"Righteousness lies in not giving in to power and disregarding its benefits." [Xunzi·Honor and Disgrace]
July of the third year of Jian'an.
Yuzhou, Runan.
Ruyin County is located in the south of Yuzhou, with flat and stretched terrain, stretching as far as the eye can see. It is an important north-south waterway with transportation from all directions. You can go straight down to Shouchun along the Ying River, or you can reach Peiguo in less than two or three days by taking the main road.
At this time, Ruyin County was surrounded by boats and tents on the river, and an army of more than 30,000 people was gathering here.
In the middle of the Chinese army's tent sat a middle-aged general with a dignified appearance and an unsmiling look. He was the governor of Nanyang and the general of the army, who was responsible for protecting the army. In addition to the former general Zhu Jun, he was the de facto commander-in-chief of all armies.
At the age of more than thirty years old, he was in charge of a military force. In addition to being promoted and cultivated by the emperor from the army, Xu Huang's own achievements on the battlefields in Hedong and Hanzhong were also his capital to convince the generals in Yuzhou. .
What's more, in order to increase Xu Huang's prestige in the army, Zhu Jun specifically asked the emperor to temporarily lend him the 'Jie' given to Zhu Jun by the emperor.
'Jie' symbolizes the imperial power, and ministers who observe the rules represent the emperor's personal presence. Especially according to the new regulations set by the emperor in recent years, people who do not hold an official position can be killed if they observe the rules. In wartime, the number of people who can be killed is less than two thousand stones. It is equivalent to Later generations of Shang Fang Sword, Xu Huang held this 'section', he can control the armies in a real sense.
Xu Huang was neatly dressed and sat at the top. After scanning the people under the tent, he said unabashedly: "Before I came, the emperor sent me a private message, saying, 'I will pay all the affairs in the south to you. I am sincerely responsible for this." An.' You are so kind and trustworthy, and I have a great responsibility here. I can't live up to your majesty's trust."
Everyone was really shocked by the information he generously revealed in his words and the scepter standing behind Xu Huang. The emperor probably entrusted him with not only the war in Huainan, but also the entire south! This means that Xu Huang After defeating Yuan, General Huang continued to undertake a series of combat operations such as the recovery of Jiangdong, Jingzhou, and Jiaozhou. However, all of this was not mentioned in the edict at all, but only appeared in the letters exchanged privately between the emperor and Xu Huang. This It is almost the wish of the Holy Heart to book in advance unless Xu Huang falsely delivers the edict, but this is impossible.
Thinking that former general Zhu Jun was really going to take a back seat this time, and would be taking orders under Xu Huang for a long time in the future. His future depended on the other party's thoughts, and no matter how unconvinced everyone felt, it was all gone. With fame, power, and long-term benefits, no one dared to commit a crime no matter how hard he tried. Xu Huang took complete control of the military effortlessly.
Next, you only need to lead them to win the battle to establish their authority.
"The imperial expedition to the East and the support of the Han Dynasty are part of a century-long plan to rejuvenate the world. How dare we spare our lives as we bear the heavy responsibility?" The speaker was Liu Ai, the prefect of Runan. He often dealt with powerful local generals such as Xu Ding and Li Tong. , Xu Ding and others were also willing to get close to him. Liu Ai stepped forward to support Xu Huang, and others followed suit. Soon, the atmosphere became very harmonious.
Xu Huang only nodded slightly at Liu Ai's goodwill, and said directly: "Since the country has issued a clear edict, it is necessary to send Captain Tian to lead the Yue Cavalry Camp and the Pei soldiers and horses eastward to Xuzhou. Our army's current urgent task is to first send Captain Tian to Clear away the constraints and repel Li Feng, Liang Gang, Leju and other troops stationed in Qixian."
After saying that, he glanced around and asked: "Who wants to be a pioneer?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Jianzhong Captain Zhang Xiu, who was eager to perform meritorious service, jumped out first, clasped his fists and begged for orders: "I am willing to go!"
Before Xu Huang could respond, Tai Shici, the commander of the expedition against the bandits, also stepped forward and said, "General, I am willing to go."
"Taishi Ziyi, don't argue with me this time!" Zhang Xiu felt a little unhappy when he saw it was him, and said bluntly. He and Taishi Ci were once the same Yulin Lang in front of the palace, and their tempers were quite similar.
