Great Han Empire

Chapter 934 Troubled Times Heroic Chapter Wins Central Plains
All over Western Xinjiang, wars are on the rise again.

After the return of Nie Xiao and Baili Yang, the situation of Huangzhong and Huanghan Qiang in Longxi and Jincheng was chaotic for a time. Returning to Nie Xiao, the Shaodang, Shaohe, Dangjian, Lejie and other Qiang tribes who rushed into the western border had to make hasty preparations and miscalculated the situation. Seeing the swarms of northern Xinjiang cavalry, they immediately withdrew from the western border. Xinjiang.

After a long winter, Shaodang Qiangqu Shuai Tang Xiao and Shaohe Qiangqu Shuai Linghu once again assembled more than 60 tribes, and about 2 horsemen launched an attack on the Hehuang area.This time they were divided into two groups, starting from Longqi (qi) and Shigu in the east of the West Sea, advancing rapidly along the banks of the Huangshui River, crossing the Yellow River from the direction of Xiaoyugu, and attacking the hinterland of Jincheng County from north to south. .In a short period of time, the three cities of Linqiang, Anyi, and Poqiang on both sides of the Huangshui River fell, and the Huangzhong area fell into the enemy's hands again.

Nie Xiao led the Huangzhong Qiang cavalry to retreat across the board, and asked Jia Xu, the governor of Liangzhou, Pang De, the general who conquered the west, and Ma Chao, the general who protected the Qiang.

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Han Yi, the prefect of Jincheng County, and Yang Qiu, the captain of the Western Region, were on both sides of the Huangshui River, very close to Huangzhong Qiang, but Nie Xiao did not dare to ask them for help.

In the battle of Yicheng, Nie Xiao led the Huangzhong Qiang iron cavalry to betray Han Sui and defected to Li Hong, and Han Sui hated the Huangzhong Qiang tribes to the bone.Not long after he was defeated and returned to Jincheng County, under his instruction, various Qiang marshals such as Langlang and Mosheng led their troops to move to Huangzhong and annexed the tribes of Beigong Boyu, Li Wenhou and Nie Xiao.Now that Han Sui is dead, Xiliang surrendered to Hebei, and Nie Xiao came back with Huangzhong Qiang iron cavalry, the hatred between the two parties has not only not diminished, but has deepened.

After Ma Chao returned to Longxi, he once again borrowed troops from Baima Qiang and Shenlang Qiang. In addition, when the imperial court appointed him as General Protecting Qiang, he was allowed to temporarily recruit [-] troops to defend the frontier. Therefore, his strength recovered to a certain extent, but Baima Qiang Lei Biao, commander of Qiang, and Yu Feng, commander of Shenlang and Qiang, lent troops to Ma Chao under conditions. Ma Chao was required to help them attack Zhong Cunqiang, Mitang Qiang, and Laojie who lived in Xiqing Mountain from the direction of Fanghan and Baishi in Longxi. Qiang and Wuwu Qiang and other tribes.

Since Baima Qiang's Thunder in June and Sanlang Qiang's Northwest Rain to fight Deathwing City, the strength of the Qiang people living in the Minshan area has been greatly reduced, and they have been insulted and oppressed by other Qiang people.More than ten years later, Lei Biao, the son of June Jinglei, and Yu Feng, the son of Xibeiyu, have grown up. They want to revive the Baima, Shenlang and other Qiang tribes. Xinjiang is out of control today.

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The Baima Qiang and Shenlang Qiang in the Minshan area believed that now is the opportunity to make a comeback, and the Zhongcunqiang and Mitang Qiang in Xiqingshan also had the same idea. They believed that now is the best opportunity to attack the Longxi invaders and plunder the hinterland of Xiliang.After the beginning of spring, Zhong Cunqiang, the hero and handsome Licai, and Mitang Qiang, the hero and handsome cha, all united dozens of tribes, gathered more than 8000 cavalry and marched into Longxi.

Zhang Ming, the prefect of Longxi, Ma Chao, the general protecting the Qiang, and Baili Yang, the leader of the Qiang people in Fuhan, rushed to fight.The Han army focused their attention on Huangzhong, but they did not expect that the Qiang people from Xiqing Mountain would also take advantage of the chaos to invade, and they were in a hurry and retreated again and again.

