In the interrogation room, Zhao Yun was interrogating a prisoner for the first time, and it was the many officials and nobles of Shu.
He walked to the desk and sat down, feeling a little unaccustomed to whether to be stern or calm. This room was not a proper court, but a temporary interrogation chamber set up in the imperial palace to interrogate the officials and nobles and find out the spies of the Wei State's Military Intelligence Department hidden in Shu.
Similarly, because it was within the imperial palace, the pressure here was greater than in ordinary courts.
The room, being small and dark, appeared eerie and somber.
On the desk in front of Zhao Yun, a whip, heavy shackles, and a branding iron were all readily available.
Several junior officers from the Special Forces Camp deliberately bared their chests, revealing their strong muscles. Their indifferent expressions seemed to tell the people in front of them that regardless of their status in Shu, they were all equal and lowly in their eyes.
"Bring in the prisoner!" Zhao Yun roared.
Five Shu officials walked slowly into the interrogation room. They were Wang Lian, Commander of the Salt Bureau; Zhang Yi, Prefect of Yizhou; Liao Li, Chamberlain; Chen Zhen, Prefect of Wenshan; and Xu Shao, Grand Tutor.
As these men entered, their expressions were extremely complex. Without their ceremonial caps and robes, and escorted by prison guards, they looked like ordinary criminals. Seeing Zhao Yun's eyes narrowed to slits sent a chill down everyone's spine. "General Zhao Zilong bears the heavy responsibility of defending Shu; he should not waste his time on such useless matters! Is this how he repays the Prime Minister's trust and painstaking efforts?"
Grand Tutor Xu Shao spoke first.
In his youth, he and his cousin Xu Jing had established the Yuèdǎn Píng (月旦评) in Rùnán's Píngyú County, in the second dragon village on Yuèdǎn Island, praising and criticizing current affairs and evaluating individuals, holding a special position among scholars. Even later, when caught in turbulent times, Xu Jing and Xu Shao were still highly respected.
After fleeing to Shu, they were successively appointed as Crown Prince's Gentleman and Grand Tutor by Liu Zhang and Liu Bei!
Facing someone like Zhao Yun, an "翊军将军" (General of the Imperial Guard), Xu Shao did not take him seriously.
"Heh heh..." Zhao Yun chuckled, "Grand Tutor Xu, do not try to suppress this general with the Prime Minister's name. How would I not know the urgency of the situation? With the Prime Minister resisting the enemy at Fushui Pass, the spies in Shu pose the greatest threat. If the Wei Emperor were to cut off our supply lines and we couldn't find the spies, what then? Would Grand Tutor Xu place the Prime Minister in danger?"
As he spoke, the junior officer beside Zhao Yun had already drawn his saber. The blade was chilling, piercing the bone.
A gust of wind...
Xu Shao suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. He was inexplicably suppressed by the atmosphere, unable to utter another word.
Zhao Yun slammed the desk, assuming the posture of the chief interrogator, "Everyone, the reason I am interrogating you is because you have been impeached and accused. Come, tell me everything. Where were you in the days before entering the palace? Whom did you meet? Confess truthfully!"
Zhao Yun's tone became cold. "This..."
Xu Shao and the other officials exchanged glances. Prefect of Yizhou, Zhang Yi, reported first, "A few days ago, I went to Nanzhong... the Prime Minister ordered me to procure grain..."
And so it went. Zhao Yun spent the entire morning interrogating these officials, asking for every detail with great thoroughness. He would occasionally nod in agreement, but naturally, no clues were found.
Zhao Yun continued his questioning with interest, as if deliberately consuming time.
Liao Li, the Chamberlain, could not contain himself any longer, "Does General Zilong know that the military grain at Fushui Pass is in urgent need? The Prime Minister has sent three urgent dispatches for grain! With the time spent interrogating us, could General Zilong not go and procure some provisions to relieve the Prime Minister's pressing needs?"
As these words left his mouth, Zhao Yun was about to retort.
Unexpectedly, at that moment... a junior officer burst into the room. He quickly approached Zhao Yun and whispered something in his ear. Visibly, Zhao Yun's expression changed from gloomy to radiant.
"Hahahaha..."
After the junior officer finished his report.
