In October of the same year, the Han State took the imperial brother Liu Yi as the marching marshal, the imperial historian Chen Yuanda, the golden purple Guanglu doctor Wang Yan, the former Taiwei Fan Long, and the former Sima Liu Dan as the generals, and sent 60,000 fine horses, known as 200,000, leaving the capital Pingyang, and going south to resist the Jin division of the Northern Expedition.

The edict was sent to the East Palace, Liu Yi bowed to receive the order, and then looked at the list of conscripts, he was a little confused...... Among the four adjutant generals, only Liu Dan is a Xiongnu general, the other three are all Chinese, and they are pure scribes, although Fan Long has barely had experience in conscription, he has never won a battle - the first time I go to the battlefield, you can't send a few more battlefield generals to assist, send a vote of bureaucrats to have eggs?

A few days later, Liu Yi went to the school to inspect the soldiers, and he was completely angry.

claimed to give him 60,000 elite cavalry, but in fact, there were less than 3,000 cavalry in the Xiongnu headquarters, and more than 20,000 foot soldiers of the rest of the tribes, most of them were old and weak, the small ones were less than their shoulder height, and the old ones even had white beards...... The most odious thing is that another 30,000 Qi and Qiang followers were transferred, which were all calculated according to the total population of their various departments, and it was estimated that the real ones that could be brought to the battlefield were less than 20 percent......

Liu Yi hurriedly sent his Donggong Taifu Cui Wei to the Xiangguo Mansion to protest, but Liu Cang didn't even see him, and only ordered Jin Zhun to come out perfunctory, saying that Dazai Liu Yi and Dasikong Hu Yanyan were going to lead the Huns to block Liu Kun in the north to the south, and the imperial city guards could not be moved, and the newly established 17th battalion must also stay in the town and Jingshi, and it was impossible to send it to you. There are so many soldiers, do you like to use them or not-is the emperor's brother planning to resist and disobey the order?

Cui Wei angrily returned empty-handed, so he and his colleagues Taishi Lu Zhi and Taibao Xu Yao asked to see Liu Yi, saying: "The Southern Army is known as 140,000, and it is expected that it is only 50,000 or 60,000. But Xiangguo has nothing to do with it, and there are only these old and weak soldiers...... And instead of the name of supervising the Chinese and foreign military forces with His Royal Highness as usual, but creating the title of 'marching marshal', I am afraid it will be difficult to mobilize troops and horses along the way...... This intention is clearly to harm His Highness! ”

Immediately, the three of them persuaded him: "In the past, the Lord regarded His Royal Highness as the emperor's younger brother, but he just used His Highness's prestige to calm the hearts of the people, but in fact, he belonged to King Jin for a long time. The position of Xiangguo, since Wei Wu, is not a minister who should be an official, the lord invented the edict, put it as a gift, but now it is suddenly granted to the king of Jin, so that the prestige of the king of Jin surpasses the East Palace, and the camp of Dazai, the general and the kings is its wings, then His Royal Highness can not stand, and its meaning is very clear!

"If you just can't return it, I'm afraid that an unforeseen disaster is just around the corner, and Your Highness should be prepared for it as soon as possible. Now that the kings are still young, the seventeen battalions of soldiers can easily take them; Xiangguo is frivolous, and he can take his life by sending an assassin; The general went out of the city every day to hunt, and his battalion could also be attacked. As long as His Royal Highness is interested, then 20,000 elite soldiers will be available immediately, and they will beat the drum to attack the Cloud Dragon Gate. Da Sima is outside, so there is no need to worry. ”

However, Liu Yi was unsure of his determination to launch a coup d'état, and after a long silence, he finally repelled Cui Wei and others, and summoned Chen Yuanda and other four deputy generals to come to discuss. Former Taiwei Fan Long couldn't help but smile bitterly: "We all have a gap with Xiangguo, and I have asked Jin Zhun and others to dismiss Jin Zhun and others, don't let the central officials interfere in politics, Xiangguo's move is to wipe out all of us." "The imperial historian Chen Yuanda can be regarded as the first minister of the Hu Han Dynasty, he was furious on the spot, and directly ordered the car to enter the palace, to complain to Liu Cong, but he was unexpectedly stopped by Wang Shen, Xuanhuai and others outside the palace gate.

