Chapter 895 Fiery Qi
In Juxian City, the same conversation also took place between Zang Ba and a group of staff and generals.
Sitting in the hall, Zang Ba heard the commotion below, and heard someone among them saying something like "Guan Yu was a fierce tiger in this world, and he couldn't be treated as such", and he couldn't bear it anymore.
He slapped the case and cursed:
"Who said I was afraid of the red-faced Guan Yu?"
It seems to be emphasized again:
"Do you think I will be afraid of Guan Yu and the Taishan Army?"
But when he said these words, Zang Ba looked outside the hall, which was the rear of Ju County. At this time, it was intercepted by a large number of Wulian Mountain soldiers.
The ordinary officials in the city did not know this information, but the generals in the hall knew it clearly at this time. At this moment, it can be said that they have no way to go to heaven and no way to the earth to describe their predicament.
In front of them was Guan Yu with an army of 30,000 men, and behind them were the Wulian Mountains blocking their way back. As soon as they leave the city, they will be attacked from both front and back.
Originally, there were approximately 15,000 Langya soldiers in Juxian City, and the remaining 5,000 to 6,000 troops remained behind. Later, when Wu Dun went to suppress the Wulian Mountain people, he took away more than 2,000 people, but the entire army was wiped out.
Therefore, there are still thirteen thousand people in Zang Ba City at this moment.
This number of people is actually not too small, but the problem lies in this number, because Ju County is not a big city, and the supplies in the city were previously transported from the rear along Mushui.
But now the enemy has cut off the Mushui River, and their supply line has also been cut off, so even if they defend the city, they won't be able to hold it for long.
Therefore, it seems that there is only one thing in front of everyone:
"Come out of the city and fight!"
But are they really confident?
So even if Zang Ba said those words himself, some people still didn't buy it.
A short general who looked even more wretched when wearing armor shouted directly from below:
"Qu Kui, are you confident in defeating Taishan's army and defeating Guan Yu?"
The words were very direct, but they gave Zang Ba a chance to boost his confidence.
He said to the man without hesitation:
"Confidence? Humph, I, Zang Ba Zongheng Qingxu, never rely on this thing. I don't have confidence. I trust the sword in my hand and all of you brothers."
At this time, an old man with a gray beard spoke hesitantly. This man was an old brother of Zang Ba's father's generation and Zang Ba's uncle.
The old man opened his mouth:
"Xiao Zang, will you..."
But before he could finish his words, there were shouts from the crowd, and the one who spoke out turned out to be the short general who had just spoken.
Just listen to this man pointing at the old general and cursing:
"Are you confused? Is that what you called Xiao Zang? Qu Kui believes in the knives in our hands and in our brothers. If you want to question it, don't you believe it?"
The old man was pointed at and scolded by this junior, so angry that his nose was crooked and his face turned red. However, he still tried to take the overall situation into consideration and turned to ask Zang Ba:
"So, Qu Kui, what are your plans?"
At this time, he didn't dare to shout out Zang Ba Xiao Zang.
Zang Ba glanced at the short general and signaled him to stop jumping. Then he pursed his lips and said to the old general:
"Uncle Wen, you know me. I never fight an uncertain battle."
With that said, Zang Ba explained the current situation again.
Since March, the situation of Langya Army has taken a turn for the worse.
Not only was Wu Dun, a major general of the Langya Army, defeated and killed, but even the grain chiefs and city chiefs of several cities behind them were defeated and committed suicide by the Wulian Mountain people who appeared.
Coupled with the Guan Yu army moving from Qingzhou Beihai area, in terms of the external situation, the Langya soldiers in Ju County seem to be in danger.
It was also under this situation that Zang Ba understood that he could not passively defend and wait for death. He must take the initiative to host the Taishan Army while the outside was not yet stable.
However, whether the attack direction is Guan Yu in the east or Wulian Mountain in the west, this needs to be considered.
Zang Ba actually had already made a decision in his mind, but in order to make all the generals agree, he still asked them which direction to attack.
The Langya clan has been able to dominate Qingxu for so many years. Whether it was the chaotic period of Qingzhou or the Tao Qian era of Xuzhou, they were able to make waves. These Langya clan still have something.
They discussed it and agreed that it would be better to attack Guan Yu first.
The reason is that if Guan Yu's soldiers fight a decisive battle with them, if they win, they will naturally break the situation. If they lose, they can directly counterattack to the west. After all, there are only the weak Wulian Mountain people here.
It has always been said in the art of war, "Don't stop when you return to the enemy." But when the time comes, facing the desperate Langya soldiers who have no choice but to go home, how can the people of Wulian Mountain stop them?
