The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 91 Send Troops
Ma Teng bit his nails unconsciously, which was a little habit he had when he was about to make a key decision.

"How many troops are there in Meiwu?"

"Five hundred, maybe less."

"Han Sui has 7,000 Qiang soldiers under his command. Not counting the wounded soldiers from before, there are still 5,000 of them."

"I only have 3,000 soldiers under my command. With such a force... is it possible to defeat Han Sui?"

Pound advised: "Of course you can!"

"It's not like the two armies are facing each other in the field, and each of us is mobilizing our troops to fight! As long as we raise our troops, Han Sui may not be able to react in time and the camp will be blown up directly!"

……

Ma Teng was still hesitant.

"Are there really only 500 defenders in Meiwu? Did you see it wrong?"

"Absolutely not!"

Pound assured Ma Teng.

"Although there are only a few hundred soldiers, their morale is high, their military appearance is neat, and each of them is wearing thick armor, holding sharp spears, and equipped with a large number of Han crossbows and bows and arrows. They are definitely elite troops who can defeat ten enemies with one!"

"Besides, the emperor is in charge, and those brave generals are no pushovers... As long as the timing is right, it is entirely possible to capture Han Sui in one fell swoop!"

Ma Teng continued to bite his nails until blood began to seep out, then he stopped.

"It's still not right."

"Military operations on the battlefield are no joke! Don't make such a decision lightly."

"Why not gather our troops together first and change according to the situation!"

Pang De became impatient at this moment: "Marshal Ma, don't delay!"

"Don't worry, I have a good plan!"

Although Ma Teng was afraid of the emperor's mystery and majesty, he did not dare to gamble his life and property easily. He just quietly withdrew his troops and waited and saw what would happen.

Gao Shun, who had been observing the battlefield situation on the Meiwu city wall, also noticed the changes in the opposite camp, and immediately came to report to Liu Xie.

"Ma Teng did not make any move. It seems that Pang De's strategy of alienation did not succeed."

Liu Xie was a little surprised, but not too surprised.

When it comes to gods and ghosts, and the affairs of ancestors, we should of course respect them. But when it comes to our own life and property, that is another matter.

"Not urgent."

Liu Xie showed Gao Shun a bamboo slip.

"Just when Pang De left, military intelligence came from the direction of Chang'an."

"Zhang Xiu, who was originally stationed at Wuguan, has now led 3,000 infantry and cavalry to support the Meiwu area!"

Gao Shun, Zhang Liao and Xu Huang were all very happy!
"There are reinforcements at this time?"

In fact, Liu Xie received two documents.

The first one was the military information that Zhang Xiu was coming to support.

The other is Jia Xu's own letter of apology.

From the beginning when he knew that the enemy was heading in the opposite direction to Chang'an, to the time when he went to Dali to discuss countermeasures with Dong Zhuo, to the soldiers besieging the Shangshutai last night, everything was written clearly...

As for Jia Xu's crimes, he said there were three of them.

One crime was that he knew the emperor was in trouble but did not rush back to Chang'an in time to share his worries.

The second crime was to mobilize the garrisons in Hangu and Wugu Pass, which may have caused loopholes in the defense of these two places.

The third crime was allowing the suspect Shisun Rui to enter Chang'an, enter the Shangshutai, and do whatever he wanted...

However, no matter how Liu Xie looked at these so-called three crimes, he felt that the old guy Jia Xu was seeking credit for himself!
"He's so reserved in asking for praise. I don't know whether to say Wenhe is cautious or timid."

But it's all little things!

"According to Wenhe's judgment, Zhang Xiu will be able to reach Meiwu tonight at the latest."

"I have decided not to let Zhang Xiu enter the city, but to cooperate directly with the defenders in the city to attack the enemy camp and relieve the siege of Meiwu!"

Originally, Liu Xie wanted to see if he could persuade Ma Teng to rebel, and let Ma Teng serve as the main force to repel Han Sui.

But now Zhang Xiu has arrived, and Ma Teng is obviously unwilling to seize this opportunity to redeem himself, so Liu Xie naturally abandons Ma Teng's tactic.

"Tonight, we will unite with Zhang Xiu and defeat the enemy in one fell swoop!"

"Now we need someone to go to Zhang Xiu's army and communicate with him!"

Gao Shun had to continue to guard Meiwu.

The hatred between Xu Huang and the Xiliang army has not yet been resolved.

So Zhang Liao took the lead and said, "I am willing to go!"

"The hard work has gone far."

Zhang Liao took a few personal soldiers and left immediately, and the soldiers in Meiwu took turns to rest under Gao Shun's arrangement to recuperate and gather their strength for the decisive battle in the evening!
Liu Xie had originally wanted to take this opportunity to rest, but as soon as he entered the house, a soldier reported that Cai Yong wanted to see him.

