Chapter 685 Three Sides
This is the first time Zhongji has met Zhang Chong, but the grievances between his family and Zhang Chong are not new to today.
At that time, when Zhang Chong set out on the Northern Expedition from Mount Tai and swept across Heji, he fought an elite Han army from Lu Zhi in Puyangjin.
The young general of the Han army at that time was named Zhong Shao, who was the younger brother of Zhong Ji. And as luck would have it, Zhongfu, who had been captured in Hanoi before, was also in the army at the moment, and was in the prison camp.
He had used words to seduce Zhang Chong before, but Zhang Chong was determined and didn't care. But other old brothers in the army hated this man to the core.
These people knew that what could guarantee their status now was actually the king's trust. And this person dared to sow discord between them and the king. Shouldn't he deserve death?
But everyone was worried that the king would think that they had a guilty conscience for using that kind of whisking method, so even though they felt cruel in their hearts, they did not use the whisking method.
Of course, the current Zhongji didn't know this. They had long thought that the old uncle had died on the battlefield in Hanoi.
Therefore, at this moment, Zhongji can be said to be the enemy of the country and the family against Zhang Chong.
Originally, he could suppress this anger, but when he saw Wei Meng reminiscing with the thief Zhang as if no one was around, his whole body was filled with anger.
My family has suffered countless casualties for the sake of the Han Dynasty, but you, Wei Meng, wag your tail and beg for mercy to the thieves like a domestic dog. Why?
He was about to rebuke angrily when he suddenly saw a group of armored generals in the tent, noticing the man's disrespect and glaring at him angrily.
The bow-legged general behind Zhongji even kicked him in the back of his hip, knocking Zhongji to his knees on the ground.
When that kind of editor could stand any longer, several other gangsters came up to suppress his shoulders, and pushed his head directly to the ground.
Zhong Ji panicked and yelled:
"I am an envoy from the Han Dynasty, and your army also has an organizational structure. Is this how you treat an envoy from a country?"
Wei Meng had been talking to Zhang Chong just now and didn't see anything unusual about Zhongji. At this moment, he suddenly saw that Zhongji was taken down. He was also panicked and hurriedly advised:
"King Zhang, this is my deputy envoy. Is there any misunderstanding?"
Zhang Chong is such a keen person. He immediately noticed the malice shown by Zhong Ji, but Zhang Chong didn't care about his old friend's request and asked Cai Que to let him go.
The bow-legged general was none other than Cai Que. After receiving the king's military order, he stepped on Zhong Ji's hand and asked his left and right officers to let him go.
This kind of editing is also tough. He was stepped on by the 200-pound Cai Que, and he just didn't say a word.
Because of this, Cai Quegao took one look at him, no longer humiliated, and pulled him up.
When Zhongji stood up in disgrace, Zhang Chong no longer wanted to reminisce with Wei Meng.
He walked back to Mazar, and then motioned to Wei Meng and the others to explain the purpose of his trip.
Wei Meng calmed down, then pulled out a pile of silk cloth from her sleeve pocket, and said respectfully:
"His Royal Highness, Prince Zhang, this is the emperor's gift list to reward your army. I took the initiative to see that your army came from afar, so I prepared some gifts."
Zhang Chong said nothing, while Li Hu next to him sneered:
"Our army is here to destroy you, and you have prepared gifts for us. Your emperor is really grand. With such a big heart, it is no wonder that he can be the emperor."
Li Hu's slanderous words caused a burst of laughter from everyone present, and even Zhong Ji blushed.
But Wei Meng replied very seriously:
"This general is right. The emperor of the Han family is like the sun and the moon, and all the people in the world are bathed by him. Even if there are a few resentments, the blessings he deserves are still indispensable."
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Li Hu cursed:
"The farting sun and the moon are the donkey's favor. The common people in the world couldn't survive and revolted. Is this also the favor of the Han Dynasty?"
But I didn’t want Wei Meng to say this:
"General, let me ask you, if the thatch of your house was blown away by the strong wind, would you blame the strong wind? Or would you reinforce your thatched house the next day?"
Li Hu was not stupid either. Of course he understood what Wei Meng meant and was speechless for a moment.
But Tian Feng on the other side yelled back:
"What a Han envoy, so open-mouthed. Do you really think that the Han Dynasty is a god, and the cruelty to the people is a natural disaster? Then can you escape the Han Dynasty's guilt against the world? Not to mention that the Son of Heaven is an ordinary person. The true gods on earth will be shattered in the torrent of humanity like us!”
Wei Meng stopped talking because he knew that he was not reasonable and had just gained a little initiative.
Several other Taishan generals also wanted to speak, but Zhang Chong waved his hand and said directly to Wei Meng:
"Brother Wei, we have an old friendship. I don't know how much of your coming here is voluntary, so I don't want to embarrass you. In this way, you let the person behind you tell me the true meaning of this visit. I’ll listen first.”
Wei Meng glanced at Zhang Chong, nodded slowly, and then stepped back to make room for Zhong Ji.
