Great Han Empire

Chapter 212
Li Hong led Fengyun cavalry back to Pingxiang camp.

Xian Yufu led the generals to welcome them out of the camp.After exchanging greetings, Qu Yi asked, "My lord, how did General Dong break through?"

Li Hong was pulling Zuo Yan to ask about his injuries.Zuo Yan was severely beaten by Cheng Qiu, and it is still inconvenient to move.

Li Hong smiled and said to the crowd: "You must not have imagined that General Dong used the cofferdam to break through. Ever since General Dong's army was short of food, the soldiers went to the cofferdam of the Weishui River to fish. General Dong probably Thinking of a way to break out of the encirclement, he ordered his soldiers to build a large cofferdam on the Weishui River overnight, cut off the river, and then quickly led the army across the river under the weir. It was not until the next day that Qiang Hu discovered that General Dong's camp had It was empty."

Li Hong looked at the generals who showed admiration, and said with a smile: "General Dong is worthy of being a veteran who has experienced many battles. Even when the army is in a desperate situation, he is still calm in the face of danger and calmly deploys strategies. It is convincing sigh."

"Who is Fatty Dong?" Qu Yi said with a smile, "He has been in Xiliang for decades, when has he ever suffered? June Jinglei surrounded him several times, and he escaped several times. It is estimated that June Jinglei will die Died. If you have a chance to encounter Jinglei in June, you must humiliate him."

Fist said unconvinced: "General Dong's smooth escape has a lot to do with our invasion of the enemy camp for several nights in a row. Without our containment and cover, he led more than 3 people to build weirs in the river. Qiang Hu Can you not know?"

Li Hong smiled and said: "Of course, Fengyun Iron Cavalry has contributed a lot, and it must be rewarded with great rewards." Then he said to Qu Yi and other subordinates, "The thunder in June was very powerful. After he discovered that General Dong's army had broken through during the day, he unexpectedly Stay calm and prepare to surround and annihilate us at night."

"What happened next?" Zheng Xin asked hastily.

"General Dong has a problem with us." Fist said dissatisfiedly, "He told Captain Huangfu who had been leading the army around the west of Wangyuan, but he didn't tell us. Fortunately, Captain Huangfu sent someone to contact us to retreat, so we could Know that General Dong has already led his troops to break through, otherwise we will be miserable at night."

Li Hong waved his hand at his fist and said with a smile, "Okay, okay, don't be suspicious, maybe he sent someone, but he didn't find us. Our whereabouts are uncertain, and it's hard to find."

Everyone knew it well, and everyone was angry.Although Li Hong did not lead his troops to attack Qianghu head-on to rescue him, at least Li Hong arrived near Wangyuan in time to contain the Qianghu army's attack on him.Not only was Dong Zhuo not grateful, but he deliberately framed him, which is too much.

Hu Zi cursed a few words, but was kicked lightly by Yan Rou immediately.Hu Zi looked at Xu Rong standing beside him, and quickly shut his mouth.Xu Rong and Qu Yi looked at each other, knowing that Dong Zhuo hated Li Hong.Those who are held grudges by Dong Zhuo will suffer bad luck, it seems that they haven't seen anyone who takes advantage of Dong Zhuo.With worried eyes, they looked at Li Hong who was standing among the generals, talking and laughing happily.Li Hong didn't seem to take this matter to heart at all, and smiled very happily.

He waved his big hand and shouted: "The war in Xiliang is about to end, we are going back to Jizhou."

"Everyone go back to camp, back to camp."

==
The first thing Li Hong did when he returned to Daying was to visit Zhou Shen.

Because Tian Zhong sent a batch of medical craftsmen and medicinal materials to the Pingxiang camp in time, Zhou Shen's injuries were brought under control.The pain is gone, and the mood is naturally much better.

Li Hong first reported to him how Dong Zhuo led his troops to break through the siege, then explained the reason why he took the initiative to attack the corrupt officials in Xiliang, and finally talked about the upcoming withdrawal of the Western Expeditionary Army from Xiliang.

Zhou Shen was very surprised.

