Chapter 3 Troubled Times Descend Section 40 Meet the Teacher

We quickly advanced into Guangzong City, defeating countless rogues along the way.

We had no time to entangle with the enemy, so as soon as the battle was over, we reorganized our ranks and continued our rapid advance towards Gwangjong.

In the middle of May of the 7th year of Guanghe, I arrived at the camp of my mentor Lu Zhi with 2,000 men.

At that time, it was the setting sun, the glow was full of sky, and the red light that changed between heaven and earth did not hesitate to throw the last light on our black armor, and faintly, each of us was bathed in a blood.

The evening sunset gradually set, between the half darkness and half light, 1,500 steel machines stood straight outside the camp, the hideous armor was put down, and the blood-red shadow jumped on the armor, flashing and flashing, as if the demon released from the nine abysses came to the world. Only the faint sound of breathing brought a hint of comfort - these terrible soldiers were still popular, not fierce ghosts.

At that time, whether it was the yellow scarf in Guangzong City or Lu Zhi and the others who came to greet us, they were all stunned and gasped when they saw us in armor, as if we were standing in the sunset.

Lu Zhi glanced at our team with blazing eyes, and praised from the bottom of his heart: "I have a thousand disciples, but only Xuande and Bogui (Gongsun Zhan) are the best. It is said that Xuande once led 200 people, pursued thousands of Xianbei thieves, and killed countless people, the world often thinks that it is not credible, but I know that this may be true. Xuande, few words, deep and ambitious, if the opportunity is the cloud, its accumulation is vigorous, and it will inevitably be better than Bogui in the future."

When the generals around Lu Zhi heard this, they all nodded in agreement.

At sunset, I stepped forward, knelt down at the feet of my mentor Lu Zhi, and respectfully bowed to him.

This great Confucian of the time, when all the officials in front of him were greedy, still insisted on integrity and kept to himself, and he was really more moral and backbone than most officials in my time. Regrettably, he also had a tragic fate, like most of China's self-admiring and unscrupulous officials. It seems that the land of China is really not suitable for the survival of honest and honest officials.

Kneeling on the ground, I had mixed feelings, not only for Lu Zhi's future fate, but also for all the honest officials in China in history.

"A long sigh to hide the tears, mourning the hardships of the people's livelihood; is also good at what he has done, although he has not regretted his death. ”

"Nine deaths and no regrets", this is the portrayal of the integrity of ancient Chinese Confucianism, but unfortunately, such a person can no longer be found in my time. Even after years of distorting history and culture, there are not many people who even understand what this means.

Now, even Yue Feiwen Tianxiang has been distorted as a national separatist who obstructs the great cause of the motherland's reunification, rather than a national hero we admired when we were children. On the contrary, Qin Hui represents the great cause of the reunification of the motherland, the most advanced historical concept, and the will of the higher-level leaders, and is a good official with foresight and sagacity.

When the power stratum of a nation begins to promote traitors and traitors, is it strange that the nation is ravaged? Is this nation far from extinction?

For the sake of the suffering nation, for the honest officials of all dynasties, and for the backbone of the Chinese nation, I knelt deeply on the ground, with tears in my eyes, full of emotion, and couldn't cry: "Master Lu Gongwu and his disciple Liu Bei came to help in the war, in order to revive the Han Dynasty and exterminate the bandits, the only way to die is to die." ”

Seeing my true feelings, Lu Zhi was also deeply moved, the corners of his eyes were moist, he stepped forward, pulled my sleeve, looked at me lovingly, and said with infinite emotion: "Xuande, it's really good that you came here to help the teacher." How many years have we not seen each other? Well, it's been 7 years, and when I left Zhuoxian, you were just a 15-year-old child, and now you have grown into a hero. I'm missing a general. Come on, come on, don't be a little kid, I'll wait for the advanced battalion to speak. ”

After speaking, Lu Zhi held my hand tightly, like a father holding a child's hand, and couldn't help but walk into the camp with joy.

In the big tent, Lu Zhi introduced his subordinates to us, alas, sure enough, Lu Zhi's subordinates did not have any well-known people, and it was with these unknown soldiers that Lu Zhi surrounded Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Yellow Turbans with a heart higher than the sky, in the small city of Guangzong with 30,000 people.

