Great Han Empire

Chapter 717
July, Hedong, Pubanjin.

After Taiwei Yang Biao disembarked, he saw General Zhengxi Xu Rong, General Zuo Quyi, General Longxiang Zhao Yun and General Fenwei Lu Bu who came to greet him.The four generals from Northern Xinjiang came to pick him up at the same time, which immediately relieved Yang Biao's uneasy heart.

"Where is the general?" Yang Biao asked the four of them immediately after exchanging pleasantries.

"The general has returned to Handan." Xu Rong said respectfully.

"Back to Handan?" Yang Biao was very surprised, "Master Xu, isn't the general and you attacking Luoyang? Why did he suddenly return to Handan? You also withdrew your troops?"

Xu Rong's face darkened, "The Yellow River burst its embankment."

Shocked in his heart, Yang Biao stood on the levee speechless for a while.The great man has suffered many disasters in recent years, the country and the people have been ravaged by wars and disasters, and the mountains and rivers have been dilapidated.Could it be that the big man really came to an end?
=

The group returned to the camp with a heavy heart.

Xu Rong briefly introduced the situation in Jizhou.Due to continuous torrential rains in Guanzhong, Kansai and the Central Plains, the water level of the Yellow River has skyrocketed.At the end of June, the embankment of the Yellow River in the east county of Yanzhou was the first to burst.The Yellow River has had many floods and frequent embankment breaches in recent years, but due to the war, these breaches have not been well repaired and reinforced.The levee was overwhelmed and soon collapsed.

"This is not only a natural disaster, but also a man-made disaster." Yang Biao said angrily, "Although there has been a lot of rain this year, it will not cause twelve dikes to burst, and there will be no such thing as the northern embankment breaking while the southern embankment is safe and sound. There must be something famous in it.”

"Yuan Shao didn't order people to do it, but that traitor Cao Cao did it." Qu Yi said angrily, "I knew there would be today's disaster. When the spring begins, we should cross the river and go down to Yanzhou to wipe out all the rebellions that have harmed the country and the people." killed."

Xu Rong shook his hand at him, signaling Qu Yi not to yell in front of Yang Biao.

"Master Taiwei is here for food?"

Yang Biao sighed.No matter what, he couldn't open his mouth now.The Yellow River's embankment breach is different from the previous ones. The Yellow River embankment breached twelve places, and almost all the counties in southern Jizhou were flooded. Millions of people were affected. The situation of disaster relief in Hebei is very serious. A grain of grain is also very precious to the disaster victims in Hebei.

"That's all." Yang Biao shook his hand, heartbroken, "Even if the world is not in chaos, the imperial court will not be able to solve this catastrophe. If the general and Hebei can survive this disaster safely, there is hope for the great man to be rejuvenated, otherwise..." He looked up to the sky Sighing and mourning extremely, "The 400-year foundation of the great man will be cut off."

Everyone was hurt in their hearts, and each bowed their heads in silence.

=

"What's the situation in Guanzhong?" Qu Yi barely held back his anger and asked dissatisfiedly, "Your Majesty drove us away, and Yuan Shao and Kuai Yue should welcome us. Why is there still a shortage of food? Where is Your Majesty planning to go? To Jingzhou or To Luoyang?"

Yang Biao smiled wryly, shook his head again and again, and described the situation in Guanzhong.

"Nowadays in Hebei, the northern border army is unable to fight anymore. Yuan Shao, Kuai Yue, Ma Teng and others are confident, and the situation in Guanzhong will get worse and worse." Go. I am a great man with thousands of miles of land, but there is no place for His Majesty to live..." At this point, two lines of old tears slowly rolled out of Yang Biao's eyes.

"My lord, the general dispatched 10 people this time, King Ma Qin. His determination and loyalty to the great man and His Majesty are well known in the world. Why can't Your Majesty trust the general? Why can't he go to Hebei?" Lu Bu was a little excited Said, "I really don't understand why His Majesty doesn't distinguish between loyalty and traitors? Could it be that Zhang Ji, Huangfu Hong and a bunch of helpless ministers can calm the world and revive the great man?"

