Great Han Empire

Chapter 499 Immediately Shooting the Gun
August of the first year of Guangxi in the Han Dynasty (AD 189).

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The Son of Heaven and the Empress Dowager made a decree, agreeing to the performance by Li Hong, the chariot general, appointing Cai Yong as the governor of Bingzhou, Xu Shao and others as the prefects of the counties in Bingzhou, and at the same time supervising and asking Li Hong to go north to expedition to the desert as soon as possible.

Li Hong learned that the eunuchs at all levels below Zhongchangshi and Zhongchangshi in the palace had been dismissed and kicked out of the palace, and his goal had been achieved, so he hurriedly rode [-] miles to send a letter to Liu Yu, the Taiwei who was far away in Youzhou.

He first explained to Liu Yu his purpose of going south to Hedong, the current situation in Luoyang, and the fact that the emperor ordered him to expedition to the desert. Yuyang City and Lulongsai made an attack posture in the direction of Yanshan in order to contain the troops of Xianbei in the middle and Xianbei in the east, and cooperate with the northern Xinjiang army to expedition to the desert.He and Liu Yu agreed to launch an attack on August [-]th.

At the same time, Li Hong secretly ordered Jianwei General Xu Rong, Zhenwei General Qu Yi, and Yang Lie General Zhang Yan to go out to attack at the same time on August [-]th.He ordered General Fenwei Xian Yufu to lead his army from Shaling Lake of the Yunzhong Army to Gaoque in Wuyuan County on August [-]th, and followed up with the army's food and supplies.

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General Zuo Huangfusong's letter of reply was sent to Daying.In the book, Huang Fusong bluntly pointed out the huge shock and impact that Li Hong led the army to the south to the Han Dynasty, especially Li Hong's behavior of coercing the emperor to trample on the imperial power with heavy troops seriously damaged the sacred authority of the Han emperor.Huang Fusong said that what you do today will be imitated by future generations, and the far-reaching scourge will directly affect the stability of the Dahan society.Your Excellency should not only consider for the northern Xinjiang, but also for the entire Han Kingdom and today's world.Although my lord went south in name to eradicate the traitors and stabilize the government, so that the army would go on an expedition so that there would be no worries, but in fact, the lord was to expand the territory and to make a name for himself in history.Expeditions to the desert are astonishingly expensive and require all the power of the whole country. What good does this do for the exhausted Han Dynasty?Have you thought about the future of the impoverished 5000 million people in the Great Han Kingdom?

Huangfusong said in the letter that the traitors stay away from the court, which does not mean that the situation in Luoyang can be turned into safety quickly. It will take a while to completely eradicate the deep-rooted forces of the Han Kingdom, let alone overnight. It is a process, so Huangfusong believes that the army in northern Xinjiang is not an expedition at this time, but should continue to station troops north of the Yellow River, continue to maintain a strong threat to Luoyang, and use force to ensure that Luoyang's turbulent political situation will gradually stabilize.When Luoyang is really stabilized and all major affairs of the country are back to normal, it will not be too late for my lord to lead the army to retreat northward and go on an expedition to the desert.My lord's expedition at this time will not only make all the efforts to go south come to naught, but will also aggravate the turmoil in Luoyang and make the situation in Luoyang even more chaotic.Now that my lord has led the army to the south, he should make the mistake and make the mistake. First stabilize Luoyang thoroughly, and then try other tricks, and should not give up halfway.

Huangfusong obviously disagreed with Li Hong's expedition to the desert, but he knew that he could not stop Li Hong alone, nor could he stop Li Hong's march to the north, so he gave Li Hong some advice for fighting in the desert in his letter.Huangfusong knew that Li Hong had always liked to take risks with his troops, and he hoped that Li Hong would abandon this method of using troops after entering the desert, and instead use safe and effective combat strategies.Huangfusong said, your opponent is Murong Feng, and your battlefield is a desert two thousand miles away. If you want to win, you must remember not to take risks with your troops, but to advance steadily and step by step.

Li Hong read and read Huangfusong's letter again and again, but he couldn't let go, he was at a loss as to what to do.

