Great Han Empire

Chapter 543 Immediately Crossing the Gun
Early November, Luoyang.

Shi Liwei, the head of the general's house of chariots and riders, hurried to Luoyang to enter the palace to meet him under the order of the emperor.Shangshu Hengjie greeted him outside Xiamen in the northern city.

Heng Jie is about 30 years old, of medium build, with a white face and short beard, and a pair of delicate eyes. He speaks with a strong southern accent, and his words are quite respectful.After Li Wei exchanged pleasantries with him, he got into the carriage and went into the city.

Li Wei feels that the officials in Luoyang are changing too fast now, batch after batch, which makes people feel dizzy.He had just left the capital for more than a month, and the Shangshu of Shangshutai had a new face.Heng Jie seemed to know Li Wei very well, and he complimented him as soon as he got in the car.Li Weiqian gave in a few words, and then asked with a smile: "When I left the capital in September, I hadn't seen your lord at the Shangshutai yet. Did you just take office?"

"I came to Beijing last month." Heng Jie cupped his hands and said with a smile: "Master Sun of Changsha Mansion recommended me to Lord Zhu Jun, and then Lord Zhu Jun recommended me to the Son of Heaven..."

Li Wei was stunned for a moment, then said happily: "Are you from Changsha? So you and I are still from the same sect? No wonder Shangshutai sent you to pick me up, so we are from the same sect?" He hurriedly stood up and saluted Heng Jie again, Heng Jie didn't even dare to say anything, so he stood up and returned the salute.The distance between the two suddenly narrowed.Li Wei asked about Hengjie's situation, and only then did he know that he was from Linxiang, Changsha, and a celebrity in Changsha.

"This is the letter Master Sun asked me to bring to you." Heng Jie took out a silk kit from his pocket and handed it to Li Wei, "Master Sun said that if Zhong Yuan is free, he must bring his wife south to Changsha Go play."

"Wentai still has a letter for me?" Li Wei asked pleasantly, "Brother Bo Xu, how did Wentai know that you would meet me in Luoyang?"

"Master Sun said that the key to the success of the expedition to the desert is the food and pay. Now that the political situation in Luoyang is unstable, the food and payment may be cut off at any time, so Zhong Yuan will definitely be in Luoyang."

Li Wei's mood changed a lot when he heard the words "grain and payment".While carefully collecting the letter Sun Jian wrote to him, he asked worriedly: "Brother Boxu, your Majesty called me to Beijing urgently, is it because of food and pay for the expedition?"

Heng Jie nodded, and said in a low voice, "The imperial court intends to let General Cheqi withdraw his troops immediately."

Li Wei was startled, and frowned, "Should we withdraw to the southern part of the desert or to Wuyuan?"

"It's not confirmed yet, and it's still arguing. The Taiwei and some ministers mean to let the expeditionary army withdraw to Wuyuan immediately, because winter is coming, and the desert will soon snow. The withdrawal of the army to Wuyuan will not only ensure the safety of the expeditionary army , It can also solve the current crisis of the exhaustion of the national treasury." Heng Jie said, "But the Taifu and a group of ministers believe that no matter how much the price is paid, the expeditionary army should firmly occupy the southern part of the desert and open up a huge area for the stability of northern Xinjiang. The territory that the Hu people invaded in the future will be moved to the desert. This is directly related to the permanent stability of the northern border, and it is related to the future generations of the great Han society. They said that such a small loss now is nothing compared to the Hu people's invasion of border counties in the past. Compared with the losses caused by the big man, it is not worth mentioning at all."

Li Wei looked at the gray sky and remained silent.

===

Luoyang Beigong, Shangshutai.

Son of Heaven, Taiwei Dong Zhuo, Taifu Yuan Kui, Situ Huang Wan, Sikong Yang Biao, Taichang Ma Riyi, Zongzheng Chen Ji, Taifu Yuan Ji, Guang Luxun Zhao Qian, Da Si Nong Yuan Pang, Shaofu Yin Xun , Wei Wei Zhong Fu, Ting Wei Liu Hong, Dahong Lu Han Rong, Jinwu Hu Wuban, General Zhu Jun, Yushi Zhongcheng Xu Jing, Sili Xiaowei Xuan Fan, Shangshu Lingding Gong, Shangshu Zhou, Zheng Tai, Hua Xin, Hengjie, Sun Rui, and Xun You, the attendant of the Huangmen who served the emperor (the Huangmen is the gate of the palace, the servant of the Huangmen is an official working within the gate of the palace, one of the officials of the inner court, responsible for serving the emperor, conveying An edict. The rank is not high, but it is the official closest to the emperor.) Waiting for the important officials of the court to gather together to listen to Li Wei's report on the military expedition.

