[Three Kingdoms] Carnival

After mid-autumn, the weather gets cooler day by day, and the withered yellow leaves are piled up in the corners, like tombs whose names are forgotten, covering up the dead buried deep in the ground with their own rot.

This is the No. 13 day when Fancheng ran out of food.

To make matters worse, fewer and fewer people believe that this number will end before the Shu army breaks through Fancheng.

"Old He, what do you mean by general?" At the south gate of Fancheng, a few soldiers who had just finished their shifts walked downstairs and whispered, "I heard from brothers elsewhere that they have been hungry again for the past two days. Several people died."

"Don't talk nonsense!" The person called "Old He" hurriedly stopped him, "Didn't you hear what the general said this morning? There is news from the north that reinforcements and food will arrive in five days."

"You believe this too." Another person stepped forward, "Didn't you just say that you would stick to Fancheng and that reinforcements from the north would arrive soon? What happened? Someone came from the north, but they didn't bring a morsel of food. Let's grab food. Let me tell you, with Zhuge Liang around, this Fancheng..."

"I heard that Zhuge Liang is not only extremely wise, but also knows sorcery. Back then in Chibi, the king of Wei had a hundred thousand armors, all of which were completely burned by the evil wind he attracted. You say, this Fancheng is hard to break for a long time, is it true?" Didn't he use some kind of demon?"

"No matter how powerful Zhuge Liang is, how can he compare to our Mr. Guo?" Another person stepped forward to join the conversation, "Anyone who can bring the dead back to life is a person with great fortune. Let me see, with Mr. Guo here, Fancheng will definitely be able to do so." hold on."

"Yes, yes, the city is defended, you and I are starving to death, what the hell. If you want me to say, it's better to—"

"It's not as good as what?" Old He rolled his eyes at him, the speaker was dumb for a moment, and closed his mouth embarrassingly.Then he said again, "Let me remind you, don't have to say, your family and mine don't live near Yecheng. Whoever dares to think wrongly, I will report to the general first, at least I can keep my son."

"I know, I know, he just said it casually, how could he have the guts." Another person quickly came up to smooth things over, "I won't mention this, I will see you at the old place later, I got a good thing, and I will give you a meal."

Several people said a few words, and then dispersed.About half an hour later, Lao He left the camp alone and walked towards a narrow alley.They also stayed in Fancheng for a long time, and when they were free, they would gather in an empty house in this alley, where they would buy some wild animals and make tooth sacrifices.But ever since Fancheng was besieged, there were not even any rats left in the city, and I don't know what the "good things" mentioned today refer to.

After removing the wooden boards used to conceal people's eyes and ears, he walked a few more steps, and as expected, he saw these people gathered in the yard.The wild animals on the fire were roasted crispy, and a strong smell of meat pervaded the yard, making him salivate after being hungry for several meals.

"It's really time for Lao He to come, just baked." One of them smiled, tore off a piece of meat with iron tongs and handed it to Lao He, "Taste it quickly."

"What is this? Where did you get it?" Old He took the meat, keeping a vigilance in his heart.But the meat that I hadn't seen for a long time was too tempting. I endured it for a few seconds, but I couldn't resist my hunger. Before I got an answer, I put the meat in my mouth.Chewed in the mouth, the meat is slightly sticky, a bit like a wild chick, and a bit like——

Thinking of Man Chong who was leading his troops looking for something alive when he left the camp, he had a bad premonition in his heart.But everyone kept staring at him, and had no choice but to swallow the meat.

"Old He, you can eat as soon as you eat, why are you secretly hiding them together?"

"A Liao isn't sick and didn't come here. It's rare for him to be a little nasty. I'll take it back to him."

After a few people finished eating this small wild animal, one of them wiped his mouth and repeated the same old tune: "Do you think we are really going to wait like this in the city? "

"When I was returning to the camp just now, I ran into the military doctor coming back from the outside, and his expression was very bad. When General Man asked him something, he just shook his head." Another person said, "Ordinarily, the only one who can make the military doctor leave the camp to go out to see a doctor is probably the only one." That..."

