Chapter 2: The Stormy Weather of Yan and Zhao Section 26

  Li Hong saw Xian Yu Fu again.

  Xian Yu Fa led four hundred iron cavalry to rush into the Lulong Pass. Li Hong hurriedly went to meet him, with a smile on his face, and shouted from afar: "Mr. Xian Yu, how did you have time to come to Lulong Pass?"

  Xian Yu has lost a lot of weight compared to before, probably because he's been too tired lately. He is now the official in charge of military affairs at the Youzhou Governor's Office, and with the frequent battles in Youzhou, alarms everywhere, how can he not be worried sick?

  Xian Yu Fu dismounted and bowed to Li Hong with the etiquette of a subordinate.

  Li Hong is now a military governor, with a salary of one thousand stones. (During the Eastern Han Dynasty, salaries were all converted into grain calculations. One thousand stones are approximately 80 hu of grain. In the Han Dynasty, one hu was equal to 120 jin, and one jin is approximately equal to 250 grams today.) The rank, salary, and a large county magistrate are the same. During the Han Dynasty, officials' ranks were marked by "how many stones" of salary, known as "salary rank", with about eighteen levels.

  The military officer in the army can lead at least 2,800 people and horses, is a grassroots official in the army. Although the official position is not very high, but for his age, under twenty years old, having such a position in the army is already rare. If it weren't for the glorious battle achievements of the Luolong Pass defense war, if it weren't for being the only surviving officer after the Battle of Luolong Pass, this military officer's position would not have been his no matter what. As a commoner, he has reached the top of his life, becoming a military candidate and receiving 600 shi of salary every month.

  In the Han Dynasty, the founding monarch Liu Bang relied on the military meritocracy to conquer the world, so the military meritocracy of the Great Han State had always been a very powerful position until the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The scholar-official class gradually rose, and the power of the door, clan, and imperial relatives expanded, causing the rapid decline of the military meritocracy.

  But now Li Hong is different, the official position of Jun Sima has made him leave his identity as a commoner and become a small bureaucrat. In the army, Jun Sima can lead troops to battle alone, with many opportunities to accumulate military achievements, and the superiors he comes into contact with are all high-ranking military officials, so as long as he works hard, promotion is a natural thing.

  The Governor of Youzhou was a strange position in the late Eastern Han dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Wu, 13 governors were first appointed, with a salary of 600 stones. By the time of Emperor Cheng, it was changed to Mu, with a salary of 2,000 stones. In the 18th year of Jianwu, it was renamed Governor again, and the salary returned to 600 stones. However, its power remained unchanged. Every year, the governor would inspect the various counties and states in his jurisdiction during the seventh and eighth months, evaluate the performance of local officials, handle major lawsuits, examine local talents, and then report to the emperor in the capital at the beginning of the following year. The governor's memorial had a very important role in the promotion and demotion of local officials, as well as the selection and recommendation of talents. His power was great, but his salary was very low.

  As a result, the subordinates who followed the governor had even less salary. Like Xian Yu Fu, Gong Cao Cong Shi, they were the main subordinate officials of the governor's office, but when they arrived at the county, the county magistrate would personally welcome them, but their salary was only three hundred stones, which was equivalent to the salary of a county lieutenant or a garrison commander.

  Li Hong, although he was the commander of the Youzhou army, did not dare to neglect the officials of the Cishi Prefecture. He saw Xian Yu Fu giving him a subordinate's courtesy and was startled, hastily running over to help him up:

  "I don't dare, I don't dare. Lord Xianyu is making things difficult for me."

  Xian Yu ignored Li Hong's pleasantries from the start and his first sentence left Li stunned.

  "Adults must follow me to Yu Yang."

  "Why?" Li Hong asked involuntarily.

  "Last year when General Shi left the Lulong Pass, you predicted this year's situation in Youzhou. Now it is just as you said, the Xianbei and Wuhuan have joined forces again, attacking our northern border of Youzhou from two routes simultaneously, and Ju Yong and Yu Yang are now in a precarious state, urgently awaiting the arrival of the main force to rescue them."

  "How many troops can Lord Liu approximately mobilize from each province?"

  "The troops of Dai Commandery have already been sent to support Juyong City. Now, the only ones that can be mobilized are Guangyang Commandery, Youbei Ping Commandery, and adding the Lucheng and Yongnu cities of Yuyang Commandery, at most 3,000 to 4,000 troops can be gathered."

  Li Hong almost fainted after hearing this. A great Han nation with a population of over 50 million, and yet in Youzhou, a northern border province, there wasn't even a garrison of over 10,000 troops, it was simply unthinkable.

