Once the North Gate manifesto was released, it quickly spread to the Central Plains.

Immediately, the world was shaken, the princes were shaken, and the people of the world were staring at him.

The manifesto itself is not surprising. At most, it is a brilliant literary talent. It discusses ancient and modern issues. It is very serious to list the barbarian thieves' sins in Fuluo. It is difficult to tolerate if they do not kill barbarian thieves.

The most eye-catching thing in fact is that this manifesto came from the mouth of the young emperor Liu Xie, who climbed the altar to worship the sky and swore to go to war.

This move seems ordinary, but in fact it has far-reaching significance and has a great impact far exceeding many people's expectations.

It has been five or six years since Dong Zhuo took control of the government. The young emperor Liu Xie has faded out of people's sight, and people in the world can rarely hear the emperor's voice. Although the emperor's edicts are still spreading to all over the world, everyone in the world knows that these edicts are not from the emperor's original intention, because the emperor is still a child and has no ability to govern the world.

However, after the news of the altar of the North Gate worshiping the sky spread, the emperor, who had already faded out of people's sight, finally showed his face again, which made many people in the midst of war and war suddenly remember that it is still the world of the Han Dynasty, and the emperor is still there, and the Han army still has the ability to resist the invasion of the barbarians.

Correspondingly, as the manifesto spread widely, the name of General Li Li of the Cavalry once again entered the hearts of countless people who were in dire straits and were highly respected and passed down.

At this time when the world was in chaos, when the princes of various towns were fighting fiercely for territory, the new General of the Cavalry Li Li not only did not take the opportunity to send troops to the Central Plains, but instead mobilized 100,000 cavalry to fight the barbarian army. Anyone with ambition, regardless of his previous impression of Li Li, this time his impression of Li Li changed greatly and was highly praised. Regardless of whether Li Li was loyal to the Han Dynasty or not, as a Han Chinese, he did not hesitate to defend the territory of the Han Dynasty and not to invade barbarians, was an undisputed objective fact.

This point is enough to make the scholars of the world feel good about Li Li. Even many powerful gentry who regard Li Li as their enemy have to admit that compared to most princes who only focus on strengthening their own strength, Li Li is undoubtedly more responsible than these people, know the general and take the overall situation into consideration, and is worthy of being the general of the world.

Compared with ordinary people and gentry, the princes of all walks of life were not interested in the manifesto, and even sneered at the emperor's altar and sacrificed his respects. What shocked them was that the Xiliang Army, which had been recuperating for two years, showed its troops again, and it was 100,000 cavalry at the moment of movement. This move really made the princes feel disgusted and were shocked when they heard about it.

At the moment when the Central Plains are at its most chaotic time, Yuan Shao of Jizhou is always guarding against Gongsun Zan of Youzhou, and Zhang Miao, the prefect of Chenliu, and Zhang Chao, his brothers Zhang Chao, Wang Kai and others took advantage of Cao Cao's expedition to Xuzhou to welcome Lu Bu as the governor of Yanzhou and sneaked into Cao Cao's nest. Tao Qian of Xuzhou has been ill since Cao Cao withdrew his troops to help Yanzhou. Yuan Shu of Nanyang sent troops to capture Runan, and then seized Yangzhou, and the war was in full swing. In addition, after the Black Mountain bandits heard that the White Bo bandits attacked Liangzhou, the bandit leader Zhang Yan led his troops to harass the counties of Bingzhou, and the bandits also took advantage of the chaos to plunder Sili, the border between Yanzhou and Jizhou, which made the world chaotic and the smoke of wars rose.

Just as the princes of the world fought hard and were indistinguishable, the Xiliang army, which had been silent, finally moved, and they mobilized a large number of troops to ask the emperor to pay homage to the heaven and earth, and then dispatched 100,000 cavalry to march to the northern expedition.

The 100,000 iron cavalry not only made many princes frightened astronomical figures, but also forced them to look at the powerful military strength. Looking at all the princes in the world, there are only a handful of princes who often dispatch 100,000 iron cavalry to participate in the war. It can even be said that they are unique, only Li Li, the Western Liang, has this strength.

When the news that Li Li personally led 100,000 cavalry to fight spread all over the world, many princes did not doubt the authenticity of the matter. Although many princes were still suspicious of the secret reports and rumors, they all knew that the Western Liang army did have such strong strength. For many princes, the 100,000 cavalry was a powerful military force that was longed for and out of reach. However, for the Western Liang army, which was known for its bravery in fighting, the 100,000 cavalry was no problem.

As early as two years ago when Li Li pacified the two prefectures of Xiliang, the Xiliang army claimed to have 400,000 troops, of which there were more than 200,000 combat cavalry. Although the princes of each town did not think that this number was real, it can be inferred from it that the Xiliang army had at least 100,000 combat cavalry, including many well-equipped elite cavalry. Because the Luoyang treasury weapons accumulated by the Han Dynasty for hundreds of years were all in the hands of the Xiliang army, this was enough to form tens of thousands of combat cavalry, and even more.