"If it's really that person's failure," another person swallowed, "then we, shouldn't we, too, find another way out?"

The others didn't answer, but looked at Lao He who had been silent all along with the person who said this before.

"Old He." He said, "I know, you can't let go of your newborn son. But you think, if your wife is gone, you can marry again, and if your son is gone, you can have another son. If you lose your life here, But there's nothing left."

"That's right." Another person chimed in, "I did a good job of inquiring when I returned to the camp. This morning alone, two or three people died of starvation. Although we have been with the general for many years, we can still share some food, but the city There is only so little food left in the house, and we have to feed the nobles first, and I am afraid that it will be our turn to starve to death soon."

"Military Master Zhuge can say that, as long as we are willing to help him break Fancheng, he will definitely show us General Liu a reward. At that time, the glory and wealth, the glory of the ancestors, and the glory of the ancestors, will not be better than this bitter hill?!"

"Military Master Zhuge?" Old He frowned, "How did you hear that?"

Although Fancheng's defeat is becoming apparent, it has always been well-defended. How could a group of pawns in the city know this unless——

Several other people looked at each other, seeming to hesitate.A few seconds later, a person gritted his teeth and said frankly: "Let me tell you the truth. Three days ago, a man with a token of the Shu army came to us and promised us what we said. Look, what the general said It sounds good, Fancheng is so impregnable that even the Shu army has come to the city without knowing it."

"Since I found you three days ago," Lao He continued to ask, his eyes getting more distant, "Why do you bother to tell me, can't it be enough to ask for this merit by yourself?"

"You are not the only one who is from the same town as the guard of the south gate, and you can treat him to drink—"

"Cough." The other person hurriedly coughed heavily, and interjected, "Old He, we have been brothers for so many years, and there is such a good thing, how can we not miss you."

"If you really treat me as a brother, I will advise you." Old He said solemnly, "Being a traitor never ends well."

The faces of several people turned pale, and a trace of fear flashed across their faces, and then they were all replaced by anger: "Don't you still want to disregard brotherhood and go to the general to expose us?! Let me tell you, just attack the piece of meat you just ate , once the incident happens, we can't run away, and neither can you!"

Old He's eyes tightened: "What did you eat for me?!"

"It's Mr. Guo's fox." Having said this, these people simply showed their fierceness and confessed, "We can't even eat enough food, but this animal eats better than us. There is no such reason! You can think clearly, we have violated the military order when we came here privately, and we still eat the food raised by Mr. Guo, even if you go back and report the news, will he spare you in the future?!"

Lao He's expression became more and more flustered.Regardless of whether Guo Jia would spare him in the future, as soon as this man was talking, he clearly caught a glimpse of other people quietly putting their hands on the handle of the knife.Obviously, as long as he said "no", he would be decapitated in the next second.

He was silent for a long time.After a long time, as if resigned to fate, he sighed, "That's all. What do you want me to do?"

Seeing that he agreed, several people were overjoyed, hurriedly stepped forward and said in a low voice:

"The Zhuge military division said that it only takes four days..."

"Four days later, Zhuge Liang will lead his army to attack the north gate. He asked us to play by ear, secretly open the south gate, and let the Shu army enter the city. After this is done, we will be granted the position of general, a thousand taels of gold, and a hundred hectares of fertile land."

After finishing all the words in one go, Old He Chang breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a lot more relaxed.But after waiting for a long time, but did not hear any response, I couldn't help but feel uneasy again.Although it was a cold solar term, his back was already soaked in cold sweat.The eyes of the person in front of him seemed to be wandering over him, so he didn't dare to raise his head to meet the pair of eyes that were actually not scary, but were too clear.