  "Last year, you personally told Lord Liu that there would be no war in Lulong Pass this year. Once the war situation in other parts of the northern border is critical, troops can be dispatched from Lulong Pass to support it. Lord Liu has not received your urgent letter so far, and he is convinced that there are no major military events on the side of Lulong Pass, so he sent me to rush here day and night, first to ask for help from the governor, and secondly, if Lulong Pass cannot send troops to support, also want to borrow you."

  Li Hong stared at Xian Yu Fu with a strange gaze.

  "Director Liu believes in your ability, he thinks you can defeat the Xianbei army." Xian Yu Fu smiled wryly and looked at Li Hong with sympathy: "In this situation now, who still has the confidence to defeat the Xianbei cavalry, except for madmen and fools?"

  He took out a small bamboo slip with a fire seal from his bosom and handed it to Li Hong, "This is the authorization of the Governor, you can command the support troops of Guangyang County and Guyang County."

  Li Hong received it in a daze and said foolishly: "I can't leave the Lulong Pass privately."

  Xian Yu nodded: "I know. Take me to see Governor Taishou quickly."

  Liu Zheng lowered his head and stared at his own pale hands, silent.

  Xian Yu Fu sat on the mat, looking exhausted. Li Hong asked him in a low voice why there were so few border troops in Youzhou. Xian Yu Fu looked at Liu Zheng vigilantly and then replied in a hushed tone:

  "Now the government of the Great Han is completely controlled by the imperial relatives and eunuchs, and the officials and aristocratic families in various places are all dependent on them for survival. With their support, these local officials and powerful clans have been wildly seizing land, exploiting the people, and concentrating the wealth of the Great Han into their own hands, resulting in the strange phenomenon of extremely wealthy ministers and aristocrats, and an extremely impoverished country and people. Tens of thousands of people work hard all year round, often not even enough to pay rent and taxes. Last year's Yellow Turban Rebellion, which affected a vast area, is also related to this reason."

  "The country was too poor and there were few border wars, so the army was reduced. The officers at all levels in order to embezzle more military pay, reported false numbers. As a result, the number of troops decreased sharply."

  "Last year, due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the number of troops was small and it was not advantageous to clear them out. Therefore, Your Majesty authorized each state and county to recruit soldiers appropriately to expand the army. If there had been no expansion last year, this year's troops in Youzhou would have been even fewer."

  Li Hong wanted to ask something else, but Liu Zheng spoke up first.

  "Son of the people, are you certain that Wu Yan and Mi Jia will not suddenly attack Lulong Pass when its military strength is empty?"

  "Sir, I have explained in detail many times. They really don't have the strength to launch another attack. Last year's defeat was not something that can be recovered from in one or two years. Even if they want to attack, without tens of thousands of people, how can they break through Lulong Pass? The Eastern Xianbei and Wuhuan suffered greatly last year, and it is simply impossible for them to gather a large army again, mobilize more tribes to send troops and money, this will not get the response from most tribal leaders. Murong Feng's main force of Central Xianbei is besieging Fanyang, he naturally won't be foolish enough to fight on two fronts at the same time, dividing his troops to come and attack Lulong Pass."

  "But if we delay and do not go to support Youyang, leading to its fall, and allow the Xianbei cavalry to pour in, then holding onto Lulong Pass would be meaningless. The territory of Great Han is being trampled by the barbarians, the people of Youzhou are being slaughtered by the enemy, and war fires are burning everywhere in the northern border. At this time, holding onto a small Lulong Pass can solve what problem? Can it drive away the barbarians and recover our homeland? Can it save the lives that are suffering in the war? Can it display the inviolable majesty of Great Han?"

  Li Hong's face flushed with excitement, and he said loudly: "Sir, once the Xianbei people break through Juyong and capture Miyang, their forces will be connected in a single piece in northern Youzhou. At that time, Lulong Pass will be surrounded by enemies on all sides, and it will be an absolutely unguardable place. If they besiege us for several months, we can starve to death!"

  Liu Zheng's well-maintained, smooth face twitched nervously several times as Li Hong waved his hands. Li Hong's words finally moved him, forcing him to make up his mind to send troops to support Yuyang City.

  "Your Majesty, how many men should be left to guard the Luolong Pass?"

  "A thousand men will be enough." Li Hong saw that Liu Zheng had already agreed to send troops to support, and he exchanged an excited glance with Xian Yu Fu.

  "The reinforcements have just arrived, extremely exhausted, and it's not suitable for another long journey. You can take the 2,000 men from Lulong Pass and set off immediately." Once Liu Zheng made up his mind, he was decisive and efficient. He immediately gave the order to depart. Rescue troops are like firefighting, time is everything, this principle is understood by all.

  Xian Yu knelt down in front of Liu Zheng and kowtowed three times in a row to express his gratitude.

