I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 73: Spending the Night on the Dragon Bed, the Princess Sleeps with You

Under the protection of hundreds of Xiongnu warriors, Huochequan walked towards them with a free step and an arrogant look. When he glanced at Guo Da and Hu Cai, he did not hide the contempt in his heart.

Guo Da felt a sense of contempt in Huochuquan's gaze, and was immediately furious: "Where is Yu Fuluo? Why didn't he come here in person!"

Huochuquan chose to ignore Guo Da's shouting. He just found a seat and sat down casually. Then he waved the whip in his hand and replied lazily: "If it's nothing important, you can tell me the same thing. There's no need to bother my brother with everything."

bang~
Seeing Huochuquan's nonchalant attitude, Hu Cai suddenly slammed the table and stood up, glaring at him: "The imperial army has already reached Hedong. Wang Jing, the Northern Army General, is from the famous Wang family of Taiyuan in Bingzhou. Could it be that this is also a trivial matter?"

Guo Da suppressed his anger and asked coldly, "We agreed to attack Taiyuan and Hanoi together, but now we are the ones fighting. Where are you Southern Xiongnu? Are you planning to sit back and watch the fight between the Baibo Army and the imperial court, and then wait for us to lose both, and then you Southern Xiongnu will reap the benefits?"

"Haha, the imperial army is indeed a fierce tiger. As for you, Baibo, are you worthy of comparing yourselves to tigers? As for wanting the royal court to send troops to support you? Sure, as long as you can offer benefits, you will naturally be able to see the brave figures of the Xiongnu warriors on the battlefield."

Huo Chuquan looked at Guo Da and Hu Cai with a sneer on his lips. The more anxious the other party was, the more he needed to control them.

Only in this way can we squeeze more benefits from them and seek maximum interests for the Southern Xiongnu royal court. There is nothing better than taking advantage of the situation.

Guo Da also knew his own suffering at this time. He saw through Huochuquan's thoughts, but he could do nothing about it.

The people of Hedong are tough, so it is relatively easy for them to rise up against the imperial court and the aristocratic families, but the resistance among the people is often very fierce. Many people really just fight because they don't want to be convinced. Because the troops sent out by the Baibo Army to plunder suffered heavy losses, they couldn't grab many good things at all.

If I use all of it now to feed the Huns, wouldn't all my work be in vain?
Of course Guo Da was not happy!
He rebelled with his head on the line, but in the end all the benefits went to the Southern Xiongnu. What was he trying to gain?
So Guo Da threatened Huochuquan directly: "Now the Southern Xiongnu Kingdom refuses to let Yufuluo return to inherit the position of Chanyu. Without the support and assistance of our Baibo Army, you two brothers will never regain power! At worst, we will both die and part ways!"

"Hahaha!"

"why are you laughing?"

Huochuquan raised his lips, his eyes were as cold as a sword, and he stabbed Guo Da fiercely: "I am laughing at your extreme stupidity. After all, my brother and I have the noble blood of the Luanti clan. It is only a matter of time before we succeed to the throne. It is nothing more than convincing the tribal leaders one by one. Moreover, the troops we lead are all cavalry. Even if the battle situation is unfavorable, we can escape to the outside of the Great Wall at any time. Can the Han army still go deep into the grassland and Gobi to pursue us? So we can afford to delay, but you can't."

"you!"

Guo Da and Hu Cai wanted to refute, but found that their words were so powerless.

In the end, they had to grit their teeth and agree to the conditions proposed by Huochequan, handing over almost all the looted property and women, before they finally got the other party's promise to send troops.

At the same time, in Luoyang, far away on the south bank of the Yellow River, a shocking change was taking place because of Wang Jing's departure.

To the west of the city, there is Xianyang Garden.

Thirty years ago, after Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty overthrew the foreign relative General Liang Ji, he built a garden in the western suburbs outside the city.

After Emperor Ling ascended the throne, he built the West Garden and also constructed the Bigui Garden and Lingkun Garden on the banks of the Luo River in the south of the city. These two smaller palace gardens allowed him to free himself from the complicated affairs of government and relax.

However, now these palaces and gardens have basically belonged to Dong Zhuo and Wang Jing. Relying on the large number of troops they control, one occupied Xianyang Garden and the other occupied Xiyuan. They turned the royal family's things into their own, and they really did not regard the court as outsiders at all.

Today, all the wise men have gathered at Xianyang Garden, and it is obvious that something big is happening.

Dong Zhuo has recovered from his injuries and is now one of the Three Dukes. With the nourishment of his official aura, not only has he gained more fat, but his aura has also become more powerful.

