In the study, Yuan Shaozheng was sitting alone in deep thought.
The two sons had a direct and fierce internal fight, which made him hit hard and made him even more depressed. In recent years, Yuan Shao felt that his vigor was gradually fading and he was becoming more and more decadent.
Xianbei in the north of the Han Dynasty was like a centipede insect that was dead but not stiff, making it difficult for him to sleep and eat well. Hundreds of thousands of Black Mountain bandits under Zhang Yan's command are entrenched in the Taihang Mountains, and they are like a dagger stuck in Yuan Shao's heart, trying to get rid of them but not being able to get rid of them.
Seeing Cao Cao's aggressive rise in the Central Plains, sweeping across the three states of Yan, Yu, and Sili like a strong wind rolling down leaves, this made Yuan Shao feel that he was getting further and further away from the hegemony that would unify the world. At this time, Yuan Shao quickly At fifty years old, it can be said that in ancient times, it is almost the end of a hero's life.
In Chang'an City, Xiliang Army Barracks.
The generals of the Xiliang Army, Guo Si, Li Que, Fan Chou, Yang Feng, and Xu Rong, were gathering together at this time, but the atmosphere in the camp was obviously not harmonious.
"Old Li, it's all your fault!" Guo Si jumped out and scolded, "You didn't tell us until Ma Teng and Han Sui came to Chang'an City."
Li Que glanced at the crowd with a pair of cold triangular eyes, and sneered, "Is it someone's fault? You are all stationed in Chang'an, who else is stationed on the right side of Fufeng!"
Guo Si and Fan Chou were speechless. They both stationed heavy troops around Chang'an in order to better control the emperor and courtiers.
In this way, Ma Teng and Han Sui's group of Xiliang troops did not know until they reached their door.
"General Li and General Guo, now is not the time to investigate faults. We should discuss how to repel Han Sui and Ma Teng." Xu Rong advised.
"In the day-to-day battle, our troops suffered a lot of casualties. It's time for you, Old Li, to go to war." Guo Si said.
"Guo Si, what do you mean? Today, my nephew Li Lili was sent to fight. You are so lucky that you were defeated by a kid with a yellow mouth!" Li Que said sarcastically.
Guo Bang was furious. He stood up and put his hand on the handle of the knife. Li Que snorted coldly and said, "What, do you want to kill me? I don't even know whose territory this is!"
After all, it was not his territory, so Guo Bin sat down awkwardly. Fan Chou tried to persuade him: "Old Li, I can't blame Lao Guo. Although Ma Chao is less than twenty, his martial arts skills are extraordinary. His bravery is comparable to that of Lu Bu!"
"No matter how brave he is, he is still just one person. Wasn't that guy Lu Bu kicked out of Guanzhong by us back then? What are we afraid of, just like a baby?" Li Que's mind suddenly changed and he said, "None of us can shirk it, just like Just like before, gather all the troops and defeat Ma Teng and Han Sui in one fell swoop. What do you think?"
Several generals had their own thoughts, but they all agreed and agreed to fight again in the future, but they did not mention the dirty things.
Yang Feng, Fan Chou and Xu Rong left Li Que's barracks. Instead of going back to their respective stations, they all came outside Fan Chou's station.
"What do you think about today's Autumn Festival escorting His Majesty to Hongnong?" Fan Chou asked.
"We are the biggest contributors to the success of the rescue. The benefits and rewards are of course, so there is no need to hesitate!" Yang Feng said.
"Even if we are afraid that Guo Si and Li Que will chase after us, the three of us combined will not be able to match them." Xu Rong said worriedly.
"Are you not afraid? There are Ma Teng and Han Sui outside the city. If Guo Bang and Li Que come after them, won't Ma Teng also spank them? What's so scary." Yang Feng was full of confidence.
"That's it. I will open the city gate later and welcome His Majesty out of the city. General Xu, how do you do with your Majesty?" Fan Chou asked.
