The dispatch of a large army to the south this time can be said to be Chen Chong's most powerful military force since he launched his army in Dongping. In addition to the 300,000 soldiers trained for combat, Bashu, Henan, and Qingxu all used a large number of civilians to transport food and supplies, estimated to be no less than 600,000, not to mention there were thousands of large and small ships in the team, more than When the army of 200,000 war horses and pack horses began to march, its flags could be said to be all over the mountains and fields, across the rivers and rivers, accompanied by a sky full of dust and mist. At night, everyone lit up torches, and the place where they built their camps seemed to have twinkling stars, illuminating the green peaks.
However, Chen Chong could no longer see such a scene with his own eyes. Although as the current prime minister and the actual sovereign of the imperial court, Chen Chong single-handedly led the arrangement and construction of the expedition against Wu, he was no longer the commander-in-chief of the army, nor was he a frontline general. Therefore, after mobilizing relevant materials, , his mission has been completed. The Prime Minister's Mansion was in a state of idleness for a while. Apart from supervising supplies and listening to frontline military reports every day, Chen Chong could not find anything else to do.
So Chen Chong took people to pay homage to Zhaoling, hoping that the spirits of Liu Bei and others in heaven could ensure the success of this campaign.
The weather this autumn is very pleasant. Under the clear river and white clouds, the Mang Mountains to the south of the river are undulating along the direction of the river. The valleys between the mountains are gentle and winding around the mountain tops. While we were riding, the sky above our heads was blue and boundless, and the white clouds had almost turned into gauze-like shapes, swaying back and forth like fine waves. There is no wind in the valley, and the air is crisp and dry, making the riders feel as if they have returned to the ancient capital of Chang'an in the Guanzhong Plain.
Chen Chong and his group of more than ten people rode like this on the Mang Valley. After Chen Chong paid homage to Liu Bei, he was originally in a very good mood, but when he passed by the countless tombs of nobles on the mountain roads of Mang Mountain and saw a few familiar names, some long-lasting memories suddenly emerged. First, he led the Youbingqing three-state coalition to build a river bridge in front of Mang Mountain. Then he remembered the tragic scene of Sun Jian's assassination in front of Mianchi, and the appearance of Liu Xie sitting in the Baichi Tower when he came to Luoyang again. . Fifty years of life are like a dream and an illusion! Chen Chong thought to himself, if this battle is successful, will his ambition be realized? The world often judges heroes based on their success or failure, but to get to this point, have you been more successful? Or do you fail more often? Chen Chong himself had no answer.
But then he laughed again. The war had just begun, and he had already fallen into the reverie of success. Why didn't he care about success or failure? It's just that some struggles are like light and darkness, they will never stop, and in this long battle, he has been riddled with wounds and feels more tired than ever before. Then an idea emerged uncontrollably: If this war ends successfully, I will resign as prime minister and return to my hometown in Yingchuan to retire!
When this idea first came up, it seemed like a bud that could be cut off with his own hands, but after it became clear words in his mind, Chen Chong was overwhelmed by the weight of it. He turned to Zhao Qiu next to him and asked, "Zhongcheng, what are your plans for the future?"
Zhao Qiu has been following Chen Chong since the 13th year of Yanxing, and it has been exactly 20 years now. The child who was hesitant in speech back then has now become a steady and calm middle-aged man, but he still maintains his original awe of Chen Chong. Zhao Qiu was puzzled and frightened by Chen Chong's sudden question. He quickly said: "Why did the teacher say this? Wherever the teacher goes, I will go."
Chen Chong chuckled lightly, and said with half sigh and half pity: "What's the point? I'm going to die sooner or later, are you going to die too?"
"This disciple is sworn to protect Teacher Zhou Quan to the death."
"I'm asking you, what are you going to do if I resign and go into seclusion? After all, it's you, Zhongcheng, who has been by my side for so many years. In addition to learning knowledge, you also help manage the house. I have so many disciples. You are the only one who always takes care of me, and I appreciate your love!"
"Do some learning, just like the teacher, recruit some students, you can not only teach others and solve doubts, but also support yourself." Zhao Qiu gave an answer that Chen Chong liked to hear, but he had doubts about the teacher's words and asked in return Said: "Why does the teacher want to resign and go into seclusion?"
