After the general He Jin heard the news from Luoyang, he sighed.

When today's favor and protection of Li Hong have exceeded their imagination, the depth of his intentions is self-evident. As Li Hong, who is deeply favored by the emperor, what can he repay except for his loyalty to His Majesty?

He Jin couldn't help but think of the future. If Li Hong, who is gradually becoming a wing, and the cunning traitors in the palace join forces inside and outside, act as traitors, and work together to deal with themselves, will he be like Liang Yi and Dou Wu, and finally end up in a different place and the clan will be wiped out? He Jin thought of Liang Yi and Dou Wu buried in the mass grave in Beibi Mountain, and his heart suddenly tightened, and a cold chill swept through his body in an instant.

The truth is cruel and ruthless, if you don't fight hard, the final destination is the desolate Beibi Mountain.

Only when Xiao Shihou is on the throne, the He family can save their lives, this fate is destined after the birth of Dong Hou and the death of Wang Meiren, and it is a fact that can no longer be changed. If he gave up, it would not only be Xiao Shihou and the Empress who would die, but also him, the great general, all the relatives of the He clan, and thousands of protégés and former officials.

Who wants to get caught up in a bloody battle for imperial power? But once you get stuck in it, how can you get out? Dead or alive, there is no third way.

Li Hong, a barbarian from the northern Xinjiang, inserted himself into this circle of right and wrong, the circle of life and death, he was ignorant, he didn't understand anything, with the war knife in his hand, where would he lead the fate of the Great Han Kingdom?

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He Hao received a secret letter from He Jin halfway.

But he hesitated when he knew that Li Hong, under the strong protection of the Son of Heaven, almost savage and scoundrel, had once again escaped punishment and guilt. In this case, what is the point of going to Jizhou by yourself?

He Jin sent a messenger to catch up with him, and he called him back. He Hao thought about it again and again, but decided to take a trip. Perhaps, what will be the surprise?

He Hao arrived at the camp of Xiangyu Mountain and was warmly received by Song Wen, Li Wei and other ordinary scholars. Being able to meet the world-famous He Hao made them very excited and happy.

Li Hong was also very happy, and entertained He Hao with sumptuous wine and delicacies and wonderful female music.

Yan Liang saw that Li Wei and others admired He Hao very much, so he was very disappreliant, and mocked twice. Zhao Yun hurriedly persuaded him not to talk nonsense.

"He is a world-famous celebrity and party member, and like Xu Shao of Runan, he is a prominent figure in the Han Dynasty, if anyone can get his appreciation and comments, he will definitely be able to soar to the sky and become famous all over the world." Zhao Yun smiled, "Brother Tiger Head, do you want to meet him?" ”

"I'm not going." Yan Liang waved his hand disdainfully and said, "What appreciation?" Comments? It's all bullshit, it's all a deception made up by powerful people out of thin air, and they use this despicable means to fool the world in order to make their protégés become officials early. What qualifications does he have to comment on people? How capable is he? Did he defeat the invasion of the Hu people? Did he pacify the Yellow Turbans? I think he's just a flagged liar. ”

"Zishan, how can you talk like that?" Zhao Yun's handsome face suddenly sank, looking very unhappy.

"Am I wrong?" Yan Liang sneered, "Which powerful person's protégé is not a government office all over the world?" A disciple like Yuan Shu doesn't need anyone's comment at all, as long as he is not an idiot, he can logically be a court member of two thousand stones. Look at Li Zhongyuan's group of scholars, they relied on Lord Zhu Jun's backstage, and swaggered into the adult's account as officials. But if you look at the court, are there any people from humble families recommended by these mouth-selling people? Where are these people high now? ”

Zhao Yun was speechless by Yan Liang's words, and then ignored him and ran to the big tent to meet He Hao.

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In the evening, everyone dispersed, and Li Hong and He Hao sat and talked.

