Xiaoqi

Only by comparing can the weight of the emperor's edict be reflected. Liu Bei sent troops and food to the alliance, which invisibly made Cheng Pu and others re-understand the great magic power of the emperor's edict, and secretly rejoiced.Because their "young lord" Sun Ce has received Li Li's personal promise that the emperor's edict will be sent in a few days, and then Sun Ce can lead his troops to break away from the allied forces and return to Jiangdong to show his grand plans.

It's a pity that the idea is very full, and the reality is too skinny.

The war has been going on for nearly five months now. Except for the smooth progress on the Hedong battlefield, the Allied forces have been at a disadvantage after crossing the river.The Hangu Pass could not be attacked for a long time, and the allied forces suffered continuous loss of soldiers and generals. In addition, the food and grass camp was robbed.After repeated setbacks, Victory has drifted away from the Allied Forces unknowingly. The situation is very unfavorable and the situation is worrying.

Seeing this, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and others wanted to leave the Allied Forces and return to Jiangdong as soon as possible, but they couldn't find a suitable opportunity or excuse.As the end of the year approached, they became more and more anxious, eager to get rid of the shackles of the Allied forces quickly and leave this place of right and wrong immediately.If it is delayed until the beginning of next year and the two armies officially face off, then they will not be able to leave even if they want to.And with their mere [-] to [-] Jiangdong soldiers, they can only be reduced to cannon fodder in the decisive battle between the two armies' hundreds of thousands of troops, and will be completely wiped out under the iron hooves of the Xiliang Army in the blink of an eye.

Therefore, recently, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang and others were anxious and uneasy, their hair turned gray, they were furious, their lips were blistered, but they were still helpless.

At this moment, when the emperor's edict was mentioned again, the three veterans couldn't help being furious, and they cursed Li Li for being dishonest, despicable and shameless.

"Hahaha!" Just when Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and others were furious, Sun Ce, who was sitting in the chair, stared at them with wide eyes, stared blankly, and then laughed out loud.

"Why are the three old generals so furious? Do you all think that Li Li has broken his promise to me?"

"Ugh!" Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang looked up at Sun Ce in astonishment, and Cheng Pu said angrily, "Isn't it? It's been three full months, how have we ever seen the emperor's edict, Is this clearly the thief Li's betrayal of the lord!"

Sun Ce shook his head with a smile, then took out a scroll of dark yellow brocade with dragon patterns from his arms, got up and walked down the hall, and handed it to Cheng Pu and others.

"The three generals wrongly blamed General Li Li. This is the imperial edict he personally agreed to me three months ago. Moreover, the time when this edict was delivered to me was exactly as Li Li said. When the snow fell, I received the edict from the Son of Heaven. In fact, this edict was sent to me when we crossed the river with the allied army and set up camp. However, for the sake of confidentiality and to avoid unnecessary trouble, I have never mentioned it to you, let alone showed it to you. Therefore, you have never known about it, and mistakenly thought that Li Li had broken his promise to me. Hehehe!"

Cheng Pu was dumbfounded when he unfolded the edict.Afterwards, Huang Gai and Han Dang came up to watch, and the first time they saw the edict was the same as Cheng Pu's, they were momentarily stunned, as if they couldn't believe their eyes, let alone that the edict was true.

"What's going on here? Li Li is so generous, conferring such a high official title on the lord?" Cheng Pu and the others finally woke up after a long pause, and they all expressed suspicion and said in amazement.

The smile on Sun Ce's face quickly faded, he nodded solemnly, and sighed softly: "Yes, when I saw the edict for the first time, I couldn't believe it was true, and I thought Li Li sent someone to The imperial edict sent here is a false edict. For this reason, I specifically found my father’s imperial edict before his death and checked it carefully, and finally confirmed that this edict is true, a true emperor’s edict!"

Chapter 706

"Why is this happening? Did I misunderstand Li Li, or did he treat the lord differently and deliberately take care of him?"

After strengthening their composure, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang were full of doubts in their minds, and they still couldn't believe that Li Li would be so generous.