Li Wei talked eloquently for a long time.He described in detail the difficulties of the expedition, such as the bravery of the Xianbei iron cavalry, the myth of Murong Feng's invincibility, the complex and steep terrain of the desert, the exhaustion of the northern Xinjiang army after repeated bloody battles, the loss of the Han army's iron cavalry, and the difficulty of grain and grass transportation. Hard work, then he focused on Li Hong's overall strategy for the expedition to the desert, and finally he explained with extreme emotion the importance of defeating Xianbei and occupying the desert for the Han to quickly restore stability and national strength.

"Your Majesty, my lords, take a look at how much military resources I have spent to stabilize Western Xinjiang in the past hundred years? How many troops have been mobilized? If the situation in Northern Xinjiang becomes as dangerous as Western Xinjiang in the next few years, then my big man How can it be stable? When will the national power be restored?" Li Wei knelt down on the ground, kowtowed and bowed again, "Today, the general of chariots led fifty thousand cavalry in a bloody battle in the setting sun. Rang Jun’s disastrous defeat at Sunset Plains 12 years ago. I implore Your Majesty to fight this battle, even if we exhaust our national strength, we must fight it.”

The young emperor couldn't understand many complicated things, but he understood one thing.It takes more than two months and three bags of grain to transport one bag of grain from Luoyang to Langjuxu Mountain, more than 5000 miles away. It took [-] iron cavalry to expedition to Langjuxu Mountain for a month.The ten-year-old emperor's eyes widened, and he exclaimed in disbelief: "Then won't it cost tens of billions of money to win this battle? A month of fighting will cost a year's taxes, which is too expensive." He looked Seeing Yuan Pang with a stern expression, he muttered to himself, "How have I been living these past few years?"

Da Sinonong Yuan Pang explained that the 20 troops from northern Xinjiang went out to recover the border counties, and now they are on the expedition to Mount Langjuxu. They have fought for six months and spent a total of about 120 billion yuan in military funds. The money was all left by the first emperor in Wanjintang and the Empress Dowager in Yongle Palace. However, due to the turmoil in Luoyang, and the need to resettle and relieve the victims, there were too many places to spend money, so the court had long been unable to make ends meet.Today, Lord Taiwei and Taifu both intend to withdraw their troops, and I also have the same opinion, thinking that it is better for the expeditionary army to retreat as soon as possible.

The emperor turned his head to look at Dong Zhuo, blinked his little eyes in fear, and stopped talking.It is not his turn to speak about this kind of thing now. According to the law of the Han Dynasty, he cannot assume power until he is an adult. The agent of state affairs is Taiwei Dong Zhuo.

The debate among ministers, as Heng Jie said, is no longer a question of whether to withdraw troops, but a question of where to withdraw.Li Wei said that under normal circumstances, it snows in the desert between the end of November and the beginning of December, but once it snows earlier, the safety of the [-] cavalry will become a problem. overwhelmed.Now the Xianbei people have been driven to a desperate situation by us. As long as we persist, the Xianbei people who lack food will have to surrender.But Li Wei was alone, and his words had no weight, so no one paid any attention to him.

Li Wei looked at the excited faces in front of him, and couldn't help but sneer in his heart.Before he left Hedong, he had already received a secret letter from Xian Yufu, knowing that the army had won a complete victory in the Sunset Plain, he wanted to see what attitude Dong Zhuo, Yuan Kai, and the ministers of the North Xinjiang had towards the Northern Xinjiang army.At present, it seems that no matter Dong Zhuo, Yuan Kai or the court ministers, they all want to put Li Hong to death, they all want to weaken Li Hong's strength.However, Dong Zhuo still wanted to rely on Li Hong's power for the time being. He asked the army from northern Xinjiang to withdraw to Wuyuan, apparently in order to keep Li Hong's vitality, but Yuan Kai, Huang Wan, Yang Biao and other ministers were much more thorough.In the absence of annihilating the main force of Xianbei and insufficient food and grass, letting the army of northern Xinjiang continue to occupy the southern part of the desert is purely to let the [-] infantry in northern Xinjiang be trapped in the desert, and let groups of vicious wolves slowly devour the soldiers their lives.

Li Wei secretly admired Li Hong.Li Hong violated the rules and ordered the army to delay reporting victory to the court. It turned out that it was not to ask the court for food and salary, but to see the court's attitude towards the army in northern Xinjiang.If the imperial court forced him to retreat by cutting off food and payment, and took the opportunity to weaken his strength, he could take advantage of the great victory of the expedition to ask for more things from the imperial court.What does the General want?Li Wei seemed to have thought of what Li Hong wanted, and a smug smile gradually formed on the corner of his mouth.

