What's interesting is that the two characters "Langya", except for the same "wang" or "yu" character, one is a good thing and the other is a bad thing, and then they appear together in pairs.
It's like the good and bad aspects of an event, and it's like people.
Good guys, bad guys, or there are never good guys or bad guys, just twisted, mixed, contradictory but unified people.
A hundred miles outside Langya City, Zang Ba stood on the left side of the road early, with the black cloak behind him fluttering in the wind.
Although it is already past the twelfth lunar month, the cold wind in the first lunar month is still biting.
Taixing six years.
First month.
General Cao Cao patrols Xuzhou.
"General..." said the confidant guard beside Zang Ba, "Didn't I say there are still thirty miles left? Why haven't I seen anyone yet? Do you want to send someone..."
Zang Ba thought for a moment and shook his head.
Behind him, about three hundred soldiers formed an array and waited quietly.
No one likes to wait.
Unless some value can be recovered from the time spent waiting.
Of course, Zang Ba's personal guards were all carefully selected. The soldiers wore battle armor, with cloaks tied on their backs, armed with long spears and shields, as well as swords, bows and arrows. In addition, they had the aura of having experienced battle formations. How could they do it?
They can be considered elites. However, these elites are somewhat restless at the moment. Even if they are standing in place, they are not restless, but the expression on their faces also reveals some uneasiness.
The Taishan Army was a local private army at the beginning. Later, during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, it continued to absorb the remaining Yellow Turban soldiers, and finally formed the current military strength. So from this point of view, there are actually many of these Taishan Army.
The Yellow Turban Thief's job change is somewhat similar to Cao Cao's Qingzhou Soldiers.
It can be said that most of Cao Cao's soldiers are pieced together, and their composition is much more complex than those under General Hussars.
Under General Hussar, Bingzhou soldiers and Xiliang soldiers were the most important pillars of the cavalry force, and the rest of the local soldiers served as supplements. In Cao Cao's case, some of the Yuzhou soldiers were Yuan Shu's remnants, and of course Yuan Shao was among the Jizhou soldiers.
The remaining strength, the Qingzhou soldiers are the transformation of the Yellow Turban thieves, and the Jingzhou soldiers newly incorporated into the system...
Brothers who are related by blood live together, and from time to time they will quarrel or even fight over this or that matter, not to mention these soldiers who are no longer together or even originally hostile? Under a limited economic system, how can
If one party receives more soldiers, food and supplies, it means that others may be short of food and money.
Undoubtedly, the Taishan Army is basically the part that has the least central supply, almost no supply.
Because this is the price the Taishan Army paid for its independence.
Zang Ba is different from other generals under Cao Cao. He has his own small force, his own elite soldiers, and an independent territory. He is responsible for the taxes in his territory. He only needs to pay a small part of it, and he can even deduct it for various reasons.
Although Langya has been abused once or twice by classmate Lao Cao, he still has some foundation after all, and he also has some money and property...
After all, not just anyone can pick up a technician with good skills on the street.
According to the military system of the Han Dynasty, even a general has a certain limit on the number of personal troops he can independently own, that is, private soldiers. Historically, Zhang Babai did not mean that he did not want to cross a thousand, but that he could not cross the line. Other central authorities
No one can move the soldiers dispatched without the tiger talisman.
In addition to the limit on the number of soldiers, financial support is another restriction.
Not everyone has a fiefdom, and now Langya is almost as good as Zang Ba’s fiefdom. As long as Zang Ba wants to explode his troops and can hold on, the number is not just a few hundred, but tens of thousands are possible.
.In addition, Zang Ba has a huge reputation for loyalty among Qingxu, and has many brothers of life and death, and these brothers of life and death also have soldiers...
To put it simply, if Zang Ba is really driven crazy, it is not completely impossible for Zang Ba to raise tens of thousands of elite soldiers between Qing and Xu regardless of his orders.
Therefore, Cao Cao's initial arrangements for Yu Taishan's army were to remain silent rather than moving.
But this doesn’t mean that the Taishan Army will always be allowed to show off like this...
Historically, due to the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao's prestige collapsed in the later period, and coupled with the rebellions that broke out in various places, he did not have time to consolidate the Taishan Army in the later stages. Until Cao Pi came to power, not even a single man of the Taishan Army was available.
He was very old, so he killed Zang Ba with an "unfounded" name.
But now, Cao Cao was stimulated by General Hussar, and Cao Cao had a bad experience in Jizhou...
