At the end of March, Chen Chong brought the issue of setting up Huan Zhonglang to protect Wu to the Shangshu Taiwan. After discussion in the Taiwan Pavilion, the DPRK and the Central Committee finally approved the matter, but the candidate could not be selected for a long time. After all, this appointment not only had to appease the Wuhuan ministries, but also faced the pressure from Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao. It would be difficult to control the situation unless he was a skilled person. But nowadays there are not many such figures in the DPRK.
After all, in the early years, the captains who guarded Wuhuan were mostly selected from the Yan people. However, since Liu Yu lived in seclusion, those who had old friendship with the Wuhuan tribes in the state capital either left with their seals or went south to join Yuan Shao, leaving a few who followed him. It belongs to Gongsun Zan, but it can no longer be used because of Gongsun Zan.
King Jian Yong and others originally discussed whether to select someone from the Bafu in Jinyang to go there, but after exchanging letters, Liu Bei also expressed that there was no suitable candidate. Although he was born in Zhuojun, he also had old friends with Xia Yutianyan and others who guarded Wuhuan Xiaowei's mansion. However, during the chaos in the Liangzhou Kingdom, the late emperor transferred them to quell the chaos. Most of them were lost before the Battle of Meiyang, and there was no contact in these years.
The only suitable candidate is probably Duan Yan. After all, he has been with Dong Zhuo for many years and participated in both the Ping Qiang and the attack on Xianbei. He also rescued Gongsun Zan last year. He is very suitable regardless of his qualifications and connections. But now he is stationed at Yanmen and is on guard against Xianbei. He may not be able to escape in a short time.
Under such circumstances, Chen Chong finally made the decision to appoint Wang Ling of Jinyang as the general to protect Wuhuan, and also transferred Gao Zhun and He Napinglin from Jinyang Bafu as deputy envoys to go to Wuhuan with them. Wang Ling is Wang Yun's nephew. In order to show the importance of the court, Gao Zhun and He Napinglin have lived in Bingzhou all year round and are familiar with various Xiongnu tribes. Since Wuhuanben has similar customs to the Xiongnu, they must be able to handle it without causing a big problem. of errors and omissions.
But considering what Dong Zhao had said before, Chen Chong had already prepared the worst in his mind, so before sending Wang Ling as an envoy, Chen Chong ordered him to enter the palace first and told him: "This time, it would be best to recruit Tadun; If you are still dissatisfied, you can adapt to the situation and recruit some young commanders; if this fails, you must at least understand the situation of Wuhuan's various ministries and the surrounding geography." Wang Ling knew that this was an important task, and his face was extremely heavy, so Chen Chong comforted him and said: "Don't be afraid, I'm with you in the court, just go ahead and do it." He emphasized: "But no matter what, don't lose the dignity of the court."
At the turn of spring and summer in April, Wang Ling completed preparations and headed north from Chang'an to Jinyang to meet up with Gao Zhun, He Naping and Lin who had been waiting for a long time. Gao Jun was over forty at this time, and his expression showed some signs of age, but his body still looked majestic. He Napinglin on the side has just turned 20. Although he is young, he has succeeded He Naiping as the Marquis of He Nagugu since the death of Danghu. He has been handling the miscellaneous affairs of the ministry for several years, and he is also quite a leader. In addition to the three of them, Liu Bei also allocated two thousand troops and horses from Jinyang Mansion for driving.
After the three met, they discussed the key points of the trip. They all thought that although the palace of General Huhuan Zhonglang was currently established, it actually had no foundation. It was just a one-time mission. Only after the mission was successful could they discuss the establishment of a government again. To make the mission successful, Gongsun Zan's support was indispensable no matter what. They asked Liu Bei for a letter, took a detour from Yanmen, passed through Daijun Wuhuan, and headed straight for the capital of Youzhou.
When Liu Yu was in office, he set up the capital of Youzhou in Zhuoxian. However, Gongsun Zan thought that Zhuoxian was too far to the north and was not enough to deter Hebei, so he moved the state capital to the south and set the seat between Juma River and Yishui. It was easy to build the city. Beijing. When Wang Ling and his party arrived in Yijing, they saw towering high walls rising from the ground between the two waters. Every few hundred steps there were six-foot-high watchtowers. Looking from a distance, the overlapping cornices looked like endless waves. , soldiers wearing armor walked through it, as if walking on steep mountains.
