In the two or three years when Liu Xiu had just ascended the throne, his hometown of Nanyang was very chaotic, with both the old and old departments still separating one side, and the emergence of new fierce people who wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.

We just said that Liu Xiu's backyard caught fire, which is also what we meant.

(At that time, the South was especially chaotic.) ）

Taking advantage of the fact that in the north, the battle between Zhu Fu and Peng Pet is in the stalemate stage, let's talk about Liu Xiu's use of troops in the Nanyang area.

Otherwise, not only Zhu Fu, but even we don't understand why Liu Xiu didn't go to Yuyang to drive in person.

Now that these old people and newcomers who are involved in Liu Xiu in the Nanyang area have appeared, we might as well introduce them.

Among the old men, there were three kings who had changed the beginning.

One is Yanwang Yinzun, whose fief is in Yan (now south of Yuncheng, Henan, for the sake of convenience, let's call Yuncheng), is one of the 14 kings with different surnames (not Liu surnames) at the beginning.

There is very little information about Mr. Yin, and before surrendering to Liu Xiu, the commander of the Luoyang garrison and the great Sima Zhu Kun of the First Dynasty, he explained to his subordinates what happened, saying that if something happened to him, let everyone go directly to Yanwang.

It can be seen that Yanwang is still very powerful, and he is low-key, and has a good relationship with Zhu Kun.

The other is Liu Ci, the king of Wan, whose fief is in Wancheng, is one of the six kings with the same surname at the beginning of the change, and has successively held important positions such as Guangluxun, Da Situ, Prime Minister, and former Da Sima.

Mr. Liu Ci is an acquaintance of everyone, he is Liu Xiu's cousin, and he has always had a close relationship with Liu Xiu.

At this time, Liu Ci still held the elite troops (six elite soldiers) at the beginning, and his strength should not be underestimated.

The third was Wang Chang, the king of Deng, whose fief was in Deng (now Xiangyang, Hubei).

Wang Chang is also an old acquaintance of everyone, he was the leader of the Xiajiang soldiers in his early years, and once urged the alliance between the Xiajiang soldiers and the Lingling soldiers, and has always been a staunch supporter of Liu Xuan and Liu Xiu brothers.

Wang Chang served as the first court lieutenant and general, and in this position, he fought a bloody battle with Liu Xiu in Kunyang, and the two deepened their friendship in the battle.

After the bloody battle in Kunyang, Wang Chang and Liu Xiu basically did not see each other again.

He was assigned by the beginning of the change, stationed in Nanyang, acting as the Taishou of Nanyang, Jin Feng Deng Wang, and 4 counties of Shiyi.

Later, Luoyang, the capital of the north and Chang'an of the west, did a lot of messy things, but Wang Chang did not participate, he has been in Nanyang, sticking to his job.

Wang was often thrifty and well-behaved, neither greedy nor arrogant, and worked very hard, and the common people in the territory lived and worked in peace and contentment, and he was full of praise for him.

However, in troubled times, it is impossible for one county to be good alone.

After Liu Xiu ascended the throne, he gradually strengthened the construction of local political power, and sent a taishou named Liu Yu to Nanyang, and Wang Chang was hung up.

Wang Chang returned to Deng Di, very low-key, as for whether he was greedy for territory or wait-and-see, we don't know what he thought in his heart.

Among the newcomers, there are mainly 4 forces, and the situation is a bit complicated, so let's try to be as concise and organized as possible.

The first share is Qin Feng Group, Lao Qin is an old actor, there was no role in the past, but now he has a new performance, so strictly speaking, he is also a newcomer.

Lao Qin is a native of Nanjun, and in 21 A.D., he raised an army to rebel against recklessness, and the time of recklessness was 1 year earlier than Liu Xiu's brothers, and he was also an old comrade.

But his career has not improved much.

In the past few years, he took advantage of the confrontation between several forces of Chimei, Gengshi, and Liu Xiu to occupy the territory of more than 10 counties such as Yicheng (now south of Yicheng, Hubei).

