Chapter 52 Section Three Drinking Poison to Quench Thirst

Half a year ago, the Green Forest Army was hit by a plague and split into two: Xinshi Bing went north to Nanyang and was incorporated by Liu Yan; Xiajiang Bing, led by its leaders Wang Chang, Cheng Dan, and Zhang Ang, went west to Nanjun.The Xiajiang soldiers also had a hard life. As soon as they entered Nanjun, they met such a difficult opponent as Yan You. When Wang Mang first appointed Yan You to come to Jingzhou to suppress the bandits, he intentionally gave him small shoes, not only did he not send a single soldier, he even refused to give him the tiger talisman for sending troops.Yan You and his deputy Chen Mao had no choice but to go to Jingzhou empty-handed. When they arrived in the field, they recruited soldiers and sold them now.However, it is gold that always shines, and Yan You quickly formed a powerful army, killing the Xiajiang soldiers in Nanjun, throwing away their helmets and armor, and they were defeated.Wang Chang, Cheng Dan, Zhang Ang and others led the remaining troops to flee to Nanyang in a hurry, while Yan You pursued and beat them fiercely, relentless.

When Liu Yan was defeated and returned to Jiyang, Wang Chang and others were stationing troops in Yiqiu, only forty miles away from Jiyang, and there were still more than 5,000 remnants of the army.And these surviving Xiajiang soldiers happened to be the savior in Liu Yan's eyes. However, Liu Xiu and Liu Ji were quite apprehensive about asking for help from Xiangjiang soldiers.They have suffered enough from the refugee armed forces. These people can neither share adversity nor wealth.The Xinshi soldiers and the Lin soldiers alone are enough for them. If the Xiajiang soldiers are invited again, Liu's strength in the coalition army will be weakened even more.At that time, a hard work, who is busy?

Didn't Liu Yan know that the refugee armed forces are difficult to serve, but right now he has no other choice but to ask Xiangjiang soldiers for help, and he should drink poison to quench his thirst.Liu Yan replied to Liu Xiudao: "I am waiting for the army. I have two ambitions. One is to destroy Wang Mang, and the other is to revive the Han Dynasty. Now the situation is critical. If you don't recruit soldiers from the river, you will definitely lose. If the heavens do not bless the Liu family, If you can't revive the Han Dynasty, you should choose the next best thing. As long as you can kill Wang Mang, you can achieve one of the two ambitions. As for the world, there are virtuous people living in it, so why hate it!"

Liu Xiu suddenly had an ominous premonition.In Liu Yan's words, there is a vague sense of the sadness of a martyr. You must know that Liu Yan has always compared himself to Liu Bang, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty. He is determined to replace Wang Mang. none other than.But now, after experiencing a disastrous blow, it can be heard from Liu Yan's words that Liu Yan already has the intention of accepting his fate. As long as Wang Mang can be killed, he doesn't seem to care who will sit on the throne. I don't care anymore. Liu Yan left Liu Ji and Deng Chen to guard the camp, while he went to Yiqiu City with Liu Xiu and Li Tong to contact Xiajiang soldiers.Sanqi came to the city of Yiqiu and saw that the city gate was closed tightly, and the archers on the wall shouted, "Who is here?"

Liu Yan raised his head and shouted: "Chongling Liu Bosheng is here to visit, and I would like to meet a sage general in Xiajiang and discuss important issues together." When the leaders of Xiajiang received the notification, they couldn't help muttering: Liu Yan Liu Bosheng, isn't he fighting the government and army in Jiyang?What is the purpose of coming to Yiqiu suddenly?Everyone has never been the same, and there is no common language, so what big things can we discuss together?The leaders of Xiajiang were vigilant and puzzled, so they elected Wang Chang, who was the best at coping, to go out of the city to meet Liu Yan.

