Great Han Empire

Chapter 858 The Heroes of Troubled Times Compete in the Central Plains
At the end of July, Jicheng, Guangyang County, Youzhou.

Before heading south, General Zuowei Xian Yufu summoned Youzhou Inspector Wang Ze, Liaodong Dufu Governor Yu Peng, Youzhou Macheng and Yuyang Battalion Commander General Li Su, Xian Yuyin and other civil and military officials gathered in Jicheng. Discuss going south.

Liaodong Governor Yu Peng explained in detail the deployment of the army going south.

The total strength of the troops going south this time was about 4 cavalry, of which about [-] were cavalry from various tribes of the Hu tribe.The [-] cavalry marched southward in two routes, one of which was led by the eldest princess, heading south from Feihu Fortress.Along the way, under the command of Xian Yufu, the general of the left guard, he went south from Zhuojun.The two cavalry will meet in Handan.

The eldest princess is in charge of gathering the cavalry of Mobei Duhufu, Jinxueyuan and Wuyuan Three Battalions in Gaoliu City in Daijun. The armies of Xianbei kings, Baishan and Shanggu Karasuma kings will also arrive in the near future.Since Mobei Duhufu, Jinxueyuan, and Wuyuan Third Battalion all left half of their troops to guard the frontier fortress, the strength of this army is about 4.In early August, they will enter the Flying Fox Fortress and head south to Jizhou under the leadership of the eldest princess.

General Zuowei Xian Yufu is in charge of gathering the three battalions of Liaodong Duhufu, Macheng and Yuyang cavalry in Jicheng. The armies of Liaoxi and Liaodong Karasuma kings will go south with us.Since the troops were to be stationed at Huoyunyuan and Wuhou Qinshui in the north of Yanshan to guard against Kobe Bear's counterattack, only half of the cavalry from Liaodong Duhufu, Macheng and Yuyang's third battalion went south. About 3 people.At present, Karasuma Danyu Tadun has led his army to Gushui River, and we can go south into Yizhou in two days.

All the cavalry brought some livestock and horse feed needed by the army, but because the journey to the south this time was too long, especially after entering Jizhou, it was all the plains, and it was impossible to replenish it on the spot. Speed ​​up the raising and delivery of livestock and horse materials to ensure the needs of the cavalry army.

According to the imperial court's planned plan, the southward army will cross the Yellow River south at the end of August or early September and enter the Central Plains battlefield to fight.One month later, at the beginning of October, all the cavalry will cross the Yellow River north and return to the desert.

"The imperial court limited the combat time of the southward army to within one month. There were various considerations. One was worried that the Hu people would flee away from the frontier in fear, the other was that the Hu people would take the opportunity to harm the Central Plains, and the third was the iron cavalry on the Central Plains battlefield. There are too many cavalry, and the imperial court is unable to provide long-term food and horse fodder for the cavalry army. In the early days, the general led 12 cavalry to the south. With the addition of 12 cavalry this time, there will be 12 cavalry on the Central Plains battlefield. On the Central Plains battlefield, if you want to The amount of livestock and horse feed needed to ensure the long-term combat of [-] cavalry is extremely astonishing. With the current strength of the imperial court, it is already doing its best to guarantee the demand of [-] cavalry for a month." Xian Yufu sighed, "After the Central Plains War is over, , the imperial court’s vitality has been seriously injured, and we will not be able to carry out large-scale conquests for a long time.”

"As long as we have conquered the Yellow River, won Yanzhou, and Qingzhou, which has already been appeased, we have taken the lead in pacifying the world. After two or three years, when we regain our vitality, the army will sweep the world, and no one can beat it." When." Yu Peng said excitedly, "Now as long as we can complete the last goal, severely inflict the rebels, and kill a large number of rebel troops, the Central Plains War will be considered a complete victory. Since the end of the Jizhou War, the general insisted on marching It’s dangerous, he’s done his best in one battle, and now it looks like he’s about to succeed.”

"This is mainly due to the fact that we fought well in the early stage, all the expected goals have been achieved, and we have still firmly controlled the initiative on the battlefield." Xian Yuyin said with a smile, "It's up to us now. If we can fully Annihilate the rebels on the battlefield in the Central Plains, and we will be able to calm the world smoothly."

"Even if it can't be completely wiped out, it can still be severely damaged." Li Su waved his hands excitedly and said, "The rebels have suffered from such a battle. How long can they last?" He asked, "Could it be that your lord has no confidence in our cavalry?"

