"Journey to the West"

Author: Scarlet Polyp

Chapter 22 The thorns are still on the back

"At this time, the southern expedition is launched, what does the Great Sima Monk Shutai think?"

"The minister seconded the proposal." As the first intelligent general in Northern Xinjiang, Xu Rong has been sitting in the position of Da Sima for more than ten years, which can be described as highly respected. In recent years, with the growth of the Son of Heaven, Xu Rong has become more and more low-key and cautious. In addition to firmly defending the interests of the military and providing military staff to the Son of Heaven, he has rarely expressed his opinion on the government - taking appropriate sides at critical moments has become the most common thing for the supreme military commander of the Han Dynasty.

Shang Shuling Tian Chou's considerations had to be much deeper than Xu Rong's. He said with some concern: "Your Majesty: Although the imperial court has sufficient warehouses today, and there are a lot of reserves such as grain, armor, staff, and war horses, after all, it has entered the Western Regions to fight, and if the war starts again, I am afraid that the supply in many places will not be able to take care of it." Although the thieves in the south have repeatedly harassed the border, from the sea in the east to Bashu in the west, the key towns are all in my hands, and there is no big problem. Therefore, for the sake of the country's plan, it is better to impose a policy of restraint on the southern thieves, delay the time, and cut off the scourge of the Western Regions with one drum, and then force the thieves to surrender; If he still harbors different aspirations and desires, it is not difficult to get rid of them. Once the Han Dynasty has no worries about the west, His Majesty can go south with the whole army and attack the southern thieves in a big way, in order to make a full contribution, and forgive the small state of Bier, the small generation, in a corner, how can he compete with the heavenly soldiers! All of the above is really the heart of the minister, and I implore the emperor to learn from it. ”

"Tian Qing's performance, the words of sincerity for the country." Liu Shuo nodded and asked again, "What other opinions do the ministers have?" ”

Most of the rest of the courtiers were firmly in favor of the southern expedition, and only a few of them offered some opinions on the details of supplies and routes. Tian Chou was not a firm lord and faction, but when he saw that the voice in the temple was so unified, he no longer insisted. Seeing this scene, the corners of Liu Shuo's mouth showed a smile that was not easy to see. Since there was no formal meeting today, the scope of the meeting had been limited beforehand – that is, all officials who might have objections to the southern expedition were shut out. This seems to be a deliberate action of the main battle faction, but in fact it is a little careful thinking by Liu Shuo, the emperor of the Han Dynasty. "If I hadn't endured for a long time out of compassion for the people, I would have been unified a long time ago." Since the pro-government, the young Son of Heaven has not said anything on the surface, but in his heart he has always been deeply dissatisfied with Jingnan, the Sun family and the Yizhou Nanban. These independent forces are like wooden thorns piercing the big man's body, although it is not a major injury, but it makes people uncomfortable.

There were some peace agreements between the imperial court and Jingnan and the Sun family: it was stipulated that several families would be vassals to the imperial court, send hostages, and pay tribute every year to the court. But these are not big deals, and the imperial court can unilaterally tear up these agreements at any time in the name of punishing non-ministers. As long as the other party to the agreement disappears completely, there will be no integrity problems in the imperial court.

"In that case, let's draw up a purpose. The imperial decree was issued to conquer the eastern general Zhang Liao to join the Huiji, supervise and hand over the military affairs of the two states, envoy the festival, and conquer the Sun family. Wei Yan, the general of the expedition to the south, entered Xiangyang, supervised the military of Jingzhou, and made the envoys to conquer Jingnan. Zhennan General Guan Yu entered Chengdu, supervised the military of Yizhou, and ordered Yizhou Mu Chen Hao to assist from the side to conquer Yinan. The quartermasters, rewards, transfers, and marches of the three-way army were all dispatched and negotiated by the prime minister, the general, and the great Sima. ”

The three generals came out of the column and knelt down and gave thanks.

