Huan Rong

In the ninth year of Taiyuan, at the end of January, Emperor Huan Rong of the Han Dynasty sent troops to Jiankang.The Han army had 15 infantry, 50 cavalry, and [-] soldiers. They advanced by land and water, and their fronts pointed directly at Chang'an.

On the day when the army left the city, they faced each other with drums and drums, stretching for hundreds of miles.

The people lined the road, and the Taicheng City played drums.

Xie An led all the officials to send them out of the city, and solemnly worshiped in front of Da Ren.

"May Your Majesty return in triumph!"

Before setting off, Huan Rong issued an edict that Hu Bin, the general of Longxiang, would lead a water army of [-] troops from Guangling, attack Peijun in the north, and reinforce Xie Xuanxirong.

Yu Jia traveled to Huainan, went north along Ruyin and Xincai, joined forces with Huan Chong who was attacking Xiangcheng, and planned to go to Jingzhou first, and then westward to Luozhou.

At the same time, Huan Rong issued an edict to Huan Shixiu, the governor of Liangzhou, and Zhou Zhongsun, the governor of Ningzhou and Yizhou, to send state troops and march from the south.He also ordered Huan Si to gather troops from Gu Zang and approach Chang'an from the west.

The Han army besieged from three sides, vowing to break into Xianyang County and take Chang'an City.

When Huan Rong passed Ruyin and Xincai counties, he called officials from the government office to see him.Except for the new eunuchs and masters sent by Huan Han, half of the officials were born in the local area, or they were officials of the Qin State, or they were local nobles.

As for Emperor Huan Han, the latter had heard his name for a long time but had not seen him in person, so he was unavoidably uneasy.

After the monarch and ministers talked, a secretary returned home and wrote a letter to his clan brother in Chenjun, praising the emperor of Huan Han for his benevolence and generosity, and his appearance as a wise king.

"The trend of the world, divided for a long time, must be united. Today, the north and the south stand side by side, and it is not the blessing of the Han family."

"The emperor of Han has a phoenix bone and dragon posture, casts a tripod like an object, and is outstanding. He governs the country well, loves the people, and has many loyal ministers and generals in the court. He really has the ability to recast mountains and rivers and create a prosperous age..."

There are more than a thousand words eloquently, and the book is completed overnight.Blow dry the ink, leave a private seal, hand over the loyal servant to send out of the city, and rush to Chenjun.

In order to avoid misunderstanding, before the loyal servant left the city, Shu Zuo paid a special visit to the prefect and handed the letter to the prefect to watch.

This move is not only to avoid unnecessary troubles, but also to thoroughly express their attitude: the Liang family has been loyal to the Han Dynasty since then, and has no second thoughts.

The Liang family is a local big family with deep roots and great reputation in Xincai, Chenjun and Xiangcheng.

During her time in Xihe, the Qin family had many contacts with the Liang family.

Mr. Liang's martial arts skills are average, and most of his official careers are in Bianzhou, but his business ability should not be underestimated.Compared with the well-known Shi family, he belongs to the type who made a fortune silently.

The head of the Liang family in the previous generation once said: "There is gold in the land, and you can find it everywhere."

Translated: The ground is full of gold, you can pick it up by bending over, it all depends on your willingness.

Such a family gradually fell silent when Murong Xianbei dominated the six states.Yecheng once issued three imperial edicts to choose the prince of the Liang family as an official.The man who was named was not willing to join Hu, nor was he willing to go away to burden his family. He would not hesitate to cut off his own arm, and he was determined not to become an official.

For this matter, Murong Xianbei almost slaughtered the entire Liang family.

After the Qin family entered Chang'an, the Xianbei and Di people were expelled successively, and the northern land returned to the Han family name.

However, Chang'an's decrees followed one after another, without much practical effect.

The struggle for power and profit in the imperial court is endless, and the old ministers and the new rich are competing, and the situation is intensifying.

Witnessing that Tang Gongluo was forced to Nantou with his own eyes, the Liang family changed his attitude and left Chang'an without a trace, avoiding the center of power, and instead stayed in Xincai, Chenjun and other places. The business scale gradually began to shrink, and it was no longer as good as in previous years.

Many people can see this change.

Some people frowned deeply, while others didn't care.

For Chang'an Wenwu, if there is one less Liang family, there will be one less competitor, so why not do it.

The Patriarch of the Liang family who made the decision had passed away a year ago.Now the leader of the whole family is Xin Cai Shuzuo's elder brother, who is the chief secretary of Chen County who delivers the letter.

