Chapter 303: The only hope in ten thousand [two in one]
Time goes back to mid-March of the third year of Wei Zhaowu. The Korean general Li Mu, the guard of Yanmen, was in Jinyang, Taiyuan, to persuade the guard of Taiyuan, who had already surrendered to Wei at that time. Successfully failed, but Han Xu, the Marquis of Yangyi, parted ways with them and went their separate ways in Heyang. After recruiting many soldiers in the city, he led these soldiers directly to Daijun.
Daijun was once one of the counties in Korea that was seriously invaded by the northern steppe tribes. It was not until the emergence of "Juxin" that Daijun gradually gained an advantage in the war with foreign tribes.
After Ju Xin, the governor of Dai County, died in battle at Shanyang, Sima Shang replaced Ju Xin and became the governor of Dai County.
Sima Shang may be slightly inferior to Ju Xin in terms of military force, but in terms of commanding the army, he is even better than Ju Xin. Under Sima Shang's governance, Dai County can still maintain the peace it has so far.
But unfortunately, in the "Fourth Wei-Korean War", because Sima Shang's cousin Sima Tao was instigated by Wei general Zhao Jiang to rebel, Lihou Hanwu became suspicious of Sima Shang. In the end, Sima Shang, together with the then Le Yi, the coach of the Shanggu Defense Line, was ordered to return to Jicheng.
This move made Le Yi and Sima Shang feel disheartened. The former returned to Beiyan to live in seclusion, while the latter was never heard from again.
At this point, Daijun became an unguarded Korean county.
Fortunately, the news of "Sima Shang's dismissal" has not spread to the grassland. Therefore, when Li Mu, the guard of Yanmen, led the army to Daijun, the county still maintained peace. At least the grassland people have not taken advantage of it for the time being. enter.
Daijun is not a place with fertile land suitable for planting, but it is also a natural pasture. In addition to grazing war horses in the county, the former governor Sima Shang also raised some goats as meat for the army.
In early April, Li Mu, the guard of Yanmen, led his army to "Beiping City". While recruiting troops, he also sent people to search for Sima Shang to see if he could find Sima Shang and persuade him to support his plan to help the country.
But it is a pity that he did not find Sima Shang's whereabouts in Daijun in the end. It seems that the latter did not return to Daijun after being recalled to Jicheng by Lihou Hanwu, but returned to Xiaquyang in the northern county of Handan alone, with The family is reunited and no longer interferes with outside affairs.
In view of the fact that Xiaquyang is now garrisoned by the troops under Han Pu, the Marquis of Yuanyi, Li Mu, the guardian of Yanmen, in order to avoid causing trouble, just sent a letter to Xiaquyang and tried to deliver it to Sima Shang, hoping that the latter would consider it for the sake of justice. For his own sake, give him a helping hand.
In fact, Sima Shang is currently in Xiaquyang, living with his family members.
After receiving the letter from Li Mu, the guardian of Yanmen, Sima Shang pondered for a long time in the study room of his residence, but in the end, he was still not moved by Li Mu's letter.
The reasons are both public and private: Yu Gong said that at present, South Korea has gradually recognized the rule of the "Han Yi regime". Although the monarch named Han Yi is actually just a puppet supported by the Wei people and Yuanyi Hou Han Pu, due to The current Jicheng court announced to the whole country in the name of Han Yi that it had stopped the war with Wei, and made a series of actions to be friendly to Wei, such as forming an alliance with Wei, implementing Wei's decrees, etc. This has improved the treatment of the people in South Korea, and therefore has gradually increased the status of Han Yi, the puppet monarch, in the hearts of Korean people.
Just as Taiyuan Shou Lecheng once advised Li Mushi, Korean civilians do not understand the so-called orthodoxy. In their view, who can end the "Wei-Korean War" that once caused the Korean economy to collapse and reduce the pressure on the people? Who is the Mingjun? As for whether this Mingjun is Han Ran, a royal orthodoxy like Han Ji, or a puppet supported by Wei like Han Yi, it actually does not mean much to Korean civilians.
Now, the puppet monarch Han Yi has gradually won the hearts of the people, and South Korea has gradually adapted to the general policy of stopping the war with Wei and becoming a harmonious neighbor. At this time, Li Mu, the guardian of Yanmen, tried to provoke the conflict between Wei and South Korea again. War, in Sima Shang's opinion, is destined to not receive support from the people - at least in Handan County, Julu County, Shanggu County and other places, the Koreans in the country basically will not support Li Mu.
