Ten miles east of Xingyang, in the great plain outside the river, is Yuegang Camp.
Since the Spring and Autumn Period, the vast plain south of the river has been called Hewai, and the mountain plateau north of the river has been called Hanoi. In history, countless decisive battles related to the rise and fall of regimes have taken place here. And on this day, the pendulum of history will turn again.
Came here once.
At this moment, in the east of Xingyang, on the plain south of Dahe, two very large armies, the Taishan Army and the Han Army, were facing each other here, and the war was about to break out.
A huge crow in the sky looked down at the absurdity of human beings. After looking over it, it landed on a large apricot-yellow scroll covering the sky at Mount Tai's Junyue Gang Camp.
This large banner is located in the middle of the vast camp for several miles. Everything in this camp is apricot yellow, with yellow clothes, yellow forehead scarves, and people with yellow armor and yellow skin. Beside the large banner where the huge crow sits, there is another
A grander tent.
This large tent was surrounded by a huge gate surrounded by hundreds of military chariots. There were two large scrolls at the gate of the camp. On one side it was written "General Chongtian" and on the other side it was written "Practice for Heaven". This is the core of the Taishan Army, Chongtian.
The shogunate of General Zhang Chong.
Outside the shogunate, five hundred soldiers with halberds and axes formed a long corridor, extending from the camp gate to the main tent. They were the warriors of the Taishan Army's collision team, the bravest and most loyal officials.
At this time, they were solemnly guarding the big tent behind them like sculptures, where Zhang Chong, the commander of the Taishan Army, was making the final oath to encourage the generals of the army.
I saw him wearing a helmet and armor, wearing a military uniform, holding military equipment in his hands, and reciting a proclamation in high spirits:
"The Han Dynasty is about to decline, and heroes are everywhere. The emperor is in ruins, and the destiny is no longer there. At that time, the ancestors of the Han Dynasty held up their staffs, gathered the heroes of the martyrs, punished the Qin Dynasty, and attacked the unjust. Then there was peace all over the world. Later, there was Emperor Wu
, fought hard for the rule of three generations, fought against the four barbarians, conquered the vast territory, conquered the dissatisfied, and spread his power all over the world. Therefore, Wang Mang usurped the country and still had the luck of glory and military power.
However, in the future, the descendants were destitute, the eunuchs were corrupt, the officials were trying to seize power, the officials were cheating, the local tyrants were ruthless, and the people were ruined and their homes were broken, and their children could not satisfy their appetite for meat, and they could not avoid the poison of whipping by selling their fields and destroying their weaving. So,
Thousands of people in Guizhou, the livers and brains of the deceased were bruised, and the flesh and blood of the living were not preserved. This is all the sin of the Han Dynasty.
It has been six years since the Guanghe period, and the world has seen no action to help the people. The king's way is no longer, and tyranny has emerged. The strong use force to bully the weak, and the trickster uses deception to subjugate the foolish. The powerful and powerful are everywhere, and the poor are poor.
There is no support for the size. There are many buildings connected with each other, and the poor only have brown clothes. Therefore, the people are displaced from the cold and heat, and live among the animals. There are eight-foot-long men who starve to death on the roads, and three-foot-long children who freeze to death in the ditches. Just scratch them.
When the soil is not dry, what is the use of a child three feet tall? Looking at the past generations, the sufferings of the common people are not as severe as they are today.
Liu Han regarded the people as cattle and horses, and the people regarded themselves as bandits and enemies. With such a man's behavior, God detested his virtue, so our Taishan Army rose up in response to his orders.
I am a commoner from Heshuo. I am short in intelligence and talent, and I am highly regarded by everyone because I act for Heaven and obey the people. In the past, I swept across Heshuo and moved to the Central Plains. I was invincible in every battle and defeated in every attack. Why? There are many people who have achieved the Dao.
