Great Han Empire

Chapter 545 Immediately Crossing the Gun
Grand Tutor Yuan Kai lost a lot of weight, his cheeks were sunken, his cheekbones were prominent, his hair and beard were all gray, and he was exhausted, but his eyes were still piercing, wise and confident.Li Wei bowed respectfully to pay his respects as a disciple, and then walked slowly in the garden with He Yong, one on the left and the other on the right.

It's winter, and the garden is full of dead leaves, and it's bleak.

Yuan Kai inquired carefully about the situation of farming in northern Xinjiang, especially the Hetao area and Changshan and Zhongshan in northwestern Hebei.The garrison of these two places is directly related to the resettlement of the victims and the garrison of troops on the border, which is the top priority in resolving the crisis in northern Xinjiang.

"The main reason for calling you to Luoyang is to explain clearly to General Cheqi the imperial court's request for the withdrawal of troops and the garrison of Hanbei County through you." Whether you are Lord Yang, the purpose is the same, that is, to preserve the strength of the northern border army, to firmly control the northern border, and to establish an unbreakable barrier for the future stability and revitalization of the Great Han Kingdom."

Yuan Kui turned his head and glanced at Li Wei, who was extremely respectful, with a hint of admiration and love flashing in his eyes, "Zhong Yuan, you just came from the Taiwei Lord, and the Taiwei Lord must have said a lot to you. I won't say any more, you should go back to Hedong as soon as possible. In addition, there is one more thing, which is the matter of the Hedong Guards. The Hedong Guards have a prominent family and a deep relationship with the royal family. You should be very clear about this. The affairs of Hedong, Your Majesty Already know, he told us twice in private, I hope the General Cheqi will not go too far. The East Wei faction has made a lot of efforts and helped a lot in the early days of northern Xinjiang, although some things have been overdone A little bit, but it didn't seriously violate the laws of the Han Dynasty, so don't you stop here..."

Li Wei hurriedly said: "Please rest assured, my lord. After I return to Hedong, I will immediately meet with the Patriarch of the Wei family to clarify the misunderstanding between us. Whatever should be done, I will definitely not cause trouble to my lord."

Yuan Kai nodded with satisfaction, "The situation in Luoyang has been a bit troublesome recently, but it will not affect the food and wages of the army in northern Xinjiang, let alone the farmland in northern Xinjiang. As long as northern Xinjiang can be stabilized, Luoyang will not be shaken even if it is a little chaotic. The root of the great man, this point, Zhong Yuan must make it clear to the general Che Qi.”

Li Wei comprehended, and said in a low voice: "After this battle, the army of Northern Xinjiang, not to mention its own losses, has to garrison Hanbei County, frontier fortresses and deserts, and the food and wages cannot be maintained. It is very difficult. Recently, our top priority is to control Hanbei County, stabilizing the tribes of the Hu tribe in the desert, providing relief and resettling the victims, we have no time to take care of other things, even if we want to, we are powerless. What's more, General Cheqi once made a promise to the emperor and the court, and he will never go south without His Majesty's imperial decree Cross the Great Wall, therefore, adults can rest assured."

Yuan Kai smiled, his eyes full of doubts.Li Wei hesitated a little, and then said: "Although the General Cheqi and the Taiwei are both famous generals and important ministers of our great man who shake the world, in comparison, the General Cheqi is a loyal warrior, otherwise, he would I will not insist on expeditions to the desert anymore. Although the expedition to the desert has greatly damaged the national strength of the Han Dynasty, it has also brought stability to the northern border for a long time, and it has also trapped the general Che Qi and the northern border troops into the desert for a long time. The reason why the cavalry general did this is not only to be loyal to the great man, but also to alleviate the suspicion and suspicion of the emperor and the court. If the cavalry general has power, he can enter Luoyang in July, so Please understand the difficulties of General Che Qi and the difficulties of Northern Xinjiang."

Yuan Kai stretched out his hand to pat Li Wei's back, and sighed softly, "Zhong Yuan, people change."

===

Watching Li Wei's tall back disappearing in the courtyard gate, Yuan Kai sighed again, "This child is still too young. Once the vagueness becomes a scourge, it will be too late. Get rid of hidden worries, we can only shed some light Blood and sweat, but to get rid of the scourge, we have to pay ten times and a hundred times the blood and sweat, and even the whole country. Look at the scourge of Wang Mang, the scourge of Liang Yi, and the scourge of adultery, which one did not make the Han Kingdom crumbling Dying, and the country and the country are in danger? If our descendants cannot learn the lessons of our predecessors, repeat the same mistakes, and make people miserable, how long can I survive? Is this beautiful river and mountain still my world? ?”

