After nearly six months of contact and deployment, the generals from Youzhou, Qingzhou and Xuzhou successively led their troops to Jinyang. Among them were old men who had been famous for a long time, as well as younger generations who had become famous, but they were all talents with real talents and practical knowledge.
On the Youzhou side, there were Fenwu General Gongsun Zan, Bi General Wei You, Toulu Colonel Tian Kai, Jianyi Colonel Xian Yufu, Wuhuan Colonel Yan Gang, Zhenwei Colonel Shan Jing, Army Commanders Ma Tianyu, Yan Rou, and Youzhou Biejia. Engaged by Tian Chou et al. Except for Wei You, Xian Yufu, Tian Kai and the Central Route Army, the rest of them all followed the North Route Army.
Qing and Xu are slightly less, including Chen Deng, the captain of the Diannong School, Zang Ba, the captain of the Qingzhou School, Chang Xi, the captain of the Taishan School, Zhao Yu, the military commander of Xuzhou, Ma Taishi Ci, the military commander, Tao Qiuhong, the chief administrator of Pingyuan, etc. They lead many troops They were mainly infantry, and many of them were Taishan bandits. However, after Tao Qian came, he recruited them all and entrusted them with border defense tasks. They were also familiar with the Dongping Army, so they were also sent by Tao Qian. These people all joined Chen Chong. Middle Army.
It is extremely rare even in Luoyang to have so many talented people gathered in one city. The soldiers who participated in the war against Dong did not know the specific plan of the war against Dong, but when they saw this scene, they couldn't help but sigh: a gathering of heroes, wisdom and bravery. , Dong Zhuo is a three-headed and six-armed ghost, how can he block this attack from the universe?
By the beginning of June, the summer harvest in Bingzhou was initially on track, and the army in the middle had been preparing for many days. Chen Chong began to hand over miscellaneous tasks, handing over the review of Xun County to Sun Qian, handing over the summer harvest to Xu Shu, and handing over all other matters to Yang, the prefect of Xihe. Yes, let him mainly handle logistics. As for the defense of Yanmen, he asked Qin Yilu and Linghu Yuan to be cautious and stationed them in Pingcheng. Kong Rong, the prefect of Yanmen, was already handling government affairs in Mayi. Chen Chong was quite worried, so he told him: Military affairs are important. You can take it lightly. If the military situation is urgent, don't make any decisions. You can directly send a letter to Jinyang and have reinforcements to defend against the enemy.
On June 17, everything was ready, and Bingzhou Mu Chen Chong led his troops in the middle to leave Jinyang. Liu Bei and Zhang Feinan sent Chen Chong ten miles to Gangyang City. Liu Bei smiled and said to him: "We have traveled thousands of miles. Whether we can turn away the clouds and see the sun depends on what you do, Ting Jian." Chen Chong held the riding whip and cupped his hand and replied: "I just wanted to give him a blow." The success of the front station depends on you Xuande. Wait until I send the message. Then you will lead the army and set off. Remember to listen to the advice of others." The three of them broke the willows and said goodbye.
Previously, the baggage required for the southward expedition had been escorted to Shangdang by the chief clerk Jian Yong in advance, and was ready to be transported to Shangdang's eldest son. This was also the route of the Central Route Army's southward expedition. The baggage mainly consists of grain, horse feed, winter clothes and weapons, including 50,000 bushels of dry food, as well as wheat cakes, cheese and other items. Salt and salted pickles are also provided for people and livestock. Horse feed includes horse straw and ruminant beans, which are packed in sacks and handed over to pack horses for transportation. In addition to armor, there are also 1,500 crossbows, 2,500 spare bow bags, 5,000 spare bow strings, 650,000 arrows of various kinds, and 5,000 long swords and 5,000 broadswords each. This does not include the bows, arrows, knives and other items carried by the Central Route Army.
