Great Han Empire

Chapter 352 The Swordsman
In May of the fifth year of Zhongping in the Han Dynasty (AD 188).

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early may.Luoyang.

After the Son of Heaven appointed Fanling, the Shaofu, as the Taiwei, he immediately appointed Liu Ting, the Guangluxun, as the Shaofu, and moved Liu Hong, the prefect of Nanyang, as the Guangluxun.

With the tacit cooperation of all parties in the imperial court, the formation of the Xiyuan Army progressed very quickly.As soon as the recruitment notice was posted, there was a long queue of people who came to apply, and the number of recruits reached more than 3000 on the first day.Weiwei Liu Bo and Xiao Huangmen Jianshuo, who presided over the recruitment, each held a roster in their hands. As long as they were related to themselves, or they were recruited through their connections, they passed without even a physical examination.The dignitaries in Luoyang, Chang'an, and Gyeonggi all sent their clan children, and old officials who were idle at home, to join the Xiyuan Army as middle and lower-level officers.The Xiyuan Army was formed by the emperor alone. Except for training, he stayed in Luoyang to protect the emperor. He didn't go anywhere. Moreover, the salary was high and the treatment was good. Senior officers were more likely to get promoted and enter the imperial court as ministers.Such a great place, who wouldn't want to go?

At this time, the middle-level officials in Beijing were very anxious. What they lacked most among their disciples and old officials was this kind of talents with both civil and military skills. If they don't know martial arts or the art of war, how can they make up for it when they enter the West Garden Army?You always have to lead troops to train, right?The West Garden Army does not have their own people, how can the middle officials feel at ease?Although many disciples of Taiwei Fanling and Situ Xuxiang served in the Xiyuan Army, and even Yilang Cao Cao was definitely one of the commanders of the Xiyuan Army, they were still worried.After discussing with Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang wrote a letter to Dong Zhuo, the former general in Xiliang, asking Dong Zhuo to send a group of cronies to Luoyang immediately, and they were responsible for arranging these people to the Xiyuan Army.

Dong Zhuo was able to be promoted to former general and Marquis of Ao Township this time because of his meritorious service, which had a lot to do with the strong recommendation of the middle officials.

The middle officials have been friends with Dong Zhuo for more than ten years. Although they did not pay much attention to Dong Zhuo in the early stage and did not see his role, but now it is different. Now there are generals inside and General Zhenbei outside. They are frightened when they think about it. , either of these two people is in power alone, and will not let the middle official go, especially the leopard, who has blatantly killed Xia Yun, and the deaths of Bi Lan and Zuo Feng must be related to him.In their eyes, the current Dong Zhuo is a force that can counter the Great General and Zhenbei General.Although Dong Zhuo had only 2 horses and lived far away in the frontier, the middle officials believed that as long as they focused on cultivating him and then found an opportunity to transfer him back to the capital, he would be an invincible sword in their hands.As for He Miao, the chariot general, he was not very useful, but he could use it for ordinary times, but he was useless at critical times, and he might fight back. After all, he and He Jin were a family.

The recommendation of the middle officials was of course opposed by the ministers, and even the emperor felt that promoting Dong Zhuo to the former general was unfair.Li Hong's great contribution to defeating the invading Xianbei people and killing tens of thousands of Xianbei iron cavalry was only given to General Zhenbei and Marquis Pingting.The former general has a higher position than the Zhenbei general, and the township marquis has more food than the Ting marquis, which is inappropriate no matter how you look at it.The middle officials then joined Taiwei Cao Song, Situ Xuxiang and a group of ministers to sign a table, enumerating Dong Zhuo's achievements and the importance of Xijiang, and then sent a sum of money to the Queen Mother.The queen mother came forward to intercede, and this matter will be much easier to handle.The Queen Mother said that by rewarding Dong Zhuo heavily, he would be grateful and do his best to guard the western borders for the Great Han Kingdom.Xijiang has stabilized, and the burden of spending money like running water has been thrown away. The Han Kingdom can be much more relaxed.The emperor always obeyed his mother's words, and he would never make his mother unhappy.