"Today's Great Han Kingdom, there are continuous rebellions rising up inside, there are fierce Hu people Koubian invasion outside, and there are even court ministers like Wang Fen conspiring to make trouble, and the decline of the Great Han Kingdom has become more and more serious." He Hao said worriedly, "However, in this situation of internal and external troubles, today's son not only does not sympathize with the people's feelings and makes great efforts to govern the country, but wants to abolish the heirs and establish a family, causing chaos in the country." ”

He Hao glanced at Li Hong, who had a calm expression, and asked, "My lord, do you know what kind of fate Your Majesty will bring to the crumbling Great Han Kingdom by doing this?" ”

Li Hong smiled and said: "I am a son of the Han Dynasty, I only know how to be loyal to the country and fight bravely to kill the enemy, such national events are a little too far away from me." ”

"Why should you shirk it. Everyone in the world knows that today's son trusts adults and is extremely gracious. He Hao smiled and said, "Your Excellency is now an important minister of the imperial court, if even your Excellency says that you are too far away from state affairs, then what are we, the government officials?" ”

"Anything that happens in the Great Han Kingdom is closely related to any of the people of the Great Han Kingdom, not to mention such a major event as the chaos of the country and the destruction of the country." He Hao then sighed, "Your lord is deeply favored by the Son of Heaven, and he should contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Great Han Kingdom, rather than relying on heavy power, aiding and abusive, and causing chaos to the dynasty, so that the world is in chaos and lives are ruined." ”

Li Hong frowned slightly, and said with a reluctant smile: "Lord He seems to have said too much. ”

"I didn't say that." He Hao said solemnly, "If the adults insist on going their own way, this ending is obvious. Since ancient times, there have been many people who have caused trouble to the country because of the abolition of their heirs. Do adults want to be a sinner for the ages? ”

Li Hong shook his head and smiled helplessly: "Lord He, it's too early to say this now, who knows what will happen in the future?" ”

"But I can swear that I, Li Hong, will never be a rebel." Li Hong said with a resolute expression, "My Han is now in decline and the people are in poverty, no matter how stupid I am Li Hong, I will not be so stupid as to cause trouble to the country and ruin the lives of the people." ”

He Hao was overjoyed. Unexpectedly, what this barbarian from Northern Xinjiang said in his mouth was really different from what he thought in his heart. It's the right time. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and said with a smile: "This is the heartfelt words of an adult? ”

"If you violate this oath, the heavens and the earth will be destroyed!"

"So, what if the eldest prince inherits the throne?" He Hao asked without hesitation, "What will the adults do?" ”

Li Hong's expression froze. He didn't expect He Hao to be so bold and directly pick out the problem. Jizhou's matter, could it be that this person is planning everything behind his back? Li Hong looked at He Hao's blazing eyes and hesitated.

The General's Mansion is in charge of the nation's military affairs. If you want to ensure that the rear is worry-free and strive for victory in the upcoming frontier war, then it is necessary to maintain a close and cordial relationship with the General's Palace, which is the most important thing. Thinking of the instructions of Li Wei, Song Wen and others, Li Hong had to carefully consider what he wanted to say.

Li Wei, Song Wen and others all believed that He Hao's visit showed that the general had begun to adjust his strategy again after the defeat in Jizhou. In order to ensure that the eldest prince could smoothly inherit the throne, he had to determine Li Hong's true attitude towards the abolition of the Son of Heaven, and then further consider how to deal with Li Hong. This is an opportunity for Li Hong, an opportunity to establish an intimate relationship with the General's Mansion. As long as he shows the general that he does not want to be his enemy and supports the great prince to inherit the unification, then everything will be resolved.

In fact, Li Hong didn't have much interest in who would inherit the unification, he was still interested in defeating the Hu people, but the problem was that in the current situation, only by first establishing a good relationship with the Great General's Mansion and obtaining He Jin's support could he get the guarantee of defeating the Hu people. If the General's Mansion did something behind the back of the army, it would be fatal to Li Hong and his army.

Li Hong sorted out his thoughts for a moment and said slowly: "When you follow the laws of the Great Han, you should ensure the stability of the Great Han River. ”

"Okay." He Hao praised loudly, "My lord is really the first loyal minister of my Han Dynasty." ”

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He Hao found out Li Hong's intentions and was overjoyed, and immediately talked to Li Hong about the war on the frontier. He Hao served as Sima in the General's Palace, in charge of military affairs, and was very clear about the recent development of the war situation on the border.

