At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 181 The tiger is dead, Zhang Liao?

As the northernmost city in Lujiang County, Yangquan's importance is self-evident.

On this day, dust suddenly broke out outside the city.

Zhou Yu and Hao Meng, who were guarding Yangquan, saw this and hurriedly looked up, only to see a large group of cavalry galloping towards them.

Facing the sun, the banner with the word "Zhou" fluttered, and it was Zhou Qi who led [-] cavalry to chase and kill Lu Bu.

"Open the city gate, welcome the chariot and ride the general!"

Zhou Yu's eyesight was very good, and he was looking from a high position. When he saw clearly that the leader was the chariot general himself, he couldn't help but be overjoyed and hurriedly ordered his soldiers to open the city gate.

"Crench!"

The gate of the city was opened, and Zhou Yu personally went to meet Zhou Qi with the rangers he had recruited and the soldiers who had defected from the city.

"Shut up!"

Zhou Qi saw Zhou Yu from a distance, and couldn't help but smile on his tired face.

He calculated the distance, reined in the reins, and the speed of the horse slowly slowed down.

The cavalry behind him were almost all local elites, and they had been following around since Zhou Qi's crusade against the kingdom and Han Sui.

They didn't need to command at all, and they all slowed down their horses one after another.

"Meet uncle!"

Seeing Zhou Qi get off his horse, Zhou Yu hastily stepped forward to salute.

Zhou Qi helped Zhou Yu up and asked, "Did you take Lu Bu?"

Zhou Yu pointed at Hao Meng and said, "Thanks to General Hao Meng's help, we were able to capture Lu Bu and Zhang Liao alive."

Hearing this, Zhou Qi set his sights on Hao Meng.

Hao Meng did not expect that Zhou Yu, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, was actually the nephew of the cavalry general.

He didn't even expect that Zhou Yu didn't take the credit, but gave the credit to himself, so he couldn't help being moved.

Hao Meng hurried forward, prostrated himself on the ground, and said: "The plan is all planned by the young general, and I don't have much credit for it."

Zhou Qi nodded slightly, but he was not overly enthusiastic.

Zhou Qi didn't like the traitorous general.

Even according to the original history, Hao Meng betrayed Lu Bu early on.

In this era, loyalty is important, and no monarch would like such a traitor.

Because he can betray Lu Bu today and capture him alive, he may betray himself tomorrow.

This is also why, in history, several generals under Lu Bu who took the initiative to betray have never been recorded since then.

Although Cao Cao was treacherous, he also liked loyal men like Guan Yu.

Zhang Liao was able to be reused because Zhang Liao himself was very talented, and he did not take the initiative to betray Lu Bu, but was defeated and captured.

When Zhang Liao surrendered, Lu Bu had already been killed. He was a man without an owner. If he surrendered to Cao Cao, others would have nothing to say.

But several other generals under Lu Bu took the initiative to betray Lu Bu and planned to capture him alive.

No one likes such subordinates.

It was precisely for this reason that after Lu Bu was killed, those generals disappeared.

Zhou Qi despised Hao Meng as a human being, if he had many generals under his command now, he might just push him out and kill him.

However, Zhou Qi is indeed short of people now, and the shortage of generals is more serious than that of scribes.

No matter how bad Hao Meng is, he is also a person who has left his name in the history books, so he can use it.

And after all, he belongs to surrender. If I kill him casually, I am afraid that it will not be easy to instigate other generals in the future.

However, Zhou Qi did not intend to reuse Hao Meng.

He just casually comforted a few words, then greeted Zhou Yu and his cavalry, and entered the city.

Within the county government.

"Major General, Lu Bu woke up, screaming for pain, and asked us to help him untie the rope."

A ranger came to report.

Zhou Yu turned to look at Zhou Qi and said with a smile, "Uncle, do you want to see this Lu Bu?"

A stern light flashed in Zhou Qi's eyes, and he said, "Bring him here."

"Oh, the tendon is too tight, it hurts me!"

When Lu Bu was pushed over, the beef tendons on his hands were so tight that they were almost cut into the flesh. Some places had turned purple-green due to lack of blood supply.

After he saw Zhou Qi, he hurriedly shouted: "General Chariot and Cavalry, can you help me loosen the rope?"

Seeing Lu Bu's appearance, Zhou Qi couldn't help laughing and said, "How can the tiger be relaxed?"

"What if Guruo lets go of the rope and you run away?"

Lu Bu hurriedly said: "The general of chariots and cavalry is mighty in the world, I have already convinced myself, and I ask the general to spare my life."

"In the future, I will be in charge of the cavalry for the general, and I will take the lead in the charge. Who in the world can compete with the general?"

To be honest, if Lu Bu hadn't killed Lu Kang, Zhou Qi might not have considered taking him under his command.

