Great Han Empire

Chapter 666
Li Jue's proposal did not get any response from Xiliang's generals. Guo Si, Fan Chou, Zhang Ji, Wang Fang and others bowed their heads and remained silent, thinking about their own concerns.

Li Jue was so angry that he slapped the table and shouted: "Since you dare not fight, let's break up and let everyone flee."

"Slow, slow..." Jia Xu, who had been leaning over the table and carefully looking at the map, said hastily, "Children, this matter should be discussed in a long-term manner, and we should not be impatient, let alone act rashly. If the battle of Chang'an is defeated, we will surely die. A place of burial."

Returning to Chang'an is easy to say, but it is very difficult to do it.

The army suffered heavy losses in the Tongguan battle. At present, there are only about 3 people, and the army has run out of food. Now it can only rely on digging wild vegetables and slaughtering war horses on the mountains to survive. In addition, there is a shortage of ordnance, but the most serious thing is that the soldiers are demoralized. Seeing no hope of survival, he was in constant fear.Bringing such an army to fight Chang'an, as long as it suffers a little setback, it will definitely end in collapse.

These difficulties are all visible, and there are many crises that cannot be seen.One is the Northern Frontier Army that is attacking Taolin Fortress.Although Xu Rong may not have broken his promise, he is currently in Guanzhong, unable to take care of the Kansai war, and can't help if he wants to.If the army's attack on Chang'an is blocked, and the Northern Army breaks through the Taolin Fortress and Tongguan, then everyone will die, so the Taolin Fortress cannot be lost, and heavy troops must be stationed to stop it.But in this way, the army can't take care of both the head and the tail, and can't gather all the troops to attack Chang'an. It will be a matter of time before defeat.

The second is the Northern Xinjiang Army stationed on the banks of the Weishui River.When Xu Rong came to Guanzhong, his purpose must be to enter Chang'an.If Wang Yun and Lu Bu were cornered by the army and they asked Xu Rong for help, the attack on Chang'an would still fail.

The third is Han Sui and Ma Teng who are coming to Guanzhong.In the past two years, Han Sui and Ma Teng took advantage of the turmoil in the country and Dong Zhuo's inability to look west, quickly occupied all counties and counties in the west of Xijiang, and tried every means to vigorously manage Xijiang, appease and stabilize Xijiang, forming a fact on the separatist regime.However, Xijiang is too poor. No matter how hard Han Sui and Ma Teng try, they cannot reverse the poverty situation in Xijiang without support. Therefore, they covet the wealthy Guanzhong and rack their brains to occupy Guanzhong.How could they miss such a good opportunity today?It is easy to invite Han Sui and Ma Teng into Guanzhong, but it is very difficult to send them out of Guanzhong.

Fourth, how should the emperor and the court deal with it?Holding the Son of Heaven and the imperial court hostage will be like Dong Zhuo, becoming the enemy of the world. With the strength of the current [-] army, it is impossible to compete with the northern army.Once the army of Northern Xinjiang disregarded the life and death of the emperor and the court and tried their best to attack Guanzhong, where would everyone go?If you flee to Xijiang, you may be eaten by Han Sui and Ma Teng, and if you flee to Yizhou, where you are not familiar with people, you may be eaten by Liu Yan.

To advance is to die, and to retreat is also to die. Comparing the two, the only way to survive is to attack Chang'an, put it to death and survive.

=

"What if the northern border army invades Guanzhong?" Wang Fang asked.

"Li Hong respects the current emperor, and the eldest princess is in Jinyang. As long as we firmly control the emperor, the northern army will not dare to set foot in Guanzhong." Jia Xu said with certainty, "If Li Hong didn't care about the emperor's life, he would It’s already entered Guanzhong.”

Jia Xu's explanation was so far-fetched that Li Jue, Guo Si and others didn't believe it.

Jia Xu smiled slightly, and pointed to Jizhou on the map, "There are several reasons why Li Hong dare not go to Guanzhong."

The main force of the Northern Xinjiang Army is now in Jizhou, and there are Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan, and Heishan Yellow Turban Army in Jizhou. In addition, the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army may also go north. It will take a long time for Li Hong to occupy and stabilize Jizhou. The existing strength is obviously unable to support two-front combat.From my point of view, the Northern Frontier Army’s consumption of money and food has been exacerbated by the continuous operations in the Kansai direction.

For Northern Xinjiang, the importance of Jizhou is self-evident. Jizhou is directly related to the life and death of Northern Xinjiang, so as long as Jizhou is not stable, the main force of the Northern Xinjiang Army will not leave Jizhou.

"Wenhe, there are three armies of Xu Rong, Yushi, and Yan Liang in the west of the Guanxi. If you add the Tuntian soldiers from Hedong, their strength has already surpassed ours. If the Northern Army wants to attack Guanzhong..." Fan Chou shook his head worriedly With a wry smile, "what if, isn't the northern army attacking Guanzhong?"

Jia Xu smiled calmly, "The more troops from the Northern Border Army attack Guanzhong and the harder they fight, the closer it will be for them to retreat, because they have no money and food to support them, and more importantly, our reinforcements will come sooner. .”

