Chapter 44: Changing generals before the battle, princes besieging, and the war breaks out!

Beimang Mountain.

After hearing the imperial edict, Qin Qiong immediately dispatched troops.

Lü Bu led the Bingzhou army to charge at Hulao Pass, the city defense of Guandong. Li Siye led the Modao troops to the south of Xuanyuan Pass. Qin Qiong led only 1,000 soldiers from the five schools of the Northern Army to Gongxian to take over Zhu Jun's position as the commander-in-chief.

Bai Hu and Xu Rong, disguised as "Wang Fang", led nearly 10,000 Xiliang soldiers. Yueqi Captain Wu captured more than 5,000 soldiers from the five schools of the Northern Army and guarded the capital. The Black Armor Army returned to patrol the imperial city.

The defenses of the outer city, imperial city (inner city), and imperial palace were mobilized.

Even ordinary people feel an oppressive atmosphere as if a storm is about to come!

The officials on duty were very careful in what they said and did, fearing that the fire at the city gate would affect the innocent.

Today is an eventful day!
Because Grand Tutor Yuan Wei and his entire family will be executed at noon today!

The news of the princes' alliance, the forged imperial edict to purge the emperor's side and the execution of treacherous ministers in the previous two days had spread like wildfire throughout the capital!
Many people understand that this is Yuan’s self-rescue and counterattack!
But what puzzled them was that until today, there had been no news of the princes besieging the capital.

Are they here to save Yuan Wei's family? Or are they here to see them off to the end?!

The matter was hotly discussed on the streets of the capital, of course, it was discussed in secret.

Amidst this heated discussion, outside the eight passes of Luoyang, at almost the same time, that is, at the hour of Mao, around six in the morning, the princes of all parties collectively launched an attack.

That is, the Guandong defense line was led by Yuan Shao, the governor of Bohai, and other princes, who attacked Sishui Pass and Hulao Pass.

The princes south of the Guannan Pass, including Yuan Shu, the prefect of Nanyang, Sun Jian, the prefect of Changsha, and Kong Rong, the governor of Yuzhou, attacked Xuanyuan Pass, Dagu Pass, etc.

In the north of the pass, Wang Kuang, the governor of Henei, and others attacked Xiaopingjin Pass and Mengjin Pass.

In Guanxi, Ma Teng, the governor of Xiliang, and others attacked the Sanfu area of ​​the capital, which involved Huangfu Song's troops.

The capital is surrounded by enemies on all sides!
These princes are far away from each other, so it is naturally impossible for them to communicate so quickly. This is an agreement they have already made. Today, on the fourth day of September, at the exact hour of Mao, they will directly attack the capital and put pressure on the city's defenses!

For Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and other members of the Yuan family, they hoped to use this military oppression to force the Han emperor to revoke his order!

Although it is difficult to understand Yuan Shao's train of thought, this was also what Yuan Shao proposed when there was a dispute between General He Jin and the Ten Eunuchs. He summoned foreign troops into the capital to intimidate the capital and force Empress Dowager He not to interfere in the dispute between the eunuchs and the relatives of the emperor.

At that time, Empress Dowager He was indeed frightened and sent the eunuchs back to their hometowns.

In Yuan Shao's view, this is a kind of "taking advantage of the situation to intimidate others"!
But the problem was that Empress Dowager He was Empress Dowager He. She could not bear the intimidation and pressure of foreign troops entering the capital, so she rescinded her order.

But will Emperor Han, Liu Bian, choose to revoke his order?
Of course, for those princes who were kept in the dark, they thought they could use this pressure to make the Western Liang Army, which controlled the capital and the Han Emperor, feel fearful and dare not act rashly!

Offense is the best defense!

While these princes were harboring their own ulterior motives and having their own thoughts, they all launched an attack at the exact time of Mao today.

Suddenly, the military situation in the eight checkpoints of Luoyang became urgent!
...

At this time, the eight passes of Luoyang were commanded by General Zhu Jun, who placed his camp in Gong County.

Gong County, also known as Gongyi, is located at the intersection of He and Luo Rivers, where mountains and rivers are dangerous. It has occupied a geographical advantage since ancient times.