Although Lu Bu is capricious, it is a good knife after all. If he can hold the handle tightly, it can be of great use.

Zhou Qi is indeed very lacking in generals now.

Unfortunately.

After Lu Bu captured Lu Kang alive, he killed him again, which was absolutely wrong.

If the two armies fight and die on the battlefield, it doesn't matter.

However, Lu Kang did not die on the battlefield, but was killed after being captured.

Lu Kang is sixty-five this year, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is rare in this era.

Not to mention a celebrity like Lu Kang, who was deeply supported by all the people.The Han Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety. Even if ordinary people could live to this age, they could not kill casually. This would harm the peace of the world.

Therefore, the moment Lu Bu killed Lu Kang, the outcome was already doomed.

Not killing Lu Bu is not enough to anger the people.

Not killing Lu Bu is not enough to give an account to the hundreds of thousands of people in Lujiang.

Although Lu Bu had been sentenced to death in his heart, Zhou Qi still planned to go through the cutscene.

He turned to look at Hao Meng and asked, "General, do you think Lu Bu can stay?"

Hao Meng did not expect that General Chariot and Cavalry would actually ask him, and he was immediately flattered.

But soon, he became afraid.

He had betrayed Lu Bu and planned to capture him alive. If Lu Bu survived, Hao Meng's life would be difficult in the future.

Thinking of this, Hao Meng immediately said: "General, do you know about Ding Jianyang and Dong Zhuo?"

Zhou Qi pretended to be suddenly enlightened and said: "Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo treated Lu Bu so well, but they betrayed and killed them in exchange for glory and wealth."

"How can I tame this tiger?"

Lu Bu felt that something was wrong, and immediately yelled at Hao Meng: "I didn't treat you badly, why did you treat me like this?"

Hao Meng just lowered his head and said nothing, not daring to look at Lu Bu.

Seeing this, Lu Bu turned his head to Zhou Qi and begged, "The general spares my life, and Lu Bu will repay the general with all his heart!"

Zhou Qi wanted to kill, but he didn't pay attention to it at all, but said to the soldiers behind him: "Push it out and kill it!"

The soldiers went up to arrest Lü Bu. Lü Bu was terrified and shouted loudly: "In the past, Duke Huan of Qi ordered Guan Zhong to be his prime minister regardless of the revenge of shooting the hook; now Lü Bu is willing to use all his strength to be the forerunner of Duke Ming. Please forgive me One life!"

Before Zhou Qi could answer, Xiang Hong who was standing next to him sneered, "General Cheqi is certainly comparable to Duke Huan of Qi, but who are you, and worthy to be compared with Guan Zhong?"

Zhou Qi smiled and did not answer. He just waved his hand and signaled his sergeants to quickly push Lu Bu out and kill him.

The sergeant understood, and dragged Lu Bu to the outside.

However, Lu Bu was too strong and fearful, so he was not willing to die. He struggled and shouted: "Spare my life, General Chariot and Cavalry, spare my life!"

Zhang Liao, who was escorted over just beside him, couldn't see Lu Bu being so greedy for life and afraid of death, so he couldn't help scolding him immediately: "If a man dies, he will die. Why do you have to be afraid? Why do you act like a daughter?"

When Zhou Qi heard this, he pretended to be furious, pointed at Zhang Liao and shouted: "Who are you? How dare you speak such arrogant words!"

Zhang Liao was not afraid. Even though he was tied tightly, he still held his head high and said, "I am Yanmen and so is Zhang Liao!"

At this time, Zhang Liao was already determined to die.

It was he who led the troops to capture Lujiang, he was the one who killed Huang Shao in a sneak attack, and it was he who followed Lu Bu to resist until he was finally captured.

Even a brave and famous general like Lu Bu, Zhou Qi did not hesitate to kill him.

Zhang Liao has no reputation at all now, and the only record he can get is a surprise attack on Lujiang under Zhou Qi's rule.

No matter from which point of view, Zhang Liao felt that he was bound to die.

That being the case, what is there to be afraid of?

Zhou Qi was furious and stood up, pointing at Zhang Liao and yelling: "So it's you who attacked Lujiang secretly and killed my general Huang Shao."

"Come on, drag him out and behead him!"

Hearing this, the two sergeants hurried forward to hold Zhang Liao down, trying to drag him out.

But Zhang Liao struggled to break away from the two of them, and shouted sharply: "A certain pair of legs are not bound, they can walk on their own, no need for you to drag them."

After speaking, Zhang Liao held his head high and strode outside.

Seeing this, Zhou Qi couldn't help but sigh: "What a well-known man, Lu Bu is nothing compared to him!"

