On April 11, Gao Rou accompanied Chen Cao and his entourage to Yangzhai County, eighty miles north of Xiangcheng. The Chen family's ancestral home was in Yangzhai County, Yingchuan County. The local Chen surname has been dispersed, and the ancestral hall of the former residence was destroyed in Shile's reign. , Chen Caozhi paid his respects to the ruins of his ancestral home for a while, but had no feelings at all. When he returned to the county government, he received news that Chen You, the champion general stationed in Luoyang, had exhausted all his supplies to support the people. He could not defend himself, so he decided to save Xuchang. He led two thousand soldiers to withdraw from Luoyang. Halfway there, he heard that Xuchang had fallen, so he rushed to the new city. Now the only people left in Luoyang were the champion chief Shi Shen Jin and his private army of 800 warriors. It was rumored that Murong Ke and Murong Chui were not The Japanese general raised troops to capture Luoyang, and Luoyang was in danger.
When Shen Chiqian heard this, he was extremely anxious. When his father left Wuxing last year, he expressed his determination to sacrifice his life for the country and revive his family name while worshiping his ancestors in the family temple. Now the champion general Chen You has withdrawn from Luoyang, and only his father, with less than a thousand men, is holding on. Obviously, he wanted to coexist with Luoyang City. Luoyang was an isolated city and it was difficult to hold on. The day the city fell was the day when his father Shen Jin died.
Shen Chiqian begged Chen Caozhi to ask Gao Rou, the prefect of Yingchuan, to send troops to rescue Luoyang.
Chen Caozhi shook his head and said: "Prefect Gao has only 2,000 infantry, how can he save Luoyang! Moreover, Murong Chen, the Yan general with 3,000 infantry, is stationed in Xuchang and may attack Xiangcheng at any time. Governor Gao has no reason to abandon his own county to save Luoyang." ."
Shen Chiqian had read military literature since he was a child and understood that what Chen Caozhi said was absolutely true. However, how could he not be anxious about the safety of his father Shen Jin? After all, he was only a sixteen-year-old boy. He was panic-stricken and wanted nothing to do. He just wanted to rush to Luoyang immediately to meet his father. See.
Chen Caozhi comforted him and said: "Chiqian, there is no need to be anxious. I have been ordered by the imperial court to worship your father as General Yangwu. I naturally want to go to Luoyang. I heard that the Murong clan of Xianbei moved their capital from Longcheng at the beginning of the year." When they arrived at Yecheng, Hebei Province, the ancestral temple and hundreds of officials had not yet arrived at Ye. Murong Ke wanted to attack Luoyang. He had to wait for the new capital to be established before he could use his troops. Moreover, Murong Ke had a habit of using troops. Before sending out troops, he would send people to recruit the people he was about to capture. The local people and the people in the docks have given both kindness and power. First let the people in the places surrender and then attack them. This is in the name of benevolence and righteousness, and it can get twice the result with half the effort. We will stay in Yingchuan for a few days to investigate the news and then make plans."
While waiting for news in Yangzhai, Chen Caozhi ordered an urgent letter to Huan Wen, who was stationed in Hefei, explaining the situation in Luoyang and asking Huan Wen to order Yuan Zhen and Yu Xi to lead the boat division to rescue Luoyang. Chen Caozhi also asked the prefect of Yingchuan to collect rice grains. , prepare to provide aid to Luoyang.
In the next few days, the county officials sent by the prefect Gaorou to each dock to appease the leaders of the clan returned one after another and went to Yangzhai to see the governor. Among the twenty-seven docks visited by these county officials, they found nothing but Di. In addition to the Qin envoys' lobbying, there were also envoys sent by Murong Ke to recruit the people. The envoys sent by Murong Ke mostly lobbied the docks east of Luoyang. Once the docks surrendered, it was time to mobilize troops to attack Luoyang.
Gao Rou and Chen Caozhi discussed that they should mainly favor and care for those Wubi who were in contact with Di Qin, while for the Wubis in Luoyang, in addition to favoring them, they would also send assassins to assassinate the Yan envoys who came to and from Wubi.
Since the beginning of Yin Hao in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, various military governments have accumulated many assassins. Yin Hao sent people to assassinate Yao Xiang many times. Although the high-ranking Yingchuan County did not have specialized assassins, as long as it sent a small number of sergeants who were good at riding and shooting, many soldiers could be killed. With a heavy reward, you can snipe the Yan envoys and thwart Murong Ke's plan to recruit Luoyang Zhuwu.
On April 17, Chen Caozhi said goodbye to Governor Gao and rushed to Luoyang. Gao Rou promised to raise 20,000 dendrobium rice and transport it to Luoyang by the end of this month to help Shen Jin defend the city.
