The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 129: The princes of the world send troops together to protect the king
When Chen Deng was persuading Liu Bei to take over Xuzhou, in addition to promising to mobilize 100,000 infantry and cavalry for the envoy, he actually said another sentence.

That is to help Liu Bei become Duke Huan of Qi and achieve the goal of becoming one of the Five Hegemons.

Now, Li Yi placed Liu Xie in the State of Chen, just like the Zhou emperor back then.

Since Guan Zhong proposed to Jiang Xiaobai to respect the king, expel the barbarians, and unite the nine princes.

Then Li Yi could naturally serve Liu Bei as the emperor to command the disobedient and raise soldiers and horses to fight against the rebellious court.

"King Chen's heart is with the Han Dynasty. If we petition him, he will surely not refuse."

Liu Bei stroked his beard and frowned:
"But the army of Chen is small, let alone repelling the troops of the two bandits, Kuai and Si."

"It's not enough to deter Cao Cao."

Li Yi suggested:
"In this case, we in Xuzhou can also send a team of troops to the State of Chen to join forces with the King of Chen."

"That way, it will be enough."

……Um.

Liu Bei nodded. This suggestion was still very pertinent. Since the emperor had brought the imperial edict, Xuzhou had to express its support.

Not sending out a single soldier would be a huge disrespect to the imperial court.

"Who among you is willing to go to Chen State and take the trouble to make this journey?"

Liu Bei looked at the generals and asked.

Upon hearing this, all the generals in Xuzhou rubbed their hands and prepared for fighting.

Zhang Liao took the initiative to step forward, bowed and said:
"Mingsir, Liao has been to Chen before, and I am familiar with the route."

"King Chen also has some friendship with me, so why not send me there?"

Liu Bei was about to agree, but Li Yi stopped him.

"Don't worry, Wenyuan. I have another task for you."

"Let's give this important mission to the State of Chen to other generals."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao had no choice but to retreat.

Liu Bei did not ask Zhang Liao what his mission was, but instead asked the military advisor if he had any good candidates to recommend.
Li Yi raised his eyebrows and analyzed:

"Xuzhou is far away and we cannot send a large number of troops."

"So the troops you lead should be strong and well-trained."

After saying this, he turned around and came to Zhao Yun.

"General Zilong, you will lead your cavalry to the State of Chen."

The cavalry under Zhao Yun's command were the mixed Hu cavalry inherited from Gongsun Zan.

The composition of the group is complex, including Han people, Wuhuan people, Xianbei people, and even a small number of Buyeo people.

But without exception, all of them are good at cavalry warfare.

Zhao Yun is in charge of training on weekdays. Everyone eats and lives together, and their living habits have long been integrated.

Li Yi felt that the name of the mixed Hu cavalry was not nice. Since everyone served the Han Dynasty, there was no need to make too detailed distinctions.

Since it had always been led by Zhao Yun, it was named Yun.

Clouds are the air from the nine heavens.

A dragon is a rising creature.

The world is in turmoil, Zilong leads the Cloud Cavalry.

I hope that he can find a place for himself, his brothers, and Liu Bei in the future.

When Liu Bei saw Li Yi recommending Zhao Yun, he said:
"That's fine. Zilong has always been cautious in his work. I can rest assured that he will be prepared."

Zhao Yun accepted the order and said:

"Zilong will definitely live up to the trust of the lord and save the emperor from the hands of the traitors!"

Li Yi also explained some specific details to Zhao Yun.

After Zhao Yun listened carefully, he led his cavalry and left.

Liu Bei then asked Li Yi what task he had just assigned to Zhang Liao.

"My lord, you just said that it would be difficult to deter Cao Cao with only the troops in the hands of Prince Chen."

"Even if we add Zilong's own cavalry, there will be no more than a thousand men."

"When two armies confront each other, no matter who wins or loses, it's unlikely to end peacefully."

"So, Yi thought we could let more princes go."

How many more princes should be put to death?

