The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

Xun Zhen led his troops westward, out of Xiapi, past Pei, and entered Runan to Yingchuan.

After traveling for more than 800 miles, it was already the twentieth day of the first month when we reached Yan County, which is the easternmost of Yingchuan County.

Yanxian is the later Yancheng, which is the place where Yue Fei defeated the Jin army.

Xun You, Chen Qun, and Xin Ai, who had been sent back to Yingchuan by Xun Zhen in advance, had been waiting in Yan County for a long time. In addition to the three of them, Le Jin also came.

In addition, many scholars from Yan County, as well as the magistrate of Yan County and the county officials of the county temple of Yan County, welcomed Xun Zhen.

When he arrived in Yan County, he returned to his hometown. Xun Zhen had already ordered all the ministries to strictly observe discipline and not make noise and chaos.

Although the 6,000 Guangling Brave and 5,000 Danyang Soldiers were newly recruited and had not undergone long-term rigorous training, most of their officers at all levels, including Qu, Tun, etc., were righteous followers of Xun Zhen’s old division. On the surface, it looks decent and high morale.

Hearing that Xun You and others were waiting to greet him, Xun Zhen ordered all the ministries to slow down, and brought Xi Zhicai, Cheng Jia and others with him, under the stalwarts of Dian Wei, Zhao Yun and many other warriors, they reined in their horses and rushed forward. First arrived outside Yancheng County.

Xun Zhen had previously passed through Yan County when he took office in Guangling. The magistrate of Yan County had met Xun Zhen at that time. The demeanor of comity made Yan county magistrate heartbroken.

At this time, seeing the dust and smoke ahead, and more than ten cavalry leaving the army, they should come first. If they greet others, the magistrate of Yan may not be sure whether the more than ten cavalry that came to visit the master or come to ask questions. However, due to Xun Zhen's style, the magistrate of Yan County knew that Xun Zhen heard that there were scholars and officials to welcome him, so he maintained his usual style of modesty and retreated and rushed over to meet everyone. See you.

After the dozen or so cavalry galloped close, the magistrate of Yan took a closer look, and sure enough, it was not bad, the first cavalry was wearing armor and a sword, it wasn't Xun Zhen.

He was busy saying hello to Xun You, Le Jin, etc. by his side, and brought many soldiers and officials to greet Xun Zhen's arrival, hurriedly greeted him, and bowed before the road.

"Herod!" With the sound of a horse, Xun Zhen restrained her mount, tricked her legs into jumping off the horse, and walked quickly to the people who were bowing to the ground.

Although it was the wind and the cold, Xun Zhen had traveled more than 800 miles in ten days, but Xun Zhen was full of energy, without the slightest fatigue.

He asked everyone to get up, personally supported the magistrate of Yan, and said with a smile: "What virtue and what ability, dare to go out to meet you?"

"The general fights for the country, raises troops to retaliate, and arrives in Bi County, the soldiers and the people are leaping, and the subordinate is the governor of the city, how can we not welcome it."

Xun Zhen laughed loudly, looked at the magistrate of Yan County, and said with a smile: "When we said goodbye a few months ago, whenever I think about the chat with my feet on the wine that day, and the high talents and romance of my feet, I am quite grateful, Huan Hai Ruping. I couldn't help myself, although I often missed it after I parted ways with my feet that day, but I thought it would be time to see my feet again, but I didn't expect to see my feet again today."

Although Xun Zhen was much younger than the magistrate of Yan County, his name is now known all over the world. I don't know how much higher than the magistrate of Yan County. Repeatedly said: "The subordinate is just a vulgar person, how can he dare to say 'high talent and romantic'? It's a general. I haven't seen him for a few months, and his heroism is better than the past."

Xun You, Chen Qun, and Xin Ai stood by the side, smiling and watching Xun Zhen and the county magistrate greet each other.

From seeing Xun Zhen until now, Le Jin has never had a chance to talk to Xun Zhen. At this time, when the conversation between Xun Zhen and the county magistrate came to an end, he bowed down again and said loudly, "Come in and meet the lord."