Although Cao Cao hated others saying that he was born into a family of eunuchs, for Cao Cao, the skills of eunuchs were almost engraved in his bones.
Take advantage of the situation.
The reason why eunuchs are arrogant is that most of the time, they represent the authority of the emperor.
When Cao Cao first started, he was moving around in places like Yanzhou and Chenliu. In addition to his personal martial arts and military strategies, there was also Cao Cao who would take advantage of the situation!
At first I borrowed it from Yuan Shao, and later I borrowed it from the Emperor.
At the moment, Cao Cao took advantage of the momentum of the Yuzhou gentry children to suppress Jizhou. After discovering the backlash, he immediately made peace with the Jizhou gentry children. After negotiating the terms, he turned around. At the time of Qingxu, in front of the Taishan Army...
Cao Cao appeared suddenly, almost as if he had appeared directly from the ground, with a huge momentum, and there were many cavalry in the vanguard. These cavalry had enough maneuverability to move in the relatively flat area of Qingxu.
Controls a large area.
After Zang Ba discovered the appearance of Cao Cao's army, he immediately discovered that Cao Cao's cavalry formations appeared in almost three directions, with only the south side being empty...
To alert the snake?
Knocking on mountains and shaking tigers?
Or is it driving away tigers and devouring wolves?
Or some other strategy?
Although Zang Ba's private soldiers are loyal to Zang Ba, it does not mean that everyone in Zhe Langya is willing to die for Zang Ba. For the more ordinary people or soldiers, there is probably not much
People would be willing to get involved in the war between Cao Cao and Zang Ba. As long as Zang Ba's direct lineage is not wrong, it is inevitable to be frightened by Cao Cao's huge momentum and have some other thoughts.
The problem is, no one knows what Cao Cao wants to do!
Even though Cao Cao ostensibly said he was coming to comfort the army and review the Taishan Army...
After getting the news, Zang Ba took action immediately. On the one hand, he met with his subordinates, especially the soldiers of his direct line, to cheer up and stabilize the morale of the army. On the other hand, he arranged military affairs and delivered letters to Sun Guan and others.
In human hands, just in case... If there is any real possibility, as long as there are Sun Guan and others outside and they are not caught by Cao Cao, then even if Cao Cao wants to take action, he still needs to consider one or two things.
After the military preparedness was completed and people's hearts were slightly calmed down, Zang Ba led hundreds of elite guards and went out of the city to greet him. Everyone was neatly dressed and tidied up, and all the etiquette for welcoming a general was done.
He was meticulous and did everything in place so that when Cao Cao arrived, he would not be able to find any faults.
All in all, Zang Ba believed that Cao Cao was willing to come to see him in person, which meant something...
Of course, if the meeting is not ideal, it may be the last meeting.
Various thoughts were weighing various possibilities in his mind, and Zang Ba himself was not a very resourceful person. In the end, the more he thought about it, the more confused he became, and his mood gradually became irritable.
Seeing that the general's expression was a little shaken and even showed some anger, Zang Ba's close guards were secretly uneasy, but they did not dare to say anything more and could only wait with bated breath.
After a while, Zang Ba finally regained his composure and cast his gaze far into the distance. I don't know how long it took, maybe an hour, maybe longer, but I finally saw some smoke and dust in the distance.
Immediately after, more than a dozen cavalrymen from Zang Ba's van came back to report the news, running wildly and shouting: "The general is here! The general is here!"
The formation of soldiers behind Zang Ba couldn't help but stir uproar, and then Zang Ba looked back with a sullen look, and finally calmed down again.
Zang Ba touched the armor straps on his body again and tightened the belt a little tighter. Then he touched the sword beside him and held the handle of the sword. His heart, which was beating wildly, gradually began to beat.
became orderly.
But soon, Zang Ba's brows wrinkled again...
There were more hoofbeats in the distance, and then they rolled like muffled thunder, making the dust on the ground beat!
Where did Cao Cao get so many cavalry?!
Didn't the previous sentinels say that there were only more than a thousand cavalry? Now the momentum is at least three thousand! The sound of the powerful horse hooves is so amazing that it makes the earth tremble slightly, and also makes Zang Ba and the soldiers behind him,
His face turned a little pale!
Anyone with a little battle experience can tell that the thunderous sound of horse hooves means that the cavalry is running at full speed, and it does not slow down at all even when it is close to the surrounding area!
What is Cao Cao going to do?
Do you really want to kill me directly?!