At this moment, Nie Xiao's request for help made the Han army even worse.In desperation, Ma Chao, the general protecting the Qiang, sent someone to report to Lei Biao and Yu Feng, asking the two marshals to lead the army to support them, to fight against Zhong Cun, Mi Tang and other Qiang cavalry. At the same time, he asked Han Yi and Yang Qiu of Jincheng to quickly support Nie Xiao .

Han Yi and Yang Qiu ignored them, and refused to send troops on the grounds that the Hexi Qiang Qu commander threatened the Yellow River, such as the Hongri of Shaodang Qiang, the iron head of Dian Na Qiang, and the storm of Shendi Qiang.Ma Chao was furious.The armies of Han Yi, Yang Qiu, and others are on the line of Yunwu, Jincheng, and Zhiyang, only more than 200 miles away from Huangzhong. After being defeated by Han Yi at the end of last year, the armies of Hongri, Tietou, and Storm have retreated to In the area around the Sky Desert, it is impossible to threaten Jincheng in a short time.Ma Chao thought that Han Yi was putting Xiliang's safety at risk and avenging his personal revenge.The relationship between the two became increasingly tense.

Pound, the general who conquered the west, led 3000 troops to quickly support.The two sides fought fiercely in Anyi City.In April, Pang De ambushed the Qiang people in Luodu Valley on the north bank of Huangshui River, and killed the young general who was in charge of Jianqiang and more than 600 Qiang soldiers.This battle dealt a severe blow to the arrogant Qiang people, shocked Tang Xiao, and eased the tension in Huangzhong.At the same time, Lei Biao and Yu Feng led five thousand cavalry across the Wangqu Valley in the southwestern frontier of Longxi, and rushed to Didao to join Ma Chao.The two sides fought a battle in Daxia in Longxi, and each suffered injuries.Li Cai took the Qiang cavalry back to Huahan.

Pang De and Ma Chao blocked the invading Qiang people in the south and west of Xijiang respectively, but before they could catch their breath, the Hexi Qiang army appeared on the north bank of the Yellow River.Hongri, Tietou, Fengfeng, Li Kan's son Li Fei, and Ma Wan's son Ma Chang roared in with an army of [-].Zhang Ji, the prefect of Wuwei County, fled back to Jincheng in embarrassment.

This time it was Han Yi's turn to seek help from Pang De and Ma Chao.Pound couldn't take care of himself.Nie Xiao is now focused on taking back Huangzhong, but he ignores Han Yi.Ma Chao didn't dare to go north either.At this moment, the Han army in western Xinjiang was being attacked from all directions, and the Qiang people were powerful. If Lei Biao and Yu Feng turned their backs and refused to recognize them, Longxi would not be able to survive.He thought so in his heart, but it really happened.

Li Cai met Lei Biao in private, but Lei Biao couldn't hold back for a long time, and the two hit it off immediately and jointly attacked Ma Chao.Ma Chao, Jiang Feng and Baili Yang were defeated and fled.The Qiang attacked Didao.Didao was the county seat of Longxi. If Didao was lost, Longxi would be lost, and Hanyang County would be attacked by the Qiang people.

Ma Chao personally rushed to Jincheng to borrow troops from Han Yi.Now the Qiang people in Hexi are still on the north bank of the Yellow River, and Han Yi still has a natural danger of the Yellow River in his hands. The situation is far better than that in Longxi, but Han Yi does not borrow it.Ma Chao sneered, Longxi is lost, the Qiang people will go straight north to kill Jincheng, cut off your retreat, and then you will be besieged by the Qiang people on all sides.

Ma Chao speaks very effectively.Before he finished speaking for a few days, Zhang Ming, Baili Yang and Jiang Feng were driven out of Didao by the Qiang people, and Longxi was lost.

Pound was shocked when he heard the news, and hastily ordered all the ministries to retreat quickly.

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The sudden deterioration of the situation in western Xinjiang was completely beyond Xu Rong's expectations.Holding Jia Xu's letter, he looked up to the sky and sighed, "As expected, Ma Chao ruined Xijiang after all."