"You did a good job." Finally, there was a response from the front, but it did not come from Guo Jia, "When Fancheng is relieved, Zhuge Liang promises you, and King Wei will reward you twice."

"The villain dare not ask for rewards." Old He hurriedly knelt down on the ground, "I just ask you to take care of the villain's family in Yecheng for the sake of the villain's loyalty."

"Don't worry." It was still Man Chong who replied on Guo Jia's behalf, "Traitors will be punished by their family members; those who died for the country will be rewarded to their heirs. You have been in the army for many years, and you know the military orders of the King of Wei best."

Lao He said yes and nodded repeatedly.It was precisely because rewards and punishments were always clearly defined in the army, without exception, that he made up his mind to give up his brotherhood and come to inform Guo Jia.

Even if there will be high-ranking officials and generous salaries in the future, and many servants, how can he be willing to let go of his old mother, wife and children today.

After asking a few more details, Man Chong waved his hand to signal him to back down.He only said yes, and slowly stood up, suddenly seemed to have finally made up his mind, and knelt back to the ground with a "bang": "The villain has one more request, I hope you will agree!"

Man Chong looked at Guo Jia, and after Guo Jia nodded, he said, "Say it."

Old He straightened up, took out something from his arms shaking like a sieve, then hit his head on the ground again with a "snap", and raised his two hands that were holding the thing high: "Big man One piece of meat meal, please... Mister please enjoy!"

Man Chong frowned, not knowing why.Just about to scold him, Guo Jia pulled him first, motioning him to bring the thing over.

"What is this?" Man Chong asked.

"Mister, please take a sip first, only villains dare to speak."

"You are so bold! How can you rely on such a story, sir..." Before Man Chong finished speaking, his expression changed drastically when he turned around.Guo Jia actually followed what the soldier said, picked up the charred and blackened thing, and took a bite.

"Is that all right?" Guo Jia chewed for a moment, then swallowed the meat calmly, "Or do you want to rest assured that Jia has to eat all of these?"

"Villain, villain dare not! It's just...just..."

"Jia knows what you're worried about, and what it is." Guo Jia said slowly, "You don't have to worry. Jia won't take a beast to heart."

He didn't expect Guo Jia to see through all his thoughts without saying anything, and he couldn't help being even more afraid of Guo Jia.But even though his body was shaking like a sieve, he still forced himself to muster up the courage to raise his head.When he looked straight into those eyes and confirmed that there was no reluctance or anger in them, his heart finally slammed back to its original place with his head.

"As long as the safety of the villain's family can be guaranteed, the villain is willing to go through fire and water for the king of Wei, and he will die!"

Guo Jia nodded slightly, watched him back with a smile.

"Sir, this thing is—"

"Do you still remember that Jia asked you to find that disobedient fox?" Guo Jia pointed to the remaining piece of meat, "He probably thought it was this. Now Jia is afraid of scaring the snake, so he won't kill him, but He was also worried that Jia held a grudge and would involve his family in the future, so he took the risk to test Jia."

"... Overestimating one's abilities." Man Chong snorted coldly.If Guo Jia hadn't intended to kill, after being provoked by him, he might have become angry instead; if Guo Jia had wanted to kill, as a soldier, how could he have the confidence to see through Guo Jia's mind.

"For the love of the heart, it is not an exaggeration to use all the tricks, and if it is self-defeating, caring will cause chaos. Jia is also unavoidable, so let him go." Guo Jia was not as angry at this soldier's offense as Man Chong.His fingers knocked irregularly on the table a few times, his eyes fluctuated, as if there was something he couldn't figure out, after thinking for a long time, he had to ask someone else, "Bonin, Jia has something to ask you."

Seeing Guo Jia's serious eyes, Man Chong immediately straightened his expression: "Sir, please speak."

"Jia, is it really that scary?"

Man Chong couldn't help being taken aback.