Zhong Ji had calmed down from his previous anger. He took a breath and then respectfully asked Zhang Chong:
"King Zhang, I'm afraid your situation is no better than ours now. As far as I know, Yuan Shu in Nanyang, Yuan Shao in Yuzhou, Zhang Miao in Chenliu, and Cao Cao in Qingzhou have all raised troops to threaten your army's flanks, especially I'm afraid the Qingzhou Army has already crossed the river. How long can your army stay in Heluo?"
Zhang Chong frowned, wondering why Zhan Ji said this.
Because from the intelligence he has received so far, Yuan Shu went north, but except for taking Yique Pass, he has been stagnant. The same goes for Yuan Shao. After garrisoning Guangcheng Pass, he only divided his troops to Chen Liu and Zhang Miao to threaten his Heji base.
Even Cao Cao in Qingzhou did not move at all, but continued to move south.
So Zhang Chong doesn't know why this editor said this. Is there something wrong with his source of information, or is there something wrong with him?
At this time, Zhong Ji was still full of confidence. He saw Zhang Chong frowning, and then said confidently:
"I'm afraid your army doesn't know. Now we have a hundred thousand troops in Kyoto, all of them are fierce and brave, and they are willing to die for the Han Dynasty. The city defense of Kyoto has been managed for a hundred generations and is impregnable. Can your army be confident to win it?"
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Zhang Chong still didn't speak.
Therefore, Zhongji himself had a rough idea and said sincerely:
"If that's the case, why don't you and I call it quits? How about using the pre-war territory as the boundary? And the emperor can also make King Zhang the King of Wei."
Zhang Chong didn't say anything, but Cai Que did:
"Before the war, the boundaries were based on the Party, and after the war, the boundaries were still based on the Party. Then wasn't our army's fight in vain? Then wasn't your fight in vain?"
After hearing this, Zhang Chong couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
Zhong Ji was also embarrassed and quickly added:
"No, the emperor can give your army a departure fee. In addition to the Duke of Wei, there is also one hundred thousand catties of gold."
The money was so huge that everyone present was shocked.
Unexpectedly, the Han Dynasty was so rich, so Yan Zhuang, who had been responsible for military supplies, his eyes were bright.
The battle has been going on for more than half a year since Zhang Chong conquered the annexation of the prefectures, and the expenditure during this period was incalculable. Not only did Jizhou have a strong financial background, but it also had the dividends of annexing Pingzhou and Liaodong, so it was not necessarily possible to bear the expense.
If we can have this money, we can solve the problem of military expenditure.
But after Zhang Chong heard this, he shook his head and simply said it away:
"When you come here, I know that you are asking for peace. I didn't want to see you at first, because in my opinion, there is nothing to talk about. I led the brothers all the way to Kyoto, not for any title, nor for It’s not about the little gold, it’s about cleaning up this terrible world.”
Seeing that Zhongji was anxious, Zhang Chong continued:
"Then why do I want to see you now? I'm not going around with you, but I think that instead of me destroying the city and leaving you dead and injured, it's better for you to come out and surrender yourself. To be honest, this is your best choice. ”
Zhong Ji was stunned. He didn't expect that Zhang Chong was determined to capture Kyoto. He was a little lost for a while.
During this process, Wei Meng remained silent throughout. Because his mood is also very complicated.
He knew that if the Taishan Army insisted on taking Kyoto, then the most gorgeous Kyoto in the world would be burned to the ground by the flames of war, and no one knew how many people would die in the war. But he also knew that those officials in Kyoto would never surrender. Because for them, staying until the last moment is not the worst outcome for them. On the contrary, leaving the city and surrendering is the real total loss.
After telling his last condition, Zhang Chong didn't want to talk anymore.
He finally asked Wei Meng:
"Wei Jun, would you like to stay with me. I'm afraid that if you go back like this, it will be very bad."
After saying that, Zhang Chong glanced at Zhongji with an incomprehensible expression.
Wei Meng was grateful to Zhang Chong for thinking about her, and said goodbye:
"Thank you, King Zhang. I still have my old wife at home, waiting for me to go back to eat. Your army's food is indeed good, but it is not as good as my old wife's craftsmanship. As for Wei's safety, so what?" Those who purify themselves will purify themselves.”
Zhang Chong admired him, so he smiled and said to Zhong Ji:
"In this case, don't go back, just stay here. Maybe it will be a good thing for you."
After saying that, without waiting for Zhong Ji to object, he took Wei Meng out of the tent.
Finally, Zhang Chong accepted the gifts Wei Meng brought. Then he also gave a batch of things in return, a batch of yellow silk and satin.
He told Wei Meng that if the city of Kyoto was destroyed in the future, hanging these silks and satins in his home would avoid military chaos.
Wei Meng was grateful. After bowing to Zhang Chong three times, he returned with his entourage.
Watching Wei Meng and others go away, Yan Zhuang beside Zhang Chong couldn't hold back and asked:
"Your Majesty, our army is indeed a little short of military resources. Since the other side is willing to pay money, we can accept it. Anyway, it will not affect our army's siege plan."
