"I want to settle down in heaven and earth. I pray for the four seasons to nourish the earth. I pray for people to be safe and the animals to prosper. I kneel down in Taoyuan and pray for three sworn brothers. I just pray for peace in the world..."
On the makeshift stage in the Emperor's Palace, actors wearing colorful wooden masks were singing operatic lines.
The actor's clothes are a bit strange. If you look closely, you can see that he looks like a witch doctor or a sacrificial priest from the Nanzhong Yi tribe.
This is a new opera from Nanxiang.
I heard that there is a legend circulating in Nanzhong now, saying that Guan Suo can command the Ghost King.
Therefore, when the Yi tribe invites gods, they often pretend to be Guan Suo and order the ghost king to drive away the ghosts.
When Nanxiang students went to Nanzhong to study, they found it quite interesting, so they made up such a new play after returning.
It mainly tells the story of Guan Suo, the son of the Guan family who lived among the people after the Jingzhou Incident. He went through hardships and returned to Shu. At the same time, he also practiced martial arts hard and served the country.
There are sorrows and joys, life and death, separation and reunion, and also interspersed with the story of the late emperor and the brothers Guan and Zhang who restored the Han Dynasty, which is quite fascinating.
Even the emperor and queen in the audience watched with gusto.
When they saw the fall of Jingzhou and the death of the Guan family, everyone in the audience sighed in unison.
Seeing Guan Suo recuperating in Baojiazhuang, then defeating the thieves who came to rob the village, and finally returning west with Bao Sanniang, even the queen had a smile on her face.
Then came the Southern Expedition, where he helped the Southern Expedition army defeat the enemy, met Meng Huo's daughter Hua Wan by chance, and captured the heart of the beautiful lady.
Seeing this, the little fat man couldn't help but smack his lips.
When the actors on the stage went down to prepare for the next scene, Adou turned his head and whispered to Zhang Xingcai:
"In the past, I only heard about my father-in-law's southern expedition, but I never thought that other people had such wonderful stories."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xingcai turned around and said with a smile:
"I heard that there is indeed something going on between Guan Suo and Hua Wan. It can be said that they don't know each other without fighting. When Guan Suo first started, he even won a curly red rabbit horse from Hua Wan."
"If nothing else happens, this curly red rabbit horse should still be raised at Yuexi's racecourse."
They also open a racecourse to raise Yunnan horses, and the quality of the horses produced at the racecourse under the name of Xinghanhui is higher than that of others.
Even if Huawan, a local snake in Southern China, has the ability to obtain pure Yunnan horses from various tribes in Southern China, the quality of the horses in her private horse farm is still inferior to that of Xinghan Club.
Where do you think this can be justified?
The emperor and empress laughed together.
Guan Tong next to him was a little restless.
During the Southern Expedition, he was just a child and didn't know much about the world.
After watching this play, he was completely in a trance: Could it be that he really has such a powerful fourth uncle?
Don't blame him for thinking that way.
After all, how could a play that could be sung in front of the emperor be just randomly arranged?
What's more, the late emperor was involved.
"Dalang, what do you think of this play?"
"Very... very good, very beautiful."
The queen nodded:
“It’s really beautiful.”
As he spoke, he sighed again, "Even though it was painful to watch at the beginning, the events in Jingzhou, not to mention the Guan family, even the Han Dynasty suffered greatly from it!"
Guan Tong was still a young man in his teens, and he was most unsettled. Thinking of the events described in the play, he felt a surge of excitement in his chest:
"The rats from Jiangdong are not the sons of men!"
After saying this, he was startled and looked at the emperor and queen with some anxiety.
Who would have expected that the emperor and the queen would look at each other and smile.
There was no more expression on Zhang Xingcai's face. She motioned to the stage and said leisurely and meaningfully:
"The next act is about to begin, let's watch the show first."
As the queen and the most important think tank of the emperor, Zhang Xingcai has far more timely information than others.
In addition to the widely circulated news in Hanzhong, she also knew that after forcing the Prime Minister to surrender to Qian County, he had already sent his troops to the east and might have crossed the Wugong River by now.
If nothing unexpected happens, Jiang Wei should have already arrived at Chang'an City, and it is very likely that he has made direct contact with the Prime Minister's army.
According to the military intelligence analysis passed down by Xiang'an, only a small number of troops are currently stationed in Chang'an, and most of Sima Yi's main army is concentrated in the Hexi and Tongguan lines east of Chang'an.
Maybe it was to guard against Feng Mingwen, or more likely to be able to withdraw from Guanzhong at any time.
But I don't see any intention of relying on Chang'an to defend.
So from this point of view, it is just around the corner for the Han Dynasty to regain Guanzhong.
For the big man, the great drama of the Battle of Guanzhong has almost come to an end.
The rest depends on what kind of results Feng Mingwen can achieve in the end.
If we can really eat Bingzhou and Hedong, it will be a huge surprise.
If there were no unexpected surprises, it would not matter if the Han and Wei dynasties finally used the river as their boundary.
