Chapter 684 Dare you tease Luo’s tiger whiskers?
The morning light shines down, and the dazzling glow is imprinted on every mottled ancient monument on the wall of Zhaocheng. Time flies, but nothing has changed.
The bright light passed through the city gate, through the city wall, across the neat streets, stepped into the Luo Palace, and finally shone on Luo Zhang.
He was wearing a dark robe, looking deep and calm, with strands of white hair on his temples and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He was kneeling under a weeping willow, with yellowed willow leaves on the mat.
The prosperity of midsummer has come to an end, and another bleak autumn has arrived.
Luo Shu knelt quietly opposite Luo Zhang, poured a glass of warm wine, and said softly: "Father.
The family had a caravan returning to Guandong from the Western Regions, carrying goods worth 50 million yuan. They were intercepted and killed by horse bandits when entering Guanzhong.
Three hundred and seventy-two people, not one was spared."
A frightening cold light flashed in Luo Zhang's eyes, but he asked calmly, "Any clues?"
Luo Shu said coldly: "There have been several major chaos in Guanzhong, and the local nobles have fled for their lives, let alone our family. Now our hidden agents in Guanzhong have basically been lost.
Ma Teng, Han Sui, Li Jue and Guo Si all denied that they were responsible, but judging from their sons, the most likely culprits were Li Jue and Guo Si.
These two men were short-sighted, cruel by nature, and had no reverence in their hearts.
A merchant group of more than 300 people is something that ordinary horse bandits cannot do except the Xiliang Iron Cavalry.
Although money is attractive, it also depends on whether you have the life to spend it.
He was so greedy that he set his sights on my Luo family. He is really courting death!"
Luo Zhang was silent for a moment, picked up a willow leaf in his hand, and said, "Ashu, take people to Guanzhong to worship the ancestors, and find out who did it. There is no wall that is impenetrable, even if it is a dead soldier, there will always be clues."
Luo Shu frowned slightly and said: "Father, the world is in chaos now, and the war among the princes is about to end. They each occupy their own land and are called Han ministers, almost like a country.
It is not easy to lead a large army across the border. Even if Luo passes through, he will be subject to inspection, and he may not be allowed to carry armor with him. "
Interrogation is not a problem, but not being able to wear armor is too dangerous, and it is literally putting your life in the hands of others.
Hearing this, Luo Zhang stroked the wine glass in his hand, then pondered and said, "My family's relationship with Cao Cao is not close enough, so it will be very troublesome if we want to go through Henan County and Hangu Pass.
Passing through Henei County, turning to Hedong County, and then crossing the river into Guanzhong.
The only concern is the attitude of the princes of Xiliang. If it is really Li Jue and Guo Si who did it, they might become desperate.
No matter how strong the warriors are, they are no match for the tens of thousands of Xiliang cavalry under Li Jue and Guo Si. "
Luo Shu thought for a moment and asked, "Father, do you want to call back the Temple Army? If we have the Temple Army and the Warriors, our family can dominate Guanzhong!"
“No!”
Luo Zhang stared at Luo Shu and said in a deep voice: "A Shu, remember this, it will be the same when you become the head of the family in the future.
As long as the Western Regions are unified, there is no need to mobilize the Temple Army.
This is the family's trump card, and no one must be allowed to know that the Temple Army is controlled by the Luo family.
Otherwise, any ruler of the Western Regions, even a great man like the King of Zhongxia, would never leave such a terrifying army in his heartland! "
Luo Shu's expression was stern. He had been in the Central Plains for a long time and had become accustomed to the armed forces of Zhaocheng.
But even in Zhaocheng, the Han court not only built various states around Zhaocheng, but also imposed strict restrictions on the occasions where brave warriors could appear.
Are we just going to do nothing?
Luo Shu couldn't accept it!
There was a strong fire in his eyes. In his generation, Luo Xiao was like a star in the sky, and he was like a flame burning at all times!
Strong and courageous!
Back when he was in Luoyang, if Dong Zhuo did anything wrong, he would attack him without hesitation!
Hearing what his father said at this moment, Luo Shu's brows knitted tightly, then suddenly relaxed, and he said in a cold voice: "Father.
Li Jue and Guo Si are now acting recklessly in Guanzhong. They do not have the ability to govern an area.
The princes each occupied their own land and were fighting for the ownership of the Central Plains.
No one wants to attack Li Jue and Guo Si now, just waiting for them to destroy themselves. Are they just going to let them live freely in Chang'an?"
Luo Zhang looked up at Luo Shu and asked, "What do you want to do?"
Luo Shu said sternly: "Either let the princes of the Central Plains go west, or let the princes of Liangzhou and the Western Regions go east. There is no other way.
Mr. Wenhe had previously explained to his son the situation after the war.
The one who could lead the army westward was Cao Cao, and the ones who could lead the army eastward were Ma Teng and Han Sui. There was still a big battle to be fought in the Central Plains, and Cao Cao would only lead the army westward after he had no worries in the east and the north.