In addition, the various parts of Xiliang are rich in excellent war horses and the people are strong. Most men are skilled in bows and horses and have good combat power when they become adults. Therefore, for hundreds of years, the Xiliang army has always been the strongest army with the Han Dynasty. They resisted barbarians and expanded their territory. They are inseparable from the Xiliang army participating in the war every time they fight.

Because of this, all the princes of the Central Plains have always been relying on civil turmoil in the Western Liang army, but they dared not lead troops to attack the territory under Li Li. As long as the Western Liang army fights internally, the once powerful and arrogant Xiliang army will not be afraid at all, and will sooner or later be wiped out and annexed by the Central Plains princes. Unfortunately, since the death of Dong Zhuo and the Chang'an rebellion, the Western Liang army has never had civil turmoil again, and has been quickly unified, and then it will stop and rest and recuperate.

In this way, after the initial fear and guard against the princes, they gradually let go of their hands and feet, expanded their territory, recruited troops, and strengthened their strength. However, the powerful Xiliang army was always a big rock that was pressing on the hearts of the princes, like a giant sword hanging above their heads. Once it fell, it was very likely to tear them into pieces. Fortunately, the Xiliang army had completely remained silent for two years and had no movement, which made the princes of the Central Plains, especially the power of the border with Xiliang, breathed a sigh of relief.

However, now the Western Liang army has dispatched again, and 100,000 cavalry have sent troops to the north to fight.

For the princes of the Central Plains, this move was like a shock and frightened person. Some of the princes bordering Xiliang were even more anxious and lived a life of fear and fear.

Before this, they were lucky enough to believe that Xiliang was poor and short of food and grass, and they were unable to send troops to capture the Central Plains. However, at this moment, the 100,000 troops attacked the Fuluo army, which undoubtedly told them that the Xiliang army had solved the dilemma of insufficient food and grass and was able to launch a large number of troops to conquer the four sides.

This is really unfortunate news and it is also the bad news that the princes of the Central Plains least want to hear.

So, just as Li Li led his army to fight, the Central Plains were silent, and many princes fighting each other stopped fighting each other and watched the changes in the current situation. As a result, the Central Plains fell into a strange calm. The original place where the war was full suddenly stopped, and the battle disappeared silently. Each state and county ushered in the most peaceful period in more than ten years.

———————————————————

Jingzhou.Public Mansion.

In the main hall, Liu Biao, who was nearly 60 years old, frowned slightly at the emperor's edict sent by the whistleblower. There were also proclamations of the anti-thief and the Western Liang army sent by the flying pigeons in Chang'an.

After carefully reading the edict, Liu Biao picked up the secret report and looked through it again, with a complicated look in his eyes from time to time. After reading the information, he supported his forehead with one hand, closed his eyes slightly, and he pretended to sleep and pondered.

On both sides of the hall, there were still several civil and military officials at this time. The civil and civil officials were headed by the Kuai brothers, and the military officials were headed by Cai Mao and Huang Zu.

Seeing the lord Liu Biao close his eyes and think, everyone in the hall was silent. Whether they were looking around or lowering their heads to think, no one dared to speak out to disturb Liu Biao's thoughts.

Four years ago, Liu Biao entered Jingzhou alone, and within less than a year, he was able to win over a group of people and attacked each other, and then he firmly sat in the position of the governor of Jingzhou. In recent years, Liu Biao has rectified the army, trained sailors, cleaned up the administration of officials, and repeatedly sent troops to eliminate the water thieves and bandits. Although he dared not say that Jingzhou was in great power, it was a rare place for prosperity and stability in the world compared to other prefectures and counties in the world.

Because of this, although Liu Biao is nearly 60 years old, he is still strong, with no bent waist or hunched back, and no back or eyes. He is full of energy. He married Cai Mao's sister Cai a few years ago, which made Cai shine all day long, so that Cai is always with Liu Biao and seems very loving. If this situation continues, perhaps Liu Biao is nearly 60 years old and can still sprout new trees. He can make Cai even have a son and half daughter.

Therefore, although Liu Biao is gradually entering his twilight years, his current control over Jingzhou is at its peak. All the civil and military officials under his command are obedient and no one dares to disobey his orders. In addition, after the past two years of rectification and training, Jingzhou has more than 100,000 infantry and cavalry, nearly 150,000 navy troops, and a total force of about 260,000 troops. His strength is even better than that of Yuan Shu, Yangzhou, and other princes of the Central Plains. It is not inferior to that of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and others.

Therefore, two years ago, Yuan Shu had been coveting the land of Jingxiang and occupied Nanyang, intending to wait for an opportunity to attack Jingxiang. As a result, Liu Biao's strength grew day by day, with strong soldiers and horses, and his strength was still above him. In this way, Yuan Shu had to make other plans and decisively evacuate Nanyang County and go to Runan, and then seize Yangzhou.

