The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

The next day, Xun Zhen sent Sun Jian back.

The barracks of Xun Zhen and Sun Jian were connected, not far from each other. After seeing him off, Xun Zhen said goodbye and left.

Wu Jing, Zu Mao, Han Dang, and Cheng Pu brought Sun Jian back into the tent and asked him, "Sima went to Xun Ying yesterday and said he was going to invite Xun Jun to a banquet, but why didn't he return overnight?"

Sun Jian smiled and said, "It was a great conversation, I forgot about the alcohol!"

Wu Jing said: "Last night, the banquet was ready and I didn't see my sister-in-law come back. I went to Xun's camp and heard the words of the halberdist outside the tent of Xun-jun: My sister-in-law has already slept with Xun-jun."

Sun Jian nodded and said, "That's right. I slept with Zhenzhi last night, chatting and laughing for most of the night."

"Talking and laughing in the middle of the night?" The generals looked at each other.

Originally, he was going to invite Xun Zhen to a banquet, but when he arrived at Xun Zhen, he saw Xun Zhen, but he forgot to mention this.

Zu Mao said: "If Sima can forget the wine and chat with him at night, it seems that this Xunjun must be very personable."

Sun Jian said: "I was less of a county official, but I was later appointed to the middle of the county. Because of my little merit, I was crowned as a county magistrate. I have served in three counties. "

"Last night, Lord Xun rescued us and led more than 200 people across the river. He is indeed a courageous person, but listening to Sima, does he also have something special in his speech?"

"Zhenzhi's words are gentle and elegant, and he has the spirit of being a hero in his chest, and he is a member of my generation."

Earlier, after talking with Xun Zhen for three days and two nights in Xiangcheng, Li Xuan commented on Xun Zhen: "He is a middle-aged man, and his arrogance is too high. He acts mighty, his original intention is to be aggressive, but he is tolerant and magnanimous. He is modest and calm, and when we talk to him, although there are no strange words, he is honest with his heart, as if he has been friends in the past, which makes people forget tired and do not realize the passage of day and night.”

At that time, Li Xuan, like Sun Jian, also met Xun Zhen for the first time. There are similarities and differences in their evaluation of Xun Zhen.

The difference is: Li Xuan thought that Xun Zhen's academic quality was not deep, "he was a middle-aged man" and "talking to him, there was no strange words", while Sun Jian thought that Xun Zhen "talked elegantly", which was different from the two. People's backgrounds are different. Li Xuan was a son of a noble family, and his ancestors and fathers were both famous Confucian scholars, while Sun Jian was born in a poor family, and he did not read much and did not know much.

The same thing is: Li Xuan and Sun Jian both talked very speculatively with Xun Zhen. Li Xuan said: "Trust with one's heart, it's like an old friend in the past, making people forget tired, without realizing the passage of day and night." Sun Jian said: "It was a pleasure to talk, and I forgot about the wine." . Moreover, both of them felt that Xun Zhen's character was very good, one thought he was "tolerant, magnanimous, modest and calm", and the other thought he had "the air of a man of renown". "Generous and magnanimous, modest and steady" are the virtues of a gentleman, and "having the spirit of a valiant man" is the virtue pursued by a ranger. A gentleman and a ranger, these two seem to be contradictory, but they are not contradictory. Guo Jieshang, the hero of the former Han Dynasty, was so arrogant that he would retaliate against his anger, but at the same time, he also "returns grievances with virtue, giving generously but not looking forward", with both chivalrous spirit and gentleman's style. The reason why Li Xuan and Sun Jian think that Xun Zhen is "generous and magnanimous" and the other think that Xun Zhen "has a chivalrous spirit" is also because the two grew up in different environments and had different experiences when they grew up. The focus is also different. This is the so-called: "the benevolent see benevolence, and the wise see wisdom". Scholars looked at Xun Zhen in the same way, and chivalrous people looked at Xun Zhen in another way.

The reason why Xun Zhen has such a character is that it not only makes the scholars feel that he has a gentleman's style, but also makes the rangers feel that he has a chivalrous spirit. Like Li Xuan and Sun Jian, it is also related to his experience.

Not to mention the character of his previous life, but in this life, he lived in Gaoyang for more than ten years, and was influenced by the famous scholars and great scholars in the Xun clan, so he had the style of a gentleman, and he lived in Xixiang for a year or two. Xu Zhong, Jiang Qin, Liu Deng and other light chivalrous friends will inevitably be influenced by them, and they will carry some chivalrous spirit. In fact, it's not just him, but many children of famous clans in the world are like this, such as Yuan Shao, who "wins the crowd with heroism", such as Yuan Shu, "is less known for being chivalrous", and for example, he has a good relationship with Li Zan, the father of Li Xuan. Zhang Miao, one of the "eight chefs" of the party, is "less known as a chivalrous person". This is the style of the Han Dynasty. The Han style is simple and has pre-Qin relics. Confucian scholars may not only be able to read books. "Going out and entering the minister" can not only sit on the temple, but also perform sharp work, not only have the virtue of a gentleman, but also be a chivalrous person to kill.

