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

Chapter 130 Who can rival the heroes of the world? Cao and Liu!

Like Lu Bu, Zhang Yang rose from the grassroots and became famous on the frontier because of his extraordinary bravery.

Therefore, Zhang Yang also has the same shortcomings as Lu Bu.

As a meritorious official of the Han Dynasty, Lu Bu had every opportunity to reverse his reputation and become a powerful lord.

But he couldn't.

Because they have been living in harsh border areas for many years, both the Bingzhou Group and the Liangzhou Group are believers in existentialist philosophy.

That is, just getting by and lacking political goals.

The harsh living conditions have resulted in the legions of Bing and Liang states having no ambition, and they only pursue maximizing immediate benefits.

Be it Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu, or Li Jue and Guo Si, their subordinates were all famous for their looting skills.

The topics surrounding the entire Liangzhou Group are either robbery or infighting.

No one has put forward a clear political goal.

Because the theme of the border force is to focus on today and nothing else.

You never know when you might die on the border.

After Dong Zhuo's death, the Xiliang army was leaderless.

If Jia Xu had not offered a vicious plan at the critical moment, the Xiliang Army would not even realize that they had the power to overthrow the imperial court.

Whether it is Lu Bu or Zhang Yang, they both possess powerful military force.

But they never realized that the world has long become an era where anyone with a gun can be a king.

Both of them lacked political goals. They neither thought about unifying the world nor about establishing their own territory.

Lu Bu rushed around to seize cities, and Zhang Yang sent people to escort the emperor back to the capital, but they were just trying to fight for a little living space for themselves.

Dong Zhao's questions were very sharp, leaving Zhang Yang confused.

What does he want?

"Today, the emperor's carriage is in Hedong. If we abandon it, it would not be the act of a loyal minister."

"If I don't go, I may not be able to fight against Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others."

"This is difficult..."

Zhang Yang frowned, unable to make a judgment for a moment.

Dong Zhao was not originally Zhang Yang's man. He was forcibly detained by him and made a cavalry captain.

He knew that Zhang Yang had no talent or wisdom, and there was no future for him if he stayed with him.

Now that the emperor has returned to the east, all the princes have come together to protect him and support him.

This is a good opportunity for Dong Zhao to escape and pursue a wise leader!
"Although Yuan and Cao are now one family, they will not be able to form a group for long."

"Although Cao Mengde is weak, he is indeed a hero in the world. You should make friends with him."

After a slight pause, he continued:

"Liu Xuande rose from the wilds of the north, but established himself in Xuzhou amidst the siege of many heroes."

"This is also a hero of our time."

"Cao and Liu are both people you need to befriend."

Originally, Dong Zhao had his eyes on Cao Cao.

Because when Cao Cao entered Yanzhou, he successively defeated Yu Du of Heishan, Yu Fuluo of the Xiongnu, and the Yellow Turban Army of Qingzhou.

He also joined forces with Yuan Shao and defeated the arrogant Yuan Shu at Kuangting.

Shattered Yuan Shu's ambition to get involved in Yanzhou.

Based on the military talent Cao Cao had demonstrated so far, Dong Zhao believed that this man was a capable leader who could accomplish things.

He had also planned to take this opportunity to surrender to Cao Cao.

But who could have imagined that in the past year or so, a mat weaver and shoe seller from Zhuo County would emerge as a new force.

Not only did he establish a presence in Xuzhou.

Langya subdued the Taishan army, Qingzhou captured Yuan Tan alive, and Guangling defeated Yuan Shu.

All of the above events deeply shocked Dong Zhao.

He really couldn't believe that this was what Liu Bei accomplished within a year.

It is even suspected that Liu Bei was the one who made the arrangements for all the princes to come to Henan to support the king.

All of a sudden, so many princes came.

Its appeal and charm are evident.

Based on this, Dong Zhao had to re-evaluate Cao and Liu.

"What does Yi Gongren mean...?"

Zhang Yang asked tentatively.

"Henei was less affected by the war. When the Xiongnu invaded the south, they mostly went through Hedong and Bingzhou counties."

