"This time the state is urgent, the Xianbei barbarians invaded the northern Wuyuan, Yunzhong counties, this time Tanshi Huai personally led tens of thousands of cavalry to plunder my Han people, occupy my counties, the frontier is shaking, what is the best way for Zhuqing to solve this worry?" In the Deyang Palace, Liu Hong asked the ministers below with great annoyance.

In the summer of the ninth year of Emperor Huan's reign, Xianbei sent tens of thousands of cavalry into the nine counties along the border of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and killed and plundered the officials and people.

At that time, the imperial court was worried about Xianbei's long-term invasion, but it could not control it, so it sent an envoy with a seal ribbon, intending to crown Tanshihuai as the king and make peace with him.

However, the leader of the Xianbei tribe, Tan Shihuai, not only refused to accept it, but invaded and plundered the fortresses on the edge of the Eastern Han Dynasty even more.

Tanshihuai also divided the jurisdiction into three departments, each of which set up a leader to govern, intensifying the invasion of the Han frontier.

When Liu Honggang succeeded to the throne, Xianbei invaded several counties along the border on a large scale. When Duan Cheng pacified the Qiang people, Xianbei was stable for two years, but he didn't expect to start plundering and merging states again this year.

For a barbarian tribe like Xianbei, there is no way for the hundred officials and ministers. It's not worth it.

And, the other party is unwilling. I can only be harassed by it. Seeing that no one in the hall answered, Liu Hong, the Son of Heaven, asked tentatively: "I intend to go north to Xianbei, I don't know what you think." When the words fell, Cai Yong, the speaker of the council, trembled and stood out, leaned over, and said weakly: "Your Majesty, this matter must not be done!" Although the conquest of foreign tribes has a long history, the timing is the same and different, and the situation is advisable, so there are gains and losses in the strategy, and there are successes and failures in the matter, and it cannot be generalized. ”

"In the past, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty invaded the Xiongnu in the north, and created a merit for thousands of years, either it was desirable to be a day or night, or Emperor Wu was wise and martial, or the generals were excellent and brave, or the wealth and military endowment were abundant, and the territory was vast and far, Emperor Wen, Emperor Jing, and Emperor Wu worked hard for three generations, and it was not less than decades of accumulation, and it still needed to make contributions in three battles."

"On the other hand, looking at the current situation of the imperial court, not only the treasury is empty, the wise men are in the opposition, but also the natural disasters are continuous, the people's grievances are boiling, and the thieves are rampant. When Huangfu Gui resigned, his subordinates continued to be arranged, and Cai Yong was promoted to Yilang because of his talent and the relationship with the doctor Yuan Peng.

"Humph! If according to your words, the court is in a predicament today, and the blame lies with me alone, and I am not as good as Emperor Wu, could it be that I am still a dumb king! When Liu Hong heard this, his face was angry, and he snorted coldly: "My Han iron cavalry is unparalleled, in the past, the Huns won 300,000 soldiers, and they were also wiped out by my Han cavalry, and now there are only more than 100,000 Xianbei soldiers and horses, I don't believe that my Han army is brave, and it is not the enemy of Xianbei Hulu." Cai Yong hurriedly persuaded: "Since the Xiongnu fled to other places, Xianbei took the opportunity to annex the Xiongnu tribes, seized the homeland of the Xiongnu, and had tens of thousands of troops, and its momentum is becoming stronger and stronger, which must not be underestimated!" ”

"Xianbei soldiers are already elite and brave, coupled with the strict implementation of the party ban by the imperial court in the past, many Confucian celebrities have fled to the outside of the Saiwai, committed to Xianbei, and gave advice to Xianbei people, it can be seen that Xianbei people are not only brave, but also resourceful, Xianbei is no longer the original barbarian."

"On the other hand, I am facing the border county, the border fortresses everywhere are lax, and there are many omissions in the ban, so that iron tools and craftsmen continue to flow out of the fortress, and today's Xianbei people are not only sharp weapons, full of wisdom, and the war horses are fast, coming and going like the wind, not because the ministers underestimate the bravery of our Han army, and the iron cavalry of our Han army is really difficult to resist." After Cai Yong finished speaking, many ministers immediately seconded the proposal: "Cai Yilang is reasonable, and I hope Your Majesty will think twice!" Seeing this, Liu Hong was unhappy in his heart, and said angrily: "Xianbei barbarian, three or four times invaded my Han, the court was lenient with him, sent an envoy to send the seal, named him the king, and chose the daughter of the royal family to marry him, in order to show the generosity and benevolence of the Heavenly Empire, this thief is not only not sealed, but the robbery is more than before, if he is allowed to do it wantonly, where is the majesty of the Han Dynasty?" How can I endure it? ”

"Your Majesty's anger, Cai Yilang's words are all loyal and good words, the so-called 'good medicine is good for the sick, and loyal words are good for the ears', the minister has also guarded the northern frontier, knowing that the northern barbarians are a big disaster for the imperial court, and if they are not eliminated as soon as possible, it will be difficult for the frontier to be stable." Captain Huangfu Gui also trembled at this time, and came out to persuade a few words.

