Great Han Empire

Chapter 336 The Swordsman
February 188 AD.

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In the early morning, Zhenbei General Li Hong led his generals and Black Panther Yicong out of the Longshan camp. Xu Rong and a group of generals who stayed at the Zhenbei General's Mansion, Shi Shi, saw each other ten miles away.

Standing beside the Fenshui River, Li Hong looked back at the majestic Longshan Mountain in the distance, feeling very heavy.He stayed here for eight months, working hard day and night. Although he recruited the Yellow Turban Marshal Zhang Yan and hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers, and appeased the millions of refugees on the Taihang Mountains, he also gave the barren Bingzhou and the crumbling Han Kingdom Carrying a heavy burden on his back, a hidden danger that will explode overnight.

Today's internal and external difficulties in Bingzhou are indeed not the best time to lead the army to the north to suppress the rebellion, but the emperor's order cannot be disobeyed, and Youzhou must go. As the strength increases, the price to be paid to suppress the rebellion will be even greater, and may drag down the entire Han Dynasty.It is better to suppress the rebellion in Youzhou sooner rather than later.

"Don't send them off, everyone, go back." Li Hong reined in the panther and said loudly, "Go back to the camp."

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Xiao Lan looked at Zhu Mu, tears streaming down her face involuntarily.Zhu Mu said with a smile: "Six years ago when I was attacking the Yellow Turban Army with my father, you were still ignorant, and you danced wildly with my long sword. I said a few words to you, but you still had a temper. In a blink of an eye, you were married. " He shook his head and said affectionately, "Okay, don't cry, just smile. I'm going to fight and make contributions, you should be happy. Remember to write a letter to your family so that your parents don't worry about it, you know?"

Xiao Lan felt sour in her heart, and she burst into tears.

"Zhong Yuan, please take care of Xiao Lan, you have to take care of yourself."

Li Wei smiled and patted Zhu Mu's shoulder vigorously, without saying anything.

===

Kuangfengsha, Yan Wuwei, Xinhu, and Duan Xuan embraced and said goodbye.Because half of the Changshui battalion were Xianbei cavalry, Li Hong ordered some soldiers from the Wuqi battalion and Changshui battalion to switch. Lu Xian, Yan Wuxin and Hongbai from Changshui battalion stayed in the Wuqi battalion.

"Wuwei, Mingzhi, my lord took you away, but left me in Jinyang, it's too partial."

Yan Wuwei smiled and said: "Forget it, staying in Jinyang may not mean that you will not fight. Half of the Wuqi battalion is Xianbei people. If you want the Wuqi battalion to be invincible on the battlefield in the future, you still have to think of ways." Let the soldiers of the two clans be as close as brothers."

"I know, I've been discussing this matter with Lu Xian these few days." Kuang Fengsha smiled, "The Wuqi Battalion will never lose the battle, you can rest assured."

"Xinhu, when you arrive in Youzhou, do your best, and don't dishonor our Xianling Qiang people's reputation."

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Li Hong held Xu Rong's big hand, pointed at Zuo Yan, Li Wei, Tang Fang, Yu Peng, Xie Ming, and Tang Yun, and said, "There are only these people in Zhenbei General's Mansion at present. There are many things and few people. If you are too busy, You can ask Xiao Lan to take up the position of Zhong Lang. After all, she is familiar with the affairs of the mansion, and is very familiar with all the prefectures of Bingzhou. Although some people make irresponsible remarks and accuse us behind our backs, the stability of northern Xinjiang is the most important thing. Don't worry too much."

"Muyun is the one I asked for from Bingzhou Governor's Mansion. He is the disciple of Master Taiwei Cui Lie and Master Cui. It took me a lot of effort to get him here this time, and I had a very unpleasant fight with Master Zhang. Mu Yun Some time ago, I have been helping the boss manage the villages in the Xiaowei Mansion of Hutian, and I am very familiar with the farming affairs, so I will hand over all the matters of inspecting the military villages and the villages to him."

