Section 296 Detailed analysis of autumn hair

When Wu Qiong arrived in Yunnan from afar, Wu Fan's troops were in battle with the Southern Barbarians.

All the Southern Barbarians are Vine-armored soldiers, which are special infantry troops in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms 10". The attack power is second only to the Qingzhou soldiers, but the defense power is the strongest, especially good at mountain and jungle combat. Such terrain marching has additional movement bonus, crossing mountains and forests like walking on flat ground.

In contrast, the cavalry units that made many military achievements in the process of conquering most of China were struggling with the bushes everywhere and the poisonous springs everywhere, and even normal marching became very difficult, let alone charging into battle.

This is not all. Like Wuhuan, Xiqiang, and Shanyue, the Southern Barbarians have high morale, no matter how severe the damage or ambush they suffer, or how long they last for a fight, their morale is almost always unchanged.

In this way, although the number of soldiers under Wu Fan's army had an absolute advantage, he was at a loss in front of the perverted Southern Barbarians.

Since the construction of the three city blocks started, the two sides have been fighting fiercely, regardless of day or night. Until the construction of the three city blocks has been completed, the offensive of the Southern Barbarian Army has slowed down. During this period, the two sides suffered casualties, but the number of casualties of the Cao army was far above the Southern Barbarian Army, and the ratio of the two sides was about 7:1.

Such a huge gap in casualties is due to the repeated implementation of ambush strategies by Wu Fan and his advisers. Otherwise, the casualties ratio between the two sides would reach at least 20:1.

After the three city blocks were built, an isosceles triangle formed, which was a horn of each other. Each city block was within the range of the falling rocks of the other two city blocks. The Southern Barbarians initially attacked the three city blocks. After paying the price of tens of thousands of people being flattened by huge rocks, they finally realized that these three city blocks were not shaken at all. Therefore, they retracted back to Yunnan City and stopped coming out easily.

It was at this time that Wu Qiong arrived at the north city of the three city blocks, the other two were the east city and the west city, and gave the letter to Wu Fan.

Wu Fan was a little surprised when he heard Wu Qiong say that this was a handwritten letter written to him by Cao Pi, but he didn't say anything. After taking the letter, he wiped off the lacquer and took out the letter paper to look.

As his eyes swept across the letter paper, Wu Fan's eyebrows gradually frowned.

In just a few short lines, Wu Fan quickly finished reading it. He raised his eyes and looked at Wu Qiong with a expressionless face. At the same time, the letter paper was tightly held by Wu Fan in the palm of his hand, and the giggles of his knuckles were clearly heard.

Although Wu Fan didn't say a word from beginning to end, just looking at his expression and movements, the fool could feel that something was wrong. Wu Qiong looked at Wu Fan blankly, swallowed his saliva, and was at a loss.

"What did Ziheng say when he gave you the letter?"

After a long silence, Wu Fan finally spoke up.

Wu Qiong hurriedly answered:

"When I go back to Governor Wu, my master repeatedly reminded me not to let others know about this letter. It should be delivered to you as soon as possible and do not delay the way."

After hearing this sentence, Wu Fan's eyes moved for a moment, as if he was thinking. He immediately said to Wu Qiong:

"I have received the letter. Please go and rest for now."

Wu Qiong responded and bowed and left the lobby of the General Manager's Mansion.

Left Wu Fan sitting alone in the hall, frowning and thinking.

Wu Fan was naturally very unhappy with the ridicule and instigation in the letter. Moreover, the letter came at the right time, just when Wu Fan refused to return to Yecheng on the grounds of pacifying the Southern Barbarians. From Wu Fan's perspective, the reason why Cao Pi was extremely ridiculing and instigating in the letter was that he made him angry and insisted on returning to Yecheng regardless of his subordinates' dissuasion.

However, Wu Fan found a suspicious point in Wu Qiong's reply - this letter did not have any secret matters. Logically, Cao Pi did not need to repeatedly remind the servants who sent the letter not to let others know about it. Could it be...

Thinking of this, Wu Fan shook his head secretly again. The words of the servant alone are not enough to explain anything. After all, it is shameful to Cao Pi to assassinate himself. In this way, it seems reasonable that this letter does not want others to know.

