Great Han Empire

Chapter 610 The Heroes of Troubled Times Like the Abyss
Academics, national policies, laws, restructuring, and ZTE are actually the affairs of ministers and scholars. If I am not careful, I will repeat the mistakes of Dong Zhuo.Think about Dong Zhuozou asking the emperor to set up a doctorate in ancient Chinese classics, so that ancient Chinese classics and modern classics can be regarded as official schools. All the charges were finally Dong Zhuo’s.If Yuan Kai and the ministers were to carry out this restructuring, they would also kill people, but their killing may be a world-class feat.

I have assumed power and authority, but what do I do next?To listen to these scholars, to become the sword in the hands of these scholars, to become a weapon for the scholars to regain power, to protect the scholars to reform according to their dreams, and rebuild a brand new Han Dynasty, otherwise what?Otherwise, they will not support me in assuming power, and the implication is to deal with me and tell the world that I am the second Dong Zhuo, the second biggest traitor of the big man.

What is the difference between the court ministers and Yuan Shao and Han Fu?The ministers decide when to be King Qin, and after King Qin will force the emperor to abdicate, what is the difference between this and Yuan Shao now wanting to dethrone the emperor and rebuild the imperial system?The ministers did not hesitate to go to war and sacrifice their lives. They wanted to kill Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Han Fu, and all those who hindered the rejuvenation of the country.Today they can plan to conquer and kill Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and other ministers, and they can discuss how to force the emperor to abdicate in the future. Tomorrow they can also plan to kill me, and even after I die, they can put all the blame on me.

Really thought I was an idiot.

After defeating Luoyang, he carried the great responsibility of Zhongxing Sheji on his back, and was forced by the court to go south to fight Yuan Shu, Sun Jian, and Kong Yi, and go east to fight Yuan Shao, Han Fu, Liu Dai and other state and county officials. King Guan Zhongqin, how many people are left in my Northern Xinjiang army at the end of the fight?It would be a miracle if I didn't die.

Judging from the long history, bloody and cruel imperial power and power struggle between the royal family and the imperial court, the imperial court is not a place for oneself, and the power is not within one's control.There are too many bloody facts, and there are two living examples of General He Jin and Xiangguo Dong Zhuo.After conquering Luoyang, I immediately moved the court to Luoyang, and then quickly escaped from Luoyang. This was not only for my own life, but also for the survival of northern Xinjiang, the survival of millions of people in northern Xinjiang and the 10,000+ border troops .

Do what you want, I will not interfere, I am ordered to defend the northern border, as long as I keep the northern border, the Great Han Society can retain a little vitality, and I have fulfilled my promise to the late emperor.Warriors can't provoke scholars, so can't they hide?If I am not a king, I will not be a king. As long as the emperor is still the ninth five, as long as he is still alive, I have not betrayed the late emperor, and I have not disobeyed the late emperor's edict.I don't believe it, with you people, can you turn the Dahan Society upside down?
Li Wei asked me to be cautious and cautious just now, obviously there was something in his words.

Li Hong thought over and over again, shaking his head, "The most urgent task is to save the country and stabilize the country as soon as possible, rather than rushing to agree on a strategy to rejuvenate the country."

Zhao Qi was very disappointed and sighed.

Li Wei had a solemn face, and a glimmer of joy quietly flashed in his eyes.

===

Li Hong refused to assume power.

In order to ensure that the army defeated Dong Zhuo, occupied Luoyang, and went west to Chang'an King Qin as soon as possible, Li Hong tried his best to persuade Princess Chang and the ministers of the court not to disband the court. To supervise the history of the censor, it is the best policy to lead the army to conquer.

Now that Yuan Shao has suffered a disastrous defeat in Hanoi, the strategy of three-pronged attack on the middle road was forced to cancel, and only two-pronged attack was carried out. However, the current problem is not whether the army can capture Luoyang, but whether the army can get the support of Jizhou food and wages.

