Chapter 723: Coming
In the third year of Taiwu, May 3rd.
When Yuan Shaoyi was marching north with his army, a special guest arrived in Kyoto, three hundred miles away.
He is the envoy from Kansai, Fa Zheng.
Fazheng had been on good terms with Liu Bei since he was rescued by Liu Bei after the Chengdu Incident. Because the final great achievement was taken away by Li Jue, Liu Bei did not get the opportunity to open a government after the war, so Fazheng and Liu Bei were still just friends.
This time, the Kansai court ordered Fa Zheng to go to Kyoto to negotiate with the Taishan Army.
When Fa Zheng was cycling eastward from the camp in Mianchi, he was intercepted by You Yi of the Taishan Army. After learning that Fa Zheng was the envoy from Kansai, these people took Fa Zheng all the way east, and finally in May We arrived in Kyoto on the third day.
Returning to Kyoto again, Fazheng felt that things were different and people were different.
The convoy entered from Yongmen in the west. As soon as Fazheng entered the city, he found that there were many people in the capital, and they all carried talismans. From time to time, patrolling Taishan Army officials would come forward to question them.
And just when Fazheng turned around and was about to look to the other side, a commotion suddenly broke out on the left side of the road.
Two men dressed in ordinary clothes squeezed their way through the crowd and prepared to escape through the open east door. Obviously, these two people must have noticed something and felt that they could no longer hide, so they fought to the death.
The unexpected behavior of the two people also scared the Taishan Army officers who were patrolling over there, but they quickly reacted and prepared to draw their bows and shoot arrows.
But at this moment, a knight in yellow ran from the road, holding a spear in his hand. He caught up with a person in the blink of an eye, and then nailed the man to the ground with his spear.
The other person heard the wailing of his companion and stepped faster, but before he could take two steps, a string of ropes escaped from behind him.
Then the knight in yellow dragged the man back by the rope.
After the man was dragged back with bruises all over his body, the Taishan Army officers on both sides rushed forward to capture him.
Finally, these military officials looked at the armband of the knight in yellow, gave him a military salute, and then took Xi Zuo back to the Yamen Temple.
They want to interrogate this person as soon as possible to find out whose power it is.
But this scene made Fazheng's heart pound in his eyes, because he was worried that the two people in front of him were sent by them from Kansai.
Although he was not involved in the espionage work in Kansai, he was still very aware that the imperial court's infiltration into the Kyoto area had never stopped.
Even when the intelligence work was presided over by Jia Xu, he made great achievements. It is said that the Kanto emperors Liu Bian and He Jin were the main promoters of the Manna Revolution in Kansai.
But this has always been a rumor and has never been verified. However, since then Fazheng has become very interested in the unattractive middle-aged man Jia Xu.
There were some interesting things that happened, but that’s a story for another time.
At this moment, Fazheng was worried that these two people were his own work and might affect his mission, so he pretended to be confused and asked a Taishan military officer beside the carriage:
"Mr. Xu, I don't know who the knight in yellow is. He looks like a leaping dragon and a tiger. He doesn't look like an ordinary person."
The military officer named Xu was Xu Sheng, who controlled the crane army.
Previously, he had just moved the army to Xin'an with the military leader Zhao Yung, and was ordered by the military leader to take care of this so-called relationship messenger and escort him to Beijing.
Xu Sheng was originally reluctant to do this. After all, he was a former military camp general. Although the former camp was replenishing its personnel and had not yet formed combat effectiveness, he would not be a guard.
So now he listened to Fazheng's question and sarcastically said:
"What are you feeling guilty about? Didn't you just catch a spy? During this period, there is no day in Kyoto where thirty or forty people are not arrested. I heard that the Tingwei people are tired of it, but there is no other way. Who asked them to do this job? , we didn’t say we were tired of fighting, did we?”
Fazheng nodded stiffly, and then sat in the car again. He naturally felt Xu Sheng's malice, so he said no more.
On the contrary, Xu Sheng was silent for a while and took the initiative:
"Master Fa, we don't know what you are here for, but as far as we are concerned, you don't actually need to take this risk. Isn't your idea of Kansai obvious? But what you want is on the battlefield. If you didn’t take it, you still want to get it back during the negotiation? So if I were you, I would get out of the car immediately and at least save my life.”
Fazheng pursed his lips with difficulty, but found that there was no foam in his mouth at all. He forced a smile and said:
"The demeanor of your army and King Zhang does not look like they are capable of killing envoys. Xu Jun, I treat you sincerely, don't scare me."
Xu Sheng shrugged and then said to Fa Zheng:
"You don't have to say this to me. Our Taishan Army doesn't care about your life. But just because we don't care doesn't mean others don't care."
After speaking, Xu Sheng pursed his lips to a group of people on the side of the road.
Fazheng followed Xu Sheng and saw a group of half-grown teenagers looking at him with hatred, their hands hidden in their sleeves, as if they would pull out a dagger and rush over at any time.
