Great Han Empire

Chapter 1038 The Banner of Heroes in Troubled Times Unrolled
The fifth year of Yuanping in the Han Dynasty (207 AD), the first month.

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On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Nanyang, Wancheng, and the setting sun gather at the camp of the Son of Heaven.

Today is the wedding day of the great general and the eldest princess. In order to make up for the regret of not being able to go to Jinyang to congratulate him in person, the little emperor hosted a banquet for the generals at the camp to celebrate.When the ministers of civil and military affairs were intoxicated with wine, they enthusiastically discussed the strategy of attack and called for battle one after another.The little emperor was impassioned and shouted: "On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, food, grass and military equipment are ready, and all armies are deployed in place. The army will attack Yuyang first. It must be determined by a battle."

The generals agreed with a bang, with momentum like a rainbow.

In the middle of the night, Xingtai Shangshu ordered Fu Gan to explain in detail the strategy of attacking Yuyang, and asked Yan Liang, Wang Dang, Zhong Yao, Zhang Xiu, Wu Xiong, Peng Lie and other army commanders to obey the military orders and strive to conquer Yuyang in the shortest time. , quickly broke the stalemate on the Nanyang battlefield, and laid the foundation for the army to successfully conquer Wancheng and recover Nanyang.

The generals bid farewell and left overnight.The little emperor personally sent him to the Yuanmen, and after returning to the big tent, he was still immersed in extreme excitement, without any sleepiness, and dragged Jia Xu and Fu Gan to talk non-stop.

"You say, are the general and my aunt together now?" the little emperor asked with a smile.The expressions on Jia Xu and Fu Gan's faces were very strange, and they couldn't help laughing, this is not nonsense.Seeing the eyes of the two, the little emperor immediately added, "I mean, did they sleep together..." Jia Xu and Fu Gan looked at each other and laughed out loud at the same time.Knowing that he had made a slip of the tongue, the little emperor scratched his head in embarrassment, and giggled, "Should sleep together..." Jia Xu and Fu Gan couldn't help it anymore, laughing wildly, without the slightest courtesy of a monarch and minister.The little emperor saw the two laughing up and down, and he was also happy. He clapped his hands on the table and screamed strangely.

The three of them had fun for a while, and the little emperor pointed to the two of them again and said: "The two lovers have been with me for almost three years. If you want to go home, you can tell me that Nanyang has been captured, and I can let you go home and have a look." .”

"Your Majesty's kindness, I appreciate it." Jia Xu said with a smile, "It's just that the battle of Nanyang may not be as smooth as His Majesty imagined. Judging from the current situation, it will be very difficult for the army to conquer Wancheng before the spring begins."

The little emperor glanced at him in surprise, "Didn't Ai Qing say that fighting Nanyang was as easy as flipping the palm of your hand at the military meeting just now?"

Jia Xu and Fu Gan laughed without saying a word.The little emperor was a little anxious, and he pulled the map on the case table, pointing on the map with his little hand, "After the New Year, the rebels in Xiangyang may go north to rescue, contain our troops, and open up the connection with Wancheng. Fight against us for a long time. As long as they persist on the Nanyang battlefield until early spring, Cao Cao of Xuzhou and Sun Quan of Yangzhou will definitely send troops to the north to threaten the Central Plains, and Liu Bei of Yizhou will also send troops to Longnan to threaten Guanzhong. In this way, the number of battlefields will increase and the situation of the war will increase. If it is fierce, the wealth of the imperial court is bound to be unsustainable, and we are very likely to withdraw from Nanyang and return without success."

"The two lovers have always believed that whether the Qingyan and Longnan containment battlefields can defeat the rebels at the least cost and in the shortest time will be the key to victory in the Nanyang battlefield. Therefore, the two lovers wrote to General Zhao Yun in Chang'an, asking him to let Longnan Hua Xiong and Sima Yi made defense preparations in advance, let Yanzhou Gaoshun and Yuzhou Leizhong reinforce the city defenses, and at the same time send envoys to Xuzhou and Jiangdong to implement the strategy of recruiting, trying every means to stir up conflicts between Cao Cao and Sun Quan, and destroy their alliance , as much as possible to weaken the threat of Cao Cao and Sun Quan to the Central Plains."

"Judging from the deployment of these attacks, we have enough strength to conquer Wancheng. There are currently 15 cavalry troops on the Nanyang battlefield, and heavy siege equipment is being transported in succession. If the army conquers Yuyang and Nieyang successively this month, Then we will have enough time and strength to capture Wancheng before April." The little emperor looked up at Jia Xu and Fu Gan, and asked suspiciously, "In a blink of an eye, the two lovers have different views on the battle situation in Nanyang. Same, why?"

