Great Han Empire

Chapter 647
At the end of March, Northern Xinjiang, Jinyang.

General Anbei Xian Yufu went to Jinyang today to inspect the grain depot and arsenal, and accompanied by Jinyang Commander Yang Zhi, he made a tour of Jinyang City.

The big city of Jinyang is quite prosperous. Compared with six years ago, it is already a world of difference.Yang Zhi said that in the past two years, due to the cessation of the war outside the Great Wall and the stability of the border, the scale and quantity of mutual markets in the frontier area have grown very fast, which directly stimulated and promoted the rapid development of Jinyang City.Nowadays, there are more and more merchants from various places and ethnic groups going south to do business and trade in Jinyang. Jinyang City has gradually recovered and revealed its status and majesty as the first city in northern Xinjiang.

Xian Yufu was very happy to see that the big city was full of goods and crowded with people, and he highly praised Jinyang Commander Yang Zhi.He stayed in the desert for two years and was very concerned about the tribes of the Hu tribe, so he specifically asked about the Hu merchants.Yang Zhi said that Hu merchants on the desert basically come in and out of the frontier exchange market, and rarely travel all the way to Jinyang.At present, most of the Hu people in Jinyang are relatives and children who were sent to Jinyang as hostages by the leaders of various tribes of the Hu tribe, and there are very few merchants.

"I know a few Hu merchants, all of whom are the royal families of the Xiongnu and Xianbei. They usually live in Jinyang in winter, and only after the beginning of spring do they return to the Great Wall and the desert with their goods." Yang Zhi said with a smile, "I heard from them that the The weather is getting colder every year, the snow is getting heavier every year, and the winter is getting longer and harder. If possible, they all want to move to the south of Yinshan Mountain to escape the cold and long winter. to their pain and misery."

The few words that Yang Zhi said casually caught Xian Yufu's attention.Tian Yu, the prefect of Hanbei County, and Pang De, the governor of Mobei Protectorate, both sent letters to Jinyang. In their letters, they also mentioned the coldness of the desert and the hardship of the Hu people's living environment.Tian Yu even proposed to move the Hu tribes in Hanbei County to Bianjun in winter and north to the desert in spring.Taking into account the current situation in northern Xinjiang and the bearing capacity of the border counties outside the Great Wall, the imperial court rejected Tian Yu's proposal.Now it seems that this matter should be handled carefully, and it is necessary to discuss it with the prefects of the counties outside the Great Wall and the kings of the Hu tribe.

If the imperial court wants to stabilize the country as soon as possible, it must first ensure the stability of northern Xinjiang, and the stability of northern Xinjiang must first ensure the stability of the desert.Whether the desert is stable or not depends on whether the Hu tribes can survive.Hu people's survival has become a problem, how can the desert be stable?I have stayed in the desert and understand the current situation of the desert. There are some things that I need to discuss seriously and deeply with the ministers in the court.

=

When Xian Yufu returned to Longshan, he was immediately summoned by the eldest princess.

After Li Hong acted as an agent at the end of last year, in order to ease the sharp conflicts within the court and avoid being accused of holding the eldest princess and the court hostage, he asked the eldest princess to cancel the Jinyang court and reported this move He asked the emperor and told Dong Zhuo, hoping to delay Dong Zhuo's attack on Kansai and help the army quickly attack Jizhou.

Longshan now only has one princess mansion and one hussar general's mansion. Although it seems that there is no complicated structure like the imperial court, everyone has a plan in mind. This simple structure of two mansions can concentrate power more , It can better represent the imperial court to exercise state power, which is actually the imperial court.The eldest princess and the eldest princess' mansion are the inner court, exercising the imperial power, while Li Hong and the Hushi general are the outer court, exercising the power of prime minister.The combination of the two governments is the simplest and most effective imperial court.

The court of Chang'an, the prefectures of northern Xinjiang, the prefectures and counties of various places, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao and other parties all believed that Li Hong not only did not disband the Jinyang court, but firmly controlled and seized power in the name of disbanding the Jinyang court.This court is more powerful than the "four different images" court in the past, and it is also more threatening to all parties.

Li Hong is more and more like a mature official, not the titan who lost his memory and only knows how to fight.Xian Yufu felt very deeply about this point. He watched Li Hong step by step to the present, and every change of Li Hong was deeply imprinted in his heart. However, Li Hong's changes are getting faster and faster now, making him He felt more and more strange.

