Shouchun, also known as Shouying in ancient times.
In 241 BC, Lord Chun Shen organized the last alliance of the three kingdoms in the east, but was defeated by the Qin army. Fearing the revenge of the Western Qin, the then King Kaolie of Chu moved his capital here from Chen.
Fifteen years later, the King of Qin ordered the famous general Wang Jian to lead a large-scale attack on Chu, sweeping across the Huaihe River and the Huaihe River, and captured Shouying. The Chu Kingdom was extinct after eight hundred years.
Although the Chu Kingdom was destroyed, Shouchun's status as an important town in Jiangdong remained with the world. Until the Han Dynasty, it was still valued by the people of the time.
Just like when the Three Kingdoms were in power, Sun Shiwan repeatedly attacked Hefei, but he always hit the wall and sighed. This made Zhang Liao famous in the world, but few people knew that for the Soochow regime at that time, taking Hefei was not the goal, but the goal.
In order to pave the way for the attack on Shouchun.
Zhu Huan, a minister of the Eastern Wu Dynasty, once outlined a great path for Sun Quan:
"First take Shouchun and occupy Huainan, then go north to attack Luoyang, and the Central Plains can be conquered."
Sun Quan believed this, but Lu Xun, who was the shepherd of Jingzhou at the time, rejected this suggestion with one vote.
In fact, what Lu Xun vetoed was not the strategy itself, but Zhu Heng's words in the Battle of Shiting at that time, which meant directly attacking Shouchun.
In Lu Xun's view, Shouchun cannot be captured directly!
Because Shouchun is very close to Xudu.
When Hefei was not captured, Cao Wei could have sent reinforcements to attack Shouchun, or even strengthen the walls and clear the country to block the Wu army's retreat.
In the feudal era, Shouchun's importance in Jiangdong was much higher than that of Hefei.
First, if you look down from a high place and have a bird's eye view, you can see that the surrounding area centered on Shouchun is mostly fertile plains with crisscrossed rivers. It is a fertile land with developed agriculture.
Secondly, the competition in the past dynasties of the Celestial Dynasty, except for the genius Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty, mostly started from north to south. This is because in the feudal era, the northern regime had more advantages than the southern regime in terms of population, land, and even geographical location.
.In most cases, the southern regime is on the defensive.
If we want to defend the southern half of the Yangtze River, the most important thing is to defend the Yangtze River, and to defend the Yangtze River we must first defend the Huaihe River. Hefei is not near the river, but Shouchun is right at the middle of the Huaihe River.
Over the past four hundred years, this city has gone through ups and downs and seen many golden armies and iron horses. All the royal deeds of the past have been buried in the loess, but only the majestic city remains.
Since Yuan Shu led Yangzhou as a pastoralist, today's Shouchun has replaced Liyang and become the real political center of the six counties and ninety-two cities of Yangzhou.
...
In May of the second year of Xingping, the sun was shining brightly, the breeze was gentle, and it was intoxicating.
Although since the beginning of the year, Tongzhou's governor and governor have been at war, causing the city gates to remain on alert, spring plowing and autumn harvest, and Yangzhou is a land of plenty, with two harvests a year, so summer has become the season of "double robbery".
While they were busy harvesting, some people took the time to sow the seeds.
Therefore, there are still many people coming in and out.
In troubled times, the most valuable thing is food, which cannot be wasted at all. Therefore, despite the supervision of soldiers and extremely tight guards at the city gate, there are still countless people in ragged clothes lining up to enter.
When entering the city, they were either empty-handed or carrying bundles of rice ears.
Those returning to the city were carrying farm tools, or pulling collected wild vegetables and horse feed.
On weekdays, there would always be soldiers on fast horses joining the shuttle team, running rampant and forcing their way out of the passage with whips and scabbards.
Facing such people, the people who were beaten could only consider themselves unlucky. These people were returning from patrol, or had military intelligence reports, and they were not someone they could afford to offend.
If you want to blame it, you can only blame yourself for your lack of eyesight. Why didn't you see it earlier and give way honestly?
The soldiers guarding the gate were not surprised at all. Whenever such a scene happened, they would burst into laughter. They would even say hello loudly when checking people's entry and exit certificates, hoping to get some information from the sentry knights.
Be a source of conversation.
After all, everyone has heard that not long ago, the newly appointed general Sun Ce led his troops to attack and won a series of victories. Now he went straight to Qu'a and defeated the "pseudo governor" Liu Yao.
Retired to Dantu.
The superiors would naturally smile with joy when hearing such victory reports on the battlefield, but for ordinary people and soldiers...
But on the contrary, he is afraid of the enemy's revenge.
In the past two months, there have been more rumors among the people, saying that Liu Yao was resentful and had mobilized his troops to retaliate.
