Great Han Empire

Chapter 807 The Heroes of Troubled Times Compete in the Central Plains
Yuan Yao fell to his knees and wept bitterly.

For more than two months, he traveled thousands of miles with the fleet and finally arrived in Hebei after untold hardships.The pain and worries accumulated in his heart for a long time made him feel haggard, physically and mentally exhausted.Seeing Li Hong at this moment, he couldn't bear it anymore, tears poured down in an instant.

Li Hong and Tian Chou sat quietly opposite Yuan Yao, allowing Yuan Yao to express his long-simmering sorrow to his heart's content.Listening to this heartbreaking cry, an ominous premonition welled up in the hearts of the two of them.

Yuan Yao's mood gradually stabilized, and his crying gradually stopped.

Tian Chou stood up and supported Yuan Yao, and asked in a low voice, "When did you arrive in Hebei? How do you know that the general is in Handan?"

"Five days ago, I led the fleet to Bojiao County, and then I came to Handan day and night to meet Mr. Guo Ce, and asked him to submit a petition to the court on behalf of my father." With Tian Chou's support, Yuan Yao staggered Sitting directly opposite Li Hong, he said in a hoarse voice: "Lord Guo Ce said that my father and our Yuan family are rebellious men who have committed serious crimes of treason. He cannot help us, let alone submit the memorial on his behalf. "

"I begged hard and asked him to write to Jinyang urgently and tell the general about my family and relatives fleeing to Hebei. I told Master Guo Ce that the general and my father have a deep friendship, and he will definitely save us. Please For the sake of our two generations, we must help. There are thousands of innocent lives on the seaside fleet in Bohai County, you can't just ignore death."

"Master Guo Ce thought about it for a long time, and whispered to me, your aunt is the wife of Lord Yang Biao, and Yang Qi and Yang Yi, the cousins ​​of Lord Yang Biao, are both in Handan now. You can ask them to let them handle your affairs. Urgently report to the general. The Yang Clan now holds a very important position in the court, even if the court blames them in the future, it will not be a big deal."

"I know that Mr. Guo Ce is afraid of getting into trouble, so it would be very kind if he agreed to help contact the Yang Clan. I can't say anything more, so I had to wait patiently in the governor's mansion. That night, Mr. Yang Qi came to see me at the governor's mansion. , and asked about Jiang Zhun's situation in detail. I heard that Uncle Yuan Shao and my father had broken up, and after my father was so angry that he became bedridden, he immediately took me to Xingyuan."

"This morning, Master Tian came to see me, and I just realized that the General is actually in Handan." Yuan Yao knelt down on the ground again, and kowtowed repeatedly, "General, please save my father and our Yuan family."

Li Hong sighed, and asked softly, "Liu Chong is dead, Qicheng is lost, Shouchun is at stake, do you know all these things?"

Yuan Yao nodded, "I just heard Mr. Tian said that I don't know how my father is doing now?"

"At present, I have not received the latest news from Jiang Zhun." Li Hong waved his hand and said solemnly, "You should return to Bohai County right now, take my warrant to meet Bohai prefect Song Wen, and ask him to properly arrange your family and the rest of the entourage, and then you and Liu Ye rushed to Jinyang to meet the emperor, and handed over the plea form on behalf of your father."

Yuan Yao hesitated for a moment, and asked worriedly: "General, will the Son of Heaven spare the lives of my father and my family members?"

Li Hong pondered for a long time, and said slowly: "I will immediately play the Son of Heaven and explain your father's reunification of the emperor. Ji, Yang Biao, Xu Shao and other adults wrote letters, asking them to help your Yuan family in the court, and try their best to excuse you. But..." Li Hong glanced at Yuan Yao, shook his head and sighed, "Your father will build the emperor again in Shouchun. Unification is too much a crime, especially the crime of treason. It is too difficult to get the emperor's forgiveness. The only thing I can do now is to keep your Yuan family as much as possible. With the merits of your Yuan family in this dynasty , status, and the deep connections accumulated over the past hundred years, as long as you can persuade the eldest princess to revise the criminal law, your Yuan clan will be exonerated."

Yuan Yao was terrified, his whole body was cold, and his thin body trembled involuntarily.

"General, my father said that only you can save our family, but you..." Yuan Yao wept with disappointment, fear, and resentment.At this time, he was extremely desperate, sobbing hard, and choked up for a while.

