Great Han Empire

Chapter 284 The situation changes suddenly
General He Jin sighed deeply after hearing the news from Luoyang.

Today, the emperor's favor and protection for Li Hong has exceeded their imagination, and the depth of his intention is self-evident.As Li Hong, who is deeply favored by the emperor, besides dedicating his loyalty to His Majesty, what else can he repay?

He Jin couldn't help thinking about the future.If the fledgling Li Hong and the old and cunning eunuchs in the palace join forces inside and outside to deal with him together, will he be like Liang Yi and Dou Wu, and end up with his head separated and his clan wiped out?When He Jin thought of Liang Yi and Dou Wu who were buried in the mass graves in Beimang Mountain, his heart suddenly became tense, and a chill instantly swept over his whole body.

The truth is cruel and ruthless. If you don't fight hard, your final destination will be that desolate Beiman Mountain.

Only when Xiao Shihou becomes the emperor, can the He clan survive. This fate was doomed after the birth of Xiao Donghou and the death of Wang Meiren, and it is a fact that can never be changed.If he gave up, not only Xiao Shihou and the empress would die, but also him, the great general, all relatives of the He clan, and thousands of former disciples.

Who wants to get caught up in a bloody battle for imperial power?But once trapped, how can there be a chance to get out?It's either death or life, there is absolutely no third way to go.

Li Hong, a savage from northern Xinjiang, has just stepped into this circle of right and wrong, circle of life and death in a daze. He is ignorant and knows nothing. Where is it leading?

===

He Yong received a secret letter from He Jin halfway.

But he hesitated when he knew that Li Hong had once again escaped punishment and guilt under the protection of the emperor, almost barbaric and rascal.In this case, what's the point of going to Jizhou by yourself?

He Jin sent messengers to catch up with him, calling him to go back.He Yong thought over and over again, but decided to take a trip.Maybe, there will be some surprises?

When He Yong arrived at Xiangyu Mountain camp, he was warmly received by ordinary scholars such as Song Wen and Li Wei.They were very excited and delighted to know He Yong, who is famous all over the world.

Li Hong was also very happy, and entertained He Yong with rich food and wine and beautiful female music.

Seeing that Li Wei and others admired He Yong very much, Yan Liang disapproved and taunted him a few words.Zhao Yun quickly advised him not to talk nonsense.

"He is a world-renowned celebrity and party member. Like Xu Shao from Runan, he is a prominent figure in the Han Dynasty. Anyone who can get his appreciation and comments will be able to soar into the sky and become famous all over the world." Zhao Yun smiled. Said, "Brother Hutou, do you want to go see him?"

"I won't go." Yan Liang waved his hands disdainfully and said, "What appreciation? Comments? It's all bullshit, and it's all a lie made up by powerful people out of thin air. Shangguan officials use such despicable means to fool the people of the world. What qualifications does he have to judge people? How capable is he? Did he defeat the invasion of the Hu people? Did he put down the Yellow Turban Army? I think he is a A boastful liar."

"Zishan, how can you talk like that?" Zhao Yun's handsome face suddenly darkened, looking very unhappy.

"Am I wrong?" Yan Liang sneered, "Which powerful person's disciple is not the son of a mansion all over the world? A son of a powerful man like Yuan Shu doesn't need anyone's comments at all. As long as he is not an idiot, he can understand To be a court official worth two thousand shi. If you look at Li Zhongyuan and his group of scholars, they took advantage of the backing of Mr. Zhu Jun and swaggered into Mr. Zhu’s account as officials. But look at the court, do you have them? The humble people recommended by these talkative people? Where are these people who have been evaluated now?"

Zhao Yun was speechless by Yan Liang's words, and then he ignored him, and went to the big tent to meet He Yong.

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In the evening, when everyone dispersed, Li Hong and He Yong sat and talked.

"In today's Great Han Kingdom, there are continuous rebellions rising inside, aggressive barbarian bandits invading outside, and court ministers like Wang Fen conspiring to rebel. The decline of the Great Han Kingdom is getting worse day by day." He Yong said worriedly, "However , in this situation of internal and external troubles, today's emperor not only does not care about the people's sentiments, and strives to govern, but instead wants to abolish the father-in-law and establish the son-in-law, bringing disaster to the country."

