The winter in the first year of Yongkang in the Han Dynasty (167 AD) was extremely cold, and the northern land was mostly covered with snow.In particular, Luoyang, the capital of the Han Dynasty, has not had a sunny day for more than ten days in a row. The fierce northwest wind blows endlessly icy snowflakes, blowing the world's number one metropolis into desolation. In the Luoyang Imperial Palace, the thirty-six-year-old Emperor Liu Zhizheng was lying on the dragon couch.The illness had tormented him for too long, and when he was drowsy, he heard the roar of the wind outside, and felt more and more light in his body, as if he was about to be blown into the sky by the strong wind.

Liu Zhi ascended the throne at the age of fifteen, and in the first thirteen years, he was supported by his foreign relatives, the great general Liang Ji, as a puppet, carrying out tyranny and poisoning the common people;As a result, the government is changing day by day, the villain is gaining power, the people are suffering, and the foreign tribes are invading. However, when he was sick, he didn't reflect on his past mistakes, but was concerned about two troublesome things.The first is that he has no heirs. If he lets go, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty will inevitably choose a new heir from among the children of other clans. This means that the struggle between eunuchs and relatives will begin again; In the western border, a battle between the Han Dynasty and the Qiang people is still going on. Although the master Wang has the upper hand, who knows the final result...

This terrible war disaster started in the spring of this year. In the late spring, the people in the ancient city of Yunyang started farming one after another. They waved sickles and led cattle to work in the fields.Because the weather is getting warmer, children also come here to play and play.Everyone is looking forward to a good year, and even the sun seems to care for this peaceful land intentionally.There are no court disputes or secular intrigues here, it is simply a paradise on earth. Suddenly, several people on tall horses galloped past, breaking the peaceful atmosphere in the field.

Most of the common people didn't care, thinking they were just hunting people; but a few old people showed uneasy expressions on their faces, and they clearly saw that these people on horseback were wearing left lapels——Qiang people! Immediately afterwards, a series of changes took place in Yunyang City: first, the city gates were opened late and closed early, and the interrogation was strict, and then the number of officers and soldiers stationed on the city tower doubled, and their expressions were all serious.All the people in the streets and alleys are rumoring that the Qiang people have captured Liangzhou and are about to attack here.

On the afternoon of the third day, the soldiers stationed in Yunyang City noticed many small black spots faintly appearing on the endless plain in the distance. After a while, the outline of a cavalry gradually became clear, and the soldiers immediately reported the situation to the general guarding the city.When the general guarding the city hurriedly boarded the tower, he was shocked by the situation in front of him: the black soldiers and horses had rushed to the edge of the city like a tide! There is no limit to a thousand people, and ten thousand people reach the sky!And these soldiers are all dressed in the same attire - no pockets, fur armor, horses on horses, and left lapels!

Although the imperial court had made preparations, it was completely unexpected that the Qiang soldiers besieged Yunyang with 30,000 troops.Although the defenders tried their best to stop them, there was a huge difference in the number of people. How could the 800 trembling officers and soldiers resist the more than 30,000 brave and militant Qiang people? After a battle without any suspense, Yunyang City was breached, the guarding general and county magistrate died in battle, and all 800 soldiers were killed. Immediately afterwards, the Qiang people began to plunder and slaughter wantonly.They frantically plundered food, money and women, and most of the houses of the people were burned down by them. As long as anyone resisted a little, they would be kicked and thrown into the fire, and then they would be viciously repaired... Crying in the city There were screams one after another, the shrillness was creepy, and the smell of burnt flesh in the gray smoke was so strong that it was choking, and this ancient city suddenly became a hell on earth.

After burning, killing and plundering, the Qiang people did not withdraw from Yunyang, but left half of the soldiers stationed, and the other half began to march to other places.It's just pitiful that the common people have no way to live, the young are running and fleeing, and the old, weak, sick and disabled can only wait for death. Those days can't be mentioned at all.Hope, hope, when will the soldiers and flags of the Han family come back... Finally in October, Zhang Huan, the Hun Zhonglang general, led his troops from Bingzhou to fight. He defeated the Qiang soldiers in a single battle, regained the lost ground, beheaded more than ten Qiang leaders, and captured and wiped out more than ten thousand people.Although the battle was fought beautifully, when the banner of the Han army was erected on the city tower again, Yunyang was already a dead ruin.

