Han family achievements

Chapter 538 Loyalty and Treachery
Huangfu Jian listened to Liu Bian's words, thought for a moment, and said, "Your Majesty, the Lieutenant General of Hanzhong is Xiahou Dun."

Liu Bian knew what he meant, turned to look at him and said, "Are you worried about him?"

Huangfu Jian lowered his head slightly, his meaning was self-evident.

Xiahou Dun was worried. There were only 20,000 soldiers and horses from Sanfu coming to Luoyang from Hanzhong, but these 20,000 soldiers and horses were no match for the battle-hardened Xiahou Dun.

Going further, what Huangfu Jian was worried about was not Xiahou Dun, but Cao Cao.

Liu Bian smiled, turned around, looked in the direction of Mengjin, and said, "Send a message to your brother. It would be fake if we don't move. Let him go to Xiaopingjin. Liu Bei should also move and enter from Yanzhou."

After listening to this, Huangfu Jianchang paused and said, "Your Majesty, what about Yuzhou?"

Liu Bei led his troops northward, which was a blessing from heaven for Zuo Rong, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao and the local rebellion in Yuzhou!

Yuzhou is not Jiaozhi. Once Yuan Shao or Liu Biao occupied Jingzhou, they would have land and population, and they would be no longer as despised as Yangzhou, which has a vast area and a sparse population.

Liu Bian picked up the teacup in front of him with a smile and said, "Don't underestimate anyone."

Huangfu Jian was stunned for a moment. Who was His Majesty referring to?

Before Huangfu Jianchang could think too much, he saw a white-haired old man, led by the imperial guards, walking towards him in a panic.

When he saw Liu Bian, whose voice and smile were still there, Cai Yong fell to his knees and cried loudly, "Your Majesty, you, you are still alive..."

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows, smiled, stepped forward, helped him up, and said, "Mr. Cai, please get up quickly. There are so many people here. Don't let the youngsters laugh at you."

Cai Yong suppressed his excitement, stood up tremblingly, and said in disbelief: "Your Majesty, weren't you assassinated?"

Liu Bian helped him sit aside and said with a smile: "I was assassinated, but I did not die."

"That's good, that's good." Cai Yong held Liu Bian's hand and refused to let go. His eyes were all on Liu Bian's face, as if he was trying to tell whether this Liu Bian was real or fake, or was immersed in the unspeakable excitement of Liu Bian's resurrection from the dead.

Cai Yong had not been in the court for the past few years, and he had seen it very clearly. The pillar of the Han Dynasty was not the Shangshutai, nor Cao Cao, nor the illusory 400-year Han Dynasty, but this Majesty!

While his majesty is here, no one can cause trouble. But once his majesty is gone, no one can support the Han dynasty!
Liu Bian looked at the old Taishan, took the teacup handed over by Cai Wenji, and passed it to Cai Yong.

Cai Yong wanted to salute respectfully again, but was stopped by Liu Bian.

Huangfu Jianchang, Pan Yin and others quietly stepped back, giving the family of three a proper distance.

Cai Yong held the teacup and sat down again tremblingly. His heart was still immersed in surprise and joy, unable to recover from the shock.

Unlike others, after Liu Bian's death, many ambitious people thought about how to take advantage of the opportunity to become more powerful and plan for "great cause". Finally, the court officials of the Han Dynasty wanted to continue the Han Dynasty and stabilize the world.

Cai Yong was different. He knew very well that once Liu Bian died, the world would be in chaos and there would be no benefit at all.

Even though he was the biological father of the current queen and the prince's uncle, once Liu Bian died and the prince succeeded to the throne, his status would surely rise to a noble and prominent level.

But he still didn't want Liu Bian to die.

This is a contradictory, complex, yet real psychological state.

Liu Bian was quite moved by Cai Yong's attitude and said with a smile, "Mr. Cai, have some tea."

"Yes, yes." Cai Yong picked up the teacup in panic, but his lips trembled and he drank less than he leaked.

Seeing her father like this, Cai Wenji couldn't help but sit down next to Liu Bian and wipe the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief.

Cai Yong was flattered and said quickly, "Thank you, Queen. Thank you, Queen."

Cai Wenji pursed her lips, feeling a little distressed. Her husband had staged a so-called "fake death plan" which scared his old father to death.

Liu Bian noticed Cai Wenji's resentful look and shook his head with a smile.

Cai Yong was just a little frightened, and not long ago, she gave birth to another daughter.

Cai Yong has given birth to quite a few children over the years, and his body is so strong that it is not enough to describe it as being in good health despite his age.

After a while, Cai Yong recovered a lot and said to Liu Bian cautiously: "Your Majesty, the rebels are still attacking the palace. When, when will we eliminate the rebels and recapture Luoyang?"

Liu Bian hummed, turned to Huangfu Jianchang who was not far away, and said loudly: "Second Master, my father-in-law asked when we can recover Luoyang?"

