My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 259: Generous Han Anguo

It has to be said that Liu Rong's perspective on this matter can be described as tricky.

Fifty years, three generations;
Without Liu Rong's detailed explanation, Han Anguo could quickly figure out what fifty years meant.

Take Han Anguo himself as an example.

Fifty years ago, Han Anguo naturally had not yet been born - even Han Anguo's father did not exist in this world.

Counting on his fingers, fifty years ago, Han Anguo's grandfather was only twelve years old.

Thanks to the blessing of God and the protection of the gods, Han Anguo's grandfather is 62 years old. Although his legs and feet are not as strong as before, he is still alive.

As for the past events, especially childhood memories, even if Mr. Han wanted to tell his children and grandchildren about them, he could not avoid the memories being eroded by time.

——Especially for the Battle of Pingcheng between the Han and Xiongnu in the sixth year of the Han Dynasty, Mr. Han’s only remaining memory was that when Emperor Taizu Gao led the army in person and went east through Hangu Pass, he passed through Suiyang;
However, King Peng Yue of Liang at that time pretended to be ill and did not obey the call of Emperor Taizu Gao, and was executed shortly afterwards.

That’s all;

That year, Mr. Han, who was only twelve years old, had only this memory of the Battle of Pingcheng between Han and Xiongnu.

What about everyone else?
Han Anguo's family was well-off after all. Although his family had not been in officialdom for generations, at least he had never had to worry about food and clothing.

Mr. Han may have suffered in his childhood, but at least he enjoyed happiness in the second half of his life.

But what about those peasants who have suffered all their lives, working in the fields, and may not even have a full meal in their entire lives?
Did their ancestors live to be as old as Mr. Han?

Even if they could, would they have had the mind to pay attention to national affairs?
Han Anguo was very sure: No.

Even if there were a few peasants who were old enough to remember things fifty years ago and are still alive today, it is impossible for them to focus on the war that year.

To put it bluntly, if it were not for the historians in the central court and the classics and history books scattered among the people, let alone the events of the previous dynasty or the past - even the events of the current dynasty would most likely be forgotten by the people of the world after thirty to fifty years.

Thinking of this, Han Anguo finally realized vaguely: Liu Rong might really be right.

It’s not that Han Anguo made a wrong judgment on the current strategic situation between Han and Xiongnu.

——Han Anguo believed that at the moment, the Han family was still at a strategic disadvantage, still had not accumulated enough strength, and still could not ensure a victory rate of more than half, and there was no problem.

This is objective reality.

But Liu Rong's consideration is by no means groundless.

"Even so, Your Majesty can use other methods to guide the people of the world to remember the past humiliation..."

After thinking for a long time, Han Anguo finally struggled instinctively.

But Liu Rong shook his head without hesitation and said solemnly: "There is no other way."

"The Art of War goes like this: one can make a big move, then it will weaken again, and three times it will be exhausted."

"The same principle applies to national hatred and family feuds."

"——When Emperor Xiaohui was in power and Empress Dowager Lu was in power, the court said that the time had not come yet and that they needed to recuperate and accumulate strength. People in the world would say that the court was being impatient and ruining the big plan;"

"Emperor Taizong and Emperor Xiaojing were in power. They wanted to sort out the administration of officials, recuperate and recuperate, and at the same time eliminate the evils of separatist regimes among clan princes. People in the world would only think that this was a necessary preparation before the decisive battle against the Xiongnu."

"Now, I am here..."

Having said that, Han Anguo finally nodded slowly, agreeing with Liu Rong's statement.

——A new emperor appoints his own ministers. This is a very macro statement.

Specifically speaking, this sentence does not only mean that once a new king is inaugurated, he will make use of new ministers;
In addition, the new monarch will inevitably adopt new governing measures and even new general policy guidelines and strategic directions.

The situation of the Han family is relatively more special.

The Battle of Pingcheng in the early Han Dynasty almost tacitly set a century-old goal for the Han Dynasty: to lead troops north, trample the grasslands, and drive out the barbarians!
This goal can only be achieved by having successive generations of kings fulfill their respective historical missions.

As Liu Rong said: The historical mission of the Han Dynasty's previous emperors, including Emperor Taizu Gao, was to establish a nation and to eliminate the foreign princes.

The reigns of Emperor Xiaohui, as well as the former and latter Shaodi - that is, the period when Empress Dowager Lü was in power - were about post-war recovery, allowing the Han Dynasty to recover from the ruins of the war at the end of the Qin Dynasty.

As for Emperor Taizong and Emperor Xianxiaojing, they had to recuperate and accumulate strength to lay down the material foundation for the decisive battle between Han and Xiongnu, resolve the hidden danger of the clan princes being too powerful to be eliminated, and create strategic conditions for the decisive battle between Han and Xiongnu.

