Chapter 382 Guoqing Jianing
After returning to Jinyang City from Xishan Bieye, Gao Huan personally sent Toutujia, who was still angry, back to his official residence. Just before he turned around and returned home, he saw soldiers gathering on the street corner not far from the official residence. There were no signs, so he gave Duan Shao, who was guarding Zhan Cong, a look.
Duan Shao nodded when he saw this, and led a group of personal guards to go straight to the street corner. Soon, more than 30 soldiers with armor and swords were driven out from there, all heading towards the place where Gao Huan was driving. Take him back.
"Why do you disciples gather here? Don't you know that there are state guests and distinguished guests living in this residence?"
An accompanying official took a step forward at the signal from Gao Huan's eyes, looked at the armored soldiers and shouted.
The armored soldiers were driven here by Duan Shao's troops. They originally looked frightened and frightened. However, after hearing the official's shouts and questions, the leaders among them suddenly showed angry expressions. One of them pointed at the official. He roared angrily: "The slave under the fence actually called the creeping thief as a guest! A certain class of Jinyang warriors is waiting for the king to kill the crazy thief in the residence. If the slave dares to interfere, he will die together!"
When the official heard the roar, he shrank his head in fright. There were countless arrogant soldiers and generals around Jinyang City. Those with swords in their hands would be very powerful. Even the officials of the Prime Minister's Mansion like them were not deep-seated. With the favor of the king, I have to give in three points when facing these fierce soldiers.
"Bold! Your Majesty's chariot is driving here, how dare you be so bold!"
Duan Shao shouted angrily, shocking everyone in the room, and immediately ordered the two leaders to be captured and led to Gao Huan's car.
When the two people saw Gao Huan in the car, their expressions suddenly became panicked and restrained. They hurriedly paused their heads on the ground and said in a trembling voice: "I have no intention of offending Wang Jia. Crazy thieves often bully soldiers in the market and make arrogant remarks to humiliate...the things they say are too unpleasant to listen to, and the ministers are embarrassed and angry, so they want to gather righteous men and kill the thieves in the hall. If there is any violation of the law, I respectfully wait for the king to punish me..."
In the car, Gao Huan heard what the two commanders said. It was hard to tell the emotion or anger in the calm faces. He had also heard a lot about the ostentatious deeds of Rouran envoys in the market, so he was not surprised when he heard the complaints from the sergeants. After pondering for a moment, he said: "The thieves in the country are not here. It is stupid for you to use your righteousness and ambition not for meritorious deeds but for breaking the law! Disarm and retreat, and stop causing trouble and causing trouble!"
After hearing this, the two captains still wanted to speak out and fight, but Duan Shao ordered the guards to pull them down, and drove away the armored soldiers gathered here, and then drove away from Gao Huan's chariot. Go to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
"People say they are brave when they know their shame. If the military spirit is like this, does Xiaoxian think it can be used?"
On the way back, Gao Huan recalled the previous exchanges between the two captains and asked Duan Shaofa, who was riding beside the carriage.
After hearing this question, Duan Shao pondered for a moment, and then said: "There are no disciples who are outside the Tao, and there are no people who are outside the law. The king legislates according to the Tao, and kills thieves for the country. This is nothing to do! The king humiliates the minister and dies. , the name is Tongxin, since the disciples are not afraid of fighting and dying here, they will not be afraid of winning in the formation!"
Hearing Duan Shao's answer, Gao Huan also showed a somewhat gratified smile on his face. Although he also understood that the words were meant to comfort him, it was heartening to hear them.
Although the Battle of Mangshan, triggered by Gao Zhong's secret escape in the first year of Wuding, ended with a great victory for the Eastern Dynasty, even though the Western Dynasty abandoned its armor and was defeated, the backbone of the Western Dynasty from the leader of the bandits, Yuwen Heita, was still intact. They were still able to successfully withdraw to Guanzhong, and in recent years they have made frequent operations and built up armaments in Guanzhong. Their momentum is slightly stronger than before, and they are quite likely to make a comeback.
Whenever Gao Huan thinks about this event, his heart is often filled with lingering resentment. If he could have taken advantage of the great victory and pursued it hard, the situation today would definitely be very different.
From an inconspicuous little person in the six-town mutiny back then to a powerful and powerful minister in the current government, Gao Huan is determined and determined, and he knows that the regrets afterwards will not help at all, and will only corrupt his mood even more.
But every time he heard various personnel news from Kansai in recent years, he couldn't help but imagine what if he could have persisted a little longer...
Although the Battle of Mangshan was a final victory, Gao Huan was not happy, not only because the victory was not completed, but also because the offensive and defensive trends of the two sides changed in this battle, even though it was Gao Zhongmi, the traitor. Only with cooperation can the Western Dynasty enjoy the initiative, but this still requires deep vigilance.
If the strength and tenacity of the Western thieves made Gao Huan wary, then the undercurrent in his own country could be said to be like a ray of light on his back.
