Chapter 13 Chapter Eleven Lu Zhi Is Prisoned
There is righteousness, but no rank; there is courage, but no official banner.Wherever Xuande's army went, they were treated as private soldiers.
I thought I could hear praise or rewards such as "good fight", but Zhu Jun didn't even give him a break and ordered "you are not needed here, go to Guangzong and support General Lu".Liu Bei was honest by nature and returned after receiving orders.But Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were annoyed when they heard this, and said, "What? Order us to leave immediately?"
Especially Zhang Fei, holding the handle of his sword in his hand, said: "This is unreasonable! Even if it is a general, we cannot accept such an order! The subordinates who fought hard for us last night are too pitiful! How can such an order be given! ?" Zhang Fei became excited, "Brother is too honest, he is easy to bully in the eyes of the people in Luoyang. I'll go find him!"
After speaking, he was about to go to Zhu Jun's camp, but Guan Yu, who was enduring the same unhappiness, tried his best to stop him.
"Wait!" Guan Yu said, "If you use your temper here, the meaning of coordinating with the officers and soldiers, and military achievements will be in vain. These guys in the city are self-willed and conceited. We silently do our best in state affairs, and our sincerity will reach the sky one day Listen. Getting angry for immediate gain is a villain's way. We should strive for a higher ideal."
"But I'm angry!"
"Don't be emotional."
"Irreverent fellow!"
"Got it, got it. Let it go, let it go."
After finally comforting Zhang Fei to calm his anger, Guan Yu comforted the worried Xuande by the way, saying: "Brother, you are angry too. The battlefield is also a part of the world. This is a common thing in the world. We will withdraw from this place immediately. Bar."
Xuande was not that angry.Perhaps because of his gentle nature, even though the two righteous brothers were there to endure each word, he actually didn't think Zhu Jun's order was rude or unreasonable, so he didn't get angry or lose his face.
Liu Bei let the soldiers sleep, and tried to give them a good meal, and then left the village in the middle of the night.
Still fighting on the Western Front yesterday.Came to the Eastern Front today.
Marching with five hundred men every day, Xuande felt the humbleness of the private soldiers.
The purpose of this army is to rescue the peasants from the oppression and tyranny of the Yellow Turban bandits.But when they passed by the village, even the peasants looked down on them.Seeing the shabby equipment of the miscellaneous army, the peasants said: "What kind of army! The ones passing by the village are neither official soldiers nor yellow scarf bandits."
The farmers set up awnings in the sun and watched the procession with mocking eyes.
However, Xuande, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu in front of them are eye-catching and majestic all the way.Some of the farmers even kowtowed in worship.
Whether he is worshiped by others or ridiculed by others, Xuande doesn't take it to heart.Because he is using his mood when working on the fields to understand the heart of the peasants.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei came driving side by side, and they still seemed to be brooding over Zhu Jun's rudeness. They were so angry that they yelled at the officers and soldiers for their conduct and the people in Luoyang for their frivolity.
"All lowly people are those who boast about their official titles and regard the majesty and glory of the court as their own glory. It is said that the chaos in the world is not the chaos of the world, but the result of bureaucratic decadence. Among the bureaucrats and generals born in Luoyang, this kind of people There are many." Guan Yu said.
Zhang Fei answered, "Yes. I really wanted to spit in Zhu Jun's face."
"Hahahaha. If you spit on me, Zhu Jun will definitely be shocked. But he is not the only one with a bureaucratic air. The temple of the Han Dynasty itself has been corrupted. He is just one of them living in that kind of evil. That's all."
"I know that. I just hate the fact."
"No matter how much you fight against the Yellow Turban Thieves, as long as you don't clear up the bad atmosphere in the court, there will be no real good times."
"It's easy to crusade against the Yellow Turbans, but it's hard to drive away the temple rats."
"you are right."
"The more we think about it, the more we feel that our ideal is far away..."
Looking at the road and looking up at the stars, the two heroes sighed at each other.
Xuande, who was driving the horse in front, had just heard the loud discussion of the two people behind him, and now he turned his head and said, "No, no, you two can't be the same. There are many outstanding generals in Luoyang." He went on Appreciated: "For example, just now, on the battlefield raging with wildfires, I happened to meet Cao Mengde, the general of the red army, and said hello. He is a character, although he is young, but in terms of character, speech and behavior, he is really worthy of admiration. He puts his wisdom This kind of talent is really worthy of the title of general in the army. I don’t think such a general can be found in the rural army or the local grass.”
