Great Han Empire

Chapter 227
Li Hong was worried that Xu Rong and Qu Yi's army would be chased by the rebels, so he personally led [-] cavalry into Hanyang to meet them.The army crossed the pass and went straight to Yicheng.At Yuting, eighty miles away from Yicheng, the two armies met.Xu Rong and Qu Yi were very moved when they saw that Li Hong personally led his troops to support them.

"If the two of you are eaten by the rebels, why am I still fighting in Xiliang?" Li Hong said with a smile, "What does Master Fu say?"

The two relayed Fu Xie's parting words.

"The army and food in Yicheng are too small to resist the siege of 10,000+ troops. My lord wants Mr. Fu to hold on for two months, I'm afraid it's a bit..." Xu Rong shook his head and said worriedly, "If you want to hold on to Yicheng, at least Ten thousand troops are needed."

"If [-] troops stay in Yicheng, there will be no enough food. In the short term, we neither have enough troops to lift the siege of Yicheng, nor do we have so much food to replenish." Li Hong said helplessly: "Lord Jing Zhao Yingai I have written three times, saying that the current grain reserves are difficult to meet the needs of the army. The grain in the Guanzhong area is being harvested. According to his estimation, it will not be until the beginning of next month at the earliest before we can continue to supply us with grain. Geng Bi handed over the grain Giving it to the rebels, so that we are powerless now. This is purely helpless."

"Your Excellency, could it be that we don't have enough food and grass?" Qu Yi asked in surprise.

"Master Gai and I had a quarrel over the feeding of the [-] troops. I sent all the stored grain in Guanzhong to Xiliang." Li Hong said angrily. To the rebels, clean and thorough."

Qu Yi said: "That idiot Geng Bi doesn't understand anything, he just knows how to bully others. Now he's dead and still hurting others, leaving behind such an unmanageable mess."

Tongzi standing behind Qu Yi looked at Li Hong who looked unhappy, and asked cautiously, "My lord, do we still have something to eat?"

"Yes." Li Hong sighed, and said, "Everyone save a little, eat one meal a day, and spend this month first."

If you can't get enough to eat, why fight?Everyone felt very heavy for a while.

The scout came galloping on horseback.

Kingdom, Han Sui, June Jinglei led an army to encircle Hanyang.

Li Hong asked in surprise: "Why did another kingdom emerge? Who is this kingdom?"

No one answered him.Li Hong looked at the Xiliang generals surrounding him, all of them looked lonely and uninterested, as if they were more depressed than having no food.

Li Hong's heart sank, secretly feeling something was wrong.The relationship between Xiliang soldiers and Xiliang rebels is complicated. It is difficult to tell what kind of feelings they have, but sympathy is still the most basic.It is difficult for an outsider who does not know Xiliang to understand the inner feelings of Xiliang people.It is an indisputable fact that outsiders have repeatedly fought and failed in Xiliang.Li Hong thought of Zhang Wen and Zhang Wen's guards and complaints against Xiliang soldiers when he first came to Xiliang.A few months later, I replaced Zhang Wen by myself, and finally felt the tension and helplessness of being unable to predict the future.Without the help of these Xiliang soldiers, trying to defeat the rebels in Xiliang would be nothing but a dream.

Since Beigong Boyu took the lead in raising the banner of rebellion in Xiliang, these Xiliang soldiers have not taken the initiative to rebel against the enemy.But now Ma Teng, who is well-known in Xiliang, has joined the rebels, and Li Xiangru, the prefect of Longxi, has also joined the rebels. This is a huge blow to the morale and confidence of Xiliang soldiers.Will more people join the rebels in the future?Li Hong's heart was heavy, and suddenly he lost his confidence.

Li Hong looked up at the sky.

The sky in Xiliang is always azure blue, that kind of pure, delicate and warm dark blue, which makes people enchanted and solemn, and makes people lose all troubles, open their hearts, and fully integrate into the vast and boundless tranquility and depth. It is a kind of abandonment, a kind of detachment, a kind of leap.

Li Hong laughed.

