Chapter 727 Red Rabbit
Thirteen miles east of Hongnong, there is Caoyang Pavilion.
Guo Si, the general of Zhonglang Zhengdong, was stationed here, commanding 14,000 men and 3,000 horses, ranking second to Liu Bei.
If the world is divided into Guanzhong and Heluo, then Hongnong is located in the middle of these two places.
In the past, when the Zhou people left Guanzhong, entered Heluo, and left the Central Plains in the east to conquer the world, they had to take this passage west of Hongnong.
This passage connects the Weihe Plain and the Luoyang Plain. It is rugged and has no smooth path. It has not changed due to wind, frost and snowfall for more than a thousand years.
Hongnong is the starting point of this passage. From here, you cross the Xiaoqin Mountains and Xiaoshan Mountains, and go west to the lower loess hills on the south bank of the river.
During the car journey, the sun did not see the light.
Therefore, although Kyoto and Chang'an are very close to each other, they are divided into two independent geographical units because of this rugged Hangu Passage.
And naturally, this place has become the focus of Kansai's defense. Since Liu Hong's time, many frontline generals have been stationed in Hongnong, coordinating all military forces inside and outside the pass.
But this time, it was General Zhengdong who was stationed here, not Guo Si's boss, General Wei Duan.
This is not surprising at all, because Duan Yan is leading the shogunate to be stationed in Huayin on the back road, hoarding Shayuan on the Yin of the Weishui River.
There, Duan Yan was not only responsible for supporting the Hangu front, but also guarding Fenglingdu, an important ferry in Hedong County. The task is heavier, and it naturally requires Duan Xuan to guard it more.
To the east of Guo Bang's tribe, Liu Bei, the general who conquered the north, had more than 10,000 troops stationed in Mianchi. It can be said to be an out-and-out front line.
At this moment, in Caoyang Pavilion and Guo Si's camp shogunate, people were shouting and neighing, and there was a lot of noise.
Soon, a cavalry army of two hundred people rushed out from the shogunate. They shouted in various Chinese and Qiang languages. Led by a majestic knight at the front, they rode across the hills.
Caoyang Pavilion, where Guo Si's camp is located, was an ancient battlefield. Chen Chu general Zhou Zhang was ordered by Chen Sheng to lead thousands of troops and hundreds of thousands of soldiers to attack Guanzhong. It was here that he was defeated by Qin general Zhang Han. Defeated again, he finally committed suicide on the spot.
And here, some white bones and bronze swords can still be exposed from time to time, which seems to tell the story of the broken mountains and rivers of that year.
But the white bones exposed in the wild and the absence of roosters for thousands of miles do not seem to be related to the war hundreds of years ago. Not only Caoyang Pavilion, but actually even hundreds of miles around is desolate and inhabited.
This is the damage caused to this place by the three-year battle of Weihan.
As the closest base behind Hangu Pass, Hongnong was responsible for half of the expenditures for the Kansai War. Hongnong suffered huge damage from military disasters and man-made disasters.
The endless weeds, old trees springing from spring, green foxes scurrying, and white rabbits hopping side by side, all show the scars of the Battle of Weihan.
Although Kansai won, it seemed that he did not win.
But at this moment, the eagle flew into the grass, which made it easier for Guo Bang and his ordinary Qiang Han riders.
They rode horses here to hunt, displaying their splendid force on the slopes full of lilacs in full bloom. Rabbits walked and foxes ran, arrows flashed, and they were full of laughter and harmony.
Soon, these people had exhausted their hunting, but they did not return to the camp immediately. Instead, they arrived behind a decaying palace wall loaded with prey.
This is a palace. When Guangwu forced more than 100,000 red eyebrows to be surrendered in Yiyang, this palace was specially built to reward meritorious officials. Less than two hundred years have passed, and the place has changed beyond recognition, with hundreds of feet of ruined walls covered with grass, and spider webs crisscrossing the carved beams and painted buildings.
Guo Si and others found this place, but were fascinated by the desolate ending, and felt that this was a good place for a picnic.
So, hundreds of people leaned against the palace tent and prepared to have a picnic on the ground.
Stepping on the rubble that turned into gravel, Guo Bang looked at the palace wall that had fallen to the ground and fell into a trance on the spot.
At this time, the army commander beside him, Liu Xiong, woke up Guo Bang and asked:
"General, how do you get lost?"
After hearing the voice, Guo Si came back to his senses and saw that the people who followed him on the stage were all his subordinates. He thought about it and said to everyone:
"The reason why I am in a trance is because this place is so similar to the scene when I was a child."
With that said, Guo Bang told everyone a story:
"You are all from Kansai who I have chosen, and you may not know the relationship between the Grand Master and me. Like Yong'er, I have followed the Grand Master since we were young. One time, the Grand Master got a new white eagle. Just take us hunting, we will still be in Longxi.”
