Yanzhou.
Chenliu County Suanzao County.
Suanzao County is located near Yanjin County, Xinxiang City, Henan Province today.
The headquarters of the coalition of princes.
After several days of marching, Gongsun Zan's army finally arrived at Suanzao, the place where the alliance was formed. The person in charge of the coalition forces to contact various princes was Cao Cao, who was preparing an imperial edict to attack Dong.
"I have long heard that Grand Administrator Gongsun was famous for his command over the northern part of the Great Wall. When I saw him today, he truly lived up to his reputation." Cao Cao and Gongsun Zan saluted and said with a smile.
"Brother Meng De is ridiculously praised. His name is not worth mentioning, but it is Brother Meng De who single-handedly assassinated Dong Zhuo in the past that made me admire him very much."
Gongsun Zan cupped his hands and complimented, and the two looked at each other and smiled.
Then Gongsun Zan looked at Cao Cao, Cao Mengde, who was known as a traitor in history.
I saw that he was about seven feet tall, with narrow eyes and a long beard. He was short and short in stature, but he looked capable.
You really can't judge a book by its appearance. Who would have thought that Cao Cao with this appearance could establish Cao Wei's hegemony in history.
"Prefect Gongsun came all the way to fight against Dong Daye. It was a hard journey."
"The preparations are complete. Please set up camp and have a rest. We will discuss the important matters of the alliance tomorrow."
"In this case, there is Brother Lao Mengde."
Nowadays, all the eighteen princes have gathered in Jujube. The number of princes in each route varies, the most are thirty thousand, and the few are like Gongsun Zan, one to twenty thousand.
The coalition camps stretched for more than 200 miles without beginning or end, and they were huge.
...
the other side.
Gongsun Fan and his party of more than fifty riders galloped through the starry night, and finally arrived at Suanzao within the time agreed with Gongsun Zan.
Gongsun Fan was exhausted from the continuous journey, but when he thought that he had lived up to his lord's trust, he immediately felt that the trip was worthwhile.
Not far ahead was the location of the coalition forces. Gongsun Fan couldn't wait to return to Gongsun Zan and said immediately.
"Brothers, the coalition forces are ahead. The Lord is waiting for our news. If you persist, victory is right in front of you."
The group of people disappeared into the night and headed towards the coalition forces.
...
Gongsun Zan's army camp formed by the coalition of princes.
Gongsun Zan was not asleep yet and was worried about where Gongsun Fan and his party had gone.
At this time, the soldiers guarding the camp suddenly reported to Gongsun Fan to see him.
Gongsun Zan immediately stood up from his seat and finally came back. Not sure if the matter was done, he immediately ordered his soldiers to summon him.
After a while, Gongsun Fan quickly entered the tent.
"Finally, I will pay my respects to my lord!"
Gongsun Zan saw that Gongsun Fan looked tired and dusty, so he must have rushed back through the starry night.
Gongsun Zan stepped down from the throne and grabbed Gongsun Fan's hand and said excitedly.
"Zhong Jing has been tired from riding the horse all the way. Thank you for your hard work!"
"It's not hard for me in the end. I have traveled through starry nights and finally lived up to my lord's trust. I have brought him back now." Gongsun Fan replied.
"Looking at the army, only you, Zhong Jing, are the most steady and steady. When I sent you there, I believed you would be able to accomplish it."
"Where is he now?"
"Fan thanks you for your trust, Lord. I'm waiting outside the tent now." Gongsun Fan said with emotion.
Gongsun Zan immediately ordered his soldiers to bring the people in.
After a while, I saw a man striding into the tent. He was eight feet tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, a handsome face, and a majestic appearance.
"Could the person here be Zilong?" Gongsun Zan asked happily.
"Zilong, this is my lord." Gongsun Fan introduced to Zhao Yun from the side.
"Changshan Zhao Zilong pays homage to Lord Gongsun." Zhao Yun cupped his hands in salute.
Zhao Yun, named Zilong, was a native of Changshan Zhending in Jizhou. Historically, Zhao Yun initially joined Gongsun Zan's camp, but was abducted by the big-eared thief Liu Bei.
