Great Han Empire

Chapter 508 Immediately Shooting the Gun
At the end of August, in Hedong County, Linfen Xingyuan, the mansion of the General Cheqi.

After Li Wei got the news that the Zhongguan had entered the palace again, he was keenly aware that the crisis in Luoyang not only did not ease, but became more serious.While quickly notifying Jinyang Xingyuan and Yunzhong Xingyuan of what happened in Luoyang, he told the court to urge the Da Si Nong Mansion to speed up the allocation of food and supplies for the expeditionary army.At the same time, he urgently called Diannong Zhonglang General Zhang Baiqi and Captain Yantie Xie Ming to Xingyuan to discuss matters.

Zhang Baiqi was training soldiers in the Xiangling area, and rushed to Linfen overnight after receiving Li Wei's urgent letter.Li Wei explained the situation in Luoyang in detail, and then asked, "When will these [-] recruits from the field be useful?"

Zhang Baiqi was taken aback. "Lord Li, these people can't go to the battlefield without training for half a year. October is the autumn harvest season. During this month, the field soldiers must go to the fields to harvest. Therefore, if you want to requisition, at least until the beginning of next year." Zhang Baiqi nervously Asked, "What's the matter, my lord? Is something going to happen in Luoyang?"

"Master Zhang misunderstood." Li Wei laughed. "I haven't got the authority to call up [-] soldiers. I want to ask you, can these [-] recruits be in charge of guarding the land and water along the river?"

"Master Li, there are [-] veterans guarding the land and water along the river. There is more than enough manpower. There is no need to increase the number of troops." Zhang Baiqi said, "Because we have to fully support the expeditionary army, our weapons and military pay are seriously insufficient. It's not that the prefect raised part of the military funds for us temporarily, and my [-] garrison soldiers don't even have military pay, so I can only consider giving them more food in the future."

Li Wei thought for a while and said, "Master Zhang, the General's Mansion will call for the 2 veterans of the field. You select [-] of the [-] recruits from the field to guard the water and land. This matter must be done immediately without delay. "

Zhang Baiqi was silent.Before Li Hong left, he repeatedly told Zhang Baiqi that he must obey Li Wei's orders for the affairs of Hedong.Li Wei is now the long history of Cheqi General's Mansion, his official position is at the same level as the four generals in Northern Xinjiang, and Li Hong has given Li Wei full authority to deal with all affairs outside Northern Xinjiang, Zhang Baiqi can't do it if he doesn't listen, But Zhang Baiqi must consider the garrison of Hedong and the transportation of water and land.Temporary recruitment of soldiers in the field must be equipped with weapons and food, both of which are indispensable, otherwise where will the safety and morale of the army come from?

Seeing Zhang Baiqi's hesitation, Li Wei sighed softly.I am young and unqualified. Although everyone is polite when we are together, it is still difficult for me to gain Zhang Baiqi's trust and support when it comes to critical times.

Li Wei was not unhappy with Zhang Baiqi's attitude.To make people like Zhang Baiqi completely trust and obey him, it is not enough to rely on official positions and orders, but to have real skills.Li Hong and Zhang Baiqi knew each other five years ago.At that time, the two went from rivals to friends.Zhang Baiqi obeyed Li Hong, and Li Hong also trusted Zhang Baiqi very much. He handed over the military station in Bingzhou to Zhang Baiqi and let him take full responsibility.The army station is the source of soldiers for the Northern Xinjiang army, and it will also be the granary for the Northern Xinjiang army in the future. This shows Li Hong's absolute trust in him.

Li Wei didn't want to offend this kind of person.If the two had conflicts at this critical moment and affected the expedition, even if Li Hong let him go temporarily, he would not reuse him in the future.This shows that I am incompetent. If my subordinates don't listen to me or obey my orders, can I still say that I am capable?
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"Just now I told you about the situation in Luoyang. Luoyang is full of crises and the consequences are unpredictable." Li Wei handed a bowl of water to Zhang Baiqi, and said anxiously, "Today is almost the time since the last time the middle officials were expelled. It has been a month, and General He Jin has not completely controlled the Xiyuan Army. This is unbelievable. What is he thinking? Is it so complicated to control the Xiyuan Army? The soldiers and horses entering Beijing are far stronger than the Xiyuan army, why didn't he take the opportunity to quickly remove Cao Cao, Chunyu Qiong and Bao Hong's military power, and firmly grasp the Xiyuan army in his hands?"

