Great Han Empire

Chapter 578: Troubled Times Heroic Chapter Dangerous
In June of the first year of Chuping of the Han Dynasty (AD 190).

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In mid-June, Jinyang, Longshan.

In the early summer, Longshan Mountain has beautiful Pingfeng peaks, pine and cypress trees, streams and springs, and beautiful scenery.

Longshan is not high but very tall and straight, quiet and cool. The trees on the mountain are not big, but the forest is dense and the trees are majestic.What is particularly fascinating is the spring water that can be seen everywhere on the mountain.Longshan has many springs, streams and streams, and the clear water is full and crystal clear.

Li Hong and Feng Xue walked leisurely on the soft grass, hand in hand, among the trees and flowers, intoxicated by the fresh air in the forest and the refreshing fragrance of flowers.

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Since Princess Changping's Mansion and General Hussar's Mansion moved to Longquan, Li Hong often went to the nearby mountains to take a look and relax.Every time he went up the mountain, it was either raining or snowing, or the two of them wandered around with him.Feng Xue's body has gradually recovered, but she is not used to the mountains and rivers here, nor does she like the food here, and it is even more difficult to blend in with the people and things around her, so she has always been depressed, and she is getting thinner and thinner.

Li Hong refused everyone's persuasion, stayed in Longshan very stubbornly, and vetoed the request to build a mansion in Longshan.Everyone in the two houses, including the princess, lived in a makeshift tent.Li Hong's approach has been criticized a lot. After all, this is Jinyang, not the desert, not beyond the Great Wall. The respected princess and the general of the hussars live in tents like barbarians, using beds and seats, and sometimes It's really inappropriate to wear a Hu suit.

The three thousand black panthers were responsible for guarding the two mansions. Because it was difficult for these Hu Qi to change their living and accommodation habits, they still lived at the checkout, but this is obviously not the reason why the two mansions also lived in tents. Everyone thought it was Li Hong A special order for his blond lady, for the wind and snow.The story of Li Hong and Fengxue has already spread in Jinyang area. It is rumored that the reason why Li Hong wants to go to the desert is to snatch Fengxue back.Zhao Qi, Yang Qi, Zhang Fan and others persuaded Li Hong many times for this, and later even Wang Rou and Wang Jian came forward to persuade him, but Li Hong never gave in on this matter, asking him why, he would not say .

The officials of the various governments immediately asked the princess to come forward.The princess didn't want to, she thought it was novel to live in a Hu tent, and it looked good in a Hu suit, so there was nothing wrong with it.The princess said that when the first emperor was alive, he liked to live in a Hu tent and sit in a Hu tent. He also liked to listen to the Hu Ban, Hu Konghou, and Hu Di, and he also liked to watch the Hu dance performed by Hu girls. It became a major feature of Luoyang giants for a while.When the general came to Luoyang to pay homage to the late emperor, the late emperor invited the general to live in a tent in the palace, where the emperor and his ministers talked and talked all night long. "The general did this to remember the late emperor, to remember the kindness the late emperor gave him, and to fulfill the important task of revitalizing the great man for the late emperor."

The ministers fainted.Everyone can understand the princess's admiration for Li Hong.It is normal for the princess to worship a hero with outstanding military exploits when she is young, but the princess has gone a bit out of line.The princess's current teachers are Zhao Qi, Yang Qi, Xu Shao and Wang Jian, and the four teachers take turns to teach in Longquan.The princess is not satisfied, she still wants to learn martial arts.In the past in Luoyang, the princess had several teachers who taught martial arts.The only person in northern Xinjiang who is qualified to teach the princess martial arts is the Hushi General.Li Hong had no choice but to reluctantly agree.He is busy all day long, how can he have time to teach?But the princess is very easy to learn, and every day the general of the hussars will go to the princess' mansion to sit down and talk for a while if there is nothing to do.Li Hong's head is getting bigger.Zhang Fan advised the princess that the general is too busy, so come again when you have time.The princess was aggrieved, and tears fell immediately, "I want to learn my skills, and I want to take the army to Chang'an by myself." Zhang Fan didn't dare to persuade any more.In fact, everyone has a plan in mind, the princess just wants to see Li Hong every day, and worship her.No, he even helped Li Hong speak for important matters related to the etiquette of the Han Dynasty.

When Zhao Qi left Longquan, he said to Li Hong angrily, if you teach the princess badly, I will never end with you.

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Li Hong jumped across a small stream with the wind and snow in his arms, and followed a rabbit closely, yelling wildly.The rabbit was frightened, terrified, and ran like flying.