Li Wei, Tang Fang and others hurriedly expressed that they would do their best to assist Xu Rong to stabilize northern Xinjiang.

Xu Rong looked calm, and asked slowly: "Is there anything else you want to explain?"

Li Hong thought about it, and said: "Hedong Guotai's Yellow Turban Army is a trouble. If it cannot be suppressed for a long time, it will have a great impact on Yang Feng's Yellow Turban Army and Bingzhou's farming. The Yellow Turbans will get rid of it."

"The second is the Huns. Years ago we didn't send troops to massacre all ethnic groups because of the incident in Luoyang, and after the year we were ordered to recruit [-] cavalry from the Huns. In addition, the main force of Bingzhou went north to Youzhou to suppress the rebellion. Therefore, I am very happy I am worried that the Huns will take the opportunity to rebel. If the Huns invade south, the Xianbei may take advantage of the opportunity and attack Yanmen. Therefore, border guards are very important and must not be taken lightly."

Li Hong sighed, and continued worryingly: "I am most worried about farming. There may be three reasons for the failure of farming. One is that Guo Tai's Yellow Turban Army and Hu people invaded and caused turmoil in Bingzhou. Lost financial support and failed; second, crisis occurred in Luoyang, the court was in turmoil, and farmland lost policy support and failed; third was bureaucratic corruption, corruption prevailed, and farmland lost the support of the people and failed.”

Li Hong looked at Xu Rong, Zuo Yan and others, and bowed in courtesy, "Whether the Great Han Kingdom can be revitalized, whether the northern border can be stabilized, and whether the people can have enough food and clothing, all depend on you."

Xu Rong and others knelt down to return the salute one after another, expressing that they would be loyal to the country even though they were heartbroken.

Li Hong pulled Xu Rong up, walked aside, and asked in a low voice, "If the Xiongnu were in chaos and the barbarians invaded, Zilie would go north to command the army to defend against the enemy. At this time, who will be in charge of the Zhenbei General's Mansion?"

"Of course it's the boss." Xu Rong said.

Li Hong shook his head, "When I left Jinyang City a few days ago, the boss was still angry, and he was still brooding and full of complaints about my killing of corrupt officials. It can be seen that he didn't understand my difficulties. On the contrary, Mr. Cai and Mr. Wang is more open-minded, and his words are very supportive of the eradication of corruption. However, the two gentlemen believe that the bloody killing of corruption can only cure the symptoms but not the root cause. It can only be suppressed for a while and cannot be solved for a long time. In order to educate scholars to be loyal to the monarch and patriotism by teaching scriptures and learning. This method takes time, although I have no way to refute it, but I always think it is inappropriate."

"If the old man sits in the Zhenbei General's Mansion, his thinking will definitely condone corruption, and the consequences will be serious, so don't bother him anymore."

Xu Rong nodded, looked at Zuo Yan and said, "Then let Mr. Zuo sit in charge."

"Brother Junyi is loyal and generous to others, but it is hard to convince others; Zhong Yuan is young and energetic, bold and reckless, it is really hard to be reassured; Xiao Lan is extremely talented and prudent, but it is a pity that she is a female; Xie Ming and others have their own heavy responsibilities. , plus qualifications and other reasons, let alone consider it.”

Hearing what Li Hong said, Xu Rong immediately understood.To resist the invasion of the Hu people, it is definitely not enough to rely on the [-] cavalry and thousands of county soldiers left behind. The Yellow Turban Army must be recruited, but the forced recruitment of the Yellow Turban Army may cause chaos in Bingzhou. Therefore, the only way is to let the Yellow Turban Army Call for a fight.

Xu Rong smiled slightly and said, "Does your lord like Zhang Yan and Zhang lord?"

Li Hong gave a deep salute and said with a smile: "With Zilie's words, I feel relieved."

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"Lu's Spring and Autumn" said that Xiongguan Yanmen ranks first among the "nine fortresses in the world", and it is also called the throat of northern Xinjiang together with Lulongsai and Feihusai.

Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, in order to resist the invasion of the Xiongnu, starting from Wuwei and Beidi in Xiliang, going to Shangjun, Xihe, Yanmen in Bingzhou, and then to Daijun, Shanggu, Yuyang, Youbeiping, and ending in Liaoxi in Youzhou. A Great Wall that is thousands of miles long has been built, and the [-]-mile Great Wall from the Yellow River to Juzhu has been built since the time of the Zhao Kingdom.This section of the Great Wall connects Xiawu Mountain, Juzhu Mountain, Leitou Mountain, Caoduo Mountain, and the Yellow River into a solid defense system, and the Juzhu Fortress is located in the longest and most dangerous Juzhu Xing. Yanmen Pass is Sentence notes on the fortress of Guancheng.The Yanmen Pass is majestic and majestic. There are two peaks facing each other, and there is a hole in the middle, which can only allow wild geese to fly through it. It is an important place for defense in the past dynasties.

At the beginning of this month, Li Hong arrived at Yanmen Pass.General Xian Yufu of Pingbei Zhonglang, Hu Loulan, King Zuoxian of the Xiongnu, Zhang Yi, Inspector of Bingzhou, Guo Yun, Prefect of Yanmen County, and other generals went out ten miles to meet them.

Zuo Xianwang Hu Loulan is in his 40s, tall and broad, with a resonant voice and a pair of aggressive eyes on his weather-beaten face.This time, all the cavalry from the left tribe of the Xiongnu and some other small tribes accompanied the Han army. The right tribe and the Tu various tribes refused to send troops for various reasons.Da Shanyu Qiangqu was worried about the situation of the Xiongnu, but at the same time he did not dare to disobey the imperial decree of the Han emperor, so he had no choice but to let Zuo Xianwang lead the army.Da Shanyu negotiated with Xian Yufu several times for the issue of the number of troops to be sent, but Xian Yufu insisted on obeying the imperial edict and dispatching [-] soldiers.Xian Yufu said that although there are quite a few Huns who have dissenting ideas, there are [-] cavalry in the Han Dynasty to help Da Shanyu guard the royal court in Duliao River, so what is Da Shanyu worried about?
Guo Yunzu, the prefect of Yanmen County, went to Guo Quan as a chief minister, and the Guo family was a famous family in Taiyuan.Guo Yun himself is both literate and military, with extraordinary knowledge, and is well-known in northern Xinjiang. Although he is fifty years old, he can still open a three-stone bow. He also teaches in his spare time, and has many disciples.This person has served in Yanmen for many years. He is a clean and honest official with outstanding achievements and excellent reputation.

Introduced by Xian Yufu and Zhang Yi, Li Hong exchanged greetings with Zuo Xianwang Hu Loulan and Governor Guo Yun, and then he greeted the generals one by one.

"This is Zhang Zhen, Zhang Zhengtao, the military commander, and Wu Xiong, Wu Yuchen, the fake Sima." Xian Yufu pointed to the two young and strong generals and said, "This time, the soldiers from Bingzhou's [-] counties will be under the command of the two."

Li Hong was very happy. After asking a few words cordially, he turned to Guo Yun and said, "Thank you Mr. Guo for giving me two giants."

Guo Yun said with a smile: "My lord's call-up order, Master Zhang and I will not have a quiet day. The generals of all ministries are clamoring to go to the north with you. They all have to make contributions. It is very difficult for us to be Shangguan, and we don't know who to let go." Okay. Later, I had no other choice, so I said, let’s do this. In the past few years at Yanmen Pass, whoever has the most military exploits will go. After calculation, Zhengtao and Yuchen have the most military exploits. These two are my proud disciples , but because my teacher has no connections, so far they are nothing more than military commanders, and they have been wronged."

Li Hong smiled and understood very well.This is the case in the frontier army. If there is no one in the court, no matter how great your contribution is, at most you will be a military commander, and that has reached its peak.The reason why I was promoted to the school lieutenant by virtue of my military merits was entirely due to Liu Yu's strong recommendation. Without Liu Yu's care all the way, I would not be where I am today.Thinking that he was about to join forces with his old master Liu Yu in Youzhou, his mood suddenly improved.Leave the matter of Bingzhou to Xu Rong and Qu Yi, I believe they will do better than themselves.