Zhou Yu heard the strings and knew the elegant meaning. Seeing that Zhang Liao had reached the door, he hurriedly said loudly: "General Zhang Liao wait a moment."

Zhang Liao stopped, and turned to look at Zhou Yu with some doubts.

To be honest, Zhang Liao had a good impression of Zhou Yu because even if he was defeated and captured, Zhou Yu still sent doctors to bandage his wounds.

Naturally, Zhang Liao would never forget this kindness.

However, he was about to die, but he didn't want to be too pretentious. He just stood at the door without saying a word.

Zhou Yu's sudden move also attracted the attention of everyone in the room.

Zhou Qi asked: "What does Ayu mean?"

Zhou Yu bowed deeply to Zhou Qi, and said: "I think Zhang Wenyuan is quite good at military affairs, and he can be regarded as a famous man."

"Uncle is currently employing people, why not forgive his crimes and bring him under his command. In this way, uncle can gain a great general and leave a good reputation for accepting talents. Why not do it?"

Before Zhou Qi could answer, Xiang Hong yelled sharply, "He attacked Lujiang and killed Huang Shao. How could he not avenge such a great hatred?"

Chen Wen also stepped forward and said: "The young general doesn't know something. General Huang Shao has followed Minggong since the Yellow Turban Uprising. Although he didn't make great military exploits, he worked hard and remained loyal."

"He killed Huang Shao. If he didn't kill him, wouldn't it make all the generals feel chilling?"

Zhou Qi nodded when he heard the words and said, "Huang Shao is a lonely old minister, this revenge must be avenged!"

Seeing that everyone spoke out against it, Zhou Yu said calmly, "I have something to say, please listen to it."

"In today's troubled times, the princes have risen together, and the generals are fighting each other for their masters. This is loyalty and duty."

"It is inevitable that earthen pots will fall on the well, and generals will inevitably die in battle. The shroud of horse leather is also the final destination of many soldiers."

"Since my uncle has the ambition to help the country, he should have the heart to tolerate the world. If Huang Shao is killed in front of Zhang Liao's formation today, he will not allow him to surrender and will insist on killing him."

"If the matter spreads out, if other princes surrender to lead in the future, and kill our generals before the battle, they will definitely fight to the death and refuse to surrender, fearing that they will be defeated and killed."

Speaking of this, Zhou Yu looked around at the crowd and said, "Killing a person, and there is such a serious hidden danger, it is better to pardon his crime, entrust him with a heavy responsibility, set an example, and show his uncle's mind, so that he will be respected by the world."

Zhou Yu was eloquent and eloquent. Everyone who said these words was speechless, but they felt that something was wrong.

After all, Xiang Hong and Chen Wen didn't study as much as Zhou Yu, so they couldn't refute for a while.

Zhou Qi frowned and said, "Even if you spend thousands of dollars to buy horse bones, they should at least be the bones of a thousand-mile horse. Can Zhang Liao be worthy of the title of a thousand-mile horse with his talent and virtue?"

Zhou Yu talked eloquently: "Lü Bu's army was defeated, and his subordinates scattered and fled in all directions. I don't know how many surrendered. Only Zhang Wenyuan, even with several wounds on his body, still followed around and would not change until death. This is loyalty."

"Many of my uncle's troops are from Bingzhou. I have already inquired about it before. Zhang Wenyuan is young, filial and loyal. Many heroes of Bingzhou would like to make friends with him. Even Gao Shun, the leader of the camp, also heard of Zhang Liao's name. It's Xiaoyi."

"Zhang Wenyuan only led [-] cavalry to kill Huang Shao in formation, and captured Lujiang with a small number and a large number. Let me ask you generals, who is confident that he can do this? This is brave."

"Although Zhang Wenyuan beheaded Huang Shao, he treated his family members kindly, and treated Lu Junshou with courtesy. Even if Lu Bu refused to listen to his advice and killed the Duke, he would still bury him generously. Everyone in Shu County knows about this, and the maids in the governor's mansion also It can be proved."

"Lü Bu entered Lujiang, and all his generals were plundered. Only Zhang Liao restrained his troops, strictly enforced military discipline, and did not violate the rule of the people. This is benevolent."

"Lü Bu has no wisdom. He was played by his uncle and Yuan Shu in the applause. Only Zhang Wenyuan repeatedly reminded him, but his suggestions were not adopted. This is wisdom."

"All of these show that Zhang Liao is a man of loyalty, filial piety, righteousness, courage, benevolence, and wisdom. If the two armies fought and beheaded the general under his uncle's command, and killed such righteous men, wouldn't it be disappointing to the world?"

When everyone heard the words, they all looked at each other in blank dismay, unable to speak out to refute.

Zhou Qi turned to look at Dian Wei and asked, "What do you think, Mr. Dian, of Ayu's words?"

