Li Hong led the Fengyun Iron Cavalry back to Pingxiang Camp.

Xian Yufu brought the generals out of the camp. After everyone exchanged greetings, Qu Yi asked: "Sir, how did General Dong break through?"

Li Hong was pulling Zuo Yan to ask about his injury. Zuo Yan was beaten very hard by Cheng Qiu, and his movements are still inconvenient.

Li Hong smiled and said to everyone, "You must have never imagined that General Dong used the cofferdam to break through. Since General Dong's army was short of food, the soldiers ran to the cofferdam beside the Weishui River to catch fish. General Dong probably thought of a way to break through. He ordered the soldiers to build a tall cofferdam on the Weishui River overnight, cut off the river, and then quickly led the army to cross the river. It was not until the next day that Qiang and Hu discovered that General Dong's camp was empty."

Li Hong looked at the generals with admiration and smiled and said, "General Dong is worthy of being a veteran in the battlefield. When the army is already in a desperate situation, he can still remain calm and act calmly, which is amazing."

"Who is Fatty Dong?" Qu Yi smiled, "He has been in Xiliang for decades. When did he suffer a loss? The June thunder surrounded him several times and escaped several times. It is estimated that the June thunder will die if he has the chance to encounter the June thunder, so he must humiliate him."

Fist said dissatisfiedly: "General Dong's successful escape has a lot to do with our invasion of the enemy camp for several consecutive nights. Without our restraint and cover, he would have brought more than 30,000 people to build a weir in the river, how could Qiang and Hu know?"

Li Hong smiled and said, "Of course, Fengyun Iron Cavalry has made great contributions and must be rewarded." Then he said to Qu Yi and other subordinates, "June Thunder is very powerful. After he found that General Dong's army had broken through during the day, he remained silent and prepared to encircle and annihilate us at night."

"What happened later?" Zheng Xin asked hurriedly.

"General Dong has an objection to us." Fist said dissatisfiedly, "He told the Captain Huangfu, who had been traveling around the west of Wangyuan, but he did not tell us. Fortunately, the Captain Huangfu sent someone to contact us to withdraw the troops, and we only realized that General Dong had led his troops to break through, otherwise we would be miserable at night."

Li Hong waved his hand at his fist and smiled, "Okay, okay, don't doubt it randomly. Maybe he sent someone, but he didn't find us. We are uncertain and it's hard to find."

Everyone knew it and everyone was indignant. Although Li Hong did not lead his troops to attack Qianghu head-on to rescue him, Li Hong had arrived near Wangyuan in time and restrained the attacks of Qianghu army from the Qianghu army. Dong Zhuo was not only not grateful, but instead framed him intentionally, which was too much.

Hu Zi cursed a few times, but was then gently kicked by Yan Rou. Hu Zi looked at Xu Rong who was standing beside him and quickly closed her mouth. Xu Rong and Qu Yi looked at each other and knew that Dong Zhuo hated Li Hong. Those who were hated by Dong Zhuo would suffer losses and be in trouble. It seemed that they had not seen anyone who took advantage of Dong Zhuo. They looked at Li Hong, who was standing among the generals and chatting and laughing happily. Li Hong seemed to have not taken this matter to heart at all and laughed very happily.

He waved his hand and shouted, "The war in Xiliang is about to end, we are going back to Jizhou."

"Everyone will go back to the camp, we're back to the camp."

＝＝

The first thing Li Hong did when he returned to the camp was to visit Zhou Shen.

Because Tian Chong sent a batch of doctors and medicinal materials to Pingxiang Camp in time, Zhou Shen's injuries were controlled. He no longer had pain and his mood naturally improved.

Li Hong first reported to him about the incident when Dong Zhuo led his troops to break through, then explained the reason why he took the initiative to attack corrupt officials in Xiliang, and finally talked about the matter that the Western Expedition Army was about to withdraw from Xiliang.

Zhou Shen was very surprised.

"Ministry, how do you know that we are about to withdraw our troops? The Xiliang rebels still occupy Jincheng County. It will take some time for the rebels to be completely suppressed. How could they withdraw their troops?"

"The national treasury is empty, and we will have no military expenditure this month." Li Hong said, "I knew about it some time ago, but he was afraid of disrupting the morale of the army, so he kept hiding it from us. A few days ago, Lord Shisang, the chief of the Taiwei Mansion, rushed to Shehu Valley to find me. It was for this matter that the Taiwei urgently needed the money for the search to overcome the difficulties. Now the Taiwei only has such a little money in his hands, and it is difficult to maintain the daily expenses of the Western Expedition Army. Not to mention crossing the Yellow River to continue to suppress bandits, we are probably going back in the next few days."