Huangfu Jianchang was chewing an apple, and upon hearing this, he immediately spat it out and shouted back, "Your Majesty, Lord Cai, the Prime Minister is already working on it, it will take two or three days at most."

Cai Yong felt relieved and asked again, "Then, Your Majesty, have you come up with a plan to deal with the rebels in various states?"

Liu Bian looked around and saw no one suitable to answer for him, so he said: "All states have started to move. Liu Bei is coordinating the troops from all directions. It will take three months at the earliest and half a year at the latest. They are just some bandit troubles, which is very different from the past. Cai An should be at ease."

In the past, rebellions against the imperial court were basically caused by disasters and the common people rebelling. But this time, it was because of Tian Feng's massive rectification of the bureaucracy that caused panic among officials and soldiers, exposing some hidden problems and forcing them to rebel.

In essence, this rebellion was an internal struggle within the ruling class, which was fundamentally different from the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

After listening to Liu Bian's words, Cai Yong felt extremely relieved and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

He didn't believe what others said, but he believed Liu Bian's words a hundred percent.

Holding the teacup, his expression relaxed and he forced a smile for his worried daughter.

Seeing her father calm down, Cai Wenji glanced at Liu Bian's face, reached out to tidy up his clothes, and said quietly, "Father, are you in such a hurry to go back to Luoyang? Is there something else?"

In order to stage this big drama, Liu Bian found various excuses to drive out all the big and small figures in the court. Although Cai Yong was not in the court, as the father-in-law of the emperor, he also shared the glory this time.

Cai Yong suddenly woke up, looked at Liu Bian and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, those rebels have been issuing proclamations everywhere, making up rumors, saying that 'there is no need to use a golden sword to control the world', and some court officials are echoing and participating in it."

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows, waved his hand nonchalantly, and said, "Similar words have been heard for a long time. I have heard the words 'the end of the Han Dynasty' so many times that my ears are becoming calloused from hearing them."

Cai Yong's eyes became solemn, and he said in a deeper voice: "Your Majesty, do not take it lightly! Such rebellious words should be stopped forever, and should never be taken lightly! I suggest that we kill one person to warn the rest!"

Liu Bian was somewhat surprised and said, "I heard that Lord Cai had a very good personal relationship with him, and considering his status as the Confucian master of the time, killing him would surely cause a great shock to the court and the public. Do you really want to kill him?"

"kill!"

Cai Yong said with a firm face, "If Your Majesty cannot bring himself to do it, I will do it. It will not harm your Majesty's virtue!"

Liu Bian looked at Cai Yong deeply, as if he had just met his father-in-law for the first time.

After he put on this show, this was the first person to express his loyalty to him, and it was sincere and genuine, coming from the heart.

Liu Bian nodded slightly, took the teacup in his hand, and told him something in person, and then said with a smile: "Don't worry, Lord Cai, I have made arrangements."

Seeing the teacup handed over by Liu Bian himself, Cai Yong hurriedly took it respectfully, and then said shamefacedly: "Yes, yes, I was confused because of my anxiety. How could Your Majesty not make any arrangements? I was confused, I was confused." Liu Bian looked towards the direction of Luoyang City and said: "With Lord Cai's words, my drama is worth it."

Cai Yong was not a fool. He had already understood something. While feeling uneasy, he was also thinking about "this play".

This play can distinguish between loyalty and righteousness, and treachery and evil, and it can reveal people’s hearts!
The night is as cool as water, and there are stars.

In Luoyang City, thunder was brewing in the calm.

As the imperial court continued to respond, the voices of the troops coming to support the emperor from all over the country to fight against the rebels grew louder and louder, and they kept getting closer. For Zhang Yang and the Yulin Army, it was nothing short of a nightmare.

"Should we go or stay?"

Zhang Yang drank silently, his mouth full of alcohol, and shouted angrily and unwillingly.

The person sitting opposite him was his confidant of many years, who seemed to be hesitant to speak and felt very uncomfortable.

Zhang Yang poured the wine and drank it. It took him a long time to react. He stared at him and said, "Speak!"

The confidant looked at him and felt even more uncomfortable. He said, "General Zhonglang, you must also know that the Prime Minister gave a secret letter to all the captains of the Yulin Army, telling them that as long as they surrender, their past will be forgiven."

Zhang Yang laughed angrily and said, "I have 20,000 troops and I am attacking the palace. Why would Xun Yu ask my Yulin Army to surrender?"

The confidant's mouth twitched, and he said, "If I take your head, I can get an additional three levels of merit and a promotion of three levels."

Zhang Yang took another gulp of wine and said, "Okay, stop talking nonsense. Who agreed?"

The confidant quickly said: "No one agreed."

Perhaps Zhang Yang felt that he didn't believe this either, so he said, "I asked carefully, and they... verbally answered me like this."

