I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 11 Changes in Liangzhou

Zhang Rang gritted his teeth, bowed before Ling Emperor and said, "I am willing to dedicate many years of family property, totaling tens of millions of dollars, to your majesty, in order to regain the money of Liangzhou for Xiyuan."

Having said that, Zhang Rang shed tears in distress at the thought of those piles of copper coins leaving him. He had been embezzling and plundering for many years, and now he had lost one-tenth of his family property with just one sentence.

But Zhang Rang couldn't say he regretted it. These days, Zhang Rang could see clearly that Zhao Zhong was not lying when he said that Shi Hou was successful. Shi Hou was definitely not easy to fool. He thought it was worthwhile to exchange part of the money for Shi Hou's favor.

Emperor Ling was very moved when he heard this, especially when he saw Zhang Rang crying. He patted Zhang Rang's arm and asked: "What kind of official do you want, just tell me!"

Zhang Rang said again: "I have been favored by Your Majesty, and I am a constant servant in the middle. I cannot protect the people and the country for Your Majesty. I and other regular servants often think about how to repay Your Majesty. It is just family wealth. Why should I be reluctant to give it up for His Majesty's plan?" "

Zhang Rang didn't want to be the only one bleeding, and none of the other eleven Chang Shi could even think of running away.

With Zhang Rang's assistance, Emperor Ling reluctantly accepted Liu Bian's suggestion.

However, Emperor Ling still forced his respect and said: "If Huangfu Yizhen doesn't approve of Fu Xie's memorial, then you can't blame me for refusing to lend money!"

Liu Bian was speechless for a while. In the era of family affairs, his family had problems. He was holding on to his private money and refused to use it in key places. What kind of emperor was he?

In the end, Emperor Ling was finally persuaded, and Liu Bian continued to accompany Emperor Ling to have a banquet with the soldiers to celebrate his victory.

After half an hour, Huangfu Song hurried over.

Emperor Ling was very happy and reluctantly left the meeting to receive him.

Liu Bian thought for a while and suggested that Emperor Ling call on the new cavalry general He Miao.

In the side hall, Huangfu Song was shocked when he saw Fu Xie's memorial.

Huangfu Song immediately suggested to Emperor Ling that he immediately send troops to Hanyang County near Sanfu in Liangzhou to replenish troops and assist the prefect Fu Xie.

He gave his reasons very clearly.

Today, among the population of Liangzhou, Han people are insignificant, Qiang people are the largest, followed by the rest.

The rebellion two years ago cut off the connection between the DPRK and the Western Regions. Dunhuang County, Jiuquan County and Zhangye County in the west of Liangzhou were actually separated from the control of the Han Dynasty.

The Han people who were originally in Liangzhou either fled eastward or actively or passively joined the rebels.

Today, there are not many Han people left in Liangzhou who love the Han Dynasty. The Qiang people only act to make a profit.

Now Liangzhou's power is essentially unbalanced. The four counties of Hanyang, Anding, Longxi, and Beidi in the east of Liangzhou can be maintained mainly because the Han Dynasty repelled the rebels two years ago, plus the civil strife among the rebels.

But Geng Bi gathered the few defensive forces from several counties in eastern Liangzhou to fight an almost unwinnable battle.

Once Geng Bi showed his defeat, the Han Dynasty lost power in Liangzhou, and with the deployment of troops, the city defense was empty. Those Qiang people who were originally neutral would inevitably join the bandits when they saw the opportunity to plunder.

In short, Huangfu Song supported Fu Xie's view and was even more pessimistic.

Huangfu Song also believed that Geng Bi would fail. By then, not only would there be problems with Longxi County and Beidi County in Liangzhou that had been recaptured by the Central Government, but also in Hanyang County and Anding County, which the Liangzhou rebels had failed to capture when they invaded Sanfu. Counties would also be in danger.

Hanyang County and Anding County serve as barriers between Chang'an and the Hexi Corridor. Hanyang County is the closest. Once Hanyang falls, Liangzhou rebels can march into Sanfu at any time and threaten Chang'an.

