I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

Chapter 549: When it comes to deception, acting skills and shamelessness, who can compare to the heir of Emperor Gao?

Two days later, Zhang Pengzu left Wulei City with a thousand patrol soldiers and headed towards Chang'an.

A thousand patrol pavilions, whether in Chang'an City or Wulei City, are actually very difficult to play a role.

In fact, their role is not to influence the war situation, but to connect the Northwest for Zhang Anshi's conspiracy.

From the Western Region Protectorate to Chang'an City, we have to pass through many counties.

There are chess pieces placed by Zhang Anshi in these counties. They are either officials from his own family or wealthy families with connections.

Preparing military supplies, raising food and fodder, supporting and leading the way, blocking the Han army... they can play many roles.

Of course, Zhang Pengzu needs to go to the series in advance.

From this moment on, there is no turning back for Zhang Anshi and the aristocratic families of the Han Empire.

……

When Zhang Pengzu led his army on horseback from the east gate of Wulei City, two people and four horses were galloping eastward on the official road three hundred miles east of Wulei City.

The two men, one old and one young, were forty years apart in age. They looked like both grandfather and grandson, but also like master and servant.

They kept using their whips to urge the horses under their crotches, looking very anxious, as if they wanted to cross thousands of mountains and rivers to reach Chang'an immediately.

In the past day and night, they only changed horses once and never stopped at all.

It wasn't until dawn that they reined in the reins and rested temporarily under a sand dune sheltered from the wind.

The two of them took off their hoods to protect themselves from wind and sand at the same time, revealing two dusty faces.

They are not strangers. The older one is Xu Guanghan and the younger one is Liu Zhe!

"Come, drink water and eat cake!" Xu Guanghan handed the water and cake to Liu Zhe's hands.

"Thank you, Uncle Xu!" Liu Zhe smiled heartily, took it and started eating and drinking.

There were many fresh wounds on Liu Zhe's face and neck, which looked scary but not fatal.

What's more important is that there is no trace of violence or anger on his face. Instead, he is calm and calm.

While Liu Zhe was eating the cake, he looked back at the undulating sand dunes and dry poplar trees behind him.

The scenes that happened in the past two days flashed quickly in his mind.

That night on the edge of the cliff, Liu Bing's last words to him were "Don't look at what a person says, but look at what a person does."

In that chaotic moment, others could not understand this sentence, but Liu Zhe understood it.

He remembered clearly that during the day, when Liu Zhe confronted Liu Bing in the main hall of the Duhu Mansion, the latter said these words in his last moments.

So when these words sounded on the edge of the cliff, they had a hint of reminder. At that time, Liu Zhe saw a glimmer of hope.

Before he could fully understand the joints, Liu Bingji's arrow shot out, hitting Liu Zhe's chest without any hesitation.

The power of the big yellow crossbow was so powerful that it caused Liu Zhe's chest to hurt and made him unable to breathe at all.

However, this arrow cluster did not penetrate Liu Zhe's body, or even the cotton armor Liu Zhe wore under his robe.

That's right, Liu Zhe wore a thin cotton armor under his robe. This cotton armor was only lined with two pieces of steel on the chest and back.

In the few months since he came to the Western Regions, except for bathing, Liu Zhe never took off this cotton armor, even when sleeping.

This cotton armor was given to Liu Zhe by his sister Liu Shu for protection when he left Chang'an.

Liu Zhe promised Liu Shu at that time that he would wear it all the time.

The brother promised his sister something, how could he fail to do so?

In the entire Wulei City, the only people who knew about the existence of this cotton armor were Liu Bingji, Xu Pingjun, Xu Guanghan and his wife, and Liu Shi's brother and sister.

They are all close friends and relatives of Liu Zhe.

Liu Bing already knew that Liu Zhe was wearing this cotton armor, but he shot Liu Zhe in the chest.

When the "harmless" sharp pain came from his chest, Liu Zhe finally understood.

In the past, the princes of Qi State, Xiaobai and Jiu, competed for the throne and rushed to the capital of Qi State at the same time.

Guan Zhong, a close confidant of Prince Jiu, led his troops to stop Prince Xiaobai. He bent his bow and arrow, and shot an arrow into Xiaobai's jade belt hook.

Young Master Xiaobai pretended to be hit by an arrow, lying on the ground and pretending to die, thus deceiving Young Master Jiu.

After Master Jiu relaxed and slowed down, Master Xiaobai secretly visited Chencang, hurried on his way, and finally returned to the capital of Qi early and became the king of Qi.

Of course Liu Zhe was very familiar with this story, so after being hit by the arrow, he immediately turned over and fell into the water, risking his own life and pretending to be dead.

Thanks to the blessing of Taiyi God and the protection of the ancestors of the Han Dynasty, Liu Zhe finally climbed to the shore after a long time of trial and error.

Before Liu Zhe could figure out where to get the horses, the kind but cowardly Xu Guanghan led a few horses and found Liu Zhe along the river.

