The city gate of Shang County was just opened and the crowds on the streets were just getting a little lively, and the group rushed to the official party in Shang County.
The leader is the one with a fat, strong body and a darker face.
If you get closer, you will find that the person's face is not born with a dye, but is dyed with some dye. It is not dyed very evenly in some subtle parts. At the same time, it is caused by walking, sweat, dew, etc., which makes the dye fade. At first glance, it looks like you have a skin disease.
Behind this man, several guards were wearing armor and fighting swords. They were obviously from soldiers and were not easy to bully.
"Where is the head of Shang County?" Before the visitor arrived at the official, he took out the famous scepter in his arms. "I am a disciple of Pang Lingjun and came to find the head of Shang County, and there are important military affairs!"
The soldiers on duty before the official party did not dare to be negligent. They immediately led them to the side room and sat down, while on the other hand they went to report the news. Soon, the head of Shang County asked someone to invite him.
The head of Shang County was surnamed Huang and was a member of the Huang clan of Jingxiang. There was no big problem with loyalty.
The location of Shang County is very important. It is located in the middle of Wuguan Road. At first, it was just a relatively large transit station. At the beginning of the Qin Dynasty, it was just for military service. Now it has become a county town that is not too small.
Wuguan Road.
One mountain, two waters.
One mountain is the Qinling Mountains, and the two waters are the Ba River and Dan River.
Simply put, it is a road that connects the Ba River and Danshui River Valley on both sides of the Qinling Mountains.
The roads on the Bashui side are generally relatively stable, but the roads on the Danshui side have a large flow due to geological factors. They often erode the roads on the valley side and temporary bridges in spring and summer, which will also cause considerable trouble for commercial transportation. Therefore, most caravans on land will avoid the time when there is more rain in spring and summer, and choose to travel in autumn and winter.
The Cao army could not cut off the Wuguan Road, so they could just dress up as a caravan, rush to the Wuguan Road, or even pretend that the vehicle axle was broken or something was repairing it, and then they would not move forward or cross Shang County.
In the default sphere of influence, even if it passes Shang County, it belongs to Feiqian's territory. To the south of Shang County, the middle and lower reaches of Danshui are considered to be the southern line, so the northern section of Wuguan Road is also called Languan Road, and the southern section is called Shangyu Road.
After checking the relevant documents, the man pretending to be Pang Tong asked anxiously: "Where is General Wei?! Where is General Wei?"
But what he didn't expect was that the head of Shang County shook his head and said that he didn't know where Wei Yan was...
『What?!』 Pang Tong's messenger was so anxious that he jumped. 『How can you... General Wei leave any contact information?"
The head of Shang County nodded, "There is, there are, but... but it can only be used once. Are you sure you want to use it?"
The sweat from the messenger Pang Tong rolled down, rushing the black dye on his face into a series of gullies, obviously thinking and weighing fiercely, "Use! You must let General Wei know! You must notify General Wei!"
The head of Shang County nodded.
Not long after, a bonfire was lit somewhere in the corner of Shangxian County.
The flames were not big, and it seemed like it was smoked. A stream of black smoke rose, and it could be seen far away during the clear autumn and winter...
In the distant mountains, the bushes were shaking, and suddenly a figure appeared, rushing across the ridge obliquely, "Report to General! Shangxian has ignited!"
Wei Yan, who was lying on the big rock in the mountains, suddenly became energetic. A Guru jumped off the big rock and slapped, "My boys! The work is here! Clean up and change the place!"
Suddenly, on the rocks, among the shrubs, in many places where it seemed to be completely deserted, suddenly there were figures shaking. Wei Yan's men walked out of their hiding place, and then started packing up their things and preparing to transfer.
Wei Yan knew that Cao's army was also staring at him in Shang County, so he set up a fake camp on the northern line. In fact, he had already touched Shang County with his people. Just as Cao's army knew that Wei Yan was training troops in Wuguan, most of them wanted to support Pang Tong, and Wei Yan also knew that Cao's army obviously wanted to encircle and ambush Pang Tong in the southern line.