Chen County is located between Henan and Xu states. Today, Emperor Huanhan conquered it personally, and Bingzhou, Qingzhou, and Jizhou were made into a pot of porridge. It won't take long for it to change hands.

The Patriarch of the Liang family said before his death, "Qin Bomian can conquer the world, but he cannot sit still. If His Royal Highness ascends the throne and uses thunderous means, the court can still save him. However, the world is unpredictable, and it depends on whether the Qin family is destined."

Looking at it now, the destiny is not in the Qin family.

If Qin Ce abdicated five years in advance, no, even if it was only three years, Qin Jing would be able to purge the court and stabilize the country.Now, it's too late to say anything.

The letter was sent, but Chen Jun did not reply for a long time.Until Huan Rong got up and drove to Xiangcheng to meet Huan Chong. He overcame thorns and thorns all the way, destroyed the fortifications, and went down to the three cities, but the letter from Master Liang still did not arrive.

Liang Shuzuo became uneasy, and wanted to go to Chen Jun to meet Brother Cong in person and tell the seriousness of the matter.

In this anxiety, half a month passed, and the Han army was getting closer and closer to Xianyang.

One day, someone from Chen Jun came suddenly, without any letter, only a message: "Master Lang ordered his servant to send a message, please rest assured."

The next day after receiving the message, Chen Jun, Qiao Jun and Liang Jun in Qin State successively raised their flags to oppose Qin and vote for Han.

The three counties changed their banners, and Pengcheng, where Qin Jue was stationed, was separated from Chang'an, hanging alone.No matter how brave and resourceful he is, without reinforcements, and the military rations are gradually running out, it will be difficult to stabilize the morale of the army.

The five thousand sailors heading north became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

In the ninth year of Taiyuan, in March, General Longxiang Hu Bin led his army to defeat Peijun, captured the prefect of Peijun alive, and captured more than [-] defenders.

In the same month, the city of Xiapi was broken, and the Han army entered the city. The guard died at the top of the city, and all the people below the main book were captured by the Han army.

By March, Peijun and Xiapi changed hands one after another, the power of the horns was broken, and Pengcheng was completely reduced to an isolated city.

The [-] defenders in the city were close to running out of food, and some miscellaneous horses couldn't hold back, and looted the people, and were punished by Qin Jue's military law.

In less than half a day after the head was cut off, all the Huqi who guarded the city rebelled, and a few young and strong followers burned, killed and looted the city.The Qin soldiers guarding the city had to turn their swords around and fight with Hu Qi to prevent the people from suffering unforeseen disasters.

In the chaos, the city suddenly caught fire and the city gate was opened.

The Han army took the opportunity to break into the city, suppressed Hu Qi, and rescued Qin Jue who was under siege.

Qin Jue wanted to draw his sword to kill himself, but Xie Xuan stopped him on the spot.

In desperation, Xie Xuan held the long sword in one hand, the palm was cut by the blade, blood flowed down the sword tip, and instantly merged into a stream.

"General Qin, death is easy, but life is difficult. Today's battle between Han and Qin is to unify China and restore the Han Dynasty, not to kill all the heroes in the north and destroy China's luck."

Qin Jue looked at Xie Xuan, the long sword was still firmly in his hand.

"Jue is a defeated soldier, why should the general do this?"

"General Qin's words are wrong." Xie Xuan shook his head, letting the blood flow, as if he couldn't feel the pain, "In Xuan's view, the general is not the general who breaks the city, but the general is a real hero."

If the Han army suddenly surrendered to the city, if they were replaced by ruthless people, regardless of the people, and allowed Hu Qi to plunder, then abandon Pengcheng and fight a bloody road, they would surely save their lives.

Qin Jue didn't do that.

Not only that, in order to protect the people, he even led his troops to kill Hu Qi, so as to prevent the people of Pengcheng from suffering catastrophe.If it weren't for the chaos in the city, and Hu Qi wanted to leave the city and opened the city gate, the Han army might not be able to enter the city easily.

"General Qin, please listen to Xuan Yi..."

At this moment, the people rescued by Buqu fell to the ground one after another, begging Qin Jue not to give up their lives.There is no sound in the trilogy, but it is in front of each of the swordsmen.Qin Jue slays himself, and everyone must follow.

