Chapter 26 Chapter Seven Marching East

Although it has just entered April, the noon in Hanzhong has begun to show the power of summer.Zhong Ze led the sixteen Han soldiers under him in two columns and walked slowly eastward along the dusty dirt road.Under the scorching sun, their mouths were dry, their morale was low, and their heads were downcast, like wilted ears of wheat. In fact, Zhong Ze was as listless as they were, but he couldn't show it.He is a Dubo, and his job is to lead this small team to complete every task assigned by the superior.Therefore, Zhong Ze had to cheer up, scolded the depressed soldiers, and urged them to speed up.

Zhong Ze was originally just a superintendent with ten people under his command.He thinks that's pretty much the limit of his leadership abilities.But in wartime, there are no limits.Zhong Ze's team participated in the Fourth Northern Expedition as a direct subordinate of General Gao Xiang, and has been fighting at the forefront.In the battle on April 11, the Shu army completely defeated Sima Yi's central army and won an unprecedented victory.This victory turned the entire Qishan battle into a strategic stalemate.In this battle, Zhong Ze's team was the first to contact the enemy, and suffered heavy losses, with more than 80% casualties.

According to the establishment of the Shu army, there are fifty people in a team, which belong to five divisions and each division has ten people.At the end of the battle, Du Bo, who commanded the team, and the other four chiefs were all killed, so Zhong Ze, as the highest surviving officer of the entire team, temporarily took over the team with only sixteen people left. The newly replenished troops in the rear had not yet arrived, so the sympathetic commander withdrew the team that had lost combat effectiveness from the front line, temporarily formed a patrol team responsible for the smooth flow of food roads, and assigned them to the vicinity of Wudu.

"Hurry up! Don't let my feet kick your ass!!" "Don't walk like a bitch! You dead monkeys!" Zhong Ze shouted loudly, and the officer's scolding prompted these tired soldiers to quicken their pace.The patrol area they are in charge of is thirty miles long, and they have to turn back and forth on this line several times a day.Zhong Ze knew that after the new soldiers were recruited into the system, the entire team would be sent to the front again, and these sixteen veterans would play the backbone role; so he had to keep these guys in good condition at all times. And luck again.

Those who were brave but had too much bad luck are dead. At this time, Zhong Ze saw a series of hurried hooves coming from a distance.He immediately ordered the soldiers to disperse in order to deal with possible emergencies.Soon the sound of horseshoes approached, Zhong Ze squinted his eyes and set up the awning with his hands, and saw that there was only one horse and one knight who came. The knight was wearing casual clothes, but there was a striking copper bundle hanging on the horse's forehead. "A messenger." Zhong Ze thought to himself, and at the same time stretched out his right arm and waved it a few times to signal the person to stop.He has the right to inspect anyone who passes this way except the royal courier.

The knight pulled the rein obediently, and the horse stopped precisely five steps away from Zhong Ze. Zhong Ze could even feel the heat from the horse. "Please show your name badge." The knight took out his name badge from his pocket, and handed him a document by the way.Zhong Ze took it over and took a closer look, his eyebrows raised involuntarily.Famous thorns and official documents show that this is a senior official from the Hanzhong Prime Minister's Mansion. "But... your convoy..." Zhong Ze looked behind him and asked suspiciously.According to the content of the official document, he should be escorting a group of grain and grass vehicles to the front line.

"Oh, that's right." The knight explained, "I have urgent business to go to the camp. So I left first. My convoy is about twenty miles behind, and they have proper escorts." Zhong Ze took off his heavy helmet so that his vision would be better.He looked in the direction the knight came from. The road in the distance was blocked by the grayish-yellow hillside, but he could still distinguish a layer of dust floating in the air. The grain transport convoy should be located under the ups and downs.So he nodded, and returned the documents and the name spur to the knight.

"Good luck, my lord." The knight took the document, but did not shake the reins and leave immediately.He looked down at Zhong Ze with great interest on the horse, and suddenly asked, "Which unit were you in before?" Although Zhong Ze felt a little surprised, he still replied unambiguously: "It belongs to the trilogy of General Gao Xiang, my lord!" "And before that?" Zhong Ze frowned: "General Huang Zhong, my lord!" "Sure enough, I didn't guess wrong, haha." The knight pointed to his neck, and Zhong Ze immediately understood.

