In just half a month, Chen Chong's North Road offensive planned three dangerous fortresses. Puban and Huayin fell one after another. Nearly 20,000 soldiers were killed by Huangfu Song. Under Yangcheng.
This capital was unprecedentedly tall, with nearly ten thousand heads piled in one place. It was three feet high and more than ten feet wide. Duan Yan poured a layer of water on the capital. In the ice sky, all the heads were frozen together, and their skins were condensed. There is a clear layer of white frost on them, and if you look closely at their bloodless faces, they seem to be dead, but also seem to still have souls imprisoned in them.
The Bingzhou sergeants on both sides of Maojin were all frightened when they saw this. Only Liu Bei said: "Don't panic, we will hold on to the fortified city, and there will be reinforcements from the east!"
It was at this time that Dong Zhuo's army stationed in Mianchi began to move westward, climbed past Guosi, went up the valley water, and came straight to Shaanxian County (today's Sanmenxia), vowing to break through this fatal and only obstacle, but they Marching to the narrow Qinglong Stream, they immediately encountered Zhang Fei's new camp here. Their flanks were constantly harassed by the Huns in the mountains and fields, and they were temporarily blocked again.
When Dong Zhuo heard about it, he immediately sent an envoy to Huangfu Song's army and ordered him to send a separate army to cooperate with the main force to try to open a passage and join forces at the foot of Dayang City. But Huangfu Song replied and refused, saying: "The rebels are trapped in two cities, and they have set up small camps in the north and south of the two cities. It is really difficult to divide the troops to support them." He also suggested to Dong Zhuo that he could "walk the mainstays in between, find another route from the river, and bypass Then break it."
Dong Zhuo followed his good deeds and immediately ordered Xu Rong to act according to his plan. He led 3,000 people to the main pillar successfully. However, when traveling westward along the river, he unexpectedly encountered a camp at the entrance of Heshan Mountain. This place was guarded by Gongsun Fan. There were about 3,000 people in the camp. With thousands of people, Xu Rong tried to attack slightly, but retreated after leaving behind about twenty corpses.
As a result, the main army was unable to move in Qinglong Stream, and Huangfu Song's army could not break Liu Bei's defense line by accident. They could only step by step, fill in the soil and build mountains, and first use strong attacks to gradually remove the outer strongholds. The situation was once again at a stalemate, but overall, the situation was beginning to favor Dong Zhuo's side.
If Huangfu Song's victory was like a long drought for the Liang people, for Chen Chong, it was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue.
During these days, he stayed in Suanzao City, going in and out of the princes' camps all day long, chatting with the county guards who were fighting against Dong. Liu Dai and others liked to talk, so Chen Chong talked with them about the Buddhist classic "Agama Sutra" he had translated; Qiao Mao and others liked to debate scriptures, so he discussed with them the difference between the meanings of "Gongyang Zhuan" and "Zuo Zhuan"; Zhang Miao and others When others were keen on discussing history, he then discussed the evolution of the Qin system and the Han system. Since ten months, all the princes have admired Chen Chong's erudition and been friendly to him.
During this period, the coalition forces held three large-scale military meetings, and Chen Chong also attended them.
The first meeting was when they heard that Yuan Wei and others had all been killed. The princes made passionate speeches and listed Dong Zhuo's crimes. Moreover, most of the princes served as rafters in Taifu's house, and they had the friendship of emperors and ministers with Taifu. For a while, they wore hemp and wore filial piety. , Filial piety covers like clouds. Chen Chong asked when Hangu was difficult to attack and when the princes planned to take revenge. Yuan Shao said that they had suffered heavy losses and needed time to recover.
The second meeting was about Han Rong and others discussing peace. Yuan Shao kept them in the camp for several days before discussing the matter. The princes had been garrisoned in Suanzao for nearly a year. They had spent a lot of money and the whole army had made no achievements. They were quite disturbed for a while. Among them, Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, headed by Liu Dai, advocated temporarily repairing people's livelihood and fighting again next year. …
After hearing this, Qiao Mao, the governor of Dongjun, immediately refuted it. Qiao Mao knew that as the leader of the propaganda and alliance advocacy, he could no longer gain a foothold in the court. If the princes ceased fighting, he might be embarrassed in Shandong. It was a matter of life and death. He spoke very fiercely, accusing Liu Dai of not having a father-in-law, which was a betrayal. Mao Shi, who had been nourished by kindness, broke up unhappy on the spot.
