Chapter 648 Five Blessings
When Liu Bei saw the young emperor's surprise, he knew that his majesty had misunderstood him, so he hurriedly explained:
"The reason why I only have five thousand soldiers is because I want to fight with the right to fight against chaos, and to fight with the submissive, to fake the power of the Han family and defeat the ugly people. Furthermore, the reason why I don't use large soldiers is because I have many considerations: The first reason is that I am not a veteran general in Kansai, and I have been removed from the army by His Majesty. I have not yet established my reputation, and I have few soldiers, so I am not able to command the entire army. "
After hearing this, Liu Xie felt relieved.
Although he has no military experience, the generals around him have spoken a lot, and he also knows that a general's command depends on his soldiers and prestige. We have few soldiers and cannot unite the army. Low prestige cannot soothe the hearts of scholars. So even though the selected soldiers are all elite soldiers, when they are gathered together they are just like a mob.
This is not because Liu Bei has poor ability or low command, but because of Liu Bei's situation, he can only take care of so much. If he takes more, something will happen.
So Liu Xie understood:
"Uncle Emperor, this is one of them, what next?"
When Liu Bei saw that Liu Xie clearly understood what he meant but still asked again, he knew that His Majesty was interested in learning more about military experience, so he naturally taught him everything he had.
He continued to explain:
"The second point of my concern is that since ancient times, entering Shu has been difficult due to high mountains and dangerous roads and severe cold winters. If the expedition is more extensive and the army is mobilized, not to mention the waste and expense, leaving home and home, all military officials It is inevitable for soldiers to be angry and resentful. Now the court is in a difficult situation and it is not appropriate to keep it quiet. "
Liu Xie nodded, knowing that this was an old man's words to seek the country.
Then Liu Bei continued:
"Your Majesty, the military treaty at Mount Tai in Hedong has not yet been finalized. We are watching on the side. Their spies come and go frequently in the post. If you know that our army will send troops to Yizhou, they will invade Hedong. If I lead more troops, the imperial court will inevitably have fewer troops. When the time comes, the North When Ma goes south, if something goes wrong, he will regret it.”
In fact, Liu Bei brought up the issue of Taishan Army again, which forced Liu Xie to seriously consider this issue. Is it really necessary to reconcile with the Taishan Army?
Just when Liu Xie was thinking about it, Liu Bei said in one breath:
"The road to Shu is dangerous and difficult, and the pay and transportation are wasted. Today, the daily cost of stationing troops is more than ten thousand gold, and they fly thousands of miles, and the relief is more than ten thousand stones? If we increase the number of troops, it will be difficult to support them. One man will have nothing to eat, and the three armies will no longer have the will to fight." ”
The above is a very sufficient reason for Liu Bei not to add more troops. Even Liu Xie, who does not know much about soldiers, recognized Liu Bei's reasons, but Liu Xie still felt uneasy. After all, this was the first battle he had led!
So, he once again confirmed:
"Uncle Emperor, can five thousand soldiers really conquer Shu? I already know what you said, but if only five thousand soldiers can't conquer Shu just because of these considerations, I would rather that Uncle Emperor don't have to have such worries. . I will give the emperor as many troops as he needs to decide Shu. The emperor will only take care of the front line, and I will take care of the rest."
Liu Bei smiled and was very grateful for the trust the emperor had given him, but he still insisted:
"Your Majesty, five thousand soldiers are enough. The five thousand soldiers I want are not from other troops, but the newly formed five divisions of the Northern Army. With this elite division, assisted by the generals of the Jiayzhou Army, we will definitely defeat them. Again. Moreover, I have five thousand troops on the main road, and Li Jue’s troops are enough to support him.”
After speaking, Liu Bei also saluted Shiran:
"If you can succeed with less, why bother with more? Your Majesty, five thousand Northern Army officers and soldiers are enough."
Hearing that Liu Bei wanted his new Northern Army, Liu Xie hesitated a little. After all, these five thousand officers were indeed carefully selected from the Xiyuan Army. They could be said to be loyal to the Han Dynasty, with strict military discipline and good training. It has excellent military quality and excellent weapons. It is second only to Dong Zhuo's personal army, the Flying Bear Army, as the head weapon.
