The great man will live forever

Chapter 247 Liu Xiu is not perfect
In addition to making Guo Shengtong the queen and her son Liu Qiang the prince, in order to appease the people in the north of Hebei, Geng Chun returned to the capital at the instruction of the Nanyang general and took the initiative to say: "I am a descendant of an official family. I am lucky enough to meet the revival of the Han Dynasty. The Lord has ascended the throne, and I have prepared a rank of general, and have been given the title of Tonghou. Now that the world has been somewhat peaceful, I have nowhere to display my talents, so I am willing to try to govern a county and do my best to serve."

Liu Xiu naturally knew his plan, "Do you want to practice martial arts as well as martial arts?"

Geng Chun nodded. He just wanted to avoid the turmoil, so Liu Xiu worshiped Geng Chun as the prefect of Dongjun. At that time, Dongjun had not yet been pacified. Geng Chun took charge of the affairs for several months, and the thieves were all at peace.

It was supposed to be temporary comfort, but unexpectedly bad news came. Deng Yu, the Western Expeditionary Army, was defeated.

As soon as Liu Xiu ascended the throne, he sent envoys to worship Deng Yu as his chief disciple.He also said: "I ordered the former general Deng Yu: Be loyal and filial, and work with me to strategize and win a decisive victory thousands of miles away.

Confucius said: 'Since I had Yan Hui, my disciples have become increasingly close. 'Beheading the generals and destroying the army, and pacifying Shanxi, are particularly outstanding achievements.If the people are not close to each other and lack the teachings of the Wuchang, you, as a Situ, should give the people the teachings of the Wuchang. The teachings of the Wuchang lie in generosity.Now I am sending you Captain Fengche to grant you the seal and ribbon, and you will be granted the title of Marquis of Fou, and you will be entitled to live in the city for ten thousand households. "

Deng Yu was only 24 years old at this time. At the age of 24, he was awarded the title of marquis and general. This was quite powerful. He was worthy of becoming the first of Yuntai's 28 generals.

Deng Yu is a talented guy. He was a child prodigy when he was young. He studied in Chang'an and became friends with Liu Xiu. After the defeat of Xinmang, he went to Liu Xiu and persuaded him to use Hebei as his base to win over the people and wait for the opportunity to conquer the world. In this way, he gained trust. .

Later, he led his army to suppress the Bronze Horse Uprising Army, and defeated Gengshi generals Wang Kuang and Cheng Dan in Hedong, and assisted Liu Xiu in establishing the Eastern Han Dynasty.

This guy is extremely powerful in engaging in internal affairs and making suggestions, but his military ability is not outstanding among the 28 generals. He often loses battles and is ridiculed as a general who always loses. Not everyone is Zhuge Liang, a hexagonal warrior, and has no blind spots in all directions. .

Han Xin was invincible in every attack and invincible in every battle, but when it came to domestic affairs, he was far inferior to Xiao He.

Deng Yu was not only responsible for marching, fighting and making suggestions under Liu Xiu's account, he also often recommended some talents to Liu Xiu who kept a low profile and bided their time.

Liu Xiu would also seek his advice when appointing and dispatching generals, so among the 28 generals in Yuntai, Wu Han, who ranked second, Jia Fu who ranked third, and Kou Xun who ranked fifth, were all appointed by Deng Yu. The factors of their recommendation were among them, and their subsequent performances also proved Deng Yu's ability to recognize people.

This guy can do what Xiao He or Zhang Liang does, and he can do it very well, but he can't do what Han Xin does. He can kill people in a battle without any talent or long-term training.

Unless you are extremely talented, like Huo Qubing, it is difficult to become a famous general, and Huo Qubing has the support of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, which is nationwide. Although Deng Yu has the support of Liu Xiu, Liu Xiu is far from unifying the country and has many enemies.

Taking advantage of the rebellion between the two major rebel armies, Red Eyebrow and Green Forest, Deng Yu was arranged by Liu Xiu to lead the army westward to attack Guanzhong. As the saying goes, the fisherman benefited from the conflict between the snipe and the clam, and he was given 2 elite troops under his command, but Deng Yu Yu's progress along the way was actually not smooth. He attacked Hedong County alone for ten days, which was full of twists and turns.

Gengshi Emperor Liu Xuan also took Deng Yu's attack seriously and sent an army of more than [-] troops led by Wang Kuang and others to besiege Deng Yu. Deng Yu suffered a major defeat and even lost his generals.

