March 187 AD.

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He Miao led a large army to quell the rebels and attack Zhongmu City.

The Yellow Turban leader Bai Luo led his army to attack Chaoge City. At the same time, the Yellow Turban leader Yu Du led his army to capture Shanyang City, and the vanguard only pointed to Huaicheng, the capital of Hanoi County.

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The Qiansha tribes of the Xianbei in the west and the Eastern Qiang tribes, the Xiongnu slaughtered about 40,000 cavalry from each tribe, suddenly crossed the Lingwu Valley, invaded the northern county of Xiliang, and captured Liancheng. Now the Xianbei people, Qiang people, and the Xiongnu people gathered on the north bank of the Yellow River, preparing to cross the river to attack Lingzhou City and Fuping City.

The wild wolf tribe of the Xianbei in the west attacked Wuwei County and Zhangye County in Xiliang with 20,000 cavalry.

The Xianbei king and the company had 30,000 troops of the Danhan Mountain, and the northern Xianbei Tuoba Feng appeared in Shuofang County, Bingzhou. After they captured Linrong City, the county seat of Shuofang County, they quickly moved towards the upper county.

At the same time, the Xianbei king and the nephew Kuitou, the nephew of the company, led an army of 30,000 Danhanshan tribes and Tuoba tribes to attack Yunzhong County, Yanmen County, and Dingxiang County. The Hu people attacked the city and drove the villages, and were as powerful as the bamboos and headed straight to Yanmen Pass.

Yuyang County, Youzhou. The army of the central Xianbei man Murong Feng stopped in Guangping area and did not continue to attack Yuyang City. The situation in Yuyang County was slightly alleviated, but the Wuwan people in Liaodong and western Liaoning took the opportunity to rebel and their momentum became increasingly powerful.

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The leader of the rebels of Xiliang, Han Sui, Ma Teng and others united some Western Qiang geniuses, gathered about 50,000 troops, and attacked Hanyang County again.

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The urgent documents from Youzhou, Bingzhou, Liangzhou, Henoi and Chang'an arrived like a flying time, and the atmosphere in Luoyang became unprecedentedly tense.

The Grand Marshal Zhang Wen, Situ Cui Lie, Sikong Xu Xiang and the nine ministers in the court, all the officials gathered in the Jiade Hall to discuss matters.

The war faction headed by Taiwei Zhang Wen asked the emperor to immediately transfer General Li Hong back to Xiliang, and to be fully responsible for fighting against the Hu invasion and pacifying the rebels.

"Your Majesty, it seems that although the scale of the Hu people's invasion is very large, the focus of the attack is only one." Zhang Wen replied, "That is Chang'an and Sanfu. The Xianbei man Murong Feng attacked Youzhou earlier, and Tuoba Feng appeared in Bingzhou. Obviously, he wanted to trick us into transferring the Li Hong army stationed in Xiliang to the battlefield in the northern border, so that the troops in Xiliang are empty and they can take advantage of the opportunity."

"However, the Hu people made serious mistakes in cooperation." Zhang Wen looked lucky and said with a smile, "Before Xian Yufu's army set off, the Hu people attacking Xiliang could not hold back and launched an attack in advance, which exposed their invasion purpose. The Hu people's courage is getting stronger and stronger now, and even Chang'an dares to fight."

Zhang Wen then said passionately: "Your Majesty, today we should use heavy troops to annihilate the Barbarians and Hu, drive them out of our Great Han border, so as to protect our Great Han's territory for thousands of miles."

As soon as Zhang Wen finished speaking, Cui Lie immediately refuted.

"Your Majesty, the Grand Marshal's words are very inappropriate." Cui Lie said, "Now the country is in a turbulent period, with continuous wars and empty treasury. We have no financial resources to support this protracted war. The most urgent task now is to pacify the rebels in Henan and Hanoi treasurys to ensure that the capital is worry-free. But the investment in the suppression of rebels in these two places alone costs about 2 billion yuan, which has basically emptied the treasury."

"According to the advice of the Taiwei, Li Zhonglang is the general and commands a large army of 70,000 people to fight the Manhu. Then how much money will it cost?" Cui Lie looked at his colleagues around and smiled bitterly, "Will this battle be fought without 30 to 4 billion yuan? If Li Zhonglang is ineffective in fighting for a long time, or if he fights a few more defeats, where can we get the money?"

Cui Lie sighed: "From my opinion, we should give up the border counties for the time being and guard the Three Auxiliary Land."

