Dahan: A 100-year-old veteran, I will build the strongest family

Chapter 120: Li Hong's ambition, can he wield the whip of God, Bo Cai's ghost is surging

Cao Cao bowed respectfully to Li Hong and left.

In the hall, Li Hong looked at Cao Cao's back as he walked away, his eyes becoming a little absent-minded.

Cao Cao unexpectedly apologized to Li Hong for his previous behavior, which surprised Li Hong a little.

Li Hong had to admit it.

Historically, Cao Cao became the strongest hero during the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. Some people say that he was a capable minister in peaceful times and a hero in troubled times, which is somewhat true.

However, the Cao family has already paid the price for their previous actions.

Since Cao Cao wanted to reconcile with him completely, Li Hong would not hold on to it and would just go with the flow.

In fact, Li Hong is still very optimistic about Cao Cao.

A person's ambitions are determined by his aspirations. Cao Cao was a capable minister in a peaceful era and a hero in a chaotic era. In history, Cao Cao was determined to unify the world since he started his rebellion against Dong Zhuo. Since then, Cao Cao launched a war against Dong Zhuo. While most of the other princes retreated, he led his army to pursue Dong Zhuo, but was ambushed and almost lost his life.

However, Cao Cao became more and more courageous after each setback, and continued to expand his power. He first occupied Yanzhou, subdued more than 300,000 Yellow Turban troops, selected their elite troops to form the Qingzhou Army, and successively defeated various warlords such as Yuan Shu, Tao Qian, Lu Bu, Yuan Shao, defeated the Wuhuan, unified the north, and became the force most likely to unify the world at that time.

Although Cao Cao suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of Chibi, his ambition remained undiminished and he continued to fight foreign wars, such as destroying the coalition forces of Ma Chao and Han Sui and conquering Zhang Lu in Hanzhong.

Looking at the land of China, the only place Cao Cao did not visit was Yizhou. Other places, such as Yanzhou, Youzhou, Xuzhou, Qingzhou, Jingzhou, Liangzhou, etc. were all occupied or conquered by Cao Cao.

Unique vision.

Only the talented are promoted.

He has an open mind, as shown in the majestic poems he wrote, such as "The sun and the moon seem to come out of it, and the stars seem to come out of it", etc. He is talented.

Military talent.

Good at scheming.

At the end of the Han Dynasty, there were many heroes, generals like clouds, and counselors like rain. Li Hong has always thought that if all the heroes work together, they can exert their strength.

How exciting it would be to expand the territory for the Han Dynasty and build a vast empire.

There have been many dynasties in Chinese history. The unified dynasties include Qin, Han, Western Jin, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing. These dynasties reunified China after chaos.

Among these unified dynasties, the ones with the largest territories were probably the Tang, Yuan and Qing dynasties. Among them, the Yuan and Qing dynasties were the few unified dynasties led by non-Han ethnic groups.

At its largest area during the Tang Dynasty, it reached 12.37 million square kilometers.

It stretches from Siberia in the north to today's Indochina Peninsula in the south, from the Aral Sea in the west to the Korean Peninsula in the east. Such a vast territory made the Tang Dynasty worthy of the attention of all nations.

Li Shimin was honored as Heavenly Khan.

The Qing Dynasty's largest territory was in 1820, the 25th year of Jiaqing's reign. At that time, the Qing Dynasty's territory stretched from the sea in the east to the Pamir Mountains in the west, to Zengmu Shoal in the south, across the Greater Khingan Range in the north, to Lake Balkhash in the northwest, and to Sakhalin Island in the northeast, totaling 13.16 million square kilometers. It was also the largest, most populous, most powerful and prosperous country in the world at that time.

Both the Tang Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty were periods in ancient Chinese history when the country's territory reached its peak.

But if we only consider the area, the Yuan Dynasty surpassed all other dynasties.

I think no one can object to the fact that the Yuan Dynasty was the most vast territory.

The largest land area during the Yuan Dynasty was 13.72 million square kilometers. The Yuan Dynasty was the first unified dynasty established by a minority ethnic group.

