I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 71 Babel
The angel is coming!

After everyone greeted and informed each other, Zhang Yang and others found out.

The person who came to investigate turned out to be Zhao Chang, a eunuch from the Xiaohuang Clan.

This eunuch, who was past middle age but still pale and beardless, led more than a dozen fully armed palace halberd men and came slowly, arrogantly.

"The imperial court actually sent such a eunuch!" Lu Bu stared.

"Be silent first"

Zhang Yangqiang greeted him with a smile.

In today's Han Dynasty, whether civil servants or military generals, if there is anyone who hates to deal with, these eunuchs are definitely at the top of the list.

And the reason why such a character came all the way from Luoyang to Jinyang now was that Ding Yuan had to report his terrifying record a while in advance.

After receiving the battle report from Zhang Yang of the governor's office and the recommendation of Wang Yun's relatives and village elders, Ding Yuan did not dare to be expert and forwarded it directly to the general He Jin intact.

This is not because he has no responsibility, but because Ding Yuan really has no choice.

He had just taken office and had no foundation in Bingzhou. If this battle report was really exaggerated and false, promoted by local nobles and officials in the governor's office, then no matter how he tried it, it would be a waste of time. After all, he was ordered by the king to station troops in Hanoi, and he did not dare to AWOL.

Thinking about what Wang Yun personally reported from his family, he himself did not dare to keep his name secret. Even the Taiyuan County Sheriff at the place where the incident occurred did not express his position. How could Ding Yuan dare to protect his name in this situation?

That would really be a joke on one's own political life.

So the hot potato turned to He Jin's case.

After just two glances, the general who was born as a butcher started to curse loudly, saying that Ding Yuan was so ignorant that he hit the head of the gun and got him into trouble.

Hitting the head of a gun?
That's right, there was an endless commotion inside and outside the court at the moment, and suddenly, the sensational battle report exploded like a burst of thunder that set off a mountain fire.

This thing is a big layoff plan!

As we all know, the Han court had long been unable to make ends meet, otherwise it would not have continued to increase taxes and taxes, open the door to selling officials and titles, and let local governments recruit troops to practice self-defense when facing the Yellow Turban thieves.

Although the battle was finally won in the end, not long after he was happy, the "wise and mighty" Emperor discovered something that caused him great pain.

If you win a battle, you should be rewarded, but the Han court can't pay for it!
I remember that when the Yellow Turban Rebellion had just been put down, Zhang Jun, a "shut-up" servant, gathered a crowd to cause trouble because the rewards were not in place, and he wanted to reward everyone and even said he wanted to kill the ten regular servants.

Is it okay to act so recklessly? !
In the end, the court spent a lot of money to settle the matter by conferring many official positions and titles.

Shi Changshi, who had been resenting this incident since then, finally found an excuse to kill Zhang Jun, the prodigy, as a warning to others.

The riots subsided, but the conflicts were far from over.

No, as the imperial court's financial crisis intensified, they had to make a difficult decision when faced with a large number of officials who were ennobled for their military merits and received local services.
——Layoffs!
Of course, such a big thing has not yet been completely finalized. In terms of operation, they also start with weak persimmons without background, and then squeeze out water from past achievements and so on.

In layman's terms, it means not to apply one size fits all, but to optimize first.

The future Duke Xuande was optimized by this move and came up with the famous story of whipping the capital.

So, at this time, when Su Yao's unflattering battle report came out, it really opened the eyes of these big shots.

"Presumptuous! Bastard! Is this the Ding Yuan you brought up to me?!"

In the palace, Emperor Liu Hong of the Han Dynasty, who had just been surrounded by beauties and had a nude swimsuit party, suddenly lost his good mood and hurled angrily.
"How dare a thief bully me like this? Do you all think that my inner treasury is opened for you? I must allocate as much as you offer?!"

Of course Liu Hong knew about the crisis in Bingzhou, but he didn't take it too seriously because it was far away from Luoyang.

As for the barbarians, they were just a disease of mustard moss and could not threaten his rule.

Even worse than the re-armed Yellow Turban thieves on both sides of the Yellow River.

But as for the yellow turban thief, it's just a problem for the elbows and armpits.

These unorganized and undisciplined gangs will only destroy, but will never subvert his world.

So where is the real trouble?

Liu Hong knew very well that the trouble he had in his heart was in Luoyang City, in the inner palace!
It’s those unscrupulous wealthy families, those well-dressed officials and nobles!
The tentacles of these people spread into the palace more and more unbridled, dividing his authority and shaking his foundation.

Only this incident might finally overturn his rule over the Han Dynasty.

Especially in the past two years, his health has deteriorated day by day, and his sense of crisis has become more and more profound.

