Chapter 649: Keep someone under the knife

Chapter 649: Keep someone under the knife

The soldiers and civilians in Jingzhou City were busy preparing for the upcoming war, but some people seemed out of place because they had nothing to do.

Wang Fan is Wang Sengbian's second son. He came to Jingzhou with Wang Gu before, but no one from Jingzhou came to make arrangements for him.

Wang Gu, who came with him, had someone accompany him to have fun in Hongbin Tower or other places every day, and he had already forgotten about him, so that Wang Yan had no idea why he came here. here.

In the Hongbin Tower, visitors from Jiangling were given food and drinks every day. The food and drinks were much more exquisite than Jiangling. There were also many songs, dances and operas for entertainment, which completely made people not feel the barbaric and vulgar Qiang style that was widely known in Jiangling.

However, before Wang Xian left, he received a warning from his father, Wang Sengbian, who told him to do a good job under General Li after coming to Mianbei. It might also bring about a change of fortune and new choices for the family.

After hearing his father's serious instructions, Wang Fan naturally did not dare to neglect. It's just that he has been in Mianbei for many days. Except for seeing General Li once when he arrived on the first day, he has never seen him again since then.

He also had the courage to go to the General Manager's Mansion to ask General Li if he had any plans for him, but the answer he received was always to let him wait in the city, and then nothing happened at all.

Wang Fan was also aware of the recent changes in the atmosphere in Jingzhou City. There were many soldiers coming in and out of the city, and carts transporting materials kept coming and going. In addition, there were various rumors and discussions in the streets, which made people feel... It seems like something big is going to happen.

Wang Fan was born as a general, and had been exposed to it since childhood. He was already quite sensitive to military-related situations. Although he did not see the official document from the state government, he also guessed that war might be brewing in the Jingzhou General Manager's Office.

But now the entire Eastern Han Dynasty is under its control, and Xiao Qing, the Yueyang King of Xiangyang, is willing to be the puppet of the Western Wei Dynasty. The only one in the region that is worthy of the Jingzhou General Manager's Office here is the Jingzhou Prefecture in Jiangling.

After realizing this, Wang Yan panicked in his heart. Although his father had told him to work seriously under General Li before leaving, he was new here and had not spoken to General Li so far. Naturally, he had no sense of belonging, but his elders and family members all stayed here. Jiang Ling was of course worried about the safety of his relatives.

So he hurriedly returned to Hongbin Tower to inform Wang Gu of his guess, and asked Wang Gu to send someone to inform Jiangling as soon as possible to prevent Jiangling's soldiers and civilians from being attacked in ignorance.

But when he returned to Hongbin Tower, he was told that Wang Gu had been invited by the state government to go to the military camp outside the city to observe the exercise this morning.

Wang Yan had already preconceived the idea that Mianbei was going to attack Jiangling. After hearing the news, he was even more frightened. Who would expose their top-secret military aircraft to the enemy's envoys on the eve of the attack? Wang Gu was led into the military camp, which may lead to disaster.

At the critical moment, Wang Fan forced himself to calm down and asked several of his companions who stayed in Hongbin Tower to follow him out. Since there were many Wei people in the building, he naturally did not dare to directly inform his companions of his guess.

But he himself had no official position, and everyone followed Wang Gu's instructions to stay in Hongbin Tower to help the Wei people copy medical books, so as to prevent the Wei people from not liking paper and ink and damaging the original medical books, so naturally no one paid attention to him.

In the end, Wang Fan only summoned two servants who had followed him here. Although he was very anxious, Wang Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the soldiers guarding him did not restrict his movements. Seeing this posture, even if the Wei people had some conspiracy against Jiangling, it was not yet a tense moment. .

He left the city with his two servants, but he was a little confused about what to do next.

If he left Jingzhou City and went all the way back to Jiangling to report the news, he might be able to pass the news back in time, but all he knew were his own guesses and some hearsay, and he had no idea of ​​the precise plans and movements of the Western Wei people. Moreover, if he fled back here, Wang Gu and others who stayed here might be harmed by the Wei people.

After thinking about it for a long time, Wang Fan explained the situation in detail to two servants, and then left one person behind and said: "You can hide near the city gate. I will go find the prince to inform you. If you still don't see me after nightfall, I will return to the city." , I will not stay in Mianbei anymore, and immediately go south to Jiangling, tell Aye that I have encountered something unexpected, and ask Aye to strike hard at the invading enemy to avenge me."

As he spoke, he handed a written token to the servant, and then led another servant to find the garrison commander of Hongbin Tower and told him that there was something important that needed to be notified to Wang Gu, and that he should arrange for someone to lead him immediately. Go to the military camp outside the city by yourself.

The soldiers guarding here were ordered to treat the guests of Hongbin Tower preferentially and try their best to meet the requirements as long as they did not violate the laws and regulations of the state. After hearing what Wang Fan said, he immediately arranged for a few soldiers on duty to lead them. Leave the city and go to the military camp near Caogou in the south of the city.

