In May, Western Xinjiang, Dunhuang, Yangguan.

The Emperor of the Han Dynasty and the Great General inspected Hexi and arrived at Yangguan on the ninth day of the fifth month.

Yangguan was built in the fourth year of the Han Yuan Dynasty, because it is located in the south of Yumen Pass, so it is named Yangguan. Emperor Xiaowu in Hexi "listed four counties, according to two passes", these two passes are Yumen Pass and Yangguan, which are the places where soldiers must fight. The Yumen Pass is in the northwest of Dunhuang County to guard against the Xiongnu, while the Yangguan Pass is in the southwest of Dunhuang County to guard the countries of the Western Regions. The two passes are one hundred and forty miles apart, connected by the Great Wall, and there are beacon piers every ten miles.

Standing on the pass and looking into the distance, you should see the vast clouds and mountains, the desert is vast, and it is extremely majestic.

To the east of the pass is the beautiful South Lake, with a light breeze and mist, and the fingers are swirling and floating, like a dream. To the west is an endless desert, and there is a north-south ditch nearby, and the spring water trickles and is very sweet. There is a beacon called "Yangguan ears and eyes" on the north of Dundun Mountain, which is majestic and upright, just like a mirage in the Hanhai Desert, and it is strange and extraordinary.

Today's pass is dilapidated, and ruins can be seen everywhere, and when you think of the majesty of the past, you can't help but feel emotional.

"Where's Yumen Pass?" Xiao Tianzi turned his head to look at Jia Xu and asked, "How is Yumen Pass now?" ”

"As early as more than 20 years ago, Yumen Pass was demolished by the Qiang people, and only a few sections of the wall remained." Jia Xu sighed, "Since Emperor Xiaohuan, the power of the Han Dynasty has been declining, and its control over the Western Regions has become weaker and weaker. ”

"In the first year of Yuanjia, Zhao Pingyu, the chief of the Western Regions, died of illness in Khotan. The following year, Wang Jing succeeded Changshi. The king of Kumi in the Western Regions had a grudge against Khotan, and framed the king of Khotan and killed Zhao Ping. Wang Jing was furious and led his army to attack and kill Khotan, killing the king of Khotan. The Khotanese people were not convinced, and turned to rebel and kill Wang Jing. Then in the first year of Yongxing, the rear king of the Che Division, Arodo, raised an army against the Han, and there were many responders from the Western Regions, and the Western Regions Governor Department and the Wuji Captain Department had to withdraw to Dunhuang, and since then the Han Dynasty has lost control of the Western Regions. ”

"I heard that in the fourth year of Emperor Xiaoling's Xiping, the king of Khotan, Anguo, attacked and killed the king of Kumi, and the then captain of Wuji and the chief of the Western Regions also sent troops to the west at the same time to help Kumi restore the country in the proton of the Han Dynasty." Fu Gan immediately asked, "If this matter is true, then when Emperor Xiaoling was in power, the Han Dynasty still had influence on the countries of the Western Regions. ”

"The Western Regions were originally the territory of the Han Dynasty, and the countries of the Western Regions were originally vassal states of the Han Dynasty, and they have been influential for hundreds of years, but the influence of the Han Dynasty cannot replace our actual control over the Western Regions." Jia Xu smiled bitterly, "That incident is indeed true, but it was also the last time that the Great Han sent troops to the Western Regions. That's a full thirty years ago. ”

"In the past hundred years, the Qiang people in Western Xinjiang have repeatedly rebelled and invaded, and the contact between the Han and the Western Regions has been frequently interrupted. Emperor Xiaoling's dynasty, there was the Yellow Turban Incident first, and then there was the disaster of Bian Zhang and Han Sui, the court was too busy to take care of itself, the government was empty, the soldiers were exhausted, and they were unable to take care of others, and it was reasonable to lose the Western Regions. ”

"It's easy to lose it, but it's hard to pick it up." Jia Xu pointed to the vast Gobi in front of him, looked up to the sky and sighed, "Since the rise of Emperor Guangwu, the Han Dynasty has had to use troops repeatedly in the Western Regions because the Huns occupied the Western Regions and seriously threatened the safety of Western Xinjiang. Although we finally defeated the Huns, the Western Regions countries lost the threat of the Huns, coupled with the lack of national strength of the Han Dynasty, gradually separated from Germany and began to conquer and annex each other, and at the same time, rebellions against government decrees also occurred frequently. The rebellion in the second year of Yuanjia and the first year of Yongxing was the beginning of the Western Regions' attempts to get rid of the control of the Han Dynasty. In the first year of Jianning, King Shule was killed by his uncle Hede, and he became self-reliant. In the third year of Jianning, Liangzhou Assassin Shi Mengtuo sent Wuji Captain Ren Shi and others to lead more than 30,000 people from the Western Regions to besiege the middle city of Shule Zhen, which could not be conquered for more than 40 days, and had no choice but to withdraw from the siege. This incident has had a great impact on the countries of the Western Regions, and the Han Dynasty who once dominated the country is no longer good. Since then, the countries of the Western Regions have been unscrupulous, and the conquest and annexation have intensified, and up to today, several great powers such as Shanshan and Cheshi have been formed. It is impossible for the Han Dynasty to recover the Western Regions as lightly and privately as Ban Chao and Ban Yong in the past. ”

