Sima He Hao of the General's Mansion returned to the capital, and he brought very bad news, the Qiang people of Jiuquan and Zhangye counties took advantage of the war in the western Xinjiang to raise troops and rebel.

The Son of Heaven didn't care too much. Jiuquan and Zhangye counties are four or five thousand miles away from Luoyang, and he has no impression of such a remote place, so he does not have any sense of crisis.

The Son of Heaven carefully inquired about the situation in Western Xinjiang.

After He Hao arrived in Xiliang, he discussed many times with the rebel leaders Wang Guo and Han Sui about appeasement. At that time, the army of the Xianbei people was unstoppable, and the city of Sanguan and Gaoping Pass was connected, and the situation in the Guanxi Guanzhong area was critical. The kingdom took the opportunity to coerce and put forward many excessive demands, among which the most unbearable for He Hao was that the kingdom wanted to be the pastor of Liangzhou, he wanted to supervise the military administration of Xiliang, and he wanted to arbitrarily appoint the taishou and lieutenants of each county, and he wanted to form a 50,000-strong Xiliang border army. He Hao thought to himself, you are also called being caressed? Aren't you just separating one side and doing whatever you want, what else do you want the court to do? The imperial court is the treasury that provides you with food and salary, right?

Although the two sides could not get along, He Hao inherited the will of the Son of Heaven, and ran to the rebel camp every day in a low voice to bargain, hoping that as long as the Han army defeated the Xianbei people, things would take a turn for the better.

No one thought that the Xianbei people would be defeated so quickly. After receiving the Han army's victory in Boluogu, He Hao immediately became angry, and he did not go to the rebel camp to negotiate with Wang Guo and others. Wang Guo and the others were a little flustered, and hurriedly sent someone into the city to invite him, He Hao said, if you want to talk, you can go into the city to talk. The kingdom had no choice but to let Ma Teng escort Huang Yan into the city to negotiate.

At this time, He Hao had no intention of negotiating. The talks are done, and the rumors in the capital about the general's fornication with Xiliang's rebellion may spread even more. He wanted to kill Huang Yan and get rid of this big trouble. So he deliberately provoked, which angered Huang Yan, and the two quarreled.

Huang Yan was furious. In the past, he barely mixed well in the capital, but it was because of the generals He Jin and He Hao that he got to this point. After the defeat of Yicheng, the general's promise to him naturally could not be fulfilled, and he also admitted it, who called himself greedy for wealth and wealth, and the ghost was confused, but the general sent people to kill him several times, and he had to put him to death, he couldn't bear it, and the deception was too much.

Huang Yan was angry, lost his mind, and was about to kill He Hao when he drew his sword, he forgot that He Hao was a master of using a sword, and his martial arts were no worse than learning. He Hao didn't wait for Ma Teng to run over to stop him, and killed Huang Yan with a sword in his hand, and then he asked Ma Teng to go back with Huang Yan's head. The two sides tore their faces and then started fighting.

At this time, the rebel army was disheartened and demoralized, and everyone was worried that Li Hong's iron cavalry would appear under the city of Yicheng at any time, so the rebels retreated after attacking the city for a few days. By the time Dong Zhuo's army arrived in Yicheng, both the kingdom and Han Sui had already returned to Jincheng and Longxi.

He Hao did not return to Beijing immediately, he stayed in Yicheng and interacted with Dong Zhuo, Li Ru and others for a period of time. He knew Dong Zhuo and Li Ru, and Dong Zhuo's private dealings with the general were introduced by Li Ru through He Hao's relationship. The purpose of his stay was very simple, he wanted to see what kind of person Dong Zhuo was.

He Hao, like Lu Zhi, does not like a relative to be a general, and after the general of his relatives took power, he did great harm to the Han Dynasty, and there were too many painful lessons in this dynasty. Although He Hao was forced by the needs of the situation to take refuge in the general in order to eradicate the traitorous eunuch with the help of the general's strength, he also wanted to take advantage of the defeat between the general and the traitorous eunuch, and then use another force to push the general.