"May God have mercy on us, and stop bringing disasters to this devastated land again and again." Xian Yufu lowered his head and murmured.

After everyone discussed the situation in the Central Plains enthusiastically, Yu Peng continued to arrange the marching routes of the various ministries.

"According to the requirements of the imperial court, the army must hide its traces when going south. Firstly, the rebels cannot get the news. Secondly, it is also to avoid exposing the Huqi and causing panic among the people of Jizhou. For this reason, all the cavalry marched day and night, and the marching speed should not be too fast. Hurry up." Yu Peng kept pointing his hand on the map, "The counties and counties along the Chidao have all received the imperial court's order, and they will block the Chidao within the scheduled time so that we can pass smoothly. We must rush to complete camping before dawn."

"My lords, you must keep in mind that you must march strictly according to the route, time and speed stipulated by the move. If you disobey, you will be killed without mercy."
The generals clung to their promises.

=

At the end of July, in Longxi, Xiliang, Daxia City.

From April, Pound shuttled back and forth between Jincheng and Longxi, trying his best to persuade Han Sui and Ma Teng to make peace.

Ma Chao is already in trouble at the moment.After Han Sui returned to Xiliang, while commanding the army to surround Longxi and cut off the connection between Longxi and other places, he used various methods to split and separate the various tribes of the Qiang people.Ma Chao tried several times to break through the siege and enter Hanyang, but was easily resolved by Han Sui, and his living environment became worse and worse.Various Qiang people left Ma Chao one after another because they could not get what they needed from Ma Chao. Some of the Qiang people, coveting the money given by Han Sui, betrayed their faith and turned around to attack Ma Chao.Ma Chao's strength was insufficient, and his army was also small. After losing several cities in a row, he could only stick to the front line of Taoshui.If this continues, Ma Chao himself will flee to Baimaqiang without Han Sui dispatching troops.

Ma Chao regretted it and paid a heavy price for his youth and impulsiveness.Now he is not only hopeless for revenge, but even his own survival is in question.

The appearance of Pound made Ma Chao see hope in despair.When Pang De asked him if he would shake hands with Han Sui to make peace, he almost burst into tears.

However, Pang De's persuasion and Ma Chao's self-reproach failed to calm Han Sui's anger.Han Sui said, I can forgive Ma Chao, but the Longxi officials who were killed by Ma Chao are innocent. Are their spirits in heaven willing to forgive Ma Chao for his tyranny and cruelty?I can forgive Ma Chao's betrayal, but is the whole Xiliang army willing to forgive Ma Chao's betrayal?What he betrayed was not me, but Xiliang, and he should pay with his life for his betrayal.

Han Sui refused Ma Chao's surrender, continued to surround Longxi, and ordered the army to slowly advance towards the Taoshui line.

Pang De had no choice but to persuade Han Sui in every possible way, while ordering the cavalry army in Wuwei County to withdraw to Anding and Beidi.As soon as the northern Xinjiang cavalry withdrew, the Qiang people who invaded Hexi would immediately approach the Yellow River and threaten Jincheng.Pang De planned to use this method to threaten Han Sui, forcing him to agree to a peace negotiation and temporarily stabilize Xiliang.When Xiliang was stabilized, Han Sui and Ma Chaoyan made peace, and Yuan Tan in Guanzhong felt threatened by Xiliang, so that he could restrain the troops in Guanzhong.

At this time, envoys from Yuan Tan visited Xiliang frequently and gave Han Sui a lot of money and food.At the same time, news came from Guanzhong that the northern border army in Hedong began to attack Guanxi.Han Sui secretly rejoiced, knowing that his prediction had come true, and Li Hong had indeed started to attack the Central Plains. In other words, the long-awaited opportunity to attack Guanzhong had come.

Han Sui categorically rejected Pound's persuasion.If he wanted to attack Guanzhong, he couldn't let the northern Xinjiang cavalry stay in the rear where Wuwei County threatened him, so he resorted to tactics and took advantage of the situation to force Pang De to return to Anding and Beidi with his army.At the same time, he sent people to carry heavy gifts to the north to the West Sea to discuss peace with Shaodang Qiang and other Western Qiang tribes.As long as these Qiang people don't take advantage of the momentum to cross the Yellow River and enter the hinterland of Xiliang when they attack Guanzhong, they will have achieved their goal.

