Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 694: The Emperor’s Scheming
October, Wuhan.

Inside the imperial palace, Liu Chan and Huo Yi sat opposite each other, and the king and his subject talked and laughed about interesting things.

"Zhuge Yuanxun stationed his troops in Jiang Township, but was forced by Man Chong to burn his food supplies and retreat. This is very different from his previous boasts!"

Liu Chan shook his head and laughed, commenting: "It is better for Zhuge Dan to lead the army and defeat Qing Qi with the governor of Qizhou."

Zhuge Ke was appointed governor of Jiangxia and served under Pang Tong. When Pang Tong crossed the Ru River, Zhuge Ke followed the army but made no achievements.

After Pang Tong withdrew his troops back to Shouchun, he left Zhu Huan and Zhuge Ke to guard the upper reaches of the Huai River. Compared with the veteran Zhu Huan, Zhuge Ke was inexperienced in using troops, so he was targeted by Man Chong.

Man Chong sent a surprise attack on Jiangxiang. Upon hearing the news, Zhuge Ke panicked and burned his food supplies before crossing back to Huainan to station his troops. Seeing Zhuge Ke withdraw his troops, Man Chong concluded that Pang Tong would come to rescue him, so he gave up the attack and returned to Xincai.

Zhuge Ke had no merits or faults, and was not punished. However, when the news reached Wuhan, many people laughed at him. After all, Zhuge Ke had great ambitions, which was in stark contrast to his current performance.

Huo Yi was relatively neutral and said, "My father once commented on Man Chong, saying that Man Boning had a strong will and was decisive in using troops, and that he was a rare general among the Wei people. It is not a shame that Zhuge Ke was defeated by Man Chong, but because he was rewarded for retreating because he knew the difficulty."

As he spoke, Huo Yi smiled and said, "I don't know much about Zhuge Dan's use of troops. But my brother is a strong commander, knows how to use troops according to the situation, is good at making plans and is wise, and is unmatched by ordinary generals."

Liu Chan blinked and asked, "Why doesn't Boxian have the ability to fight Qizhou?"

Huo Yi looked embarrassed and said, "Due to my limited talent, I dare not join the army."

Liu Chan kicked Huo Yi and said jokingly, "I originally wanted Boxian to succeed the position of Grand Marshal, but it seems that I need to let someone else take over."

"A person with talent and virtue should be in the right position. If his talent and virtue are not matched, he will suffer disaster." Huo Yi was more open-minded and said, "As long as Yi can be with Your Majesty, I will be satisfied!"

Liu Chan's brows relaxed, he patted Huo Yi's shoulder and said with a smile: "I am Emperor Wen, and you are Deng Tong."

Huo Yi's face fell, and he said, "Can I do this for others?"

"Ha ha!"

Liu Chan smiled happily and said, "Emperor Wen is a benevolent emperor in ancient times. If I can have his talents and virtues, I will be able to fulfill the will of the previous emperor!"

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”

Huo Yi said: "The late emperor was able to start an uprising with the weak Zhuo County, emulating what Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Guangwu did. Your Majesty is in control of the whole country, so why should you worry about not being able to emulate what Emperor Wen and Emperor Ming did?"

Liu Chan sighed and said, "The late emperor entrusted me with the words of good and evil, and I have never forgotten them. If I cannot be Emperor Wen, I wish to be Emperor Ming."

As he spoke, Liu Chan remembered something and asked, "The Grand Marshal plundered the Qing and Xu counties for the country. What did he want?"

Huo Yi hesitated for a moment and said, "Before he left, my father asked me to do it, saying that if I could conquer Qingqi, Your Majesty would grant me more fiefs and six beauties."

Liu Chan was stunned and asked, "Give me six beauties?"

Huo Yi was a little embarrassed and said, "My father said that the Huo family is a small clan and has few descendants. Now that we have a fiefdom and can raise descendants, why don't we have more children?"

Liu Chan sighed and said, "Zhongfu is a role model for our generation!"

Huo Jun was already fifty years old, but he still had such vigor and spirit that Liu Chan could not help but admire him.

"Promoting titles and bestowing beauties are not enough to repay my father's merits!" Liu Chan frowned and sighed, saying.

Huo Yi didn't dare to express his opinion easily. He lowered his head and drank tea without saying anything.

While the king and his ministers were chatting, an attendant came in quickly and said, "Your Majesty, the guard said there is something confidential and he wants to see your Majesty."

