Great Han Empire

Chapter 880 Troubled Times Heroic Chapter Wins Central Plains
In November, Chang'an.

Huangfu Li, the special envoy of the Jinyang court, rushed to Chang'an with the imperial decree.

In the imperial decree, the emperor greatly appreciated Han Sui's contribution to regaining Guanzhong, and he was promoted to a higher rank.Han Sui accepted the imperial edict calmly, then hosted a banquet for Huangfu Li in the mansion, and asked about Jinyang's situation.Hearing that the general did not return to Jinyang, but agreed with the emperor to meet in Luoyang, Han Sui couldn't help but a look of surprise flashed across his face.

After the banquet was over, Han Sui invited Huangfu Li to the study for a detailed talk.

"Sir, this is a letter written by Master Taiwei Xu Rong." Huangfu Li took out a piece of white silk from his pocket and handed it to Han Sui respectfully, "Master Taiwei hopes to get your reply."

"What? You're going back to Jinyang soon?" Han Sui asked in surprise as he took Xu Rong's letter, "Here are all your old friends, you should stay and get together for a while."

"The imperial court is moving a large number of people to Qingzhou and Yanzhou, and the business is very busy. How dare I waste too much time here?" Huangfu Li said with a smile, "I will come to meet you again in the spring when we fight Luoyang together. .”

Han Sui smiled, and opened Xu Rong's letter in front of Huangfu Li.

Xu Rong made a brief analysis of the situation in the world after the Great War in the Central Plains, and explained the court's many methods for stabilizing and developing the western Xinjiang. Rejuvenating the great man's determination to fight to the death, he must be consistent with the imperial court, join forces to fight against Yuan Shao and other rebellions, and make great contributions to the early peace of the world and the revitalization of the great man.

"Zi Lie wants me to fight Luoyang with him?" Han Sui put down the letter, looked up at Huangfu Li and asked.

"We all know about Mr.'s worries. Ma Chao also told General Yang Feng what he meant in Pubanjin. The emperor and the court admire and understand Mr., and thank you for everything you have done for Xiliang, so..." Huangfu Li paused for a moment, and then said in a solemn tone, "The emperor and the court have issued an order to Zhengxi General Pang De, Xiangwu General Wei Jun, and Huwei General Lei Zi to lead [-] cavalry to Hexi immediately. , and recruited Kuangfengsha, Nie Xiao, and Xukui of the Eastern Qiang, Budugeng of the Western Xianbei, Tuoba Tao of the Northern Xianbei, and Liu Ming, the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu, a total of six troops with [-] cavalry marched westward."

Han Sui was terrified, and his face suddenly showed anger.

Huangfu Li coughed lightly, and continued in a leisurely manner: "Originally, Lord Taiwei wanted to recruit more iron cavalry, but the eldest princess and the court considered that the Central Plains War had just ended and Hebei's wealth was tight, and it would be easy to recruit Hu cavalry frequently. It aroused the resentment of the Hu tribes, so the scale of the West Conquest Army was controlled at 4, and General Pang De was appointed as the commander of the army. It is believed that with Pang De's bravery, he defeated Xiqiang and took back the five counties of Hexi. Stabilizing the western frontier is absolutely out of the question."

Han Sui felt a cold murderous aura rushing straight to his forehead, and his thin body shivered involuntarily.The Jinyang court suddenly decided to march west, which caught him off guard, and he was confused and at a loss for a while.

"Sir, it's getting late, I'm leaving." Seeing Han Sui's panicked look, Huangfu Li couldn't help showing a little pride in his eyes, he stood up, bowed and said, "Sir, can I get your reply tomorrow morning? "

Han Sui hesitated for a moment, then stood up and asked in a low voice, "Can you tell me the real reason why the general didn't return to Jinyang?"

Huangfu Li shook his head and smiled slightly: "Sir, I don't know why the General didn't return to Jinyang, but there is no doubt that Hebei is now ruled by the Son of Heaven and the Eldest Princess. Sir, you should see that since the General Qin Wang After the successful reconstruction of the imperial court, Hebei has undergone earth-shaking changes. If Hebei is still the Hebei of the past, do you think the imperial court can win the Central Plains War today? Looking back at Dong Zhuo’s defeat and the rise of Hebei, sir, don’t you think so? Do you understand why?"

