Wu Du asked in surprise: "Is it the former Jiuquan Taishou Huang Yanhuang?" ”

"Yes. He had just arrived here with grain and grass. The kingdom said, "You know him too." He is a protégé of former lieutenant Liu Kuan, and has a friendship with Fu Xie. ”

"I heard that he has been serving in the General's Mansion for the past few years." Wu Du asked suspiciously, "Why did he suddenly arrive in Longxi?" ”

Wang Guo and Ma Teng looked at each other, and Wang Guo smiled without saying a word.

Ma Teng said, "Sir, Brother Yi An is not an outsider, let's make things clear to him, so as not to make mistakes when he makes plans." ”

"Then you tell Yi An, I'll pick up Lord Huang." The kingdom smiled and walked away.

Ma Teng frowned slightly, thought about it carefully, and said, "Brother Yi An has been staying in the Assassin's Mansion, and many things are not clear. We've only just gotten together, and we haven't had time to talk to you in detail these days. Some time ago, the leopard Li Hong instigated the current day to launch an operation to arrest and confiscate corrupt officials in Luoyang and the Kanto region. The scope of this crackdown on corruption is very large, and the forces of all sides of the government and the opposition have been arrested, the people of the clan have been arrested, the government and the Chinese government have been traitors, and the power of the bureaucrats and relatives of the clan has been weakened to varying degrees. At this time, the Son of Heaven relied on the leopard's male soldiers and the excuse of anti-corruption, quickly cultivated the strength of the clan, and established another lieutenant official, gradually forming a new force. ”

Wu Du's expression was serious, and he twisted his beard and said, "Where does the saying Shoucheng come from? What basis do you have? ”

Ma Teng said in a low voice, "Lord Huang said it." I heard that the Son of Heaven suddenly launched a crackdown on corruption in Luoyang, and it was carefully planned in advance, and the matter was concealed from beginning to end, and it was also very fast and decisive when it was executed, and none of the hundreds of corrupt officials slipped through the net. The Son of Heaven did this by relying on three people, one was the leopard, who provided evidence of corrupt officials and strong strength, one was a group of clan members such as Guangluxun Liu Yu and Weiwei Liu Ting, who helped the Son of Heaven control the northern and southern armies, and the other was the Zhongguan Xiaohuangmen Jianshuo, who presided over the entire arrest and seizure operation. For such a big matter, all the forces in the DPRK and China, especially the central attendants in the palace, did not know anything, which shows that this force in the hands of the Son of Heaven is already very powerful. ”

Wu Du groaned and asked slowly, "What does this have to do with us?" ”

"It seems that this really has nothing to do with our Xiliang." Ma Teng paused for a moment and continued, "Lord Huang said that the Son of Heaven has always loved the little prince Liu Xie. The little prince is talented, well-behaved and obedient, and his personality is also very docile. The eldest prince Liu Wei was naughty and rude, arrogant and domineering. The Son of Heaven did not like him and even expressed his dislike for him in public. ”

Wu Du was taken aback. This kind of thing involving the struggle for imperial power is generally very bloody, and it is better not to provoke it. He had already heard the meaning of Ma Teng's words.

"The Son of Heaven intends to abolish the throne?" Wu Du asked in a low voice.

"I don't know." Ma Teng shook his head and said, "But the queen and the general, as well as the eunuchs in the palace, are very worried about this. ”

"How can the eunuch and the general get together?" Wu Du asked in surprise.

"I heard Lord Huang say that Empress He's sister married the adopted son of Zhang Rang, a regular servant of Zhongchang, and the two are relatives and have a very close relationship, so in the palace, the queen and the eunuchs are all one party. Although the general is at odds with the traitors, in terms of personal relationship, he and Zhang Rang are extraordinary. Behind closed doors, they are all a family, one is prosperous, and the other is lost, and when it comes to this kind of thing that is worth their lives, of course they have to join forces. For the sake of their own lives and the lives of their clans, and for the sake of prosperity and wealth, they must take precautions. In the future, if the little prince succeeds to the throne, imagine, the queen and the eldest prince, the general, and Zhang Rang and a bunch of eunuchs, how can they have a chance to live? ”

"In the past, the Son of Heaven was deceived by treachery and eunuchs inside, and was constrained by the bureaucrats of the clan outside, and the general held military power, so he didn't dare to say it even if he had this idea. But now it's different. It can be seen from this crackdown on corruption that although the strength in the hands of the Son of Heaven is not enough to abolish the throne, he can completely encroach and devour all kinds of opposition forces step by step, so as to reach the point where he completely grasps the authority and does whatever he wants. ”

Wu Du was horrified in his heart, and asked in a low voice: "So, now that the Son of Heaven has begun to do this?" ”

"That's what the general said." Ma Teng nodded slightly, "The most threatening force in the hands of the Son of Heaven is the leopard Li Hong. As long as Li Hong is eliminated, the power in the hands of the Son of Heaven will be vulnerable. If the Son of Heaven doesn't have the strength, he can't do whatever he wants, so the matter of abolishing the heir is also a suspicion. As a result, everyone was able to keep each other safe and sound. ”

"If you want to kill Li Hong, you still have to rely on us Xiliang people, right?" Wu Du asked suddenly.

