Chapter 250 Betting on Life
Liu Bei and Zhang Fei became brothers and achieved great success.
But after the passion is over, you still need to make more preparations.
Liu Bei first asked Zhang Fei to reorganize his troops. He himself had to report these matters to his senior brother Gongsun Zan. After all, he still belonged to Gongsun Zan's battle order.
Of course, multiple points of support are the most important.
Gongsun Zan was not in the tent. Generals like him on horseback could not stay in the tent. At this moment, Gongsun Zan was training with his white-horse followers in a set-up racecourse.
When Liu Bei arrived, he saw Gongsun Zan, who was dressed in martial arts, stabbing and stabbing the thatched man with a long pole without a metal head, then let go. After a smooth blow, the man continued to circle around the racecourse. After that, other white horse followers attacked one after another, training for assassination.
As soon as Liu Bei came, Gongsun Zan saw it. He pulled out a piece of horse wormwood from the ground and threw it to Liu Bei:
"Junior brother, come on and practice."
Liu Bei smiled and shook his head:
"Brother, I came to you to discuss something important. You should rest."
Gongsun Zan was surprised that he didn't expect his junior brother to discuss anything important with him, but he dismounted without thinking much.
Gongsun Zan asked the followers to continue training, and he took Liu Bei to a resting place aside.
A pergola has been set up here, and some seasonal fruits have been laid out early. The floor is covered with wool blankets woven by the Wuhuan people. Several plump concubines are sitting on the wool blankets, holding earthenware jars in their hands.
Gongsun Zan's body was wet with sweat. He borrowed a sweat towel from the guard and wiped his body carelessly. Then he lay on his side on the wool blanket, with his head resting on his plump concubine's thigh. He took a jar of honey water and drank it. .
Liu Bei also took a glass of honey water from his concubines. He didn't look sideways at the concubines and only concentrated on sipping the honey water.
Gongsun Zan slid his hand up to the plump and round body, squinted his eyes and asked:
"Xuande, why is it so important? I organized a small banquet tonight to celebrate your achievement of becoming the leader of thieves. These concubines will also attend."
Liu Bei smiled bitterly:
"Senior brother, I am deeply grateful for your kindness to me. It's a pity that I can't attend this banquet."
After hearing this, Gongsun Zan frowned:
"What, is there something I don't know?"
"Well, just now I went to the deputy commander to report my merits, and the deputy commander gave me another military assignment, asking me to go to a place to rescue a person."
Gongsun Zan felt something was wrong and asked Liu Bei to explain the matter in detail.
After that, Liu Bei told Gongsun Zan everything about what happened in the big tent from beginning to end. He also wanted to see what his senior brother thought about the matter.
After hearing this, Gongsun Zan thought about it for a while and told Liu Bei a secret about himself:
"Xuande, do you know how I became an official?"
Liu Bei really didn't know this. At that time, they and their teacher Lu Zhi made a lodge in Fengshi Mountain. But within a few years of studying, the Southern Barbarians rebelled, and the teacher was recruited by the imperial court to become the governor of Lujiang. After that, their brothers and sisters went their separate ways.
A few years later, Liu Bei heard in his hometown that Gongsun Zan had become an official, promoted filial piety and integrity, and became the chief minister of Liaodong.
Liu Bei is from Youzhou, so he naturally knows the status of the long history of the vassal state of Liaodong.
The reason why the Liaodong vassal state was called a vassal state was because it placed the tribes outside the Great Wall as vassals, allowed their old customs, and accepted them as vassal states. In other words, the territory of the Liaodong vassal state was almost entirely occupied by the Xianbei and Wuhuan tribesmen.
The initial purpose of its establishment was for the Han court to counterattack the increasingly prosperous Xianbei. In the entire northern part of the Han Dynasty, the Liaodong vassal state captain, the Wuhuan captain, the Du Liao general, and the Xiongnu Zhonglang general formed a collective decision-making group on border affairs, and jointly divided, disintegrated, and directly participated in Xianbei. military strike.
At that time, General Du Liao set up Wuyuan County, Colonel Hu Wuhuan set up Shanggu County, and Liaodong Shu Kingdom set up Liaodong. These three troops were lined up on the northern line and jointly defended the northern part of Hanting. If the Xianbei, Wuhuan, Xiongnu and other tribes rebel, these three tribes will cooperate with each other to send troops to quell the rebellion.
The long history of the Shu Kingdom in Liaodong is a military position of six hundred stones. And because he was on the front line of the campaign against Xianbei, this position was the easiest to perform meritoriously, and it was the best position for their border warriors.
At first, Liu Bei knew that his senior brother was qualified for this position and thought that he had reconciled with his family. Several generations of his Gongsun family had served in the Liaodong vassal state, where the branches were lush and the trees were bigger and deeper. It was just a family tradition for Gongsun Zan to do this. .