In his previous life, Xun Zhen read books about the Three Kingdoms, such as "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", and the word "lord" was often found in the books, but after traveling through this era, whether he was a humble patriarch, a rank husband, or When he was respected as a prefect and a county magistrate, almost no one called him by this word. However, because Xun Zhen has been in this era for a long time, Xun Zhen is very familiar with the current naming customs, so it is not surprising.

"Master" and "Ming Gong" look alike, only one word apart, but their meanings are completely different.

The word "Ming" in Ming Kilometer is a compliment word, meaning that the other party is "wise and wise", and is usually used by subordinate officials to address senior officials, but the word "lord" in "lord" is the same as the word "gong". The honorific title means "sovereign" and "master". Only people who call themselves "servants", "slaves" and some people who call themselves "family" will use this word to address the corresponding "parent".

In fact, in the real history, among the heroes of the Three Kingdoms, only Liu Bei's subordinates often refer to him with this word, but very few subordinates such as Cao Cao and Sun Quan call them this. The difference between Cao Cao and Sun Quan, etc., Liu Bei's people are "connected by temperament", in other words, they regard each other as brothers and family members. , Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang, etc., often referred to him as "the lord".

To put it simply, "Ming Gong" is the title of the public family, and the subordinate officials are called the chief officials;

Le Jin is now the county official of Yingchuan County, but he calls Xun Zhen "the lord" in front of everyone. He is taking the opportunity to show his loyalty to Xun Zhen.

It is no wonder that he would do this. Although he knew Xun Zhen very early, he was one of the first people who joined Xun Zhen, much earlier than Chen Dao and Cheng Jia. Ying Chuan did not follow Xun Zhen, and as time passed, he would inevitably feel a little "uneasy", worried that he would alienate Xun Zhen because of this, so when he met Xun Zhen today, he called him "the lord". .

As soon as Xun Zhen heard this, she understood what he was thinking, and she stepped forward to help him up, looked at him carefully, and said with a smile, "Wen Qian, I saw you last time in Yingchuan and felt that you were much thinner than before. , I haven't seen you for a few months, why are you thinner?"

"I miss my lord day and night, how can I not lose weight?"

Xun Zhen laughed, patted his arm, and said with a smile, "I'm going back to Yingchuan today, and I probably won't be leaving soon. When I get to Yangzhai, you and I will enjoy the wine again."

"promise."

The magistrate of Yan County said: "Why wait until Yangzhai? The officials have prepared a banquet in the county to wash the dust for the general. Since Le Jun misses the general, you can have a happy dinner with the general tonight."

Xun Zhen shook his head and said, "I have good intentions, but I can't stop in Yanxian." He asked Le Jin, "Wen Qian, I heard news on the road the other day that Dong Zhuo sent troops to Yangcheng a few days ago. Killing a good prisoner girl, Jujun is shocked, can this happen?"

"true."

"Qing Zhangjun soldiers, come to welcome me today, how is the stability of the county?"

"When Dong Zhuo's army arrived in Yangcheng, it happened that the people of Yangcheng were gathering under the society. Dong Zhuo's army drove the people to besiege them and killed them. They plundered the county's wealth and goods, robbed the county's women, and carried them back to Luo. I heard the news late and couldn't save them in time. I chased the county borders and couldn't catch up with them, so I could only return to Yangzhai, but before returning to Yangzhai, I had dispatched 500 county soldiers to be stationed in Yangcheng and Lun. Second County."

Yangcheng and Lunshi counties are the two westernmost counties in Yingchuan, next to Luyuan Pass, and crossing the pass to the west is the commander of Sili School.

Not long after Guandong Prefecture started its army, many soldiers and horses had not yet reached the rendezvous point, and some were not even ready to leave the prefecture. The same is true of Kong Yu in Yuzhou. It is also not high. So far, it has not been able to gather the soldiers of the prefectures in the state. So far, only the soldiers of Yingchuan are stationed in Yingchuan County. At this time, Dong Zhuo sent troops to Yingchuan to capture them, obviously to give Kong Ni and Xun Zhen a disgrace, and at the same time to deter the coalition forces such as Suanzao and Hanoi.

