lady, please calm down

At the end of the You hour, the river is vast and the sun sets in the west.

In front of Chunling Ferry in Ezhou, several Huaibei soldiers dressed as boatmen bowed to Xie Tianlu from a distance, then boarded the ship returning north with solemn expressions.

Hundreds of breaths later, Xie Tianlu looked at the ferry that was gradually turning into a small black dot, and felt that he had forgotten something important. It was not until the Huaibei boat completely disappeared from everyone's sight that he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to ask them to help him convey a message to Caizhou.

'Ayi, don't wait any longer.'

Here, the Imperial Camp Commander Wang Yuan was still held in front of him by Xie Tianlu, who was holding a sword. He looked up slightly and said cautiously, "Captain Xie, I have already released the Huaibei Army as promised. Shouldn't you also release me?"

Not far away, Lu Dechen, the commander of the Jiesheng Army who witnessed the whole process, secretly thought, if Xie Tianlu really let you go, how would you still be alive?
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Xie Tianlu actually let go of his hand, and the sword fell to the ground with a clang.

Wang Yuan immediately jumped forward and escaped from the threat of Jie Tianlu, who stood there without moving, with no intention of continuing to hold him hostage.

The two of them, one active and the other quiet, made it seem that Wang Yuan was judging others by his own mean-spirited mind.

But Wang Yuan was no longer as cautious as before, and shouted at his subordinates: "What are you still standing there for? Tie him up!"

Just now, when Xie Tianlu was holding Wang Yuan hostage, he said that if the lord released them, he would release the lord.

At this time, facing Wang Yuan's subordinates, he did not resist at all and allowed them to tie him up tightly.

Xie Tianlu was no longer a threat, so Wang Yuan touched his neck. His hands were stained with blood because the skin was cut. He walked up to Xie Tianlu and said angrily, "I wanted to leave you a way out, but you are courting death!"

After saying that, he punched Xie Tianlu in the abdomen with his elbow. Seeing him curl up in pain, he finally vented his anger.

Lu Dechen, who was standing next to him, came forward and took the initiative to talk to Wang Yuan: "Sir Wang, Xie Tianlu has made many military achievements in recent years. I wonder how you plan to deal with him?"

The subtext of "many military achievements" is to beg for mercy. Wang Yuan, who was angry, said coldly: "Did Lord Lu also go to Jiangbei just now? Eunuch Kang was ordered to supervise the army, and he was investigating the secret communication with the State of Chu! Lord Lu should think about how to explain to Eunuch Kang! As for this guy named Jie, he should be executed!"

In fact, according to Kang Lu's idea, he originally planned to capture only one or two sergeants, squad leaders or privates to serve as a warning to others.

For the sake of stability, not to mention Lu Dechen, a commander, even a battalion commander like Xie Tianlu cannot be easily moved.

But what Xie Tianlu has done today is tantamount to treason, even the king of heaven cannot stop him!
At the end of Youshi.

As the sky darkened, inside the Tianxiong Army camp, General Zhu De'en of the Lu Battalion carefully took out a can of luncheon meat from his arms, chopped it up with his dagger, and poured it all into the corn and vegetable porridge that was being cooked in front of him.

Zhu De'en used his fingers to scrape all the lard and minced meat at the bottom of the can into the pot. Still reluctant to throw it away, he stuck out his tongue to lick the can before stopping.

The cans were put into the pot, and the aroma of meat ignited, and the comrades nearby, whose noses were sharper than dogs, immediately gathered over.

"Hey, Brother Zhu actually has canned meat!"

"Boss, you are really good at hiding things. In the past two months, we have already eaten up all the food we brought back from Tokyo, but you still have some!"

"Damn you, Old Zhu! The last time you ate my Huaibei smoked meat, you said that the one you brought back was long gone, and you actually kept it for yourself!"

Another captain of the Lu Camp, Pang Bingzhong, who was at the same level as him, came forward cursing and wanted to scoop a bowl with a wooden spoon first.

But Zhu De'en slapped him back, "I only have half a jar left! Lao Pang, you are a starving ghost, can't you wait until the porridge is cooked before serving it?"

The commotion here attracted more comrades, who stared eagerly at the pot of vegetable porridge with added ingredients.

Next to him, a clever recruit had picked up the empty can that Zhu De'en had thrown on the ground. He didn't mind that it had just been licked by his superior, and licked the can again. A little bit of meaty smell dissolved in his mouth, which not only failed to soothe his stomach, but made him crave meat even more.

