The night attack battle of the Xiyuan Army lasted until the three poles of the Dao Ri were gradually over.

In this battle, the Xiyuan Army first came to the vicinity of Chang'an through the day and night march, and keenly grasped the war situation at that time, and successfully launched a night attack on the Xiliang rebels.

Although the actual situation of the night attack was very different from the tactical plan due to the rapid changes in the battlefield situation, the generals of the Xiyuan Army did not stick to the rules, but were alert and flexible to adapt to the situation at the time, fought bravely, and were not afraid of sacrifice, and finally severely damaged the 30,000 Xiliang rebels with more than 10,000 soldiers and horses.

In this battle, the Xiyuan Army made its name as a strong army in the world.

According to statistics after the war, the Xiyuan army killed more than 3,000 enemy troops, captured 2,000 wounded and surrendered soldiers, and suffered only more than 600 casualties, most of which were Zhao Yun's upper military camp and Chen Wei's Chinese military battalion.

Jiang Qi ordered the wounded soldiers and prisoners of war to be sent back to Liu Bian's camp in the rear for resettlement, reported the course and results of the battle, and asked Liu Bian for instructions on the next move.

The Xiyuan Army made a decision on the spot and won the first battle. Liu Wei in the rear was overjoyed after receiving the good news, and issued an edict to reward the Xiyuan army with millions of dollars, and the rice newly planted by the Han Dynasty with ten thousand stones, and then recount the merits after the rebellion was quelled. He also ordered the Xiyuan Army to take advantage of the victory to pursue the Xiliang rebels who fled westward, but Liu Wei told Jiang Qi not to go too deep, just follow the pursuit.

As for the handling of prisoners of war, there was a great disagreement within the camp, and the thick-faced Liu Bei felt that the imperial court should forgive their crimes and move them to the east to the border, which would not only relieve the emptiness of Luoyang's defense, but also show the mercy of the Son of Heaven. Cao Cao, who was black-hearted, believed that the Xiliang rebels despised the majesty of the imperial court and plotted against each other, and that it was difficult for these people to be tamed for their own use, and it was a great disaster to keep them, and it was a waste of food. It is better to kill all of them and make an example of them, which can also play a role in deterring the small group.

The two argued, and in the end, Liu Wei made the decision.

All the prisoners of war were sentenced to hard labor, and Liu Wei planned to build a road from Luoyang to Chang'an, which was just right to put these people in handy. Liu Wei also announced that in the future, the imperial court would take this example and that all prisoners of war would not be killed at will, and all would be used as hard labor.

Originally, in history, Huangfu Song killed many prisoners of the Yellow Turban Army, and after the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao killed 70,000 or 80,000 prisoners of war. In the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the population was sharply reduced due to wars and natural disasters, and it was alleviated to a certain extent because of this edict of Liu Wei. In the future, Liu Wei did a lot of things that were conducive to population growth, and later he even issued the "Prisoner of War Labor Law" and other relevant regulations on the treatment of prisoners of war.

Among the prisoners of war, Yang Ding, Li Wei's subordinate general, was also one of them, and as a high-ranking officer, he naturally had to be treated the same as ordinary soldiers. Liu Wei felt that he was still employing people, although this Yang Ding was not very famous in history, but he still summoned him in the camp.

Yang Ding was tied up and escorted to Liu Wei by the five flowers, with a long appearance of Kong Wu and powerful, with a horizontal face, standing at himself without kneeling, glaring angrily.

Before Liu Wei could open his mouth to persuade him to surrender, Yang Ding scolded: "Emperor of thieves, today Lao Tzu fell into your hands, if you want to kill it, you will kill ......."

Before Yang Ding could finish scolding, Zhang Tao went up and hit him on the cheek, and Yang Ding's front teeth were shattered. Fell to the ground, still whimpering and scolding.

Liu Wei frowned, he didn't expect this Yang Ding to be so tough. couldn't help but smile coldly and said, "Since Captain Yang is bent on death, I won't be reluctant." Come, pull this person out and show the public. ”

The soldiers on the left and right pulled Yang Ding up and pushed him out.

