In the next few days, Liu Xiu and Yang Biao worked closely together and fought continuously, uprooting several of the largest underworld groups inside and outside Luoyang City in one go. The speed and the intensity of the blow made Yang Biao smile at the same time, but he gradually became a little unbearable.

Luoyang Prison is overcrowded, and if he continues to arrest him, he will have no place to lock people up.

Yang Biao and Liu Xiu discussed, should we take a breath and let me clean up a group of people first?

Liu Xiu said, this is not simple, drag it out and beat them first, and then ask them if they are willing to join the Northern Army, if they are willing, I will take it, if they are unwilling, you will directly report it and kill it.

Yang Biao is very strange, alas, no, is it too hasty to kill him like this? When you were in Luoyang Prison, if I did the same, would you still be so happy today?

Liu Xiu's eyes rolled, they are the underworld, I am a good person who is innocent, you can't say the same, adult, you have to be careful when you speak, otherwise I will sue you for slander. Yang Biao didn't have the heart to talk nonsense with him. Of course, he can't do what Liu Xiu said, he first asked people to check it roughly, and after a while, sort out the general situation, and then make a calculation.

When Yang Biao wanted to ask about the case, Liu Xiu was not idle, and after several days of intensive fighting, the soldiers of the shooting battalion and the infantry battalion were tired and miserable, what they had to do was not as simple as rushing up to fight for a while, after Liu Xiu made the arrangements, they had to enter the position as quickly as possible, arrange the formation, and try not to let a target go out of the net as much as possible. Wang Yu and Ma Yueyan are just two school captains, they actually don't understand, they are scholars, no one obeys them, but Wang Kuang and Xiahou Yuan are not vegetarians, which one is not convinced, let the guard battalion drag out and beat them first, and then turn back? It was chopped with a knife, and it was reported as a death after changing hands.

When did those officers and soldiers of the Northern Army encounter such a superior, the original captain spoke slowly and leisurely, even if he was angry, he was just a little louder, how could he kill someone if he didn't agree with him. They were frightened, some of them fled, some deserted at night, and some were killed in battle, and after three days, they lost at least a third of their men.

Liu Xiu also needed a little time to recuperate. He returned to the camp of the Northern Army and once again summoned the five lieutenants for a meeting.

Yuan Shao and Bao Hong attended the meeting as observers.

Liu Xiu had already gotten the news, so he was not surprised by their arrival, on the contrary, he thought it was very interesting. He commended Wang Kuang and Xiahou Yuan in front of everyone, you have been fighting actively in the past two days, and the Son of Heaven is also very happy to hear it, I hope you will continue to work hard.

As for Wang Yu and Ma Yueyan, everyone has seen your performance, I believe that you also know in your own hearts, the next battle will definitely become more and more intense, you think about whether you can bear it, if not, it is better to resign as soon as possible. Of course, I hope you'll stay. Last time I said I was going to drive you out, the Son of Heaven criticized me for being rash, I admit my mistake and won't drive you out, but you don't expect to be able to do the same as before, especially the carriage, you don't want to ride when you do things in the future, it's too slow to keep up, it's more convenient to ride a horse.

Although Wang Yu is very tired, but his body can still hold on, after all, he is a person who has been in the barracks for a few years, but Ma Yueyan really can't bear it, he is just a decoration in the shooting camp, he can't do anything, and he has become a burden to others.

Forget it, I'll resign and go back to Dongguan to go to school, where it's suitable for me.

Ma Yueyan was the first to hand in his resignation. After Liu Xiu took it, he said a few polite words, and immediately announced that Wang Kuang was temporarily appointed as the captain of the shooting voice, and when the appointment of the Taiwei Mansion was completed, you would be the captain of the shooting sound.

Wang Kuang was overjoyed, he didn't expect Liu Xiu to really make him a shooting captain.

Yuan Shao also breathed a sigh of relief, Ma Yueyan left, but Wang Kuang took over, and the shooting battalion was still in their hands.

"The Shooting Battalion and the Infantry Battalion are brave these days, but the casualties are relatively large. Hurry up and recuperate, heal the wounded, punish those who escape, reward those who have made meritorious deeds, and do not let them bleed in vain. Liu Xiu said solemnly, "All those who do not perform well in this operation will be cleared immediately, don't be afraid of lack of manpower, although there are not many displaced people around Luoyang, it is still not a problem to recruit a few hundred people." ”

Wang Kuang and Wang Yu agreed in unison.