Yuan Shao did not want the princes to have too many differences and undermine his authority, so he immediately sent all the envoys except Han Rong to their heads, and asked Han Rong to return to his post to show his firm attitude towards resisting Dong.
At the third meeting, Chen Chong heard the news of Gongsun Zan's defeat and once again requested the coalition forces to march westward. He explained the war situation to the princes, saying that Dong Zhuo was extremely trapped and in danger, and that with only a small increase of troops, he could conquer Guanzhong and stabilize the country. The answer he received was not too suspenseful and was still the same as before.
Earlier, Yuan Shao had discussed the situation with Dong's advisers. Among them, Guo Tu bluntly said: "If Guanxi is pacified this time and Dong Zhuo is defeated, how much contribution will the Ming Dynasty make?" Yuan Shao heard this and answered clearly: "After the road, Chen Chong and Liu Bei." From this, Yuan Shao no longer Talking about Dong, we started to make other plans.
Although Chen Chong had expected it, he was still disappointed. When he received the news that Guo Daye's entire army had been annihilated, he became restless and stopped wasting time on wild jujubes, and was about to leave that night. Before leaving, he went to see Zang Hong, the Cavalry Commander, and asked him, "Ziyuan, I am going to attack Hangu. Would you like to go with me?"
Zang Hong was in a dilemma, and he said euphemistically: "I am willing, but Meng Zhuo is the king of my mansion. Now Chen Liu is treacherous and unpredictable. I can't abandon him lightly." After Chen Chong heard this, he only said to him: "Take care of yourself." Respect yourself." Then he rode towards Luoyang.
The affairs of Luoyang were now taken over by Yuan Shu. He appointed Shi Yiguan as Henan Yin. He erected a monument in front of the Hongde Gate of Luoyang Nangong to commend himself and brag about his achievements in regaining the capital. Shi Yiguan was originally from Hongdu School. Lang Guan, who has outstanding literature and rich rhetoric, was successfully completed in December. The full text of the inscription is as follows:
"On the 15th day of the ninth lunar month, the weather was clear and the scenery was leisurely and beautiful. At that time, Dong Zhuo was newly defeated, and loyal ministers such as Hussar General Yuan Shu, Bingzhou Mu Chen Chong, and Polu General Sun Jian conquered Tokyo. They also wanted to take advantage of the victory to pursue the thieves, so the soldiers worked hard. There are many people who have served their country. Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou, sent out his men in small boats, and Liu Yu, the commander-in-chief, sent Youyan's cavalry. All the sages fought to the death, devoted to their country, and they will be rewarded in the end. In the way of heaven and the stars, evil cannot prevail against good. General Nian Yue Wang He tasted the courage and felt the deep feelings of Sanlu, so he entrusted this trip to describe it and it became a monument."
"Later General Yuan Gong's taboo skills have been high-ranking for many years, and he has been adhering to the military law. He is attacking the traitors in the capital. When the teacher comes, electric shocks are popular. Yangren and Guangcheng are randomly moved; Zhixian and Jiguan are suddenly sent money. Chen Tingjian Hanoi has been leveled, Liu Xuande defeated Dayang again, and heroes from all over the world came to respond. Gongsun Zan took the Jin of Puban, Sun Wentai took the warehouse of Xingyang, Li Yingchuan watched the tigers in the sheds, and Tian captured the eagles in Shangdang. Each supported tens of thousands. The soldiers are all waiting for the meeting in Muye. To the right of Cangming and east of Hangu, cattle and wine are offered in front of the army, and jugs of pulp are filled with pulp on the road."
"You all are well-dressed and well-dressed, and you have talented people. In the autumn of the divine cauldron, at the beginning of the splitting of the earth and the enfeoffment of princes, leopards are rising. This is the right time. The turtles crow and the turtles respond. They act when the opportunity arises. Each dove leads his disciples. Together we build a great reputation. Geng Yanzhi went to Guangwu, and Xiao Hezhi served as Emperor Gao. He received a gold medal and a purple ribbon, a canopy and a red wheel. Wealth and honor were compared to those of the past, and loyalty was passed down to Yi Ye. It can be said to be prosperous!"...