Even if it is difficult and difficult, it is just a matter of a moment, a flick of a finger, what is there to be afraid of, and what is insurmountable.Suddenly, he felt that there was nothing difficult in this world.

=

"The kingdom is a Didao man from Longxi. He was born in a noble family. He makes a living by raising livestock and doing business. He is a well-known rich man in Xiliang."

"He is a man of righteousness, willing to do good deeds, and his reputation for chivalry has spread throughout the western borders, and he is known as Xiliang Mengchang."

"Whenever there is a famine, he will give out all his food reserves to help the people. Over the past few decades, countless people have survived. There are too many people who have benefited from him in Western Xinjiang."

"Didao's several academies were run by him, where talented and poor scholars all study for free."

"He rebelled, and as long as he ascends to the top, he can gather tens of thousands of people based on his reputation alone."

The Xiliang soldiers introduced the kingdom to Li Hong one after another, but their words were all words of praise. When they spoke, their expressions were respectful, and their admiration was beyond words.

Li Hong waited for everyone to finish speaking, and said with a smile: "There are so many capable people and sages in Xiliang, which makes people feel dizzy." He looked at Xu Rong who was silent, and asked, "Brother Zilie, do you know him? "

Xu Rong sighed and said, "It's not just acquaintances. If I didn't have an official position, I would be brothers with him who have been close to each other."

Li Hong's smile faltered when he heard this, and his expression was a little embarrassed.

"Let's go, my lord, let's go back to Zixiu Mountain." Qu Yi said with a dull face and a wry smile, "Everyone in Xijiang can be proud of being his friend, so don't ask any more, we all know him .”

Li Hong looked back at Pound behind him, and blurted out unconsciously: "Ling Ming is in his academy..."

Pound cupped his hands in reverence and said, "Teacher Wang's Confucianism attainments are astonishing, we often listen to his lectures."

Li Hong shook his head and lamented, "It's difficult."

Everyone was silent.It's not just difficult for him, everyone thinks it is difficult.

=

Wang Guo is about 50 years old, with a slightly fat body, a round face with long beard, ruddy complexion, gentle and kind.

With a smile all over his face and a calm tone, he said in a slow voice: "I am very grateful that you two think highly of me, but I dare not accept the position of commander-in-chief. Although Mr. Bian is seriously injured, he has already commanded the army. For a long time, it has a special status in the minds of the soldiers. At this critical moment, it is really not easy to change the commander and shake the morale of the army. I think we should unite with Mr. Wen Yue to take Xiliang and enter Chang'an as soon as possible. What do you think?"

Ma Teng and Wu both looked at each other.Ma Teng said: "Don't you see that Mr. Bian has been in charge of everything since Mr. Bian was seriously injured and unable to manage affairs. Mr. Han..."

Wang Guo waved his hand at him, interrupted his words, and said, "Shoucheng, we and Wen Yue are brothers who have been close to each other for eight obeisances, so don't talk nonsense."

Wudu is in his 40s, thin, with a long face and short beard, and a pair of very energetic eyes, which seem to be brighter than ordinary people's eyes, making him look extraordinarily shrewd.Twirling his short beard, he murmured, "Sir, what you said is wrong. Mr. thinks so, but Mr. Han thinks so?"

"Mr. Bian died of serious injuries, and he may die at any time. Everyone knows that. Once Mr. Bian passes away, who will take over the position of Marshal is directly related to the future of Xiliang and our wealth and lives. It is not important. Is it important? Mr. Han has the final say on important military and political matters now." Wu Du said coldly, "Who stipulated that he has the final say?"

