Great Han Empire

Chapter 602 The Heroes of Troubled Times Like the Abyss
In December, there was heavy snowfall in Hedong.

Since the beginning of winter, the Yellow River began to flow downwards from its upper reaches, and the river surface began to freeze from November to mid-December.Although there is a saying in ancient times that "little snow flows, heavy snow forms a bridge", but because the Yellow River in the eastern part of the river is very wide, the ice layer is thin, and it opens at the right time, so it is difficult to form a solid ice bridge, and the communication between people and animals is very unsafe.The Northern Xinjiang Army hopes that the weather will get colder and the snow will fall one after another, so that the ice will thicken and the army can smoothly cross the river to attack.

The first heavy snow this winter came late in the anticipation of the soldiers in northern Xinjiang.

While commanding the soldiers to carry out winter training and make preparations before the attack, Li Hong discussed with the generals the plan for reorganizing the army, which will be implemented only after Qu Yi and Zhang Yan's two armies arrive in Hedong.

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The army attacking Luoyang was divided into north and south.

Li Hong, the general of hussars, commanded the northern and southern armies.In the camp of General Hussars, there are Huwei Zhonglang, Pound's Black Panther Yi Cong Battalion, Captain Zhang Zhen's Huben Battalion, Bing Cao Battalion, and Scout Battalion, with a total of 6000 troops.

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The northern attacking army is composed of Longxiang, Zhechong, Yangwu, Zhenjun, and Zhenhu, each with 8000 soldiers.

The Longxiang Army is led by General Longxiang Xu Rong, with the mighty Zhonglang General Zhang He as his deputy.Du Wei Chang Gong, Chen Jian, Liu Yu, and Sima Zhang Xun of the other department each led a battalion, each with 2000 troops.

The Zhenjun army was led by Qu Yi, the general of the Zhenjun, and Wen Chou, the general of Wu Lie Zhonglang.Captain He Feng, Fan Li, Xu Huang, and Captain Lei Zhong each lead a battalion.

The town guard army is commanded by the town guard general Zhang Yan, and Xiaoqi Zhonglang will be his deputy.Colonel Yu Digen, Peng Lie, Zhang Xiao, and Ding Bo led a battalion each.

Zhechong's army was commanded by Zhechong General Yushi, and Liwei Zhonglang General Hua Xiong was his deputy.Lieutenants Liang Baiwu, Li Yun, Yang Chun, and Guo Xun led a battalion each.

The Yangwu Army is led by Yangwu General Yang Feng, and the Qiangnu Zhonglang General Sun Qin is the deputy.Captains Li Yao, Yang Zhen, Liao Lei and Lin Xun each led a battalion.

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The attacking army in the south is an army of [-] Hu Lie, led by Hu Lie General Yan Liang, and Wu Yi Zhonglang General Gao Lan as his deputy.Captain Gao Shun, Wu Xiong, Captain Xiang Cheng, Sima Xiewu and Xu Yan from the other division each led a battalion.

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It is a common practice for the Northern Xinjiang Army to reorganize before each major battle. The generals are used to it, and they have no objection to Li Hong's plan for reorganizing the army.

At this time, the scouts reported that the northern army in the direction of Pubanjin, Fenglingdu, and Maojindu was already in full swing, and reinforcements were coming from Guanzhong one after another, and the situation became more and more serious.If the Northern Army's troops gather too much on the other side of the Yellow River, it will be very unfavorable for the Northern Army's cross-river attack.The two generals, Qu Yi and Yu Shi, immediately suggested crossing the river to attack immediately, taking down several cities on the other side of the Yellow River with an overwhelming force, and completing the siege of Luoyang.Now there are only [-] troops from Niu Fu in the direction of Hongnong County. Since they cannot determine the direction of our main attack, the [-] troops have to be distributed in Tongguan, Fenglingdu and Maojindu, and the forces are too scattered.If the northern border army launched an attack years ago, it would be able to catch it off guard and hit it with one blow.

