The great man will live forever

Chapter 298 Their romance and greatness

In March 184, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty appointed He Jin as the general, commanding the left and right Yulin troops as well as the five battalions of Tunqi, infantry, Yueqi, Changshui and Shesheng. They were stationed in Duting to renovate ordnance. First of all, Ensure the safety of Luoyang, the capital city.

Temporarily set up eight captains of Hangu Pass, Taigu Pass, Guangcheng Pass, Yique Pass, Yuan Pass, Xuanmen Pass, Mengjing Pass, and Xiaopingjing Pass to guard the dangerous passes. In this case, Luoyang will be impregnable and will not was affected by the Yellow Turban Army's offensive.

At the same time, a general amnesty was issued, announcing that party members and their families who had been exiled to border areas could return to their hometowns. However, only the leader of the "Yellow Turban Army" Zhang Jiao was not included in the amnesty.

Nonsense, everyone has rebelled, how can they be pardoned?

For a time, the Eastern Han Dynasty court and the Yellow Turban Army were hurriedly mobilizing troops and generals, and an extremely brutal battle was about to begin.

The current situation has reached an imminent and critical moment.

The Yellow Turbans suddenly raised their troops, with large numbers and flowers everywhere. They quickly gained the upper hand, opened up the situation, and gained an absolute advantage. The morale of the army was unstoppable.

If they can't hit them head-on quickly, their momentum will be curbed. Then, this fire will soon reach the capital, Luoyang. At that time, we will really be in a situation of "no return".

It can be said that the Yellow Turban Army, which is currently in the limelight, can capture cities and territories as easily as picking out objects. They have strong soldiers and horses and no opponents.

The Yellow Turbans of Nanyang Zhang Mancheng attacked and killed Chu Gong, the governor of the county. The Yellow Turbans of Runan defeated the prefect Zhao Qian in Shaoling. The Yellow Turbans of Guangyang killed Guo Xun, the governor of Youzhou, and Liu Wei, the prefect of Guangyang...

Even if Zhang Jiao was forced by the situation and started an uprising in advance, the county guards at that time were unable to resist.

At the beginning of the Yellow Turban Army's uprising, county guards in various places either fled or were defeated and died. This was mainly because the local garrison was unprepared, had insufficient troops, and was weak in combat power.

To the south of Luoyang are Nanyang County and Ruyang County to the southeast. The main commander of the Yellow Turban Canal here is Zhang Mancheng. To the east and northeast are Julu, Guangzong, and Dongjun. This is the place where Zhang Jiao rebelled.

The one closest to Luoyang and the biggest threat is Yingchuan's Bo Cai. It's not that he is strong, but that he is closest to Luoyang and can threaten Luoyang's safety at all times.

Yingchuan County belongs to Yuzhou, which is today's Yuzhou City in Henan Province. This place is located in the south of Henan Province and is one of the six counties of Yuzhou, one of the thirteen states in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Yuzhou has jurisdiction over: Chen County, Runan County, Anfeng County, Yiyang County, Yingchuan County and Liang State. If we look at the entire Chinese land, Yuzhou is in the middle of China, and Yingchuan County is in the west of Yuzhou.

It can be said that Yingchuan County is the county in Yuzhou closest to Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Its geographical location is very important. A place very close to the capital and with well-developed transportation is generally a strategic location.

Yingchuan is only about 140 kilometers away from the capital Luoyang. At that time, it only took half a day to reach the capital by riding a fast horse. Yingchuan is only about 200 kilometers away from Nanyang County, the most populous county in the Eastern Han Dynasty. At that time, it only took more than a day to ride a fast horse. .

In other words, Yingchuan's geographical location at that time was at the core of an important city in the Central Plains. One had to pass through Yingchuan from Luoyang or Nanyang to Xudu, and one had to pass through Yingchuan from Xudu to Luoyang or Nanyang. This was a transportation artery. , and it belonged to the one-day economic circle of the capital at that time. It was not only very important geographically, but also not inferior economically.

