Chapter 4 Section 4 Treacherous Schemes

On May 14 of the first year of Guangxi (the sixth year of Zhongping), the Qingzhou army crossed the border of Qingzhou from Linqu City, the southernmost city of Qi State, and entered Taishan County, Yanzhou. This time, it was Liu Xuande who personally led the team, and a total of five corps were dispatched, and the news reached Xuzhou, and Xuzhou was terrified.

In Kaiyang City, the capital of Langxi, Zang Ba, the cavalry commander, ordered the whole army to be on alert, and the former Yellow Turban bandits Sun Guan and Wu Dun, on the orders of Tao Qian, raised 10,000 troops to enter Philadelphia near Mengyin, and Yin Li led 10,000 defenders to enter Huaxian County, which was 50 miles away, echoing the defenders of Philadelphia. Zang Bashuai's 30,000 elite soldiers were in Kaiyang, forming an inverted triangle with Philadelphia and Huaxian, closely monitoring the movements of the Qingzhou army. And Cao Bao, the general of Xuzhou, commanded the elite 20,000 Danyang soldiers and stationed in Gaoyang City in the south of Langxi County.

In Xuzhou, a total of no less than 70,000 soldiers were mobilized to monitor the army of less than 20,000 in Qingzhou. It's a pity that these 70,000 troops only knew how to hide in the city wall, trembling as they watched the Qingzhou army gallop not far away.

Liu Ming, the assassin of Yanzhou, is good at talking about current affairs, but he is not strong in force, and he looks down on martial artists, so he has no generals available. Over the years, he has been repeatedly bullied by our army, and at this moment, there is nothing he can do. had to fly to the imperial court, and at the same time send grain and grass to reward the Qingzhou soldiers.

"In this way, our army came to relieve the siege at the invitation of Bao Xin, the commander of the cavalry, and the imperial court already knew about it-" In Laiwu City, Liu Bei dragged out his tone and asked the Yanzhou messenger.

After receiving the messenger's affirmative reply, Liu Bei turned over and asked the military advisor: "Where is the forward of our army?" ”

Fu Zhi flipped through the map and replied, "There are still 20 miles away from Yiyuan City. ”

Liu Bei said angrily: "The forward speed is too fast. Tell Zhang Yide that it was useless for him to run to the front alone, and the battle was not fought by one of his legions. It is necessary to coordinate with the whole army, and to cooperate, it is necessary to adopt the method of rolling marching. If I don't understand it again, I will remove him from his post. ”

Frustrated with a smile and said, "It's useless for you to tell Yide these words. Someone came, and gave an order to Li Ping and Li Yuanyuan, who joined the 11th Army Corps, and ordered him to camp on the spot and wait for the large forces of our army to approach. Tell him that because the forward is too fast, he doesn't know how to echo the rear army, and give him a demerit to set an example. As for General Yide, the lord has his own punishment."

Seeing the Yanzhou messenger retreat, he reminded in frustration: "My lord, in fact, what General Yide did is not an exaggeration. Saving soldiers is like fighting fires, with the courage of Yide, the 11th Army is well-trained, even against the Yellow Turban Army, it will not suffer. ”

Liu Bei sighed, walked to the door, held the door frame with his hand, and watched the sergeants busy, silent for a long time.

Frustrated and tentatively asked: "The lord is worried, will the court reprimand us after we know that we have crossed the line?" ”

Liu Bei sighed again and said leisurely: "Bao Xin was surrounded, I arranged it. ”

Frustrated: "Such absurd words, how can they be spoken by the public and silenced." ”

Immediately, he walked to the door, carefully looked at the situation, and ordered: "Guard, it is forbidden for idle people to approach, and when on alert, it is not allowed to approach the doors and windows." ”

Turning his head, he closed the door carefully, walked back to Liu Bei's side, and sat down slowly.

"Remember Bochang will fight, we have a spy in the Yellow Turban Army, so we know the Yellow Turban operation well, that spy has always been in charge of Zitai contact, and now, it's time to reveal the hole card, he is the current Taishan bandit leader Yang Feng." Liu Bei revealed the mystery with an expressionless face.