Zhou Shen was speechless for a long time.

"Is the Han Dynasty so poor?" Li Hong sighed, "The Han Dynasty has a population of more than 50 million. Can't even afford to support more than 100,000 troops?" He paused and continued, "I just copied dozens of small corrupt officials and had hundreds of millions of dollars in property. The bureaucrats in my Han Dynasty are so rich, how could the country be so poor?"

"That's because the country's money is filled with money by these people." Zhou Shen said with a wry smile. "In recent years, there have been many rebellions and many wars. The fields in the war-torn areas have become more deserted. Moreover, there are more bureaucrats who use wars to make profits than loaches, so it is normal that the treasury is empty. In October, after the autumn harvest, the states and counties will start paying taxes, and the treasury will be invoked."

"In October, we are all going home. I hope the people of Xiliang will have a better life this year." Li Hong said with a smile.

Zhou Shen frowned deeply and suddenly asked, "Son people, if you hadn't first attacked, searched the corrupt officials of Xiliang and dug up some money, what should I do now? So many of our troops in Xiliang have no military pay and no food and grass, what would happen? Does the Taiwei have no emergency solutions? Are you... being... someone...?"

Li Hong was stunned. He then thought about what had happened in his mind in recent times and shook his head.

"I was greedy in Xiliang and directly offended the traitor in the court, which was harmful to the Taiwei but not beneficial to the Taiwei. Now I am his subordinate. Although I did all these things, the traitor in the court would think that it was instructed by the Taiwei, so how could he get out of the relationship? The general was over-thought. The Taiwei might have a better way to overcome the difficulties." Li Hong looked at Zhou Shen quietly and said carefully, "It's just that I acted recklessly, which caused this situation of being unable to stop and being unable to get rid of the tiger. It made the Taiwei and General Zhou embarrassed. I'm very sorry."

Zhou Shen glanced at him and said dissatisfiedly, "It's not just a dilemma, it's a risk of life. I'm better, Your Majesty and the General will protect me. But the Taiwei was passive. He belonged to the aristocratic bureaucrats, with many disciples and former officials, and the students of the Taixue School also respected him as their teacher. If he was defeated by a traitor this time, he would be a party member. If he continues to investigate, he will at least involve tens of thousands of people, and the disaster will be great. Therefore, the Taiwei has always indulged you to make trouble. There are a lot of articles here..." Zhou Shen looked at him and said seriously, "You'd better think clearly and see how this matter ends. Don't use it for others. In the end, not only will he lose his life, but his subordinates will suffer."

Li Hong's face changed color and he was speechless for a while.

"People, think about it, the consequences of the imperial court without money to support Xiliang to suppress the rebellion must be very serious. I have few troops, so I can quickly withdraw to Luoyang. But what about you? You have three or four thousand miles back to Jizhou, and you have more than 30,000 soldiers, and 10,000 of them were Hu people. What should you do? You have no way out except to take them to rob them in Xiliang. Now you do this, you can rob them in advance. Now the rebels in Xiliang are still free and free west of the Yellow River, but we are helpless and unable to make up for the situation. Who will bear this responsibility in the end? Will Your Majesty? Will Your Majesty admit that the treasury has no money? Will He believe that the treasury has no money?"

Li Hong shook his head. He hadn't thought so much.

Zhou Shen closed his mouth tightly, looked at the top of the tent. After pausing for a moment, he continued, "Of course, the responsibility for the inadequate rebellion in Xiliang must be borne by the Taiwei, Yuan Pang and Gai Xun. The three of them will inevitably end up with the same fate, that is, they have no success in fighting for a long time, and are dismissed from their posts."

"Just when they were in a state of great trouble, you jumped out and made a mess of this uncontrollable situation. Although you did it alone, the entire Western Expedition Army, especially the Taiwei Mansion, which commanded the Western Expedition Army, completely offended the traitor and eunuch party, and both sides were already in power. Xiliang has always been the sphere of influence of the traitor and eunuch in the court, and most of the bureaucrats in Xiliang were their disciples and former officials and clans. They were powerful and were deeply favored by the emperor. Once the emperor believed their slander, the Taiwei and his group would die."