He Yong glanced at Li Hong who looked calm, and asked: "My lord, do you know what kind of fate His Majesty will bring to the crumbling Han Kingdom?"

Li Hong smiled and said: "I am a man of the Han Dynasty. I only know how to be loyal to the country and fight the enemy bravely. Such national affairs are too far away from me."

"Your Excellency, why bother. Everyone in the world knows that today, today, you have more trust and favor for Your Excellency." He Yong said with a smile, "Your Excellency is now an important minister of the court. If even Your Excellency says that he is too far away from state affairs, then our government What is a yamen official?"

"Anything that happens in the Han Dynasty is closely related to any citizen of the Han Dynasty, not to mention such a major event of chaos and subjugation." He Yong continued to sigh, "Your Excellency is deeply favored by the emperor, and you should be a great man for the Han Dynasty." The peace and prosperity of the country should be contributed to, instead of relying on heavy power, helping the tyrants to abuse the government, causing chaos and chaos in the world, and the loss of life."

Li Hong frowned slightly, and forced a smile: "Master He seems to have said too much."

"I never said that." He Yong said solemnly, "If my lord insists on going his own way, the end will be obvious. Since ancient times, there have been many people who have caused disasters to the country because of abolishing a prostitute and establishing a concubine. Do you want to be a sinner through the ages?"

Li Hong shook his head and said with a helpless smile: "Lord He, it's too early to say so, who knows what will happen in the future?"

"But I can swear that I, Li Hong, will never be a person who disrupts the country." Li Hong said with a firm expression, "I am a man who is now in decline and the people are suffering. No matter how stupid I am, Li Hong, I will not be so stupid as to bring trouble to the country. Charcoal creatures."

He Yong was overjoyed.Unexpectedly, what this barbarian from northern Xinjiang said was different from what he thought in his heart.This is the right time.He narrowed his eyes slightly, and said with a smile: "Is this what the adults said from the bottom of their hearts?"

"If you break this oath, you will be punished by heaven and earth!"

"Then, what if the eldest prince inherits the throne?" He Yong asked without hesitation, "What will my lord do?"

Li Hong's expression froze.He didn't expect He Yong to be so bold, and directly pointed out the problem.Could it be that this person is planning everything behind the scenes in Jizhou?Looking at He Yongjiong's piercing eyes, Li Hong hesitated for a moment.

The General's Mansion is in charge of the military affairs of the country.If you want to ensure a safe rear and strive for victory in the upcoming frontier war, then you must maintain a close and friendly relationship with the General's Mansion, which is the most important thing.Thinking of Li Wei, Song Wen and others' instructions, Li Hong had to carefully consider what he wanted to say.

Li Wei, Song Wen and others believed that He Yong's visit showed that the general had readjusted his strategy after the defeat in Jizhou.In order to ensure that the eldest prince can successfully inherit the great rule, he had to ascertain Li Hong's true attitude towards the emperor abolishing his son and establishing his concubine, and then he would further consider how to deal with Li Hong.For Li Hong, this is an opportunity, an opportunity to establish a close relationship with the General's Mansion.As long as you show the general that you don't want to be his enemy and that you support the prince's succession, then everything will be resolved.

In fact, Li Hong is not interested in who will succeed the general. What he is interested in is defeating the barbarians. But the problem is that under the current situation, the only way to establish a good relationship with the general's mansion first is to get He Jin's support. In order to get the guarantee of defeating the barbarians.If the General's Mansion acts behind the back of the army, it will be fatal to Li Hong and his army.

Li Hong sorted out his thoughts, and said slowly: "We should follow the laws of the Han Dynasty, and ensure the stability of the country and society of the Han Dynasty."

"Okay." He Yong praised loudly, "My lord is indeed the number one loyal minister of my man."

====================
He Yong found out Li Hong's mind and was overjoyed. Then he talked with Li Hong about the frontier war.He Yong worked as a Sima in the General's Mansion, in charge of military affairs, and was very clear about the recent development of the border war.

After introducing the situation to Li Hong in detail, he said: "After returning to Xiliang, my lord, the first battle will be in Beidi County. The [-] cavalry of the Kuangsha tribe in the western Xianbei, the various tribes of the Eastern Qiang and the Xiongnutu tribes are very powerful. , if my lord wants to win in one battle, I am afraid that I am not strong enough."

