Chapter 478: For the Sake of Faith, One Dragon, Two Tigers, and Two Wolves
"It's not yet time."
Zhang Meng's voice was hoarse. They were walking in a hurry and had no time to bring water. The dry food they carried was the same as the dry food carried by Lao Li. It was the dry food provided by the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. Neither of them was willing to eat it. They knew very well that these dry food were in In the next few days, it will become their only support.
The young man nodded without any doubts about Zhang Meng's words.
Just like this, another two hours passed, and it was already night. It seemed that in order to allow them to travel better, even God was helping them. The weather with dark moon and high wind was just suitable for them to travel at night.
"Now! Boy, we must leave separately to have a greater chance of escaping."
"Yeah, brother Meng, I understand."
The young man knew what he was facing, but he did not have any fear. On the contrary, he looked eager to try. Zhang Meng patted his shoulder with relief.
"Okay, let's go."
The two walked out of the place where they had been hiding for several hours and began to run wildly down the canyon. The canyon was actually not long, only more than a mile. It would naturally be time-consuming for a large group to pass through, but with only two riders, it only took a few seconds. In ten breaths, the two of them can get out of the canyon.
Everything was fine until the two parted ways, but soon after the two separated, Zhang Meng ran into big trouble.
At the end of the road, there was a man standing with a halberd. His face was expressionless, but his eyes could no longer suppress the anger gushing out.
Zhang Meng slowed down and walked towards the person at the end.
"General."
Zhang Meng cupped his fists at the man and said, Cao Zhang at the end was holding Fang Tian's painted halberd tightly.
"Why?"
"For what you believe in."
Zhang Meng smiled brightly. He knew that when he met Cao Zhang, he would never have the chance to continue on. Next, he could only rely on the help that the young man or Lao Li had sacrificed his life for.
"That's bullshit again!"
Cao Zhang said angrily, that's what they said when they were dealing with the details in the supply camp. He didn't understand what kind of yin and yang could make them risk their lives and resist such torture. .
"Zhang Meng, as long as you tell me the whereabouts of the other person and sincerely join my army, I can save your life and even your current official position. From now on, you will still be the first lieutenant of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. , in the near future, you will still ride like a tiger and a leopard..."
"General, you know me. I'm a soft-eared person and can't hear good things from others. So, General, it's better not to waste your breath."
Zhang Meng interrupted Cao Zhang's words, and then slowly raised the spear. This spear was taken by Cao Zhang for him on the Xiongnu grassland. Now, Zhang Meng pointed it at Cao Zhang.
Cao Zhang's eyes dimmed again and he stopped trying to persuade Zhang Meng. He just stood there quietly, like a mountain. Facing the mountain, Zhang Meng started to charge without any hesitation.
The two passed each other, and there were a few drops of blood on Cao Zhang's halberd, and there was a separated body on the ground.
Looking at Zhang Meng's body, Cao Zhang, a general who was used to life and death and had killed countless people with his own hands, felt a little sad for the first time because before Zhang Meng died, he said a few words of sorry.
At the same time, a mutiny broke out in the Yizhou military camp. Two captains began to rush outside the military camp in an almost mutinous manner. Their captains were all tribesmen of the soldiers who had just been killed, because they were dissatisfied with the tiger and leopard cavalry. Arrogant and domineering, and at the same time wanting to seek justice for his own people, he started to resist under the fire of some people.
And just when the two lieutenants were clashing with the guards, a dozen cavalry figures sneaked out of the Yizhou military camp and began to run north and east.
After being discovered by the Guards, a vigorous siege and suppression was launched on the land of Yizhou. The Yizhou Army successively dispatched 20,000 elite cavalry to launch a carpet-like manhunt for the entire Yizhou. At the same time, there were also Cao Zhang's subordinates. Captain Mojin and General Faqiu are experts at tracking people.
Five days later, a total of thirteen people, including the young man brought out by Zhang Meng and Lao Li, were all arrested.
After being tortured to no avail, all thirteen people were beheaded in public.
In Linzi, Qingzhou, Prince Lie's Mansion, Gu Rubing had just received Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Zhang He, and Zhang Liao who had returned to Qingzhou from the Xianbei hinterland. The Xianbei royal court was too far away from the Han Dynasty, and the place where they entered the customs was also The northernmost part of Youzhou, that’s why it took so much time.
After the four people arrived, Gu Rubing held a celebration banquet for them that was as grand as last time, and the good news they brought really amazed Gu Rubing.
