Chapter 655 Shangdang
When Zhao Yun from the rear had just led his army to Nie County and was about to clean up the broken city wall, he heard the soldiers who had withdrawn said that Han Dang and his team continued southward.
Zhao Yun thought for a moment and was worried that Han Dang would suffer a loss, so he immediately led the crane-controlling army southward and rushed towards Xiangyuan.
The reality was just as Zhao Yun expected. When he advanced quickly along the post road, he encountered a group of Shangdang soldiers outside Xiangyuan City.
Liu Chong, who was the governor of Shangdang at the time, was building fortifications in the Xiangyuan area with two thousand infantry and cavalry. He was suddenly attacked by a sudden cavalry led by Zhao Yun. After a fierce battle for half a day, he was defeated and retreated to Yingcheng, Lu County to defend.
Zhao Yun successfully led the He Controlling Army down to Xiangyuan. After sending the victory report to the rear, he led the army straight to Lu County.
At this time, after Zhao Yun fought with the Shangdang army, he really understood why Han Dang was so eager to advance, because they were really too weak.
……
When the Taishan army arrived at Tuanbai Valley, Guandong Luoyang had already received an urgent request from Liu Chong, the governor of Shangdang.
In the Kwantung court at that time, the young emperor Liu Bian had long ignored political affairs, and all military aircraft, large and small, were handled by General He Jin.
When Liu Chong reported that the Taishan Army had appeared in Tuanbai Valley, He Jin was irritated but also somewhat thankful.
The ministers in Kyoto are not all fools. In fact, when Taishan's army left Yanmen Pass, its commander Wang Qian warned him, thinking that Taishan's army would point to Heluo, and asked He Jin to prepare early.
But He Jin didn't understand that if the Taishan Army's goal was Kyoto, why not go directly from Yecheng to Hanoi instead of taking the more rugged Bingzhou.
Although later Wang Qian explained in detail what strategic measures Bingzhou had for Hebei where the Taishan Army was located. He said that the Taishan Army did not dare to go south to Hanoi until it had captured Bingzhou on its flank. Otherwise, the Han troops in the Bingzhou area would be captured at any time. The danger of soldier truncation.
Wang Qian even has a vivid metaphor:
"The Taishan army is distributed from north to south on the north side of Taihang Mountain, just like the snake in Changshan. Yecheng and Handan are the snake's head, Xiangguo is the snake's belly, and Changshan is the snake's tail. For example, the Bingzhou army comes out of Xingkou in the east and strikes its head. If the tail comes, the head will come, if the tail is struck, the head and tail will come. Once Taishan's troops leave Hanoi, the head will be cut off. If they are attacked by Bingzhou again, the tail and belly will be destroyed."
Wang Qian was a wise man, and he keenly discovered that the Taishan Army crossed Yanshan Mountain and entered the Daibei area in preparation for their march south to Shangluo.
So why did he determine that his target was Kyoto instead of Chang'an?
The reason is of course very simple, who makes them weaker.
Wang Qian's judgment is correct and can stand the verification of history.
When An Lushan went south from Yuyang in the future, he also made arrangements in the Bingzhou area in order to protect his passage south.
It was also the defeat in the Bingzhou area that caused Shuofang's army to leave Jingxingkou in the east and enter Changshan, cutting off Anlu Mountain's return route.
If Li Longji hadn't made an impetuous decision later and urged troops out of Tongguan, causing the Chaoting army to be defeated, An Lushan might have been defeated by himself.
But Wang Qian's judgment could not convince He Jin. His knowledge did not support his understanding of the hidden implications of this strategy.
Fortunately, He Jin listened to Wang Qian's advice and sent Liu Chong to Shangdang as the prefect to build a defense line.
During the period when the Yuan clan was destroyed and He Jin took charge of Guandong, this general did not have no achievements. One of his achievements was that the Shangdang area was brought under the control of the Guandong court.
Previously, the Shangdang area had always been under the jurisdiction of Bingzhou. At that time, Bingzhou, as Liu Hong's base, was merged into the Kansai forces along with Liu Hong's westward movement.
At that time, Kanto had an absolute upper hand over Kansai and did not pay much attention to the Shangdang area, which was only valuable for defense. Its main focus was on Weihan to the west.
But it was not until the Bingzhou soldiers entered Hanoi from Hedong under the leadership of Ding Yuan and defeated Yuan Shao's army that Guandong began to pay attention to the defense of Hanoi.
Once you pay attention to Hanoi, it is natural to incorporate Shangdang into your arms.
Later, under the auspices of He Jin, the Kwantung Army set out from Hanoi and captured the Dang via Taihangxing, which was regarded as opening up territory for Kwantung.
Now, there is a reason to let King Chen and Liu Chong leave the town party.
Among all the officials from Guandong today, King Chen is undoubtedly the one who stands out. He is a man of great martial arts, extraordinary bravery, good at using bows and crossbows, and has superb archery skills. He can shoot ten shots through a hole.
