Chapter 277 Going North
Just as the Han Dynasty court and various commanders were speculating on the next move of the Taishan Army, Zhang Chong of the Taishan Army was also thinking carefully about this issue.
After Taishan's army captured Aocang, they attracted poverty from all over the river and instantly numbered an army of 100,000. Of course, no one really counted the number of people. Zhang Chong would never rely on these people who hastily assembled an army. Zhang Chong's purpose in releasing food was to let everyone who came to receive the food know what his Taishan Army stood for.
Therefore, during this period, the propaganda teams worked day and night, singing along the long line of food:
"The poor are slaves, the poor are maids, the poor live in caves, and the poor wear rags. The Taishan army is coming, the Taishan army is coming, opening Aocang and distributing corn."
……
"Hand the plow to plow the weeds, plow away the weeds so that seedlings can grow! Fifty million poor people want to get ahead, and they have to run under the plow!"
……
"The pine wood burns thousands of miles away, and the bones of the poor are as strong as steel. When you die, you will be buried in the yellow earth, but when you live, you will follow Mount Tai's army."
……
"Celebrating the New Year, celebrating the New Year, this year is no different than usual. As soon as the Taishan soldiers arrived, the local tyrants cried again and again. They overthrew the naughty Han family and captured Emperor Liu alive."
……
"The yellow tide is surging, the dawn is flying, and fifty million people are awakened from their dreams. Thousands of miles away from home, men plow the fields and women weave, praising the sacred labor. Turn over! Turn over! Plow through this decadent thorn bush. Be brave! Be brave!"
……
This song was sung repeatedly by the dragon for miles. A large number of people from Xingyang and Hanoi in the army were urgently recruited. Each of them learned a song, and then three or five people sat in a car, and then sang along with the crowd repeatedly. If one person became dumb, the other one would sing.
In short, from the opening of Aocang on September 20, the Taishan Army sang for as long as the food was distributed. The leaders of Guizhou were overjoyed after hearing the news, and the entire area around Aocang was filled with a sea of joy, which was ten thousand times more lively than a social opera.
Simple people, simple songs, simple acts of kindness, everyone agrees that the Taishan Army is the team of the poor.
Countless children were playing in the long queue, imitating the songs of those majestic people just now, singing:
"The poor are slaves, the poor are maids, the poor live in caves, and the poor wear rags. The Taishan army is coming, the Taishan army is coming, opening Aocang and distributing corn."
Zhang Chong, who was watching from the top of a mountain in Aoshan, saw this lively scene and the smile on his lips never disappeared. He turned to Tao An beside him and smiled:
"Mr. Tao, do our Taishan troops win the hearts of the people?"
Tao An respectfully replied:
"The commander-in-chief of Qu obeys Tian's orders and helps the people with water and fire, so he naturally wins the hearts of the people."
Zhang Chong looked at the Guizhou leaders below and said seriously:
"Tao Jun, if I say that I, Zhang Chong, came to this life not for the so-called glory and wealth, not to win the so-called eternal kingdom, but just to see that the common people in this world can have food to eat, clothing to wear, and to live a good life. Must be like a human being. Can Mr. Tao be trusted?”
Tao An did not hesitate, gathered his clothes and bowed, solemnly said:
"My servant believes every word Commander Qu says. I am willing to go through fire and water for Commander Qu's ideals. Even if I go to the underworld, I am willing to follow Commander Qu, plant a hundred thousand banners, and fight to create a peaceful world."< br>
Zhang Chong put his hands together and said:
"Okay, then we will be kings and ministers for the rest of our lives, and we will not kill this peaceful world."
Tao An took a step back and bowed deeply to Zhang Chong, and then the two men laughed.
After the two of them finished laughing, Zhang Chong asked Tao An for his opinion on the current situation.
Among the many staff members, Tao An was considered by Zhang Chong to be the best at judging the overall situation, so after understanding the views of the civil and military officers in the army, Zhang Chong thought about how to break the situation with Tao An.
Tao An really lived up to Zhang Chong's high regard. He actually had some opinions on the current situation and had a way to break it.
Tao's view all day was the same as that of He Kui, Guan Yu, Zhang Dan and others, that is, whether the entire army should go westward or stay in the Xingyang area.
At present, few people in the army support continuing to fight, especially when they have to cross the river and go north to fight a powerful main force of the Han army. Now that we are advancing westward, many people think that we have already reached the gate of Luoyang. If we rush forward, we might be able to conquer Luoyang. What kind of achievement is that?
But Zhang Chong knew that neither the Xingyang area nor the Heji area slightly to the east could be defended. As for the so-called westward march to Luoyang, with Hulao blocking the road ahead, it is another question whether it can be captured. Even if it is captured, Zhang Chong cannot occupy Kyoto at this time.
Luoyang is a small and densely populated area. Without the transportation of food from various places to Beijing, it is difficult to feed millions of people. In addition, these people in the Gyeonggi area are the most supportive of the Han Dynasty, and their interests are consistent with the Han Dynasty. Although the Han Dynasty was declining at this time, Zhang Chong could not replace him.
