"Settle down and live in heaven and earth. I pray for the four seasons to feed the earth. I pray for people to be safe and the six animals to prosper. I kneel down in Taoyuan and pray for three sworn brothers. I just pray for peace in the world..."
On the temporary stage set up in the Emperor's Palace, actors wearing colorful wooden masks were singing operatic lines.
The actor's clothes are a bit strange. If you look closely, you can see that he looks like a witch doctor from the Nanzhong Yi tribe or when he is offering sacrifices to the gods.
This is a new opera from Nanxiang.
I heard that there is a rumor circulating in Nanzhong that Guan Suo can command the Ghost King.
Therefore, when the Yi tribe invites gods, they often pretend to be Guan Suo and order the ghost king to drive away the ghosts.
When Nanxiang students went to Nanzhong to study, they found it quite interesting, so they made up a new play like this when they came back.
It mainly tells the story of Guan Suo, the son of the Guan family who lived among the people after the Jingzhou Incident. After going through hardships, he returned to Shu. At the same time, he also practiced martial arts hard and served the country.
There are sorrows and joys, life and death, separation and reunion. It also intersperses the story of the late emperor and the brothers Guan and Zhang who restored the Han Dynasty, which is quite fascinating.
Even the emperor and queen in the audience watched with gusto.
When they saw the fall of Jingzhou and the death of the Guan family, everyone in the audience sighed in unison.
Seeing Guan Suo recuperating in Baojiazhuang, then defeating the thieves who came to rob the village, and finally returning west with Bao Sanniang, even the queen had a smile on her face.
Then came the Southern Expedition, where he helped the Southern Expedition army defeat the enemy, met Meng Huo's daughter Hua Wan by chance, and captured the heart of the beautiful woman.
Seeing this, the little fat man couldn't help but smack his lips.
When the actors on the stage went down to prepare for the next scene, Adou turned his head and whispered to Zhang Xingcai:
"In the past, I only heard about my father-in-law's southern expedition, but I didn't expect other people to have such wonderful stories."
Hearing this, Zhang Xingcai turned around and said with a smile:
"I heard that there is indeed a story between Guan Suo and Hua Wan. It can be said that they don't know each other without fighting. When Guan Suo first met, he even won a curly red rabbit horse from Hua Wan."
"If nothing else happens, this curly red rabbit horse should still be raised at Yuexi's racecourse."
They also opened a racecourse to raise Yunnan horses, and the quality of the horses produced at the racecourse under the name of Xinghanhui was higher than others.
Even if Huawan, a local snake in Southern China, has the ability to obtain pure Yunnan horses from various tribes in Southern Central, the quality of the horses in her private horse farm is still inferior to that of Xinghan Club.
Where do you think this can be justified?
The emperor and empress laughed together.
Guan Tong next to him was a little restless.
During the Southern Expedition, he was just a child and didn't know much about the world.
After watching this play, he had completely fallen into a trance: Could it be that he really had such a powerful fourth uncle?
Don't blame him for thinking that.
After all, how could a play that could be sung in front of the emperor be just randomly arranged?
What's more, the late emperor was involved.
"Dalang, what do you think of this show?"
"Very... very good, very beautiful."
The queen nodded:
"It does look good."
As he spoke, he sighed again, "Even though it was uncomfortable to watch at the beginning, the events in Jingzhou, not to mention the Guan family, even the Han Dynasty suffered greatly from it!"
Guan Tong was still a young boy in his teens, so he was most unsettled. Thinking of the events described in the play, he felt a surge of excitement in his chest:
"The rats from Jiangdong are not the sons of men!"
After saying this, he was startled and looked at the emperor and queen with some anxiety.
Unexpectedly, the emperor and the queen looked at each other and smiled.
There was no more expression on Zhang Xingcai's face. He motioned to the stage and said leisurely and meaningfully:
"The next act is about to begin, let's watch the show first."
As the queen and the emperor's most important think tank, Zhang Xingcai has far more timely information than others.
In addition to the widely circulated news in Hanzhong, she also knew that the prime minister had already sent his troops eastward after forcing him to surrender to Qianxian County, and might have crossed the Wugong River by now.
If nothing else goes wrong, Jiang Wei should have already arrived at Chang'an City, and it is very likely that he has made direct contact with the Prime Minister's army.
According to the military intelligence analysis passed down by Xiang'an, only a small number of troops are currently stationed in Chang'an, and most of Sima Yi's main army is concentrated in the Hexi and Tongguan lines east of Chang'an.
It may be to guard against Feng Mingwen, or more likely to be able to withdraw from Guanzhong at any time.
But there is no intention to rely on Chang'an to defend.
So from this point of view, it is just around the corner for the Han Dynasty to regain Guanzhong.
For the big man, the drama of the Battle of Guanzhong has almost come to an end.
The rest depends on what kind of results Feng Mingwen can achieve in the end.
If we can really eat Bingzhou and Hedong, it will be a huge surprise.