"Mengtuo?" Li Hong looked at Jia Xu in surprise, "Is that Meng Tuo who was killed by me when Xiliang was corrupt?" ”

"Yes, that's him." Jia Xu's face showed anger, and he said angrily, "The three-year battle of the Western Regions in Jianning was not defeated by force, but at the hands of these corrupt officials and corrupt officials. The army's grain, grass and military funds were embezzled and exploited by the imperial court and the unjudicial officials in Liangzhou, and there was not much left, how could this battle be won? The battle was lost, and the Western Regions was lost. ”

Xiao Tianzi was angry when he heard this, scolded viciously, and then kicked on the ruins, "Kill, kill all these corrupt officials and corrupt officials, and leave no one behind." ”

"Killing, it can't solve the problem of the rule of officials." Li Hong laughed and patted Xiao Tianzi on the shoulder.

"Why can't you solve the problem? The general killed a large number of people in Western Xinjiang back then, and didn't he win the battle later? Xiao Tianzi asked unconvinced.

"My Majesty's fight against corruption in Western Xinjiang can only solve temporary problems, while Your Majesty's fight against corruption requires you to consider the long-term peace and stability of the Han Dynasty and the future generations of the Han Dynasty." Li Hong said with a smile, "Your Majesty should keep this in mind, and you must not be like me, just trying to be happy for a while, and miss the major affairs of the society." ”

Xiao Tianzi pursed his lips, obviously not caring about the general's words, but because of the general's face, it was difficult to say anything, so he nodded reluctantly and whispered, "I remember." ”

"Do you really remember?" Li Xiu leaned into his ear and asked with a grin.

"I remember." Xiao Tianzi glared at her fiercely, and suddenly yelled loudly at her ear. Li Xiu was startled and covered her ears with a scream.

A group of people walked along the main wall, talking and laughing, to the nearest beacon pier platform from the pass.

"Lord Jia, you just said that since Emperor Guangwu was revived, the Han Dynasty has gone through three links and three uniques with troops in the Western Regions, what does this mean?" Li Hong walked side by side with Jia Xu while humbly seeking advice.

Xiao Tianzi walked in front of the two, and when he heard the general ask about the war in the Western Regions, he was very interested, and hurriedly took a step back, squeezed between the two, and listened to Jia Xu's eloquent speech.

"This starts with Wang Mang's usurpation." Jia Xu thought for a moment and said slowly, "After Wang Mang usurped the Great Han Dynasty, he despised and insulted the countries of the Western Regions very much, and under the separation of the Huns, rebellions broke out in the countries of the Western Regions one after another. In the third year of Tianfeng, Wang Mang sent Wang Jun, the general of Wuwei, Li Chong, the capital of the Western Regions, and Guo Qin, the captain of Xuji, to send troops to quell the rebellion. Yanqi surrendered and killed Wang Jun, and Li Chong was also defeated and retreated to Qiuzi. When Guo Qin heard the news, he led his troops to retreat to Dunhuang. After Wang Mang's death, Li Chong had no news, and the Western Regions Protectorate was revoked since then. ”

"After the Great Rebellion in the Western Regions, almost all the countries in the north and south belonged to the Xiongnu, and only Shache Wang Yan was still subordinate to the Han Dynasty. The general Dou Rong had a very good relationship with Shache Wang Yan when he was stationed in Hexi, and he was well aware of the importance of the Western Regions to the stability of Western Xinjiang. Therefore, in the fifth year of Jianwu, he invited Emperor Guangwu to worship King Shache as King Huaide in the name of the imperial court, the commander of the Western Regions, and the fifty-five countries of the Western Regions all obeyed his orders. In the fourteenth year of Jianwu, King Shache and King Shanshan sent an envoy to Luoyang, asking the imperial court to re-establish the capital of the Western Regions and restore the normal relationship of control since Emperor Xiaowu, but Emperor Guangwu rejected this request on the grounds that the interior was initially determined and not to be taken care of. ”

