Riding and cutting the imperial pirates of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 656
In the grass by the roadside, insects were chirping, like a series of small bells ringing, urging the sun in the west to go faster.

Not long after, the twilight submerged everything like water, and the night had already arrived. At this time, the guards at the top of the city just happened to change their defenses for a while, and they lit up torches one after another.

County captain Fan Ling sat in the small pavilion of the watchtower, drinking a small wine, while looking at the Yangzhou Army camp in the distance, in the dim twilight, it was hard to see how many camps there were.A pine tree was lit in the middle of two or three tents, dotted with dots, he counted them quickly, there must be nearly a thousand of them.

In addition to the enemy army on the other side of the river, there are only more than ten thousand troops, which is obviously not the full strength of the Yangzhou army, so how many are left in Nanchang, or hidden in the dark?
And just like this, they have already forced them to stand firm and dare not go out of the city, and even Wenpin in the rear has not moved lightly for a long time.
If the Yangzhou army goes all out, if Wang Zheng comes to the front in person, can they still resist it?

Thinking of this, Fan Ling felt hesitant for a while.

He was just thinking about it, when suddenly, there was a sound of people in the twilight, Fan Ling was startled, and immediately got up and shouted: "What's the noise?"

Not long after, a response from the soldiers came from below: "County Lieutenant, the green bull is gone!"

It was dusk when Zhang Xian came to watch. At that time, Qingniu had disappeared outside the city, but not long after, he returned to Linxiang together with the night. Suddenly disappeared.

Fan Ling went to look, and sure enough the cow had disappeared. He held up the torch and looked around, but he still couldn't find a trace of it for a moment.

Linxiang is the capital. Although the size of the cow is large, it is actually very small in the wild in such a big city, and it is worth night. If no one is paying attention, it will go to some remote corner that cannot be seen, or go to a farther place. It was normal to walk away and disappear into the sight of the defenders.

But the problem is that Fan Ling is someone to stare at. Of course, human energy and attention are limited, and it is impossible to stare at it all the time, but it is certain to glance around with a cup of tea, which means that the disappearance of this cow is just It happened during this cup of tea!
Cows are not horses, how far can they run with a cup of tea, besides, this kind of livestock has a relatively quiet personality. In April, the night grass is plump, so it is reasonable to graze on the spot, and it is easy to eat for an hour or two. How did it disappear?
Fan Ling pondered for a moment, then immediately said: "There is something strange, I have to report it to the prefect."

Zhang Xian was eating, and after hearing the news, he went to the city to watch again.

There are clouds tonight, covering the starry sky, and it is dark far and near. With the light of the torch, you can see two or three miles outside the city.Zhang Xian squinted his eyes for a while, but the cow really disappeared.

"Going and returning, and then disappearing, what kind of tricks are the bandits playing?"

Zhang Xian couldn't help muttering to himself, from the very beginning he had already guessed that this "green bull" was a ruse of the Yangzhou army. One must know that the Yangzhou army had besieged the city for many days, and most of the people in the villages outside the city had been moved into the city.Those who have not moved into the city have already fled to other places, and the camp of the bandit army is more than ten miles away, within a radius of twenty or thirty miles. I am afraid that there will be few people inhabited long ago, and the people have disappeared. How can it be inexplicable? What about a green bull?

It's just that until now he still hasn't understood what the trick is, so he hasn't announced it. He noticed that some of the soldiers on the left and right had muttered, their faces darkened, and they ordered: "It doesn't matter if it's a green or yellow cow, it's just a beast after all. Forget it, what's the fuss? Order the three armies, no discussion!"

Turning back to the mansion, Zhang Xian, who had been thinking all the time, suddenly had a thought in his mind: "Could it be that this blue cow was used by the thieves to shake the morale of the army?"

Although this guess is wrong, it is not unreasonable. The local defenders are generally from farming families. The theory of ghosts and gods was prevalent in the Han Dynasty, and there are countless legends in the countryside. These soldiers are illiterate and have not read any books. Inevitably superstitious.Seeing weird things, especially when the enemy army is on the ground, will definitely be suspicious, and maybe there will be rumors.

"This is not right." He walked around the room a few times, becoming more and more alert in his heart, and immediately summoned the herald and ordered, "Order the general to search for the city, and the soldiers are forbidden to discuss the green cow in the evening. If there is any violation whoever, beheaded!"

"Here!" The herald followed the order and left.

"Master, you didn't say that just now, but you are just a beast." Some of the guards beside him laughed and said, "Why are you so cautious?"

"Otherwise, when the two armies are facing each other, any anomalies are no small matter!"

