Han family achievements

Chapter 593 ZTE
The atmosphere in Luoyang City was very heated. Not only did officials from both the court and the government write letters to praise Liu Bian, but ordinary people were also discussing him on the streets.

The government troops first defeated the Three Qiangs and entered Jicheng, and then pacified Yangzhou, which greatly boosted the morale of the army and the people.

The revival of the Han Dynasty is already at hand.

In a short period of time, it spread throughout the Han Dynasty and even spread beyond the Han Dynasty.

Before the end of the year, the Secretariat had received more than a dozen letters from various ethnic groups outside the country, expressing their hope to pay homage to the Emperor of the Han Dynasty next year.

The fifth year of Jian'an, the end of December.

Liu Bian sat in the Chongde Hall and accepted New Year greetings from his seven children. Then he took a comfortable bath and half-lying on the couch, reading the "Yonghan Poetry Collection" in his hand.

There were faint sounds of firecrackers outside the window. Liu Bian was enjoying himself, watching quietly.

Since the Yonghan period, talented people from all over the Han Dynasty have turned to "new style poetry". Various poems and essays have emerged one after another. There are countless poems evolved from Yuefu, Book of Songs, Li Sao, etc., and there are countless talented people and beautiful women.

Liu Bian read "The Turtle's Longevity" written by Cao Cao:
Although the tortoise lives long, it still has its own time;
When the snake rides in the fog, it turns into dust.

Old Ji Fu, ambitious;
The martyrs are young and strong.

The period of profit and contraction is not only in the sky;
The blessing of the good fortune can be won forever.

Fortunately, even swearing, the song is ambiguous.

"The martyr is still ambitious in his old age..."

Liu Bian looked at these eight words and couldn't help but recite them softly, but when he looked at the three words "龟虽寿", he couldn't help but think of Sima Yi again.

With this connection, Liu Bian couldn't help but narrow his eyes and his mind began to turn slowly.

Cao Cao, he’s over fifty, right?

Sima Yi, isn’t he also in his thirties?

One is a capable minister who can govern the country, and the other is a hidden master, neither of them is a good person.

"Is it time to make some arrangements?"

Liu Bian whispered to himself.

Once some seeds fall into your heart, they will take root and sprout, grow into towering trees, and become difficult to pull out.

Especially for an emperor, the towering trees would turn into sharp swords hanging over his head, causing him to toss and turn and unable to sleep at night.

"His Majesty,"

Xu Yan walked in quietly and whispered, "The Prime Minister is here."

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows, said "oh", sat up, put down the poetry collection, and said, "Please."

Xu Yan responded and took a few steps back.

Xun Yu came in and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty..."

"sit."

Liu Bian waved his hand and said with a smile: "It's so late, is there anything going on in your family?"

Xun Yu followed his instructions and sat opposite Liu Bian. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Three Qiangs in Liang Province have gathered tens of thousands of people and are preparing to counterattack?"

Liu Bian took Xu Yan's teacup, hummed, and said, "It's not surprising. The Grand Marshal has already ordered Xiahou Yuan to hold on and wait for the beginning of next spring."

The people of Xiliang could endure the bitter cold, but the government troops mobilized from various places could not adapt. Xun Yu said: "I heard that the Grand Marshal is mobilizing troops from various places, with a total of more than 100,000, and is determined to wipe out the Three Qiang in one fell swoop next year."

Liu Bian nodded and said, "I have this plan. I want to wait a while, just like you. But the Grand Marshal and Liu Bei and others want to seize the opportunity to pursue the victory and are unwilling to delay any longer."

Xun Yu's face twitched, and he said, "Your Majesty, I still think that we should wait a little longer. Another three to five years will be a good opportunity."

Liu Bian drank a sip of tea and said, "I will discuss this matter with the Grand Marshal."

Xun Yu sighed inwardly, how could he not see it.