After explaining the situation to Li Hong in detail, he said: "After the adults return to Xiliang, the first battle should be in Beidi County. The 40,000 iron cavalry of the Xianbei tribes in the west, the Dongqiang tribes and the Xiongnu tribes are very strong, and if you want to win a battle, your strength may not be enough. ”

Li Hong nodded, and said with a heavy heart: "The kingdom and Han Sui took advantage of the opportunity of the Hu people invading us and had no time to look west, and sent troops to Hanyang again, forcing us to fight on both sides, which is undoubtedly worse for us. Then he pointed to Hanyang County on the map and said: "Now the 70,000 troops stationed in Chang'an, at least 30,000 troops must be divided to Hanyang to meet the rebels, so the number of troops that can go north is only 40,000 at most, and we have no advantage in terms of numbers and strength." ”

"How sure are you that you will defeat the Hu coalition army?" He Hao asked.

"I'm not sure." Li Hong said, "Beidi County is vast and sparsely populated, and most of the territory is mountainous, and the roads are difficult and difficult to travel, so it is difficult for us to find a better way to stop the Hu people from going south except to defend the city." He sighed and continued, "Unless all the rebels in Xiliang retreat to Longxi and Jincheng, we will not be able to achieve absolute superiority in troops. ”

"What can you do?" He Hao asked.

"For this matter, I specially wrote to Your Majesty, asking to lead the 5,000 iron cavalry of the Changshui Battalion of the Northern Army and the 20,000 troops of Jizhou to Liangzhou. In addition, I also suggested that Your Majesty urgently transfer General Dong Zhuo's army back to Hanyang County to deal with the rebels. In this way, we can gather 95,000 men and horses, clench our fists, and meet the Hu army. ”

"At this critical moment, the Son of Heaven will definitely agree." He Hao asked again: "How long do you think it will take us to defeat the Hu people in the best case?" ”

Li Hong thought for a moment, shook his head in embarrassment, and said, "It's hard to estimate. But I think it's going to take a few months. ”

He Hao shook his head, raised two fingers, and said solemnly: "My lord, two months, two months at most." ”

"Why?" Li Hong said in surprise, "Two months? How is this possible? ”

"There is no money, there is no money in the treasury." He Hao replied lightly, "According to what you said, if Dong Zhuo's 30,000 men are stationed in Hanyang County in Xiliang, your army enters Beidi County, plus the northern army brought to Hujiao Pass by the general, and Lord Yin He of Henan attacks Zhongmu's army, and now the imperial court wants to provide food and salary for the 160,000 army, think about it, with the current national inventory, can you afford this amazing cost?" The treasury simply can't afford it. ”

"If the war drags on for so long that food and wages are exhausted, the consequences will inevitably be unimaginable."

"My lord, when you get to Northland County, there is only one way to go." He Hao suggested, "Quickly find the main force of the barbarians, and then surround and annihilate them at all costs." ”

Li Hong's heart was heavy, and he smiled bitterly.

Poor, the Great Han Kingdom is so poor that it can't even afford to fight.

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The Son of Heaven replied.

Agreeing to Li Hong's request, the Changshui Battalion of the Northern Army and the Jizhou Army were transferred to Li Hong's account, and they followed him west to Liangzhou to fight against the Barbarian Hu.

At the same time, he ordered Li Hong to hand over the case of Wang Fen's rebellion immediately after the arrival of the new Jizhou Mu Yang Qi, and then led his troops to set off.

Yuan Shu, the former captain of the Changshui Battalion, was promoted to the rank of general of the Tiger Ben because of his meritorious service in capturing Wang Fen, and immediately returned to Beijing to take office. Yan Liang led his subordinates to smash the government office, violating the law, and should have been severely punished, but considering that he had made great contributions in cracking the Wang Fen case, the fine was changed to three months. Li Hong's inspection of Jizhou was ineffective, and the investigation of Wang Fen's rebellion was slow to progress, and he violated the law many times in the process of investigation, so he was demoted to the rank of captain of Xiaoyong.

Li Hong's suggestion that Dong Zhuo's army return to Hanyang County in Liangzhou to quell the rebels was vetoed, as the Yellow Turban Army in Hanoi County became more and more rampant.

A few days later, Chen Ming and Lin Xun, who had a secret meeting with the White Ring Department of the Yellow Turban Army, rushed back.