Xun Zhen nodded and said to the magistrate of Yan County: "The county border is unstable, Dong Zhuo's army may come again at any time, and I can't go to the banquet today, please forgive me. After discussing Dong Zhuo, I will definitely come to your county. harassing your feet."

The magistrate of Yan County dared not.

Xun Zhen had a high stature and a high stature, and he had strong soldiers and fine cavalry under his command.

After talking with the magistrate of Yan County, Xun Zhen spoke a few words to the officers and officials of Yan County, and without even entering the county seat, he took Xun You, Chen Qun, Xin Ai, Le Jin and others to say goodbye and left. Ma returned to the army, bypassed Yan County, and hurried to Yangzhai.

Watching Xun Zhen and others leave, a scholar from Yan County said: "Kuandong Prefecture is begging Dong, and the leader of the alliance against Dong is Yuan Bohai. Dong Zhuo did not attack him, but instead sent troops to our Yingchuan to kill the people of our county. It is really hateful to take the risk of military merit, to kidnap women in my clothing and crown, and match them with armored soldiers as concubines! Although Le Wenqian is strict in governing the army, he is not as good as the Marquis of Yingyin. Xu Shao commented that it was the valley of barren years. It was resourceful and brave, and had great military exploits. The Yellow Turban was not enough, and the Black Mountains were not enough to strike. I think Dong Zhuo would not dare to disturb my county again and harm the people of my county. My county can be safe!"

Originally, the Guandong princes raised an army to attack Dong, and there were scholars in Yingchuan County who supported, opposed, and felt that it had nothing to do with them. However, the officials and officials in the counties of Yingchuan suddenly felt the danger. Even those who had opposed the prosecution of Dong He before felt that it had nothing to do with them, but they were also horrified by the brutality of Dong Zhuo's army. Le Jin has been in charge of soldiers in Yingchuan for these years, and has been training every month. Therefore, Xun Zhen's bringing troops into the county this time has indeed received a sincere welcome from the whole of Yingchuan.

After leaving Yan County, Xun You hit the horse and approached. Before he could report to Xun Zhen about his work in Yingchuan, he first asked Xun Zhen one thing: "Jun Hou, a few days ago, Dong Zhuo killed King Hongnong and discussed it a few days ago. Moving the capital to Chang'an, have you heard of these two things on the way?"

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the Guandong prefecture dispatched troops, and news spread. In response to this change, Dong Zhuo has done four things so far.

The first was on the tenth day of the first lunar month, that is, the day when Xun Zhen dispatched troops to Guangling, he announced an amnesty for the world.

Han family story: "Amnesty" usually occurs after a new emperor ascends the throne or a large-scale epidemic occurs in the world. When the new emperor ascended the throne last September, the imperial court had already granted amnesty to the whole world at that time, and this time, the amnesty was obviously to show kindness, to compete with Yuan Shao and others for the hearts and minds of the world, and to try to prevent those who violated the law from "taking risks". Join the Allied Forces of Debating Dong.

The second is that shortly after the announcement of the amnesty, Dong Zhuo sent Lang Zhongling to kill Liu Bian, the king of Hongnong, the abolished emperor.

This is to break the "political illusion" of a group of people against Dong, and at the same time divide the coalition against Dong.

War has always served politics, and there are many people who seek Dong Dong. Although they have jointly raised the banner of Dong Dong, they are not the same in terms of political goals, but are implicitly divided into several factions. Among them, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu may have been born. Different hearts, such as Xun Zhen, have no plans, and among them are Sun Jian and others, maybe they are only dedicated to raising the reputation of the prestige family, loyal and loyal to chasing thieves, and there are many people, their goal is to support Liu Bianzhong. Ascension to the throne. Liu Bian is the eldest son of the late emperor, the crown prince established by the late emperor, and the heir to the right. He was abolished without losing morality. This is unacceptable to Confucianism. However, now that Dong Zhuo killed Liu Bian, these people lost their political goals at once. Once Liu Bian died, Dong Zhuo was guilty of a heinous crime, but he had no one to support. What should they do next? It is inevitable that you will be at a loss, how can you fight this battle? What if he wins against Dong Zhuo?