Qu Yi said that Dong Zhuo and Niu Fu must know that our army has not yet assembled. According to their estimates, our attack time should be next month or after the beginning of spring, so they must be unprepared at this moment.We chose to attack years ago, and the timing should be right.If we delay the attack time to the first month or later, in the cold weather, the strength of the two sides is close, and the Yellow River will thaw at any time, the casualties of the Northern Xinjiang Army must be very heavy.

Li Hong rejected the proposal of the two.The northern border army launched an attack without fully assembled. Even if the initial battle was successful, it was still difficult to defend the city due to the lack of backup troops in the army.Dong Zhuo, who had been cut off from retreat, would at all costs command the Northern Army to attack the Northern Frontier Army from the two directions of Guanzhong and Luoyang.At this time, Yuan Shao and Wang Kuang in Hanoi, and Yuan Shu and Sun Jian in the south of Luoyang are not ready yet. If they cannot attack Luoyang immediately and effectively contain Dong Zhuo's forces, we are bound to be defeated.We retreated to Hedong, and the three-party strategy of attacking Luoyang failed immediately.

Li Hong repeatedly warned the generals that the attack on Luoyang this time was a joint attack by the three parties. With the strength of Beijiang alone, the more than 4 troops in Hedong could not defeat Dong Zhuo and take Luoyang at all. Tacit understanding is very important.Every move of the Northern Xinjiang Army must first consider the interests and survival of the other two armies.Can our attack get their cooperation?Is it possible to cooperate with them?Is it conducive to the three-party army to take Luoyang quickly and completely?According to our agreement with Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, the time to attack Luoyang should be from the middle of the first month to the beginning of February. We cannot change this attack time at will.

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Qu Yi looked down on Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, thinking that they might not attack Luoyang within the agreed time, and even if they launched an attack on Luoyang within the agreed time, they might not try their best. Others. If Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu didn't have a distinguished family background of four generations and three fathers, they would be nothing."

Li Hong smiled helplessly.The purpose of our attack on Luoyang this time is not to encircle Dong Zhuo, defeat Dong Zhuo, or kill Dong Zhuo, but to take Luoyang intact. Our goal is Luoyang, the capital.I believe everyone knows who Dong Zhuo is, especially Zilie (Xu Rong), Yuntian (Qu Yi), and Ziwei (Hua Xiong). You have fought side by side with him in Western Xinjiang for many years, so you should know his character.If we drove him to a corner, forced him to have no way to escape, and he burned Luoyang in a fit of anger, we would be miserable.Not only are we useless, but we are all sinful.The capital of the great man was in ruins, the foundation of nearly 200 years was destroyed, and the dying country received a fatal blow. At that time, what can we do to save our great man?

We are eager to take Luoyang in order to move back to the court.The purpose of moving back to the imperial court was to use the power of the capital to frighten the states and counties all over the world, so as to rebuild the supreme authority of the emperor and the court, quickly stabilize the country, gather the power of states and counties from all over the country, and then use the power of the whole country to go west to the king to challenge Dong.A complete Luoyang is the cornerstone and the source of power to revitalize the country. What we need is to defend it, not destroy it.

The generals were silent.Qu Yi's face was ashamed.

When I bid farewell to the Eldest Princess and the Grand Tutor, the Eldest Princess and several adults repeatedly asked me to proceed from the overall situation, and not to use troops hastily for the sake of one's own happiness.I also ask my lords to think about the country, think about the common people in the world, and then think about how to use soldiers.Although the purpose of our military use today is the same as in the past, it is to defend the country, but today we are fighting our own people. In the past, we were unanimously fighting outsiders. Therefore, the strategy and method of using troops must be changed. changed.I want to change, and you have to change too.

