After Zang Hong's death, Chen Chong and Liu Bei discussed it in detail and immediately carried out his funeral in accordance with the etiquette of princes. At this time, Zang Hong had died of heirs and had no living relatives, but the people and soldiers in Dingtao mourned for him, and then the whole city was in mourning, and weeping was like rain. Zhang Miao, Chen Gong, Bian Rang and other colleagues in Yanzhou were also very sad when they heard about it, and many of them fell ill.
Seven days later, Chen Chong personally supported the coffin and transported Zang Hong to the west bank of the river five miles east of Dingtao City. The weather was cold and cold that day, and the light rain continued. However, the number of people visiting the cemetery increased instead of decreasing. After hearing the news, about 70,000 people came and surrounded the cemetery.
Under the attention of everyone, Bian Rang presided over the ceremony. Liu Bei recited a eulogy and posthumously named him the Mu of Yuzhou, the General of Zhendong, and the Marquis of Qiu. Then the coffin and the artifacts were slowly placed in the tomb. There were not many artifacts buried with them, including twenty pieces of silk, two stone horses, seals and swords, and several sets of robes and scarves.
After the funeral. Some people argue that Zang Zheng was originally from Guangling. In fact, logically speaking, people should return to their roots after falling leaves, and he should be buried in his hometown. Is it inappropriate to be buried here? Then someone retorted that Zang Cheng's wives all died here, and countless of his subordinates were buried around them. How could he not be willing? No matter what, Zang Hong was buried in this place where he sacrificed his life. On the second day, people built an ancestral hall in front of the tomb and offered incense to him.
Although the funeral is over, the war is not over yet.
When Chen Chong and Liu Bei led their troops to Leize, Xu Zhu and other Cao Jun's rear troops also withdrew to Puyang. By this time, Cao's army was divided into two groups: north and south. Cao Ang's army on the south road, about 30,000 strong, is repairing the city day and night in Shanyang County and preparing fortifications one after another, intending to involve the main force of the Han army here. Under the command of Cao Cao, Cao's army on the North Road formed a formation to demonstrate at Dunqiu. For a time, the flags of more than 100,000 troops were flying on the north bank of the river, stretching for more than 20 miles. Coupled with gongs and drums day and night, it looked very majestic.
Naturally, the Han army was not to be outdone. They also marched to the south bank of the river and responded in the same way to Cao's army across the river, provoking them to fight. But in fact, the commanders of both armies knew that the fierce battle between the two sides was approaching September, and the soldiers were exhausted and unable to fight anymore.
In the end, the Han army sent envoys to Cao's army to negotiate with them, and once again tried to exchange Xiahou Dun for Guan Yu, and stopped their troops this year. However, the result was unsatisfactory. Many generals in Cao Cao's army were afraid of Guan Yu, so they refused to change the pledge on the grounds that the Han and the traitors were not at odds with each other, and urged Cao Cao to kill Guan Yu. Although Cao Cao was interested in the proposal, he couldn't accept it face to face. So he led his army to retreat twenty miles north and let the Han envoys leave.
After the Han envoy returned to camp, Chen Chong said to Liu Bei: "It seems that Cao Cao has agreed. Let's retreat and wait." So the Han army also withdrew twenty miles south. The two sides gradually retreated in this way, and finally formed a line. Zhencheng and Puyang are the core, and the two sides are intertwined between Dongjun and Jiyin counties, making it difficult to distinguish between each other.
After the two sides retreated, Liu Bei and Chen Chong returned to Luoyang and immediately ordered all ministries to reorganize their armies. Before that, the first task was to change the defense on the front line to prevent Cao Cao from taking advantage of the opportunity.
First, Zhang Miao, Chen Gong, Bian Rang, Zhong Yao, Wei Yan, and Huangfuli were summoned to lead their troops into the Pass to rest and recuperate. These troops suffered great losses and needed to rebuild their structures. While they were allowed to enter the Pass, they could also rotate the imperial army in Chang'an. , strengthen the control of Xijing. ….