When Liu Yu was in danger, Li Hong sent Liu Yu back to Youzhou at all costs.Liu Yu is Li Hong's former master, and Li Hong's success today is inseparable from Liu Yu's help.Xian Yufu thought that Li Hong did the right thing, but he would not have such determination and courage if he were himself.However, when Gongsun Zan prevented Li Hong from occupying Jizhou, Li Hong raised his sword and killed him without hesitation, even at all costs.Although Gongsun Zan and Li Hong could not be regarded as life-and-death brothers, they were still friends who had known each other for a long time. Xian Yufu thought it was wrong for Li Hong to do so. is not right.Is Li Hong doing this because he doesn't trust Youzhou to borrow generals, or is it because of other reasons?Xian Yufu couldn't think of any other reasons, but if Li Hong asked him to fight Gongsun Zan on the Jizhou battlefield, he would politely refuse.After all, Li Hong had no reason to kill Gongsun Zan or the Youzhou Army.

The reason why Li Hong wanted to kill Gongsun Zan was that Xian Yufu believed that Li Hong was doing it for his own self-interest.After killing Gongsun Zan and the Youzhou army, Liu Yu knew what he should do. He immediately gave up Youzhou and gave it to Li Hong unconditionally.Li Hong didn't want to ask for Youzhou, and he didn't want to bear the notoriety of betraying and coercing the old master, so he wanted to shake the mountain and shake the tiger.If the person standing in Gongsun Zan's position was himself, I believe Li Hong would cut him down without hesitation.

Liu Yu has a very high prestige in Youzhou. If Li Hong does something against his master, he will definitely lose the support of Youzhou counties and counties. It will also make some Youzhou generals in the Northern Xinjiang Army feel sad and disappointed If the war in Youzhou continued because of this, it would completely deviate from Li Hong's original intention of seizing Youzhou, so Li Hong wanted to find an excuse to kill Gongsun Zan and the Youzhou army in Jizhou, so that Liu Yu would willingly give up Youzhou.

Li Hong wanted Youzhou to revitalize the great cause of the country, and this was something that Xian Yufu firmly believed in, but the methods Li Hong used made Xian Yufu hard to accept, and he was bitter about it.

If you want to revitalize the country, you need strong authority, and if you want to monopolize the authority, you must eliminate all those who threaten your authority.Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan were the first to bear the brunt and became victims of Li Hong's monopoly of power.Xian Yufu was very disturbed.Will Li Hong become the second Dong Zhuo?Will it become a rebellion that endangers and destroys the country?What should I do if the general also embarks on the path of usurping?
=

Yu Peng and Chen Hao came to welcome Xian Yufu.

"Your Excellency, you went on a tour for ten days, are you thinking about Kansai and Jizhou every day?" Yu Peng asked with a smile.

Xian Yufu smiled, "Is there any good news?"

"Yes, the General defeated Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan at Jieqiao, and basically occupied more than half of Jizhou." Chen Hao said excitedly, "Master Xu defeated Niu Fu in Kansai, and the army is approaching Tongguan."

Xian Yufu was overjoyed when he heard the words, his whole body felt relaxed, and the exhaustion from running around for days disappeared in an instant, "What about Hedong? Master Zhang Baiqi, do you have any good news?"

"Although Duan Yan and Bao Hong took turns to attack, they were unable to cross the natural danger of the Yellow River due to insufficient troops. Pubanjin is still in our hands." Yu Peng said, "Master Zhang Baiqi wrote that if you give him another [-] soldiers, He can fight across the Yellow River."

=

Xianyu Fu excitedly walked into the big tent to meet the eldest princess, exchanged greetings with Zhang Wen, Lu Zhi, Zhao Qi, Li Wei and other ministers, and then briefly talked about the situation of the inspection tour in Taiyuan and Shangdang counties.

The eldest princess asked him to sit down.Li Wei briefly told him about the Jizhou battlefield and the Kansai battlefield, "The situation in the Kansai battlefield has been controlled by us, the army can advance and retreat freely, and there is no worries. It will take some time for the Jizhou battlefield to end. As for why?" At the end of the time, it mainly depends on the movement of the Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou and the countermeasures Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao will take in the next step."