Dong Zhuo's move was ruthless, but it was very useful in terms of dividing and dismantling the morale of the Kwantung coalition.

The third is that after Dong Zhuo poisoned Liu Bian, he convened a group of ministers to discuss sending troops to attack Guandong.

Until now, some members of the Kwantung Allied Forces have not arrived at the meeting place, let alone when Dong Zhuo called this meeting. If Dong Zhuo sent his troops to attack at that time, it would definitely be a big blow to the Kwantung Allied Forces.

However, the reason why Dong Zhuo convened this meeting was just to show off. He didn't want to send troops to attack. He had a shallow foundation in Luoyang, and he relied on military might to suppress the central government. If he attacked at this time, Luoyang might Chaos broke out, so under the flattery and persuasion of Shang Shu Zheng Tai, he got off the boat along the **** and blew a few **** and put a few harsh words, that's all.

The fourth is to move the capital to Chang'an.

Compared with launching a large army and begging the east, moving the capital to Chang'an to temporarily avoid the allied forces in the east, this is Dong Zhuo's true intention.

Dong Zhuo is from Liangzhou. He has been in Liangzhou and Bingzhou for a long time to fight thieves and retaliate. He has also stayed in Sanfu. Compared with Luoyang, Chang'an is obviously more beneficial to him, and Chang'an is the former capital of the Han Dynasty. , the mountains and rivers are dangerous, and the troops are here, enough to control Shandong, even if the Kwantung coalition is prosperous, once the door is closed, it can also be blocked from the door, take a step back and say, even if the army is defeated, you can retreat from this. State.

Dong Zhuo's plan was his own idea, and it was strongly suggested by Jia Xu, Li Ru and other his advisors.

Just a few days ago, Dong Zhuo summoned the ministers again, and said that he planned to move the capital to Chang'an.

Xun Zhen nodded and said, "I heard."

Chen Qun said: "Dong thief first arrived in Luoyang, and he recommended talents. He looks like a great man, but now his true form is revealed, and he dares to kill King Chenliu and discuss moving the capital.

Xun Zhen said: "I heard on the road that Dong Zhuo wanted to worship Zhu Gong as his servant, but was rejected by Zhu Gong. Is there such a thing?"

Yingchuan is not far from Luoyang, and the information is well-informed. Xun Zhen only heard about it, but Xun You and others knew the story in detail.

Xun You nodded and replied, "It's true."

He paused for a while, then told Xun Zhen what he had heard in detail, and said, "Empress Zhu has great prestige, and Dong Zhuo is jealous of him, and he doesn't want to keep Duke Zhu in Henan, so he sent people to worship Duke Zhu as his imperial servant. He thought he was a deputy and went to Chang'an together, but it was Duke Zhu's resignation. Duke Zhu bluntly said to Dong Zhuo's envoy: 'If the country moves westward, the world will be alone, and it will create opportunities for the Kwantung Allied Forces. I don't think it should be done.'"

This "Zhu Gong" refers to Zhu Jun. Although Zhu Jun's military strategy is not as good as that of Huangfu Song, he is also a famous general of the dynasty and has high prestige. He is now the Yin of Henan in the Gyeonggi area. Dong Zhuo is not very relieved to keep him here. He sent someone to worship him as a servant, hoping that he could be his deputy, but Zhu Jun refused.

Xun Zhen asked, "What's Dong Zhuo's reaction?"

"No response."

Xun Zhen said in his heart: "Zhu Jun's troops are slightly insufficient, and what Dong Zhuo is jealous of is his reputation, not his military strategy. At this juncture when Dong Zhuo wants to move west to Chang'an, the Kan-Eastern Allied Forces are pressing outside, in order to ensure that Luoyang will not be born at this time. Chaos, even if it was rejected by Zhu Jun, Dong Zhuo wouldn't be too intimidating, so he didn't force Zhu Jun again, right?"