"My son, how do you know that we are about to withdraw? The Xiliang rebels are still occupying Jincheng County. It will take some time to completely suppress the rebels. How could they withdraw?"

"The national treasury is already empty, and we have no military expenses this month." Li Hong said, "Master Taiwei knew about it some time ago, but he kept it from us for fear of disturbing the morale of the army. Lord Sang rushed to Shehu Valley to look for me for this matter. Lord Taiwei urgently needs this confiscated money to tide over the difficulties. Now that Lord Taiwei has such a small amount of money in his hands, it is very difficult to maintain the daily expenses of the Western Expedition Army. It is said that crossing the Yellow River to continue to suppress the bandits. I guess we will go back in a few days."

Zhou Shen was speechless for a long time.

"Is the Great Han State so poor?" Li Hong sighed, "The Great Han State has a population of more than 5000 million. Could it be that it can't even support an army of 10,000+?" There are hundreds of millions of dollars in property. The bureaucrats in my Han country are so rich, how can the country be so poor?"

"That's because the country's money has been pocketed by these people." Zhou Shen said with a wry smile, "In the past few years, there have been more rebellions and more wars, and the fields in war-torn lands have become more barren. There are more bureaucrats than there are loaches crossing the river, so it is normal for the treasury to be empty. In October, after the autumn harvest, the states and counties begin to pay taxes, and the treasury will have income."

"In October, we all went home. I hope the people of Xiliang will have a better life this year." Li Hong laughed.

Zhou Shen frowned deeply, and asked suddenly: "Minister, if you hadn't been the first to attack the corrupt officials in Xiliang and dug out a sum of money, what would Mr. Taiwei do now? We have so many troops in Xiliang without military pay, no Grain and grass, what will happen in the end? Is there no emergency solution for Mr. Taiwei? Are you... being...?"

Li Hong was taken aback.He then thought about what had happened recently in his mind and shook his head.

"I suppressed corruption in Xiliang, and directly offended the traitors in the court, which did a lot of harm to Lord Taiwei. Now I am his subordinate. Although I did all these things, the traitors in the court will He thinks it was Master Taiwei who instructed him, so how can he get away with it? The general is overthinking. Maybe Master Taiwei has a better way to get through the difficulties." Li Hong glanced at Zhou Shen quietly, and said cautiously, "It's just that I acted recklessly. I am very sorry for causing the current situation of wanting to stop and riding a tiger, which made Lord Taiwei and General Zhou difficult."

Zhou Shen glanced at him, and said dissatisfiedly, "It's not just embarrassing, it's life-threatening. I'm better. Your Majesty and the general will protect me. But the Taiwei was passive. He belongs to the bureaucratic line of the family. There are many students and old officials, and the students of the Taixue also respect him as a teacher. If he is raped and beaten this time, he is a party member. If the investigation continues, at least tens of thousands of people will be involved, and the disaster will be great. So , Mr. Taiwei has been conniving you to continue to make trouble, there is a lot in it..." Zhou Shen looked at him and said seriously, "You'd better think about it carefully and see how this matter ends. Don't let others take advantage of you. In the end, not only I lost my life, and even my subordinates suffered.”

Li Hong's face changed color, and he was speechless for a while.

"My people, think about it, the imperial court has no money to support Xiliang's rebellion, and the consequences must be very serious. My army is small, and I can quickly withdraw to Luoyang. But what about you? You have three or four thousand miles to go back to Jizhou , You have more than 3 soldiers, and [-] of them are barbarians. What do you do? You have no way out except to lead them to rob in Xiliang. Now you are robbing by doing so, and robbing in advance. Now Xiliang The Liang rebels are still at ease west of the Yellow River, but we are helpless and powerless. Who will bear this responsibility? Your Majesty? Will His Majesty admit that the treasury has no money? Will he believe that the treasury has no money?"

Li Hong shook his head.He hasn't thought about it that much.

