Chapter 246 Righteousness
Guanghe six years, August 23rd.
Yuanling, Henan County.
On the day when He Yi led his troops to attack Suoting, General Taipingdao Chongtian and Taishan Fangqu Commander Zhang Chong led 30,000 troops to settle in Yuanling.
In the first two days, the Taishan Army defeated the Yuanling Army and once again won a great victory.
Previously, when they were besieged in Mi County, Wei Houfeng of Mi County not only invited reinforcements to Jing County in the north, but also Yuanling in the east.
But unlike Jing County's carelessness, Yuanling didn't pay much attention to Mi County. Just because after Xinzheng City in the south was broken, Yuanling had already made preparations to strengthen the walls and clear the country.
The reason is very simple. The Taiping Army marched all the way north, marching for several miles, and there were huge crowds of people. It is impossible for such a large-scale march to go through the southern foothills of Songshan Mountain in Mi County and Jingxian County to the west. It can only go through the Great Plains of Eastern Henan along the Yuanling and Guancheng lines. Therefore, Yuan Ling ordered to make preparations to hold on here early.
Seeing that he could not get out of Yuanling's troops, Zhang Chong decided to attack Yuanling forcefully.
From what Master Zhao said, Zhang Chong already had a clear understanding of Yuanling's geographical situation. Henan County is worthy of being the core area developed by China since the beginning of civilization. Elsewhere, it is a county and a city, but here it is a small town.
Take Yuanling as an example. Because it is located in the plains of eastern Henan and has a prosperous population, in addition to the Yuanling city, there are two Zhicheng and Linxiang cities to the east; Hanling is thirteen miles to the north, and Jiaocheng is in the northeast.
There are also many dangers in Tingyi. Among them, there is Suohou Pavilion in the west of the city, Yongxinyi Pavilion and Yiyi, and Huayang Pavilion thirty miles southeast of the city. On the dangerous terrain, there is Baiyanpi in the south, Hanwang Base in the southwest, and Dakai Mountain at the junction with Mi County. They are all dangerous places where troops can be stationed.
This time, after the Han soldiers in Yuanling strengthened the walls and cleared the country, they stationed four battalions at Hanwang base and Baiyanpi. Among them, Hanwang Base is said to be the place where Korean troops were stationed during the Warring States Period. It is a semi-permanent fortification that can still be used as a station to this day.
Yuan Ling ordered Han Wang to station two battalions here, with a total of thousands of soldiers, to block this communication line.
After exploring the battlefield situation, Zhang Chong made the following arrangements.
Li Jing, a new recruit, was dispatched and led 400 people from Xiangcheng Camp to lure the king of Han into a fight in front of the base formation. The Yuanling soldiers stationed at Hanwang Base ignored the harassment of the small group led by Li Jing.
However, military orders came from Yuanling behind. They believed that this guerrilla was a lost soldier of the enemy's small unit. It was best to capture this small unit and accumulate a small victory into a big victory, so they ordered the Han soldiers in the Han king's base to go out.
After receiving the order, the Han soldiers left the dangerous position of Hanwang Base and attacked Li Jing's troops. Li Jing's troops fought and retreated, luring the enemy to the ambush circle arranged by Zhang Chong in the rear.
At that time, Taishan's three armies, Gao Ya, Wu Zi and Ma Bao, were ambushing. More than a thousand Han soldiers in the ambush circle were ambushed in a hurry, lost their position, and fell directly into a disadvantage. At this moment, an army carrying the Han army's flag and wearing crimson military robes broke through the Taishan army's siege from the rear, rescued the Han army from Han Wang's base, and then went straight to Yuanling.
On Yuanling City, looking at the defeated troops clamoring to enter the city, Yuanling Wei and others had a headache. The troops under the city must be their own troops. If they are not allowed into the city, they are afraid of mutiny. But the county monarch has already issued an order. After the four doors are closed, no one is allowed to open the door without other written orders.
Finally, Lieutenant Yuan Ling opened the door. If the soldiers and horses outside the city were really lost, he could not bear the responsibility. But just as he lowered the suspension bridge, a fight suddenly broke out below the city.
