Great Han Empire

Chapter 195
"Zuo Sima, does Li Zhonglang have any suggestions?" Zhang Wen asked with a pleasant face.

"Li Zhonglang believes that Beigong Boyu cannot be killed, and all the captives belong to the Qiang people, let alone killed." Zuo Yan said slowly and forcefully.

Zhang Wen frowned slightly, and exchanged glances with his staff, everyone looked cautious, no one spoke, and listened to the following.

Zuo Yan looked at Zhang Wen, and continued: "Master Taiwei, Li Zhonglang believes that although we wiped out the 5 horses of Beigong Boyu, it did not bring any substantial help to the current situation in Xiliang. If we want to completely put down the Xiliang rebels, it will be very difficult."

Zhang Wen's expression suddenly became serious.Sangyang and Tao Qian looked at each other, and they both felt that Li Hong was a knowledgeable, clear-headed man who knew the situation in Xiliang very clearly.

"Li Zhonglang believes that when the rebel army is weak, they must avoid our main force, either continue to enter the Qiang west, or go north to the desert. If we want to completely annihilate the rebel army, we have to travel thousands of miles and continue to hunt. If The rebel army entered the Qiang from the west, and they had the support of the Hu people, so it was even more difficult for us to fight; if the rebel army went north to the desert, we would have to chase for thousands of miles, and it became impossible to wipe out the enemy.”

"In addition, once the 10,000+ army starts an expedition, the most serious problem is the supply of food and grass. The terrain of Xiliang is complex, with mountains in the south, desert in the north, and the Yellow River in the middle. The road is very difficult. Xiliang has a vast territory. There are thousands of miles from south to north, and thousands of miles from east to west. In this environment, the transportation of grain and grass is not only difficult, but also extremely vulnerable to attack. Once the troops run out of food, they will face disaster. Thousands of miles away, If you want to run, you can’t come back.”

"Therefore, Li Zhonglang believes that it is safer to suppress the rebellion in Xiliang first and then subdue it, so as to avoid the rebel army entering the Qiang west and going north to the desert. That is to say, if we cannot completely wipe out the rebel army within a period of time , the best way is to use Beigong Boyu's influence in the Xiliang rebels to appease the rebels, so as to end the Xiliang war as soon as possible."

Zhang Wen smiled slightly, thinking, this idea coincides with mine.However, this method of suppressing first and appease later, how can it be played so that His Majesty can accept it?
Zhang Wen thought of the problem of food and grass, and thought that there was only more than a month left to wipe out the enemy, and he couldn't help but feel a little fear in his heart.If at the beginning of July, the rebels in Xiliang are still not wiped out, what fate will be waiting for him?

He looked at Zuo Yan and asked, "What does Li Zhonglang think about the situation in Xiliang?"

Zuo Yan pondered for a while, and said slowly: "Under the careful planning and command of the Taiwei, we wiped out Beigong Boyu, and the rest is to defeat Qianghu June Jinglei and the rebel leader Bian Zhang The Qiang and Hu cavalry led by Jinglei in June can flee far outside the Great Wall at any time, and Bian Zhang's troops can also retreat across the Yellow River and hold on to Jincheng. If our army enters the entire line and launches a fierce attack immediately, the enemy will definitely retreat in great strides. Seek opportunities to defeat us. Therefore, Li Zhonglang believes that the troops marching westward to Liangzhou should deal with the enemy in Hanyang County, which is the closest to Chang'an. This will not only avoid the problem of unsafe long-distance transportation of grain and grass, but also prevent the army from going far to the border counties. The danger that may arise when attacking the enemy."

Zhang Wen nodded appreciatively, and then said to Sang Yang and Tao Qian: "Li Zhonglang's statement is very reasonable. You add this to the document sent to the front-line armies, and warn the front-line generals not to go deep into the border county easily, so as not to cause serious damage. The food and grass were not enough, and they were injured by the rebels instead."

Sangyang and Tao Qian repeatedly agreed.

Zhang Wen then said to Zuo Yan: "After Zuo Sima returned to Duyang, he told Li Zhonglang that regarding the issue of Beigong Boyu and the prisoners, let's do as he wants for the time being."

