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

Chapter 149 Zi Yi Tu Liu Xie, Gong Ming earns Niu Fu

However, Zhou Qi, the chariot general, defeated the Liangzhou rebels and wrote two letters to order the two rebel leaders to confer leadership.

At that time, the generals of chariots and cavalry were attacking Longguan. If they could capture Longguan and then send heavy troops to guard it, they could keep the rebels out of the pass.

Zhou Qi spread rumors to alienate various rebel leaders in Liangzhou. The rebels fought for power and attacked each other, and their reputation was greatly reduced since then.

In the short term, the rebels in Liangzhou were not to be feared, but the imperial court had no spare power to regain Liangzhou, and the two sides reached a short-term balance.

Zhou Qi used Gai Xun's name to take the opportunity to contact the gentry in Longguan, and he took down the western gate of Sili through cooperation from inside and outside.

Since then, the battle against the rebellion in Liangzhou has come to an end for the time being.

The emperor issued an edict, canonizing Zhou Qi as the Marquis of Anfeng County, with ten thousand households in the city.

Zhou Qi was naturally overjoyed when he received the conferment from the imperial court, and all the soldiers under his command also received their conferments, and everyone rejoiced.

Just when Zhou Qi received the reward and was arranging his troops and arranging the defense of Long Pass, he suddenly received a secret edict from the emperor sent by Jian Shuo's confidants.

After reading the content of the secret edict, Zhou Qi didn't dare to be negligent, and hurriedly summoned Xi Zhicai to discuss the matter.

He said with a solemn face: "Your Majesty wants to abolish the elder and establish the younger, so that Jian Shuo and Mr. Gai will join me in helping the prince succeed. However, General He Jin holds the power and is the uncle of the eldest son of your majesty. He will definitely help the prince at any cost." Arguing for enthronement."

"Now that His Majesty has passed away, Jian Shuo is alone, and wants to call me and Mr. Gai to lead the troops back to Beijing, and help the prince to become emperor together. What do you think, sir?"

Xi Zhicai looked at the secret edict carefully, and then sighed: "Your Majesty's move is a way to bring disaster."

Although Zhou Qi knew this earlier, he still pretended to be puzzled and asked, "Why did you say that, sir?"

Xi Zhicai said: "Since ancient times, there has been a distinction between concubines and concubines. Seniors and young are orderly, and this is especially true in the royal family. It is a rule that has been passed down from generation to generation."

"Prince Bian is not only the eldest son, but also has no major faults, and has reached the age of sixteen. If he is assisted by the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty, he will be able to govern as an adult after only a few years of experience. If he can work hard to govern, it may be impossible to revive the Han Dynasty."

"As for the Prince Xie, even though he was smart and favored since childhood, he is only eight years old."

"Nowadays, the society is in ruins, and the great man is in turmoil. If the young prince is allowed to succeed to the throne, he will definitely become a puppet in the hands of powerful officials."

Having said that, Xi Zhicai couldn't help but sigh deeply.

"It's fine if the powerful minister is dedicated to the country and has the ability to control the court, but the general He Jin holds a heavy army, how can he just sit back and watch the prince Xie ascend the throne as emperor?"

"In Luoyang City, there will inevitably be a bloodbath."

Zhou Qi nodded secretly when he heard the words.

It has to be said that the first emperor acted according to his own preferences in the matter of choosing an heir, somewhat disregarding the overall situation.

If the first emperor was in the prime of his life, he had made up his mind early on to abolish the elders and establish the younger ones, remove the stumbling blocks on the way to the throne for the Prince Association in advance, and find a trustworthy and important minister, this matter would not have been impossible.

But until the death of the first emperor, there was no definite edict to confer the title of Prince Xie to the crown prince, but a secret edict was given to Jian Shuo.

Jian Shuo was just an eunuch, and he was already hated by the scholar-bureaucrats. The late emperor's secret edict produced by him would never be recognized by the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty.

