Great Han Empire

Chapter 619 The Heroes of Troubled Times Like the Abyss
Under September, Luoyang, Xianyang Garden.

After arriving in Luoyang, Li Hong, the great general of hussars, did not enter the city. Instead, he camped in Xianyang Garden and built Luoyang Xingyuan. He kept his promise not to enter Luoyang. He immediately led the main force of the Northern Xinjiang Army back to Hedong.

Since the eldest princess and the imperial court had already discussed the matter of moving back to Luoyang, and the autumn harvest and planting in October were about to begin, the officials of various states and counties bid farewell to Li Hong and Zhu Jun immediately.In order to thank the ministers, Li Hong specially set wine in Xingyuan to send them off.

Li Hong knew that the reason why the officials of various states and counties rushed to Luoyang after receiving his letter, and they were able to put aside their differences and quickly reach many agreements within more than a month was not because of his own strong force, nor because of Liu And the edict that the emperor entrusted all state affairs to the eldest princess that was brought to Luoyang was not because of the Yuan Clan's best help and Yuan Shao's sincere persuasion, but because of the current increasingly cruel situation.

Forced by the situation, officials from various states and counties had to rush to Beijing, hoping to rely on the majesty of the eldest princess and the imperial court to integrate forces and reverse the current crisis as soon as possible. This was not only for their own survival, but also for the long-term destiny of the country.

It has been two years since Qiao Mao, Yuan Shao and others received the Sangong's appeal to raise troops against Dong, Dong Zhuo not only did not die, but became more and more powerful, and what was even more frightening was that the wave of riots by the Yellow Turban Army swept across half of the Han Dynasty. From Zhang Jiao to Zhang Niujiao to Zhang Yan, none of them developed the Yellow Turban Army to the unstoppable state it is today.Now there is Dong Zhuo in the west, and the Yellow Turban Army in the east. If either of these two enemies is not killed immediately and allowed to develop, then in the near future, they will surely overthrow the country and sweep the world.

Now Dong Zhuo is licking his wounds in Guanzhong, recovering his vitality. He may roar down at any time and devour states and counties wantonly. There are more and more state and county officials, especially Yuan Shao's actions, which made everyone feel dissatisfied and no longer trust each other, which directly led to the weakening of the power of various states and counties.At this time, if the prefectures and counties in various places are attacked by Dong Zhuo and the Yellow Turban Army, their fate can be imagined. Therefore, Yuan Shu, Xu Jue, Zhou Qian, Yuan Yi, Zhang Miao and other prefectures and counties had to use their own resources to survive. The hope of preventing Dong Zhuo from leaving the pass rests on the General Hussars.As long as Dong Zhuo doesn't leave the customs, as long as Dong Zhuo and the Hussar General hold each other in check, they can spare enough time to connect with each other, defeat the Yellow Turban Army at the fastest speed, develop their own strength at the fastest speed, and then try again. Strategies for stabilizing the country.

The world is already in chaos. This point, the officials of the prefectures and counties are very clear. The formation of today's situation is not because of the strength of the Yellow Turban Army, nor because of the strength of Dong Zhuo, but because the big man lost the emperor and the court. Cohesion, the states and counties in various places lost their command and direction, so they had to do their own thing. As a result, the power was suddenly dispersed.

Li Hong fully expressed this meaning in his letters to the ministers. The contradictions between us are nothing but contradictions in the imperial line, viewpoints, and governance strategies. The war between us is nothing but internal strife and brothers. It is completely possible to put aside and give up, seek common ground while reserving differences, and then under the command of the eldest princess and the court, unite forces to fight against rebellion.In the future, when the country is preserved and the people are stable, we can slowly resolve our differences in the court, why must we resolve our differences now, meet each other with war, and burn everything together?

Facing the covetous Dong Zhuo in Guanzhong, the overwhelming Yellow Turban Army, the bloody swords of the Northern Xinjiang Army, and the unscrupulous and lawless local forces like Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Sun Jian, and Liu Biao, they had no choice but to choose Luoyang is discussing matters.

People like Zhou Qian, Zhang Miao, Xu Jue, and Xu Yan had the same idea as Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. They neither believed in the promise of Hussar General Li Hong, nor did they believe in the role of the eldest princess and the court. They needed to use the eldest princess To control the Hussar General with the imperial court, it is necessary to use the force of the Hussar General to fight against Dong Zhuo, and it takes a period of time to recover and develop their own strength, so they are very straightforward, very generous, and very cooperative. All concessions should be made, and no concessions should be made. Put it aside first, neither side has any loss.