When it comes to the elite troops of the Shu Han, people often think of the Zhonghu Infantry Battalion and Wudang Flying Army.But before these two troops came into being, the late General Huang Zhong once had a famous army called Tuifengying.There are a total of 300 people in the Pushing Battalion, and its members are all brave men who have been selected through layers of selection; all of them have three tiger stripes tattooed on the right side of their necks to show their difference from other troops.This force has been following Huang Zhong to participate in a series of battles in the battle for Shu and Hanzhong, serving as the backbone of the assault force.Their most brilliant feat was the killing of General Xia Houyuan of the Cao Army at Dingjun Mountain, and for this they won widespread acclaim...and suspicion-the Pushing Battalion's strong personality and overly united spirit are not liked.

In the 25th year of Jian'an, General Huang Zhong passed away, and the military finally found a suitable excuse.As a result, the Pushing Battalion as an organization ceased to exist, and all members were forcibly dismantled and assigned to various armies. At that time, Zhong Ze was transferred to General Gao Xiang as a corps leader.It is not easy for this knight to deduce his identity from his tattoo. "I didn't expect to see the warriors from the forward battalion here. I really didn't expect it." The knight laughed. Zhong Ze didn't expect anyone to remember Tuifengying, and he couldn't help being moved.He was just an ordinary soldier in the Pushing Battalion at the time, but he was always proud of it, and everyone in the Pushing Battalion had a strong sense of pride.He still has a scar on his right shoulder, which was left on Dingjun Mountain as a pusher battalion soldier.

"How many people are there in the Pushing Battalion?" "As far as I know, there should be less than fifty people." "Well, where are the guys behind you?" "They're not, but they're as good as the Pushing Battalion." Zhong Ze was a little impatient with the knight's interrogation, which really didn't look like an emergency messenger.The knight probably noticed it too. He smiled, straightened his body, and clamped the horse's belly with his legs again. "Your name is so long." "Zhong Ze, I am Dubo now, my lord." "Very well, Uncle Zhong, then I will take my leave." After saying this, the knight shook the reins, the horse neighed, passed him a foot away from Zhong Ze, and ran towards the north.Half of the smoke and dust raised by the horse's hooves landed on Zhong Ze's gray-brown leather armor.When the horses were gone, Zhong Ze, who was inexplicable, patted the dirt on the armor and put the helmet back on. He turned around and signaled the whole team to continue to set off. There was a grain transport team of the Shu Army twenty miles away, and they had to rush over to join the ranks of guards.Zhong Ze is not a thoughtful person, this strange knight only stayed in his mind for a short while, and then he was overwhelmed by other affairs.Zhong Ze was completely unaware that on a certain day in the future, the team he commanded would become a key piece in the vortex. Zhong Ze knew too little, while Jing Ansi knew too much, so the latter was more painful than the former. Hu Zhong's sudden departure made Xun Xu a little flustered, not knowing how to deal with it, so he called Du Bi and Pei Xu immediately.At present, in the entire Si Wencao, apart from Yao You, there are only three of them who know about it. Xun Xu briefly reported the latest situation, then took out a copy of an official document from his pocket, passed it around to Du Bi and Pei Xu, and explained: "I got this from Liangtian Cao today. A copy of the transfer order. Li Ping was indeed the one who ordered Hu Zhong to escort the food and grass away one day in advance." "What does this mean?" Du Bi asked. Xun Xu answered frankly: "I don't know." "Does this mean that Hu Zhong is Zhulong?" After listening to Xun Xu's narration, Pei Xu expressed his opinion not confidently, "His hasty departure may be a signal that Li Ping is about to defect." Xun Xu categorically denied this speculation. "This theory does not make sense. It is extremely difficult to instigate high-ranking officials of an enemy country. Generally speaking, the person who is instigated only trusts the instigator who has been in contact with him for a long time, and establishes an irreplaceable close relationship. Or the change will lead to the former's psychological imbalance, so that the work of instigating rebellion will be wasted. It is unimaginable to send "Zhulong" to other places on the eve of Li Ping's defection. The instigator