Chapter 825 Jumping over the Wall
On both sides of the Fen River, the apricot Taishan Army and the crimson Han Army faced off across the water.
Fenshui is the most important line of defense of the Han army in the east of Hedong. It is not only related to Hedong, but also the lifeline of Longmendu, the northeast gate of Guanzhong.
Therefore, Dong Zhuo stationed almost 20,000 troops here and established a Fenshui defense line around important passes such as Yubi.
Even in May, when the Han army on the defense line noticed that the Taishan Army's surprise cavalry appeared at the southern foot of Zhongtiao Mountain, these people did not choose to go south, but continued to guard the defense line.
Of course, it was this act that allowed Zhang Chong to successfully break through the Sanmenxia Ferry and attack Guo Si from the rear, causing the death of almost 20,000 Kansai soldiers.
Although Dong Zhuo did not reprimand Wang Chang, who was in charge of the Fenshui defense line, the Liangzhou generals in the army often expressed anger when mentioning Wang Chang.
Originally, Wang Chang and Liu Bei were close, which some people couldn't stand. Now that such a mistake has occurred, the Liangzhou clique will be even less tolerated.
In fact, Wang Chang also regretted it. Although he repeatedly sent people across the river to alert the friendly forces on the other side, he still did not expect that Liu Xuande would die as a result.
Mr. Xuande, if you leave, can this big man be saved?
Wang Chang couldn't get the answer, so he could only continue to confront the more than 10,000 Taishan troops on the other side.
Recently, the Taishan Army on the opposite side has been a little strange. Those people used to be busy, either sending small teams south to infiltrate the south bank, or secretly infiltrating from Zhongtiao Mountain and attacking the dock wall at the rear.
But recently, Taishan's army has been very peaceful. It's just a deep ditch and a high base on the other side, and it's not called a battle.
At first, Wang Chang thought the situation was pretty good, but when he inspected the Fenshui defense line recently, he found that many garrison officials were very lax.
This made Wang Chang aware of the problem, so after returning to the camp, he asked the military leaders to come to the camp to listen to orders.
He decided to simply detach his elite troops and raid the Taishan Army on the other side. He did not expect to win a big battle, as long as his subordinates did not slack off.
Therefore, at this moment, the twelve generals on the entire defense line gathered in Wang Chang's military tent.
At this moment, a chief clerk next to Wang Chang was talking to the generals present about the situation Wang Chang encountered during his tour of the camp.
The faces of several generals were a little bad. Although they knew that what the chief said was right, there were some things that they could not control.
For example, it is true that each battalion is slacking off in training, but there is nothing that can be done about it.
These past few months have been the period of intense heat, and it is difficult to endure even staying in the camp, let alone gathering for training.
The chief secretary also said that reports from some places said that Fenshui defense soldiers repeatedly came to plunder places, and even arrested a few people and took them to the camp, which was a disgrace to the entire army.
These generals also admitted that this was also true.
But why is this happening? Wang Shuai and the chief secretary should know. Isn't it because the military rations have been out of supply recently?
The brothers now eat less than half of what they used to, and they don't get any money or food rewards. The people below will definitely go out to rob them if they don't have enough to feed them.
Do these generals dare to stop them?
In fact, these people also had resentment towards Wang Chang. That was when their Liangzhou army began to pay attention to military discipline.
The rest of the Liangzhou Army, let alone grabbing some local things, are killing the entire community. How many of them dare to make irresponsible remarks?
It just so happens that your subordinate Wang Shuai said that he would imitate the Taishan Army on the opposite side and never make any mistakes. Then the army's combat effectiveness did not improve much, but it started to manipulate the place and began to dare to report to the Liangzhou Army.
Of course, these grievances are only discussed in private. On the surface, the general public still respects Wang Chang.
After all, as the coach, Wang Chang really has nothing to say.
At this moment, the chief clerk finished talking about the question, and Wang Chang sat in the upper position and observed the reactions of the generals. Seeing that there were few expressions of shame among the generals, he understood.
It seems that this military spirit is really loose.
So, Wang Chang snorted, interrupted the chief clerk, and then spoke to the generals:
"We warriors are actually the most practical. You said drinking heavily and playing with women, who doesn't like these? But anyone who has been on the battlefield knows that those things are false, and they are real if they can make us survive."< br>
Seeing that everyone was listening, Wang Chang soothed his tone again:
"You said that training and military discipline are for me, or for those mud-legged people? No, it is for ourselves, so that we can survive after going to the battlefield."
Then he pointed to everyone:
"You guys want to be crowned marquises and generals, but in the end you have to have your subordinates be able to fight? Otherwise, why not go back to farming."
The generals listened to these words, and when they thought about it, it really made sense.
Anyway, for the people below who are affected, shouldn’t it be you who will benefit from the meritorious service in the end? It seems like we should go back and let the boys practice hard.
