newbobooks Chapter 378 Ten Thousand People Enter Cao Cao's Camp? Zhang Yan: I surrendered instantly!
Chapter 378 Ten Thousand People Enter Cao Cao's Camp? Zhang Yan: I surrendered instantly!
Deep in the Taihang Mountains
Zhang Yan's Residence
Feng Ji smiled and pointed to the gold next to Zhang Yan.
"General Zhang, as long as you are willing to assist my lord..."
"From this day forward, Youzhou will be yours for the taking!"
As the last remaining strategist under Yuan Shang, Feng Ji took on the task of winning over Zhang Yan without hesitation.
Regardless of how bad the relationship between Yuan Shao and Zhang Yan was in the past.
Nowadays, any anti-Cao forces that can be won over are highly sought after by Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi!
Moreover, Zhang Yan has a million people under his command, which makes the claim of a million people in Montenegro sound incredibly impressive.
"boom!"
Zhang Yan kicked over the box full of gold.
"Do you think I've never seen money before? Are you trying to test me with this?"
"If I help your lord and then lose, wouldn't Cao Cao skin me alive?"
"Hehe, that's hilarious."
"Get out of here while I don't want to kill you yet!"
Feng Ji was so frightened that he ran away with his head in his hands.
He hadn't expected Zhang Yan to refuse so decisively.
Originally, he planned to present the gold and then explain the profound truth of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold" to Zhang Yan!
but now……
Feng Ji wanted to pick up the gold that Zhang Yan had kicked out of the box, but then he saw Zhang Yan's personal guards ruthlessly tie the gold back together, stuff it back into the box, and then carry it away.
"Since you're already here, why would you want to take the gift back with you?"
Faced with Zhang Yan's sarcastic remarks.
At this moment, Feng Ji really wants to say:
"Never underestimate a poor middle-aged man!"
But this is not a fantasy world.
If you lose, you lose. There's no magic touch coming to the rescue.
On the contrary, once luck turns bad, it will only get worse!
"Report to the King!"
“Sui Gu brought an envoy from Cao Cao’s camp to request an audience.”
"An envoy from Cao Cao's camp?"
Zhang Yan frowned slightly, then smiled and looked at Feng Ji beside her.
"Hide to the side and don't make a sound, or I'll kill you!"
"Yes!"
Feng Ji nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
He was also curious about who Cao Cao's camp had sent.
Soon.
Sui Gu, Jia Xu, and Wei Yan strode up to Zhang Yan.
Seeing Zhang Yan staring intently at Jia Xu, Sui Gu quickly tugged at his sleeve and frantically gestured with his eyes.
"What's wrong, Sui Gu? Didn't you sleep well last night?"
Zhang Yan's bodyguard spoke up with an iron face.
Sui Gu helplessly shrugged.
That's it, Zhang Yan, good luck to you!
If you anger Jia Xu later, don't blame me for not warning you!
"My name is Jia Xu, Jia Wenhe. I greet General Zhang."
Jia Xu smiled "kindly".
If someone who didn't know him saw this, they would probably think he was a kind and friendly old man next door!
But Zhang Yan's heart suddenly trembled violently!
Mountain bandit tales:
If you encounter any one of Su Yu, Jia Xu, Guo Jia, or Cheng Yu as an envoy, never offend him!
Otherwise, they might not die, but they would definitely suffer terribly!
A chill swept over Zhang Yan's back.
"Hahaha, so it's Mr. Jia."
"I've long admired your name!"
"Mr. Jia, look! This is the gold that I, Old Zhang, have prepared for you."
"How's the quality?"
"Quick! Give this gold to Mr. Jia and take it with you!"
Zhang Yan quickly instructed the guards beside her to take action.
Hiding in the crowd, Feng Ji was so angry that he started snorting wildly.
Motherfucker!
The gold was clearly brought by myself, so how did it become a gift that Zhang Yan gave to Jia Xu?
So, it turns out I, Feng Ji, am aiding the enemy?
Wei Yan accepted the gold on Jia Xu's behalf.
Immediately afterwards, Zhang Yan sent someone to fetch some rare jewels and other items.
Feng Ji was dumbfounded.
When you, Zhang Yan, were fighting against my late lord Yuan Shao, I didn't see you fawning over me like this!
I thought you were a straight man, but it turns out you're a simp?
Jia Xu still wore his signature smile, making it impossible for Zhang Yan to discern his true thoughts.
What Feng Ji didn't know was...
Zhang Yan's attitudes toward Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were completely different.
To judge the true strength of a feudal lord, one must not only look at his territory and military strength, but also at how much real power he can control!
When Yuan Shao was still alive, he faced Ju Shou internally and Cao Cao externally.
Since Zhang Yan was a bandit leader from the Black Mountain who didn't have much to offer and spent his days hiding in the Taihang Mountains, they naturally wouldn't go to great lengths to eliminate him.
To put it bluntly, as long as Zhang Yan doesn't actively obstruct Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao won't be in a hurry to eliminate him.
Ju Shou, Cao Cao.
In Yuan Shao's eyes, these two men were far more important than Zhang Yan.
But now, times have changed.
Yuan Shao and Ju Shou both met their end.
Cao Cao is about to unify the north.
Zhang Yan should keep a low profile and behave herself.
Even if he hides in the Taihang Mountains, or even if he escapes to Youzhou or Liaodong, Cao Cao will still eliminate him!
Allowing such an unstable element to exist is something that no major power that is about to achieve partial unification would allow.
and so.
Zhang Yan has many choices to make, but in reality, there are only two.
One is death, the other is surrender!
Clearly, Zhang Yan did not want to choose death.
Then he would have to curry favor with Jia Xu and try his best to obtain a more lenient and favorable surrender condition.
Seeing Zhang Yan working so hard, Jia Xu spoke up:
“General Zhang, if I remember correctly, more than ten years ago, you were appointed as the General Who Pacifies the South by the late emperor (referring to Liu Hong, not Liu Bian).
"Is this possible?"
Zhang Yan nodded quickly and said:
"exactly."
"Zhang, like Cao Sikong, is a loyal subject who serves the Han Dynasty!"
Jia Xu laughed and said:
"I know perfectly well that General Zhang is a loyal subject."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have made a special trip to visit General Zhang today."
"General Zhang, could you please tell me how many people are hiding in the Taihang Mountains?"
Zhang Yan's face immediately stiffened.
After a moment's hesitation, I answered truthfully:
"Zhang also did not know the exact quantity."
"But the number of eight or nine hundred thousand is probably real."
Jia Xu understood.
The Taihang Mountains are not a single mountain, but an entire mountain range, stretching endlessly over a vast area. (Compare this to Liangshan Marsh; the Taihang Mountains are even larger.)
It is located in Ji Province, and part of it is located in You Province.
This mountain range became the habitat for Zhang Yan and the Million Black Mountain.
The Black Mountain Bandits grew so rapidly mainly due to a combination of factors, including the fragmentation of the country by warlords and the chaos of war.
Without land, the people could not survive and naturally had no choice but to seek a living in the Taihang Mountains.
To get Zhang Yan to surrender peacefully...
The most pressing issue is how to resettle these million people!
This problem might be difficult for other feudal lords to solve.
But for Cao Cao's camp now, it's not a difficult task.
The Han people have always been hardworking.
Empty land and wasteland can be cultivated into a field of crops as long as they are given hoes and water.
Previously, due to factors such as wars, conflicts, and the fragmentation of the country by feudal lords, the people did not have stable land.
Even if you have it, it could still be stolen.
But now, Cao Cao only wants to say one thing to the million Black Mountain warriors:
"Welcome to the team!"
……