After a few days, it started to snow again, but the Han army's camp was tense and orderly, and it didn't look like a victory in the war at all.Looking through the gate, there is a huge green curtain army tent between layers of military tents and pieces of guns and spears. Although there is a lot of snow on the tent, there are soldiers standing outside the tent without slack. Put up the banner of the Han army -- that is Zhang Huan's tent of the Chinese army. At this moment, although all the generals were seated in the big tent, it was silent, only a few charcoal braziers were crackling.Zhang Huan, the general who protected the Xiongnu, was named Ranming.He was wearing armor, a blue battle robe, and a handsome helmet in his arms. The few wrinkles on his broad forehead and the gray beard on his chest proved that he was already sixty-two years old.This time, he has received the order since last autumn, and he was transferred from the post of chief minister to protect the Xiongnu Zhonglang, the governor of You, Bing, and Liang prefectures, and also in charge of the two battalions of Duliao and Wuhuan. , and has the right to supervise the governors of the three states and the officials of Gyeonggi.The old general really lived up to his entrustment. He first defeated the main force of the Huns in Wuwei and Zhangye, and then entered Bingzhou. The Wuhuan people fled without fighting. Jie can be described as outstanding.But now he has changed from his usual vigorous and vigorous style, sitting at the handsome table without saying a word, holding a small wooden stick in his hand and fiddling with the charcoal fire in the basin, staring straight at a piece of burning charcoal in a daze The generals and officers also looked at the old general without moving their eyes, like clay idols.

After a while like this, Zhang Huan dropped the little wooden stick, looked around the camp and sighed: "I feel uncomfortable... When Qin Shihuang built the Great Wall, he was afraid that the Huns would take a detour and invade, so the people who migrated from Wuyuan County specially built it. Yunyang City. Today it was destroyed by the Qiang people, and countless people died. The old man is really guilty! It would be great if he could be transferred from Bingzhou earlier. Alas... Yin Sima, there is news that the rest of the Qiang people have fled ?” Army Sima Yin Duan hurriedly replied: "The subordinates have already made inquiries. First Ling Qiang (one of the Qiang tribes) was killed and injured, and the rest bypassed Gaoping and retreated to Fengyi Mountain to station. My lord, shall we go now?" How about raising troops to pursue?"

Zhang Huan shook his head. "Are you determined to recruit Qiang people?" Yin Duan asked instead. "Ok." "The emperor's grace is boundless, and the lord's benevolence is magnanimous. It is really a blessing for the court and the people..." Yin Duan changed the subject, "It's just that the Qiang people have never been loyal. But they all rebelled again and again. During the reign of Emperor Xiao'an, Yu Xu defeated the Qiang bandits in Wudu, and the rest flowed into Yizhou. Now that you have unified the soldiers and horses of the three states, if you can take advantage of the victorious division to wipe out the remaining thieves in one go, you will really remove a serious trouble for the court. If the general let go of this trouble because of a momentary benevolence, it is inevitable that they will come back to fight again in the future. You You must think twice!"

