I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 116 Zhang Xiu, your sister-in-law is very moist
A few days later, Cai Yong, who had nearly died at the hands of an assassin, was officially dismissed from his official position. Now he could not even be a doctor of the Five Classics. He had to stay at home all day long, practicing calligraphy and sorting out his home collection. Then he officially began to create about the history of the Eastern Han Dynasty, wanting to emulate Sima Qian and Ban Gu, write books and biographies, and leave his name in history.

Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian" and Ban Gu's "Book of Han" have already clearly recorded the previous history. Now it is finally Cai Yong's turn to write and record the history of the second half of the Yanhan Dynasty.

Even Zheng Xuan, who was revered as the Confucian master in Qingzhou, could not help but feel fortunate after hearing about this: "Fortunately, Bo Ji is still alive, otherwise who would have judged the affairs of the Han Dynasty?"

After learning the news, Wang Jing took the opportunity to visit Cai Yong in person and expressed his desire to invite Cai Yong to come out of retirement and take charge of the newly rebuilt Secretariat, responsible for proofreading and printing books.

Don't underestimate this. In any era, news publishing and media mouthpieces are key departments.

It is said in "Zuo Zhuan": Only tools and names cannot be lent to others, and this is the responsibility of the king.

After Wang Jing's reorganization, the Secretariat was linked with the printing factory and was obviously closely related to "reputation", becoming a very important functional agency.

After Cai Yong knew Wang Jing's intention, he was immediately in a dilemma: "Alas, I will never forget your life-saving grace, but I have already promised my daughter that I will no longer be involved in political affairs, so I can only reject Marquis Qi's kindness."

"Mr. Bo Ji is wrong. The Secretary General is not an ordinary official position and does not involve power struggles. I asked you to come out of retirement just to show your strengths and preside over the editing and publishing of the collection. Now that we have movable type printing, I want to open up more ways so that everyone in the world can read books and understand morality and reason. Please help me."

Wang Jing's words were sincere and touched Cai Yong's heart immediately, but he had made a promise after all, so he was still hesitant.

"Father, why don't you just agree to it?"

Cai Yan appeared behind Cai Yong at some point. She was wearing a light gauze dress and had a charming face. She was as beautiful as a lotus flower emerging from the water. Wang Jing couldn't help but take a few more glances at her.

Cai Yong suddenly realized that the atmosphere was wrong. He glanced at Wang Jing, then turned back to look at his daughter, and suddenly his eyes changed.

Oh my god, are the cabbages that I worked so hard to grow going to be eaten up?
He had suspected the relationship between his daughter Cai Yan and Wang Jing last night, but he had lost too much blood at the time and there was sword energy flowing through his meridians, so he could only concentrate on healing and had no time to ask.

Now that he saw that Wang Jing could make his daughter change her mind with just one sentence, he became even more suspicious of their relationship.

However, seeing that Wang Jing and Cai Yan didn't seem to intend to discuss this matter, he didn't ask too much. In fact, after being surprised, he was quite happy in his heart.

After all, Wang Jing comes from a prominent family and is young and promising. He is indeed a good match for his daughter.

Seeing that Cai Yan had already given in, Cai Yong did not insist any more, but sincerely thanked Wang Jing: "Marquis Qi is so sincere, if I refuse again, it would be a bit unkind."

After finishing the business, Cai Yong smiled and stood up with great insight and said, "Zhao Ji, I suddenly remembered that I have something to do, so I'd like to trouble you to entertain Marquis Qi for me."

Wang Jing was also delighted when he heard this. Cai Yan's "Feng Yu Xian Yin" was a unique piece. He hadn't heard it for a while. He took the opportunity to suggest, "I've heard that Mr. Bo Ji has a beautiful zither called 'Jiao Wei'. I wonder if I can have such a blessing today?"

Cai Yan looked at Cai Yong, and after getting her father's approval, she smiled and said to Wang Jing, "Yuan Xu, please wait a moment."

Wang Jing nodded and smiled: "Thank you for your help."

Her father had returned safely and was now back in office, still doing his favorite book proofreading job. Therefore, Cai Yan was very grateful to Wang Jing. She immediately stood up with a smile on her face and said, "I'll go get the jiaowei and play a song for you, Yuanxu."

After a while, Cai Yan took out the burnt tail and burned incense.

Amid the curling green smoke, a beautiful woman sat by the window, her ten fingers as slender and white as green onions gently stroking the body of the zither. Even before the music started, her heartstrings were already touched.

However, before Cai Yan could start playing, a knight in black armor rushed in from outside the house. He came to Wang Jing, knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and said, "Marquis Qi, urgent military information!"

Although Wang Jing was somewhat disappointed, he had to stand up and say goodbye: "I'm sorry, Miss Zhaoji, it seems that this song can only be saved for next time."

