Zhang Chong did not receive the prisoner Sun Jin, even though he was the city guard of this great city in Hebei.
But Zhang Chong also gave Sun Jin a chance and recognized that this person was loyal and open-minded, so he asked Xun You to come forward to persuade him to surrender.
Xun You did not know this scholar from the border area, but it did not hinder his respect for this man.
When he arrived at the camp, he saw that Sun Jin was still calm and composed, showing no fear of being in the enemy's camp. Xun You was greatly impressed.
He stepped forward and poured a pot of warm wine for Sun Jin, then introduced himself.
Sun Jin had obviously heard of Xun You's name. Looking at Xun You, his eyes were filled with surprise and doubt. Finally, he couldn't help but ask:
"Mr. Xun was also coerced into becoming a thief?"
Xun You smiled, not embarrassed, but said calmly:
"Sun Jun, I entered on my own initiative, not because I was coerced?"
Sun Jin obviously couldn't believe it. He opened his mouth and finally gave up speaking.
But Xun You said it for him:
"Does Mr. Sun think that you are ungrateful and shameless, and that you don't know how to be loyal to the emperor and the country, so you have disgraced your family and become a traitor?"
Sun Jin didn't say anything, but that was definitely what he meant.
Xun You sighed, sat cross-legged next to Sun Jin, and asked:
"In this world, it's really hard to say who is a thief and who is a righteous person."
Sun Jin said angrily:
"I think you are out of your mind. The emperor of the Han Dynasty is a righteous man, and the moth and thieves are thieves and bandits. What's so difficult to distinguish? My descendants of the Xun family are all gentlemen, but I didn't expect that there is such a fool as you.
That's right, how could you vote for the Grass-headed King if you're not stupid? You're so stupid!"
After being scolded by Sun Jin, Xun You stopped facing him, mainly because his saliva really sprayed on his face.
Xun You turned his face to one side and said calmly:
"I used to think so. Later I saw that it was the Han army that plundered and harmed the people, and it was also the Han army that was corrupted. But the Taishan army, which I once regarded as thieves, saved the people, protected the people, and provided
How can we find a way for them to survive?"
Sun Jin dismissed it and snorted:
"The truth? Killing officials and rebelling is the truth? If you have grievances, you can appeal. Of course I know that some Han officials torture the people like tigers and wolves, but there are still countless Han officials who are self-denial and serve the public, and are pure officials. If you ask these people to make the decision, why can't you appeal?
"
It was only then that Xun You sneered:
"Hey, I know Mr. Sun is an honest gentleman, but I didn't expect to say this. It can be seen that Mr. Sun is either really confused or pretending to be confused. Forget it, I'm here to persuade Mr. Sun whether he is willing to be with me.
The army will work together to punish the people and eradicate the filthy. But since the words are not speculative, I will not persuade you anymore. You think about it yourself!"
After saying that, Xun You looked disappointed and was about to leave the account.
Over there, Sun Jin was beaten by Xun You, and her face turned red with embarrassment.
In fact, he had no confidence in front of Xun You. Behind his loyalty to a poor family member, he had deep fear and envy for the high family.
So at first, Sun Jin was distracted by Xun's name and kept silent. Later, when she saw how humble Xun You was, she subconsciously took the big shot.
The reason behind this thought is probably rebellion against inferiority complex.
After all, those who can treat people and things with a normal heart are probably sages.
But now when she saw this young man Xun You turning around and leaving, Sun Jin felt a sense of unwillingness to be underestimated. But he was also a person, and he knew that if he asked again, he would look shallow, so he replied abruptly.
:
"Victory and defeat are normal for a military. What can I say now that the situation has reached this point? I am captured at a loss and you ask me if I will surrender. Then I will ask the first question of your traitor. If I capture him alive, can he surrender to me?
No? If he can surrender, I will surrender."
Xun You turned around and looked at the stubborn Sun Jin, smiled, and then respectfully left.
Xun You later relayed these words to Zhang Chong.