Help, but those who are unruly will have little help. If I have the Way, fierce men will fight for their lives, and wise men will fall in love. If the Han people do not have the Way, then everyone will betray their relatives and alienate themselves, and the whole world will be enemies.
Now I am raising a large army to fight the Han in the wilderness of Xingyang. Huang Wan, the commander of the Han, has great ambitions but few talents. He has many soldiers but no power. Although he has 100,000 soldiers, it is easy to defeat him. This battle will be fought by oneself, and he must die.
So, don’t disappoint the world.”
After Zhang Chong read the proclamation to the Han Dynasty, the generals and staff on both sides bowed down:
"I would like to follow him as commander-in-chief, wipe out the Han demons, and accomplish this unparalleled feat."
Then everyone started singing:
"Raise swords and soldiers, exchange for peace, and restore the Qingming Dynasty to the world."
"There are fields to cultivate and houses to live in, and only the well-being of the people will be left behind."
After singing, Zhang Chong raised his arms high:
"Gentlemen! Why do you and I regret dying for this cause?"
All the military officials bowed and bowed:
"I would like to follow Qu Shuai and create peace again!"
As a result, the morale and belief of everyone in the big tent condensed into a sky-high ambition, which soared straight into the sky, like an eagle pecking at the red dragon in the north.
Among the people kneeling there, Dong Zhao stood out.
At this time, his mood was swaying, and he was excited by Commander Qu's petition. He knew that once this petition was published, it would spread throughout the world with the battle of Xingyang. By then, knowledgeable people in the world would know about the Taishan Army. There will be choices for all propositions.
Moreover, Dong Zhao also discovered that this time it was the Taishan Army, not the Yellow Turban Army, that appeared in the petition to the Han Dynasty. Although this was a detail, its significance was extraordinary. It is said that a division must have a name. This time, the name of the Taishan Army appeared alone. In the letter, it is predicted that the Taishan Army will go its own way, both in terms of system and ideas.
It’s just that Dong Zhao is not sure whether this is a complete separation, or whether he needs to open another branch outside Taiping Road. But it doesn’t matter, Dong Zhao is already certain that the Taishan Army will win the world. Although there will be waves when the land is equalized later, It is certain that one can become rich and wealthy by following Zhang Chong.
So Dong Zhao's balance once again tilted towards Zhang Chong. He was thinking of some way to make another contribution and improve his status in the Taishan Army.
There is another person who has the same complex thoughts and pays attention to the details of the letter, and that is Ma Yuanyi, the envoy of God.
At this moment, Ma Yuanyi could no longer maintain the indifferent look on his face. Anger and fear appeared on his face at the same time. He couldn't believe that Zhang Chong would abandon Taiping Road at this time.
How dare he? At the critical moment of the decisive battle, he was not worried about taking a blow from behind. You know, the current actual troops of Yuegang Camp are 23,000 soldiers, 20,000 infantry, and 3,000 cavalry. But this Inside, the Yellow Turban Army from Runan and Yingchuan had ten thousand troops on foot and one thousand cavalry. In other words, it was half the strength of the entire camp. How could Zhang Chong have the courage to abandon Taiping Road?
In fact, Zhang Chong does have confidence, and his confidence can be found in the thick letter of allegiance in a wooden box on his desk. Just the day before, many young commanders from Runan and Yingchuan came to Zhang Chong privately after being on duty. The shogunate asked for an audience.
After they arrived, they either swore or swore, or burst into tears, or were full of pride, but they all said one thing, that they would follow the Taishan Army, or more precisely, they would follow Zhang Chong.
What did Zhang Chong promise to these military leaders to make them so loyal? Even the Taiping Dao of Yingchuan abandoned their divine envoys.
In fact, Zhang Chong promised nothing, but he promised everything.
During the six months of fighting, these military leaders knew very well how to live in this apocalyptic world. If they were just ordinary bandits, they would just find a puddle to live in. But they are not, they are incompatible with the Han The Yellow Turban Army has no way out.