Zhang Xian shook his head, and said with a serious expression: "In the old days when Marquis Tiao Ping Wu, there was a night terror of the three armies due to the appearance of foreign objects, and almost the whole army collapsed. If you are careless, you may not be able to suppress the bullet, and this matter must be guarded against."

Tiaohou, Zhou Yafu, the general of the Western Han Dynasty who quelled the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion, has always been known for his strict military management, but even such a famous general had "night terrors" in the process of conquering Liu Bi, the king of Wu, which made later generations feel that he was the king of Wu. The generals took a deep warning and were extremely vigilant against the control of speech in the army.

The night was getting darker.

The night patrol in the city beat the drum, because Zhang Xian imposed a night ban because he was defending the city.The streets are deserted.Only the sound of more drums resounded throughout the city.There are powerful enemies outside, although reinforcements from the rear are approaching, Zhang Xian can't sleep at night.After hearing the first watch drum, it didn't seem long before the second watch drum sounded again.

Just at midnight, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence of the county mansion.

Zhang Xian was bowing his head to the map, when he heard the sound of footsteps, he raised his head hastily.The soldiers outside came to report: "My lord, the county lieutenant Fan Ling came and said that there is an urgent military report."

"Understood." Zhang Xian was startled, but his face didn't show, he just said indifferently: "Let him in." He put away the map, walked back to the hall, sat down and waited.

Not long after, I saw Fan Ling walking into the room with sweat profusely. Zhang Xian glanced at him, saw his excited expression, couldn't help being startled, and asked in surprise, "What's the matter?"

"Report to the prefect." Fan Ling hurriedly said: "At about the second quarter of the second watch, the bandit army camp in the south of the city suddenly became noisy. It seems that there was a camp roar."

"what?"

As soon as the words were finished, Zhang Xian got up suddenly, "You said there was a camp roar at the bandit army?"

"Exactly."

"Are you sure?"

"They were far away, and they could still hear the commotion, including the faint sound of fighting. Although we couldn't see the specific situation clearly, it should be the "Ying Xiao" without a doubt."

"how"

Zhang Xian wanted to say how it was possible, but he swallowed the words. He was worried that the enemy wanted to disturb the morale of the defenders in Linxiang, but now the opponent was in a mess. He lowered his head and thought for a while, He muttered to himself, "Didn't the green bull be released on purpose by the thieves? It's just a coincidence?"

But at this moment, he had no time to think about it, so Zhang Xian immediately called for the guards, put on his cloak, and climbed to the top of the city for the third time. Not only were people's voices buzzing with the wind, but also the flames were soaring into the sky, tinged with blood. All those present were veterans of the battlefield, and almost immediately came to the same judgment as Fan Ling.

The enemy did indeed roar!

"Wonderful!" A captain became more and more excited the more he watched, couldn't help clapping his hands and shouted: "Prefect, there is a roar in the enemy camp, if we attack at this time, it will definitely be a battle!"

"Extremely, extremely." The people at the side thought it was true, and echoed one after another. Zhang Xi and Zhang Xian ignored it, but stared at the distance, and their thoughts changed sharply.

"You guys are right," Fan Ling also stepped forward and said, "Prefect, what if at this time..."

Before he finished speaking, he saw Zhang Xian waving his hand to interrupt his continuation: "Fan Ling, tell me, for no reason, why did the bandit army roar?"

"From the general's point of view, it's probably because of that strange green bull in the evening." Fan Ling said: "It caused a lot of discussion among the soldiers of the bandit army, and the army panicked, which led to nightmares and night terrors, and the camp roar."

"No!" Zhang Xian shook his head: "The bandit army is now victorious and their morale is high. How could they have night terrors because of a beast?"

"Although the bandit army was lucky enough to defeat me for a while, and broke through three cities in a row, they were no more than Xiaoyier. When they faced me in Linxiang, they hadn't made any progress for more than ten days!" Fan Ling laughed and said, "And the bandit general Zhou Tai and Huang Zhong are all vulgar people, but they have the courage of ordinary people. It may be okay for these people to charge into the battle, but how can they compare with the prefect in the army?"

Fan Ling laughed and said: "The final general heard that there are many factions in Wang Zheng's army, and all the generals are at odds. Like the two leaders here, Zhou Tai was originally a subordinate of Sun Ce in Jiangdong, and it was here that Sun Ce died. In the eyes of the two, it seemed that the two had a rift against each other. It was nothing more than a streak of victories before, but now that they were unable to attack the city, it was inevitable that they would become anxious. Causing 'night terrors'."

"It's still not right." Zhang Xian thought for a moment, then shook his head: "If the generals disagree, why would Wang Yukou let them join forces? Although this son came from a bandit, he is a famous general in the world, so he will not make such a mistake."