Zhang Fei and Guan Yu also felt the same way.It's just that they have the commonality of wandering around the world. When it comes to officers, soldiers, bureaucrats, etc., the first thing is to hate their faces and smells, instead of seeing their true value.So until Xuande said these words, they had no sense of admiration for Cao Cao.
"Hey, there's a flag!"
At this time, a subordinate said and pointed with his hand.Xuande reined in his horse, turned to Guan Yu and said, "Who is here?"
Guan Yu set up an awning and looked several miles ahead of the road.That's behind the mountain.Between the mountain and the mountain, the road is winding and winding, and the sun has also dimmed. Although a group of figures and flags can be seen coming this way, it is not clear whether it is an official army, a yellow scarf thief, or a miscellaneous name wandering around. military.
The team gradually approached, and gradually the flag could be seen clearly.When Guan Yu replied that it was the official army, the soldiers who followed him were also whispering.
"With the banner of the imperial court."
"Ah, it's the official army."
"It's an army of about three hundred people."
"But it's weird! They came here with a cart. Didn't they catch Xiong Blind?"
A huge iron cage was mounted on the carriage.There were officers and soldiers escorting with guns and sticks all around, and their eyes were horrifying.
There are about a hundred people in front of the sill car.
The sill car is in the middle, and the Qichao flag is rolling in the mountain wind.It was not a bear or a leopard that swayed in the car, but a poor man, with his hands folded on his knees, his head bowed, his back to the sun.
A general from the opponent's front team ran over with a group of soldiers, and yelled at Xuande and his party, "Hey, stop!"
Zhang Fei clapped his horse and stood in front of Xuande just in case, and replied, "What are you doing? Ants!"
I didn't need to say this, but since Yingchuan, Zhang Fei was always furious at the bravado of officers and soldiers, so he blurted it out.
Stone hit stone, sparks.
"What!? How dare you say 'ants' to the official banner!"
"As the saying goes, knowing etiquette is the beginning of human relations. Guys who don't know etiquette are like ants."
"Shut up! We are the subordinate army of Zuo Feng, the imperial envoy of Luoyang. Look at the flag! Didn't you see the court flag?!"
"Since the army is directly under the king's city, we must be polite. We are also brave and dedicated soldiers. Although it is a private army, why do you say 'hey, stop' to our flag? If you ask politely, we should also Respond with courtesy. Do it all over again!"
As he said that, Zhang Fei tilted his Ba Snake Spear and glared at it.
The officers and soldiers were afraid, but they had already bluffed and could not back down, so they swallowed.Xuande winked and urged Guan Yu to make things right.
"Ah, we are Liu Xuande's subordinates in Zhuo County. We have just fought with the Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song armies in Yingchuan, and we are about to withdraw back to Guangzong. Misunderstanding, please forgive his impatience. By the way, what is your army? Where are you going? The person locked up in the car is Zhang Jiao, the thief who was captured alive?"
Apologize where you should apologize, correct where you should correct, and ask in an orderly manner.
The expression of the general of the officers and soldiers seemed to be relieved, so he showed respect, and said: "No, no, the criminal who was escorted by the car was the general of the army who was in Guangzong, and the general of the Zhonglang sent by Luoyang. plant."
"What!? It's General Lu Zhi?" Xuande couldn't help being surprised.
"That's right, we don't know the details. Zuo Feng was ordered to go to various places to inspect the military situation, and reported to the court that Lu Zhi was not effective in managing military affairs. So Lu Zhi was suddenly deprived of his official position and became a prisoner. No, he is on his way to the capital." The general said.
"It's unbelievable..." Xuande, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei looked at each other in blank dismay, forgetting to speak.
After a while, Xuande pleaded: "General Lu Zhi is my mentor, and I want to say goodbye to him no matter what. Can you please allow me?"
"Haha, so the sinner Lu Zhi is your teacher. You must want to see him."
Hearing Xuande's earnest request, the escort general said in an ambiguous tone, "You can do it too, but I'm on official business."
Guan Yu tugged at Xuande's sleeve and said, "He must be asking for bribes. Although the military budget is scarce, I can only give him a little."
Zhang Fei was furious when he heard the words: "It's unreasonable! This will only encourage them. If they don't obey, they will resort to force and kill them in front of General Lu's car. Leave it to me and never let the boys under escort come near."
"No, no, you must never use force against soldiers and officials who are carrying the imperial banner. But, the relationship between master and apprentice, I can't bear to meet and say goodbye to General Lu."
As Xuande said, he asked Guan Yu to take out some money from the military expenses, and pass it quietly to the escorting generals through him, and said earnestly: "Extend your hand..."