By the time of Liu Rong, it can be said that all the preparations of the Han Dynasty had been completed.

The princes of different surnames and the princes of clans were dealt with by Emperor Taizu Gao and Emperor Xian Xiaojing respectively - the internal hidden dangers no longer existed;
The economic foundation, military strength, and even social atmosphere, accumulated through generations by Empress Dowager Lü, Emperor Taizong, and Emperor Xianjing, have reached the passing line - the material foundation meets the conditions for a decisive battle.

Therefore, from the first day Liu Rong ascended the throne, the eyes of the people of the world were actually focused on Liu Rong.

——Do you want to fight or not?

——It’s time to fight!

Emperor Taizu Gao said that after trying to fight a battle, he found that before the decisive battle, he had to deal with the princes of different surnames first;
Emperor Taizong also tried to fight, and then said that before the decisive battle, he had to get rid of the clan relatives and princes first.

Now, all problems have been solved, and all hidden dangers that may affect the decisive battle between Han and Xiongnu and may threaten the Han family during the decisive battle have been eliminated.

As long as they fight, the Han people don't have to worry about internal problems and can instead concentrate on the decisive battle with the Huns!

There are enough soldiers and horses, the soldiers are full of fighting spirit, and the people are united;
The government treasury had money and grain - the warehouses were full of grain and could no longer hold it. Every year, when new rice was stored, the rice from more than ten years ago or even dozens of years ago had to be taken out first and transported to the Wei River and dumped!

The strings that held the coins together had all rotted away, and the coins were scattered all over the floor. The clerks in the national and inner treasuries were unable to pick them up, so they could only let the coins fall.

it's time.

Especially after Liu Rong came to power, almost everyone in the world was certain: the time had come.

If Liu Rong had not ascended the throne so soon, and the late Emperor Xiaojing had not died so early, people in the world would have been able to accept it and comfort themselves with excuses like "Emperor Xiaojing had made the final preparations."

But after Liu Rong ascended the throne, the anger and humiliation that had accumulated over the years among the people of the world could no longer be suppressed.

There are only two choices left for the Han family.

Either start fighting;
Otherwise, we can just let the people of the world treat the words of the Han emperors of all dynasties to "recuperate and accumulate strength" as nonsense, and believe that the Han Dynasty dare not resist the invasion of the Huns in the slightest.

It has been a long time. Even if the Han family wants to fight, the people of the world will probably no longer have the same overwhelming will to fight as they do now...

"In the spring of next year, I will be coming of age."

After a long time, Liu Rong's low voice sounded again, finally bringing Han Anguo's thoughts back to the present.

Following the sound, he looked up and saw Liu Rong standing outside the wooden fence. Through the gap in the fence, he looked down at Han Anguo, who was still kneeling on the ground with a confused look on his face.

There was no trace of ease or calmness on his face. "The first edict I will issue after I take power will be a declaration of war against the Huns!"

"We don't even have to wait until spring - right now, the Imperial Censorate has already started drafting the imperial edict declaring war on the Xiongnu."

"I, for sure, must also declare war on the Huns;"

"——Even if I don't want to, I have to do this."

"Chang Ru, do you understand?"

After saying so much in one breath, Liu Rong just looked at Han Anguo and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Compared with the historical Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Rong does have many advantages.

——Be in the right position;

——Older in age.

The most important thing is that the time traveler's foresight can eliminate many wrong answers for Liu Rong, and also allow Liu Rong to prepare for a rainy day in many aspects.

But everything has its pros and cons.

More advantages mean that people all over the world will have greater expectations of Liu Rong.

Even if it were Liu Rong, standing in the position of an ordinary citizen, he would definitely think: Emperor Wu of Han was enthroned before he came of age, and he was the youngest son of Emperor Jingdi who deposed the eldest son and enthroned the youngest;

Although he had Emperor Jing to help him build his wings and team, he still had to stabilize himself for a few years after ascending the throne and then learn the ways of an emperor.

But what makes you, Liu Rong?
Born as the eldest son of the emperor, he had one foot in the crown prince's palace since he was young, and received education at the level of a crown prince since he was young;
After ascending the throne, he will immediately be crowned and rule the country. Why should he make us wait? Why should he use the excuse of "resting and recuperating"?
To put it bluntly: After Emperor Jing, no matter who ascended the throne of the Han Dynasty, he naturally had the historical mission of fighting a decisive battle against the Huns.

If he fails to accomplish this historical mission, he will at best be denounced by the world as a tyrant or a mediocre ruler;
In serious cases, there may be people who raise their arms and call for action, and create a "Are there any kings, princes, generals, or ministers who are not of the same species?"