"Since there is still surplus food in Henei, why not take advantage of this gathering of princes to use it to reward the coalition forces."

"Then offer horses, gold and silk as gifts to make friends with the other princes."

"If something is accomplished, it will be a lasting blessing."

After listening to Dong Zhao's suggestion, Zhang Yang pondered for a moment.

Hanoi is a small city surrounded by powerful countries, so he really has no ability to keep it.

If possible, he even wanted to take advantage of the emperor's return to the east to seek an official position in the court.

"Alright, let's do as Gongren said."

"I'll take out the money and food from Hanoi and give them to the allied forces, hoping to make friends with heroes from all over the world."

"To find a way out for the future."

Afterwards, Zhang Yang ordered people to return to Henei to purchase money and food and escort them to Hedong.

……

A few more days passed.

The emperor hurried to Henan Yin in his carriage.

When I saw the old place again, everything was unprepared, the city walls had collapsed and could not be repaired.

When Liu Xie was feeling grief-stricken, a servant suddenly came to report that the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si had led their troops to pursue him.

Liu Xie was horrified and hurriedly summoned Zhang Yang, Yang Feng, Han Xian, Dong Cheng and other ministers who held military power.

"I have already sent envoys to Yanzhou and Xuzhou."

"Now the troops from Cao's Yanzhou and Liu's Xuzhou have not arrived yet. The enemy is approaching. How can we meet them?"

Everyone looked at each other and immediately responded in unison:

"We are all willing to fight the enemy to the death to protect Your Majesty!"

The uncle Dong Cheng was worried and said:
"Now the city walls are not strong, and the soldiers and armor are few. If we cannot win the battle, what shall we do?"

This one sentence instantly stumped everyone.

Don’t underestimate the fact that the total number of soldiers and horses in their hands is around tens of thousands.

But the army was not united and moved in a hesitant and disorganized manner.

Yang Feng, Li Le, Han Xian and other members of the Baibo Army were unwilling to let the emperor return to the east. Now that they have escorted him to Henan Yin, they have begun to regret it.

Moreover, the relationship between Yang Feng and Han Xian was not very good.

If this is the case within the Baibo Army, what about elsewhere?

Dong Cheng realized this and wanted to take advantage of the contradiction between the two and use the opponent's strength to defeat him.

However, the Xiliang bandits were too close, so they had to borrow the power of the Baibo Army.

Thinking that the imperial edict had already been issued and that Cao Cao and Liu Bei would soon send people over, he simply continued to head east.

The best strategy is to get rid of the two thieves.

"Your Majesty, now that the imperial edict has been issued, it is expected that the troops from Yan and Xu will arrive soon."

"Why don't we continue eastward and go to Yanzhou first?"

Yang Biao asked:

"My uncle said before that Cao Cao could not be trusted, so why did you go to him now and go against your words?"

Dong Cheng thought to himself, what you are talking about is just nonsense.

Since Cao Cao is the closest, where else can we run to except Yanzhou?

"Now that the Liang rebels are approaching, we should first seek refuge in Yanzhou and then think about other things." Dong Cheng explained.

Liu Xie didn't care about much at the moment and ordered his troops to head east.

All officials had no horses and had to walk with the emperor.

After another day, they were not far from Luoyang, and there was no place to shoot arrows at.

But I saw dust covering the sun, gongs and drums blaring, and countless soldiers and horses arriving.

I saw a brave general leading cavalry rushing up to the carriage, bowing and saying:
"I, General Xiahou Dun, follow the orders of my lord and mobilize all the soldiers in Yanzhou to come and protect the emperor!"

It was within everyone's expectations that Cao's troops arrived first.

Liu Xie felt much more at ease and immediately praised Xiahou Dun for his loyalty and bravery.

Another half day passed,

Suddenly, news came that another army was arriving from the east.

Liu Xie was shocked and immediately ordered Xiahou Dun to go and investigate.

Xiahou Dun ordered Dian Wei to lead a dozen riders to go there, but they turned back soon after.

Reply to Liu Xie:
"Please don't worry, Your Majesty. This is Cao Yanzhou leading the infantry!"

Cao Cao led his infantry so quickly.

