In the early winter of the sixth year of Yanxing, the strong wind blowing from the Mobei Plateau became even more fierce. The heavy snowfall, which lasted for more than ten days, still showed no sign of stopping. Instead, it was like a wild horse running wild across the Guanzhong land. Galloping. People in Hedong Ferry have not seen such rapid deterioration in weather for nearly ten years. The dark sky seemed to have covered an iron curtain, and heavy snow fell overwhelmingly, seemingly endlessly. Even the Yellow River was covered, and it was impossible to tell where the river was and where the bank was. Someone stuck a knife into the snow and found it was bottomless.
In such weather, most travelers would hesitate to go forward. They would stay until the snow stopped, then go further to a pavilion not far from the east bank of the river, where they would light a fire to cook and keep warm. Unexpectedly, one day, when the snow was falling hard, they heard the clatter of horse hooves outside the back room, but it was just faint. Curious people peeled back the linen material that protected the wind and saw people riding horses one after another passing by the pavilion.
The chief of the pavilion noticed something was wrong. According to Han law, the chief of the pavilion also had the responsibility of questioning passers-by, so he put on a sheepskin fur and went out to greet them, intending to ask about the origins of this group of people. It was only after he stood still at the entrance of the pavilion that he saw clearly that what was coming was not a small group of people, but hundreds of knights with wind and snow on their shoulders.
These knights were poorly armored, and most of them had no armor. Many people were wrapped in linen, and various scars were spread on their faces, hands, and even the legs of the horses they were sitting on. It was obvious that they had gone through a fierce battle. When the leading knight saw a person coming in front of him, he stopped his horse and asked the pavilion chief what was going on.
The chief of the pavilion saw that the leader's face was full of nobility, and he knew that it might be due to his reputation as a nobleman, so he couldn't help but feel a little timid. But he still kept his spirits up, revealed the bronze seal of the pavilion chief, and asked the knights to show their famous thorns and explain the reasons for their past.
The knights looked at each other in confusion, as if they had something to hide, but before they could argue, the leader took a few steps forward and said to the chief of the pavilion: "Mr. Lu Bu in Liangzhou is causing chaos and is besieging Xijing with his troops. We are all guards in the capital. We are here." I'm going to Jinyang to ask for help! I broke through the siege and headed north in a hurry, and I didn't bring any famous assassins with me. I hope the pavilion chief will forgive me."
The director of the pavilion was surprised, but when he saw that their expressions and clothing did not seem to be fake, he couldn't help but believe it. He couldn't help but inquire with solemnity: "There is chaos in Xijing, is Mr. Chen okay?"
When those people heard this, they all remained silent. Only one person said: "I am walking in a hurry now. I think I was too hasty when I saw it. Maybe it was a thief's plan to deceive us!"
Someone else said, "Why should you deceive yourself? Even if Longshou was lucky enough not to die at that time, how could he survive now that Xijing has fallen into the hands of thieves?" So the man fell silent.
This group of knights was a group of people recruited by Chen Deng. After they rushed out of Chang'an, they saw fire and smoke floating in the sky above the capital. Another Liang army was rushing towards the west, accompanied by shouts of death and howling. The light of swords and rain of arrows destroyed all the hard work since Yanxing. However, they had no choice but to run away in panic while the Liang people were out of pursuit. As a result, the road was blocked by heavy snow and there was no guide to guide them. Even though they did not dare to stop along the way, it took them about seven days to complete the two hundred miles on the road. When they arrived here, they were hungry and thirsty. , already exhausted.
When the pavilion chief heard that Chen Chong's young son was among the team, he quickly took out a pot of hot liquid and some dry food from the house as gifts, and sent a pavilion servant to guide them. Only then did Qianzhao and his party know that they had arrived at Puban Ferry, and if they walked another twenty miles east, they would see Puban City.
Although it was getting late, they did not rest, but continued eastward in the dark. When the sky clouds turned slightly silver, they finally arrived at Puban City.
Most of the troops in Hedong County have been trapped in the Bohai Sea with the guards. At this time, Anyi has ordered Zhang Yan to act as the governor of Hedong. Zhang Yan is now in Puban, transporting the remaining grain, fodder and weapons in the county, waiting for Chen Chong next command. After leading Chen Deng and his entourage into the city and telling him the news of the fall of Xijing, he was greatly eclipsed and even more undecided. He asked in despair, "What should we do now?"
The original intention of Qianzhao was to stick to Puban first and wait for reinforcements after notifying Luoyang from Jiguan. But Chen Deng objected: "Now that the river is frozen, Puban is no longer in danger. As soon as the heavy snow stops, the bandit army will come quickly. I'm afraid it will only take three days. How can we wait for reinforcements? It's better to organize the luggage first. Once the snow falls, Stop, we will go north to Linfen."
Everyone couldn't help but nodded when they heard this: Linfen is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and it is actually the gateway for communication between Hedong and Bingzhou. As long as they guard this place, it will be difficult for the Liang army to go north to merge with the state. If they want to attack Jiguan, they must also consider whether they will be attacked from both sides. Moreover, Linfen is closer to Bingzhou, so reinforcements will surely arrive as soon as possible after the notification.
So we made a plan and planned to move the army north when the wind and snow were a little lighter.
In the blink of an eye, three days later, the rare heavy snow finally showed signs of decline. The clouds gradually became lighter and the wind subsided, making the sky appear slightly transparent.
Puban's defenders smelled the faint cold smell of water vapor in the air, and saw that the snowflakes in the air were as small as silver flakes, so they began to take action. They loaded grain and grass onto pack cars, wrapped the horses' hooves in cowhide, and each man They all wrapped up their winter clothes and put them on their shoulders. Finally, they hid a pot of hot wine on their chests, and then began their long journey north.
