Great Han Empire

Chapter 459
December of the fifth year of Zhongping in the Han Dynasty (AD 188).

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Zhenbei General Li Hong led his troops across Yanshan Mountain and retreated slowly in the direction of Guangping.

Due to the civil strife in Xianbei, Murongfeng was forced by the critical situation on the prairie, so he had to abandon Yuyang, Lulongsai and the large area south of Yanshan Mountain, and withdrew to the territory of Xianbei.The Han army regained the lost land very easily. Now as long as the rebellion of the Karasuma people in the west and east of Liaodong is put down, the Youzhou war will basically end. However, General Li Hong and his soldiers in Zhenbei can no longer continue to take advantage They went east, because the emperor ordered them to return to Bingzhou three times in a row.

At present, there are more and more rebellions in the country, and the situation is getting more and more tense. The emperor urgently needs Li Hong's army to return to Bingzhou to prevent accidents.The emperor said in the imperial decree that there are 12 Yellow Turban Army main forces in Hedong, and 18 Yellow Turban Army field soldiers. If these [-] people take the opportunity to rebel, Gyeonggi and Luoyang will be over.In addition, the emperor also said that if the ant thief rebellion in Ji, Yan, Qing and Xu Sizhou could not be put down by next spring, he would give up the war in northern Xinjiang and let Li Hong lead the cavalry to go south to suppress the rebellion. Lead the army back to Bingzhou in the first month of next year, even if it snows, you must come back.

Once Li Hong's Northern Expedition Army leaves Youzhou, it will be difficult to deter the Karasuma people with Youzhou's current strength, and the difficulty of recruiting will increase immediately. Therefore, Youzhou Mu Liuyu wrote several letters to Li Hong, hoping that he would Can slow down the speed of withdrawal.Liu Yu said that the matter of recruiting the Karasuma people has progressed rapidly after the Xianbei people withdrew from the border of the Han Dynasty, and it is estimated that there will be an accurate response this month.The Karasuma people are currently in a difficult situation. They first lost the ally of the Ant Thief in Youzhou, and then lost the powerful backup of the Xianbei people. Now they are facing the threat of tens of thousands of Han troops attacking eastward at any time, so they are eager to be appeased.The Karasuma people knew that if they could not get the pardon of His Majesty the Emperor of the Han Kingdom before this winter, they would be bloody massacred by the Han army next spring.

After discussing with Xian Yufu, Li Hong and Xian Yufu decided to formally withdraw their troops in the first month of next year. At the same time, in order to deter the Karasuma people, Li Hong ordered Pang De to take three thousand black panthers to join Zhao Yun and Jiang Wu in western Liaoning.Li Hong hoped that they would rescue Gongsun Zan who was besieged in Guanzi City in time.In addition, Li Hongdu asked Liu Yu to send troops north as soon as possible to take over the cities and frontier passes in various places.

As early as June, Liu Yu recruited [-] elite soldiers from among the captured rebel soldiers to serve as the county soldiers and frontier troops in Youzhou.Originally, he planned to let these descendants farm the fields, but later because of the influx of refugees and the serious shortage of fields, he had to give up this idea.However, he has never dared to use these people and stayed in Zhuojun for training.The soldiers had food, clothing, and a small military salary, and they were all very satisfied. They regarded Liu Yudu as their second-born parents, and they were very grateful.Liu Yu was very happy to receive Li Hong's reply.He thought that now that the rebel army had been wiped out, and Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun had run away without a trace, there should be no problem with using these soldiers at this time.

===

Li Hong and Xian Yufu garrisoned horses stood on the hillside, looking at the orderly marching team ahead with a relaxed expression.

"Aren't you happy that you didn't confront Murong Feng head-on?" Xian Yufu asked with a smile.

"Of course." Li Hong said gratifiedly, "Five years ago, I fought side by side with them and killed the enemy with blood. We are all friends who have lived and died. It is of course the best if we don't fight."

"In the future, we will always have a bloody battle. This is destined." Xian Yufu said, "It's been five years, and there are some things that should be forgotten. You have to forget them, just like your past memories."

Li Hong shook his head and said resolutely: "A friend is a friend, and a brother is a brother. I will never forget it. Even if I die under the sword of the commander-in-chief in the future, I will never forget it. After the war in Northern Xinjiang, I hope that we can shake hands with the Xianbei people and make peace." , we should live in friendship under this blue sky like brothers. The Huns can live in harmony with us, and the Karasuma people can live in harmony with us, why can’t the Xianbei people?”