"What did Bai Huan say?" Li Hong beckoned the two to sit down, and asked with a smile, "Does he agree?" ”

Bai Shuai agreed with the adult's opinion. Chen Ming replied, "Bai Shuai said that he agreed to withdraw from the army, not because of the adults or the bitter chieftains, but because the Yellow Turban Army, like the adults, hated and hated the Hu people, and they didn't want to see the barbarians wantonly trample on the land of our Han Dynasty. ”

"Bai Shuai said that he had sent someone to inform Yu Poison Yu Shuai, and Yu Shuai's troops would soon return to Montenegro." Lin Xun said respectfully, "Bai Shuai asked me to tell my lordship, and he wished my lord a victory on the battlefield in Western Xinjiang and annihilated the barbarian Hu as soon as possible, so as to boost the prestige of my Han Dynasty." ”

Li Hong was very happy when he heard this, and immediately ordered someone to release the bitter chieftain.

"Ling Ming, go and call Zhong Yuan." Li Hong smiled and said to Pang De, "I will continue to write to Your Majesty and suggest that he transfer General Dong Zhuo to Hanyang, so that I can gather an army of 100,000 and go all out to deal with the attack of the Hu coalition army." ”

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Late at night, He Feng came to see Li Hong.

"My lord, I will go to Xiliang with you." He Feng said resolutely, "I'm going to kill the Hu people." ”

Li Hong smiled and said: "Humble words, you are a staff member of the General's Mansion, how can you obey orders under the account of me, a captain?" I think you should go back to Luoyang with Lord Yuan. Besides, even if I agree, the general may not agree. ”

"Don't you believe me?" He Feng was unhappy and asked loudly.

Li Hong hurriedly shook his head.

"Do you still hold a grudge against me?" He Feng asked again.

"Why should I hold a grudge against you?" Li Hong said, "Although you have never said it, we know each other in our hearts. You and Brother Highway are both on orders, how can I blame you? ”

"I'm the military Sima of the Changshui Battalion, why can't I go to Xiliang with the Changshui Battalion to kill the enemy?" He Feng said angrily, "The adults just don't believe in me at all and hate me." ”

Li Hong looked at He Feng, who was angry, and admired his arrogance very much, he smiled and said, "Okay, good man, then follow me to Xiliang." ”

The next day, Yuan Shu returned to Beijing with a few attendants. Li Hong saw him off at Yuanmen.

He turned a blind eye to Li Hong's practice of repaying virtue with grievances, and did not even say a word of thanks, and after a few perfunctory words that would be expected later, Yuan Shu walked away.

Two days later, Li Hong asked Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Zhao Yun, Jiang Wu, and Liu Ming to set off westward with 20,000 Jizhou troops and 5,000 Changshui Battalion iron cavalry. They crossed the Yellow River via Urabanjin in Hedong County and entered Sanfu, where they joined the army stationed in Chang'an.

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After receiving the decree from the imperial court, the army stationed in Chang'an had already begun to act.

Xian Yufu ordered the three of Lu Yi, Storm Sha, and Heng Sai to rush north with three battalions of cavalry to support the two cities of Fuping and Lingzhou, and at the same time ordered Yan Rou, Xian Yuyin, and Hua Xiong to lead three battalions of infantry to rush to the two cities of Geju and Niyang in Beidi County.

Xu Rong took the cavalry of Nie Xiao and Lou Lu and set off for Hanyang County under the urging of the holy decree.

Jizhou Mu Yang Qi rushed to Yecheng in the dust.

Yang Qi first read out the holy decree.

The war on the border of Xiliang became more and more tense, and the Hu coalition army was violent, attacking the city and pulling out the village along the way, which was unstoppable, and Li Hong urgently needed to rush to Liangzhou to take command. The Son of Heaven re-promoted Li Hong to the post of general of the Qiang Zhonglang, and ordered him to immediately rush to Chang'an to command the army to meet the enemy. Li Hong immediately finished the settlement with Yang Qi, and hurriedly took the black panther to the road.

As the Yellow Turban Army, which had attacked Hanoi County, suddenly retreated without a fight, the Son of Heaven immediately agreed to Li Hong's suggestion and ordered Dong Zhuo to lead a large army to immediately rush to Hanyang County, Liangzhou to quell the rebels.

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At the end of this month, He Miao led a large army to break through Zhongmu City and kill the traitors Xi Zhi and Tan Bo. Because of his great merit, He Miao was promoted to the general of the chariot cavalry by the Son of Heaven and was named the Marquis of Jiyang. The He family became more noble and powerful.

The general He Jin ordered Yuan Shao to take the opportunity to recruit surrendered troops and reorganize and expand the northern army.

Li Hong arrived at the camp in Chang'an.

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