Yuan Shao was defeated and his strength was greatly reduced. The Black Mountain Yellow Turban Army must take the opportunity to go down the mountain and go south to attack Yanzhou again, trying to join the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army.Also because of this disastrous defeat, the conflict between Yuan Shao and Han Fu was intensified. In order to survive, Yuan Shao couldn't wait to win the Jizhou military administration to ensure his own strength and defend his position as the leader of the Dongdong alliance.Only by consolidating his own power can Yuan Shao ensure the survival of the Yuan Clan and the absolute authority of the Yuan Clan in the future court.Jizhou is going to be in chaos, and the time and speed of the chaos far exceeded my expectations.

After the Jizhou chaos, Han Fu faced pressure from the Jinyang court, Yuan Shao, state officials, and the Yellow Turban Army. He was bound to do his best to fight for a way out for himself and Jizhou, so he would use various excuses to refuse to go north Jiang Dajun supplies food and salaries.In fact, Han Fu was besieged on all sides, unable to protect himself, and indeed had no spare energy to help the northern army attack Luoyang.

The imperial court cannot deliberately stir up internal fighting between Han Fu and Yuan Shao. On the contrary, they must try their best to suppress the two, at least to ensure Han Fu's status as Jizhou Mu before the army captures Luoyang, and prevent Jizhou from causing chaos.

Li Hong's behavior of being loyal to the country and not being greedy for power far exceeded the expectations of the ministers, which greatly encouraged the confidence of the ministers in ZTE.

In the ensuing court meeting, the eldest princess returned home early because of physical discomfort.Immediately, in front of Zhang Wen, Lu Zhi and other ministers, Li Hong made it clear that he supported the reform of the court and followed the will of the court, but because he was really ignorant of the government and would not be of any help to the reform of the court, it was wiser to be honest. Be your own hussar general in the field.Li Hong said that warriors should do the work of warriors, guard the frontier and defend the country, and should not interfere in state affairs.Dong Zhuo is a ready-made example. He also wants the country to be stable and the man rich and strong, but due to various reasons, he still inevitably embarks on the road of disaster to the country and the people.I want to learn a lesson and not harm others, myself or the country.I once promised the late emperor that I was willing to guard the frontier for the great man all my life. I still say the same today. I respect the emperor, the court, and I am loyal to the great Han country. I will guard the frontiers of the northern border.

Li Hong's attitude was very sincere and resolute. No matter what Li Hong's purpose was, at this moment, Li Hong won the gratitude and respect of the ministers.

===

Due to Li Hong's resignation of power and Yuan Shao's defeat in Hanoi, the situation has changed a lot, and the court needs to immediately revise the strategy of saving the country.

The next day, the main officials of the Princess Chang's Mansion, Taifu's Mansion and General Hussar's Mansion held a meeting.

The strategies put forward by the Prince's Mansion and the Taifu Mansion were basically unchanged, and the modification was only to temporarily appease Han Fu, Yuan Shao and many other state and county officials, so as to buy enough time for the attack on Luoyang.

However, the strategy proposed by the Hussar General's Mansion is very different from the past, and there are many changes.

General Hushi proposed that in order to stabilize the country as soon as possible, after taking Luoyang, the imperial court should continue to attack Chang'an and act as a diligent king. Discuss reform strategies.Li Hong believes that the policy of restructuring must be agreed and participated by all states and counties, otherwise it will be difficult to get their support and implement smoothly.

In this way, we are left with the two battles of suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion and fighting against Dong.The army in northern Xinjiang is responsible for the king's challenge to Dong, and the county soldiers in various states and counties are responsible for quelling the Yellow Turban rebellion. In this way, the society can be completely stabilized within two to three years.

Li Hong's overall strategy seems to be very good, benefiting the country and the people, but after careful consideration, it is not difficult to find that Li Hong's strategy is not only suspected of preserving strength, but also suspected of separatist rule and sacrificing the court.

===

Li Hong intentionally avoided the fundamental differences between the imperial court and Han Fu, Yuan Shao and others. On the grounds of seeking common ground while reserving differences, he put aside the most sensitive issue of continuing to support the current emperor or rebuilding the imperial line.Since the two sides are ministers in the same palace, Li Hong naturally does not need to send troops to attack Han Fu, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and other so-called "big Han rebels".

