Great Han Empire

Chapter 918 Troubled Times Heroic Chapter Wins Central Plains
In July, Fengyi County, Guanzhong, Gaoling City.

In the early morning, the Xiliang army retreated to Gaoling City to rest. In order to avoid the morale of the army being shaken, Yang Qiu, Han Yi and others decided to keep the funeral secret and conceal the news of Han Sui's death from the army.

Han Yi urgently summoned the Xiliang generals to discuss matters.Yang Qiu didn't see Ma Chao in the lobby, so he sighed secretly.The sudden death of Han Sui made the situation in Xijiang very complicated.

In the past, all kinds of contradictions in Xijiang were forcibly suppressed by Han Sui with his personal prestige and intelligence, but now that he is gone, all the contradictions in Xijiang were immediately exposed, and with the defeat of Zheng Baiqu, the Xijiang Army fell into a crisis. In an unprecedented existential crisis, these contradictions may be intensified and erupt at any time.As expected by Han Sui, the young Han Yi, at this critical juncture, not only did not try his best to unite the generals of Xiliang and boost the morale of the army, so as to ensure that the Xijiang army could withdraw to Xiliang safely, fully and quickly, but put himself and Ma Chao together. The contradictions of the Communist Party of China have been made public, deliberately creating and intensifying contradictions.

There was a reason why Han Yi couldn't wait to finish Ma Chao when he was seriously injured and his strength was gone.Han Yi was not worried that Ma Chao would dominate Xiliang, but rather that Ma Chao would disrupt Xiliang.Ma Chao has no army now. Apart from Yang Qiu, Cheng Yi, and Cheng Yin, the main force of the Xiliang army, the subordinates of the older generation of Xiliang warriors, such as Zhang Ji, Liang Qing, Chen Yan, and Jiang Jiong, all follow the command. Han Yi's military order, after all, they are all Han Sui's disciples.Ma Chao's lack of an army does not mean that Ma Chao has no strength. As long as Ma Chao returns to Western Xinjiang and Longxi, he will be able to rebuild an army with the help of the Qiang people in a short period of time.Han Yi didn't know whether Ma Chao had the ambition to dominate Xiliang, but Han Yi knew that his father had promised to hand over Xijiang to Ma Chao.Therefore, Han Yi believed that if the Xiliang army could safely withdraw to western Xinjiang, the biggest enemy would not be the Hebei army in Guanzhong, but Ma Chao and the Qiang tribes outside the Great Wall.Solving Ma Chao first can completely eliminate a huge hidden danger.

Yang Qiu couldn't help but want to test Han Yi, he asked softly, "Why didn't Meng Qi come?"

"He is injured and can't move yet." Han Yi said lightly, "He has a very close relationship with many generals of the Northern Frontier Army, especially Pound. If he wants to surrender and leak our secrets, we will definitely all The army was wiped out and buried in Guanzhong."

Yang Qiu's expression suddenly became serious, and he said solemnly: "Meng Qi's iron cavalry are all finished, and he has formed a deep hatred with the Northern Border Army, how could he surrender?"

"How do you know he won't surrender?" Han Yi sneered, "Ma Chao, like his father, is a fickle, ungrateful and capricious villain. Is it true that Ma Teng betrayed my father and joined Yuan Shao? Yuan Shao killed Ma After he ascended the throne, my father sent troops to avenge him. He actually repayed his kindness by assassinating my father. He also provoked internal strife in Xiliang, sent troops to attack us, and tried to dominate Xijiang. Is it true? These bloody facts can’t explain Ma Chao’s As a human being? I don't want to repeat my father's mistakes, and I don't want to go back to Xijiang and fight bloody with him, ruining Xijiang for nothing."

Yang Qiu was stunned for a long while, and didn't speak for a long time.Over the years, Ma Teng, Ma Chao and his son have indeed done a lot of things that are sorry for Han Sui and Xijiang, but the situation is different now. Now that Han Sui is dead, the vitality of the Xijiang army has been greatly injured. No one in Xijiang can be like Han Sui Also control Xijiang, and in today's precarious situation in Xijiang, Han Sui's deathbed entrustment is very important, and he must have deep meaning in letting Ma Chao succeed the Xiliang army commander.

Yang Qiu cast his eyes on Cheng Yi and Cheng Yin, both of them looked worried and pretended not to know, without saying a word.

Yang Qiu sighed sadly, walked to the side and sat down, no longer speaking.Although Han Sui entrusted the three old brothers with the task of assisting Ma Chao to stabilize Xiliang, these three, like other Xiliang generals, did not trust Ma Chao, and now that Ma Chao had no strength, once he spoke out, it would affect Han Yi's status. Han Yi may find an excuse to kill Ma Chao.Once the long-suppressed contradictions of the Xiliang army erupt, the army is very likely to collapse, so the three of them have not spoken out Han Sui's deathbed request so far.

