No one, including Chen Chong, had expected that Liang Ren would make such a desperate move.
After Chen Chong received the news from Duan Xuan, he immediately ordered the state capital to start mobilizing. He himself reorganized Xu Huang's Taiping Army, and sent a letter to Liu Bei to mobilize the Yanmen Army and part of the Xianbei Army. They first gathered in Yuanyang, planning to wait for the assembly. After the completion, Liu Bei led the attack on Shangjun, while Zhang Fei led the Hedong Army to attack Puban and Fenyin. Under the combined attack, the pressure on the northern part of the imperial court was relieved first, and then the enemy was defeated.
But the army had just begun to gather, and the situation in Guanzhong was turned upside down. Li Jue and Guo Si suddenly appeared at the foot of Linjin City. Xu Rong and Zhang Ji of Shangjun and Niu Fu of Hedong almost unanimously abandoned the city gate and brought all their troops with them. Li Jue and Guo Si joined forces, which caused Liu Bei, who was already preparing to attack Shangjun, to miss.
The scouts on the west bank of the river reported that the Liang people were stationed less than thirty miles away from the river. Their troops were like clouds, their cavalry and armor were dazzling, and their military appearance was unprecedented in the world! When asked about the number of enemy troops, no one could tell clearly, but Chen Chong himself estimated that it could not be less than 130,000.
Then a military meeting was held on July 22. When discussing whether to send troops, Chen Chong expressed his expectations, which made everyone in the meeting feel frightened. After all, the people of Liang are different from those in Guandong. These soldiers are not temporary auxiliary soldiers, but the elites of the border defense who have fought with Dong Zhuo and Huangfu Song for many years and suppressed the border troubles. Even in the last battle against Dong, Chen Chong gathered together with, You, Xu, Yu, The strength of the five states of Jing fell short in the end. Now Xijing has only 20,000 soldiers and horses that can really fight, and the number of troops that can be mobilized in Bingzhou is only 60,000. And they are not as good as the Liang people. How can they compete with the Liang people? High or low?
But now that the imperial court is in danger, Bingzhou is probably the only one in the world who can rescue the imperial court. If the imperial court is in trouble and Bingzhou refuses to send troops, the reputation that Liu Bei and Chen Chong have accumulated for more than ten years will be greatly affected. When the state government staff thought about this, they all fell silent and secretly looked at Chen Chong and Liu Bei who were sitting at the head.
Liu Bei's face was extremely ugly. He was sitting upright with his sword in his hand, his chest rising and falling, and it was obvious that he was having a fierce struggle in his heart. Chen Chong, holding a military newspaper, was tapping the table, as if tapping the heart of his staff. After being silent for a while, Chen Chong looked at Duan Yan, who was participating in the government meeting for the first time, and said with a smile: "Zhongming is participating in the government meeting for the first time, do you have any suggestions?"
Duan Yan arrived in Yuanyang before the Japanese and had several private conversations with Chen Chong. At this time, Chen Chong asked him to talk, which was obviously to help him integrate into the mansion, and Duan Yan knew it well. Seeing that everyone was looking over him, he stood up and joked: "I heard before I came here that the people of the world look to the Three Jin Dynasties, and the people of the Three Jin Dynasties look to the dragon head. When I see it today, what I said is true."
The atmosphere in the mansion relaxed slightly, but he immediately said: "But it can be seen from this that the king's reputation is respected throughout the world and admired from all over the world. When serving the country here, one must not hesitate. Faith and justice are the foundation of one's life, and the king prides himself on being a loyal minister. , but although its voice is loud, its loss is also rapid. If you do not rescue it, you will lose your trust in the world."
Without waiting for anyone to refute, Duan Yan continued: "Moreover, the imperial court and the state capital are of the same origin, survive and die together. If the imperial court is overthrown by the rebels, then troops can be sent in the name of the imperial court to invade Tuzhou County and make the emperor How will we deal with ourselves?"
After two questions, Duan Yan expressed his views on the main battle, which excited Liu Bei. He clapped his hands and praised: "Mr. Duan is worthy of being a hero, and his words hit my heart! There is no doubt about sending troops. Even if the Liang people have millions of heavenly soldiers, we will It is my duty to wait for Kuang to help the Han Dynasty!"
