Chapter 46: The Choice of Wan City (5/5) Seeking Recommendations

  The fifth watch is over, and Lao Xin can thicken his skin, roll around and beg for recommendations, clicks and collections.

  ………………

  Wei Yan fell silent.

  He lowered his head and continued to focus on barbecuing, no longer entangling with Cao Peng.

  The wild boar meat was roasted to a golden brown, and drops of pork oil dripped onto the bonfire, making crackling sounds. Above the stream, the fragrance wafted through the air.

  "Eat your fill."

  Wei Yan cut off a piece of roasted meat and handed it to Cao Peng.

  It had been a day since Cao Peng hadn't eaten anything, and he was indeed a bit hungry. Without being polite anymore, he reached out to take the roasted meat and started devouring it voraciously.

  "It's almost dark, and it's not safe for you to leave now." Wei Yan looked at Cao Peng eating and finally managed a smile on his face. But the smile disappeared immediately. He lowered his head and tastelessly chewed two bites of roasted meat before softly saying: "Wait until dawn tomorrow, I'll escort you for a while. From here to Laohekou is about half a day's journey. Once you arrive at Laohekou, you can take a boat or head directly south. Following the main road and not taking small paths, you should be able to reach Juyang by early morning the day after tomorrow."

  As for understanding Nanyang County, Wei Yan was indeed familiar with it.

  Cao Peng thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

  Wei Yan was right, at this time, Wan City was still calm and peaceful, but it wasn't safe yet. Cao Peng didn't know whether Cao Cao had arrived in Wan City or not, nor did he know if he had already climbed onto Zhang Xiu's aunt. Anyway, Wei Yan was willing to send him off, which was enough.

  It's just... Wei Yan, who had defected to Liu Bei in his past life, although he never had the glory of leading an army alone, was still a notable figure in Shu Han. But now, he chose Cao Cao. With a flick of his butterfly-like wings, Cao Peng pushed one of Shu Han's top generals into Cao Cao's camp. The effect seems to be a bit too big... Cao Peng is also getting confused - what will Wei Yan's future be like? Maybe he'll do better than before; maybe he'll disappear among the crowd forever.

  After all, Cao Cao and Liu Bei are in different situations.

  When Wei Yan defected to Liu Bei, Liu's power was not yet dominant, so he could quickly gain favor. Now under Cao Cao's command, the army is strong and powerful, with countless fierce generals and strategists as numerous as clouds. Among the five great strategists of Cao Cao in history, only Jia Xu has not defected yet. If Wei Yan joins Cao's army, he will inevitably face more and greater challenges. The competition within Cao's camp is indeed very intense!

  But this is Wei Yan's choice...

  Cao Peng didn't know whether Wei Yan's actions were right or wrong.

  In short, Wei Yan will from now on take a road that is completely different from the original one. And the one who caused this change is Cao Peng.

  If there was no Cao Peng, Wei Yan might have continued being his General.

  At some point in the future, he might be valued by Wen Pin and become a commander of thousands; then Liu Bei would appear, Liu Biao would die from illness, Wei Yan would choose to follow Liu Bei, and from then on, he would cut through passes and slay generals, establishing countless merits... However, all that has changed now!

  That night, Cao Peng lay under the tree.

  The night wind was cool and he curled up into a ball.

  Wei Yan remained seated in his original position, hugging his legs, lost in thought.

  Here is called Da Wang Gang.

  It is said that Jia Fu, one of the twenty-eight generals who helped Liu Xiu establish the Eastern Han Dynasty, was known as the "First Brave General under Liu Xiu's Command". He once gathered a crowd here to be king and resist the Xin Mang regime. After surrendering to Liu Xiu, he fought bravely in every war and was invincible. However, due to repeated injuries, his body became weak in his later years. Often dreaming of returning to the days of Da Wang Gang, he reunited with his brothers. He then requested that Liu Xiu name the place where he had gathered his troops "Da Wang Gang".

  About twenty miles away from Cao Peng and Wei Yan's resting place, there are still remains of the Great King's Stockade today...

  "Ah Fu!"

  "Huh?"

  "If I were to surrender to Cao Gong, would I be able to avenge myself and wash away my grievances?"

  Cao Peng remained silent for a long time before speaking in a soft voice, "If Big Brother Wei wants to conquer Jingzhou, it might be possible. However, if you want to take revenge immediately, it's likely to be somewhat difficult."

  "Why?"

  "Liu Jingzhou is after all a member of the imperial family of the Han dynasty."

