Great Han Empire

Chapter 497
Shangshutai.

Grand Tutor Yuan Kai urgently summoned Situ Dinggong, Sikong Liu Hong, and ministers of Jiuqing to discuss matters.Shangshu ordered Lu Zhi to give a detailed explanation of the latest situation in Gyeonggi.

"Because the former general Dong Zhuo and the prefect of Hanoi Ding Yuan publicly responded to the chariot general Li Hong going south to eradicate traitors, the situation in Gyeonggi suddenly deteriorated." The reason is already in place, he can cross the Yellow River southward and approach the capital at any time, so the top priority now is to immediately find a way to prevent Li Hong from entering the capital, and resolve this crisis as soon as possible, so as to ensure the stability of Luoyang's political situation and the great Han society.

"Is there any other way to prevent Li Hong from entering the capital now?" the eunuch Yang Biao said angrily, "The former general Dong Zhuo had the audacity to lead his army across the Yellow River without the consent of the emperor, and Ding Yuan, the prefect of Hanoi, was even more lawless and ungrateful. He even dared to lead his troops to attack Mengjin and kill two high officials of the imperial court. How can there be a solution to this situation? I think Li Hong, Dong Zhuo and Ding Yuan have already planned to go south to Beijing. It’s just a non-existent thing, Li Hong must be deceiving us.”

"Ding Yuan can capture Mengjin, kill the ministers, and burn the passes. What about the other soldiers and horses who returned to Beijing to support them? Will they respond to the chariot generals like Dong Zhuo and Ding Yuan? Who can guarantee that the northern army and the western Will the generals of the Yuan Army turn against each other?" Shangshu Zheng Tai said, "I think the only way to prevent Li Hong from entering the capital and resolve the crisis in Luoyang is to follow the righteousness and kill the traitors immediately. This is the only way. As long as the traitors are killed, all Everything can be solved.”

"What if Li Hong still can't stop Li Hong from going south after killing the traitor? What if Li Hong's ultimate goal is not to kill the traitor but to go to Beijing to abolish the young emperor?" Sikong Liu Hong said, "Li Hong is too ambitious. He will not lead his troops south to kill a few traitors, he may want to take the opportunity to control the power of the country."

"My lords, once Li Hong crosses the river and enters the capital, the traitor and the general will fight back to the death. At that time, Luoyang will be plunged into a bloody war, and the lives will be devastated. This will be a terrible disaster for the Han Dynasty. Therefore , we must prevent Li Hong from entering Beijing, but the army alone cannot stop him." Shangshu Zhou Wei said, "We must let Li Hong know that even if he leads the army across the south of the river, he may not be able to occupy Luoyang and abolish the Young Emperor, can control authority."

"What is Master Zhou's plan?" Situ Dinggong asked.

"From the point of view of the following officials, it is better to join hands with the general as soon as possible to kill the traitor first, so as to stabilize the morale of the troops in the capital." Zhou Wei said, "The former general Dong Zhuo and Hanoi prefect Ding Yuan obeyed the young emperor, and they wanted to kill the traitor. Eunuch, as long as they are appeased, the army in Gyeonggi will be able to work together again to prevent General Cheqi from going south. If Eunuch is dead, there will be no reason for General Cheqi to continue going south. If he does not withdraw to the north by then Xinjiang, he is the traitor of our great Han country, everyone can punish him."

"Punish the eunuch? Your Majesty and the Queen Mother will kill the eunuch?" Guang Luxun and Liu Bo smiled bitterly, "It's difficult. If the eunuch does not die, the general Cheqi will not retreat. Sooner or later, Luoyang will fall into a bloody battle." .”

The ministers discussed for a long time without any result.Don't talk about punishing the traitor now, it is even more difficult to drive the traitor out of the palace.

Yuan Kui stood up slowly and said: "I'll go and talk to the general. You will join your Majesty and the Empress Dowager together to make the danger of Li Hong's entry into the capital more serious. Please make up your mind early and remove Zhao Zhong, Zhang Rang and other middle-term servants as soon as possible. .”

===

Sili Xiaowei Yuan Shao rushed to Mengjin.

Ding Yuan, the prefect of Hanoi, and Wang Kuang, the censor of the general's mansion, greeted them out of the camp.After Yuan Shao exchanged pleasantries with them, he said with a smile: "The general asked me to tell you two that Meng Jin's fire was well lit, and the first contribution to killing the eunuch is yours."

Ding Yuan looked at the thick black smoke on the pass, and smiled with his beard: "The general's plan is very clever. Once the traitors are eliminated, what reason does the general have to cross the river on horseback?"

