some setbacks... In fact, Yuanlong values you quite a lot, and he relegated you to Dongling Pavilion with the intention of sharpening your skills.
Among them. By the way, how is the situation at Dongling Pavilion?"
Cao Peng nodded, "It's all good."
After being reborn, he began to learn to understand people's hearts.
In his previous life, Cao Youxue only knew how to fight and rush forward, and never knew how to figure out other people's thoughts.
The shot at the Xiong'er River Reservoir taught Cao Peng a lot of things. Thinking back carefully, if he could figure out people's minds in his previous life, he might have been able to avoid a lot of trouble and reduce a lot of losses... So in this life, he generally won't easily interact with strangers.
Instead of falling in love, try to figure out the other person’s intentions first.
Xun Yan smiled warmly, "I know you may be wondering why I am telling you this.
Guangling connects the north and south of the Yangtze River, and is an important place in the north of the Yangtze River. Sooner or later, there will be war. With the current situation of Guangling, it may be difficult to maintain without the support of the local wealthy families. Therefore, he can only let you go to Dongling Pavilion, just to show the local wealthy families.
A gesture.
Actually, Dongling Pavilion is not bad either.
I heard that you lived a good life there, and this humble inscription will really make the people of Guangling look at you differently, and Yuanlong will definitely use it again sooner or later."
"Humble job..."
"Now that you call me sir, you should consider yourself a student."
"ah?"
"Wen Ruoyan, you pay attention to details. When we go to Jiangdong this time, you need to pay more attention to it.
But you don’t have to worry, this trip to Jiangdong should not be very dangerous. It may take two months at most, or more than a month at least, and we can return to Guangling.”
Xun Yan said this to give Cao Peng a reassurance.
After all, Cao Peng was only fifteen years old, and he was worried that Cao Peng would develop fear after arriving in a strange place.
Cao Peng smiled and nodded lightly.
"Sir, you just said that there must be war in Guangling?"
"Um!"
"And over there?"
When Cao Peng pointed in the direction of Jiangnan, Xun Yan glanced at him, smiled, and turned to leave.
Everything is left unsaid...
But did Jiangdong and Guangling really go to war?
Cao Peng's memory seems not to be particularly clear.
I only remember that in the late period of Sun Wu and Cao Wei, it was mainly in Huainan, which is the Jiujiang County area. Didn't Zhang Liao's battle against Xiaoyaojin happen there?
Guangling County!
Cao Peng really didn't remember that there was a war.
After scratching his head and seeing Xun Yan returning to the cabin to rest, Cao Peng went to the stern of the ship.
"Master!"
"Shh!"
Cao Peng quickly interrupted Xia Houlan. Seeing that there was no one around him, he said softly: "From now on, you will call me Ah Fu."
"This...isn't appropriate."
"If you want to kill me, just keep calling me Young Master."
"Then Xiahou will obey." After the exchange the night before, Xiahoulan and Cao Peng seemed to have more intimacy and less alienation.
Therefore, Xia Houlan's words seemed much more casual.
He lowered his voice and said, "I have decided."
"Decide what?"
Cao Peng looked at Xia Houlan doubtfully, not quite understanding what he meant.
Xia Houlan chuckled and said: "When this matter is over and we go back, I will write a letter to Zilong and persuade him to come over. How about that?"
Cao Peng was pleasantly surprised when he heard this.
However, he immediately smiled bitterly and said, "Forget it, your brother may not like me."
"That's not necessarily true. Didn't Liu Xuande stay with General Gongsun at the beginning? I think that although the young master's current status is not as good as Liu Bei's, he can at least be considered self-reliant."
"this……"
Xia Houlan seemed to have figured out a lot of things.
He is now Cao Peng's retainer and should consider Cao Peng instead of thinking about other people's good.
Thinking about it this way, Liu Bei's current Yuzhou pastoral position seems to have become insignificant. Cao Peng is fifteen years old and can already stand on his own. At least when he was in Haixi, Xiahoulan had learned how Cao Peng turned his hand.
