At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 156 Wentai's assassination history, Bird captures Sun Ce
Lujiang County, Shu County.

On the official road, more than a hundred chariots and horses swaggered through the market, and the leaders were Zhou Hui from the Lujiang Zhou family and his younger brother Zhou Guang.

Zhou Hui once served as the magistrate of Luoyang. After he resigned and returned to his hometown, he and his younger brother Zhou Guang were good guests. They dominated the Jianghuai area, with more than a hundred vehicles coming and going frequently, and they were very majestic.

The two are the grandsons of Shang Shuling Zhou Jing, the sons of Da Si Nong Zhou Zhong, and Zhou Yu's elder brother.

Members of the Zhou family have been serving as high-ranking officials in the imperial court for generations. The family is extremely prominent, and heroes from the Jianghuai area are vying to rely on them.

At that time, Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, and the situation in the court was chaotic. The father of the two held the position of Jiuqing in Luoyang. Zhou Hui was worried about his father's safety, so he and his younger brother Zhou Guang brought more than a thousand private soldiers to visit Luoyang. His own father.

Zhou Hui knew that it was a time of great changes in the imperial court, so he still wanted to get an official position in Luoyang.

More than a thousand guests and private soldiers swaggered through the city, and the officials along the way knew Zhou Hui was coming, and they all greeted him warmly. Even the thieves did not dare to loot, which shows the prominence of the Zhou family in Lujiang.

However, before Zhou Hui and others arrived in Luoyang, Dong Zhuo had already changed from Sikong to Taiwei, and also led the former general.

In order to please the scholars, Chen Fan, Dou Wu and others who were previously identified as traitors, as well as many party members who were arrested and killed in the second party prison disaster, were all rehabilitated and pardoned.

Dong Zhuo not only restored the titles of Chen Fan and Dou Wu, but also greatly promoted their descendants.

Besides.

Dong Zhuo also recruited a large number of scholars as officials. Han Fu, Liu Dai, Kong Ni, Zhang Zi, Kong Rong, Ying Shao, Zhang Miao, Yuan Shao, Wang Kuang, and Bao Xin were all appointed as prefects.

For a time, the power of scholars expanded unprecedentedly, and Dong Zhuo also got the support of some scholars.

Because of Zhou Qi, Dong Zhuo did not depose the emperor, so his reputation was much better than in the original history.

Dong Zhuo, who had mastered the military power and the soldiers, began to gradually reveal his ferocious and greedy nature, and his Liangzhou Qianghu soldiers also began to become restless.

Dong Zhuo not only robbed the imperial tombs, but also sent troops to rob wealthy households in Luoyang, indulged his subordinates in looting property, and raped women. Luoyang, which had gradually settled down because of his efforts to rehabilitate the party members, was once again plunged into turmoil.

Seeing that the ministers of the court dared to be angry but did not speak out, Dong Zhuo began to become more and more reckless.

He paid homage to the Prime Minister, entered the court without hesitation, went to the palace with swords and shoes, and his power was at the height of his power. He had already begun to feel dissatisfied with the noisiness of those scholar-bureaucrats.

In order to frighten the scholars, Dong Zhuo found an excuse and beat Yushi Chaolongzong to death. He even killed Queen Mother He's mother, Lord Wuyang. In the middle, no one is allowed to restrain himself.

You know, Liu Bian is still the emperor today, and Dong Zhuo dares to be unscrupulous, which is simply appalling.

At the same time, Cao Cao, who escaped from Luoyang, dispersed his wealth in Chenliu, raised an army, and called on the princes of the world to attack Dong Zhuo.

Qiao Mao, the prefect of Dongjun, fraudulently sent a letter to Yizhou County, saying that Dong Zhuo was evil, the emperor was in danger, and he hoped for righteous soldiers to relieve the country's calamity. The princes from all over the country responded one after another.

After Dong Zhuo knew about this, he couldn't help being furious.

What made Dong Zhuo even more angry was that most of the princes who criticized him were conferred by himself.

Dong Zhuo thought that he was being played by the scholars, and his favorable impression of the scholars immediately dropped.

