In the past few days, there have been a lot of military reports, and there are many things that need to be solved by Chen Chong.
The first was the military report from Guandong. Liu Bei had earlier decided on the strategy of setting up camp in Puyang first and then riding across the river with cavalry after the chasm was frozen. Chen Chong quickly received it. After careful consideration, he felt that there was no problem and agreed with Liu Bei's strategy. It's just that Liu Bei felt that the Wanqi Poying in his hand might not be safe enough. Hearing that Chen Chong had bought some horses before, he asked Chen Chong for them again.
Chen Chong had previously sent over all the 10,000 war horses he had just raised, and also warned Liu Bei to be careful about his actions in secrecy. But after the White Horse Camp was set up, Liu Bei discovered that the situation was far more serious than imagined.
The Gengcang Army was extremely sensitive to the establishment of the Baima Camp. Within ten days, they mobilized nearly 100,000 troops on three sides of the camp. Relying on their numerical advantage, they were divided into three groups and harassed the camp day and night. In the morning, they The sound of gongs and drums at night made it difficult for the whole camp to rest.
Zhang Xian's troops relied on the camp to fight back, which was quite damaging at first. However, after the Geng Cang Army realized that they could not break through quickly, they then built large wooden pillars and slowly moved forward, built counter-fortifications around the camp, and built mountains of earth around them with the intention of attacking the city. Fortunately, although the camp was surrounded on three sides, Zhang Xian's navy could still pass through, so Liu Bei sent more soldiers to rescue the camp from the water, and rushed 100,000 arrows into the White Horse Camp.
This hit the target of the Gengcang army. Although they were large in number, they were short of weapons, arrows and armor. The two armies exchanged fire on the camp for a long time. In the end, it was the Gengcang army who was in trouble first and had no choice but to be trapped in the Baima camp. At this point, Liu Ye arrived at the scene and made his own decision, saying that the top priority was to close the waterway.
So Zhang Rao ordered the brothers He Yi and He Man who came from Yuzhou to cross the river in Puyang and lead troops to attack Hanoi. In the south of Ji County, Hanoi, they also repaired a camp like the Baima Camp, and then built a camp on the south bank. A pontoon bridge was built to block the waterway of the river.
Liu Bei couldn't break through for a while, so he used Xun You's strategy to set fire to the boat from upstream, and then burned the pontoon bridge. But it took nearly half a month, and winter had already arrived. Although the river is not frozen, the tide has ebbed. The Han army could no longer provide assistance to the Baima Camp. This resulted in an extremely difficult situation for Zhang Xian's troops. The arrows brought into the White Horse Camp were consumed very quickly, and it was not known how long they could last.
After Chen Chong learned about it, he stepped up the transfer of 60,000 newly made arrows and urged the Hedong Army to set up three new iron palaces. However, he was unable to do anything more. He could only send a letter to Liu Bei saying: "Before the freeze, the cavalry army Things should be done secretly, the location of the raid should also be secret, do not announce it in advance, and people should not be allowed to enter the area around the cavalry in case there is a chance."
It was not just Kanto that suffered setbacks, the Kansai war that Lu Bu was responsible for also did not go well.
After the Han army defeated the Liang army last year, the remnants of the Liang army entrenched themselves in the Chencang area. After recuperating, they abandoned Chencang and occupied Wudu County. After three months, Lu Bu organized 30,000 Northern troops in February this year, trying to regain Wudu first, planning to use it as a stronghold to gradually occupy Liangzhou.
However, the Liang army occupied Sanguan and Gudao and other strategic locations, while Lu Bu did not have the advantage in strength and was not familiar with the terrain. There was no progress for half a year.
In June, Lu Bu lost his patience and adopted Yang Zan's radical suggestion. He took a desperate risk and spent a lot of money to appease some local Dihus and tried to take a detour and go straight to the river. As a result, halfway through the journey, the Liang army learned the news first and moved their troops to intercept Lu Bu. The two sides met at Shangweishan, and a great battle ensued. In the end, Lu Bu was defeated and fled back to Chencang, leaving thousands of corpses behind.
