Han officials

Chapter 207: Ice and Fire [4K]

Although Dai County was a county of Youzhou, its county seat Gaoliu County was adjacent to Bingzhou.

In fact, starting from Gaoliu County, it is only fifty miles away to enter Yanmen County.

There is even a Great Wall connecting the two places, and the beacon tower chiefs on the border of the two counties are familiar with each other.

However, Xu Rong did not lead the army along the Great Wall Road, but went straight to Baideng Mountain along the official road.

It was only after Wei Zhe took over Fang Ling that he realized that he had been deceived by later film and television dramas.

It turns out that the main purpose of the Great Wall was to "use danger to control cavalry", not to be a "highway" on the border.

While garrison troops were required to walk along the road atop the Great Wall for their daily marches, large-scale troop movements were specifically required to march outside the road, effectively preventing obstruction of the garrison troops' daily movements. After all, the Great Wall was primarily designed for defense, and much of the road atop the wall was only a few feet wide. It was often adorned with battlements, watchtowers, arrow holes, and even steps in some steep sections, making it completely unsuitable for large-scale military or chariot traffic.

Of course, if a section of the Great Wall was attacked, the nearby garrisons could quickly provide support through the city roads.

However, this short-distance troop transfer on the city road was limited to emergency support between adjacent beacon towers.

If an army of 5,000 people like Xu Rong's marched along the Great Wall, it would probably exhaust his own army.

That day, at the foot of Baideng Mountain.

Looking at Pingcheng seven miles away, Zhang Liao felt a lot of emotion.

He was originally from Mayi, Yanmen County. When he was young, he worked as an official in Yanmen County. Because of his bravery, he was summoned by Ding Yuan, the later governor of Bingzhou, to be his assistant. He led his troops into Luoyang and obeyed the orders of General He Jin.

After so many twists and turns, Zhang Liao never expected that there would be a day when he would return to his hometown.

"The current Yanmen prefect is called Guo Xuan, a native of Yangqu, Taiyuan. His family is a first-class and famous family not only in Taiyuan County, but also in Bingzhou."

Outside the general's tent, Zhang Liao recounted his family's history like a treasure trove: "During the Former Han Dynasty, his ancestor Guo Guangyi held the rank of Prefect of the Guards. Guo Guangyi's son Guo Mengru also held the rank of Governor of Zuo Fengyi. In this dynasty, Guo Tai and Guo Linzong, known as two of the Eight Party Members, are descended from this clan. As for Guo Xuan, he is the son of the late Minister of Agriculture Guo Quan. His great-uncle Guo Zun served as Governor of Yanzhou and Grand Master of Ceremonies."

However, Xu Rong remained calm when he heard this.

So what if they were a famous family in Bingzhou? Even though they had three officials in four generations, they were still executed.

After witnessing Dong Zhuo exterminate the entire Yuan clan, Xu Rong no longer had any bias towards these noble families.

No matter how noble one's family background is, it is nothing but a piece of rotten wood in the face of swords and weapons.

So when Zhang Liao suggested sending an envoy to Pingcheng to persuade them to surrender, Xu Rong directly rejected it.

"It's better to use force first and then courtesy than to use courtesy first and then force. We can talk about persuading surrender after the fight!"

Zhang Liao thought about it and said nothing more.

At the same time, Pingcheng County Temple.

Yanmen Prefect Guo Wei actually had the same idea as Xu Rong.

Ever since he learned that Wei Zhe recommended Xu Rong as the governor of Bingzhou, he knew that the two sides would fight sooner or later.

Even though he knew that he was no match for Wei Zhe, Guo Yu still had his own pride.

It would have been fine if Wei Zhe had personally led a large army, but sending only a small contingent was a sign of disdain for the people of Bingzhou. After all, Yanmen County had a population of nearly 200,000, comparable to that of Shangdang and Taiyuan counties. With such a strong base, Guo Yan had no intention of surrendering without a fight.