Coincidentally, Zhou Hui and his two brothers led more than a thousand private soldiers to Luoyang in a ostentatious manner. When Dong Zhuo heard the news, he was furious and cursed: "Zhou Hui, how dare you lead troops into Luoyang without an edict?"

Dong Zhuo then ordered someone to intercept and kill Zhou Hui in the middle of the road. His brothers, the two of them, and his private soldiers were all killed.

Luoyang, Zhou Mansion.

Zhou Yu, who was fourteen or fifteen years old, couldn't help but turn pale with shock when he learned that his cousins ​​had been intercepted and killed by Dong Zhuo's troops.

He hurriedly came to find his father Zhou Yi.

At this time, Zhou Yi was succeeding Zhou Hui as Luoyang Commander, and when he learned that his two nephews had been intercepted and killed by Dong Zhuo, his heart sank.

"Now that the feudal lords want to raise troops against Dong, Dong Zhuo is angry. How could brothers Zhou Hui and Zhou Guang be so ostentatious and lead so many private soldiers to Luoyang?"

"You should tell your brother about this as soon as possible!"

Zhou Yu said: "I have written a letter to my uncle, and I expect that my uncle already knows about this."

"I'm going to challenge Dong today. Dong Zhuo killed two more cousins. He will definitely be wary of me, the Zhou family. If I don't leave as soon as possible, something unexpected will happen to me."

"For the current plan, my father should leave Luoyang overnight and return to Lujiang."

When Zhou Yi heard the words, he just pondered for a while, then nodded and said: "My son's words are right, Luoyang is a place of right and wrong, so you can't stay for a long time."

"But I'm worried about your uncle and need to write a letter to persuade him to leave as soon as possible."

But Zhou Yu shook his head and said, "Uncle is one of the nine ministers. Dong Zhuo didn't dare to do anything to him. It's hard for us father and son."

"Given my uncle's character, how could he leave Luoyang after knowing that his two cousins ​​were killed by Dong Zhuo?"

Thinking of his cousin's doting on his two nephews, Zhou Yi finally sighed and said, "So, let's pack up and leave Luoyang overnight."

When Zhou Yi, Zhou Yu and his son were rushing back to their hometown in Lujiang, they heard the news that Sun Jian, the prefect of Changsha, also responded to Qiao Xuan's call and led his troops to the north.

When Zhou Yi heard about this, he couldn't help but sigh: "The world is in chaos!"

Zhou Yu frowned, and said: "On normal days, my Zhou family is a prominent family in Lujiang, and the scholars set an example. No one dares to do anything to the Zhou family."

"However, in the chaotic world, rituals are broken and music is broken. If you don't have military power in your hands, and you don't attach yourself to the strong, sooner or later the family will be wiped out."

"The encounter between two cousins ​​is proof."

Zhou Yu's words are not wrong.

The reason why Zhou Hui and Zhou Guang dared to make such a publicity was because of the prestige of the Lujiang Zhou family. Even if they usually acted a little presumptuously, no one would criticize them, and no one would dare to send troops to intercept and kill the two brothers.

But now, Dong Zhuo did not care at all about the influence of the Zhou family in Lujiang among the scholars, and directly treated the two brothers Zhou Hui and Zhou Guang as chickens and killed them to the monkeys in the court.

Dong Zhuo wanted to use this as a warning to the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty and the aristocratic families, not to push them into a hurry, otherwise he would definitely not hesitate to raise the butcher knife in his hand.

Weird only.

The two brothers Zhou Hui and Zhou Guang were used to being public, which is why they ended up like this.

The death of the two brothers also sounded the alarm for Zhou Yu and even the entire Lujiang Zhou family, letting them know that the times have long since changed.

Knowing that his son was young and intelligent, Zhou Yisu immediately asked, "In your opinion, what should the Zhou family do in the future?"

Zhou Yu pondered for a while, and said: "Sun Wentai, the prefect of Changsha, was born in Wu County. He was famous in Jiangdong when he was young. He likes to make friends with heroes all over the world. He has made great achievements in the South and North wars these years. Now he is raising troops in Changsha to attack Dong Zhuo."

"This person is definitely not something in the pool. If it were the same as before, after I return to Lujiang, I will definitely go to visit his son and grandson in person and make friends with him."