must always be close to the rebel to give him a sense of security. This is a basic principle of instigating rebellion." "Then there is only another explanation left. Li Ping wanted to remove Hu Zhong because he thought he would hinder the development of the entire defection plan...Uh... Could it be that Zhulong is actually Cheng Fan?" Pei Xu scratched his head. . Xun Xu shook his head, pursed his lips tightly, and slowly rubbed his chin with his right hand. "In the absence of conclusive evidence, it's better not to jump to conclusions, so as not to make us preconceived." Du Bi reminded Pei Xu, and then turned his attention to Xun Xu, "Then how are Cheng Fan and Li Ping doing?" "Both of them are currently still in Nanzheng City, and there is no significant movement." Du Bi suddenly thought of something, and he said to Pei Xu, "I heard that you have a lot of research on maps, right?" Pei Xu nodded humbly, making no secret of his expertise. "So you are familiar with all the maps of the Hanzhong area?" "good." "In your opinion, if Li Duhu wanted to defect, which route would he choose to go to Wei?" Pei Xu put his finger on his temple and thought for a while, then got up and said, "Please wait a little longer." Then he took a map drawn on silk paper from the bookshelf in the next room, measuring three feet square.Pei Xu spread the map flat on a copper plate, pressed the two corners with two candlesticks, drew on it with the holder of a brush and said: "Well... Basically, there are three paths you can choose: one is to go north from Baoqin Road to Suiyang Valley, but this road is steep and close to the war zone, so it is really dangerous. Besides, Mi Chong chose to escape two years ago. This is the only way, and Wei Guo is unlikely to take another risk." Du Bi glanced at Xun Xu, it was his masterpiece. "The second road is from Xiegu and Dasan Pass to Chen Cang. The advantage of this road is that the distance is short, and the Wei State defenders in Chen Cang can respond at any time. However, these two places are important military locations, and our army is very well-armed. It is not easy to pass. Now that it is approaching the rainy season, the inclined valley may also become difficult to pass; I think you all know the dilemma of Cao Zhen in Meridian Valley a year ago." "Doesn't that mean that the entire north is..." Du Bi had fled from Tianshui and was familiar with the geographical environment on both sides of the Qinling Mountains. "Yes, according to my estimation, Li Duhu's escape—I mean if—is likely to choose the southwest direction." "Southwest?" Xun Xu leaned over to look at the map, pointed to a piece of paper and said, "Could it be here?" "Go southwest along the Han River, bypass the heavily guarded city, and follow the Xixiang line to enter Shiquan on the border of Wei State. This is the most likely escape route from the current point of view. The distance is short and it is easier to go; More importantly, our army's deployment in Hanzhong is dense in the north and sparse in the south, which is conducive to exploiting loopholes. When they arrive at Shiquan, there are many routes to choose from. They can continue to go east to Shangyong, or they can go north to Chang'an through the Ziwu Valley. Which route is under the control of the Wei army." The three of them didn't know that Mi Chong sneaked into Shu along this route. "It seems that we need to pay special attention to the surveillance of Nanzheng South Gate and East Gate, and the outer Xixiang and other passes should also be raised in security levels." Xun Xu quickly came to a conclusion. Du Bi agreed: "Although it is still impossible to confirm Zhulong's identity, and I don't know whether Li Duhu really intends to defect, but just in case." "The most troublesome thing is that these actions can't make too much noise. It must be carried out by the bottom executors, and Li Duhu can't discover our true intentions—he is now the chief executive of Nanzheng—instructions and official documents How to draft, there are people from the military adviser." Xun Xu patted Du Bi on the shoulder as he spoke, for he was never good at rhetorical tricks.He's happy to expose his incompetence in this area and then pass the job off to the right people. At this moment, there was a cautious knock on the door.Xun Xu stood up, motioned to the other two people to put all relevant documents upside down on the table, and then bypassed a stone soundproof screen, and opened the door. Standing outside the door was a servant of Jing'an Division, holding a bronze waist card in his hand. "What happened? Didn't I say that no one is allowed to disturb during the meeting?" "Yes, my