The so-called "Gong means solid. It is surrounded by mountains and rivers and is solid and cannot be taken away." Because it guards the capital Luoyang, it is known as the "Key to the Eastern Capital."

Zhu Jun set up the central army headquarters here——

Gong County guards the capital, more than 50 miles away from Luoyang. It controls the defense of Guandong City, and is only 20 miles away from Hulao Pass. To the north, it is only 30 miles away from Mengjin Pass. To the west, it is only more than 40 miles away from Xuanyuan Pass in Songshan.

Zhu Jun was stationed in Gong County, where he could give remote commands and obtain first-hand intelligence. At the same time, he could reinforce or mobilize the city defenses in Guandong, Guannan and Guanbei, as well as transport food and supplies.

A perfect central military location!
As for the defense of Guanxi City and Hangu Pass, Zhu Jun sent a letter to Huangfu Song to guard them from the beginning because they were too far away. He trusted this old comrade who had fought side by side and shared life and death with him.

At the exact moment of Mao time today, the news of the siege from various directions by the princes reached the Gong County Central Army Command as soon as possible. Zhu Jun immediately carried out the military defense mobilization in an orderly manner.

Under the overall planning and calming of the army by the commander Zhu Jun, the emotions of the eight passes in Luoyang, which were shaken by the urgent military situation, were gradually suppressed. Zhu Jun sat in the center of the army, like a magic needle that stabilized the sea!
however!
At this time, Qin Qiong and Lu Bu led their troops to come to the rescue.

Lu Bu led the Bingzhou army directly to Hulao Pass for assistance. Zhu Jun was not surprised and ordered his soldiers to cooperate and assist.

However, Qin Qiong brought the emperor's edict, to take over Zhu Jun's position and transfer him back to Beijing to take charge of the central government, which shocked Zhu Jun!

"Now the rebels are besieging the capital, attacking from the east, south and north of the Guandong Pass. I guess there must be rebels in the west of the Guanxi Pass as well. How can we change the commander in the middle of this crisis?!"

Zhu Jun tried to persuade Qin Qiong with both emotion and reason, but Qin Qiong was helpless. As a subject, he could only obey orders.

Zhu Jun asked in a deep voice: "Captain Qin, can you tell me what happened in the capital?"

After thinking about it, Qin Qiong decided to tell Xu You about the attack.

"It's a plot to sow discord!"

Zhu Jun turned pale instantly, looked up at the sky and said: "I am a loyal minister who has performed my duties faithfully. Why would Your Majesty listen to the slander of a villain?"

"General Zhu has spoken out of turn!"

Qin Qiong sighed and said, "Although I am a junior, I will carry out General Zhu's military duties as usual and will not give orders recklessly. Maybe when you return to Luoyang, His Majesty will let you come back again?"

"I understand!"

Although Zhu Jun was extremely reluctant, he could not disobey the emperor's order!
Zhu Jun immediately summoned all the generals and informed them that Qin Qiong would take over the position of commander-in-chief, which really made some of the officers panic.

Changing generals at the last minute is a big taboo!!!
Especially at the critical moment when the enemy is attacking, it is the biggest taboo among taboos!!!
"Today, your majesty will execute the entire family of Yuan Wei, the entire family of Dong Zhuo, and officers and officers of the Xiliang Army, a total of more than a thousand people. I need to go back to the capital to prevent the scoundrels from causing chaos, so don't think too much!"

Zhu Jun was indeed a veteran. He remained calm and gave a well-reasoned reason, which calmed the officers and generals.

indeed!

Yuan Wei, the Grand Tutor, is from the Yuan family of Runan. His family has three dukes in four generations, and his students and former officials are all over the country. The princes who besieged the eight passes of the capital Luoyang were trying to force His Majesty to withdraw his order. There is no guarantee that there will be no scoundrels in the capital who will take the opportunity to cause chaos.

The capital city really needs Zhu Jun, a veteran with great prestige, to take charge!

But changing the commander in the middle of a battle, the commander-in-chief was not familiar with the generals and officers, and the enemy was besieging the eight passes of Luoyang at this time. This was a big taboo in a march!

