In April of the sixth year of Zhongping, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty became seriously ill.
Overnight, the Han court was filled with flames of war and wars were going on in all directions.
When the Yellow Turbans captured the city of Xuzhou, the imperial court sent Tao Qian to serve as the governor of Xuzhou. However, Tao Qian had just arrived in Xuzhou and had not taken any action yet.
Although there are no Yellow Turbans in Yangzhou, the powerful clans are the most powerful, and they have rebelled and separatist regimes, leading to chaos.
The most outrageous ones are Yuzhou and Yanzhou. In response to the slogan of "Qingjun side" of Jizhou, these two powerful forces entered Henan County, faintly interacting with the Jizhou rebels in Hanoi, and surrounded Luoyang.
Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty supported his sick body and ordered the newly-built Southern Army to guard various passes, such as Yique Pass, Guangcheng Pass, Dagu Pass, Sheyuan Pass, Mengjing Pass and other places south of Luoyang.
At this time, it was quite similar to the posture used during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, when Zhang Jiao occupied Jizhou and Bocai occupied Yuzhou, attacking from the east and south of Luoyang.
However, this is not because the rebellious powerful people imitated the Yellow Turban Army, but because Luoyang is a basin structure, with Mang Mountain to the north and Hangu Pass to the west. Only the east and south can be attacked.
Therefore, the Yanzhou rebels in Yuzhou and the Jizhou rebels attacked most rapidly and posed a greater threat to the central court.
Liu Bei currently defends Yewang County in the northeast with 10,000 soldiers. As long as Yewang County is defended, the Jizhou rebels in Hanoi County in the northeast will not be able to attack Luoyang from the north. They will either choose to go south to join the Yuzhou Yanzhou rebels, or choose to attack forcefully.
Liu Bei.
And even if Yewang County is captured, behind Yewang County are Mengjinguan and Xiaopingjinguan, so at this moment, Min Chun, whose pseudonym is Guan Chun, Geng Wu, whose pseudonym is Jian Wu, and Zhang He, whose pseudonym is Zhu Xian, are outside the city.
Negotiate.
Mr. Qian Mu, a famous historian of later generations, believed that the root cause of the chaos in the late Han Dynasty lay in powerful families. Except for a few people such as Liu Bei, Sun Jian, Gongsun Zan, etc., all the heroes who later separated themselves were descendants of powerful families.
Including the modern generally accepted reason why the Eastern Han Dynasty collapsed, there are no more than two reasons. External death was caused by powerful families, and internal death was caused by eunuchs and relatives. Land annexation, people were impoverished, and natural disasters continued, resulting in the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
After the end of the Three Kingdoms, the Jin Dynasty was established. The so-called Nine-Rank Zhongzheng System was essentially the victory of the aristocratic families, resulting in a weak and incompetent Jin Dynasty.
A few years ago, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty could not collect taxes, so he sold his official position in Xiyuan. The powerful and powerful families in the world annexed their lands, forcing the people to rebel, which gave rise to the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
In the past few years, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty took a different approach, replacing the population tax with land tax, liquidating acres, and measuring land, which harmed the interests of local powerful people and gave rise to powerful chaos.
People like Min Chun, Geng Wu, Zhang He and others all came from powerful families in Guandong. For example, Zhang He was the Hejian Zhang family, and his ancestor was Zhang Er, the king of Zhao in the early Han Dynasty. The same was true for people like Min Chun, Geng Wu and others, who were all from the landlord class.
In addition to them, there are dozens of powerful families behind the scenes such as the Shen family of Weijun, the Zhang family of Hejian, the Sun family of Bohai, the Chang family of Hanoi, the Chen family of Xiapi, and the Cui family of Qinghe.
Among them, the Shen family is the family of Shen Pei, the Zhang family is the family of Zhang He, the Cui family is the family of Cui Yan, etc.
This was a very pure, well-organized, and premeditated rebellion of the powerful landlord class. The main force was composed of soldiers, officials, and farmers who were attached to the powerful landlords. It was far stronger than the loosely organized rebellion like the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
Much more.