lord. But someone is looking for you. I cannot refuse his order," said the valet. "Oh?" Xun Xu took the bronze medal and glanced at it, before pinning it to his belt.He waved his attendants to leave, turned back to the room and said to Du Bi and Pei Xu: "The meeting has to be interrupted. I have to call urgently. I must go." "who is it?" "It's the person we talked about just now, Li Ping and Li Duhu." Xun Xu replied with a half-smile. The other two in the room fell silent with different expressions. It was the first time that Xun Xu had entered the Prime Minister's Mansion to be interviewed by the chief executive of Nanzheng, Xun Xu himself did not know for sure.When he visited the prime minister's mansion in the past, he had a sense of belonging and peace of mind when he was back home - if the Shu Han was his home, then the prime minister's mansion in Nanzheng was a strict and reliable parent; but this time when Xun Xu stepped into the gate of the prime minister's mansion For a moment, he felt that he was in an enemy situation. "Maybe Candle Dragon is watching me from a nearby corner." Such thoughts lingered in Xun Xu's mind, and he turned his neck involuntarily from time to time to look at the gap between the windows shaded by the green mulberry trees on both sides, which almost became an obsessive-compulsive disorder.The Prime Minister's Mansion was extremely quiet after the army went out, and half of the staff were accompanied by Prime Minister Zhuge, so Xun Xu hardly met anyone along the way, only occasionally seeing servants in black clothes hurrying past carrying sundries and bowing their heads. Li Ping's government room was not far from Prime Minister Zhuge's room. It was a blue brick and gray tile building, and its absolute area was even larger than that of Prime Minister Zhuge.A fish-patterned bronze sword tied with a yellow ribbon hangs at the door. The sword has not been sharpened, but its texture and shape reveal incomparable dignity, reminding everyone passing by: Although the owner of the house is currently only in charge of the logistics of the Prime Minister’s Mansion , but it is still a "Zhongduhu" appointed by the emperor himself and in charge of the power of the Chinese army-this is Li Yan's silent protest to Zhuge Liang within the scope of his ability. As soon as Xun Xu entered the door of the government room, he saw Li Pingduan sitting in the middle of the room.The tables in front of him were spotless, except for an exquisite tea set.All kinds of documents and files are neatly arranged, in stark contrast to Prime Minister Zhuge's messy room.Beside him was a small stove for boiling water. "Xun Zong, don't you come here unharmed?" Li Ping stood up and greeted him politely.When Xun Xu returned to Hanzhong from Jiangdong, he accompanied Li Ping's army, and the two were considered acquainted.Xun Xu returned the salute respectfully, and sat down at Li Ping's feet. Li Ping's appearance is the same as his character "Zhengfang", with a solid and heavy face in Chinese characters, and people who meet him for the first time can feel a good impression; his tone of voice and movements are also quite cautious, giving people a strong impression. Restrained impression.When Xun Xu met Li Ping for the first time in Jiangzhou two years ago, he had a good first impression of him.But now Xun Xu can perceive something worth pondering from these deliberately modified superficial images. "I don't know why Master Protector came to find me?" Xun Xu asked straight to the point.Li Ping chuckled, raised the teacup in front of him and took a sip slowly, then said leisurely: "This time I called Xun Zong to come here for no other reason than to know about Mr. Deng." He is lying. Xun Xu could tell that Li Ping had come to him today for such a thing—at least not entirely—the detailed report on Deng Xian’s treason had been sent to Li Ping five days ago, even if it was It is also impossible for Xun Xu himself to know more than that report. "My lord, do you not understand some details of that report?" Xun Xu cautiously gave a defensive answer, he still couldn't figure out what Li Ping wanted to do. Li Ping showed a regretful expression and spread his hands. "It is a pity that something like this happened under my jurisdiction. I am also responsible for it. So I hope to know more to prevent such a tragedy from happening again." So Xun Xu recounted the report without omitting any important details or adding anything. Li Ping listened attentively to Xun Xu's narration with his eyes narrowed. Although he already knew the content, he didn't show any sign of impatience.When Xun Xu finished speaking, he personally refilled the water