Great Han Empire

Chapter 308 The rain is coming
February 187 AD.

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In the court, the ministers of the inner court and the outer court had another fierce quarrel over military power.

Now that Cui Lie has already taken the position of Taiwei, he is of course unwilling to make any more decorations.Now that the invasion of the Xianbei people has been repulsed, King Xianbei Helian was even beheaded by two Lianren from Beidi County, the army of the Han Kingdom once again shocked the world, and the ruling and opposition parties of the Han Kingdom were immersed in the joy of peace and prosperity. Although there are still some rebellions in Xiliang and Bingzhou, under the suppression of the powerful army of the Han Dynasty, it will be a matter of time before the rebellion is suppressed.At this time, he, the Taiwei, can of course do it, not only can do it, but he can also do it comfortably, so Cui Lie, uncharacteristically, actively asked Shang Shutai to return the military power to the Taiwei's mansion.

Considering the stability of the country, the sacred status and the highest authority of the Han law, the Sangong Jiuqing and the ministers wrote letters and advised the emperor one after another, hoping that the emperor would abide by the ancestral system, embody the will of heaven, understand the sentiments of the people, and transfer military power as soon as possible. Return it to the Taiwei to maintain the balance of power between the inner and outer courts.In their opinion, the direct control of military power by the Son of Heaven will lead to an imbalance of power, and the middle officials around the Son of Heaven can take the opportunity to seize the Tianxian of the Han Dynasty. It will bring disaster to the country and the people, and it may also ruin the country and society of the Han Dynasty.

General He Jin regretted it now.If he had known that the emperor would take away the military power of Taiwei's mansion, he would not have impeached Zhang Wen.After the Xianbei invasion and the resurgence of the Xiliang rebellion, Zhang Wen's position as Taiwei was already in jeopardy, so why should he be impatient to get involved?As a result, I not only offended Zhang Wenwen and a group of family bureaucrats, but also handed over military power to the inner court.Who are the people who have weight in the inner court?Not all of them are Zhongchang servants who are against him.Although the emperor doesn't trust those old traitors very much now, Jian Shuo and other small middle-ranking officials are even more terrifying.Who knows if there is a second Cao Teng here?The second Cao Festival?The middle officials headed by Cao Teng killed the general Liang Yi, and the middle officials headed by Cao Jie killed the general Dou Wu. Then, now the old middle officials headed by Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang and the young ones headed by Jian Shuo Zhongguan, who will assist the emperor to kill himself?Especially now that the military power is in the hands of Shang Shutai, they can use the emperor to recruit troops to deal with themselves.

He Jin regretted it too much.He would rather have military power in the hands of the Taiwei than fall to the inner court; he would rather fight openly and secretly with the Taiwei over the military power of the two governments than fight against the emperor and middle officials, so he After careful discussion with a group of staff in the General's Mansion, they used the relationship between Ding Gong and Dong Zhong to invite the Queen Mother.He hoped that the queen mother could persuade the emperor to return power to Taiwei's mansion.

But the hard work of the Outer Court and the Grand General's Mansion all came to naught overnight.

===

Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun rebelled.

In the middle of this month, Zhang Ju, the former prefect of Mount Tai, and Zhang Chun, the former prime minister of Zhongshan, gathered more than 10,000 people to rebel in Feiru County, Liaoxi County, Youzhou.This rebellion is different from Zhangjiao Zhangniujiao in Jizhou and Bianzhang in Xiliang in the previous few times. This time the rebels openly established a court, established an emperor, and even named the country Dayan.

Zhang Ju, a native of Yuyang, was established by the rebels as the son of heaven, the emperor of the Great Yan Kingdom.Zhang Chun, a native of Yuyang, was granted the titles of Prime Minister, General Mi Tian, ​​and King Anding of Dayan Kingdom.

Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun also issued official documents in the counties and counties of Youzhou and Jizhou, announcing to the people of the prefectures and counties, declaring that the Great Yan Kingdom will replace the Great Han Kingdom, and that Zhang Ju is the real emperor of the Dragon. Go to Luoyang to take charge of state affairs.

At the same time, the Yellow Turbans who were active in Taihang Mountain responded one after another. Yang Feng, the leader of the Yellow Turbans in Heishan, led an army to merge with Shangdang, Bai Rao and Suigu led an army to attack Jizhou, and Yu Du led an army to attack Hanoi.

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The emperor was furious and roared like thunder above the court.