Zhang Liao said: "Your Majesty, the so-called South Ship and North Horse, Yang, Jing, and Jiaozhou are all places with dense water networks, and boats are as important as war horses. Without the help of the sailors, even if an army of 100,000 went south, it would be difficult to accomplish it. The minister heard that the river water (Yangtze River) water division has been trained for several years, there are more than 1,000 building ships, ships, and fighting ships, and 20,000 soldiers, and they have been able to fight day and night. ”

"Quasi-play. The Imperial Decree divided the Jiangshui Division into two and assigned them to the two generals. The two water divisions must each set up a governor to control it, Zhao Qing, what kind of ability can be used? ”

Zhao Yun pondered for a moment and replied: "General Gan Ning (from the four-rank miscellaneous general) and Zhenwei Zhonglang General (from the four-rank miscellaneous general) He Qi, who has trained the river water division for three years, is extremely effective, and both of them have made meritorious contributions to the water in the past, and they are familiar with all things in water warfare, and they can be the governors of the left and right. ”

"Very good, quasi-play." After Liu Shuo finished arranging the Southern Expedition, the conversation changed, "What progress has been made in the Western Expedition since the invasion of Guishan?" ”

Great Sima Xu Rong replied: "The news that arrived yesterday shows that General Pang has shrunk his army to Qiuci and will start a decisive battle with Guishan under his Qiancheng. ”

"Oh, with Pang Qing's ability, I don't lose anything. What about the back-up? ”

"Zhenxi General Ma Chao's 8,000 Liangzhou iron cavalry has advanced westward, and the remaining 12,000 cavalry is led by General Anxi (General Sanpin Si'an) Ma Qiu, and General Pingxi (General from Sanpin Siping) Cheng Yin led the border army of Dunhuang County with 4,000 people, which will also arrive soon."

"It is a national policy to pacify the Western Regions, and we must pay close attention to it, and I hope that all the ministers will be mindful of it, although there is a matter of the southern expedition, we must not neglect the affairs of the western expedition."

Liu Shuo chose to use troops against the south at this juncture, and the reason began a few months ago: although the Sun family in Jiaozhou, which was biased towards Anjiaozhou, had been ridiculed by the world as "living with savages" in recent years, they had a bit of a hard work. Sun Quan spent several years of hard work to gradually control the local Yue people's forces, and from the views of the ministers, he selected tens of thousands of fierce men from the Shanyue people to form an army. Shanyue people are already fierce and good at fighting, so they can cut off people's heads and hang them around their waists to show their bravery, and quickly run between the mountain streams as if walking on the ground. Sun Quan was originally a hero, and with this force in his hands, his mind naturally became lively. He did not dare to get involved in the northern part of Yangzhou (the two counties of Huiji and Yuzhang in the south of Yangzhou, and at this time there were several remote counties in the south in the hands of the Sun family), but set his sights on the neighbors to the north, the four counties of Jingnan. The four counties of Jingnan are Changsha, Wuling, Lingling, and Guiyang, each controlled by the four county guards, forming a loose offensive and defensive alliance. The four counties have not been warred for hundreds of years, since the Yellow Turban Rebellion has continued to accept the Central Plains refugees, reclamation has reached more than 3 million people, in the eyes of Sun Quan, this rich land has naturally become "the capital of the king".

The Sun clan secretly gathered troops and horses, and from June onwards, they crossed the mountains at the junction of Jingjiao and the two prefectures, and approached Jingnan from Nanhai County, and the 30,000-strong army went deep in three ways: one route was Zengcheng out of Hanxun, one route was Longchuan out of Zhenyang, and one route was out of Guiyang (the name of Han County, not a county rule), and there was a great tendency to besiege the important town of Qujiang (now Shaoguan City, Hunan). At the beginning of July, the main force of the Sun family suddenly crossed the Qujiang River and headed north, approaching Guiyang County (present-day Chenzhou City, Hunan). Guiyang Taishou Zhao Fan Ben stationed heavy troops in Qujiang, and now he saw the soldiers of the Sun family arrive at the city, and he was at a loss. He hurriedly asked for help from the other three counties, but no one responded, and in desperation, he was forced to lead the army and civilians to climb the city and enter the mountains to fight in the streets, the whole clan was slaughtered, and the Sun family occupied the entire territory of Guiyang County. Half a month later, Liu Shuo got the news and was shocked. "The Sun family is acting so recklessly in the south, as if they are in a no-man's land, it seems that they have not forgotten to plot against the Han Dynasty!" He threw the performance of Jingzhou Thorn Shi Xu Shu to the ground, and scolded angrily, "These four counties in Jingnan are known as wearing hundreds of thousands of armor, which is useless at all, and they can't even watch and help, what a bunch of waste!" I should have taken it myself! He poured all his resentment on the restless Sun Quan, and wrote a stern edict: reprimanded Sun Quan for not thinking about guarding the border and reassuring the people, raising swords and soldiers, and having a great disobedience, and ordered him to withdraw from Guiyang County immediately. Liu Shuo knew in his heart that this edict would have no effect on the Sun family, who were far away in the sky, and the prestige of the imperial court could only be reflected by sending troops to recruit after all. "The night is long and there are many dreams, we must not sit back and watch Sun Reverse annex Jingnan!"