After the defeat, Lu Bu learned from the pain and planned to let the Liang army go first and then attack Hanyang County where Ma Teng was located. He marched westward along the Wei River and directly attacked Shanggui. The Liang people in Shanggui were caught off guard and were quickly captured by Lu Bu. But before he could be happy for a long time, various tribes from Xiliang came together. Lu Bu found out that the opponent's army numbered nearly one hundred thousand, and he felt fear in his heart. He finally gave up on Shanggui and returned to Chencang.
After a year, Lu Bu lost his troops and defeated his generals in vain. He was extremely angry and sent a letter to the court asking the court to send more reinforcements. Chen Chong did not have any extra troops to send, so he had to write to Lu Bu to comfort him, saying that he should recuperate in Chencang first, and Chen Chong would send people to help him next year.
What attracted Chen Chong's attention even more was the customs report from Yanmen, saying that there was something strange about Xianbei in the north. After Kebi Neng occupied Danhan Mountain, he had a disagreement with Tuoba Jiefen, and gradually began to plan to organize their own troops for a war. Linghu Yuan of Yanmen sent a letter asking Chen Chong how the Yanmen army should handle the matter.
Chen Chong wrote back to Hu Yuan, saying that after Bu Dugen's death, the Han army formed an alliance with Tuoba Xianbei. Tuoba Xianbei had done nothing wrong in the past few years and defended the northern border of Bingzhou. It was not appropriate to sit back and watch. If Tuoba Jiefen sends someone to ask for help, he should agree and send troops to help, without any perfunctory intention.
Even if Chen Chong handles everything in detail, now that he is not on the front line, he can only use words to warn many things. It is unknown whether his words are really useful and whether the front line can benefit from them. What he should and can guarantee now is peace between Sanfu and Bingzhou.
By the beginning of November, the weather had suddenly cooled down, the clouds were cloudy, and it looked like it would start to snow soon. At the same time, the war in Guandong is about to enter a critical moment, and military reports there suddenly decrease. At these times, Liu Bei can only make his own decisions about the battle situation on the front line. All Chen Chong could do was to train the newly formed armies, train troops and teach martial arts, and learn how to hunt and shoot. This was not only to select and train soldiers, revitalize the army, but also to prepare for the upcoming changes.
But at this time, a group of envoys arrived in Chang'an. They came from Yizhou, headed by Liu Zhang, the son of Yizhou Mu Liu Yan, accompanied by Yizhou celebrities Zhang Song, Ren An, Zhou Shu, Dong Qin and others. They claimed to be following the mission of Yizhou Mu Liu Yan, especially Come to report to the imperial court and make good friends.
Chen Chong met with Liu Zhang and his party at the Shangshutai.
Liu Zhang was a thin man with a graceful figure. Although he was wearing a vermilion court dress and a green Jinxian crown, he still looked somewhat elegant. Before Chen Chong could speak, he held the disciple ceremony and called himself a descendant. Then he slowly knelt down in the direction of the emperor. Everything he did and said was precise, just like an ancient gentleman.
Although Chen Chong was a few years older than Liu Zhang, it was not convenient for him to act like an elder. At this time, he personally poured tea for Liu Zhang. After all, Liu Zhang's father, Liu Yan, had served as Taichang and was the direct supervisor of Dr. Chen Chongren. According to current etiquette, he was said to be Chen Chong's old friend. It’s not an exaggeration for you either. In fact, Chen Chong was able to spread knowledge and debate the classics wantonly in Taixue, and he did have Liu Yan's tolerance and support.
Therefore, Chen Chong called Liu Zhang Ji Yu and Liu Yan Duke Langgong. The two of them chatted about their daily life, and Chen Chong asked: "I haven't seen Mr. Jun Lang for several years. Is he in good health now? Does the old disease on his back still recur frequently?"
When Liu Yan was serving as the governor of Jizhou, he went hunting with others and was accidentally scratched by an eagle. As a result, he had ulcers on his back, which could not be cured even after many years of treatment, so Chen Chong asked this question.
Liu Zhang respectfully replied: "Thanks to you, since the rebellion of Ma Xiang and Jia Long was put down, Yizhou is at ease. Your Excellency has been recuperating in Mianzhu, and your mind and spirit are at peace. Last year, after our brothers got together with you, Your Excellency was even more happy." I’m glad, although my back gangrene still attacks, I’m much better now.”