Yuan Shao shook his head, with a worried expression on his face, "The situation has changed a bit. The former general Dong Zhuo suddenly raised his troops to respond to Li Hong. He led his troops across the river in the name of eradicating traitors."

Ding Yuan and Wang Kuang looked at Yuan Shao suspiciously.Wang Kuang is in his 30s, thin, with a white face and short beard, and is gentle and elegant.He asked Yuan Shao, "Didn't the general arrange for Dong Zhuo to cross the river?"

"No." Yuan Shao said, "The general didn't want Dong Zhuo to cross the river, and he repeatedly asked him to stop Li Hong on the north bank of the Yellow River, but Dong Zhuo turned a deaf ear to him and ignored him at all. He first raised his troops to respond to Li Hong's execution of the rape eunuch, and then Crossing the Yellow River to the south, the result is that there is no force west of Hangu Pass to stop Li Hong."

"So, Li Hong is really going to enter Luoyang?" Ding Yuan asked in surprise.

"The general also has this concern." Yuan Shao said, "Due to Dong Zhuo's sudden crossing of the river, the situation in Gyeonggi is a bit out of control."

"What is Li Hong's real purpose? Is he really going to sweep Luoyang?" Wang Kuang asked in panic, "When will the other reinforcements arrive in Beijing? Do we have enough troops to stop Li Hong?"

"Captain Wu Qiuyi had already returned to Dongjun by the general's order earlier." Yuan Shao said, "In a few days, he will enter the capital with the governor of Dongjun, Qiao Mao, and Henan Yin Wangyun. It’s not enough. You should reorganize the two battalions of the West Garden Army and rush to Hangu Pass tomorrow. This is the general’s order, and I came to Mengjin for this purpose.”

The two bowed to accept the order.

"Are the heads of Zhao Rong and Xia Mou there?"

"Brother Benchu, why do you want their heads?" Wang Kuang asked strangely.

"We have to race against time, and force the emperor and the queen mother to kill the traitors while we can still control the situation in the capital." Yuan Shao said, "If Li Hong's army crosses the Yellow River, we will have no chance."

Not long after, Lieutenant Lu Bu brought the heads of Lieutenant Zhao Rong and Xia Mou of Xiyuan Military Academy with a few personal guards.

"You are Lu Bu?" Yuan Shao said happily, holding Lu Bu's hand affectionately, "Being famous is worse than being famous."

"My lord knows me?" Lu Bu asked in surprise.Yuan Shao is a well-known figure in the world and the head of the next generation of the Yuan Clan. Lu Bu is of course very happy to be appreciated by him.

"When I was in the General's Mansion, I heard Wen Yuan mention you many times. Wen Yuan said that your martial arts skills are world-class. In the battle at Yanmen Pass that day, you killed countless enemies. You were invincible. I have admired you for a long time. This attack Meng Jin, you killed Zhao Rong and Xia Mou again and again, and you have done a lot of credit. After I go back this time, I will definitely recommend you to the general."

Lu Bu was overjoyed and bent down to thank him.Yuan Shao grabbed him and said with a smile: "Wen Yuan is at Hangu Pass, you will see him soon."

===

Yuan Shao bid farewell to Ding Yuan and Wang Kuang, and went straight to Hangu Pass without stopping.

Cao Cao, Chunyu Qiong, Zhang Liao, and Zhang Yang welcomed Yuan Shao into the pass.

Yuan Shao briefly talked about the situation in Luoyang City, and then said to Cao Cao and Chun Yuqiong: "The general asked the two adults to jointly write a memorial to punish traitors."

Cao Cao and Chunyu Qiong glanced at each other without making a sound.Chunyuqiong is in her thirties, tall and strong, with a round face and long beard, resolute and capable.

"Meng De, are you worried..."

Cao Cao smiled, and waved for the guards to bring three heads.

"These are the heads of Lieutenant Feng Fang of the Chinese Army, Lieutenant Zhao Xing of the Left Lieutenant of the Assistant Army, and Zhang Ding of the Right Lieutenant of the Assistant Army." Cao Cao said, "I couldn't convince them, so I had to kill them."

"Meng De's sword is so fast." Yuan Shao laughed, "The general said that the fifth battalion of the West Garden Army will still be led by you and Master Chunyu. How is it? You don't have anything to worry about now, do you?"

===

Zhao Zhong, Zhang Rang, Guo Sheng and other Zhongchang attendants looked at the five heads on the case table, feeling terrified in their hearts.

"The West Garden Army was snatched by He Jin just like that." Zhao Zhong scolded viciously, "Cao Ah, that little bastard dared to betray us, I'm going to kill him."

