Chapter 618: Sacrifice
When Zhang Shao passed through the noisy crowd and saw Xun Cheng, he had a strange feeling.
This feeling is indescribable, similar to a weird feeling.
Because when Zhang Shao saw Xun Cheng, the man was wiping the blood on his hands with snow, and at his feet lay a row of corpses of officials.
The cruel battlefield is the most training one, and the hot and bloody stench here cannot make Zhang Shao change his color.
Zhang Shaozheng is in the stage of changing his voice, and he has a male duck voice when he speaks:
"May I ask if you are General Xun?"
Xun Cheng did not respond but looked at Gao Shun next to Zhang Shao.
Gao Shun holds his fist:
"General, this is the envoy sent by Taishan Army at Poxia."
At this time, Xun Chengcai looked at Zhang Shao and then smiled:
"Looking at you are still a baby, is there no one left in your Taishan Army?"
Zhang Shao's face turned red and he said angrily:
"It is precisely because my Taishan army has strong generals like clouds and advisors like rain that I, a little boy, come to see you. I don't need to explain the truth here, right? I'll leave you with some dignity."
Xun Cheng laughed and recognized Zhang Shao's courage, and then he asked Zhang Shao to sit down.
Over there, Gao Shun brought a mazaar and placed it in front of Xun Cheng. Zhang Shao was not polite and sat down generously.
Xun Cheng nodded and asked:
"Then, little brother, why did the King of the Army ask you to come here? To persuade us to surrender?"
Zhang Shao shook his head first, then nodded:
"My king did not ask me to persuade you to surrender. Instead, he asked me to give you a bag of wine and a few words. But I guess the purpose of doing this is to persuade you to surrender."
Xun Cheng smiled a little at Zhang Shao's innocence. He did not mock the boy for speaking out his thoughts, but asked:
"Oh, what message does your king ask you to send us?"
Zhang Shao coughed and cleared his throat, then pretended to be a brother-in-law:
"Our king asked the general: Hanguan is here, but if the flying general is no longer there, then who will teach Huma how to cross the Yinshan Mountains?"
After speaking, Zhang Shao took the initiative to explain:
"Our king probably means that he thinks that the general is a talented person who can defend the country's borders."
Xun Cheng was in a daze, his mind was a little shaken, and then he sighed and stopped talking.
Zhang Shao didn't know the bitterness and complexity in Xun Cheng's heart, but he lowered his head and handed the kettle to Gao Shun aside.
Gao Shun handed it over to Xun Cheng. He wanted to say something, but in the end he remained silent.
Xun Cheng took the kettle and pulled out the stopper, and a strong aroma of wine hit his nostrils. He subconsciously took a sip and praised:
"It's good wine."
After saying that he was not greedy for wine, he handed it back to Gao Shun and asked him to warm some injured soldiers in the army.
Gao Shun nodded, but in the end he did not say what was in his heart.
After doing this, Xun Cheng said to Zhang Shao:
"Little brother, I won't do anything difficult for you. I'll let you go."
Zhang Shao became anxious when he heard this. He quickly stood up and said:
"Why are you embarrassing me? You are embarrassing yourself and these officials. Do you really not think about them? Now that things have reached this point, you still think about having reinforcements to rescue you? Do you know that it is exactly My brother appreciates you, so he has not attacked you until now. Xun Cheng, you must seize the opportunity!”
When Xun Cheng heard this, he frowned:
"Are you Zhang Chong's younger brother?"
Zhang Shao's heart skipped a beat, and he complied with his words in a hurry, but he didn't panic:
"That's right, we are Zhang Shao, the younger brother of the former General Soaring Heaven and today's King of Taitai. What do you think? Do you want to hold me hostage? You don't have to be wishful thinking. I only have decapitated members of the Zhang family, and there are no prisoners. ”
Xun Cheng kept looking at Zhang Shao, and gradually Zhang Shao became embarrassed.
Only then did Xun Cheng’s words come out:
"Yes, you only have decapitated people in your generation. Then how can our Han family lack one or two decapitated generals? Although I am not a pillar of the country, I am still willing to follow the example of the heroes of the Han family in the past. Since you have passed down the message to your brother, Come on, you can also say something back for me: 'In my Han family, there are only generals who have beheaded, but no generals who have surrendered.'"
After saying this, Xun Cheng ignored Zhang Shao and asked Gao Shun to drive Zhang Shao back with his armored soldiers.
In this way, Zhang Shao provoked Xun Cheng several times, but it had no effect. In the end, Gao Shun and his men pushed him back.
