June 187 A.D.

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In the court, there was another fierce quarrel between the inner court and the outer court ministers over the power of the military.

Since Cui Lie had already sat in the position of the captain, of course he was unwilling to do any more decorations. Now the invasion of the Xianbei people has been repulsed, the Xianbei King and Lian were even beheaded by the Lian people of the two northern counties, the army of the Great Han Kingdom once again shocked the world, and the government and the opposition of the Great Han Kingdom were immersed in the joy of the country and the people's peace, although there were still some rebellions in Xiliang and Bingzhou, but under the suppression of the powerful army of the Great Han State, it was a matter of time before the rebellion was suppressed. At this time, of course, he, the Tai Lieutenant, can do it, not only can he do it, but he can also do it comfortably, so Cui Lie went against the norm and actively asked Shang Shutai to return the military power to the Tai Wei Mansion.

Considering the stability of the country and the sacred status and supreme authority of the Great Han Law, the ministers of the Three Princes and the Nine Secretaries and the Ministers of the Princes wrote letters and exhorted the Son of Heaven one after another, hoping that the Son of Heaven would obey the ancestral system, uphold the will of Heaven, forgive the people's feelings, and return the military power to the Taiwei as soon as possible, so as to maintain the balance of power between the inner and outer courts. In their view, the Son of Heaven's direct control of military power will lead to an imbalance of power, and the lieutenant officials around the Son of Heaven can take the opportunity to seize the Han Tianxian, so that the lieutenant officials can not only do whatever they want to control the power of the country, but also intensify the disaster to the country and the people, and may also bury the country and the country.

The great general He Jin now regrets it. knew that the Son of Heaven would take away the military power of the Taiwei Mansion, so he would not impeach Zhang Wen. After the Xianbei invasion and the resurgence of the Xiliang rebellion, Zhang Wen's position as a lieutenant was already in jeopardy, so why should he be impatient to intervene? As a result, he not only offended Zhang Wen and a group of bureaucrats of the world, but also gave the military power to the inner court. Who are the people who speak with weight in the inner court? It's not all the middle servants who are against themselves. Although the Son of Heaven doesn't trust those old traitors very much now, Jian Shuo and a group of small lieutenants are even more terrifying. Who knows if there is a second Cao Teng here? The second Cao Festival? The lieutenant officials headed by Cao Teng killed the general Liang Yi, and the lieutenant led by Cao Jie killed the general Dou Wu, so who will assist the emperor to kill himself now with the old lieutenant led by Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang and the junior lieutenant led by Jian Shuo? Especially now that the military power is in the hands of Shang Shutai, they can completely use the Son of Heaven to recruit troops to deal with them.

He Jin regretted it. He would rather have the military power in the hands of the Taiwei than fall to the inner court; He would rather fight openly and secretly with Lord Taiwei over the issue of military power between the two governments, rather than have a quarrel with the Son of Heaven and the lieutenants, so after careful discussion with a group of staff members in the General's Mansion, he used the relationship between Ding Gong and Dong Zhong to invite out the Queen Mother. He hoped that the Queen Mother could persuade the Son of Heaven to return power to the Taiwei Mansion.

But the hard work of the outer court and the Great General's Mansion came to naught overnight.

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Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun rebelled.

In the middle of this month, the former Taishan Taishou Zhang Ju, and the former Zhongshan State Minister Zhang Chun gathered more than 100,000 people to raise troops in Feiru County, Liaoxi County, Youzhou. This rebellion is different from the previous Zhangjiao, Zhang Niujiao, and Xiliang's Bian Zhang in Jizhou, this time the rebels openly established the imperial court, set up the emperor, and gave the country name Dayan.

Zhang Ju, a native of Yuyang, was made the Son of Heaven by the rebels and the emperor of the Great Yan Kingdom. Zhang Chun, a native of Yuyang, was named the prime minister of the Great Yan Kingdom, the general of Mitian, and the king of Anding.

Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun also issued official documents in the counties and counties of Youzhou and Jizhou, informing the people of the prefectures and counties, declaring that the Great Yan Kingdom would replace the Great Han Kingdom, and Zhang Ju was the true son of the dragon.

At the same time, the Yellow Turbans active in Taihang Mountain responded one after another, Yang Feng, the leader of the Yellow Turbans in Montenegro, led the army to attack and the state to the party, Bai Huan and Zhenggu led the army to attack Jizhou, and Yu Poison led the army to attack Hanoi.

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The Son of Heaven was furious and roared like thunder above the court.

"Give an order, immediately give an order, and tell Li Hong to rush to Youzhou immediately to suppress the rebellion."

The ministers looked at each other, and the joy of the great victory over the Xianbei people disappeared in an instant.

