I will be the master of Xuande

Chapter 806: Years Like a River

In the first year of Zhenqing, the winter of 234 AD, exactly thirty years had passed since Emperor Liu Jian of the Han Dynasty ascended the throne.

This winter is exceptionally cold, with strong winds. In Zhuo County, Youzhou, every household has begun preparing for the winter.

The harvest in Youzhou is exceptionally good this year, and most of the villagers can enjoy a good year, especially in Zhuo County. In recent days, every household has started slaughtering sheep and dogs, visiting each other, and preparing to welcome the New Year.

Zhuo County today is very different from what it was back then, because thirty years ago, Liu Xie abdicated the throne and selected ten people from the royal family. Eventually, the then Prime Minister Liu Jian was elected as the new emperor, and Liu Jian’s hometown, Zhuo County, became the birthplace of the emperor.

The emperor's hometown is naturally not an ordinary place.

In addition, over the past thirty years, the Han Dynasty had become increasingly powerful, had increasingly used foreign military forces, and had continuously expanded its territory. The nomadic peoples in the north were gradually assimilated into the Han Dynasty's ethnic group.

The Han Dynasty today has become a multi-ethnic country. In addition to the Han people, people from various ethnic groups in the north, such as the Qiang, Xiongnu, and Xianbei, have all been registered. After decades of integration, they have become one and the same.

On this day, the wind and snow were very strong. Outside a tavern at the east gate of Zhuo County, the owner was instructing his waiters to close the door to prevent the wind and snow from cooling down the temperature inside the store.

At this moment, the shop owner suddenly saw a team of about twenty people coming towards their shop from the south.

The shop owner was delighted when he saw this.

He subconsciously looked towards the team.

Most of the people in the team were riding on horses, guarding a carriage in the middle and slowly stopped next to the tavern.

At the front of the team, there was an old man wearing a cloak and a thick coat. Although he was old, he was still tall and straight, in high spirits, with a pair of bright and sharp eyes.

He dismounted and said to the innkeeper, "Innkeeper, the snow is very strong. Do you have a place for us to stay for a while?"

At this critical juncture, it was the end of the year and the tavern was doing little business with only a few customers. The sudden surge of business in the snow made the owner very happy.

"Yes! Yes! It's snowing heavily, and there are only a few people in the inn. If you want to stay, there will naturally be a place for you... But, with so many of you, even though there is a place, I'm afraid some of the rooms are cramped and damp, and they won't be that comfortable to live in."

The old man laughed and said, "We have been traveling all over the country, so we are not afraid of cramped and damp places. As long as we have a place to live, it's fine!"

"That's good!"

The elder then turned around, came to the side of the cart, and whispered, "Sir, please get off the cart and have a rest."

Soon, three old men got off the cart.

Among the three old men in the car, two are older, probably in their sixties or seventies, not much different in age from the man on horseback. The other one, wearing a cloak and holding a feather fan, looks relatively younger, probably around fifty years old.

These people were all well-dressed and had extraordinary bearings. Although they were quite old, they were still very graceful and elegant.

Zhuo County is now a prosperous place in Youzhou, connecting the north and the south. It is an important route for the Han Dynasty to communicate with the northeastern regions. Therefore, this tavern owner is well-informed and has met all kinds of people.

The owner of the tavern could tell at first glance that the guests coming today were no ordinary people.

Especially the four old men in the lead. Even though they were old, the aura they exuded inadvertently made the tavern owner shudder.

Duan is not an ordinary noble person.

The twenty men following them were all strong and had serious faces, and it was obvious at first glance that they were not people to be trifled with.

Moreover, the tavern owner also felt that these men seemed to have a murderous aura.

Although he was not completely sure, the tavern owner felt that each of these men might have taken several lives.

The four old men in the lead, led by the guards, entered the tavern.

They found a place to sit in the corner of the tavern, and asked the tavern owner for meat, rice, and some drinks. The four old men then started drinking.

Only two of the guards were left to serve by the side, while the rest left the tavern and went to the stables to settle their horses and carriages. The guards also had their meals delivered to their rooms by the innkeeper, and they did not stay in the tavern hall to drink with the old men.

After the four old men sat down, the shopkeeper served wine and meat. One of the old men with a full beard and white beard hurriedly poured himself a cup of wine, then raised his head and drank it all, sighing with satisfaction.

"It's comfortable." The old man with curly beard said comfortably.

