Great Han Empire

Chapter 250 The situation changes suddenly
December of the third year of Zhongping in the Han Dynasty (186 AD).

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When Li Hong received the imperial decree, he felt fear for the first time in his life.

Today, the son was moody, first issued an edict to praise, then issued an edict to reprimand, this time he ordered himself to go to Beijing urgently to report on his duties, but did not say a word about whether he agreed to postpone the attack on the rebels.Li Hong had no way of guessing the emperor's mind, but he believed that he had entered Beijing alone, facing enemies all over the city, his future must be uncertain and his chances of survival were slim.He didn't want to go to Beijing. He was used to staying with his subordinates. He could only feel safe and powerful when he was in the army. Once he left the barracks and his subordinates, what else could he do?Could it be that he and Hu Zi, Yan Wuwei and the others really went to Border County to be horse bandits?Li Hong didn't want to, his brothers couldn't die in vain, everything today was built with the lives and blood of the dead brothers, what qualifications did he have to give up lightly?

But if he resists the edict again and refuses to go to Luoyang, the consequences will be more serious.With an edict from the emperor, he can get rid of his general who protects Qiang Zhonglang.I don't have much nostalgia for this Zhonglang general, what he fears is the Qiang people.Now the composition of the Western Expedition Army is very complicated. Nie Xiao's Qiang army accounts for almost half of the army. If he no longer serves as the leader of the Western Expedition Army or is convicted and arrested, Nie Xiao and his Qiang brothers will definitely rebel.They have no hope at all, so what are they doing, waiting to die?The most powerful leopard has no steel teeth and claws, what are they afraid of?
At a loss, Li Hong urgently summoned Xian Yufu, Xu Rong, Qu Yi, Zuo Yan and Li Wei.

"Your Excellency cannot enter the capital." Qu Yi said, "Your Excellency has made great efforts to suppress corruption in Xiliang and killed many people. Entering Beijing at this time is tantamount to seeking death."

Xu Rong stroked his short beard with his hands, and said slowly and cautiously: "Your Majesty must be afraid if you don't enter the capital and hold a heavy army. Even if the treacherous eunuchs and the ministers of the court slander you in every possible way in front of Your Majesty, I don't think Your Majesty will As for the immediate removal of your military power, you will force your lord to die. But once your lord enters the capital, you can only let others slaughter you. I think it’s better for your lord to refuse with an excuse. Things may change by next spring.”

Xian Yufu pondered for a long time, and said: "My lord, now Tuoba Feng Chen Bing of Xianbei in the north is in Beidi County of Liangzhou, Shuofang County of Bingzhou, and Wuyuan County border, Murongfeng Chen Bing of Xianbei in the middle is in Yuyang County border, Youbeiping, Liaoxi The Karasuma people in the area are also on the move, and the rebels in Liangzhou have not been completely suppressed. Under such circumstances, His Majesty should not have the possibility to kill you. My lord just led his troops to defeat the 10,000+ rebels in Xiliang in Yicheng. Bing Bing, I have already been dissatisfied with the officers and soldiers of the army for not being rewarded for my meritorious service. If I kill you again, the morale of the army will plummet. How will we fight future battles? The traitors in the court may try to kill the key for their own selfishness, regardless of the country's rise and fall You, but the civil and military ministers in the DPRK should be clearly aware of the current crisis of the big man, I think they won't make things too difficult for you for the time being."

"Your Excellency can go to Luoyang, but you have to wait to see if the situation on the border is getting more and more tense. If the Xianbei people and the Karasuma people drive their horses south to invade my big man at the same time, then there is no danger for you to go to Beijing. The Son of Heaven Killing you from time to time is tantamount to self-destruction, under the discouragement of the big Han frontier soldiers, how many of them will bravely kill the enemy?"

Li Hong looked at Zuo Yan and Li Wei, and said with a smile: "Zi Lie and Yun Tian don't want me to go, Yu Xing said they can go, how about you two?"

Zuo Yan cupped his hands and said: "I don't agree with you to go either. The emperor is fatuous and has always believed in the words of traitors. How can he care about the rise and fall of any country? The emperor summoned the adults back to Beijing to report on his duties at this time. It is very likely that he listened to the rumors of traitors I want to trick you to Luoyang for punishment. My lord killed the son of Zhongchang servant Xia Yun, and cut off Zhongchang servant Zhao Zhong, Zhang Rang and others' financial resources. How could they let you go? And the clan bureaucrats in the court, What else would they do besides fighting for power and profit with the eunuchs? They thought they were from a family of officials, and their eyes were higher than the top. In their eyes, adults probably don’t even have the qualifications to give Huangfusong boots, let alone say anything important. There are no adults in the big man, there are still people who can fight, and they can still drive away the barbarians, but the adult is a lawless barbarian, he is a trouble, how can they not take the opportunity to kill him and then hurry up?"