But the reverse is not true.
If they attack the weak Wulian Mountains first, if they cannot win quickly, then the Guan Yu tribe in the east can directly advance westward and attack them from their rear.
At that time, the final result of Langya Zhong will be that the entire army will collapse.
Zang Ba was very satisfied with the result, and he thought so in his heart, so everyone finally decided to attack Guan Yu's tribe in the east first, and if it was unfavorable, they would retreat to the city.
But it was Uncle Wen who spoke up. He asked a question that no one had asked:
"Shuai Qu, once we are entangled by Guan Yu outside and cannot retreat back to the city, what will happen?"
At this time Zang Ba replied as he should:
"Then die."
Wenbo was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't expect Zang Ba to speak so directly.
But what Zang Ba said next made him look ugly:
"Why, Uncle Wen is afraid of death?"
Then, before Wenbo could speak, Zang Baji sneered:
"My father can die, and all the brothers from my father's generation can die, but you, Uncle Zhao, can't die? You have lived so many more thoughts than my father, you should be content."
At this moment, Uncle Wen was so angry that his whole body was shaking and his lips were turning purple.
He was shaking so hard that he couldn't say a word.
But Zang Ba over there turned around and said to the Langya generals:
"If you ask me whether Zang Ba is afraid of death, I will tell my brothers that he is not afraid."
All the generals remained silent.
At this time, Zang Ba nodded at the little general again and asked him:
"Xiao Zhang, have you ever died?"
The little general was dumbfounded and couldn't understand what Zang Ba meant. He could only smile bitterly and said:
"Qu Kuai, are you playing a trick on us? If we had died, why would we still be here? Isn't this a ghost in broad daylight! We are all frightened by this."
As he said that, the little general couldn't help but touch his face to make sure again that he was alive.
And his appearance also made all the Langya generals in the hall laugh.
But Zang Ba didn't laugh, but asked:
"Since you have never died, why are you afraid of death?"
This sentence directly confused the simple and ignorant little man, and he replied with a sigh:
"Hey, hey, hey, Qu Shuai, you are right. We have never died before, so we don't know what to be afraid of!"
Zang Ba wanted this reaction, so he turned to everyone and said:
"So give up all the fears in your heart. Let me tell you, death is nothing to be afraid of. Since everyone has to die once, what's the difference between dying early and dying late? It's better to be happy and grudge!"
These words touched the hearts of all Langya generals.
If the idea of righteousness and suicide is generally strong in Han fashion, then these desperadoes who were born in the mountains take this as a guideline. The essence of it all is that the living conditions are too difficult. If you don't work hard, you won't be able to survive for a few years. If you work hard, you may not be able to do something big.
The material foundation is the underlying logic of all ideological trends.
At this moment, the four words "pleasant grudges" made all the Langya generals scream.
Zang Ba also put his hands on his hips and was very confident. He was already ready to fight.
No matter how long he lives, Zang Ba is still the same Zang Ba, and his essence is still the same word, which is "fierce".
It can be said that Zang Ba is a typical example of the middle and lower class people in the Han Dynasty.
Even though Zang Ba's achievements and status in this life are not as good as those of the same period in history, the word "fierce" has not changed.
You can't say how loyal he is.
As a local tycoon who emerged from the Qingxu generation, historically he attached himself to Tao Qian and Lu Bu, and finally surrendered to Cao Cao's camp.
In Cao Cao's camp, he gained great autonomy, and was almost appointed by Cao Cao to manage the affairs of Qing and Xuzhou. He was the real host.
But what happens when Cao Cao dies? The Qingzhou soldiers and Zang Ba's troops stationed in Luoyang at that time left Luoyang with great fanfare without anyone's permission.
This behavior is almost indistinguishable from rebels.
Although Cao Pi, who came to the throne at that time, did not pursue the case for the sake of the situation, when the reckoning began later, he still wanted to bring down Zang Ba.
Originally Zang Ba could have taken a back seat like this, but he was so old at the time and still so energetic.
He directly asked Cao Xiu, the commander-in-chief of the Jiedushi Dynasty at that time, for orders to cross the river with thousands of people on foot and cavalry. He would definitely run rampant in the south of the Jijiang River.
Zang Ba's attitude was very straightforward. That was the end of his life. Either it would end with sweeping Jiangnan, or he would lead his men to death in Jiangnan. There was no other way out.
The sentence "if you can't live with five pots of food, you will die with five pots of food" is exactly the portrayal of this person.
It is precisely because of this fierce spirit that Zang Ba actually did not think much carefully about his decision to attack Guan Yu eastward. His plan is also very simple, that is, the entire army will leave the city and directly push the Taishan Army flatly.