Yang Ding seeks benevolence, and it doesn't matter if he feels it. However, before he could get out of the tent, Liu Wei's words completely made his heart cold.

"Check where this guy's ancestral home is, and who else is in the family, and kill all the nine clans who punished him. Meng De is right, if we don't kill some people, no one will be afraid of us in the future. ”

He shuddered, and suddenly understood that the little emperor in front of him was definitely a black-hearted character.

************

After dealing with the prisoners of war, Liu Wei led the northern army to Chang'an City to pacify the people.

And Zhong Xuan, who had watched the excitement all night in the city, had already understood at this time that it was the reinforcements from the imperial court who had arrived. Although he was worried about the hidden dangers caused by the imperial court sending troops to rescue Chang'an, he was more surprised by the courage of the little emperor Liu Wei and deeply moved by the fact that the imperial court did not abandon them.

Chang'an has been saved, and the people have been saved.

Zhong Xuan's eyes were full of tears and he was very excited.

From a distance, an army slowly walked towards Chang'an City. A big yellow flag floated away in the wind in the army, and a red dragon embroidered on the flag stepped on auspicious clouds, showing its teeth and dancing its claws, and was about to burst out.

"It's the military flag of the Great Han, and the reinforcements are coming!" The soldiers and people who had been defending the city for several days cheered loudly.

When the army approached the walls, the gates of the city, which had been closed for days, were finally opened. Zhong Miao personally led people out of the city to greet him, wanting to see who led the army to rescue Chang'an.

One of the generals led by him was heroic and extraordinary, riding on a horse and looking at Zhong Xuan, who was standing at the front of the team, and said with a smile: "Brother Yuan Chang, you kidnapped the manuscript given to me by the Son of Heaven, and now I want to ask you for it back!" ”

The person who came was Cao Cao. Zhong Xuan couldn't help but smile wryly at him, but he was extremely relieved in his heart. He understands Cao Cao's ability, and he can be regarded as discerning and talented by leading the army to quell the rebellion of the Son of Heaven.

At this time, a voice behind Cao Cao rang out: "Meng De should not make fun of Yuan Chang at this time. ”

Zhong Xuan looked behind Cao Cao, the Son of Heaven had slowly driven in front of him, and Liu Wei, the young son of the Han Dynasty, was sitting in the carriage with a smile on his face.

The one who led the troops to help turned out to be the son of the Han Dynasty!

This greatly exceeded Zhong Xuan's expectations. After being stunned for a few seconds, he came to his senses in Cao Cao's light cough, leaned down and bowed to the ground, and said in a choked voice: "Chen Zhongqian greets Your Majesty." ”

Liu Wei stepped out of the carriage and personally stepped forward to pick up Zhong Xuan.

At this time, Zhong Xuan's hair was loose, his face was smudged and haggard, and he did not have the elegant scholarly demeanor when he first saw him, and he became the "sharp brother" of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Wei knew that Zhong Xuan might have suffered a lot in order to guard Chang'an, and said with heartfelt emotion: "Chang'an is fine, Yuan Chang, you have worked hard." ”

Liu Wei's heartfelt hard work was the greatest reward for Zhong Xuan's hardships in defending the city for several days. Zhong Xuan's eyes were red with emotion, he took a step back and bowed to the ground again, and said: "A little bit of work is the duty of a minister." The minister is willing to do his best to assist me in the great Han country, and His Majesty is virtuous in all directions. ”

Liu Wei laughed, helped Zhong Xuan up again, and said frankly: "You will live up to me, I will not live up to you!" ”

Zhong Xuan's heart was moved beyond words. Liu Wei pulled him into the carriage and entered Chang'an City together.

Because the three palaces of Changle, Weiyang, and Jianzhang Han in Chang'an City have not been used for a long time, and the attendants and soldiers who are responsible for cleaning and guarding have recently been driven to the city to guard the city by Zhong Xuan, and they need to go through some sorting before they can move in, so Liu Wei temporarily lived in Zhong Xuan's mansion, ordered Cao Cao to go to rectify, and ordered Wu Kuang and Liu Bei to settle the Northern Army to station, and strictly ordered the army not to harass the people.

