August of the first year of Guangxi of the Great Han Kingdom.

The Son of Heaven and the Empress Dowager issued an edict and agreed to the performance of Li Hong, the general of the chariot cavalry, appointing Cai Yong as the assassin of Bingzhou, Xu Shao and others as the Taishou of the counties of Bingzhou, and at the same time urging Li Hong to go north to expedition to the desert as soon as possible.

Li Hong learned that the eunuchs at all levels below the middle and standing attendants in the palace had been dismissed from their posts and driven out of the palace, and his goal had been achieved, so he immediately rode eight hundred miles to Liu Yu, the Taiwei Lord who was far away in Youzhou.

He first explained to Liu Yu the purpose of his southward trip to Hedong and the current situation in Luoyang, as well as the fact that the Son of Heaven ordered him to expedition to the desert. Then he begged Liu Yu to immediately order Gongsun Zhan, the general of Fenwu Zhonglang, and Tian Kai, the captain of Yuyang, to lead their troops out of Yuyang City and Lulongsai respectively, and make an attack posture in the direction of Yanshan, so as to contain the forces of Xianbei in the central and eastern Xianbei, and cooperate with the expedition of the northern army into the desert. He and Liu Yu agreed to launch an attack on 15 August.

At the same time, Li Hong secretly ordered Jianwei General Xu Rong, Zhenwei General Lu Yi, and Yanglie General Zhang Yan to attack at the same time on 15 August. He ordered Fenwei General Xian Yufu to lead his army from Shaling Lake in Yunzhong Army, and rushed to Gaoque in Wuyuan County on August 15, and followed up with the army's grain and grass baggage.

The reply letter of the left general Huangfu Song was sent to the camp. In the book, Huangfu Song bluntly pointed out the huge shock and impact caused by Li Hong's army to the south this time, especially Li Hong's behavior of coercing the Son of Heaven to trample on the imperial power with heavy troops, which seriously damaged the divine authority of the Son of Heaven of the Han Dynasty. Huangfu Song said that what the adults are doing today will surely be emulated by future generations, and the far-reaching harm will directly affect the stability of the Han Dynasty. Adults should not only think about the northern Xinjiang, but also for the entire Han Kingdom, and for today's son. Although the name of the adult going south is to eradicate the traitorous eunuchs and stabilize the dynasty, and there is no worry about the expedition of the army, in fact, the adult is to open up the territory and expand the territory, so that he can build a meritorious service for all generations and leave a name in history. The expedition to the desert is staggeringly expensive, and it requires the strength of the whole country, what good is this for the Great Han State, which is exhausted? Have you ever thought about the future of the 50 million poor people in the Han Kingdom?

Huangfu Song said in his letter that the fact that the eunuch was far away from the court did not mean that the situation in Luoyang could quickly turn around. To completely eradicate the deep-rooted force of the Great Han Kingdom, it is not an overnight thing, let alone an overnight thing, it will take a period of time and a process. Therefore, Huangfu Song believed that at this time, the northern Xinjiang army was not an expedition, but should continue to garrison troops north of the Yellow River, continue to maintain a strong threat to Luoyang, and ensure that the turbulent political situation in Luoyang slowly stabilized by force. When Luoyang is truly stable and all major events of the country are normal, it will not be too late for the adults to lead the army to retreat north, and then go on an expedition to the desert. The expedition at this time will not only make all the efforts to go south come to naught, but also exacerbate the turmoil in Luoyang and make the situation in Luoyang even more chaotic. Since the lord has already led the army south, he should make a mistake, first completely stabilize Luoyang, and then try to make other plans, instead of giving up halfway.

Huangfu Song obviously disagreed with Li Hong's expedition to the desert, but he knew that he could not stop Li Hong alone, and he was powerless to stop Li Hong's northern expedition, so he gave Li Hong some advice on desert warfare in his letters. Huangfu Song knew that Li Hong had always liked to take risks in his army, and he hoped that Li Hong would abandon this method of using troops after entering the desert, and instead use a safe and effective combat strategy. Huangfu Song said, your opponent is Murong Feng, your battlefield is a desert of 2,000 miles, if you want to win, you must remember not to take risks, to advance steadily, step by step.