"I'm just the great general of the court." Li Hong supported Yuan Feng and explained in a low voice, "I must respect the emperor and obey the laws of the Han Dynasty. If I am like Dong Zhuo, like Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, or like your father Similarly, ignore the Son of Heaven and the imperial court, wantonly trample on the laws of the Han Dynasty, and do whatever they want, can this community be revitalized? Can the world be stable? Can the Han Dynasty show its former glory again?"

Yuan Feng couldn't listen at all, "General, since you don't want to save us, please let me go back for the sake of old love. My family and I will go back to Shouchun."

Li Hong calmly looked at Yuan Yao, who was losing his mind, and shook his head resolutely, "Your father believed in me and entrusted his family and relatives to me before he died. How can I have a heavy trust?" Li Hong stretched out his hand and patted Patting Yuan Yao on the back, "As long as I live, you will not die."

Yuan Yao was heartbroken, "General, are you going to save my father?"

Li Hong smiled wryly, and walked out of the tent.

"General Nian..." Yuan Yao called out sadly towards Li Hong's back.

"Your father's heart is dead, and no one can save him."

Li Hong left without looking back.

=

Qu Yi, Zhang Yan and other generals, Jia Xu, Fu Qian and other officials from the two governments carefully discussed the news brought by Yuan Yao, and agreed that Yuan Shu fell ill and his military and political affairs were handled by his subordinates. All kinds of contradictions will continue to erupt, and division and defeat are inevitable.Now Yuan Shu is terminally ill and may die at any time.Once Yuan Shu died, Cao Cao and Liu Bei could easily occupy Jianghuai.At this time, it is absolutely impossible to expect Yuan Shu and Chen Bing to stand against Cao Cao and Liu Bei for a long time.

The Central Plains War must begin immediately.

Li Hong immediately wrote to Jinyang urgently, reporting a series of changes in the situation caused by Yuan Shu's illness.The Central Plains War will start ahead of schedule, and the imperial court is requested to immediately switch to a wartime state to provide the greatest degree of protection for the Central Plains War.

Li Hong was anxious to write to Yan Liang and Wen Chou, and ordered them to seize Xingyang quickly at all costs, threaten Luoyang, and attract Yuan Shao's troops to Henan as soon as possible.

Li Hongshu told Gao Lan and Lei Zhong that once Yuan Shao led his troops back to Henan, they must try their best to hold back the rebels in Baima and Puyang after the main force of the northern army crossed the river and prevent them from quickly supporting Dingtao and Changyi.

Li Hong dispatched [-] Li Kuaiqi and ordered Gao Shun and Zang Ba to launch an attack on Xuzhou in advance, asking them to do everything possible to enter the hinterland of Xuzhou and threaten the safety of Xuzhou.

The fast horse rushed to Gaotang City in the plain.Li Hong told Ni Heng, the prefect of Pingyuan County who was staying in Gaotang, to wait for the fleet led by Wei Yan and Sima Yi to arrive in Gaotang City, and immediately ordered them to rush westward and rush to Cangting and Eping as soon as possible. boat bridge.

=

"Urgently write to Guo Ce, Ding Li, Zhen Yan, Xu Hun, Wei Zheng and other Yizhou officials." Li Hong looked at Jia Xu and said, "Now we can tell them about the attack on the Central Plains. The Central Plains War requires the requisition of more than 100 million civilians. , there is not much time left for them.”

"I'll do it right away." Jia Xu said, "The 50 large ships had already loaded the grain, grass, and military equipment at the beginning of the war. After the [-] troops crossed the river, the peasants only need to unload the grain, grass, and military equipment on the boats, and follow the army forward." That’s enough, so the most urgent task for the Jizhou government is to immediately recruit about [-] civilians and rush to the north bank of the Yellow River before the end of this month.”

"These 50 civilians are mainly recruited from the counties and counties in the south of Jizhou, and there is time." Tian Chou said unhurriedly, "Since the beginning of the year, the prefectures of Jizhou have begun to recruit civilians, and now more than 30 civilians are going north to Youzhou , After the start of the Great War in the Central Plains, they will return quickly to join the remaining about 70 civilians, and transport the food, grass and military equipment accumulated in Handan, Xindu, Ganling and other places to the Central Plains." Tian Chou frowned slightly, and said with a little worry, " If the governments of Jizhou are not quick enough to recruit civilians, the various armies on the Central Plains battlefield may be in danger of losing food and grass."

