At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty

War is a matter for the army, an organized armed force, not a group of stragglers.

No matter how powerful a martial arts master is, he is no match for a well-trained army. The major martial arts sects in martial arts novels will suffer disastrous defeats in all likelihood when faced with well-trained soldiers advancing and retreating neatly.

After the number reaches a certain level, the outcome of the war does not depend on individual martial arts. The important thing is the degree of organization, the degree of training, the quality of equipment and strategic thinking.

What good is it to the country to have a bunch of heroes who are powerful in the world?

If there were, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty would not have vigorously attacked heroes before the Northern Expedition to the Huns.

At that time, when heroes ran rampant to the point where the government didn't dare to restrain them, instead they had to respect them so much that they could kill officials while talking and laughing, is that okay?

Guo Peng wants to transform the social state of being brave in private fights but brave in public wars since the Han Dynasty to brave in public wars and brave in private fights, so that the society will be full of organization.

For this reason, it is necessary to control civilian force.

However, the number of imperial troops is not so large, and there are always places beyond its reach, and there are always places beyond its reach. At this time, local militias are meaningful.

Institutionalize, officialize, and constrain civilian armed forces, and turn them into a reserve force for the army, hiding them among the people. Whenever there is a need, they can gather together to fight against national disasters with a wave of arms.

Guo Peng's idea is to reorganize some of the veterans who have been discharged from the army due to injuries, put them in private places, go to every village to serve as military officers, lead the strong men in the villages, collectively cultivate in farming hours, and collectively train battle formations in leisure time. .

Of course, Guo Peng didn't expect them to actually fight on the battlefield. The Guo Wei regime didn't need these militiamen to fight on the battlefield. That was for the 40 regular army, not the militia. They were the national strategic reserve force.

Guo Peng trained and organized the militia, mainly to control the civilian armed forces in his own hands, and let these militiamen protect themselves when necessary, be organized, and then send food and fodder with the auxiliary soldiers when fighting. up.

In addition, due to the consideration of local security, as a ruler, of course, he hopes that the place will be stable and not cause trouble.

If this social situation is allowed to continue, Xiahou Dun murdered at the age of 14 and Guo Peng killed at the age of 12 will continue to appear.

That's what Guo Peng doesn't want to see, and it's not something that would happen in a normal and healthy society.

Regularizing and officializing all armed forces, assigning titles, and leading them in an upright manner can reverse this social state very well.

Therefore, while Guo Peng announced the reform of the cavalry, he also announced the operation of the militia system. It was carried out in Qingyan Erzhou, his base camp, and [-] wounded and retired veterans were sent to villages in [-] places to start the trial operation. this policy.

The implementation of the two new policies let Guo Peng know that the time to challenge the White Horse Alliance is almost here.

Then start.

Chapter 680

Liu Bang can be said to be a strange person.

It took a total of seven years from starting the army to becoming emperor. Guo was hard to beat, and there were few emperors in the past who could compare with him.

Well, Liu Xiu is one of them.

The founding emperors of the Han Dynasty were all strange people.

Of course, Liu Bang is not a simple bastard.

Although someone wrote a poem saying that Liu Xiang didn't study at first, Liu Bang's family also had some property. In his early years, Liu Bang was a guest of Zhang Er, and later he was a serious civil servant of Qin State.

Being able to be a courtier and an official, it is not impossible to be illiterate.

And speaking of it, Liu Bang is quite a bit of a genius. Zhang Liang taught the Taigong Art of War to several people, but others couldn't understand it no matter how they learned it. When Liu Bang came, he learned everything very quickly and made Zhang Liang Liang couldn't help but admire Liu Bang as a genius.

In Guo Peng's view, Liu Bang's most powerful handwriting in his life was not the establishment of the Han Dynasty, but the establishment of the White Horse Alliance.

This move can be called his swan song.

An oath created the charm of the Han Dynasty for 400 years, and made the Han Dynasty stand up from the decline twice, or almost the third time. Liu Bei was just unlucky and ran into Cao Cao.

But his surname is Liu, and few people dare to object to claiming to be Hanzhong Wang Leng. This is the convenience and political appeal of the White Horse Alliance.

This point, when placed on Cao Cao in another time and space and Guo Peng now, is the feeling that the eyes of envy will turn red.

A certain Guo's surname is Guo, not Liu, and many people will be killed if he is called a prince. Now he is seeking to be king, and many people will be killed if he is seeking to be king.

Step by step, he did not dare to overstep or indulge at all. The conventions of society are not so easy to break. He must be careful and fully prepared before he dares to launch the final impact on the White Horse Alliance.

Not long after the announcement of the cavalry reform policy and the militia policy, Guo Peng felt that the time had come.

All aspects have been fully prepared, and the final decisive battle can already be launched.

So under his secret manipulation, Xun You understood, and the Luoyang court sent the little emperor's edict.

Because Guo Peng made great contributions to quelling the rebellion in Liangzhou, the little emperor felt Guo Peng's great contribution to the country and decided to promote Guo Peng's title to king.