"What does Cai Zhonglang want to see me for?"

Cai Yong is a great talent!

But unfortunately, his strengths are basically Liu Xie's weaknesses.

Literature, calligraphy, sutras, music...

Liu Xie estimated that the only topic he and Cai Yong could talk about was Cai Yan, and Cai Yong probably wouldn't discuss this with him, right?

Cai Yong's etiquette when meeting the emperor was still very formal. Even when Liu Xie offered him a seat, he did not dare to sit on the Hu stool, but knelt on the couch according to ancient etiquette.

"I thank Your Majesty for protecting my daughter last night!"

It turned out that he came here for personal matters.

Liu Xie secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, Cai Yong was a great scholar, and he seemed to have a sense of righteousness. When they were in the same room, even Liu Xie became well-behaved, straightening his back, unlike his usual casual manner.

Since they were not talking about academic subjects or official business, the serious atmosphere became much lighter.

"It's okay. The enemy didn't attack the center of Meiwu yesterday. I just wanted to prevent the waiters and female relatives from causing chaos, so I went over to calm people's hearts. Besides, Mrs. Cai has a short blade to protect herself. She seems to be a heroine. Even if I wasn't there, I don't think she would be hurt."

?

Short blade protection?

A female hero?

Your Majesty, are you mistaken? Shouldn't my Zhao Ji be gentle and kind? I'm afraid that only a woman like Weiyang Jun can wield swords and sticks, right?

……

The obvious dullness in Cai Yong's eyes was caught by Liu Xie.

"It seems that Cai Zhonglang doesn't quite understand Mr. Cai. Mr. Cai is not only more talented than most men of the time, but his courage and broad-mindedness are also not much weaker than those of passionate men."

Liu Xie was really praising Cai Yan.

But Cai Yong didn't think so.

"It's my fault as a father for bringing up a girl like this!"

"The Instructions for Women once said: If you give birth to a boy who is like a wolf, you still fear that he may become a coward (note 1). If you give birth to a girl who is like a mouse, you still fear that she may become a tiger. The so-called virtue of a woman is to be quiet and chaste, to be chaste and orderly, to behave with shame, and to follow rules in action and rest. Only in this way can she be considered virtuous."

Liu Xie was originally somewhat in awe of Cai Yong's righteousness, and his words were more gentle than usual.

But at this moment, Liu Xie felt a little resentful towards this great scholar who had devoted his whole life to studying classics.

"Why did Cai Zhonglang compare his children to mice? If reading books can make parents like this, then it is better not to read books." Just as Liu Xie finished speaking, a cheer suddenly came from outside the window -

"well said!"

But immediately, a soldier came over to drive away the sound.

"I am Lord Weiyang! This is my home! You can't chase me away!"

"I didn't do anything else! I just listened to what His Majesty said!"

"Your Majesty! Save me! Save me now!"

……

The voice gradually faded away, and Liu Xie and Cai Yong finally calmed down from their frowning faces.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid you are wrong. There is no end to the principles in books, and we must not generalize."

"As the meaning of the 'Female Commandments' suggests, on the surface it is about suppressing women, but in reality it is about asking women to maintain peace in the family and not to take the initiative to stir up trouble. Only in this way can the family last long."

"Just like right now in Meiwu, we can clearly maintain the current peace and wait for the enemy to retreat, so why do we have to take the risk of going out and expose our safety to the blade?"

……

Liu Xie almost failed to get around Cai Yong’s turn!

"It turns out that Cai Zhonglang's thanks were fake, but his advice was real."

I was thinking! Why did you come to thank me for such a small matter? It seems that you are using the things around you to give me advice!
No wonder Dong Zhuo ignored the advice of others and only listened to Cai Yong's advice. It turned out that he was really skillful in speaking, much better than those imperial censors who would cry and scream to the sky and threaten to die for their advice!
"Since Cai Zhonglang is here to advise me on military affairs, there is no need to involve Cai Dajia. Using "Nujie" and "Jingyi" to discuss war are two completely unrelated things."

The pressure Liu Xie felt when facing Cai Yong was not only due to Cai Yong's upright temperament, but also because Liu Xie always felt a sense of oppression when meeting an elder...

But now that we are discussing state affairs, Liu Xie is the emperor! He is the emperor!

At this moment, Liu Xie showed his sharp edge: "Cai Zhonglang said that we can just be content with the status quo, and there is no need to take the initiative to send troops and expose our safety to the enemy... This is actually true."

"If I were a peaceful emperor, I would stay in the palace in Chang'an or Luoyang every day, write poems and songs, enjoy the beautiful trees and flowers, raise some rare and precious animals, and let my loyal ministers and generals go to do the work."