=

After discussing with everyone, Han Yi found that there was no way for the Xiliang Army to return to Xijiang safely.The meeting hall fell into silence, and the atmosphere was oppressive and desolate.

In the battle of Zheng Baiqu, the Xiliang army suffered heavy losses.Han Sui rushed to the battlefield with an army of 3000. Gao Gan's 3000 army was wiped out, and Xiliang's 5000 army was lost by half. Now there are about [-] people left.If you add the [-] people from Zhang Ji and Jiang Jiong who came to support from Chang'an City, the entire army will only have more than [-] people.

"Currently there are 2000 troops from Master Zhang Ming in Chang'an City, and 3000 troops from Huaili and Chencang cities." Ling Ru said, wringing his fingers. , We haven’t figured out how many Northern Xinjiang troops are on the Zhengbaiqu battlefield, but conservatively estimate that their strength is at least three times that of ours, and the possibility of us safely withdrawing to Western Xinjiang is too small.”

"Yesterday afternoon, on the right-wing battlefield of Zhengbaiqu, the Northern Xinjiang Army not only surrounded the senior officials, but also wanted to wipe us out. Although we broke through in the end, this did not affect the determination of the Northern Xinjiang Army to pursue the victory and encircle us in Chang'an City. "Ling Ru sighed, "Xu Rong's determination is too great. He wants to decide the outcome in one battle and completely occupy Guanzhong, so that he can quickly encircle Luoyang with the Northern Frontier Army of the Central Plains and complete the preparations for attacking Luoyang. He did it. Zheng Baiqu fought It can be said to be perfect, if we fail to break through, he can even take advantage of the momentum to occupy the western border and completely eliminate our threat to Guanzhong."

"Although we broke through and withdrew from the Zhengbaiqu battlefield, this place is still thousands of miles away from Xiliang, and Xu Rong still has enough troops and time to encircle us in Chang'an and Huaili." Zhang Ji said very dejectedly, "If the [-] army wants to safely withdraw to Xiliang, they must bring food, grass and supplies, but our civilians are seriously insufficient, and our troops are also seriously insufficient, especially the number of cavalry, which is too far from the northern army. In addition, the morale of the army is also extremely low. , The soldiers are exhausted physically and mentally. If we are surrounded by the northern Xinjiang cavalry on the way to retreat, we will be defeated at the first touch."

Han Yi covered his face with his hands and lay down on the table, with a splitting headache and helpless.After a long time, he looked up at Ling Ru, and asked feebly, "How many people have we lost? How many wounded soldiers can fight again?"

"The exact number is not clear at the moment, and we will check it carefully when we evacuate to Chang'an." Ling Ru said, "Even if the soldiers with light injuries can return to the battlefield, they will need a period of rest. Under the current situation, it is too dangerous to retreat forcibly. , it is better to stay in Chang'an City temporarily. The army can rest and recover their strength while waiting for the changes in the battle situation."

"The army can't stay in Chang'an City." Zhang Ji said excitedly, "The Northern Army has too many cavalry, and they will immediately take a shortcut and rush to Fufeng County to cut off our retreat. The infantry army of the Northern Army will also chase after us. Arrive at Chang'an City. Gao Gan is dead, and Yuan Jun has no food and grass. They either surrendered or collapsed. They couldn't hold on for a day. We retreated quickly and rushed to report to Bian Yan in Xiliang, asking him to bring reinforcements to meet him. "

"There are only 8000 people left in Xiliang, and most of them are old, weak, sick and disabled. Food and grass are also extremely scarce. In addition, the Qiang people are staring at Jincheng on the north bank of the Yellow River. They must not be transferred." Yang Qiu was shocked. , Hastily waved his hand to dissuade, "The army has no strength to fight anymore. Even if they discard their food, grass and supplies and retreat quickly, the soldiers will not be able to support them. It is better to stick to Chang'an Xutu's strategy."

"The journey home is more than 1000 miles. If we lose food, grass and supplies, and don't fight with the northern army, the soldiers will disperse." Cheng Yin patted the desk vigorously and said loudly, "The only way to keep the army is now. It is to stick to Chang'an City and negotiate a peace with the northern army."

=

"Negotiate peace?" Liang Qing and other Xiliang generals' eyes lit up as if they had grasped a life-saving straw.

Liang Qing asked anxiously: "The battle has reached such a point, is the Northern Army still willing to negotiate peace with us?"

"Of course." Ling Ru nodded and said, "Xu Rong is definitely willing to negotiate a peace. Before Zheng Baiqu fought, Huangfu Li stayed in Chang'an for several months, didn't he just want to negotiate peace with us? Now they have won the battle, but they have suffered heavy losses. If If we stick to Chang'an and never retreat, they will continue to fight. The longer the war drags on, the more unfavorable it will be for Hebei. Hebei's goal in the past few years is Luoyang, which is to take all of the Central Plains, so whether Guanzhong can quickly stabilize is very important to them. The first condition for the stability of Guanzhong is the stability of Western Xinjiang, but Hebei currently does not have the strength to take into account Western Xinjiang, so they have always wanted to negotiate a peace with us, and they want to persuade Mr. to lead the army to retreat to Western Xinjiang for defense. If we agree to their conditions now and bring the army back to Western Xinjiang Frontier defense, immediately give them Guanzhong, Hebei is of course willing."

