Great Han Empire

Chapter 554 Immediately Crossing the Gun
At the end of the first month, the latest news came from Jizhou. Yuan Shao, the prefect of Bohai County, announced to the world the "edict" of King Hongnong and deposed Emperor Liu Bian.

Hongnong King Liu Bian begged the soldiers and horses of all states and counties to attack Luoyang as soon as possible, eradicate traitors, and protect the country. For this reason, Liu Bian, as the emperor of the Han Dynasty, worshiped Yuan Shao, the prefect of Bohai County, as the general of chariots, ministers, and in charge of state affairs , unified command to discuss Dong's army, controlled the soldiers and horses in various places, and also authorized Yuan Shao to appoint officials at all levels in the court and prefectures and counties instead of the emperor.

On the one hand, Yuan Shao quickly delivered the "Decree of Inheritance" to various states and counties, asking the officials of all states and counties to join in the charitable act and rectify the Han Dynasty. (The so-called "inheritance system" means to follow the emperor's order to make books and act as an agent of state affairs, which is equivalent to exercising the power of the emperor.)
The officials of the prefectures and counties from all over the country first raised their troops with the Sangong Calligraphy, and now they are also known as Zhengyanshun and the Alliance with the Abolition of the Emperor's Edict. The fact of conspiracy and rebellion can no longer be concealed.

Dong Zhuo originally intended to delay this matter, to see the attitude of the Hussar General, and then decide whether to convict all the rebellious bureaucrats and soldiers for treason.The amnesty at the beginning of the year was for this purpose.Once the serious crime of treason was settled, there was very little room for maneuver between the two sides. However, the officials in various states and counties did not sell Dong Zhuo's account at all.Dong Zhuo was completely cornered, he couldn't wait for the General Hussars to express his position, if the emperor didn't decree to punish him, he would be too weak, Luoyang might have more unforeseen things, and the current emperor The prestige will also be swept away and nothing will remain.

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The emperor decreed that all state and county bureaucrats and soldiers who raised their troops to rebel were traitors of the great Han, and the nine clans would be punished according to the law, and they would never be pardoned.The Taifu Yuan Kui and the Taifu Yuan Ji were dismissed, and all the men and women of the Yuan clan in Beijing were arrested and imprisoned.Yuan Feng, the former Taiwei, died of illness a few years ago and survived.All relatives of the nine ethnic groups who rebelled in the Gyeonggi area will be arrested.Considering that most of the relatives of the Yuan Clan are dignitaries in the court, if they are arrested according to the nine clans (nine clans, that is, the fourth clan of the father, the third clan of the mother, and the second clan of the wives), it will involve too much involvement, so the emperor made another decree, saying that the Yuan clan For four generations, there were people who were ranked as the third lords, and made great contributions to the great Han, and they were deliberately punished lightly, only harming their own clan.

The doctor ordered Li Ru to go to Age to announce the decree.King Hongnong intends to rebel, and the crime cannot be punished, so he is sentenced to death.Li Ru put a Juejiu wine on the case table, looked at King Hongnong who was kneeling on the ground and crying loudly, couldn't bear it, turned around and left.Tang Ji grabbed Li Ru's clothes and begged bitterly, "Your Majesty won't kill him, I'm going to see Your Majesty..."

Li Ru knelt down on the ground, kowtowed repeatedly, and said, "If King Hongnong is not dead, how can His Majesty gain authority in the world? Today King Hongnong can rebel, and tomorrow there will be more vassal kings raising their flags to rebel. If you don't kill him, you have to kill him."

Tang Ji cried: "We live in Age and haven't been out for several months. How can we plot against you? Your majesty is wise, he should know that this is being framed. Please, take me to see your majesty."

Li Ru felt sad, sighed deeply, and staggered out of A Pavilion.

King Hongnong grabbed Tang Ji's hand in despair, crying, shouting, crying, "Mom...Mom..."

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Shang Shu Zhou Yan was arrested.

