While the Han Dynasty court and all the commanders and officials were speculating on the next move of the Taishan Army, Zhang Chong of the Taishan Army was also thinking carefully about this issue.
After the Taishan Army captured Aocang, they recruited poor people from all over the river, and their army instantly numbered one hundred thousand. Of course, no one could really count the number of people. Zhang Chong would never rely on these rabble-rousers to form an army in a hurry.
The purpose of distributing food is to let everyone who comes to receive food know what their Taishan Army stands for.
Therefore, during this period, the propaganda teams worked day and night, singing along the long line of grain collectors:
"The poor are slaves, the poor are maids, the poor live in caves, and the poor wear rags. The Taishan army came to fight the local tyrants and divide the fields. The Taishan army came to open the Aocang and distribute the corn."
…
"Hand the plow to plow the weeds, plow away the weeds so that seedlings can grow! Fifty million poor people want to get ahead, and they have to run under the plow! Born to be the savior, wake up the plow to resist! The success of the revolution depends on the plow, the success of the revolution depends on
Everyone."
…
"Pine wood burns thousands of miles of fragrance in the fire, and the bones of the poor are as strong as steel. When you die, you will be buried in the loess soil, but when you live, you will follow Mount Tai's army."
…
"Celebrating the New Year, celebrating the New Year, this year is no different than usual. When the Taishan soldiers arrived, the local tycoons cried again and again. You divided the millet and I divided the fields, overthrew the naughty Han clan, and captured Emperor Liu alive."
…
"The yellow tide is surging, the dawn is flying, awakening fifty million people from their dreams. Thousands of miles away from home, men farm and women weave, praising sacred labor. Turn over! Turn over! Plow through this decadent thorn bush. Be brave! Be brave! Free my cattle and horse slaves.
kind!"
…
This song was sung repeatedly by miles of long dragons. A large number of people from Xingyang and Hanoi were urgently recruited in the army. Each of them learned a song, and then three or five people sat in a car, and then sang this song repeatedly along the crowd.
If you lose your voice, that one will come up.
In short, starting from the opening of Aocang on September 20, the Taishan Army sang for as long as the grain was distributed. The leaders of Guizhou who heard the news were beaming with joy, and the entire area around Aocang was a sea of joy, which was even more lively than the social opera.
times.
Simple people, simple songs, simple acts of kindness, everyone agrees that the Taishan Army is the team of the poor.
Countless children were playing in the long queue, imitating the songs of those majestic people just now, singing:
"The poor are slaves, the poor are maids, the poor live in caves, and the poor wear rags. The Taishan army came to fight the local tyrants and divide the fields. The Taishan army came to open the Aocang and distribute the corn."
Zhang Chong, who was watching from the top of a mountain in Aoshan, saw this lively scene. The smile on his lips never disappeared. He turned to Tao An beside him and said with a smile:
"Tao Jun, do our Taishan troops win the hearts of the people?"
Tao An respectfully replied:
"The commander-in-chief of Qu obeys Tian's orders, helps the people with water and fire, and naturally wins the hearts of the people."
Zhang Chong looked at the Guizhou leaders below and said seriously:
"Tao Jun, if I say that I, Zhang Chong, came to this life not for the so-called glory and wealth, not to win the so-called eternal kingdom, but just to see that the common people in this world can have food to eat, clothing to wear, and to live a good life.
He has to be like a human being. Can Mr. Tao be trusted?"
Tao An did not hesitate, gathered his clothes and bowed, solemnly said:
"I believe every word Commander Qu says. I am willing to go through fire and water for Commander Qu's ideals. Even if I go to the underworld, I am willing to follow Commander Qu, raise hundreds of thousands of banners, and fight to create a peaceful world."
Zhang Chong put his hands together and said vigorously:
"Okay, then we will be kings and ministers for the rest of our lives, and we will not kill this peaceful world."
Tao An took a step back and bowed deeply to Zhang Chong, and then the two men laughed.
After the two of them laughed, Zhang Chong asked Tao An for his opinion on the current situation.
Among the many staff members, Tao An was considered by Zhang Chong to be the best at judging the overall situation, so after understanding the views of the civil and military officers in the army, Zhang Chong thought about how to break the situation with Tao An.
As expected, Tao An lived up to Zhang Chong's high regard. He actually had some opinions on the current situation and had a way to break it.
Tao's view all day was the same as that of He Kui, Guan Yu, Zhang Dan and others, that is, whether the entire army should go westward or stay in the Xingyang area.
At present, few people in the army support continuing to fight, especially when they have to cross the river and go north to fight a powerful main force of the Han army. Now that they are marching westward, many people feel that they have already reached the gate of Luoyang, and they want to rush forward.
If we do, we might be able to conquer Luoyang. What kind of achievement would that be?
But Zhang Chong knew that neither the Xingyang area nor the Heji area slightly to the east could be defended. As for the so-called westward march to Luoyang, with Hulao blocking the road ahead, it is another question whether it can be captured, but it was captured.
At this time, Kyoto was not something Zhang Chong could occupy.