===

Dong Zhuo suddenly became a former general from a small Polu general. The Shangqing of the Han Dynasty couldn't help being elated. He not only gave the emperor [-] million money to buy an official, but also gave a lot of money to the queen mother and middle officials.This time when Dong Zhuo received a letter from the Zhongguan, he immediately discussed with Li Ru.This is a good opportunity to cultivate strength in Luoyang and pave the way for returning to Beijing to work in the future.Li Ru said that sending people back to the capital is a trivial matter, but whether the adults support the general or the middle officials is a major matter. Now the battle for the imperial line in Luoyang has reached the point where swords are on the verge of breaking out. If you are not careful, you will be smashed to pieces.Dong Zhuo thought for a long time and dared not speak.He does not support anyone, he supports the emperor.Whether it's foreign relatives or middle officials, once they hold power, which one will not bring disaster to the country and the people?Although he was going back and forth between the two for his official career, giving gifts and bribes, but he hated these people in his heart.He fantasized that if he could gain His Majesty's trust and rank among the third princes, he would do everything possible to get back the money he sent out, not only the principal, but also the interest.But thinking about it, reality or reality, he had to make a choice.The emperor is currently hugging tightly with the middle officials for the sake of the emperor's lineage. Supporting the emperor is actually turning to the middle officials, but behind the general is the support of the powerful and powerful. Once the emperor loses the battle for the emperor's lineage, his own Everything is over, even life is a problem.

Seeing that Dong Zhuo remained silent, Li Ru knew that it was difficult for him to make a decision, so he said to him, the most sensible thing for your lord is to follow closely behind the nobles and nobles. It will never fail, this is the only way to ensure wealth, life, official career and wealth.Although the gentry did not support the emperor's abolition of the son and the establishment of the concubine, and came together with the general, one thing is for sure, that is, once the general kills the middle official and forces the emperor to establish the eldest prince to inherit the imperial line, the next thing is that the gentry A power struggle with the generals.If the gentry wanted to defeat the general, they had to join hands with the emperor, and the emperor had to rely on the gentry in order to regain the imperial power. The combination of the two would make it difficult for the general to die.Now the emperor is trying his best to win over the gentry for the sake of the emperor, and the gentry is also trying to cater to the emperor for the sake of the future.In the struggle for imperial lineage, the final winner must be the gentry.

Dong Zhuo looked at Li Ru and said with a sneer, if the result of the dispute over the imperial line is exactly as you said, why would I send people to the capital?Why am I meddling in this right and wrong?I might as well hide in Xijiang and ignore them.Li Ru was very strange and did not understand what Dong Zhuo meant.Dong Zhuo's desire for power is very strong, how could he have such a wise idea of ​​protecting himself?If he did not join the vortex of this power struggle, Dong Zhuo would never have the opportunity to enter the court and rank among the three princes until his death.

Dong Zhuo said something, which made Li Ru fall into deep thought.

This dynasty ruled the world with the help of countless generals from humble births. Most of the military class in the early days of the founding of the country entered the power center, but with the rise of the gentry, the military class gradually declined and moved away from the court.After the gentry became the core of power, they became important ministers when they entered, and generals when they left. Zhang Wen, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun are outstanding examples. However, it is not an easy task. Liangzhou Sanming Huangfugui, Zhang Huan, Duan Jiong, and today's Huangfusong are living examples.

General Sanming of Liangzhou made many attempts and efforts in order to gain the recognition of the gentry and enter the court to gain power.The three of them once put down their swords and halberds to devote themselves to learning, and also wanted to gain a reputation as a great Confucian.Huangfugui studied "Poetry" and "Yi" for 14 years, and taught more than [-] disciples; Zhang Huan once worshiped Zhu Chong, a famous Confucianist at that time, as his teacher, and specialized in "Ouyang Shangshu". "Shang Shu Nan" with more than [-] words has thousands of disciples; Duan Jiong also studied scriptures with famous teachers, but when the frontier war broke out, the nature of these three people was immediately exposed, and they recommended themselves one after another. From the point of view of famous scholars and Confucians, no matter how well these three people read scriptures and wrote books and biographies, they are nothing but warriors, who have no role except to fight.Since learning can't be recognized by the gentry, let's be a man.Huangfugui did a good job, and he resolutely hated what ordinary people hated.Huangfu ruled not to associate with the great general Liang Ji of his foreign relatives, saying that he was a vegetarian in the corpse, and when the party was imprisoned, he would submit a letter to the party, but the final evaluation was that "although he is a famous general, his reputation is not high" and he got nothing.Zhang Huan has great knowledge and great achievements, and he finally entered the court and became an official, but he fell into the trap in a daze, and became the minion of the eunuch who suppressed the Taifu Chen Fan and the great general Dou Wu, and was finally despised by the gentry. , "Yang Ge breaks the loyalty and the martyr", once the reputation is ruined.Duan Jiong simply did nothing and kept going, ganged up with the powerful, and turned to traitors. In order to enter the center of power, he was willing to work for the eunuchs, and even fought against the gentry to arrest the students of the imperial school.Although he finally spent money to buy a Taiwei and ranked among the three princes, he was not tolerated by the gentry. Later, he was implicated in the matter of the middle official Wang Fu, and was arrested by the cruel official Yang Qiu. , ruined.Today's Huangfusong has already seen through it, and simply hid at home for the elderly.