Following Jian Yong as he escorted the baggage southward, there were only 10,000 cavalry troops from the Central Route Army. While escorting the baggage, they also served as scouts to find out information about Dong Zhuo's subordinates who were directly under the jurisdiction of Tianjingguan.
Likewise, with so much baggage being transported here, the Liang people at the foot of the mountain could not fail to notice it, as they all thought that they would join the war soon. When Wang Fang, who was on the front line, heard the news, he also tried to go up the mountain with his men to attack the baggage. But halfway down the mountain, Wang Fang gave up, saying that the hillside was too shaky and there was no shortage of people and horses. If he charged from a high position, he would How can I resist with 20,000 people? So they left five thousand people in each of the cities of Xicheng and Kuicheng at the foot of the mountain to guard them at all times.
On May 21st, when the main force of the Central Route Army entered the eldest son, Chen Chong heard that Wang Fang was ready, so he said to the generals: "The first battle of the whole army, I want to fight it easier. Now Liang people are blocked." At the foot of the mountain, most of our troops are infantry. If we cannot attack for a while, our morale will be easily damaged, so we should find another way."
So he ordered all the infantry to take half a month's worth of dry food, and the rest of the baggage was temporarily escorted by the cavalry to the front of Tianjing Pass to act as a suspect. In fact, he led the infantry westward from the eldest son to the bank of Qinshui River. This is not because Chen Chong does not want to carry more luggage. In fact, although Tianjing Pass is steep, it is also the only road between Shangdang and Hanoi that can be traveled by horse and cart. However, for the same reason, he changed his trip from Qinshui to the Taihang Mountains, that is, Increased suddenness.
However, the accompanying generals were quite doubtful. Tian Kai, the captain of the Imperial Army who had fought side by side with Gongsun Zan for many years and was a famous warrior in Youzhou, said suspiciously: "The mountain road is steep, and most of our troops are infantry. Going over the mountains and ridges like this, I'm afraid the damage is not small. Even if we come out of Qinshui, our soldiers will be exhausted, so how can we still fight?"
Chen Chong shook his head and said with a smile: "Being tired now is completely different from dying more on the battlefield. And on the battlefield, what matters is courage and wisdom. Being able to do the same thing that others can't do, and being able to do what others can't do. Doesn't it reflect our wisdom and courage as generals? Besides, I have already prepared for it."
The so-called preparations are the troops of Wei Yan who are leading the way. Now Wei Yan has been with Chen Chong for three years and is now eighteen years old. He is a handsome man with a handsome appearance and a tall figure. He is a well-known handsome man. He was promoted to army commander by Chen Chong. He led more than a thousand people under his command. Because of his bravery in battle and his courage to fight to the death, he was awarded Quite famous in the military.
In the past three months, Chen Chong asked him to lead his men to practice mountain climbing day and night on Longshan Mountain. In mid-May, he asked him to explore for a way out by the Qinshui River. By the end of January, he had initially found a feasible path. Although there were some ordinary people on the road Where they could not pass, they tied ropes and climbed down with bare hands. They built a ropeway with wooden stakes and iron hooks on the mountain platform, and marked it with red ocher stones. In the early morning, when the white mist was hazy, they seemed to be walking between white clouds. Traveling back and forth, the bonfire in the mountains at night looks like stars in the sky.
The army moved forward along the path they opened. The soldiers in Bingzhou believed in Chen Chong and Wei Yan, but the soldiers in Youzhou and Xuzhou were still frightened at first. After all, some ropeways spanned two mountains. To trust their lives to a rope would be to take themselves too lightly. But when they saw that the faces of the people were as usual, and the dignity of warriors made them not want to lose their courage, they still braved the bullet and crossed over.
