Chapter 618: The world's fate depends on the people's support
The general trend of the world is vast and unstoppable.
Momentum has never been an illusory thing, but a real existence.
There are so many strong cities in the world that are strong enough to defend, and so much land that should not be lost no matter how you look at it, but in the end they opened the cities and surrendered, and even directly changed their owners.
After the emperor, who was favored by God, unified the north, he always conquered the south with just a letter. In fact, the south was densely covered with water networks, numerous mountains and rivers, and there were many cities that were easy to defend but difficult to attack, making it difficult to conquer.
This is called the general trend. The people’s support is the general trend.
Every victory Zhang Jue won was accumulating momentum, but there was only so much momentum in the world, and as the saying goes, one thing grows while another declines, so naturally the momentum of the Han court as the overlord of the world would slowly weaken.
Three hundred years of orthodoxy naturally brought countless forces to the Han court, but the rising Taiping Army was no longer the rebel army that could be ignored at any time. It was now an emerging force that could overthrow the Han court.
They fought each other on the battlefield, and the Han court was not at a disadvantage, but some of the loyal princes had a very bad feeling in their hearts.
Because the morale of the Han army was getting lower and lower, just like the setting sun, while the Taiping army was like the rising sun.
The most terrifying thing was that Zhang Jue was still standing in the formation. He had not yet taken action to break the formation. The Taiping Army's most elite cavalry were still cruising, looking for the best angle and time to enter.
It's like having a sword hanging over your head and worrying about it falling down all the time. Who can endure this torture?
Huangfu Song no longer stayed with these loyal princes, and concentrated on managing the battlefield. Luo Kong led the Western Region cavalry in a desperate battle.
Liu Bei's sense of failure was too sharp. He was almost the first one among the people present to sense something was wrong. He frowned slightly and then moved closer to Gongsun Zan and whispered, "Brother, if the imperial army is really defeated, what do you think?"
The imperial court was defeated?
Gongsun Zan was shocked when he heard this. He did not expect Liu Bei to ask such a question. After a little thought, he whispered, "Xuan De, I really don't know what to do. What do you think?"
Through these days' experiences, Gongsun Zan felt more and more that his younger brother was extraordinary. He gradually began to rely on him and also started to take Liu Bei's words seriously.
In this battle to siege Luoxiao and support the king, Liu Bei was one of the people who gained the most.
His reputation among the princes of the world rose rapidly, and many people knew that he had several powerful generals under his command who were capable of defeating ten thousand enemies.
This is a necessary condition to become a powerful warlord, and it is simply the perfect partner for the nobles.
The lord commands the army, and the scholars who have surrendered to him govern the country, and together they establish a political power.
When Liu Bei heard Gongsun Zan say he didn't know, he knew that his brother had no intention of fighting to the death. Coincidentally, he didn't have that intention either.
So he said directly: "If the imperial army is defeated, the chaos will be too dangerous, especially in the chaos, safety cannot be guaranteed.
The elder brother can go with his younger brother when the time comes.
I have Yunchang, Yide and Zilong to protect me, so I will not be afraid even if I encounter thousands or tens of thousands of pursuers. We will return to Youzhou and gather other righteous men.
To restore the Han Dynasty, we must remain useful. We may have failed this time, but as long as we persevere, we will always succeed. "
Liu Bei's tone was very serious. He had always been like this. No matter what he did over the years, he had never given up.
He was born in a humble family and had no capital to give up. Only by trying his best could he achieve a little success.
Because of his uncle he was able to go to school, and because of his childhood friend Gongsun Zan he was able to get a position in the county, but there were so many members of the Liu family, and Gongsun Zan had so many classmates as well. The fact that these things happened to him was the result of his hard work.
Gongsun Zan looked at his little brother in a daze. At the moment, the thoughts of the coalition of princes were in turmoil. It was estimated that everyone was struggling with what to do next. However, the prestige of the court was not lost. Even if they were defeated, they would not return to Luoyang but to the prefectures and counties. Not everyone dared to do this. However, Liu Bei now said in a loud and clear voice that he dared!
Gongsun Zan suddenly remembered that Liu Bei’s surname was Liu, and he was a real relative of the Liu clan.
In today's world, he is considered a relatively promising relative of the Liu clan. At least there is no problem with him being ranked in the top one thousand. The only problem is that his blood relationship is too distant, as he is a relative of the Han Dynasty before him. But so what?
In the two dynasties before and after the Han Dynasty, were there many emperors who were very distantly related by blood?
The posthumous title of Emperor Xiaoshao directly means "distant successor". Wasn't Emperor Guangwu also a descendant of an extremely remote clan who finally succeeded Emperor Xiaoxi and inherited the throne of the Han Dynasty?