Liu Xie was secretly shocked and quickly summoned Cao Cao to meet him.

Cao Cao brought Cao Hong, Li Dian, Le Jin and others to see the emperor.

Cao Cao bowed before the emperor and said:
"I have been blessed by the state and have been fed by the emperor for generations. I have always wanted to repay you."

"So Xiahou Dun came here in advance to assist."

Liu Xie was overjoyed when he heard this, "General Cao is truly a loyal minister to the country!"

He was immediately granted parole and given an edict of consolation.

After setting up camp, Cao Cao walked out of the palace steps and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fortunately, no one else got there first. It seems Cao was the first to arrive."

Cao Cao's face was filled with long-lost joy. This was the happiest thing for him this year.

As long as he welcomed the emperor, he could use the four hundred years of the Han Dynasty's reputation to recruit heroes from all over the world.

Xiahou Dun walked over quickly, holding a military report in his hand, and reported to Cao Cao with a serious face:
"Ming Gong, I just received the information."

"This time, the imperial court not only sent an edict to Yanzhou, but also sent an edict to Xuzhou to summon Liu Xuande."

Cao Cao's expression suddenly changed, and his eagle eyes shot up:
"What is he here for?"

Liu Bei was far away in Xuzhou, so why would he come to Henan Yin to join in the fun?

You are a relative of the Han royal family who is extremely biased. You wouldn't start to show your loyalty at this time.

Cao Cao could not accept that Liu Bei was involved in this matter.

He was determined to become the emperor, even if it meant breaking the relationship between Cao and Liu.

"Where is Liu Bei now?"

Cao Cao asked in a deep voice.

"I don't know."

Xiahou Dun shook his head. "My army has been on the march for several days, but the military report from Sima Xun has not yet been sent back."

hiss……

Cao Cao took a deep breath, clasped his hands across his chest, and paced back and forth.

After a while, he said:

"Liu Xuande intervened in the matter first, and then the two thieves, Kuai and Si, pursued us relentlessly."

"I cannot stay here for long. I will go to see the emperor and discuss the matter of moving the capital to Xu County."

After he finished speaking, he immediately went into the city to meet Liu Xie.

He bowed at the foot of the palace steps and was about to speak when he was suddenly informed that Li Jue and Guo Si had arrived with their troops.

Liu Xie and Empress Fu were trembling with fear when they heard this. "…Lord Cao, the Liang rebels are coming to kill us. What should we do?"

Cao Cao hurriedly spoke to comfort the emperor:

"Your Majesty, do not worry. The two thieves, Kuai and Si, are now full of evil, and Cao is here to punish them."

"I have over 200,000 elite soldiers, and I will defeat the rebels with my troops, and I will always win."

Whenever the ancients talked about numbers, they would tend to make up stories.

Because there is no way to check this kind of thing.

Sure enough, after hearing that Cao Cao had more than 200,000 elite soldiers, Liu Xie's mood immediately calmed down a lot.

"I have my beloved Lord Cao, so there will be no worries."

"Please be careful, my dear."

Cao Cao bowed again:

"Your Majesty, please be kind and take care of the country first."

"I will be back soon."

After leaving the city, Cao Cao immediately ordered his troops to intercept Li Jue and Guo Si's troops from Xiliang.

Li Jue jumped on his horse, held his spear in his hand, whipped his whip and cursed:
"I have the merit of defeating Lu Bu, and I have assisted him for four years. The three prefectures are peaceful, and the country knows about it."

"Why do you now accuse me of being a traitor to your country and ask you to come and resist me?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao was furious and immediately ordered Cao Ren and Dian Wei to lead 300 cavalrymen to charge at Li Jue's army.

He also ordered Xiahou Dun and Cao Hong to lead an army each to attack from the left and right to attack the two bandits from both sides.

While the two armies were fighting, they suddenly heard an army coming from the east.

Cao Cao was horrified. He thought that if another army attacked from the rear, his army would be scattered and would be defeated by Li Jue and Guo Si.

He then sent Li Dian and Yue Jin to lead an army to intercept the approaching army.

The two generals took orders and stepped forward to block the way.