In today's troubled world, only such people can stand out.

…

This morning, the sentry sent to Shushui came back to report that Bocai had returned to Kunyang, but he did not take away all his troops, but left behind about 5,000 cavalry, and stationed seven cavalry outside the city of Kunyang. A place in Bali, and sent out many sentries to cruise along the river.

The location of Bocai's army is very clever. It is seven or eight miles outside Kunyang City, which is equivalent to watching the river section for ten or twenty miles on the left and right sides. If Zhu Junruo crossed the river within this range, whether it was on the left or the right, it would take the infantry half an hour to reach it, and the cavalry less than two quarters of an hour.

"Bocai's troops are here, cutting off the possibility of our army crossing the river near Kunyang!"

Although Zhu Jun really wanted to cross the river, he was helpless in this situation. He could not cross the river at the risk of being "hit by half-crossing", but fortunately, according to the return of the horse exploration, Pocai led the main force to return to Kunyang. Instead of splitting up to fight Wuyang immediately, he seemed to be watching Zhu Jun's movements.

This creates a deadlock.

Zhu Jun could not cross the river, and Bo Cai did not divide his troops to fight Wuyang.

There are tens of thousands of horses and horses facing each other across the river.

Zhu Jun called everyone to meet for days, but there was nothing he could do.

Just at the stalemate, the stalemate was broken two days later.

Emergency report: Bo Cai personally took more than 20,000 people out of the city and headed towards Wuyang. He Man took the remaining Yellow Turbans, nearly 20,000 soldiers and 40,000 to 50,000 old and weak women and children to stay in Kunyang.

Bo Cai stayed in Kunyang for two days, and suddenly left the city, which was originally a strange thing, but after hearing the news, Zhu Jun and others were not surprised, because they all knew the reason: Huangfu Song had arrived.

Just before receiving the military report that Bo Cai led his troops out of the city to attack Wuyang, the messenger sent by Huangfu Song to contact Zhu Jun had just arrived in the camp: Huangfu Song led 30,000 troops into Yingchuan County.

Bo Cai and He Manding also learned of this information.

As soon as Huangfu Song arrived, the Han army would reach more than 40,000 cavalry. How many soldiers did the Yellow Turbans have in total? Forty to fifty thousand people. A small stream of water, forty to fifty thousand people, might be able to block Zhu Jun's more than ten thousand cavalry, but it was impossible to stop the more than 40,000 cavalry after they joined forces.

Once these 40,000 cavalrymen forcefully cross the river, Bocai and He Man will be in a dilemma: if they are the same as last time, they will send their main force to the river to stop them, because the number of soldiers on both sides is equal. It does not occupy the land, but it has excellent weapons, takes advantage of the equipment, and has a large number of cavalry. As long as the infantry fights to cross the river and the cavalry advances, the Yellow Turbans will be defeated. After the Han army crossed the river, they would come to encircle Kunyang. Just like Bocai's previous analysis, there was no reinforcement outside, and there was a shortage of food supplies. Kunyang was a dead city, and it could not be defended.

Faced with this dilemma, Bo Cai and He Man had no choice but to take the risk. They split their troops and went out of the city all the way to attack Wuyang. Fight for a lifeline. In order to defeat Wuyang as soon as possible, Bo Cai personally led the team this time, leaving He Man to guard Kunyang and block the Han army.

Although Zhu Jun and others were not surprised that Bo Cai left the city, Zhu Jun was very anxious about it.

He held another military meeting and called everyone to discuss it.

"Bo Cai has personally led more than 20,000 paces out of Kunyang at noon, and wants to attack Wuyang again. It is reported that the thieves he led are all strong and strong, and brought a lot of siege equipment. The day before yesterday, I sent messengers to sneak I went to Wuyang and came back last night. The news I brought back was not very good. Wuyang was attacked by Bo Cai and He Man for several days. , guests, and disciples, with the 2,000-odd people in the hasty army resisting the 20,000-strong Bocai, I am afraid it will be difficult to support for too long. General Huangfu has just entered Yingchuan, and when he arrives on the march, it will take three to say. Days later. In three days, Bocai will probably capture Wuyang. Gentlemen, we have to find a way to rescue Wuyang!"

Captain Wei of the Yueqi Battalion frowned and said, "There are 5,000 bandits on the other side of Shushui, and there are tens of thousands of bandits in Kunyang City. With Shushui and Kunyang blocking them, how can we save Wuyang?"

