Chapter 22
Earlier, when they successfully entered the city, they also agreed on the time to launch the attack by sending signals to the outside of the city.
Looking down from Gucheng Mountain, one cannot see everything in Quyang City clearly, but one can vaguely see several places in the city.
At that time, Qiao Yan was writing down those places, and asked Xu Fu to bring some curtains, using the hanging and number of the curtains as a signal to notify Huangfu Song.
Everything was going well at the moment, and Huangfu Song also arrived as promised. It was hard not to make Xu Fu feel excited at this moment.
Great things are about to happen!
But perhaps because he had the temperament of a man who could accomplish great things in his bones, he grabbed the sword of the little commander and slashed at the other guard on the top of the city wall. When he successfully rushed to the capstan of the city gate, his hands surprisingly did not tremble when he held the object.
When he was guarding Changsha before, he already knew how to lower the city gate drawbridge by means of a winch. Now, in Quyang, at most the city gate was a little more solid and the drawbridge was a little longer, there was no difference.
As soon as the drawbridge fell, Huangfu Song's vanguard cavalry unit crossed the moat and entered the city.
The battle plan that had already been arranged required these cavalrymen to immediately split into three groups and head straight for the other three city walls.
The changes that occurred on the east wall of Quyang were accompanied by the sound of "enemy attack" that a few people had the chance to make, which spread one by one to several other city walls.
However, the message was delivered so quickly and briefly that the guards on the three city walls did not realize that the enemy attack was not caused by the enemy appearing outside the city gate, but that the enemy had already appeared inside the city.
If it was just because someone was attacking outside the city gate, given the strong condition of Quyang, they really didn't need to worry too much, and they didn't need to do anything like lowering the city gate and escaping from the city.
But since they failed to escape now, they would have no chance of escaping later!
The elite Han troops rushed in quickly and climbed up to the top of the city wall from inside the city. They occupied the other three city gates in a lightning speed, completely blocking the Yellow Turbans' way out of the city.
Afterwards, except for the soldiers who stayed on the city gate and occupied the high ground using Xiaquyang's original equipment, the others, together with the Han army infantry who arrived immediately, quickly rushed towards the key points in the city.
Go straight to Zhang Bao.
Zhang Bao was still in a dream at this time.
He was dreaming that for some reason there was a large number of Han troops outside Quyang City, like a dark cloud pressing down on a city. However, there was a disagreement between the two groups, with one coming from the east and the other from the west. So he made a prompt decision to send troops and directly repelled both groups.
After winning the battle, he happily went to his brother to take credit for the victory, but he saw his brother's body lying in Guangzong City, saying that he had died of a sudden illness.
Died?
Zhang Bao woke up suddenly.
But when he woke up, what he saw were the panicked faces of his subordinates.
This noise made him realize that he was most likely not awakened by a nightmare, but was awakened by his subordinates.
"Why are you so panicked?" Zhang Bao asked dissatisfiedly.
"The Han army... the Han army is coming!"
This seemed to be exactly the scene that appeared in his dream!
Let the Han army attack him, but he was after all guarding the fortified city of Xiaquyang, so there was no way the Han army could have any impact on him.
Perhaps it would be just like in his dream, where there was a disagreement at first and then it turned into an opportunity for him to achieve success.
But Zhang Bao's reverie was soon ruthlessly broken by his subordinates. The guy was panting for breath and managed to utter the second half of the sentence, "They have already entered the city!"
Zhang Bao almost thought he had heard it wrong.
But his panic did not seem fake. He listened carefully outside and heard a commotion. It seemed that it was not an ordinary nighttime situation. It was obvious that a group of people had arrived near his residence.
He found it difficult to understand why the defense of Quyang was so solid. The night patrol guards he arranged had no time to rest, but the enemy had already breached the city gates before anyone reminded him to stand up and defend the city!
No
But it's obviously useless to worry about these things now.