Qin Qiong stood up and said:

"Don't worry, everyone. Just follow General Zhu's deployment of troops and proceed as usual without any changes.

"General Zhu is here to support the capital, not to be interrogated by the court judge. We can control the battlefield at any time through communication..."

After Qin Qiong's speech, the officers finally calmed down. At least Qin Qiong showed an open mind to accept advice instead of being arrogant.

Finally, Zhu Jun still reminded:
"Although I have deployed my troops, the battlefield is ever-changing, and you need to adapt to the situation. Don't stick to the old rules and try to find the right solution."

Zhu Jun's advice was in response to Qin Qiong's words "everything should proceed as usual, no need for changes". If Qin Qiong really did "everything should proceed as usual" and "no need for changes", then everything would be over!
Among the princes who besieged the eight passes of Luoyang, the capital, there were many capable and good fighters. If they got the news that the defenders of the capital had changed their commanders before the battle, they would definitely change their offensive strategy and rhythm.

If at this time "everything remains the same" and "no changes are needed", it would be tantamount to "seeking one's own death"!

On the battlefield, things change rapidly.

The most frightening thing is sticking to the old ways!

"Thank you General Zhu for your advice. I have benefited a lot from it." Qin Qiong felt that he benefited a lot from this question and answer.

If Zhang Liao was a rookie general facing Qin Qiong, then the same was true when Qin Qiong faced Zhu Jun.

Qin Qiong's attitude of accepting advice readily and with a pleasant face made Zhu Jun feel much more at ease and also won the recognition of the generals and officers.

After the smooth handover, Qin Qiong became the commander-in-chief of the central army of Gong County, while Zhu Jun resigned and returned to the capital.

When leaving the central army camp, Zhu Jun looked back every few steps, fearing that something might happen. But in the end, he sighed, "The king's order cannot be disobeyed," and headed straight for the capital. He needed to ride back as fast as possible to prove his loyalty to His Majesty!
……

Almost immediately after Zhu Jun and Qin Qiong took over, the intelligence was immediately passed on. In such a large military camp, it is impossible to penetrate every hole, and there will definitely be spies infiltrating it, which is hard to guard against.

The princes of Guandong are stationed in Suanzao.

The princes in various parts of the world pushed Yuan Shao to be the leader of the alliance. Qiao Mao, who issued the forged edict, also pushed Yuan Shao. The Yuan family of Runan, with three dukes in four generations, naturally passed it without any objection.

However, only Yuan's staunch allies knew what was happening in the capital. The other princes thought that they were here to purge the emperor and wipe out the Western Liang army that had been wreaking havoc in the capital.

At that time, Zhu Jun was in charge of the central army. When the news came out, many princes began to criticize him:

"General Zhu led the army to suppress the Yellow Turbans, and he was as famous as General Huangfu, and his reputation spread all over the world. He was a man of great intelligence, wise and brave, and never made mistakes in his plans and expeditions. He was a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. Why did he also help Zhou to commit atrocities? Is there any hidden reason?"

"Perhaps the Xiliang Army took advantage of the emperor's edict, and General Zhu had to be controlled by it. The emperor's orders cannot be disobeyed!" Yuan Shao explained.

The Yuan family's goal was to use the princes to besiege the capital and force His Majesty to withdraw his order. As for how the princes would react when the truth came out, given the power of the Yuan family, they probably dared not speak out.

The princes were skeptical, and many of them secretly sent spies to the capital to find out the specific situation in the capital.

However, because the princes were besieging the capital, all eight passes in Luoyang were guarded, making travel difficult and information difficult to convey.

They were local officials, unlike the Yuan family, who were deeply rooted in the capital and had so many powerful forces and connections to use, so a lot of information was delayed or even spread as rumors.

These princes were not easy to fool, but due to information asymmetry, many people were kept in the dark.

However, at this time, the Han Emperor recalled Zhu Jun and replaced him with Qin Qiong in military affairs. Lu Bu led the Bingzhou army to rescue Hulao Pass. This news immediately made Yuan Shao overjoyed and he found the best reason.