Therefore, since the beginning of August, Liu Shuo has made up his mind to completely pacify the south in the near future.

Chang'an City, Weiyang Palace North Que.

Prime Minister Li Wei's car was blocked by a large number of people at the entrance of the street in front of him near Beique Jiadi.

Li Wei was chatting with Liu Ming in the car at this time, and when he saw that the car had stopped, he lifted the curtain and asked, "What's wrong?" ”

A family member ran from the street corner and replied: "Master, there are hundreds of beings gathered in front of you, and it seems that they are gathering to oppose the imperial court's southern expedition, causing a large crowd of people to watch. Their words are rude and ...... It involves the lord and the general, etc. ”

"Got it." Li Wei said indifferently, "Don't worry about them, go around." ”

"Wrap around!" Liu Mingsheng has been outside the fortress and has led the troops for many years, although he has been in a high position for many years, he still has a fiery temper, "These beings are really hateful, at the feet of the Son of Heaven, is there no royal law?" Zhong Yuan, these stinky boys eat hard and don't eat soft, I'll call the Yulin Army to disperse them, right? ”

"No, it's just a bunch of young gentlemen. We have gone through countless winds and waves over the years, and we are still afraid of the verbal criticism of these beings? Li Wei said with a smile, "Thinking about it, once upon a time, we were so young and impulsive, I still remember your stubborn appearance when you knelt at the door of Taixue and couldn't kneel for a long time." ”

Liu Ming's old face flushed, revealing a little fascination: "Yes, thinking back then, everyone was so young, how happy it was for you, me, Xiao Yin, Big Axe, Yunlong and other brothers to travel to Luoyang together!" Now that they have achieved fame, the brothers are thousands of miles apart, and their friendship with each other has grown a lot. Only the kindness and teachings of my teacher back then, I Liu Ming never dared to forget in my life. ”

Li Wei pointed to the increasingly turbulent crowd in front of him, and said, "Isn't it also the enthusiasm of young people that the teacher could value me back then?" We and other people, all of whom are also Chinese, although they have the heart to serve the country, but they can't use their ears. Fortunately, he was under the command of the Marquis of Jinyang, and he had to take on a heavy responsibility. He treated me as a national soldier, and my brothers and other brothers have worked hard for 30 years, and they have all repaid me as a national soldier. Today, all the beings in front of them, although they are young and reckless, are in the same mood. Sooner or later, the social affairs of the Han Dynasty will also rely on them to assist. So why not let the two of us give way today. ”

"Hey, look at you, talking and talking about it and revealing the meaning of retreat. You are old, but I am not old. If the emperor allows me to go into battle again to control the strings and fight, then I would rather give up this position of Guangluxun, take thousands of cavalry, and go to fight happily. What's more, even if you want to get rid of it now, what suitable candidate can replace you? The burden you have on your shoulders now is not light. ”

"Hehe, there are a few candidates in mind. If Zhongda is not full of achievements, it is naturally more suitable; Bo Yan has good qualifications, is capable and diligent, and if he has been trained for a few years, he can also be competent; By the way, Zhuge Liang, who came with the King of Guangyang (Liu Bei), has outstanding talents, is well-versed in government affairs, and now he has made outstanding achievements in Yizhou, and even the big axe is full of praise for him, and over time, he is also a good candidate. Li Wei rubbed his temples, "There are not many talented young people, but they are young after all, and they still have a few more years to worry about." ”

Wusun, Akaya Castle.

After resting for a few days at Atami Palace, Zhao Guang led his soldiers back to Akaya Castle. Because Guan Ping and Liao Hua had already returned to the city to preside over the overall situation, when Zhao Guang led the brigade to the camp soon, the soldiers went out of the camp one after another to greet them. Among these people, there are also a lot of local Wusun people who watch the excitement. Zhao Guang hurriedly met with Haiya alone in the palace, talked to each other about the pain of parting, and agreed to meet in the palace tomorrow night, at this time he was inevitably a little absent-minded. At this moment, a turtle man suddenly came out of the crowd, with his hair hanging down, his head tied with a ribbon, and his riding boots with Zhengchen, and smiled at Zhao Guang:

"Lao Zhao, you can't tell it's me, right?"