He hastily grabbed his long sword and stepped out of the door, intending to gather his men to counterattack from behind.
But when he stepped out of the Quyang government office, what he saw was not a battle between the army entering the city and the Yellow Turbans in the city, but a column of troops that marched into an empty land.
This line of armored soldiers surrounded his temporary residence tightly, and surrounded by these people was a general with astonishing momentum.
Even though Zhang Bao had never seen Huangfu Song in person before, it did not affect him at all. The moment he met the other party, he realized that this must be the important figure sent by the Han court to quell the rebellion.
Huangfu Song looked at Zhang Bao, who was only half-armored, calmly and said, "General Di Gong must be wondering why no one came to save you. I won't say much. Why don't you listen to the sounds in the city?"
Zhang Bao listened carefully. This time, the sound that was not so clear when he was in the house was now clearly heard by him.
It wasn't just the sound of the army running, there were also people shouting, "Han troops have entered the city, General Digong is dead."
Zhang Bao's face turned pale.
If there hadn't been such a sound, according to the hierarchy of the Taiping Dao, someone would have come to rescue him, which would have at least caused some trouble for the sudden attack by the Han army, and maybe even given him a chance to escape.
But now there is such a wrong signal.
If his subordinates had strong judgment, they probably would not be so easily persuaded and driven by their brothers.
In the past, this was an advantage.
But now it has become his disadvantage.
With the main general in the city dead, instead of taking the risk to confirm his life or death, those people might as well believe that Xiaquyang at this time was like any other captured city, with no chance of resisting in the alleys and streets.
Their only hope of survival was to escape towards one of the city gates.
But if the Han army had really broken into the city and even occupied the city walls, it was not difficult for Zhang Bao to guess that those who tried to escape would not only be unable to find a way to survive, but would instead fall directly into a trap and have no chance of survival.
"Who are you?" Although Zhang Bao knew that he was doomed to fail, he still couldn't help asking.
"The Han Dynasty suppressed the rebellion of the Left General Huangfu Song."
When he heard the name, Zhang Bao realized that it was not just the unexpected changes that occurred in Xia Quyang where he was, but there was another shocking change in Changsha that was beyond his cognition.
But at this moment, asking what happened there was meaningless, just like Zhang Bao felt that if he was not a fool, he would definitely connect the situation of the new arrivals in the city with the sudden changes in the city -
There is no need to ask this question.
No matter how much he cursed that idiot Qu Shuai in his heart, it was useless. Since this group of people had already arrived here, he was afraid that guy was no longer alive.
How could he blame a dead man!
"May I ask what advice General Huangfu has for you?"
Huangfu Song's reply, which reached Zhang Bao's ears, showed that he was confident of winning: "I'll lend you my head."
Perhaps Zhang Bao must have felt depressed, and he might have simply set up camp for the Yellow Turban Army, so that he would not have suffered such a humiliating defeat as he did today.
Before the Yellow Turbans scattered in the city received his order to gather, they were informed of the Han army's entry into the city and the death of General Zhang Bao. Later, when they tried to escape from the city gate, they were shot with ruthless arrows from the city.
The Yellow Turban Army, which was supposed to be guarding the city, became targets for arrows below the city, while the Han Army, which was supposed to have suffered heavy casualties in the siege, became the ones who had the upper hand and were in a dominant position.
Xu Fu had no time to lament that these Yellow Turbans who were only trying to escape might not be so unforgivable. After Huangfu Song arrived and divided his troops to attack, he immediately led Dian Wei straight to Qiao Yan's hiding place.
Before the first round of people trying to escape from the city came to an end, the first choice of those already in the city would not be to hide in houses and alleys.
Qiao Yan said.
Although she spoke with great confidence, Xu Fu still felt a little uneasy.
Fortunately, when he arrived at the water tank, he saw Qiao Yan lying there safe and sound.
After she jumped out of the water tank, the traces of dirty water on her shoes, socks and legs did not affect her calmness at all, which was in stark contrast to the chaos in the city.