Three years later, King Shache sent another envoy to make another request. Dasikong Dou Rong said that since Emperor Xiaoyuan, the royal family of Yache has been loyal to the Han Dynasty for several generations, especially when the imperial court broke off contact with the Western Regions. He suggested that the imperial court should grant the Shache King the Western Regions a temporary protection seal, so as to rely on the Shache King to pacify the countries of the Western Regions, stabilize the situation in the Western Regions, and restore normal governing relations. Emperor Guangwu agreed, who knew that when the Shache envoy returned to China with the capital seal and passed through Dunhuang, Pei Zun, the Dunhuang Taishou, proposed to the imperial court, 'Yidi can't pretend to be powerful', and opposed to giving the Western Regions the seal to the Shache king. At that time, Dunhuang Taishou had the most right to speak in the affairs of the Western Regions, and Emperor Guangwu issued an edict to return the seal of the capital and give it to the general. The Shache envoy did not agree, and Pei Zun forcibly forced him, causing sudden tension between the Shache Kingdom and the imperial court. ”

"Pei Zun's discriminatory and exclusionary attitude towards the countries of the Western Regions was obviously wrong, and the imperial court's backsliding, especially Pei Zun's forcible forcing the Shache envoy to change the seal, was even more insulting and almost teasing. In this way, the Great Han lost a great opportunity to recover the Western Regions in vain. ”

"It's a must."

"The Shache Kingdom was resentful and rebelled, while the countries of the Western Regions attacked each other and fought against each other. In the twenty-first year of the establishment of the military, envoys from the Western Regions Yanqi, Shanshan, Cheshi and other eighteen countries rushed to Luoyang, complained about the brutality of the Shache Kingdom, and begged the imperial court to re-establish the Western Regions to protect the Western Regions countries, but Emperor Guangwu still refused, forcing the Western Regions countries to surrender to the Xiongnu. ”

"After the Xiongnu occupied the Western Regions, they continued to send troops to invade the border, and Hexi, Huanyou and other places were in a hurry."

"By the time of the Xiaoming Emperor, the national strength of the Han Dynasty had increased, and in the case of the Huns' repeated borders, the imperial court had to rebuild the national policy. In the fifth year of Yongping, Geng Bing suggested in a letter that he should send an expedition to attack and kill the Xiongnu and restore control over the Western Regions. ”

In the second year, the imperial court soldiers were divided into four routes, and the cavalry commander Lai Miao, the general Wu Tang of Duliao, Geng Bing, the commander of the horses, and Dou Gu, the commander of Fengche, each led a large army to attack the Xiongnu. Dou Gu led his army all the way to the eastern Tianshan Mountains, defeated the Xiongnu Nanhuyan King stationed in Yiwu, chased him to Pu Shihai, and set up Yihe Duwei in the Yiwu region. At the same time, Ban Chao led thirty-six followers, who traveled back and forth between the countries of the Southern Western Regions, killed the Xiongnu envoys and the Khotanese wizards, and made the Southern Western Regions belong to the imperial court. In the third year, Dou Gu and Geng Bing led their troops to attack the Cheshi countries and won a great victory. At this point, the imperial court regained control of the Western Regions and rebuilt the Western Regions Protectorate and Wuji Commandery. ”

"It's a pass."

But the results of the expedition lasted just over two years. In the eighth year of Yongping, the Huns counterattacked and killed Chen Mu, the capital of the Western Regions, leaving Ban Chao to defend in Kashgar, and Geng Gong trapped in the lonely city. It happened that the Central Plains suffered from a severe drought, Emperor Xiaoming died, and the court abandoned the theory of defending the Western Regions, and only Situ Bao Xian came to the rescue. Emperor Xiaozhang had no choice but to order Ban Chao, Geng Gong and others to withdraw from the Western Regions. ”

"It's a must."

But Ban Chao did not withdraw. When Ban Chao and his entourage returned to hear about it, the countries of the Western Regions resolutely prevented Ban Chao from returning to the east, and it was not okay to hug each other. Ban Chao was moved by the people of the Western Regions, and at the same time he also knew that after the withdrawal of the Han army, the Huns would definitely dominate the Western Regions, and the efforts of the imperial court for several years would be in vain. So he disregarded the will of Emperor Xiaozhang and decided to return to Shule and continue the war. This war is fifteen years. ”

"Fortunately, the Huns also ran into a difficult situation. At that time, the Northern Xiongnu rebelled against their relatives and were surrounded by the Southern Xiongnu, Ding Lingren, Xianbei and the Western Regions. The army of the Han Dynasty began in the first year of Xiaohe Emperor Yongyuan, under the command of Dou Xian, Geng Bing, Geng Kui and others, and made an expedition to the Western Regions for three consecutive years, which dealt a devastating blow to the Northern Xiongnu and forced its main force to move westward. ”

"In the second year of Yongyuan, the Dayue clan sent 70,000 troops into the green ridge to attack Ban Chao, Ban Chao insisted on Shule, and the Dayue clan was cut off from grain and grass, and he was defeated and left. This battle shocked the countries of the Western Regions, and they all surrendered. ”

"It's a two-way street."