"Decree, decree immediately, tell Li Hong to rush to Youzhou immediately to suppress the rebellion."

All the ministers turned pale, and the joy of defeating the Xianbei disappeared instantly.

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In Shang's study room, candles were brightly lit.

The emperor stood in front of the huge map and was listening to Lu Zhi's explanation.Taiwei Cui Lie, Situ Xuxiang, Sikong Dinggong, General He Jin, Zongzheng Liu Yu and other ministers surrounded him.

"Currently, the reinforcements of Qi Chou, captain of Huwuwan, and Wang Ru, prefect of Zhuojun County, have rushed to Jicheng in Guangyang County. Use Bao Qiushui to stop the rebels." Lu Zhi pointed to the map and introduced, "Yang Chun, the governor of Youzhou, sent a letter saying that Youzhou's troops are insufficient, and it may be difficult to stop the rebels. He asked the court to send more reinforcements immediately. "

"What about Liaodong?" Liu Yu asked, "There are thousands of frontier troops in Liaodong. They can recruit the local Karasuma people to jointly attack the rebel lairs in Liaoxi."

Huangfusong picked up a volume of documents and said with a wry smile: "This is the news that Mr. Yang, the governor of Youzhou, has just delivered with a fast ride of [-] miles. The Wuwan people of Youbeiping, Liaoxi, Liaodong, and Liaodong's four counties all rebelled."

There was no sound in Shangshu's room.

Liu Yu asked in panic, "How about Liaodong?"

"There is no accurate information, but according to the rebel prisoners who attacked the fox slaves, Liaodong County has fallen, the prefect Yang Zhong has been killed, and the frontier army in Liaodong has surrendered." Huangfusong said, "Liaoxi prefect Liu Shi and Liaodong governor Shi Zhaocheng participated in the rebellion. If these reports are completely true, the rebels plus the Karasuma people will have at least 20 troops.” He looked up at the flustered emperor, and said, “I see, Ji The city can't hold it."

The emperor snorted, but remained silent.

"Sir Qi Chouqi, Captain of Huwuwan, has 2 cavalry, plus the Yuyang and Youbeiping frontier troops, Guangping, and Zhuojun county soldiers, and Jicheng has at most [-] troops." Lu Zhi pondered for a long time, He sighed, "Your Majesty, Jicheng cannot be defended."

"Youzhou's army is small. In the past few years, the barbarians have frequently invaded, and the yellow turban ants have rebelled twice. The war has never stopped, and the soldiers have lost too much." Liu Yu said sadly, "Because Youzhou is barren, taxes If you are not self-sufficient, it will be even more difficult to recruit troops and expand your army, so today's loss is also a matter of helplessness."

Liu Yu stabilized his mood a little, and then said: "I think that although there are few soldiers in Jicheng, it should not be a problem to stick to it for two or three months. With such a long time, we can definitely send troops from various states and counties to go north to support , put down the rebels."

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The Son of Heaven nodded and asked Huangfu Song, "Aiqing, have you sent out the edict for Li Hong?"

Huangfusong shook his head, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, Zhang Yan occupies Jinyang, Yang Feng attacks Shangdang, and the situation in Bingzhou is far more critical than Youzhou. It is inappropriate to recruit General Li to go north to Youzhou to suppress the rebellion."

The Son of Heaven was startled, then stared at his small eyes, and cursed angrily: "Huangfusong, you are out of your mind, there is the Great Yan Kingdom on the other side of Youzhou, what is it inappropriate for you to say to me here? Ant thieves will You have reached Jizhou, do you know?"

Huangfu Song said: "Your Majesty, I know this, but the rebels of Zhang Yan and Yang Feng pose a greater threat to us. Once the two of them go south together and attack Hanoi together with the Yu Du rebels in Hanoi, threatening Gyeonggi, the Kanto will surely be destroyed. Chaos. Compared with the two, it is more important and urgent to put down the Bingzhou rebels."

As soon as the emperor heard that Luoyang was dangerous, he immediately dismissed the idea of ​​recruiting Li Hongbei to Youzhou, and the expression on his face gradually calmed down.

"What about the rebels in Youzhou? Where will I recruit reinforcements?"

"Reinforcements can be dispatched from Jizhou immediately." Cui Lie said loudly, "Didn't Your Majesty give Master Muyang of Jizhou a [-]-army formation?"

"Lord Taiwei, are you confused?" He Jin mocked, "Master Yang has only been in Jizhou for two months, not to mention recruiting soldiers, even the disaster relief work is not over yet, where are the [-] soldiers?"