This is news at a rough level, but it is difficult for both sides to know more detailed content.
On the one hand, the transmission of information is inevitable, and on the other hand, the more detailed the things are, the more difficult it is to be accurate.
Wei Yan was actually very concerned about rescuing Pang Tong.
One is that Pang Tong, as the Secretary of the Republic, has its importance to the entire Cavalry Group without any explanation. There is no doubt that he needs help whenever there is something.
Is there another factor...
Wei Yan was actually a little lonely. He also longed to be accepted by the children of the gentry, so his external manifestation was that he was very eager for merit, because with these merits, he could maintain his pride.
Therefore, of course, Wei Yan could not say that he would deliberately plot against Pang Tong. He just wanted to plot against Cao Ren and Cao Zhen.
In Wei Yan's plan, in order to win, even his own life could be held on the gambling table.
Of course, this can also be called a spirit of "sacrifice", so Wei Yan did not feel that there was anything wrong with using Pang Tong's life as a bargaining chip. Therefore, Wei Yan wanted to welcome Pang Tong back, and it was better to clean up Cao's army at the same time...
This is the joy of everyone who belongs to Wei Yan.
If you want to deal with Cao's army, you must first find Cao's army.
Then Wei Yan found it.
Wei Yan did not walk on the official road, but he was not far from the pipeline.
The road to Wuguan Road, as mentioned earlier, is the valley of two rivers. Since there are valleys, of course there are ridges.
For ordinary caravans, walking on the ridge is undoubtedly a fatal matter, but for Wei Yan and his mountain soldiers, traveling between the ridges is much harder than walking on the official road, but it is not too difficult.
Among a group of normal people, the madman is very conspicuous.
Similarly, among a group of normal caravans, Cao Jun pretending to be a caravan was also very conspicuous in Wei Yan's eyes.
Wei Yan bit a grass root, and the smell of earth was mixed with the smell of grass, but in the end it would have a little sweetness. He stared at a group of people who looked like caravans in the distance, with a sarcastic smile on his face.
"It doesn't look like it at all..." Wei Yan muttered, reminding his subordinates, "Look, if the caravan is delayed on the road, the guy may not be in a hurry, but will the leader not be in a hurry? Still have the intention to joke and chat with others? Looking over there, the guy who repaired the axle is looking for this and then to find that. It seems very busy, but in fact he has done nothing...
"Master, these guys are probably camping here today. Do you want to touch it at night..." A soldier next to him laughed a few times, rubbing his hands like a fly, as if his hands were itchy, "Tell them some lessons?"
"You are stupid, let them know that we are here, aren't it just exposed?" Another soldier responded, "Even if your hands are itchy, you have to stay honest!"
Wei Yan chuckled softly, "Yes, stay honestly... But look, this person dressed in Cao Jun is here, which means that Pang Lingjun is about to come back..."
The guard beside Wei Yan whispered: "Master, we... don't we wait for some people to welcome Pang Lingjun? It doesn't matter if this is the case?"
Wei Yan spit out his grassroots, "It's okay, Cao Jun must be staring at Pang Lingjun right now. We just need to stare at Cao Jun... Well, but we still have to be careful, let me think about what other omissions are..."
… ()…
Danshui.
Cao Zhen sat in a merchant ship that broke down on the Danshui side.
The merchant ship was not big, and it was originally used to load goods, but now people live in it. The smell of this warehouse is basically the same, so the conditions are not very good, but the soldiers of Cao's army did not complain much, because Cao Zhen also lived in the warehouse with them. At most, Cao Zhen's location is more inclined to the warehouse entrance and the air is relatively better.
As for why I don’t live in a merchant ship’s guest room, it’s naturally to cover up.
Dan water gurgles.
Cao Zhen was thinking about the whole plan, and then he was considering his manpower arrangements.
He was sure that Pang Tong would definitely follow the Wuguan Road.
But it's hard to say when to leave...
Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, but it must be something recent, so he is now like a spider, waiting quietly in the net. But his spider is not stable.
"Is there no news in Shang County yet? The cavalry and horses are not moving? This is impossible."
Cao Zhen received the message from Shang County, but he didn't believe it very much.
How could Wei Yan not move?
But in his heart, another voice sounded, what if?
If Wei Yan was just suspicious of the soldiers, then he might not have done anything...
In this way, Pang Tong may not follow the Wuguan Road, but the Heluo Line!
Will Pang Tong take the Heluo Line?
Cao Zhen observed the surrounding mountains and forests through the gaps in the cabin, just like he could see the traces of Wei Yan and others through the forests and rocks.
Cao Zhen’s arrangement is very complete from a certain perspective.
Not only did he have a layout on land, he himself went to the Danshui side himself.
First of all, Danshui can be boating. Being able to boating means that it can not only carry cargo, but also carry people.
The current shipping of Danshui was not yet at its peak. During the Tang Dynasty, in order to alleviate the grain pressure in Chang'an, Guanzhong, the Tang Dynasty also spent a lot of manpower and material resources to dig and connect the Ba River and Danshui, as an important channel for transporting Guanzhong from Nanyang. Only then could the ships that were coming and going up and down from Danshui be truly called endless streams.
Cao Zhen made two preparations, one on land and the other on water.
Everyone knows that the Cavalry Army is more powerful on land, whether it is cavalry or mountain soldiers. Jingzhou was originally in opposition to Jiangdong, so the navy is stronger. Even after the navy's strength declined slightly after it belonged to Cao Cao, it was still a considerable force.
Therefore, no matter what you think, Pang Tong should have taken the land route without taking greater risks to take the water route. But the problem is, Pang Tong is not an ordinary person. What if? So Cao Zhen also prepared a water route. At the same time, these merchant ships on the water route used to cover up their whereabouts can also become supply stations.
Second, it can also be used as support. If the troops on land are attacked by Wei Yan, Cao Zhen can immediately use the convenience of water transportation to support and quickly transfer.
The surrounding mountains and forests seem to be normal.
Cao Zhen withdrew his gaze.
We must seize Pang Tong.
It's best to capture it alive.
If you capture an important figure in the other party's political group, even if you are imprisoned for a period of time, even if you return it under the pressure of the cavalry in the future, it will have a great influence on the other party...
It was like Sun Quan once detained Liu Bei.
Of course, for some people, they would sneer Sun Quan as a fool, but they didn't know how to kill Liu Bei with one knife. How easy is it to save money?
In history, Sun Quan and Liu Bei were once allies.
Now Cao Cao and Fei Qian have also concluded a peace treaty in front of the emperor.
People can be shameless, but they cannot be completely shameless.
As for why such a thing is actually very simple. Cao Zhen just wanted to disrupt the Cavalry Group and alienate the relationship between the Jingxiang faction and other factions, and did not want to directly trigger a large-scale decisive battle. Therefore, Cao Zhen could only "invitation" secretly instead of directly attacking the door to surround him.
Suddenly, several merchant ships came to the south on the Danshui River, which aroused Cao Zhen's alertness.
After staring at these ships for a while, Cao Zhen suddenly laughed, "Come here! Stop it for me! Don't pierce armor, just hang the flag of the Merchant Shipping Department to intercept it!"
The order was issued, and immediately a sign rushed out and ordered several merchant ships to dock and moor.
"Cai's Merchant Ship?" Cao Zhen frowned slightly, "Search carefully!"
Just like taking more land routes in autumn and winter, spring and summer are the busy time for water transportation.
It is the dry season now. Although most of China are flat-bottomed boats, they can still walk, but merchant ships must not carry cargo. When carrying cargo, be careful to get too deep and get stuck on the riverbed. The cargo and ships will be damaged. Therefore, boating in autumn and winter is relatively careful, and the cost is very high, so you can't transport anything...
You can't transport things, but you can transport people!
Just as Cao Zhen realized this, he immediately ordered the ship to be intercepted.