Thinking of this, Gongsun Zan couldn't help but look at Liu Bei with a somewhat strange look. Could it be that Liu Bei was dreaming of rebuilding the Han empire?
On second thought, which member of the Liu clan does not have the dream of rebuilding the empire? The throne has been passed down in turns, and this year it is my family's turn. This is probably the general mentality of the Liu clan. If you are not capable of it, give up the throne quickly and let me do it.
"Xuan De, aren't you worried about being blamed by the court?"
Liu Bei snorted coldly upon hearing this and said, "Whose fault is it that has brought the Han Dynasty to this state?
Of course, it was the fault of the emperor and the officials who were just sitting there doing nothing.
If they had not been incompetent, the world would not have become so corrupt, Zhang Jue would not have raised the banner of rebellion, and the Han Dynasty would not have ended up in such a state that it might even collapse and even be destroyed.
Now they want me to go to Luoyang City and flatter those ministers. That is absolutely impossible. They should commit suicide in Luoyang City to apologize for their sins.
Still blaming me?
If I have the chance, I would go to Luoyang City and ask them if they know their mistakes?
I don't believe that the Han Dynasty has really fallen like this. I want to contact people in the world who are willing to work with me to revive the Han Dynasty and restore the prosperity of the Han Dynasty. As a son of the Liu family, it is my duty!"
Liu Bei's words made even a madman like Gongsun Zan secretly frightened. He felt that Liu Bei was influenced by Zhang Jue's words and believed that the Han court had lost its mandate of heaven, so he had no scruples.
How many people think so?
Gongsun Zan didn't know, but after Liu Bei's words, his mentality also changed slightly, so he said directly: "Then we will go together when the time comes. I have the White Horse Volunteers, and I can do a lot when I return to Youzhou."
Liu Bei himself might not even be aware of how quickly his mentality changed, as other people could never catch up with him. This kind of person is born unwilling to be inferior to others. Even if he is a younger brother, it is only temporary, and in the end he will have to do it himself.
Seeing that Gongsun Zan agreed to take the White Horse Volunteers with him, Liu Bei's eyes flashed with excitement. He then turned his gaze to the unrivaled Marquis Luo Kong who was galloping on the battlefield, and Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun who were guarding Luo Kong's side, while Guan Yu stayed by his side.
Liu Bei thought to himself, "If we can persuade Lord Ziming to leave, as well as Lord Benchu, Mengde and others, Sun Wentai is also a brave general. We can persuade all these people who have the Han Dynasty in their hearts to leave, so that they don't die in vain in the chaos. There is still hope for the restoration of the Han Dynasty."
Liu Bei was thinking back to the princes he met in the coalition army. If it were before, he certainly would not be qualified to be on an equal footing with these people, but now he has gained some reputation, and the princes will give him face.
Before, Marquis Wushuang said that he would give him the position of prefect. But if the imperial court is defeated, it may not be of any use. At that time, each of them may occupy a county as the magistrate, a prefecture as the governor, or a state as the governor, and each of them will be independent.
Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others probably never imagined that Liu Bei was ready to take them away. According to Liu Bei, they should keep them in case they are of use.
Liu Bei didn't want to say anything too harsh. He wanted the emperor to die quickly. The Han Dynasty would be over sooner or later in his hands.
"Master!"
"Ten thousand years!"
"Ten thousand years!"
Suddenly, a deafening sound rang out above the battlefield. It was the shouts of at least tens of thousands of people, otherwise it would not be so majestic. Even from such a distance, it was still deafening.
Looking closely, it was indeed the warhorse under Zhang Jiao that began to accelerate slowly, and almost instantly detonated the entire Taiping Army.
Behind Zhang Jue, the Taiping cavalry, which were in no way inferior to the elite cavalry of the imperial court, also began to accelerate, and then almost in a few moments, they accelerated to their peak speed.
Luo Xiao's speed was not the fastest, but the Taiping Army was like a torrent. The knights shouted loudly, laughed wildly, and placed the lances in their hands at their sides, and then rushed out from Luo Xiao's side.
Guan Hai, Zhang Yan and others rushed to the front. Luo Xiao taught them step by step how to become an excellent cavalry general. After his death, they could join the army of any prince and gain wealth and honor.
The Taiping Army's will will not die, and everything they have seen will subtly change the future.
When Luo Xiao entered the battlefield, the most nervous ones were Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun who were guarding Luo Kong.
When the two men went out into the battle, Liu Bei had instructed them that no matter what the circumstances, they must ensure Wushuang Hou's safety, but Wushuang Hou fought as if he didn't care about his life.
Just now, Marquis Wushuang told the loyal princes that he would live and die with the Han Dynasty. This was not just a simple statement. Everyone believed that Marquis Wushuang would definitely do so.
Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei deflected several arrows that were shot at Luo Kong. Zhao Yun shouted, "Sir, keep yourself useful. As long as there are people who still have faith in the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty will not perish!"
Of course, Luo Kong was not so fragile that he would not seek death on purpose. The reason why he was so desperate was because his brother stood opposite him and told him in person that the destiny of the Han court was lost.
This made him feel like everything had come to an end.
The most talented offspring of the Luo family wanted to destroy the destiny of the Han Dynasty. I was just an ordinary, mediocre son of the Luo family. How could I be his opponent?
But my brother said he would not kill me.
Countless thoughts flashed through Luo Kong's mind, and the weapon he was waving gradually slowed down, because there were no enemies around, they were all soldiers under his command.
Those faces followed him from the Western Regions. Many of them were unwilling to come, especially the nobles recruited from the Western Regions. They did not care much about the life and death of the Han emperor. But Luo Kong believed that since they had accepted the canonization of the Son of Heaven and the emperor, the relationship between the monarch and the subject was determined, and they should be loyal.
"Long live the Taoist master!"
Luo Xiao's figure is always so conspicuous on the battlefield. There are several people guarding him all the time. Any hidden arrows will be blocked by these people. In other words, there are hundreds of people guarding him to ensure that Luo Xiao will never rush into the enemy's formation alone. For a fierce general who is charging into the formation, an elite group of personal soldiers is the guarantee that he can stay alive.
Luo Xiao only needs to be responsible for the enemies in the front. Such a reinforced arrow formation is extremely terrifying under Luo Xiao's abnormal and invincible military force. Even Lu Bu, who is leading the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, does not want to come up to meet its attack.
During the siege just now, six people attacked from all directions, but were blocked by Luo Xiao one by one. Their speed and strength were incredible. Now Luo Xiao only had to deal with one frontal attack. If he went up, he would definitely not be his opponent. While Luo Xiao was fighting with him, he might be able to charge into the battle formation at the same time. By then, once the soldiers around him died, he would become meat on the chopping board to be slaughtered.
Lu Bu came to the emperor to make a name for himself and reach the pinnacle of his life, not to die. Who do you think you are, the emperor?
It's not that Lu Bu alone lacks loyalty, but it is a common thought among the warriors in the border counties of that era.
This was the case with Dong Zhuo, Gongsun Zan, and even people like Liu Bei who were dissatisfied with the emperor were almost the same as long as they were military men who rose from the border counties.
There was disunity between the imperial court and the border counties. The military men in the border counties had no loyalty to the imperial court and did not even regard the emperor as their sovereign. The law of the jungle had reached its extreme. The emperor and ministers in the court naturally knew this, so they did not trust the military men in the border counties, which only exacerbated the process. It can be said that the Han Dynasty was moving further and further away under various vicious cycles.
Lu Bu, who was leading the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry with unstoppable force and had no rivals, was ready to run away when he saw Luo Xiao appear on the battlefield. He believed that his adoptive father would never blame him. What is a prince?
You must have soldiers under your command!
Look at Yuan Shao, who was born into a family of three generations of dukes. After his army was lost and he entered the meeting place, he basically spoke very little. Look at Yuan Shu, who had a similar background to Yuan Shao, but had a very loud voice and mocked Yuan Shao from time to time. Yuan Shao basically just talked back slightly, which was just a way for Lu Bu to save his reputation.
Lu Bu naturally thought that if he ran away, the front line would most likely collapse directly, and even affect friendly forces, leading to a chain reaction and causing defeat, and even the entire Han court might be shaken by this defeat, but is this important?
The Han court is safe and sound. What does it have to do with a military man from a border county like me?
You will have to fight in the blood and fire of the border counties all your life, and never see Luoyang again!
The general trend of the world is in the hearts of the people, in the hearts of the emperor, ministers, princes and even the ordinary soldiers.
An arrow shot at him, and Lu Bu waved his Fang Tian Hua Ji to block it, but he stepped back a few steps and shouted in panic: "This general is injured, quickly organize the army and retreat!"
The soldiers around Lu Bu were stunned. How could their commander be hurt by just one arrow?
But on the battlefield, they just followed orders, so they immediately surrounded Lu Bu. Lu Bu retreated and passed by Zhang Liao, whispering, "Wenyuan, Zhang Jiao is coming in, retreat quickly, and leave him for later use!"
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Even though Jiao was invincible, the loyal princes were all talented. Can was a hero at the end of the Han Dynasty, and many of them were loyal princes, but they were defeated again and again. How ridiculous! I read the history books and found that the princes were scheming against each other, and they were like wolves and tigers, with the hearts of jackals. Although they were the Han Dynasty, they were resentful of the Han Dynasty. How could they win with so many of them? - "Historical Mirror: Later Han Dynasty"
(End of this chapter)
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