Zhang Chong shook his head and asked Yan Zhuang:
"One hundred thousand gold, it is difficult to use all the strength of the world, let alone the city of Kyoto? By then, those rats in the city will not only exploit the people's power, but when the people's resentment boils over, they will hate our army. It's not worth it."< br>
In solemn silence, he retreated.
……
Having given up on peace talks, they attacked the city with all their strength.
The next day, the Taishan Army launched an attack on Kyoto from the east, west and south. The war started around the group of fortresses Zhu Jun had deployed on the outskirts of the city.
Among them, the first one to start was the Zhuyuan Barrier in the western suburbs of Kyoto.
In the past, the Han Dynasty built gardens and forests outside the city for the emperor to hunt in the spring and autumn. Luoyang, the capital of Guangwu, also established seven or eight gardens in the northwest of Kyoto, the largest of which was Shanglin Garden in the northwest.
In the past, Shanglinyuan was not only where the emperor hunted, but also where the Northern Army was stationed, so there was a very complete set of barriers here.
At this moment, the person responsible for attacking Shanglinyuan was Xie Bi, the famous wise general of the Taishan Army. He led his Wei Bo army to attack the Han family's Shanglinyuan fortress.
Thanks to the detailed investigation before the war, Wei Bojun methodically captured a series of small strongholds outside Shanglinyuan after the war started.
The defender of Shanglinyuan was also very knowledgeable. Seeing that his side did not have an advantage in the field, he dispatched his troops to the south bank of Gushui.
Gushui originates from Hongnong, goes all the way east, passes through Shanglinyuan, and then enters Luo. At that time, the Han family dug ponds and gardens here and arranged boats.
Today, the prosperous boats are no longer visible, but the valley water can still provide protection for the Han army.
After the fortress in the north of the garden was attacked by Wei Bo's army and surrendered, the remaining Han army still stood there, waiting for the enemy to cross the river.
Xie Bi naturally saw the enemy's plan. He immediately ordered his troops to ride upstream from the valley to cross the river, and then he led three thousand infantrymen to fight across the bank.
After Xie Bi led Wei Bo's army across the river, he met the remaining Han army in a valley surrounded by trees.
Because the numbers of both sides were about the same, the Han army could still fight in formation at first, but as Wei Bo's army from the northwest suddenly rode along the valley, everything was doomed.
The Han army in Shanglin was defeated.
Because the dense jungle in Shanglinyuan blocked the line of action of the sudden cavalry, most of the Han army was able to retreat to the second line.
They tried to build a second line of defense at Guangcheng Yuan.
But unfortunately, Wei Bojun was not the only enemy.
At this moment, on their west side, a Western Army composed of about 10,000 people and two bugles, led by Commander-in-Chief Zhang Dan, was launching a full-scale attack on Guangcheng Garden, Liang Garden, Baima Temple, and Xiyuan.
Therefore, these Han soldiers who retreated from Shanglin Garden did not even enter Guangcheng Garden, but were coerced by the friendly forces in the garden to retreat eastward.
Facing the Taishan Army's overwhelming catapult attack, the Han Army's wooden barriers were as brittle as paper.
As a result, Guangcheng Garden was destroyed first, and then Liang Garden and Baima Temple fell one after another.
Finally, the front lines of Pingle Garden and Xianyang Garden in the rear also lowered their flags one after another and surrendered to Zhang Dan.
As a result, within half a day of the fighting, all the fortresses in the west of the Han army fell.
As for the Taishan Army, if the fighting in the west is hearty, then their fighting in the south of the city is a farce.
The person in charge of the offensive in the south of the city was Zhang Nan, a general of the Taishan Army.
He led the elite Shangjing Army and 5,000 Gongsheng Army to attack a series of Han army's barriers in the south of the city.
The south of Kyoto has always been the most important area. Here, the Han Dynasty had a series of barriers and pavilions. Its outermost perimeter includes Dingzhongguan, Jinyang Pavilion, Xuanyang Pavilion and Xuanyang Temple. There are a series of rebuilt fortresses behind it, such as Mingtang, Lingtai and Piyong.
Therefore, Zhang Nan was relatively cautious at first, wanting to wait for Zhao Yun's crane-controlling army to act together.
But soon a group of military officials calling themselves Imperial Students came to surrender with flags in front of the formation.
Zhang Nan captured the most important south wall of the Han army without even sending a single attack.
It turned out that the core of the Han army's military strength on the southern wall was three thousand, and the rest were watermen hired by the Han army. In order to guard against these Cao Fu, the ministers filled the Cao Fu with Taixue students as military officials, trying to control this hasty army.
However, these cattlemen had long been dissatisfied with the Han Dynasty. After learning that the Taishan Army opposite was also an army composed of poor people, they decided to revolt before the battle.
Some imperial students who were ignorant of current affairs were hacked to death, and the rest were coerced and surrendered.
The three thousand Han troops stationed in Mingtang saw the nearby fortresses surrendering one after another. Until the situation was over, they hurriedly crossed the Luoshui River and fled into the city.
In this way, Taishan's army had marched to three sides of Kyoto, leaving only the golden tomb in the northwest corner standing on the battlefield.
But this little Jin Yong was involved in the most brutal bloody battle since the war began.