Han Dynasty Achievements

Chapter 151 The war begins

Chapter 151 The War Begins

Inside Shou'an Hall.

Liu Xie has recovered a lot and his face is not as pale as before.

The three of them knelt down separately. Liu Bian was thinking about how to start the conversation, while Empress Dowager Dong and Liu Xie were unconsciously nervous.

Because someone openly wanted to "save" Liu Xie, Liu Xie was pushed into an extremely dangerous situation.

Empress Dowager Dong and Liu Xie became more vigilant than ever before against Liu Bian, as if Liu Bian might kill them suddenly at any time for some reason.

Liu Bian looked at the two of them and went straight to the point, saying, "Grandmother, did the late emperor leave behind a will ordering his younger brother Liu Xie to succeed him?"

Empress Dowager Dong and Liu Xie were obviously stunned, and then they couldn't help but look at each other.

Empress Dowager Dong suddenly became alert and said, "I have never heard of any will."

Liu Xie quickly shook his head and said, "I haven't heard of it either."

Liu Bian didn't notice anything unusual on their faces, so he nodded, stood up and said, "I understand."

Empress Dowager Dong and Liu Xie did not dare to speak any more. They just looked at Liu Bian's back and became more and more frightened.

Openly "rescuing" them doesn't count, and now there's this "last will". Isn't this going to force them to death?

After Liu Bian left, Empress Dowager Dong's calm expression turned into panic. She hugged Liu Xie and couldn't help crying, saying, "My poor grandson..."

Liu Xie was also nervous, but he tried his best to keep calm. He comforted Queen Mother Dong and said, "Don't worry, Grandmother. My brother said that he would never kill his brothers. The royal family is a role model for the world and is the most harmonious."

Empress Dowager Dong knew better than Liu Xie about the ruthless cruelty of the royal family, but she was afraid that Liu Xie would worry, so she suppressed her fear and hummed in a tearful voice.

Liu Xie patted Empress Dowager Dong on the back and pursed his lips quietly, feeling extremely frightened.

Liu Bian left Shou'an Hall and went straight to Yongle Palace.

Empress Dowager He was extremely happy that Liu Bian came to rescue her first during the last earthquake. She pulled him aside and wanted to make him something delicious.

Liu Bian smiled, stayed beside her, and chatted with her about random things.

Empress Dowager He didn't know about the proclamation yet. She kept working and said, "You are the emperor. Don't get involved in this. It's unlucky. Get out."

Liu Bian smiled and said, "I am accompanying my mother to cook some food, how can it be unlucky?"

Empress Dowager He glanced at him, and smiled more and more, saying: "You should be less busy with government affairs and hurry up to give birth to a prince. Speaking of this, you are really not like your father at all..."

To give a simple example of how lustful and licentious Liu Bian's cheap father was - he ordered all the palace maids to wear open-crotch pants so that he could get aroused anytime and anywhere!

Liu Bian shook his head secretly, not caring much about it. He observed the expression of Empress Dowager He and suddenly said, "Mother, there is a rumor outside the palace that my father left a will, ordering Liu Xie to succeed the throne."

Empress Dowager He paused, then turned around with a gloomy face, and said with murderous intent in her eyes, "Who spread it? I will exterminate all nine of his clans!"

Liu Bian looked at her expression, his heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Is there really such a will?"

"no!"

Empress Dowager He snorted coldly and said, "I have never heard of any will from the late emperor. Your father only has one will, which is to appoint you as the crown prince and inherit the throne!"

Liu Bian looked at Empress Dowager He's expression and became suspicious.

It seems that Empress Dowager He did react, but if his adopted father really left a will, it should have been given to Empress Dowager Dong or the Twelve Eunuchs such as Jian Shuo, not to Empress Dowager He or He Jin.

Besides, it seems very abnormal that it suddenly appeared after such a long time.

Empress Dowager He stared at Liu Bian and said, "Bian'er, if anyone really spreads such rumors, they must be punished and cannot be forgiven!"

Liu Bian nodded calmly and said, "I have ordered Zuo Li to mobilize 3,000 men and deploy them throughout Luoyang."

Empress Dowager He finally relaxed and snorted, saying, "I told you long ago that the old woman and Liu Xie could not be kept, but you are too soft-hearted. Kill them now!"