Didn't Wang Mang use this to usurp the Han Dynasty in the past? The lessons from the past are not far away, how could Liu Hong not be on guard.

So, at this moment, Liu Hong looked at the submissive He Jin, and his heart became colder and colder. This relative who was born a butcher was once a weapon for him to fight against the aristocratic family. His humble background made him naturally abandoned by the aristocratic family, and he could only cling tightly to Liu Hong's imperial power.

But now that I think about it, because of the charming eyes of power, this dog-slaughterer actually got farther and farther away from me, and also learned the ways of those aristocratic families...

Has he forgotten who raised him from a humble butcher to a general?
"Your Majesty, calm down..."

He Jin lowered his head to defend
"At first I thought this was nonsense, and I wanted to scold him, but then I thought something was wrong."

He Jin quietly glanced at Liu Hong, who had cold eyes, and carefully
"If I were someone who wanted to falsely report my war achievements and receive rewards, I wouldn't have to write such a shocking thing.

Moreover, Na Dingyuan had just taken office, and he had not even arrived in Hanoi when this incident occurred, so your Majesty, you see, he did not protect his name, but solemnly requested the imperial court to send someone to investigate..."

Liu Hong groaned, staring at the battle report and thinking about it.

After the initial shock and rage, he had to admit that there was some truth in what He Jin said, but he could not rule out the possibility that those people were crazy and talking nonsense. Rather, it was very likely!
As the saying goes, in troubled times, monsters appear. In recent years, there have been more and more of these weirdos who talk nonsense to Liu Hong.

Even the important ministers in the court were talking nonsense from time to time.

Talking nonsense about hens turning into males, the waves rolling, the earth splitting and the sky falling.

Looking at it this way, it’s not too alarmist to see that this guy is just reporting war exploits. At least what he said is a good thing.

However, if this good thing is to defraud me of the money in my treasury, then you will be damned!
"Qixian County Su Yao, the village chief..." Liu Hong pondered uncertainly.

"Qixian?"

At this time, Zhang Rang, the waiter of Zhongchang who was standing nearby and watching He Jin's joke, suddenly rolled his eyes. Isn't this the hometown of that damn Wang Yun?
"Does Chang Shi Zhang have any insights?

Compared with his thunderous anger towards He Jin, Liu Hong immediately changed his attitude towards Zhang Rang and actually showed quite respect.

"His Majesty"

Zhang Rang proudly said
"The veteran also feels that what the general said is reasonable.

If not, send someone from Xiaohuangmen to visit the house and conduct an on-site inspection to make sure everything is clear.

If this person really has such astonishing abilities, then he is a good general gifted by God, and he can bring order to troubled times.

If this person is just talking nonsense, falsely claiming military exploits, and daring to deceive the emperor and ignore his superiors, then the governor of Bingzhou and the recommended people of Qixian County should all be imprisoned and punished severely, as a warning to others! "

As soon as he said this, Liu Hong nodded immediately
"My father is still mature and prudent and loyal to the king and the country. I will follow your words. Please be sure to send out your capable confidants to verify and investigate as soon as possible."

"Uh, your Majesty, wait a minute."

He Jin was sweating profusely and suddenly felt like he was shooting himself in the foot.

"According to law, our general's office should send people to conduct this inspection of military merits."

"inappropriate!"

Zhang Rang immediately intervened between the emperor and He Jin

"This Ding was originally recommended by the general, and this boy named Su was recommended by the Wang family of Qixian County."

"Wang family in Qixian County?" Liu Hong was puzzled.

"Your Majesty, the Wang family of Qixian County is the ancestral family of the rebellious Wang Yunzhi whom the general is trying to protect, so the general should avoid suspicion both in public and in private."

Zhang Rang bowed to Liu Hong

"Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. In my opinion, we should send our own people there to feel at ease."

His own people, yes, there is no one who is closer to Liu Hong than these eunuchs.

This was not just because the aristocratic family had tentacles all over the court, and he felt constrained everywhere.

What's more, he was not the late emperor's biological son, but came into the system from a side branch.

Liu Hong's father died young and he never felt any father's love, so he was taken to Luoyang to ascend the throne at the age of 11.

Liu Hong, who had no relatives since then, believed that it was with the diligent attendants and loyal assistance of Zhang Rang and others that he successfully secured the throne and achieved what he has achieved today.

Therefore, Liu Hong respected and favored Zhang Rang very much. He often told others, "Chang Shi Zhang is my father."

At this moment, Zhang Changshi said this, Liu Hong made a decisive decision, and Zhang Rang had full authority to handle this matter, and he must get to the bottom of this matter!
(End of this chapter)