At this time, Zhang Yi, who was standing aside, pointed to Zhang Zhen and Wu Xiong and said, "When you arrive in Youzhou, work hard with the general. If you can't make meritorious service and be named a captain, then don't come back."

Li Hong laughed, looked at the smiling Zhang Yi and said, "Master Zhang, are you threatening me?"

Zhang Yi said without hesitation: "My lord, look at your subordinates. How many other generals are military Sima? The cavalry generals of your lord are almost all school lieutenants and captains, and the youngest officer is also a Sima of another department. The army of Yanmen County is also under the Zhenbei General's Mansion, and the Lord should give some captains, right?"

Li Hong said with a smile: "Master Zhang, the captain and captain are all cut out by them one by one, not just by me."

Guo Yun stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Don't worry, my lord, my two subordinates will definitely be able to cut out two captains, but at that time, my lord, don't make any distinctions between closeness and estrangement, and look at them differently."

A group of people talked and laughed, and entered the Juzhu Fortress.

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A few days later, three thousand soldiers from the prefecture of Hanoi arrived, led by soldiers from the prefecture Cao Zhengxu Huang and false Sima Yanzhao.

Xu Huang is in his 20s, tall and mighty, he doesn't talk much and is a bit reserved.Yan Zhao was about the same age as him, a little thin and thin, and looked very smart.Both of them came from rich families in Yang County, Hedong. They joined the army together and were like brothers.After Wang Han, the prefect of Hedong County, took office this time, he went around to recruit talents.Xu Huang was recommended by his colleagues, and Wang Han called him to consult him. He was surprised by his knowledge, so he worshiped him as a soldier in the county government.Because of Xu Huang, Yan Zhao was promoted to be a false Sima.

"Why did Lord Wang let you come?" Li Hong thought of the fact that he refused Wang Han face to face when he asked for mulberry sheep, and he was amused, so he asked, "Master Wang is willing to release people from the government office this time? "

Xu Huang smiled shyly, but didn't make a sound.Yan Zhao looked at Xu Huang, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Your Excellency said, it's too humiliating for Brother Gongming to be an official. Your Excellency even wrote a letter of recommendation to the general."

Xu Huang glanced at Yan Zhao reproachfully, and his face suddenly turned red.

Li Hong looked at Xu Huang in surprise, and said with a smile, "What about the letter?"

Xu Huang took it out from his pocket and handed it over respectfully.After Li Hong read it carefully, he looked at Xu Huang again, feeling a sudden fondness for him in his heart.

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The county soldiers from Hanoi finally arrived, and more than 1000 miles were enough for them to run.

When Zhao Yun heard that soldiers from Hanoi were coming, he hurried to the big tent, but he was greatly disappointed. The leader was not Lu Bu, but a tall man in his twenties.When Zhao Yun asked a question, he answered only one sentence, and each sentence was only a few words, which seemed very dull.

After reading the letter from the prefect of Hanoi, Li Hong didn't speak for a while.

"Gao Shun, has the Black Mountain Yellow Turban descended?" Li Hong asked.

Gao Shun bowed his head in silence, with a humble expression.

"Your Majesty Cheng really dared to do it, he only sent a fake Sima with a thousand soldiers to fool me." Li Hong threw the letter to Zhu Mu and said very unhappy, "I called Lu Bu by name, but he didn't even bother to answer me. "

Zhu Mu said with a smile: "Hanoi is an important place in Gyeonggi, and its military strength is not enough. It would be good to have 1000 people. Moreover, the yellow scarves are always a disaster. When they go down the mountain, the Hanoi government will send troops to kill them. How can there be no army?" Okay? My lord, please understand."

Li Hong sneered, waved to Gao Shun and said, "Go down and have a rest. You will also participate in the military meeting tomorrow morning."

Without saying a word, Gao Shun bowed and left.

Zhao Yun stared at his receding back, and suddenly said: "My lord, this man has good martial arts skills."

