At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 138 The Rise of Dong Zhuo

Changshi Mansion.

Looking at Gai Xun, who was sallow and emaciated, with a sluggish expression, Zhou Qi felt extremely distressed.

He only knew that in the original history, the Qiang people did not dare to harm Gai Xun and sent him back to Hanyang County, but he did not expect that Gai Xun would not drink a drop of water in order to keep the festival, and his wound was inflamed, and he was already haggard.

Zhou Qi supported Gai Xun to sit down, and said softly: "Sir, I'll have someone prepare some liquid food, you should replenish your strength first."

Gai Xun looked at his dirty war robe and sighed: "I have fallen to this point, it is a lack of manners, I should first take a bath, burn incense, and repair my hair."

When Zhou Qi heard this, he couldn't laugh or cry.

Gai Xun is almost starving to death now, and he has to pay attention to etiquette and decency, insisting on taking a bath and burning incense before eating.

But soon, Zhou Qi felt a sore nose again.

A scholar-official like Gai Xun, who valued etiquette, actually preferred to be disheveled and starved to the point of being emaciated rather than accept favors from the thieves after being captured.

With such integrity, Zhou Qi asked himself that he could not do it.

He knew that people like Gai Xun were very assertive, but he didn't continue to persuade him. Instead, he ordered people to boil water and prepare clean clothes and toiletry items.

It took a long time for a stick of incense before Gai Xun finished washing.

At this time, although Gai Xun was still sallow, thin, and withered, his eyes once again had some sparkle.

"Sir, please eat."

Gai Xun did not refuse this time either, but sipped light porridge, not daring to eat more because he was hungry for too long.

After eating most of the bowl of gruel, although Gai Xun still felt hungry, he didn't continue to eat.

Zhou Qi also called in the most skilled military doctors in the military and asked them to debride Gai Xun's wounds and recuperate his body.

Fortunately, the weather is very cold now, and Gai Xun's three wounds have not become festering or rancid. If it were a hot summer, these wounds would be enough to kill Gai Xun.

After the military doctor gave Gai Xun medicine, officials of all sizes, including Yang Yong, the governor of Liangzhou, came to see him one after another.

Gai Xun turned away all the officials who came to visit on the grounds that he was unwell.

After a while, Gai Xun got used to the feeling of food in his belly. He ate a large bowl of gruel again, and his face gradually gained some color.

He looked at Zhou Qi and sighed, "I regret not listening to Ziyi."

Thinking of those robes who died beside him, Gai Xun felt a little stuffy in his heart, and his eyes were a little moist.

Zhou Qi consoled him: "Sir led the troops to rescue Xia Yu because he couldn't help it. Even the governor didn't dare to blame him, so why should he blame himself?"

Hearing this, Gai Xun remained silent and his eyes were a little dim.

Obviously, this disastrous defeat and the experience of being captured had a great impact on Gai Xun, a famous man from a family.

He also deeply knows that the big man has been rotten to the bone from top to bottom.

If the court cannot be cleared, even those officials who are willing to do things for the country will find it difficult to use their talents and do things that are beneficial to the country.

Thinking of this, Gai Xun looked at Zhou Qi and said, "It's my fault for transferring Zi Yi to Liangzhou without permission."

"Here, I have wronged you."

Gai Xun had simply thought that Zhou Qi was proficient in military affairs and had the talent to command troops, so transferring him to Hanyang County might help put down the rebellion.

But he didn't consider that no matter how powerful the commander was, how could he let go if he was hampered by others?

It's like a certain bald man in later generations. A layman commanded an expert. A battle that could have been won, but he commanded blindly, turned into a disastrous defeat.

Zhou Qi is indeed capable of commanding troops, and also has a great view of the overall situation, so what can he do?

Zuo Chang, the former governor of Liangzhou, disagreed with the suggestion to rush to aid Jincheng County.

It is suggested not to send troops to rescue Xia Yu, the captain of the Huqiang School, but Yang Yong, the current governor of Liangzhou, disagrees.

