Chapter 37 second quarter

At the same time when Guo Jia and Yang Biao reached an agreement, in the woods about a few miles away from them, Sima Lang was sweating profusely supporting a person, walking forward in the snow with one foot deep and one foot shallow. The man supported by Sima Lang was conscious, but his expression was not very good.A dagger was deeply inserted into his leg, leaving only the handle of the knife. This kind of injury did not dare to be removed lightly, so he had to tie it up hastily with cloth strips, most of which were soaked in blood. "Zhongda, can you hold on?" Sima Lang asked with concern.

Sima Yi clenched his teeth, resisting the sharp pain from his thigh: "Don't worry, I won't die." His expression was distorted by the pain, and his eyes showed a bit of ruthlessness, like a wounded lone wolf in the snow field .In the sniper battle just now, Sima Yi did not hesitate to expose his position to attract Deng Zhan's attention, and successfully let Sima Lang shoot an arrow, but Deng Zhan's final counterattack also stabbed Sima Yi in the leg. Sima Lang looked anxiously at the wound on Sima Yi's leg, and sighed: "That guy is an elite tiger and leopard rider, and he will bite back before he dies."

"Whether he is alive or not, we don't know yet." Sima Yi shook his head, sucked in the cold and moved his other good foot. Although Sima Lang successfully shot Deng Zhan, before they walked over to confirm his life and death, a strange cavalry suddenly rushed out halfway.The Sima brothers are weak and weak, so they can only retreat to a distant place.But what they didn't expect was that the leader of the cavalry actually took Deng Zhan away. "It's definitely no problem. The chest is all pierced. Deng Zhan must be dead." Sima Lang was full of confidence, "But tell me, who are those who took Deng Zhan away? Cao Jun?"

"No. If it was Cao Jun's patrol team, they should dismount immediately and search for the murderer. They are sneaky and have no intention of staying, as if there is something urgent. Like us, they have no good intentions. But we have to hurry Leave, maybe Cao Jun's brigade will catch up after a while." Although Sima Yi was injured, his mind was very clear.Sima Lang wiped the sweat from his forehead, smiled honestly, and then became worried again: "Sure enough, it's just like what my father said, Xu Du Yunbo is deceitful, full of ulterior motives everywhere——ah, it seems that Yang Ping provoked It's quite a hassle."

Hearing this name, Sima Yi let out a cold snort from his nose: "Hmph, that idiot who thought he was benevolent caused trouble and asked us to wipe his ass." After speaking, he staggered and almost fell.Sima Lang quickly grabbed his younger brother's arm, and lifted his injured leg up off the ground, muttering in a low voice: "Obviously you are the one who dragged me and chased me all night..." "I'm afraid he will implicate our Sima family!" Sima Yi retorted loudly, slipped again without paying attention, and gasped in pain. The day before, Deng Zhan visited Sima's house and said that the Yang family and his son were robbed by bandits on the way.Hearing this news, everyone in Sima's family was very surprised, and all of them burst into tears.Only Sima Yi felt something was wrong, so he went out to inquire, and found that Deng Zhan had secretly contacted several servants of Sima Mansion and Wen County before he came to the door, and drew several portraits.

Sima Yi found Sima Lang who was still crying for Yang Ping's death, and expressed his doubts.Sima Yi believed that if it was just an ordinary robbery, he would not have dispatched tiger and leopard soldiers to report to Wen County, and he would not have sneakily investigated before visiting Sima's house.What's more, this person didn't even bring a copy of Yang Jun's personal letter, so if something goes wrong, he must be a demon. Although Sima Yi didn't know what happened to Xu Du, he judged that Yang Ping must not have died, but had just changed his identity out of some difficulties.

Among the five portraits, four were Yang Ping's real appearance, only the fifth one was intentionally misleading by Sima Yi, and it didn't look like Yang Ping at all.Deng Zhan must have also noticed the abnormality, so he decided to return overnight.Once he took these portraits back and made a little comparison, both Yang Ping and the Sima family would be in big trouble. So the two brothers prepared their bows and arrows, and followed Deng Zhan after he left Wen County. Taking advantage of their familiarity with the geography, they took advantage of the small roads and tried their best to catch up. Finally, they stopped Deng Zhan before he entered Xudu.

The horse team took Deng Zhan with them when they left, but they were not interested in the portraits scattered on the ground, so Brother Sima took the opportunity to collect them.Sima Lang wanted to burn them, but was stopped by Sima Yi.Sima Yi said that burning it was useless. If Mrs. Cao didn't get the portrait, she would continue to send people to Wen County to investigate until she found out.In order to completely dispel Cao's suspicion, they must be allowed to pick up these five portraits and believe that there is no problem with them. This job is no easier than killing Deng Zhan.Brother Sima set out too hastily, without pen and ink, unable to smear—even if he had pen and ink, Sima Yi would not dare to tamper with it. This kind of thing would definitely hide secret codes that outsiders would not know, and tampering without permission would only increase suspicion.

