My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 272 The Will of the Lord
What Liu She said makes sense.

Even though Liu Rong reformed the Han Dynasty's military merit accounting system, the old order still retained a great deal of mental inertia.

——Military merit is calculated by the number of heads killed, and military honor is determined by the number of cities captured and captured. This is an iron rule that has been in the world since the day the word "war" was born!

In the eyes of people of this era, what kind of people are considered meritorious?
It is nothing more than the eight big words: be the first to enter the battle line, kill the general and seize the flag.

Even if we don't take these into consideration - even if we don't take these rules and regulations into consideration, we must at least kill the enemy and make them flee in panic, without any form of resistance.

Even in a defensive battle, it was always fought at a relatively small cost, repelling the enemy's massive offensive, thwarting the enemy's major strategic intentions, and making a huge strategic contribution to our side.

At the same time, there must be a certain number of enemy heads and a reasonable enemy-to-friendly casualty ratio to verify that the price paid by our side is "smaller".

In this battle, Cheng Buzhi failed to accomplish anything except defending Chaona Pass and preventing the Huns from invading the north.

Our side suffered heavy losses!

The enemy is almost unscathed (theoretically)!
Under this premise, Cheng Buzhi was judged guilty for losing his troops and generals, but was meritorious for defending Chao Na. Their merits and demerits offset each other, and he was neither punished nor rewarded - this was already the cognitive limit of people in this era.

But since Liu Rong did this, it was obviously not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Liu Rong has made a great determination to use force to forcibly change the inherent thinking mode of this era.

Therefore, Liu Rong readily complied with Liu She's request that "I must give an explanation to the court and the outside world."

——Liu Rong is willing to give an explanation for this.

Moreover, Liu Rong had prepared this explanation for a long time and had it all planned out in his mind.

"Before I answer the Prime Minister's doubts, I would like to ask the Prime Minister a question first."

Under Liu She's slightly worried gaze, Liu Rong lightly said something, and disguised Liu She's implicit dissuasion as "doubt".

By the way, he dispelled Liu She's doubts and showed that he would not be dissatisfied with Liu She because of this. Then Liu Rong lowered his head with a smile, put his hands behind his back, and took two steps towards Cheng Buzhi - towards Cheng Buzhi who was still kneeling on the ground and unable to get up.

He gently reached out his hand and used his elbow to lift Cheng Buzhi up from the ground;
He then looked past Cheng Buzhi, who had a complicated expression on his face, and looked at the northern generals behind Cheng Buzhi.

After a long while, Liu Rong whispered, "Twenty years ago, the old Huns leader led an army of 140,000 into the north."

"When the late Emperor Xiaojing was still alive, I once asked the late Emperor: Why was it that in that battle, the main force of the Xiongnu was able to advance straight into the heart of Guanzhong, but the court in Chang'an still did not make an effective response?"

"The Xiongnu's vanguard cavalry has already burned down the Huizhong Palace, which is only a hundred miles away from Chang'an. It will take them only one day and one night to reach the city of Chang'an!"

"Why couldn't we, the Han Dynasty, stop the Xiongnu outside the Chaona Great Wall in the north, or outside the gate of Guanzhong: Xiaoguan, but waited until the flames of war were about to reach Chang'an before we thought of stationing troops in Chang'an and preparing for a battle to defend the capital?"

···
"The late emperor told me that it was because before this battle, the land west of the Yellow River had not yet been owned by the Xiongnu."

"That year, the Xiongnu defeated the Yuezhi in Hexi and occupied the land there. They then quickly entered the north from the junction of Hexi and Henan, catching the Han Dynasty off guard."

"Before that, my Han family never thought that the Xiongnu could invade from Hexi, which was occupied by the Yuezhi, or from the north."

"Therefore, the Xiongnu relied on the high mobility of their cavalry to attack the unprepared and advanced all the way, and they almost reached Chang'an, the capital of the Han Dynasty..."

Speaking of this past event in a nostalgic tone, Liu Rong's gaze never left the northern generals behind Cheng Buzhi for a moment.

——As a border county, the population of the Northland is not very large;
In that battle, all 5,000 soldiers of the Northern Commander were wiped out. For the people of the Northern Lands, almost everyone had at least one fellow villager or distant relative who died in the battle.

In other words, at this moment, every one of the northern men who are standing behind Cheng Buzhi with tears in their eyes has some connection with the 5,000 heroes who died in the battle that year.

So, when Liu Rong asked his question, all the officials in the court, including Liu She, looked at the gazes of the northern generals behind Cheng Buzhi and inexplicably avoided them.

"I will ask the Prime Minister."