Xian Yufu sighed: "If the Han Dynasty cannot be strong and invincible, the Xianbei people will not stop invading. Although we all want to live in harmony with the Xianbei people and hope that there is no war in northern Xinjiang, we can't decide. Look. In the hundreds of years of wars in this dynasty, when the Han State was weaker, the Hu people invaded, and when the Han State was stronger, we went out to fight the Hu people. There has never been a war in the northern land.”

"I remember the commander-in-chief said to me that the most glorious thing for a country is to expand its territory, and for a soldier, the most glorious achievement is to expand its territory for the country. Is it the most fundamental reason for the flames of fire in northern Xinjiang for a hundred years?" Li Hong looked at Xian Yufu and asked, "Do you think the commander-in-chief is right?"

Xian Yufu asked in surprise, "Is this what Murong Feng said?"

Li Hong smiled and said: "Yes, I think the commander-in-chief is right. From today's point of view, we have to do the same, otherwise, the Xianbei people will never live in harmony with us. Why did the Huns surrender? Karasuma people, Qiang people , why do you bow your head and bow your head? It is because our Great Han Kingdom is invincible in the world. Only when we occupy their territory and enslave their people will they bow their heads and bow their heads and live in harmony with us, and the flames of war in the northern border will be extinguished .”

Xian Yufu stared at Li Hong solemnly, and suddenly said: "The Northern Xinjiang War was just to regain lost ground, not..."

"No." Li Hong waved his hand and said, "I want to lead the army to fight over the Yin Mountain, I want to fight to the sunset plain, I want to drive the Xianbei people to the far west of the desert, I want to occupy the vast territory of the Xianbei people, I want to let The Xianbei people bowed their heads and bowed their heads."

Xian Yufu looked at Li Hong like he was looking at a madman, "Men, we have fought against the Huns for hundreds of years, what's the result? During the reign of Emperor Wu, the general Wei Qing, the Hussar general Huo Qubing, and countless heroes, they At one time, the Huns were beaten to the point of crying and howling, in a state of embarrassment, but what happened later? Later, the Huns regained their strength and killed them again. If it hadn’t been for the internal division of the Huns over 200 years ago due to the Great Chanyu War, their power was greatly reduced. The opponents may still be the Huns, not the Xianbei. The Huns, Karasuma, and Qiang who surrendered to our Han Kingdom today did not surrender because our Han Kingdom occupied their territory and defeated them. It was because they were defeated by the more powerful Hu people on the grassland, and they had nowhere to hide. They had to bow down to our Han country in order to get the protection of our Han country, and escaped to our Han country to continue to survive. For hundreds of years In my Great Han Kingdom, only Emperor Wu occupied part of the territory of the Huns in the decades when the national power was at its peak, and surrendered to the countries of the Western Regions. Since then, we have never had such glory. All these territories have been lost."

"Going out to fight, occupying the prairie, occupying the desert, defeating the Hus, and surrendering to the Hu State, everyone wants to do this, but we have the military power now, do we have the national power? People, don't be overwhelmed by the victory of the Youzhou War! Dazed, thinking that our army is invincible. This time, we did not defeat Murong Feng, but Murong Feng retreated on his own initiative and gave us back the territory he just snatched. Be sober, you are the general of Zhenbei Now, you can still do whatever you want, talking nonsense."

"Yuyuki, this time we have 10,000+ troops. If we add the Huns, Karasuma people, and Qiang people, we have at least 20 troops. We also have His Majesty's Wanjintang. The money in His Majesty's Wanjintang can at least let us We will fight for one or two years. But..." Li Hong said helplessly, "Now the domestic rebellion is repeated and cannot be suppressed. This is the biggest obstacle for us to go north to attack the Hu."

"The expedition to Xianbei requires not only His Majesty's Wanjintang, but also enough food, grass and military equipment, a stable and prosperous Han Dynasty, and a concentric court." Xian Yufu said, "This year, the floods in the three prefectures of Hebei, Yanqing and Qingzhou caused food shortages. The reduction in production, coupled with the riots of the disaster victims that started last month, and the rebellion in Xiliang, next year we will not be able to sell food even if we have money. Speaking of the expedition beyond the Great Wall, even the four northern counties may not be able to recover. However, Luoyang is the most worrying."

"Now that the Northern Army is out of Beijing and the general is leaving the court, His Majesty has made all the preparations for the matter of imperial order, and is just waiting to deal with the general." Xian Yufu patted his hand with a horsewhip, and said worriedly, "What if The general strikes back..."