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The smile on Jia Xu's face gradually dissipated, and her expression became serious. After pondering for a long time, she slowly said, "Because of the general's rush."

"On the first day of the first lunar month, the general sent an emergency performance with a fast ride of eight hundred miles, and described in detail what was happening in Jinyang. The debate was fierce, but the Prime Minister found a way to ensure the long-term change of ZTE's strategy from this matter. He tried to use the excuse of aiding Taoism and Confucianism to launch a larger-scale reform, that is, the improvement of Confucianism, and then Let the big man achieve long-term peace and stability."

"Aid Daoism and Confucianism?" It was the first time the little emperor heard this new term, and he asked curiously, "What does it mean?"

"This..." Fu Gan said after a moment of hesitation, "It's a long story, is Your Majesty willing to listen?"

"Say it, say it..." the little emperor urged again and again, "I will listen with all my ears."

Fu Gan immediately started talking about the founding of the country by the ancestors, the rule of Wenjing, Emperor Xiaowu's exclusive respect for Confucianism, the bloody battle between Confucianism and Taoism, and the discussion between Shiqu Pavilion and Baihu Temple... In addition, especially the influence of Confucianism and Taoism on the policy of governing the country... The two talked tirelessly for nearly an hour, and the little emperor listened with great interest and interest.

"You two beauties, what is the direct relationship between the improvement of Confucianism and the Nanyang battlefield?" The little emperor became even more confused after understanding the meaning of "aiding Taoism to become Confucianism".

Fu Gan shook his head, sighed, and smiled wryly.

Jia Xu frowned and thought for a moment, "Your Majesty, this matter starts with the Nanyang fiasco last year."

The root cause of last year's disastrous defeat in the Nanyang War was that the conflicts between the parties in the court had intensified and the power struggle had intensified.The reform faction headed by the Prime Minister Li Wei repeatedly hit hard, seriously damaging the interests of the elites headed by the Tai Fu Yang Biao, and the two sides fought bloody.If it wasn't for the sudden death of the general and the return of the eldest princess to His Majesty, Chang'an would have been almost destroyed.

With Mr. Yang Biao withdrawing from the imperial court and Mr. Prime Minister losing his power of assistant prime minister, Chang'an was temporarily stabilized, but this matter was not over, and the fierce conflict was only temporarily suppressed.

After the general's condition improved, a bigger contradiction appeared immediately, that is, the power center of the great man was transferred to Jinyang.In order to restrict and weaken the power of the great generals, and to protect and consolidate the imperial power, the elites came up with a policy of revising the official system, trying to drive the prime minister and a group of reformist ministers out of the court. In charge of the government.

The interests of the prime minister and the military class are the same. Modifying the official system will first touch the interests of the military class. In desperation, the eldest princess invited the Taiwei to Jinyang in order to ease the tension in Chang'an, and then married him in advance. General, let Jinyang stand above Tianzi Xingtai and Chang'an court, and use powerful force to suppress Chang'an.Only when Chang'an remains stable can the Nanyang battlefield receive strong support, and the Nanyang battle can be won.The Nanyang battle is won, and His Majesty has made great achievements, so that the Emperor Xingtai can gradually replace Jinyang to take power.

However, the wish of the eldest princess was shattered when Lord Taiwei proposed a strategy of aiding Taoism and becoming Confucianism in Jinyang.

In order to ensure the interests of the military class, Lord Taiwei suddenly proposed to aid Taoism and enter Confucianism, intending to revive Taoism. , Mr. Taiwei is threatening the court, threatening the eldest princess and the general.

Lord Taiwei used to be the commander-in-chief of the Yellow Turban Army, but most of the generals in the army today are from the Yellow Turban Army, and they constitute the military class in the imperial court today.The interests of the military meritorious class were damaged, and Lord Taiwei ascended to the top, and the consequences were unimaginable. Therefore, the Prime Minister did not hesitate, and immediately raised the banner of supporting "integration of Confucianism and Taoism, and aiding Taoism into Confucianism", and proposed the revival of "orthodox Confucianism" Suggestions, completely put an end to the Taiwei's attempt to revive Taoism, and then once again joined forces with the military class to launch a new round of "attacks" against the elites and scholars with the plan of "drawing money from the bottom of the pot".

But the purpose of the Prime Minister is not only that, he and the Taiwei have a bigger goal.

As I said just now, the purpose of the eldest princess marrying the general in advance is to increase the strength of Jinyang, thereby controlling Chang'an and stabilizing the imperial court. However, now the prime minister and the Taiwei are going to implement the policy of improving Confucianism, and provoke all parties in Chang'an again. The fight against Jinyang is obviously against Jinyang.