Only then did Liu Zhe understand the cause and effect of the whole incident.

Only then did I fully understand Liu Bingji’s painstaking efforts.

Zhang Pengzu led the patrol guards to block the Duhu Mansion, making it impossible for Liu Bing to escape. As a last resort, he had to come up with a strategy of "fake killing" Liu Zhe.

Before Liu Bing left the Duhu Mansion, he found his only chance to escape. He returned to the backyard and asked Xu Guanghan to rob Wulei City and go to the Jishishui coast to meet Liu Zhe.

The entire plan was very hasty, and there were many possible unexpected hurdles.

Liu Bingji's arrows were a little off target, Liu Zhe's water quality was a little worse, Xu Guanghan was a little slower, Zhang Pengzu was a little more alert...

Any of these "slightly" occurrences may really cause Liu Zhe to die in the water of the conspiracy and be buried in the belly of the fish.

At the same time, it will also make Liu Bing really become a "rebel".

However, none of the "little bits" appeared.

Xu Guanghan successfully received Liu Zhe, and they were hundreds of miles ahead of Zhang Pengzu and the others. It was more than enough to rush back to Chang'an City first.

Liu Bingji's "fake killing" plan was right, Liu Zhe's "dangerous strategy" of escaping from Wulei City was right, and Liu He's reuse of Liu Bingji was right.

……

At this time, Liu Zhe saw his own insignificance clearly, and he knew that it didn't matter whether he returned to Chang'an or not.

In this conspiracy, he plays a small role. The only ones who are really capable of thwarting this conspiracy are his father and cousin.

But at this moment, he still wanted to return to Chang'an City, not only as a prince, but also as a patrolman.

Everyone should do something for the safety of the world: if the emperor is unfortunate in this conspiracy, Liu Zhe can at least ascend the throne.

At that time, Liu Zhe can justifiably raise his arms and fight with the rebels.

The rise and fall, everyone is responsible!

This conspiracy is not only related to the continuation of the Liu family, but also related to the safety of the world.

As a descendant of the Liu family and a citizen of the Han Dynasty, Liu Zhe had unshirkable responsibilities.

"Your Highness, does your chest still hurt? I didn't mean that arrow shot so hard. Your Highness, please don't..." Xu Guanghan was worried about this matter all the way.

"Brother, this arrow was well shot. If it hadn't been so heavy, how could you have deceived Zhang Pengzu? Well done!" Liu Zhe drank all the water in the pot with a smile.

"It's good that Your Highness understands, it's good that Your Highness understands..." Xu Guanghan muttered repeatedly, but his sorrowful look still did not completely dissipate.

"Uncle Xu, let's go. We are still far away from Chang'an. We must hurry up. I don't know why Thief Zhang is planning to rebel, so we must rush back first!"

“Wei!”…

In fact, Liu Bing had deceived Zhang Pengzu on more than just this matter?

Meng Lang was shameless in terms of cunning and perverseness, and who could compare with the descendants of the Liu family.

In the few days after Zhang Pengzu left Wulei City, the place was particularly lively.

Although insiders tried their best to keep the secrets related to the conspiracy, rumors still spread in Wulei City.

Many people were talking privately, and there were rumors that "the general trend of the world has changed, and Lord Liu Fu, the protector of the Western Regions, will soon be ordered to return to Chang'an by King Qin."

In the eyes of ordinary people, the world has been peaceful for a long time, and the emperor is a rare wise king, and he is also the uncle of Liu Fujun, the protector of the Western Regions...

If the world is in chaos, it is not only justified for Liu Fujun to raise troops to serve the king, but also his duty.

However, there are also some shrewd and cunning people who think they are smarter than others.

Based on this rumor, they created more rumors.

These smart people predicted that the Protector of the Western Regions was not going to Beijing to serve the king, but was going back to Chang'an to "aspire for the throne."

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhou royal family declined, and the princes rose up together, not respecting the King of Zhou.

The State of Chu was strong and prosperous, and King Zhuang of Chu led his troops on the Northern Expedition. During this period, he sent troops to Luoshui near Wangji, forcing the King of Zhou to send Wang Sunman to comfort the Chu army.

During this period, King Chuzhuang asked the Zhou royal family about the size and weight of the nine tripods, the most important weapon of the state, revealing his ambition to get the throne.

From then on, seeking the throne was tantamount to treason.

Nowadays, there is chaos in Chang'an and Sanfu. Liu Bing is already the bloodline of Emperor Xiaowu, so it is natural for him to aspire to the Central Plains.

So in just a few days, the two rumors of "King Qin" and "Aiming for the Top" became more and more intense, and the latter gradually overtook the former.

If this had happened a few months ago, Mr. Liu would have already gone to Suowulei City to bring those who were talking nonsense to justice.

But this time something is different.