"General Qin, since the end of the Han Dynasty, the Central Plains has been suffering for a hundred years. The Hu thieves have retreated temporarily, but have not been eradicated. Why don't the general leave a useful body and eliminate this hidden danger for the people of the world?"

After the words fell, Qin Jue's hand holding the sword trembled slightly, and looked at Xie Xuan in surprise.

"Don't hide it from the general, this is the words of the official family."

"You and I are both in the Han Dynasty, and for the unification of China, we just faced each other. Now, why can't we digest the war for China?"

Finally, Qin Jue let go of the long sword in his hand.

The sword fell to the ground with a clatter, Xie Xuan withdrew his hand, pressed the wound, and said: "The sword is sharp, it must be forged by a master craftsman!"

Qin Jue shook his head, straightened his back, and put his hands behind his back, as if waiting for the rope to be added to his body.

Xie Xuan pretended not to see, held Qin Jue's arm, and said with a smile: "It will take some time to completely wipe out the thieves. Why doesn't the general go out of the city with Xuan?"

"I heard that there is a shortage of food in the city, and there is still freshly delivered military rations in the mysterious place, and there are also wound medicines, which can be distributed to the common people after the chaos is over."

Having said that, Xie Xuan's voice paused.

"I still need to trouble the general for a warrant."

Qin Jue nodded, wrote a military order on the spot, and handed it over to the Han soldiers to announce it in the city.

On that day, all the rebellious Hu Qi were killed, the fire in the city was extinguished, and the Han army set up a pot to cook porridge in front of the city, and divided them among the people and the defenders.

Walking among the crowd with military doctors, treating the wounded and sick.

Soon, the bitter smell of medicine mixed with the aroma of rice porridge, but everyone didn't care.A commoner was holding a pottery bowl, his mouth was scalded by the hot porridge, and he hissed in pain, but a smile appeared on his face.

Seeing the frail elderly and children, the Han soldiers scooping porridge couldn't help thinking of their early years, and their noses felt sore, so they scooped up half a scoop and said, "Be careful it's hot."

"Looking at the accent, doesn't Mr. Lang look like a southerner?" An old man tried to ask.

The Han army smiled and said, "To tell you the truth, my ancestral home is in the East China Sea, and I belong to the same Xuzhou as Pengcheng."

Qin Jue was injured in the rebellion, with one arm hanging in front of him.In addition, I haven't had a full stomach for half a month, and I only have a bowl of gruel every day, and my body is already quite weak.

It is a miracle to be able to ride a horse to fight.

Seeing the scene in front of the city gate, Qin Jue's expression changed slightly.He closed his eyes and opened them again, he seemed a little confused, and also seemed to be suddenly lightened by a great burden, his emotions were extremely complicated, and for a moment, even he himself couldn't distinguish clearly.

Taiyuan ninth year, April

The battle report from Pengcheng was sent to Luozhou, and Huan Rong was overjoyed to hear it, so he ordered the soldiers to move forward quickly and must arrive in Chang'an before June.

The army was sharply directed, and the cities were taken down one after another.

Officials from the North who accompanied the army voluntarily went to the city to persuade them to surrender, and they came down several times, with remarkable results.

"The emperor of Han is benevolent and never bloodthirsty. Last year in the battle of Hanzhong, [-] armored soldiers were captured. Although they are temporarily detained in Liangzhou, their lives are safe."

"The servant heard from the officials that the world has been in turmoil for a long time, and the population has withered. They are all sons of the Han family, guarding the land and defending the borders, and driving out the bandits. They have made great contributions. In the future, the world will be unified. , can also disarm and return to the fields.”

"If the city gate is opened, the war will be avoided, and the people in the city will be saved."

At the beginning of the battle, Huan Rong's letter to Huan Shixiu was actually to preserve the vitality of the Han family, and he did not want to be taken advantage of by bandits after taking Chang'an.

Unexpectedly, the Battle of Xiangyang not only fulfilled Huan Shixiu's reputation as a good fighter, but also proved that the Emperor Huan Han was kind and caring for the people, and he was affectionate and righteous.

Huan Rong can swear to God, he has absolutely no intention of inviting his name.By coincidence, a pie fell from the sky and landed on top of the head with a bang.

If Fu Jianquan knew about it, I don't know how he would feel.

After the Battle of Pengcheng ended, the Jizhou Assassin knew that there was no hope for his plan. When he was surrounded by Qingzhou and Bingzhou, he had to open the city gate and surrender.