Zhao Guang looked at it, overjoyed, approached and grabbed one of the arms of the "Qiuzi man", and said loudly:

"Ahh Where are you from? ”

"From the Tianshan Mountains, it's not very far from here. It's only been a short time since I arrived, and I haven't had time to change my clothes. ”

"Who are they in the Tianshan Mountains?" Zhao Guang lowered his voice and asked, his heart couldn't help but beat a little.

"General Gao, General Hou, General Cao, and everyone who is trapped in the camp are all there. The day before yesterday, I went down the mountain to trade with the herdsmen, and when I got the news that you had entered the Red Valley, General Gao sent me to contact you as soon as possible. There are a lot of people here, so I'll talk about it again when I get to the camp. ”

"Let's go, follow me into the camp!"

Zhao Guang turned around to look at Luo An. Luo An just grinned, so excited that he didn't know what to say.

Guan Ping listened to Zhang Hu's report, was overjoyed, and hurriedly ordered Zhao Guang to lead 300 cavalry, and brought 100 fat sheep and 1,000 catties of wine to pick up the brothers in the trapped camp.

Everyone left Chigu Castle and walked southwest for about a day under the guidance of Zhang Hu, and then came to the foot of the snow-capped Tianshan Mountain. When he arrived at the ground, Zhang Hu went to report first, and in less than a meal, thousands of people and horses faintly gathered on the edge of the opposite woods, quickly forming a formation.

Zhao Guang waved his hand and ordered: "Tree flag!" The flag-bearers around him hurriedly raised a huge "Han" flag, unfolded it, waved it in the wind, and all the soldiers shouted in unison: "Han Tianwei!" Dahan Tianwei! ”

From the opposite side, a burst of cheers immediately erupted in response: "Dahan Tianwei! Dahan Tianwei! Then, drums and horns sounded in unison, and all kinds of simple military instruments were played, which was very lively.

Zhao Guang rode forward with all the soldiers. In the twilight, they saw Gao Shun and the main generals walking out of the formation, the drums following them, and the banners of "Han" and "Trapping Camp" were also played. The brigade rode behind. The enthusiastic cheers continued, and the cheers did not stop until Gao Shun waved his hand behind him twice. When the two sides came together, they both jumped off their horses. Gao Shun's heart was agitated, and he felt that there were many words in his throat, but he didn't know where to start for a while. Zhao Guang saw that his tiger eyes were moist, and he didn't know what to say for a while, so he hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed Gao Shun's hand and said, "General Gao, great, you are really safe!" ”

"Oh, you're Ziyuan, aren't you? Gao Shun is incompetent, and he is ashamed of the soldiers who died on the left wing! ”

"Where did General Gao say that dying on the battlefield and sacrificing his life for the country was our wish. If the trapped camp can break through, the brothers will not be far away, and they will be relieved......" As he spoke, he couldn't stop crying.

Gao Shun led Zhao Guang and met with Hou Cheng, Cao Xing, Wang Ling and others one by one. As night approached, Gao ordered him to camp and rest for one night, and then go to Chigu tomorrow to join the Guan Ping army.

At dinner, all the soldiers first toasted the sacrificed soldiers three cups together to pay tribute to the heroic souls, and then they opened up to drink wine and eat meat.

Zhao Guang was dragged by Zhang Hu Tuoba Gui to fight with a group of young generals, and finally got out, seeing that Gao Shun was far away from everyone in a daze, he ran over to fill Gao Shun with a cup, and took the opportunity to ask: "General Gao, since the camp was able to get out after the Battle of the Green Ridge River, why don't you go west to his Qiancheng, but hide in the Tianshan Mountains?" The subordinate was puzzled and hoped for the general's guidance. ”

"It is alive to fight a war with soldiers, and it is necessary to adapt to changes in the battlefield, and you must not take the straight road." Gao Shun smiled, dipped his hand in some wine, and drew the general distribution of enemies and enemies with a few simple strokes on the table, and replaced him with a wine glass, "It's the same as playing chess, only if you keep changing, you won't become a dead chess." Although our strange army is not many in number, it can still be called elite, and for the Guishan people under his Qiancheng, it is like a thorn in the back. As long as you choose the right time to launch, or cut off its supply, or attack the defenders, or attack its way back, you can decide the overall situation of the war in the Western Regions! ”