"Ma Chao wanted to use the Qiang people, but he was used by the Qiang people. I can't blame him." Xun You said helplessly. The situation has deteriorated so quickly."

"Before Ma Chao left Chang'an, I warned him that after Han Sui's death, the situation in western Xinjiang might get out of control. I told him not to associate with Baima Qiang and Shen Lang Qiang, but he just didn't listen." Xu Rong said angrily. Shaking his head, "The thunder in June, the rain in the northwest, and the fox in the snowy mountain all died at our hands. Twenty or thirty thousand Qiang people were buried under the city of Yicheng. How can this enemy of the Qiang people not avenge him?"

"Can Wenhe (Jia Xu) and Lingming (Pang De) stop the Qiang people?" Xun You asked worriedly.

"If..." Xu Rong paused for a moment, and smiled wryly, "If Han Yi, Yang Qiu, Cheng Yin and others can keep their promises and be loyal to the imperial court, then there are still more than 3 troops in Xiliang, and they can still stick to Jincheng. , Yuzhong line. When the Hexi Qiang people Hongri, Tietou, Fengfeng and Tang Xiao from the West Sea, Lei Biao from Minshan, Licai from Xiqingshan and other Qiang cavalry meet up, we can retreat to Yicheng and Shangyu (gui. Today’s water) stop it on the front line. If Han Yi and other Xiliang generals defect and join forces with the Qiang people, then we will have to draw troops from the Kanxi battlefield to defend Guanzhong.”

Xun You looked dignified and was speechless for a long time.

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In mid-April, Taiwei Xunyou and General Xu Rong of Youcheqi jointly went to the imperial court to report the military situation in western Xinjiang and put forward countermeasures.

Judging from the current situation, the situation in Xijiang cannot be rescued in the short term, and we can only do our best to stop the enemy. It is expected that the armies from all walks of life in Xiliang will retreat to Yicheng and Shangyu around June.For this reason, Xun You and Xu Rongzuo asked the eldest princess to immediately order Liangzhou Governor's Mansion to evacuate the 10,000+ population in Hanyang County to Guanzhong immediately.After these 10,000+ people were withdrawn to Guanzhong, some strong men could be temporarily recruited as civilian husbands to deliver food, grass and weapons to the Xiliang army, while some old, weak, women and children needed relief from the court.

The Xiliang battlefield is at war, and a large amount of food, grass, weapons and civilian labor are needed.Xun You and Xu Rong suggested that the eldest princess make an order to immediately stop rebuilding Chang'an and devote limited manpower and material resources to the Xiliang battlefield to ensure the safety of Guanzhong and the smooth progress of the Luoyang war.

As for the solution to the crisis in Xiliang, Xu Rong believed that the only way to recruit the Hu cavalry outside the Great Wall was to let the Hu cavalry attack Hexi, threaten the old nest of the Qiang people in Hexi, and force them to withdraw their troops and return to aid.However, in the Central Plains War the year before last and the Guanzhong War last year, the imperial court conscripted Hu cavalry outside the Great Wall and recruited a large number of livestock. If they were to be recruited again this year, it would be very difficult.

As of today, the Hu tribes outside the Great Wall all know the current situation of the big Han, and the power of the big Han to them has been greatly reduced. At the beginning, many ministers in the court opposed the recruitment of the Hu tribe's cavalry, and this was the most worrying point.The ambitions of the Hu people will inflate due to the decline of the big man, and then there will definitely be people who try to get rid of the shackles of the big man and try to conquer the desert.If we go to deploy troops again today, it is tantamount to telling the Hu tribes that the big Han are not only declining, but also rely on their help to survive, and troubles will follow.Some tribes will refuse to send troops for various reasons to accumulate strength.Even if some tribes are willing to send troops, they have traveled thousands of miles to Hexi to fight, which consumes a lot of money, and the court cannot immediately compensate them, which is a blow to their strength.If the strength is weak, they will become the targets of attack and devouring by others. When the big man is no longer able to protect them, they may become the first victims of the dispute in the desert.Without them, we would lose control of the desert, and the consequences would be dire.