Liu Xiu turned his head and said to Yuan Feng, Zhao Xuan and Chun Yuqiong, it's up to you next. The three of you are cavalry battalions, and I don't think you commanders will go into battle in a car, right?

Yuan Feng and the others looked at each other, Yuan Feng coughed, I am not in good health, it is better for He Sima to cooperate with the adults.

Before his words fell, Zhao Xuan also asked for sick leave, and with Yuan Sima cooperating with the adults, he would definitely be able to successfully complete the task.

Liu Xiu looked at their ruddy faces, and said in his heart, he finally gave Lao Tzu face, and he didn't carry it hard, and changed his sick number. Dahan has a system of retribution, that is, sick leave, which can be taken for three months and cannot be dismissed within three months, which is similar to the law on the protection of employees' rights and interests in later generations. For high-ranking officials like them with 2,000 stones, if the Son of Heaven is gracious, they can also give advice, which means that they can take a leave of absence after three months, and they can even take their official families home for treatment.

Liu Xiu doesn't care, as long as you don't turn around in front of my eyes, as for whether you will come to take office or resign after three months, it is not in my concern, as long as you want to serve this bowl, you have to be under my control, dare to come to work, and then go to the battlefield with me.

Liu Xiu politely sent Yuan Feng and Zhao Xuan out, then looked at Yuan Shao and the others meaningfully, and finally fell on Yuan Shao's face: "Brother Benchu, do you want to report back?" ”

Yuan Shao smiled slightly, straightened his chest, "Thank you for your concern, I'm in good health, and I don't need to ask for sick leave." Not only do I not have to take sick leave, but I also feel excited about the fact that I am going to fight with adults right away. ”

Liu Xiu was a little surprised, listening to this tone, Yuan Shao was in love with me. He didn't come to play tickets, did he really plan to take root in the military camp and really become a martial artist? He looked at the scarf on Yuan Shao's head, and laughed: "Brother Benchu, I appreciate your enthusiasm very much. As long as you can be as good as Prince's Day and Xiahou Miaocai, of course I can't ask for it, and I will definitely ask for credit for you. But did you remove the towel first? The Wuhuan knights of the Changshui Camp probably don't like your dress. ”

Yuan Shao's face flushed. Although he has decided to enter the Northern Army from the military position, but he is still accustomed to the elegant demeanor of dress, not only did he not wear the military crown that should be worn in the army, but he did not even bring the Jinxian crown that Confucianism often wears, but wore a scarf, which is now the favorite dress of celebrities, it seems that he is not rigid in etiquette, approachable, I didn't expect to be laughed at by Liu Xiu.

Yuan Shao endured his unhappiness and arched his hand: "What the adults said is that the subordinates will be changed immediately." ”

Liu Xiu nodded, and then arranged another task, to line up all the knights of the three battalions, let them see the wounded people in the shooting battalion and the infantry battalion, feel the reality of the blood, and at the same time let them see the reward money received by the meritorious people, so that those who have fought ** can feel a little excitement. Then start cleaning up, and if you can't afford these bloody early exits, otherwise it will be too late to regret being injured or even killed in battle.

Yuan Shao and the others should go out to make arrangements.

After seeing the bloody wounds in the wounded barracks and listening to the heart-wrenching wails of the wounded soldiers, nearly half of them took the initiative to quit the Northern Army. Liu Xiu was not in a hurry, and while asking them to count the number of people and submit them to the Taiwei Mansion, he asked the Taiwei Mansion to replenish the manpower, and at the same time called Cao Hong.

Cao Hong didn't do anything Sima, and Liu Xiu gave him a very special position: the military city order. Wherever there is a military camp in the Han Dynasty, there is a military market, and all the items that the soldiers need, in addition to the supplies in the military camp, can be purchased from the military market, and the rewards they receive can also be sold in the military market and exchanged for the items they need. Of course, wine and women, two of the most popular military items, are indispensable in the military market.