Li Hong read and read Huangfu Song's letter again and again, and he couldn't make up his mind and hesitated.

Although there is something wrong with going south, I am full of hardships, and I have to do it. If he didn't threaten Luoyang with his troops, the northern Xinjiang would be constrained by the Son of Heaven and the imperial court, and what would happen to the survival of millions of victims? In the case of no way out, he can only make this decision, but in this way, will it really cause serious harm to the Great Han Kingdom as Huang Fu Song said?

As the situation develops, Wan Jintang's money will quickly run out, and if you don't take advantage of this opportunity to go on an expedition as soon as possible, there will be no such opportunity in the future. In addition, in order to allow the disaster victims who moved into the border area to live in peace and security, it is necessary to have a stable northern Xinjiang, and the premise of stabilizing the northern Xinjiang is to completely drive the Xianbei people who have repeatedly invaded the south into the desert depths of the extreme north. In other words, in order for the millions of victims in northern Xinjiang to survive, he must go on an expedition, but will this really cause a deep disaster to the Han Kingdom as Huangfu Song said? Will it plunge more Han people into misery?

Li Hong silently walked in the fluttering light rain, hovering on the muddy embankment of the Yellow River. The low clouds in the sky and the hazy fog around him were just like his state of mind at the moment, melancholy and melancholy.

At this moment, will Luoyang quickly stabilize under the iron fist of the general as he imagined? Will Taifu Yuan Kui and the other ministers give up the struggle for state authority and wholeheartedly assist the Son of Heaven and the Empress Dowager together with the generals, and fully support their expedition? Today's situation in Luoyang was facilitated by me, and the three powers in Beijing could barely maintain balance by fighting each other, but now it has become one party with a dominant power, one side is restricted, and one side has been driven out of the court. In this divine situation, after the army leaves, will Luoyang be more chaotic? Will there be a dispute between scholars and generals? Will I be able to go on an expedition?

Li Hong had to admit that Huangfu Song was right, although he was worried about many problems, but the idea of making great achievements in the desert was deeply rooted in his heart like a sharp arrow, and the scorching ** was like an unforgettable pain that made him unable to breathe and struggle. The idea of killing himself from the north to the west, and then from the west to the north, is haunting me all the time. I finally have this opportunity today, how can I give up, and how can I give up? Even if Luoyang is in chaos now, he will quickly enter Luoyang and then turn north.

Li Hong finally made up his mind.

Li Hong replied to Huangfu Song, thanking General Huangfu for his teachings, and at the same time, he implored Huangfu Song and Jingzhao Yin Gaixun to do everything possible to provide him with grain and grass from the direction of Guanzhong during his expedition. Even if something happens to Luoyang, it is necessary to ensure that the expeditionary army needs it. Li Hong said that if this battle is won, it will be able to protect northern Xinjiang from the invasion of Xianbei people for at least 10 years, which is directly related to the future of the Great Han Kingdom. Therefore, he implored the two adults to help him complete the expedition at all costs for the sake of the country's social welfare.

Li Hong wrote to the Son of Heaven and the Empress Dowager, saying that he would lead the army back to Biansai in the near future, and only some of the Tuntian soldiers in Hedong and Jinyang would be left to take care of them. In the recital, he said that His Majesty can punish the minister's disrespectful death crime today after the victory of the minister's expedition, and use this to warn the ministers of the Han Dynasty that His Majesty's heavenly authority must not be blasphemed. Li Hong implored the Son of Heaven and the Empress Dowager to ensure that the army needed during the expedition to ensure that the expedition would be victorious. The ministers should make meritorious contributions for His Majesty and create the great cause of Emperor Wu again.

Li Hong wrote a letter to the general He Jin. He said that among the soldiers and horses of the seven routes that the general summoned to Beijing from all directions, only the Hanoi Taishou Dinh Nguyen Road belonged to the combatable soldiers, and the rest of the soldiers and horses were newly recruited from various places and had no strength to fight. Therefore, he once again warned He Jin to quickly rectify the Xiyuan Army. It has been almost a year since the formation of the Xiyuan Army, and although it cannot be compared with the strength of the Northern Army, it has a large number of people and is prone to trouble, so rectifying and controlling the Xiyuan Army is the top priority to stabilize the Beijing Division. If the 40,000 Xiyuan Army and the 10,000 Northern Army can be integrated, the 50,000 Northern Army can be rebuilt, so that the Beijing division will have no worries.

