Liu Xiu stayed in Chang'an for several months, and had no intention of returning to Luoyang in a short time. Liu Xiu's move basically established Chang'an's status as the capital.
In the past, Chang'an was the capital and Luoyang was the companion capital. Now it's just the opposite, Luoyang is the capital and Chang'an is the companion capital.
Under this situation, the tide in Chang'an naturally lifted all boats. The dignitaries in Luoyang went to Chang'an's resettlement area one after another to buy properties. It can be said that Liu Xiu's campaign indirectly led to the recovery of Chang'an.
Luoyang was gradually saturated, and Nanyang was almost occupied. The eyes of the powerful followed Liu Xiu and moved to Chang'an. Many people were going to Chang'an, including Liu Zhang, the king of Taiyuan.
Liu Zhang was Liu Xiu's nephew and Liu Yan's orphan. Liu Xiu loved Liu Zhang very much. Although he made Liu Zhang the king, he always kept Liu Zhang in Luoyang and kept him by his side.
Liu Zhang was not very willing to Liu Xiu's arrangement. He did not want to stay in Luoyang all his life and stay under the wings of his uncle. Like many young people, he also had passion and wanted to create a big career. .
Liu Zhang proposed to Liu Xiu several times that he wanted to join the army and go to the battlefield and make meritorious deeds like Wu Han, Geng Yan, Cen Peng, Feng Yi, Gai Yan and others.
When Liu Xiu heard this, he showed displeasure every time. The eldest brother only had one heir, Zhang Er. If he really went to the battlefield, how could he explain to his eldest brother? How could he be worthy of his eldest brother's spirit in heaven?
Liu Zhang mentioned it once, and Liu Xiu reprimanded him. Liu Zhang refused to give up, but Liu Xiu never relented, even though he was not allowed to join the army.
This time Liu Xiu attacked Kaixiao, the capital troops from Luoyang were transferred to the third auxiliary group one after another. Grand Sima Wu Han, General Jianwei Geng Yan, General Feng Yi who conquered the west, and General Huya Gai Yan , now these famous generals are all in the third auxiliary, preparing for the Western Expedition. Liu Zhang was scratching his head in Luoyang anxiously, but finally couldn't sit still, left Luoyang, went to Chang'an, and prepared to mention to his uncle about joining the army again. Things.
Even if he is not allowed to go to the front line to fight in battle, he is allowed to stay with his uncle, as long as he can join the army.
Liu Zhang was not a playboy. He was diligent and studious, good at both civil and military affairs, and especially good at martial arts. He completely inherited Liu Yan's style. Liu Zhang set out from Luoyang, crossed Jianshui, passed through Hongnong, and soon came to Hongnong and Beijing. The junction of Zhao and Zhongling Mountain.
According to the "Classic of Mountains and Seas", the Luoshui River originates from the Xunju Mountain, and according to the "Geographical Chronicles", the Luoshui River originates from the Zhongling Mountain. As for the "Xunju Mountain" in the "Shan Hai Jing", and the "Geographical Chronicles" Whether the Zhongling Mountain is the same mountain is unknown, and there are different opinions.
Zhongling Mountain is the boundary mountain between Jingzhao and Hongnong. To the east of Zhongling Mountain is Hongnong County, and to the west of Zhongling Mountain is Jingzhaoyin.
Jingzhao Yin and Chang'an are not the same thing. Chang'an is a city, and Jingzhao Yin is a county. Its jurisdiction includes Chang'an and many other towns. Jingzhao Yin, Zuo Fengyi, and You Fufeng are collectively called the Three Auxiliary, actually there are three counties.
Zhongling Mountain is not a small mountain, but a large rolling mountain range that continues to the Qinling Mountains.
In the past, when Sanfu was in chaos, Zhongling Mountain was an area hit hard by bandits. There were countless big and small bandits in the territory. After the Western Expeditionary Army stationed in Sanfu, they suppressed the banditry in Zhongling Mountain several times. Only then did Zhongling Mountain become more peaceful. The situation in the area has improved.
But even so, the caravan will be extra careful when traveling to Zhongling Mountain.