Liu Bei was slightly surprised, "What do you mean by that, sir?"

"Yuan Shao of Hebei has always refused to recognize the emperor, but he does not want the emperor to fall into the hands of other princes."

"Once they learn that the emperor has been captured by Yanzhou or Xuzhou, they may send troops to seize him."

"But if we send someone to tell Yuan Shao, the emperor will visit the State of Chen."

"Then Yuan Shao will definitely be able to accept this result."

"In welcoming the emperor, we will again accept Yuan Shao as our leader, and let him act as the middleman."

"Then Cao Cao has to agree even if he doesn't want to."

I'm afraid that Liu Bei's troops cannot dispel Cao Cao's determination to seize the throne.

But what if Yuan Shao is added to the mix?
As Cao Cao’s current big brother, does Cao Cao dare to turn against Yuan Shao now?

"To ensure completeness, Yi also wants to request a third group of troops to deter Cao Cao."

Li Yi's lips curled up slightly and he smiled.

"The third route is Runan Lu Bu!"

After Lü Bu surrendered to Yuan Shu, he temporarily stationed his troops in Runan.

Runan is just below the State of Chen, not far away.

"Will Lu Bu go?"

Liu Bei was a little hesitant.

Li Yi replied:
"Yi just said that he wanted to leave the mission to Wenyuan, just to let him go to Runan and inform Lu Bu."

"Invite him to go with us to Henan Yin to serve the king and protect him."

Although Lu Bu had a bad reputation, he was considered a traitor in the eyes of the princes.

But in history, the relationship between Lu Bu and Liu Xie was very good.

When Liu Xie returned east, the first prince he thought of was Lu Bu.

The history books say, "There is a handwritten letter summoning Bu to come and meet him."

Among so many other princes, he chose Lu Bu.

However, Lü Bu had no food or supplies at the time, and his life was very difficult, so he had no way to save the emperor.

He felt very guilty about this, so he sent someone to apologize to Liu Xie.

Liu Xie's reaction to this was not only not getting angry, but also sympathizing with Lu Bu's difficulties.

He directly appointed Lu Bu as General Pingdong and granted him the title of Marquis Pingtao.

Comfort him and don't feel bad about it.

From Liu Xie's perspective, Lu Bu was a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty.

He killed Dong Zhuo and led troops to fight against rebels such as Li Jue and Guo Si, all to help Liu Xie.

Therefore, Li Yi dared to conclude that if he sent someone to find Lu Bu to explain the matter, Lu Bu would definitely be willing to come and help.

"If we can have one more army, it will be helpful to deter Cao Cao."

"The two thieves, Kuai and Si, dare not act rashly. This is the best thing that can happen."

Liu Bei stroked his beard and squinted his eyes as he analyzed:
"However, since Lu Bu suffered a setback in Yanzhou, he has lost many troops and horses. Now he has just arrived in Runan and has not had time to rest."

"How many troops can you send?"

Li Yi replied seriously:

"Even if there are only a thousand people, it is enough to make Cao Cao afraid to act rashly."

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the two most powerful legions were the Bingzhou Legion and the Liangzhou Legion.

Because these two legions are located on the border and have been fighting against foreign races for a long time, their combat effectiveness is not comparable to that of the inland legions.

In particular, Bingzhou, where Lu Bu was born, faced threats from multiple forces such as the Xiongnu and Wuhuan.

The first sentence in the biography of Lu Bu is "Lu Bu gave Bingzhou with his bravery and military power."

According to official history, shooting the halberd at the gate really happened.

Ji Ling led 30,000 infantry and cavalry to attack Liu Bei, and Lu Bu came to mediate.

When the novel described this chapter, the original intention was to highlight Lu Bu's outstanding personal bravery.

But an important detail was omitted, which was that Lu Bu only brought 1,200 men to rescue them.

Ji Ling's reaction to this was, "Ling and others heard that Bu had arrived, and they all withdrew their troops and dared not attack again."