Other generals wanted to persuade Deng Yu to retreat, but Deng Yu did not agree.As a result, Wang Kuang, who was supposed to pursue victory the next day, chose to avoid the battle because the day was not good enough. It's ridiculous, the battle depends on the day. This gave Deng Yu's army, which was already in danger, valuable rest time.

When Wang Kuang attacked again the next day, Deng Yu lured the enemy deeper and did not launch the attack until Wang Kuang's army reached the military camp. He finally defeated Wang Kuang and was able to completely pacify Hedong County.

After pacifying Hedong, Deng Yu continued to march westward and successfully defeated the resistance army organized by the Gengshi regime.

However, the Red Eyebrow Army also invaded Chang'an at this time, and Lu Lin and Red Eyebrow turned against each other. In the end, Red Eyebrow won a victory.

Although Chimei defeated the Gengshi regime, the people in Guanzhong were unwilling to accept Chimei's rule because the Chimei army was too cruel to the people in Guanzhong. At this time, Deng Yujun, who had continuously won victories and had strict military discipline, became the people of Guanzhong. The longed-for ruler.

As a result, more and more people turned to Deng Yu's troops to surrender. Thousands of people came to surrender every day, and it even reached the point where it was said that "a million surrendering troops came to surrender."

At this time, Deng Yu could be said to be extremely successful and invincible.

What's even more amazing is that wherever Deng Yu went, he often stopped to pay his respects and express his condolences. Children, old and young, with white hair hanging in buns, crowded under his car. They were all grateful and happy, so Deng Yu became famous in Kansai.Liu Xiu was very happy about this and wrote several letters praising him.

Deng Yu's followers all advised him to enter the Pass and attack Chang'an directly.But Deng Yu took a cautious attitude and did not want to advance quickly, so he said to the generals: "Otherwise, although our troops are large now, there are few who can fight. There will be no savings to rely on in the front, and there will be no transfers behind. assets.

The Red Eyebrow Army had just captured Chang'an, with abundant wealth and unstoppable morale.However, thieves live in groups and have no plan for the whole day. Although there is a lot of wealth, there are many changes, how can they hold on?

The three counties of Shangjun, Beidi, and Anding are vast, sparsely populated, and plentiful in grain, rice, and livestock. We are temporarily reorganizing the army in the north, providing food and nourishing the soldiers, so as to observe the weaknesses of the Red Eyebrow Army, and then try to attack them! "

So he led the army north to Yuyi County. Wherever Deng Yu went, he defeated the red eyebrow army's other camps and defended them, and all the counties and counties opened their doors and surrendered.Zongyu, the governor of Xihe, sent his son to surrender with Deng Yu's documents from various places in hand, and Deng Yu sent him to the capital.

Many things tend to prosper and then decline. Their prosperity is also sudden, and their demise is also sudden.

Because Guanzhong was not settled and Deng Yu had not sent troops for a long time, Liu Xiu issued an edict urging Deng Yu to march to Chang'an. The edict said: "The Situ who controls Xijing is Yao; the traitor who is killed is Jie. The officials and people in Chang'an are panic-stricken. Return. We should seize the opportunity to attack, stabilize and appease Xijing, and maintain the hearts of the people."

However, Deng Yu still insisted on his previous intention. It was good for him to be steady, but it was not good to be too steady. He continued to send troops to capture the counties of Shangjun (southeast of Yulin, Shaanxi today), leaving generals Feng Min and Zongxin to guard Gouyi, and he unified the main force to pacify the north. Land (now Qingyang, Gansu and Wuzhong, Ningxia).

But Feng Min and Zong Xin fought for power, and Feng Min killed Zong Xin, so he counterattacked Deng Yu. Good guy, we haven't even fought yet, but his subordinates have rebelled?
Deng Yu saw that the situation was wrong and stationed troops in Yunyang. He immediately sent an envoy to ask Liu Xiu for advice. Liu Xiu asked the envoy who Feng Min's best friend was, and the envoy said it was Huang Fang, the protector of the army.Liu Xiu guessed that Feng Min and Huang Fang could not reconcile for a long time, so he reported back to Deng Yu and said: "The person who arrested Feng Min must be Huang Fang."