"It is our duty, general. *****But we must occupy Tongguan and Hangu to resist Guo Si and Li's pursuit." Xu Rong seemed a little embarrassed and said, "But Tongguan and Hangu are in disrepair. , it is necessary to garrison heavy troops, and our troops are not enough to occupy the two places."
Yang Feng guessed Fan Chou's little plan and suggested: "How about each of the three of us sending an army to the rear?"
"These three parties do not belong to each other, so they may not be able to fight together." Fan Chou objected. He originally wanted Yang Feng and Xu Rong to take the rear. He has the largest number of troops among the three. If after arriving in Hongnong, his family will be the only one. It's not up to him to decide everything.
"But they are all under the control of General Xu, so no one suffers." Yang Fengming said clearly.
Although Fan Chou was not happy, he could only agree. The three of them discussed for a while and then each led the troops into action.
On the streets of Chang'an City, warnings were once again deployed.
Today is the beginning of autumn. Emperor Liu Xie led hundreds of officials to the western suburbs to worship the White Emperor.
The emperor's personal sacrifice should have been grand and solemn, but the entire team seemed to be returning in defeat, which cast a layer of gloom on the hearts of the people watching, implying that something big had happened.
Yang Biao and Zhong Yao looked at each other tacitly, and they were very satisfied with the atmosphere. The emperor's low-key travel is conducive to the implementation of the plan. This is a God-given opportunity.
On the first day of autumn, the emperor Liu Xie slowly climbed onto the altar. For the young emperor, offering sacrifices to heaven and earth was a cumbersome, boring and even comical ritual. However, for Liu Xie, the annual sacrifices are his happiest days.
Only then could he leave the cage-like Weiyang Palace, walk out of the gloomy Chang'an City, and breathe a different air. When offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, Li Que, Guo Bang and their followers were unable to survive. Only Liu Xie can find the feeling of being an emperor.
This year's autumn is even different from the past. While Liu Xie was excited, he could not hide his nervousness. As he stepped onto the last step of the altar, Liu Xie stumbled. Almost fell! Amid low exclamations from the officials, Liu Xie steadied himself and finished reciting the sacrificial inscription mechanically. He knelt down on the altar again and stayed up for a long time.
The emperor's camp was heavily guarded, and Zhang Xiu, fully clothed in armor, patrolled the emperor's camp. Yang Xiu held several scrolls of bamboo slips and arrived at the camp gate on time.
"Stop!" The person guarding the gate of the camp is the Yulin Guard who is loyal to the Xiliang Army. Personnel entering and leaving the camp must be strictly interrogated. Yang Xiudao: "Your Majesty reads the classics at night and orders Yang to interpret them."
Zhang Xiu walked over quickly. He said, "Dr. Yang, come in quickly. Your Majesty has been waiting for a long time." Zhang Xiu spoke, and Yu Linwei hesitated. Move out of the way to open the door.
In the emperor's tent, Liu Xie sat upright and Yang Xiu stood aside. Li Que sent a small eunuch beside Liu Xie to monitor Liu Xie's every move. He stood aside, although he didn't understand what the two men were talking about, but he carefully watched the emperor's every move.
Yang Xiu spread out the bamboo slips. He said, "Today I will interpret "Wei Zi" in "Shang Shu" for Your Majesty. Wei Ziruo said: "Father Master, Young Master! Yin Qifu may cause chaos in all directions..."
Liu Xie shuddered and said, "Dezu, wait a moment." He turned to the young eunuch and said, "It's too cold in the tent. Please add a brazier for me." The young eunuch made a promise and went out of the tent.
Instruct the eunuchs to fetch the brazier. He returned to the tent and continued to keep an eye on them. The brazier was brought in, and the tent became warm instantly. The little eunuch wore thick clothes and soon started to sweat.
But in front of the emperor, you can't talk nonsense, you can only complain secretly. Seeing that the time had come, Yang Xiu winked at Liu Xie.