Feng Xue's laughter was as crisp and sweet as a silver bell, echoing in the quiet mountain forest with the wind.

"Brother Leopard, put me down, you're already sweating." Feng Xue laughed softly.

"Running with you in my arms, consider me practicing." Li Hong laughed out of breath while holding Fengxue's delicate body as he ran wildly, "This general is really not a human being, he just stays in the big tent all day long. It’s either writing or talking nonsense, and it’s still refreshing to gallop on the battlefield. I haven’t held a gun for a long time, and if this continues, I will even forget to kill people.”

"Brother Leopard, are you still going to fight?"

Li Hong was taken aback for a moment, and immediately slowed down.He put the wind and snow in his arms on a piece of clean grass, and lay on his back beside him.

"Are you still going to war?"

Li Hong looked at the blue sky and the white clouds, and remained silent.

"As long as I can remember, I have been fighting, fighting non-stop, fighting endlessly." Li Hong sat up, hugged Fengxue, gently stroked her blond hair, and sighed, "Sometimes , I want to take you and Xiaoyu back to Lulongsai, leave this place to Yuxing (Xian Yufu) and Zilie (Xu Rong), I quit, the three of us live a peaceful life, don't have to worry Days. This general, I can’t do it anymore, and I can’t do it anymore.”

"Brother Leopard, are you homesick?" Feng Xue snuggled into Li Hong's arms and asked softly.

Home?An unforgettable longing made Li Hong's heart tremble, and he didn't speak for a long time.where is home?Where are the parents?Where are the brothers and sisters?The world is in chaos, are they all still alive and safe?
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The stream is gurgling, and unknown fish are strolling in the clear water.

Li Hong squatted by the water and washed his face, then reached out to wipe the sweat off Feng Xue's forehead, and said with a heartache: "You should eat more. Although the food here is not to your taste, you should eat more. "

Feng Xue nodded obediently, and said apologetically, "For me, you didn't even go to Jinyang City, I..."

"It's not just for you..." Li Hong looked at the circles of ripples on the surface of the pool, and said softly, "Back then I took Fengyun cavalry south to Jizhou to suppress the rebellion. We paid a terrible price and were very lucky to win the war. Tao fought, but they would not let us enter the city, and the warriors of the Fengyun Iron Cavalry. It was winter, the snow was very heavy, and many wounded soldiers were wailing beside me, but they even refused to let us enter the city... "

Scenes of the past rushed into his heart instantly, Li Hong felt pain in his heart, his eyes gradually turned red, "I was angry, I wished I could rush in and kill them..."

Feng Xue felt the sorrow in Li Hong's heart, and hugged Li Hong's trembling body tightly.

"From then on, I swear that I will not enter the city, and I will not bring the Hu brothers into the city. I don't want to inflict another slash on their bloody wounds." Li Hong's voice was choked up, and his tone was very excited, " I, Li Hong, have fought battles for so many years, and I can live until now because of these Hu tribe brothers, without their iron cavalry, I would not have won these battles, I would not have survived, and I would not be able to snatch you back."

Li Hong hugged Fengxue with his back, and stood up suddenly, "I will not enter the city, I will not enter any city, we will live in a tent. Although I am a Han Chinese, in the eyes of the Han people, I am a man." Barbarians. Barbarians are barbarians. What am I afraid of? After my ten-year agreement with the imperial court is over, and all my brothers have a good place to live, we will return to the outside of the Great Wall. I quit.”

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sunset.

With the wind and snow on his back, Li Hong walked slowly on the way home.

"Sister Xiaoyu should be back." Feng Xue said softly with her head resting on Li Hong's thick shoulder, her eyes closed.

"She won't come back today." Li Hong said, "She and Mrs. Wang have to discuss the specific marriage matters, and it is estimated that she will be back tomorrow."

"Han marriages are very troublesome, there are too many etiquettes." Feng Xue laughed, "Brother Leopard, when you married sister Xiaoyu, was it also this troublesome?"

"Xiaoyu and I don't have any family members, so how can there be such complicated things?" Li Hong said with a smile, "When I married Xiaoyu, it was easier than marrying you. I invited a group of old friends from Lu Longsai to have a drink , it's over."

Feng Xue burst out laughing, "After Mr. Da Da married his wife, will he still live in Longquan?"

"Of course I'm going to live in Longquan." Li Hong said, "Zhongyuan and his wife are coming back too. Also, in the second half of the year, let Zilong marry Wenji too. Everyone is together and it's lively."