Before he was released, he gradually accumulated meritorious service to the rank of captain, and was awarded the title of captain at the beginning of the year. Zhang Xiu was quite envious of this, and now he has become the captain as soon as he was appointed. Thinking of this, Zhang Xiu felt a lot more balanced in his heart.
Ci's hostility is not that deep anymore.
"I don't want to argue with you." Taishi Ci shook his head, looked at Xu Huang seriously, and said softly: "General Mo wants to ask the general for orders. After defeating Li Feng and others, General Mo will be able to command his troops.
Enter Xuzhou with Colonel Tian."
"You want to enter Xuzhou?" Xu Huang raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised.
The other party walked with him through the long sloping mountain road and did the feat of running on a rainy night. As an infantry colonel at the time, he greatly admired this young and brave Habayashi Lang and strongly recommended him. He even wanted to take advantage of this battle.
With the help of the other party, he made great achievements in seizing Huainan. But who would have thought that he would sacrifice the near and seek the far away, and go to Xuzhou, a place where various forces are chaotic, to participate in the melee, which is not the current focus!
After thinking about it, Xu Huang kindly reminded: "Captain Tian has been ordered to go to Pengcheng. He has three thousand Yue cavalry under his command, all of whom are elites of the Northern Army. Most of Yuan Tan and Yuan Shu's troops are infantry, and Xuzhou has a smooth road for thousands of miles. Cooperating with Cao Cao
, the two envoys Liu are worthy of resisting."
The implication is that the imperial court's layout of Xuzhou has been perfected, and there is no need for Taishi Ci to intervene at this time.
Taishi Ci was unmoved: "The last general actually has selfish motives. Lu Bu also killed Dong Yuangong. He met me once in Qingzhou, and I received him as a gift. Now he doesn't know the reason and is serving the puppet dynasty.
The truth about the general is incomprehensible. The purpose of asking for orders to conquer Xu is to ask this person face to face to see if he can turn around."
Zhang Xiu was stunned when he heard this. He didn't expect that the other party would speak out his thoughts so generously. Compared with this kind of righteousness to save his friends from fire and water, he only wanted to gain military exploits, which made people feel ashamed.
Zhou Yu also felt the same way as Taishi Ci. Wasn't the purpose of his trip also to encourage old friends who had gone astray to turn back as soon as possible? When Taishi Ci's statement was related to himself, Zhou Yu was quite moved. It was rare for him to interfere in matters that had nothing to do with him.
, came forward and said: "Tian Xiaowei only has one army commander, Chen Dao, who is still useful. If he goes into battle to fight, he cannot always let an army commander do such a thing. Since Taishi Ziyi is determined, the general might as well grant his request.
, if things get difficult, I can go up with the general."
Tian Chou, the captain of the Yue Cavalry School and the Prime Minister of Pei, was one of the earliest capable officials of the imperial court stationed in Guandong. This time there was a melee between various forces in Xuzhou. Although the imperial court was led by Cao Cao, it was impossible for the emperor not to send his own troops.
Therefore, Tian Chou was specially assigned to participate in the war in Xuzhou on behalf of the emperor instead of going south to Yangzhou with the army. On the one hand, he did have the intention to support Cao Cao and Liu Bei, and on the other hand, he also had the intention of supervising the war and supervising the army.
Xu Huang didn't know much about the secrets during this period. He only considered it purely from the standpoint of the emperor, thinking that having one more of his own on the battlefield in Xuzhou would be more reliable than outsiders like Cao Cao who had only recently joined him.
So with Zhou Yu's guarantee and Xu Huang's secret promise, Taishi Ci's request for orders was quickly responded to: "Okay, in that case, you can lead your troops to Pei State. Defeat Li Li first.
Feng waits for the soldiers from Qixian County and then surrenders to Tian Xiaowei. There should be an edict issued by then."
Zhang Xiu thought that he had nothing to do, and was about to sit down when Xu Huang called him again: "Captain Zhang, you choose soldiers and horses from my subordinates, and join Taishi Ziyi with 10,000 troops to go to Qixian County."
.When the troops in Qixian County retreat, you and our army will advance in two directions to attack Huainan."