October of the third year of the first peace of the Great Han Kingdom (186 AD).

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The air is fresh and cool on early autumn mornings.

Han Sui sat in the courtyard of Bian Zhang's house, playing the flute. The sound of the flute is desolate and distant, reverberating continuously.

At the end of the song, Han Sui seemed to be still immersed in the music, and sat on the stone bench alone, unwilling to leave for a long time.

A thin ray of morning sun quietly sprinkled into Han Sui's arms. Han Sui suddenly woke up.

He looked up at the clear blue sky.

The sun rises in the east, and the sun shines brightly.

A smile suddenly bloomed on Han Sui's handsome face, a helpless and desolate smile.

He stood up and slowly walked into Bian Zhang's room.

The two looked at each other and were speechless for a long time.

"Have you thought about it?" Bian Zhang asked in a low voice.

Han Sui said calmly: "Tomorrow, I will lead my troops across the Yellow River and start attacking Longxi. ”

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Li Hong stretched comfortably and walked out of the big tent.

He didn't want to live in the city of Huaili. He felt that sleeping on the grass covered with cowhide mattresses was the most comfortable.

Xiliang's anti-corruption work is in full swing. Under the repeated urging of the Son of Heaven, he has already sent several times to escort money to Beijing. Now his focus is on digging up the people behind them.

The Son of Heaven's approach in Luoyang disappointed him. Although the Son of Heaven arrested a large number of corrupt officials and corrupt officials in Luoyang and the Kanto region with lightning speed according to his idea, and successfully recovered tens of billions of stolen money and goods, the Son of Heaven did not bring those corrupt officials to justice, but after a little punishment, he made them pay money to atone for their crimes. A huge anti-corruption campaign ended hastily in Luoyang.

The Son of Heaven has the difficulties of the Son of Heaven. In Luoyang, all kinds of forces are intertwined and entangled, he just wants to ask clearly, but he doesn't have the ability. All the people hid from him and deceived him for their own benefit. Now, the Beisi Prison in the Tingwei Mansion has become a meeting place for officials. Everyone was eating, drinking, and having fun in the prison, and the place was fresh and exciting.

The Son of Heaven complained to Li Hong in the edict, saying that he had been deceived by the villain in the court. Now everyone is in the court, and they don't do anything, so they bargain around themselves and make their heads dizzy. Sometimes in order to pay 10,000 yuan less, they do not hesitate to spend 30,000 yuan to argue with themselves. He felt that he must have calculated and suffered for these people. So he instructed Li Hong to dig up a few big guys behind these corrupt officials in Xiliang, so that he could make a little more money and make up for the losses.

Li Hong's subordinates are anxious to return to Jizhou and Youzhou, so everyone is in an impatient mood, their hands and feet are getting heavier and heavier, and several have been killed recently. Some ministers complained in front of the Son of Heaven and impeached Li Hong for abusing the heavy sentence. The Son of Heaven was a little unhappy when he heard this. If he kills one, he loses a ransom. So he hurriedly sent an edict to Li Hong, warning him not to beat people to death again, and in addition, the speed of interrogation should be faster. He was afraid that after a long time, the bureaucrats in the court would come up with some tricks to deal with him, so that his losses would become bigger and bigger.

"My lord, do you want to ride the panther for a walk?" The machete saw Li Hong coming out, and hurriedly stepped forward and asked.

"Nope." Li Hong smiled, "I'll walk around casually." ”

"Okay." The machete turned back and whistled at the side tent, and dozens of Black Panther attendants rushed out of it.

"What are you doing?" Li Hong asked in surprise, "I'll just walk around here, you don't need to be so nervous." ”

"Several adults have repeatedly instructed that in the main camp, at least fifty people should be there to protect you, and when you leave the main camp, you must bring at least three hundred people." The machete smiled, "There are more people going to kill you now, so it's better to be careful." ”

Li Hong shook his head and smiled bitterly, and took the lead.

"My lord, when should we go back? Is it okay this month? It's going to snow in two months. The machete asked, following behind.

"When you speak our big Chinese language, I will take you back." Li Hong said with a smile, "Last time, I told Tannu that I should learn the Han dialect and speak it well." You look at the arc ding, abandon Shen, don't you say it well, why can't you? ”

The machete smiled sheepishly.

"You've been going to the military market a lot lately?"