But in the end Sima Yi endured the pain and came up with a solution, and then they half-buried the five pieces of paper in the snow before leaving. "People in Xudu won't find any flaws, right? There are a lot of capable people over there." Sima Lang babbled worriedly.At this time, they were almost approaching the woods where the horses were tied, and as long as they got there, there would be liquor and food to replenish their strength.Sima Yi's face was already blue from the cold, his footsteps were weak, and his physical strength could not last long.Sima Lang could only keep talking to him to keep him awake.

Hearing his brother's doubts, Sima Yi struggled to raise his head: "No way, this is my fault. Yihe's appearance can never be seen from these five pictures." "Zhongda, why are you so determined and not dead..." Hearing this question, Sima Yi shook his head: "I'm not sure. Maybe that guy is dead, maybe he's not dead. If he's not dead, our hard work is worth it; if he's dead—" The young man's neck quickly turned towards Xu Du's direction like a wolf, "I will let the entire Cao family be buried with him." After speaking, he fell to the ground and passed out.

Chunyu Qiong brushed off the dew on his beard, touched his big nose, took off the iron helmet from his head, and threw it on the grass.This was made by Cao Jun's blacksmith, which was far inferior to Yuan Jun's craftsmanship. The burrs on the edge of the helmet were not polished, and there were shallow bloodstains on his forehead. There was a river less than two miles in front of Chunyuqiong, and they could already hear the sound of "squeaking" water.As long as the supporting ships arrive in time, they can enter the area controlled by Yuan Jun within two hours, and this operation will be considered a great success.The knights behind Chunyu Qiong were exhausted, but their morale was high.Last night and today throughout the day, they crawled back and forth between Cao Jun's army, hiding at night and coming out at night, miraculously not attracting any attention. "The general's attack on Xu this time has made extraordinary achievements, and his reputation will surely shake the world." Lieutenant General Han Juzi said excitedly.Chunyu Qiong gave a absent-minded "hmm", and fiddled with the mount's ears with the tip of a whip, her eyes full of loneliness. Ordinarily, Chunyu Qiong didn't have to take the risk himself.He used to be one of the eight captains of Xiyuan in the Lingdi Dynasty, You Xiaowei, who was on an equal footing with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, and had a respected status.Later, he followed Yuan Shao all the time, and his position in the army was aloof. Such a high-ranking general didn't need to go to dangerous places in person. But Chunyu Qiong wanted to go very much. As soon as the plan of the strange robbery of Xudu was put forward, Chunyu Qiong volunteered, saying that he would lead the troops there himself.Chun Yuqiong was different from those mediocre generals who were looking for fame or wealth. Others took risks for the sake of victory, but he took risks purely for the sake of taking risks. He wished for a thrilling action every day, so that he could exercise his rusty muscles and bones. . It was Chun Yuqiong who suggested Yuan Shao enter the palace to avenge the great general He Jin—he was not out of political or military considerations, but simply liked excitement, and the more dangerous the place, the more excited he was. It has become his enjoyment in life, and he can't stop. For Chunyu Qiong's self-recommendation, Ju Shou couldn't persuade him, nor could Shenpei and Guo Tu, and even Yuan Shao couldn't persuade him, so he had to reluctantly agree.So Chunyu Qiong took the fine cavalry under his command, put on Cao Jun's equipment, and rushed to Xudu excitedly.But to Chunyuqiong's surprise, this operation went so smoothly that there was not a single battle fought.He had nowhere to vent his pent-up murderous aura, and he couldn't help but feel a little depressed. The only thing that made Chun Yuqiong feel gratified was that this time he unexpectedly met Deng Zhan on the way, and brought him back to the army alive, which was an unexpected gain. "How are those two people?" Chunyu Qiong asked. The two people he was talking about were Dong Cheng and Deng Zhan, both of whom were in the only carriage in the team.Han Juzi replied that the former was in good spirits, but he had not said a word since he left Xudu; the latter also remained silent because he was dying, and the person who was once guarded was suspected to be dead. Chunyu Qiong got off the horse, went to the side of the carriage and lifted the curtain, and checked Deng Zhan's injury himself.He was surprised to find that this man's vitality was really tenacious, and the continuous bumping of the carriage did not shatter the wound or worsen it.Although Deng Zhan is still in a coma, if he gets good care and treatment immediately, he should be able to survive this test. Han Juzi asked, "General, why did you take such pains to bring this man with you?" Ever since Chunyu Qiong decided to bring this half-dead ghost pierced by a bow and arrow with him, he was full of doubts.The team had been in a dangerous situation before, so he didn't talk too much, and now that he had returned to a safe zone, he finally