The city gate opened, and Wang Chang rode out alone.Among the refugee leaders, Wang Chang was an outlier.Wang Chang, courtesy name Yanqing, was born in Wuyang, Yingchuan.Different from other refugee leaders, Wang Chang is well versed in world affairs and has far-reaching insights. He knows that these people will never achieve great things and can only be used as pawns.Since they are destined to be used by others, all they can do is try to find a reliable buyer. Wang Chang rode forward, and Liu Yan, Liu Xiu, and Li Tong patted their horses to meet them. The four faced each other. After a brief exchange of greetings, Liu Yan went straight to the point, explained his purpose, and asked to join forces to attack Wang Mang.Wang Changzao admired Liu Yan's name, and when he saw him today, he was indeed majestic and reliable, so he suddenly felt entrusted.Although Wang Chang was willing to dedicate himself in his heart, his mouth was like a girl's, he had to be more or less reserved, and immediately murmured: "This matter..."

Liu Yan came to lobby this time, only allowed to succeed, not to fail. One can imagine the great pressure. Seeing Wang Chang's expression of embarrassment, Liu Yan became anxious and immediately drew his sword.Wang Chang was shocked, thinking that Liu Yan was furious and was about to draw his sword to defend himself, but he saw Liu Yan jumped off the horse, knelt down on one knee, and carved something on the ground.Curious, Wang Chang dismounted to look at it, and saw that what Liu Yan had drawn was clearly a map. After Liu Yan finished drawing, he said to Wang Chang: "Time is running out, so I won't talk nonsense. The Han army needs your soldiers going down the river, and your soldiers going down the river also need the Han army." After speaking, he pointed at the map with his sword, and Said: "This is Nanjun, where your Xiajiang soldiers initially stationed their troops. Yan You led his army from Yingchuan, passed through Runan, detoured Jiangxia, and went straight to Nanjun. The two armies fought, and your Xiajiang soldiers were defeated. Where to go? To the west, there are lofty mountains; to the south, the Yangtze River is dangerous; to the east, there are strict obstacles. There is only one road left for you, that is to go north to Nanyang. So, you all marched all the way and crossed the Mian River , Passing through Yundu, Anlu, Shelou Valley, over Zhongshan and Longshan, the journey is difficult, needless to say. Yanyou is like a maggot attached to the bone, chasing after him fiercely, fighting all the way, you win less and lose more, and you suffer more casualties Unceasingly, now that I have finally come to Yiqiu, I can breathe a little bit." After speaking, he focused on Wang Chang and said, "Is there a mistake in what I said?"

Wang Chang was shocked. How could Liu Yan know the whereabouts of the soldiers going down the river so well?Seeing Wang Chang's complexion changed drastically, Liu Yan knew that he had hit his weakness, so he pointed to the map and said, "You are new to Nanyang, and you don't know much about the situation in Nanyang. Please see, the prefect of Nanyang, Zhen Fu, led 50,000 troops, Gather in Xiaochang'an; Jingzhou Mubianqi sits in Yingchuan. The two of them spread a big bag far away, and Yan You is driving you into this bag. The situation of you soldiers going down the river at this time is described by the famous sports commentator Comrade Han Qiaosheng In other words, even if there are pursuers ahead and interceptions behind, even if you use lightning speed to cover your ears and steal the bell, you will probably never be able to break through this encirclement. Not to mention, your Long March suffered heavy losses. There were more than 20,000 people at the beginning, but now there are only more than 5,000 people left."

Wang Chang stared at the map in front of him, covered in cold sweat. Their situation was just like what Liu Yan said, they had become beasts in a cage, and there was no way out.Previously, their Xiajiang soldiers seemed to be living in a two-dimensional world, blindly fleeing, no matter where they escaped, but Liu Yan lived in a three-dimensional world, high above, and the general trend was clear at a glance.Liu Yan said again: "The Han army and the Xiajiang soldiers are now suffering from the same disease. Rather than being divided and wiped out by the government, it is better to join forces and break through the encirclement. Once the encirclement of the government is broken, the world will be wider from now on, and the vertical and horizontal will be up to me. It's a matter of life and death, I hope Brother Wang will think about it."