As for Zhou Qi and Gai Xun, the two Tuogu ministers, they are now commanding troops abroad, and they are obviously beyond their grasp on the Luoyang matter.

Even if the two really made up their minds to participate in this matter, it is estimated that He Jin and others have already supported the prince as the new emperor before leading the troops to Luoyang.

At that time, even if the two of them were under the late emperor's secret edict, so what?
Undoubtedly, others will slander the two of them as false edicts, and then send troops to punish them for the crime of treason.

Zhou Qi did not expect that the late emperor would entrust Gu to himself, so he couldn't help but sighed deeply.

If he had known this earlier, he might have made arrangements in advance.

But now, it's too late to say anything.

He looked at Xi Zhicai and asked, "How should we deal with this matter?"

Xi Zhicai pondered for a while, and said: "The matter of the secret edict must not be made public, the general will not move, just wait quietly for Gai Yuangu to arrive."

"However, you can't just do nothing. The general can secretly order your confidantes to lead thousands of soldiers to Luoyang secretly, waiting for the follow-up."

Zhou Qi heard the words and said: "Dian Wei, Xu Chu, and Xiang Hong are more than brave, but they are not enough to lead the army. Although Xu Huang has the talent to lead the army, he has only recently joined the army, so he cannot be given military power alone."

"I intend to order Dian Wei to be the commander-in-chief, Xu Huang and Gao Shun to be the lieutenants, and let the two command [-] troops to go to Luoyang in the starry night."

Zhou Qi did this in order to give Xu Huang and Gao Shun the opportunity to make contributions, so that they can justifiably reward them in the future.

Zhou Qi immediately summoned Dianwei, Xu Huang, and Gao Shun, and gave the three of them the secret order of the former emperor. After reading it, the three of them were all shocked, and then their faces were full of joy.

The merit of supporting the establishment is a great contribution to the heavens. If they can participate in it, everyone will be prosperous.

Zhou Qi said to the three of them: "This matter is confidential, and must not be leaked to the outside world. I will first rectify the troops here, and wait for Mr. Gai to come to discuss important matters."

"The three of you commanded three thousand soldiers and horses, and rushed to Luoyang in the starry night. You have the right to make decisions on the spot."

After finishing speaking, Zhou Qi looked at Dian Wei and said: "Dian Jun is brave if he is brave, but he is not as good at commanding the troops as Gong Ming. When encountering problems, you should listen to Gong Ming and Gao Shun's advice."

After instructing Dianwei, Zhou Qi looked at Xu Huang again, and said, "I know Gongming is a general in this world, and the world will be in chaos today. I would like to make contributions together with Gongming, and I also ask Gongming to assist Dianwei wholeheartedly."

Then he turned his head to look at Gao Shun, and said: "You have been with Lord Dian for a long time, you should know his temperament, and I won't say much."

"While marching, think more carefully when encountering difficulties, and don't be impulsive."

When Xu Huang heard this, he prostrated himself on the ground and said, "Without the promotion of Ming Gong, Xu Huang would still be a small official in Hedong."

"A certain person is willing to follow Duke Ming, go through fire and water, and do whatever he wants!"

This time, Xu Huang can be regarded as officially serving Zhou Qi, not just his previous conquest relationship.

So is Gao Shun.

Zhou Qi stepped forward to help the second follower, saying: "You will not betray me, and I will never betray you!"

After Dian Wei, Xu Huang, and Gao Shun led the troops away, Zhou Qi sent people to Liangzhou to secretly capture Dong Zhuo's family.

He was familiar with the historical development trend and knew that Dong Zhuo would occupy Luoyang before him and then abolish it.

Grabbing Dong Zhuo's family in advance can be regarded as the capital for negotiation.

If the two armies were fighting, Zhou Qi would naturally abide by the unspoken rules that the family would not be harmed.

However, Dong Zhuo's arrogance in abolishing the establishment of the Liang Dynasty will surely attract the condemnation of the people in the world. At this time, Zhou Qi used Dong Zhuo's family as a threat, and others would not say anything.

