Chapter 821 Murong Ke!
The golden order was delivered to Hedong.
There was a murderous atmosphere in the Yan army tent. Almost everyone's face was filled with anger, and their eyes were wandering over the court envoys with murderous intent.
The imperial envoy looked at Murong Ke with some fear and said, "Grand Marshal, the Queen Mother has ordered you to return to the capital, so pack up and follow us."
Murong Ke's eyes were dark, and he sat at the head of the tent without raising his head and said, "The messenger will go back and report to the Queen Mother first. The war is urgent and we cannot go back. After we conquer Hedong, I will apologize to the Queen Mother."
The messenger dared not say more and left in a hurry.
As soon as the messenger left the camp, Murong Ke's generals could not help but roared, "The treacherous queen and the incompetent monarch have allowed the army to return with such a ridiculous reason. The government of Dayan has been defeated in their hands.
Are those ministers in the court just there to eat and do nothing?
How could such an order be sent to the front line? If the soldiers knew that not only would they not be rewarded for their great achievements, but they would also have to return home directly, wouldn't those nobles worry about mutiny?
My king, you must not obey such an order."
These words touched everyone's heart. Not rewarding meritorious deeds and not punishing mistakes are the biggest problems of injustice among the people.
In particular, there are many Hu people in the Yan army. These people are brave in battle, but they also value rewards the most. If they are not rewarded for their merits, this group of people will really mutiny.
They had a good understanding of Murong Ke's character. He acted too uprightly and had good character. He was a man who strictly followed the way of a gentleman. It was precisely because of this that he bypassed those real blood relatives of the Murong family and became a minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor.
The less Murong Ke spoke, the more afraid they became.
It is of course very good to be a subordinate of a person like Murong Ke. After all, he is tolerant to his subordinates. After following Murong Ke for many years, they have not only risen rapidly in their official positions, but also become rich.
But Murong Ke was tolerant towards his subordinates because he was a sentimental person. He also valued feelings when facing the emperor, which made it difficult to deal with him.
As the leader of a faction, he is a loyal and righteous minister.
In the past hundred years, the last such minister who was not from the Luo family was Zhuge Liang of the Han Dynasty. Zhuge Liang met Liu Chan. Although Liu Chan's ability was average, he was really kind to Zhuge Liang, which made people feel gratified that the monarch and his minister got along well with each other.
But where is Murong Ke now?
It just makes people feel not worth it!
Murong Ke's eyes were full of struggle, but he finally put the golden order into a box, then stood up, looked around at everyone with a calm demeanor, and said in a deep voice: "Order the entire army to capture Hedong and seize this vital land for Great Yan!"
Everyone in the camp laughed loudly and said, "As you command!"
Murong Ke chose to continue his march despite the golden order, determined to capture the entire Hedong.
The third golden order came.
Murong Ke weighed the golden order in his hand. Murong Chui rushed into the camp and said in a deep voice: "Brother, Yicheng has been captured, the Wei army was defeated at Gaoliang Pavilion, the Wei army in Yang County, Huo County and other places surrendered, and the east has been pacified."
The fifth golden order came.
The messenger had been replaced by the eunuch beside the Queen Mother, who screamed loudly: "Grand Marshal, disobeying the king's order, is this your answer to His Majesty?"
Murong Ke led his army across Jiang County and stationed at Dongchipo. He waved his hand and the eunuch was taken away directly. Three days later, looking at the corpses scattered on the ground at the bottom of the slope, the eunuch was so scared that he was trembling and dared not say much. Murong Ke asked him to return to Jicheng to report the news.
When the seventh golden order arrived, Murong Ke was leading an army to besiege one of the largest cities, Anyi. He still did not lose his temper with the imperial envoys, but simply said, "My dear envoys, now is the time when the war is at its most intense. Why don't you go and attack the city as well?"
"Grand Marshal, seven golden orders cannot allow you to return to the army. Is this army yours or Dayan's? Are you still a subject of Dayan?"