Li Hong had no hope at all that the states and counties in various places agreed to pay taxes. He only wanted food, and what was lacking in northern Xinjiang was not money, but food.The state and county officials in Yangzhou and Yuzhou agreed to Li Hong, after the autumn harvest in October this year, they could sell some grain to northern Xinjiang.In addition, Liu Biao also wrote back to Li Hong that as long as Yuan Shu opened the way to Xiangyang, merchants in northern Xinjiang could go to all the counties and counties on both sides of the Yangtze River to buy grain.This result was somewhat beyond Li Hong's expectations. Worried that things might change, he immediately selected ten family members from the mansion, and each of them brought a hundred tiger guards to the south with money.Li Hong told them, no matter what method you think of, whether it is transported by land or water, you have to buy the grain back. It doesn't matter even if you come back next spring, as long as there is grain to go to northern Xinjiang.

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At the banquet, the ministers were all smiling and talking happily.

When the banquet was about to end, Li Hong said that according to the itinerary, the eldest princess and the court could resist Luoyang by the end of November, and then it was time to plan to rebuild the new dynasty.All the adults sitting here will definitely return to Beijing to discuss matters at the end of this year, and you will gather again at that time.Of course, I am gone. As for the northern army stationed in Luoyang, it will immediately withdraw to Hedong after the reconstruction of the northern and southern armies.The great cause of revitalizing the country depends on the efforts of you adults.

Since the eldest princess has received the edict of the emperor, she can now act on behalf of the emperor and worship officials, so the huge organization of the imperial court can be fully restored.Li Hong said that the rebuilding of the new dynasty actually means that the eldest princess will worship the three princes and nine ministers, and reset all the officials.After Liu He arrived in Beijing that day, he quietly handed the blank edict to Li Hong.Li Hong summoned Zhang Wen and Xu Rong to discuss privately, and then Zhang Wen wrote an imperial edict.With this imperial edict, the eldest princess can justifiably be the landlord and take over the power of the country, and things will be quite different in the future.

After hearing Li Hong's words, the ministers were not very excited. They said a few words of humility and flattery to Li Hong, and then left one after another.

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Li Hong specially gave Yuan Shu a ride.

"I want to thank Brother Gong. Last time, Brother Gong asked Zitai (Tian Chou) to bring me a word, which benefited me a lot."

"Hehe..." Yuan Shu laughed dryly, "The general and that Tian Zitai have indeed benefited a lot, but I have suffered a lot."

Li Hong smiled and patted Yuan Shu on the back affectionately, "How about this, after I leave Luoyang, I will give you Yuzhou."

Yuan Shu glanced at him in astonishment, and said suspiciously, "Have you figured it out?"

Li Hong nodded, "I was forced to do nothing else, otherwise, what would I do in Luoyang? You can see that even though I tried my best to defend myself and tried my best, they still regarded me as Dong Zhuo's second. I said, but I still know exactly what they think in their hearts."

"In this case, why did you beat Wentai (Sun Jian) ​​so badly?" Yuan Shu said dissatisfiedly, "It's too much for you to do this. When Wentai received my letter, he immediately took his troops northward and killed them all the way." In the city of Luoyang, there is no credit and there is still hard work, but what is the result? He has nothing now. How do you want me to behave? How can I be worthy of him? Is it just to let him go back to Changsha empty-handed? He can’t go back to Changsha even if he wants to That's it. The feud between Wentai and you is settled."

Li Hong smiled wryly, "Master Zhu Jun and I have already said that after the eldest princess and the court arrive in Luoyang, I will ask Brother Wentai to return to Beijing to rebuild the northern and southern armies. Brother Wentai can serve as a Weiwei to lead the southern army, or serve as an honorary officer." Lu Xun is under the ban. What do you think of this? Can you make him up?"

Yuan Shu shook his head, and said bluntly: "General, don't use such words to prevaricate me and Wentai. You don't even believe it yourself, but you still expect us to believe it? The eldest princess? The court?" He waved his hand at Li Hong, "General, if you treat me and Wentai as brothers, then you can give me Yuzhou now. Wentai will still be the governor of Yuzhou, and I will still lead Jingzhou. In this way, we brothers will still have something to do. After this winter, we will meet each other in battle."

Li Hong looked at him in surprise, "What are you worried about? Are you worried that my words won't count?"

Yuan Shu patted Li Hong's chest hard, "What do you think? I know, you want food and you want to fight Jizhou, but Yuan Shao is not easy to mess with. He dragged that idiot Gongsun Zan to Jizhou to deal with you together." Yuan Shu continued Pointing to his nose again, "Who am I? I'm Yuan Shu, and Yuan Shao frowned. I know what he's thinking? Do you know what Yuan Shao is going to do next? Are you waiting for Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan to fight first? "

Li Hong smiled and said, "Yes, I was waiting for this opportunity. It is too difficult for me to fight Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan by myself."

"Do you think Yuan Shao is an idiot?" Yuan Shu smiled disdainfully, "He sent a wolf away, and a leopard ushered in behind. He is looking for death? His purpose is too obvious, he just wants to lure you to Jizhou and Gongsun Zan Fight to the death, and then Dong Zhuo will take the opportunity to fight Beijiang. Between Luoyang and Beijiang, Dong Zhuo will choose Beijiang without hesitation. You are attacked by enemies, and Beijiang will collapse. If Beijiang collapses, how much strength does the general have? ?”

