When he arrived at Jixian County, the river was still turbulent. Guan Yu could only wait for three days in Hebei before crossing the river on the 27th of the first lunar month. As soon as he crossed the river, he encountered wild flags, red, black, white, and green fluttering together in the cool spring breeze. There were also countless soldiers and soldiers under the banners. Guan Yu led his troops thirty miles south to reach Suanzao, but they were still not there. See the end of the camp.
Meng Jian on the side sighed and said: "The troops and horses are like clouds, the cavalry and armor are dazzling, and the military appearance is so grand that the world has never seen it." Shi Tao also agreed: "Even if the Xiongnu overthrows the country and causes chaos, it is far from this."
Guan Yu also agreed in his heart. He looked at the army formation along the way. Although there were still quite a few soldiers wearing cloth armor, compared with the army in Hanoi, they were worthy of being said to be a powerful army. At the beginning, every time he passed by a few camps, he would see troops practicing military formations. From his point of view, he was familiar with them. However, as he passed by a few more camps, he saw many tactics that he had never seen before, which made him feel quite itchy. :
For example, a knight can hang his horse sideways like a mountain pine, and roll back and forth when the horse is galloping, as if it is integrated with the mount; and like a warrior holding a hook sword, his torso twists back and forth like a snake, and the sword's power is difficult to fathom, looking from a distance It's like the waning moon is shining horizontally; there are dozens of warriors dismantling and assembling crossbows. They are skilled in operation and can fire three arrows in a row in ten breaths, and the arrows penetrate the wood of a hundred steps and enter the wood.
But at the end of the journey, Guan Yu thought to himself, the army here is strong, but Hanoi is so unbearable, it can be seen that the princes are advancing and retreating inconsistently, and their intentions are not the same. Although there is no shortage of heroes and warriors, if the commander cannot coordinate all parties and follow the law of rewards and punishments, even though there are 400,000 How can a large army be compared to millions of Yellow Turbans? It's just a story about the early years of Zhongping.
The main camp of the coalition of princes was set up five miles east of Suanzao City. Guan Yu ordered his men to stop in the south of Suanzao City, while he and Xu Shu went to see Yuan Shao.
The person guarding the gate in front of the main camp was Army Sima Zhang He. From a distance, he saw Guan Yu's body like a peak, walking like a tiger, and looking like an eagle. He couldn't help but stand up and asked his subordinates: "Which strange man is this?" When Guan Yu came up After informing him of his identity in front of him, he suddenly smiled and said: "It turned out to be Guan Huhu who defeated ten thousand armies." During the Yellow Turban Uprising, Zhang He also participated in the conquest. Because of his combat agility and good at making clever changes, he was highly valued by Wang Fen and was promoted to the army. Sima, therefore also heard of Guan Yu's name.
I heard that Zhang He had also fought with his colleagues in Hebei and that Guan Yu was also a little closer. The two of them reviewed the Zhongping War while heading to the main tent. The main tent of the coalition army was made of crimson cloth. It was two feet high, six feet in diameter, and far away. It is wider than the general camp. There are dozens of large flags erected in front of the tent, all of which are written with the official positions of the participating princes. Under the flag forest, there is an altar with two rows of seven tablets, namely Liu Bang, Taizu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Gao. , Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty Liu Xiu, Emperor Taizongwen Liu Heng, Emperor Shizongwu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che, Emperor Zongxuan of the Han Dynasty Liu Xun, Emperor Xianzong of the Han Dynasty Liu Zhuang, Emperor Suzongzhang of the Han Dynasty Liu Jin.
There are loess and rice on the left and right of the tablet, and six animals are sacrificed under the tablet. Guan Yu paid a lot of attention to the altar, so Zhang He introduced it: "Ten days ago, the allied princes allied here to fight against Dong and fight against the national calamity. On that day, Zang Ziyuan made heroic speeches, and thousands of people shouted in unison, making plans for life and death. It was a rare sight in thousands of years. It must have been the Han Dynasty. Our ancestors have spirits and will protect us!" Guan Yu remained silent for a long time, and after bowing to him three times, he sighed and said, "I hope so!"
