Three Kingdoms

There is endless darkness all around, with only a little light under your feet.

Cao Cao looked around blankly, but he didn't know where the road was?

Cao Cao couldn't help but feel a little panic in his heart. Cao Cao started to walk forward. At first, he just walked in small steps. Then he didn't know why. Maybe he started running, or he was pushed by the shadows around him. Cao Cao started running non-stop. And there was still darkness all around.

There is great fear in the darkness.

Is this a dream?

Cao Cao wanted to open his eyes and get rid of all this, but found that his hands and feet didn't obey him at all...

"The killing is coming!"

"Run!"

"Madman! Butcher! Thief!"

"You will be quartered by five horses! You will die without a burial place!"

Noisy human voices sounded in confusion. The figures around him were swaying, like waves, waves rushing toward Cao Cao. As he ran, some waves pushed him forward, while others stopped him, and some even tried to push him away. He was annihilated in this darkness...

don't look back

It seems that there is such a voice reminding Cao Cao.

Can't look behind...

Cao Cao warned himself like this in his heart.

However, amidst the chaos and noise, the voices behind him became louder and louder, and it even seemed like hot blood spattered out and sprayed on his back...

Cao Cao couldn't help it and began to slowly turn his head back.

Many heads suddenly flew out of the darkness, and the one at the front, with a face full of blood and misery, actually looked like the head of his son Cao Ang!

Cao Cao suddenly turned over and sat up, only to find that his hands had been pressed on his chest at some point. He was covered in cold sweat and was panting...

The light in the bedroom was still dim, and the scent of sandalwood still vaguely lingered in the incense burner next to the bed.

Sandalwood was supposed to calm the nerves, but unfortunately it still had no effect.

Cao Cao's consciousness was still immersed in a dream for a while, and the situation in the dream still made Cao Cao's heart beat so hard that it felt a little uncomfortable.

It was still dark, so Cao Cao took the big cloak hanging aside and put it on himself. The soft sound woke up the maid serving outside, and after asking Cao Cao for instructions, someone came in to tidy up Cao Cao's bed, while others went to get hot water for Cao Cao to wash, and others brought clothes and clothes to help Cao Cao wash up.

Cao Cao has gradually returned to his usual composure.

In these years, he must be calm.

He must be decisive in all matters in the court, he must be dignified and dignified in all relations among the nobles, he must be decisive in arranging battlefields in the army, and even in the ordinary people, he must be decisive. To put on a friendly appearance, he also had to show kindness to ordinary soldiers, but Cao Cao knew that all these appearances were not his true self.

And in those years, when he was young, in Taixue, when he was sailing in the Wei River, rippling in the wine and music, that was his true self, his open-minded and defenseless self.

Cao Cao rubbed his face with a hot towel, and the heat dissipated little by little. The remaining confusion and sadness in his eyes seemed to dissipate little by little with the heat...

"Madam..." Cao Cao said in a deep voice, "Are you not going out yet?"

The maid responded weakly, lowering her head and not daring to look at Cao Cao.

Although the war with Yuan Shao has come to an end for the time being, it does not mean that Cao Cao can sleep with his feet up. The breath of war still lingers in the sky, like the ice and snow on the top of the mountain that never melts. Although the four seasons Changed, but still cold.

The battlefield is a life-and-death Shura field, and no one will have any compassion. Because those with compassionate hearts have already died among the first batch...

When Cao Cao passed the backyard gate, he paused for a moment, stared at the closed gate blankly for a moment, and then walked forward with his head raised.

At this moment, I still can't stop.

In other words, he can no longer stay...

"Just wait..." Cao Cao said in his heart, "Maybe... just wait... wait until we have been busy for a while..."

Outside the front hall, there were officials waiting with their heads bowed. After seeing Cao Cao's figure, they approached him in small steps and reported in a low voice: "Mr. Cao, the latest news from Jizhou..."

Cao Cao snatched it with his hand and walked away while looking at it.

In the backyard, Mrs. Ding sat with her hair disheveled, facing the empty bed, and did not shed any tears, because her tears had already dried up while guarding Cao Ang's body.

Following Mrs. Ding's gaze, on the low table next to the bed was a tall vase, and inside the vase was a withered peach branch...

...Here is the curling dividing line...

