Chapter 521 Bronze Bird
The moon and stars are sparse, the black magpie flies south, and the bronze bird tower in Yecheng.
Just after leaving Liu Qian's palace, Zhang Chong came here.
It has been two years since the Tongque Tower was completed. It has also become a place for the Taishan Army to garrison, perform martial arts and perform sacrifices. Its towering height reflects the majesty of Taishan.
But in the cold night, Zhang Chong, wearing a big cloak, felt as if he was walking on thin ice when he climbed up and looked into the distance.
Zhang Chong is now twenty-four years old. He was only seventeen when he came. Now seven years have passed in a flash.
At this time, he was like a person of this era, with a beard on his chin, and his behavior did not look like a person from later generations at all.
Not only that, at this time, he was the Lord of the North, the leader of tens of millions of people, and every move he made had a decisive impact on the world, making people fear him.
So even though he still wore the linen clothes and plain shoes he wore when he was working hard to show that everything was still the same, nothing had changed.
Even when this body of linen clothes and plain shoes is set against the backdrop of all the splendor and splendor around it, it demonstrates a certain degree of supreme power.
Because only those with the highest authority can do whatever they want without any false restraints, while others, no matter how rich they are, still have to be disciplined by the rules of superiority and inferiority.
Therefore, Zhang Chong only saw respect from the people around him, and there was no longer the kind of closeness that brothers had in the past.
He became a god rather than an older brother.
Of course Zhang Chong understands that in any era, those who have done something as great as him will be sanctified. This is not something he can change at all.
Therefore, sometimes Zhang Chong may be in a trance, wondering if his experience in later generations is just a dream.
He was like a drop of Zhu dissolved into this era, and was assimilated in an instant.
He seems to be constantly changing, but it seems that the world will always maintain its existing inertia.
Zhang Chong sometimes asks himself, what has he brought to this world?
Is it making a group of people better, or is it making the world more deadly?
And every time he asked the question at the end, Zhang Chong always gave himself the same answer:
"I brought a path to this world that had never existed before."
Perhaps only this last ideal became Zhang Chong's last insistence, preventing him from falling into indulgence in the praises and praises around him.
Yes, it is really difficult to maintain a sincere heart.
He can do it in hardships, and he can also do it in the world, because he sees despair everywhere, so he can stand firm.
But what now? What if he could no longer see the misery? Can he still believe it?
At this moment, even if he just came to visit the Tongque Terrace on a temporary basis, he was already surrounded by people.
Just looking down from here, the hundreds of continuous steps were filled with feathered iron armor, and the cold light shone on their armor, full of chills.
And Zhang Chong didn't need to look back to know that behind him, there were all kinds of people with tall crowns and blue and purple ribbons. They were all walking in the Tai Chi Hall and making suggestions for Zhang Chong.
So when Zhang Chong is where he is now, no matter where he looks, he can no longer see the reality of this world, because there will always be someone decorating it for him.
And even if Zhang Chongzhen visited the people incognito and saw the so-called true appearance, he would secretly wonder whether all this was designed and have other agendas.
In short, at this time, Zhang Chong was no longer able to believe what he saw.
So if that belief was believed in the past because he saw misery, then now, Zhang Chong can only believe it because he believes it.
It is precisely because of this that Zhang Chong's current thinking is inevitably a bit beyond that of the top brass of the Taishan Army.
For example, this time the eastward expedition to Liaodong was the result of his efforts against the opinions of everyone.
Originally, at the same time as the letter from the north, a military report was sent from Yuzhou in the south, telling that Yuan Shao, who had occupied most of Runan, Yingchuan, Chen, and Pei, had suddenly set off a Yellow Turban uprising in his territory.
Yes, that’s right, the Yellow Turban Uprising broke out again in Yuzhou.
At that time, these believers asked for troops from the Taishan Army, which was also a direct descendant of Taiping Road, and repeatedly requested Heifu stationed in the Heji area to attack Yuan Shao together.
Heifu couldn't stop it and hurriedly reported the situation to Yecheng.
At that time, none of the disciples and privy councilors, including Du Man, took matters in the north seriously.
Because this kind of behavior that disturbs the pass is common in this dynasty. Although it is uncomfortable, it is also a problem of ringworm and scabies.
If there is any difference, it means that in the past it was the Wuhuan people who joined the invaders, but now the Hu and Han people joined forces to join the invaders. It is not a big deal.
Compared with this, Yuan Shao in the south is a thorn in his side.
This gentleman is indeed the most powerful among the remaining members of the Yuan clan. He is able to rise up even when he is wanted by the Luoyang court. It is really amazing.
