Chapter 5 Dong Zhongying, the Red Horse of the Heroes of the Late Han Dynasty
Just when Gongsun Zan was defending Guangyang and Liu Bei was sending troops to the plains.
At this time, there was also war in Liangzhou.
In February of the fourth year of Zhongping, Han Sui killed Bianzhang Li Wenhou and others, and together with the Hanyang Kingdom, troops surrounded Longyou County. Geng Bi, the governor of Liangzhou, recruited soldiers from six counties to prepare to go north to meet the enemy.
As for the imperial court, as Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty had money in his hands and Chen Mu offered various ways to govern the country, the world has been at peace for more than a year.
Although the Liangzhou rebellion occurred from time to time, Huangfu Song was not transferred by Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty because Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty hoped that Huangfu Song would completely deal with the Liangzhou rebellion.
As a result, Huangfu Song failed to make any achievements in two years. Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty was furious and had Huangfu Song dismissed from his post and imprisoned, and was sent to Luoyang for questioning.
In fact, the reason why Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty could tolerate Huangfu Song for so long was because he hoped that he could eliminate Han Sui as soon as possible and pacify Liangzhou.
However, Huangfu Song was always passively beaten and wasted so much money, but Han Sui was still as stable as Mount Tai.
Under such circumstances, how could Emperor Han Ling still be able to endure it?
Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, who was already afraid of Huangfu Song, immediately arrested Huangfu Song for slacking off in the war, wasting money, failing in consecutive battles, and betraying the emperor's favor.
At the same time, Zhang Wen was sent to replace Huangfu Song, and he was ordered to coordinate Liangzhou and eliminate Han Sui as soon as possible.
Who is the happiest person after Huangfusong was arrested?
Of course not Chen Mu.
But Zhang Rang.
Zhang Rangke has never forgotten Chen Mu's original words, that if he wants to avenge his nephew, he must first deal with Huangfu Song's suggestion.
So this time Huangfu Song angered Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, and Zhang Rang worked hard to add fuel to the flames and continued to slander him.
Old and new grudges, coupled with Zhang Rang's bewilderment, were the fundamental reasons for Huangfu Song's overturning.
In fact, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty was not a fool to begin with. It was very difficult to simply seduce him. If he was asked to obey someone, unless that person could help him solve all kinds of troubles like Chen Mu, it would be impossible to make him obey everything.
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Even Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong couldn't do this.
For example, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty later summoned Gai Xun and asked him why there were so many rebellions in the world. Gai Xun accused Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty in person and told him that it was all the good deeds done by his close associates.
However, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty said that he knew all this and did not even blame Gai Xun. He also thought that he and Gai Xun met too late. This shows that Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty was very smart. He appointed Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong purely because of financial difficulties and had no choice but to do so.
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And Lu Zhi was replaced? Is it because Zuo Feng, a little yellow man, came into the slander?
Do not make jokes.
Just because of a small yellow sect, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty risked his taboo to change generals on the battlefield? It is unrealistic in the first place.
Lu Zhi was replaced because he chose a siege tactic.
A protracted siege? The daily consumption is enough to drive any emperor who cares about money crazy? Not to mention that Emperor Han Ling was already at the end of his rope and did not have so much money to afford Lu Zhi to continue spending.
So Lu Zhi was replaced? Dong Zhuo was eager for quick success as soon as he took office, and forced himself to find a breakthrough from other places? Then he turned around and defeated Quyang? It is naturally a matter of course.
Now Huangfu Song is in almost the same situation as when Lu Zhi was replaced. He wasted two years in Chang'an, but the border is still unstable.
Two years of wasted money and food with no results? How could Emperor Han Ling endure this?
So Huangfu Song was imprisoned? It is reasonable.
After Zhang Wen received the order, he sent people to Youzhou to find Gongsun Zan and asked him to bring Youzhou elites. At the same time, he organized his troops and prepared to take a group of Northern Army soldiers to Chang'an to take over Yongzhou.
But he didn't wait for Gongsun Zan, because Zhang Chun was causing trouble again? In desperation, he had no choice but to wait for the Youzhou cavalry? He led the Northern Army to Yongzhou first.
When Huangfu Song was here, he appointed Jinwu Yuan Pang as his deputy, Dong Zhuo as the general who broke up the bandits, and Zhou Shen as the general who destroyed the bandits.