"In this case, the three of them may unite and gather the Qingliu Party members, the wealthy families of the aristocratic families, and the scholars of Xiliang. With your strength and the dilemma of Xiliang, they will fight to the death with the traitors. If they win, the traitors will be killed. If they lose, they will be cleansed, but you and your subordinates cannot escape the fate of being killed. What will you do at this time?"

Li Hong was stunned. His mind was messy, his hands couldn't help but clench his fists, and a fierce murderous aura appeared in his eyes.

Zhou Shen looked at him coldly, a hint of mocking flashed in his eyes, and he whispered: "You will rebel."

Li Hong was shocked and instinctively replied: "It is impossible. I am a great man, how can I rebel?"

"Hmph..." Zhou Shen sneered, "Don't you rebel? These generals of Xiliang, especially Qu Yi, are arrogant and arrogant, and look down on others. Will he wait for the traitor to use a knife to chop his neck? Your storm cavalry, all of them are barbarians, will they watch you die?"

"I won't rebel." Li Hong looked at Zhou Shen and said firmly.

Zhou Shen looked at him coldly, and a trace of murderous aura suddenly flashed across his face, "Okay, you don't rebel, okay. If the Taiwei asked you to lead your troops out of Tongguan and into Luoyang in the name of clearing the king's side and killing the treacherous and slanderous people, will you go?"

Li Hong was speechless.

"Don't you go? This is the last chance, the last chance to save your own lives; this is the best way to eliminate the traitors and eunuchs in the court."

Li Hong's face was red and his heart was irritated. He was confused for a moment and sat in a daze.

Zhou Shen lay on the sickbed and looked at the gray-black tent, silent. The military tent fell into silence.

＝＝

Recently, Li Hong took the initiative to attack because he was afraid of being framed by a traitor, so he arrested a large number of corrupt officials in Xiliang and entered the Xiliang officialdom. Li Hong had a lot of contact with these bureaucrats and felt exhausted. These people were particularly good at saying that whether it was Fu Xie, the prefect of Hanyang, or Shi Sang Yang, the chief of the Taiwei Mansion, they were all good at speaking, clever and discerning. One by one, they had to believe it. Li Hong said to them, and he was dizzy. He didn't know who to listen to, whose method was right, and who said it was true, and he didn't know how to protect himself and his subordinates to the greatest extent.

Li Hong had no direct understanding of the crimes committed by the traitor and eunuchs. He had only heard of them but had never seen them with his own eyes. He had only ever contacted the eunuch once, which was Zuo Feng who was killed in anger. Some of the things he did now were intuitive and some were based on Fu Xie's hints, and they all took one step at a time, without any specific purpose, nor had a clear goal. He had never thought that he did this for the people of Xiliang and to suppress the corrupt officials of Xiliang. His real purpose was to take his subordinates back to Lu Longsai alive.

Zhou Shen's words made Li Hong suddenly feel that he was too naive. He was angry and recklessly arrested and killed people, and did not consider the consequences of his actions to others, nor did he think about the problems from Luoyang, from the Taiwei Mansion, or from the perspective of Xiliang. He was too naive. He was nervous and frightened, and a chill suddenly came from his back.

Li Hong thought for a long time and finally got a clue. He looked at Zhou Shen, and said in admiration: "General, the lower official has been taught."

Zhou Shen turned his head and looked at him and said, "It's good that you can understand."

"General, if we leave the pass and enter Luoyang, the world will be in chaos." Li Hong said respectfully, "The lower-ranking official is stupid, please give me some advice."

Zhou Shen's thin long face showed a smile, and he nodded slightly and said, "Why does the traitor and the traitor and the gentry's clean and liu party fight? It's just power. Whoever is in charge of the government can do whatever he wants. Whether the foreign relatives are in power, the traitor and the gentry are in power, or the aristocratic party members are in power, it's just for their own promotion and wealth. How many of these people are for His Majesty's country and for the whole country?"

Li Hong listened quietly and nodded repeatedly.

"Who aren't corrupt officials? Who isn't stealing the country? Who doesn't sell official positions? Who doesn't harm the country and the people? No good thing is a feather."

"This country is Your Majesty's country, this money is Your Majesty's money, and we are also your Majesty's subjects. How can I tolerate such people who hide tainted and criticized?"

"Son people, you are loyal to the Han Dynasty and your Majesty. You should know how to deal with this matter."