Murong Ke said in a deep voice: "When a general is away from home, he may not obey the orders of the king. Please return!"
The messenger snorted coldly. After he said this, there were some things that no longer needed to be discussed. The relationship between the monarch and his subjects was broken by this sentence.
When the messenger left, Murong Ke closed his eyes deeply for the first time, and fatigue appeared between his brows. After all, he had come to this point.
How difficult it is to be a loyal minister.
The generals in the camp looked at Murong Ke with anger on his face, but no one spoke. Murong Chui shed tears secretly, but didn't know what to say to comfort his brother.
The camp was silent for a long time. Murong Ke finally recovered and said with a slightly hoarse voice: "Don't worry about these things. When we lead the army to go to war, we must make contributions to the country and conquer Hedong. After returning to Jicheng, I will explain to Your Majesty."
"yes!"
The sound is a bit dull.
The soldiers naturally didn't know about these things. They happily followed Murong Ke to win one victory after another and to gain countless military merits.
There is a general trend in war.
Murong Ke in this state may be at his strongest. The Yan army is invincible and Anyi cannot stop him at all.
Battle of Anyi.
The last counterattack force of the Wei army was completely annihilated by Murong Ke. This was a military victory even more significant than the Battle of Fenshui. After this war, only seven or eight out of ten combat-capable soldiers in the Wei State were left.
Within two years, it was impossible for Wei to restore its military configuration before the Hedong War. The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry inherited by Wei from the Cao Cao era was completely destroyed. The tragedy can be imagined.
The Yan army pursued them all the way.
At Fengling Ferry, looking at the surging Yellow River and the towering Guanzhong, the imperial base of 1,400 years, there may be a chance to seize it directly.
In front of Murong Ke were twelve golden orders. One after another, like death orders, appeared in front of Murong Ke.
What followed was the notification that food and fodder had been cut off.
There is also the imperial edict, "Liaodong is experiencing severe cold, Jizhou is experiencing severe drought, this is the heavens starting to warn us Great Yan, this is all because you, Murong Ke, did not obey the will of heaven, are you still going to be stubborn and ignore us Great Yan for the sake of Hedong?
Could it be that the merits have really confused your mind, making you no longer care about your king and father?"
Murong Chui was eager to try and said, "Brother, should we continue to chase? We can now collect boats from the east of the river and rush over directly, or wait until the ice freezes in winter and cross through these ferries."
Murong Ke shook his head and said, "There is no chance. We have no food and grass, so we have to go back to Jicheng once. According to His Majesty's decree, all of us have to go back, but the army cannot leave.
The military situation in Hedong has just been pacified. If we leave now, all our efforts will be in vain.
Even if some Hedong nobles surrender now, it will take at least two years for us to establish a relatively preliminary rule here. You command the troops to be stationed in various counties and keep an eye on these local Hedong nobles. Don't let them take advantage of the chaos to gather the displaced people and don't let them take the opportunity to occupy the land.
If we relax now, it will be extremely difficult to get it back later."
Murong Ke had already begun to arrange his affairs after leaving Hedong. Everyone knew that he was really going back to Jicheng. Murong Chui immediately became anxious and said directly: "Brother, you disobeyed the orders of the Queen Mother and the Emperor. If you return to Jicheng now, they will definitely deal with you. Why do you have to come back?"
Murong Ke was still explaining, but upon hearing this, his expression immediately turned fierce, and he said in a stern voice: "Seventh brother, the disagreement between His Majesty and I is due to state affairs, not personal grudges. Now that I have returned to Jicheng, His Majesty will not do anything to me.
What will happen if I stay in Hedong?
Who will provide the food and fodder needed by the army? Will they plunder the people of Hedong?
Although the people of Hedong are not yet the subjects of Dayan, they will certainly be in the future. If Hedong is plundered, how can Dayan rule this place?
Now that Great Yan has come to this point, maintaining national stability is the most critical step. Because of internal strife in Wei, Great Yan has taken such a big advantage and even fallen into the crisis of national destruction. You should learn from this, and you should all learn from this."