Zhang He went to the tent first to report, and when he came out again, he smiled at Guan Yu and said, "It just so happens that all the envoys are here. If you, Liu and Chen, have anything to say, you can tell me at this time. My lord, Han Jizhou, has always respected you two very much." Only then did Guan Yu follow him into the tent. Entering the tent, there was a burst of warm and fragrant incense, which made Guan Yu's throat rise, his eyes became hot, and he almost shed tears. He covered his eyes and nose for a long time, and then he saw clearly the layout of the tent: the floor was covered with wool woven fabrics. There are long rugs, and there are high platforms on both sides and in front of the tent door. There are fires and incense on the high platforms. Standing among them are about forty people. Most of them are dressed as scribes, wearing plain Confucian robes that cover the ground and their heads wrapped. The scarves show their demeanor, and they wear wooden clogs to show their chicness. Only six people wore armor, and each of them had a white scarf wrapped around their forehead to express their condolences for the death of King Hongnong.
The man in the middle is wearing lacquered gold bright armor, with a four-foot-long one-handed sword hanging on his waist, and holding a bamboo stick. He is sitting on a horse and looking straight at himself. Although his face is white, there is a sense of high-ranking authority in his eyes. Some were condescending, and Guan Yu knew at a glance that this was Yuan Shao, the leader of the alliance.
Yuan Shao looked at Guan Yu for a while and asked him: "Guan Xiaowei came all the way from Jinyang. It must have been very hard. But I heard that Chen Tingjian and Liu Xuande merged with each other and it was quite effective. The number of soldiers under his command was no less than 100,000. Chen Tingjian's domestic troops A famous person has the hope of Jiuzhou, and when the late emperor was there, he relied on Liu Xuande. Now the country is in trouble, but the alliance has been missed, and there are only 6,000 people. Isn't it suitable? "
When Chen Chong was still serving as a doctor's priest, it was well known that he and Yuan Shao were not on good terms. Although Chen Chong was well-known, he rarely took the initiative to make friends with others except for his students and old friends. Therefore, most of the princes here tended to Yuan Shao and turned to Guan Yu. joke. Guan Yu was well prepared for this. He clasped his fists and said: "In the ninth month, the state appointed Chen Shijun as the governor of the state. He also ordered Zhonglang to recover the homeland of Yanmen and accept the order of the emperor to restore the homeland of the country. As a minister, What reasons should be given for resigning? We can only lead 60,000 patriotic soldiers and fight hard with Xianbei for three months. We have to retreat before the end of the year. Now we can send 6,000 fine cavalry to join the alliance. We have exhausted the people's power and cannot send any more soldiers. .”
After hearing this, Han Fu, the shepherd of Jizhou, said: "When I led my troops to the south, I heard about Chen Bingzhou going north, but I didn't know how the war was going. What arrangements did Liu and Chen make?"
Guan Yu told the truth: "In the battle of Pingcheng, our army beheaded more than 9,000 people and captured more than 30,000 people. They completely recovered Yanmen and surrendered about 16 Xianbei tribes in Yunzhong and Wuyuan counties. However, this battle was difficult, and we The army also suffered heavy losses. Chen Shijun is still in Bingzhou to deal with the aftermath, while General Zhonglang is appeasing the Xihe Xiongnu. If we want to restore our strength, it will take April and May."
After saying that, the princes on the table looked at each other, obviously they had never expected that within a year, Bingren could win consecutive battles, and then return to Yanmen, and they didn't know what to say for a while. Yuan Shao knew that he was at a disadvantage, so he no longer dwelled on the topic, and questioned Guan Yu about the fact that the two did not participate in the alliance, saying: "Even so, the governor should prioritize things. Your father has suffered a disaster, and now he is dead as a thief." Hands, as a minister, if you are faced with the danger of thousands of swords, you should rush towards it, how can you just sit back and watch?"
Guan Yu raised his eyebrows and replied: "How absurd is Yuan Cheqi's statement? Confucianism said that cultivating one's family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world, and also saying that do not do to others what you don't want others to do to you, Yuan Cheqi must have read "Poems" and "Books". It must be clear that Yuan Cheqi must also be aware of Zhao Guolian's beautiful talk about Lin Xiangru. I have often heard that Yuan Cheqi is a great talent in Anguo, but now that I see him, he is so difficult on Yuan Yu. It must be because he often has a relationship with my brother. Because of the gap.
