Fish come out in the drizzle, and swallows slant in the breeze. ----------Tang Du Fu's "Water Threshold Reminds the Heart"
It is said that Chen Long's unexpected troops attacked Luo, robbed the emperor and destroyed Dong, and succeeded in one fell swoop. In front of Wang Yun, he was lucky enough to save Cai Yong's life, and immediately took Cai Yong and his family with him to withdraw from the city, determined to stay away from the chaos in Luoyang.
After a long conversation with Zhao Da at a secret location in Xiaopingjin, Chen Long confirmed his plan to lead troops to the Xiongnu to rescue Cai Yan and made all arrangements. Samoko ordered fifty strong soldiers to accompany his lord and two horses. He crossed the river overnight and rushed to Huguan, the seat of Shangdang County, to meet Chu Yan and Zhang Niujiao, the leaders of the Black Mountain Army in Bingzhou, who they had met once.
Not only did Chen Long and Shamoko travel day and night, but Wuxi soldiers followed Zhou Buyi's messenger and took a boat to Maojin Ferry. They met Zhao Yun, Zhou Buyi and Guo Jia, and conveyed Chen Long's message. The command. Zhao Yun, Zhou Buyi, and Fu Tong spent the night organizing their cavalry, preparing crossbows, arrows, and food and water. When Guo Jia heard that his lord decided to let him lead the troops back to Chang'an to guard, he frowned slightly and felt a little unhappy.
Zhou Buyi and Guo Jia have followed Chen Long since they were teenagers. They have experienced many ups and downs, and have always advanced and retreated together. Naturally, they are in the same mind. Zhou Buyi privately said to Guo Jia: "Fengxiao, your body is not as strong as mine. My lord often mentions it to me, fearing that you will drive too much and become sick from overwork. This time we are going to the outside of the Great Wall, to the deserts and grasslands, to the mountains and valleys, to the mountains. Opening roads and building bridges when encountering water are no big deal. My lord is afraid that you will work too hard. You should understand my lord's love and care."
Guo Jia prides himself on being a romantic, drinking and having sex, and his health is indeed not as good as Zhou Buyi's. According to the official history, he was young and was at the peak of his power under Cao Cao, but unfortunately he died of illness during the Northern Expedition at the age of thirty-eight.
Therefore, Chen Long has indeed been urging Guo Jia to exercise, control alcohol and sex, and increase his longevity. After Zhou Buji finished speaking, Guo Jia relaxed his brows and said with a smile: "Yuan Zhi, you misunderstood."
He raised his hand and slightly hammered his forehead and said: "My lord's intention is extremely clever strategically. When the surrounding situation is extremely complicated and your own strength is insufficient, it is best to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight."
"My lord could have gone to Chang'an with me, but he had to forcefully go to the Xiongnu and cross the border to rescue Cai Yan. How could King Zuo Xian, who is inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people, give up? But my lord is a man, and he will do something and not do anything. Because, since he has decided to do this, he naturally has his reasons. Yuan Zhi, you should do your best to assist me and let my lord come back safely."
Zhou Buji nodded and said: "Of course! I was a little worried about the deep backup of the lone army, but the Lord asked me to follow General Zilong on a forced march to Mayi County to gather, but he went another way, naturally to get the backup, so we have to It’s about having confidence in the Lord.”
After saying that, Guo Jia was still stroking his forehead and asked softly: "I'm afraid Fengxiao is worried about more than just the safety of my lord going north, right?"
Guo Jia finally put down his right hand that was stroking his forehead, and instead touched his bare chin, nodded and said: "Yuanzhi knows me. My lord ordered me to return to Chang'an to garrison, waiting for the situation in Luoyang to change. After I return to the army, there will be Qinglong Di in Chang'an City." Most of the First Army Corps and part of the Second Army Corps have at least more than 40,000 people, which are enough to cope with any changes; so what I am worried about is not the safety of Chang'an, but the safety of Lingling's old nest."
Seeing Zhou Buyi nodding frequently, Guo Jia continued: "You and I, heroes, have the same views. My lord is going to the Huns. I don't know how many months it will take to succeed. It would be good to be able to get back to Chang'an before the cold winter. Although Lingling has eldest brother Zhicai and Zhang Generals such as Jia, Gao Lan, Yang Huai, and Gao Pei were on guard, but the number of troops was too small, and the second and third legions were poorly trained. How could they withstand Liu Biao's deliberate and forceful attack?"
Zhou Bujie also frowned and said: "Autumn will be crisp soon, the grain harvest will be bumper, the horses will be fat, and it is unknown whether Liu Biao will send troops. We have to consider the worst case scenario."
Guo Jia stood up and said: "I want the troops to be divided into two groups. Huang Gai, Xu Shu, and Gan Ning can guard Chang'an with 20,000 troops, which is enough. Who can support me from the queen? I am sure that nothing will happen. I also have Liu Xian and Liu Yong here. , Liu Min, Zhou Cang and other division commanders and deputy generals, as well as more than 20,000 elite troops remaining in the First Army Corps, no longer detoured back to Chang'an, but immediately crossed the Yellow River south to find a way to the Xinye line. If the war in Jingzhou broke out, they could lead The troops crossed the Han River and attacked Xiangyang to shake Liu Biao's foundation and relieve the danger of Lingling."
