Chapter 338: People from Youzhou

The capital of Hanoi is the city.

Chen Gong has been in a bad mood recently.

Chen Gui fooled Lu Bu and then left. In the end, was he the one who had to clean up Lu Bu's mess?

On the table in front of him were spread out bamboo slips containing military intelligence, and the news on every piece of paper was not very good.

The army sent by Yuan Shu, led by Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui, has already reached the border between Yuzhou and Sili, and the commander-in-chief is actually his eldest son Yuan Yao.

Chen Gong knew that this was Yuan Shu's threat to Lu Bu. Of course, it was also possible that he was coveting the emperor's carriage. As long as Emperor Liu Xie returned to Luoyang, Yuan Shu's army would most likely turn to attack Luoyang.

If it were any other prince, he might have some reservations about doing such a thing, but if it was Yuan Shu, Chen Gong felt that it was really possible, after all, the other party did things without any taboos.

It's normal for a person who wants to be independent to want to kill the current emperor, right?

Thinking of this, Chen Gong felt a little scared about his previous thoughts. If Yuan and Lu joined forces, Lu Bu might have been implicated.

Since it is almost impossible to join forces with Yuan Shu, the best strategy is to seek cooperation with others to fight Yuan Shu together.

But there were not many choices at hand. Chen Gong excluded Cao Cao first. After all, he had already broken off his friendship with Cao Cao, so how could he go back to Cao Cao?

But as a result, Lu Bu almost fell out with the surrounding princes, and Yuan Xi was the only option left.

Chen Gong felt a headache when he thought of the name. This ferocious tiger was not only good at fighting, but also very good at calculating people's hearts. He still didn't understand how Lu Bu had come to this point.

Lu Bu fled to Henei, facing the threats from Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, he was unable to resist independently. Chen Gong suggested that he surrender to Yuan Shu. Although it was a helpless move, it was a way to preserve his own life.

Now that this road is blocked, Youzhou is by no means a better choice in comparison, but why is this the only option?

Chen Gong wondered whether Yuan Xi had planned against Lu Bu in advance. If so, what exactly did he want to do with Lu Bu?

Is it just to welcome the emperor?

If this was the reason, things would be easier to handle. Lu Bu would gather all his troops and join forces with Yuan's Youzhou army to rush to Hedong to welcome the emperor, drive away the Baibo bandits who were holding the emperor hostage, welcome the emperor, and rebuild the Han court!

This was actually very attractive to Chen Gong. For officials all over the world, being rewarded by the emperor was definitely a great honor.

But the key point is, the Baibo bandits are not so easy to deal with, not to mention that Li Jue and Guo Si are eyeing them covetously!

Could it be that the fierce tiger of the Yuan family is using Lu Bu as a vanguard and reaping the benefits himself?

Moreover, according to the information on the bamboo slips, the Jizhou army and Cao Cao's army have shown signs of action. Although their purpose is unknown, if they really came to Sili like Yuan Shu, even with the addition of the Youzhou army, can this side gain an advantage?

When Chen Gong was thinking hard, another urgent report was delivered into the room. He opened it and his face suddenly changed.

Yuan Xi has already sent a troop of troops to Hanoi and stationed them fifty miles outside the city, asking to see Lu Bu?

Why so fast?

How did you get here?

Chen Gong felt scared. This ferocious tiger could send troops to such a close place silently, and his side was completely unaware of it. It was too scary!

Either there is something wrong with our intelligence, or the other party's whereabouts are secretive, or they are marching too fast, so that our spies have not had time to come back to report?

When Chen Gong saw the names on the bamboo slips, he became even more uneasy. That fierce tiger actually sent out these two people?

He quickly picked up the bamboo slips and went to see Lu Bu.

Dozens of miles outside Huaicheng, two armies were facing each other from a distance.

Ju Su rode on his horse, pointed his whip at the general on the opposite side, and said to Zhao Yun: "Most of Wenhou's generals are from Bingzhou and prefer cavalry, but this man on the opposite side is different. All his soldiers are infantrymen. Don't underestimate him."

Zhao Yun saw hundreds of armored soldiers lined up on the opposite side, and a tall general with a stern face in front of the formation, so he said, "Young Master, you once mentioned this man to me."

"Is this Gao Shun?"

Ju Shou nodded and sighed, "Yes, actually I used to be quite familiar with him."

"And I also helped to train this Xianzhen Camp. It's a pity that I didn't stay in Jizhou."

Zhao Yun knew that there must be some hidden secrets, but now was not the time to ask about it. He was more concerned about the cavalry next to Gao Shun's trap camp.

He whispered to Ju Shou, "That cavalry commander doesn't seem to be an ordinary person either."

Ju Su took a quick look and said with a smile, "I do recognize him."

Zhao Yun knew that Ju Shou had been a military supervisor and knew all about other princes and generals, so he asked, "Who is this man?"

Ju Su said casually: "Zhang Liao was originally an official in Yanmen County. He followed Ding Yuan, He Jin, Dong Zhuo, and now he follows Lu Bu."

"The Bingzhou generals are quite casual about joining their lord."

Zhang Liao's rise to fame is very similar to that of Zhang Yang. He was recruited by Ding Yuan as an assistant, and was sent to Hebei by He Jin to recruit soldiers. He then surrendered to Dong Zhuo, and finally served as a cavalry captain under Lu Bu. It can be said that he also changed many lords.

Zhao Yun looked down on him and said, "So he is Zhang Liao?"

"My lord once asked me to pay more attention to this man and Gao Shun."

"Mr. Gongyou seems to have some opinion on it?"

Ju Su heard this and said, "It's not a big deal. Zhang Liao's ancestor should be Nie Yi, but now he is hanging around in the Bingliang military circle. It can be said that he is not worthy of his ancestors."

