Chapter 126: Going to a meeting alone...
The method of crossing the river with a sheepskin bag, if it were in modern times, would still be considered an intangible cultural heritage of the Yellow River Basin, but nowadays, it is also considered a novelty.
Don’t be fooled by what Qiao Yan said to Cao Cao and Lu Zhi, “Others think that northerners are not good at water battles, but the territory of Bingzhou is different.” In fact, it has only been a few decades since the Protector of the Qiang in Liangzhou introduced the transportation method of “sewing leather bags into boats” to Bingzhou.
Even her previous attempt to have the sheepskin peeled off completely from the neck took a lot of time.
Fortunately, Bingzhou's geographical location was already determined. If she wanted to attack Luoyang, she had to cross the Yellow River from Mengjin. The difficulty had been anticipated, and preparations for this had not begun in the early spring.
"Feng Xiao is standing in front of this Hun Tuo embryo. Is he planning to become a good blower of sheepskin?" Qiao Yan looked to the end of the drying rack and saw a familiar figure.
Guo Jia waved his hand and said, "You are joking, my lord. At most, I brought a sheepskin bag and splashed it in the water a few times when I crossed the river to attack you. I just wanted to show my strength. How can I have the strength to blow the sheepskin?"
Qiao Yan smiled and splashed in the water with the sheepskin bag. It was something he could say and do.
Guo Jia straightened his face and said, "I was just thinking that we can build a plank road in the open and sneak through Chencang in secret, and use the guise of building ships to make sheepskin Huntuo. This method can indeed deceive the two parties left behind in Mengjin and Xiaopingjin."
"But the river's current curves upward at Mengjin, and this route is also affected by the diversion of water at the river island. If we can go directly from the Xiaopingjin outer river island, go downstream from the side close to Luoyang, and rush straight to the place where the river curves, can soldiers who are not so good at swimming successfully complete the crossing without having to use a floating bridge or connect to form a raft?"
The wooden strips on the sheepskin raft were tied into square frames. Although the number required was not large, it was still a considerable consumption for the military force that Qiao Yan currently had.
It was inevitable that the other side would easily notice that they had unusual movements in the camp.
Since the buoyancy of sheepskin bags is enough to carry one person across the river, then apart from the large sheepskin rafts that carry cavalry, why don't we choose to use the terrain to reduce the use of bamboo and wood for the rest?
Guo Jia had been observing the terrain of this place for a long time, and after looking at the sheepskin Huntuo for a long time, he felt that there was great potential for development here.
In fact, even though they would have to retreat some distance to Pingjin if they followed this method, it would have reduced the river crossing process, which was easily discovered, by half, and they could better take advantage of the river current, which was definitely a good deal.
The only thing to worry about is——
"Xu Rong, who is stationed at Xiaopingjin, is not from Xiliang and is somewhat incompatible with Dong Zhuo's forces. With his rigorous character, he will never ignore the river island in front of Pingjin. Even if he has not sent troops to station there now, he will definitely not neglect his vigilance. We need to think about this point."
Xu Rong...
In the Battle of Bianshui, which was only mentioned briefly in history, he defeated Cao Cao and others so badly that they fled in panic. This battle was probably not just because of the large number of soldiers from Xiliang.
Rather than passing through his door, it might be better to take a risk and have someone deliver the wooden frame materials to the military camp at night.
However, Qiao Yan was quite interested in the idea proposed by Guo Jia. So instead of shaking the plan, it would be better to deal with the people who affected the plan.
Qiao Yan thought for a moment and said, "Bring me some paper and pen."
Less than half an hour later, a messenger came by boat from the north of the river and went straight to Xu Rong's tent.
Because the other party said that he came to deliver a letter for the governor of Bingzhou, and there was only one boat with one person and one boatman, he was not restricted much after going ashore, but was brought to Xu Rong.
Seeing that the person who came was just a young man, Xu Rong couldn't help but ask in surprise: "Marquis Qiao is young himself, and most of his subordinates are young too."
"That's not the case," the visitor bowed to Xu Rong and replied, "It's just because I told you that I saw the general's camp was in good order, and I thought he had a good command of the army and would not kill the envoy. I also happen to have the same surname as the general. Although I am from Yingchuan and not from the same clan, we do have some ties, which gives me another way to save my life."
If this person is not Xu Fu, then who else could he be?
Qiao Yan brought him along on this expedition, and he became the third military advisor.
However, Xu Fu was always humble about this matter. He felt that he was not yet qualified to be a general, so he asked to join the army as a secretary. After Qiao Yan planned to deliver a letter to Xu Rong, he volunteered to deliver the letter.
