Great Han Empire

Chapter 219
In August of the third year of Chuping of the Han Dynasty (AD 186).

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Li Hong set off immediately after receiving the imperial decree from the emperor.His speed is so fast that people are a little caught off guard.Zhongchang Attendant Song Dian and Executive Jinwu Zhenju were still discussing whether to contact Liangzhou Inspector Geng Bi to hold a grand farewell party for Li Hong, to show off his grandeur, but unexpectedly, Li Hong had already left.

Li Hong didn't wait for Xu Rong and Nie Xiao to come back, and took the Black Panther Yi Cong and She Hu, Lu Huanyang's four thousand wind and cloud cavalry, and rushed westward to Jincheng County overnight.

Two days later, Li Hong led his troops to the Warrior City in the west of Hanyang County and stopped.At this time, Xu Rong, Nie Xiao, and the rebel leaders Yang Qiu and Li Kan have all rushed to Yuzhong City to wait for them.When they heard that Li Hong had arrived, they immediately took people across the Kuiyuan Gorge to meet him.The two armies joined together and rushed to Jincheng on the bank of the Yellow River.

Li Hong ordered Hu Ding's Black Panther Yicong, Shehu and Lu Huanyang's iron cavalry to stay in Jincheng, and he only took Zhao Yun and the three hundred Qiyi Cong to follow Yang Qiu to the west of the river.

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After Li Hong left the barracks, all important military and political affairs were under the control of Zhaowu Duwei Xianyufu, and the western captain Qu Yi and Marching Sima Zuoyan assisted.After Li Hong left, Xian Yufu's first thing was to order the camp to be closed, and no soldiers were allowed to leave the Zixiu Mountain camp, and those who disobeyed the order would be executed.Song Dian and Zhen Ju are not within the scope of this order because of their special identities.

The emperor didn't know whether it was intentional or unintentional, and he didn't mention who was responsible for Xiliang's corruption after Li Hong left.

If according to the usual practice, Li Hong left temporarily, and the emperor did not re-appoint someone else, then Xian Yufu, who temporarily acted as Li Hong's authority, should be responsible for this matter.But Xian Yufu is only a captain, obviously he has no right to interrogate these two thousand stone officials.

Although Taiwei Zhang Wen could justifiably take over, he didn't want to put himself in the most visible position.He doesn't want to offend anyone now, he is anxious to end the Xiliang rebellion and return to Luoyang as soon as possible.He had already sent Li Hong away with unpredictable risks, and he didn't want to directly intervene in the rest of the matter, so as not to make it happen in the future, so he only sent Sangyang to Zixiu Mountain to see the opportunity.

Song Dian and Zhen Ju have their own ideas, and they both want to take charge of Xiliang's anti-corruption, solve the crisis of their own forces, and take the opportunity to attack each other.Because Zhen Ju was in command of the Northern Army, he ordered the Northern Army stationed in the Huaili camp to rush to Zixiu Mountain immediately to serve as his backing for presiding over the suppression of corruption in Xiliang.

Song Dian was in a hurry, and hurriedly sent someone back to Beijing to ask Zhao Zhong for help.Because Zhongchang servants Zhang Rang and Xia Yun were found out by Li Hong successively, and the emperor punished them to think about their mistakes behind closed doors at home, so the situation of traitors and eunuchs was very bad.Zhao Zhong in Beijing had no choice but to ask Dong Zhuo for help when he received a letter from Song Dian.

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Camp in Xiaohuai.

In the middle of the night, Dong Zhuo's Chinese military tent was still brightly lit, and the sound of silk and bamboo singing and dancing could be heard endlessly.Dong Zhuo is a person who knows how to enjoy life, he will not miss any opportunity to eat, drink and have fun, as long as he has time and money.

After reading the secret letter sent by Zhao Zhong, Dong Zhuo thought for a while, then pushed away the petite woman in his arms, got up and stood up.He had to discuss this with Li Ru.Li Ru has a withdrawn personality, and he never participates in such occasions.

Li Ru lives in the side tent of the Chinese army's big tent.When Dong Zhuo walked in, he was holding the chessboard and studying the game by himself.