Zhou Buyi saw that Guo Jia's strategy was extremely bold, but it was the most feasible and quickest solution to the Lingling crisis. He nodded and said: "I will be outside, and I will not accept your life. I basically agree with your plan, but the decision tonight is between us." I will draft a report and give it to the Lord when I see him."
Guo Jia knew that Zhou Buyi was taking the responsibility on his own initiative. He was moved and patted Yuan Zhi on the shoulder. The two of them went to see Zhao Yun together. After obtaining Zhao Yun's consent, all the generals had no sleep tonight and quickly prepared to pack.
Guo Jia's judgment later proved to be extremely accurate. At this time, Liu Xian in Xiangyang was under the strict supervision of Liu Biao and could not send out information because Liu Xian was in the Ming Dynasty. Although there was an underground dark network, Liu Xian was controlled. , not working well. Only Huang Zhong, who was far away in You County, found out the clues from the mobilization of soldiers and horses in Jingzhou and reported them to Xi Zhicai and Jiang Wan who were in charge of Lingling.
Let's ignore the situation in Jingzhou for the time being. Let's just talk about Chen Long and Shamoko. They led fifty cavalry, one person and two horses, fully equipped with weapons and water. They ate and slept in the open air, traveled through mountains and rivers, exchanged horses for horses, and went straight to Huguan, Shangdang County in search of Black Mountain. Military headquarters. The guide sent by Zhao Da was originally from Bingzhou, and he had been traveling abroad for many years, so he was familiar with geography. In addition, Chen Long had the help of the optical map in his mind, and he successfully reached the boundary of Shangdang County.
Bingzhou is poor and has suffered from years of war. Most of the young and middle-aged people have joined the army just to make ends meet. The villages along the road are full of old and weak women and children, relying on the most basic food rations to sustain their lives. It often happens that they sell their wives and give away their children. If the Xiongnu soldiers cross the border to plunder, it will be the end of the whole family, old and young, and the villages will be filled with bones. It is really terrible to see.
More than fifty Wuxi heroes were all gnashing their teeth with hatred. When they met villagers who were about to starve to death, they tried their best to donate some dry food and picked up many naked children. Chen Longling hung bamboo baskets on both sides of the horses to put the children , the idle horses were gradually filled up, and by counting, there were more than thirty children. Hundreds of hungry people followed Chen Long's horse team, asking only for alms, and the team gradually became more powerful.
The dry food prepared by Chen Long was originally quite sufficient, but he couldn't keep up with the increasing number of mouths, so he had to ration it every day. He also had to find cow and goat milk to feed the children. The soldiers were half hungry and half full every day, and the children were so hungry that they cried. I hung around like this for a few days, but luckily I didn't encounter any raids by the Huns, but I was about to run out of dry food and water. In the midst of panic, I finally arrived at the destination of our trip - Huguan, Shangdang County.
The city gate of Huguan was locked and the suspension bridge was hung high. Chen Long shouted: "The soldiers of Heishan in the city have heard it! Your master Chu Yan and I are old friends of Jizhou. Please inform us immediately!"
After shouting for a long time, someone in the city shouted: "Where are the refugees from? How dare you pretend to be the commander's friend, get out of here!" Chen Long looked back and saw that except for a hundred or so horses, all of them were indeed in ragged clothes. No wonder people don't recognize it.
Chen Long thought that if he was too soft to eat, he might be too strong to eat. He drew his bow and arrows to full capacity, activated his internal strength, and shot an arrow at the flagpole hanging high on the city. The bow opened like a full moon, and the arrow flew like a shooting star. There was only a huffing sound, and the thick wooden flagpole was split in half by the huge force. There was a cry of surprise in the city.
Chen Long shouted again: "I want you to know how powerful I am! I'm here to reminisce with your commander-in-chief. Please report to your lord as soon as possible that it's Jizhou Zhengding and his old friend who had a fight with Niu Jiao in the hotel. I'm here to visit!" "
Just as the flag was raised on the city, when the flagpole was shattered, it became clear that the people below the city were indeed masters. Suddenly, a delicate female voice sounded from the city: "This hero, please don't fire any more arrows. Our Montenegrin Army has always recognized and valued heroes, but the war is in chaos. Don't blame us for being cautious. Please leave your men behind. Outside the city, come in alone first, and wait until we reach an agreement with you before letting them in." He lowered a giant basket from the top of the city.
Shamoko raised his eyebrows and was about to get angry. Chen Long was also angry and funny, and shouted: "Girl, do you have the final say on this city?"
The female voice sounded again: "I am Chu Feiyan, the sister of the Commander-in-Chief of the Montenegrin Army. Do you think I have the final say?"
Chen Long was slightly startled. It turned out that Chu Yan also had a younger sister named Chu Feiyan, and Chu Yan's nickname was "Feiyan". The Chu family had so many swallows. This girl of his speaks very arrogantly, but what does she look like?