In order to ensure the safety of Gyeonggi and ensure that the general could quickly control the government, Li Hong once again suggested to the general He Jin that in order to ensure that the general had enough force to back up, it was still very necessary to keep the former general Dong Zhuo in Gyeonggi. Dong Zhuo is a general of a hundred battles, and the 20,000 Xiliang soldiers under his command are also a division of a hundred battles. With such a soldier sitting in Gyeonggi, what else can the general in Luoyang not solve?

Li Hong told the general that he was about to leave Beijing for an expedition to the north, and he implored the general to ensure that the army needed it during the expedition.

At the same time, Li Hong also wrote a letter to Taifu Yuan Kui, Sikong Liu Hong, and Shangshu Ling Lu Zhi. Although he led an expedition to fight in the front, it was not his own army of hundreds of thousands that decided the outcome of the expedition, but the ministers in Luoyang City, especially the Taifu Yuan Kui who participated in the Shangshu affairs and several Shangshu lords in Shangshutai. They directly commanded and controlled this expeditionary war, and all the military supplies required by the army had to be raised and transported to the north by their organization.

Li Hong said frankly in his letter to the three adults, what I do today must be a rebellious sinner in the eyes of all of you, but I have no intention of disturbing the country, I am just for the expedition to the desert, or to put it more high-sounding, I am for the northern Xinjiang and the Han country. Your Excellency may think that I am the scourge of the Han Kingdom in the future, but I can solemnly swear that without Your Majesty's holy decree, I will not be able to live on the Great Wall in this life, and I will defend the border fortress for the Han Kingdom in this life and this life, and I will never be a rebel or a rebel, nor will I do anything that harms the country. If you violate this oath, you will be destroyed on the same day, and you will be pierced by ten thousand fu and die.

Your Excellency may still be worried that I will support my own troops in Northern Xinjiang in the future, but please think about it, my Great Han Kingdom could not support 100,000 border troops in the past, and I can't afford to raise 100,000 border troops today, can I still support 100,000 troops in this barren land on my own in the future? The reason why I said that I wanted to build 300,000 border troops was just to ask for more money for Tuntian in northern Xinjiang. As for some of the other things I mentioned, you have already seen the results, and I believe that with the joint efforts of Lord Zhao Qi, Lord Cai Yong, and many other adults, the state will prosper within ten years.

I will bring back the remains of the Han soldiers abandoned on the Sunset Plains to comfort the heroes' souls in the sky, and I will plant the Han Tianwei deep in the desert and let the Quartet Domain surrender.

The general was ordered to return to Beijing. This time, he could finally swagger into the palace.

Taifu Yuan Kui personally rushed to meet him five miles outside the city. Today, dozens of traitorous eunuchs were driven out of the palace, and decades of wishes were finally fulfilled, and Taifu Yuan Kui was in a very good mood. He and the general He Jin sat in the carriage and carefully discussed the selection of the three Lang officials into the palace to replace the official positions of the eunuchs who were driven out. Yuan Kui and the ministers had drawn up a detailed list, among which there were more than 50 officials in the general's line.

The general was very satisfied with Yuan Kui's arrangement, and after flattering Yuan Kui, he asked, "Master Taifu, after Lord Ding is dismissed, who do you think will take over the position of Situ?" ”

Yuan Kui said after a little muttering: "General, the matter of the eunuch has not been completely solved yet, and the general of the Che Cavalry has not yet withdrawn his troops to the north, Luoyang is still in turmoil, in my opinion, don't consider it for the time being." ”

He Jin smiled slightly and nodded. Now Taiwei Liu Yu is in Youzhou. Sikong Liu Hong, Dasi Nongfu, and Shaoqing Mansion are busy allocating food, salary, and ordnance to Northern Xinjiang, and it doesn't matter if the three dukes lack a Situ, but one more Situ may have the problem of uneven distribution of power. At this moment, no matter who arranges for this Situ position or Yuan Kui's person, both parties will not agree, and it is better to maintain the status quo. The general asked this question, just to test Yuan Kui's mind.