"Hou Ye sent a letter asking us to help Song Hou Ye." Dong Zhuo threw Zhao Zhong's secret letter on Li Ru's chessboard, and said, "I want to hear your opinion. At this time, we suddenly made a move. Is there such a thing?" necessary."

Li Ru glanced at the letter written in silk with disdain, and casually dusted it on the ground.

"What favor did the eunuch promise to the general?"

"One thing, it's nothing more than money and fields." Dong Zhuo said, "Now, both Zhang Rang and Xia Yun have been punished by the emperor, and the power of the treacherous eunuchs has been hit hard. Although their lives are safe, after this incident, it is very difficult for them to come back again." Gain the trust of the emperor. Once they are at a disadvantage, the general's relatives and family bureaucrats will take advantage of the situation. At this time, should we avoid suspicion a little bit, so as not to be implicated in the future."

Li Ru shook his head and said: "The general is wrong. Don't be fooled by the things in front of you. The power of traitors is very large. This trivial matter can't shake their foundation. It's just a loss of money. That money was originally their illegal income. , for them, it doesn't matter if they lose or not, and they will have more chances to get it back in the future."

"The biggest advantage of the eunuchs is that they control the inner palace. This is something that no force can do. Therefore, they are difficult to defeat. Even the forces of foreign relatives are not as strong as them. The bureaucrats of the family often fight against the eunuchs. When they fight for power and profit, they always end up at a disadvantage and suffer losses repeatedly, and the reason is the same."

Li Ru seemed to have touched on his own sadness, the scar on his cheek twitched nervously, he paused for a while, and sighed: "We still have to do what we should do about eunuchs, and we can't suffer. "

With his hands behind his back, Dong Zhuo walked back and forth a few steps, and said, "Then how is it safest for us to help? I must get the credit, and I can't do it for nothing. Last time in Huai Li, I did it for nothing. We lost A lot, but no benefit at all.”

Li Ru slowly put down the chess pieces in his hand, and said: "Last time we were entrusted by two masters and two powerful families to attack and kill Li Hong. We planned to kill Li Hong and Zhang Wen at the same time, but failed. The best chance, what a pity."

"It's a pity." Dong Zhuo also said regretfully, "If we kill Li Hong, we will help the two clans solve the increasingly serious troubles, and also help Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong's group of eunuchs tide over the difficulties. At the same time, Zhang Wen If I get implicated, I will definitely be dismissed and return to Beijing, so I will have the opportunity to replace him and take charge of Xiliang's suppression of the rebellion. In this way, my contribution will be great, alas..." He shook his head again and again with an annoyed expression, "It's a pity. "

Li Ru twisted his beard with his hands and sighed: "We miscalculated Li Hong's strength, so that the assassination in Huaili City failed. After Li Hong was assassinated, he acted extremely cautiously. Last time he returned to Zixiu Mountain camp, he actually mobilized two Qian Hei Bao Yi came to pick him up, which shows his precautions against assassination. Now, there is no movement in Jincheng, but Zhao Hou asked us to help Song Hou, and things will be more difficult. If we are in Jincheng this time, we If we still can’t succeed, if we let Li Hong run back safe and sound, we will be in trouble. He saw that we released the prisoner and burned the evidence, how can we deal with the aftermath? If he is not good for the general, we..."

The corner of Dong Zhuo's mouth twitched slightly, and he said disdainfully, "Forgive him for not daring to touch me. Does Mr. think we have no chance to kill him?"

"There is a chance." Li Ru pondered for a long time, and said slowly, "Li Hong is a leopard. After one loss, it will be very difficult for him to suffer a second time, but there is still a chance." He stretched out his hand Pick up a chess piece on the chessboard, put it in front of your eyes and look at it carefully, as if you want to see the flowers from this chess piece.

"Changsheng, are you being too careful?" Dong Zhuo mocked, "Is it so difficult to kill someone?"

Li Ru glanced at him and said, "You better be careful, General.

Dong Zhuosen sneered and said, "Since you are worried about Jincheng, I will recruit some bandits to ambush in Kuiyuan Gorge. What do you think?"

"Okay." Li Ru said, "Okay. We failed in the assassination last time. Although Zhang Houye, Zhao Houye and the patriarchs of the two big clans didn't blame them, their disappointment with the general is obvious, so this time, we can't Another miss. Li Hong’s survival not only poses a threat to all parties in the DPRK and China, but also poses a great threat to the general.”

