Zhang Rao has an average appearance and average talents. There are thousands of such people in the Han Dynasty, countless, but he is one of the few direct disciples of the great virtuous teacher Zhang Jiao, and the reason why he is regarded differently by Zhang Jiao is because he is He has incomparable enthusiasm and loyalty, enthusiasm for the Tao of Taiping, and loyalty to the great sage and mentor.
Not long after the Yellow Turban raised the flag, Zhang Jiao fell seriously ill. For the sake of Taiping Dao, he ordered Zhang Liang to lead him. Zhang Bao ran away in anger, and Taiping Dao was on the verge of collapse. Zhang Rao, as Zhang Jiao's disciple, naturally supported his master's decision and followed him unswervingly. Zhang Liang.
However, the battle of Guangzong was too tragic. Taipingdao failed to withstand the crazy attack of the Han army. The leader Zhang Liang died in the battle, Zhang Bo died in the battle, Chen Ling died in the battle, Zhang Gui died in the battle, Zhang Kai died in the battle... Maybe it was mediocre talent. Not being reused, Zhang Rao was lucky enough to survive on the battlefield. Later, he jumped into the Qingshui River with the defeated army and survived again.
The Taiping Road failed. Zhang Rao was depressed for a while, but soon cheered up. He believed that his repeated immortality was due to his master's protection. He vowed to inherit his master's last wish and establish a true Tianping Heavenly Kingdom.
Zhang Rao lurked in Qinghe and Bohai, patiently waiting for an opportunity. Three years later, in the fourth year of Zhongping (187 AD), Zhang Chun, the prime minister of Zhongshan, Zhang Ju, the prefect of Taishan, and Qiu Liju, the Wuhuan master, rebelled and declared themselves The emperor went south to Jizhou the next year. Zhang Rao took the opportunity to rise and relied on his status as a disciple of Zhang Jiao to gather a crowd of 200,000 in just one year.
In the sixth year of Zhongping (AD 189), the situation in Jizhou became increasingly severe. Knowing that Jizhou was unstoppable, Zhang Rao crossed the river and entered Qingzhou, defeating the two kingdoms of Pingyuan and Le'an. In the early spring of the next year, he marched into Beihai and defeated Beihaixiang Kongrong. At that time, Qingzhou The governor Jiao He Zhengyu led his troops to the Jujube Alliance to attack Dong Zhuo. Zhang Rao detoured from the North Sea to the back of Jiao He's army. He fought three battles and won three victories, killing tens of thousands of prisoners. Jiao He led the remaining army to retreat to Linyi of Qi State.
During the year of siege of Linlin, Zhang Rao was not idle and began to conquer the surrounding areas. To the south of Qi State was the Langye Kingdom of Xuzhou and Taishan County of Yanzhou. They could not move for the time being, but they were surrounded by Beihai in the east, Le'an in the north, and Jinan in the west. is his goal. So far, except for the four prefectures and a few limited cities, almost all of them are owned by Taiping Dao.
Sima Ju, who presides over the Taiping Road in Jinan, has recently sent his army westward and invaded the plains...
Qingzhou, Pingyuan County, Gaotang County.
Qi (Qingzhou) is the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, and is known as a land of etiquette. Gaotang is the capital of Qi, and it is rich, of course. In the streets and alleys, there are many elegant scholar-bureaucrats in loose clothes and big sleeves. Although they are traffickers and lackeys, they also know how to behave. Understand etiquette.
However, in the past few days, the bustling streets and alleys of Gaotang have been wiped out and become extremely deserted. Every household has its doors closed. From time to time, groups of soldiers with well-equipped or simple equipment rush through the messy and dirty streets, leaving behind a sky full of of dust.
"Dong dong dong dong..."
"Kill - kill - kill -"
In the east of Gaotang City, on the barren land, tens of thousands of people rushed towards the city with weapons and farm tools. Without exception, these people tied yellow scarves on their heads and formed a sea, like a yellow ocean. They stepped across the land filled with land. The moat, stepped on the hundreds of ladders lined up along the city wall, and climbed up quickly. Even if people kept howling and falling at the top of the city, there would not be even a trace of hesitation in their movements, General Xu He said Now, break Gaotang, everything in the city belongs to them.