Sun Ce shook his head lightly, took the imperial edict and put it back into his arms, then frowned and muttered: "Why is this happening? I was always puzzled before, why did Li Li treat me so favorably, and even guessed that he was It's not that I was confused, but actually granted me the official title that Yuan Shu wanted but couldn't get. This incident has tortured me for more than two months, but I still can't figure it out. I don't understand what Li Li intends to do and why he is so generous Generous?"

Speaking of this, Sun Ce's tone paused, and the topic changed abruptly: "However, when I received another secret letter written by Li Li himself, all my doubts were easily solved, and I completely understood it.

There has never been a good thing in this world that you can get something for nothing. If you want to get something you never had, you have to pay a price you never thought of.Li Li is still Li Li after all, he has not changed at all, although he is about the same age as me, he is scheming, cunning and vicious, and his every move has an unpredictable meaning, and it is impossible to refuse.Even though he knew that he was tricking him, and that there was a huge trap in front of him, he still couldn't help but jump into it, because the bait in the trap was so tempting that no one wanted to miss it. "

While speaking, Sun Ce took out a stack of letters from his sleeve and handed them to Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, and said to himself, "At the meeting of the princes just now, Yuan Shao ordered me to return to Hedong. I will be stationed in Hedong County in place of Liu Bei. Together with Zhang Yang, we will escort the Allied army's food and supplies to ensure the safety of the food roads."

After Sun Ce finished speaking.Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and others did not answer, as if they had not heard the exciting news.The three of them were dumbfounded, with horror on their faces, while Cheng Pu's right hand holding the secret letter was still shaking, as if he had been frightened too much and was still in shock.

After being dazed for a long time, Huang Gai sighed in amazement: "Bie Li is really a thief Li. This move is too ruthless! It's like a demon who eats people without spit out bones. He turns his hands into clouds and his hands into rain. It's hard to guard against!" !"

Cheng Pu answered with deep approval: "Yes! Li Li has been ranked as a general at such a young age. With 40 Xiliang troops and power in the world, it is not a fluke. It is indeed a frightening thing. This time we knew we were being used by him, but we had to work hard for him. And we had to find ways to accomplish this. Otherwise, when we return to Jiangdong, we will be ruined. Everything we did before Effort and dedication will be in vain and meaningless."

"Isn't that true?" Han Dang shook his head slightly with displeasure, and said hesitantly, "Even if Li Li really did this, who would listen to him, and who would follow his orders? If the princes of the towns If he didn’t obey the edict, what’s the point of him doing this, isn’t it an innocuous abolition of the edict, which has no effect on the princes?”

Huang Gai and Cheng Pu looked at each other, then sighed helplessly.immediately.Cheng Pu looked at Han Dang and shook his head slightly, and said in a low voice: "You're right, maybe Li Li's move doesn't pose a threat to the princes of the towns, but it is a fatal blow to the lord and us. After all, we The foundation is too shallow, the soldiers are few, and the most important thing is that we have no foundation to stand on, and we have no food and grass supply; moreover, once we leave Yuan Shu with a clear banner, we will be enemies with Yuan Shu. It is precisely these reasons , forcing us to rely on the edict of the emperor to accomplish things; if the edict is recalled or abolished, we will be in the midst of internal and external troubles, and instead of being able to gain a foothold in Jiangdong, we may be wiped out by Yuan Shu and the Jiangdong gentry. Therefore, Li Li It may not work for others, but it is a deadly threat to us."

After hearing the words of Han Dang and Cheng Pu, Sun Ce nodded with a gloomy face, and said in a deep voice: "The winner is a prince and the loser is a thief. This is an eternal law in the struggle for hegemony in troubled times. If the Allied forces If we win, we will get nothing except some food and supplies; if Li Li wins the final victory, then this trick will have an impact on all the princes of the alliance, and even shake their foundations; and we Undoubtedly, they were the first group of people to die under this trick. So"

Having said this, Sun Ce showed a deep helplessness on his face, and after a pause, he whispered: "So, we have no choice but to do what Li Li said in the secret letter, nothing else. The only thing we can do is to complete the agreement with Li Li cleanly, then leave quickly, and strive to return to Jiangdong as soon as possible. Only by returning to Jiangdong can we be safe, and the outcome of the battle of Hangu is temporarily Can't affect us.

