Three Kingdoms: The Guan Family's Rebellious Son, Long Blessing Jing Xiang

At dawn, the sun rises from the unobstructed horizon. At Yangping Pass, the withered yellow walls are reflected in orange, looking cold and desolate.

It is still at the foot of the city gate.

The conversation between Jia Xu and Jia Mu, father and son, finally came to an end.

The last two sentences were asked by his son Jiamu.

——『When will the barbarian soldiers arrive at Yangping Pass』

——『When will the King of Wei flee? 』

Father Jia Xu gave two dates in his answer:
"Three days later—"

"Two days later—"

That is to say, the barbarians will arrive... Yangping Pass will be breached in three days, and Cao Cao will take the path that only Jia Xu and Jia Kui know about in two days.

Catch Cao Cao...

To submit this letter of allegiance, time is still tight and difficulties still exist!
...

...

Outside Yangping Pass, the Shu army did not feel frustrated at all because of the failure of the attack on Yangping Pass.

In their view, the Cao army, which had run out of food, was like a lamb to be slaughtered. Every extra day that passed, the lamb would taste more delicious.

Instead, at night, a huge bonfire was lit on the parade ground outside the Shu army camp. A large number of soldiers gathered around it, clapping and cheering from time to time.

In the light of the bonfire, a burly man with a fluttering beard and dark skin like iron... like an angry lion was wrestling with a man with muscular body, as if the spirit of the mountains and rivers were condensed in one body, and exuding a wild power that should not be underestimated.

The former were none other than the three generals of the Han army - Zhang Fei and Zhang Yide.

The latter is Wutugu, the leader of the Barbarian Army...

By the way, the barbarian army will arrive tomorrow. The vanguard leader Wutugu arrived a day in advance and just met with Liu Bei, the left general of the Han Dynasty. After discussing the news about how to cooperate in the attack after the barbarian army arrives tomorrow, his martial nature was aroused and he couldn't help but make a proposal.

It is said that there is a black general in the Shu army, known as the God of War, who is brave enough to defeat ten thousand men...

As the bravest warrior of the barbarians, Wutugu, the king of the Ugo Kingdom, was naturally dissatisfied and itched to compete, so he proposed to have a competition with the black general.

It is for this reason...right in front of this military tent, at the instruction of Liu Bei, the soldiers retreated one after another, forming a large circle to make room for this unprecedented contest.

——Wrestling!
This is the most direct collision between two tough guys.

Zhang Fei took the lead and locked his opponent's waist with his hands like iron clamps, trying to overwhelm his opponent with his strength.

However, Wutugu was not willing to be outdone. He took a deep breath, and his bones made a slight crackling sound. He stood firmly on his feet and grabbed Zhang Fei's wrist with his backhand. The two of them immediately fell into a stalemate.

Zhang Fei's face flushed red, veins bulged, he roared, it was as if a fire was burning in his body, his strength increased dramatically;

Wutugu, on the other hand, was as steady as a mountain, taking every step carefully, and every breath seemed to be accumulating more terrifying power. The two fought back and forth, sometimes Zhang Fei pressed Wutugu slightly, and sometimes Wutugu turned the situation around with his amazing resilience and explosive power.

It is hard to imagine that Zhang Fei, who was a powerful enemy against thousands of people and had always been victorious in single combat in the past, was actually tied by a barbarian this time!

The fighting power of the barbarians can be seen from this——

Finally, there was another cloud of dust. Zhang Fei could not do anything to Wutugu, and Wutugu could not completely suppress Zhang Fei.

Finally...the two of them looked at each other, and the fierceness they had in the fight suddenly disappeared, replaced by a knowing laugh, a mutual respect...

"You are really strong. You are probably even stronger than that little Lu Bu. It's lucky that it's me. If it was my second brother, he would probably lose to you in wrestling—"

Zhang Fei praised Wutugu from the bottom of his heart...

Wu Tu Gu also responded with a smile, "You too, in the Barbarian Camp, I heard Mr. Zhuge say that the Fighting God Black Zhang Fei was incomparably brave and could defeat ten thousand men. I didn't believe it then, but after today's competition, I believe it... Brother Black... deserves the title of Fighting God! Deserves it!"

Wrestling also brings out a mutual sympathy...

For a moment, Zhang Fei and Wu Tu Gu were arm in arm, just like brothers...

"Drink, let's drink tonight... We can't decide the winner in wrestling, but we should at least decide the winner by drinking, right? Ah...hahahaha..."

Zhang Fei laughed heartily.