"You all saw this, didn't you? The Xiliang Army is eliminating dissidents because they are afraid that General Zhu, loyal to the emperor and patriotic, will secretly abandon the dark and join forces with our coalition forces to break through the eight passes of Luoyang.

"The generals who succeeded General Zhu, such as Qin Qiong, Zhang Liao, and Lu Bu, were all once under Dong Zhuo's command. Lu Bu was also Dong Zhuo's adopted son. Although Dong Zhuo was dead, his son-in-law Niu Fu was in power. These people were all factions of the Xiliang Army."

Yuan Shao said passionately:

"Our allied army is besieging the capital, and at such a critical moment, they dare to change their commanders on the battlefield. This shows how powerful the Xiliang Army is.

"Back when Dong Zhuo was in control of the capital, he acted recklessly. My uncle was the Imperial Tutor and intended to support the Han Dynasty, but in the end he was sidelined and left alone.

"Now that Dong Zhuo is dead, the generals of the Western Liang Army are fighting for power. There must be some loyal officials of the Han Dynasty in the capital who want to take advantage of the opportunity. The generals of the Western Liang Army are using my uncle as a scapegoat, hoping to shock the officials in the capital by killing a chicken to scare the monkeys!

"It is said that a few days ago, Taiwei Yang Biao, unafraid of power, led all the officials in the court to knock on the door and cry, attempting to put pressure on the Xiliang army through political means. What was the final result? They were all arrested and imprisoned, and blood flowed like a river in front of Chongde Hall.

"Do you think Queen Mother He and His Majesty can do this? It is obviously the wolfish ambition and cruel and inhumane method of the Xiliang thieves! This also proves that political means need to be coordinated with military force in order to deter the thieves!
"Your Majesty was trapped in a precarious situation, and you did everything you could to pass on the secret decree and expose the crimes of the Western Liang Army to the world. It is hard to describe them in words. If it were not for the imprints of the six imperial seals and the imperial seal, I would even suspect that it was a forgery.

"We are all loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty. We eat the emperor's salary and share his worries. How can we sit back and watch the thieves wreak havoc in the capital? This time, we are following your majesty's secret decree to gather the righteous army, purge the emperor's side, and punish the treacherous ministers. We swear to clean up China and kill all the evildoers. Support the royal family and save the people."

...

Yuan Shao's words made the princes' blood boil. They wished they could die for their country, save His Majesty from danger, and support the Han Dynasty.

It’s not that they are easy to deceive, but Yuan Shao’s statement is reasonable and well-founded.

Because besides Qin Qiong, Zhang Liao and Lu Bu were generals under Dong Zhuo, which many people knew. But they didn't know that so many changes happened in the capital later.

Actually, it’s not their fault!
Because from Dong Zhuo's occupation of the capital and his arbitrarily deposing and enthroning emperors, to Dong Zhuo's death, to the later Taifu Yuan Wei's insistence on deposing and enthroning emperors, to the Han Emperor Liu Bian's ability to make things happen at the touch of a button and control the overall situation in the capital.

All in all, only eight days had passed!

In the Han Dynasty, where road traffic was inconvenient, no useful information could be obtained in eight days. And because the two armies were at war, Yuan deliberately spread rumors, so a lot of information was delayed, biased, and even difficult to distinguish between true and false.

In addition, everyone in the Han Dynasty knows that Your Majesty is "cowardly by nature", of course they describe him as "generous and merciful".

How could a king with such a temperament arrest all the officials who were crying and knocking on the door, including Yang Biao, and put them in jail? It must be that the thieves of the Xiliang Army used the name of the emperor to commit such brutal and inhumane atrocities!
All these true and false news came together, not to mention the fact that there were Yuan's disciples, former officials, and allies who echoed the words, so that the princes who were unaware of the situation were used as pawns by Yuan!

They were still in the dark, their blood boiling and their emotions overwhelming, wanting to go to the capital to purge the emperor's side, kill the treacherous ministers, support the Han Dynasty, and repay the emperor's kindness!

"Da da da--"

At this time, a messenger suddenly came to report: "General, Lu Bu led his troops out of Hulao Pass and came to challenge our camp!"

"Who dares to fight?"