Although there was something wrong with my going south, I was full of difficulties and had to do it as a last resort.If I don't threaten Luoyang with soldiers, the northern border will be under the elbow of the emperor and the court. What will happen to the survival of the millions of victims?In the situation where there is no way to advance or retreat, I can only do this bad strategy, but in this way, will it really cause serious harm to the Han Kingdom as Huangfusong said?

With the development of the situation, Wanjintang's money will be exhausted quickly. If you don't take advantage of this opportunity to go on an expedition as soon as possible, there will be no such opportunity in the future.In addition, in order for the victims who moved into the frontier to settle in the fields and defend the border safely, there must be a stable northern border, and the prerequisite for stabilizing the northern border is to completely drive the Xianbei people who have repeatedly invaded the south to the depths of the desert in the extreme north. place.That is to say, in order for the millions of disaster victims in northern Xinjiang to survive, I have to work hard and go on an expedition, but will this really cause serious disasters to the Han Kingdom as Huangfusong said?Will more Han people suffer?
Li Hong walked silently in the drizzle, wandering on the muddy embankment of the Yellow River.The low clouds in the sky and the hazy mist around him were just like his mood at the moment, melancholy and melancholy.

At this moment, will Luoyang quickly stabilize under the iron fist of the general as I imagined?Will Tai Fu Yuan Kai and other ministers give up the struggle for state power, and wholeheartedly assist the emperor and queen mother with the general, and fully support their own expedition?Today's situation in Luoyang was brought about by me alone. Originally, the three powers in Beijing and China fought each other to barely maintain a balance, but now it has become one party that dominates, one party is restricted, and the other party is kicked out of the court. In this situation Next, after the army leaves, will Luoyang become more chaotic?Will there be a dispute between scholars and generals?Can I go on an expedition?

Li Hong had to admit that what Huangfusong said was right. Although he was worried about many problems, the idea of ​​expedition to the desert and making great achievements pierced deeply in his heart like a sharp arrow. The pain made me unable to breathe and struggle. I went from the northern border to the western border, and then from the western border to the northern border. This thought haunted me all the time. Today I finally had this opportunity. give up?Even if Luoyang is in chaos now, I will quickly enter Luoyang and then turn around and head north.

Li Hong finally made up his mind.

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Li Hong wrote back to Huangfusong, thanking General Huangfusong for his teachings. At the same time, he begged Huangfusong and Jingzhao Yin Gaixun to do their best to provide him with food, grass and supplies from Guanzhong during his expedition. needed.Li Hong said that if he wins this battle, he will at least be able to protect northern Xinjiang from being invaded by the Xianbei people for ten years. This is directly related to the future of the Han Dynasty, so he begged the two adults to help him complete the expedition at all costs for the sake of the country. .

Li Hong wrote to the emperor and the queen mother, saying that he would lead his troops back to the frontier fortress in the near future, and only some soldiers would be left in Hedong and Jinyang to take care of them.In the memorial, he said that the capital crime of disrespect today can be punished by His Majesty after the great victory of the expedition, and he used this to warn all the ministers of the Han Dynasty that His Majesty's heavenly power must not be violated.Li Hong implored the emperor and the queen mother to ensure the needs of the army during the expedition, so as to ensure the victory of this expedition.I should serve His Majesty with meritorious deeds throughout the ages, and recreate the great cause of Emperor Wu.

Li Hong wrote a letter to General He Jin.He said that among the seven groups of troops summoned by the general from all directions to the capital, only Ding Yuan, the prefect of Hanoi, and one group were capable of fighting. Warn He Jin to quickly rectify the West Garden Army.It has been almost a year since the formation of the West Garden Army. Although it cannot be compared with the strength of the Northern Army, it has a large number of people and is prone to disasters. Therefore, rectifying and controlling the West Garden Army is the top priority for stabilizing the capital.If the [-] Xiyuan Army and the [-] Northern Army can be integrated, the [-] Northern Army can be rebuilt, and the capital will have no worries.