The Taifu and the general participated in the affairs of Shangshu at the same time, jointly managed the government and let the scholars and the generals restrain each other, which was originally a way for the empress dowager and the lieutenant officials to maintain the balance of power in the outer court. Since Master Taifu didn't want to break the balance, He Jin naturally didn't want to do much. The most urgent thing for him now is to take charge of the inner court as soon as possible and control the Son of Heaven and the Queen Mother.

"Does the general know that Lord Li is going north immediately?" Yuan Kui asked casually.

He Jin smiled and did not speak.

Li Hong's worries are also his worries. At the beginning, in order to solve the problem of the Xiyuan Army as soon as possible, He Jin promised Cao Cao, the captain of the military academy, to let him continue to command the 40,000 Xiyuan Army after eradicating the traitors in the palace. And herein lies the trouble. Now the Xiyuan Army is in Hangu Pass, and Cao Cao, Chun Yuqiong and Bao Hong, because they belong to the traitorous eunuch line, they are worried that they will be purged by the imperial court, so they firmly control the soldiers and horses. Now that the matter in Luoyang has not been dealt with, He Jin is not good at turning his face immediately. There is no shadow of this rectification of the West Park Army at all.

Of the three captains of the Xiyuan Army, He Jin felt that it was very tricky and difficult to deal with. Cao Cao, the captain of the military colonel, was born in a family of eunuchs, his grandfather was Cao Teng, and his father was a former lieutenant. Chun Yuqiong, the lieutenant of the Chinese Military Academy, was a candidate recommended by Yuan Yu of the Huangmen Order, and was originally a former official of Yuan Lord. Now that Yuan Valve is in Luoyang, how can he be moved? Lieutenant Bao Hong was a member of Zhao Zhong in Da Changqiu, but he had a very good relationship with the former general Dong Zhuo. In the past, when he was quelling the rebellion in Western Xinjiang, he was the governor of Fufeng County and fought behind Dong Zhuo. This time, Bao Hong rushed to Hangu Pass with his men and horses from Xiaopingjin and took the initiative to throw himself into the general, which was all facilitated by Dong Zhuo. Now that Dong Zhuo's army is stationed in Mianchi, how to remove Bao Hong? Since the general can't properly solve the three captains of the Xiyuan Army, of course, there is no way to rectify the Xiyuan Army, let alone turn the Xiyuan Army into the Northern Army as a whole.

He Jin very much hoped that Li Hong could continue to stay in Hedong for a while. As long as Li Hong is in Hedong, the 40,000 Xiyuan troops will be his own sooner or later, but as soon as Li Hong leaves, the threat of Gyeonggi will be eliminated, and the 40,000 Xiyuan troops will be a problem.

"I would like to ask Your Majesty and the Queen Mother to put the General's Mansion in Cloud City." Yuan Kui said, "The general of the chariot cavalry is in charge of the defense of the northern frontier, and his administrative office should be placed in the border fortress, I think Yunzhong City is more suitable." ”

He Jin looked at Yuan Kui suspiciously, not understanding why he was provoking Li Hong at this time. Where the General's Mansion is, He Jin thinks it doesn't matter. Li Hong's establishment of a branch in each of the three cities of Linfen, Jinyang, and Jiuyuan has already explained the problem. Northern Xinjiang is controlled by Li Hong, and no one can shake it, could it be that he ordered Li Hong to put the general's mansion outside the fortress to prevent Li Hong from returning to Jinyang after the expedition? Can you stop Li Hongxiong from occupying the northern frontier? He Jin thought it was funny.

He Jin saw that Yuan Kui was very happy, and then waved his hand in agreement. He knew that Li Hong would not care about such a trivial matter.

He Jin stood outside the Suzaku Gate, looking at the majestic Nangong, and couldn't help but smile on his face, and straightened his tired body slightly.

In Changqiu Guan, the Queen Mother's face was ugly, she didn't even let He Jin sit down, she let He Jin stand like that. He Jin looked humble and kept saying apologies.

The Queen Mother was obviously still angry, and she sneered: "The general's illness is cured? ”

He Jin shook his head and said lightly: "The minister's illness is not yet cured, but the state affairs are important, and the minister ......"

