Liu Hong led thousands of people through Gucheng in a hurry. After eating the millet rice prepared by Huan Shao, the order of Gucheng, the group of people marched non-stop along the Weihan Passage towards Hangu Pass.
When he arrived at Hangu Pass, Liu Hong felt a little relieved with such a majestic pass guarding him. As soon as the carriage passed the pass, he ordered a group of ministers and guards to be rewarded. He also ordered Jingzhao Yin and Zhang Feng to make various preparations in Chang'an to welcome the carriage.
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Of course, Liu Hong is more concerned about the situation in the towns in Kansai.
At this time, there were still tens of thousands of soldiers and horses in various towns in Guanzhong, including powerful troops such as Yongzhou Huya. The Qiang people who had invaded the border had been driven out of Guanzhong due to the counterattack of Gai Xun, the captain of the army.
Later, Beigong Boyu, headed by the Qiang people, had a falling out with the powerful Han people in Liangdi. After a fierce battle, he no longer had the strength to offend Guanzhong again.
Therefore, the current focus of Guanzhong's defense is the Hangu Pass line.
So Liu Hong's carriage was not west, so he appointed Yang Biao, the guard who was exempted from accompanying him, to be responsible for the military affairs in the east, so that he could easily take over the power and open a government office.
This means allowing Yang Biao to form his own team and giving him a staff that can recruit loyal and good officials.
Yang Biao was chosen because he was a man of great integrity and his family was from a prominent family in Guanxi, so he was naturally a good candidate for this position.
In fact, Liu Hong is very clear-headed. Since the establishment of the company in the West, the previous selection and employment style that focused on Kanto will be replaced by Kansai.
After all, the number of people who followed him into Guanzhong was only a few thousand. Compared to the millions of people in Kansai, they were only a handful. Without relying on the aristocratic families in Guandong, Liu Hong would have difficulty surviving.
But Liu Hong did not give up completely, and his long-standing emperor's thoughts still made him use methods.
In addition to appointing and removing Yang Biao to serve as governor of the armies in the east, Liu Hong also placed his close minister, Huangmen Shilang Shejian, in Yang Biao's shogunate.
Shejian was from Fufeng and was a close minister of his own, so he was bound to be able to coordinate the relationship between the two very well.
After that, Liu Hong also appointed and dismissed his confidant Gao Yan as General Pujin to prevent the rebels from attacking from here. From this, it can also be seen that Liu Hong has certain military strategy capabilities.
Because in addition to the Hangu Pass road from the east, there is also the Pujin Pass Road from the north. If the rebels pass through Mengjin from Kyoto and enter Hedong, they can then cross the river from Pujin Pass and directly follow the Zhengguo Canal to Yueyang
, and then to Gaoling in the west, and behind Gaoling is Baqiao in the east of Chang'an.
It can be said that if you take Pujin, you can directly bypass the dangerous Hangu Pass and hit the middle of Guanzhong.
Therefore, Liu Hongcai sent the highly regarded Gao Yan there to guard the northeastern route.
Gao Yan later served as an official and lived as the governor of Shanggu. Later, Yuan Shao occupied Hebei and ordered him to pay his salary. However, the money was insufficient, so Yuan Shao paid for it with his life.
Gao Yan's deputy is Pubanling Xu Ying.
This person was also a close confidant of Liu Hong Jianba, who was released by his Langguan. Xu Ying was from the Feng Yi family in Kansai. She was resolute and forthright, and was a rare talent.
Liu Hong believed that Gao Yan and Xu Ying, both civil and military, would be able to defend Pujin Pass for him.
Liu Hong, who had a complete self-consciousness, took the frame and continued westward.
But over there, Kyoto, which he abandoned, had its own ideas.
…
Henan rebels besieged the city and tried to force him to surrender.
But for the two left-behind men in the city, especially Sikong Xuxiang, the wealthy people in Henan who knew their behavior were not very sure.
Xiang Xiang's family is in Runan. Like the Yuan family, their family is a wealthy family with a long history of ministers. The interests of these people are closely related to the central government, and they will not succumb just because they are from Henan aristocratic families.
In particular, they learned from Zhao Qian who surrendered that during the previous court meeting, Prime Minister Xu was the most intense and wanted to send troops to conquer them.
But surprisingly, the city actually agreed to the peace talks and allowed the rebels to send envoys into the city.
But who should be allowed to go?
At this juncture, everyone knows how dangerous it is to enter the city alone.
After all, the Han Dynasty has been united by two hundred years of grace. No one knows how many people in Kyoto are willing to die for the Han Dynasty.
When the time comes, if you enter the city and are caught by these people, how can you survive?