Lieutenant Yuan Ling yelled that it was not good and hurriedly asked someone to pull up the suspension bridge again, but there were already big axemen below who had cut down the suspension bridge and rushed towards the open city gate.
It turns out that it was Taishan Army Guo Songbu who rescued the Han soldiers before. After they rescued the Han soldiers from King Han's base, they took them back to Yuanling. Now that the city was free, Guo Song drew out his iron spear and stabbed the Han soldiers on the side to death, and then led his guards into the city. The Han soldiers could not resist and retreated one after another. In this way, Yuanling fell. Many civil and military officials in the city committed suicide.
The Taishan Army moved to the next city. From the last city of Xingyang, only Guancheng was left in the north.
To be honest, Zhang Chong's battle command ability has reached its peak. Just like this battle at Hanwang Base, Zhang Chong integrated a variety of tactics, and Zhang Chong has understood the art of using virtual and actual troops.
But just when Zhang Chong was preparing to continue to raise his troops towards Guancheng, he received a message from Uncle He of the He Yi Department.
——
"Let me just say that He Yi has a traitorous trait behind his head. See if he has been tricked by Nai Gong now."
Who else could say this? It was Ding Sheng, the general who considered himself the most meritorious in the Taishan Army.
At the county temple in Yuanling, Ding Sheng scolded He Yi like this in front of the rest of the Runan Yellow Turban commanders. But at this time, none of the Runan marshals dared to say anything.
It's not that they feel unreasonable or that they are afraid of Ding Sheng. But one by one of these people, they all want to take this opportunity to jump ship and join the command of General Chongtian.
There is a saying, people who have never fought with Zhang Chong will not understand how great it is to be invincible. Before, they followed Lao Qushuai into battle, and they fought every battle without risking their lives.
But things are good now. They use better weapons than Han soldiers, have good food, and have a good atmosphere. They don't put much effort into every battle, and the opponent has been defeated. What a happy fight this is.
Of course, there are also disadvantages, that is, what the Taishan Army said, everything captured will go to the public, making these young commanders live the same life as the pawns below.
But the ingredients of this Runan Yellow Turban are good. Even these people, who used to be the head of Guizhou, actually didn't live a good life at the beginning. They only started the army in April, and the corruption was not long before they were affected by the Taishan Army. Therefore, when they can live a life of three meals a day, these handsome guys are satisfied.
After Ding Sheng said some strange words, he saw that these Runan yellow scarves had no thorns coming out, so he stopped talking. He turned to look at Zhang Chong, who was sitting deep in thought, and suggested:
"Commander Qu, we have to send troops immediately. If it's too late, that boy He Yi will really take the lead. We fight so hard, how can we let that traitor get an advantage."
After Ding Sheng finished speaking, Xie Bi on the side also said to Zhang Chong:
"Commander Qu, Daqi usually doesn't listen to what he says, but this time he was right. This Xingyang is among the best in the world. Once we capture this place, it will attract the attention of the world, and all knowledgeable people in the world will use this to fight the war. Han Dynasty The fortune of the court will not be long, let alone taking advantage of the situation. He will retain his strength and watch both sides. Therefore, this battle in Xingyang is like the battle of Julu in the late Qin Dynasty and the battle of Kunyang in the late Qin Dynasty. Whoever wins this battle will have great reputation, so this battle in Xingyang must not be possible. Why Yiyi’s income?”
Xie Bi was a wise general in the army, and he was sure of it. Although Ding Sheng was damaged, he was happy in his heart.
Who says we have great talent but no resourcefulness? This Xie Bi is my mouthpiece, and what he means is what I mean.
Zhang Chong nodded after listening to Xie Bi's words, and then turned his attention to the military staff. He Kui, Tao An, Yan Zhuang, Zhao Da, Chen Qin and others were all in the queue. Even Guo Tu, who had been captured before, stayed at the back of the team with a calm look, as if he had abandoned the dark and turned to the light.