It can be seen from this that it is not only difficult, but impossible for the warriors of this dynasty to be recognized by the gentry, get out of the generals, and enter the core of power.Zhang Huan and Duan Jiong from Liangzhou Sanming have done too much harm to the gentry. A warrior is a warrior, and a barbarian is a barbarian. When the gentry want to use you, you are a scholar and one of them. When you are useless , you go home to take care of yourself.

Dong Zhuo thought that if he followed these elites and used them as a tool, the end result would be like Huangfusong, taking it out when he needed it, and throwing it aside when he didn't need it.Dong Zhuo said, why should I let these people take advantage of me?I have fought all my life and made countless contributions to the Great Han Kingdom, why do I still have to live by their faces like a slave?If they win the battle for imperial lineage in the end, I won't be involved in this troubled water.

Li Ru had to rethink. He spent more than ten years and devoted all his energy to help Dong Zhuo achieve his current status. He had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enter Luoyang. How could he give up so easily?But if Dong Zhuo insisted on giving up this opportunity and not entering Luoyang, Dong Zhuo would lose his chance to control power. Without Dong Zhuo, how could he take revenge?How to take revenge on the emperor of the Han Kingdom who brought him a lot of disasters?

Li Ru thought for a while, and said, it's better for the adults to follow behind the gentry.Once the traitor died, the gentry had to rely on the adults in order to get rid of the general.After the lord came to Beijing, he helped the gentry get rid of the general, and Luoyang was stabilized. The emperor would use Li Hong, the general of Zhenbei, to deter the gentry and force the gentry to agree to abolish the prince and establish a concubine.At this time, besides relying on the adults, who else can the gentry rely on?And what about the Son of Heaven?Of course the Son of Heaven wants you to stand by his side and help him deal with the gentry.Your lord has a source of power from both sides, and you must be able to hold a lot of power. With the Xiliang army and the Xiyuan army in Luoyang as your backing, your lord is so powerful that I am afraid that there is no one in the world who can shoulder his shoulders.At that time, will the gentry live or die or do they depend on the face of the adults?Your Excellency helped the Son of Heaven to establish the imperial line, and his achievements are unrivaled. From then on, Your Excellency is an important minister of the Han Dynasty who is under one person and above others.

Dong Zhuo was shocked.What about Li Hong?
Li Ru said with a smile, if the generals and the gentry want to kill the middle officials and establish an imperial order, they must first deal with the threat of General Zhenbei, otherwise, they would not even dare to move.At that time, General Zhenbei was still alive, it was hard to say.

Dong Zhuo and Li Ru discussed the situation in Luoyang and what might happen in the future over and over again. In the end, Dong Zhuo finally agreed with Li Ru's suggestion and took refuge in the aristocracy.He asked Li Ru to rush to Luoyang quickly with his younger brother Dong Min (read min), more than 30 confidantes, and a large amount of treasure and silk.

===

The Son of Heaven was in a good mood when he saw that the formation of the West Garden Army was going well and the progress was fast. Although the northern border was raging with war and the people were displaced, he did not see what he could see.

Qu Yi, the general of Zhonglang who protects the Xiongnu, wrote a letter to report the victory, saying that he had ambushed the rebels near Baitu, beheaded 40 people, and captured more than [-] livestock.The emperor was very excited, and told the ministers that last month the Zhenbei army wiped out the Baibo ants in Hanoi, and beheaded more than [-] ranks, and killed the leader of the ant thieves, Guo Tai. It seems that the situation in northern Xinjiang is improving, and the Xianbei people are probably about to lose.

