Great Han Empire

Chapter 549 Immediately Crossing the Gun
That night, Li Hong, Xian Yufu, Xu Rong, Li Wei, and Li Ru sat around the brazier to discuss the situation in Luoyang and northern Xinjiang.

Li Hong is very worried about the future of northern Xinjiang. First, the farmland in Hetao and Heping City has just started, and there are many difficulties. It has become the most difficult thing at present. In addition to the constraints on food and wages, there is also the problem of military strength, mainly due to the serious shortage of cavalry; the third is that it is difficult for the victims stranded in northern Xinjiang to move back in a short period of time, which invisibly aggravates the situation in northern Xinjiang. burden and crisis.

Although the establishment of Hanbei County in Beijiang resolved many contradictions and greatly eased the crisis, it also added many new contradictions because of the establishment of Hanbei County, and the crisis that had just been alleviated seemed to be gradually becoming more serious.Li Wei and several high-ranking officials in northern Xinjiang couldn't sleep because of this, thinking hard about good strategies.

Li Hong is still very optimistic about the situation in Luoyang. Without traitors and relatives, no matter how many fights between warriors and scholars, it will not lead to catastrophe.Whether it is warriors or scholars, the stability of the great Han society is always the first, and neither side will go too far.What's more, now that the expedition has won a great victory, the imperial court can get rid of the heavy military resources, and many sharp conflicts between the two sides will gradually fade away, which will help slow down and restrict the power struggle between Beijing and China.Li Hong's optimism affected the preoccupied Li Ru, and his frown gradually relaxed.

Li Hong focused on explaining the difficulties in northern Xinjiang. He said to Li Ru, I have received a letter from Mr. Han Fu, the Mu of Jizhou. In the letter, Mr. Han said that due to the two consecutive years of disasters in Jizhou, the grain is seriously in short supply and the tax has dropped sharply. , so the [-] million money and food allocated by the imperial court to the two states of Youzhou are gone this year.Li Hong sneered and said: "You and I know how much disaster Jizhou has suffered. No rebellion broke out in Jizhou this year, and the Yellow Turban Army from Taihang Mountain and Heishan Mountain did not come down to invade. Why is there still a shortage of grain in Jizhou? Why is there a sharp drop in taxes? I told the court as early as July when I went south that I want to ensure that Jizhou’s taxes can be put into the treasury every year, and can be allocated on time and in sufficient amount. In northern Xinjiang, troops must be stationed in Jizhou, so that they can not only kill the rebels stationed on the mountain, but also monitor and deter the officials of Jizhou's various prefectures, but the imperial court firmly refuses."

"Today's incident shows that my worries at the time were not unreasonable. This year's grain arrears and taxes have dropped sharply. What about next year? The year after? This year I can grit my teeth and even help Mr. Liu in Youzhou, but next year What should I do? There are also farms in the four counties of Jizhou. I got news that Han Fu not only did not prepare to start farms in Hejian and Anping, but started selling land. Does this mean accepting the resettled victims?"

Li Ru said with a smile: "Master Xiangguo also knows about Jizhou, but he has not yet established himself in Luoyang, and he is also under the influence of Taifu Yuan Kai and other ministers in state affairs, so he has no time to take care of him, and he is unable to help him. However, my lord If you still want to garrison troops in Jizhou, Lord Xiangguo can ask the emperor to issue an order..."

This was what Li Hong wanted. He, Xian Yufu and the others immediately exchanged a look of surprise, and then each put on a look of listening attentively.Since Dong Zhuo offered to agree to Li Hong's garrison in Jizhou, there must be conditions.What does he want?
"Master Xiangguo said that northern Xinjiang has indeed faced many difficulties in the past few years. If there are a few more natural disasters, northern Xinjiang will be completely over. The safety of northern Xinjiang is directly related to the safety of the Dahan community, so Lord Xiangguo not only agreed to send troops to the At the request of Jizhou, he is also willing to ask the emperor to allocate all the taxes of Jizhou for five years, including the profit of salt and iron, to the two prefectures. At this time, the imperial court will properly consider reducing the relief to northern Xinjiang, but the [-] million cash and grain will definitely be sufficient."

Li Hong was ecstatic, he was eagerly waiting for Li Ru to tell Dong Zhuo's conditions.It seems that Dong Zhuo's power is much better than those scholars. We are all warriors, and we can understand each other in everything we do, and we do things with ease.If Grand Tutor Yuan Wei is in charge now, even if he puts a knife on his neck, he will not agree.