Zhao Yun abruptly stood up, raising his hand, "Alright... no more interrogation!" "No more interrogation?" Xu Shao and the others were stunned and quickly asked, "Then can we return to our residences?"
"Not yet!" Zhao Yun's voice was firm. His eyes looked at the junior officer, "Relay my order, remove the 'Ji Han' banners from all the city gates of Chengdu and replace them with 'Wei' banners! All Chengdu garrison troops are to change into Wei army armor and uniforms!"
What?
Everyone was dumbfounded by this statement! What? What did this mean?
How could the "situation change so drastically!"
Xu Shao reacted the fastest. As if sensing something, his eyes widened, looking at Zhao Yun with disbelief.
Zhao Yun calmly met his sharp gaze, "Everyone, please forgive me... The Wei State's Military Intelligence spies I have been investigating these past few days are none other than myself! However, now that you know, it is of no use!" Saying this, Zhao Yun cupped his hands, and his unconcealable smile overflowed.
This time...
All the officials and nobles of the Shu Han were stunned.
"Zhao Zilong, did the former emperor and the Prime Minister treat you poorly?" Xu Shao roared with anger, loudly reprimanding him. "Why... why do you act like a two-faced villain!"
"I, Zhao Zilong, have never been fickle," Zhao Yun's tone was calm and composed. "From the very beginning, I have been a general under Cao Yu, the monarch of Cao Wei, and I have always been loyal to the Great Wei!"
This...
Xu Shao clenched his fists, seemingly about to fight Zhao Yun. Unexpectedly... at this moment.
"Seize him!"
A childish voice echoed through the room. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. It was none other than the slowly approaching Emperor of Shu Han—Liu Shan!
This...
Everyone was dumbfounded. Liu Shan continued, "Seize Xu Shao..." His attitude shocked everyone.
It was clear that if there were loyal officials and treacherous villains here, then... Xu Shao was undoubtedly a great loyal official, and Zhao Zilong was the treacherous villain!
At the same time...
Jiang Wei seemed to have received the news and whispered into Liu Shan's ear, "Your Majesty, Miss Zhen Rong has been brought back to the palace!"
This statement... seemed to add a "booster" to Liu Shan. His gaze became sharp, "No need to seize him. General Zilong, execute Xu Shao on the spot! As a warning to others!"
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The fighting spirit of Liu Bei and the others was even more disheartening!
If one could say that Liu Bei was a filial son, then Liu Shan could be considered a filial son... But what about Liu Shan? He was the King of the State of Yan! Why did he have to stand by Liu Shan's side?
"Has the prince been deceived? Who is Liu Bei loyal to?" Guan Yu immediately knelt and pleaded.
"You call Wang Lian, don't you? It was Xu Shu who brought you up!" Liu Shan said with interest, looking at Wang Lian. When he mentioned the three characters "Xu Shu," his tone suddenly turned cold: "This one must also be killed!"
Who would have thought that Liu Shan, who used to meticulously ask about everything, would become so cold and severe at this moment? The light in his eyes was like a sword's edge, capable of crushing everything in an instant.
"Prince..." Zhang Fei stood up and said, "Liu Bei is a famous general under heaven. Before the prince was born, his reputation already echoed through the land. Killing him would mean losing a great warrior of the world!"
"A warrior of the world?" Liu Shan looked at Zhang Fei with interest. "Instead of being a warrior of the world, it would be better to be the greedy king of the Yan Kingdom! What is there to be afraid of!"
Fueled by anger, Lei Lei…
It was as if Liu Shan had completely unleashed his true nature at this moment!
He walked again to Liu Bei's front and said, "It's you! You said that the King of Wu, Cao Cao, is a 'ruler of the world,' a 'hero of troubled times,' right? Hahaha... King Cao Cao also has a saying—'Rather let the world betray me, than let me betray the world!' I want to learn this saying well. Come, kill him!"
At this moment, Liu Shan's voice was very cold and sharp.
His face, like a creeping shadow, seemed to be saying: "I'm done pretending. I'm not going to pretend anymore. I'm going to find a king to lick, a king who is utterly degenerate. I don't care about him!"
