175. Cornered
Zhang Ju was bored in the camp in the south of the city. Since the disbandment of the Red Eyebrow Army, he has never left the barracks. Even if the emperor summoned him, he often refused to go to the hospital, for fear of being dealt with by the little emperor.
It is not easy to live in the military camp every day. In the past, Wang Kuang was there, and the two of them drank and chatted, and they were somewhat of a companion. But now that the two armies are separated, they don’t meet often, so Zhang Su felt even more bored.
At noon that day, Suihou Hu Yin suddenly came.
Zhang Ju was very happy and quickly served wine and the two of them exchanged cups and started eating and drinking.
"Old Hu, why has the little emperor been quiet these days? Is there any news in the city?"
"Brother Zhang, it was just that I hurriedly left the city to report the news."
Hu Yin lowered his voice and said, "I heard that the generals and lieutenants of the Red Eyebrows are all going to ask the emperor for trouble, saying that their army has been disbanded. Why are you and King Biyang's army still there? You should be disbanded together!"
"It's outrageous!" Zhang Xu slapped the case several times, "What team are they under? What should I do if I don't disband? I have elite soldiers and generals under my command, so why should I disband?"
"That's right, but those people feel uncomfortable if they lose their military power. They must also let you and King Biyang hand over military power, and become the same bare general as them, and they can only get out of their hearts."
"What do you say about the little emperor?"
"I heard that Your Majesty also intends to disband a group. The Minister Yang Yanshou said that Your Majesty intends to choose one between you and King Biyang and send it back to your hometown."
"What? Choose one? Which one will you choose?"
"This is not accurate, and Yang Yanshou is not clear either. He is a person around the emperor and has a very well-informed knowledge."
Zhang Ju poured the wine from the bowl hard and gritted his teeth and said, "If the little cattle-herder dares to disband my subordinates, I will invade into Chang'an City and fight to the death with him!"
"This matter is not accurate, maybe it's just a rumor. Don't take it too seriously. Besides, they didn't say which one to disband. Maybe it's not your turn!"
Hu Yin advised Zhang Jue to drink the wine in the bowl and said, "Anyway, I have only a few thousand people under me. If he wants to disband, he will disband. I will be a marquis who has no military power."
"Old Hu, why are you so pussy?" Zhang Xie jumped up, "Fan Chong's 300,000 troops were disbanded by the little emperor, and now he can only be at the mercy of others. Although I, Zhang Xie, only 30,000 people, will never bow to the little cowherd. He wants to disband my brother unless I die!"
"Brother Zhang, don't be excited. This may not be your turn. Maybe it's King Biyang!"
"I am going to Chang'an now. We brothers are not angry with this bird! Wherever tens of thousands of troops go, we must stay here, waiting for the little emperor to give him a bite of bad rice! I want to steal it myself, rob it myself, and eat it myself, and feel at ease!"
Hu Yin grabbed him and said, "Brother Zhang, don't be anxious. If you want to leave, I will follow you. We brothers should advance and retreat together. We have to discuss this with King Biyang."
When Zhang Ju heard that, he was alone and could not speak out, so he was more sturdy to pull Wang Kuang up. So he ordered the military camp to be martial law, not to enter and exit at will, and was ready to go at any time. But he and Hu Yin got on the horse, took more than a dozen guards, and galloped all the way to Wang Kuang's military camp in Dongdumen.
Wang Kuang let them into the room, put them on a banquet, and smiled and said, "It's rare for us brothers to get together, why are you two coming together?"
Hu Yin said: "The King of Huaiyang wants to discuss important matters with you."
"What's wrong? Why is this look so ugly?" Wang Kuang looked at Zhang Ju and joked: "Who dares to bully our King of Huaiyang?"
Zhang Zuo said: "Old Wang, the little cattle-herder is going to attack us. He will disband this army sooner or later. It is better for us to go out of Chang'an and then go elsewhere!"
Wang Kuang said: "Where do you start with this?"
Hu Yin said what he had just said again.
Wang Kuang pondered: "This winter is the big winter, where can I go to find food and grass after leaving Chang'an?"
Zhang Zuo said: "Old Wang, we haven't lived a life of shortage of food. At worst, we can just grab it all the way! Can we starve to death?"
"Even if we can't starve to death, where will we go after leaving Guanzhong?"
"Go out of Hangu Pass and go to Uncle Liu Wen!"
Wang Kuang sneered: "You are such a big face! We have killed Liu Bosheng together. You and Zhu Yu, Li Yi are the masterminds, and I am also an accomplice. Now that you are desperate, you are going to surrender again. Can Liu Xiu allow me to wait? Zhu Yu insisted on not surrendering in Luoyang, why? Isn't it for this hatred?"
Zhang Zuo said: "Then go out of Wu Pass and go to Liu Ci, King Wan!"
"Although King Wan Liu Ci is a colleague of you and me, he is a relative of the Liu family and is closer to Liu Xiu and Liu Xuan. We have a frustration with Liu Xuan and have a feud with Liu Xiu. Do you think King Wan will welcome me?" Wang Kuang said: "Maybe he has already defected to Liu Xiu at this time, and we will fall into the trap when we go over and fall into the trap!"
Zhang Jue said irritably: "At worst, you can go back to Green Forest Mountain and become a robber!"
Wang Kuang said coldly: "You and I both came from Green Forest Mountain. Don't you know that poor mountain can't raise many people at all, let alone in winter, what food can be eaten in the mountains? Do you chew wild grass roots every day? Maybe we will starve to death one day!"
Zhang Xu said angrily: "This will not work, nor will that, are you really at your end?"