"In the twelfth year of Emperor Yongyuan, the Western Regions Nursing Ban Chao was seriously ill, please return to Luoyang." The minister did not dare to look at Jiuquan County, but he wished to be born into Yumen Pass', but the book was not allowed to approve it for three years. His sister Ban Zhao personally wrote to the emperor and begged for a transfer. In the fourteenth year of Yongyuan, Ban Chao returned to Luoyang and died that year. ”

"Succeeding Ban Chao to protect the Western Regions is Ren Shang, who has been fighting for many years, arrogant, harsh and tyrannical, and improper governance, which resulted in turmoil. Four years later, the imperial court transferred back to Ren Shang, and Duan Xi took over as the protector of the Western Regions, but the war continued, and the Qiang soldiers who were recruited to suppress them rebelled again, cutting off the Hexi Passage, causing the idea of abandoning the Western Regions to gain the upper hand again. In June of the first year of Yongchu, Emperor Xiao'an issued an edict to remove the capital of the Western Regions and recruit back Yiwu and Liuzhong Tuntian officials. ”

"These are the three musts."

"After the imperial court was cut off from the Western Regions, the remnants of the Northern Xiongnu made a comeback, constantly invading the Western Regions and the Hexi region, threatening the Western Xinjiang. In the seventh year of Emperor Yongchu of Xiao'an, Cao Zong, the Taishou of Dunhuang, suggested that the imperial court send troops to Yiwu to appease the Western Regions. In the same year, the Dunhuang chief Shi Soban led the army out of Tunyiwu, and the countries of the Western Regions were annexed. In the second year, Suoban was killed by the Huns, but the Dunhuang Taishou Cao Zong insisted on attacking the Xiongnu, and the ruling Empress Dowager Deng supported this proposal, but at this time the imperial court ran out of money to pacify the Qiang people in Western Xinjiang, and could only place a battalion of 300 soldiers in Dunhuang. In the second year of Yanguang, the imperial court took Ban Yong, the son of Ban Chao, as the chief of the Western Regions, and led 500 troops out of Tunliuzhong. ”

"Five hundred people to recover the Western Regions is unimaginable, but the development of the situation far exceeds the imperial court's estimate. In the second year, Shanshan was attached, Qiuzi, Gumo, and Wensu took the lead of Jingtou, and with the strong support of the countries of the Western Regions, Ban Yong led the countries of the Western Regions to ride more than 10,000 people, defeated the Xiongnu Yili King in the royal court in front of the chariot division, restored the front of the chariot division, and opened the situation in the Western Regions in a short period of time. ”

"In the fourth year of Yanguang, Ban Yong sent 6,000 horsemen from Dunhuang, Zhangye, and Jiuquan, and cooperated with Shanshan, Shule, and the front soldiers of the Che Division to attack the rear of the Che Division, captured the rear king of the Che Division and the Xiongnu envoys, and took them to the place where Suoban died in the battle and killed them, and sent people to kill the King of Dongjimi, and avenged the killing of Suoban. So the six countries of the Che Division Xiping, on this basis, Ban Yong made persistent efforts, seized the opportunity, gathered tens of thousands of people from various countries, completely destroyed the Xiongnu lair, Huyan King fled to the Kuwu River, and more than 20,000 people surrendered. The Huns led more than 10,000 horsemen to the rescue, but also retreated in embarrassment, and since then the division has never seen the Hun cavalry again, so that the countries of the Western Regions have returned to the Han Dynasty. ”

"It's a three-way street."

"It's really a hero, the father and son of the big man." Xiao Tianzi exclaimed excitedly, "I also want to be like the Marquis of Dingyuan, go on an expedition to the Western Regions, and build a world-class achievement." ”

"Your Majesty wants to govern the community, and you can't go on an expedition, so leave the matter of recovering the Western Regions to me." Li Xiu suddenly stretched out a pretty face from behind Li Hong and said seriously.

"You ......" Xiao Tianzi was stunned for a moment, "you are a girl, how can you lead an army?" Go, go, stay and go......" Suddenly he saw Li Xiu's eyes change suddenly, as if he was going to eat him, and immediately changed his words and replaced it with a flattering smile, "However, I can take you with me, hehe...... Hey hey ......"

Li Xiu blinked triumphantly, and his head shrank back.