As the chief, He Kui did not directly say that in his position, he could combine the speeches of the previous counselors to check for omissions and fill in the gaps, and provide Zhang Chong with a more systematic decision-making.
As a newcomer, Guo Tu wanted to express himself, so he met Zhang Chong's gaze and took the lead in making suggestions:
"Commander Qu, I see that He Yi is a man who has great ambitions but little wisdom, a fierce appearance but timid, and a restrained but weak power. There is only one outcome for him to send troops to Xingyang, and that is to serve as a pioneer for the king."
"Oh, what do you mean?"
Seeing Zhang Chong asking, Guo Tu was overjoyed. He hurriedly explained: "Xingyang is the most important town in the world, so what can He Yi do with only two thousand soldiers in armor? When the time comes, we will attack the city and blunt the swords of the Han soldiers. When the time comes, we will have one hundred thousand soldiers. Isn't this Xingyang still in our hands?"
After Guo Tu finished speaking, Yan Zhuang came out to refute. He found Guo Tu from the mouth of a prisoner, so Yan Zhuang had a psychological advantage over Guo Tu, so he refuted it unceremoniously:
"What nonsense. Guo Tu, don't you know that after we defeated Yuanling here, Xingyang sent thousands of troops to reinforce Guancheng? The situation is now that if we take the Guancheng road, there will be a long way to go with more soldiers. . On the contrary, He Yi just avoided the situation and hit Xingyang when he was at his weakest."
As soon as he heard what Yan Zhuang said, Guo Tu was confused. He really didn't know this information, otherwise how could he analyze it like this?
So, in the final analysis, they, the resourceful people, are particularly interested in information. For peripheral consultants like Guo Tu, the core information cannot fall into his hands at all, so how can he offer valuable suggestions.
In this way, Guo Tu's first strategy in the Taishan Army was refuted by Yan Zhuang. He did not dare to argue with Yan Zhuang, but just bowed to Zhang Chong and returned to the queue.
But Guo Tu, who returned to the queue, looked at the high-spirited Yan Zhuang with mysterious eyes.
After Yan Zhuang refuted Guo Tu, he suggested to Zhang Chong:
"Commander Qu, the current situation is quite similar to when Xiang Yu and Liu Bang fought to enter Guanzhong. At that time, Liu Bang took advantage of Xiang Yu and Zhang Han's main force to fight in Hebei and entered the Pass from Wuguan first. Although in the end Xiang Yu brought his army into Guanzhong and captured the He gained the authority to govern the world, but it was this time that Liu Bang's prestige increased greatly, whether it was the three chapters of the agreement after entering the Pass or the subsequent household registration in the Qin Palace, these made Liu Bang, who was originally a low-ranking prince, a powerful force. He became a powerful force that could compete with Xiang Yu, so He Yi's attack on Xingyang must be countered."
"Specifically, three divisions can be taken. First, order the two Lu brothers who are in Weimi County to go directly north to recover the He Yi tribe. If they return to the south, they will just go back. If they insist on going their own way, their food routes will be cut off directly.
Then he selected the elite assault cavalry from the army, doubled the route, avoided Guanxian County, and went straight to Xingyang. Our army is less than a hundred miles away from Xingyang. With the speed of the cavalry, we can reach there in one day. When the cavalry arrived in Xingyang, they would fight if there were any fighters. If there were no fighters, they would hang around nearby. As long as He Yibu broke into the city, they would follow him and charge in.
Finally, our main army continued to move north along the plains with overwhelming force. He defeated the county and conquered the army, and finally captured Xingyang. ”
After saying this, Yan Zhuang saluted Zhang Chong and then returned to the queue. He is confident in his strategy. This must be the best strategy now.
The fact was just as Yan Zhuang expected. After listening to Yan Zhuang's complete strategy, several other staff members felt that they couldn't think of a better one, so they all remained silent.
But as the chief, He Kui had a different view. Seeing that everyone acquiesced in Yan Zhuang's strategy, he finally stepped forward and expressed his opinion. He only asked one question to Zhang Chong:
"Qu Shuai, remember what we discussed before, what is the kingly way and what is domineering?"
