Great Han Empire

Chapter 170

In March of the third year of Zhongping in the Han Dynasty (AD 186).

The emperor pardoned the world.

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Li Hong and his subordinates were busy preparing for the westward march to Liangzhou all day and night.

Jizhou's money, grain, and armaments were delivered one after another.

Cao Shi Weizheng, a soldier of the Zhongshan Kingdom, and Cao Fanli, a traitor under his command, rushed to Handan with [-] infantry.Soon, Zheng Xin, Wen Chou, and Zhao Yun led their troops back from Changshan, and at the same time brought back [-] infantry from Julu County and Bohai County.

The camp of the Western Expeditionary Army outside Handan City is getting bigger and bigger, and there are more and more soldiers and supplies.

Xian Yuyin, Zhang Baiqi, Zuo Yan, Huang Ting, and Fang Biao marched into the camp of the Western Expedition Army with [-] troops and the armaments provided by Youzhou.

Li Hong went far away.Seeing Zhang Baiqi, Li Hong was so elated that he almost shouted.When they got it all together, they finally got together 5 people.

Li Hong helped them up one by one, greeted each other happily, and then got straight to the point.

"My lord kept his promise and didn't abandon us. We are very grateful to your lord." Zhang Baiqi said excitedly, "My lord has never told us about all the situations. Please let me know how to deal with us."

Li Hong took Zhang Baiqi's hand affectionately and said: "Many of you must stay and follow me to the west. Those who are old, weak, sick, or have special circumstances, you should take care of them as appropriate and send them home immediately. There's no other way, I can only do this."

Zuo Yan said worriedly: "If you release the Yellow Turban captives privately, if the court finds out, the emperor will hold you accountable."

Li Hong said with a smile: "Now I don't care much about it. As long as I can take [-] troops to Xiliang, even if the court wants to hold me accountable, it will be a matter of the future. Also, if any of you are willing to go back to Taihang Mountain, just go back.

Zhang Baiqi glanced at him suspiciously, and asked, "What does your lord mean by that?"

"Zhang Niujiao died on the battlefield of Yingtao, you all know that. If some of you hate me and don't want to be with me, you can leave, and I will never stop you."

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

Li Hong said with a smile: "The journey to the west is difficult and dangerous, and the battle situation is tragic. Our Yanzhao army must be united with sincerity and unity, otherwise it will be very difficult for everyone to come back alive."

Now that the soldiers are ready, what Li Hong hopes most is that Xian Yufu who is far away in Luoyang can bring him good news.

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Xian Yufu rushed back to Handan day and night, and told the good news to all the soldiers of the Western Expeditionary Army before the imperial decree arrived.

The camp of the Western Expeditionary Army suddenly boiled.

In the large tent of the Chinese army, Li Hong and Xian Yufu sat facing each other, Yan Rou, Xian Yuyin, Yushi, Zheng Xin, Huzi and other generals sat around and listened to Xian Yufu's talk about Luoyang.

"Because the benefits outweigh the disadvantages of the amnesty, no faction in Beijing or China is opposed to it, and they all agree with it with one voice. However, the issue of our westward march and military supplies has aroused fierce debate among the various factions." Xian Yufu said with a heavy heart: "Master Liu sees the princes, ministers, and servants arguing endlessly in the court hall every day. There is no possibility of results in a short period of time, so let me come back first."

"No results in a short period of time?" Xian Yuyin asked in surprise, "If there is no result in a short period of time, do we still have to set off as scheduled as requested by the emperor?"

"Of course. Even if the imperial court didn't give us a marching route, we still have to set off. Do you want to resist the order?" Xian Yufu said, "The reason why the court is so noisy is that His Majesty has been unable to make a decision. It’s all because it touches the interests of all parties.”

"We rushed from Jizhou to Xiliang. The shortest route is to enter Shangdang County in Bingzhou from Huguan, then from Shangdang County to Hedong, then cross the Yellow River from Hedong County to Fengyi County, then to Chang'an, to Fufeng County. Everywhere we go, food and grass supplies must be provided, which is a huge expense for counties and counties. Who is willing to spend? An army of 5 people, including 10,000 horses, only consumes horse feed every day The quantity is astonishing, not to mention the rations of [-] soldiers. A county in Shangdang County in Bingzhou has a population of [-]+. Think about how many people there are in a small county in Shangdang County? There is still surplus food for us."