Liu Xie agreed and said to the young eunuch: "I am interested tonight and want to read more. Send Captain Zhang to arrange the affairs of the camp." Zhang Xiu entered the tent and Liu Xie talked to him.
Seeing that the little eunuch was dripping with heat, Yang Xiu deliberately stretched out his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
"Ah, does Dezu feel hot?" Liu Xie asked with concern, then turned to the young eunuch and said, "Take out the brazier."
"No!" The young eunuch leaned over to hold the brazier as if he was about to receive an amnesty.
Seeing the opportunity, Zhang Xiu suddenly pulled out the dagger, jumped behind the young eunuch, and quickly slashed the dagger towards his neck! A stream of blood foam gushed out from the young eunuch's neck!
"Ah!" Liu Xie exclaimed and collapsed on the table. Yang Xiu hurried over and helped Liu Xie up.
"Your Majesty, don't be alarmed!" Liu Xie was shaking like chaff.
Zhang Xiu dealt with the young eunuch and quickly took off his clothes. "Your Majesty, please change your clothes quickly!" "This, this... there is blood..."
Although Liu Xie was the emperor, he was still young. Seeing such a bloody scene, I couldn't help but panic. "Your Majesty, change your clothes quickly!"
Yang Xiu and Zhang Xiu didn't care about anything else. They worked together to put the little eunuch's clothes on Liu Xie.
"Your Majesty, I will go out and wait first to avoid suspicion among Li Guo's cronies in the camp." After Zhang Xiu said this, he hurriedly saluted Liu Xie, exited the tent, greeted the Yulin guards, and deployed the camp's defense.
In the tent, Yang Xiu spent a lot of effort to stabilize Liu Xie. He repeatedly taught Liu Xie what he had prepared. Liu Xie was so nervous that he repeated it several times before he remembered it.
On the northern city wall of Chang'an, more than 20,000 people from the coalition forces of Ma Teng and Han Sui lit torches. The city wall is illuminated as brightly as day.
Ma Teng and Han Sui held down the formation in the center, while Ma Chao took more than 3,000 cavalry to guard the flanks.
"Brother, do you think this momentum is enough?" Han Sui asked.
"Brother, whether your Majesty can escape Chang'an, we must not be careless. Later I will ask Meng Qi to lead his three thousand cavalry to attack the enemy troops who dare to leave the city and chase after Your Majesty. You and I must hold off Guo Si. They." Ma Teng said seriously.
Han Sui laughed and said, "We are not weak Kwantung soldiers. It is not a problem to hold Guo Si and Li back."
On the city wall, both Guo Si and Li Que came to supervise the battle in person, and many of their subordinates were deployed to be on guard.
"General, something is wrong with the situation." Li Ru, who was behind Li Que, frowned and said, "Why is this Ma Teng just testing the enemy on a small scale? This is their strategy of suspecting the enemy!"
"I'm afraid it will paralyze us. We will attack the city in one fell swoop after our army is exhausted." Guo Si replied.
"No. Ma Teng's army lacks siege equipment, and now he has made such a big noise tonight. It is clear that he has an agenda." Li Ru affirmed.
Li Que was silent for a while and then ordered: "Let the people below wake up, and let's see what tricks Ma Teng can play."
Outside Chang'an Beigong City, Fan Chou led more than 2,000 people to surround the area. Li Que only had more than 500 soldiers guarding outside the palace city, and most of the soldiers in the garrison camp had been mobilized. The more than five hundred people were caught off guard and wiped out in an instant.
The city gate guards were attracted here, so they hoped to create an opportunity for the emperor to escape. Success or failure depends on this. .
Xu Shi.
Liu Xie's voice came from the emperor's tent. "I'm tired, Dezu, please retreat. Come on, take Dezu out of the camp."
"No!" Liu Xie, dressed as a eunuch, raised the curtain, and Yang Xiu bowed respectfully and exited the tent. Outside the tent, Zhang Xiu came over and walked towards the camp gate with Yang Xiu and Liu Xie in the middle.