"When I was young, just like Zhong Yuan now, I always saw the present and couldn't think of the future. If there was no disaster of the party, I would not think that the treacherous eunuch is the treacherous sycophant of the country." He Yong said with emotion, "People are It will change. When Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang participated in the execution of Liang Yi, they must have been full of patriotism and fearless even if they died, but what happened later? Later, they turned against each other and became the biggest disaster for the country. .People are subject to change. Dong Zhuo today may be even more domineering than the domineering general Liang Yi tomorrow, and become a threat to the country. Only by taking precautions can we ensure that the country has no future worries, otherwise what is the talk of revitalizing the great man?"

"You can kill him a hundred times just because of his crime of raping the former emperor's concubine. If this person doesn't kill me, I will die in the future." Yuan Kai waved his hand and said, "Time must be seized, this matter must be resolved before the Chinese New Year. Recently He frequently invites the dignitaries in Beijing to have a small banquet every three days and a big banquet every five days. After a long time, some people will, like Xu Xiang and Fan Ling, abandon their integrity for the sake of glory and wealth, and seek refuge with the treacherous sects, and work as minions for tigers. , Harm the big man. If Dong Zhuo's wings are fully established and he sits firmly in Luoyang, the disaster of Liang Yi will repeat itself, and it will be difficult for us to kill him at that time."

"Did Gongwei receive the imperial edict? When will he leave?" Yuan Kai asked.

"Brother Gongwei has received the emperor's imperial decree." He Yong said, "The emperor worships him as the right general, holds the festival axe, and leads [-] northern troops to Hanoi to suppress the rebellion. Brother Gongwei said that tomorrow he will go to the north of Pingle The army battalion will gather people and horses, and head north the day after tomorrow."

"Give him all the letters?"

"I have given them all." He Yong said, "I have given him all the letters written by my lord to Liu Yu, Lu Zhi, Han Fu, Liu He and Yuan Shao. Gong Wei said that when he arrived in Hanoi, he would hand them over to Wang Kuang. Wang Kuang sent his henchmen to send them to various places."

"As long as it is handed over to Gongwei, I will rest assured." Yuan Kai said, "These letters must not fall into Dong Zhuo's hands, especially the letter to Liu He."

He Yong pondered for a while, then asked in a low voice: "My lord, the current situation in Luoyang is still under our control, and it should be under our control in the future, why use the princess's move? Move, if he wants to go south to support Dong Zhuo, first of all, the problem of food and pay for the army cannot be solved, he can't even fight a battle with 1 people, let alone lead the cavalry to go south."

"In the future?" Yuan Kai looked at a withered young tree in front of him, frowning, "Can we really control the situation in the future? Dong Zhuo himself is a tough man, and he has capable people under his command. If there is another warning With such a sudden incident, we may not be able to control the overall situation. If he hadn’t been rescued by the warning order before, Dong Zhuo would have been forced to leave now.”

"The first emperor was a very smart man. Back then, Cai Yong was full of praise and thought he was a genius. If he hadn't been a traitor, the first emperor should have been a good emperor. The first emperor must have had a deep meaning in letting the princess leave Luoyang before his death. What we do The obtuseness of the courtiers, since they can't know the late emperor's mind, they have no choice but to follow the late emperor's will."

"Your Excellency is over-concerned. Now that the national treasury is exhausted, the army in northern Xinjiang will run out of food and pay, and the army in Gyeonggi has no military salary to pay. At this time, they have to go to Hanoi to fight. Imagine Dong Zhuo besides digging his own grave as soon as possible. What tricks?" He Yong said disdainfully, "Our strength is enough to control the situation."

"At present, General Huangfu's 2 troops are in Huaili, Fufeng. At the beginning, 1 troops have been recruited, and it is estimated that there will be at least 1 by the end of the year. In addition, he also sent people to Yingchuan, Runan and other places to call friends and recruit There are a large number of scholars, and their strength is very impressive. The roads are also good. He later recruited 5000 horses in the Nanyang area as a general. In addition, Jizhou Mu Hanfu, Yanzhou Mu Liu Dai, Yuzhou Mu Kongyou, Qingzhou Governor Jiao He, Jingzhou Inspector Wang Rui each had [-] horses, Hanoi prefect Wang Kuang, Dongjun prefect Qiao Mao, Chenliu prefect Zhang Miao, Jinbei minister Bao Xin, Sanyang prefect Yuan Yi, Guangling prefect Zhang Chao, Nanyang prefect Zhang Zi, and Yingchuan prefect Li Yu and Chen Guoxiang Xu Ju each have [-] troops."