The machete nodded and said with a smile: "There are more women in the military market here than those in Zixiu Mountain, and the price is cheap." There are also a few buildings in the city, and the women there are not bad. ”

Li Hong slapped him hard and said, "If the injury is healed, I will wander around all day." Is your little pay enough? ”

The machete laughed: "Enough, enough." Those women like us Hu soldiers, we give money refreshingly, not like some Han soldiers, very stingy. ”

Li Hong smiled: "Okay, okay, it's okay to go and play, but remember not to fight." The last few people who fought are still locked up. Although the infantrymen's salaries are lower than yours, when they arrive on the battlefield, they will kill the enemy with you in blood, and there is no distinction between high and low, so you should not despise others and cause any contradictions, you know? I have treated you as brothers, and I have treated them as brothers. When you are with them, you should be careful when you talk and do things, and don't get me into trouble. ”

"My lord, did Lord Tiger Head trouble you last time?" The machete asked in a whisper.

"Of course. Although I brought you all out of Youzhou, it's not good to be too protective. Some Han soldiers look down on you, and even hate you, you must understand this. The hatred between the Han and Hu ethnic groups has a long history, and it cannot be forgotten in a day or two. It's okay for you to quarrel or scold, but you can't fight because of it. You beat the soldiers of Lord Yan all over the ground looking for teeth, of course he feels embarrassed. Lord Heng later ran to apologize in person, and Yan Hutou was slightly relieved. Alas......" Li Hong shook his head and sighed.

"Lord Tiger has lost face, haha......" The machete laughed.

"Although he had a very good relationship with you in the past, but now that he leads the infantry, he can't ignore his subordinates, so in the military market or in the city, whether it is the adult's subordinates, don't provoke casually, and act a little more restrained, especially you black panther righteous followers."

The machete nodded again and again, and said with a smiling face: "Don't worry, my lord, we are outside, and we have always been people with our tails between our legs, you can rest assured." ”

Li Hong glared at him and said, "I'm serious. If you break military discipline and are beheaded, I will not show mercy to you. ”

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In the big tent, Li Hong, Xian Yufu, Zuo Yan, Wei Zheng, and Tian Zhong were discussing the withdrawal of troops back to Jizhou.

"This time we went to Xiliang, we were lucky, we not only won the battle, but also made a lot of money. In the future, when we return to Youzhou, as long as there is no accident, our Fengyun Iron Rider can last for a few years. Tian Zhong smiled and said, "Zimin, you go to the book and talk to the Son of Heaven, let's go back to Lulongsai." ”

Li Hong nodded solemnly and said with a smile: "I have already told the Son of Heaven. ”

"What did Your Majesty say?" Xian Yufu asked.

"Your Majesty has not replied so far." Li Hong said, "Let's go back to Jizhou first." In any case, my uncle and I must go back to Luronse. A few of you, I will try my best to talk to Your Majesty, hoping to get you a good official position. ”

"What are you talking about?" Xian Yufu smiled, "It looks like we're about to break up." ”

The curtain opened, and Zheng Xin rushed in.

Tian Zhong raised his hand and greeted: "Shouyan, how about we go back to Lulongsai together?" ”

Zheng Xin cried with a sad face and said loudly: "We can't go back." ”

"Why?" Zuo Yan hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?" ”

"Han Sui reversed."

Everyone was stunned.

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Previously, after the Son of Heaven saw Bian Zhang and Han Sui's apologies, he thought that Xiliang's rebels had completely surrendered and Xiliang's counterinsurgency was over, so he immediately devoted all his energy to Xiliang's fight against corruption and never paid attention to this matter again. He indulged in the Wanjin Hall in the West Garden all day long, and did not ask about state affairs at all. It wasn't until the general He Jin asked him to approve the **** order that he remembered that there was such a thing as the Xiliang rebels. So he asked how the affairs of the Xiliang rebels were handled.

Zhao Zhong, the regular attendant, immediately slandered Bian Zhang and Han Sui, and refuted their conditions to the fullest. In the end, Zhao Zhong said: "If Your Majesty agrees to the request of the traitor, it will be played by Li Zhonglang, and the border seal will be the Taishou of Jincheng County, and Han Sui will be the captain of Huqiang." In this way, everyone in the world knows that His Majesty is benevolent and kind, and weak and can be bullied. In the future, if you want to be an official, you don't need to study the scriptures, you can rebel first. If you rebel, you can take the opportunity to reach out to Your Majesty for officials and money. With this wind, our Han Kingdom will definitely be rebellious and thieves, and the country will immediately fall into danger. Your Majesty, such conditions cannot be agreed upon. Li Zhonglang is so misleading the country, he should be arrested and questioned. The old minister even wondered if he was in collusion with these rebels, and wanted to harm my Han Sheji. ”

The general He Jin also added fuel and vinegar to say a few words.