"Relay the king's will. The traitor Liu Bei is dead. The heavens are righteous, and those who defy heaven will perish. We will not bear the burden of defiance. Resist the great devils and kill them!"
...
The twilight was dim, and the Guan of Jingji, not far from Chengdu, was already closing. Xiahou Yuan stood on the city wall, watching the generals lightly sweep the battlefield. Yesterday was a frenzied night.
The garrison of Jingji was the Guan family, the official title was "Tiger General," and its clan members were all of the Hou lineage, and its clan sisters were the former emperor's Guan Empress.
It was for this reason that Guan Jingji was entrusted to guard the junction of Ji River and Chengdu, and he was a trusted subordinate of Xu Shu.
Last night... it was an unusually normal night. After Guan Jingji spent the night, he went to rest.
Who would have thought that a deputy general would enter and shout: "An unknown army is approaching the Jingji Pass!"
"Unknown?" Guan Jingjing frowned, "He asked: 'Has the Ji River Pass been breached?
"...No... No..." The deputy general's voice trembled, "It's... it's coming from the direction of Chengdu. Covered by the dark night, the fire has been raised... The night is as bright as day, and there are tens of thousands of footsteps!"
Before Guan Jing could recover from his shock, "Clang, clang, clang..."
The sound of a massive wooden battering ram hitting the city gate echoed. The gate had already been loosened by the impact. He suddenly changed color, somewhat terrified...
But at this moment... "Hoo, hoo..."
Two consecutive sounds of air breaking through the sky. Two arrows shot out, drawing a straight line in the air, and ruthlessly pierced Guan Jingji's chest.
In almost the same position, two arrows after another.
Guan Jingji was pushed back several steps by the immense force of the arrows. Before he could even steady himself... "Puff..." A mouthful of blood gushed out.
Guan Jing forced his eyes open, only to find that the deputy general beside him did not come to save him. Instead, he drew a saber and added several more blows to those two arrows. He was afraid that the arrows would not take his life. "You..." Guan Jing exclaimed in disbelief.
The deputy general's cold voice answered him: "General, the general in the army is no longer valuable to the pursuit. But to the one below, he is of great value. The general was not taught by time that 'proceed with caution'?"
At this moment...
The army was in disarray, and Guan Jing was in despair.
Instead, under the city wall, Xiahou Yuan and an old general were exchanging pleasantries. "The divine skill of General Guan, who has traveled hundreds of miles, is truly worthy of its reputation!"
This old general was Huang Zhong. He cupped his hands and looked back at Xiahou Yuan, "I have long heard of the divine speed of General Guan's arrows. Today, I see it. Compared to the speed of the Three Days and Five Successes, and the Six Days and Thousand Arrows, it is not much inferior!" This saying...
The two men laughed heartily, as if they were promoting each other. This laughter lasted for half a day.
However, Guan Jing was defeated in half a day.
At this moment, Xiahou Yuan looked into the distance. He seemed to see the Ji River Pass everywhere...
Xiahou Dun reported: "Father, all the grain supplies have been cut off. I learned from the descending general that the grain at the Ji River Pass can no longer support two days!"
"Heh heh..." Xiahou Yuan smiled faintly, "Xu Shu! Oh, Xu Shu! This general will see how you deal with the impending disaster!"
...
Chuzhou, Nanzhong.
This area included Yongji, Yueji, Pengtai, Jian'an, Yongchang, Yunnan, Xinggu, and other prefectures.
At this moment...
The prefects of these cities gathered in a temple, not for anything else, but to witness the demeanor of a person... or rather, a "god" in legends.
This person was precisely - Cao Cao!
As the "First Person in the Great Wei," the "Creator of Heads," the "Ghost of the Central Plains," and the "Dragon of the Great Wei," there were too many legends about Cao Cao.
It was no exaggeration to say...
Even in the distant Nanzhong of the Central Plains, the reverence for "Cao Cao" far surpassed that for Xu Shu.
The people of Nanzhong originally believed in ghosts and gods. They were full of reverence for the dead, but unexpectedly... Cao Cao, in his early years, he...
As the "First Person to Seek Prosperity in the Central Plains," the legends of "touching spirits and warding off ghosts" had already transferred this reverence from the ghost gods to him.
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