How to say that sentence:
"As long as you can't practice to death, practice to death."
Seeing that several brothers were getting angry, Wang Chang expressed his thoughts:
"These soldiers are not good enough just by training. We have to take them out to fight. Didn't the Taishan Army always come to our place before? Let's also choose some elite soldiers to cross the river north. What is this called? If you tell Kou to go, I can go too."
But several people present did not dare to answer Wang Chang's words.
Wang Shuai, you are joking with your brothers again!
In the past, we could barely defend the Jade Bi and the Fen River. Now if we let the sons cross the river and take the initiative, wouldn't that mean we are sending our brothers to death?
Besides, for such a difficult task, even if they went back and gave the order, not many people would respond.
Seeing the deathly silence below again, Wang Chang was already a little angry.
Why is it that after months of no fighting, military morale has deteriorated to such an extent that even the leading generals dare not fight, while the people below still have fighting spirit?
But looking at the pitiful looks of the people below, Wang Chang decided to take a step back.
He frowned and hummed:
"You are not allowed to go looking for the Taishan army to fight. Recently, we have received information from the other side. Some powerful people from the Taiyuan area are lurking in the mountains. You ask your subordinates to find these people and get in touch with them."
Upon hearing that it was a joint task, the generals relaxed and their faces were full of relief.
Just when everyone was preparing to wait for Wang Chang to start the banquet, a general suddenly walked in from outside the tent, went straight to Wang Chang, and then whispered a few words in his ear.
No one heard clearly, but they saw a look of surprise on Wang Chang's face.
But before anyone could investigate, they suddenly heard the sound of small drums coming from outside the camp.
After a while, a camp commander rushed into the tent on a fast horse and said:
"Commander, the angels outside the camp came to patrol the camp."
Wang Chang had just received the news. He was not surprised at this moment. He just asked the camp gate Sima:
"How many people did the angel bring?"
Yingmen Sima Ju reported:
"The angel only brought two people inside."
Wang Chang thought for a moment, then got up and went out of the tent to greet the angel, but before he could move, he saw the angel had already entered.
Wang Chang didn't know this man. As soon as he came in, he held his head high, walked straight to the handsome case, and shouted:
"Wang Chang, the mighty general, accept the order." Wang Chang was stunned for a moment, feeling vaguely uneasy, but when he saw the angel holding a Huang Juan in his hand, he still bowed to the end and responded:
"Your Majesty, Wang Chang, respectfully welcomes the angel's decree."
Then he stood up and apologized to the angel again:
"If you are wearing armor and can't perform a full salute, please don't blame the angels."
Originally this was just a casual remark, but the angel snorted and refused to answer. He just sneered:
"General Xingwei, take the order."
Wang Chang felt the angel's coldness and was frightened in his heart. He took the imperial edict in his hand with slight trembling.
Although he was in Hedong, he had heard about recent events in the court.
Knowing that the prime minister was seeking to be crowned king during this period, the governors and generals in some places wrote congratulatory forms in advance and sent them to Chang'an. Only Wang Chang felt that he wanted to read them again, so he kept them without sending them.
Could it be that this incident angered the Prime Minister?
At this time, the Huang Juan in Wang Chang's hand seemed to be of great weight. His whole body was shaking while holding it in his hand, and a slight sweat began to appear on his forehead.
He, Wang Chang, had been dealing with people like Liu Bei for a long time, and he thought that he was a person who could sacrifice his life for righteousness. But when things came to his head, Wang Chang discovered that he was so afraid of death.
Wang Chang's hand kept tugging on the silk cloth and he didn't dare to open it. The angel beside him urged in a calm tone:
"General Xingwei, take the order."
Wang Chang slowly opened the silk cloth and glanced at it in a dazed manner. Then he calmed down and began to read down word by word.
When he finally finished reading, he felt relieved, and then he reported back to the angel without hesitation:
"The last general will live up to his command and immediately send troops to Zuo Fengyi to quell the rebellion."
It turns out that this imperial edict was sent to Wang Chang by Dong Zhuo on the order of the Prime Minister.
Unlike Zong Qian, who was good at internal fighting, Dong Zhuo had a strong sense of sensitivity. When Zuo Fengyi's tax resistance incident in Suyi emerged, he had already seen the dangers of it.
Zuo Fengyi is close to the river and is separated from Hedong by just one water. He already shoulders the important task of supplying the Fenshui defense line. If Zuo Fengyi causes chaos, it will not only affect the defense of Hedong, but also the rebels may go east to hook up with the Taishan Army.
In this way, the original stable situation will inevitably be broken.
Therefore, Dong Zhuo had to suppress the civil unrest in Suyi in a short period of time, and the nearest army there was Wang Chang's army.
Although he didn't want Wang Chang to divide his troops and weaken the Fenshui defense line, he couldn't care less at this time.