"Thank you for your hard work." Zhang Xiu greeted the Yulin guards guarding the camp gate.
"Your Majesty, please rest. Don't disturb me." "No!" The three of them left the camp and went straight to the base of Zhang Xiu's uncle Zhang Ji's army, and then went to return to Yang Feng, Fan Silk and others.
The palace gate opened, and carriages drove out, heading straight to Xi'an Gate south of Chang'an. For a time, there was chaos inside and outside Chang'an City.
Fu Wan had been waiting here for a long time. When he saw Yang Xiu and Zhang Xiu bringing out the emperor, he was excited and nervous.
"The chariot has been prepared. The loyal people in the court are already waiting for the holy driver on the road. It is not appropriate to ride in the chariot at this time. Your Majesty would like to apologize and go by chariot." Fu Wan stepped forward and saluted.
Everyone helped Liu Xie onto the horse, and Zhang Xiu personally held the reins of the horse. Just as he walked out of the camp gate, several people came face to face. When the man saw the ambush, Yang Xiu and others were shocked: "You are so bold!"
The person who came was Sun Rui, a servant of the minister. After Fu finished contacting all the ministers in the court, Shi Sunrui was horrified when he learned the news. He secretly scolded Fu Wan and others for acting recklessly, which might endanger the emperor's life. Shi Sunrui couldn't ignore it and rushed to stop it.
Yang Xiu quickly stepped forward and said: "Shisun Shangshu, let me explain..." At this moment, how could he have time to explain? Zhang Xiu waved his hand and shouted in a low voice: "Tied!" Zhang Xiu's men rushed over and without explanation, the soldiers Sun Rui and others bound their hands and feet and gagged their mouths.
"Captain Zhang, this..."
Zhang Xiu acted decisively and waved his hand at Yang Xiu. He said, "We will escort His Majesty to the car first. If we want to explain, we will explain it later in Weinan." A group of people escorted Liu Xie and rushed to the Wei River.
Liu Yan, Liu Xie and Queen Fu Shou were in a carriage. Listening to the sound of horse hooves and fighting outside the carriage, the three of them couldn't help but feel frightened. Suddenly, the carriage stopped suddenly, shaking the three of them for a while.
"Your Majesty, the axle is broken. Please come down and transfer to another car." said the Huben guard outside the car.
When Liu Xie got off the carriage, he tripped over something round and round. The pain made him grin. It was the sorrow of the last emperor.
"Is your Majesty okay?" Liu Yan and Queen Fu asked with concern.
Liu Xie shook his head and touched a fishy round object with his hand. When they looked at it under the firelight, Liu Xie and the other three were so frightened that their faces turned pale. It turned out to be a pale human skull. Liu Xie felt nauseated and fell to the side to vomit.
"General Wei, what's going on? How come there is such a thing in Chang'an!" Liu Yan asked, holding back her nausea and fear.
"This...should not be the bones of soldiers who died in battle." The guard surnamed Wei Dihu Ben hesitated, "There has been a severe drought in Guanzhong since the beginning of spring. Your Majesty and Your Highness the Princess know this. Guo Si and Li are fighting each other, and if something happens, food will not be available at all. It can't be transported to the city. Chang'an is in chaos, and some people really can't hold it any longer..."
After Liu Yan and Fu Shou heard what he said, they immediately guessed what was going on and started retching like Liu Xie. Both men were of noble birth. Although I have suffered a lot, this is the first time I have seen such a thing.
But such things are not rare in Chang'an City. Guo Si and others fought with each other, and no one cared about it at all. It is normal for abandoned skeletons to be left in the streets.
Not allowing the three of them to think too much, the Huben guards let them get into another carriage. All the officials' chariots and horses also fled Chang'an with Emperor Xian.
On the city wall, Li Que and the others were shocked when they heard the noise in the city. Soon some soldiers reported that Fan Chou and others had taken Emperor Xian out of the city.
Li Que cursed loudly and said angrily: "Those bastards Fan Chou, mobilize half of the troops and horses for me to catch up with the emperor!"