Frustrated Professor raised his face, pondered for a moment, and asked, "I can only think of two reasons, but neither of them is sufficient. ”

Liu Bei smiled faintly and said, "Let me try to say it." ”

"The soldiers besieged Bao Xin, it should have been arranged when Gong Yuanjun died, why did he choose to arrange it at this time, could it be that the lord wanted to avoid Qingzhou, so that the new state governor could not be handed over, or even enter Qingzhou? But on second thought, this reason is not sufficient. If you can hide for a while, you can't hide for a lifetime, and it is impossible for the lord not to let Xinzhou Mu enter Qingzhou for the rest of his life?

Unless, the lord has something else to do, hoping to take this opportunity to buffer. But this is not sufficient, according to the lord's family lineage, fame, and military exploits, as long as there is a little activity, a few years ago, it was not too much to take the position of state pastor. But the lord has been hidden behind Gong Zhou's pastor, and there must be a deep meaning in it. I can't see through this. But Guan Zhugong is not worried about who is the new state pastor recently, besides, all the counties in Qingzhou, except for the North and overseas, are under our control, and it doesn't matter who is the state pastor. Therefore, the lord must not besiege Bao Xin for this reason. ”

Liu Bei picked up the teacup, borrowed the skill of drinking tea, covered his face with his sleeves, and said angrily: "You will say it again." ”

He took a deep breath and continued, "The second reason is what I just thought of. Since Yang Feng, the thief of Taishan, is our person, the lord has to bring 5 legions to Taishan County, could it be Zang Ba of Xuzhou? However, when I think about it, this reason is not sufficient.

Today passed away, I waited until now and did not mourn, although the court has not mourned so far, we do not mourn and talk about the past. However, when the new monarch ascends the throne, we will not send envoys to congratulate him, but will raise troops to plot against Lang Evil County, so I am afraid that it will attract a lot of criticism, and in the name of the Lord's benevolence and righteousness, we will not do this. ”

Liu Bei sighed, unconsciously played with the teacup in his hand, and said worriedly: "The most painful thing in life is that when the future is uncertain, you can't see the way forward. What is even more painful than this is that when we see the direction of progress, we have to follow the pace of history, step by step. ”

Frustrated, he touched his head and asked, "What does the lord mean by this, I don't understand?" ”

Liu Bei stood up, turned his back to Fu Zhi, with an unpredictable expression on his face, and said: "Before the new emperor ascended the throne, the captain of the military academy Jian Shuo was secret, and he summoned the general He into the palace with the intention of killing. Now, Liu Bian, the eldest son of the emperor born to He Jin's sister Empress Dowager He, ascended the throne, Liu Bian was only 14 years old, and he could not be pro-government. In this case, can He Jin spare Jian Shuo, the captain of the upper military academy who wanted to kill him?

The forbidden army of the imperial court is all controlled by Jian Shuo, what way will He Jin take if he wants to do it? The ministers of scholars, who have been oppressed by the Zhongguan (eunuchs) for a long time, if there is a chance to eradicate Jian Shuo, what will be their attitude? Zizheng (frustrated), you will try to speak for me".

Frustrated, he was shocked: "It turns out that the lord hid out of Qingzhou for this matter." Well, that's interesting. ”

Liu Bei casually took out a letter from the table and handed it to Fu Zhu: "This is the information sent by the Jingshi, He Jin is in power, and the general Yuan Kui is appointed as the Taifu, and he will record the Shangshu with him." Zheng He Hao is the marquis of the Northern Army, Xun You is the Huangmen squire, Zheng Tai is the Shangshu, and the same heart.

Because of Yuan's many noble pets, He Jin introduced Yuan Shao as help. Yuan Shao was selected as a staff officer. This is the whole team of He Jin."

Everything in the world is people-oriented. A person's character determines a person's fate. Therefore, to see if one thing can be successful, and to look at the team that operates this thing, you will know that it is eighty.

Yuan Shao is a minister, extremely looking down on people whose family background is not as good as his, and the praise of celebrities and celebrities has fueled his pride. He is a bubble character in the real society, who once blew himself up to the point of being unstoppable, and the mountains looked up. With such a person with great ambition and talent as a staff officer, the result of this matter can be imagined.

