Chapter 4 Liu Xuande, the Dark Horse of the Heroes of the Late Han Dynasty
Twenty-five thousand people versus ten thousand people seemed to have a numerical advantage.
But they have ten thousand cavalry!
The Youzhou light cavalry were best at the art of bow and horse. Before they even got close, a hail of arrows had already been fired.
The black arrows cover the sky and the sun. The accuracy of the long-distance ejection is not important. Just find the right angle and carry out a covering strike.
The battle of the nomads was so simple and boring. After only three rounds of arrows, Zhang Chun's soldiers collapsed, turned around and began to flee.
Especially the five thousand Wuhuan cavalry under Zhang Chun ran faster than anyone else. Under the command of the deputy general sent by Wuyan, they reined in their horses and left without any hesitation.
The Wuheng people chose to help Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju because it was profitable and they could rob the place and make a fortune. They did not really want to seek death.
Now that they have more cavalry than we do, we have no advantage in fighting. In order to avoid casualties, of course we have to run.
"None of the barbarians raised by these servants is reliable."
Zhang Chun was extremely angry.
Wang Zheng quickly advised: "General, retreat quickly. If you don't retreat, Gongsun Zan will come and kill you."
"I am angry because these barbarians misled me."
Zhang Chun found an excuse for his failure. In fact, he was a veteran who had been at the border for a long time. Of course he knew the banditry of the Wuhuan people. They were fine when fighting with a favorable wind, but collapsed immediately when fighting against a headwind.
So we really can't blame the Wuhuan people for not fighting desperately. After all, the Wuhuan people only have a small population, so they naturally cherish their lives. Unless they spend a lot of money, defeat is inevitable.
In desperation, Zhang Chun had no choice but to retreat and also joined the fleeing army. This battle was beaten to pieces and was in a state of embarrassment.
Gongsun Zan waved his spear and said loudly: "The whole army goes out. If you kill one person, you will be rewarded with five thousand coins! If you kill the traitor general, you will be rewarded with one hundred thousand coins!"
When they heard about this reward, all the soldiers went crazy.
Five thousand dollars is already worth a lot of money, and an adult's annual income is only that much. If you kill a few more, you won't have to do anything for a year or two.
All of a sudden, the ten thousand cavalrymen became restless, like a pack of hungry wolves, howling and rushing towards Zhang Chunjun.
Gongsun Yue also rushed out with the defenders in the city? A pursuit battle began.
When Gongsun Zan bullied Zhang Chun, Qiu Liju and Zhang Ju, who were far away in western Liaoning at this time, had already taken the three counties of Youbeiping, western Liaoning and eastern Liaoning as their own? But after all, these three counties were bitter cold places outside the Great Wall, even if they were captured?
You can't make any big fortune either.
Feiru County is the east side of Qian'an City in later generations.
After Qiu Liju occupied the three counties, the main force was stationed here. Although he had tried his best to search, it was still difficult to meet military needs, so on this day, Qiu Liju went to Zhang Ju to ask for a solution.
In the camp outside the county? Are the grassland people not used to living in cities? So Qiu Liju has always lived in tents. He is a big man with a beard and a beard. He said to Zhang Ju in unskilled Chinese: "Today's army
Although we have raised troops, we are short of food and grass. What should we do?"
Zhang Ju had been a prefect before, and had a certain level of knowledge? He thought: "We occupy western Liaodong and eastern Liaoning, and the imperial court is beyond our reach? We only need to use Youbeiping as a barrier to resist the officers and soldiers of Youzhou in the west. Secondly, we can go south to plunder Jizhou.
Qingzhou.”
"How to plunder?"
Qiu Liju asked again.
Zhang Ju smiled and said: "I heard that Qingzhou is extremely rich now? Especially the plain country? It can be said that it is a vast plain with no troops to defend it. It is all food and money. We should go south from Quanzhou and plunder the Bohai Sea and the plains. By then there will be a lot of food, grass and coins.
