Chapter 9 8. The assassin's date

Where there is a crisis, the true feelings are revealed. Some people are moved by love, some are trapped by love, and some are only busy for profit.There is a big difference between moving and not moving.Trapped or not, it all depends on breaking through.However, if you pay, you will be rewarded.You help me for a while, I will help you forever. Huang Chao withdrew from Chang'an, not from Chang'an. Withdrawal is an orderly, powerful and purposeful defeat. Escape is disorderly, powerless, purposeless defeat. Huang Chao also has an army of 150,000 well-organized and extremely powerful.

The army is still there, and the yellow nest is still the yellow nest. Where is Huang Chao going?east. The East is very big, where to go?Huang Chao originally planned to return to his hometown of Cao County. How is my hometown?Can the hometown restore the decline of the frustrated rebellion? Huang Chao didn't know. Nobody knows. Seeing that Huang Chao was about to arrive home, he encountered unexpected resistance, forcing him to change his plan. Huang Chao sent Meng Kai, the number two under his command, as the vanguard officer, and led 10,000 soldiers to open the way eastward.Because the Tang army missed the pursuit of fighter planes, Huang Chao quickly arrived in Caizhou, Henan (near Runan, Henan, southeast of Xuchang) very quickly.

Qin Zongquan, Caizhou Jiedushi in the Tang Dynasty, was an extremely fierce general, and his generals were like wolves, capable of fighting and brutal.Meng Kai's soldiers approached the city of Caizhou, and the battlefield was covered with dark clouds.Qin Zongquan went out of the city, put on a posture, and faced Meng Kai.But Qin Zongquan didn't expect that Meng Kai was more fierce and powerful than him.Because, Huang Chao had already issued a death order to Meng Kai to take down Caizhou.Withdrawing from Chang'an this time, if Caizhou is not captured, the Qi army will have no place to stand and nowhere to shelter.

Meng Kai, who arrived at the foot of Caizhou city, did not fight according to the law of war at all.Qin Zongquan had just lined up and was about to report his name and fire the cannon.Unexpectedly, Meng Kai would lead his army to cover up and kill them without reporting his name or lining up to fight against each other.Qin Zongquan thought to himself, what kind of bullshit is this?What a hooligan!The two armies of Qi and Tang fought in a melee, and two very brutal armies fought like wolves and tigers. The scene and tragedy can be imagined.While Meng Kai was fighting fiercely with Qin Zongquan, he had already sent people to rob the city gate and rush into Caizhou.When Qin Zongquan was fighting Meng Kai inextricably, he suddenly realized that the defenders in the headquarters watching the enemy's raid had been defeated by the Qi army.Qin Zongquan looked around again, and he was surrounded by three layers of the Qi army.Qin Zongquan knew that if he continued to fight, his life would be gone.The fierce and cruel Qin Zongquan deeply understands that to be fierce and cruel to others, and to be careful and loving to oneself, saving one's life, especially one's own life, is ten thousand times more important than killing more enemies.Qin Zongquan chose to surrender to Meng Kai before being cut to pieces.

Huang Chaoshuai's main force entered Caizhou City. After Meng Kai captured Caizhou, the morale of the Qi army was greatly boosted.Meng Kai is worthy of being a first-class master under Huang Chao. Under his leadership, the vanguard of the Qi army took advantage of the victory to attack Chenzhou (now Huaiyang County, Henan Province, southeast of Xuchang, northeast of Caizhou).Both Chenzhou and Caizhou belonged to Jiedu, a town in Zhongwu, and the two cities were not big, but strategically they formed a corner with Xuzhou, the prefecture of Zhongwu, and became the main way to control the Guandong and Guanzhong.

No one expected that a protracted, tragic and large-scale war broke out just under the small city of Chenzhou.The weight of this battle has a pivotal position in the history of Chinese wars. However, due to the troubled times in which historical materials are unknown, the characters are hard to find, and right and wrong are difficult to judge, few people in the future understand the whole picture of the Battle of Chenzhou, and few people pay attention to it. to the military value of this war.This battle condensed almost all the characteristics and elements of typical cases, such as large-scale military investment and fighting, positional defense, movement tug-of-war, blocking warfare, thousands of miles of rescue, surprise attack tricks, psychological attacks, beliefs and integrity, ideals and morality, Persistence and torment, new weapons and equipment, military confrontation and mass mobilization, battles with disparity in numbers, and transformation between strong and weak.This is an unimaginable war that amazed and astonished the people of the world. No one thought that this battle would be so soul-stirring and blood-shocking. No one would have thought that this battle would change the fate of the late Tang Dynasty. The First World War became a watershed moment for a large segment of history.

The huge contrast between the strength and weakness of the two sides further reflects the cruelty and value of this war. Without this war, Huang Chao might have a chance to breathe, regroup, make a comeback, review the previous lessons, and set off a huge wave again, which might destroy the Li and Tang Dynasties. Without this war, Zhu Quanzhong and Li Keyong might not have become enemies, and their struggle for hegemony would not have been so hugely involved. Without this war, Zhu Quanzhong might only be a small Jiedu envoy, and it would be impossible for him to win prominent power in the royal family of Li and Tang.

Everything is possible, and history has only one outcome. The governor of Chenzhou is Zhao Ji.This Governor Zhao was born in a family of generals, quite knowledgeable, and has a high degree of sensitivity and insight into the current situation.Zhao Ji's knowledge is beyond ordinary people, it is definitely not an afterthought, let alone boasting.When Huang Chao was still fighting the princes in Chang'an, Zhao Ji had already stepped up his preparations. Zhao Ji once said to his subordinate generals: "Now that the princes are gathering in Chang'an, Huang Chao has become a trapped beast, and fierce battles between Qi and Tang are inevitable. If Huang Chao is not wiped out by the princes in Chang'an, he will definitely flee eastward, because the thieves have a strong sense of returning home. Our Chen The state is the only way for Huang Chao to return to the east. In addition, our soldiers and civilians in the Zhongwu area have always been enemies with Huang Chao. If Huang Chao passes through Chenzhou, there will be a fierce battle. We must step up our preparations and not be careless."

Zhao Ji ordered the army and civilians to make deep ditches and high fortifications, strengthen the fortifications of the city, seize the time to build armored battle equipment, collect grain and grass everywhere, and pile up the granaries in the city to the brim.At the same time, all the people with surplus food within a radius of 60 miles were moved to the city to avoid being robbed by Huang Chao.In the streets and alleys of the market, the notices are widely posted, recruiting soldiers, expanding the army, and stepping up training. Zhao Ji's judgment was correct. Zhao Ji's preparation was effective.

Zhao Ji's later situation was several times more difficult and dangerous than he had imagined. Meng Kai led the vanguard troops and soon approached the city of Chenzhou.The flags of the Qi army were flying, the trumpets were fluttering, there were many swords and guns, and people were shouting and horses neighing. Tens of thousands of horses seemed to swallow Chenzhou.Meng Kai was originally arrogant and domineering under Huang Chao's subordinates, flying high and domineering, and arrogant.Meng Kai felt even more majestic and domineering when he surrendered the titan Qin Zongquan in the first battle.Wearing a sharp armor, he rode alone under the city of Chenzhou to show off his power, pointing the flag at the top of the city, yelling curses, threatening Zhao Ji and the soldiers and civilians in the city to surrender as soon as possible, otherwise he would die without a place to bury him.