"Spring plowing and spring harvest are about to start, and it is very difficult for all government offices to recruit a large number of civilian husbands at this time." Jia Xu turned to look at Li Hong, "General, you have to warn the imperial court about this matter, and ask the imperial court to strictly order all localities. If there is any delay, the officials of the prefecture and state will be severely punished."

Li Hong nodded, pointing his finger at Wang Chang, "Speak to the imperial court again, please order the imperial court to order all the governments to complete the recruitment of civilian husbands before the end of March."

=

After the generals, Li Hong and others discussed in detail the details of the army's speeding up its march on the basis of hiding its tracks, Qu Yi and others immediately prepared to leave and return to the army.

"Don't leave yet." Li Hong signaled everyone to sit down, "I still have something to discuss with you."

"Does the general want to let us drink?" Qu Yi looked at the sky outside the tent and said with a smile, "I haven't tasted alcohol for more than a year since the imperial court issued a ban on alcohol."

"Really?" Li Hong looked at him, pretending to be serious and said, "Then I will send someone to investigate carefully. After returning to Jinyang last time, I heard that you violated the prohibition order the most. If you If you haven't drank for more than a year, someone must have maliciously slandered you."

The generals roared with laughter.Qu Yi stroked his beard in embarrassment, laughing dryly and speechless.

"The purpose of the imperial court's prohibition on alcohol is to promote frugality and save food. It doesn't stipulate that you are not allowed to drink alcohol." Li Hong said with a smile, "It's okay to drink a little on a festive day, but if you have nothing to do, just hug A wine jar, went to Xuanweng Mountain to talk nonsense with a group of celebrities and other people, saying that they still fight for wine to win and lose, and they didn't pay attention to the imperial court's will at all, of course the eldest princess will punish you."

"Hmph..." Qu Yi snorted rather dissatisfied, "I just had a fight with Kong Rong at Xuanweng Mountain, what's the big deal? I lost a lot in that fight, and the princess not only punished him They gave me three months' salary and fined me to spend half a year in confinement at home, but Kong Wenju, who provoked trouble, drank and talked harshly, did nothing. It's not fair."

"Unfair?" Zhao Yun shook his head and smiled wryly, "Brother Yuntian, you beat Mr. Kong to lie at home for a month, and you still call him wrong? To be honest, the eldest princess is too protective of you. Prime Minister Cai, Doctor Yushi, Mr. Liu, There are also a group of ministers who impeach you again and again, forcing the eldest princess to demote you. If the army hadn't been out of the fortress at the end of last year, the eldest princess took the opportunity to let you lead the army north, probably the ministers in the court now Still entangled with the eldest princess."

Qu Yi stared, "Old man Cai is old, deaf, and confused. It was obvious that Kong Wenju was wrong about the Xuanweng Mountain incident. He drew his sword first, and he didn't say anything. There is a world of difference between me and him. Come to martial arts, he can also cut me under the sword, and his madness is boundless. I rushed up and kicked him, carrying him down the mountain with his sword." Qu Yi looked around at the generals, pointing to his nose He asked, "Am I wrong in this matter? Kong Wenju was the one who wanted to beat him. He couldn't beat me. How can you blame me?"

The generals couldn't help but laugh wildly.

Qu Yi was very annoyed, and he slapped the table with his palm, "What are you laughing at? What are you laughing at? Am I wrong? After this battle is over, I return to Jinyang and insist on asking Kong Wenju for three months' salary."

Fu Gan blushed, and tried his best to hold back his smile, "Master Qu, you were able to force Master Kong to draw his sword in Xuanweng Mountain, so it can be seen that Master Qu's discernment is far better than that of Kong, who is known as the first mouth in Jinyang. grown up."

"Master Qu is a descendant of a famous family. He has been familiar with scriptures since he was a child. He is proficient in all aspects of literature and martial arts. The lower officials admire him." Tian Chou also stood up and saluted repeatedly, with a look of surrender.

Qu Yi raised his eyebrows, and said triumphantly, "It's so simple to deal with Kong Wenju. He said it was a deer, and you said it was a horse. If he was not convinced, you asked him. If you said it was a deer, what do you have?" What kind of evidence? Of course Kong Wenju is going to find witnesses. I have it too. When I went to the camp of the Northern Army and shouted, the deer turned into a horse. sword."

"Haha..." The laughter broke out in the big tent, and it lasted for a long time.