Chen Yuanda returned gloomily, everyone was depressed, and finally it was the former big Sima Liu Dan who spoke: "The lord is sheltered by the small group, trapped in the deep palace, and the military and state affairs are entrusted to the big single, and the big single wants to take the heart of His Royal Highness on his behalf...... Hehe, the so-called 'passer-by knows'. In this move, Da Dan clearly wants to trap His Highness......"

Chen Yuanda interjected angrily: "The thief is hot, but at this time, he is seeking personal interests and corrupting state affairs, is this society only the society of His Majesty and His Royal Highness, not shared by his Liu family?" Once the society is in danger, he will become the Son of Heaven, what face does he have to worship Emperor Guangwen?! ”

Liu Dan waved his hand: "Even if His Royal Highness loses the expedition, it may not endanger the society - the meaning of Da Dan Yu is clearly that he wants His Highness to be the enemy for him first, and then he will take advantage of his fatigue to break the thief and make meritorious service in one fell swoop." Then he looked at Liu Yi: "Your Highness, if you disobey the order because of this, Da Dan Yu will inevitably blame the Lord, and I am afraid that unforeseen disasters are just around the corner." If you obey the command, maybe there is a glimmer of hope......"

Liu Yi arched his hand and asked, "Please also ask Uncle to teach me." ”

Liu Dan ordered someone to take the map and said to Liu Yi: "Today, the company has allocated 3,000 soldiers of his own clan, as well as the guards of the East Palace and the athletes under the command of the old man, but 5,000 troops; Xu Di and Qiang are rewarded heavily, and they can also get 5,000 elites. If you defend according to the danger, the idle southern army will not be able to break through. However...... The enemy in front of him is Zu Li, who has defeated Da Sikong and Da Dan Yu in the past, and he is really a strong enemy, even if the old man encounters it, I am afraid that there is no chance of winning......"

Fan Long proposed: "Luoyang has been burned for the king of Shi'an, and it is useless to take it, so the southerners want it, so let them take it." If the southerners want to come north, they can hit half of the crossing, and if they go west to reinforce Guanzhong, our army will go to the river to scratch its back and cut off its transportation route......"

Liu Yi listened to it again and again, but Liu Dan shook his head, with a disapproving face: "If Your Highness does not cross the river, but stops at Dongyuan and refuses to defend, I am afraid that he will be in the hands of Da Shan Yu - he can stay in the army, and send the envoy to the army, that is, to seize His Highness's military power, and return to Pingyang, His Highness's prestige will fall, and the storage position will be moved!" ”

Liu Yi shuddered slightly, and couldn't help but say with a bitter face: "If it is according to what Uncle said, I can neither resist the edict nor obey the edict - if the edict is sent out, if it is guarded according to the river, it will fall Liu Cang's mouth; If you cross the river and advance, you may not be Zu Ti's opponent. Advance or die, retreat and die, so what? "Do you really want to listen to the persuasion of Cui Wei and others and launch a coup d'état to seize power? Do you want to reveal a thing or two, and first ask the opinions of the four important ministers in front of you?

Liu Dan comforted him and said: "Your Highness doesn't have to be depressed, the right old man will have a cloud: obey the order, and there is still a glimmer of life." Then he pointed to the map and analyzed the situation: "Now I heard that the southern army is coming from two ways, Zu Ti should go from Xuchang to Chenggao, and Pei should be from Cangyuan to Xingyang, and he will attack Luozhong." However, the Jin people are not limited to these two parts, Xun Group is in Heyin, Zhao Gu is in Heyang, Guo Mo is in Huai, Li Ju is in Beijing, if it echoes with Zu Ti and Pei Gai, and it will rise up at the same time, our army will inevitably suffer from the enemy, I am afraid that Henan will have no size to occupy, so I have to retreat to Hongnong...... This large order is also in the trap planned for His Highness. ”

Why didn't Hu Hanguo send heavy troops to destroy Xun Group and others in one fell swoop, and completely pacify Henan, Hanoi, Xingyang and other counties? It is because there is not only a group of forces in the Xun group, but also Guo Mo, Li Ju and the rebel general Zhao Gu and others, each with so many thousands of soldiers and horses, and at the same time contacting the nearby dock fort, it is like a big quagmire, it is easy to intervene, and it is more difficult to pull your feet. That's why I plan to wait for Liu Yao to calm Guanzhong, and then advance in the north and west, completely pull out these nails, and settle the Central Plains.