"Liu Weiwei (Liu Yan)?"

Liu Chan was puzzled about his intention and said, "Please let him enter the palace!"

"promise!"

After a while, Liu Yan entered the palace in a well-dressed manner, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I, the Minister of the Imperial Guard, Liu Yan, pay my respects to you. I have an urgent matter to report to you!"

"Please be careful!"

Liu Chan respected his old minister and ordered, "Serve tea to the Weiwei!"

"promise!"

Liu Yan glanced at Huo Yi and said, "This is a confidential matter. Your Majesty, please keep your guard down!"

Liu Chan said calmly, "Boxian is my close minister. I never hide anything from him. You can tell me anything you want!"

Huo Yi stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Liu Wei is an important minister of the country. Now that I have important matters to attend to, please allow me to leave!"

"No need!"

Liu Chan stretched out his hand to stop Huo Yi and said, "Boxian is my close servant and handles confidential matters for me. Since this is a confidential matter, Boxian must know it."

Liu Yan frowned and said, "This is a matter concerning the Grand Marshal. I hope Your Majesty will block the way!"

Liu Chan emphasized: "Although Boxian is the son of the Grand Marshal, he is a close minister to me. I don't know what Liu Weiwei has to say that requires shielding Boxian."

Seeing Liu Chan's tough attitude, Liu Yan gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, the Grand Marshal now controls a large army and appoints officials arbitrarily. He appointed his old subordinate Xu Sheng as the governor of Qingzhou, his son Huo Fan as the governor of Qizhou, and his relative Bu Zhi as the governor of Yangzhou. Half of the country is ruled by the Huo family. The soldiers in the army know Huo but not Your Majesty."

"The Grand Marshal may not have the intention to rebel, but for the sake of national affairs, we should recall the Grand Marshal back to the country and send another general to take charge. It is not appropriate to keep him far away from the border."

Hearing this, Huo Yi was very emotional and said, "Your Majesty, the late emperor appointed my uncle as the governor of Yangzhou because my father was in Huai. If you want to defend Huai, you can't leave Yangzhou's military supplies. As for the governors of Qingzhou and Qizhou, it is because my father is the minister of the Xingtai. My father has never had any intention of rebelling, I hope Your Majesty will understand!"

"Please stand up, Boxian!"

Liu Chan helped Huo Yi, who was kneeling beside the couch, up and said, "I know Zhongfu very well. How could he act rashly?"

Then, Liu Chan looked at Liu Yan and asked calmly: "Why do you doubt the Grand Marshal?"

Liu Yan opened his mouth and said awkwardly: "Yan originally did not doubt the Grand Marshal, but many people in the capital said that the Grand Marshal wanted to cede Qingqi to the king. With so many people saying this, I am worried about the Han Dynasty, how dare I not give advice to Your Majesty!"

Liu Chan got up in a rage and cursed: "When the late emperor was alive, Cao Cao plotted a treacherous plot to alienate the Grand Marshal and Your Majesty. Your Majesty saw through it but ignored it, and the Grand Marshal executed the messenger to show his true intentions. Now that Zhongfu has surrendered to Qi and Henan is in danger, the Wei people are using this strategy again, in order to make my northern expedition army retreat and plunge our Han Dynasty into a chaos of suspicion between the monarch and his ministers."

"I thought Liu Qing could understand the truth, but unexpectedly he fell into the enemy's treacherous scheme. Now you are talking about making plans for the Han Dynasty, aren't you just helping the tiger?"

As he spoke, Liu Chan threw a bamboo slip at Liu Yan, cursing, "Zhongfu has been kind to the Han Dynasty. Without Zhongfu, there would be no Han Dynasty today. Not to mention that Zhongfu has no intention of becoming the King of Qi, even if he did, with Zhongfu's merits, why not?"

"Without Zhongfu's fighting for the country, how could you sit back and enjoy peace and prosperity? Now you have forgotten Zhongfu's kindness to the country and have turned against the tricks of the Wei people to sow discord and put me and Zhongfu in an unjust position."

Seeing that Liu Chan was about to hit Liu Yan with the bamboo slips, Huo Yi hurried forward to stop him and said, "Your Majesty, Liu Wei is loyal to the country and is an old minister of the late emperor. You cannot be so rude!"