Zuo Yanxi said: "Master Taiwei agrees?"

"I agree, you don't want to kill for the time being, everything will be discussed after His Majesty's ruling." Zhang Wen said, "You tell Li Zhonglang, I hope he will solve the matter of Du Yang and Li Wenhou as soon as possible, and then quickly lead his troops to Liangzhou. Hurry up, Must be fast."

Zuo Yan hurriedly agreed and left the table to pay his respects.Sang Yang then sent Zuo Yan out of the government office.

Zhang Wen saw that Sangyang was seeing off his guests, and immediately said to him and Tao Qian: "As for the suggestions on how to deal with the Beigong Boyu and the Xiliang rebel prisoners, you and several other officials have put together a total of the reasons, and you have fully thought about the reasons. One point, write a detailed memorial and send it to Luoyang in the name of Li Zhonglang. What do you think?"

Sang Yang was secretly surprised, and said cautiously: "My lord, Li Zhonglang is a humble official, this memorial may not be able to be sent to His Majesty. If the treacherous eunuchs in the court want to frame Li Zhonglang, they can use this memorial to slander Li Zhonglang." If you sympathize with the rebels and collude with the rebels, then Li Zhonglang will be in big trouble."

A trace of sarcasm flashed in Tao Qian's eyes, and he said with an unfriendly expression: "Master Taiwei, with Li Zhonglang's official position, he has no right to intervene in this matter at all. His memorial is handed over, to put it bluntly, it is a letter of remonstrance by leapfrogging. If His Majesty Long Yan was furious, and Li Zhonglang was likely to be convicted and dismissed. At this critical moment, if something happened to Li Zhonglang, it would be a huge blow to the morale of the Xiliang counter-insurgency army. Your Excellency, you should think twice. .”

Zhang Wen chuckled, and said in a low voice: "Sir Liu Yuliu, the emperor's minister, is very fond of Li Zhonglang. He will not only pass this memorial to His Majesty for imperial reading, but also ensure that Li Zhonglang will benefit from it. Do you believe me or not?" of?"

Sang Yang and Tao Qian looked at each other suspiciously.

"Master Jing Zhao Yin Gai Xun Gai is deeply favored by the emperor, do you know this?" Zhang Wen asked.The two nodded.

"The emperor and Mr. Gai often have secret exchanges, do you know?" Zhang Wen asked again.Sangyang and Tao Qian exchanged an unbelievable look and shook their heads.

Zhang Wen stroked his beard and said with a smile: "The emperor is a very strange person. He doesn't know why he values ​​Lord Gai so much? Ever since Lord Gai took office in Jing Zhaoyin, when the emperor encountered difficulties, he always wrote a letter of seal, and then sent a quick The horse was sent to Chang’an to consult Lord Gai’s opinion, and it is said that he obeyed his words and trusted him very much. Lord Gai told me more than once that the emperor appreciated Li Zhonglang very much, and he was called a hero of the Han Dynasty in the edict several times.”

"About how to solve the Xiliang problem once and for all, I have discussed with Lord Gai, Lord Geng, governor of Liangzhou, and Lord Fu, prefect of Hanyang many times, and mentioned it obliquely in various memorials, but the emperor has never given a clear attitude. The emperor also issued an edict several times to Mr. Gai to inquire about the solution to Xiliang. Mr. Gai learned the lesson of Mr. Huangfu's outspoken and strong remonstrance to annoy the emperor. Instead of answering directly, he quoted the scriptures and made insinuations. The emperor seems to have understood a lot recently. , the tough attitude towards the rebels has changed."

"If this memorial is submitted in my name, it will definitely have no effect, and the emperor will immediately become suspicious of me. Not only can I not solve any problem, but I will also cause a whole lot of trouble."

"Li Zhonglang has just defeated the rebel army, wiped out [-] enemies, and captured the leader of the rebel army alive. He has made great achievements in battle. The emperor must have praised him very much and is extremely gracious. If you recommend Li Zhonglang's memorial in my name at this time, Coupled with the persuasion of Lord Gai and Shangshu Lord Liu to the emperor, this matter will be successful in all likelihood. Even if the emperor disagrees, because Li Zhonglang has just made great achievements and the emperor is in a good mood, he may not punish Li Zhonglang."