Cao Hong is now in charge of the military market. He was originally a little dissatisfied, although he liked money and business, but he came to the Northern Army to be an official, not to do business. But Liu Xiu said, do you think cutting people with knives is war? Wrong! The most brilliant war is the economic war. The soldiers and horses have not moved, the money and food go first, what do you see what the Han is most lacking now, is it a soldier? No, there are millions of displaced people in the Han Dynasty, and as long as there is money and food, I can recruit as many soldiers as I want. If there is no money and no food, where are the soldiers? Why is Song Qi so favored now, isn't it because he sold rice from Jiaozhou last year and solved the biggest crisis of the Son of Heaven?

Cao Hong is not convinced, then you beat Xianbei people, don't you rely on knives or money?

Liu Xiu nodded, using a knife is inferior, that is the bottom line, and it is the last guarantee. But if you can use knives and play Xianbei people to death by doing business, then you can call it smart. In the end, he patted Cao Hong on the shoulder and said solemnly: "I am very optimistic about you, whether I can win the battle depends on whether you are clever or not in this way of doing business." ”

This sentence made Cao Hong's heart very comfortable, and he happily threw himself into the fiery furnace of the money and grain war. Liu Xiu encircled and suppressed the underworld in Luoyang this time, and got a lot of loot, which changed hands from the Son of Heaven and basically returned to Liu Xiu's hands. Liu Xiu's first task for Cao Hong was to convert a large amount of loot into money and other needed items, the most important of which was food and meat, because in order to strengthen the combat effectiveness of the soldiers in the short term, whether nutrition could keep up was a crucial issue. The emperor is not hungry soldiers, you can't let the soldiers train hungry, especially those homeless people, people are willing to come to be soldiers, just to be able to eat, no food, who will play with you.

Liu Xiu's words caught Cao Hong's itch, his family is very rich, on the one hand, because his family is already rich, and on the other hand, because he is really good at making money. The three generations of Cao Ying's ancestors and grandchildren have been officials in Luoyang, and they have received countless rewards, and Cao Song has also made a lot of oil and water as a big farmer, but Cao Ying's family is still not as rich as Cao Hong's family, because they can't operate. It's just that although doing business is a good means to make money, it can't be put on the table, and only who has a good reputation and high knowledge can boast that they can do business these years. What's more, Cao Hong is still stingy, rich and stingy, which is exactly the opposite of the righteousness and squandering wealth admired by the scholars, and is very looked down upon, which is something that Cao Hong has always felt very depressed in his heart. He rushed all the way to Luoyang this time, just to ask for an official, so that he could stand up and be a man in the future.

Now that he has been fooled by Liu Xiu, he feels that he is actually a thousand-mile horse, he has never met Bole before, and has been buried, but now that he has met Liu Xiu, he has met Bole. Moreover, Liu Xiu himself relied on business to get to his current position, and there is a common language between him and Liu Xiu, and there is no estrangement.

Cao Hong happily took office and began to work diligently for Liu Xiu's next planning. Liu Xiu arranged for him to get in touch with the Zhongshan merchants Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, two big merchants who now traveled between Liaodong and Luoyang for many years, selling horses and all kinds of goods, and with Liu Xiu's backing, their business was very large.

Liu Xiu has always suspected that these two people are willing to do business with him, and there may be his father's instructions behind them, but his father refuses to say it, and he is not sure. Because of the difference in the line of rebellion, Dad is still holding a wait-and-see attitude towards what he is doing now, and refuses to give him the resources in his hands. In his words, how do I know if you want to be a loyal servant or if you are really accumulating your strength? Don't worry, as long as you don't lie, I will definitely tell you when the time comes, and I will be your son, if I don't give it to you, will I take it to the coffin?

Liu Xiu had no choice but to be self-reliant, but fortunately, after having Cao Hong, he could transfer some of the things to Cao Hong. His understanding of Cao Hong's talent in this area comes from Cao Luan. Cao Luan and Cao Hong are brothers and sisters of the same ancestor, and the relationship between her and Cao Ying is closer. When Liu Xiu suggested that Song Qi go to Jiaozhou to sell rice, she mentioned Cao Hong to Liu Xiu. Liu Xiu didn't believe it very much, in his impression, Cao Hong was the most incompetent one among Cao Ying's cronies, as if he had never won any battles. After a few days of conversation and trial, he believed that Cao Hong was indeed as Cao Luan said, and he was more suitable for smashing people with money than slashing people with a knife.