Li Ru still did not say the conditions.He also talked about the situation in Luoyang, the power struggle between Dong Zhuo and Yuan Kai and other powerful ministers, the increase in taxes and the increase of ancient literature and classics as official schools, and predicted the sinister changes that may occur in the situation in Luoyang in the next few months Finally, Li Ru finally spoke out Dong Zhuo's request, "In order to maintain the balance of power in Luoyang, to ensure that the great Han can be stabilized quickly, and to allow the people to recuperate and live in peace and contentment, Mr. Xiangguo intends to consult the General Hushi. Let's see if the Northern Army can be stationed in Hedong?"

Li Hong, Xian Yufu, Xu Rong and Li Wei immediately understood what Dong Zhuo meant.

Dong Zhuo was most worried about changes in Luoyang. Li Hong would lead his army south and directly cut off his return to Chang'an, so he had to form an alliance with Li Hong anyway to ensure that he would have a safe future. The safest way was to garrison troops in Hedong.In this way, even if Li Hong goes south in the future, the army can resist in Hedong first, giving himself enough time to retreat.The effect of Hedong on Dong Zhuo is the same as that of Hanbei County on Li Hong. It is just to fight for a buffer zone, and the Yellow River is far from achieving the buffering effect.In the future, even if Dong Zhuo returns to Chang'an, he can still defend and attack Li Hong in the north, and Luoyang in the south. Therefore, for Dong Zhuo, Dong Zhuo really needs to control Dong Zhuo.In addition, this is also a basis for maintaining the balance of power in Luoyang.Li Hong's influence directly extends to Gyeonggi, which is a potentially huge threat to both Dong Zhuo and the court.

Secondly, Dong Zhuo's garrison in Hedong is equivalent to telling the powerful and noble families in Luoyang that the two most powerful warriors in the Han Kingdom have formed an alliance, and everyone advances and retreats as one, and the power of the Han Dynasty is under the control of the warriors.

At present, the salt and iron in Hedong can be said to be the lifeblood of Northern Xinjiang. If Li Hong attacks Dong Zhuo, the battlefield will be in Hedong. , Li Hong was also asked to garrison troops in northern Xinjiang to ensure taxation, then the importance of Hedong to northern Xinjiang immediately declined, and Li Hong seemed to have no reason to refuse Dong Zhuo's garrison in Hedong.Moreover, Dong Zhuo is now in charge of the Great Han Kingdom, and what was sent to Li Hong was the imperial decree of the emperor. If Li Hong insisted on disobeying, the crime of arrogance and perverting the law, resisting the decree and not obeying the decree can be regarded as a crime.

After a little hesitation, Li Hong immediately asked, "How does the Northern Army station troops in Hedong?"

Seeing Li Hong's happy face, Li Ru knew that Li Hong's heart was moved, and hurriedly explained: "My lord, there is no need to worry, it's just a garrison. Twenty thousand troops are stationed in Hebei City, Pubanjin, Fenglingdu, and Maojindu. Let us garrison together. What do you think?"

Li Hong said with a smile: "Let's discuss it, and I will reply you tomorrow morning. After Mr. Li returns to Luoyang, please tell Mr. Xiangguo on your behalf. Mr. Xiangguo has treated me so kindly to Beijiang, and the soldiers of Beijiang will definitely repay it in the future."

This is actually telling Li Ru that I have already agreed.Li Ru was overjoyed, bid farewell and left.

===

It was already late at night after Li Hong and the generals finished their discussions. He walked lightly into the back tent, only to find that Xiao Yu and Feng Xue were still awake.The two cuddled together, talking in a low voice, as if they were talking about something happy, Xiao Yu couldn't stop laughing in a low voice.

Fengxue has recovered a lot, her face is rosy, her golden hair is lazily draped over her shoulders, and the sadness and sadness in her eyes are gradually fading away with the passage of time.Li Hong sat beside her with Xiao Yu in his arms, stretched out his hand to touch her forehead, and asked with concern: "If you have nothing to do, go to bed early, and don't make trouble again. Zi Jian said that if the illness recurs, he will not be able to save you. I went to the south to invite his teacher, Mr. Zhang Ji."

Feng Xue smiled apologetically, and grabbed Li Hong's hand.

Xiaoyu thumped Li Hong lightly, and said with a smile, "Don't talk nonsense, Xiaoxue will recover soon. In spring, we will go to Shaling Lake. It is more beautiful and warmer than here."