Zhou Shen had no expression on his face, his mouth was tightly shut, and he looked at the ceiling of the big tent.After a pause, he continued: "Of course the Taiwei, Yuan Pang and Gai Xun should bear the responsibility for defeating the rebellion in Xiliang. The three of them will inevitably end up in the same end, that is, they will be dismissed after a long battle without success. "

"Just when they were in a state of desperation, you jumped out and caused this unmanageable situation. Although you did it alone, the entire Western Expedition Army, especially the Taiwei Mansion who commanded the Western Expedition Army, However, they completely offended the traitor party, and the two sides have become in conflict. Xiliang has always been the sphere of influence of the traitors in the court, and most of the bureaucrats in Xiliang are their former students and clan children. The emperor favors me, once the emperor believes their slander, the Taiwei and the others will die."

"In this case, the three of them may join forces to gather Qingliu party members, wealthy families, and Xiliang scholars, and then rely on your strength, Xiliang's serious illness, and take a desperate fight against the treacherous eunuchs. If If they win, the eunuchs will be killed, if they lose, they will be purged, but you and your subordinates cannot escape the fate of being killed, what will you do at this time?"

Li Hong was stunned.His mind was in a mess, his hands clenched into fists involuntarily, and a murderous look appeared in his eyes.

Zhou Shen glanced at him coldly, a hint of sarcasm flashed in his eyes, and whispered, "You will rebel."

Li Hong was shocked, and instinctively replied: "Impossible, I am a man of the people, how can I rebel."

"Hmph..." Zhou Shen sneered, "You don't rebel? These Xiliang generals, especially that Qu Yi, are arrogant and arrogant. He will wait for the traitor to cut his neck with a knife? Your situation Iron cavalry, all barbarians, they will watch you die?"

"I will not rebel." Li Hong looked at Zhou Shen and said firmly.

Zhou Shen looked at him coldly, with a murderous look on his face, "Okay, you don't rebel, that's okay. Then if Lord Taiwei asks you to lead your troops out of Tongguan and enter Luoyang in the name of being on the side of the Qing emperor, and entering Luoyang, you going or not?"

Li Hong was speechless.

"Aren't you going? This is the last chance, the last chance to save your own lives; this is also the best way, the best way to eradicate the traitors in the court."

Li Hong's face was red, his ears were red, his heart was in a mess, he was at a loss for a while, and he sat in a daze.

Zhou Shen lay on the sickbed, looking at the gray-black tent, silent.There was silence in the military tent.

==
Recently, because Li Hong was afraid of being framed by a traitor, he took the initiative to attack, arrested a large number of corrupt Xiliang officials, and set foot in Xiliang officialdom.Li Hong had been in contact with these bureaucrats a lot, and he felt physically and mentally exhausted.These people are especially good at saying that whether it is Fu Xie, the governor of Hanyang, or Shi Sangyang, the governor of Taiwei, they are all eloquent and eloquent.When Li Hong talked to them, his head became dizzy.Now he doesn't know who to listen to, who's approach is right, who's saying is true, and he doesn't know what to do to protect himself and his subordinates to the maximum extent.

Li Hong had no direct knowledge of the crimes committed by the eunuchs, and he had only heard about it but never seen it with his own eyes. He even only came into contact with the eunuch once, which was Zuo Feng who was killed by him in a fit of anger.Some of the things he is doing now are based on intuition, and some are based on Fu Xie's hints. They are all taking one step at a time, without any specific purpose, nor a clear goal.He never thought that he did this for the people of Xiliang, for the sake of punishing corrupt officials in Xiliang. His real purpose in his heart was to bring his subordinates back to Lulongsai alive.

Zhou Shen's words made Li Hong suddenly feel that he was too naive.Because of a moment of anger, I recklessly arrested and killed people, without considering the consequences of my actions on other people, let alone thinking about the problem from the perspective of Luoyang, Taiwei's Mansion, and Xiliang.I am too naive.He was nervous and frightened, and a chill came down his back.

Li Hong thought for a long time, and finally figured out a clue.He looked at Zhou Shen, was very convinced, and said with admiration: "General, I have been educated."

Zhou Shen turned to look at him and said, "It's good that you understand."

"General, if we leave the customs and enter Luoyang, the world will be in chaos." Li Hong said respectfully, "This official is stupid, please give me some pointers."