When Chen Chong returned to Luoyang, it was already the eleventh day of the first lunar month, and the "Stele Congratulating Yuan Piaoqi on his Return to Luoyang" had not been built long ago. As soon as he saw Yuan Shu, Yuan Shu forced him to come and admire it. Chen Chong looked at the stele and saw that the stone was made of granite. The stele was two feet high and four feet wide. The surface of the stele was polished delicately, which obviously took a lot of time. However, in the still dilapidated Luoyang South Palace, at first glance, it is dilapidated and dilapidated. Only this stone tablet stands out and looks out of place.
Yuan Shu was obviously very satisfied. He stood under the stele and asked Chen Chong with a smile: "Ting Jian, what do you think of this inscription?"
Chen Chong replied: "The stele is a good stele and the text is good, but there are just some shortcomings."
Yuan Shu didn't expect Chen Chong to say this. He said "Oh" first, then stroked his beard and asked Chen Chong, "What's the shortcoming?"
Chen Chong stretched out two fingers and said with a smile: "There are two shortcomings." He paused slightly, and when he saw Yuan Shu listening attentively, he pointed to the west first and continued: "First, the emperor has not returned and his achievements have not been completed. Just like the slight flaws on the white wall, he has to stand first. The monument may be ridiculed by mediocre people."
Then, Chen Chong pointed to his feet again, looked around and said: "Secondly, there is no one in the capital. It's a pity that Shi Yiguan's literary talent is so rich that it can't be appreciated by the world's scholars. How is it different from walking at night in brocade clothes?"
Yuan Shu heard Chen Chong's insinuation, which meant that he was like Xiang Yu, who had no ambition and was crowned as a monkey. Immediately he felt a little annoyed and asked him, "What achievements has Tingjian made in Suanzao for such a long time?"
This sentence made Chen Chong dumbfounded. He could only calm down his emotions and admonish Yuan Shu: "Compared with the highway, all the Suizhao princes are naturally the gravel of Nanqiu, and there is no way to make plans. Just like Yuan Benchu's disciples, they chisel in their mouths, but they have no idea. Anything can be accomplished. Now it seems that the only thing that can avert the crisis is the highway!"
Yuan Shu then showed a satisfied look and asked him, "I heard that the war in Guanzhong is not going well. When Ting Jian returns this time, will he send troops to Guanzhong?"
Before Chen Chong could speak, Yuan Shu smiled again and said: "Think carefully, although Tingjian's plan is detailed and the layout is broad, the soldiers under your command are not strong enough to fight. The North Route Army has 50,000 people, which can only be defeated by Huangfu Song. With tens of thousands of people, we all went north in both battles, which shows that we are far inferior to the generals under my command."
At this point, Yuan Shu became proud and took the initiative to say to Chen Chong: "Now that the matter has come to this, the Central Route Army cannot sit back and watch, and must still fight to the death with Dong Zhuo. Just the day before yesterday, I urgently ordered Wentai to lead the army to march westward. You can do it Lead the army later, cheer for our army, and let's see how Wentai defeats the thieves and breaks the captives!"
These words made Chen Chong dumbfounded and slandered Yuan Shu for his ignorance of warfare. But Yuan Shu took the initiative to send troops, which Chen Chong never expected. No matter what his intention was, he was moved by it. This time he sincerely thanked Yuan Shu again, and then immediately went to Henan County to order troops and contact Sun Jian.
Before departure, Chen Chong wrote to Guan Yu. He said in the letter that the Northern Route Army was now suffering successive defeats, which made the situation in the war against Dong very bad. Only one of the three dangers on the North Road is left, and only half of the remaining soldiers are left. It is not known how long Xuande can hold on. If you want to win this battle, the middle and south routes must change their strategies.
For this reason, he planned to lead troops with Sun Jian to attack Hongnong and force Dong Zhuo's main force to return reinforcements. If Dong Zhuo did not return reinforcements, he would attack all the way to Mianchi and fight with him at Guidi.
But this took a lot of time, especially after he stayed away from Jujube, Yuan Shao's intentions were unclear and it was easy for him to make changes.
Chen Chong emphasized in the letter that Yuan Shu's character was "happy when he hears words, and he often has no foresight." If he sends troops arrogantly today, he will panic and order Sun Jian to withdraw his troops in the future. Therefore, Guan Yu must go north quickly, preferably along Danshui within one month. Capturing Shangxian and Shangluo, and pushing directly under Chang'an, will not only relieve Liu Bei's pressure in Dayang, but also give Yuan Shu confidence.
After passing the letter out, Chen Chong thought of the soldiers who died tragically on the North Road and prayed silently in his heart: I hope their blood will not be shed in vain.
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