Speaking of this, Guo Si was afraid that these people would not understand, so he said:
"Yong'er is Commander-in-Chief Fan Chou. The place in Longxi is fertile and wild, which is most suitable for hunting. We always went there, and we made many friends."
After explaining a sentence, Guo Bang returned to the topic:
"I remember that hunting very clearly. We saw a red rabbit."
"Red rabbit?"
The person who said this was another Sima of Guo Si's department, Linghu Zheng and Bingzhou Shi.
Guo Bang was not angry because of Linghu Zheng's interruption. Instead, he lowered his voice and said:
"Yes, it is a red rabbit. Because it is so strange, we must chase it. But it is also strange. You must know the shooting skills of Lieutenant Etai. Not to mention walking rabbits, even fallen leaves can be shot within a hundred steps. But that time, we almost ended up escaping to an abandoned palace by the red rabbit.”
As he spoke, Guo Bang pointed at the palace ruins in front of him and exclaimed:
"Then, it's the same as here, yes, exactly the same."
As he spoke, Guo Bang jumped off the platform, spread a piece of fine soil on his hand, rolled it in his hand, and affirmed again:
"Yes, exactly the same."
At this time, the officials of the Zhengxi shogunate, including Liu Xiong and Linghu Zheng, were silent. They realized that their lord must have something to say.
Sure enough, Guo Bang then said:
"But just as the red rabbit was about to run into the palace ruins, a hunting dog suddenly burst out from inside. Not only did it kill the red rabbit, it also frightened the Taiwei's white eagle away. At that time, the Taiwei became angry and shot an arrow. He shot at the hunting dog.”
"And guess what?"
Guo Bang looked around at the officials who were attracted by his story and said mysteriously:
"Then, two giants rushed out of the palace. They pulled the Grand Master to the left and right to enter the palace. Then an old woman in white came out and said to the Grand Master as soon as she came: 'This Duke will Revenge for my son, who is your benefactor." After saying this, he helped the grand master aside."
Guo Si's story was so unbelievable that everyone held their breath and did not dare to disturb him.
At this moment, Guo Bang's eyes were shining and he said to everyone:
"Then the old woman said that she could read divination, so she made divination for us. Every time she touched someone's hand, she said that they would be rich. When she touched me, she said that I would be a general in the future. Then when she touched Lao Fan, she said There will be disasters with swords and weapons, and then if you touch the Grand Master, you will say that our wealth and fame are all due to the Grand Master.”
In this way, Guo Si's story was finished, but the people present became even more silent.
Some people were silent, such as Xia Yu and Gao Shuo. They were all confused and did not know what to say. Some people were silent because they understood the meaning of Guo Si's story and did not dare to speak.
Liu Xiong and Linghu Zheng are understanding people here. Although they are not too sure, they feel that this story is a huge political metaphor.
Among them, the red rabbit, could it be the country of the Han Dynasty? Could the white eagle in Dong Zhuo's hand be a warrior from Liangdi? As for the old woman in white who appeared and the words she said about avenging her son, they always reminded the two of them of the story of Gaozu killing the white snake. The two of them were unsure of the direction of Guo Bang's words, so they could only look at Guo Bang's face carefully, trying to read something from his face.
The result was that Guo Bang didn't seem to understand what his story was at all, and he didn't say anything about it. He just laughed for a while, and then left a sentence:
"This place is so similar, so similar."
Then Guo Bang left here and returned to the bonfire outside, where the roasted food was already exuding a strong fragrance.
……
When Guo Si and his party returned to the Cao Yangting camp after their safari, he left Yao Naxing and Guo Cong alone.
One of them is Guo Si's brother-in-law and the other is his younger brother. They are both the most trusted people.
Yao Naxing wears the traditional hair ornaments of the Qiang people and has a rough and bold face. You can tell that he is a Qiang person without asking, while Guo Cong is a smart and capable man who plays neatly and wears a military bow.
Guo Bang's wife is not an ordinary Qiang woman, but the chieftain of Yao Shaodang, a large Qiang tribe between Taoshui and Hanshui in Longxi. Ding is prosperous and has thousands of people.
The reason why Guo Si was able to marry such a Qiang chieftain was not because of his own efforts, but because she was attracted to Guo Si.
At that time, Guo Si was still poor and was herding horses for Dong Zhuo's family. Once he accidentally went deep into the Qiang land and was captured by the chieftain.
Guo Aduo was a pure and simple man in the Han people, but in the Qiang people's aesthetics, he was an out-and-out hero, so the chieftain wanted to recruit Guo Bin as her son-in-law.
But Guo Si was relatively young at that time and did not understand the virtues of chieftains, so he refused righteously and said boldly:
"I, Guo Si, am a man, how can I submit to a woman?"
And then what? The chieftain just sighed and said:
"I will fight with you three times now. If you can defeat me, I will allow you to return home."
Who is Guo Si?
Even though he was a horse breeder in Dong Zhuo's family, he was trained by Dong Zhuo since he was a child. He knew everything about riding, archery, and horse riding, so he was naturally very happy.
