Just when Chen Mu was working for Liu Bei in Luoyang.
At this time, outside Guangzong City in Jizhou, there was Huangfu Song's camp, with tents stretching for several miles, flags fluttering, and a mighty army.
Although it cannot be said that all the Yellow Turbans in Yuzhou were pacified, after the Changshe fire, Huangfu Song became a powerful figure in the world, and his sword was as sharp as a sword, and almost no one could match him.
Dong Zhuo defeated Quyang and lost nearly 20,000 troops. The entire army originally numbered close to 50,000, but now it is less than 30,000.
In desperation, he had no choice but to evacuate, all the way to Guangzong, where he joined Huangfu Song's troops.
Although Dong Zhuo was defeated, the soldiers under his command were still the elite of the Northern Army. Together with the tens of thousands of troops now in Huangfu Song's hands, the total force reached more than 60,000. It can be said that the troops are strong and powerful.
Liu Bei was recuperating from his injuries in the camp at this time. In the battle of Quyang, not only was he hit by an arrow in the shoulder, but his third brother Yide was also severely wounded many times, with several injuries all over his body.
Later, in the battle at the gate of the camp, although the Yellow Turbans were repelled, their wounds burst open and almost worsened.
In an era without penicillin, any injury on the battlefield could be fatal. A small tetanus could kill a strong adult. If there was rust on the knife, it would be even more terrible and there was almost no possibility of cure.
.
Zhang Fei and Liu Bei were both very lucky. They only had skin injuries and no injuries to their muscles or bones. The two of them lay in the tent to rest. Zhang Fei said gloomily: "What a coward. He was beaten and ran away in embarrassment. Then Dong Zhuo is really...
..."
Before he could curse, Liu Bei glared at him: "Third brother, be silent."
"Oh, it's so frustrating."
Zhang Fei complained.
Guan Yu, who was reading the Spring and Autumn Annals at the side, sighed: "The imperial court will definitely blame us for this defeat. Our future is uncertain."
Liu Bei also sighed: "It would be great if my fourth brother was here, he would definitely be able to do something."
"I still miss my fourth brother."
Mentioning Chen Mu, Zhang Fei got excited and complained: "I didn't know what to think about that day, so I had to call my fourth brother to study. Now it's better. We four brothers are separated and I always feel uncomfortable."
"You, I told you to study more, what do you even know about this?"
Liu Bei laughed: "What is the fourth brother studying? After studying in Hongdu School, he will be a county magistrate and governor, and within two years he will be a prefect. He has a bright future. In the future, the fourth brother may be a higher official than us."
"No matter how high-ranking the official is, he is still my fourth brother. If you should hit him on the head, you have to hit him on the head."
Zhang Fei waved his thick arm and accidentally touched the wound. His mouth was so painful that he made both Liu Bei and Guan Yu laugh.
At this time, Dian Wei came in with a basin of hot water and said in a rough voice: "Sima, come and burn your feet."
Liu Bei was surprised and said: "I can do this myself, why bother?"
Dian Wei grinned: "No trouble."
At the beginning, I had been hiding from the government in the deep mountains and forests. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I came out to join the army.
He once thought that all officials in the world were the same, greedy for money and lust, and did not regard the lives of soldiers as human beings.
I was very disappointed when I didn't see Liu Bei, Dong Zhuo and others at the gate of the camp.
Later I found out that Liu Bei only went to the rear to rectify the fleeing soldiers and gathered troops to come back to rescue them, and he was still injured. This moved him very much.
Zhang Fei grinned and said, "How come you only fetched a basin of water? Have you forgotten all about our long friendship along the way?"
Dian Wei rolled his eyes at him: "You don't like bathing anyway, so giving you water is a waste."
"I don't like bathing?"
Zhang Fei became anxious at that time: "Your feet obviously stink even more."
"Hahaha."
Liu Bei and Guan Yu burst into laughter. These two rough guys are really cute together.
With Dian Wei's help, Liu Bei sat up and put his feet into the footbath. He looked at Dian Wei, thought for a moment and said, "Dian Wei, don't you have a cousin?"
Dian Wei said honestly and kindly: "I am just a leather craftsman. How can I have the money to find a scholar to get my name?"
Wei has several meanings in ancient Chinese, one is animal skin, the other is leather rope, the third is leather scabbard, and the fourth is leather craftsman. In addition, as a verb and quantifier, it also means to violate and surround.