Zang Ba's trusted guard stepped forward and said eagerly: "General! The cavalry is coming at full speed! They must have bad intentions! What should I do? How about I lead people to break up the rear here, and the general returns to the city as quickly as possible!"
Zang Ba took a deep breath to calm down his brain. He looked back at his queue and saw fear and wavering in the eyes of his men. Unknowingly, Zang Ba's hands were already
Holding it on the handle of the sword, if you use a little strength, you can pull it out directly, raise your arms and shout, either to resist, or to protect yourself and retreat to the city!
But at the next moment, Zang Ba let go of his hand. Not only did he loosen the handle of the sword, he even took the entire sword off his waist and handed it to the guard on the side.
The trusted guard was puzzled, his eyes widened, he looked at Zang Ba's sword, then looked up at Zang Ba, "General... this is..."
"Everyone is standing! Get ready to welcome the general in person!" Zang Ba shouted, as if he could not hear the sound of rolling horse hooves getting closer, nor could he see the smoke and dust raised by the wings as high as clouds!
Zang Ba wants to take a gamble.
On the horizon, a dark blue banner representing Cao Cao finally appeared, with layers of canopy and gold and silver ribbons. At the same time, behind the vehicle, there were seven or eight large flags, which were more than half the height of ordinary flags, in the air.
They flutter in the wind, and the tops of these large flags are inlaid with gold melons or long feathers, which are extremely gorgeous.
In front of the large canopy chariot, there were cavalry in black armor, all in black light armor. Hundreds of soldiers came in at once, like a galloping black wave, as dark as if they were about to crash into people.
From the bottom of my heart!
The cavalry on both sides moved non-stop, directly outflanking Zang Ba's queue!
As soon as the array of generals appeared, they pressed in front of Zang Ba and others with overwhelming vigor!
Zang Ba gritted his teeth and raised his head and chest without saying a word or taking a step back. The soldiers behind him also gritted their teeth and just stared in front of him, not looking at the flanks that were surrounded on both sides.
…
Time passes and the vehicle moves forward. This moment seems extremely short and yet extremely long.
The cavalry on both sides of Cao's army finally slowed down under an order, and gradually came to a stop behind Zang Ba's array. The horses neighed for a long time, sending clods of earth flying around, snorting like a forest.
With his lance pointing straight into the sky, a cavalry general took aim at Zang Ba's formation, clicked his tongue, and then turned around and ordered his men to be on guard.
General Cao Cao's carriage finally slowly arrived in front of Zang Ba and others.
Zang Ba took a step forward, bowed down and said, "My lord, I respectfully welcome the general!"
The soldiers behind Zang Ba also bowed down together and shouted in unison, "Welcome to the general!"
There was silence all around. Cao Cao didn't say anything. He seemed to be sitting on the canopy car, looking into the distance in a trance. He also seemed to have deliberately not heard, not to give Zang Ba face in public.
Zang Ba lowered his head, like a solidified statue.
"Ah ha ha ha ha..."
Cao Cao raised his head and laughed.
It's just a pity that no one around me asked...
Cao Cao jumped out of the car, walked to Zang Ba and stood in front of him, then raised his hand to signal, "Xuan Gao, please get up! It's been years since we've been apart, is Xuan Gao okay?"
Cao Cao's eyes flickered and fell on Zang Ba.
Zang Ba raised his head slightly and bowed again, "I am so lucky to have my lord care about me..."
Before Zang Ba finished speaking, Cao Cao stepped forward and approached Zang Ba, "Why is Xuan Gao so outspoken?! Is there something wrong with Xuan Gao? Please speak up!"
"this……"
Zang Ba didn't know what to say for a moment.
In fact, speaking of it, Cao Cao treated Zang Ba well.
As we all know, Cao Cao's current command is basically composed of generals from the Cao family and Xiahou family who are in charge of the soldiers. Among the generals with different surnames, they can be like Zang Ba, who has his own fixed territory and does not limit the number of private soldiers.
, these are the only people in the Taishan Army. Although Cao Cao promised such good conditions to the Taishan Army at that time, it was to make Zang Ba willing to fight against Yuan Shao with Cao Cao, but it was still Cao Cao's preferential treatment to the Taishan Army.
Because whether it was Yuan Shao or Yuan Shu, their previous attitude towards the Taishan Army, as well as the Black Mountain Army, Baibo Bandits, Runan Bandits, etc. was basically to reward these people with some meat and ask these people to kowtow immediately and express gratitude, otherwise they would shed tears of gratitude.