Zhao Ji led a group of generals Zuo Zheng to stand on the top of the city and watch the Qi army.There are few small soldiers in Chenzhou, and the regular army and militia in the city are less than 10,000. Compared with the Qi army, there is a huge gap.It seems to be a few skinny lambs under the bloody mouth of the tiger and wolf division of the Qi army.Zhao Ji furrowed his eyebrows and remained silent.The military academies around them also looked nervously at the dense array of Qi troops under the city, and their hearts were agitated. Meng Kai got tired of cursing, so he sent dozens of strong men to take turns cursing.Suddenly, a sign was hung on the top of the city, which said "Free War".Meng Kai sneered and said, "My husband, Zhao Ji, where is my opponent? Be afraid." Seeing that the sun was rising and the Qi army was scorching hot, Meng Kai ordered the camp to be set up first, and the troops to bury the pot to make food, and then come back in the afternoon to call for battle.During the day, Meng Kai made several provocations, but Zhao Ji avoided them and did not fight.Amidst the earth-shattering shouts and drums of the Qi army, Chen Zhoucheng stood there alone, as if trembling.In the evening, Meng Kai judged that Zhao Ji was timid and afraid of fighting, and he was delaying time to wait for reinforcements.If Zhao Ji stays behind closed doors tomorrow, Meng Kai decides to attack and flatten Chenzhou City in one fell swoop. The so-called arrogant soldiers are bound to be defeated is because of self-conceit and negligence.Meng Kai is undoubtedly a master, but a master can only be called a master when he performs at a high level.The so-called master is a person who can continue to perform at a high level. This is an external manifestation of well-trained cultivation and stability. Occasionally, "high" will not become a master.At this moment, Meng Kai was staring at everything, his empty door was wide open, and he had already lost the necessary vigilance that a master should have. At night, the night was low, there was no moon in the sky, and there was silence everywhere. The flames of the "Qi Death Wind" lamps on the flag tower of the Qi army camp flickered.Qi Jun, who had been running around for a few days, was exhausted physically and mentally, and had just experienced a not easy battle in Caizhou. The general of Qi Jun soon fell asleep.At this time, the gate of Chenzhou city was quietly opened, and Zhao Ji led a group of people to rush out of the city.This group of people and horses are all cavalry, the soldiers are wearing iron armor, holding a long-handled machete, a man's mouth, a horse's mouth, and a horse's hoof wrapped in thatch.The Tang army in Chenzhou rushed towards the Qi army camp quietly like ghosts. Qi Jun was immersed in a sound sleep, and he didn't notice the Tang Jun who was attacking him at all.Even the guard sentry on patrol was cut down by Tang Jun while he was dozing off.After Zhao Ji led his men into the Qi camp, he went straight to the tent of the commander of the Chinese army and came to kill him. This was Meng Kai's big tent, and to capture the thieves, of course the king should be captured first.To capture a thief, one must first capture the king, as long as the king is captured, the rest of the matter will be much easier to handle.Zhao Ji took the lead, raised the sword in his hand, split the handsome tent, and rushed into the tent.Meng Kai was awakened in his dream by the piercing sound of the tarpaulin breaking. A carp jumped up, wiped his eyes, and after roughly seeing the situation in front of him, he hurriedly picked up the spear standing by the bed to fight.Meng Kai had neither armor nor horse nor guards, he was surrounded by Zhao Ji and his generals, after thirty moves, Meng Kai was so tired that he was sweating profusely, his whole body was covered with more than ten wounds.After all, two fists are no match for four hands, and a tiger is no match for a pack of wolves.Meng Kai, who was shirtless, was eventually captured due to exhaustion.After capturing the enemy's general, Zhao Ji led his subordinates to rush and hack in the Qi army camp.The Qi army screamed incessantly, with countless casualties and chaos.After Tang Jun hacked and killed, he set fire to Qi Jun's camp.The company of the Qi army was suddenly engulfed in a sea of ​​flames, and the flames illuminated half of the night sky, making Zhao Ji's resolute and prudent face red. Things in the world are so cute, sad, regrettable, gratifying and hateful. Things in the world are so interesting, interesting, entertaining and interesting. Not all big events in the world are done by well-known big men. Not all the big men in the world fall on the big events with great vigor. The all-powerful Meng Kai fell into the hands of the little governor of Chenzhou. During the day, the Tang army in Chenzhou seemed to be terribly frightened, and did not dare to fight against the Qi army at all.Unexpectedly, the little-known Inspector Zhao actually had a big plan hidden. During the day, he showed weakness to deliberately paralyze the enemy, but at night he showed his true colors. Human courage, detailed strategy, and precise operation are also required. Zhao Ji's night attack was successful. Zhao Ji won a complete victory by stealing the camp and robbing the village. Capturing Meng Kai, the core hero of the Qi army, is tantamount to cutting off an arm of Huang Chao.On the second day at three poles, Zhao Ji convened a military and civilian assembly in Chenzhou City, beheaded Meng Kai for public display, and hung his head on the Chenzhou city tower to show his determination to fight Huang Chao to the end, and at the same time, to show his determination to the Qi army outside the city. A great psychological deterrent.After