Murong Ke's harsh rebuke made several people lower their heads. The fact that Yan State was able to destroy so many Wei State troops so smoothly and conquer Hedong was not unrelated to the chaotic political situation in Wei State.
After several generals led their armies away, only Murong Ke and Murong Chui were left. Murong Ke looked at Murong Chui and said, "Seventh brother, I know that you are dissatisfied with the emperor. You are very much like your father, a man of temperament, repaying kindness with kindness and taking revenge with revenge.
But I am here to teach you something.
Naturally, I feel distressed about this major event, but I cannot let my emotions control my thinking. This is what a politician should do. If I had fallen out with the Queen Mother and Your Majesty when the first golden order came down, we would not be able to conquer the entire Hedong now.
This is the art of compromise, this is the art of weakness.
The situation has now reached the point where we have no choice but to return to Jicheng, otherwise Dayan will split. Does Dayan have the conditions to split now?
No!
Our Great Yan is now the strongest in the world. We control Yandai and Liaodong in the north, Bingzhou in the west, and half of Jizhou in the south. We can also make profits from the grasslands and replenish our troops. We have both sustained combat power and the most elite and powerful cavalry. This is why we have become the strongest in the world.
But once they split, it will inevitably split along the Taihang Mountains, and both sides will be defeated immediately.
Is that something we can afford?"
The scene described by Murong Ke awakened Murong Chui, who was intoxicated with the invincibility of Yan State. He understood Murong Ke's painstaking efforts, but still worriedly said: "Brother, but if we return to Jicheng like this, we will have to leave so many troops in Hedong. What if there is danger?"
Murong Ke looked at Jicheng in the east and said in a deep voice: "No one knows what the future will be like. The war in Hedong looks dangerous, but it is actually very simple. But after returning to Jicheng, it is very dangerous, but this is what we have to face.
Seventh brother, don't worry. I will do what I can. The State of Yan, relying on the Queen Mother and her people, will not be a match for the other countries. If things really go wrong, I will arrange for someone to send you away. I left people in Hedong just for you.
If one day, it really comes to that, and you still have a place to live, at that time, remember to go to Guanzhong first, and don't be nostalgic for the prosperity of Guandong. "
These words have a hint of dealing with the aftermath.
Murong Ke was not desperate to that extent. He just followed the convention and kept a backup plan.
The two brothers walked side by side, and Murong Ke said again: "The biggest beneficiary this time is not our Great Yan, but Liang. I am afraid that the land of Heluo will all fall into the hands of Liang. The two generations of the Jiangdong Luo family are really extraordinary.
The State of Liang did not collapse but survived. However, its congenital defects were difficult to make up for.
If you are in charge of Yan State in the future, you must be careful and wait until Liang State or another southern dynasty is in chaos before taking action. "
Murong Chui asked doubtfully, "Will the Southern Dynasty be in chaos?"
Murong Ke said softly: "It will be chaotic. Although Liang is strong, it is only the first generation of emperors. Which country's first generation of emperors is not strong?
If now is a turbulent time with many heroes vying for supremacy, and a hero rises up and unifies the world, then it would not be a big deal if the second generation is mediocre.
But now is no longer a chaotic era where many heroes compete for supremacy, but an era where many countries coexist.
What is needed is a long-term competition. Liang State has not yet experienced its second generation of emperor. Who knows what will happen?
After the death of Duke Yuzhang, the State of Wu was transformed into the State of Chu, which was actually a usurpation of the throne. After the death of the second emperor of Chu, the third emperor was still in his infancy, and the State of Chu was transformed into the State of Liang. What happened to the State of Liang?
I’m looking forward to it. ”
…
The State of Wei was defeated, not only in Hedong, but also in Heluo. Yique Pass was indeed a powerful pass in the world, and it blocked Xiao Yan's advance. However, it was impossible to reverse the collapse of the situation with just one pass.