Li Hongda admired him and admired him.

Zhou Shen waved and asked him to get up.

"Thank you for your advice," Li Hong said with a smile. "No matter what I do now, the ending will be the same. If the traitor in the court loses, the Taiwei will not spare me, and I almost killed him; if the Taiwei loses, my accomplice will naturally not escape as the Taiwei, and I will also implicate my subordinates. Anyway, I can't survive, so I might as well make things worse and everyone will die together."

Zhou Shen shook his head.

"People, don't you have confidence? You have made great efforts to rectify Xiliang and eliminate corrupt officials. Not only has you won the hearts of the people for Your Majesty, but you have also regained money for Your Majesty and added income to the national treasury. You are a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. How could Your Majesty not believe you?"

"How could Your Majesty believe me?" Li Hong said with a wry smile.

"If you get your Majesty's things back and return them to your Majesty like last time, your Majesty will trust you. Will Zhang Rang give his own fields to your Majesty? Will Zhang Wen give his manor to your Majesty?" Zhou Shen said slowly and lowly, "A true loyal minister is willing to give his life for His Majesty, let alone things outside his body?"

＝＝

When Li Hong returned to the Central Army's tent, he found that his dozen subordinates were still gathered in the tent and had not dispersed.

While greeting everyone, he smiled and said, "Since you are all here, don't leave. I have some mountain pork here to reward everyone. We haven't been together for a long time, let's talk together."

Wen Chou, Hu Zi, Fist and others took the lead and shouted, and the others were also very happy.

Yan Wuwei shouted loudly: "Sir, I'll enjoy some bar tonight, and I haven't tasted it for several months."

A few generals with good wine with beard and fists immediately started to make a fuss, and a tumult in the tent suddenly became a mess.

Li Hong waved his hand at everyone and signaled to be quiet.

"Brother Zilie, Yuntian and Ziwei, we are going back soon. I guess you will go back to the capital, so today I will make an exception and give it to you." Li Hong walked to Xu Rong, patted his shoulder, looked at Qu Yi and Hua Xiong, and said with a smile.

Xu Rong and Hua Xiong hurriedly bowed to thank him. Qu Yi's expression changed, then took a step back, pointed at Li Hong without hesitation, and said sternly: "Sir, what did you say in Shooting Tiger Valley that day?"

The atmosphere in the big tent suddenly became tense.

Zhao Yun and Wen Chou immediately walked to Li Hong and looked alertly at Qu Yi, who was implicitly angry. Yan Liang and Yan Wuwei quietly moved behind Qu Yi. Yan Liang's hand was placed on the hilt of the knife.

Xu Rong was shocked, hurriedly pulled Qu Yi back a few steps, bowed to Li Hong and said, "Yuntian has always had a bad temper, sir..."

Qu Yi pushed Xu Rong away and said loudly: "You were in the Shooting Hu Valley that day. What did you say to our brothers?"

Li Hong smiled and said, "Brother Yuntian, don't you hurry? Wait until I'm done? When Shooting Tiger Valley, I said that everyone is a person on the same boat, and of course I will not break my promise and betray the three of you. Since I have started the matter in Xiliang, I will definitely not give up halfway. Please rest assured by Brother Yuntian."

Qu Yi glanced at him in confusion and asked, "Then what did you mean just now?"

Li Hong hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's do this, let's tell the Grand Marshal that we will all retreat to Zixiushan Camp. However, since everyone is not separated, then this wine..."

"Master Qu, what do you mean? Can't you make a fuss with us after drinking?" Yan Wuwei became anxious when he heard this, and stepped forward and grabbed Qu Yi and shouted, "You have compensated for this wine."

Hu Zi rushed over with his fist, surrounding Qu Yi, and was so angry that he almost hit him. Qu Yi was very embarrassed and his face was flushed.

Xu Rong pulled it twice, but did not pull it away, and hurriedly looked at Li Hong with his eyes asking for help.

Li Hong originally wanted to say, "I won't drink this wine," but when he saw Xu Rong's eyes, he felt soft and said, "The money for this wine is from Yuntian, what do you think?"

"Okay." Hu Zi shouted loudly, and immediately changed into a smile with his fist. Yan Wuwei turned into a smile and pestered Qu Yi to buy wine.

The atmosphere in the big tent relaxed, and everyone dispersed in groups of three or three.

＝＝
To be continued...