The bribe worked.The general turned his attitude 180 degrees, went back to stop the car, and ordered the officers and soldiers he brought: "Take a break!"
So they pretended not to see them, put their guns on the side of the road, and began to rest.
Xuande rolled off the saddle and got off the horse. While the officers and soldiers were taking a nap, he quickly ran to the side of the sill cart, grabbed the solid iron fence, and said, "Sir! Sir! I am Xuande. What's going on here?!"
He was full of emotions.
Lu Zhi bowed his waist in the sill car, bent his knees and buried his head, with a gloomy expression, raised his surprised eyes, and followed the prestige.
"Oh!"
Lu Zhi threw himself on the edge of the iron fence like a beast, and when he said "Xuande...", his tongue became stiff and his whole body trembled.
"It's an honor to see you again! Xuande, listen to me."
Lu Zhi lost all thoughts, tears streaming down his face, his eyes and cheeks were cloudy.
"The thing is like this. Not long after you left our military camp for Yingchuan, the imperial envoy Zuo Feng came to inspect the battle situation as an overseer. I was ignorant of the world, and I was in the camp, so I received the envoy of the emperor in a formal manner. , did not give him anything like other generals... So, Zuo Feng was shameless and asked me for bribes. The gold and silver in the army are official silver, which is the capital of weapons and war preparations, and there is no private property other than that. I refused told him that in the army, there is nothing to give to officials."
"It turned out to be like this..."
"I heard that Zuo Feng felt that I had made him ashamed, so he returned with hatred. Soon, I was deprived of my military post on trumped-up charges, and I turned into this miserable appearance. I was going to be escorted to the capital... Now that I think about it, I also It’s too rigid, but the dignitaries in Luoyang are just fighting for self-interest, enriching their own pockets, not thinking about the emperor, disregarding the people, and focusing on their own gains and losses. Their ugliness is beyond imagination, and it is really lamentable. If things go on like this, the world of today’s emperors may not be It's been a long time... Ah, where will the world go!?"
Lu Zhi is not so much lamenting for his own misfortune as he is crying for the final outcome of the chaos in the world.
Xuande really wanted to comfort Lu Zhi, but he couldn't find the words to comfort him.He could only hold Lu Zhi's hand through the iron gate, and wept together.After a long time, he encouraged Lu Zhi: "No, sir. I know your heart. Even at the end of the world, the innocent will not be punished, and the wicked and treacherous officials will enjoy their glory. Sometimes the sun and the moon are covered by clouds, and there are times when mountains When you are shrouded in smog and don't reveal your true face. There will always be a day when you will be cleared of your innocence and wish a prosperous life together. Please wait for your luck. You have to take care of your health and endure the humiliation."
"Thank you!" Lu Zhi also woke up and said, "I saw unexpected people in unexpected places, and my mood relaxed, and I shed tears unconsciously... I am already an old man, and I hope to leave it to you who have a bright future." Young people...for the sake of hundreds of millions of people, please, Liu Bei!"
"I'll do it, sir!"
"Ah. But..."
"what?"
"Old people like me will make mistakes and fall into the schemes of sycophants, and be locked in the car and be humiliated. You are still young and have little experience in the world. You must be careful and be careful in your daily life, otherwise you will be in danger Ah. I don’t know how much more dangerous a day when you’re relaxed than a battlefield where you’re ready for battle.”
"Your admonition is engraved in my heart."
"Stay too long and you'll get into trouble..."
As Lu Zhi said, he urged Xuande to leave quickly with his eyes.At this time, Zhang Fei, who had been standing beside the car, suddenly said loudly: "Hey, big brother! How can you see your teacher innocent but sent to prison? Hearing what he said just now, he was already very depressed. It’s adding fuel to the fire. Zhang Fei can’t take it anymore! Kill all the officers and soldiers under escort, grab the carriage, and save Teacher Lu Zhien!”
As he said that, he turned his head to look at Guan Yu who was at the side, and discussed, "Second brother, how are you doing?"
This is not biting one's ears and winking, but roaring at heaven and earth.
Even if the officers and soldiers turned their backs to them and pretended not to see them, they had to stand up and become nervous when they heard this.But in Zhang Fei's eyes, they are not as good as flies.
"Why don't you say anything!? Brother, are you afraid of officers and soldiers?! Seeing righteousness is not a shame. Well, I will do it alone! What is this car that looks like a bug cage!"
Zhang Fei suddenly reached out and grabbed the iron grille of the sill car, shaking like a tiger.
