Chapter 27
The knife in Zhang Liang's hand fell to the ground with a clang.
He was trying his best to control his emotions, but the siege of Quzhou City by the Han army was still within his acceptable range. At most, he had made some inappropriate inferences about the three-party relationship on Lu Zhi's side. However, the current situation still exceeded his expectations.
He had never seen Huangfu Song, the Left General of the Central Army who was suppressing the rebellion of the Han Dynasty, but at least he recognized the commander's flag, and he also recognized that the momentum and numbers of these new reinforcements did not seem to be fake.
In all likelihood, it is Huangfu Song and his subordinates!
He also saw Lu Zhi among the troops under the city.
Judging from the other party's calm expression, it was completely different from what he had guessed in the previous two days, that he was at a disadvantage in the balance of power in the military and was forced not to show up.
And the worst thing is that Zhang Jue appeared here!
They have been brothers for decades, and it is impossible for Zhang Liang to admit his mistake but no one can admit that Zhang Jiao was wrong.
Especially since his elder brother had unique ideas and was even able to found a sect like Taiping Dao, which made him very different from ordinary people.
Even though he was in the prison car, he still looked calm and at ease, which was enough for Zhang Liang to confirm his identity even from the distance between the city walls.
However, whether Zhang Jue was in a mess or not had no necessary connection with whether the people in Quzhou City would fall into chaos after learning the news that the Great Sage Master had been captured.
Zhang Jue, who had mobilized them in the countryside, had fallen into the hands of the Han army. It was clear that God did not bless the Taiping Dao. It was no longer a case of "the blue sky is dead, and the yellow sky should be established."
"General, we..."
As soon as Zhang Liang heard the voice of his men, he interrupted him angrily, "Why are you panicking? We still have Quzhou City to defend."
There wasn't much confidence in Zhang Liang's words.
Yes, they still have Quzhou City, but does the Han army have no way to attack the city?
The siege equipment that Lu Zhi had previously supervised was hidden in his camp as he steadily advanced and occupied small strongholds in the surrounding areas.
If Qiao Yan had not created an illusion that caused Zhang Liang to misunderstand, he should have continued to think of ways to either restrict Lu Zhi's actions or try to destroy the finished products.
If the number of Han troops was previously at a level where they had no chance of success in siege, now with the assistance of another force, it can be said that it is enough.
"Lord Lu and General Huangfu's troops suffered many casualties in the battle of Guangzong, but their momentum is much stronger than before." Qiao Yan looked around and said to Cheng Li.
Perhaps it was because the Han army had an advantage in siege than in defending Guangzong. Apart from the inevitable long-range injuries in the process of breaking into the Guangzong city gate, the overall casualties were not much compared to the record of taking Guangzong.
More importantly, after witnessing the almost unknown casualties of the Yellow Turban Army in Guangzong City, the victorious Han army had a little more blood and energy.
So much so that when the Han army came in formation, although the siege equipment was still being gradually dragged out of the camp and not placed in front of the formation, the momentum alone was enough to make Zhang Liang feel terrified.
"The way to win is to make one gain while the other loses." Cheng Li replied.
In Cheng Li's opinion, compared with the growing momentum of the Han army, the decline of the Yellow Turbans' momentum was much more obvious.
Zhang Jue was captured. Even if Zhang Liang was still in Quzhou City, it could not change the fact that the backbone of the city had been removed.
Moreover, the Han army now had the numbers to besiege them in the city. Even if they could still hold on to Quzhou and temporarily have a strong city as a barrier, the most fundamental problem was -
Food in the city was limited.
Even if we put aside the issue of food, the Han army did not dare to attack the city with all their strength before because the Yellow Turbans in Guangzong could send troops at any time to form an encirclement posture in the rear of the Han army. But now that they have lost this support force, they can only watch as the Han army loses a layer of shackles in its actions, and can even rely on reinforcements to continue to replenish their soldiers.
It's simply a question of whether to die early or late.
