Great Han Empire

Chapter 563 Immediately Crossing the Gun
Li Hong went to Luoyang to report the military expedition to the first emperor in March last year. However, only a year later, the Great Han Kingdom has undergone earth-shaking changes.When Princess Changping saw Li Hong, she couldn't bear the grief in her heart anymore, and cried bitterly.

The princess is 13 years old and has grown up. Although she is charming and enchanting, she is astonishingly beautiful, but there is no trace of innocence and joy on her flamboyant face. There is only endless sadness and sorrow, deep depression and helplessness Like thick dark clouds covering her eyes full of autumn water, it makes people heartbroken.Too many things have happened in this year, relatives left one after another, turned into strands of souls and became lovesickness in dreams, Liu Xiao, who had never been hit by wind and rain, was knocked down by the ensuing turmoil, She couldn't bear the bad news one after another, couldn't face the sudden blow and huge pain, she almost collapsed.

At this time, Lu Zhi rushed to Hejian Kingdom and told the princess the good news that He Jin was dead, Queen Mother He was also dead, and Liu Xie had succeeded to the throne.The princess wants to go back, she wants to go back to the capital, but Lu Zhi and Liu He firmly stop it.The news that followed was getting worse and worse. The sky of the Han Kingdom seemed to be collapsing, and the country was on the verge of collapse.Liu Xiao didn't understand why this happened. Now that the traitors and relatives that everyone hates are dead, and the Xianbei people who repeatedly invaded the frontier have also been conquered, the society should quickly restore stability. Lost hope?

Liu Xiao rushed to Yunzhong Xingyuan full of grief and hope for the future.Lu Zhi left, he said he should go home.Liu He also left. He said that he would go back to Youzhou to borrow troops from his father Liu Yu and go south.Only Zhang Fan and Xing Yong (yong) accompanied Liu Xiao to the outside of the Great Wall, as well as the five hundred tiger ben and Yulin troops of Lu Ben Ling Wei Duan and guard Ling Yang Zhi.Zhang Fan was ordered by Tai Fu Yuan Kui to accompany the princess all the time. Now he is the long history of Princess Changping. He has the last emperor's edict to Li Hong.Xing Yong was a native of Hejian, a student of Lu Zhi, a young Confucian scholar, who fled to his hometown with Lu Zhi all the way.Lu Zhi admired his talent and loyalty very much. Before leaving, he rejected his offer to continue to follow and kept him with the princess.

Li Hong comforted the princess a few words, and seeing that she was crying very sadly, he ordered Xiao Yu to be called here.Last year when Li Hong went to the capital under orders, he and Xiao Yu went to Yongle Palace several times to meet the Empress Dowager Dong, so Xiao Yu got acquainted with the princess.Xiao Yu accompanied the princess to the back tent, and the sad atmosphere in the big tent eased up a bit.

Li Hong read and read the late emperor's edict again and again, and gradually understood Yuan Kai and Yuan Shao's thoughts.

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The first emperor said in this edict that if the Empress Dowager Dong and the young Marquis Dong return safely to the Hejian Kingdom, Li Hong and Taiwei Liu Yu will immediately support the young Marquis Dong in Jizhou to inherit the great power after recovering the Border Commandery. , Then led the army south to Luoyang, and cooperated with Taifu Yuan Wei and other court ministers to arrest and kill He Jin and revive the court.If He Jin kills Empress Dowager Dong and Young Marquis Dong, and usurps power, then Li Hong will declare to the world with this edict, and together with Taiwei Liu Yu, go directly south to Luoyang to kill He Jin, and then re-elect with Taifu Yuan Wei and other ministers The vassal king is the emperor.At the end of the imperial edict, the first emperor told Li Hong that at this time of crisis, I entrust all state affairs to Tai Fu Yuan Kai and Tai Wei Liu Yu, and Ai Qing must obey the orders of the two Tuogu ministers and do their best to defend our great Han society.