"Look at Xiliang. Xiliang has been suppressing the rebellion for two years. Although we have severely damaged the rebels, it has not been completely suppressed so far. We have spent tens of billions of military funds in that barren area. What did we get in the end? If we gave up Xiliang border county, we could save that huge amount of military funds, we could reduce taxes, appease and relief for refugees scattered everywhere, and allow the people who are suffering from war to rest, then there would be no rebellion of the ants thieves now."

"The more battles are fought, the poorer the country will be. The poorer the country will be, the more suffering the people will be. The more suffering the people will be, the more rebellions will be. After this cycle, when will our Han Dynasty be peaceful and when will we recover our vitality?"

"The border counties are vast and small inhabitants, like the northern counties in Xiliang, with a population of only more than 20,000, and the Shuofang County in Bingzhou, with a population of only more than 10,000. The relief we allocate to these counties every year is dozens of times higher than the tax they pay. If we temporarily give up these counties, it will not only not harm the country's finances, but also temporarily escape the war and get time to recuperate."

"Once our national strength is strong and the national treasury is full, Your Majesty can order several generals to lead their powerful troops to attack Hu. One can recover the country, and the other can rebuild the unparalleled achievements of Emperor Wu at that time."

As soon as Cui Lie finished speaking, the minister Yang Qi immediately stepped out and scolded Cui Lie for his nonsense, which was a theory of the destruction of the country.

Yang Qi was the great-grandson of the Changmen of Yang Zhen, the Grand Marshal of the previous dynasty, and was cousin with Yang Biao. Yang Qi had very good ambitions and did not take the reputation of family power. He liked to be friends with talents and heroes, and hated to interact with powerful and wealthy people. He was proficient in classics and was smart and keen. He was a PhD in the Imperial Academy and had 200 disciples. This man did not flatter and seek honor, dared to speak out in a blunt manner, and even the emperor contradicted him. The emperor liked him very much. He once said in front of the civil and military officials in the court that Wenbo was straight and straight, and did not bow his head and bent his neck, and was truly the descendant of Yang Zhen.

When the emperor saw that it was him, he hurriedly said, "Your dear, don't scold me. Let me talk about it first, why is Lord Situ talking about the theory of the destruction of the country?"

"Your Majesty, when Emperor Wu ordered two generals Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to go north to fight against the Xiongnu. Not only did they recover the northern part of Longxi, Northland, Shangjun, Yunzhong, and Yanmen, but they also recovered Henan, established Shuofang and Wuyuan counties, and reached the north of Yinshan. In the western border, our Han Kingdom continued to advance westward, expanded a large area of ​​territory, and successively set up five Hexi counties such as Jiuquan, Zhangye, Dunhuang, Wuwei, and Jincheng. Emperor Wu also ordered our Han army to expedition the Dayuan Kingdom in the Western Regions and won a great victory. Since then, the countries in the Western Regions were frightened and surrendered and sent envoys to pay tribute. So we set up the Western Region Protectorate in Wulei City, and cultivated farms in Luntai (now southeast of Luntai, Xinjiang), Quli (now Korla), and other places, occupying the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, with an unprecedented vast territory."

"Since Emperor Wu, our great Han country has become weaker and its territory has gradually shrunk. By this dynasty, the Western Regions Protectorate no longer exists, and the border counties were even eroded and occupied by the Xianbei, Xiongnu, Wuwan and Qiang people. The border areas have long been beyond recognition, and the great Han country has been shamed for a long time."

"In the first year of Zhongping, the Yellow Turban Ant Thief rebelled, and this dynasty had no time to take care of the north. Therefore, the barbarian and Hu invaded wildly, causing the six counties, including Dingxiang, Yunzhong, Wuyuan, Shuofang, Shangjun, and Beidi to move in. The northern territory of these six counties, as well as the large areas of territory north of Hengshan, Yanmen County, Daijun, and Shanggu Sanggan River belong to the Hu people. To the north of Anding County Chaona and to the north of Lishi in Xihe County, were all occupied by the Xianbei and Qianghu. As Goguli became increasingly powerful, the Xuantu County County was moved in, and the large areas of land east of Lelang County, just to Daling (the central mountain range of the Korean Peninsula) have also been discarded."

"We have given up so much land, but the pace of the Hu people's invasion has stopped? We have been recuperating for so many years, but have we ever effectively recovered the lost land in the north and seized the Western Regions? If we blindly tolerate and give up, where is the territory of our great Han Kingdom? Where is the loyalty and heroic state of our great Han Kingdom? Where is the power of our great Han Kingdom?"