Outside Yewang City, Geng Wu said to Min Chun and Zhang He with a solemn face: "The emperor is seriously ill and cannot handle the affairs of the court. Sir, he asked us to speed up the offensive, enter Luoyang as soon as possible, surround the palace with troops, and kill the eunuchs."
The young Zhang He scratched his head and said: "That's what you say, but if we bypass Yewang County and are blocked at Mengjing Pass, we will be attacked from both sides and we may be defeated."
Min Chun smiled slightly: "It doesn't matter, sir, I have already made a plan and asked the south to step up the offensive. Yuan Benchu is stationed in Taigu and will let them in."
"Is there another trick?"
Zhang He was stunned.
Geng Wu smiled and said: "Mr. Wang is really a master of calculation, I have to admire him."
The gentleman they talk about is actually Wang Fen.
It's just that they are rebels now and cannot call them by their first names, so they are called Mr.
As one of the Eight Chefs, Wang Fen was well-known all over the world and was officially the leader of Jizhou scholars. Originally, he was supposed to plan to depose Han Ling Emperor, but was stopped by Xun He this time, so he planned the Jizhou rebellion.
Moreover, Wang Fen also had connections with powerful families in Yuzhou, such as the Xu family in Nanyang and the Zhou family in Peiguo. In addition, many aristocratic families in Yingchuan supported the Yuzhou rebels secretly.
Now as long as the offensive in the south goes smoothly and Yuan Shao opens the Taigu Pass and lets Xu You, Zhou Jing and other Yuzhou powerful men from the south enter the pass, the big thing will be settled. Liu Bei, a stupid young man, will not be able to cause any trouble.
At this time, the situation in Luoyang was not very good. To the south there were rebels led by powerful Nanyang families under the secret command of Xu You and Zhou Jing, and to the east there were Jizhou rebels.
Although Huangfu Song in Liangzhou was going well, the problem was that he couldn't leave. Once he returned to the army, Han Sui would continue to invade the land of Sanfu, so he could only be stationed in Hanyang County and could not come back.
Zhu Jun took the local county soldiers from Hebei to Bingzhou. The battle in Bingzhou was a quagmire. Since Huangfu Song's elite soldiers were transferred away, the local county soldiers had average combat effectiveness and could not fight the Xianbei cavalry. They could only retreat to Yanmen Pass, but they also did not dare.
Return to Luoyang.
Dong Zhuo stationed troops in Hedong and waited to see the situation. Ding Yuan was still loyal and sent his subordinates Zhang Liao, Gao Shun and others to bring a thousand elite troops back to Luoyang and put them under He Jin's command. Finally, He Jin had some troops.
But compared to the current chaotic situation, these thousand soldiers really have no effect. Therefore, on the surface, it seems that the Han Empire has reached a point of decline.
In Yewang City, Liu Bei and his good brother Qianzhao were watching the situation outside on the city tower.
Qianzhao was the apprentice of Leyin, who was a famous scholar in Hebei Province and was now the long history of He Miao, the chariot general. Qianzhao followed Leyin and became a disciple of He Miao.
More than ten years ago, Liu Bei studied with Lu Zhi. Lu Zhi only taught for a year and then returned to the court as an official. So Liu Bei studied in Hebei and met Qian Zhao. The two became good brothers and became close friends.
.
This time Liu Bei was recruiting troops in Henan, and he joined the army immediately.
Originally, Liu Bei was prosperous, so Qianzhao did not intend to recognize him. After all, when he saw his friend prosperous, he immediately went to join him. This was quite a bit like trying to get along with someone else, which was not very honorable.
Unexpectedly, talented people cannot hide their glory. Soon, Qianzhao was appreciated by the military commander for his talent and reported it to Liu Bei.
When Liu Bei saw him, he thought, "Hey, aren't these good brothers?" So he immediately promoted him to Army Sima and slept together every day to reminisce about old friendships.
Today, when I was on the city tower, I saw more than 100,000 Jizhou rebels outside the city with their banners fluttering, like locusts passing through the border, with no end in sight.
Qianzhao said to Liu Bei worriedly: "Brother Xuande, the rebels in Jizhou are so powerful that Yewang County may not be able to hold it. We might as well retreat back to Mengjin and rely on the danger of the pass to be in an invincible position."