"The Xiliang army is no longer just his Jincheng army, but now there are also the Longxi army of Mr. and Shoucheng, my Hanyang army, the Xianling Qiang of the violent wind and sand, the Baima Qiang of the Thunder in June, and the Shenlang Qiang of the northwest rain. , Beigong Boyu's Huangzhong belongs to the Qiang people, so it shouldn't be regarded as Mr. Han's direct army, right? There are so many troops together, why do we have to listen to him? Listen to his Jincheng people's command. "

Wang Guo smiled and said: "Yi'an, we can talk about your words in private, but let's stop here. I, Shoucheng, Boyu, Mr. Bian, and Wenyue are all brothers. At this time, everyone should hug together. Take down Xiliang as a whole. There is no safe place to live, and everything you say is false. Besides, Wen Yue was the one who conspired in this uprising. If Mr. Wen Yue hadn't led his troops to besiege Di Dao, saying that Mr. Li Shoucheng, Boyu and I couldn't spare any troops to rush to Wuxiju and encircled Gengbi's [-] army with the Qiang people. Without this [-] army, it would be difficult for us to have our current strength. In the final analysis, Mr. Han still owes a lot Wei."

Wu Du shook his head and said with a smile: "Without Mr. providing military supplies and food, what would Han Sui do to rebel? He has been cornered. If Mr. hadn't helped him in time, Han Sui would now be preparing to flee west to the Daxue Mountain. Mr. To be honest and kind, to treat others as if you were yourself, you will suffer. If Xiliang is captured and Mr. Bian dies, we will not be far from death."

Ma Teng said with a smile: "Brother Yi An said too much. Although Mr. Han is a bit domineering, he is talented, dedicated to the people, and has many years of friendship with our brothers. He will definitely not do such a thing. Something to do."

Wu Du shook his hand, and said solemnly: "Shou Cheng, you are thinking simply."

"The year before last, after Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou raised their troops, why did they force Mr. Bian and Han Sui out and ask Mr. Bian to be their leader? To put it bluntly, it is because I don't have enough appeal to get the support of Xiliang. If you want to achieve great things in Xiliang, you must not have reputation and qualifications. In Xiliang, there are not many people with this kind of reputation. Mr. is one, Mr. Bian and Han Sui are also."

"Mr. Bian can't do it now, Mr. and Han Sui are equally important. May I ask, are you and I willing to listen to Han Sui's command? The same reason, Yang Qiu, Liang Xing, are they willing to listen to Mr.'s command?"

"One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. In this case, what will happen? Let's look at history. There are many cases of brothers fighting against each other. Sir, although you have no intention of harming others, you must be defensive. You know, once we occupy Xiliang, we can separate the territory and become the king if we advance, and we can appease and accept surrender if we retreat, all of which are beneficial, who would not want to be the leader?"

Wang Guo acted as if he hadn't heard it, stroking his long beard with his hand, smiling without answering.

Ma Teng lowered his head and lowered his eyebrows, silent.Wang Guo and Ma Teng are brothers, but Ma Teng is much younger, so Wang Guo has always treated him like a nephew, and the relationship between the two is very deep.Because Bian Zhang and Han Sui were close friends of the kingdom, they even looked at Ma Teng, the younger brother, differently, but there was no deep friendship between Ma Teng and them.Hearing Wudu's words, Ma Teng felt that Wudu's words were alarmist.No matter how you say it, we are all brothers, so we shouldn't make trouble like this.Now that the matter of occupying Xiliang has not been written off, he just thinks about it so much, is it too scheming and too much desire.He and Wu have been friends for many years, knowing that he is cautious and thoughtful, it is not easy to refute him.

Wu Du looked at the two of them, and said, "Mr. and Shou Cheng think that I worry too much?"

Ma Teng said with a smile: "Brother Yi An, the commander-in-chief is still Mr. Bian, and Mr. Bian is not dead yet, so what you said will not happen for the time being. Why don't you talk about the solution?"

Wu Du laughed, he slapped Ma Teng lightly, and said, "I've said a lot, but none of it is worth a single word from you."

"You talk too much nonsense." Ma Teng teased.

"Okay, okay." Wu Du said, "It's still the same sentence, sir should try to get the position of commander-in-chief with Mr. Bian's consent before he passed away. In this way, it is reasonable and will reduce a lot of grievances in the future. Necessary trouble."

Wang Guo shook his head again and again, and said, "Yi An, how can we talk about this at this time? Isn't this looking for trouble for nothing, asking for trouble."

"Of course we can't say it." Wu Du said, "Let others do it for us."

Ma Teng glanced at him and said, "Stone?"