"General, wait a minute!" Li Ru advised: "The emperor, Fan Chou and others have obviously been planning for a long time, and Ma Teng may have been summoned by them. If we pursue rashly, we may be ambushed."
"Then let them escape?" Guo Bang asked anxiously.
"We can't mess up our position. Now the southern city gate has been opened. We should gather the soldiers and enter the camp to hold on. We can gather our troops to pursue after daybreak." Li Ru suggested.
"The day lilies will be cold by then!" Li Que sneered, and as he said that, he ordered troops to be sent out of the city to pursue them.
"The emperor will definitely not be able to move quickly with his officials. Why should the general be anxious?" Li Ru advised.
Guo Si and Li Que were impatient and mobilized all their cavalry to go out of the city to pursue Emperor Xian.
The carriages and horses were in chaos. After leaving the city for the meeting, Liu Xie was only followed by five hundred guards and a few veterans Yang Biao and Zhao Wen. The other officials could not be contacted. Liu Xie was in a daze, constantly frightened and stimulated.
Yang Feng, Fan Chou and others had more than 20,000 soldiers in total, and they did not dare to stop. After dawn, they fled to Weinan. Yang Feng and others ordered a rest.
"Your Majesty, let's rest for two hours. It will be safe when we pass Tongguan tonight." Fan Chou came to Liu Xie's side and said.
Liu Xie nodded in a daze, "Ai Qing will handle everything."
"Your Majesty, gentlemen, this is the pancake that was fried just now. Eat some of it." Yang Feng asked several soldiers to pass the pancake to Liu Xie and others.
After running away all night, everyone was tired and hungry. Yang Biao and others would not be polite.
Liu Xie picked up a pancake, and when he was about to speak, he thought of the skull last night. In front of everyone, he suppressed his nausea, put the cake back, and said, "I'm not hungry. General Yang, you have been fighting all night, so you can eat first."
Yang Feng didn't know the details and thought that Liu Xie disliked such coarse food and said, "Your Majesty, there are no good things on the march, so you must make do with it."
Liu Xie shook his head. Asked: "Am I useless? Unexpectedly, in the city of Chang'an, my people will compete with each other for food."
Yang Biao knew what happened last night. He advised: "This is all caused by the rebellion of the rebellious ministers. Your Majesty, you do not need to blame yourself. As long as you return east to Luoyang and gather loyal ministers to defend your Majesty, then the Han Dynasty will be able to revitalize the country, and your Majesty's achievements will be comparable to those of Gaozu and Guangwu."
"We will protect His Majesty to the death and help the Han Dynasty and the country!" Under the leadership of Yang Feng, everyone knelt down and said.
Never before had so many ministers sincerely respected and supported him. Liu Xie was filled with excitement, as if the revival of the Han Dynasty was just around the corner.
"Your Majesty, General Yang, gentlemen, Guo Si and Li's pursuers were defeated by us last night and have returned to Chang'an." A cavalry captain rode forward to report.
"Okay!" Yang Biao said happily, "Now I can arrive at Tongguan smoothly."
"Well, Lord Lieutenant, I'm afraid I can't rest assured. We just repelled the enemy last night. When I arrived, the team behind the palace found traces of a small number of enemy cavalry." The Cavalry Captain said.
"What should we do?" Yang Biao asked anxiously.
The cavalry captain hesitated for a while and said: "Your Majesty, gentlemen, the young general has a plan to get rid of the pursuing troops."
"Zhang Xiu, if you have any ideas, tell me quickly!" Liu Xie asked curiously. This cavalry captain is Zhang Xiu who escorted him all the way.
Zhang Xiu clasped his hands and said, "Cross the Jing River to Zuofeng Yi, then cross the river to Hedong, and then cross the river south to Hongnong and Benluoyang."
"The waterway of the Yellow River is difficult. Your Majesty cannot be allowed to take such a big risk." Taiwei Yang Biao immediately objected.