Even so, Yanmen, who was engaged in Yu Fan, did not agree with it. He raised a question: "But there is a saying in the art of war: when you see its weakness, you advance, and when you see its reality, you stop. It also says, don't underestimate the enemy because the three armies are a mass, and don't underestimate the enemy. If you are ordered to do something important, you must die. Don't use your noble body to make others humble. Don't use your unique views to go against the crowd. Don't take arguments as inevitable.
Now our army is outnumbered, and our orders are very important. If we send troops, we have to sacrifice the advantage of the land to chase the enemy. This is a taboo for military strategists. If we commit all the crimes, how can we predict the winner? After returning from a great defeat, with the soldiers dead and wounded, how could he show his face to the villagers? The general had good intentions, but he had to think deeply about it! "
Yu Fan's words were also prudent. Liu Bei originally wanted to refute, saying that if he served his country loyally, why would he regret it even if he died? But when the words came to my lips, they felt hypocritical, so I swallowed them back. At this time, Chen Chong stood up and said: "Zhong Xiang, what you said is indeed reasonable, but it is not advisable."
Yu Fan looked up at Chen Chong and saw that his expression was solemn and his eyes were clearly focused on him, but seemed to be farther away. He couldn't help but lower his head and said, "Please give me some advice, teacher."
Chen Chong looked around and said slowly: "The success or failure of this battle is indeed unpredictable, but it must be noted that a man does what he does and what he does not do. Back then, Nanrong (Fu Xie) defended Ji County with hundreds of troops, and the number of besiegers was more than ten times that? But? He would rather die than leave and sacrifice his life for the country. Isn't Nan Rong a wise man? He protects the country's safety, but he does his best, and there is a glimmer of hope, and he must not give up lightly. Qu Zi also said something, and what I want to do. Hey, even though he died nine times, he never regretted it. Nan Rong is just like Qu Zi, and how can we fall behind?"
"Now that Dong Zhuo has died suddenly, Liang people have gathered in Guanzhong, and they are determined to fight to the death with them. Although the momentum is great, it is also a great opportunity for us to restore the imperial court. If we miss today, when will we have to wait for the next restoration of the imperial court? The world We have been fighting for several years. If we don't fight now, the country will fall apart as time goes by. How can we stop the disintegration of the country! For the sake of the livelihood of the world and for the future generations, if we sit back and watch this, we will not only be disappointed for a moment, but also He is the criminal responsible for the collapse of the country. How can we do this?"
Speaking of this, all the staff in the mansion felt excited. Especially Fu Xie's son Fu Qian, who is now over 18 years old. He has been with the army in the north and south in recent years, and has many famous names for his wisdom. At this time, when he heard that Chen Chong praised his biological father, he immediately said: "The country's nurturing scholar is waiting for today! It's time to attack him!"
Xu Shu also said: "Confucius said it was benevolence, and Mencius said it was righteousness. Even though there are tens of thousands of people, I will go! What the teacher said is so grand!"
When Yu Fan saw this scene, he couldn't help but be moved and said: "If it is as the teacher said, people's hearts can be fought, please follow it." Yu Fan has always been known for his prudent and direct advice. People in the state government also agreed with him and felt timid in their hearts. They all left and expressed their willingness to fight.
Convincing the military's morale is only the first step. Willing to fight does not mean victory. Although it is said that it is not afraid of life and death, in any case, the decisive battle is for victory and not for death, so temple calculation is very important.
Chen Chong didn't understand Chang'an city defense, so he asked Duan Yan: "Zhongming, from what you see, if the Liang army attacks Xijing, how much Xijing can resist with the current strength of the army?"
Duan Xuan quickly replied: "Although the city wall of Chang'an is high, Lu Bu does not have enough troops to defend it for a long time. If Li Guo attacks Xijing, it may not take more than ten days. If Lu Bu is smart, he should first garrison Gaoling. He may be able to hold on for a month, but As soon as Gaoling is high, Chang'an will be safe."