"The Shangdang County, Hedong County, and Fengyi County that we passed along the way, as long as they are good fields, they are almost all the private property of the rich and powerful in the capital, and they have bought them with money. The counties and counties need to produce grain. If there is no, naturally It is necessary to apportion funds to these wealthy people and ask them to donate and lend. So they are unwilling, and who is willing to lose their property for no reason?"

Everyone was silent.

"Jizhou has done its best, and we can no longer reach out to them." Li Hong thought for a while, and said, "We immediately wrote a letter, telling His Majesty that the troops have assembled, and requesting His Majesty to quickly send the marching route of the troops westward and the military supplies on the way. Supplies. If these things cannot be delivered in time, I am afraid that it will be very difficult for the army to move out as scheduled. We leave these headaches to His Majesty to deal with, what do you think?"

Everyone laughed.Li Hong turned his head and said to Zhao Yun who was sitting next to him, "Zilong, please draft a document for me according to this meaning, the words must be sincere and anxious..."

"Brother Yuxing, have you seen the emperor this time in Beijing?" Zheng Xin asked.

"I am such a small official, what qualifications do I have to meet the emperor, don't daydream." Xian Yufu continued, "Before I left Beijing, a major incident happened in the capital, Taiwei Zhang Yanzhang was dismissed."

"Why?" Yushi asked in surprise, "The emperor dismissed such a big official, did he make a mistake? Or did he offend the eunuch?"

"Master Liu said that it was because of our Western Expedition that he offended His Majesty and the Zhongchang Attendant, so he was dismissed." Xian Yufu frowned, stroked his three beards, and said slowly, "Mrs. Mr. Wei means that there are already 5 troops on the Xiliang battlefield. In order to pay for the huge expenses on the Xiliang battlefield, the imperial government has basically emptied the treasury. Now because of the defeat, another [-] troops have been recruited from the two prefectures of Youji. Go west to Liangzhou to participate in the war. Although the number of troops has only increased by [-], the expenditure of the troops has doubled. Where does this money come from? The defeat on the Xiliang battlefield is not because of insufficient numbers of troops, nor is it because of insufficient military supplies. , but because the general is incompetent, if Huangfusong who is idle at home is appointed as the commander again, the situation on the Xiliang battlefield will immediately change."

Li Hong and his subordinates all laughed.

"When the old Taiwei said this, it was clear that he was going to have trouble with Zhao Zhong, Zhang Rang and other eunuchs? It would be good if he didn't go to prison. Now the power struggle between the court and China is getting more and more fierce. If you are not careful, you will be wiped out This is really not a place for people to mess around." Yushi said angrily, "Master Liu is kind and loyal, can he stay there?"

"He is a member of the royal family, with a noble status, and he has just arrived in Beijing. He has nothing to do with any faction in Beijing, and he is very favored by the emperor." Xian Yufu smiled, "So Mr. Liu is not offended by anyone now, and he has nothing to do with Beijing. The rich and powerful get along very well and are very popular.”

"Who is the next Taiwei, have you heard in Luoyang?" Yan Rou asked.

"Master Liu said that the emperor values ​​chariot and cavalry generals Zhang Wen and Mr. Zhang. According to the law of the Han Dynasty, important ministers above the three princes must handle the government affairs in the middle of the capital and serve the emperor around. But now Mr. Zhang is in charge of suppressing the rebellion in Xiliangbian County. , if he becomes a Taiwei, he will be the first important official in my court to exercise the power of the three public officials." Xian Yufu looked at Li Hong and said, "This shows that the emperor has the favor of this person. My lord arrives in Xiliang, if I can get him Your appreciation and recommendation will certainly be more effective than winning ten battles."

The subordinates sitting around Li Hong nodded one after another.Someone immediately gave him advice on how to bribe him, how to do what he likes, and how to become a general as soon as possible.