"Gongsun Zan's entire army was almost wiped out. Besides withdrawing to Qingzhou, what countermeasures does he have?" Xian Yufu asked strangely.Hearing that Gongsun Zan had escaped from the boundary bridge, Xian Yufu's mood immediately improved a lot.The friendship between the two for more than ten years has suddenly become a life-and-death enemy. Xian Yufu is very helpless. He hopes that Gongsun Zan can live.Although he also knew that Gongsun Zan's continued existence would bring great trouble to the court and Northern Xinjiang, but this kind of personal relationship couldn't be explained.He suddenly understood Li Hong's thoughts. Li Hong's refusal to let Youzhou borrow generals to Jizhou was probably based on this worry.Once personal feelings affect the battle situation, the consequences will be disastrous.

Li Wei rubbed his hands together nervously, avoiding Xian Yufu's gaze.Xian Yufu suddenly thought of something, and the smile on his face disappeared, "The general wants to drive Gongsun Zan back to Youzhou?"

"How the battle in Jizhou should be fought is the general's business, and we should not interfere." Lu Zhi said, "Part of the northern army is currently in Yecheng, led by Qu Yi to advance southward, preparing to occupy the entire territory of Wei County, and part of it is besieging Ganling City. If Bogui doesn't voluntarily withdraw from Jizhou, I'm afraid his chances of crossing the Yellow River south will be very small."

Xian Yufu's expression was ugly, he was very resentful, helpless, and heartbroken. He didn't know what to do?He knew Gongsun Zan's temper, he was very tenacious, he would never admit defeat, and he would never leave Jizhou unless he was beaten to the ground.The general will definitely have to fight him again.It's just that after this battle, it is impossible for Gongsun Zan to retreat across the Yellow River, because the general urgently needs to take Youzhou in the shortest possible time. He will drive Gongsun Zan back to Youzhou no matter what, so that he can find a way to attack Youzhou. Excuse.With the flames of war in Youzhou, the people of Youzhou will suffer.

"Lord Lu, you have a deep relationship with Master Taifu, and you are also Bogui's teacher. The General also admires you very much. You can come forward..."

Lu Zhi shook his hand and interrupted Xian Yufu's words, "Yu Xing, this time is now, that time is now, what time is it now? As the people who formulate and implement the revitalization strategy, if we can't even faithfully implement the strategy we set , then what country are we going to save? What kind of big man are we going to rejuvenate?"

When Gongsun Zan was young, he was Lu Zhi's student. Presumably Lu Zhi also understood Gongsun Zan's character, so he just pointed out directly that if Gongsun Zan did not take the initiative to withdraw to Qingzhou, the battle in Youzhou would be inevitable.At this moment, he categorically refused to mediate, which shows that he is very supportive of the general's actions.

Xian Yufu sighed and stopped talking.This matter has already involved the great cause of saving the country, and it is really inappropriate for a general to say anything against it.No matter from which point of view, I must firmly stand on the side of the eldest princess, the court and the general.

=

Hussar general Li Hong asked the eldest princess and the court to immediately send ministers to Jizhou to appease the counties and counties to resettle the refugees.

After discussing with the ministers, the eldest princess immediately sent Cui Lie, Ma Rixun, Yuan Pang, Chen Ji, Yang Qi, Huang Yue, Ma Feng, Li Li and other ministers to Jizhou.Some of these ministers are from Jizhou, with deep roots in Jizhou and many clan descendants;There are also ministers who were originally Jizhou government officials and were familiar with Jizhou affairs. They happened to be familiar with the way here, and they could get twice the result with half the effort.

The last event of the court meeting was the urgent performance of Song Wen, the prefect of Beidi County.Song Wen said in the memorial that thousands of cavalry from the Qiang and Hu species living in the north and south of Helan Mountain went south to Anding County one after another.They disappeared soon after crossing the Yellow River.Song Wen was worried that something might happen to Xiliang, so he sent a warning on the watch.

Zhang Wen sighed: "There are only a handful of people in Xiliang who can recruit Qianghu, except for Han Sui and Ma Teng. It is estimated that Han Sui and Ma Teng will send troops to attack Sanfu again."

"If Han Sui and Ma Teng can send troops at this time, it will do us a favor." Li Wei said with a smile, "As long as we can persist in Kansai for a few more months, the war in Jizhou may be completely over."

Xian Yufu's expression was very worried, "immediately informed the Mobei Protectorate with a fast ride of [-] miles, and asked Pang De to see if the Xianling Qiang, Huangzhong Qiang and Dong Qiang had also sent cavalry south. We have already said that However, without the emperor's decree, without the order of the Hussar General, no one can recruit cavalry from the tribes of the Hu tribe in the desert, and the tribes of the Hu tribe can't raise troops at will, otherwise they will be charged with treason."