By saying this, the first emperor had obviously given up on the young emperor Liu Bian. As long as He Jin died, Liu Bian would have a hard time living. But now it seems that both of the first emperor's guesses were wrong.He Jin killed the Empress Dowager Dong, but spared the life of the young Marquis Dong, and the first half of the edict immediately became useless.The chaos in Luoyang at the end of August gave Yuan Kai and the ministers in the court a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They joined forces with Dong Zhuo to abolish the young emperor and let the little Donghou inherit the great order, fulfilling the late emperor's unfulfilled wish. There is a power struggle with the ministers of the DPRK and China.

At this time, Yuan Kai, who was at a disadvantage, resolutely decided to abandon the present day, and deliberately created a crisis, using the late emperor's edict to force Li Hong to obey his command, force Dong Zhuo to leave, make the vassal king the emperor, and revive the country.Lu Zhi left the capital first, representing Yuan Kui to Zhuojun to discuss the matter with Liu Yu.As long as there is Liu Yu's support, Yuan Kui believes that Li Hong will definitely obey.

Liu Yu agreed to Yuan Wei's request.Dong Zhuo alone controls the [-] troops in Gyeonggi, which has violated the taboo of power checks and balances.Once this kind of person takes power alone, it will be a matter of time before he takes power and ruins the country.It is better to fight early than late.However, Liu Yu did not make a clear statement on the abolition of today's emperor.Although publicly refusing to admit that today's day is conducive to fighting Dong Zhuo and resolving the crisis as soon as possible, considering the late emperor's wish and Li Hong's attitude, Liu Yu thinks it is better to be cautious, not to act too hastily, and to take one step at a time.

After Lu Zhi received an affirmative reply from Liu Yu's full support, he immediately sent the news back to the capital through Yuan Shao.Yuan Kui was overjoyed, and immediately decided to call up soldiers and horses from the prefectures and counties to attack Luoyang.When Zhu Jun left Beijing to fight the rebellion in Hanoi, Yuan Kai informed Yuan Shao and others to raise troops in several letters that he secretly took out.Yuan Kai also wrote a letter to Lu Zhi, saying that everything was ready, and asked Lu Zhi to go to Youzhou with Liu He to supervise Liu Yu to go south immediately after the princess went north to Jin and invited Li Hong to go south.After forcing Dong Zhuo away, Yuan Kai hoped that Liu Yu could come to Beijing to co-administer with him, so as to solve the threat of Li Hong in time.

This is why Yuan Shao was very sure that Li Hong would go south to help Dong Dajun attack Luoyang.Faced with the late emperor's edict, the princess's cry and supervision, and the order of the old master Liu Yu, under these three pressures, Li Hong dare not bow his head and obey his orders obediently?
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What is the ultimate goal of beating Dong Dajun?Occupy Luoyang, rebuild the imperial line, and then the scholars headed by the Yuan Clan completely control the power of the Han Dynasty.

The princess didn't know the things behind this edict, she only knew that her younger brother, today's emperor, was held hostage by the treacherous Dong Zhuo, and she needed to help him and rescue him, but she didn't know that today's emperor and Dong Zhuo had become such A victim of a power struggle.Faced with the princess's begging and crying, Li Hong was at a loss as to what to do.

If I tell the princess that I have decided to attack Dong Dajun, force Dong Zhuo away, and then use Luoyang as the center to check and balance the world, will the princess understand?Li Hong smiled wryly, obviously, the princess would not understand.If you do this by yourself, where will you put the emperor's holy prestige?Where to set up the country?Why should I check and balance the world?Why can unscrupulously trample on the sacred and inviolable imperial power?Doing this by yourself will harm the Han Dynasty more seriously than Dong Zhuo's Disasters and Disasters, which may directly lead to the destruction of the Han Dynasty's imperial power and the disintegration of the Han Dynasty.