But now that I heard Gongsun Zan ask this, I wonder if there is something hidden in it. So Liu Bei sat upright and listened to his senior brother's teachings.
Gongsun Zan pinched a jujube and recalled:
"I have two noble people in my life. One is my father-in-law, and the other is Liu Gong and Liu Gong. I was sponsored by my father-in-law to enter Master Lu's sect. Later, I was appreciated by Liu Gong, the prefect at that time, and became a senior official. I go to Beijing every year to see things. He learned a lot about the scenery of Kyoto, and his talent and talent grew a little. But later, he was recalled to the capital due to military affairs, and then he offended a big shot in the capital, so he was demoted to Ninan."
After saying that, Gongsun Zan stared at Liu Bei and asked:
"Do you know where Hinami is?"
Being stared at by Gongsun Zan, Liu Bei shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.
Gongsun Zan murmured:
"Yes, I didn't know where this place was before. Later, when Liu Gong was demoted to his residence in Rinan, I asked someone to ask. It turned out that Rinan County was in the southernmost part of the Han Dynasty. They all look north.”
"You know, Xuande. At that time, there were countless people in the county and temple who were guarding Liu Gong's favor, and I was just one of them. Before, everyone vowed to follow Liu Gong. Wherever Liu Gong goes, we will treat him as our father. I hung up my seal and followed him all the way, but when Mr. Liu was about to be demoted to Rinan, he broke his promise and I was at a loss."
"But suddenly..."
Gongsun Zan stretched out a finger and tapped his heart:
"Suddenly I thought of something. When everyone is running away, what if I am the only one who steps forward? If I follow Liu Gong to Ninan, what will I gain? I may die. No, it is not possible, But almost. You think, I grew up in the far south, not to mention the miasma, even the water and soil will kill me, but what else can I gain? ”
"So the choice before me at that time was that either I, like my colleagues, didn't hear or see Liu Gong going to Ninan. But I would have wasted my time in that position like a mediocre person. Otherwise I Follow Liu Gong to Ninan, and you will either become famous or die.”
"Xuande, if it were you, what would you choose?"
Liu Bei had been listening very carefully. He understood that this was his senior brother imparting his experience, and even telling him the most critical mentality for becoming a leader in this era.
Liu Bei did not hesitate:
"I will follow Mr. Liu. A man can't eat five pots of food during his life, and he will have five pots of food when he dies. How can he die on his bed?"
Gongsun Zan slapped his thigh and praised:
"Okay, Xuande, I read you right. I have known for a long time that we are on the same path. Yes, I chose to follow Mr. Liu to Rinan. On the day of departure, Mr. Liu and I went up to Beiman Mountain in Kyoto. I want to offer sacrifices to my predecessors, and I still remember the words of sacrifice given by Duke Liu at that time.”
"I used to be a son of a man, and now I am a minister of a man. I should go to Rinan. Rinan has many obstacles, and I am afraid that I may not return it, so I will say goodbye to my ancestors here."
Gongsun Zan couldn't forget the memorial speech he gave at that time.
He said seriously to Liu Bei:
"Xuande, this is the first time I have felt the loyalty of being a minister. As ministers, you and I have a duty to be loyal to the country, but we must also be able to endure grievances. The so-called thunder, rain and dew are all the kindness of the king. These are yours. You will all understand it in the future. For example, when I followed Liu Gong south to Ninan, the pardon document from the imperial court arrived, and Liu Gong was pardoned, and I was promoted to be a filial and honest person for my righteous deed, and I prospered all the way. " "Xuande, what you do today is the same as what I did back then. This road is very dangerous, but if you succeed, you will have a worry-free future. If you fail, you will be loyal to the country. Whatever you choose, it's all up to you. As brothers, we will all I support you. As for that clan member, you don’t need to think too much about it. Just now I learned that Xingyang Order was scolding that clan member, saying that he killed all the prisoners and now there is no one like him to repair the city wall. Being human-like will definitely damage your moral character and lead to no good results.”
Liu Bei silently digested Gongsun Zan's words. For a long time, he suddenly asked a question:
"Brother, when you chose to follow Liu Gong south, did you expect that he would be pardoned?"
This sentence was beyond Gongsun Zan's expectation. He looked at Liu Bei in surprise as if he was meeting Liu Bei for the first time. In the end, he confessed:
"Xuande, you are indeed a good person. Yes, I chose to go south that day to bet that Mr. Liu would be pardoned. I can't tell you more about it, but what I can tell you is that based on my relationship at the time, I couldn't be sure that Mr. Liu would be pardoned. I will be pardoned. But as long as there is a chance, I will gamble. After all, if I don’t gamble my life, how can I make a fortune?”
Liu Bei understood. He solemnly bowed to Gongsun Zan and said:
"Brother, I want to borrow someone from you."
——
"Hot girl, what's the name of this place?"