The Qiang people who accepted Han Sui's gift thought that Han Sui had surrendered and were forced to give up Hexi to themselves. They were very happy, but what they didn't expect was that they were fooled by Han Sui unknowingly.When the northern Xinjiang cavalry sent troops to attack Han Sui's rear in order to prevent Han Sui from attacking Guanzhong, they would first enter Wuwei County.Of course, these Qiang people will not let the northern Xinjiang cavalry enter Wuwei County, and the two sides will definitely fight on the north bank of the Yellow River.The longer the two sides fight, the more time is left for Han Sui to seize Guanzhong.

In July, after Han Sui got the exact news of the Central Plains War, he suddenly agreed to Pound and was willing to talk to Ma Chao, but the condition was that Ma Chao must go to Daxia City alone to plead guilty to himself.

Ma Chao hesitated.Pound was very anxious and urged him repeatedly.He has received the secret decree, knowing that the imperial court is secretly recruiting Hu Qi from the desert to go south to the Central Plains. For the safety of the desert, the imperial court ordered him to lead the army back to the desert for defense.

Seeing Pang De swearing and swearing, and patting his chest to ensure his safety, Ma Chao felt a little relieved.He rushed to Daxia City with three thousand cavalry.Three thousand cavalry were waiting outside the city. Accompanied by Pang De, he entered the city to meet Han Sui.

=

To Ma Chao's surprise, Han Sui didn't scold him, but treated him like a child as before, and treated him kindly, as if the knife attack two years ago had never happened.Ma Chao was moved and remorseful, knelt down in front of Han Sui and wept bitterly, vowing to serve Han Sui like his father in this life.

"Just figure it out." Han Sui touched his head and smiled, "At the beginning you lost your mind because of hatred, and no one could stop you. If you didn't have that knife, I'm afraid you still haven't recovered from the shadow of hatred. come out."

Ma Chao felt guilty and speechless.

Han Sui picked up a volume of paperwork from the case table and handed it to Ma Chao, "Look at it, and tell me if you have anything to say after reading it."

Ma Chao held the document and looked at Han Sui suspiciously.

"You don't want revenge?" Han Sui stroked his gray beard and smiled, "After reading this, you will know how to avenge your revenge."

Ma Chao was overjoyed, and hastily unfolded the bamboo slips for a closer look.After a while, Ma Chao's expression gradually became tense, and his sword-shaped eyebrows were tightly knit together, showing panic.

"Sir..." Ma Chao rolled up the bamboo slips and gestured to the door, "Ling Ming (Pound) is here, we..."

Han Sui smiled, "Meng Qi, don't talk about Ling Ming yet. What do you think of this plan?"

"Sir, if I hadn't seen this, I wouldn't have known that the Northern Xinjiang Army had already attacked the Central Plains." Ma Chao asked after hesitating for a moment, "In my opinion, the best result of the Northern Xinjiang Army in this Central Plains War is Occupying Yanzhou, that's why we have the opportunity to capture Guanzhong and form a three-legged confrontation with Hebei and Luoyang, but are you sure that the Northern Army will lose both sides in this battle with the coalition forces? If not, even if we take advantage of the momentum to capture Guanzhong, we will not It's hard to hold Guanzhong."

"The reason why Li Hong started to forcibly attack the Central Plains one and a half years after the end of the Jizhou War was very clear. He wanted to seize Qingzhou and Yanzhou before the strength of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao recovered, and seize the opportunity to pacify the world. He This strategy is completely correct." Han Sui sighed softly, "It's a pity that Hebei's wealth mainly comes from Jizhou County. The Jizhou War the year before last has exhausted all its strength. In the fierce battle on the battlefield, you can imagine how difficult Hebei's wealth has become? Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Li Hong fought the Yellow River at all costs, because if he used this battle to stand firm in Yanzhou and Qingzhou His pace of recovery will be greatly accelerated, but one thing is for sure, within a year or so after the end of the Central Plains War, Hebei will not be able to launch a conquest with a scale of tens of thousands or more. Yuan Shao's counterattack is just to defend the two prefectures of Qing and Yan."

"So Mr. thinks that as long as we defeat Yuan Tan, we can seize Guanzhong, and then quickly establish a three-legged confrontation. If Hebei fights us, we will join forces with Luoyang. If Luoyang fights us, we will join forces with Hebei, so as to ensure the stability of Western Xinjiang. "Ma Chao asked with a frown, "but sir, have you ever thought about it? The general has taken good care of Xiliang in recent years. Even when Hebei's wealth was extremely tight after the Jizhou War, he still sent relief to Xiliang as agreed. In addition, sir has always respected the Jinyang court for the past few years, and now you have suddenly changed your course and turned against the Jinyang court and the general, once the situation changes in the future..."