If he is transported back to Liaodong, he can fight against the imperial court and establish himself as king."
It has to be said that Zhang Ju still has a certain pattern. After all, western Liaoning and eastern Liaoning are too poor, and it is obviously impossible to fight a protracted war with the imperial court. Therefore, they plundered the rich places in Jizhou and Qingzhou to support the war.
very suitable.
Don’t think that Liaodong is far from Qingzhou. By boat, it’s just across the Bohai Strait, which is less than 200 kilometers. By land, it’s from Tangshan to Tianjin and then to Xinyang, and the whole journey is only 300 kilometers.
So this plan is very feasible.
In fact, this is what Qiu Liju did during the rebellion in history. He plundered all the way from Youbeiping to the south. Historical records indicate that Kou Lueqing, Xu, You, and Ji were in the four prefectures, and even as far as Xuzhou, almost all the way from Qian'an.
Hitting Lianyungang shows that the distance is not that far.
According to the "Book of the Later Han", the turmoil lasted for a year. During this period, the imperial court sent Gongsun Zan and Meng Yi to quell the rebellion, but they were eventually defeated by Qiu Liju. It started in the fourth year of Zhongping and lasted until Liu Yu took office in the fifth year of Zhongping.
Finish.
Therefore, now was the beginning of this rebellion. Qiu Liju felt that Zhang Ju's words were reasonable, so he immediately started to move, with more than 100,000 people setting off to Youbeiping.
By this time Gongsun Zan had defeated Zhang Chun and killed thousands of people, each worth 5,000 yuan, and paid a price of nearly 20 million yuan.
But compared to the huge wealth, this amount of money is just a drop in the bucket, it doesn't matter.
After withdrawing their troops and returning to the city at night, Gongsun Zan and the three brothers Gongsun Yue and Gongsun Fan discussed the current situation together in the tent.
"The imperial court originally recruited me to go west to fight the rebellion in Liangzhou. Now there is a problem in Youzhou. Now there are two paths before us. One is to continue going west and obey the imperial court's arrangements. The other is to stay in Youzhou.
Attacking Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju, what do you think?"
Gongsun Zan asked his two younger brothers.
He doesn't have a future family yet, and the only people he can use are his two cousins.
Gongsun Yue was the older and second eldest son. He thought for a moment and said, "Brother, Youzhou is the place where we all started. Our hometown in western Liaoning is now in a den of thieves. How can we ignore it? We should stay in Youzhou."
"That's what I thought too."
Gongsun Fan expressed his support for Gongsun Yue.
Gongsun Zan nodded: "Yes, but we only have ten thousand people now. Qiu Liju and the rebels have one hundred thousand cavalry alone. We may not be able to defeat them. It is better to report the matter to the court first and wait for the court to make a decision."
"That's right."
Both nodded.
Gongsun Zan added: "Although Nanlou may not have been involved in this matter, we still have to be careful. Second brother, you personally go outside the fortress to find the Xianbei Murong tribe. Their leader Che Nuhuai has made good friends with me and offered him benefits."
, he will definitely be able to lead his army to help."
"clear."
Gongsun Yue nodded in agreement.
"Third brother, please send someone to Anci to prevent Qiu Liju from bypassing us and attacking Zhuojun."
"only."
"You all go."
End of the meeting.
Gongsun Zan was stationed in Ji County to guard against the enemies in Yuyang. Gongsun Yue went to find Xianbei outside the Great Wall, and Gongsun Fan went to Anci to guard against the enemies in Youbeiping.
Originally, Gongsun Zan only had 3,000 troops, and he did not dare to act rashly. He waited until the imperial court sent reinforcements, and then he and Zhonglang General Mengyi attacked Liaodong. They won the first battle and fought all the way to Shimen, which was later known as Jinzhou, Liaoning.
Escaped back.
Although the current number of troops has reached 10,000, there are more than 100,000 enemies after all. Qiu Liju has unified three large tribes, and the total force is much more than him. This prevents Gongsun Zan from becoming reckless, and still mainly fights steadily.