the first battle was won, the soldiers and civilians in Chenzhou City were enthusiastic and their fighting spirit was greatly boosted. Meng Kai was defeated, captured, killed, and humiliated. It was like a thunderbolt, and the bad news reached Huang Chao immediately.Huang Chao has always favored Meng Kai, and when he learned that Meng Kai was captured and killed by Zhao Ji, he couldn't help feeling sad for a moment, stamped his feet and beat his chest, and said through gritted teeth: "I want to eat the flesh of Zhao Ji, sleep on the skin of Zhao Ji, and avenge my beloved Qing Meng Kai! Come here, I want to conquer in person!" Huang Chao decided to personally lead an army to attack Chenzhou. As the saying goes, "How can you kill a chicken with a butcher's knife?" Is the little Chenzhou worthy of Huang Chao's enthusiasm? That's what the saying goes.But a bull's knife may not always be able to kill a chicken. Not only Meng Kai underestimated Zhao Ji. Huang Chao didn't expect little Chenzhou to be so stubborn. Huang Chao encountered the hardest bone to crack since he started his army. The hardness of this bone exceeded not only Huang Chao's expectations, but also the court's expectations, and even Zhao Ji's own expectations. Huang Chao and Qin Zongquan's troops merged into one, and the army was surrounded by dark clouds, covering a large area with darkness.Huang Chao ordered five moats to be dug outside Chenzhou, surrounding Chenzhou like an iron barrel.Under the siege of the Qi army, birds and animals could not pass.The scorching sun in July grilled the land of the Central Plains and turned Chenzhou City into a big steamer.The steamer is filled with irritability, fear, tension and uneasiness. Zhao Ji knew what was most important at this time, and the most important thing was people's hearts.He must appease the hearts of the people in the city, including the hearts of the army and the people, and he must appease them one by one.Unifying people's hearts is the most difficult thing in the world.Moreover, it is extremely difficult to unify the hearts of so many people under such a critical situation of life and death!Any restlessness, abnormal movement and blind movement may ruin Chen Zhou. Zhao Ji personally led his two younger brothers and two sons to hold a pre-war mobilization meeting.The cicadas in midsummer "hiss" with confidence, singing the most brilliant movement in their lives.With the scorching sun on his head, Zhao Ji stood on the stone steps in front of the gate of the commander's mansion, holding his sword hilt in his hand, and said to everyone with a passionate expression: "Zhongwu Town has always been known for its righteousness and bravery. Our Chenzhou It is also famous for being a good general and good at fighting. Besides, our Zhao family has been in Chenzhou for generations, was raised by Chenzhou, shared weal and woe with the people of Chenzhou, and lived and died together. A man should put life and death aside, and never surrender to steal a life. Although Chenzhou is small, if we work together, we will be able to put it to death and survive! If there is anyone who confuses people and swayes the enemy, he will be killed! I swear that I will live and die with Chenzhou!" The feelings were deeply affected, and they all raised their arms and shouted "Swear to live and die with Chenzhou, only the governor will follow the lead"! "General, we will never surrender and never be discouraged"! "Fight the enemy bravely, defend the home and the country"!In Chenzhou City, the soldiers and civilians shouted one after another. While boosting morale and actively preparing for the battle, Zhao Ji maintained due self-knowledge and necessary calmness.After all, this is a war, not bragging.Strength determines everything, how could Chenzhou's small land be the opponent of Huang Chao's hundreds of thousands of troops?Zhao Ji returned to the government office and called the two younger brothers together for a discussion.Zhao Ji thought long-term and said: "Since the defeat of Huang Chao in Chang'an, the morale of hundreds of thousands of horsemen has been greatly hindered. They want to find a shelter as soon as possible and a chance to make a comeback. If the bandits can't break through Chenzhou, I think Huang Chao will never be the same as before. Running around like that, it seems that he wants to use Chen Cai as his base and set up a lair for turnover." Zhao Chang, the second younger brother who was Chenzhou's defense envoy at the time, said: "Brother, although we have enough troops and food, we are more than enough to deal with ordinary rogues, but if we have a decisive battle with Huang Chao, I am afraid that we will not be able to catch up." Zhao Ji nodded and agreed: "Chenzhou was originally a small town, how can it afford such a level of battle. The imperial court is still far away in Sichuan, and the news is not smooth. For the current plan, we must stick to it with all our strength, and we must spread it to the world as soon as possible. Call for help from neighboring towns." The third younger brother, Zhao Jue, who lives in Chenzhou and knows the soldiers and horse envoys, is of medium stature, with sharp facial bones, a pair of sword eyebrows slanted into the temples, and two tiger eyes are piercing.He said fiercely: "After all, Huang Chao is a bandit. Although he is fierce, he lacks rules and regulations, especially he has no mercy for the people. It is bound to not last long." Zhao Ji's mind was heavy, his brows were furrowed, and he said slowly while pacing, "Chang'an is prosperous. Once the poor and lowly people enjoy it, they don't want to return to poverty. Although the general situation is over, they will still be stubborn. The enemy and us are like this." With a large