"The general can't control the Xiyuan army, so he doesn't dare to merge the soldiers and horses of the Seven Routes into Beijing into the Northern army, so as not to cause chaos when the army merges and be attacked by the Xiyuan army." Li Wei smiled wryly, "Daddy The general can't expand the northern army in time, not only the troops will be scattered, but also he can't guarantee the loyalty of the generals, so he is very troublesome now, he can neither use the West Garden Army with confidence, nor dare to transfer all his troops into the city However, the current situation in Luoyang forces the general to expel the middle officials as soon as possible to avoid accidents in Ye Changmeng. He must use the army to intimidate the emperor and the queen mother. Therefore, the only one the general can safely use now is Dong Zhuo who is stationed outside Hangu Pass .”

"Dong Zhuo is outside the Hangu Pass. As long as he doesn't enter the pass, Luoyang's safety will be guaranteed, and at the same time he can maintain his threat to the emperor and the queen mother." Li Wei shook his head and said, "But the general may not have thought that if the emperor and the queen mother insisted on If you want to keep the Zhongguan in the palace, if the two sides are in a stalemate, things will be very troublesome. At that time, will the general want Dong Zhuo to enter the customs?"

"Master Li, you mean that once Dong Zhuo enters the customs, it may cause chaos in the capital?" Zhang Baiqi asked in surprise.

"I don't know, but when I was in Luoyang, I had contact with Mr. Lu Zhi, Mr. He Yonghe, and many noble families in Luoyang. I know that they are determined to eradicate both traitors and relatives." Li Wei He whispered, "Don't look at the fact that the scholars have no actual control of the army in Luoyang, but they still have enough ways to kill the traitor and the general."

"I have told the general many times that the most urgent task at present is to go south to Luoyang and stabilize the court. When Luoyang is completely stable in the future, I will go north for an expedition." Li Wei said, "But the general is stubborn. He thinks that the general He Jin He will quickly control the situation in Luoyang. He is eager to go on an expedition to open up a larger living territory for the victims of the northern border. Look at Mr. Zhang. Just after Mr. General led the army to cross Yinshan Mountain, the Zhongguan entered the palace again. What does this mean? Explain The general was unable to control the situation in Luoyang at all. He was still unable to quickly wipe out the traitors in Luoyang with thunderous means, and could not completely control the Gyeonggi army, so that he watched helplessly. The situation in Luoyang has deteriorated again and we are helpless."

"The Zhongguan entered the palace again, the generals are at a loss, the troops from all walks of life in the capital are staring at each other, and the chaos in Luoyang is coming soon." Li Wei said helplessly, "Especially Dong Zhuo, who now has an army in his hands. Once he enters the capital to help He Jin After eradicating the treacherous traitors, they will definitely enter the court as three princes, and the scholars must take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join hands with Dong Zhuo before extricating relatives. The disaster of foreign relatives is well known in the world, and it is not clear which side Dong Zhuo will stand on. Dong Zhuo is cunning and bloody, With the help of gentry ministers, how can He Jin be an opponent? Once He Jin dies, can the emperor and the queen mother still live in the palace? Unless Dong Zhuo and the ministers in the court don’t want to live. They killed the emperor’s uncle and the queen mother’s Brother, they have only a few days left to live."

Zhang Baiqi looked shocked, and hurriedly asked: "What about the food and supplies of the expeditionary army? What about the general and the 10,000+ northern Xinjiang soldiers?"

"That's why I want to call up your soldiers." Li Wei said calmly, "We don't care how chaotic Luoyang is. We don't care who is the emperor and who inherits the rule. We only need food and supplies for the expeditionary army. If we are missing a grain of rice, if we are missing a penny, we will intervene in Luoyang's affairs."

"But we only have [-] garrison soldiers available." Zhang Baiqi said worriedly, "Lord Li should urgently report the situation in Luoyang to General Sir, and ask him to consider whether to suspend the expedition, so as not to fail the expedition of the northern Xinjiang army."

"No, we can't tell the general about this kind of speculation, let alone ask him to give up the expedition." Li Wei waved his hand and said, "We should tell the general that everything is safe in Luoyang, and that food and supplies are being sent to northern Xinjiang in a steady stream."