Liu Yu, the shepherd of Youzhou, and Li Hong, the general of Zhenbei, also wrote letters successively at this time, reporting the victory to the emperor, saying that the army had hit the rebels hard in Jicheng and had driven the rebels to the west of Liaoning.The emperor was very happy and decreed to reward the frontline soldiers.But then he received two bad news. The Xianbei occupied Yuyang, and then Lulongsai, and the Huns' deputy Chu Zuoxian was assassinated in Zhuolu City in April.

"This leopard has learned badly. Announce the good news first, and then report the sorrow. King Zuo Xian has been dead for so long, and he didn't tell me until now." A minister said, "What do you mean by Li Aiqing?"

"I believe that General Li, in addition to stabilizing the morale of the army, mainly wants His Majesty to personally issue a decree to bestow the Great Chanyu." Han Fu said, "Nowadays the Huns are in chaos, and Xubu Guduhou has established himself as the Great Chanyu in Meiji. He has sent people to Beijing several times to ask for His Majesty's approval. From my point of view, in order to put an end to the Huns' rebellion as soon as possible, I should agree to Xubu Guduhou. Now King Zuoxian has been assassinated and his son Tie Ye is also fighting. He is dead, there is no one in Shan Yuting who can inherit the Great Chan Yu, why don't His Majesty push the boat along..."

Han Fu is more than 50 years old, with a thin body, fair skin, three long beards, and elegant temperament.

The emperor frowned and said nothing, looking at Lu Zhi.Lu Zhi shook his head and said firmly, "Your Majesty, Mr. Han's proposal is very inappropriate. His Majesty has clearly stated in a decree a few days ago that our Han Kingdom supports Shan Yuting and resolutely suppresses the rebels. We cannot If there is a change, it will go back on its word? Then where is the majesty of the Great Han Kingdom?"

"Lord Lu, the current situation is very serious. The national treasury has been severely depleted, and it is unable to support the military resources needed on the two battlefields. If the war continues until July or August, we will have no food to continue to provide, so ..."

Han Fu didn't continue talking, the emperor and several ministers looked at each other speechlessly.

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, the fighting in Youzhou should be temporarily suspended. We agree with General Li and temporarily abandon the eastward pursuit of the rebels. At the same time, we ordered him to send troops to Jicheng to prevent the Xianbei from taking advantage of the situation and go south. It is strictly forbidden for him to take the initiative to attack from the north." Xu Jing said, "The battle in Bingzhou, especially the defense of Yanmen Pass is the most important right now. I think it is better to concentrate our forces to defeat the Xianbei who attacked Yanmen Pass first, so as to protect Taiyuan and Shangdang. Being disturbed, secondly, it can keep the capital safe.”

"What about the rebellion of the Huns?" asked the emperor.

"Let's put it aside for now. Both Hu Loulan and Tie Ye's father and son are dead, and the Huns have lost their great chanyu. Shan Yuting will definitely re-elect a new chanyu. They won't be interested in attacking Meiji in the short term. "Xu Jing said, "This direction does not interfere with the internal affairs of the Xiongnu, so Your Majesty must not make an exception and bestow the title, or let them handle it themselves. Your Majesty only needs to decree to recognize the new Great Chanyu."

The emperor turned to look at Huangfusong.In terms of military matters, he still believed in Huangfusong.

"Your Majesty, the Xiongnu rebels must fight." Huangfusong pointed to the map and said, "Attacking the Xiongnu rebels can contain their troops and prevent them from reinforcing Yanmen Pass. Only by holding back the Huns rebels can we have a chance to defeat Xianbei People. These two battlefields are closely related, and the battle against the Hun rebels must not stop."

"Tens of thousands of troops need a lot of food and supplies to fight in the fortress. It is difficult for us to keep supplying them." Xu Jing said with a frown.

Huangfu Song said with a smile: "Master Xu needn't worry about this. Master Qu captured hundreds of thousands of livestock from the Xiongnu rebels for the purpose of continuous attacks in the next few months. Master Qu was once my undercover general. People know how to fight, have brains, and are very brave. Hou Bugudu and Baima Tong suffered a lot when they met him."

"What about Yanmen Pass?" the emperor asked, "Aiqing thinks Yanmen Pass can be held?"

"Absolutely can defend." Huangfusong said confidently, "Your Majesty and all of you only saw that Yanmen Pass was fought extremely fiercely, but you can see that Mr. Xu sent a request for help like a snowflake?"

"What? Can Xu Rong defeat the Xianbei people?" Seeing Huangfu Song's confident look, the Son of Heaven felt a little relieved, and asked curiously with a smile on his face.

