On the eighth day of August, all the troops crossed the river, but what faced them was a series of burned ruins and countless refugees.
In the past few years, the people of Linjin have long been accustomed to seeing humiliating soldiers, indiscriminate killings with swords, and even the corpses and bones of starvation scattered everywhere. They also thought that one day they might suffer. Maybe he would be in the same scene and be killed by the sharp knives. But they never imagined that a sudden fire would spread throughout Linjin City like today, burning everything they had before their eyes.
After being reduced to ashes, it was the reality that they all became refugees. Those who survived the Linjin fire found themselves without a stable place to live and even lacked food and clothing. They thought of the many Henan refugees who were tortured to death. In this situation, many courageous people simply committed suicide because they did not want to live like ants. But more people still choose to live. Sometimes living is everything, even if they don't know how to live.
But to their surprise, they survived after all, and it was naturally Chen Chong who saved them.
Chen Chong knew that time was tight and the army could not stay here for a long time, so he only took the simplest treatment. He recruited some strong men in the morning and asked if any of them were willing to join the army. Those who were willing would stay as defenders. He left some rice, noodles and swords for them, so that these people could start rebuilding in the local area immediately. Chen Chong allowed them to introduce the leader He had full power to deal with it and left two staff members as supervision to prevent abuse of power and harming the people, so he continued to command the army south.
Reconstruction began soon. When the army built a pontoon bridge on the Wei River, temporary thatched cottages were built around Linjin to provide shelter from the wind and rain and to cook porridge and soup, all of which were given to the Linjin refugees. The refugees in Linjin were in disbelief and asked what compensation needed to be done. The supervisory staff followed Chen Chong's instructions and said: No compensation is needed. Liu Bei, the general who conquered the west, is doing his job to bring peace to the country. These are just his duties. The people of Linjin were greatly moved by this, and they all shed tears and thanked him. Unexpectedly, after Zhang Ranming, they would see such a benevolent and righteous teacher again. The general's reputation for benevolence was well-deserved.
After a while, I heard that Liu Bei was leading his army to cross the river from Linfen to the south. Many refugees along the way were no longer afraid of the soldiers, so they knelt on the roadside and prayed for them, hoping that the ancestors of the Han Dynasty would bless them when they returned victorious. There are also rumors that Zhang Huan's son Zhang Chang was accompanying the army. Everyone was very happy. Some children followed behind and sang "The Song of the Great Wind" loudly:
"The strong wind is blowing, the clouds are flying, and we are returning to our hometown in the sea. The warriors are here to guard the four directions!"
The children's voice was childish, and the sergeants along the way laughed, so some people sang along. But as soon as they sang, it aroused the generosity and passion in their chests, and it also brought back everyone's beautiful memories and childhood dreams. They sang high and low, but after the first song, it was like the first heat wave in the crater, followed closely by the overwhelming hot magma. The autumn rain was falling, but their chests were burning. Many soldiers encouraged each other and said: "Many people from Liang came to Bingzhou and slaughtered people in Hedong. Their hatred against us is deep across the sea, but compared with the Han Dynasty, it is nothing. We are going there today." Chang'an, it can be said that you have to go to the national disaster, encourage it! Encourage it!"
Zhang Fei, the vanguard, arrived at the Weishui River that day and continued to complete the pontoon bridge on the Weishui River. More than ten miles south of the pontoon bridge was Zheng County, where the remnants of the Baibo Army were located.
Yang Feng, Han Siam and the others had just arrived in Zheng County yesterday. Unexpectedly, they joined the army the next day and started building a bridge. They were quite caught off guard and couldn't help but be surprised: "Liu Bei and Chen Chong actually hate us so much? They don't even care about the name of faith!" Therefore, they were greatly panicked and encouraged the soldiers to strengthen their defenses quickly.
But until then, they discovered a problem. Previously, the Liang people entered Lantian from Wuguan, then crossed Lishan Mountain and entered Zhengxian County, and then entered Linjin from Zhengxian County. They looted along the way. Zhengxian County had already looted materials for them. Empty. At this time, they reluctantly sent people to the city to continue looting supplies, but the people had nothing to hand over, and they all looked at them angrily.
What's even more terrible is that there are more than a thousand people in Zheng County who were forcibly moved from Shangluo and other places the year before last. They deeply hate the Baibo Army and the Liang people. They have all seen the military discipline of Guan Yu when he entered the Pass, and they also learned from the Baibo Army After learning the news that a large army was coming to Bingzhou Prefecture, they colluded with each other privately, discussed and decided to resist Yang Feng and others, and sent people to the Wei River to welcome the Bing army into the city.
Without further ado, these people launched an attack in the city that night. The Baibo Army had only been in the city for more than a day, and they spent half of the time resting, so the city's defense was not considered tight. About forty people dressed as businessmen hid weapons and assassins in their cars. While the guards were inspecting the goods, the assassins in the car suddenly attacked the guards. People around them also took out their weapons and killed all the sergeants at the north gate. The accomplices They were hiding in the surrounding houses. When they saw this, they all rushed out and occupied the north gate in an instant. As soon as the north gate was opened, the three of them rode horses and immediately ran towards the Wei River.