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In the study room, the candles are bright.

The Son of Heaven stood in front of the huge map, listening to Lu Zhi's explanation. Taiwei Cui Lie, Situ Xu Xiang, Sikong Ding Gong, General He Jin, Zongzheng Liu Yu and other ministers surrounded the side.

"At present, the reinforcements of Qi Chou, the captain of the Karasuma school, and Wang Wei, the Taishou of Zhuo County, have arrived in Jicheng in Guangyang County, and Liu Zheng, the Taishou of Beiping County, and He Yizheng, the Taishou of Yuyang County, are leading the army to block the rebels along the Baoqiu River in the area of Lucheng and Hunu City." Lu Zhi pointed to the map and introduced, "Lord Yang Chunyang, the assassin of Youzhou, came to write and said that Youzhou has insufficient troops, and it is estimated that it will be difficult to stop the rebels, and he asked the imperial court to immediately send reinforcements. ”

"What about Liaodong?" Liu Yu asked, "There are still thousands of border troops in Liaodong, and they can recruit the local Karasuma people to jointly attack the rebel lair in Liaoxi." ”

Huangfu Song picked up a volume of documents and said with a wry smile: "This is the news that Lord Yang of Youzhou Thorn Shi Yang has just delivered with an eight-hundred-mile fast ride. The Karasuma people of the four counties of Youbeiping, Liaoxi, Liaodong, and Liaodong all rebelled. ”

There was silence in the study.

Liu Yu asked in a panic: "What about Liaodong?" ”

"There is no accurate information, but according to the rebel prisoners who attacked Hunu, Liaodong County has fallen, Tai Shouyang has been killed, and the border army in Liaodong has surrendered." Huangfu Song said, "Liu Shi, the Taishou of Liaoxi, and Shi Zhao Chengdu, the governor of Liaodong, participated in the rebellion. If these few pieces of information are completely true, the rebels plus the Karasuma people have at least 200,000 or so men. He looked up at the Son of Heaven with a flustered look on his face, and said, "In the eyes of the ministers, Jicheng can't hold it." ”

The Son of Heaven snorted and did not make a sound.

"There are 5,000 cavalry in Captain Qi Chouqi, plus the border troops of Yuyang and Youbeiping, and the county soldiers of Guangping and Zhuo County, Jicheng only has 20,000 people at most." Lu Zhi pondered for a long time and sighed, "Your Majesty, Jicheng can't hold it." ”

"The army in Youzhou is already small, in recent years, the Hu people have invaded frequently, and the Yellow Turban ant thieves have rebelled twice, and the war has not stopped, and the soldiers have lost too much." Liu Yu said bitterly, "Because Youzhou is barren, taxes cannot be self-sufficient, and it is even more difficult to recruit and expand the army, so today's loss is also a helpless thing." ”

Liu Yu stabilized his mood a little, and then said: "The minister thinks that although there are few soldiers and horses in Jicheng, it should not be a problem to hold on for two or three months. For such a long time, we can draw troops and horses from various states and counties to the north to support and quell the rebels. ”

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The Son of Heaven nodded and asked Huangfu Song, "Aiqing, have you sent the holy decree to Li Hong?" ”

Huangfu Song shook his head, bowed down and said: "Your Majesty, Zhang Yan occupies Jinyang, Yang Feng attacks the party, and the situation in Youzhou is far more critical than Youzhou, and it is not appropriate to recruit General Li to go north to Youzhou to quell the rebellion." ”

The Son of Heaven was stunned, then glared at his little eyes, and scolded angrily: "Huangfu Song, you are dizzy, there is a Great Yan Kingdom in Youzhou, what is inappropriate for you to say to me here?" Ant thieves are going to Jizhou, you know? ”

Huangfu Song played: "Your Majesty, the minister knows, but the rebels of Zhang Yan and Yang Feng pose a greater threat to us. Once the two join forces to go south and join forces with Hanoi's Yu poison rebels to attack Hanoi and threaten Gyeonggi, Kwantung will be in chaos. Compared with the two, it is more important and urgent to pacify the rebels in the state. ”

As soon as the Son of Heaven heard that Luoyang was dangerous, he immediately dispelled the idea of recruiting Li Hong to go north to Youzhou, and the expression on his face gradually calmed down.