"Jizhou, with a population of several million, will it take a long time to recruit [-] soldiers?" Cui Lie said in disbelief, "Even if there are no [-] soldiers, what about the county soldiers in each county? There must be [-] to [-] soldiers, right? "

"Li Hong took away [-] soldiers and horses from Jizhou twice. Where is there any army?" Xu Xiang sighed. The county soldiers."

The Son of Heaven sighed and asked, "Why is there such a small number of soldiers in such an imposing Han Dynasty? Why didn't the dead be replenished in time? The wars have been going on for several years, why don't the states and counties replenish their troops?"

The ministers looked at each other speechlessly.

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"Since the ant thief disaster, I have ordered many times to order the states and counties to recruit county soldiers as appropriate. Why don't they listen?"

Da Sinonong Wang Han hesitated to speak. After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't hold back. He cupped his hands and played: "Your Majesty, it's all because the states and counties are short of money. An ordinary county soldier's monthly salary is three hugu, and the money is three cents. One hundred, 300 soldiers are 600 million yuan, and a year is 1 million yuan. In addition, the rations, clothing, salt, and weapons of the 5000 soldiers will cost about 20 million yuan for an army of [-] soldiers in one year. Money. For a medium-sized county with a household of [-] and a population of more than [-], the annual tax payment should be no more than [-] million yuan. It is very good if it can support [-] soldiers. In recent years, there have been many wars in various places, and there are no wars. The states and counties pay more taxes, so the states and counties are short of money to support soldiers."

"Your Majesty, I take Youzhou as an example. Because Youzhou is poor and cannot make ends meet, its tax revenue in the best year is only 3000 million yuan. Therefore, over the years, the imperial court has allocated [-] million yuan from the taxes of Hebei and Qingzhou to make up for it. Youzhou uses it. Your Majesty, it is very rare for Youzhou to have so many county soldiers. I heard that many county soldiers in Youzhou do not receive military pay, as long as their stomachs are full."

"What about the army over there? Both the frontier army and the northern and southern armies are funded by your Dasinong mansion. Why are there so few frontier soldiers in Youzhou?" the emperor asked dissatisfied.

"Your Majesty, under normal circumstances, the Northern Army has 5 soldiers, and the Southern Army has 5 soldiers. Each of these 20 soldiers has a monthly salary of six dendrobium grains, and the annual military salary alone costs more than [-] million yuan. Taxes have been reduced drastically in recent years. Last year there was only more than [-] billion yuan, how can the imperial court have more money to support the frontier army?"

"There have been many wars in the past few years. In order to raise military funds, I have tried my best. I have borrowed money from princes and nobles, as well as wealthy people from all over the place, asking them to raise donations. I have also cut official salaries many times. I sold them in the West. Official, selling off to the Marquis of Guannei, and using the private wealth of the Shaofu and Wanjintang, that’s it, isn’t it enough?” The emperor said angrily, “You tell me every day that you have no money, and I don’t believe it. With so much money, Where have they all gone? Have they been pocketed by you people?"

Wang Han was also angry. He worked so hard for the Great Han Kingdom. He has worked hard without any credit. Today, His Majesty suspected that he was pocketing his own money. He couldn't help saying loudly: "Your Majesty, the money is all in the Wanjin Hall in Xiyuan. When will Have you been to Dasinong?"

The emperor blushed so much that his neck was thick, and was so angry that he couldn't speak for a long time.

"Your Majesty, calm down, Your Majesty, calm down." Cui Lie hurriedly pulled the angry Wang Han behind him, and said with a smile on his face, "My lord Wang has been bewildered by scolding officials from all over the country who came to Beijing to ask for money recently, and I forgot what to say. , Your Majesty, don’t blame me.”

The Son of Heaven has long disliked Wang Han. The old man pestered him all day without asking for money, and he refused to repay the loan.If you don't pay it back, you won't pay it back, and he can bear it for the time being, but this old man got worse and went to the Empress Dowager of Changle Palace to cheat money, and said that he called it himself, but the Queen Mother begged him for it, and he had no choice but to reluctantly part with him. Jintang returned the money to the Queen Mother, causing himself to lose a lot for no reason.He was worried that he would not have the opportunity to teach the old man a lesson.

"Pull him down and lock him up in Beisi Prison."

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

All the ministers panicked, fell to their knees, and begged together.