When Yang Feng received the news, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. After receiving the news, the Youxian King Dugu Qubei planned to send troops to suppress it. Yang Feng directly asked: "Although there are only a hundred thieves in the North Gate, the situation in the city is very bad and there are already many mobs. How can we do this?" A hasty decision? It’s better to withdraw quickly! Otherwise, if Bingzhou soldiers come, we will have no way to escape."
Dugu Qubei asked him, "Escape, where can we escape? If we lose this place, is there still room for me in the world?"
This time Yang Feng was also questioned. Yes, they have already left their hometown and sought refuge with the Liang people. If they fled again at this time, where could they go?
Han Xian replied at this time: "Let's go out from Wuguan, pass through Nanyang Yanyu, and go to Qingxu Linzi."
"The Yellow Turban from Linzi?"
"We are the remnants of the Yellow Turbans, and we are also from the Taiping Dao. Now if we go to the Yellow Turban Orthodoxy, is there any reason why Linzi should not accept it? And the Linzi court is now sending troops to the three states. It is also the time to use force. There is no doubt that we can be used in important positions again. !”
This proposal was quickly recognized by Yang Feng. Only Dugu Qubei was hesitant, but he finally agreed. They packed their bags in a hurry, gathered their troops and headed south. Seeing the hasty gathering, the soldiers guessed that something big was about to happen, so they asked the leaders where they were going.
This proposal was made by Han Xian, and naturally it was Han Xian who answered it. When they heard that they were leaving Guanzhong and going to Linzi, which was thousands of miles away, the soldiers showed hesitation. At this time, the sound of horse hooves from the approaching army could be faintly heard in the distance. Han Xian knew that time was running out, and the soldiers were still homesick, so why didn't he himself? So he swore to his soldiers that no matter how they developed in the Central Plains, it was all in order to return to their hometown. No matter whether they succeeded or failed in the end, he would definitely return to Xihe one day.
When the tribe heard this and saw Han Xian's generous expression, they were convinced and set off again. When leaving, these Baibo people and Huns looked back at Zheng County in the darkness and the waning moon in the sky. What they were thinking about was their hometown, north of the Weishui River, north of the Qinling Mountains, east and west of the river, illuminated by the same waning moon. .
Zhang Fei had already arrived at the north gate of Zheng County. Seeing that the mountain road they were traveling on was narrow and they could not see in the dark, he did not send troops to pursue them, but chose to move into Zheng County. When Chen Chong arrived, he angrily said to Chen Chong: "I really gave these slave dogs an advantage! I don't know when they will get revenge after they leave."
Chen Chong said: "If we want to bring peace to the world, no matter where they flee, even to the ends of the earth, we will meet again."
As soon as Zheng County was reached, the last obstacle to the army's march to Chang'an was eliminated. Chen Chong left 4,000 men in Zheng County to transport supplies and meet the follow-up troops. He and Zhang Fei led the vanguard, turned westward, passed through the narrow road between Lishan Mountain and the Weishui River, and arrived at Hongmen Pavilion in the early morning of the 10th day of August.
At Hongmen Pavilion, Chen Chong met an unexpected person.
Xun You, the attendant, has been waiting in the Hongmen Pavilion for more than ten years since he left Chang'an. He saw the Bingzhou army passing by outside the pavilion, and there were flags with red edges on the bottom of Bingzhou Xuan everywhere, so he found a man named Qu Changliang. He revealed his identity and asked to be taken to meet Chen Chong.
The last time the two met was when Chen Shi passed away. It had been five years. That time, Chen Chong only had time to meet him at the funeral without even talking to him. Then he went straight to the capital to invite him to Xihe. Unexpectedly, When they met again, their appearance had changed so much that they couldn't recognize each other.
"Gongda, why have you lost so much weight?" Xun You was five years older than Chen Chong. In Chen Chong's memory, Xun You had always been a good and handsome young man, and nothing could make him sad. But now Xun You is still in good spirits, but the six months of imprisonment have finally made him look more haggard.
Xun You didn't care about this. He held Chen Chong's hand and smiled and said, "Ting Jian, you look more diligent!" Chen Chong's appearance was not as good as that of Xun Yu, but he looked similar to Xun You, but they were standing together now. , on the contrary, Chen Chong, who has just turned 30, looks older.
Both of them knew that now was not the time for small talk. To make a long story short, Xun You said directly: "You are a little late. According to my estimation, I am afraid that the Liang army will be able to break the city within two days today and tomorrow. It is a blessing that they did not kidnap the emperor. They want to attack from both inside and outside." , I’m afraid it can’t be done.”
"Gongda, you know me. I always plan for the worst-case scenario. This time I will go all out and I will definitely succeed in this battle."
"I hope so." Xun You also suppressed his smile for the first time and changed to a melancholy expression. Five years ago, no one would have thought that the situation in the court would be reduced to what it is today. The late emperor was ridiculed and ridiculous, but now it seems that It was he who maintained the fragile balance between the DPRK and China.
"How are you going to win?"
"At this point, there is only a battle." Chen Chong answered solemnly without hesitation: "A battle that ends and begins."
The next day, they arrived at Baling and crossed the Ba River. The vanguard of 20,000 people was stationed between Tongrenyuan and Bailuyuan. The subsequent troops would arrive one after another the next day.
Of course, such news could not be hidden from Jia Xu and others in Chang'an. They had captured Chang'an and postponed the attack on Weiyang Palace. Instead, the entire army rested for a day to make final preparations for this 200,000-person battle. .
Chapter 24 Arrival
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