Gao Zhongmi was one of the Yuan Cong who initiated the uprising in Hebei. He actually chose to defect to the Western Dynasty. No matter what the reason was, it was not a good sign.
One of the reasons why Gao Huan did not insist on continuing the pursuit after the Battle of Mangshan was that he was worried that Gao Zhongmi's rebellion might have a chain of negative consequences for Ye and even Hebei.
Although Gao Zhongmi alone did not have such great influence, his son Gao Cheng did many things that really harmed the interests of the wealthy families in Hebei around Wuding. Therefore, Hebei at that time also urgently needed sufficient force to deter.
If the potential threat from the large clans in Hebei was a hidden danger that Gao Huan had already anticipated and had already prepared a response plan, then the performance of the Six Prefectures Xianbei on which he was deeply dependent in the war made him a little uneasy.
Among them, the most hated one is naturally Peng Lezhen, who seems to be foolish and reckless, but is actually cunning and cunning.
These veterans of the army are also well versed in the principle of "the rabbit dies and the lackey cooks". Compared with Gao Zhongmi who surrendered to the enemy in a desperate situation, they are obviously more willing to be an authoritarian Hou Jing. If they are not capable, they will not be able to say the same. , but I don’t want to directly eliminate this possibility.
This attitude also extended to the issue of whether to continue the pursuit after the Battle of Mangshan. Among the generals, only Pan Le and Liu Feng supported the continuation of the pursuit. Whether the other generals who disapproved were due to the military point of view that the soldiers and horses were tired and the enemy should not be pursued, or for other reasons, it was up to each person to decide.
At that time, Gao Huan was also worried that the army had been standing outside for a long time and suspected that there would be changes in the rear, so he temporarily stopped and retreated his troops.
Although the Mangshan battle was won, the problems exposed also need to be solved urgently.
Therefore, after withdrawing from the army in the first year of Wuding, Gao Huan asked the outside world to build the Great Wall along the North Mountain of Sizhou to relieve the pressure from Rouran, and sent envoys to repair it in Nanliang to ensure the stability of the border. At the same time, he also began to face up to what Du Bi had said before internally. The issue of combating corruption was raised by his son Gao Cheng, who took drastic measures to revamp internal affairs.
Although most of the internal affairs policies were implemented by the Yedu court, Gao Huan still feared that Gao Cheng's prestige and means were insufficient for the more important matters such as the expansion of households in Hebei provinces and the establishment of armor, so his cronies in Jinyang Bafu were responsible for the implementation. .
Hebei has been in war for many years, and a large number of people have been hidden in powerful houses. Expanding these hidden houses can directly increase the population, money, grain and taxes controlled by the hegemony.
Although most of the citizens of the Six Towns who brought years of war to Hebei were handed over to Gao Huan through the hands of the Erzhu family, there are still scattered in the three prefectures of Ying, Ji, and Ding where the citizens of the Six Towns were resettled. Many survivors of the six towns.
Therefore, Gao Huan sent envoys to three states to inspect and reorganize the survivors of the six towns. If they could be relocated, they would be relocated to the Liuqiao Prefecture around Jinyang. Those who had already taken root and were difficult to relocate would be reorganized into military households on the spot. The governors of six states were established in the town, and military households from these six towns were recruited to participate in the guards of Yedu and Jinyang.
Through this series of means, the financial, material and military resources of the Eastern Dynasty have been greatly increased, which also made Gao Huan's heart, which had never cooled down, become hot again.
Especially while the Eastern Dynasty was developing rapidly in all aspects, the growth momentum in the West was not far behind. Even in the military aspect, the growth rate was even faster than that in the Eastern Dynasty.
Although the Eastern Dynasty had a higher foundation and had a high-quality source of soldiers from Xianbei in six states, its scope of recruiting sergeants was still limited.
In particular, the Han people, who had an absolute advantage in terms of population, although they also joined the army, mainly joined the army as members of the powerful family soldiers of Hebei. The Eastern Dynasty and Gaohuanba Mansion themselves still did not have systematic recruitment policies and methods.
Although the combat effectiveness of Han soldiers was often criticized, and the middle school often laughed at Yuwen Black Otter's large-scale recruitment of Han soldiers as a poor strategy to seek medical treatment in a hurry, Gao Huan himself would naturally not make such an optimistic plan.
Even if each Xianbei soldier can defeat many with one, the small number of people is a natural disadvantage. Moreover, this so-called racial superiority theory itself is extremely unreliable.
For an ambitious hero like Gao Huan, the greatest torture is to see the enemy marching forward on the right path, while he himself is stuck in a trap and has difficulties in transformation. Although the gap is still obvious in the short term, in the long run it is pessimistic.
The only thing that may be gratifying is that his son has finally succeeded and has now become Gao Huan's indispensable right-hand man. However, Gao Huan is still worried about leaving Yuwen Black Otter, a fierce and stubborn bandit, to his son. It is best to deal with it by himself. Not only can one's achievements be fulfilled, but also one's children and grandchildren can be avoided.
