Chapter 233 Shared Fear
When Ma Yuanyi was hesitant, Zhang Chong came to his tent again.
Ma Yuanyi was quite troubled by Zhang Chong's arrival, but he still wanted to persuade him to go north to Aocang together.
Ma Yuanyi has his own judgment. Is Zhang Chong's strategy good? good!
But Ma Yuanyi was not good to him.
Now Ma Yuanyi only has more than 10,000 weak soldiers, but the Taishan army has strong soldiers and horses. Once he goes north, who will he listen to?
Ma Yuanyi would never have thought of such a thing in the past. He had always put the interests of Huang Tian's career before his own. Otherwise, a few years ago, he would not have contradicted the great virtuous teacher for Zhang Chong.
Facts have proved that Ma Yuanyi's persistence was right. The Taishan Yellow Turbans did indeed become stronger as they fought under the leadership of Zhang Chong. This time they were defeated in the decisive battle with the Han army without Zhang Chong's presence.
Ma Yuanyi is still the same Ma Yuanyi as before, but he is more pragmatic now.
This change began after he fled into Yingchuan with only two companions after the incident in Kyoto. In the past, he had no idea about his prestige and position in the church when he came to Yingchuan. Which of the various Taoist envoys would worship him without paying homage?
But the reality is that after he has been in Yingchuan for many days, except for a few handsome men who have met Ma Yuanyi in private, the others seem to pretend that Ma Yuanyi does not exist.
Even Yingchuan Qushuai Bocai, whom he supported, was nowhere to be seen except once when he first came here. Then Ma Yuanyi realized that with the uprising, the voice within the church changed again. The Taoist envoys who were in charge of the teachings originally spoke for themselves, but now they are the local commanders. Whoever has soldiers has a louder voice.
Later, if Ma Yuanyi hadn't recruited old troops in Yangzhai, recruited Shanliao dare to die from Funiu Mountain, and raised a team, who in Yingchuan would have known Ma Yuanyi.
After that, Ma Yuanyi understood that if he wanted to realize Huang Tian's cause, he must have soldiers in his hands.
So when Zhang Chong suggested during the last military meeting that the entire army march north to Aocang to cut off the Han army's food route in Hebei, he instinctively agreed, but after careful consideration he still refused.
Without him, I have no soldiers in my hands and my heart is uneasy.
And this time Zhang Chong came, what did he have to say?
——
Zhang Chong, who was waiting outside the tent, was also very happy because he had gotten a good talent from the prisoner's mouth.
Of course, this is definitely not talking about Guo Tu.
Zhang Chong was also shocked when Yan Zhuang presented Guo Tu and Chen Qin to Zhang Chong. How could he not know about Guo Tuhe and others?
Let's put it this way, he is Lu among horses and Lu Bu among men.
In history, because he followed Huangfu Song to Hebei to pacify the Yellow Turban, and later Huangfu Song became the shepherd of Jizhou, the shogunate and military officials were transferred to Jizhou, and Guo Tu also stayed in Hebei. After the Liangzhou Kingdom rebelled, Huangfu Song and his army were sent to the west to quell the rebellion, but a large number of former Huangfu Song shogunate military officials stayed in Hebei.
Later, Jizhou ushered in Wang Fen. During the Jia Cong era, when Dong Zhuo finally entered Beijing, he was deceived by his aides Zhou Ao and Wu Qiong and let Han Fu become the shepherd of Jizhou. Guo Tu became Han Fu's subordinate.
But then Guo Tu showed his style of Lu Bu. When Han Fu, the leader of the dynasty, was fighting with Yuan Shao, he persuaded Han Fu to surrender to Xianzhou. In the end, Han Fu was persecuted by Yuan Shao, and in fear, he committed suicide with a book knife in the toilet. This is the power of Guo Tu.
Afterwards, Guo Tu switched to Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shao went south and the Battle of Guandu broke out with Cao Cao. The turning point of the battle was when Cao Cao attacked Yuan Shao's grain camp at Wuchao, and Guo Tu persuaded Yuan Shao not to save Wuchao but to attack Cao's army camp in Guandu instead. In the end, Yuan Shao did not adopt Zhang He's plan and actually went to attack Cao Jun's camp. Zhang He was still struggling to attack the enemy's stronghold, but Guo Tu falsely accused Zhang He of rebelling, forcing Zhang He to rebel.