It was no accident that the twelve hundred men frightened Ji Ling's thirty thousand men into not daring to attack.

A similar thing happened as early as when Lu Bu fled to Chang'an to join Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao sent people to hunt down Lu Bu, but the reaction of the pursuers was, "They were all afraid of Lu Bu, and no one dared to approach him."

Therefore, even without the bonus from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Lu Bu's bravery is still top-notch in the late Han Dynasty.

Although he has suffered a setback and has to station his troops in Runan, bringing a thousand or so people over to help out could also intimidate Cao Cao.

The reason why Cao's soldiers were able to defeat Lu Bu in Yanzhou was not because of their strong fighting power, but because Lu Bu ran out of food and was consumed to death.

"good!"

Liu Bei followed Li Yi's advice and ordered Zhang Liao to go to Runan and invite him to go to Henan Yin to serve the king and protect him.

Soon, Xuzhou also responded to the emperor's arrival.

At the same time, spread the news to other princes.

Yuan Shao's reaction to this was one of surprise and joy, as he was a hesitant person by nature.

He was hesitant about whether to welcome the emperor or not.

Welcoming the emperor would be like slapping yourself in the face.

Especially since he had previously slandered Liu Xie for not being the son of Emperor Ling, if this matter was brought up and made a fuss, it would be embarrassing for Yuan Benchu.

If he did not welcome the emperor, he would be afraid that he would fall into the hands of other princes and be suppressed.

But Liu Bei did this and welcomed the emperor to the State of Chen, which was also a member of the royal family, to make the existence of the Zhou emperor similar.

This way, no one can take advantage of the emperor, which is the best thing.

So, he readily agreed to Xuzhou's request.

With Yuan Shao as the leader of the alliance, he personally presided over the matter of protecting the king.

Yuan Shao appointed Yan Liang as the general, leading 10,000 infantry and cavalry to go to Henan to protect the emperor.

Liu Biao and Liu Yao, who were also members of the royal family, also received the news.

But they simply couldn't spare the time to send troops to Luoyang. But they still had to put in some superficial effort.

Liu Biao sent people to send money, food, silk and cloth to express his gratitude.

Liu Yao also sent some gold, silver and daily necessities to the Yin of Henan to show his loyalty to the Han Dynasty.

Then there is Lu Bu.

He had just arrived in Runan and was recuperating and regaining his strength here.

After receiving the order, he exclaimed:
"The emperor is in trouble in Hedong, I have no choice but to go!"

He then put on his armor and took up his spear, intending to lead his troops personally to Henan Yin to rescue the emperor.

Chen Gong hurriedly persuaded Lü Bu to stop, saying:
"Now we are foreign generals, living under someone else's roof."

"With less than 3,000 soldiers and horses, how can we defeat the two bandits, Jue and Si?"

Lu Bu was surprised:
"Did the lord not read this letter?"

"It's not just Bu's army that's going there. Cao Cao and Liu Bei have also sent people to help the king."

"With our three armies united, why should we fear the two thieves, Jue and Si?"

Chen Gong shook his head helplessly and explained:
"Even if we can repel the Liang rebels, how can Marquis Wen bring the emperor to Runan from Cao Cao and Liu Bei?"

In Chen Gong's view, this trip to the capital would be in vain if they could not seize the throne.

After his defeat in Yanzhou, Lu Bu had obviously lost the qualification to snatch the emperor's throne and have a seat at the table for dinner.

Then this time sending troops to support the king is simply working for others.

Lu Bu said sternly:
"Today, we are all here to protect the royal family. As long as the emperor is settled, it will be fine. Who cares where the emperor is going?"

With Lu Bu's intelligence, he certainly did not realize the political value of the emperor in this era.

But he was very clear about one thing: the thing he was most proud of in his life was eliminating bandits for the country and his identity as General Fenwei and Marquis Wen.

These were all given to him by the Han court. If the Han court is gone, his pride will no longer exist.