But at this moment, Zhang Chong had no intention of playing tricks on Sun Jin. A military report had just been sent from the front line in the city. The troops entering the city were blocked in front of the inner city. The resistance in the inner city was fierce and they failed to defeat them.
Zhang Chong was extremely anxious at this moment because he was under greater pressure than all the generals.
At this moment, those who are interested will find that Marshal Zhang Dan of the right army is not in the army. At the same time, four flying cavalry troops and five infantry battalion leaders disappeared.
Where did they go?
Of course they were going to block enemy reinforcements.
Zhang Chong had already been grinding under Zhending City for a month before. If he couldn't take the inner city this time, would he have to grind for another month?
If he doesn't capture Zhending as soon as possible and then enter the city to rest, he will be at a strategic disadvantage later when the Yan soldiers go south for a decisive battle.
Therefore, the ownership of Zhending is already related to the entire Northern Expedition.
After Zhang Chong listened to Xun You's report, he first asked:
"Is there a good chance that Sun Jin can persuade the Han soldiers to surrender in the inner city?"
Xun You thought for a moment, and although his true intention was to keep Sun Jin alive, he knew that Sun Jin really wouldn't do what the king asked.
So Xun You shook his head.
Zhang Chong was silent for a while and said regretfully:
"This Sun Jin is a loyal minister and a man of integrity. In normal times, I would have killed him, but now I can only be loyal."
After finishing speaking, Zhang Chong said to Guo Zuda beside him:
"Go and give Sun Jin a gift in white satin. If he has any requirements, please satisfy him."
Guo Zu sang, and then left quickly.
At this time, Xun You wanted to persuade him, but Zhang Chong took the initiative to speak:
"This is the wrong time. Now I want to use Sun Jin's head to open up the inner city. That's it."
Xun You knew that the king had made up his mind, so he could only sigh and said to himself:
"Sun Jun, it's not that you didn't help you, it's that you missed the opportunity."
What is destiny in fact? It is determined by each person's choice.
Sun Jin didn't know what his fate was, but he knew it when he saw a strange soldier grabbing Bai Ling.
Although he was a little panicked, he was not afraid of death. He looked at Bai Ling and laughed at himself:
"I never thought that I, Sun Jin, would be just a fighting official when I was alive, but when I died, I would be treated like a prince, no less."
After hearing this, Guo Zu was indifferent and said firmly:
"I'm here to give you a treat! Tell me if you have any last wishes. Your Majesty will be gracious and I will grant it to you."
Sun Jin laughed sadly, then said solemnly:
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I, Sun Jin, do have some requests. I pride myself on being an innocent person, and I don't want to be dirty and see the great ancestor. I wonder if you can give me a basin of water so that I can wash up a little."
This request was not troublesome. Guo Zu nodded in agreement and asked the halberd warriors outside to bring a basin of water in.
Sun Jin did not directly scoop out the water, but first arranged her clothes, then took out a handkerchief from her pocket, and then after soaking it in water, she carefully wiped the dirt on her face.
Human beings tend to have a sense of sacredness towards the extreme.
At this time, Guo Zu saw this feeling in Sun Jin's body. When a person was about to die, he used his own kerchief to clean it carefully. It was very slow, but it had a different kind of beauty.
Soon, Sun Jin washed up and laughed loudly. Then he asked Guo Zu:
"Where is the west?"
Guo Zu pointed in the direction.
Then Sun Jin gave him three bucks and asked again:
"Where is north?"
Guo Zu pointed in the direction again.
Sun Jin gave the North three more heads.
When everything was over, Sun Jin said calmly:
"Hurry up and send me on my way, I still have to chase those dead people!"
After saying that, close your eyes and wait for death.
But Guo Zu, who shouldn't have done anything himself, was taken away by Sun Jin's aura before he died. He stepped forward and wrapped the white satin around his neck. With a little force, he strangled Sun Jin without letting him suffer.
Finally, looking at Sun Jin who had a withered face, Guo Zu sighed:
"This is a chastity man."
