In front of the Meridian Gate!
Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi and Zhu met.
The three of them met for the first time since the battle of the Yellow Turban.
They looked at each other's old friend's face. There was a hint of old age between his brows and some gray in his hair. They could not help but sigh.
"Zi Gan (Lu Zhi), Gong Wei (Zhu Wei), I hope you can help us in this battle!”
Huangfu Song cupped his hands and bowed.
He knew the abilities of his old friends very well, so he naturally wouldn't pretend to be proud of his status as a commander.
"Ten years of drinking ice can't cool one's blood!"
As the scholar among the three, Lu Zhi was also one of the three great Confucians of the current dynasty. He stroked his beard and said with a smile,"The scandal of the Western Expedition was appalling, but His Majesty had given Zhang Wen, Zhang Rang, and Dong Zhuo's family to death. He had also exterminated the barbarians of the grasslands in front of all the officials, proving his true intentions.
I am willing to obey Your Majesty's will and serve Yizhen (Huangfu Song), oh no, the Commander-in-chief. Even if I die on the battlefield, I will have no regrets!”
"Me too!"
Zhu Rong was not good with words, and with Lu Zhi's presence, his face turned red as he replied.
"Hahaha!"
Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi looked at each other, shook their heads, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
After working together for so many years, they were well aware of this seemingly stupid old friend's dominance and ruthlessness on the battlefield.
Secretly coquettish!
"His Majesty is still waiting. We'll stop chatting for now. There's plenty of time to chat on the north road!”
Huangfu Song stopped laughing and shouted at the Meridian Gate Tower,""Please report that Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Xi are here!”
……
"Your Majesty, Marshal Huangfu, Lu Daru, and General Zhu have arrived!”
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Huangfu and the other two bowed.
Liu Hong put down his red brush and walked out of the imperial table with a smile. He helped the three of them up one by one.
"Old Generals, it has been a tough journey!”
"To serve the country, even if I die, I have no regrets!"
Huangfu Song and the other two were a little terrified. In the past, when they saw the Emperor, they were all indifferent. Now, they were not used to it.
"Bestow your seat!"
Liu Hong nodded to himself as he observed the three people's loyalty increase through the National Fate Gaze.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"I'm sure the three old generals understand what happened in the court. This one's intentions are very clear. I want to see that there are no more barbarians in the northern grasslands!”
"I know that this matter is fraught with difficulties, but I still hope that Old General Huangfu can come up with a plan!" Liu Hong went straight to the point.”
Huangfu Song subconsciously glanced at his two old friends, but he received a silent reply from them. He was about to curse in his heart.
The decisive battle of the Northern Expedition!
To a general, this was undoubtedly a good thing!
This was the fate of a general. To make contributions on the battlefield and immediately become a marquis was his lifelong pursuit!
Soldiers!
There was no shortage of burly men!
After generations of development, the number of palace guards left behind by the Martial Emperor had exceeded 100,000!
The Three Rivers Five Schools left behind by Emperor Guangwu had relied on cheating to kill Wang Mang's elites. After generations of development, they had more than 300,000 people!
The two combined!
The Great Han could mobilize up to 400,000 soldiers!
Perhaps some people in the world would doubt that with this kind of development from generation to generation, the combat strength of the former elites would greatly decrease!
However, don't forget that the fighting power of the northern prairie was no longer the same as the Xiongnu Chanyu who forced Gaozu to sign a humiliating marriage alliance on Mount Bai.
This was the main reason why Huangfu Song was willing to take on the role of Marshal Conquering Peking University.
However, in such a large-scale northern expedition, the scale of victory was not only based on combat strength, but also logistics.
To put it bluntly, he was short of silver!
For example, during the decisive battle against the Xiongnu during the reign of Emperor Wu, the lineup of famous generals such as Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, Li Guang, and Cheng Bushi, along with countless brave and fearless Han soldiers, forcefully destroyed the wealth accumulated by Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing before destroying the Xiongnu royal court!
It might not be accurate to describe the wealth accumulated during the reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing in this way. According to historical records, in the early days of Emperor Wu's succession, the grain piled up in the granary of the country rotted on a large scale. The rope that passed through the money in the national treasury was rotten, and countless copper coins were scattered!
Only when the country's strength was exhausted could there be the supreme achievements of Emperor Wu.
Speaking of which, how much money did the current dynasty have?
In the words of one of the nine ministers in charge of taxes, grain, and financial revenue and expenditure, there was not even a mouse in the empty granary. There was not even a golden sesame seed in the national treasury!
"I will settle the matter of money!"
Liu Hong saw the old general's troubled expression and said,""Very soon, the national treasury and granary will be filled with wealth. In terms of logistics and supplies, including military pay, I will not mistreat any soldier who fights for the country!”
"May I ask where the money comes from, Your Majesty?"