On the way, Zhang Shao didn't understand very much. He said to Gao Shun in confusion:
"Why is your general so pedantic? What does the Han Dynasty have to do for him? Doesn't he know what the Han Dynasty has become? To borrow a sentence from my brother, that is, above this temple, there are rotten trees. Officials; among the emperors, beasts and beasts eat their salary. The wolf-hearted people are fierce and servile, and the country has become a ruin, and the people are suffering from the misery! Which sentence is wrong? ”
Gao Shun's tone was heavy:
"Indeed, your brother is indeed right. The Han Dynasty is just like what he said, and it is even more ridiculous than these words. But what does this have to do with the Han Dynasty that the general wants to protect? The Han Dynasty in the general's heart is far away Huang Han, who has traveled thousands of miles, will not bend his knees for this.”
Zhang Shao was speechless and too lazy to say anything more.
But Zhang Shao stopped talking, and Gao Shun, who had always been bored, began to confide:
"To be honest, General Xun and many people in our army are very curious about and respect your brother. I feel that your brother is indeed asking for orders for the people, and if he really wins the world, he should be good to the people. .”
Zhang Shao grinned, obviously uncomfortable with Gao Shun's words.
What is should? We, the Taishan Army, uphold the aspirations of all people, and will serve them wholeheartedly, now and in the future.
Gao Shun also saw what Zhang Shao meant and sighed:
"Don't believe it. Have you noticed that General Xun and your brother are actually from the same family, but he is not as courageous as your brother."
Zhang Shao subconsciously wanted to refute, but when he thought about it carefully, it was true.
They all do things that are incomprehensible to others and are only responsible for their ideals.
……
When Zhang Shao safely returned to Zhang Chong's banner, Zhang Chong was talking to the military officers behind him who were counting the results of the battle.
Zhang Shao glanced at Dian Wei and Li Damu, and saw them signaling him with their looks, so he waited aside.
Looking at his brother's back, Zhang Shao thought a lot.
Sometimes he feels that his brother is a stranger. In his memory, his elder brother was just a very ordinary countryman who had read a little and had some enlightenment. He had never even left Jinan since he was a child.
But everything changed when his brother was drafted for transfer. From that time on, my brother became more and more powerful, as if nothing in the world or anyone in the world could trouble him.
This made it difficult for him, who knew his brother well, not to think that maybe his brother was really Huang Tian's messenger and it was God's will.
Thinking of this, Zhang Shao was full of awe of Zhang Chong.
At this time, my brother’s words came:
"Brother, what will Xun Cheng say after you go up?"
Zhang Shao woke up with a start. When he looked up, he saw his brother Wang looking at him with a smile, and he was busy telling what happened above.
At the end, Zhang Shao said with regret:
"That military officer named Gao Shun was quite good, but it's a pity that he will be buried with Xun Cheng."
Zhang Chong looked strange and asked:
"Brother, why do you think Xun Cheng let you down after you accidentally revealed your identity?" Zhang Shao said matter-of-factly:
"Isn't that strange? Xun Cheng is really an upright warrior. It seems that there are heroes in the family."
Zhang Chong smiled and made a point:
"Yes, Xun Cheng is really upright, but what about others? Why do they let you go? You don't think that the so-called upright style is more important than thousands of lives, do you?"
At this time, Zhang Shao hesitated and muttered:
"What should we say?"
Zhang Chong touched Zhang Shao's head and said:
"The reason why the armies allowed you to calm down was not because they were upright, but because someone had already paid the price for you."
Young Zhang Shao could not understand this, but the generals understood it, so they waited with Zhang Chong.
Xu Huang in the crowd felt sorry:
"What a pity, he is also a person who can compare with me, Xu Gongming."
Time passes little by little, and the weather becomes colder and colder.
At this time, a group of generals came down from above, wearing white scarves on their foreheads and walking heavily.
Zhang Shao had sharp eyes and saw from a distance that the leader of the crowd was Gao Shun, so he took the initiative to introduce Zhang Chong:
"Brother Wang, that person is Gao Shun."
Zhang Chong was suddenly stunned and looked at what Zhang Shao was pointing at. Gao Shun was holding a flag in his hand. Like the men behind him, they were all naked.
At this time, a sentence suddenly appeared in his mind:
"Every attack is invincible and every battle is invincible. This is so smooth!"
In the wind and snow, Zhang Chong took the initiative to greet them with a group of soldiers. Before they arrived, Gao Shun knelt on the snow and Lang Lang's voice sounded:
"Gao Shun, together with a group of thousands of officials, is willing to surrender to King Zhang!"
Heavy snow fell on the backs of these Han soldiers, accumulating thicker and thicker.
Zhang Chong hurriedly bent down, but instead of helping Gao Shun up, he knocked the snow off his body.
At this time, Zhang Shaoze walked over excitedly, put his arms around Gao Shun's neck and said:
"Look, I told you to come down early. Our Taishan Army treats prisoners equally, neither beating nor scolding them."
The young man was very excited, but soon he discovered that one person was missing:
"Lao Gao, where is your General Xun? Why didn't you come down together?"