He Jin, who was born as a butcher, obtained a high position because his sister became a queen. Although he had a close relationship with the scholars, his background made the scholars look down on him. This determines that he is sensitive to his own identity and cannot tolerate insults, so he will never let go of the eunuch Jian Shuo.

And He Jin relied on Empress Dowager He to become a high-ranking official, which caused him to obey Empress He's words. Empress He had close contacts with the eunuchs and was indecisive. Combining these factors, although He Jin has Xun You's ambition and Zheng Tai's loyalty, how can great things be done.

As for He Hao, the lieutenant of the Northern Army, that is a waste, there are not many of him, not many of him, and it is okay not to mention it.

Looking at the list, he wanted to cry without tears: "The central official is powerful, and he controls the center and the forbidden army, if the general can plot slowly, and then do the treachery after he has the power, the matter may be successful." But Yuan Gong was originally impatient and arrogant, and never put eunuchs in his eyes, and he was in power at the moment, so I am afraid he would not be able to hold back his temperament. I estimate that he not only wants to kill Jian Shuo, but also intends to punish the eunuchs and clear the palace ban - it seems that the court is going to **** again."

"More than that" Liu Bei shook his head and sighed: "The court is turbulent, how can the world be fine?" Zizheng, you are my confidant, there is no one else in this room today, so I will tell the truth. I want you to go back to Qingzhou immediately and do three things for me, one of them: let Zitai (Tian Chou) replace you; Second, you liaise up and down as a private person and ask the county officials to obey my orders only. Third: On the grounds that I went out to fight, I was not subject to the chaos of the imperial court. ”

Fu Zhu nodded: "Zi Tai came to the army, I understand what the lord meant, I want to take this opportunity to have a fake fight with Yang Feng, and while delaying time, I will find a good background for Yang Feng in the future." However, I don't understand the second point, the prestige of governing Qingzhou with the lord, the relationship between the lord and the bigwigs of the DPRK and China, and the relationship between the officials of Qingzhou and us, if the officials of the six counties of Qingzhou are elected together, the officials of the twelve countries and 65 counties of Qingzhou will not be a problem. Why do we design to welcome the New State Shepherd? If the name is not right, it is not good, and the lord might as well take the post of state pastor directly.

The imperial court is now suffering from internal and external troubles, and our nomination, the imperial court may not be vetoed, the lord, make up your mind, and take advantage of this time. ”

"The world is in turmoil, and it is in the ascendant; The big wave has just begun. It is an eternal truth that the rafters rot first. There is a person standing in front of us, as long as he lets go, we will govern Qingzhou for a few more years, you just said, if we have a few more years, it will be better. We just want to find someone to shield us from the wind and rain for a few years.

The Qingzhou generals are all under my command, and the Qingzhou soldiers are all trained by me, any person, as long as he is a little smarter, will not be embarrassed by us, if there is really someone who is not enlightened, then my five legions will return to the army, and he will feel better"

Frustrated, he said, "Does the lord want to threaten the new state pastor?" ”

Liu Bei showed a smile like a wolf grandmother: "Soldiers threaten Xinzhou Mu, such a rebellious thing, is it my Liu Bei's doing, I don't threaten Xinzhou Mu, I make trouble."

Of these five legions, three of them were reorganized by Gong Envoy Jun Jiading, which is equivalent to my private army, and before, they did not obtain the benefits of the Qingzhou campaign. Now that they have the opportunity to fight, they are all grinding their fists. I'm going to take them out and spend their time in New South Wales to take up their posts. If the new state pastor does not move my military power, I will reward them as promised, and if the new state pastor moves my military power, let them go to the new state pastor. ”

After speaking, Liu Bei added meaningfully: "The people, once they gain benefits, and then let them lose, the power of the outbreak cannot be underestimated. I really hope that Xinzhou will be stupid and let the people of Qingzhou know what it is like to lose me, and I want to win the hearts of the people of Qingzhou with this. ”

He smiled frustratedly and said, "Don't worry, I will let the lord win the hearts of the people of Qingzhou and make the lord's foundation stable." ”

"Hey, hey, hey" looked at Liu Bei and let out a sinister smile.

Frustrated and undecided, he then asked: "The third item that the lord said, what is the so-called chaos of the imperial court?" Can the lord draw a range, so that the heart of the conferrer has a bottom. ”

"What if the imperial court allows the ministers to join the court to eradicate the eunuchs?"