Yang Biao opened his mouth and swallowed the words that came to his lips.Since the day the Son of Heaven inherited the imperial line, he has been held hostage by rebels such as Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, and Guo Si successively.During the seven years before and after, there was not a single day when the emperor did not live in fear and blood.Besides trusting the ministers around him, who else would he trust?The general is very strange and scary to him, how dare he come to Hebei?
"We went to serve the king loyally, but instead we were framed by His Majesty and called treason by His Majesty. This..." Seeing Xu Rong's reproachful gaze, Qu Yi quickly swallowed back the worse words, "We are all Rebellion, there are rebellions all over Hebei, so why are we going to serve the king? No wonder Yuan Shao is wholeheartedly trying to rebuild the imperial line, and now it seems that Yuan Shao is right. We are not going to serve the king, we are going to die. I can't figure it out, Your Majesty If the general kills us all, the world will be pacified by him? Will he be able to rejuvenate the great man? If Emperor Guangwu treated us loyal ministers like His Majesty back then, would the great man be able to rejuvenate the great man?"

Yang Biao sighed softly, and took out an imperial decree from his arms, "Your Majesty has decreed that you are no longer rebellious."

"Hmph..." Qu Yi sneered, shook his head and sneered, "We are all rebellious, so is this imperial decree still valid for us?"

Zhao Yun hastily stretched out his hand and hit Qu Yi.

"Bah..." Qu Yi stood up abruptly, spat hard on the ground, and walked away angrily.

=

The atmosphere in the big tent was awkward.

Zhao Yun coughed lightly, and a modest smile appeared on his handsome face, "My lord, when the general was leaving, he had anticipated the situation in Guanzhong and specially ordered us to prepare two ships of food..."

Yang Biao looked up at Xu Rong, Lu Bu and Zhao Yun in disbelief, "Really?"

"The general said that no matter how difficult it is in Hebei, the Son of Heaven cannot be starved." Xu Rong said slowly, "At first we wanted to send it there earlier, but suddenly we all became traitors, so..." Xu Rong was helpless Spreading his hands, "We just want to give it away, but we dare not give it away."

Yang Biao never expected that the result would be like this. He bowed his hands happily, and his gratitude was beyond words.He wanted to say a few words of gratitude, but his throat was choked and his eyes were sore, so he couldn't say a word.

"After the Northern Xinjiang Army withdrew to Kansai and Hedong, the main cavalry has returned to the desert. General Zhao Yun will also lead the army back to Jizhou in the near future. There are only less than 5 infantry troops in Kansai and Hedong." Xu Rong continued Said, "Although we still have troops, we don't have enough food and grass, so it is impossible for the army to carry out long-distance expeditions except to garrison the pass."

Yang Biao understood what Xu Rong meant.If there is any crisis in Guanzhong, the Northern Xinjiang Army will no longer intervene.

"There is not much food, but it is enough to sustain. Considering that Yuan Shao may increase his troops in Guanzhong, the general ordered us to send you another ship of ordnance." Xu Rong looked at Yang Biao and asked with a smile, "My lord, if you need anything else? , Tell me now, only I can do it, and I will help you do it."

Yang Biao was not polite, and immediately said: "Can you continue to provide us with food like in the past?"

Xu Rong nodded, "At present, the soldiers of the Northern Xinjiang Army can only eat one meal a day, so as long as you save a little, we can barely support ourselves."

Yang Biao stroked his long beard excitedly, and asked: "If Yuan Shao increases his troops in Guanzhong, will your lord have any countermeasures?"

Lu Bu, who was sitting by the side, immediately opened the map on the case table, pointed to Tongguan and Taolin Fortress and said, "Your troops are insufficient. If Yuan Shao's reinforcements arrive at Guanzhong, Guanzhong will definitely not be able to defend it. At this time, your lord had better persuade you Your Majesty, quickly retreat to Tongguan and Taolin Fortress. When you retreat here, you can not only get the support of the Northern Frontier Army, but also supplement food, grass and ordnance."

"Okay, okay..." Yang Biao was very excited, "I'll go back and report to His Majesty right away, I'll go back right away."

=

In mid-July, Jizhou.

General Li Hong returned to Handan day and night.

Thirty miles away from Handan City to meet the general was Xun You, the chief minister of the princess' mansion.

Xun You's eyes were red and swollen, his face was haggard, he was very tired, and his speech was a little confused.