"——In the fourteenth year of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen's reign, the Beidi Duwei army led their troops to fight to the death in Chaonasai, and finally sacrificed their lives for their country. The entire army was annihilated. Did they commit any crime or merit?"

"The former Northern Commander Sun Mao, was he a meritorious official or a criminal official?"

When asking this question, Liu Rong did not turn around to look at Liu She, but still stood in front of Cheng Buzhi, leaning over Cheng Buzhi's thick shoulders and staring at the northern generals who were crying.

As expected: As soon as Liu Rong said this, the Northern generals who were originally sobbing and wiping their tears with their hands, all raised their heads like tigers and wolves staring at their prey!
Although he didn't show his teeth or glare, he just looked at it with a stern face;

But when they looked at Liu She and the officials of the court, there was a hint of murderousness that even they themselves were not aware of.

Liu Rong was very sure: once Liu She dared to utter the word "guilty", the northern men not far away would definitely run away!
Even if it didn't reach the point where blood was splattered within five steps, at least the name Liu She would become infamous throughout the entire North, and even throughout the entire north where the North is.

In fact, there was no need for the scorching eyes of these northern men to threaten him - even from the bottom of his heart, Liu She never felt that those 5,000 heroes had anything to do with the word "guilty".

Therefore, even though he understood Liu Rong's intention, Liu She still stood in awe, and even straightened his clothes and bowed deeply towards the northwest.

After he stood up, he looked towards the northwest with a solemn look for a moment, and then he said with a sigh: "The former Northern Commander, from Commander Sun Mao and below, had a total of 4,983 soldiers."

"——They are all heroes who died on the battlefield for their country!"

"No matter in the past or in the future, if anyone dares to say that any of the 4,983 people were 'guilty' in that battle, I will be the first to disagree!"

Liu She's words were recognized by the vast majority of people present.

No matter what era, heroes always make people admire them.

Especially for the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country, died on the battlefield, and were honored for defending their country, it is impossible not to have the slightest disrespect for them.

Seeing Liu Rong's reaction, all the officials in the court looked solemn. The Northern generals who were originally "observing their prey" also returned to normal.

Liu Rong, however, showed a triumphant smile, looking at Cheng Buzhi in front of him, whose eyes were already filled with tears;
With a barely perceptible nod and a blink of his eyes, Liu Rong turned around and officially started his performance.

"In this case, may I ask the Prime Minister;"

"——In the fourteenth year of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen's reign, a 140,000-man Xiongnu army entered Beidi for a battle. How much did the Beidi Duwei army lose and how much did it gain?"

"Sun Mao, the commander of the Northern Land, how many more levels have you killed?"

When Liu Rong said this, those who were mentally prepared, such as Prime Minister Liu She, naturally put on a thoughtful expression.

As for the others, they were shocked again by Liu Rong's strange question.

this······

Ah this...
"Your Majesty." "In that battle, the Beidi Duwei, from Duwei Sun Mao on down, a total of 4,983 people, all died in the battle, and no one survived."

"The whole army was annihilated. We only learned about the battle situation later when we heard about it from the grasslands through the words of the Gonggaohou and others who surrendered from the grasslands..."

Liu She already understood what Liu Rong was going to do, and he also tacitly supported Liu Rong.

Liu She was so impressive, Liu Rong was unwilling to lag behind;
He then continued, "So, in that battle, a total of 4,983 soldiers from the Northern Land Commandery died in the battle."

"——Compared to this battle, the number of deaths in Cheng Buzhi's troops was more than 700;"

"There is no gain to speak of, it is nothing."

"——In this battle, Cheng Buzhi's troops still gained more than 80 levels."

···
"Four thousand nine hundred and eighty-three people died in one battle, and none were beheaded. So how come the Northern Land Commander and his subordinates are innocent?"

"Fu Zhan owes 4,983 - even his own life is owed to Fu Zhan. Why did Commander Sun Mao have any merit?"

This time, Liu She did not stand up again.

However, it was Han Tuidang who stood up and, from the perspective of an authoritative person - a senior military officer, carefully explained to Liu Rong the internal and external causes of the matter.

"Your Majesty."

“So the merit of the Northern Commander lies not in capturing or killing people;”

"According to the original words of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, the merit of the Northern Commander was to resist a strong enemy with a weak force. With a force difference of nearly 30 times, he delayed the main force of the 140,000 Xiongnu army led by Laoshang Chanyu for several days outside the Chaona Pass."

"It was during these few days that time was bought for the people of the North to evacuate and live in seclusion, and it also bought time for the court in Chang'an to react."

···
"I remember clearly that when people in and outside the court talked about the former Northern Commander Sun Mao - Lord Sun, they almost all said: If Sun Mao had not fought to the death in the court, the Xiongnu vanguard might not have returned to the palace."

