Daming Super Dimension Company, President Zhu Yuanzhang!

Luoyang
Nangong
Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu summoned King Zhending, which made King Zhending feel uneasy.

Since he was named King of Zhending, he has never moved from his fiefdom.

The sudden summons made King Zhending think about it for a long time but still couldn't understand what it was all about.

When Empress Guo in the harem heard this, she felt a little uneasy.

As soon as Prince Zhending arrived in Beijing, he was invited into the palace.

When he stepped into the palace, he looked up and saw two people sitting beside Liu Xiu.

"I have met your Majesty."

Liu Xiu said in a gentle tone, "Prince Zhending, there is no need to be so polite. Sit down and talk."

Looking at the young King Zhending in front of him, Xiao Ran thought back and remembered who this King Zhending was.

In the second year of Suihe in the Western Han Dynasty, after Liu Pu, the King of Zhending, died, his son Liu Yang succeeded him. Sixteen years later, in the first year of the founding of the Xin Dynasty, Liu Yang was demoted to the Duke of Zhending.

Later, in the second year of the founding of the state, it was abolished. In the first year of the Gengshi era, Wang Lang of Hebei proclaimed himself emperor, and Liu Yang and Liu Lin surrendered to him, gathering an army of more than 100,000.

After Liu Xiu ascended the throne, he rewarded him with the title of King of Zhending.

Liu Yang once made a prophecy, claiming that the descendant of Chi Jiu was Yan Yang. He had a tumor on his neck, wanted to confuse the people, and colluded with bandits.

In the second year of Jianwu, Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu sent people to summon Liu Yang to the capital, but Liu Yang closed the city gates and refused to respond. Liu Xiu also issued a general amnesty order in Youzhou and Jizhou, comforted the princes and nobles along the way, and secretly ordered the arrest of Liu Yang. When the people sent arrived in Zhending, Liu Yang claimed to be ill and could not go out. However, because one of them was his nephew, Liu Yang went to meet him with his subordinates, and was directly executed.

However, in ancient times, it was believed that married women should not be harmed, not to mention that Guo Shengtong was only a niece.

Because of this, Liu Xiu was reluctant to depose Queen Guo.

Even soon after, Liu Xiu took pity on Liu Yang's rebellion and executed him before it even began. In May of the same year, he named Liu Yang's son Liu De the King of Zhending, who is the King of Zhending before us.

To be honest, it is hard to say whether Liu Yang is planning a rebellion.

Liu Xiu acted too quickly. If he had abolished the queen right away, it would have easily made the various princes and nobles wary.

By the time Xiao Ran came to his senses, King Zhending Liu De had already taken his seat.

"I summoned you here because I have something to entrust to you."

Liu Xiu spoke slowly.

Hearing this, Liu De said solemnly, "Your Majesty, please speak."

"We are at war now. I am worried that our army cannot capture Dong Xian. I want you to lead the Zhending Army to reinforce and end the war as soon as possible."

Liu Xiu sighed deliberately, his eyes full of worry.

Liu De's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't figure out what the emperor meant.

Although his father died, the Zhending Army still remained in Hebei.

Are you plotting against the Zhending Army?

"Your Majesty's order, I will do my best!"

Liu Xiu was touched. "I am very pleased that King Zhending is so loyal. When you go into battle this time, you must take your life into consideration and don't get hurt. After all, if it weren't for the support of King Zhending, I wouldn't have come this far. When you come back, I will reward you handsomely!"

"Then you will be conferred the title of Duke of Dingguo, and stay in the capital to enjoy wealth and glory."

It sounded like a generous reward, and Liu De immediately smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

That’s Duke Dingguo!
Unexpectedly, the next moment, Liu Xiu said again, "But if you become the Duke of Dingguo, I'm afraid that some ministers in the court will oppose you. After all, the queen is from Zhending." Liu De's excitement cooled instantly. He was related to the queen, and he would indeed be opposed by ministers in the court.

The court officials who supported other princes would never allow the queen's mother's family to take the lead.

At this moment, Liu Xiu put two choices in front of Liu De: to choose the status of Duke Dingguo, or to stay in Zhending and be the king.

