Zhou Cang was outside the city gate, desperately breaking free. Fortunately, the rope was not tied too tight, and he finally broke free. At this time, Zhou Cang's heart was both sad and angry. Such an important city was lost by himself. It was a serious crime.
Zhou Cang knew that Liu Xun's army was strict and disciplined, and he would definitely not survive this time. It's not a pity to die, but I still have my mother in my hometown. What should the mother do if he dies. No, I have to hurry back to my hometown and give my mother the end of the care, and I will come back later.
Make up his mind, Zhou Cang is ready to escape back to his hometown. But there were no horses around, so it was too slow to go back on foot. Zhou Cang touched his body. Fortunately, there was still a little gold, enough to buy a horse. He remembered that there was a horse trading market in the village in front of Fancheng. He didn't know if the market opened today.
No matter what, let's try your luck.
Zhou Cang walked to the village based on his memory, and found many people watching at the entrance of the village, which was very lively. Upon closer inspection, Zhou Cang was very happy when the horse market opened today. He was so lucky.
I saw five or six Central Plains horses in the middle of the fence, all of them looked more energetic. Zhou Cang picked a good horse that looked fat and strong.
"Where are the strong men going?"
Zhou Cang was about to mount, when he heard a voice coming over, as if he was talking to himself. Zhou Cang followed his reputation and saw an eight-foot-long Confucian with a turban on his head smiling at him. He was about 20 or 30 years old. He was shaking a fan in his hand.
"What does it have to do with you where I am going?" Zhou Cang was very anxious, he wanted to leave as soon as possible and see his mother earlier.
"Don't worry about the strong man. Without my guidance, you will soon be in great trouble."
Zhuge Liang ignored Zhou Cang's anger, still smiling, looking calm and calm.
Zhou Cang was shocked when he heard what the Confucian said. Does he know what I did? When others saw my fierce face, it was too late to hide, but this Confucian took the initiative to talk to me. It seemed difficult. Maybe he really has a better way.
"What can I do? You don't even know who I am, so stop talking nonsense." Zhou Cang was also afraid that this person was scolding him, pretending to be confused.
"Aren't you Zhou Cang from Fancheng? Are you..."
Before the Confucian had finished speaking, he was interrupted by Zhou Cang. Zhou Cang signaled that the people here are too mixed and talk about it in another place.
That Confucian was also a smart person, and he didn't mean to continue talking here.
Zhou Cang said, "Sir, we might as well find a quiet place to talk."
It seems that Zhou Cang has determined that this Confucian is not an ordinary person. Because it seems that this person knows what happened when he glances at him.
The Confucian readily agreed.
The two found and sat down on the stone bench in the woods of the village.
"How did the sir know that I came from Fancheng."
Zhou Cang asked the Confucian sincerely, maybe he really had no bottom in his heart, and he was afraid that something would happen.
"You are Zhou Cang who guards the city of Fan. How can I know that there is nothing in the world that I don't know."
After speaking, the Confucian laughed, his eyes were firm and sharp, which made Zhou Cang feel at a loss.
"How did you know that I was in trouble?"
Zhou Cang still has many questions, one after another.
"As a defender of Fancheng, you come here to buy horses when you are not in Fancheng. Do you still need to buy horses here if the city is still there?"
This Confucian observes meticulously and can make inferences from subtleties, so he is definitely not a person who is waiting for a moment.
"Excuse me, my surname?"
After Zhou Cang heard what Zhuge Liang said, he admired the Confucian very much.
"Zhuge Liang in the middle of Xialong."
The words of Confucian scholars will be powerful, and they have been shaking their feather fans, very leisurely.
Is he Zhuge Liang? It seems to have heard others say that he is very talented. Now he said that if I don't listen to him, there will be a catastrophe. It seems that I will never leave. It's better to ask him for advice, maybe you can avoid the disaster.
"How does the husband know that I am about to face a catastrophe, please help me, husband!"
Zhou Cang knelt down suddenly, his attitude was extremely sincere, and he believed in Zhuge Liang's words.
Zhuge Liang was taken aback by Zhou Cang's sudden move, and hurriedly stepped forward to help Zhou Cang, and comforted: "The general has something to say, don't betray me like this."
"The gentleman promised to save me, so I got up."
"Okay, please get up soon, the general."
When Zhou Cang saw Zhuge Liang promised to save him, he got up and sat down.
"After Fancheng fell, did the general want to escape, so he came here to buy a horse?"
Zhuge Liang asked straightforwardly.
"Oh..." Zhou Cang sighed deeply, his face full of shame. "I know that this is not kind, but there is an old mother in the family. Fancheng fell, and I committed a capital crime, and the lord and son must not be able to spare me. If I die, my mother will have no one to support."
"Hmm..." Zhuge Liang nodded slightly. "However, if the general does this, it will actually harm your mother."
"Huh? Where do you start?"
Zhou Cang was puzzled.