The emperor ordered that Guo Peng be made the king of Wei, the state of Wei was promoted to the kingdom, Guo Peng was promoted to the rank of general, and [-] households were added to the city.

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

When the news spread in Yecheng, Guo Peng had already made his first refusal, saying that he had little virtue and dared not be king, so he begged His Majesty to take it back.

And when Guo Peng rejected the award for the first time, the public opinion field in Yecheng exploded again.

People in power praised Guo Peng's merits one after another, and believed that Guo Peng should accept the title of prince. These people were headed by Cheng Yu, Tian Feng, Guo Jia, Wang Can and others.

The army, led by generals such as Zhao Yun and Le Jin, wrote letters together, and the major generals stationed in Yecheng also expressed their opinions, thinking that Guo Peng should follow the emperor's wishes and ascend to the rank of king and king of Wei.

Wei Guanwei sat the group straight on their buttocks in time, and unequivocally agreed with this matter, without any hesitation or opposition at all, and expressed their support for this matter with extremely consistent caliber.

It seems that after two rectification campaigns, the hidden enemies among Wei officials have been wiped out in sevens and eighties, and there are not many left.

And even if there is, it seems that they dare not jump out for a while.

To be honest, everyone is very clear in their hearts. In the past, there were only a few people who had illusions that Han and Wei could coexist. But after the two rectification campaigns, the Wei officials have realized Guo Peng's true intentions.

Tried again and again, then cracked down on opponents and promoted supporters.

Those who opposed Guo Peng's progress were beaten up by Guo Peng with bruised noses and swollen faces, and lost their status one after another. Even if the supporters were humble, they were promoted by Guo Peng and quickly occupied the positions of the opponents.

It's a good way to draw a salary from the bottom of the pot.

The Han and Wei could not coexist, there is no two suns in the sky, no two masters in the earth, and there is only one monarch in the land of China.

So at this moment, the most politically correct approach is not to stay out of the matter, not to comment on this matter, let alone to oppose it, but to abandon the position of Han officials, completely stand on the position of Wei officials, and support it clearly.

So Cao Cao, who had always been ambiguous, sat upright this time without any hesitation.

Cao Hong, who was in Luoyang, heard the news before this incident happened, and then wrote back to Yecheng in time to Cao Cao, persuading him not to do ambiguous things like Zang Hong and his gang.

He briefly described what happened to Xun Yu and Zang Hong, and told Cao Cao that the current situation is no longer what it used to be.

Not only was Zang Hong trapped in Luoyang, but even his son was implicated. Guo Peng excluded him from Guo Jin's group of friends and sent him to live with Zang Hong in Luoyang to be monitored.

Guo Peng was not soft on Zang Hong, his friend for many years, so would Guo Peng be soft on them, relatives of the Cao family?

Cao Hong didn't dare to guarantee it.

Guo Peng is not the former Guo Peng. If he wants to rise to the top, no one can stop him, not Xun Yu and Zang Hong, nor Cao Cao.

Cao Cao is the family member of the Cao family, and was protected by Cao Lan. Guo Peng treated him more generously, but don't think that this kind of preferential treatment is unlimited, and don't challenge Guo Peng's bottom line.

He doesn't think about himself, but also thinks about Cao Ang and the young Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, and Cao Zhi, thinks about the political future of the Cao family, and thinks about a group of them who are surnamed Cao to lead troops outside. Don't go wrong. Out of the way, in the wrong team.

After Cao Hong was beaten up, he was on duty in Luoyang again, and now he understands Guo Peng's intentions better than anyone else.

After reading Cao Hong's letter, Cao Cao felt uneasy. After thinking of some of his past actions and Guo Peng's reaction, he took a few breaths, and then thought of what happened to Zang Hong, and immediately panicked.

He realized what he should do the most right now, so he rushed to the table with Cheng Yu, Tianfeng, Guo Jia and others, persuading Guo Peng to accept the order of Emperor Liu Jian of the Han Dynasty and become the king of Wei.

Cao Cao woke up in time, sat upright on his buttocks, and did not do anything to embarrass the Cao family.

It is politically correct for Wei officials to support Guo Peng's succession to the king of Wei, which in Guo Peng's view is already a matter of course.

However, from the mouths of some Yecheng scholars, Guo Peng still heard about the White Horse Alliance.

That's right, the central point of discussion on this matter is the White Horse Alliance.

The White Horse Alliance is the last obstacle for Guo Peng to become emperor.

It is also the last blockade that he has carefully planned for many years, and it is the last amulet of the Han Dynasty.

After Liu Bang quelled Yingbo's rebellion, because he was worried that the power of Empress Lv's group would be too large to threaten the Liu family, he, together with the clan, courtiers and generals, made an oath to slay the White Horse on the banks of the Weishui River, announcing that from now on, it would not be the clan surnamed Liu. No king is allowed, and those who have not made military exploits are not allowed to be named marquises.

This is the alliance of the white horse.

Liu Bang's White Horse Alliance was aimed at the extremely powerful Empress Lv group at that time.