This other force is definitely not enough to rely on the gate lord clan alone, and it needs to be backed by generals with heavy troops. He Hao insisted on going to Jizhou despite the opposition of the general He Jin, just to get to know Li Hong in person, but Li Hong's background and youth made him give up without hesitation. A slave from a wild land, a pariahs who have lost his memory, a martial artist who is not deeply involved in the world and even does not understand the government, a young officer full of murderous spirit, is only worthy of being a leopard who cares for the house, and it is really not enough to make a big deal with him. He turned his gaze to Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo was born in a family of small officials, and he has read scriptures since he was a child, although he has lived in the border for a long time, and has been contaminated with the fierceness and cruelty of the Hu people, but he has been in officialdom for a long time and is well aware of the insidious and dark in it. Dong Zhuo mingly interacted with the traitorous eunuch, but secretly took the initiative to take refuge in the general, and showed his desire for power and wealth without any scruples. But He Hao has never been in contact with Dong Zhuo, he wants to have an in-depth talk with Dong Zhuo and get to know him carefully.

He Hao worked hard for the future of the Han Kingdom, and Dong Zhuo took great pains for his future.

Dong Zhuo has always had close contacts with the middle officials of the court, everyone knows this, but dealing with the middle officials, for Dong Zhuo, is just a shortcut to promotion, if it continues for a long time, it will not be of any benefit to his reputation, and the ending of Duan Cheng, the former lieutenant of the general of Xiliang, is his best lesson from the past. Dong Zhuo's greatest wish is to one day be recognized by the bureaucrats of the scholar clan and become one of the three princes, but with his background and the fact that he relies on the promotion of the middle officials, it is almost impossible to get the support of those scholars who are at the top and have nothing in their eyes. So Li Ru told him to go to the general, with the power of the queen and the general, he could completely help him become the third duke.

Li Ru is bent on killing the traitorous eunuch, both public and private, he hopes that after Dong Zhuo is full-fledged, he will switch to the scholar clan or the general, and he even hopes that he can help Dong Zhuoquan to lean into the government and the opposition, and then he can use Dong Zhuo's power to do whatever he wants, in order to vent his hatred for the court, the royal family, and the traitorous eunuch.

He Hao is a well-known party member of the Han Kingdom, his identity and status are transcendent, and his influence in the gate lord clan is very great, if he can get his appreciation and recommendation, Dong Zhuo is very likely to get the support of the gate lord clan, so that Dong Zhuo's career prospects will be greatly improved. Dong Zhuo tried his best to make friends with this world-famous figure. If he becomes He Hao's friend, his identity and fame will leap up.

When the Son of Heaven issued an edict to arrest and kill the party, many scholars were ashamed that they were not party members on the list, and even worse, they wrote to tell the Son of Heaven that they were party members and asked to be convicted and imprisoned, the most famous of which was the former Liao general Huangfu Gui. Huangfu Gui wrote to the Son of Heaven, saying that he had recommended Zhang Huan as the general of the Huns, and he was forming a party for personal gain, and when he was framed by a traitor, a group of party members gathered the students to petition for themselves, and marched outside the North Palace Gate to make trouble. Therefore, he had to say that he was a party member, and asked the Son of Heaven to deal with him for the crimes of party members. The Son of Heaven couldn't cry or laugh, thinking that this old guy was really full of food and had nothing to do. The Son of Heaven instructed the lieutenants to ignore him and let him go. Huangfu Gui did not get his wish, and he was depressed for a long time. This shows the influence of the party in the government and the opposition at that time.

No matter how hard Dong Zhuo tried, He Hao still regarded him as a usable tool, and did not surrender his identity to make friends with him. Dong Zhuo was very disappointed, indignant in his heart, and led the army west to Jincheng County to quell the rebellion.

The rebellious Qiang people of Jiuquan and Zhangye plundered in the area of Wuwei County, and Dong Zhuo, who was in charge of the military and political power of Xiliang, could not sit idly by, but if he wanted to go north to Wuwei County, he would have to cross the Yellow River from Jincheng to the north, so Dong Zhuo still planned to go to Jincheng County to talk to Han Sui first. He hoped that Wang Guo, Han Sui and others would not make trouble when he was in charge of Xiliang, everyone was friends in the past, and they were all Xiliang people, what is there to discuss, ask for money for money, ask for food for food, don't tear your face and have to beat you to the death. Now Lao Bian and Beigong Boyu are dead, Xiqiang Haoxiong is also dead in June, the rebels have neither backup nor strength, and they can't be defeated, so you do your rebellion, I will be my general, everyone lives on one side, and it is better to have nothing to do with each other. In order to recover their vitality, the kingdom and Han Sui agreed, and each of them retreated to Huangzhong and Baohan to accumulate strength.