Ma Teng smiled and said: "There are more and more people rebelling in Xiliang, and our strength is getting bigger and bigger, what will the leopard do to exterminate us?" He was in Xiliang, and he was either defeated by us, or he worked in vain, and in the end he was a dead end. can't pacify Xiliang, how can the Son of Heaven protect him? Without an army, without strength, what will the Son of Heaven do to protect him? As soon as he died, the general personally conquered Xiliang, and we were appeased and surrendered. Then everyone should be promoted, and those who should be rich will be rich. A good thing. ”

Ma Teng then said with emotion: "It's a pity for a leopard. Without him, our corrupt officials in Xiliang still don't know how far they will go? If we people in Xiliang can live a good life, we still have to thank him. ”

Wu Du smiled: "Without him, how can we be promoted and make a fortune?" Thank you to him indeed. Then he pointed at Ma Teng and said, "I've been wondering why my husband promised me that he could at least guarantee that I would be a county magistrate in the future, and I had the relationship of a general." You've been hiding it from me for a long time......"

"Where to hide, just don't have time to tell you." Ma Teng said with a smile, "We have to let Mr. sit in the position of the marshal as soon as possible to ensure that the development of the situation is completely under our control and there will be no accidents." ”

Ma Teng then said very cautiously: "Whether it is Boyu or Mr. Wenyue, if either of them is a big handsome, it may bring us unexpected trouble. Especially that stone, he belongs to the Qiang people, and he doesn't want to be appeased and surrendered at all, so we have to get the position of this handsome man as soon as possible no matter what. ”

Wu Du nodded again and again and said, "Indeed, indeed, Shoucheng, you are right, this matter should be done as soon as possible." ”

"Also, everyone is a brother, although there are some things that can't be said, but everyone rebels to live a good life, so that the people of Xiliang can be fed and clothed, and no one is a bad person, so don't do too much, hurt your feelings or kill someone, then it's not interesting. Brother Bo Yu and Mr. Wenyue can't have an accident, the two of them are in Xiliang's Qiang people, and the prestige of the Han people is very high, once something happens, it may trigger the army ****. If the army is in chaos, then it will be troublesome. Ma Teng said worriedly, "If there is infighting and our own people kill our own people, not only will we not be able to kill the leopard, but we will cheapen the leopard for no reason." So no one must die. ”

Wu Du smiled: "Shoucheng, you think too much, how can things be so complicated." By the way, Mr. Huang was sent by the general? ”

Ma Teng shook his head with a smile and said: "Mr. Huang was dismissed by the general under the pretext of being hesitant, and when he was hesitant, Lord He Hao (read Yong) of the Zuo Sima of the General's Mansion came to the door and explained the reason in detail, and Lord Huang suddenly realized. After being instructed by Lord He, he hurriedly went west with a huge amount of money. Lord He said at the time that if this thing is done, starting from Lord Huang, to Mr., to you and me, you and I can be mixed with a big man of 2,000 stones, and the wealth is innumerable. If we mess up......" Ma Teng smiled bitterly, "we are rebellious." Today's remarks are just because I told you a joke. ”

Wu Du asked: "This Lord He Hao is the world-famous party member?" ”

"Lord Huang said, it's him." Ma Teng exclaimed, "This person is very remarkable, he was famous when he was in Taixue, and the famous Taixue scholars Guo Tai, Jia Biao, and Chen Fan and Chen Taifu at that time all had friends with his peers. This person is righteous and famous. He had a friend named Yu Weigao, whose father died of illness before revenge. After burying his friend, he drew his sword and went to kill his friend's enemy, and then brought his head as a sacrifice. When the imperial court arrested the party, because of his many friends, he almost never encountered any danger. He boldly entered and exited the Beijing Division, drank and fenced in the mansion of the gatekeeper, and planned several actions to rescue the party. After hearing that the ban was lifted by the party, he was invited by the general to serve in the palace. ”

"If he told Huang Yan what he said, then it wouldn't be wrong." Wu Du said solemnly, "I am most convinced of the party members, especially this He Hao." ”

He looked at Ma Teng and suddenly asked, "Why did you figure it out again, follow Mr. and raise the flag, not afraid of insulting your ancestors?" ”

Ma Teng waved his hand and said angrily: "When I become a general and guard the west for the Han Dynasty, who dares to say that I have insulted my ancestors today?" ”

Wudu laughed.