Zhang Chong nodded. He always remembered He Kui's advice to him to behave like a king and not to do tyrannical tricks.
Then He Kui said to everyone present:
"The Han Dynasty has no virtue. We led the rebel army to uphold justice for heaven and punish the people. Now, although He Yi is for personal gain, he goes alone to attack Xingyang. But I want to ask, is this He Yi still a friendly army?"
Zhang Chong understood what He Kui meant and echoed:
"Yes."
"Whether we are fighting against the Han?"
"Yes."
"Is it worthy of Huang Tianyi?"
"Yes."
"Then I dare to ask you, why do you want to betray the friendly forces who are still standing under my banner, Huang Tianda?"
Yan Zhuang had long been dissatisfied with He Kui's hypocrisy. He pointed at He Kui and said:
"He Jun, you are really following the ancient times. This is a time of great strife, and the way you behave like a gentleman is now asking questions in the blind. When Mencius traveled around the world, all the princes in the world did not use Mencius's way. Could it be that those princes Is it because Mencius’ way is not suitable for the times and is not adopted by people in the world?”
He Kui looked at Yan Zhuang and smiled contemptuously. He did not answer Yan Zhuang, but turned to the leader Zhang Chong. He knew that Zhang Chong must understand the reason behind this. As for Yan Zhuang, huh, the structure is too small.
To be honest, Zhang Chong really understood what He Kui meant.
The royal way that He Kui followed was not immutable, but a truly utilitarian way. Some people tend to think that those who achieve great things do not stick to trivial matters. Even the lower the morals, the better chance of success.
But who knows, morality and the voice of the people are a politician's greatest weapons. No matter how miserable a person is, he still hopes to be friends with people with high moral standards, so that he can feel safe and not worry about being stabbed in the back by friendly forces that day. It is precisely because of this principle that those who follow the king's way can win the hearts of the people and make many friends and few enemies.
At this moment, for Taishan Army, justice and benevolence are the biggest levers of its career. To be honest, compared with many other forces, where is the core competitiveness of the Taishan Army?
Take the Han Dynasty, which is currently the largest force, as an example. It has the blessing of two hundred years of solidification. Countless powerful people in the world may have some thoughts now, but they are generally on the side of the Han Dynasty. Even the leaders of Guizhou in the world, because more than ten generations have lived in the world of the Han Dynasty, the existence of the Han Dynasty has become as natural as the sun and the moon.
And what does the Taishan Army have compared to it? Zhang Chong himself or the more than ten thousand elites he has trained over the years since he came to this world? In fact, it is neither. Compared with the Han Dynasty, the most important competitiveness of the Taishan Army is to propose a set of prescriptions that can solve the world's shortcomings. What's more, the Taishan Army's great righteousness is to plead for the lives of all people.
With such great benevolence and righteousness, even though the Taishan Army is still insignificant compared to the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty is in decline, while the Taishan Army is like the rising sun. People with insight see this trend, how can they not defect to the Taishan Army.
What He Kui means now is, don't ruin the reputation of our Taishan Army just because of He Yi. The gain outweighs the loss.
In fact, there is no need for He Kui to say this, Zhang Chong also thinks so.
He asked Meng Ju, the flag-carrying general of the Fei Army sitting below:
"Where has Adan's headquarters moved to?"
As soon as Zhang Chong said this, all the generals suddenly realized:
Yes, why did you forget Zhang Dan, the right commander who was originally stationed in Fengqiu? Before they set off from Yingyang, Commander Qu had already ordered his troops to march westward, and it was about time that they arrived.
Meng Ju stood up and replied;
"It was reported a few days ago that the Youxiao Wei Division has moved west along the Jishui River and is only twenty miles away from Xingyang."
"Okay!"
Everyone can join the QQ group, so that you can directly communicate your opinions about the book. Some subsequent plots that I haven’t thought about clearly can also be discussed with everyone in the group.
(End of chapter)