Wu Du nodded, and said: "It is most appropriate for him to propose. He was the first to raise troops in Xiliang, and his prestige and influence in the army are still great. They are weak and swallow their breath. Recently, they have taken back the army. They have someone in their hands. You can see that their backs have straightened and their voices have become louder. I think they will neither listen to Mr. nor Han Sui. .Stone may want to be the big boss himself."

Ma Teng narrowed his eyes and said, "I'll ask him later. I think he wants to fight."

Wu Du smiled and said: "You are sworn brothers, it's best for you to warn him, don't you know that he listens to you?"

=

Han Sui rushed to Yicheng with his army the next day.His army came from Didao over the mountains and mountains, and it was very hard.The army camped outside the west gate of Yicheng.Han Sui didn't rest, and rushed directly to the kingdom's camp with Yang Qiu and a dozen attendants.

Wang Guo was a few years older than him, so Han Sui called him brother.The two met, were very affectionate, and chatted for a long time.After a while, Beigong Boyu, Li Wenhou, Ma Teng and Wudu rushed over after hearing the news.Let's say hello.Han Sui took Ma Teng's big hand affectionately, and said with a smile, "You finally made up your mind."

Ma Teng said with a smile: "I'm ashamed, I'm burdened by my family background. In fact, if you go against it, you go against it. Whether it's right or wrong depends entirely on your own conscience."

"It's right to think so. We study, recite scriptures and learn martial arts. Why? I think we should establish our hearts for the world, establish our lives for the people, and create peace for all generations. We only need to work hard for this, regardless of what future generations say. Whether it is a hero or a rebel, the key is that we should die with a clear conscience."

Ma Teng nodded repeatedly.

When Han Sui saw Wudu, he deliberately chatted with him.When Wu Du was young, he was also Zhang Huan's disciple, and the two had a close friendship.

"Yi An, we haven't seen each other for several years, you are still so thin, not fat at all."

"Brother Wen Yue is still as handsome as before, as melancholy as before."

"I'm old." Han Sui sighed, "I'm old, I feel much older. My temples are turning white recently."

In June, thunderstorms, strong winds and sandstorms, Xibeiyu and a group of big and small qushuai were invited by the kingdom, and they also came to meet.The kingdom hosted a banquet in the big tent.Everyone drank and chatted, talking about the battle in Xiliang in detail.

Han Sui's intention was to take down Yicheng immediately.If you can't take it within ten days, you won't fight, and mobilize all the main forces to attack Fufeng County, and strive to reach Chang'an before the end of the year.This year's grain harvest in Guanzhong is bumper. If you want the people of Xiliang to survive the winter safely this year, you must break into Sanfu and plunder. This is the only way to save yourself.

No one disputes this strategy.

"Now is a very good time to attack Sanfu." Han Sui said, "The northern army of the imperial court has returned to Luoyang. Fatty Dong's army was lured to Beidi County by us, and it is difficult to return in a short time. Because of the ransacking of the house and the arrest of people, The relationship between him and Leopard is very tense, and he himself is in Luoyang now, so his threat can be ignored."

"The army in Fufeng County was almost wiped out by Boyu last time, so Sanfu has no defensive force except the county soldiers from Jingzhao Prefecture."

"Now, what we have to deal with is the army of Leopard, Xu Rong and Qu Yi. There are only more than 1 troops left in Xu Rong and Qu Yi's army. They are now withdrawing to Long County, and it is estimated that they have joined the army of Leopard. The two of them The total number of troops is about 5, which is quite different from our strength."

"Everyone knows how Leopard uses troops." Han Sui said with a serious face. "This spring, he lost two battles, so that all previous efforts were wasted and Xiliang was handed over. The root cause of our failure..." Han Sui raised his hand. Looking at Beigong Boyu, the anger in his eyes was fleeting, and he said slowly, "One is to underestimate the enemy; The most important reason. Our 10,000+ army was divided into three groups to attack, and they attacked in sequence, which resulted in the enemy seizing the opportunity and defeating each of them."

Han Sui looked around at the people in the big tent and said, "This time, we must concentrate our forces and unify our orders, so as not to give the leopards any chance."