Frustrated: "Foreign ministers interfere in politics, that is, support troops into the court, how can the court assert it, if the selection of people is improper, if the political power is assumed, and the military authority is granted, it will be arrogant and lawless in the future, and the court will be in danger." Such a stupid thing, how could the general do it. ”

"What's scarier than one stupid person is that two stupid people are together. What's even more embarrassing is that they have to compete with each other to see who is stupider. He Jin partners with Yuan Shao, and anything will happen. ”

Frustrated and nodded: "Well, now, there are two elite soldiers in the world, one is the Bingzhou Iron Cavalry led by the former general Dong Zhuo, and the other is the Qingzhou Bear Soldier led by the lord. Dong Zhuotun soldiers in the east of the river, closest to Luoyang, his name is in the lord's office, and the imperial court is likely to call Dong Zhuobing into the court. However, Dong Zhuo is arrogant and famous all over the world, if he is not summoned to the court, the lord is also a choice, especially when Duke Lu is in the court......

However, foreign ministers interfere in politics by force, which is inconsistent with our Qingzhou law. The law of Qingzhou was established by the lord, and if the lord broke it again. Qingzhou government affairs do not exist.

Besides, the lord also talked about it: the rafters that come out of the country rot first. If you come out of this moment, you will become the target of the whole world. It is likely that Dong Zhuo's attack will be summoned. It seems that the lord is hiding in Taishan County, which is really a clever move. Hey, hey, hey......"

"Also", Liu Bei added: "Bao Xin, the commander of the cavalry, is the best candidate for the county guard of Mount Tai, after we rescue Bao Xin, take him as the county guard of Mount Tai, and use our people to govern Mount Tai, not only justifiably, but also logically, Taishan County is included in our hands, with Bao Xin's reputation, the government of Mount Tai, wouldn't it be better." ”

Liu Bei muttered to himself in his heart: With the cavalry captain Bao Xin in charge of Mount Tai, and the suppression of Cao Cao, the captain of the military academy, Yanzhou will no longer be Cao Cao's world, this is the best.

Frustrated, he took the case: "Okay, the lord is staying here in Bao Xin, and I will defend Qingzhou for the lord." ”

In Luoyang, the capital division, He Jin was in charge, named Liu Xie as the king of Bohai, and planned to get rid of Jian Shuo, who also secretly strengthened his defense, secretly contacted Zhao Zhong and Song Dian, and sent his fellow party Guo Sheng to deliver secret letters. It's a pity that Guo Sheng is from Nanyang, and he has a related photo. After he received the secret letter, he sent it directly to the General's Mansion and handed the secret letter to He Jin. When He Jinjin read the book, he couldn't help but be taken aback.

There are about hundreds of words in the book, and a few words are the most amazing, which reads: "The general's brother is the dictatorship of the country, and now he is with the party members of the world, plotting to punish the first emperor and sweep away us." It's just that because Jian Shuo is in charge of the forbidden soldiers, I groan. It is advisable to close the door and arrest him urgently! ”

When He Jin hesitated for a long time, he asked Guo Shengdao: "Jian Shuo's plan, does Zhao Changshou (Zhongchangshi, the great eunuch Zhao Zhong) already know?" ”

Guo Sheng replied: "Although Zhao Changshi knows, he may not be willing to conspire with Jian Shuo; The general only needs to order the Yellow Gate to hunt down and kill Jian Shuo, and the words can be successful. ”

He Jin thought about it for a long time, and according to Guo Sheng's proposal, he sent Guo Sheng to tell the Huangmen Order, lure Jian Shuo into the palace, and immediately arrest him. At the same time, he declared the crime of Jian Shuo, and all Jian Shuo's subordinates were stationed in the army, and they were brought under the control of the general. The garrison soldiers are exempt from being involved, and they are naturally willing to listen to constraints. At this moment, the Han court showed the light of hope, but unfortunately, stupid people would not suppress their desire to do stupid things.