Dong Zhuo crossed the Yellow River north with a large army and went to Wuwei County. Some people were worried that the kingdom and Han Sui would rebel and attack Hanyang again to cut off the retreat of the army, or to rob the army's grain and grass along the way. Dong Zhuo said disdainfully: "Dare to provoke me? I forgive them for not having the guts. ”

After He Hao received the news that Dong Zhuo had crossed the Yellow River and gone north to Wuwei County to quell the rebellion, he immediately set off for Luoyang. Li Ru went out of the city to see him off, and on the way, he said to He Hao that in the future, as long as the general needs it, General Dong will definitely help. He Hao smiled and said nothing.

When the Son of Heaven heard He Hao say that the rebels in Western Xinjiang had become difficult to become a climate, as long as General Dong worked hard, he would be able to completely calm down within a year or two, and he couldn't help but be very happy, and ordered He Hao to be rewarded and let him go home to rest.

As soon as He Hao left the palace gate, he was picked up by Peng Shi, the general's mansion who rushed to hear the news.

The general He Jin personally stood outside the door of the study to greet him. After listening to Yuan Shao's narration, He Hao sat on the seat for a long time without speaking, looking shocked. He never expected that overnight, the situation in Beijing would become so sinister.

Yuan Shao saw that he didn't speak for a long time, and urged him, but he was immediately interrupted by He Jin shaking his hand, He Jin said: "Originally, you better let Boqiu think more." At this time, there is no room for further mistakes. ”

He Hao looked at the map for a long time, and suddenly asked: "You said that when I was in Jizhou at the beginning of the year, what Li Hong said to me was true or false?" ”

The general did not speak, and at this time he had no way to judge Li Hong's thoughts. Yuan Shao pondered for a long time and said, "It should be true." If he was dedicated to the emperor, he would not let Xiangkai go. Li Hong lost his memory of the past, many things are not clear, except for the war, he is very stupid in other aspects, and he knows little about the affairs of the imperial court, from his heart, maintaining the territory and stability of the Great Han State is the first priority in his heart, and everything else is secondary. ”

"In other words, he only has the Great Han Kingdom in his heart, and as for who the Son of Heaven of the Great Han Kingdom is, he doesn't care, is that so?" He Hao looked at Yuan Shao and asked.

Yuan Shao thought about it, nodded and said: "For Li Hong, he prefers to fight, prefers to defend the frontier, and he seems to have an instinctive fear and retreat towards Luoyang and the government. That time, Cao Mengde and I invited him to drink, and he drank too much and talked a lot about his heart, including this issue. Think about it, after he fled from Xianbei to Lulongsai, he has been fighting, constantly fighting, has he ever stopped? Did he have time to stop and think about it? You look at the words he writes, if he had time to practice, would it be so ugly? On that occasion, he said that if he didn't go to war, he would only do two things, one was to study the scriptures with a teacher, and the other was to find his parents and relatives. What does this mean? It shows that he is not a powerful minister with a desire for profit, but also a martial artist who has not been deeply involved in the world. ”

In addition, since he can remember, he has been exposed to the barbarism and ferocity of the Xianbei people, and we can see too many traces of barbarism from his body. Thinking about the cause of Xiliang's corruption, it is not difficult for us to see his nature, he is a leopard, he believes in his martial arts and strength, not any king and the son of heaven. ”

"So......" Yuan Shao hesitated for a moment and said, "He should only have the Great Han Kingdom in his heart, and not the Son of Heaven of the Great Han Kingdom." ”

"The Son of Heaven is counting on cultivating him as his strong backing, so that he can be like the Emperor Wu in the past, with the imperial power monopolized and doing whatever he wants, but does Your Majesty have the eloquence of Emperor Wu? Can he control Li Hong with ease? The Son of Heaven is playing with fire*, and Huangfu Song's idea is simply to bury the Han Sheji. In order to prevent the frontier officials from supporting the army and endangering the country, this dynasty has not set up a general in the north of the border for many years, that is, the general Duliao who took care of the Southern Xiongnu, and also set up a stop, and replaced it with a general who protected the Xiongnu. Now, for the sake of imperial power and imperial unity, the Son of Heaven has ignored the country, violated the ancestral system, and rebuilt the Zhenbei General Department, which is really inconceivable. ”