"Why kill?" Guo Sheng said angrily, "Think about how to keep your own head."

"What are you thinking about? Let's avoid the limelight first." Zhang Rang sneered, "Even the queen mother can't keep us this time. But they don't have the ability to kill us. As long as the man-eating leopard goes north to the desert, We can come back."

"Hmph... Cao Aman, you little bastard, wait to die."

===

Grand Tutor Yuan Kui, General He Jin and other ministers jointly signed the memorial, and once again asked the emperor and the queen mother to immediately dismiss the Zhongchang servants and other middle officials in the palace.

Empress Dowager He was forced to have no choice but to convene the central officials to discuss.Zhao Zhong, Zhang Rang and others wept bitterly and begged bitterly.Duan Gui even smashed his head, bleeding profusely for a while, it was horrible.Zhao Zhong said that since the veteran cannot serve the queen mother in the palace, it is all right to resign and go home to take care of the elderly, but as long as the veteran and others leave the palace, they will definitely be killed by the general.

Empress Dowager He couldn't bear it, so she wrote an edict to He Jin, saying that the He family's existence today is due to the help and support of the old middle-ranking officials in the palace, and we cannot ruthlessly kill them all.Today, due to the situation, I can agree to your removal of the Zhongchang Attendant, but considering the needs of the Palace and the ancestral system, other middle officials are not included in the list of dismissals.

He Jin said, now that the generals in Gyeonggi have responded to the generals of chariots and cavalry, and they all demand to kill the traitors. I can no longer control the situation, and chaos is imminent.If Li Hong upholds the late emperor's edict at this time and takes the opportunity to go south to Beijing, then not only the middle officials in the palace, but also the emperor and our entire He clan will die.

Empress Dowager He insisted against it, and she told He Jin that it is okay to dismiss the Zhongchang servants, but you must guarantee their lives, as for the other middle officials, they must stay in the palace.She asked He Jin to discuss with Master Taifu, first agree to all the conditions that can be agreed to Li Hong, and then see what Li Hong has planned.

He Jin, Yuan Kai and other ministers felt that the emperor and the queen mother should not be forced too hard. Now that the traitor has lost the support of the Xiyuan army, he will be kicked out of the palace sooner or later. The most urgent thing is to find a way to get Li Hong to withdraw.

===

Master craftsman Zhu Jun rushed to Fenglingdu with the imperial decree.

Considering that the success of Bingzhou Tuntian is directly related to the safety of northern Xinjiang, the imperial court decided to set up the Tuntian Xiaowei in the Tuntian District south of Hetao, and the Diannong Duwei in the Tuntian District of the two counties of Changshan and Zhongshan. Diannong Zhonglang's Mansion and Hutian Zhonglang's Mansion in Jinyang are under the jurisdiction of Cheqi Dajun's Mansion.The imperial court no longer interfered in the farming affairs of northern Xinjiang.

Because the border counties in the northern border were repeatedly attacked by barbarians and needed to be garrisoned, the imperial court agreed that the five counties of Beidi, Shuofang, Wuyuan, Yunzhong, and Dingxiang should be appointed as the captain of the garrison and the prefect.In Taiyuan and Shangdang counties, according to the agreement to appease the Yellow Turban Army at that time, the Yellow Turban Army still appointed the prefects by themselves.The candidates for the prefects of the remaining prefectures and counties were recommended by the Cheqi General's Mansion, and they were appointed after the court agreed.

The court still strongly disagreed with the establishment of a 30 frontier army, but the court believed that Li Hong could expand the number of troops stationed in northern Xinjiang to 30. As for the 50 billion military funds Li Hong needed to build a frontier army, the court still agreed to allocate it.

Jizhou is one of the few tax-paying prefectures in the Han Dynasty. Its taxes are directly related to the finances of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, the imperial court still disagrees with the use of Jizhou taxes to fill the two prefectures. However, considering the current situation of Bingzhou, the imperial court agreed to pay taxes from Jizhou every year. China allocated [-] million yuan to Youzhou and [-] million yuan to Bingzhou.

After receiving the order, Li Hong entertained Zhu Jun warmly.Zhu Jun said that the general's goal of going south this time has been achieved. When does the general plan to withdraw his troops?When is the expedition to the desert?

Li Hong was in a very good mood, and he said with a smile: "If the traitor is punished, I will withdraw the troops. As for the expedition to the desert, I would like to ask your lord's opinion."

Zhu Jun shook his head and said: "There must be middle officials in the imperial palace. This is a fact, and it is also an ancestral system. No matter how much pressure is exerted by the adults, it is impossible for all middle officials to be punished. At most, a group of heinous people will be expelled from the palace. It is no longer necessary to continue to intimidate, but it will exacerbate the crisis in Luoyang. As for the expedition to the desert, I have to ask my lord a question."