Since there is no way out, who can lead them to survive?
The Yellow Turbans in Runan originally had Peng Tuo, the commander-in-chief of Qu, in their hearts. They were impressed by his ethics and beliefs and were willing to follow him. However, after Peng Tuo died, the incoming Huang Shao and Huangqu commander could not tolerate them. Therefore, Zhang
Chong is the best choice.
The same situation is also true for the Yingchuan Yellow Turbans. Their original Laoqu commander Bocai was good at fighting. They thought they would invade Luoyang under the leadership of Bocai, but Bocai died, and the envoy of the god who recruited them
But he is a person who doesn’t know how to fight. Although he is kind to others, speaks nicely, and is skilled in teachings, what good does this do to them? They are going to use weapons and kill people on the battlefield. No one really thinks that they can shout a few slogans.
, just be invulnerable. And Zhang Chong, who is good at fighting, is the best candidate.
Therefore, Zhang Chong did not give any inheritance to these young commanders from the two sides, but everyone got the inheritance. That is to live and have a little wealth in the future.
Of course Ma Yuanyi didn't know this. When he was still working hard to preach at the grassroots level of the Taishan Army, all the junior commanders had already abandoned him, so the result was already doomed.
On one side, Ma Yuanyi was angry and confused, and on the other side, Dong Zhao was turning around and over, when a voice came from outside the tent:
"Qu Shuai, there is a giant crow sitting on our banner outside. I don't know if we should drive it away."
Then, Dong Zhao stood up with a loud noise. After he stood up, he said to Zhang Chong with great joy:
"Qu Shuai must not be driven away. This crow is the sacred bird on the carriage of the emperor of Mount Tai. In the past, Emperor Ming visited Mount Tai in the east and returned to Kyoto. When he passed by Xingyang, there was this giant crow flying above the carriage. This is Mount Tai.
Fu Jun’s feedback to Emperor Ming’s sacrifice to Mount Tai. But now the same sacred bird has landed on our banner instead of the Han army, which shows that the destiny of the world has changed, and Taishan Fu Jun is blessing us. With this sacred bird,
This battle must be won.”
Dong Zhao's words made Zhang Chong's heart freeze, because the name Taishan Fujun appeared too many times in his life.
Taishan Fujun is the mountain god of Mount Tai and the controller of the underworld. Originally, Zhang Chong only worshiped him as a primitive creature, but as he became more integrated into this era, he began to feel something magical about it.
At that time, Yu Jin prayed at the temple dedicated to the emperor of Taishan Prefecture, and used copper coins to encourage the soldiers to drive back to Mou County overnight to fight. Later, Zhang Chong also made fun of Yu Jin, saying that he also used deceit to glue both sides of the copper coins together.
Together?
But who knew that Yu Jin replied with a serious look on his face, that all the copper coins at that time were real, and that time all the copper coins were really heads. After the war, he took Zhang Chong back to the ancestral temple.
It is sealed with wooden boards and still retains its original appearance.
Afterwards, Yu Jin opened the wooden planks himself, and Zhang Chong saw that these copper coins were indeed normal, with positives and negatives. At that time, Zhang Chong was horrified. It turned out that Yu Jin covered these copper coins with wooden boards, not because he was worried that his deception would be exposed, but because he wanted to
Keep this miracle for Zhang Chong to see.
In the subsequent battles, Zhang Chong would occasionally meet people who were inspired by the so-called Taishan Lords, such as Hu Muban and Xu Si. The experiences and encounters of these people made Zhang Chong doubt his past materialistic worldview, but once
Thinking that he can travel through time and has a golden finger, maybe this world really has some secrets that he doesn't know.
Of course, all this does not make Zhang Chong a good person for ghosts and gods, but rather adds a touch of awe to his firm dialectical materialism.
Now Taishan Fujun once again showed his magic in Xingyang, adding another boost to the morale of the Taishan army generals.