Liu Bang's background was very low, he was a commoner, and the turning point in his life was marrying Empress Lu.

This is very similar to Mr. Guo, who entered into a marriage contract with Cao Lan at the beginning of the turning point in Mr. Guo's life.

Relying on the power of the Lu family and his group of cronies, Liu Bang laid the foundation for the establishment of the Han Dynasty, and gradually came to the fore in the troubled times of the end of Qin Dynasty.

But it has to be said that since the beginning of his rebellion, the Lu family has had a very high status and an indelible influence.

Chapter 681, 690 The King's Great Battle Begins

People today know more about the history of the late Qin Dynasty and the early Han Dynasty from people like Liu Bang himself and the three heroes of the early Han Dynasty.

It is probably because the Lu family launched a rebellion after the death of Empress Lu, so the official history books have very deliberately downplayed the role of the Lu family in Liu Bang's uprising.

But at that time, Lu's influence in the Liu Bang Group was by no means comparable to the so-called Three Masters.

Whether it is the military or the political circle, the children of the Lu family have extremely powerful influence and control. They are the basic foundation for Queen Lu to be able to regent after Liu Bang's death.

This point is concentrated in Liu Bang's attempt to make Liu Ruyi the prince but ultimately failed.

This is not because the so-called Shangshan Sihao appeared beside Liu Ying, making Liu Bang see the appeal of the prince himself, but the appearance of Shangshan Sihao made Liu Bang realize that the Lu family's foreign relatives group had even united with Xiao He and Zhang Liang. Wait for heroes.

The courtiers agreed.

What Liu Ying's death represents is the will of the entire Lu family and the heroes. If Liu Bang wants to establish Liu Ruyi, he will be against everyone, and Liu Ruyi will not get any support.

That's why Liu Bang said helplessly to Liu Ruyi's mother, Mrs. Qi, "After I die, you will be her servant."

The establishment of Liu Ruyi as the prince is more likely to be a temptation by Liu Bang himself when he realized that his time is numbered, to test whether the strength of the Lu Group has exceeded control.

And it did.

So Liu Bang began to worry that Liu Ying, a cowardly character, would not be able to keep the Han Dynasty.

After thinking about it again and again, Liu Bang thought of the White Horse Alliance, and with the help of the power of heaven and earth and the prestige of his founding emperor, he left a life-saving talisman for the Liu family.

The White Horse Alliance did not show its effectiveness at the beginning.

After Zhu Lu launched the rebellion and the heroes fought to quell the rebellion, and after Emperor Hanwen ascended the throne, the effectiveness of the White Horse Alliance was truly manifested.

The White Horse Alliance is a rule established by Liu Bang, and this rule is to use Zhu Lu's blood as a sacrifice, and it has really shown its effectiveness.

Since then, the rule that no one can be called a king unless he is Liu, and no one can be named a marquis unless he has made military achievements has become the highest constitution throughout the 400-year history of the Han Dynasty and the highest social contract.

Before Guo Peng, Wang Mang tried to challenge this rule. He once succeeded, but the result was not good.

Guo Peng also urged Yuan Shu to tear up this rule directly, and then abolished him himself.

The fate of Lu's Group, Wang Mang, and Yuan Shu is no different from adding a stronger binding force to the White Horse Alliance, and it has truly become the life-saving talisman of Liu's country.

The 400-year inertia of the Han Dynasty, social conventions, and the status of the highest constitution have jointly created the almost sacred and inviolable dignity of the White Horse Alliance.

The feelings of the scholars at that time about the White Horse Alliance are probably the same as the feeling of people today about the rule of "killing people, paying their lives and paying their debts".

Everyone knows very well that the Han Dynasty has come to an end, and everyone knows that the maintenance of the Han Dynasty depends on Guo Peng alone.

However, when Guo Peng really started to touch the alliance of the white horse, the feeling of fright still appeared.

Guo Peng's power, Guo Peng's prestige, and Guo Peng's ability all convinced his subordinates, so Wei officials under his command supported them out of political correctness.

The group of non-Wei officials didn't think so much. They still invited the invisible sacred object of the White Horse League to torture Guo Peng for the final time.

Guo Peng has already made a lot of preparations for this. After many years of preparation and years of support, he urged Yuan Shu to tear up the White Horse Alliance and proclaim himself emperor. , so as to continuously attack the sense of existence of the Han Dynasty.

Even so, the White Horse Alliance was still in front of Guo Peng, becoming an obstacle stronger than the emperor himself.

So when he learned of the heated discussions about the White Horse Alliance in Yecheng's public opinion field, Guo Peng couldn't help but start to daydream.

What kind of mental journey did Cao Cao go through when he destroyed the White Horse Alliance and became king?

What Xun Yu wants to protect may not be the Han Dynasty itself, but the Supreme Constitution of the White Horse Alliance, which is deeply rooted in the souls of the subjects of the Han Dynasty, and indirectly protect the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bang, you are really amazing.

400 years and you're still stopping me.