Li Hong took the last emperor's edict and wandered around in the big tent.Going south is already a fact. Although I didn't exhaust the army in the northern border, the [-] main force plus tens of thousands of field soldiers are enough. It's just that the purpose of my going south and the princess's request to go south are quite different.Once the princess knows the truth, how will she explain it?What is your reason for doing this?Li Hong felt that his reason was too far-fetched, and the princess would not believe it.In the final analysis, I was just doing it for a barren northern border and millions of victims suffering from hunger and cold. Compared with the majesty of the emperor of the Han Dynasty and the rise and fall of the Han Dynasty, it was nothing worth mentioning.No one believes that he is for the northern border, and he will eventually become a minister of disaster for the country like Dong Zhuo and be scolded by the people of the world.

And his old master Liu Yu.Before his death, the first emperor issued a decree to worship Liu Yu as Taiwei, Shenli Shangshushi, and take charge of state affairs, but because of changes in the situation, Liu Yu failed to return to Beijing.Now if Liu Yu goes south, he has to obey Liu Yu's command out of emotion and reason. If he wants to attack Dong Zhuo by himself, what should he do?Follow Liu Yu's command and order the army to turn against each other and strike, and Gyeonggi will surely fall into repeated melees.After this battle is fought, there will be no results in the short term. Millions of disaster victims will be stranded in the east and frontier fortresses, and the northern border will surely collapse.

At this moment, Li Hong hesitated.

Gu Dali or Gu Xiaoli?If both benefits are lost, what should I do?How can I explain to my subordinates who have followed me for many years?How to face the hundreds of thousands of yellow scarf soldiers who fought with me?How to face those brothers who died in battle?How to face the painful eyes of millions of disaster victims?
Li Hong rushed out of the big tent and walked to the shore of Shaling Lake in the chilly spring, feeling extremely painful in his heart.How to choose?Where do we go from here?

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Liu Yu's letter was sent to Xingyuan in Yunzhong.

As Li Hong expected, Liu Yu urged Li Hong to join the army against Dong in the letter, hoping that he would immediately lead his troops south to attack Chang'an and Tongguan, cut off Dong Zhuo's retreat, and trap Dong Zhuo in Luoyang so that he could fight against Yuan Shao's army against Dong. The situation is a situation of pinching from east to west, and strive to defeat Dong Zhuo in the shortest time and capture Luoyang.

Liu Yu said that Xian Yufu was in charge of pacifying the desert and guarding the frontiers, Zhao Qi was in charge of the refugees, farming, and spring plowing in the northern border, and there were hard-working prefects of the counties. What are you worried about?Aren't they all doing as well as you?You are the Hussar General of the Han Kingdom. Your duty is to defend the country, protect the emperor and the people of the Han. In today's crisis, can't you tell the difference between right and wrong, loyalty and rebellion?After spring plowing, I will lead an army south to join you.

Considering the issue of border defense in Youzhou, Liu Yu hoped that Li Hong would immediately order Jianwei General Yan Rou to lead his army into Jicheng to protect the safety of Youzhou.Liu Yu said, last year, Gongsun Zan was recommended by you to the imperial court because he supported your attack in the direction of Youzhou, and he was named a general seeking captives. As a result, he was proud of his achievements and opposed me everywhere.In the first month of this year, the presents I bestowed on Karasuma’s tribes were robbed by someone he sent in the middle of the road, and several subordinates in the mansion who were ordered to appease the Hu people were also beaten up by him, and Qiu Liju and other leaders of Karasuma sent gifts Gong's envoy was secretly killed by him before he arrived in Jicheng.I asked him to come to Jicheng to talk, but he didn't even pay attention to me, he didn't even have me as a superior in his eyes, he was domineering to the extreme.Gongsun Zan hated barbarians and opposed recruiting barbarians. His favorite thing to do was to kill barbarians. If he was allowed to mess around in Youzhou like this, the barbarians in Youzhou would be unbearable and would rebel sooner or later.