Even if we haven't seen any movement so far, it still makes people feel panic-stricken.
Of course, when the guards asked questions, the sentries would hardly respond. No matter how loose Yuan Shu's military discipline was, there still had to be rules and regulations under his nose. Military orders in other places may be in vain, but they cannot be ignored here in Shouchun.
It's just child's play.
...
The same scene happened again.
With the rapid sound of horses' hooves, the guards looked up and saw several black spots approaching quickly in the distance.
Before the men and horses arrived, they knocked on the city gate first, shouting and shouting.
"There are other people waiting, get out of the way quickly!"
"You're a bastard, give me the way immediately!"
The doormen who were accustomed to seeing such scenes did not take it seriously. When they saw the person clearly, two or three familiar people even laughed and cursed:
"Liu, you come back to the city with such a big show, you think you are Liu Yao..."
Before they could finish speaking, the scout shouted again with a worried look on his face: "Hurry up and drive the people into the city, close the city gate immediately and lift the drawbridge!"
What's going on?
The guard's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously blurted out: "Could it be that Liu Jun is here?"
"It's not Liu Jun." The scout had just stepped across the overpass and gave a rare response: "The general's flag has the word "王" written on it. I don't know who he is. I have to report it to Zhou Mu as soon as possible."
As he said that, he picked up his riding crop and whipped the crowd in front of him several times. The defenders who realized the importance also raised their guns and helped push him to clear the way for him.
At this time, the people at the city gate also exploded.
When they heard that a large army was coming, they all rushed into the city regardless of which group they came from. They all rushed into the city to save their lives. There was a chaos and a huddle, and some timid women even ran while crying and shouting.
The gate guards had no time to inspect them and could not put them all into the city. They cut down three or four in a row before forcing them to change their way and be escorted into the city through other gates by the soldiers.
After a while, the city gate became quiet.
The suspension bridge was pulled up, the iron city gate was slowly closed, and the gatekeepers hurriedly rushed to set up defenses. After hearing the news, the captain who came also quickly climbed up the city tower and watched from a distance.
Not long after, a troop of military horses appeared in sight. The distance was too far, almost ten miles away, and the flags they carried could not be seen clearly. However, the number of people was approximate, no more than a few thousand.
When Shouchun was approaching, the song finally stopped.
...
After a while, a horseman separated from the army and galloped to the bottom of the city. He immediately raised his head and raised his sword and shouted: "The officer on the city has listened."
"I am under the command of General Wang, the governor of Xuzhou. My lord has led his army here. It is because of the invitation of Yangzhou Muxiang that he rushed here from Xuzhou. In order not to disturb the city, the army is now stationed ten miles away."
Xuzhou governor?
General Wang?
This nondescript title made people look confused. The captain thought about it for a long time, and he only realized it after hearing it before.
Is this the Yellow Turban bandit named Wang Zheng coming?
Although he was a bandit, he had made a lot of noise in Qingxu and Qingzhou in the past two years. The captain did not dare to neglect him and quickly shouted:
"But he is a subordinate of Wang Zhengwang, the governor?"
"Exactly." The knight replied: "I am Lieutenant Gu Jian of the Heavenly Army. My general said: To avoid misunderstanding, Yuanzhou's pastoral orders are not allowed and it is not advisable to act rashly. Therefore, the army is now camping outside the city and waiting. I have been specially sent to convey the message.
."
"If you don't believe it, please wait a moment. Yan Xiang, the chief of your army, will be here shortly!"
In such matters, Yan Xiang should have been the first to take action. However, as a scholar, he could not bear to travel long distances. In addition, the royal government was marching very fast. In the past few days, he could no longer support it, so he took a carriage and followed behind.
"Brother, someone has gone to report the news. You should go back and wait. I have the responsibility to defend the city. Without military orders, I cannot let you into the city at this time."
Gu Rong
Hearing this, Gu Jian snorted, but did not move away. He just turned his horse to one side.
Seeing this, the captain ignored him. There was only one person on the other side, so what could happen? He just paid attention to what was going on inside and outside.
After a while, a carriage slowly approached outside the city. At the same time, the sound of rapid hooves was heard in the city. The captain turned his head and saw a group of people approaching the city gate quickly.
When they got closer, the captain turned pale with fright, and trotted downstairs, muttering to himself.
To welcome a bandit, so many high officials came.
This is naturally due to his humble position and ignorance of the importance of the royal government today.
Looking at the strength on paper, it is indeed far behind Yuan Shu, the top prince, but after all, he is still a powerful man with three counties. Not to mention Yuan Shu, even any prince in the world would not dare to neglect him.
Although Yuan Shu did not personally greet him, in order to show his concern, the person sent to greet him naturally had to have status.
The first two cavalrymen, one is civil and the other is military.
