The fall of Meiji was disastrous to the entire war situation. Even though Bafu had made preparations in advance, it was still a step too late. By the time Xu Gan, the governor of Xihe, led his troops to Quyu, Cao Ren had not only occupied Meiji, And took advantage of the momentum to the east to capture key places such as Hequ Ferry and Pingding City.
Since the Bafu had deployed a large number of county soldiers before, Xu Qian only had nearly 3,000 county soldiers under his command, and the weapons and weapons were far inferior to those of the Easterners. Xu Qian had no choice but to hide in Quyu City, hoping to replicate the story of Chen Chong resisting the Xiongnu army here. In fact, the Easterners occupied the north of Xihe County, and their troops were stretched thin, making it difficult to expand their victory. But in a strategic sense, its impact is so great that it cannot be overemphasized.
Meiji was first the seat of the Xiongnu royal court. After several years of restructuring, most of the Xiongnu kings and Gudu lords were here. After the battle was defeated, except for Daqiequ, Dadanghu and Helian, who followed Liu Bao on the expedition, Outside the Marquis of Lianggudu in Huyan, Cao Ren had almost wiped out the rest of the Xiongnu nobles, saying that they would move to Yanmen's eastern army in the near future. When the news reached Pingcheng, the Huns soldiers were frightened, homesick for their children, and less than eleven of them were capable of fighting.
The second was the loss of Hequ Ferry. Although Cao Ren failed to capture Quyu and continue to expand his achievements, capturing Hequ Ferry was absolutely unacceptable to the Western Army. There is a trail between Quyu and Hequ Ferry, where you can directly cross the Luliang Mountains and reach the hinterland of Taiyuan County. During the rebellion of the Southern Xiongnu, Xubu Shanyu entered Taiyuan County at this point and looted Jinyang.
Not to mention that there is also a Fenyang sheep intestine warehouse, which is currently the most important grain transit place for the Western Army. Once Yangchangcang falls, the Western Army will fall into the tragic situation of being trapped and starving to death during the Changping Battle between Qin and Zhao.
After Liu Bei learned the news, he quickly summoned his generals to discuss it. Unexpectedly, Chen Chong entered the tent and shouted: "If you don't send out troops for a decisive battle now, why are you still waiting here? Are you waiting for the army to be defeated?" After hearing this, the generals realized that he intended to fight to the death, but they were extremely frightened in their hearts, such as Jian Yong and others They all persuaded him that it would be better to divide his troops and return to Xihe to quell the chaos, and then make plans after expelling the Easterners.
Zhuge Liang was the only one among the people who agreed to the decisive battle. He said: "There is no time to divide the troops. One month later, I am afraid that Cao's thieves will send troops to harass the rear. Will our army be able to hold on?" Guan Yu also asked for a fight and said "That's the truth. Instead of falling into the enemy's trap, it's better to take the initiative to ask for a battle, and there will be no regrets in death." Fazheng said, "It's better to follow the plan. We will pretend that the entire army is retreating, lure Cao's thieves out of the camp, and then take the opportunity to kill them. , we will definitely be able to see success." Tai Shici also said: "If Yanmen is lost, it can be recovered, but if the generals and soldiers are thrown here, I am afraid they will not be able to recover them again."
Seeing that everyone had different opinions, Liu Bei also felt embarrassed. He pulled Chen Chong aside and asked privately: "It's been almost a month since we sent Zi Jing (Lian Zhao) to Hebei. I think he will be there in a while." Is it really necessary to be so anxious about the results?"
Chen Chong stamped his feet and sighed, holding his hand and saying loudly: "Xuande, how can you Hutu? Now the Easterners are forced to retreat, and they are likely to encircle and annihilate. No matter how many rebellions Zijing causes in Hebei, they will not be able to defeat Cao Cao. Is there any way to retreat? Today, while the morale of the troops is still intact, we can still fight. If we retreat and run away, you and I will both die here!"