The old man on horseback couldn't help but laugh when he saw this: "Yide, drink slowly. Drink less when you are old. Didn't the emperor say that excessive drinking can shorten your life?"

The old man with the curly beard was none other than Zhang Fei in his old age.

Zhang Fei laughed when he heard this and said, "Zilong, just eat your own food and don't bother me."

Zhao Yun frowned and said, "I'm doing this for your own good."

Zhang Fei snorted and said, "I'm almost seventy years old, so what's the point of shortening my lifespan... There are four people at this table, and the youngest one, Kong Ming, is already over fifty years old. How long can they live?"

"Brother once said, drink today and enjoy today! Isn't that right?"

After saying that, Zhang Fei looked at the oldest old man among the four people.

Liu Jian, who was already nearly 70 years old, gently fiddled with the wheat rice in front of him. He put the rice in his mouth with a little trembling, chewed for a while, and then said slowly: "It is better to live as long as possible... For my father, my mother, Aci, Xuande, Yunchang, Xianhe, Fengxiao, Wenhe, Gongyu, Wenruo... Let them take a good look at this world and see how good it is... When I go down in the future, I can tell them about it."

After hearing Liu Jian's words, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun fell silent. Zhang Fei sighed painfully and turned to look at the heavy snow outside the window, as if he was recalling something.

The wine in his hand seemed to have no taste. After a while, Zhang Fei slowly put the wine cup in his hand on the table and said, "Brother is right, drink less, if not for anything else... for the sake of the old brothers who left first, I have to hold on for a few more years and live out their share!"

Zhao Yun said, "Let's not talk about anything else. In the past thirty years, every county in the Han Dynasty has had county-level hospitals. Although the medical standards vary, the people in the counties will not die because they can't find a doctor when they have a serious illness. If we really have an emergency outside, we can find a doctor in time."

"Because of this, many of the people of the Han Dynasty have been treated when they were sick over the years, which has also greatly increased the population of our Han Dynasty in the past thirty years."

When Liu Jian heard what Zhao Yun said, he did not show any pride.

He simply said, "That being said, unfortunately, the cost of hospitals in counties is still high. Ordinary people and villagers are still helpless when facing serious illnesses. Some people cannot get treatment for their illnesses, not because they cannot be cured, but because they cannot afford it."

Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan: "Although the national strength of the Han Dynasty is incomparable to that of thirty years ago, it is still difficult to provide medical treatment for all the sick people in the country. This is beyond human power. The Supreme Emperor does not need to blame himself."

At this moment, there was a noise outside the door, and a loud commotion was heard. Then, several more people entered the tavern. These people were flicking the snow off their bodies and loudly calling on the owner of the tavern to serve wine and food.

At this moment, a soldier from the Bai Li Army came in from outside, came to Zhao Yun's side, and whispered something in his ear.

Zhao Yun nodded, then signaled the soldier to go out.

"It's okay, just a few merchants."

Zhang Fei sneered, "What era is this? How can there still be bandits? The world has long been peaceful and prosperous! Zilong, be too careful."

Zhao Yun said: "Of course, after all, we are following the emperor, so it is always right to be careful."

When Liu Jian heard this, he smiled with relief.

He said softly, "Since I took over the throne from Duke Shanyang, I have worked hard for twenty years. The Han Dynasty has prospered, and people from all corners of the country have come to me. When I abdicated ten years ago, I knew that the Han Dynasty was already at the top of the world. That's why I can safely hand over the world to Ji'er. I traveled around the mountains and rivers of the Han Dynasty with a few old brothers, learned about the people's sentiments, and constantly gave good suggestions to the country from the perspective of the emperor's private visits."

"Now, I have reached the age of seventy. At this age, looking back on my life, I have done a lot of things and encountered a lot of things... but I have never been kidnapped by bandits. If I really encounter a few bandits, it would be good, and it would be considered an increase in experience."

Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun and Zhuge Liang all smiled when they heard what Liu Jian said.

Zhuge Liang said: "Your Majesty, the world is peaceful and the people are prosperous. It is difficult to encounter thieves these days."

At this time, they heard the merchants who had already seated themselves at a table not far from them, eating and talking loudly.

"Everyone, we are doing business and construction in Heilongjiang Province this time, but a big thing happened in the court. Do you know about it?"