Zhou Yan refused to admit that the "edict" was written by himself, saying that Yuan Shao forged it.Dong Zhuo was furious, so he ran to the interrogation himself, and slapped him several times, "Zhongyuan, we are all from Xiliang, since the day I entered Beijing, I have trusted you and entrusted you with important responsibilities, but why did you Do this? Why did you betray me? He is just a child, why can't you let him go?"

Zhou Yan yelled at him, calling him a fool and calling him a butcher.Dong Zhuo laughed angrily, "I'm a barbarian, but if I want to kill King Hongnong, I will kill him openly, even if there is no reason, I will kill him openly, so that he can understand, but what about you? You read the scriptures, In the end, you cheated a child and killed a child? Your conscience was eaten by dogs?"

That night, Chengmen school captain Wu Qiong went to Xiangguo's mansion to intercede for Zhou Yan.Dong Zhuo now doesn't believe anyone except the soldiers who have fought with him for many years. He said to Wu Qiong, "Deyu, in the past month, except for Zhou Wei, His Majesty has visited Age during the Chinese New Year. No one else has been there before. Who do you think sent this edict? Yuan Shao forged it? Yuan Shao dared to forge an edict like Xiang Chengzhi? Are all the prefects and herdsmen of various states and counties blind? Yuan Shao even dared to forge edicts, so how can he behave? How can he win the trust of the world? How can he command the army to fight?"

Wu Qiong didn't dare to say any more, and then chatted with Dong Zhuo for a few words, saying that the rebels were a mob, and with the strength of Mr. Xiangguo, they won't be defeated in one battle, and then got up to leave.Dong Zhuo was delighted to hear this, and stood up to see him off.When he walked to the door, Wu Qiong suddenly pulled out a sharp dagger from his sleeve, raised his hand and stabbed.The distance between the two was too close, Dong Zhuo was caught off guard and watched helplessly as the dagger was inserted into his chest.It was still the two layers of armor that saved his life. No matter how strong Wu Qiong was, he couldn't burst out with the greatest strength in such a short distance.With a roar, Dong Zhuo punched Wu Qiong on the arm, and kicked Wu Qiong out of the room with a flying kick, "Catch me."

The guards were so frightened that they rushed forward and pinned Wu Qiong to the ground.

"Why? Why did you kill me? We have lived and died together on the battlefield. We have been brothers for many years. Why did you kill me?" Dong Zhuo widened his eyes, waved his hands, and roared hysterically, angry and painful , Disappointment, confusion, fear... All kinds of emotions hit Dong Zhuo's heart violently like a storm at this moment, making him lose his mind and despair to the extreme.

"I wish I could tear you apart by five horses and tear your car apart in the city." Wu Qiong spat out the blood in his mouth and cursed loudly, "I am not your brother, you ruined Luoyang, you ruined the country, you are the traitor who killed me .”

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In the early morning, there were endless screams in Chengmen Xiaowei's mansion, and several of Wu Qiong's cronies and subordinates were tortured.A Sima was tortured, but He Yong, Huangmen servant Xun You, Shangshu Zheng Tai and Shizhong Zhongji were recruited. The assassination years ago was secretly planned by He Yong, Zhou Yu, Wu Qiong and others.

Dong Zhuo looked at He Yong standing in front of him calmly, his lungs exploded with anger, "You look down on me, you have always looked down on me, but I also look down on you, what were you doing when I was fighting the enemy bravely in Xijiang? What were you doing when I was leading an army around? What right do you have to look down on me?"

He Yong laughed and said: "You are not the only one who fought in the western border, but why do I look down on you? Look at what you have done? Did you also do Xiangguo? Besides Xiao He and Cao Shen, who else has done it for me? Xiangguo? Your feats are comparable to Xiao He and Cao Shen? Huangfusong, Zhu Jun and Li Hong, which one is not more outstanding than your military exploits? You are a barbarian, it is good to guard the frontier, and you are also worthy of ruling the country? Will you?"