Li Hong laughed and said, "Junyi said it well, and hit the nail on the head. Zhongyuan, what do you think?"

Li Wei said with a smile: "My lord is brave and fearless, so proud, don't you even dare to go to a small Luoyang? If you don't go, won't you make the world laugh at you?"

Qu Yi stood up suddenly, pointed at Li Wei, and shouted: "Li Zhongyuan, you crazy man, do you want your lord to die?"

Xu Rong hurriedly grabbed him, and persuaded in a low voice: "Yuntian, Zhong Yuan is also working under the lord's account, how could he hope that the lord will die soon? Can you wait for him to finish talking?"

Li Wei didn't care, looked at Qu Yi with a smile, and said provocatively, "I'm going to Luoyang with my lord, do you dare to go?"

Qu Yi is a school lieutenant, there is no imperial edict, so he can't run around at will, let alone go to Luoyang, Li Wei's words are obviously looking for trouble.Sure enough, Qu Yi raised his brows and said angrily, "Li Zhongyuan, you said this, okay, I will die and accompany you to Luoyang with your lord, don't go back on your word."

"Yuntian, don't be fooled by Li Zhongyuan." Li Hong pointed at Qu Yi and said with a smile, "He is retaliation for you drinking him yesterday. Are you going to Luoyang? If you dare to leave Yicheng, I will kill you."

Qu Yi glared at Li Wei fiercely, and cursed: "Boy, drinking is not good, just play this trick, you wait until the next time you drink and lie down."

Li Wei said seriously: "Qu Yuntian, don't go back on your word, come with me to Luoyang."

"I won't go." Qu Yi said arrogantly, "I won't go, I regret it, can you drink me down?"

Li Wei looked at him angrily, teeth itching with hatred, raised his hand and swore: "I will drink you down."

There was a lot of laughter in the big tent, and the tense atmosphere just now disappeared.

Li Hong asked Li Wei, "Zhong Yuan, tell me your opinion."

Li Wei cupped his hands and said: "My lord, the situation in Luoyang is very complicated, especially after the emperor cracked down on corruption and severely damaged the traitorous party in the capital area of ​​Luoyang, the balance of forces in the DPRK and China has been broken. Beijing’s specific intentions, but we’d better clarify the situation in Beijing and China first, and then discuss whether we can return to Beijing. If the situation in Luoyang is not good for you, you will not return to Beijing. We will find a way to spend money to buy joints, Get over this difficulty for the time being. If the situation is in your favor, your lord will go to Luoyang to show your loyalty to the emperor. My lord, go and come back quickly, I think there should be no great danger."

"I have a few friends in Taixue, they are very well informed, and they have a very accurate grasp of the situation in central Beijing. I will write a letter, please send it to Luoyang immediately, so that we can get news from Luoyang as soon as possible. "

Li Hong and several old subordinates nodded appreciatively.

"Yuxing, Junyi, I think we can also write a letter to General Zhou and Lord Liu to ask about the situation, what do you think?"

"It would be even better if we could get advice from the ministers of the DPRK and China." Li Wei asked pleasantly, "Who is that Mr. Liu?"

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Li Hong wrote a letter to the Son of Heaven, explaining in detail the difficulties in restoring work in Xiliangzhou County, the huge casualties of the Western Expeditionary Army, the hidden dangers of the Qiang Army in Huangzhong, and the crisis at the border of Beidi County. At the same time, he tactfully expressed to the emperor the reason why he could not go to Beijing to report on his work.

While waiting anxiously for the emperor's reply, Li Hong discussed with the generals under his account about the reorganization of the army.

Nie Xiao added all the captives of the Qiang army outside the Great Wall to the army, which increased the number of Nie Xiao's army to more than 3.Under Li Hong's persuasion, Kuang Fengsha and his Xianling Qiang prisoners were all recruited as Han soldiers.Li Hong made it very clear to Kuang Fengsha. First of all, he can't let them go now. If they let them go, who can guarantee that they will no longer rebel?Second, there is the issue of food.Even if the emperor pardoned their capital crimes, they still had nothing to eat when they returned home.If you were a Han soldier, you would get paid and fed, and if you made meritorious service in the future, you would be able to get promoted and make a fortune just like the Xianbei people, and it would be good for the development of the tribe.After discussing with several of his subordinates, Kuang Fengsha finally agreed.To have a full stomach and to survive is still the first need of human beings.

