Han family achievements

Chapter 559 Voyage
For two consecutive days, Zhou Yi held banquets at different locations, with different people and representatives of different identities.

The scope of his banquets gradually expanded to include not only people from Wujun and Jingzhou, but also many wealthy families who had fled from Yangzhou, Jiaozhou and other places.

"Something's not right."

Early in the morning of the third day, Zhou Yi woke up from a hangover, rubbed his head, got up from the bed with a painful look on his face, and walked towards Zhou Yu who was making tea not far away.

Zhou Yu handed the tea to his father and asked, "Father, what do you think is wrong?"

Zhou Yi took a sip of tea to calm his stomach, and endured the headache. He said, "They are too enthusiastic towards me. Even though my status is a little special, I came here to see you off. There is no decree from His Majesty or an order from the court. Their... 'enthusiasm' towards me is too much."

Zhou Yu actually noticed it, and thought: "Did they hear some rumors?"

Zhou Yi frowned and shook his head, saying, "Not really. Let's stop for a moment and see which way the wind is blowing. By the way, has His Majesty not arrived yet?"

Zhou Yu poured his father another cup of tea and said, "Zhang Liao said that your majesty might have gone to Taihu Lake."

"Taihu Lake?"

Zhou Yi took another sip of tea and felt much better. He asked with a puzzled look, "What are you going to do in Taihu Lake? Is there anything special there?"

Zhou Yu was also puzzled and said, "Zhang Liao didn't say it, but there is news that the court plans to resettle the refugees from various places in the Taihu Lake area. The number of people may be as high as one million."

Zhou Yi opened his eyes, his face full of disbelief, and asked, "Around Taihu Lake? It's such a desolate and smoky place, why do you want to settle so many people? Where did you get the news from?"

Zhou Yu was startled, looked at Zhou Yi and asked, "Father doesn't know?"

Zhou Yi said, "I don't know. The court has no such plan. Yanzhou, Jizhou and other provinces have been in war for years, and the population has dropped sharply. There are a lot of wastelands. The court is doing its best to reclaim the wasteland and comfort the refugees... I have never heard of the word Taihu Lake."

Zhou Yu thought about it and felt it was ridiculous. He said, "Most of the information spread from the county government was misunderstood."

Zhou Yi exhaled lightly, took another sip of tea, and said, "Don't worry about this. His Majesty will be here in a day or two at most. How are your preparations going?"

Zhou Yu was silent for a moment, then said, "Food, equipment, soldiers, warships, etc. have already been prepared."

Zhou Yi looked at his son's expression, his face twitched, and then he smiled and said, "You don't need to worry too much, just walk along the coast. If you encounter wind and waves, just stay ashore. How far and how long you walk are all up to you. The most important thing is to record the customs and habits of the coast and make sea charts and maps. Since Your Majesty said it's an exploration, there are no hard and fast requirements. Just go early and return early."

Zhou Yu glanced at Zhou Yi but didn't say what was in his heart.

He always felt that this so-called "sea exploration" would not be the first time, and it would not be just a simple "exploration".

squeak
The half-closed door was pushed open, and the old servant of the Zhou family came in from outside. Seeing that Zhou Yi had woken up, he hurried forward and whispered, "Master, someone has sent a message saying that Yuan Shao has sent someone to assassinate you and the young master."

Zhou Yi was startled and asked, "Who is it and where is it?"

The old servant said, "It's just that someone passed on a message, nothing specific."

Zhou Yi couldn't help but have a bigger headache. He looked serious and kept thinking.

He knew that it must be because he met many nobles who escaped from Yangzhou that angered Yuan Shao.

Zhou Yu was calm and said, "Don't worry, father. This is Wujun. It would be a dream for Yuan Shao to assassinate father here. I will go to see Wucheng Hou and Zhang Liao later and ask them to send more people to protect father."

Zhou Yi shook his head slightly, took a deep breath, looked up at Zhou Yu, and said, "I'm not worried about these. What I'm worried about is that Yuan Shao's assassins might be targeting Your Majesty. If there are some people in Wujun with ulterior motives who cooperate with them, it may be dangerous to Your Majesty!"

Zhou Yu didn't expect that his father was not worried about himself or him, but was worried about the emperor.

"Don't worry, Dad."

Zhou Yu tried to persuade him again, "The one Yuan Shao wants to kill most may not be Your Majesty or Father. Those nobles who fled may be Yuan Shao's target."

Zhou Yi nodded helplessly, then forced himself to stand up, and despite the hangover, he said, "Let's go and see General Zhang now."

Seeing him staggering, Zhou Yu hurried forward to support him and said, "Father, don't worry, His Majesty hasn't arrived yet..."

Before he could finish, Zhou Yi interrupted him and said, "You don't understand. His Majesty always acts casually. Others think that His Majesty has not arrived yet, but maybe he has already arrived. His Majesty's safety is more important than anything else, so we must not be careless."

