After the Battle of Anci, Yuan Shang saw that Wuhuan from the three counties had deserted and his troops were at a disadvantage. He did not dare to confront the Han army again, so he had to abandon Anci and retreat to Quanzhou, a hundred miles to the south, to watch the movements of the Han army. . Seeing that he was far away, the Han army divided into two groups. They moved to Anci to guard against Yuan Shang. The main force moved to Zhuoxian County and then camped forward on the left bank of the Juma River (the ancients regarded the east as the left and the west as the right, so it was called Longxi). It is Longyou, and Jiangdong is Jiangzuo), facing Fanyang Yijing across the water.
At this time, the two cities had been surrounded several times by Yuan's army. In addition to the antlers of the camps, trenches and earthen hills were dug ten feet deep. The Han army was stunned when they saw this. Liu Bei, on the other hand, directly thought of the scene of the decisive battle with Kuitou and Bu Dugen in Zaiping City ten years ago. That was how they used the perfect fortifications to break the internal and external attacks of Xianbei's assault cavalry. At that time, Liu Bei didn't think this arrangement was very subtle. Now that he has become the one to break the siege, he realizes that it is extremely difficult.
In the end, based on the lengthy nature of Yuan Shao's grain road, the shogunate decided on a strategy of attacking from the north and harassing the south for days. That is, the main force was used to exert pressure in the north of the two cities, so that the garrison did not dare to attack by force. Later, it was supplemented by Rangers in the south of the city to harass and harass, so that Yuan's army's food routes were blocked. The Yuan army was indeed disturbed, but they were unwilling to go out to fight with the Han army in the field. The battle situation between the two armies once again fell into a stalemate.
However, at this moment of fierce fighting in Hebei, the other states in China are bathing in a rare calm. Whether it is the two states of Yan and Yu after the epidemic, or the two states of Qingxu after a disastrous defeat, they are seizing the time to recuperate. After Yuan Shu lost power, Yangzhou was divided into two, which were snatched by Sun Ce and Liu Biao respectively. However, Jiangzuo was vast, and they had to spend time rectifying the government and winning people's hearts, so they stopped fighting. There is no need to talk about Shu and Guanzhong. Only Liangzhou still has some fighting. For a time, people all over the world had an illusion, as if all the chaos in the past ten years were just a dream, and the Han Dynasty was still stuck in the Guanghe era.
If they could see the emperor hunting around Kunming Pool at this time, they would be even more convinced that they were living in a peaceful and prosperous age.
At last count, the emperor has lived in Kunming Pool for more than a month. After the initial freshness passed, the emperor felt a little lonely. Although it was relatively stuffy in the palace, he could often go to the Shangshutai to attend to matters, and he could also listen to government affairs in the imperial court from time to time. But after living in Kunming Pool, his eyes suddenly became much deserted, which gave the emperor an indescribable feeling. During the meal, the emperor told the queen that he always felt ashamed when he saw his ministers kneeling down and saluting him, but once he was alone, he felt a kind of fear floating in the air. Queen Fu Shi said with a smile, Your Majesty is too busy, why not find something to do.
Jianping General Dong Cheng was also dining nearby at the time. After hearing the emperor's words, he suggested that the emperor might as well imitate Emperor Sejongwu and go hunting around Kunming Pool. One could strengthen his body and the other could communicate with his ministers. camaraderie. The emperor agreed, so he issued an edict to Yilang Zhao Yan, Shizhong Zhang Yin, Sanqi Changshi Hua Xin, Yulin Lang Mengjian and others, ordering them to prepare their bows and horses and follow him to hunt beasts in the forest. After everyone arrived, Dong Cheng used the emperor's hunting as an excuse to seal off Shanglin Garden and not allow others to enter without permission.
Shanglin Garden was built during the reign of Emperor Shizong Xiaowu. It has thirty-six gardens, twelve palaces, and twenty-one temples, including eight rivers: Wei, Jing, Feng, Lao, Lao, Pou, Chan, and Ba, as well as the mighty Kunming Pool. It is just a scene of Shanglin Garden, which has a radius of more than 300 miles and can be called the best palace garden in Qin and Han Dynasties. At first, Shanglin Garden was only for the royal family to enjoy, but the palace garden became so huge that it became a heavy burden for the imperial court. When it was first established, Dongfang Shuo admonished Shizong, saying that Shanglin Garden "is of no use to the country, and takes away the farming and mulberry industry." Therefore, it was gradually abolished during the reign of Emperor Xiaoyuan, and was finally destroyed by the successive battles between Xinmang and Chimei. Today, only the vast ruins of Shanglin Garden and wild beasts are left in Shanglin Garden.
It is said that when Sejong was young, he shot tigers with Yu Linlang in Zhongnan Mountain. Now that the emperor has just mastered the art of archery, he naturally cannot go so far, so he and his attendants go out ten miles from the south bank of Kunming Pool to shoot geese and ducks on both sides of Fengshui.
On the morning of the second day of the safari, summer was beginning. Even though there were cypress trees covering the surroundings, the heat continued to surge up from the ground. When it reached the branches and bushes above, it poured down again, as if something was wrapping around the body. This made dozens of people in the group feel extremely hot. . Only when the river breeze blows over will they feel cooler.
Yesterday and this morning, they shot a lot of wild ducks, which was a fruitful harvest, but after the freshness wore off, the emperor also found it a bit boring. After all, the joy of hunting is not just about shooting an arrow with a bow. No matter how many wild ducks you shoot, it is not as good as shooting a tiger. Even if you can't shoot a tiger now, just shooting a few wild pigs is much more interesting.