As for selfishness, Sima Shang's cousin Sima Tao is now under the command of Wei general Zhao Jiang. Although Sima Shang once protected his cousin Sima Tao, now, Sima Shang is in turn under Sima Tao. Asylum - Of course, this is mainly because Sima Shang is still unwilling to surrender to Wei.
In this case, Sima Shang naturally did not want to cause trouble to his cousin Sima Tao. After all, as far as he knew, Wei general Zhao Jiang admired his cousin Sima Tao's loyalty and force very much.
So after much thought, Sima Shang wrote a reply in his own hand and sent it to Li Mu, the guardian of Yanmen, advising Li Mu not to "act against people's will". After all, "Wei and Han are neighbors in harmony". South Korea’s current state policy.
In mid-April, Yanmen Governor Li Mu received a reply from Sima Shang. After reading the letter, he was quite disappointed because after Taiyuan Governor Lecheng and Yangyi Marquis Han Xu, acting county governor Sima Shang also rejected his offer. Suggest and advise him in return.
This made Li Mu feel quite lonely.
Fortunately, his eldest son Li Yao, deputy general Yan Feng, and clan brother Li Ren all unswervingly supported his proposal.
In late April, Yanmen Guardsman Li Mu successively recruited soldiers in several counties including "Beipingyi", "Donganyang", "Pingshu", and "Dai", gradually increasing the number of troops under his command to nearly 200,000.
Originally, Li Mu, the guard of Yanmen, planned to go straight east from "Dai County", enter Shanggu County, pass through "Juyang" and "Juyongguan", and attack Jicheng.
Unexpectedly, the soldiers sent out in advance to gather information said that at this time, there were 50,000 Wei Wujun troops stationed in the Juyang area by Wei General Shaohu, and these Wei soldiers were dedicated to patrolling in the name of "Friendly Army of Han" The border shocked the grassland peoples.
After learning about this, Yanmen Keeper Li Mu frowned slightly.
Although he was quite disgusted with some of Wei's actions, Li Mu felt sincere admiration for Wei general Shaohu's actions.
After all, this level was something he hadn't even expected yet.
After thinking about it, Li Mu, the guardian of Yanmen, sent someone to Juyang and invited Wei General Shaohu to meet him outside the city.
At the same time, Shao Hu, the Wei general stationed in Juyang, also received news that Li Mu, the guard of Yanmen, had gathered nearly 200,000 troops and marched on the border of Shanggu County and Dai County. This made him feel like he was on the verge of death. Apart from the enemy, I also feel a little confused: The Wei-Korean war is over, what is Yanmen defender Li Mu going to do?
Within two days, Shaohu received a letter from Li Mu, who invited him to meet outside the city.
Shao Hu happily accepted Li Mu's invitation. After all, Li Mu's character was well known and he was definitely not the kind of villain who would play tricks. Furthermore, he also wanted to ask him face to face to see what Li Mu wanted to do.
On April 23, Li Mu, the guard of Yanmen, led his army to Juyang. After learning about this, Wei General Shao Hu took only a dozen guards out of the city to meet Li Mu, and set up a banquet outside the city in advance. .
"General Shao."
"General Lee."
After Shao Hu and Li Mu greeted each other one after another, they sat across from each other.
As we all know, although Li Mu is not a teetotaler, it is undeniable that he rarely drinks alcohol. However, this time, he took the initiative to raise a glass to toast Shaohu. The reason was just because Shaohu and Wei soldiers were stationed in Juyang. , and patrolled and demonstrated in the border area to intimidate the grassland peoples and prevent them from taking advantage of the situation and invading South Korea.
"Ashamedly, even Li did not think that the grassland might take the opportunity to invade Shanggu. Thanks to General Shaohu, he was stationed on his behalf to intimidate the grassland and prevent the people of Shanggu from being invaded by the grassland... Li Mu would like to toast the general with a glass of wine. .”
After hearing this, Shao Hu suddenly realized. After having a drink with Li Mu, he explained with a smile: "Shao is ashamed. In fact, it was not Shao who could have predicted this. It was actually Li Hou Han Wu's request before his death." , he told Li Mu exactly what Han Chi, the eldest son of Han Wu, the Marquis of Li, had conveyed.
After listening to Shao Hu's story, Li Mu sighed sadly.
In his opinion, at the most critical moment, Li Hou Han Wu fell into the Wei people's alienation plan and actually transferred back Le Yi and Sima Shang and replaced them with three generals, Qi Jie, Zhao Cong and Yan Ju. It's a big mistake. If it weren't for this stupid move, the Wei army might not be able to capture Shanggu County.
