Great Han Empire

Chapter 948 Troubled Times Heroic Chapter Wins Central Plains
The fifth year of Jianxing in the Han Dynasty (201 AD), November.

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In November, the eldest princess and Prime Minister Cai Yong and other important court officials arrived at Pubanjin, Hedong.

Pang De, the general who conquered the west, and General Dangkou, who was also the governor of Liangzhou, Huangfu Lishu, wrote to the court. The Qiang people withdrew from Hanyang County at the end of October.As for why the Qiang people withdrew, the reason is not clear. It may be that the Hexi Expeditionary Force of Leizi and Kebixiong has already entered Wuwei, or it may be that the severe winter is approaching and the Qiang people lack enough food to support them.

General Li Hongshu reported to the imperial court that the army's attack on Luoyang was blocked, and the food and supplies were seriously insufficient. For this reason, the war had to be suspended temporarily and the attack deployment was readjusted.A detailed attack plan was also sent to the court along with the memorial.

The eldest princess and the court ministers breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

The cessation of the battle between Luoyang battlefield and Xiliang battlefield will greatly alleviate the financial crisis of the imperial court, especially the change of the general's attack strategy in Luoyang, which surprised the eldest princess, Cai Yong, Li Wei and other ministers.Although the general did not directly admit his mistakes, he set the time to attack Luoyang in the middle of March next year in the re-planned attack deployment, which is tantamount to accepting the military decision of the imperial court.

The change of the general's attitude eased the crisis in the court, and the haze over the hearts of the eldest princess and the ministers quickly dissipated. The eldest princess even made a decision that stunned the ministers, and she wanted to rush to Luoyang immediately.

Prime Minister Cai Yong, Taifu Yang Biao, and Zhongshu Supervisor Chen Qun (Tian Chou resigned soon, Chen Qun succeeded him as Zhongshujian) and other ministers hurriedly stopped.The Palace of the Son of Heaven and the imperial court moved to Liyang, Guanzhong. There are many affairs, and there is an urgent need for the eldest princess to sit in charge. How can they leave?

The eldest princess has a reason to rush to Luoyang.After the emperor and the court moved to Chang'an, there were many things to do, the most critical of which was the adjustment of ZTE's strategy.Next year the army will regain Luoyang and take the Central Plains, so what should the court do next?how to do itWhat method can be used to calm the world quickly and safely?The adjustment of ZTE's strategy cannot be done without the participation of generals.The reason for the conflict between the imperial court and the general in military decision-making this time was very complicated, but if the general had been in Jinyang at that time, things would not have gotten so out of hand.I went to Luoyang this time to invite the general back to Chang'an.The general once said that he would never return to Jinyang until Luoyang was conquered, but now that the court has moved to Chang'an, his return to the court to discuss matters is not considered a breach of oath.

The ministers stopped dissuading them after hearing the words, but just asked the eldest princess to return to Beijing as soon as possible.Zong Zhengqing and Yang Qi volunteered to accompany the princess to Luoyang to persuade the general.

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In the [-]th Middle School, the eldest princess, Yang Qi, Chen Qun and other ministers abandoned their boats and landed from Maojindu. Yang Yi, the new prefect of Hongnong, led the crowd to welcome them.

Drive through Mianchi, Xin'an, and Hangu Pass to the city of Luoyang.

The Son of Heaven, General Li Hong, General Qu Yi of the Left Guard, General Zhang Yan of the Right Guard, General Jia Xu of the Guard, the new Henan Yin Linghu Shao and other ministers rushed to the Gushui River to greet them.

The eldest princess rushed to Luoyang suddenly at this time, and the general Li Hong and a group of ministers more or less knew what the eldest princess's purpose was.The eldest princess looked joyful, comforted the ministers, and then settled in Shanglin Garden with the emperor.That night, the eldest princess hosted a banquet for the civil and military ministers at the Tianziying.During the banquet, Yang Qi whispered to the general, taking advantage of his drunkenness, that the highness should come to the city of Luoyang in person, and the general should be able to understand this kindness.You and I have known each other for more than ten years, and I know the basics. I will say something clearly. Now is the critical moment for the big man to go to ZTE. The generals should fight for what they should fight, and give up for the time being when they should not fight.In the end, it is the Son of Heaven who will bear the great cause of ZTE, and whether the Son of Heaven can undertake the great cause of ZTE is the crucial issue that the general should really consider.Under the current situation, it might be a good idea for the general to keep a low profile.