There are endless debates in history about how many people Zhang Jiao had under him at that time. But then the imperial court deposed Lu Zhi, Dong Zhuo and Zhang Jiao fought a few battles, Huangfu Song conquered Guangzong City, killed more than 70,000 Yellow Turban soldiers, and more than 50,000 Yellow Turbans died in the water, more than 100,000 surrendered Yellow Turban Army was beheaded by Huangfu Song at the same time, buried in the south of the city of Xiaquyang, and built a very large tomb, Huangfu Song named this tomb "Jingguan".

From this point of view, there were at least more than 200,000 Yellow Turban troops surrounded by Lu Zhi at that time. Surrounded by 30,000 people, 200,000 people is rare in ancient and modern times. After Lu Zhi's introduction, I couldn't hide my deep admiration, got up from my seat, and congratulated Lu Zhi.

Lu Zhi stroked his beard, smiled slightly, and replied with satisfaction: "Although the teacher is famous for Confucianism, he has taught two masters of the art of war, Bogui and Xianbei Liukou in Youzhou, and the traitor Zhang Chun's battle I have heard. ”

Speaking of this, Lu Zhi bowed slightly, stared at me with a smile, and said appreciatively: "As for Xuande, your battle with Xianbei Liukou in Liaoxi, the wild words of the countryside, are not to be believed. But you rescued Gong Jing this time, from Youzhou, across Jizhou to Qingzhou, ten battles and ten victories, all battles, all victories, all victories. The captain of Zhuojun and the Bohai Taishou exchanged seals to protect you, and above the court, Yuan Benchu (Yuan Shao) also praised you for attacking and defending the law. Yuan Tan, the eldest son of the original who fought with you in Jizhou, has been appointed by the imperial court as the Taishou of Bohai, and I think that Xuande's appointment will not be under him. ”

After speaking, Lu Zhi said with shame: "Everyone in the world thinks that my Confucianism is far-reaching, but unfortunately, I have not taught outstanding disciples in the way of Confucianism. Now, I am evident in the art of war, with Bogui in front and Xuande behind. Later generations do not know how to evaluate him as a teacher. ”

I lowered my hand and replied gratefully: "Master Lu is a profound Confucian, the disciple can't get it, Master Lu teaches, and the disciple keeps it in mind." ”

Lu Zhi smiled with satisfaction and waved his hand gently: "That's it, I was teaching in Zhuoxian that day, but for 4 years, I have learned one or two from the disciples, I am already grateful, and now there are two disciples under the door who are in the world, and I am forcing more, wouldn't I be greedy." ”

Lu Zhi seemed to suddenly remember something, and said to me with great interest: "By the way, I heard that Guan You'an (Guan Ning) is an official in your place, and You'an is a great talent, so I might as well do it." If you have any problems with Confucianism, you can ask You'an for advice. Is Youan here this time? Your gambling wins under Yingchuan and You'an are spread all over the world, and it is rare to be free today, how about a few rounds? ”

What Lu Zhi said was that I succeeded Guan Ning, in the game of chess with Xun Yu in Yingchuan, this game of chess was under the noses of the scholars in Yingchuan, I gambled with Xun Yu to win, chess is a famous chess, wine is a famous wine, and people are two celebrities. In the end, I fought fiercely, and I was lucky to win, which also relied on Guan Ning's foreshadowing, which made me famous among the scholars. But let me play Lu Zhi alone, I'm really not that arrogant.

Ban Gu, a famous historian and writer of the Eastern Han Dynasty, wrote the article "Yi Zhi", which is the oldest preserved article on Go theory. Ban Gu made a detailed and profound discussion of Go.

He pointed out that a good chess player must have great talent and strategy, and must have the posture of "Su (Qin) and Zhang (Yi), and consolidate his foundation and expand himself" in order to make "the enemy fearful." In addition, it is necessary to have a sense of the overall situation, plan carefully, and use the tactics of attacking the east and the west in the game.

Subsequently, Ma Rong, a student of Ban Gu, wrote a "Go Fu", which was richer in content than "Yi Zhi" and had a deeper understanding of chess skills.