"Their wives are willing to live in a tent?"

"Princesses can live there, why can't they live?" Li Hong laughed, "Northern Xinjiang is stable, Han people and Hu people will live together, and they will marry each other. Yes, northern Xinjiang is even better. Allowing them to live in huts is also the first step in the integration of Han and Hu."

"We don't know that we might see that day?" Feng Xue sighed in a low voice, staring intently at the red sunset.

Li Hong didn't make a sound.How can the hatred of Han and Hu generations be resolved in a few decades?Difficult.

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The sacrificial front came on horseback, followed by the majestic Feixue.

The mountains and plains five miles around Longquan are firmly controlled by the Black Panther Yicong and the Huben Yulin Army, and ordinary people can't get close to them at all. But even so, every time Li Hong goes up the mountain, he is closely followed by places two hundred steps away. Dozens of attendants could not be driven away.Today Jifeng led a team to protect Li Hong.

"What's the matter?" Li Hong put down the wind and snow, and asked.There was nothing special, the attendants all returned to the general's mansion quietly and never showed their faces.

"General, Mr. Zhao has sent a letter. Zuoxian King Liu Bao, Rizhu King Liu Ming, Wuye King Shemoci, Bailu King Lu Pofeng, and the commander of the Xianbei Niutou tribe in the central region, Li Kuangfeng, have arrived in Jinyang. Please hurry up to Jinyang."

"Brother is here, my brother is here..." Feng Xue hugged Li Hong in disbelief, and exclaimed in surprise, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Isn't that what you said?" Li Hong said with a smile, "Let's go, let's go to Jinyang."

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At the end of May, Li Hong transferred General Xu Rong of Longxiang, General Shi Liwei of General Hussars, General Yang Feng of Yangwu, and Qiangnu Zhonglang from Luoyang at the same time, which caused shock in all parties. .

Xu Rong's status in northern Xinjiang was second only to Xian Yufu.Now Li Hong is in Jinyang to command the overall situation, and Xian Yufu is stationed in the desert. If there is a major expedition in northern Xinjiang, Xu Rong will definitely be the commander.At a time when the tripartite check and balance was being discussed, preparations were being made for crossing the river to attack Yuan Shao, and preparations were being made for going out of Beijing to suppress the rebellion, Li Hong suddenly transferred Xu Rong to Hedong. What does this mean?
Li Wei is a mainstay in northern Xinjiang, and also a key figure in promoting the counterbalancing strategy in northern Xinjiang. When the counterbalancing trend has just formed and the crisis in Gyeonggi has not yet eased, Li Hong suddenly transferred him to Jinyang. What's the meaning?
Yang Feng is one of the nine generals in northern Xinjiang. When he was in the Yellow Turban Army, he was known for his cunning. If Xu Rong left, he should of course be in charge of Luoyang. He was also transferred back to Jinyang?
Yan Liang is also one of the nine great generals in northern Xinjiang, and he is as famous as Zhao Yun.Although he doesn't have the outstanding military exploits of Zhao Yun, as long as he is a general in Northern Xinjiang, Yan Liang must be mentioned when Zhao Yun is mentioned.Yan Hutou's name is second to none in the Northern Xinjiang Army.Like Zhao Yun, he was once Li Hong's supervisor, Cao Cao, and he was someone Li Hong absolutely trusted.Yan Liang started from the outbreak of the crisis in Gyeonggi, first outside the Great Wall, and then went to Hedong. From the beginning to the end, he did not specifically participate in anything to solve the crisis in Gyeonggi.At this time, Li Hong sent a person who he absolutely trusted but knew nothing about the affairs of the capital to Luoyang to supervise the Chinese and foreign military forces. What does this mean?
Luo Yang suddenly became nervous.

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In mid-June, Chang'an.

After Dong Zhuo received Li Ru's urgent report in Fufeng, his first reaction was that Li Hong was going to join Yuan Shu to fight Chang'an.He ordered Huangfu Hong to guard Yicheng in Hanyang County, Liangzhou, and Dong Yue to guard Longguan, and hurried back to Chang'an by himself.

Now Zhao Yun and the Huns are at the Great Wall pass in Shangjun, and Xu Rong and Yushi are at Hedong. If Yuan Shu approaches Wuguan again and Yan Liang's troops force Hangu Pass to attack from all four directions, then with the current situation in Guanzhong, Chang'an will surely fall.Dong Zhuo even thought that Yuan Shao in Hanoi would also participate.The split of the Yuan Clan and Yuan Shao's killing of court ministers may have been carefully designed by Li Hong, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.The riot of the ant thief in Qingzhou may not be that serious at all, it is a bluff.Their purpose is to paralyze themselves and trick themselves into being fooled.