This overly rash behavior formed a strong contrast with the thoughtfulness of Guan Yu on the opposite side.
But it is undeniable that this is where fate plays tricks. Thinking cannot completely influence a person's destiny.
A person who thinks before he acts is no more decisively favored by fate than an impulsive person.
Seven points are destined by nature, and three points depend on human effort.
So, just when Zang Ba ordered the entire army to prepare for war and prepare for the time to leave the city, an episode occurred.
Uncle Wen, who had been shaking with anger, suddenly roared, and then shouted directly to Zang Ba:
"Xiao Zang, you should keep an eye on it. Let's see if you dare to die!"
After saying that, Uncle Wen directly picked up the meat cleaver on the table and thrust it into his throat.
Blood spurted out from his throat, spraying blood all over the faces of the Langya generals around him.
At this time, there was a chaos in the hall. Some people related to Uncle Wen went directly to check his injuries, but it was already too late.
Others, including Zang Ba, the instigator, were frightened by Uncle Wen's fierceness. They did not expect that this man would commit suicide in public after a disagreement.
At this time, the war preparation plan that had been planned in advance was temporarily shelved, because after all, he was an old brother from the previous generation, and Zang Ba could not ignore him.
After a pause, Zang Ba saw his men moving Uncle Zhao's body to the straw mat beside the verandah, and then asked the following elderly people left behind by the previous generation:
"Who else in Uncle Wen's family is in the military?"
Several old people felt a bit sad at this moment.
Several of them, including Zang Ba's father Zang Jie, were all from Taishan County in Yanzhou, and they were old brothers who accompanied their father and son to Langya Luocao.
Wenbo is a bit special. He is from Pei State, but overall he is also from Yanzhou.
During Zang Jie's era, they, the Yanzhou people, were undoubtedly the core. Later, when Zang Jie died, it was they who supported Zang Ba to take over his position.
It can be said that these old people have contributed to Zang Ba's support.
Zang Ba was good to the elderly in the early days, but later on as Langyazhong began to shift its focus to Xuzhou, especially after joining Chen Deng's forces, the elderly like them became worse day by day.
Everyone in the army is from Xuzhou, so how can there be room for old men like them to stretch their legs?
Most of them had already accepted their fate and consciously stood aside. Only Uncle Wen did not realize that he had a role to play in the Langya people. He couldn't bear to see the Langya people become what they are now, yet they still "meddle in other people's business." ".
After taking care of the east and taking care of the west, isn't this the end result?
But such an ending really happened, and Zang Ba didn't even know about Uncle Zhao's death. This is inevitably sad.
One of the old men tried his best to smile and said:
"Several of Lao Wen's sons were killed in the war, but he has a nephew who is in the army, but he is young, only fourteen or fifteen years old."
When Zang Ba heard this, he remembered that Uncle Zhao did indeed have three sons who died in the battle, two of whom died in the battle when he went with him to Yimeng to fight against Zhang Chong.
Thinking of this, Zang Ba felt a little ashamed. He interrupted and asked:
"Do you have a name?"
The old man replied:
"It's called Wenji."
Zang Ba thought for a moment and shouted to the people outside:
"Go and call Wen Ji over, I have something to say."
The tooth soldier outside hurriedly went outside to shout. After a while, a young man with a young face but a heroic spirit came over with the tooth soldier.
After Zang Ba saw this man, he felt even more embarrassed and waved for him to come over.
Zang Ba was still thinking about what to say, but the young man saw his uncle lying on the straw mat and burst into tears.
Zang Ba sighed and explained:
"Your uncle and I had a conflict of opinions at the meeting just now. Who knew that your uncle was too hot-tempered and killed himself after a disagreement. You go and take a look."
Na Wenji ran over and knelt on his knees with a sad expression.
Zang Ba walked over, unable to hold back the shame in his heart any longer, and said to Wen Ji:
"Most of this is my fault. If you have any requests, just ask me, and I will agree to compensate you."
But who knew that after Wen Ji heard this, he wiped his tears directly, kowtowed to Zang Ba and said:
"Commander Qu, although my uncle's death was a suicide, in the final analysis it was for the Taishan Army outside the city. Therefore, the Taishan Army was the culprit of my uncle's death. I don't want anything. I only ask Commander Qu to give me clothes and a collar. A bow, let me go into battle with you, Commander Qu. I must avenge my uncle on the battlefield!”
As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at this young man named Wen Ji with admiration.
And Zang Ba, who has always known people well, directly saw how extraordinary this person was:
"This guy is a talent!"