But Cao Cao received a letter from Zhang Shun and read it carefully. What he said was all the things he had experienced since he sent troops to Jizhou——
Jizhou divided its troops, with Li Jun and Zhang Shun each taking the west and east. Zhang Shun led the Eastern Route Army, named "Yaksha Who Turned the Sea" Zhang Tietan, and led Li Ying, Duan Sanniang, Zou Yuan, and Zou Run four generals and lead fifteen thousand troops to attack the four prefectures of Jingjing, Luan, Ping and Ying.
These four states, if viewed on later maps, would be the area from Tangshan to Qinhuangdao.
Among them, Luan, Ping, and Ying prefectures were occupied by the Khitan during the Five Dynasties period. During the Chongxi period of Xingzong of the Liao Dynasty, they were promoted to Zunhua County in Jizhou.
The four prefectures were not originally populated areas, and with Yelu Chun's southern expedition, many troops were transferred, making the territory increasingly empty.
Therefore, Zhang Shun's troops arrived with overwhelming force. Jingzhou and Luanzhou were taken over one after another. When they reached Pingzhou, they met their opponents.
This opponent was Zhang Jue, deputy envoy of the Liao Xing Army.
Zhang Jue was a Jinshi from the Liao Kingdom, with both civil and military talents. He was also a native of Pingzhou, so he was highly popular among the people.
In recent years, the power of Khitan has declined, and military disasters and banditry have occurred one after another. Xiao Dili, the envoy of the Liao Xingjun Jiedu, and Pingzhou Zhizhou were both killed by the rebel army. It was all thanks to Zhang Jue's expedition to the east and west to quell the rebellion.
Therefore, "the people of the state took charge of state affairs," and the military and political power of Ping and Ying states were all in Zhang Jue's hands.
Before Yelu Chun conquered the Song Dynasty, he ordered Zhang Jue's army to obey orders, but he refused. He said to him: "The enemy of the country is the Jurchen. Their power is booming. The king does not want to resist, but wants to provoke the neighboring countries and start a war on both sides. This will cost death." That's the way to go, I'm sorry if you don't follow it.
It means that you are looking for death, and I will not accompany you.
Xiao Qian was furious when he heard this, and persuaded Yelu Chun to send his trusted ministers to Pingzhou to serve as magistrate, hoping to seize his power.
Zhang Jue instigated the people to stop the carriage of Xinzhizhou on the way and beat him until his nose was bruised and his face was swollen. The man had no choice but to leave in despair.
Yelu Chun and Xiao Qian became increasingly angry, but they were afraid of forcing Zhang Jue to rebel, so they had to swallow their anger and seek the territory of Song State first before making any calculations.
However, how did Zhang Shun know about his abilities?
When they attacked Jingjing and Luan, Zhang Jue seemed to have not seen him. Zhang Shun became more and more careless and led his troops into Pingzhou. Unexpectedly, when crossing the Luan River, ambushes appeared everywhere, and Zhang Shun attacked him with one move and half crossing.
According to Zhang Shunxin: "The Luanhe River flows from northwest to southeast and merges into the Bohai Sea, which is the boundary between Luanzhou and Pingzhou."
"My younger brother took Li Ying as the vanguard and brought his uncles and nephews from the Zou family as the middle army. After Duan Sanniang joined forces, he cut down trees to make a bridge and chose a narrow place to cross it."
"Li Ying led 3,000 men to cross first, and there was no obstacle. When his brother led the Chinese army to cross, the people and horses had not crossed halfway. Suddenly, a flood came from the sky, and the pontoon bridge was destroyed immediately. The people and horses on the bridge were all feeding the fish and turtles."
"At that time, my brother was also on the bridge. Fortunately, he was able to swim. He escaped back to the west bank by riding the waves. I saw the turbid current of the Luan River, cutting our troops on both sides. It was expected that the Liao people must have built a dam upstream. When I crossed the river, Flood it with water."