Luoyang is a small and densely populated area, and without food being transported from various places to Beijing, it is difficult to feed millions of people. In addition, the people in the Gyeonggi area are the most supportive of the Han Dynasty, and their interests are consistent with the Han Dynasty. At this time, the Han Dynasty
Although the room has declined, it cannot be replaced by Zhang Chong.
The best time to enter Luo is as a savior, not a conqueror. In Zhang Chong's time, Dong Zhuo of Liangzhou rebelled against Luo and lost the last bit of authority of the Han Dynasty. At that time, it was Zhang Chong who went to Luo.
machine.
Therefore, it is not advisable to go west or stay behind. Zhang Chong knew in his heart that the only way to go north was to go north, but he never thought about how to go north. What was his goal? To save the Yellow Turban Army in Hebei? This reason was obviously unacceptable to the soldiers.
When Zhang Chong told Tao An all these concerns, Tao An said this:
"Qushuai, I once heard you say in Suijun Academy: Save people and lose land, and everyone and land will survive. Save land and lose people, and people and land will be lost. The same principle also applies to today's situation. Qushuai, do you think if we
If we retreat, where can we retreat to and where can we hold on?"
Zhang Chong shook his head. This is what he understood. No matter where Zhang Chong's Taishan Army retreated at this time, the next step would be a full-scale counterattack by the Han Dynasty, and they would not be able to defend the base area. In the end, they could only become rogue bandits like Huang Chao and others in history.
, and was finally destroyed in the encirclement and interception.
So, Tao An continued:
"Qu Shuai, then why can the Han Dynasty give orders to all parties?"
As soon as these words came out, Zhang Chong suddenly understood. Yes, the reason why he felt that he could not sit in his base was because he faced the world from a corner, and the gap in manpower and material resources was too despairing. But what if the Han Dynasty was also torn apart? Change it.
The argument is that when the world is not monolithic, no one listens to the orders of the Han Dynasty, and the world begins to compete with each other, then wouldn't the pressure on the Taishan Army be greatly reduced?
Once the idea is opened, the next question is, how to make the Han Dynasty order no one listen?
According to Zhang Chong, there are three reasons why the Han Dynasty can command the world. One is the destiny of Liu in the myth of the prophecy. This destiny has penetrated into the hearts of the people of the world in four hundred years, especially when Guangwu was able to recreate the Han Dynasty. 2.
The first is the interest relationship between the local big families and the Han Dynasty. The families of these ministers are favored by the Han Dynasty. Whether it is interests or emotions, they all support the authority of the Han Dynasty. The third one is the northern and southern armies built by selecting good family members from all over the world.
Originally, these three factors were mutually exclusive, and all three levels of fame and strength were guaranteed. However, the Han Dynasty made a fool of themselves and launched the Party Confinement. The two Party Confinement actions hurt the emotions and interests of a large number of officials and ministers' families who originally supported the Han Dynasty.
, the family died in vain, and the children fled to the rivers and lakes. This damage also destroyed the view of destiny established by the Han Dynasty.
Because it is these noble families who believe in the destiny, build the destiny, and protect the destiny. Nowadays, a large number of people among them have begun to use theories to construct anti-Han public opinion. It can be said that the theoretical construction of Taipingdao also benefited from the construction of these party elements.
Therefore, to put it bluntly at this time, the big man can really rely on his core weapons, which can suppress dissatisfaction and stabilize the shaky destiny.
The problem becomes more and more clear. At this time, the Han Dynasty only has one weapon to unite the world, so can Zhang Chong attack the core weapons of the Han Dynasty?
In fact, Zhang Chong has always done this before. But it has never been so clear before.
He once again remembered the sentence, who is my enemy and who is my friend.
In the long run, the powerful tribes will definitely be the enemies of the Taishan Army. But what about the current stage?
From history, Zhang Chong knew that there were these forces that wanted to overthrow the Han Dynasty. One was the border warrior group, including Dong Zhuo of Liangzhou and Gongsun Zan of Youzhou. The other was the Gongqing clan, represented by the brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.
.The rest are those who took advantage of the chaos. The real driving force for chaos in the world are the two above.
At this time, the interests of Zhang Chong and these people are the same, and they both want to overthrow the Han Dynasty. These dragons and snakes are still dormant, so why don't Zhang Chong help them, and I will focus on attacking the core of the Han army
If the main force destroys these, the situation in the entire world will immediately change.
The more Zhang Chong thought about it, the clearer he became. It seemed that he was indeed going to Hebei. This time he would not save the Hebei Yellow Turbans, but instead use the strength of the Hebei Yellow Turbans to engage in a real decisive battle with the main force of the Han army and eliminate the remaining tens of thousands of Han troops.
The whole world directly enters the process of competing among the heroes.
So, he slapped his thigh and shouted:
"good!"
Tao An also said:
"The Great Unification split twice, one during the Qin and Han Dynasties, and the other at the end of the New Mang Dynasty. After carefully examining the stories of these two generations, I found that they all have one thing in common, that is, the main force of the Great Unification must be eliminated before the world can change.
