Great Han Empire

Chapter 253 The situation changes suddenly
On the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, there is a sacrifice to the stove.

Zhou Li said: "The Zhuanxu family has a son called Li, who is Zhurong, and is worshiped as the kitchen god." The kitchen god is the ancient legend of the fire god Zhurong.The custom of the Han Dynasty is to worship the Kitchen God with gazelle or rooster on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month.After the stove sacrifice, the people began to prepare for the New Year.

Li Hong, the general of Qiang Zhonglang, arrived in Luoyang on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month.

Standing on Mount Mang, Li Hong and his subordinates were stunned by the majestic Luoyang City in front of them. For the first time in his life, Li Hong felt the majesty and strength of the Han Dynasty.Luoyang City is like a lion with its head held high, standing proudly between the sky and the earth, defying the world.

Li Wei took a breath, raised the whip in his hand, pointed to Luoyang City and said, "My lord, this is Luoyang, the capital of the Han Dynasty."

"Luoyang is adjacent to Mang Mountain in the north and Luoshui River in the south. It covers an area of ​​more than 13 mu. It is about 3000 steps from east to west and more than 24 steps from north to south." Li Wei introduced excitedly, "Luoyang has twelve There are two city gates and [-] streets, all of which lead to the city gates. The twelve city gates are of different sizes, but all of them have three doorways connected with three streets in the city. The two sideways are narrower and the middle is wider. The 'Royal Road' is exclusively for the emperor to enter and exit, and protective walls are built on both sides of the Royal Road."

"Except for the Xia Gate, the gates of Luoyang are double-layered, a hundred feet from the ground, and there are double towers outside the gate. The towers are watchtowers on both sides of the gate. There are towers on the top, passages on the bottom, and pavilions outside the gates."

"Miyagi is located in the northern part of the urban area. There are two palaces in the north and south, which divide the whole city into two parts. The two palaces are connected by a complex road covered with roofs, and the length is seven miles from north to south."

"My lord, if we enter through Xiamen, we can go directly to the North Palace."

Excitedly, Li Hong drew a whip in the air, and shouted loudly: "Brothers, let's go and enter Luoyang..."

"Go...go...go..." Zhao Yun, Jiang Wu, Pang De and others shouted excitedly, urging the horse to gallop. 130 black panthers followed closely behind, roaring all the way down Mang Mountain.

(At that time, Luoyang covered an area of ​​about 3000 square kilometers, about 600 meters long from east to west, and about [-] meters long from north to south. The entire city was in an irregular rectangle.)
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Wei Wei Dong Zhong and Huben Zhonglang General Cui Jun were ordered to go out of the city to meet Li Hong.

Dong Zhong was in his thirties, with a medium build, a white face and thin beard, and a handsome appearance. He looked a little tired, as if he hadn't slept last night, and his eyes were red.He took Lu Benling Wei Duan of the Southern Army and two hundred elite soldiers of the Southern Army to escort Li Hong into the city.

Cui Jun is the eldest son of Situ Cui Lie. He is also a middle-aged man in his 30s, with a slightly fat body and a humble demeanor.

Li Hong and Li Wei saw from a distance that the team that came to greet them was the Emperor's Imperial Guard, and they couldn't help being secretly surprised. They looked at each other, and both felt that something was not normal.

The Imperial Guard is divided into two systems.One is the Southern Army, and the other is Guang Luxun's Emperor's Guards.

Wei Wei Dong Zhong commanded the Southern Army.The Southern Army is the royal guard, responsible for guarding the palaces where the emperor, empress, queen mother, and prince live, as well as the palace, the emperor's mausoleum, the ancestral temple, and the official offices of the court.Among them, the army guarding the palace is the most important. It has several garrisons stationed around the palace, each commanded by Sima and Junhou.The commander of the bus and the guard order of the North and South Palaces are responsible for patrolling day and night, guarding the gates of the palace city, and checking the people entering and leaving.Lu Benling commanded the elite of the Southern Army as a maneuver to deal with various accidents and emergencies.