There is nothing more poisonous than fire and water. When Lao Cao saw this, he was speechless for a moment: He used fire to defeat the elite soldiers of the Liao Kingdom, and Pingzhou Guardsman used water to attack Zhang Shun. Isn't it true that he can retaliate immediately and pay back quickly? .
I also remembered that when Zhuge Liang first entered Liu Bei's tent, he first burned Xiahou Dun in Bowangpo, and then burned Cao Ren in Xinye. The burning of Xinye was not counted. He also built a dam on the Baihe River to contain the flow, and released Cao Ren when his defeated army was crossing the river. Water and fire combined to kill him. Cao's army is numerous.
After sighing for a moment, looking down, General Pingzhou Liao released water and destroyed the suspension bridge. The Juhua Army was naturally shocked.
At this time, there was only a sound of artillery. Behind a hill on the east bank, people shouted and horses neighed. Countless Liao soldiers came out from left and right. Judging from their size, there were tens of thousands.
Zhang Shun was stunned. He attacked two states in front of him. The soldiers and horses of one state were only one or two thousand people, and most of them were old and weak. They were vulnerable to a blow. When the chrysanthemum army arrived, they either fled at the wind, or collapsed at the sound of the drum. Otherwise, he Don't be so arrogant that you cross the river in broad daylight.
When Cao Cao saw this, he also frowned and wondered: If Pingzhou is not a prosperous place, how could there be tens of thousands of Liao troops?
With so many enemy troops, not only Zhang Shun was shocked and Cao Cao was puzzled, but the Chrysanthemum Army on the East Bank who was immersed in the scene was even more terrified.
You must know when the Chrysanthemum Army was recruited, it was only behind Lao Cao's Youzhou Eighth Army.
Although they benefited from Li Jun's desperate plan of "inducing Han'er to kill the Khitan", this army was stained with blood and was very violent. While fighting, there is no way to retreat——
After all, they are not the Chu army, and Li Ying is not Xiang Yu, so how can they be their opponents?
However, Li Yingxiaoyong actually wanted to give Xiang Yu a boost.
According to Zhang Shun: "At that time, my younger brother looked across the river and saw that our army was in chaos, but it was Li Ying who shouted, 'Now is the time to fight with the last ditch, it is the time for a good man to show his skills!' After saying this, he jumped into the enemy's formation with a gun and shouted: ' Who dares to be my eagle?'"
"In the Liao formation, a general in golden armor ran out and fought with Li Ying. The rest of the soldiers and horses rushed in like a tide, killing our army to pieces. Many people fell into the water and died without knowing it."
"My brother was so worried that he ordered people to build the bridge more quickly. He saw that Li Ying had been fighting with his opponent for more than thirty years. Seeing that he could not win, the general shouted loudly and attacked eight people with his teeth from behind. Li Ying used his flying knife to kill two people in a row. However, the Liao general took out his mace, knocked him off his horse with the mace from behind, and tied him into the formation."
"At that time, Zou Run was also on the other side, leading dozens of people to grab Li Ying. He wanted to seize Li Ying, but the Jin Jia Liao general blocked him. The two horses dismounted, but they couldn't fight. Zou Run fainted with a spear and died. Send and catch them."
"When my brother built the pontoon bridge and was about to go to the rescue, the troops and horses on the east bank were all gone. Half of them were killed and most of them surrendered. The man pointed a gun at my brother and others, saying that he didn't care about the cause and effect of our relationship with the Liao Kingdom and dared to enter the Pingying camp. One step and you will be killed.”
"My brother had no choice but to lead his army to retreat temporarily and look around for people to inquire about. Then he found out that the Pingzhou Liao general was named Zhang Jue..."
After Zhang Shun inquired, he learned about Zhang Jue's background and abilities, and was worried for a while.
After counting the men and horses under his command, most of them were lost, leaving only five or six thousand men. He thought that no matter what, it would be difficult to defeat the opponent.