The majestic Protectorate of the Western Regions was extremely silent. Apart from the constant orders to recruit troops and adjust food supplies, there were no other orders.

They ignored rumors that could kill people and seemed to intend to allow them to continue to ferment.

There are many desperadoes in the Protectorate of the Western Regions, and they come to the Protectorate of the Western Regions just to get chestnuts out of the fire.

These desperadoes began to look for ways to join the Western Region Protector's sect, work hard, and become ministers of the dragon.

In the hundred years since the founding of the Han Dynasty, no one who conspired to rebel could succeed, but this would not reduce the number of people who want to seize chestnuts from the fire.

With Liu Fujun's "tacit approval", these desperadoes gathered together and began to shout for the matter.

The daring ones are reveling in the carnival, while the honest and dutiful people are beginning to worry.

The former wants to gain fame, while the latter just wants to live in peace.

On February 21st, three days after Zhang Pengzu left with a thousand soldiers patrolling the city, the excitement in Wulei City reached its peak.

All the 200 young soldiers from the field team near Wulei City have arrived, and the food, grass and war horses are about to be ready.

An order to "review the troops" came from the Protector's Mansion. Military academies with a length of more than 200 shi and officials with more than 200 shi must be reviewed.

Under this order, people vaguely guessed: Whether it is "aspirational" or "King Qin", I am afraid that the outcome will be revealed today.

Just after noon on this day, hundreds of officials and military officers came to the school grounds of the Chinese army camp.

The Chinese Army Camp is the largest camp in Wulei City, and Liu Bing has to train his soldiers here every month.

This place is more than enough to accommodate more than a thousand people, so it still seemed empty even after everyone arrived.

Everyone looked around and found that people from the Five Kingdoms of Cheshi and the Five Kingdoms of Wusun also appeared among them.

Han flags were planted all around the review ground. Looking around, the Han flags were flapping in the wind, adding a solemn atmosphere.

In the middle of the school parade ground is a high platform one foot high, which is the military point platform for the Western Region Guards. No matter who enters the school parade ground, they will look at that place first.

The Western Region Protector Liu Fujun has not yet appeared, but there are 200 people standing nearby in a chaotic manner.

These people held a mess of weapons and wore all kinds of armor, with arrogance and pride on their faces.

They gathered under the stage to order troops, drinking and shouting, looking excited and nervous.

Everyone knew that they were the "dead soldiers" who had gathered under the command of the Western Region Protector in the past few days.

Among them are the shabby households in Wulei City, the profiteers and hawkers who make shady money, and even the petty thieves with dirty hands and feet...

In short, none of them are worthy of the spotlight.

They are not the rangers who use their lives to open up and expand the territory for the Han Dynasty, but the most shameful scum in the world.

Without them, Wulei City would probably be much more peaceful.

In the past, these people were the targets of severe punishment by the Western Region Protectorate, and they had to be careful when showing their faces on the street.

Now that he is showing off openly, he may have reached a reconciliation with Liu Fujun and become the latter's pawn.

At that moment, the officials and military officers on the review field understood a little bit. It seemed that the Protector of the Western Regions was going to choose to "aspire" to the title.

Most people are worried and scared, but a few people are happy.

These few people are of course Zhang Pengzu's cronies who stayed to help Liu after he died.

After the sound of the three-way drum, the discussion in the entire school parade gradually subsided. Except for the rabble who were still laughing and joking, no one dared to speak.

Not long after, Liu Bing, the governor of the Western Regions, walked in through the fortress gate, escorted by Liangshi's personal guards.

Then, under the watchful eyes of hundreds of people, he silently climbed onto the stage.

It has been sixteen years since the Western Region Protectorate was established. During these sixteen years, Liu Bing has been the only Protector.

It was he who pacified the thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions, it was he who wiped out the remnants of the Huns, it was he who defeated the strongmen and bandits, and it was he who made the Western Regions peaceful for many years.

In the hearts of the people in the Western Region Protectorate, Liu Bing was already the most prestigious person besides the current emperor.

Without Liu Bingji, there would be no Western Region Protectorate today. This is not an empty statement.

Moreover, Liu Bing not only had a high prestige in the Western Regions, but also had a high prestige among the Protectors of Central Asia and even the Protector of Anxi.

After all, Liu Bing was not only the Protector of the Western Regions, but also the personal disciple of Guo Kai, the last "Great Ranger", and the "giant" of the Rangers.

Nowadays, I don’t know how many rangers are still wandering in the Central Asia Protector and the Parthian Protector, and I don’t know how many people are relatives and friends of the rangers.

This prestige is also the reason why these officials and military officers stayed here even though they knew that Liu Bing was likely to "conspire to rebel".

If it were someone else standing on the stage, the people in the audience would have dispersed like birds and beasts.

The people in the audience looked at Liu Bingji on the stage, and Liu Bingji on the stage also looked at the people in the audience.

Today, it's time for a showdown.

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(End of this chapter)