However, thinking that Lihou Hanwu was still fighting in the end, and even after realizing that the end was over, he still committed suicide as a courtier of the "Han Ran regime", this made Li Mu respect Lihou Hanwu and couldn't help but feel that the situation was over. I sighed in my heart: Marquis Han Wu of Li is worthy of being the only son of King Jian of Han, a wise king. Although he made a decision that weakened Korea, he still maintained his loyalty in the end. At least he was more successful than Taiyuan Shou who defected to Wei, and Yangyi Marquis Han Xu and others. , which made him, Li Mu, feel respected even more.
After chatting for a while, Shao Hu also tentatively asked Li Mu why he led his army here.
Perhaps out of respect for Shao Hu's character, Li Mu revealed his true intention after hesitating for a moment: "I want to lead the army to serve the king and help the country."
Hearing this, Shao Hu was shocked and quickly persuaded: "General Li Mu, the war between Wei and South Korea has calmed down, why does General Li Mu need to start a war again?"
Li Mu shook his head when he heard this and said seriously: "General Shaohu, people in the Ming Dynasty do not do secret things. Han Yi, the current monarch of Han Dynasty, you and I both know what is going on. Although the general is benevolent and righteous, and the army is stationed in Juyang, the envoy The people of Shanggu avoid being invaded by the grassland, but Li Mu still wants to say that your country wants to devour the heart of my country. Everyone knows that I, Li Mu, have been highly valued by two generations of monarchs, so how can I ignore the broken country?"
Having said this, he raised his head and said to Shaohu: "General Shaohu, Li Mu respects you and hereby makes a promise. No matter whether General Shaohu stops Li next, Li will always treat the general and his soldiers Even if the Wei army is defeated and retreats, Li Mu will never pursue him."
"..."
Shaohu frowned slightly when he heard this.
To be honest, Li Mu's words made him a little unhappy, as if Li Mu was convinced that the 40,000 to 50,000 Wei Wujun under his command was not his opponent. However, considering that the other party was Li Mu, the number one general in South Korea, and there were nearly two people under his command. With one hundred thousand soldiers from Yanmen, Taiyuan and Daijun, Shaohu finally did not refuse Li Mu's 'goodwill'.
This may also be because he felt in his heart that if the two armies really fought, he might not be Li Mu's opponent.
After pondering for a moment, Shao Hu shook his head and said: "General Li Mu, forgive Shao for bluntly saying that you are leading troops to attack Jicheng, which is the way to die... Maybe Shao and his Wei Wujun are not necessarily the general's opponents.
But in fact, even if the general defeats Shao, will it be able to change the current general situation of your country? This is not an exaggeration by Shao. Our great Wei has hundreds of thousands of elites who are good at fighting. An army like my Wei Wujun, my great Wei is more than capable
They are all, Wu Ji's Shangshui Army, Qu Cheng's Yanling Army, Zhao Jiang's Hanoi Army, Pang Huan's Suppression Army, Jiang Bi's Shangdang Army, Wei Ji's Hedong Army, Sima An's Hexi Army, but these armies
None of it is the key. The key is that the monarch of the Wei Dynasty is the hero of the world. He will not tolerate General Li Mu violating his decision... If General Li Mu captures Jicheng and expels Han, the current monarch of your country,
"Unfortunately, this is undoubtedly a signal to the Wei Dynasty to "declare war again". At this time, General Li Mu will become the common enemy of Wei and South Korea. Although the world is so big, there may be no place for generals."
Li Mu was silent for a long time after hearing this. After a long time, he said seriously: "As long as I, Li Mu, am not dead, I, Dahan, will not become a fish on your country's chopping board!"
After that, Shao Hu persuaded him several times, but unfortunately Li Mu had already made up his mind and could not listen to the advice.
After bidding farewell to Li Mu and returning to Juyang, Shaohu immediately sent someone to notify Jicheng and tell the Prime Minister of South Korea Kaikadi the news that "Li Mu, the guard of Yanmen, was introducing troops to invade". After all, Shaohu alone had 40,000 soldiers under his command.
If the Yu Wei Wujun wants to stop Li Mu, they must get support from Jicheng.
Juyang is not far from Jicheng, only two or three hundred miles away. The envoy sent by Shaohu worked hard and spread the news to Jicheng within three days.
After receiving the news that Wei General Shaohu sent someone, South Korea's Prime Minister Kaifeng was also quite shocked.
Even he did not expect that Li Mu, the guardian of Yanmen, would lead a large army to try to help the country.