In order to ensure the safety of Gyeonggi and ensure that the general can quickly control the government, Li Hong once again suggested to General He Jin that it is very necessary to keep the former general Dong Zhuo in Gyeonggi in order to ensure that the general has enough force to back him up.Dong Zhuo is a general of a hundred battles, and the [-] Xiliang soldiers under him are also a master of a hundred battles. With such soldiers sitting in Gyeonggi, what else can the general in Luoyang not solve?
Li Hong told the general that he was about to leave Beijing for an expedition, and he begged the general to ensure the army's needs during the expedition.

At the same time, Li Hong also wrote a letter to Grand Tutor Yuan Kui, Sikong Liu Hong and Shang Shuling Lu Zhi.Although I lead an expedition to fight in the front, it is not my 10,000+ army that decides the outcome of the expedition, but the ministers in Luoyang City, especially the Taifu Yuan Wei who participated in the Li Shang Shu and several Shang Shu Tai. My lord, they directly command and control this expedition. All the military supplies that the army needs must be organized and transported to the northern border by them.

In his letter to the three adults, Li Hong said frankly that what I have done today must be a rebellious sinner in the eyes of the adults, but I have no intention of disrupting the country. One point, I am for Northern Xinjiang and the Great Han Kingdom.Your lords may think that I am a disaster for the Han Kingdom in the future, but I can solemnly swear that without His Majesty’s decree, I will not be able to reach the Great Wall in this life. In matters of the country, if you violate this oath, you will be punished in the sky and the earth will be destroyed, and you will be pierced by thousands of arrows to death.

My lords may still be worried that I will stand on my own in the north in the future, but my lords, please think about it, my Great Han Kingdom could not support a hundred thousand frontier troops in the past, and I cannot afford a hundred thousand frontier troops today. Can the power still support a hundred thousand troops in this barren land?The reason why I said that I want to build a 30 frontier army is just to ask for more money for farming in northern Xinjiang, and I have no different intentions.As for the other things I mentioned, you adults have seen the results, and I believe that with the joint efforts of Lord Zhao Qi, Lord Cai Yong and many other adults, Bingzhou will surely prosper within ten years.

My northern expedition will travel two thousand miles to Langjuxu Mountain and Sunset Plain. I will bring back the remains of the heroes who were abandoned on the Sunset Plain to comfort the spirits of the heroes. Let the Quartet vassals surrender in the desert.

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The general was ordered to return to Beijing.This time, he could finally walk into the palace in a big way.

Grand Tutor Yuan Kui rushed to meet him five miles outside the city in person.Today, dozens of traitors were kicked out of the palace, decades of wishes finally came true, Taifu Yuan Wei is in a very good mood.Sitting in the carriage with the great general He Jin, he carefully discussed the matter of selecting and dispatching the officials of the third department to the palace to replace the expelled eunuchs.Yuan Kui and the ministers have drawn up a detailed list, among which there are more than 50 officials in the line of generals.

(In this dynasty, Zhonglang will be in charge of the three bureaus. The Lang officials include Yilang, Zhonglang, Shilang, Langzhong Si, etc. Yilang and Zhonglang have a salary ratio of six hundred stones. The assistant minister's salary ratio is four hundred stones. The salary ratio is three hundred shi. Except for Yilang who can participate in the court meeting, these people are not considered officials. They belong to the orderly personnel or guards. Most of these people in this dynasty are the children of the powerful and noble families, sometimes there are hundreds of people, and sometimes More than [-] people.)
The general was very satisfied with Yuan Wei's arrangement. He flattered Yuan Wei and asked, "Master Taifu, after Master Ding is dismissed, who do you think should take over the position of Situ?"

After pondering for a while, Yuan Kui said: "General, the matter of rape has not been completely resolved yet, and General Cheqi has not withdrawn his troops to go north. Luoyang is still in turmoil. In my opinion, it is better not to think about it for the time being."

He Jin smiled and nodded.Now Taiwei Liu Yu is in Youzhou, Sikong Liu Hong, Dasinong Mansion, and Shaoqing Mansion are busy allocating food, salaries and military equipment to northern Xinjiang. The lack of one Situ among the three officials is not a big problem, but one more Situ may lead to uneven distribution of power question.At this moment, regardless of whether He Jin's person or Yuan Kai's person is arranged for the position of Situ, both parties will not agree, and it is better to maintain the status quo.The general asked this question just to test Yuan Kai's mind.