We must ensure that there are enough controllable Huqi in the desert, otherwise the desert will be chaotic.The Xiongnu Iron Cavalry was originally the most loyal army of the Han Dynasty, but last year's Guanzhong War severely damaged their vitality, and the balance of power on the desert was broken. Therefore, we can no longer recruit tribes loyal to the Han Dynasty, such as the Xianbei people Shemoci, Wu At the foot of Wanrenlou.We should try our best to recruit tribes that may cause harm to the great man, such as the Xianbei Kirby Bear, Tuobatao, Karasuma Tadun, etc., but the recruitment of these tribes requires the appearance of the general himself.

Today the general is commanding the army to attack Luoyang in the Central Plains, and he has no time to go north to the desert to lead Huqi to attack Hexi.

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In mid-April, Xun You and Xu Rongshu told Jia Xu, Ling Ru and other Xiliang officials to arrange for the evacuation of Xiliang people as soon as possible.

The book told Pang De, Ma Chao, Han Yi and other Xiliang generals that they must put the community first, abandon personal grievances, and work together to tide over the difficulties.

Xu Rong urgently summoned Hua Xiong and asked him to station troops on the front lines of Chencang and Meicheng to support Xiliang at any time.

He Feng was urgently summoned to station heavy troops at the exits of various plank roads in Guanzhong to prevent Zhang Lu's sneak attack in Hanzhong. At the same time, he was invited to select scouts and go south to explore the terrain of Hanzhong.

Urgently summon the general's governor, Shi Chenwei, and others, and ask them to formulate a strategy for attacking Hanzhong, plan all the preparations for attacking Hanzhong, and when the time is right, they will quickly go south to Hanzhong.

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In mid-April, Jinyang.

In April, General Huben Lei Zi wrote to the imperial court that he spent a winter among the Hu tribes in the western and central parts of the desert, but there were very few Hu tribe leaders who were willing to send troops to attack Hexi.

Hu Ding and Qi Shen from Xianbei were loyal to the imperial court and agreed without saying a word.The Budu of the Xianbei suffered a great loss in the Guanzhong War last year. They were afraid of the Qiang people in Hexi and did not agree for a long time.Tuobatao and Tuoba raccoon politely refused on the pretext that they suffered a moderate snowstorm in winter and suffered serious losses of livestock.Mu Tao and Mu Li were attached to Tuoba Tao because of their weak strength, but Tuoba Tao refused to agree, so the two of them naturally did not dare to stand out.Kuangfengsha from Xianling Qiang had a battle with the Hexi Qiang people last year, and lost. In addition, they are all Qiang people, and they have more or less friendship, so they did not agree.

So many Hu tribes were unwilling to send troops. Lei Zi was worried about the safety of the desert, so he stationed troops at the foot of Yinshan Mountain and gave up going west to Liangzhou.He said in the memorial that the Qiang people in Hexi were powerful, and the tribes in the desert were worried about whether they could conquer and occupy Hexi.Now that we have failed to implement the strategy of entering Hexi, the army cannot effectively contain the Hexi Qiang people from the Tianqiong Desert area, which may have a great impact on the situation in Xiliang. Please inform Xiliang immediately.

After Leizi's memorial was sent to Jinyang, Xian Yufu, Zhang Yan, Zhang Liao, Huangfu Li and others immediately had a premonition that the situation in Xiliang was not good, and several people hurriedly discussed countermeasures, but before they could come up with any countermeasures, Xiliang had already It's a mess.

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The Eldest Princess urgently summoned Grand Tutor Yang Biao, Prime Minister Cai Yong, Yu Shi Dafu Liu He, Zuo Cheqi General Xian Yufu, Right Guard General Zhang Yan, Da Si Nong Li Wei, Shang Shu Ling Cui Yan, Zhong Shu Supervisor Tian Chou to Phoenix Pond discussion.

Several ministers read Xun You and Xu Rong's joint memorial several times, feeling extremely heavy.