Liu Yu wanted Li Hong to send Yan Rou to Jicheng to suppress and restrain Gongsun Zan's arrogance and lawlessness, otherwise, he would not be able to let go of Youzhou, let alone go south to Beijing.

Knowing that Liu Yu was about to go south to join him, Li Hong felt even more heavy in his heart and looked sad.Liu Fan, who came to deliver the letter, saw Li Hong's gloomy expression, and thought he was worried about the affairs of Youzhou, so he cursed Gongsun Zan, almost saying that Gongsun Zan was a traitor.

Li Hong has always respected Gongsun Zan, and he was very upset when he heard this.When Li Hong just recovered his memory, the first time he heard Gongsun Zan's name was in Murong Feng's big tent. At that time, Murong Feng praised Gongsun Zan strongly, which left a deep impression on Li Hong.In Li Hong's heart, Gongsun Zan is the hero of the Han Kingdom, an admirable warrior, and he doesn't like to hear people insult his friends.

He looked at Liu Fan.Liu Fan is 27 and [-] years old. He is not tall, but he is solid.Li Hong originally wanted to reprimand him, but thinking of Gongsun Zan's various problems, he swallowed back the words that came to his lips.Gongsun Zan not only disobeyed Liu Yu's orders, but also confronted Liu Yu openly and secretly. What can he say?That Gongsun Zan did the right thing?
He smiled wryly and asked, "Have you been a Bi Cao in Youzhou Prefecture for a long time?"
"I have been in office for seven or eight years." Liu Fan said respectfully, "Master Liu is a good man. If it were someone else, he would have killed Gongsun Zan long ago. Gongsun Zan has gone too far. Master Liu is the chief minister of the dynasty. Ranked above the Sangong, the Shangqing of the Great Han Kingdom, such a big official, is actually wearing common clothes and barefoot, plowing the fields with the people. Who will believe it? Everyone in Youzhou says Mr. Liu is good. , only Gongsun Zan said that Master Liu was full of food for his fame and reputation, and he said that a majestic Shangqing of the Han Dynasty did not consider the policy of governing the country, but plowed the fields with the lowly peasants, which is purely a disgrace to the Han Kingdom. Tell me, is this what people say?"

Li Hong couldn't help laughing, and turned his head to chuckle.

Liu Fan's face showed anger, and he asked loudly, "Your Excellency also thinks so?"

"No, no, Master Gongsun's words are indeed wrong." Li Hong said hastily shaking his hands.

"It's more than wrong. I think he has the nature of a jackal. In the future, he will definitely be a disaster for Youzhou and a big man."

Li Hong was dumbfounded.is it so serious?Isn't it just thinking differently?Should I stay with this person?Li Hong once asked Liu Yu for help, saying that the Hussar General's mansion was seriously short of people, and begged Liu Yu to recruit some subordinates to help him in an emergency.This Liu Fan was recommended by Liu Yu.

"Master Liu asked you to stay with me, are you willing?" Li Hong forced a smile and asked.

"I'll do what Master Liu says. I'll stay." Liu Fan agreed without hesitation.

Li Hong's smiling face froze, regretful.If I had known this, I would not have asked, and sent him back.

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At this time, the nine generals of Northern Xinjiang were not in the camp, Li Weiyuan was in Hedong, and Li Hong had no one to discuss with.Although Zhu Mu, Yu Peng, Tian Chou and others were all in Xingyuan, Li Hong didn't dare to ask, he knew it would be useless to ask.With Zhu Mu's character, after seeing the last emperor's edict and Liu Yu's letter, he must change his course, and people like Yu Peng, Tian Chou, and Yin Si were quite critical of the check and balance strategy. From the perspective of northern Xinjiang, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, but from the perspective of Dahan Sheji, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

Li Hong couldn't figure out why the lives of millions of disaster victims couldn't compare with the so-called Dahan Sheji in the eyes of these people?The Dahan Sheji is intangible, invisible, and illusory. What is it?Is it the ten thousand li territory of the great man or the 5000 million people of the great man?If Sheji refers to the territory and the people, then what's wrong with defending the northern border and protecting the lives of millions of people?Why is it called Gongwei Sheji to protect the emperor, capture Luoyang, and kill Dong Zhuo?Why must the territory of northern Xinjiang and the people of northern Xinjiang be sacrificed to defend the so-called community?