Even when Lu Bu led his troops outside, the slogan he shouted was always,
——"I want to ask for troops to go west to welcome the emperor and recover Luojing."

Lü Bu said to Chen Gong solemnly:

"When the emperor returned to the east, he brought an imperial edict to announce that he would go to the king's defense."

"But Bu was in trouble at that time and had no food or horses."

"Today, all the princes have sent out their troops to protect the king. As a powerful general of the court, how can I fall behind?"

He then ignored Chen Gong's advice, selected a thousand infantry and cavalry, and rushed to Henan Yin.

On the other side, Zhao Yun led the Yunqi and traveled day and night and quickly arrived at the State of Chen.

He explained the matter to Chen Wang Liu Chong.

Liu Chong was shocked when he heard this, and hurriedly summoned Prime Minister Luo Jun and Yuzhou Governor Guo Gong to Chen County to discuss the matter.

"Today, the emperor has been humiliated by the Liang rebels and has already arrived in Hedong."

"As a member of the royal family, I have no right to stand idly by and watch."

Prime Minister Luo Jun also said sternly:
"To protect the king and serve the country is in line with the will of heaven and the will of the people."

"Today, the emperor is in trouble. If the State of Chen ignores it, it would not be the behavior of a loyal minister."

Upon hearing this, Guo Gong also echoed:
"Since this is the case, Gong will also lead 5,000 soldiers to accompany the king to Henan Yin."

According to Liu Bei's intention in Xuzhou, they wanted to bring the emperor to the State of Chen, which is Yuzhou.

As the governor of Yuzhou and the top leader of the province, Guo Gong certainly could not be vague on such matters.

You must also go with him to serve the king.

"good!"

"In this case, I'll trouble Lord Luo to take care of all the affairs in Chen State."

"I, Envoy Guo, and General Zhao are rushing to Henan to support the king."

Luo Jun nodded repeatedly and assured Liu Chong that nothing would go wrong on the Chen State side.

Liu Chong felt relieved, and immediately ordered his general Jue Zhangshi to lead troops with Guo Gong and Zhao Yun to rush to Henan Yin.

Zhao Yun led the Yunqi as the vanguard, riding at full speed all the way, traveling day and night, heading straight towards Luoyang.

……

……

The words are divided into two parts,

However, after Emperor Liu Xie went to Hedong, he continued to Henan Yin under the auspices of all the court officials.

When the emperor arrived at Dayang County in Hedong Commandery, Henei Governor Zhang Yang also joined the ranks of guarding the imperial carriage.

As a result, the competition among ministers who held real power around the emperor became more intense, and the phenomenon of scrambling for power and profit became more and more serious.

The emperor's uncle Dong Cheng and Zhang Yang all advocated that the emperor return the capital to Luoyang.

However, the leaders of the Baibo Army, Yang Feng, Han Xian and others, were unwilling to let the emperor return to the east.

Instead, he wanted the emperor to stay near Mianchi in Hongnong, on the grounds that it was to avoid the Huns.

The two sides fought endlessly, causing the carriage to move slowly.

Liu Xie had no choice but to send envoys to Yang Feng and Han Xian’s respective tents to plead for mercy.

He also promised the two of them that as long as they could take a carriage to Luoyang.

At that time, Yang Feng will be appointed as General of Chariots and Cavalry and be given the authority to command the imperial sword.

Han Xian was appointed as the general, and concurrently served as the Inspector of the Imperial Capital, and was also given the power of the imperial seal and axe.

After receiving Liu Xie's promise, the two agreed to continue escorting the emperor to Luoyang.

That night, the moon was bright and the wind was clear.

Zhang Yang stood alone by the river, with his hands behind his back, gazing at the river with a look of anxiety on his face.

"Master, are you looking for me?"

A man came from behind.

Zhang Yang turned around and looked at him, then said:
"Kimihito came at the perfect time. I was having a hard time with something."

The visitor was Dong Zhao from Dingtao, Yanzhou.