After Zhang Huan heard his words, there was no expression on his face: "Why don't I know this? The Qiang people are indeed a serious problem for my court. It is true that today's battle is rare, but I have been a chief farmer for several years. Our I know the wealth of the family! This time, the cost of conquering the Xiongnu, retreating Wuhuan, and defeating the Qiang people is immeasurable. How much more money can the court spend?" He deliberately glanced at the generals, "War is fought Money and food! Now the 100,000 troops here have to pave the ground with gold and silver, and open the road with food and grass every step of the way. How easy is it to send troops to the Yishan Mountain? What's more..." Zhang Huan suddenly stopped when he said this. He wanted to quote Confucius's sentence "I am afraid that Ji's worries are within the Xiaoqiang", but he swallowed the words again.Although he is in the army, he knows a little bit about the things in the court: the current emperor has become more and more fond of eunuchs, Wang Fu, Cao Jie and other eunuchs are in charge, asking for bribes everywhere and rejecting dissidents; The family is growing stronger and stronger, and has taken charge of military affairs in Beijing; Situ Hu Guang, who is in charge, is an out-and-out "good old man", who knows how to smear mud everywhere if he can't do serious things; Competing with himself everywhere, this time he actually stood still and secretly dragged himself back. Now another fierce soldier has entered Pengyang, obviously wanting to grab credit.In addition to these fetters, Sili Xiaowei Cao Song is the most troublesome character!Cao Song not only attached himself to the eunuch but also wore a pair of trousers with Duan Jiong. His own army was in the Sanfu ground under his jurisdiction, and he was also responsible for supplying army rations.I heard that the emperor is seriously ill and can't manage affairs. If I ordered soldiers to go to Fengyi Mountain, if Cao Song stabbed a knife in the back and deliberately came to "soldiers and food shortages", don't say that this battle can't be won, my old life may be afraid You have to pay for it!Thinking of this, Zhang Huan couldn't help shivering, but facing a full camp of generals with many factions, good and bad, how can he confide his heart even if he has a stomach full of bitterness? "General, you must not withdraw troops hastily! If you feel that the army is inconvenient to move, the general is willing to ask for a light soldier to go to Gaoping day and night, and vow to wipe down Fengyi Mountain!" The voice was like a thunderbolt, which scared all the generals in the camp. Jumping, Zhang Huan turned his head and saw that it was Sima Dong Zhuo who was begging for orders. Dong Zhuo was eight feet tall, with a thick back, thick arms and thick legs, a fat head and big ears, his swarthy face was full of flesh, and with his curly beard, he looked very fierce.Although he is only thirty years old, he has been following Zhang Huan for a long time. He is a rare brave general, but he has a bad temper, wild temper, and lack of self-cultivation. Zhang Huan didn't care about his begging for orders, and teased: "Zhongying! Why are you making old mistakes again? Now those Qiang people have almost no attachments, they are all desperadoes with their heads pinned to their belts. If we go to Bingzhou and fail to win a battle, the army will lose its prestige. This matter needs to be discussed in the long term." "A long-term plan! A long-term plan! Another long-term plan! If the old general does not believe that I can win, I am willing to issue a military order!" Zhang Huan sneered: "You must not stand up for this military order! Even if I send you there, it may not be your turn to fight this battle!" "What do you mean by that?" Dong Zhuo stared at him with rounded eyes. Zhang Huan didn't care about his rudeness, and went on to say: "You don't know, just half a month ago, when we were fighting with the Qiang people, Duan Jiong had already led the soldiers and horses of the Liao camp (the frontier garrison). Juedi entered Pengyang, where Fengyi Mountain, the home of the Qiang people, was guarding. At that time, Ji Ming always loved to fight for success. He didn’t know the details of the Qiang people’s defeat before and did not dare to stop him. After these days, he should have figured it out. Not far away. If we send out the army, he will fight for success because of his face. At most, he will help you. If you go to fight Fengyi Mountain with light soldiers, he will not let you go. How can you give up the fat on your lips? For you to eat? Zhongying, you should give up your heart!" Yin Duan also said: "What the old general said is true! That Duan Jiong has already asked the emperor for an order and waited for us to defeat the Qiang people. He went to sweep the thief's nest and kept saying that he would threaten the Qiang people with spears. White blade and neck'. It seems that he is going to take credit for this. The old general fought everywhere, but in the end the credit was robbed by others, and I feel really upset." Zhang Huan was naturally even more dissatisfied, but facing the generals, such emotions could not be revealed in the slightest.He deliberately smiled, and said disapprovingly: "Do you think I'm afraid that Duan Jiming will steal my credit? I'm over sixty, so I can't argue with a young man. We just have different opinions on conquest strategies." He stood up and took a few steps forward to Yin Duan's side, "Duan Jiming is well versed in how to use troops, and he can be called a good general, but he is eager for quick success