Li Ru in Luoyang, Liu Ai, Tian Yi in Chang'an, and others were also very confused. Li Hong suddenly made such a major adjustment at this sensitive time, which is really puzzling and frightening.If it is an ordinary transfer, why should Xu Rong and Li Wei be transferred at the same time?Even if the Gyeonggi crisis has eased and Xu Rong and Li Wei can leave, what does it mean to mobilize Yang Feng and Sun Qin?There is only one explanation, that is, there is a major conquest in northern Xinjiang, Xu Rong is required to sit in Hedong, Li Wei is required to return to Jinyang to advise, and Yang Feng and Sun Qin are required to lead the army.

Crusade?Then who is Li Hong going to hit?Hit Chang'an?This transfer is too conspicuous.Hit Yuan Shao in Hanoi?In the case where one's own strength is clearly superior, this kind of trick to confuse the enemy is too contrived.But it was precisely because Li Hong's behavior was so conspicuous and contrived that this matter seemed confusing and terrifying.What exactly is Li Hong going to do?Should we fight Chang'an or Hanoi?Or is it playing Jizhou?
In his letter to Dong Zhuo, Li Ru said that it is estimated that Li Hong is most likely to attack Jizhou, so that he can ensure that northern Xinjiang is not lost in the next few years.Attacking Chang'an would destroy the checks and balances that Li Hong himself had worked so hard to build up, and it would be of no benefit to Northern Xinjiang, and it was impossible.Fighting Hanoi would be too costly and meaningless. Li Hong probably didn't want to, but he couldn't openly defy the imperial decree, so he came up with this idea.

Dong Zhuo didn't dare to be careless.If Li Hong wants to attack Jizhou, he must call in the [-] troops guarding the outside of the Great Wall and the two cavalry troops of Du Liao and Fengyun.That being the case, why is Li Hong still fighting Jizhou?What else is there to check and balance?Wouldn't it be enough to defeat myself and take back the emperor?

Without hesitation, Dong Zhuo immediately ordered Lu Bu, Hu Zhen, Li Jue (jue) and others to give up crossing the river to attack Yuan Shao. No matter what Yan Liang urged, they should ignore him and stick to the pass. Lost it.He ordered Niu Fu and Jia Xu to lead their troops to garrison on the south bank of the Yellow River to prevent the troops from northern Xinjiang from crossing the river.Zhang Ji was ordered to lead his troops to garrison in the Linjin area to strictly prevent the northern army from attacking Guanzhong from the direction of Pubanjin.He ordered Bao Hong to lead his army to garrison in Luoshui and Liang counties in Fengyi County to prevent Zhao Yun and the Huns from coming down from the north.

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In mid-June, Luoyang.

Zhu Jun hesitated.

Xu Rong was transferred away from Luoyang, apparently because he and Xu Rong secretly talked about attacking Chang'an.In order to prevent himself from breaking the check and balance, Li Hong transferred Xu Rong away, and transferred Li Wei and his wife to Jinyang.Li Hong's purpose was obvious, he was determined not to let Xu Rong participate in this matter, so as not to trigger internal struggles in northern Xinjiang in the future, and at the same time threatened him with the lives of Li Wei, Zhu Mu, and several disciples.Yan Liang is Li Hong's confidant, and he obeys Li Hongyan. As long as he has an attempt to attack Chang'an, this Northern Xinjiang warrior will definitely attack him.

However, Dong Zhuo's fierce reaction made Zhu Mu despair, and he could only temporarily give up his attempt to attack Chang'an.Zhu Mu had to re-examine the hussar general.

Li Hong's seemingly random move first drove Dong Zhuo into a hurry.Dong Zhuo reacted violently, causing the fragile checks and balances to be on the verge of collapse, and the situation in Luoyang immediately became tense again. The sudden deterioration of the situation in Luoyang immediately led to the indefinite shelving of the attack on Hanoi and the dispatch of troops to counter the rebellion.

This trick also tied his own hands and feet, making his attempt to break the check and balance and attack Chang'an a complete failure.I can give up the lives of my relatives and children.If Li Hong killed them, it would be worthwhile for them to die. At least let the world see clearly that Li Hong and Dong Zhuo are the same brutal people. More and more people in Northern Xinjiang will turn their backs on Li Hong because of this incident.But now it is useless even if I give up the lives of my loved ones.The army stationed around Luoyang gave up the strategy of attacking Hanoi under Dong Zhuo's military order, and all the ministries returned to the pass.Yuan Shu couldn't enter Luoyang, and even if he had an amazing plan, he couldn't use it.