Anyway, as long as the Han Dynasty regains Guanzhong, it will have two grain-producing Kingdoms of Abundance (the earliest name for Guanzhong is the Kingdom of Abundance).
The three areas of Longyou and Jiuyuan in Liangzhou raised war horses, produced wool, and weaved cloth; Nanzhong grew sugar cane and pressed brown sugar; and the Shu area raised silkworms and weaved brocades.
Coupled with the elite soldiers and generals who are proud of the world, it is a solid foundation that neither Qin nor Emperor Gaozu had before he unified the world.
In Zhang Xingcai's view, the next act of the Han Dynasty is to unify the world. Jiangdong is indeed a rat, but he is not a fool.
Over the years, the Wei State has lost troops and territory one after another. It would be an understatement to say that it was beaten to a pulp.
There is no need to even think about what the little half-crippled person and a rat will do when faced with a big man who has the power to unify the world.
The emergence of Guansuo Opera was the beginning of the public opinion war in Jingzhou.
Zhang Xingcai watched the show and subconsciously put a pickled sour plum into his mouth, chewing it slowly while thinking in his mind:
Before Jiangdong attacked Jingzhou, they had been shouting that Jingzhou belonged to them, right?
Guan Tong is a bit mediocre, but that is also for Guan Xing, who "rarely asked questions".
After watching "Guan Suo Opera" with the emperor and empress, he already felt confident.
It seems that having an extra fourth uncle is not that simple.
Such a complicated matter is beyond my current ability to participate in.
Seeing Guan Tong leave with relief, Zhang Xingcai took another sour plum and put it in his mouth, thoughtfully.
Adou next to him looked at his queen eating pickled plums, and felt that the roots of his teeth were about to collapse.
After waving the waiter down, he quietly touched Zhang Xingcai's belly.
Zhang Xingcai, who was deep in thought, was woken up. He raised his arm to allow Adou to touch it more smoothly and said softly:
"She's only four months old."
Adou hey hey silly music:
"Otherwise, Hanzhong is the land of Longxing. Fortunately, I didn't go back to Jincheng."
Zhang Xingcai pursed his lips and smiled.
A Dou is just enjoying himself:
"I don't know whether the queen is pregnant with a son or a daughter this time."
"Your Majesty, do you want a son or a daughter?"
"Anything is fine."
"I wish I was a princess."
"Why?"
Zhang Xingcai sighed:
"The Prime Minister is old and sick, and now he is leading the Northern Expedition despite his illness. After this battle, his body will probably suffer a lot. I don't know how long he can last."
"After this battle, Feng Mingwen will be the pillar of support after the Prime Minister."
She reached out and touched her belly:
"We asked Siniang to take the lead in the past and asked if we could let the Feng family's legitimate daughter marry into the royal family, but Feng Mingwen never responded."
"If I give birth to a daughter this time, no matter whether I marry or not, the Feng family will have to choose one."
Adou didn't take it too seriously. He held Zhang Xingcai's hand:
"The child is still young. Feng Mingwen didn't say that he didn't want to marry his daughter, or he said that he would let his daughter make her own choice in the future."
"So this matter still depends on his daughter. When we go to Chang'an together in the future, let the children play together more and become childhood sweethearts. Then it will be done, right?"
As he spoke, Adou came close to Zhang Xingcai’s ear and whispered:
"Just like when we were kids."
Zhang Xingcai's face felt slightly hot. She rolled her eyes at Adou angrily and did not continue the topic.
"Speaking of Si Niang, she should have given birth by now, right?"
"Counting the days, it's almost over."
Zhang Xingcai smiled broadly, as if he had put down a worry, caressing his slightly swollen belly, and looked at Adou:
"By the time we get to Chang'an, the matter of Si Niang should have been settled."
Adou nodded:
"At that time, with Feng Mingwen's status, no one can say anything."
Zhang Xingcai said leisurely:
"That's right. The tiger girl and Si Niang of the Guan family have children, and Feng Mingwen always has to bring one of them to marry the royal family."
Adou continued to nod: "So I'm just saying, this matter is not urgent. With Siniang over there, what are you worried about?"
"Always think more about your children." Zhang Xingcai stroked her belly subconsciously, with motherly love shining on her face, "I heard that the tiger girl of the Guan family also hides a box of Feng family's secret knowledge!"
"Now it seems that it is probably true. Otherwise, where would the current Guan family tiger come from?"
Not only can he subdue the arrogant soldiers of the Liangzhou Army, but he can also lead them to fight thousands of miles and defeat the enemy like splitting bamboo.
"The knowledge of the Feng family is extraordinary. The tiger girl of the Guan family is so good. How can the children of the Feng family be any worse?"
There is also Siniang. Even though Feng Mingwen is mostly away from Liangzhou, the entire Liangzhou is still running in an orderly manner, and Siniang's contribution is indispensable.
