Once the North Gate text was transmitted, it quickly spread to the Central Plains.

Immediately, the world shook, the princes shook, and the people of the world looked sideways.

There is nothing surprising about the text itself, at most it is brilliantly written, talking about the ancient and modern lists the sins of the barbarian thief in Fuluo, and it is intolerable not to kill the barbarian thief.

In fact, the most eye-catching thing is that this inscription comes from the mouth of the young emperor Liu Xie, who ascended the altar to worship the sky and swore to go on the expedition.

This may seem like a common move, but it is actually far-reaching, and the impact is far greater than many people expected.

Since Dong Zhuo took control of the government, it has been five or six years, and the little emperor Liu Xie has long faded out of people's sight, and the world can rarely hear the emperor's voice. Although the edicts of the Son of Heaven continued to spread everywhere, everyone in the world knew that these edicts were not intended by the emperor, because the emperor was still a child and had no ability to govern the world.

However, after the spread of the fact that the North Gate ascended the altar to worship the heavens, the Son of Heaven, who had long since faded out of people's sight, finally showed his face again, which made many people in the midst of war and war suddenly remember that it is still the Han Dynasty, the Son of Heaven is still there, and the Han army still has the ability to resist the barbarian invasion.

Correspondingly, with the wide spread of the text, the name of the hussar general Li Li once again entered the hearts of countless people in dire straits, and was highly respected and admired.

At this time when the world was in turmoil, when the princes of various towns fought for territory and fought viciously, the new hussar general Li Li not only did not take the opportunity to send troops to the Central Plains, but mobilized 100,000 iron cavalry to fight the barbarian thief army. But all people with lofty ideals, no matter what their previous impression of Li Li was, but this time their impression of Li Li has changed greatly and is quite respected. Regardless of whether Li Li was loyal to the Han family or not, as a Han Chinese, he did not hesitate to defend the territory of the Han Dynasty against barbarian invasion. But it is an indisputable objective fact.

With this point, it is enough to make the world's scholars have a good impression of Li Liton. Even many powerful warriors who regard Li Li as their enemy have to admit that compared with most princes who only care about strengthening their own strength, Li Li is undoubtedly more responsible than these people, understands the general situation and takes the overall situation into account, and is worthy of being the general of the world's soldiers and horses.

Compared with the ordinary people and scholars, the princes of all walks of life had no interest in the scriptures, and they were even more disdainful and disdainful of the Son of Heaven ascending the altar to worship the heavens. And they were very shaken. The Xiliang Army, which had been recuperating for two years, once again showed its strength, and at first dispatch it was 100,000 iron horsemen, which really made all the princes change their complexion and be shocked.

At present, when the states and counties in the Central Plains are at their most chaotic, Yuan Shao of Jizhou is always on guard against Gongsun Zan of Youzhou. Chen Liutaishou Zhang Miao, together with his brothers Zhang Chao, Wang Kai and others, took advantage of Cao Cao's expedition to Xuzhou to welcome Lu Bu as the pastor of Yanzhou. Sneak attack on Cao Cao's lair. Tao Qian of Xuzhou has been ill since Cao Cao withdrew his troops back to Yanzhou; Nanyang Yuan Shu waved his troops to capture Runan. Even after the seizure of Yangzhou, the war was in full swing. In addition, after the Montenegrin thieves heard that the Baibo thieves attacked Liangzhou, the first thief Zhang Yan led his troops to harass the counties of the state, and the thieves also took advantage of the chaos to loot the borders of Sili, Yanzhou and Jizhou, causing chaos in the world. Smoke rises everywhere.

Just when the princes of the world were fighting and the fight was inseparable, the Xiliang army, which had been silent, finally moved, and it was still a rejuvenation. Please send out the Son of Heaven to pay tribute to the prince of heaven and earth, and send 100,000 iron horsemen to the Northern Expedition.

100,000 iron horsemen is not only an astronomical number that terrifies many princes, but also a powerful military force that they have to look at. Looking at all the princes in the world, there are only a handful of princes who send 100,000 iron horsemen to participate in the war, and it can even be said that they are unique, and only Xiliang Li Li alone has this strength.

When the news that Li Li personally led 100,000 iron horsemen to the expedition spread all over the world, many princes did not doubt the authenticity of this matter at all. Although many of the princes were still suspicious of the secret reports and rumors, they all knew that the Xiliang army did possess such a strong strength. 100,000 iron cavalry is a powerful military force that many princes desire but cannot reach, but for the Xiliang army, which is known for its brave war horses, 100,000 iron cavalry is not a problem.

As early as two years ago, when Li Li pacified Xiliang Erzhou, the Xiliang army claimed to have 400,000 troops, of which more than 200,000 were war horses. Although the princes of the towns did not think that this number was true, it could be deduced from it that the Xiliang army had at least 100,000 war horses, many of which were well-equipped elite iron horses. Because all the ordnance of the Luoyang Mansion Treasury accumulated by the Han Dynasty for hundreds of years fell into the hands of the Xiliang Army, which was enough to form tens of thousands of war cavalry, or even more.