Chen Chong said: "Isn't it what the sages of all ages have wanted to retire after success and retire to the mountains and forests?"
Unexpectedly, after Zhao Qiu heard this, his expression changed again and again, and he tried to dissuade him: "What are you talking about, teacher! The war is still undecided, and there are undercurrents in the government. How can you resign lightly? Even if the war is over, the teacher cannot delegate power lightly. Otherwise, once someone secretly criticizes, the teacher's years of hard work will be ruined. Has the teacher forgotten the lessons learned from Captain Zhong?"
This cannot be said to be unreasonable, but it is not very convincing, because this reason is precisely the reason why Chen Chong wants to resign. But Chen Chong didn't say much. After all, Yun Chang and the others had not yet won a decisive victory, so he returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion and continued to wait for the military situation in the south.
In October, the general manager of Luyang came to report that the Xifu navy burned the iron ropes with fire and finally broke through the Wu army's blockade at the end of September and successfully broke into the Yidao area. Zhang Fei led some cavalry to attack Wuling Lianyang and Shasha. The Wuxi barbarians where Mo Ke was located gathered together, and then besieged the city and seized territory in Jingnan. On the Nanfu side, Guan Yu ordered the land army to divide into three groups to surround the three important towns of Xiangyang, Anlu, and Jiangling. At the same time, he also ordered Deng Ai and Jiang Wei to each lead 5,000 cavalry to attack the two embankments built by the Wu army. Successfully prevented the Wu people's plan to breach the embankment.
Lu Xun based himself in Xiakou, and after gathering the troops in Ningzhou and Jiaozhou, he tried to counterattack the Han army with his navy, dividing the Han army and defeating it one by one. But he did not succeed. He led his army to the south entrance of the Han River, where he encountered Guan Yu and the Nanfu Navy who were stationed in Jingling. At that time, the two sides fought fiercely at the south entrance of the Han River. The boats and boats were connected and they fought hard. As a result, the wind direction changed from southeast to northwest. The Han army set fire to the wind and defeated Lu Xun's forward. As a result, Jingzhou's ships also lost one-third of their ships. Lu Xun Had to return to Xiakou. At this point, the Han army has taken the initiative in Jingzhou, and what the Han army has to do next is to remove the surrounding cities one by one.
By the time the war progressed into December, Guan Yu had successively captured the cities of Xiangyang, Anlu, and Yidao. Zhang Fei also captured Youyang, Chenyang, Yiyang and other places in Jingnan. The two armies met in Jiangling and surrounded them. Half of the territory of Jingzhou has fallen into the hands of the imperial court. At this time, it can almost be said that the Han army has achieved a decisive victory. Therefore, Chen Chong sent a letter to Guan Yu, congratulating the Han army on their success and telling him not to be impatient. He could attack the city while letting the armies rest for a while, and wait until the spring tide comes next year before the final decisive battle with the Wu army.
At this time, Chen Chong began to formally consider resigning and returning home. At the end of the new year, he asked for leave from the court for half a month and returned to Yingchuan with his wife and children. He planned to tidy up the old house first and pay homage to his parents and elders by sweeping the graves. Speaking of which, Chen Zhang's eldest son Chen Pei also came to Luoyang a year ago to receive education from Chen Chong. At this time, Chen Pei was already fifteen years old. Maybe it was because he was trained by Zhang Fei since he was a child. He was tall and round, like He was an extremely tall warrior, but Chen Chong felt guilty about Chen Zhang, so he still took great care of him and often greeted him.
At this time, the Yingchuan old house has been handed over to the eldest son of the sixth uncle Chen Guang to take care of it. In addition, Chen Chong visited his hometown from time to time in the past few years, so the old house was well taken care of. It's just that this moment is different from the past. Chen Chong made plans to live there for a long time in the future, and then began to carefully inspect the fields under his name, and purchased some equipment for farming at home. He had already made plans in his heart. After he resigned, , he wanted to plant ten acres of soybeans, ten acres of wheat, and ten acres of brassicas, raise about thirty chickens, and two yellow dogs, and live peacefully like this until he died of old age.