The Yuan Dynasty was not called the Yuan Dynasty at the beginning. Its predecessor was the Mongol Empire, and its founder was Temujin Borjigin, also known as Genghis Khan. Under the conquests of Genghis Khan and his successors, the area of ​​the Mongol Empire was much larger than that of the Yuan Dynasty, almost 33 million square kilometers.

You have to know that the entire area of ​​Asia is only 44.57 million square kilometers.

It can be said that the Mongol Empire ruled almost all of Asia.

During the Mongol army's conquests, the Mongols were affectionately called "the Scourge of God" by Westerners.

Having traveled to ancient times and possessing a system, to be honest, Li Hong has strong ambitions.

Can he build an empire with a territory exceeding that of the Yuan Dynasty during its heyday?

"Huh~" Li Hong exhaled lightly, suppressing the sudden uproar in his heart, and thought to himself:
"The most urgent task is to pacify the Yellow Turbans as soon as possible, and then manage the two large states of Youzhou and Bingzhou carefully, and then take over the grassland and turn it into the Li family's back garden horse farm."

……

In the mountains and forests, large groups of Yellow Turban soldiers collapsed under the trees, looking listless, like stray dogs.

"All the roads have been blocked by soldiers. We don't know if we can survive. We will probably starve to death first." A greasy Yellow Turban soldier, his face pale with hunger, was gnawing on leaves to satisfy his hunger and quench his thirst.

"I haven't had a full meal for five days. In fact, I only had a steamed bun the size of a fist these past two days. I haven't had much water. I'm dying of thirst. If this continues, I'd rather die. It's too painful, woooo." A skinny young man in his twenties with cracked lips was eating tree bark while crying.

"What are you arguing about? Whoever dares to make a noise, be careful or I will kill him. Don't even think about rushing out. So many people have died, yet you're still not behaving yourself!" Suddenly, a small Yellow Turban leader, a sturdy man with a ruthless face, stood up, shook the broadsword in his hand, and shouted at the skinny young man.

The Yellow Turbans panicked, shrank their heads, and held their stomachs which were filled with hunger, but they did not dare to say anything.

Rumble~
At this moment, there was a vibration on the official road not far away. The Yellow Turbans in the mountains and forests were startled and sat up one after another, holding the various weapons in their hands tightly.

The official road was dusty. Huang Jin looked through the forest and saw hundreds of Beiwei cavalrymen riding towards them. Leading the way was a Han general holding a broadsword, looking very majestic.

Behind the Han general, a military officer rushed out, looked at the forest, and shouted loudly:
"Yellow Turbans in the mountains, listen carefully. I am Xu Yi, a military officer under General Yan Liang. General Li is kind and righteous, and has asked His Majesty for instructions. He can give you a way out and exempt you from the death penalty. Of course, the premise is that you need to lay down your arms and surrender. The court has issued an imperial decree on this matter, and General Li promises to guarantee it in his name."

"So, if you want to live, you can choose to surrender."

"General Li knows that this matter is of great importance and concerns the lives of the Yellow Turban brothers. It is not an easy decision, so General Li will give you some time to consider and send you some food, food and even meat."

"Leave them food and provisions!" the officer said as he shouted loudly at the other end.

Hearing the military commander's words, the Beiwei cavalrymen took down the steamed corn bread, steamed buns, fried noodles, drinking water, and even some grassland meat and spicy mutton jerky that they had prepared in advance on their horses.

Li Hong was in charge of the army. Under his guidance, the Beiwei Army's firearms invented a lot of portable food, such as steamed buns, fried noodles, etc., which could be carried by the army.

"What? General Li? Li Hong has already asked the emperor for permission. Can we surrender? Give us a chance to live, spare us the death penalty, and not hold us accountable later?"

"Send us food, meat, and grain?"

As the voice of the Beiwei Army general resounded, the Yellow Turban soldiers in the mountains and forests, who were originally facing a formidable enemy, suddenly became agitated and in an uproar.