Gao Zhun couldn't help but sigh when he saw this: "I have been with the Ba Mansion in the north and south in these years, and I have seen a lot of cities, but I am afraid that the only ones that can defeat such a huge defense are the two capitals and Xinwu. "However, Yijing is not only a city with high defenses. The most unique thing about this city is that it is purely for military considerations and does not have to bear the livelihood of the surrounding people. As a result, all the people within a ten-mile radius have been moved away, and only soldiers and state officials can communicate with each other. When a group of people entered the city, they felt that the whole city was filled with a murderous atmosphere, which made people hold their breath.
But the group's arrival was not coincidental. When they arrived at Yijing, the Xianbei Shanyu Kebi was able to cross the Shanggu and enter the invaders from Yuyang to Guangping. Gongsun Zan was leading his troops to confront him, so the only person who received them was Cheng Xu, a special minister from the state capital. Wang Ling was originally planning to set off to continue to meet Gongsun Zan, but was persuaded by Cheng Xu, saying that Youzhou Mu was arrogant, fierce and guessing, and was extremely jealous of Wuhuan's rebellion. Even if they interviewed him in person, they might not be able to do so. What's the result?
Cheng Xu had nothing to do with Wang Ling, so his words at this time were naturally out of public motives, and Wang Ling couldn't help but not believe him. But without Gongsun Zan's support, Wuhuan's mission would be too slim. Cheng Xu saw that Wang Ling was helpless, so he recommended himself, saying that although Gongsun Zan could not support him, he had also handled Wuhuan affairs and could provide some guidance.
So Cheng Xu made his own decision, and after handing over everything in hand, set out with Wang Ling and others in mid-April. They crossed the Juma River, the Holy River, and the Gushui River one after another, and gradually reached the end of the Hexi Corridor. The Yanshan Mountains were in sight, and at the junction of the Liaoxi Corridor and the Yanshan Mountains was one of the most important towns in the northern frontier of the Han Dynasty—— Luronce.
It is also where the royal court of Wuhuan is now located.
But after all, Wuhuan was currently at odds with the court. Cheng Xu suggested not to enter the royal court directly, but to go to Xuwu City in the southwest corner of Lulongsai first, contact the local Wuhuan branch, and report on his behalf to show respect. With this foreshadowing, no matter how hostile Tadun is, nothing big will happen.
After entering Xu Wucheng, the Wuhuan people did not dare to neglect. They first ordered the group to rest here, and in the afternoon of the next day, Wuhuan Dongwang Nanlou came out with more than a hundred people to receive them. After greeting each other, the two parties entered Lulong Sei together.
The four kings of Wuhuan were meeting with Wang Ling and his party this time. After the death of the last Wuhuan Chanyu Qiu Liju, his son Louban was too young to take charge of the affairs, so he ordered his son Tadun to take charge of the tribes of the three kings. These three kings were Wuhuan Dongwang Nanlou and Wuhuan. Su Puyan, the southern king, Wuyan, the western king of Wuhuan, and Tadun, the northern king of Wuhuan, who took charge of Shanyu, can be said to have all the leaders of Wuhuan tribes.
What Wang Ling and others expected was that the four kings were extremely polite, and even Tadun did not show any hostility. He just sits in the first place and rarely speaks. After hearing the news that the court planned to set up Wuhuan Zhonglang's mansion to reconcile them with Gongsun Zan, the four kings made eye contact and just said they would discuss it briefly and let the group wait for a while in Lulong Fortress. At least judging from the words, the goal of this trip may not be difficult to achieve.
Seeing that the trip went more smoothly than expected, the entourage was overjoyed. Only Gao Zhun and Cheng Xuhuai had objections. Cheng Xu talked about what he saw during the day and said suspiciously: "This is really strange! This is not the first time that Tadun and I met. When Liu Youzhou was here, he used to be fierce with his sword. Now, Already rebelling, but becoming a gentleman?"
