Great Han Empire

Chapter 283 The situation changes suddenly
February 187 AD.

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He Miao led a counter-insurgency army to storm Zhongmu City.

Bai Rao, the leader of the Yellow Turbans, led his army to attack Chaoge City. At the same time, Yu Po, the leader of the Yellow Turbans, led his army to capture Sanyang City. The forward only pointed to Huaicheng, the prefecture of Hanoi.

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About 4 riders from the Kuangsha tribe of Xianbei in the west, the various tribes of the Eastern Qiang, and the Xiongnutu tribes suddenly crossed the Lingwu Valley, invaded Beidi County in Xiliang, and captured Liancheng.Now the Xianbei, Qiang, and Huns are gathering on the north bank of the Yellow River, preparing to cross the river to attack Lingzhou City and Fuping City.

The wild wolf tribe of Xianbei in the west attacked Wuwei and Zhangye counties in Xiliang with [-] cavalry.

Xianbei King Helian's [-] troops from Danhan Mountain, and Xianbei Tuobafeng's [-] troops from the north appeared in Shuofang County, Bingzhou. After they captured Linrong City, the prefecture of Shuofang County, they quickly moved up the county.

At the same time, King Xianbei and Lian's nephew, Kuitou, led an army of [-] Danhanshan tribes and Tuoba tribes, attacking Yunzhong, Yanmen, and Dingxiang counties all the way.The Hu people attacked the city and pulled out the stronghold like a broken bamboo, approaching Yanmen Pass.

Yuyang County, Youzhou.The army of Murong Feng, Lord Xianbei in the central part, stopped in the Guangping area and did not continue to attack Yuyang City. The situation in Yuyang County eased a little bit, but the Karasuma people in Liaodong and Liaoxi took the opportunity to rebel, and their momentum became stronger and stronger.

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Xiliang rebel leaders Wang Guo, Han Sui, Ma Teng and others united some of the Xiqiang tribes, gathered about 5 horses, and attacked Hanyang County again.

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Emergency documents from Youzhou, Bingzhou, Liangzhou, Hanoi, and Chang'an arrived like flying, and the atmosphere in Luoyang became tense like never before.

Taiwei Zhang Wen, Situ Cui Lie, Sikong Xu Xiang and Chaozhong Jiuqing, all the ministers gathered in the Jiade Hall to discuss matters.

The main combat faction headed by Taiwei Zhang Wen asked the emperor to immediately transfer Zhonglang and Li Hong back to Xiliang, and take full responsibility for fighting the Hu invasion and pacifying the rebels.

"Your Majesty, it seems that although the scale of the Hu people's invasion is very large, there is only one focus of attack." Zhang Wen said, "That is Chang'an and Sanfu. Earlier, Murong Feng from Xianbei attacked Youzhou, and Tuoba Feng The haunting of Bingzhou is obviously trying to trick us into transferring Li Hong's army stationed in Xiliang to the northern battlefield, so that Xiliang's troops will be empty and they can take advantage of it."

"However, the Hu people made a serious mistake in cooperating." Zhang Wen said with a look of luck, and said with a smile, "The Hu people who attacked Xiliang couldn't hold back before Xian Yufu's army set off, and launched ahead of schedule." Attacking, the result exposed their invasion purpose. Now the barbarians are getting more and more courageous, even dare to attack Chang'an."

Zhang Wen then said impassionedly and loudly: "Your Majesty, today we should use heavy troops to annihilate the barbarians and drive them out of the border of our Han Dynasty, so as to protect our Han Dynasty."

As soon as Zhang Wen finished speaking, Cui Lie immediately refuted.

"Your Majesty, the words of the Taiwei are very inappropriate." Cui Lie said, "Nowadays, the country is experiencing troubled times, with continuous wars and an empty treasury. We simply don't have the financial resources to support such a protracted war. The most urgent task now is to pacify Henan County. and the rebels in Hanoi County to ensure that Gyeonggi has no worries. But the anti-rebel military funds in these two places alone cost more than 20 billion yuan, which has basically emptied the national treasury.”

"According to Lord Taiwei's suggestion, let Li Zhonglang lead an army of 7 people to fight against the barbarians, so how much money will it cost?" Cui Lie looked around at his colleagues and said with a wry smile, "No three or four billion Money, can this battle be fought? If Li Zhonglang has been defeated for a long time, or if he loses a few more battles, where can we get money?"

Cui Lie sighed: "From my point of view, we should temporarily abandon the Border Commandery and stick to Sanfu's land."