Now that Chang'an City has not been taken, it is impossible for Liu Yao to come to help, in this case, Liu Cang wants to push Liu Yi into this quagmire, and let him first kill Xun Group and others, as well as Zu Yi and Pei Cai, both of them - of course, it is more likely that he will be beaten in the mud - and then he will personally lead a heavy army to pick up the leak.

Therefore, according to the theory of the art of war, it is necessary to break the Xun group first before inviting the southern army to attack in Henan. The old man conspired for His Royal Highness, it is better to go east along the river and attack Heyang first - Zhao Gu was originally an old general, His Royal Highness forced him with great authority, and then the old man wrote a letter to persuade him, and he was expected to surrender. If the river is down, the river yin cannot exist alone, and the Xun group will either descend or go. His Royal Highness still does not need to Jihe, he can continue to the east and attack Huaixian, but to break Guo Mo, he can cross south between Aocang and Huting, so that he can avoid Zu Ti......

"Although His Highness has not crossed the river, he has broken through the Jin Division, and Da Shan Yu cannot criticize His Highness. After crossing the river, only Li Ju and Pei Gai were in front of him. Although Li Ju is good at fighting, he is a pity that his soldiers are outnumbered, and Pei Gai is a scholar, and he can't be compared with Zu Li, so he can deal with them between Xingyang and Chen Liu. There are two enemies, His Royal Highness is the only one, if he can win, his prestige will surely rise, and the storage position will be safe; Even if you don't win, you shouldn't be defeated. And Da Dan Yu will be forced to lead the army to the enemy's ancestors, Da Dan Yu wins, His Royal Highness can go south to curb the return of Jin Kou, and make great contributions; If the big single is defeated, what face does it have to blame His Highness? ”

Liu Dan's meaning is very clear, the enemy is coming in two ways, let's pick a soft one to pinch and flash the hard one. You must take this ball Liu Cang, otherwise if Henan is lost, Hongnong and Hedong are also threatened, can you, the ruling Xiangguo, be able to clear up the responsibility? Let's wait until Liu Cang sends out troops, if he wins, we can also pick up the leaks, if he loses, will he still have the face to put the blame for the defeat on you, the imperial brother? Either the big guys will rise in prestige together, or the big guys will fall in prestige together, you don't want to step on the head of the imperial brother and climb up!

When Liu Yi heard this, he couldn't help but slap his hands and praise: "Uncle is really my family's giant, and what he said is also - only Uncle A's order is to listen!" ”

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Liu Dan was originally Liu Yuan's younger brother, followed the army, and fought in all directions, although there were no great achievements, after all, he had experienced a lot of battles, and he was also regarded as a general in the Hu Han Kingdom. He planned for Liu Yi, the focus is on the word "fast", you must hurry eastward and attack Heyang, otherwise if you wait for Zu Ti to enter Henan, it will be difficult for you to avoid the enemy in front of you and go to the side to fight Pei Cai; And if Pei Gai and Li Ju are allowed to meet smoothly and gain a firm foothold in Xingyang County, even if they go, they may not still have a chance of winning.

And when the time comes, Zu Ti will not see the Hu Han army coming to greet him, and he heard that Pei Gai, who is close at hand, will encounter the enemy, even if one foot has already stepped into the ruins of Luoyang City, it is very likely that he will turn around and attack eastward, then Liu Yi will be completely dead - don't care about Liu Can's treacherous plot and his own storage position, saving his life is the first priority.

Therefore, Liu Yi handed over all the cavalry except the guards of the East Palace to Liu Dan, and ordered him to take Heyang first. Zhao Gu, the general of Heyang, was originally a Jin person, and later surrendered to Hu Han for a time, and together with Wang Sang, he crisscrossed Qingxu, and also killed Pei Gai's uncle, Pei Dun, the assassin of Xuzhou. Then he wandered to Hebei, was broken by Liu Yan, Wang Sang was killed in battle, Zhao Gu returned to the east in embarrassment, heard that Liu Cang planned to ask for a decree to surrender and take his head, so he returned to the camp of the Jin Dynasty under the persuasion of the Xun group.