Yang Qi shouted in front of all the ministers: "The vast territory of the country that our ancestors have built with blood and sweat is lost in our hands. Let me ask you, are there no guilt in your heart? What are our faces to meet our ancestors under the nine springs? As subjects of the Han Dynasty, we should take it as our responsibility to defend our country. We will not give up in an inch of land, and we will fight for it. Even if we die in the battlefield, we will have no regrets. Otherwise, how can we be a human being and why do we be a member of the Han Dynasty?"

The court was filled with solemnity, and only Yang Qi's voice echoed in the empty hall.

Yang Qi faced the emperor again and bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Situ proposed to give up the border counties and exchange land for short peace. This is simply the theory of destruction of the country. Using this method, although we can avoid the disaster of this war, we indulge the invasion of the Hu people and encourage their arrogance. We watched the Hu people occupy our cities, rob our property, kill our people, and ravage our Han Dynasty, but we were shameless and said shamelessly that this was for the rise and fall of the Han Kingdom. What was this a theory of destruction of the country?"

"Today I will give up a county, and tomorrow I will give up a county. What about the day after tomorrow? The Hu people leaped on the land of our great Han Kingdom, showing off their power, and plundered their wits. They wanted to kill and plunder. Seeing that my great man was weak and powerless, they would definitely be even more domineering, and they would be more arrogant, and they would step by step. Do we have to give up the land of a state the day after tomorrow?"

"If you don't kill Hu today, you will be killed by Hu tomorrow. Does Lord Situ understand such a simple truth?"

Yang Qi glanced at Cui Lie and continued, "Your Majesty, the former Marquis of the Heroic Celebration, Fu Xie once said: 'If you kill Situ, the world will be safe.' Today I, Yang Qi, want to say it again."

Yang Qi suddenly raised his head and roared wildly: "Kill Situ, then the world will be safe!"

The shouts shocked the palace and were thrilling.

All the civil and military officials in the court were shocking and changed their colors. Situ Cui Lie showed shame and silent.

"I am willing to go to Jizhou to issue an order in person to supervise Li Hong, the general of the Qiang Central Army, immediately go west to Liangzhou, kill the barbarian Hu, protect our country's territory, and boost our great power!"

The emperor was filled with enthusiasm, and for a moment, he slapped the table and shouted wildly: "Kill, kill, kill all the barbarians!"

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Li Hong walked back and forth in the big tent, feeling very upset.

The Han Dynasty was worried about domestic and foreign troubles and frequent wars made Li Hong feel overwhelmed. How could the Han Dynasty fall to such a storm?

Li Hong remembered that when he was in the Xianbei, many Xianbei people were full of admiration and fear for the Han Kingdom. At that time, he was very proud of being a Han person. But after he returned with a sword on his back, he did not feel the power and might of the Han Dynasty. From the beginning of his arrival on this land, he fought on the battlefield and fought on different battlefields. The Han Kingdom was devastated, the people's livelihood was withered, and the world was full of traces of war, and homeless refugees were everywhere. Is this the Han Kingdom that was in his mind that was the mighty country on which he relied on for survival?

Li Hong felt confused, confused, and exhausted.

"Sir..." Song Wen's shouting pulled Li Hong's thoughts back from his deep melancholy, and he turned his head to look.

"Sir, do you know the consequences if this memorial is handed over?" Song Wen put down his pen and said worriedly, "Sir, at least, will be dismissed. The man who manipulated behind this is so scheming and precise planning is shocking."

Li Hong shook his head indifferently and said, "You can do it. The King of Hefei is dead. We always have to give His Majesty an explanation, it is impossible to hide it."

Li Wei smiled bitterly and said, "Sir, how do you explain it? It's too difficult. Since Emperor Jing of the previous dynasty quelled the rebellion of the seven kingdoms of Wu and Chu, the kings of the vassal states were not allowed to leave the fiefdom without the emperor's permission, otherwise it would be equivalent to rebellion. Although the king of Hefei's privately leaving the country cannot be forgiven, but whether to kill or not is left, the emperor has the final say, and others have no right to deal with it. Those who violate this law are also treasons. Now the King of Hefei is dead in Taoqiu, and the scene is full of our Black Panther righteousness. How can you justify yourself?"

"A few days ago, Lord Liu wrote a letter saying that Xu You submitted an impeachment memorial and exposed all of Wang Fen's evil plans. Luoyang knew that Xiang Kai and Hefei King of Pingyuan County were involved in the matter, but we did not mention it in the memorial, which caused Luoyang's bureaucrats to write a letter to impeach the Lord and deliberately conceal the facts and failed to punish them effectively. Now Xiang Kai and Dazhitang have been let go by the Lord, and only one dead Hefei King is left. Things have become like this, and it is not good for the Lord to explain it." Xie Ming frowned and said, "Not to mention how the King of Hefei died, just the King of Hefei died on our way to hunt down, it is enough for the Lord to lose his head."