The eldest princess, the right general Zhang Yan, Zhang Wen, Zhao Qi and other veterans, Shi Liwei, the chief of the Grand Sima, Shi Zhumu, the chief of the great general, and officials of various sizes in Hebei all rushed to the disaster-stricken counties and counties for disaster relief. Only Xun You and Xiao Lan led a group of subordinates to preside over the daily affairs.

Li Hong asked impatiently about the situation of the disaster.

Twelve breaches are distributed on the north embankment of the Yellow River section in Jizhou Weijun, Yanzhou Dongjun, and Qingzhou Pingyuan counties. The Yellow River roared down and flooded the southern Weijun of Jizhou, the northern part of Hejian State, the southern part of Bohai County, and the northern part of Yanzhou Dongjun. , North of Qingzhou Plain County, Jizhou Ganling State was completely flooded, more than 50 counties were affected, the affected population was about 300 million, and millions of acres of land were all washed away.

In the past, once the Yellow River broke its embankment, both the north and south banks of the Yellow River would be affected. However, due to human factors, all the floods rushed to the north bank of the Yellow River, causing a catastrophic disaster to Jizhou.

"How many people died? About how many people died?" Li Hong asked loudly.

"I don't know, no one knows." Xun You said weakly, "Now the main energy is to fight the flood. After the flood rushed into Hebei, from south to north, it entered the Tuhai River, Majia River, Dahe Gudu, Qinghe, Zhang Several major rivers, such as the Shuihe River and the Hutuo River, are carrying out flood diversion. However, the floods are too large and there has been a lot of rain recently. Almost all rivers, large and small, have flooded their embankments, and many places have suffered disasters. So far, the danger has not been fundamentally resolved. Twist."

"What about the Zhongxing Canal? Didn't the Zhongxing Canal play any role?" Li Hong asked in a hoarse voice, worried, "I have repeatedly told you that the excavation of the Zhongxing Canal should start from the old river, so that when there is a flood, it can also be recovered." The role of flood diversion can quickly divert the flood that flows into the big river Gudu to Zhangshui River and Hutuo River. Haven’t you done it?”

"We did it, we did it." Xun You said repeatedly, "Although the excavation of the Zhongxing Canal was only a few months old, due to the large number of refugees who participated in the excavation of the canal and the progress was very fast, it played a very important role this time. It has a great effect, to a certain extent, speeding up the flood diversion time and avoiding further expansion of the disaster-affected area."

"When will the flood subside? When will the danger be lifted? Do you have any plans? Has the disaster relief work already started?"

"If it doesn't rain, the danger will be relieved in another five to ten days." Xun You rubbed his increasingly heavy eyelids vigorously, and yawned several times in a row, "Wen Chou, Zhang He, Gao Lan, He Feng, Wu Lords Xiong, Gao Shun, and Xu Huang are commanding the soldiers to block the breach with all their strength. Seven of them have been blocked so far, and the remaining five will be closed soon. As long as the breach is blocked, things will be much easier Yes. The disaster relief work has already started, and the Eldest Princess has been personally supervising it in the disaster-stricken counties."

"Where is Master Zhang Yan?"

"In Yangping City in East County. The breach there is the biggest, and we haven't blocked it for ten days. Master Zhang Yan is in command there."

"Let's go, let's go directly to Yangping." Li Hong turned his head and shouted to Jifeng and Zhang Zhen, "Order all departments to speed up."

"My lord, are you not going back to Handan?" Xun You asked in surprise.

"I'm going back to Handan when I'm done with my work." Li Hong took out two beautiful kits from his arms and handed them to Xun You. "This is a gift I bought for my daughter. Take it home for me."

Li Hong lashed out with a whip, Feixue hissed in pain, and ran away like flying hooves.

=

In mid-July, Yangping City in Dongjun.

On the embankment, people flowed and roared like thunder. Thousands of northern Xinjiang soldiers and nearly ten thousand civilians were struggling to block the gap.

Zhang Yan, Zhu Mu, Wen Chou, Gao Lan, Zang Hong, Chen Gong and other officials from northern Xinjiang were covered in mud, and they came to visit the general Li Hong one after another.

It was the first time for Li Hong to meet Zang Hong and Chen Gong. He greeted them very politely, and then talked about disaster relief with everyone.The breach will be blocked sooner or later, and the most urgent issue at hand is disaster relief, how to make Hebei survive the disaster smoothly.