When the Son of Heaven heard this, it made sense. A dignified ****, if you succumb to the obscenity of a few traitors, and let a few traitors run rampant and show off their might, how can there be face?

"So what do you say about it?" The Son of Heaven said, "As for Li Zhonglang, he is young, he is not more important, and he is confused, so I will talk about him when I go back." He is still loyal to the Great Han Kingdom and to me, so don't talk nonsense. ”

Hearing the words of the Son of Heaven, the general He Jin, the Zhongchang attendant Zhao Zhong, Situ Cui Lie, and several ministers around him knew that the Son of Heaven was bent on protecting Li Hong, and they didn't dare to say anything slanderous.

Situ Cuilie took the opportunity to put forward a series of demanding requirements.

The Son of Heaven was tired of hearing this, waved his hand and said, "Go and tell Liangzhou Assassin Shi Geng to contempt, and immediately set a deadline for the traitor." If you don't surrender again, you will be killed, and you will be connected to the nine clans. ”

General He Jin hurriedly asked: "This **** ......"

"No forgiveness." The Son of Heaven said, "I am not a weak and deceitful person, let them see my thunderous methods." ”

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Bian Zhang and Han Sui rebelled again, shocking the government and the opposition.

The Son of Heaven was also taken aback. This Xiliang finally settled down, but something happened again in the blink of an eye. He regretted a little that he hadn't acceded to the rebellious request that day. Aren't they just two petty officials, what do they have to lose? Once this battle is fought, the losses will be unimaginable. The money bag that he had just puffed up was about to deflat.

He looked at Zhao Zhong standing behind him, and a nameless fire suddenly rose.

Zhao Zhong was still chattering about rebellion at this time. The more Tianzi thought about it, the more heartache he felt, and the more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became, and he finally couldn't help the anger in his heart, grabbed the bamboo slip on the case, and smashed it on Zhao Zhong's face. Zhao Zhong was caught off guard, and immediately bled like an infusion. He didn't know what he had offended the Son of Heaven, so he was so frightened that he lay on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly. The Son of Heaven still didn't understand his hatred, so he rushed up and kicked him in the face, and immediately kicked him to the ground. Zhao Zhong's mouth was bloody, his eyes looked at the murderous Son of Heaven in fear, and he didn't dare to make a sound.

The ministers in the palace were shocked and fell to their knees.

The Son of Heaven strode up to Situ Cuilie, kicked him over, and scolded loudly: "Get out, I don't want to see you, get out of ......"

Cui Lie didn't dare to squeak, and crawled backwards with a roll.

The general He Jin lay on the ground with his whole body, watching the Son of Heaven rushing towards him quickly, his face turned white with fright, and his hands involuntarily clenched his head.

The Son of Heaven aimed at his big head and flew with a kick.

"...... Get the hell out of here......"

The Son of Heaven beat several people in a row, and was slightly relieved, but when he thought of the money that was about to be turned out, his heart hurt like cutting meat.

"How many troops are there in Xiliang?" The Son of Heaven stood in front of Taiwei Zhang Wen and asked angrily.

"Back to Your Majesty, in addition to Li Zhonglang's 30,000 Jizhou army, there are only more than 10,000 Xiliang troops." Zhang Wen replied cautiously.

The Son of Heaven looked at him, suddenly remembered something, and asked, "Lord Taiwei's illness has healed?" So fast? ”

Zhang Wen's face changed greatly, and he hurriedly said: "The war in Xiliang has started again, and the minister is dead, and he has to go to the court to solve problems for His Majesty." ”

"Hmph......" The Son of Heaven sneered, his little head shook a few times with his long thin neck, and a pair of small eyes flickered at him for a long time, and then mocked, "Lord Taiwei came back in time." ”

Zhang Wen lowered his head and didn't dare to make a sound.

"Your Majesty, Xiliang still has 50,000 troops." Guangluxun Liu Yu suddenly said, "Your Majesty, some time ago, Li Zhonglang asked for 50,000 rebel prisoners to be directly recruited into the Xiliangbian Army, do you remember this?" ”

The Son of Heaven suddenly thought about it, nodded and said, "Yes, yes, Aiqing is right, I remembered." In this way, we still have 100,000 horses in Xiliang. Thanks to Li Zhonglang's thoughtful thinking that day, otherwise Xiliang would have been worse this time. ”

He immediately looked at Zhang Wen and asked, "Isn't Lord Taiwei too old to forget about this?" ”

Zhang Wen said respectfully: "Your Majesty, these 50,000 people must not go to the battlefield. ”

"Why?" The Son of Heaven asked in surprise.