Qingzhou.

The great victory that Yuan Tan was looking forward to, the victory that he longed for to join forces in Xu County, failed to appear after all. Not only that, Yuan Tan received the news even after Yuan Shao had retreated...

These cold words gradually chilled Yuan Tan's originally fiery heart.

Yuan Tan originally thought that as long as he worked hard and dedicated, everyone would see and recognize him, but now he suddenly realized that his efforts and contributions were worthless.

Yuan Tan has forgotten what it feels like to be surrounded by his father's knees. It seems... not at all?

At that time, my father was still in Luoyang, still in the Yuan family mansion, and had not moved out. It seemed that he would leave early and come back late every day, and the time to see each other was very little. Even if he did meet, it would only be a few words. , and after Yuan Xi is born, part of the time spent talking to his father will be allocated to Yuan Xi...

Then there was Yuan Shang.

"How's your studies going?"

"What's the improvement?"

It seems that there are two sentences repeated over and over forever, and then Yuan Tan speaks, Yuan Shao nods, and that's it.

that is it.

Yuan Tan once thought that things would get better when he grew up, that there would be some changes after arriving in Jizhou, and that after his father was busy for a while, he would have a chance...

However, Yuan Tan finally discovered that the eyes Yuan Shao was looking at were still cold and without the slightest warmth.

It's not even as good as looking at those so-called Jizhou celebrities or ordinary soldiers! At least at that time, Yuan Shao still had a smile on his face!

Even if it's a fake smile...

Just because we are family members, we should bear this coldness, should always understand, shouldn't we not even deserve this fake smile?

Yuan Tan doesn't know.

As his father Yuan Shao grew older and his territory expanded, the struggle for power seemed like a dark tide, rolling under the shadows, spreading out with Jizhou as the center,

Ever since Yuan Tan had his younger brother, not only his father, but also other people have been saying that he should be like an elder brother, be humble, tolerant, and polite...

Ever since, Yuan Tan gave up his position under his father's knees, gave up the time with his father, gave up a stable and comfortable life, and gave up the graceful and beautiful woman. He retreated step by step, step by step. Let, now, I suddenly found that I had nowhere to give way.

Yesterday afternoon, Yuan Tan met one of Tian Feng's guests. He told Yuan Tan that Tian Feng was dead and was killed on the order of Yuan Shao.

Tian Feng's guest may be disappointed, or he may have left Jizhou, or he may want to fulfill Tian Feng's instructions. He told Yuan Tan that Yuan Shao intends to pass power to Yuan Shang, and there is nothing wrong with him. If Yuan Tan Tan doesn't want to accept such a result, so it's best to start preparing now...

"What are you preparing for?" Yuan Tan asked.

Tian Feng's guests laughed but did not answer.

Yuan Tan asked again: "Sir, are you willing to stay here?"

Guest Tian Feng shook his head and finally drifted away.

Qingzhou is not a good place. Due to the climate in the Han Dynasty, typhoons hit here from time to time. Throughout the Han Dynasty, there were several records of encountering big waves. In addition, the hilly area occupies nearly half of the area, so it is naturally not as good as Qingzhou. Jizhou is rich and prosperous, but if it were not for the use of salt, it would not be of much benefit.

But Jizhou is different. There are people, money, iron, copper, almost everything...

Are we really going to fight this time?

Yuan Tan couldn't help but feel a little panicked in his heart. Even the sword, which was usually very handy, now trembled slightly when he picked it up...

There are some blood marks on the sword. Over the years, Yuan Tan has led his troops to annihilate mountain bandits, rectify bandits, pacify local areas, and lead troops in battles, all with this sword. Because this sword was given to him by his father Yuan Shao personally when Yuan Tan was about to go to the battlefield. On the handle of the sword, there was Yuan's jade pendant as decoration...

"Father...can you tell me what exactly you are thinking..."

Yuan Tan stared at the jade pendant.

He originally thought that when Yuan Shao handed him this knife, it represented a kind of authority, but now it seems that it is not, it is just a knife.

Just a knife...

...Here is the dividing line with a strand of stupid hair...

In the north of China, in the desert, the flames of war and beacon smoke also suddenly ignited.