in Xun Xu's teacup. "That's it, my lord, what else do you not understand?" "Your report is very clear, as expected of the Department of Jing'an." Li Ping first complimented him a few words, and then changed his tone, "But I still want to know more about a part of it." "Which part is it?" "It's about the way Jing'an Division discovered Deng Xian's treason." Li Ping said seemingly casually, gently rubbing the edge of the pottery tea bowl with his right thumb. Hearing these words, Xun Xu's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself: "Sure enough, this is the question." Deng Xian's arrest was due to the report of Xu Yong, an exile from Wei State, but Xu Yong's existence belonged to Highly confidential, insiders are limited to a few people.Therefore, in the report submitted to Li Ping, Xun Xu made a conscious cover-up, explaining the reason for doubting Deng Xian as "unremitting investigation by relevant personnel of the Jing'an Department". Xun Xu quickly adjusted his thoughts, this question is difficult to answer.Fabricating words out of thin air is tantamount to deceiving the superior, and this crime is quite serious; but if the truth is told, it will inevitably stimulate Li Ping and the "candle dragon" hiding in the dark, and the consequences will be disastrous. "Master Protector, Jing'an Division's suspicion that Deng Xian did not originate from a single source, but a conclusion drawn from a comprehensive investigation of several independent intelligence sources, so it is difficult to explain clearly in two or three sentences." Seeing Xun Xu's expression of hesitation, Li Ping said understandingly: "I know that the intelligence system of the Jing'an Department is very strict, which is very difficult for you. After all, some channels cannot be disclosed to non-high-level people." Xun Xu tasted dissatisfaction from Li Ping's kind tone. Of course, information channels cannot be disclosed to non-high-level people, and Li Ping is currently the highest official in Nanzheng.This undoubtedly implies that if Xun Xu refuses to answer, he will offend a high-ranking superior. Although the carved windows on both sides of the room were open, the air was beginning to become a little sticky.Xun Xu slowly raised the teacup and sipped it gracefully to buy time to think.When he put the teacup back on the desk, he had already made up his mind. "That's right, Lord Protectorate. One of the most important sources of information for Jing'an Division to investigate Deng Xian is an exile from the Wei State's intelligence department." "Oh? An exile?" After hearing these three words, Li Ping leaned forward involuntarily, and the hand that had been stroking the tea bowl stopped moving.An exile from Wei State's intelligence department, he knew the value contained in it. "This is really a great harvest. Now he is in the hands of your Jing'an Division?" "It was originally, but now this person has been handed over to the court." Xun Xu's answer can be said to be painstaking.Technically speaking, he answered Li Ping's question without lying, but he didn't actually say anything; more importantly, this sentence also implied that the exiles were already owned by the Chengdu Central Committee. He no longer has the authority to intervene; he can't continue to ask the exile's name, location, and how much information Jing'an Division has pried out of him-that is already a central matter. Li Ping, who has been in the ups and downs of the officialdom for many years, accurately captured the hidden meaning behind this sentence. His fair face was as calm as water, and he slowly put his two palms together, and said lightly: "So it is like this, your company's efficiency It’s really admirable.” "Guardian, please rest assured. Deng Xian is just a single line in the development of Wei State. Jing'an Division believes that you and your other staff are innocent in this matter." "Oh. Hehe, I also have to take responsibility for negligence." "Master Protector, please don't blame yourself so much. The secrets that Deng Xian can leak are very limited, and the loss of our army is not as great as imagined." "This is all the result of your company's unremitting efforts. Prime Minister Zhuge's subordinates are indeed all the elites in Sichuan." Xun Xu raised his eyes and looked directly at Li Ping, but he couldn't see any fluctuations in the other's eyes.He wanted to test it, but finally swallowed it with his saliva.Now is not the time to test, Li Ping must not be aware of a trace of Jing'an Secretary's suspicion of him.In fact, the Jing'an Division is in a very weak position. The enemy they face is the current ruler of Hanzhong, and the only weapon in their