In this way, the fierce general Taishan took the formation list for this battle and returned to the camp. They had to organize the army as soon as possible, because Commander Qu had ordered that in three quarters, that is, at Si hour, the battalion leaders participating in the departure would
They must all line up on the plain and reach the designated location.
So it was the 15th day of the ninth month in the sixth year of Guanghe, which was Sishi.
The huge and complicated Yuegang Camp came to life, and battalion leaders kept holding high their own camp flags and command flags and marched to the corresponding positions on the plain.
The main regiments participating in this battle are Zhang Chong's 4,000 Chinese soldiers and 3,000 cavalry, the left colonel Guan Yu's 2,000 infantry, the right colonel Zhang Dan's 2,000 infantry, and the Runan Yellow Turban's four
One battalion, two thousand soldiers, six battalions of Yingchuan Yellow Turban, three thousand soldiers.
After these battalion heads moved out from the barrier, they handed over the corresponding defense to the military academy captain Ding Sheng's department. Although he did not want to take the rear, he also knew that the success or failure of the barrier in this battle would affect the entire army's retreat. There must be no slack, so he did his best.
, took the remaining two thousand soldiers of the Runan Yellow Turban and the remaining three thousand soldiers of the Yingchuan Yellow Turban to guard the camp.
As for whether Ding Sheng needs to monitor the Yellow Turbans in Runan and Yingchuan? I think he would understand with Ding Sheng's wisdom. After all, as I just said, there is no room for uncontrolled power in this battle. Maybe Ding Sheng will do it this time.
Still feeling proud, it was precisely because he gained the trust of his commander that he was given this important task.
The Taishan Army set out on time, but that didn't mean it was over. Sixteen thousand people had to walk for a while just to get to their positions, let alone complete the corresponding formations. So this formation was
The cloth was laid out for an hour, until noon.
The military formation arranged by Zhang Chong in this battle was that Guan Yu led Dian Wei and Li Damu's two new camps at the front, and then Zhang Dan's army was deployed on the left rear. On the right rear, Runan and Yingchuan troops were deployed.
Thousands of people. In the end, Zhang Chong’s 4,000 soldiers remained at the end.
As for the three thousand cavalry, two thousand are the assault cavalry of the Taishan Army, which are more powerful. They are placed separately on the right side of the battlefield to protect Runan and Yingchuan Yellow Turbans. The other one thousand cavalry are the knights of Runan and Yingchuan.
, although these people were not in close formation, they were all quite brave and courageous in fighting, so they were placed on Zhang Chong's right, under his direct command.
When the Taishan Army was setting up their camp, the Han Army on the opposite side also set up a large camp. Obviously, they did not intend to hold on to the barrier and sit back and take the beating, so they decided to form a large formation and fight to the death with the Taishan Army in the wilderness of Xingyang.
From this perspective, Huang Wan, the commander-in-chief of the Han army, did not lack the courage to fight.
The formation deployed by the Han army on the opposite side was a slightly strange formation. From Zhang Chong's perspective, it looked like a crab.
I saw that the center of the formation was Huang Wan's own army, with the Yanzhou flag on the left and the Hedong flag on the right. There were about twenty small flags in the formation, either "Anyi" or "Yangxian".
", "Pingyang", "Linfen", "Puzan", "Jiang"... are obviously the counties under the rule of Hedong.
Then on both sides of the Yanzhou soldiers and Hedong soldiers, many tentacles were separated.
On each tentacle on the left, there are flags such as "Hongnong", "Shaanxi", "Lianchi", "Xin'an", "Yiyang", "Luhun", "Lushi", "Hu" and "Huayin". They Each two has a tentacle, which divides the four-row formation. From these flags, it is obvious that they are the county soldiers and powerful tribes of Hongnong County in Gyeonggi Province.