At this time, thousands of elite troops selected from all over Jingzhou were already stationed in the military camp in the south of the city. No idlers were allowed to approach within a dozen miles around the military camp. From time to time, there were rangers patrolling the area. , you must have a military talisman warrant to enter the military camp.

Wang Huan headed towards the military camp under the leadership of several members of the army, and encountered two groups of interrogators on the way. Seeing the tall horses ridden by these Rangers, he felt envious in his heart. There is also a cavalry formation in his family, but the horses they ride are short Shu horses. Not to mention their endurance and speed, the visual impact and deterrence alone are not on the same level.

As the military camp got closer, Wang Fan also discovered the difference between northerners running the army and southerners. The area around the northern barracks was quiet and kept away from strangers, but the area around the southern barracks was much more chaotic, because most of the camps were located close to city docks and the like, and they were not particularly cleaned up. There were many military slaves in the surrounding area, and There were also monks and Taoists, and of course the noisiest ones were the merchants buying and selling goods.

This alone may not be enough to prove which of the two sides is stronger, but the northerners have established a large army and all industries have retreated, while the southerners do not pay enough attention to this, and even refuse to compromise social order, which inevitably makes the military look inadequate. The solemnity also makes military operations seem a bit childish.

Wang Ban sighed in his heart, and then arrived at the gate of the military camp. The soldiers who were responsible for guiding him could only go so far. After Wang Ban explained his intention, he still needed the camp soldiers to report separately. He could only go here before being allowed to enter the camp. While waiting, Wang Fan also took the opportunity to observe the scale and various facilities of the military camp.

Because it is close to the city, this military camp is semi-permanent. In addition to large and small felt tents, there are also rammed earth walls and masonry buildings. It is more like a military city than a military camp. .

The soldiers walking in the camp were all wearing black hakama pleated military uniforms, giving people a solemn and solemn feeling. Everyone moved in a queue, and there were no straggling pedestrians in the huge military camp. The occasional stragglers passing orders were either whipping up their horses, or walking quickly with their heads down, and there was no sign of wandering at all. This military appearance alone has already made the viewers feel secretly awe-inspiring.

There are two arrow towers on the inside of the camp gate. Below the arrow towers are layers of spiked horses, and above there is a crossbow with wide arms, which makes people feel uncomfortable.

Suddenly, there seemed to be a high-pitched drum and horn call coming from the camp camp, accompanied by the uniform cheers and roars of the soldiers, which made those who listened feel their blood boiling.

More than a dozen knights with red tassels and side hats rode their horses to the gate. The leader, a teenage knight, reined in his horse and raised his hand and shouted loudly: "Where are the people from Jiangling?"

"Reporting to the Grand Governor, someone from Jiangling is here!"

A soldier guarding the camp gate quickly raised his hand and shouted, and then pointed at Wang Fan who was standing on the side outside the gate.

Grand Governor?

Wang Yan was naturally surprised when he heard this title. He saw that although the young man was tall, his face still looked a bit immature. He should be younger than himself, but he didn't expect that he was already the governor.

But he did not dare to neglect, and hurriedly stepped forward and raised his hands in salute. But before he could say anything, the young man had already led two horses with him with one finger. He looked at Wang Fan and asked, "Can you ride them?"

Wang Yan was a young man and naturally refused to admit defeat. He nodded immediately, then stepped forward, stepped on the stirrup, and buckled the saddle while getting on the horse. It's just that this horse is much taller than what he usually rides, and the breath behind him is still a little empty after getting on the horse. He clamps the horse's belly with his legs, but it makes the mount even more restless, kicking and swaying constantly, and Wang Fan is also nervous Both hands grasped the front saddle and did not dare to let go.

"Don't be nervous. A good horse is humane and will be uneasy even if you are frightened."

When the young man saw this, he laughed and gave instructions from the side.

Wang Fan's face suddenly turned red after hearing this, but he still nodded and took a deep breath. After a while, his tightly clamped legs slowly relaxed, and the mount was no longer as restless as before, and then Wang Yancai looked at the young man again and nodded politely: "Thank you, Commander-in-Chief, for your advice."

The young governor was happy at first, then his face became sullen, he nodded briefly, then waved his hand and said: "Go back to camp!"

Wang Yan himself could barely control his mount to trot forward, but his entourage was even worse and could only ride on the same horse as a soldier.

The camp was very large. After walking for a while, Wang Fan had to focus on riding his horse and had no time to think about anything else. He only heard the drums and cheers in front of him getting louder and louder. After turning around a row of camps, the view ahead suddenly became clearer. Cheerfully, we finally arrived at the camp camp.

On the high platform of the school ground, Wang Fan saw at a glance that the heroic General Li was standing there in bright light armor, holding a long sword with shining light as if he was about to cut it off, and the blade pointed at Wang Gu. .

Seeing this scene, Wang Ban felt a chill in his heart. He hurriedly whipped his horse and rushed forward, shouting at the same time: "The two countries are at war, don't kill the envoy! I beg the general to save people under his sword!"