couldn't help it. Chunyuqiong glanced at Han Juzi: "What do you think is the cruelest revenge for an enemy?" "Uh... kill him?" "You're wrong," Chunyu Qiong took out a flea from the gap in the armor, threw it into his mouth and bit it hard, "you are giving him a kindness that he cannot refuse, and he will never be able to repay it in his life." Han Juzi suddenly realized: "It turns out that the general wants to show kindness to..." "You're wrong again." Chunyu Qiong interrupted him angrily, "His enemy is me, but he was the one who gave me great kindness back then." Suddenly there was a beeping sound in the distance, and the conversation stopped.Chunyuqiong and Han Juzi got back on their horses and galloped towards the river.They saw two wooden boats floating sneakily from the upper reaches of the river, with the banner of the Su family on the prow.The Su family is a wealthy businessman in Zhongshan. Their business spreads all over the states, and they have made a living in Nanpi, Xudu, Xuzhou and other places. Playing their family's banner will not arouse Cao Jun's suspicion. The wooden boat sailed to the south bank, and found a shallow place to stop the boat.Chunyuqiong talked to them across the water and confirmed that they were the people sent by Yuan Jun, and then called the others over.Dong Cheng and Deng Zhan were waded onto the boat by two big-armed knights. The carriage couldn't be transported, so it was dismantled and buried on the spot. Chunyu Qiong was the last to board the boat. He looked towards the south bank regretfully, and gestured to the boat boss to sail.The wooden boat went down the river, walked about twenty or thirty miles, slowly approached the north bank, and stopped at a hidden simple pier. There was already a person waiting on the pier, and Chunyu Qiong recognized it as Jushou.He has a very characteristic personality, tall and thin and straight, but his head is very big and flat, looking from a distance like a big nail firmly nailed to the pier.At this moment, Ju Shou watched intently the wooden boat and bamboo slips approaching the shore, but did not show any impatience.It wasn't until the sailors took the wooden boat to the shore and fastened the cables that Ju Shou stepped on the board without haste and welcomed Chunyu Qiong to the pier. Jushou served as General Fenwei in Yuan Shao's army, in charge of supervising the army. He could manage generals at the top and transfer troops at the bottom. He had great power, and even part of the intelligence work was under his command.This time, the plan to hijack Dong Cheng was planned by Ju Shou, and he came to the front to greet him, which shows that he attaches great importance to it. Jushou is the mainstay of the Jizhou family, and he doesn't get along very well with Chunyuqiong.So when Chunyu Qiong saw him, he didn't do much greetings, but just cupped his fists and said, "Gongyu, I'll bring you back." "Thank you, General." Ju Shou took out the portrait from his arms, looked at Dong Cheng from a distance, then smiled lightly, and clasped his fists and said, "This extraordinary achievement of penetrating into the enemy's rear is considered to be the general's achievement." "I'm just joking with you. What a miracle, it's just bringing an old man back." Chunyu Qiong rubbed his nose in a dispirited manner. "General, I don't understand. A general of chariots and cavalry showed up and said that Cao thief's deeds of humiliating the Han family and bullying the central government can be announced to the world, which is of great benefit to Yuan Gong's great cause. It is the only way to defeat others without fighting." Best policy, hehe." Jushou's two dry laughs were a bit stiff, Chunyu Qiong glanced at him, and couldn't help but "pooh" in his heart. These two people had always disagreed with each other in Yuan Shao's camp.Chun Yuqiong believes that the army is everything, and that blades are better than words; while Jushou is serious in his arguments, and has always been less advocating light use of war, preferring to use political means to solve problems. At the beginning, Jushou suggested that Yuan Shao bring the emperor to Nanpi, and take the emperor to fight against the court, so as to be politically invincible.In the eyes of Chun Yuqiong, who was used to freedom, this kind of proposal was purely asking for trouble and tied his hands and feet. It was far less refreshing than going against him with real swords and guns, so he strongly opposed it.In the end, Chun Yuqiong joined forces with the Yingchuan faction and Nanyang faction to stir up the matter, and the two have turned against each other ever since. The hijacking of Dong Cheng this time is obviously Jushou's plan to use "sissy" means to attack Cao Cao.Although Chun Yuqiong volunteered to carry it out, his purpose was only to enjoy the excitement, and he did not express his approval of Ju Shou. Although Chun Yuqiong did not like Jushou, Jushou also slandered this reckless man a lot.He ran to the pier to greet him in person, precisely because he was worried—to be honest, when Ju Shou saw Chunyuqiong's huge nose, he couldn't help complaining.If Chunyuqiong hadn't been a hindrance and let him welcome the emperor to Nanpi, I'm afraid Cao Cao would have bowed his head and begged to surrender by now, so why would he need to go all out to