He looked around and said, "Do you have any other opinions?"

"I don't agree." Beigong Boyu suddenly broke the peace in the big tent and said loudly.

Han Sui's face darkened, with anger on his face.

This time Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou returned to Jincheng. Although Han Sui didn't punish them, he still ignored them. He didn't even look at them.He hated them, even if they had been friends for decades, and as long as he thought of his tortured old side, he hated them terribly.His eyes on the two were cold, full of disdain and ridicule.The old man was very happy to see them back, he didn't say a word of reproach, he comforted them a little, and let them go back to Huangzhong and other places to recruit troops.

They are all from Jincheng, and logically they all belong to the same camp, so they should unite sincerely and speak with one voice, but now Beigong Boyu has jumped out to raise objections, which is tantamount to telling everyone that there is a conflict between them, and it is still very deep. contradiction.Han Sui was angry.Beigong Boyu didn't reflect on his mistakes, and didn't sum up the lessons of the defeat. Instead, he intensified. In order to get revenge on himself, he even turned against him in public, and he didn't even want to be friends.It doesn't matter if they don't have friends, but Beigong Boyu provoked conflicts like this, which undoubtedly destroyed the unity of the Xiliang coalition forces.The leaders of the leading forces of the coalition forces cannot unite, so what qualifications do they need to require other forces to unite with each other?Han Sui saw the crisis.

"We went out of Xiliang twice to prepare to capture Sanfu and capture Chang'an, but we failed both times. Once we returned because of snow, and once we failed miserably. What does it mean? It means that we are not strong enough, or that we are not prepared enough." Beigong Boyu gave Han Sui a cold look, and continued, "We haven't gained a firm foothold in Xiliang, let alone talking about capturing Guanzhong. This is self-destruction. Is there anyone else who is planning to surrender after failure? Court?"

The anger on Han Sui's face grew even stronger.Seeing that Han Sui was angry, Ma Teng, who was sitting next to Beigong Boyu, quickly reached out and patted the table, signaling Beigong Boyu to stop.

Beigong Boyu ignored him at all, and said loudly: "After taking Yicheng, we should quickly occupy and consolidate the entire territory of Xiliang, instead of attacking again hastily, so as to avoid repeating the same mistakes."

Li Wenhou added in a timely manner, "If we lose again, the leopard will neither take prisoners nor come to recruit them again.

There was silence in the big tent.

=

Seeing that Lao Bian was seriously injured and dying, Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou felt guilty, but the guilt belonged to guilt, and they still hated Bian Zhang and Han Sui very much.Agreeing to appease the imperial court is actually surrendering to the imperial court, betraying them and all the soldiers who followed them in the uprising.The two cannot accept it.

Yesterday, Ma Teng went to Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou to discuss the election of another commander-in-chief. Beigong Boyu agreed, and he said: "This matter must be resolved, otherwise we will die in the future, and we will not know whose heads will be chopped off." Already." Ma Teng found that their views were exactly the same as those of Wudu, so he was very surprised and asked what was going on.Beigong Boyu said: "Both Bian Zhang and Han Sui are scholars, well-known scholars, and knowledgeable, but they still don't want to rebel in their bones, they still want to be bureaucrats of the Han Dynasty, or they still want to be loyal ministers of that fatuous emperor. What they said was one thing, but what they thought was another. They said that they rebelled for the people of Xiliang, for the eradication of the traitors around the emperor, and for the rise and fall of the Han Dynasty. In fact, how can there be such a return? The reason why we rebel is to make a living, not to be angry, and to live like a human being. Why do they lie to others? It’s not for themselves, so that they can not only accumulate wealth, but also deceive us to go all out. , In the end, they were surrendered and appeased, and they could still be prefects, school lieutenants, and turn from rebellion to loyal ministers. What about us? We are all dead, and we are all played to death by these cunning scholars."

Ma Teng's face was extremely ugly.Beigong Boyu accidentally told his thoughts.That's what Ma Teng thought, and that's what Wang Guo persuaded him to do, so he turned his back on it.Ma Teng stood naked in broad daylight as if he had been stripped of his clothes, he was so ashamed that he couldn't bear it.They all regard the illiterate Qiang people and the poor and lowly common people as idiots and tools, thinking that people don't know the filth in their hearts.Actually, where are the idiots in this world?