Qiao Yan had no worries about his courage and eloquence. The only thing she was worried about was that although Xu Rong behaved like this, he might not be able to release the messenger safely as she wished. If Xu Yuanzhi died here, it would be too late to regret.
But Xu Fu replied, "If you can't find a brave man to deliver this letter, your plan will inevitably be flawed. In the past, I was impressed by your sacrifice as bait for the Yellow Turban Army. I can say the same thing today. If you can use this opportunity to successfully cross the river and attack Luoyang, why should I care about Xu Fu's life!"
He added: "What's more, the general will have to confront Xu Rong sooner or later. If we can take this opportunity to observe the situation in his army, it will be a good preparation. It will be impossible to entrust this to an ordinary messenger."
Why not let him do it!
This is why he is standing here at this moment.
Xu Rong studied the young man's face for a long time, and found that he seemed to be sincere in his opinion of his ability to command the army. He felt relieved and asked, "You are right. I really don't kill the messenger. So what does Lord Qiao want you to tell me?"
Xu Fu handed the letter in his sleeve to Xu Rong's personal soldier and replied: "Marquis Qiao and the general had a battle in the capital before. The warriors around Marquis Qiao fought with the general and felt that the general was very capable. This time we came to suppress the rebellion of Dong Ze and met again..."
"You don't have to say more," Xu Rong interrupted Xu Fu, "Prime Minister Dong has been very kind to me, how dare you call him a thief in front of me! If you want to talk about winning him over, there is no need to say more. Since you are young, I can let you go for the time being, and don't talk about anything else."
Faced with Xu Rong's expression of slamming the table and standing up halfway through his words, Xu Fu's face did not show any panic, and he still replied calmly: "General Xu, if you think that I am here to bribe you to turn against you and ensure that you can cross the river from here, then you are underestimating my lord and yourself too much."
He said in a resounding voice: "Your Excellency disdains such behavior!"
Seeing Xu Fu's words were so sure, Xu Rong restrained his anger and asked, "May I ask what is the intention of Lord Qiao?"
Xu Fu replied, "Your Excellency admires the general's name, but we both have our own positions and will have to fight. To show my respect for the hero, the general is willing to meet the general on the island in the river alone with a little wine. I wonder if the general dares to come alone?"
Before Xu Rong could speak, Xu Fu continued, "You meet heroes with wine, but they become enemies after drinking. That's all. Lord Qiao has the courage to sacrifice himself to meet his friend. Could it be that the general is afraid that there is something fishy going on?"
"That thief Dong didn't think Marquis Qiao was a person of character. He clearly told the messenger Li Su that he wanted to meet Marquis Qiao at the Sunset Pavilion outside Luoyang, but he sent people to attack the camp the night before the trip. Marquis Qiao would never do such a dirty thing. All our soldiers are under the nose of General Niu, so it is impossible for him to cross the river during the meeting."
"..." Xu Rong was silent for a long time before he replied, "Now I know why Marquis Qiao wanted you to be his envoy."
Xu Fu accepted the compliment calmly and replied: "Then may I ask what you think, General? As evidenced by the invitation on the paper from Marquis of Leping in the letter, I believe that the thief Dong will not blame you for leaving your post without permission."
Xu Rong opened the envelope, unfolded the letter, and saw exactly as Xu Fu had said.
He pondered for a moment and replied, "It is as Lord Qiao wishes. However, the island in the river is right in front of us, and the messenger's return is just like this. Why does it have to be five days later?"
For a moment, he thought that this agreed date was also the connotation of Qiao Yan's invitation to Dong Zhuo, but then he heard Xu Fu say, "Marquis Qiao is now supervising the construction of ships to cross the river, and also has the important task of allying with the people of Central Plains to defeat the thief Dong, so he has been unable to spare any time these days."
Seeing Xu Rong was startled, Xu Fu smiled and said, "I don't think the general will blame me for these two extra words. I'll take my leave now."
Xu Rong suspected that his words were setting a trap, but he had already promised earlier that he would never kill the envoy, so there was no point in forcing him to stay. He could only watch the other party leave by boat and arrive at the other side of the river.
Five days...
Within these five days, Qiao Yan's other two letters had also been delivered to their destinations.
When Cao Cao received the invitation from Qiao Yan, he thought of the ambition to conquer the west that he had talked about with Qiao Yan that day, and then thought of the embarrassment when he was forced out of Luoyang by Dong Zhuo that day. He immediately made a decision, issued a letter to attack Dong, and gathered people to attack Xuanmen Pass, echoing Qiao Yan.
He said to his eldest son beside him: "Yeshu owed you a gift earlier. Now if we can go to Luoyang together, since she is the governor of Bingzhou, she should make up for it."
"Father..." Cao Ang was a little amused.
Is this the time to bring this up?