  Cao Gong, although he has welcomed the Emperor and taken on the great righteous name, will also suffer from countless jealousies. At present, Cao Gong is still surrounded by Yuan Shu, Lü Bu, and Yuan Shao who are eyeing him covetously. In Guanzhong, Li Jue and Guo Si have not yet been pacified. If he were to use military force against Liu Jingzhou at this time, it would inevitably invite a united attack from all sides. Therefore, Wei brother, if you want to take revenge, with the north still unstable, it is absolutely impossible."

  Wei Yan suddenly turned around and stared at Cao Peng, a look of surprise on his face.

  If these words were spoken by that famous gentleman, such as Pang De or Sima Hui, even if they came from Wen Pin's mouth, Wei Yan would not be surprised. But since these words came out of a young man's mouth, it would be strange if Wei Yan was not surprised.

  He suddenly laughed!

  Cao Peng sat up straight and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

  The night you arrived at Yiyangtun, Deng Jie mentioned you to me and Zeng.

  He said to me, "Ah Fu, you are not well-versed in the Book of Poetry or the Analects, and your martial arts skills are only average. But when it comes to the two words 'big picture', no one among your peers can be mentioned in the same breath as you. I didn't quite believe it at first, but now I do. This big picture of yours must have been bestowed upon you by heaven, indeed it's not ordinary."

  Cao Peng heard it, but didn't feel happy, instead showing a hint of sadness.

  He thought of Deng Jie, he thought of Wang Mai...

  What's the use of having a broad view? Even if he can grasp the overall trend of the world, and even the direction of the next few hundred years, what can he do about it?

  He can't even protect his own family now, and he can't keep a small promise.

  The overall situation... Screw it!

  Thinking of this, Cao Peng covered his face with both hands and remained silent for a long time.

  Wei Yan also sensed that he seemed to have misspoken and immediately fell silent, staring blankly at the bonfire.

  The bonfire crackled in the night wind.

  In the distance, a small stream babbles, as if harmonizing with the sound of flames burning, playing a melancholic tune...

  ——————————————————————————

  Wan Cheng, Commander's Mansion.

  A middle-aged man gritted his teeth and grabbed an inkstone, slamming it heavily on the table.

  A huge force burst out of the inkstone, smashing the sturdy yellow pear wood long table into a dense network of cracks. The inkstone also shattered into four or five pieces.

  "Bandit Cao, you have deceived me too much!"

  The middle-aged man let out a beast-like roar, his hands clenched into fists, desperately suppressing his anger.

  Three young men sat in the room, each with a gloomy face and flashing anger in their eyes.

  "Father, Cao Cao has humiliated us like this. If we swallow our anger and remain silent, won't we be ridiculed by the people of the world? Are my father and I relying on women to seek honor, wealth, and glory?"

  "Good, Cao thief deserves death, we'll fight it out with him!"

  The speaker was a youth with a bronzed complexion and a handsome appearance.

  "Zhang Xin, shut up."

  The middle-aged man closed his eyes and tried to calm down the anger in his chest, shouting loudly.

  This middle-aged man has an extraordinary appearance, with a dignified and majestic demeanor. His 180-plus centimeter stature is neither corpulent nor thin. Every gesture he makes exudes a fierce and bold aura. This seems to clash with his refined exterior, yet it adds to his masculine beauty.

  He is the master of Wan City, General Zhang Zongyi, also known as Zhang Bole.

  Zhang Xiu originated from Western Liang, and his parents died when he was young. He grew up with his uncle Zhang Ji, and learned excellent martial arts skills. Later, he joined Dong Zhuo's camp as a subordinate of the governor of Western Liang. The land of Western Liang was inhabited by both Qiang and Han people, and the local customs were fierce and wild. Growing up in such an environment, Zhang Xiu not only mastered horseback riding and archery but also became skilled at shooting arrows from either side of his horse, which earned him Dong Zhuo's favor. After Dong Zhuo took control of Luoyang, Zhang Xiu followed his uncle Zhang Ji to garrison the Guanzhong region.

  After Dong Zhuo moved his capital to Chang'an, Zhang Ji and Zhang Xiu, uncle and nephew, were stationed at Hangu Pass...

  At that time, the Taishi Wang Yun devised a plan to separate Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu. Lü Bu killed Dong Zhuo, and Wang Yun slaughtered the Western Liang army. Zhang Ji was worried about being implicated, so he brought his troops and joined forces with Zhang Xiu in Luoyang. After Li Jue and Guo Si recaptured Chang'an, their advisor Jia Xu became dissatisfied with them and defected to Yuan Shu under a pretext. Later, Jia Xu left Yuan Shu and found Zhang Ji's uncle and nephew, staying by their side from then on. As the strategist of the Western Liang army, Jia Xu was not as famous as Li Ru, but his tactics were respected by all.