When he was in the camp a few years ago, he did often hear comments about Guo Jia.Over the years, old stories have been passed on by word of mouth, and most of them have become vivid and shocking. It was only in recent years that Guo Jia ignored everything, and the soldiers gradually changed the object of discussion, but the lingering prestige still lingers, especially after Fancheng ran out of food. The rumors in Xuzhou gradually became more and more popular.That's why the soldier didn't even dare to raise his head in front of Guo Jia if he had no choice but to do so.

But what do those people know? !

"Pfft, Jia just said something casually as a joke, don't take it seriously." Seeing that Man Chong's brows were getting tighter and tighter, and his eyes gradually showed cruelty, Guo Jia hurriedly stopped thinking about teasing this serious person again, but felt that It's a pity.

There is not much time, otherwise he really wants to teach Man Chong something more.People will be forgotten, but the traces left behind may not be so easily erased.

"Hey, let's talk business."

Hearing this, Man Chong unfolded the map of Fancheng that was put aside in front of Guo Jia.Guo Jia thought for a moment, and then his fingertips landed on the north gate, where the garrison equipment is most heavily guarded, and then passed the government office, paused slightly in several alleys, and finally stopped at the entrance of the south gate:

"A feint attack at the north gate, and a feint at the south gate, seems to be a strategy of attacking the west. Zhuge Liang can use only two generals. Bo Ning thinks, who will he choose?"

This question is not difficult to answer.Huang Zhong is brave and proficient in bows and crossbows, but he is very old.When it comes to conquering cities and conquering territory and going deep into dangerous situations, the most suitable person to take on this important task can only be Zhao Yun and Zhao Zilong.

After getting a full answer.Guo Jia smiled and drew a circle on the map.The ink stains are sharp, just like a group of soldiers in iron armor, lurking in the night, just waiting for the prey to fall into the urn.

"Then, the first step is to start with Zhao Zilong."

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"North gate is in a hurry! General Zhengnan has an order. All the troops of the right army will follow me to help the north city, and the rest will strictly guard the south gate. Anyone who violates the order will be dealt with by military law!"

"Yes!"

Seeing the first group of people leave, the few people who had been bribed by the Shu army met their eyes slightly, and then hid in the shadow of their heads.Not long after, another lieutenant came and left with a group of soldiers.After a few times, there were no more than a hundred people stationed at the south gate.A few faint fires swayed and swayed with the gust of wind, and were lost in the gradually thickening night together with the South Gate.

it's time.

They tacitly raised their heads again, and sure enough, they saw the same answer in each other's eyes as they did in their own hearts.There were no more than a few dozen soldiers on the tower, and except for a cavalry patrolling the city, there were only a dozen of them guarding the gate.

After the moon is over, it is hidden behind the clouds, and it is hidden and reappears.When they silently chanted "one", except for them, the rest of the soldiers all fell to the ground as expected.

According to the military order, no one in the army would dare to drink alcohol.But soldiers are also human beings, and they have been trapped for so many days, and it is the friendship of fellow villagers. No matter how solid the barrier is, it can be corroded.

The cavalry in the distance couldn't hear the small sound of weapons falling on the ground from the upper and lower towers.They looked around, and when they saw that there was indeed no one standing besides them, they stepped over the corpse lightly and gathered together in front of the city gate.

"Follow what Military Master Zhuge said, and everything went smoothly!"

In moments where tension dominates, blindness repressed in whispers does wonders to soothe restlessness.When they worked together to lift the crossbar and open the heavy city gate, they all saw the burgeoning excitement in each other's eyes.

Except for the only "traitor".

Lao He didn't step forward to help, he stood behind a few people, staring straight at the city gate.First, they rode into the city one by one.The person who came was tall and straight, heroic and uncommon, and the clear moonlight sprinkled on the iron armor, shining a silvery white light.The white horse is tall and handsome, and the silver spear is sharp. Although he is alone, there are thousands of horses and horses coming to meet him.It didn't take much identification, they all recognized that the person who came was Zhao Yun and Zhao Zilong who broke through alone in Changbanpo.