Liu Bei suddenly understood the secret, and then broke into a cold sweat. He immediately made up his mind to fight decisively. But looking back at the generals who were still arguing, he said to Chen Chong: "But I don't think the armies want to fight. If you want to force them to fight decisively, I'm afraid It’s hard to win, you still need to think of good ways to inspire yourself, then you can have the strength to fight decisively.”
Chen Chong had already considered this. He said solemnly: "You make up your mind first. I will make my own decision tomorrow morning."
When Liu Bei saw Chen Chong's lips pursed as tightly as a knife, he knew that he was under great pressure. He couldn't help cursing himself for his incompetence. Then he encouraged Chen Chong and said, "Ting Jian, just go ahead and do it. I will kill anyone who dares to back down!" He turned his head back to the tent, ordered all the generals to be silent, and then slowly said: "No matter whether we are advancing or retreating, there will always be a battle between me and Cao Cao. You go back first and wait for orders. We will discuss it tomorrow morning, and we must be cautious!"
The generals then dispersed one after another and went back to their base camp to take stock of all the weapons, equipment, armor and horses. At this time, the chief of staff issued a military order, ordering each battalion not to move around without permission and to take roll call tomorrow morning. People secretly rumored that there must be a big move in the army, but they did not know whether to advance or retreat, so that all the troops felt as if they were facing a powerful enemy and were nervous. Although they were ordered to eat and sleep immediately, most people could not fall asleep.
Early the next morning, before dawn, the soldiers all gathered as scheduled as the trumpet sounded, and all the generals and officials came to the main tent one after another, waiting for the general's decision. When they walked to the tent, they suddenly discovered that there was an additional wooden platform with an altar eucalyptus and all the sacred tablets of the two ancestors and five sects of the Han Dynasty. On both sides, there were tablets for the sages of the Han Dynasty to enjoy sacrifices. The sharp-eyed people in front recognized that there were twenty-eight people in total who were entitled to the memorial tablets. They are Han Xin, Zhang Liang, Xiao He, Cao Shen, Zhou Bo, Zhou Yafu, Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, Huo Guang, Zhao Chongguo, Feng Fengshi, Chen Tang, Fu Jiezi, Gan Yanshou, Feng Yi, Dou Rong, Lai She, Ma Yuan, Liang Shang, and Ban Chao. , Dou Xian, Ban Yong, Zhang Huan, Duan Jiong, Chen Fan, Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, Zhu Jun. It can be said that the wise generals and generals of the Han Dynasty for four hundred years gathered in front of the stage.
Then I saw Chen Chong wearing a heavenly crown on his head, a crimson gauze robe, and a purple ribbon with a gold seal on his waist. He slowly walked in front of everyone. He looked around first, and then said slowly to everyone: "Today's discussion is related to the prosperity of the country. , since it was difficult to decide yesterday, let me ask about our ancestors. The ancestors were in tatters and started the Han Dynasty. They will not let down the people! Now I use witchcraft to predict bad luck. No matter what hexagram I get, I hope you will have no more words. !”
After saying that, Chen Chong held the incense and bowed to the god nine times. Everyone also bowed to him, then bowed to the sky, took the witches and Yishu, and divined the Yao hexagram according to the lotus in public. In order: yang, yin, yang, yang, yin, yang, that is, the ninth day, the sixth day, the ninth day, the ninth day, the sixth day, the fifth day, and the upper ninth day, a total of six lines.
Chen Chong showed the hexagram to everyone, and then said: "This is the upper and lower Li, the two fires come together, and it is the Li hexagram." He had already memorized the contents of the Book of Changes by heart, and at this time he read the line directly with everyone, and said loudly: "The Ci Said: Li, beautiful. The sun and moon are as beautiful as the sky, and the hundreds of grains and grass are as beautiful as the earth. Chongming is as beautiful as the righteousness, and it turns into the world. Xiang Ci said: Li, Ming Liang Zuo. Your Excellency, follow the Ming to shine in all directions. This is a Good luck!"