Li Hong thought hard, and his whole body and mind fell into this kind of unanswered thinking.He became silent, and followed the southward army to Jinyang in a daze.

When the army walked near Tongguo City in Dingxiang County, Li Hong was suddenly awakened by heart-piercing cries.He blankly looked up at the black panther cavalry who had stopped in the distance, not knowing what was going on in front of him.

The sacrificial front came galloping on horseback.

"My lord, there are thousands of corpses in front of us, all victims of freezing and starvation. It's very miserable..." Ji Feng's eyes were red, and he didn't continue.

Li Hong was stunned for a moment, his heart was miserable, and he didn't make a sound for a long time, "How could this happen?"

"This is the bank of the Yellow River. The river water is thawing, and it's very cold at night. Just in the past two days, the temperature has plummeted again. The victims probably didn't notice the temperature change. In addition, there was insufficient food and no warm clothes, so..."

Li Hong lay powerlessly on Feixue's back, curled up his body, and let out a miserable howl.

Without the common people, how can there be a community?Where did it come from?Where did the Han Kingdom come from?
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The wind on the bank of the Yellow River is howling, like thousands of ghosts crying, shrill and tragic.

Three thousand black panther Yicong and two thousand guards were burying the victims who froze to death by the river.Those who survived by chance lay down next to the corpses of their relatives and cried loudly.

Princess Changping sat on the carriage blankly, tears streaming down her face.Xiaoyu and Fengxue embraced each other, looking sadly and helplessly at the busy soldiers in the distance.

Li Hong sat on the ground, writing at his desk, letting the biting cold wind penetrate into his icy armor.

Li Hong wrote back to Liu Yu.I am rushing southward, trying to start attacking Chang'an in March.As for Yan Rou's garrison in Jicheng, let's wait until the crisis in Gyeonggi is resolved.

Li Hong urgently wrote to Gongsun Zan.The situation in northern Xinjiang is extremely critical. I need to move the victims back to Jizhou as quickly as possible, but Han Fu, the herdsman of Jizhou, has not given me any answer so far.I can't wait, I need your help.Brother Bo Gui, after receiving the letter, please send your troops south to threaten Bohai County and Hejian State, so as to support Zhang Yan and Qu Yi to capture Julu County and Zhao State.As long as I have these two places, I can relocate the victims.I have heard about the matter between you and Mr. Liu. I support you and stand firmly on your side.After the northern Xinjiang crisis and the Gyeonggi crisis are resolved, I will play the Son of Heaven to ask for credit for you.

Li Hong urgently wrote to Zhang Yan, the general who guarded the town.If Gongsun Zan obeys my order and goes south to enter Bohai County and Hejian Kingdom, the conflict between him and Liu Yu will definitely break out. At this time, you should send a team to the north to block Liu Yu's way to go south.Remember, Liu Yu must not be allowed to go south to join Yuan Shao.

Li Hong once again urgently wrote to Yushi and Yan Liang to surround Niu Fu's [-] troops as soon as possible, cutting off Dong Zhuo's way out of Tongguan.

Li Hongshu told Li Wei that he immediately sent someone to Luyang to contact Yuan Shu, saying that we would help him take control of Luoyang.Yuan Shu is the post-general whom today's emperor worships, his official position is far higher than Yuan Shao, and he is the head of the next generation of Yuan Clan, so he should be the leader of Dong Dajun.If Yuan Shu is unwilling, we will attack him.

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(End of this chapter)