Zhou Qi has been waiting for a long time for Luoyang's great change.

Now he happened to be appointed as a general, and with a heavy army in his hand, he had an unprecedented right to speak.

Zhou Qi didn't want to meddle in Luoyang's affairs.

But Zhou Qi must also get enough benefits from this political upheaval.

Now everything is ready, just waiting for Gai Xun to arrive.

After a few days, Gai Xun really came in a hurry, his face was full of anxiety.

Without any politeness, he asked directly: "Did Ziyi receive the emperor's secret edict from Jian Shuo?"

Zhou Qi pretended to be sad and said: "I heard that the emperor passed away, and my heart was in turmoil. I suddenly received a secret order, and I didn't dare to act rashly. That's why I waited for you here to discuss important matters."

Gai Xun also sobbed and said: "The late emperor was smart. I originally planned to return to Luoyang to persuade the late emperor after quelling the Liangzhou rebellion, so that I could rectify the imperial court and revive the Han Dynasty."

"I never thought that such a drastic change would take place before I could rush back to Luoyang when the rebel army was initially established."

Zhou Qi comforted: "This is the end of the matter, sir, please express your condolences. For the current plan, we should first discuss how to deal with the late emperor's edict."

Gai Xun was hesitant when he heard the words.

Emotionally speaking, the late emperor treated Gai Xun kindly and introduced him as a confidant. Every time Gai Xun made a suggestion, the late emperor would do everything he could.

Just this kindness of knowledge and encounter is enough to make Gai Xun smash his bones to repay him.

Moreover, the late emperor was a king, Gai Xun was a minister, and it was his duty to obey the king's orders. Gai Xun should not have hesitated.

However, Gai Xun has read poetry and books well, and he knows the truth of establishing a senior but not a young one, and not a concubine. If foreign troops are brought in to threaten Luoyang and intervene in the affairs of the court, it will not benefit the country and society.

Seeing Gai Xun's hesitation, Zhou Qi had already guessed what Gai Xun was thinking.

He pondered for a while, and then said: "It is the emperor's order to establish a young child, and it is a ritual law to establish an elder."

"Since your majesty has a will, if the two of us don't obey, it will be an act of disloyalty. If you have failed your majesty's trust, you are not a human minister."

Hearing this, Gai Xun frowned slightly, looked up at Zhou Qi, and asked, "The chariot general wants to lead troops into Luoyang and intervene in royal affairs?"

Gai Xun was well aware of the seriousness of the matter, so his tone became extremely severe, and he even changed the address he used for Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi waved his hands hastily, and said, "I don't mean to presume, sir, just listen to me."

Gai Xun's expression softened slightly and he said, "Please tell me and listen."

Zhou Qi said: "According to the emperor's order, we should indeed lead the troops into Luoyang, but this place is not close to Luoyang. If we lead an army forward, there will be delays on the way."

"The so-called country cannot be without a king for a day. If His Majesty dies, the court ministers will support a new king."

"If Jian Shuo can follow the late emperor's edict and support the prince Xie as the emperor, even if we lead troops into Luoyang, we don't need to do anything."

"If the great general He Jin and others support the prince Bian as the emperor, when we arrive in Luoyang, the general trend has been established and cannot be changed, and we must not act arbitrarily and abolish the establishment."

"What the late emperor was worried about was that the general and Empress He couldn't tolerate the prince Xie Ye. If we ask His Majesty to make the prince Xie the king and release him to the fiefdom, and we will protect him, we will live up to the late emperor's trust."

"In this way, we don't live up to the king's order, and we don't live up to the etiquette, isn't it beautiful?"

When Gai Xun heard this, his eyes widened and he nodded frequently.

Seeing this, Zhou Qi let out a long sigh of relief.

Zhou Qi had already discussed with Xi Zhicai that leading troops into Luoyang under the order of the late emperor would not only show the name of loyalty, but also find a way to take the prince away.

Although Zhou Qi didn't plan to coerce the emperor to order the princes, but holding the late emperor's edict and the prince's agreement in his hand, this is a big killer.