Ma Teng and Han Sui were both warlords in Liang Province. They were short-sighted and although they accepted rewards from Li Jue and Guo Si, they felt no pressure to betray them.
It is absolutely impossible for these four people to live in peace. In this case, my son will go back today and seek advice from Mr. Wenhe.
When the chaos in Guanzhong started, my son would be like this. How can we allow people like Li Jue and Guo Si to defile the place where the Su King rests!"
After listening to this, Luo Zhang thought for a while, then nodded slowly, agreeing with Luo Shu's approach.
Upon seeing this, Luo Shu saluted Luo Zhang, left Luo Palace, and began to prepare to go to Guanzhong.
The journey to Guanzhong is quite long, and it may be winter when you enter Guanzhong, so you need to prepare warm clothes.
There is no wall that is impenetrable. As time went by, news spread to Guandong that a large caravan of the Luo family had been intercepted and killed in Guanzhong.
All of a sudden, the eyes of the world were on Zhaocheng. What would the Luo family do?
Three thousand brave warriors drove tens of thousands of horses and galloped all the way from Zhaocheng to Henei County. The two major princes closest to Zhaocheng, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, knew that this was Luo's response.
The two men immediately released the people at the checkpoint leading from Hanoi to Hedong.
Luo Shu led the brave warriors to station in Hedong County, looking at Guanzhong from across the river. He was waiting here.
Yuan Shao was attacking Youzhou, Gongsun Zan was decadent and living a life of drunkenness, Cao Cao was negotiating with Yuan Shao about the affairs of Qingzhou, and Liu Bei was busy preparing for Xuzhou.
The third autumn rain of this year fell drizzlingly. From Liaodong Yan State to the Tianshan Mountains in the Western Regions, the entire Qinling Mountains north of the Huai River suddenly became cold and chilly.
…
In Zhaocheng.
Jia Xu sat in the house. During the days in Zhaocheng, he seemed more and more amiable.
He wrapped his fur coat around himself, fanned himself with a feather fan, and said to Luo Zhang with a slight smile, "My Lord, calculate the time. Ma Teng and Han Sui are about to attack Li Jue and Guo Si. Prince Shu's chance is coming."
Jia Xu's plan was so perfect that it was almost impossible to fail in anything. Luo Zhang had learned a lot from him, so he didn't ask the reason when he heard it. He just took a sip of the warm wine and squinted his eyes slightly.
Jia Xu felt that he had been living too comfortably these days and thought that he should do more. He rolled his eyes and said, "My Lord, among the dozen or so princes in the world today, do you think there are any that would be detrimental to the Luo family? In this chaotic world, perhaps we can do something."
Luo Zhang glanced at Jia Xu when he heard this. What Jia Xu meant by doing something might be a series of wars, such as the one that is about to happen in Guanzhong.
Luo Zhang shook his head and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Wenhe, let the situation develop. Although the war in the world has stabilized a little, it is still in constant turmoil.
The princes have not yet entered a stable period, and the general situation is unclear!"
…
The Luo family caravan was intercepted and killed at the border between Sizhou and Liangzhou, which was a shocking event for all the princes, big and small, in Guanzhong and Xiliang.
If anyone says that they are not jealous of the Luo's caravan, then that would be too hypocritical. After all, money can move people's hearts. Robbing the Luo's caravan once can instantly double their strength. However, most of the small princes dare not think about the Luo's caravan.
The first people these small princes suspected were the four major princes in Guanzhong and Liangzhou.
Because only these four people are powerful, and relying on the fact that the Luo family is far away from the emperor, and there are several territories of princes in between, they dare to do such a thing.
Liangzhou.
A secretly circulated message was passed to the ears of Ma Teng and Han Sui through spies.
Li Jue and Guo Si found evidence that the two of them had intercepted and killed the Luo family's caravan, and wanted to hand it over to the Luo family in an attempt to save their precarious and notorious reputation.
This instantly made Ma Teng and Han Sui furious.
Ma Teng invited Han Sui to meet him in Guzang. As soon as they met, he angrily asked, "Wen Yue, do you know what Li Jue and Guo Si did?"
Han Sui was shocked and asked, "Brother Shoucheng has also found out?
My spies have reported that Li Jue and Guo Si want to frame the two of us, and they are said to be planning to use the emperor's name to pin the entire incident on the two of us!"
When Ma Teng heard that Han Sui had also received the news, all his doubts disappeared in an instant. A single spy might make a mistake, but the probability of two spies making mistakes at the same time was almost zero!
Ma Teng took a deep breath and said, "Brother Wen Yue, do you still remember Mr. Wen He?"
When Han Sui heard this, an image of an honest elder emerged in his mind. He was always kind to the warriors from the border counties and was resourceful. Before leaving Liang Province, he asked the two of them to take care of Jia.