However, the Beiwei cavalry were still there, and they did not make any noise, but the hungry Yellow Turbans stared with wide eyes to see the Beiwei cavalry taking a large amount of food, bread, steamed buns, and even meat from the horses, and the Beiwei soldiers carrying large buckets of water from the carriage at the back and placing them on the side of the road.

"It's really good food. The Han army is so kind. They actually gave us food and water to drink?"

The eyes of the Yellow Turbans in the forest glowed green as they stared at the food and water buckets placed by the Beiwei Army on the roadside. If the Beiwei Army had not been there, they would have rushed over. The Beiwei Army general saw the food and water put down, looked at the restless Yellow Turbans in the forest, and continued to shout:
"General Li gave you some food so that you can think about whether to surrender or not. However, if you surrender, you will only be exempted from the death penalty. If you want to live a carefree life, it is still not enough."

"Therefore, you can make meritorious deeds. If you capture the Yellow Turbans who are unwilling to surrender, you will have made meritorious deeds. Not only can you be exempted from the death penalty, but you will also be rewarded."

"Capture the Yellow Turbans' loyalists and their small leaders, and you will be rewarded with twenty mu of land and five thousand coins."

"Capture the leader of the Yellow Turbans, a thousand men, and reward him with fifty acres of land and fifty thousand coins."

"The leader of the Yellow Turbans will be rewarded with 100 mu of land and 100,000 yuan."

"And if we capture a Yellow Turban leader who is unwilling to surrender, we can even reward him with 500 mu of land and 200,000 five-zhu coins."

"General Li guarantees these with the reputation of the Li family. He will keep his word. Well, you should think carefully about whether you want to live or die, live normally, or live a carefree life and enjoy a life of wealth and glory. It's up to you. The place where the cavalry is stationed on the official road is the place of surrender!"

The loud voice of the Beiwei Army's commander resounded throughout the forest. Many Yellow Turbans in the woods not only looked at the food with green eyes, but their minds were also shaken, and they couldn't help but glance at their leader.

Rumble~
The Beiwei Army cavalry left in a mighty force, stirring up a cloud of dust.

As soon as the Beiwei Army left, the Yellow Turban soldiers in the mountains and forests immediately became agitated, boiling with excitement, and became restless, and immediately rushed to the food on the official road.

"What do you want to do? This is a trap set by the soldiers. If you get out, they will come back immediately. Stop right there!" A loud shout rang out.

But they saw a strong man with a yellow turban and a full beard, holding a big knife and looking at them cruelly.

The Yellow Turbans all hesitated and stopped, recognizing that it was their leader, the general.

"Go back here, everyone. Can't you see that the general is angry?" The small Yellow Turban leaders stood up one after another and shouted and cursed.

"Go, bring in the food and water outside. Be careful of a surprise attack by the soldiers. They definitely have no good intentions and may even have poisoned us." The bearded Yellow Turban general shouted to his left and right men.

"promise!"

Suddenly, dozens of bodyguards rushed out, and under the eager gazes of all the Yellow Turbans, they brought back a large amount of food, bread, steamed buns, and even dried mutton, and even carried back buckets of water.

"What are you looking at? Put them all away. This is a trick of the soldiers!" the bearded Yellow Turban general shouted and ordered his men to collect all the things.

And they started to have people test whether it was poisonous.

However, what soon surprised the bearded Yellow Turban general was...

After eating the food and drinking water given by the Beiwei Army, he was not poisoned.

"These soldiers definitely have no good intentions. However, this mutton jerky is so delicious. They gave me dozens of kilograms of it. It can be considered a reward from the soldiers. Haha." After the bearded Yellow Turban general tested it and found that it was not poisonous, he knew it might be a trick of the soldiers, but he couldn't help it and started eating it. The spicy mutton jerky tasted especially good, which he had never eaten before.

The bearded Yellow Turban general took 90% of the mutton jerky for himself, and distributed the rest to his personal guards and younger brothers. He also distributed the rest of the food in large quantities to his eager younger brothers and personal guards.