At the same time, Cao Cao had dared to launch troops to attack Xuzhou, but did not dare to attack Liu Biao in Jingzhou. The reason was that Liu Biao was strong and Cao Cao could not chew on the fat piece of Jingxiang at all.

Looking at the world, Liu Biao of Jingzhou is currently ranked third. If he is ambitious and in his prime, he may still be ranked second in the world. The two princes ahead of him are: Li Li of Xiliang and Yuan Shao of Jizhou.

In addition, although the world is big and there are many princes, no one can compare with the strength that Liu Biao has mastered. Even Liu Zhang, Yizhou, cannot be compared with him, because most of the territory in the southwest of Yizhou is now occupied by the Southern Barbarians, greatly reducing the huge territory of Yizhou.

"The emperor issued an edict, and the imperial army went to suppress the Fuluo barbarian army. The food and grass were not enough, so he ordered me to raise 100,000 stones of grain and grass to Sili, and handed it over to General Pingnan Xu Rong to take over. In addition, the General of the Cavalry also wrote a letter in person, hoping to form an alliance with me to quell the turbulent times. For this reason, the general recommended me to serve as General of the Nan and Marquis of Xiangyang, and submitted a memorial to the emperor to grant Cai the wife of Shude and Marquis of Zhibi. However, these rewards will be achieved after our food and grass are delivered, and the rewards are achieved in accordance with merits." After pondering for a while, Liu Biao said in a gentle tone and the contents of the letters sent together with the edict.

Then he paused and asked softly: "Everyone said, should I obey the order? Everyone expressed their opinions. Those who speak are not guilty, just be confident and speak boldly."

In fact, everyone in the hall could roughly guess what was said in the edict, because every time the emperor's edict was passed to Jingzhou, almost without exception, they would ask for food and grass and taxes. However, Liu Biao would receive the edict and submit the edict to half of the money and grain stated in the edict, and he would also give the edict half of the edict and cry, and he would speak sincerely, as if he had already worked hard to pay half of the food and grass and do his best.

Of course, most of the memorials replying to the edict were written by the Kuai brothers. Liu Biao had never replied to it personally, so he didn't need to worry about it.

"Report to the lord, my subordinates believe that this time is different from the past, and we still need to consider it carefully and must not act hasty." Kuai Yue stood up and spoke, deliberately observing Liu Biao's expression while speaking.

After seeing Liu Biao's expression as usual, he continued: "In recent years, the court has urged the lord to ask for food and grass every six months. The lord has never refused. He has always been executed immediately after receiving the edict. However, this edict is a bit difficult. A month ago, we just sent 30,000 stones of food and grass and 10,000 gold, which was considered to be paid for the taxes for the first half of the year.

What's more, the general sent troops to eliminate barbarian thieves this time. This is what he has to do with Jingzhou? Now he asked the lord for food and grass under the name of the emperor, which is simply an insatiable act. Today, the princes still pay food and grass taxes to the court. I am afraid that only my lord is loyal to the Han Dynasty will pay food and grass regularly. Therefore, my subordinates think that the lord cannot be ordered this time. It is not too late to make a decision after the world is clear at the end of the year. Please think twice!”

After Kuai Yue finished speaking, he retreated back to his original position. On the way, he turned around and looked at his brother Kuai Liang. The two brothers nodded slightly tacitly.

Listening to Kuai Yue's words in his ear, Liu Biao gently took out a letter from his sleeve. This was a secret letter handed over to him by the Kuai brothers three days ago. Some of the contents were exactly the same as what Kuai Yue said, but this letter was not written by the Kuai brothers, but by Yuan Shao, a man-written letter from Jizhou.

The Kuai brothers have always advanced and retreated together. What Kuai Yue said is equivalent to what Kuai Liang said, and these two were both confidant advisers who Liu Biao relied heavily on.

Compared with the Kuai brothers, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun are still slightly insufficient in Liu Biao's mind, and they are temporarily below the Kuai brothers.

Because of this, Cai Mao usually opposes any matters supported by the Kuai brothers, or is lip service to him. Anyway, he has been secretly competing with the Kuai brothers.

This time is naturally no exception. Moreover, the letter also involves the issue of the reputation of Cai Mao’s sister Cai’s family, which makes him unable to stay out of the matter. Liu Biao lost his wife last winter and then helped Cai to the position of his wife. However, although Cai is very favored, he still has no descendants and is often criticized in private.

Now that the General of the Cavalry Li Li promised to grant Cai the wife of Shude, this is undoubtedly a timely help, which is equivalent to reassuring the name of Cai. When encountering such a good thing, how could Cai Mao sit idly and ignore it, and how could he let the Kuai brothers ruin the good things.

—————————————— (To be continued)
Chapter completed!