People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 114 Good Thief
The Han Dynasty's imperial court is far from peaceful. Even the chaotic local situations in various places today cannot stop the undercurrents in the imperial court.

No one expected that Huangfu Song, who had just been entrusted by the emperor with the important task of resisting the Xiliang rebels, would be attacked by eunuchs and lose the emperor's trust. He was subsequently stripped of his position, demoted from a county marquis to a township marquis, and his fiefdom was greatly reduced.

So Lu Zhi stood up and pleaded for Huangfu Song in front of the emperor.

When he was in trouble, it was Huangfu Song who pleaded for him and helped him escape. Even if he did not consider the common position of the scholars, just for this favor, Lu Zhi had to stand up and speak.

However, no matter how eloquently Lu Zhi spoke, Liu Hong above him was listless and it was unclear how much he listened to.

The decision on sentencing is made by oneself, how can it be easily changed?

Soon, Liu Hong casually waved his hand and dismissed Lu Zhi with one sentence: "I remember what Minister Lu said. I will think about this matter again. That's it."

Lu Zhi was silent for a moment. How could he not understand that the so-called further consideration meant that there would be no further developments?

Lu Zhi was extremely dissatisfied with this attitude, but since he was the emperor, he could only sigh and sympathize with Huangfu Song in his heart.

Feeling that his advice was futile, Lu Zhi prepared to leave.

At this time, Liu Hong raised his eyelids and stopped him for a moment: "Minister Lu, wait a moment, do you remember Xu Chen, the bandit chief of Youzhou?"

When Lu Zhi heard the name, his eyes suddenly turned red, and the corners of his mouth twitched visibly. This name was deeply engraved in his mind, how could he forget it!
Except for a few women, children and the weak, almost all the other members of the Lu family were slaughtered, and the butcher was none other than Xu Chen!
"Your Majesty, I remember this thief!" Lu Zhi almost squeezed these words out from between his teeth.

Liu Hong continued, "Today, Youzhou sent a report saying that this bandit is growing stronger and stronger. Now he has occupied the large county of Yuyang and has become a major threat to the local area."

Lu Zhi immediately said: "Since this is the case, I ask the court to dispatch troops to suppress the bandits before they become stronger!"

At this time, Liu Hong shook his head. Not only did he not sympathize with Lu Zhi, he even found it a little funny. Seeing the people of the gentry going crazy, he inexplicably felt some pleasure.

Of course, he still pretended to be helpless on the surface: "I understand Mr. Lu's pain, but the current situation in the world is tense, and the power that the court can deploy is very limited. To fight against the bandits, I have to rely on Youzhou itself."

Lu Zhi was silent for a while, and finally looked up at Liu Hong, then lowered his eyelids and bowed, saying, "I understand."

Liu Hong chuckled, then waved to the eunuchs around him and gave something to Lu Zhi.

"Along with the report, there is a book written by the bandits. Although this official is a Yellow Turban, he does not follow the "Taiping Jing" but created his own "Zi Ran Jing". However, I am confused after a cursory look. Minister Lu, please study it with the great scholars in the court and then explain it to me."

Soon, the book fell into Lu Zhi's hands. He was a little surprised to see that it was a paper-bound book.

Of course, the situation was not suitable for looking directly at the situation at this time, so he told Liu Hongyan that he knew and then took his leave.

Just as he turned around, Liu Hong's lazy eyes suddenly opened, and then revealed a hint of amusement and excitement.

Does Liu Hong really not understand the contents of this book? No, he understands it too well.

This Xu Chen is so clever, so clever, finally the rebels are no longer just targeting the emperor, but are also treating the aristocratic families and powerful people as enemies.

All rebellions in the past were against the emperor's family and surname, but this was the first time that such a clear-cut stand was taken against the entire aristocratic group.

Liu Hong was so moved that he almost cried. These powerful families were just as greedy as others. Why should the emperor have to bear all the risks?

Liu Hong knew very well that a traitor like Xu Chen was completely different from a traitor like Beigong Boyu.

Traitors like Beigong Boyu are targeting the emperor, but are the nobles below really afraid of such traitors? They are not afraid at all. If the Liu family is really in risk of falling, they can just transform themselves and still enjoy a good life under the new emperor.

Emperor Liu Hong understood this matter very well. The so-called loyalty to the emperor was only the persistence of a very small group of people, while most people were just creatures who cared about profit.

Only a traitor like Xu Chen can make the nobles tremble with fear and become angry.

This is the way it should be now. Don’t even think about hiding behind me, all of you nobles, share the risk with my Liu family. If anyone has to die, you should be the first to die!

It's a pity that the only sensible rebel is the little thief Xu Chen. The other big thieves are probably flirting with the nobles. In comparison, Xu Chen is more handsome.

After the "Natural Classic" was issued, Lu Zhi immediately studied it together with great Confucian scholars. Within a few days, all the ministers in the court were shocked, and Xu Chen's name suddenly jumped into the vision of the top leaders of the Han Dynasty.

With Xu Chen's strength, even if he now occupies the Yuyang County, he can only be regarded as a petty thief in the eyes of the Han court.