"What about the rebels in Youzhou? Where do I get reinforcements? ”

"Reinforcements can be drawn from Jizhou immediately." Cui Lie said loudly, "Didn't Your Majesty give Lord Muyang of Jizhou the establishment of 20,000 soldiers?" ”

"Lord Taiwei, are you in a hurry?" He Jin mocked, "Lord Yang has only been in Jizhou for two months, not to mention the recruitment of soldiers, even the disaster relief has not ended, where are the 20,000 soldiers?" ”

"Jizhou, with a population of several million, will it take a long time to recruit 20,000 soldiers?" Cui Lie said in disbelief, "Even if there are no 20,000 soldiers, what about the county soldiers in each county?" There's always one or two thousand, right? ”

"Li Hong took 60,000 soldiers and horses from Jizhou twice, where is there any army?" Xu Xiang sighed, "Although all he took away were ant thieves and soldiers, but in the past few years, there have been many wars in Jizhou, and it is estimated that there are not many county soldiers." ”

The Son of Heaven sighed and asked, "There is a great Han country, why is the number of soldiers so small?" Why don't the dead replenish in time? In the past few years, the war has not ended, why don't the states and counties replenish their soldiers and horses? ”

The ministers were speechless.

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"Since the Ant Thief Rebellion, I have issued many orders ordering all states and counties to recruit county soldiers as appropriate, why don't they listen?"

Dasi Nong Wang Han wanted to speak and stopped, and after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't hold it back, and said: "Your Majesty, this is all because the states and counties are short of money. An ordinary county soldier pays three hundred dollars a month, and 10,000 soldiers are 3 million yuan, and a year is 36 million yuan. In addition, with the rations, clothing, salt, and weapons of these 10,000 soldiers, an army of 10,000 people will cost about 50 million dollars a year. A medium-sized county with a household of 50,000 and a population of more than 200,000 yuan can pay taxes of only 100 million yuan a year, and it is very good that it can raise 2,000 soldiers. In recent years, there have been many wars in various places, and the states and counties that do not fight have paid more taxes, so the states and counties are short of money to raise soldiers. ”

"Your Majesty, the minister takes Youzhou as an example, because Youzhou is barren and cannot make ends meet, in the best years, its tax income is only 30 million yuan, so over the years, the imperial court has allocated 200 million money from the taxes of Hebei and Qingdao to Youzhou for use. Your Majesty, it is already commendable that Youzhou can have so many county soldiers now. The minister heard that many county soldiers in Youzhou do not receive military salaries, as long as they have a full stomach. ”

"Where's the army over there? The military funds of the border army and the northern and southern armies are all paid from your Dasi Nongfu, why is the number of border troops in Youzhou so small? The Son of Heaven asked dissatisfied.

"Your Majesty, under normal circumstances, there are 50,000 soldiers in the northern army and 20,000 in the southern army, and each of these 70,000 soldiers is paid 600 million grains per month, and the annual military salary expenditure alone is more than 500 million yuan. In recent years, taxes have been drastically reduced, and last year there was only more than 2 billion yuan, where does the imperial court have more money to support the border army? ”

"In the past few years, there have been many wars, in order to raise military funds, I have tried my best, I borrowed from the princely family, as well as the rich people from all over the country, asking them to raise donations, I have also cut the official salary many times, I sold officials in Xiyuan, sold the marquis of Guannei, and also used the private wealth of Shaofu and Wanjintang, just like that, isn't it enough?" The Son of Heaven said angrily, "You tell me every day that you don't have any money, but I don't believe it, where did all that money go?" Have you been fed up by your people? ”

Wang Han was also angry, he worked hard for the Han Kingdom, there was no merit and hard work, today His Majesty suspected that he was filling his own pockets, he couldn't help but say loudly: "Your Majesty, the money is in the Wanjin Hall in Xiyuan, when have you ever been to Dasi Nong?" ”

The Son of Heaven gave him a red face and a thick neck, and he was so angry that he couldn't speak for a long time.

"Your Majesty is angry, Your Majesty is angry." Cui Lie hurriedly pulled the angry Wang Han behind him, and said with a smiling face, "Lord Wang has recently scolded the government officials from all over the country who came to Beijing to ask for money, and he forgot how to speak, Your Majesty must not blame." ”

The Son of Heaven has long been unaccustomed to Wang Han, this old man pestered him all day long to ask for money, not to mention, and did not pay back the money, and the billions of money he lent to Dasi Nong were dragged by him under various excuses. If you don't pay it back, you won't pay it back, and he can bear it for the time being, but this old man intensified and went to the Queen Mother of Changle Palace to cheat money, and said that he called it, but the Queen Mother asked him for it, and he had no choice but to take the money from Wanjintang and return it to the Queen Mother, so that he lost a lot for no reason. He was worried that he didn't have a chance to teach the old man a lesson.

"Pull him down and put him in the North Temple Prison."

"Your Majesty...... Your Majesty......"

The ministers panicked, fell to their knees, and pleaded in unison.