As a result, the mood became calmer and quieter, and the mountain roads became smoother and smoother as they walked. The soldiers looked at the forest and sea, listened to the long calls of wild geese, and smelled the misty clouds. I can't even feel the fatigue anymore. Chen Chong paraphrased Zhuangzi's famous saying: "The morning bacteria don't know Hui Shuo, and the worms don't know Spring and Autumn. This means that the small year is not as good as the big year. Now we can be regarded as a happy world, how can those Liang people compare with us?" Soldiers After hearing this, they all felt that it made sense, so they called themselves the Master of Danian.
But even so, the sergeants on the middle route walked in the mountains for ten days. On the second day of June, the soldiers in front finally set foot on the plains. They were about to cheer for crossing the Taihang Mountains, but they were told to stop by the generals. , it was night at this time, and the surroundings were quiet. Because of the war, there were not many refugees here, but under the moonlight, we could see that the Qinshui River was like a long silver ribbon, winding toward the southeast, and surrounding it impressively on the other side of the river. There is a city next to it, which is Qinshui City.
This was the first city Chen Chong planned to capture, but Chen Chong was not prepared to attack in a large scale. He said to Wei Xuan who came with him: "The Liang people are not strong enough. Their defenses in the two cities of Xicheng and Kuicheng are the limit." , so it is not difficult for us to capture Qinshui, but it is not far away from Qinshui, about forty miles away. If there are Liang people scouts here, it will be bad to find out the news. This is how we crossed the mountain this time Thank you for your hard work. Is it just to capture a small city? You lead three thousand infantry to the front to block their return routes to the southeast. I will then lead my army to negotiate with them. I think we can defeat them without a fight."
Wei Xu took the order and left. He led his infantry across the Qinshui River and made an arc in the southwest. An hour later, Chen Chong estimated that they had reached their position, so he led the remaining army southward. The footsteps of 40,000 troops were loud enough. Awakening the residents in the city, the Qinshui Order hurriedly came on stage to observe the situation, only to find that both the north and south banks of Qinshui were occupied by Chen Chong's men. They really did not expect to be attacked. After a brief commotion before dawn, they decided to surrender, and Chen Chong successfully settled in Qinshui.
The soldiers who entered the city were extremely happy. No matter how magnificent the scenery in the mountains was, they could finally have a good sleep in a house that was sheltered from the wind and rain and free from mosquito bites. However, Chen Chong had no such plan, so he immediately held a meeting in the tower. During the military meeting, all the generals were called together and said to them: "I know you have all worked hard, but now that we have descended from the mountain, we must seize the opportunity and capture one more city before the Liang people react." , with more momentum, we can encourage Nanyang Yuan Shu's confidence even more. I hope you can persist for one more day and run fifty more miles!"
He immediately arranged for hot water and fire food to be boiled in the city so that the soldiers could have a hearty meal before marching. The soldiers were not without complaints, but they also knew that there would not be many fierce battles here, so they still tried to cheer up and get rid of the fire. The camp prepares mutton and soup cakes. After all, steaming food can best cheer up a warrior's mood.
Chen Chong also assigned tasks to everyone at this time: Wei Xuan guarded Qinshui, Tian Kai led 10,000 troops to Bo County, Wei You led 10,000 troops to Zhi County, and he personally led the remaining troops to capture Heyang and Heyang. Meng Jinguan.
On the early morning of the third day of June, a red-purple light just emerged from the darkness in the sky. Forty thousand infantrymen had divided into three groups and rushed southward from Qinshui. They were anxious to get a good night's sleep, so they counted the distance and hurried on. When the sun was about to fall again, before the Liang people's scouts could react, a team was still transporting supplies from Mengjin as usual, intending to transport them to Xicheng.
But just four or five miles away, they bumped into Chen Chong's army. They saw the flag of the Bingren people shining in the afterglow from a distance, and they were all shocked and asked sadly: "How can we encounter enemy troops here? Could it be that all the guards in Xicheng and Kuicheng were killed?" Then He hurriedly threw down his baggage and fled to Mengjin Pass.
Chen Chong was able to surround Heyang County and Mengjinguan, and seize all the ships on the north bank of the river.