"These 50,000 people have just been recruited from captives, and more than 30,000 of them belong to the Qiang. What if they suddenly mutinied and defected on the battlefield? Once these 50,000 people defect, the defeat of the army is a trivial matter, and the strength of the rebels will increase dramatically. Your Majesty, please think twice......"

The Son of Heaven waved his hand indifferently and said, "No matter how many it is, immediately issue an order to ask Li Zhonglang to lead his troops westward and meet Liangzhou Assassin Shi Geng to quickly defeat the rebels." ”

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Han Sui's army crossed the Yellow River and swooped directly at the county governor of Longxi County. Li Xiangru, the Taishou of Longxi County, held the city with 3,000 soldiers.

Han Sui ordered his army to surround the city, but he did not launch an attack.

At the invitation of Han Sui, the leader of Baimaqiang was invited by Han Sui to join up with the Wolf Qiang and other tribes, and raised an army of 30,000 to attack Lintao, the southern capital of Longxi County. Ma Teng's strength was not good, so he did not dare to meet the battle, and hurriedly retreated north with three thousand iron cavalry. In June, Thunder immediately led his troops to follow up and attacked the county of Hanyang County. Hanyang Taishou Fu Xie led 3,000 troops to defend the city.

Geng Contempt has nearly 70,000 troops in his hands, so he is ambitious and has the heart to do something big, pacify Xiliang, and make a name for himself. At the instigation of Wudu, Cheng Qiu and others, he immediately led his troops to set off to help Yicheng without waiting for Li Hong to arrive.

In June, when he heard that Geng's army had arrived, he immediately withdrew his troops to Longxi, fighting and retreating all the way. The Overseer of Geng gave chase.

Fu Xie, Xu Rong, and Lu Yi tried their best to dissuade Geng Cong from temporarily garrisoning Hanyang, and after meeting with Li Hong's army, they would march into Longxi, but Geng Cong relied on his heavy troops and did not listen to the dissuasion of the three at all. He immediately ordered Fu Xie to garrison Yicheng to supervise the grain and grass, and Xu Rong Liyi led the army behind, and he personally led an army of 50,000 to kill Longxi.

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After Li Hong received the holy decree, he immediately set off with his army without the slightest delay. The camp was handed over to Zuo Yan, Tian Zhong and Ji Wei.

Because the western Xinjiang is about to enter a long winter, so this time the army enters the western Liang, and the supply of grain and grass has become the top priority, Li Hong specially left the battalion of 5,000 men and horses for emergency needs.

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The army marched day and night, and arrived in Yongxian County on this day.

In the middle of the night, Li Hong and Xian Yufu were still studying the military situation in the big tent, and suddenly, there was a noisy voice outside the tent, and then, they saw Zhao Yun walking in with a young man.

"Pound ......" Li Hong exclaimed in surprise and immediately asked, "How is Di Dao City?" ”

Pound was obviously running all the way, disgraced and dusty.

"My lord, Li Xiangru, the Taishou of Longxi, has surrendered the city and raised troops to rebel."

Li Honghe and Xian Yufu looked at each other, and were a little panicked for a while. How so?

Li Hong reacted immediately, he changed color in shock, and hurriedly asked, "Where is Lord Geng's army?" ”

"My lord, Lord Geng has been killed."

Xian Yufu swallowed a mouthful of saliva with difficulty, calmed down for a moment, and asked, "The army has defected?" ”

"Yes." Pang De was in high spirits and said in frustration: "Lord Geng's army followed the Qianghu army all the way to Wuxiju, and was immediately surrounded by the ambush of Han Sui and Ma Teng. ”

"Ma Teng rebelled?" Li Hong could hardly believe his ears, "Ma Teng rebelled? ”

"Yes, my lord, Ma Teng has rebelled. All of this was pre-arranged by them. Pang De said, "That night, Geng's subordinates engaged in Wudu and led their troops to defect, first killing Cheng Qiu, and then killing Geng Contempt, and the 50,000 army was all owned by Han Sui overnight. ”

"What about the armies of Xu Rong and Ko Yi?" Li Hong asked anxiously.

"They received the news that they had retreated overnight and returned to Hanyang."

Xian Yufu looked at the map, shook his head, and sighed, "Mr. Wenyue raised his hand, and he had 50,000 troops and the entire territory of Longxi, which is amazing." ”

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