Great Han Empire

Chapter 470
Li Hong, the general who conquered the North, bid farewell to all the officials, took his wife Xiaoyu, Zhu Mutianchou, the school captain Pang De, and a hundred black leopards from across the river to Anyi in Hedong County.

Wang Han, the prefect of Hedong County, and Diannong Zhonglang, Zhang Baiqi and Xie Ming, the captain of Yantie, went out of the city to meet them.Li Hong talked about going out to fight in the fortress, and explained the personnel changes of the court and the emperor's arrangement for northern Xinjiang, and then asked Zhang Baiqi and Xie Ming to establish a good relationship with the new Bingzhou shepherd Dong Zhuo and cooperate with each other In any case, we must ensure military and civilian settlements, and ensure that disaster relief in Bingzhou continues.

Wang Han, the prefect of Hedong, asked, "Can I ask the general, who will stay in the mansion of the general who conquered the North?"

Li Hong said: "After the former general Dong Zhuo led the northern army to Jinyang, we will hand over all the affairs of Bingzhou to the Mufu of Bingzhou, and then the general's mansion will go north with the army, and we will no longer stay in Jinyang."

Wang Han frowned, stroked his beard and said, "So, Dong Zhuo has taken over the military affairs of Bingzhou?"

Li Hong said: "That's right. Your Majesty ordered me to go to war wholeheartedly. Don't bother with other matters in northern Xinjiang, not even the food and supplies of the army. Your Majesty's meaning is obvious. He is worried about accidents in the northern Xinjiang war. The northern border war will fail. If this battle is lost, the northern border may be completely lost, and the loss of the northern border will definitely endanger the safety of the Han Dynasty, so..."

"So you have to obey His Majesty's arrangement and hand over all the counties and people within the Great Wall to Dong Zhuo?" Wang Han suddenly pointed at Li Hong and said excitedly, "In addition to fighting, besides making military achievements, the general wants to In addition to fame and history, do you still have the Great Han Kingdom in your heart, and do you still have tens of millions of people in the Great Han Kingdom?"

Li Hong stared at the angry old man in shock, not knowing why he lost his temper so much.Zhang Baiqi, Xie Ming, Zhu Mu, Tian Chou and others were very puzzled when they heard Wang Han bluntly denounced Li Hong. They all looked at him in a daze. , watching the stunned Li Hong with interest.

"Northern Xinjiang will definitely be defeated." Wang Han said surprisingly, "Northern Xinjiang will inevitably fall into repeated wars, and the Han Kingdom will also embark on the path of defeat. All this is thanks to the great general, who is the great man who killed me The chief culprit of the country."

Li Hong turned pale with shock, feeling uneasy in his heart, and a look of fear appeared in his eyes.Wang Han has lived in the court for a long time and is well versed in political affairs. Since he can say these words, it shows that he has full confidence.Will the war in Northern Xinjiang be defeated?Does His Majesty want to disregard the great Han society, disregard the lives of 20 soldiers, and insist on killing himself?I fought bloody battles for the safety of the Great Han Kingdom, and I was also loyal to the Great Han Kingdom and His Majesty. What harm did I do to the Great Han Kingdom that forced His Majesty to use this method to kill me?Is your own life more important than the safety of Dahan Sheji?

"Don't be angry, my lord." Li Hong stood up, bowed respectfully and said, "I have been fighting in the battlefield for a long time, and I know nothing about the affairs of the court, so I beg my lord to give me some advice."

Wang Han stared at him fiercely, and said angrily: "Does the general know who Dong Zhuo is? The general only sees Dong Zhuo's outstanding military achievements in the western border, but does the general know who Dong Zhuo is? Dong Zhuo is brutal and bloodthirsty. He is the bloodiest general in Xijiang and the biggest corrupt official in Xijiang. Dong Zhuo has bloodbathed the Qiang tribe several times, forcing the Qiang people to raise their troops. Military resources and family wealth have reached tens of billions of dollars, if such a person arrives in Bingzhou, Bingzhou will immediately become the second Xiliang, do you know?"