Huang Shao was not very capable, but he was good at management, and he had good relations with almost all of Zhou Qi's generals.

But there were only two of them who kept themselves clean, never formed cliques, and did not interact too much with other generals.

One of them is Dian Wei, and the other is Xu Chu.

Because of this, the two of them often lead the troops to protect Zhou Qi's safety, and command the imperial guards, so they can be regarded as close ministers.

The two of them knew their duties and understood that it was not appropriate for a close minister to have too much contact with the generals, so they deliberately kept a distance from the generals.

Zhou Qi did not ask Xiang Hong, Chen Wen and others who were close to Huang Shao, but directly asked Dian Wei, and his attitude was very intriguing.

In fact, the answer given by Dian Wei should be more fair.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were focused on him, Dian Wei pondered for a while and said, "What Zhou Lang said is not unreasonable."

"The two armies are at war, and each is the master. Death in battle is inevitable. How can you blame the enemy general for this?"

"And Zhang Liao is indeed both wise and brave. When I was crusading against the kingdom, I was in command of Bingzhou and county soldiers, and I heard Zhang Liao's reputation from them."

"Today is a time of great strife. The princes are rising together. It would be a pity to kill such talented people."

"If possible, Duke Ming might as well take it for his own use."

As Zhou Qi's closest general, Dian Wei naturally understands Zhou Qi's thoughts very well.

With Zhou Qi's character, if he really wanted to kill Zhang Liao, he wouldn't make such trouble, and it would be useless to persuade him.

When things had progressed to this point, and they were still discussing whether to kill Zhang Liao, Zhou Qi had already expressed his intention.

And Dian Wei also knows that Yangzhou is indeed very short of generals right now, especially generals like Zhang Liao who are both wise and brave, and who can command cavalry, are even more scarce.

Otherwise, when Zhou Qi traveled thousands of miles to attack Lu Bu, he would not have brought only Dian Wei, Xiang Hong, and Chen Wen with him.

It's not that Zhou Qi doesn't want to bring more, it's just that there are really not many people available under his command.

Seeing that Dian Wei agreed to keep Zhang Liao, even though Xiang Hong and Chen Wen were dissatisfied, they didn't say anything more.

Zhou Qi turned to Zhang Liao and asked, "Are you willing to surrender?"

Hearing this, Zhang Liao couldn't help being stunned on the spot.

He thought that he would definitely die this time, but he never expected that Zhou Qi would not kill him.

To be honest, no one is not afraid of death, and Zhang Liao is no exception.

Moreover, he has no place to display his abilities so far.

If he could become famous and then die in battle, Zhang Liao would not be unacceptable.

But now, he entrusted no one, and followed Lu Bu, a pussy, to die so uselessly, after all, he was a little unwilling.

Therefore, after hearing Zhou Qi's voice, Zhang Liao was so pleasantly surprised that he forgot to answer for a while.

But Zhou Yu hurriedly stepped forward and whispered: "The general is asking you a question!"

Only then did Zhang Liao come to his senses, he quickly knelt down on the ground, and said, "Thanks to Mr. Ming, I don't care about the previous suspicions, so I'm willing to put my heart out and follow the general around."

Zhou Qi stepped forward to help Zhang Liao and untied him personally. Seeing that his clothes were torn, he took off his battle robe and covered it with clothes.

He pulled Zhang Liao in front of Xiang Hong and Chen Wen, and said to the two of them: "From now on, you will be ministers in the same court, and you must not have any quarrels in your heart."

"After returning to Shu County, I will ask Wen Yuan to come to the door in person to apologize to Huang Shao's family."

"Huang Shao's wife and son, I'm raising him in the mansion, and when his son grows up, he will definitely use him."

Lu Bu, who was struggling and refused to go out, saw Zhang Liao being accepted by Zhou Qi, as if he had seen the light of day, and shouted loudly: "Ming Gong, please spare my life, I am willing to wipe out my liver and brains to do the hard work of dogs and horses."

Zhou Qi was disgusted, seeing that the two sergeants couldn't pull him back, he immediately said to Dian Wei: "Please trouble Mr. Dian to do it yourself, drag him out and chop him up, so as not to continue making noise here."

Dian Wei promised, stepped forward and grabbed Lu Bu's clothes, lifted him up and strode out.

Lu Bu still wanted to struggle, but how strong is Dian Wei?
Don't say that Lu Bu is injured now, and he is still tied tightly. Even in the period of complete victory, his strength is not as strong as Dian Wei's.

Not long after, Dian Wei walked in carrying a bloody human head.

Zhou Qi glanced at it and said, "Lü Bu's head will be pickled with quicklime and taken back to Shu County to pay homage to Duke Lu!"

(End of this chapter)