and quick profit, and his desire to kill is too strong!" "The Qiang people destroyed our city gates and harmed our people. It is not too much for us to kill a few more of them." Yin Duan said indignantly. "Isn't it too much? Can you still kill them all? It's easy to say, I'm afraid the consequences will be unimaginable. Now it's a time of troubles, and disasters happen again and again. There are rebellions against the people in the Central Plains. Everyone in the court knows that eunuchs are taking power. If there is any grudge with these border tribes, I am afraid that there will be a slight turmoil in the Central Plains in the future, and the Qiang people will carry their hatred, and together with the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wuhuan, invade on a large scale, and those southern barbarians who have always refused to accept will take advantage of the chaos to divide the territory. At that time, these barbarians will be able to mess up the Central Plains!" He said, pacing back and forth, "So, for many years, I have followed the strategy of Huangfu Gui (a famous general in the Eastern Han Dynasty), and the strategy of appeasement and surrender is the top, and the attack and killing are the bottom. It is not to enmity with the border people, so that they sincerely submit. This strategy has been carried out for so long, and it must not be wasted." "The old general's words are reasonable, I don't have time to think about it." Yin Duan nodded, "Since the old general has such good intentions, why not write a letter of advice to Duan Jiong, so that he should not kill too much?" "It's useless! Duan Jiming is arrogant and eager to make meritorious deeds. Where does he get credit for not killing people? Besides, he has always been jealous of me being above him. If I write to persuade him, he will only think that I hinder him from making meritorious deeds. How can he not?" Can you hear me?" After hearing this, Dong Zhuo yelled loudly again: "What is Duan Jiong? If he is really capable, he will fight two serious battles for me to see! To grab credit under our noses, what kind of a hero is he?" "Zhongying! Don't talk nonsense!" Zhang Huan was afraid that this straight-hearted person would say a few unpleasant words and cause trouble, "In all fairness, Ji Ming used troops above me. You can still remember that in the third year of Yanxi, he led troops out of the Great Wall for two The victory after chasing thousands of miles, and the battle in Huangzhong the year before last, who among the current imperial court generals has such ability? People have to be convinced! In the past, Huangfugui recommended me to the emperor, and I was lucky enough to rank above Ji Ming... …Even today, whenever I think of this incident, I still feel ashamed.” Zhang Huan looked very humble, and sat down slowly, “Ji Ming’s age is just the time to show his ambitions, and I also intend to Follow the old example of Duke Huangfu giving way to me, and the Shangshu court to give way to Ji Ming.” He held up his gray beard on his chest, “At my age, I should take a step back and let the young people also shake their prestige. .” These few words were as clear as the water just drawn from the well, and the generals of the whole camp were completely convinced. Some praised repeatedly, some kept nodding, and some were deeply moved. "Old General!" Dong Zhuo suddenly shouted to break the discussion of the crowd, and he stood up abruptly, frowning and staring, the ferocious flesh on his face trembling, "Old General gave way to Duan Jiong, why not?" Give way to me? As long as other high-ranking officials have to ride on fine horses, when will I, Dong Zhuo, be able to shake off my prestige?" "Presumptuous!" Zhang Huan was furious, "How dare you be so rude! Come!" Two soldiers rushed in. "Pull this guy out, beat him with forty army sticks first!" Yin Duan quickly knelt down and begged for mercy: "Your Excellency, calm down! Zhongying has made great contributions and is eager to speak out. He really has no other intentions! Besides, he has been in the army for a long time and has made great contributions. I hope the general will forgive him!" Immediately afterwards, The generals and officers of the full battalion knelt down in a large area. Zhang Huan's anger, which had been pent up for a long time, was all drawn out by Dong Zhuo. He couldn't listen to dissuasion, so he picked up a big order from the case: "The imperial court has its own rules for employing people. How can it be good at talking about right and wrong? If you plead for him Those who are guilty of the same crime will be punished with him, and will not be tolerated..." "Report!" Zhang Huan's prestige was interrupted by a sound of reporting from outside the tent. "Come in." "Report to the general, the emperor has died!" "What? Say it again?" Zhang Huan suspected that he had heard it wrong. "The emperor is dying, and died yesterday in the Deyang Hall of the Imperial Palace." ... The matter of Dong Zhuo was thrown out of the blue in an instant, and all the people sitting, standing and kneeling in the camp were stunned.After a long time, Zhang Huan regained his composure, walked to the center of the big tent, lowered his head and said, "Pass the order, and the teacher will return to court!" Yin Duan asked in surprise: "This battle is over?" "What are you fighting for?" Zhang Huan rolled his eyes at him, "If you continue to fight at this juncture, aren't you afraid that Cao Song and Duan Jiong will tell us that our soldiers are self-respecting and intending to rebel?" Then he looked down at the order in his hand, helpless sighed.