The Wuhuan people who originally spoke the same language and wore the same clothes suddenly raised their swords and guns to each other. This happened suddenly and naturally.

Since the moment humans took up arms, they have cut off many heads of their own kind in their struggle with nature. Perhaps in the evolution of the entire civilization, humans are ranked second in terms of various hunting and killing behaviors of the same kind. I am afraid that no other species dares to be ranked first.

The Wuhuan people were originally the same as the Xianbei people, coming from the Donghu people, but they took a different path. However, in Tadun's eyes, this was just because there was a Tanshihuai among the Xianbei people.

After the Xiongnu moved westward, the northern grasslands became the domain of the Xianbei people. Even the Shiwanluo who stayed in the grasslands of the Xiongnu "all called themselves Xianbei". However, compared to the Xiongnu tribe, which had a clear governance system, the Xianbei people's tribal system was very loose. The Tanshihuai tribe of the Xianbei tribe alliance established in the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty was initially "regarded as a master" because of his "brave and strong wisdom" and "the ability to cast spells and prohibitions, straight and straight, and no one dared to offend", and then was established step by step. The Khan Court made Xianbei "all the great people from the east and west return to Yan".

Tadun felt that he was the "Tanshihuai" among the Wuhuan people...

The reason for the division of the Xianbei people was that Tan Shihuai divided the Xianbei people into three major groups: the left, the middle, and the right. After Tan Shihuai's death, each of them went their own way. This also resulted in the current Xianbei being unable to unite in one place, and even having constant disputes.

Since they have learned such a lesson, how can the Wuhuan people allow them to follow the old path of Xianbei again?

Now is an opportunity, the best opportunity, an opportunity for the Wuhuan people to rise.

Tadun should be like Tanshihuai, reintegrating the entire Wuhuan people into a whole, and no longer splitting into East Wuhuan and West Wuhuan, so that they can take advantage of the civil war between the Xianbei people to expand, expand, and then expand. Expand until it reaches the same scale as when Tan Shihuai was alive...

Therefore, those who block the reunification of the Wuhuan people are the sinners of the Wuhuan people!

Tadun finally convinced Su Buyan to follow him, and the war among the Wuhuan people suddenly broke out...

Tribes cut each other down, and fierce fighting took place across the entire front.

Because they lived in the desert chasing water and grass, the tribes of the Hu people were not regularly distributed. Therefore, when the whole war began to break out, many Wuhuan people only reacted when their swords were cut on their heads.

However, as the battle progresses, this situation gradually decreases and disappears, because on the line where the war took place, a no-man's land has been cleared. Those who failed to react, or were slower to react, There is no need to react any more.

I don’t know when it started, but King Nanlou began to retreat.

At the moment, it seemed that King Nanlou could not resist Tadun's attack, and retreat had become a trend. When Tadun led his men and horses to kill all the way to the west, he felt that the resistance encountered on the way had become very weak.

"They ran away! Like mice, they ran away, running for their lives! These cowards! Cowardly dogs!" Tadun sat on the horse with high spirits.

Of course, there are still some tribes belonging to Nanlou's faction, who either did not receive the signal or did not have time to push away, and still resisted Tadun's troops, but in this way they lost the mutual support array and the resistance with numerical disadvantage. , In fact, it didn't have much effect, and it couldn't resist the advancement of Tadun's troops.

Su Puyan, who was following Tadun, was also speechless.

Compared with Tadun, Su Puyan can be called handsome because of his long extension. After all, he comes from the high mountain bloodline of Donghu, which gives Su Puyan deep eye sockets and a straight nose bridge, but his appearance is actually among the Wuhuan people. Not as important as fists.

This time, Su Buyan was a little hesitant at first, but he still followed Tadun. After the death of Lao Shanyu, only Tadun stabilized the entire Wuhuan people at that time. Although Lou Ban is the blood of Lao Shanyu, it is a pity that Su Puyan has not seen anything that Lou Ban can do in the past two years. The Wuhuan people's ability to survive in this troubled time.

This world is a cannibal.

Everyone who does not realize this will become a meal on someone else's plate.

Although Tadun is not very good, he seems to be more suitable for this cruel world than the soft-hearted Lou Ban.

"Lou Ban...I have already given you a chance..." Su Puyan murmured, "This...can't blame me..."