Zhang Wen asked with a smile: "What do you two adults think of my method?"

Sangyang and Tao Qian looked at Zhang Wen with admiration and nodded repeatedly.

===

In Duyang's camp, Li Hong led Sima Zuoyan on the march, assassinated Weizheng, scouted Sima Zhengxin from the battalion, and Sima Tianzhong from the Bingcao camp to visit Beigong Boyu.

Xian Yufu, Wei Zheng, Zheng Xin, and Tian Zhong all visited Beigong Boyu, chatted with him, asked about the situation, and generally didn't say much.Beigong Boyu was seriously injured at that time, he lost a lot of blood, and almost died, but he was in good health, and under the careful treatment of the doctors, his injuries gradually improved and his body began to recover.

After Zuo Yan came back, Li Hong was very happy to learn that Taiwei had agreed with him on how to deal with the rebel prisoners. He immediately called a few people and hurried to find Beigong Boyu.

Li Hong greeted him a few words, and immediately cut to the chase, asking him if he would surrender.

Although Beigong Boyu was grateful to the Han army for saving his life, he instinctively refused Li Hong's request.He would rather beheaded.

Li Hong said with a smile: "If you can solve the problem of the Xiliang rebels by beheading you alone, I will not come to you. If I kill you, I will kill all your subordinates. Now I have There are more than 5000 captives, and they all have to be buried with you, what do you say?"

Beigong Boyu bowed his head and remained silent.

"Your brother Li Wenhou and 5000 people are surrounded by us in Duyang City. Now they rely on killing horses to satisfy their hunger. How many days? Doesn’t General Beigong think of a way out for them?” Li Hong said with a smile.

Beigong Boyu sneered and said: "I surrendered, will Li Wenhou surrender? Will Lao Bian and Mr. Wen Yue surrender? Will the tens of thousands of brothers in Xiliang surrender? We surrendered, Can the emperor forgive us today? Can Master Li guarantee that the Xiliang government will not settle accounts with us in the future?"

Li Hongwei smiled and said: "If you surrender, they will follow in your footsteps and surrender immediately, because you are one of the leaders of the Xiliang rebel army, and you are very influential in the hearts of the soldiers of the Xiliang rebel army. Why do you Guarantee that they will not surrender? You have surrendered, why didn’t the emperor pardon you? Why did the emperor have to kill you? Does he hope that all the rebels in Xiliang will have the determination to fight to the death? Killed by you, who will dare to provoke you in the future government?"

Beigong Boyu didn't make a sound.

Li Hong glanced at him and continued: "Before you rebelled, there were batches of corrupt officials in Xiliang, but the people could still survive. After you rebelled, there were no corrupt officials in Xiliang, but the people of Xiliang But many died, is this the purpose of your rebellion?"

Beigong Boyu yelled bitterly: "If the court hadn't cut off the aid, how could the people of Xiliang starve to death?"

"You rebelled in Xiliang, but you want the court to continue to provide money and food. How can there be such a thing in the world? How can there be such an emperor?" Li Hong said with a smile, "You don't oppose the Han, you don't want to be today, you just want to kill You are just corrupt officials in Xiliang. Now that your goal has been achieved, why are you still rebelling? Why don’t you surrender? Are you not only going to kill all the corrupt officials in Xiliang, but also all the innocent people in Xiliang? How come you are not against the big man, against the emperor?"

Beigong Boyu didn't know how to refute Li Hong's words, and was speechless.

"But your army has been beating us?"

"You occupied most of Xiliang's counties in the first half of last year. When General Huangfu led his troops into Xiliang, why didn't you surrender? You still occupied most of Xiliang's counties in the first half of this year. The emperor decreed , Amnesty, why don’t you surrender? We beat you? I think you are completely rebellious, want to monopolize Xiliang and dominate?”

Beigong Boyu shouted loudly: "We have absolutely no such intentions."