To be honest, Liu Xie was a little reluctant, but after weighing it, he finally gritted his teeth and said:
"Okay, Uncle Emperor, I will leave the five thousand Northern Army officers and soldiers to you. I wonder when Uncle Emperor will go on an expedition?"
At this time, Liu Bei straightened his head, cupped his fists and said:
"I will set off immediately."
Liu Xie was stunned for a moment and exclaimed:
"As expected, the emperor's uncle acted vigorously and resolutely, and all the children of the Zong family were as loyal as the emperor. Why can't the Han Dynasty be revived?"
……
Liu Bei had just bid farewell to the young emperor, and took the talisman and edict given by the emperor to the Northern Army camp outside Beigong.
All officers and soldiers in the Northern Army Camp are on permanent duty. They only live in the military camp on weekdays and practice constantly.
Therefore, from Liu Bei riding several horses into the Northern Army camp, to beating drums to gather troops, and then to leading five thousand troops out of the wall, it only took half an hour. It was really like thunder.
Liu Bei led the Northern Army along Zhangtai Road to the arsenal to assemble ordnance, and then continued south along Zhangtai Road to Anmen. From there, they would go south along Ziwu Road and sneak into Hanzhong.
When the Northern Army vehicles were riding on Zhangtai Road with their curtains shining brightly in the sun, every family in the city was shocked, not knowing what was going on.
When Chen Dao, who had given the gold hairpin to him, was rushing back, he saw Liu Bei in the team and hurriedly brought his generals to get closer.
When Chen Dao handed Liu Bei a food box and told his wife that it was prepared by his wife, Liu Bei said warmly:
"I can't see my wife again this time."
After speaking, Liu Bei opened the food box and saw a bowl of soup inside, which was still steaming. He drank the soup in one gulp and said to Chen Dao:
"Uncle Chen arrived, returned to the system, and held the flag."
Chen Daoyu immediately straightened his neck and sang loudly, and then led the generals of the Liu and Yang families to protect Liu Bei. Then he took out another flag from his backpack, put it on the flagpole, and danced vigorously.
A large crimson flag stood facing the wind, with the four characters on the flag:
"Serve the country with loyalty and loyalty."
Zhangtai Road is the main north-south thoroughfare in Chang'an, with three roads. The middle is the royal road, and the two sides are the official road and the civilian road. In particular, the section of road that Liu Bei walked was the area with the most institutions, and the carriages were crowded.
At this time, with the emperor's permission, Liu Bei and the Northern Army were rolling down the middle imperial road, and the carriages and carriages on both sides had stopped on the road. The scholar-bureaucrats and ministers in the carriage all looked at each other under the curtain.
When they saw the large crimson flag embroidered with "Serve the Country with Loyalty" flying in front of the military column, these wealthy officials had different expressions.
Some applauded the attack, some dismissed it, and some pointed out that it was for fame and reputation, but everyone knew that this must be Liu Bei, the general of the left.
Are there those who are familiar with Liu Bei's whereabouts? They know that he only entered the city today at most, so he is leading his troops to go on an expedition? This Liu Xuande is so fast!
No wonder Liu Bei wants to be so fast.
In fact, according to the normal process of going on an expedition, the emperor not only had to send a letter to appeal to the thieves, pay homage to the generals, review the expedition troops, but also go to the Ancestral Temple in the south of the city to offer sacrifices. The entire process was completed before going on the expedition.
But if we really follow this process, we may not be able to enter Hanzhong until the next spring. By then, the rebels may not have stabilized the situation in Yizhou long ago, and they may have to fight a hard battle by then.
Therefore, what Liu Bei wants now is a surprise, and what he wants is a sudden advance.
In order to paralyze the Yizhou side, the little emperor did not follow the official court process and issue an edict, nor did he immediately classify Liu Zhang as a crime of rebellion, in order to buy time for Liu Bei.