Deng Yu followed Liu Xiu's instructions and recruited Huang Fang, a good friend of the rebel general, to surrender, which eventually caused internal strife among the rebels. Huang Fang rebelled against Feng Min and captured him to plead guilty.

Although the rebellion was successfully put down, Deng Yu's military power was affected and declined.

After dealing with the civil strife, Deng Yu continued to march westward to attack Chimei, while the Chimei Army marched west towards Fufeng County because Chang'an's food and grass had been exhausted. Originally, Chang'an was within easy reach for Deng Yu, but the Chimei Army did not give up there. After purging the army, he launched a counterattack against Deng Yu.

As one can imagine, Deng Yu's army continued to suffer disastrous defeats.This is not the only bad news. In the process of recruiting Liu Jia, the king of Hanzhong, Deng Yu also killed the arrogant and rude Han Chinese Prime Minister Li Bao, which caused Li Bao's younger brother to attack Deng Yu. Deng Yu once again lost his troops and was defeated one after another. Deng Yu was defeated and fled to Gaoling.

Even his sergeants were hungry and relied on jujubes to survive.Liu Xiu then asked Deng Yu to come back, and issued an edict: "Red Eyebrow is short of food, so he will naturally come eastward. I only need to break the horse's staff and whip him to defeat him. It is not something that the generals should worry about. Don't worry about it anymore." Move the army rashly."

Deng Yu felt ashamed that he had not accomplished anything since he had been appointed. He sent hungry soldiers to fight several times, but it was often unfavorable.

The often-defeated general is well-deserved. Of course, another important reason is that his soldiers often don't have enough to eat, and he can't plunder like Chimei, so his combat effectiveness is naturally average.

I originally thought that Deng Yu's defeat would be enough to give Liu Xiu a headache, but Wang Ba on the left and Ma Wu on the right brought bad news one after another.

Seeing their hesitant words and painful expressions, Liu Xiu could only wave his hands helplessly, "Tell me, what's the bad news?"

Over the years, Liu Xiu has developed a strong heart. After all, he has been on the battlefield and climbed out of the dead. His ability and acceptance are also very good.

Wang Ba on the right was the first to speak, "Your Majesty, Deng Yu failed on the western front and was trapped by the Red Eyebrow Army. Peng Chong in Yuyang in the north rebelled."

Liu Xiu covered his head a little helplessly, and said to himself: "Send troops? Who to send to destroy him?"

Before he could finish speaking, Ma Wu on the side spoke again, "Your Majesty, it's not just that. Liu Yong and the Puyang Fifth School Army in the east are causing chaos and endangering Luoyang..."

Liu Xiu wanted to get angry for a moment, but he couldn't. He only felt his head hurting and his brain was buzzing. "It's another four-front battle at the same time. You all should go down. I'll think about it, think about it!"

Liu Xiu stood up as he spoke, perhaps too hard and almost fell down. The two people quickly supported him, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you must take care of your dragon body and put the world first."

Liu Xiu took a deep breath, "I know, I know, it's okay, it's okay, take your time, will it be worse than when you and I were chased by Wang Lang?"

Although he comforted himself in this way, he was somewhat disappointed. There were so many difficulties, especially Peng Chong's rebellion, which really hit him hard.

I think back then, when Liu Xiu was still conquering Wang Lang, Peng Chong was in the rear recruiting Youzhou cavalry and transporting grain and grass for him. The supply of materials was continuous. It can be said that he was Liu Xiu's "Xiao He". He was conscientious and hardworking.Therefore, as soon as he made some achievements, Peng Chong began to feel a little presumptuous and regarded himself as a senior. Of course, he was indeed relatively senior.

Peng Chong came from a family of officials. His father Peng Hong was the governor of Yuyang during the reign of Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty. Because he refused to rely on Wang Mang, he was killed by Wang Mang together with He Wu and Bao Xuan.

When Peng Chong was a boy, he worked as a county official in Nanyang County.During the reign of Emperor Wang Mang, the imperial court recruited outstanding people from all over the world and awarded them official titles and titles, called Yuanshi.Because of his outstanding talents, Peng Chong was recommended to Chang'an to become the Great Sikong Shi.

In April of 22 AD (the third year of the Emperor of the Earth), Peng Chong followed his general Da Sikong Wangyi to Wancheng to quell the rebellion and encircle and suppress the Chung Ling army.