Lao Qin saw that he had tens of thousands of men under his command, so he proclaimed himself the king of Chuli, with Liqiu (now southeast of Xiangfan, Hubei) as his capital.

The second was Dong, who raised troops in his hometown of Duxiang (now Chengdong in Henan); The third group was Xu Han, who raised troops in Xing (now southeast of Ji County, Henan).

It should be pointed out that most of the people who started to fight Wang Mang in the early years started with Wang Mang as a banner and opportunity. Because in this troubled era, there is nothing more fashionable and appealing than this.

Only Dong, Xu Han, and Wang Mang were all sliced before they started the army, and it was clear that they were raising troops for the sake of raising troops, and the purpose was obvious: I want to get ahead, I want to be the king, I want to be a brother.

No, as soon as Lao Dong came up, he wanted to argue with Liu Xiu, led people to attack Wancheng, and arrested Liu Duo, the Taishou of Nanyang appointed by Liu Xiu.

(Dong anti-Wancheng, a townsman, is too guarded by Liu Duo in Nanyang.) ）

This fourth force is very special, it is Liu Xiu's broken general and Deng Chen's nephew Deng Feng, who has a large number of elite soldiers in his hands.

In fact, everyone should not be surprised, if the other dissident forces that are making trouble in the Nanyang area are mainly outsiders, or have never really stood under their own banner, then Xiao Deng was originally his own person, and he is still related to Liu Xiu.

Xiao Deng fought bravely, and he was able to serve as a general in the Liu Xiu Dynasty, which also shows Liu Xiu's closeness and trust in him.

Obviously, Xiao Deng's rebellion at this time must have been caused by Liu Xiu taking certain measures or not taking certain measures.

Well, on the stage in Nanyang and its vicinity, among the new and old actors mentioned above, everyone's qualifications, kung fu, and relationship with the leading actor Liu Xiu are different, and the roles and styles are also different, but because this is Liu Xiu's backyard, he himself doesn't want to perform for too long.

Liu Xiu has been on the throne for 2 years, and he is indeed too busy, since there is something going on here, he mainly wants to settle here, look at his father and fellow villagers, and leave immediately.

It's just a backyard, and stability is paramount.

Now, the world is not at peace, he still has a lot of government and political leaders to deal with, and there are still many places that need to be personally recruited, such as Comrade Zhu Fu in Youzhou, who urged him over and over again to immediately send troops to personally recruit.

So, in order to save time, let's focus on the whereabouts of the 3 kings among the old people, as well as the performance of Deng Feng among the newcomers.

In March 26 AD, Liu Xiu convened a military conference in Luoyang to study matters related to the pacification of the separatist and rebel forces in the Nanyang area.

After introducing the situation, Liu Xiu wanted to send workers to ask for everyone's opinions, but the generals stopped talking.

The meeting fell silent.

(There are still many people in the south who have not surrendered, and the emperor summoned the generals to discuss military affairs and muttered for a long time.) ）

No one wants to fight in the imperial hometown!

No matter how fierce the generals are, as brave as Wu Han and as wise as Geng Yi, they are deeply afraid of using troops in the area of Peijun, the hometown of Gaozu Liu Bang, and the hometown of Guangwu Emperor Liu Xiu. Even resourceful and decisive people like Deng Yu don't want to express too many opinions.

Because, when we introduced Liu Yong, we said that fighting in the imperial township is equivalent to catching mice in a porcelain shop: it is absolutely difficult to catch the mice without breaking the porcelain!

Of course, Liu Xiu also understood everyone's thoughts, and when he saw that everyone didn't speak for a long time, he used a bamboo slip written with a text begging for thieves, and while knocking on the ground, he urged:

"The situation is very clear, Yuncheng is the strongest, Wancheng is second, who will attack?"

(Yun is the strongest, like the second, who should hit it?) ）

At this time, Zhi Jinwu and champion Hou Jiafu stood up and replied proudly:

"The minister asks to attack Yuncheng!"