Wang Han not only did not kneel down to ask for guilt, but shouted angrily: "The minister would rather go to the Beisi Prison than do this big Sinong, the minister will go." ”

He raised his leg and walked out, and as he walked, he shouted to the yellow door standing at the door: "Come and catch me, come and catch me, come on, come on......"

The Son of Heaven was so angry that his eyes were about to pop out.

"Pull it down, pull it down for me......"

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The ministers were also stunned by Wang Han's rudeness, and knelt on the ground one by one, not knowing what to say.

"Get up, get up." The Son of Heaven waved his hand and shouted, "What are you still kneeling for?" Is this still something to be done? ”

The Son of Heaven looked at Huangfu Song and asked angrily, "How to solve the reinforcements?" ”

"Lord Liu's suggestion is very good, and the minister thinks it is practical. In recent years, Qingzhou, Xuzhou and Yanzhou have suffered less wars, and there are still some county soldiers in each county. Huangfu Song replied.

"These three states are too far away from Youzhou, and when the reinforcements arrive, it is estimated that Youzhou will be lost long ago." The Son of Heaven said angrily, "There is no other way?" ”

Huangfu Song shook his head.

"What about the Northern Army? Luoyang's northern army can rush north. The Son of Heaven pointed to the general and said.

The general He Jin said without hesitation: "The minister will go and gather the northern army and immediately go north to quell the rebellion." ”

"Your Majesty, by all means, the security of Gyeonggi is particularly important at this time, and the Northern Army must not be mobilized." Lu Zhi was shocked and hurriedly stopped, "It's still an edict to all units of the Youzhou Army to hold on to the city and wait for reinforcements." ”

"What if the city of Thistle is lost?" Liu Yu said bitterly, "Don't forget, adults, there are still tens of thousands of Karasuma iron horses." ”

"Lord Liu, at present, only General Li's army can be adjusted, but the situation in Bingzhou is far more critical than that in Youzhou, and Bingzhou is ......close to Luoyang," Lu Zhi explained as best he could.

"Lord Lu means that Youzhou is dispensable?" Liu Yu immediately became angry.

"Lord Liu, the lower officials know that you have been in Youzhou and have feelings for Northern Xinjiang, but now the situation is ......"

"Don't say it." Liu Yu waved his hand to interrupt Lu Zhi's words, bowed down to the Son of Heaven and said, "Your Majesty, the minister is willing to lead troops to Youzhou to quell the rebellion." ”

"Lord Liu, don't worry." Huangfu Song said, "Your Majesty can order General Li to put down the rebellion as soon as possible, but no one can predict how long the battle will take to merge the state. As long as the war in Youzhou is over, General Li can lead his troops north to Youzhou. The matter of Youzhou is useless at present. Not only do we not have enough troops, but we also have to consider what the Xianbei people want to do. ”

"Xianbei people?" Liu Yu was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly asked, "Lord Huangfu is beware that Murong Feng will fish in troubled waters and take the opportunity to attack Youzhou?" ”

"It's not that simple." Huangfu Song shook his head.

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"Rebellion is rebellion after all, since they can ally with the Karasuma people, why can't they ask the Xianbei people for help?" Huangfu Song said worriedly, "Who are Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun, the remnants of the Yellow Turban, who are the hundreds of thousands of rebels?" It's just a homeless person. Zhang Jiao's million-strong army, Zhang Niujiao's hundreds of thousands of people, are not yet in ashes. They have learned from the past, why do they dare to repeat the mistakes of the past? Do you dare to call the emperor the name of the country? ”

Huangfu Song looked at the people in the room, and said in a heavy tone: "Rebellion must have something to rely on, and it is not an ordinary reliance, we suspect that this reliance is Murong Feng." ”

The Son of Heaven and the ministers suddenly woke up and nodded frequently.

"Zhang Ju only has more than 100,000 people, and he dares to call himself the emperor." The Son of Heaven sneered, "Do I think he's crazy? Aiqing said this, but there is some truth. ”

"After Helian's death, we thought that Xianbei would have civil strife, and the four Xianbei lords would fight for the throne of Hanshan, but what was the result? As a result, Tuoba Feng rushed to Danhan Mountain with 50,000 iron horsemen, and agreed to Murong Feng's ten-year appointment without firing a single arrow, is he an idiot? Lu Zhi followed behind Huangfu Song and said, "Ten years? Ten years later, the wings of the head have long been stiff, and after the wings are full, where will it be the turn of Qianman to be the king? Whether Qianman can survive until that time depends on whether the leader is happy or not. ”

"Why did Tuoba Feng agree to a ten-year contract? There must be a temptation that is difficult for him to refuse, and he will give up supporting Qianman as the king of Xianbei. Lu Zhi twisted his long beard in his hand and said to himself, "What is this temptation?" ”