He also heard Cao Cao say: "At her age, she has pioneered the world's fight against Dong Zhuo. Her courage and character are far ahead of her peers. It seems that Zixiu still needs to work hard!"
"But Ye Shu is a good person in every way, except for one thing. A manifesto is a just statement of condemnation, and it is not meant just for the thief Dong. He should have exaggerated his actions to be considered a manifesto."
Cao Ang watched Cao Cao roll up his sleeves and tried hard to keep a straight face so as not to show any strange expression.
Who made the father's actions at this time, the subtext is exactly -
When it comes to scolding Dong Zhuo, Qiao Yan didn’t do a very good job, so he, who is more experienced, had to do it.
Father! Are you bragging about your literary talent or are you implying something about yourself?
But no matter how Cao Ang complained in his heart, this standard version of the manifesto written by Cao Cao was delivered to Lu Zhi right after Qiao Yan's letter arrived in Jizhou.
Amid this highly inflammatory declaration of mobilizing troops for a joint attack, Lu Zhi immediately stood up and paced back and forth in the room. Suddenly he laughed out loud, "Great, great! One way from the north, one way from the east. If we can break through the two passes, the traitor Dong will surely be killed. Xuande!"
Liu Bei had already prepared to march into Luoyang because of Lu Zhi's coming here.
Although he was not like Qiao Yan who could make rapid progress in the past few years, he did not have many options in his official career and could only follow the routine. However, the relationship he had established with the wealthy businessmen Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang from Zhongshan in his early years was never severed after he was in Jizhou because they were in the same state.
Through his interactions with these two people, he was able to gather some manpower.
During his tenure in Qinghe County, he clearly realized that if he wanted to be promoted in the usual way, it would not be easy for him to reach a high position unless he was promoted by one of the Three Dukes like the current Grand Marshal Huang Wan.
On the contrary, if one can make achievements in suppressing rebellions and fighting bandits, one will have a better chance of promotion without the need for official connections.
Now that the late emperor has passed away and his young son has succeeded to the throne, he is controlled by a treacherous villain. This is the best opportunity for him.
If you want to do something great for the people, you must at least become a governor. It is not shameful to have such utilitarian ideas!
He quickly replied, "Master Lu, if you give me any instructions, I will set off immediately with my friends!"
"Don't worry," Lu Zhi replied, "Let's go and see Yuan Benchu first."
He and Yuan Shao were once on opposite sides in Luoyang, and if it were not for Yuan's support for Dong Zhuo, he would not have been defeated by Dong Zhuo.
He believed that Cao Cao had not only sent the manifesto to him, but must have also given a copy to Yuan Benchu. Chenggao and Hulao Pass were both dangerous passes in the world. Since they had to unite their troops to fight, the team had to be of one mind no matter what.
Whether Yuan Shao took a step back first or he took a step back first, all these past grudges had to be resolved first.
If not, I am afraid that outside the Xuanmen Pass, the role they can play will be less than that of Qiao Yan.
"Master Lu..."
"Xuan De," Lu Zhi smiled calmly, "At this moment, how much is your face worth? The bigger picture is more important. Just think of me as teaching you a lesson."
However, it was obvious that not everyone who received Cao Cao's manifesto had such awareness.
Just like Zhang Zi, the prefect of Nanyang, who was thought by Xun You to join forces with Yuan Shu, died at the hands of Sun Jian who was heading north at the beginning of the uprising due to a lack of military supplies. Sun Jian was fierce and ferocious, but Zhang Zi acted on the grounds that the county governor had no right to allocate food and salaries. The confusion involved is hard to describe.
Even the two brothers Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao could not avoid some disputes over priority in the correspondence when they raised their armies to fight against Dong Zhuo.
Qiao Yan knew very well how these "princes" who were about to arrive would behave, but she did not have the extra energy to take care of their open and secret struggles.
The five-day appointment came, and compared to Xu Rong who was deeply afraid that there was a trap, she was so open-minded and relaxed as to board the ship in casual clothes.
What Niu Fu saw, who was on the south bank of the river with Xu Rong, was a light boat sailing among the turbid waves of the river. In the boat pushed by the oars, the other party's black clothes fluttered in the breeze on the river, looking extremely elegant and graceful.
The boat was moving at lightning speed and had already reached the island in the middle of the river.
Given Niu Fu's position, it was impossible for him to see the scene on the other side clearly. He could only sigh in despair, but he couldn't help but remember Xu Rong in his heart.
After the boat stopped at the shore, Zhao Yun pressed the edge of his hat and temporarily acted as a qualified boatman. He watched her get off the boat with her sword and wine jug, and looked at Xu Rong who had landed on the other side from a distance.
Even with bodyguards by his side, he still looks like a hero at a drinking party!
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