The five schools of the Northern Army are the elites of the imperial court and the emperor relies on them. The captains of the five schools are usually appointed by relatives or trusted ministers of the emperor. This Wei captain is a close minister of the emperor. "General" is equal to two thousand stone. Therefore, although this Wei Xiaowei's direct subordinates only have hundreds of knights from Yueqi Battalion, Zhu Jun has always been polite and respectful to him. After speaking, Zhu Jun said: "Having said that, you can't just sit back and watch Wuyang be in a hurry!"

Among the people in the tent, Xun Zhen had the lowest rank and sat at the bottom of the tent, facing the entrance of the tent.

Looking at his nose and mouth, he knelt upright on the seat and thought in his heart, "Speaking of which, it's all my fault. The reason why Zhu Jun is so embarrassed now is all because I have guarded Yang Zhai."

If it hadn't been for him defending Yangzhai, Bo Cai and He Man would have swept most of Yingchuan County by now and marched to the western and northern borders of Yingchuan. Instead of turning south, take Fucheng, go down to Kunyang, and hit Wuyang, in order to open the passage to Runan or Nanyang before Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song join forces.

For the Yingchuan Yellow Turbans, this was a strategic failure. According to Zhang Jiao's plan, they were supposed to cooperate with the Yellow Turbans in other directions to attack Luoyang after they had captured the whole county, but now they had to give up this plan due to Xun Zhen's interruption and moved south instead. For the Han army, the strategic failure of the Yingchuan Yellow Turbans was great, but it also added to their troubles. Otherwise, in the direct battle of Changsha, Bo Cai and He Man would have been wiped out. However, for the people of Yingchuan County, this is a good thing. Most of the counties did not suffer from the military chaos, and the people were kept safe.

All things have pros and cons, and a small turn in history can bring about many changes. Xun Zhen has been through more than ten years, and for the first time, history has changed because of him.

Although this change caused trouble for Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song, Xun Zhen did not regret it. He sympathized with the Yellow Turbans, as well as the civilians who were stricken by soldiers. He was able to save most of the counties in the county from the disaster. He was very happy and had a sense of accomplishment. He originally just wanted to save his life in troubled times, but now he has saved so many people! What a sense of achievement this is! It's not worth the many days of bloodshed in Yangzhai, life and death, it's worth the hard work of his forbearance for so many years. Although he has no one to say about this sense of accomplishment, he can only think about it, but this sense of satisfaction alone makes him feel good.

He hid his heart, knelt on the seat, and listened to Zhu Jun and the others as if he was listening.

Zhu Jun asked Prefect Wen, "Gong Wen, what's your best plan?"

Prefect Wen frowned, what could he do? Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, his life has not been as good as the day. After Zhu Jun came to Yingchuan, he briefly mentioned to him what the DPRK and the Central Committee had said about him. It can be concluded that after the turmoil was pacified, he would not be able to escape the guilt. He has been worrying about this all day long. Although he also followed Zhu Jun into battle, trying to make some contributions to reduce his guilt, he finally failed to make any contribution due to his lack of military talent. He shook his head listlessly, and said, "Guo Tu, the strategist in my county, is very resourceful. If he were here, he might be able to come up with a good plan. I have no good plan."

Xun Zhen said in his heart, "Prefect Wen really values ​​Guo Tu." It's no wonder that Guo Tu is good at observing words and expressions, and he can often say things that suit the Shangguan's mind at the meetings of the county court, and he is a person who can be liked by the Shangguan.

Zhu Jun was born in a poor family, with a resolute character. He looked down on the children of the gentry who were not very talented, and knew that the court would punish him after the war, and he didn't pay much attention to him, because he was the governor of Yingchuan County. Since he is a landlord, his rank is also higher than him, two thousand stone, so he has always been in a decent place. Asking him this is just polite. Then he asked Sun Jian, "Wentai, do you have a good plan?"

Sun Jian was not only brave and brave, but also resourceful. He could be regarded as a combination of wisdom and courage, but he had no good plan for this difficult situation. He has been thinking hard for the past two days, wondering if there is a way to cross the river. After thinking about it, he came up with half a solution. He said: "There is no good way to be firm, but I have figured out half a solution."

Zhu Jun became a little interested and said, "Oh? Let's hear it, what is the solution?"

"I firmly believe that since we can't force the crossing, why don't we just lure the Heman bandit soldiers who were staying in Kunyang with a plan? Lure them across the river? If we can lure them over, it would be easy for me to annihilate them in a field battle with tens of thousands of paces. After the thieves left behind, whether it is crossing the Shu River or chasing Bo Cai, our army can relax and take it easy."