Later, Xu Huang's troops were sent to guard Hanoi, Duan Yan's troops were sent to guard Yanzhou, and Zhang Fei's troops were stationed in Henan. These three places are the front line of the confrontation with Cao's army, adjacent to Yecheng, and they cannot be guarded unless they are senior generals in the army.
In addition, Huang Zhong's tribe stationed in Peiguo, Taishi Ci's tribe stationed in Liangguo, Qianzhao's tribe stationed in Runan, and Yuan Tan's tribe stationed in Chenguo. They were all under the new governor Zhang Ji, the governor of Yuzhou. Zhang, who was less than thirty years old, was directly promoted to governor by Chen Chong and was widely discussed in the army. However, during the quelling of the chaos in Guanzhong, Zhang not only showed his ability to stabilize the home front, manage the world and benefit the people, but also made outstanding contributions. Therefore, Chen Chongli wanted to use him despite all objections.
Finally, as for Bingzhou, due to the obstacles of mountains and rivers, except for Xianbei in the north, there is actually no pressure from the enemy. Therefore, after Chen Chong placed the newly recruited Qu Yi's troops in Yanmen and Gongsun Zan's troops in Shangdang, the rest of the troops did not change much.
After all the instructions were given, all ministries began to mobilize under the supervision of Bafu's staff, and Chen Chong was fine. So he discussed with Liu Bei and planned to return to his hometown after his brother Chen Qun arrived in Luoyang, carrying all the coffins and coffins.
This afternoon, the sky was dark and the clouds were low. Looking from outside the camp, the trees on both sides of the river are lush and green.
On the road, travel is cut off. Although there was a slight breeze, there was silence between heaven and earth, and only the occasional flying bird could be seen coming and going.
Liu Bei had been chatting with Chen Chong since he got up from his nap. Both of them felt that there was a long road ahead and they didn't know when they would have the opportunity to reunite.
"Jia Xu has sent news that the three towns are willing to surrender. Ma Teng, Han Yue, and Song Jian are all willing to go to the pilgrimage to see and stay, but they ask their sons to lead their troops. It seems that the matter in Liangzhou is over. "Next year, Cao Cao will raise his troops again and fight with me. Ting Jian, what are our chances of winning?" After falling into the water, although Liu Bei recovered from the cold, it still left the root cause of the disease. He was prone to chest tightness and shortness of breath, so Zhang Zhongjing prescribed him medical care. The prescription to replenish the deficiency must be drank every day, and this moment is no exception, so Ling Cangtou is waiting by his side.
Chen Chong thought for a moment and sighed: "Xuande, if we fight together next year, our army has little chance of winning. Cao Cao has captured my old soldiers and armor, and the loss is more than one or two years old. And last year, there was a chaos in Guanzhong, and the horses were lost. There are countless of them, and it will take at least five years to restore the scale before the war. On the other hand, Cao Cao, sitting in the land of Hebei, with Xianbei as reinforcements, many soldiers and horses, and rich crops, is better than Guanxi. If you want to If you say victory, I'm afraid Cao Cao will have to fight and come up with another Ding Tao."
"Ding Tao, Ding Tao..." Liu Bei muttered silently for a moment, then raised his head and asked, "Can you build another city at a strategic location to lure Cao Cao to attack?"
"It's really impossible. Our army is facing the enemy on the plain. How can we build a city safely? Next time we join forces, I'm afraid he will have to move first so that we can strike later."
"If so, where will Cao Cao go?"
"Of course it's Xuzhou. He has captured Langya, and the dangerous ground is in his hands, but our army is beyond our reach. He will definitely attack Xuzhou first, and then enter Yuzhou."
"Then how do we deal with it?"
"If you can follow the rules, you can't retreat."
Liu Bei felt anxious after hearing this, and he said, "Then when will our country have the opportunity to take advantage of the situation?"
"Don't be anxious." Chen Chong looked Liu Bei squarely and said, "The most important thing right now is not the war, but recuperating the people, living with the people, promulgating new laws, and clarifying the rule of law. If you can make the rule peaceful for ten years, the world will not be stable, so why bother? What about taking advantage of the opportunity?”….
While he was talking, the tent door suddenly opened, and the guard on duty came and reported to Chen Chong: "Your Majesty, Chen Shangshu has arrived. Can you let him in?"