"This year's reorganization of the army is not only about the adjustment of the army's organizational structure, but also the adjustment of the military strategy of officers at all levels. Everyone must think about how to serve the king and ask for the leadership, and how to revitalize the community."

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In December, Nanyang, Wancheng.

Yuan Shu was very surprised when he heard that Liu He had arrived in Nanyang.Isn't Liu He always by the princess' side?Why did it suddenly appear in Nanyang?
Liu He's hair and beard were disheveled, his clothes were ragged, and he was very embarrassed.He and Yuan Shu had a good relationship when they were in Luoyang. After they met, without further ado, they asked Yuan Shu to serve wine and food first, and he wanted to eat.While wolfing down the food, Liu He explained the whole story.

This summer, he went to Chang'an with Zhu Mu.His purpose was to ask the emperor for an imperial decree from the emperor to ask Dong Zhuo for the princess, but the emperor was young, and the emperor was surrounded by Dong Zhuo's people.So he went to see Taiwei Zhao Qian, saying that he had brought the princess's letter to the emperor and wanted to present it to the emperor himself.Taiwei Zhao Qian immediately invited the emperor and Xiangguo Dong Zhuo, saying that Liu He, the former Weiwei, had arrived in Beijing, and there was a letter from the princess that needed to be presented.The emperor was overjoyed, and immediately ordered Liu He to enter the palace to have an audience.

Liu He also prepared an ordinary letter from the princess greeting the emperor.After the letter was examined by Dong Zhuo himself, Liu He personally presented it to the emperor.When the emperor got the news from his sister, Long Yan was very happy, and immediately wrote back to the princess, and asked Liu He to send him back to Jinyang immediately.Liu He was stupid at the time.Dong Zhuo spoke at this time. He said that Liu He was outstanding in talent. He was a Wei Wei when the first emperor was in power. Now that he has returned to Beijing this time, he should not leave and serve in the court.Liu He is the son of Liu Yu. Keeping Liu He in the capital can be regarded as a hostage and can threaten Liu Yu.Of course Dong Zhuo would not let him go.The Son of Heaven also knew Liu He in the past, knowing that he was good at calligraphy and painting, and the late Emperor liked him very much when he was alive.The emperor happily agreed, worshiping him as a servant, accompanying him around, and asking him about calligraphy and painting in his spare time.

In October, the emperor asked him to teach calligraphy and painting skills one day, and he and the emperor were the only two in the imperial study.Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, Liu He presented the princess' secret letter to the emperor.The emperor was horrified when he saw it, "All these crimes were committed by Mr. Xiangguo?" Liu He didn't want to explain, and only said one sentence, "Your Majesty is the eldest princess's sister. How could she lie to you? Has the eldest princess lied to your majesty?" ?” The emperor shook his head.He trusted his elder sister, since her elder sister said that Dong Zhuo was a villain and a treacherous country, then Dong Zhuo must be.Although Dong Zhuo was very kind and respectful to him, almost obedient to everything, but as far as he knew, those traitors in the Han Kingdom, such as Zhao Zhong, Zhang Rang, etc., treated him better.The traitors themselves are not necessarily bad people. The reason why traitors become traitors is because they have done things that harm the country and the people.

The emperor was still in a daze, but Liu He threw the letter into the brazier and burned it numbly, "Your Majesty, this thing cannot be kept. Your Majesty is surrounded by Dong Zhuo's people. If Dong Zhuo finds out about this, Your Majesty will be in trouble." The emperor was taken aback by Liu He's actions, with a look of fear on his face.Liu He then took out the imperial decree he had already drawn up and handed it to the emperor, "Your Majesty, the eldest princess wants to bring an army to Chang'an to rescue you, but because there is no imperial decree from your majesty, you cannot command the army of the general Hussars, so I beg your majesty ..." Liu He hoped that the Son of Heaven would find a way to seal this edict.The emperor shook his head, since he moved to Chang'an, he never saw the seal again.He didn't know where the seal was.