The rider on the left is Yuan Shu's first counselor, Chief Shi Yang Hong.
As for the military commander, he is the highest-ranking military commander in Shouchun City today, Jiujiang County Lieutenant Ji Ling.
Both the inner and outer parties arrived at the city gate, and their identities were immediately recognized upon meeting each other. Ji Ling immediately ordered the city gate to be opened, lowered the drawbridge, and then led a dozen civil and military officials out of the city to greet him.
As a direct descendant of Yuan Shu's confidant, Yang Hong naturally knew exactly why Wang Zheng was invited to Yangzhou.
While secretly giving a thumbs up to Yan Xiang, he casually chatted with Gu Jian, riding his horse all the way to Wang Zhengjun.
Thousands of troops and horses were seen, and the baggage and baggage were listed for several miles. The soldiers were all in bright armor, with sharp spears, the troops were neat, and the military appearance was solemn. In front of the forest-like flags, there were about a dozen officers on horseback.
The man in the middle is wearing a crown of feathers and brocade armor. He has broad shoulders and a thick back. He has a sturdy build. Without even seeing his face clearly, he already gives the impression of a heroic figure.
Is this the Zhuzi?
Under the opponent's quill crown, the part hidden on the forehead was very long, covering most of his facial features. It was not until Yang Hong walked half a mile that the general made a light leap, leaped down from the horse, and at the same time strode towards him.
As the man approached, he took off his quill crown, revealing a very young face, full of high-spirited and vigorous expressions of the rising sun.
Even if he had known that Wang Zheng was young, Yang Hong couldn't help but be slightly surprised when he saw his true appearance.
Is it really inferior to the weak champion?
While thinking about it, he also dismounted and greeted him with a smile: "How dare you be in front of General Tiangong?"
"It's Zheng." Wang Zheng smiled and cupped his hands and said, "I wonder if your Excellency is..."
"This is the chief secretary Yang Hong." Yan Xiang introduced: "This is the county captain Ji Ling."
...
After some pleasantries, Yang Hong said with a smile: "Since I received Yan Xiang's letter, Zhou Mu originally wanted to send some troops and horses to meet him from afar, but he has been busy with chores these days, and he didn't expect the general to come so quickly. It would be rude of us."
As he said that, he cupped his hands.
"Serious words." Wang Zheng quickly returned the gift. He was doing this to make good friends. Even though Yang Hong was not as good as him, the other party now represented Yuan Shu. Naturally, Wang Zheng couldn't neglect him.
They were polite to each other, but Ji Ling on the other side was looking at the Heavenly Army's camp, and then asked as if unintentionally: "General Heavenly Lord, I wonder how many people have been brought here this time?"
"Looking at the layout of this camp, it seems that the number of people is less than 10,000?"
"Ji Junwei is indeed a famous general, and he is very good at detecting horses." Wang Zheng smiled and said: "I was in a hurry, and I only brought four thousand men and horses with me, which is indeed less than ten thousand, haha."
Four thousand people?
As soon as these words came out, except for Yan Xiang and Ji Ling who had known about this, Yang Hong and other officials beside him all frowned.
What is the use of this small number of people?
Yang Hong's face turned cold and he was about to speak when he saw Yan Xiang wink at the side and finally managed to suppress his dissatisfaction.
Today's Wang Zheng is different in strength compared to when they formed the alliance.
Although there is only one more county, a strong town like Taishan County can bring down the troops at one fell swoop. Yang Hong also knew what this meant. He forced out a smile and said: "It is rare for a general to have such intention.
By the way, Zhou Mu has already chosen a luxurious mansion and even held a banquet to cleanse you. Let's go into the city now."
"Okay." Wang Zheng nodded.
The two of them mounted their horses and returned to the city one after another. During this period, Ji Ling took the initiative to express his goodwill and asked if the Heavenly Army would be resettled in the city. Wang Zheng did not agree. He only said that he would bring a thousand Tianzhu battalions into the city together, and the rest of the Heavenly Army would go directly to the city.
Just set up camp here.
...
No matter what Yuan Shu's true intention was, at least the excuse for his trip was to rescue the emperor. Along the way, Wang Zheng also took the opportunity to find out the truth, so he asked: "By the way, Mr. Yang, I wonder if the situation in Chang'an is like this now, has the emperor ever
well?"
"The two thieves were constantly fighting. Not long ago, I heard that Guo Si had raised an army to attack Li Jue again. Li Jue was defeated and was wounded by a bow and arrow. Fortunately, he encountered the general Yang Feng who came to rescue him. After Guo Si retreated, Li Jue boldly attacked.
He actually robbed the emperor to his military camp, trapped him in a dock, and even had people guard the gate of the dock to isolate the inside and outside." Yang Hong sighed and said: "At the beginning of this month, he proclaimed himself the Grand Sima. Hey, it's really..."