number of troops stationed here, a protracted war is inevitable, judging by the situation, it is no less than another Chang'an battle." Zhao Jue stood up from his chair, and said in an impassioned voice, "No matter how many bandits there are or how fierce they are, as long as the soldiers and people in our city are united, it shouldn't be a problem to resist for three months. When reinforcements from all walks of life arrive, they will be able to defeat the bandits in one fell swoop." !" Zhao Ji looked at the third younger brother approvingly, and said: "Even so, the capital's hundreds of thousands of troops can't annihilate them. The cruelty of this battle must not be underestimated. We can't be careless. We can only use wisdom and not attack by force." After the discussion between the three brothers was over, Zhao Ji immediately dispatched four messengers led by his eldest son Zhao Lu. Xuzhou Zhongwu Jiedu Envoy Zhou Ji, Heyang Jiedu Envoy Zhuge Shuang, Hedong Jiedu Envoy Li Keyong, Huainan Jiedu Envoy Gao Pian and others asked for help. After Zhao Ji finished the deployment before the big battle, he immediately fired his guns and set off to meet the enemy. Zhao Ji opened the city gate, lowered the suspension bridge, and sent his second brother Zhao Chang to lead 3,000 troops out of Chenzhou City to attack the weaker Wang Fan's position.Zhao Chang waved his long spear and rushed to the Qi army's fence first.The archers of the Qi army hurriedly opened their bows and released their arrows. Zhao Chang waved his long spear to call the flying arrows, and the cavalry and infantry followed closely behind him. The sentry of the Qi army had already reported to the general Wang Fan that someone in Chenzhou was going to fight. Wang Fan thought to himself, "It's just what I want, but I'm afraid he won't fight."Wang Fan had just put on his horse, but Zhao Chang had already killed the first line of defense of the archers, broke through the fence and rushed to the gate.Wang Fan was startled, he didn't understand Tang Jun's style of play, he didn't report his name, he didn't line up to fight, and he directly attacked the house. When Wang Fan saw that Tang Jun was the leading general, with a square face and a burly figure, he could tell at a glance that he was a powerful player.Wang Fan didn't dare to be careless and directly urged his horse to go forward, with his sword across his chest, he shouted and asked: "Who is coming?" Zhao Chang replied solemnly: "Chen Zhou's defense envoy Zhao Chang is also." Zhao Chang's tone of voice Calm but revealing a murderous look and deterrent force, Wang Fan couldn't help but tighten his heart, knowing that the visitor was not good.The two stopped answering, and raised their weapons to fight together.Wang Fan is also battle-tested. Since he joined the eight brothers Huang Chao in the army, he has fought hundreds of battles, and he is by no means mediocre.Unfortunately, Wang Fan met Zhao Chang today.Zhao Chang has practiced martial arts since he was a child. He has great strength, a deep personality, and a quick response. After five rounds of fighting between Zhao Chang and Wang Fan, when the two horses crossed and kicked, Zhao Chang swept over with a backhand.Out of the corner of Wang Fan's eyes, Wang Fan saw Zhao Chang turn his head and lean his body, and then he heard a strong wind blowing, and the left side of his body was shrouded in a huge force.Wang Fan hurriedly leaned up and held the handle of the big knife with both hands to block it, but it was too late, there was a loud sound of gold and iron clashing, and Zhao Chang's long iron head slammed heavily on Wang Fan's handle.Although it hit the handle of the knife, the strength of the head of the spear did not decrease, and it hit Wang Fan's left chest together with Wang Fan's handle.Wang Fan was dizzy from this huge blow, his chest felt oppressed, and then a mouthful of blood spurted out five feet away.At this time, Zhao Chang pulled his horse back and saw Wang Fan lying on the horse's back, with his sword dropped to the ground.This spear has seriously injured Wang Fan.Zhao Chang urged the horse to come to Wang Fan, swung the lance and smashed Wang Fan's brains, and the dead body fell off the horse. Seeing that the main general was killed, the Qi army was in a panic and retreated while resisting in a panic.Zhao Chang took advantage of the situation and yelled: "Kill!" The Tang army immediately swarmed forward, swung their machetes and slashed at the Qi army, killing Wang Fan's men and fleeing in all directions, and captured four other generals, killing more than a thousand.Zhao Chang was worried that Huang Chao's main rescue force would arrive, so after a burst of attack and killing, he gave up as soon as he saw it. He didn't dare to fight, so he quickly withdrew from the position and returned to Chenzhou City.Zhao Chang used lightning tactics to defeat Wang Fan's camp in an instant, and captured several generals of the Qi army alive.This further expanded the results of the battle and boosted the morale of the soldiers and civilians in Chenzhou. Meng Kai was defeated in front, Wang Fan was killed in the rear, and the Qi army lost two battles in a row.The spirit of the hundreds of thousands of Qi troops was greatly frustrated, and Huang Chao became even more irritable.Daqi Emperor Huang Chao ordered to step up the siege.Huang Chao began to realize that this Chenzhou was not like Caizhou, it was indeed a very tricky place, and it might not be solved overnight.If this battle fails, or if they take a detour to avoid Chenzhou, the morale of the Qi army will be greatly damaged. Even if they return to the east, it will be difficult to find a foothold again. Therefore, Huang Chao decided to make a long-term siege