As a representative of the noble family, Yuan Shao was dressed in a brocade robe, with a heroic look between his eyebrows. Facing a powerful official like Dong Zhuo, he did not say a word: "I wonder why the Minister of Works summoned us here?"

"I invited you today to discuss the matter of deposing and enthroning the emperor. The current emperor has no virtue or talent, and has no qualities that make him a ruler. I think we should support the Prince of Chenliu to ascend the throne, only then can the world be stable."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the participants were shocked.

The most taboo thing for aristocratic families is to depose the eldest son and enthronize the youngest son, because this will intensify the struggle within the family and weaken the family's power. Therefore, ambitious people always choose to enthronize the eldest son instead of the most capable one.

If there are talented descendants, the family will provide financial support, help them to become famous, or help them obtain official positions, but the inheritance of the family business must be the eldest son.

Only in this way can the stability of family inheritance be maintained.

Yuan Shao was well aware of Dong Zhuo's intention to depose and enthronize the emperor, but the interests of the Yuan family of Runan did not represent his interests. After all, Yuan Ji was the eldest son.

Liu Bian was deposed and Liu Xie ascended the throne. The ones who benefited were Yuan Wei, Yuan Ji, or Dong Zhuo. In any case, it was not Yuan Shao's turn to reap the benefits.

Seeing the crowd excited, Yuan Shao immediately came up with a plan and stood up to Dong Zhuo: "Please think twice, Sikong. I'm afraid most people will not agree with your opinion!"

Originally thought it was just a formality, but unexpectedly, the first person to jump out and oppose was Yuan Shao. Dong Zhuo, who was already secretly dissatisfied with Yuan Wei, was even more furious at this moment: "You bastard! When will it be your turn to make decisions on world affairs? I am doing it now, who dares not to follow me? Do you think Dong Zhuo's sword is not good!"

In my heart I was cursing the Yuan family for being so shameless. They made me do the dirty work and still wanted to pretend to be virtuous. This was really too much.

But Dong Zhuo had no idea that the two brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were no longer on the same page with Yuan Wei at this time.

When Yuan Shao faced Dong Zhuo, he directly retorted: "Is Dong Gong the only strong man in the world?"

Then he placed his hand on his sword Tai'a, bowed, and left.

Dong Zhuo was so angry that his three corpses jumped up and down, but he knew Yuan Shao's reputation and status. Besides, he was unsure of Yuan Wei's intention, so he did not dare to do anything to Yuan Shao for the time being. He just reported the matter of dethroning and enthroning to the Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, who immediately agreed. Yuan Shao then abandoned his post and fled to Bohai County in Jizhou overnight.

A few days later, Dong Zhuo brought up the issue of deposing and enthroning the emperor at the court meeting, and used the case of Huo Guang as an example, comparing himself to Tian Yannian.

The implication is that whoever opposes will die.

Among all the civil and military officials in the court, only the Secretary of State Lu Zhi stood up to protest. Dong Zhuo was speechless and angrily adjourned the meeting.

But the more he thought about it, the angrier Dong Zhuo became. He still wanted to find an opportunity to kill Lu Zhi, but was finally dissuaded by Cai Yong and Peng Bo. However, Lu Zhi also abandoned his official position and fled.

After Yuan Shao and Lu Zhi left, the remaining ministers all remained silent, and no one spoke out in opposition.

Imperial City, Yong'an Palace.

Queen Mother He Lian was in a state of panic. She didn't know why the situation had taken such a sharp turn for the worse in just a few months. She was no longer the queen mother who ruled the country from behind the scenes.

Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu killed all the eunuchs in the palace, and all the palace maids and servants around them were replaced by people from aristocratic families. He Lian suddenly found herself like a canary in a cage, with her life and death not in her own hands.

"I regret not listening to the advice of the Northern General."

He Lian kept wiping her tears beside the bed.

If we had known today, why bother in the beginning?
If she had been willing to follow Wang Jing's plan before, using the heads of the Ten Eunuchs to temporarily delay He Jin and prevent foreign troops from entering the capital, and then wait for Wang Jing to complete the formation of the Eight Battalions of the Northern Army so that they would have the strength to compete with the general, the situation would not have fallen to what it is today.

It’s a pity that He Lian only regretted it at this time, but it was obviously too late.

Not long after, Dong Zhuo, in front of all the civil and military officials in the court and despite the great disapproval of the world, coerced the Empress Dowager He Lian to depose the Young Emperor Liu Bian and enthrone Chenliu King Liu Xie as the emperor.

On November 1st, Shangshu Ding Gong presided over the ceremony of deposing and enthroning the emperor in the front hall of Chongde. Taifu Yuan Wei helped Liu Bian down from the throne, removed the jade seal and handed it over to Liu Xie. Liu Bian was helped down the hall and faced north to pay homage.