When she saw Huangfu Song, she calmly bowed and said, "Congratulations, General."
Huangfu Song was very surprised that she was able to escape unscathed during the city seizure, and immediately said with a smile: "I thought you would say you have fulfilled your mission, why did you just say congratulations, General?"
"We were able to kill the Yellow Turbans in the city and seize the city gate without letting anyone leave Xiaquyang. This is the credit of all the soldiers, not Qiao Yan. The general made a decisive plan and came to the aid of the siege at the right time, and he deserves this victory."
Upon hearing this, Huangfu Song felt more and more that what he said to Cao Cao when she first set out, "Heroes are made in times of hardship and adversity," was indeed true.
"You don't have to be so modest. It was you who invited the knights into the city, and it was you who took the risk. I will definitely give you credit for this battle after I report it to you."
"You have worked hard today, so you should rest early."
Seeing that Qiao Yan seemed to have something to say, Huangfu Song spoke first, "I know you want to ask what should be done with the Yellow Turbans in the city, but these people followed the three brothers Zhang Jiao, Zhang Bao, and Zhang Liang, and their stubbornness in rising up against the Han Dynasty is far beyond your imagination. This is very different from the situation in Yanzhou and Yuzhou."
"No... General, you are worrying too much. I am not trying to plead for the Yellow Turbans here." Qiao Yan waved his hand.
She has her own scale in her heart to measure what she can do now and what she cannot do now.
What's more, those who had already stationed in Xiaquyang City were Zhang Bao's direct subordinates.
If this group of people were not eradicated, the lives that Qiao Yan wanted to save later would have little chance of survival, and the subsequent mutual influence would once again trigger the aftermath of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
Huangfu Song must have known that the large population shortage in Jizhou would have an adverse effect, otherwise he would not have submitted a petition requesting a one-year tax reduction when he served as the governor of Jizhou in the future.
So for some words, it is enough to hit the mark at the most appropriate time.
Huangfu Song was somewhat surprised by what Qiao Yan said, and then he heard her say, "I want to talk about another matter. I just heard Xu Fu say that Xiao Qushuai in this city took the wife of the county magistrate for himself. If he sees this lady, I would like to ask him not to harm her life."
However, what Qiao Yan did not expect was that the actions of the woman who called herself Lu Yuan really surprised her.
In the chaos caused by Huangfu Song's troops entering the city, she took the opportunity to use the excuse that the cellar under where they lived was difficult to find, and asked the soldiers left behind by Xiao Qushuai to gather all the people they could, under the guise of -
It was these people who attempted to fight back after escaping the search of the city.
She had behaved obediently before in order to assassinate Xiao Qushuai, and had not revealed any flaws in the past two months. Naturally, saying this now would not arouse anyone's suspicion.
But after tricking people into the cellar, she locked the entrance to the cellar without hesitation, and then found the Han army patrolling in the city.
Her action apparently saved Huangfu Song a lot of trouble.
Hearing that Qiao Yan wanted to find her whereabouts based on just a few words, Lu Yuan raised his eyebrows and followed the soldier who was looking for her to Qiao Yan and Huangfu Song.
She was indeed a very beautiful woman, but what caught Qiao Yan's attention was not her appearance, but her strong and outstanding temperament.
After hearing her talk about her actions, Qiao Yan couldn't help but ask, "Then I wonder where Madam Lu is going after this matter is over?"
After the suppression in Quyangzhong, the city will be an empty one for a short period of time, and it is obviously not suitable for her to stay here any longer.
She didn't look like she came from an ordinary family. She might have returned to her hometown or found a town to settle down in the vicinity of Xiaquyang.
Qiao Yan admired her for taking the opportunity to take revenge and succeeding, so he naturally did not hesitate to
Asked a question.
Her answer surprised Qiao Yan even more.