"Everyone, look at Xiliang. Xiliang has been suppressing the rebellion for two years. Although we have severely damaged the rebel army, we have not completely quelled it. We spent tens of billions of military resources in that barren land, and finally we got What? If we had given up Xiliangbian County, we could have saved that huge amount of military funds, we could have reduced taxes, we could appease and provide relief to refugees scattered all over the place, and we could let the war-torn people recuperate. Then, there would be no such thing as now The ant thieves rebelled."

"The more wars are fought, the poorer the country is, and the poorer the country is, the more miserable the people are, and the more miserable the people, the more rebellions, and this goes on and on again and again, when will my great Han country be peaceful, and when will it be able to recover?"

"Bian counties have a large area and few people, like Beidi County in Xiliang, with a population of just over 2, and Shuofang County in Bingzhou, with a population of just over 1. The relief we allocate to these counties and counties every year is less than the taxes they pay. It is dozens of times higher. If we temporarily abandon these counties, not only will it not harm the country's finances, but it will also allow the country to temporarily escape the disaster of war and get time to recuperate."

"Once our national strength is strong and the treasury is full, His Majesty can order a few generals to lead their troops northward to attack the Hu. One can recover the country, and the other can rebuild the invincible achievements of Emperor Wu."

Just after Cui Lie finished speaking, Yang Qi, the attendant, came out and scolded Cui Lie for his nonsense, which is a theory of subjugation.

Yang Qi is the great-grandson of the former Taiwei Yang Zhen, and he and Yang Biao are cousins.Yang Qi has little ambition, he doesn't take his family status as a name, he likes to be friends with talented and talented people, and hates associating with powerful and wealthy people.He is proficient in Confucian classics, smart and keen. He was a doctor of imperial studies and had two hundred disciples.This person does not flatter and seek glory, but dares to speak out, even the emperor still contradicts him.The emperor liked him very much. He once said in front of the civil and military officials of the Manchu court that Wenbo had a stiff neck and never bowed his head. He was really a descendant of Yang Zhen.

When the emperor saw that it was him, he hurriedly said, "Don't scold me, Aiqing. Tell me first, why is Master Situ talking about the subjugation of the country?"

"Your Majesty, when Emperor Wu ordered two generals Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to go north to fight against the Xiongnu, they not only recovered the northern part of the five counties of Longxi, Beidi, Shangjun, Yunzhong, and Yanmen, but also recovered Henan, and set up Shuofang and Wuyuan. The two counties, the northern border goes directly to the north of Yinshan Mountain. In the western border, our Great Han Kingdom continued to move westward, expanding a large area of ​​territory, and successively established five counties in Hexi, including Jiuquan, Zhangye, Dunhuang, Wuwei, and Jincheng. Emperor Wu also ordered our Great Han Kingdom The army of the Western Regions expedition to the Dawan Kingdom in the Western Regions, and won a complete victory. Since then, the countries in the Western Regions have been terrified, surrendered one after another, and sent envoys to pay tribute. So we set up the Protectorate of the Western Regions in Wulei City, and in Luntai (now southeast of Luntai, Xinjiang) ), Quli (now Korla) and other places, occupying the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, with an unprecedentedly vast territory."

"Since Emperor Wu, the power of our Great Han Kingdom has gradually weakened, and its territory has gradually shrunk. In this dynasty, the Protectorate of the Western Regions no longer exists, and the border counties have been encroached and occupied by Xianbei, Xiongnu, Karasuma, and Qiang people. Unrecognizable, the Han Kingdom has been humiliated for a long time."

"In the first year of Zhongping, the yellow turban ants rebelled, and the dynasty had no time to take care of the north. Therefore, the barbarians were confident and invaded frantically, causing the six counties of Dingxiang, Yunzhong, Wuyuan, Shuofang, Shangjun, and Beidi to move inward. The northern territory of the county and the large areas north of Hengshan in Yanmen County, Daijun, and Shanggu Sanggan River are all owned by the Hu people. The north of Chaona in Anding County and the north of Lishi in Xihe County are all Xianbei and Qianghu Occupied. In the northeast, due to the growing strength of Koguryo, the county government of Xuantu County moved inward, and the large tracts of land east of Shandan Daling (the central mountain range of the Korean Peninsula) in Lelang County have also been discarded."

"We have given up so much land, but how has the barbarian invasion stopped? We have recuperated for so many years, but how have we been able to recover the lost land in the north and seize the western regions again? If we continue to give up and give up, the territory of our great Han country Where is it? Where is the loyalty of my Great Han Kingdom? Where is the Tianwei of my Great Han Kingdom?"