Liu Xiu was very happy and said with a smile:

"Zhijin Wu is willing to go to Yuncheng, what am I afraid of?! Da Sima (Wu Han) should go to fight Wancheng. ”

Jia Fu received a military order and led the cavalry commander Yin Zhi and the cavalry general Liu Zhi to the south, crossed Wushejin (now east of Mengxian County, Henan), and smashed Yuncheng.

Jia Fu fought and was always invincible. The resistance encountered on the way this time, seeing who killed whom (Lian Pozhi), quickly surrounded Yuncheng.

After more than a month of fierce fighting, Yin Zun couldn't hold it and quickly surrendered.

may have felt that this battle was too smooth and not enjoyable, General Jia did not stop, and by the way, he attacked Huaiyang in the east, and cleaned up the old ministers and Huaiyang was too vigilant.

Then, he led his army southward and captured Zhaoling (now northeast of Luohe, Henan), Xinxi (now Xixian County, Henan) and other places.

The territory of the Janitor has been completely settled.

(Settle for it.) ）

Almost at the same time, Wu Hannan conquered Nanyang, as if walking on the ground, even the battle, and soon won Xinye, Wancheng, Nieyang (now Pingnan, Henan), Sui (now Dengxian, Henan), Li (now Nanyangbei, Henan) and many other cities (all under it).

It must be noted that Liu Ci, the king of Wan, is not in Wancheng at present, but went to Chang'an.

Of course, Liu Ci went shortly after Liu Xiugang ascended the throne, neither as a tourist nor as an escape.

As mentioned earlier, he has a good relationship and personal relationship with Liu Xiu's brothers, and Liu Xiu's title to emperor is obviously good news for him.

He has a very strategic vision, he feels that he is a more important minister, this country is changing too fast, and if he wants to be favored by Liu Xiu, in addition to family affection, he also has to have a little political capital.

Therefore, Liu Ci put aside the military and political affairs of Wancheng, found Liu Xuan's wife and children from near Chang'an, and brought them to Luoyang to express their allegiance to Liu Xiu.

(Ask Guangwu to ascend the throne, it is the martial pass of the west, and the wife of the beginning of the welcome will be Luoyang.) ）

was originally a brother of his own family, he had helped himself, he had never used a knife or gun against each other, and he also brought the inheritance of the previous dynasty to give a gift, Liu Xiu was very satisfied with Liu Ci's performance.

In order to affirm Liu Ci's loyalty, Liu Xiu treated him with great courtesy and named him the Marquis of Shen.

In this way, Wu Han's use of troops in Nanyang, such as entering a no-man's land, is obviously related to Liu Ci's absence in Wancheng.

Also in the summer of this year (26 AD), King Deng often came to Luoyang to submit to Liu Xiu, which made Liu Xiu very happy.

Since he has always been a staunch supporter of Liu Xiu, he has also been waiting and seeing, and now that the army is pressing, Wang Chang feels that he will lose the opportunity if he does not return to obedience.

In order to express his sincerity, he not only brought his wife and children to Luoyang, but also was shirtless when he met Liu Xiu.

(In the summer of the second year of Jianwu, he often sent his wife to Luoyang, and the meat returned to himself.) ）

When meeting people, it is by no means disheveled and arrogant, which is a very formal etiquette like carrying a wattle on your back, indicating that the person concerned is extremely sincere, apologetic, and respectful. The idiom "guilty of petitioning" has a similar meaning.

Liu Xiu was extremely happy that Wang often came to surrender, thinking that Lao Wang was "returning". Let's take a look at how he received Wang Chang, and we can get a glimpse of Liu Xiu's way of employing people.

Liu Xiu was born in Confucianism and has a very deep kung fu in dealing with people.