During the thirty years following Liu Bei, he experienced more than a hundred battles, large and small, without any defeat.
Gongsun Zan knew that Zhao Yun was a fierce man, loyal and courageous, so he immediately sent Gongsun Fan to rush to Changshan to capture Zhao Yun in advance.
We must also be careful of the big-eared thief Liu Bei. We must not let Zhao Yun be abducted by the big-eared thief this time.
"I have long heard that Changshan Zhao Zilong is loyal and courageous. Today I saw that his reputation is well-deserved. If I had not personally led the army to join the alliance to defeat Dong Zhuo, I would have personally invited him." Gongsun Zan helped Zhao Yun up and praised him.
"Yun Yijie, a martial artist, is loved by the Lord. When I was still in Changshan, I often heard about your heroic deeds in expelling the barbarians and protecting the country and the people. I yearned for it. It is truly a blessing in my life to see you today." Zhao Yun never thought that he could win Gongsun Zan. So valued.
"Zilong is too modest. In my opinion, Zilong is a rare talent in the army!"
"Thank you for your kindness in knowing me. From now on, I am willing to charge into the battle for you, and my heart will be wiped out." Zhao Yun said in awe.
"Zilong, get up quickly. Today I will appoint you as the captain of my personal army. If you have any military exploits in the future, I will not hesitate to reward you." Gongsun Zan helped Zhao Yun up from the ground and said.
"Zilong thanked my lord."
Afterwards, Gongsun Zan asked Gongsun Fan and Zhao Yun to rest first and drink and talk together the next day.
The next day, the coalition forces slaughtered cattle and sheep and held a meeting of princes to discuss the alliance. This meeting was so grand that all the princes from the eighteen routes were present.
These eighteen princes are:
On the first route, Yuan Shu, the governor of Nanyang, and on the second route, Han Fu, the governor of Jizhou.
On the third route, Kong Min, the governor of Yuzhou; on the fourth route, Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou.
On the fifth route, Wang Kuang, the prefect of Hanoi County; on the sixth route, Zhang Miao, the prefect of Chenliu.
On the seventh route, Qiao Mao, the prefect of Dongjun; on the eighth route, Yuan Yi, the prefect of Shanyang.
On the ninth route, Bao Xin, the prime minister of Jibei; on the tenth route, Kong Rong, the prefect of Beihai.
On the 11th route, Zhang Chao, the governor of Guangling; on the 12th route, Tao Qian, the governor of Xuzhou.
On the thirteenth route, Ma Teng, the governor of Xiliang; on the fourteenth route, Gongsun Zan, the governor of Beiping, Jihou.
On the 15th route, Zhang Yang, the governor of Shangdang; on the 16th route, Sun Jian, the governor of Changsha, Marquis of Wucheng.
On the 17th route, there is Yuan Shao, the Marquis of Qixiang and the governor of Bohai; on the 18th route, Cao Cao, the captain of the heroic cavalry.
Among the eighteen princes, except Cao Cao, he only held the position of school captain, and was deprived of his official position when he fled Luoyang after failing to assassinate Dong.
The rest of the princes are basically people above the level of county guards, and a few are big bosses at the level of state shepherds or state governors, who want territory and soldiers.
According to the division of administrative regions in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, there were a total of thirteen states in the world. The level below the state was the county, and the level below the county was the county. At this time, Liu Bei, who was attached to Gongsun Zan, was serving as the county magistrate of Pingyuan.
In addition, there were some vassal states during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Due to the enactment of the En Order during the period of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, by the Eastern Han Dynasty, the areas controlled by these vassal states often only had a few counties, and the population was getting smaller and smaller.
If Cao Cao hadn't first been famous for his single-handed assassination of Dong, and then made false edicts to all the princes to attack Dong, then these eighteen princes would not have Cao Cao's position at all.
Liu Bei is a ready example. Although he is a descendant of the Han Dynasty, he can only rely on Gongsun Zan to participate in the meeting to discuss the board of directors as a county magistrate.