Being constrained by others everywhere, how can a general flex his muscles?
Now Zhou Qi seems to have his hands and feet tied up. What can he do even if he has other ideas?

Zhou Qi, on the other hand, smiled and said, "I came here not for personal honor or disgrace, but to serve the country, and also for my husband."

"If I can show my ambition, I will blame myself."

"If not, I just want to stay by Mr.'s side, that's enough."

Zhou Qi's respect for Gai Xun came from the bottom of his heart. Even in the late Han Dynasty when there were many talents, there were not many such truly virtuous people.

Zhou Qi cannot do what Gai Xun is like, but it does not hinder his respect for Gai Xun.

However, Yang Yong, the governor of Liangzhou, obviously restrained himself a lot after this big defeat. Not only did he not blame Gai Xun for his crimes, but instead he declared Gai Xun as the governor of Hanyang.

Even the military power was handed over to Zhou Qi, the captain of Hanyang County.

At this point, Gai Xun served as the county governor of Hanyang County and Zhou Qi served as the county captain. The people in the county who were originally frightened by the rebels were relieved a little.

Yang Yong's move gradually won the hearts of officials in Hanyang County, but not many people went up to impeach him.

However, the situation is so chaotic, there are not many soldiers in the county, and the defense is a bit stretched.

Zhou Qi ordered the county officials to recruit soldiers and horses, guard against spies, and guard the city to the death, but he did not dare to lead troops to fight the rebels.

In fact.

Zhou Qi, as the commander-in-chief of the county, now has the main force of the rebels gathered in Youfufeng, and he is not qualified to attack the thieves across states or counties.

Yang Yong, governor of Liangzhou, asked Gai Xun to cross the state to rescue Xia Yu, which was a bit presumptuous.

To know.

You Fufeng belonged to Sili, and it was the land of Sanfu. If soldiers and horses from other states entered Sanfu, the imperial court really wanted to pursue it, which was no different from treason.

Yang Yong learned well this time, not seeking merit but seeking no faults.

As for the matter of exterminating the rebels, let the imperial court worry about it. The rebels are not mainly attacking Liangzhou now, so Yang Yong can just guard his one-acre three-point land.

In this way, Liangzhou started the bad mode.

As for Gai Xun, after his health recovered, he began to issue various decrees to punish corrupt officials and treat the Han and Hu people in the territory equally, which won the hearts of the people, and Hanyang County was much more stable than before.

At this time, due to the cold winter and the looting of the rebels, many Qiang tribes in Hanyang County suffered from famine, and the people ate each other and used human flesh to satisfy their hunger.

Gai Xun called on the wealthy families in the county to donate money and food, and he himself took the lead in donating his family's belongings. The wealthy gentry responded one after another. At that time, there were countless people alive, and the famine was barely controlled.

This move once again increased Gai Xun's prestige in Hanyang County.

The thieves heard that Gai Xun was here, and even refused to send troops to plunder Hanyang County, which shows Gai Xun's reputation.

However, it was said that all the officers and soldiers were wiped out, Gai Xun and Xia Yu were both captured, and the main force of the rebel army attacked Chencang and threatened Chang'an. The emperor was frightened and angry, and urgently ordered Huangfu Song, the general of the left chariot and cavalry, to lead troops to guard Chang'an and attack the rebels.

Dong Zhuo seized this opportunity, bribed the eunuchs, and was named Zhonglang General by the court. As Huangfu Song's deputy, he accompanied the army to fight against thieves.

Dong Zhuo was reinstated, but he had become ambitious due to Zhang Yan's stimulation.

He knew very well that soldiers and horses are the most important in troubled times, so after the official worship of General Zhonglang, he relied on his influence in Liangzhou to gather the old troops and recruit soldiers, and he quickly recruited [-] soldiers and horses.

Dong Zhuo did not let his troops enter Chang'an, but camped outside the city, fighting against Huangfusong.

After Huangfu Song led his troops to Chang'an, he repeatedly called Dong Zhuo to lead the troops into the city to join him, but Dong Zhuo refused to do so for various reasons.