The sound of war drums, shouts of death, fighting, and screams echoed up and down the city walls.
Lei Tong no longer knows how long he has been fighting on the top of the city. It was not three hours but two hours. It was too long and he was too lazy to calculate. He barely got a moment to rest. He mechanically raised his arms, drew out spears, killed people, or...
He was chopped down. If the weapons of the Yellow Turban Army were not too crude, he would have died eight hundred times.
Lei Tong killed another person, staggered back a few steps, his chest undulated violently, as if it was about to explode, and the Yellow Turban Army, which was as numerous as ants, did not give him time to breathe, and swarmed him.
"Kill..." Lei Tong gritted his teeth and roared. He stabbed a yellow turban thief in the belly with a short spear, then kicked the opponent away with a flying kick. The spearhead turned and penetrated the person's neck. Blood spattered and covered his face.
Before he could draw out his short spear, an iron adze (axe) came through the air and hit Lei Tong's head.
Even though he was wearing an iron bag weighing more than ten kilograms, he couldn't withstand the blow. Lei Tong fell backward crookedly. The soldiers holding the adze and yellow scarves chased him up with a ferocious smile, struck him hard on the chest, and held him captive.
Nailed to the ground.
Lei Tong lay on his back on the ground, bleeding from his mouth and nose, and his eyes were dull. He had climbed up from the ground countless times, but this time, he might not be able to do it.
The yellow scarf soldier showed a victorious smile and raised his adze to chop hard. This time, he aimed at the throat. This man was a warrior of the Gaotang Army. In the past few days, more than a hundred people have died in his hands. Kill him.
You will definitely get a heavy reward from the general...
Thunder Copper Shense watched calmly as Adze Feng was getting closer and closer, about to fall on his fragile throat. It was not that he was not afraid of death, but that he no longer had the strength to even make an expression. Thunder Copper slowly closed his eyes, feeling in his heart
Said: "Brother, I will take the first step..."
"Bang..." A muffled sound was heard in Lei Tong's ears, followed by a series of fierce fighting sounds. During this period, a sonorous and powerful voice sounded: "Hey, Meng Yang, get up quickly if you're not dead. I can't stop you."
Living."
Lei Tong opened his eyes and saw an eight-foot-long figure with a back as steady as a mountain. He had a majestic torso, dark skin, thick hair and thick eyebrows, eyes like hanging beads, and two large handbags like cattail fans with two four-foot handles.
Yu Changdao's sword skills were wide open and closed, vertical and horizontal without any stagnation, and he actually suppressed the Yellow Turban thief who was as unstoppable as the tide. This kind of force was truly shocking.
"Thank you, Yide, I owe you my life again." Lei Tong lay on the ground for a moment, regained his strength, and managed to stand up, not wanting his feet to weaken and fall to the ground again.
"You dare to stay here if you don't have the strength, haven't you noticed that your village (hundred people) has been wiped out again?"
"..." Lei Tong smiled bitterly, he really didn't notice it. As for why the other party said, this is the fifth village he has brought in a few days.
Facing four or five swords flying towards him rapidly, Zhang Fei crossed his swords in front of him, and then suddenly exerted force. Several yellow scarf soldiers flew backwards, overwhelming them. Zhang Fei took the opportunity to retreat to Lei Tong and held his arm.
Pulling him up, they fought and retreated until they returned to their own position. The two of them passed through layers of people and arrived under a big flag.
There is a person standing under the banner. He is more than thirty years old, seven feet and five inches tall, with a rough face and long ears and ape-like arms. He is Liu Bei, the magistrate of Gaotang County. He fled to the capital two years ago.