"He's crazy, I'm even crazier than him." Qu Yi said with a sullen face, waving his big hands, "He looks down on me, why should I look down on him? I heard that Mi Heng from Pingyuan County is also very talkative. If I have a chance to meet him, I will treat him well, I despise this kind of self-righteous asshole the most."

=

Everyone chatted and laughed for a while, and Qu Yi said to Li Hong: "General, you have no wine or food here. Let's go back to the barracks. If you have something to say, tell us quickly, and we will leave after we finish talking."

Li Hong wiped away the tears from his laughter, and shook his head again and again, "Okay, okay, in this case, I won't keep you, but one of you must stay and sit in charge."

"What?" Qu Yi and the generals looked at each other, confused for a while.

"Where is the general going?" Yushi asked in surprise.

"Tomorrow, I will go north to join the cavalry of the Xiongnu." Li Hong looked at the crowd and said with a smile, "I believe you all know the reason, so I won't explain it anymore."

"You personally command the Huns cavalry?" Zhao Yun hesitated, "Is this appropriate?"

"Not only the cavalry of the Xiongnu, but also the cavalry of the other Hu tribes who are going south one after another. I will personally command them." Li Hong said, "The ultimate goal of the Central Plains War is not to occupy the Central Plains, but to kill the rebels to the greatest extent, and sweep the land for the future. Clear the obstacles, so this decisive battle is very important for the big man, and no mistakes are allowed."

"At present, it seems that the most difficult factor to determine the outcome of the Great War is the Hu cavalry. In order to stabilize the military spirit of the Hu cavalry and ease the hatred between Han and Hu and the tribes of the Hu clan for generations, this cavalry can only I will lead it myself." Li Hong waved his hand vigorously, "As long as the iron cavalry is in hand, this battle will surely be won."

The generals were silent.Sitting in Xingyuan and commanding the entire Central Plains battlefield, the responsibility is heavy, especially in this life-and-death battle that is related to the rise and fall of the country. There are too many variables, and no one is sure of winning. If there is a mistake, the consequences will be disastrous.

"General Zuowei Mr. Xianyufu will be in charge of Youzhou to ensure the stability of northern Xinjiang. He cannot go south. Taiwei Lord Xu Rong will be in charge of Jinyang. He will not only command the overall situation, but also be responsible for the safety of Jinyang, responsible for Hedong, Guanzhong, and Guanzhong. He couldn't go south for the war in the west and west borders, so..." He turned his eyes to Qu Yi and Zhang Yan, and looked at their stern faces.

Qu Yi suddenly laughed at himself.The general raised this matter in front of all the generals, which can be described as well-intentioned.

When the general came to the front line in person, apart from worrying about the Hu tribe's iron cavalry causing trouble, the most important thing was that he couldn't decide who to hand over the command of the front line.

I and Zhang Yan are the commanders of the two armies on the left and right. After joining forces in Dingtao, the two armies will become one, and one person must be the commander of the army to command the decisive battle. However, the conflict between myself and Zhang Yan has been going on for a long time. Don't worry about giving the command to anyone.

Seven years ago, the general led an army to attack Youzhou and asked Zhang Yan to stay in Jizhou.Because I disagreed with Zhang Yan on military and political matters, the conflict once intensified.Since then, the two have been at odds with each other.Considering the conflict between himself and Zhang Yan, the general had no choice but to go to the front line to command.

When the general arrived at the front line of the Central Plains, he had to leave one person to sit in the Xingyuan to command all the battlefields in the Central Plains. At present, there is only one person to sit in the Xingyuan, and that is Zhang Yan.

In the early stage of the Central Plains War, the left and right armies went hand in hand.The general commands the army on the left, and he himself commands the army on the right.At this time, whether he could obey Zhang Yan's order became the general's heart again.In order to allow himself to accept Zhang Yan's order, the general put this matter that should have been decided by him on a public discussion occasion, forcing himself to express his position in public.

Qu Yi looked at Zhang Yan, who was opposite, with sharp eyes.Zhang Yan looked directly at Qu Yi, calm and composed.

"General, let Feiyan sit in Xingyuan." Qu Yi looked at the worried eyes of the generals and smiled slightly, "I obey Feiyan's order."

Li Hong was overjoyed.The generals looked at each other and smiled.

"Okay. Feiyan stays and sits in Xingyuan." Li Hong said loudly, "My brothers and I went to the Central Plains."

=

(End of this chapter)