After that, every time Huangfu Song fought with the rebels, Dong Zhuo secretly informed the rebels, causing Huangfu Song to lose the battle and not make any achievements for a long time.

Huangfusong finally woke up and knew that Dong Zhuo was unreliable.

However, now that Dong Zhuo has his own troops, Huangfu Song does not dare to push too hard, lest the other party defect to the rebels.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

At that time, the emperor was selling his official positions, and the position of the Three Dukes was priced at 1000 million yuan.

Cui Lie, who serves as a court lieutenant, bought the position of Situ through the emperor Fu's mother, Mrs. Cheng, for only 500 million yuan.

The imperial court dismissed Yuan Wei from the position of Situ and replaced Cui Lie as Situ.

Yuan Wei relied on the Yuan family's reputation and his merits in recommending Zhou Qi to defeat the Yellow Turbans, so he promoted him to the high position of Situ.

I never thought that Yuan Wei, Situ's ass, would be snatched away by Cui Lie who spent money to buy an official, so he was naturally upset.

So ever.

At some point, rumors began to spread in the streets of Luoyang that Cui Lie had bought the position of Situ at half price.

Originally, although buying officials in this era is not very glorious, it is also the general trend. As long as the interests of others are not taken into consideration, they will not be deliberately targeted.

People like Duan Ying and Zhang Wen who had made great achievements and were famous also spent money to buy official positions, but no one criticized them.

It's only strange that Cui Lie moved other people's interests, so his reputation began to be ruined and he was despised by scholars.

The emperor originally thought that Huangfusong's leading troops to quell the rebellion could be as devastating as the crusade against the Yellow Turban.

Unexpectedly, Huangfu Song lost the battle, failed to make any achievements for a long time, wasted money and food, and the court could not support him.

The emperor then summoned the ministers of the court to discuss the countermeasures.

During this period of time, Cui Lie was in a state of distress because of the matter of buying an official, so he wanted to show off and improve his reputation.

Ever since, he gave a very weird suggestion: "Since the establishment of this dynasty, Liangzhou has been in rebellion endlessly. Most of the court's taxes, money and food were used to counter the rebellion in Liangzhou, which led to the emptiness of the national treasury."

"Last year, the Yellow Turbans rebelled. His Majesty confiscated troops, corvees, and taxes from all over the world. The treasury was already unable to make ends meet. This year, even local taxes cannot be collected."

"In my opinion, Liangzhou is a malignant tumor. If it is forced to stay, it will definitely bring down the court and cause endless disasters."

"Today there are rebellions everywhere, the national treasury is empty, and taxes are unsustainable. It is better to abandon Liangzhou and protect the land of Sanfu. In this way, the imperial court can save a lot of money and food every year, which can be used elsewhere."

When Cui Lie said this, everyone was shocked.

Abandoning Liangzhou completely is equivalent to removing such a large piece of land from the Han territory.

What was even more shocking was that the emperor thought about it carefully, and actually felt that Cui Lie's words were reasonable, and was almost persuaded.

Yilang Fu Xie was furious, and sternly shouted above the court hall: "If you kill Situ, the world will be safe!"

There are three nails in the so-called broken ship. Cui Liegui is a Situ, so he naturally has his own party members.

Immediately, the minister came out and said: "Fu Xie humiliated an important minister, and the following offenders should be punished for the crime of disrespect!"

The emperor asked Fu Xie, "Why did Qing come up with such rebellious and disobedient words?"

Without fear, Fu Xie held his head high and held his chest high and said: "In the old days when the Xiongnu Chanyu Maodun rebelled against Empress Lu, General Fan Kuai said, 'I would like to have [-] people and run amok among the Huns'. Losing the etiquette of being a minister, Ji Bu still said, "Kuai can be chopped off."

"Liangzhou is now the strategic center of the world and the country's guard."

"At the beginning of Gao Zu's prosperity, he sent Li Shang to pacify Longshi; Shizong (Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty) expanded the territory and set up four counties. Everyone thought that this move was to break the right arm of the Huns."