Huben Zhonglang General Cui Jun belonged to the Emperor's Guards under the command of Guang Luxun.The emperor's personal guards are responsible for the guards inside the palace and also serve as the country's guard of honor. The emperor's guards are around when he is on tour or in person.

The Southern Army and the Guards under the command of Guang Luxun formed a defensive structure in which the inside was more important than the outside, and the center was "emphasis on control and light on control" in order to maintain the safety of the palace and strengthen the defense of the capital.At the same time, the southern army and Guang Luxun's guards also restrained each other and monitored each other to prevent accidents.

Generally, when the important generals guarding the frontier come back, they don’t have this kind of welcome treatment. For a Zhonglang general like Li Hong, at most, he will send an official such as Yilang or a doctor to entertain him. Today, he even sent a Jiuqing, a Zhonglang Will, the emperor seems to be making a big fuss over a molehill.

Li Hong made a gesture at the back, and Zhao Yun gave an order, and 130 armored black panther Yicong flew off their horses in a swish, and stood on the horses.Li Hong took Li Wei, Zhao Yun, Jiang Wu, and Pang De to greet him in a hurry.Jiang Wu's hand quietly moved to the handle of the knife at his waist.

Li Hong patted his shoulder lightly while walking, and said in a low voice, "Take your hands away, everything will be fine now."

Jiang Wu looked at Dong Zhong and Cui Jun who were riding their horses, snorted coldly, and slowly stopped with her big hand three inches away from the handle of the knife.

Dong Zhong and Cui Jun looked suspiciously at the five young men in armor who were getting closer, but couldn't tell which one was a leopard.

"Ziping, which one do you think is Li Zhonglang?" Dong Zhong asked in a low voice, "These five people are about the same age, about the same height, about the same figure, and even the armor is the same. Can you recognize them?"

"I think the three fair-looking and handsome officers on the left can be ruled out, especially the one with the sword. The two on the right, the older one should be Li Zhonglang, what do you think?" Cui said. Both asked rhetorically.

"Yesterday, I asked Zi'an to draw a portrait of Li Zhonglang to show me, so as not to make a mistake today, but that boy just refused to do it, and said that His Majesty specially ordered it. I don't believe it. When I arrived in Luoyang, I was at the foot of the emperor. How dare someone kill him?" Dong Zhong said dissatisfiedly, "Your Majesty thinks highly of him, and asked me to bring 200 people to pick him up. How old is he?"

"Master Hou, don't say that." Cui Jun said with a smile, "Based on his combat achievements, he should be a general. If it wasn't for his young age, and this time he disobeyed the sacred decree and killed in Huaili, he would already be a general. Hou Do you think that your Majesty has lost your status by letting you pick him up?"

Dong Zhong snorted disdainfully, and said: "This morning, Your Majesty told me that Lu Ben ordered Wei Duan and his two hundred cavalry to be responsible for the safety of Li Zhonglang in Beijing. Wherever Li Zhonglang goes, they will protect him. You see, what is going on here, when did the Han Dynasty change the rules, and a Zhonglang general needs to be protected by two hundred cavalry, which is many times higher than the standard for protecting foreign envoys."

Cui Jun didn't seem to know these things, his face changed slightly.

"Your Majesty also said that without his permission, no one is allowed to meet Li Zhonglang in private." Dong Zhong glanced at Cui Jun who was in doubt, and asked in a low voice, "Do you think His Majesty wants to kill him?"

Cui Jun shook his head.

"Is that to imprison him?"

Cui Jun shook his head again and sighed: "Your Majesty's work is becoming more and more incomprehensible."

The two sides meet and greet each other.Sure enough, Cui Jun guessed correctly, the slightly older officer on the right was Li Hong.Dong Zhong took out the imperial decree and read it.The emperor ordered Li Hong to enter the palace immediately to meet him.The two sides got on their horses immediately, the cavalry of the southern army cleared the way, and the black leopard righteous followed behind to protect, and the two armies galloped into Xiamen one by one.Li Hong knew something was wrong, and he wanted to ask Li Wei, but he was sandwiched between Dong Zhong and Cui Jun, surrounded by cavalry guards from the Imperial Army, and he couldn't turn his head back, he couldn't even look at his subordinates arrive.Li Hong felt uneasy and was at a loss for a while.