"Do you think that with Lord Zhang in the army, Lord Zhao in the Mintun, and Lord Xie in Yantie, Bingzhou will be safe and secure? Dong Zhuo is not Ding Yuan, and the governor of Bingzhou is not the governor of Bingzhou. He has the army and military power in his hands. There is a traitor behind him, and he can team up with the traitor to replace Bingzhou officials and search for people's fat and anointment. At that time, whether it is military settlements, civilian settlements, or disaster victims, without the support of salt and iron, without money and materials, Bingzhou will collapse in an instant , It will be destroyed in an instant. The victims will riot immediately without food and drink, and the riots of the victims will trigger the riots in the entire Bingzhou. After the Bingzhou falls into riots, can the general still fight outside the Great Wall? At that time, the general is finished , Bingzhou is over, Northern Xinjiang is over, and the Great Han Kingdom is also at stake, do you know?"

"Once the Northern Xinjiang War fails, you and your subordinates will be responsible for all the crimes. From the time when you recruited the Yellow Turban Army the year before to the present, all the merits and demerits will be your heinous crimes. Even if you die a hundred times It’s not enough. It’s fine if you die, but you pushed millions of people in Bingzhou into the chaos of war, let the blood flow into rivers in northern Xinjiang, and made the Han Dynasty go to ruin. He is the eternal sinner of the Han Kingdom."

Li Hong was horrified and terrified in his heart.

"My lord, are you taking it too seriously?" Zhu Mu blinked, and said guiltily, "The Northern Xinjiang War is about the rise and fall of the Great Han, the former general Dong Zhuo would know that if he wants to be lawless in Bingzhou, To act recklessly is of no benefit to him. If he wins the battle in Northern Xinjiang, he has made great achievements. If he loses, and it is due to chaos within the state, Dong Zhuo will probably die a miserable death."

"What do you know, kid?" Wang Han pointed at Zhu Mu and scolded unceremoniously, "If the battle in northern Xinjiang is lost, not only will Dong Zhuo not die, but he will also be promoted for his meritorious service in protecting the capital. Do you think he has no hands?" Is it the power to bind chickens? He has soldiers in his hands, money in the treasury, and powerful ministers behind him. Will he die? I think you will die. After so many years, he has been an official outside for many years, and he still has no progress. It’s in vain. Do you have to wait until Bingzhou is over and you are about to behead yourself before you believe what I say?”

Zhu Mu was raised by Wang Han, so he didn't show mercy at all. He scolded Zhu Mu until his face turned red, and he lowered his head and dared not make a sound.

Wang Han looked at Li Hong and continued: "Your Majesty doesn't know Dong Zhuo's character, he doesn't know the current situation of Bingzhou, and he doesn't know that Dong Zhuo's arrival in Bingzhou will bring terrible disasters to the Han Kingdom. Your power, depriving you of your military power, quickly removed your potential threat to the Han Kingdom, he completely ignored Dong Zhuo's harm to the Han Kingdom, his will is wrong, do you know, General?"

"The general must not let Dong Zhuo enter Bingzhou."

===

Li Hong was silent in thought.Wang Han's worry is not that he hasn't thought about it.He and Dong Zhuo fought side by side on the Xiliang battlefield, and later directly clashed with him when Xiliang suppressed corruption. He naturally knew who Dong Zhuo was, but it was the emperor's will to let Dong Zhong lead the army into Bingzhou , and the purpose of the emperor's letting Dong Zhuo supervise the military administration of Bingzhou is obvious. If he tried his best to persuade him in the court at that time, the consequences would be unpredictable. Of course, he was unwilling to risk offending the emperor and lose the opportunity to go out to fight.

Li Hong has a lot of luck towards Dong Zhuo.After all, the war in Northern Xinjiang was related to the rise and fall of the country. As an important minister of the country, Dong Zhuo would never be so bold as to ruin his family and ruin the country, but Wang Han's words woke him up from his luck.Li Hong remembered what he had done to fight corruption in Bingzhou before he left Bingzhou last year.The situation in Bingzhou was extremely difficult at that time, but even in that situation, some people still took risks and took bribes.Dong Zhuo is well versed in corruption and perverting the law. When he arrived in Bingzhou, he would not be tempted to face a large amount of farm supplies, disaster relief money and food, as well as food and supplies for the front line?Will he fill his pockets?Li Hong felt that his thoughts were too naive, and he was joking about the rise and fall of the country.