Bian Zhang and Han Sui are at the end of their ropes, why should the kingdom lend a helping hand?Because he saw another easy way to enter the official career.This road, the rebels in the history have tried it a hundred times, as long as they are hated enough and thick-skinned enough, they can not only gain fame and wealth, but also get high-ranking officials and generous salaries.This is a road full of bloody thrills, risks and challenges, but also full of hope and opportunities.Under Wang Guo's detailed explanation, Ma Teng suddenly became cheerful. It turned out that this is a curvy road to save the country, which benefits the country, the people and himself.He jumped up against the crime, and when he raised the knife, he reversed, cleanly, thoroughly and resolutely.

Ma Teng's secret buried in his heart was casually revealed by a man who had died on the battlefield once.At that moment, Ma Teng had the urge to kill Beigong Boyu.If this person persists, he will hinder himself and the kingdom, and even Bian Zhang and Han Sui's future.This person is an obstacle.

Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou didn't notice Ma Teng's gaffe, they were still complaining angrily, venting their dissatisfaction to their heart's content.Beigong Boyu said to Ma Teng: "At the beginning, I was worried that I would not be able to stand in Xiliang, so I invited the two of them to come out to support the facade, but in the end the facade was exposed, and we became swords and guns in the hands of others. .Now I want to take back the seat that should be mine. Brother Shoucheng, are you willing to help brother?"

Ma Teng was speechless.Now Beigong Boyu has seen through it, and it is impossible for him to help Wang Guo take the position of commander-in-chief.Ma Teng laughed, agreed, and said goodbye to walk.

He hurried back to the big tent of the kingdom, and repeated Beigong Boyu's words.Wang Guo smiled and said: "This stone is indeed a man of excellence. He has seen all these things. He is very prestigious among the Qiang people. Let's take a step back for now and push him to the opposite of Han Sui first. The old man Before Bian died, Beigong Boyu came to grab the seat, and Han Sui must have been very angry. The old Bian was injured, and Han Sui has always blamed Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou, thinking that they did not obey orders. Now Beigong Boyu If Yu and Li Wenhou had such a volcanic fight, Han Sui would definitely not be able to accommodate the two of them. We took the opportunity to help Han Sui kill them. Han Sui killed the two of them, and naturally offended the Qiang people. How could he be the commander-in-chief? No matter what, I can't sit up."

Ma Teng sighed, and said, "At that time, if you didn't speak up, Han Sui would consider you handsome. Even if you don't do it, I'm afraid it won't work. It's a pity, my brother..."

Wang Guo sighed and said: "The reason why the Qiang rebellion has been suppressed repeatedly is because people like Shitou are brave and easy to kill, and no one can control them. I thought he should change his temper when he took the initiative to enter the Han Dynasty, but I didn't expect him to be like this. "

=

If you want to get a chance to appease, you must beat the court and fear the emperor.To do this, you must attack Sansuke and threaten Chang'an.

Wang Guo glanced at Wudu.

Wudu understood, broke the silence in the big tent, and said loudly: "I think Mr. Han's strategy is completely correct. We must obtain food and help the people survive the winter in order to win the hearts of the people. Without the hearts of the people, it is very difficult for us to gain a foothold in Xiliang." Difficult."

The kingdom immediately agreed.Ma Teng also said a few words, but no one knew what he was talking about, as if he supported both opinions.

Some Qiang leaders supported Han Sui, while others supported Beigong Boyu.

Li Wenhou stood up, waved his hand to make everyone quiet, and then said loudly: "Since everyone's opinions are not unified, let the commander-in-chief make a decision."

Han Sui was almost mad.He gritted his teeth, the corners of his mouth twitched violently a few times, suppressed his anger, and did not speak.Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou were determined to turn against Han Sui.

The dozen or so leaders in the big tent suddenly discovered that there was not a single commander in the big tent who could make a decision.

=

(End of this chapter)