Because of this, Yuan Shao lost the Battle of Guandu, and he soon became angry to death. But it was not over yet. Later, Guo Tu turned to Yuan Tan and instigated him and his brother Yuan Shang to attack each other. Later, Cao Cao's troops were even invited to attack Yuan Shang. In the end, both sides suffered losses, Cao Cao took advantage of him, and he, Guo Tu, died.
Lu Bu was a slave of a family with three surnames, so Guo Tu was no less generous. How dare Zhang Chong take possession of such an outstanding figure?
But Zhang Chong still kept him because he wanted to squeeze out all the value of this person.
Then Zhang Chong had an unexpected surprise for Chen Qin, a member of the Chen clan who surrendered together. He discovered that this person was not only proficient in writing, but also had his own views on the current situation in the world.
After he met Zhang Chong and received his courtesy, he said this:
"Today's country is greedy and excessive, serving its soldiers and people, paying too much attention to their wealth and tax, and the people are miserable. The common people shouted, and then the three brothers of the Zhang family started the Yellow Turban uprising. However, although the Han family is unethical, they have raised scholars for two hundred years, and the foundation has been laid for generations. Still in Angu, there are still 300,000 men with armor, and the local orders are still being enforced. But I look at the Taiping Road, and there are constraints from all sides, and the orders are inconsistent. Although there are millions of people, I can't wait to become a Han army. The general is worried!”
What Chen Qin was talking about was what had always troubled Zhang Chong, which was that these Yellow Turbans were really a mob. They only cared about themselves several times and never had a sense of the overall situation. Moreover, his current status within the sect is quite embarrassing. He only has the authority to control Qingxu Huangjin, and has no means of restricting the Taiping Dao in the Central Plains.
He can't, he should stage a fierce battle here in Yingyang. This is unrealistic!
But for Chen Qin, Zhang Chong was testing him on the one hand, and on the other hand, he really couldn't get along with him at the beginning, so Zhang Chong said some polite words:
"Success or failure depends on virtue, not numbers. Even though the Han army has 300,000 elite soldiers, they are going against the grain and can still do some good. Although our army is weak, we are doing the right thing for heaven, and the people are popular. Don't you know that success lies in success?" Me.”
Chen Qin was silent. He understood what Zhang Chong meant. Zhang Chong never said anything about Taiping Dao or the Yellow Turban Army from the beginning to the end, but only about himself. From this point of view, Qu Shuai, the Taishan thief, has an ambition that is not inferior to others! This is better, he is more optimistic about the Taishan Army than the Yellow Turban Army.
After all, in the final analysis, whether there is hope or not depends on whether we can fight. The Han army is better at fighting than the Yellow Turban Army, and the Taishan Army is better at fighting than the Han Army, so it’s really hard to say what will happen in the future.
But Chen Qin understands the theory of vertical and horizontal, and knows that no matter how much he agrees with his heart, he still needs to find some problems to show his role. Therefore, Chen Qin praised Zhang Chong on the one hand, and pointed out Zhang Chong's current predicament on the other hand:
"A general who works hard and punishes the people is naturally more virtuous. But I think there are three difficulties in generals."
When Zhang Chong heard this, he immediately humbly asked for advice:
"Sir, please enlighten me!"
At that time, Chen Qin set up a big tent, wore plain clothes and Ge scarf, and talked eloquently:
"The first difficulty is that the enemy is numerous and we are weak. The general has less than 10,000 soldiers, and he wants to overthrow Liu Han in two hundred years. I see how difficult it is. The second difficulty is that the old army of the division is tired. The general has been fighting for a long time and has no rear supplies. How can he be a Han Dynasty? A new soldier in the army? There are three difficulties: the army is hanging in the heart of the Han family, and there are no friendly troops to help. Even if the general is brave, has a good strategy, is tolerant and popular, he has to worry about it. "< br>
Good guy, Zhang Chong listened carefully to what Chen Qin said at the beginning, but how come he was praising himself as he said it later. What kind of force and strategy are there, tolerant and benevolent, and popular among the people? Good guy, Zhang Chong was a little embarrassed by this.