deployment.Just as Zhao Ji expected, a protracted battle kicked off.Huang Chao ordered people to build a palace camp in the north of Chenzhou City, and set up a hundred department yamen, which combined office and war into one.The Qi army spread out its combat radius around Chenzhou, besieged Chenzhou on the one hand, and plundered from all directions on the other hand, and robbed people, food, and territory everywhere. At this time, it has been a month since Zhao Ji sent out a messenger for help, but the reinforcements from the towns have not come to rescue for a long time, and there is not even a message. After adjusting the strategic deployment, Huang Chao concentrated his superior forces and launched a strong attack on Chenzhou.Send general Chai Cun and 10,000 troops to attack from the north gate.Chai Cun served as the pioneer of Huangchao many times. He was very experienced in attacking cities and seizing villages. He fought bravely and fought fiercely.Chai Cunming built a huge chariot with a length of more than ten feet. This is a machine that can throw stones and torches through the principle of leverage, and its throwing distance can reach 200 meters.At the same time, Chai Cun also built a sledgehammer cart.The sledgehammer cart is supported by triangular wooden beams, and a whole thick tree trunk is suspended, and a big iron block is installed in front of the trunk.This sledgehammer can smash through walls up to five feet thick.Chai Cun ordered twenty catapults to be lined up one word away from Chenzhou City.Ahead is the sledgehammer cart, which is driven and operated by a group of 500 people.Both the trebuchet and the sledgehammer were covered with a wide curtain, and it was impossible to see what it was from the outside.Further forward are five thousand rattan armored soldiers, holding shields that can protect their heads and feet, and carry ladders to form a square formation.The rattan-armored soldiers on the outside face outward and stand their shields in front of them. The rattan-armored soldiers on the inside follow closely behind, holding their shields high to cover the top of their heads. The shields are integrated like an iron bucket with a cover. Chai Cun arranged everything in place, and began to order people to fight outside the city.In fact, there was no need for the Qi army to call for battle, the city of Chenzhou was already full of people, and Zhao Ji led his subordinates and the generals to watch from the arrow tower at the top of the city for a long time.Seeing Chai Cun's formation, Zhao Ji understood that Chai Cun's ambition was to win. It seems that there must be a fierce battle today.Just seeing Chai Cun's posture in command of this mechanized armored force, the hearts of everyone from the generals to the soldiers in Chenzhou city were heavy.Zhao Ji solemnly ordered the military academy to carry bows and arrows, firewood, ash bottles, rolling logs, stones, hooks and other anti-city battle tools to the top of the city, and make full preparations for the battle. Chai Chou yelled and cursed three times in the city, deliberately leaving a little time to show his position, in order to intimidate the Tang army in Chenzhou City psychologically.Guessing that Tang Jun had already seen his position, Chai Cun waved the command flag.Like a fortress, the five thousand rattan armored soldiers moved towards the city of Chenzhou as a whole.As the phalanx marched, the rattan armored soldiers slapped the shield with their waist knives, making deafening knocking sounds.The sound waves of the Qi army's percussion and slogans spread along the positions and the city wall of Chenzhou to the ears of the soldiers and civilians in the city.The soldiers and civilians of Chenzhou were all tense, waiting for orders to fight.On the city, Tang Jun lay on the crenel, drawing his bow and arrows to the full, with blue veins in his hands, staring at the aggressive Qi army phalanx, waiting for Zhao Ji to give the order to shoot after the phalanx entered the range.The Qi army phalanx approached step by step, one hundred, eighty, fifty steps away from the city wall, but Zhao Ji was still frozen like a stone statue, and the order to attack was delayed.The Qi army had already arrived at the city, and began to erect ladders one after another.Tang Jun could already see Qi Jun's face clearly, and could even hear each other's heavy breathing.At this time, Zhao Ji roared: "Let the arrows go!" Zhao Ji's order opened the floodgates for tens of thousands of arrows. Zhao Ji's timing is very precise, because he has already seen the defensive ability of the Qi army's phalanx. Even if it is within the range, no matter what angle it is shot from, it is airtight. no difference.Only when the Qi army arrived at the bottom of the city and began to set up the ladder to attack upwards, the phalanx would open a gap in the head. This is an excellent opportunity to attack, and it is almost a fleeting opportunity.Only by seizing and making good use of this fleeting opportunity can it be possible to tear the gap in the Qi army's phalanx.Sure enough, as Zhao Ji judged, a row of arrows rained into the gap between the heads of the Qi army's phalanx with a whistling sound, and the first row of shields of the Qi army began to shake, indicating that some Qi troops had been shot.The shaking of the shield caused more gaps, and more gaps caused more flying arrows to shoot into the formation, and more Qi soldiers were injured and fell down. The Qi soldiers behind rushed up to fill the gap, but Fang The order of the formation has begun to become chaotic. As the Qi army under the city was shot, gaps were torn open in the shield phalanx, but the Qi army had already set up more than a dozen ladders, and ants swarmed and screamed to climb up