Chen Chong's heart sank. He thought, Chen Qun finally arrived, what should he say? He himself was at a loss, but he said: "At this time, he must not have eaten yet. You take him to the fire camp to deal with it first, and I will come later."
After the guards went out, Chen Chong was stunned for a while, then stood up and tidied his clothes to go out. Unexpectedly, Liu Bei suddenly stopped him and asked him, "When will you return home?"
"Once the long article comes, there is no need to wait any longer. I will leave in about an hour."
"Alas!" Liu Bei sighed. He stepped forward and said slowly to Chen Chong, "Ting Jian, this is all my fault. You don't have to blame yourself." After he finished speaking, he felt that this sentence was weak and added: "After I come back, I will send Ajian to Chang'an, and you will teach him well for me."
Chen Chong smiled and was about to leave, but he was stopped by Liu Bei again. He frowned and said, "I just remembered something that I haven't talked to you about. You are going back home now, but I have to ask you." Opinion."
"What's the matter?"
"Liu Xie said he wanted to marry the princess to you, what do you think?"
Chen Chong looked at Liu Bei for a moment and said slowly: "Ah Bai, save my life. If I renew my relationship, who will be left behind?"
But Liu Bei slowly shook his head and said: "This is what I'm worried about. Ting Jian, what a bad reputation Dong Zhuo has! If you really like Miss Bai, you can only marry her as your concubine, but not your wife, otherwise your accumulation will be destroyed." , how detrimental it is to your innocence! Ting Jian, you should accept the title of princess. In this way, at least you are in the center and your name is justified. "
Chen Chong was speechless, slightly bowed his hand to Liu Bei, and then left quickly.
When he saw Chen Qun again, his wife Xun was also there, and both of them saluted Chen Chong. Chen Chong didn't need to say anything, but Chen Qun took the initiative to comfort Chen Chong and said: "After the two uncles passed away, my brother will be the elder of the clan from now on. As long as my brother is still here, why should the Yingchuan Chen family be unhappy?"
The group of people carried the coffin together and set out on the road. After walking for about four days, they arrived at Gaoyangli, Xu County. At this time Gaoyangli calendar
After the war, it is far from the scene in the memory of a forest of distinguished scholars and handsome men. Along the way, it is just a field of fragrant grass and wives, and deep bushes. The Xun family, Guo family, Zhong family, Han family, etc. who were here back then Most of the famous families have moved away, and farmers can only be seen occasionally working in the fields and singing leisurely.
As he approached the courtyard of his home, he suddenly felt that the song sounded familiar to him. He listened carefully and found that it was "Eight and Nine Sons of Wu Sheng" from Hebei Province. He had sung it with Chen Qun when he returned to his hometown, and unexpectedly heard it again at this time. .
The other lines in it have actually been sung out of shape for a long time, but only the last line has not changed. He listened to the farmers chanting repeatedly: "Everyone has his or her own lifespan, so there is no need to reinvent the wheel of life and death!", and he couldn't help but think silently in his heart. No matter where they live, what their accent is, or what their preferences are, in the final analysis, they are just poor people who long for peace.
It was already late at night after all the relatives were buried beside my grandfather. Chen Chong couldn't sleep at night, so he sat alone under the old mulberry tree in the courtyard. He opened the purse left by his wife Cai Yan and gently brushed a few strands of hair inside. What was he feeling at this moment? Chen Chong himself could not explain it. Thinking about the years to come, he felt ashamed and blamed himself. He finally wrote the following sentences in the courtyard:
There is no hesitation in bearing the disease, and I feel lonely in the morning. The gates are sparse due to the strong wind, and the grass in the garden is still wet due to the wind.
The deserted ruins are dimly lit at night, and the secluded courtyard is pitifully cold at night. It is sad that the moon is clear, and the nocturnal worm is sour when it is re-cut.
The businessman's voice is bitter when he is lying on the pillow, and he kills Nian Zhilan in a coquettish manner. I don’t know the tune when I sing, who will rejoice when I get excited?
How can we play alone in the forest when we are in love with each other? .
Chen Ruicong