Yuan Kai said, no matter what position they retreat to, the army must withdraw first, so let's make an order first.Dong Zhuo also agreed that it was meaningless to fight like this, and the final position to withdraw would depend on the development of the situation.

The emperor quickly ordered Li Hong, the general of the chariot, to retreat immediately after receiving the order, and must retreat to a safe place before the snow fell.The food and grass required for the expeditionary army will be halved starting today.

===

Zhu Jun, a master craftsman, presented a form of apology to the emperor, willing to resign and go home.Recently, no matter whether it is an external official or a minister in the DPRK, they have written to impeach Zhu Jun. One of the most important reasons for impeachment is that most of Zhu Jun's disciples work in the various prefectures in northern Xinjiang, and there is a vague attempt to control the military and government in northern Xinjiang.This crime is so serious that Zhu Jun couldn't bear it, so he immediately decided to resign, but he chose to resign at today's court meeting, which obviously had other meanings.

Li Wei looked up at Dong Zhuo, Yuan Kui, Huang Wan and Yang Biao, four senior ministers.The four looked serious, and they couldn't see what they were thinking.The emperor called him back to Beijing not to report the military situation, but to hope that he could understand the court's request to withdraw the troops, and then advise Li Hong who might be angry in the future.Now that he is powerful and has won the trust of the Great General Cheqi, if he can pull himself to the side of the court, it will be half the effort with half the effort.

If a teacher is impeached because of his disciples and has to resign and return home, this is definitely something he does not want to see.Is this the important ministers and teachers in the court trying to force me to compromise?Li Wei sighed.Why can't the teacher understand himself?Is it true that such an indomitable hero as the General Che Qi is the scourge of the Han Dynasty?If it weren't for the corrupt court, who ignored the life and death of northern Xinjiang, how could the general Cheqi lead his army south to threaten the emperor?Who is right and who is wrong, teacher, why can't you see clearly?

Li Wei had heard the reasons why the ministers impeached Zhu Jun. The purpose of the ministers was very simple. It was to call Zhu Jun back from northern Xinjiang to weaken Li Hong's strength.For this reason, Zhu Jun has written several times to warn Li Wei and others not to be too ostentatious, and even told Xiao Lan to stay at home and be a Mrs. Changshi.Xiao Lan was also very wronged. There are so many things in northern Xinjiang, and each mansion is responsible for a few people.There are only seven people in Linfen Xingyuan, and Li Wei alone has to do more than a dozen subordinate tasks. How can he do it without his own efforts?
In September, Li Wei went to the capital to recruit subordinates for the General Cheqi Mansion and other prefectures in northern Xinjiang, but the result disappointed him. He only brought a dozen or so scholars back to Hedong.He couldn't recruit subordinates in Luoyang, but Jinyang was sending people out.Most of the slightly outstanding students in Jinyang University were recommended by their teachers to study in Taixue or applied to various prefectures in the capital.Not for anything else, but because northern Xinjiang is poor and northern Xinjiang is suffering.Northern Xinjiang is a barren land, and it is a land full of dangers. Not only can you not earn money, but you also have to worry about your life. Let me ask you, who is willing to go to the Han Dynasty today when debauchery, extravagance, corruption, and clinging to the powerful have become commonplace? Farming in northern Xinjiang?Who wants to go to northern Xinjiang to suffer desolation and poverty?When Li Wei was recruiting students in Taixue, a scholar who could not find a place to go for many years and could only wander around the capital once told Li Wei that he would rather guard the door for the powerful in the capital than go to northern Xinjiang to eat. The wind drinks the sand.What can Li Wei say?What kind of promise can he make to the recruitment of students and scholars?
The immature voice of the young emperor interrupted Li Wei's contemplation. The emperor said that this matter will be decided after I discuss it with the Taiwei.

===

After retreating, Li Wei and Heng Jie accompanied Zhu Jun in a carriage.Zhu Jun was very angry, he asked Li Wei, why Xiao Lan is still engaged in Zhonglang in the General's Mansion?I have written several times, why do you still ignore it?
Li Wei repeatedly pleaded guilty.Zhu Jun said, I am a person who has led soldiers and fought in wars. I can probably understand who the General Cheqi is. I also know the current situation in northern Xinjiang. I have no objection to your serving in northern Xinjiang. The big man is loyal, and he does things the same wherever he is, but Xiao Lan has gone too far.Who is the Hedong Guard?Their family has been rich and powerful for generations, and they belong to my famous big family. Why do you want to mess with him?Did the chariot general give you an order?Today's Great Han Kingdom is not the Great Han Kingdom in your mind, nor the pure land you imagined. Whether it is the barren northern Xinjiang or the wealthy Gyeonggi, it is full of filth and rot.This is like a big tree that has been rotten. If you cut off a branch of it, what problem can it solve?
"I got into trouble for the teacher, please punish me?" Li Wei said dejectedly, "It's just that the general Che Qi withdrew, and my northern border is in danger."