So he tossed and turned all night, and at dawn the next day, he summoned Duan Sanniang and Zou Yuan and asked them to take care of the troops while he went to Pingzhou alone.
After Duan Sanniang heard this, her head shook like a rattle, and she kept saying that she couldn't go. If she went like this, he would definitely kill her. Wouldn't it be a waste of her life?
Zhang Shun said: "Brother Li once said that he was originally a private businessman in the Xunyang River, and he was as dusty as grass. Without Brother Wu, how could he be as proud as he is today! Think of me, Zhang Shun, first as a water thief, then as a fishmonger, and then as a fisherman. What kind of remarkable person is he? We are heroes, we are known and treated well, and we are just repaying each other with death, so how can we care about our lives?"
Zou Yuan was moved after hearing this and wanted to go with him whether or not he was alive.
Duan Sanniang was not the kind of woman who couldn't let go. Seeing his determination, she gritted her teeth and said with red eyes: "That's all, in that case, my little sister is just here waiting for her brothers to return. If something unexpected happens, Then I will go back and invite Brother Wu’s troops to kill Pingzhou into a sea of blood and avenge you."
Zhang Shun and Zou Yuan quietly left the camp, found a boat, crossed the Luan River, and arrived at Lulong County, where the prefecture of Pingzhou is located.
Looking at it, the city gate was wide open, with only a dozen or so soldiers hanging around guarding the gate, as usual, unguarded.
Zhang Shun and Zou Yuan looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes: This Zhang Jue is so brave! Hun Bu took the Chrysanthemum Army's invasion seriously.
The two of them were shocked and angry, but couldn't help but admire them. Zhang Shun said: "This guy is so crazy! In this case, you and I simply barge in. We would rather die than let him underestimate us, otherwise it will become more and more difficult to talk." "
Zou Yuan said: "Since I came here with you, I will treat myself as dead and let you do whatever you want. I will only obey your orders."
The two agreed and ran to the city to dismount. Zhang Shun said coldly: "I want to come to see Zhang Jue. Brother Zou Yuan, please clear the way for me!"
Zou Yuan glared, took out the folded flying tiger stick from his waist, jumped up and started to hit him.
His stick, famously called "hard but soft", is full of mysteries when used. How can those disciples be opponents? After being beaten to pieces, the two men marched into the city with their heads held high.
Those with good eyes slipped away early to call for help. Not long after, hundreds of Liao soldiers surrounded them. The leading generals were Zhang San, Li Si, Qian Wu and Zhao Liu. They all drew their swords in their hands and were about to attack. Kill in front.
Zhang Shun glanced at him coldly and said calmly: "I am Zhang Tiedan, the 'Fan Hai Yaksha' of the Chrysanthemum Army. I am here to discuss important matters with General Zhang Jue. If you are not afraid of causing trouble, just take action."
When the tooth generals heard this, their expressions moved slightly, and someone hurried to report it. After a while, they came back and said that it was Zhang Juerang who took the two of them to the state government office.
Zhang Shun and Zou Yuan walked proudly, and after walking a short distance to Dezhou Yamen, they saw armored soldiers inside and outside, all with sullen eyebrows and a forest of swords and guns in their hands, densely blocking the door.
Zou Yuan's face changed slightly, and then he heard Zhang Shun laugh and say: "General Zhang, I saw that you are a hero the day before yesterday. I just thought you were a hero. Why did you put up such a battle? There are only two of you. Even if you want to kill me, you can't do it." There doesn’t have to be so many people.”
Then I heard someone inside the door sneer and say: "You two are fighting at the city gate. If there are few people in the government office, I'm afraid you will come in again."
Zhang Shun said with a smile: "It's not that Zhang doesn't know etiquette. I just heard that General Zhang doesn't even pay attention to Yelu Chun and Xiao Qian. I'm afraid that his eyes are too high. If Zhang, the defeated general, doesn't show some courage, I’m afraid the general will look down on me.”