Otherwise, he would not have taken the initiative to deploy troops on the border to resist Xu Rong's army.

In other words, he did not have many troops, otherwise Guo Yu would have insisted on fighting the siege of Baideng.

The next day, at the east gate of Pingcheng.

Looking at the mighty Wei army below, Guo Yu couldn't help but look solemn.

There's nothing we can do about it. A person's reputation is like the shadow of a tree. It's all because people like Wei Zhe are so famous.

Even though Wei Zhe did not lead the troops personally this time, Guo Yu still did not dare to be careless.

Seeing this, County Lieutenant Meng Ming comforted him, "Don't worry, my Lord! Xu Rong is just an old soldier under the thief Dong, with no military achievements to boast of. If he weren't from Xuanchu and a fellow villager of Duke Wei, how could he have been able to take charge? This shows that Duke Wei is also a nepotist, so he is not to be feared!"

After saying this, he pointed to the "Zhang" character in the army flag below and said, "On the contrary, it is Zhang Liao who has long been famous for his bravery in Bingzhou. We must not underestimate him!"

Hearing this, Guo Yu nodded slightly, agreeing deeply with it.

Indeed, who in Yanmen Commandery didn't know Zhang Liao of Mayi? If not for this, Bingzhou Governor Ding Yuan wouldn't have recruited him.

Thinking of this, Guo Yu couldn't help but sigh, "It's a pity that Ding Bingzhou is dead, otherwise how could Bingzhou have fallen into such a state?"

Upon hearing this, County Lieutenant Meng Ming sighed and said, "Lu Fengxian truly deserves to die!"

But as soon as the two of them finished speaking, Xu Rong from the city slapped them in the face at the speed of light.

To be precise, it's a physical slap in the face!

……

"Siege!"

Without any hesitation, Xu Rong directly issued the order to attack the city.

However, this time he did not follow the conventional steps of filling the trench and breaking through the gate, but directly ordered the use of catapults.

The stones taken from Baideng Mountain last night were returned just like that, which can be said to be "the original soup becomes the original food".

As huge stones as big as millstones were thrown towards the top of the city, loud noises were heard inside and outside Pingcheng. Even though the counterweight catapult was no longer a secret in the Central Plains, it was still a powerful weapon for Yanmen County.

Watching the boulders crashing onto the city walls like meteorites, Guo Yu, perched atop the walls, was filled with both horror and astonishment. He had seen trebuchets before, but they usually only hit the target twice or three times out of ten. How could they be this accurate?
Looking at the city wall that was splattered with blood and flesh in an instant, Guo Yu made a reasonable decision.

That is to take the initiative and burn the opponent's catapult.

However, he didn't know that this was exactly what Xu Rong wanted.

In Guo Yu's eyes, the old soldier who only knew how to curry favor had actually calculated everything about him.

Xu Rong is not a general who sticks to common sense. He has his own way of fighting with a small number of soldiers. As long as he can win, it's fine.

So when he saw the city gate wide open and a middle-aged general leading two thousand cavalrymen heading straight towards the catapult position in his army, Xu Rong, who was under the banner of the central army, immediately smiled.

"Wenyuan, I leave it to you. Don't overdo it!"

"I understand!" Zhang Liao laughed and reined in his horse and left.

To be honest, it was quite impressive of Guo Yu to have two good generals, Zhang Liao and Xu Rong, serving him together.

You should know that during the battle against Dong Zhuo, Cao Mengde did not have this blessing.

This is indeed the case. Facing the surprise attack by the county lieutenant Meng Ming, Zhang Liao blocked his two thousand soldiers with only a thousand men.

This is how a general's leadership ability is tested on a local battlefield.

A capable general can use ten thousand men to achieve the effect of twenty thousand, but an incompetent general often cannot even utilize half of his troops.

For example, at this moment, when Zhang Liao led more than a thousand people in the front line to block Meng Ming's attack, the left and right forces slowly closed together under the command of Xu Rong, as if they wanted to swallow them in one breath.