But once the Natural Sutra was published, the teachings of the entire aristocratic group were revealed, and their views on this little thief changed immediately. In their opinion, this kind of thought was too terrible and completely intolerable, and Xu Chen, this little thief, must not be let go. As Liu Hong expected, for the ministers below, the fear brought by Xu Chen, this little thief, was unmatched by any traitor. They were not afraid of Xu Chen himself, but that kind of thought.

This is something they must eradicate. If this kind of thinking spreads, they dare not imagine what will happen in the future.

The first thing the minister proposed to Liu Hong was not to kill Xu Chen immediately, but to list "The Book of Nature" as a banned book, and then he dealt with Xu Chen, the rebel leader.

In just a few days, several ministers asked Liu Hong to attack Xu Chen, and Liu Hong felt even more wonderful when he saw the ministers' responses.

Of course, Liu Hong was not so crazy as to really help the rebels. After all, the opposing positions between the rebels and the emperor were absolute. He just would not give Xu Chen more extra attention because of the so-called "Natural Sutra".

To him, Xu Chen was just a traitor, no different from other traitors like Beigong Boyu. The anxious ones were the nobles, so there was no need for him to respond.

Although Xu Chen is now more powerful than before, in Liu Hong's eyes, the threat he poses is far less than that of an old thief like Beigong Boyu, so he naturally won't spend too much energy on this little thief Xu Chen.

You have to control it, but only a little.

The imperial court does not need to send extra troops to deal with such petty thieves. Just giving them a name is enough.

When Liu Hong first saw the anxious ministers, he was in the mood to watch a show. However, now that the ministers were taking turns to give advice, he felt a little annoyed, so he summoned a few important ministers to make the final decision on the matter.

"I intend to appoint a cavalry commander in Youzhou to command Youzhou's military affairs, and to recruit 3,000 Wuhuan cavalrymen from the local area. This should be enough to defeat the bandits and stabilize the border. This is reported to Zhang Chun, who requested assistance. Do you think he can take on the task?"

Liu Hong arranged the matter with just one sentence, but the ministers below were somewhat dissatisfied with this.

According to the ministers' ideas, the court should send some elite troops to suppress the rebellion. Xu Chen is such a rebellious traitor that no one will be able to sleep or eat well until he is killed.

However, Liu Hong's arrangement was indeed reasonable. Although it seemed to be just the appointment of an official to recruit some Wuhuan cavalry locally, it could actually play a role in integrating the military forces of Youzhou. With the official appointment and the name, it would be easier for the local area to do things.

Several ministers thought about it and realized that although Xu Chen was eye-catching, it was unreasonable for him to survive the military pressure of an entire state.

In this case, they could only accept it. After all, they didn't want to confront the emperor, so they responded in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Just as the matter was about to be settled, Lu Zhi stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Chun has been defeated by the bandits several times. I am afraid he is not up to the task. I have someone I would like to recommend who may be more qualified for the job!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Hong felt that what Lu Zhi said made sense. Zhang Chun had already lost twice and didn't look very capable, so he was indeed not suitable.

So he nodded to Lu Zhi calmly and asked, "Who did Minister Lu recommend?"

Lu Zhi said: "Gongsun Zan of Youzhou was once the chief of Liaodong. He defeated the northern Hu people many times. Later, he was the magistrate of Zhuo County and led the army and the people to fight against the Yellow Turbans. It was Gongsun Zan who drove away the bandit Xu Chen in Zhuo County. If Gongsun Zan is in charge of Youzhou's military affairs, he will definitely live up to your Majesty's expectations."

Liu Hong thought about it for a while and slowly formed some impression of this name. He remembered that this person had indeed attacked the Hu people several times and was quite capable.

Comparing the two, Gongsun Zan seems to be much more useful than Zhang Chun.

Liu Hong said no more and finalized the matter: "In that case, we will follow what Minister Lu said and order Gongsun Zan to take charge of the cavalry and command the military. We will recruit the Wuhuan cavalry and defeat the bandits and secure the border as soon as possible!"

Although the ministers were not satisfied with the result, they had no choice but to accept it, and shouted in unison: "Your Majesty is wise."

As the central government of the imperial court responded and the appointment was sent back to Youzhou, it took more than several months to go back and forth. This result made some people happy while others worried.

The one who was happy was naturally Gongsun Zan of Zhuo County. After receiving the appointment, Gongsun Zan knew that his real chance to make a fortune had come.

With the official position and title, he can truly call the shots in Youzhou. Once the remnants of the Yellow Turbans are pacified, his future as a frontier official will be secure.

Gongsun Zan was naturally very grateful when he heard that his advancement was all due to Lu Zhi's advice.

Gongsun Zan and Lu Zhi had a master-disciple relationship, which came into play at this time. The so-called friendship between aristocratic families meant that at times like this, they looked after each other and climbed up the social ladder.

Gongsun Zan remembered this favor and planned to help and take care of Lu Shi if he became successful in the future.

On one side, it was a happy event in life, but on the other side, Zhang Chun found it hard to accept and was furious.

It was clearly my proposal, but in the end I let others do it. What's the logic?
Zhang Chun had originally hoped to use this opportunity to make a comeback, but now this hope has been shattered. Naturally, this made him resentful towards the emperor and the court.

(End of this chapter)