Gao Zhun concluded: "We have no relatives or old friends with Tadun, and we carry no gold, silver, or jewelry. He is not a sage, and his request is very involved. How can we make him smile? I think his words , it must be just pretentious, and I’m afraid there’s a terrible secret behind it!”
After everyone thought about it carefully, they all agreed. That night, He Napinglin pretended to be a Wuhuan man and went around to observe the situation. He found that the lights in the royal court were not extinguished. Apparently there was something important to discuss. The royal court was heavily guarded, and he could not get close. He could only stay and watch from a distance. Only when the lights in the royal court were on until midnight did people come out one after another. Apart from the four kings present at the meeting, He Napinglin clearly saw two men who looked like Confucian scholars.
One of them is tall and thin, with a handsome face and a gentle manner. However, when he looks at him, he has the feeling of an eagle looking north. He also looks very royal among the four kings. At a glance, he can tell that he is a noble and famous family. disciple. While the four kings were walking and talking with him, they actually showed a bit of a flattering attitude, which they could hardly imagine in the daytime.
He Napinglin waited until they were far away and did not dare to delay. He immediately returned to the bedroom and told everyone what he saw. Cheng Xu heard that there were Han people in Wuhuan who were respected by the four kings. When asked about the person's appearance, Ping Lin couldn't tell for a while, so Cheng Xu asked, "Does it mean that he has no beard and looks like a woman?" Ping Lin nodded repeatedly, and Cheng Xu changed his face and said, "No, Yuan The thief actually sent him!”
It turned out that this person was Yuan Shao's third son Yuan Shang, who was born to Yuan Shao's step-sibling Liu. Not only was he handsome in appearance, but he was also not inferior to his father in literary skills and martial arts. Together with his brother Yuan Tan, he was called Yuan Shao's second dragon. When Yuan Shao regained the two counties last year, he was in charge of Zhongshan and made outstanding achievements, so Cheng Xu could recognize him immediately.
Now Wuhuan put aside the court envoys and secretly contacted Yuan Shang. His intention was self-evident.
Ping Lin is a young man with the most impatient temper. He has read many history books over the years and admires Fu Jiezi's assassination of the Loulan royal family. He can't help but suggest: "Why don't we strike first and kill Yuan Shang first, forcing Wuhuan ministries to carry out the execution?" Chao Ming?"
Gao Zhun shook his head and said: "We are in the enemy's country. We don't know the actual situation of each department, and we have no foreign aid. How can we assassinate him? How can we stabilize the situation after the assassination? It's impossible." Everyone thought so.
In the end, Wang Ling, as the chief envoy, made the decision: "When the envoy entrusted me with the important task before leaving, he had already anticipated that the situation was critical, but now that things have reached this point, I am afraid it is too late to do anything. The most urgent task is still to do something Pass on the news from Wuhuan to the Yuan family, otherwise the imperial court and Jihou will be completely unprepared, which will lead to a catastrophe!"
After they finished their discussion, they immediately lit the lights and piled up the sundries in the tent. They pretended that there were still people talking about it, but in fact they packed up and left the tent in three groups. It was only when the Wuhuan people inspected in the early morning that something was wrong and they hurriedly sent people to pursue it. However, Wang Ling and his party had already rushed to the foot of the mountain and found someone to buy horses. Regardless of the lack of saddles, they galloped south.
The group rode horses for two days and one night. When they returned to Yi Jing, a large piece of skin on the inner thighs had been worn off and their trousers were stained red. But they did not dare to delay. After discussing with Cheng Xu, Wang Ling immediately returned to Jinyang and reported the matter to Liu Bei. After Cheng Xu sent a message to Gongsun Zan, he also began to step up preparations for war.
By the end of April, Wuhuan from Yuyang, Beiping, and Liaoxi counties marched southward, heading straight from Beiping to Yuyang Yongnu. The Jizhou army also took advantage of the situation and marched north in two directions, encircling Yijing one way and attacking Youzhou territory all the way. Joined forces with Wuhuan in Quanzhou.