The Taifu and the general participated in the official affairs at the same time, managed the government together, and let the scholars and the general check each other. This was originally a method that the queen mother and middle officials came up with to maintain the balance of power in the outer court.Since the Grand Tutor doesn't want to break the balance, He Jin naturally doesn't want to be troublesome. His most urgent thing now is to take over the power of the inner court as soon as possible, to control the emperor and the queen mother.

"Does the general know that Master Li is going north immediately?" Yuan Kai asked casually
He Jin smiled, but didn't speak.

Li Hong's worry is also his worry.In order to solve the problem of the Xiyuan Army as soon as possible, He Jin promised to let Cao Cao, the captain of the military academy, continue to lead the [-] Xiyuan Army after eradicating the eunuchs in the palace, and this is where the trouble lies.Now the Xiyuan Army is at Hangu Pass, and because Cao Cao, Chunyuqiong and Bao Hong belong to the traitorous eunuchs, they are worried that they will be purged by the court, so they firmly control the soldiers and horses.Now that the matter in Luoyang has not been dealt with properly, it is not easy for He Jin to turn his face immediately, and there is no shadow of rectifying the West Garden Army.

The three captains of the Xiyuan Army, He Jin found it very difficult to deal with.Lieutenant Cao Cao was born in a family of eunuchs. His grandfather was Cao Teng, the great chief autumn, and his father was a former Taiwei.Lieutenant Chunyu Qiong of the Central Military Academy was recommended by Yuan She, the order of the Huangmen, and was originally an old official of the Yuan Clan.Now that the Yuan faction is in full swing in Luoyang, how can they move him?Bao Hong, the lieutenant of the lower military academy, is a member of Da Changqiu Zhao Zhong, but he has a very good relationship with the former general Dong Zhuo.In the past when he suppressed the rebellion in Xijiang, he was the captain of Fufeng County and fought behind Dong Zhuo.This time Bao Hong led his troops from Xiaopingjin to Hangu Pass, and took the initiative to join the general, which was all facilitated by Dong Zhuo.Now Dong Zhuo's army is stationed in Mianchi, how to replace Bao Hong?Since the general cannot properly deal with the three school lieutenants of the West Garden Army, of course there is no way to rectify the West Garden Army, let alone turn the West Garden Army into the Northern Army as a whole.

He Jin very much hoped that Li Hong could continue to stay in Hedong for a while.As long as Li Hong is in Hedong, the [-] Xiyuan army will be his own sooner or later, but once Li Hong leaves and the threat of Gyeonggi is eliminated, the [-] Xiyuan army will be a problem.

"I would like to ask Your Majesty and the Queen Mother to put General Cheqi's mansion in Yunzhong City." Yuan Kai said, "General Cheqi is in charge of the defense of the northern border. More appropriate."

He Jin looked at Yuan Kai suspiciously, not understanding why he would provoke Li Hong at this time.He Jin didn't think it was important where the General Cheqi's mansion was.Li Hong set up a Xingyuan in Linfen, Jinyang and Jiuyuan, which has already explained the problem. Northern Xinjiang is controlled by Li Hong, and no one can shake it. Could it be that Li Hong was ordered to ride the car to the general's mansion? Can going outside the Great Wall prevent Li Hongyuan from returning to Jinyang after his expedition?Can it stop Li Hongxiong from occupying northern Xinjiang?He Jin thought it was funny.

Seeing that Yuan Kai was serious, He Jin waved his hand and agreed.He knew that Li Hong would not care about such a small matter.

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He Jin stood outside the Suzaku Gate, looking at the towering and majestic Nangong, couldn't help smiling, and straightened his tired body a little.

In the Changqiu Palace, the Empress Dowager's face was very ugly, she didn't even let He Jin sit down, she let He Jin stand like that.He Jin looked humble and kept saying apologetic words.