Just as he was guessing Dong Zhuo's thoughts, Xun You said again: "Just yesterday, I got another news, saying that Dong Zhuo made a decree, that the king of the Jingzhao Yin Gai should be the leader of the court, and the general of the left, Huangfu Gong, should be the captain of the city gate. Did you say it?"

"Oh? I haven't heard of it yet."

Hearing this news, Xun Zhen immediately put his mind back, thought for a moment, and said, "Gai Xun and General Huangfu are in Sanfu, and each has troops and horses, especially General Huangfu, who has 30,000 elite soldiers under his tent and is stationed there. In You Fufeng, not only are the troops and horses strong, but also the military strategy is like a god. Dong Zhuo recruited the two of them to enter the capital, which is paving the way for moving westward to Chang'an!" Xun You asked, "Can Gaixun and General Huangfu be ordered?"

"Dong Zhuo's Jiao Zhao has just been sent away, and it should have not yet reached the hands of General Gai Jun and Huangfu. It is not known whether they will receive the order."

Xun Zhen sighed in her heart: "As early as when the army attacked the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou, General Huangfu had already decided to be a pure minister of the Han family. I had never read anything about Huangfu Song and Gai Xun raising troops to beg the Director in my previous life... If you come to this edict, General Huangfu will definitely accept it."

Today, Guandong Prefecture has raised troops, from north to southeast, forming a semi-encirclement of Luoyang. If Huangfu Song is not ordered, but join forces with Gai Xun, they will respond to Yuan Shao at Sanfu and Chang'an. If you are strong, you can only become a trapped beast, and you can easily capture it.

It's a pity that Huangfu Song wanted to be a pure minister of the Han family.

The Yellow Turbans were quickly pacified, which was due to Huangfu Song; Dong Zhuo's smooth westward move to Chang'an was also due to Huangfu Song.

Country and individual, merits and demerits, sometimes it is really difficult to tell clearly.

Xun Zhen stopped talking, changed the subject and asked, "Where is Kong Yuzhou now?"

"In Chen country."

"What are you doing in Chen State?"

"Chen State has quite a strong army, and Kong Yuzhou wants soldiers."

Chen Wang Liu Chong was the great-great-grandson of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, and he was one of the few brave men in the existing Han clan. At the beginning of Zhongping, when the Yellow Turbans rose, many counties and counties abandoned the city, and Liu Chong kept thousands of crossbows in his library. Chen Guoren had long heard that Liu Chong was good at archery and did not dare to rebel. In addition, Chen Guoxiang Luo Jun was known for his grace in the country, so under the combination of both civil and martial arts from both of them, Chen Guo was completely alone in the chaos of the Yellow Turbans. Many people from the neighboring county and country took refuge here, and more than 100,000 people returned.

Liu Chong and Chen Guoxiang Luo Jun selected the brave from the more than 100,000 people and trained them into a rather powerful army.

Yuan Shao raised an army, and Guandong responded. Although Liu Chong, who was a clan, did not join the coalition army, in order to protect the country from the invasion of foreign counties, he also rectified his troops and went out to Tuyangxia, claiming to be the general of the auxiliary Han.

Although Kong Ni is the prefect of Yuzhou, his prestige in Yuzhou is not high. He is also a man of eloquence, and he is not very brave. Of course, Liu Chong didn't look down on him very much and refused to obey his orders. Therefore, in order to strengthen the Yuzhou army's momentum, Kong Mi had to go to Chen State in person, hoping to persuade the state minister Luo Jun to send troops to help.

Xun Zhen nodded and asked again, "How many soldiers and horses do you have under Kong Yuzhou?"

"The six prefectures of Yuzhou, Chen Wang did not follow the dispatch, and Pei Xiang was clear and self-defense. At present, Kong Yuzhou has only Zhou soldiers and soldiers from the three countries of Runan, Lu, and Liang, totaling about 40,000."