When the time is right, Zhou Qi can directly take out the last emperor's edict and support the prince Xie as emperor in his own territory. Wouldn't it be beautiful?

As for the court minister.

I'm sorry, these are all burdens, so I simply threw them all to Cao Cao.

What Zhou Qi needs is righteousness. After the prince Xie is established as the emperor, the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty can confer titles to their subordinates at will.

In this way, it can also win people's hearts.

Of course, this kind of thing cannot be done in the short term.

This kind of thing can only be done after the strength has expanded to a certain level in the future and the face with Cao Cao has been torn apart.

Therefore, the trip to Luoyang was inevitable, Dong Zhuo could not abolish the establishment, and the Prince's Association had to leave Luoyang with Zhou Qi.

In order to achieve this goal, Zhou Qi even did not hesitate to kidnap Dong Zhuo's family members, and was ready to fight Dong Zhuo.

Gai Xun didn't know Zhou Qi's plan, and was still excited about this best-of-both-worlds solution.

He immediately said: "It's not too late, we will lead our troops into Luoyang!"

As soon as the two of them finished their discussions, they received an edict from the general to recruit Zhou Qi to the capital to help him eradicate the eunuchs.

When Gai Xun learned that He Jin had recruited Dong Zhuo to the capital, he immediately showed a look of astonishment, and scolded: "He Jin, how could you make such a bad plan?"

"Dong Zhuo is a wolf with ambition, so if he leaves, Luoyang will surely be brought into trouble."

Thinking of this, Gai Xun didn't dare to neglect, and hurriedly said to Zhou Qi: "The situation has changed, we should rush to Luoyang as soon as possible to prepare for Dong Zhuo."

Afterwards, the two reorganized their troops and horses, and they merged into one, and Zhou Qi, the chariot general, commanded them, and headed towards Luoyang in a mighty way.

If it is said that the Son of Heaven's Secret Edict should not be published before the public, Zhou Qi and Gai Xun are still a little worried that they will be blocked by counties and counties along the way if they march towards Luoyang with their troops.

However, with the edict issued by General He Jin, the two of them can lead the army forward, and they can be justified.

Not only was there no one to stop them along the way, but county officials had to provide food, grass and places to rest.

But Dian Wei and Xu Huang commanded three thousand soldiers and rushed to Luoyang day and night.

However, when the two arrived in Shan County, they were blocked by Dong Zhuo's son-in-law Niu Fu.

Shan County is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and it is a strategically important place, and it is also a must pass on the way to Luoyang.

Niu Fu saw that Dian Wei had only [-] troops under his command, he immediately dismissed it, and shouted: "This road is blocked, you should retreat quickly!"

At this time, Dian Wei and Xu Huang didn't know that the general had also called Zhou Qi to the capital, and the emperor's secret edict could not speak to the outside world, so they were blocked by Niu Fu. They felt guilty and didn't know what to do.

Dong Zhuo has not rebelled now, and Dian Wei and Xu Huang entered Beijing without an edict without an edict. Naturally, they did not dare to fight Niu Fu and occupied Shan County by force, so they had to retreat.

Xu Huang said: "Before we left, General Che Qi told us to proceed cautiously. Now that we are blocked by Niu Fu, we should send someone to ask Ming Gong first."

Dian Wei thought so, so he sent someone to report to Zhou Qi.

After Zhou Qi heard the news, he asked Dian Wei to tell Dian Wei that the soldiers and horses under his command had entered Beijing under the order of the general, and it was justified.

If there is any obstruction, it is a disobedience to the general's military order, and you can lead your troops to attack it.

If Shan County is difficult to conquer, they will temporarily go to the village and wait for the arrival of the army.

After Dian Wei got the news, he asked, "I was ordered to enter the capital, but Dong Zhuo dared to send troops to stop me. What is his intention?"

Xu Huang's eyes flickered, and he said: "General Cheqi gave us the right to make decisions in front of the battle. Since the thieves dare to lead troops to stop the officers and soldiers, we will punish them ourselves."