Li Hong nodded with a smile, leaned into his ear and asked, "Is the old man speaking on behalf of himself, or on behalf of the Yang family?"

Yang Qi smiled slightly, "The general recommended eight ministers to be the emperor's teachers. Among them, there is no Lord Li Wei, but my brother Yang Biao. Doesn't this explain the problem? Why should the general ask questions knowingly?"

Li Hong shook Yang Qi's hand vigorously, and asked meaningfully, "What does your lord think of the Yuan family?"

Yang Qi seemed to have thought about this issue a long time ago, and he said without hesitation: "Since ancient times, there has been no concubine, no son, and the head of the Yuan family should be Gongtai (Yuan Shu), and now Gongtai is gone. , the head of the Yuan family should naturally be the child Xianguang (Yuan Yao)."

"The aristocratic families in Guan and Luo think so too?" Li Hong asked with a smile, "Do the aristocratic families in Ying and Ru think the same?"

"Yuan Shao is finished." Yang Qi said calmly, "But the Yuan Clan's power is still very large. If the army conquers Luoyang and pulls the entire Yuan Clan power over, it will be hard to say whether the imperial court still needs to go south to suppress the rebellion."

Li Hong thought for a while, and then asked: "Then, in terms of the adjustment of Zhongxing's strategy, can Lord Taifu, Lord Prime Minister, Lord Taiwei, and Lord Yushi be consistent?"

"This is too difficult." Yang Qi said with a smile, "ZTE's strategy is related to the rise and fall of the country, and all aspects must be considered carefully, so it is difficult to coordinate. However, the general can now not only get the support of Master Zheng Xuan, but also get the support of Guan, Luo and others. The support of the intellectuals has a dominant advantage in ZTE's strategy, so there should be no big problem."

Li Hong understood and drank with Yang Qi.

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The next day, the eldest princess and the emperor rushed to Xianyangyuan to appease the refugees, and presented a large amount of food and clothing.The people of Luoyang were grateful.Then the eldest princess inspected the military camps of various ministries and the supply camp, and gave many rewards and rewards to the soldiers, civilian husbands and craftsmen.

On the third day, the eldest princess listened to reports from officials in Henan and Hongnong in Xingyuan, the son of heaven.The battle against Luoyang has come to a halt. The most urgent task is to resettle the refugees and rebuild their homes. We will try our best to sow seeds in the land in Luoyang and Hongnong during the next spring plowing, so that they can be self-sufficient and reduce the heavy relief burden of the imperial court.

On the fourth day, the eldest princess summoned the general in Xingyuan.I haven't seen each other for more than two years. The eldest princess is more mature and more beautiful, but the general has a lot of gray hair on his head, and his face is even more vicissitudes.

The eldest princess looked at the white hair on the general's head, her heart suddenly felt sad, and her eye circles immediately turned red, "You are old."

The general was stunned for a moment, the white strands in his long hair were caught in the corner of his eyes, and a wry smile appeared on his face, "I should be getting old too."

The eldest princess stood up suddenly and walked to the general.The general looked at her in surprise, not knowing what she was going to do.The Eldest Princess leaned over to take a closer look at Li Hong's long hair, then slowly squatted down, and reached out to find a white strand in Li Hong's long hair.The eldest princess's gesture was too intimate, and the general was embarrassed, wanting to say something to stop him but he didn't know how to say it.

"Don't move." The eldest princess said softly, "I'll pull out the white hair for you."

The delicate body of the eldest princess was stuck to Li Hong's back, and a faint fragrance wafted into Li Hong's heart quietly. In an instant, the little estrangement between the two disappeared, leaving only the bitter love.

A long white hair was held between two slender fingers and dangled in front of Li Hong's eyes. The eldest princess's resentful voice came softly, "Pull out the white hair, and you will not grow old."

Li Hong stretched out his hand to hold the white hair, and also held the hand of the eldest princess.The eldest princess's hands were icy cold, so cold that Li Hong's heart trembled.Director Zhang Gong was held by Li Hong, and his small face was gently pressed against Li Hong's long hair.

A low sigh sounded quietly in the empty tent, lingering in Li Hong's heart for a long time and it was hard to dissipate.

Li Hong slowly let go of the eldest princess's little hand, and the long white hair fell to the ground unsteadily, "Forget it, don't pull it out, it will grow back if you pull it out."