Hearing this, Xun Zhen raised her head and looked at Sun Jian. He has not been idle for the past two days, and he has been thinking about the map all day, and discussed with Xi Zhicai, Xuan Kang and others, and finally came to the conclusion that there is only one feasible solution at the moment. This strategy is what Sun Jian called "to lure the enemy to cross the river". But how to lure the enemy? Everyone has been unable to think of a way.

Hearing that Sun Jian also proposed this strategy at this time, Xun Zhen unconsciously concentrated and listened to him as he continued to see how he could lure the enemy over.

Zhu Jun was overjoyed and said, "A good strategy! Just how can we lure the thieves here?" He asked Sun Jian, "The plan will come out?"

Sun Jian said, "Jian also doesn't know."

Zhu Jun was stunned and said, "You don't know?"

"So, Jian Cai said Jian only came up with half a plan."

The plan is good, but I don't know how to implement it. Sun Jian said this as if he didn't say anything.

That is him, dare to speak out, not afraid of people laughing at ridicule, this is the "half-scheme" of "talking about" him in front of everyone.

Xun Zhen smiled slightly, and everyone in the tent was greatly disappointed.

Discussions come and go, and when it gets dark, there is still no way out.

As a last resort, Zhu Jun had no choice but to decide: wait for Huangfu Song to come.

Back at the base camp and into the tent, the candles have risen, Xi Zhicai and Xuan Kang are sitting opposite each other, playing chess on the table.

Seeing Xun Zhen coming in, Xi Zhicai smiled and said, "Zhenzhi, although the play you're doing is born out of a Bo play, it's far more fun than a Bo play!"

Xuankang frowned and thought hard, staring at the chessboard, holding a piece on the chessboard.

Xun Zhen approached, leaned over and glanced at the chess game, Xuan Kang was about to lose. He smiled and asked, "Uncle Ye, how many games have you lost?"

Xi Zhicai is extremely smart, and Xuan Kang has almost never won a game against him. Xuankang replied with a bitter face: "We lost two games in a row."

Xi Zhicai stretched out his hand to disrupt the chess game, grabbed the pieces from Xuan Kang's hand, and threw them onto the chaotic chessboard. He said with a smile, "This game is considered a tie!" Ask Xun Zhen, "How is the military meeting?"

"Empress Zhu wanted to save Wuyang, to stop Bocai and He Man from going south to join forces with the thieves in Nanyang or Runan. However, after discussing for a long time, there was nothing that could be done." , replied.

Xi Zhicai rejoiced and said, "Emperor Zhu also knows soldiers, how could they not know that even if we don't cross the river and save Wuyang, it will be difficult for Bo Cai and He Man to go south?"

Xuankang's mind was still on the chess game just now, he packed the chessboard glumly, and asked casually, "Why?"

"With more than 10,000 troopers of us stationed here, isn't He Man afraid of our tails chasing him?"

Xuankang was stunned, UU reading www.uukanshu.com immediately woke up and said: "Yes! With me riding tens of thousands of paces across the river, how dare He Man lead his troops out of the city? If he leaves the city, our army can follow Hit it." He asked suspiciously, "So, even if Bo Cai captured Wuyang, He Man would not be able to leave. If He Man couldn't leave, then even if Bo Cai led his army to Nanyang or Runan alone, he would at most give The Yellow Turbans in Nanyang or Runan have an extra 10,000 or 20,000 troops, which has little impact on the overall situation.... If that is the case, why is Duke Zhu eager to cross the river and save Wuyang?

"Just fighting for merit." Xi Zhicai broke the secret in one sentence.

Zhu Jun is a child of a poor family. Compared with the nobility, his career is not easy. Of course, he doesn't want to miss any opportunity to make contributions. Xuankang was also a child of a poor family, but he was young and not very scheming. He didn't think of it for a while. Hearing Xi Zhicai's words, he was stunned. He turned to look at Xun Zhen as if he was sure, and asked in disbelief. : "After working for a long time, the Japanese military discussed that it turned out that Duke Zhu was fighting for merit?"

Xun Zhen smiled and said nothing.

Xi Zhicai was right, Zhu Jun was in a hurry to cross the river obviously for the sake of merit. He believed that not only he and Xi Zhi saw this, but most of the people who participated in the military discussions in the past two days must have also seen it. It's just that these words can't be said in front of Zhu Jun, so everyone is pretending to be confused.

Xuankang asked, "Since we don't have to rush across the river, what should we do now is the best way?"

Xi Zhicai replied: "If you attack quickly, you will lose if you are slow, but you will win. He Man and tens of thousands of thieves stayed behind in Kunyang and crossed the urgent attack. , my two armies joined forces, and with the momentum of Taishan pressing the top, first crossing the river, then attacking Kunyang, and attacking Bocai again, this is the best policy."