The best time to enter Luo is as a savior, not a conqueror. In Zhang Chong's time, after Dong Zhuo of Liangzhou rebelled against Luo and lost the last bit of authority of the Han Dynasty, that was the opportunity for Zhang Chong to seize Luo.
Therefore, it is not advisable to move westward or stay behind. Zhang Chong knew in his heart that the only way to go north was to go north, but he had never figured out how to go north. What was his goal? Just save the Hebei Yellow Turban Army? This reason was obviously unacceptable to the soldiers.
When Zhang Chong told Tao An all these concerns, Tao An said this:
"Qushuai, I once heard you say in Suijun Academy: Save people and lose land, and people and land will survive. Save land and lose people, and people and land will disappear. The same truth also applies to today's situation. Qushuai, do you think if we Retreat, where can we retreat, and where can we hold on?”
Zhang Chong shook his head. This was what he understood. No matter where Zhang Chong's Taishan Army retreated at this time, the next step would be a full-scale counterattack by the Han Dynasty, and they would not be able to defend their territory at all. In the end, they could only become bandits like Huang Chao and others in history, and were eventually destroyed in the chase.
So, Tao An continued:
"Commander Qu, then why can the Han Dynasty give orders to all parties?" As soon as these words came out, Zhang Chong suddenly became enlightened. Yes, the reason why he felt that he could not sit in his base was because he faced the world from a corner, and the gap in manpower and material resources was too despairing. But what if the Han Dynasty also fell apart? To put it another way, when the world is no longer monolithic, no one listens to the orders of the Han Dynasty, and the world begins to compete with heroes, wouldn't the pressure on the Taishan Army be greatly reduced?
Once the idea is opened, the next question is, how to make the Han Dynasty order no one listen?
According to Zhang Chong, there are three reasons why the Han Dynasty can command the world. One is the myth of destiny in Liu, as mentioned in the prophecy. This kind of destiny has penetrated into the hearts of people all over the world in four hundred years, especially when Guangwu was able to recreate the Han Dynasty. The second is the interest relationship between the local big families and the Han Dynasty. The families of these officials are favored by the Han Dynasty, and they all support the authority of the Han Dynasty whether in terms of interests or emotions. The three are the two armies of the North and the South built by selecting good men from all over the world.
It turns out that these three factors are mutually exclusive, and their reputation and strength are guaranteed at all three levels. But the Han Dynasty made a fool of themselves and launched the party's imprisonment. The two party campaigns hurt the sentiments and interests of a large number of pro-Han families. Their families died in vain and their children fled the country. This damage also destroyed the view of destiny established by the Han Dynasty.
Because it is these noble families who believe in the destiny, build the destiny, and maintain the destiny. Nowadays, a large number of people have begun to use theory to construct anti-Han public opinion. It can be said that the theoretical construction of Taipingdao also benefited from the construction of these party-controlled elements.
Therefore, to put it bluntly at this time, the big man can really rely on his core weapons, which can suppress dissatisfaction and stabilize the shaky destiny.
The problem becomes clearer. At this time, the Han Dynasty unified the world with only military equipment, so couldn't Zhang Chong attack the core military equipment of the Han Dynasty?
In fact, Zhang Chong has been doing this before. It's just that it's never been this clear before.
He once again remembered that sentence, who is my enemy and who is my friend.
In the long run, the powerful tribes must be the enemies of the Taishan Army. But what about the current stage?
From history, Zhang Chong knew that there were these forces that wanted to overthrow the Han Dynasty. One is the border martial arts group, including Dong Zhuo from Liangzhou and Gongsun Zan from Youzhou. One is the clan of Gongqing, represented by the brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. The rest are those who took advantage of the chaos. The real driving force for chaos in the world are the two above.
At this time, the interests of Zhang Chong and these people were the same, and they both wanted to overthrow the Han Dynasty. These dragons and snakes are still dormant, so why don't Zhang Chong help them? I will attack the core and main force of the Han army. If these are destroyed, the situation in the entire world will immediately change.
The more Zhang Chong thought about it, the clearer he became. It seemed that he was indeed going to Hebei. This time he would not save the Hebei Yellow Turbans, but instead use the strength of the Hebei Yellow Turbans to engage in a real decisive battle with the main force of the Han army and eliminate the remaining tens of thousands of Han troops. The whole world directly enters the process of competition among heroes.
So, he slapped his thigh and shouted:
"Okay!"
Tao An also said:
"The Great Unification split twice, one during the Qin and Han Dynasties, and the other at the end of the New Mang Dynasty. After carefully examining the stories of these two generations, I found that they all have one thing in common, that is, the main force of the Great Unification must be eliminated before the world can change. For example, in the battle of Julu, the overlord of Chu, the main force of the Qin army was defeated by 200,000 people; and in the battle of Guangwu and Kunyang, the main force of Xinmang was defeated by 100,000 people. This is a battle that determines the world."