"The reason why Hebei was able to win the Central Plains War was entirely due to the strength of the emperor and the court."

"Sir, you may not know much about the specific situation of the Central Plains War. During the Central Plains War, the imperial court continuously recruited 180 million civilians in seven months, and raised and transported [-] vehicles and [-] ships. , at the time of the decisive battle, the Eldest Princess personally went north to the desert and recruited [-] Hu cavalry to go south. You can think about it, sir, if there is no powerful imperial court to command the overall situation, if there are no county officials who are absolutely loyal to the imperial court, If there were no people and soldiers who trusted the emperor and the court, and if there were no Hu people outside the Great Wall who were afraid of the might of the great man and obeyed their orders, would we have achieved such an unprecedented victory? Could we have thus established the advantage of pacifying the world?"

"Although the general is famous and has made great achievements throughout the world, with his personal prestige and power, can he make all the county officials in the three prefectures of Hebei obey him? Can Hebei be guaranteed to continue in seven months? Can there be no mistakes in recruiting civilians and raising food and grass? There is another more important point, the general dared to risk becoming a rebellious Han and destroying the country, risking the danger of destroying the country and recruiting [-] horsemen from outside the Great Wall Heading south?"

"Sir, the great general is the great general of the great Han, and the famous minister of the great Han. It is precisely because of the loyalty and bravery of the great general that the dignity of the emperor of the Han Dynasty and the imperial court can be rebuilt. Only a great general can lead an army across the world and build great achievements.”

"In the Central Plains War, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, Cao Cao, Liu Bei and other rebels assembled more than 30 troops to fight Hebei, but why did they lose? Is it because the eldest princess dispatched [-] cavalry from outside the Great Wall and went south to give the rebels a fatal blow?" ? No, not because of this reason, but because Yuan Shao and Liu Biao rebelliously trampled on the majesty of the Han emperor and the court. They betrayed the Han emperor and the Celestial Dynasty. It will be total defeat."

"If you are an enemy of a big man, you will be wiped out."

Huangfu Li waved his hands like soaring battle flags, and his impassioned voice seemed to turn into the earth-shattering roar of the northern Xinjiang cavalry.

Han Sui was dumbfounded and shocked.

=

Ma Chao received Han Sui's letter and rushed back to Chang'an day and night.

"Did Fengji agree to our terms?" Han Sui asked eagerly.

"No, I didn't agree to any of the key conditions." Ma Chao said bitterly, "Probably seeing that the Northeast Frontier Army of Hebei Province has no signs of crossing the river to attack, and the Central Plains battlefield has also ceased fighting, so Fengji's tone is getting tougher. He refused. Let go of Tongguan and Wuguan, and refuse to give us money and food when the heavy snow comes. The relief promised to Xiliang was postponed until next spring on the pretext that Hanoi fell and needed to recruit more troops to launch a counterattack.”

"Next spring?" Han Sui laughed angrily, "By next spring, the northern army will cross the river to attack, and the money and food he gave me will be used for the war. Yuan Shao's account is very careful."

"Should we let the Qiang people return to Xiliang temporarily?" Ma Chao asked, "It will snow soon. If there is a delay, the Qiang cavalry will not be able to go back."

"Let them go back immediately." Han Sui nodded and said, "We have limited food and grass. If everyone stays in Guanzhong, we will kill horses to satisfy our hunger at the beginning of the year. You also bring the army back."

"Me?" Ma Chao was stunned for a moment, "I'm going back to Xiliang too?"

"Yes, Hebei has formed a 4-strong Western Expeditionary Army and is heading to Hexi." Han Sui smiled wryly, "Huangfu Li said that Pound will rush to Wuwei County with [-] cavalry before the snow falls, while the Eastern Qiang and Western The iron cavalry of the Xianbei and the Huns will rush to Hexi to join them in early spring."

"The Western Expedition Army?" Ma Chao's eyes widened in surprise, "Sir, are they going to attack Xiliang?"