That night, Gongsun Yue took his guards and left outside the fortress, while Gongsun Fan took 3,000 people south to Anci. There was no fighting between the two sides for a while, and they were in a period of peace for the time being.
But everyone knows that this is the prelude to the coming storm.
......．
......．
Early March.
Qiu Liju personally led the troops and went south with 30,000 horses, plundering Jizhou and Qingzhou and even reaching Xuzhou, looting places and killing people.
For a time, the imperial court was furious, and the emperor promoted Gongsun Zan to the rank of Cavalry Commander. This time, instead of sending Meng Yi, he promoted Zou Jing to the rank of General Protecting Wuhuan Zhonglang. He led some soldiers of the Northern Army to Youzhou to work with Gongsun Zan to put down the rebellion.
This can be regarded as another change in history.
"boom!"
In the Jinan Kingdom of Qingzhou, in the Prime Minister's Office, Liu Bei became furious and said: "Zhang Chun, the traitor, is extremely hateful. He actually caused trouble and invaded the enemy. He came to our Qingzhou. I will send troops to conquer them."
Jushu said at the side: "Your Majesty, Qiu Liju is attacking Pingyuan. This is a matter for the Prime Minister of Pingyuan. I'm afraid we can't do anything about it."
"Are you just going to watch Qiu Liju plundering the people and remain indifferent?"
Liu Bei clenched his fists, and when he thought of the innocent plain people, his face turned ferocious, and he felt deep hatred.
But what Jushu said is also true.
It is true that the prefect has military power, but the power he can exercise can only be within the county.
Unless Qiu Liju comes to Jinan to cause trouble, if Liu Bei disobeys the imperial edict and sends troops to the plains, it will not be a credit, but a disaster.
Jushou thought deeply and said, "We can ask Zigui to issue an order for conquest and transfer."
Liu Bei's eyes lit up: "By the way, the fourth brother is the governor and has the power to recruit a state's troops to resist foreign invaders during wartime."
Even though the governor had no governance or military power, the imperial court also gave him special powers.
That is, during wartime, troops from various counties can be mobilized to fight.
For example, the current governor of Liangzhou, Geng Bi, in order to deal with Han Sui's rebellion, mobilized troops from six counties in April this year to prepare for an attack on Han Sui. However, due to his favor with Cheng Qiu, the army mutinied and he was killed by his own commander.
"Brother, I heard something happened in Pingyuan."
Guan Yu walked in quickly outside the door. He was the lieutenant of Jinan, responsible for the security of a county. A few days ago, there was a small group of Taishan rogues intruding in Calendar City. He went to deal with it and just came back today.
"good."
Liu Bei nodded: "I want to send troops to the plains to attack Qiu Liju. My second brother will make preparations. I will go to my fourth brother to ask for orders."
"No."
Zhang Fei came in hurriedly, holding an official document stamped as the governor of Qingzhou in his hand, and shouted: "The fourth brother already knows about this, please ask me to come quickly and give this document to the eldest brother."
Liu Bei took the official document, opened it, took a look at it, and said with great joy: "Fourth brother really wins my heart, knows my intention, and has given me the authority to send troops."
Jushu smiled and said: "Then please give the order quickly, but sending troops is not that simple. Although we in Jinan are fully equipped with troops and food, I heard that Qiu Liju has 30,000 cavalry, so I'm afraid we still have to think long term."
Zhang Fei waved his spear and shouted: "My fourth brother asked me to come with the cavalry first. He said that he would mobilize half of the troops in Le'an, Qi State, Donglai, Beihai, so that Taishi Ci's army could arrive later."
Liu Bei asked: "Where is the fourth brother?"
Zhang Fei shook his head: "Fourth brother said that this year's spring plowing has reached a critical moment. What kind of rice he left in Judian Lake to plant in Zhancheng is mysterious. Let us do it ourselves."