Wang Chang was convinced that the legendary Liu Yan really did not get his name in vain, so he no longer held back, and replied sincerely: "Now that the Liu family is revived, your Excellency is the Allah. Wang is not talented, and he is willing to use his birth to make great achievements. " Liu Yan was overjoyed, and took Wang Chang's arm and swore: "If things are done, how dare you enjoy them all alone! Wealth and honor will be shared with all the kings." Although Wang Chang was in the top position among Xiajiang soldiers, he did not have the absolute right to speak. Several leaders, such as Cheng Dan and Zhang Ang, were also powerful and formed checks and balances on Wang Chang's power.Wang Chang told the truth, saying: "Military affairs are not my sole expertise, and they need to be discussed before proceeding."

Liu Yan knew that what Wang Chang said alone would not count, so he said: "Thank you, Brother Wang, Liu is looking forward to you in Jiyang, don't miss today's agreement." Wang Chang nodded solemnly, and said: "I heard that Jiyang's army is in an urgent situation, so please return to the camp as soon as possible, and don't dare to delay. Wang will try his best to persuade the other leaders to lead the army to the meeting." The four friends said goodbye. Besides, Wang Chang returned to Yiqiu City to state Liu Yan's request for a coalition.Cheng Dan and Zhang Ang had been watching coldly on the city wall just now. Seeing Wang Chang, Liu Yan and others talking and laughing, they were not happy at all, and they boasted that they had 5,000 generals under their command, and their strength should not be underestimated. They immediately retorted: " Since the big man has raised his army, he should be his own master, why should he be controlled by others!" Wang Chang knew that there was no reason to talk to Cheng Dan and Zhang Ang, and he could only speak with facts, so he redrawn Liu Yan's map. Although Cheng Dan and Zhang Ang were illiterate, they could understand the map. Underneath, it is also creepy.Wang often stunned the two of them, and then said: "You don't want to be controlled by others, and your feelings are understandable. However, the current situation is that if you are not controlled by others, you will be subject to death." Cheng Dan and Zhang Ang were silent, weighing.Wang Chang was determined to mix with Liu Yan, so he said again: "Liu Bosheng is a hero in the world. Heroes from all over the world return to their hearts. Xinshi soldiers and Lin soldiers have all defected to his account. The Han army has enough food and food, and great things will happen. If you want to form an alliance with us today, if we don't, the Han army will conquer the world in the future. Although we want to defect, I am afraid that we will not be able to. In my opinion, it is better to form an alliance than to be independent, and it is better to defect early than to defect later. The two agree how?" Cheng Dan and Zhang Ang secretly calculated in their hearts.In the past few months, they have been chased by Yan You and fled everywhere. They haven't lived a single day of peace. They keep their heads down and walk forward, looking for millet and rice.Choosing whether to join Liu Yan's coalition is like choosing to be a small boss or a senior wage earner.Being a small boss is hard work, but you don't earn much, and if you don't do it well, you have to lose money.Being a high-ranking wage earner will save you worry, and you will be able to receive dividends in the future. Liu Yan has taken over the world, and they will inevitably follow him, and they will be rich and honored for life. After such a calculation, Cheng Dan and Zhang Ang decided to work part-time, so they thanked Wang Chang and said: "General without a king, we have missed a good opportunity and fallen into injustice! I sincerely hope to be taught." Three days passed quickly, Xinshi Bing and Ping Lin Bing saw that no reinforcements had arrived, so they honestly packed their bags and left.Just about to set off, but hearing the clamor outside the camp, I thought in a trance that the army was coming. When I was panicking, the spies came to report: the soldiers from the lower river are coming to meet.Only then did everyone turn their worries into joy, and rushed to greet them.Xinshi soldiers had fought side by side with Xiajiang soldiers in Lulin Mountain half a year ago, and they didn't want to see each other again today.