Li Hong snorted without even raising his head.

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A total of 6 soldiers and horses from all departments of the Northern Expeditionary Army have been assembled.

Li Hong immediately reorganized the army.

The infantry army removed 5000 people from the chariot battalion, and the remaining 2000 people were built around the fifth battalion.Xian Yuyin, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Hua Xiong, and Gao Lan led a battalion each.The first battalion of Wen Chou is Zhang Zhen and Wu Xiong's 3000 people.The Gaolan 4000st Battalion consisted of [-] men from Xu Huang, Gao Shun and Yanzhao.

A cavalry army of [-] iron cavalry was also built. There were five battalions in the front, back, left, and right sides. Nie Xiao, Jiang Wu, Yan Wuwei, Liu Ming, and Zuo Xianwang Huloulan each led a battalion.

The reason why the Xiongnu iron cavalry can be divided into two, with Liu Ming commanding 5000 troops, is related to Liu Ming's background.Liu Ming's Xiongnu's name is Chiqiao'er, and he is the nephew of Qubei, the iron carving king of the left tribe of Xiongnu.Zuo Xianwang Hu Loulan watched Liu Ming grow up, and now he is very happy to see Liu Ming has become a captain, so when Li Hong discussed this matter with him, he agreed without saying a word, and even sent You Xian Wang Yufuluo's son, Liu Bao, was put under his command and asked Liu Bao to follow Liu Ming to learn his skills.

In the middle of this month, the last military meeting.

"How about the food and supplies?"

Tian Zhong stood up and reported back: "One month's stock of food and grass has been prepared, all kinds of weapons are sufficient, and the [-] civilians accompanying the army are ready to go. After we rush to Jicheng to join Lord Liu's army next month, the follow-up food and grass will be in Jicheng. get replenished."

"How about the troops and horses?"

Xian Yufu and Yan Rou stood up one after another and said that all the soldiers and horses were ready and ready to go at any time.

"How is the defense force at the border?"

Guo Yun, the prefect of Yanmen County, pointed to a handsome young officer, beckoning him to report back.

"Juzhu Fortress has a total of 7000 troops. Except for the 25 troops stationed in Yanmen Pass, the rest of the troops are stationed on three large stone walls, 1000 small stone walls, and [-] passes, among which the pass connecting Juzhu Mountain and Leitou Mountain Goujiaguan has the most troops, with [-] soldiers.”

"Who is the Gouzhu gatekeeper? Stand up and let me see." Li Hong raised his head suddenly, looked at the dozens of officers in the big tent, and said loudly.

The young officer blushed and said nervously, "It's the next officer."

Li Hong glanced at him attentively and asked, "What's your name?"

"My subordinate, Zhang Liao, is currently working for Cao Cao, a soldier of Yanmen County."

At this time, Guo Yun leaned closer to Li Hong, and said in a low voice, "Wen Yuan is Zhang Zhen's elder brother, and also my most proud disciple. He is proficient in both literary and martial arts."

Li Hong glanced at him and said with a smile, "Why didn't you give it to me?"

"My lord's thoughts are too great. You have so many elite soldiers and strong generals, how much more?" Guo Yun said with a smile, "It's all for you. I don't want it at Yanmenguan."

Li Hong smiled, and said to Zhang Liao: "Once Gouzhuguan is lost, the defense of Juzhu Fortress will be breached. You have a heavy responsibility and you cannot afford to make any mistakes."

Zhang Liao excitedly replied loudly: "Your official will stand firm to the death and never back down."

Li Hong nodded approvingly and waved for him to sit down.

Pound hurried in and handed over an urgent document.Li Hong glanced at it and handed it to Zhu Mu.

"Tomorrow, the army will go out of the fortress and go north to Youzhou along the Chi Road."

There was a burst of cheers in the big tent.

Zhu Mu opened the document, and the smile on his face froze immediately.Guo Tai led the Yellow Turban Army to capture Pingyang City in Hedong and cut off both water and land transportation.

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(End of this chapter)