Instead of kneeling down to plead guilty, Wang Han yelled angrily, "I'd rather go to Beisi Prison than be a big minister. I'll go now."

He lifted his legs and walked out. While walking, he shouted to Huangmen standing at the door: "Come and catch me, come and catch me, come, come..."

The emperor was so angry that his eyeballs almost popped out.

"Pull it down, pull it down for me..."

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The ministers were also stunned by Wang Han's rudeness, kneeling on the ground one by one, not knowing what to say.

"Get up, get up." The Son of Heaven waved his hands and shouted, "Why are you still kneeling? Can you still do this thing?"

The Son of Heaven looked at Huangfusong, and asked angrily, "How about reinforcements?"

"Lord Liu's suggestion is very good, and I think it is feasible. In the past few years, Qingzhou, Xuzhou and Yanzhou have suffered less wars, and each county still has some county soldiers. Captain Du led his troops to the north to support them one after another," Huangfusong reported back.

"These three states are too far away from Youzhou. By the time the reinforcements arrive, Youzhou will probably be lost." The emperor said angrily, "There is no other way?"

Huangfu Song shook his head.

"Where's the northern army? The northern army in Luoyang can go north quickly." The emperor said, pointing to the general.

General He Jin said without hesitation: "I'm going to gather the northern army now, and immediately go north to suppress the rebellion."

"Your Majesty, absolutely not. At this time, the safety of the capital is very important. The Northern Army must not be mobilized." Lu Zhi was shocked and hurriedly stopped, "It is better to order the Youzhou Army to hold on to the city and wait for reinforcements."

"What if Jicheng falls?" Liu Yu said heartbroken, "My lord, don't forget that there are still tens of thousands of Karasuma cavalry."

"Master Liu, at present only General Li's army can be adjusted, but the situation in Bingzhou is far more critical than that in Youzhou, and Bingzhou is closer to Luoyang..." Lu Zhi tried his best to explain.

"Lord Lu, you mean that Youzhou is not necessary anymore?" Liu Yu suddenly became angry.

"Master Liu, I know that you have stayed in Youzhou and have feelings for Beijiang, but the current situation..."

"Stop talking." Liu Yu interrupted Lu Zhi with a wave of his hand, and bowed to the emperor, "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead troops to Youzhou to put down the rebellion."

"Lord Liu, don't be in a hurry." Huangfusong said, "Your Majesty can order General Li to put down the rebellion as soon as possible, but no one can predict how long the battle in Bingzhou will take. As long as the battle in Bingzhou is over, General Li can lead It is useless to rush to Youzhou. We are not only short of troops, but we also have to consider what the Xianbei people want to do."

"Xianbei people?" Liu Yu was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized, and asked, "Master Huangfu is worried that Murong Feng will fish in troubled waters and take the opportunity to attack Youzhou?"

"It's not that simple." Huangfusong shook his head.

===

"Rebellion is rebellion after all. Since they can form an alliance with the Karasuma people, why can't they ask the Xianbei people for help?" Huangfusong said worriedly, "Who are Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun? People? Just refugees. Zhang Jiao’s million-strong army and Zhang Niujiao’s hundreds of thousands of people are still wiped out. They have learned from the past, why dare to repeat the same mistakes? How dare they go so far as to call the emperor the title of the country?”

Huangfusong looked at the people in the room, and said in a heavy tone: "There must be something to rely on for rebellion, and it's not just an ordinary rely. We suspect that this rely is Murong Feng."

The emperor and all the ministers suddenly woke up and nodded frequently.

"Zhang Ju only has 10,000+ people, and he dares to call himself emperor." The emperor sneered, "I thought he was a lunatic? There is some truth in what Aiqing said."

"After He Lian's death, we thought that there would be civil strife in Xianbei, and the four masters of Xianbei would fight for the throne of Danhan Mountain, but what happened? It turned out that Tuoba Feng rushed to Danhan Mountain with [-] cavalry without firing a single arrow. He agreed to Murong Feng's ten-year agreement, is he an idiot?" Lu Zhi followed Huangfusong and said, "Ten years? Ten years later, Kuitou's wings have already hardened, and after the wings are full, how can I return my turn?" When Qianman becomes king? Whether Qianman can live to that time depends on whether the leader is happy or not."

"Why did Tuoba Feng agree to the ten-year agreement? There must be a temptation he couldn't refuse, so he would give up making Qianman the king of Xianbei." Lu Zhi twisted his long beard and said to himself, " What is this temptation?"

(End of this chapter)