"But now, the imperial court controls only a small part of the country, and there are always people who covet the power of the emperor and stir up trouble, attracting the Rongdi bandits to attack the imperial capital... At this time, if I don't fight and rob, they will only become more aggressive!"

"Grandmaster Dong is personally leading the expedition to Hedong. I am now determined to take the initiative to attack. It's all for this reason!"

"If you want peace, you must fight for it! Be aggressive! Use the might of the army to intimidate the villains so that they dare not have any more evil intentions!"

"The last time the Grand Master was in Luoyang, he chose peace. Then they pushed their way to Chang'an."

"If we choose An Ning again this time, who knows if they will continue to push their limits and take away the only foundation of the Han Dynasty next time?"

and!

"Wang Yun is like a poisonous snake lurking in the shadows."

"If we delay until the enemy besieging Meiwu withdraws voluntarily, Wang Yun will know that he cannot return to Chang'an this time, and he may continue to stir up trouble in Guandong!"

"I tolerated Wang Yun once before for the sake of the people in Guanzhong, but this time, I will never tolerate it again!"

"If we give up on this for the slightest risk, then do we still want to be the emperor? Do we still want to deal with the Han thieves all over the land? Do we still want to revive the Han Dynasty that has been passed down for more than 400 years?"

"Therefore, please don't persuade me anymore, Mr. Cai!"

"If something unexpected really happened, I would probably go ahead of Cai Zhonglang first. Then, in my nine springs, I would apologize to Cai Zhonglang!"

……

What else did Cai Yong say?
What else could he say?
He discovered that although Dong Zhuo was cruel in his daily life, he was actually a cautious person.

But he did not hear any concerns about Liu Xie's affairs before and after his death.

Always young, always passionate, always moving forward!

His will is so firm that it is almost impossible for others to question it!
If it were a peaceful and prosperous era, Cai Yong speculated that Liu Xie would most likely not be a king who would maintain the status quo as he said, but would instead be a self-willed monarch who would make the people live in misery like Emperor Xiaowu did.

But at this moment, even Cai Yong would not know whether it was a blessing or a curse for the Han Dynasty to have such an emperor...

In the end, Cai Yong did not dare to say much, so he had to quietly take his leave and return to his residence, holding the book of sages in his hands, with lifeless eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking about.

now.

Dong Bai was talking to Cai Yan excitedly, causing the latter's cheeks to blush.

Gao Shun was checking the weapons in the treasury and patrolling every possible blind spot in defense.

The rest of the soldiers ate some food hastily and lay down in the barracks to take a rest.

And Liu Xie finally had the good sleep he had longed for, without worries, without government affairs, and without Dong Bai.

……

Until dusk.

Xu Huang came over and woke Liu Xie up, and Liu Xie casually scooped some cold water and splashed it on his face.

"Zhang Xiu has arrived?"

"We're here! Zhang Wenyuan sent a message saying they're setting up camp ten miles away and will launch an assault on the enemy in half an hour!"

"How is the city preparing?"

"Gao Zixun has ordered all the soldiers to put on three layers of thick armor and hold short blades, waiting to open the city gates and rush out as soon as Zhang Xiu arrives!"

Liu Xie nodded, and with the help of Xu Huang, he put his gold and silver scale armor back on the boat.

"Gongming should also come with me. I don't need any guards here."

Unlike a siege, the city wall that Liu Xie is heading to will not be affected by the war, but is more important than the battlefield ahead.

Since the war in front is going well, Liu Xie naturally has nothing to worry about here.

If the battle on the front was lost, Xu Huang's stay with Liu Xie would be of no use.

"I accept your order!"

Xu Huang naturally understood this.

Instead of focusing on being loyal in the situation, it would be more practical to chop off a few more heads on the battlefield.

Liu Xie walked up to the city wall.

The city wall today is not much different from yesterday.

The mottled wall tiles, the pungent fishy smell, and the dragon flag still floating in the sky, still making a fluttering sound.

"His Majesty!"

Gao Shun and Xu Huang signaled Liu Xie to look to the east.

Two armies with the word "Zhang" on their flags were getting closer and closer, following the sunlight of the Han Dynasty.

Zhang Liao!

Zhang Xiu!

"Your Majesty, we are ready to leave the city!"

Gao Shun and Xu Huang also said goodbye.

"Go."

Not too many words.

Because Gao Shun and Xu Huang knew that Liu Xie would definitely stand here and watch them until the war was over.

Liu Xie also knew that Gao Shun and Xu Huang, daring to lead the armored soldiers out of the city, had already made plans to win!

Everything is ready, only the east wind is missing!
And at this moment, the east wind is coming!
------

Note 1: 尪, pronounced the same as 汪 (wang), originally meant a limp and bent leg, and later extended to mean a bent back or being short and cowardly.

(End of this chapter)