"If Master Liu Yu is willing to send troops, his subordinates Gongsun Zan and Tian Kai can bring at least 1 troops. There is also Cui Jun, the prefect of Xihe. Master Cui replied that due to the special situation in northern Xinjiang, he could not send troops to help, but he You can raise the flag in Jinyang with Master Yang Qi and Master Guo Yun to deter Dong Zhuo. Master Zhang Miao sent a letter saying that Cao Cao is selling property at home and summoning troops. There are about 3000 or [-] troops. If the time is right, he will invite Cao Cao sent troops to help."

"Where's Tao Qian, governor of Xuzhou? Has he never heard back?"

"No. I heard Master Yuan Yi replied that Tao Qian was so busy helping the victims that he couldn't find anyone. I don't think it's fake if he can't find anyone, but it's true to shirk." He Yong sneered, "In the future, after the Lord takes control of Luoyang , some people should go home for the elderly.”

Yuan Kai waved his hand and said, "Bo Qiu, that's where the problem lies. Why is Tao Qian unwilling to send troops to help?"

He Yong frowned and said: "The reason, we have no reason to send troops, and this is what we need to do now. Without righteousness, who would dare to send troops to intimidate Luoyang at the risk of becoming a rebellious man? At present, Dong Zhuo's guilt is not enough. Abolishing the young emperor is a One thing, killing the Empress Dowager is one thing, ordering the army to march in the desert is one thing, promulgating an order to sue is one thing, but it seems that these things are not enough. Dig yourself a bigger grave."

"Not only do we not have enough righteousness, but we also lack unity from top to bottom. This is probably the thing Tao Qian is least optimistic about, and it is also the thing I am most worried about, and it is also one thing that may affect the overall situation in the future." Yuan Wei was worried. He said, "It is inevitable that there will be conflicts among the clans, especially after driving Dong Zhuo to Xiliang, I, the Yuan clan, who have made great contributions to the great power, will inevitably take control of power. This is what other clans don't want to see. , Will they turn against each other? Almost all the senior officials who are willing to send troops are from my Yuan clan, some are old relatives of the Yuan clan, and some are former students of the Yuan clan, but have you noticed that some of these people are from my Yuan clan? The old friends of the previous generation, some belonged to Yuan Pang, some belonged to Yuan Feng, some belonged to me, and some were even close friends of Benchu ​​and Gonglu himself. So, can these people send troops at the same time according to our strategy? Will we be able to work together after sending troops? What is the attitude of officials from other places towards this matter? This is something we cannot predict. Once something goes wrong, the coercion of Luoyang may fail halfway. After all, Dong Zhuo has an army of [-] and controls the emperor and authority , can coax the world, and its strength should not be underestimated."

He Yong suddenly came to his senses, "It turns out that my lord has already made up his mind, and the lower officials are ashamed."

"Boqiu, our purpose is to force Dong Zhuo away and let him hand over his power, not to attack Luoyang and cause chaos in the world." Yuan Kai said, "In July, General Cheqi led his troops south to threaten the emperor and the court. Why didn't there be a fight? Why did the court finally agree to the request of the General Cheqi? It was because the General Cheqi and the court had no intention of fighting, but this time it was different. Dong Zhuo was not He Jin, and the army surrounding Gyeonggi was not alone. If the voice speaks, once there is a fight, our great Han society is bound to be overthrown, and we will become eternal sinners."

"The first emperor left a will to send the princess to the Hejian Kingdom, which is equivalent to leaving a life for me." Yuan Kai looked up to the sky and sighed. The power will stabilize the country."

===

Yilang Zhang Cheng hurried into the garden.

Zhang Cheng is in his 30s, with a white face and short beard, a broad forehead, and an anxious expression.He is the son of former Taiwei Zhang Yan.

"Master Taifu, Lord Shangshu Zhou has urgent books and asked me to send them."

Yuan Kui signaled He Yong to take it apart and take a look first.Shangshu Zhou's urgent letter, did something urgent happen in the court?

"Did Gongyi go to Taixue today?"

Zhang Cheng bowed and replied: "Brother has invited a group of friends to go there this morning, and he is probably debating endlessly with the Ph.D.s of the Taixue right now."

Gongyi is Zhang Fan, the eldest son of Zhang Yan, a famous scholar in Hedong, who has never been expropriated by the Sangong Mansion.Yuan Kai wanted to marry his daughter to him, but he ignored him and refused.After his father Zhang Yan was raped and killed, he blocked Zhao Zhong in the street and scolded him, saying that Zhao Zhong had a dead face and was not far from death.This really hit him.