Therefore, at that time, Duman and others regarded Cao Cao of Qingzhou and Yuan Shao of Yuzhou as the biggest enemies of the Taishan Army as they marched into the Central Plains, and believed that once these two parties united, they would be their biggest external enemy of the Taishan Army.
While these people attached great importance to the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Yuzhou, Zhang Chong unexpectedly paid attention to such a remote corner of Liaodong, and even held three joint military meetings with his subordinates and privy councilors for this purpose.
This made all the ministers puzzled. Could it be that the king could not see the trend of the hostile forces in the Central Plains uniting?
Originally, it was just a matter of strengthening the foundation, but now that summer farming has ended, Hebei already has enough civilian power to launch a military operation.
At this time, instead of first supporting the Yellow Turbans in Yuzhou and attacking Yuan Shao, they went to attack Liaodong first?
Therefore, they did not understand Zhang Chong's decision.
In addition to the core think tanks and military forces such as Zhang Chong who don't understand, even the people at the bottom of Guizhou don't understand.
Recently, the Feijun Internal Guards reported a ballad to Zhang Chong, the content of which is:
"My brother conquered Hebei and was killed at the foot of the Qingshan Mountain. Now I have opened the ditch and trapped people on the embankment. Now there is chaos, but I am in peace in Hebei. If I leave my family and go to Liaodong, I will have no protection. If I leave a hectare of land, I will be safe. I want retribution from three generations. I feel sorry for the loss of my wife, and I hope that my son will be unfilial. Please offer sacrifices to Bai Hao to bring my lonely soul back."
When Dong Zhao sent this ballad to Zhang Chong, he said that it must be the work of resentful remnants of powerful men lurking in Hebei, and that he would definitely find out.
Zhang Chong certainly did not doubt Dong Zhao's judgment, because only those children of aristocratic families could sing such songs. But what he saw more was that the reason why this ballad spread so quickly was that it reflected a certain kind of public opinion.
In other words, the fabricator of this ballad has keenly seen a change in the current mood of Hebei and Guizhou, that is, the accumulation of grudges and grudges.
As the ballad says, the Taishan Army gave them an inheritance to carry on their family lineage, but the price of this inheritance was too heavy.
The elder brother had just died in the battle, and the younger brother was dragged to dig ditches. And now I heard that Chaoting was going to fight in the bitter cold Liaodong, so it was even more difficult for him to live or die.
The weather is getting colder and colder now. Even Hebei can feel that it is colder than before. But now for some reason, we go to Liaodong, which is farther north. Isn't it even colder?
Although the expedition is now at the end of summer, who knows whether it can be completed before winter? Therefore, it is normal for people to have grievances. And Zhang Chong also understood that behind this change in trend was the contradiction between the duality of family and country.
For people of Zhang Chong's time, family and country were often the same. As the saying goes: "Without a country, there is no family." Modern times are a society in which family and country are isomorphic.
But for people of this era, this is not the case at all. Home is home and country is country. Sometimes they are consistent, but most of the time they are contradictory.
Taking the capital of Hebei and Guizhou as an example, they have a duty to protect their hometown because this is their home. But what does going to Liaodong have to do with them?
And this kind of contradiction will become more and more serious after the collapse of the Han Dynasty.
The capitals of Guizhou and Guizhou in various places survive because of the protection of strong men in various places. Therefore, the strong men of each state are kind to the people under their rule. And as this kindness grows, the capitals of Guizhou and Guizhou will only see their masters and not the world.
In this way, once the hearts of the people are scattered, the world will naturally have its own master.
For example, Cao Cao in Qingzhou was like this.
Before Cao Cao came, Qingzhou was in chaos and suffered military disasters. However, Cao Cao pacified other princes, stabilized the situation in Qingzhou, and provided a productive and living environment for the people.
The people who originally died in the war were naturally grateful to Cao Cao, because he was the one who saved them.
At this time, if the Taishan Army attacks Qingzhou again, it will face particularly great resistance, because Cao Cao has already won the hearts and minds of the people in Qingzhou, and people everywhere recognize him as his master, so they will naturally fight to the death.
At that time, even though your Taishan Army comes from Qingzhou and has a deep connection with the people of Qingzhou, everyone will still regard you as an enemy.
Therefore, this is also the reason why many disciples advised Zhang Chong to calm down the world as soon as possible.
Because as time goes by and people settle down, not only does it become more and more difficult to fight in various places, but even the people of Hebei are less willing to sacrifice their lives for the Taishan Army.
The reason is simple? Wouldn't it be better to split? What benefits will unification bring to us Hebei people?
You said above that you want to give the world justice, but you can't just let the people of Hebei bleed dry, and give justice to the people of Qingzhou and Yanzhou.
This is inconsistent with the laws of nature and human nature.
