One hundred and thirtieth chapters brave and self-aware
"The people in the mountains and forests can enter, and there are no monsters or monsters." [Xie Ziran's poem]
Sun Ce did not answer, but first looked at Sun Ben who was silent.
In the early years, the other party also followed Sun Jian to conquer the north and south, and later defected to Yuan Shu. Everyone in the Sun family regarded him as the most respected. Later, Sun Ce rose up, and Sun Bi was willing to assist him. It can be said that Sun Ce's initial success largely relied on this.
As a supporter of my cousin, Sun Bi and Sun Fu brothers had no complaints at all, whether they went to the east of the Yangtze River to fight against Shanyue bandits or surrendered to the imperial court and followed the arrangements to come to the barbaric land of Nanzhong.
But now Sun Fu saw that he had lost his breath. Sun Ben had raised this brother since he was a child and had a deep friendship. But at this point, no matter how much he believed in Sun Ce, he had nothing to say.
"You... go out." After a while, Sun Ben said, reaching out to gently tuck Sun Fu's quilt, lowering his head to look at his pale brother Sun Fu, who had long since lost his voice.
Sun Ce and others sighed and walked out one after another.
"Now we really need to come up with a strategy. We can't continue fighting like this." After walking out of the camp, Zhu Zhi took the lead in saying. He looked at the wounded and exhausted soldiers in the barbarian camp and said in a deep voice.
"You can't say anything here!" Lu Fan reminded him softly, signaling Zhu Zhi to pay attention to what he said.
"Then go to the Chinese army's tent!" Zhu Zhi knew what the other party was worried about. Compared with other soldiers and horses, their Nanzhong army received special 'care' from the emperor. Only generals like Four Expeditions and Four Towns were around.
There was only one "recording room" in the governor's mansion of Nijiang with only a few thousand people: "It was the first time that Wei Dan saw so many people dead. He was so frightened that he trembled and hid somewhere to rest.
We are discussing this right now, so we don’t need to pay attention to him!”
"Any military meeting must be attended by a recorder to record it and form a copy. According to the court system, unless you are dead, you have to be carried over to listen." Lu Fan was quite wary of this system. He raised his eyes and looked around, and saw this
They went to the tent to see Sun Fu's injury together, so Wei Dan could avoid being present, but if they left Wei Dan alone and discussed military affairs on their own, and Wei Dan found out later, the consequences would be serious: "General Wei Zhong is in the army.
Although I don’t have any close friends, it’s best for us to change places.”
Sun Ce was also a little afraid of Wei Dan, not because Wei Dan was so outstanding, but because his brother was Wei Kang, the reporter of General Zhengnan. Everything he did during his time in Nanzhong would probably be criticized.
spread to Xu Huang's ears.
"Let's go! Come with me to that high place to see the strength of the army at Lingguan." Sun Ce made an excuse and immediately called for horses. The group of people rode out of the camp one after another, and came down to this small slope surrounded by the guards.
Above and without anyone else around, this kind of talk is not considered a formal 'meeting', so you can speak freely.
"It's not that the governor ignored the casualties and insisted on making great achievements." Lu Fan looked around vigilantly and explained: "It's that if we don't pacify Yuexi as soon as possible and defeat Gao Dingyuan's thousands of soldiers, it won't take long.
, the Meng and Yong rebels from Yizhou County will swarm over, and then it will not be us trying to attack Lingguan Road, but their tens of thousands of troops trying to attack us on Lingguan Road."
"The Meng family is coming to Yuexi County?" Zhu Zhi jumped off the horse and motioned to the residents to imitate him by standing beside the horse to cover his body. He asked in surprise: "What is the general's strategy for conquering the south? Isn't it already agreed upon?
Are we going to attack on the road? Jujun, Gan Ning entered Shu, didn’t they mainly attack Yizhou County?”
Lu Fan also dismounted in the same manner: "Of course, but I think General Zhengnan's idea is for us to gather tens of thousands of rebels from Yuexi and Yizhou County in one place, and then Ju Jun and others take the opportunity to invade To the rear, cut off the retreat route. Knowing that the retreat route is cut off and their families are gone, they will inevitably retreat in haste, and the Nanzhong rebellion will be over in an instant."
"Lingguan Road is the only way from Yuexi to Shu County. Now that Jianwei is guarded by Huang Gong and there is Ganning Navy on the river, the rebels will only take the shortcut of Yuexi. If Meng and Gao Dingyuan join forces, as long as they join forces, Go north and conquer the capital, contact the Qiang people of Yinping and the Dou people of Bajun, and Yizhou will be in chaos." Sun Ce said in a low voice: "So we can only seize the Lingguan Road before they join forces and defend the dangerous fortress. , we can still have the strength to fight. If we wait until they join forces, we haven't taken the Ling Pass yet, and I'm afraid the casualties will be even greater by then."