"Then the army should not move forward any further!"

Li Dian shouted sternly.

In the army, an extremely majestic general rode out on his horse, holding his spear in his hand, his voice like a bell:
"I am here on the orders of Envoy Liu to protect the king. How dare you stop me?"

Liu Bei’s men?

Li Dian and Le Jin looked at each other, but before they could say anything, another general rode out on his horse.

"I am Liu Chong, the Prince of Chen. I heard that the emperor has returned to the capital, so I have come to protect him."

"You are blocking the road here. Are you here to protect me or to rob me?"

Li Dian and Le Jin were shocked and hurriedly explained:
"We are here to protect you under the king's order!"

Liu Chong shouted sternly:

"Since we are both here to protect you, why are you stopping us?"

Li Dian and Le Jin were speechless and had to give way and report to Cao Cao.

Liu Chong and Zhao Yun led their troops forward.

When the emperor heard that another army was coming from the east, he was very frightened and immediately sent people to investigate.

After a while, they reported back that it was not the enemy army.

Instead, they were the troops of Liu Chong, the King of Chen State, and Liu Bei of Xuzhou.

Seeing that they were his own people, Liu Xie felt relieved and immediately summoned Liu Chong and Zhao Yun to the steps to meet him.

The two men bowed at the steps of the palace and explained their purpose.

Liu Xie immediately ordered him to be liberated.

He also asked about their backgrounds.

Liu Chong said again:

"I am the great-great-grandson of Emperor Ming and the great-great-grandson of King Jing."

Liu Xie was surprised and delighted, and almost cried out in excitement:

"You are my uncle!"

He didn't care about etiquette at the moment, walked up from the rotten steps and held Liu Chong's hand.

Like a child complaining about his grievances in front of his elders, he wept and said:

"Li Jue and Guo Si have been in power for a long time, and I have no control over state affairs."

"Now that I have a hero's uncle, I have help!"

When Liu Chong saw the emperor in such a miserable state, he sighed deeply.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I have brought with me three thousand soldiers, all of whom are good at fighting."

"Yuzhou Governor Guo Shijun is also leading a large army behind us and will arrive soon."

"General Zhao, who is beside me, is extremely brave and courageous."

"I have a thousand elite cavalry under my command, enough to repel the enemy."

Liu Xie looked at Zhao Yun and saw that he was eight feet tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes.

He has a broad face and a heavy chin, and looks majestic.

My good impression of you doubled.

He held Zhao Yun's hand with his right hand and sighed:

"General Zhao and the Emperor's uncle are both loyal ministers to the country. I have nothing to worry about."

He glanced at the crumbling city wall again, and heard the shouting of horses and men.

"Now the enemy troops are approaching, and Lord Cao is fighting with Liang Ni. You two Lords can go and help."

"Here!"

The two of them took orders and left in unison.

On the other side, Cao Cao was commanding the battle in the central army.

Li Dian and Le Jin came to report.

Cao Cao asked hurriedly:

"How is it, did you intercept the person coming?"

Li Dian and Le Jin reported the truth to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao exclaimed:
"Liu Xuande arrived so quickly!"

Liu Bei's troops were not much slower than Cao Cao's, which was unexpected by Cao Cao.

According to his expectation, they would definitely be able to welcome the emperor to Yingchuan before Liu Bei arrived.

I didn't expect to be caught up before I even set out.

Li Dian said:
"Liu Bei sent light cavalry. They abandoned their baggage and were only concerned with speed, so they were able to advance quickly."

Hearing this, Cao Cao became even more frightened.

If Liu Bei simply wanted to protect the royal family and came to defend the king, would he have to risk his life so desperately?

Could it be that he, like himself, also has other intentions?
As they were speaking, there was a sound of thunderous horseback riding in the east.

Zhao Yun and Liu Chong led their troops to the scene and shouted:

"Cao Yanzhou, we are here on the orders of the Emperor to help you repel the enemy!"

Xiahou Dun was very dissatisfied when he heard this and snorted coldly:
"My army is in the upper hand and will soon defeat the Liang rebels and capture the two rebels, Kuai and Si, alive."