Ma Rong said that the winning and losing strategy of Go is as subtle as hair; The layout of the black and white sides is as intricate as hemp. Attack and defense have their own rules, the defense should be firm, the attack should echo the front and back, up and down, not "abrupt". Otherwise, the enemy army will go deep into their own side, kill the sons, and their chess pieces will be in a state of divorce from top to bottom, isolated from all sides, unable to encircle, and unable to swallow, which is very dangerous.

In my opinion, Ma Rong's article can no longer be regarded as a theory of Go, this is simply a summary of the art of war. At that time, Ma Rong's reputation was already very large, and he had thousands of disciples. And Ma Rong's three famous disciples are Ma Riduli and Lu Zhi, important officials of the imperial court, and Zheng Xuan, a master of economics.

Lu Zhi can be called the national player of Go at that time, and entered the art of war with chess, 30,000 troops surrounded the 200,000 people of the bandits, but he was not arrogant or impatient, steadily enterprising, "the guard must be firm, never abrupt", and won a stable word. Playing chess with such a national player, it is better to admit defeat directly.

I looked around and left, and by answering Lu Zhi's question, I absentmindedly interrupted and said: "The soldiers are in danger of fighting, and I am afraid that You'an will be lost, so at the beginning of the war, I sent someone to send him to Liaoxi, where I am resettled. You'an is compiling ancient books and preparing to write a Confucian canon, and when the books are burned, I will send them to Master Lu for review as soon as possible. ”

It seems that I underestimated Lu Zhi's addiction to playing chess, he was not shaken by my gossip, and said with great interest: "You'an is not here, you are the same, come, accompany the teacher to play two games, let the teacher see who is the master who has put on a world-famous gambling winning score." ”

I sat anxiously in front of a few cases, and opened a chess game with Lu Zhi in my heart, and the two of them stood beside me and intervened. Lu Zhi's subordinates surrounded Zuo in front of our cases, waiting for us to start with expectant eyes. It seems that this is an army of super chess fans led by a veteran chess fan.

I vaguely remember when I was in college, I saw Nie Qisheng's layout in the Sino-Japanese Go Ring Tournament, no matter how Lu Zhi responded, I didn't care about the three seven twenty-one according to my memory, and secretly prayed in my heart, I hope that the chess game in a thousand years will be better than this Eastern Han Dynasty national player.

Twenty or thirty hands later, my memory ends here. I had no idea how to play the rest of the chess game, and while desperately recalling the chess path, I frequently panicked.

After a few moves, Lu Zhi threw down the chess pieces and sighed: "Xuande, your initial layout and subtle moves, why are these moves so confusing, one chess is not as good as one." If you don't concentrate on the side you stand on and devote yourself to conquering the opponent's layout, how can you understand the essence of Go. ”

I immediately took the opportunity to get up and replied respectfully: "Master Lu, don't blame, when the disciple first arrived at the barracks, the soldiers had not yet rested, and their hearts could not be at peace. Besides, the head of the Yellow Turban thief is in Guangzong City, and our army has not arranged anyone to watch, and all the generals are in the tent. ”

Lu Zhi sighed unfinished: "Xuande, since you were young, you have been silent, but your words must be true." Before I came to Jizhou, I met Wang Yue in Beijing, and he once said that you plan everything and then act. Now it seems that you are acting too carefully. ”

After a slight pause, Lu Zhi then said nonchalantly: "Although there are 300,000 Yellow Turban Thieves, their bows and arrows are lacking, and there are even fewer people who can fight. Although Zhang Jiao used the art of drawing talismans to deceive people, he was not a good person to lead the army. The three brothers, there are no generals available under them, but they are still divided into three routes, and they are really fools. If his brother joins forces to attack Luoyang directly, I am afraid that he will be difficult to defeat with many soldiers, and now he is just a small worm besieged by me in Guangzong, what is there to fear.

Although our army has 30,000 men, they are all people who are familiar with bow and crossbow warfare. I am here to fight against the demon, if he comes, I will only meet with a bow and crossbow, how can he shake my camp. Now it's May, last year's grain has been eaten, this year's grain and grass has not been harvested, 300,000 yellow turbans are trapped in this city, and countless grains and grass are consumed every day. Why fear him coming, for we and the others are waiting for him? ”

Good guy, this is a fierce man who plans and then moves, the defense must be strong, never abrupt, the offense and defense are balanced, there is no opportunity to take advantage of it, such a person, I will not finish this game with him if I kill him.