"Why?" Zhang Baiqi frowned with thick eyebrows, "Master Li is worried that the people in Luoyang will deal with the general? Is it He Jin or Dong Zhuo? The general led his troops back to the south of Yinshan Mountain. I'm afraid no one will dare to move him? Continue the expedition The danger is too great, how can Master Li make such a bad move?"

"He Jin has reached a tacit agreement with the General, and he will not deal with the General. If the gentry ministers and Dong Zhuo kill He Jin and control the court, they will not easily provoke the General. At that time, they are too busy to take care of themselves. And their lives, they have more urgent things to do, so they will not deal with the general." Li Wei laughed, "telling the general that Luoyang is stable, and the supply of food and supplies is normal, does not mean that the general will go on an expedition for two thousand miles. He can also march for a thousand miles. As long as we can occupy the northern Xianbei and Tanhan Mountains, our expedition can be considered a great victory."

"There are currently 11 troops in Gyeonggi, belonging to different powers. If there is chaos in Luoyang and He Jin dies, there will be a big fight. Where can there be food, grass and supplies to supply the expeditionary army?" Zhang Baiqi said eagerly, "Even if the adults only go on an expedition How can the army gain a foothold in the desert if the food, grass and supplies of the 16 army are cut off suddenly?"

"However, the problem of millions of disaster victims in northern Xinjiang needs to be solved, and the security problem of farmland in border counties needs to be solved, so this expedition is still necessary, otherwise northern Xinjiang will struggle and it will become more and more difficult to support." Li Wei said, "We have to do The most important thing is to try our best to keep Luoyang stable, even if it is in chaos, we must try our best to make it stabilize quickly, and we must force the court to continuously provide food, grass and supplies for the expeditionary army."

"Master General didn't ask us to stay here to call the police. He wanted us to ensure the food and supplies of the expeditionary army, and the stability of Luoyang and northern Xinjiang." Li Wei looked at Zhang Baiqi, whose face was full of admiration, With a secret smile in his heart, he bowed and asked, "Master Zhang, what do you think?"

"What good strategy does Mr. Li have to resolve the crisis in northern Xinjiang? Please just tell me, I will do my best and swear to serve you to the death." Zhang Baiqi stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Okay, then I would like to thank Mr. Zhang first." Li Wei said, "I want your 2 veterans. These 5000 people rushed to Fenglingdu immediately, and the [-] former soldiers crossed the Yellow River and set up camp on the opposite bank. .”

Zhang Baiqi asked in surprise: "Crossing the river? Your Excellency has violated the law by enlisting troops to farm fields without the consent of the emperor. If we enter the Gyeonggi area again, we..."

"We are for the great Han country, to eradicate traitors, and to revive the great Han society. What is wrong with us? Dong Zhuo dared to cross the river, why should we not dare?" Li Wei waved his hands disdainfully and said, "We also cross the river, but we The purpose of crossing the river is to maintain the threat to Luoyang. Don't underestimate the [-] troops stationed in the fields. This represents the determination of the general, and also represents the deterrence of the northern Xinjiang army to Gyeonggi. Whoever dares to cut off our food, grass and luggage, he will Wait to die."

Zhang Baiqi was infected by Li Wei's arrogance, and his heart suddenly settled down.

"After you arrange 8 recruits to guard land and water, immediately lead the remaining [-] soldiers to increase training time." Li Wei said, "We will use these [-] in the future."

"Master Li, do we want to present a memorial to the emperor and the court?" Zhang Baiqi asked, "In this way, we will be famous as teachers, so as not to cause trouble to the general."

"No." Li Wei said resolutely, "People in Luoyang are crazy. They don't even want the country and society for their own power and interests. Why are we being polite? Can the emperor see this memorial?"

Zhang Baiqi thought about it, and then he asked, "My lord, can you help me solve the rations of the [-] veterans in the field? Since your lord does not agree to transfer from the rations of the expeditionary army, you have to think of a solution." ?”

"I know." Li Wei said with a smile, "You ask Captain Guo Xun and Liu Yu, who are in charge of the [-] field soldiers, to come to Xingyuan immediately, and I will give them food and money."

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Captain Yantie Xie Ming also rushed to Xingyuan later, accompanied by Wei Zhu, Patriarch of the Wei Clan, and Xu Ling, a rich merchant from Chang'an.