Li Hong nodded, and said with a heavy heart: "Wang Guo and Han Sui took advantage of the Hu people's invasion and we had no time to look around, and sent troops to Hanyang again, forcing us to fight on two fronts. This will undoubtedly make things worse for us." Then he pointed out Looking at Hanyang County on the map, he said: "The 4 troops currently stationed in Chang'an must divide at least [-] troops to Hanyang to fight the rebels. Then the number of troops that can go north is only [-] at most. In terms of numbers and strength, we have no any advantage."

"How confident are you in defeating the Hu coalition forces?" He Yong asked.

"I'm not even half sure." Li Hong said, "Beidi County is vast and sparsely populated. Most of the territory is surrounded by mountains, and the roads are difficult and difficult. Apart from defending the city, it is difficult for us to find a better way to stop the barbarians from going south." He sighed, and continued, "Unless all the Xiliang rebels retreat to Longxi and Jincheng, we won't be able to gain an absolute advantage in military strength."

"Can adults have any countermeasures?" He Yong asked.

"For this matter, I specially wrote to Your Majesty, requesting that the 5000 cavalry from the Northern Army Commander Shuiying and the [-] troops from Jizhou go to Liangzhou together. In addition, I also suggest that Your Majesty transfer General Dong Zhuo's army back to Hanyang County to deal with the rebels. .In this way, we can gather [-] men and horses, clench our fists, and face the Hu army."

"At this critical moment, the emperor will definitely agree." He Yong asked again: "How long do you think we can defeat the barbarians under the best conditions?"

Li Hong thought for a while, shook his head in embarrassment, and said, "It's hard to estimate. But I think it takes a few months."

He Yong shook his head, raised two fingers, and said solemnly: "My lord, two months, at most two months."

"Why?" Li Hong asked in surprise, "Two months? How is this possible?"

"No money, no money in the national treasury." He Yong replied flatly, "According to what you said, if Dong Zhuo's 3 people stationed in Hanyang County in Xiliang, your army enters Beidi County, and the general will bring the tiger The northern army in prison, Lord Yinhe from Henan attacked Zhongmu’s army, and now the imperial court is going to provide food and salaries to 16 troops, think about it, with the current national inventory, can it afford such an astonishing expense? The national treasury simply can’t afford it.”

"If the war drags on for a long time, until the food and pay are exhausted, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"My lord, when you arrive in Beidi County, there is only one way to go." He Yong suggested, "Quickly find the main force of the barbarians, and then surround and annihilate them at all costs."

With a heavy heart, Li Hong smiled wryly.

Poor, the Han Kingdom is so poor that it can't even fight a war.

===================

The emperor returned the decree.

Agreeing to Li Hong's request, he transferred the Changshui Camp and Jizhou army of the Northern Army to Li Hong's tent, and followed him westward to Liangzhou to fight against the barbarians.

At the same time, Li Hong was ordered to hand over the case of Wang Fen's rebellion immediately after the new Jizhou Mu Yangqi took office, and then lead his troops to set off.

Yuan Shu, the former captain of Changshuiying, was promoted to General Huben Zhonglang because of his meritorious service in arresting Wang Fen, and immediately returned to Beijing to take up his post.Yan Liang led his subordinates to beat up the government office and violated the law. He should have been punished heavily, but considering his great contribution to cracking Wang Fen's case, the fine was changed to three months' salary.Li Hong's ineffective inspection of Jizhou, slow progress in the investigation and arrest of Wang Fen's treason case, and many violations of the law during the investigation and arrest process, so he was demoted to Captain Xiaoyong.

Li Hong's suggestion that Dong Zhuo's army return to Hanyang County in Liangzhou to suppress the rebels was rejected because the Yellow Turban Army in Hanoi County became more and more rampant.

A few days later, Chen Ming and Lin Xun, who had secretly met with the Bai Rao Department of the Yellow Turban Army, rushed back.

"What did Bai Rao say?" Li Hong called the two to sit down, and asked with a smile, "Does he agree?"

"Bai Shuai agreed with your lord's opinion." Chen Ming replied, "Bai Shuai said that he agreed to withdraw, not because of your lord or the bitter chief, but because the Yellow Turban Army, like your lord, hates and hates barbarians. I don't want to see the barbarians wantonly trample on the land that humiliates me."