Gao Lan knelt down and pleaded guilty.Four embankments in the North Yellow River in Dongjun were broken in a row. As the commander of the army stationed in Dongjun, he had an inescapable responsibility.

"Who is not to be held accountable now." Li Hong helped him up immediately, "If there is a charge to be held, I am the Great Sima and the General, and I am the most responsible, followed by Master Zhang Yan, and then it will be your turn." "Looking at Gao Lan's thin face, Li Hong patted him on the shoulder with heartache, "There is still a lot to do, don't get tired, I'm still counting on you."

Gao Lan's eyes became hot, and he quickly lowered his head and wiped his eyes.

Zang Hong and Chen Gong looked at each other with admiration in their eyes.

"General, something happened in Hebei. The first thing to do is to cross the river and enter Yanzhou, and skin the butcher Cao Cao." Wen Chou said through gritted teeth, "And that bastard Tian Kai, I want to eat his meat. These two In order to keep their territory, the rebels even secretly sent people to dig embankments to release water. How many innocent people were buried in the flood, and how many fields, houses, and livestock just disappeared." Wen Chou roared, "I hate it..."

"How many holes did they dig?" Li Hong looked at Zhang Yan.

"At least half of it." Zhang Yan was exhausted, sitting on the ground very tiredly, "the first two places on the Yellow River North Levee in Dongjun County breached. We tried our best to block it and neglected the vigilance of other areas. As a result, two or three days later, there was a crash. A large piece of it fell, and it couldn’t be blocked even if it wanted to be blocked.”

"The water flow is too fast. As long as a small hole is dug, the embankment will be washed down by the flood, so we don't know how many breaches they dug on purpose." Zang Hong said angrily, "Cao Mengde, the traitor Killing innocent people again and again will not end well in the future."

"I didn't expect Tian Kai to be so mad." Tian Chou stood behind Li Hong and sighed softly, "It seems that this matter has something to do with Yuan Shao. In order to occupy Guanzhong, he did this kind of thing that both people and gods hate at all costs. Isn't he afraid of lightning from the sky?"

"He's not afraid." Wen Chou scolded angrily, "This time, he, Cao Cao, and Tian Kai have made us so miserable, what is he afraid of? When we recover our strength, we will surely kill them till they bleed." Form a river to avenge today's revenge."

Li Hong gritted his teeth, with murderous intent in his heart.

=

In mid-July, Ganling Kingdom, Ganling City.

The eldest princess rushed out in great surprise.

Standing in the lobby, Li Hong, with loose long hair, is tall and mighty, with a faint smile on his face, and a little dust on his bushy and slightly messy beard, obviously he came all the way in a hurry.

The eldest princess stopped suddenly, two blushes suddenly appeared on her charming face, and affection burst out of her eyes.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Li Hong hurriedly looked up.When the two eyes met, Li Hong was suffocated suddenly, and his heart beat violently.The eldest princess grew up and became more and more beautiful. Even she felt amazed when she saw it.

"Your Highness..."

Just as Li Hong was about to salute, a gust of fragrant wind rushed towards his face, and a pair of white and delicate hands suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.

The feeling of suffocation became more and more intense, Li Hong hurriedly took a step back, took a deep breath, and bowed again, "Your Highness..."

Before he bent down, those white and tender hands followed like a shadow, and then they were handed to his eyes, "General..."

Li Hong looked ashamed, took another step back, and said softly: "Your Highness, King Chenqin failed and failed to see His Majesty."

Bai Nen's little hand trembled for a bit, then she slowly retracted it in disappointment and frustration.

Li Hong saw two crystal clear teardrops rolling down.

"You promised me. Before you left, you promised me yourself." The princess grabbed Li Hong's big hand, "You said you could save His Majesty."

Li Hong smiled wryly.

"Hebei was hit by the disaster, and King Qin is even more uncertain. When will His Majesty escape from the sea of ​​suffering?" The eldest princess suddenly fell into Li Hong's arms and burst into tears.

Li Hong was held by the eldest princess with one hand, and stretched out in the air with the other blankly, not knowing what to do.

Outside the lobby, Zhang Wen, Cui Lie, Ding Gong, Cai Yong, Zhao Qi and other ministers just came in a hurry, and they couldn't help being dumbfounded and shocked when they saw it suddenly.

=

(End of this chapter)