"Nowadays, the government and the people are at odds, which has led to Liangzhou's rebellion. Lie is the prime minister, and he doesn't think of a strategy to eliminate the disaster of war for the country. He wants to cut off a territory of thousands of miles, and the minister deceives him!"

"If foreign rebels can live here, and they occupy the whole prefecture, they will be strong and strong. If the rebellion continues, the momentum will become stronger. How can we suppress the rebellion?"

"This is the greatest concern for the world and the deepest concern for the country."

"Such a truth, if Situ doesn't know it, it's extremely concealed; if he knows it and speaks it, it's disloyal."

The emperor thought for a long time and believed that Fu Xie's words were reasonable and followed him, and no longer discussed abandoning Liangzhou's thousands of miles of territory.

So far, the court officials and ministers respected Fu Xie and strongly recommended Fu Xie whenever there was a vacancy.

However, Fu Xie offended the eunuch first, and now he offended Situ Cui Lie, so there is no possibility of promotion.

In June, the Son of Heaven entrusted 12 people, including Zhang Rang, with Zhang Jiaogong, as Liehou.

In autumn and July, there was a locust plague in the third lunar month. The people were starved of food and the court was short of money and food.

However, Huangfu Song knew that Dong Zhuo was not trustworthy, so he lost the battle and did not want to force the opponent. Afterwards, he started to avoid Dong Zhuo deliberately when he fought against the rebels.

Dong Zhuo noticed that something was wrong and felt Huangfusong's guard against him, so he paid Zhao Zhong, one of the ten permanent attendants, and asked Zhao Zhong to transfer Huangfusong away.

Earlier, when Huangfusong was conquering Zhangjiao, he passed through Yedi and found that the residence of Zhao Zhong, the regular servant of Zhongchang, exceeded the regulations, so he confiscated it to the emperor.

In addition, Zhang Rang, the minister of the Central Committee, asked Huangfu Song for 5000 million yuan, but Huangfu Song was unwilling to give it, and the two became feuding.

Previously, Huangfusong made outstanding achievements, although Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang were dissatisfied, they did not dare to impeach Huangfusong.

But now, Huangfusong was at a disadvantage in the long-term battle, so they began to slander, impeaching Huangfusong for his ineffectiveness in successive battles, wasting money and food.

The emperor trusted the two of them very much, so he recalled Huangfusong, took his left chariot and rode the general's seal and ribbon, cut off six thousand households, changed them to the title of duxianghou, and [-] households in Shiyi.

In August, the emperor appointed Sikong and Zhang Wen as chariot generals, and took Jinwu Yuan Pang as his deputy to beg Beigong Boyu; he worshiped Zhonglang general Dong Zhuo as the general who broke the captives, and he was unified with Zhou Shen, the general who smashed the bandits.

Hanyang County, Ji County.

Zhou Qi looked at the news coming from the court and remained silent for a long time.

Gai Xun sighed: "It seems that ministers like Ziyi, who have made great contributions to defeating the Yellow Turbans, have not received any reward. How can Shi Changshi be so virtuous and capable of being granted the title of Marquis for his contribution to defeating the Yellow Turbans?"

When Dian Wei and Xu Chu heard this, their beards stood on end and they were furious.

The two of them fought desperately with Zhou Qi, beheaded countless enemies, and fought against the Yellow Turban Army several times in the heavy rain, but they didn't get any reward from the court.

Twelve eunuchs, who lived in the palace for a long time, did not make an inch of merit, but they were all made Marquis for begging for the yellow scarf. Wouldn't it be chilling.

Although Zhou Qi knew about the corruption of the imperial court for a long time, after knowing the news, he still felt a biting cold.

His last remaining hope for the imperial court has been completely shattered so far.

Go to the fucking imperial court!

Go to hell, big man!

It is time for this imperial court, which has been rotten to the core, to be destroyed, so that talented people can reopen the sun and the moon.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Qi calmed down the anger in his heart and said extremely calmly: "Your Majesty is the king, and we are the ministers. We dare not speak arbitrarily about the king."