Zhang Wen came over? Naturally, he accepted the original team.
At this time, Yongzhou Youfeng Huaili County.
Many people think that Yongzhou and Liangzhou are two states? Yongzhou was later Shaanxi? Half of Gansu. Liangzhou was later Ningxia? The other half was Gansu.
This statement is correct or not, because in the Wang Mang period and Cao Cao period, this was indeed the division.
But at the end of the Han Dynasty, Yongzhou only had the Sanfu area, that is, the three counties of Chang'an, Fufeng on the right, Fengyi on the left, and Jingzhao Yin.
Because in the early Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu changed the name of Yongzhou to Liangzhou.
So in fact, Yongzhou is Liangzhou, and Liangzhou is Yongzhou. They are the same place, and how they are called generally depends on the habits of the local people.
Since the later Yongzhou is now Liangzhou, Han Sui's rebellion did not come from Dunhuang, Gansu Province, which is very far to the north, as everyone thinks, but from Jincheng County and Longxi County on the edge of Chang'an.
, three places in Hanyang County are causing trouble.
It is equivalent to later generations driving all the way from Lanzhou to Tianshui, then from Tianshui to Baoji, and finally from Baoji to Xi'an. This is probably the situation. The total distance is more than 600 kilometers.
Therefore, since the three counties were very close to Chang'an, and Huangfu Song was unable to destroy Han Sui, Bian Zhang and others, he could only station troops on the Youfufeng border.
Huaili County is the seat of Youfufeng. At this time, in the county seat, Bao Hong, who was named Youfufeng for his meritorious service in conquering Zhang Jiao, is waiting for Zhang Wen to come here.
In addition to Bao Hong, there are also officials of all sizes such as Yuan Pang, Zhou Shen, etc., but Dong Zhuo is not here.
After Zhang Wen led his troops into the city, they arrived at the government office.
In the hall, all the military officials, big and small, were already waiting. Zhang Wen walked straight to the main seat, while Sun Jian stood guard.
"Meet Sikong!"
Everyone stood up and saluted with their hands in hand.
Zhang Wen waved his hand, motioning for everyone to sit down, looked around and said, "Then why don't Dong Zhuo and Dong Zhongying come to see me?"
Zhou Shen said: "Dong Zhuo is currently guarding against Han Sui in Qian County."
"Um."
Zhang Wen nodded: "How are the thieves doing?"
Bao Hong said: "In February, Han Sui killed Li Wenhou of Bianzhang and led more than 100,000 Qiang and Hu Huns to attack Longxi. Li Xiangru, the governor of Longxi, and Huang Yan, the governor of Jiuquan, rebelled and made peace with Han Sui. Now the rebels are stationed in Didao and are attacking Hanyang.
Watching with eager eyes."
"The emperor ordered me to send troops this time because he hopes that I will not follow Huangfu Song's example and shrink to the right to support the wind, but will take the initiative to regain Liangzhou."
Zhang Wen set the tone and said: "Now the sea is at peace and the world is stable. Only Liangzhou has been deeply trapped in the hands of thieves and refuses to obey the king. Where is the face of the court? The emperor has ordered that a steady stream of food and grass baggage is being transported to Chang'an. We are waiting
We should send out troops as soon as possible to quell the rebellion, so that we can live up to the emperor's favor."
This means giving up Huangfusong's defensive style of play and preparing to attack.
Yuan Pang said: "Sikong, I know the emperor's intention, which is to destroy Han Sui and pacify Xiliang. However, Xiliang is far away and vast, and most of Han Sui's troops are Qiang and Hu people, who come and go like the wind. We have few cavalry.
I’m afraid it will be difficult to accomplish anything.”
"How many troops do we have now?"
Zhang Wen asked.
Zhou Shen said: "I have 30,000 infantry under my command. Dong Zhuo has 25,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry. Including the garrisons in various places, the total is 80,000."
After Zhang Wen heard this, he realized why Huangfu Song had never dealt with Han Sui.
Although the official army has 80,000 people, there are only 5,000 cavalry. The Qiang and Hu people are all cavalry, and they loot like the wind. Not only are they more numerous, but their combat effectiveness is also stronger than the official army.
These 80,000 people went out to look for trouble with Han Sui, and they were simply asking for death.