Cai Yan also understood the importance of the matter: "It's okay, Yuan Xu should focus on state affairs. If you want to listen to music, Yan is always waiting for you."

After leaving Cai Yong's residence in a hurry and riding on his horse, Wang Jing asked, "What happened?"

"News came from the front line that Lu Bu was defeated. Of the more than 10,000 soldiers and horses, less than half are left. Pingyin County has also been declared lost. The Xiliang Army may counterattack Luoyang at any time."

Although Wang Jing knew that Lu Bu had little chance of winning, he never thought that he would be defeated so quickly and so cleanly!

Where are Lu Bu among men and Red Hare among horses?
That's it?

It really ruined my plans!
Wang Jing returned to the West Garden and immediately ordered all the soldiers to be summoned.

Jia Xu and Xun You also rushed over as soon as they received the military report.

"Wenhe, Gongda, I'm sure you've heard the whole story, right?"

Jia Xu pinched his mustache and sighed, "Although Dong Zhuo is dead, the remnants of the Xiliang Army are still strong. Among them, Li Jue, Xu Rong and others are all strong military strategists who are good at fighting. Our army did not expect Lu Bu to win, but this time we were defeated too quickly."

Although Xun You remained calm, his expression was serious, and it was obvious that the current situation was very bad.

He walked to the sand table and drew a circle around the location of Luoyang City. "Although the Xiliang Army has suffered heavy losses, its strength is still strong. Conservative estimates show that there are still more than 30,000 main troops, not to mention the various vassal armies they have been dragged under. With Lu Bu's defeat, our western front has immediately collapsed. With the current strength, I'm afraid we can't effectively defend it."

"In this case, the battle lines need to be readjusted."

Wang Jing's original plan was to let Lu Bu deal with the Xiliang army first. With Xu Huang guarding Hulao Pass, the situation was as stable as Mount Tai.

The Eighth Battalion of the Northern Army had just experienced a series of battles in the winter, including the destruction of Baibo and the resistance against the Xiongnu, which consumed a lot of resources. Now it was spring plowing season, so it was not the time to start a war, so Wang Jing would focus all his energy on domestic affairs.

The first reason is that the Northern Army needs to recuperate.

The second reason is that the occupied land needs to be developed and operated.

Therefore, it was not advisable to start a war at this time. However, less than a month after the troops were dispatched, Lu Bu was defeated miserably, and the western front became unstable.

You have to know that there are a total of 20 counties around Luoyang, with millions of residents. Once tens of thousands of rebels take advantage of the situation and attack, the few thousand soldiers that Wang Jing can mobilize at present will not be able to be divided into troops to guard various places.

Even if they could win in the end, the entire capital would be reduced to a wasteland. At that time, there would be heavy casualties among the people, farmland and water conservancy facilities would be destroyed, and the spring farming season would be delayed. Who could bear such a loss?
"The current situation is very unfavorable to our army."

Xun You looked solemn as he analyzed the current situation for Wang Jing: "The allied forces outside Hulao Pass have not withdrawn. The brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu have secretly colluded with many ministers in the court. This is a situation of internal and external difficulties."

Xun You then pointed at the sand table and said, "Around Hulao Pass on the eastern front, the main forces of the coalition led by Yuan Shao are gathering, with a total strength of more than 130,000. On the southern front, Yuan Shu and Sun Jian pose the greatest threat to our army. Yuan Shu has connections and resources, and Sun Jian has powerful military force. If they take the opportunity to join forces and march north, Luoyang will be in danger of falling at any time."

Wang Jing was also troubled by this: "Our original strategy was to send Lu Bu to attack instead of defend, and lead He Jin's old troops to stabilize the western front, so as to buy enough time for our main force to rest. But man proposes, God disposes. Now Lu Bu's army was defeated in Tongguan, and our plan collapsed. If I leave, Luoyang will be in chaos."

The pillar of the New Party is undoubtedly Wang Jing. Without him and the Eighth Battalion of the Northern Army, how can the New Party compete with the aristocratic old party forces represented by Yuan Wei and Yang Biao?
Therefore, after Wang Jing killed Dong Zhuo, he stayed in Luoyang to protect the new party and to build up the internal affairs of Luoyang, such as expanding the Qiqiao Pavilion and producing wool textile machines to supply Hedong. Another example is to open the Mohist Academy to train professional talents.

These things may seem trivial, but they are actually very crucial.

But the current situation made Wang Jing very uncomfortable. The new recruits in the Hedong camp were still in training. Not only were they difficult to mobilize, but even if they came, they would not be able to fight tough battles.

Zhang Liao and the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry had to garrison Jinyang to guard against invasion by northern barbarians. In addition, Jinyang was a thousand miles away from Luoyang, so distant water could not quench immediate thirst.