"When Mr. Xu was in Xijiang, he defeated the Qiang people many times. Even June Jinglei suffered from him. This man is taciturn, he doesn't like to talk, he doesn't like to make public, he has few friends, and not many people know him well. , but I know he can fight." Huangfusong tapped Yanmen Pass with his hand and said, "He must have a way."

"The two battlefields in Bingzhou are now where the enemy is strong and we are weak. It will take a while to decide the winner, but Bingzhou is also related to the safety of the capital, so we should try our best to satisfy Bingzhou first."

===

"What about Youzhou?" the emperor asked.

"Let General Li take down Jicheng first. If you can't take down Jicheng, you can't go east to suppress the rebellion, let alone go north to attack Hu." Huangfu Song sighed, "General Li wants to go north to attack Yuyang at this time. He is confused, he was enraged by Murong Feng's continuous attacks, and has fallen into Murong Feng's trap. I will write the paperwork for him myself."

"Can Aiqing be clearer, I don't quite understand." The emperor looked at the map, then looked at Huangfusong, and asked in a low voice.Han Fu, Xu Jing, Jian Shuo and others looked at Huang Fusong with a puzzled look, but Lu Zhi sat aside and bowed his head to write, as if he didn't hear it.

"Your Majesty, the troops of Danhanshan and Tuobafeng were severely damaged in the Western Xinjiang War last year, and their vitality has not recovered. Why did they send out a large army to attack Yanmen Pass this year?" In addition to the loss, Tuoba Feng's real purpose is to keep the four northern counties that captured Bingzhou last year. Tuoba Feng is a grassland hero, he will not attack Yanmen Pass at any cost just for the sake of plunder, nor will he help Murong Feng invaded Youzhou, and he did it for himself. Not only should he obediently listen to Murong Feng, but he should also be grateful to Murong Feng."

"Murongfeng has occupied a large area of ​​land south of Yanshan Mountain. After capturing Yuyang and Lulongsai, the gates of Youzhou have been opened wide, and the central and southern counties are no longer safe to defend. General Li's army was restrained by him in Jicheng The surrounding area was unable to advance eastward, and the rebels and Karasuma people took the opportunity to firmly occupy the northeastern counties of Youzhou to gain a respite. The purpose of Murongfeng's doing so was not only to capture the territory of the Han Kingdom, but also to help Tuoba Feng completely Occupied the four northern counties of Bingzhou."

"Your Majesty, please see..." Huangfusong pointed to Bingzhou and said, "If we go out to attack Tuobafeng and recover the four northern counties, Murong Feng can immediately send troops south, and the rebels and Karasuma people can follow them west." If we advance, Youzhou and Jizhou will face a crisis; if we attack Murongfeng, Tuobafeng will immediately go south to Kouguan to attack Yanmenguan, threatening the hinterland of Bingzhou and Gyeonggi; if we attack the rebels in the east, Tuobafeng and Murongfeng will be able to Simultaneously."

"Your Majesty, Northern Xinjiang is now a game of dead chess. We are like a big dragon on the chessboard, firmly trapped by the Xianbei people and unable to move."

The emperor and all the ministers suddenly woke up and were dumbfounded.

"How did this happen?" The Son of Heaven touched his little face and muttered to himself helplessly, "How did this happen? Didn't we beat the Xianbei people badly last year?"

"The root cause is that the ant thieves in northern Xinjiang rebelled everywhere, giving Murong Feng an opportunity to take advantage of it." Huangfusong said, "Your Majesty still remembers that when the Xianbei invaded last year, the ministers once said that Murong Feng The most hopeful thing is that the more chaotic the Great Han Kingdom, the better. With internal turmoil and strife within the Great Han, he can fish in troubled waters and invade our northern frontier counties. Now it seems that today's situation is something he has planned for a long time and planned long ago. Since last year The Xianbei invaded, and then Zhang Yan entered Taiyuan, Zhang Ju, Zhang Chun and the Wuwan people rebelled, the Xiongnu slaughtered all ethnic groups rebelled, and the Xiongnu killed the Great Chanyu. Our army has been conquests and exhausted. We have not thought about it carefully. I have never thought about why northern Xinjiang is so chaotic, and I have never thought about why there are Xianbei people everywhere."