Because the first difficulty before Liu Bei was how to enter Hanzhong smoothly.
If Yizhou is difficult to conquer, five or six times out of ten the difficulty lies in taking Hanzhong.
Hanzhong is the middle area between the Bashu Basin and the Guanzhong Plain. No matter which side of the two sides wants to take the initiative, Hanzhong must be captured first. This is also the reason why Zhao Wei and others wanted to expel Su Gu, the governor of Hanzhong, from the beginning. According to Hanzhong, they could not only defend against enemies heading north, but also create opportunities for proactive attacks later.
It can be said that Hanzhong is the most important outpost of both sides and a battleground.
So what can Liu Bei do to defend Bashu in Hanzhong? Without him, we can only sneak attack!
There are only three roads from Guanzhong into Hanzhong, one is Baoxie Road, which is more than 500 miles in total. Enter the valley from Wuzhangyuan in Fufeng County, and then go south along the Baoshui River Valley to reach Nanzheng, the capital of Hanzhong County. This road is also the shortest of the three, and this is where the post road of this dynasty was chosen. The second road is the Tangluo Road. This road is also close, but it is the most dangerous. It is difficult for large armies to pass and is only suitable for small groups of business travelers.
The third road is the Ziwu Road, which can directly enter the Ziwu Valley from Chang'an, then cross along the gap in the Qinling Mountains, then reach the Han River, and then detour westward to reach Hanzhong City.
Although this road is more tortuous, it can be said to be the most concealed road because the army can hide in the Qinling Mountains near Chang'an.
Therefore, Liu Bei chose this route, that is, to attack Hanzhong from Ziwu Road.
At present, Liu Bei has just figured out the strategy for conquering Hanzhong. As for whether to take the Jinniu Road to Shu or the Micang Road after taking Hanzhong, he will decide after the Yizhou generals from Ganning and Ning arrive.
At this time, Liu Bei's situation was no better than others, so he could only take one step at a time.
But just when Liu Bei was about to lead five thousand Northern Army officials into Zigukou, a horse suddenly came running from the direction of Hanzhong. After seeing Liu Bei's army, he quickly sent the latest military report.
After reading this military report, Liu Bei could not maintain the composure of the general. He laughed loudly, and finally laughed at the soldiers:
"God help me Han Dynasty, let's go, let's change our route to Xiegukou."
So the flags were fluttering, the chariots and horses were turning, and the army changed its direction and rushed towards the entrance of the Xie Valley in the southwest.
……
When Liu Bei led his army to divert, a hundred operas were being held in Chengdu.
In Beichi on the outskirts of Chengdu, the wind was warm and sunny, and soldiers and civilians gathered together to watch the Nuo opera in Shu and celebrate the new governor of Yizhou.
Except for the Yellow Turban riots a few years ago, the land of Bashu has been at peace for a hundred years. It can be said that the people are prosperous and everything is prosperous, and the entire Yizhou is permeated with an optimistic and glitzy atmosphere.
So this time Baixi, these people were also sincerely grateful and happy from the bottom of their hearts that Liu Zhang had become their new state pastor.
In the eyes of these people, the father did a good job, and the son must not be much worse. Not to mention that people around him are saying that Liu Yizhou is an elegant and kind man, and their people can live a good life again.
Nowadays, more and more people are pouring into Yizhou from outside the state. On the one hand, it brings prosperity to Chengdu, and at the same time, it also makes the people of this state cherish everything in front of them.
This world is really in chaos. But this has nothing to do with us Yizhou people. We dance and watch. They believe that under the leadership of Liu Yizhou, Chengdu will get better and better.
Of course these people don't know that Yizhou is on the verge of war at this time, and the vanity and joy in front of them are nothing but passing clouds.
But the literati and wealthy people in Yizhou did not think so. They encouraged the state government to make decisions in a more radical direction, but they did not think that they and the imperial court would really fight.
They are too smart and have a well-developed network of people, so they are fully aware of the difficulties the court is facing now. Not to mention that they just elected their own state pastor, even if they really set up a rebel flag, the court can't do anything to them.