＝

Huang Yan is not tall, small in size, white and chubby, with two thick eyebrows, and two big eyes that appear to be very prominent. He spoke quickly, his eyes widening as he puffed his voice, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets, and looked serious and nervous.

He said in surprise: "Beigong Boyu? Shou Cheng, why didn't you support Han Sui at that time? Han Sui is a person who can bend and stretch, and his scheming is deep, which is beyond the comparison of ordinary people. At the beginning, he persuaded Bian Zhang to comply with Beigong Boyu's rebellion, so he had the heart to stay in Xiliang and do something big. If Han Sui is temporarily appointed as the commander, we will exert a little pressure and reveal a little willingness to appease, and he will join forces with us, so that our chances of success will be greatly increased. ”

Wu Du asked respectfully, "My lord, you said that Han Sui wanted to do something big in Xiliang. What big thing does he want to do? ”

"When Han Sui was serving his teacher Zhang Huan Zhang in Luoyang, he and Taixue often discussed the government together, and He Hao He personally heard him talk about the idea of governing Xiliang. After Bian Zhang and Han Sui rebelled, Lord He once said to me that Han Sui rebelled because he definitely wanted to occupy Xiliang and dominate Xijiang. ”

"Dominate the Western Frontier?"

"Yes." Huang Yan said, "Dominating Xiliang is not something that can be accomplished overnight. In order to realize his long-cherished wish, Han Sui had to make many sacrifices, including supporting the rebels, surrendering to the imperial court, and so on, which were concrete steps for him to achieve his goal step by step. Now that Beigong Boyu is a big handsome, Han Sui will definitely retreat and actively assist and support, because from the perspective of steadily occupying Xiliang, Beigong Boyu's statement is still very reasonable and in line with Han Sui's personal goals. ”

"But that doesn't work for us. Our purpose is to hurt the imperial court, force the leopard to death, and force the imperial court to appease again. Therefore, we must do whatever it takes to quickly enter Sanfu and threaten Chang'an. In this way, Your Majesty, in a fit of rage, can only compromise with the forces of the DPRK and China by killing the leopard, in order to get their full support and quickly annihilate us. At this time, it was already a harsh winter, and the general would have to wait until next spring even if he wanted to go on the expedition in person. In order to quell the rebellion as soon as possible, the generals and ministers of the court and the central government will once again propose to His Majesty a plan to appease him. For the sake of the stability of Xiliang and Guanzhong, for the sake of next year's spring ploughing, and for the sake of saving military funds, Your Majesty will definitely agree. So that our purpose has been achieved. ”

"In order to achieve this goal, the safest way for us to let Mr. sit in the position of the marshal, so that we can smoothly control the development of the situation in Xiliang." Huang Yan looked at everyone and said, "Although we are more troublesome now, there are still solutions." ”

Wu Du cautiously asked, "Lord Huang already has a way?" ”

Huang Yan smiled: "Whoever stands in our way, we will kill whom?" ”

"Do you want to kill Beigong Boyu?" Ma Teng said in surprise, "As soon as Beigong Boyu dies, he has an army of 40,000 Qiang people, if he ......"

Huang Yan said indifferently: "Beigong Boyu is dead, what do tens of thousands of Qiang people want to do?" Want to rebel? They have rebelled, who else can they rebel against? Their camp is between us and Han Sui's camp, and when the time comes, we will surround them, and then take some money to bribe the big and small commanders, and the matter will be settled. Don't worry, there won't be a mess. ”

Ma Teng also said that he was stopped by the kingdom's outstretched hand.

Huang Yan said with a smile: "I know that Shou Cheng and he are brothers who have been friends for eight worships, and if you want to kill him, you will inevitably not be able to accept it in your heart." But don't worry, don't do it for you. You just go and tell Beigong Boyu now, saying that we are going to kill him, and it doesn't matter, because we won't do it either. ”

Ma Teng looked at him suspiciously.

"As long as we resolutely support Han Sui, this handsome man will soon be a gentleman." Huang Yan smiled slightly and said no more.

＝

Fu Xie was in Beidi, on the bank of the Yellow River in the Anding area, and led the Qiang people to open up the wasteland and help them improve their lives. The Qiang people were moved by his high righteousness, and came to surrender one after another, and the number of dependents reached tens of thousands. Fu Xie set up more than 40 camps on the edge of the Yellow River to accommodate the Qiang people from all over the country. Today, these Qiang people still live there, often reciting the favors that Fu Xie bestowed on them.