Liu He had no choice but to ask the emperor to keep it secret. This matter is related to the lives of the emperor and the eldest princess, as well as the survival of the great Han, Jiangshan, and the country, so it should not be a trifling matter.The emperor nodded repeatedly, half understanding.Liu He left the palace disappointed.He didn't expect to stamp the emperor's seal (used to send troops) on this imperial decree. This important seal must be controlled by Dong Zhuo, but he never expected that Dong Zhuo would actually take the emperor's seal that the emperor carried with him. (used to bestow letters to princes and kings) and the Seal of the Son of Heaven (used to serve heaven, earth, ghosts and gods) were also taken away.

Discouraged, Liu He ran to the house of his colleague Zhongji and got drunk.If you drink too much, you will inevitably lose control, and Liu He accidentally leaks the secret.After waking up the next day, Liu He was pleasantly surprised to find that Zhong Ji actually brought him a blank imperial edict with the emperor's seal on it.Liu He suddenly realized that he had leaked the secret, and couldn't help but lose his mind.

Zhong Ji smiled and said, don't worry, I know about it.Don't drink alcohol next time, it's too dangerous.Dong Zhuo trusts me very much now, and I know many things in Xiangguo's mansion clearly.The seals are all in the hands of Dong Zhuo. When he is not in Chang'an, he will leave a few blank imperial edicts for Liu Ai in case of urgent needs.Liu Ainai and I are close friends, as long as I have enough reasons, it is still okay to ask him for a blank imperial decree.You go, after handing this blank edict to the eldest princess, you can write whatever you want.

Liu He was so grateful that he escaped from Chang'an City with his attendants that day.Because Li Hong and Dong Zhuo had broken up and all the roads to Hedong were blocked, Liu He tried many ways but failed to cross the Yellow River.Seeing that the weather was getting colder and it was getting more and more dangerous to stay in Guanzhong, Liu He immediately decided to go south out of Wuguan, first to Nanyang, and then go back to Jinyang in a big circle.

Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shu were also fighting, and the fighting was fierce, and Wuguan was also blocked.Liu He and his attendants had to cross mountains and ridges, and suffered a lot along the way.When they arrived in Wancheng, the group was already complete refugees.

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Yuan Shu laughed, "Zian, if you die this time, it will be for nothing, and it will be of no value at all."

Yuan Shu then told about the eldest princess establishing a dynasty in Jinyang and Tai Fu Liu Yu going south to rule in the Jinyang court.Liu He looked at him suspiciously, "Really? You won't make fun of me, will you?"

"Although I haven't received any news from Jinyang, Tian Chou of the General Hussar's Mansion will not lie to me." Yuan Shu said with a smile, "Tian Chou said that at the beginning of December, the eldest princess will mainly build a dynasty in Jinyang. If He was right, after the new year, I will be able to receive news."

Liu He was very excited, pointing to the blank imperial decree in his arms and said: "Then this imperial decree is invaluable. With this emperor's inheritance edict, the eldest princess can justifiably perform the emperor's affairs on behalf of the emperor, and can worship Gongqing Bai Officer, the Jinyang court can completely replace the Chang'an court. That's great. I'll leave right away."

Yuan Shu laughed and said, "In my opinion, you should stay in Nanyang for the time being. Dong Zhuo's army is currently fighting with Sun Jian, Kong Ni, and Ji Ling's army in Luyang and Yangdi. The road is very dangerous."

Then he explained to Liu He that General Li Hong of Hussars was going to attack Luoyang, and that he planned an attack on three sides and winning in the middle. You can travel long distances at the risk of life and death. You can stay here, and in the future you can directly go to Beijing to read the emperor's edict to the eldest princess."

Liu He thinks about it too.If something happens on the way, this trip will really be wasted. I don't know who will be cured by this blank edict.

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In December, Jizhou, Yecheng.