"If the Sun family does something in troubled times, the Lujiang Zhou family should do everything possible to help them; if things cannot be done, it will not be too late to find another wise master."

"In this way, we can not only find support in the troubled times, but also allow our Lujiang Zhou Clan to prosper forever."

Having said this, Zhou Yu paused for a while, then his eyes showed an inexplicable look, and he said with a slightly passionate tone: "However, ever since General Chaoqi was named Yangzhou Mu and led his troops into Shouchun, things have been very different."

"General Chariot and Cavalry was born in the Zhou family of Pei State. He is of the same clan as our Zhou family in Lujiang. He first arrived in Yangzhou and was in urgent need of help from the Yangzhou clan."

"If our Lujiang Zhou family is united, we will definitely be reused, and the Zhou family may embark on an unprecedented path!"

Zhou Yu looked at his father with burning eyes, and said, "My son thought that after returning to Lujiang, my father should go to Shouchun to pay a visit to General Cheqi in person."

When Zhou Yi heard this, he couldn't help but sigh: "Given time, my son's achievements may surpass those of his ancestors!"

If Zhou Qi did not appear, according to the original historical trajectory, Zhou Yu would indeed go to Shouchun to visit Sun Ce in person in order to find a backer for the Lujiang Zhou family.

Both teenagers have great ambitions and share a common topic.

Therefore, Sun Ce moved to Zhou Yu's hometown Shu County with his mother and younger brother, lived in Zhou Yu's home, and was often supported by Zhou's family.

It was with the full support of the Lujiang Zhou family that Sun Ce was able to build such a large family business in Jiangdong with more than 1000 Sun Jian's old troops and dozens of war horses.

Now that Zhou Qi, a chariot general who has suddenly emerged from the army, and has a close relationship with the Lujiang Zhou family, Zhou Yu will naturally not go to great lengths to make friends with Sun Ce and find a way out for the Lujiang Zhou family.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

However, it is said that the governor of Changsha and the Marquis of Wucheng, Sun Jian and Sun Wentai, responded to the call of Qiao Mao, the governor of Dongjun, and raised troops to go north, preparing to join forces with the princes to attack Dong Zhuo.

Previously, Sun Jian and Wang Rui, the governor of Jingzhou, led troops to quell the Lingling and Guiyang rebellions.

Wang Rui had conflicts with Sun Jian because of his low background and rough behavior, and often spoke contemptuously about him, and the two became enmity.

In addition, Wang Rui, the governor of Jingzhou, was also at odds with Cao Yin, the prefect of Wuling.

Wang Rui planned to participate in the campaign against Dong Lianjun, and was worried that Cao Yin, the prefect of Wuling, would be behind the scenes, so he planned to kill Cao Yin first to avoid future troubles.

After Cao Yin learned of this, he couldn't help being frightened.

He remembered that there was a rift between Wang Rui and Sun Jian, so he thought of a plan to drive away the wolf and swallow the tiger. He forged a message from the court envoy, listed Wang Rui's crimes, and instigated Sun Jian and Wang Rui to fight.

Sun Jian had resented Wang Rui for a long time, so he led his troops to attack Wang Rui, forcing Wang Rui, the governor of Jingzhou, to be desperate and committed suicide by swallowing gold.

After Wang Rui, the governor of Jingzhou, was forced to death, Sun Jian continued to lead his troops northward, and when he arrived in Nanyang, Sun Jian had gathered tens of thousands of people under his command to ask Nanyang prefect Zhang Zi for military supplies.

Zhang Zi refused to give the army food, but Sun Jian took it and beheaded it.

At this point, Nanyang was terrified, but Sun Jian asked for something, and none of the county officials dared not refuse.

Yangzhou, Jiujiang County, Shouchun, State Mufu.

Although Zhou Qi has arrived in Shouchun, he has not really mastered the counties in Yangzhou. He just established a firm foothold in Jiujiang and waited for the arrival of the Xu family and the Peiguo Zhou family.

Before Zhou Qi waited for the two clans to migrate, he learned the news that Wang Rui, governor of Jingzhou, and Zhang Zi, governor of Nanyang County, had been killed by Sun Jian.