"It's good that you can understand." Zhu Jun said, "For the sake of the survival of Northern Xinjiang, some of the actions of General Cheqi are too extreme. He can do whatever it takes, but he can't ignore the survival of the Han Kingdom. If the Han Kingdom is on the verge of collapse, the North will How can Xinjiang survive alone? General Che Qi, you, Zhu Mu, Xian Yufu and the others, you are all too radical. After this battle is over, the vitality of the Han Kingdom will be severely damaged. As long as anyone kicks it, the building will immediately collapse .”

"Teacher..." Li Wei's heart was heavy and he couldn't face it.

"Do you think I'm handing over the apology today for you?" Zhu Jun stretched out his hand to pat Li Wei, and said with a slight smile, "Even if the General Che Qi wins the battle, he doesn't pose much threat to the imperial court. The Han Kingdom was completely ruined by him." It’s empty, what’s the difference between winning and losing this battle? Without ten years of hard work in northern Xinjiang, you can’t turn around at all, and you will have to live a hard life for many years.”

===

Dong Zhuo's car quickly caught up.

Zhu Jun, Li Wei and Heng Jie hurriedly got out of the car to meet them.

"Gongwei, Wang Kuang, the prefect of Hanoi, hastened to report to the court, saying that the Yellow Turban Army in Heishan was in vain, and Yu Du led his troops to go down the mountain to grab food, and begged the court to send troops to put down the rebellion." Dong Zhuo sat on the carriage and said with a smile, "Just now I discussed with the emperor. After a while, I think that you, a master craftsman, don't care. You lead soldiers to fight, and have nothing to do with building houses. I think you should go to Hanoi to suppress the rebellion. It is good for you to leave the capital for a while, so as not to always Someone is playing to impeach you."

Li Wei instantly understood.Heng Jie was a little confused.Zhu Jun bowed to thank him.

"The emperor intends to appoint you as the right general and lead ten thousand northern troops to Hanoi to fight the rebellion." Dong Zhuo said, "What do you think of the infantry captain Zhang Yang? I will transfer all his soldiers and horses to you."

Zhu Jun smiled and said: "Everything is under the arrangement of the Taiwei."

"Gongwei, you are old and in poor health. When you arrive in Hanoi, you will command from the back and ask Zhang Yang to charge forward. You must not take the lead and block Shishi yourself." Dong Zhuo said with concern, " When December comes, I will ask the emperor to issue an order to call you back to Beijing. This year, you still have to live at home." Then he pointed to Li Wei, "Zhong Yuan, are you coming back with your wife for the Chinese New Year this year? Beijing?"

Li Wei hurriedly replied: "Thank you, Lord Taiwei, for your concern, I guess it won't work..."

"What's wrong." Dong Zhuo waved his hand and said, "When the general Cheqi leads his army back to Wuyuan, I will ask the world to order you to be recruited into the court. People like you are too old to be placed in that poor place in northern Xinjiang. I'm sorry."

Li Wei thanked again and again.

"Gongwei, can I borrow Zhongyuan for a while?" Dong Zhuo smiled, "I have something to ask Zhongyuan."

===

Dong Zhuo stared at Li Wei fiercely, without saying a word.

Li Wei felt a little nervous, forced a smile and said, "My lord, what's the matter?"

"Tell me the truth, where did the General Che Qi fight? How was the battle at Sunset Plain?" Dong Zhuo asked word by word with a murderous look on his face.

"Now? Or when I left Hedong?" Li Wei said seriously, "Now, I definitely don't know. When I left Hedong, the battle report I received was five days ago. It is more than 4000 miles from Luoyangyuan to Hedong. It would take five days for the stage horse to run non-stop."

Dong Zhuo snorted coldly, "My big man's Leopard General, is Hu Lu an opponent? Forget it, you won't say it if you ask me. Now I have no money in hand, and the taxes from various states and counties have not been able to go into the treasury for a long time. What do you think? One hundred thousand soldiers of the Northern Army are still waiting for their salary for the Chinese New Year?"

Li Wei pointed to the mansions on both sides of the street, smiled without saying a word.

"You think I'm a horse thief?" Dong Zhuo scolded, "Zeng Fu, what do you think?"

Li Wei's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out: "It's absolutely impossible."

Dong Zhuo's face turned cold.

"My lord, whose idea is this? This person should be punished!"

"Jia Xu, Jin Cao beat Jia Xu."

===

(End of this chapter)