The arrival of Huangfu Song also officially announced that they were still short of reinforcements.
The two states of Yan and Yu must have been pacified!
Even if the Han army did not make any shouts of encouragement from under the city, it was enough to fully demonstrate their advantages at this moment.
Zhang Liang had previously felt that after he was freed from his brother's support, he could barely be said to be worthy of the title of general.
However, when he faced the current situation, he just wanted to say: No, he really can't do it!
The opposing Han army did not kill Zhang Jue as a sacrifice at this moment when they clearly declared their march, nor did they attack the city when Zhang Jue lost his mind. Instead, they slowly retreated into the camp in the rear after a show of force. Zhang Liang didn't even know how he got back to his resting place in the city in a daze.
He had just taken a nap for half a day when he heard the bad news. The Han army had just launched an attack. The intensity of the attack was not great, but -
"The walls on all four sides have received such a piece of cloth with words on it from the arrows." Zhang Liang's subordinates handed the item to him with a bitter face, "We only had time to collect a part of it, but we don't know if there are still people who have hidden it in their hands."
Zhang Liang gasped when he saw the words on the cloth.
The general meaning of what was written above was that Zhang Jiao had been captured and Zhang Bao had died in Guangzong. The court only wanted to hold the main culprit accountable, but considering that you and your followers had been deceived by the Zhang brothers, you could be let off the hook. As long as Zhang Liang's head could be taken, not only would the city be spared from the Han army's siege, but the person who killed Zhang Liang would also be granted a title of nobility.
Be granted a title of nobility?
Who doesn’t want to be a marquis?
Zhang Liang felt uneasy as he held the strip of cloth.
You have to know that those who were persuaded by their brothers to start this uprising together, in addition to those who really could not bear the annexation of land by the Han Dynasty and the oppression of powerful people, there were also some people who wanted to gain the credit of following the emperor.
But now that his brother Zhang Jue has been captured and the Yellow Turbans have suffered setbacks at the hands of the imperial army, the merit of following the emperor has become an extremely illusory thing. Instead, relying on Zhang Liang's head to ask for a reward has become a way of promotion that is within reach.
He looked at his men. It was obvious that they were just worried about him, but he could see from their eyes that they were coveting his life.
No…he couldn't think like that.
Zhang Liang shuddered unconsciously.
But once people start to think too much, many things will become less controllable.
He hurriedly ordered his men to secretly investigate whether there were other people with such strips of cloth, and whether there were any strange behaviors of people gathering together. If so, they should report to him immediately.
Then he closed the door and used the bookshelf in the room to block the main door, but he still felt that the city was not much safer than the Han troops surrounding it outside.
"I don't quite understand. If this news is sent to the city, will someone really send out Zhang Liang's head?" Dian Wei asked curiously.
"Why does this question sound so strange when asked by you?" Qiao Yan muttered. Because he was still holding the chess piece in his hand and was dealing with Cheng Li's experienced chess moves, he simply pointed at Lu Yuan and motioned her to explain the problem to Dian Wei.
Lu Yuan replied, "Guardian asked the wrong question. This message was not meant for the soldiers in the city, but for Zhang Liang. The young lady and the two generals came up with this plan not to get the soldiers in the city to take Zhang Liang's head as a sacrifice, but to get Zhang Liang to surrender himself."
"Ah? But what is written on the cloth strip is clearly..." Dian Wei scratched his head, feeling that talking to these smart people was really tiring.
It is clearly written directly, but they say it is not the case.
"Guardian has forgotten one thing," Lu Yuan replied, "How many people among the common people have the opportunity to learn to read?"
Most civilians are illiterate!
There is no imperial examination system now!
Dian Wei can get guidance from Qiao Yan, but others don't have this opportunity.
This was written on a piece of cloth and shot into the city of Quzhou with a sharp arrow.
There were only a few people who could understand the news, at most Zhang Liang himself and his important subordinates who could be relied upon.