Moreover, Yingchuan has a large population and governs 17 cities. In the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty, it had a household registration of 263,440 and a population of 1,436,513.

Of course, this is also a gathering place for aristocratic families. The Yingchuan Xun family, Yingchuan Chen family, Yingchuan Zhong family, and Yingchuan Yu family are all representatives. There are numerous celebrities, such as Guo Jia, Sima Hui, Xu Shu, Guo Tu, and Han Fu. , Chunyu Qiong, Zhong Yao, Zhong Hui, Chen Shi, Chen Ji, Chen Qun, Chen Tai, Yu, Xun You and Xun's Eight Dragons...

Therefore, in order to prevent the situation in Yingchuan from continuing to fester.

Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty placed the main force in the middle, that is, the troops led by Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun. There were more than 40,000 people. They were the elite troops mobilized by the Eastern Han Dynasty. They directly attacked the Yellow Turban Army in Yingchuan area that threatened Luoyang, the capital. .

"The Book of the Later Han Dynasty. The Biography of Huangfu Song": "So the best soldiers from all over the world were sent out, and generals were selected from a wide range of places. Song was appointed as the left Zhonglang general to hold the festival. Together with Zhu Jun, the right Zhonglang general, they sent out five schools, three river knights and recruited elite braves. With a total of more than 40,000 people, Song and Jun unified their armies to fight against the Yingchuan Yellow Turbans."

Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song were both great generals. Huangfu Song did not need much to be born as a general in Liangzhou.

Zhu Jun was born into a poor family and supported his mother. He was known for his love of justice over wealth and was respected by his fellow villagers. Later, he was promoted to Xiaolian by the prefect Xu Gui and appointed as the magistrate of Lanling County, where he made great achievements in governance.

Due to his meritorious service, he was promoted to the governor of Jiaozhou. He led five thousand soldiers to defeat the rebels and pacified Jiaozhou. After the war, he was granted the title of Marquis of Tingdu due to his meritorious service, and he entered the court to pay homage to the officials and advise the officials.

This man was born in a poor family, and he worked hard step by step on his own. It was amazing, and he was accomplished with one knife and one gun. People at the time praised him as "intelligent in nature, wise in martial arts, without any mistakes in his plans, and without any hesitation in his campaigns." .

Using two generals and the strongest 40,000 elite soldiers to go to Yingchuan to deal with Bocai shows that they take it seriously.

At the same time, Lu Zhi was asked to lead an army of 40,000 to directly solve the root cause of all problems. The leader of the Yellow Turban Army rushed to the Zhangjiao base camp in Julu.

"Book of the Later Han Dynasty. Biography of Lu Zhi": "In the first year of Zhongping, the Yellow Turban bandits rose up, and the four prefectures raised Zhizhi to pay homage to General Zhonglang, and to maintain integrity to protect Wuhuan, General Zhonglang, Zong Yuan and Deputy, and the five colonels of the Northern Army. , send troops from all the counties in the world to conscript them."

Lu Zhi was also an extraordinary figure. He was truly extraordinary in both literary and military skills. He studied under the tutelage of Taiwei Chen Qiu, the great Confucian Ma Rong, etc., and he became a fellow disciple of Zheng Xuan, Guan Ning, and Hua Xin.

He once served as the prefect of Jiujiang County and Lujiang County, and quelled the barbarian rebellion.

Later, together with Ma Rixi, Cai Yong and others, he revised Confucian classics in Dongguan and participated in the continuation of "Dongguan Hanji".

Let's put it this way, he can bring peace to the world with his writing skills, and he can make things right immediately with his military skills.

He has two very famous disciples. One is Gongsun Zan, the overlord of Youzhou at that time. He has three thousand elites, rides on white horses, and has strict discipline. All his followers shout: Wherever righteousness comes, life and death will follow! The sky is a guide, and the white horse is the proof!