Only after licking the jar until it was shiny did the new soldier named Erliang reluctantly put it down and asked the veteran Cao Laoliu next to him, "Captain Cao, I heard that you ate this all day long when you were in Liaodong. Is that true?"

These new recruits were recruited after the Jinghu Army returned south, so they did not go to Liaodong with the army. But recently, I often hear the old soldiers miss the days when they went on the expedition with the Huaibei Army, and they also say that they are tired of eating canned luncheon meat.

After Erliang tasted the residue, he didn't believe it. How could one get tired of eating this? I guess the Emperor of Chu ate this every day!

Upon hearing this, Cao Laoliu sat down on the ground, wanting to act like an old veteran and talk about his heroic deeds in defeating the Jin Dynasty, but someone spoke before him, "Not only do they eat this all day long! There are also instant noodles, which can be eaten, cooked, and soaked. Paired with this luncheon meat, it is simply a perfect match! Sometimes, each group of brothers can even get a can of fruit after dinner!"

"Yes, yes, there are canned peaches and canned hawthorns."

"I like the canned hawthorn the best. After eating it, I drink a sip of the sugar water in the can. It's so delicious! I wouldn't trade it for a god!"

"呲流~"

"Sigh~"

There was a sound of slurping saliva in the field.

Cao Laoliu, who originally wanted to show off in front of his subordinates, saw that others were showing off, so he quickly said, "What you said is bullshit! Last year, after I conquered Ningjiang Prefecture with my brothers from the Black Flag Army, I went hunting outside the city with our Jie Tou, Captain Kang, and Heng Ge'er, and shot a roe deer. Do you know what a roe deer is? Heng Ge'er said it's a kind of deer!"

Someone immediately questioned, "Sixth brother, are you bragging? In ancient times, venison was something only emperors and nobles could eat!"

"Whoever brags is a bastard! If you don't believe me, ask Captain Zhu. He was there too!"

Seeing that all the brothers were looking at him, Zhu De'en laughed and said, "Lao Cao didn't lie. We did eat venison together. Heng Ge'er even cut off a venison leg and gave it to the King of Chu!"

"."

Eating venison is somewhat believable, but when it is suddenly linked to the King of Chu, it seems too bizarre. Who is the King of Chu? In ten years, the three kingdoms were destroyed, and all the land north of the Yangtze River became one family!
Although the veterans have fought side by side with the Huaibei Army, it sounds too much like bragging if you suddenly mention a person and claim that he can meet the Emperor of Chu.

Seeing that Erliang and several other recruits were full of disbelief but dared not question, Zhu Deen pretended to be profound and said, "What do you know? The Huaibei Army is different from ours. I didn't know it at first, but after returning to the south, I heard from Jie Tou that Heng Ge'er is the nephew of the current Queen of Chu! If he wants to see the King of Chu, he can naturally see him!"

"Ouch!"

This point is even more difficult for many people to understand. From the words of the old soldiers, they can hear that the subordinates of Captain Kang, who have a very good relationship with them, are front-line combat troops. How could the Queen's nephew join the army in such a place?
Isn't he afraid of danger? Wouldn't it be better for him to stay in the rear, or work as a clerk, and then claim military merits and get promoted?
After all, I have an uncle who is the emperor!

This topic is not easy to discuss in depth, otherwise it will easily lead to criticism of our various shortcomings, but everyone can't help but think in their hearts, we are all seven feet tall, if we can join the army in the State of Chu, our situation will be much better than it is now, right?
At least, I can eat well.
Finally, someone asked quietly, "Captain Zhu, given the current situation, if a fight really breaks out, how can we bear to fight Captain Kang and his men?"

Zhu De'en couldn't answer this question either.

Moreover, to put it nicely, I "can't bear it", but to put it bluntly, why should we fight against the Chu army!
Precisely because they had fought side by side, the veterans were more aware of the Chu army's combat effectiveness; the two armies were completely incomparable.

They already had some feelings for the Chu army, and they knew clearly that they would never be able to defeat the Jinghu army, so you can imagine how low their morale would be.

It is for this reason that so many military officers have been running to the other side every few days in recent days. This is to build relationships and prepare for retreat in advance.

