At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty

It is nothing more than having tasted the sweetness from the trade with Hongnong and knowing the benefits of trade, so I hope to maintain this situation and not lose this business way easily.

But let alone them, Liu Biao himself also sent people to Hongnong to make money and benefits, and he didn't want to lose Nanyang, a transportation hub.

If Guo Peng has ideas about Jingzhou, he will definitely take Nanyang, control Nanyang, and deter Jingzhou from north to south.

So Cai Mao suggested that Liu Biao increase his troops to guard Nanyang.

Before this, Liu Biao had never sent enough troops to defend Nanyang, but now that it was proposed, Liu Biao felt that this was a good opportunity.

"Since that's the case, let's send more troops to Nanyang, then the candidates for the prefect of Nanyang..."

As soon as Liu Biao spoke, Cai Mao knew what Liu Biao meant.

"Minggong, Zhang Yun has literary talent and military strategy, and he is worthy of the post of prefect. I would like to be promoted by Minggong."

Cai Hao did not avoid relatives when he promoted talents, so he directly recommended Zhang Yun as the prefect of Nanyang to command the army and horses against Guo Peng.

Liu Biao thought for a while, and felt that this candidate was not impossible.

Zhang Yun is a native of Jingzhou, but Zhang Yun is also Liu Biao's nephew.

In order to get along with Jingzhou people, Liu Biao localized his political power, so he adopted the method of marriage. He married his sister to Zhang, and married Cai's daughter as his stepmother. It's also easy to do.

It can be said that Zhang Yun is not only a local, but also has a relationship with Liu Biao. He can be regarded as a buffer between Liu Biao and the Jingzhou wealthy family. He has always gotten along well with the Cai family and the Kuai family.

Liu Biao can accept this candidate, and so can the people of Jingzhou.

So Liu Biao did not object.

Then Liu Biao looked at Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang, wanting to ask their opinions.

The two did not object.

Kuai Yue also praised Zhang Yun for being talented enough to be the prefect.

Liu Biao immediately figured out that the two groups of people under his command had communicated in advance.

With Liu Biao's position as the shepherd of Jingzhou, he can appoint officials within Jingzhou on his own, so as long as Liu Biao agrees, this matter is reasonable and legal.

Liu Biao thought about it, although he thought about appointing his own son Liu Pan to be Nanyang's prefect and commander, but Zhang Yun was also a good choice.

After all, he was a candidate acceptable to both Liu Biao himself and the people of Jingzhou. He came to guard Nanyang and control the transportation hub, which was something everyone could accept.

As for talent...

This is not the most important thing. Anyway, Liu Biao didn't expect Zhang Yun to accomplish any great things, so it's fine to stick to his achievements.

So Liu Biao appointed Zhang Yun as the prefect of Nanyang, and garrisoned [-] troops in Nanyang County to defend against Guo Peng. Considering that Zhang Yun was alone and alone, he mobilized his subordinate Zhonglang General and Nanyang native Huang Zhong to be Zhang Yun's subordinate. , Commanding troops for Zhang Yun.

After joining Liu Biao, Huang Zhong was appointed as General Zhonglang. He followed Liu Pan to guard Changsha and dealt with the barbarians in Changsha. candidates.

Then, Liu Biao appointed Gan Ning, a native of Yizhou who had been left in Nanyang for a long time and ignored him, as the school lieutenant, and served under Zhang Yun's command, which was an explanation for him.

Liu Biao can only do this.

For Jingzhou people, the existence of Nanyang County is very important. It is the gateway to the north and the barrier of Liu Biao’s Xiangyang base camp. Only by mastering Nanyang can Jingzhou be said to be safe. Once Nanyang is not safe, Jingzhou will not be considered safe.

Zhang Yun was appointed the prefect of Nanyang. He was very happy and full of ambition to take up the post. Before he took office, Cai Mao called him in front of him and taught him the opportunity face to face.

"Do you know what to do when you become the prefect of Nanyang this time?"

"Of course I know, I want to strictly guard Nanyang, and I can't give Guo Zifeng the opportunity to go south, so I will stick to the Jingbei gate."

Zhang Yun took it for granted.

"Not these! You think your 10 soldiers are Guo Zifeng's opponent? Yuan Gonggong's [-] soldiers are not Guo Zifeng's opponent. Do you think you are stronger than Yuan Gonggong?"

Cai Mao scolded angrily, making Zhang Yun a little dazed.

"what?"

"I recommend you to be the prefect of Nanyang not to make you fight against Guo Zifeng, but to get in touch with the people on Guo Zifeng's side, to socialize, to foster relationships, and to explore the tone."

Cai Hao shook his head and said, "Guo Zifeng has many troops and is powerful. Can Jingzhou be his opponent? If Guo Zifeng is really determined to go south, we can't stop him, but also help him. I will wait for peace!"

Cai Zhong was surprised.

"Aren't we... against Liu Shijun?"

"The world belongs to the big man, not Liu Jingsheng. Jingzhou belongs to Jingzhou people, not Liu Jingsheng's Jingzhou!"