He is 68 years old this year, frail and sickly, and if it were not for the serious border problems now, he would have resigned and returned home.

Liu Hong's face improved at this time, knowing that Huangfu Gui had served as a general of Duliao, had defeated and subdued the Qiang people many times, and was familiar with all things in the frontier, unlike Cai Yong's Confucian students, and he was not familiar with military affairs.

So the Son of Heaven nodded and asked Huangfu Gui to continue. Huangfu Gui saw that Liu Hong's anger was temporarily suspended, and the words suddenly changed, and he said: "Because of this, for the long-term stability of my northern Xinjiang, Your Majesty should also temporarily forbear, after all, the Xianbei cavalry is good at riding and shooting, and the war horses are excellent. ”

"In the past, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty attacked the Xiongnu in the north, and spent countless money and grain, but now the treasury is empty, and the people are in difficulty. According to the minister's opinion, this time Xianbei committed the border, and he should focus on defending, consolidating the foundation and cultivating the yuan, luring the enemy into chaos, and crushing with one blow. Liu Hong listened to it, but Huangfu Gui still dissuaded him from sending troops to the Northern Expedition, and he was immediately displeased, silent, and waved his hand to send Huangfu Gui away.

As soon as the emperor's rules were listed, Taiwei Li Xian hurriedly came out of the queue and said: "Your Majesty, although Emperor Wu defeated the Xiongnu, he also exhausted the treasury savings, and the people's strength withered. ”

"Now the national strength of the imperial court is far less than that of the period of Emperor Wu back then, and the previous imperial court pacified the rebellion of the Qiang people, and the loss was very large, so that the treasury was extremely empty, the people were trapped and weak, and the vitality of the Han Dynasty was greatly damaged."

"According to the opinion of the ministers, at this time, the law should be clarified, the treacherous and evil should be punished, the rule of officials should be rectified, and the recuperation should be recuperated, and it is not too late to crusade against Xianbei after the national strength is strong and the treasury is sufficient; If Your Majesty insists on this, the Northern Expedition will be humble, regardless of victory or defeat, it will be difficult for the Han Dynasty to recover its vitality, and it will only be difficult to continue. When Liu Hong heard this, he was immediately furious and reprimanded: "After a lifetime, Emperor Wu finally swept away the scourge of the Huns, and now I want to emulate Emperor Wu, drive out the Northern Hu, and raise the prestige of our country. After speaking, he patted the dwarf case in front of him and continued to speak: "In the past, the Huns had hundreds of thousands of soldiers, brave and good at fighting, but they were also exterminated by my Han elite soldiers, and now Xianbei Tanshi Huai is becoming more and more arrogant, and even led troops to invade the state and county. Where is the prestige of the Son of Heaven? At this time, in the face of the angry Son of Heaven, Li Xian unhurriedly said aloud: "Your Majesty's words, the minister does not dare to agree, the outside must first settle the inside, the northern Xinjiang barbarians are in trouble, in the eyes of the minister, it is just a disease of ringworm, domestic difficulties, is the trouble of the henchmen." ”

"Now that thieves are rampant in various states and counties, the government is powerless to suppress them, the mob is inexhaustible, and the people in the inner counties are still not at peace, how can the tigers and wolves in northern Xinjiang be subjugated?"

"In the past, the first emperor built the Great Wall, and the ancestors built a fortress to block the border Yi tribe, and separated the barbarians from our Han people.