He Yong snorted.

Dong Zhuo smiled coldly, "I don't know how to rule the country, but I can subjugate the country, will you?"

He Yong and Xun You were imprisoned.Xun You was not afraid, eating and drinking, talking and laughing.He Yong's heart was ashamed, and he died of a hunger strike.Before he died, Li Wei went to see him. He Yong smiled wryly. When Zijiang left Luoyang, he once said to me that he should forgive others and forgive others. Now I know what it means, but I will not regret it until I die.He Yong was buried by Li Wei at the foot of Beimang Mountain, next to the tomb of the former Taifu Chen Fan.

At the end of the first month, Zhou Yan and Wu Qiong were executed according to the law.Xun You was saved from death because of Sikong Xun Shuang's pleading. Soon, he and a group of criminals were taken to Chang'an.

Dong Zhuo did not arrest Shangshu Zheng Tai and Shizhong Zhongji.The servant Zhongji is a kind of person, Dong Zhuo thought of his old master's love, so it is normal not to pursue it, but why did he let Shangshu Zhengtai go?
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Since the imperial court decided to move the capital to Chang'an, the emperor decreed that Taiwei Huang Wan, Situ Yang Biao, Sikong Xunshuang, Taichang Ma Rixun, and Taifu Wangyun (after Taifu Yuan Ji was dismissed, Henan Yin Wangyun took over) , Shangshu Lingding Gong, Guanglu doctor Cai Yong, Henan Yin Zhujun (after Wang Yun became a servant, the right general Zhu Jun was transferred to Henan Yin), Jingzhaoyin and Dong Min were in charge of moving the capital.Several old ministers were struggling to deal with it, procrastinating in doing things, and the progress of moving the capital was very slow.At this time, news of the rebel army's assembly was sent to Luoyang one after another. Dong Zhuo was busy with military affairs and had no intention of asking.He only cares about two things now, one is money and food, and the other is the rebels.

The money and food in the three counties of Guanzhong and the two counties of Guandong are simply unable to support a huge capital and an army of 10,000+. Silk, gold, silver and treasures are useless at best. There is no military salary without military food, and it is impossible to fight.Recently, Zhang Ji and Fan Chou led soldiers and horses to plunder everywhere. They turned Hongnong and Henan Yin upside down, and robbed every household and every grain of grain. As the army searched in the Sanfu area, the refugees on the ground in Gyeonggi became disasters.

Dong Zhuo ordered all places to close and open, the Yellow River ferry was lifted, and he did everything possible to drive all the refugees out of Gyeonggi.Every time there is one less person on the ground in Gyeonggi, there will be one less crisis and one less consumption.Millions of refugees braved the severe cold, took their families with them, and were driven by the soldiers to flee to the surrounding states and counties.Because there is no fear of war and it is close to the counties of Gyeonggi, Hedong has become the most concentrated area for refugees to flee.

Li Wei stayed in the capital mainly because of this matter.Now Dong Zhuo's army controls the ferry of the Yellow River, allowing the refugees to enter the river east.There are too many refugees, Hedong can't bear it, and Beijiang can't bear it even more.Dong Zhuo hid in the palace and could not come out.Li Wei had no choice but to see that the refugee crisis was getting worse, so he hurried back to Hedong to organize relief.

===

Shangshutai.

Dong Zhuo summoned some ministers and ministers to discuss sending troops to fight against the rebels.

Shangshu Huaxin explained the current military situation to the ministers.

At present, the rebels are mainly gathering in four directions.To the northeast is the army of Yuan Shao and Wang Kuang.Yuan Shao had already led his army into Hanoi, stationed in Suohuai County (now south of Wuzhi County, Henan Province), and Wang Kuang was the fastest.Mu Hanfu of Jizhou was stationed in Yecheng, but there was no sign of entering Hanoi. It is estimated that he was mainly responsible for providing food, grass and supplies to the rebels.