"I heard the officer who led the way mentioned earlier that the capture of this city depended largely on the ability of the young lady." Lu Yuan asked, "Then I wonder if I can be by the young lady's side and be the one holding the horse and the stirrup like that young man?"
Xu Fu: “……?”
Why is there someone trying to steal his job?
This job of pulling the stirrups of a horse was obviously not something that a woman who looked quite bookish should do, but to Xu Fu's disappointment, Qiao Yan decided to keep her after careful consideration.
However, what she meant was not that Lu Yuan should stay by her side from now on, but that since she came up with such an idea, it must be that she had nowhere to go in the near future, so it would be better to wait until the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Jizhou was pacified before making a decision.
Before this, it was probably much safer to be with Qiao Yan.
After all, she is also a family member of a Jizhou official. She ended up in this situation because of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, so she should be protected.
Apart from Lu Yuan's situation, before midnight, the Yellow Turbans in Quyang City had been completely suppressed, or almost wiped out.
Qiao Yan opened the window and listened outside. The sounds of searching and killing outside had gradually disappeared, leaving only the occasional sound of soldiers walking on the street.
However, if you pay a little more attention, you will hear Lu Yuan in the compartment sobbing softly, but the sound was quickly suppressed.
Qiao Yan felt that he had not misjudged her character, and the end of the Han Dynasty was not an era that had any requirements for chastity. So when she cried, it was not so much because she was crying about the experience of being forced to follow the thief, but because when she chose to follow Qiao Yan and leave, it was equivalent to saying goodbye to her past.
It's just a ceremony at most.
Because of this commotion, Qiao Yan couldn't help but wonder about this person named Lu.
This surname sounds somewhat familiar, but I think the most famous Lu in the Three Kingdoms period was the Wujun Lu family. Since Jizhou is located in the south and the north respectively, they should have no connection with each other.
Anyway, this matter was not important, so she decided not to delve into it further for the time being.
What is more important to her is the next marching plan.
The battle of Xiaquyang once again contributed 10 strategist points to her, which was a natural thing.
Qiao Yan felt a little guilty that all the strategic points were taken from the Yellow Turbans, but she quickly suppressed it.
Instead of thinking about these things, she might as well think about whether she can gain some benefits in the battle of Guangzong.
Huangfu Song had no intention of stopping the march. On the second day after the capture of Xiaquyang, he had his soldiers change into yellow turban clothes. He took Zhang Bao, who was tied up tightly, and marched south to Guangzong, which was located south of Julu.
However, he ordered the army to disguise themselves as Zhang Bao's troops in Xiaquyang City and head straight to Guangzong. No matter how fast they moved, it was already ten days since they left Dong'a.
The messenger who brought Huangfu Song's report first took Bo Cai's head from Dingtao City, and now he had already galloped into Hulao Pass in Chenggao, changed horses along the way, and entered Luoyang via the Chidao.
The eight passes were tightly locked, and the capital was in a state of panic because of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Now Huangfu Song's report arrived and was immediately sent to the desk of Emperor Liu Hong.
The 27-year-old Emperor Liu Hong of the Han Dynasty has reached the average age of death among the emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty who seemed to have entered a short-lived mode since Emperor Zhang of Han.
You should know that Emperor Shang of Han only lived for eight months, Emperor Chong of Han only lived to be three years old, and Emperor Zhi of Han died at the age of nine. As for his predecessor, Emperor Huan of Han, he was considered "long-lived" and lived to be thirty-six years old.
When the report was taken from the scout and presented to him by the eunuch beside him, the Han Palace had already fallen into night, and the lights in the surrounding court illuminated his face, which already looked somewhat sick.
Startled by the eunuch's footsteps, he raised his eyelids, a trace of fatigue flashed across his face that had been indulging in wine and sex, "What's the matter?"
"Your Majesty, the Left General has a secret report!"
Liu Hong woke up.
Under normal circumstances, military intelligence does not need to be described in secret reports.