Then Guo Zu asked people to bury Sun Jin, clean up some of the feces and urine, and prepare a good coffin.
After explaining this, Guo Zu went to return to his life.
As soon as Guo Zu entered the Chinese army's tent, he heard the heroic laughter of his king:
"As expected, I am a tiger warrior. Now I have climbed to the top of the city."
It turns out that just now Dianwei's command sent a military report saying that he and Guo Song had climbed to the city one after another and had established a firm foothold.
Zhang Chong was very excited. He had won countless battles, but this battle of Zhending made him the most nervous. Not only because this battle was the first battle of the Taishan Army's founding of the country, it was about prestige. It was also because this battle was too important.
, one careless move and the whole game is lost.
So Zhang Chong boasted:
"Awei fought well. It was his first time in the outer city just now, wasn't he? His bravery is indeed invincible! And that kid Guo Song, after beating him up the previous time, he was able to realize his shame and give up this time.
Yong, good!”
After saying this, Zhang Chong didn't stop and said to the guards below:
"Go, get two gold medals and send them to Dian Wei and Guo Song in the city to commend them for their loyalty and bravery in their work!"
The soldiers there took the order and left.
At this time, Zhang Chong also saw Guo Zu coming back and asked:
"What happened to Sun Jin?"
Guo Zu respectfully replied:
"Death with regret!"
After speaking, Guo Zu talked about Sun Jin's performance before his death, and even Zhang Chong sighed:
"This is a true warrior. But that's all it can do!"
Zhang Chong thought for a while and explained:
"I asked him to choose a coffin, put it in Sun Jin's body, and then send the body into the city. He just shouted: 'The chief culprit has been eliminated, and the rest have abandoned their weapons. They are all innocent!'"
Guo Zu nodded, and then told Han Dang from the collision team to bring a few people with clear voices to take charge of this matter.
Han Dang had been standing guard outside the tent with all the soldiers. After listening to the old team leader's orders, Han Dang hurriedly took the three crossmen to get the corpse's coffin and pulled it into the city on an ox cart.
After Zhang Chong finished giving this order, he took out a letter from the desk, handed it to Xun You beside him, and said:
"Gongda, look at this military report and see what you think."
After Xun You took it, he just glanced at it and his heart skipped a beat.
Only then did he understand why the king was so anxious this time. It turned out that Lu Zhi's army in the north had already moved south.
And once they go south, hundreds of thousands of people will come in overwhelming numbers.
Seeing Xun You thinking deeply, Zhang Chong said:
"I don't believe the 100,000 people mentioned in the military newspaper. Even if Lu Zhi could gather such a large number of people, he wouldn't be able to support it. But if there are not 100,000 people, there are probably 50,000 people. In addition, there are still 50,000 people.
At Jiumen on the other side of the Hutuo River, there are four to five thousand Changshan soldiers there. Counting them at sixty thousand, they are not that few!"
Xun You nodded, his expression equally serious.
Yes, even with 60,000 soldiers, this is still a huge military force, and it is the largest enemy the Taishan Army has ever encountered.
In fact, most of these 60,000 soldiers are Yan soldiers who are good at fighting, which makes the pressure even heavier.
Thinking of this, Xun You understood the pressure on the king's shoulders.
Zhang Chong's military report was actually sent by Zhang Dan's troops who had already crossed the river.
After the Taishan army surrounded Zhending, Zhang Chong ordered Zhang Dan to organize an advance army to cross the river first and wait for an opportunity to capture the nine gates.
So on June 25, Zhang Dan led five thousand troops and paddled the collected boats across the Hutuo River.
There were also Han soldiers patrolling on the Hutuo River.
But these Han soldiers did not have serious boat divisions, and they all used small canoes like the Taishan Army. Therefore, even if they wanted to prevent the Taishan Army from crossing the river, they did not have much ability.