In addition, Xiliang is rich in fine war horses, the folk customs are fierce, most of the men are skilled in arching horses when they become adults, and their combat power is good. Therefore, for hundreds of years, the Xiliang Army has always been the strongest army in the Han Dynasty, resisting barbarians and expanding territory.

Because of this, the princes of the Central Plains have always pinned their hopes on the civil strife of the Xiliang army, but they did not dare to lead their troops to attack the territory under Li Li's rule. As long as the Xiliang army fights among themselves, the once powerful Xiliang army has nothing to fear, and sooner or later it will be exterminated and annexed by the Central Plains princes. It's a pity that since the death of Dong Zhuo and the rebellion in Chang'an, there has never been any civil strife in the Xiliang Army, and it was quickly unified, and it died down and recuperated.

In this way, after the initial fear and vigilance, the princes gradually let go of their hands and feet, vigorously expanded their territory, recruited troops, and strengthened their strength. However, the powerful Xiliang army has always been a big stone pressing on the hearts of all the princes, like a giant sword hanging above their heads, once it falls, it is very likely to shatter their corpses into thousands of pieces. Fortunately, in the past two years, the Xiliang army has been completely silent, and there has been no movement, which makes the princes of the Central Plains, especially the princes bordering Xiliang, deeply relieved.

However, now the Xiliang Army has been dispatched again, and 100,000 iron cavalry have sent troops to the Northern Expedition.

For the princes of the Central Plains, this move was tantamount to a shock, frightened, and some of the princes' forces bordering Xiliang were even more panicked, living a day of fear and fear.

Prior to this, they were lucky to believe that Xiliang was poor, short of grain and grass, and could not afford to send troops to attack the Central Plains. However, at this moment, the 100,000-strong army attacking Yu Luo's army undoubtedly told them that the Xiliang army had solved the dilemma of lack of food and grass, and was already capable of sending troops to conquer the Quartet.

This is really unfortunate news, and it is also the last bad news that the princes of the Central Plains want to hear.

As a result, when Li Li's army set out on the expedition, the states and counties of the Central Plains were silent, and many princes who were fighting each other invariably quit their troops and ceased to wait and see how the situation changed. And with it. The land of the Central Plains fell into an eerie calm, and the place where the original beacon smoke was full of smoke suddenly died down, and the fighting disappeared in silence, and the states and counties ushered in the most peaceful period in more than ten years.

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Jingzhou, the state pastoral office.

In the main hall, Liu Biao, who was close to the age of sixtieth year, frowned slightly and looked at the edict of the Son of Heaven sent by the sentry horseman, and there were also the thieves sent by Chang'an Flying Pigeon and the Xiliang Army Detective Report on the side.

After carefully reading the edict, Liu Biao picked up the secret report again and looked at it, and his eyes showed a somewhat complicated look from time to time. After reading all this information, he propped his forehead with one hand. His eyes were slightly closed, and he was contemplative.

On both sides of the hall, there were several Wenchen generals at this time, Wenchen was headed by the Kuai brothers, and the military generals were headed by Cai Mao and Huang Zu.

Seeing the lord Liu Biao closing his eyes and thinking. Everyone in the hall was silent, or looked around. Or think with your head down. No one dared to disturb Liu Biao's thoughts out loud.

Four years ago, Liu Biao entered Jingzhou alone, and in less than a year or so, he attracted a group of people to attack a group, and then sat firmly in the position of Jingzhou pastor. In recent years, Liu Biao has reorganized the army. Drill sailors, purge officials, and repeatedly send troops to exterminate water thieves and rogues. Although I dare not say that Jingzhou is governed, it is compared to other states and counties in the world. But it is a rare place of wealth and stability in the world.

Because of this, although Liu Biao is nearly sixty years old, he is still in good health, with no hunched waist, no back and no hunchback, no ears and no eyes, and full of energy. A few years ago, Na married Cai Mao's sister Cai, which made Cai's brilliance all day long, so that Cai's tired of Liu Biao's side all day long, and seemed to be very affectionate. According to this situation, maybe Liu Biao will be able to sprout new sprouts when he is nearly sixty years old, and the Cai family will be able to give birth to a son and a half daughter.

Therefore, don't look at Liu Biao gradually entering his twilight years, but his current control over Jingzhou is at its peak, and all the civil and military forces under his command obey his orders, and no one dares to disobey his orders. In addition, after two years of rectification and training, Jingzhou has more than 100,000 foot cavalry, nearly 150,000 naval troops, and a total strength of about 260,000 horses.

Therefore, two years ago, Yuan Shu had been coveting the land of Jingxiang and occupying Nanyang, intending to wait for an opportunity to attack Jingxiang. As a result, I watched Liu Biao's strength increase day by day, his soldiers were strong, and his strength was still above him. As a result, Yuan Shu had to make another plan and decisively evacuate Nanyang County and go to Runan, and then seize Yangzhou.