"In addition, if my Han country is peaceful and peaceful, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and the court is united, the border Yi people will not dare to attack." Cai Yong immediately followed: "Your Majesty, what Taiwei Li said is very true, besides, my Han is a state of etiquette, and the frontier barbarians are vulgar, so why do you need to deal with such barbarian people?" "Let's say, he paused for a moment and continued: "Even if Your Majesty can defeat Xianbei for a while, I am afraid that it will be difficult to wipe out all the Xianbei people, it is better to forbear for the time being, stabilize internal affairs, and when the country is rich and the people are strong, what trouble will Xianbei people have!" Liu Hong looked at the ministers in the palace, shook his head and sighed: "I am very disappointed, the Xianbei barbarians are so contemptuous of the majesty of the Han Dynasty, and the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty are so frightened by the barbarians, and no one dares to fight?" As soon as the words of the Son of Heaven were finished, Duan Cheng immediately came out of the ranks, and said in a righteous and awe-inspiring manner: "Your Majesty, the Qiang people were so strong back then, but they were also swept away by our Han army. ”

"Your Majesty can't," Huangfu Gui immediately objected: "Duan Cheng has slaughtered countless Qiang people, so that the Qiang people still have resentment, resulting in many hidden dangers in Xiliang, and the old minister thinks that Duan Cheng is too murderous, and his words are not advisable." When Duan Cheng heard this, he was full of anger, but it was not good to attack in the main hall, so he could only stare angrily with his eyes, and said sharply: "Huangfu Gui, although you and I do not agree with each other, we can't slander the general casually!" ”

"Whether it's slander or not, you know best in your own heart." Huangfu Gui didn't scare him at all. Since learning that Duan Cheng had taken refuge in the eunuchs, the little admiration in his heart for Duan Cheng's pacification of the Qiang tribe had also disappeared, and was replaced by a deep disgust.

He Huangfu Gui, together with Zhang Huan and Duan Cheng, because the three of them have a "Ming" word, and they are all famous in the governance of Qiang, so they are called "Liangzhou Sanming" by the people of the time.

It's just that the three of them are divided into two camps in terms of dealing with the Qiang people. Huangfu Gui and Zhang Huan agreed with "Fu", while Duan Cheng agreed with "Suppression".

The Fu endorsed by Huangfu Gui and Zhang Huan was actually based on military intimidation, migrating the subdued Qiang tribes to Guannai and scattering them among the Han people, so that they could change from a nomadic life to a farming life.

And Duan Ying's suppression is racial killing. When Duan Ying was serving as the captain of the Qiang Protector, he destroyed more than a dozen small Qiang tribes.

For large tribes like Xian Ling, the method of gradual encroachment is also adopted, reducing their numbers. There was not much contradiction between Huangfu Gui and Duan Ying in their early years.

Later, the relationship between the two was estranged because of the disagreement on how to deal with the chaos, but it was obviously opposed.

After that, Huangfu Gui strongly supported Zhang Huan, and Zhang Huan naturally became a member of Huangfu Gui. Due to Zhang Huan's accusations against Duan Ying and Duan Ying's refutation of Zhang Huan, Liangzhou Sanming completely broke up.

During the period of Emperor Huan, the three were either demoted or dismissed, and although they all returned to the imperial court to serve in the military, since then, the three have been very different in their treatment of eunuchs.

Due to his seniority and age, Huangfu Gui did not pay attention to the power of eunuchs at all. Zhang Huan himself is also very virtuous and despises the practices of eunuchs.

Because of the Dou Wu incident, he was deceived by the eunuchs, refused to be rewarded, and finally resigned and returned to his hometown, taught and wrote, and no longer went out.

Only Duan Ying fell to the side of the eunuch and was despised and disgusted by the other two. Wu Yong looked at the two people in the court who didn't let anyone, and sighed in his heart.

Liangzhou Sanming suppressed the northwest for decades, making the Qiang people dare not move. Huangfu Gui was very old, and later generations recorded that he died three years later.

Eight years later, Duan Cheng was implicated in prison because the crimes of the eunuch Wang Fu were exposed, and he died in prison.

Even, the Qiang rebellion in 184 was also because Zhang Huan, the last person in Liangzhou Sanming, also died in 181, so the Qiang dared to rebel, and before that, the Qiang people did not dare to go south.

Thinking of this, Wu Yong also had a little more sympathy for Duan Cheng. Duan Ying's Qiang massacre policy aroused the dissatisfaction of the scholars, so it was impossible for him to seek refuge in the scholars.

At that time, the eunuchs were in full swing, and if Duan Ying continued to fight against the eunuchs, it was not impossible to lose his official position and resign, and it might even lead to death.

Although he was criticized by the scholars for defecting to the eunuch power, it was also a helpless move. Speaking of which, I have to mention.

Later, Huangfu Gui's cousin Huangfu Song slaughtered 300,000 Yellow Turbans in World War I, which must be said to be cruel.

However, because he represented the interests of the scholars, few people scolded him. Therefore, the history books seen by future generations are actually emotional.

Wu Yong didn't say a word, quietly thinking about his thoughts. Liu Hong, the son of heaven, saw that most of the officials in the court opposed his idea of the Northern Expedition, so he could only give up, but he was very aggrieved in his heart.