"——Maybe it's Xinfeng Liyang Palace;"

"Maybe it's Ganquan Palace."

"Or maybe it could be directly the two palaces of Changle and Weiyang..."

Now that things have come to this, even if the officials are slow-witted, they should be able to react to what Liu Rong is trying to do.

Liu Rong lived up to everyone's expectations and revealed his true intentions. He followed the topic and laid out the core issue that he had gone to so much trouble to express.

"Thank you, Marquis Tao and Marquis Gonggao, for telling the ministers and officials of the court about this simple truth."

Having said that, Liu Rong finally turned around and faced the court officials led by Liu She, but his finger was pointing at Cheng Buzhi and the northern generals who were diagonally behind his body.

"Back then, the former Northern Commander and his 5,000 soldiers defended Chaona Pass to the death;"

"In this battle, Cheng Buzhi personally led the Beidi Duwei, and the Beidi civilians and Guanzhong reinforcements totaled nearly 20,000 people - they also defended Chaona Pass to the death."

···
"If there is any difference, it is that back then, the 5,000 soldiers of the Northern Commandery faced an army of 140,000 led by the Xiongnu Chanyu himself;"

"And Cheng Bushi, with a force of nearly 20,000, faced the 70,000 Xiongnu troops led by the Xiongnu Right Wise King."

"——With a gap of thirty times in military strength and a gap of less than four times in military strength, Cheng Buzhi's situation is indeed much better than that of Sun Mao back then."

"But isn't the answer given by Cheng Buzhi much better than that given by Sun Mao back then?"

While saying this, Liu Rong did not forget to turn his body with a puzzled look on his face, and cast his gaze to the left and right of Liu She, those who still secretly expressed dissatisfaction with Cheng Buzhi - mainly the nobles and relatives of the meritorious officials.

After scanning these "carnivores" several times, Liu Rong continued: "Sun Mao and the 4,983 former Beidi Duwei heroes are indeed worthy of praise and tears;"

"——But the soldiers under Cheng Buzhi who were able to come to Chang'an alive, who were able to take care of the aftermath of their fallen soldiers and take care of their orphans and widows, shouldn't I and the other lords feel grateful and admired?"

···
"In the past, Sun Mao led his troops in a desperate battle, and held off the main force of Laoshang Chanyu, numbering 140,000, at Chaona Pass for three days."

"Today, Cheng Buzhi also led his troops to fight to the death, forcing the Xiongnu Right Xian King's 70,000 troops to spend more than 40 days outside the Great Wall, but they still couldn't set foot in the north!"

"——Sun Mao bought three days of time to escape and respond for the people of the north and the court of Chang'an;"

"Cheng Buzhi has saved the people of the north from fleeing, and the court in Chang'an no longer has to worry about the Xiongnu wreaking havoc in the north, or even approaching Xiaoguan!"

“Isn’t this a greater contribution and a greater merit?”

As Liu Rong asked several questions in succession, the crowd, which was divided into two "camps" on the left and right with Liu Rong as the boundary, showed completely different reactions.

——In front of Liu Rong and behind Liu She, the heads of the court officials lowered lower and their waists bent more and more;
The look he gave towards Cheng Buzhi became increasingly lacking in confidence.

On the other hand, behind Liu Rong, the northern generals behind Cheng Bushi straightened their backs and raised their heads higher and higher!

Although his eyes were still filled with tears, his gaze towards Cheng Buzhi - towards Shangguan's back, was also filled with pride and honor.

It was at this time that Liu Rong finally put an astonishing end to this unplanned farce.

"In my opinion, Cheng Buzhi and the former Northern Commander Sun Mao are the same person."

"——They are all the heroes of my Han family!"

"Sun Mao was in a very difficult situation. His troops were weak and the enemy was too strong, so his entire army was annihilated. He only left behind a heroic legend that is worthy of praise and tears for the people of the world."

"Cheng Buzhi has slightly more troops, but he is still at a disadvantage;"

"Although the enemy is not that powerful, it is still the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu and most of the troops that the Xiongnu can mobilize in the south of the wall."

"It was not easy for Cheng Buzhi to defend Chaona Pass, and he deserves praise as well."

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"I believe that the court in Chang'an cannot regard Sun Mao as meritorious just because he died for his country, lost the court, and his entire army was annihilated;"

"Even more so, we cannot think that Cheng Buzhi has no contribution just because he survived and saved Chao Na."

"——Is there a taboo in my Han family that the titles and rewards can only be given to the descendants of heroes and not to the living heroes themselves?"

"Or is it that the Han family does not judge a general's merits and demerits by his contributions, but rather by his life and death?"

(End of this chapter)