The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 118 Set Sail and Surrender
Zhang Zhao's nephew, Zhang Fen, whose style name is Wenjing, doesn't like reading, but likes making various machines. He once built a siege cart, so Bu Zhi recommended him to Sun Quan.Sun Quan wanted him to lead soldiers to fight, but Zhang Zhao didn't like it. He felt that young people don't study well, and leading soldiers to fight too early is not good for future development, so he was not allowed to go, saying that you are still young, you should study hard some type of.In the end, Zhang Fen, who doesn't like reading, took the ancients as an example to refute Zhang Zhao, saying that I am several years older than Tong Wang and Ziqi, and I should have gone out to do things long ago. he.

Now that Gu Yong mentioned Zhang Fen, although Zhang Zhao was a little unhappy, he knew that at this juncture, no matter how good the book is, it is useless. The key is to be able to build a thunderbolt car. Although Zhang Fen cannot build a thunderbolt car, but always has research on this aspect, so he didn't say anything at the moment, pretending not to hear.

Seeing Zhang Zhao deflated, Sun Quan felt a little happy in his heart, but it didn't show on his face.He immediately arranged for Zhang Fen to be recruited. Because he was afraid of seeing Zhang Zhao, Zhang Fen asked to stay away and take a post under Sun Shao, the prefect of Guangling.After the crowd retreated, he called Xu Xiang again, and told him to go to Cao Ying to ask for surrender. No matter what conditions Cao Cao offered, he had to take a breather before talking.

Xu Xiang took the order and left.

Cao Cao was evaluating the results of the battle with Liu Ye, Yang Xiu and others. After a few days of familiarization, the soldiers operating the Thunderbolt chariot gradually began to adapt to the bumps of the warship, their accuracy improved, and the results of the battle began to be significant, but this improvement is actually limited. Yes, one of ten abilities is great, and in the end we still have to rely on numbers to win. It is better against the fixed target Ruxuwu, but the effect against the moving target warship is not satisfactory.Therefore, the most direct consequence was that the stone bullets prepared for several days were consumed at an astonishing speed. Zang Ba and Sun Guan, who were playing happily, had been in emergency many times.

"How many days will the prepared stones last?" Cao Cao stroked his beard, feeling very excited, not only because the battle went smoothly, but also because he had just received the news that the prescription given by Sun Shao was checked by the army's medical craftsman and said that although there were some Aconitum, you have to wait for someone to test the medicine and make sure it is correct before you dare to take it for him, but judging from the reasonable compatibility of the entire prescription, it should be in the hands of a master.The headache that has been bothering him has a solution, and his mood is much better.

"One more day at most." Liu Ye said: "Operating on a warship is much more difficult than on flat ground, and the hit rate is very low."

"Yeah." Cao Cao nodded, feeling the same way. He boarded the warship and went to the middle of the river to have a look.He thought for a while: "Tomorrow we will concentrate on attacking Ruxuwu, and after we take down Ruxuwu, we will load the Thunderbolt car onto the dock."

Liu Ye thought for a while, nodded and smiled, "Your Highness, it's a good plan. In this way, our army's transportation will be much more convenient." He hesitated for a moment, and then said: "It's just that the water has been rising these days, and our army is at a disadvantage. It is becoming more and more obvious that even with the help of Thunderbolt Che, it may be difficult to gain the current advantage."

"It's not bad to be able to achieve such a result." Cao Cao disapproved, "Don't give them a chance to breathe, fight so that they don't have time to stop and think about countermeasures. Let Yuan Rang arrange people to log and quarry, and they can fight for a day. Just fight for one day." He glanced at Liu Ye, and said with some regret: "This time, we can't hesitate, so as not to repeat the Hanzhong story. Ziyang, thinking about it now, I didn't listen to you at the time, I was too timid."

Liu Ye understood.The story of Hanzhong that Cao Cao said refers to the fact that after taking Hanzhong that year, he did not take advantage of the situation to take Bashu. As a result, he missed the opportunity and Liu Bei gained a firm foothold in Yizhou.Cao Cao said this in front of him, which was tantamount to admitting his mistake and gave him enough face. Of course, he also had to save some face for Cao Cao. "The past should not be admonished, but the coming can still be pursued. Your Highness did not take Bashu at that time, but also proceeded from the overall situation, it is not wrong."