"Then it's settled." Li Hong laughed and stretched out his right hand, "Our monarchs and ministers swear an oath to high-five, and the ministers will defend the desert for Your Majesty, and Your Majesty will lead the army to recover the Western Regions and rebuild the great cause of the Han Dynasty." ”

"Good ......" the little Tianzi was overjoyed. With the support of the general, this expedition can be said to be ironclad, and it cannot be escaped. He grabbed the general's hand and slapped it heavily, thinking about it but not at ease, he slapped it three times in one breath, "General, you can't play tricks when you speak." ”

Li Hong agreed repeatedly.

"When will you hit the Western Regions? Next year? "Xiao Tianzi is impatient.

"The situation in the Western Regions is completely different from what it used to be." Jia Xu said with a smile, "One Huns were first defeated by us, and then they were beaten to the far north by the Xianbei people, and the countries of the Western Regions were no longer threatened. Second, in recent years, the countries of the Western Regions have conquered and annexed each other, and Cheshi and Shanshan have become powerful powers. Now what they want to do is to be the overlord of the Western Regions, not to submit to the Han and then become vassals. If we want to fight the Western Regions, there will definitely be a big war. In this way, the Han Dynasty must first be stable and strong, so as to ensure that the army can continue to maintain strong force and receive a steady stream of grain and grass when the labor division is on an expedition. ”

Xiao Tianzi's face showed disappointment, "So, it will take many years to expedition to the Western Regions?" ”

"When to go on an expedition to the Western Regions depends on Your Majesty." Li Hong took Xiao Tianzi's hand and asked as he walked, "Lord Jia said a lot just now, and the minister wants to ask Your Majesty, why are there three unique and three links between the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions?" Why do you always lose it when you beat it down? ”

"It should be the four uniques." Xiao Tianzi said, "Now that the Great Han has lost the Western Regions, it is already one of the four uniques. If I regain the Western Regions, it will be Sitong. Why do you always lose it? Xiao Tianzi thought for a moment and said, "There is no army. Lord Ban Yong only led 500 people to the expedition, and in the end, he could only rely on the people of the Western Regions to defend the Western Regions, and there were good people and bad people in the Western Regions, and the bad people would betray, and of course the Western Regions would be lost. And ......," he scratched his head, thought for a moment, and suddenly waved his hand and said, "There is still a lack of wealth." The imperial court didn't have enough money, and of course there was no way to keep the Western Regions. You need money to fight a war, and you can't fight a war without money. And ......" He shook his head and snorted for a long time, unable to think of it.

"And the determination, the determination to hold the Western Regions, the determination to defend the territory." Li Hong said, "The territory of the Han Dynasty cannot be lost an inch, so the idea of abandoning the Western Regions is the same as the idea of abandoning the Western Frontier, which is absolutely wrong and the theory of destroying the country." As long as the imperial court clearly sees the importance of the Western Regions to the Han Dynasty, and as long as it is determined to defend the Western Regions, no matter how many difficulties there are, it can be overcome. When Lord Ban Yong led 500 people to the Western Regions, what was the final result? It's not a success. Therefore, sticking to the territory of the Han Dynasty and resolutely not letting the territory of the Han Dynasty lose a single inch is the national policy of our Han Dynasty, and it is a national policy that can never be changed. ”

"That's crucial." The general stopped, looked at Xiao Tianzi, and said solemnly.

Xiao Tianzi looked serious, raised his hand and swore an oath, "I will never let the territory of the Han Dynasty lose an inch for the rest of my life. ”

"But if you want to defend the Western Regions, it is not enough to have determination, not enough army, and not enough wealth......," Li Hong looked down at Xiao Tianzi and said, "Looking back at history, thinking about what Lord Jia just said, in fact, it is not difficult to find that there is no mistake in the strategy of using Yidi to control Yidi, the mistake lies in improper shepherding." ”

"Improper shepherding?" Xiao Tianzi muttered to himself, puzzled.

"Inappropriate shepherding is what Lord Ban Yong said when he dedicated the strategy of the Western Regions, which means that the reason why the Western Regions have been repeatedly lost is that the key is that the strategy is wrong and the measures are inappropriate. In the process of governing the countries of the Western Regions, they often caused riots and betrayals due to policy mistakes, which in turn caused the imperial court to lose control of the Western Regions. Jia Xu explained, "Actually, this sentence is also correct if it is placed in Western Xinjiang and the reason for the continuous war in Western Xinjiang is explored. If it is placed in the community, it is still very correct to explore the reasons for the collapse of the community. ”

"I know, I ......understand," Xiao Tianzi immediately came to his senses, "It may be easy for us to fight a place, but if we want to defend a place, we must have the correct national policy and appropriate skills to control the people, in the final analysis, it is necessary to let them be fed and clothed, and let them live and work in peace and contentment." ”

Li Hong and Jia Xu looked at each other and smiled with relief.