The six prefectures of Yuzhou are divided into Yingchuan, Runan, Chen, Pei, Lu, and Liang.

The prefect of Yingchuan County was cowardly and feared Xunzhen's prestige for a long time. The military power in the county was in the hands of Le Jin, and it was impossible for Le Jin to bring the soldiers of the county to Kong's tent.

Although Yuan Zhong, the prime minister of Pei, belonged to the Yuan family in Runan, he used to be friends with Fan Pang. When Pei Guo took office, he just rode a reed cart. He was not the same as Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, the noble and noble children of the Yuan family. This time Yuan Shao raised troops, he had no intention of responding, and since then he would not send the county. Soldiers help Kong Tong.

Except for the three counties of Yingchuan, Peiguo, and Chenguo, the only ones who were willing to transfer orders from Kong Yu were Runan, Lu, and Liang, and the most active of them were Runan and Lu. Runan is Yuan Shao's hometown. He raised an army. With the prestige of the Yuan family, the people of Runan County would definitely support him, and Lu Xiang Chen Yi was the son of Chen Fan. When Emperor Ling was on the throne in the early years, he was with Wang Fen, the former governor of Jizhou. And Xu You secretly discussed the matter of abolishing the emperor, and he was very courageous. This time Yuan Shao asked Dong, and he was very responsive. Like Runan, he almost asked the county to help.

It is said that with only these three prefectures, it is difficult for Kong Ni to get 40,000 horses, but Huang Wan was in Yuzhou for the Yuzhou shepherd's time to promote the military and conquer the thieves in the state, but he left a large number of state soldiers for him. That's why there are 40,000 soldiers from the Three Kingdoms plus the state soldiers.

If he could convince Luo Jun again and ask for some troops from Chen State, his momentum would be stronger.

Xun Zhen said in his heart: "Kong Ni is a gentleman who doesn't know the military strategy, so he is insignificant, but his tent has gathered 40,000 people, but he can't be despised." Asking Lejin, "Yingchuan County has soldiers now. How many?"

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the first year of Zhongping, there were no major wars in Yingchuan for many years. There were not many soldiers in the county, only more than 2,000 people. , ordered him to expand his troops.

Le Jin replied, "There were more than 2,300 county soldiers, but now there are more than 4,000."

Xun Zhen said in his heart: "My headquarters are more than 16,000, plus more than 4,000, and there are 20,000 cavalry. I don't know how many men and horses Wentai will bring, but I think there will be no less. In this way, I will join forces with Wentai. Even if it’s still not as many as Kong Yu’s army, it’s not far behind.”

If the combined troops of Xun Zhen and Sun Jian were much smaller than the soldiers from Yuzhou under Kong Mi's account, then asking Yuzhou to borrow food and weapons, and even taking Yuzhou to Sun Jian in the future, would have less confidence.

Yesterday, on the road, before reaching Yingchuan, the military officer in charge of food came to Xun Zhen and told Xun Zhen that there was not much food left, but only enough for a few days. Now that we have finally arrived at Yingchuan, Xun Zhen asked Kong Yu's army and horse situation, followed by talking about food, and asked Le Jin, "Wen Qian, can the county store enough food?"

"In recent years, Yingchuan has been free from military chaos, and the treasury is full."

"Where's the armament?"

"Although the army has expanded by 2,000, there are still reserves in the arsenal in the county, enough for 5,000 people."

"I am in urgent need of food and weapons. Since the county has everything, you should open the way first, and I will wait for the soldiers to send Yangzhai."

Le Jin came here to greet Xun Zhen, and accompanied him with two hundred county soldiers. Hearing the order, he loudly promised, gave a military salute, slapped his horse and marched ahead, leading the county soldiers to clear the way for Xun Zhen, and went straight to Yangzhai.

After talking about the recent changes in the DPRK and China, and solving the urgent needs of food and weapons, Xun Zhen, Xun You and others talked about the results of Xun You's activities in Yingchuan during these times.