In his opinion, the left general Huangfu, who he had high hopes for
At this time, Song was still in Changsha fighting against the Yellow Turban rebels.
The news of Zhu Jun's defeat changed his perception of the Yellow Turbans. He was angry and shocked. It was because of this defeat that he ordered Huangfu Song to send troops to meet Zhu Jun as soon as possible, and appointed Cao Cao as the cavalry commander to lead the troops. Now, when he suddenly heard that the news sent back by Huangfu Song was a secret report rather than a legitimate victory report, he immediately stood up from the couch.
Fearing that the military situation might indicate a disastrous defeat, he quickly walked up to the eunuch and snatched the military newspaper from his hand.
Zhang Rang, who was waiting in the palace, knelt down immediately when he saw Emperor Ling's reaction.
He didn't have to be so nervous in the past.
Liu Hong even once said "Empress Zhang is my father", which was nonsense that could make his father jump out of his grave, but things are different now.
During this month, as the Yellow Turban Rebellion was unprecedented in scale, the doctor Zhang Jun wrote a letter requesting the execution of the Ten Eunuchs, claiming that it was because of their disruption of the government and their embezzlement of the people's wealth that the people were so resentful. If they were beheaded in public and the offender apologized to the people, the Yellow Turban Rebellion would surely be quelled without a fight.
Liu Hong naturally did not adopt this idea, but instead threw Zhang Jun's memorial in Zhang Rang's face.
Zhang Rang knew very well that Liu Hong still needed to keep them to fight against the gentry and relatives of the emperor, and it was indeed impossible to kill them on the pretext of appeasing the people's anger, but they also had to perform in a way that would satisfy Liu Hong.
At that time, he and Zhao Zhong led several other attendants to take off their hats and boots, kneel before Liu Hong and apologize, and took out a large amount of family property to fund military expenses. Only then did they get away with the matter and still stayed in their original positions and obeyed orders.
It was good that the matter was temporarily exposed, but if Huangfu Song's military report still contained news of defeat -
Regardless of how much punishment Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun will receive, Zhang Rang will definitely be separated from his family.
He was just thinking about whether he would have a chance to save his life if he reported to Liu Hong the news that Feng Zhen and Xu Feng, both of whom were eunuchs, were still in collusion with the Yellow Turbans. Suddenly, he felt a shadow falling in front of him.
Liu Hong stood in front of him.
He tapped the palm of his hand with the secret report that he had just closed after reading it, and looked at Zhang Rang in front of him with a look of indistinguishable joy and anger, "Emperor Zhang, why don't you guess what the report is about?"
Zhang Rang was sweating profusely from his back.
He asked with a trembling voice: "Could it be that General Huangfu was also defeated by the bandits?"
Liu Hong remained silent for a long time. However, when Zhang Rang's fear almost reached its peak, he suddenly laughed out loud, "Why do you have so little confidence in General Huangfu?"
"God bless our Han Dynasty! Huangfu Yizhen is indeed as talented as his generals say, and has even conquered two states of Yellow Turbans."
After he finished speaking, he kicked Zhang Rang on the shoulder, signaling him not to lie limp on the ground like that.
When Zhang Rang stood up, he saw that Liu Hong had unfolded the memorial again and seemed to be appreciating it word by word. The joy on his face became more and more obvious.
"What a great Huangfu Yizhen! What a great grandson of Grandpa Qiao! The Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou and Yuzhou have been wiped out, the gateway to our Sizhou has been secured, Zhu Gongwei has launched a surprise attack on Jingzhou, and Yizhen has led his troops north to Jizhou. This is the first good news I have heard in months!"
This series of news completely stunned Zhang Rang.
However, even though he still didn't understand why the siege of Changsha was directly transformed into the pacification of Yan and Yu provinces, and he didn't understand what the relationship was with the grandson of Qiao Gongzu, he could at least draw a conclusion -
His life was temporarily safe.