"My lord, the Taixue has been very chaotic recently. The famous scholars and scholars in the capital and the students have been arguing all day long, and the debates are endless. If this continues, sooner or later something will happen." Zhang Cheng asked in a low voice, "Why did your lord go to the court to suggest the establishment of A doctor of ancient Chinese classics? Could it be possible that the study of ancient Chinese classics can also be taught in the Imperial Academy?"

"Why not?" Yuan Kai laughed, "Your grandfather Situ Zhang Xin, your father Taiwei Zhang Yan, and your three brothers, don't they all learn the ancient Chinese classics?"

"My younger brother Zhang Zhao is not. He is studying Jinwen Jing, and my father is very angry about this." Zhang Cheng said.

"This is also normal. My elder brother Yuan Cheng who passed away in his early years studied the Jin Wen Jing, and Yuan Pang, the chief minister of agriculture, also studied the Jin Wen Jing." Yuan Kai shook his head and said with emotion, "Sikong Yang Biao studied the ancient Wen Jing, his My elder brother, Yang Qi, studies Jinwen Jing. My wife and uncle often study the Ancient Wen Jing, but my wife studies the Jin Wen Jing. In fact, no matter whether it is a powerful family, or the Taixue and schools around the world, it is necessary to study the Ancient Wen Jing, People in Jinwenjing are all similar. Mr. Zhengxuan from Beihai is proficient in both ancient and modern classics. He thinks that both should be given equal weight, and one should not favor the other. Therefore, I think the court should face up to the reality, and Taixue should also set up a doctor of ancient literature. Too Lord Wei also agrees with my proposal very much, and is discussing this matter with the ministers, and it is estimated that there will be a result soon."

"If the emperor intends to set up a doctor of ancient texts in the Taixue, scholars all over the world will definitely quarrel." Zhang Cheng laughed.

"Master Taiwei has asked the emperor to recruit Cai Yong, Xun Shuang, Zheng Xuan, Shen Tufan, Xu Shao, Bian Rang, Wang Qian, Hu Zhao, Wang Lie, Handan Chun and other famous scholars to take up posts in Beijing or concurrently serve as doctors of ancient literature and classics in Taixue. "Yuan Kai said, "Mr. Cai, Mr. Zheng, Mr. Shentu, and Mr. Xu are coming, are the scholars in Beijing going to be crazy about it..."

"Really?" Zhang Cheng's eyebrows were beaming immediately, and he asked excitedly, "Is this true? My lord, the capital is lively, and it must be very lively during the Chinese New Year this year."

===

He Yong shook his head after reading the letter.

Zhang Cheng knew that Master Taifu and He Yong had something important to discuss, so he left in a hurry.

"Dong Zhuo is in a hurry, he is going to be the Prime Minister." He Yong sneered, "My lord, do you know that besides the Prime Minister, there is also the position of the Prime Minister in this dynasty?"

"Xiangguo?" Yuan Wei smiled without being surprised, "This Fatty Dong is really interesting. Last time he couldn't arrange Liu Yu, so he set up a position as a senior minister of the Great Sima. As a result, there were four Sangongs in the Han Kingdom." Minister. Now he doesn’t want to break the law and reset the position of prime minister, so he set up a new position called Xiangguo, haha..."

"Master Zhou said that Dong Zhuo summoned the ministers at the Shangshutai to discuss the powers and responsibilities of the prime minister. The censor Zhongcheng Xu Jing and the censor (in charge of the law) Sima Fang were also there." He Yong said, "It seems that Dong Zhuo intends to Completely seized power, bypassed the Taifu and Sangong, and directly implemented the strategy of increasing taxes."

"Good thing, this shows that Dong Zhuo is gradually on his way. He wants to race against time, and we have to race against time even more." Yuan Kai said with a smile, "Just send him to the position in one step, and besides the Prime Minister, he will not be famous if he is praised. Take the sword to the palace."

"In this way, the crimes of disturbing the rules and regulations, deceiving the emperor, and arrogance and domineering can be regarded as solid." He Yong handed the silk script in his hand to Yuan Kai, and said in a low voice, "My lord, this is a good idea."

Yuan Kai was in a much better mood, and he said with a smile: "This saves us a lot of trouble. Tomorrow, we will all go to Taixue to make a big noise. Dong Zhuo can't help but agree. Isn't it just setting up a few doctors of Confucianism?" Is it that difficult?"

"In this way, Dong Zhuo has committed another serious crime, and he has offended countless scholars in the world." He Yong laughed loudly.

====
In mid-November, Luoyang.

The emperor issued a decree to worship Dong Zhuo as the prime minister of the Han Dynasty, to praise Dong Zhuo without being famous, to enter the court without going, and to walk on the sword in the palace, so that he is honored and favored.

===

(End of this chapter)