With Liu Chong at Shangdang, there is no need to worry about the north of Luoyang.
After all these arrangements were made, He Jin ignored Shangdang's side and began to organize the final army in Kansai wholeheartedly.
In order to replace defense with merit, He Jin used the remaining influence in Guandong to continuously get tribute from all directions.
But with the rise of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, Kyoto has actually been cut off from tribute payments. Except for Chen Deng in Xuzhou and Sun Jian in Wudi who still found ways to send tribute to the court, other places have long been cut off.
On the one hand, He Jin promoted Chen Deng and Sun Jian to positions and titles, and granted them the treatment of envoys respectively. He also promoted Sun Jian to the title of Marquis of Wucheng, in order to ask them to continue to pay tribute.
But just when He Jin was concentrating on organizing and training his army, the Taishan Army appeared outside Shangdang's gate, and they were indeed coming to attack his Kyoto.
But He Jin didn't worry too much. He still had an army of 50,000 men, all of whom were from the Southern Army who were good at fighting.
Therefore, after hearing that the Taishan Army Nanfan went to the party, he decided to support the reunification army and march north to meet it.
But this was opposed by many ministers including Wang Qian, especially what Wang Qian said:
"Now the army from Taishan is marching south to Yanmen, and it has repeatedly defeated famous teachers and generals, and its momentum is at its peak. It is time to use the mountains and rivers of the party to frustrate the enemy's spirit. But when the general goes north lightly, people's hearts are easily shaken. It is not as good as the town of Kyoto. The general can take charge.”
In fact, Wang Qian's meaning is very obvious, that is, He Jin was assassinated by the little emperor last year. Although he was lucky enough to win the coup, he only put Liu Bian under house arrest. It's easy to say why you are in Beijing now, but once you lead the troops outside, won't the little emperor be welcomed again?
To be honest, Wang Qian has already given it a lot of thought, and these words are somewhat treasonous.
But He Jin didn't know if he didn't understand, but replied seriously:
"I, He Jin, am also a member of the world. How could I be bullied like this by Zhang Chong's son? He left Guanxi alone and came to attack me, Guandong. If I don't attack head-on, how will the people of the world view me?"
Over there, Ying Shao, Kong Yi, Zhang Zi and other shogunate officials all insisted on persuading. This one says that a gentleman should not build a dangerous wall, and the other one says that no gentleman would risk the stone of a battlefield.
But He Jin didn’t know whether he was dizzy or something, so he suddenly said excitedly:
"In the past, Emperor Guangwu often went out on expeditions to control the world. Why can't I do that, general?"
He Jin's words directly brought the atmosphere to a freezing point, and all the shogunate officials fell silent.
People like Ying Shao, Kong Min, and Zhang Zi actually knew that He Jin had some thoughts, which was why they took the opportunity to transfer from the imperial establishment to the general shogunate.
But there are some things that can be said but not done, and some things that have been done cannot be said.
Sure enough, after hearing He Jin's words, Wang Qian's whole beard stood up and he said seriously:
"General, be careful what you say."
The other court official present, Taichang Han Rong, choked coldly:
"I didn't expect that the general would have such ambitions as the ancestors."
He Jin also knew that he had made a mistake, but he couldn't stand being choked by Han Rong, so he said loudly:
"I have a hundred thousand strong soldiers, and I can defeat thieves like a mountain of treacherous rocks!"
In fact, this was just He Jin's talk to save face, but Han Rong wanted to embarrass him even more and replied:
"I didn't expect that the general would be so tall, comparable to Mount Tai. I think the opposite side is Mount Tai's army." At this time, He Jin was already blushing with anger, but he couldn't deal with these people, so he could only walk away. .
Just like that, everyone dispersed unhappy.
When Wang Qian exited, a person suddenly walked up to him quietly and said doubtfully:
"Long history, the general intends to make progress, why should he suppress it?"
Wang Qian looked back and saw that it was Shi Bianrang, the chief secretary of the shogunate.
Rang here is a famous scholar in the Chenliu area. He rarely debates and is good at writing. He once wrote "Zhanghua Fu" and became famous for a while. Therefore, although Bian gave way to a position lower than his own, Wang Qian still respected this person very much.
He shook his head and gave way:
"When you first come here, you don't know the general well enough. The great general is good at recruiting people, and his talents are not in battle formations."
The position of Bian Rang is the history of the reporter's office, and he is responsible for reporting the reports submitted from various places. Although his position is not high, it is actually very important.
It was also from this position that Bian Rang learned what the current situation was like.
Therefore, he was not persuaded by Wang Qian's words, but worriedly said this.
In Bian Rang's words, the imperial court at this time was like the Zhou royal family during the war period, surrounded by enemies.
There were Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao in the south who rebelled against the party, in the west there was Guan Xi's puppet dynasty, in the east there was Zhang Miao who was rebellious and undecided, and in the north there was the Taishan Army entrenched in Bingzhou and Jizhou.