Seeing this, Meng Ming, whose face was covered in dust from his warhorse, exclaimed, "Oh no! We've fallen into a trap!"

He thought Xu Rong was deliberately using the catapult as bait to lure him out of the city to attack.

Meng Ming, who had come to his senses, no longer cared about the catapult and immediately led his troops back to the city.

Fortunately, he was "incomparably brave" and managed to break through the siege with more than a thousand soldiers and horses and return to the city. Guo Yu, who was on the top of the city wall, had already made preparations and quickly ordered the archers to fire a volley to cover Meng Ming's entry into the city.

However, what Guo Wei did not expect was that Xu Rong, who had been lukewarm before, suddenly launched a volley of attacks.

Whether it was thrown stones or rain of arrows, they all spread straight towards the top of the city.

Zhang Liao outside the city gate also suddenly accelerated, biting the tail of the Yanmen County soldiers and chasing them closely.

The more urgently Zhang Liao pursued, the more panicked the county soldiers at the east gate of Pingcheng became.

They were able to maintain order at first, but soon fell into chaos.

The result was that moment of chaos, which allowed Zhang Liao to lead the vanguard camp into the city.

When he saw the city gate was lost, Guo Yu on the top of the city turned pale instantly.

He never thought that the situation would turn out like this. You know, he still has many brilliant plans that he hasn't implemented yet!

What’s interesting is that Xu Rong, who was sitting under the city, also thought so at this moment.

Xu Rong originally thought that Guo Yu could hold on for a while, but he didn't expect that he only needed to make a slight compromise and this person would fall into the trap.

This even made Xu Rong, who had experienced the Luoyang battle and was used to high-end games, feel a little boring.

However, Xu Rong is still a veteran who has seen a lot of things in the world, so he did not take it lightly.

After seeing that Zhang Liao had taken control of the city gate, he led his troops into the city without hesitation.

In just half an hour, Guo Yu, who was full of confidence just now, became Xu Rong's prisoner.

As for the county lieutenant Meng Ming, his fate was even more miserable. He was caught in the chaos and was trampled to death at some point.

Soon after, the main hall of Pingcheng County Temple.

Looking at Guo Wei with disheveled hair and in a miserable state, Xu Rong did not humiliate him, but stepped forward to untie him personally.

Xu Rong's style of doing things is to have no style. He does whatever suits his lord.

While fighting with Dong Zhuo, Xu Rong treated human life as worthless.

Following Wei Zhe, Xu Rong learned to use force first and courtesy later.

Seeing Xu Rong's behavior, Guo Yu finally felt better. He immediately stood up and said, "My skills are inferior to yours. Kill or plunder, it's all up to you!"

Xu Rong said helplessly, "Why is Lord Guo doing this? We are here to quell the rebellion, why are you resisting?"

"Quell the rebellion?" Guo Xuan snorted coldly upon hearing this: "Aren't you the ones who caused the rebellion in Bingzhou?"

"That's wrong!" Zhang Liao said sadly, "The suffering in Bingzhou is really due to the Qiang and Hu people. Doesn't Lord Guo know this?"

When these words were spoken, Guo Yu was stunned for a moment, and then a look of shame appeared on his face.

There is no way, because what Zhang Liao said is indeed irrefutable.

The Qiang people in Liangzhou and the Hu people in the north have always been a knife hanging over the heads of the people of Bingzhou.

It can be said that every Bingzhou person has grown up under the threat of these two since birth.

Seeing Guo Wei's reaction, Zhang Liao knew that he was not really seeking death.

So he immediately brought out Wei Zhe's slogan of "suppressing the rebellion and pacifying the people" and talked about it at length.

The banner of justice is sometimes like this, and it is most effective at this moment.

However, before Guo Yu could surrender, a scout hurried into the hall and reported, "General, a middle-aged general with over a thousand cavalrymen is outside the city seeking an audience. He claims to be Luan He, the prefect of Yunzhong. He heard that you were going to attack Yanmen, so he came to help!"