There are many kings and princes in the world. When Liu Xiu unifies the country, no one can be sure that he will not take action against the kings and princes.

Liu De couldn't help but think of his father, and after a slight hesitation, he came up with the answer.

"Your Majesty, the Queen has been in office for many years and has failed to share your worries. Moreover, she has few children. In my opinion, she should ask to be deposed!"

Without the position of empress, Guo Shengtong might not die, but if she lost the position of Duke Dingguo, Liu De felt that he would definitely die.

Seeing that Liu De was so sensible, Liu Xiu showed a satisfied look, "Okay, I will draft an edict now. The day you return to the capital will be the day for you to be rewarded!"

Liu De knelt down and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Watching Liu De leave, Liu Xiu's face showed joy.

What he had been thinking about for a long time was finally accomplished.

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "Congratulations."

"Thanks to Mr. Xiao's guidance." Liu Xiu said.

With Liu Dequ taking the initiative to mention the dethronement of the queen, Liu Xiu did not have to worry about opposition from officials in the court.

Liu Xiu relaxed and talked about other important matters.

"Could you elaborate on what Mr. Xiao said about taking over two places in one fell swoop last time?"

A box of gold was also brought forward at this time.

Xiao Ran nodded, "If we want to talk about this matter, we have to mention Dong Xian and others."

"Dong Xian responded to the Chimei Army during the last years of Wang Mang's reign and was called a branch of the Chimei Army."

"In 22 AD, Suo Luhui and others in Wuyan City launched an uprising. Wang Mang sent troops to suppress it. At that time, Dong Xian was leading tens of thousands of troops in Liang County. Wang Mang's army wanted to eliminate Dong Xian along the way, so he attacked together with Lian Dan. Dong Xian won a great victory, and only Wang Kuang escaped."

"In 24 AD, the second year of Gengshi, Dong Xian was appointed as the General of the Wing Han by Liu Yong, the King of Liang. Later, Dong Xian formed an alliance with Liu Yong and Zhang Bu, who also accepted Liu Yong's appointment, and occupied the Guandong area."

"In the second year of Jianwu, Liu Xiu ordered General Gai Yan of the Tiger Teeth to march eastward, and the first target he attacked was Liu Yong, who was in the far west. The following year, in order to disintegrate Guandong, Liu Xiu sent envoys with imperial seals to persuade the various counties and kingdoms to surrender. Liu Yong hurriedly appointed Dong Xian as the King of Haixi and Zhang Bu as the King of Qi, but the two did not agree to surrender. After more than a year of fighting, the coalition was defeated, Liu Yong was killed by his men, and some of them defected to Dong Xian."

"In the fourth year of Jianwu, which is now, Gai Yan led his army to continue the pursuit eastward, and Dong Xian was defeated in the first battle. Ben Xiu, Dong Xian's general stationed in Lanling, saw this, and in July, Ben Xiu surrendered Lanling City. When Dong Xian heard about this, he immediately attacked Ben Xiu and besieged Lanling. Gai Yan saw that Lanling was in danger, and did not follow Liu Xiu's order to take advantage of the opportunity to attack Tan County, but went directly to reinforce Lanling."

"At this time, Dong Xian saw the reinforcements and immediately pretended to be defeated and let Gai Yan enter the city. The next day, Dong Xian gathered all the main forces and besieged Lanling again. Gai Yan realized that Lanling could not hold on, so he desperately broke out and turned to attack Tancheng. Unfortunately, the defenders of Tancheng were well prepared and the siege failed. Dong Xian took the opportunity to capture and kill Ben Xiu."

Hearing this, Liu Xiu looked unhappy, "Why didn't Gai Yan obey my orders?"

"Maybe he thinks he can take down Dong Xian in one fell swoop." Xiao Ran said.

Unfortunately, Dong Xian was still more powerful than him, and Gai Yan almost died in Lanling.

"Now that things haven't happened yet, it's a good opportunity for King Zhending to lead his army to attack Tancheng at the same time."

Liu Xiu agreed and said, "I will send generals to go with the King of Zhending."

If Dong Xian could be captured, pacifying Guandong would be much smoother.

"If we lose this battle, we will start a tug-of-war with Dong Xian." Xiao Ran reminded. (End of this chapter)