What's more, Li Li pointed out a clear path for us in his letter. We have nothing now, and even if we return to Jiangdong, we won't be able to do much in the short term.However, according to what Li Lixin said, we can get a lot of supplies, recruit soldiers along the way back to Jiangdong, and then flex our muscles in Jiangdong and grow rapidly. "

Cheng Pu nodded thoughtfully and said: "My lord is right, now we have no choice. Thief Li is a really smart man. While promising high officials and generous salary, he threatened us with threats, and also pointed out to us where to work for him. The benefits that can be obtained. This move can be said to be calculated and sinister. No matter who encounters him, he will have a headache. If he is an enemy, his end will be even worse. This time we have learned how powerful thief Li is. In addition to being used by him, he still has to accept this favor; a person who is treacherous to Li Li's level can be called 'the hero of the world'!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Pu suddenly remembered what Sun Ce said just now: "The lord just said that Yuan Shao asked me to retreat to the east of the river to take over Liu Bei's protection of the Allied food road. I don't know if this is true. There will be no changes, right?"

"No." Sun Ce affirmed: "We will set off early tomorrow morning, take the ferry boat carrying grain and grass to Hedong County, and then take over Liu Bei and Zhang Yang to station in Hedong and Hanoi counties. This is a matter unanimously agreed by all the princes. How could Yuan Shao Changing the order from day to day?"

"It's such a coincidence? What Li Thief said in his secret letter came true so quickly. There's something strange about it!" Cheng Pu frowned and said in a deep voice.

Sun Ce was shocked when he heard this.A pair of eyes filled with worry and uncertainty: "What De Mou said is reasonable. Two days ago, late at night, this secret letter suddenly appeared on my handsome case. After less than two days, I was sent to Hedong County protects the grain road. If there is nothing wrong with it, I am afraid no one will believe it, but where is the problem? Could it be that Li Li knew that I was going to be stationed in Hedong County two days ago, so he sent someone here A secret letter? But how did he know it, and he got the news two days in advance? Such a mysterious thing is really unbelievable. I can't understand it!"

"My lord, what do you mean is that Thief Li has planted an internal agent beside Yuan Shao?" Cheng Pu was surprised.

Sun Ce shook his head lightly: "No, it's definitely not as simple as placing an eyeliner next to Yuan Shao. Just think about it, it's just a mere secret job. How could he come into contact with such secret military information? And how did he get close to Yuan Shao, and how did he get it from Yuan Shao? What about information that has not yet been announced? Therefore, if I am not mistaken, this is definitely not a secret operation. It is someone among the allied princes who secretly informed Li Li. I have long known that Yuan Shao wanted me to go to Hedong County. I even doubted , it was this prince who secretly colluded with Li Li who encouraged Yuan Shao to send me to Hedong to replace Liu Bei, the whole thing was planned by this person, trying to use this to show favor to Li Li, and then profit from it!"

"This is too unbelievable!" Huang Gai said in shock.

Cheng Pu thought about it and said: "It's really unbelievable, but it's not impossible. In troubled times, people's hearts are unpredictable, and the alliance of princes is also forced by the situation. Intrigues. There are not a few people who have different ideas. Maybe no one secretly colluded with Li Li when the Allied forces fought well before, but now that the Allied forces have lost a lot of troops and are in a bad situation, it is hard to say that no one has betrayed the Allied forces. , in exchange for Li Li’s forgiveness or asking for Li Li. To put it bluntly, isn’t that what we are? Since we all do this, wouldn’t there be a second prince who secretly informed Li Li?”

Sun Ce's face was very ugly when he heard the words, and he immediately waved his hands and said: "Okay, this matter is over, there is no need to discuss it any more. Anyway, these matters have nothing to do with us, and it is not our turn to worry about them. Our top priority right now is to arrange as soon as possible." Good thing about the departure tomorrow morning, time is tight, we can't delay for a moment!"