"Zhang Fei! What are you going to do!?" Xuande, who never spoke loudly and rarely changed his face, shouted, "You are a wild man, what do you want to do to the court prisoners!? The relationship between master and apprentice cannot be tolerated, but That is just a private affair. When you meet the order of the emperor, you should bow your head to the ground. The so-called principles of generations cannot be violated, which is the first rule of our military discipline. If you dare to use violence indiscriminately, I, Liu Xuande, will kill you on behalf of the minister of the emperor, according to military discipline. Your head! Zhang Fei, how dare you make trouble again!"
Xuande held the handle of the sword in his hand, his red eyes cracked, and he yelled sharply, making people wonder how he could be so bloody.
The threshold car goes away.
After being scolded, Zhang Fei gave up his mind, turned his face to the mountains behind him, and stopped looking.
Xuande stood dumbfounded.
"..."
He stared silently, weeping, and watched his teacher's chariot go away.
"Then... let's go." Guan Yu urged the horse closer.
Xuande got on his horse silently, and the sudden change in Lu Zhi's fate seemed to shake his spirit.
"Alas..." Xuande sighed and turned his head.
Zhang Fei looked bored.His righteous actions out of righteous indignation unexpectedly drew Xuande's anger, and it was the first time he was reprimanded like this since he became righteous by drinking blood.
Seeing this, the officers and soldiers gloated and laughed, which made Zhang Fei even more disheartened.
"No, our general seems to have been influenced by Confucius."
Zhang Fei smacked his tongue, then remained silent, dejected, and let his horse rein.
Walk through the mountain trail and come to the fork in the two states.
"Brother." Guan Yu reined in his horse and greeted, "From here, go south to Guangzong, and go north to Zhuo County, your hometown. Which side do you choose?"
"Since Mr. Lu Zhi was imprisoned and taken to Luoyang, it would be meaningless for us to use justice as reinforcements. Let's go back to Zhuo County first."
"So be it."
"Ok."
"I thought a lot about it just now. Unfortunately, I think I can only go back to my hometown temporarily."
"Fight, fight, fight again. I didn't bring back any fame, and I felt ashamed to face my mother in my hometown, but... go back, go back to Zhuo County."
"Okay! I'll just..."
Guan Yu turned his horse's head, pointed to the road, and gave orders to the more than five hundred riders who followed: "Go north! Go north!" Then, he walked forward in silence.
"Ha ha--"
Zhang Fei yawned and said, "Why did we fight? I don't understand at all. Now that things are up, I really want to go back to Zhuo County, go to the market hotel that I haven't seen for a long time, eat wild boar knuckles and drink fine wine go."
Guan Yu said with a bitter face: "Hey, don't talk like a soldier. You are a general!"
"But I'm telling the truth, not nonsense."
"If you say that, military discipline will be relaxed."
"Don't blame me for the lax military discipline. Just blame the officers and soldiers. Whenever something happens, you will be afraid of the officers and soldiers. This man is really worthless." Zhang Fei was full of complaints.
Xuande understands this grievance, because he himself is also aggrieved.There is no way to relax the once high ambition.No one knows that he is missing his old mother affectionately, and he can't help but paint Hong Furong's beautiful eyebrows and eyes deep in his heart.Morale is depressed, the journey is empty, and the heart is not balanced, so I can get some comfort from this.
At this moment, a shout suddenly came from one side of the mountain, like a landslide.
"What happened?"
Xuande listened attentively.The sounds of gongs and military drums echoed from the surrounding mountains.Xuande ordered: "Zhang Fei, go and inquire!"
"Decree!"
Zhang Fei rode his horse and galloped towards the mountain.After a while, he came back to report and said: "Guangzong's officers and troops are fleeing, and the Yellow Turban Commander Zhang Jiao's army is holding up the banner that says "great virtuous teacher."
Xuande was shocked, and sighed: "So, Guangzong's army has been defeated?... It must be that General Lu Zhi was innocent but was sent to Luoyang in a chariot. gone."
Zhang Fei gloated and said to Guan Yu, "No, it's more than that. The officers and soldiers have become accustomed to long-term peace, and they are cowardly and arrogant."
Guan Yu didn't answer, and discussed with Xuande: "Brother, what should we do?"
Xuande said without hesitation: "Respect the royal family, fight against thieves, and keep the people in peace. This is the iron law we set from the beginning. Even though some people who inspect the morals and military discipline of the officers and soldiers are not honest, we can't respect the officers and soldiers. Ruin stood by and watched."