Liu Rong was able to secure the throne, 30% because of the bloodline bonus of Emperor Xiaojing's eldest son, and 30% because of the virtue left by Emperor Taizong Xiaowen.
The remaining 40% is the people's earnest expectation that Liu Rong will lead his troops north to crush the barbarians and avenge the previous humiliation.

As the saying goes: The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Neither Liu Rong in this timeline nor Emperor Wu of Han in the original timeline could possibly bear the disappointment of the people of the world over the emperor's "weakness towards foreign countries" - especially his weakness and concession towards the Huns.

Liu Rong just said: When he takes power in the spring, the first thing Liu Rong will do is to declare a full-scale war on the Huns.

The prerequisite for declaring war was to reach a consensus inside and outside the court to completely abolish the Han Dynasty's decades-long strategy against the Huns: the marriage system.

Han Anguo certainly understood this.

So, Han Anguo, who had just shouted out the four words "revival from the ashes" half an hour ago, now lowered his head with a dead heart.

"Your Majesty, I acknowledge my guilt..."

"I am a minister of the Han Dynasty, but I do not understand the emperor's will, and I have made irresponsible comments on the country's major policies, and I have also clearly disobeyed your majesty's edict. This is my crime..."

If Han Anguo had previously held on to some hope, hoping that he could walk out of the Tingwei Prison in one piece because of some strange good luck;
After Liu Rong's detailed explanation, all the luck in Han Anguo's heart disappeared.

——Guilty is guilt.

We have to admit that standing firm even when beaten is the character of the Han people and even more so the integrity of Han officials.

While admitting his guilt, Han Anguo also accepted his tragic fate.

But even at this point, Han Anguo still had a doubt.

Liu Rong, why did you come here?
As a man who was guilty and about to die, how could Liu Rong personally come to the Tingwei Prison to explain the facts and reason to a dying man, and explain clearly why this person was guilty and why he deserved to die...

"If you have figured it out, Changru, go home."

"Think carefully about what I said today. Three days later, compile your thoughts into a memorial and present it to the Emperor."

"After I have read it, I will discuss Changru's fault."

While he was wondering, Liu Rong's peaceful voice reached his ears, causing Han Anguo to be stunned again;
However, a playful smile finally emerged on Liu Rong's extremely solemn face, and he shook his head with a slightly teasing smile.

"No matter what, he is still a candidate for the title of Great Farmer that I value."

"If you can't even see through this truth, how can you live up to my expectations?"

After saying that, Liu Rong looked into Han Anguo's eyes with a smile, which made Han Anguo take a long time to recover from his shock. He then turned around with a laugh and walked towards the prison door.

Inside the wooden fence and in the cell, Han Anguo was stunned for a long time as he watched Liu Rong's departing back, but he still couldn't come back to his senses.

"His Majesty……"

"Are you going to release me from prison?"

"To forgive my sins..."

He stood up in a daze, and walked out of the cell like a zombie amid the awkward laughter and flattery of the jailers;

When he returned to his mansion in Chang'an, Han Anguo couldn't remember how he had walked back from the Tingwei Prison.

His wife, children, and servants at home came to greet him with tears and smiles, but Han Anguo still sent them away absent-mindedly and locked himself in the study.

Three days later, a memorial that had been revised countless times was personally delivered by Han Anguo to the Weiyang Palace and placed on Liu Rong's desk.

On that day, the emperor was very pleased and gave Han Anguo, the internal historian of Liang, ten gold coins, a piece of cloth, and an imperial sword.

When the news came out, gossips suddenly spread inside and outside the court!
All the nobles and officials in the court were asking what Han Anguo had done in recent times.

After roughly understanding the cause and effect, everyone had a rough guess.

——Han Anguo openly disobeyed the emperor's edict and criticized the marriage proposal, and was imprisoned in the court.

Afterwards, the emperor personally went there, persuaded Han Anguo with his emotions and reason, and persuaded him to return to the right path and submit a petition to apologize...

Just as people inside and outside the court were wondering whether this guess was correct, another piece of news came from Han Anguo's mansion.

It is said that when Han Anguo was in the prison of the Supreme Court, a jailer humiliated Han Anguo.
After Han Anguo was released by the emperor himself, the jailer was so scared that he didn't even care about his wife and children at home and just ran away!
So Han Anguo spread the news: If I don’t see my old friend Tian Jia within ten days, the Tian family will be in trouble…

At this point, Han Anguo, the Internal History of Liang, had his first nickname inside and outside the court of Chang'an.

——Han Anguo is magnanimous...

(End of this chapter)