A smile appeared on Zhou Shen's thin long face. He nodded slightly and said, "Why do the traitor party and the noble party fight endlessly? It's nothing more than power. Whoever is in charge of the government can do whatever he wants. It doesn't matter if your relatives are in power. It doesn’t matter if a traitor is in power or a family member is in power, it’s nothing more than to get promoted and make a fortune. How many of these people are for His Majesty’s country, for the community of the world?”

Li Hong listened quietly and nodded repeatedly.

"Who among these people is not a corrupt official? Who is not stealing hooks and stealing the country? Who is not selling officials and nobles? Who is not doing harm to the country and the people? There is no one good thing, they are all the same breed."

"This country is His Majesty's country, this money is His Majesty's money, and we are all His Majesty's subjects. How can I tolerate such a man who hides filth and blame?"

"Subject, you are loyal to the big man and His Majesty, you should know how to deal with this matter."

Li Hongda bowed to the ground in admiration.

Zhou Shen waved his hand and told him to get up.

"Thank you for your advice, my lord." Li Hong said with a smile, "no matter what I do now, the outcome will be the same. The treacherous eunuch in the court lost, and my lord Taiwei couldn't spare me. I almost killed him; If I lose, I, as an accomplice of Lord Taiwei, will naturally not be able to escape, and I have even implicated my subordinates. Anyway, I can’t survive, so I might as well make things big and let everyone die together.”

Zhou Shen shook his head.

"Son, don't you have confidence? You have made great efforts to rectify Xiliang and eliminate corrupt officials. Not only have you won the hearts of the people for His Majesty, but you have also regained money for His Majesty and increased income for the treasury. You are a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. How can Your Majesty do that?" Will you believe me or not?"

"How could Your Majesty believe me?" Li Hong smiled wryly.

"If you find your majesty's things and return them to your majesty like last time, your majesty will trust you. Would Zhang Rang give his majesty his field? Could it be that Zhang Wen would give his manor to his majesty?" Zhou said Shen slowly and lowly said word by word, "A true loyal minister is willing to give away even his life for His Majesty, let alone the things outside of him?"

==
When Li Hong returned to the big tent of the Chinese army, he found that more than a dozen of his subordinates were still gathered in the big tent and had not dispersed.

He said hello to everyone and said with a smile: "Since you are all here, don't leave. I will eat here tonight. I still have a little boar pork here. I will reward everyone. We haven't been together for a long time. Alright, let's talk together."

Wen Chou, Huzi, and Fist took the lead in shouting, and the others were also very happy.

Yan Wuwei shouted loudly: "My lord, let's go to the bar tonight, I haven't tasted it in months."

The bearded and fisted generals booed immediately, and there was a commotion in the big tent.

Li Hong waved his hands at everyone, signaling to be quiet.

"Brother Zilie, Yuntian, Ziwei, we are going back soon, and I think you all have to go back to the treatment camp, so today I will make an exception and offer wine to each other." Li Hong walked up to Xu Rong and patted him Looking at Qu Yi over his shoulder, Hua Xiong said with a smile.

Xu Rong and Hua Xiong hurriedly bowed to thank them.Qu Yi's complexion changed, and then he took a step back, pointed at Li Hong unceremoniously, and said sharply, "My lord, what did you say when you were shooting Tiger Valley that day?"

The atmosphere in the big tent suddenly became tense.

Zhao Yun and Wen Chou immediately walked to Li Hong's side, watching Qu Yi's frosty face vigilantly, concealing anger.Yan Liang and Yan Wuwei quietly moved behind Qu Yi.Yan Liang put his hand on the handle of the knife.

Xu Rong was taken aback, and hurriedly pulled Qu Yi back a few steps, bowed and said to Li Hong, "Yun Tian has always had a bad temper, my lord..."

Qu Yi pushed Xu Rong away, and said loudly, "You were shooting Hugu that day, what did you say to our brothers?"