"Your Majesty is right, very right." Li Hong sighed, "We conquered the Western Xinjiang last year, and Your Majesty saw it, why did the people of the Western Xinjiang fight?" Why did the Qiang invade repeatedly? In order to survive. The people of the Western Regions are the same, they are also trying to survive. The living conditions of the countries in the Western Regions are very harsh, and it is very difficult to survive, and if you want to live, you must do everything you can, even at the expense of sending troops to conquer. If the Han wants to recover the Western Regions and defend the Western Regions, the first thing to do is not to kill, but to let the people of the Western Regions live. Everyone can be fed and clothed, so why bother to burn the misery? ”

"Your Majesty must remember, remember." Li Hong patted Xiao Tianzi on the back, pointed to the blue sky in the west, and said earnestly, "When you feel that one day you can ensure that you can defend the Western Regions, you will not let the blood and sweat of the Han soldiers be lost in vain, and you will not let the people of the Western Regions struggle for survival, you can lead the army on an expedition, otherwise, the nightmare of the three absolute and three links will haunt the Han Dynasty to the death, and countless people of the Great Han will pay a heavy price for this nightmare." ”

Xiao Tianzi stood at the highest place of the beacon pier platform and raised his arms and shouted, excited.

Li Xiu, Yan Ba and a group of other children jumped up and down, laughter and laughter echoed on this beautiful oasis.

Li Hong stood with his hands in his hands, looking at the endless fields to the east and the faintly visible South Lake, and his heart was heavy. Jia Xu walked up to him and asked with a smile, "What is the general thinking?" ”

Li Hong looked back at the group of children who were playing and did not speak.

"The general has worked hard and painstakingly for the little emperor to be in charge as soon as possible, but now it seems that the general's approach is indeed very effective." Jia Xu said, "The little son of heaven has grown stronger and smarter, even if he does not have the great cause of Emperor Xiaowu in the future, he will become a generation of Ming Jun, and the Han will step by step towards Zhongxing in his hands." ”

Li Hong smiled and sighed softly.

"Is the general worried about Chang'an?"

"With Zilie, Zhong Yuan and Feiyan in Chang'an, I have nothing to worry about, they will handle the restructuring well." Li Hong paused for a moment, and then said, "When Boss Zhao Qi died, although my heart was very painful, I felt that there were still many things that had not been done, and I had to continue to hold on, but seeing Yuntian lying in the ice and snow, I ......" Li Hong's eyes were red, his expression was sad, and he didn't say anything for a long time.

Jia Xu stood quietly beside him, silent.

"My heart hurts, at that moment, I feel like I'm also dead......" Li Hong pointed to his chest and said in a trembling voice, "It's been so many years, countless brothers have died, my tears have dried up, my heart is numb, I can't support it anymore, I want to leave here......"

Tears suddenly rolled down and drifted away with the wind.

"After so many years, I want to find my loved ones, I want to find them...... But...... But ......"

Jia Xu stretched out his hand and hugged Li Hong's shoulder, he wanted to comfort a few words, but he really didn't know how to comfort him. It is not easy for the general to survive to this day. Look at the white strands in his long hair, look at the growing sorrow in his eyes, everyone knows his sorrow, but who can share the responsibility on his shoulders? Xiao Tianzi's words today may have touched the heart of the general who had been closed for a long time, and his wishes and responsibilities for more than 20 years seemed to have found a place of sustenance with Xiao Tianzi's casual words. "Let them be fed and clothed, and let them live and work in peace and contentment." This is the goal that the general has been fighting for all his life, and this is the only thing that the general wants to pass on to the little emperor. He took Xiao Tianzi to conquer the world, just to tell Xiao Tianzi this sentence, just to let Xiao Tianzi engrave this sentence in his heart. He did, and he wanted to leave.

"I'm sixty years old." Jia Xu said in a low voice, "When the little emperor takes over, I will be sixty-four, and I can also go home, I can stay at the foot of the beautiful Qilian Mountain and wander under this beautiful blue sky." ”

The general understood the meaning of Jia Xu's words, there are still four years, and there are still four years to go, and the big Han is the world of the little emperor.

"In four years, can this become a farmland connected to each other?" Li Hong's mood slowly stabilized, and he pointed to the green grass in front of him and asked.