At this moment, a burst of rapid footsteps came outside the hall, and then a figure flashed from the entrance of the hall, and Cao Chong appeared in front of Wu Fan.

"uncle"

After Cao Chong called out, he ran a few steps and rushed into Wu Fan's arms. He raised his head and looked at Wu Fan and said:

"Uncle, I heard that my second brother was sending a letter from Yecheng? Chong'er wanted to know what my second brother said in the letter."

Wu Fan did not tell Cao Chong about Cao Pi's rush to inherit the throne. There are many reasons. The main one is that Cao Chong is still young and has very limited psychological endurance. Hearing that his father died, Cao Chong cried to death. In this case, Wu Fan naturally did not want Cao Chong to know that his second brother was still trying to fight for power and murder him, so as not to add another heavy psychological pressure to Cao Chong.

Including the fact that he wanted to help Cao Chong up to the throne and fulfill his elder brother's wish, Wu Fan did not tell Cao Chong. These intrigues for power told Cao Chong that there was no benefit and would only add psychological burden to Cao Chong. Therefore, Cao Chong, who had no knowledge of all this happening recently, still respected his second brother Cao Pi as before, and had no scruples.

Wu Fan stroked Cao Chong's head and said lightly:

"Nothing, I just urge us to go back soon."

As soon as he heard that he had gone back, Cao Chong immediately rushed forward and shook Wu Fan's arm and said:

"Uncle, how did you reply to your second brother? Chong'er really wants to go back to Yecheng, and even dreams. Chong'er has seen his father several times in his dreams, but Chong'er is far away from his father. No matter how Chong'er runs, he can't run to his father. Every time he wakes up from Chong'er so anxious that he wakes up. Uncle, Chong'er really wants to go back to Yecheng and worship his father's spirit in heaven."

Speaking of this, tears were already rising in Cao Chong's eyes; looking at Cao Chong's face carefully, the two tears were still clearly visible.

This child has a lot of thought about his father Cao and cried several times every day. It really made Wu Fan see it and feel hurt in his heart.

Using his sleeves to wipe away the tears from the corners of Cao Chong's eyes, Wu Fan said meaningfully:

"I will go back, I will definitely go back. Don't worry, my uncle not only wants to bring you back, but also gives you everything that should belong to you, and no one can take away."

Wu Fan's words meant something, and Cao Chong certainly couldn't understand it. He only knew that his uncle would definitely take him back to Yecheng. So Cao Chong, who had calmed down, hugged Wu Fan tightly, looking like a father and son.

At this time, the guards guarding outside came in to report to Wu Fan: Xun You and Ju Su are visiting.

Xun You and Ju Su were both officials under Zhang Liao. They were transferred to Zhang Liao by Wu Fan as military advisors to assist Zhang Liao in attacking the two prefectures of Yongliang. Now, all the prefectures of Yongliang have been pacified, and Zhang Liao led his army back to Luoyang to rest. Xun You and Ju Su also returned to Luoyang with Zhang Liao.

Xun You and Ju Su are both famous counselors in the history of the Three Kingdoms, so there is no doubt about this. Although Sima Yi and Cao Pi have always paid great attention to keeping secrets in their actions against Wu Fan, they have failed to hide from Xun You and Ju Su who are close to Luoyang. Especially after Dian Wei and Xu Zhu suddenly led their troops to the Luoyang Governor's Office, the two paid more attention to the movements in Yecheng.

When they learned that Sima Yi sent troops to leave Yecheng and go to Bingzhou, Cui Yangyang's hometown was in Bingzhou and Jinyang, the two immediately realized that a major incident would happen, so they rushed to Yunnan together.

Wu Fan and these two old subordinates had not met for several years. When they heard that they were suddenly visiting, they quickly ordered the guards to let the two in; and asked Cao Chong to go back to rest first, and Cao Chong left.

Soon, the two came to the hall and bowed to Wu Fan. Wu Fan told them not to be polite and sit left and right.