What's next?The elites will violently "counterattack" to prevent the implementation of this policy, and the court will continue to be chaotic, and the prime minister and the Taiwei will use this as an excuse to force the eldest princess to make a choice, either forcibly implement the policy of Confucian reform, or hand over the policy. Power completely withdrew from the court.

Forcibly implementing the policy of improving Confucianism will make the situation even more chaotic. The eldest princess can only choose to hand over power and completely withdraw from the court, but who will the eldest princess give her authority to?His Majesty is just 11 years old this year, and has just been in charge of the government. He does not have all the conditions, and the power can only be temporarily handed over to the Prime Minister and ministers.The Prime Minister is the best candidate for the post of Prime Minister according to the law. This time, in order to ease the conflict between the court and the court, he was dismissed from the position of Prime Minister. However, if the eldest princess wants to hand over all powers this time, she must first restore him as Prime Minister. The position, and worship him as the first assistant, because next, His Majesty will make a move.

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"Should I make a move?" The little emperor was frightened and asked, tongue-tied, "What will I do?" He looked down at his two hands, and said something that made Jia Xu laugh, "Should I use the left hand or the right hand?"

Fu Qian lost his voice and laughed.Jia Xu couldn't laugh or cry, and sighed softly, "Your Majesty, you need to grow up quickly."

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"Chang'an is about to fall into chaos, and the battle of Nanyang cannot be fought at all." Jia Xu continued, "The general's letter is to tell us that we need to readjust our attack deployment and come up with countermeasures as soon as possible, trying to stabilize Chang'an first, and then Plan a strategy to counter the rebellion."

"Stop fighting?" The little emperor was dumbfounded.

"It's not not to fight, but how to fight to ensure victory."

The all-round "counterattack" of the powerful and powerful people is very powerful. Before we solve the crisis of the court, we must not launch a decisive battle.

Although the elites do not have an army in their hands, they have the prestige passed down from generation to generation, a large tract of land, hundreds of disciples and old officials, incalculable money and food, and too many things...they The overall confrontation is very powerful.

To use the simplest analogy, for example, the imperial court uses the 30-year farming rights of the border county land to repay their debts on credit. These people can give up their debts and refuse to go to the border county to cultivate the land. In this way, many difficulties in the border county cannot be solved. , especially in Xijiang, which is in urgent need of population to garrison fields and border guards, is struggling. The imperial court needs to spend more money for relief, and the imperial court's wealth is even more tense.For example, the land is restricted. Since the imperial government restricts the land, then I will farm less, or even stop farming, and switch to business.If these people don't farm for a year, how much food will the court reduce?They can also spare no effort to win over and corrupt officials, sabotage and manipulate the implementation of the new court system, and come up with various strategies to annex land in disguise, leaving groups of people with nothing and fleeing from their homes; Prices exploit the common people and intensify the conflicts between the government and the opposition; they can also buy food from the rich at high prices, making the court's policy of "supplying millet and worshiping nobles" useless; Encouraging the people to fight against the court... Wait, they have various ways to fight against the court.

The collapse of Wang Mang's new dynasty and the overthrow of Sheji more than 20 years ago are living examples.

To deal with these people, massacre cannot solve the problem, we can only continue to struggle and compromise with them, find a balance in the struggle and compromise, benefit from each other in the balance, and strive to exchange for the stability of the country and the people's living and working in peace and contentment at the lowest cost.

This is the reason why the eldest princess was forced to hand over her power and completely withdraw from the court. However, the military class poses a greater threat to the country. After weighing the pros and cons, the eldest princess can only hand over the power to the prime minister and Taiwei. , to ensure the stability of the army.

The Prime Minister and the Taiwei Lord have gained power, the elites have lost their protection, and the bloody storm is inevitable. The disaster of the collapse of Wang Mang's new dynasty and the collapse of the country 20 years ago are just around the corner. The only solution at this time is to let The nobles are once again protected, and the protector is you, Your Majesty.

If His Majesty wanted to protect them, he would not be able to count on the military stratum dominated by the Yellow Turbans. He could only rely on the military stratum other than the Yellow Turbans, that is, the general's direct descendants.

The general's direct descendants are Fengyun Cavalry, Wula Cavalry, and Duliao Cavalry. They are the frontier cavalry in the northwest and the two frontiers, and the Hu nationality cavalry in the desert.

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Jia Xu pointed to the map on the case table and said to the little emperor, "After we capture Yuyang and Nieyang, we will surround Wancheng."