"Although we defeated the Xianbei people last year, we lost the four northern counties; although we defeated the Ant Thieves and Karasuma people this year, we lost Yuyang, Lulongsai and five counties in the northeast of Youzhou." Huangfusong sighed dejectedly, "It's easy to lose them, but it's very difficult to get them back."

The Son of Heaven stood blankly in front of the map, thinking for a long time and finding it difficult to understand, he asked, "Aiqing, why did we win everywhere and lose in the end? Why did it become more and more sinister after the victory?"

Huangfusong shook his head and sighed: "General Li fought well, fast, resolutely and resolutely in this battle in Jicheng, otherwise, General Li might be finished. Although the situation in Youzhou is getting more and more dangerous now, But fortunately, General Lee's strength still exists, and we still have room for maneuver."

The Son of Heaven was a little panicked by Huangfusong, his small eyes blinked quickly, and he asked in a low voice: "Can Aiqing explain a little more clearly?"

"After General Li arrives in Youzhou, if he advances slowly and allows the rebels to calmly retreat to western Liaoning, he will chase the rebels all the way there. When General Li enters western Liaoning, Murong Feng will take down Yuyang and Lulong. Fortress, led the army to rush down, cut off General Li's food road, and blocked General Li's retreat. Even if General Li led his army to fight back, there would not be many people left." Huangfusong explained, "But Murong Feng Miscalculation. General Li was worried about the safety of Bingzhou because of the chaos of the Huns and Tuoba Feng's rebellion. He was eager to fight, and wished to beat Zhang Chun to death with one punch, so that he could return to help as soon as possible. As a result, he led his army into Juyongguan in advance, and then rushed to rebel with iron cavalry. The rear of the army cut off the retreat of the rebels, forcing the rebels to fight with them. General Li was greatly damaged and was unable to fight again for a while, and Murong Feng had to occupy Yuyang and Lulongsai in advance, forcing General Li to enter the west of Liaoxi or Withdraw the troops and merge the state."

The emperor suddenly realized, and looked at Huangfusong with a pair of eyes adoringly, "Aiqing, do you have a countermeasure?"

Huangfusong said helplessly: "Your Majesty, the battle in northern Xinjiang is a foregone conclusion. What the Xianbei people have to do now is to break through the Yanmen Pass and make the Han Kingdom more chaotic, so that they can seize the opportunity to occupy the border counties. If Yanmen Pass falls, Taiyuan and The Shangdang was robbed, millions of refugees and the Yellow Turban Army were in chaos, and the capital is bound to be in danger. At that time, in order to stabilize the capital, we can only withdraw our troops to guard the Yellow River, and then spend a few years to kill the Yellow Turban Army and appease the refugees. In the past few years Within a short period of time, we can't take care of the northern border, Youzhou and Bingzhou will be lost."

The Son of Heaven was disturbed by Huangfusong's words, and in a fit of anger, he waved his hands and shouted: "Aiqing is the number one general in our Han Kingdom, don't you even have a countermeasure?"

"I have just said that the Huns rebels want to fight in order to contain the Xiongnu rebels and prevent them from increasing their troops at Yanmen Pass. Yanmen Pass must be defended. Master Xu must have a way to defeat Tuoba Feng. I believe Master Xu can do it. As for Youzhou, let General Li take down Jicheng as soon as possible, form a confrontation with Murong Feng, and prevent him from going south to plunder, but His Majesty must issue an order to strictly prohibit him from going north to attack Murong Feng."

"Why can't you fight?"

"Once General Li is defeated, there will be no troops in Northern Xinjiang, and Youzhou will also be lost."

"You mean that General Li can't beat Murong Feng?"

Huangfusong hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, I am just worried that General Li will not be able to defeat Murong Feng. At present, General Li does not have enough troops, and he is not absolutely sure of winning. How can Your Majesty guarantee that General Li will continue to fight in the next four to five months?" provide food and weapons?"

The emperor froze for a moment, but did not speak.What guarantee do I have?I still want to build the West Garden Army.

"Once General Li is entangled by Murong Feng, half of his life will be killed if he does not die. If the food and pay are cut off, he will be finished, and so will Youzhou." Huangfu Song said, "General Li has always disobeyed military orders and often acted recklessly. , The army is dangerous, but this time, His Majesty can't let him do it anyway, so please make an order to cut off his idea of ​​going north to attack, and at the same time cut Youzhou's food and weapons by half, forcing him to stay Jicheng."