Wang Kuang turned the bowl in his hand, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "It's not clear, at least there is still a way."
He suddenly raised the bowl and threw it to the ground. The bowl fell to the ground and broke into pieces.
Dozens of Hulala guards rushed into the room, holding swords and surrounding Zhang Su.
Wang Kuang took two steps back, retreated among the guards, and said, "Old Zhang, don't blame me, I really have no choice."
"You, what are you doing?" Zhang Ju was stunned at first, then furious and cursed: "The king's surname is, I'm useless to treat you as a brother, but you want to betray me and shake your tail and beg for mercy to the little emperor. I, I will kill you now!"
He reached out to draw the knife. Half of it was pulled out, several knives had stabbed him. Everyone pulled the knife back, and blood flowed out of Zhang Se's body, dyeing his clothes bright red.
He fell to the ground shakingly.
Hu Yin bent down to look at it, raised his head and said, "I'm so angry that I'm so dead!"
Suddenly, Wang Kuang was holding a knife in his hand, with a sharp murderous aura in his eyes. He couldn't help but be shocked. He knelt down on the ground with a pounce, and said, "Wang, Brother Wang, I only follow my elder brother's orders. Wherever my elder brother goes, I will go. I will follow you all my life and will never change!"
Wang Kuang dropped the knife, laughed loudly, and helped Hu Yin up and said, "You and I are brothers who live for life. Of course, we have to advance and retreat together. Thanks to you for sending a letter this time, otherwise you may be killed. Brother, we are people on the same boat. If we have different intentions, the boat will probably sink!"
It turned out that Hu Yin left the city and went to Wang Kuang's camp first. After saying Yang Yanshou's words, Wang Kuang thought for a while and said, "It seems that the little emperor can't tolerate us anymore."
Hu Yin said: "How can I see it?"
"Our two armies are elites of the Southern and Northern Army. The soldiers are veterans on the battlefield who have been through battle for a long time. They are not like the Red Eyebrow thief, so why should they be disbanded? It is just an excuse to say that the generals and the lieutenant are resentful. That little emperor, even the 300,000 troops of the Red Eyebrow thief were disbanded, how could he tolerate our old army? He first moved the camp, broke up Zhang Ju and I, and said that he wanted to disband one of them, so that we both would be suspicious of each other, and it would be better to fight in the internal struggle, so that he could reap the benefits of the fisherman."
Hu Yin said: "King Biyang, what are you going to do?"
"What should we do? We can't stay in Chang'an City anymore, but in this winter, there is no food in the ground. Where will we go after leaving Chang'an? I thought about it, but there was nowhere to go."
He was silent for a while and said, "For the sake of the present, the only way to fulfill the wish of the little emperor and hand over the army to his hands, perhaps he would let us have a way out. But that guy Zhang Xue must not be willing. Once he gets angry, we will be implicated. The little emperor will never believe that we are not accomplices."
Wang Kuang knew Zhang Ju very well, and knew that he was irritable and ruthless. He refused to give up the knife in his hand and bowed to the little emperor. If he could bow his head, he would not have been able to fall into the situation in the future.
Hu Yin remembered what Yang Yanshou said yesterday. He didn't pay much attention to it at that time. Now after listening to Wang Kuang's words and thinking about it carefully, he felt that Yang Yanshou's words had some other meanings.
He whispered: "Biyang King, Mr. Yang said a lot yesterday, including a sentence of 'There is Zhang but no king, there is Wang but no Zhang, the two cannot coexist.' I thought he was talking about the army of you two, and now I want to come, maybe, maybe he... has other meanings."
"That's it. Yang Yanshou has pointed out the way for us." Wang Kuang's face was extremely gloomy, and Hu Yin couldn't help but tremble.
Wang Kuang made up his mind and discussed with Hu Yin that he would come to Zhang Hu's army to imprison him. As long as he entered Wang Kuang's military camp, Zhang Hu would not be able to escape.
Zhang Jue was simple-minded and came over without thinking. He should have known that Hu Yin and Wang Kuang were the most friendly. With such news, how could he not go to Wang Kuang's camp first and tell him first?
Wang Kuang and Hu Yin only took a few confidants and rode into the Dongdu Gate, ran directly to the palace, asking to see the little emperor Liu Yu.
The emperor immediately summoned him, and Wang Kuang knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Jue is plotting a rebellion and wants to threaten us to leave together. I will be kind to you by your Majesty. How can I follow the thief? Therefore, I killed him on the spot. The remaining criminals are all in the army. Please ask Your Majesty to leave."
The emperor was shocked and said, "Is there such a thing? You saved the country from danger and chaos, and it is really a hero who stabilized the Han Dynasty."
Wang Kuang said: "Your Majesty will promptly send an order and send a general to take over Zhang Ju's troops. If it takes a long time, chaos will occur."
As soon as he finished speaking, the eunuch Niu Tou came in and said, "Your Majesty, the Captain Yingyang sent someone to report to the Majesty. Zhang Jue's army in the south city was in a state of chaos. The Captain Yingyang was ordered to enter his camp, collected the military talismans and appease the generals. Now the camp is safe again, please do not worry."
Wang Kuang was so scared that he was sweating in his cold sweat, and he thought to himself: "This little emperor is really amazing. It turns out that he had made arrangements long ago. If I hesitate a little today, I will end up with the same fate as Zhang Se."
Liu Yu said: "Marquis Xinshi, I feel no comfort in my heart if you can make a quick decision and kill the traitor. If it weren't for you today, I'm afraid the people of Chang'an would suffer war again."
Chapter completed!