Liu Bei, who witnessed the whole wrestling scene, heard his third brother say this and quickly advised: "Yide? No... The barbarian army will arrive tomorrow and attack Yangping Pass the day after tomorrow. Don't drink and delay the work!"

"Brother, don't worry...it won't be a problem...Cao's army will run out of food tomorrow! Going hungry the day after tomorrow? What the hell?"

After hearing what Zhang Fei said, Wu Tu Gu touched his sparse hair and laughed: "Does he have any hair? Does Cao Cao have any hair? Not a single hair!"

Having said that...

"Hahahaha..." Led by Zhang Fei, all the soldiers watching burst into laughter.

It was completely different from the Wei army inside Yangping Pass who were starving, full of hatred and about to fall into a desperate situation. The atmosphere here was... very relaxed.

Yes!

What’s the use of having too many soldiers?

Without food, it is still a paper tiger, which can be pierced with ten thousand transparent holes overnight.

Seeing this, Liu Bei felt that the soldiers of the three armies were a little slack. He wanted to persuade them not to be careless, but was stopped by Fa Zheng.

Fa Zheng whispered to Liu Bei, "Let the soldiers have some fun. In fact, the decisive battle in Hanzhong... has ended since the Wei army's food and grass were burned... and since the barbarians returned to Han. The only variable now is whether we can catch that Cao thief! If we catch him, there is a chance to completely end this chaotic world!"

Liu Bei was slightly moved by Fa Zheng's words. He really stopped trying to persuade his third brother and let him drink and chat happily with the barbarian general, but he...

But he couldn't help but raise his head and look up at the sky.

The atmosphere was set here. At this moment, he seemed to recall the scene when he and Cao Cao drank green plum wine in Xuchang City...

Cao Cao's words, "The only heroes in the world are you and me", echo in Liu Bei's ears as always, even though time has passed.

The past is like smoke, and twenty years have passed in a flash. Is the time of drinking wine together finally coming to an end?
For a moment, Liu Bei's mood became a little complicated.

But it was only for a moment before he took a deep breath and murmured.

"Brother Meng De, things are unpredictable, and courtesy should be reciprocated. This time... I will invite you to join the Han army's camp. You and I will continue the preface and finish the story of boiling green plum wine--"

...

Everything is going according to plan.

So far, so good.

When the news of the barbarians, Chang'an and Hanzhong were transmitted to Luoyang via carrier pigeons, Guan Lin and a group of civil and military officials finally felt relieved.

Ma Liang had already spread out the map from Hanzhong to Chang'an.

The five extremely eye-catching escape routes, such as Qishan Road, Chenchang Road, Baoxia Road, Tangxia Road, and Ziwu Valley, were all specially marked, as if... In Ma Liang's opinion, the focus of their discussion should also shift from the victory or defeat of this battle to how to expand the victory of this battle? How to capture Cao Cao!

But Guan Lin… there was a sense of loneliness that suddenly appeared in his eyes for some unknown reason…

It was like, he had planned everything... and finally caught Cao Cao when the day of hope came for the people. But instead, he felt a sense of emptiness, as if his mission had been accomplished and his whole body was empty.

Listening to Lu Xun, Jiang Wei, Ma Liang and others discussing Cao Cao's escape route, Guan Lin seemed to come back to his senses after a long time, and he murmured lightly.

"Capturing Cao Cao, no need to discuss further..."

At this point, Guan Lin bit his lip, trying to calm his complicated emotions. He emphasized again: "Cao Cao can't fly away even if he has wings... As for us, the most urgent task is to deal with an old friend."

As he spoke, Guan Lin's gaze drifted downward from the location of Hanzhong in the map...

It passed Shangyong, Fangling, Xiangyang, Fancheng, Wancheng, Xuchang... and finally landed outside Hulao Pass east of Luoyang, not far from Hulao Pass... the place between Hulao Pass and Chenliu County, called "Suanzao County".

There... Zhang Liao, the last famous general who fought against Wei, was stationed...

That was also the place where Cao Cao raised his army in Chenliu 26 years ago and called on the 18 princes to form an alliance to attack Dong Zhuo!
There were heroes vying for supremacy, and it was the beginning of this chaotic world.

And with Guan Lin saying this...

Everyone's eyes turned, and Lu Xun was the first to react, "Yunqi is going to deal with Zhang Liao and Zhang Wenyuan, right?"

Guan Lin nodded...

Hearing this, Ling Tong's brows twitched slightly in the office. Obviously... every time Zhang Liao and Zhang Wenyuan were mentioned, it would always stir up waves in his heart, and would always reopen his long-forgotten memories.

"It's time to end it all—" "End it—"

Ling Tong thought so...