Under Cao Hong's strategy, the reward of the meritorious soldiers soon arrived, and the soldiers who had suffered a lot finally tasted the sweetness, and after cleaning up those indiscriminate guys, the whole morale was also improved to a certain extent, even Wang Yu was infected, no longer riding in the car, riding a horse back and forth between the barracks and home every day, and when the interest came, he could also go to see Xiahou Yuan training troops.

Under the training of Xiahou Yuan and Wang Kuang, the shooting sound battalion and the infantry battalion have improved significantly.

At the same time, Yuan Shao, He Hao and others felt a lot of pressure, they did not dare to slack off, and they also seized the time to train the soldiers, preparing to perform well in the next anti-crime operation. For this reason, Yuan Shao's mood is very heavy, because many people in the black that Liu Xiu wants to fight have dealings with him or Yuan Shu, and He Hao has been drifting on the rivers and lakes in the past few years, and he has not dealt with these people, but now he has to send them to the cell with his own hands, which is really a little embarrassing. They also took advantage of the rest time to send people to lobby around, hoping that those rangers would either join the Northern Army, or run away as soon as possible, avoid the limelight, and not show up in Luoyang.

After a few days of hard work, at least more than 300 swordsmen and rangers left Luoyang. Even Xu You left, Xu You didn't want to join the Northern Army, and he didn't want to be caught by Liu Xiu, so he simply went away and flew high. He disappeared suddenly, and he didn't even say hello, which made Yuan Shao very embarrassed.

On this day, after regular training, Yuan Shao and He Hao walked slowly by the Luoshui side, and Chun Yuqiong followed behind with the smile on his face that customary surname.

Yuan Shao jumped off the horse, the pain in his thigh made him grin, and He Hao hurriedly stepped forward to support him. Yuan Shao smiled gratefully, but his smile was more ugly than crying. He Hao sighed secretly, he never thought that Yuan Shao, who was originally as warm as jade, would now become like this, his face was full of dust, black and thin, his eyes were bloodshot, and he didn't know if it was because he didn't sleep well at night, or because he was worried about his future future. He only knew that in order to be able to control the forces in possible future events, Yuan Shao had paid a huge price. If he was driven out of the Northern Army by Liu Xiu, his reputation would be ruined, and if he persevered and really became a martial artist, his reputation would also be ruined.

Unless, he can make great achievements, maybe he can save one or two.

"Originally, is it worth it?"

Yuan Shao looked back at him, smiled silently, and staggered to the edge of Luoshui, because of the drought, the water was much shallower, and there was a section of dry grass and mud by the river, he hesitated for a moment, looked at the combat boots on his feet, shook his head helplessly, stepped on it directly, walked to the water's edge with the black mud, put down his body, washed his hands first, saw his dirty face in the water, scooped up the water with his hands and washed his face, and finally drank two sips.

Yuan Shao returned to the shore, looked at the majestic Luoyang City in the distance, and suddenly asked: "Boqiu, do you say, Luoyang City will be burned to ruins by the rebels like Chang'an City?" ”

The two white eyebrows in He Hao's eyebrows jumped, holding the knife ring and being silent. He didn't know how to answer Yuan Shao, and after thinking for a moment, he asked rhetorically, "What do you think?" ”

Yuan Shao's eyebrows twisted, feeling a little tight, he raised his hand and rubbed it: "I think it's hard to say." In recent years, natural disasters have continued, disasters have been rampant, when Chen Zhongju and Dou Youping were in trouble, Guo Linzong once cried in the wilderness, saying that the world would die. It's just that when this is going to die, I can't say. By the way, have you read the recent article in Ta Kung Pao? ”

He Hao blinked, "The one who talks about the way of heaven?" ”

"Hmm."