Liu Yan was stunned by Liu Chan's anger. You know, Liu Chan had always treated them, his old ministers, with courtesy since he ascended the throne. Unexpectedly, he got angry and threw books at him because of Huo Jun's incident, which was beyond Liu Yan's imagination.

In the face of Huo Yi's anger, Liu Chan stopped throwing the book and said in a deep voice: "The Grand Marshal has conquered Qi and then taken Henan. This is a great achievement. I will enthrone the Grand Marshal as the King of Qi and share the same reputation with the Han Dynasty." "Your Majesty, you can't do that!"

Huo Yi dissuaded him, saying, "The Han Dynasty has been very kind to us, and neither my father nor I dare to forget it. Now that you have conferred upon me the title of King of Qi, I dare not accept it!"

Liu Chan shook off Huo Yi's hand and said, "I am not appointing you as the King of Qi, but I am appointing the Grand Marshal as the King of Qi. Bo Xian, please don't say anything more!"

As he spoke, Liu Chan glared at Liu Yan and ordered, "From now on, without my order, the Weiwei will not be allowed to enter the palace to make suggestions, and will be handed over to the officials for disposal. In the future, anyone who criticizes the Grand Marshal will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane."

"Your Majesty~"

Liu Yan's eyes widened in shock and he said, "I am thinking for the country, how can you punish me!"

"How dare those who criticize the Grand Marshal claim that they are thinking for the country?" Liu Chan waved his hand and said, "Please ask the Guard to leave the palace and hand him over to the General of the Cavalry for disposal!"

After Liu Yan was taken away by the palace servants, Huo Yi hurriedly asked, "I hope Your Majesty will withdraw the edict conferring the title of King of Qi!"

"A gentleman's word is as good as his bond, let alone that of the emperor!"

Liu Chan said with a serious face, "Let the Minister of the Secretariat Chen Zhen be my envoy to go to the army on my behalf and confer the title of King of Qi on the Grand Marshal."

"Your Majesty, you can't do this!" Huo Yi urged bitterly.

"Boxian, I'm tired!"

Liu Chan said: "Let's stop here for today!"

After saying that, Liu Chan disappeared into the palace with the palace maids. Huo Yi had no choice but to leave the palace and return home.

On the way, Huo Yi met the Minister of Personnel Jiang Wan, and wanted to invite Jiang Wan to the palace to persuade Liu Chan and talk about what happened.

After understanding what happened, Jiang Wan couldn't stop laughing, which made Huo Yi, who was deeply involved, completely confused.

"Jiang Libu is the chief secretary. Now the Grand Marshal is in trouble. Why are you laughing here?" Huo Yi asked dissatisfiedly.

Jiang Wan suppressed his smile and said, "Wan has received the recommendation from the Grand Marshal, so how dare I sit back and do nothing? Now that Your Majesty has appointed the Grand Marshal as the King of Qi, it is a blessing, not a disaster. Why are you worried about it?"

Huo Yi sighed and said, "People with different surnames cannot be crowned as kings. Now that Your Majesty has crowned my father as the King of Qi, won't this put my father in a difficult position?"

Jiang Wan stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Do you think the Grand Marshal will accept the title of King of Qi?"

"My father never had any ill intentions. On the eve of the Northern Expedition, he wanted to hand over power. How could he accept the title of King of Qi now?" Huo Yi said.

Jiang Wan asked in return, "Do you think Your Majesty doesn't know that Grand Marshal Fu accepted the King of Qi?"

Hearing this, Huo Yi seemed to understand something and said hesitantly, "Mr. Jiang thought that Your Majesty knew that my father would not accept the title of King of Qi, so he issued an edict to worship him."

"Of course!"

Seeing Huo Yi's slow realization, Jiang Wan said with a smile, "Your Majesty knows that the Grand Marshal will not accept the title of King of Qi, and the Grand Marshal knows that Your Majesty has no intention of making him the King of Qi. The reason why Your Majesty made the Grand Marshal the King of Qi is to preserve his name and to better understand the rumors in the capital."

Jiang Wan stroked his beard and sighed, saying, "Your Majesty is intelligent and benevolent, and not ordinary people can understand it."

In Jiang Wan's eyes, Liu Chan's operation was full of political wisdom. Outsiders criticized Huo Jun for his independence, and Liu Chan used the scolding of Liu Yan to express his attitude. In order to prevent outsiders from feeling that Liu Chan was suspicious of Huo Jun, Liu Chan took the initiative to make Huo Jun the King of Qi.