Now is the time when great achievements are about to be accomplished, and no one wants to risk their lives to infect others.
Originally, this kind of job was all Xun You's, but this guy was stupid and yet warm-hearted.
But Xun You was detained by the Taishan bandits who suffered from the plague.
The people on the other side did not respect martial ethics. Although they agreed to let them go south, they detained their envoy. They said that this person did not respect their commander, and his words and deeds were arrogant.
But who doesn't know that Xun You inherited the modest and gentlemanly character of the Xun family? Who would believe that he is arrogant?
Therefore, they wondered whether it was Xun Erlong who died in Jinan. The instigator was Zhang Chong, the leader of the Taishan thieves, and this incident must be his revenge on the Xun family.
In fact, it is also because of this incident that no one of these powerful people wants to be this messenger.
Just when things were at a standstill, Zhong Yao came out and agreed to be the messenger.
But this time the powerful people disagreed.
Because they all had to question whether Zhong Yao was one of their own.
Of course they, the Yuzhou people, knew that the Taishan bandits captured Changshe when they went north, and Zhong Yao's family was kidnapped by the Taishan bandits.
No thief knows about Zhong Yaotong, but at least it is possible. So how can such a big thing be handed over to an uncertain person?
In the end, He Jin and Huangfu Song acted as guarantees. They both said that Zhong Yao was fine, so the generals gave up.
The fact that Zhong Yao's younger brother Zhong Yan acted as a spy for the Han army among the Taishan bandits was only known to a few senior Han army officials. In order to protect Zhong Yan's safety, Huangfu Song and others did not tell the Han generals.
After that, Zhong Yao was pulled up to the city in a bamboo basket, and then he was sent to the posthouse to rest temporarily.
Originally, Zhong Yao wanted to pay a direct visit to Prime Minister Situ Xu, but not long after he checked into the post house, Zhong Yao's post house was surrounded by tiger soldiers sent by Yin Xuguan of Henan Province.
Later, a man named Le Yin, who claimed to be a Situ official, sent him a message saying:
Situ is not able to talk today because he is slightly ill.
Although this incident was unexpected, it was not what Zhong Yao expected. After all, given the situation of Prime Minister Situ Xu, not long after the country left that country, he hurriedly negotiated peace with the rebels, which would definitely damage his reputation.
To put it bluntly, this Xu Xiang wants to lose face.
In fact, Zhong Yao knew that the city was bound to surrender as early as Xu agreed to the peace talks. It was with this judgment in mind that Zhong Yao volunteered to be the envoy.
As for other gentlemen, it's not that they don't see this, but they realize that a gentleman doesn't stand behind a dangerous wall.
Zhong Yao also thinks that he is a gentleman, but now he is not as particular as a gentleman in the past.
Ever since the Changshe Zhong family was kidnapped by the Taishan bandits, Zhong Yao knew that the mission of revitalizing the family's reputation fell on him, so he dared to do things that others did not dare to do.
Zhong Yao was sitting in the post house, looking at the Situ Gong's Mansion not far away, with an ambiguous expression:
"Since you want face, then I will give you face."
After saying this, Zhong Yao took off his clothes and went to sleep.
After all, it was not him who was anxious, but Xiang Xu. With tens of thousands of troops outside the city, Zhong Yao slept very soundly.
…
On the second day, Zhong Yao was eating when the man named Le Yin came again.
This time, he said that his Situ's illness was cured.
Zhong Yao smiled and followed him to Duke Situ's mansion without revealing the truth.
He had thought that Xu Xianghui would last for a while, but he didn't expect that he couldn't stand it after only one day. It seemed that Zhong Yao still had a high opinion of Situ.
Zhong Yao never felt that Xu Xiang was loyal to the country from the beginning to the end. Even though he seemed to be a noble or a so-called hardliner. But Zhong Yao, who had an insight into people's hearts, did not believe in the Han Dynasty at this time.
There are several pure ministers, aren’t they all thieves of the country?
On the contrary, the one next to me named Le Yin is a bit interesting.
Zhong Yao had heard of this man, who was from Hebei. It is said that he was conquered by He Miao, the younger brother of General He Jin. It is not clear why He Miao, a Henan native, would conquer the remote border areas of Leyin, which has a long history.
What's even more interesting is that while He Miao was taken to Guanzhong by Liu Hong, Le Yin actually stayed in Kyoto and became Situ Kungfu's handler, which is interesting.
The reason why Zhong Yao knew this person was that there was another person who was conquered by He Miao along with Le Yin.
That is Chen Liu Xiaolian Weizi.
In fact, the reason why the rebels were able to advance all the way and choose such a good time was all due to the Yuzhou officials in Kyoto.