If there were no unexpected surprises, it would not matter if the Han and Wei Dynasties finally used the river as their boundary.
Anyway, as long as the Han Dynasty regains Guanzhong, it will have two grain-producing Kingdoms of Abundance (the earliest name for Guanzhong is the Kingdom of Abundance).
The three places of Longyou and Jiuyuan in Liangzhou raised war horses, produced wool, and weaved cloth; Nanzhong grew sugar cane and pressed brown sugar; and Shu raised silkworms and weaved brocades.
Coupled with the elite soldiers and generals who are proud of the world, it is a solid foundation that neither Qin Qin nor Emperor Gaozu had before he unified the world.
In Zhang Xingcai's view, the next act of the Han Dynasty is to unify the world - Jiang Dong is indeed a rat, but he is not a fool.
Over the years, the Wei State has lost troops and territory one after another. It is not an exaggeration to say that it was beaten to a pulp.
There is no need to think about what the little half-crippled person will do when faced with a big man who has the power to unify the world, plus a rat.
The emergence of Guansuo Opera was the beginning of the public opinion war in Jingzhou.
Zhang Xingcai watched the show and subconsciously put a pickled plum into his mouth, chewing it slowly while thinking in his mind:
Before Jiangdong attacked Jingzhou, he had been shouting that Jingzhou belonged to them, right?
Guan Tong is a bit mediocre, but that is also for Guan Xing, who is "rarely asked".
After watching "Guansuo Opera" with the emperor and empress, he already felt confident.
It seems that having an extra fourth uncle is not that simple.
Such a complicated matter is beyond my current ability to participate in.
Seeing Guan Tong leave with relief, Zhang Xingcai took another sour plum and put it in his mouth, thoughtfully.
Adou next to him looked at his queen eating pickled plums and felt like his teeth were about to fall apart.
Waving to the waiter to go down, he quietly touched Zhang Xingcai's belly with his hand.
Zhang Xingcai, who was deep in thought, was woken up. He raised his arm to allow Adou to touch it more smoothly and said softly:
"She's only four months old."
Adou hey hey silly music:
"Otherwise, Hanzhong is the land of Longxing. Fortunately, I didn't go back to Jincheng."
Zhang Xingcai pursed his lips and smiled.
Adou is enjoying himself foolishly:
"I don't know whether the queen is pregnant with a son or a daughter this time."
"Your Majesty, do you want a son or a daughter?"
"Anything is fine."
"I wish I was a princess."
"Why?"
Zhang Xingcai sighed:
"The Prime Minister is old and sick, and now he is leading the Northern Expedition despite his illness. After this battle, his body will probably suffer a lot. I don't know how long he can last."
"After this battle, Feng Mingwen will become the pillar minister after the Prime Minister."
She reached out and touched her belly:
"In the past, we asked Siniang to take the lead and asked if we could let the Feng family's legitimate daughter marry into the royal family, but Feng Mingwen never responded."
"If I give birth to a daughter this time, no matter whether I marry or not, the Feng family will have to choose one."
Adou didn't take it too seriously. He held Zhang Xingcai's hand:
"The child is still young. Feng Mingwen didn't say that he didn't want to marry his daughter, but he also said that he would let his daughter make her own choice in the future."
"So this matter still depends on his daughter. When we go to Chang'an together in the future, let the children play together more and become childhood sweethearts. Then it will be done, right?"
As he spoke, Adou came close to Zhang Xingcai’s ear and whispered:
"Just like when we were kids."
Zhang Xingcai's face felt slightly hot. She rolled her eyes at Adou angrily and did not continue the topic.
"Speaking of Si Niang, she should have given birth by now, right?"
"Counting the days, it's almost over."
With a smile, as if he had put down a worry, Zhang Xingcai stroked his slightly swollen belly and looked at Adou:
"When we get to Chang'an, the matter of Si Niang should be settled."
Adou nodded:
"At that time, with Feng Mingwen's status, no one can say anything."
Zhang Xingcai said leisurely:
"That's right. The tiger girl and Si Niang of the Guan family have children, and Feng Mingwen always has to bring one of them to marry the royal family."
Adou continued to nod: "So I'm just saying, this matter is not urgent. With Siniang over there, what are you worried about?"
"Always think more about your children." Zhang Xingcai stroked his belly subconsciously, with motherly love shining on his face, "I heard that the tiger girl of the Guan family also hides a box of Feng family's secret knowledge!"
"Now it seems that it is probably true. Otherwise, where would the current Guan family tiger come from?"
Not only can he subdue the arrogant and powerful generals of the Liangzhou Army, he can also lead them to fight thousands of miles and defeat the enemy like splitting bamboo.
"The knowledge of the Feng family is extraordinary. The tiger girl of the Guan family is so good. How can the children of the Feng family be any worse?"
There is also Siniang. Even though Feng Mingwen is mostly away from Liangzhou, the entire Liangzhou is still running in an orderly manner, and Siniang's contribution is indispensable.