"Don't expect it, although many years ago this was a farmland connected to each other, and it was a beautiful and rich oasis, but it is a distant memory. From Emperor Xiaowu's Tuntian garrison to Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han Dynasty, this is a good place. Jia Xu shook his hand and asked with a smile, "What?" The general intends to reopen the wasteland with me? ”

"I want to go to the northern frontier, that is my oath, the oath I once made to countless dead brothers." Li Hong sighed, "It's impossible for you to go home, you still have a lot to do here." For example, in four years, what can be done to restore the tuntian here? The border army wants to defend the border, to expedition to the Western Regions, and in the future, the imperial court will have to defend the Western Regions for generations. ”

"After the war in Hexi, especially the two counties of Dunhuang and Zhangye, they almost became ruins. If you want to rebuild it in a short period of time, it will take an astonishing amount of financial and material resources, and the imperial court may not be able to take care of this remote frontier land for a while. Jia Xu smiled bitterly, "I'm also anxious, this is my homeland, and I also hope that it will regain its former richness as soon as possible." But you can't solve the problem in a hurry. The rise of the Han Dynasty is not an overnight thing, it takes one, two or even three generations to complete. In that year, Emperor Guangwu Zhongxing and Emperor Xiaoming sent an expedition to the Western Regions, which took 50 years. If we can't wait 50 years, at least 20 years from now, right? ”

Li Hong let out a long sigh and waved his hand in frustration, "Forget it, this is the business of the Son of Heaven, and we can't control it." One generation is in charge of one generation, and our generation has kept the society, and the matter of the prosperity of the society will be handed over to their generation. ”

Under May, Wuwei, Guzang.

The news of Chang'an continued to reach Hexi.

Master Zheng Xuan's death shocked everyone very much. Although the eldest princess, the auxiliary ministers, and many ministers of the court rushed to Luoyang to attend the master's funeral, trying to save the heavy damage caused to the new scripture due to the master's death, the official status of the new scripture was inevitably in crisis. After all, the new scriptures appeared for too short a time, there were too few disciples to study them, and it had a deep relationship with ancient scriptures, and it was inevitable that its position would be precarious when ancient scriptures held high the banner of "anti-weft and anti-cumbersome" and openly challenged the new scriptures.

The most important purpose of the imperial court to take the New Classics as an official study was to eliminate as much as possible the controversy and contradictions between the two schools of modern and ancient literature and scripture that had lasted for more than 200 years, so as to reduce the impact of academic disputes on national policy. Who knows that people are not as good as heaven, when Zhongxing entered the most critical period of national policy adjustment, Master Zheng Xuan actually fell.

Xu Shao, Wang Jian, Hu Zhao, Yang Qi, Han Rong, Chun Yujia, Zhong Xuan, and other great Confucians of the two schools of modern and ancient literature and classics all wrote letters to the generals, each presenting their reasons, hoping that the generals would face up to the reality and come forward to persuade the eldest princess and Prime Minister Li Wei and others to retake official studies, incorporate modern and ancient scriptures into official studies, and add doctors of Taixue.

The reality is that private learning is prevalent. Whether it is the ancient school of literature and scriptures, or the current school of literature and classics, the private schools of the great Confucians are very prosperous, which is related to the encouragement of private schools in northern Xinjiang in order to solve the problem of talent shortage, and this policy has not been changed so far. Now that the selection system has been changed, the main purpose is to act on meritocracy, and it seems that the Confucian scholars have a way out, but the imperial court will obviously not reuse the Confucian scholars who study the ancient literature and scriptures when selecting officials, so if this situation continues, there will be fewer and fewer Confucian scholars who study the ancient and modern scriptures, and the last two kinds of scriptures will inevitably decline, which is a fact that the great Confucians of the ancient literature and scriptures cannot accept.

Li Hong was very embarrassed. The Confucians hoped that Li Hong could use his power to intimidate the imperial court and let the ancient literature and scriptures survive in the world, but Li Hong did not want his power to override the imperial court, and he respected and believed in the decisions of the imperial court.

Li Hong thought about it for a long time, and finally wrote a sincere letter to each of the great Confucians. The Son of Heaven will rule four years later, whether it is the eldest princess, me, or the auxiliary ministers, they will all return to the Son of Heaven. In the past four years, the status of modern and ancient scriptures will not be hit by the new scriptures for the time being. Therefore, in the matter of official learning, it is better to ask the Son of Heaven to decide.

Prime Minister Li Wei's letter is very long, full of joy, and he seems to be in an extremely smooth mood. He told the general that after the implementation of the new system, he was absolutely sure that the imperial court's wealth would be doubled within a year.

According to his estimates, during the autumn harvest in October, the imperial court can basically control the price of salt and iron, so that the price of grain can be raised, which can increase the income of farmers and increase their enthusiasm for farming, and second, let the imperial court get more grain.