After Zhou Qi heard the news, he was greatly shocked, and hurriedly summoned all his subordinates to the state pastoral mansion to discuss matters.

"Sun Jian fabricated the charges and killed the governor of Jingzhou and the governor of Nanyang without authorization. What do you think about this?"

Everyone, including Xi Zhicai, was greatly shocked by this incident.

The Inspector of Jingzhou and the Sheriff of Nanyang County were both high-ranking officials of two thousand shi, but Sun Jian dared to fabricate charges and kill two important officials without authorization.

It can also be seen from this that the majesty of the imperial court has been swept away, and its binding force on local princes is almost non-existent.

Everyone knows that the world is going to be in chaos.

Before Xi Zhicai and the others could answer, they heard Bian Rang scolding angrily: "Sun Jian, under the pretense of attacking Dong Zhuo, raised an army on his own, recruited trilogy, and killed important officials of the court without authorization. His heart is to be punished!"

"Sun Jian's move, where will the majesty of the great man be placed! Where will the court's laws be placed!"

"Thief Sun, be killed!"

Chen Wen's face was also frosty, and he said: "Sun Jian, a mere warrior, dares to kill famous people in the country, he should be punished!"

Whether it was Wang Rui, the governor of Jingzhou, or Zhang Zi, the governor of Nanyang County, both of them were born into aristocratic families and were well-known figures in the country.

Both Bian Rang and Chen Wen were from noble families, so they would naturally side with Wang Rui and Zhang Zi.

not to mention.

Sun Jian's move was indeed too presumptuous, and he wanted to take personal revenge, and he didn't pay attention to the court's laws at all.

Therefore.

From Bian Rang and Chen Wen's point of view, Sun Jian was no less than Dong Zhuo's rebellious minister and traitor, with different ambitions.

In fact.

Sun Jian, father and son are all rebellious. "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" describes Sun Jian as a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty because of his outstanding military exploits in the crusade against Dong Zhuo. This is really ridiculous.

Although Dong Zhuo was in control of the government, the princes led by Yuan Shao sent troops to attack Luoyang, which was no different from rebellion.

Therefore, there are no so-called loyal ministers at all, they are all ambitious people.

Looking at the attitudes of Bian Rang and Chen Wen, Zhou Qi couldn't help but feel secretly happy, but said deliberately: "The matter has come to this, what do you two gentlemen think, how should we deal with it?"

Chen Wen didn't hesitate at all, and said directly: "Make the king the Son of Heaven, and sue Sun Jian for his crimes!"

A stern look flashed in Bian Rang's eyes, and he said, "I thought Sun Jian was a hero before, so when I served as the governor of Jiujiang County, I took good care of his family."

"Since Sun Jian is a traitor and a traitor, and he has killed important officials of the imperial court, Ziyi should send troops to arrest his family members."

When Sun Jian was conquering the Yellow Turbans and was appointed by Zhu Jun as an assistant army commander, he left his family members in Shouchun.

Although his eldest son Sun Ce was young, he had already begun to make friends with celebrities in Shouchun, showing his extraordinary ambition.

Bian Rang had admired Sun Ce quite a bit before.

However, what his father Sun Jian did completely angered Bian Rang, which made this famous figure in the country so angry that he actually suggested Zhou Qi to arrest Sun Jian's family members.

Zhou Qi pretended to be hesitant and said: "Sun Jian's actions, what does he have to do with his family? If I act like this, will I not be criticized by others?"

However, Chen Wen persuaded: "Sun Jian is like a vicious tiger, and he is no less dangerous than Dong Zhuo. Why not take his family members for the sake of the country and society?"

"Furthermore, Sun Jian led his troops to the north without an order to kill important officials of the court. This move is no different from conspiracy."

"A rebel who implicates his family does not violate the law."

When Zhou Qi heard this, a murderous intention flashed in his eyes. He immediately no longer hesitated and ordered Xiang Hong to lead the troops to capture Sun Ce and others.

Zhou Qi knew that Sun Jian and Sun Ce had great ambitions, and they were born in Wujun, Yangzhou, and they were quite famous in the local area, and many heroes attached themselves to them.