Dian Wei said: "However, we will go into battle lightly, and we only have [-] troops under our command. How can we capture Shan County?"

Xu Huang pondered on the side, and then smiled: "If there are too many soldiers and horses, it may be difficult to conquer Shan County. Now that there are fewer soldiers and horses, it is possible to break it."

Dian Wei was puzzled and asked, "Why did Gongming say that?"

Xu Huang whispered in Dianwei's ear for a while, Dianwei suddenly realized, and then said: "Let Gongming do this."

Xu Huang took the order, and led five hundred troops to the city of Shan County, pointed at Niu Fu and cursed: "A certain general under the command of General Chariot and Cavalry went to Luoyang to kill the eunuch under the order of the General, you have no guts!" , the incompetent people relying on their nepotism, quickly opened the city gates, and knelt down to welcome Master Wang."

"If not, when I lead my troops to break through the city, I will definitely tear you to pieces!"

At this time, Xu Huang wanted to be as arrogant as he wanted, and as hateful as he was.

When Niu Fu heard this, he immediately became furious.

He is indeed mediocre, and it is true that he can be reused because of his status as Dong Zhuo's son-in-law. Usually, he is most taboo about others discussing this matter in private.

It never occurred to him that Niu Fu was furious when someone said it in public today.

Fortunately, he still had some sense. He immediately pointed at Xu Huang and cursed: "Please tell me your name and your official position. How dare you speak to me like this!"

Xu Huang raised his neck pretending to be proud, pointed at Niu Fu on the city and shouted, "Say my name, I'll scare you."

"I am Xu Huang from the east of the river. I am now a high-ranking military officer. You have heard my name, why don't you open the city and surrender?"

"In this way, a certain general who is playing chariots and cavalry can spare your life!"

"If not, your head will be beheaded on the day the city is destroyed."

Niu Fu on the city wall looked at the triumphant Xu Huang, and immediately became angry and angry, pointing at Xu Huang and cursing.

"A nameless rat, dare to speak bravely?"

"If Zhou Qi comes in person, I'm still a little afraid of him. How dare you speak nonsense?"

He had heard that Dianwei and Xu Chuyong were unstoppable under Zhou Qi's command before, and he was worried that the person who came was one of them, so he asked the name of the official.

Knowing that the person clamoring in the city is just an unknown person, I was almost laughed out of anger, and I no longer have any fear.

Niu Fu immediately ordered people to open the city gate, led the army out of the city, pointed at Xu Huang and shouted: "Who dares to kill this girl for me!"

"Someone wants to go!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a brave general coming out on horseback. Niu Fu hurriedly looked at him, but found that the other party was a well-known brave general in the army, called Li Jue.

Niu Fu was overjoyed when he saw this, and said, "If you cut this dog off, there will be a great reward!"

Hearing this, Li Jue didn't talk nonsense. He clapped his horse and went straight to fight with Xu Huang.

When the five hundred soldiers who followed Xu Huang saw the commander retreating, they all shouted and dispersed.

"The thief will leave and watch me take your life!"

Where is Li Jue willing to give up?The horse rushed after Xu Huang.

Xu Huang ran away with his horse, while yelling: "Niufu dog thief, he is just a waste of nepotism, he dare not fight with me, he will only send his men over."

"Someone refuses to accept!"

Originally, when Niu Fu saw Li Jue defeating Xu Huang in the fight, he was feeling relieved, but when he heard Xu Huang's scolding, he immediately burst into a rage.

"The whole army is going to attack, we must catch up with this beast, and smash it into thousands of pieces!"

Hearing this, Li Su hurriedly persuaded: "The former general asked me to wait for the garrison in Shan County. The general should not pursue rashly, so as not to fall into a trap!"

But Niu Fu said angrily: "There are three thousand soldiers and horses in that area, what are you afraid of?"

"The whole army obeys orders and follows me to kill the enemy!"