Chenzhou City.Hundreds of Qi troops had already climbed to the crenel, brandishing waist knives and started a hand-to-hand fight with the Tang army at the head of the city.The hand-to-hand combat is cruel, and the bow and arrow have lost their effect. The Tang army and the Qi army all fought together with short weapons.Since the Qi army is still at a disadvantage in attacking the Qi army, although the arrow rain cannot completely destroy the shield formation, the Qi army cannot climb the top of the city anyway. Groups of Qi troops were pushed down by the Tang army on the ladder several feet high. Smash, drop, drop, fall to pieces. The rattan armored soldiers attacked by force, while the Chenzhou troops defended.The sound of shouting and killing was deafening. Chai Cun found that the rattan armored soldiers would not be able to attack the city for a while, so he pointed the command flag forward.Hundreds of military academies pulled off the veil covering the catapult and the sledgehammer in unison, revealing a chariot as tall as a beast.Twenty rock-throwing chariots started rumblingly, and the long rock-throwing arms flew up and down, throwing stones into Chenzhou City.Driven by five hundred soldiers, the huge and heavy sledgehammer slowly moved towards Chenzhou City with a "creaking" sound.Zhao Ji, who was originally Yuan Ting and Yue Zhi on the top of the wall, couldn't help being startled when he saw the secret weapon suddenly revealed by Chai Cun.The surprise was no small matter.No one knows what kind of weapon this is. Although they don't know its function, it can be estimated from its size that this thing is powerful.Although the trebuchet is not a common weapon on the battlefield, Zhao Ji is no stranger to it, at least he has heard of this weapon.But Zhao Ji had never heard of that sledgehammer cart like a hill, and he didn't know what kind of weapon it was, and he couldn't guess what kind of power this monster would exert.Zhao Ji became nervous, he stared at this huge monster approaching the city step by step. Although the trebuchet was behind, it exerted its power first, and large and small stones flew over like raindrops, smashing towards the top of the city and the inside of the city.Since the trebuchets were beyond the range of the bow and arrow, Tang Jun had nothing to do but avoid them, and was immediately smashed to the ground. Zhao Ji hastily ordered the soldiers fighting on the city to gather together in separate piles, to prop up the door panels and bed panels to resist the stones, and the common people and transport soldiers in the city either hid in the basement, or stuck to the base of the north wall to transport weapons and war equipment to the city. .The lethality of the trebuchet is huge. The endless flying stones smashed the Tang army on the city, smashed the houses in the city, caused a large number of soldiers and civilians to lose their combat effectiveness, and the city fell into chaos.However, the accuracy of the stone attack is very low. While killing and wounding the Tang army in a large area, it also killed and injured many Qi troops who were besieging the city, and the Qi army's siege momentum was greatly weakened. Just when Zhao Ji was furrowing his brows tightly, something even more frightening happened.The sledgehammer cart had already arrived at the bottom of the city wall, and five hundred Qi soldiers chanted together, pulling back the iron-headed log hanging under the beam of the sledgehammer cart like a cow's tail, and then let go at the same time, the iron-headed round log The wooden pendulum slammed into the city wall with a loud "dong" sound.The plaster on the outer wall of the city wall fell off as big as the pot cover, and a wave of tremors came from the thick city wall from bottom to top.Zhao Ji shook his body for a while, and immediately understood that although this big monster was bulky, its impact was very powerful. Every time it hit, the city wall of Chenzhou trembled.Although the city wall of Chenzhou has been strengthened, if it goes on like this, within a dozen strokes, the city wall will definitely be knocked out with a big hole.Zhao Ji watched in shock as the sledgehammer truck slammed into the city wall again, a violent tremor came again, the wall bricks began to sag under the impact, and brick debris flew everywhere.Zhao Ji immediately ordered people to shoot arrows at the sledgehammer cart, but Tang Bing was knocked down by flying stones as soon as he stood up, and even a few arrows released occasionally were blocked by the curved guards on both wings of the sledgehammer.Tang Jun could only watch helplessly as the sledgehammer hit the city wall unscrupulously, but there was nothing he could do in a hurry.Every heavy impact seems to be the countdown to the city's destruction.Everyone is distraught. When Zhao Ji was helpless, someone suddenly reported: "My lord, the third master is here." Zhao Ji suddenly raised his head and asked, "Zhao Jue? Where did he go? Why did he come?" At this time, a voice came from behind Zhao Ji. A loud and resolute voice said: "Brother, we have a way to deal with those monsters in the Qi army!" Zhao Yu turned around and saw that the third brother Zhao Jue was already standing in front of him. Zhao Ji looked at his third brother, and asked eagerly, "What can you do?" Zhao Jue waved his hand back and said, "Look, brother." Zhao Ji looked in the direction of Zhao Jue's finger, and asked excitedly, "Heavy machine crossbow? Where did you get it?" "Originally, there were 500 broken heavy machine crossbows piled up in the arsenal, and no one could repair them. When I was preparing for the war, I found these machine crossbows and tried to repair them. I actually repaired 400 of them. I don't think they will be