Zhang Xingcai happily planned:
"The Feng family will first help your majesty to rule the world, and then help our children to govern the world. Isn't it wonderful that the great Han gave him a man who can live with his country, be a wise king and a wise minister, and create a good story together?"
Oh, it turns out that I am mainly interested in other people’s knowledge.
"I'm still thinking too far. Chang'an hasn't been captured yet."
"It will definitely be taken down."
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid we can't take it anymore, so withdraw your troops!"
At the foot of Hefei City, Zhuge Dan held Sun Quan's horse bridle tightly and used all his strength to prevent the furious Sun Quan from riding forward.
Looking around, there are siege ladders set up by Wu soldiers scattered everywhere under the city wall, and many of them are still smoking.
You don't need to look closely to know that most of these siege ladders have been destroyed.
As for the rush car at the city gate, it had long been smashed into a mess by the stone mill suspended from the city.
The Wu soldiers who failed to attack the city again retreated like a tide.
Sun Quan stared with blood-red eyes, and the riding crop in his hand almost hit Zhuge Dan:
"How to withdraw?! With so many soldiers killed and injured, how do you want me to withdraw our troops?"
After leading the army to Hefei City, Sun Quan swore an oath in front of the entire army not to break Hefei and not to return.
It has been nearly ten days since the siege of the city, and I don't know how many soldiers have fallen under the city. At this time, Zhuge Dan persuaded him to retreat, but why didn't he get furious?
Zhuge Dan pulled the horse's head and begged:
"Your Majesty, there was a detailed report a few days ago. It was said that Cao Rui left Luoyang for the eastward expedition. Now there is a report from the expedition. It is suspected that a large number of bandit troops are coming from the north. They have reached Hefei less than a hundred miles away. I am afraid it is not the bandit reinforcements that have arrived!"
"The soldiers have been attacking the city for days and are getting tired. Your Majesty, why don't you withdraw your troops first and return to Chaohu to reorganize your army? If the enemy's reinforcements don't arrive, it won't be too late to attack the city again."
"No! We have casualties, but the thieves in the city have no casualties?" Sun Quan gritted his teeth and said, "I have an army of 100,000, but the thieves in the city are less than 10,000."
"We are ten times the enemy, but we cannot capture a small Hefei. Instead, we are forced to retreat by the thieves. How can I stand in this world?"
He pointed angrily at the city of Hefei with his riding crop, "My nephew's body is not cold yet, and Hefei is not destroyed. How can I be worthy of my fourth brother who died young!"
"The Wei thieves are almost unable to defend Guanzhong. Cao Ruian dares to leave Luoyang easily? There are just suspicious soldiers in the north. Send the order and continue to attack the city!"
When Zhuge Dan saw that Sun Quan did not listen to his advice, he had no choice but to say:
"If Your Majesty does not retreat, you should let the soldiers rest for a while. All the siege equipment has been destroyed today. Why not stop here and wait until the siege equipment is built tomorrow to fight again."
Sun Tai's death was not as simple as damaging the morale of the army or irritating Sun Quan.
But the siege equipment that Wu Jun wanted to transport to Hefei by using water were all destroyed, making it difficult for the army to attack the city.
In Sun Quan's plan, he delayed sending troops, except waiting for both Shu and Wei to suffer losses so that he could take advantage.
The other thing is to wait for winter to come, so that the Wei thieves' elite cavalry will not be able to exert their maximum combat power.
At the same time, we took this opportunity to build siege equipment and make sufficient preparations for the attack on Hefei.
Who would have expected that the plan would change quickly. An ambush on the way by the Wei army caused the siege equipment that had been built for several months to be burned clean.
This is why sieges these days are all improvised and crude siege equipment.
At this time, Sun Quan felt extremely angry when he heard that the siege equipment was gone again.
Even if the ants attack the city, there must be a siege ladder.
Now that there is no siege ladder left, no matter how furious he is, forcing the soldiers to attack the city at all costs, there is nothing he can do.
"Then make it! You must make it for me overnight tonight!"
"promise!"
It was night, when Wu Jun was cutting wood all night, a cold wind suddenly came up, and a piece of the fence of the camp fell down, injuring five or six soldiers who were on duty at night.
The winter of the 14th year of Jianxing came earlier than usual.
Sun Quan was awakened by a loud noise outside the commander's tent in the middle of the night. He said that there were thieves attacking the camp, so he hurriedly got up and asked:
"What happened outside?"
The personal guard entered the tent carrying a lantern, bringing in a gust of cold wind, which made Sun Quan shrink subconsciously.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong, the handsome flag outside was blown down by the wind!"
"What!"
Sun Quan was shocked and tried to walk out.
"Your Majesty, please put on your fur coat!"
The guards quickly stopped Sun Quan, "A strong wind suddenly broke out at night, and the soldiers were frozen. Some people have already contracted the wind cold."
When Sun Quan heard this, his expression suddenly darkened.
"Wind chill?"
"Yes, because of this cold wind, the weather has suddenly turned cold, so Your Majesty should pay attention to keeping warm."