Due to the sharp increase in the number of troops and war horses stationed near Yicheng, the people of Hanyang and Wudu counties returned to their hometowns one after another, which made the supply of food and grass very tight.Although Gai Xun transferred a large amount of food and grass from Sanfu and Nanyang, facing Liangzhou with nothing, it was simply a drop in the bucket, far from meeting Liangzhou's needs.Seeing Li Hong's predicament, Nie Xiao and his subordinates knew that it was impossible to continue to attack Jincheng, so they gave up the idea of ​​chasing and annihilating Han Sui.Li Hong was very grateful for their understanding, and went to Nie Xiao's big tent to express his thanks in person.Li Hong promised to the Qiang people in Huangzhong that as long as they took Jincheng, they would have the final say on the land in Huangzhong.In order to solve the problem of the army's survival, Nie Xiao asked Li Hong to join the Han army again.Li Hong also had a headache when he saw the [-] Qiang army, but he gritted his teeth and agreed.What if you don't agree now?You can't let the Qiang people in Huangzhong suffer from hunger, and then go around burning, killing and looting.

After Li Hong came back, everyone complained unanimously.Not long ago, the lesson of these Qiang people's betrayal in Wuxiju was so profound that everyone felt lingering fears, worrying that they would betray again.If these more than 3 Qiang people suddenly turned against the rebels in Jincheng and Longxi, it would be the fate of the entire army to be wiped out for the Western Expeditionary Army, and the consequences would be dire.In addition, the addition of more than 3 cavalry was too much for the Western Expedition Army. Zuo Yan and Tian Zhong, who were in charge of logistics, almost shook their heads.The most important thing is that these Qiang people now obey the ruthless Leopard. Once Li Hong leaves Xiliang with the army, which Han court general dares to command them, and who can command them?Who dares to put a pack of wolves by his side?Under such circumstances, the fate of this army can be imagined, either disbanded or massacred, the biggest possibility is that these Qiang people raised their flags to rebel with their own strength, if this is the case, wouldn't they be raised now A group of enemies?
Qu Yi said: "Your Excellency patted his ass and left, but left a big hidden danger for Xiliang. Is this also called Xiliang's pacification?"

Li Hong tried his best to resist all opinions, insisted on his own opinion, and never wavered.What he said was also the truth, so what if he didn't agree?kill them?Now the Han army does not have this strength, it is impossible.ignore them?The Qiang people will definitely think that they have broken their promise, and in turn they will retaliate wildly against the Han people. It is the Xiliang people who will suffer.The best way now is to recruit them as the big Han frontier army, appease and domesticate them, let them eat and clothe them, and let the war-torn Xiliang temporarily stabilize for a period of time.Let's talk about the future.

The generals couldn't convince each other, and everyone quarreled in the big tent for a long time, and finally Li Wei said: "Everyone calm down, I think your opinion is good, and it will be very useful. If you still want to go to Luoyang in the end, Xi Liang's hidden danger may play a role in whether the adults can return safely, what do you think?"

Everyone thinks about it, and thinks what Li Wei said is very reasonable. In any case, keeping Li Hong is still the most important thing, and it is better to use all the means that can be used.

"If something happens to your lord in Luoyang, you immediately instigate Nie Xiao to rebel, and the army retreats all the way to Sanfu. In this way, I don't believe that the emperor will kill your lord." Li Wei smiled, "You should be able to do this kind of thing, right? ?”

Qu Yi glanced at Li Wei in surprise, shook his head and said, "Zhong Yuan, I really don't understand why your lord appointed you as the commander of the army? It's a good idea, but it's a pity that our battle in Yicheng was in vain. The war in Xiliang has resumed, and people are dying, so you don't feel guilty at all?"

"Guilty?" Li Wei smiled, "I'm not guilty at all. Do you think that Xiliang will not be chaotic after your lord is dead? Don't all the creatures in this world be ashamed? Yun Tian, ​​did you drink too much? My mind is confused, can't you see that the big man is already in the wind and rain?"

"Okay, okay..." Li Hong was worried that Li Wei was about to say something shocking to the world, so he quickly interrupted him and said, "I don't care about the future, I only care about the present, Xiliang can be stable for a while, for the big man, for the big man It’s always a good thing for the people of Xiliang.”

The next day, Li Hong summoned Sima, Xiaowei, Duwei, Nie Xiao, Kuangfengsha and other senior commanders in the army to discuss the appropriate method of reorganizing the army.