He warmly received Wang Chang, concealed the joy in his heart, and said:

"Wang Tingwei has worked hard?! I often think of the times when we overcame the difficulties together, and I never forget them. Tingwei said that he would always miss each other and communicate with each other, and if he hadn't heard from him for such a long time, wouldn't it be a violation of his original promise? ”

(Wang Tingwei is good.) Every year is more difficult, when will you forget it? Don't go back and forth, isn't it against the words of life? ）

Liu Xiu's words are very level. He first greeted the hard work and expressed his welcome to the return of Wang Chang; Then he recalls the past and expresses his deep affection for old friends; But at the same time, he reproached Wang Chang for returning too late, which was a small beating.

Liu Xiu's criticism is also at the level of a student. He quoted the sentence from the Book of Songs, "Don't go back and don't come, think slowly" to express an understatement, but with a clear attitude.

Wang Chang was originally a decent person, and after hearing these words, on the one hand, he felt relieved about Liu Xiu's kindness, and on the other hand, he felt that now that he was the emperor, the power of heaven was unpredictable, and he couldn't help but be sincerely afraid.

So he prostrated himself and said,

"The minister has been given a great order and has the opportunity to follow His Majesty. They first met in Yiqiu, and then met in Kunyang, and thanks to the blessing of the gods, the minister became close friends with His Majesty and His Majesty's brother. He also trusted the foolish ministers and appointed the ministers to serve as the court lieutenant and the important task of acting as the Taishou of Nanyang. The red eyebrows entered Chang'an and died at the beginning, which made people discouraged and disappointed, thinking that the world would lose discipline again. I heard that His Majesty inherited the throne in Hebei, which is really eye-opening! I was able to see Your Majesty today, and I have no regrets about my death. ”

First of all, Wang Chang also followed Liu Xiu's words and recalled the revolutionary friendship that the two had formed in the battle.

At the same time, he also said that he also had the grace of knowing me. Although I am devoted to Your Majesty, I am not defeated, I am not convenient to run to Your Majesty, and Your Majesty has to understand.

At the end, he said, let the past pass, I can see Your Majesty now, and I will die without regrets, you can arrange it however you want.

Liu Xiu understood Wang Chang very well, and said with a smile:

"I'm joking with Tingwei. Now that I see Captain Ting, I no longer worry about the situation in the south. ”

(I'm joking with Tingwei.) I see Tingwei, and I don't worry about the south. ）

Liu Xiu was overjoyed with Wang Chang's return, and this sentence just now came from the heart.

As he spoke, he immediately convened a meeting of senior civil and military cadres, and solemnly introduced Wang Chang to everyone, saying:

"Wang Chang raised rebels as an ordinary person and knew how to know the mandate of heaven, so he was named a well-known marquis. He and I met and knew each other in battle, and the relationship was very good. ”

Immediately afterwards, Liu Xiu named Wang Chang as the Marquis of Shansang and appointed Zuo Cao.

Soon, at a conference, Liu Xiu praised Wang Chang in public:

"This person once led the generals of the Xia Jiang Army to assist the Han family, his heart is like a golden stone, and he is a real loyal minister!"

Immediately, Liu Xiu promoted Wang Chang to the rank of general of Hanzhong.

Because Wang Chang had been in Nanyang for a long time, familiar with the situation in this area, and was very loved by the people, Liu Xiu asked him to conquer the south, and all the generals in the south were commanded by him.

(Let all the generals belong to Yan.) ）

In this way, the old men of the three kings were easily won by Liu Xiu.

However, although Qin Feng, Dong, and Xu Han among the newcomers were also won by Liu Xiu, Deng Feng gave him a headache.

Since Liu Xiu has no new ideas in the actions and styles of Qin, Dong, and Xu Shi, we will pass by and focus on Deng Feng. Liu Xiu had a headache, he was by no means because he was a relative.

Here's the case.

Deng Feng is Deng Chen's nephew, and he is brave and good at fighting, and the official worships the general.

In the spring of 26 AD, Wu Han was ordered to march south, and the iron hooves broke through the counties of Nanyang.

Wu Han has always been fierce in warfare, and this time he used soldiers to kill rats, but continued his consistent style and indulged the soldiers to loot wantonly.