Li Hong said angrily: "What kind of ideas are you guys coming up with? I'm a general in the middle of nowhere. Please give me some face, please. Don't talk nonsense like in the past. This is a matter of business. Don't I? Is there a way?"

Huzi asked in surprise: "My lord now knows how to bribe the powerful?"

Li Hong said bitterly: "I don't know, but I don't bother to do it. You follow me and don't do these things. If you let me know, you will look good."

"About Zuo Feng's death, are there any rumors in Beijing?" Yan Wuwei asked with a smile.

"Many people are happy, but few are unhappy. The emperor was not happy, and ordered the prefect of Wei County to find the murderer immediately. I heard that Master Lu Zhi was very excited when he heard the news. Congratulations." Xian Yufu said with a smile, "This kind of treacherous villain, death is not a pity."

"Brother Yuxing, we can see Brother Bogui when we come to Xiliang this time. Haha, this time it's his treat again." Li Hong suddenly thought of Gongsun Zan who was far away in Xiliang, and immediately laughed happily.

"We won't see him anymore." Xian Yufu said with a faint smile, "After the imperial court ordered us to be transferred to Jizhou, Master Yang of Youzhou Governor's Office wrote repeatedly, asking the imperial court to transfer Brother Bogui from the Xiliang battlefield to Youzhou. State, in order to strengthen the defense force in northern Xinjiang. The court has already approved. Brother Bogui is probably on his way back to his hometown now."

Li Hong shook his head in disappointment, and said to everyone with a smile: "I have always been looking forward to fighting side by side with Brother Bogui, but now it seems that this wish is hard to come true."

Yan Rou said with a smile: "Both of you are heroes in northern Xinjiang. You have a white horse and a black panther. You will definitely have the opportunity to fight the enemy side by side in the future. It's just that your official position is getting bigger and bigger. After Xiliang is pacified, you may be General. When that time comes, he will definitely not want to serve under your account."

"Go ahead and dream." Li Hong said with a smile, "If I were a general, all of you would at least be lieutenants, and if any of you were higher than his officer, then he wouldn't die of anger, haha..."

There was a burst of laughter in the big tent.

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In the middle of the night, the camp of the Western Expeditionary Army was brightly lit and filled with laughter.Groups of soldiers sat around the fire, laughing and talking loudly, too excited to sleep.

In order to celebrate the emperor's decree to amnesty the world, the soldiers of the Yellow Turbans were fortunately released from crimes and regained their freedom. He specially added meals and allowed the soldiers to celebrate all night.

In the large tent of the Chinese army, Li Hong leaned over and looked at the map of Xiliang.This was brought back by Xian Yufu from Luoyang, and it was specially collected by Shang Shu Ling Liu Yu for him. In addition to the detailed maps of the northwestern states and counties, there are also other related materials, and the two bags are full.

Zhao Yun led Zhang Baiqi, and Huang Ting walked in.

Li Hong hurried up to greet them, asked them to sit down, and asked with a smile: "It's so late, have you two not rested yet?"

The two of them were preoccupied, and reluctantly said a few perfunctory words, but didn't say anything.

Li Hong sighed, and said slowly: "You two came to see me late at night, do you want to go back?"

A look of shame flashed across Zhang Baiqi's face, and he nodded.

Huang Ting lowered his head, coughed a few times, and said in a low voice: "I have no martial arts, nor much knowledge, and I can't help you if you follow your lord, so..."

Li Hong nodded and said, "I understand. Is your family still there?"

"It should still be there. I guess they all followed Zhang Shuai back to the Taihang Mountains." Huang Ting said sadly, "I'm tired of fighting and killing. I can hardly bear this kind of blood. Don't worry, my lord. I won't join Zhang Shuai's Yellow Turban Army anymore. I will take my family to farm on the mountain to make a living, as long as I am safe and sound, I will be content."

Li Hong stretched out his hand to pat his arm, and said with a smile, "Then you can go back. In Fanyang, you have done many things for me and made great contributions. I want to thank you. If I am still alive in the future, I will live a good life." , come to me if you have any difficulties, after all, I owe you favors, and I will always repay you."

Huang Ting was very moved, his eyes were red, he kowtowed to Li Hong on the ground.Li Hong quickly helped him up.

(End of this chapter)