"Damn it!" Zhu Zhi pounded the saddle angrily and said angrily: "After all, you don't worry about our lives. You want us to chew hard bones and lose troops. They will do something easy to win in the back. In the world There’s no way this makes sense!”
The school captain Chen Wu also said unhappily: "That's right. Logically speaking, the general is the commander-in-chief of the surrender, and the turmoil in Nanzhong should be fully presided over by the general. However, the court insisted on handing the matter over to the general who conquered the south... It can be seen that they never He regards us as his confidants, and the current arrangement shows his true intentions, we can’t do our hard work in vain!”
Lu Fan was still calm and asked with a frown: "Is there any news from Chang'an?"
The Chang'an news he mentioned actually refers to whether Sun Ce's friend Zhou Yu, the Minister of War, gave him any ideas. The fact that they can still continue to fight in this barbarian land is nothing more than Sun Ce's personal charm and the support of the Lujiang Zhou family in the court. As long as we have Zhou Yu's help and the abilities of a few of them, sooner or later there will be a moment when the clouds clear and the sun comes out.
This just touched on Sun Ce's troubles. His face darkened, he shook his head and said, "Zhou Gongjin hasn't written to me for a long time. I think he may have a lot of inconveniences to say, or he wants me to handle this incident myself." chaos."
"This, how to deal with this?" Zhu Zhiqi asked: "Do we have no other choice but to fight to the death to win the Lingguan Road? But if the damage is too huge, how can we have a foothold in the future? General Zhengnan will send others at any time Come and wait for me!"
"There is a way, but Bo Fu may not be able to do it, and Zhou Lang will never be happy to see it." Lu Fan frowned and said slowly.
Zhu Zhi and others hurriedly looked at Lu Fan: "What is the method?"
"Retreat?" Sun Hao's words really shocked his younger brother Sun Yu, who was transporting food from the rear. He quickly pulled Sun Hao aside and said in surprise: "What nonsense are you talking about? This belongs to me alone." Meaning, or is it what everyone agrees on?”
"So what if it's my intention?" Sun Hao knocked his brother's hand off and said nonchalantly: "In today's attack, our army suffered hundreds of casualties. Sun Guoyi was even hit by a poisonous arrow and died soon. Who among these people is not one of us? The cronies and disciples brought from Jiangdong? They are all dying here in vain. I don’t think anyone else wants to fight anymore, so they might as well make a retreat as soon as possible."
"But..." Sun Yu is different from the arrogant Sun Hao. Although the two are brothers, Sun Yu always takes the overall situation into consideration when he acts. He whispered: "If we retreat, what will Shu County do? What happens afterward? Even if we are blamed, we will not be able to escape the court's investigation."
"The troops are already outnumbered, who is not allowed to flee?" Sun Hao's idea was good. Since Sun He died of illness when he first came to Nanzhong, most of the troops and horses in the army are now controlled by the Sun family of the three families. Sun Ce and his subordinates Needless to say, Lu Fan, Zhu Zhi and others have the strongest military force; Sun Ben, the son of Sun Jian's brother Sun Qiang, and Sun Fu used to only follow Sun Ce's lead, but now that Sun Fu is about to die, Sun Ben's position is bound to change; and Sun Jian's younger brother Sun Jing's sons Sun Hao, Sun Yu and others also control the baggage. As long as they persuade Sun Ben, they are not afraid of subduing Sun Ce.
Thinking that one day he could coerce Sun Ce, Sun Hao couldn't help but feel proud.
"Actually, I'm not afraid of fighting." Sun Hao said to Sun Yu: "You have also seen the mountain roads here, where are the places for people to walk? Even an army of one million cannot move, and you have to be careful when walking in the forest. Cold arrows and poisonous snakes, but it is different in the plains. I can kill five thousand of them with one thousand people! Moreover, we can retreat to one place to conserve our strength, and then take the lead when Gao Dingyuan and others disrupt Shu County and shake Yizhou. Soldiers from various counties and counties have taken action to suppress the rebellion. This great achievement belongs to our Sun family, and even General Zhengnan will not be able to stop it!"
Sun Hao drew a blueprint for the future to Sun Yu and believed that this plan had great prospects. It would not only help quell the chaos, but would also be much better than the current desperate attack on the pass under the city.