What is happening now is far from their plan.They originally thought that after entering the city, they could stay at the post house, and after staying there, they would visit Zongzheng Liu Yu and Li Wei's teacher Guanglu doctor Zhu Jun overnight, and ask the two adults for their views on the government, and then consider how to deal with the emperor. But the Son of Heaven seemed to know what they were thinking, and without giving them any time to breathe, he directly called Li Hong into the North Palace.

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The emperor looked at a painting hanging on the wall and remained silent for a long time.

It was the only portrait of Li Hong painted by Liu He under the personal supervision of the emperor after returning to Beijing.Liu He still can't figure out why the emperor wanted to paint in front of him. After finishing the painting, he ordered himself not to paint a second one, and even took away his drafts.He went home and asked his father Liu Yu.Liu Yu sighed and did not answer. The old man seemed to know what the emperor was thinking.

On the canvas, Li Hongzheng is sitting beside his fist and weeping bitterly.

Li Hong's first impression of the emperor was that he was ugly, with a small head and a slender neck. He didn't have the majesty of an emperor at all.When I looked at him again, I felt that the emperor was very tired and tired, looking exhausted.When I looked up at the Son of Heaven for the third time, I suddenly found that his intelligence was outstanding. In the whole study, there were piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and a collection of classics and history.He heard from Li Wei that the Son of Heaven is especially good at playing the piano and making Fu, and his attainments are very high.Cai Yong, a famous scholar, was the emperor's teacher.

Li Hong knelt on the ground and thought about himself, feeling ashamed that he knew nothing but fighting, and even wrote memorials to the emperor barely, not to mention reciting poems or prose.The tall and wise image of the Great Han Emperor gradually became clear and full in his heart.

After Li Hong walked into the study to greet the emperor, he saw the painting.It was the first time for Li Hong to see himself, and he was sitting on the ground crying bitterly. He was very novel and embarrassed.He was thinking that if he had the opportunity, he must ask the emperor, who painted that painting, how could he paint himself sitting on the ground and crying?And it was seen by the emperor, isn't this ruining his own image.

One of the two was working, the other was standing, and they didn't speak for a long time.

"This is a painting by Yilang Liu He." The Son of Heaven suddenly pointed to the painting on the wall, and turned to Li Hong, who looked nervous, and said, "Liu He is the son of your old master Zongzheng Liu Yu."

Li Hong was stunned.He didn't know what the emperor was going to say, and he was afraid that he might miss it, so he lowered his head, concentrated on it, and waited for the emperor's next words.

"Liu He said that you are a man, a man like a Qiang man." With his hands behind his back, the emperor slowly walked across from Li Hong.

Li Hong's heart trembled, thinking of his long hair that was falling loose.Like the Qiang people?When the emperor heard that he was like a Qiang, would he think of bloodshed and betrayal?
"Yuan Shao said that you are a general, a bloody sword, but Liu Biao said that you are a sharp sword with double edges, which can kill others as well as yourself, so he said that you are not a last resort. , we can’t use a lunatic like you.” The Son of Heaven spoke calmly.

Li Hong felt cold when he heard the emperor call himself a lunatic.Liu Biao's handsome and gentle face immediately appeared in Li Hong's mind.Li Hong cursed secretly.

"Jian Shuo is my little yellow family, I trust him very much. He said you are a loyal minister, a loyal minister of a big man, but I don't know if you are my loyal minister?"

Without even thinking about it, Li Hong turned over and knelt down, raised his hands and swore: "If I am not loyal to Your Majesty, I will be pierced by thousands of arrows and die. I am the knife in your Majesty's hand. Wherever your Majesty points, I will kill you." , without any second thoughts."

There was silence in the study.

Li Hong was laying on the ground, not daring to raise his head. His heart was beating violently in his chest, as if it was about to pop out at any moment. out.Suddenly he found that he could no longer hear the sound of the emperor's breathing, and could no longer guess the emperor's mind through the sound of the emperor's breathing. He was lost and frightened.