Before Zhu De'en could answer, another captain, Pang Bingzhong, suddenly said, "Count the days. Jietou will be back soon. Maybe Jietou will bring us some delicious food to improve our lives." "Yes." Based on Zhu De'en's understanding of his superior, the latter would not forget his brothers. Then he subconsciously added, "Someone came from Lin'an a few days ago, saying that he was here to rectify military discipline. Don't let Jietou run into them."

"Tsk~" Pang Bingzhong sneered, showing great disdain. But before he could say anything, he saw a soldier from the Lu Camp stumbling over from a distance, his face full of fear. Before Zhu De'en could ask any questions, the man trembled and said, "Captain Zhu, something terrible has happened! Just now, he was caught by the people from the Imperial Camp after he crossed the river with a bunch of food from Huaibei. They said he would be executed tomorrow!"

"!"

There was a sudden silence in the room. Zhu De'en and Pang Bingzhong asked in unison, "Where is the person being held?"

The Tianxiong Army is the vanguard of the Jinghu Army's offensive and defensive operations, and the Lu Camp is the sharp knife of the Tianxiong Army. The reason why the Lu Camp has such combat power is naturally inseparable from the understanding of Tianlu's loyal and righteous personality charm.

Zhu and Pang's first reaction was to simultaneously think of "robbing people".

The reason why they had such subconscious thoughts was, firstly, that they had a deep relationship with Jie Tianlu; secondly, the Zhou Kingdom was in turmoil, and the deterrence to the lower-level soldiers was no longer as strong as before; thirdly, their good relationship with Kang Shitou and others gave them a good way out.

The idea of ​​"rebellion at worst" is very feasible.

If the Zhou Kingdom was at its peak and Xie Tianlu was their biological father, they might not have such courage.

However, if this kind of thing is not planned well, not only will they fail to save Tianlu, but they will also be killed along with their entire clan. The two of them looked at each other, then looked around at the crowd and briefly exchanged glances with their confidants.

Cao Laoliu and the others understood what he meant, stood up silently, and stood outside the crowd holding the hilt of the knife.

Zhu De'en then whispered, "The eunuchs from Lin'an came here to cause trouble for us! We are in Liaodong and have close contacts with the Chu army. If they kill Jietou today, it will be our turn tomorrow! Saving Jietou today is also saving ourselves! I want to go to the Imperial Camp to ask for help. If you are my brother, follow me. If you don't want to go, it's okay, you can leave on your own!"

The incident happened too suddenly, and some people hadn't reacted yet. Zhu De'en had already said that he would go and look for the person, so naturally there were people who wanted to back off.

But when they turned around, they saw Cao Laoliu and other sergeants and squad leaders standing behind the crowd with knives in their hands, looking at them hungrily.

Well, you can leave on your own. Who wants to go and take a look?

Some people were afraid, but there were also many ambitious people, or they simply wanted to surrender to Chu and eat the canned meat every day. Someone below immediately shouted, "Jietou treats us like brothers. If we stand by and watch him in trouble, are we still human beings? Captain Zhu, we will do whatever you say!"

"That's right! I have served in the army for more than ten years and have been wounded countless times. How can I die at the hands of a eunuch? I will not accept this!"

"Go, save the leader! Anyone who dares to stop us will be killed!"

Seeing that the army's morale was good, Pang Bingzhong couldn't help but get excited. He drew his sword and was about to lead his brothers to the imperial camp, but was stopped by Zhu De'en, who whispered in his ear, "Don't be reckless! Wang Yuan is leading a total of 2,000 soldiers in the imperial camp, and we only have a few hundred. If we rush over, we will definitely suffer!"

Seeing Zhu De'en still looking excited just now, but now saying these discouraging words, Pang Bingzhong couldn't help but asked anxiously: "Then what do you say we should do!"

Zhu De'en whispered in his ear, "Go and contact the various camps and tell them that the eunuch from Lin'an wants to confiscate the rewards from the King of Chu and settle accounts with the soldiers who have been to Liaodong. He has already attacked our Lu Camp! If they don't want to wait to die, go to the Imperial Camp and ask for an explanation!"

"!"

Pang Bingzhong looked at Zhu De'en in astonishment, then nodded decisively and said, "Okay! I didn't expect that you, Zhu, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, are so insidious!"

The 20,000 most elite soldiers of the Jinghu Army had accompanied the Chu Army in the northern expedition to Liaodong. As long as Zhu De'en's statement spread quickly, not to mention the eunuch Kang Lu, even the commander-in-chief Wu Gong could not suppress the anger of his soldiers.