  Liu Zheng waved his hand, indicating that he should get up. Smiling, he said: "Tell your superior that the Right Beiping Commandery has limited capabilities and can only dispatch these 2,000 troops led by Li Zimeng. More than half of these 2,000 men are horse bandits rescued from the Xianbei people by Li Zimeng himself. Without Li Zimeng, there would be no reinforcements for Lulong Pass. If we can defeat the Hu invasion, I hope your superior will not forget to promote Li Zimeng."

  Li Hong was deeply moved in his heart, and he quickly knelt down and paid a courtesy to Liu Zheng, saying loudly:

  "Gentlemen, please be at ease. This time in battle, Zimeng will not disappoint your expectations, I swear to fight to the death, drive out the barbarians, and protect our Great Han territory. Once the war is over, I will immediately return to Lulong Pass and serve under your command again."

  Liu Zheng reached out to help him up, gazing deeply into his eyes, and suddenly reached out to smooth the few strands of Li Hong's hair that had fallen onto his chest back behind his shoulders. The action was subtle and unintentional, yet it was warm and full of the loving care of an elder for a younger one. Li Hong felt a surge of emotion in his heart, and his eyes became moist without him realizing it.

  The war is going to be treacherous from now on, who knows if we will have a chance to meet again in the future?

  Liu Zheng didn't say a word, he just patted Li Hong's shoulder heavily.

  Li Hong bowed again and walked out with big strides.

  The bright moon is in the sky, the stars are twinkling, it's a great opportunity to kill the enemy and report to the country.

  Li Hong shouted loudly: "Beat the drum and set off in formation."

  Suddenly, a war drum sound like thunder shook the entire Lulong Pass.

  Li Hong stood on the mountain slope, gazing at the 2,400 cavalrymen galloping across the Xu Wu plain, his heart heavy. Xian Yu Pei stood beside him and asked softly:

  "Adult..."

  Li Hong raised his hand to stop him from continuing.

  "We were once born and died together, fought side by side, and didn't need to be so polite. I don't like it when you call me 'sir'. Really. I want to call you Fei Xiong, but every time you respectfully call me 'sir', it makes me unable to speak out. Are we really not familiar with each other?"

  Xian Yu's expression changed and he was taken aback, his face extremely awkward as he had never thought that Li Hong would say such a thing.

  Li Hong smiled: "Brother Yu Hang calls me Zimin, isn't that good?"

  "May I descend..."

  "Interpersonal relationships, friendships, all depend on affinity. If you were in the position of Lu Long, you would be a military governor. Can the size of an official position really prevent us from even being friends?"

  Xian Yu Fu was deeply moved. In fact, in his heart, he still wanted to make friends with Li Hong. It's just that because of his official position, because of his age, or because they didn't spend much time together, Xian Yu Fu found it hard to call someone he respected a friend. But Li Hong didn't think so, and when he heard this, he felt awkward. He wanted to make friends with Xian Yu Fu, thinking that Xian looked like a very steady and reliable person with great talent.

  "The outcome of the Battle of Yuyang is uncertain, and perhaps both you and I will die there." Li Hong said with a bitter smile.

  Xian Yu Fu said nothing.

  "After daybreak we arrived at Xu Wucheng, shall we take a rest?"

  Li Hong suddenly remembered Xiaoyu.

  Valley rain gently opened the door.

  Her heart began to beat violently. She saw Li Hong with his hair disheveled and wearing armor.

  Li Hong stood outside the door with a smile all over his face, silently gazing at her.

  "How are you?" Li Hong asked softly.

  Valley Rain nodded, a pair of beautiful big eyes were full of surprise and joy.

  Li Hong kept staring at her, speechless. Thinking that once he died in battle, how would this woman go on living? Who would protect her? Ji Ming's dying cries seemed to echo again in his ears.

  Li Hong's heart was filled with intense pain, the smile on his face suddenly disappeared, and his eyes were filled with endless sorrow and helplessness. He involuntarily thought of the heartbreaking snowstorm. She is now in Fuyu State, how is she?

  Gu Yu seemed to have read the sadness in Li Hong's eyes. She leaned weakly against the door frame, her small mouth mumbling, unable to say another word.

  Lei Zi moved many things into the house and immediately mounted his horse, waiting for Li Hong's departure.

  "Little Rain, I've come to see you." Li Hong calmed down and said slowly: "The troops are going to set out on a campaign."

  The two of them looked at each other, neither speaking again.

  The grief and helplessness on Yu's face grew more and more intense, almost suffocating Li Hong.

  "Take care."

  Li Hong never looked back at Gu Yu, turned around and mounted his horse, and left in a cloud of dust.

  Tears of Yu's rain rolled down.

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