As for the tentacles on the right, there are "Ping", "Liang", "Xingyang", "Juan", "Yuanwu", "Yangwu", "Pingyin", "Gong", "Chenggao", " Banners such as "Yanshi" also have a tentacle on each side, and are also divided into four military formations. These flags are obviously the powerful branches of Henan County in the counties west of Xingyang.
It seems that this time, Liu Hong really wiped out the people and turned them into soldiers, and conscripted everything he could.
Zhang Chong, who was sitting high on the chariot, looked at the Han formation in the distance. He quickly understood the reality of the formation and felt sorry for Han Commander Huang Wan.
Why are you feeling distressed? Because this formation was all Huang Wan's helpless move.
Zhang Chong could see at a glance that the central part of the formation was made up of Han court soldiers, while the two wings were made up of powerful soldiers from all over the country. They were clearly separated, as if they were on guard against each other. Especially the central part of the formation was hidden in front of the formation. It seems that one must take the lead in order to inspire those powerful tribes to work hard.
But Zhang Chong looked at it for a while and couldn't help but snorted coldly. He had already seen the deeper reality of this formation.
At first glance, this formation seems to be a conspiracy between Han soldiers and powerful soldiers, but it actually hides a secret. If an ordinary soldier sees this scene, he must think that there is internal discord on the opposite side. Based on this judgment, he may directly send troops to attack the most advanced front of this formation. the central part of.
But in fact, if you really fight like this, you will inevitably fall into the trap of the Han army. When attacking its center, as long as it cannot be attacked for a while, the two wings spread out by the formation will directly outflank it, forming a three-sided encirclement. When the time comes, the attack The past ten deaths have no life.
What if we don't attack the center, but attack the two wings first? Zhang Chong thought for a moment and felt that it was not possible because he saw the command flags of the Han army's core troops on the opposite side, corresponding to the legion flags on the left and right sides. When attacking those When forming the left and right wings of the formation, the opponent must move left and right accordingly to ensure that the central part can withstand the Taishan Army's attack.
Thinking of this, Zhang Chong also understood why the powerful troops formed this formation with the Han soldiers. Because according to this battle method, most of the Taishan Army's attacks would be shouldered by the Han troops, and the powerful troops on the left and right wings would mostly outflank them. The casualties are small and the results are great. No wonder we agree.
The more he thought about this, the more Zhang Chong admired the opponent's coach Huang Wan. This craftsmanship is not easy! In fact, it was not just Zhang Chong's appreciation. If the opponent Huang Wan knew about the formation he had painstakingly arranged, he would be directly defeated. The chief thief saw clearly and was afraid that he would cry again.
But what can Zhang Chong do if he just wants to understand? In the final analysis, he still has to break this formation. And this formation is virtual and real, and the right and odd are combined, so I'm afraid it won't be easy to break.
But how could Zhang Chong be afraid? He had already planned the battle in his mind, so he had free time to continue observing the opposing military formation.
Zhang Chong was calm on his side, and Taishan's army was also in line. At this moment, the vast number of swords and spears stood up in the sky, and the entire battlefield was filled with the murderous atmosphere before the battle.
This murderous spirit quickly spread to the Han army's formation opposite. At this time, the old Huang Wan stood on a military chariot, holding hands and looking at the Taishan army opposite, with a heavy heart.
Huang Wan and other staff did not choose to sit upright on the chao chariot like Zhang Chong. It was not that they did not want to. Everyone knew that the chao chariot was high and had a broad field of vision. The coach could have a panoramic view of the battlefield situation and could do things calmly.
Arrange accordingly.
It can be said that when two armies are fighting, the coach with the broader vision will naturally have an advantage.
But it's a pity that Huang Wan can't do it because his physical condition does not allow it. After all, he is old and has been seriously ill. It will take a lot of effort to organize and organize the formation, and he will go to a higher place to catch the wind.
I'm afraid I'll die on the chariot if I'm exposed to the scorching sun.