The question is, can this be accomplished?
After thinking about it for a while, Kaifangdi immediately sent his son Zhang Ping to find Han Kui, the "Zhi Su Nei Shi".
Today's Jicheng regime, after getting rid of the inconsiderate puppet of King Han Yi, the Korean court has been presided over by Kaifang, Han Kui, and Zhang Qigong's deputy Bei Gongyu.
About half an hour later, Han Kui came after hearing the news, and Kai Kaidi invited the former to the inner room for a detailed discussion.
In the inner room, he openly told Han Kui the news that "Li Mu, the guard of Yanmen, led troops to invade the country in an attempt to help the country." Han Kui was also greatly surprised.
After all, since Marquis Han Wu committed suicide, the Korean government and opposition parties have given up fighting against Wei. In fact, many ministers in the court and domestic nobles have already defected to Wei. These people all know in their hearts: Han has fallen!
But at this moment, Li Mu's behavior allowed officials like Han Kui and others who still cared about the country to see some hope.
"Master Han Kui, what do you think?" he asked openly.
Han Kui pondered for a moment and said: "Shao Hu sent someone to convey this matter, presumably because he did not have the confidence to defeat Li Mu... However, Shao Hu and the Wei Wujun under his command were not actually the key to the whole matter. Even if Li Mu could
So what if we defeat Shaohu? This will only arouse the anger of King Wei and provoke the revenge of Wei... If Wei and South Korea start a war again, the generals and people in the country may not be able to survive. Unless..."
"unless?"
"Unless the Wei State is defeated by the coalition forces of various countries." Han Kui narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice and said: "If the Wei State is defeated in the war with the coalition forces of various countries, then you and I might as well help Li Mu secretly..."
"But Young Master Han Ji has been brought back to Wei by Zhang Qigong..." he said with an open frown.
"That's not a problem."
Han Kui shook his head and said seriously: "As long as Wei is defeated by the coalition forces of various countries, you and I can seek help from the King of Qi, so that Qi can unite with Chu to put pressure on Wei, and force Wei to return Prince Ji...
I think in that case, how could the Wei State dare to risk the fall of their country and harm Young Master Han Ji?"
Hearing the words, Kai Kai pondered for a moment, nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, the war between the Wei State and the coalition forces of other countries is the key to the whole matter. If the Wei State is defeated, we, Korea, still have a chance to revive, but if
Wei defeated the coalition forces of other countries..." He glanced at Han Kui.
Han Kui was silent.
The reason is very simple, because if the Wei State defeats the coalition forces of other countries, then even if Li Mu captures Jicheng and exiles the current monarch Han Yi, it will not help. On the contrary, he will suffer revenge from the Wei State.
After some discussion, Kaikai sent his eldest son Zhang Ping to Juyang with his letter.
At the same time, Zhang Qigong's deputy Bei Gongyu also learned the news that "Yanmen guard Li Mu led troops to invade".
Even after that, he also received a report from his black crows: Prime Minister Han openly and secretly invited Han Kui, the governor of Su Nei, to come to the government, but he did not know what his intentions were.
"What else could you want to do?"
Bei Gongyu smiled nonchalantly. As the right-hand man of Xiao Luan, the former leader of Xiao Ni, Bei Gongyu's intelligence and strategy were both superior, so he was valued by Zhang Qigong and became the latter's deputy.
For example, at this moment, Bei Gongyu immediately guessed the thoughts of Kaikaidi, Han Kui and others, but he had no intention of revealing them.
Because it makes no sense.
So what if the target is Yanmen Shou Li Mu, Korea's leading general? So what if Li Mu has nearly 200,000 soldiers under his command?
Can Li Mu influence the current situation between Wei and South Korea?
No!
Li Mu, the guardian of Yanmen, is not enough to influence the general trend of the world. The key to the whole matter lies in the Wei State itself.
As long as the Wei State can win the war with the coalition forces of other countries - even if it is to remain undefeated, South Korea will never dare to do anything unless it is revealed that Han Kui intends to become the sinner of the entire South Korea, and for
This will destroy their family.
"Is there really no need to send someone to warn Zhang Kaidi and Han Kui?"
Yang Ji, the leader of the Black Crows, asked Bei Gongyu after learning about this incident.
Bei Gongyu shook his head confidently: "No need...Shaohu's Wei Wujun alone may not be able to stop Li Mu. Since he knows that he can't stop it, why sacrifice the lives of our soldiers in vain?...This matter is very important.
