Chapter 17 Chapter Five Traitors and Heroes

Xu You was called by Cao Gong to discuss important matters, but he would not come back for a while.So I first went to see Ningguo Zhonglang Zhang He. Zhang Xi is completely different from the image of the general I imagined. He is a slender and handsome young man with slender and fair fingers. There is even a hint of femininity between his brows, and he does not have the strong evil spirit of ordinary generals. Zhang He welcomed me into the tent with a respectful expression.As the new senior general of the Yuan family, he is now acting very low-key. I noticed that he is very polite to the guards of Cao Jun guarding the tent.

According to my understanding, Zhang Yun's surrender experience is as follows: When Duke Cao attacked Wuchao, Zhang Yun suggested that Yuan Shao send troops to rescue immediately.But Guo Tu, one of Yuan Shao's counselors, insisted on besieging Wei and saving Zhao to attack Duke Cao's base camp.So Yuan Shao sent a partial division to rescue, and then let Zhang Xi lead a heavy army to attack the main camp.As a result, before the base camp was set down, Wuchao had been completely burned down. Zhang Yun realized that the situation was over, so he had to surrender to Duke Cao. According to Zhang Yun himself, the reason why he surrendered was because Guo Tu slandered Yuan Shaojin, saying that he was very happy to hear that Wuchao was defeated.He was afraid that he would be killed by Yuan Shao when he returned, so he took the initiative to surrender.

I think it's just a nice excuse.Duke Cao's camp was more than 30 miles away from Yuan Shao's main camp. Unless Zhang Xi had a good ear, he would not have heard Guo Tu's "slander" against Yuan Shao at the front line before turning his back on the battlefield. But I don't mean to break it.Surrendering is a shameful thing after all, probably Zhang Yun is trying to find an excuse for himself to feel at ease, Cao Gong must also know it well.This is human nature, Cao Gong didn't say anything, and it's not my turn to question in the future, a little Diannong Zhonglang.

"Excuse me, what's the matter?" Zhang He picked up my famous thorn, showing a puzzled expression.I briefly stated my identity, and Zhang Yun's eyes immediately showed a little more awe.In his opinion, I probably belong to the kind of officer who specializes in spying on the privacy of his colleagues and reporting to the lord. "I take the liberty of visiting today because I want to ask the general about the affairs of Yuan's camp." "As long as it doesn't violate morality, you can just ask." Zhang Yun seemed relieved, and subconsciously raised his forehead.This small gesture showed that he was timid but not guilty—and that he really cared about his appearance.

"Under Yuan Gong's command, there is a saying that there are four pillars in Hebei. Among them, the two generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou are in charge of the forward military, and General Gao Langao is in charge of the rear army, and you are the general who patrols in the middle, right?" Zhang He raised his chin proudly. "I want to confirm again. Since the two armies fought, Yuan Jun's camp within a radius of tens of miles has been within the scope of the general's patrol. Any suspicious movements or people will be reported to the general by the patrols and scouts, right?"

"Yes... er, I should say that I can handle most of the situations." Zhang He paused, and added, "Mr. Cao's surprise attack on Wuchao is truly a masterpiece. I didn't expect it at all. It was really a battle." highest aesthetics." This person is really too careful, and he refuses to make any mistakes in his words.I made a reassuring gesture at him, indicating that this kind of thing has nothing to do with me, and continued to ask: "That is to say, if anyone on Mr. Cao's side wants to pass on news to Mr. Yuan, they will definitely go through your patrol team. Can it be delivered smoothly?"

Zhang Xi's face was originally fair, but now it was a little flushed, his two red phoenix eyes flicked back to the left and right a few times, and his body shrank back. I realized that I was too impatient. This person has an extremely cautious personality. He avoided this kind of thing that might offend many people in Cao Ying, so how could he take the initiative to tell others. "The relationship between Cao Ying and Mr. Yuan is a military secret. I'm just a general, so I can't predict it." His reaction was exactly as I expected. I secretly scolded myself for being careless, then narrowed my eyes, and drew a long voice: "General, you are already a thorn in the side of others, don't you know it?"