Under such circumstances, the possibility of making people who see the message believe and choose this path is very small. The greater possibility is that Zhang Liang himself will lose his composure after seeing this message.
Lu Yuan's reply contained a truth that was particularly cruel in today's era.
But if she hadn't said that, Dian Wei really wouldn't have realized the existence of such a blind spot in thinking. He thought for a moment and asked again, "Is Zhang Liang as stupid as I am?"
Seeing him so frankly saying that he was stupid, Qiao Yan couldn't help but laugh out loud and said, "Of course he is not stupid, but when this matter is related to his life and Zhang Jue has fallen into our hands, he has no choice but to act stupid."
Zhang Liang was indeed trapped in this vicious circle of thinking as Qiao Yan said, and for a moment he did not notice that, as literacy was not very high at the end of the Han Dynasty, not many people could get this news.
But it's probably the same as the wind and the cry, the grass and trees are all enemies, not to mention that he has always had an idea, that is -
Among those who followed him, how many did so out of respect for his brother, and how many did so out of support for him personally?
He could not ask this question as Zhang Jue had already fallen into the hands of the enemy.
So the more he thought about it, the more he got into a dead end.
Even when the devout Taiping Sect believers suggested to him that he should fight to the death and try to launch a night attack to recapture the Great Sage Master, he even felt that these people were intending to take his life and lure him into a trap.
No, this can't go on!
He looked through his memory to see the results of leaders who had launched uprisings in the past, but couldn't find a good one. However, he also discovered that these people all fought to the end and did not choose to surrender directly.
So, what would happen if he opened the city and surrendered?
Zhang Liang was closer to the process of founding this religion than most people in the Taiping Dao. Naturally, he knew better than anyone else how Zhang Jiao used things when constructing some structures.
With this too clear understanding, he did not completely believe in the argument that "Huang Tian's establishment is in accordance with the will of heaven."
This talismanic water could not save his life in such a desperate situation.
The authority of the Han Dynasty has reached this point now. If one of the leaders of the rebel army surrenders, it can still be regarded as a good name!
Anyway, if he stayed in the city, he would die when the city was breached, while if he surrendered, he would still have a chance of survival. So why didn't he give himself this opportunity?
Zhang Liang thought of this and looked outside again, and saw his subordinates walking out holding something.
In his panic, he did not think much about it. He just felt that if he allowed the other party to come and go freely in his territory, there was no guarantee that the other party would not plot against him.
Since he has decided to surrender, he must do it before someone puts the knife to his neck!
Under the influence of this mentality, he opened the gate of Quzhou City under the cover of night and ran outside the Han army's camp, even before the third day when Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi returned. He was caught by Zhang Fei who was patrolling outside the camp.
If Zhang Liang had not appeared frequently on the city wall of Quzhou, and Zhang Fei was not face-blind, he would have immediately mistaken Zhang Liang for a spy who came to the camp in the dark to investigate, and stabbed him through with his spear.
When he tied Zhang Liang up and brought him before Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song, Zhang Fei still felt like he was dreaming. "Why did this guy surrender on his own accord?"
Liu Bei could only explain to him: "Because the Yellow Turbans were at a dead end at this time, and the arrow shot into the city became the final push to trigger the landslide."
When he said this, he couldn't help but glance at Qiao Yan subconsciously.
If her previous misleading of Zhang Liang seemed somewhat accidental, Liu Bei could confirm it after the idea of sending a message by flying arrow was proposed. This seemed to be Qiao Yan's most adept method of manipulating people's hearts.
Generally speaking, those who can play this kind of psychological warfare must be elders with a certain amount of life experience, but it is strange that when Qiao Yan used it,
However, Liu Bei didn't think this was unreasonable.
It is more acceptable to have one more genius like this among all kinds of geniuses in this world than to have one more genius who can handle all kinds of plans.
Just as he thought of this, he realized that Qiao Yan seemed to notice his gaze and looked back at him, but there was no sign of displeasure in the other person's eyes being stared at like that. Instead, he smiled at him.