As Wang Han said, what if Dong Zhuo screwed up Bingzhou?Who can guarantee that Dong Zhuo can govern Bingzhou with all his heart and soul like himself?It's just a trivial matter that I died. If my subordinates and 10,000+ soldiers died in battle, it was nothing more than a defeat. But if Beijiang was abandoned because of this, and the country was defeated because of this, then my own sin would be great.

In order to ensure the victory of the Northern Xinjiang War, it is necessary to ensure the stability of Bingzhou and the continuous supply of food, grass and supplies. To achieve this, the only way to do this is to use your own people and people you trust to let the head of General Zhengbei take charge of Bingzhou. Everything, this is the only way to ensure that the Northern Xinjiang War is foolproof.

Li Hong felt very disturbed when he thought of the imperial decree issued by His Majesty.At this time, it is neither timely nor effective to write to the emperor, and it is too late in time.The emperor suddenly promulgated this imperial decree at the last moment of his departure from Beijing, when the Great War in Northern Xinjiang had already begun. Obviously, he had made a decision long ago and made careful preparations and arrangements in advance.He was not only trying to force He Jin for the sake of the imperial system, not only to deprive Dong Zhuo of his military power, but also to use Dong Zhuo and the Northern Army to contain himself. The country laid a stable foundation for the Han Dynasty after the victory of the Northern Xinjiang War.The emperor will not give up the appointment of Dong Zhuo because of the various reasons he put forward.If Dong Zhuo could not enter Bingzhou, Huangfusong would not be able to control Xiliang's military power, Dong Zhuo's potential threat could not be eliminated, and more importantly, the emperor lost the excuse to enlist He Jin to enter Xiliang.The emperor will never pay attention to himself if he pulls a hair and moves the whole body.

Without the will of the emperor, Dong Zhuo was bound to enter Bingzhou, and if he wanted to prevent Dong Zhuo from entering Bingzhou, he had to resort to extraordinary means.Once I use extraordinary measures, I will violate the imperial decree, violate the laws of the Han Dynasty, and even be suspected of openly confronting the court, which is especially terrible. Doing so by myself may completely destroy the overall plan of the emperor, and may endanger the safety of the emperor And the stability of Luoyang.Li Hong thought of the emperor's favor to him, and the emperor's trust and respect for him, so he hesitated and couldn't make up his mind.

If he annoyed the emperor because of his resistance to the decree, and lost the financial support of Wan Jintang in the northern Xinjiang war, and the war was not a failure, he would have to give up halfway. At that time, his own life and death were trivial matters. The survival of the territory is a big event.

"General, what is loyalty? What is loyalty to the emperor and patriotism?" Wang Han saw that Li Hong was in a trance, obviously struggling in his heart and hesitating, so he said again impassionedly, "Compared with the rise and fall of a country, the honor and disgrace of a person is nothing. What? What is the life and death of a person compared with the lives of 20 soldiers and 300 million people in Bingzhou? Could it be that the blood of the soldiers spilled on the desert, the people mourned, and the land of northern Xinjiang cried and wailed under the iron hooves of Hu Qi? Loyalty to the Han Kingdom, loyalty to His Majesty? Are you a loyal minister of the Han Kingdom and His Majesty?"

"General, you have only recovered the border county, defeated the Hulu, and made great achievements for all ages. You are the loyal minister of the Han Kingdom, and you are the loyal minister of His Majesty. When you lead your troops back in triumph, who would say that you once fought against the enemy? Disobedience? Who will hold you accountable for your past crimes?" Wang Han's thin body straightened up suddenly, and he waved his hands and shouted, "General, as long as you make great achievements in the world, even if you die because of your sins in the future, you will still be mine. The great hero whose name goes down in the history of the Great Han Kingdom will always be the hero of our Great Han Kingdom, no one can obliterate your credit, never will."

Li Hong bowed and saluted again, smiled wryly and remained silent.Wang Han's words were not unreasonable, but he had to consider the consequences, the consequences of preventing Dong Zhuo and the [-] Northern Army from entering Bingzhou.What's more, Dong Zhuo is a general who has lived in the frontier fortress for a long time, of course he knows what it means to force the refugees from Bingzhou.That was a disaster. Not only would he lose everything he had now, but he would also lose his own life. He wouldn't be so stupid, would he?After the great victory in the Northern Xinjiang War, he gained a foothold in Bingzhou. At that time, he wanted to be strong, to be corrupt, to be corrupt, and to do whatever he wanted. Why did he have to choose such an inappropriate time?