"The Romance of Fairy Wood"
He expressed this idea to everyone, and Hua Xin, the minister of casual cavalry, advised him: "The art of archery is not achieved in a day. If your majesty wants to shoot wild pigs, you must be good at shooting and riding. Otherwise, when hunting, you must be good at shooting." , the pawn fell under the horse. What happened next? How can a body of ten thousand chariots be damaged?"
Everyone said it was reasonable, but they also felt it was boring in their hearts. At this time, Jianping General Dong Cheng said: "Wild pigs are really difficult to shoot. Not only are their skins thick, but they also have a fishy smell when they are grilled. It is better to shoot some elk. Elk are weak and will run away when they see people. Although it is more difficult to shoot, it is better to shoot some elk." , but there is nothing to worry about. I heard someone say that there is a herd of elk on the west bank of Kunming Lake. How about we go hunting there? "
The emperor was very happy to hear this, and the other attendants had nothing to object to. So everyone took a short rest and threw the fifty or so wild ducks and more than twenty hares they had hunted yesterday into a nearby pavilion. Then they filled their quivers and water bottles, put on a few new horses, and ate some more. After getting dry food, he headed west.
By the time they reached the west bank of Kunming Pool, the sun was setting in the west, and the light gradually became dim. The mottled light and shadow cast by the leaves above their heads gradually blurred, and then suddenly it became clear. They arrived in a vast expanse of reeds, with a deep and moist atmosphere. The temperature suddenly dropped from the water shadow, which made everyone feel extremely comfortable.
But it seemed a bit late today. Everyone was a little tired after walking for two hours, so they found a courtyard where Habayashiro rested during his tour. They planned to have dinner here first and rest after eating. Let’s make plans tomorrow.
While Mr. Habayashi was cooking, the Emperor and Dong Cheng went out together and took a slow walk around the reed marsh. At this time, the sun has been obscured by white clouds, and no orange light can be seen. The sky and water are all blue, the cool breeze is blowing, and the white reeds are floating, as if they are flowing clouds. If not for the endless crowing of frogs, the emperor might You will think you are in heaven.
The emperor was stunned for a moment and suddenly asked Dong Cheng: "General, what do you think of man and the world?"
Dong Cheng was stunned and thought for a while, not knowing what the emperor meant, so he said truthfully: "Compared to heaven and earth, humans are naturally nothing."
The Emperor quite agreed. He nodded and said, "Yes, even though I am the Emperor and am above all others, every time I look down at the heaven and the earth, I feel that I am insignificant. No matter whether a person is high or low, there is no difference between life and death in the world. I often think about how Emperor Gaozu felt when he drove away the doctors before his death and said, "My destiny is in heaven, so what's the use of being a magpie!" Emperor Xiaowu said in his later years, "The Han people of the 67th and 42nd generations should paint Gao Ye', what's the reason? Today, when I walked back and forth in Shanglin Garden, I saw nothing but burning desolation. I can understand a little bit of their mood."
When Dong Cheng heard this, he turned to look at the emperor's expression, and saw that he was looking at the sky from a distance, his eyes were deep, and he didn't know why he was hurt. But his sensitivity and youth were fully exposed.
After a while, the group of frogs seemed to have lost their strength, and the chirping gradually became quieter. Instead, there was a light to vague shuttle sound, like a big guy slowly walking through the tangled grass and reeds. Dong Cheng heard it, tugged at the emperor, and signaled him to be silent. The two of them looked towards the source of the sound. I saw a deer antler rising slightly from the reeds, and then falling down again, like a small boat in the sea of clouds, swimming slowly among the reeds.
It moved a little closer to the two of them, and suddenly realized something was wrong, and suddenly ran away in the opposite direction. During a few leaps, the emperor saw some white fur, which made him couldn't help but exclaim: "It's a white deer! "He looked at Dong Cheng, who also said, "It's the White Deer."
After saying these words, the two of them chased it in unison. It was dark at this time, and the surroundings were surrounded by dense reeds. Every movement felt extremely laborious, and their wrists and ankles were bruised by weeds. But when they thought of seeing such auspiciousness as the white deer, they didn't care about anything. On the way up, I just followed the shadow in the distance and ran endlessly. After running for a while, both of them were out of breath.
Dong Cheng saw that the emperor was panting and obviously couldn't run anymore, so he stopped to help him catch his breath and said, "What did this deer eat? It can run so fast in the reeds." The emperor didn't say anything. Thinking about it, I should go back and greet the others first. But it was already too late, and the feeling of annoyance had not yet arisen. Suddenly, another canine whimpering scream came from not far away. This one had no beginning and no end, but it pointed the direction for them.
Dong Cheng glanced at the Emperor, who nodded to him. He took out his knife from his waist and walked in front to clear the way for the Emperor. After walking more than sixty steps, the reeds suddenly opened up, revealing a piece of flat land. The sight in front of them shocked the two of them.
There was no magic horse or white deer on the flat ground, only a five-foot white dog lying on it. Its throat was slit at this time, and it fell slumped in the grass. Blood was flowing in the fur, and its body was still shaking slightly. The emperor even saw the tears in the white dog's eyes. The white dog had two antlers tied to its head, which should be what they had seen before. There was another person standing next to the white dog. When the emperor saw that person's face, he was in a trance. Then he immediately recognized his identity and asked, "Why is Dong Qing here?"
Dong Zhao first saluted the emperor, and then slowly replied: "I heard that your majesty does not have a white deer, so I am here to make your majesty's horse bones."