But before he could ponder this expression, Zhang Liang's straightforward surrender and his plea to save his life had already drawn his attention back.
Zhang Liang and Zhang Jue are really not alike.
Zhang Jue, who had been detained in a prison van since he was arrested in Guangzong City, had the temperament of a martyr written all over his body.
But Zhang Liang's words can only be said to be -
He is an ordinary man who wants to survive.
"Although I have experienced the Yellow Turban leader's act of forcing refugees, when the battle of Guangzong Quyang was finally settled, I felt a little strange again."
When the Han army entered Quzhou City openly through the city gate opened by Zhang Liang, Qiao Yan said to the system.
[Perhaps it is human nature?] I don't understand this. 】The system, which has been working diligently as an electronic alarm clock recently, is also very frank in its answer to this question.
"I was wondering, if the lord assisted by the world's best counselor could feed these refugees who followed the bandits, wouldn't there be such a difficult problem to distinguish right from wrong?"
[This is natural.] 】
The system always felt that Qiao Yan actually had something else to say, but she didn't continue in the end.
She had already ridden her horse into Quzhou City.
For the Yellow Turban soldiers in the city, it was simply unimaginable that their commander chose to open the city gate and let the enemy into the city in the middle of the night. This was even a bigger blow to morale than Zhang Jue being captured by the Han army.
If they had not seen Zhang Liang actually following the Han army, they would almost suspect that this kind of surrender to the enemy was just a fabrication by the Han army.
Those Yellow Turban soldiers who reacted promptly to the situation and stood up to meet the enemy did not know for a moment whether they should just follow their commander and defect, or continue to fight for their vision of supporting Huang Tian to ascend to the throne.
But facing the numerically superior Han army, they actually had no choice.
Fortunately, there were not as many fanatical believers in Quzhou City as in Guangzong City. When daylight came again on the land of Jizhou, there was no more sound of fighting in the city.
But what immediately arises is an extremely serious question.
The number of Yellow Turban captives has reached a certain level.
On the one hand, it is a good thing that the Yellow Turbans can be suppressed, but on the other hand...
"What if these people support another leader and start a rebellion again after we return to the court?" Lu Zhi asked.
Zhu Jun's idea of "If it is advantageous to be a bandit, but not to surrender, where is the law of the country?" and of killing all the Yellow Turban bandits was a bit cruel in Lu Zhi's opinion. However, if they were not killed, it would easily lead to hidden dangers.
Today's Han Dynasty is already in a precarious state in the face of successive natural disasters, but the emperor, officials, aristocratic families, eunuchs, and relatives are all still focusing on the struggle for power.
Lu Zhi saw it all and felt sad. He also knew that in the current situation, if it only happened once, the situation could still be saved. But if it happened again and again, the Han Dynasty would be pushed directly into the abyss of disintegration.
"So we must first completely dethrone the Taiping Dao and stop it from being held high."
Lu Zhi looked back and saw Qiao Yan and Huangfu Song walking towards him together. The person who spoke was Qiao Yan.
Seeing that Lu Zhi showed great interest in her words, Qiao Yan continued, "I have said something to General Huangfu before. I said that a dead Zhang Jiao must serve as a spiritual benchmark and live in the hearts of the other Yellow Turbans who survived by chance. The living Zhang Jiao still has some room for manipulation to destroy his immortal image. Fortunately, General Huangfu did not think my words were naive, and he successfully captured the living Zhang Jiao together with Lord Lu."
"If anyone really treats you as a childish child, then he is truly ignorant." Lu Zhi shook his head and sighed, "Tell me what you think."
Qiao Yan cupped his hands and said, "I would like to ask Lord Lu to go with me to meet Zhang Jue and witness a bet."
Lu Zhi did not object to Qiao Yan's suggestion.
Anyway, the war situation in Jizhou now needs to be reported to the emperor, and the corresponding officials need to be sent from the court to completely quell the chaotic situation, which will take some time.