"Hey hey hey, why should Zi Yang hide shame for Gu Gu? It's wrong to be wrong." Cao Cao shook his head helplessly, remained silent for a moment, then turned his head to Yang Xiu and said, "Where is Sun Shao?"

"According to the time calculation, it should be almost to Jiaozhou."

"Ai——" Cao Cao sighed, his face was a little sad, and he said with a double meaning: "The disaster is within the Xiao Wall, as expected."

Yang Xiu remained silent.

"Prime Minister, Jiangdong's envoy has come." Xin Pi walked in quickly and said softly.

When Cao Cao heard this, his eyes flashed and he became more energetic. He looked at Liu Ye and Yang Xiu who were also happy, and laughed: "Sun Zhongmou really can't hold it anymore."

"His Highness Hexi." Liu Ye and Yang Xiu said in unison.

"Let the envoys come in." Cao Cao straightened his waist and waved his hands in a domineering manner.After a short time, Xu Xiang walked into the big tent respectfully, bowed his head and saluted: "Xu Xiang, the captain of General Cheqi's Mansion, is ordered by General Cheqi to meet with the Prime Minister, Your Highness the King of Wei."

"General Chariot?" Cao Cao snorted, "Sun Quan and Liu Bei are in charge of each other, when did the court admit it?"

Xu Xiang was neither humble nor condescending: "The watch was indeed issued, but thieves are rampant and the Central Plains is restless. I am afraid that it is possible that His Majesty has not received the watch. Since Dong Zhuo's rebellion, such things have happened frequently. My general just followed the routine. "

"According to the rules, what rules are you following?" Cao Cao waved his hands dismissively: "Only following the order of the emperor, lead the king's teacher to conquer the disobedient. Those who obey first will be rewarded, and those who obey later will be punished. Is there any other way?"

Xu Xiang didn't say a word, and waited for Cao Cao to finish speaking with a calm face, then smiled and said: "The world is in chaos, princes are everywhere, loyal ministers and lofty men, all of them are tearful to serve the country. The Prime Minister raised troops to fight against Dong, conquered from east to west, and pacified the Central Plains. The position is as high as the prime minister, and the rank is as high as the king of Wei. Sincerity is the hope of the world. My general inherited the will of his father and brother and guarded Jiangdong for the Han family. Since Zhongping, he has worked hard and never dared to be negligent. Its function is to be a general riding a chariot, why not?"

Xu Xiang's words were soft but firm, and he blocked Cao Cao's mouth with words, you can be the king of Wei, why can't my general be the chariot general?Everyone is not a good person, so don't use these unspoken reasons as an excuse.

"In that case, now that the truth is over, why doesn't he come to pay his respects to the general of chariots and cavalry? Instead, he wants to raise an army to fight against the king's master?" Cao Cao snorted coldly, "Is this Jiangdong the Jiangdong of my big man, or his grandson's family?" Jiangdong?"

"My general came to welcome the prime minister, but the prime minister was furious and punished him without teaching, so Jiangdong was frightened and dared not come rashly." Xu Xiang got off the donkey along the slope, and presented Sun Quan's letter with both hands: "My general The above table is here, please take a look at it."

Cao Cao glanced at Liu Ye. Liu Ye stepped forward to take the form and sent it to Cao Cao's case. Cao Cao opened it and glanced at it. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he dismissed it: "It's good that Sun Quan has a heart, but it's just a form. , how can Gu believe in his sincerity?"

Xu Xiang saw that Cao Cao's tone had softened, so he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, kowtowed and said, "Of course my general sincerely made peace with the prime minister, but he didn't hear that the prime minister agreed, so he sent a minister to discuss with the prime minister. Please rest for a while. The wrath of thunder, my general came here naturally, but now that stones and arrows are flying across the river, even if he wants to come to see the prime minister, he can't get it."