"You just said that you waited for the situation to change, and you meant to negotiate a peace?" Han Yi asked after pondering for a moment.

"Yes, peace negotiation is the only way for us to bring our army back to western Xinjiang safely." Ling Ru said, "Through negotiation, we can continue to receive relief from Hebei, get support from all aspects of Hebei, and quickly restore our strength."

"Will the Northern Army be willing to negotiate a peace?" Han Yi smiled wryly, "Now that the Northern Army has an absolute advantage, Xu Rong is even sure of encircling and annihilating us. Will he agree to negotiate a peace with us? Xu Rong will not pay attention to us unless he surrenders. "

"Xu Rong will negotiate a peace with us." Ling Ru said with certainty, "The grain and grass in Guanzhong is enough for a hundred thousand troops for a month, but we only have [-] troops now. The grain and grass are enough for us to hold on to Chang'an City for two to three months. Let's first The army withdrew to the Weishui Bridge and stood firm, and after all the grain and grass hoarded in Xinfeng City were transported to Chang'an City, we withdrew into the city and confronted the Northern Xinjiang Army."

"And then?" Han Yi asked, "The news of my father's death cannot be concealed for long. With my father's death, the situation in western Xinjiang is complicated and perilous. Out of consideration for the safety of Guanzhong, Hebei is bound to make adjustments to its strategy in western Xinjiang. This At that time, did Xu Rong still have a peace meeting? Even if Xu Rong is willing to negotiate a peace..." Han Yi pointed to his nose and said, "But does Xu Rong believe me? If you are Xu Rong, you will believe that I have forgotten the revenge of killing my father, Do you really want to submit to Hebei and guard the western border for Hebei?"

"It is necessary to keep a low profile, especially at this critical moment." Ling Ru looked at Han Yi, hesitated for a long time, and hesitated to speak.

"Just say something." Han Sui said seriously, "As long as we can return to Western Xinjiang safely, we will use any method."

"If... the commander of the Xiliang Army is Ma Chao, things may turn around..." Seeing Han Yi's face turning cold, Ling Ru immediately swallowed the rest of the words.

Ma Chao is a warrior, he has a deep relationship with the Qiang people, and has a good relationship with the generals of Xiliang. To survive, if they want to rise again in Xiliang, they need the help of Hebei.For Hebei, it is also a good choice to support Ma Chao, use Ma Chao to check and balance Han Yi, check and balance various forces in Western Xinjiang, and then quickly stabilize Western Xinjiang.

As for the animosity between Ma Chao and the Northern Army, it's nothing to complain about. On the battlefield, it's either you die or I live. There is nothing to complain about. On the contrary, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao used despicable means to kill Ma Teng and Ma Chao's relatives. A real blood feud.If Ma Chao gained the trust of the Northern Xinjiang Army and regained his strength, he might have a chance to lead the army to Luoyang. Ma Chao was rewarded and grateful to Hebei. In turn, he would be loyal to Hebei and guard the western border for Hebei.

Let Ma Chao be the commander-in-chief of the Xiliang Army, let Ma Chao and Xu Rong negotiate a peace, let Ma Chao bring the Xiliang Army back, and let Ma Chao give himself time to recover his strength and make a comeback.This is the only practical way at present.

Han Yi thought for a while, his face gradually softened, and his eyes turned to Yang Qiu and other Xiliang veterans.

"Before Mr. died, he told the three of us that Ma Chao should be the commander-in-chief of the Xiliang Army." Yang Qiu felt that now was an opportunity to speak out Han Sui's last words, "but the three of us..." Yang Qiu pointed out Pointing to Cheng Yi and Cheng Yin, he smiled meaningfully, which meant telling Han Yi that we support you, so we concealed the husband's last request.

What Han Yi is most worried about is the veterans of Xiliang. Whether they support him in taking charge of Xiliang will directly affect his future destiny.In order to bring the army back safely to Xijiang as soon as possible, he can give up his position as the commander-in-chief of the Xiliang Army, and he can tolerate Ma Chao's rise in Xiliang again, but Ma Chao's strength must be within the scope of his control, and to do this, The absolute loyalty of these Xiliang veterans must be obtained.

"That's good." Han Yi stood up abruptly and waved his hands vigorously, "Let's go meet the new commander-in-chief of the Xiliang Army together."

=

In July, Guanzhong, Wannian City.

In the morning, Qu Yi took Simpi to Wannian City to meet Taiwei Xu Rong.

(End of this chapter)