After seated, the two of them talked about reunion after a long separation. Because they were worried, the two soon lost the topic and a brief recurrence occurred.

During this period, Xun You and Ju Su looked at each other and hesitated how to talk about Hebei to Wu Fan. However, Xun You accidentally saw a letter on Wu Fan’s table. He remembered that someone from Yecheng had just heard that someone came to Yecheng gave Wu Fan a letter. Xun You asked Wu Fan: Is this letter sent by Yecheng the same?

Wu Fan had no intention of hiding these two people, saying bluntly that it was this letter, and told Xun You that the letter was written to him by Cao Pi. However, he also felt that it seemed a little suspicious.

Xun You asked Wu Fan again why he was suspicious? Wu Fan handed the letter paper to Xun You to watch, and said the original words answered by the servant who sent the letter. He said that he felt something seemed to be a problem, but he also felt that it did not seem to be enough to explain anything.

Xun You read the letter briefly, and after hearing what Wu Fan said, he felt that it seemed a bit suspicious. After thinking about it, Xun You said to Wu Fan:

"Mr. Governor, can you show the envelope to your subordinates?"

After hearing what Xun You said, Wu Fan immediately understood that Xun You suspected that this letter was false, and smiled, Wu Fan said:

"Do you want to see the hot paint seal on the envelope? Here."

As he said that, Wu Fan gave Xun You the complete lacquer seal wiped with a knife.

Xun You took the hot lacquer seal and looked carefully. His brows frowned slightly. Then he stood up and went to the entrance of the lobby. He observed carefully in the sun for a long time before turning around and saying to Wu Fan:

"Mr. Governor, my subordinates suspect that this letter is a forged work."

Wu Fan was stunned for a moment after hearing this. Ju Su, who was sitting beside him, looked at Xun You in surprise and asked:

"Why did Gongda say this?"

Xun You smiled slightly and said:

"It's on this hot lacquer seal."

As he said that, he stepped forward and placed the fire lacquer seal on the table in front of Wu Fan, lifted a pen on the table, pointed at the point on the seal with the tip:

"Look at here, what did you see?"

Ju Su was already standing next to Xun You at this time, looking carefully in the direction pointed by Xun You's pen tip, and saw a very small white dot vaguely visible in the vermilion fire lacquer.

Wu Fan's eyesight was much stronger than Ju Su and Xun You, so although he did not lower his head and his eyes were still more than one meter away from the Fire Paint Seal, he also saw that abnormality.

Wu Fan did not rush to ask questions. He knew very well that Ju Su would definitely not be able to help asking Xun You, and just listen to it.

Sure enough, after seeing this white dot, Ju Su raised his head and asked Xun You:

"I still don't understand why Gongda decided that the letter was false based on this white spot? Perhaps, it's not bad that this is just caused by the roughness of the fire paint."

What Ju Su mentioned is roughness, which means that he suspects that this white dot is an impurity in the fire lacquer.

Xun You smiled slightly and said:

"The light here is dark, making it difficult for Gongyu to see why this white dot is, so he has this question. In fact, this white dot is a wood chip."

When Ju Su heard the wood chips, he was stunned for a moment, and then his expression seemed to be sudden, and he already understood something in his heart.

Xun You continued to say:

"In the opinion of Gong and the others, what kind of material should the seal of the second Gongzi Ziheng be engraved?"

Ju Shu said:

"It should be carved by yù stone, not made of wood."

Xun You nodded and said again:

"Mr. I believe that there may be such filthy things as wood chips in the second prince Ziheng's study?"

Ju Shu said:

"I heard that the second young master loves tidyness and will never tolerate any dust in the study."

Xun You nodded again, but this time he smiled:

"Since that's the case, I believe Mr. Gong has already thought of the source of the wood chips."

Ju Shu said:

"It must come from temporary grass-made wooden seals."

Speaking of this, Ju Su looked at Wu Fan and said:

"Governor General, Gongda's analysis is correct. This letter is very likely to be a forgery. At present, we only need to know a little to determine the authenticity of this letter."

Wu Fan also understood at this time and said:

"Your Majesty wants to ask the sender if he had ever contacted someone on the way?"
To be continued...