Today, standing on the high city wall, looking at the more than 3,000 Qiang people in Beidi County under the city, he did not have any sense of accomplishment, but felt a kind of sadness, a kind of heart-burning sorrow.

What did he do? He just did his duty, so that the people in his jurisdiction could be fed, clothed, and warm, and live in laughter every day. For the rest, he did nothing for them and was not capable of doing more for them. But he did such a little insignificant thing, but the Qiang people on the bank of the Yellow River remembered him, thanked him, and were willing to die for him. He mourns, mourns for the Han Kingdom. Some people in the Great Han Kingdom are unwilling to do even such a little thing, so that the heavens are angry and resentful, and the war is full of disasters. O iniquity.

Storm Sand looked up at Fu Xie, who was standing with his hands on the city tower, and his mood was very complicated. This man used to be his friend, an adult he admired. This person has done a lot of good things for the sake of Lingqiang, and he once sold his property in order to save the children of the tribe and went to Chang'an to ask for a doctor to buy medicine. He himself had sworn that he would give his life for this man. But today, what did he do with his people?

The wind and sand shouted: "Down...... Horse ......"

More than 3,000 soldiers flew off their horses in unison.

Tempest Sand stretched out his hand to take the battle flag of the Xianling Clan, turned around suddenly, raised the flag and shouted: "Kneel ......"

More than 3,000 soldiers faced the city gate and knelt on their legs.

Tempest Sand slowly turned around and slowly fell to his knees.

He looked up at Fu Xie, used all his strength, and roared hoarsely: "I wish to send off my lord...... Regression...... Hometown ......"

More than 3,000 soldiers shouted at almost the same time: "Congratulations to your lordship...... Regression...... Hometown ......"

Its sound is so loud that it pierces through the clouds and cracks the stones, and it is earth-shattering.

Three times in a row.

Fu Xie stood silently, his heart surging.

"Kneel...... Knock ......"

With the roars one after another, more than 3,000 soldiers who had been in front of the Qiang suddenly bowed. After the salute, he roared three more times, and the sound shook the sky.

Fu Xie couldn't hold back any longer, and burst into tears.

He suddenly pulled out his war knife and used all the strength of his life to slash at the green bricks on the city wall.

"When ......" there was a loud bang, the knife broke, and half of it was left on the wall.

Fu Xie turned and left.

Storm Sand stood up suddenly, he clenched his fists, and roared in pain: "Return...... Village...... ......"

＝

The roar echoed over Wing City from morning to night.

The people of Yicheng gathered in front of the government and did not want to disperse for a long time. They feared that their Taishou would abandon them and escape alone.

Fu Xie's son, Fu Gan, is thirteen years old this year and follows his father to defend Yicheng. A group of officials from the government office saw that the Xianlingqiang cavalry was willing to let Fu Xie escape, and they all asked Fu Gan to persuade him. Hundreds of thousands of troops outside the city, attacking a small Yicheng, and from time to time to raise their hands, things in between. If you can escape with your life, why do you have to look for death here?

Fu Gan was unwilling. He knew his father's temper. I went by myself, but I was also looking for scolding. At this time, even he is unwilling to escape alone, it is a shame for a lifetime, and it is better to live than to die. As a father who is famous all over the world, he will not do such a thing that is scolded and ruined for a lifetime.

Lord Bo Yang will follow Fu Xie for many years, knowing that Fu Xie's heart is as strong as steel, and the decision he makes will never change. The two cuts on the city wall already represent Fu Xie's idea of never looking back.

Yang Hui is in his thirties, not outstanding, although he is not tall, his back is a little hunched. He walked softly into the study. Fu Xie is writing at his desk.

"My lord, the wind and sand and his subordinates are still shouting outside the city."

"Let it be." Fu Xie said, "Storm Sand is a dead-eyed person, he shouted for a day, and his mood was comfortable, and he won't come tomorrow." Let him shout. ”

"My lord, the people of the city are still gathered outside the government......"

"I know." Fu Xie raised his head, looked at Yang Hui, and said with a smile: "My name is Ziwei (Huaxiong) and people are filling in the city gate." There is no way to escape, and when the people see it, they will know my determination, and it will soon be gone. The officials in the government are still gathered in the lobby? ”

Yang Hui shook his head and said with a smile: "They are still lobbying the little boy to persuade you to leave the city." The little boy only cared about playing chess with them, and ignored them at all. ”

"These people ......," Fu Xie shook his head and said, "If I leave, they will surrender the city, and they will not care about the lives of the people in the city at all." Alas......"

"My lord, will they attack the city tomorrow?"

＝