Yuan Shao looked at the time. It was already three quarters past midnight, about nine in the morning. In fact, at this moment, he was a little anxious, not as calm as he appeared to be.

Because according to Yuan's plan, you all besieged the capital, creating military pressure on His Majesty and forcing him to revoke his order.

This military pressure must naturally be large enough to intimidate the capital, and even be able to directly break through the eight passes of Luoyang, and it would be best if it could reach the city of Luoyang.

At that time, Your Majesty probably wouldn't dare to execute Yuan Wei's entire family!
But the problem is!

The eight passes of Luoyang are all natural fortresses that are easy to defend but difficult to attack. The princes in Guandong are in a stalemate, and they don’t know whether the princes in other directions have made any progress.

You must know that Taifu Yuan Wei and his entire family will be executed today.

Logically speaking, the execution should be done at noon, approximately 12 noon, which is the time of the day when the sun is the hottest and the yang energy is the strongest.

This means that there are only three hours left before Yuan Wei and his entire family are executed!
Three hours!

They were helpless facing Hulao Pass, and now Lu Bu led the Bingzhou army to fight!
This is the most powerful general in the world!
Now Yuan Shao can only hope that there is a general in the coalition who can defeat Lu Bu and shock the army! Shock the capital! And shock His Majesty!

As for why Yuan Shao didn't hold a meeting earlier, and why he didn't forge an imperial edict to the princes to besiege the capital earlier, it can only be said that the road traffic was inconvenient, and they hurried to rush to take action today!

It's already a forced march!

All we can say is that Liu Bian was just worried about the risk of trouble, so he directly issued an edict to "execute the Grand Tutor Yuan Wei in three days."

If it was "three weeks" or "three months later", it might really be possible that Yuan's counterattack was successful.

...

After Yuan Shao finished speaking, the princes looked at each other, and finally sent their generals to fight one after another. Without exception, they were all defeated by Lu Bu.

This shocked them at the power of the world's number one warrior, and he was indeed worthy of his reputation!

It was only after the battle that they realized that the Fang Tian Hua Ji that Lu Bu usually used was missing, and he had replaced it with a new Fang Tian Hua Ji.

Logically speaking, replacing the usual weapons with new ones will not be as handy and will slightly weaken the general's strength.

But even so, Lu Bu still suppressed the princes and generals of Guandong, and no one could stop him or defeat him!
This made Yuan Shao look ugly!

Yuan Shao originally wanted to defeat Lu Bu, or even kill him, in order to shock the morale of the troops defending Hulao Pass, shock the entire capital, and shock His Majesty, and force him to revoke his order!
But now, it has boosted the enemy's arrogance!
"Should we let Yan Liang and Wen Chou join forces? With their strength, they should be able to fight. But it is better to be safe than sorry. If they are killed here, I will suffer heavy losses!

"Alas, I don't know what's going on with Yuan Shu?! He has Sun Wentai, the fierce tiger of Jiangdong, under his command. He should be able to break through Xuanyuan Pass, right?! The princes are besieging from all sides. Even if one of them succeeds in breaking through one of the eight passes in Luoyang, it will make Your Majesty feel apprehensive!

"Damn you Lu Bu, why did you rush to Hulao Pass for help?!"

Yuan Shao secretly resented that the already deadlocked and difficult-to-advance forces in Guandong were in danger of failure because of Lu Bu's obstruction.

When Yuan Shao's mind was wandering, his eyes suddenly caught sight of three strange and righteous men with unusual appearances standing behind Gongsun Zan.

One was seven feet and five inches tall, with ears that reached his shoulders, hands that were below his knees, eyes that could see his ears, a face as white as jade, lips as white as painted fat. He carried a male and female double-edged sword.

One of them was nine feet tall, with a beard two feet long, a face as red as a date, lips as red as rouge, phoenix eyes, and drooping eyebrows. He had a dignified appearance and an awe-inspiring demeanor. His weapon was a Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

One of them was eight feet tall, with a swallow chin, tiger beard, a leopard head and round eyes, and his weapon was a 10-foot-long snake spear.

It is the three brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei!
(End of this chapter)