On the fourth day, Li Hong summoned all the generals above the military rank and announced the new system after the reorganization of the Western Expeditionary Army.

The school lieutenant Xian Yufu commanded an army of [-] infantry.

The infantry army is divided into five divisions, the upper, lower, left, and middle divisions. Du Wei Xian Yuyin, Yan Rou, Yushi, Hua Xiong, and Yan Liang each lead one division, each with 6000 troops.

Biebu Sima, Army Sima Yan Wuwei, Xiaolan, Wen Chou, Zhang Yun, Hu Zi, Fan Li, Gao Lan, Qu Lu, Gao Geng, Yang Chun and other ten people were divided into five deputy divisions.

The school lieutenant Xu Rong commanded an army of [-] cavalry.

The cavalry army was divided into five divisions: Xiao Wei Qu Yi, Xianling Qiang leader Kuang Fengsha, Huangzhong Qiang leader Nie Xiao, Du Wei Hengji, and Du Wei Loulu each commanded [-] cavalry troops.

Biebu Sima, Army Sima Tieyue, Leizi, Sheyingtong, Shehu, Lu Huanyang, Tongzi; all kinds of Qiang Xiaoqu Shuai Bailiyang, camel, Jiuyangpi, and Zhanma are divided into five sub-departments. Of.

Zhao Yun, the Sima of the other Ministry, commanded the Black Panther Yi Cong with three thousand cavalry.

Sima Jiangwu of the other department, Sima Pangde of the army, Hu Ding, and Abandoned Shen were four assistants.

Du Wei Zheng Xin and Army Sima Chen Ming commanded the Scout Battalion; Du Wei Tian Zhong and Sima Jiwei of the other Ministry commanded the Bing Cao Camp.

Zuo Yan is the Sima of the Marching Army, Li Wei is the Sima of the Zuojun, and Wei Zheng is the assassin and the leader of the false history.

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On the same day, the imperial decree arrived at the camp in Yicheng.

Fu Xie, the prefect of Hanyang, fought bravely and died for his country. The emperor made a special decree, posthumously posthumously Marquis of Zhuang Festival, and ordered Li Honghou to sympathize with his family.Fu Qian, the son of Fu Xie, has been with Li Hong in Daying, weeping and begging to accept him.

(After the death of ancient emperors, princes, officials, ministers, etc., the imperial court awarded a title to commend them according to their deeds and morals during their lifetime. The posthumous posthumous law was abolished by Qin Shihuang. It was restored in the early Han Dynasty. Later, the posthumous posthumous title of the emperor was discussed by the officials. After the death of noble ministers, posthumous posthumous posthumous titles were given by the imperial court. In addition, there were private posthumous posthumous posthumous titles, which began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The relatives and disciples and former officials established posthumous posthumous titles for them, so they are called private posthumous posthumous titles.)
The emperor approved Li Hong's performance, postponed the attack on the rest of the rebel army, and at the same time urged Li Hong to return to Beijing to report on his duties as soon as possible.

Li Hong immediately wrote a letter, truthfully reporting that the Qiang soldiers in Huangzhong and the Qiang prisoners outside the Great Wall had been recruited as the Xiliang frontier army, and asked the emperor to send food to Xiliang immediately for disaster relief.In his memorial, he didn't mention a word about returning to Beijing to report on his duties.

Babaili Kuaiqi sent several replies from Luoyang to Daying.

The brief introduction of Liu Yu's reply was clear. He said that the emperor was planning to celebrate the victory of Xiliang in the first lunar month, and urged Li Hong to come back early.He reminded Li Hong that he must worry about being assassinated on the way back to Luoyang.

General Zhou Shen's reply was very cautious. He told Li Hong that it was the emperor's idea to ask Li Hong to return to Beijing to report on his duties.The eunuchs did not make this suggestion to the emperor, and none of the court ministers made a similar suggestion to the emperor. This move by the emperor also aroused various speculations in Luoyang.He advised Li Hong to be careful in case of accidents. If he could not return to Luoyang, he should try not to return. If he had to come back, he must bring more guards. There were too many people in Luoyang who wanted to kill him.

Li Wei's friend described to Li Wei the recent changes in Luoyang's political situation in detail, focusing on when the emperor will appoint the crown prince.They believed that the emperor recalled the general guarding the border at this time, vaguely intending to warn the general He Jin.Therefore, when Li Hong returned to Luoyang, the emperor would not be against him, and it was other people who wanted to kill him.

On the same day, the emperor's edict was sent to Daying.

(End of this chapter)