"Hey..." Cao Cao and Liu Ye looked at each other and nodded in agreement.Sure enough, Sun Quan couldn't hold on any longer. He asked for surrender in name, but in fact he used a strategy of slowing down the army.He didn't speak, but looked at Xu Xiang gloomyly. Xu Xiang lay on the ground, unable to see Cao Cao's face, but he felt great pressure, as if he was carrying a big millstone on his back, making him Some are out of breath.This was different from the last time I saw Guan Yu. Guan Yu's murderous aura was like a knife, which made people frightened, while Cao Cao's domineering aura was like a mountain, which made him suffocate.

"Is Sun Quan sincerely asking to surrender?" Cao Cao said slowly.

"Naturally it is sincere." Xu Xiang nodded again.

"Well, since you are asking to surrender, then send the protons to my camp. When the protons arrive at the camp, I will stop attacking and withdraw my troops. If I don't reach the camp for a day, I will attack one day. You go back and let me He made a decision early on, if he wanted to delay the attack, he would have thought wrongly, and when I cross the river, if he wants to surrender again, it will not be such a simple matter."

Xu Xiang held back immediately.Since it was a request to surrender, it was only natural for Cao Cao to ask for a surrender, but Sun Quan was a false surrender, and he just wanted to wait for two days to catch his breath, not a real surrender.Sun Quan is more than 30 years old, but he only has one son, Sun Deng. How could he send Sun Deng to Cao Ying as a hostage?

But if you don't send it off, then Cao Cao can say, you don't count one day, I will fight for one day, and don't give Jiangdong a chance to breathe. How long can Jiangdong last?

"Go, don't gossip about other gossips, when will the proton be delivered, and when will we talk about it." Cao Cao waved his hand impatiently, telling him to throw Xu Xiang out who hadn't recovered yet.The last sentence Xu Xiang heard was, "Zi Yang, don't expect Sun Quan to surrender, that Shu Zi is very cunning. Hurry up and build a thousand thunder chariots. What you talk about is not as good as what you shoot."

Xu Xiang didn't dare to stay longer, and as soon as he left Cao Ying, he immediately returned to Jiangdong to report to Sun Quan. When Sun Quan heard this, he immediately became furious and jumped up: "Send the pledge? He treats me like a fool."

Xu Xiang wiped the sweat from his brow: "My lord, Thief Cao doesn't believe us at all. He won't stop attacking if the proton is gone. I'm afraid..." Thinking of Cao Cao's last domineering words, he swallowed. He didn't dare to say anything, for fear of irritating Sun Quan again.

"Don't even think about it." With a wave of Sun Quan, he turned around and was about to leave.Xu Xiang hesitated for a moment, then called out anxiously: "Supreme."

The annoyed Sun Quan was very impatient. He originally wanted to use a strategy to slow down the army, but he didn't expect that Cao Cao, a treacherous and cunning man, would ignore him at all. The one hand is really ruthless, and there is no room for maneuver.Since the feigned surrender was unsuccessful, there was no choice but to fight to the death. Lu Su's army would not arrive in a day, so it seemed that Lu Xun and He Qi had to be called in for reinforcements.He was calculating the battle situation, but he didn't notice that Xu Xiang's face was a bit weird: "What else?"

"Chen..." Xu Xiang licked his lips nervously.

Sun Quan was attracted by Xu Xiang's expression. He knew that Xu Xiang, who made him hesitate, must be something very important but not sure enough.He frowned, softened his tone, and suddenly became quiet: "Speak slowly, don't worry."

"Here." Xu Xiang paused for a moment, and then said carefully: "When I was in Cao Ying, I heard a sentence by chance. The thunderbolt chariot on this warship seems to be related to... Captain Sun?"

"Who?" Sun Quan didn't realize it for a while, but after a while, he remembered: "Fengxian?"

"Yes." Xu Xiang said cautiously: "My lord, although I can't believe this sentence, I vaguely remember that this thunderbolt car did appear after Captain Sun returned from Cao Ying. The captain and Liu Ye had a very happy conversation, could it be..."

"Impossible." Sun Quan's face suddenly became ugly. He waved his hand and unquestionably interrupted Xu Xiang. I won’t make such a bad plan, don’t think about it, this must be the trick of the old thief to alienate our uncle and nephew. Hehe, so the recent rumors must have been written by him.”