useful today. .” Zhao Jue replied. Zhao Ji nodded emphatically, waved his hand, and ordered: "Come on, quickly put these machine crossbows on the top of the city." Under the cover of the door panels, Tang Jun arranged four hundred heavy machine crossbows on the crenel along the city wall.Zhao Jue personally took command in the center.The heavy machine crossbows are divided into two batches, one batch shoots the trebuchets in the distance, and the other shoots the nearby rattan armored soldiers.The heavy machine crossbow is strong and powerful, and the arrows are as thick as the mouth of a cup. The shooting range is more than twice that of ordinary bows and arrows, and the strength is ten times that of ordinary bows and arrows. Chai Cun saw that his tactics were successful and the siege was progressing smoothly, and he was secretly happy that Chenzhou City was about to be captured in one fell swoop.Suddenly, Chai Cun saw hundreds of birds flying out of Chenzhou City, but soon he found that they were not birds, but crossbow arrows that were more powerful than spears.The crossbow arrows not only crossed the wide battlefield and shot in front of him, but also directly pierced through the body of the soldier operating the trebuchet, who spurted blood and fell to the ground to death on the spot.In less than a cup of tea, fifteen or six of the twenty catapults of the Qi army were paralyzed.Although the rattan armored soldiers who attacked the city had thick shields to protect their bodies, these shields turned into paper pies in front of the heavy machine crossbow. They were shot through in batches from top to bottom, and skewered into skewers.For a time, Qi Jun wailed everywhere. Just as Tang Jun's heavy machine crossbow was showing its might, suddenly a big stone flew from the air and hit Zhao Jue's left arm heavily. With a "click", Zhao Jue's arm was broken.Zhao Jue endured the severe pain and continued to direct the battle as if nothing had happened. Beads of sweat dripped down his cheeks.The situation on the battlefield quickly reversed. All the catapults of the Qi army stopped working, and the rattan armored soldiers who attacked the city suffered heavy casualties.The Tang army, who was passively defending, turned from defense to offense, struggling to shoot arrows at the chaotic rattan armored soldiers. At this time, some Tang soldiers brought some large straw mats, which were glued together with oilcloth, four or five inches thick.Dozens of people carried oilcloth mats and stood directly above the sledgehammer, aiming at the sledgehammer and throwing it down.Zhao Chang raised his bow and set an arrow, and shot a lit rocket at the oilcloth mat flying down.The oilcloth mat burst into flames when the rocket "boomed", like a large burning cloud rushing towards the sledgehammer, covering the sledgehammer tightly.The guards of the sledgehammer cart had already dispersed, and dozens of soldiers hiding under the fender also rushed out of the sea of ​​flames screaming and fleeing for their lives.The 500 soldiers who operated the sledgehammer truck were all killed or injured, and the big monster finally stopped when it hit the fifth time, turning into a pile of useless charred charcoal.The city wall of Chenzhou was also hit by a sledgehammer truck and sunk into a deep hole, and the wall had been cracked nearly a foot wide. Just as the bloody battle was heating up, Chai Cun's body suddenly swayed and fell off his horse.It turned out that a crossbow arrow pierced the neck of Chai Cun's mount, and the horse struggled a few times and died instantly.Several soldiers hurriedly rescued Chai Cun and retreated.When Chai Cun was retreating, the gate of Chenzhou opened, and Zhao Chang rushed over with two thousand troops.The morale of the Qi army was demoralized, panicked, and fled back before it was too late to fight.Zhao Chang didn't chase after him. Seeing Qi's army go far away, he withdrew his troops and returned to the city.The military and civilian casualties in Chenzhou City were also very heavy. Zhao Ji urgently directed rescue of the wounded, repaired the city wall, and restored order. Chenzhou City survived the crisis. Zhao Ji still has lingering fears about that big monster chariot. Huang Chao suffered another setback. Huang Chao no longer underestimated this little Chenzhou. Huang Chao decided not to rush for success, and changed to a strategy of long-term siege of Chenzhou. In a blink of an eye, Chenzhou has been besieged for three months. Although Huang Chao's hundreds of attacks, large and small, have been thwarted through bloody battles, the Tang army in Chenzhou has also suffered heavy casualties. Under the ration system for one person, ordinary people have begun to eat bran vegetables, leaves and cornmeal mixed together, and the streets and alleys are full of scarred and emaciated soldiers and civilians. There is still no news from various reinforcements. Chen Zhou fell into a desperate situation. The soldiers and civilians of Chenzhou were sitting alone waiting to die. Can Chen Zhou persist? Is Chenzhou still worth holding on to? How long can Chen Zhou last? The answer is different in everyone's mind. Not only ordinary people and soldiers are reducing food, but Zhao Ji's three meals a day have also been reduced to two.Under the protracted pressure, the contradictions in Chenzhou City are also fermenting.Once there are bad elements, it is too easy to turn into elbows.This is what Zhao Ji is worried about.即便是军民同心，这种艰难局面持续下去，不用黄巢攻打，陈州自己就会崩溃坠毁沦陷。 陈州已经弱不禁风，憔悴不堪。 赵犨心急如焚。 赵昶急躁地对赵犨说：“大哥，这远道援兵赶不过来，难道近处的河阳、忠武等地也来不了吗？” 赵犨叹口气：“唉，长安帝都，诸侯尚且观望。我陈州小镇，诸侯哪里有心思来冒如此风险，自然各怀渔翁得利之心。” 赵珝用布条和木板缠裹着骨折的胳膊，表情愤慨，说道：“大哥，现在朝廷暗弱，人心离散，公忠体国的人寥寥无几，诸侯及朝中大臣都在为私利争斗。我看，陈州还要靠我们自己，诸侯是指望不上了。” 不仅大家怀疑诸侯来援的可能性渺茫，赵犨也觉得此事越来越不靠谱儿。