Cai Mao frowned: "You have to pay attention, Liu Jingsheng and Guo Zifeng have a grudge, if we stand with Liu Jingsheng, it is purely looking for trouble. Guo Zifeng occupied Hebei and the Central Plains all the way, and destroyed countless families. How can we treat me like this?" Waiting for the safety of the family to be ignored?"

"So what you mean is that you want me to secretly contact Guo Zifeng, establish a relationship, and leave a way out for me?"

Zhang Yun frowned and asked.

"Hey, that's right!"

Only then did Cai Mao nod his head: "You have a long way to go, and you must not be noticed by Liu Jingsheng."

"I see."

Zhang Yun nodded, thought for a while, and felt that what Cai Mao said was reasonable, but he felt that it was not good to do so: "After all, Shijun is my aunt's relative and also your sister's husband. We do this, don't we?" not good?"

"No, that's the best way to do it."

Cai Mao shook his head: "Guo Zifeng is so powerful that no one in the world is his opponent. He is about to occupy the entire Central Plains and Hebei, and one person holds half of the world. There are countless elite soldiers. How can Jingzhou be his opponent?

Only by cooperating with him and obeying his orders can we keep our family members and clansmen. Compared with that, what about a Liu Jingsheng?What's more, if you fight against Guo Zifeng, you will die. If you cooperate with him, you might be able to save Liu Jingsheng's life, don't you think so? "

Chapter 424 San Cai Mao is not stupid

Zhang Yun's heart was pounded by Cai Mao's words.

After thinking about it carefully, he found that what Cai Mao said was true.

It is indeed impossible for Liu Biao to compete with Guo Peng. Guo Peng's power is too great, and there are too many soldiers and horses, so it is almost impossible for the weak to defeat the strong.

Moreover, Liu Biao is old, and Guo Peng is not yet thirty, which is the prime of life. When the two are compared, it is clear who has the upper hand.

Even counting Liu Biao's son, there is nothing comparable.

Liu Biao's two sons, Liu Qi and Liu Cong, were not born to his step-wife Cai Shi, who had nothing to do with him, but Liu Biao's second son, Liu Cong, was sweet-mouthed and younger, and was liked by Cai Shi, while the eldest son Liu Qi was not liked by Cai Shi.

So Cai has already bet on Liu Cong, optimistic that Liu Cong can inherit Liu Biao's status in the future.

But even so, Cai Mao can see that Liu Qi and Liu Cong are mediocre sons and daughters with no great talents. It is far from enough to make a difference in troubled times. The most they can do is hunting, riding horses and playing poetry , These son's exclusive skills, they are not bad.

Using soldiers to fight Wen Tao and Wu Lue, these real skills and hard work, can they fight against Guo Peng who has conquered half of the country with one hand?

Basically impossible.

From top to bottom in Jingzhou, there is no existence that can compete with Guo Peng, whether it is military strength, population, or financial resources.

The most prosperous place in Jingzhou is in the north of Jingzhou. The first of the four counties in Jingzhou is larger than the other, the population is smaller than the other, and the barbarians are more than the other. It cannot be counted as Jingzhou's power at all.

Calculated in this way, it is a very remarkable move for Jingzhou to come up with [-] to [-] mobile troops.

Can Jingzhou like this compete with the elite of the Han Dynasty?

Cai Mao is not stupid, and knows this clearly.

If you want to protect your family, you must rely on the strong. In this regard, Yuan Shao's destruction in Hebei has given a very good warning to the powerful families in the world.

Zhang Yunsi thought about it, and felt that Cai Mao was right.

"You're right, but Guo Zifeng is so powerful, how can we get in touch with him? We don't even have a connection, so we approach rashly, isn't it good?"

Seeing that Zhang Yun agreed, Cai Mao breathed a sigh of relief.

"You don't have to worry about this. I have an old relationship with Guo Zifeng's brother-in-law Cao Cao Cao Mengde. We are young friends and we used to make friends together. I also met Guo Zifeng when he was a child, but he probably didn't have much impression. "

Cai Mao had a reminiscing look on his face, and said, "When I went to Runan to study in the north, I was very happy to communicate with Cao Mengde, Yuan Benchu, Xu Ziyuan and others.

Who would have thought that time passes quickly and things are impermanent. From the beginning to now, Guo Zifeng became the overlord of the Central Plains, Cao Mengde became the governor of Jizhou, and Yuan Benchu ​​and Xu Ziyuan were both dead. The world has changed drastically, and the past no longer exists. "

After reminiscing, Cai Mao took out a roll of bamboo slips and handed it to Zhang Yun.

"This is a letter I wrote to Cao Mengde. Cao Mengde is now the governor of Jizhou. After you arrive in Nanyang, send someone north to send a letter to Cao Mengde, asking Cao Mengde to mediate and speak good words for us.

Cao Mengde is Guo Zifeng's brother-in-law. He was the first person to support Guo Zifeng's army. He has a high status under Guo Zifeng. With Cao Mengde's help, it is not difficult to establish a relationship with Guo Zifeng. room. "

Zhang Yun took Cai Mao's letter and nodded.