But now that the Taishan Army is moving south, it is quite likely that it will swallow up Heluo. In this critical situation, if the general cannot win a big victory in the Shangdang area, then Heluo will be in danger.
Najang also added:
"If we don't have a decisive battle with Shangdang in the mountains and rivers, why should we sit and defend under the walls of Kyoto?"
But Wang Qian shook his head at Bian Rang's determination.
After serving as an official for so long, he had seen many celebrities like Bian Rang enter the court. They were always so wise and forge ahead, thinking that this was how things were in the world.
But actually? They don't need to be responsible for the results, and who can't speak out loudly?
But Wang Qian needs to be responsible to the court and the emperor. It can be said that based on his understanding of He Jin, if he really leads the army to Shangdang, he will definitely fail.
It is better to send a veteran general, such as transferring Zhu Jun from the west to the northern front. With Zhu Jun's ability, the party is in danger, and its victory or defeat is really uncertain.
But he couldn't say this to Bian Rang, so he gave a reason that he couldn't argue with:
"The general has just taken charge of the court, and the feudal vassals in the four directions have no kindness to add to it. Yuan Shao of Yuzhou is close at hand. Once the general leaves Kyoto, and once Yuan and Yuan go to Luo, how can the general respond?"
Even though he was still not convinced, he insisted:
"Zhu Gong has entered Kyoto, and this appointment can be entrusted to Zhu Gong."
Wang Qian was quite impatient and asked:
"Is it more important to go to the party or to Kyoto?"
This time, Bian Rang was speechless.
So Wang Qian rolled up his sleeves, ignored him and left.
Over there, Bian Rang shook his head and sighed:
"Changshi, Changshi, you are indeed mature and prudent, but you don't understand the general, nor do you understand this political matter."
After saying that, Bian Rang returned the same way, turned a corner, and entered the shogunate.
There, He Jin was already waiting.
Seeing that he was coming back, He Jin asked anxiously:
"How about it? Does the prince agree?"
Bian Rang shook his head, and He Jin couldn't bear it anymore and cursed:
"This Wang Changshi is really an old man. If you ignore him, we will still send this soldier."
Bian Rang was silent. He knew that He Jin had a reason to send troops.
What Wang Qian said was correct, but he didn't side with He Jin.
At this time, He Jin was facing a huge gap in legal principles and was about to lose control of the situation. Because it is very simple, there is no precedent for a general to serve the country in the two dynasties.
Even the domineering general established a puppet emperor, but what about now?
It had been a long time since the courtiers had seen Liu Bian, and there were even rumors that the young emperor had been killed by He Jin.
There are even some rumors that the palace has been hearing babies crying recently. This is because He brought the baby into the palace from outside the palace, falsely claiming to be the heir of the little emperor.
Various rumors are rampant, and He Jin urgently needs to establish great achievements to establish his prestige.
At this time, Taishan Army Soldier Fan Shangdang became an opportunity for He Jin. It's not that he doesn't know how difficult the Taishan Army is to deal with. During the battle in Xingyang in the past, he was in Hulao Gate. The sound of killing in the sky above Xingyang was loud and the corpses were everywhere. How could he forget it.
But this time, He Jin thought there was little danger.
Because he only needs to hold Taihangxing to block the Taishan army in Shangdang. When the Taishan army is out of food, the other side will naturally retreat.
And when the time comes, he will return to Beijing with this great victory, not to mention stabilizing the power of the government, and even take a step closer.
Therefore, He Jin was determined to go to the party.
Later, he did exactly that.
He first promoted Zhu Jun to the rank of Lieutenant of Sili, with authority over all the armies in the capital, and then he personally called on the four armies to select good generals and soldiers to station in Xiyuan, and then he personally took command and was responsible for assisting the Shangdang in the war.
Regarding this battle, He Jin discussed with the aides of the shogunate and decided to use Xue Hong, the prefect of Hanoi, to garrison troops in Jixian County to resist the enemies from Yecheng.
Then Liu Dai, the fierce general of the clan, led the Northern Army with ten thousand people out of Taihangxing to aid Liu Chong, the governor of the Shangdang.
He then stationed all the troops at Tianjing Pass in Taihang County, where he provided support to both Shangdang and Hanoi.
It can be said that this time He Jin almost took over the only remaining family property in Kyoto. He even melted most of the gold utensils in the palace in order to raise funds for the troops.
For He Jin, this time, if you don't succeed, you will be benevolent.
Therefore, in the third year of Taiwu, on March 8, the Kwantung general He Jin led fifty thousand Northern troops to march out of the east gate and sent troops to Shangdang. Along the road, there are chariots and riders blocking the road, with flags blocking out the sun, and the martial arts are illustrious.
At this time, Zhao Yun also led the He Controlling Army to camp in the southwest of Lu County, and this place had an ordinary name.
It's called "Three Chuigang".