毕竟陈州不是长安，谁愿意为了解救一个小小的州城赶来相助呢？即使解救了陈州，赵刺史又能给人家帮忙的人什么呢？ 就在陈州军民焦虑不安的时候，忽然发现城外齐军在减少，有时候连续几天也见不到来城下骚扰和巡逻的散兵。How is this going?难道齐军要撤走啦？ 其实黄巢的日子也不好过。他在围困陈州的同时，不得不将主力部队和精力投放到周边城市上去。 因为十几万大军云集在陈蔡小镇，给养出现了问题。 这么多人耗在这里不能靠喝西北风活着啊。 况且天天风吹日晒的，又是值班又是巡逻，每到晚上还担惊受怕地提防陈州夜袭，齐军疲惫不堪。 燃眉之急是到哪里去弄吃的？ 齐军撤出长安时为延宕追兵将粮草辎重丢弃大半，存粮很快就会用光。现在的黄巢也非四年前可比，不仅妃嫔成群，排场也大起来，比照皇帝规模，日常起居用度消费巨大。各位臣僚大员前半生一直艰苦奋斗，在京师尝到美酒美女美食美梦的荣华富贵甜头后，自然舍不得放弃，日常开支伙食的标准与起兵初期比那是天壤之别。仅存不多的粮草积蓄必须首先也只能勉强维持黄巢及臣僚大员使用。军兵将校只有靠自己自力更生了。如何自力？一个字，抢，用自己的力气去抢。谁先抢到谁先有，抢到什么算什么。抢是十分能够激发人类动物兽性的一种行为，它会催生无穷的动力，麻木所有的恐惧，泯灭基本的良知。 挤在臭烘烘的牛皮帐篷里睡觉还可以忍受，饥饿是无论如何也难以忍受的。因此，对于齐军来说，重中之重需要抢的是粮食。 饥寒交迫是濒临绝境的先兆。大夏天，可以衣不蔽体，所以寒冷不是威胁。但若没有粮食却连一日也无法度过。齐军尽管不寒，不至于交迫，但“饥”这一“迫”就足以将人推往绝境。齐军为避免自己进入绝境，只有将别人推向绝境。所谓的别人无非是两类，一类是守卫各城市的唐军；一类是城镇与乡村的平民。要把唐军推向绝境不是很容易，所以齐军先从弱者下手，将平民推向了绝境。本来中原一代，饱受战乱，既有农民起义的战火，也有唐军各镇内部及之间的战火，还有盗贼土匪的祸害，民不聊生，赤地千里，不仅没有庄稼，连人烟也近乎稀绝。现在十几万齐军如蝗虫一般铺天盖地而来，把家家户户的现粮陈粮杂粮发霉的粮食全部搜刮一空，将所有带毛喘气的鸡狗鸟雀一网打尽，即使这样，仍然没有抢到多少粮食。 齐军开始了抢人。 抢人最初的目的是补充兵员。不仅齐军抢人，各诸侯军阀也抢人。打仗打得就是人，谁剩的人多，谁就有希望赢。 当粮食如同金子一样极度稀缺时，抢人就有了另一番更加残酷恐怖的目的和作用。吃人！ 黄巢手下饥饿的军队叫嚣着在许、汝、唐、邓、孟、郑、汴、曹、濮、徐、兗等数十个州，四处抢人。不分男女老少，抢来之后直接扔进大石臼中，活生生捣碎，砸成肉泥，充当军粮吃掉。这种专门用来制作人肉军粮的绞肉机，叫做“舂磨寨”。既然叫做寨，一般意味着是群体作业，不只一两台绞肉机，而是几百台绞肉机开足马力，不分白天与黑夜地制造人肉馅人肉泥人肉饼。不知道人肉是什么味道，不知道吃了人肉的人心里是什么滋味。同类相残在禽兽界并不罕见，但在思维健全、七情六欲发达的人类中，这种吃同类肉、喝同类血、嚼同类骨的情形，是何等恐怖与残忍！是何等天良丧尽！更何况不是同类搏杀之后的残食，而是军事暴力下的弱肉强食，群体杀戮下的残虐屠戮。 屠戮吃掉的都是自己的衣食父母。 这样的带头大哥已经走火入魔，这样的军队已经疯狂。 天欲其灭亡，必先使其疯狂。 由疯狂而走向绝境。因绝境而更加疯狂。 疯狂能摧毁肉体，但疯狂无法摧毁人心。 人心焕发力量并不需要太久，或许几个月就够了。 各镇诸侯迟迟不来救援，是因为家家有本难念的经。 抑或是，家家在拨自己的小算盘。 从情理上说，最近最先最应该赶来救援的当是陈州本地所属的忠武节度使周岌。忠武一镇下辖蔡州、陈州、许州等地。周岌也非善类，原本忠武战将，后来发动兵变上台篡夺了节度使之位。当初黄巢北上大举渡淮之前，唐王朝曾试图组织郑许会战，以遏制黄巢攻势，可事情就偏偏坏在这些半吊子军头身上。郑许会战的主战场在溵水（即隐水，亦曰大溵河，为北汝河之下游，俗称沙河。北汝河出河南嵩县西南天息山，东北流经伊阳、临汝，又东南经郏县、襄城，与沙河（即古澱水）合，遂称沙河，自河南许昌，东南历郾城、西华、商水诸县于颍），徐州派出三千兵马途径许昌参加溵水会战。当时的忠武节度使薛能自认为曾在徐州做官，对徐州军兵有恩，于是将徐州兵接待安置在球场中，善加款待。可是徐州兵卒素来强悍蛮横，得寸进尺，贪得无厌。天近傍晚的时候，徐州兵大肆骚乱。薛能登上塔楼询问情况，徐州兵说许昌怠慢了他们，寝食不周。薛能很是迁就徐州兵，老熟人总要给些情面的嘛，他安排人增加了伙食供应，这才使徐州兵安定下来。许州人哪里见过这么不讲理且蛮横的军队？被这变故弄得有些惊慌失措。而许昌已经派往溵水会战的部将周岌刚刚出发不久，听到许昌之变，当夜就率军往许昌赶。 许昌兵黎明时分入城，大开杀戒，将徐州三千人全部杀死。也算徐州人活该，这些兵卒经常哗变，人情刁悍，确实需要整治。周岌不仅全部杀死徐州兵，而且抱怨薛能过于迁就偏爱徐州兵。抱怨是借口，其实是周岌对薛能早有不服之心，趁此机会将薛能驱逐赶走。在薛能逃亡襄阳的途中，周岌派人将其及一家老小追杀屠戮。周岌自己大模大样地自称代理节度使，占据了许昌。 当初薛能还派出了另一支参加会战的兵马，是许州牙将秦宗权。秦宗权到达蔡州的时候，听说周岌发动了兵变，于是诈称援救薛能，大肆招募兵勇。其实，秦宗权与周岌素来不和，虽然同在薛能帐下为将，但互相瞧不上眼。秦宗权见周岌自立了山头，自己也野心勃发，赶跑蔡州刺史，占据了蔡州城。汝、郑把截制置使齐克让担心被周岌搂草打兔子，顺手连锅端，惶恐之中急忙带领所部人马退回兖州。其实，未必齐克让就怕了周岌，只不过他实在惧怕黄巢，借此机会拿周岌说事儿，找个借口退兵自保而已。 如此一来，唐王朝组织许郑会战的计划全部泡汤，各路兵马自顾自地做鸟兽散去，给黄巢创造了一个真空的绝好机会。更可悲可气可笑的是这混蛋朝廷，每次对造反的诸镇将官都束手无策，不仅无力讨伐以正法典，反倒屁颠颠地将诰命文书主动送上。薛能一死，朝廷就顺势封周岌为忠武节度使，封秦宗权为蔡州刺史。当然朝廷并不信任周岌，为了牵制监视之，朝廷派来了大宦官杨复光做监军。 周岌虽然诛杀了薛能，但他的确没什么大本事，属于那种有胆子做官，没脑子做事的人，做得了官，担不起责。黄巢打进长安后，已经被朝廷册封为忠武节度使的周岌首先腿一弯降服了黄巢。后来，逃亡四川的僖宗皇帝，传檄天下，要求各路诸侯会集长安，以图光复。杨复光见周岌和秦宗权都是满口忠义，实无救驾尽忠之心，只好独自带领六千人赶赴河中，与王重荣会师。 这位周岌大人就这样在委屈瑟缩中喝着小酒，当着地盘已经缩小大半的小小节度使。秦宗权陷落，周岌见死不救，主要是因为他与秦宗权不睦，不打算救蔡州，恨不得秦宗权早死。陈州被围，周岌迟迟不发兵，是由于他实在太弱小，实在太恐惧黄巢，感到诸侯援军未到，自己势单力孤，不敢冒然出兵。周岌缩着头躲在许州城内，装作什么也没发生，对赵犨发来的求援书信丢在一边置之不理。 驻扎在徐州的宁武节度使时溥接到赵犨的求援书信之前，就已经与黄巢和秦宗权的外围部队接上仗了。时溥此人颇有韬略，虽然人马数量少，但每战都能有所斩获，胜仗打了不少，在东面牢牢地阻挡了黄巢向东发展。九月份，时溥亲自率领五千人马赶赴陈蔡前线，驻扎在溵水与黄巢主力隔岸相望。 那位毛躁躁的河阳节度使诸葛爽，这次却没有毛躁，而是机灵精怪地推脱说道路不通、桥梁断绝，难以赶赴陈蔡会剿黄巢。 各位是否还记得前文书中说到的大将军高骈？此时任淮南节度使。那高骈为什么不来救援？现在的高骈早已不是昔日叱咤风云、雄视诸侯的封疆大吏、朝廷柱石了。高骈位高权重，坐镇东南，却被朝中权臣左右掣肘，难有作为。自从黄巢北渡淮河，下洛阳破潼关之后，高骈像泄了气的皮球，锐气顿消，进取之心荡然无存。特别是长安城不战而为黄巢所据，皇帝狼狈逃窜，更令高骈心灰意冷，对朝廷彻底失去信心。 高骈天天在院子里来回转磨磨儿，一边转一边骂朝廷大员，个个都是废物笨蛋、熊包饭袋。高骈抱怨朝廷，朝廷也怨恨高骈，两厢里如同凄凄艾艾的小女子，不断地互相攻击、数落与谩骂。具有代表性的是，高骈与朝廷展开了一番互相埋怨与责难的文笔大战。 高骈上书说：“是陛下不用微臣，固非微臣有负陛下”，“奸臣未悟，陛下犹迷，不思宗庙之焚烧，不痛园陵之开毁”，“王铎败军之将，崔安潜在蜀贪黩，岂二儒士能率强兵”，“今之所用，上至帅臣，下及裨将，依臣来看，都是坐以待毙的料”，“无使百代有抱恨之臣，千古留刮席之耻。臣但虑寇生东土，刘氏复兴，即轵道之灾，岂独往日”，“今贤才在野，庸人满朝，致陛下为亡国之君，我看这帮小资们还有什么高招妙计”。 高骈的奏章寄到朝廷，从皇上到文武大臣都被惹毛了，人人心里一百八十个不痛快。Ho!这高骈，站着说话不腰疼，不来救援国难，还说一大堆风凉话，真忘了自己也是朝廷命官？ !指桑骂槐的，说谁呢！越是没本事的人，越怕别人说他没本事。唐僖宗李俨决定批评批评高骈，最好能通过帮助教育，促使高骈改邪归正。于是皇帝让左右臣下起草切责诏书。可是这些腿长见识短的大臣们你推我我推你，磨磨蹭蹭谁也不肯写。Why is this?只有两个字——心虚。这些人全是“亡命之徒”，从长安一路逃跑出来，还有什么资格去教训别人？自然心里底气不足。李俨一看这些软蛋臣属，心里像倒了五味瓶，一时不知道说什么好。 这时候，田令孜说话了：“陛下，现在前敌一切事务都由郑畋负责，可以让他给高骈回信，将其训诫一番。”僖宗一听田令孜所言，点点头，表示认可。这帮成事不足败事有余的太监和大臣，把郑畋推上了火线。 耿直的郑畋不知是圈套，挽起袖子起草诏书，答复高骈：“绾利则牢盆在手，主兵则都统当权，直至京北、京西神策诸镇，悉在你指挥之下，具有专征之权。而你又贵作司徒，荣为太尉，却认为朝廷不重用你，那如何才是重用？”“朕缘久付卿兵柄，不能翦荡元凶。自从黄巢漏网渡过淮河之后，你不出一兵袭逐，以至于两京相继陷落，首尾已经三年。你所属的部队，没离开过淮南半步，忠臣良将对你屡屡失望，勇猛兵士无不扼腕叹息。所以朝廷才启用老臣，统兵荡寇”，“一直以来，朝廷对你深为倚仗，现在你却坐镇东南，心生怨望”，“谢玄破苻坚于淝水，裴度平元济于淮西，谁说文臣不如武将？”“宗庙焚烧，园陵开毁，龟玉毁椟，这是谁的过错？！”“你所说的'奸臣未悟'之言，何人肯认！'陛下犹迷'之语，朕不敢当！”“卿尚不能缚黄巢于天长，安能坐擒诸将！”“卿云刘氏复兴，不知谁为魁首？比朕于刘玄、子婴，何太诬罔！”“况天步未倾，皇纲尚整，三灵不昧，百度俱存，君臣之礼仪，上下之名分，所宜遵守，不可坠毁。朕虽然年轻，怎么能受你如此侮辱！” 应该说高骈的话还是有十之八九符合事实的，虽然没有提出安邦定国的长远谋略，倒也切中时弊，只不过有失封疆大吏的风范。相比之下，郑畋代朝廷起草诏书虽然文辞犀利、气势凌人，但细读起来会觉得更加失水准，不仅没有达到庙堂朝廷的应有的水平，甚至不如臣子。所谓“大人不和小孩子一般见识”，皇帝及大臣将国家祸乱、帝都失守、用人失当等等责任，尽皆开拓推诿，甚至耍赖不认，这样的朝廷显然必然当然没有什么指望和希望了，只有令人失望与绝望。高骈见朝廷既不醒悟，也不再相信与重用自己，干脆撂挑子不干了，谁愿意干谁干，你们认为谁能干就让谁干去吧。“自是贡赋遂绝”，抗税抗捐抗粮，不伺候皇帝那小子了。 高骈作为天下最强的藩镇诸侯，竟然与朝廷打起了嘴仗，如同小孩子一般。可以想象，在扬州与成都之间，君臣书信往来如同鹅毛雪片，络绎不绝，每封书信中都充满了抱怨与责难，也算是五代时期独特的一景了。那个有兵就是草头王的时代，连徐州、许州等等这些小藩镇都敢惹是生非，对抗朝廷，高骈实力雄厚的淮南就不敢吗？高骈为何没有心生异志？应该说当时争霸天下最有条件的就属高骈。可是高骈没有这么做，连这么想都没有。这是因为高骈有自己克服不了的心结。 高骈在大失所望之余，不知道应该为谁奋斗为谁效力，人生目标和终极意义发生了崩塌。儒将也有儒将自己克服不了的缺陷，高骈自幼喜好圣贤之书，辨识事物道理，爱思考，有理想，曾经是个有抱负、有追求的青年。就是这个爱思考的习惯，现在成了高骈的致命伤，而且是自我伤害。有理想的人一般比较痛苦。那些打打杀杀的军头大老粗，只知道刀头滚命，发财享乐，从来不思考天下兴亡这些大命题。他们那些榆木脑袋里没地方装这些“稀奇古怪”的想法。高骈不行，他克服不了思想上的矛盾，破解不了这些道理的死结。在高骈看来，天下兴亡应由皇帝与朝廷负责，天下是李唐的天下，天下衰败是治理问题。高骈从来没有想过换个人做天下之主会是什么样？高骈更没有想过，换上他做天下之主会是什么样？高骈在李唐家天下的死棋局中自我博弈，无论多么痛苦地思考，最终仍然找不到出路。高骈有实力争霸，但高骈没有那么做，为何？因为他被自己的思想困死了。 在发了一阵牢骚之后，高骈开始向修仙觅道寻求精神寄托，深陷其中不能自拔。此时，江湖术士吕用之趁虚而入，利用高骈的心理弱点，假借炼丹修道之名，将高骈玩弄于股掌之上。人人都有弱点，有人能够规避自己的弱点，有人无法规避，因此而吃亏受损，甚至因此丧命。但能量巨大的人，一旦其弱点被人操控，这个弱点将成为操控者的杠杆支点，将操控效应放大数倍，造成数倍的杀伤力和破坏力。 高骈将一切军府事务全部交给了吕用之，甚至为了保护吕用之不惜刑杀部下疏远骨肉。高骈的小儿子高澞上书进谏，请求高骈擦亮眼睛，远离吕用之，后来竟然被高骈杀死。高骈因沉迷修仙而废弃政事，从此人心离散，军府解体。外有秦宗权的进攻，内有将佐作乱。终于有一天变起肘腋，高骈在道院中被叛将杀死，一家老小被埋在一个土坑中。世事沧桑，英雄沦落，身死名裂，如此下场，可悲可叹！高骈的地盘被小军校杨行密逐步占据，后来杨行密成长为一镇诸侯，雄踞江淮间几十年，成为朱全忠南向发展的劲敌，成为末唐割据东部的重量级人物。 赵刺史发出的邀请，仍然杳无信息。 被围在陈州城里的赵犨不知道外界发生了什么，他只知道援军仍然不见踪影。 赵犨失望了，绝望了，感到了孤助无援的痛苦，感到了以死殉城的迫近。 就在赵犨绝望之际，有一个人赶来了。 朱全忠赴约。