He acted decisively, rushed to reinforce the army, and cut off the pursuit of the bandits on the mountain road.Then they harassed the enemy in a big way, devised clever schemes to disrupt the headquarters of Zhang Jiao's Dafang Division, joined forces with the officers and soldiers who had recovered from the decline, and chased the bandit army for fifty miles before withdrawing.
The official and army general who was defeated by Guangzong was a general named Dong Zhuo.
It was very easy to recover from the defeat. As soon as he breathed a sigh of relief, Dong Zhuo asked his staff: "The mountain is so steep, but there is an army that suddenly reinforces our army and disturbs the bandits. It must be one of our own. But, which army's soldiers are they?"
"Uh, which unit is it?"
"You don't know either?"
"No one seems to know."
"Well, I'll meet the general and ask myself. Call him here."
The staff immediately conveyed Dong Zhuo's meaning to Xuande and the others.
Xuande came to Dong Zhuo with Guan Yu on the left and Zhang Fei on the right.
"I am ignorant and ignorant. I have never heard of such brave generals as Qing in the army of Luoyang. What are your official positions?" Dong Zhuo confirmed his identity.
Xuande replied: "We are not a regular official army, but a local volunteer army. We set up great ambitions for the people of the world and rose up." Needless to say, he was proud of having no titles and no officials in his words.
"Oh... So, you are private soldiers from Lousang Village in Zhuo County? That is, a miscellaneous army."
Dong Zhuo's response was different in terms of wording, even the tip of his nose showed blatant contempt.
He said again: "Oh, that's right. Then you can follow our army and do a great job. I will arrange for the military salary and subsidies."
After Dong Zhuo finished speaking, he immediately disappeared behind the curtain, as if even sitting at the same table with Xuande and the others would be detrimental to his dignity.
For the officers and soldiers, it was a great achievement, and for Dong Zhuo, it could be said to be a lifesaver.
However, what kind of treatment is this?rude!
There should be a limit to those who don't know how to meet scholars.
"..."
Xuande, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu looked at Dong Zhuo's back and stood there in a daze.
"Humph!"
Zhang Fei was furious, and jumped to break into Dong Zhuo's invisibility curtain.
Stand upright in anger.Holding a sword.
"Ah! Where are you going?!" Xuande was startled, hugged Zhang Fei from behind, and stopped him.
"Look at you, you're being tempered again!" Xuande reprimanded.
"But... but..." Zhang Fei was furious.
"Animal... an animal! An official position is a bird! He thinks that he is not a person without an official position! Bastard! Only with the power of the people can he have an official position! Even the bandits can beat him to pieces and run away everywhere!"
"Hey, calm down!"
"let me go!"
"Don't let go! Guan Yu, Guan Yu! Why are you still watching! Stop Zhang Fei together!"
"Don't, Guan Yu! Don't stop me! I can't bear it anymore! I'll bear it if I don't reward you for my meritorious service, but what's that contemptuous interview!? Say he's a mobster and just leave it aside, saying he's a private Bing just put on airs... let me go! Watch me chop off Dong Zhuo's head with this snake spear!"
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute! You are not the only one who is angry. However, being angry for villains every day is not a big deal. At this time, the world is full of villains!" Xuande whispered while hugging Zhang Fei.
"But no matter what, Dong Zhuo is a military official of the royal family. Not only is it unreasonable to kill a courtier, but he will also be called a traitor. Moreover, Dong Zhuo has such a large army, we must all be beheaded here. Listen to me, Zhang Fei! We didn't rise up to die like dogs!"
"Beast...beast...beast!"
Zhang Fei stomped the ground loudly with his shoes, and the big man burst into tears.
"I don't agree!"
He fell to the ground, weeping.If you can't bear this humiliation, can you not fight for the world?Can fighting for righteousness fail in the end?Thinking of this, I feel even more sad and indignant.
"Okay, let's go out."
Xuande and Guan Yu picked him up from left to right like a baby.
"I've been here for a long time. I don't know when Zhang Fei will play childish temper again."
That night, they led the army to leave Dong Zhuo's village, and together with five hundred subordinates, braved the howling autumn wind and marched in the wilderness under the moon.
Lonely motley crew.Generals without official positions.
Thus began the wandering of the whole army again.Every night, the moon is small and bright, the wilderness is boundless, and the dew is heavy.
Migratory birds fly across the continent.It is autumn.
The three once planned to return to their hometown in Zhuo County, but felt regretful and meaningless.Zhang Fei agreed with Guan Yu's opinion, saying that he must be patient in the future.So the migratory bird-like army led by Xuande volunteered to head towards the headquarters of the crusade against the Yellow Bandit Army, which was originally located in Yingchuan.