In addition, because the imperial court did not want Qin Wang before the reform was successful, it was just a bluff to challenge Dong, so the most important and urgent battle at this time should be to quell the rebellion of the Yellow Turban Army, but Li Hong clung to Qin Wang relentlessly, repeatedly Li Hong's real purpose is obvious. Since King Qin is the main force in the Northern Xinjiang army, of course there is no need to go to various places to suppress the rebellion.

However, Li Hong still took the initiative to undertake the important task of countering the rebellion in one place, that is Jizhou.What disturbed the ministers was that Li Hong's counter-insurgency strategy was not military conquest, but military conquest. He wanted to recruit the Yellow Turban Army and resettle the refugees.Based on this reason, Li Hong once again proposed a ten-year agreement to the imperial court, and he would take the initiative to undertake the important task of farming in northern Xinjiang, Youzhou and Jizhou.In the past ten years, he does not need any money from the imperial court, and only relying on the wealth of the three states, he can successfully complete the settlement of the three states, resettle all the refugees in various places, and pay considerable taxes to the imperial court every year.The implication of Li Hong's words was to ask the imperial court for the military and political power of the three states.

Why did Li Hong dare to ask the court for the military and political power of the three states?The ministers suddenly realized that Li Hong had seized the lifeblood of the court, which was reform.

What the reform needs most is the stability of the country and the support of the states and counties. Now Li Hong has a powerful army to ensure the stability of the country, and the military and political power of the three states to ensure the implementation of the imperial reform. With Li Hong's absolute support, it is no less than telling the world, This reform has been at least half successful, but if Li Hong does not support it, or if Han Fu and Yuan Shao who occupy Jizhou are reluctant to enter Beijing, or Jizhou has been in chaos for several years, let alone the implementation of this reform, even the policy of reform can be achieved. Whether it is finalized is a question.

Li Hong had grasped the lifeline of the court, and was not afraid that the court would not agree to his request, but the ministers felt deeply disturbed.Li Hong is far away from the capital and has great influence. In the future, if he plots wrongdoing, or if he is recruited by the emperor, he suddenly turns around and says that his group of ministers who advocate reform are big traitors and traitors, then the reform will fail completely.

Now it seems that Li Hong must be the hero for the revitalization of the country if the system reform is successful, but if the system reform fails, he must also be the hero for saving the country.Li Hong stepped back gently, and then firmly controlled the court.

===

Zhang Wen, Lu Zhi and other ministers had to re-examine Li Hong.

Who would have thought that behind Li Hong's refusal to take power, it turned out that Li Hong's power continued to expand, the rapid rise of northern Xinjiang, and the great distress of the great Han society.

The hero who single-handedly fought all the way back from Xianbei, has gradually matured after so many years of ups and downs, especially after more than a year of fighting among various forces, and is no longer the old man. An idiot who only knows how to fight.Now Li Hong is really a leopard, a cunning and vicious leopard.

Li Hong is a leopard, not a tiger. The scariness of a leopard lies in his infinite patience, which in the end may be the fact of a separatist regime.Now that northern Xinjiang is in difficulty, Li Hong made concessions every time, but soon, with every victory of Li Hong, the court would make concessions again and again, and Li Hong's power would become more and more powerful. Crowd and imitate.In the future, the emperor and the imperial court will be weak. No matter how the imperial court restructures, the society will fall into a deep crisis.

To revitalize the country, the imperial court had to rely on Li Hong's force, but precisely because the imperial court needed to rely on Li Hong's force, Li Hong immediately took the initiative. Whatever he wanted, the imperial court had to give.On the other hand, Dong Zhuo, he took control of the power and was above the emperor and the court. As a result, he fell into extreme passivity.Although he got everything, he immediately lost everything.

This is the difference between a leopard and a tiger.Dong Zhuo was like a tiger, impatiently rushing out and biting his prey, but was immediately bitten back by the prey, causing both sides to suffer.The prey did not eat the mouth, but was bitten to death by the prey.Li Hong was like a leopard, quietly lying in the hiding place, patiently waiting for the chance to hit him. If there is no chance, even if the prey runs away, he will not move.

For more than a year, Li Hong used his patience to buy time for Beijiang to ease the crisis, used his patience to ease the crisis in Gyeonggi, and at the same time, used his patience to usher in the hope of revitalizing the country. Now, it is the court's turn It's time to pay him back.