"Before the Battle of Guanzhong, the general told the imperial court and Master Xu Rong again and again, requesting that the Xiliang army must be retained. We kept the Xiliang army, but killed the commander of the Xiliang army, Han Sui. .Our officers and men carry out the general's orders to the letter." The eldest princess looked stern, and her tone was extremely angry, "Now the general's worries have become a reality, and Xijiang has not only become a burden for the court, but also a ZTE. The biggest obstacle to the great cause."

"Han Sui's death was purely accidental." Zhang Yan sighed, thinking of her adoptive father Zhang Niujiao.In the Battle of Yingtao that year, the Yellow Turban Army also lost the entire battle because of Zhang Niujiao's accidental shooting of an arrow.

"Everyone in the court knows what Han Sui means to Xijiang. Under his control, Xijiang has been stable for more than ten years, but at the same time, it has also allowed the Qiang people to recuperate for more than ten years. This kind of strength is changing. It will become more and more obvious as time goes by." Zhang Yan advised, "His Royal Highness, even if Han Sui does not die, there will still be chaos in Western Xinjiang in the future, and the imperial court will still do everything possible to quell it. Western Xinjiang is very important to us. It is a lesson, an unforgettable lesson, so we must take precautions for the future of northern Xinjiang, or take precautions, and quietly kill the crisis brought about by this change in strength."

"How to kill it?" The eldest princess showed a trace of pain on her pale face, "I can't divide the general into two, can I?"

Zhang Yan had no way to deal with it, so he could only smile wryly.

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The eldest princess discussed with several ministers some suggestions put forward by Xun You and Xu Rong, but the results were very different.

The four ministers Yang Biao, Cai Yong, Liu He, and Cui Yan believed that it was necessary to evacuate the people of Xiliang to Guanzhong, but it was unnecessary to stop the construction of Weiyang Palace, especially at this critical moment concerning the fate of the country. Bite tight and stick to it.No matter what this year, the emperor and the imperial court must be moved to Guanzhong to strengthen Tianwei.

Xian Yufu, Zhang Yan, and Tian Chou admitted that moving the emperor and the court to Guanzhong would be beneficial for defending the western border and attacking Luoyang, but Guanzhong was too dangerous. Then things get out of hand.In addition, how can the imperial court finances support the war in Western Xinjiang?We can only tear down the east wall to make up for the west wall, and stop building Weiyang Palace first.

The eldest princess agreed with the opinions of Yang Biao and other ministers, but she was worried about the safety of Guanzhong, so she hesitated, "Master Li, what's your opinion?"

Li Wei holds the wealth and power in his hands. Whether the emperor and the court can move into Guanzhong this year depends on Li Wei's words.Li Wei thought for a long time, and finally put forward a compromise opinion, stop the construction of Weiyang Palace, and restore Liyang Palace.

Liyang is now the Wannian City in Guanzhong. It is located on the north bank of the Weishui River, more than 100 miles away from Chang'an. It is a large city with ten thousand households.In the past, Qin State established its capital in Liyang for 35 years before establishing its capital in Xianyang.Before Gaozu Liu Bang made Chang'an his capital, he also made it his capital for two years.The Liyang Palace is small in scale and has been well preserved so far. It can be used only with a little repair.In this way, the emperor and the imperial court could move to Guanzhong as scheduled. Once Guanzhong was threatened, the emperor and the imperial court could immediately transfer to Hedong by boat, and the imperial court temporarily saved a huge sum of expenses.

"That's it." The eldest princess did not hesitate at all, and immediately passed the decree, "Change Wannian City to Liyang. Before the restoration of Weiyang Palace, the emperor and the court will temporarily live in Liyang City."

"Send all the memorials of the three adults Xun You, Xu Rong, and Lei Zi, as well as the imperial court's views and countermeasures on the situation in Western Xinjiang, to the general's office, and ask the general to make a decision immediately."

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At the end of April, Yanzhou, Chenliu, the general Xingyuan.

Inside the Xingyuan big tent, the lights are bright.

Li Honghuan stood in front of the huge map with arms folded, contemplating deeply.

There has been no breakthrough in the Yingchuan battlefield. The army has not yet cut off the connection between Luyang and Luoyang, and has not completed the final siege of Luoyang.The time for Qu Yi, Yang Feng, Yushi, and Zhao Yun's two main forces to attack Luoyang in early May is getting closer, and the Yingchuan battlefield must immediately come up with a feasible attack strategy.