"We will fully support Yanmen Pass. As long as Tuoba Feng is repelled, the situation in northern Xinjiang can be temporarily stabilized, and then we can plan further strategies."

"The last plan?" The emperor asked back, "What is Aiqing's last plan?"

"Stabilize Bingzhou, recruit an army, and restore vitality. Given time, we will attack from Bingzhou and Youzhou at the same time, and we will be able to regain the territory and promote our country's prestige."

The Son of Heaven sighed for a long time, "Fight it, then fight it quickly, I can't take it anymore."

"Several battlefields or fight at the same time?" Xu Jing asked anxiously, "What will happen after July?"

Huangfusong looked at the emperor, and said word by word: "Stop building the West Garden Army."

The emperor was taken aback for a moment, and his small eyes suddenly widened, "No."

"Your Majesty, the suspension of the Xiyuan Army's preparations will not affect the safety of Gyeonggi..."

"Don't talk about it anymore." The emperor said unhappily, "All the money for the construction of the West Garden Army was spent from the treasury of the Shaofu, and no money was taken from the treasury of the Dasinong's treasury."

"Decree to Xu Rong that he must repel the Xianbei before July, otherwise, there will be no military funds for him, not even a single dollar of military funds."

===

When Xu Rong received the imperial edict, he was in Hedong Mansion.

Due to the re-opening of salt and iron in the Han Dynasty, merchants who originally gathered in Jinyang and Hedong Prefectures immediately crossed the Yellow River and went to Gyeonggi and the rich counties of the Central Plains to operate salt and iron.Xu Rong was very concerned about his family, so he rushed to Hedong Mansion to meet with the Hedong Wei Clan and several other rich family owners to discuss the business of salt and iron.Wei Zhu, the Patriarch of the Hedong Wei family, is very reasonable. He said to Xu Rong, please rest assured, my lord, we are from Hedong. Of course, we mainly operate the salt and iron in Hedong. We go to other states and counties to operate salt and iron, just to make more money. That's all, it won't affect the revenue of Zhenbei General's Mansion.Then he asked about ordnance manufacturing.He wanted to build a workshop to make ordnance in the name of Zhenbei General's Mansion.There is no big workshop, and there is little trouble. First, the quantity of ordnance is low and the quality is poor. Second, he can't make much money.

Xu Rong thought about it, and said, if you want to do it, build a big workshop, and the workshop should be built near the iron mine in Anyi, otherwise, don't build it.It's boring to do a workshop with a small output. After a year, even half of Jinyang's arsenal can't be filled. What are you doing?Wei Zhu was taken aback, and asked, how much ordnance does your lord need a year?Xu Rong said with a smile, at least two Jinyang arsenals are needed.Wei Zhu was even more surprised, why do you want so many weapons?Are you done?Xu Rong said that we can sell arsenals to states and counties around the world, and we can also sell arsenals to Luoyang and Chang'an if we don't run out.We can sell it at a lower price, which is cheaper than their own workshops. Do you think they are willing to spend money to make it themselves or buy it?Wei Zhu thought for a while, and said that it would probably take several years to build such a large-scale workshop. Moreover, he did not have enough financial resources alone, so he needed to find a few more Hedong aristocratic families to do it together.Xu Rong said, that's your business, you can come to me after you finish.There are frequent wars in northern Xinjiang now, and it is estimated that the fight will take a long time. I am in a hurry to ask for ordnance, and you can give me as much as you have.Wei Yiyi was elated and nodded repeatedly.

Xu Rong and Xie Ming bid farewell and went out of the mansion, and then called on Wang Han, the prefect of Hedong. The two sides talked about spring plowing and harvesting in May, and then he hurried to Jiexian County.Xu Ling and Qu Zhong, giant merchants in Chang'an, have already arrived here as promised.Xu Rong said that the production of salt and iron in Bingzhou is still too small. You don't want to make money, but I am in a hurry to use it. You must find a way to increase production.Xu Ling said, financial resources are not enough.Xu Rong said, recently you have invested all your money in cooking salt and mining in other states and counties. If you do this again, I will tell the general that you will not be allowed to operate alone.Xu Ling hurriedly said with a smile on his face, don't be in a hurry, my lord, I will find a way to deal with this right away.I have a few friends who want to buy land in Bingzhou. If the adults are really short of money, they can sell the land.Xu Rong flatly refused.Whoever wants to sell land wantonly in Bingzhou is just looking for death, so let's not talk about it.Xu Rong said, there is one more thing, [-]% of the weapons you sent last time are unusable, and the money for [-]% of the weapons will not be given.Seeing Xu Ronghan's face, Xu Ling didn't dare to say more, so he gritted his teeth and let it go.But Xu Rong went on to say something that made the two very happy.Xu Rong told them to go directly to Jinyang to expand Jinyang's ordnance manufacturing workshop.