On this day, Chen Chong took Chen Xiu and Chen Pei to visit Chen Shi's grave. When passing by Dexing Pavilion, they suddenly heard a burst of sad singing, which made Chen Chong stop. The content of the song was very familiar to Chen Chong. It was the ballad "Wu Sheng" that Chen Chong left behind when he returned to his hometown. The ballad is sung by an old woman. Her face has aged and her singing voice is a little hoarse, but as long as the music is given real emotions, it will always have a charm that touches people's hearts. Chen Chong listened silently. Years ago, he sympathized with the emotions in the poem from a condescending perspective and sympathized with the people's powerlessness in the face of disaster, but he did not think that he was the same. But now he doesn't feel that way. He feels that he is already the person in the poem. The emotion of pity has almost disappeared, and what is more is the self-pity that he feels the same.
After listening to the old woman singing, he went up to the old woman and asked her if there was any misfortune at home. Sure enough, they were mourning the two children who had died before. This family was originally from Jiangxia. It was only because of the war in Jingzhou that they moved to Yingchuan. The eldest son contracted an epidemic and died on the road. The second son joined the army and died in Huainan. Now there is only an eight-year-old grandson left in the family. When Chen Chong heard this, he inevitably felt a sense of sympathy, but he also wondered, this was not a tombstone, so why should he mourn here?
Unexpectedly, the old woman said: "Don't you know, noble man? This is the Dexing Pavilion! Back then, Duke Taiqiu took Prime Minister Chen to meet the Eight Dragons of the Xun family here. UU Reading There were stars of virtue in the sky gathering here, so this place was called Dexing Pavilion." . People here say that if they pray to the pavilion here, Prime Minister Chen will bless them! Over the years, there have been many efficacious results."
Chen Chong was stunned for a moment. He looked at the pavilion and rummaged through his memories for a long time before he remembered the corresponding time in his childhood. After pondering for a long time, he said to the old woman: "But I heard that he is already old, so I'm afraid it's not possible. Take care of these things."
The old woman added: "How could it be? The Prime Minister was born from the stars of the Nine Heavens. Even if his soul returns to heaven, he will continue to bless the people of the world."
Chen Chong was about to say why he saw it, but the old woman thought it was not a good idea and did not want to talk to him anymore. She sang a song "Xiangjun Song" by herself, and her words were:
"If you are not good enough, the barbarians are still here. Who will stay in Zhongzhou? If you want beauty, it is better to repair it. I will ride on the osmanthus boat. Make Yuanxiang have no waves and make the river flow peacefully. I look forward to my husband's future. Who will think about the uneven wind?" Riding a flying dragon to march to the north, I met the road to Dongting.
There are cypresses, cypresses and silk, and sunflowers and orchids. Look at the Yangtze River and see the Jipu River, and the Yangtze River across the Yangtze River. The Yangling spirit has not reached its peak, and the female Chan Yuan is here to rest for me. The tears flow and gurgling, and I miss you in secret. The osmanthus is covered with orchids, and the ice is covered with snow. Gathering sedge and lychees in the water, plucking hibiscus and plucking wood powder. If the hearts are different, the matchmaker will work hard, and if the kindness is not great, it will be treated lightly. The stone is shallow and the flying dragon is graceful. If you are unfaithful, you will be resentful. If you do not believe me, you will complain to me and you will not be idle. In the morning, the pursuit of ambition comes to Jianggao, and in the evening, the festival comes to Beizhu. Birds flow around the house, water flows around the hall. Donate the remaining pieces to the river, and leave the remaining pieces to Lipu. Du Ruo comes to Caifangzhou, and he will give birth to a daughter. The time is gone and we can't find it again. Let's chat happily and happily. "
The song faltered slightly, but it did not lose its melodiousness. It was like a yellow swan flying north to the fields, seeing the ice and snow melting on the mountaintops. It coincided with the break of the misty rain, orchids fell into the water one after another, and butterflies danced wildly. It made people feel like they were on the bank of Yunmeng Lake when winter is passing and spring is coming. Chen Chong felt confused when he heard the last sentence.