At the same time, Cao Cao dared to raise troops to attack Xuzhou, but he did not dare to fight Liu Biao's idea of Jingzhou, the reason for which was also that Liu Biao was strong, and Cao Cao couldn't gnaw on the fat of Jingxiang at all.

Looking at the world, Jingzhou Liu Biao's strength is currently ranked third, and if he is ambitious and in the prime of life, he may be able to rank second in the world. The two princes in front of him were: Li Li of Xiliang and Yuan Shao of Jizhou.

In addition, although the world is big and there are many princes, no one can compare with the strength in Liu Biao's hands. Even Liu Zhang of Yizhou can't compare with him, because most of the territory in the southwest of Yizhou is now occupied by the Nanban, which greatly reduces the huge territory of Yizhou.

"The Son of Heaven issued an edict, and the imperial army went out to suppress the Fuluo barbarian army, and the grain and grass were insufficient, so he ordered the old man to raise 100,000 stones of grain and grass and send it to Sili, and handed it over to Xu Rong, the general of Pingnan, to take over. In addition, the hussar general also personally wrote a letter, wanting to form an alliance with the old man and pacify the troubled times. For this reason, the general recommended the old man to serve as the general of Zhengnan, the Marquis of Xiangyang, and played the Son of Heaven to entitle Cai as Mrs. Shude, and the rank is higher than that of the Xianghou. However, these rewards will not be realized until after our grain and grass are delivered. After pondering for a long time, Liu Biao gently explained the contents of the edict and the letter sent with the edict.

Then he paused in his voice and asked softly: "You all say, should the old man be edicted?" Everyone has expressed their opinions, and those who speak are not guilty, although they are not afraid to speak out. ”

In fact, everyone in the hall can roughly guess what the edict says, because every time the edict of the Son of Heaven reaches Jingzhou, almost without exception it is urging grain and grass and taxes. And Liu Biao received the edict every time, but he had to cut half of the money and grain figures stated in the edict, and he also had to cry poverty on the table, and his words were sincere, as if paying half of the grain and grass had made him work hard and do his best.

Of course, most of the notes that replied to the edict were written by the Kuai brothers, and Liu Biao never replied in person, so he didn't need to bother.

"My lord, my subordinates think that this time is different from the past, and we still need to think carefully, and we must not act hastily." Kuai Yue got up and spoke, deliberately observing Liu Biao's expression as he spoke.

After seeing Liu Biao's expression as usual, he continued: "In recent years, the imperial court has urged the lord to ask for grain and grass every six months, and the lord has never refused, and it has always been implemented immediately after receiving the edict. A month ago, we just sent 30,000 stone grain and grass and 10,000 gold, which is regarded as paying taxes for the first half of the year.

What's more, this time the general sent troops to exterminate the barbarian thieves, this is his matter in Xiliang, what does it have to do with my Jingzhou? Now he is asking the lord for grain and grass in the name of the Son of Heaven, which is simply insatiable, and today the princes of the next road still pay grain and grass taxes to the imperial court, I am afraid that only my lord is loyal to the Han family, and will pay grain and grass on a regular basis again and again. Therefore, his subordinates thought that the lord could not be edicted this time, and it was not too late to make a decision after the situation in the world became clear at the end of the year. Please think twice! ”

After Kuai Yue finished speaking, he retreated to his original position, and glanced at his brother Kuai Liang on the way to turn around, and the brothers nodded slightly tacitly.

Listening to Kuai Yue's words, Liu Biao gently took out a letter from his sleeve, which was a secret letter handed to him by the Kuai brothers three days ago. Some of the content is exactly the same as what Kuai Yue said, but this letter was not written by the Kuai brothers, but a handwritten letter from Yuan Shao in Jizhou.

The Kuai brothers have always advanced and retreated together, and Kuai Yue's words are equivalent to Kuai Liang's words, and these two are Liu Biao's trusted confidants.

Compared with the Kuai brothers, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun are still a little insufficient in Liu Biao's mind, and they are temporarily under the Kuai brothers.

Because of this, Cai Mao will generally oppose anything that the Kui brothers support, or Yang Feng Yin disobeys, anyway, he has been secretly competing with the Kui brothers.

This time is naturally no exception, not to mention that the letter also involves the name of Cai Mao's sister Cai, which makes him unable to stay out of the matter no matter what. Liu Biao lost his wife last winter, and then helped Cai's to the position of the main room, but although Cai's family is very favored, he still has no heirs, and he is often criticized in private.

Now the hussar general Li Li promised to entitle the Cai family as Mrs. Shude, which is undoubtedly a move in the snow, which is equivalent to justifying the name of the Cai family. When encountering such a good thing, how could Cai Mao sit idly by, how could she let the Kuai brothers mess up the good thing.

―――――――――――― (To be continued)(To be continued......