With Gao Huan thinking in his heart, the car quickly drove into the Prime Minister's Mansion. All the officials were already waiting in the front courtyard of the Mansion. The first one was Zhao Yanshen, the meritorious officer of the Prime Minister's Mansion, who walked to the front of the car and raised his hand to support Gao Huan. Get off the car.
Before Gao Huan could stand still, his eyes caught sight of a middle-aged Hu general standing in front of the group. A warm smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he strode up to the Hu general and raised his hand to pat him. He shouldered a big smile and said, "I have nothing to worry about when the Grand Master has returned to his residence! You and the other ministers didn't report it early, leaving the Grand Master to wait here. You really deserve to be punished!"
"I have entered the government not long ago. These subordinates are eating and drinking frequently. Your Majesty does not need to blame them."
The middle-aged man named She Di Qian was Gao Huan's sister-in-law. He was now serving as the Grand Master and the governor of Dingzhou. When he heard that Gao Huan was blaming his assistant, he spoke. As he was talking, he was about to pray, but Gao Huan pulled him away. stop.
Zhao Yanshen stood aside and said with a smile: "Everyone in the mansion said that depending on the distance, the grand master will not return to the mansion until tomorrow. But he didn't want to come in this morning. This shows that the grand master is diligent in the king's affairs and his speed is impressive. Ah! I was waiting to go to Xishan, but I was stopped by the Grand Master..."
"Your Majesty is not wandering around in the countryside, how can he decide whether to stay or go just because of his ministers? What's more, the couple who have been in love have been made things difficult by evil, and no one can bear to disturb them when they meet after a long separation!"
Shedigan spoke again. As a close relative of Gao Huan, he obviously also knew that there were deep affairs in his family. He did not conceal his concern for the former princess Lou in his words. Although they had no direct family ties, they had always been friends. I have followed him all the way since I was a child. People are close to their party, so I made this righteous statement.
Gao Huan couldn't help but look a little embarrassed after hearing this, but he also knew that She Diqian was upright and loyal to him, so he must be deeply depressed and couldn't bear it anymore, so he expressed his voice to imply that he must cherish his old friend.
"The purpose of summoning the Grand Master to return to the government is for national affairs. If the state affairs are in order, the family affairs will be in peace!"
Gao Huan didn't know what to say based on this, so he laughed and dismissed the topic. Then he looked at the man who was over 10 years old and dressed in black standing behind Shediqian, and his expression turned serious. , before he could open his mouth, he cupped his fists.
When the man in black saw this, he hurriedly knelt on the ground and did not dare to accept this. Gao Huan bent down and pulled him up. He said with a bit of shame in his tone: "I hate that Wu Ding did not follow the plan of conferring a title of Lang in the first year of his life." , Now Mo Xian is urging things, and I have too many titles to be granted, so I can't be full of filial piety."
The man in black, whose name is Feng Zihui, is the son of the late Taibao Feng Longzhi. He is currently in mourning for his father. When he heard Gao Huan's words, he became even more excited and sentimental. He lowered his head and choked with sobs: "When my father was still alive, he often said I am proud of Yuan Cong's achievements, but I hate that the time is right and I can't follow him to fulfill my merits. When I first paid homage to Fukou, I knew that the king would be the only one who could save the country in the Kuang Dynasty. I am grateful to continue my mission and follow my advice!"
After Gao Huan heard this, he patted Feng Zihui's shoulder heavily, and then everyone walked into the main hall of the Prime Minister's Mansion and began to announce his plan to launch another offensive against the Western Bandits.
There are many members in the Zhitang, but they are mainly the civil servants and staff of the Prime Minister's Palace. After the Battle of Mangshan, Gao Huan made some in-depth adjustments to Bafu. Military generals gradually withdrew from the decision-making level of Bafu, and were replaced by officials with outstanding talents but few powerful and cliquey officials. Bafu The military affairs are in charge of the cavalry, foreign soldiers and other subordinate subordinates of the prime minister's office.
Nowadays, the most important people controlled by the Bafu are the Jinyang soldiers composed of Xianbei from the six states around Jinyang. Cao Cao, the cavalry general, was in charge of the palace guards, while Cao Ze, the foreign soldier, was in charge of the Xianbei Jia of the six states. Therefore, Bafu could gather hundreds of thousands of troops in Jinyang without going through the imperial court at all.
In addition, the Gyeonggi Metropolitan Governor established by Yedu is in charge of the Yedu Forbidden Army and the Guards. This includes the former Luoyang Liufang Forbidden Army sergeants, the Yingji Ding Sanzhou A-registered soldiers, and the soldiers from various prefectures who joined the Guards. troops.
Gao Huan is about to go to war this time, intending to complete his success in one battle and wipe out the Western bandits in one fell swoop. Therefore, it is natural that as many capable soldiers in the country should be mobilized as possible. The number of soldiers reached more than 200,000!