Lu Zhi could not help but ask curiously.
If Zhang Rang had not died, His Majesty could have relied on the sale of official titles to make money. Now that Zhang Rang had been dismembered, it was said that his corpse had been scattered into ashes. The method of selling official titles had stagnated, and he could not make money in a short period of time.
"Eunuch, tyrant!"
Liu Hong said softly.
Huangfu and the other two sucked in a breath of cold air. The eunuchs were supposed to make money for the Emperor. It was only natural that the Emperor wanted to take back all the money!
A despotic force was a force established by buying an official position from His Majesty. Now that His Majesty was short of money, he was prepared to extend a butcher's knife to the despotic force. What a pitiful force!
"Your Majesty, isn't this not good for you?”
Lu Zhi hesitated.
After receiving money from the despots and then killing the despots, this kind of fishing and cutting leeks behavior would greatly damage the Emperor's credibility.
"No worries!"
Liu Hong waved his hand. The Embroidered Uniform Guards 'white gloves had been set up. These people would die in a worthy manner.
"Since that's the case, I can use it freely!”
Huangfu Song heaved a sigh of relief and took out a map from his chest. The map was densely marked with forces, terrain, and people to be careful of.
"This subject has been preparing this map for nearly thirty years. After countless adjustments, it is finally time to use it!”
"Your Majesty, please take a look. In the northern plains, the greatest power is undoubtedly the Xianbei royal court. To the west is Mount Yanran, and to the right is the Anhou River. The water and grass are abundant, and it is extremely suitable for the development of nomadic tribes!
The leader of the Chanyu was Tan Shihuai. After the death squads risked their lives to investigate, their vitality had declined in recent years and their death was not far away.
The princes under him were actively trying to win over the various tribes to fight for power. Among them, Tan Shihuai's eldest son, the Xianbei Left Virtuous King Huai Zong, and his second son, the Right Virtuous King He Lian, had the greatest power. If nothing unexpected happened, the next Xianbei Chanyu would be born between these two!
The Xianbei tribe had a total of seventeen thousand tribes, a total population of three million, and six hundred thousand archers!”
"Next up is the Great Han's arch-enemy, the Xiongnu. I have to say that a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. Back then, Marquis Changping and Marquis Champion used all their strength to sink the Xiongnu royal court, and even after such a long period of decline, the Xiongnu is still the second most powerful faction in the northern steppe!”
At this point, Huangfu Song's eyes erupted with hatred. The hatred that was engraved in his bones made this old general who had been through many battles lose his composure. He said hatefully,"The Xiongnu royal court is mainly gathered in the Hetao region. The plains are large, and the water and grass are as lush as the Xianbei royal court!
The leader Chanyu was Qiang Qu, who was in his prime and had wild ambitions towards the Great Han!
His son, King Zuoxian Yu Fuluo, and some of the tribal leaders were very dissatisfied with Qiang Qu's attitude. They thought that the Xiongnu had been defeated and should wait for the end. After the investigation of the death warriors, they faintly had the intention of usurping the throne.
The Xiongnu had more than eight thousand tribes, a total population of about one million, and as many as five hundred thousand archers!”
"The Xianling Qiang, Wuhuan, and other grassland tribes have nearly 400,000 archers. Your Majesty, Zi Gan, and Gong Wei have about 1.5 million enemies!”
"My plan is that the Xianbei Royal Court will be the final battleground. While the Xianbei Royal Court is having internal strife, we will choose an army to intimidate them. The rest of the army will first cut off the Xianling Qiang, Wuhuan, and the rest of the Xiongnu's wings, and then complete the war of extermination!”
"The plan to intimidate the Xianbei royal court will be completed by you, Zigan, with the hundred thousand palace guards. You must buy half a year!”
"If the Xianbei royal court forgoes internal strife and supports the other grassland tribes, the destruction of the palace guards will only be a matter of time. But I hope that you can hold on!”
"As the commander-in-chief commands!"
Lu Zhi stood up and tapped his chest with his right hand, promising,""I swear to Your Majesty that as long as I, Lu Zhi, am alive, not a single person from the Xianbei royal court will support the grassland tribes!”
"Thank you so much!"
Huangfu Song bowed and continued,""Gongwei, I'll leave the Xiongnu's extermination plan to you. Lead 200,000 troops and wipe the Xiongnu off the map!
Don't worry, I'm not asking you to complete the battle of the extermination of the Xiongnu alone. You just need to hold back the Xiongnu and not be weaker than the Xiongnu in the head-on battlefield. Just wait for me to carry out the decisive battle!”
"I will lead the 100,000 troops of the Three Rivers and Five Schools to take revenge on the Xianling Qiang, Wuhuan, and other grassland tribes in the shortest time possible to support you!”
"As the commander-in-chief commands!"
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