If Li Hong captured Guanzhong, his next goal would be Xijiang.The rebellion in western Xinjiang is uncertain, how can Guanzhong talk about stability?From the perspective of their own security, Han Sui and Ma Teng must send troops to help us fight against the northern army.

"What if we are defeated?" Zhang Ji asked.

"If we are defeated, we will take the emperor and the ministers of the court and retreat to the western border. I believe everyone knows who Han Sui and Ma Teng are. They care about their reputation and dare not risk the disgrace of the world anyway. , refused the emperor to enter Xijiang." Jia Xu smiled lightly, "the most uncomfortable thing at this time is Li Hong. If he does not save the emperor, how will he explain to the world? Save the emperor and continue to attack Xijiang, where will he get the money and food supply? The army is going to fight in the western border? Do you want Jizhou?"

Guo Si, Wang Fang and other Xiliang generals were skeptical.

Jia Xu spared no effort to analyze the situation carefully. In the end, the Xiliang generals felt that as long as the army went to Chang'an to kill them, the situation would immediately turn around.

"Kill, kill Chang'an immediately." Guo Si stood up excitedly, waving his hands and shouting wildly.

=

In May, Guanzhong, Fengyi County, and Xiayu City.

The emperor issued an imperial decree every day, urging General Longxiang Xu Rong to immediately withdraw to Hedong.

The eldest princess issued an imperial decree every day, urging General Longxiang Xu Rong to enter Chang'an immediately.

Xu Rong couldn't advance or retreat, helpless.General, why haven't you heard from me yet?what should I do?
While Xu Rong was waiting anxiously, Li Hong's letter was finally delivered to Daying.

=

The rapid changes in the situation in Guanzhong and Kansai caught Li Hong off guard, and the temporary changes of the eldest princess and the Jinyang court made Li Hong even more in a dilemma.With the situation in Jizhou still undecided, how should Northern Xinjiang choose?Should we immediately stop the war in Jizhou and concentrate our efforts on stabilizing Guanzhong?In fact, the fighting in Jizhou had stopped at this time, and all the army rations had been used to relieve the refugees. The time for the army to attack Anping and Bohai County had been postponed until after the winter wheat harvest in May.

If the northern border army stabilizes Guanzhong and secures Guanxi, in the next few months, it will start a fierce battle with Dong Zhuo's old troops, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and even Zhang Miao and other state and county officials. Kansai and Kanto battlefields, so the war in Jizhou will be delayed again and again, and the consequences will be worrisome.

However, the news from the desert has plunged Northern Xinjiang into an even greater predicament.Xie Guini and Budu even rejected Pound's mediation, and asked Kirby Bear, the master of Xianbei in the middle, for help.Kebi Xiong and Xiong Ba issued a warning to the tribes of the Hu tribe that the conflict between Xie Guini and Ranger is an internal matter of the Xianbei people. If other Hu tribes intervene in it, they will be enemies of the entire Xianbei people.

The Xiongnu, Qiang and Karasumas used this as an excuse, and they were reluctant to send troops to join the Fengyun Cavalry.At present, only the cavalry of Xianbei tribes such as Huding, Qishen, Sheyingtong, Shehu, Mutao, and Muli have rushed to the Mobei Duhufu.

Pang De's mediation was ineffective, so he had to join forces with the Xianbei tribes to attack Xieguini.There have been several skirmishes between the two sides.Xie Guini retreated again and again, gradually approaching the setting sun.Xie Guini obviously intends to drag the war to the rainy season, and then use the five or six months of the rainy season to find reinforcements.

Pang De, Yan Wuwei, Tie Yue, and Tian Yu jointly played for this, asking the court to allocate money and food immediately, and once again pleaded with the court to recruit Ural Mountain cavalry and Hetao garrison soldiers to station in the desert.Without strong military force, it is difficult to deter the Hu tribes.

But the imperial court had no money and no food, and without money and food, there was no way to recruit tens of thousands of Hetao soldiers and Ural mountain cavalry to station in the desert.

In his letter to Pang De and Tian Yu, Xian Yufu said, Lords, please hold on for a while, and when the general takes Jizhou, the situation will be greatly improved.

=

Jizhou is the life-saving straw in northern Xinjiang, and Jizhou must be taken resolutely and quickly.Li Hong thought about it again and again, and then suggested that the court respect the will of the emperor, order Xinxin to withdraw from Guanzhong quickly, and at the same time order the Northern Army to abandon Guandong immediately.

Ministers such as Ma Rixun, Yuan Pang, Yang Qi, Chen Ji, and Zheng Yan had a heated argument with Li Hong about this.

Ma Rixun and Yuan Pang suggested cutting off relief for the refugees, and the army immediately launched an attack, first taking Jizhou, and then concentrating on securing Guanzhong and Luoyang.Ma Rixun warned Li Hong that the war in Kansai must not stop.Once the rebels entered Chang'an, the emperor would be in danger.

Yang Qi, Chen Ji, Zheng Yan and other ministers supported Li Hong. The refugees wanted relief, and Jizhou had to be captured. As for Guanzhong, we should of course follow the emperor's order to withdraw.