He choked with sobs and tears, and the ministers were filled with grief and fear, and no one dared to speak.

Two days later, Queen Mother He Lian, who had sent people to poison Liu Xie's mother Wang Rong with a cup of poisoned wine, ended her own life with a cup of poisoned wine. It was really ironic.

Ten days later, the court appointed Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou and Taiwei, who was far away in Youzhou, as the Grand Marshal. Dong Zhuo was promoted from Sikong to Taiwei, and was also the General of the Front. He was given more authority, and was granted an axe, a halberd, and tiger guards, and was further granted the title of Marquis of Mei.

Luoyang, Imperial Palace.

Without Wang Jing's restraint, Dong Zhuo completely let himself go. After deposing and enthroning the emperor and poisoning the queen mother, he could not wait to take the position of Taiwei himself and control the world's troops. But power was not enough, he also wanted to enjoy it wantonly, so he not only daringly slept on the dragon bed at night, but also slept with Liu Hong's concubines and even princesses.

Even many palace maids were given away by him at will to his subordinates.

No one knows what Emperor Ling, who is in the nine springs, should feel. It has only been half a year since his death, but his grave has almost become a green grassland, full of lush greenery.

"General, Wang Jing has marched into Puban, and the Northern Army has won victory after victory. If we don't control it, I'm afraid it will become a serious threat in the future."

The person who spoke was Zhonglang Ling Li Ru. He was originally a subordinate of Liu Bian. Now that Liu Bian was demoted to King of Chenliu, he took the opportunity to defect to Dong Zhuo and became Dong Zhuo's adviser.

Dong Zhuo felt uncomfortable when he heard Li Ru mention Wang Jing. He recalled the three arrows that had killed him. He immediately asked Li Ru for advice: "Wenyou, how can I solve this problem of Wang Jing?"

Li Ru took the opportunity to make a suggestion: "Cut off their food and grass, weaken their edge, and wait for the Baibo Army to join forces with the Southern Xiongnu. Even if Wang Jing has the ability to reach the sky and penetrate the earth, he will only be defeated."

If Dong Zhuo was a ferocious jackal, he was cruel, bloodthirsty, and had sharp claws and fangs.

Then Li Ru is a poisonous snake, and the strategy he proposed is even more vicious!
You know, even the top masters have to eat. The stronger the skills, the greater the consumption. And any army, no matter how good at fighting, once it loses logistical supplies, it will completely lose its combat effectiveness in a few days and become a weak shrimp that can be slaughtered at will.

At this time, Hedong was a big pit, which was used by Dong Zhuo and Li Ru to bury Wang Jing and the Northern Army!

"Hahaha, Wenyou's idea is brilliant!"

Dong Zhuo agreed without thinking.

This time, he wanted to kill Wang Jing.

More than ten days passed before the news of Liu Xie's ascension to the throne reached Hedong.

At the same time, news came that the Northern Army's food supply was cut off. Luoyang used the excuse of insufficient food and fodder to refuse to continue supplying military supplies.

"Death to the traitor!"

"Go back to Luoyang and destroy the thief Dong!"

"We are suppressing the rebellion at the front line, and they are cutting off our food supplies in the rear? God punish these traitors!"

The Northern Army soldiers were very excited and wanted to return to Luoyang to kill Dong Zhuo, the traitor, and vent their hatred.

Only a few relatively calm generals still maintained their rationality at this moment. The supply line was cut off, and the army would not be able to withstand a long battle relying on the food and grass they brought with them.

If this kind of thing is not handled carefully, the whole army may be wiped out.

Because Xu Huang came from a rebel background and had just joined the Northern Army, it was inconvenient for him to speak.

Zhang Liao, who had led his men to join Wang Jing in Luoyang, was old enough and had just made great contributions, so he was qualified to dissuade him: "My lord, our army is currently fighting the Baibo bandits. A hasty retreat may lead to a rout."

The map showed that the military forces of both sides were already in a state of intertwined forces. If they retreated, they would be doomed to failure.

Even if the generals can break out of the siege with their superb martial arts, will they give up the wealth they have worked so hard to accumulate?
Wang Jing also knew that he could not retreat at this moment, so he immediately made his position clear to the generals: "Don't worry, if we can't take Hedong, it will be useless even if we return to the capital. Luoyang has high walls and is well protected by formations. If we can't take it for a long time, we will become an isolated army without roots, which is tantamount to trapping ourselves in death."

"But if we don't go back, we might not have enough food and grass. Besides, my uncle and others are in Luoyang. If we don't go back, will they get into trouble?"

Wang Ling was in charge of logistics, so he naturally knew how much food the army had in stock.