hands is an unconfirmed testimony. The next topic was a lot easier, and it could basically be classified as small talk.Li Ping introduced Xun Xu his experience in drinking tea, and recommended him to taste the difference between Pingshan and Mengding tea.Xun Xu listened to the boss's explanation humbly, and gladly accepted a letter of tea as a gift.About half an hour later, Xun Xu got up and left with tea, and Li Ping enthusiastically sent him to the door of the Prime Minister's Mansion. After Xun Xu returned to the "Taoist Temple", both Du Bi and Pei Xu hurried over to ask him what he had talked with Li Ping.Xun Xu threw the tea leaves on the bookshelf, washed his hands, and then turned around leisurely and replied: "Drink tea and talk about other things." On April 20th, as usual, Xun Xu went to Jing'an Division's secret post on the outskirts of Nanzheng City to inspect. After meeting with Li Ping, both he and Du Bi believed that this exposed Li Ping's anxiety to a certain extent: Deng Xian's exposed news sources would also expose himself—if the Chief Protector really has something No secret words.The conclusion is that the Jingan Division must further strengthen the surveillance of Li Ping, Cheng Fan, and Hu Zhong until Prime Minister Zhuge returns to Hanzhong. However, at present, this goal is still far away.The Qishan front is currently in a stalemate.Since Sima Yi suffered a disastrous defeat on April 11, he has been huddled in the city of Shangyu; although Prime Minister Zhuge had the upper hand, he could not shake the solid wall of Shangyu for a while.Guo Huai's combat preparation work in the previous year is now showing results. (Ironically, these combat readiness achievements are partly due to the chief reporter "Chen Gong".) The Jing'an Division has a total of twenty-six secret posts on the outskirts of Nanzheng City, all of which are located at various traffic hubs and hidden paths within ten miles around Nanzheng City, monitoring them day and night.This is a hard and tedious job, and the Jingan Division does not have that many manpower, so the interval between shifts has to be extended, so the morale of the monitors is very problematic.Xun Xu had to go out to make inspections in person frequently to ensure that there were no blind spots near Nanzheng. The outpost that Xun Xu is going to now is located on a hill in the northwest of Nanzheng.The slope on the south side of the hill is gentle and covered by some dark yellow and dark green moss and shrubs. Below the slope is an important road leading to the front line of Qishan Mountain. The earthy yellow road extends all the way to the Qinling Mountains in the distance.The outpost is located in a stone pit on the top of the slope, with a very wide field of vision. When the weather is good, it can monitor the movement of more than three miles around the road; feeling bad. Now on duty here is an old man who is nearly fifty years old, a disabled veteran who retired from the front line.According to Pei Xu's judgment, the most likely escape route is on the southeast side, so the Jing'an Division in the north did not arrange too many human resources. Xun Xu went around to the other side of the hill, tied his mount to a tree stump, and walked towards the post with two pieces of cured pork and a bag of rice wine.For these monitors, these rewards are more cordial than the encouragement of the leader. "grown ups." The watcher heard the voice of Xun Xu coming up, and twisted his body from the pit to turn around.Xun Xu made a gesture for him not to move, and jumped into the pit with his waist down, putting the wine and meat on a worn-out light blue fur-skin.There were a few pieces of dry food residue sprinkled on the fur skin, obviously this was the ration that the watchers depended on for survival.According to surveillance regulations, the use of stoves is prohibited during surveillance, so they can only eat cold food. "How is the monitoring situation?" Xun Xu asked. "Everything is normal, no suspicious person was found." This answer was already expected by Xun Xu. This line is a key food road, and there are many patrols along the way, so it is not favored by secret agents.He asked a few more routine questions, reassured the watcher, and got up to leave.He still has six outposts to patrol today. At this moment, the watcher frowned and swung his head to the left.Xun Xu hurriedly followed his line of sight to the south of the road, and saw a convoy slowly approaching from a distance. A triangular military flag with yellow and black was hung in front of the convoy, which was obviously a supply convoy. Now the Han and Wei armies are in a confrontation on the front