"So we have to rush back to Bingzhou." Li Hong said, "Your Majesty has his reasons for urging him again and again. Luoyang cannot be chaotic, and His Majesty cannot have accidents. Anyone who dares to endanger the country and His Majesty will be killed without mercy."

"Nothing will happen to Your Majesty." Xian Yufu said, "It's you, don't add the expedition to kill the Xianbei people to the strategy of the Northern Xinjiang War, you can think about it, or you can talk about it The mouth is addicted, but it cannot be used as the overall strategy of the Northern Xinjiang War. If this strategy annoys His Majesty, the Northern Xinjiang War may not be able to be fought. The current situation is here, it is too difficult, but if this strategy is given to Shang Shutai And those ministers with ulterior motives in the court took advantage of it. It is a trivial matter for us to die outside the Great Wall with 10,000+ soldiers. It is a big event to bring down the Han Dynasty. It is a big event to defeat the Han Dynasty. This is not a trivial matter, especially after Lord Huangfu has left Luoyang Under such circumstances, we have no way of knowing the true intentions of His Majesty and the court, and we may be used by others, and in the future we will be the chief culprit who will harm the country and the people."

Li Hong asked with a smile: "Do you think it is possible for His Majesty and the court to agree to our expedition?"

"Once the imperial line is established, once the rebellion is put down, and once the border counties are taken back, the Great Han Kingdom will gradually embark on the road of stability and revitalization. At that time, who will pose the greatest threat to the Great Han Kingdom?" Xian Yufu said a little uneasy, "Zi Min, at that time, only you were the biggest threat to the Han Kingdom, do you know that?"

Li Hongda laughed, with a flash of excitement in his eyes, he whispered to himself: "So, there is still great hope for the expedition."

Xian Yufu glanced at him with dissatisfaction, and said: "The Xianbei people are now in civil strife, and the various ministries are conquering each other, and their strength has been greatly reduced. It is indeed the best opportunity to go outside the Great Wall. So don't take any chances."

Li Hong repeatedly agreed, pointing to the north and said: "Brother Yuxing, tell me, what are Murong Feng doing now?"

"Probably helping Kuitou clean up Danhan Mountain." Xian Yufu smiled slightly, "The Xianbei people have suffered heavy losses in this southward invasion. In order to preserve their strength, Murong Feng and Tuoba Feng will definitely stop their flags and drums, and return to their territories to replenish energy Rui. If they fight to the detriment of both sides, they will only be good for us, and they will be good for the western Xianbei. They are both heroes of the Xianbei country. They will not waste their strength for a Danhanshan royal court that exists in name only. Now that the split of the Xianbei Kingdom has become a fact, the two will not be able to save it even if they try their best, but the split of the Xianbei Kingdom has the benefits of splitting. The beneficiaries are actually the four adults of the Xianbei tribes, so as soon as Murong Feng arrives at Danhan Mountain, the war will be over."

"The commander-in-chief didn't want to waste his troops to attack Tuobafeng, and he probably also considered that we would take advantage of the victory to retake the frontier county." Li Hong said with a smile, "We stationed 10,000+ troops along the Great Wall to face the Xiongnu rebels from Marquis Xubugudu. And the territory occupied by Tuoba Feng, why not fight? It would be unreasonable not to fight. As long as I kill Tuoba Feng, I can force the commander out, and then we will fight him to the death."

"Aren't you unwilling to fight against Murong Feng?"

Li Hong waved his hands and said with a smile: "If the commander-in-chief is not defeated, how can our Great Han Dynasty dominate the prairie?"
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Tan Nu urged the horse to go forward, and said in a low voice, "My lord, Mr. Gao's rear camp has gone far."

Li Hong looked down the slope, turned around and said to Xian Yufu, "Let's go..." He looked up at the majestic mountain behind him, and suddenly his expression changed.

On a tree-lined mountain in the distance, a man in white clothes like snow stood on a horse, his white cloak fluttering in the wind, like a fairy born from the dust.Li Hong was suffocated, his heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and he couldn't help trembling all over his body.

The Black Panther Yicong who were scattered around urged their horses and surrounded Li Hong and Xian Yufu tightly.

"My lord, that's from Fuyu, he might be an assassin." Tan Nu shouted loudly, "Brothers, protect the two lords and leave quickly, quick, quick..."

Xian Yufu shook his hand at Tan Nu, "Don't panic, that's the general's friend."