I will salute respectfully, and humbly replied: "Master Lu's teachings are unfathomable, and Sun Tzu said: Good at fighting this has no great name, and I am talking about people like Master Lu!" The teacher was sympathetic to the soldiers, waited for the enemy army to be exhausted, and beat the drums to descend, and the disciples were not as good as the disciples. The teacher entered the chess path with the art of war, and the disciples did not dare to compete with him. ”

Lu Zhi patted his thigh again and again, and sighed unfinished: "Alas, temperament is difficult to move, temperament is difficult to move." Well, if I don't let you settle the soldiers today, I'm afraid you won't be at ease. It's late at night, and you're tired from all the way, so let's rest. That's it for today's game. We'll do it again tomorrow. ”

I thanked Byd for bowing and retreating, and ran out of the tent as if I had fled.

It's dangerous, it's dangerous, contemporary Confucian, that's a figure that can't be underestimated. Lu Zhi, with the way of chess into the art of war, with the art of war into the way of chess, the layout is compact, the defense is like Mount Tai, the attack is like a thunderbolt, no wonder millions of yellow turbans worship the great sage and good teacher Zhang Jiao, who was besieged here by a small army of him, unable to move. In his opinion, this Yellow Turban thief is like a dry bone in a grave, and he can be killed at any time.

If you want to say that the combat power of the Yellow Turban is not good, but after the Yellow Turban Army was defeated by Zhang Liang, it was this Yellow Turban that defeated Dong Zhuo's troops, Dong Zhuo, this is a helpless person in the coalition of the princes of the Eighteenth Road, and it is no wonder that Lu Zhi taught Gongsun Chan and Liu Bei in 4 years, and in my opinion, their teaching level far exceeds the so-called special teachers of the later era. I just don't know what kind of education Liu Bei received under him back then, well, I have to find an opportunity to stay away from him.

In the early morning of the next day, our whole army came out to practice, and the soldiers sang the military song loudly while running and exercising:

"Ryoma Hua Xuemao, Youzhou boy Hao. Autumn frost cutting jade knife, sunset unicorn robe.

The bow destroys the Nanshan Tiger, and the hand is connected to the Taihang Tiger. Killing people is like cutting grass, and the drama Meng travels together.

Angry to go to Yuyang, join the army to Lintao. Dominating the battlefield, the Huns fled.

The enemy can be destroyed, the head is destroyed, and the intestines of the beard are involved in the blood.

Hanging Hu in the sky, burying Hu Zi plugged around. Hu no one, Han Daochang.

returned to make the wine smell, and refused to worship Xiao Cao. ”

The neat singing and footsteps woke up the soldiers one after another, and under the curious gaze of Lu Zhi's soldiers, our soldiers sang more vigorously. In the end, Lu Zhi was also woken up, and he came to the open space in the camp, and he saw this scene: under the leadership of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, the soldiers of the three brigades lined up in full armor, running around this open space neatly. I ran at the front of the line, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei followed closely behind me on the left and right, followed by the non-commissioned officers under the captains of each brigade.

When I saw Lu Zhi coming, I immediately waved my hand and motioned for Guan Zhang to continue running with the soldiers, while I left the team and went to the edge of the open space to greet Lu Zhi.

Surrounded by all the generals, Lu Zhi watched the soldiers run with interest.

Suspiciously asked: "Xuande, are these soldiers recruited by you in Zhuo County?" I've seen a few familiar faces in one of them, how long have you been training them? Well, these soldiers are so well-equipped and so weird, as far as I know you are not wealthy, and you have the money to equip them? I wanted to ask this question when you came yesterday, but I was so focused on playing chess that I forgot about it. ”

I had already prepared and replied with a little gratitude: "Teacher, when the disciples raised their troops, they were sponsored by Zhang Shiping, a merchant from Zhuo County, and after the disciples raised their troops, Bogui (Gongsun Zhan) also sent people to send armor and weapons. ”