"Is the general's illness so serious? Heavy can't even escort the coffin of the former emperor to Wenling? The Queen Mother sneered, "Brother, you are too much. ”

He Jin did not speak.

"Brother, do you remember who sent me to the palace in the first place? Do you remember who helped me live in this Changqiu Palace? Do you remember who helped you convince the first emperor to worship as your general? The Queen Mother said word by word, "Brother, you have gone too far." ”

He Jin wanted to speak and stopped, bowing his head and saying nothing.

"Now my brother is satisfied, everything is as you wish. Why don't you stop? Why drive them out of the capital? Why do you want to kill them all? Brother, you've gone too far. ”

He Jin returned to the General's Mansion.

The cars and horses in front of the General's Mansion were crowded, and there was an endless stream of people who came to pay a visit to the General, and it was very lively.

Zhang Gong, Gao Wang, and a few small yellow men came to the General's Mansion with heavy gifts, pleaded guilty to the General, and were willing to obey all the dispositions of the General.

He Jin said: "The Queen Mother has already told me that since you have been dismissed, you will no longer be held accountable for the crimes, but I want to say that it is absolutely impossible for you to stay in the capital." ”

Several eunuchs begged in every possible way, but He Jin resolutely refused. He Jin said, you know the situation in Luoyang, the scholars hate you to the core, and they can arrest you with any excuse, and staying in the capital will definitely be a dead end. It is my personal intention that I forcibly order the release of your imprisonment, and I have not consulted with Master Taifu. If he knows, whether he will use this as an excuse to take advantage of the opportunity to arrest you, I can't guarantee it.

Zhang Gong repeatedly kowtowed and begged, saying that his manor and property in Yanzhou East County had been washed away by the flood. After returning to the fiefdom, eating and drinking became a problem, not to mention the safety of life. He was old, and begged the general to let him stay in the capital.

He Jin Shaoguan sneered: "I've already said it, no." Don't think that as soon as the general is gone, you can return to the palace, this is impossible. Leave the capital as soon as possible, so as not to be in a different place and affect the nine clans. ”

Taifu Yuan Kui was very angry when he heard that He Jin had ordered the release of the prison of the dismissed lieutenant, and urgently wrote to He Jin to inquire about the matter. He Jin replied to the book, this is what the Queen Mother meant, and I can't help but obey as a courtier.

Taifu Yuan Kui hurriedly ordered Yuan Shao, the lieutenant of Sili, and Yin Wangyun of Henan to lead people and horses to set up cards everywhere on the main road out of Beijing, as long as they saw the lieutenant officials out of Beijing, they would be arrested immediately and killed on the spot. At the same time, he urgently wrote to the state and county governments in various places, ordering them to hunt down and kill the traitorous clan members in the name of the general He Jin, and kill all the nine clans.

The matter was immediately learned by Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang and other lieutenants, who asked the empress dowager in the palace for help through various connections.

The Queen Mother was very angry, and urgently summoned He Jin into the palace, and scolded He Jin with a head and face. He Jin was not easy to argue, so he immediately made a mistake and begged the Queen Mother to hand over the military power of the Xiyuan Army to herself. The Queen Mother said angrily: "Isn't the Xiyuan Army yours?" Now even the life of this palace is in your hands, let alone a Xiyuan army? Why did you deceive Hongu? Why kill those eunuchs? ”

He Jin also said angrily: "No matter what the minister says, he is also the head of the He family, no matter what the minister does, it is for the He clan, is the minister not as good as a few eunuchs in the eyes of the queen mother?" ”

"Does the Queen Mother know how much money the minister gave Guo Sheng in order to send you to the palace? The minister gave him half of his wealth, half of his wealth. Does the Queen Mother still know how much money the minister gave Zhao Zhongzhang to let these eunuchs in order to let you live in this Changqiu Palace? All the family wealth, does the Queen Mother know, the minister poured all the family wealth, otherwise how could the Empress Song be abolished by the first emperor? Is it just for the Queen Mother to give birth to a prince? Wang Meiren also gave birth to a prince, why can't she be a queen? Why is it still dead? ”

"Does the Queen Mother think that the minister, the general, was given to the minister by those eunuchs for nothing? No, it was bought by the minister. Even if there were no traitors, the ministers could still buy this general from the first emperor. He Jin sneered, "The Queen Mother, the minister's surname is He, not the gang of traitors surnamed He, the Queen Mother is from the He family, not from the family of the traitors." The minister asked the queen mother to think more about the family relationship between her brothers and sisters, and not to be blinded by the lies of the eunuchs, and to treat her relatives as enemies. ”

The Queen Mother was speechless for a while, and she couldn't speak, and her beautiful face showed a look of annoyance.