Just don’t give face...
Therefore, Cao Cao's attitude towards the Taishan Army is the best among these princes. This is absolutely correct.
As for utilizing...
hehe.
So Zang Ba used Cao Cao to obtain Langya Prime Minister, and Cao Cao used Zang Ba to contain Yuan Shao's flanks. It was originally a relationship of mutual use. No one could say who owed the other, but when the interests were relatively consistent before, the relationship between the two people
Of course it's very harmonious, but now, the relationship can't be said to be very harmonious.
But the problem is that Zang Ba and Cao Cao have not yet broken up, nor have they said that they are completely incompatible.
"I...I'm scared..." Zang Ba gritted his teeth and decided to hit a straight shot. To be honest, Zang Ba wasn't good at beating around the bush, "My dog is still young and can't bear to be separated..."
When there are a lot of reasons, the verbal rejection is often the most inconspicuous one.
Cao Cao seemed to really believe it. He nodded and took Zang Ba's arm, "I also know that I have a high heart...but..."
Cao Cao looked around and saw a small slope on the side. He pointed at the slope and said, "Xuan Gao, come with me..."
The two of them stood on the slope, and their view broadened a little.
Cao Cao pointed to the distance and said, "In the past, Kong Zhongni once said that if you climb Mount Tai, you will make the world smaller...Xuan Gao has lived near Mount Tai for a long time, and he asked if Mount Tai is really high, is it really the highest in the world?"
"This..." Zang Ba was stunned for a moment and pondered a few thoughts in his mind. He didn't know whether Cao Cao was referring to the mountain Taishan, the Taishan army, or the people near Mount Tai. In the end, he simply just
As if we were talking about the true nature of Mount Tai, "The peak of Mount Tai may not be higher than any other mountain in the world..."
"But that's what Kong Zhongni said! Xuan Gao..." Cao Cao sighed, pointed in the direction of Jizhou, and then sighed quietly, in a low tone, as if he was complaining to an old friend, "These people too
That's it! They don't want us to see other mountains, nor do they want us to know how high they are... They are even ready to tell our children that Mount Tai is so majestic that it is the best in the world... and then is it really so?
?』
"They know something, but they won't tell us, let alone our children, then..." Cao Cao took Zang Ba's arm, "Then I would like to ask Xuan Gao, in the future our children will meet people like them.
What should I do? Xuan Gao, do you have any idea?』
"..." Zang Ba was stunned. What does Boss Cao mean?
"A certain person in Yecheng founded a school in order to adopt the strengths of each family..." Cao Cao turned to look at Zang Ba with a sincere face, "Besides, what is more important is that his children and grandchildren can learn from each other in the school."
If you learn more skills, you will gain more insights... You don’t need to follow what others say, as there is no truth in the world! 』
"Xuan Gao is also my friend. I originally wanted your son and Quanzi to be companions, so that they can strengthen each other and work together to promote each other..." Cao Cao said with a smile, "I never thought that my subordinates could not explain clearly, which made Xuan Gao worried...
…Forget it, if Xuan Gao doesn’t want to, then he doesn’t want to, and I don’t force him..."
Zang Ba glanced at Cao Cao, lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then prostrated to the ground, "I don't know the kindness of the general, and it is a sin to speculate with a villain's heart! Now that the general has explained it, my doubts are gone! Please also ask.
The great general allowed his ministers to be so presumptuous that he allowed his son to read with the crown prince, riding in front of him and riding behind him, in order to fulfill his duty as a minister!"
"Hey, since we are reading together, why are we talking about the front and back?" Cao Cao laughed, "Since you have the heart to learn, you should treat yourself as a human being! Don't worry about it!"
The two looked at each other and laughed together. It seemed that at this moment, the haze hanging over the two people was swept away, and then they walked down the slope hand in hand, ready to move on.
Zang Ba strode forward, his magnanimous demeanor seemed to have returned to him. After helping Cao Cao get into the car, he personally stepped forward to pull Cao Cao's horse's bit and personally lead Cao Cao's way.
Cao Cao smiled, held Zang Ba's hand, and said, "I'll invite Xuan Gao to ride with you today!"
Zang Ba refused repeatedly, but Cao Cao insisted on asking again and again. Finally Zang Ba had to get in the car and sit beside Cao Cao, not daring to sit with Cao Cao.
Cao Cao's guards and Zang Ba's soldiers naturally divided into two teams, followed the left and right sides of the vehicle, and slowly headed towards Langya City...