Not only was Zhang Fei successfully promoted to a legendary general, but the legendary general points of Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao also reached more than 80 points, and Zhang He also reached 30 points. This was also within Gu Rubing's expectation. The battlefield was changing rapidly. It is impossible to kill whoever you want to kill. According to previous intelligence, Xianbei has five famous generals, but there are actually eight famous generals. In addition, there are more first-class generals.
But there are only four of Zhang Fei and his companions with more than 2,000 cavalry. In this case, protecting yourself is the most important thing. It is impossible to put your own subordinates in danger just for the sake of promotion.
Today, almost everyone from Gu Rubing's subordinates and generals gathered together, including Liu Qi from Jingzhou and Pang De from Liangzhou.
Today, the Liewang Mansion was packed with people. Not to mention the generals and civil officials under Gu Rubing, the chief and deputy generals of each army filled the entire meeting room, so they had to start ranking by seniority. Those who joined Gu Rubing later could only go to the courtyard.
Gu Rubing looked at the scene in front of him and couldn't help laughing. From the beginning, there were only him, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. It was dangerous to come all the way to now. Only he knew how difficult it was.
"Everyone! Take your seats!"
Gu Rubing shouted loudly, and the originally noisy meeting room immediately quieted down. On the side of the generals, Guan Yu led, Zhang Fei was behind, and on the side of the civil officials, Zhuge Liang led, Xi Zhicai was behind. The generals clasped their fists, and the civil officials bowed, and joined Gu Rubing together.
"Thank you, my lord."
After sitting down at the seats reserved in advance, the originally bustling meeting hall also seemed a lot more spacious, at least the front of the main door was empty. If Cao Cao and Sun Jian saw this scene at this moment, they would find that there was such a gap between their top combat power.
On the side of the generals, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were the leaders, were all legendary generals. Guan Yu even reached the second level of legendary generals. Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, Zhang He, Taishi Ci, Huang Zhong, Ma Chao, who were behind, were all famous generals. In addition to them, there were Xu Rong, Wei Yan, Pang De, Huang Zu, these top-notch generals, who were only a step away from becoming famous generals and could be promoted to famous generals at any time.
There are also several deputy generals of special troops, such as the four deputy generals of the Bai Li Army, each of whom is at the peak of the second-rate generals and will be promoted to the level of first-rate generals. Although there is no corresponding feature bonus provided to the troops, they can enjoy the feature bonus from the lord, military advisor and generals, which makes them the strongest combat force under the first-rate generals.
In addition, there are also those who have followed Gu Rubing for a long time and climbed up step by step from the soldiers at the beginning. There are also quite a few first-rate generals, more than a dozen of them, among which the hundreds of veterans who followed Gu Rubing from the beginning are the main ones. It can be said that those who followed Gu Rubing at that time, as long as they did not die, are at least second-rate generals now. They are the real pillars of the army.
There are also numerous third-rate generals, who are the cornerstone of this invincible king's division, but the number of third-rate generals is too large. Not to mention filling the yard, even if half of the Liewang Mansion is vacated, it is probably not enough to accommodate them.
On the other side, although the number of civil officials is not as large as that of military generals, each of them has his own highlights. Xi Zhicai's ingenious plan and Fa Zheng's open plan are the guarantee that Gu Rubing can step by step to where he is today. Liu Ye's checking for deficiencies and filling gaps, and Lu Su's strategic planning are all the best among the counselors.
The most important thing is Zhuge Liang's overall planning, which can maximize the advantages of many counselors and maximize the benefits.
Looking at his subordinates, Gu Rubing is only happy from the bottom of his heart. Now, with his strength, he is not afraid even if he fights Cao Cao, Sun Jian, Liu Zhang and Shi Xie at the same time. However, Gu Rubing also knows in his heart that he has his own trump card, and the four of them will definitely have it.
Before he is 100% sure that he can take down all of them in one fell swoop, Gu Rubing will not take the initiative to attack, but this does not mean that Gu Rubing will let Cao Cao and others act without fighting back.
Gu Rubing has not forgotten that if Zhuge Liang had not told him that Huang Zhong and Ma Chao were in danger, Guan Yu would not have had time to support them, and Huang Zhong and Ma Chao might have been left in the Wuhuan grassland.
The instigator of all this was Cao Cao. Although Gu Rubing had not made trouble, it did not mean that the matter was over.
"Everyone, we have gathered here today for only one thing, to march west to fight Cao!"