Liu Bian couldn't help but twitch his face. Doesn't this mean that the will exists and gives people a reason to criticize him?

He hurriedly said, "Mother, the water is boiling and it's coming out..."

Empress Dowager He frowned and complained, "This is unlike your father. He would just give Zhang Rang a look and kill anyone he wanted to kill."

Liu Bian was relieved to see that she did not insist.

That cheap old man has done so many bad things that he can't even clean up after himself, so how can he learn from him?

As a tyrant emperor of the Han Dynasty, it would be unreasonable if he wasn't ranked first, right?

Liu Bian accompanied Empress Dowager He for dinner, and they talked about this and that until the evening. Before leaving, Empress Dowager He held him and whispered, "It doesn't matter whether Liu Xie is killed or not, the key is that you must have a prince. I have selected some good families to enter the palace for you. Don't always stay in Tang Ji's palace. She hasn't given birth to a child in more than half a year. I love her in vain..."

Only then did Liu Bian understand why the relationship between Empress Dowager He and Tang Ji seemed to have suddenly become distant.

"I understand, mother." Liu Bian shook his head secretly, eager to leave.

This time, Empress Dowager He did not keep nagging him. Instead, she became cold and indifferent after he walked away.

A palace maid not far away walked over, bowed her head, and waited for instructions.

Empress Dowager He's eyes were cold and her tone was icy. She said, "Tell He Miao to do it cleanly and go back honestly. If any news leaks out, don't blame me for not caring about the brother-sister relationship!"

"Yes." The maid responded and retreated silently.

Empress Dowager He stood at the door, looking towards the Shou'an Palace with a cold look in her eyes.

Before Liu Bian returned to Jingfu Hall, a middle eunuch came up to him and said, "Your Majesty, Minister Xun has been waiting."

Liu Bian nodded and strode back.

"I see your Majesty."

As soon as he returned to the door, Xun You raised his hand and said.

Liu Bian waved his hand and said, "Qing Jia, come in, everyone else, go out."

In the study, Liu Bian and Xun You sat opposite each other. After a moment of hesitation, Liu Bian said, "Your family was originally an aide to the general's mansion. Have you ever heard of the will?"

Xun You was startled, and immediately shook his head, saying, "I have never heard of this."

Immediately, he said solemnly, "Your Majesty, these are nothing more than excuses for the rebels to rebel. Your Majesty is the legitimate son of the Empress, and it is natural and indisputable that you should succeed to the throne. It is well known to the court and the people, and it is what the world hopes for! Your Majesty does not need to worry about it. The first priority is to quell the rebellion of Yuan Shu and others."

Liu Bian smiled and said, "You are right. You are still waiting for me so late, is there something important?"

Xun You was relieved to see that Liu Bian would not pursue the matter any further. He paused for a moment and said more solemnly, "Your Majesty, the Yuan family has had three ministers for four generations, and their students and former officials are all over the country. If Yuan Shu rebels this time, there will definitely be many people following him, not just in Yu and Yang. I am afraid that other states and counties will follow suit and cause chaos in the world!"

Liu Bian looked at him and said, "What you said is exactly what I want. I took this into consideration, so I ordered the states other than Yuzhou to keep their troops in place and focus on stabilizing the states."

Xun You raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, I am worried that Dong Zhuo will not do his best. He may be like he did in Bingzhou, where he keeps his troops to himself and listens to orders but not to orders."

Liu Bian narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "This time, he has no say. Yuan Shu has been planning this rebellion for a long time. If he cannot defeat Dong Zhuo in a short period of time, he will surely collapse!"

Xun You seemed to be thinking about something, but he still advised: "Your Majesty, I ask Cao Cao of Yanzhou to lead his troops south and attack from three sides to pacify Yuan Shu as soon as possible!"

Liu Bian shook his head and said, "Qingzhou has not been settled, Jizhou is still suppressing the rebellion, Cao Cao cannot leave Yanzhou."

Xun You looked at Liu Bian and felt an inexplicable sense of strangeness in his heart.

What His Majesty said seemed to be correct and his reasons were sufficient, but Xun You always felt that there seemed to be some other purpose behind it.