Qianzhao and others walked at the front. Although they had endured hunger in the past few days, they still lacked energy. After all, although the plan has been decided, the way forward is still unknown. Even if Linfen is defended, will the situation get better? No one could tell, so they didn't say anything, and they just started on their journey again with this feeling of being as confused as the heavy snow in the fields.
The only one who might be in some mood was Chen Zhang. Out of intolerance, everyone did not inform him of Chen Chong's death. They only said that they followed his grandfather's wishes and sent him to Jinyang. Therefore, these days, Chen Zhang has been very curious and looking at the surrounding scenery. But after seeing too much of the scenery in the world, it was actually not that different, so Chen Zhang was also tired of it. He sat on the horse leading the horse all day long, seeming drowsy.
Not long after he left the city gate, Chen Zhang suddenly woke up. He said to Qianzhao, "I dreamed about my father. He said he would come to see me today." Qianzhao felt sad when he heard this and didn't know what to say in response. .
But at this time, the team behind them stopped for some reason, and they remained unmoved no matter how hard anyone rushed them. When asked about the reason, the people around him couldn't explain clearly. Chen Deng thought it was Liang Jun who had caught up, so he went back to investigate alone. As a result, he learned an incredible news: it was said that a car came from the west, and there were people sitting inside. With Chen Shijun.
It was indeed Chen Chong who came. After escaping from Chang'an, he expected that the Liang army had entered the capital in a hurry and had not yet taken control of the rural pavilion, so he did not avoid the pavilion and ordered the driver to go straight to the main road. Once someone questioned Dong Yao, Chen Chong raised the curtain and showed his identity with a severed finger and eyebrow injury. Everyone who saw it was shocked and did not dare to stop him anymore, but he actually allowed him to successfully reach this place.
After being bumpy in the car for several days, Chen Chong was still dizzy for a while when he got out of the car. With Dong Bai's help, he could barely stand still. Fortunately, the two wounds on his waist and legs had begun to heal, forming a layer of brown scabs. This no longer caused sharp pain like a knife when he moved, but a mixture of itching and tingling.
But I was finally able to walk.
At this time, Qianzhao and his party came to meet Chen Chong. They were both happy and sad at the same time. They seemed to have thousands of words in their mouths, but they didn't know where to start. They finally became solemn.
The group finally lit a bonfire and sat down next to it. After exchanging pleasantries about their escape experiences, everyone fell silent again, wondering whether to continue traveling north. Chen Chong hugged Chen Zhang, took the initiative to break the silence, and asked them: "There is chaos in the capital and emptiness in the east of the river. It is a time of life and death. And Puban is the city I rebuilt. It is located in a strategic location and is considered strong and difficult to break. Don't you guys? If you hold on and lead your troops out of the city, where are you going?"
Chen Chong's words contained accusations, and Chen Deng quickly stepped forward to explain and tell him about everyone's previous discussions. After hearing this, Chen Chong shook his head repeatedly and said: "When setting up troops, don't stick to the shape, but also adapt to changes. I see, you are also losing your courage. The weather is so cold that it is difficult to bend and stretch your fingers. Sprinkling water on the city can turn into ice." How can Liang's army attack? It's easy to abandon the city now, but when we want to regain Guanzhong in the future, crossing the river will be as difficult as climbing to the sky."
After everyone heard this, they high-fived each other, but some people said: "There are only more than 3,000 soldiers in the city. If the Liang army is surrounded and no reinforcements come to rescue, this place will be a dead place, so it's not appropriate."
Chen Chong's face remained normal and he said slowly: "About twenty years ago, I issued two warrants to mobilize more than 10,000 people to go south. Calculating the time, the first batch of people must have arrived. We might as well move the baggage into the city first. , Reinforcements will be here the day after tomorrow at the latest.”
Everyone was doubtful, but they didn't dare to refute in public, so they called their troops back to the city. On the second day, there were indeed cavalry coming from the north. Although there were not as many as ten thousand, there were always five thousand. The soldiers were overjoyed and welcomed them into the city, but when they got closer to see the reinforcements' flags, they soon discovered to their surprise that the reinforcements were actually the old troops of the Liang Army: Dong Yue and Hu Zhen.
Dong Yue and Hu Zhen had long been accustomed to the strange looks from the people around them. After asking his cronies to arrange for the men to rest, the two of them cleaned up hastily and went straight to the county mansion to meet Chen Chong.
On the way here, they had heard about the chaos in Xijing and the unknown life and death of Chen Chong. Therefore, he hesitated for a time whether to obey the order and go south. But considering that he was in Bingzhou at this time, he had no choice. Even though he was worried, he could only make up his mind to advance and retreat with the Bafu. At this time, they both breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that Chen Chong was still alive. As soon as they entered the room, they knelt down to Chen Chong together.
At this time, Chen Chong had just asked Dong Bai to change the medicine. He could not kneel down and could only let her sit beside him while he leaned on the couch. Unexpectedly, seeing Dong Yue and Hu Zhen's pretentious expressions, Chen Chong couldn't laugh or cry. He asked them to stand up, pointed at Dong Bai and said to them: "The Grand Master's granddaughter is here, so don't be polite."
Dong Yue was shocked and hurriedly did not dare to recognize each other. Hu Zhen came closer and took Dong Bai's hand, and then said with tears: "I didn't expect to see Weiyang again." Then they greeted each other again, and when they sat down again, the two They all felt very close to Chen Chong.
Unexpectedly, Chen Chong opened his mouth and said, "Now that I have the power to shake the sky, do you two dare to take it?"
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Chapter 12: Stop at Puban and read it for free.