Zhang Xingcai happily planned:
"The Feng family first helped your majesty to rule the world, and then helped our children to govern the world. Isn't it wonderful that the great Han gave him a life with the country, a wise king and a wise minister, and a good story together?"
Oh, it turns out that I was mainly interested in other people’s knowledge.
"I'm still thinking too far ahead. Chang'an hasn't been captured yet."
"It will definitely be taken down."
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid we can't take it anymore, so withdraw your troops!"
At the foot of Hefei City, Zhuge Dan held Sun Quan's horse's bridle tightly and used all his strength to prevent the furious Sun Quan from riding forward.
Looking around, there are siege ladders set up by Wu soldiers scattered everywhere under the city wall, and many of them are still smoking.
You don't need to look closely to know that most of these siege ladders have been destroyed.
The ramming car at the city gate had long been smashed into a mess by the stone mill suspended from the city.
The Wu soldiers, who failed to attack the city again, retreated like a tide.
Sun Quan stared with blood-red eyes, and the riding crop in his hand almost hit Zhuge Dan:
"How to withdraw?! With so many soldiers killed and injured, how do you want me to withdraw our troops?"
After leading the army to Hefei City, Sun Quan swore an oath in front of the entire army not to break Hefei and not to return the army.
It has been nearly ten days since we attacked the city, and I don't know how many soldiers have fallen below the city. At this time, Zhuge Dan persuaded him to retreat, but why didn't he get furious?
Zhuge Dan pulled the horse's head and begged:
"Your Majesty, I had a detailed report a few days ago, saying that Cao Rui left Luoyang for the eastward expedition. Now there is a report from the expedition. It is suspected that a large number of bandit troops are coming from the north. They have reached Hefei less than a hundred miles away. I am afraid it is not the bandit reinforcements that have arrived!"
"The soldiers have been attacking the city for days and are getting tired. Your Majesty, why don't you withdraw your troops first and return to Chaohu to reorganize your army? If the enemy's reinforcements don't arrive, it won't be too late to attack the city again."
"No! We have casualties, but the thieves in the city have no casualties?" Sun Quan gritted his teeth and said, "I have an army of 100,000, but the thieves in the city are less than 10,000."
"We are ten times stronger than the enemy, but we cannot capture a small Hefei. Instead, we are forced to retreat by the thieves. How can I stand in this world?"
He pointed angrily at the city of Hefei with his riding crop, "My nephew's body is not cold yet, and Hefei has not been destroyed. How can I be worthy of my fourth brother who died young!"
"The Wei thieves are almost unable to defend Guanzhong. Cao Ruian dares to leave Luoyang easily? There are just suspicious soldiers in the north. Send the order and continue to attack the city!"
Seeing that Sun Quan did not listen to his advice, Zhuge Dan had no choice but to say:
"If Your Majesty does not retreat, you should let the soldiers rest for a while. All the siege equipment has been destroyed today. Why not stop here and wait until the siege equipment is built tomorrow to fight again."
Sun Tai's death was not as simple as damaging the morale of the army or irritating Sun Quan.
But the siege equipment that Wu Jun wanted to transport to Hefei by using water were all destroyed, making it difficult for the army to attack the city.
In Sun Quan's plan, he delayed sending troops, except to wait for Shu and Wei to suffer losses so that he could take advantage.
Another thing is to wait for winter to come, so that the Wei thieves' elite cavalry will not be able to exert their maximum combat power.
At the same time, we took this opportunity to build siege equipment and make sufficient preparations for the attack on Hefei.
Who would have expected that the plan would change quickly. An ambush on the way by the Wei army caused the siege equipment that had been built for several months to be completely burned.
This is why sieges these days are all made with improvised and crude siege equipment.
At this time, Sun Quan felt extremely angry when he heard that the siege equipment was gone again.
Even if the ants attack the city, there must be a siege ladder.
Now that there is no siege ladder left, no matter how furious he is, forcing the soldiers to attack the city at all costs, there is nothing he can do.
"Then make it! You must make it for me overnight tonight!"
"promise!"
It was night, when the Wu army was cutting wood all night, a cold wind suddenly came up, and a piece of the fence of the camp fell down, injuring five or six soldiers who were on duty at night.
The winter of the 14th year of Jianxing came earlier than usual.
Sun Quan was awakened by a loud noise outside the commander's tent in the middle of the night. He thought there were thieves attacking the camp, so he hurriedly got up and asked:
"What happened outside?"
The bodyguard entered the tent carrying a lantern, bringing in a gust of cold wind, which made Sun Quan shrink subconsciously.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong, the handsome flag outside was blown down by the wind!"
"What!"
Sun Quan was shocked and tried to walk out.
"Your Majesty, please put on your fur coat!"
The guards quickly stopped Sun Quan and said, "Suddenly there was a strong wind at night, and the soldiers were frozen. Some people have already contracted the wind-chill."
When Sun Quan heard this, his face suddenly darkened.
"Wind chill?"
"Yes, because of this cold wind, the weather has suddenly turned cold, so your Majesty should pay attention to keeping warm."