grab Dong Cheng? "A group of short-sighted things, there are too many villains and fools around Mr. Yuan." Ju Shou thought indignantly.Half of his energy was spent on making suggestions for Lord Yuan Shao, and the other half was spent on ensuring that these ideas would not be interfered by those idiots.It made him very tired. The two political opponents, Pi Liyang and Qiu, exchanged pleasantries, and Ju Shou said that it was time to meet General Chariot, and Chun Yuqiong quickly ordered his men to bring the old man over. Just then, an accident happened. Dong Cheng's face suddenly turned pale. He pushed away the supporting soldiers and ran towards Chunyuqiong and Jushou.The soldiers tried to grab the old man, but he broke free.Jushou was also taken aback, Dong Cheng occupies a very important position in his plan, there must be no mistakes.He and Chun Yuqiong opened their arms, trotted a few steps, and held down Dong Cheng who jumped onto the pier. "General Dong, don't be afraid, you are safe." Ju Shou comforted him.Dong Cheng ignored him, scanned the pier with red eyes, and shouted almost frantically: "Xun Chen, is Xun Chen here?" When Jushou heard the name, he was taken aback for a moment, and then smiled meaningfully: "When you arrive in Nanpi, I will naturally arrange for you to meet Master Xun." Dong Cheng was very dissatisfied with this answer: "I want to see you right away. Come to him! Immediately! Otherwise it will be too late!" Ju Shou was a little unhappy, thinking that the chariot general was a bit too airy, and an exiled criminal minister was still bossing around.He stretched out his palm and pressed it on Dong Cheng's chest, wanting him to calm down as soon as possible. As soon as his palm touched Dong Cheng's chest, Dong Cheng's whole body trembled suddenly, and a stream of blood spurted out from his mouth, immediately spraying Jushou into a blood gourd.Jushou was stunned for a moment, he froze in place and was at a loss.It was Chunyuqiong who reacted quickly, stretched out his big hand to push Jushou away, and grabbed Dong Cheng's lapel. This catch, unexpectedly caught empty.After Dong Cheng spewed blood, he collapsed limply on the wooden raft at the pier, his body curled up like a shrimp, his limbs twitching violently.Chunyuqiong frowned, Dong Cheng was still normal before, but he had a strange attack not long after crossing the river, it was really strange. Chunyu Qiong faintly felt that something was wrong, he pushed the dumbfounded Ju Shou, and urged him to go over quickly.Ju Shou is the person in charge of responding. If Dong Cheng has any last words, only he is qualified to hear them. He reluctantly leaned over to see Dong Cheng's life and death.Dong Cheng raised his head suddenly, roaring like a wild animal: "Xun Chen! Xun Chen!" Every time he shouted, a lot of blood gushed out of his mouth.Everyone on the pier could see that the old man was frantically burning the last of his life, trying to say something. Ju Shou squatted down, and frantically helped Dong Cheng half up.Dong Cheng tightly grasped his arm, panting violently: "Xun Chen! Where is he...?" Ju Shou looked around helplessly, then moved to Dong Cheng's ear, and said a few words in a low voice. Everyone, including Chunyu Qiong, couldn't hear clearly. Dong Cheng's eyes widened, and he squeezed Jushou's arm tighter: "You...they...Guo..." Jushou heard him call out the word "Guo", but he didn't know who the word Guo was referring to.He leaned over to ask one more question, Dong Cheng's body suddenly twitched violently, and then he became completely quiet. Ju Shou wiped the blood from his face, his mind was in a mess.Dong Cheng was the key link before Yuan Cao's battle. They had been preparing for this for a long time. If something happened to Dong Cheng, it would cause big trouble. Chunyu Qiong walked over, Dong Cheng's distorted facial features showed that he died in extreme pain.Regarding Dong Cheng's accidental death, Chunyu Qiong was not at all depressed.Whether Dong Cheng is alive or not is something that civil servants need to worry about.For him, the most interesting part of this tedious journey of robbery is that it turned out to be a new twist at the end.He pinched his beard excitedly, his eyes sparkling. The old man seemed to have taken a delayed poison, and didn't attack until now.Chunyu Qiong personally supervised him along the way, and he didn't touch any suspicious food, so he was poisoned before he was sent out of Xudu.Thinking about it this way, could it be that the Cao family deliberately let Dong Cheng be abducted by them?No wonder there were no pursuers from Cao Jun along the way... Judging from Dong Cheng's reaction, he probably didn't even know about it.It wasn't until the poison took hold just now that he was eager to find Xun Chen, probably because he wanted to explain something important?It's a pity that the potency of the poison made Dong Cheng unable to even do this. Chunyu Qiong wondered excitedly, whether to cross back to the south bank to find out.Suddenly he saw something strange about Dong Cheng's bent fingertips, and when he took a closer look, he found that before he died, he had written two words on the wooden board of the pier with his fingers dipped in blood. These two words were written in bad shape, but Chunyu Qiong fell into deep thought.