"The desert is vast, and the places where the Hu people live are erratic, and the distances between different ethnic groups are often hundreds or even thousands of miles. If their cavalry deliberately hides us from going south, who would know?" There are too few garrisons, so we should turn a blind eye and close our eyes, and stop looking for trouble."

"This is related to the safety of northern Xinjiang and the safety of border counties. How can we not investigate it?" Xian Yufu said sternly, "It must be investigated. If the facts are confirmed after the investigation, they should be severely punished."

"The top priority is the battle in Jizhou." Lu Zhi also persuaded, "The Mobei Protectorate only needs to ensure that the desert is calm. After all, Hu people are Hu people, barbaric and vulgar. It is impossible for them to obey the orders of the big man. Let it go."

"Currently we only have five thousand wind and cloud cavalry in the desert. If things get serious, it may affect the battle situation in Jizhou." Zhang Wen also persuaded, "Although the general has defeated Gongsun Zan in Jizhou, the situation in Jizhou is still very serious. It is the threat of the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army to Jizhou. If this threat is not eliminated, the war in Jizhou will not stop."

"No." Xian Yufu was very resolute, "We must investigate immediately. Once this wind spreads, there may be wars between the desert and the border counties, and our great cause of saving the country may also be delayed because of this."

The ministers were speechless.

=

At the end of March, Yanzhou Dongjun, Dongwuyang.

Surrounded by a group of personal guards, Yu Du and Sui Gu rushed towards the bank of the Yellow River on horseback.

The Black Mountain Yellow Turban Army had already reached the Liyang and Dunqiu areas as early as February, and was preparing to cross the river and join the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army after the Yellow River opened. News of the fierce battle of the Youzhou Army in the Jieqiao area.Yu Du immediately changed his mind, gave up crossing the river, and led his army east along the north bank of the Yellow River.

At the same time, Yu Du sent someone to report to Sima Ju that the Northern Xinjiang Army, the Jizhou Army and the Youzhou Army are fighting fiercely at Jieqiao. No matter who wins or loses among the three parties, they will suffer serious damage in the end. This is our best chance to capture Jizhou. Please The commander-in-chief took his men and horses across Hebei at high speed.

After receiving Yu Du's letter, Sui Gu, who stationed troops at the Zhahai Pavilion in Liyang, immediately followed up, but was immediately attacked by Cao Cao, the prefect of Dongjun.Yu Du returned to the army to rescue.Seeing that he was invincible, Cao Cao hurriedly withdrew from the siege.Yu Du and Suigu joined forces and continued to advance eastward. Unexpectedly, they encountered Yuan Shao's Jizhou army at Wuxiu Pavilion, forty miles away from Dunqiu.

Under the attack of Yuan Shao's Jizhou Army in the front and Cao Cao's Dongjun soldiers in the back, the Yellow Turban Army fought bloody battles.Yuan Shao had just escaped from Dahe Gudu at that time, and the whole army was exhausted after rushing for more than two hundred li.The Jizhou army couldn't resist, and let the Yellow Turban army go to Dongwuyang.

After Yuan Shao and Cao Cao reunited, they were supplemented with food, grass and luggage, and the soldiers finally had food.Yuan Shao told Cao Cao what he thought. After Li Hong and Gongsun Zan were both wounded, the Yellow Turban Army would most likely go north to attack Jizhou. At this time, it was meaningless to attack Yudu. It would be better to join Wang Kuang and Zhang Yang in Hanoi County and besiege the troops stationed in Montenegro. The Yellow Turban Army took over the lairs of Yu Du and Sui Gu.Yu Du lost his foothold, so he had no choice but to fight Jizhou with determination.When Li Hong is entangled by Gongsun Zan and the Yellow Turban Army and unable to take care of him, I can take the opportunity to enter Luoyang, and you can go to Yanzhou to join Liu Dai, Bao Xin and others to kill the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army.

Cao Cao agreed with Yuan Shao's suggestion, and immediately led an army with Yuan Shao to Heishan in Hanoi County.

Cao Cao felt that Luoyang was a place of four wars, which was not conducive to future development. He suggested that Yuan Shao occupy Yuzhou first, and then drive Yuan Shu away with Liu Biao, so that Yuan Shao can quickly recover his strength.After the strength is restored, Yuan Shao can join forces with Wang Kuang Zhangyang of Hanoi, Liu Dai Zhang Miao of Yanzhou and others to besiege Luoyang again.