"Then why didn't you surrender? Why did you unite with the Qiang Hu outside the Great Wall to attack Chang'an? You proclaim everywhere that you support the Han Kingdom and the present day, so why do you still unite with the Hu people to attack the people and land of the Han Kingdom?"

Beigong Boyu was at a loss for words.He remembered what the old man said to himself years ago.The old side said that when the time is right, it is best for the troops to surrender to the court.At that time, I and Li Wenhou were very angry and immediately quarreled with him.Why don't you want to surrender?Vaguely, he felt that he wanted to be the overlord who could do whatever he wanted in Xiliang.Lao Bian and Mr. Wen Yue were both forced to rebel by themselves. They thought that after killing all the corrupt officials in Xiliang, everyone could surrender and go home to live a peaceful life.But after I had tens of thousands of troops in my hands, my thinking changed. I was no longer a rough man who drew his sword to face each other for a trivial matter.

The old side may be right.Beigong Boyu thought.It is time to surrender.He glanced at Li Hong, smiled wryly and said, "Will the Son of Heaven forgive us?"

Li Hong smiled and said: "As long as you promise to surrender to the Taiwei, the emperor will definitely pardon you and your subordinates. As long as you don't rebel, Xiliang will be stable, the imperial court will come in, and the people will be able to survive. Will the emperor fail to see such an obvious benefit?"

"Killing you and your subordinates is of no benefit. It will instead arouse the hatred of the imperial court among other rebels and the people of Xiliang, which will intensify the rebellion in Xiliang. If you surrender, you and your subordinates will be pardoned Now, Old Bian, Han Sui and their subordinates have seen the sincerity of the emperor and the court, and will continue to surrender, and Xiliang will calm down soon."

Beigong Boyu looked at the top of the tent and remained silent.

Zuo Yan, Wei Zheng, Tian Zhong, Zheng Xin and others also persuaded him with sincere words.

"I know you have concerns. Now there is no emperor's pardon decree. What I say is useless, but you can do one thing, at least do your best for your brother." Li Hong saw that Beigong Boyu had never He made a sound without nodding his head in agreement, so he had no choice but to settle for the next best thing.This is also the main purpose of him personally coming to persuade Beigong Boyu to surrender.

Beigong Boyu smiled helplessly, and said, "If your lord believes me, send me to the city, and I will discuss it with Li Wenhou."

Li Hongda waved his hand and said happily, "Okay, he's a man."

Beigong Boyu was carried into Duyang City by eight Qianghu soldiers.

Three days later, Li Wenhou surrendered.

Li Hong entertained them for a meal in the camp, and the main generals of both sides on the Linghe battlefield were basically present.

Li Wenhou was very unconvinced, thinking that if his troops were not attacked by Li Hong's cavalry, with his own cavalry, he could completely defeat Li Hong's infantry phalanx.

Li Hong said with a smile: "All my infantry were recruited from the yellow turban soldiers who were demobilized after the amnesty. It only takes more than half a month to train this infantry phalanx. If they train for half a year or a year, they will be able to skillfully Cooperating and changing formations are enough to make your [-] cavalry all serve."

Nie Xiao shook his head and said in disbelief: "Although the lack of training of the soldiers is one reason, the serious loss of your army is not unrelated to the bravery of our Qiang soldiers."

Gao Lan glared at him fiercely, and said loudly, "Although the Qiang people are fierce, they still let me kill them."

Li Wenhou sneered and said, "Next time you meet Baima Qiang who is thundering in June, or Xian Ling Qiang who is stormy and sandy, you can try again."

Li Hong asked: "Are they very powerful?"

Beigong Boyu sighed and praised: "Ten times better than me."

Three days later, Li Hong led his troops and escorted the prisoners, left Duyang, and rushed to Meiyang City.

Bao Hong, the captain of Youfufeng County, and Xin Zeng, the captain of Jingzhao Prefecture, came out of the city with 5000 troops to pick them up.They were ordered by Master Taiwei Zhang Wen to take over the task of escorting the prisoners to Huaili City.

At the same time, Bao Hong brought the handwritten letter from the Taiwei to Li Hong.

Zhang Wen asked Li Hong to lead the whole army to rush to Hanyang County, Liangzhou immediately without delay.

===

(End of this chapter)