Li Ru looked at Dong Zhuo, and said cautiously: "To be on the safe side, General, you'd better let your younger brother Dong Min (read min) take a few of your confidants to Luoyang to take refuge."

"Changsheng, it seems unnecessary." Dong Zhuo said indifferently, "I guarantee that Li Hong will die this time."

Li Ru shook his head and said, "The general is too confident. I remember the general said the same thing to me last time. What happened?"

Dong Zhuo hummed angrily, but didn't speak.

"Li Hong must have some purpose in coming to Jincheng. Li Hong is very clear about the consequences of going to Jincheng. When he arrives in Jincheng, even if the old side does not kill him, the various factions in the court will not let him go. Kill him in Jincheng. He, this opportunity couldn’t be better, and the responsibility is all the responsibility of the rebels. In addition, in order to achieve the goal of letting Li Hongxi go to Jincheng to appease the rebels, the traitors and bureaucrats did not hesitate to join hands to speak to His Majesty. Hong also knew it. Under such circumstances, he even took the initiative to write to His Majesty asking to go to Jincheng. If he had no purpose, who would believe it? Do you believe it?" Li Ru said very puzzled, "What is he going to do?"

Dong Zhuo sneered: "No matter what he does, he will die this time. It seems that there is no need to bother about a dead person, sir?" He looked at Li Ru, and then said, "If we decide to help Lord Song, Then you will offend Lord Taiwei and the powerful family..."

"The general has already offended Lord Taiwei." Li Ru interrupted Dong Zhuo's words unceremoniously, "You had offended Lord Taiwei a long time ago when you roared in the courtroom in Huaili Mansion."

Dong Zhuo waved his hand indifferently, and said, "That day I thought that Li Hong would surely die, and the Taiwei would be in trouble soon, so I was a bit rude. The next day I sent someone to send a lot of things to the Taiwei, and expressed my gratitude to him. I'm sorry, Lord Taiwei is not angry anymore. You just came back from Chang'an, I forgot to tell you."

"Oh." Li Ru nodded appreciatively, and joked, "I heard that in Taiwei's Mansion that day, Sun Wentai, a military officer under Zhang Wen, was so arrogant that he even pointed a knife at you. There are more and more people in this world who are not afraid of death. , A young man dares to point a knife at you, it seems that the general is old and no longer has the courage of the past."

Dong Zhuo suddenly showed a murderous look, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said viciously: "These young people are very arrogant. This Sun Wentai is so rude to me, if he falls into my hands one day, he will definitely make him worse." die."

Li Ru ignored him and started to pack the pieces on the chessboard.

"It is really difficult to satisfy all the forces in the DPRK and China, but also to prevent them from catching us." Li Ru said, "But there is still a way. Let's go to Long County first."

"Which side do we support?"

"We support Geng Bi." Li Ru said calmly, "The matter of Xiliang, of course, will be resolved by Xiliang people."

Dong Zhuo suddenly realized, put his hand on Li Ru's shoulder, and praised: "Mr. is brilliant. In this way, I will not offend anyone, and the matter of suppressing corruption has nothing to do with me. I just need to accept Geng Bi's invitation and lead the troops to drive Just go to Long County to be stationed. Mr. Gao Ming."

"Li Hong is an idiot who doesn't understand the affairs of the court at all. He killed all the forces in Xiliang and offended all the forces. His trouble in Xiliang gave the general a chance to make friends with all forces. It is a clear proof that people from the Yang and Yuan families of Beijing and the central clan have come to the door on their own initiative. Among the powerful families of my big man, the Yang family and the Yuan family are the largest and the most powerful. The general took advantage of this opportunity to fight with them A good relationship and their support will greatly help the general's future career." Li Ru said, "With time, the general will have the opportunity to be jointly recommended by all parties in the DPRK and China, and it will not be a problem to be ranked among the three princes. "

Dong Zhuo told Li Ru the central matter, with a smile on his face.

"It's just that I am careful not to kill that leopard."

