In June of the ninth year of Yanxing, Liu Bei and Chen Chong led 100,000 troops to evacuate Pei. But what was unexpected was that both palaces did not return directly to Chang'an and Jinyang after deploying troops as usual. Instead, they ordered the army to garrison Heqiao and temporarily stationed the emperor in Luoyang, the eastern capital. Just when everyone was suspicious of the intention, the Bafu quickly announced that the emperor had not returned home for a long time, and this time he returned to the Eastern Capital temporarily to worship his ancestors in Mang Mountain.
At the same time, Xingtai issued another edict, saying that in the past few years, the country had been in chaos and war, but the country had not been destroyed because of this. The country had turned out to be safe again. This was mostly due to the courageous and heroic fighting of the soldiers, even if the war was unfavorable this year. , is not enough to offset the merits of the soldiers. Therefore, the emperor ordered that all veterans who had joined the army before Yanxing would be rewarded with a reward of 3,000 yuan and promoted to the second rank. Those who had survived the chaos of the sixth and seventh years of Yanxing would be rewarded with a reward of 2,000 yuan and promoted to the first rank. Those who participated in the war this time would be rewarded with a reward of 2,000 yuan and promoted to the second rank. , the reward will be one thousand, the whole army will rest for five days, and there will be a feast for three days.
】
For a time, the whole army cheered and encouraged. Although due to the destruction of the palace by Dong Zhuo, Luoyang today has not yet been able to restore the prosperity of the Guanghe period, but after the rewards were distributed at this time, it also added a bit of festive atmosphere. At the same time as the banquet was held in the army, Xingtai also gave permission for the capital to open a night market, so noisy things could be seen all day and night both inside and outside the eastern capital: during the day, the sergeants were outing and horse racing in the suburbs, and at night, the lights in the markets and temples were bright. Just like during the day, it is very lively when men and women are having fun.
The people of Dongdu have not seen such a scene for about ten years. If it weren't for the numerous military camps east of Qinshui and Danshui, as far as Chenggao and Xingyang, facing each other in the distance, and the cavalry coming and going as if they were facing a powerful enemy, people would really think that they had returned to the peaceful days of the Guanghe period.
After the banquet and sacrifice, the two governments were still in no hurry to return immediately. Instead, they discussed the merits and demerits of each army in the past six months in the eastern capital. Generally speaking, the dispatch of troops to Xuzhou failed to achieve the effect of blocking the Eastern Army before the dispatch. In particular, Chen Chong, the mastermind, could not escape the blame for misreading the movements of the Wu army. Therefore, he petitioned to plead guilty and had his seal reduced to two terms. He was fined 1,000 pieces of gold and received a two-year salary, taking most of the blame for this defeat.
As for the rest of the generals, after the discussion in Taiwan, most of them were mainly praised. As long as they can fight effectively or save their own army, they will not be promoted, but they will be given more gold and silver. If they have the performance of killing generals and breaking the formation, they will be entrusted with important positions, such as Linsui Colonel Huang Zhong, Longxiang Colonel Zhao Yun, Hu Benzhong Lang Jiang Xu Huang, Changqi Colonel Yang Qiu and others were all promoted to the rank of Marquis of Guannei. Yang Qiu and Zhao Yun were appointed as assistant generals, and Xu Huang and Huang Zhong were appointed as partial generals. Each received a reward of 500, and placed them in the eastern capital. A stone tablet was carved in front of the door to show his merit.
The only thing that caused controversy among the military was the reward and punishment of Great Sima Quyi. Although Qu Yi's official position was high, his actual jurisdiction was no different from that of an ordinary school captain. Among the three battles, he only participated in the two battles of Wuyuan and Huoshibu. He not only contributed to the victory of the Shenpei Zuo Army, but when he held on to the floating bridge , but performed poorly, causing a general collapse in the entire army, and many generals were killed. Therefore, many people in the army believe that Qu's righteous deeds outweigh his merits. But there are also objections. After all, facing the Eastern Army alone is extremely stressful, and no one can be sure of success, so they advocate that there should be no harsh punishment.