(The Han army invaded too much.) ）

Of course, Shinno was not spared.

At this time, Deng Feng returned to his hometown of Xinye Province and was extremely angry when he saw that the cities were burned everywhere and the lives of the people were ruined!

Therefore, he immediately led his soldiers and horses, and at the same time recruited local refugees, raised a counter-flag, and attacked Wu Han.

By the way, at this time, Jia Fu, who was using troops in the Yuncheng area, also indulged his subordinates Hu Lai, and a general was cut down by Yingchuan Taishou Kou because of this, Jia and Kou turned against each other, and they shook hands and made peace under the mediation of Liu Xiu.

However, Xiao Deng did not have Kou Xun's patience, and when he saw Wu Han coming to his hometown, he simply raised his troops and rebelled.

Xiao Deng knew that it would be difficult for him to take back this step, so he did it very well: he immediately led the crowd to directly attack his immediate boss Wu Han.

Wu Han was caught off guard and was soon defeated.

Xiao Deng paid a lot of military baggage, took Shuyang, and used it as a base to quickly establish alliances with Dong, Xu Han and other anti-Liu Xiu forces.

(When the general Deng Feng returned to his hometown, he rebelled, broke the Han army, obtained its baggage, gathered in Huaiyang, and connived with the thieves.) ）

Buddies, it's really annoying, I'm the opposite, let's help each other!

In November 26 AD, Liu Xiu deployed a crusade against Deng Feng.

At the beginning, Liu Xiu didn't pay enough attention to it, and just arranged for General Pingdi Cen Peng to do it.

At this time, Cen Peng was ordered to Dong, Xu Han and others in Nanyang.

He used his troops bravely, and soon surrendered and took Xingdi and Xu Han, and was promoted to the general of Zhengnan.

(In the autumn, Peng Poxing, descended to Xu Han, and moved to the Southern General.) ）

However, Cen Peng's discussion of Deng did not have an immediate effect.

Liu Xiu didn't want to delay for a long time, and wanted to solve it quickly, so he hurriedly sent more people.

Just at this time, Wang Chang returned, and Liu Xiu sent Zhu You, Jia Fu, Geng Yi, Guo Shou, Liu Zhi, Liu Hong, Liu Jia, Geng Zhi and other senior generals to speed up the pace of attack under the command of Wang Chang.

This is indeed a super luxury lineup!

However, fighting in the imperial township, everyone was still jealous, and the war was open, but the results were not good.

Cen Peng attacked Dong who was entrenched in the township, Deng Feng didn't want to die and his teeth were cold, so he immediately personally led more than 10,000 elite soldiers to come to the rescue, and the two formed a horn against Liu Xiuhan's soldiers.

Deng and Dong's subordinates were all soldiers in the Nanyang area, and at the beginning of the uprising, when morale was high, Liu Xiuhan's army had nothing to do with them with such a luxurious lineup.

The fighting was fought for several months without any noticeable progress.

(, Fengjun Nanyang elite soldiers, Peng and others attacked it, and they did not resist for months.) ）

In this way, the war is in a stalemate.

Not only that, but what is even more troublesome is that in the fierce battle, the tiger general and Zhijin Wujia were seriously wounded, while the Jianyi general Zhu You was captured alive by Deng Feng.

(Yu's army was defeated, but it was captured by Bong.) ）

At the same time, the right general Wan Xiu and Yanghua general Jian Rong, who cooperated with Wang Chang's army to fight the enemy a few days ago, also went out unfavorably: Wan Xiu died of illness in the army when he fought Nanyang, and Jian Rong was attacked by Deng Feng and Dong Nanbei, and he was strong alone.

Jia Fu is brave and beyond ordinary people, and he has always been invincible in battle; And Zhu You is a Confucian general, and he has always been cautious in fighting.

Obviously, the scale of this battle may not be the largest, but it is very difficult and tragic, and Liu Xiu's luxurious lineup has lost its luster.

Liu Xiu anxiously thought: It seems that the estimation of Xiao Deng and Dong is too low!