Li Hong still thought that Dong Zhuo would not be so short-sighted.Dong Zhuo has been in Xijiang for decades, has been in the officialdom for decades, and has very rich experience in both military and political aspects. Could it be that he can't see such a thing?He took great risks to get corrupted and violated the law during the Great War in Northern Xinjiang.Li Hong believed that Dong Zhuo would never make such a bad move.Wang Han underestimated Dong Zhuo too much, and his words were too alarmist.

===

Sangyang seemed to have seen Li Hong's thoughts, he twisted his short beard with his hands, and said without haste, "Dong Zhuo is a veteran minister in the court, he knows the way of being an official, and he sees the situation in Luoyang very clearly today. The emperor of the month wanted to recruit him back to the court to be one of the nine ministers, but he refused on the pretext that the rebellion in western Xinjiang had not yet been resolved, and his subordinates were difficult to control. Of course, the fat job in the government is better than leading the army to guard the frontier. Why didn't he do it? Returning to the court as a minister has always been Dong Zhuo's dream. Over the years, he has spent a lot of effort to return to the court as an important minister. When he really had this opportunity, he refused. The emperor, why? It's all because of the wrong timing."

"Now the powers of all parties in Luoyang have fought bloody battles for the imperial line. At this time, Dong Zhuo, returning to the court, has no roots and no military power. He is likely to be torn apart by the bloody wind in Luoyang. Therefore, he did not hesitate to choose to hold a heavy army and temporarily station in the western border. As long as he has military power, he will be invincible, and he can wait and see the changes of the current situation in order to reap greater benefits for himself."

"So, this time the emperor enlists him to lead the northern army into Bingzhou, will he agree?" Sangyang glanced at the crowd and said with a smile, "I don't think he will agree. The war in northern Xinjiang has already begun, and the emperor is recruiting at this time." He led the army into Bingzhou for Bingzhou Mu. His purpose is too obvious. One is to take the opportunity to deprive him of military power over the Xiliang Army, and the other is to use him to control Bingzhou counties and counties within the Great Wall, so as to strengthen and weaken the strength of the general in the future. And power, the third thing, of course, is that the rabbit is dead. If the threat of the general to the court is lifted in the future, and Dong Zhuo’s role is gone, the emperor will immediately uproot him from northern Xinjiang. Dong Zhuo’s roots are in Xiliang No matter how hard he tries, it is impossible to rebuild his foundation in Bingzhou in a short period of time. Bingzhou is now thinking of the torrential flood in the Yellow River, and if he is not careful, the embankment will be destroyed. Who is Dong Zhuo? Will you stand on the cusp of the storm and seek your own death?"

"Taking a step back, Dong Zhuo led his army to Bingzhou under the coercion and lure of the emperor, and he considered the rise and fall of the Han Dynasty and his own future, tried his best to govern Bingzhou, and wholeheartedly helped the general go out for an expedition." Sang Yang looked at Li. Hong asked, "Does the general think that under such circumstances, Bingzhou will not be chaotic, and the Northern Xinjiang War will definitely succeed?"

Li Hong nodded.

"Then the general was wrong." Sangyang smiled wryly, "Bingzhou will also collapse. Do you remember who recruited the soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army? Do you remember who made the promise to the soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army? Do you still remember who was responsible for the military and civilian settlements in Bingzhou? Do you remember who owed tens of billions of huge sums of money to wealthy businessmen from all over the world? Do you remember the relief and resettlement of millions of disaster victims who promised to give them Who does the land give them hope of survival?"

Li Hong's face was extremely ugly, and the officials in General Zhengbei's mansion were startled.

"General, it doesn't matter if you lead the army out of the fortress to fight. Those Yellow Turban soldiers who follow you, those rich businessmen who trust you, those soldiers who put their hope of survival on you, refugees and victims, they will think that you are doing something for them. The Great Han Kingdom is fighting bloody battles for their survival, so they will support you and help you without hesitation, but once they know that you are not only going out for a big war, but also leading an army and never coming back, what are the consequences? ever?"