Zhuge Liang, who was on the sidelines, saw that most people did not understand, so he stepped forward and explained: "The confrontation between the two armies now is like two fires clashing, but in the end, I will achieve the virtue of fire. Just as a gentleman works all day long, there will also be a flying dragon." In the sky, it means to achieve unification. Ninety-four is a change of Yao, and the words of the Yao are "Suddenly come like this, burn like like, die like like, abandon like like." It means that this battle is quite dangerous, I am afraid there will be many casualties, but if our army stays in peace, be prepared for danger. , and you are not afraid of dangers, you will definitely be able to steal the ugly ones, and you will be able to overcome the difficulties without any blame!"
At this point, Liu Bei nodded slightly, then turned and said to the crowd: "It can be seen that this battle is a disaster, but we have the blessings of our ancestors and the hope of our country. How can we lose? How can we lose? We must lose? It can turn misfortunes into good fortune, and disasters into good fortune. I hope you don’t worry about it. As long as the three armies are united, we will advance and win!"
After that, he pulled out the long sword from his waist, drew a long line on the ground from east to west, and then shouted: "Today I warn you, unless I die, I will never cross this line to go south!"
When the soldiers heard this oath, their hearts were agitated, and they shouted: "Wonderful victory! Wonderful victory!"
When the cries fell silent again, Liu Bei issued a military order, ordering all the troops to rest for another day. The next day, the entire army was dispatched to attack the Eastern Army's camp at night.
Another day passed like this, and at the Shen time of the second day, the whole army had food and rest. Just after Hai Shi, the vanguard cavalry selected yesterday had already begun to form a team. Chen Chong came out of the camp wearing a black robe and happened to see Liu Bei also forming his team. The armor of him and his entourage were also painted black. This was all to prevent the Easterners from noticing the reflection at night. Around their headquarters, they also brought dozens of strong packhorses and carts, which were guarded by their cronies. These were immediately bundled with heavy packages, containing gold cakes, jasper, silk, silk and other objects, all of which were used to reward meritorious soldiers and boost military morale before going into battle.
There were no stars or moon in the sky under thick clouds late at night, the surrounding areas were pitch black, and the air was cold and crisp. The knight ate on horseback, because he was afraid that the open flame would attract the attention of the East, so he ate dry and cold coarse grains and bacon. While the soldiers were eating, the laborers were also hurriedly cutting grain and grass to feed the horses, finding gaps to tie up the horses' hooves, and tidying up the armor and stomach.
The autumn horses have gained weight, but the Westerners know that what is coming is an unprecedented fierce battle, so they still cherish every bit of horse power. Not only the baggage is placed on the slave horses, but the saddles, saddles and other items are also carried by the laborers. Only the bridle with the reins is left, which is held by the knights and moves forward on foot.
The column of the army shuttled through the hills like a snake, with men and horses climbing in the autumn grass. Because they did not dare to raise fire, the soldiers could only hold the reins with one hand and the tail of the horse in front with the other, walking uncertainly in the dark mountain road.
Gradually, the ups and downs of the hills disappeared between the feet, and people felt that their feet were unprecedentedly flat and seemed to have no end. Although they could not see clearly at night, they could still vaguely feel that in the far north and south, Baishan Mountain and Liuling Mountain were watching them silently, and in front of them, the breathing of the sleeping enemies seemed to be very close. ear.
After a while, the Westerners in front stopped and said that they were very close to Dongying. After Liu Bei issued the military order, under the command of officers at all levels, the 180,000-strong army began to gather in formation in the darkness. The Guanzhong knights who came here for the first time secretly discussed: "I have never encountered such a battlefield, and I have never been so worried."
Some veterans said very habitually and seriously: "See with your heart, don't die unjustly."
This is the meeting between Chou and Yin in the morning on the second day. According to the almanac, it is Guihai in July of the 13th year of Yanxing.