Li Hong closed his eyes in horror, opened his mouth and shouted wildly: "Your Majesty, I will only be loyal to Your Majesty in this life, and there will be no difference, no difference!"

The Son of Heaven looked at Li Hong expressionlessly and did not speak.

After a while, he stood up slowly, walked to the painting on the wall, and looked at the crystal teardrop in Li Hong's eye very carefully.

The Son of Heaven raised his hand and gently wiped the tear in the painting, as if he wanted to wipe it away gently. He wiped it over and over again, but the tear still hung clearly and sadly on Li Hiro's eyes.

Li Hong quietly raised his eyes to look, his heart felt hot all of a sudden, his blood was rushing, and tears gushed out.

The Son of Heaven stopped, sighed melancholy, and said, "Get up. Go back and have a good rest. Don't go anywhere, you understand?"

Li Hong wiped away his tears, kowtowed three times respectfully, then stood up, bowed and retreated.

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Lu Ben Ling Wei Duan is a robust young man in his 20s who admires Li Hong very much.After explaining some details to Li Wei and the others, he cupped his hands and said to Li Hong: "Master Weiwei said that no one can leave this posthouse without the imperial decree of the emperor. If you have anything to do, feel free to tell me what's going on. The officer must do his best."

Li Hong, with a gloomy expression, hurriedly stood up and thanked him in return.

"Master Wei, I have some friends from the Imperial Academy, I haven't seen them for a few years, I want to see them." Li Wei smiled and said, "Can you send someone to the Imperial Academy to deliver a message for me? "

Wei Duan hesitated for a moment and asked, "My lord, which bachelor are you looking for?"

"His name is Chen Hao. He is from Chengdu, Yizhou. He speaks Sichuan and Shu dialect. He is very famous in Taixue, and he is called Big Axe." Li Wei said, "You can tell him that I, Li Wei, are back. gone."

Wei Duan nodded repeatedly, and said with a smile: "I seem to have heard of this person, I know, I will send someone to look for it."

Li Wei thanked him repeatedly, and sent Wei Duan out enthusiastically.

Jiang Wu glanced at Li Hong and said, "My lord, Your Majesty will neither let us out nor let others in. What's the difference between this and house arrest?"

Pang De shook his hand at Jiang Wu, and said, "Zifeng, your lord is in a bad mood, so don't say anything."

Zhao Yun asked cautiously: "Sir, what did you and His Majesty talk about in the imperial study? Did His Majesty ask you anything?"

Li Hong sighed, rubbed his forehead with both hands, and bowed his head in silence.

Li Wei hurried in and asked in a low voice: "My lord, how is it? What did the emperor say?"

Li Hong looked at them, smiled wryly and said, "I have already sworn to His Majesty."

Li Wei's expression changed, and he asked in surprise, "You agreed."

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The sunset in winter falls to the horizon early, and dusk gradually fades away.

Chen Yi galloped his horse and rushed into the city before the gate of Qiaoguo City in Yuzhou was closed.Chen Yi found a luxurious mansion, knocked on the door and shouted.

"Excuse me, who are you looking for, sir?" A servant guarding the gatehouse asked.

"I'm a friend of your Patriarch, you go and report it, and say that there is a wandering spirit from Mangshan visiting."

Not long after, the door opened suddenly, and a loud voice came out: "Brother Boyan, come here and be safe!"

Chen Yi raised his hand and shouted: "Brother Meng De, how have you been?"

"Brother came to visit suddenly, please bear with me when I am rude." Following the voice, a 30-year-old Confucian scholar in Chinese clothes walked out of the house. And the big eyes full of wisdom, in the laughter and joy, appear bold and uninhibited.He is Cao Cao, the great tycoon of Yuzhou.

Cao Cao grabbed Chen Yi's arm and said with a smile, "Brother Boyan, we haven't seen each other for six years. Brother misses you. Let's go, let's go home. Let's get drunk tonight."

Chen Yi smiled movedly, and said, "I'm bothering my brother again."