He Hao looked at the worried Yuan Shao and asked again, "Originally, you must be like this?" ”

"As long as the war doesn't stop, Li Hong has no time to think about other things." Yuan Shao said, "Brother Boqiu, there is not much time left for us, and we still have to make a decision when we should make a decision." ”

Yuan Shao was very anxious. The Son of Heaven took advantage of the rebellion in northern Xinjiang to reuse Li Hong and recruit the clan to strengthen the imperial power, the purpose of which was to monopolize the imperial power, and the purpose of monopolizing the imperial power was still for the imperial unity. Once the general is overthrown, the protégés and bureaucrats who follow the general's left and right will inevitably be spared. But He Hao didn't think so, although Huangfu Song's idea was very risky, it had the intention of killing two birds with one stone, which was in line with his own mind. He asked Yuan Shao again and again, just to confirm whether Yuan Shao had the same idea as himself. With Huang Fu Song's knowledge, he must have his unique vision, he will not let Li Hong become the source of the chaos in the society no matter what, if it is really as everyone fears, he Huang Fu Song will not become a sinner of the Han Kingdom through the ages. Huangfu Song must know something he doesn't know, is it what Yuan Shao said?

Li Hong is just a heavy bait for the two tigers to fight, if one tiger dies and the other tiger is injured, throwing away the danger that Li Hong may have, the son of heaven will not be able to get his wish. Isn't it also what you want. He Hao secretly admired Huangfu Song, shook his head and sighed, he is worthy of being a master of the art of war, and he can solve decades of problems without bloodshed.

"During the trip to Jizhou, what Li Hong said to me can be regarded as a promise to the general." He Hao faced the general He Jin and said slowly, "The lord and General Zhenbei have a tacit understanding in some things, and what is missing is just a person who communicates. ”

A smile suddenly appeared on He Jin's calm face.

"Birch's ideas are always unexpected." He Jin praised, "Then you say, who is suitable?" ”

"The boss is highly respected, knowledgeable, loyal to the country, and admired by the government and the opposition. In the past, he was an official in the state, and he had a lot of experience in resisting the enemy's strong borders, and his book "On the Imperial Border" was famous at home. And when Li Hong returned to Beijing at the beginning of the year, he also visited the boss specifically for the imperial border. The old man seemed to like him very much, and admired him quite a lot. ”

"The boss has always been worried about the people of the state, often talking in front of us, I really want to go back to the state to do something, and now the state is in chaos, and it is estimated that the boss is even more worried."

"Now that Li Hong is commanding a heavy army and is sitting in the state to quell the rebellion, his threat to the future of our Great Han Kingdom is obvious. These two things together, as long as the general says a little, I guarantee that the boss will definitely understand the general's meaning and agree to go to the state. ”

"In order to avoid suspicion, the general can let the old man resign from the post of the general's governor Shi under the pretext of illness. As long as the time is right, and the ministers jointly recommend him, the boss can enter the merger state as the assassin of the state. With the knowledge and virtue of the old man, he will definitely be able to influence the rebellious Li Hong. Once there is a dispute for imperial unification in Beijing and the rebellion in northern Xinjiang is not settled, Li Hong may continue to lead the army to quell the rebellion with the national affairs of the Han Dynasty as the priority, so that the situation of Li Hong's troops going south to endanger the society will not appear in the next few years. ”

He Jin's face showed reluctance. In order to invite Zhao Qi to the General's Mansion, he worked hard, so he almost knelt down and begged him.

"How many years?"

He Hao smiled: "Two years at most." The rebellion in northern Xinjiang could be put down in two years at most under the auspices of Li Hong. In order to prevent Li Hong from going south to disrupt the government, we must settle the matter of the imperial unification within these two years, otherwise, things will be unpredictable. ”

He Jin hesitated.

Yuan Shao said with admiration: "Brother Boqiu has solved our biggest threat by talking and laughing, and the lower officials have to admire it, and they are ashamed." ”

"If there is no threat from Li Hong, the affairs of Luoyang are still under our control." He Hao looked at He Jin, who was undecided, and continued, "Let's solve the traitor first. ”

"When?" Yuan Shao asked.

"November." He Hao said casually.

He Jin raised his head suddenly, shocked.

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