Yangzhai is three hundred and sixty miles away from Luoyang. In the afternoon of April 21, Chen Cao and his party of more than 300 people crossed Yichuan in the dust. On the orders of Chen Caozhi and Shen Chiqian, they rushed to Luoyang to report the news. His private soldiers had arrived in Luoyang the day before. Shen Jin was surprised and happy when he learned that his son Shen Chiqian had come with Chen Cao. Needless to say, he was happy. What was surprising was that Luoyang was the place where the Fourth War was fought, and his family was Shen Jin. Guoji was determined to die, but he never wanted his son Shen Chiqian to die in Luoyang with him.
Shen Jin led the crowd to welcome Chen Cao and his entourage fifteen miles away, and met Chen Cao and his entourage at Longmen. Shen Jin met Shen Chiqian and his son, and couldn't help but feel a mixture of sadness and joy. Shen Jin knew that his son had worshiped Chen Cao, and he felt very relieved. Jin is grateful to Chen Caozhi. Last year, it was because of Chen Caozhi that he had the opportunity to serve the country and wash away the shame of his ancestors. In just one year, Chen Caozhi was promoted from the ninth-rank Xifu to the seventh-rank prince. Xima, such a speed of promotion can only be achieved by outstanding disciples of high-ranking families. This time Chen Cao is sent as an envoy to Di Qin, and he will definitely make a difference.
At dusk, Chen Cao and his party entered Luoyang from Pingchang Gate. This two-thousand-year-old capital, which had been a large city of Heluo since the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, was deserted and deserted. There were sparse lights, wide and dilapidated streets with few pedestrians, and ruined walls could be seen everywhere. Since Dong Zhuo's Rebellion at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the prosperous Luoyang was almost in ruins. Within two hundred miles, all the houses were gone, and there were no chickens or dogs. One of the reasons why Cao Cao moved the capital to Xuchang was because Luoyang was dilapidated and desolate. After Cao Pi became emperor, he rebuilt Luoyang and then rebuilt it. After decades of construction by Sima Zhao and his son, Luoyang regained its prosperity, but the Eight Kings Rebellion followed. Wang Mi, Liu Yao, and Shi Le successively attacked Luoyang, and Luoyang suffered another disaster. The Five Barbarians campaigned, and Luoyang has never restored its old appearance. Today, The population of the city was less than 5,000, and most of the people would rather stick to the walls than stay in the city. Therefore, Chen Caozhi felt that Luoyang at this time was extremely desolate, and Huan Wen's proposal to return the capital to Luoyang was really unrealistic.
When the people of Luoyang heard that the Jiangdong Angel was here, they came to pay homage to the old and the young. Chen Caozhi was not afraid of hard work and offered kind words to comfort him. The people of Luoyang were very happy.
After the champion general Chen You withdrew from Luoyang, Shen Jin naturally occupied his general's palace unceremoniously. That night, Shen Jin hosted a banquet in the general's palace to entertain Chen Cao's party. Chen Caozhi, on behalf of the Grand Sima Huanwen, awarded Shen Jin the title of General of Military Strength. The eight hundred sergeants under Shen Jin were all Shen's private soldiers and Wuxing warriors recruited by Shen Jin. Although they were alone in the city without help, they were united and united. They learned that Shen Jin had received a commendation from the imperial court and would soon be the general. When 20,000 dendrobium rice arrived, the sergeants were greatly inspired and vowed to defend the city of Luoyang.
That night, Chen Caozhi had a long talk with Shen Jin Bingzhu. Shen Chiqian wanted to stay with his father, but Shen Jin refused and insisted that Shen Chiqian follow Chen Caozhi to Chang'an. Chen Caozhi knew Shen Jin's intentions. He didn't make it clear at the moment, but only asked about the battle situation between Shen Jin and the Yan army. Shen Jin often attacked the Yan army with a small number and destroyed it several times. However, with 800 soldiers trapped in the isolated city, it would be a matter of time for the city to be destroyed. Shen Jin was He was determined not to abandon the city and leave. According to the information sent by Shen Jin, it was learned that Murong Ke, the Grand Prime Minister of Yan State, was in Yecheng at this time. King Murongchui of Wu and his servant Mu Yulong went to Longcheng to move the ancestral temple to Yecheng. Furthermore, because Huan Wen's fleet was stationed in Hefei, it is estimated that the Yan army will not attack Luoyang in the short term. However, Murong Ke has already sent people to recruit soldiers and people from various places in Heluo. He is afraid that within three months, the Yan army will arrive. Under Luoyang City, Chen Caozhi must find a way to save Luoyang City.