Zhao Yun thought to himself, so that's how it is.

Nie Yi, also known as Nie Wengyi, was the planner of the Ma Yi conspiracy.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu requested a marriage alliance with the Han Dynasty. The Han court ministers argued over this issue. Han Anguo and others supported the marriage, but Wang Hui thought that their request should be rejected and they should be attacked with troops. As a result, Han Anguo's side received more support from court officials, and Emperor Wu decided to grant the marriage.

In the first year of Yuanguang in the Western Han Dynasty, Nie Yi, a wealthy merchant from Mayi, Yanmen, suggested to Emperor Wu through Wang Hui that the Han Dynasty had gained the trust of the Xiongnu after the marriage, and as long as they were lured with benefits, they would surely be defeated.

After some debate, Emperor Wu of Han adopted this suggestion, so Nie Yi was ordered to use himself as bait and go to the Xiongnu camp in person to pretend to surrender to the then Junchen Chanyu, claiming that he could kill the magistrate of Mayi County and force the entire city of Mayi to surrender, and then he could take all the property of the city.

The Chanyu believed his words and immediately raised an army. At the same time, Emperor Wu of Han sent 300,000 soldiers to set up an ambush near Mayi. But when the Chanyu arrived, he became suspicious and sent people to capture a local officer, and learned the information that there was an ambush of the Han army in Mayi.

The Chanyu was shocked and retreated. The 300,000 Han troops returned without success, and the Mayi plan failed.

There is no clear record of what happened to Nie Yi afterwards, but Wang Hui, a senior official, was forced to commit suicide, which shows that Nie Yi's family must have been implicated.

The Records of the Three Kingdoms says that Zhang Liao "was originally a descendant of Nie Yi, but changed his surname to avoid resentment." On the one hand, his family was hated by the Xiongnu, and on the other hand, they were not liked by the Han court. So it was reasonable for him to change his family name to avoid the world.

Zhao Yun once heard Yuan Xi talk about this period of history during a night talk with him. After Yuan Xi finished, he asked Zhao Yun a question: "Brother Zilong, if Zhang Liao is really the descendant of Nie Yi, what kind of feelings would he have towards the current Han court?"

Zhao Yun pondered for a long time, and finally shook his head and said: "Yun has to see it in person before he can judge."

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "There will be a chance. If the person is still loyal and righteous, I will have to ask Brother Zilong for help!"

Yuan Xi sent Zhao Yun out because he was impressed by Zhao Yun's natural friendliness.

Among the generals of Shu Han, there were many people with strong personalities, especially Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were both arrogant. However, Zhao Yun was able to maintain good relationships with everyone. His ability in life must be remarkable.

It would be a waste of talent if we don't send people like Zhao Yun out to engage in diplomacy and poach talents!

Zhao Yun was staring at Zhang Liao and Gao Shun opposite him at this time, thinking that the young master asked him to find a way to poach people from the wall. This was just asking too much and he didn't understand!

Forget it, the paperwork has been submitted anyway, so I can only take it one step at a time.

Thinking of this, Zhao Yun began to complain in his heart. He had originally advocated exchanging forces with Tian Yu and let himself deal with the vanguard of the Black Mountain Army, but was rejected by Yuan Xi.

Yuan Xi said that Zhao Yun had made a name for himself in Youzhou in the past six months. If the Black Mountain Army knew that Zhao Yun was in charge, they would be easily deceived. On the other hand, Tian Yu followed Yuan Xi to attack Xuzhou. Although he made many contributions, he did dirty work and his reputation did not spread. It is estimated that the Black Mountain Army would not take him seriously, so it was just the right time to paralyze the enemy.

Finally, Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Besides, helping the emperor and saving him from danger is what Brother Zilong wants to do the most, right?"

Zhao Yun was touched, but he still had some concerns. "But what you are doing seems to go against Lord Benchu's ideas, right?"

Yuan Xi said: "Some of Yuan's ideas are not necessarily correct."

"At least for the current Yuan family, the existence of the emperor is still very necessary."

"Brother Zilong, just put down your burdens and do what you want. No matter what the outcome is, I will take responsibility for you, brother Zilong."

Zhao Yun felt like he had found a bosom friend after hearing this, and said in a deep voice, "I will definitely live up to your trust, young master!"

What Zhao Yun didn't expect was that before setting off, Yuan Xi specifically told the two of them that he hoped Ju Shou could help Zhao Yun, which was tantamount to clearly stating that Zhao Yun was the main focus. This made Zhao Yun even more confused. How could he, at such a young age, possibly compare to Ju Shou in terms of qualifications and abilities?

Is this Yuan Xi's intention to cultivate his ability to stand on his own, or does he have some other ideas?

When Lu Bu heard Chen Gong's report that the Youzhou army appeared dozens of miles away from Huaicheng, he almost choked on the wine in his mouth.

He lost his voice and said, "I haven't even agreed to join forces with him yet, and he dares to send people to my territory?"

"You brought your troops so close, are you threatening me?"

Chen Gong said, "Don't worry, Lord Wen. Gao Shun and Zhang Liao have already led their troops to intercept them. And judging from the Youzhou army's appearance, they have no ill intentions."

Lu Bu frowned and asked, "Who led the troops here, and how many people did they bring?"

Chen Gong replied, "It was Ju Shou and Zhao Yun, who brought about 2,000 men."

Lu Bu then responded calmly, "What can two thousand people do?"

"But since Ju Shou has been sent here, it doesn't seem like they are sent here to die."

"Gongtai, what kind of medicine do you think is sold in the fierce tiger gourd? Does he really trust me so much?"

"Isn't my reputation among the nobles not very good?"

Chen Gong was speechless. You actually know your reputation!