Yuan Shao said with a smile, if nothing unexpected happens, fighting has already started in Jingzhou and Yuzhou.Yuan Tan and Gao Gan should be attacking Yangdi City now and fighting fiercely with Sun Ben.Liu Biao should be attacking Nanyang and fighting Yuan Shu fiercely.I just need to choose an appropriate time to attack Luoyang.As for Dong Zhuo, as long as I garrison heavy troops at Hangu Pass, he will never even think about stepping into the Guandong.

Cao Cao admired Yuan Shao's strategy.Behind Yuan Shao are Jing, Yu, Yan, Yang, Xu and other prefectures and counties. With such a huge strength, given time, let alone blocking Dong Zhuo, even entering Guanzhong will be a matter of effort.

=

After Yu Du and Suigu led the army to capture Dongwuyang, they immediately fought continuously in the Fagan and Leping areas, trying to gain a firm foothold, and sent people to contact Sima Ju, the commander of the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army several times, begging him to lead the army northward immediately.

The Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army did not reply for a long time.The leaders of the Yellow Turban Army, such as Sima Ju, Xu He, Guan Cheng, and Wu Ba, had great disagreements about going north to attack Jizhou, and everyone argued fiercely.

Xu He and Wu Ba had just been defeated in Dongguang last year, leaving 30 Yellow Turbans on the north bank of the Yellow River. Thinking about the unstoppable Youzhou cavalry, they shuddered and resolutely opposed going north.The two thought that they should take advantage of the fierce battle between Gongsun Zan, Tian Kai and Li Hong, and immediately turn around and take back the counties and counties in the north of Qingzhou.Not to be missed.Whether Gongsun Zan wins or loses, Tian Kai and Liu Bei will return to Qingzhou immediately, and it will be too late to attack Qingzhou at that time.

Guan Cheng also disagreed with going north.Be it Gongsun Zan or Li Hong, they are all well-known generals in northern Xinjiang, and we can't afford to mess with any of them.Especially Li Hong, who once defeated Zhang Niujiao, Zhang Chun and other Yellow Turban armies, and now he has a [-] army under his command. Even if he and Gongsun Zan lose both sides, with his strength, he can still beat us to the ground and flee.

However, he did not agree to go to Qingzhou.If Gongsun Zan and Li Hong fought, they would definitely lose.After Gongsun Zan was defeated, he fled to Youzhou. The road was too far, and Li Hong could easily overtake him, so he chose the shortest road, crossing the south of the river and fleeing to Qingzhou.If we fight Gongsun Zan again in Qingzhou, how sure are we of defeating him?Even if we defeat Gongsun Zan, it is a fact that Qingzhou lacks food, and it is still difficult for us to persevere.

Guan Cheng suggested to fight Xuzhou, and then continue to fight until Yangzhou would be better, so that everyone can have a full stomach.Xuzhou and Yangzhou did not have as powerful troops and invincible cavalry as the Beijiang Army and Youzhou Army, and the Yellow Turban Army was much more confident in attacking the city.

Sima Ju was also unwilling to cross the river to fight Jizhou.Sima Ju was not afraid of Gongsun Zan, he was afraid of Li Hong.In the Battle of Dongguang, the Yellow Turban Army was defeated by Gongsun Zan, not because they couldn't defeat him, but because they were too unlucky, and the timing of their withdrawal was not grasped, resulting in the annihilation of the entire army.Li Hong's record is too outstanding, and the army in northern Xinjiang is also invincible, invincible, the Yellow Turban Army must not be able to beat it.If Li Hong wasn't great, why would Zhang Yan, the commander of the Yellow Turban Army, be appeased?

Since the Yellow Turban Army stayed to fight south of the Yellow River, it would use Mount Tai as its base to attack Yanzhou, Qingzhou and Xuzhou.As for going to Yangzhou, like He Yi and Liu Pi who went to Yuzhou, Sima was unwilling.If the army goes deep alone, it can persist if it fights well, but if it doesn't fight well, the whole army will be wiped out. Sima Ju is unwilling to take this risk.

In the end, Sima Ju's opinion prevailed, and the Yellow Turban Army immediately fought in the direction of Qingzhou, Yanzhou and Xuzhou with the center of Mount Tai.

In order to persuade Yu Du and Sui Gu to give up their strategy of capturing Jizhou, Sima Ju rushed to Dongwuyang in person.

=

(End of this chapter)