When Liu Zhang's team arrived at Zhongling Mountain, it was already afternoon. A guard reported to Liu Zhang in the carriage: "Your Majesty, the front is Zhongling Mountain. It's getting late now. Should we wait until tomorrow to enter the mountain?"
It was getting late? Liu Zhang stepped out of the carriage and looked up at the sky. The sun was shining high, so how could it be that it was getting late? Liu Zhang frowned and said in a deep voice: "Don't delay, keep on going!"
"This..." The guard looked confused.
"how?"
"The king does not know that there are many bandits in Zhongling Mountain. When people pass by Zhongling Mountain, they will choose to enter the mountain in the morning. When it is not dark, they can go out of the mountain. If they enter the mountain in the afternoon, they have to take the night road.
Easily attacked by bandits."
When Liu Zhang heard this, he almost laughed angrily and asked: "Am I still afraid of those bandits? Stop talking and go into the mountain immediately. I can't delay for a moment!"
He couldn't wait for Liu Zhang to wait for a day before leaving. Now Liu Zhang wished he could grow wings on his back and fly directly to Chang'an.
At Liu Zhang's insistence, the guards had no choice but to follow his wishes and continue on their way.
The roads in Zhongling Mountain are quite easy to walk, but there are steep mountains and dense forests on both sides of the road. It is indeed very easy to set up an ambush in this area.
The guards were extremely careful, holding a torch in one hand and a crossbow in the other, for fear of any accident.
As the emperor's nephew, almost like half a prince, His Majesty loves him so much that none of them can afford any accident.
The team was walking forward, and bursts of shouting came from the front.
The guards hurriedly stopped and raised their crossbows in unison. Liu Zhang stepped out of the carriage and looked forward. He saw a large group of people running on the mountain road ahead, including men and women, old and young.
.
After Liu Zhang looked at it, he said to his guards: "Don't fire arrows!"
Waiting for the crowd in front to come closer, Liu Zhang jumped out of the carriage, holding the sword under his ribs in one hand, walked forward quickly, and asked loudly: "What happened?"
"Master Jun, it's bad, there are bandits ahead... there are bandits ahead!"
After hearing this, Liu Zhang was not only not afraid, but also happy. It was really hard to find a place after wearing iron shoes, and it took no effort at all! He also wanted to ask his uncle to join the army, but whether it would come or not, he had to first get the opportunity to make contributions.
He knocked on the door himself.
He snorted coldly and said: "Don't be afraid, tell me clearly, how many bandits are there?"
"There are... dozens of people!"
Liu Zhang smiled and didn't take it seriously. Although he didn't have many guards, only a hundred or ten people, it was more than enough to deal with dozens of bandits. He said: "You give in first, these bandits
,Leave it to us!”
These people looked happy and ran to the back of Liu Zhang's team out of breath. Not long after, another large group of people came from the front. These people were all holding torches, some holding swords, some carrying knives, and others
Carrying a spear.
Looking at their clothes, there are all kinds of clothes, some with their arms open, some wearing rags, and some wearing women's clothes, all kinds of things are dazzling.
When they were still more than ten steps away from Liu Zhang's guards, they all stopped. The leader, an open-minded man, raised his sword, pointed at Liu Zhang and others, and asked loudly: "You are the soldiers of Hongnong County."
?”
Zhongling Mountain is not under the jurisdiction of any county, so county soldiers cannot come here. However, all the officers and soldiers who come to Zhongling Mountain are either the capital army or the county army. Liu Zhang sneered and asked, "What are you waiting for?"
Bandits from Zhongling Mountain?"
The leader of the broad-minded man looked Liu Zhang up and down, and saw that he was not very old, only in his twenties. The old man said on the ground: "A young boy with such a few people dares to go into the mountains to seek death."
?”
Liu Zhang laughed loudly and said, "Who is seeking death? You will know in one try!"
The open-minded man raised the corner of his mouth, swung his sword forward fiercely, and shouted: "Brothers, come with me!" Following his words, the men behind him raised their weapons and rushed forward together.
There were indeed only a few dozen people behind him, but at the same time as he gave the order, dozens more people rushed out from the woods on the left and right sides. Adding together the three groups of bandits, there must be nearly two hundred people.