Due east is the main force of the rebel army. The armies of Liu Dai, Zhang Miao, Zhang Chao, Qiao Mao, and Yuan Yi have already stationed in Suanzao (now Yanjin County, Henan Province). on the way.Except for the Guangling soldiers of Zhang Chao, the prefect of Guangling, the others are all Yanzhou soldiers.In addition, I heard that Cao Cao had sold his money to form a rebel army, and he was also coming day and night.

To the southeast are mainly the armies of Mu Kongni of Yuzhou and Li Min, the prefect of Yingchuan, who have already stationed in Yangdi (now Yuzhou City, Henan Province), the county seat of Yingchuan.Chen Guoxiang and Xu Jun's army have not seen it yet.

To the south is the army of Yuan Shu, Zhang Zi and Wang Rui.Yuan Shu is now stationed in Luyang (now Lushan County, Henan Province), but Zhang Zi and Wang Rui have not yet moved.If Zhang Zi and Wang Rui send troops, they can rush to Luyang and join Yuan Shu in the middle of next month.

We don't know yet whether Grand Sima Liu Yu also participated in the rebellion. If he also sent troops, the white horse Gongsun Zan of Youzhou could bring at least [-] troops southward.

According to our estimates, the total strength of the rebel army is about 20, and the rebels are mainly supplied with food, grass and supplies from Jizhou in the northeast and Jingzhou in the south.

=

The atmosphere in Shangshu's room was gloomy, the rebels were powerful, and food and grass were sufficient, so there was really no chance of winning the fight.

Dong Zhuo patted the table and asked with a smile: "Tell me, how do you meet the enemy?"

Shangshu Zheng Tai said: "Government lies in virtue, not in numbers of soldiers."

Dong Zhuo glanced at him and asked, "So the army is useless?"

Zheng Tai smiled and said: "My lord misunderstood, I didn't mean that, I think the rebel army has many disadvantages, and my lord can win without fighting without sending out a large army."

"Your Excellency has been fighting in the western border for decades. He has gone through hundreds of battles and used his soldiers like gods. The soldiers under his command are all brave and invincible, while Yuan Shao is just a braggart son of a public official. Zhang Miao is a loyal and knowledgeable elder. Talking loudly, criticizing right and wrong, these people are usually pampered and live in luxury, they are not the talents of generals at all. If they confront each other, they will definitely not be the opponent of Lord Xiangguo."

Zheng Tai said a lot, what is the name of the teacher, self-appointed official position, high and low disorder, what is all about ghosts, unable to concentrate, anyway, it means that the number of rebels is too large, and Dong Zhuo will definitely win in the end. .Dong Zhuo nodded repeatedly, especially interested in the conflict between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.Yuan Tang had three sons, Yuan Cheng, Yuan Feng and Yuan Kai.Yuan Cheng died early, and Yuan Feng adopted Yuan Shao, who was a concubine, to Yuan Cheng. According to reason, Yuan Shao was the eldest son of the eldest son.Now that Yuan Feng's generation is dead, and Yuan Feng's eldest son Yuan Ji is also dead. Should the head of the Yuan Clan be Yuan Shao or Yuan Shu?Yuan Shao is the eldest son of the eldest son, but he is a concubine, so the head of the family should be Yuan Shu.Yuan Shu is currently in Luyang, between Runan, Yingchuan, and Nanyang, where the Yuan Clan is most powerful. It is certain that he will be supported and recognized by the Yuan Clan, but Yuan Shao now proclaims himself General of Chariots and Cavalry, in charge of state affairs and governing the world. , the contradiction naturally arises quickly.

Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, who are the most powerful rebels, fought for power before the war, and the outcome of this battle can be imagined.

Dong Zhuo highly praised Zheng Tai and admired his talent very much, so he immediately decided to worship him as a member of the Xiangguo Mansion's army and be responsible for the counter-insurgency.