He had no choice but to change the subject, saying, "Your Majesty, the Secretariat has just received a document from Chengdu. Sima Yi wrote that Liu Zhang intends to send his eldest son to the capital as a hostage and to pay the arrears of money and grain to the court, the total amount of which exceeds one million strings of cash."

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "What's wrong, is Liu Zhang scared?"

Xun Yu was worried that Liu Bian really wanted to "suppress" all the rebellions in one fell swoop, so he said solemnly: "Your Majesty, now that Yangzhou has been conquered, it is only a matter of time before the world is settled. Now that the "new policy" has taken effect, it must not be interrupted by force. I beg you to stop the war for the time being."

Liu Bian held the teacup, thinking something.

Xun Yu’s words made sense. According to his thinking, he also wanted to delay and not rush.

But Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others were clearly confident of victory, and their military morale was high, so this was the time to make use of it.

Xun Yu saw that Liu Bian was in deep thought, and suddenly said, "Your Majesty, regarding the expedition against the Three Qiang, I suggest that the Crown Prince be the commander."

Liu Bian raised his eyelids abruptly, looked at Xun Yu, and said, "Your family... want to train the prince?"

Xun Yu bowed and said, "Yes."

Liu Bian looked at Xun Yu, then suddenly crossed his legs and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, I want to build a temporary palace in Youbeiping and need someone to supervise it. Let the prince go."

Xun Yu and Liu Bian looked at each other, somewhat confused as to what the emperor meant.

Isn't it a good thing to gain some military merit and fame for the prince?

Your Majesty, do you agree or refuse?
Xun Yu couldn't figure it out, nor did he care about building a temporary palace in Youbeiping. He said, "Your Majesty, the Shangshutai has some candidates for the third tutor of the crown prince. They are currently investigating and are expected to report to your majesty early next year."

"Speaking of this,"

Liu Bian immediately became interested and said, "I heard that Lord Xuande has been in and out of the Prince's Mansion frequently recently. Oh, and Xun You, is there anything you want to discuss?"

Xun Yu's eyes suddenly tightened, and he bowed his head calmly, saying, "Your Majesty, Gongda went to talk about the matter of the Crown Prince's three teachers, and we have to ask for the Crown Prince's opinion. As for Liu Xuande, it should be a matter of the family tree."

Liu Bei had always claimed to be a descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan, but he had no evidence. He frequently visited the Prince's Mansion, apparently to establish his identity as a "relative of the Han royal family."

Liu Bian did not comment on these apparent excuses, and said with a smile: "So that's it... My Lord, I have an idea, that is, regarding court officials, I think there should be a time limit, and after the time limit, they should return home and enjoy their old age. After working hard for the court for most of their lives, they deserve to enjoy their lives."

Xun Yu looked at Liu Bian and knew that he could not hide the affairs of Liu Bei and Xun You from the emperor in front of him. However, seeing that he did not mention it, he was worried and said, "I agree. I wonder what age limit your majesty thinks is appropriate?"

The average life expectancy in the Han Dynasty was only in the twenties. Those in their forties were considered to have died of old age. Those who lived past fifty were considered to have celebrated their birthdays. Sixty was considered a big birthday. Seventy was a rare life.

So, what is the right age?
Liu Bian thought about Cao Cao's current age and Sima Yi's longevity, and said, "Fifty-five? Or sixty?"

Xun Yu also thought of Cao Cao's age at the first time. After careful consideration, he said, "Your Majesty, I think sixty is the right age. At sixty, one is old and weak, and is sick and frail. It is time for him to retire and take care of himself."

Liu Bian nodded slightly and said with a smile: "This matter still needs to be brewed. Your family should come up with a strategy for the time being and spread it around to test the attitude of the government and the public."

In fact, it is not the court or the public, but the most important one - Cao Cao, and at most Liu Bei.

Liu Bian thought that even if he returned home to take care of his family, he would still have to follow certain restrictions to avoid retreating and making a comeback.

(End of this chapter)