But this did not make Zhang Chong think that this person was a flatterer. Instead, he felt that this person could speak. Because the most important thing Chen Qin said is the first, those three questions are real.
Due to the lack of information, Chen Qin did not know that he had a base and rear area in the Heji area, and that his sergeants had a place to repair. But this still cannot solve the three problems mentioned by Chen Qin. The Taishan Army has few troops and cannot independently carry out the absolute force against the Han. For example, in the decisive battle of Yingyang, if only Zhang Chong came to fight, he would definitely say so. The absolute strength of the Han soldiers on the opposite side was 40,000. No matter how good Zhang Chong thought he was at fighting, he did not have the confidence to attack eight times the territory with 5,000 men.
There is also the problem of fatigue among the division's veterans, perhaps something Chen Qin himself observed. Don't look at the Taishan Army starting from Mount Tai, fighting thousands of miles, and winning many battles. But this journey is either at war or on the way to war. The only rest was half a month in Puyang.
The Taishan Army under his command is not really made of iron. That is to say, Zhang Chong deliberately honed the Taishan Army's training ability in Taishan, otherwise it would have collapsed long ago. But even so, Zhang Chong did not dare to continue the long-distance march, which was why he planned to do more repairs in the Yingchuan area.
Then what Chen Qin said about hanging troops in the heart of the Han family without any friendly troops to help Zhang Chong was even more heartbreaking. Zhang Chong was really hurt by the so-called friendly forces in Runan and Yingchuan these days.
One thing, do you think it’s enough to settle it with Qu Shuai? That's not the case at all.
The Yingchuan Yellow Turbans are better, because they were trained by Ma Yuanyi, and they have control over the team. But the Runan Yellow Turbans were so scattered.
Take the prisoner trade as an example. It was originally agreed between him and Huang Shao, the commander of Runan Xinqu. But in the end, Huang Shao said privately that he could take care of himself. If he really wanted to do this, he had to discuss it with Zhang Chong and the other commanders. It turns out that Qu Shuai is just a man in name only.
Why did Huang Shao have to withdraw southward from Runan before? It was because the young commander, his wife and children under his command stayed behind. When he heard that the rear, led by the governor of Han Yuzhou, continued to attack and kill the Yellow Turban Army's strongholds. They couldn't sit still and had to go back.
Although the Runan Yellow Turban Army had fought bloody battles with the Han Army before and its strength had declined, it still numbered at least 30,000 to 40,000 people. And after this battle, these people all have the taste of strong soldiers. But if Runan Huangjin leaves now, Zhang Chong will lose his arm.
And Ma Yuanyi's side. To be honest, when several Qingzhou Qushuai sent Ma Yuanyi to Dongpingling, Zhang Chong still respected this person very much and felt that he was a person with a public heart.
But when they met again this time, he didn't know what Ma Yuanyi had gone through, but compared to the purity of the past, the current Ma Yuanyi always gave him a calculating feeling.
Going north to attack Aocang, what a great thing! Ma Yuanyi must go to Nanyang.
This is Zhang Chong's current situation. His troops are thin, his division is still old, and he has no friendly forces. It is really difficult.
Zhang Chong sometimes thought that he might as well just go back to Mount Tai, and then he would stay there until Dong Zhuo came to Beijing, and then he would leave the mountain. But in this case, how many people would die if these Guizhou leaders believed that the three Zhang brothers rose up to resist the tyranny of the Han family!
Later, Zhang Chong stopped going around the bush with Chen Qin and directly told Chen Qin about his situation. The key point is to ask how to make the Yellow Turban Army from Runan and Yingchuan go north with him.
But this is obviously beyond Chen Qin's information. Chen Qin is not familiar with either Huang Shao or Ma Yuanyi, so how can he give feasible suggestions? If Zhang Chong asks him how to deal with the relationship with local powerful people, Chen Qin will certainly I already had a draft.
However, during the discussion, a word Chen Qin said suddenly made Zhang Chong realize that maybe he could try this.
——
In the sixth year of Guanghe's reign, August 8, Kyoto.