Xu Xiang didn't dare to say that he was a person doing secret work and was well aware of the recent rumors.After Sun Shao left the barracks, there was a saying in Jiangdong that Sun Quan suppressed Sun Shao for fear that his achievements would affect his prestige, so although Sun Shao made great achievements, he was forced by Sun Quan to leave the barracks to do business.The news spread so quickly that people couldn't tell whether it started from the barracks or came in from the outside. In short, there was an air of conspiracy.But everyone knows that even if this is a rumor spread by Cao Jun, it is not outrageous. It is obvious to all that Sun Quan suppressed Sun Shao. It is not a secret. It is just that Sun Shao left the barracks immediately after defeating Zhang Liao, which is somewhat unexpected. That's all.

But now coupled with this news, Xu Xiang sensitively realized that it might not be that simple.

Conspiracy?You can call it a conspiracy, but if the conspiracy is used in an open and honest manner, leaving you irrefutable, it becomes an overt conspiracy.

Xu Xiang withdrew. As a subject, he had already done what he could do. How to make a decision was Sun Quan's business. He wanted to leave room for Sun Quan to think.

Sun Quan sat in the big tent and did not move for a long time.His face was ferocious for a while, and a little disdainful for a while.Sun Shao asked Cao Cao to mount a thunderbolt chariot on the warship to attack Jiangdong?Is he crazy?This is impossible, this must be a trick used by Cao Cao to provoke the relationship between him and Sun Shao.Sun Shao has already gone into business, so there is no need for him to kill Sun Shao. If he falls into Cao Cao's trick and really attacks Sun Shao, then he will not be able to face the censure of the clan, nor can he explain to the ministers that a person who can voluntarily The public who gave up power and stayed away from the center of right and wrong will not be spared, so what sense of security do other people have?He would not be so stupid as to let Cao Cao succeed.

But another voice stubbornly stayed in my mind. Although it was weak, it couldn't be lingered: Why didn't the Thunderbolt chariot be installed on the warship a long time ago, why didn't Sun Shao go to Caoying for a while? , Cao Cao thought of installing the thunderbolt chariot on the warship?Is it really a coincidence?Sun Shao can make wine and is also interested in Perak cars. It is not surprising that he can come up with this idea.

Sun Quan paced back and forth in the tent irritably. From a rational point of view, he was [-]% sure that this was Cao Cao's plan to divorce him, but the remaining [-]% was stuck in his flesh like a thorn. , making him uneasy.More importantly, Cao Cao saw through his strategy of slowing down the army, and it had no effect on Cao Cao. Instead, he exposed his guilty conscience to Cao Cao. Step up the offensive and force him to submit.

Sun Quan stood still, held his lips tightly, took two deep breaths to make himself look calmer, and then said to Zhu Ji: "Please come to discuss the matter, Mr. Zhang and Mr. Gu."

Zhu Ji turned around and went out of the account.

Not long after, Zhang Zhao, Gu Yong and others all arrived, and they were quite surprised when they heard what Sun Quan reported.This time it was impossible to delay the troops, and it was self-defeating. Cao Cao's 30 years of experience in commanding the troops was really extraordinary, and he could see through their thoughts at a glance.

"Let's talk again." Teng Dan stood up first, unable to control his emotions, and his voice was obviously very loud: "The water has risen sharply these two days, and it will take two or three days for several reinforcements to arrive. The day dragged on. He wanted a hostage, so he agreed to send the hostage, but we didn't send it until the conditions were negotiated."

Sun Quan looked at Teng Dan's flushed face, and suddenly laughed easily.His smile, like a gust of spring breeze, immediately opened a crack in the ice-like atmosphere in the tent.He waved his hand and said, "Okay, it's not that serious. From my point of view, the old thief is also bluffing. Although his thunderbolt car is powerful, its accuracy is very poor. It is not easy to replenish so many stone bullets every day."

"Supreme sage." Everyone knew that Sun Quan was comforting them, but they still felt a lot relieved.

"And I think, if he really wants to ask questions, there is no need to be so urgent, and he can talk slowly." Sun Quan was just trying to comfort others, but suddenly he had a flash of inspiration, and found that he seemed to have missed something.He raised his big hand, stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, his eyes slowly lit up, and his voice became more stable: "The old thief has been in the army for many years, and he has some experience in this water battle. It is impossible for him to pay attention to the increase of water force No, I am so eager to ask questions, it should be because I know that I have few chances, and it is impossible to defeat Jiangdong, so I want to mess up and not give us a chance to consider."