"What's the matter, I told you to stay with me and don't wander around, but you just didn't listen. When you come back this time, do you still want to go?" Cao Cao asked with a smile while pulling him into the house.

Chen Yi smiled bitterly and said, "I'm leaving tomorrow."

The smile on Cao Cao's face disappeared immediately, he took a closer look at Chen Yi, and asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes." Chen Yi said, "There is a big thing."

In the middle of the night, Cao Cao walked back and forth in the study, determined not to give up.

Cao Cao's surname is not actually Cao, but he doesn't know his original surname either.His father, Cao Song, was the adopted son of Cao Teng, the eldest son of Emperor Xiaohuan's dynasty, who was adopted from the people.

From the beginning of the dynasty of filial piety in this dynasty, it has been decreed that middle officials can adopt sons to inherit the title.Cao Teng was a native of Qiao County in Peiguo. He helped Emperor Xiaohuan plan and kill the general Liang Ji.Later, he was granted the title of marquis for his meritorious service, and also served as the Da Changqiu of the inner palace.However, Cao Teng did not do many evils like ordinary middle-ranking officials. He had a good reputation among literati. He used his power to recommend many famous people to the emperor. partisan.Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, once served as the Sili Xiaowei and Da Si Nong of the Dahan, and now serves as the Dahonglu in the court.

Cao Cao grew up in such a prominent official family since he was a child, so he is like many other officials' children, talented, intelligent, uninhibited, like flying eagles and lackeys, and wandering.He has a habit of entering private houses at night. He once hijacked the newlyweds together with Yuan Shao in Luoyang, and even sneaked into the mansion of Zhang Rang, the chief servant, to steal rare and rare toys. And escaped.

Cao Cao has his strengths.He likes to think independently and is unwilling to shape himself in a conventional way.He has read extensively, studied Confucian classics, studied military books, and bettered the legalist theory.He felt that the fundamental reason for the decline of the Han Dynasty could not simply be attributed to the monopoly of the generals, middle officials, or scholar-bureaucrats morally, but the lack of legal system in the whole society. Even if the situation is running, the authority of the monarch cannot be established.

Because he was born in a family of eunuchs, he was often criticized and abused by Qingliu scholars and bureaucrats. At that time, an old captain Qiao Xuan admired him very much, thinking that he was a talent for rejuvenating the country, and asked him to go to Runan Xu Shao. He is proficient in the Book of Changes and specializes in criticizing celebrities in the world.Xu Shao watched Cao Cao for a long time without saying a word.In a hurry, Cao Cao grabbed him by the collar, insisting that he explain clearly, so Xu Shao slowly uttered ten words: "A capable minister who governs the world, and a traitor in troubled times." Cao Cao left happily.

In the third year of Xiping (174 A.D.), Cao Cao promoted Xiaolian to serve as the northern captain of Luoyang and entered his official career.This is an official position responsible for guarding the gates of the capital.As soon as he arrived in office, he began to practice his legalist theory.After repairing the city gates, he hung sticks of five colors in each city gate, and anyone who violated the ban, no matter who he was, would be killed immediately.The emperor's favorite uncle Jianshuo of the little yellow family died under the stick of Cao Cao because he went out at night in disregard of the curfew.Because of Cao Cao's deep background, the dignitaries in the court can only be dumb and eat coptis, and they have no choice.Later, the middle officials found an excuse and sent him out to Dunqiu as the county magistrate.After a period of time, he was called back to the court to worship as Yilang, and went to the court to discuss politics.Cao Cao repeatedly wrote letters, asking the court to vindicate the general Dou Wu and Tai Fu Chen Fan, but no one paid any attention to him, and even the emperor regarded him as a person with a brain problem.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he led the army to join Huangfusong's anti-rebellion army as a riding captain.After the Yellow Turban was pacified, he was promoted to Prime Minister of Jinan because of his military exploits.Cao Cao governed the prefectures and counties in Jinan State with strict laws and severely cracked down on those who violated the rebellion. As a result, Jinan State was stabilized in a short period of time.Soon Cao Cao was requisitioned and returned to the capital, and was appointed as the prefect of Dongjun.He knew that it was the tyrants of Jinan who had sued him to the court.Cao Cao was so angry that he quit. He pretended to be ill, resigned and returned to his hometown.