"Are you worried that not only will we not be able to kill Yuan Shao, but we will join forces with Yuan Shao to fight against Hebei?" Han Sui asked calmly.

Ma Chao was silent for a while, then smiled wryly: "Sir, I have already figured it out. Revenge is not that simple. It takes time. In the future, even if Mr. and Yuan Shao become brothers and sisters, I can bear it. But what I worry about is not that I can't kill Yuan Shao, but that I can't kill Yuan Shao. If you lose your husband, you will completely lose hope of revenge."

"More than ten years ago, you competed with the general several times. You are very familiar with the general's use of troops and are more familiar with his character. He is a bloody leopard, a crazy leopard. In the battle of Jizhou the year before last, he defeated 10,000+ coalition forces He did not wait for his wounds to recuperate. This year, he led an army of 10,000+ to attack the Central Plains and fought against more than 20 allied forces. Just now you said that he could still win, so even if he won this battle badly, he still won. How can a crazy person like him tolerate others taking his chance to conquer the world? Sir, I remember that you have always admired him and thought he was a great hero, why are you now..."

Han Sui smiled gratifiedly, reached out and patted Ma Chao on the shoulder, "You have finally grown up, I didn't suffer that knife in vain."

Then he stood up, walked around the house twice with his hands behind his back, then stopped in front of the window, looked at the blue sky outside the window, and sighed, "You know what? After this battle, the great general is at stake. .”

Ma Chao was startled, and his sword eyebrows were raised immediately, "Why did you say that, sir?"

"After this battle, Hebei is facing four major crises."

"One is the huge loss in military strength. The Northern Xinjiang Army is obviously at a disadvantage in terms of strength this time, but Yuan Shao, who has the advantage in strength, has been reluctant to fight with him for a long time. Forcibly attack. After the war, it would be good if the Northern Xinjiang Army can retain half of its troops. The serious shortage of troops will lead to a major change in Hebei's military strategy. Li Hong will abandon the offensive and turn to the defensive, concentrate on promoting the New Deal, and try to recover as soon as possible. "

"The second is the huge loss of wealth. The time between the Jizhou War and the Central Plains War was too short. Li Hong forcibly went south to attack the Central Plains when Hebei's wealth had not been restored. However, he will pay a heavy price for this. We can imagine that in order to fight this battle, Hebei must have implemented many emergency measures in order to raise money and food, and increased taxes and corvees for the people and paid a lot of money to the rich and wealthy. Credit is undoubtedly the only solution to the shortage of wealth in Hebei, and this leads to the third crisis."

"In order to restore the vitality of Hebei as soon as possible, Li Hong must continue to impose heavy taxes and corvees on the people, and he must default on the money he borrowed from the rich and powerful. The people will resent the New Deal because of this, and the rich and powerful will take the opportunity to blackmail Li Hong If the amendments are made according to their requirements, the contradictions between the upper and lower levels in Hebei will become more and more intense, and the New Deal will become shaky under such circumstances, and the stability of Hebei will also be in jeopardy.”

"The emergence of these crises in Hebei will immediately affect the struggle for power in the court. These are the four crises in Hebei, and they are also the most terrifying crises."

"In these years, Li Hong went on campaigns and stayed in Jinyang for only a handful of times. All political affairs were entrusted to the eldest princess and a group of courtiers. Except for military power, Li Hong handed over almost all other powers. After the Great War in the Central Plains, Li Hong Under the pressure of many crises in Hebei, Hong must be eager to get back all the power, because he has to solve too many problems, and the best way to solve these problems is for him to have the final say. Power over Now, it will be very difficult to get it back. Whether it is the eldest princess or the ministers of Jinyang, no one will obey Li Hong. In their eyes, Li Hong at this moment is the past Dong Zhuo. Li Hong takes it back When power encounters resistance, the easiest solution is to resort to force..."

Han Sui turned his head to look at Ma Chao who was stunned, and said very puzzled: "I don't know what Li Hong has been thinking these years? But he should remember how Dong Zhuo died. Does he want to repeat Dong Zhuo's mistakes? ?”

"The general is really in danger." Ma Chao sighed in a low voice, "Sir, we can send Ling Ming away."

Han Sui nodded, "Go back immediately, and quietly rush to Dasan Pass with your cavalry, waiting for my attack order."

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(End of this chapter)