After the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Kunyang, Peng Chong followed Wang Yi and fled to Luoyang (now Luoyang, Henan).While still in shock, Peng Chong suddenly heard a shocking news.

Someone told him that his brother also joined the Han army in Wancheng.Peng Chong was frightened and worried that he would be implicated, so he escaped from Luoyang with Wu Han, a fellow countryman, and went to Yuyang County to find his father Peng Hong's former subordinates in order to temporarily settle down.

Later, Xinmang was destroyed by Liu Xuan, and Gengshi Emperor Liu Xuan issued an edict appointing Peng Chong as a partial general to act as the prefect of Yuyang (acting as the prefect). He also appointed Wu Han as the magistrate of Anle County in Yuyang County, as a subordinate of Peng Chong. Down.

In this way, with Liu Xuan's letter of appointment, Peng Chong inherited his father's business and became the governor of Yuyang. Peng Chong was indeed very talented. After taking office, he organized military equipment and comforted the soldiers and civilians. Yuyang County quickly settled down.

After Liu Xiu came to Hebei, he spared no effort to support Liu Xiu. However, Liu Xiu, who was bent on moving forward, did not expect, let alone satisfy Peng Chong's ever-expanding expectations.

As a result, the greater Peng Chong's hopes, the greater his disappointment.As a result, Peng Chong, who was angry and frustrated, became somewhat dissatisfied and full of complaints.

When Liu Xiu proclaimed himself emperor, he began to reward him based on his merits and promoted him to a higher position.As a result, Wu Han and Wang Liang, Peng Chong's subordinates at that time, were ranked as the three princes due to their military exploits.

In particular, Da Sima and Wu Han, the Marquis of Guangping, both enjoyed the fiefdoms of four counties, but Peng Chong was the only one who did not make further progress at the same time and stalled.

So Peng Chong's dissatisfaction finally began to explode.

He believed that Wu Han and Wang Liang, the small county magistrates under him before, had to stand at attention, salute and be respectful when they saw him, but now they could be ranked among the three princes. Then he, an old superior and a founding veteran who had made outstanding contributions, That couldn't be worse. In the end, you seem to have forgotten me.

Therefore, Peng Chong, whose eyes were blinded by depression, confusion, and anger, firmly believed: "It was Liu Xiu who crossed the river and demolished the bridge, unloaded the mill and killed the donkey. After using himself, he forgot and put himself aside."

What's the old saying?

A chicken will not be jealous of the owner of the entire granary, but it will not tolerate another chicken pecking one more grain of rice than it.

Peng Chong had no hope of seeking a title, and felt that there was no place for heroes, so he had to manage his own one-third of an acre of land.In the northern counties, due to the destruction of the war, people's livelihood was in ruins and dilapidated.

Only Yuyang County under Peng Chong's rule did not suffer major wars and was relatively prosperous.In addition, Yuyang County is close to the sea and rich in mineral resources. During the Western Han Dynasty, a salt and iron official was set up.

Therefore, Peng Chong encouraged the counties in the county to boil salt and smelt iron, and then sell it to various places.The money from the sales was used to buy food and treasures and hoard them, and lived a very prosperous life.

In fact, at this time, although he had complaints in his heart, he had not thought about rebelling against Liu Xiu in order to unify the command and leadership of the ten counties in Youzhou. Strengthen control on the northern border."

Zhu Fu is young and promising and wants to do something in Youzhou.This conflicted with Peng Chong's ideas. Peng Chong relied on his seniority and refused to carry out the orders of his young boss Zhu Fu.

What the hell are you doing? When I took refuge with Liu Xiu, you didn’t know what you were doing?Why are you commanding me?

Moreover, Youzhou Mu Zhufu has always been arrogant and impatient, thinking that he is superior to others.He was also a scholar, so he naturally looked down on Peng Chong, who was a military general;

Peng Chong, who came from a noble family, was already unhappy and had a stubborn personality, refusing to give in even a step.This time is great, the tip of the needle is facing the wheat awn!The resentment and resentment between the two became deeper and deeper.

Zhu Fu decided to take a preemptive strike and secretly reported to Liu Xiu, many of whom were digging holes to frame Peng Chong.He said that he had gathered a large number of troops and supplies, and his intentions were difficult to predict. He suggested that Liu Xiu take action as soon as possible.

At this time, Liu Xiu's behavior was a bit puzzling and thought-provoking.