Zhou Yu was deeply moved by the change in his father and stopped trying to persuade him. Instead, he helped him go find Zhang Liao.

……

Just as Zhou Yi expected, Liu Bian had actually arrived.

After strolling around the streets and alleys of Wujun, he quietly entered the government office accompanied by Gu Yong.

"Your Excellency..."

Just as someone was about to pay his respects, Gu Yong waved him away with a cold face.

Gu Yong respectfully accompanied Liu Bian and said, "Your Majesty, Wu County has experienced little war and is relatively peaceful. In addition, it has been implementing the court's "New Deal" for many years, so it is relatively prosperous compared to other counties."

Liu Bian smiled with great satisfaction and said, "I have seen that your family has not lied to me. Wujun is loyal to the court and the Han Dynasty and has done nothing wrong. This shows that your family is loyal and has excellent moral integrity."

Gu Yong's face was filled with excitement, and he said, "I dare not accept such praise from your Majesty, I am just doing my duty."

Liu Bian smiled more and more, and said, "Duty... In a time of chaos, duty is hard to come by."

Gu Yong became more respectful. He was the first to lift the door curtain and welcome Liu Bian into the back hall.

Dian Wei stuck his head in to take a look, then stood outside the door and subconsciously took out a pancake from his arms.

Huangfu Jianchang followed in, turned around, and stood behind Liu Bian.

Gu Yong waited for Liu Bian to sit down, poured tea diligently, and said: "Your Majesty, the Jiangdong nobles are all excited to know that Your Majesty is coming to Wujun in person. I have received dozens of visiting cards, hoping to meet Your Majesty and express my loyalty."

Liu Bian put his folding fan aside, took the teacup with a smile, and said, "Haven't you seen Zhou Yi? I haven't seen him. However, there are a few noble families, you should pay attention to them, Lu, Lu... You should pay attention to them, if there are good talents and good qualities, you can use them."

Gu Yong took note of it carefully, sat to the right of Liu Bian, and said, "Your Majesty, these are all great families in Jiangdong, and they do have some good talents. I will examine them carefully, and if there are any great talents, I will definitely recommend them to the court."

Liu Bian hummed, took a sip of tea and put it down. Just as he was about to speak, a plainclothes officer from the Imperial City suddenly came in and whispered in Huangfu Jian's ear for a long time.

Huangfu Jian waited for him to finish speaking, waved him away, glanced at Gu Yong, bowed behind Liu Bian and said, "Your Majesty, Yuan Shao's assassins have been dealt with, and the ones left are the former subordinates of Marquis Wucheng."

Gu Yong's face changed slightly, and he immediately lowered his head, not daring to breathe. Liu Bian didn't look at him, thought for a moment, and said, "Let them handle it, you just keep an eye on it."

"Yes."

Huangfu Jian responded, "The internal strife in Kuaiji is intensifying. With the support of Yuan Shao, Guo Tu has captured many people and killed many in secret. He seems to be in control of power."

Liu Bian took out his folding fan, fanned it gently, looked towards Kuaiji, and chuckled, "Yuan Shao has lost his mind. If he continues to kill people like this, he will lose the support of the people. What great cause can he achieve?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yong secretly shook his head.

What Yuan Shao should do most now is to win over the hearts of the people and consolidate his rule. Now he is killing people and making them panic, with smoke of war everywhere. The situation is already bad, and now he is causing internal and external troubles. Isn't this courting death?
Huangfu Jianchang said: "The third piece of news is that Zhang He and Shi Xie were fighting in Nanhai County, and both won and lost. Yuan Shao seemed to be unable to bear it and was ready to lead the troops himself to wipe out the Shi family in one fell swoop and completely occupy Jiaozhi."

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows, turned to look at him, and said, "Isn't he afraid that the imperial court will take advantage of the opportunity to steal his home?"

Now the area where the imperial court and Yangzhou meet is not just Wujun. With Jingzhou in hand, the imperial court has countless places where it can send troops. Especially since Yangzhou has few dangerous places, the army can march straight to Kuaiji as if walking on flat ground!
Huangfu Jianchang glanced at Gu Yong again and whispered, "There is news that Yuan Shao is not in good health and often coughs up blood. We haven't found out the truth yet."

Liu Bian's expression moved slightly, and he thought carefully. Yuan Shao was indeed not a long-lived person, nor was he killed in battle, but died of illness.

"It seems that he is a little anxious."

Liu Bian understood a little, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "Then let's give him this opportunity, and we won't do anything. You write a letter to the Grand Marshal, asking him to strengthen Yuan Shao's confidence in personally conquering Nanhai County."

"Yes." Huangfu Jian responded, but did not leave after saying this.

Liu Bian turned around and looked at him, and instantly understood. He glanced at Gu Yong and said, "It's okay, just say it directly."

Gu Yong was about to move, but it was too late. He could only sit there, regretting in his heart why he didn't avoid it just now.