"Both Dong Zhuo and you are hurting, and Luoyang is in Yuan Shao's pocket." Yuan Shu smiled, "You give me Yuzhou now, I am grateful to you, I still have time to expand my strength, but if you wait until you can't support it before giving Yuzhou Give it to me, not only will I not be grateful to you, but I will still beat you, and I will take the opportunity to add insult to injury and beat you all over the place."

"Haha..." Li Hong laughed loudly, and put his arms around Yuan Shu's slightly thin shoulders, "Okay, okay, I'll give you Yuzhou. Yuan Changshui, the fierce ghost on the road, is really good at blocking the road, haha..."

"Don't fight with me..." Yuan Shu said seriously, "Immediately order Xu Rong, Yan Liang, Tian Chou, and that Wu Xiong to withdraw from Yuzhou. As long as Yuzhou is in my hands, Chidao of Yuzhou For northern Xinjiang, it is unimpeded."

"Okay, all the northern troops are withdrawn." Li Hong smiled, "However, Tian Chou and Wu Xiong will stay in Yangdi for the time being, lest Yuan Shao know about it and cause any trouble."

"Don't worry, I will be careful about this, otherwise how can I kill Yuan Shao?" Yuan Shu said happily, "Yuan Shao got Jizhou, which is equivalent to getting Luoyang. He is afraid that you will stay in Luoyang and not leave. Go to Jizhou, so he will order all the states and counties to provide you with food at all costs, and help you maintain the stability of Luoyang, Yuzhou, Jingzhou and other places."

Li Hong repeatedly nodded and praised: "You are right, Yuan Shao is indeed very helpful this time. However, Gong Gong, let me tell you something, Yuan Shao's strength seems to be stronger than yours..."

"You worry about your own affairs." Yuan Shu said with a smile, "You will be besieged if you stay in Luoyang, and you will face the dilemma of being attacked by enemies when you attack Jizhou. Let me see how you get through this. If you survive, we will Meet in Chang'an."

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Li Hong sent Yuan Shu away, returned to Xingyuan, and told Xu Rong the conversation he had with Yuan Shu, "Look, do we want to help Yuan Shu gain a firm foothold in Luoyang?"

Xu Rong thought for a long time, "Helping Yuan Shu occupy Luoyang first will allow Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu brothers to attack each other for a longer period of time and give us more time to stabilize Jizhou, but we must consider a possibility , that is, Yuan Shao shook hands with Yuan Shu when his strength was weak. After all, they are half-brothers. It is normal for brothers to quarrel and fight, and it is fine to agree. In this way, the power of the Yuan Clan Combining the two into one can not only counter Dong Zhuo, but also our northern border, so we can only help Yuan Shu a little, so that the strength of the two of them can be maintained at an equal level, and then use Luoyang as a bait to let Yuan Shu Their brothers killed each other. This method is the safest, and it is not prone to accidents."

Li Hong said worriedly: "If Yuan Shu can't defeat Liu Biao and take Jingzhou in a short period of time, even if we give him Yuzhou now, it will be very difficult for him to confront Yuan Shao. We are facing enemies from both sides, why not him?"

Xu Rong thought about it for a long time, but still shook his head resolutely, "General, this risk cannot be taken. If the brothers join hands, northern Xinjiang will be attacked on three sides. Jizhou has not stood firm, and we must not give up in Luoyang."

Li Hong sighed, "If we can join forces with Yuan Shu and transfer all our troops to Jizhou, we will be more sure of capturing Jizhou. There are not enough troops, not enough troops."

"If Dong Zhuo is only diverting the attack, we don't need to send heavy troops in the east direction."

Li Hong smiled wryly, "He is a famous general of a generation."

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October of the second year of Chuping of the Han Dynasty (AD 191).

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At the beginning of October, Yushi urgently reported that Niu Fu, Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou, and Jia Xu led [-] troops out of Tongguan.

At the beginning of October, Diannong Zhonglang reported Zhang Baiqi urgently, and the soldiers in the east village gathered to make trouble, and the autumn harvest and autumn planting in the east army station were paralyzed, so they asked to send troops to deter them.

At the beginning of October, the imperial decree arrived.In mid-September, the people in Mintun, the eldest son of Shangdang County, had a dispute with the officials in Mintun over a cow. The officials' mishandling angered the people and caused riots among the people. The angry people immediately smashed the county government office. Surrounded the government office, and then clashed with the northern army who went to maintain order.Chen Hao of the Supervisory Office immediately went to investigate. Unexpectedly, the investigation got bigger and bigger. Dozens of officials, large and small, from Shangdang County and several officials from the imperial court were all involved.The imperial court was in chaos, and all the mansions were paralyzed.The eldest princess asked the general of the hussars to return to Jinyang to preside over the overall situation.

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(End of this chapter)