"Okay, if that's the case, then I will be the general, Gong Yu will be the governor, Yun Changyi Deliang Bi Ziyi will be the deputy general, and we will send troops to Pingyuan!"
When he heard that Chen Mu did not come and that he was leading the army himself this time, Liu Bei slammed the table and gave orders.
Unexpectedly, Jushu smiled and said: "Your Majesty, I will not go. I will stay in Jinan and take charge of logistics. Otherwise, I am worried that your food and grass supplies will not be supplied."
"That's a problem..."
Liu Bei pondered, food and grass are the key to dispatching troops, and he really needs a capable man to help. In the past, Jushou or his fourth brother were responsible for logistics affairs. Now if Jushou is taken away, only Jian Yong will be left, but Jian Yong's ability...
...
"I can recommend someone to accompany the army. With him, he will definitely be able to break through the hills and stay strong."
Jushou cupped his hands and said.
"oh?"
Liu Bei asked: "Who is he?"
"Xun You Xun Gongda."
"Xun You?"
Liu Bei hesitated.
Although Xun You has been serving as county magistrate in Jinan, he has not yet integrated into their inner circle.
The reason is that Chen Mu just wanted to keep him by his side first, and then recruit him when the dust settled later, so he always asked Liu Bei to be careful about him.
Chen Mu knew very well what the party members were plotting now. Xun You was not a time bomb, but he still had to be prepared.
Although Liu Bei didn't know this, he was still willing to listen to his fourth brother's words, so he was a little hesitant.
After hesitating for a moment, Liu Bei nodded and said: "Then let him join the army first. I will send someone to ask the fourth brother later. If the fourth brother agrees, I will give him an important task."
"It's natural."
Jushu nodded.
In fact, Jushou didn't quite understand why Chen Mu was so guarded against Xun You.
However, Chen Mu is a wise man today. Since his debut, he has defeated the Yellow Turbans and eliminated bandits. It can be said that there is no grass growing wherever he goes. Maybe he has his own reasons for doing this.
In March of the fourth year of Zhongping, Qiu Liju invaded the plains and narrowed the road, which angered Liu Bei and Qingzhou also decided to attack him.
In history, Liu Bei once attacked Qiu Liju, but he was almost defeated.
"Dian Lue" records: "Liu Ziping in the plains knew that Bei was brave. At that time, Zhang Chun rebelled and Qingzhou was ordered to send soldiers to fight against Chun. They crossed the plains. Ziping recommended Bei to engage in war, so he followed him. When he encountered thieves in the wild, Bei
After the thief left, the old friend carried him in a car, so he could be saved."
The author of "Dian Lue" is Yu Huan, a historian in the Cao Wei period, who is earlier than Chen Shou, the author of "Three Kingdoms". Even when he later wrote "Three Kingdoms", Chen Shou quoted a large number of records in "Dian Lue" to write history books.
.
It can be seen that the credibility of "Dian Lue" is very high, even more detailed than the records in "Three Kingdoms".
If we follow the records in this history book, at that time Liu Bei was wearing a yellow turban and was made an Anxi county captain. However, he was eliminated by the governor and he was whipped and abandoned his post.
Then he was recommended by Pingyuan Liu Ziping to attack Qiu Liju, but he was seriously injured. He escaped by pretending to be dead, was pulled back on a cart, and finally became a Gaotang Lieutenant.
Looking at it this way, it turns out that the First Master was in such a miserable state that it makes people sad and cry when they see it.
But now, with the help of Chen Mu, Liu Bei has become a high-ranking official in the local prefecture, and his starting point is much higher than before.
At least he has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, and many senior generals. If he fights Qiu Liju again, even if he doesn't win, it shouldn't be as miserable as in "Dian Lue".
In March, Liu Bei officially sent out troops, gathering 10,000 troops from Jinan, plus those from Beihai, Qi, Le'an and other places, with a total force of 40,000, and marched toward the plains in a mighty manner.