So, the two tried the school.
The first cavalry and shooting attack was defeated; the second attack on the military formation was defeated again.
After two games, Guo Bang was stunned and wanted to commit suicide out of shame. But the chieftain persuaded her, and they competed for the third time. This time it was a direct contest of strength, so no surprise, Guo Bang won.
Finally, the chieftain gave Guo Si a step, saying that you are strong, I am wise, and the husband and wife are in harmony, so what can we do?
So Guo Si obeyed.
It is precisely because of this background that the Qiang people account for a large proportion in Guo Si's army, and the Qiang people of the Yao clan are even more present in the army. Even on major military matters, Guo Si has to discuss with his wife.
It can be said that Yao Shaodang was both Guo Si's patron and his mastermind. The head of Yao Shaodang, Guo Bang's brother-in-law, Yao Naxing, has also been involved in Guo Bang's most confidential affairs.
At this moment, when Yao Naxing saw that he and Guo Cong were left alone, he realized what Guo Si wanted to ask, so he wondered:
"Brother-in-law, there's no news on that matter yet, we can't rush."
It's okay that Guo Si didn't listen to this. He became angry when he heard this. He was so angry that he slapped the table and cursed:
"What happened to the Grand Master? Is he really determined to work for the Han family? The brothers followed the Grand Master back to Chang'an from Hedong, and they did not want to be loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty."
In these words, Guo Bang was full of resentment against Dong Zhuo, but he only dared to talk about it in private. He was afraid of being whipped by Dong Zhuo since he was a child, and he did not dare to have any courage to disobey Dong Zhuo.
After hearing Brother Cong's words, Guo Cong frowned and analyzed:
"Brother Cong, we can't be impatient. The Grand Master may not have any ideas. Otherwise, the matter would have been investigated long ago, and now nothing has happened? This means there is something going on."
Guo Cong's words made sense. At this time, Guo Si was thinking about what they had done.
In order to encourage the grand master to rise up and usurp the throne of the little emperor, Guo Si and other old Liangzhou warriors spent a lot of effort.
They secretly smeared the two characters "Emperor" with honey on the screen wall of Taishi Mansion, and then waited until the next day for a swarm of ants to form "Emperor" on the screen wall.
Logically speaking, this matter has been done very directly, but when Dong Zhuo saw it, he just asked someone to smear it with mud, and then there was no reaction.
Guo Si and the others were unwilling to give in and wiped it twice more, but Dong Zhuo remained the same.
Therefore, Guo Si and the others did not dare to do it again.
Originally, Guo Si thought that the Grand Master was really determined to become a great man and was telling nonsense about making a great man great again. But now I listen to my brother's words. The Grand Master's lack of reaction may mean that he has a reaction.
Thinking of this, his eyes lit up.
The more he thought about Guo Si, the more excited he became. He clapped his hands and affirmed:
"I mean, Grand Master is not an old fool. In our current situation, we are still playing nonsense with that little emperor. Lao Li is in Yizhou. We defeated Liangzhou before. Although he will be transferred here, Lao Wu is retained by us. We are in Wuwei, so Liangzhou has to listen to us, and the Grand Master is in control of the situation in Chang'an. It can be said that from Chang'an to other places, there is no place where we are not our people."
And thinking of those words, Guo Bang felt disgusted, and he said angrily:
"I'm really tired of listening to what the Grand Master said about making the big man great again. The big man has lost all his eggs and wants to be harder? What the heck. If you have that kind of skill, Grand Master might as well make a big deal with us. Come out. Mr. Liu can sit in that bird seat, but our grand master can’t?”
Guo Cong nodded, but felt embarrassed:
"But now there is no movement from the Grand Master, so we can only wait."
But Guo Si sneered:
"You don't understand the Grand Master. I've been with him since I was a child. How come you don't know what the Grand Master is like? Let's put it this way. When the Grand Master is having fun, sometimes he just doesn't want to show off. We always push behind him at that time. His waist is helping the Taiwei to move. So, we have to help the Taishi move."
Of course Guo Cong understood what brother Cong said, but he was confused and said:
"Then how can we help move it?"
Guo Bang thought for a while and asked:
"How about we seal the pass here and block Liu Bei out of the pass first? Then send the army westward, fight back to Chang'an, and support the grand master?"
Guo Cong was startled at that time and hurriedly advised:
"This must not be like this. We can still support the Grand Master in our army, but if we fight back now, it would be a rebellion. I am afraid that the Grand Master will destroy us by then."
When Guo Bang thought about this, he pondered:
"Yes, it seems that we have to find a way to get the Grand Master to come to the front line. We have to think about this carefully."
While Guo Si was thinking about it, Yao Naxing saw someone carrying a flag and waving outside the tent, so he walked over.
After a while, he entered the account again and gave Guo Si a military letter. The letter was sent by Liu Bei on the Mianchi front line.
Guo Bang looked at his eyes, laughed, and slapped the letter hard:
"Okay, this opportunity will come."