However, if you want to pick a person's name, the meanings of the verb and the quantifier are naturally inappropriate. One is a violation of the code, and the other is a detour, which is of course impossible.
So it only means that Dianwei’s father is engaged in leather-related industries.
After all, as I said before, in the Spring and Autumn Period, a person's name represented status, and single characters belonged to low-level commoners. If Dian Wei only had the character Wei, it meant that he was engaged in the leather industry and was a low-level craftsman.
By the time of the Han Dynasty, the surname represented status, and without a surname, he was a commoner. Although Dian Wei Zaiji was famous, he had no money, so naturally no one could help him get the surname.
Liu Bei thought for a while and said, "How about I get one for you?"
"OK."
Dian Wei was overjoyed, now he was also a commander of the regular army, an official with a salary of 600 shi, and he could not show his status without a formal name.
Liu Bei thought deeply: "Wei...sheath, why not call her Liangbi?"
It’s really hard to use the word Wei as an abbreviation, because it means leather. The word sheath for sword scabbard actually means leather. The original meaning is to use a leather weapon shell, so the word Wei can be used as a scabbard.
However, Liu Bei still chose a good word for the word, because the scabbard is an auxiliary product for the sword, and the leather is also an auxiliary product. The word Bi means auxiliary, so it has the meaning of auxiliary.
Dian Wei nodded happily: "Good Liangbi, then I will be Dian Liangbi from now on!"
Zhang Fei laughed and said: "Brother is still educated. If I came to get it, I would definitely get some kind of leather."
Everyone burst into laughter, and the tent was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
At this time, a soldier hurried in and reported: "Sima, something happened."
"What's up?"
Liu Bei had finished washing his feet and was wiping them dry with linen cloth.
The soldier hurriedly said: "The angel has arrived at the camp. General Huangfu calls you over."
"It's over, the edict must have come to punish you."
Zhang Fei frowned.
Liu Bei sighed and said: "Oh, it's a blessing, not a curse. We can't avoid it. We did lose the battle. Even if we are deprived of our official position, we can only admit it. Let's go and see."
He knew that he had no backing in the court, and even his master Lu Zhi couldn't bear such a big defeat, let alone him.
I am afraid that I will most likely lose my job this time. It is a pity that I have put in more than half a year of hard work.
The four of them got dressed and came to the main camp.
It turned out that other officials, large and small, under Lu Zhi's tent were also here. In addition to Dong Zhuo's troops, dozens of people gathered together. In addition, there were also more than ten generals of various sizes on Huangfu Song's side. The spacious commander's tent was almost crowded.
There are no less than this many people.
It is worth mentioning that Cao Cao was not here at this time. As I said before, he did not belong to Huangfu Song's account, but was an official with a backstage in the central government. According to the same level, he was regarded as the commander-in-chief.
After the destruction of the Yellow Turbans in Yuzhou, he was recruited back to Luoyang to wait for a new appointment. According to historical development, he will soon be appointed Prime Minister of Jinan.
And people like Wang Yun and Yang Qi are not here either.
After all, when Huangfu Song was in Yuzhou, they were all local officials in Yuzhou, and they would definitely depend on him to help him eliminate the Yellow Turbans in Yuzhou.
Now that Huangfu Song is heading north to Jizhou, it is naturally impossible for them to leave Yuzhou and go to a place that does not belong to them.
Liu Bei saw Huangfu Song sitting at the top, and Dong Zhuo sitting uneasily at the bottom. Everyone in the camp was talking about it, wondering what the angel's decree would be.
In the chief general's position, a eunuch took out a bamboo slip and read loudly: "In the first year of Zhongping, Emperor Liu Hong of the Han Dynasty issued an edict: To report to Dong Zhuo, the lieutenant of the Eastern Army, God's grace is great, and he has given you high officials and generous salaries, but Zhuo has been defeated repeatedly.
In the hands of thieves, he was actually a mediocre person and was taken to Luoyang for trial. All other officials of the Northern Army, big and small, were dismissed from their posts and escorted back to Luoyang. Huangfu Song took over the leadership of the Northern Army."
Dong Zhuo turned pale and said tremblingly: "Respect the emperor's edict!"
Fortunately, he dragged the other generals of the Northern Army into the water, so that everyone would bear the responsibility together, and if the law did not punish everyone, his crime would be much smaller, and he would not be beheaded.