"That's it!" Chen Chong looked very happy when he heard this, and said slowly: "Last year, Duke Jun Lang and I both received edicts from the court asking for help. I thought I could save the country together with Duke Jun Lang, and I felt extremely relieved. , Unexpectedly, after the Shu army regained Hanzhong, they suddenly stopped moving forward for some unknown reason. I thought something had happened to Duke Jun Lang, but today I heard that he was fine, so I felt relieved."
These words contained accusations against Liu Yan for not saving the court, and Liu Zhang could naturally hear it. He was also prepared for this, and replied calmly: "I don't know, but this is the reason for the mutiny of the Rice Religion in Hanzhong! The terrain in Hanzhong is dangerous, and my family thought it would not be easy to recover, so I sent Zhang Lu, the leader of the local Rice Religion, as my general. , attacked Hanzhong, but who would have expected that after occupying Hanzhong, he rebelled and killed his lieutenant, ceded the territory to defend himself, and it was difficult for me to conquer it despite sending troops several times, so I couldn't save you!"
At this point, Liu Zhang complained again that Liu Yan really cared about the country, so even though the north road was cut off by Zhang Lu, he still sent envoys to contact the court. This group of people left Nanjun from Yiling, then went north from Jingzhou and detoured around Wuguan. They detoured for nearly three thousand miles before arriving in Chang'an. The sincerity of Yizhou Zhongjie can be seen.
When Liu Zhang said this, Chen Chong did not refute, but took out a memorial from the book and handed it to Liu Zhang. Liu Zhang didn't know why, so Chen Chong motioned for him to read it by himself, and then said: "Recently, Jingzhou Shepherd Liu Biao wrote to the court, saying that you Duke Lang made thousands of chariots and carriages in Mianzhu, which is similar to Zixia's suspicion of saints in Xihe. Can Ji Yu honestly tell me whether this is true?"
Liu Zhang was greatly frightened when he heard this. He quickly returned the letter to Chen Chong, thinking about how to reply.
Liu Biao's letter can be said to be heart-breaking. It is said that Zixia doubted the saint in Xihe. Zixia refers to Liu Yan, Xihe refers to Yizhou, and the saint naturally refers to the emperor. What Liu Biao meant was that Liu Yan had plans to proclaim himself emperor in Yizhou.
He was silent for a moment, then suddenly had an idea and replied: "It is a legitimate act for the Jingzhou Mu to express his gratitude to the imperial court after hearing this. But even a dictatorship like Dong Zhuo would not dare to act like this. Your Excellency is only from a foreign town, so how can you have such courage?" "
"What does Ji Yu mean, are these all rumors?"
"With Wang Jian of Le Yi outside, there is also the worry of being ridiculed by the government and the public. The king of Yan abandoned Le Yi and the state was in chaos, while the king of Qin valued Wang Jian and unified it. This is common sense in the world and is not unusual. How can you not understand this truth if you are wise?" "
At that time, King Yan Zhao appointed Le Yi to attack Qi. Le Yi conquered more than 70 cities in Qi, leaving only Jimo and Ju unconquered. The famous general Tian Dan spread rumors in the Yan State that Le Yi wanted to become king in the Qi State, so King Yan Hui recalled Le Yi, which led to the restoration of the Qi State and the Yan army's success. The First Emperor ordered Wang Jian to lead an army of 600,000 people to attack Chu. There were also rumors that Wang Jian wanted to become the king of Chu. However, the First Emperor did not change his appointment, so he destroyed Chu and unified the world. Liu Zhang replied with these two examples, comparing Liu Yan to Leyi Wang Jian, implying that if the imperial court recalled Liu Yan without authorization, there would be great chaos in Yizhou.
Chen Chong laughed when he heard this. He said with emotion: "We haven't seen each other for several years, but even Ji Yu can talk like this." So he ignored Liu Yan's arrogance.
The next day, Liu Zhang and his entourage reported their work to the emperor at the court and promised to promote Xiaolian to the court in the coming year. After the emperor granted Liu Yan the position of Taifu, he was promoted to a special officer and went to the west to suppress the general's military affairs. He also sent a message to Liu Yan, hoping that He was able to carry out the story of Dou Rong, and worked hard for the court, and then there was peace again.