Chen Chong and Liu Bei were also troubled by this. After all, Qu Yi was the original hero who assassinated Yuan Shao. He traveled thousands of miles to seek refuge with them. He was not their direct subordinate, and his political status was sensitive. Therefore, after several discussions, it was finally determined that Qu's good deeds outweighed his faults. He was rewarded with a hundred golds, given a sword, and continued to serve in the old ministry.
By June, there was nothing going on at home and abroad, people were gradually becoming more at ease, and the two governments began to prepare for their return to the west.
One night, Liu Bao went to his house and asked to see Chen Chong. After Liu Xuan's death, Liu Bao was the only direct descendant of the Qiangqu Chanyu left in the world, and he was recognized as the future leader of the Xiongnu. In recent years, as he has grown older, Liu Bao's behavior has become extremely stable and mature. Even though he is strong and tall, when talking to ordinary people, he feels like spring breeze without feeling cramped. When Chen Chong saw him standing in front of him wearing Confucian clothes and wooden clogs, he couldn't help but be surprised by his change. But he was more relieved, thinking that there would always be good young people growing up.
Liu Bao's trip was to invite Chen Chong to Liu Bei's house for a gathering. After all, in the past few years, the two of them have been together less and more apart, and they always discuss business matters when they meet. As people get older, they are particularly prone to sadness, so when they were about to part ways this year, Liu Bei called all the elderly people including Qian Zhao, Jian Yong, Zhang Fei, and Wei Yan together, hoping to get together more before leaving. Chen Chong was also very touched by this, so he called Chen Qun and Xun You, and each rode a fat white horse, and together they went to Liu Bei's house.
When they arrived, a banquet was already held at Liu Bei's house. As soon as Chen Chong got off his horse, he heard the faint sound of silk and bamboo among the lights in the courtyard. They followed Liu Bao in and saw several singing girls playing the piano, drums and harp at the banquet, while Liu Bei was playing time on the side. Seeing Chen rushing in, Liu Bei patted the straw mat next to him, motioned for him to sit next to him, and said with a smile: "Ting Jian, I have been waiting for you for a long time. If you are later, the wine will be cold."
Chen Chong was not polite, took off his shoes and sat on it, then picked up the wine cup and took a sip, then listened attentively and asked Liu Bei with a smile: "What kind of music are you playing?"
Liu Bei said with a smile: "This is a popular song in Xuzhou a few years ago." When he said this, he clapped his hands slightly, and a woman playing the harp stood up and sang to everyone:
"Mu Mu, the breeze comes and blows the train of my clothes. The green robe is like spring grass, and the grass is long and windy.
Climbing Jinliang Mountain towards the north, I looked at my thoughts in my clothes. I can hold the letter in my arms, and the bright sun will last for a long time. "
The woman's singing voice is elegant, her words are like a stream, and the strings between her fingers are like jade beads falling one after another, very clean. Gradually the sound of the strings became louder and louder, and like sparkling waves, fish jumped up. Everyone saw that the singer had red lips and white teeth, and her skin was as bright as jade, and they were all fascinated by it. When the song was played, everyone high-fived and drank happily.
Liu Bei pointed at the singing girl and smiled at Chen Chong: "Ting Jian, what do you think of my wife in Xina?" Chen Chong then knew that this was his concubine Gan in Xina, Yuzhou. He looked at Mrs. Gan again and saw that her jade-like skin was soft and her appearance was charming and graceful. The original peaceful smile slowly disappeared, but in the end he still managed to hold back the attack. He said to Liu Bei as calmly as possible: "Madam, you play the piano very well. It's just that I have been in the army for a long time and I pride myself on my heart being made of stone. When I first listen to the soft music, I feel exhausted."
As soon as he finished speaking, unexpectedly, before Liu Bei could answer, Gan actually bowed and replied: "Music comes from the heart and is composed lyrically. However, it can be passed down to the world and move people, but in the end it is nothing but innocent." Zi Wen "Guan Ju" The song is considered to be "happy but not obscene, sad but not sad". It can be seen that it is not just the song that is innocent, but the thoughts of the listener are innocent. The dragon's head feels like it is grinding. Because of self-denial and exhaustion, you might as well take a nap. , listen to me play another song."