After Han Fu returned to Jizhou, he immediately received a letter from Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao said in the letter that today's son was not born by the first emperor, the imperial line was usurped, the first emperor was humiliated, and the court was held hostage by the treacherous Dong Zhuo, which was useless. Although the eldest princess built another court in Jinyang, the country cannot live without a king. To eradicate treacherous traitors as soon as possible, put down the rebellion, and revitalize the country, Liu Dai, Wang Kuang, Yuan Yi and more than a dozen state and county officials and I are going to support Youzhou Mu Liuyu as emperor and rebuild the court.I implore Brother Wenjie to put the great Han society as the most important thing, make up your mind early, and join hands in the great cause.

Han Fu was shocked, uneasy and undecided.

As early as the beginning of the year when the incident was raised, Yuan Shao and him had discussed together, if the challenge to Dong was successful, which vassal king should inherit the imperial line, but because the Hussar General Li Hong was unwilling to send troops to challenge Dong, the matter was immediately shelved .Now that Li Hong has sent troops to challenge Dong, and the eldest princess is also establishing a dynasty in Jinyang, everything seems to be on the right track. At this time, Yuan Shao suddenly came out and joined other state and county officials to demand that the current emperor be deposed and the imperial line be rebuilt. Isn't this just looking for trouble?
Yuan Shao once again reiterated the reasons why he should depose the current emperor and rebuild the imperial line.These reasons may seem high-sounding on the surface, but in the final analysis, they are afraid that today's emperor will deliberately retaliate in the future and kill the entire family of the Yuan Clan and the ministers who caused the incident.Yuan Shao also listed in detail the benefits of Liu Yu inheriting the imperial lineage and ascending the throne as emperor, but under this series of gorgeous rhetoric, what Han Fu saw was not revitalization of the country, but disaster and bloodshed.

Han Fu was timid. He thought over and over again, but couldn't make up his mind.

Several cronies in the government also have different opinions on this matter.Liu Gong said that Liu Yu has known you for many years, and you should know who he is.Liu Yu is only a clan, not a vassal king. He is not qualified to inherit the imperial line at all, and it is impossible for him to agree to be emperor.Yuan Shao's move obviously had ulterior motives.

"What exactly does Yuan Shao want to do?"

"He wants to control the eldest princess and the Jinyang court." The examiner said, "Now, regardless of whether the lord agrees to this matter, Yuan Shao and the officials of Ji, Yan, Qing, Xu, Yu and other prefectures and counties will send envoys to Jinyang. Ask to support Liu Yu as emperor. My lord, think about it. After this incident, can Liu Yu still stay in the court? He will definitely leave Jinyang. After Liu Yu leaves Jinyang, the successor Liu Yu must be in power. It's you, my lord. That is to say, everyone will think that all this is being manipulated by your lord, who wants to monopolize the power of the Jinyang court. After such rumors spread, can your lord still come to Jinyang to rule? In order to express yourself Since he is innocent, he has no choice but to give up. Then what? Then the states and counties will recommend Yuan Shao to the Jinyang court to govern."

"This is where the problem comes. The Hussar General needs food and money to fight Luoyang. He will definitely accept the Lord to take charge of Jinyang, but Yuan Shao can't do it. What qualifications does Yuan Shao have to take charge of Jinyang? He is just a member of Bohai County It’s just a prefect. Therefore, the Jinyang court became the general of Hushi. If the Hushi general is in charge, no one in the world will listen to it, including you, my lord. In this way, good things will turn into bad things, and the country will be even more chaotic. Are you willing to watch the country collapse with your own eyes?"

"Therefore, my lord does not need to hesitate, and directly expresses his attitude to the Jinyang court. Jizhou is related to the rise and fall of the country, and the state power should of course be in the hands of your lord."

Han Fu's heart was moved.

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I'll be working overtime tomorrow, so I don't have time to write.Will make it up in a few days.Sorry, sorry.

(End of this chapter)