Huangfusong stood up, shook his head and sighed: "Hey, Dong Zhongying, you were also a veteran who followed Ran Minggong back then. Why are you so eager for quick success and quick success, losing many troops and horses, and causing a complete defeat? This time I go to Luoyang, let's reflect on it first.
One or two, when I break the Jizhou Yellow Turban, I will write a letter to plead for you."
Dong Zhuo was furious. His qualifications were no worse than Huangfu Song's. He also followed Zhang Huanqi, one of the Three Ming Dynasties in Liangzhou, and was a veteran of the same era as Huangfu Song. However, because of a defeat, Huangfu Song turned out to be superior.
Style, who do you look down on?
But now that the situation is stronger than others, he can only pretend to be grateful on the surface, cupping his hands and saying: "Thank you, Brother Huangfu."
The guards brought by the angels escorted him to the carriage outside the door. Bao Hong, Prince Wu Lan, Service Zhongji, Wu Fu, Liu Bei and other officers under Lu Zhi's original account also looked ashen. Although this result had been expected, but the emperor of the day
When the edict came down, it still made them feel very uncomfortable.
But there was no way. The Han army had strict military discipline. Winners were rewarded, and losers were punished. Even Deng Yu, the leader of Yuntai's twenty-eight generals, lost his official position many times because of defeats, let alone them.
The angel guards drove everyone out of the camp and were locked in the prison car one by one. Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were also arrested as mid-level officers. Liu Bei's face was bleak. He had seen his master being arrested in the prison car before, and now it was his turn.
It's his turn.
Fortunately among the misfortunes, although three of the four brothers were arrested, the fourth brother was in Luoyang and was not implicated. After arriving in Luoyang, he should come to see his brothers, and then they would be barely reunited.
.
Speaking of which, after my fourth brother left me in May, I haven’t seen him for four months now. I still miss him, but I don’t know that he is now...
Liu Bei was sitting in the prison car, thinking wildly. His eyes glanced at him unintentionally, and his pupils suddenly dilated.
At some point beside the prison car in front of him, there stood a smiling young man looking at him.
That young man looks like his fourth brother.
"this......"
Liu Bei was stunned.
Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, who were in the prison car next to them, reacted first and shouted: "Fourth brother!"
"Big brother, second brother, third brother, little brother is late."
Chen Mu raised his voice and said: "Come here, let my three brothers go!"
"Who dares to rob a prisoner?"
The angel rushed over angrily, and Huangfu Song and other generals from Yuzhou also came out of the camp to check on the situation.
Huangfusong frowned when he saw Chen Mu.
Xun He had already sent him a secret message and knew that he had wrongly blamed Chen Mu.
But the problem is that now that I have offended him, it may be difficult to get close to him again.
Moreover, Chen Mu actually wanted to rob a prisoner. He was really bold. Huangfu Song couldn't help shouting: "Chen Zigui, this is a criminal ordered by the emperor's imperial edict to be imprisoned. How can you be allowed to do this!"
"Edict from the Emperor!"
Chen Mu held up the bamboo slip in his hand and said: "In the first year of Zhongping, Emperor Liu Hong of the Han Dynasty issued an edict: Tell Liu Bei, Sima of the Northern Army, that the emperor's brother is brave and courageous, has made countless meritorious deeds, moved the capital to Tinghou, and paid homage to the Prime Minister of Jinan!"
Wang Jun walked over from the side, looked at the angel and said, "You are walking very fast. We actually didn't catch up with you."
That angel was also from the eunuch faction, so he naturally knew Wang Jun, and said in shock: "Since the emperor has a new order, he should be released."
It turned out that when Chen Mu waited for Zhang Rang for too long that day, when Zhang Rang went to find Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, the edict had already been sent out by the Chancellor, and they did not intercept it in time.
In desperation, Chen Mu could only find Zhang Rang and ask Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty to write a new appointment edict. However, after doing this again and again, the city gates were closed, and they could only set out the next day to read it out.
edict.
Although there was only one day left, it was still a slow step, so Chen Mu and Wang Jun had to hurry up and catch up, and they did not convict Liu Bei of his crime.
Liu Guan and Zhang were released from the prison car. When they walked down, Liu Bei felt as if he was dreaming.
He lost the battle, but he was not guilty, and even... got promoted?
What exactly is going on?
Looking at his fourth brother Chen Mu, he saw him looking at him with a smile.