After the military discussion was over, Zhonglang General Hu Zhen, who participated in the military meeting, complained to Dong Zhuo on the way back, saying that Zheng Tai might be a member of the rebel army, and it was too dangerous for him to serve in the military.Dong Zhuo glanced at him and whispered, Zheng Tai was the one who assassinated me last time.Hu Zhen was taken aback.Dong Zhuo went on to say, there are people who support the rebels who want to kill me everywhere in the imperial court in the capital, who can I trust?We don't have enough food and grass, we need a quick battle, as long as we win one or two battles, the situation will change immediately, and this will directly affect the speed of the Hussar General going south and his final choice.How can we achieve a quick fix?Jung Tae is the key.Just let the rebels know our every move, and the battle will be won.

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General Longxiang Xu Rong, surrounded by fifty black panther followers, charged into Luoyang City on horseback.

Dong Zhuo greeted him out of the gate in person.This was the first time that Dong Zhuo went out to meet the high officials of the DPRK and China since he took office as Prime Minister.

Xu Rong and Dong Zhuo had known each other in Xijiang in their early years. At that time, Dong Zhuo was the general of Polu, and Xu Rong was the captain of Liangzhou Prefecture. The two followed Huangfusong to suppress the rebellion.Now Dong Zhuo is the lord of Xiangguo, with one person under one man and above ten thousand people, with a high position and authority, while Xu Rong is General Longxiang, Kai Kaifu, and there are [-] northern Xinjiang elites under his command, who are famous all over the world.What about Huangfusong?At this time, he was in the cell of Beisi Prison.

Xu Rong made a big salute, Dong Zhuo hurriedly pulled him up, and the two walked into Xiangguo's mansion side by side, talking and laughing.

Just when Xu Rong was about to enter the lobby, he suddenly saw Lu Bu.Lu Bu, the general of Zhonglang, knelt on the eaves outside the hall, facing the wall, without moving a muscle, under the eyes of everyone.

Xu Rong stopped and looked at Dong Zhuo suspiciously.Dong Zhuo said angrily, "This kid condoned his subordinates to kill innocent people indiscriminately, which ruined my reputation. I wish I could kill him."Let him kneel here first, and punish him when I have time.Li Meng, Liu Jing and other school lieutenants who surrounded them laughed gleefully.

Xu Rong didn't say anything, and followed Dong Zhuo into the lobby.The two chatted for a while and got down to business.What Dong Zhuo meant was that after Xu Rong arrived in Xingyang, he restrained Hu Zhen, who was already stationed there, and immediately launched an attack on the rebels stationed in Suanzao, trying to win the first battle.Xu Rong immediately refused.Xu Rong said, I was ordered by the General Hussars to go south to Luoyang, and my main purpose was to defend the capital and protect the emperor.Before leaving, the Hussar General repeatedly ordered that unless it was absolutely necessary, he must not take the initiative to attack the rebels.

Dong Zhuo said with a smile: "Zi Lie, if I ask the emperor to transfer you away from the northern border and make you the general who conquers the east and is responsible for countering the rebellion, you see..."

"My lord, I am one of the nine generals commanding troops in northern Xinjiang. I am only responsible for leading troops to fight." Xu Rong smiled slightly, "For my lord, what is important now is not me, but the general of the hussars. I He is a warrior, a native of Northern Xinjiang, and I will go back after all."

There was something in Xu Rong's words, Dong Zhuo smiled awkwardly after hearing this, a little bit unhappy.

"But I can assure you, I will never let a rebel approach Hulao Pass."

Dong Zhuo was overjoyed.The two immediately discussed the military situation and food and payment issues, and then Xu Rong got up and said goodbye, "If your lord has no orders, I will lead the army out of the customs. Before I leave, I have a small request."

"Zilie, tell me, I will definitely agree."

"I want to ask your lord for a favor, it's about Lu Bu..."

Dong Zhuo's face darkened, and he said bitterly: "Okay, you take him away, you are his old superior, ask him, what should he do?"

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(End of this chapter)