The Yellow Turban captives can still be fed for the time being with the grain reserves in Jizhou, so it might as well give it a try and see what Qiao Yan can come up with.
What made him feel that this child, who both he and Huangfu Song had high hopes for, had a limitless future was that even after she had achieved these successes in succession, she had never shown the slightest bit of pride or conceit in her words or actions.
He only saw this kid and Cheng Li together, and from time to time they would go to Zhang Liang and the Yellow Turbans in Quzhou City to chat, as if they wanted to get a way to deal with the Yellow Turbans by understanding each other.
The three of them entered the dungeon in Quzhou City together.
In order to prevent the defense of the military camp from being imperfect, after occupying Quzhou City, half of the men were left in the military camp outside the city, and the rest were stationed in Quzhou City. Zhang Jue was also moved here from the prison car.
This great and virtuous teacher maintained his aloof demeanor in the prison car, and even in the dungeon he also had something that could perhaps be called the character of a celebrity.
Qiao Yan raised his hand to signal Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song not to come closer, and walked towards Zhang Jue instead.
She did not conceal the sound of her footsteps, so Zhang Jue could clearly hear her approach.
When Zhang Jue looked up and saw who was coming, there was no surprise in his eyes.
Although his younger brother Zhang Liang was a surrendered general and also contributed to the capture of Quzhou and the formal collapse of the Yellow Turban upper echelons, his identity determined that he could not have the right to move freely for the time being, so he was also imprisoned in the dungeon, which was right next to Zhang Jue.
When Qiao Yan went to Zhang Liang to chat a few days ago, Zhang Jiao heard a little bit while he closed his eyes to rest.
This was a child who seemed a little strange to him.
But this time she didn't come to find Zhang Liang, but to find him.
Because after passing Zhang Liang's prison cell, she continued forward until she stopped in front of him.
Zhang Jue did not ask the other party why he came here, and Qiao Yan did not speak immediately, so the prison fell into silence for a while.
When Zhang Liang wanted to ask what was going on, he heard Qiao Yan say to his elder brother, "My father was killed by Bo Cai, and my mother was killed by Bu Ji's troops. I survived the near-death experience and vowed to eliminate the two Yellow Turban bandits. What I saw today does not mean that my long-cherished wish has been fulfilled."
Zhang Jiao didn't say anything, but Zhang Liang couldn't help but shudder.
The child spoke of his parents' death and his own actions in such a calm tone, in such a gloomy dungeon environment, it was hard not to feel a little scared.
And when Zhang Liang understood the deeper meaning behind her words, he felt even more chilling.
Killing the two Qu Shuai was not enough to vent her hatred. Did she want to kill the two brothers as well to commemorate her parents?
Two days ago, when Zhang Liang learned that it was Qiao Yan's plan that made him mistakenly believe that eunuchs had come to the camp and there was a three-party fight, he already felt that his worldview needed to be reshaped, not to mention when this precocious child said this.
He then heard his brother ask, "What do you mean?"
Qiao Yan replied: "I think the Yellow Turbans' Taiping Dao is wrong. If I don't eliminate its flaws and shortcomings, I will not be able to relieve my hatred."
Zhang Jue almost thought he was hallucinating.
But when he looked at Qiao Yan outside the prison, he saw the candle on the wall clearly illuminating the extremely serious expression on her face.
It seemed that not only was he not hallucinating, but the other party had clearly thought carefully before saying this.
Then he heard Qiao Yan say: "I want to debate with you
field, in order to seek a result. ”
"..." If the previous sentence was already unreal enough for Zhang Jiao, then this sentence made him feel even more bizarre.
This was the strangest challenge he had encountered in all the years since he began to spread the Taiping Dao under the pretext of curing diseases!
But when he thought that it was this little boy's help that destroyed his life's work and even questioned his Taoist achievements, his emotions, which had been almost indifferent to success or failure, were suddenly affected again.
