For Dong Zhuo, this winter was not a good one.

What worries him is not the millions of people around Chang'an who are waiting for food, nor is it the princes in the court who cause him trouble from time to time.

In the eyes of the cruel and ruthless Dong Zhuo, the people and officials were no different from a group of livestock that could be slaughtered at will.

What he really cares about is the current situation where he is surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Except for Yizhou in the south, which has not been attacked, the Kwantung Allied Forces are in the east, Zhu Jun is in the north, and Han Sui and Ma Teng are in the west.

These two people did not want to imitate Liu Bei and Zhu Jun in joining the capital, but they just followed the old rules and started to plunder the Sanfu area once the Liangzhou area got hard in winter.

However, Han Sui and Ma Teng's troops were mainly Xiliang Qiang cavalry, and the infantry went up to deliver food. Dong Zhuo had no choice but to send the most elite Xiliang cavalry.

This is also the reason why Chang'an City's military strength is stretched thin.

In fact, if Liu Bei's army really arrived at Chang'an City, even if Dong Zhuo gathered all the troops around Chang'an to fight him, the outcome would still be uncertain.

Because Chang'an City is the capital of the Western Han Dynasty, like Luoyang, it is divided into inner and outer cities. The inner city does have city walls for defense, but the outer city does not. Once Liu Bei's army settles in the outer city, with a million people outside the city, there will always be a way to get food and grass. .

As long as Liu Bei's army survives this month and the grain and grass transported from the Qinling Mountains continue to arrive, in the end, it will turn into a siege that will last for several years.

Therefore, everyone including Dong Zhuo and Xu Rong knew that the most important thing now was to deal with Liu Bei's imminent Kwantung Army, and then slowly deal with Zhu Jun and Han Sui Ma Teng.

For this reason, Dong Zhuo sent people to recall Lu Bu as early as a few days ago. Although doing so would inevitably cause the Youfufeng area to be plundered by Han Sui and Ma Teng's Xiliang army, he could not control that much now and wanted to defend Chang'an first. Say it again.

After Xu Rong held Zuo Fengyi for one day, he immediately evacuated, leaving behind a shocking city, just like Xiagui County, without a grain of food, filled with Luoyang refugees and a devastated city.

It was not until midnight that the scouts discovered the retreat of Xu Rong's army and reported it to Liu Bei. Liu Bei immediately ordered a pursuit, but it was too late and Xu Rong withdrew to Yangling.

When Xu Rongjun withdrew from Zuo Fengyi, the people in the city were like prisoners being released from a cage. Hundreds, thousands, and then tens of thousands of people who were still able to move rushed towards the Weihe River, towards the surrounding woods, grasslands, and plains. In the barren fields.

They are like locusts, withered tree bark, remaining grass roots, fish and shrimps that can be caught in the river, and in the winter when food is scarce, they desperately stuff their mouths with everything they can eat - including dirt.

This time Liu Bei didn't even need to enter the city to see this apocalyptic scene. The hungry and crazy people were no longer humans, but animals, weeds, and dust.

Liu Bei must not have known that such things would not only happen in the areas around Chang'an when the Five Husbands invaded China a hundred years later.

But in the whole of China, in every part of our Han territory.

Just eating tree bark, grass roots, and soil is already considered restraint.

After being pushed to the limit, a person is just a delicious two-legged sheep...

But witnessing such a thing happening before our eyes, isn’t it the misfortune of a nation? Isn’t it the misfortune of a benevolent person?

Liu Bei's eyes were a little confused.

At this moment, he suddenly wondered whether the young emperor whom he only wanted to save was worth having to cruelly abandon these innocent people.

Is it what I should do to exchange thousands of people for a person who symbolizes the power of the Han Dynasty?

Even if he has a distinguished status.

Even if its actual meaning is far greater than its symbolic meaning.

Because only by welcoming Liu Bian back to Luoyang can the people of the world be stabilized and the great Han Dynasty be restored.

But......

How innocent are these people?

Because of this war, they became homeless and their families were destroyed.

Own.

Obviously there is no need to start this war.

if that is the case.

They would not have become what they are today, so painful and difficult.

Liu Bei looked at Chang'an with sad eyes.

Staring dreamily.

Maybe.

Everything I did was a mistake.

he.

Shouldn't have come.

...

...

"Xuande has already reached Yangling."

In Chang'an City, at the residence of Dr. Taizhong, Zhao Lin said to Yan Zhong with a little excitement: "Now the Dong thief is fighting on all sides, and his troops are stretched thin. It is the time to defeat him and welcome back the emperor."

Yan Zhong glanced at him. Until now, Zhao Lin still didn't know Chen Mu's strategies and routines, and thought she would really welcome back the emperor.

Little did he know that before leaving, Chen Mu had already secretly given him instructions on the outcome.

That is, small defeats are acceptable, but big defeats are not allowed.

The small defeat was to allow Liu Bei to retreat in the face of difficulties and wait for Chang'an to wait and see what would happen.