Li Hong smiled and said: "I heard from Zilong that there is a Seven Star Lake in the Gongxian Desert, and the scenery is also very beautiful. I will take you to see it next spring, ask Zilong to lead the way, and bring Wenji along."

Xiao Yu patted Li Hong's face, and said dissatisfiedly: "Don't make General Zilong sad anymore. He is in a bad mood these days. Last time he drank too much with Wuwei, Que Kun, and Kirby Bear Cried."

Feng Xue said with a very solemn expression: "Let's go and snatch Wen Ji."
Li Hong burst out laughing, "It looks like I've become famous by robbing the bride. I'm trying to figure out a way to deal with Zilong, and then I'll give him a big surprise, haha..."

The three of them were chatting and laughing when Li Wei shouted in panic from outside the tent: "My lord, something happened in Luoyang."

===

Xiao Lan from Xingyuan in Linfen urgently wrote to Li Hong.A clan rebellion broke out in Luoyang. Seventeen clans, ministers, and some powerful families, including Ting Wei Liu Hong, were punished. Hundreds of powerful clans and court ministers were implicated. More than 3000 great scholars died in this rebellion. There is also definite news that the clan rebellion is false, and it is true that Xiangguo Dong Zhuo went on a killing spree to eliminate dissidents.Confucian scholars in Beijing are being expelled from Beijing.

The remnants of the Yellow Turbans of Baibo in Hedong went down the mountain to grab food. Before the soldiers in the field in Hedong had assembled, General Niu Fu of Zhonglang and Captain of Jinjin Jia Xu led [-] northern troops into Hedong by order.At present, Xiao Lan has urgently dispatched soldiers to guard the Yanchi and iron mines, but she can't handle the Northern Army's entry into Hedong.

The family members that Li Wei sent to various states and counties to buy grain heard back one after another.This year, there was an order to sue, and then some states and counties delayed paying taxes, and then there was news that the imperial court increased taxes, causing food prices to fall first and then rise.Northern Xinjiang purchased grain earlier, and the price and quantity of the purchased grain were very good.It's just that the food is still on the way, and it won't be shipped to northern Xinjiang until after the first lunar month at the latest, so the stability of Luoyang has become a key.If there is a rebellion in the Luoyang area, it will inevitably hinder the delivery of food.Xiao Lan was very worried about this.

After the news of the great victory of the expedition spread, the attitude of the Hedong Wei Clan changed drastically. Wei Gu of the Wei Clan took the initiative to invite Xiao Lan to discuss related matters.The Wei family offered to make concessions, but Xiao Lan thought the concessions were not enough, and still refused the salt ponds and iron mines operated by the Wei family in Kaifeng.The presence of the Northern Army seemed to embolden the guards, and the negotiations immediately came to a deadlock.

===

The snow is flying and the wind is howling.

In the big tent, Li Hong, Xian Yufu, Xu Rong, Qu Yi, Zhang Yan, Li Wei, and Zhu Mu were arguing fiercely.

Outside the big tent, sixty black panther justices patrolled back and forth with nervous expressions.Since the expedition, it was the first time that there were quarrels in the military tent, which made the brave black panthers feel a suffocating atmosphere that was about to come.Is it going to war again?

=

"My lord, the current situation in Luoyang is here. Yuan Wei and the ministers in the court will not succumb to Dong Zhuo's brutality, they will fight back." Li Wei blushed and said loudly, "Now it is your lord who is in charge." Luoyang, the best time to take power in the world."

"Luoyang is not stable, how can the northern border be stable? When the northern border collapses, how long can the Great Han Society last?" Qu Yi waved his hand and said, "Dong Zhuo's killing has brought the Great Han Kingdom to the brink of collapse. Go south and let Dong Zhuo mess up Gangji, the consequences will be disastrous."

Zhu Mu pointed at Li Wei angrily and said, "Without the emperor's decree, who dares to go south? It will be a fierce battle if the army goes south, and the great Han society will be overthrown. Can't you see such a simple thing?"