Under Guanqiu Yi's command, he went to Danyang to recruit troops and was promoted to Gaotang Wei. Later, he served in the resistance against the Yellow Turbans and was moved to the rank of Ling. Unexpectedly, before Qianshi County Magistrate took the position of hot, he encountered the Yellow Turban thieves attacking Pingyuan in a large scale. This was not
What used to be small fights turned out to be tens of thousands of people. Ten counties were governed by Pingyuan, and there were three south of the Yellow River. Zhu'a, Luoyin fell in an instant, and only his Gaotang was still struggling to hold on.
Liu Bei strode forward, put his arm around Lei Tong's shoulders, and said with lingering fear: "It'll be good to come back, be friendly when you come back..."
Lei Tongqiang smiled and said, "I've made my eldest brother worried."
Jian Yong came from behind and advised Liu Bei: "Now Jiao Shijun is trapped in Linyi, and there are no reinforcements in the plains. Gaotang cannot be defended by just two or three thousand of us. The city will be destroyed in three to five days."
, Brother should have made plans early."
"..." Liu Bei was speechless. How could he not know what Jian Yong said, but after six or seven years of hard work, he finally climbed to the rank of Qianshi County Magistrate, and still had the same name as Gaotang... He was not willing to accept it.
Seeing that Liu Bei refused to express his position, Jian Yong advised him again: "Today is a chaotic situation, and the strong will be the hero. With the ability of the eldest brother and the help of the brothers, you can get ahead wherever you go."
Zhang Fei murmured in a low voice: "More than thirty old brothers, six died in this battle..."
When Liu Bei heard what he heard, he felt severe pain in his heart, his cheeks twitched, and he sighed: "When I left Zhuoxian, I told my brothers that we will all enjoy great wealth in the future. However, over the past few years, hundreds of brothers have died one after another.
, now the number is less than thirty..."
"Brother..." Lei Tong called urgently.
Jian Yong glared at Zhang Fei fiercely, blaming him for not opening any pot.
Zhang Fei slashed the ground with his knife and said: "Brother is determined to defend Gaotang. I have no objections. I will fight for my life."
Liu Bei shook his head and said: "Xianhe is right, Gaotang cannot be defended. My brothers and I will be able to make a living wherever we go. I tell everyone to prepare and break out tonight."
Jian Yong breathed a sigh of relief, while Zhang Fei grinned and said happily: "Brother, you should have been like this. Where are you going?"
"..." Liu Bei said nothing and looked north.
Jian Yong said: "Go back to Hebei?"
"Yes. Go to Bohai..."
Before sunset, the east and north of the city were in emergency one after another, forcing Liu Bei to go into battle in person to stabilize the situation. The Yellow Turban Army's offensive gradually weakened until they completely withdrew from the city, reorganized their formation, and then retreated back to the camp in a slightly chaotic manner.
Liu Bei stood at the top of the city, cursed the mob, and began to plan a night breakout.
Gaotang is a large county, with more than 20,000 households and a population of more than 100,000 at its peak. Although it has suffered from wars, it still has 10,000 households, which is more than the population of a border county. Liu Bei was the Yellow Turban and conscripted 4,000 troops. Now there are still
He planned to take away a thousand people. If he took all of them away, there would be too much noise, and they might be discovered by the tribes of the Gaotang clan who were helping to defend the city before leaving the city.
Liu Bei was quickly awakened by the wave of cheers. When he focused his eyes, he saw the Yellow Turban Army leaving and returning. At first, their shouts were very noisy and could not be heard clearly, but then they gradually became clearer. Liu Bei's face changed drastically.
What they shouted was "Jiao He is dead, Linshan has fallen.".
The city was rioted one after another. Although Jiao He was incompetent and unpopular, he was the leader of a state after all. As long as he did not die, Qingzhou would not be considered a fall even if it was weak. Now that Jiao He has been defeated, the new governor must be at least several
The month will come, and by then, I'm afraid Qingzhou will be completely owned by the Yellow Turban thieves.
Liu Bei asked with a serious face: "Xianhe, do you think the words of the moth thief are true or false?"
Jian Yong whispered: "Whether it is true or false, this matter has nothing to do with us. Brother, before the moth thieves have completed the encirclement, break through and leave quickly, otherwise it will be too late."