Li Hong stared at it for a long time, feeling pain and bitterness in his heart, as if lost.Since the last time we saw each other at Gushui River, Li Hong knew that Fengxue had returned to Xianbei safely, and his worries eased a lot, but the longing in his heart became more and more intense.Now that the two countries are fighting each other, friends and brothers have become a thing of the past. What can we say even if we see the snowstorm?
Xian Yufu pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice: "Subject, go see her. People live in this world, some things must be lost, and some things must be forgotten."

Li Hong shook his head, "Forget it, it's better not to see."

Xian Yufu stretched out his hand to pat him on the back, and said in a low voice, "After seeing him, you will know that losing and gaining are actually just a thought."

Li Hong smiled wryly, "Let's go, let's go."

Xian Yufu raised his hand and lashed the black panther's buttocks with a whip.The black panther suffered pain, let out a long hiss, and galloped away.

Tan Nu exclaimed, and was about to catch up with his horse, but was stopped by Xian Yufu loudly, "Stop them all."

"My lord is in danger..."

"No danger."

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Looking at Li Hong who was running wildly, Feng Xue couldn't stop the pain in her heart, and tears flowed down her cheeks slowly.

Seeing Fengxue, Li Hong was filled with joy and excitement, and the pain just now disappeared in a blink of an eye.He suddenly comprehended the meaning of Xian Yufu's words, losing pain and gaining joy was actually in one thought of his own.I don't care about life and death but I am obsessed with friendship. Life is short. Why do I have to bind myself and others in a world of pain?Life and death are already unintentional, are you still stingy with happiness?

Li Hong stretched out his hand to gently wipe away the tears on Feng Xue's face, and said with a smile, "It's been more than four years, how are you? When did you talk about Moon Valley?"

Feng Xue forced a smile, those intoxicating blue eyes looked at Li Hong motionlessly, her cherry red lips trembled for a long time, but she did not say a word.

"Did you come from Tanyue Valley?" Li Hongfei got off his horse, approached Fengxue and said, "Last time I saw you at Gushui River, I know you have returned safely, I am very happy. You saw me leading the army to attack Marshal, do you hate me very much?"

With tears in her eyes, Feng Xue asked softly, "Have you grown a beard?"

"You don't know me anymore?" Li Hong smiled and reached out to hug Feng Xue off the horse. "I'm already a general, so of course I have to grow a beard. Do you think I'm so majestic?"

Feng Xue smiled sadly, "I thought I would never see you again."

Li Hong's heart trembled, and he smiled wryly, "Thank you for coming to see me."

The two looked at each other speechlessly.Feng Xue felt sad in her heart, tears flowed out again.Li Hong said with a smile: "Okay, don't cry, we haven't seen each other for more than four years, let's talk about something happy. Que Kun and Kirby Bear have grown up now, are they all right?"

"Kirby Bear is now Uncle's adoptive son. Uncle likes him very much and even taught him martial arts." Feng Xue whispered, "Are you leaving?"

"No." Li Hong looked at Feng Xue and smiled, "I haven't seen you for a long time, let me talk to you."

===

Seeing that Li Hong hadn't come down from the mountain for a long time, Tan Nu was very anxious, and wanted to lead people to rush there several times, but was stopped by Xian Yufu, "Your Excellency is right there, what are you worried about?"

"How did your lord know people from Fuyu country?" Tan Nu asked, "The two seem to have a good relationship, and they have been sitting together talking for a long time. Is that a friend your lord met in Xianbei country?"

Xian Yufu smiled and said nothing.

Xian Yuyin, who commanded the army in front, noticed that Li Hong and Xian Yufu hadn't followed up, and sent several teams of cavalry to urge them. The cavalry on the hillside gathered more and more, and gradually there were 600 people.

Feng Xue got up and said goodbye to Li Hong, "I'm leaving, I'm going back to Fuyu Country, take care of yourself."

Li Hong followed behind her without speaking.Fengxue doesn't want to see her tribe kill each other, doesn't want to see leopards and commanders kill each other, and even less wants to see her relatives and friends lying in a pool of blood. She is tired of everything here, and she wants to go back to Fuyu Country up.Li Hong helped Feng Xue onto the horse.

"Brother Leopard, you are now a general, and you should have a wife." With a faint smile on Feng Xue's face and a touch of sadness in her eyes, she whispered, "One day the Han Kingdom and the Xianbei Kingdom will stop fighting. After I return to Talking Moon Valley, I will visit you."

Li Hong looked at the wind and snow and nodded sadly.After the wind and snow went, there was no news from then on, and the world was far apart.

Feng Xue turned the horse's head, looked at Li Hong in grief, and galloped away.Li Hong suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if his body had been pierced by a sword.

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(End of this chapter)