In his early years, he was selected as a filial and honest official and was employed by Yuan Shao as a military officer.

However, his younger brother was serving under Zhang Miao at that time, and Zhang Miao had a bad relationship with Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao then thought about punishing Dong Zhao.

Dong Zhao was in a state of panic and wanted to take the opportunity to break away from Yuan Shao, saying that he wanted to meet the emperor.

Unexpectedly, when he reached Hanoi, he was detained by Zhang Yang and kept by his side as a cavalry captain.

Zhang Yang knew that Dong Zhao was talented and trusted him quite a bit.

"I have been escorting the emperor for several days, and I have seen Han Xian, Yang Feng and others all have rebellious intentions."

"I'm afraid it will be difficult to take Luoyi."

Zhang Yang told Dong Zhao his inner thoughts directly and truthfully.

He only brought more than 5,000 people from Hanoi this time.

However, Yang Feng, Han Xian, Li Le and other Baibo bandits had tens of thousands of people under their command.

With the troops under the command of Zhang Yang and Dong Cheng, they were no match for them at all.

Zhang Yang couldn't help but regret his decision to come to the king's defense.

He originally wanted to help the emperor to regain Luoyi and gain the status of a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty so that he could make plans for the future.

But I didn't expect that the emperor's return to the east would be so difficult.

With Zhang Yang's ability, he really didn't know how to deal with it.

"Don't worry, my lord. Zhao has received intelligence that all the princes, led by Yuan Benchu, have sent troops to Henan to support the king."

Dong Zhao handed a scroll of letters to Zhang Yang.

"When all the troops arrive, what can we do if Yang Feng and other bandits from Baibo come together, or if the rebels from Liang, such as Kuai and Si, come together?"

Zhang Yang hurriedly took the letter and checked it, and saw that Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao and other princes had all sent troops to come to the king's aid.

Although the exact number has not been determined, a conservative estimate is that tens of thousands of troops would be no problem.

There is indeed no need to be afraid of Li Jue, Yang Feng and others.

But Zhang Yang began to worry again.

"The emperor has been suffering in Chang'an for a long time, and no princes have come to rescue him."

"Now that we have just reached Hedong, all the princes have come here at once."

"I'm afraid I covet more than I care."

"They say they are supporting the royal family, but they are probably trying to seize the emperor."

Zhang Yang came to protect the emperor, indeed not out of loyalty.

He just wanted to get some benefits from the emperor. As long as he escorted the emperor back to Luoyi, at least he would be given the title of general.

But Zhang Yang had never really thought about seizing the throne.

Therefore, he believed that he was indeed qualified to rebuke other princes for having impure intentions.

Dong Zhao was a bit fat, his eyes rolled around, and he thought to himself, Zhang Yang, didn’t you go to rescue the emperor when he was in trouble in Chang'an?
"The emperor will arrive in Luoyi in a carriage soon."

"When all the princes and their troops arrive, I'm afraid the entire Henan Province will be in chaos."

"I wonder how the Lord will deal with himself when the time comes?"

Dong Zhao asked seriously.

Zhang Yang took a deep breath and sighed:
“This is exactly what Zhang is worried about.”

"I came here to escort the king with the intention of being loyal to the Han Dynasty. It is not my intention to be involved in this power struggle."

"I summoned Gongren here precisely to ask you for advice on how to protect yourself."

Compared with other princes, Zhang Yang's strength is very weak.

He had no intention of getting involved in this vortex, but he was unwilling to give up halfway.

In desperation, he could only seek help from Dong Zhao.

Dong Zhao blinked his eyes and analyzed carefully:

"This matter does not depend on Zhao, but on Ming Gong."

"at me?"

Zhang Yang scratched his head and asked:
"What does Kimihito mean by that?"

"Your Excellency regards Hanoi as a treasure, but in the eyes of others, it is just a piece of chicken ribs."

“Do you want to continue to stay in Hanoi or find another way out?”

……

(End of this chapter)