"For the battle in Kansai, fight as soon as you can, and contain the rebels if you can't. At present, the money and food for the northern army on the Kansai battlefield are raised by Zhu Jun from various states and counties, and it should be able to support it." Yang Qi said After a few sentences, he suddenly scolded Situ Wang Yun, "This old man is domineering. He thinks he killed Dong Zhuo and made great achievements? What is he? Can he save the country and revive the great man? Doesn't Wang Yun Letting the Northern Border Army station in Guanzhong is actually because he is worried that his power will be taken away by the general. He just wants to drive the general and us out of the court. A despicable villain, I think he is dying .”

Li Hong was very surprised.Wang Yun is the former Taiwei Yang Ci's disciple, and Yang Qi is Yang Ci's nephew. The two should have an inseparable relationship. Why does it seem like there is a deep hatred?Chen Ji quietly told him that both Wang Yun and Yang Ci are the kind of upright people. Because of their differences in academic and political views, they have been rivals since they were young.

The ministers have different opinions, and each has its own reasons.Li Hong was concerned about the safety of the emperor, and he still dared not make up his mind.Once there is a problem in Guanzhong and the emperor is held hostage again by a traitor, the situation will become even more critical.

Cui Lie hurried back from Anping.He brought great news that Anping Guoxiang Zhang Qi was persuaded by Cui Lie to sacrifice the city.Peng Lie led his troops into Xindu City.Qu Yi led his troops to Bohai County in a hurry, preparing to join Zhang Yan and attack Gongsun Zan.Zhao Yun led his army to the north to encircle Hejian County and succeeded.

Everyone was overjoyed and congratulated each other with high fives.Li Hong asked Cui Lie humbly, how to deal with the Guanzhong incident?

Yang Qi joked: "Master Cui has only one brilliant idea in his life, and he will give up all the problems that cannot be solved."

Cui Lie threw the document in his hand on the case table, and said angrily: "Since Wang Yun thinks he can set the world and shake the country, what else do we have to do? Do we have to fight for power and profit with him? Give up, withdraw Out of Guanzhong and Kanto."

Ma Rixun was shocked and hurriedly stopped.Cui Lie said loudly, "Uncle Weng, if the northern army resists the order again and again at this time, what good will it do to the general and northern Xinjiang? You open your eyes and look at the refugees in Jizhou. At this moment, it doesn't matter whether the general or us , What needs to be done is to stabilize Jizhou and northern Xinjiang, so that people in Jizhou and northern Xinjiang can have enough food and clothing, and they can live on, this is really for the community and for the great man." Then he pointed at Ma Rizhen and shouted He said, "If you want to go back to Guanzhong and compete with Wang Yun for power, then you go back and ask the general to send you back with a fast ride of eight hundred miles."

Ma Rilun's face froze, and he hung his head speechless.

Cui Lie roared hoarsely, obviously he was very dissatisfied with Wang Yun and the Chang'an court.Once Dong Zhuo died, the first thing Wang Yun did was to abolish the Jinyang court, in the name of weakening the power of the general, but in fact he monopolized power.The big man has reached this point, and the scholars are still suspicious and against each other.Scholars themselves can't unite as one, united as one, how can they talk about saving the country?For the sake of power and his own self-interest, Wang Yun ignored the country and the society that was about to fall, openly split the scholars, forced Li Hong, and refused to recruit Dong Zhuo's former troops. This was not to save the country, but to accelerate the destruction of the country.

The opinions of the ministers were unified.

Li Hong and other ministers jointly played the role of the eldest princess and the court, following the will of the emperor, and retreated to Hedong.

=

After Xu Rong read Li Hong's letter, the more he thought about it, the more sad he became, and suddenly he covered his face and burst into tears.

Zhang Baiqi put his arms around Xu Rong's shoulders, speechless.

"Zi Lie, let's go. The general can't solve the problem, so what can we do?"

"The emperor is in trouble, the country is in danger, why is there no one to save him, why?" Xu Rong shook his head again and again, feeling as if a knife had been twisted in his heart, "Niu Fu and Li Jue are in Tongguan, and the whole army has been cornered, so we can only fight back to the death. Liang Hansui and Ma Teng have already entered Hanyang, and they will arrive sooner or later. Why did the general ignore it? Why did Sir Situ turn a blind eye? Why?"

Zhang Baiqi raised his head and sighed.

The Northern Xinjiang Army withdrew from Guanzhong.When Lu Bu heard the news, Pegasus came to see him off.

Xu Rong stood by the Weishui River, looking at the sky in the direction of Chang'an, speechless for a long time.Suddenly, he knelt down on the ground, kneeled three times and kowtowed nine times, and when he looked up at the sky again, tears were streaming down his face.

"Your Majesty, I have withdrawn my troops according to the order, Your Majesty, take care..."

Xu Rong wiped away his tears and flew onto the horse.

Lu Bu felt sore in his heart, looking at Xu Rong's tall back, he couldn't help shouting, "My lord..."

Xu Rong turned around slowly, raised the whip in his hand, pointed at Lu Bu and said sharply, "Protect Your Majesty, otherwise, I will kill you with my own hands."

=

(End of this chapter)