After hearing these words, Guo Yu, who was already depressed, felt even more upset.

He didn't expect that Yunzhong County, which was also the governor of Bingzhou County, would be so unethical!

However, Xu Rong and Zhang Liao were inexplicably surprised when they heard this. They both didn't expect that there would be someone who would voluntarily surrender.

Just to prevent the previous incident of the city gate being captured from happening again, Xu Rong ordered that only the other party could enter with their personal guards.

A moment later, a middle-aged general with a sallow complexion walked quickly into the hall.

When he saw Xu Rong sitting at the head of the table, he greeted him respectfully without hesitation, "Yunzhong Governor Luan He, greetings to Xu Zhonglang! I've long heard of Xu Zhonglang's renown, and meeting him today reveals he's truly extraordinary!"

Luan He's enthusiasm made Xu Rong above him feel a little uncomfortable.

"Lord Luan, you are too kind. I was only following orders!"

However, Luan He didn't hold back at all. Instead, he lamented and said, "If I had known the general would capture the city so quickly, I should have set off earlier. I didn't expect that even after rushing so hard, I still missed it."

After saying this, Luan He did not hesitate at all and directly expressed his willingness to submit to General Zuo in exchange for Yunzhong County.

The Yunzhong prefect was also a strange man.

Why do you say that?
Because he is the son of a eunuch!

It is not surprising that eunuchs have sons, but it is the only case in Chinese history that a eunuch can give birth to a son.

It is said that Luan He's father, Luan Ba, was originally from Chengdu, Shu County, and had been fond of Taoism since childhood.

During the reign of Emperor Shun, he castrated himself and served as a eunuch in the imperial court, and was later promoted to the position of Huangmen Ling.

According to the records of Dongguan historical materials, although this person was a eunuch, he was pure and upright in character, studied classics, and had the style of a great scholar.

Although he was a eunuch, he did not follow the same path as the other eunuchs. He often spoke frankly and gave advice, for which he was repeatedly punished.

If that were all, he would at best be a virtuous eunuch, like Cao Cao's grandfather.

However, a strange thing happened. When Luan Ba reached adulthood, he found that his yang energy had recovered.

Simply put, he found that he was able to function again and had a strong reaction.

Therefore, Luan Ba, who was of pure character, did not choose to stay in the harem as a fake eunuch, but reported the truth to the emperor and took the initiative to ask for resignation.

Although Emperor Shun was also very surprised at the time, he appreciated his honesty and promoted him to be a doctor.

Simply put, it was to transfer Luan Ba from a eunuch to a court official, giving him a chance to serve in the government.

As a result, Luan Ba, who had been a eunuch, was able to stay in the previous dynasty and made many political achievements. He was transferred to the position of prefect of Guiyang four times and was even appointed as the Minister of Agriculture. During this period, he married and had children, and had a son, Luan He.

However, after Emperor Liu Hong ascended the throne, Luan Ba was implicated and demoted to the position of prefect of Yongchang because of his defense of General Dou Wu and Grand Tutor Chen Fan. Despite this, Luan Ba petitioned Dou and Chen Fan to redress their injustice. Liu Hong, enraged, ordered him to be brought before the Imperial Court for trial. Luan Ba refused to plead guilty and committed suicide in prison.

Later, after Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, he rehabilitated a large number of his party members under the instigation of Yang Biao and others. Luan He was able to be promoted to the prefect of Yunzhong thanks to his father's influence.

It can be said that even Zhang Liao, who was far away in Luoyang, had heard of the supernatural powers of Luan He, the prefect of Yunzhong.

After all, it is really strange that one can regain yang energy after castration.

Of course, the fact that Luan He became Luan Ba's son and was born safely is also legendary to some extent.

However, Luan He's impatience made Xu Rong suspicious...

(End of this chapter)