Zhang Zhao, Gu Yong and the others looked at each other, and they all felt that it was reasonable, and their expressions gradually eased up.

"Send someone to talk about it." Sun Quan clapped his hands a little excitedly, "I want to see who can survive to the end. Generals, the old thief is in a hurry. I will definitely go all out in the next two days. You can't take it lightly. After these few days, the old thief can only look at the river and sigh."

After hearing this, the generals responded with a bang.

"The military generals fight, and the literati plan. Everyone, who can recommend someone who can speak well, and then cross the river?" Sun Quan saw Zhang Zhao and others with a smile.Zhang Zhao and the others looked at each other and thought carefully. This person was responsible for the important task of persuading Cao Cao, and not just anyone could be competent.

At this moment, Zhou Xun, the tent supervisor who had been standing behind Sun Quan, suddenly stepped forward and whispered something in Sun Quan's ear.Sun Quan turned his head slightly, glanced at him, and hesitated: "Zhang Wen?"

"Exactly, he happened to deliver wine to the camp, and he is still in the camp now."

Sun Quan blinked his eyes, turned his head to Teng Dan and the others, and said, "Everyone, how about Zhang Wen? I only know that he is famous, but he has real talents and real learning?"

Yan Jian, who was engaged in Zhonglang, replied: "Zhang Wen is indeed a talent. He is not only good at writing, but also has good eloquence. He is a suitable candidate for the envoy."

"Really?" Sun Quan was somewhat disapproving. There were many highly educated people, but many of them were nerds, but they were messed up when they really wanted to do things. Yan Jian was an obvious example. Sun Quan didn't believe the people he recommended. "Who can I marry?"

Attendant Liu Ji responded, "You should be in the same generation as Quan Cong."

Sun Quan's eyes flickered, he knew Quan Cong very well, he was indeed a talent.Quan Cong was from Qian Tang, and was very close to Fu Chun. His father, Quan Rou, was an old acquaintance with Sun Jian. Sun Ce raised troops to attack Wu.Quan Cong was young and talented, and had a good reputation. He became an official a few years ago, and within a few years he had nearly [-] elite soldiers. Now he is stationed in Niuzhu, and he is a person Sun Quan puts high hopes on.If Zhang Wen can really be compared with Quan Cong, then he can be used.

"Gu Gong, can Zhang Wen really compare with Quan Cong?" Sun Quan was very used to asking Gu Yong.Gu Yong shook his head: "Jing Yu (Liu Ji) is wrong."

"Oh, why?" Sun Quan looked at Gu Yong curiously.Gu Yong was not like this before. If he agrees, he just nods. If he disagrees, he keeps quiet. Generally, he doesn't need to refute others in person, even if Liu Ji is just a servant with a low official position.There are some exceptions today.

"How can Zhang Wen be compared to Quan Cong?" Gu Yong's eyes were calm and calm, and he spit out a few words softly: "Zhang Wen, there is no one in today's world."

As soon as he said a word, all four people were shocked.Everyone knows that Gu Yong didn't talk much at first, and secondly, he was well-learned and had a high vision, so he would not allow others easily, but now he gave Zhang Wen such a high evaluation, which can be said to have never happened before. Everyone listened, They were all a little surprised, even Zhang Zhao looked at Gu Yong in surprise, the corner of his mouth twitched, a little disapproving.Sun Quan had a smile on his face, but he was muttering in his heart, what happened to Gu Yong today, he knew that he had some opinions on Zhang Wen, but he still admired Zhang Wen so much in front of so many people, he was forcing himself to use Zhang Wen.He was silent for a moment, then smiled softly: "If this is the case, then Zhang Yun can be regarded as a successor. Come, call Zhang Wen."

Zhou Xun breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately turned around and left the tent.Zhang Wen was reading a book in his tent, and when he saw him rushing in, although his face was calm, there was a smile in his eyes, so he knew there was something going on.He smiled: "It seems that I owe you a favor."

"You don't want my love." Zhou Xun took a big sip of water from the ear cup on the case, "You want to get Gu Gong's love."

(End of this chapter)