But the truth is this. Feng Xun, the governor of Changshan in Jiumen City, made a fatal mistake. That is, he really sent the two thousand river patrol soldiers on the Hutuosui River back to the city, and gave up the river defense of the Hutuosui River to Mount Tai.
military.
Zhang Dan was overjoyed when he heard about this and ordered his entire army to cross the river.
But who knew that this was a trap for the Han army.
After Zhang Dan crossed the river with his entire army, a fleet of boats actually sailed out from the lower reaches of the Hutuo River and headed towards the waters of the Hutuo River near Zhending.
Obviously, the Han army wanted to cut off the Hutuo River, cut off Zhang Dan's supply line, and annihilate all Zhang Dan's troops on the north bank of the Hutuo River.
Fortunately, when the Hejian Kingdom's boat division advanced to the area of Xiaquyang, it was intercepted by the rear army marshal's troops who had already detected it.
Dong Fang directly sank dozens of antlers on the Hutuo River to block the waters.
When the Hejian Kingdom's boatmen reached the area of Xiaquyang, all the deep-draft ships hit the deer antlers and capsized.
But there are still dozens of shallow-draft flat-bottomed boats safely crossing the water and heading towards Zhending upstream.
Zhang Dan was worried that his retreat would be unstable. On the one hand, he stepped up the construction of fortifications outside Jiumen City, and on the other hand, he sent dozens of warriors to sneak back to the south bank of Hutuo River to ask for help from the base camp.
At that time, Zhang Chong was stepping up his efforts to build siege equipment, and the troops he had had to be used to conquer Zhending City, so he had no extra troops to send across the river. So he decided to order Dong Fang's troops stationed in the lower Quyang area to cross the river north to rescue Zhang Dan upstream.
.Wait until your side takes Zhending, and then launch a massive counterattack.
On June 30, Dong Fang led eight thousand troops across the Hutuo River from Xiaquyang, and fell into Xiyang Pavilion on the other side of the river. After that, he led the entire army westward along the north bank of the Hutuo River, and marched for two days, arriving at Jiumen.
The Gepo garrison is five miles east.
At that time, Dong Fang sent a secret message to Zhang Dan's camp south of Jiumen City, asking him to raise fire as a signal, and that night he attacked the Han army outside Jiumen City.
The Han army outside Jiumen City thought that Zhang Dan on the opposite side was at the end of his rope, so he drank wildly all night. That night, Dong Fang's troops in the east of the city and Zhang Dan's troops in the south of the city attacked the Han village together.
The Han army was unprepared, and the sixteen villages outside the city were captured overnight.
However, because of the four gates, the city of Jiumen was still not captured. Therefore, Zhang Dan and Dong Fang joined forces and prepared to attack Jiumen.
But it was also at this time that they learned that Lu Zhi from the north had led the Zhenbei Army to attack the Shangquyang area.
Shangquyang belongs to the Zhongshan Kingdom and is only 150 miles away from Jiumen. If the cavalry of the Zhenbei Army on the opposite side wants to fly, they can arrive on the same day.
However, due to the lack of warship transportation, Zhang Dan and Dong Guan did not have many cavalry to block them. So the two of them discussed it and did not dare to attack the city again. Instead, they stepped up the construction of fortifications and dug forts, and stationed five troops outside the city.
Ridun.
This was a pier built by the Zhongshan Kingdom to resist the Zhao people's attack on the Hutuo River defense line. The main structure still exists. Therefore, Zhang and Dong used this as the main defense point to improve the defense line on the north bank of the Hutuo River.
After learning that Lu Zhi's Zhenbei Army had already reached its head, both of them were frightened and placed their hopes on Zhang Chong on the south bank.
…
"Report..."
Two moments after Sun Jin's body was brought up, good news came.
"The inner city is really broken! Dian Xiaowei's formation kills the enemy general Tian Kai!"
After saying that, the soldier held the head with a drop of blood in his hand and presented it to Zhang Chong who was waiting anxiously.
Zhang Chong laughed heartily, half relieved, and ordered loudly: