Great Han Empire

Chapter 927 Troubled Times Heroic Chapter Wins Central Plains
After all, the judge did not reveal this secret.When Li Hong and Feng Xue dispatched the judge out of the military tent together, the judge was still immersed in pain, looking very dazed.

"Actually, brother Zhengnan is more sad to live than to die." Li Hong watched the judge's staggering back disappear into the darkness, and whispered to Fengxue, "In order to survive, or for Luoyang's survival, he made a lot of compromises and violated his own conscience. I'm sorry about my friend. He survived, but his conscience is tortured, and he would rather die."

"He's not wrong either." Feng Xue snuggled into Li Hong's arms and sighed in a low voice, "Maybe he's not only doing it for himself or for the survival of his clan."

"For the country?" Li Hong smiled wryly. "In today's world, from the emperor, the eldest princess to ordinary people, everyone has a country in their hearts. Everyone has a different understanding of the country. The country can be a lofty ideal. It is prosperity and wealth, it can also be two meals a day, and it can even be understood as survival and living. Brother Zhengnan also has a community in his heart, but I am the chief culprit in destroying this community, and Yuan Shao and him are the pillars supporting this community , for the community in his mind, he can sacrifice everything, even his own conscience and backbone."

"People are really hard to understand." Feng Xue sighed, "You and he both think you are right, but neither can convince the other." Then she leaned into Li Hong's ear and asked softly, "Will you kill him?"

Li Hong was speechless for a long time.

"In the desert, whoever is the winner is right." Fengxue looked up at the beautiful night sky, and said softly, "In this world, there is only winner and loser, there is no right or wrong. Brother seems right Tired of killing."

Li Hong sighed deeply.

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Li Hong accepted the suggestion of trial and appointment, and put the most difficult issues aside, and turned to discuss difficult problems such as the distribution of power in the court, the status of Yuan Shao, Liu Biao and others in the court, and the affiliation relationship between the court and local states and counties, etc. .If these problems can be resolved first, and the requirements of Yuan Shao, Liu Biao and others are met, perhaps the two sides will have the possibility to negotiate and resolve the issue of imperial reunification.

The negotiations between Li Hong and Yuan Shao have been going on in secret in Xingyuan. When the three-party peace talks in Dingtao City were over and Cao Ren, Sun Ben and others left, Li Hong immediately wrote to Yuan Shao, asking both parties to increase the number of peace talks. Come up with an initial settlement.Yuan Shao replied quickly, agreeing to Li Hong's suggestion, and made an appointment in mid-October, when both sides sent six officials to Chenliu for talks.

Li Hong rushed to the court, please send the officials to the Central Plains as soon as possible.

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At the end of September, Zhong Yao, the new governor of Yanzhou, rushed to Dingtao and brought the imperial edict.

The eldest princess decreed that General Li Hong, the Great Sima, be fully responsible for appeasing the rebellion, and no longer supervise the military affairs of Qingyan and Yanzhou.During his absence in Jinyang, General Zuo Cheqi Xian Yufu was in charge of Da Sima's affairs, and asked the general to send back all the subordinates of Da Sima's mansion immediately.

Li Hong's subordinates generally hold two positions and handle the affairs of the two governments at the same time. When he led the army to conquer, these people all went to Xingyuan, and the Da Sima Mansion in Jinyang was just an empty shelf. The eldest princess of Sima Shi has full authority to handle it.Now the distribution of power in the imperial court has undergone major changes.During Li Hong's expedition abroad, the Grand Sima Shi was led by Zuo Cheqi General Xian Yufu on his behalf.Although General Zuo Cheqi also opened the mansion, but he is in charge of the affairs of the Grand Sima, and all military affairs are handled by him and the subordinates of the Grand Sima Mansion. His own subordinates have no right to handle the affairs of the Grand Sima Mansion, otherwise they will lose head.

Now Li Hong has only one set of troops in his hands, and he must stay in Xingyuan to handle military affairs, and the subordinates in Da Sima's mansion can only be requisitioned separately.In Da Sima's mansion, the positions of Chang Shi and Sima are very important.Originally, Chen Hao was the chief historian of Da Sima Mansion, but after Chen Hao returned to Jinyang, because Sima Fang, an important minister of Yushitai, was old and retired, he was reinstated and returned to his original post.The current head of the two prefectures, Shi Fugan, is the best candidate, and this time the eldest princess asked him to return to Jinyang to get married, intending to keep him in Jinyang, but Li Hong himself was unwilling.

Li Hong invited Zhang Liao to the big tent, and asked him if he would like to serve as the head of the Grand Sima's residence temporarily as a general Yangwei.Li Hong knew the difficulties of Zhang Liao's family from Peng Lie's letters, and he always wanted to find a chance for him to return to Jinyang to serve Gaotang.With Zhang Liao's intelligence and meritorious service, it is most appropriate to help Master Xianyu take charge of military affairs, but generals are generally unwilling to leave the army. Leaving the army means losing the opportunity to make meritorious service, which has a great impact on his career.Zhang Liao agreed without hesitation.For him at this moment, being able to return to Jinyang to serve his seriously ill parents and take care of young children is far more important than making contributions.

"Use this opportunity to stay in Jinyang for a period of time and take care of the family affairs." Li Hong felt a little sorry when Zhang Liao agreed and was grateful, "I will transfer you back when I fight Luoyang next year." ,what do you think?"

Zhang Liao bowed in thanks.

"Since you have been the long history of the Great Sima's Mansion, I will no longer conscript the Sima of the Great Sima, and let Mr. Xianyu arrange it. Zhao Xing and Wang Chang (chang) will return to Jinyang with you and go to the Great Sima's Mansion Serve as Zhonglang." Li Hong ordered some more things, and then told Zhang Liao to leave immediately.

Just when Zhang Liao was about to walk out of the big tent, Li Hong suddenly thought of something and stopped him, "This time Qihang (Zhao Xing) is going back to get married, and the bride is Shi Sun Xin, do you know?"

Zhang Liao nodded with a smile, "Don't worry, General, I will definitely bring the bride back to Jinyang intact."

"There is another person, you have to take her back too." Li Hong walked up to Zhang Liao and asked with a smile, "You should know who I'm talking about, right?"

Zhang Liao was stunned for a moment, and suddenly looked a little embarrassed.

"Didn't you meet her often during this time? She is Lord Guo Yun's niece, and you are Lord Guo Yun's disciple. Naturally, you are somewhat close emotionally, which is understandable." Li Hong stretched out his hand and patted Zhang Liao's face. Shoulder, "I let my wife test it out, she respects you very much, and her words are also very..." Li Hong saw Zhang Liao's face turned red, and then took back the rest of the words, "It's a long way to go to Jinyang, what do you want? Take the initiative to care about her and take care of her."

"General..." Zhang Liao just wanted to speak, but Li Hong immediately stopped him with a wave of his hand, "This is not your personal matter, this is a matter of Beijiang. I will write to Lord Guo Yun to propose marriage on your behalf. You return to Jinyang After that, we will finish this matter immediately and marry her home before the end of the year."

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September, Kansai.

It was because of Yang Feng's foresight that the Northern Xinjiang Army was able to take down Shancheng.

During the Central Plains War last year, he was ordered to lead an army to attack Guanxi to contain Yuan's troops. During this period, the Northeast Frontier Army of Hebei once captured Shancheng.When withdrawing from Shancheng, Yang Feng thought that the army would come back soon, so he asked his men to secretly destroy the iron gate of the water gate.Shancheng is built along the river, and there is a water gate in the north city, which is the key point of city defense, and there are usually heavy troops.After discussing with Yang Feng, Qu Yi and Yang Feng decided to fight for a few days to paralyze the enemy, and then pretend to withdraw.That night, they sent a team of warriors who could sneak into the water gate to break through the fence and seize the tower.The follow-up assault front army roared in by Mengchong boat.The enemy soldiers fought hard for days, exhausted, and fell asleep early. As a result, they suffered heavy casualties and had to abandon the city and flee.

After the Northern Xinjiang Army conquered Shancheng, they continued to advance towards Mianchi.At this time, the people who migrated to Guanzhong had already crossed the Yellow River. Guanzhong was in urgent need of food, and the supply of food and grass for the army became increasingly tight.

In September, news of the imperial court's decree to recruit military households reached the army.Qu Yi, Yang Feng and others applauded and congratulated each other.General Xu Rongshu of the right chariot told Qu Yi that the goal of increasing troops had been achieved, and the advance of the army on the Kansai battlefield had also achieved the expected goal. The Central Plains army had also captured Yingchuan and gained a firm foothold. Attacks were suspended in the Mianchi and Xin'an areas.

Qu Yi immediately reported to the court and ordered the ministries to stop the attack.

In mid-September, the imperial decree arrived.Agreeing to Qu Yi's request, the Kansai battlefield ceased fighting immediately, and ordered all ministries to rest in the Shancheng and Hongnong areas, ready to go into battle at any time.

At the end of September, the imperial edict came again. The imperial court ordered General Wu Yi Gao Lan to lead the army to station troops in Guanxi, and ordered Qu Yi, Yang Feng, Zhang Baiqi, Zhang He, Sun Qin, Liang Baiwu and other ministers to return to Jinyang quickly.

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September, Guanzhong.

After receiving the imperial decree to increase troops, Xu Rong immediately summoned Jingzhao Yin Zhao Jian, Hedong Taishou Cui Lin and other three assistants to discuss the matter of enlisting military households with the high officials in Hedong, but then he received the imperial decree ordering him to return to Jinyang as soon as possible. .

Xu Rong entrusted Zhao Jian with the task of moving the population westward and stabilizing the Sanfu, and entrusted Chen Wei with the task of increasing troops, and returned to Jinyang with Hua Xiong and He Feng.

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September, Xiliang.

Jia Xu rushed to Hanyang County as quickly as possible, and quickly visited more than a dozen influential families in Xiliang.Jia Xu promised that the main force of the northern army would enter the western border one after another, and would guarantee the safety of the western border and ensure that their power would not be damaged.Jia Xu asked them to immediately contact the noble families in Jincheng County and other places to dissuade Han Yi, Yang Qiu and others from killing each other, which made the Qiang people cheaper in vain.Jia Xu warned that if the situation in Jincheng County could not be reversed quickly, General Xu Rong might personally lead the army to rebel.

Jia Xu then sent Pang De and Nie Xiao to rush to Locust and Fanghan to stabilize Longxi with their cavalry.In the past, many Qiang people in the area of ​​Locust Zhong and Fanghan belonged to the tribes of Beigong Boyu, Li Wenhou, and Nie Xiao. As soon as Nie Xiao returned to the area of ​​Locust Zhong and Fanghan, many Qiang tribes there would return to support Nie Xiao again. As the master of Qiang in Huangzhong, the severe situation in Longxi will be alleviated immediately.

In the past two years, Han Sui exhausted Liangzhou's wealth in order to conquer Guanzhong, and the people of Liangzhou were extremely miserable.Jia Xu rushed to the court to ask for relief, and at the same time he wrote to the right chariot general Xu Rong, asking him to be tolerant and temporarily dispatching a batch of military rations to Liangzhou for emergency relief.

Xu Rong readily agreed, and urged Qu Yi to stop the Kansai War immediately.

With food in hand, Jia Xu felt a little more at ease.He summoned the officials of Hanyang to discuss matters.These officials were all appointed by Han Sui, and everyone was terrified, and some timid ones simply abandoned their posts and fled.Jia Xu tried his best to appease them, promising that as long as they are loyal to the big man and the current emperor, they will forget the past and continue to use them.

Jia Xu read out the imperial edict.The Son of Heaven pardoned the officials of Liangzhou for their crimes, reduced and exempted Liangzhou's taxes for three years, and required officials from all over the country to obey the orders of the court and make preparations for the implementation of the New Deal as soon as possible, striving to stabilize Western Xinjiang in the shortest possible time.

The officials in Xiliang were very grateful, and they made petitions one after another, willing to do their best for the stability of Xiliang.

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In September, Yingchuan.

As the Northern Frontier Army's attacks in the direction of Luyang became more and more fierce, there were more and more Yuan troops in the direction of Yangcheng. When the Kanxi battlefield gradually calmed down, Yuan Shao again increased his troops in Yangcheng.

In September, Xu Huang received an urgent report from Wu Xiong at the foot of Luyang City. Yangcheng was lost, and now the army has retreated to Yangdi. Please increase your troops quickly.

Xu Huang was very dissatisfied, and wrote back, saying that you have more than enough troops to defend Yangdi City. You drag Yuan Jun under Yangdi City first, and then attack back and forth after I take Luyang.

This letter has just been sent out, and Song Xian's letter has also arrived.Liu Bei led the army to counterattack, and the city of Linying was lost. Now the army is retreating to the front line of Yingyin and Xuchang. Please support quickly.

Unmoved, Xu Huang ordered Song Xian to stand firm and command the main force to attack Luyang violently.

In mid-September, Yuan Xi rushed to Luyang with reinforcements.A few days later, Li Yan and Lu Jie from Jingzhou also arrived with their troops.The defensive strength of Luyang City increased suddenly, and the Northern Army lost the best opportunity to attack.

Xu Huang had no choice but to order the army to retreat to the front line of Rushui River, planning to rest for a few days and regroup the army before fighting.

At the end of September, the general sent a letter stating that the imperial court intended to appease Yuan Shao, asking the general to suspend the attack, and urging Yuan Yao to lead his army back to Chenliu to rest immediately.Many of Yuan Yao's subordinates are the Runan Yellow Turban Army, whose combat effectiveness is not high and urgently needs to be reorganized.

After Xu Huang sent Yuan Yao away, he immediately divided up Yangdi City, and together with Wu Xiong, he took back Yangcheng.Just when he was about to lead the main force to go south to Yingyin and Xuchang, Song Xian urgently reported that Liu Bei had retreated.

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At the end of September, Yuan Tan led the forward army to the front line of Yingchuan day and night.After Liu Bei explained everything clearly, he led his army to Nanyang Wancheng to meet the emperor.

Almost at the same time, Yuan Shao of Luoyang ordered Yuan Wei to act as an agent of the military administration, and he took Feng Ji and Yuan Shang to Wancheng to meet the emperor.Before leaving, he wrote to Yuan Tan that winter was coming soon, and it was unlikely that the northern army would continue to attack Luyang. He should seize the time to organize the autumn harvest, recruit soldiers, and prepare for a counterattack next spring.

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October, Yanzhou, Chenliu.

At the beginning of this month, Li Hong moved the general Xingyuan to Chenliucheng.

Xun Chen, Chen Lin, Xin Ping, Wang Gong and others who participated in the peace talks have already arrived in Xingyang. After receiving Yuan Zhong's letter, they immediately took Zhongmu City and arrived in Chenliu last month.

The two sides immediately started talks.

The Luoyang side attached great importance to the peace talks. The six officials who participated in the peace talks were all Yuan Shao's cronies, but compared to Hebei, their weight was still much lower.On the Hebei side, General Li Hong personally participated in the talks, and many things could be decided on the spot, but on the Luoyang side, there was no one who could make decisions on behalf of Yuan Shao.

On the first day of the talks, Yanzhou Inspector Zhong Yao, Jiyin Prefect Zhang Chao, Chenliu Prefect Dong Fan, Wuwei Zhonglang General Sima Yi, General Sima Wang Ling and others presented a detailed peace negotiation plan. Insufficient, helpless, and the atmosphere was awkward for a while.

Li Hong didn't take it seriously, and kept chatting and laughing with Jianpei, Xin Ping and others without any discomfort.

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In mid-October, Yuan Yao led his troops into Yongqiu.

General Li Hong warmly entertained Yuan Yao and his party in Xingyuan.At the general's suggestion, Yuan Yao, Xun Zheng, Liu Ye, Liu Fu, and Huang Yi rushed to Jinyang to meet the emperor and princess.Lu Mian, Zheng Bao, Liu Pi and others stayed in Yongqiu to lead the army to rest.The general intends to ask General Ji Ling to rush to the Central Plains to lead this army in the year after the year.After Yuan Yao heard about it, he was very grateful. After all, this was the last man left by Yuan Shu, and he really wanted to keep it.

Before Yuan Yao left Xingyuan, the General said, both the Sima Mansion and the General Mansion are short of people, if your subordinates have outstanding talents, you can recommend one or two, and I can recruit them immediately.

Yuan Yao was overjoyed and thanked him endlessly.The general not only allowed himself to retain the army, but also took the initiative to enlist his subordinates to serve in the two governments. This was obviously helping him cultivate power.Yuan Yao was very moved, he died for his confidant, and in the future he will repay the general no matter what.

Yuan Yao recommended Jiang Ji.Jiang Ji is a native of Jiujiang County, Yangzhou. He is extremely talented and highly valued by Yuan Yao.Li Hong saw that he was young and handsome, and his conversation was extraordinary, so he liked him very much, and immediately made him the head of the general's mansion, Bo.

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October, Jingzhou, Nanyang.

Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, and Liu Bei gathered in Wancheng.

The officials of the three parties carefully discussed the current situation and Yuan Shao's offensive and defensive strategies, and agreed that if they want to reverse the predicament at present, they can only pin their hopes on the West Road battlefield.Although Yuan Tan tried every means to stabilize the situation on both sides of the Yangtze River, Sun Quan, Zhou Yu and Hebei were inextricably linked, and they were not trustworthy at all. They might turn against each other at any time, so the role of the East Road battlefield was very limited.

The most worrying thing about opening up the West Road battlefield is time.Liu Bei's strength is limited. Even if Liu Biao is willing to send troops to help, facing the dangerous terrain of Yizhou, it is too difficult for the army to occupy Bashu before the Northern Xinjiang army attacks Luoyang.The time for the northern army to attack Luoyang should be after next year's spring plowing, which is about half a year away from now. It is actually impossible to defeat Liu Zhang and occupy the entire Yizhou in such a short period of time.Taking a step back, even if Liu Bei occupies Yizhou for half a year, he still needs time to stabilize Yizhou. According to the best estimate, it will take at least a year for Liu Bei to go north to attack Guanzhong.

It is not a problem for Luoyang to hold on for more than a year, but how long can Zhang Lu in Hanzhong hold on under the threat of the Northern Xinjiang Army?Will he seek refuge in Hebei?The location of Hanzhong is extremely important, and it is the only way to open up the West Road battlefield. If the northern army is allowed to take Hanzhong first, then everything will be over.

This time Yuan Shao also invited Zhang Lu from Hanzhong, but Zhang Lu refused to come, using the long distance as an excuse, which annoyed Yuan Shao.Obviously, the defeat in Guanzhong greatly reduced Yuan Shao's strength, and Zhang Lu no longer took him seriously.

"We must control Hanzhong to ensure that the westward army can attack Guanzhong in a year's time." Yuan Shao said helplessly, "At present we have no way to kill Zhang Lu, we can only delay him first, and when Xuande takes Chengdu next year, we Then work together to kill him. All in all, Hanzhong must not be lost."

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(End of this chapter)