"Boom..." Han Sui slammed his fist on the table, "We made a mistake. The reason why Hebei won the final victory in the Central Plains War was because [-] Hu cavalry were recruited from outside the Great Wall to go south. Our expectation. Who would have thought that Hebei would firmly control the barbarians outside the Great Wall, it is unbelievable."

"How is this possible?" Ma Chao didn't believe it at all, "Huangfu Li must be talking nonsense. In order to defend the desert, Hebei has stationed tens of thousands of cavalry outside the Great Wall. Once these people go south, the Hu outside the Great Wall will lose their deterrence and may rebel at any time, so this time they went south." The Hu cavalry fighting in the Central Plains are at most Li Hong’s confidantes, such as Huding, Qishen, Sheyingtong, Lu Huanyang, etc. As for the guarding cavalry outside the Great Wall and the cavalry of other Hu tribes, Li Hong absolutely dare not recruit them at will.”

"This is true." Han Sui took out Xu Rong's letter, "After the Jizhou War ended, Li Hong went north to inspect the desert outside the Great Wall without stopping, and changed the status of the vassal state of the Xiongnu Shanyuting and Xianbei tribes to the status of belonging. All the tribes of the Hu people have become the people of the big Han people, and all the Hu people enjoy the treatment of the people of the big Han people. While moving to the south of the Hu tribe, they vigorously promoted and implemented a series of favorable conditions in the frontier counties. Stabilize and develop the new policy of the Hu tribe. The leaders of the Hu tribes have gained more wealth, and their tribesmen can now not only enjoy the relief from the court to ensure their own survival, but also get Their own livestock and pastures. Hu people can live without worry, the life of the family is guaranteed, the status and treatment of surrender are guaranteed, and everyone is grateful to the emperor and the court. How many people are willing to do so under such circumstances? Betrayed the great Han? Therefore, it is not difficult to understand that the tribes of the Hu tribe were controlled by Hebei."

"According to Hebei's recruiting system, the more contributions the soldiers have, the more land they will get. For the Hu people, the more cattle and sheep belong to them, the bigger the pastures belong to them." Han Sui shook his head again and again, " The recruitment system in Hebei is very stimulating to the soldiers. Everyone is willing to fight, and everyone is willing to fight to the death. If my estimate is correct, by next spring, more and more Huqi will join the Western Expeditionary Army. "

Ma Chao thought for a while, then asked doubtfully: "Sir, Hebei's continuous conquests have conquered large tracts of land and pastures, and then rewarded these lands and pastures to the soldiers who have done meritorious service. So, how will Hebei's wealth increase? If Hebei If wealth cannot grow, what will it fight with?"

"Good question." Han Sui looked at Han Yi, Yan Xing, Ling Ru, Yang Qiu and other Xiliang generals sitting beside him, and made no secret of his admiration for Ma Chao, "Among the adults here, only Meng Qi looks at him. It’s the crux of the matter.”

"Hebei's new land system and the new tax system have two key points." Han Sui said, "One is that most of the land in the world belongs to the imperial court."

"For more than ten years, the Great Han Dynasty has suffered continuous wars and disasters, the population has plummeted, and there are many unowned lands. Except for the private lands of some surviving powerful and rich people, there are also lands recently rewarded by the imperial court for meritorious service. The rest of the land is the imperial court. Yes. The grassland is the same. In recent years, Li Hong has quelled the rebellion of the Huns Xubuguduhou, executed Helian, Murongfeng, Tuobafeng and other Xianbei leaders to dominate the desert and occupied a vast territory. Hebei has countless grasslands. Hebei distributed the land and pastures belonging to the imperial court to ordinary people and Hu people, allowing them to cultivate and graze, and the proceeds were shared according to the agreement. The land belongs to the imperial court, which is the fundamental reason for the continuous growth of Hebei's wealth."

"The second is to collect taxes according to Ding. For 400 years in this dynasty, land rent and mouth tax have been collected separately according to the amount of land and population. However, because Hebei implemented the new land system, everyone was allocated the same amount of land, so the taxation The tax is collected by the dime, and the same amount of tax is collected for each dime. In this way, the people cannot deceive the government to pay less or not to pay the tax. The tax is collected by the dime, which leads to a sudden increase in Hebei's wealth, and makes it even more difficult in the The recovery time after the Central Plains War has been greatly shortened."

What Han Sui said was very general, but Ma Chao, Yang Qiu and others didn't understand. Grassland, so the Northern Xinjiang Army will become more and more powerful.

After Han Sui briefly said a few words, he thought of something and fell into deep thought.

It was very quiet in the lobby for a while.

"Sir, after Pound led the cavalry army to Wuwei, they may not immediately launch a battle to recover the five Hexi counties. Their real purpose may be to force us to join forces to attack Luoyang." Ma Chao broke the dull atmosphere in the lobby, "Sir, After I return to Xiliang, should I rush to Jincheng County to Chen Bing on the south bank of the Yellow River, or to station troops in Yicheng in Hanyang County?"

Han Sui didn't speak, just sat there in a daze.

Hebei concentrated its vital points in this move.If the northern border army forcibly crosses the Yellow River to attack Guanzhong, it will use a huge amount of troops and money, and it is very likely that they will be defeated by their own and Yuan Shao's army.Hebei was obviously unwilling to pay such a high price, so on the one hand, it sent Huangfu Li to Chang'an to lobby, and asked Xu Rong to explain in detail the powerful power Hebei possessed through his personal relationship; In this way, he not only agreed to the conditions he proposed, but also achieved the purpose of threatening himself. In addition, he also proved to himself that Hebei does have the strength to calm the world.

The northern Xinjiang cavalry arrived in Wuwei, and the invading Xiqiang was worried about being besieged, so they must retreat northward to Zhangye and Xihai.Therefore, the northern Xinjiang cavalry can free up their hands to threaten Jincheng and Hanyang.When he was under threat in Xiliang, if he joined forces with Yuan Shao to fight against Hebei, the result could be imagined.Without Xiliang, can he still gain a foothold in Guanzhong?
Could it be that my decades-long dream is really an illusory dream that can never be realized?
"Father, Hebei is simply bluffing. It is impossible for it to send 400 troops into Xiliang to attack Hexi after the Central Plains War." Han Yi saw his father's worried look, and comforted him, "Over the past 100 years of the Great Han, heroes have emerged in large numbers. , but no one has ever made the Hu people in the desert surrender permanently, and no one has ever been able to keep the stability of the frontiers forever. In order to stabilize the western border, the dynasty has fought intermittently with the Qiang people for more than [-] years, but the Qiang people are still invading our Han territory, so , I think Father should not worry too much, it is better to find ways to overcome the immediate crisis, gain a firm foothold in Guanzhong as soon as possible, and move the people of Xiliang to Qinchuan, eight hundred miles away, as the best strategy."

Han Sui smiled bitterly. For the past 100 years, Xijiang and her poor children have spent blood and tears. If they want to get rid of the nightmare that has lasted for a hundred years, they can only rely on themselves.

"Take your army to Jincheng, and Chen Bing on the Yellow River." Han Sui said decisively, "If the Northern Xinjiang army crosses the river to attack, you will resolutely beat them back, and even join forces with the Qiang people to encircle and wipe them out in the Sky Desert." (today's Tengger Desert)."

Ma Chao bowed to accept the order.

"Ziwei, you go back too." Han Sui pointed to Han Yi, "You are in charge of Xiliang's political affairs, and Meng Qi is in charge of Xiliang's military affairs. The two of you work together, and you must guard Xiliang for me."

"Father, don't worry, I will ensure the food and grass for the army and help Meng Qi defeat the northern army."

"Okay." Han Sui waved at them, "Tomorrow morning, you return to Xiliang."

=

In mid-November, Yuzhou, Xuchang.

As the governor of Yuzhou and the prefect of Runan, Liu Bei led his army to Yingchuan, Yuzhou, and joined Xun Chen, Xu Qi, Zhang Fei and others in Xuchang.

Wenpin, Pang Ji, Liu Hu, Huang Zhong and others immediately bid farewell to Liu Bei and hurried back to Jingzhou with the army.

At this time, Xu Wei was changed to be the prefect of Nanyang. He also bid farewell to Liu Bei, and then rushed to Nanyang.