Zhang Jue could die and the Yellow Turban Rebellion could fail, but he would never tolerate the essence of the Taiping Dao being refuted by a ten-year-old child!
His originally vague gaze suddenly became fixed, focusing on Qiao Yan's face. "When will we compete?"
After thinking for a while, Qiao Yan replied, "Half a month later."
Zhang Jiao glanced at her again, then retracted his gaze and returned to his sage-like appearance of closing his eyes and resting his mind, "Yes."
Half a month later, three debates on Dharma!
Zhang Liang heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that this was a bet and not a death warrant. However, no matter how he thought about it, he felt that with the ability of this child, there was no way he could surpass his elder brother in this kind of religious doctrine.
You must know that if Zhang Jiao had not been engaged in this field for many years, it would be difficult to achieve such results, and it would be even more impossible for him to have such outstanding appeal.
I don’t know what this child is thinking.
Of course, he was not the only one who thought so. Even Lu Zhi - he had previously heard Qiao Yan say that the key to breaking the impasse was to break Zhang Jiao's mythological shell, and he was somewhat mentally prepared - now felt that it would not be an easy task to defeat Zhang Jiao purely by eloquence.
"If we allow him to take this opportunity to promote the Taiping Dao, it will easily cause even bigger problems."
Lu Zhi's unfinished words were clearly revealed in his worried eyes.
If Qiao Yan fails to do this, it may not only fail to achieve her goal, but also make all her previous achievements and accomplishments disappear into thin air.
Lu Zhi knew very well that most capable young people like Qiao Yan had their own opinions, but he did not want her to suffer the consequences of her opinions.
This is of no benefit to the growth of a genius.
Qiao Yan saw his hidden worries and replied, "Lord Lu, don't worry so much. Although I said I would have three debates with him, I also know that everyone has his own specialty. I invited three people to help this move go smoothly. General Huangfu also knows this."
Lu Zhi looked towards Huangfu Song and saw that he seemed to have a more relaxed look on his face, so he put his worry aside for the time being.
Of course, I still have to worry a little bit, for example, I worry about whether the invited people can accept the invitation, and whether they can arrive as promised when the Yellow Turban Rebellion has not been completely quelled.
Yanzhou Road.
Qingzhou Road.
All the way to Jizhou.
This is the support that Qiao Yan relies on.
However, what the three did not expect was that the people who arrived at Quzhou City first were not any of the people sent out by Qiao Yan before, but Zhang Rang and others who came with Liu Hong's reward decree.
In order to avoid being associated with the root cause of the Yellow Turban Rebellion again, Zhang Rang and Zuo Feng immediately headed for Jizhou after receiving Liu Hong's appointment.
But once he left Hulao Pass, Zhang Rang couldn't help but feel a little regretful.
He is just a eunuch in the palace, not a strong man who can lift a tripod!
Previously, he was under the protection of the Eight Passes of Luoyang, in the inner courtyard of the imperial palace, which was the safest place in the world. No matter how rampant the Yellow Turbans were outside the Eight Passes, there was no way anything could happen to him. But now he had come out...
Even though Liu Hong asked him to take only the imperial edict of reward and not any supplies to reward the soldiers, their row of carriages did not look like simple stuff.
Although the captain Chunyu Qiong who accompanied them this time was still a top-ranked military commander in the capital, Zhang Rang had a keen eye and was able to tell exactly how capable he was.
This casts a question mark on whether he can fulfill his guard duties.
Besides, Zhang Rang was also aware of some unspoken rules. Rather than saying that Chunyu Qiong came as a guard of the imperial edict, it would be better to say that he came as a representative of the disciples of the Runan Yuan family.
No one knew how the news that the emperor intended to reward anyone who suppressed the rebellion reached Yuan's ears, and no one knew what message Yuzhou had conveyed to Yuan that made them dispatch Chunyu Qiong over.
Fortunately, there was no trouble when they reached the border of Yanzhou. After arriving in Yanzhou, Zhang Rang felt completely safe as he passed through the territory that was gradually being advanced and taken over by the team left behind by Huangfu Song.