"No..." The eldest princess's cherry lips touched Li Hong's ear, "I want to pull it out, I don't want to see white hair on your head."

A cold tear fell on Li Hong's cheek, followed by another...

Li Hong felt a pain in his heart and almost burst into tears.

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On the fifth day, the general convened a military meeting with the generals of all ministries.

The general decided to accompany the emperor and princess back to Kyoto.

Master Qu Yi, the general of the left guard, sat in Xingyuan, commanded all the ministries to surround Luoyang, and continued to make all preparations for attacking Luoyang.

The latter general, Lord Yushi, immediately went to Chenliu to sit in town, and the former general and Wei Wei, Lord Lu Bu, will return to Kyoto.

General Yan Liang, the left general, sits on the battlefield of Yingchuan and pays close attention to the movements of the rebels in Jing and Henan.

At the end of November, the Son of Heaven and Princess Chang returned to Chang'an under the escort of General Li Hong, former General Lu Bu, General Long Xiang Zhao Yun and other ministers.

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In November, the Yangtze River, Caishi crossing.

With the efforts of Yuan Tan and Cao Cao, Sun Quan finally arrived at Caishi Ferry to discuss the opening of the East Road battlefield.

Sun Quan was angered by Hebei.Hebei repeatedly pressed for taxes, and even finally sent an envoy to press for them.This emissary was very arrogant. He threatened and lured Mrs. Wu in front of Mrs. Wu, frightened Mrs. Wu, and forced Sun Quan to pay the tax in full.Taxes are paid as soon as they are paid. Anyway, the amount is not large, and Jiangdong can bear it, but then another imperial decree came from Hebei, saying that in order to support the Luoyang battlefield, [-] warships and [-] skilled shipbuilders will be recruited from Jiangdong. Craftsmen, in addition to buy a batch of grain at a low price.The purpose of Hebei is obvious, they want to weaken Jiangdong's force step by step.

Sun Quan was furious and resolutely refused to give.After hearing the news, Lu Bu ordered Zang Ba of Qingzhou to seize all the grain transporting boats in Jiangdong, and told Sun Quan in Jiangdong that if you continue to fight against the imperial court, our army will go south to Jiangdong after Luoyang is conquered, to punish you and other rebels .This time Mrs. Wu is also angry. Hebei is deceiving people too much. If this continues, the Sun family in Jiangdong will die sooner or later without a place to bury them.

Just at this time, Cao Cao and Yuan Tan successively wrote to invite Sun Quan to go north to Hefei to discuss the fight against Hebei.Liu Biao also informed Zhou Yu from Jingzhou, telling Liu Bei, Liu Zhang, and Liu Pan in detail about stabilizing Yizhou and preparing for the Allied Forces' Northern Expedition to Guanzhong to open up the West Road battlefield.In addition, the situation in western Xinjiang is getting worse and worse, the Qiang people are unstoppable, the Northern Xinjiang army has retreated to Yicheng, and Guanzhong is in danger.The northern army on the Luoyang battlefield suddenly stopped attacking, probably because the situation in western Xinjiang had to be adjusted quickly because of the critical situation.Therefore, Liu Biao speculated that Hebei was in trouble, and the conditions for opening up the East Road battlefield were ripe. He hoped that Jiangdong would give up his past suspicions and join forces against Hebei in order to save the country.

Zhou Yu was in Chaisang at the moment. He and Lu Su carefully analyzed the situation, weighed the pros and cons, accepted Liu Biao's suggestion, and urgently appealed to Sun Quan, believing that under the current circumstances, keeping Luoyang and driving the northern army back to the north of the Yellow River would It is the only chance to establish a confrontation between the North and the South.Jiangdong can take advantage of the opportunity of the North-South confrontation to quickly increase its strength.In the future, if the country is revived, there will be the achievements of Huan and Wen. If the country is overturned, troops will be dispatched to Jingxiang to ensure half of the Han Dynasty.

After many discussions, Sun Quan, Sun Ben, Wu Jing, Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong and others decided to break with Hebei, and instead worshiped the Emperor of Xiangyang, and joined forces with Cao Cao, Yuan Tan and others to open up the East Road battlefield.

Cao Cao is also furious now.Lv Bu, Gao Shun, Zang Ba and others Chen Bingqing and Yanzhou border, threatened Xuzhou, and sent envoys to Xuzhou to collect taxes, but sending troops to attack Suiyang was really intolerable.The purpose of the northern army's attack on Suiyang was too obvious. Once Luoyang was conquered, the northern army would go south from Suiyang and kill Jianghuai.While sharpening your knife and wanting to kill me, you still call me brother and brother, do you think I'm an idiot?Since you are not benevolent, don't blame me for being unrighteous. Everyone cuts off their robes and cuts off righteousness.