Li Hong's move was even more ruthless. He put the "check and balance" rope on Yuan Shu's head more firmly, and it became tighter and tighter.Now that Yuan Shu's strength has been weakened, he has to stay close to Dong Zhuo and Li Hong. However, because the situation in Gyeonggi suddenly became tense again, Dong Zhuo and Li Hongda wanted to fight to the death. As a result, Li Hong's promise to join forces with Yuan Shu to suppress the rebellion was in vain. .Under such circumstances, Yuan Shu had no choice but to swallow his anger and shoulder the heavy responsibility of countering the rebellion all by himself.

However, for Yuan Shu now, fulfilling his promise to send troops to quell the rebellion is a trivial matter, and preventing Dong Zhuo and Li Hong from meeting each other is a major matter.Once the two fight, the check and balance will be destroyed, and Yuan Shuke will be alone.At that time, even if Yuan Shao didn't beat him, half of the Yuan Clan forces following Yuan Shu would have run away.Yuan Shu's disadvantages are obvious at a glance, following him is purely courting death.

If this ordinary and murderous move was Li Hong's own idea, then this person's strength cannot be underestimated.Zhu Jun was worried and frowned.

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Li Ye hurried into Henan Mansion.

"My lord, the latest news is that there are people coming from the desert." Li Ye said in panic, "Liu Bao, Liu Ming, She Moci, Lu Pofeng and Xianbei's Li Kuangfeng arrived in Jinyang three days ago."

Zhu Jun frowned slightly, with a very calm expression, "I guess it's time for Da Mo to come."

Zhu Jun comforted Li Ye a few words.He still thought that Li Hong was making a false move, and with the current military strength and financial resources in Northern Xinjiang, he couldn't afford to fight a single battle.If Li Hong wanted to give up Northern Xinjiang, he would have given up a long time ago. If he wanted to fight Chang'an, he would definitely join forces with himself and Yuan Shu. So Li Hong's move was actually to intimidate Dong Zhuo and force Yuan Shu to get closer to him.Judging from the current crisis situation, it is impossible for Yuan Shu to send troops to quell the rebellion. He can only lose faith in the world and ensure his own strength first.Li Hong's goal has been achieved.

"What exactly does Li Hong want? Isn't there already a check and balance?" Li Ye asked puzzled.

"Food." Zhu Jun said, "Li Hong wants grain from Yuzhou and Jingzhou. This year, Yanqing and Xu Ants rioted, and the three prefectures couldn't have any grain. Next year, if you want to eat, you will go to the three prefectures of Hebei, Henan, and Jingzhou Go grab it."

Li Ye suddenly realized, "No wonder Li Hong transferred Yang Feng and Sun Qin to Jinyang at the same time. It turned out that he wanted to rob Jizhou. With people like Zhang Yan and Yang Feng around, the Black Mountain Yellow Turban Army might suddenly be appeased, and then fight with Li Hongqian." Later, they attacked and drove Han Fu and Yuan Shao out of Jizhou. Yuan Shao was in great trouble."

Zhu Jun shook his head, "The blow may be small, but Li Hong's action is too big this time, Yuan Shao and Han Fu will definitely be as panic-stricken as Dong Zhuo, and it is inevitable that they will be fooled. Yuan Shao will bow his head."

"Then what countermeasures do we take?"

"In close contact with Beijiang, don't pay attention to Dong Zhuo." Zhu Jun said, "If Yuan Shao bows his head, the brothers still have a chance to reconcile, and we can join forces to fight Chang'an in the future."

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In June, Hanoi, Huaicheng.

Han Fu, the herdsman of Jizhou, urgently told Yuan Shao that several kings and kings of the Hu tribe in the desert had arrived in Jinyang, and Li Hong might use troops against Jizhou.

Yuan Shao felt Li Hong's murderous intent as early as when Xu Rong, Li Wei and others were transferred from Luoyang.He discussed with his staff for a long time, and finally agreed that this was Dong Zhuo and Li Hong's plan to attack the west. It seemed that Li Hong was going to attack Dong Zhuoqin, but in fact Li Hong might want to attack the king from Youzhou, Bingzhou and Luoyang. Attack Jizhou from one direction.Once Jizhou is lost, the prospects are slim.

Yuan Shao hurriedly summoned Zheng Yan.

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(End of this chapter)