"These two came slowly, yet they wanted to compete with us for credit!"

Although Cao Cao felt unhappy, in order to leave a good impression on the emperor, he had to say:

"Since we are all fighting for the country, there is no need to break it down."

"Yuan Rang and Zi Lian can each lead an army and attack from the left and right wings."

"I will lead the central army to charge!"

At the command, drums sounded and the three armies marched out together.

Seeing that the enemy was coming fiercely, Li Jue and Guo Si sent out the Western Liang cavalry to stop them.

The cavalry poured in like a flood breaking through a dam.

But he didn't expect to be shot by Liu Chong's men.

Ju Zhangshi fired thousands of arrows at once, and in a moment the arrows fell like rain.

Many knights fell off their horses and were trampled by their companions, resulting in countless casualties.

The Xiliang cavalry could not break into the formation and had to retreat.

Zhao Yun led his Yunqi and fought back and forth in Li Jue's army three times.

Every time he went out, he would behead someone and return.

Li Xian, the nephew of Li Jue, went out to meet the enemy, but before he could say anything, Zhao Yun rode over and stabbed him to death with a single spear.

Cao Cao looked at the general in the army from afar and saw him charging left and right in the enemy's formation as if he was in an empty space. He couldn't help feeling emotional.

He waved his finger and asked:

"Who will that be?"

Someone in the army recognized Zhao Yun and explained to Cao Cao:
"That man is from Changshan, Jizhou. His surname is Zhao, his given name is Yun, and his courtesy name is Zilong. He is the cavalry commander under Liu Bei."

Liu Bei...

Cao Cao curled his lips slightly, saying that it was impossible not to feel sour.

"Why does Liu Bei have so many talented people under his command?"

Upon hearing this, Dian Wei turned around and shouted to Cao Cao:
"Lord Cao, wait and see how I kill him!"

After he finished speaking, he led his troops into the enemy camp and headed straight for Li Jue's army.

Li Bie, another nephew of Li Jue, rode out with his spear in hand to meet Dian Wei.

After fighting for only a short while, he was cut down from his horse by Dian Wei.

Dian Wei cut off Li Bie's head and returned to the army.

He raised his head above his head and shouted:

"Here is Li Jue's head!"

The soldiers were unaware of the truth, and the morale of Cao's army was greatly boosted, shouting and fighting.

The soldiers of Liang Province were all frightened at the sight of the enemy and dared not engage in battle.

Seeing this, Cao Cao was overjoyed and stepped forward to catch Dian Wei.

Patted him on the back and praised:
"You are truly the evil one of ancient times!"

On the other hand, I secretly thought,
Liu Bei, you have Zhao Zilong, and I also have Dian Elai.

For a time, the coalition forces had the upper hand.

The Xiliang army was unable to withstand the enemy and was defeated and fled.

Liu Chong and Cao Cao both drew their swords and led the troops in pursuit all night long.

In one night, so many people were killed that countless people surrendered.

Li Jue and Guo Si both fled westwards, looking as hurriedly as dogs that had lost their homes.

The allied forces pursued them all the way until dawn when they returned to see the emperor.

Liu Xie commended everyone for their contributions and ordered them to go back and rest first, and then return to the palace to discuss matters the next day.

Here, Zhao Yun returned to the camp, and Yuzhou Governor Guo Gong happened to arrive with his troops overnight.

He brought many people with him, so he arrived late.

Liu Chong explained to him that the rebels in Liang Province had been driven away, but he saw that the emperor was living in poverty and most of the people in the harem were eating jujubes and vegetables.

It's really difficult.

Guo Gong hurriedly said:
"I have brought a lot of food and fodder this time. Why don't I take this opportunity to offer you rice, wine and meat?"

If only one prince meets the emperor, the initiative is in the hands of the prince.

Now that two princes of similar strength have arrived, the initiative is in the hands of the emperor.

Considering that the capital would be moved to Chen later, everyone hoped to take this opportunity to show goodwill to the emperor.

Liu Chong readily agreed, and brought his followers, Zhao Yun and Guo Gong to the palace to meet the emperor.

……

(End of this chapter)