The meeting went very well.The situation has developed to the present, and Cao Cao and Sun Quan have no way out.Either break with Hebei, either death or life; or surrender to Hebei and be a grandson to Hebei, but once the world is settled, you will undoubtedly die.Anyone who believes that Li Hong will not cut off his own head is a pure idiot.

After the opening of the East Road battlefield was finalized, the three parties discussed in detail the deployment of the attack, when to gather troops, how many troops to gather, and where to start the attack. Unable to ascertain specific information.

The key to defeating the Northern Army this time is not in the east or middle battlefield, but in the west battlefield.As long as Liu Bei captures Chang'an, occupies Guanzhong, and forms a pincer attack on Luoyang, the northern army will be defeated. In other words, the east and middle battlefields are both containment battlefields. Deployment must be based on the attack strategy of the West Road battlefield.

If the western battlefield wants to attack smoothly, it must get support from the central and eastern battlefields. Even if the eastern battlefield cannot be opened, Liu Bei still needs Liu Biao's help on the central battlefield. , so Liu Biao must know Liu Bei's strategy of the Northern Expedition, but he was afraid of leaking the strategy and dared not tell Cao Cao, Yuan Tan and Sun Quan casually.

Cao Cao immediately decided that the three parties should send officials to Xiangyang to discuss with Liu Biao about the attack strategy on the East Road battlefield.

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The fifth year of Jianxing in the Han Dynasty (201 AD), December.

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December, Xiangyang.

Cao Cao's long history Xun Yu, Sun Quan's Sima Zhang Hong, Zhou Yu's subordinate Lu Su, and Yuan Tan's long history Liu Xian jointly rushed to Xiangyang, met with the emperor, and then discussed with Liu Biao the strategy of fighting Hebei.

Liu Biao was very happy to hear that Cao Cao and others had decided to open up a battlefield on the east road. He, Kuai Yue, Liu Xian and others came up with the attack strategy on the middle road battlefield formulated by Jingzhou. The two sides discussed for several days and made many adjustments respectively. From the beginning to the end, Liu Biao did not mention the specific attack strategy on the West Road battlefield.

Xun Yu couldn't bear it, and was the first to ask about the West Road battlefield.If there is something wrong with the west battlefield and Guanzhong cannot be attacked, then the attack on the east and middle battlefields will not be very meaningful.With the current strong force of the Northern Xinjiang Army, it is absolutely possible to defend Luoyang's outer line of defense.

Liu Biao was very helpless, saying that Liu Bei had not reported a specific attack strategy so far, even though he had written many letters, not even an approximate attack time.Liu Bei explained in his letter that there are only four plank roads leading from Hanzhong to Guanzhong. Except for Chencang Road, the other three plank roads have been in disrepair for a long time and need time to repair.In addition, when the army will pass the plank road depends on whether God can help. If the Qinling Mountains are snowy this winter and the snow melting time is too long, the time for the army to cross the plank road will definitely be delayed, so he cannot determine the specific attack time.

Xun Yu and the others were at a loss.

Liu Biao was very angry when he saw their despondent expressions.After all, you still lack self-confidence, worry that you will suffer losses, and don't have the courage to move forward.Since we are to contain the battlefield, of course we should take the lead in attacking to contain the strength of the Northern Border Army. Why hesitate?The harder we fight outside Luoyang, the better it will be for Liu Bei to attack Guanzhong.Taking a step back, even if Liu Bei wins Guanzhong, if we are hit hard by the Northern Army on the outskirts of Luoyang and cannot hold back the main force of the Northern Army, will Liu Bei still be able to gain a foothold in Guanzhong?Liu Bei can't occupy Guanzhong, and the northern army can make a comeback with a little recovery, but Luoyang still can't hold it.

Liu Biao's reprimand had some effect, everyone cheered up a little, and decided to launch an attack on the Northern Frontier Army in early March.

Liu Biao then wrote to Liu Bei, asking him to launch an attack around April, no later than the beginning of May, otherwise the situation in Luoyang would get worse and worse.

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December, Guanzhong, Liyang.

At the beginning of this month, the emperor and princess arrived directly in Chang'an.