"The intention of the rebels is to delay. The longer the delay, the more unfavorable the situation will be for us. We also need to delay. We need time to stabilize Chang'an, so we must maintain the stalemate on the Nanyang battlefield until we conquer Xuzhou."

The little emperor was completely dizzy, "Fight Xuzhou? Where is the army? Even if there is an army, how will the food and military resources be raised? Several battlefields, hundreds of thousands of troops, what support does the court have?"

"There is an army, Your Majesty can obtain the consent of the general, and decree to recruit Fengyun iron cavalry, frontier army iron cavalry, and desert Hu tribe iron cavalry to go south to the Central Plains." Jia Xu said, "As for food, grass and military resources, it will depend on the help of powerful men and women. , this is His Majesty's condition for protecting them."

"Will the general agree?"

"The general has a premonition that the development of the situation will endanger the country, so there is this letter. When the situation is at a critical moment in the future, his only way is to hand over all his military power to you, because the elites will only trust you Only you, the Son of Heaven, can protect their lives and the interests of generations to come. Your Majesty has inherited the military power of a great general, and has received the support of powerful people. After defeating Xuzhou, you have made great achievements. Your Majesty has enough strength to counter the prime minister. My lord and Taiwei lord, when we return to Chang'an in the future, His Majesty can easily take back all the authority in their hands."

"The Prime Minister and the Taiwei will agree?"

"Not only will they agree, but they will also suggest that His Majesty adopt this strategy to obtain the military power from the General and inherit the military power of the General." Jia Xu suddenly showed a hint of admiration on his face, "In today's world, if you talk about intelligence, there is no No one can compare to Li Zhongyuan, this man's superb methods are jaw-dropping."

"A small strategy of 'helping Taoism and becoming Confucianism' was turned into a miracle by him, and turned into a thunderbolt. As a result, the nobles and scholars were in a desperate situation and had to fight hard for survival."

"The nobles and scholars joined forces to fight against the imperial court, and Chang'an was in chaos, forcing the eldest princess to hand over the final authority."

"My lord prime minister got the power from the eldest princess. In fact, a bloody situation has been formed to suppress the powerful people. This makes the situation in Chang'an even more critical. For this reason, the general has to hand over the force to you and ask you to come forward and join forces with the powerful people. This is the prime minister's greatest strength, of course he does not dare to massacre powerful people, his purpose is to force the general to hand over force to you, so that the general and the eldest princess will withdraw from the court together."

"The prime minister and His Majesty have formed a confrontational situation, and both sides must make concessions. Who will bear the price of this concession in the end? A powerful scholar."

"The Prime Minister will definitely return the power to you, but the condition is to help Taoism to become Confucianism and improve Confucianism. This is a matter related to the long-term stability of the Han Dynasty. Of course, His Majesty must agree."

"As for the nobles and scholars, they will also give in, because His Majesty has already gained power and controlled the army. The general and the eldest princess have also withdrawn from the court. There is a certain degree of loss of interests, but if they do not agree, they will fight against His Majesty, against the big man, they will never make such a stupid choice, they will wait for the opportunity, and wait for the opportunity to make a comeback."

"So far, Your Majesty has taken power and started to govern. The New Deal will promote the improvement of Confucianism, and the improved Confucianism will consolidate the New Deal. The two complement each other and develop rapidly. It is impossible to shake the status of Neo-Confucianism, and elite scholars will pay a heavy price for their self-sufficiency and blind self-confidence.”

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The little emperor sat on the table and thought for a long time.

"What the two lovers mean is that we deliberately created a stalemate on the Nanyang battlefield with the help of the prime minister's thunderbolt, and then fueled the situation so that the situation in Chang'an completely lost control, and then asked the aunt to hand over power and the general to hand over the army?"

Jia Xu and Fu Gan looked at each other with expressions of approval.

"The general also vaguely expressed this meaning in the letter. The day when the Fengyun iron cavalry goes south is the time when your majesty will take over the general's force." Fu Gan bowed and said, "Since the general has said so, why should your majesty hesitate?" disturbed?"

The little emperor's eyes turned red, and he said sadly: "Why do you do this? Auntie will be very sad."

"For His Majesty's great cause of rejuvenation, and for the long-term peace and stability of the great man." Jia Xu persuaded in a low voice, "If you don't do this, how will the Confucianism reform be implemented? When will the eldest princess and the general hand over their power? Now Your Majesty is still young, wait for you When you grow up, you will know that today, without the Prime Minister's plan to stabilize the country and stabilize the country, it will be even more difficult for the big man to rejuvenate."

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(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.CMFU.COM, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)
(End of this chapter)