Because of Huan Rong's words first, the Jizhou assassin's life was saved, and he was temporarily taken to Bingzhou. The vacated power was taken over by officials sent by Huan Han.

Regarding this, the governors of Bingzhou and Qingzhou did not say much.

The willingness is very simple. Qin Yu led the troops in the West Sea, and Qin Jiu led the troops to garrison Shuofang.From Yanmen County to Yuyang County, they are all the confidantes of the Qin brothers.In addition to the trilogy of the Liu family who stayed in Sanhan, and the thousands of Huqi in Monan, the power of the Qin family should not be underestimated.

Once these troops go south, the threat to the two states is really not small.

Furthermore, Xihe County is still firmly controlled by Qin Yue, and there are not many troops, but they are all elites.

The governor of Bingzhou did not dare to act rashly, so as not to provoke Qin Jiu's crazy revenge.

For some unknown reason, no matter how lively the battle in the Central Plains was, Qin Yu and Qin Jiu stayed put and firmly guarded the strategically important border areas.

Only those in the know know that the connection between Xihai, Shuofang and Chang'an has never been broken. As long as Qin Jing gives an order, the army can go south in a big way, directly attacking the Huanhan army.

By mid-May, the Huan Han army finally cleared the road to Xianyang County.

When the news came, rumors arose in Chang'an City.

At the court meeting, no fewer than five people asked Qin Jing to order Qin Jiu and Qin Jun's troops to go south to fight the Han army to the death.

Qin Jing didn't nod, but only ordered the generals in Xianyang County to be recruited, and the young and strong were recruited.

"In order to prevent the Hu thieves from going south, the frontier troops should not move lightly."

After the court meeting, Qin Jing left the Guangming Hall and drove to the Jiaofang Hall to see the Empress Dowager Liu.

At that time, Empress Dowager Liu and Concubine Liu Shu were both in the inner hall, but the beauties who accompanied them to amuse themselves were nowhere to be seen.

Seeing Qin Jing, Empress Dowager Liu ordered the eunuchs and maidservants to retreat, sighed, and said: "This is how the war is going, so can you make a decision?"

Qin Jing corrected her clothes and bowed to Empress Dowager Liu, surnamed Ji.

"My son made an oath on that day to expel the bandits, restore the Han Dynasty, and unify the Central Plains. Now, I am afraid that I will disappoint my mother."

Empress Dowager Liu shook her head and said in a deep voice, "I am not disappointed."

Qin Jing straightened up and listened quietly to Empress Dowager Liu's instruction.

"Azi sent his troops to sweep the north, wipe out the bandits, and restore the Han family. I am glad that it is too late, so I am disappointed.

"but……"

"God's will cannot be changed by humans." Empress Dowager Liu continued, "Since you have made a decision, you should never hesitate. I am your aunt's age, why haven't I seen anything?"

Qin Jing didn't speak, and nodded after a long time.

"Auntie, brother sent a letter, and everything is ready. Tomorrow, I will send my auntie to Shuofang."

Both Empress Liu and Concubine Liu Shu knew that this farewell might become a permanent farewell, and the circles of their eyes couldn't help turning red.Close your eyes, still can't stop the tears rolling down.

"Son, goodbye, mother."

Qin Jing saluted again, her forehead touched the ground, and she couldn't get up for a long time.

After returning to the Guangming Palace, the eunuch came to report soon, and General Zhuangwu Ranhu came to see him.

Qin Jing pondered for a while, and declared him to enter the palace.

"Your Majesty," after Ran Hu entered the palace, he bent down on the ground and solemnly said, "I have a request, Your Majesty, please allow me!"

Qin Jing looked at Ranhu and said, "Get up and talk."

Ranhu didn't stand up, but just raised his head. There were two scars across his right cheek, one was obviously a new wound, the wound was turned out, and the scab had not yet formed.

"Your Majesty, please listen to my servant's words. If you keep the green hills, you will not worry about no firewood. Once Chang'an cannot be guarded, I will protect your majesty and go to Monan!"

Qin Jing sat in front of the screen and didn't make a sound for a long time.

The sunset glow gathered in the sky, and a black eagle flew into the hall.

Qin Jing's back was reflected on the screen, motionless for a long time, as if condensed into a statue.

In the ninth year of Taiyuan, in June, Empress Dowager Liu and Concubine Liu Shu disguised themselves, escorted by soldiers, and went north to Shuofang.

In the same month, the Han army broke through Xianyang County and sent troops to the city of Chang'an.