Chen Chong thought deeply after hearing this. Although Wang Yun is not good at fighting, looking at Lu Bu's actions to recover the third auxiliary, it seems that he has been guided by an expert. He should also know how to act. For our own side, there should be about a month. Thinking of this, Here, he said: "In that case, we will leave in twenty days."
"On the 20th?" Everyone present at the meeting was shocked when they heard that Chen Chong had spoken so impassionedly just now. Everyone thought he would send troops immediately, but unexpectedly they heard words of easing the war.
Chen Chong knew what they were thinking and explained: "The Liang people joined forces and trapped themselves in death. This is the situation of decisive battle with others. People's hearts are boiling and they are united. It is not the trick of alienation. If you want to win, you can only win. On the way to the joint battle, there are few soldiers in the state, and it is disadvantageous to have few soldiers, just like the decisive battle between Qin and Zhao in Changping, it is necessary to make the people of the state strong to achieve great things!"
Having said this, he immediately gave an order to all the counties present: to assist the prefects of each county, all civilian men who had experience in enlisting in the army in the past would be drafted into the army, and the remaining men above sixteen and below fifty would serve as auxiliary soldiers and civilians to transport supplies. .
The acquired soldiers and civilians were all led by county officials and gathered in Jinyang on August 10th. After reviewing in Jinyang on August 12th, the state government officially sent out troops.
Before he finished speaking, Chen Chong warned again that before the recruitment, it should be explained to the people that this temporary recruitment will last for two months. After the end, all the people recruited will be sent back to their hometowns. Regardless of the victory or defeat of the war, the whole state will be exempted from tax for a year. Those who have meritorious service will be exempted. All are rewarded.
In addition, Chen Chong asked Liu Bei to go to the Xiongnu again to persuade the Xiongnu to take over Shangjun and threaten the Liang people to flank them, while Tian Yu recruited cavalry in Yanmen, no matter how many he recruited.
Finally, Duan Xuan's status was sensitive and it was difficult for him to lead his troops with him. After Bingzhou was all out, the two counties of Yanmen and Taiyuan were empty. Chen Chong ordered him to lead Hongnong's army to garrison Jinyang and Pingcheng to prevent Heishan and Xianbei from taking advantage of the opportunity. Duan Xuan happily agreed.
After the order was given, everyone lost their fear and impetuosity. All they felt was the nervousness of time and time. The government meeting was over, and the staff all had their own affairs, and they soon dissipated. Liu Bei and Chen Chong greeted each other and went directly to Meiji, while Chen Chong personally escorted Duan Xuan out of the mansion.
The two of them were walking on the road. Duan Yan led the horse and asked him: "How sure are you of this battle?"
Chen Chong said with a smile: "How can we be sure about the battle of the army? If there are five thousand people, I can be careful in everything, and I can win; if there are tens of thousands of people, if I give instructions to the soldiers and lead by example, I can still be undefeated; but Now we have recruited more than 100,000 people, and we are fighting more than 100,000 enemies. All we can rely on is to move forward courageously, and whether we win or lose depends on the destiny of heaven!"
Duan Xuan was silent for a while, then looked at the sun with squinted eyes. After a while, he said, "What is the destiny of that day?"
Chen Chong didn't expect Duan Xuan to ask this question. He looked at the clouds on the dome for a while, and then replied: "How can you dare to ask about the destiny of heaven when you are doing human affairs?"
After Duan Xuan left, Chen Chong turned around and returned home. As soon as he entered the bedroom, he saw Cai Yan holding his son and rocking it gently, humming elegant tunes and coaxing the child to sleep. This scene was peaceful. Chen rushed forward and couldn't help but squeezed Chen Shi's arm and asked his wife in a low voice. : "Father, are they at home?" Cai Yan glanced at Chen Chong doubtfully, nodded slightly, and said, "My lord is in the backyard."
When Chen Chong heard this, he walked over and saw Chen Kui and Chen Ji studying by the pool in the backyard. Since Chen Chong gave birth to his son, they often came here to visit and rest. Seeing Chen Chong arriving, he was about to say hello, but Chen Chong asked Chen Ji first. : "The war is about to begin. As a shepherd, I have to lead by example. Sir, how many men are there in my clan? You should all join the army with me."