Xun You pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, the Secretariat has sent letters to all states, asking them to take the proclamation seriously and prepare for war. The banks have raised 1.3 billion yuan, and are ready to use half of it as money and food for this expedition."

Liu Bian picked up the teacup and took a sip. He said, "I still want to remind you that the suppression of rebellion should be handed over to the Grand Marshal's Office. The Shangshutai should focus on promoting reforms, eliminating bad policies, clarifying the administration of officials, and summarizing experiences and lessons so that they can be fully promoted."

When Xun You heard Liu Bian say this, he became more suspicious.

It can be said that Yuan Shu's issuance of a manifesto for rebellion was unprecedented. Even if His Majesty had anticipated this and made some arrangements, such a calm reaction was too abnormal!

"His Majesty!"

Before Xun You could say anything else, Pan Yin hurried in and handed over a memorial, saying, "An emergency memorial from Hanzhong."

"Hanzhong? Sun Jian?" Xun You's eyes flashed with confusion.

Liu Bian took it, glanced at it, and then looked at Xun You, saying calmly: "Sun Jian's report said that thousands of people appeared from nowhere and attempted to attack him, but they were repelled."

Xun You was startled and asked in confusion: "It's the Qiang people? That shouldn't be the case. Zhong Tingwei has visited the Three Qiang twice and has convinced them. Besides, it's winter now and the roads are blocked by heavy snow. What are they doing deep in Hanzhong? Bingzhou doesn't have such a big bandit problem..."

Liu Bian put down the memorial, his face expressionless, with murderous intent in his heart.

Xun You was puzzled, but he knew it very well in his heart.

The governor of Yizhou could no longer sit still and began to make some attempts!

Seeing Xun You's expression, Liu Bian said, "They are not the Three Qiang, but just some bandits. Sun Jian is capable of dealing with them. As for Jizhou, you have to take extra care. The salt administration cannot afford to fail!"

Money shops originally had a bright future, but with Yuan Shu's rebellion, they were unable to expand to the surrounding areas. Even if Luoyang City was squeezed dry, there would not be many left. The fundamental problem still lay in the salt administration.

Xun You knew that the matter in Hanzhong was not simple. Seeing that Liu Bian did not say much, he vaguely guessed that it was Liu Yan. His headache became even worse. He raised his hand and said, "I accept your order."

Liu Bian hummed, carefully considered the situation again, and said calmly: "You don't need to worry too much, the overall situation is still under control."

Xun You was not as optimistic as Liu Bian. The situation was becoming more and more complicated and severe without him noticing. After thinking for a while, he raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, I would like to go to Yangzhou."

Liu Bian shook his head and said, "Persuade Han Fu? No need. I have my own considerations on this matter. You still need to concentrate on the affairs of the Secretariat."

Xun You looked directly at Liu Bian, feeling even more strange, but he couldn't figure out why, so he could only say, "I obey your order."

Liu Bian nodded, looked at Pan Yin, and said, "Please ask the Grand Marshal to come and see me."

"Yes." Pan Yin responded.

Xun You saw this and stood up and said, "I'll take my leave."

Liu Bian reached out and picked up the memorial beside him. It was submitted by Huangfu Song.

The content is mainly about the 'military general system'.

Since the Qin Dynasty, although the distinction between civil and military officials seems clear, it is not so clear-cut. This is mainly because military generals also pay attention to their backgrounds. Even if various famous generals occasionally come from humble backgrounds, they will soon be integrated into the "civil service system" in various forms.

The Han Dynasty now has too much power in the state governors, prefects, and county magistrates. They hold both military and political power. In a certain place, they are princes of all sizes, forming independent kingdoms. In the "kingdom", everything is decided by one person. They have power, soldiers, and taxes. They have absolute power over the people below, but they pretend to obey the orders of the superiors.

This was also one of the reasons why the Han Dynasty declined rapidly.

In his memorial, Huangfu Song proposed the separation of civil and military officials, and the establishment of military ranks independent of civil officials.

This is also in line with Liu Bian's idea.

Liu Bian watched quietly and analyzed the pros and cons.

Two days later, Shanyang County.

Cao Cao came back from suppressing bandits in Taishan County, holding two official documents and two proclamations in his hands. He walked into his temporary Wuwei General's Mansion, but did not go back to the backyard, but went straight to Guo Jia's courtyard.