Chang'an is the ancient capital of the Han Dynasty, and further east is Luoyang.

Emperor Ling had already been persuaded by Liu Bian and Zhang Rang. Although he still felt that Huangfu Song was suspected of being alarmist, he still decided to send troops to Hanyang County as Huangfu Song suggested as an advance scout to prevent any unexpected events. After that, Hanyang County will be used as the starting point to ensure the security of the three counties of Longxi, Anding and Beidi that are already under the control of the Han Dynasty.

There is no doubt that Huangfu Song, who knows Liangzhou best, is the most suitable candidate to lead the army.

According to Huangfusong's prediction, the situation in Liangzhou was already critical at this time, and reinforcements from the DPRK must arrive as soon as possible.

Most of the garrison in Sanfu were more than capable of defending the city but not aggressive enough. Only Dong Zhuo, who guarded You Fufeng, had more cavalry.

However, most of Dong Zhuo's cavalry were Huangzhong Yicong and the Huns. The rebels grew bigger two years ago because the Huangzhong Yicong who went to suppress them joined the rebellion. Neither Ling Emperor nor Huangfu Song felt comfortable letting Dong Zhuo lead his troops alone to support them. Hanyang County, let alone Liu Bian.

Therefore, the army that has just returned victoriously is the best candidate. It has achieved great success within half a month of the expedition, and it has just received the reward, so its morale is high.

Elites were selected again and headed to Hanyang County as forwards.

The next question is who will lead the army. The forwards need to travel long distances, so it is best to choose young and middle-aged generals.

He Miao immediately stood up and recommended Liu Bei.

It has to be said that military merit is the best way to get promoted. Liu Bei had made great achievements in battle, but the formal process of promotion had not yet been completed.

He Miao mainly attributed the victory of capturing the bandit leader alive to Liu Bei. His official position would be between a school captain with a rank of two thousand dan and an army commander with a rank of 1,000 dan.

Even though the difference between two thousand shi and one thousand shi seems to be twice that much, in fact the difference is not that big. From the salary point of view, it is only the difference between one hundred dendrobiums per month and eighty dendrobes per month. There is a difference of one month between them. Ninety dendrobium and one thousand stone.

Of course, it is by no means simple for ordinary people to cross these two levels.

In fact, Liu Bei's qualifications were still relatively low, but considering that he was recommended by He Miao and that he was Lu Zhi's disciple, Emperor Ling directly assigned Liu Bei an official position - a riding captain with a rank of two thousand stones.

As a reference, the rank of the prefect of a county is two thousand stones, which is only one level higher than Liu Bei. Liu Bei can be said to have reached the sky in one step.

The emperor made a decision, and with the cooperation of Lu Zhi, who had a strong say in the Chancellery, Liu Bei soon received a summons from the emperor.

Not to mention Liu Bei's inner joy, the next day, he set out with two selected eight-piece elites, totaling 1,600 people. One man and two horses, leaving behind unnecessary baggage, they all ate in the counties they passed before leaving Liangzhou.

These 1,600 men are definitely the elite of the Han Dynasty army. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei also became military commanders with a rank of 600 shi for their bravery in suppressing the rebellion. Convinced.

However, Liu Bei ultimately failed to become the leader of these two troops.

Huangfu Song's nephew Huangfu Li also knew a lot about Liangzhou and had worked with Fu Xie, the prefect of Hanyang. Huangfu Li was always by his side when Huangfu Song led the army. Compared with Liu Bei who didn't know Liangzhou, Huangfu Li was undoubtedly more suitable.

Therefore, Huangfu Li was also promoted to General Zuo Zhonglang by the front line to lead the army.

By the time the vanguard arrived at Youfufeng along the Weishui River, Liu Bei and Huangfu Li had already become brothers.

Both of them are loyal to the king and carry their own expectations.

The marching speed was just as Huangfu Song had imagined. Although there were occasional cries of distress, the two chief officers, one master and one deputy, took the lead and comforted the soldiers every night when they set up camp, so their morale did not weaken much.

But no one expected that the situation in Liangzhou would be far more corrupt than Huangfusong expected.

(End of this chapter)