Once he died, the camp in the east was over.
Of course, what is not obvious to outsiders is that these were also the aides who persuaded Huang Wan. However, the purpose of these aides' persuasion was not pure, and was mixed with a bit of fear of death.
Knowing that the chariot is standing high, it will naturally attract special attention. When the time comes when these aides and counselors come to the stage with Huang Wan, they will be directly exposed to the attention of the Taishan thieves. At that time, they will be like a bonfire, attracting the battlefield wanderers.
Crazy attack. At that time, their safety must depend on the Han soldiers below.
But unfortunately, the staff who knew about the clamor of the Hedong soldiers did not believe them and did not dare to rely on their lives and fortunes on the following group of domineering Hedong soldiers who were asking for money in front of the battle.
Therefore, it was better than nothing for Huang Wan and his staff to watch the Taishan military formation from a chariot.
At noon, the scorching sun was blocked by the canopy on the military vehicle. Huang Wan's eyes were sore when he saw it, and then he asked an aide next to him:
"Xeno, what do you think?"
This staff member named Yidu is tall and majestic, more like a warrior than a staff member. He is not a mortal, he is Kuai Yue, a native of Jingzhou Nanjun. He was originally the Tocao Peng who was more than four hundred stones in the shogunate of General He Jin.
Later, he was transferred to the east camp by He Jin to assist Huang Wan.
Kuai Yue and Huang Wan were from the same state. He was from Nanjun and Huang Wan was from Jiangxia. The two counties were close to each other and they were considered fellow townsmen. But this was not the reason why Huang Wan admired Kuai Yue. He had previously made a fuss about the Hedong Military Association.
The person we were talking about was Kuai Yue. In the final analysis, it was Kuai Yue who attracted Huang Wan with his resourcefulness, so he asked this question in the formation.
Kuai Yue's provocation naturally attracted the attention of many staff members, but this little official who was worth more than 400 shi ignored the jealousy of his colleagues and confidently said to Huang Wan:
"Lord, the giant thieves on the opposite side should not be underestimated. You see, there is a huge formation at the front. Not to mention the tight formation, the giant spears in their hands are much longer than our normal ones. Once they are in line with them,
He can stab me, but I can't, and there will definitely be heavy casualties. Moreover, this formation is under a bright sun, and there must be many armored soldiers. It is a powerful force that can both attack and defend. Previously, Deputy Commander Zong sent a military report and said
They faced off against a unique military formation near Xingze, and I think it was the formation in front of them."
Huang Wan nodded while listening.
Then Kuai Yue pointed toward the northeast, that is, to their left:
"My lord, look at the cavalry on the outermost side. They are still standing on the edge of the battlefield with their horses. They seem to be slacking off, but in fact they are like drawing bows and arrows. They can strike when the opportunity arises. They may give us a fatal blow at any time.
hit."
Hearing what Kuai Yue said, Huang Wan subconsciously lost a beard and had a headache.
Before this was over, Kuai Yue pointed to their right, that is, to the southeast, where Zhang Dan's troops were. He said:
"This army is standing there in the Pinzi Formation. It can either cover up or support the front line at any time according to the situation in the front line. And these soldiers also have a strict front line, with fast horses running by from time to time. It is obviously to boost morale and it is also a strong formation.
"
At this time, Huang Wan's face fell, and he complained:
"Xidu, how can you have the spirit of a thief and a bandit and destroy your own prestige? I can tolerate you and let the other commanders go. I have already killed you for the crime of rebelling against the army."
Kuai Yue Shi Shiran bowed to Huang Wan. Although he knew that what he said just now was indeed exaggerated, he didn't care. Then he pointed at the Taishan Army formation in the distance and said proudly:
"My lord, please be patient. We will defeat this thief right there."
Huang Wan was overjoyed and hurriedly looked in the direction of Kuai Yue's finger. That was where Runan and the Yellow Turban of Yingchuan were.