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After Li Hong arrived in Yunwu City, he was directly sent to the government office by Yang Qiu and Li Kan.The government office is heavily guarded and heavily protected, even the roofs are guarded by soldiers.

Han Sui was surprised to see that the famous Leopard was a young and ordinary soldier.Li Hong was used to the way other people looked at him, so he calmly stepped forward to greet Han Sui.Han Sui hurriedly invited him in.After the two sides exchanged pleasantries, Li Hong immediately got to the point.

"The two gentlemen can take the people of Xiliang and the common people of the world into consideration, voluntarily give up resistance, and return to the court. It is really a blessing for me." Li Hong smiled. Your Majesty, if you can agree to the conditions, you will agree."

Han Sui was overjoyed.A group of subordinates standing behind him burst into smiles.

They have been worried that if they cannot reach an agreement with the court, things will be more troublesome.Although it was reported that the Western Expeditionary Army was short of money and food, it was difficult to continue, but as long as the treasury had income and food and grass filled in autumn, the officers and soldiers would immediately cross the Yellow River and enter Jincheng County.With their current strength, there is really no other way but to flee to the Great Snow Mountain to avoid disaster.Everyone rose up to live a better life. Who wants to live a life of running around and fleeing all day?Now, with the support of the emperor, Li Hong launched a bloody purge of corrupt officials in Xiliang, which gave everyone hope for a better life.Li Hong's first words calmed down their uneasy hearts.

"After the negotiation is over, I will report to His Majesty immediately. If there are no accidents, the imperial decree of amnesty will come down soon, and you and the captives in the Zixiu Mountain camp can return to their original places and live a peaceful life again."

The generals behind Han Sui were even happier, and everyone whispered excitedly.

Han Sui stabilized his mood, and said with a smile: "Thank you for your majesty's grace and favor, and thank you for bringing us such good news." After saying a lot of gratitude, he stood up and cupped his hands and said, "My lord! You’ve been exhausted all the way, so let’s take a rest early.”

Li Hong stood up, returned the salute, and asked, "I heard from your subordinates on the way that Mr. Bian fell ill. I want to visit now, is that okay?"

Han Sui pondered for a while, and politely declined: "Your Excellency has traveled a long distance, it is very hard, I think it is better to rest early. Your Excellency will stay in Jincheng for a while, I don't think there is any need to rush at this time."

Li Hong smiled and said, "Alright. But, I have a request."

"Sir, please speak."

"Zi Lie has been negotiating with you for a while on my behalf, and I think you should have some specific requirements. We will start talking tonight."

Han Sui was taken aback.Yang Qiu and the others looked at Li Hong in puzzlement, not knowing why he was in such a hurry.

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Han Sui and a group of generals walked out of the mansion happily, and were about to mount their horses to leave, when they suddenly heard a loud noise from the southeast of the mansion, and then heard shouts of killing soaring into the sky.

Han Sui turned pale in shock, turned around and rushed to the government office.Yang Qiu and others roared wildly all the way, calling for the guards along the way to support in the direction of the sound.Li Hong and his attendants live in the southeast of the Kuayuan.

Han Sui was so anxious that he wished he could fly with wings.This time I lost face.It's fine if you can't beat them in the war, and you can't even guarantee their safety for staying for a few days, so what qualifications do you have to negotiate terms with them.

Li Hong walked out of the door slowly, looked at the collapsed courtyard wall outside, at the attendants guarding the courtyard in formation, at the crowd fighting around the collapsed courtyard wall, smiled and said to Xu Rong beside him: "Zi Lie, guess who wants to kill me so much, even knocks down the wall, isn't it too disrespectful to Mr. Wen Yue. "

Xu Rong sighed and said, "It's the Qiang people, they are their own soldiers."

Li Hong couldn't laugh anymore.In the battle of Linghe, tens of thousands of Qiang people died on the battlefield. How could it be possible to say that there was no hatred.

Holding a spear in his hand, Zhao Yun followed behind Li Hong, and said angrily, "This is a bit too much."

The guards guarding the mansion swarmed, and soon surrounded a group of Qiang Hu soldiers who were assassinating.

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Han Sui's handsome face was flushed with anger. He was so angry that he pointed at Cheng Yi and reprimanded loudly: "What did you do? You can't even look down on a small government office. What's the use? I'll give you my face." It's gone."