It seems that the emperor also wrongly blamed Huangfu Song. It was not that he did not want to destroy Han Sui, but that he was powerless.
Thinking of this, Zhang Wen said helplessly: "Is there no other way?"
Bao Hong thought for a while and said: "There is someone who may have a way."
"who?"
"Former Hanyang Governor Gai Xun."
Bao Hong said: "When I was serving as You Fufeng, I heard that Gai Xun has always been prestigious among the Qiang people. If he helps, he will definitely be able to defeat Han Sui."
Zhang Wen was overjoyed and said: "Good, summon Gai Xun to see me."
Hanyang County was the later Tianshui City, right next to Youfufeng. It was only a few dozen kilometers from Ji County, where it was governed, to Qi County.
When Zhang Wen led a mighty army to Qian County, Gai Xun was summoned.
Qian County, the army is stationed.
Inside the camp, Dong Zhuo arrived late.
Zhang Wengao took the main seat, and all the soldiers sat in rows.
"Everyone."
Zhang Wen said again: "The emperor's grace is so great that I have been ordered to go out to fight this time. I must capture Han Sui. You must serve to the death. If I can defeat Han Sui and pacify Liangzhou, I will definitely report to the court and ask for merit for you."
"Thank you Sikong."
Everyone stood up and saluted.
After the ceremony, Dong Zhuo said: "Ming Gong, we must not rush to attack Han Sui. Although the army is large, the thieves are powerful, so we must focus on defense."
Zhang Wen said displeasedly: "This is the emperor's edict. Could it be that Dong Zhongying wants to resist the edict and disrespect it?"
"Don't dare!"
Dong Zhuo's attitude was not very good, and he argued with reason: "The rebel army only has tens of thousands of cavalry. Our army is not only small in number, but most of them are infantry. How can we fight?"
When Huangfu Song was still alive, Dong Zhuo was jealous of Huangfu Song because he broke the Yellow Turban and wrote a letter to rescue him, so he was jealous of Huangfu Song but barely maintained a superficial relationship with him.
Even if Huangfu Song asked him to send troops, he would do nothing but work. Every time he went to Hanyang County for a walk, he would come back and he didn't care about fighting at all.
This is actually the reason why Huangfu Song was unable to defeat Han Sui. His subordinates were not united.
But in fact Dong Zhuo was really not unwilling to fight to the death.
But this battle cannot be fought.
Han Sui had tens of thousands of cavalry, plus tens of thousands of infantry. The total strength was tens of thousands more than the official army. However, the official army lacked cavalry. Fighting with the Qiang and Hu people in the Liangzhou Gobi, wasn't this looking for death?
Dong Zhuo was finally released from prison and became an official again. He didn't want to lose his life, so when faced with Zhang Wen and Huangfu Song, who always asked him to send troops to fight, Dong Zhuo was naturally unhappy and expressed dissatisfaction.
Zhang Wen was a little unhappy and was about to scold Dong Zhuo angrily.
Gai Xun stood up and said: "Ming Gong, although Dong Zhongying's words don't sound good, they are reasonable. The bandit army is powerful and it is really not easy to fight."
Seeing him talking, Zhang Wen suppressed his anger and said, "Yuan Gu, is there any way to teach me?"
Gai Xun laughed and said: "Geng Bi, the governor of Liangzhou, is recruiting soldiers from six counties to attack Han Sui. Why not order him to postpone his actions and let him unite the two armies. By then, he can gather more than 100,000 troops and defeat the enemy."
As long as there is a big victory and a brave man joins me in the enemy's camp, Han Sui and I will become old acquaintances, and I will be able to convince him by explaining the pros and cons."
"Okay, that's it!"
Zhang Wen nodded and said: "Send my order to march north into Hanyang County and ask Geng Bi to come see me."
"only!"
All the officers and men of the army set off, and the army marched northward in mighty force.
Before Zhang Wen left, he was awarded the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry, with a holiday. He had very great power, even to remove officials from various places.
Therefore, officials from the Sanfu area and Liangzhou were all subordinate to Zhang Wen and could be dispatched at will.
At the end of March, Zhang Wen had led his army to Hanyang County.
At this time, Geng Bi had already recruited soldiers from six counties and was about to go to Longxi County to attack Han Sui. When he heard Zhang Wen's arrival, Geng Bi had no choice but to lead his army.
The two armies merged.