Zhang Rang let out a breath carefully, and when Liu Hong turned his gaze towards him, his heart skipped a beat and he stood up respectfully again.
"General Huangfu was too cautious. He sent the news only after we entered Jizhou. It took me more than half a month to know the good news. Could it be that someone in the inner court of the palace leaked the news to the Yellow Turbans?"
Zhang Rang had no way of telling whether Liu Hong's words were intentional or unintentional.
He heard Liu Hong continue to ask: "How do you think I should reward this General Zuo Zhonglang?"
Zhang Rang wanted to kneel down again.
This is not an easy question to answer.
Huangfu Song was indeed not a scholar, nor was he a member of the party who had previously had a grudge against them because of the Party Ban. However, he had always had conflicts with officials, and even the memorial requesting the lifting of the party ban was submitted by him.
Now, how much contribution the other party has made? Even though Zhang Rang only heard it from Liu Hong's few words, he couldn't help but feel shocked.
But at this time when the palace eunuchs had just been robbed of a wave of money to save their lives, he obviously did not have the opportunity to discredit the other party.
But he just couldn't say it when asked to say that Huangfu Yizhen must be rewarded handsomely.
"I think... this matter all depends on your majesty's wishes."
Liu Hong waved his hand and said, "Forget it. If General Zuo Zhonglang can capture Zhang Jiao and behead him in public, then both of them will be rewarded. As for the other person..."
"Have you ever heard of Qiao Yan, the grandson of Grandpa Qiao?"
Liu Hong's question successfully stumped Zhang Rang again.
Not to mention Qiao Yan, even Qiao Gongzu Qiao Xuan has disappeared from his sight for a long time.
Five years ago, Qiao Xuan was dismissed from his post as Grand Commandant due to illness and was appointed as Grand Secretary.
Although he was still a doctor in title, it was actually a sinecure in the court, and it was purely a pretext to provide the old general with an additional salary while he was recovering from his illness.
Zhang Rang searched his head but could not find any impression of the name Qiao Yan, so he could only reply: "I remember that Mr. Qiao's son is the mayor of Rencheng, and I think Mr. Qiao's grandson should be in Yanzhou. I really don't know the rest."
"This boy is truly a character. Take a look." The secret report that Zhang Rang almost thought was a fatal letter was thrown in front of him.
Zhang Rang quickly opened it and started reading, but the more he read, he felt as if he was in a dream.
Otherwise, why would he see such outrageous words as "Ping Liangzhou Yellow Turbans" written by a ten-year-old child? But he had some impression of the handwriting, it was exactly Cao Cao's.
Cao Cao wrote the article, Huangfu Song instructed him, and he also said that there was a talented person's head as evidence. I think he would not write anything that was inconsistent with the facts on such a matter.
He had just recovered from the secret report and found that Liu Hong was looking at him sharply, as if he wanted to get an answer from him.
Zhang Rang stammered, "Since he is a child prodigy, he should be promoted to an official position so that he can help Your Majesty solve problems as soon as possible."
"Idiot!" He received this evaluation from Liu Hong before he had even finished speaking, but he clearly saw that when he gave this answer, Liu Hong was very satisfied with his performance.
"Didn't you see that it was mentioned in the memorial that Qiao Yan's parents both died in the Yellow Turban Rebellion? According to the old rules of the Han Dynasty, officials in office must observe a three-year mourning period after their parents die. How can we allow this child to serve as an official in the court as you said?"
What Liu Hong said was true, but in his heart he also wanted to cultivate the young talent as early as possible.
It is true that Qiao Yan comes from a noble family, but she has no parents, and Qiao Xuan is seriously ill. She is the perfect candidate for him to cultivate with grace and become his right-hand man.
Especially at times like this, the more he needs such talents to be delivered to him.
If Huangfu Song had not mentioned in the letter that Qiao Yan had gone to Jizhou with him to see the end of the Yellow Turbans together, I'm afraid he would have really wanted to summon this child to the capital to meet him.