"Please tell me, my lord?"

"Do you obey the late emperor's last edict?" Zhu Jun asked solemnly.

Li Hong thought for a while and said, "The kindness that the late emperor gave me was as great as a mountain. Of course, I must obey the late emperor's edict."

"Do you recognize today's emperor?"

Li Hong was silent.

Zhu Jun glanced at him worriedly, and said in a low voice, "Do you understand the purpose of the late emperor in letting Liu He escort Princess Changping to the north of Hejian Kingdom?"

Li Hong looked at Zhu Jun in surprise.

"Do you understand why the late emperor did not appoint a crown prince until his death?"

Li Hong already knew what happened before and after the late emperor's death through various channels, but facing Zhu Jun's questioning today, he suddenly understood the original intention of the late emperor.

"You went south this time, although you stabilized the northern border and helped He enter the main court, do you think Luoyang will be safe and secure from now on?" Zhu Jun smiled bitterly, "My lord, you still don't understand Luoyang and the court. Tang. Whether it is Zhongyuan or Gongding, they are too young to know the depth of my Han dynasty. Can you count how many resigned Sangongs of my Han Dynasty? Why did the first emperor choose Yuan Wei alone?"

"Although the great general has been keeping a low profile for many years, he is not a scholar. This is the root cause of the Luoyang Rebellion, do you know?"

"In the Beigong Incident in the first year of Jianning, General Dou Wu and Grand Tutor Chen Fan joined forces to kill the rape eunuchs, but because the secrets were leaked, they were killed by the rape eunuchs. What is the crux of the matter? Apart from the factors that caused the Northern Army to lose control , What other lessons can the scholars learn from?"

"The most important reason why Taifu Chen Fan actively cooperated with Dou Wu, the general of foreign relatives, was that Dou Wu had the dual identities of scholar and foreign relative. At that time, as long as the treacherous eunuchs could be punished, the Han Dynasty could avoid re-exiting relatives. The old way of dictatorship. Grand Tutor Chen Fan was kind to Empress Dowager Dou, and her father Dou Wu was close friends with the gentry ministers in the court. Therefore, the greatest possibility for her is to return the government and the gentry ministers. In other words, After the gentry ministers helped the general Dou Wu to kill the traitor, they could gain the opportunity to be in power, but what about today? Today, the gentry ministers helped the general He Jin to kill the traitor, what can they get from it?"

"General He Jin is the son of a butcher, and the gentry ministers will not accept him from the bottom of their hearts. The gentry ministers are only willing to accept a general who is a relative of a scholar, and cannot accept a general who is a pariah. Similarly, He Jin does not accept him. Believe in the ministers of the gentry, this time he settled in the Baijun mansion to secretly manage everything, and he almost formed an opposition with the ministers of the gentry. Look at the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother does not have the slightest affection for the ministers of the gentry, she only trusts traitors. Here Under such circumstances, even if the gentry ministers use He Jin's power to cut and kill the traitor, what can they gain from it? Can they take charge of the government?"

"Obviously, this is impossible." Zhu Jun sighed, "He Jin got everything he has today with the help of the traitor. He is vacillating on the issue of punishing the traitor. Will the traitors be killed? No, He Jin will immediately change his strategy and turn to the traitors, and the gentry ministers will suffer disaster. Therefore, in order to prevent problems before they happen, for the sake of the great Han society, the gentry Ministers need an army. The lesson of the Beigong Incident is to have an army of your own, but this army is not the Beijun, let alone Huben and Habayashi, but..."

Zhu Jun didn't continue talking, he looked at Li Hong, and said word by word: "Expedition to the desert, please think twice, sir."

===

Li Hong was in a state of confusion.

The first emperor sent the princess northward.The first emperor entrusted Gu to Tai Fu Yuan Kui.General He Jin was the son of a butcher.In charge of the government.If these things are entangled, even Luoyang will be in chaos.

"Can't go on an expedition this year?" Li Hong muttered to himself, at a loss what to do.He tried his best to find a solution from these things. He had to keep Luoyang stable, otherwise, his trip to the south would be in vain.

Zhu Jun didn't say much, he left in a hurry without even asking about Xiao Lan's recent situation.

Li Hong sent him to the ferry, and suddenly asked: "My lord, is King Chen Liu okay?"

Zhu Jun sighed sadly, and said something that made Li Hong's heart tremble with fear.

"He Jin is the son of a butcher after all."

===

(End of this chapter)