I seek economic hegemony in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 458 The decisive battle is coming
In recent times, there have been different voices in Changan.

Some people privately said that summoning the general back this time was actually a change of power.

The general controls the armies of two states, which already exceeds the strength of the capital.

What if there is a rebellion?
Of course, some people also say that the general is loyal to the Han Dynasty and will not rebel.

But those who refute this believe that even if the general does not rebel, the people below him will have different ideas.

Because the general accepted too many people from Yangzhou.

Jingzhou is still easy to deal with, after all, many of the veterans in the court came from Jingzhou.

The annexation of Yangzhou caused a serious imbalance in the originally balanced power of the court.

What's more, Wen Qin and Guanqiu Jian also joined.

Of course, some people say that the general has actually handed over his military power, and the court will send another person to Yangzhou next.

Otherwise, the general and many generals would not have been recalled.

Some even said that someone in the court had already obtained evidence of the general's rebellion, and that he and his men were summoned back this time in order to strangle the rebels.

And the emperor wants to take away the general's power!
This is also what the Prime Minister meant.

For some reason, this saying spread quickly in Chang'an and became a topic that people enjoyed talking about after dinner.

Some people even openly discussed on the streets of Chang'an how the court would respond if the general proclaimed himself emperor in Jianye.

These rumors kept the nobles who had just moved to Chang'an awake all night.

After the first month of the year, a large number of memorials on how to rectify the military and political problems in Yangzhou would appear on Liu Chan's desk every day.

In these memorials, officials boldly put forward their views on the military and political situation in Yangzhou.

For example, the Minister of Revenue Fan Jian believed that the Hedong battlefield was closer to Luoyang and more important, and that the general should be dispatched back to govern Hedong.

As for Jianye, we can just send someone else over there.

For example, some people have suggested that the current court's attack direction against Cao Wei is divided into three parts: one part is to march from Taihang Mountain, one part is to march from Jingzhou, and the other part is to march from Hefei.

The general can be transferred to Jingzhou, and Yangzhou can send another person there.

There is only one core meaning behind these voices: to limit Li Heng's power.

These voices, coupled with the rumors in Chang'an, soon caused some subtle changes in the entire atmosphere.

But in reality, nothing happened.

When spring came and flowers bloomed, Li Heng left Chang'an.

Those who went with him included Zhuge Ke, Wen Qin, Guanqiu Jian and others.

No one was left behind, which was enough to prove that the relationship between Chang'an and Li Heng was not as previously rumored.

This time when he left Chang'an, Zhuge Liang came personally to see him off.

"I have sorted out all the things you mentioned." Zhuge Liang said earnestly, "I am looking forward to the full implementation of the new policy, but with my health, I am afraid I may not see that day."

"Prime Minister..."

Li Heng was about to say something when Zhuge Liang interrupted him: "I know there are still a group of people in the court who disapprove of you. I hope that this time, you will not be like in the past."

"I understand the Prime Minister's painstaking efforts. In the future, power in the Han Dynasty will be decentralized layer by layer, and each will check and balance each other." Li Heng said with emotion, "This is a constraint on all officials, including us, and it is for the long-term stability of the world."

"The Prime Minister is worried that I will use tough measures to eliminate a group of people like I did in the past. If I still use that kind of method today, it will go against the new policy that will follow. It will inevitably lead more officials to attach themselves to me in order to fight for power, and will also push some officials to the opposite side of me, forming two irreconcilable forces."

Zhuge Liang nodded continuously. He was always confident in Li Heng's political awareness.

"We don't just want temporary peace. If a method quickly solves the current problem but creates new and bigger problems, we must reflect on this strategy." Zhuge Liang said, "I'm glad you understand."

"Du Yuankai is a rare talent. I will keep him in Chang'an this time to assist the Prime Minister in revising the laws. I believe he can help the Prime Minister reduce many tedious affairs."

"Du Yuankai's military ability is also outstanding..." "The front line is already sufficient. If we want to realize our ideals, we must revise more perfect laws." Li Heng said, "Prime Minister, don't worry. I will stabilize and seek progress in Yangzhou."

After saying this, Li Heng bowed to Zhuge Liang and said, "Prime Minister, I'm leaving now."

"Take care along the way!"

"Prime Minister, it is you who should take care of yourself. When I return from the Northern Expedition, I will come to have a cup of tea with you. You must wait for me to come back!"

When he said this, tears welled up in Li Heng's eyes.

"Okay, I will definitely get you back."

Zhuge Liang held Li Heng's hand, and his mood seemed to rise: "I want to drink at your wedding too!"

"Farewell!"

Li Heng turned around and mounted his horse, walked for a while and then looked back, walked for a while and then looked back again.

I don’t know when, it slowly walked away.

In the season when peach blossoms were in full bloom, the general left with his men, leaving behind some other stories about Chang'an.

Some people said that all the people the general brought back followed him back, which showed the court's trust in him.

Others said that the general was truly working for the country and the people, and went to Jianye to stabilize the situation in Yangzhou and prepare for the full revival of the Han Dynasty.

Stories about heroes from recent years began to circulate among the people again.

The children and teenagers listened raptly.

Since the Later Han Dynasty collapsed after the Dong Zhuo Rebellion, the princes rose up, the last emperor of the empire went into exile and was captured by Cao Cao, and the Han Dynasty declined.

Twenty-four years had passed since Cao Pi replaced the Han Dynasty.

Even though the Liu family inherited the throne in Xichuan, people in the Central Plains had not heard of the Han Emperor for a long time.

The fact that virtue had been transferred to Cao Wei was known to everyone in the Central Plains.

Twenty-four years is enough for a child to grow up, a teenager to grow gray hair, and a young man to return to the earth in old age.

Even a genius like Zhuge Liang took six years to travel from Sichuan to the north.

It took Li Heng several years from leaving Sichuan and heading east to capturing Yangzhou.

In order to fight on two fronts and increase military strength, Li Heng did not hesitate to kill people in Yizhou, causing panic among the people.

Countless people have come one after another to make today possible.

The peach blossoms in Guanzhong are blooming particularly well this year.

Taverns also appeared on the streets of Chang'an.

When the Han and Wei dynasties were fighting for the Long Road, the young men went south to join the Han Dynasty. Now they can actually sit in the tavern, drink a glass of wine, and listen to the storyteller telling the old stories of the prime minister and the general.

When you look up, you can see the hustle and bustle of traffic on the streets outside and merchant ships passing by in the river.

It is said that those were some large trading companies in Guanzhong that were transporting the supplies.

It is said that the Dahan Logistics Trading Company alone transported 500,000 shi of grain to Hedong.

A few days after the general left, Chang'an issued a manifesto to punish the Wei bandits.

Liu Chan led the civil and military officials out of the city to pay homage to the Changling Mausoleum of Liu Bang, the first emperor of Han.

On March 20th, Li Heng landed at Jiangling Ferry.

He received an urgent intelligence: Sima Zhao was gathering heavy troops in Nanyang, preparing to attack Xiangyang.

(End of this chapter)