He nodded, and heard Ma Teng say, “Mr. Wenhe followed Wushuang Hou Luokong and left Liangzhou, and is now in Zhaocheng, working for the Luo family.
Mr. Wenhe said that Gongzi Shu and his brave warriors were stationed in Hedong County because of the caravan.
Moreover, the Luo family could not find any evidence, so they prepared to massacre the princes of Guanzhong and Liangzhou, exterminate the smaller princes, and assassinate the larger princes.
This time, the Luo family will not give up until blood is shed.
Mr. Wenhe was grateful for our care for Jia and sent us a special message.
He believed that the two of us would never do such a thing, and he suspected that it was Li Jue and Guo Si who did it.
If we can find evidence before Li Jue and Guo Si frame him, or even kill him directly and present him to Prince Shu, that would be the glorious way.
Text agreement.
Mr. Wenhe said that the Luo family is a thousand-year-old family and has survived to this day. This should be carefully considered by both of us.
I kept muttering in my heart, yes, a thousand-year-old family might have some sinister tricks!"
Kill Li Jue and Guo Si? !
Han Sui was shocked. He accepted the titles from the two men because the Western Liang cavalry under Li Jue and Guo Si were better than them. Otherwise, who would be willing to bow down to them?
This is where Jia Xu's brilliance lies. Ma Teng is a brave man, while Han Sui is more resourceful, so Jia Xu used Ma Teng to inform Han Sui.
Han Sui pondered for a while. At this point, it was like an arrow on a string that had to be shot. He had to make a decision no matter what.
As the princes of Liangzhou and the warriors of the border counties, Han Sui and his men were not lacking in the ability to make decisions. After a brief thought, they said with a gleaming look in their eyes, "Brother Shoucheng, Mr. Wenhe is right. We sent troops to Guanzhong because we knew that Li Jue and Guo Si were dissatisfied.
He holds the little emperor in his hands, but he actually thinks he is the legitimate heir. He even dares to give orders to the two of us. How ridiculous and hateful!
He immediately summoned all his generals and called on all the princes in the world to attack Li Jue and Guo Si, claiming that they had held the emperor hostage and were harming the people.
I think there are countless people in Guanxi who are dissatisfied with Li Jue and Guo Si!"
"good!"
Ma Teng and Han Sui hit it off immediately and raised the banner of rebellion in the counties of Liang Province against Li Jue and Guo Si.
…
Chang'an.
It was indeed Li Jue and Guo Si who intercepted and killed the Luo family caravan. The reason was very simple: they had no money, and the Luo family caravan was too rich.
Li Jue and Guo Si were both military men without any ability to govern. They had previously gone on a killing spree in Chang'an. Countless members of the once noble Guanzhong gentry were destroyed and their families were wiped out. Those who survived were exiled to all directions.
When both civil and military affairs are given equal importance, the world will be at peace!
But if we have to choose one, whether we are willing to admit it or not, for a regime, culture is more important than military. Li Jue and Guo Si were so aggressive in their military campaigns that the people could not even afford to eat, so naturally they had no money to extort.
So Li Jue and Guo Si, who were extremely bold, set their sights on the Luo family caravan.
But after doing it, Li Jue and Guo Si began to regret it and couldn't help but recall how Dong Zhuo looked when he died.
The people who did this were all the two's most trusted and loyal followers. These people didn't care about the Luo family at all and wielded their butcher knives faster than anything else.
After Li Jue and Guo Si regretted their actions, they met and swore to never tell this to anyone else.
The news that the Luo family was stationed in Hedong naturally reached Chang'an. Li Jue was both panicked and comforted himself. He thought that there were only 3,000 people. He had tens of thousands of Xiliang cavalry under his command, so he was not afraid!
He walked through the corridor and suddenly heard servants whispering, "Have you heard? The Luo family caravan was massacred by the master."
This immediately caused a small exclamation, "Where did you get the news? Don't say such nonsense. Didn't the Luo family caravan die in Liangzhou?
That is the territory of Ma Teng and Han Sui."
The servant whispered, "I heard it from the servants of General Guo's mansion last time I went shopping. I know those people, so they can't be wrong.
You must know what the relationship between General Guo and the master is, this news is definitely true!"
"Hiss~"
There was a sound of people sucking in their breath.
After the few people left, Li Jue walked out from the shadows, his face full of coldness, and looked in the direction of Guo Si's mansion with murderous intent!
————
After they took the emperor to Chang'an, Li Jue and Guo Si were all generals and marquises, all holding imperial seals. They thought they had the upper hand, so they let their soldiers plunder Chang'an's rich and poor, sparing no one. People at the time said, "Jue and Guo Si took the land, and the land is no longer there!"
Jue and Si still felt that this was not enough, so they attacked the government and killed and plundered. Duke Zhao was furious and said, "The government has mourned, and we will repay with blood!" - "Book of the Later Han: Biography of Dong Zhuo in Xiliang"
(End of this chapter)
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