After stopping it, I found out that it was the Cai family's merchant ship.
In the northern part of Jingzhou and Xiangyang, there is only a "Cai family".
The people from the Merchant Shipping Department dressed in a military soldier refused to be close to the Cai family's manager and ordered a strict investigation.
The soldiers pried open the wooden box and overturned the wooden barrel, not even letting them go in the cabin, and asked all the crew to get off the boat one by one and stand on the shore, checking them one by one...
Then there was nothing.
Of course, it is not completely unreal. For example, the items and procedures for these ships are not very complete, and some are fish glue and bronze ware that are prohibited from being sold to Guanzhong. However, these problems are almost negligible things for Pang Tong.
Cao Zhen did not come for these products.
These are indeed the gains of the Trade Department, but they are not what he wants.
"Come here!" Cao Zhen frowned and called Cai's manager, "What did your master ask you to go to Chang'an for?"
Cao Zhen recognized that this was the person around Cai Mao, and he did not find out what he wanted, so he did not act too cruelly.
The Cai manager also recognized Cao Zhen and quickly greeted him, without any resentment on his face, and he replied respectfully, "You are the general, it's really a business deal... this...
Cao Zhen said in a deep voice: "Speak truthfully!"
『Yes, yes... The head of the family heard that the Western Regions spices and pudding wine had increased prices," the manager of Cai whispered, as if the business secrets were to be discovered by others. 『The head of the family said that it would increase more in the future, and asked the villain to go to Chang'an to purchase more while the price had not increased too much...』
"Oh..." Cao Zhen nodded.
The wine is heavier, the jar is fragile, and the land is bumpy, so it is not as stable as the water. The spices are lighter and take up a lot of space. Merchant ships should not be too mixed with other goods to prevent odor.
This is understandable.
However, is the price of spices in Western Regions going to rise?
Why?
However, these things must have nothing to do with the Cai caravan. After Cao Zhen repeatedly confirmed that there was no mixed feelings among the crew, he waved his hand to express his permission.
But the cargo and people of the Cai merchant ship were overturned, so what could I do to start the ship immediately?
So he simply stopped beside him. The Cai family manager also asked someone to bring some bacon and wine prepared on the ship to Cao Zhen and others, which made Cao Zhen feel a little disgusted and ordered the Cai merchant ship to give a small Cao army flag. In this way, the Cai merchant ship would receive better care during subsequent checkouts and transfers.
Although Cao Zhen also knew that the Cai merchant ship was not short of this military flag and that the Cai family also had their own means, Cao Zhen asked someone to stop the Cai family's fleet and overturn it to the sky, which was somewhat a way to apologize.
Cao Zhen was careful about the bacon and wine sent by Cai. He did not let the soldiers eat it, but instead kept it first. Anyway, they had other reserves, so be careful not to make any mistakes.
"Where is Pang Shiyuan?" Cao Zhen muttered, "Is it true that he really wanted to go far and took a detour to Heluo?"
This time, the action of "inviting" Pang Tong to Xiangyang to "visit" was strictly confidential. Cao Zhen himself thought he had done a good job and should not be discovered by Pang Tong. But what if he happened to be discovered?
So would Pang Tong think that taking the Wuguan Road is too risky, so he would take the detour directly to Heluo?
While Cao Zhen was thinking, a sudden messenger rushed over. When he saw Cao Zhen, he reported an anxious report: "Report to General Huang, Wancheng General Huang, led a thousand troops and drove Heluo away!"
Cao Zhen's face suddenly changed drastically, "Damn it, I'm really in danger!"
Cao Ren needs to stay in Jingzhou, and he cannot move easily. The one who can move is Cao Zhen. Now he is above Danshui, and if Pang Tong walks through Heluo, it will be the right time!
『Anchor!』 Cao Zhen shouted loudly, 『Return to the water village!』
He might have been trapped!
He had to go back immediately, then go to the water village to change horses and catch up to stop Huang Zhong!
Chapter completed!