Zhang Yan frowned and said: "Dong Zhuo and Yuan Wei and other powerful clans have become fierce conflicts, and fierce conflicts may break out. As Zhong Yuan just analyzed, the recent continuous changes in the situation in Luoyang may be carefully planned by Yuan Wei and others. Yes, the purpose is to force Dong Zhuo to leave the country and let scholars rule, that is, Confucian scholars of ancient literature and classics headed by Yuan Kai. But who is Dong Zhuo? He has fought all his life and has a hundred thousand northern troops. He will easily Give up the power in your hands? What about the scholars? The scholars now control the states and counties. If the states and counties from all over the world join forces, their power will be very important. Once this conflict is formed, it will cover several states and counties, and the entire surrounding area of ​​Gyeonggi will become a battlefield." He looked at Li Hong who was silent, and said in a hoarse voice, "My lord, whether it is for the great Han society or for the people of the Great Han, we must go south to quell the disaster of this war."

Xu Rong shook his head and sighed: "Where do we still have the strength to go south? My lords, please take a closer look at the northern border. Where do we have the strength to go south? Now the matter of stationing in the northern border has not been agreed, and the millions of civilians stranded in the cloud have not yet come." We don’t have enough food and pay to be dismissed. Also, it’s winter, and the ground is covered with snow, how can the army move? Do you want the soldiers to freeze to death?”

Xianyu Fushuo said: "I don't think you should rush to the south. The situation in Luoyang will continue to change. It is hard to say whether there will be conflicts between Dong Zhuo and the scholars. The prefects of the prefectures and prefectures are all my big man after all. I don’t think they will be so ignorant as to do things that would endanger our country. In addition, it’s true that without the emperor’s decree, neither the adults nor the army can enter the Great Wall. Once we go south without authorization, it will be tantamount to rebellion according to the law. , everyone should be cautious.”

Li Wei looked up to the sky and sighed, "Now the nobles in Luoyang have been severely injured by Dong Zhuo. As long as we join hands with the scholars to force Dong Zhuo away, the adults can replace Dong Zhuo in power and assist the young master. The prosperity of the great Han will be just around the corner. Worried about instability? Although we may lose some vested interests in northern Xinjiang today, we will make up for it a hundred times and a thousand times in the future. Compared with the Northern Xinjiang, the rejuvenation of the Great Han is more important than the hardships of the Northern Xinjiang. Can't you adults weigh it?"

Li Hong remained silent.

Li Wei suddenly fell to his knees, raised his hand and shouted: "My lord, think about the last edict of the late emperor. The late emperor wanted you to guard my great Han country, instead of guarding this small corner of northern Xinjiang."

Li Hong was terrified and trembled all over his body.

"Come here, sir Li, the Lang Zhongling."

====
After Li Ru finished reading Xiao Lan's urgent book, a thin layer of sweat had already appeared on his forehead, and the scar on his face also looked unusually prominent and hideous.

"What do you think?" Li Hong asked.

"What does your lord say?" Li Ru asked calmly.

"I can order the army to go south, but I want to send [-] troops to Luoyang." Li Hong pointed to the map on the table and said, "At present, I have [-] troops in the cloud. Command and garrison in Changshan. Twenty thousand troops are under the command of Zhenjun General Qu Yi and garrisoned in Jinyang. Another [-] troops are led by Longxiang General Xu Rong and garrisoned in Luoyang."

Li Ru stared at the map with his eyes straight, sweating more on his forehead.

"What about your lord's other armies?"

"General Anbei Xian Yufu commanded [-] cavalry troops to garrison Mobei Dufu, Zhonglang General Xian Yuyin commanded [-] infantry troops to garrison Jinxueyuan, Hanbei County. Jianwei General Yan Rou led [-] troops to garrison Macheng, Daijun. Du Liao General Zhao Yun led [-] troops to garrison in Wuyuan. If the situation is urgent, I can immediately recruit another [-] cavalry from the Hu tribes in the desert to go south quickly."

Li Ru couldn't help wiping his sweat, "Does your lord have enough food and salary?"

"There is more than enough food and pay." Li Hong said, "By the end of December, I can send [-] troops to the Great Wall, of which General Xu Rong's [-] troops will reach Hedong. If Lord Xiangguo wants to garrison troops in Hedong, then he must allow Xu Rong General Rong is stationed in Luoyang, and all the food expenses of the [-] troops must be paid by the court."

Li Ru thought for a long time and asked, "What if Luoyang is stable?"

"General Xu Rong's [-] troops went directly to Jizhou to garrison."

Li Ru relaxed, and immediately asked: "Is this true?"

Li Hong nodded and smiled, "How dare I disobey the emperor's order?"

"What about my lord?"

"Without the emperor's decree, I will never enter the Great Wall."

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(End of this chapter)