Huangfu Jian came closer and said, "The news from Luoyang is that the Criminal Department found out that Cao Hong, a general under the Grand Marshal, embezzled military pay and injured soldiers."

Liu Bian looked strange, and asked with a weird look in his eyes: "Did the Criminal Department find out? Has Xu You not stopped attacking Cao Cao yet?"

Since Xu You came to the capital, especially as the Minister of Justice, he has been pursuing Cao Cao relentlessly, wishing to put him to death.

After a series of events, Xu You finally gave up.

Huangfu Jianchang said: "There were soldiers beating drums at the Tingwei Mansion, and then the case was transferred to the military department. The military department verified some of the information and reported it to the Shangshutai and the Grand Marshal's Mansion. The Grand Marshal made the decision and handed it over to the Criminal Department."

Liu Bian's eyes became more and more strange, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. He said, "You know that Cao Hong is my man, so you're taking this opportunity to get rid of him?"

When Gu Yong heard this, he felt terrified and his whole body turned cold.

His face turned slightly pale, and he hated himself to the extreme for not avoiding it.

Huangfu Jian glanced at Gu Yong and said calmly, "I cannot judge this yet. However, Mr. Cheng judged that it might be the trick of the 'Yingchuan Party'. The government and the public have always been worried about Cao Cao holding the crown prince hostage and marching to Luoyang."

Liu Bian felt something was not right. He pondered for a while and said, "It seems that we have to go back as soon as possible. Where is Zhou Yi?"

Huangfu Jianchang said: "He should have gone to the navy camp."

Liu Bian thought about it again and again, and said, "It's almost done. You should discuss the matter of Wujun with Zhang Liao and Sun Quan, and leave after it's settled."

After saying that, Liu Bian stood up and strode away.

Gu Yong was still trembling with fear, but when he saw Liu Bian was about to leave, he lost his previous courtesy and hurriedly prostrated himself to see him off, trembling with fear and not daring to utter a word.

After Liu Bian left, Huangfu Jianchang came to Gu Yong, stopped beside his head, took out an apple from his arms, and ate it with big mouthfuls, and said in a vague voice: "Did you hear everything?"

Gu Yong remained motionless and said, "Yes, yes."

After saying this, he suddenly became alert and said repeatedly: "No, no, no, your subordinate, I didn't hear anything, I didn't hear anything."

This was a top secret matter involving the secret talks that His Majesty the Emperor had arranged next to Grand Marshal Cao Cao. He, an outsider, heard about it. Isn't this a capital crime?

Suddenly, Gu Yong felt a chill on his neck, and he shivered and almost fell to the ground.

Huangfu Jian put one hand on Gu Yong's neck and said, "His Majesty thinks highly of you. I don't want to kill you unless it is absolutely necessary. So today, His Majesty has not come. If I knew that His Majesty had come today, you, the Gu family, would go to the sea to feed the fish."

"Yes, yes, your majesty has never been here. Your humble subject, your humble subject will remember this..." Gu Yong's face was as pale as paper, and he felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave.

He did not doubt what Huangfu Jianchang said at all. If it really got out, the Gu family would be thrown into the sea to feed the fish!

Huangfu Jian took a few bites of the apple, squatted for a while, and then left.

Not until the sound of Huangfu Jian's footsteps disappeared did Gu Yong heave a long sigh of relief, then leaned aside, his face full of fear.

He regretted to the extreme for his foolish behavior of not avoiding it.

I just wanted to be closer to His Majesty, but who could have thought that I would hear such a deep and sensitive secret!
"but,"

Soon, Gu Yong got up and said to himself calmly: "Since Your Majesty has said it in front of me, it means that you trust me. As long as I keep my mouth shut, I may be able to rise to prominence in the future and bring honor to my family..."

He is not stupid, on the contrary he is very smart. After the heart-pounding experience just now, he gradually regained his composure and was able to analyze and judge rationally.

At this moment, Liu Bian had already boarded the carriage and headed straight to the navy camp.

When Liu Bian arrived at the camp, everyone was already waiting.

Accompanied by Zhang Liao, Zhou Yi, Zhou Yu, Sun Quan, Cai Mao, Huang Gai and others, Liu Bian came to the lookout tower.

At a glance, there were more than fifty ships of various sizes anchored on the sea, lined up in an orderly row with flags waving and the sounds of ships making rustling noises.

Liu Bian looked at the big banner with the Chinese character "Han" in the front, and his eyes narrowed slowly in the sea breeze. He smiled and said to Zhou Yu beside him: "Mr. Zhou, are you ready?"

Zhou Yu was wearing red armor, holding a sword, with a face like the moon, eyes like stars, a cold temperament, and distinct facial features. He bowed and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, we are ready!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bian took the command arrow from Dian Wei and handed it to him, saying, "During the reign of Emperor Wu, Zhang Qian went out to the frontier and experienced many hardships. Now it must be difficult for you to go out to sea. This royal command arrow is given to you. All decisions are up to you!"

(End of this chapter)