He was invincible in Youzhou, and once frightened foreigners and Yuan Shao. He was one of the famous princes in the late Han Dynasty. Unfortunately, due to his character, he killed Liu Yu, relied on his own talents, did not care about the people, oppressed the people, lost the support of the people, and was defeated by Yuan Shao.

Needless to say, Liu Bei is the founder of the Shu Han Dynasty, one-third of the world, and a legend.

This strategy alone can tell the difference between the imperial court and the Yellow Turban Army. The Yellow Turbans' decline from their peak is already inevitable.

At this time, most of the territory east of Luoyang was already in war. If it was allowed to continue, the Han Dynasty would be destroyed soon. The Yellow Turban Army's strength was expanding rapidly, which the Eastern Han Dynasty had not expected.

But this is the peak stage of the Yellow Turban Army. In the final analysis, it is the class limitations of the Zhangjiao Group. They do not have many talents at all, and they have no overall perspective. They take it for granted.

There is no strategy or ability to conquer the world. They are so powerful, but they are scattered everywhere. No one knows whether they will unite or advance separately.

It seems that there is a lot of movement, but in fact it is a mess, with no clear strategic goal. There is only one result, and that is to attack the city separately, and then hold on to wait for things to happen.

The good news is that they are just waiting for time to change, but the bad news is that they are waiting to die, waiting for the Han army to come and defeat them one by one. In fact, the Han army is just having fun and defeating them one by one.

At that time, if the Yellow Turbans did not care about the gains and losses of a city or a place, Zhang Jiao was the leader in the north, gathering the Yellow Turbans from all over the world, including the Yellow Turbans from Dongjun, Bo Cai from Yingchuan and Runan, and Zhang Mancheng from Nanyang...

Besiege Luoyang at all costs. Once Luoyang is captured, the Han Dynasty will surely perish.

Unfortunately, they were slow and did not have this goal. After the Han Dynasty reacted, they adjusted their deployment in time to consolidate the defense of the capital Luoyang, thus eliminating the possibility of the Yellow Turban Army stealing the crystal.

Those who wait for the Yellow Turban can only perish...

At the same time, in Zhuo County, Youzhou County, many people gathered in front of an announcement, including a young man, about 27 years old.

This person is seven feet five inches long, with two ears hanging down from the shoulders, hands above the knees, eyes that can look at his ears, a face like a crown jade, lips as if painted with grease, a broad-minded nature, few words, his joy and anger cannot be expressed in his color, and he is known to have great ambitions. , specializes in making friends with heroes in the world.

He was very knowledgeable. He looked at the notice and read it slowly:

"Han Chang, the governor of Youzhou, announced to all parties that the yellow turbans have deceived the emperor and gathered people to rebel. Now they have invaded our territory of Youzhou, killing lives and poisoning the people. In order to prevent the prefectures and counties from being poorly defended, according to the emperor's imperial edict, we recruited people from all directions. Strong men should serve in the army as guards to protect the country and the people."

"This is my chance."

After Liu Bei finished reading, he felt emotional in his heart, and immediately prepared to recruit troops to annihilate the Yellow Turbans.

I have to mention here that "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, but many parts of the romance are not necessarily consistent with history.

For example, the first chapter of the original text in the book reads:

"Liu Yan, the prefect of Youzhou, was born in Jingling, Jiangxia, and was the queen of King Gong of Hanlu. At that time, he heard that the bandits were coming, so he summoned Zou Jing, the captain of the school, to make plans. Jing said: 'There are many bandits, but I have few soldiers. Ming Gong It is advisable to recruit troops quickly to meet the enemy.' Liu Yanran said, and immediately went out to recruit volunteers."

In this text, the place names, official names, and characters such as Youzhou, Taishou, Liu Yan, Jiangxia, Jingling, King Gong of Hanlu, Xiaowei, and Zou Jing all existed in history.

However, the reference to "Liu Yan, the governor of Youzhou" is completely wrong. A careful analysis of the historical background at that time reveals that there are three errors in these six short words.

First, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, a three-level administrative system of state, county, and county was implemented. Of course, there were also feudal states, but these three administrative systems were the main ones.