The clouds covered his hands and turned into rain, playing with the whole Haixi in the palm of his hand. And Liu Bei was fifteen years old... no, what was he doing when he was fourteen years old? From this point of view, Cao Peng is not inferior to Liu Bei.
"Afu, how can you know if you don't try? Didn't you say: If I get it, I am lucky; if I lose it, I am destined."
"Then... try it?"
After all, it was about the future of the victorious general, and Cao Peng couldn't help but feel excited.
Even though he knew that Zhao Yun most likely disliked him, he still couldn't help but feel a bit lucky in his heart.
"Well, try it!"
Xia Houlan nodded with a determined expression.
Rumble, spring thunder explodes.
The sky was overcast, and suddenly heavy rain poured down.
The waves on the river became rough and violent. The boat shook violently. Cao Peng and Xia Houlan hurriedly stabilized the carriage and horses and hid in the cabin in a hurry.
What a spring rain...
Cao Peng stood at the door of the cabin, looking at the heavy rain outside, and couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
Xun Yan said that this will be an extremely easy journey.
But Cao Peng felt that this time... it might not be as easy as imagined!
In the afternoon, the mission's fleet arrived at Dantu in heavy rain.
Dantu, also known as Zhenjiang, is a district of Zhenjiang in later generations, close to Jingkou.
In the Spring and Autumn Period, Dantu was Zhu Fangyi of the Wu State. Later, it was transferred to the Chu State and renamed Guyang. Qin unified the six countries, and hopeful people said: Dantu has the spirit of the emperor!
Just kidding, does this mean that Dantu may become the royal capital?
Qin Shihuang established his capital in Xianyang, so how could he tolerate this situation? So he ordered three thousand ocher-clad disciples to dig up Yanshan Mountain in Beijing to defeat his power. Then he changed his name to Guyang and Dantu.
Dantu is also located directly opposite Guangling and belongs to the north gate of Yangzhou.
As soon as the mission got off the boat, local officials came to greet them. The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties. He was dressed in a green shirt, handsome and quite majestic. He stood on the pier, holding a bamboo hat.
When they saw Wang Lang and others disembarking from the boat, they immediately led others to greet them.
"Mr. Jing Xing, you are well."
"Zibu, how is Shangan?"
Wang Lang was originally the governor of Kuaiji, but was defeated by Sun Ce and fled to Xudu.
He has a good reputation and outstanding talents and learning. He is quite famous in the Jiangdong area and is respected by many scholars. Even if Sun Ce has fought with him, he must have some respect for Wang Lang. This time he was sent to Dan by Sun Ce.
The disciples who greeted Wang Lang were none other than the masterminds of Sun Ce's tent, Zhang Zhao and Zhang Zibu.
Zhang Zhao was originally from Pengcheng, Xuzhou.
When he was young, he was studious and well-read. When he was twenty years old, he refused to take the examination of filial piety and integrity, but had several contacts with Wang Lang, and was deeply appreciated by Chen Lin, a famous scholar at that time. After the war in Xuzhou, Zhang Zhao avoided trouble in Yangzhou. After Sun Ce's uprising, he
He appointed Zhang Zhao as the chief historian and the commander-in-chief of the Fu army. All civil and military matters were discussed with Zhang Zhao. This time when Wang Lang came to Jiangdong, Zhang Zhao was even responsible for receiving the envoys to show Sun Ce's importance.
Wang Lang and Zhang Zhao were chatting with each other on the dock. On the other side, Cao Peng followed Xun Yan and got off the boat.
"Sir, who is that person?"
Cao Peng asked in a low voice.
The corners of Xun Yan's mouth curled up slightly, outlining a soft arc.
"I think it must be Zhang Zibu from Pengcheng."
Zhang Zhao was born into a wealthy family. In terms of background, he was still inferior to those from a wealthy family like Xun Yan.