Lu Zhi praised himself and said: "Ah, it turns out that they are all my Youzhou men, no wonder they are so brave." This Liaoxi is a place of war, the four Liaoxi Taishou of the imperial court, all died on the way to the post, can survive in this long-term war place, its courage can be compared to my Zhuo County heroes. ”

After a while, Lu Zhi said worriedly: "By the way, I heard that you gathered the displaced people from Youzhou and Qingzhou in Tuntian, Liaoxi, and You'an (Guan Ning) went there." Is it safe there? ”

"It doesn't matter, there is my senior brother Gao Shun to take care of him, and my senior brother's way of using soldiers is far superior to that of his disciples. Also, the disciple has a slight reputation in Liaoxi, and Xianbei in Liaoxi has been defeated by the disciple, so where my people are, the enemy will not dare to offend. I replied proudly.

"Oh, Yuyang has the benefit of salt and iron, and Bergui supports you with a little armor, as I said in the past. But why is this armor so weird? Lu Zhi asked a little puzzled.

"The disciple is blunt, the Yuyang craftsman is lacking, and the armor is not easy to hammer a little bit, the disciple tried to make a jack hammer (impact machine), and the shape of the armor was engraved on the hammer, and the armor became like this." I replied succinctly.

"Oh, that's a good idea, but how do you lift a sledgehammer, is it going to be a waste of manpower?" Lu Zhi asked suspiciously.

Unable to explain the principle of the steam shock machine in detail, I had to say paradoxically: "Well, it takes less manpower and time than a little bit of hammered armor." ”

Lu Zhi lowered his head, pondered for a long time, and finally accepted my explanation.

I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, this ironclad army of mine is my main combat force, it is not a way to hide and tuck, sooner or later I will show up in front of the court, Lu Zhi, Zhiren also. Especially this matter has something to do with his two proud disciples, you can pass the test with a little explanation, with Lu Zhi's introduction, who dares to raise any objections, that is, it is stupider than the contemporary Confucian Lu Zhi, think about it, Lu Shi understands the truth, why don't you understand?

"Well, if you use the method of casting tripods to engrave the armor shape on the jack hammer, and then engrave the shape of the armor on the hammer base, and pull the jack hammer with a number of wrestlers, a hammer down, it does save a thousand hammers. Xuande, can Zheng Hun be with you? Lu Zhi seemed to have found the answer and asked mysteriously.

"Exactly", with my power, it is no longer relevant to clarify this issue now, and besides, it is not bad to take this opportunity to open a trade route for the sale of weapons in the future.

However, "How did the teacher know about this?" "I asked with a thief's heart

Lu Zhi looked at me like a naughty child, clumsily playing with inconspicuous tricks in front of adults.

He replied discerningly: "It is rumored that after Zheng Hun arrived in Jinan Mansion, he met Xuande and went to Liaoxi with you to look for coal and stone, and there was no news after that. But you Liaoxi suddenly have a large number of high-quality weapons and armor, if there is no Zheng Hun to preside over it, how can this be? ”

I immediately bowed and solemnly reminded: "Teacher, don't blame, the Zhongguan (eunuch) is crazy, I have to be like this." ”

Lu Zhi immediately understood, changed the topic and said: "Xuande, Zhang Jiao's thieves are surrounded by me, and sooner or later they will be broken, and the thief brothers Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao are in Yingchuan, and they are facing off against Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun (Jun). You can lead the people of the headquarters, and I will help you with another 1,000 officers and soldiers to go to Yingchuan to inquire about the news, and I will start to arrest them at the same time as the agreed deadline. ”

I was overjoyed, just waiting for this order, with Lu Zhi's introduction, I could swagger in front of Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, show myself in front of the central power class, and wait for this opportunity.

I immediately said with great ambition: "But listen to Master Lu's orders." ”

After hesitating for a moment, I added sincerely: "Teacher, I specially prepared a few sets of armor for you, but I didn't have time to present them yesterday evening. Can you try it on today? ”

Lu Zhi nodded with relief, I didn't dare to delay in the slightest, and immediately gathered the army and escaped from the camp. Fortunately, I'll just wait for this moment, in case Lu Zhi remembers it and pulls me to play chess again, I will definitely die.