Facing the ministers, Yang Qi said loudly: "The vast country and mountains that our ancestors shed blood and sweat have been lost in our hands. Let me ask you, don't you have the slightest bit of guilt in your heart? What face do we have to see the ancestors under the nine springs?" Ancestors? We, as subjects of the Han Dynasty, should take it as our duty to protect our homeland and our country, never give up an inch of land, fight for every inch of land, and die in battle without complaint or regret, otherwise, why are we human beings, and why are we people of the Han Kingdom?"

The hall was solemn and solemn, only Yang Qi's voice echoed in the empty hall.

Yang Qi faced the emperor again, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, Master Situ proposed to abandon the border county and exchange the country for a short period of peace. We condoned the invasion of the barbarians and fueled their arrogance. We watched the barbarians occupy our cities, rob our property, kill our people, and ravage our country, but we spoke brazenly and shamelessly This is for the rise and fall of the Great Han Kingdom, what is it if this is not the theory of national subjugation?"

"If you give up a county today, you will give up a county tomorrow. What about the day after tomorrow? The barbarians are prancing on the land of my big Han country, showing off their might, killing and looting wantonly. They see that my big man is weak and vulnerable, and they will inevitably Even more arrogant and domineering, pushing forward every step of the way, do we have to give up the land of a state the day after tomorrow?"

"If you don't kill Hu today, you will be killed by Hu tomorrow. Don't Master Situ understand such a simple truth?"

Yang Qi glanced at Cui Lie, and continued: "Your Majesty, Fu Xie, the Marquis of the Zhuang Festival, once said: 'Kill Situ, and the world will be safe.' Today I, Yang Qi, want to say it again."

Yang Qi suddenly raised his head and chest, and roared loudly: "Kill Situ, and the world will be safe!"

Shouts shook the hall, thrilling.

The civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty were all frightening and discolored.Situ Cui Lie showed shame and remained silent.

"As an envoy, I personally went to Jizhou to issue an order to supervise and ask Li Hong, the protector of Qiang Zhonglang, to go west to Liangzhou immediately to punish the barbarians, protect our country, and inspire our great man Tianwei!"

The emperor's heart was full of excitement, and he was so proud for a while, he jumped up against the table, raised his arms and shouted wildly: "Kill, kill, kill all the barbarians!"

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Li Hong walked back and forth in the big tent, feeling very depressed.

Domestic and foreign troubles and frequent wars in the Great Han Dynasty made Li Hong feel dizzy.How could the Great Han Kingdom be reduced to such a state of turmoil?
Li Hong remembered that when he was in Xianbei, many Xianbei people were full of admiration and fear for the Great Han Kingdom. At that time, he was very proud of being a Han.But after he came back from fighting all the way with a sword on his back, he didn't feel the power and might of the Han Dynasty at all. Since he set foot on this land, he has been fighting on the battlefield, fighting on different battlefields. Devastated everywhere, people's livelihoods are dying, mourning is everywhere, traces of war are everywhere, and homeless refugees are everywhere.Could it be that this is the mighty Han Kingdom in my mind, the homeland I live on?
Li Hong felt lost, confused, and exhausted.

"My lord..." Song Wen's shout pulled Li Hong's thoughts back from his deep melancholy, and he turned his head to look.

"My lord, if this memorial is handed over, do you know the consequences?" Song Wen put down his pen and said worriedly, "My lord will at least be dismissed from office. The manipulator behind this is so scheming and so precise that it's astonishing."

Li Hong shook his head indifferently, and said, "You can figure it out. King Hefei is dead, and we have to give His Majesty an explanation. We can't hide it."

Li Wei smiled wryly and said: "My lord, how do you explain it? It's too difficult. Since the former Emperor Chaojing quelled the rebellion of the seven kingdoms of Wu and Chu, the kings of the vassal states are not allowed to leave the fief without the emperor's permission, otherwise it is tantamount to rebellion. King of Hefei Although the crime of leaving the country without authorization is unforgivable, it is up to the emperor to decide whether to kill or not, and who will kill him. Our Black Panther Yicong, how do you tell us to justify ourselves?"

"A few days ago, Mr. Liu sent a letter saying that Xu You submitted the impeachment memorial, revealing all of Wang Fen's treacherous schemes. Everyone in Luoyang knew that Xiangkai of Pingyuan County and King Hefei participated in the incident, but we did not say anything in the memorial. It was not mentioned, so the bureaucrats in Luoyang wrote a letter to impeach the Lord for deliberately concealing the facts, and the punishment was ineffective. Now the people in Xiangkai and Dazhitang have been released by the Lord, and there is only one dead King of Hefei left. How did things become like this? Explanation is not good for adults." Xie Ming said with a frown, "Let's not talk about how King Hefei died, but the fact that King Hefei died during our pursuit is enough for adults to lose their heads."