It is expected that within two to three months, the border counties will be able to get a large amount of grain, and the hussar general Xian Yufu will be able to attack the rebels in northern Xinjiang and Liaodong, and the situation in the counties in western Xinjiang can also be temporarily alleviated. However, considering that the strength of the Xianbei people Fu Luo Han and Shelong was relatively strong, and the Han army used more troops, it was better to wait until after the autumn harvest for a major battle of more than 30,000 people.

Li Wei was deeply concerned about the huge debt problem of the imperial court. He had an idea that the population of western Xinjiang is now small and the land is large, and the only way to quickly recover is to relocate to the frontier, but in the short term, it is very unlikely that the population will be relocated to western Xinjiang. Who wants to go to such a barren frontier? At that time, Emperor Xiaowu tried his best to help him solve the problem in order to immigrate to the border, but the effect was very poor. The order bankrupted the small and medium-sized merchants, and many of them were convicted of being falsely accused, and these people, their families, and slaves were finally forcibly relocated to the Hetao and Hexi areas to the Tuntian Frontier. Of course, this method cannot be used by the imperial court.

When the imperial court was taking out loans on credit, there was an agreement with the big merchant Jia of the gate lord that the imperial court could repay this debt with other things of equal value, which could be grain millet or silk silk, so Li Wei planned to take advantage of this loophole and convert all the debts into a 30-year land lease right in the four counties of Hexi.

If the big merchants of the gate valve did not go to Hexi to cultivate the land, even if they gave up the debt automatically, if they were willing to plant, and were willing to send hired farmers, field servants, and slaves to cultivate, the imperial court could give a lot of preferential treatment, preferential treatment in all aspects. In this way, the matter of relocating the population and garrisoning the border areas was solved, the huge debts borne by the imperial court were removed, and the food and wealth were also available.

In addition, this strategy was also beneficial to the imperial court's strategy of holding the western frontier. In order to keep the grain on the land of Hexi and protect their own interests, these big merchants must be consistent with the imperial court, resolutely defend the western frontier, and will go on an expedition to the Western Regions in the future, otherwise their money will disappear.

However, this debt-to-land lease and planting right matter is cheaper for the imperial court to occupy, and the big businessmen of the gate valve only have input in the short term, no output, and can only look forward to long-term benefits, but there is no short-term benefit, and if they want to get long-term benefits, the defense of the border county has become the top priority. Therefore, if you want to force the big merchants to agree, you must first ensure the stability of the Western Frontier, so that the recovery of the Western Regions is very urgent. Secondly, in addition to quickly stabilizing the northern frontier, it is also necessary to launch an attack in the south as soon as possible, at least to defeat Xuzhou, so as to enhance the prestige and power of the imperial court, so that when the imperial court and these big businessmen discuss this strategy, they can pull down their faces and threaten them, you have to do it, you have to do it, you have to do it, otherwise I will let you have no bones.

Li Hong laughed, and everyone looked at him strangely.

"Look at it, look at it......" Li Hong happily handed Li Wei's letter to Jia Xu, Fu Gan and others, "Zhong Yuan is so powerful, no wonder he has become a street rat now, and everyone shouts and beats him." ”

Jia Xu hurriedly glanced at it, praised the case, and smiled, "Good plan, good plan...... The matter of Xijiang has been solved, and the matter of Hexi has also been resolved, this method is too good...... The Prime Minister is really a genius......"

Li Hongyu's sorrow and haze accumulated in his heart were swept away, he was very excited, and with some gaffes, he hugged the little Tianzi who was sitting beside him, and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, you have to remember that a great man can have no ministers, but he must not have a prime minister." The great cause of Zhongxing of the Han Dynasty can have today's achievements, and the Prime Minister has made great contributions. ”

Xiao Tianzi nodded solemnly, "I remember." General, since the Prime Minister is extremely talented, why is he not my teacher? ”

"This ......" Li Hong couldn't hold back his excitement and laughed loudly, "because he is too smart, he has offended many people, and there are too many enemies, and everyone wants to kill him." If His Majesty is like him, how will he go out of Beijing to lead a large army to conquer the Western Regions in the future? ”

"Oh?" Xiao Tianzi touched his head, "I see, it's better to be stupid." ”

The crowd laughed.

"It looks like the Prime Minister is going to be assassinated again." Jiang Ji put down the letter and said worriedly, "There are too many people who hate him now, and everyone in the government and the opposition calls him the number one traitor in this dynasty, if this strategy comes out, I'm afraid it will ......."

"I'll find a way, if something happens to Zhong Yuan, the army won't be able to conquer for at least three years." Li Hong nodded again and again, pointed at Fu Gan and said with a smile, "Tell the Prime Minister that Your Majesty and we have agreed to this policy, and let him implement it immediately." ”