Cao Cao thought hard for a whole night, but still couldn't make a choice, until he saw his wife Bian.

Seeing Cao Cao staying up all night, Mrs. Bian was very heartbroken, so she brought him a cup of tea in the morning.Mrs. Bian said: "Sir, my father has sent several letters, urging us to go to Luoyang to celebrate the new year. Don't be exhausted, delay the trip, and make father unhappy."

Cao Cao woke up suddenly, patted his forehead to congratulate, he put his arms around Mrs. Bian and praised: "Madam is really my nobleman."

The Bian family was Cao Cao's new concubine. Although his original wife, Mrs. Ding, disagreed, Cao Cao resolutely married into the family.

The ancestor of the Bian family borrowed Langya Kaiyang (Linyi, Shandong), and his family was a humble occupation, a singer and maiko who made a living by sensuality.It is said that when Mrs. Bian was born, the delivery room was full of yellow light all day long. Bian Jinghou, who was a new father, was very surprised, so he went to ask the fortune teller Wang Dan.Wang Dan replied: "This is a sign of great auspiciousness. This little girl will be rich and powerful in the future, and she will look like a princess." That's what he said, but when he grew up, the little Bian family still carried on the humble occupation of the family and became a concubine. Famous Kabuki.This family, who make a living as a performer, wandered around and came to Qiaodi (Bo County, Anhui Province) last year.Cao Cao heard that the Bian family was rich and noble, and saw her beauty, so he married her into his family.

Cao Cao immediately went to see Chen Yi, but politely declined Chen Yi's invitation.

Cao Cao said: "Bo Yan, it is very difficult to fail this move. Because the abolition of the establishment is the most ominous thing in the world. Only Yi Yin and Huo Guang were able to do this kind of thing in ancient times. The reason why these two people were able to Success is all because they are loyal, occupy the position of prime minister, and can do whatever they want when they hold a lot of power. For example, Huo Guang of the Han Dynasty, he was able to abolish the king of Changyi, first of all because he was entrusted by the former emperor and was a famous teacher. , and the second is that King Changyi has only been on the throne for a few days, so there is no climate, and there is no huge power."

"Now, do Brother Boyan and Lord Wang think they have the power of Yi Yin and Huo Guang? Is King Hefei's prestige stronger than that of the rebellious princes and kings in the early Han Dynasty? Compared with King Changyi today, how much foundation does he have?" Don't you know it's stable?"

"Brother Boyan, you should give up. The combined power of Dazhitang and Heishan Yellow Turban is not enough to kill the treacherous eunuchs in the court, nor can it shake the Han Dynasty. Even if you succeed, the emperor is held hostage by you, but Do you have the strength to resist the Han Dynasty army and gain a foothold in Jizhou? Is there a way to get Hefei King to be recognized by the court ministers? Do you have a way to enter Luoyang?"

Chen Yi had a sad and sad face, and kept silent.

"I think Brother Boyan is still eager to take revenge." Cao Cao sighed, "Brother Boyan, listen to me and give up. My father wrote to say that the emperor is in a hurry, and he hastily summoned Qiang Zhonglang to return Li Hong to the capital. I think that the emperor may let him go back to his hometown to worship his ancestors. If..."

Chen Yi smiled sadly and said, "I'm not afraid of whoever comes, I'm not afraid of anyone who comes..."

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Suddenly there was a loud shout outside the post gate: "Li Zhongyuan... Li Zhongyuan..."

After Li Wei heard it, he ran to the gate of the posthouse happily. He stood inside the gate, separated from the guard knights standing guard at the gate, and while waving, he shouted loudly: "Big axe, big axe, how are you?" ?”

"Li Zhongyuan, Xiao Lan is getting married."

Li Wei suddenly felt as if he had been hit hard, his face turned ashen.

(End of this chapter)