  Jia Yan thought that the Central Plains would soon be in chaos.

  Luoyang is a thoroughfare for all eight directions, although there are some obstacles and blockages, it is not a place to rest and recover.

  Taking advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains, he suggested that Zhang Ji and his nephew leave Luoyang and head to Nanyang Commandery to find a foothold.

  Zhang Ji and his nephew were deeply convinced...

  Thus, the Xiliang army marched into Nanyang, Zhang Ji captured Wan City, and was killed by a stray arrow outside Rang City. Zhang Huo took over the Xiliang army.

  Zhang Ji had a son, but he died in battle at an early age, leaving behind only one grandson, that dark-skinned youth named Zhang Xin.

  Zhang Xiu himself had two sons.

  The eldest son Zhang Quan, the second son Zhang Shuo, and Zhang Xin were collectively known as the "Three Tigers of the Zhang Family". All three were highly skilled in martial arts and were brave and adept at fighting.

  Cao Cao's army set out for Nanyang Commandery, and Jia Xu thought that Zhang Yang could not be an enemy. So he sent someone to surrender to Cao Cao. Cao Cao also hoped to end the battle without bloodshed, so he agreed to Zhang Yang's surrender. He ordered his cousin Cao Hong to guard Bofang, generals Yu Jin and Xiahou Dun to station on the east bank of Yushui River, while Cao Cao himself led his eldest son Cao Ang, second son Cao Pi, nephew Cao Anmin, as well as his trusted general, Colonel Wei, across the river to Prunus mume City to accept the surrender. Since neither side wanted to fight, the surrender was quickly settled.

  However, after Zhang Xiu surrendered, he had to give up Wan City and hand it over to the Cao army.

  This was not something that could be accomplished overnight, so Cao Cao temporarily stationed himself outside the city of Wan and waited for Zhang Liao to switch shifts.

  When you're full and warm, you think of your loved ones.

  No more fighting, the naturally lustful Cao Cao stayed in the big camp outside the city with nothing to do, so he let people find women to come and relieve his boredom.

  Zi Zong Anmin found a beautiful woman for him, Cao Cao took a liking to her at first sight and kept her in his own camp, indulging in pleasure day and night. Unexpectedly, this woman... was actually the widow of Zhang Ji, that is, Zhang Xiu's aunt. You, Cao Cao, won, finding women is no big deal. But you openly brought Zhang Xiu's aunt to the military camp for debauchery, where should Zhang Xiu put his face?

  So Zhang Xiu summoned three nephews and sons to discuss this matter.

  Zhang Men and San Hu were all men who loved bravery and fighting fiercely, how could they tolerate such a thing?

  Especially Zhang Xin...Zhang Ji's widow, Zou Shi, although not his biological grandmother, was nominally his grandmother. Cao Cao had an affair with her outside of Wan City; if this were to spread, what face would Zhang Xin have left to see people? Therefore, he reacted the most strongly.

  Ke Zhang embroidery, still a little hesitant.

  After all, Cao Cao was acting on behalf of the Emperor to order the vassals. He had just surrendered to Cao Cao and immediately rebelled again... Wouldn't he be said to be a treacherous and fickle person?

  This reputation, I dare not accept it.

  Lü Bu is a cautionary tale. Despite his reputation as a fierce warrior, whenever anyone mentions him, they will inevitably show disdain on their face.

  "Dad, say something."

  "Can't we just swallow this breath and let Cao Cao do as he pleases in our city of Wan? Father, you always taught me that a great man should stand tall and upright. Although we may have humble beginnings, we are not fish to be slaughtered at will. Even if we turn against each other, it's not necessarily a loss."

  One side kneels for life, the other stands for death!

  Zhang Xiu hesitated and didn't know what to do.

  "Uncle, since you can't make up your mind, why not invite a military advisor to come and discuss?" Zhang Xin stepped forward to offer his plan.

  Zhang Xiu was stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt enlightened.

  Yes, this matter should be discussed with the military advisor. I'm sure the military advisor will have a good idea to help me get rid of this trouble.

  At this moment, Zhang Hua was about to send someone to invite Jia Xuan.

  Before he could give further orders, a voice outside the door said: "General, the military advisor has arrived!"