Lu Xun sighed: "Even in the current situation, the morale of the Wei army is low...but Zhang Liao and Zhang Wenyuan's words are probably... probably..."

Lu Xun hesitated to speak...

After all, he was from Jiangdong, and after all, he had experienced the disastrous defeat at Xiaoyaojin. The name Zhang Liao... always had an extraordinary influence among the civil and military officials of Jiangdong, like a nightmare.

"hehe…"

Guan Lin met Lu Xun's gaze, as if he had realized and understood what Lu Xun and all the civil and military officials of Jiangdong were thinking in an instant.

He said lightly, "Let's call in all the Jiangdong soldiers who experienced the battle at Xiaoyaojin..."

Having said this, Guan Lin's tightly squinted eyes suddenly opened, and suddenly a confident and brilliant light was released.

He pointed to the location of Suanzao County on the map and said solemnly: "Right here, I will take you to completely uncover the nightmare of the past—"

This…

Guan Lin’s words scared everyone present.

Lu Xun continued, "Even if we have more soldiers and generals, Zhang Liao and Zhang Wenyuan will probably not surrender."

"It's very simple, just beat him until he surrenders—"

Guan Lin left these final words, and then walked out of the government office with the gait of a dragon and a tiger...

He was about to start making the final deployment for the battle to "eliminate the nightmare and defeat Zhang Liao"!

There has never been a moment when his gaze, his cheeks, his voice... are more determined than at this moment!

Of course, his words... especially the last half sentence "Then beat him until he surrenders", the lingering sound is endless in my ears——

...

...

At Yangping Pass, inside Cao Cao's office, Zhang Wei, the chief priest of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect, knelt on one knee in front of Cao Cao with his elder sister Zhang Yulan and niece Zhang Qiying.

At this moment, through the mouths of these two women, they told everything that happened in Chengdu. Of course... Regarding the part where Guan Suo, one man and six women slept together, the two of them tacitly did not mention it at all.

"Zhongde... Zhongde is actually in that barbarian camp!"

Cao Cao looked a little lonely...

But... this situation does not give him too much time to be lonely. He must quickly put Cheng Yu's death... behind him.

In fact, when the threat comes, Cao Cao's heart is as hard as steel than anyone else!

"Sure enough..." Cao Cao took a deep breath and never mentioned Cheng Yu again. He just narrowed his eyes and sighed, "I guessed right. Those barbarians are not here to help me. Instead, they are bewitched by Zhuge Village Man and are here to help the thieves to kill me—"

When Cao Cao said this, he could not help but walk to the door of the government office...

In fact, outside the government office, the entire Wei army was discussing the matter.

Even the noisy and boisterous voices of discussion...some of them were heard in the office through the doors and windows...and into Cao Cao's ears.

"I heard that the barbarians only sent a vanguard force this time, no more than 10,000 people? If so... how much food do they have? Is it enough for the hundreds of thousands of people here?"

"At least, the king has not ordered the grain to be distributed in small quantities this time, and no unlucky grain officer has died for this. This shows that... from the perspective of grain and grass alone, the king is still confident!"

"That's right... maybe, those barbarians are very strong, and the king is planning to attack them from both inside and outside to defeat the Shu army? If we can defeat the Shu army, we can also rob their food."

"By the way, isn't our Anguoting Marquis Cheng in the barbarian army? If we defeat the Shu army by attacking from both inside and outside, will he go back to his old ways... and turn the bandit army into dried meat for eating?"

"Ugh, could you please stop saying these...disgusting..."

"What's the big deal? In our entire Wei army, everyone knows that Jia Xu, Jia Wenhe, Cheng Yu... Cheng Zhongde, one of them hurts Tianhe but not Wenhe, and the other hurts Yinde but not Zhongde... As for us... we'll just get used to it, just get used to it——"

Various discussions continued to be heard.

Some were optimistic, but there were also those who were doubtful and suspicious... After listening to what Zhang Yulan and Zhang Qiying said, and then hearing the uproar, Cao Cao's expression became even gloomier and indifferent.

After two days of rest, the headache that had eased slightly showed signs of recurring again.

Cao Cao paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, somewhat annoyed and frustrated:
"Back then, during the Battle of Guandu, I was also in a desperate situation because of food. At that time... I only had three days' worth of food, and I was about to be defeated, but in the end, Xu You came... And this time, I also waited until the end, hoping to wait for a slight turnaround in the war situation, but unfortunately... unfortunately... there is no turnaround anymore!"