Yan Liang once asked Zheng Bao to lead his army up the Rushui River to attack Guangcheng Pass, but Yuan Xi had a heavy army in Guangcheng Guan, and his scouts were densely distributed on both sides of the Rushui River.Zheng Baoshang exposed his tracks before approaching the pass, but was ambushed by rebels and returned in a disastrous defeat.At the same time, Yan Liang borrowed Jiang Wu's cavalry from Xingyuan to attack Wancheng.The rebels took strict precautions against the iron cavalry in northern Xinjiang, especially paying more attention to the road leading directly to Wancheng, and set up numerous obstacles on the rivers and mountain roads that the road passed through.Jiang Wu was discovered just after he arrived in Kunyang with his iron cavalry. The appearance of the army was exposed, and the long-distance attack failed, so he had to return in dismay.

Yan Liang failed with one plan, so he devised another one.In mid-April, he ordered Xu Huang to withdraw across the Rushui River, intending to lure the main force of the rebels to the city of Yangzhai to encircle and annihilate them. However, what made Yan Liang dumbfounded was that Kuai Yue, the commander of the rebel army on the western front, stood at the Rushui River. After thinking for a while on the embankment, he actually ordered the army to withdraw to Luyang and stop fighting.

The rebels retreated across the board. Yuan Xi and Wenpin led a large army to deploy defenses at Guangchengguan and Luyang to protect the safety of Chidao, while Kuaiyue was stationed in Luyang City. The defense line was impeccable, leaving the northern army helpless.

Yan Liang was in a hurry, and made another design to let Zhang Xiu take the initiative to give up Yingyang City on the southern battlefield, lure Yuan Tan in, and then surround Yuan Tan with the main force, trying to use Yuan Tan as a bait to mobilize the rebels from Luyang to attack Yang Di.

Zhang Xiu gave way to Yingyang City, but scared Yuan Tan away. Yuan Tan didn't even want Linying City, and turned back to Runan with the army.

Yan Liang had nothing to do, so he wrote to General Li Hong that the road from Luyang to Guangcheng Pass was running through the mountains, and the army had no way to stop it, so they had to attack Luyang by force.Li Hong disagreed, saying that he would think of a way and not to rush.

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"General, how to reply to the imperial court regarding the matter in Xijiang?" Fu Gan walked behind Li Hong and said softly, "Master Xianyu sent another letter to remind him."

The imperial court's letter arrived three days ago, but Li Hong has not responded.The battle situation in Xijiang was tense, and the longer it dragged on, the worse it would be for the Xiliang Army, so Xian Yufu sent urgent letters every day to remind him.

"What do you think?" Li Hong asked in a low voice.

"Master Xu Rong made it very clear in the letter, and the eldest princess and the important officials in the court also knew it very well, so they didn't say anything, and sent the letter from Lord Xu Rong and Lord Lei Zi to the general for consideration. Deal with it." Fu Gan also lowered his voice and said, "Now, Kuang Fengsha is unwilling to move, even more afraid to move at a pace, Liu Bao can't move, Lou Lu can't move, and Tuoba Tao obviously won't cultivate an opponent for himself. If Du Geng wins Hexi, his strength will increase, there will only be disadvantages but no benefits for him, they are enemies, and Tuoba Tao has to guard against them, so we can only recruit Kirby Bear."

"If you were Kirby Bear, would you like to go on an expedition to Hexi, where there is no benefit for you?" Li Hong asked again, "From Wuhou Qinshui to Hexi, you have to travel across the entire desert and travel thousands of miles. ?"

"If I am determined to conquer the desert, this is the best chance to become famous. If I can defeat the Qiang people in Hexi, my name will be resounded throughout the desert. This is the opportunity I dream of." Fu Gan smiled slightly, "Murong Although the wind gave Kirby an army, it failed to help Kirby achieve great feats, and what Kirby needs most is merit."

"The commander-in-chief didn't give him something, can I give it to him?" Li Hong looked up at the deep night sky outside the tent, and suddenly thought of Murong Feng.

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(End of this chapter)