Even though the city was besieged, the Henan officials in the city never broke off contact with the rebels and reported the truth and falsehoods in the city to the rebels.
Among these people is Weitz.
This man was also left in the city by He Miao, and is now living in an official residence in Kyoto. From Wei Zi's letters, he mentioned this man named Le Yin, saying that he was a talented person.
But that’s about it.
Zhong Yao didn't think this person was a talent, so he just wanted to do whatever he wanted.
Is there still a shortage of talents in this world? I didn’t see him doing such risky things with his family background, why? It’s not just for an opportunity.
So Zhong Yao just ignored Le Yin and sat on the bullock cart without talking.
This ox cart belongs to the palace. In fact, when Le Yin came, he brought the chariot from Situ Gong's residence, accompanied by sixteen chariot drivers.
But Zhong Yao didn't dare to do it. This is something that only senior officials in the court can enjoy. He is not worthy of it now.
After all, Zhong Yao knows that the Henan aristocratic families are not here to overthrow the Han Dynasty, but to support a Han Dynasty that suits their interests. Therefore, this hierarchy still needs to be discussed, and this order still needs to be maintained.
And now is the key to the peace talks. If you sit on such a good chariot, you will lose some momentum in the end.
In this way, Zhong Yao took the bullock cart and went away.
Along the way, feeling the vibrations coming from the uneven road surface, Zhong Yao suddenly had a thought:
"Is it less jarring to sit on a walking chariot?"
Sure enough, this is how people's ambitions come about. At this moment, Zhong Yao was thinking about the position of the three princes.
In this way, two rows of Jinwu knights opened the way, and the motorcade slowly headed towards Situ Gong's Mansion.
At this moment, the curtains of the oxcarts were lowered, and Zhong Yao could not see what was going on on the road, but from the silence on both sides of the road, one could tell how frightened Luoyang City was at this moment.
The motorcade went straight, then turned right and walked into a narrow alley, and then walked for more than a moment. The motorcade stopped in the middle of a not very wide street.
Zhong Yao got out of the car and saw that the street was sparsely populated. Opposite was Situ Gong's Mansion, but he was parked behind the mansion.
Zhong Yao didn't take it seriously. After getting off the car, he just looked at the Situ Mansion attentively.
Different from the surrounding low-rise buildings, this Situ Gong Mansion is worthy of being a Han Dynasty dignified building, with carved beams and painted pillars. Even when viewed from the back, it has a majestic feel.
Looking further ahead, the high palace wall across the street is the Nangong Palace.
When Zhong Yao was a child, he came to Kyoto with his clan father. At that time, he met a fortune teller who said that he had a noble fortune. Come to think of it, twenty years have passed, and when he came to Kyoto again, he was in such a situation.
Zhong Yao and others got off the car here, and Le Yin stepped forward to hand over the talismans to the gatekeepers, and then opened a back door to let Zhong Yao go.
In fact, it is very shameful to open the back door, but Zhong Yao also understands.
As I said before, give you face.
As soon as the door opened, Le Yin was a little apologetic, and then invited Zhong Yao to come into the house.
Before he passed through the main street, he saw a middle-aged man standing there to greet Zhong Yao.
Just by looking at his demeanor and ribbon, Zhong Yao knew that this person was the current Situ Xuxiang.
He was quite tall. Zhong Yao himself was eight feet tall, which was as high as his chin. He was already tall, and with this magnanimity, he gave Xu Xiang the majesty of the Han family.
Zhong Yao carefully looked at Mr. Xu. At this moment, this man was still wearing home clothes. He saw a reddish-brown brocade robe and a purple silk clothes outside. His face was coated with flour commonly used by ministers, so that no one could tell his specific age.
Although Xu Xiang wore simple clothes, how could Zhong Yao, who was also a child of an aristocratic family, not know that he was dressed luxuriously?
As for the purple silk dress, Zhong Yao had never seen it before. Although the silk was expensive, Zhong Yao had never worn it before. But if the silk dress was purple, he had never seen it before.
Because the color purple is very rare. It can only be extracted from a kind of comfrey called comfrey, but this kind of comfrey can only be extracted in autumn and winter because the dye is afraid of heat. Moreover, the extraction process and consumption are extremely huge, so it can
Speaking of production is very harsh.
Moreover, after the purple is extracted, it must be attached to the silk, and other materials cannot show its brightness at all. But even if it is attached to the silk, the color will fade, so the effective time is very short.
Therefore, a simple purple singlet costs only tens of gold. From this, we can also see the luxury of Sangong.