Cao Cao's tiger eyes had lost their luster. He looked at Zhang Wei and said, "Grand Priest Zhang... I will not hide the current situation from you. The Wei army's food tonight is the last meal, and they will run out of food tomorrow morning! Before noon, the army will mutiny. Before dusk... There is no need to use the barbarians to attack together with the Shu army. Yangping Pass will collapse and disintegrate in advance..."

Not only was there no light in his eyes, Cao Cao's tone was also full of vicissitudes, but he did not hide anything and told the Five Pecks of Rice Sect leaders in front of him truthfully: "I have fallen into a desperate situation. If I am not careful, I am afraid that my life will be lost here..."

Having said this, Cao Cao stopped talking and his tone became silent.

Zhang Wei knelt down with a click, and said with his hands clasped, "Your Majesty, you can tell me all this... It shows that Your Majesty trusts me and the Five Pecks of Rice Sect... Your Majesty... Your Majesty... No matter what the situation is, I will stay by Your Majesty's side and swear to live and die with Your Majesty!"

At this point, Zhang Wei's head hit the ground with a bang, which caused Zhang Yulan and Zhang Qiying to knock their heads to the ground as well.

"Okay... okay..." Cao Cao quickly helped Zhang Wei, Zhang Qiying and Zhang Yulan up... He continued earnestly and sincerely, "I have experienced the disintegration of the Yuan family... I understand it too well. When the Wei Dynasty was strong, the people around me were all good people, and they were all loyal. But now it's different, the situation is different. Zhong Yao, who was born in Yingchuan, betrayed me. Who can I still rely on? Haha... More than 300,000 troops, hundreds of civil and military officials, the only ones I can trust now are you..."

Cao Cao gazed at Zhang Wei with eyes of utmost trust; this trust was more like his trust in the Five Pecks of Rice Sect and the Tianshi Dao.

In fact...

Ever since Zhang Lu surrendered and said "I would rather be Cao Gong's slave than Liu Bei's guest", Cao Cao has been devoted to the Five Pecks of Rice Sect.

This is why, at this difficult time, he did not trust anyone and only handed the task of escape to the Five Pecks of Rice Sect.

"I intend to use these 300,000 soldiers as bait... While they are out of food and in chaos, and while the enemy is attacking the pass in chaos, you, Grand Priest Zhang, will select a thousand elite soldiers to escort me out of Hanzhong... My foundation is in the north, and as long as I can return to Yecheng alive, even if the situation is extremely unfavorable, I have the confidence to start over and turn the tide... I have specially left some food, enough for a thousand people to spend two months on the journey! Whether I can be sent back to Yecheng, it all... depends on the Five Pecks of Rice Sect——"

Speaking of which…

Cao Cao bowed solemnly to Zhang Wei.

And this... was also the first time Cao Cao solemnly bowed to someone after becoming King of Wei.

For a moment, Zhang Wei, Zhang Qiying and Zhang Yulan felt that a huge burden was pressing on them, even to the point of suffocation.

Zhang Wei hesitated for a long time before speaking, "Your Majesty, I will go and inform Mr. Jia and General Jia right away... and ask them to prepare and evacuate together tomorrow—"

The first Mr. Jia is Jia Xu. He is the only military advisor in Cao’s camp now and a strategist who has made great contributions to the Wei Dynasty!
The second General Jia is Jia Kui. In history, he was a meritorious official of Cao Wei for three generations. If we follow the original historical trajectory, Cao Cao would have specially ordered him to preside over the funeral before his death. He was a minister promoted by Cao Cao and whom Cao Cao trusted extremely much.

What's more, yesterday... Cao Cao specially called the two of them into his carriage...

This made Zhang Wei believe that Jia Xu and Jia Kui must be the people that the King of Wei wanted to take with him during this escape.

only…

It was beyond Zhang Wei's expectation.

Just as he proposed to inform Jia Xu and Jia Kui, and was about to turn around and go out to make arrangements, Cao Cao waved his hand.

"You stop!"

"what…"

"Don't tell them..."

This… Zhang Wei was still in shock, but Cao Cao’s cold and fierce eyes were already showing a different kind of brilliance. He solemnly chanted: “I don’t trust them—”

This…

After Cao Cao said this, Zhang Wei was stunned.

Yesterday... Jia Xu and Jia Kui were in the carriage together yesterday... Now King Cao Cao's evaluation of them is... He actually doesn't trust them!
So... what about this escape plan?
Do not…

Zhang Wei suddenly realized something. Not only him, but Zhang Yulan also seemed to suddenly understand something.

Could it be... Could it be that Jia Xu and Jia Kui... are also part of the king's escape plan?
——『Could it be!』

Zhang Yulan couldn't help but mutter in her heart: "Could it be that the king is... the king is using them?"

...

…(End of chapter)