Zhang Rang's ill-considered performance at this moment made him regain some of his confidence as a smart man. Liu Hong paced back and forth in the Jade Hall with his hands behind his back for a while and said, "Although he cannot be given an official title, he may not be unable to be made a marquis."
His tone was firm, and Zhang Rang could tell that this was indeed a conclusion he had reached after careful consideration.
Given His Majesty Liu Hong's usual style, he would not allow others to raise any objections to his idea.
Zhang Rang immediately put on a flattering look, "Your Majesty, what you said is absolutely right. Moreover, this boy fought against the Yellow Turbans for his parents and country, and he has a sense of loyalty and filial piety. In the future, he will surely serve the emperor with great filial piety and loyalty. He should be given a title of marquis to show your majesty's kindness."
"I just don't know where Your Majesty wants to seal it?"
Liu Hong's eyes fell on the candlelight in the hall, and it seemed to flicker for a moment. "Don't worry, I want to see Grandpa Qiao tomorrow."
Zhang Rang almost blurted out that the letter clearly mentioned that His Majesty should not tell Mr. Qiao about his son's death, but judging from Liu Hong's reaction, he didn't think so.
It seems like he has forgotten about it.
As a person who is currently best described as a "fool" with good intentions but bad results, Zhang Rang thought it would be better for him to just ignore it.
When Liu Hong said he wanted to meet Grandmaster Qiao, he should have summoned him. However, the climate changes since the beginning of spring had made this old minister so seriously ill that he could not get up.
He thought that he couldn't let anyone die on the road, so he finally led his guards out of the palace with a small entourage.
Liu Hong was a very stingy emperor. This stinginess specifically refers to the fact that he used eunuchs to amass wealth and then killed the troublemakers among them, and he did his best to extort money from the gentry. So when he visited his seriously ill old minister, there was no need to expect him to bring any gifts of reward or honor.
However, after he saw that Qiao Xuan's residence was plain and had few decorations, he couldn't help but straighten his face and felt more respect for this old minister.
He did not inform anyone in advance of his visit. Qiao Xuan's mansion in Beijing was what it should be, which showed that he was indeed a gentleman who was not interested in money.
Then I think about it - during the reign of Emperor Xiaohuan, the Xianbei, Southern Xiongnu and Goguryeo invaded together and plundered on the border. If the three ministers and the general at that time had not jointly recommended Qiao Xuan as the General of Du Liao, and if Qiao Gongzu had not rested the troops and recuperated the soldiers after taking office, and then launched a thunder attack, I am afraid that by the time the throne was passed to him, the border might not be as peaceful as it is today.
This is a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, a pillar of the country...
No wonder I have a grandson like this.
But unfortunately, people have no control over their life and death in their old age. The once brave General Qiao is now a sick and confused old man.
When Liu Hong stopped in front of his bed, the haggard old man took a lot of effort to concentrate his mind for a moment, turned over and was about to get off the bed to pay his respects, but Liu Hong quickly sent someone to stop him.
This commotion caused Qiao Xuan to cough for a long time. After he calmed down, he spoke: "How could this old minister be so worthy of Your Majesty to come to your humble residence?"
"I heard that Mr. Qiao was seriously ill, and I couldn't bear to come and see him."
This is the answer given by Liu Hong.
He really didn't say anything that he shouldn't have said, so that when he came to visit the sick old minister, he looked like a wise monarch.
Qiao Xuan had no idea that Liu Hong had come with a purpose. He just thought that his resignation out of anger because of the emperor's selling of official positions and titles over the years might not have been a wise move.
However, the words he had wanted to use to persuade him turned into a series of violent coughing and wheezing when they reached his lips.
This feeling of mortality was not the first time.
In the past, he had a strong character and was able to speak frankly, but now he was not going to live long. If he passed away, it was really unknown whether his mediocre son would be held accountable by the emperor in front of him.