If Zhou Qi wants to completely control Yangzhou, he will definitely not allow local heroes to attach themselves to the Sun family.

As for subduing Sun Jian and Sun Ce, Zhou Qi never thought that these two were ambitious people, and Zhou Qi was not so narcissistic that he could tame them.

The best way to get rid of a competitor is to completely eliminate the opponent physically.

Thinking of this, Zhou Qi immediately said to Xiang Hong: "Bode led the troops to the Sun's mansion, captured all of Sun Jian's family members, and treated them as courteously as possible."

Although Zhou Qi already had murderous intentions, but Sun Jian had a heavy army in his hands at this time, so he couldn't kill Sun Ce and others rashly.

Otherwise, Sun Jian must go crazy.

It would not be a good thing if the other party did not seek Dong, but instead led troops to Yangzhou to fight Zhou Qi.

Now that the situation in Yangzhou is unstable, Zhou Qi doesn't want to make trouble out of it.

Moreover, after all, Zhou Qi had some friendship with Sun Jian and did not want to bear the infamy of killing his wife and daughter.

Even if Sun Ce, Sun Quan and others died in the future, they would definitely die in an accident and not by Zhou Cheqi.

Presumably Zhou Cheqi, who is of high moral character, must also be heartbroken by this.

Shouchun, the residence of the Sun family.

Sun Ce, who was 15 years old, couldn't help clenching his fists when he learned that his father had tens of thousands of soldiers in his hands and was going to attack Dong Zhuo.

"Sooner or later, I will gallop on the battlefield like my father and make great achievements!"

Although Sun Ce was young at this time, he was already extremely brave, and as the eldest son of the family, he had six younger siblings. Since Sun Jian crusade against the Yellow Turban, Sun Ce had already taken charge of family affairs.

"Master, it's not good. Many officers and soldiers have come outside and surrounded the Sun residence."

Sun Ce was shocked when he heard this, and then thought to himself: "I heard that my father had an old relationship with General Chariot and Cavalry, and I was preparing to visit him someday. Why did officers and soldiers suddenly come to surround Sun's house?"

Although Sun Ce was puzzled, he remained calm and shouted, "Don't panic, just take me out to have a look!"

Sun Ce ordered people to hide his younger siblings, but he himself carried a long gun, and then led the guards of the mansion, and walked straight to the gate.

He was still fantasizing at first, but when he saw the officers and soldiers wearing armor at the door and surrounding the Sun residence with a murderous look, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

He looked at Xiang Hong who was standing at the front with a long knife in his hand, clasped his fists and said, "I don't know why the general led the troops to surround the Sun's mansion?"

Xiang Hong looked at Sun Ce carefully, and then asked in a deep voice, "Are you Sun Ce, the son of Sun Jian?"

Seeing Xiang Hong calling his father by his name, Sun Ce was immediately annoyed in his heart, but he also knew that the situation was not as good as others, so he said immediately, "It's my servant."

Xiang Hong nodded slightly and praised: "Facing the siege of a large army, he can still keep his face calm. He is really a young hero."

After the praise was over, Xiang Hong immediately raised the long knife in his hand and shouted: "Your father, Sun Jian, fabricated the charges and killed the governor of Jingzhou and the governor of Nanyang indiscriminately. It is no different from conspiracy."

"Your Majesty ordered me to capture Sun Jian's family members. I hope you will capture them without any help, so as not to force someone to take action."

Sun Ce's heart sank when he heard the words, and said, "Is there any misunderstanding here?"

"I heard that my father had an unbreakable friendship with the Chariot and Cavalry General. My father once warned me in a letter that if I encounter difficulties, I can seek help from the Chariot and Cavalry General."

Xiang Hong said in a deep voice: "Personally speaking, Shi Jun is indeed old with Nai Weng."

"However, the law of the country is ruthless. Your father killed the important officials of the imperial court without punishment. Please come to the same time with me."

Upon hearing this, Sun Ce knew that things could not go well, so he immediately clenched the spear in his hand.

Even if he died, he would buy enough time for his younger brothers and sisters to hide in the secret passage prepared in advance.

(End of this chapter)