Soon, Zhang Shao came to make up for himself:
"Oh, arranging the army behind? This is not possible, Lao Gao, you are not in compliance with the rules. How can there be a surrender without the help of the general?"
The scene was very awkward and solemn for a time.
Gao Shun, who had been kneeling, replied coldly:
"When the last general sent General Xiao Zhang down, our leader, General Xun Cheng, committed suicide in the Li country. Before he died, he asked us to live well and leave some blood for Dingkou, Bingzhou."
Zhang Shao opened his mouth wide. At this moment, he realized what the price his brother said was.
In fact, Xiao Zhang is not stupid. On the contrary, since Zhang Chong's uprising, he has deliberately recruited Yingda people to teach the children of Taishan Army. In the process, Zhang Shao received a first-class education.
It's just that Xiao Zhang has a pure nature and little experience, so he seems so unscrupulous.
Therefore, Zhang Shao quickly understood the whole story.
At first, his brother asked him to deliver wine to Xun Cheng, just to recruit him. And Xun Cheng didn't express anything, which shows that Xun Cheng was hesitant on both sides at that time. After all, the poem his brother gave to Xun Cheng was indeed sincere.
But why did Xun Cheng say "General Beheaded" in the end? It's very possible that he accidentally leaked his information. So at that time Xun Cheng was determined to die?
However, Xun Cheng had no kindness to himself, so why would he kill himself for himself?
No!
Zhang Shao soon realized that Xun Cheng was not doing it for himself but for Qian Yu Paoze.
Xun Cheng should know very well that those generals will definitely use him as a threat. But he was not sure whether Zhang Chong would submit.
But no matter what, because of Zhang Shao, more than a thousand Han troops will definitely stand on the opposite side of the Taishan Army. And when the time comes, it will be self-evident who will be the final loser.
So Xun Cheng committed suicide and left a will before his death. It can not only protect Zhang Shao's life, but also Quan Pao Ze's righteousness.
At this time, Zhang Shao finally understood what the price his brother meant.
At this moment, Zhang Shao seemed to have grown up all of a sudden, and he began to enter an adult world.
It's not beautiful, it's even a little dirty, but everyone has to go there, sooner or later.
Zhang Chong didn't know what his younger brother was thinking. He solemnly took the blood-stained flag and talisman from Gao Shun, and then said seriously:
"You can live up to the honor of your warriors. Needless to say, you and your subordinates will be well accommodated. There are ginger soup and doctors in the camp who can help you."
Gao Shun's eyes were very responsible. He looked at the hero he longed for in his heart and saw how open-minded he was. This made him even more sure that the person in front of him was the hero who could truly restore the mountains and rivers.
But at the same time, he felt sorry for Xun Cheng who was bleeding all over the slope.
Lord Xun is a good man, a good warrior, and a good general.
Suddenly, Gao Shun remembered what his benefactor said that day, saying that Wang Yun wanted to make the people of Bingzhou bleed into rivers. Then he contacted Xun Cheng and asked them to beg for life before he died, in order to keep a share of the bones and blood of Bingzhou people.
Gao Shun was surprisingly angry:
"Thieves like Wang Yun will sell their own countrymen for the sake of the prosperity of their family. It's really shameful!"
So, thinking that his benefactor Guo Lin and Guo's tribe were still surrounded on another battlefield, he took the initiative to ask Zhang Chong for help:
"King Zhang, I am willing to recruit and surrender the Guo family for your army."
Zhang Chong hesitated after hearing this. He was not worried about Gao Shun's deception, but he was worried about Guo's tribe.
He hesitated and said:
"You don't know, but the Guo family in Yangqu still has a relationship with our army. The Guo family may surrender."
But Gao Shun insisted:
"King Zhang, I know all this. The grudges between the Guo family and your army are well known to all soldiers in Bingzhou. It is precisely because of this that if you can recruit and surrender your troops, it will be of great benefit to the subsequent war."
Zhang Chong nodded, understanding what Gao Shun meant.
He thought for a while and finally nodded in agreement:
"Yes, Lord Gao, let's give it a try, but I want to hear your truth. That is why you want to help our army?"
Gao Shun holds his fist:
"King Zhang, I don't want the sons of Bingzhou to die."
So Gao Shun turned around again and headed in the direction of Guo's tribe, but this time his upper body was covered with a cotton cloak and he was no longer naked.
The cotton cloak belonged to Zhang Chong, which showed his intentions, and Gao Shun understood.
About two moments later, Guo's flag fluttered down in the swaying wind and snow, and then his three thousand officials, led by Guo Lin and Gao Shun, abandoned their weapons and surrendered.
Thus, the Battle of Yangqu ended, and there were no more Han soldiers north of Taiyuan.
Commander Taishan drove straight in.
(End of chapter)