It divides the country into 13 states, and Youzhou is one of them, which is equivalent to the current provincial administrative unit.

The highest official of a state was called the governor. In the following years, when the world was in chaos, it was changed to the state pastor, and his power was further expanded.

The county is equivalent to the current prefecture-level city, and the highest official is the county governor or the prefect. The combination of Youzhou and the prefect did not exist in this period.

Second, Liu Yan had no experience as an official in Youzhou. He was indeed a descendant of the Eastern Han Dynasty royal family and had served as many officials and prefects. He was worshiped as Zhonglang and served successively as the Luoyang order, the governor of Jizhou, the prefect of Nanyang, and Zongzheng.

But he never served as an official in Youzhou, and the last place he went to was Yizhou, where he became a shepherd.

Third, the person who really served as the governor of Youzhou should be Liu Yu. He was also a descendant of the royal family. Liu Yuju was born as a filial and honest man. He was a county official in Donghai and moved to the governor of Youzhou. He had outstanding political achievements and was quite famous. He was dismissed from office after serving.

After the Yellow Turban Uprising broke out, he served as the Prime Minister of Ganling and Zongzheng to appease the people.

Therefore, the governor of Youzhou during this period was neither Liu Yu nor Liu Yan.

Another point is that there may be no Taoyuan Three Brothers in history.

In "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" written by Luo Guanzhong, the first chapter tells the story of the three sworn brothers in the Taoyuan, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.

At that time, Zhang Fei said that he had a peach orchard at home with flowers in full bloom, which was suitable for three people to worship heaven and earth and become brothers with different surnames.

So Liu, Guan, and Zhang came to Taoyuan, burned incense and worshiped, saying: "I miss Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. Although they have different surnames, they are brothers and work together to rescue the poor and help the people in danger. They report to the country and keep the common people safe. Don't ask for anything." Born in the same year, the same month and the same day, I only wish to die in the same year, the same month and the same day. The emperor, the emperor, the emperor, the earth, learn from this heart. Be ungrateful and ungrateful, both heaven and man will be killed!"

Because someone did research and added some calculations in history books to estimate the ages of the three of them,

Guan Yu (160 AD - 220 AD) ranked first,

Liu Bei (161 AD-223 AD) second,

Zhang Fei (AD 165-221) was the youngest.

If they really become sworn brothers, then Guan Yu should be the eldest brother.

And Zhao Yun may be older than them.

The Taoyuan Three Brothers of Liu, Guan, and Zhang are more appropriately described as the founding ceremony of a military group than as brothers' sworn vows.

The center of Liu, Guan, and Zhang is obviously the "Uncle of the Han Dynasty" Liu Bei.

Just imagine, Liu Bei is a clan member of the Han Dynasty. According to the clan order, Liu Xie, the current emperor, has to call him uncle. Naturally, Liu Bei cannot be the younger brother of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, two ordinary people. He must be the eldest brother.

Even if Zhao Yun and Guan Yu are older than Liu Bei, Liu Bei cannot call them "brothers". This is a matter that disrupts legal principles and the order of monarchs and ministers.

Moreover, there are no historical books that record the story of the three sworn brothers in Taoyuan, including "Three Kingdoms", "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" and so on.

But even without the three sworn brothers in Taoyuan, the relationship between them is no worse than that of the three sworn brothers in Taoyuan. The sworn brotherhood is just a situation.

Chen Shou's "Three Kingdoms" records: "The first master united his disciples in the village, and Yu and Zhang Fei defended them. The first master was the prime minister of Pingyuan, and Yu and Fei were the commanders and horses of the other departments, and they were in charge of the division."

Sima Guang's "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" wrote: "When Bei sleeps with the two of them, they share the same bed. They are as kind as brothers, while the two people sit together and stand around all day long. They are always around and do not avoid dangers."

Later, there was no such thing as passing five passes and killing six generals, or riding alone for thousands of miles. But even without these, Guan Yu's friendship for Liu Bei is irrefutable.