Liu Chan's series of actions showed his unconditional trust in Huo Jun and his unwavering support.

At the same time, Liu Chan's initiative to appoint Huo Jun as King of Qi was not to put Huo Jun on the fire, but to take Huo Jun off the fire.

If Huo Jun had enough political wisdom, he would probably refuse the imperial edict and make it clear to Chen Zhen that he had no intention of becoming king. He would use Chen Zhen's mouth to tell everyone that he had no desire to be crowned king and wanted to concentrate on assisting the Han Dynasty.

In this way, Huo Jun will win the praise of all scholars and his reputation will reach its peak. Liu Chan can get the reputation of a benevolent and wise monarch and achieve the reputation of a monarch and his subjects.

Moreover, because it was to show his attitude to outsiders, Liu Chan had to honor Huo Jun, otherwise Liu Chan would destroy his own image. Huo Jun could not usurp the throne or be crowned king during his lifetime, otherwise Huo Jun would be despised by scholars.

Liu Chan's political operations will achieve a true win-win situation!
Jiang Ji was full of praise for such a superb political method. This was not something that could be learned, but was a gift from nature. If Liu Chan had been more suspicious or stupid, he would not have been able to come up with such a political method.

Before his death, Liu Bei warned Liu Chan not to rely on political tactics to rule the country. This was not groundless. Liu Bei saw that Liu Chan was naturally intelligent and had an extraordinary understanding of political tactics.

Fortunately, because of Liu Bei, Liu Chan did not indulge in the Legalist tactics, but kept in mind the saying "the king treats his subjects as his brothers, and the subjects serve the king as their confidants". In this case, political tactics can help to improve the relationship between the king and his subjects!
Because it was a private discussion, Jiang Wan pointed out Liu Chan's intention, which made Huo Yi suddenly enlightened.

Huo Yi shook his head and sighed, saying: "Your Majesty is indeed wise, and it is not easy for Yi to guess it."

Seeing Huo Yi was honest and harmless, and inferior to his father Huo Jun in many ways, Jiang Wan could not help but sigh that a tiger father has a dog son. However, when Jiang Wan thought of Huo Fan, he could not help but sigh about the military family.

"Thank you, Minister Jiang, for clearing up my doubts!" ​​Huo Yi bowed and expressed his gratitude.

"Don't dare!"

Jiang Wan looked at the sky and said with a smile, "It's getting late, Wan will go first!"

"Walk slowly!"

After thinking it over for a while, Huo Yi went back to the palace and asked his attendant to take him to deliver a message to Liu Chan.

In the palace, the attendant walked up to Liu Chan and said, "Your Majesty, Secretary Huo asked me to thank Your Majesty for your grace!"

Under the candlelight, Liu Chan was reading Zhuge Liang's letters. When he heard the attendant's words, he shook his head and laughed.

"Boxian is honest and straightforward!" Liu Chan laughed in a low voice.

Compared with the scheming Zhuge Ke, Zhou Buzhi, Fei Yi and others, Liu Chan prefers to deal with the simple Huo Yi and Zhuge Qiao.

"Your Majesty, how should we respond to Secretary Huo?" the attendant asked.

Liu Chan pondered for a moment, then said with a smile: "Tell him not to forget Deng Tong!"

"promise!"

Liu Chan had the courage to compare himself to Emperor Wen and Emperor Ming, which clearly showed that he had some talent. The reason why Liu Chan did not seize power from Huo and Ge was because he knew himself better. In terms of governance, he was not as good as Zhuge Liang; in terms of fighting, he was not as good as Huo Jun.

The two were devoted to the Han Dynasty, so why should he fight for power with them? It would be better for him to give up power generously. After all, at his age, he was old enough to outlive Huo and Ge. So he might as well study the way of governing the country and understand the situation of the Han Dynasty.

Today he was angry at Liu Yan. Although it seemed that he was taking advantage of the opportunity, he was also angry with Liu Yan.

As one of the Nine Ministers and an old minister of the previous emperor, Liu Yan was not ambitious, but relied on his status, lived a luxurious life, and indulged in wine and women. Now that he fell into Cao Wei's treacherous scheme and criticized Huo Jun for attempting to establish himself, Liu Chan was disgusted.

"I hope the Grand Marshal will come to Henan soon!"

(End of this chapter)