After saying that, she misplaced the message, and the style of the song suddenly changed, from the original lightness to the empty and lonely, as if she was in the infinite sky, but saw endless white clouds and nothing else. At this time, Chen Chong heard Gan sing again:
"The yellow swan is far away, but it wanders back after a thousand miles. The horse has lost its flock, but its thoughts and hearts are always attached to it.
What's more, the two flying dragons are good at feathers. Fortunately, there are string songs that can be used as metaphors in my heart.
Please sing for the wanderer, how sad it is to be cold. The sound of silk and bamboo is clear and clear, and the happiness is mixed with sadness.
The long song is intense and the heart is filled with sorrow. If you want to show the Qing Dynasty's music, you will not be able to return home.
I am so sad that I cannot shed tears. I wish to be a pair of yellow swans, sending their children flying far away. "
The lyrics and music are moving, and Gan's voice is as sad as the cry of wild geese. It is not as gentle and leisurely as before, but it is slow and relaxed, with a certain degree of control, which is enough to move people's hearts. After Gan finished singing, Chen Chong thought about it for a long time. He thought: She saw that I was dissatisfied with her, but she was neither humble nor arrogant. She used the mournful song to talk about her close friends, not only expressing her own helplessness, but also trying to cheer me up. It was really a rare thing. My beloved.
So he applauded and admired her sincerely, and said to Mrs. Gan: "Madam Sister-in-law is not only beautiful, but also thoughtful. It's me, Meng Lang, who has spoken just now." Then he said to Liu Bei: "You have this concubine, so I won't worry about you." Slacked off.”
When Liu Bei heard this, his expression was solemn. He had just picked up a piece of meat from the plate, and now he slowly put it down. He said, "How can I dare to forget the country's giant invaders before they are eliminated? It's just that people are not saints, and they also need to be happy and forget their worries. Ah!" He then pointed at Chen Chong and said with a smile: "Look at you, I knew you as soon as you came in. You talk about business wherever you go. I think my life will be shortened by ten years because of you."
Having said this, he sighed, drank the wine in the glass, and asked the gray-headed singers around him to disappear, leaving only seven or eight people participating in the banquet. He continued to say to Chen Chong: "What do you have to say? I I’ll pay more attention.”
Seeing his appearance, Chen Chong couldn't help but laugh a little. He nodded and said, "It's not good to lose Xuzhou this time. I think there will be some discussions between the government and the public, and I'm afraid it won't sound good."
Liu Bei frowned slightly, but before he could say anything, Zhang Fei next to him said first: "If there are such flies, there is no need to be coddled. Just kill Li Wei and see who dares to scream!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Chong immediately shouted and reprimanded: "What are you saying, Yide! Crime of speech is a taboo in politics! If you are not kind to the slightest, it is difficult to be kind to the public. If people are killing people and stopping discussions now, won't people slander them in the future? ?The pen of history is like iron, who can escape?"
After Zhang Fei fell silent, he said to Liu Bei: "Nowadays, most of the people in the government and the public are our people, and there are not many people who dare to speak out. Their words may be stupid, but they don't have much power. They may not have ulterior motives or mysterious intentions. Virtue, at this time of confrontation between East and West, if you want to have great ambitions, you must be able to accommodate others."
Liu Bei pondered for a while, then suddenly smiled and said: "I know which people you are talking about. It doesn't matter. As long as you don't chop me with a knife, it won't be a big deal."
Seeing how relaxed he spoke, Chen Chong thought to himself: "Xuande doesn't know how fast those people speak, so he can speak so lightly."
Therefore, he added: "Even if something happens, don't pay attention to it, don't have any thoughts of murder, just leave it to me to deal with it."
When the meeting was about to end, Liu Bei brought up the jug and poured wine for everyone. He raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp. He said, "Cao Cao has lost his tiger and leopard cavalry. I'm afraid he won't be able to launch another offensive for two or three years. Ting Jian, what did you do last time?" I believe that there may be a turning point in five years. I hope that next time we fight with him, we can defeat Heluo and reach Youyan!"