Simple, if we, the Wei Dynasty, are defeated in the war with the coalition forces of various countries, then we, the Wei Dynasty, have no time to take care of South Korea, and naturally we will not be able to stop Li Mu and Jicheng; on the contrary, if we, the Wei Dynasty, defeat the coalition forces of various countries, then there is no need for me.
When we take action, Jicheng will take care of Li Mu..."
Speaking of this, he said with some emotion: "It's a pity that a great general like Li Mu can become a chess piece that can be abandoned at any time. I don't know if he realizes this."
After that, he ordered Yang Ji: "The leader of Yang Ji, please immediately send someone to inform Shao Hu, so that he does not need to stop Li Mu and just wait and see what happens."
"Hmm." Yang Yi nodded.
After another three to five days, Shaohu received Beigongyu's instructions and the garrison in Juyang remained stationary.
At this time, Li Mu also met with Zhang Ping, the eldest son of Prime Minister Kaidi, and received a letter from the former, in which the former implicitly hinted to Li Mu: If Wei is weak, Jicheng will naturally support Li Mu; otherwise,
I hope Li Mu won’t hold any grudge against them for this.
After reading this letter, Li Mu remained silent.
Jicheng did not fully support him, which made him feel a little disappointed, but in fact, Li Mu had expected this.
Didn't he bring his troops to Jicheng this time just to gain a glimmer of hope among those one in ten thousand, and to bet all his chips on the fact that "the Wei State was defeated by the coalition forces of other countries"?
But unfortunately, God did not seem to show some mercy because of Yanmen Shou Li Mu's loyalty to South Korea. At the end of mid-May, Zhang Qigong arrived at Jicheng, the capital of South Korea, after more than a month's trek, and paid tribute to South Korea.
Wang Yi reported a piece of good news: On March 28 of the third year of Wei Zhaowu, Wei King Zhao Run personally led an army of 300,000 to defeat the coalition forces of various countries; and the armies of Wei and Lu defected to assist the Wei army.
For Han Wangyi, the puppet monarch, this is certainly good news. After all, only if Wei is strong can he continue to be the monarch of South Korea, even if it is only in name.
But for the prime minister Kai Di, Zhi Su Nei Shi Han Kui and other ministers who were still loyal to the country, this was the biggest bad news.
The armies of Wei and Lu turned against each other?
Wei King Zhao Run personally led the army to defeat the coalition forces of various countries?
Rout?!
On the open ground, Han Kui and others could hardly believe it, because the situation was worse than they predicted - Wei State defeated the coalition forces of various countries without paying much price!
"Zhang heard that Li Mu, the guard of Yanmen, led an army to invade Shanggu County? Is this possible?"
When leaving the palace, Zhang Qigong deliberately approached Kaifang and Han Kui and pretended to ask about the matter.
After hearing this, Han Kui immediately said: "As Mr. Zhang said, this is indeed the case. However, this is Li Mu's arbitrary action and is definitely not instigated by Jicheng."
"Of course I believe Lord Han Kui." Zhang Qigong nodded with a smile and said: "Zhang only hopes that the current harmony between Wei and South Korea will not be affected by someone who is ignorant of current affairs."
Zhang Kaidi and Han Kui looked at each other, raised their hands and said, "Master Zhang, please give me some time, and we will definitely resolve this matter."
Zhang Qigong knew as soon as he heard that Kaifang Kaidi's so-called "a little time" was just that this person did not believe his one-sided words, so he wanted to find out on his own the outcome of the battle between Wei and the coalition forces of other countries.
Zhang Qigong didn't care about this. After all, he had witnessed with his own eyes the great feat of his Wei monarch, Zhao Run, in defeating the allied forces of various countries. In fact, he came to Jicheng this time mainly to recruit Le Yi, Sima Shang, and Qin.
Kai, Xu Li, Yan Kui and other generals came here not because of Li Mu.
This was the opportunity given to him by the king of Wei State, Zhao Run, to "atone for his sins".
"Then I'll leave it to you two."
Zhang Qigong bowed his hands towards Zhang Kaidi and Han Kui, and left with a smile on his face.
Seeing Zhang Qigong being so calm, Zhang Kaidi and Han Kui secretly sighed: It seems that the Wei State probably really defeated the coalition forces of other countries, otherwise Zhang Qigong would not be so calm and calm.
And this means that they must resolve the matter of "Yanmen guard Li Mu leading troops to cause trouble" before the Wei State launches an attack.
The so-called solution is to force Li Mu to death.
Only Li Mu's death can expose this matter and avoid the anger of Wei State.