Xun Chen, the prefect of Yingchuan, held a banquet in Daying to clean up Liu Bei.During the banquet, Zhang Fei was extremely dissatisfied with Liu Bei's abandonment of Xuzhou. He couldn't blame Liu Bei, so he yelled at Cao Cao, and also scolded Yuan Shao.

Liu Bei felt sorry for his brother and looked ashamed.What can he do now?You can't take the army and Cao Cao to rob Xuzhou, can you?He and Cao Cao were tearing each other apart, and the fight was in full swing. Hebei Li Hong took a big advantage for nothing without any effort.

At the banquet, there were many subordinates of Yuan Shao, all of them were bearded and staring at Zhang Fei, wishing to beat him up violently.

A meal broke up badly.

Zhang Fei has a bad temper and likes to drink and swear. Liu Bei was worried that he would conflict with Xu Chang and Yuan Shao, so he sent him and Sun Qian to Runan to recruit soldiers and stockpile food and grass to prepare for the next year's war.

Liu Bei also wrote to Guan Yu, Jian Yong and other subordinates who were far away in Xuzhou to lead the army to Xuchang to join them as soon as possible.

=

Eleven strokes, Xuzhou, Pengcheng.

Guan Yu galloped to the gate of the government office with a team of personal guards, roaring loudly, "Rush in and rescue the people."

"General Guan..." The leader of the patrolling guard saw Guan Yu rushing towards the sky in a rage, and was taken aback, "Master Guan, what are you doing?"

"Go away..." Guan Yu grabbed his arm and threw him out of the air, "If you dare to block him, you will be killed without mercy."

Dozens of personal guards swarmed up, punched and kicked, and beat the dozen guards guarding the gate of the mansion until they fled.

"Dong dong..." The alarm drum sounded soaring into the sky.

With his hands behind his back, Guan Yu swaggered in front of the crowd, full of murderous intent.With weapons in hand, the guards followed him, beating everyone and smashing things, causing chaos in the government office.

Holding a short halberd in his hand, Dian Wei rushed out with a group of men and horses. When he saw Guan Yu with a long beard coming towards him, he couldn't help being stunned. what?"

"Where is the prime minister?" Guan Yu roared angrily.

"What do you want to do? Do you want to assassinate the prime minister?" Dian Wei put down his short halberd and said angrily, "Can't you report something? Why do you have to call in? Are you going to leave Xuzhou soon, and you feel uncomfortable?"

"Where is the prime minister?" Guan Yu strode up to him and shouted sharply.

"Hey... Guan Yunchang, don't be shameless. This is the prime minister's mansion, not your back garden. Don't go too far." Dian Wei knew that Guan Yu was about to leave Xuzhou with the Xuzhou army. Cao Cao and the Yanzhou Army gritted their teeth with hatred, so they must not provoke trouble at this time, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble.

"Is the prime minister in the inner palace?"

"That's it." Dian Wei held back his anger, and waved his hands repeatedly at the guards rushing up from all around, "Master Guan, take your people and leave the Prime Minister's Mansion immediately, don't take the trouble of killing yourself."

"Who dares to kill me..." Guan Yu glared and shouted, "Rush into the inner mansion and rescue him."

Dian Wei wanted to persuade him again, but he saw the wind blowing everywhere, and the sword behind Guan Yu's back roared like lightning.Dian Wei screamed, the short halberd flew up in his hand, and blocked it head-on.

"when……"

Sparks radiate.Dian Wei's tiger's mouth was shaken, and the short halberd flew out of his hand.Before he could take the short halberd from behind again, Guan Yu's saber had already been chopped down again.

"Back..." Dian Wei roared, his figure flew back, and at the same time he punched out.

The sword cuts empty.The iron fist rushed to the thunder.Guan Yu's tall body did not retreat but advanced, and slammed into Dianwei's fist, "Get lost..."

Dian Wei hit Guan Yu, but was hit by Guan Yu frantically, and retreated several steps.

"Kill..." The saber roared sharply, and thunder came down.

=

(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.CMFU.COM, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)
(End of this chapter)