line, and the pressure on the rear supply has suddenly increased.Every day, a large number of grain trucks loaded with grain and grass drive from Nanzheng to the front line of Qishan, which is nothing worth noting.What really surprised Xun Xu was that besides the grain flag, there was also a rectangular flag hanging in front of the grain and grass convoy. The flag is used to mark the flag of the commander of the team, and the surname of the commander is usually written on the flag; as a general rule in Shu Han, generally only officers above General Pi are eligible to use the flag.Since this grain transportation team is flying the flag, it is obvious that there is an officer of high status in the team. "Can you see the words on the flag?" Xun Xu pointed to the flag fluttering in the wind and said to the watchers.His eyesight is already failing because he has been reading reports and checking files in a room with poor lighting all year round. The watcher narrowed his eyes and stared intently for a moment, then replied, "It's a word, my lord." "Words..." Xun Xu thought for a while, but couldn't think of any senior military officer in Nanzheng City with the surname Cheng besides Cheng Fan.He lay suspiciously in the rock pit, watching the convoy approaching. This is a grain transport convoy consisting of thirty wooden oxen and thirty ordinary wooden carts.Although wooden cattle and horses are highly efficient in transportation, they are limited to the production capacity of Hanzhong, and the output is not high, so they are often mixed with ordinary vehicles.On either side of the convoy were ten cavalry and twenty infantry.At the front of the team was an officer wearing cooked leather armor. This officer was a burly officer with a rough appearance. Xun Xu recognized him as Cheng Fan the first time he saw him!What a coincidence. Cheng Fan didn't realize that his friend was watching him from the nearby hills. He held the rein in one hand and the black-tailed whip in the other, and swayed along the bumpy road on the horse's back with ease.Two soldiers followed closely behind. The entire team was not moving fast, and it took about a quarter of an hour before they passed the post hillock.Several times Xun Xu wanted to jump out and ask Cheng Fan what was going on, but he couldn't.Appearing rashly would completely expose this outpost—if Cheng Fan was Zhulong, then even worse, what would be exposed would be Jing'an Division's entire plan. So Xun Xu can only guess based on what he saw.There is no doubt that Cheng Fan's trip this time was ordered by Li Ping, and only he has the right to mobilize Cheng Fan, who is the guardian of the army.The biggest suspicion in Xun Xu's mind was that first Hu Zhong and then Cheng Fan were sent by Li Ping to escort food and grass to the front line.This appointment is quite strange. Although it is important to escort food and grass, it is not a big deal after all. Why did Li Ping send his men to join the army and overseer to do these insignificant tasks? "Could it be that Li Ping intends to remove those who are in the way around him to facilitate his escape?" Xun Xu quickly denied this conjecture. Zhulong must be with Li Ping, otherwise the latter would not be able to escape.But now the two suspects of Zhulong have been dispatched abroad and are no longer in Nanzheng City. Until the team completely disappeared on the distant road, Xun Xu still didn't understand what Li Ping's intention was.He knocked himself on the head in frustration and crawled out of the hole, oblivious to the frayed holes in his tunic.Xun Xu decided not to go to the other six outposts for the time being. He must rush back to the city immediately and report the matter of Cheng Fan to Si Wencao, Du Bi, and Pei Xu. He found another piece of the jigsaw puzzle, but instead of making the whole picture clear, it became even more chaotic. "It would be fine if Xu Yong lied." On the way back, Xun Xu couldn't help complaining like a child in his heart: "If what he told was all lies, we wouldn't have to work so hard." Xu Yong, who was hundreds of miles away from Nanzheng, did not hear these willful words.He was currently in a thatched hut at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain by the Minjiang River. He could vaguely see the treasure bottle mouth of Dujiangyan, and saw the Minjiang River rushing through the two sides of the former Li Bing ruins, making a loud noise. Since he was secretly sent to Chengdu by Siwen Cao, Siwen Cao Zhengsi placed him in a safe house near Dujiangyan.This house is Si Wencao's property, and it is specially used to accommodate people with special identities.The nearby farmers and fishermen