Moreover, Dong Zhuo only asked Wang Chang to mobilize three thousand soldiers and horses to Zuo Fengyi to quell the rebellion. As long as he acted quickly enough, there would be no problem with the Fenshui defense line.
Wang Chang was frightened. He asked the angel to sit beside him and began to order generals, preparing to send troops to quell the rebellion.
But before Wang Chang said a few words, the angel frowned and interrupted Wang Chang. He said solemnly:
"General Xingwei, why don't you read what is written in the imperial edict and ask you, Wang Chang, to suppress the rebellion? Why are you ordering other people here?"
After Wang Chang heard this, he was obviously stunned for a moment, and subconsciously unfolded the imperial edict.
Sure enough, he was asked to put down the rebellion by Wang Chang.
But there is an ambiguity here. It is not clearly stated whether it is for him to go to Zuo Fengyi personally or for him to send people to quell the rebellion.
But depending on what the angel meant, did he insist that Wang Chang go?
From a common sense point of view, this is definitely wrong. After all, as the commander-in-chief of an army, he still has to sit in the Fenshui camp. No matter how serious the civil unrest is in Zuo Fengyi over there, why do we need to go there by ourselves?
But just thinking about it, Wang Chang wondered if this was a test of the Prime Minister's loyalty to him? I didn't send out my congratulatory note before, but now I'm asked to lead troops to suppress the rebellion, but I won't go. Doesn't this mean I'm rejecting the Prime Minister?
So Wang Chang's expression kept changing, and he finally agreed.
Once the decision was made, General Wang Chang arranged everything and immediately left the camp with his troops.
Over there, as soon as Wang Chang left, the angel who had taken refuge in the other tent suddenly rushed into the big tent. Then while the generals were stunned, he took out another yellow silk from his arms and shouted: < br>
"Your Majesty has an order, and all generals will take it."
The generals were confused, but seeing a few generals take the lead in bowing, they all knelt down one after another.
Then, after listening to the angel's announcement, everyone changed their colors.
In the end, it was the leading generals who took the lead and shouted, "Long live the emperor, long live the emperor."
So, the matter was settled.
Wang Chang, who had just led his troops out of camp, was heading straight for Longmen Ferry along the Fen River, where they were about to cross the river and head towards Zuofeng Yi.
At this moment, poor Wang Chang has three things he doesn’t know.
He didn't know that the order he received was Dong Zhuo's last military order in his life.
In fact, after Dong Zhuo issued this military order, he fainted again, and this time he fainted directly in the palace.
When the imperial doctors came to rescue him, they opened the hem of Dong Zhuo's clothes. Then all the civil and military officials present saw that Dong Zhuo's two thighs were completely ulcerated.
No wonder everyone always smells a rotten smell?
Although Li Ru later took over Dong Zhuo and took Dong Zhuo back to the Prime Minister's Mansion, all the ministers understood that Dong Zhuo was about to die soon.
In fact, after Li Ru and others returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion, martial law was ordered. The entire Chang'an suddenly fell into an atmosphere of tension.
Then the second thing Wang Chang didn't know was that he didn't know that as long as he persisted for a while, the angel would take the initiative to find Wang Chang and draw him closer to the emperor.
Liu Xie had some tricks. After Dong Zhuo was pulled out of the front hall, he asked the Chancellor to issue the decree. He deliberately obscured the meaning so that his people could operate it.
Sure enough, the emperor's envoy made some small moves and successfully broke through Wang Chang's psychology and made him think what he thought.
Then he really led the troops out of the camp. While he was transferred here, the angel over there took out the second imperial edict. Surrounded by several generals who were attracted by the emperor, they successfully captured the Fenshui camp. of military power.
What will the emperor do to seize the troops? Of course, he would fight back to Chang'an as a backup.
If Wang Chang knew that the soldiers he had worked so hard to manage were going to be used by the emperor in this way, he would definitely cry out:
"The Fenshui soldiers have been transferred away, so who will resist the Taishan army?"
In military terms, Wang Chang was right. But politically, Liu Xie was indeed right.
If the Fenshui defense line is lost, there will still be Hedong and Dahe. Even Zuo Fengyi, who is already in turmoil, can stop the Taishan Army.
But if he loses in the battle in Chang'an, Liu Xie will definitely not survive.
Now it was no longer whether he thought about it or not, but when Dong Zhuo's condition came to everyone, he knew that the Dong family would definitely jump over the wall.
At this time, his enemy was not the Taishan Army, but the Dong family, and his battlefield was not in Fenshui, but in Chang'an.
It can only be said that Wang Chang does not understand politics and its filth.
Of course, there is a third thing that Wang Chang doesn't know, that is, Zuo Fengyi, whom he wants to suppress the rebellion at the moment, is no longer what the imperial edict said, but is just a little commotion.
Wang Chang didn't know anything about this.