Cao Cao and the others were ordered to go their separate ways, and Liu Wei ordered Zhong Xuan to go to rest first, and only in the evening did the two meet again and start talking about the situation in Chang'an City in the past few days.

After the invasion of war, Chang'an has been dilapidated. The city itself is a little better, and the outside of the city can be said to be desolate and uninhabited. (Most of them are actually caused by Zhong Xuan himself.) ）

The resumption of production in Chang'an could only be after the suppression of the Xiliang rebels, and Liu Wei could only issue an edict to reward the people of Chang'an who participated in the defense of the city from three years of taxes and five years of hard labor.

The people do not have to pay taxes for three years, and they do not have to work for the government for free, which reduces the burden on their bodies. This is definitely the biggest benefit for the people of Chang'an.

Zhong Xuan couldn't help but kneel on the ground again and thanked: "Your Majesty's heavenly grace is mighty, and the people of Chang'an thank you Your Majesty." ”

Liu Wei raised his hand to let him get up, and then said: "I know that in order to resist the enemy, you forcibly moved the people into the city and burned countless houses on fertile land. ”

Zhong Xuan's heart tightened when he heard this, and he hurriedly explained: "The minister is guilty, and when the minister moved into the people, he promised that all losses would be compensated by the minister alone. ”

When Zhong Miao moved into the people, he promised that the loss would be compensated by the government, but at this time, seeing that Liu Wei's tone was wrong at this time, he had to change his mind and pay for the loss by himself.

Liu Wei smiled dumbly, the loss of the surrounding people can reach millions of dollars, even if Zhong Xuan is from a prestigious family, his family wealth is not enough to compensate.

Liu Wei shook his head and said: "Yuan Chang misunderstood, I don't want to hold you accountable, but I want to find a way to stop the mouths of those idlers in the imperial court." Even if you don't eat or drink, your possessions and your money will not be enough to pay to the people. In this way, I will take money from the Shaofu to make it up to you, and you will say to the outside world that the government will pay to compensate the people. Well, I will give you another edict, saying that you forcibly relocated the people, and it is my edict to fortify the walls and clear the wilderness. In this way, the clear streams of the court were speechless. ”

Liu Wei was so considerate of himself that Zhong Xuan was already speechless with emotion. I had to bow down and say in a stalk: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness." ”

Liu Wei stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder and said, "Didn't I say it just now?" You will live up to me, and I will live up to you. ”

The two talked about the court for a while, and Zhong Miao took the opportunity to ask his own question: "Your Majesty has poured the strength of the whole country out, and the guards in Kyoto are empty, what if someone takes advantage of the weakness to enter?" ”

Zhong Xuan's question is also a concern for many people, but Liu Wei is confident about this, and confidently replied to Zhong Xuan: "My Han Tianwei is still here, how dare a young person act rashly?" ”

Zhong Xuan was stunned for a moment, and after thinking about it carefully, he suddenly understood what Liu Wei meant.

At this time, although the Han Dynasty was weak, the prestige accumulated over hundreds of years was still there. Although the princes of various places secretly went their own way, no one was strong enough to compete with the imperial court. Therefore, everyone still recognizes the ruling power of the Han Dynasty on the surface. If you rashly attack Luoyang, you will inevitably be regarded as a rebel and become the target of public criticism. The princes everywhere are thinking about letting others attack and fight with the imperial court, and then quell the rebellion in the name of King Qin, and reap the benefits of the fisherman.

It was precisely because of this understanding that Liu Wei left Luoyang with confidence and went west in person.

*************

In the early morning of the next day, Zhong Xuan, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and other generals and colonels of the Northern Army, who had not yet recovered their fatigue, gathered in the palace, and a military meeting was held under the auspices of Liu Wei to discuss the next battle against the Xiliang rebels.