After paying a great sacrifice, the Liang army attacked Heluo. The eight passes of Luoyang were connected with iron chains to guard Luoyang together. But at the same time, once one pass was breached, the other passes would basically lose their function.
When Xiao Yan led his army all the way north from Yique to Luoyang, he was shaking with excitement. Since Luo Chu, Duke of Yuzhang, took control of Jiangdong, this was the first time that the dynasty of Jiangdong had touched one of the two capitals.
Holy city of Luoyang!
With Luoyang in hand, who can still say that the Southern Dynasty is isolated and who can still say that the Southern Dynasty is not worthy of being in the upper class?
Xiao Yan led his elite troops to Luoyang, and then sent the rest of the troops to capture other cities. Many cities of Wei were in a very awkward situation. After Xiao Yan broke through Heluo from Nanyang, he cut off the connection between Luoyang and Chang'an to the west of Heluo.
The Wei army was either sandwiched between Liang and Yan, or between Liang and Han. It was like there was no way to go up to heaven or enter the earth. The situation was extremely embarrassing.
These people either fight to the end or surrender.
It can be said that the country was caught in a dilemma. The three kingdoms were all trying to recruit these people, especially the Han Kingdom. In order to obtain the important town of Xingyang, it promised great benefits to the defenders of Xingyang and Hulao Pass.
Xiao Yan certainly knew all these things, but he could do nothing about it. Moreover, his main target now was Luoyang. The main resistance force of Wei State was in Luoyang. If he did not capture Luoyang, this war would be in vain.
…
When the Liang army was conquering cities in Heluo, the Han state would naturally not miss this opportunity. As everyone expected, between Yan and Liang, the Han state chose Liang without hesitation.
In fact, if we attack Jizhou, the Han State would not be able to defeat the Yan State because it did not have many cavalry. It would be much easier to attack Liang State, especially to recapture Huai and Si and completely suppress Liang State's intention to move north. This was the national policy of the Han State.
The goal of the Han State was to push the battle line between the Han State and the Liang State back to the time when the Han State was just established. At that time, the Han State was able to withstand the attacks of the Three Kingdoms. If its talents were not inferior to those of the Three Kingdoms combined, it would never have ended up in its current state.
This war between the Han and Liang also had an advantage, that is, because Yan was going to fight in Hedong, it relaxed its military suppression of the Han, allowing the Han to transfer a large number of troops from the northern front to the southern front.
The Han State now still owns half of Jizhou, the most populous half of Jizhou, as well as the complete Qingzhou and Yanzhou, less than half of Yuzhou and a tiny bit of land north of the Huai River in Xuzhou. These are all densely populated areas with no shortage of war potential.
The big problem of the Han Dynasty was that the terrain was too poor, with no mountains or rivers blocking the way.
The cavalry of Yan State could rush directly to the imperial capital to show off their strength, and could even plunder in Qingzhou. The Yellow River had no effect as a natural barrier. The army of Liang State could also plunder within the territory, and the army of Wei State was even more powerful. If Han State was not paying attention, they would go out of Hulao to plunder, and if Han State counterattacked, they would hide back in the important town of Xingyang, leaving Han State helpless.
If the Han State were to concentrate its forces to attack one of the countries, the other two countries would be delighted.
This situation continued until after the Han Dynasty was weakened. Wei finally stopped participating in the looting of the Han Dynasty and joined forces with the Han Dynasty. However, the Han Dynasty was only strong enough to cope with the north and south fronts.
When we had Xuzhou in the past, at least the soldiers from Jiangdong could not come over, so we only had to deal with the Yan State in the north.
Now is the best opportunity for the Han State. Wei State is in chaos, and the Han State has the opportunity to capture the important town of Xingyang. Liang State and Yan State are both attacking Wei State, one wants to seize Hedong and the other wants to take Heluo. If the Han State can take back Huai and Si.