"You have broken your promise to the soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army, you are in arrears with tens of billions of money owed by wealthy businessmen, and you have given up protecting and caring for millions of displaced persons. Will the soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army follow you and fight to the death? Will the Jias still provide money, food, and supplies to Bingzhou? Soldiers stationed in the fields, millions of refugees and disaster victims, will they still trust you, and will they still look forward to your return with peace of mind and hope?"

Sangyang shook his head sadly, "General, apart from fighting and guarding the frontier, can't you do more for the northern border? Can't you do more for the people of Bingzhou? Can't you do more for the Han Kingdom?" Got more?"

===

The shock in Li Hong's heart reached an unbearable level. He stood there blankly, his mind full of despair and pain.How could I come to such a desperate situation?Think about how carefree I was in Xianbei country six years ago when I practiced martial arts with iron wolves and rode horses on the grasslands with the commander in chief. How could I have imagined that after going through hardships and returning to the Han country, I would come to such an irreversible desperate situation step by step? .

Today I can prevent Dong Zhuo from entering Bingzhou, but what about tomorrow?What about after the Northern Xinjiang War?What about after five years in Tuntian?What if I die?Could it be that since then I have been inseparable from this land in northern Xinjiang, and the people on this land, to the point of death?Li Hong thought of Li Wei's astonishing words at Yicheng that day.Today I will not endanger the Dahan Society, but what about tomorrow?If His Majesty were to kill me tomorrow, wouldn't I support myself and fight against the imperial court against His Majesty?

Li Hong suddenly understood why the emperor wanted to kill himself, and why the ministers in Luoyang also said that he was the biggest threat to the Han Dynasty.Beijiang is like a bloodthirsty beast. I was swallowed by it unknowingly and turned into the soul of this bloodthirsty beast. I and the bloodthirsty beast have merged into one, and I am this bloodthirsty beast. A ferocious beast that could endanger the great Han society at any time.

Li Hong was frightened and powerless. For the first time, he deeply felt the helplessness and cruelty of fate.Now it is not I who is in charge of the fate of Beijiang, but Beijiang is in charge of my own destiny.He has nowhere to go.Although he was unwilling to betray His Majesty or the imperial court, facing the crumbling Han Kingdom and Northern Xinjiang, he had no choice but to betray.

What is personal honor and disgrace compared to the rise and fall of the Great Han Kingdom?
"General, the northern border war has already begun, and you have no choice." Wang Han approached the pale-faced Li Hong, and said earnestly, "Whether the northern border war will be won or lost, and whether the Han Kingdom will prosper or perish, all depends on Dahan." In a moment, the general."

"General, we don't know whether Dong Zhuo will come or not, but the [-] Northern Army will definitely enter Bingzhou, and your General's Mansion will definitely leave Jinyang." It doesn't matter, he is insignificant. The important thing is you, the general. Only you can decide the stability of Bingzhou and the stability of the Dahan society. General, please make a decision early to avoid disaster for the country and the people."

Li Hong sighed deeply about his background, and bowed respectfully to Wang Han and Sang Yang respectively, "The two adults are dedicated to the country, and they don't hesitate to speak out to persuade them. I am very grateful."

===

Li Hong bid farewell to Wang Han and Sangyang, and continued northward with everyone, accompanied by Zhang Baiqi, a general of Diannong Zhonglang.

The camp of the army station is located in Linfen.Because the spring plowing is about to start, all the officials of Zhang Baiqi and Diannong Zhonglang's mansion are permanently stationed in the Linfen Army Camp.

Li Hong and Zhang Baiqi shook hands and said goodbye.Zhang Baiqi asked: "The general is about to leave the fortress, what instructions do you have before leaving?"

Li Hong was silent for a long time, and then said in a low voice: "I have asked Xie Ming to notify several merchants who provide supplies to the military station. The spring plowing supplies may be temporarily delayed for a few days before they can be delivered to Linfen."

Zhang Baiqi understood, nodded and smiled and said, "Don't worry, General, I will immediately send tens of thousands of field soldiers to Anyi to make trouble."