The empress dowager obviously still hadn't extinguished her anger, she sneered and said, "The general is cured?"

He Jin shook his head, and said lightly: "I'm still sick, but state affairs are the most important thing, I..."

"Is the general's illness so serious? It's so serious that he can't even escort the late emperor's coffin to Wenling?" The queen mother sneered, "Brother, you are too much."

He Jin didn't speak.

"Brother, do you still remember who sent me into the palace? Do you remember who helped me live here in Changqiu Palace? Do you remember who helped you persuade the late emperor to worship you as your general?" The queen mother said word by word, "Brother, you are too much."

He Jin wanted to speak but stopped, bowed his head and remained silent.

"Now my brother is satisfied, everything is as you wished, why don't you give up? Why do you want to drive them to the capital? Why do you want to kill them all? Brother, you are too much."

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He Jin returned to the General's Mansion.

Cars and horses were congested in front of the General's Mansion, and there was an endless stream of people who came to visit the General, making it very lively.

Zhang Gong, Gao Wang, Yuanzhong's regular servants, and several little Huangmen came to the General's mansion with heavy gifts, pleaded guilty to the General, and were willing to obey all the disposal of the General.

He Jin said: "The queen mother has already told me that since you have been dismissed, you will not be held accountable for your crimes, but I want to say that it is absolutely impossible for you to stay in the capital."

Several eunuchs begged in every possible way, but He Jin firmly refused.He Jin said, you are well aware of the situation in Luoyang, the scholars hate you so much that they can arrest you with any excuse, and staying in the capital is sure to be a dead end.I forcibly ordered the lifting of your imprisonment is my own idea, and I did not discuss it with the Taifu.If he knows, I can't guarantee whether he will use this as an excuse to take the opportunity to arrest you.

Zhang Gong repeatedly kowtowed and begged, saying that his manor in East County of Yanzhou had been washed away by the flood, and it would be a problem to eat and drink after returning to the fief, let alone his life safety.As he was getting old, he begged the general to let him stay in the capital.

He Jin shook his head with a sneer and said, "I've already said, no. Don't think that you can return to the palace once the chariot general leaves. This is impossible. Leave the capital as soon as possible, so as not to be decapitated and implicate the nine clans. "
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Grand Tutor Yuan Kai was very angry when he heard that He Jin ordered the removal of the dismissed middle-ranking official from prison, and urgently wrote to He Jin to inquire about the matter.He Jin wrote back and said, this is what the queen mother meant, and I, as a courtier, have to obey.

Grand Tutor Yuan Kui hastily ordered Yuan Shao, Captain of Sili, and Yin Wangyun of Henan to take troops to set up checkpoints on the main roads leaving Beijing. As long as they saw middle officials leaving Beijing, they should be arrested immediately and executed on the spot.At the same time, he urgently wrote to the prefectural and county governments in various places, ordering them to hunt and kill the family members of the treacherous eunuchs in the name of General He Jin.

This matter was immediately learned by middle officials such as Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang, and they sought help from the queen mother in the palace through various relationships.

The queen mother was very angry, and hurriedly called He into the palace, and scolded He Jin.He Jin was not easy to refute, and immediately made a mistake, begging the Queen Mother to hand over the military power of the Xiyuan Army to him.The queen mother said angrily: "Isn't the West Garden Army yours? Even my life is in your hands now, let alone a West Garden Army? Why did you deceive me? Why did you kill those eunuchs?"

He Jin also said angrily: "I am the head of the He family, no matter what I do, it is for the He clan. Could it be that I am not as good as a few eunuchs in the eyes of the Queen Mother?"

"Does the queen mother know how much I gave Guo Sheng to send you to the palace? I gave him half of the family wealth and half of the family wealth. The queen mother also knows that the minister gave you money to let you live in the Changqiu Palace. How much did Zhao Zhongzhang let these eunuchs pay? Does the queen mother know all the family wealth? Otherwise, how could empress Song be abolished by the first emperor? Is it enough for the queen mother to give birth to a prince? Wang Meiren also gave birth to a prince , why can't she be a queen? Why is she still dead?"