The person inside said: "There are many bold people out there, but you may not be so bold that I think highly of you? Tell me why you are here."
Zhang Shundao: "The army was defeated the day before yesterday. My two brothers were captured by you. Now I don't know whether they are dead or alive."
The person inside said: "So what if you die, what if you live?"
Zhang Shun smiled softly and said coldly: "If you are alive, everything will be easy. If you are dead, please ask General Zhang to kill the two of us, and then someone will come to avenge us."
It was quiet for a moment, and suddenly a burst of laughter broke out: "Hahahaha, are you looking for revenge on me? Zhang Zongzhengping, with 50,000 troops under his command, as you said, Yelu Chun and Xiao Qian don't dare to underestimate me, am I afraid of doing it? Are the thieves coming to take revenge?"
Zhang Shunyi laughed and said: "Haha, General Zhang, I just laugh at you because you have never seen a real hero. How can people like Yelu Chun and Xiao Qian be compared with my brother? To tell you the truth, in the states in front of the mountain now, except for You control everything except the two states in the hands of my brother. After a little time, the nine states behind the mountains will not be owned by the Liao people. If you know the opportunity, release my two brothers and offer the two states, one day you will be able to achieve success, and it will be far away from you. At this time, if you don’t know how to advance or retreat, Zhang’s head is here and you can take it away.”
After saying this, there was silence in the office for a long time.
After half a day, a general came out and asked the soldiers inside and outside to get out of the way. He looked at Zhang Shun in surprise and said, "My general invites you to come in and talk."
Zhang Shun was naturally unafraid and led Zou Yuan in. Na Yajiang led the way to the living room.
In the living room, a man in his thirties, with a handsome appearance and a domineering expression, sat on a chair with a golden sword, his hand on the hilt of the sword, and looked at Zhang Shun coldly.
Zhang Shun cupped his fists and said, "I'm Zhang Tietan, I've met the general."
Zhang Jue did not respond to the greeting, but still stared at him. Zhang Shun smiled freely, found a chair and sat down, smiling and letting him look at him.
There was a trace of appreciation in Zhang Jue's eyes, and he nodded: "How brave! Such courage is definitely not that of an unknown person. Tell the truth, who are you?"
Zhang Shun also showed a strange look, looked around, smiled but said nothing.
Zhang Jue waved his hand, and all the generals and guards walked out. Only Zhang Jue, Zhang Shun, and Zou Yuan were left in the living room.
Zhang Shun stood up, clasped his fists and said, "Since General Zhang is willing to push back his left and right sides, I have no choice but to tell you the truth. I will not change my surname when I am walking or sitting down. My surname is Zhang Mingshun, and people in the world call me 'Langli Baitiao'."
Then he pointed to Zou Yuan and said: "This is my brother 'Chu Linlong' Zou Yuan."
Zhang Jue was slightly surprised when he heard this, and stood up, clasping his fists and saying, "Could it be Zhang Shun from the Dengzhou Navy? I've heard of this name for a long time! Ahhh——"
The surprise on his face was even greater: "Li Wudi, is the 'Hunjianglong' Li Jun?"
Zhang Shun pointed to the ground at his feet: "I won't recognize you if you come out of this door. Exactly!"
Zhang Jue showed an expression of sudden enlightenment and walked around Zhang Shunji several times. He suddenly stopped and said, "The West Wind Army and the Chrysanthemum Army are all the same family! What kind of person is he with such skill? Ignoring the Southern Expedition of the Liao Dynasty, he went around alone. Hai came to take Youyun? Commander Tong Guan, can you wait for this? "
He camped two states close to the sea, so he naturally had a lot of understanding of things in the sea.
Since Li Jun and Zhang Shunlu took office in Dengzhou, their reputations have greatly increased. Zhang Jue has naturally heard of them, and it is not difficult to guess that they are attacking across the sea.