Cheng Yi knelt on the ground, not daring to make a sound.

"what happened?"

"Back to the general, the soldiers guarding the mansion and the city guards colluded with each other, intending to assassinate Mr. Li and avenge the dead soldiers." Cheng Yi raised his head and said dejectedly, "I didn't find out about this earlier, please General punishment."

"We have been strictly blocking the news that Mr. Li has come to Yunwu. We are the only ones who know that Mr. Li has arrived at Yunwu. Why do they all know?" Yang Qiu glanced at Han Sui and whispered, "General, it seems that he must Someone wants to kill Mr. Li in Jincheng, this mansion seems unsafe."

Han Sui looked at Cheng Yi and asked, "Did you ask them, where did the news come from?"

"Back to the general, all the soldiers and common people in Yunwu City know about Mr. Li rushing to Yunwu City today, and they also know that Mr. Li lives in the government office." Cheng Yi said with a panicked expression, "It seems that everyone We don’t know what’s left of the city.”

Han Sui's expression changed in horror.

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Han Sui invited Li Hong to live in his home, but Li Hong refused.

Han Sui's family is regarded as a noble family in Yunwu City, a wealthy family and a high-end mansion, very grand.That night, Han Sui and Li Hong discussed the specific details of the consolation here.

It was difficult for Li Hong to accept many demands made by Bian Zhang and Han Sui.

Han Sui asked himself to be the prefect of Jincheng County, and Bian Zhang to be the prefect of Longxi County. Their official positions were inherited by their children, and the court had no right to appoint another prefect of the two counties.Han Sui also asked to keep his own troops as the county soldiers and frontier troops in the two counties.The western captains and southern captains of the frontier armies of the two counties were directly appointed by the prefect.The prefects of the two counties have the right to independently build cities and set up taxes, and have the right to independently recruit Qianghu to enter and live.Taxes in the two counties were exempted for three years.Also requested to receive disaster relief assistance from the imperial court and some other related privileges.

Li Hong felt that Han Sui was joking.Except for the three-year tax exemption and the allocation of disaster relief aid, Han Sui's request is simply nonsense.What is the difference between this and the king's hegemony, and the separatist rebellion?
He was sitting at the table, looking at Han Sui's handsome face, admiring his elegant speech, completely ignoring Han Sui's narration, he kept thinking about Han Sui's deep and slightly melancholy eyes Here, what kind of thought does it contain?

"My lord, what's your opinion?" Xu Rong asked sideways.

Li Hong woke up from his reverie. He calmed down his emotions, looked at the bamboo slips on the case table, looked up at Han Sui, and asked with a smile, "Sir, this is what you and Mr. Bian drafted together." ?”

Han Sui nodded with a smile.

Li Hong hesitated for a moment, then asked: "Is there still room for concessions, sir?"

Han Sui smiled and shook his head.

Li Hong smiled helplessly, and said: "To be loyal to the great man, to be loyal to your majesty, this is your majesty's bottom line. To put it bluntly, I hope that your request will not violate the law of the great man, but..." He slowly glanced at everyone in the room, and then Said, "Everyone mentioned, except for the three-year tax exemption of the two counties and the annual relief, all of them violate the Han law, so..."

Li Hong stood up.The others in the room stared at him blankly.

"We have nothing to talk about." Li Hong smiled, "Thank you for your hospitality. If you have no new suggestions, I will go back tomorrow."

Han Sui had no expression on his face, obviously a little caught off guard.He probably did not expect that Li Hong would categorically reject their request and would not talk to him at all.Several of Han Sui's subordinates were stunned and sat on the table blankly.Yang Qiu looked at Han Sui who was silent, and kept looking at him, expecting him to say something.

Xu Rong looked at Li Hong suspiciously, wondering why he stopped talking suddenly.Since there is no sincerity in appeasement at all, what are you doing in Jincheng?
Li Hong cupped his hands at Han Sui and the others, and said with a smile, "Before I leave, I have a small request. I hope that I can visit Mr. Bian. I came to Jincheng from a long distance, and I can't go back without seeing Mr. Bian once." , that would be too rude."

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(End of this chapter)