If there was a big defeat and Liu Bei really died here in the chaos, no one would be able to control the beast in Chen Mu's heart.

In these troubled times, we don’t know how many people will die.

Thinking of this, Yan Zhong shook his head and said: "Although Xuande Gong is invincible, he has forced an urgent march along the way. The subsequent food and grass will definitely not be able to keep up. They can fight for a few days at most. If they cannot take Chang'an, they will still have to retreat."

"Ah, there's not enough food and grass?"

Zhao Linru was showered with cold water. He was not in the inner circle of Dong Zhuo's advisers. Li Ru and Yan Zhong were already two thousand stone ministers. He was a thousand stone Taizhong doctor and had no idea about the intelligence Dong Zhuo's top brass had.

Xu Rong had reported this matter to Dong Zhuo a long time ago, and everyone, including Li Ru and Yan Zhong, approved of his plan and believed that it could indeed lure the enemy deeper and take advantage of Liu Bei's lack of food and fodder to attack.

So after coming back, Yan Zhong also knew very well that once Liu Bei was completely short of food and grass, it would really turn into a big defeat, so he asked Zhao Lin to handle the matter.

"good."

Yan Zhong nodded: "That's why I came to you. I want you to secretly contact some people to help Xuande deliver some food and grass."

Zhao Lin hesitated and said: "The Chang'an Military Intelligence Department is seriously short of manpower, and the price of food in the city has risen to one thousand four hundred yuan per stone. It is almost impossible to get food and grass for an army of 780,000 to 80,000 people at this price, even if it can be obtained

Some, I’m afraid, are just a drop in the bucket.”

Eight thousand dan can feed 10,000 people for seven to eight days. So even if a 70,000-strong army eats sparingly, it will require at least 50,000 dan to sustain food for a week.

How did Liu Beijun prepare ten days of military rations?

It was up to each soldier to carry a cloth bag weighing about fifteen kilograms, which would contain a large amount of long-term storage of biscuits, beans, fried corn and other coarse grains. Only then could he leave behind the baggage troops and fight all the way to Chang'an.

Come.

But these grains will eventually be used up. With the skyrocketing grain prices in Chang'an, it would cost 70 million yuan to collect 50,000 shi of grain and grass. Even if Zhao Lin and Yan Zhong were sold, they would not be able to get that much money.

Therefore, after hearing Yan Zhong's words, Zhao Lin frowned. In the face of such a general situation, his individual power was too small and could not help at all.

Unexpectedly, Yan Zhong smiled and said in a low voice: "We don't have it, but there are powerful families in the city."

"You mean?"

Zhao Lin thought that she had gained her identity by seeking refuge with Dong Zhuo, and that her colleagues in the DPRK and China usually despised her. She hesitated and said, "But if I contact them in my capacity, I'm afraid it will be considered that Dong Zhuo is testing them. No."

People will believe it.”

"So you have to find someone."

Yan Zhong smiled slightly.

Zhao Lin asked: "Who?"

"Liu Yu!"

Yan Zhong said the name calmly.

Historically, Liu Yu served as the governor of Youzhou and was later killed by Gongsun Zan.

But the opportunity for him to serve as the governor of Youzhou was because after Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju's rebellion, Xianbei in Youzhou was in rebellion with the Wuhuan people, and Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty had to send him to suppress the situation.

However, Gongsun Zan made a fortune through strong liquor. After he got rich, he quickly settled the Xianbei and Wuhuan people and even recruited them to fight. Youzhou naturally calmed down and there was no need to send Liu Yu anymore.

Therefore, Liu Yu did not return to Youzhou. After Liu Yan left, Zong Zheng, who had been one of the Nine Qings, was lured to Chang'an by Dong Zhuo.

Yan Zhong continued: "Liu Yu has always had a good reputation, and has high prestige with Yang Biao and others. If they can come forward, they can join forces with Wang Yun, Yang Confucian scholar Sun Rui, the fifth scholar Wei Jie and other powerful Jingzhao Yin families to help.

Then the big thing can be settled."

Zhao Lin stood up from the mat and said happily: "Brother Chenghan is still smart. If they help, this matter will be done. Then I will immediately send someone to Zongzheng to discuss the matter and help Xuande tide over the difficulties."

"etc."

Seeing him hurriedly wanting to go out, Yan Zhong quickly stopped him and said, "Xiang Heng is confused. He went to Liu Yu rashly. What if he gets suspicious? We must make him believe that Xuande is asking him for help."

, we must not let him think it is Dong Zhuo's temptation."

"What should we do?"

Zhao Lin thought the same thing. Now Chang'an City is in turmoil. Dong Zhuo is upset because of the siege by Liu Bei, Zhu Jun, Han Sui and Ma Teng. He has killed many people in Weiyang Palace. All the officials are trembling and everyone is in danger. At this time, he comes to the door. , maybe Liu Yu would not necessarily choose to help in order to protect himself.
To be continued...