For example, in the battle of Julu, the overlord of Chu, he defeated the Qin army's main force of 200,000. Another example is in the battle of Guangwu and Kunyang, in which he defeated the main force of Xinmang's 100,000. This is a battle that determines the world."
"So the Battle of Hebei is our Battle of Kunyang. After this battle, the world will no longer belong to the Han! And our Taishan army will swim into the sea, and no one in the world can control it."
Zhang Chong was overjoyed and paid homage to Tao An:
"You are truly my daughter-in-law, I am suddenly enlightened."
…
The commander-in-chief of the whole army made up his mind and held a general meeting of the whole army. Zhang Chong explained in detail to all the army officials what he had thought before and after, and unified the people's hearts.
As a result, all the military officials expressed their willingness to follow his commander northward.
People are like this. When you ask them for their opinions, they will use their own rationality to give you advice, but what they say is a realistic analysis. In the end, this kind of analysis is capitulationism. For example, the later generations' anti-Japanese resistance, the more they understand China
Anyone who knows the gap between Japan and Japan will give you rational advice and tell you how big the gap is in reality. So the result they give you is either appeasement or the so-called curve to save the country, or else it relies on foreign intervention. Rationality tells them that we can't do it. But the more
In adversity, what is needed is not reason, but faith.
At this time, Zhang Chong represents the belief of the entire army. The officers of the Taishan Army will always believe that under the leadership of Commander Qu, they will win! So, what if they go north? Naigong still pursues death and chases north. This is Mount Tai
The military spirit of the army.
Therefore, all departments were well prepared, and the Taishan Army originally stationed in Xinzheng, Mi County, Yuanling, Jingxian, Guancheng, and Yanshi cities gradually shrank to Xingyang. Those in each city who were willing to go with the Taishan Army should all follow the army.
On September 23, the whole army agreed that Zhang Chong ordered the heavy army to give a pig to each battalion of the army as a means of marching north.
Under the explanation of the military officers in the army, all the officers and soldiers in the army knew that the goal of going north was to defeat the main force of the Han army and win the final victory of this battle. Therefore, they had high morale and were full of confidence to welcome the final victory.
In addition, in addition to its own reserves, the military holy treasury provides one month's worth of food to each battalion, so that each battalion in the army has its own independent mobility capabilities.
On September 26, the Taishan Army's Chen Huan, Lu Kuang, and Lu Xiang troops, after repelling the harassment from the front of the Han Army, gathered together with soldiers and supplies camps in the counties in the eastern part of Henan County, loaded up their vehicles, and headed north to Xingyang.
At this time, the boats on the Bian River outside Xingyang were connected with each other and were full of Aocang millet. The first part of the boatmen had already gone north. They would enter the Yellow River along the Bian River, then turn into Qingshui at Liyang, and then enter the Zhang River to Yecheng.
The city is where Zhang Chong selected to garrison in Hebei.
At Hulao Pass not far away, General He Jin and others tacitly approved of the Taishan Army's actions. The knowledgeable people in the shogunate sighed, but there was nothing they could do.
At the same time, the Taishan army gradually shrank and showed an obvious trend of moving northward. Zhang Wen, Zhu Jun and other Han soldiers also began to slowly move northward.
At this time, they did not dare to risk interception because they were worried that the Taishan Army was attacking in the east and west, so they did not dare to divide their troops. Cao Cao, Sun Jian and other generals asked for battle several times, but Zhang Wen also stopped them. For him, if the Taishan Army really
Going north to Hebei is also a good thing for him. It can not only give an account to the country, but also preserve his strength and give each department time to adjust.
As a result, the Han army from the south followed slowly, gradually regained several counties in eastern Henan, and also advanced outside Xingyang.
Guanghe six years, September 28, noon.
All the civil and military generals of the Taishan Army bid farewell to Zhang Chong and led their troops one after another to the north. After most of the Taishan Army went north, Zhang Chong led the shogunate and the Central Guards and began to board the ship.
This time heading north, Taishan's army marched across the waterway, with Guan Yu, the commander of the Zuo Military Academy, as the vanguard, followed by Zhang Dan's troops, Ding Sheng's troops again, and finally the Central Guard troops.
On the night of September 29th, the Taishan Army basically withdrew from the Xingyang area.
The Han army outside Xingyang watched the Taishan Army withdraw like this. It was not until the Taishan Army had withdrawn that they entered the camp outside Xingyang City. After that, they recaptured Xingyang without even using a single soldier.
Because it was late at night, the Han army who first entered Xingyang could not hold back and set fire to plunder Xingyang again. At this time, those who remained in the city were basically supportive of the Han army, and those who had surrendered in Kaicheng before and the poor who could not survive were all
Taishan's army went north.
These Guizhou leaders, who had Han in their hearts, were once again heartbroken by the Han soldiers and lost their lives. In the end, of the tens of thousands of people in the city, except for a few hundred who escaped, the rest were killed in the fire.
And this time the massacre of the city was reported in the Han army’s military report:
This was an act of Taishan's army retreating and burning the city, which was truly heartbreaking.