"I see, I will go to Cao Mengde for mediation."

Soon, Huang Zhong, who served under Liu Pan, drove Huang Zhong from Changsha, and joined Zhang Yun under Liu Biao's order. Zhang Yun set off from Xiangyang to Nanyang to take up the post of Nanyang prefect.

After arriving at Zhiwan City in Nanyang County, Zhang Yun handed over all the military deployment to Huang Zhong, and asked Huang Zhong to arrange it, while he concentrated on thinking about how to send people to Jizhou to contact Cao Cao.

After thinking about it, I still can't use the person who came after me.

He was worried that there would be Liu Biao's eyeliner. For example, this Huang Zhong might have some problems. He fought under Liu Pan all the year round, so he could be said to be Liu Biao's direct descendant.

This guy can't discuss important matters with him rashly.

Zhang Yun then decided to choose a brave and resourceful person from Nanyang County to take on this responsibility.

So he sent someone to secretly search for Nanyang if there were any more powerful rangers and warriors. This question really revealed a person.

This person is called Wei Yan, and his name is Wenchang. He is a well-known ranger in Nanyang. He is not yet 20 years old, but he is righteous and well-known in the world.

So Zhang Yun decided to summon Wei Yan, treat him to a feast, and find a dancer to accompany him to sleep. For three days, Wei Yan was grateful for Zhang Yun's kindness, so he proposed to repay his kindness, so Zhang Yun entrusted him with his task. Wei Yan.

"It's a long way to go to Jizhou, and the road is difficult and dangerous. If there is any embarrassment, just come back. I don't blame Wenchang."

Zhang Yun's face was full of sincerity.

"If you can't deliver this letter, bring the reply back, and Wei will come to see you!"

The young Wei Yan patted his chest with an air of arrogance.

Zhang Yun smiled secretly, so he handed over this task to Wei Yan, appointed Wei Yan as his captain, took three of Zhang Yun's personal soldiers, and went to deliver the letter.

On the same day that Wei Yan set off, fierce battles were underway at Shouchun City.

Guo Peng personally came to the city to supervise the battle, and commanded the army to bombard Shouchun City with trebuchets, which destroyed many buildings in Shouchun City, and the city walls were also destroyed in many places. The city wall of Shouchun was destroyed.

Lu Mian and Ji Ling each guarded two city walls, and they cooperated tacitly. The soldiers on the city were frightened by the rumors that "the enemy army will slaughter the city when they come in" from Lu Mian and Ji Ling. In order to save their own lives, To keep their loved ones in the city, they dare not fight with all their strength.

Guo Peng sent people to besiege on all sides, with an attitude of immortality, which indeed put a lot of pressure on Shouchun City, but also caused a lot of casualties to his soldiers and horses.

After more than ten days of siege, the soldiers lost no less than [-] soldiers, which made Guo Peng feel very distressed.

But the means of siege are indeed limited.

While Guo Peng used trebuchets to attack the city, he also ordered the soldiers to dig tunnels from the ground, trying to replicate Lu Zhi's victory in conquering Guangzong City guarded by Zhang Jiao, thinking of destroying the city wall of Shouchun.

However, several tunnels were discovered by Lu Mian. He used smoke to make all the tunnels excavated by Guo Peng useless, and the tunnel war plan was broken.

Guo Peng was also very depressed, so he could only continue to attack the city in the traditional way and think about other possibilities.

Just at this time, Yuan Si, who assisted Guo Peng to appoint the new Chen Guoxiang, Gu Yong, after handing over Chen Guo's official documents, came to Shouchun City to meet Guo Peng.

As the first child of the Yuan family in Runan who voluntarily surrendered, Guo Peng believed that Yuan Si was very promising, so he held Yuan Si's hand tightly, stroked his back, and welcomed him into his handsome tent with a big smile. During the meeting, he talked with him cordially, and poured wine for him with his own hands.

Yuan Si looked somewhat flattered.

Chapter 425 .420 When the four anti-clients dominate

Yuan Si is indeed timid.

Besides, he was very scared by Guo Peng's military power and those murderous soldiers all the way. Now that Guo Peng is so gentle to him, he is very happy and a little worried.

"Yuan Gong has worked hard all the way. Did Peng's subordinates take good care of Yuan Gong? Did they make things difficult for Yuan Gong?"

"The care is very good, I have never made things difficult for me, the general does not need to worry."

Yuan Si was quite apprehensive about Guo Peng's enthusiasm, and didn't know how Guo Peng wanted to treat him.

The reputation of the entire Yuan family in Runan is stink because of Yuan Shu's proclaiming the emperor. Everything that the Yuan family in Runan has painstakingly managed for more than a hundred years has been destroyed by Yuan Shu in a blink of an eye. up.

Yuan Si was also heartbroken. He felt that the Yuan family had no future, and he didn't want to die like this, so he simply surrendered, hoping that Guo Peng would not kill him.

Guo Peng didn't kill him, but he didn't give him a new appointment, which made Yuan Si a little uneasy, especially on the way to Shouchun.