"Is there any good arrangement for this? Tomorrow morning, we will directly break out of the camp and set off. Why do we need to prepare in advance?" Huang Gai continued.

A stern look flashed in Sun Ce's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "General Gongfu's thinking is too simple. Our leader Yuan Shao and Yuan are not good at it! Now Hanoi and Hedong counties are his Yuan Shao's territory, so how can he?" Will you let us go to guard without warning?"

Huang Gai was startled when he heard the sound: "My lord, does it mean that Yuan Shao is worried about me and is still wary of us?"

Cheng Pu and Han Dang's expressions changed drastically when they heard the words, Cheng Pu said with a livid face: "Yuan Shao never believed in any princes along the way, presumably this time he ordered me to garrison Hedong and he must have a backup, otherwise he wouldn't let him go." We are waiting to protect the Allied Army’s supply roads. Please tell me the details, Lord.”

Sun Ce made a gloomy face, nodded lightly and said, "As Demou said, even though Yuan Shao sent us to Hedong County, he didn't trust us. He only let me lead [-] soldiers across the river, and the remaining [-] of our troops The soldiers will continue to stay in the camp, temporarily under Yuan Shao's personal charge, and after the next general order is issued, if there is any change, then return the remaining soldiers and horses to me."

"Ah!" Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and others were taken aback, and Han Dang said angrily, "Yuan Shao was born in the family of the Yuan family, four generations and three princes, and he behaved like this. It is really useless to be the leader of the alliance, and it is chilling!"

Cheng Pu and Huang Gai were equally indignant. Cheng Pu said: "My lord, what shall we do? Is it impossible to let Yuan Shao slaughter me? We finally recruited more than 1 recruits and expanded the number of soldiers to [-]. Now Yuan Shao has issued an order Now, you want me to leave half of the soldiers and horses behind. It's really unreasonable, it's too deceitful!"

"What else can we do? The situation is pressing, how can we allow us to question it? For today's plan, we can only select [-] elite soldiers at night. We must prepare properly tonight, and take all the food, grass and supplies to Hedong County tomorrow morning!" Said After finishing speaking, Sun Ce glanced at Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and others, and then walked away.

Chapter 707

"Ah!" Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang were taken aback, and Han Dang said angrily, "Yuan Shao, after all, is also the successor of the Yuan family, four generations and three generations, and he behaved so vilely. It is really in vain. Being the ally leader is chilling!"

Cheng Pu and Huang Gai were equally indignant. Cheng Pu said: "My lord, what shall we do? Is it impossible to let Yuan Shao slaughter me? We finally recruited more than 1 recruits and expanded the number of soldiers to [-]. Now Yuan Shao has issued an order Now, you want me to leave half of the soldiers and horses behind. It's really unreasonable, it's too deceitful!"

"Hmph! What else can I do?" Sun Ce snorted coldly with a gloomy face, and said sharply: "The situation is pressing now, why should I wait too much to think about it? For the current plan, I can only select [-] candidates at night. Elite soldiers, make sure to prepare properly tonight, and take all the food and supplies to Hedong County tomorrow morning!"

After speaking, Sun Ce looked up at Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and the others, and then walked away.

The New Year's Eve is approaching, and the two armies confronting Hangu Pass have temporarily ceased fighting.

However, the truce does not mean that the two armies are in peace.

During the truce, only the ordinary soldiers who were fighting in the front could really rest. For the princes of the towns and their counselors, this is the time for them to use their talents.

Taking advantage of this gap between wars, they can display their talents to their heart's content. Whether they are conspiring or cooperating, they can use any means that are beneficial to the war. The cold night sky is a paradise for wise men to display their talents.

This is the so-called those who work hard govern others, and those who work hard govern others.

Under the cold night sky, unknown scenes were staged in the same big camp.

Just when Sun Ce left in a huff, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and others scolded Yuan Shao for his despicable work.Several miles away, in the tent of the commander of the Chinese army, the battle in Hangu was also being secretly discussed at this time.

However, the handsome tent's discussion is now coming to an end, and all matters have been properly arranged.A group of trusted generals took orders to leave one after another, and those who are still here are the real core advisers and confidant generals.