Gu Rubing's words made the entire conference hall quiet, and everyone quietly waited for Gu Rubing's next words.
"When Han Sheng and Meng Qi were conquering Wuhuan, Cao Cao sent people to ambush them and chased them for thousands of miles on the Wuhuan grassland, causing Han Sheng and Meng Qi to be seriously injured. This revenge must be avenged, otherwise Cao Cao would really think that we are as easy to bully as the Western Regions and the Northern Xiongnu."
"Not only Cao Cao, but also Sun Jian, has repeatedly harassed the border of Xuzhou, cooperated with Cao Cao, launched attacks on us many times, and repeatedly made enemies with us, and has a rebellious heart, so we should chase him away!"
"Everyone, who has ideas, can speak freely."
With a wave of Gu Rubing's hand, the originally silent conference hall was filled with discussions.
Soon, Xi Zhicai stood up.
"I have a plan to drive the tiger to devour the wolf, so that the four people can chase each other away, and use the power of others to accomplish our business."
"Oh? Wenyuan, what good plan?"
Gu Rubing asked with a smile, Xi Zhicai walked out of his seat, faced Gu Rubing, and bowed.
"The current situation in the world seems to be one dragon and many tigers, but in fact it is one dragon, two tigers and two wolves. The lord is the dragon, who is of the bloodline of the Han royal family and was granted the title of King Lie. This is the one dragon. Cao Cao and Sun Jian are tigers, who dominate one side and act as accomplices to the tigers, causing the people to suffer. Cao Cao even used his power to suppress the dragon and coerce His Majesty to command the princes. This is the two tigers. Liu Zhang and Shi Xie are wolves, who have ambitions but no strength, and are oppressed by Cao Cao and Sun Jian respectively. They must have been dissatisfied long ago. Therefore, the lord can send people to lobby Liu Zhang and Shi Xie, and allow them to be comprehensive, surround Cao Cao with Yizhou, Jingzhou, Yanzhou and Liangzhou, and surround Sun Jian with Jiaozhou, Jingzhou, Yanzhou and Xuzhou, and plan it slowly!"
Xi Zhicai spoke out all his thoughts at once. He had just arrived in Qingzhou last night. After learning about the current situation, he immediately guessed the purpose of Gu Rubing's summoning them. He began to plan from last night and finally came up with this plan.
This is definitely a plan that can be recorded in history. It is a good idea to learn from others, but Gu Rubing did not have much joy on his face.
"Wenyuan, you just arrived in Qingzhou last night. You are tired from the journey, so there is something I haven't told you yet."
Gu Rubing said, and took out a military letter from his sleeve that was sent to the Qingzhou Liewang Mansion last night. Xi Zhicai took it with suspicion. After opening it, his brows immediately frowned.
"If Cao Cao and Sun Jian had already taken action against Liu Zhang and Shi Xie respectively, then this plan would not work. However, I don't quite understand why they suddenly chose to annex the two of them at the same time?"
"Because of my second brother."
"General Guan?"
"That's right. No one in the world can match my second brother's bravery. I'm afraid no one in the world can match him. Cao Cao and Sun Jian did this to quickly expand their power."
Gu Rubing sighed slightly. He only learned the news last night. As soon as he knew it, he told Zhuge Liang about it. The two discussed it until midnight before going to bed. Today, they had time to tell everyone about it.
Xi Zhicai handed the letter to Fa Zheng behind him. Fa Zheng also took it with a serious face. In this way, the military letter returned to Gu Rubing's hands after a circle.
"A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Now that the lord has a strong army, Cao Cao and Sun Jian will first regard the lord as an imaginary enemy. Since Cao Cao has annexed Liu Zhang and Sun Jian has captured Shi Xie, the next step must be to target the lord."
Fa Zheng stood up and bowed to Gu Rubing. Gu Rubing nodded slightly, indicating Fa Zheng to continue.
"As Wen Yuan just said, we want to use the advantages of the region to besiege Cao Cao and Sun Jian respectively. So first of all, we must prevent the two from communicating with each other. If they want to communicate with each other, there are only three best ways to go. One is to go through Yangzhou and several counties in Jingzhou to reach Yuzhou."
Before Fa Zheng finished speaking, someone took out a geomancy map and spread it on the ground. Fa Zheng drew a route on the geomancy map with his hand, which was exactly the route he had just mentioned.
"Although this place is close, the border area of Jingzhou, Yuzhou, Yangzhou, and Yanzhou is the most heavily guarded area now. They will definitely not take this route."