"Some people in the court want to use this to kill the adults, so we can't get rid of the blame no matter what we do." Song Wen sighed, "Xiang Kai doesn't want to say that the adults are unwilling to make things too difficult for the stability of Jizhou, otherwise we can take the initiative."

"You guys write it quickly." Li Hong said with a smile, "If you kill, kill it. Who else can I be afraid of? The King of Hefei has ulterior motives and plans, and he will die for more than one's sake, so he should be killed!"

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The news that King Hefei died in Taoqiu was sent to Luoyang by the prefect of Jiyin County, Yanzhou, with a fast cavalry of 800 miles. The court was in an uproar, and the calls for the killing of Li Hong were suddenly high, leaving no one to mention Li Hong's leadership to fight the enemy.

The emperor ignored the clamor of the ministers in the court. He shouted in the court: "This is my secret order to Li Zhonglang. Are you all dissatisfied with me?"

Taichang Liu Yan asked in surprise: "Your Majesty, is there any definite evidence to prove that the King of Hefei rebelled?"

"Does this matter still need evidence?" the emperor sneered, "When I have evidence, I will be in a different place."

"Your Majesty, killing the King of Hefei without any evidence will lead to dissatisfaction among the princes and kings and causing trouble for no reason." Liu Yan advised, "Li Hong was not in the king's law and was punished against the law. It is better to punish him severely."

"Didn't somebody say that the King of Hefei rebelled?" said the emperor, "Li Zhonglang was ordered to do things, what crime did he have?"

"Your Majesty, Li Hong did not capture Xu You, nor did he capture Xiang Kai from Pingyuan County, nor did he capture the rebellion of King Hefei. What reason does he have to kill the King Hefei?"

"When did Li Zhonglang kill the King of Hefei? Wasn't the King of Hefei killed by his servants?"

"Your Majesty, do you believe this? It's like Xu You's false accusation, and it's unfounded."

"False accusation?" the emperor gritted his teeth and said hatefully, "I will kill false accusations. Whoever wants to kill me, I will kill whoever I want to."

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The emperor's secret order to kill the King of Hefei was finally sent to Xiangyushan Camp. Li Hong and his subordinates breathed a long sigh.

The reason why this secret decree came late was because the messenger was accidentally caught by the Yellow Turban Army when he was passing by Hanoi County. After seeing the secret decree, Bai Luo immediately ordered his men to release the messenger and asked the messenger to bring a letter to Li Hong. Bai Luo said that he wanted to talk to Li Hong.

Li Hong then ordered someone to take Ku Chief, Lin Xun and others to the big tent. Li Hong showed them Bai Luo's letter, and then said, "Bai Luo's meaning is very obvious. He wants me to let you go."

Ku Ke sneered: "Do you want it? What can Bailuo use to exchange for our lives? If you want to kill, kill it as soon as possible. Don't be so verbose, you are very unhappy."

Li Hong smiled and said, "I'm calling you here, of course I'm willing to meet Bai Luo."

"Sir, are you willing to exchange?" Lin Xun asked in surprise, "What are the conditions for you?"

"As long as Bai Luo and Yu Du's army retreated back to Heishan immediately, I will release the Ku Chief." Li Hong said, "But I can only release the Ku Chief, and the others must follow me to Xiliang."

"Why?" Pan Ta asked loudly, "This condition is too harsh, and Bai Shuai would not agree."

Li Hong did not speak and quickly spread the map on the table. His big hands slowly crossed the northern border of the Han Dynasty.

"At the beginning of this month, the Xianbei people, the Xiongnu, and the Dongqiang people had about 100,000 troops divided into several routes to invade our Han Kingdom..." After Li Hong introduced the military situation on the frontier in detail, he said firmly, "Bai Luo and Yu Du must retreat to Heishan and give me a shortcut to enter Liangzhou west."

"Everyone is a great man. When the Hu tribe invaded our great Han country, we should share the same hatred of the enemy, kill the enemy together, and have no distinction between each other."

He looked at Lin Xun, Pan Ta, Liao Lei and Ding Bo, and said sternly: "If the blood of the Han people still flows in your bodies, you should follow me north to fight the enemy without hesitation, instead of hiding in the deep mountains and forests to do a rebellion, allowing the thieves to burn, kill and plunder the land of the Han people."
Chapter completed!