Liu Bei sighed and said: "I didn't know that the bandit army was powerful. But I have the king's mandate and was entrusted by the emperor. How could I retreat in the face of battle and give up the land I protect?"
Qianzhao's loyalty took the lead and he said: "In this case, I can only go to the national disaster together with Brother Xuande and die for charity."
But Liu Bei smiled and said: "Zijing, don't panic. I have already sent a letter to my second and third brothers, asking them to lead troops from Qingzhou. Calculate the days, and they should be here in a few days. My second and third brothers
If you have the courage of a million men, as soon as their troops arrive, you will attack immediately and you will definitely defeat the rebels."
Liu Bei's words are not without purpose. The round trip from Luoyang to Qingzhou will take at least more than ten days even if the horse speeds up.
But there is a Yellow River that cannot be tolerated.
According to the "Shui Jing Zhu" records, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the upper reaches of the Yellow River was lush and lush at that time. Not to mention deserts in Shaanxi and Gansu, there were not even barren sand dunes. They were all grasslands and forests. The Yellow River did not become the Yellow River. The Han people regarded this
The river is called the "big river" because the water is so clear that you can reach Jinan in one day by boat all the way east from the Yellow River.
So Liu Bei's messenger set out from Luoyang in the morning, arrived in Jinan in the evening, and gave the message to Guan Yu. Guan Yu then sent someone to Qi to deliver the message to Zhang Fei. It was amazing that he was ready to go in three days, and then marched all the way. Within ten days,
It will definitely arrive, so Liu Bei is not too worried.
The rebels outside Yewang City were not in a hurry to attack the city. It was not that they did not dare to attack, but that they were unwilling to spend such a high price to attack. Even if Yewang County was conquered, Mengjin and Xiaopingjin behind were both from the eunuch faction.
Guarded by people.
Therefore, the Jizhou rebels planned to wait for Yuan Shao to release the Yuzhou rebels into Luoyang. By then, the defenders in the east would be in chaos. If they attacked at this time, they would be foolproof and they could capture Luoyang without any effort.
However, they had no idea that the two reckless men led 5,000 county soldiers each, and a combined force of 10,000, and quietly reached Shanyang County behind them.
It's not that Zhang He and others don't have military literacy, who knows there are still people coming out from behind their own butts.
So when they learned the news through Hanoi powerful men, they were shocked. They quickly organized their troops and prepared to return to Shanyang County. However, they were not completely devoid of ideas. They chose to leave 40,000 people to continue besieging the Yewang.
The remaining 60,000 people headed for Shanyang under the leadership of Zhang He.
At this time, in Shanyang County, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Chen Mu, Tai Shici and others were together, while Guan Hai, Zang Ba and others were left with Ju Shuo. Chen Mu actually went back to Puyin and stayed at home for a while, but he had to
After hearing the news that the emperor was seriously ill, he rushed to Qingzhou without stopping.
Chen Mu resigned in November last year, but his resignation did not mean that he was not paying attention to the general trend of the world. When the emperor fell ill in March, he had already joined Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to lead the soldiers of the two counties to quickly march westward.
Even though Qingzhou could gather 50,000 people during the early Qiuqiu Liju campaign, the defeat of the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans at that time was a battle involving hundreds of thousands of people.
But those people were ordinary people who couldn't survive, and they were just trying to make up the numbers.
There are very few truly elite soldiers.
These county soldiers are the elite divisions left after being eliminated. They can be said to be the Qingzhou Group's wealth, and now they have all been taken out.
In Shanyang County, Chen Mu was watching the terrain on a mountain.
I saw between the high mountains in the west of Shanyang County, the official roads were rolling and winding, with long snakes circling.
Yewang County and Shanyang County in the Eastern Han Dynasty were actually Qinyang and Jiaozuo in later generations.
Almost half of these two places belong to the Taihang Mountains, and the south of Yewang County and Shanyang County is a plain area. When Cao Cao eliminated Suigu, it was in Shegu Township south of Shanyang County.
There are many mountains to the west and north. If the Jizhou rebels want to get from Yewang to Shanyang, the fastest way is to cross the mountains and come here.
Some people may wonder why walking on mountain roads is faster than walking on plains?
the reason is simple.
Taihang Mountain separates the two places. If you want to go to the plain area in the south, you have to avoid the mountainous area, and the journey will naturally be longer.