"Someone in the court wants to take advantage of this matter to kill the adults, so we can't escape the guilt." Song Wen sighed, "Xiang Kai is unwilling to say, and the adults are not willing to make things difficult for him for the sake of the stability of Jizhou, otherwise we can Take back a little initiative."

"Hurry up and write." Li Hong said with a smile, "If you kill it, you will kill it. Who else should I be afraid of? The king of Hefei has ulterior motives and schemes. He deserves to be killed!"

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The news of King Hefei's death in Taoqiu was sent to Luoyang by the prefect of Jiyin County in Yanzhou with a fast ride of [-] li. carry.

The emperor ignored the clamor of the court ministers, and he said loudly in the court hall: "This is the secret decree I gave to Li Zhonglang. Do you have any dissatisfaction?"

Taichang Liu Yan asked in surprise: "Your Majesty, is there any solid evidence to prove that King Hefei rebelled?"

"Do you still need evidence for this matter?" The emperor sneered, "When there is evidence, I will be decapitated long ago."

"Your Majesty, beheading the King of Hefei without evidence and evidence will cause the princes and kings to be dissatisfied and cause disasters for no reason." Liu Yan advised, "Li Hongmu has no king's law. He violated the law and killed the King of Hefei. He committed a heinous crime and should be punished. Punishment is good."

"Didn't someone say that the King of Hefei conspired against him?" said the Son of Heaven, "Li Zhonglang acted according to his order, what is his crime?"

"Your Majesty, Li Hong didn't catch Xu You from Biejia in Jizhou Prefecture, nor Xiangkai from Pingyuan County, and there is no evidence that King Hefei participated in the rebellion. What reason does he have to kill King Hefei?"

"When did Li Zhonglang kill King Hefei? Wasn't King Hefei killed by his attendants?"

"Your Majesty, do you believe this too? This is as baseless as Xu You's false accusation."

"False accusation?" The emperor gritted his teeth and said bitterly, "False accusation is also killed. Whoever wants to kill me, I will kill whoever."

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The emperor's secret decree asking Li Hong to behead the King of Hefei was finally sent to the camp of Xiangyu Mountain.Li Hong and his subordinates let out a long breath.

The secret decree came late because the messenger was accidentally caught by the Yellow Turban Army when he detoured through Hanoi County.After Bai Rao saw the secret decree, he immediately ordered his subordinates to release the messenger, and asked the messenger to bring a letter to Li Hong by the way.Bai Rao said that he wanted to talk to Li Hong.

Li Hong then ordered people to bring Kuyi, Lin Xun and others to the big tent.Li Hong showed them Bai Rao's letter, and said, "Bai Rao's intention is obvious, he wants me to let you go."

The bitter chief sneered and said, "Are you willing, my lord? What will Bai Rao give in exchange for our lives? If you want to kill him, kill him as soon as possible. Don't be so wordy, it's very unpleasant."

Li Hong said with a smile: "I called you here, of course I am willing to meet Bai Rao."

"My lord is willing to exchange?" Lin Xun asked in surprise, "What are your conditions?"

"As long as Bai Rao and Yu Du's troops return to Montenegro immediately, I will release Kuyi." Li Hong said, "But I can only release Kuji, and the others must follow me to Xiliang."

"Why?" Panta asked loudly, "This condition is too harsh, and Commander Bai will not agree."

Li Hong didn't speak, and quickly spread out the map on the case table.His big hand slowly moved across the northern border of the Great Han Kingdom.

"At the beginning of this month, about 10,000+ troops from the Xianbei, the Huns, and the Eastern Qiang were divided into several groups to invade our Han Kingdom..." After Li Hong introduced the military situation on the frontier in detail, he said firmly, "Bai Rao and Yu Du must Go back to Montenegro and give me a shortcut to go west to Liangzhou."

"We are all the people of the big Han people. When the Hu people are invading our big Han country, we should fight the enemy together and fight the enemy together, regardless of each other."

He looked at Lin Xun, Pan Ta, Liao Lei, and Ding Bo, and said in a stern tone: "If you still have the blood of the Han people flowing in your body, you should follow me northward to fight against the enemy without hesitation, instead of hiding in the mountains Do a rebellion in the old forest, and let the Hu thieves burn, kill and plunder the land of the big man."

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(End of this chapter)