Heilongjiang Prefecture was a new area conquered by the Han Dynasty in the northeast of Buyeo twenty years ago. It was designated as a new prefecture by Liu Jian's son Liu Ji and has since been under the jurisdiction of the Han Dynasty.

In addition to Heilongjiang, the Han Dynasty also established Mongolian Province and Western Regions Province during the reign of Liu Jian. Large tracts of grassland and land in the Western Regions were included in the territory of the Han Dynasty. The culture and population of the Han Dynasty continued to migrate to these new provinces. Youzhou was no longer a border county of the Han Dynasty. Today, Hanzhou, Heilongjiang Province, and Mongolian Province have successively become border counties of the Han Dynasty, and are also being actively constructed.

Seeing that the merchant was speaking in a mysterious tone, the other merchants hurriedly said, "Brother Li, if you have anything new to say, just tell us!"

The merchant looked around at everyone and felt very proud when he saw that no one could respond to his words.

Then, the merchant said, "As far as I know, three months ago, Zhuge Kongming, the head of the Imperial Military Affairs Council and the Grand Secretary of Wenhua Pavilion, retired and left the court."

After these words were spoken, the other merchants became nervous.

"What? Lord Zhuge resigned? How old is he?!"

The merchant surnamed Li asked, "How old is he? I heard that he is already over fifty years old!"

The other merchants present couldn't help but sigh when they heard this.

"I never thought that even Lord Zhuge is already over fifty years old... Back then, when the Emperor Emeritus first ascended the throne, he established the Grand Council, which had three successive chief ministers. Each generation made great contributions to our Han Dynasty!"

"The first generation of military chief was General Guan, the second generation was Grand Commander Zhang, and the third generation was Grand Secretary Zhuge... Especially during the tenure of General Guan, he presided over the appointment of generals in the capital to conquer the north of Buyeo, established the three states of Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaodong, consolidated the northeastern border defense of Youzhou, and suppressed the local nomads, greatly expanding the territory of our great Han Dynasty. His achievements are truly unparalleled."

"General Zhang, the second generation of the Grand Councilor, when General Guan was the Grand Councilor, he was ordered to govern the Western Regions, pacify the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions, and bring seventeen of them under the rule of the Han Dynasty. He also popularized the cultural books of the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions. Now the Western Regions have become half of the territory of the Han Dynasty. Even the Qin Dynasty, which is further west, respects the powerful Han Dynasty and sends envoys to pay tribute every year..."

"Grand Secretary Zhuge has made great contributions. He established a state in the grasslands to the north, established seven counties in the Mongolian state, built cities, and provided a 3,000-mile barrier for Youzhou in the north. He also organized a large fleet to sail to the South Seas to promote the prestige of the Han Dynasty overseas. It can be said that he pushed the prestige of the Han Dynasty to its highest point..."

"What a pity! Times have changed. The three generations of Grand Councilors, General Guan, have been dead for many years. General Zhang is old. Now even Grand Secretary Zhuge has retired and returned to his hometown... Alas!"

Speaking of this, the merchants couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

At this moment, a hearty laugh suddenly sounded nearby.

Several merchants turned their heads and saw Liu Jian and his group laughing.

The merchants were stunned when they saw this.

Then the merchant surnamed Li stood up and came to the table where Liu Jian and the others were sitting. He bowed and said, "Old man, I wonder what ridiculous words we said to make you laugh?"

Liu Jian waved his hand and said, "I am not laughing at your words. As an old man like me, I am very happy to see that you are so concerned about national affairs. The people of the Han Dynasty are so concerned about the country, so why should we worry about the country not being strong? I am happy, happy, I accidentally laughed out loud, please don't blame me!"

"It's just that Zhuge Kongming has retired. Why are you all so sad?"

The merchant surnamed Li shook his head and said, "Old man, don't you know that when the Emperor Retired first ascended the throne, he had many powerful officials and generals under his command, and the court was so powerful? But now, more than 30 years have passed, and the Emperor Retired has abdicated for ten years. During this period, so many talented and powerful generals have retired and returned to their hometowns, and so many heroic souls have passed away. How can we not be worried?"

Liu Jian stroked his beard and said, "My friends, you should know that every generation has talented people. In today's court, although the old officials have left, new officials have gradually entered, and there are many talented people. Today, I meet you all here in the snow. Why don't we take advantage of this snowy day to drink warm wine and talk about the achievements of the court in the past thirty years, what do you think?"

(End of this chapter)