The Han State would then have strong fortified cities to the west and south, which would greatly ease the pressure on the various armies and allow it to even concentrate the nation's troops to fight the Yan State in Jizhou.
The Han Dynasty would not necessarily lose. Yuan Shao won a great victory in the decisive battle in Jizhou and Gongsun Zan who occupied Youzhou, using infantry to defeat cavalry. The Han Dynasty had a strong foundation and definitely had a chance.
This could be said to be the best opportunity for the Han State in the past fifty years. For the first time, the Han State, which had always been the target of attacks, had the chance to avoid being attacked by other countries and fight with all its might.
…
Murong Ke returned to Jicheng with Murong Chui and more than 10,000 troops.
When approaching Jicheng, Murong Ke ordered the army to advance slowly and then sent envoys into the city. He was very worried that the powerful and wealthy in Jicheng would treat the triumphant army coldly, which would directly intensify the conflict.
After the envoy came back, just as he had expected, the Queen Mother did not want to use a grand ceremony to welcome the triumphant soldiers. Murong Ke, who had always been able to remain calm, couldn't hold back his expression for the first time.
He handed the sword and seal to Murong Chui and decided to go to Jicheng in person to talk to the emperor and the empress dowager.
Murong Chui did not stop him. Murong Ke had his own code of conduct and no one could shake it.
Murong Ke's appearance was surprising to the Queen Mother. She never expected that Murong Ke would dare to appear in Jicheng alone.
In the magnificent imperial palace of the State of Yan, there were sword-wielding guards on both sides. At the top, the empress dowager and the emperor sat high up. The hall was full of gorgeous carvings. Murong Ke stood in the hall, looking proudly at the empress dowager.
Why did the Queen Mother dare to treat Murong Ke like this?
Because of Murong Ke’s tolerance!
When the first golden order was issued, the Queen Mother was actually a little scared, but as Murong Ke became more and more tolerant, she became more and more aggressive. This is exactly the truth that a kind-hearted person is often bullied and a kind-hearted horse is often ridden.
In order to consider the overall situation, Murong Ke humbled himself, but the Queen Mother of Yan did not think so. Instead, she believed that Murong Ke was a weak and vulnerable person.
Murong Ke looked up and saw that the emperor had grown a bit older than before he left. The lines on his face had become tougher and he looked more like a real man.
The shrill voice of the Queen Mother of Yan interrupted his thoughts, "Prince Taiyuan, you actually dared to appear here and disobey the orders of the court. You ignored the twelve golden orders issued by His Majesty and now you actually dared to appear here. You are so brave!"
Murong Ke said calmly: "I am a minister of Dayan, a minister of your majesty. After returning victorious, I will enter the palace to face your majesty, to whom I am loyal. What is wrong with that?
I have no selfish motives, so why should I not dare to meet Your Majesty?"
The emperor did not say anything, but adjusted his sitting position, a little further away from his mother, and continued to look at the empress dowager and Murong Ke.
The Queen Mother did not expect that Murong Ke would not panic at all. She hated Murong Ke's calm expression the most and asked sternly, "You have no selfish motives?
You were granted the title of King of Taiyuan because of the trust of the late emperor and ancestors, and now you even want to grant your brother the title of King of Hedong. Do you think you have no selfish motives?"
Murong Ke raised his voice and said word by word: "Queen Dowager, my younger brother is the biological son of my ancestor and a true royal relative of the Murong clan. He has outstanding military talent, even surpassing me. He is the future Great Wall of Yan.
The national policy of our Great Yan is to seize Hedong and then attack Guanzhong. I will stay in Jicheng and will not go on any more expeditions. So I let the King of Liaodong go to Hedong in the hope that he can establish merits for Great Yan. What selfish motive is there in this?
Queen Mother, you have such a big misunderstanding of me. Who is the treacherous villain who whispered such slander in your ears? I want to confront him and find out who is at fault and who has selfish motives. "
Murong Ke's words were so powerful that they echoed in the hall, making the Queen Mother embarrassed. However, she seized on the fact that Murong Ke was unwilling to return and said, "I don't know whether you are secretly treacherous or truly loyal to the country, but I have never heard of a general who refused to obey the emperor's orders and still considered himself a loyal minister."