When Zhao Gu was still in the Hu Han army, he had accepted the leadership of Liu Dan and was very in awe of Liu Dan, so Liu Dan led seven or eight thousand cavalry to kill - although Tai was half a miscellaneous cavalry of Di and Qiang - Zhao Gu panicked on the spot, and hurriedly sent envoys to Xun Group in Heyin and Guo Mo in Huai County for help. But before the rescuers arrived, Liu Dan's letter of persuasion to surrender was shot into the city, comforting Zhao Gu, saying that if you are willing to surrender, it is not to surrender to Da Dan Yu, but to surrender to the emperor's brother, with the emperor's brother as a backer, and you are afraid that Da Dan will be in the future, which will be bad for you?

Zhao Gu hesitated all night, and finally Kaicheng surrendered. After Liu Dan was stationed in Heyin, he immediately sent troops to survey the hydrology of the Yellow River, find ferries, collect boats, and make the illusion of crossing the river. When the news reached Heyin on the other side, Xun Group was shocked, hurriedly packed up, and was ready to abandon the city and flee at any time.

Almost every quarter of an hour, he would ask his subordinates: "Did the thief cross the river?" "If the enemy army crosses the river and attacks, our city is small and low, and it can't be carried at all, and Zu Ti is still hundreds of miles away, and it is too late to rescue, so it's better to hurry up and run away. After asking this question more than a dozen times, the subordinates also understood the captain's thoughts, so they immediately said: "The thief has boarded the boat!" Xun Group didn't say a word, immediately stepped on horseback, took his family and subordinates, and escaped from Heyin City in one go, passed through the ruins of Luoyang, and ran directly back to his hometown Yingchuan.

When he arrived in Yingchuan, Zu Li's army arrived in Xiangcheng, and his two nephews, Xun Di and Xun Min, led their clansmen and tribes to defect, and the uncle and nephew happened to miss the front and back feet. So Xun Group wrote to his nephews, asking them to follow Zu Ti and serve the country with all their hearts, and then continue to run south and go to Suiyang to attach themselves to Sima Li.

The day after Heyin was abandoned, Liu Yi led a large group of old and weak remnants of the army, won grain and grass, and also arrived in Heyang, joined Liu Dan, and then continued to march east to attack Huai County. Guo Mo, the commander of Huai County, is a native of Hanoi, from a humble background, because of his strong and powerful strength, skilled in bows and horses, and was called by Taishou Pei as a general. Later, Pei Cheng was broken by Liu Cong, Liu Yao, etc., and was reduced to Hu and Shangshu Zuocheng, Guo Mo led his remnants to build a dock for self-protection, and took several fishing boats to plunder the eastward fleeing travel, and gradually became a huge wealth, and the people from all over the world came to vote, and the three or four thousand people in the department entered Tunhuai County.

But such an outcast army has very poor combat effectiveness, and it is difficult to be an elite soldier of the Hu and Han Dynasty at all - besides, Zhao Gu, who was originally in a position of horns with him, has fallen again, and the Xun group has run away again - so he was forced to abandon Huai County and cross Henan to join Li Ju in Xingyang Jing County. Liu Yi and Liu Danbing were able to calm Hanoi without bloodshed, and immediately crossed the Yellow River near Huting and entered Xingyang County. Liu Yi wanted to attack Jingxian, but was stopped by Liu Dan and said, "No." Li Ju is good at fighting, and now there is Guo Mo to help, it is difficult to rush down, if Pei Gai leads the army to arrive, we will inevitably suffer from the enemy. It is better to send an army to Xingyang to monitor Jingxian, and the main force will continue to advance eastward, control Yangwu, seal Qiu, and find an opportunity to fight a decisive battle with Pei Cai. ”

The army marched eastward, but in the evening of the same day, a sentry suddenly came to report that the troops and horses ahead were blocking the road. Liu Dan asked in surprise: "Is it a Xuzhou soldier?" "It's coming so fast. The sentry replied: "It's not a Xuzhou soldier, it seems to be a ...... Begging. ”