After returning to the mansion, Zhou Qi looked at Dian Wei and Xu Chu who were still angry, and seemed to understand their feelings at this time.

Although the two of them followed Zhou Qi, they also wanted to make great achievements and become generals.

But when they found out that the feats they had built through their hard work were not as good as those flattering eunuchs in the palace, this strong sense of gap almost made people feel desperate.

They know that if there is no major change in the court, people like themselves, no matter how much credit they make, will eventually add wedding dresses to others.

Zhou Qi patted the shoulders of the two of them vigorously, and said, "I promise, you two will definitely be named marquis generals and wives in the future!"

"Sooner or later, this corrupt imperial court will reap the consequences!"

It was the first time that Zhou Qi said such rebellious words in front of Dian Wei and Xu Chu.

At this point, he absolutely believed in the two of them.

As long as the world does not change its banner, not to mention Dian Wei and Xu Chu, even Zhou Qi may not be able to stand out in the future.

Zhou Qi also knew that it was definitely the worst decision for the court to replace Huangfusong and let Zhang Wen lead the troops to quell the rebellion.

If Huangfu Song could not put down the rebellion, then Zhang Wen would be even less able.

He also noticed that Dong Zhuo had already been promoted to General Zhonglang in just a few months, and now he was promoted to General Polu.

General Polu, although he is only a miscellaneous general, he already belongs to the fifth rank of military officer, and he is absolutely outstanding.

You know, even the official title of General Zhonglang is only an eighth-rank military officer.

If General Polu was promoted further, he would be General Si'an and General Siping. At least before the feudal lords came together, this official position was almost against the sky.

Dong Zhuo did not make any merit, and could rise to the top so easily just by relying on his troops and bribing Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others.

Wouldn't it be chilling for the court to be like this?
But they didn't know that the imperial court was raising tigers and digging its own grave. Compared with Bian Zhang, Han Sui and Beigong Boyu, Dong Zhuo, the evil tiger, was more terrifying.

But Zhou Qi was completely disappointed with the court, so he didn't care about Dong Zhuo.

He hid his ambition and lay dormant in secret, quietly waiting for the world to be in chaos, waiting for the moment to soar into the sky.

Until then, he will continue to play the role of a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty.

But it is said that Zhang Wen followed the imperial edict to attack the thieves, and sent more than [-] infantry and cavalry soldiers from various counties to garrison Meiyang. Bian Zhang and Han then advanced with military success, and Wen fought with the thieves, which was disadvantageous.

Zhang Wen had no choice but to defend the city. He ordered Dong Zhuo, Bao Hong and others to lead troops to Meiyang and attack the rebels.

At this time Dong Zhuo had gathered more than [-] people under his command, and he was appointed to pay homage to General Polu. It was a time when the spring breeze was in full swing, and he put on airs and came late. After seeing Zhang Wen, he also offended him with words.

At that time, Sun Jian was appointed by Zhang Wen to join the army. Seeing Dong Zhuo's arrogance, he immediately said: "Dong Zhuo was too late to accept the general order, and even insulted the commander. I think Dong Zhuo is self-respecting in his troops, and I am afraid that he will have different ideas."

"When a general arrives for the first time, it would be better to kill Dong Zhuo to establish his prestige. Who among these generals would dare to disobey?"

Before Zhang Wen took office, Huangfu Song secretly warned him that Dong Zhuo might have different intentions and asked Zhang Wen to be careful.

After Zhang Wen heard Sun Jian's advice, he thought about it and worried that after killing Dong Zhuo, his generals would lead more than [-] people into thieves.

Really.

Instead of establishing prestige, Zhang Wen might be questioned by the court, so he rejected Sun Jian's suggestion after all.

However, Zhang Wen's attitude towards Dong Zhuo has obviously changed a lot.

Dong Zhuo returned to the camp and said with a smile to Li Ru, the newly recruited counselor, "Wen You's prediction is really good. I was late on purpose, and even spoke against Zhang Wen. No one dared to punish me."

"As long as you have soldiers and horses in your hands, you really have nothing to fear!"