When Zhong Yao looked at Xu Xiang, Xu Xiang's face showed a hint of displeasure. After all, there are positions of superiority and inferiority, and only the superior can look at the inferior. Zhong Yao's behavior has already made Xu Xiang angry.
But Xu Xiang controlled his anger, and his small eyes flexibly changed from angry to gentle, and he said in a gentle voice:
"Yuan Chang, when I first met you, it was your grandfather who held you in his arms. I didn't expect you to have grown into such a gentleman when I saw you again. Come, let me take a good look."
With that said, Prime Minister Xu pulled Zhong Yao over, looked him up and down, and nodded approvingly from time to time.
Zhong Yao lost his previous indifference and looked quite embarrassed.
After all, if a person suddenly pulls you and says that he has seen you look like a baby, and then criticizes you like an elder, everyone will be embarrassed.
The conversation after that fell under the control of Xu Xiang. From time to time, he asked Zhong Yao some things about his hometown, and then burst into rapid laughter.
Every time I smile, my dark teeth are clearly visible.
Zhong Yao knew that these dark teeth were the inherent image of the public officials of Kyoto. The so-called black teeth were the official officials of the Han family.
The reason why their teeth are black is because they like to drink honey water.
This honey water is delicious, but it hurts your teeth. If you don't take care of them, you may lose all your teeth at 40. Ordinary people naturally don't have this problem, because they will not live to be 40 at all.
But these ministers are different. Their lives are growing. Compared with the twenty years of life in Guizhou, they can generally live to more than sixty, and many live to eighty. Compared with the former, it is enough.
It's three or four times longer, and it's simply not the same creature anymore.
In order to continue to enjoy delicious food, the ministers began to apply an iron paste on their teeth. This iron paste has a very good effect on protecting the teeth, but it has a side effect, that is, the teeth will turn black.
Originally, black teeth must be unsightly, but because only ministers can have black teeth, it has become a status symbol.
So Xu Xiang laughed without any scruples, showing off his black, healthy and strong teeth.
Over there, Xu Xiang saw Zhong Yao dumbfounded, with a trace of ridicule flashing in his eyes. Seeing that the Henan rebels sent such a person as an envoy, it strengthened his judgment on the Henan rebels.
That means there is no one in that generation and it is time for him to join.
That's right, Prime Minister Xu is indeed not as loyal as he showed in previous court discussions. After all, with such a high position at such a young age, no one wants to lose it because of ignorance.
So Mr. Xu was prepared to wait for a price and wanted to sell Kyoto to the rebels outside the city. Now it was up to him to see what price the other side would offer.
Prime Minister Xu is not afraid of the rebels breaking up, after all, who can refuse in exchange for a intact capital city.
After killing Zhong Yao's momentum, Xu Xiang, who consciously took control of the situation, invited Zhong Yao into the room, where the business was to be discussed.
This clean room once again demonstrates the low-key luxury of Gongqing.
The interior has wooden floors that have been polished to a shiny finish, and there is no furniture. There is only a eucalyptus table and a few straw mats in the corner.
Zhong Yao followed Xu Xiang to the table naturally, but as soon as he knelt down, he felt something was wrong.
He touched the mat and realized that it was actually covered with silk. No wonder it was so soft.
Zhong Yao remained silent, kneeling respectfully on the mat, intending to listen to how Xu Xiang would start.
But Xu Xiang didn't say a word, and then he heard the sound of a screen being opened. Then he saw a boy of twelve or thirteen years old, kneeling there respectfully.
Zhong Yao looked at this man's nose which looked very similar to that of Xu Xiang, and secretly guessed the relationship between the two.
Later, Prime Minister Xu called the young man over and introduced him to Zhong Yao.
It turns out that this person's name is Xu Xuan, and he is the eldest grandson of Prime Minister Xu.
Zhong Yao couldn't figure out where to go, so he just untied his sachet and gave it to Xu Xuan as a gift. Xu Xuan also showed a very good upbringing and accepted it respectfully.
Xu Xuan then went to a corner and sat down on his knees, obviously wanting to stay indoors and listen to how his grandfather and Zhong Yao were discussing.
Zhong Yao has a big head. As a high-ranking family similar to the Yuan family, the Runan Xu family already has a high reputation in Yuzhou, because their family is the third generation of the three princes, which is also an extraordinary existence.
As a backward family, the Zhong family naturally cannot be compared with the Xu family.
And Zhong Yao is a junior, and he is manipulated by Xu Xiang. From the time he entered the city to now, he has followed Xu Xiang's rhythm every step of the way, and he is completely eaten to death.
But Zhong Yao had his own strategy. He did not regard these as failures, but obediently let Xu Xiang play his cards. After all, this day is still long? Who said that Xu Xiang can win?