But Sun Yu was still a little hesitant in the end. He was still young and said with some uncertainty: "Is this really feasible? Should I discuss it with them first and then make a plan?"
"They all regard Sun Boxu as their lord now, and they often use Zhou Gongjin's words as a rope. How can they listen to our brothers! We were originally soldiers of the Sun family, but now we are almost becoming the private soldiers of the Zhou family in Lujiang! Normally, I would express some concern for you, but now that the chaos has arisen, Zhou is unable to do anything. Do you think they still have half a letter to send? Or any help? Just say a few nice words in front of Xu Huang and let me Waiting for the young master to attack the pass here will be considered beneficial." Sun Hao complained a few words, and then patted Sun Yu on the shoulder: "You and I are brothers. We have to come together in everything. When we think of one thing, you Say so?"
Sun Yu knew that this was forcing him to act together. Although he was reluctant, he still had to nod and said: "This...that's what brother said."
At night, Sun Fu finally groaned and died in the pain of poisonous hair. Sun Ce and others came to the tent again to mourn for him, and unanimously discussed, as well as Sun Hao's initiative to ask for help, to let Sun Hao lead some wounded soldiers to retreat south to the rear. He was recuperated in Anxian County, in charge of the transportation of food and grass, and transported Sun Fu's body out, trying to transfer it to his hometown in Wujun County for burial.
Sun Hao got this result easily, and left with satisfaction before getting ready. Sun Ce left Sun Ce to comfort Sun Bi with some kind words, and finally said: "My second brother died for the country, and there will be a memorial ceremony in the court. This time I return home in glory, I The Sun family is also honored."
"Did you die for your country?" Sun Ben whispered, looking at the flickering lights with dull eyes: "Bo Fu."
"Huh?" Sun Ce responded.
I saw Sun Ben looking haggard. The pain of losing his brother made it difficult for him to regain his former strength: "Are we really doing this for the country? Or is it just for yourself? Or is it the Zhou family?"
Sun Ce immediately stood up from the bed, as if he heard something extremely offensive: "Brother, why did you say that?"
"Everyone in the army knows that you have a close friendship with Zhou Gongjin. Our Sun family has a shallow foundation and a military background. Naturally, I have no objection to having the Zhou family from Lujiang under the protection of the court. It's just..." Sun Ben raised his eyes and looked at the man with a gloomy face.
Sun Ce, who was uncertain, said softly: "Why do you have to do this for the Zhou family? Back then, my second uncle was used by Yuan Gongdao, and he conquered everywhere. He made meritorious deeds everywhere, but what happened in the end? I'm afraid of you
…”
"Afraid that I will make the same mistake again?" Sun Ce smiled and said, "Brother, do you think that will happen?"
"I didn't think so before, but now... I don't know." Sun Ben said with a slight frown, then laughed as if he didn't believe it either.
Sun Ce said in a deep voice: "I just want our Sun family to go higher and farther. We had too deep friendship with the Yuan family at the beginning, so we are struggling now. If it weren't for Gong Jin, we would have...
…So I believe in him as I believe in my brothers and sisters.”
"Then what are you going to do now?" Sun Ben asked: "Leave or stay? What did Zhou Gongjin say?"
"Gong Jin didn't say anything." After Sun Ce finished speaking, he immediately added: "But I believe in my decision, that is to continue fighting!"
"Continue to attack Lingguan Road?" Sun Bi suddenly changed his tone and said angrily: "My brother died for this, and you still don't want to stop! You want all my Sun family members to die here!"
Sun Ce was completely unafraid in the face of the angry Sun Bi. Instead, he met his gaze and retorted calmly: "If we retreat now, then the second brother's death will be in vain! I swear to sacrifice Gao Dingyuan and Meng's heads to the second brother."
Only brother is willing to give up!"
Zhu Zhi, Lu Fan and others who were staying outside heard the movement in the tent and hurriedly ran in. Seeing the two people facing each other tit for tat, they couldn't help but look at the two people with worried eyes.
Sun Ben ignored Zhu Zhi and others, but suddenly drew his sword.
"General Sun!"
"Boyang!"
Everyone was surprised in unison.
Sun Ce stretched out his long arms and blocked everyone who wanted to stop him. He stood there without moving at all, watching the opponent quietly, as if he would not dodge if the opponent stabbed him with a sword.
"You're right." Sun Ben was silent for a moment, and suddenly there was a strange light in his eyes, which seemed to be illuminated by the cold light reflected by the sword in his hand, and his tone became cold: "I can't retreat, how can I, Jiangdong's son,
Are you afraid of others? They are just a group of barbarians who killed my brother. I have to cut off Gao Dingyuan's head with my own hands to satisfy my hatred!"