If such a flood dragon entered the city, is there any reason why it would be invincible? !

"Ming Gong has always been very clear about rewards and punishments. If you do something, Jia will give you a chance to go back alive and reunite with your family."

"Old He, why is your face so ugly?" Finally someone noticed something wrong with him.

"After the Shu army enters the city, don't worry about anything—"

Lao He didn't answer, which aroused the doubts of the people around him.The man secretly clenched the long knife in his hand quite schemingly.Anyway, the guard at the south gate and his soldiers had already drank the poisoned wine, so it would be useless to keep Lao He.

"run."

Unexpectedly, before the man's knife was cut out, "Old He" yelled at the top of his lungs. In the quiet south gate, it was like a thunderclap.Old He Fei also ran towards the city, and they were extremely panicked. They were about to chase after him, but they heard a "coax" from behind, and an iron sill came down from the door, blocking everyone's escape route.

Turning around again, those soldiers who were transferred away earlier, and those soldiers who fell on the ground and drank the "poison" wine, were all holding sharp blades and torches and staring at them coldly.And on the city tower, the archers who had been dormant for a long time were already like the full moon.

There is no way to advance or retreat, and there is no doubt that you will die!

Faced with this desperate situation, several people turned pale with horror, and even one person fainted from fright before he could wait.But Zhao Yun, as if he had expected it long ago, the corners of his lips curled up slightly, he clenched his spear tightly, and went forward to meet the enemy.

"Man Boning, Yun has been waiting for you for a long time."

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Trapped general.

Seeing the two characters written by Zhuge Liang on the slip, Zhao Yun vaguely felt that he had grasped something, and it seemed plausible, so he suppressed his temper, did not speak, and waited for Zhuge Liang to give an answer.

"Zilong, from what you can see, in Fancheng right now, where are we and I gaining, and where are we missing?"

Zhao Yun lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "Attacking and defending is different, attacking is difficult but defending is easy, Peter lost me, this is one of them; our army has enough food and grass, Cao Jun has already run out of food, if the food is exhausted, there will be civil strife, Peter lost I got it, this is the second... If we talk about the strength of our army, although our army is stronger than Cao's army in number, but judging from the previous sieges, its quality and equipment are inferior to Cao's army, and—”

Zhuge Liang glanced at him and motioned him to continue.

"Compared to Cao Jun, our army only has General Huang Lao and Yun Ke as generals. If there are few generals, it is difficult to divide the army. If..." He paused, obviously realizing what Zhuge Liang wrote at the beginning. The second general was trapped by another person. When our army attacked the city, Cao Jun divided his troops out of the city and attacked from the rear. First, he was unprepared to severely injure our army and break the siege of Fancheng. Second, he could grab food and grass and return to the city, and make another round. But the army division , Yun thought, instead of preparing for it and preventing it, it is better to follow it. This may not be an opportunity."

The light of approval in Zhuge Liang's eyes was even brighter. He picked up a roll of bamboo slips from the side of the desk and handed it to Zhao Yun.Zhao Yun read it at a glance.What was written on the slip was the information from the spies who had infiltrated Fancheng in the past few days.

"Guo Jia has to pretend to be sick, but if he pretends to be sick, he will inevitably be slack." Zhuge Liang explained, "But he should know most of the content on the slip. Cao Jun's military law is very strict, and those who follow the army outside , the family must stay in Yecheng as a hostage. Of course, there are those who are greedy for glory and wealth among these people, but it is impossible for all of them to be. Knowing that someone wants to open the city gate privately, but holding back the soldiers, it is precisely to lure generals into the city and kill them when they are trapped. "

There was a few seconds of silence in the tent.

"Zilong, Liang wants to leave this matter to you."