only knew that this thatched hut had something to do with the government, so they seldom approached it, let alone became interested in the people inside. Accompanying Xu Yong were two people who were responsible for the safety of the exile; on the other hand, they were also responsible for monitoring Xu Yong.Once Xu Yong tried to escape—this kind of thing often happened to exiles—they could kill him without asking for instructions. Guo Youzhi, the person in charge of Chengdu Siwencao, once had a private interview with Xu Yong.Guo Youzhi first expressed his appreciation for Xu Yong's behavior of abandoning the dark and turning to the bright, and then said that the current court cannot publicly praise him; after this war is over, Prime Minister Zhuge will submit a list of rewards, punishments and promotions to the court. Those who have contributed to the neutrality will be rewarded together. So at this stage, Xu Yong can only hibernate in the thatched hut by the river, flipping through the scriptures every day with nothing to do, or playing boxing in the yard.In principle, his boss, Wen Cao, did not forbid him to go out, but every time he went out, there would always be two people following him, so Xu Yong only went for a walk by the river every day when the evening was approaching. In the evening of this day, Xu Yong went for a walk along the mountain path to the riverside, as usual, accompanied by two "followers".This small road runs along the mountain. It was originally just a trace stepped on by woodcutters and farmers herding sheep. It was later refurbished and widened by the government.The road surface is fairly smooth, but there are twists and turns in some places, which is very thrilling to walk on.On both sides of the path are lush dense forests with lush vegetation.The outstretched branches of pine and cypress often cross over the path, covering the road as a green corridor.The distance between pedestrians and the river is only a few feet, and they can even breathe the humid atmosphere of the river. Xu Yong was wearing a short-sleeved silk shirt, and the cuffs and trousers were tied tightly with ropes. On his feet were a pair of rattan grass flat shoes, which were convenient for walking in the mountains.The two people behind him were also dressed in the same attire, except that they had an extra dagger hanging from their waists than Xu Yong's. The three of them walked on the path with ease, holding the branches of the trees on both sides from time to time to avoid slipping by the moss on the ground.It had just rained yesterday and the ground was quite wet.Xu Yong walked in the front, and his two companions followed closely three feet behind him. Xu Yong took a deep breath while walking, the breath after the rain smelled very pleasant.Xiaolu suddenly turned to the right in front of him, and Xu Yong slowed down.One is to prevent rushing out of the cliff too fast, and the other is to reassure the people behind: once the two escorts can't see Xu Yong in their field of vision, they will become very nervous. When the two escorts also turned the corner, they were surprised to find that Xu Yong did not go forward, but squatted on the ground.One of the escorts asked, "Mr. Xu, what's the matter?" Xu Yong frowned, and pointed to the ground in front of him with his finger.The entourage followed his fingertips and saw a footprint on the road mixed with mud and leaves, which was clearly displayed on the wet soil. "What's this?" asked the companion. "One footprint." "so what?" "An unusual footprint." Xu Yong said, after all, he is a professional intelligence officer with a natural sense of danger. The accompanying person wanted to ask why the footprint was so unusual, but the question had no chance to be asked.Suddenly, five black figures jumped out from the bushes on both sides, and the two companions fell to the ground before they could even groan. Xu Yong was lucky enough to escape the first attack. He immediately raised his waist and hugged one of the black shadow's legs, pushing forward desperately.This attack strategy was very effective on the narrow path. Heiying couldn't attack Xu Yong, who was in a relatively low position, and couldn't use his hands and feet, so he was pushed to the ground in embarrassment.徐永一见得手，立刻跳起来朝前跑去。这条路他已经走过了十几遍，前方有一处通往山顶的岔路，那里有一处守林人的屋子。 徐永拼命地跑，两条腿交替在泥地上快速移动。他跑得十分狼狈，连滚带爬，但毕竟已经与身后的黑影拉开了一段距离。他没有余暇思考那些黑影到底是谁派来的，他现在只是感觉到了死亡的威胁。 越过一片隆起的山包，徐永看到岔路就在眼前十几丈以外。就在这时，他陡然看到另外两名黑影出现在前方，挡住了去路。徐永喘着粗气，感觉大腿的酸劲儿愈发强烈。 他认为自己还有一线生机，如果运气够好的话。前方的两名黑影逐渐逼近，徐永注意到他们虽然蒙住面部，但双眼仍旧裸露在外面。他装做摔倒在地，双手各自抓了一把泥攥在拳心。等到黑影靠近以后，徐永猛然把手里的泥土洒出去。 猝不及防的黑影被泥土击中了眼睛，慌张地用手去抹。徐永趁这个空档从两个人间隙冲了过去。这个诡计几乎就要实现了，但下一个瞬间他的后脑传来一阵剧烈的疼痛，仿佛烈火一般燃遍了全身……