"Today, I will not only smash Xu Huang's body into thousands of pieces, but also kill all the three thousand soldiers and horses under Zhou Qi's command!"

Seeing that Niu Fu didn't listen to his advice, Li Su had no choice but to lead his troops to accompany him.

When Niu Fu was riding in pursuit, the horse suddenly let out a scream and fell to the ground after being tripped by the horse rope.

"Kill!"

"Capture Niufu alive!"

All around suddenly shouted to kill Zhentian, but it was Dian Wei who led two thousand ambush soldiers to kill them, and went straight to the position of the Chinese army Niu Fu.

Niu Fu was so dizzy that he forgot to command his troops.

Most of Dong Zhuo's subordinates were Qiang people. These guys were fine in fighting against the wind, but if they were to be ambushed and fought against the wind, they immediately had no heart to fight and dispersed.

On the other hand, although there are only two thousand soldiers under Dian Wei's command, they are all carefully selected elites from all over the world, and they have undergone very strict training.

At the same time, Xu Huang, who was being chased by Li Jue, immediately turned around to fight Li Jue after hearing the shout of killing from behind.

Xu Huang had faked defeat before, and Li Jue was no match for him. Now that he saw the army ambushed, he had no intention of fighting.

After only ten rounds of fighting between the two, Li Jue was already out of support, so he found a loophole and ran away.

Xu Huang didn't pursue either, and led five hundred soldiers under his command to attack Niu Fu with Dian Wei.

Niu Fu was defeated and fled in a panic. Xu Huang chased after him and killed several generals under his command, and finally chased Niu Fu to the city of Shan County.

"Open the city gate, open the city gate quickly!"

Niu Fu looked at the pursuing soldiers getting closer and closer, and hurriedly shouted to the soldiers on the city wall.

"Crench!"

"Crench!"

"Crench!"

The gate of the city was slowly opened, and Niu Fu was about to rush into the city, but he saw Gao Shun who was leading the camp and was waiting for him.

Although these [-] trapped camps are just a rough creation, Zhou Qi has invested a lot of money and handed them over to Gao Shun for training and command. They can definitely be regarded as the most powerful army under Zhou Qi's command.

Just when Niu Fu led the army to pursue Xu Huang, Gao Shun led the trapped camp to raid the defenseless Shan County and broke through the city in one fell swoop.

When Niu Fu saw Gao Shun, he lost Shan County in his heart and dared not enter the city.

"Xu Huang is here, Niu Fuxiu is leaving!"

Niu Fu turned his horse's head and was about to escape from the side, but he saw Xu Huang rushing towards him brandishing a big axe.

Seeing this, Niu Fu knew that he couldn't escape, so he threw away the weapon in his hand and shouted loudly: "I am willing to surrender, please be merciful, General!"

Seeing Niu Fu dismount and surrender, Xu Huang didn't deliberately humiliate and embarrass him, and ordered his soldiers to take good care of him.

Xu Huang grabbed Niu Fu, and immediately said to Gao Shun: "This place is not far from Luoyang, if Dong Zhuo sends troops to attack after hearing the news, I'm afraid there will be trouble."

"Your Excellency will lead the troops to defend Shan County first, and I will lead five hundred light cavalry, one man and three horses, to the Huixi Canyon. Before Niu Fu's defeated army arrives, we will guard the only way to Luoyang."

"If Huixi Canyon can be defended, the defeated army will have to travel at least five days longer if they want to go to Luoyang to report the news, and it will also buy some time for the general of the chariot and cavalry."

Time was running out, Xu Huang didn't even discuss with the coach Dian Wei, he directly took [-] cavalry and five days of dry food, ordered one man and three cavalry, and did not spare any horsepower, and went straight to Huixi Canyon.

Dian Wei killed Niu Fu's remaining troops and returned to the city. Instead of blaming Xu Huang for what he had done, he sighed, "Xu Gongming is able to act decisively before the battle. He really has the style of a general. No wonder the Ming Guild values ​​him so much."

(End of this chapter)