"General Huangfu is truly a pillar of the country," Zhang Rang exclaimed.
Although Huangfu Song had a bad relationship with the eunuch group, if it were not for Huangfu Song, who knows whether Liu Hong would push him out as a shield after having promised him well before.
Now that he saw that Yanzhou was indeed in a state of peace just as Huangfu Song had said in the secret report he had sent to the capital, Zhang Rang felt relieved.
What made him feel even more fortunate was that after worrying day and night, he finally successfully arrived at the camp of Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi.
As soon as he entered the camp, he asked in surprise: "Why are there three flags in this camp?"
Huangfu, Lu, and Qiao, these are the words on the three generals' flags.
Of course, Qiao Yan did not forget to ask Dian Wei to find a thinner flagpole, so that it would not appear that her flag was larger than Lu Gong's.
Previously, this situation was created in order to deceive Zhang Liang, but if such a move is still made now that Quzhou has been conquered, it would be really ignorant of what is good for you.
But no matter how thin the flagpole was, it was still a landmark in the camp, and Zhang Rang could not help but be surprised.
The grandson of Qiao Xuan, whom Liu Hong called the Qiao family's unique son, did not hold any official position. If he raised a general's flag here, it would actually be an act of usurpation.
But it is obvious that neither Lu Zhi nor Huangfu Song imposed any restrictions or condemnations on her behavior.
Zhang Rang even heard the soldier who led him into the barracks say with admiration: "Young General has temporarily replaced General Lu's position. Together with us, we tricked Zhang Liang into staying here. General Lu led most of the troops out of the camp and captured Guangzong with General Huangfu, and then returned to capture Quzhou together. For someone with such ability, what's the harm in raising a general flag?"
"Besides, the young general has made contributions on the three fronts of Xiaquyang, Guangzong, and Quzhou. Even if he is not from the Qiao family of Yanzhou, he will definitely be at the top of the list when it comes to meritorious service."
As if realizing that it was inappropriate for him to speak to the envoy from the capital, he quickly apologized and said, "Of course, these are not things we can comment on. It's just that the young general is indeed very capable, and we all admire him very much."
Zhang Rang could not hide the surprise on his face no matter what he did. "General Huangfu and General Lu were so quick that they actually captured Emperor Guangzong. That thief Zhang Jiao..."
"Of course it has been taken." the soldier replied.
"Good...good! General Huangfu is truly a God-given general for the Han Dynasty!" Zhang Rang could hardly hide his joy.
Now that Zhang Jue was captured, the Yellow Turban Rebellion was naturally no longer a problem. Once the rebel armies in various places were pacified, no one would submit a memorial again, saying that the chaos in the world was caused by them.
The implication of the soldier's words made Zhang Rang raise his opinion of Qiao Yan again.
Your Majesty has always been interested in Qiao Yan as a potential stock. Otherwise, he would not have given him a position like Marquis of Leping Township, where he can be promoted at any time.
Now this child has indeed lived up to His Majesty's expectations and has also put in a sufficiently outstanding performance in the battle of Jizhou. Shouldn't he continue to be rewarded under the name of Leping?
Qiao Yan grew up in Yanzhou and had no dealings with the aristocratic families in the capital. Even if a reckless man like Chunyu Qiong brought news about the Yuan family, he would probably not be able to win much favor from the other side.
This... this gave Zhang Rang the opportunity to establish a good relationship with him in advance!
With this thought in mind, Zhang Rang stepped into the main tent of the camp.
His eyes subconsciously swept towards the people in the tent.
I think apart from the two familiar faces of Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi, the only one left should be that Qilin of the Qiao family... son?
The moment Zhang Rang saw Qiao Yan's appearance clearly, his expression froze on the spot.
If he was not blind, he would have seen that the person sitting under Lu Zhi was Qiao Yan.
But she...she is not a man!
Zhang Rang suddenly felt that the imperial edict in his hand had become hot.
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