Wang Jing had no choice but to ask Xun You for advice: "Gongda, how much combat power do we have available right now? How should we deploy it to be safe?"

Xun You calculated silently in his mind: "There are 10,000 new soldiers in Hedong, 3,000 strong men recruited from refugees, and 3,000 armored soldiers from Bingzhou. If Gongming wants to defend Hulao, even with Xiongguan Pass as a shield, he will need at least 8,000 soldiers to stabilize the situation. And if the lord wants to send troops, he can only mobilize the newly formed 3,000 armored soldiers at most."

Wang Jing drummed his fingers on the table, thinking silently in his mind, and finally gave a decisive order: "Gongda, I now order you to serve as a military advisor, lead 3,000 strong men and 2,000 Hedong soldiers, and stay in Luoyang with Gao Shun's Xianzhen Camp to resist Sun Jian and Yuan Shu."

Xun You clasped his fists and said, "I obey your command."

Wang Jing immediately issued another military order: "Dispatch 3,000 Hedong troops to support Hulao on the eastern front, and tell Xu Huang that not a single soldier of the princes' coalition army will be allowed to enter Luoyang."

"Yes, I will pass it on."

After issuing two consecutive military orders, Wang Jing suddenly stood up from his seat: "I will personally lead 3,000 soldiers to the western front to quell the rebellion." "Wenhe, you will follow me and serve as my advisor."

Wang Jing looked at Jia Xu.

Jia Xu naturally did not dare to refuse, and immediately bowed his head and said, "Xu, I obey."

As a counselor, Xun You followed Wang Jing earlier and made many suggestions and contributions to Wang Jing. He was therefore trusted by Wang Jing and was even entrusted with important tasks by Wang Jing to lead 5,000 soldiers and horses to garrison the Eastern Capital.

As for Jia Xu, Wang Jing did not completely trust him. After all, he was a top strategist known as the "poisonous scholar". In order to protect himself, he was not at all ambiguous when it came to selling out his teammates. It would be better to keep him by his side and keep an eye on him.

At the Xiyuan training ground, three thousand Bingzhou soldiers are training.

Wang Jing, wearing a gilded tiger-patterned armor, suddenly appeared, his murderous aura rising into the sky. He shouted, "Pass my order, all troops assemble!"

The messenger blew the horn, and in less than a moment, three thousand people lined up in an orderly manner and stood in front of Wang Jing.

They were all brave men recruited by Zhang Liao in Bingzhou in the name of Wang Jing. Some of them were border troops, and some were local rangers. Having been in the border areas for a long time, they were all brave and warlike.

Now that they have been accepted by Wang Jing and trained as sword guards, they have undergone a complete transformation. Not only are they wearing new clothes and shoes, but they also have three meals a day and occasionally fish, meat, vegetables and fruits to supplement their nutrition. Everyone is fat and strong.

Not only that, Wang Jing also set up instructors in the army to not only teach them to read and write, but also spread the idea of ​​defending the country, so that they would understand who they should fight for and why they should fight.

"Lü Bu's army was defeated, Pingyin County was destroyed, tens of thousands of rebels will attack Luoyang at any time, and we only have 3,000 people available. Are you afraid?"

"Not afraid!"

Three thousand armored soldiers, all roaring.

They were originally border residents from Bingzhou. Who’s family had not been invaded by the Hu people? Who had not seen bloodshed and sacrifice?
Bingzhou is mountainous and has little farmland. They all couldn't survive there and had originally planned to join Zhang Yan of Heishan. But now they were able to follow Wang Jing. For this, they not only received generous treatment, but their families were also able to work in the veterans' farm. Even if they died in battle, their parents, wives and children at home could live without worries.

Raise an army for a thousand days, use it for a while.

Wang Jing treated them with great kindness, so naturally they were willing to die in return.

Seeing that the army was ready, Wang Jing immediately raised his arm and shouted: "Very good, follow me to the front line to kill the enemy!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Three thousand soldiers shouted loudly, and the boiling murderous aura suddenly turned into an unparalleled sword. The condensed weapon was as hard as iron and stone, soaring into the sky and pointing straight to the west.

Jia Xu followed behind Wang Jing and saw it all with his own eyes, and he couldn't help but feel awe-inspiring.

These three thousand armored warriors were a peerless sword that Wang Jing had spent countless money and effort to forge. Among them, there were as many as two hundred Iron Scale Sword Guards who had taken the Black Dragon Bone Tempering Pill and had their bones forged into black scales and iron. They were well versed in the art of battle formations and proficient in the White Ape Swordsmanship. Each of them was a brave warrior who could fight one against a hundred.

With two hundred Iron Scale Sword Guards as the backbone and assisted by three thousand Bingzhou armored soldiers, Wang Jing is confident that he can win even if he faces tens of thousands of main forces of the Western Liang Army.