"Looked." He Hao sighed, "That's why I'm very worried. ”

"What are you worried about?" Yuan Shao turned his head and stared at He Hao's eyes. He Hao's eyes showed a look of worry, looked at the slowly flowing Luo Shui, and said slowly: "I'm worried about Liu Xiu. ”

Yuan Shao looked at him intently, he really wanted to know what He Hao thought of Liu Xiu. Liu Xiu has been in Luoyang for more than a year, and has changed from an unknown person to a servant of the Son of Heaven. You say he is a good person, he broke into the house to kill people, ran rampant in Luoyang Prison, and now he is sweeping up the rangers in Luoyang, especially against the Yuan family, not only rejected the kindness of the Yuan family's marriage, but also made waves against the Yuan family several times, first took Yuan Kui off the position of Situ, and then drove Yuan Feng down from the Tun cavalry captain. But you say that he is a bad person, he has lifted the party ban, and a large number of party members can re-emerge, which has made a great contribution to the stability of the current situation.

Yuan Shao analyzed it carefully, he felt that Liu Xiu's evil seemed to be mainly aimed at the Yuan family, and he could get along very tacitly with the Yang family, who was also the third prince of the fourth world, but as soon as he met the Yuan family, he became a mad dog.

Does the Yuan family have a grudge against him, just because Yuan Shu fought with him? Yuan Shaobai was puzzled.

"This person is young, has a blood surname, dares to act, and is scheming, cautious, and very rare among people of the same age." He Hao carefully picked the words, trying not to let Yuan Shao be stimulated: "However, he is unconventional and acts without scruples, especially when he talks about the way of heaven recently, I think his purpose is not only to oppose the obscenity, he seems to want to overthrow the entire doctrine of heaven and man induction." ”

Yuan Shao's eyes flashed, "Isn't this good?" ”

"Okay?" He Hao turned his head and looked at him in surprise: "If there is no celestial induction, then what is used to balance the Son of Heaven?" Even the will of heaven can be ignored, what else can make the Son of Heaven have any scruples? He Hao became a little excited, and his voice raised a lot: "At the beginning, don't you think that if you continue to follow this line of thought, Confucianism has reached the end of the road?" How did the Han family respect Confucianism, isn't it because Dong Zhongshu's three strategies of heaven and man established the authority of Confucianism to explain the way of heaven? If people find out that the way of heaven is not what the sages say it is, then who else will practice Confucian scriptures? ”

Yuan Shao was stunned for a moment, then thought of the problem, and was stunned for a while.

…… The Son of Heaven was still angry, and walked forward silently. Liu Xiu followed closely behind, with a smile on his face. The Son of Heaven had just summoned him to the palace, and after inquiring about the Northern Army, he immediately mentioned the issue of wanting to remove Zhang Huan from his post as Tai Lieutenant, because Zhang Huan insisted on refusing to remove Yuan Shao and several other Simas, he said that the appointment of Yuan Shao and others had been issued, and he had not made any mistakes at present, and it was unreasonable to suddenly remove them. The Son of Heaven was very angry, so he summoned Liu Xiu into the palace to discuss, but Liu Xiu did not agree.

Liu Xiu's opinion is, you removed Zhang Huan, who will be the lieutenant? Who else can do better than Zhang Huan?

The Son of Heaven said, Duan Cheng is fine.

Liu Xiu objected, after this period of operation, there were finally more than a dozen people who were willing to follow Duan Cheng to learn the art of war, and the establishment of a doctor of military science in Taixue went through so many twists and turns, and it was easy to get on the right track. And you just made Duan Cheng a lieutenant, Duan Cheng may not be willing to follow your opinion, he is likely to deal with this matter like Zhang Huan.

The Son of Heaven said angrily, then I will withdraw him.

Then who else can Your Majesty use? Liu Xiu said, take 10,000 steps back, even if all these candidates are decided by Your Majesty, does Your Majesty have the right person? Fighting is not a joke, you see that Zhao Xuan is on sick leave now, which of the children of a lieutenant official dares to come to the barracks?

The Son of Heaven is on fire, so let them come nonsense?

Liu Xiu patted his chest and said, Your Majesty, don't worry, now that I am a candidate in the Northern Army, how can I train them, it's not a matter of my words? Wouldn't it be better for them to endure hardships and leave on their own than to forcibly remove them from their posts now?

The Son of Heaven accepted his suggestion, but he was still in a very bad mood. Liu Xiu knew that he was angry that he felt powerless in the face of the powerful strength of the family, but this was also something that could not be helped, not to mention that the current family was only strong, far from being invincible, and the later Sima Clan's Jin Dynasty was called tragedy.

The king and the horse, share the world, so you still have to blow up your lungs?

(To be continued)