After Zhuge Liang finished the previous paragraph, Zhao Yun had already expected this decision.Since he wanted to follow the plan, Guo Jia must have set up a complete ambush in the city. General Huang is brave but old. In contrast, it is most suitable for him to go deep into the dangerous situation.

"Yunding fulfills his mission!"

"Liang doesn't need to live up to his mission." Unexpectedly, Zhuge Liang shook his head, and Zhao Yun unexpectedly glimpsed a trace of incomprehensible worry in those lacquered black eyes.

"Do your best and come back alive."

Neither the lord nor Shuzhong can afford any more sacrifices.

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"Report, General Man Chong has trapped Zhao Yun at the south gate!"

Hearing the report from the soldiers, Guo Jia gave a soft "hmm" and dropped the sunspot, which had been hanging in the air for a long time, onto the chessboard.

The layout of the south gate is sufficient, and the inside should be combined with the outside. The only possible accident is that Zhuge Liang temporarily gave up the layout of the south gate.But since the north gate has already attacked the city with great momentum, according to Zhuge Liang's character, it is unreasonable to give up this opportunity to make plans.As long as Zhao Yun led his troops into the city, even if Man Chong couldn't kill him, it should be more than enough to surround him for a few hours.

And taking advantage of this time, Xiaoqi waiting at the east gate can break through the siege first and get out of the city.No matter how much food can be robbed or burned, as long as the total amount of food inside and outside the city remains the same, it will be exhausted.

Once settled, the situation on the chessboard became much clearer.Guo Jia picked up another white stone, thought twice, but let out a long sigh first.

It's almost day five.

A few days ago, after many difficulties, the city finally received a military report from Luoyang, saying that the army would come to assist Fancheng in five days.But those who are interested should realize that Luoyang is surrounded by water, except for the one that Zhuge Liang sent in to disturb his mind, other military newspapers are unlikely to be sent in.

That military newspaper was originally forged by Guo Jia imitating Cao Cao's handwriting.

As more and more people starve to death, the grievances in the city have reached a limit.In tonight's battle, even if Zhao Yun can't be killed, even if the food can't be taken back, even if there are many casualties in the city, it is enough to put the most resentful person in the position of abandoned son.The food and grass in the city is really too little, so we can only use the enemy's hand to get rid of those who are useless to defend the city and only waste food in a legitimate way.

But even so, how many days can it last?

No one knows Cao Cao's condition better than Guo Jia, so no one knows better than him that the so-called reinforcements are likely to be far away.No matter how clumsy the military newspaper was, it worked.In the case of lack of information, any hint and guidance will make the bad assumptions more threatening and gnawing.

He has always been calculating the hearts of others, and now Zhuge Liang has returned them all.I don't know if it was God's will, or man's will, or both.

Tonight, for the first time in his life, he felt so flustered.

The candle as big as a bean well hid the careless look on Guo Jia's face.But in reality, in the blink of an eye, it has disappeared.He picked up Baizi again, and asked calmly, "How many people did Zhao Yun bring into the city?"

If there are a lot of people, it will be more difficult than the former, but if there are few people, it will be a feint. The defense of the north gate and the break through of the east gate will be more difficult than the former, but it should not exceed the existing arrangements.

"Sir, Zhao Yun is the only one."

Guo Jia's hand suddenly froze in the air, and after a while, he slowly put it down, holding the white jade-colored chess piece in his palm, thoughtfully.

It is absolutely impossible for Zhuge Liang to regard Zhao Yun as an abandoned son.But if he wasn't an abandoned son, why did he only let him go to the game when he knew that there was an ambush in the city?

There is only one answer.Zhuge Liang trusted Zhao Yun very much. Even if one is worth a hundred or a thousand, he is confident that Zhao Yun will be able to retreat completely.

Even, pick up the flag and take the general.

"Urgent report from the South Gate! Zhao Yun stabbed General Man's left shoulder, and he has now broken through the encirclement and left without a trace!"