In addition, Wang Yun, Wang Hong, Wang Gai and other relatives were still in Luoyang, so he was worried and afraid that something might happen.

Not only him, but more than half of the soldiers of the Eighth Battalion of the Northern Army also had their families in Luoyang.

If one situation is not handled properly, the entire army may mutiny.

So Wang Jing had two choices: to retreat or not to retreat.

Wang Jing was also a decisive person. He knew that for an army, the base was the most important. Luoyang was obviously not a good choice at that time. On the surface, there was the big warlord Dong Zhuo who acted recklessly, and privately there were also constraints from the aristocratic families. Not to mention that it was impossible to conquer it, even if it was conquered, it would be difficult to rule.

On the contrary, in Hedong, the disturbance caused by the Baibo Army caused a reshuffle of forces among various parties. As long as Wang Jing occupied it, he could immediately turn it into his stable rear base.

After thinking for a while, Wang Jing called Xun You to discuss.

Xun You did not answer directly, but talked about another matter: "Not long ago, Dong Zhuo, together with Minister of the Interior Huang Wan and Minister of Works Yang Biao, brought a letter to the court, requesting to redress the injustice of Chen Fan and Dou Wu, who were falsely accused of treason during the September coup in the first year of Jianning, and the many party members who were arrested and killed in the "Second Party Imprisonment Disaster" the following year. Your Majesty and the Grand Tutor both approved their petition, restored the titles of Chen Fan and others, and promoted their descendants to officials."

Wang Jing couldn't help but smell a hint of conspiracy: "Gongda means that Dong Zhuo and the noble families have reached a secret deal?"

Xun You shook his head: "It's not Dong Zhuo, but the Grand Tutor. This time, the ban on political parties has been lifted, and Luoyang has become the Luoyang of the aristocratic families. Even if the lord goes back, it will be difficult for him to control the situation."

Obviously, although Xun You was in Hedong, he also had a clear understanding of the situation in Luoyang City.

At this time, Dong Zhuo was obviously in cahoots with the Grand Tutor Yuan Wei. The two of them, one openly and one secretly, controlled the government. The removal of the party ban meant that people from aristocratic families could hold official positions in large numbers.

Although Wang Jing was also born into a noble family, the famous Taiyuan Wang family in Bingzhou, he was only the second son after all, so his words did not carry enough weight.

This can be seen from the fact that most of the people under Wang Jing's command come from humble backgrounds.

Under such circumstances, even if he led his army back to Luoyang and defeated Dong Zhuo, the aristocratic families would not obey Wang Jing's command, and a conflict might even break out.

Compared to Luoyang, Hedong is different.

First of all, the Wang family of Taiyuan has a strong appeal and influence in Bingzhou. Although Wang Jing is the second son, he has a large number of troops and the support of his family, so he can completely control the situation.

Xun You then analyzed the advantages of Hedong County as a base for Wang Jing: "Hedong County controls the key road between the east and the west, is rich in fine horses, and has the advantage of salt and iron. If you want to occupy this strategic location, you can attack or defend. This is a God-given foundation. Why not take it?"

"What Gongda said really struck a chord with me!"

Wang Jing had originally intended to stay, and now even Xun You agreed with him. He immediately made a decision and ordered the entire army to prepare for war, first eliminate the rebels, and then return to the court.

Many people in the army had objections, but no one dared to disobey military orders.

However, the most pressing issue at the moment is food supply. The army has only enough food to last half a month. Once there is no food, the entire army will be defeated immediately.

"My lord, at the current rate of consumption, the army's food and fodder can still be supplied for half a month. However, due to the previous surprise attacks, the Yang Yuan Dan is already seriously insufficient."

Yangyuan Pill is a pill specially made to cope with the physical exhaustion of elite troops. It is similar to a compressed military ration. Its ingredients are one pound of mutton with yam, white poria, atractylodes, Euryale ferox powder, ginseng, fennel, dried ginger, amomum villosum, green salt, licorice, black plum meat, and glutinous rice.

The armored soldiers are extremely powerful and can often defeat a hundred enemies alone on the battlefield, but their energy consumption is also huge, and ordinary food is simply not enough to satisfy them. Therefore, when they fight in long-distance raids, they often need to be equipped with a certain amount of nourishing pills.

Now that there is a shortage of Yangyuan Pills, the combat effectiveness of the elite troops will inevitably be affected.

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their eyes to Wang Jing, expecting him to solve the problem of food and grass. However, Wang Jing knew that anyone could panic at this time, except himself.

As the commander-in-chief of the entire army, he had to set an example at this time: "The food and grass problem is actually not difficult to solve. I already have a solution."

(End of this chapter)