Therefore, whether it is the ballad above or Guan Yu's battle in Qingzhou, they increasingly reflect a certain centrifugal trend in the world.
If the Taishan Army really cannot conquer the world as soon as possible, the split scene of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period will reappear.
It is precisely because of this worry that many disciples of Taishan Army are so nervous.
They didn't want Zhang Chong to go his own way and ruin the current good situation. However, Zhang Chong's correctness and authority for a long time made them dare not insist on it.
Therefore, preparations for the expedition to Liaodong began awkwardly.
It is precisely the double incomprehension of the core brothers and the people under the rule that makes even a determined man like Zhang Chong feel hesitant.
This is also the reason why he went to the Tongque Tower late at night.
He wanted to think carefully about whether it was right to attack Liaodong in the quietest place.
First of all, Zhang Chong knew the power of a certain Hu-Han confluence trend in Liaodong better than anyone in the world today.
Because since ancient times, the Northeast has been a fertile ground for the confluence of Hu and Han regimes.
Zhang Chong certainly understands the reason why people like Duman, He Kui, Zhuge Gui and others are ignoring Liaodong. After all, from ancient times to the present, they have only heard of the alarm in the northern country, but never heard of horses entering the Central Plains in the snowy plains of the Northeast.
Even if they are as strong as the Wuhuan people, aren't they still the dogs of the Han people? Drive for the Han people?
Therefore, since ancient times, people in the Central Plains have not paid attention to the Northeast, and they have been indifferent to the ethnic groups and what happened there.
But only Zhang Chong understands that this kind of thing has not been around for long since ancient times. Maybe in another hundred years, Murong Xianbei will go south to the Central Plains and establish the Three Yans. After that, Tuoba Xianbei and Yuwen Xianbei would also go south to establish the Wei and Northern Zhou regimes, and finally unify the north.
Later, the Khitans, Jin people, and Qing people came on stage one after another from the Northeast to the Central Plains, and became the biggest external pressure on the Han regime.
It can be said that in the four thousand years since the beginning of Xia, one-third of the time has been dominated by the Northeast. After knowing this, who can be indifferent to the Northeast again?
Therefore, Zhang Chong knew very well that the plan for Yuan Shao was for the sake of the near future, while the plan for Liaodong was for the sake of Chinese civilization.
Of course Zhang Chong knows which one is more important.
Originally, Zhang Chong did not intend to put a high priority on Liaodong affairs. After all, the future was the future, and people still had to solve the immediate problems first.
But with the emergence of the Hu-Han confluence trend in Liaodong, he knew he could not wait any longer.
This is because once the characteristics of the Hu-Han confluence begin to appear in the Northeast, a dynamic regime will quickly emerge.
This is also determined by the geography of the Liaodong region. There are three economies distributed on this small plain.
They are the Han regime engaged in the agricultural economy in the Liaohe River Basin, then the Sushen fishing and hunting economy in the Changbai Mountain area, and finally the Xianbei and Wuhuan people in the Xianbei Mountains to the west, engaged in the nomadic economy.
Originally, these three were in conflict with each other in the past, so the results could not be seen. However, once the three are combined, a military regime that can devour the world will be born.
Those Sushen people who live in the bitter cold land of the north are first-class good soldiers. They endure hardships, dare to fight, and have unparalleled shooting skills. If we add the equipment and formations of the Han people and the war horses of the nomads, who in the world can compete with them?
Therefore, Zhang Chong wanted to strike first and capture Liaodong in one fell swoop before it developed.
At that time, the military potential of this area that could have threatened the Central Plains will be used by him, and the result will be to accelerate the time to seize the world.
But these ideas were too far beyond the understanding of this era, and Zhang Chong could not explain more.
He could only promote the war against Liaodong on the grounds that Liaodong threatened the flanks and rear, before it became too powerful and easy to solve.
In this way, Zhang Chong thought about it for a long time at Tongquetai, and finally decided to conquer Liaodong himself.
The reason why I chose to conquer personally was that I felt that I could win more quickly by commanding my own troops.
He did not object to Duman's judgment of the current situation, on the contrary, he strongly agreed with it, so he also knew that the attack on Liaodong must be done quickly, and it was best to solve it this autumn.
On the other hand, Zhang Chong still wanted to complete the layout of the entire Liaodong region through this battle. He needed to absorb these Wuhuan and Sushen warriors, and also interrupt the rise of Goguryeo further east.
In short, this expedition to Liaodong was not only a military battle, but also a political battle. Zhang Chong needed to be there in person to better grasp it.
In this way, on this night, Zhang Chong made a decision alone that would affect the trend for hundreds of years.
The battle to conquer Liaodong is about to begin.
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(End of chapter)