Ministers such as Zhang Wenwen and Lu Zhi couldn't sleep at night, racking their brains to think about countermeasures.

===

For the benefit of himself and northern Xinjiang, Li Hong avoided talking about the imperial lineage, but the court had to face up to this issue.

In order to prevent the disaster of foreign relatives and eunuchs from happening again, and to avoid the Queen Mother He's revenge, the imperial court joined forces with Dong Zhuo to force the Queen Mother He to return to power, deposed the young emperor, and supported the current emperor.Today's son is the only heir of the first emperor, so no matter what, he can no longer be deposed for no reason, otherwise, the imperial court will lose its righteousness first, and then its prestige.In the eyes of the people in the world, the imperial court of the Great Han Dynasty ignored the organizational laws, and even treated the emperor's order, which was related to the fate of the country, as a trifling matter.Who else can be convinced of the reform policy?
The problems encountered by the court at the beginning are now encountered by Yuan Shao, Han Fu, and the state and county officials of the Dong League. How to avoid the emperor's future revenge on him?Only rebuild the imperial system.

This fundamental disagreement angered Northern Xinjiang, the most powerful state in the Han Dynasty, and led to the failure of the initial appeal for Dong.Now if the imperial court changes course and rebuilds the imperial line in order to accommodate Yuan Shao, Han Fu and other state and county officials, it is conceivable that the Hussar General will immediately turn around and turn against him without hesitation.

Restructuring will inevitably involve the revision of the official system, and the revision of the official system must involve the imperial power. When it comes to imperial power, we must face the imperial system. Therefore, if the problem of the imperial system is not resolved, there will be no reform. and.If the fundamental differences between the two parties are not resolved, the restructuring will definitely end without a problem, and the court may also be disbanded.

Li Hong was unwilling to be in power, and he avoided talking about the imperial lineage, and he was even more unwilling to stay in the capital. Obviously, he was suspected of sacrificing the court and getting rid of the danger of reform.

Zhang Wen, Lu Zhi and other ministers had no choice but to pin their hopes on Li Hong's loyalty.

The forces in various states and counties are not limited to Yuan Shao, Han Fu and other Yuan factions, but also many other powerful and powerful forces. In the current situation, they are expected to clap their hands and happily leave the states and counties and run to As an official in the capital, it is wishful thinking to work together with myself and others to formulate reform strategies to revitalize the country, so it would be better to count on Li Hong's loyalty.

They had already discussed this point in detail when they were in Chang'an. The reform involved various interests of the aristocratic families. If they want to get their cooperation and implementation, I am afraid that people like myself will die, and we will not wait until that day.If the restructuring is to be successful, one only needs to rely on strong force and cooperate with warriors. Although it is very risky, the possibility of success is the greatest.When the restructuring encounters strong resistance, the warriors can wield their butcher knives and kill all the opponents.

Zhang Wen and other ministers decided to meet all of Li Hong's demands. As long as he supports the reform, he will fall into the whirlpool of the reform. When he finds himself trapped in the reform and cannot extricate himself, his fate has already been tied to the fate of the court. Together, he can only bow his head and stick to his ears. Of course, the premise is that he is loyal to the big man.

===

In mid-February, the chief officials of Lu Zhi, Zhao Qi, Li Hong, and Cai Yong summoned Zhang Qi, the Prime Minister of Anping, Shi Liu Gong, the governor of Jizhou, who was engaged in the examination and distribution, and Xu You, Feng Ji, who was in charge of Bohai County and other prefectures and counties. Seventeen officials.

Lu Zhi read out the pardon decree.Zhao Qi talked about the current situation, vaguely mentioned that the imperial court planned to revitalize the country with the policy of restructuring, and then he asked all the officials to go back to the prefectures and counties and try their best to stabilize the place. The debate will be discussed after the army captures Luoyang.Of course, the apology forms of Han Fu, Liu Dai, Yuan Shao, Zhang Qi and other state and county officials should be sent immediately to avoid embarrassment for the court.