After Li Wei exchanged pleasantries with them, he immediately talked about the situation in Luoyang.Wei Zhu and Xu Ling were both worried that once Luoyang was in turmoil, the most direct victims would be the chariot general Li Hong and his 16 expeditionary army currently on an expedition to the desert.If Li Hong's expedition fails, and northern Xinjiang falls into chaos, the most damaged will be Wei Zhu, Xu Ling and other wealthy businessmen. The huge amount of money they invested in northern Xinjiang will disappear in a blink of an eye.

Li Wei and Xie Ming repeatedly assured them that even if Luoyang was in chaos, even if the expeditionary army ran out of food and grass, the chariot and cavalry generals and the northern Xinjiang army would safely withdraw from the desert.Thanks to the efforts of all parties, especially the great help of merchants from all over the country, Yunzhong City and Jinyang have now hoarded food and grass for three months, enough for 16 troops to withdraw from the desert.

"The current problem is not about northern Xinjiang, but about Luoyang." Li Wei said with a smile, "Your news is far better than ours, and you should know what the current situation in Luoyang is. The chaos in Luoyang is inevitable. If the chaos in Luoyang continues, the northern border is bound to be unsustainable, and it is likely to fall into danger of collapse in the short term, so..."

Li Wei deliberately stopped talking.Wei Zhu and Xu Ling looked at each other and smiled.Xu Ling said: "Master General took half of our lives, but Master Li was even more ruthless, even asking for the other half of our lives."

Li Wei laughed, pointed to Xu Ling and said: "Bo Yu, we are old friends, it is unreasonable for you to say that. Today's Han Kingdom is already in a storm, you merchants want to make a lot of money every year It is unrealistic to be full. You have always boasted that you have a unique and sharp vision, so tell me, where is the best prospect in today's Great Han Kingdom?"

Xu Ling smiled wryly and said, "Let me think about it. The situation in northern Xinjiang and Luoyang is unclear now, and I have no way of guessing the future fate, but you suggest that I move all my family wealth to Hedong or Jinyang, which still makes sense." The General has already ordered half of my life, so why not give the other half of my life to Master Li?"

Li Wei smiled and said: "Brother Bo Yu has a unique vision. Please Bo Yu bring my thoughts to Qu Zhong and some merchants in Chang'an, so that they can consider whether to move their family to Hedong or Jinyang. Your Excellency General will definitely think about it." Hands up."

Xu Ling repeatedly agreed.

At this time Wei Zhu asked: "Master Li, the capital is in chaos, the safety of the east..."

"I have already recruited [-] soldiers to station at Fenglingdu, and I will recruit more soldiers to station on the north bank of the Yellow River depending on the situation in Luoyang." Li Wei comforted, "The grain will be harvested in October. Stockpile some food and grass for the expeditionary army, I must protect the safety of Hedong, so you can rest assured that even if Luoyang is full of wars, it will not affect Hedong, but..."

Li Wei smiled maliciously and said, "Master Zhang, the general of Diannong Zhonglang, complained to me that his field soldiers lack weapons and no military pay. I wonder if you can donate a little?"

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After seeing off Wei Zhu and Xu Ling, Li Wei and Xie Ming had a rare leisure, and then sat in the big tent to play a game of chess.

"Lianzhi, you are getting married this time, neither the general nor us have come to Anyi to congratulate you, aren't you unhappy?" Li Wei looked at Xie Ming and asked with a smile.

Xie Ming smiled and said, "No. Your Excellency General and you are both busy with the expedition, how dare I disturb you?"

Li Wei put down a sunspot lightly, and said calmly, "Do you still remember what General Xu told you at Longshan Camp when he was in charge of Zhenbei General's Mansion?"

Xie Ming smiled and nodded.

"I heard that when you got married, there was a lot of traffic in front of the house for several days." Li Wei said, "Is it true?"

Xie Ming's expression tightened, and he forced a smile and said, "I am in charge of salt and iron, and I deal with merchants all day long, so I will inevitably have more friends."

"My lord Wang Han has been in charge of the Dasinong Mansion for four years, but when he took office in Hedong, he couldn't even recruit the Shi." Li Wei laughed, "Lianzhi, you have to do it yourself."

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(End of this chapter)