"So the Battle of Hebei is our Battle of Kunyang. After this battle, the world will no longer belong to the Han! And our Taishan Army will swim into the sea, and no one in the world can control it."
Zhang Chong was overjoyed and paid homage to Tao An:
"You are truly my daughter-in-law, I am really enlightened."
……
Once the commander-in-chief of the army had made up his mind, he convened a general meeting of the army. Zhang Chong explained in detail what he had thought before and after to all the army officers, so as to unify the people's hearts.
As a result, all the military officers expressed their willingness to follow Commander Qu northward.
People are like this. When you ask them for their opinions, they will use their own rationality to give you advice, but what they say is a realistic analysis. In the end, this kind of analysis is capitulationism. For example, during the war against Japan in later generations, those who know more about the gap between China and Japan will give you rational suggestions and tell you how big the gap is in reality. So the result you are given is either appeasement or the so-called curve to save the country, or else it is hoping for foreign intervention. Reason tells them that we can't do it. But in times of adversity, what is needed is not reason, but faith.
At this time, Zhang Chong represents the belief of the entire army. The officers of the Taishan Army will always believe that under the leadership of Commander Qu, they will win! So, what if we go north? Naigong is still pursuing death and chasing north. This is the military spirit of Taishan Army.
As a result, all departments were well prepared, and the Taishan Army originally stationed in Xinzheng, Mi County, Yuanling, Jingxian, Guancheng, and Yanshi cities gradually shrank to Xingyang. Any city in the city that is willing to go with Taishan's army will do so.
On September 23, the whole army agreed that Zhang Chong ordered the heavy army to give a pig to each battalion of the army as a means of marching north.
Under the explanation of the military officers in the army, all the officers and soldiers in the army knew that the goal of going north was to defeat the main force of the Han army and win the final victory of this battle. Therefore, they were full of fighting spirit and were full of confidence to welcome the final victory.
In addition, the holy treasury in the army provides one month's worth of food to each battalion in addition to its own reserves, so that each battalion in the army has its own independent mobility capabilities.
On September 26, after repelling the harassment from the front of the Han army, the Taishan Army's Chen Huan, Lu Kuang, and Lu Xiang troops gathered together with soldiers and supplies camps in the counties in the eastern part of Henan County, loaded up their vehicles, and headed north to Xingyang.
At this time, the Bian River outside Xingyang was lined with boats and full of Aocang millet. The first part of the boat division has already gone north. They will enter the Yellow River along the Bianshui River, then turn into Qingshui at Liyang, and then enter the Zhangshui River to Yecheng. Yecheng was the place chosen by Zhang Chong to garrison in Hebei.
At Hulao Pass not far away, General He Jin and others all acquiesced to the Taishan Army's actions. The knowledgeable people in the shogunate sighed, but there was nothing they could do.
At the same time, the Taishan Army gradually shrank and showed an obvious trend of heading north. Zhang Wen, Zhu Jun and other Han soldiers also began to slowly move northward.
At this time, they did not dare to risk interception, because they were worried that the Taishan Army was attacking in the east and west, and they did not dare to divide their troops. Cao Cao, Sun Jian and other generals asked for battle several times, but Zhang Wen also stopped them. For him, if the Taishan Army really goes north to Hebei, it will be a good thing for him. It can not only give an account to the country, but also preserve its strength and give the various ministries time to adjust.
As a result, the Han army from the south followed slowly, gradually regained several counties in eastern Henan, and also advanced outside Xingyang.
Guanghe six years, September 28, noon.
All the generals, both civil and military, of the Taishan Army bid farewell to Zhang Chong and led their troops one after another to the north. After most of the Taishan Army moved north, Zhang Chong led the shogunate and the Central Guards and began to board the ship.
This time heading north, Taishan's army marched across the waterway, with Guan Yu, the captain of the Zuo Military Academy, as the vanguard, followed by Zhang Dan's troops, Ding Sheng's troops again, and finally the Central Guards.
September 29th, night. The Taishan Army basically withdrew from the Xingyang area.
The Han army outside Xingyang watched the Taishan Army withdraw. It was not until the Taishan Army had withdrawn that they entered the camp outside Xingyang City. After that, Xingyang was recaptured without moving a single soldier.
Because late at night, the Han army who first entered Xingyang could not hold back and set fire to plunder Xingyang again. At this time, those who remained in the city basically supported the Han army. Those who had surrendered in Kaicheng and the poor who could not survive all went north with the Taishan army.
These Guizhou leaders who had big hearts at heart were once again heartbroken by Han soldiers and lost their lives. In the end, of the tens of thousands of people in the city, except for a few hundred who escaped, the rest were killed in the fire.
And this time the massacre of the city was reported in the Han army’s military report:
This was a move by Taishan's army to retreat and burn the city, which was truly heartbreaking.
The final part of this volume is almost here. The Hebei War is over and will enter a new period of construction. If there is any construction that you want to see, you can leave a message.