"Bai Shuai said that he has sent someone to notify Yu Du and Yu Shuai, and Yu Shuai's troops will return to Montenegro soon." Lin Xun said respectfully, "Bai Shuai asked me to tell the Lord that he wished the Lord the best of both worlds on the battlefield in Western Xinjiang. The flag is set to win, and the barbarians are wiped out as soon as possible, so as to revive the unrivaled power of our great Han Dynasty."

Li Hong was very happy after hearing this, and immediately ordered people to release the bitter chieftain.

"Ling Ming, go and call Zhong Yuan here." Li Hong said to Pound with a smile, "I will continue to write to His Majesty, suggesting that he transfer General Dong Zhuo to Hanyang, so that I can gather an army of [-] to deal with Hu Jintao with all my strength." The attack of the coalition forces."

===

In the middle of the night, He Feng came to see Li Hong.

"My lord, I want to follow you to Xiliang." He Feng said firmly, "I'm going to kill the barbarians."

Li Hong smiled and said: "Zhuoyan, you are a staff member of the general's mansion, how can you obey orders under my tent? In my opinion, you should go back to Luoyang with Master Yuan. Besides, even if I agree, the general I might not agree."

"Does your lord not believe me?" He Feng became unhappy and asked loudly.

Li Hong hurriedly shook his head.

"Is your lord still hating me?" He Feng asked again.

"Zhuoyan, why do I have to hate you?" Li Hong said, "Although you haven't said it all the time, we know each other well. You and brother Lu are both under orders, how can I blame you?"

"I am the commander of the Changshui camp, why can't I go to Xiliang with the Changshui camp to kill the enemy?" He Feng said angrily, "My lord simply doesn't believe me, and he hates me."

Li Hong looked at He Feng, who was so angry, and admired his arrogance very much. He smiled and said, "Okay, good man, then follow me to Xiliang."

The next day, Yuan Shu returned to Beijing with a few attendants.Li Hong sees them off at Yuanmen.

He turned a blind eye to Li Hong's practice of repaying virtue with grievances, and didn't even say a word of thanks. After a few perfunctory words, Yuan Shu walked away.

Two days later, Li Hong asked Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Zhao Yun, Jiang Wu, and Liu Ming to set off westward with [-] Jizhou troops and [-] Changshuiying cavalry.They took Hanoi County, crossed the Yellow River via Pubanjin in Hedong County, entered Sanfu, and then joined the army stationed in Chang'an.

===

After receiving the imperial edict, the army stationed in Chang'an has already started to act.

Xianyufu ordered Qu Yi, Kuangfengsha, and Hengji to lead three battalions of cavalry to rush northward to support Fuping and Lingzhou. At the same time, he ordered Yan Rou, Xianyuyin, and Hua Xiong to lead three battalions of infantry to Geju in Beidi County. , The two cities of Niyang marched.

Xu Rong took Nie Xiao and Lou Lu's two cavalry battalions and set off for Hanyang County under the urging of the imperial decree.

Jizhou Mu Yangqi hurried to Yecheng.

Yang Qi first read out the imperial decree.

The battle on the border of Xiliang is getting more and more tense. The Hu coalition forces are aggressive and attacking cities and villages along the way. It is unstoppable. It is urgent for Li Hong to rush to Liangzhou to take command.The emperor re-promoted Li Hong to the post of Qiang Zhonglang General, and ordered him to rush to Chang'an to command the army to meet the enemy immediately after receiving the order.Li Hong immediately completed the delivery with Yang Qi, and hurried on the road with the Black Panther Yi Cong.

Because the Yellow Turban Army attacking Hanoi County suddenly retreated without a fight, the emperor immediately agreed to Li Hong's suggestion and ordered Dong Zhuo to lead the army to immediately rush to Hanyang County, Liangzhou to quell the rebels.

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At the end of this month, He Miao led an army to attack Zhongmou City and beheaded the traitors Xi Zhi and Tan Bo.Because of his great achievements, He Miao was promoted by the emperor to be a chariot general and granted the title of Marquis of Jiyang.The He family became more distinguished and powerful.

General He Jin ordered Yuan Shao to take the opportunity to recruit surrendered soldiers and reorganize and expand the Northern Army.

Li Hong arrived at Chang'an Camp.

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(End of this chapter)