Liu Bei gritted his teeth and said: "Let's go, tell the brothers to go through the north gate." After that, he hurriedly went down the tower. As soon as they left, there was an even greater chaos. Liu Bei had no time to pay attention to this, so he quickly saddled up and galloped to the north gate.
The order was given to lower the gate. The tribes of the Gaotang clan refused to accept the order. With their roots and families here, they could not break out and could only choose to defend to the end.
Zhang Fei was furious, raised spears and swords, and rushed to the top of the city with more than 20 brothers, killing all the soldiers and successfully opening the city gate.
Liu Bei rode out of the city, looked past everyone, took one last look at Gaotang County, where he had stayed for more than a year, and resolutely rushed towards the oncoming yellow wave.
Most of the Yellow Turban thieves were a mob. Liu Bei's twenty-nine cavalry broke into their formation, and when they came out, there were also twenty-nine cavalry, and no one was killed. Of course, there was also a sign that the Yellow Turban army was eager to enter Gaotang to plunder, and did not bother to cause trouble for Liu Bei.
When Liu Bei and his party arrived at the Yellow River, more than 500 soldiers from Gaotang County came to join them one after another. They then crossed the Yellow River and entered Pingyuan County in Pingyuan State. Liu Bei was unable to enter the city, so he headed northeast, far away from Pingyuan County, in order to avoid being killed.
Gongsun Zan took advantage of him, and on the way to the Bohai Sea, he plundered thousands of hungry people from Pingchang, Banxian and Leling areas in the west. He trained them slightly and pretended to be soldiers.
Nanpi, the seat of Bohai County, is to the west of the Bohai Sea, bordering Hejian Kingdom to the west and Anping Kingdom to the southwest. If the three places are compared to an irregular square, Nanpi is just slightly below the center and can better radiate the three areas.
Land. As the relationship with Yuan Shao becomes increasingly tense, Gongsun Zan recently moved to Nanpi. Compared to Hejian, which is slightly remote, and Anping, which is easily besieged by Yuan Shao from all sides, Nanpi in Bohai County is in a good location and has enough people.
Depth...
Gongsun Zan not only paid attention to his destined enemy Yuan Shao, but also paid attention to the south of the Yellow River. Through his general Fan Fang who was at Yuan Shu's place, he knew all the details of the battle in Yuzhou. Sun Jian stopped in Lu and did not advance. He and Yuan Shu
He was also disappointed. The reason why he formed an alliance with Yuan Shu in the first place was to borrow the power of Yuan and Sun. It seems that he will not be able to count on it for a while.
Gongsun Zan was very happy about Liu Bei's arrival. He heard that this young follower whom he had known since his study tour had not been doing well in recent years, so he immediately expressed his superiority to the Sima of the Thousand Stone Division. Don't underestimate a mere Sima.
We know that generals like Tian Kai, Zou Dan, Fan Fang, and Wang Men who have been following them for several years are nothing more than lieutenants. And other commanders can stand alone and form an army of their own.
After learning from Liu Bei that Qingzhou governor Jiao He had been defeated and Linyi had fallen, Gongsun Zan thought for a long time, and then sent someone to Qingzhou to investigate the news. Within a few days, the information came back, which was somewhat different from what Liu Bei said. Linyi had not fallen.
But Jiao He is indeed dead.
Gongsun Zan was immediately overjoyed and told Lin that he didn't care about him. He only cared about Jiao He. Upon hearing of his death, he immediately appointed Tian Kai as the governor of Qingzhou, assisted by Liu Bei, the commander of another department. He led 10,000 troops south to the plains, and the plain countries fled to Hebei.
The seven counties looked at the wind and surrendered. The right wing of the Qinghe Kingdom was exposed to Gongsun Zan's army.
At the same time, Gongsun Zan himself sent 30,000 infantry and cavalry to build a county in the southwest of the Bohai Sea, threatening Qinghe from the northeast.
Yuan Shao also sent 50,000 troops out of Yecheng and stationed in Qinghe State.