"When a general is on the battlefield, he may not obey the orders of the emperor. This is a principle passed down from ancient times!"
The Queen Mother interrupted Murong Ke with a high-pitched voice, “No orders, but twelve golden orders, twelve!
Not one!
King Taiyuan, you are so arrogant!
Until now, I still don’t think you were wrong.”
The emperor suddenly said, "Mother, now is not the time to discuss this. Since the King of Taiyuan is willing to return to Jicheng, it is fair and aboveboard. Perhaps we really have wronged the King of Taiyuan.
Now let's ask the reason why King Taiyuan came to the Imperial City alone. He didn't come here to tell us these things."
The Queen Mother wanted to speak again, but was pulled back by the Emperor. "Mother, please, are you going to punish the King of Taiyuan here?"
The Queen Mother was choked. The most severe punishment she could think of was to make Murong Ke retire from the army. It was absolutely impossible to punish him. How could she dare to do such a thing? She was not brave enough to do that.
Murong Ke knew the empress dowager too well. She was indeed rather stupid, but not a particularly cruel person. Unless it was absolutely necessary, the empress dowager would not touch him, and the emperor would stop her. Now it seemed that this was indeed the case.
Murong Ke bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Queen Mother, we are now dozens of miles outside Jicheng. The army returning to Jicheng needs a welcoming ceremony to let all the soldiers feel the joy of victory and let all the soldiers know that Your Majesty will reward them."
The Queen Mother immediately said, "Impossible!"
Murong Ke's expression was colder than ever before. He raised his head and said coldly, "Queen Dowager, what I say here is not for myself, but for Your Majesty. This is the army of Dayan, Your Majesty's army.
What would happen if we don't reward the great achievement of conquering Hedong?
I don’t know.
I don’t want to know either.
But that would be a pain that Dayan could not bear, and this army was only a few dozen miles away from Jicheng, what would be the result? "
Just a few casual words were enough to make the empress dowager and the emperor feel goose bumps.
"King Taiyuan, what do you mean by this? Are you threatening His Majesty Yuhe?"
Murong Ke smiled bitterly and said, "Threatening Your Majesty? If a mutiny really happens, does the Queen Mother think I can escape unscathed?
The first person those barbarians killed was me. Although I am not my ancestor's biological son, I am a relative of Dayan. No one would classify me as outside the royal family. If there is a big chaos, how can I escape?"
Murong Ke's tactic of retreating in order to advance was very clever. It immediately dispelled the resistance in the emperor's heart and indirectly demonstrated the necessity of reward.
Without waiting for the Queen Mother to speak, the Emperor said directly: "Prince Taiyuan, you are right. I was deceived by the treacherous ministers and could not see the state affairs clearly. This is my fault. Please return to the army and lead the army. I will lead the civil and military officials to welcome the triumphant army ten miles outside Jicheng."
The empress dowager wanted to say something but was stopped by the emperor again. The emperor shook his head and looked at the empress dowager with pleading. The empress dowager snorted coldly and stopped talking.
In the corner of the hall, the historian was silently recording this scene.
————
The Empress Dowager questioned him several times, but Ke answered with reason. The Empress Dowager was angry, but Ke was not afraid. The Emperor insisted on his reasoning, and Ke finally made the decision. - "Northern History: Yan Benji"
Prime Minister Zhuge has too many fans. I started writing before I even started writing. But after thinking it over, I decided not to write it because it is difficult to write well, or no matter how I write it, it will never surpass the prime minister in history.
In terms of moral character, Murong Ke is a replica of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang. In terms of ability, he is not as good as the prime minister in governing, but better than the prime minister in military affairs. However, they are mainly matched in terms of moral character, so I write a little more about him to make up for the regret of not writing about the prime minister.
(End of this chapter)
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