At three o'clock in the morning, the night had completely fallen, and the soldiers of Cao's army, who no longer needed to remain hidden, completely let go of their hands and feet. Piles of bonfires were burning everywhere on the ridge, sweeping away the cold air of the autumn night. Finally, they could The soldiers who had eaten a hot meal were noisy and noisy, but Zhang Wu's heart was so cold, not for any other reason, but because he couldn't see where his own side's chance was - a messenger was sent to the south to find out the news. The soldiers have not returned yet, but there is no need to ask. He also knows that the prospects for the main force are not very good. As for the north, it has been completely blocked by the Youzhou Army. In other words, the five thousand men under him In fact, humans and horses are like birds in a cage, and it is difficult for them to spread their wings and fly high.
There is definitely no place to evacuate. The remaining ways are actually simple. There are only two. One is that the entire army is shattered here. The problem is that when life and death are at stake, the ant still cherishes his life, let alone his unrealized ambition. How could he die here in vain? As for the second way, he naturally surrendered. But when he thought of his family far away in Xudu and the iron fist of Prime Minister Cao, Zhang Wu couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart, let alone He didn't understand Gongsun Ming at all, so how could he dare to surrender easily.
"Report, General, there is a man coming down from the mountain, claiming to be your fellow sect Zhang Biao."
Just when Zhang Wu was depressed, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps, and a shift commander hurried over, bowed to Zhang Wu, and said something in a hurry.
"Zhang Biao? Well, go and bring him here."
The Zhang family in Nanyang was a prominent family with many children, and the direct descendants of the family totaled six to seven thousand people. How could Zhang Wu know everything? He frowned and thought for a moment, but he couldn't remember who the man who called himself Zhang Biao was. Whoever came, but no matter what, they were all visitors, and it would not be a bad thing to find out the details of the Youzhou Army from their mouths. In view of this, Zhang Wu did not hesitate to meet him.
"Brother Wu, I've finally met you. I'm Nanmen Xiaokui. Back then, you and I stole the Mingyue family's big dog Wangcai. Haven't you forgotten all about it? Hey, we haven't seen each other in eight years. Now, Brother Wu is still so heroic, which is really enviable."
The person who came here was obviously familiar to him. No, as soon as he was brought to the campfire, he talked a lot to Zhang Wu.
"Xiao Kuizi? It's you! Huh? Didn't you go to Bingzhou? How could you..."
Hearing the person's words, Zhang Wu finally made the connection between this person and his childhood playmate, and he couldn't help but feel excited in his heart.
"Hey, Brother Wu doesn't know. Last year, my younger brother followed Yan Liang to conquer Youzhou. As a result, that guy was arrogant and led us all into a pit. After the battle, he himself escaped, but he suffered a lot. My brothers and I were almost burned to death by a fire. Fortunately, I saw the opportunity quickly and finally survived. Then, I followed my lord, and after a few battles, I became a lieutenant general. , compared to Brother Wu, he is still one level behind."
Zhang Biao was a good talker. When he opened his mouth, he poured out a large amount of words without any hesitation.
"oh?"
Zhang Wu didn't answer this time. He just made a noncommittal sound and looked at Zhang Biao with a bit more vigilance and prudence in his eyes.
"Brother Wu must have guessed it. Yes, I came here to surrender on the order of my lord. To be honest with brother Wu, my lord secretly sent an army to sneak into Xiaofengkou a few days ago and completely locked up Xiahou Dun. Our retreat has now been completely blocked by our lord at the mouth of the valley. You have become a caged bird and there is no need to fight. As long as our army guards both ends for ten days, you will have no food or reinforcements inside or outside. How can you survive? , Of course, I don’t care whether others die or not. Brother Wu has the ability to fight on foot. If his ambition is unfulfilled, I feel it is not worth it. Moreover, I heard that Brother Wu is married and has two young sons at home. If Wu Brother Now that my brother is gone, my sister-in-law and nephew may not be able to survive in such troubled times for long? In both public and private matters, I can’t bear to see Brother Wu come to an end."
Although Zhang Biao was a martial artist, he was quite capable of lobbying. After a long speech, he didn't even stutter. His words were so sensational that Zhang Wu's eyes couldn't help but darken.
"Huh, don't talk nonsense. If I don't die, I'm afraid your sister-in-law and two nephews will die. I think you and I have the same clan, and I don't want to kill you. Don't bother me anymore. Just go."
Although Zhang Wu didn't want to die, he was even more reluctant to bear the lives of his own children. In desperation, he could only grit his teeth and issue an order to expel the guests.
"Hey, my lord really got it right. I had known that Brother Wu would say this. To be honest with Brother Wu, my lord has said that if Brother Wu can be of great use in our Youzhou army, he will be a thief. With that kind of temperament, he will definitely try to preserve Brother Wu's family in order to keep him in his thoughts. If Brother Wu really dies in the battle, there will be no pension due to the defeat. The sister-in-law and two nephews may rely on the family property left by Brother Wu. It can last for a while, but it won’t last long, not to mention that there are many things that take away property in this world. How can a sister-in-law, an orphan, and a widowed mother keep their family property, and sooner or later they will end up wandering on the streets? Brother Wu, do you believe it or not?"
Zhang Biao had done enough homework before coming, so he refused to be driven down the mountain just like that. Before the few guards around him could take action, he cited Gongsun Ming's judgment and immediately ordered Zhang Biao to Wu's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.
"Um……"
Zhang Wu had been with Cao Jun for many years, so how could he not know what Cao Jun's pension regulations were about? He didn't know that Xu Du was not an easy place to live in, and he had often heard that after the head of the family died in battle, the family members There were cases of young and old being bullied by villains. Zhang Wu's heart suddenly tightened when he thought about what might happen to his beloved wife and young son.
"My lord has said that as long as Brother Wu is willing to surrender and become a general of the Jin Dynasty, his troops will not be adjusted. He can also select and supplement from the prisoners of war in the past few days. If he performs meritorious deeds in the future, he will be granted a title of marquis and other other business matters. Let's talk about it. From now on, I leave it to Brother Wu to decide where to go."
Seeing that Zhang Wu was obviously interested, Zhang Biao immediately fulfilled the promise given by Gongsun Ming.
"This matter is serious. Although I am the commander of the army, I don't dare to take charge of it. Can I allow you to discuss it with the brothers?"
After Zhang Wu frowned and thought about it, he also felt that the conditions offered by Gongsun Ming were quite generous. It was inevitable that he would be moved, but he still felt a little unfaithful in his heart, so he proposed with hesitation. a motion.
"Of course, my lord has said that if Brother Wu is willing to surrender, all the military attachés in the army will be promoted to one level, and all soldiers will be rewarded with ten golds. Brother Wu can go to negotiate by himself, and I can just sit here and wait."
Seeing that most of the work was done, Zhang Biao once again promised a heavy reward, which immediately attracted the attention of the officers and soldiers of Cao's army who were watching...