"He has always fought with the army of Cao Ying only upholding justice, but has never had any personal enmity. Why did you say that, sir?" Zhang He tried to resist, but his defense line was already crumbling.Right now, he is at the most fragile moment of every betrayer, he is very hesitant, a little pressure can crush him. "Since the beginning of the war, how many people under Cao Gong's command have sent secret letters to Yuan Gong, I think you know it well. General, you are in charge of Yuan's camp defense. Even if you admit that you have never heard of the secret letter, how can others rest assured? ——I am afraid that your life in Cao Ying will not be easy in the future. Don't you hear that "the regret of a wrong kill is that the victory is like a miss"?"

This is almost a blatant threat, and Zhang Yun will understand the pros and cons of it without me going into details.I saw that sweat was starting to appear on Zhang He's skin, so I comforted him and said, "To tell you the truth, the general, I came here this time under the order of Mr. Cao to track down one of the secret letters. This matter has been settled." , Cao Gong will burn all the letters, indicating that he will not be pursued. At that time, those who wrote the letters will not have to be suspicious, and the general will be relieved." A person who is extremely cautious means extremely safety-conscious.As long as they grasp this point, they will bow their heads like cattle plowing the land.Zhang He thought for a moment, and finally smiled at me: "Mr. Ren is so confiding, I naturally know what to say, and I know everything to say."

According to Zhang Yun, there is no fixed communication channel between Yuan Ying and Cao Ying.In most cases, it was the people in Cao Ying who secretly sent their confidants out of the camp, but were intercepted by the patrolling Yuan Jun on the way.This is an extremely dangerous mission. Even if he escaped Cao Ying's sentry, he was often mistaken for the enemy by Yuan Jun and killed.Those who were lucky enough to prove their identity in time and survived would be taken to Zhang He's place, detained, and the secret letter forwarded to Yuan Shao.Until Yuan Shao issued an order, the person who sent the letter was either killed or released.

Zhang He's responsibility is to deliver the letter, but he has no right to open the letter.If he demolishes it privately, let alone Yuan Shao, Guo Tu will be the first to let him go.So who sent the letter and what was in it, he had no idea. "Will the patrol have a record of every delivery?" "This is an extremely confidential matter. The Chinese army may have reservations, but I haven't." Zhang Yun replied distressedly, as if it was his fault. "Then can you still remember when and what kind of secret letter was sent?" Zhang Yun shook his head. There are so many affairs in the military that no one cares about these details.I guess so too, but still a little disappointed.I carefully recalled the previous conversation, and suddenly my eyes lit up: "You mentioned just now, that is in most cases, that is to say, there are exceptions?" "Well, yes, in some rare cases, there is still a reply letter to be sent back. At this time, it is necessary for the patrol to follow the messenger to prevent being accidentally injured by our army. When necessary, we must also attract the attention of Cao Jun's sentry, so that The messenger slipped back smoothly." "Taking such a big risk to answer the letter seems to be a very important thing..." I rubbed my fingers and felt a glimmer of light. What could be more important than assassinating Duke Cao? "How many times has this happened?" "Once." Zhang He replied without hesitation.He may have no memory of trivial ordinary secret letters.But this kind of special case that needs to be escorted to reply must leave a deep impression. "when?" "September tenth." Sure enough, it was before Duke Cao was assassinated.I hurriedly asked, "Do you still remember the messenger's appearance or voice?" Zhang He recalled for a moment, and finally shook his head: "He wrapped his face in a black cloth, and he didn't make a sound from the beginning to the end." I wanted to ask for more details, but suddenly there was the sound of footsteps outside the tent, followed by guards' obstruction and a burst of loud scolding.Soon the guards were defeated, footsteps approached our tent, and then the curtain was lifted. The person who barged in was a middle-aged man with an upside-down triangle face and a sharpened chin like a sharp awl. At first glance, it was the mean look mentioned in the photo book. He glanced at Zhang He coldly, and squeezed out three words between his teeth: "Hmph, traitor." Zhang He was furious, stood up regardless of his demeanor, and retorted: "What are you?" "Don't compare this old man with you. You are just following the wind, how can you compare to this old man sailing against the current?" The middle-aged man stroked his goatee triumphantly, and turned his attention to me, "You are Ren Jun ?” "Yes, you are?" In fact, I have already guessed the answer. "Soon Mr. Cao will invite the emperor to confer on me, a great hero in Guandu, Gaojue, at least two thousand shi—you can call me Doctor Xu first." Xu You said to me condescendingly.