Dong Chong, a hussar general, was another relative who was equal to He Jin's power at that time. His sister is the Empress Dowager Dong in Yongle Palace, and she also gave birth to a prince. In addition, the second son of the emperor, Liu Xie, was fostered in Yongle Palace, which was quite favored by the Empress Dowager Dong, so the Empress Dowager Dong conspired with Dong Chong before and persuaded Emperor Ling to appoint Liu Xie as the prince, so that he could take power and consolidate himself in the future. Trying to do things will not succeed. When the Empress Dowager He came to the court, He Jin presided over the state affairs, but he was afraid that the Dong family would come out to interfere in politics and repeatedly restrain her.

Empress Dowager Dong was very unhappy, and repeatedly scolded Empress Dowager He: "You rely on your brother to be a general, so dare to look at others like this?" If I make my brother, the hussar general Dong Chong, decide what to do, and see what he does? ”

In the eyes of the little woman, it kills people. If you really have a heart, just do it. Just by saying big things, can you mean that you represent the interests of the broadest masses of the people? Amusing.

When the Empress Dowager He heard this, she immediately summoned He into the palace to discuss, telling him to get rid of the Dong family and avoid being victimized. He Jin immediately besieged Yongle Palace and sent officials to force Empress Dowager Dong out of the palace. At the same time, he raised troops to surround the Hussar General's Mansion and ordered Dong Zhong to hand over the seal. Dong Chong committed suicide in a panic, and the Empress Dowager Dong also suddenly collapsed.

It is rumored that He Jin poisoned people and poisoned the Empress Dowager Dong. This is a typical act of committing the following crimes, and so far, there has been an uproar at home and abroad.

On the side of Liangfu Mountain, in Yang Feng's military camp, the Yellow Turban generals were greatly panicked when they heard the news of Liu Bei's advance, and they discussed a way out.

Pei Yuanshao, the leader of the Yellow Turban bandits who retreated from Dongjun to Mount Tai, spoke first: "Mom, our army heard that Jinan is rich and its military strength is not strong. I just wanted to plunder some grain and grass for the winter, but I didn't expect that the defenders of Pingyin City outflanked us. We stayed in Taishan County for two years and did nothing. Now listen to your Yang Feng's call, saying that the recruits recruited by Bao Xin are not strong in combat and have abundant ordnance materials. Unexpectedly, because of the siege of Bao Xin, the character of Liu Bei was provoked. What to do? ”

Henan Zhou Cang sighed and said: "Qingzhou Liu Bei, known as the "Bi (sound) tiger", has a reputation of "Bi (sound) tiger", and his warriors are like clouds. 317 warriors, daring to challenge the hundreds of thousands of Xianbei troops. In the Battle of Bochang, Liu Bei only used two legions and a few cavalry, and his guards corps had not yet participated in the battle. Now, he has brought with him five legions, including the Guards Legion, how can this battle be fought? ”

Runan Liu Pi suggested: "It's better for our whole army to withdraw the siege and lay a road to Runan." Runan, the military is not strong, the imperial court is too busy to take care of itself, we can gain a foothold there. I used to run Runan, I have a very good foundation, if it wasn't for Liu Beijun cutting off my back road, I would have galloped in Runan. ”

Yang Feng shook his head and vetoed: "The front line has reported that among Liu Bei's five legions, there is a fifth legion." The Fifth Army is the Siege Corps, and all the big cities around our Taishan County were built by Liu Bei to besiege us, and we have no cities of our own. So, what does Liu Bei want to do with the siege corps? ”

Yang Feng looked up at the Yellow Turban generals who were in a daze, and then said, "This is a deterrent!" With the siege corps, whoever wants to let us go must bear the subsequent attack of Xuande Gong. According to Xuandegong's temper, it is likely that he will take the opportunity to dismiss the local officials and appoint his own subordinates. Therefore, no one dared to let us go.

Now, the defenders of Jinan County sent troops to Zhangqiu, the defenders of Pingyin City attacked from the east, and the Xuande Gong army came from the west. In the south, the defenders of Zangba were on strict alert. Zang Ba's father was beheaded by Guan Hai, a general under Xuande Gong, and for several years, the East China Sea group led by Zang Ba has been harassing Lang Xie. This time, Xuande Gong's general Guan Hai also attacked with the army, and Zang Ba would never give Xuande Gong a reason to attack them. Therefore, the road to the south is not passable, and I hope that you will make a decision as soon as possible. ”