Not to mention, Hanzhong is in their hands. Even if the imperial court wants to attack, how will the troops come? Therefore, these wealthy officials are really sitting on the high platform and have everything under control.
So it was a rare opportunity for them to take the time to gather with Chengdu people and have fun together!
In the middle position on the terrace, Liu Zhang looked expressionlessly like a clay sculpture at the crowd below, performing tricks and hooks to win or lose.
Amidst the cheers of all kinds of mountains and tsunamis, Liu Zhang sighed inwardly, gave up his struggle, and began to play the role of a state shepherd.
When Liu Zhang turned from struggling in pain to helplessly complying, beside him, Zhao Wei also smiled at the corners of his mouth, watching the soldiers and civilians racing across the river, but under his smile, there was a hint of uneasiness.
It turned out that one day before the Baixi event, Zhao Wei suddenly asked Dong Fuzhen about the fortune of his official salary for some unknown reason. Dong Fu was the most famous fortune-teller in Bashu. He was the one who said that Yizhou had the spirit of a dragon and persuaded Liu Yan to enter Shu.
Dong Fu was surprised, but he did not refuse. However, after the hexagram was completed, he resigned as:
"If fortune is in the southwest, it will not end well."
Zhao Wei was stunned at the time, and before his face turned dark, Dong helped himself to put away the hexagrams and said with a smile:
"When your hand is born, I will make another divination for you."
But after that, Dong Fu lost the hexagrams six times in a row, and the hexagrams and lines showed exactly the same. Even Dong Fu himself was sweating on his forehead, and he picked up the hexagrams and lines again tremblingly. Not believing in evil, he lost them four more times.
After asking for divination ten times, the hexagrams and lines showed exactly the same. At that time, Zhao Wei's lips turned white and he was dumbfounded. He didn't know what was going on until Dong Fu quietly retreated.
At this time, on the high platform, Zhao Wei was gradually infected by the optimism permeating the military and civilians, and encouraged himself in his heart:
"Then Dong Fu is also a man who fishes for fame. If he is so accurate, why would Liu Yan still die? Didn't he say that Liu Yan could be the emperor?"
Thinking of this, Zhao Wei felt ridiculous for his timidity. They all climbed out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Do you still believe in ghosts and gods?
At this time, the following drama reached its climax.
They saw twenty-eight shirtless men, shouting slogans and holding poles on their shoulders, and were inviting a statue of a god out of the temple in Beichi.
Everyone made way for them and shouted along with the chant.
When the Twenty-Eight Sons dropped the statue to the east of Beichi, the whole show reached its climax, and they shouted:
"The five gods of good fortune bless us and keep us in good weather."
This god was originally called Taiyi, the God of Five Blessings, and was a lucky god symbolizing "no disasters such as war, disease, famine, floods and droughts". The highlight of this Baixi event is that Xinzhou Mu leads the shogunate’s civil and military sacrifices to worship the five gods of good fortune and pray for the entire state.
So when the five gods of good fortune were settled, Liu Zhang was about to leave, and the powerful figures from various families in the group banquet around him also showed courtesy to each other and showed their grace.
Just when this was a beautiful time, there was a sudden panic and astonishment from the crowd below, and they heard:
"This...this, the statue is cracked."
The sound was small at first, but when more and more people saw the cracks crawling out of the statue, panic became out of control.
At this time, Jia Long, the driver of Zhou Bie, stood up decisively and shouted:
"Quiet, where are the soldiers? Take down all the rioters."
Just like that, the crowd below was crying, shouting, and became a mess.
And for some reason, Liu Zhang was completely blank. He just raised his head and looked into the distance:
There, a horseman carrying a small flag came rushing along the official road.
Please support us with your monthly votes! I have used all my strength to write the novel with a sense of picture and a story. So family members, don’t be stingy with the monthly tickets in your hands. Let Xiao Chen get a prize if he reaches 1,000 yuan this month. Although it’s only 100 yuan, it’s still love.