He shook his head and said no more. He stopped talking and said in a deep voice, "Fortunately, General Tiangong is here now. If he works together with Zhou Mu, he will be able to save the emperor from danger!"
You don't really plan to go to Chang'an, do you?
Wang Zheng gave a quick laugh and quickly changed the subject: "I heard that now in Jiangdong, there is also a great enemy Liu Yao who is watching. If the state animal husbandry army is informed and is heading to Guanzhong, I don't know whether the rear will..."
In the original history, Liu Yao indeed involved a lot of Yuan Shu's energy and asked him to use the rat weapon.
In the winter of the second year of Xingping, Emperor Xian fled to the Yellow River alone. Yuan Shu once summoned all the officials to discuss it and said: "Now that the Liu family has declined and the country is in chaos, the four generations of our Yuan family have been important officials in the court, and the people are willing to submit to us.
I. I want to uphold God's will and comply with the people's will, and I will ascend the throne and proclaim myself emperor now. I wonder what your wishes are?"
When everyone was silent, only Yan Xiang, the chief registrar, tried to dissuade him: "In those days, the Zhou people, from their ancestor Houji to King Wen, accumulated virtues and merits, and they could be said to have two of the three-thirds of the world. However, they were still cautious about being the leader of the Yin-Shang Dynasty.
My Lord, although you have been a high official and well-paid for many years, I am afraid that you are not as prosperous as the Ji family; although the Han Dynasty is declining now, it seems that you cannot be compared with the cruel and unethical King Zhou of Yin!"
These reasonable and reasonable words actually did not dissuade Yuan Shu from thinking. What Yang Hong added later was the key.
Jiangdong has not yet been decided, this move is inappropriate!
The allusion is to Liu Yao.
In the second year of Jian'an (197), Liu Yao died of illness. Less than ten months later, Yuan Shu, who was overjoyed, proclaimed himself emperor in Shouchun, established the Zhong clan, established a public minister, and established temples in the northern and southern suburbs.
It can be said that with Liu Yao, a clan member of the Han Dynasty, and the governor of Yangzhou appointed by the imperial court, Yuan Shu had to be careful no matter which direction he wanted to open up territory.
He and Liu Yao were in Yangzhou together, just like Cao Cao and Lu Bu were hunting Yanzhou. It can be said that they were involved in each other, and neither of them had any external plans, and the situation was like a pool of stagnant water.
Therefore, in Wang Zheng's opinion, in addition to the two possibilities analyzed by Mi Heng that day, Yuan Shu invited him to Yangzhou with the idea of using external forces to defeat internal enemies.
If Wang Zheng is really good at fighting, able to fight, and willing to help, plus Sun Ce who is in Qu'a at the moment, it will be equivalent to a three-party attack on Liu Yao. Once this person is removed, Yuan Shu can completely relax and go all out to the outside world.
"Liu Yao has just been defeated by our general. At this time, the Dan disciples gathered together and dared not leave the city. They have fought so timidly. How dare they stroke the beard of a state herd tiger?" Glancing at Wang Zheng, Yang Hong said calmly: "But what can General Tiangong do?
This intention does not live up to the meaning of alliance, and my Lord will be pleased to hear it."
At this point, Yang Hong seemed to finally be able to bear it no longer, so he took the initiative to ask: "I heard that the general has tens of thousands of troops in Xuzhou, and Taishan County is a new troop source. Why are there only four thousand troops here this time?"
"The people of Taishan are martial in nature, and the bandits have not been cleared out. Now that we have gained a new one, we need a large number of generals to guard it." Wang Zheng didn't know whether he believed it or not, but he just said casually: "I'm not afraid that the chief will make fun of me. These four thousand troops have already been used by this general.
I tried my best and just managed to make it work.”
"General Tiangong is so powerful that he can wipe out a few thieves with just one blow. I'm too humble!"
Hearing this, Yang Hong's face twitched, he just laughed, suddenly accelerated his riding whip, and walked away.
Your character is not as good as Yan Xiang.
After looking thoughtfully at the retreating figure for a while, Wang Zheng smiled casually, looked around, raised his hands to Ji Ling and said: "Ji Junwei, it's hard to ask the state pastor to wait for a long time."
"How about we speed up the pace?"
"Okay!" Ji Ling's attitude was much better. Every time he faced Wang Zheng, he showed some inexplicable respect in his words and deeds, which made him slightly surprised.
Not long after, Ji Ling raised his riding whip, pointed forward and said with a smile: "General Tiangong, my hometown is here."
Wang Zheng looked around and saw white clouds and white dogs. Between the mountains and rivers, a city rose from the ground, majestic and majestic.