Geng Bi recruited soldiers in Liangzhou. He only had 20,000 cavalry and about 30,000 infantry. With these few troops, he wanted to attack Han Sui. No wonder the army mutinied and was killed.
But now due to historical changes, Zhang Wen has the support of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, who generously spends money and food. With enough money and food, he already has the ability to attack Han Sui from the land of three auxiliaries.
So now that the troops are united, their strength is much stronger than that of Geng Bi who fought alone in history. More than 100,000 men and horses are attacking Longxi County in a mighty manner.
In early April, the army arrived in Xiangwu County.
After resting for two days in Xiangwu, Zhang Wen once again beat drums and gathered generals to prepare for military operations.
"Now that Han Sui is stationed in Didao County, I have decided to raise troops tomorrow for a formal decisive battle. What do you think we should do against the enemy?"
Zhang Wen looked at the soldiers and asked.
Dong Zhuo stood up and said loudly: "Ming Gong, if you want to take Didao, you must first go to Shouyang. I am willing to be the vanguard and capture Shouyang County."
Zhang Wen smiled and said: "Wasn't Zhong Ying still unwilling to fight a few days ago? Why is he willing to be a vanguard today?"
Dong Zhuo said sternly: "The enemy army was strong a few days ago, and I don't want to fight a battle that is bound to lose. Now we have sufficient troops and food supplies. Although there is still some gap between us and the enemy army, there is still a chance of victory."
Dong Zhuo is not stupid.
Some time ago, a battle involving 80,000 infantrymen and tens of thousands of cavalry was a dead end.
Now that Zhang Wen has mobilized Geng Bi's troops, the two sides are about the same number in number.
Although the total number of cavalry is still small, Zhang Wen continued to recruit people and spent money freely these days, and only managed to recruit several thousand Qiang and Hu cavalry. But now there are 30,000 cavalry, which is barely enough to fight.
From the strength comparison, it is a 4-6 situation. Although there are only 4 officers and soldiers, Dong Zhuo is also willing to take the risk. Who wouldn't want to do something that can increase his official position?
"good!"
Zhang Wen nodded and said: "My general ordered all the cavalry to be led by Dong Zhongying and surround Shouyang first, followed by the infantry. This battle is the key, we must capture Shouyang!"
"only!"
The soldiers responded loudly.
The next day, Dong Zhuo rode on a huge red horse. The horse was covered in red and its hair was as bright as blood.
Don't get me wrong, this is not Red Rabbit, but Red Rabbit's father.
The Red Rabbit Horse was probably born this year, and was given to Lu Bu when it was about three years old, so now it is just a foal and cannot carry people.
Behind Dong Zhuo were more than 30,000 cavalry, mostly Qiang and Hu people.
Some people may wonder why the Qiang and Hu people rebelled, but the government army could still recruit Qiang and Hu people to fight?
In fact, the Qiang and Hu people in Liangzhou are not one race, but many races.
The Guangqiang people include Shaodang Qiang, Fengyang Qiang, Laojie Qiang, Xianling Qiang, Zhong Qiang, Lejie Qiang, Dangjian Qiang, Han Qiang, Qie Feng Qiang, Shen Di Qiang, Qianren Qiang, etc., according to historical data According to records, there are more than 150 kinds of Qiang people.
These Qiang people live in tribes, with a large population ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds or thousands. There are millions of people in total. They were a considerable force at that time.
Because of the different ethnic groups, the Qiang people often have internal conflicts and kill each other.
Therefore, Han Sui recruited Qiang and Hu people to rebel, and the army could naturally recruit hostile Qiang and Hu people to fight.
Dong Zhuo had always had prestige among the Qiang people. He mounted his horse and shouted loudly to the cavalry behind him: "Everyone, the imperial court has issued countless money and food to destroy Han Sui. As long as you defeat him, you can take the money and food. Today, we will kill Han Sui." Shouyang, capture Han Sui!"
"Hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!"
Under the temptation, the Qiang and Hu people raised their weapons one after another, and their morale and military strength reached the extreme.
"Set off!"
Dong Zhuo slapped the horse's butt, raised the sword in his hand, and took the lead in running toward the distant Gobi.
The morning sun is just rising, and it is already very hot in Liangzhou in April.
On the big stage of the late Han Dynasty, Dong Zhuo's bright red horses were bound to leave a strong mark.