"In a few days, the disaster victims in Taiyuan, Shangdang, and Xihe counties are expected to riot a little bit. After you receive the news, immediately organize [-] field soldiers to station along the Yong'an and Xiangling areas, and divide the water and land roads leading to Bingzhou. All transportation is blocked, except for supplies, not a single soldier of the Northern Army is allowed to pass."

Zhang Baiqi hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Will the general give me the order to call up the field soldiers first?"

Li Hong took out a soap pouch from his chest and handed it to him, "I have the right to kill the soldiers before I report to you, so don't worry about your majesty's punishment. When you report to your majesty, remember to put everything on hold." Come on me, don't ask for trouble. In addition, I will send you the weapons equipped with [-] field soldiers after I return to Jinyang."

Zhang Baiqi bowed and replied: "General, don't worry, even if I, Zhang Baiqi, rebel again, I will never let a soldier of the Northern Army enter Bingzhou."

Li Hong said with a smile: "It won't be that serious. Once Bingzhou is in chaos, no one is willing to come. I gave Dong Zhuo such a good reason, and of course he won't come. You have to pay attention to your tactics and don't show your flaws." , exposed our original intention.”

===

When Li Hong returned to Longshan Camp, he immediately summoned Xian Yufu, Zhang Yan and Zuo Yan for a meeting.Li Hong explained the worries of Hedong prefect Wang Han and Chang Shi Sangyang, and then said: "I have already decided not to let Dong Zhuo and the [-] northern troops enter Bingzhou."

Xian Yufu, Zhang Yan, and Zuo Yan obviously did not expect that the General's Mansion of Zhengbei University would cause such a big crisis to Bingzhou after leaving Jinyang to leave the fortress. The three of them looked at each other in shock.Zhang Yan immediately dismissed the idea of ​​leading his troops to go out to fight. For him, the safety of Bingzhou was far more important than going out to fight. This was the hope of the Yellow Turban Army and millions of refugees.Once Bingzhou is in chaos, not only will all previous efforts be in vain, but even the little hope left in everyone's hearts will disappear.

Li Hong explained his thoughts in detail.Li Hong said, in order to prevent His Majesty and the imperial court from suspecting that the riots in Bingzhou were our own doings, this matter must be done realistically, and we must strictly keep the secrets and not reveal the slightest rumor.

"General, don't worry, our Yellow Turban Army may not be good at other things, but we are definitely experts in this kind of riot, and we won't make any mistakes." Zhang Yan said with a smile, "It's just that after the riot, boss The person must be very anxious, I am worried about his body..."

"Your Majesty and the court will believe Zhao Qi's words." Li Hong said helplessly, "I have no choice but to lie to him once."

Xian Yufu thought for a while, and asked: "Master Ding Yuan, governor of Bingzhou, has received the imperial edict, and he is about to lead three thousand county soldiers back to Hanoi. Once Master Ding leaves, and General Dong can't take office, what about the affairs of the state government?" Who will temporarily act as the agent?"

"Brother Feiyan will act as the agent." Li Hong said, "Don't leave, both of you. After the riot broke out, I will immediately report to His Majesty, and Brother Yuxing will sit in charge of the Beida General's Mansion, and Brother Feiyan will supervise the military administration of Bingzhou. This does not mean that we have to hold it in our own hands anyway to ensure the victory of the Northern Xinjiang War."

"It's possible that Dong Zhuo didn't come to cause this trouble." Zuo Yan said, "But the [-] Northern Army..."

"Wangwushan's Baibo Yellow Turban Army will soon harass the two counties of Hedong and Hanoi. It is estimated that it will be difficult for the [-] Northern Army to escape from Hedong."

===

In April, the imperial court successively received the news that Hanoi's soldiers gathered in the fields to make troubles, the victims of Taiyuan Shangdang and the three counties of Xihe rioted, and the Yellow Turban Army of Taihang Mountain and Montenegro descended to rob Bingzhou counties and counties. The emperor was very annoyed and urged the former general Dong Zhuo to immediately lead The army rushed to Bingzhou.At this time, Dong Zhuo reported to His Majesty, saying that he did not want to go to Bingzhou, and gave a lot of reasons.The emperor was furious.

(End of this chapter)