When Qiao Xuan thought about this, he swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his throat.
It was during this period that he suddenly heard Liu Hong say, "Life and death are determined by fate. The world is unpredictable. When the Grand Commandant resigned due to illness, I don't know if it was true or not. I just thought that Mr. Qiao was a great official who brought peace and harmony to the people. If he passed away, I would be very disappointed. I wonder if Mr. Qiao has anything else to say to me?"
Liu Hong lowered his eyes when he said this.
Perhaps apart from Qiao Xuan, who was looking at him at the moment, no one could see his emotions when he said this.
When Qiao Xuan looked up, he only saw a backlight, which made Liu Hong's face look a little blurry.
But he didn't know if it was his illusion, but he saw some signs of death in this emperor who could still be called young.
However, this did not affect his hoarse voice and he replied, "I know that Your Majesty is already in charge of the government and has his own judgment on domestic affairs. It is not for me, who has not been in the government for several years, to make decisions. However, there is one thing I would like to ask Your Majesty for permission. I wonder if it is possible."
"Mr. Qiao, please feel free to speak."
After taking a deep breath, Qiao Xuan said, "After my death, my body should be carried in a coffin and sent back to Suiyang, Liang State. But it would be better for my soul to see the great Han Dynasty in peace and prosperity than to return to my hometown."
He spoke as if he had exhausted all his strength, but the sound, which was not too loud, was like thunder, echoing in this humble room at this moment. "I have served as General Du Liao for three years, and the Xiongnu and Xianbei dared not invade the territory of the Han Dynasty. If I die, please bury me at the border, and I will pray for the Han Dynasty with my soul. Please grant this, Your Majesty."
This is a truly shocking answer.
So after returning to the palace from Qiao Xuan's Taizhong Daifu residence, Zhang Rang saw Liu Hong sitting alone for a long time.
But when he was summoned again and stepped into the Yutang Hall, he saw that the moved expression on Liu Hong's face had disappeared again, leaving only the usual look.
Zhang Rang noticed that there was a map in front of Liu Hong, and a seal was tossed up and down in his hand.
"I know that this is definitely not what Mr. Qiao wanted to say in his last words." Hearing Zhang Rang's footsteps, Liu Hong knew that there was a new listener, so he smiled self-deprecatingly and spoke.
The four words "fatal words" are not wrong.
After Qiao Xuan made that plea, it seemed as if all his remaining energy had been burned away along with those words. With the ability of the Imperial Medical Bureau, they could only extend his life for another month, or perhaps until his grandson returned to the capital after helping Huangfu Song eliminate the bandits.
"But it doesn't matter. When Mr. Qiao was in office, he was not afraid to recommend his enemies. Before his death, he wanted to use his reputation to seek a good future for his descendants. It is not something that should be criticized."
Zhang Rang knew that he didn't need to say anything now, because Liu Hong had already weighed the pros and cons in his mind.
"Besides, Mr. Qiao did not choose to give me advice while he was ill, so that I had no choice but to obey him. This also saved me from having an unpleasant record in the history books of future generations. Why not give him a reward?"
"Buried at the border, buried at the border..."
Liu Hong's eyes swept across the large map of the four states of Yong, Liang, You and Bing, and finally stopped at one of them.
The next moment he threw the seal in his hand away.
The four square seals barely rolled on the ground twice before they were fixed in place.
"Attendant Zhang, please check for me what position this is."
When he said this, Zhang Rang came over in a hurry and saw that the seal was pressed on Bingzhou. He opened the seal and replied:
"Your Majesty, this is Leping."
"So, how about the Marquis of Leping Township?" Liu Hong asked in a light tone.
Zhang Rang almost couldn't control himself and almost gasped.
The title of Marquis of Leping Township was naturally not given to Qiao Xuan.
This is clearly a reward for that ten-year-old child!
Marquis of the countryside!
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