Huangfu Song was seriously injured, and the Han army in the middle was defeated. As soon as the battle report of the retreat to Yangdi was sent to Kyoto, the entire Kyoto fell into panic. Are thieves so powerful? Even the famous general Huangfu Song of Xizhou was defeated and seriously injured. For a while, everyone looked west to Chang'an for a way out.
An official from Guanxi, such as Yilang Jingzhao and Zhao Qi, who is the nephew-in-law of Ma Rong, a great scholar in Guanxi, suggested moving the capital:
"The moth thieves and soldiers are flourishing, and the capital is empty and surrounded by enemies, so it is no longer a place to use force. I asked the country to move to Xijing. In the past, our ancestors were in Guanzhong, and the land was fertile, so they were able to unite the world. There is also a stronghold in Guanzhong, so we can To stop a million soldiers. Your Majesty will recruit soldiers and horses from Xizhou and seize the wealth of Yizhou. In less than a year, you will have 200,000 soldiers. Once you go east, the moth thieves will be destroyed and the palace in Xijing will be complete. The city is strong and the walls are strong. Please move the capital to Chang'an for a long-term plan."
Before Liu Hong on the stage could speak, the ministers in Guandong, especially Yingchuan, couldn't bear it. The first one to go out was Zhang Zi, who was also Yilang.
Zhang Zi was from Yingchuan, and he was also a figure. He was later appointed as the governor of Nanyang by Dong Zhuo. After that, Sun Jian, the governor of Changsha, went all the way north to beg Dong. When he passed by Nanyang, he chopped Zhang Zi into pieces at a cocktail party very unceremoniously.
Of course, Zhang Zi still didn’t know this destined fate. At this time, he pointed at Zhao Qi with righteous anger and cursed:
"Your Majesty, please kill this official, and the world will be safe."
Then he paid homage to Liu Hong and admonished:
"When the country moves westward, it will deprive the world of hope and chill the hearts of Shandong. It has been a long time since the Guangwu capital was Luoyi, and the people are happy. Now that we are donating the ancestral temple and abandoning the gardens and mausoleums for no reason, we are afraid that the people will be alarmed and there will be chaos."
Liu Hong was also meditating there. From his original point of view, he wanted to move the capital. After all, the Han soldiers in the middle were defeated miserably. The enemy was already approaching the city. It would be dangerous if he didn't leave. As for whether it is decent or not, Xijing was originally the retreat left by the ancestors to the descendants, and it was used at this time.
But he had to consider what the Duke of Guandong said:
"The hope of the lonely world, the heart of cold Shandong."
He felt that the subtext of this sentence was that if the imperial court abandoned them, then they, the powerful people in Guandong, would have to save themselves. Self-rescue is nothing more than surrendering to thieves or hugging together for warmth, and these are not what Liu Hong wants to see.
Unsure of what to do, Situ Yuan Wei sat on the mat and said leisurely:
"It is easy to move the capital, but very difficult to install. I hope the country will think carefully and act prudently."
As soon as these words came out, all the officials from Guandong stood up and said to Liu Hong:
"I hope the country will think carefully and act carefully."
The intimidation of the ministers made Liu Hong, who was already pale, even whiter with anger. He said:
"Everything you say is reasonable. One is to preserve the country, and the other is to protect the country. In this way, those who want to move stand on the left, and those who don't want to move stand on the right. Whoever has more people, listen to whoever."
As soon as this statement came out, all the ministers in the government and the public looked at each other in confusion. Especially the sentence "Whoever listens to whom more often" seems to be making a mockery of the ministers of the Guandong clan.
Everyone knew that Liu Hong was showing off his temper. Just when he didn't know what to say, a letter of appeal from Guanzhong was delivered to Liu Hong.
After looking at it, Liu Hong pushed away the case, stood up, drew his sword and cut off a corner of the case, and said bravely:
"If someone proposes to move the capital again, it will be the same as this case. The ancestral temples, mountains and mausoleums are all here. If I want to share the danger with the country, let those moth thieves come!"
What Liu Hong said was impressive, but how could the ministers who knew him believe him? Something must have happened in Guanzhong!
They guessed right, the Qiang people in Liangzhou rebelled again.
This time, the troops are pointing directly at Guanzhong!
(End of chapter)