In the first month of the fifth year of Jian'an (AD 200), Cao Cao defeated Liu Bei, Liu Bei defected to Yuan Shao, and Guan Yu was defeated and captured.

Although he was a reduced general, Guan Yu was favored by Cao Cao, was appointed as a partial general, and received many gifts. However, Cao Cao discovered that Guan Yu did not seem to intend to stay long.

So Cao Cao asked Zhang Liao to test Guan Yu. Guan Yu sighed and said, "I know very well that Duke Cao treats me kindly. However, I have received great kindness from General Liu, and I have sworn to die together. We must not break it. I will never stay. I will repay Duke Cao with my service and then go."

Cao Cao treated Guan Yu very well, but once he repaid his kindness and knew Liu Bei's whereabouts, he left all his beauty and money and desperately went to find Liu Bei. Isn't this kind of friendship worth passing five levels and killing six generals?

Think about future generations. For example, if you hang out with a boss Liu, the company goes bankrupt, and boss Liu lives on the street without a trace. Another boss Cao catches you, but instead of killing you, he gives you money, with an annual salary of one million, and buys things for you. A house, and a wife for you. Basically, he will give you whatever you want.

At this time, you know that another Boss Liu is living on the streets of Lion and is preparing to start a new business. Will you give up your current identity and status and accompany him to live on the streets and start a new business?

Moreover, if you follow Boss Liu, you will be hungry and full, and you may face life and death danger at any time. Maybe you will have to face the current big benefactor, Boss Cao.

You clearly knew that Boss Cao was very powerful and Boss Liu had to start from scratch, but you still went without hesitation without any nostalgia...

What kind of friendship is that?

Guan Yu treated Liu Bei like this, and Liu Bei certainly refused to retaliate against him.

Many people say that Liu Bei is hypocritical, but he is not hypocritical at all.

Even though Liu Bei knew that Guan Yu was careless and failed in Jingzhou, he still wanted to save his life. Knowing that he was beheaded by Jiangdong rats, he fought hard and the whole country wanted to attack Soochow to avenge him.

For this reason, he refused to listen to the advice of Zhuge Liang and others, which resulted in a huge defeat, which almost cost the entire Shu Han Dynasty. But Liu Bei had to live and work hard for his entire life!

Before the book "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was written, Du Fu, Wang Anshi, Li Bai, Bai Juyi, Lu You, Yang Zhen and other people from the Tang and Song Dynasties wrote poems praising Zhuge Liang. All the poems praising Zhuge Liang were in Before "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" came out, why was this?

If you think about it calmly, the Zhuge Liang in history is far less powerful than the Zhuge Liang in the novel, nor is he as perfect as the Zhuge Liang in the novel.

But in the end, you will come to the conclusion that the Zhuge Liang in history is much greater than the Zhuge Liang in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". He is not a god after all, he is just a person after all. In the end, he fell, but he was far greater than the immortal in the Romance. There are countless far greater ones.

The ideals, beliefs, and friendship between them are also the same, which far exceeds what is described in the book.

Zhuge Liang is such a smart person. If Liu Bei is really hypocritical, he will not be able to tell. Are you smarter than Zhuge Liang?

Prime Minister Zhuge is willing to die for Liu Bei, which is enough to show that Liu Bei's personal ambition and his personal charm are far beyond what is written in the book.

What kind of charm made Zhuge Liang willing to fight for it all his life and never forget it before he died?

What kind of courage did Jiang Wei have before seeing Liu Bei, but knowing that Shu Han was dead, he still fought hard and was shattered to pieces?

What kind of ambition made Liu Chen, the king of the North, prefer death to surrender, kill his son and wife, and finally committed suicide in Liu Bei Zhaolie Temple.

"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is already well written and no one can surpass it.

But sometimes, language and writing are pale after all. Perhaps only by truly being in that era, meeting those people, and experiencing those things can we feel their friendship, belief, romance and greatness!

(End of this chapter)