He first deliberately leaked the words of Zhu Fu's memorial to Peng Chong, letting Peng Chong know that Zhu Fu was reporting his evil intentions, and wanted to use this to coerce Peng Chong, make him fearful, and restrain himself.Finally, he issued an edict to recruit Peng Chong to the court, then comforted himself and stayed with him, and the matter was probably over.

In fact, regardless of whether what Youzhou Mu Zhufu said was a fact or a false accusation, Liu Xiu was already very dissatisfied with what Peng Chong did behind his back in Yuyang.

Think about it, as the founding emperor, if your local generals have a bad relationship with the civilian officials sent by the imperial court.

What's more important is that he also holds a large number of troops, supports them with self-respect, and hoards money and food everywhere. Does it make you worried and have trouble sleeping and eating?
Liu Xiu, who was good at using imperial power, used a combination of kindness and power towards Peng Chong, first hitting the head with a stick, knocking the mountain to shake the tiger, and then using the gentle technique of pressing first and then pulling the carrot.

Moreover, he probably also thought that it would be safer to transfer Peng Chong away from the mountain and into the court under his nose.

But what Liu Xiu never expected was that after the edict was issued, Peng Chong did not immediately implement it. Instead, Shangshu made a request, "Your Majesty wants me to go to Luoyang, but you must agree to one condition!" Youzhou Mu Zhufu can no longer continue to serve, and I want to go to the court with him to confront him!"

Liu Xiu was very unhappy after seeing Peng Chong's memorial. He thought Peng Chong was really outrageous. He actually dared to interfere in the appointment and dismissal of court officials and even bargained with himself. You are pushing your limits. How about you becoming the emperor?
Therefore, Liu Xiu sternly rejected Peng Chong's proposal and ordered him to leave immediately without delay!
Originally, Peng Chong wanted to go to Beijing with Zhu Fu and argue in front of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu. He firmly believed that he could get Liu Xiu's support and felt that as long as he made it clear, Liu Xiu would not kill him.

However, Liu Xiu only asked him to come alone, while Zhu Fu stayed in Youzhou. This suddenly made Peng Chong more suspicious. Can I make it clear?
For Peng Chong, this is an extremely sensitive and dangerous moment. He has already begun to get into trouble and cannot swallow his cowardice.

At this time, if there is a virtuous wife, she can provide guidance, guidance, comfort, and encouragement to him.

Perhaps, Peng Chong still has a chance to "stop his horse from the brink" and "turn back the prodigal son".

Too bad he didn't!

When Peng Chong was frowning, his wife spoke.This woman has a strong personality, and she feels aggrieved by her husband when she sees him being so inexplicably arrogant.

So, she privately advised Peng Chong not to go to Luoyang. She said: "If your husband goes to Luoyang for conscription, you will not only be subject to others, but your life may be in danger. How good it is to stay in Yuyang! Be an official in such a wealthy place." , What are you doing in Luoyang?!"

Not only did she fail to enlighten or persuade Peng Chong, she firmly opposed Peng Chong going to Luoyang.

Instead, Li Ling, who was dim-witted, ambitious, and extremely arrogant, persuaded Peng Chong to raise an army to betray Liu Xiu and establish a separate regime on his own before the world was finally settled.

Peng Chong was extremely shaken, but he had not yet made up his mind, but he already had the idea of ​​​​rebellion. He was going to discuss it with his cronies. As a result, everyone resented Zhu Fu and agreed that they could not go to Luoyang.

As a result, Peng Chong finally began to build troops and prepare for rebellion.

Here, Liu Xiu read the edict and issued the result. Peng Chong didn't come for a long time.He also reflected that his behavior was excessive and inappropriate, so he immediately sent Peng Chong's cousin back to Yuyang to persuade Peng Chong, hoping that he would understand his painstaking efforts and come to Luoyang to discuss state affairs with him.

However, all these remedies came too late.

It can be said that Peng Chong's rebellion was due to his own extreme behavior and Zhu Fu's fanning the flames, but Liu Xiu himself also did not handle it properly in some aspects.

Of course, Liu Xiucai had been emperor for a year or two at this time, and naturally he was not as powerful and far-sighted as he would be after more than ten or twenty years. Being an emperor also requires learning. No one is perfect, and the same is true for Liu Xiu. He is not Perfect, but he's getting close to it.

(End of this chapter)