It's just that the Dengzhou navy was afraid that it would not be able to withstand such an important task, so after guessing, it turned out to be Tong Guan.
Zhang Shun laughed loudly: "What does Tong Guan mean? Despite his ability, he can at most compete with the likes of Yelu Chun and Xiao Qian, but how can he compare with my elder brother? General Zhang, if you have a map, please get one. Watch!"
Zhang Jue heard his loud tone and couldn't help but be restrained for a moment. Although he didn't know what he wanted the map for, he nodded repeatedly and said: "Wait a moment."
After calling someone to get the map, Zhang Shun pulled it away, curled his lips, shook his head and said, "Is this the map of the Liao Kingdom? It's so rough!"
But I was used to seeing the pictures of birds presented by Xu Guanzhong, and I couldn't see ordinary things anymore.
Although the map was a little rough, the general location was not bad. In front of Zhang Jue, Zhang Shun drew a virtual circle in Shandong Peninsula, Youyun Prefectures, and Fusang Island Country: "These are my brother's current territories."
Even though Zhang Jue was so pretentious, he couldn't help but take a breath after hearing this: "Your brother took Fusang?"
Zhang Shun said matter-of-factly: "If we don't take Fusang, how can we directly attack the enemy's rear if we start a war with the Jurchens in the future?"
Zhang Jue looked at him blankly - Do you still want to go to war with the Jurchens? Is it bear heart or leopard gall that you eat every day?
Zou Run couldn't help but envy Zhang Shun when he saw Zhang Shun's remarks about this person who was arrogant at first and respectful at the back. He couldn't help but interjected: "The Jurchens are nothing! Last year, my brother and a dozen of his brothers traveled thousands of miles and arrived in his hometown. After all, even Wanyan Aguda is jealous of my brother!"
When Zhang Jue heard what he said, a name suddenly flashed in his mind, and he couldn't help but blurt out: "It turns out that 'Wu Mengde' is your brother! No wonder he dared to cross the sea to attack Liao. I wonder who in the Song Dynasty had such courage." , it would not be surprising if it was Wu Jiedu."
Lao Cao turned over the last page of the letter, and it read clearly——
"When Zhang Jue heard my brother's name, he immediately bowed down and said that Yelu Dashi had fled back from the Jin Dynasty last year and described my brother's greatness. The people of Liao Dynasty were all impressed. They heard that Brother Wu was buried in the sea and they all said they were very lucky. This time he became a younger brother. He then learned that Brother Wu was stranded in the sea and had taken fusang. He repeatedly praised him and said that my brother was lucky in his death. This was indeed the image of a saint. Therefore, I bowed to him and was willing to lead two states to level and camp, with 50,000 soldiers and horses, to serve under my brother. Li and Zou were also released. It's just that this person has many soldiers and generals. I don't dare to be adept at how to arrange them. It's up to my brother to make the decision. My brother, Zhang Shun, pays homage to him."
Cao Cao put away the letter and said to Gongsun Sheng: "Zhang Jue, who can recruit 50,000 troops with the strength of two states, is also a figure. It seems that the good omen mentioned by Mr. should be on this person. Now he is up and down, They all belong to our territory, and being able to know the opportunity and submit obediently is also regarded as knowing the current affairs. If we can win his loyalty and add a new force to our army, wouldn't it be better than adding more wings to a tiger?"
Immediately people were ordered to prepare horses, and asked two generals, Qin Ming and Huang Xin, to lead five hundred leopards and ride on them. They would go with him to Pingzhou in person and meet Zhang Jue to reassure him.
Sun An was also asked to sit at Wusheng Pass, and Guan Sheng and Hua Rong led their troops respectively to rob Gui and Ruzhou, which later became Huailai County and Yanqing District.
There is a branch of teaching: In order to recruit generals to Pingzhou, who expected the Dragon City to fight in the late autumn. Who knows the good omen? Murong Qiu, a hidden treasure in the south of the Yangtze River.
(End of chapter)