Now that the country is on the verge of collapse and the army is on the verge of a rebellion, any tiny spark could cause a major chaos.

Only when things get chaotic, their Lu Camp will have a chance to rescue Xie Tianlu.

Pang Bingzhong led dozens of people and quickly dispersed to various locations in the camp that stretched for dozens of miles.

Zhu De'en led the remaining brothers to the Imperial Camp. On the way, he found Cao Laoliu and secretly told him: "Laoliu, quickly find a way to cross the river and find the Chu army. Tell them that our Lu Camp has decided to start an uprising tonight and return to the Chu! Ask the commander Jiang on the other side to send troops to rescue us!"

Cao Laoliu had been in the army for more than ten years and was very smart. He looked at his superior meaningfully and said, "Boss, if you become rich in the future, don't forget to help your brothers!"

There is never a shortage of ambitious people in the military.

Just looking at Zhu De'en's series of actions, on the surface he was taking risks to rescue Jie Tianlu, but if he could succeed tonight and allow the State of Chu to capture the Jiangnan Jinghu Army camp at a very small cost, then the first achievement of the Great Chu would be his!
Although Wu Gong, Lu Dechen, Sun Wei and other senior officers of the Jinghu Army had always maintained contact with the Chu Army in Jiangbei, they had never made up their minds to surrender to Chu. The reason was probably that they wanted to "wait and see".

See if you can get more favorable terms, such as being crowned king or marquis.

The reason why they dared to delay was because they had these soldiers as bargaining chips, but now, the bargaining chips had acted before them.

Therefore, the dividends that should have fallen on them will now belong to the chips.

At the beginning of the Xu period.

Inside the Jiesheng Army camp, Lu Dechen, who had specially invited the Tianxiong Army commander Sun Wei into his tent, was telling the latter what had just happened.

After hearing this, both of them concluded that Xie Tianlu would not survive as he held the imperial envoy hostage with a knife, which was tantamount to treason and was a very serious crime.

After all, Xie Tianlu was a fierce general under Sun Wei. Sun Wei complained indignantly, "If the imperial envoy wants to establish his authority, why not just choose a squad leader or a captain? Xie Tianlu may be stupid, but he is extremely brave! If you push me too far, I will surrender to the Chu!"

"Hey," Lu Dechen waved his hands and said, "The time is not right, the time is not right! Now the Emperor of Great Chu has not made any promises to our future. Can we surrender to him just because we have drunk a few meals with Jiang Huaixiong? This will inevitably make them look down on us. We need to wait and see."

Sun Wei also understood this truth. Their confidence did not come from the fact that they felt they could compete with the Chu army, but because during the Northern Expedition, they could feel from the Chu emperor's equal logistical supplies to the Jinghu army that the Chu emperor had long regarded the Jinghu army as his own and certainly did not want the two armies to fight and cause meaningless casualties.

Just based on this point, the generals of the Jinghu Army had the bargaining power to save the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers.

As the two were whispering, a personal soldier came to report that there were unusual movements in the Lu Camp.

Sun Wei immediately stood up and prepared to go back to the camp to suppress the rebellion, but was stopped by the smiling Lu Dechen, who said, "Don't go, don't go. Let's drink in the camp. Eunuch Kang and Commander Wang want to use us to establish their authority. Let's give them a slap in the face. You and I will go there later."

This is the plan of dragging Chu to bully Zhou. She is reserved towards Chu, but also wants to suppress Zhou, like a green tea bitch pulling both sides.

Anyway, the soldiers in their hands are their capital.

Sun Wei sat down slowly and asked worriedly, "Old Lu, nothing serious will happen, right?"

"What big trouble can they cause? Xie Tianlu is now imprisoned in the Imperial Camp, and the Lu Camp is leaderless. What big trouble can a few reckless men cause? We just need to wait and see. When the time comes, whether we support Eunuch Kang in killing Xie Tianlu to correct the criminal law, or speak up to plead for Xie Tianlu to calm the army's morale, isn't it just a matter of a word from us? You and I just need to sit here, everything is under our control!"

Lu Dechen stroked his beard and smiled, feeling quite pleased with himself.

Sun Wei thought about it carefully and it seemed to be true, so he temporarily put his mind at ease. (End of this chapter)