At the same time, Ding Sheng, the most accomplished general in Mount Tai, was walking outside an abandoned pond. He complained to a scribe next to him:
"Stupid, why is this place called Jinbaopi? A place where birds don't poop has such a rich reputation."
The person Ding Sheng called stupid was Chen Qin, a member of the Yingchuan Chen clan who joined the Taishan Army in the First Battle of Yingyang. Chen Qin was not annoyed when Ding Sheng called him that, but replied calmly:
"Have you ever heard of the captain, Yanmen County?"
Ding Sheng nodded and joked that the Ding family was a figure who had produced Ding Chunqiu. Would Yanmen County not know?
Then Chen Qin said:
"Then Yanmen County can be seen building geese as its gate? Jincheng County can be seen as accumulating money as a county? Yunzhong County can be seen living deep in the clouds? Rinan County can look north towards the sun?"
Ding Sheng understood that the man named Chen was mocking him. Hot girl, these scholars are really bad, and they use oblique insults, but...
"Isn't the sun in Nichinan County in the north?"
Ding Sheng's curiosity finally outweighed his revenge and asked Chen Qin this question.
Chen Qin did not expect that Ding Sheng would ask this question, and said lightly:
"The big sun in Nichinan County is the same as ours, looking south."
Ding Shengbuyi:
"How do you know? Have you been to Ninan?"
"No, I read it in a book."
"Is what the book says correct?"
"Then have you ever seen a bright sun in the north?"
"Then why is it called Ninan."
……
In this way, Ding Sheng relied on his superb skills to make Chen Qin lose his temper. Chen Qin said that Ding Sheng was right, the sun in Rinan is in the north.
Ding Sheng got back the game and happily stopped talking about the topic. He asked a soldier:
"How many Han soldiers are trapped behind the Pi?"
The guard replied:
"Returning to the school captain, I can't count them specifically. The organization of the Han soldiers has been disrupted and there are no banners. But judging from the scale, there are also eight hundred soldiers."
Ding Sheng nodded. It was hard for him not to feel high-spirited now because he had been promoted again. Before, he was the top general of the Zuo Xiaowei Department, but now that the army has expanded, he has been promoted to a new school captain and is now a senior official in charge of two thousand troops.
It's just that the person he matched with was almost unsatisfactory. For example, Chen Qin was very dissatisfied. He was still a subordinate before, but he just followed Qu Shuai around and became a chief clerk in his army. Hot girl. , These civil servants really have a good future, unlike how many bloody battles Ding Daqi fought to achieve this.
Another dissatisfaction was with the military affairs given to him by Qu Shuai. After all, he is also a captain. If we still need him to suppress the defeated troops of less than a thousand in Pitang, why don't we just give it to that boy Wang Zhang?
That boy Wang Zhang didn't get his turn to expand the army this time, so he can only feel very uncomfortable...
Ding Sheng was so high-spirited that the annoying Chen Qin interrupted him again, saying:
"Captain Lieutenant, two of the three groups of Han soldiers who broke out have been strangled, but there are still a group of people who have broken out."
Ding Sheng shook his head, it didn't matter:
"It's okay, I just let them go. Only in this way can we mobilize the Han soldiers from Xingyang to come to our aid."
Chen Qin said doubtfully:
"Isn't Xingyang being besieged by He Yi and his troops? Why are there still troops coming to help?"
Ding Sheng blinked and looked like he suddenly realized:
"Oh, you are so busy. I haven't shown you the military report just sent. A Dan has already found out the latest situation in Xingyang, so He Yi has been defeated. The Han army has thousands of people. The cavalry rushed to the foot of Xingyang City, and He Yi was already finished."
Chen Qin was really angry now. He was so angry that he pointed at Ding Sheng:
"Colonel Lieutenant, how could you withhold the military report and not show it to me? You know..."
Ding Sheng laughed and said:
"Master's book, I didn't deduct it, I just forgot it."
With that said, Ding Sheng took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Chen Qin, with feathers hanging on it.
Chen Qin took it, looked at it, and thought to herself for a long time:
"This Ding Daqi is indeed a veteran general. After receiving the military report, he immediately took advantage of the situation. Amazing."
Chen Qin didn't say anything. Ding Sheng thought he was angry, so he said seriously:
"Master Secretary, we still have a long time ahead, so we need to unite sincerely. Even though there are not many people in Pitang, there are quite a few Han soldiers with names and surnames. Xingyang will probably arrange troops to rescue. But when the time comes, we will Call for reinforcements, isn’t this military success just a matter of time?”
Chen Qin asked back:
"Since we entered Henan County, how many times have we encircled and mobilized reinforcements? Will the Han soldiers still fall into the trap?"
Ding Sheng was choked by these words and was stunned. Finally he said unconvinced:
"If you don't come, we won't come. When the time comes, we will eat the Han soldiers in the pond."
After saying that, Ding Sheng stepped forward to the front line. He really didn't want to spend more time with this Chen Qin.
(End of chapter)