Fazheng was startled and asked Xu Sheng:
"Xu Jun, whose children are these? Why do they look like this?"
But I heard Xu Sheng said:
"Isn't it your fault? These people are the children of the officials who were killed by the Kwantung Army in the Weihan Pass. Many of their fathers and brothers died at the hands of you Kansai people, but you just show off and don't hang them on the car. Do you think I will be hated if I fly the Kansai flag on the Emperor's Day? "
Fazheng was shocked when he saw a child who was not even as tall as his own wheel but looked at him with extremely cruel eyes.
He finally tried to determine:
"As an envoy from Kansai, you should protect me. After all, the two armies..."
But he was interrupted by Xu Sheng. Xu Sheng tilted his head and told Fa Zheng very seriously:
"Stop thinking about this, remember what I just said, we don't care whether you live or die, just like what you are going to do, we don't care either. Our Taishan Army adheres to one thing, repay tooth for tooth, repay ten times. . Since you dare to send a letter from Kansai, don’t say anything else. See you on the battlefield then.”
Xu Sheng finally said something that allowed Fa Zheng to break the defense:
"Besides, your life is not even valued by your own court. What do we value?"
This sentence immediately made Fazheng dumbfounded and then depressed.
Because Xu Sheng was right, his Fa Zheng was indeed not tolerated by the court, and this was also attributed to the Chengdu incident.
He and Liu Zhang had previously joined Shu to send congratulatory gifts, but unexpectedly, he and Liu Zhang were pushed step by step onto the path of rebellion. Although he was forced to do so, in the eyes of Emperor Liu Xie, this was betrayal.
People like Liu Zhang and Fazheng were Liu Xie's former ministers. They were not only emperors and ministers, but also friends. But now the double betrayal of friends and courtiers made Liu Bian no longer able to trust Fa Zheng.
Once Fa Zheng fell out of favor with Liu Bian, Li Jue, the governor of Shu County, impeached Fa Zheng. When he was in Chengdu, Fazheng helped Liu Bei and repeatedly restricted him. Li Jue had long wanted to take revenge.
As a result, Fazheng was transferred to prison three times, and what he was interrogated about was still matters related to the rebellion in Chengdu.
In the end, Liu Bei rescued him through many means, and Fa Zheng was released, but he could only accept this high-risk job and leave Chang'an.
However, the embarrassment of Fazheng Bicycle's mission at this time was not because of this. Liu Xie would never lower the mission's configuration no matter what. After all, this was the first time the Taishan Army was sent to Kansai as an envoy, and it represented the face of the Han Dynasty.
But unfortunately, the mission configuration of twenty vehicles was detained by Guo Si when it arrived at the main camp stationed in Mianchi in Kansai. In the end, Fazheng was allowed to go east with one person and one vehicle. Xu Sheng naturally didn't know about these things, but that didn't hinder his condescending sympathy for Fa Zheng.
Fa Zheng was silent.
After passing through several blocks, the convoy quickly entered the gold market.
The gold market that used to be home to all kinds of treasures in the world is now very depressed, and all the shops in the city have been closed. The Taishan Army has completely accepted this place and used it as a place to store grain.
Fazheng could have an unobstructed view of the gold market through the parapet half a man high. But he didn't dare to look more, he just looked at it a few times.
Soon the convoy passed through Jinshi and entered the Middle East Gate Avenue.
This avenue is the passage between the North and South Palaces, and above it is the Fudao. However, when Fazheng came, the Tianjie Fudao adjacent to Feiyu was no longer visible.
Perhaps the remaining bricks and stones on East Gate Avenue are the last traces of the restoration of the street that day.
Afterwards, they stopped at Zhuque Gate. Xu Sheng exchanged talismans with Gongmen Sima, and then waited here with Fazheng.
After a while, the Suzaku Gate opened, Xu Sheng and Fazheng entered the palace on foot, and then headed towards the Sima Gate in front.
It was only here that Fazheng began to carefully peek around.
The traces of the war in the North Palace have been cleaned up, and majestic officials can be seen everywhere holding halberds and waiting. But in the past, the smell of powder that Fazheng could always smell in Beigong was gone at all.
In the past, there were three palaces in the North Palace: many maids, many eunuchs, and many buildings. The palace maids and eunuchs loved to use powder, so there was always a strong smell lingering in the palace.
But now, there seems to be no maids or eunuchs in the entire North Palace. It seems that even the mosquitoes here are male.
This feeling is very novel, as if Taishan Army always exudes an overly strong masculinity.
After passing through the Quefei Gate, they stayed in the Quefei Hall and waited for the next call.
But until sunset, no further summons was heard, as if Fa Zheng had been forgotten.
……
In the Chongde Hall in the middle of the North Palace, Zhang Chong listened to the report of Fei Jun’s foreign envoy Meng Ju and said in surprise:
"You said Ju Yi actually withdrew his troops?"
Meng Ju nodded.
Zhang Chong pinched his chin, rested it on his knees and began to think.