Zhuge Liang had a calm expression and continued: "First, if the general escapes, others will definitely think that you and Pei Yuanshao colluded, causing Fancheng to fall. At that time, you will be considered a traitor by others. Don't even think about turning over in your life. Second, the general’s home is also on the border of Jingzhou. Sooner or later, Jingzhou will fall into the hands of the father and son Liu Bei and Liu Xun. You still can’t escape, and even your mother will be implicated by you.”
Zhou Cang shuddered when he heard Zhuge Liang's words. Fortunately, I met Zhuge Liang, but the consequences would be unthinkable. Zhou Cang knelt down and asked Mr. to help me. At this time, Zhou Cang was very panicked. Losing Fancheng was a capital crime, and he couldn't escape. It was a death. However, Zhou Cang still had a glimmer of hope in his heart, and perhaps the saint in front of him might help him to turn the bad.
"Why are you doing this again? A young man in my twenties can't afford to bow down like this. Didn't you make me lose my life?"
As Zhuge Liang said, he pulled Zhou Cang up again.
"It's not difficult to save you. You just need to ride the fast horse you just bought back to report the letter and plead guilty. Liu Bei and Liu Xun will certainly not blame you, after all, they are based on benevolence and righteousness." Zhuge Liang continued, look. Come to know what you are doing.
"Okay, thank you Mr. for your kindness, Zhou Cang will pay back in future."
After that, Zhou Cang mounted a fast horse and hurried towards Xiangyang.
When he arrived in Xiangyang, Zhou Cang hurriedly walked into the governor's mansion to meet Liu Bei without waiting for the guards to report.
At this time Liu Bei was discussing issues with Liu Xun, Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and other generals. It was strange to see Zhou Cang suddenly coming.
Guan Yu first asked: "Zhou Cang, why don't you defend the city well in Fancheng, why do you come to Xiangyang?"
Zhou Cang knelt down with a "pump" and cried loudly: "It's not good, Fancheng was seized by Pei Yuanshao."
"What, you useless." Zhang Fei couldn't help but furious when he heard it, and opened his eyes, very scary.
Zhou Cang is usually very courageous, but now he is shaking with fright.
"How did you lose the city?" Liu Bei asked hurriedly, but his attitude was not so harsh.
"The culprit, Pei Yuanshao, pretended to take refuge in me. I thought of the brotherhood in the past, so I kindly took him in. However, he avenged his revenge, got me drunk, and took the opportunity to seize my city." Zhou Cang said truthfully, tears falling down. Can't do it by himself.
"Fancheng is so important, I leave him to you, how can you get drunk and make a mistake?" Guan Yu was very excited. After all, he was half of his responsibility. In order to rescue Diaochan, Guan Yu handed Fancheng to Zhou Cang for defense. Thinking of the catastrophe brought on today.
At first, Liu Xun heard Zhou Cang say that Fancheng had fallen, like a thunderbolt from the blue sky. He thought it was taken by Cao Cao, but he did not expect it to be taken by a group of thieves. Liu Xun realized that his mind had been on the side of Xiangyang, and he had almost forgotten Fancheng. Zhou Cang is a reckless man after all, how can he hold a city.
"Zhou Cang was at a big fault, but we also made mistakes on the human side. It's better to reduce Zhou Cang to a sergeant in order to emulate them." Liu Xun's suggestion was more pertinent.
"Do you accept this punishment?" Liu Bei asked, expressionless.
Hearing such punishment, Zhou Cang was shocked. He didn't expect that he was lucky enough to escape. No wonder people praise Zhuge Liang as "Wolong". It seems to be a magical calculation, worthy of the name.
"Thank the lord for not punishing me severely." Zhou Cang kowtowed his head and thanked me very much in his heart.
"The plan for the present is to seize Fancheng as soon as possible. Fancheng is Xiangyang's throat and cannot be lost." Liu Xun was thinking about how to retake Fancheng.
"Yes, yes" the generals agreed.
"How many thieves are there?" Liu Xun asked Zhou Cang.
"There are about three thousand people."
"Lord, I would like to lead the army to retake Fancheng." Liu Xun petitioned his father.
"Okay, I'll leave this to you. The soldier generals will let you choose, and you must retake Fancheng as soon as possible." Liu Bei is still very relieved of Liu Xun, after all, Liu Xun has a lot of experience in the battlefield.
Guan Yu suddenly knelt down and said, "I have a great responsibility for Fancheng's fall. I am also willing to accompany the army to rebel against Fancheng."
Liu Xun hurriedly stepped forward to support Guan Yu, and readily agreed to Guan Yu's request.
At this time, Zhou Cang shouted: "I would like to be a soldier and go out with the army." It seems that Zhou Cang's heart is also holding back.
"You are just a clerk, you are not qualified to be a soldier." Liu Xun said sharply.
"Then I will be a partner and can do something for the army. Just let me go on an expedition." Zhou Cang still didn't give up, and wanted to use this opportunity to atone for his sins.
Seeing Zhou Cang's more sincere attitude, Liu Xun nodded, "Well, you will be working in the squadron of the army."
After everything was prepared, Liu Xun went to the barracks and ordered three thousand infantrymen, two thousand crossbowmen and one thousand white-eared infantry. A total of six thousand people constituted the army for the expedition to Fancheng. …