Li Hong smiled and said: "Brother Yuntian, don't you worry? Wait until I finish, okay? When I was in Shehu Valley, I said that we are all on the same boat. Of course I will not break my promise and betray the three of you. Xiliang Since I have started the matter, I will definitely not give up halfway, please rest assured Brother Yuntian on this point."

Qu Yi looked at him suspiciously, and asked, "Then what did you mean just now?"

Li Hong hesitated for a moment, then said: "Well, let me tell Lord Taiwei that we all retreat to the Zixiu Mountain camp. But since we will not separate, then this wine..."

"Master Qu, what do you mean by this? Can't you finish the wine before making trouble with our lord?" Yan Wuwei became anxious when he heard this, and stepped forward to grab Qu Yi and shouted, "You will pay for the wine. "

Beard and fist rushed over together, surrounded Qu Yi, almost hitting him with rage.Qu Yi was very embarrassed and blushed.

Xu Rong pulled it twice, but didn't pull it away. He hurriedly looked at Li Hong, his eyes begging for help.

Li Hong originally wanted to say "I won't drink this wine", but when he saw Xu Rong's eyes, his heart softened, and he said, "The money for this wine is paid by Yuntian, what do you think?"

"Okay." Huzi yelled, and immediately fisted, Yan Wuwei put on a smiling face, pestering Qu Yi to buy wine.

As soon as the atmosphere in the big tent relaxed, everyone dispersed in twos and threes.

==
Li Hong saw the bamboo slips piled up on the case table, smiled and said to Zuo Yan: "Junyi, why are there so many documents? I have to review them?"

"Yes, my lord." Zuo Yan smiled slightly, "This is some evidence of corruption by officials in Xiliang, and those involved are all descendants of Xiliang and Guanzhong's aristocratic families. Lord Sang came here specially for this matter, and asked us to immediately Destroy it. I considered that I didn't consult adults on this matter, so..."

Li Hong casually picked up a scroll and looked at it, then asked, "Can you catch them all?"

Zuo Yan looked at him in a little surprise, and said cautiously, "The amount is huge, and we can definitely be arrested, but the Taiwei has already ordered..."

Li Hong didn't say anything, and continued to look at other things.

"How many have you caught these days?"

"In the past few days, we have been interrogating in the camp, and no one has been arrested."

Li Hong frowned, dropped the bamboo slips in his hand, and asked strangely: "Why? Could there be no new evidence, or can't ask anything?"

Zuo Yan stroked the beard on his lips, pondering for a while.

"Pingshan..." Li Hong shouted loudly.

Tie Yue, who was joking with Lei Zi, hurried over.

"Sir, what's the matter?"

"What's going on recently? Why can't I ask anything? Are those corrupt officials stubborn, or were you beaten to death?"

Tie Yue laughed and said, "My lord, you are joking. I have a unique way of forcing people to speak, and I never kill people by mistake, but..."

"But what..." Li Hong asked.

"My lord..." Zuo Yan took Tie Yue's words and said in a low voice, "Recently, all the questions I asked were about the Xiliang aristocratic rich people. We suspect that they colluded with each other, so..."

"You locked them together?"

Zuo Yan shook his head.

"Pingshan, do you think these people's confessions are true or false?"

Tie Yue smiled contemptuously, and said: "These pustules can be beaten casually, frightened, and even the eight generations of ancestors will be told, how can there be fakes?"

Li Hong was angry, he raised his voice slightly, looked at Zuo Yan, and asked seriously: "Junyi, what's going on? Why didn't you arrest him? What are you dawdling here? Do you want them to escape from Guanzhong calmly and hide their property?"

Zuo Yan said anxiously: "My lord, you have offended everyone, how can we gain a foothold?"

"A foothold?" Li Hong's face suddenly elongated, he raised his voice, and said loudly, "When did we ever have a foothold?"

The noise in the big tent suddenly disappeared, and everyone looked at Li Hong nervously.Why did the adults lose their temper in the blink of an eye.

Li Hong waved his hands vigorously and said, "You have to rely on your own strength, no one will give you alms."

He picked up the bamboo slips on the table, threw them to the ground with all his strength, and shouted: "Move out, catch me, don't let any one go."

==
(End of this chapter)