General Xu Rong on the right chariot, General Dong Zhao, Jingzhao Yin Zhao Jian, Wuwei General He Feng, and Chang'an Commander Sun Ping took over.

Xu Rong and others reported the reconstruction plan of Chang'an City, and took the eldest princess to inspect the former site of Weiyang Palace.Weiyang Palace occupies a large area, and the combination of Luoyang South and North Palaces is only about half of Weiyang Palace.When the Red Eyebrow Army burned Chang'an City in the past, it was already destroyed.The Weiyang Palace, which was burned down by Li Jue, Guo Si and others a few years ago, was rebuilt under the order of Emperor Guangwu, and the scale is only a half of the Weiyang Palace in the past.Xu Rong, Dong Zhao and other ministers meant to completely rebuild Weiyang Palace on the old site, and rebuild Jianzhang Palace and Changle Palace one after another, so as to reproduce the former glory of the Han Dynasty.

The eldest princess has always been dissatisfied with this reconstruction plan, thinking it is too extravagant, and rushing to the scene in person at this moment is even more unacceptable to her.According to the current reconstruction plan, the Dahan Palace is equivalent to three Luoyang cities, and there are hundreds of palaces and pavilions. Its scale is unimaginable, and its cost is even more astonishing.

There was no smile on the eldest princess's face.When she was in Jinyang, there were only seven palaces and pavilions in Jinyang Palace, and there were no more than 100 eunuchs and maidservants in the palace, but she felt that the living room was very spacious and the state affairs were handled well, which was enough.Is it necessary for the palace to be so magnificent and extravagant?

"It's nothing but majesty." The general stood behind her and waved his hands vigorously, "This is what the prime minister of this dynasty, Mr. Xiao He, said, and it is very reasonable. This is the palace of the great man, where the majesty of the great man lies." ,The bigger the better."

The eldest princess looked back at him, hesitated to speak.

"The general is right. The imperial palace is not only a place where the emperor lives and handles state affairs, it is also a symbol of the great man." Dong Zhao said with a bow.

"It's still the man's face, the emperor's face, and yours' face, isn't it?" the eldest princess said angrily.

Dong Zhao shrank his head, took a quick step back, and hid behind the general.

"Nothing is majestic unless it is magnificent." The general said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, this façade must be supported no matter what. It represents the strength of my man, the invincible power."

The eldest princess snorted, and glared at the general again, but this glance was coquettish, obviously accepting the general's proposal.

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At the beginning of this month, the emperor and the eldest princess and their entourage entered Liyang.

The Son of Heaven Palace in Liyang has been renovated, it is far bigger than Jinyang Palace, and it is also more majestic in momentum.

At this moment, the Shangshutai, Zhongshujian, and Shizhong Temple of the Chinese and Inner Dynasties have been relocated, and the Prime Minister’s Mansion, Taiwei’s Mansion, Yushitai, and Da Sima’s Mansion in the Outer Dynasty are basically in place.On the afternoon of the day when the eldest princess arrived in Liyang, she sent an order to the officials of the various prefectures, starting tomorrow, to enter the palace to discuss matters, and all the cumbersome matters were handed over to the subordinates to handle.

That night, Li Wei and Xiao Lan, the great ministers, rushed to the mansion of the great general Sima to visit Li Hong.When the general heard the news, he greeted him out of the gate in person.I haven't seen him for three years. Li Wei's temples have white hairs, and his face is extremely haggard. He looks much older. It's hard to imagine that he is 35 years old.The general kept holding Li Wei's hand, feeling very emotional, "I fought for three years, and you gave me food and grass for three years, it's too hard for you."

"If I can bother the general to come out to meet him in person, even if I die, I won't regret it." Li Wei burst into tears and was very excited.Xiao Lan stood on the side, also secretly wiping tears, choked up and speechless.

The general led Li Wei and his wife into the study and talked with candles.After the two sides chatted for a while, Li Wei explained the court's decision in September again, hoping to get the general's understanding.

After listening to Li Wei's words quietly, Li Hong was silent for a long time, and the atmosphere in the study was oppressive for a while.Li Wei and Xiao Lan gradually felt uneasy.

"Zhong Yuan, before I left Jinyang, I gave you a warrant." Li Hong said suddenly, "Do you know why I gave it to you?"

Li Wei was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes lit up, and he nodded slightly.Shocked, Xiao Lan stared at Li Wei with wide eyes, a trace of fear flashed across her face.

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