He Jin calmed down his emotions and asked unhurriedly: "Queen Mother, Your Majesty's wedding day is coming, when will my mother come?" ”

The Son of Heaven decreed that even Guangluxun Liu Bo, Weiwei Liu He, Dasi Nong Yuan Peng, and Shaofu Liu Ting Siqing, all of whom were generals. At the same time, a large number of meritorious ministers were also rewarded, among which Hanoi Taishou Ding Yuan was worshiped as the ruling Jinwu, Wang Kuang was worshiped as the Hanoi Taishou, Zhang Miao was worshiped as the Guanglu doctor, Xu You was worshiped as the Yilang, Lü Bu and Wuqiu Yi were worshiped as the cavalry captain, Zhang Liao was worshiped as the commander of the Northern Army, and Zhang Yang was worshiped as the captain.

The series of appointments and dismissals were the result of discussions between the general and the empress dowager in the Changqiu Palace, and they were not informed of the Taifu Yuan Kui and Sikong Liu Hong at all, and the ministers of Shangshutai were even more at a loss.

For a while, the atmosphere in Luoyang became tense again.

Taifu Yuan Kui was summoned into the palace by the Queen Mother. Empress Dowager He said that the emperor was about to get married, and all the affairs of this wedding would be hosted by the princes and the lords of Shangshutai. Now that the lieutenant officials in the palace who are familiar with affairs are gone, and the new Lang officials are not familiar with them, the palace has to entrust this matter to the adults. As for the government, for the time being, I will leave it to the general to deal with.

After Taifu Yuan Kui left the palace, he immediately sent someone to find Yuan Shao.

"You go to Michi immediately." Yuan Kui said, "You make an appointment with him, I want to meet Dong Zhuo." ”

Yuan Shao asked in surprise, "You want to see him in person?" Is it inside or outside the city? ”

"Out of town." Yuan Kui said, "Also, you told Cao Cao to come to the capital to come and see me when he is free, and I have something to look for him." ”

Yuan Shao agreed with a smile.

"Uncle, after we killed a dozen traitors who left the city, these people learned to be obedient, and they all hid at home and did not come out, nor did they go out of the city. Look, should I find an excuse to catch them one by one? ”

"What's the matter with you, do you still have to ask me about this kind of thing?" Yuan Kui said dissatisfiedly, "You are the captain of the Si Li, one of the three solitary seats, directly under the jurisdiction of His Majesty, with a high and powerful position, from the three dukes, liehous, and relatives in the capital, down to the bureaucrats at all levels and the local officials of Gyeonggi, are all the objects of your supervision, what are you afraid of?" When Yang Qiu was the captain of Si Li, Huangmen Ling Wang Fu and his son were caught by him and beaten to death, what about you? You're going to ask me about someone? ”

Yuan Shao didn't understand why his uncle was so angry today, so he had to stand aside with a smiling face.

"Didn't the Great General give you a holiday in the name of His Majesty? You can cut it first and play it later. ”

Yuan Shao understood and left in a hurry.

(In order to raise the prestige of the supervision officials, Emperor Guangwu of this dynasty set up three seats in the imperial court, which were specially used for Shang Shuling, Yushi Zhongcheng and Sili Xiaowei to sit alone, so it was called "three single seats".) Among them, the Imperial Historian and the Captain of the Division were the officials of the supervision, and the Captain of the Division was responsible for supervising the capital and the Gyeonggi region, and his power was very large.

On a rainy day in early August, Li Hong, the general of the chariot cavalry, led his troops to retreat.

Li Hong stood on the embankment, looking at the turbid waters of the Yellow River in front of him, and felt a little sad in his heart. Will I still be able to see the majestic Kyoto in this lifetime?