Riding a horse and wandering outside the city of Guangzong, I was worried, hesitated for a long time, according to history, when I came back, the eunuch Zuo Feng Lu Zhi failed to ask for a bribe, and he was put in prison on fabricated charges, and Lu Zhi had a hard time with Zhang Jiao before, and also created a pretext for the eunuch, should I fight and then leave, so that Lu Zhi can reduce the charge.

After pondering for a long time, I gritted my teeth and made a final decision - now is not the time to strike at Zhang Jiao, on the contrary, the longer Zhang Jiao supports it, the greater the damage, and the more beneficial it will be for my development.

The plan has been decided, and I did not hesitate to give the order that the whole army should rush to Yingchuan.

According to history, at that time, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun were leading the army to fight against Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao, and the Yellow Turban was unfavorable in the battle, so they retreated to the Changshe near Yingchuan and camped according to the grass. On the evening of the same day, the Yellow Turban Army, which had been fighting fiercely for a day, fell into a deep sleep, and even did not put a sentry. Seeing this, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun ordered the sergeants to each bundle a handful of grass and secretly ambush. The night when a strong wind blew up. After the second watch, the soldiers set fire together, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun took the opportunity to lead troops to attack the Yellow Turban Village, the flames were open, and the Yellow Turban Army was panicked, the horses were not as good as the saddle, and the people were not as good as the armor, and they scattered in all directions. In this battle, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun killed more than 100,000 Yellow Turban troops.

I don't know if history has changed, and I don't know the specific time of the collapse of the Yellow Turban, I urged the sergeants to hurry along the way, and after Guandu boarded the right bank of the Yellow River, I didn't even have the heart to appreciate this famous ancient battlefield, and urgently urged the soldiers to rush to Changshe.

At noon, I led the army out of Zhongmu, under the pretext that the Yellow Turban Army was not far away, I reorganized the team, 500 war horses were dismissed, and Zhang Fei's troops were all disguised as cavalry.

I divided the supplies of the army into two parts, the bows and armor were loaded in the front 50 carts, and the last 50 carts were all loaded with grain and grass and spare swords and guns. The 100 carts in the middle were used to transport the soldiers, and Zhang Fei's cavalry lined up in front of the formation to explore the way. We slowed down and cautiously moved forward.

Feeling my nervousness, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei also strengthened their vigilance. Soon, history inevitably happened.

At the foot of Song Mountain, suddenly, the Yellow Turban Army appeared all over the mountain, and the Yellow Turban soldiers with yellow cloth strips on their heads were open and bare-chested, wearing hair and bare feet, and ran towards us in shock.

"Formations, spear forests, chariots and horses guarding the wings. Yide, capture the thief and capture the king first, listen to my order and then attack, and capture Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao alive. "I commanded loudly.

As the chariots and horses moved to the sides, the spearmen lined up in front of the formation, and I shouted, "Wind," and the archers untied their short bows, and under the command of the lieutenant, the bows and arrows were wound. Zhang Fei's cavalry was behind the formation, happily waiting for the order to rush and kill. The horses couldn't hold back their excitement and kept snorting.

I silently watched the rout of the Yellow Turbans coming, slowly raising my saber above my head. Guan Yu was beside me, slammed the big knife into the ground, rubbed his hands, held the knife in one hand, and stood proudly on his horse.

Seeing that our small army was unhurriedly lined up in formation, the clever Yellow Turban soldiers immediately turned around and fled, but there were still some Yellow Turban soldiers who did not know whether they were alive or dead, relying on the strength of the crowd, and pounced on us viciously.

If the defeated soldiers want to escape, they must choose the Guandu ferry to cross the Yellow River and meet Zhang Jiao. After the defeat, the county army will inevitably spare no effort to hunt down the remnants of the Yellow Turban soldiers, and the local heroes will also take the opportunity to shoot the water dogs, and the small group of Yellow Turban soldiers will not be able to escape the fate of death at all. And now, I am blocking the road to Guandu, as long as we repel our army of more than 1,000 people, their way to escape will be opened.

"Come and attack me", I shouted with great fighting spirit: "The brave wins when we meet on the narrow road, the Yellow Turban soldiers, show some courage, we will fight to the death." ”