After sending these officials away, the four of them summoned Xu You, Feng Ji and Chen Lin alone.Lu Zhi severely criticized Yuan Shao for concealing major military affairs. He said to Xu You, go back and tell Benchu ​​not to play tricks with the court.He pays taxes to the court, so what is Jizhou Mu?Is Han Fu still his superior?Does he hope that the imperial court will deliberately stir up internal strife among the various prefectures in Jizhou?He clearly knew that the imperial court would not agree, but he even sent someone to present the memorial. What is his intention?
Chen Lin hurriedly defended, Zhao Qi said with a smile: "You don't need to explain, Mr. Lu knows about Benchu's difficulties, and has already pleaded guilty to the eldest princess on Benchu's behalf. You go back and tell Benchu ​​that after Luoyang was captured, Mr. Han and him both If you want to go back to Beijing to deal with state affairs, don't make troubles in Jizhou, and regroup the army as soon as possible, and cooperate with the Hushi general to attack Luoyang."

Xu You and the other three nodded repeatedly.Before leaving Jinyang, they bid farewell to Yuan Pang.Since the death of Yuan Feng and Yuan Kai, Yuan Pang's position in the Yuan Clan was the most honorable. Although Yuan Shao spoke sarcastically to him, they, the Yuan Clan students, still respected him very much.Yuan Pang comforted him with kind words, and then said: "Go back and tell Ben Chu that if he can't give up on the Huangtong matter, Jizhou shouldn't give up, if Jizhou has to give up, Yuzhou shouldn't give up, because it's our Yuan family If the foundation is lost, the Yuan family will be defeated. This is like we are fighting Luoyang today, why? Because Luoyang is the foundation of the great man, if the foundation is lost, how long can the country survive?"

Xu You, Feng Ji, and Chen Lin understood and left Jin in a hurry.

===

In mid-February, Luoyang.

On Ding Chou day (the twelfth day), the emperor issued a decree to worship Dong Zhuo as his grand master because of his meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion.In the imperial decree, the emperor asked Dong Zhuo to return to Chang'an as soon as possible to preside over state affairs.

Taiwei Zhao Qian, Situ Wangyun, and Sikong Zhongfu jointly signed a letter.Recently, rumors have spread in Chang'an, and the people are panicking. They all say that the eldest princess and the general Hushi are going to lead an army to attack Chang'an.Now that Yuan Shao's rebellion in the direction of Luoyang has been hit hard, the grand master only needs to send one general to lead the army to guard the eight passes of Gyeonggi, and the other to garrison Tongguan, and Luoyang will sit back and relax.

Liu Ai and Dong Min also urgently wrote to Dong Zhuo, because the Hushi General had 10,000+ soldiers on the other side of the Yellow River, and he might attack Chang'an at any time. The people in the capital were extremely shocked, and more and more people fled westward to Liangzhou.The Yellow River is about to melt and thaw out next month, please return to Chang'an as soon as possible to preside over the overall situation.In addition, some ministers in Chang'an City have gathered frequently recently, including several captains of the Southern Army. We suspect that these people are plotting a rebellion, should they be arrested first.Liu Ai listed the names of several ministers, among which Huo Ran included Shangshu Zheng Tai, Hua Xin, Heng Jie, Sili Xiaowei Xuan Fan and other ministers.

Dong Zhuo wrote a letter to thank the emperor for his mighty grace.Recently, Zhu Jun and Gao Lan in the southeast of Luoyang, and Yuan Shu, Kongzhou, Sun Jian, and Yan Liang in the south of Luoyang have all made aggressive gestures. It is estimated that the battle will start in the next few days, so I have no time to escape.Just wait for the rebellion of Zhu Jun and Kong Ni to be put down, and the minister will return to Beijing immediately to serve His Majesty around.

Dong Zhuo wrote back to the Ministers of the Three Dukes, April is approaching, please do everything you can to calm the hearts of the people and organize spring plowing.This year is the most critical year for Guanzhong to get rid of the food crisis. Please do your best to protect Guanzhong first.If the Guanzhong is stable, the country will be able to revive after a few years.

Dong Zhuo wrote back to Liu Ai and Dong Min, don't rush to arrest, let all the ministers involved in the rebellion surface before arresting them.If they are arrested now, they may not be able to wipe out the remaining Chang'an party.