As the actual leader of the Northern Army, Wu Kuang, of course, couldn't hold back, and took the lead in asking for battle: "Your Majesty, our army has a new victory, so it is natural to destroy the enemy army in one go." Now that the Xiyuan Army is pursuing alone, it is difficult to support it alone, and the minister asks His Majesty to send a minister to lead the northern army to join it and fight a decisive battle with the rebels. ”

Wu Kuang's request for war, Liu Wei didn't know whether it was okay, but asked everyone for their opinions.

Seeing Liu Bian's question, Cao Cao took the lead in speaking.

Cao Cao said: "Although the rebels have suffered a defeat, their strength is still there. Our army will easily advance and fall for the enemy's tricks. However, if you hesitate, you may miss the best opportunity to annihilate the rebels. The Xiliang rebellion has repeatedly become a problem for the imperial court, and several times the rebellion has not been eliminated. Now that His Majesty is in power and has won the first battle, he should take advantage of the victory to pursue and solve the Xiliang border trouble in one fell swoop. In order to prevent the enemy's tricks, His Majesty can take the method of pressing forward step by step to hold on to the enemy's army, wear down the morale of the enemy's army, cut off the enemy's food and grass, cut off the enemy's wings, and when the enemy army is weak, our army will take advantage of the situation to attack, and the battle can be successful. ”

Cao Cao's strategy was to prepare for the greatest victory with the least losses, and this was recognized by most of the generals, even Liu Wei. Moreover, the imperial court was the best time to annihilate the Xiliang rebels at this time, and if the Xiliang rebels were allowed to escape, it would be difficult to destroy them. Moreover, the situation in the rear actually does not allow Liu Wei to stay longer. Although the princes of all sides are waiting to see who will win and who will lose. If the court is defeated, they will take the opportunity to lead troops into the king of Jingqin and carve up the Han Dynasty. It's hard to keep a certain stunned person hot-headed, and suddenly attack Luoyang, and then Liu Wei will be bitter. Moreover, Yuan Kui and other scholars in Luoyang would not be able to keep to themselves, and all these factors had to force Liu Wei to end the counterinsurgency war as soon as possible.

As for the commander-in-chief who led the army, Cao Cao and Zhong Xuan both advocated that Liu Wei lead the army to conquer in person. But Liu Wei has a better candidate in his heart.

After the military meeting, Liu Wei called Zhong Xuan, and the two of them shared a carriage and walked all the way to Huangfu Song's mansion to visit the sick.

Huangfu Song guarded the city with arrows, although the injury was relatively mild, but he has been recuperating at home. After Liu Wei entered the city, he did not summon him immediately, but only sent people to condolence and persuade him to recuperate in peace. Now that he suddenly took Zhong Miao to visit the patient, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Huangfu Song lost his army and lost his territory, and Zhong Xuan was always worried that the imperial court's punishment of him would be too severe. These days to guard Chang'an, the two have established a lot of friendship between life and death and hardship, although Liu Wei's attitude towards Huangfu Song has not been too harsh after entering the city, but the power of the sky is unpredictable, Zhong Xuan still said good things for Huangfu Song on the way to go: "Your Majesty, the minister can successfully defend Chang'an this time, and the righteous and true prince has also made great contributions." For several days, he fought side by side with his ministers, forgetting to sleep and eat, and this time he was injured because he did not avoid arrows and bravely killed the enemy. ”

After listening to this, Liu Wei nodded noncommittally, and did not say anything, Zhong Xuan couldn't say anything more, so he had to follow Liu Wei silently to Huangfu Song's mansion.

When the Son of Heaven visited, the news had already reached Huangfu Song's mansion, and when Liu Wei's car came to the door of the mansion, he saw Huangfu Song kneeling in front of the door, waiting for them silently.

Liu Wei didn't know how long Huangfu Song had been kneeling, so he hurriedly stepped out of the carriage with Zhong Xuan and asked, "General Huangfu, why is this?" ”

Huangfu Song leaned over and kowtowed, and replied, "The minister Huangfu Song bows to your majesty." The defeat of the army and the loss of land caused Chang'an to fall into a crisis, and it was difficult to atone for ten thousand deaths. ”

Liu Wei sighed and stretched out his hand to help Huangfu Song.