If you take the mountain road, the straight-line distance is only a few dozen kilometers, so it is naturally faster.
Therefore, Chen Mu expected that the enemy would definitely come in a straight line through the mountain road.
"Where is this place?"
Chen Mu asked a local guide hired with a lot of money.
The guide said: "This is Wumiao Ridge."
The Martial Arts Temple of the Eastern Han Dynasty worshiped not Guan Yu nor Yue Fei, but Jiang Ziya.
Chen Mu nodded: "Where's the front?"
"That's Xihuangling."
"Well, you go ahead."
After seeing off the guide, Chen Mu said to Guan Yu, "We should set up an ambush at Wumiao Ridge."
Guan Yu wondered: "I think the terrain in Xihuangling is more dangerous. Shouldn't we set up an ambush in Xihuangling?"
Chen Mu smiled and said: "If we can set up an ambush in Xihuangling, the enemy will definitely think of it, so it is not suitable for an ambush. Moreover, Xihuangling is closer to the Wild King. Once attacked, it will inevitably be defeated by the Wild King and will be difficult to annihilate.
What we want is a war of annihilation rather than a war of defeat."
Guan Yu thought and said: "I understand, if an ambush is set up in Xihuang Ling, the enemy will be cautious and will not rush in. But if an ambush is set up in Wumiao Ling, and the enemy has passed Xihuang Ling and feels that there is no danger, will he underestimate the enemy?"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Chen Mu nodded: "Yes, but the powerful people in Hanoi have colluded with these people, and our army's actions were leaked by them, so we have to guard against it, so we have to pretend to go south.
Go to Huai County, change roads on the way, go into the mountains, and move quickly to the Wumiao Ridge ambush point."
Guan Yu said: "Then listen to my fourth brother and set off now."
This is the advantage of having fewer people.
There were only 10,000 people on Chen Mu's side, and there were no cavalry. They were all the elites of Qingzhou who had been eliminated and had quite good physical strength. Under the leadership of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Tai Shi Ci, the troops were divided into three groups and evacuated in the direction of Huai County.
.
When the powerful officials in Shanyang County heard about this incident, they immediately sent people to send intelligence to the Jizhou rebels. After a day, when the intelligence was delivered to Yewang County, Zhang He was just about to leave.
When the Jizhou rebels were stationed outside Yewang County, they heard that the imperial reinforcements were preparing to go to Huai County. Zhang He was overjoyed and said: "The enemy has gone to Huai County, so it is better to take advantage of the situation and attack."
Geng Wu nodded and said, "That's exactly what it should be."
"No."
At this moment, in the shadow of the camp, someone said: "Huai County is by the Qin River. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. I am afraid it is not easy to attack. And even if they go to Huai County now, they can always turn back to Shanyang. When the time comes, Passing through mountain trails and sneaking up on my rear would be a bad idea."
This person is Shen Pei, the family judge in Wei County.
Zhang He wondered: "Then if they come from Huai County, they can sneak attack on my rear?"
Shen Pei smiled: "It's different. It's a long way from Huai County to Yewang, so you need to take a long detour. But from Yewang to Shanyang, you just have to pass through Dahang Mountain and can be reached in one day, so Junyi , do you understand now?"
Zhang He: "..."
He knows a hammer.
The battle of exchanging time for space was far beyond what young Zhang He could comprehend.
As the old saying goes, Zhang He can only be regarded as a young general with good military skills. He is far from the ability of an army commander. Naturally, he does not understand the meaning of trial matching.
However, Gengwu Minchun had already vaguely understood, nodded and said: "What Brother Zhengnan said makes sense, we should follow the original plan and attack Shanyang via the mountain road."
So that day, Zhang He and Geng Wu led an army of 50,000 people and headed into the Taihang Mountains towards Shanyang.
At this time, on Wumiao Ridge, more than ten miles outside Shanyang County, an army of 10,000 had already ambushed.
Chen Mu stood on the hill and looked into the distance.
Mr. Gongshu.
Sorry, I still have to borrow your troops to make one last contribution to my big brother.
Anyway, you still have the Yuzhou rebels, so losing the Jizhou rebels is no big deal.