Just when the two were about to leave, Xu Rong suddenly asked, "What business does Yang Feng have with you?"

The expressions of the two of them changed, and they faltered and couldn't tell why.Xu Rong pointed to Qu Zhong and said, "I respect you as Master Qu's elder brother, so I don't know what to say, but I'm here to advise you, if something happens to Yang Feng, if anything happens to the Yellow Turban Army, you and Xu Ling and the others can't afford to walk around, and when your head is chopped off, Mr. Qu won't be able to protect you."

Xu Ling got angry, and said unhappily: "Master Xu has said that. Your Zhenbei General's Mansion makes a lot of money, and the soldiers of Zhenbei General's Mansion pay a lot of money. Why do the Yellow Turban Army Should they farm the land? Why do they pay half the wages, and the soldiers in the fields pay back the money? We all get rich. Mr. Xu thinks that we should not help the Yellow Turban Army. Why can we talk about it? Why are you blowing your beard and staring? You think I am Scared?"

Qu Zhong quickly grabbed Xu Ling and motioned him not to provoke Xu Rong.Xu Rong was not angry, he said lightly: "You are well aware of the situation in northern Xinjiang. If the Yellow Turban Army rebels again, you also know what the consequences will be. You have invested a lot of money here, and you should hope that northern Xinjiang can stabilize. But now you are inciting Yang Feng and his subordinates to do some illegal activities for a little profit, and destroy the relationship between the Zhenbei General's Mansion and the Yellow Turban Army. You can risk losing all your money, but I can't Turn a blind eye to the danger of the loss of northern Xinjiang. I am warning you, not too much. You go, next time if you do it again, I will not say it again, I will send someone to kill you directly."

The two looked shocked, angry and frightened, and left with mixed emotions.

Seeing the two walking away, Xie Ming said in a low voice: "My lord, Lord Yang and his subordinates are also a little bit poor. This river east is a rich place, and there are as many rich people as a cow's hair, so we can't blame them for changing their minds."

Xu Rong looked at him, shook his head and said, "Lianzhi, be careful yourself, don't be dragged into the water by these rich businessmen. Look at She Yingtong's hussars battalion, they have already killed more than a dozen. Qian, If it’s yours, take it, if it’s not yours, don’t take any of it. You follow me to see Yang Feng, and I want to talk to him.”

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Xu Rong returned to Jinyang overnight, summoned the governors of Hutian Xiaowei's Mansion and Diannong Duwei's Mansion to discuss the matter of harvesting in May, and then made some explanations about the end of spring plowing, and then hurried home have a look.

At the end of last year, many generals brought their family members to Jinyang from various places. After the war in northern Xinjiang began, many left-behind generals quietly sent their family members to Hedong.At this time, Xu Rong took his family members from Chang'an to Jinyang instead.He has parents, a wife, and three children. After the family arrived in Jinyang from Chang'an, Xu Rong has not yet returned home to greet his parents, nor has he seen his wife and children.

The family happily ate a reunion dinner, and before chatting a few words, the urgent book was delivered quickly.The Montenegrin Yellow Turban Army went down the mountain to grab food.Xu Rong hurriedly bid farewell to his parents, wife and children, and returned to Longshan Camp with his attendants.

"Call Lord Li to see me immediately."

Xiaolan was sleeping, when he heard that Xu Rong was looking for him urgently, he ran to the big tent in a hurry, "What's the matter, my lord?"

Xu Rong spread out the map and explained the situation, "You and Hu Ding rushed to Shangdang immediately with 3000 cavalry." He looked up at Xiaolan, and smiled wryly, "Zini, I only have [-] people like you , there is no one left."

Xiaolan smiled and said, "Don't worry, my lord, 3000 people are enough. After I leave, only Jinyang will be left..."

Xu Rong waved his hand and said indifferently: "It's all right. Shouyan brought back a hundred Black Panther Yi Cong. With these 100 people, it's enough."

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(End of this chapter)