Although Guan was a school captain, he was lucky enough to become brothers with Liu and Chen Erjun. Before I set off, my brother Chen Chong told me that he and Yuan Cheqi had always been at odds with each other in the court, but at this time of national crisis, public affairs could not be abolished for private reasons. Therefore, although there were repeated complaints from the prefectures and counties, I still led 6,000 soldiers. The knight came here hoping to clear up the past feud with Yuan Cheqi and kill the enemy with all his strength. After resting, he and General Zhonglang would march south with their army. I wonder if Yuan Cheqi said this because he wanted to challenge Dong? Or is it more about rejection? "
Guan Yu said these words slowly and unhurriedly, but his words and gestures were provoking Yuan Shao, but Yuan Shao could not speak harshly, otherwise Guan Yu's statement that he had private resentment would be confirmed. The princes initially looked down on Guan Yu, thinking he was just a pawn sent by Chen Chong to deal with Yuan Shao. Now they saw that he was facing the noble princes with great spirit and claimed to be Chen Liu's sworn brother, so they all remembered him firmly.
Fenwu General Cao Cao and the Cavalry Captains Zang Hong and Chen Chong had always been friendly. At this time, they came out to smooth things over and said to Guan Yu: "Yuan Cheqi is just angry at the emperor and his father, and he is just talking fiercely. How can such a thing happen?" Yuan Shao also took the opportunity to apologize and said: "Yuan was careless for a moment. I hope Guan Jun will not take it too seriously." Guan Yu returned the courtesy, and the matter was settled.
Because of this incident, Guan Yu was treated differently by the princes and was able to participate in the coalition military discussions, and thus got to know many of the coalition's staff. The leader of the coalition forces was General Cao Cao, who admired Guan Yu very much. He often invited him to drink in the camp, discussed the situation of the world with him, and described his ideas for challenging Dong:
Now that Dong Zhuo's troops are few and elite, and the coalition forces are mixed and numerous, there is no 100% chance of victory in the field battle. Therefore, he plans to use the coalition forces to march on three sides, plan it slowly, and intimidate Dong Zhuo in three steps.
First, Wang Kuang sent the troops from Hanoi to the south to Mengjin, and ordered Dong Zhuo to confront Wang Kuang across the river to contain the crowd; then he ordered the Suanzao generals to occupy Chenggao, occupy Aocang, and block the Fuyuan and Taigu passes to completely control the danger. , which put Dong Zhuo in a dilemma; at that time, he finally made the rear general Yuan Shu lead the army of Nanyang to capture Dan and Xi counties, following the story of Emperor Gaozu's entry into Wuguan, which shocked the three assistants. Now that Chen Chong has joined the coalition again, as long as he sends troops from Hedong and the three auxiliaries raise troops to respond, Dong Zhuo will be attacked from both sides. Even with Xiang Yu's ability, he can only repeat Gaixia's defeat.
On paper, it can be said that Cao Cao's arrangements were generous. Therefore, the princes deeply respected Cao Cao's strategy. Guan Yu thought about the outcome and felt that it was more than 70%. At this time, Cao Cao persuaded Guan Yu that Yuan Shu in the south was still recruiting troops and would not be able to participate in the war in the short term. It was better to stay in Suanzao and march eastward with the main force of the army.
After all, although the coalition army had many sergeants, it lacked knights, and Dong Zhuo had many knights. Cao Cao still remembered the battle of Julu, the sight of Liang people walking back and forth in the Yellow Turbans, and the army of tens of thousands, with thousands of horses disappearing in one swing, as if they were cutting grass. Therefore, Cao Cao was very good at cavalry. He only had an army of 5,000 men. He actually spent a lot of money to build an armored cavalry unit of 400 men, named "Tiger and Leopard Cavalry". As for Guan Yu's 6,000 knights, he was planning to entrust them to him. heavy responsibility.
Guan Yu was moved by what he heard. In the battle that determined the rise and fall of the Han Dynasty, he also wanted to establish immortal achievements, so he happily said to Cao Cao: "Don't you dare to disobey me!"
On the ninth day of February, Yuan Shao issued an order in Suanzao, ordering Fenwu General Cao Cao to lead his troops eastward.