Tian Yi advised Dong Zhuo to go back as soon as possible, "There is no battle in Luoyang, so there is no need for the grand master to stay here. Once the northern army suddenly crosses the river and captures Hongnong, it will be dangerous for the army to break through."

Dong Zhuo smiled and said, "I'll leave when the river surface of the Hongnong section of the Yellow River melts and thaws. Here in Luoyang, because I need to control the speed and time of the army's retreat, I will stay for a while. Before the end of April, we will We must not withdraw from the eight gates of Gyeonggi. This year, there must not be a grain of grain in Gyeonggi for the leopards."

Tian Yi said worriedly: "My lord, Sun Jian and Yan Liang's attacks are too fierce. It will be too difficult to force all the troops to stand firm until the end of April. In addition, there is also the Northern Border Army in the north, because we have no way of knowing what Li Hong is doing. Therefore, the [-] troops are distributed on several crossings, and the strength of each crossing is obviously weak. If Li Hong concentrates [-] troops to attack one place, we will definitely not be able to hold it, so..."

Dong Zhuo looked at him, waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about the north, as long as I don't leave, Li Hong won't dare to attack Luoyang. Do you know what Leopard really wants?"

"Food." Tian Yi said.

"Yes, what he wants is food, not Luoyang." Dong Zhuo said, "For him, the war is just to force me to leave, and he will not trap me in Luoyang. After occupying Luoyang, Li Hong's army will Now that he has maneuvered around the ground, he has to consider where to grab grain. Because Yingchuan and Nanyang have been severely injured by me. Not only did last year's winter wheat not be planted, but this year's spring plowing was also delayed. He wants to If you want to get food, you have to go to the southern counties of Jingzhou and Yuzhou, but Li Hong probably won't get involved there. People in northern Xinjiang will starve to death this year, haha..."

"However, what if Lu Bu, Hu Zhen, Zhang Liao, Zhang Ji and others cannot defend the four passes to the south? Should we stick to Luoyang City?"

"Burn Luoyang, burn it from east to west, and turn it into ruins within two hundred miles." Dong Zhuo laughed loudly, "Li Hong has occupied Luoyang, so he must move the eldest princess to the imperial city, haha, I He didn't want to let him do what he wanted. Tell me, how does it feel for him to face a beautiful princess every day?"

Tian Yi exclaimed: "Your Excellency, you must not do it. Luoyang is the foundation of the great man and the fate of the country. If Luoyang is destroyed, the community will also be overthrown. Please think twice, Your Excellency."

"Hmph..." Dong Zhuo sneered, "Then you tell Leopard, Yan Hutou and Sun Polu that if they break through the Gyeonggi pass before May, they will see a spectacular fire, a 200-year fire. A big fire at first sight."

(In 25 AD, the Red Eyebrow Army set fire to Chang'an.)
===

In the middle of February, Henan Yin, Xingyang City.

Zhu Jun was stationed at the foot of the horse city, looking at the big banner with the Chinese character "Han" fluttering high above the city, feeling a pain in his heart.

When leaving, this big banner hung high above the city tower. After Dong Zhuo's army occupied the city, they still used this big banner.We are the same people, we are all ministers of the same palace, why do we meet here today and fight to the death?For the country, for the emperor, or for the common people in the world?

Gao Lan, Gao Shun, Zhu Zhi and Zhou Hua came here on horseback.

"My lord, all the ministries are ready, we just wait for your lord's order, and I will attack the city immediately." Gao Lanfei got off his horse and bowed.

Zhu Jun got off his horse in a hurry and stretched out his arms to support him, "Your Excellency is General Wu Yi, commander of the army, this..."

"No matter when, in front of your lord, we will always be late learners, and always obey your orders." Gao Lan bowed respectfully and said, "General Hutou has an order, and all the soldiers of the Northern Xinjiang Army, only your lord follows. "

Lieutenant Gao Shun, Captain Zhu Zhi, and Zhou Hua stood behind Gao Lan, bowed and said at the same time, "My lord, please give me an order."

Zhu Jun's heart became hot, and he raised his hand and shouted wildly: "Attack...the city..."

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(End of this chapter)