Before the new army showed its potential, Jia Xu did not take it seriously. But now, seeing the strong morale of the soldiers, he truly understood the horror of this new army.

Less than half an hour after the order was given, three thousand soldiers had completed assembly and mobilization.

After another hour, three thousand soldiers were ready to go to battle.

By the evening, we had arrived at Mengjin Port and began to collect supplies and equipment.

Such mobilization efficiency is simply unheard of. Jia Xu felt terrified just by watching from the side!
Even for the most elite Flying Bear Army under Dong Zhuo, it would take at least one or two days from mobilization to expedition. If the battle situation was not critical, it would probably take four or five days to assemble them temporarily.

Compared with the soldiers, the gap is too big!

After all, military situations are volatile and change rapidly. The faster the reaction speed and the higher the efficiency of assembly, the stronger the combat effectiveness of the army.

This is also the fundamental reason why the military always emphasizes discipline and obedience. An army without discipline, no matter how strong its individuals are, will be nothing but a pile of loose sand and will collapse at the slightest touch.

The soldiers in front of him showed such strong discipline that they didn't look like a group of new soldiers who had just trained for two months.

Jia Xu didn't know that Wang Jing had such an amazing effect because he controlled the entire army with the Emperor's Star of Destiny, so no matter how he thought about it, he found it difficult to understand. He just regarded Wang Jing as a wise leader destined by heaven. With the blessing of luck, nothing was impossible. After all, if we talk about outrageous, Emperor Guangwu was the real outrageous.

Three thousand armored soldiers marched quickly all the way and gathered many defeated soldiers from Bingzhou along the way.

Wang Jing quickly found a few deserters who were still clear-headed and spoke fluently and asked them about the battle situation.

"Where is Lu Bu?"

"Marquis Wen wants to retake Pingyin County and is currently engaged in a fierce battle with the Xiliang rebels."

"Do you know who the enemy is?"

"I heard it was Zhang Xiu of Wuwei, also known as the Northern Spear King."

Wang Jing then realized that the one fighting against Lu Bu was none other than Zhang Xiu, the survivor of the Zhang family who had escaped from his hands. He immediately sneered, "So it was him."

"Wenhe, what do you think?"

"Zhang Xiu is a proud man, and he has a grudge against my lord for killing his uncle. It is not easy to persuade him to surrender."

Jia Xu was very familiar with the generals in the Western Liang army. Moreover, as both Jia and Zhang families were prominent families in Wuwei, they even had some friendship. However, Jia Xu was not lenient towards Zhang Xiu and directly suggested that Wang Jing kill him.

Wang Jing had not yet settled accounts with Zhang Xiu for the Luoyang Jinshi Massacre, so he naturally had no intention of letting Zhang Xiu, the murderer, go. "In that case, let's kill a fierce general from the Xiliang Army as a sacrifice to announce the arrival of our army."

At this time, Pingyin County.

Zhang Xiu, unaware of his approaching death, was standing on the city wall, calmly responding to Lu Bu's counterattack.

I saw the soldiers under his command formed a strange battle formation, with their auras blending together and supporting each other. The power of the soldiers turned into a huge net with needles hidden in cotton, avoiding the real and attacking the virtual, which was extremely mysterious.

Lu Bu led the remaining troops under his command, but failed to capture the city after a long siege, and suffered heavy casualties.

At this moment, he was afraid that he would be held accountable by Wang Jing after returning, so the more he attacked, the more anxious he became. He even rode out on his own and shouted loudly around the city wall: "Zhang Xiu, you call yourself the spear king of the north, do you dare to come out of the city and compete with me?"

Zhang Xiu stood on the city gate with a cold and arrogant look on his face: "Lü Bu, you are just a stray dog ​​now, what qualifications do you have to fight me?"

Although he had all the advantages, Zhang Xiu was not stupid enough to leave the city to fight Lu Bu in a duel. After all, there was a huge gap in strength between him and Lu Bu. If it were not for the support of the military formation and the soldiers' evil spirits, he would have been killed instantly by Lu Bu within five moves.

Lu Bu was secretly resentful and was about to curse when a cloud of dust suddenly rose up behind him, and on the horizon, he saw a group of black-armored cavalry rushing towards them.

Although there are only thirteen people, they have an earth-shaking momentum.

Among the thirteen men, the leading general came to the city gate, took off his helmet, revealing a young and handsome face, with a pair of sword-like eyebrows pointing to the sky, and an aggressive look.

"It's you!"

When he saw Wang Jing, Zhang Xiu's eyes widened with anger.

Wang Jing smiled contemptuously: "Zhang Xiu, do you know that your aunt is really smooth and slippery?"

(End of this chapter)