The guards under Liu Zhang did not give in vain, they fired their crossbows one after another, and a series of crossbow arrows were heard. The first row of bandits who rushed towards them were shot to the ground.
However, the bandit behind was like a madman with red eyes, jumping over the corpse of his companion and continuing to charge forward. Liu Zhang sneered, drew his companion's sword, and shouted: "Fight!"
The guards put down their crossbows, drew their swords one after another, and fought with the oncoming bandits.
The bandits thought Liu Zhang and others were county troops and did not take them seriously. However, when the two sides fought, they discovered that the combat power of this army was several levels higher than that of the county army. Not only did individual soldiers fight
Strong and very cooperative.
The battle between the two sides didn't take long, and twenty or thirty people fell on the bandits' side. Seeing the fierceness and ferocity of the other side, he felt that he was no match, so the open-minded man who led him simply blew the whistle and gave the order to retreat.
.
Many bandits immediately gave up the fight and followed the open-minded man, running into the mountains and forests. Liu Zhang had just killed three bandits with his own hands. He was in high spirits when he saw that the bandits were about to run away. He was not willing to let them go, so he held up his sword and
He chased after him.
The guards were afraid that Liu Zhang would make mistakes, so they all chased him into the forest.
Liu Zhang chased and killed the bandits running in front of him, and they were stabbed to the ground one after another.
To be fair, Liu Zhang's martial arts skills are much higher than those of his guards, his physical fitness is also better, and he can chase the enemy very quickly.
Before he knew it, there were seven or eight bandits whom he chased and stabbed to death.
Just as he continued to chase the enemy, he suddenly heard a sneer coming from the woods ahead. Hearing the laughter, Liu Zhang became furious and without thinking, he threw the torch in his hand.
The torch swirled in the air, flew more than ten meters, hit the trunk of a big tree, and bounced to the ground.
Through the weak light of the torch, you can see a person standing next to the tree trunk. This person is wearing a gray robe and is tall and thin. As for his specific appearance, he can't see clearly.
Liu Zhang subconsciously slowed down. The aura emanating from the other party made Liu Zhang instinctively aware of the danger. He squinted his eyes and said in a deep voice: "Xiu is playing tricks behind the tree, come out and talk!"
"Haha!" There was another chuckle, and the man in gray clothes standing by the tree walked towards Liu Zhang.
Liu Zhang stood still. As the other party got closer and closer, Liu Zhang finally saw clearly that the other party was about thirty years old, with fair skin, light eyebrows, thin eyes, a straight nose and thin lips, and a delicate appearance.
It has a bit of Taoist spirit.
"Are you a bandit?" Liu Zhang asked uncertainly.
"You are King Taiyuan." The other party said with certainty.
Hearing this, Liu Zhang was shocked. It was unbelievable that the other party could reveal his identity in one breath. He stared at the other party and asked in a deep voice: "You are not a bandit. What on earth are you doing?"
Who is he?"
"The one who wants your life!"
"Unbridled! Bold!" With the roar, the two guards who caught up with Liu Zhang rushed towards the man with two swords, one on the left and one on the right.
The man seemed not to have seen it, and stood there, motionless. He just waited until the sharp points of the two swords had pierced him, then he raised his hand and heard two crisp sounds.
The swords in the hands of the two guards flew out to the left and right.
The two guards stood there dumbly, with expressions of disbelief on their faces, and their mouths opened wide subconsciously. To be honest, neither of them could see clearly how the other party made the move, nor did they know why their own swords suddenly flew out.
Liu Zhang, who was behind him, could see clearly that the opponent did not use a weapon. He just flicked out two fingers very quickly, and his fingertips flicked on the swords of the two swords. Then, the two swords flew out together.
To flick the sword away with a snap of your fingers is something I have never seen or heard.
The man said to the two stunned guards: "I only want his life, not yours, go back!"
As he spoke, he stretched out his hands and pressed them on their chests. Before the two guards could react, they felt a strong push coming towards them.
The two guards screamed in surprise and flew backwards. After landing, they took a few steps back and finally sat on the ground.
The two of them were not injured, nor did they feel any pain, but their bodies were forcefully sent several meters away by the other party.