"A famous general in the world?" A captain laughed disapprovingly: "It's just a land of youth, and there are no heroes. Fang Ling Zhuzi became famous by chance. Besides, what about the famous generals in the world? Can he still be named better than Sun Jian? Didn't the fierce tiger from the east of the Yangtze River take over my land in Jingzhou and be defeated to the death?"

But no one echoed these words. You said that Wang Zheng became famous by fluke, so why did he not show up at the front line, but just sit in Nanchang, making Zhang Xian and Wenpin afraid to act rashly?
Fan Ling quickly changed the topic: "The prefect, Wang Zheng is not an incompetent person, but after all, he is still young, and there are always times when he is not careful, and he is not at the front after all, and the commander is Xu Fang. This person is not very famous. He is still young, once night terrors occur in the bandit camp, I am afraid that even if he wants to suppress it, no one will listen to him."

"Hmm." Zhang Xian looked southeast of the city and muttered, "There is some truth to that."

"Prefect, now that General Wen has arrived at Hanshou, even though he said he has mobilized Jingzhou troops and reinforcements are coming, have you thought about it?"

Seeing that Zhang Xian seemed to be moving on purpose, Fan Ling hurriedly continued to say: "Since the battle with the bandit army, our army has lost consecutive battles, lost Hunan and Liling, and was ambushed again. If we defend ourselves in the city and wait for the reinforcements to defeat the bandits, then After breaking the thief, what should I do with myself?"

"Huh?" Zhang Xian turned his head suddenly when he heard the words, his eyes were fixed on him, his expression turned cold, and he said lightly: "What do you mean?"

He has been in a high position for a long time, and he has accumulated a lot of prestige, but when his face changed slightly, Fan Ling's heart trembled, and he dared not continue. Anyway, Zhang Xian had heard enough of this, so he cupped his hands and said, "The general will know." Those in the eunuch who are suspicious are nothing more than bandits camping and shouting is a fake, wanting to lure our army out of the city, the last general asked for orders, willing to lead [-] cavalry out of the city immediately, wait and see nearby, and also act as a temptation!"

"If the 'Ying Xiao' of the bandit army is true, let's set off fireworks as a sign, and the prefect can immediately lead the main force out of the city, and seize the opportunity to raid his camp! If the bandit army' 'Ying Xiao' is false, the cavalry that the general will bring will go around quickly. Just go back to the city."

This was an excellent solution, but Zhang Xian still didn't agree immediately, but frowned slightly, thinking constantly in his mind.

Fan Ling's words, both in and out, he could understand immediately after listening to them. Since Liu Biao was the shepherd of Jingzhou, Changsha County has actually maintained a semi-independent state. This is naturally because Zhang Xian and Liu Biao are at odds, and now they have changed their relationship. With the friendly Cai Mao in power, the situation seems to be improving, but it may not be.

The so-called one moment is also the other moment. In the past, Cai Mao had a good relationship with him because the two had no actual conflict of interest, and besides the prefect of Changsha and the military adviser of General Zhengnan on the surface, the two had another layer of identity. They are all from the rich families in Jingzhou.

Now it is different, Cai Mao has become the sometimes unknown lord of Jingzhou, and has become the top leader, so would he still be willing to let Changsha continue to maintain the state of "only knowing the prefect, but not the state shepherd"?

As for Zhang Xian, he dared to challenge Liu Biao. In addition to having an independent army, the more important thing is that he "has a reputation and won the hearts of the people" in Jingnan. But now, the army from Yangzhou has entered the country in large numbers. Since then, the Changsha army has been in a state of passive defense. The key point is that they have not defended it. Not to mention the removal of several wealthy Wubao on the border, even Liling and southern Hunan have fallen one after another.
Nowadays, many people blame Zhang Xiandang for the crime of the fall of the city and the loss of land. When Jianchang was attacked, he sat on the sidelines and let the Yangzhou army break through one by one, easily taking down the throat of the south.

Under such circumstances, it is inevitable that Zhang Xian's prestige will be greatly reduced. The reason why he can barely stabilize the army and defend the city is that when a big enemy is present and everyone knows that it is not a time of internal fighting, secondly, Zhang Xian is still alive after all. If you firmly control the military power, some people will feel dissatisfied, and you have to weigh the consequences of making mistakes.

But if Wenpin leads the reinforcements to break the siege, then this tens of thousands of troops will inevitably enter Linxiang, and Zhang Xian, who is no longer dominant in strength, will no longer hold the initiative. excuse
Thinking of this, Zhang Xian glanced at the surrounding soldiers. Under the light of the torches, the faces of these people sometimes brightened and sometimes darkened, as if they were in the same position as them. He was startled in his heart, pondered for a moment, and finally made a decision.

"Okay, then go and test it out. If Yingxiao is true, today is the day to break the thief!"

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)