In the forest, the bearded Yellow Turban general, his personal guards and younger brothers, all enjoyed food, water and spicy mutton jerky. However, pairs of ordinary Yellow Turban soldiers with green glow in the distance were all shocked.

Originally, the food left by the Beiwei Army was not much compared to the large number of Yellow Turbans in the mountains and forests, and was not enough.

The bearded Yellow Turban general ate so voraciously, but they were starving. All the Yellow Turban soldiers in the forest couldn't help but have murderous intent in their eyes and stared at them like hungry wolves.

"Go, go, what are you doing? Behave yourself." The younger brothers under the bearded Yellow Turban general, after eating and drinking their fill, shouted angrily at the Yellow Turban soldiers who were staring at them to intimidate them.

What the bearded Yellow Turban general didn't know was that when they were getting food and drinking water.

There are dozens of mountains and forests of various sizes around Xu County and Changsha.

Wherever there were Yellow Turbans, the Beiwei Army cavalry would send food and drinking water, persuade the Yellow Turbans to surrender, and even tempt them to perform meritorious deeds.

More than 100,000 Yellow Turbans in dozens of mountains and forests large and small around Xu County and Changsha were in an uproar and agitation.

More than thirty miles west of Changshe City, in a dense forest, no less than ten thousand Yellow Turbans hid in a temple on the mountainside.

Inside the temple hall.

He was rough yet somewhat gentle and talented, with a frown on his face. He looked down from afar, looking at the Beiwei cavalry raising dust on the official road below the mountain, and he felt extremely depressed.

"Alas, we were beaten and trapped to death in the mountains and forests. I am afraid we have failed the trust placed in us by General Tian Gong." Bo Cai sighed.

Among the Yellow Turban leaders, Bo Cai also considered himself to be proficient in military tactics.

However, Zhen Dangbo finally faced Li Hong, whom he had previously ignored.

Only then did Bo feel how terrifying Li Hong was.

As soon as Li Hong made a move, more than 100,000 Yellow Turbans were shattered. Now they were trapped in the mountains and forests, lacking food and had no way out but death.

Although Li Hong had the advantage that the Beiwei Army was an elite force.

Facing the famous Li Hong, Bo Cai still felt a sense of powerlessness.

"What is Li Hong doing now?"

Bo Cai watched from afar as the Beiwei army seemed to have left a lot of things on the official road below the mountain, and then they left, but the Yellow Turbans rushed out like hungry wolves and snatched them back. Bo Cai was puzzled and frowned.

Soon, footsteps were heard outside.

But then a bald, sturdy man came in quickly with several bodyguards.

"General Daqu, it's bad. The soldiers are trying to persuade us to surrender, saying that Li Hong has asked the dog emperor for instructions and that if we surrender, we can all be spared."

"And the soldiers left us a lot of food, including all kinds of noodles and meat."

"The officers and soldiers also said that we can make meritorious deeds. If we capture those who are unwilling to surrender and hand them over to them, we will be rewarded with fields and a lot of money. The news has spread. What should we do now?"

Peng Tuo said to Bo Cai anxiously, and at the same time waved his hand, asking his personal guards to present the steamed buns, fried noodles and dried mutton that they had snatched to Bo Cai.

Although he was also one of the generals, Bo Cai's military ability was far superior to his, so Peng Tuo obeyed Bo Cai's orders.

Peng Tuo was not stupid either. He immediately realized that the officers and soldiers' plan was really vicious. They had no food left, and now they were suddenly given some and asked to surrender. Even if the loyal followers of the Taiping Sect could withstand it, the ordinary Yellow Turbans below might not be able to bear it and would surrender.

Sure enough, as Peng Tuo finished speaking, Bo Cai's expression suddenly changed, and he hurriedly took the still warm, sweet white steamed buns, and even the spicy and fragrant mutton jerky from the hands of the guard beside him.

"Li Hong, this is a vicious plot. You can forgive the crime of treason, but you are trying to alienate the Yellow Turbans. I'm afraid the more than 100,000 Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan are really finished." Bo Cai's face turned pale, as if he had suffered a heavy blow.

(End of this chapter)