"General Huangfu doesn't have to be like this, let's go in and talk."

Walking into the main hall, Liu Wei knelt and sat in the hall, and Huangfu Song still knelt respectfully below. Zhong Xuan, who was kneeling next to him, was anxious for Huangfu Song, and saw that Liu Wei and Huangfu Song didn't speak, so he had to bite the bullet and said: "Yizhen Gong has made countless meritorious contributions for my Han Dynasty's expedition to the east and west, and I hope Your Majesty will be merciful and spare his capital crime." ”

Seeing Zhong Xuan's anxious appearance, Liu Wei smiled faintly and waved his hand to order him not to be impatient. Then he looked at Huangfu Song and asked, "General Huangfu begged me to give him death, are you really not afraid that I will agree to your request?" ”

Huangfu Song buckled his head and replied firmly: "Your Majesty bears me a heavy responsibility, but I am ashamed of Your Majesty's trust, and I really have no shame to live in the world, and I hope Your Majesty will be fulfilled." ”

Liu Wei sighed and said, "Yizhengong wants to die, but I can't bear to die." Soldiers are impermanent, and I have never heard of generals in the world who do not defeat battles, how can Yizhen Gong be obsessed with temporary success or failure? As for the punishment for losing the battle, I have already made a decision. ”

Liu Wei stood up and said loudly: "Huangfu Song's defeated army and lost his land, his crime should be punished, he was removed from the post of general of Sizhou, and the former Marquis of Huaili was also demoted to the Marquis of Ganting. ”

The Son of Heaven made up his mind, and Zhong Xuan, who was anxious on the side, finally fell to the ground with the stone in his heart, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

Without his official position, the original county marquis Huaili Marquis was also demoted to the Pavilion Marquis, and this kind of punishment was particularly gracious to Huangfu Song.

However, just as Huangfu Song kowtowed to thank him, Liu Wei took out an object and came to Huangfu Song.

Huangfu Song looked at him stunned, and the things in Liu Wei's hands were wrapped in red cloth, and he couldn't see anything.

Liu Wei handed the object in his hand to Huangfu Song, who opened it and saw that it was a copper seal. Huangfu Song flipped the copper seal and found that the bottom of the copper seal was engraved with the seal of General Zhengxi.

At this time, Liu Wei opened his mouth and said: "Edict, worship Huangfu Song as the general of the expedition to the west, and command the Western Garden Army and the Northern Army and the rebels to fight to the death!" ”

Huangfu Song was stunned, he didn't know what to say, and looked at Liu Wei in a daze.

Liu Wei said proudly: "I have looked at history and have never seen a general who has never lost a battle. It doesn't matter if Yizhen Gong loses the battle, I have brought all my belongings over to find a place for you. ”

Huangfu Song lost the battle, but the Son of Heaven is still willing to order him to lead the army to quell the rebellion as a general, so that he can regain the dignity of a soldier, what trust and support is this! Even Zhong Xuan next to him felt his blood boiling and excited.

Huangfu Song trembled all over, and said in a choked voice: "Your Majesty is gracious, and the minister will not forget it until he dies." I am willing to put down the traitors for Your Majesty and restore the majesty of my great man. ”

Liu Wei smiled and said: "Yizhen Gong is injured, I still want you to lead the troops to the battle, it's really difficult for you." When you come back, I will personally celebrate your achievement! ”

"For the country and the people, the ministers will never give up!" Huangfu Song said resolutely.

Liu Wei also instructed some about the content of the decision at the military meeting, and after that, he did not stay long, and ordered Emperor Fu Song to rest early, make more preparations, and choose a day to go on the expedition. He left the Huangfu Song Mansion with Zhong Xuan.

Back in the mansion, Liu Wei suddenly remembered something, so he called Zhang Tao and asked, "How is that person?" ”

Zhang Tao knew who he was talking about, and hurriedly reported: "He has figured it out these days. ”

Liu Wei nodded. "You make arrangements, I want to meet him."

(To be continued, stay tuned for the next chapter)