The dynamics of the enemy army were obviously beyond Zhang Chong's expectations. He originally thought that the enemy army would show great victory and continue to move north, but now Meng Ju told him that Ju Yi had actually run away?
What's this? Dragon head and snake tail?
Zhang Chong thought that shouldn't be the case. He had been quite forbearing and restrained, and even deliberately let the Guanxi Army break through to the Xin'an area in order to lure Yuan Jun south.
It stands to reason that if he were Yuan Shao, he would not miss this opportunity. After all, if he did not dare to take the initiative to go north when he had such a huge advantage, then Yuan Shao would be a mediocre person.
But no amount of logic and I think can change the fact that Ju Yi has retreated.
At this time, Xun You on the side suddenly asked Meng Ju:
"Where have Yu Shuai's troops gone? Are they still in the Wan'an Mountain area?"
Meng Ju nodded and explained:
"Yu Shuai's troops are already in the Wan'an Mountain area, ready to launch a surprise attack on Dagu Road to cut off Ju Yi's way back south."
Xun You nodded and turned around to speak to Zhang Chong, when Zhang Chong waved his hand and said very firmly:
"No, let Yu Jin continue to lurk in place, and no attack on Otaniguchi can be carried out without my order."
At this time, He Kui intervened and suggested to Zhang Chong:
"Your Majesty, is this too risky? If Yu Jin's troops are not allowed to move out, Ju Yi's troops will withdraw completely."
But Zhang Chong was very sure that he had thought about this matter clearly, and he asked:
"So what if we let him withdraw? And once Yu Jin's traces are exposed, Yuan Shao behind him will not go north. There is no way to scare the snake. If I want to fight, I will attack him with 100,000 troops. What's the use of leaving him with 20,000 or 30,000 troops? ”
But Zhang Chong's overconfidence could not be recognized by these disciples and staff. Even Tian Feng was trying to persuade:
"Your Majesty, you still have to eat this grain one bite at a time. If you eat too much in one meal, you won't be able to gain weight, and you will easily choke."
He is very sincere:
"Today, the total strength of our army in the Gyeonggi area is only 60,000. Thirty thousand of them were brought to Wan'an Mountain by Yu Jin, and 10,000 were deployed in the Jianshui area to guard against the Guanxi Army. The actual number of troops that can be mobilized is only 20,000. With our current situation The situation is that the 30,000 men who attack Ju Yi need to attack from the north and south with Yu Jin's troops, let alone face Yuan Shao's 100,000 troops later."
But Zhang Chong is not someone who is easily persuaded. He is very confident. He explained to his disciples:
"The current situation is not favorable to us. Among them, Cao Cao in Qingzhou has been silent, and I feel really uneasy. If I don't seize the opportunity here, I will annihilate Yuan Shao's main force in one or two battles and cripple them. I'm worried that it will take a long time. Yes, something has changed in Qingzhou.”
But Xun You asked a very pointed question:
"Your Majesty, have you ever thought about what would happen to our army if the Guanxi Army marched eastward to participate in the battle while our army was engaged in a decisive battle with Yuan's army?"
Zhang Chong was silent. He had many reasons to explain that the Guanxi Army would not march eastward so rashly. For example, someone's envoy from Kansai has arrived, and the Yuan and Liu families seem to be inseparable.
But none of these questions can answer Xun You's question, because Xun You didn't ask if it would happen, but asked if it happened, how would our army do?
What can Zhang Chong say?
Once the Guanxi Army really participates in the battlefield without hesitation, then Zhang Chong will be defeated no matter how brave he is. After all, he only has 20,000 people at his disposal.
Once the Kansai Army suddenly appears on the battlefield, it will be devastating to the morale of the Taishan Army on the battlefield. Therefore, the Taishan Army may have no choice but to abandon the capital in a hurry and withdraw to the north of the river.
While Zhang Chong was silent, Dong Zhao, who had been silent, spoke up. He directly supported Zhang Chong's decision and said:
"I support the king's decision. All your considerations are correct, but you have forgotten one thing, that is, what will happen to Yuan Shao when we face him? As what is happening now, Ju Yi has run away, which is actually to give Yu Jinzhen another chance. It's too late to intercept. But it must be Yuan Shao's intention to run away? I'm afraid that Yuan Shao is so happy that he planned this encirclement and suppression. Is he going to end up like this?"
Finally, Dong Zhao said something that convinced everyone:
"Often the decisive analysis is very simple, even common sense. Based on my common sense about the children of aristocratic families, Yuan Shao will definitely go north. And once Yuan's army goes north, our army and Yu Jin from the south will attack his army from north to south, even though he has 100,000 people , but how can we stop the charge of our army's ten thousand cavalry in the Heluo Basin?"
In this way, Zhang Chong finally made the decision and continued to proceed according to the original plan. At this time, a group of flag-carrying troops rushed from outside the Shangdong Gate. They came at full speed with news about Guan Yu's tribe in Zhongnan.
And how will their arrival change the situation of the war?