Therefore, Xun Yan would never go up to say hello to Zhang Zhao. If Zhang Zhao did not come, he might even ignore Zhang Zhao.
Perhaps in his opinion, Zhang Zhao is on the same level as Wang Lang.
Sure enough, after Wang Lang exchanged greetings with Zhang Zhao, he came over with Zhang Zhao.
"Zibu, let me introduce you to Xun Xiuruo of Yingchuan."
Zhang Zhao suddenly looked surprised, "Is this Yingchuan Xun Sanlang?"
Sanlang is the pet name for Xun Yan by the people of Yingchuan. Just like the people in Wu County and Kuaiji call Sun Ce "Sun Lang", it has the same meaning, which represents the local people's love for him.
Xun Yan put his hands on his and bowed slightly, "I have heard of Zhang Zibu's name for a long time, but when I saw him today, he is so dignified and majestic that he deserves his reputation."
Zhang Zhao hurriedly said politely, "If you cancel Zhao if you don't want to, Zhao's reputation is false and not worthy of the truth."
The two of them held hands and talked enthusiastically, while Cao Peng stood behind Xun Yan, cursing secretly in his heart: Who are you! There are a lot of people here who are still wet with rain, but you guys keep talking insincerely,
It's really boring. Hurry up, or find a place to take shelter from the rain.
However, he also knew that this false politeness could be regarded as a kind of courtesy.
Despite Zhang Zhao's polite words, in fact, he may not take Xun Yan seriously. Rather than saying that he respects Xun Yan, it is better to say that he respects Xun Yan's background; and the same is true for Xun Yan, although he praises him endlessly.
, but in his heart he was probably thinking about how to plot against Zhang Zhao.
A sweet mouth and a sword in the belly?
In fact, none of these great people during the Three Kingdoms period were like this!
Cao Peng suddenly felt a pair of sharp eyes sweeping over him.
Suddenly he raised his head and saw a young man following Zhang Zhao. Judging from his age, he looked like he was in his early twenties. He had a stocky appearance and gave people a sense of loyalty. But his eyes were as sharp as a falcon.
The young man just glanced at Cao Peng without paying much attention, and immediately turned his gaze elsewhere.
Cao Peng's eyes narrowed into a thin line inadvertently.
Who is this young man?
"Afu!"
"Ah, sir."
Xun Yan suddenly called Cao Peng, causing him to suddenly wake up and step forward quickly.
"I'm in the same car with Jingxing Zibu, and you drive with Xun Lan... By the way, look at the rain, let's spend the night in Dantu tonight!"
"Here!"
Cao Peng bowed and saluted.
Zhang Zhao also glanced at Cao Peng at this time, "Xiuruo, this is..."
"Oh, this is my book companion, named Xun Peng."
"What a talent."
Zhang Zhao smiled slightly, complimented him, and left with Wang Lang and Xun Yan arm in arm.
Obviously, he might pay attention to Xun Yan, but not the little book boy next to Xun Yan. However, the young man following Zhang Zhao glanced at Cao Peng again and frowned slightly, which seemed a little strange. But then,
He turned his head and left behind Zhang Zhao.
"Ziyou, that guy is not weak."
"Which one?"
"That's the person behind Zhang Zhao... This person has sharp eyes. Although his appearance is kind and honest, there is a murderous look between his eyebrows. He is probably not an ordinary person."
"Yeah?"
As Xia Houlan drove the car, he subconsciously touched Zhang Er's dragon scale next to him.
"This time when we come to Jiangdong, we must be careful. In the land of Wu and Yue, there are many outstanding people, and the reputation is not in vain. Don't act rashly."
"Um!"
Xia Houlan nodded, raised his whip, and urged the horse to move forward.
Cao Peng was sitting on the carriage, watching Xun Yan and others board a gorgeous chariot. The young general got on his horse and waved for his troops to follow. Immediately, the crowd on the horse's head separated into a road, and the chariot slowly came.