"Does the queen mother think that the eunuchs gave me this general for nothing? No, I bought it with money. Even if there were no eunuchs, I could have bought this general from the late emperor." He Jin sneered and said, "Queen Dowager, the surname is He, not the surname of the eunuchs. The Queen Mother comes from the He family, not the family of the eunuchs. I ask the Queen Mother to think about the relationship between siblings, and don't be fooled by the eunuchs' lies." Mind, regards one's relatives as enemies."

The Empress Dowager was at a loss for words for a moment, and she couldn't speak, and an angry look appeared on her beautiful face.

He Jin calmed down his emotions, and asked unhurriedly: "Queen Mother, Your Majesty's wedding day is coming, when will mother come?"

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The emperor decreed that Guang Luxun Liu Bo, Wei Wei Liu He, Da Si Nong Yuan Pang, and Shao Fu Liu Ting Siqing were all dismissed. Among them, Hanoi prefect Ding Yuan was worshiped as Zhijinwu, Wang Kuang was worshiped as Hanoi prefect, Zhang Miao was worshiped as Guanglu doctor, Xu You was worshiped as Yilang, Lu Bu and Wu Qiuyi were worshiped as riding captains, Zhang Liao was worshiped as the captain of the Northern Army, and Zhang Yang was worshiped as the captain.

A series of appointments and dismissals were the result of discussions between the general and the queen mother in the Changqiu Palace, and the Taifu Yuan Kai and Sikong Liu Hong were not informed at all, and the ministers at Shangshutai were even more ignorant.

For a while, the atmosphere in Luoyang became tense again.

Grand Tutor Yuan Kui was called into the palace by the Queen Mother.Empress Dowager He said that the emperor is about to get married, and all the affairs of this big wedding will be hosted by Lord Taifu and the adults at Shangshutai.Now that the middle officials who are familiar with affairs in the palace are gone, and the new officials are not familiar with it, I have no choice but to entrust this matter to the adults.As for the government, let the general handle it for the time being.

After Grand Tutor Yuan Kai left the palace, he immediately sent someone to find Yuan Shao.

"Go to Mianchi immediately." Yuan Kai said, "You make an appointment with him, I want to see Dong Zhuo."

Yuan Shao asked in surprise: "Do you want to meet him in person? Is it inside or outside the city?"

"Outside the city." Yuan Kui said, "Also, you asked Cao Cao to come to the capital to see me when he has time. I need to find him."

Yuan Shao agreed with a smile.

"Uncle, after we killed more than a dozen traitors who went out of the city, these people have learned to behave. They all hide at home and never come out of the city. Look, should I find an excuse to catch them one by one?"

"What's the matter with you, you still have to ask me about this kind of thing?" Yuan Wei said dissatisfiedly, "You are the captain of Sili, one of the three independent seats, directly under the jurisdiction of your majesty, with a high position and authority, and the three princes from the capital. , Liehou, foreign relatives, bureaucrats at all levels and local officials in Gyeonggi are all under your supervision. What are you afraid of? When Yang Qiu was the captain of Sili, Huang Menling Wang Fu and his son were caught alive by him. Killed, how about you? You still want to ask me after arresting someone?"

Yuan Shao didn't understand why his uncle was so angry today, so he could only stand aside with a smiling face.

"Didn't the general give you a holiday in the name of His Majesty? You can cut it first and play later."

Yuan Shao understood and left in a hurry.

(In order to enhance the prestige of the supervisory officials, Emperor Guangwu of this dynasty set up three seats in the court for Shang Shuling, Yushi Zhongcheng and Sili Xiaowei to sit alone, so they were called "three separate seats". Among them, Yushi Zhongcheng He Sili Xiaowei is the supervisor, and Sili Xiaowei is responsible for supervising the capital and the Gyeonggi area, and has great power.)
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On a rainy day in early August, General Li Hong led his troops to retreat.

Standing on the embankment, Li Hong looked at the turbulent Yellow River in front of him, feeling a little sad in his heart.In this life, can I still see the majestic Kyoto?

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(End of this chapter)