砰

Zhang Yang fiercely threw the wine glass to the ground, drew his sword, and shouted angrily: "I will charge into the palace today and take Xun Yu's head!"

The confidant did not react to Zhang Yang's rage, but just sat there with a stiff expression.

If it was so easy to take down the palace, we wouldn't have to wait so many days.

Now, Liu Bei is heading north from Huanyuan Pass, Cao Cao is heading west, and the "Royal Support Army" composed of border defense forces from surrounding counties and prefectures is about to arrive. How can they continue to attack the imperial palace?

There is actually only one way left for them now - escape!
And the sooner the better, otherwise the longer the night, the more trouble there will be and no one knows what will happen.

Zhang Yang raised the knife and chopped several times towards the direction of the palace. Then he sat down panting, his face gloomy and silent.

Although he had drunk some wine and was a little drunk, he did not lose his mind. Instead, he became more sober.

"Can we only go to Liangzhou?" Zhang Yang asked in a low voice after a long time.

Seeing that Zhang Yang finally spoke, the confidant said excitedly: "To the south is Huanyuan Pass with Liu Bei, to the east is Mengjin with Cao Cao, and to the north are Bingzhou and Youzhou. These are not places to stay. The only way to survive is to move westward."

To the west, across Sanfu, is Liangzhou.

Liangzhou is the territory of the Three Qiang, but as long as you make friends with them, give them some gold, silver and jewelry, and obtain a piece of land, it will be easy to form an alliance to fight against the imperial court.

Zhang Yang said nothing, picked up the wine jug and took a big gulp, then threw it away, wiped his mouth, and said coldly: "No matter where you go, you will be living under someone else's roof!"

The confidant stopped talking. The territory of Liangzhou had been divided up long ago. If they wanted to go there, it would not be as simple as a "greeting gift". They would most likely have to "submit to others" and be humble.

"Let's go."

Zhang Yang understood what was going on and stopped worrying. He put the sword back and said in a deep voice, "Take away all the people and things you can take away. If anyone has other intentions, chop off their heads!"

The confidant responded, stood up with a knife in hand, and followed Zhang Yang out.

As soon as he opened the door, he was stunned to see the other six captains under Zhang Yang, all standing at the door. Most importantly, there was a large group of soldiers behind them.

Standing at the door silently!
The confidant immediately felt bad, his expression tensed, and he shouted in a low voice: "Zhang Cheng, what do you want to do!?"

The leader was Zhang Cheng, Zhang Yang's nephew.

He held his saber in his hand and said in a cold voice, "Zhang Yang is plotting a rebellion. We are here on the orders of the Prime Minister to arrest him and bring him to justice!"

Zhang Yang stared at his former right-hand men one by one, his face gloomy, and said: "Do you think Xun Yu will keep his word? And this is not up to Xun Yu alone! Once you surrender, the result will be the extermination of all nine clans! If you come with me to Liangzhou, I will pretend that what happened today never happened, and ensure that you continue to live in glory and wealth!"

"At this point, uncle, there's no need to continue deceiving me!"

Zhang Cheng exposed it without hesitation, saying: "I guess you won't let us go before you leave, right? After all, we are not your confidants, those who were arrested and imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison are!"

Zhang Yang looked around and found that his personal guards were nowhere to be seen. There were only ten people in front and behind him, and they had no power to resist at all.

He was about to continue persuading him, but Zhang Cheng didn't want to waste time and said directly: "Capture him, dead or alive!"

The Yulin Army behind him was as fierce as wolves and tigers. They drew their swords and rushed into the gate, killing Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang had never thought that this would happen. He drew his sword hastily and shouted, "Zhang Cheng, I will give you all your money and everything you want, including the Yulin Army..."

puff
Before he could finish his words, a soldier's spear pierced his chest.

Before Zhang Yang could say anything else, the other soldiers stabbed at him.

Zhang Yang opened his eyes angrily, and fell straight to the ground with a strong sense of unwillingness and anger.

Not long after, in the Secretariat, the freshly-cut head of Zhang Yang was placed on Xun Yu's desk.

Xun Yu looked at the head that still had a strong smell of blood, his expression unchanged, and raised his head to look at Huangfu Jianchang who was not far away.

The Second Young Master met Xun Yu's gaze and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "It was not done by me. Perhaps it was because of the Prime Minister's secret letters."

Xun Yu's letters were just intended to divide the Yulin Army and delay time. Who could have expected that those people would actually kill Zhang Yang directly.

Xun Yu looked at Zhang Yang's head again and said, "Zhang Yang's death was not in your majesty's plan. No matter what, you must immediately take over the Yulin Army to prevent further chaos."

The second young master said calmly, "Well, Cao Cao will be here soon, how should we deal with it?"

What would be Cao Cao's attitude when he 'brought' the prince and tens of thousands of troops to Luoyang?

Loyal or treacherous?

(End of this chapter)