"...Brother?" Sun Ce looked at the other party's sudden change in surprise and didn't even react for a moment.
"Let me go out to fight tomorrow." Sun Ben lowered his head and glanced at Sun Fu who was lying quietly for the last time. He seemed to recall the scene when he single-handedly raised Sun Fu many years ago, but in the blink of an eye, that healthy, lively, and heroic man
The younger brother who lost to him has died in a foreign land. Sun Ben's eyes were filled with tenderness, and his tone gradually became decisive: "He didn't conquer the Lingguan Road, I will conquer it!"
The next day, Zhonglang led Sun Ben and his subordinates, as well as Sun Fu's old troops, to wear plain belts and turn into mourning soldiers. They launched an attack in the early morning when the dew was still wet. There were constant casualties along the way, but no one escaped.
This is a military force that belongs exclusively to the Sun family. Even if they were separated by Yuan Shu, who was afraid of them many years ago, they can be reunited at any time under the order of the Sun family.
This offensive and defensive battle lasted a whole day. Even Sun Hao, who had already left the battlefield far away, seemed to be able to hear the sound of fighting in the mountains in the distance on the road. He patted the simple coffin beside him with lingering fear and left without saying a word. .
"Sun Boyang is really crazy..." Thinking of Sun Ben's decisive look in the middle of the night last night, which made him give up the idea before he could say anything, Sun Hao couldn't help but sigh softly.
Sun Yu was so focused on the battle in the distance that he didn't hear clearly the muttering of his brother beside him.
It was not until the afternoon of the next day that Sun Ben captured Lingguan Road, killed a chief of the cave with his own hands, and massacred the barbarians in the city without any scruples.
Sun Ce ignored this behavior of killing prisoners to vent his anger. He was only concerned that Sun Ben fought too hard for this battle. Not only did he suffer too many casualties, but he also lost an arm.
"How is my brother's injury?" Sun Ce hurriedly asked the military doctor who was treating him.
"Although I lost my left arm, I just fainted now. I have to rest peacefully in the future and not go into battle easily again." The doctor's answer made Sun Ce feel relieved. If Sun Ben died in this battle, then what would happen to his uncle? Wouldn't the lineage be cut off? How can I have the face to return to the ancestral hall in the future?
"Okay, okay." Sun Ce felt relieved and asked the doctor to take the doctor down to make medicine. Naturally, he would not let Sun Ben participate in the next battle: "Brother is seriously injured and can't walk. I'll keep him here." Here, I can recuperate while taking care of the rear. As for me, I will go south to Qiongdu at night. If I cannot capture and kill Gao Dingyuan, how can I face my two brothers!"
Zhu Zhi, Chen Wu and others were also inspired by Sun Ben's desperate efforts to overcome the difficulties. Now they did not say anything to complain. They immediately led the troops, quickly packed up 2,000 people, packed up and headed south, walking across the vast grassland. , and successfully captured Lan County. While Sun Ce conveyed victory to Sun Hao's troops at the rear and ordered him to lead the reinforcements south quickly, he also caught him by surprise and took a boat along the river to bypass Taideng and other counties along the way, and directly attacked Qiongdu.
At this time, Sun Ce also happened to learn from the enemy that the Meng family, Yong family and other rebels had spent a lot of money because they were busy quelling the resistance organized by the Yizhou County Prime Minister and his wife, the county official Li Hui, Jianling Ling Cuan Xi and others. With little energy and time, many soldiers and horses were finally assigned to besiege Jianling, who is still in the southern part of Yueqi County.
Sun Ce was overjoyed when he got the news. He was riding a boat on the river at that time. When he heard the local old man call the river 'Sun Shui', he was even more happy and said: "This water is prospering my family! I just need to capture Qiongdu." Taking advantage of the victory to ambush the Meng family, the battle in Nanzhong, Jujun, and Ganning will probably end in vain!"
After conquering the most difficult Lingguan Road, everyone looked relaxed. They thought that Gao Dingyuan was hiding in Qiongdu City with thousands of old and weak people and did not dare to come out. He bypassed the two cities without attacking and went straight to Huanglong. , being caught off guard, it was really easy to capture him.
It's just that everything depends on blessings and misfortunes. Sun Ce and others did capture Qiongdu as they wished, but they also let Gao Dingyuan lead more than a thousand people to flee south in a hurry. Then they learned that the Meng family's more than 5,000 people were already only a few dozen miles away from Qiongdu, and At this time, the reinforcements that Sun Ce and others had sent earlier had not arrived...