Dong Zhuo's eyes shone with the light of ambition.

Li Ru remonstrated: "The Liangzhou rebellion is a godsend opportunity for the general. Huangfusong and Zhang Wen have a lot of troops, and they have been invincible in fighting against the rebels. If the general can defeat the rebel army in one fell swoop, he will definitely win your majesty." value."

Dong Zhuo's expression changed slightly when he heard the words, and then he said to Li Ru, "Wen You walked to Han Sui for me."

The officers and soldiers were in a stalemate with the rebels.

From time to time, meteors streaked across the sky, and the light shone into the rebel camp, and the donkeys and horses neighed. The rebels thought it was an ominous sign and prepared to retreat.

Dong Zhuo challenged Zhang Wen to fight.

Zhang Wen thought to himself: "Dong Zhuo asked for a battle. If he loses, his strength will be weakened. If he wins, he will strengthen our army. Let's follow him."

With Zhang Wen's permission, Dong Zhuo attacked with Bao Hong, Fufeng You, and defeated the rebels, beheading thousands of people.

Zhang Wen saw the right opportunity and led his army to pursue him. However, the rebel army had already retreated and retreated to Yuzhong.

After this battle, Dong Zhuo's reputation was greatly shaken, and heroes from all walks of life came to join him. Dong Zhuo also took the opportunity to recruit troops and his power expanded again.

Zhang Wen prepared to pursue the victory and sent six troops to attack the rebels.

Sometimes Zhou Shen led 3 troops to chase Bian Zhang and Han Sui.

Sun Jian suggested to Zhou Shen: "There is no grain in the city of thieves, so they should turn to other places for food. Jian is willing to get thousands of people to cut off his luck. The general will follow with a large army. The thieves will be too tired to fight, so they will go into the Qiang and fight against them." , then Liangzhou can be settled!"

Zhou Shen didn't want to divide his troops to take risks, so he didn't follow Sun Jian's suggestion, but led his army to surround Yuzhong City.

Bian Zhang and Han Sui divided their forces to garrison the Kuiyuan Gorge, and instead cut off the army's food route.

Zhou Shen was so frightened that he abandoned his baggage and warehouses and withdrew his troops in panic. He was defeated and fled.

The remaining four armies were either cut off from their supplies or ambushed, and were all severely defeated.

Only Dong Zhuo led [-] troops to crusade against Xianling Qiang. When the rebels cut off the food road, he asked the soldiers to pretend to block the water and build dikes in the Weishui, declaring that they were fishing, but actually let the army quickly pass under the dike.

By the time the rebels discovered it, they were already in pursuit.

As a result, Dong Zhuo was able to return with his troops unharmed.

It's just that whether Dong Zhuoguo has the talent to command the army and retreated safely without losing the slightest loss in a desperate situation, or whether he had a private deal with the rebels, only the person involved knows.

After this battle.

Dong Zhuo's reputation was great, and he had more than [-] troops under his command. He stationed troops in Fufeng on the right, and even Zhang Wen had to look at his face to act.

The imperial court granted Dong Zhuo the title of Marquis of Zhuxiang due to his meritorious service, granting him a fief of [-] households.

In just a few months, Dong Zhuo, from being released from prison because of amnesty to the world, began to be appointed as a worship general, and he rose steadily to become a powerful general with a large army in his hands.

Dong Zhuo took the opportunity to recruit Liangzhou heroes and soldiers. His reputation grew stronger and his rise was unstoppable.

　Regarding Dong Zhuo's collusion with the rebels, there is no clear record in the history books, but judging from various clues, it should be true.

　　Later, the imperial court asked Huangfusong to lead the army to suppress the rebellion. Every time Dong Zhuo remonstrated with Huangfusong, Huangfusong would do the opposite, and finally defeated the rebels. Isn't it funny?

　　In fact, at this time, as long as Dong Zhuo raised the flag to rebel without knowing it, the court had nothing to do with him.

　　Later, the imperial court tried to reduce its military power several times, but all ended in failure.

　　It has to be said that Fatty Dong does have a hand in speculation.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)