Great Han Empire

Chapter 244 The situation changes suddenly
Luoyang, Beigong, Jiade Hall.

The Son of Heaven sits high on the throne, depressed and unhappy.

Li Hong suddenly ordered his subordinates to kill thousands of people in Daying Huaili in one day. This appalling news was rushed to the capital by Jing Zhao Yin Gaixun.Luoyang immediately set off a huge storm, a storm against Li Hong.

The emperor heard it in his ears, as if he hadn't heard it.He doesn't care, he has already received the ransom money from these people, and he has nothing to do with these people's lives, so he doesn't care, and doesn't care at all.Kill and kill.But the next morning, the emperor was stunned by the mountain of soap sacs.The memorials contained in these soap sachets are all to impeach Li Hong, saying that he is proud of his achievements, violates discipline, is treacherous, indulgent, violent and immoral, and should be killed immediately.Only then did the emperor realize the seriousness of the problem.

Due to the courtiers' repeated speeches and the sincere advice of the princes and ministers, the emperor had decreed to abolish the regulation that bureaucrats should be charged for writing and speaking, but he regretted it immediately.Sitting in the main hall, seeing the angry faces and hearing the endless words of impeachment, he almost exploded. He felt that his decision was too hasty.If there is no abolition of the regulations that ministers must be charged for writing and speaking, there will be no such torture above the court.He blamed himself, looked at the ministers standing in the hall who gave speeches with hatred, and lamented that his heart was too soft, and he fell into the trap of these cunning bureaucrats again.

After he reluctantly listened for a while, he became more and more annoyed.

Li Hong ignored his amnesty order and killed more than 300 corrupt officials like a madman, thousands of people.A small commander of the border army did not listen to the order of the emperor, so where would he put his face as the emperor.Although he only cares about money and doesn't care about these people's lives, he can't ignore his face and the majesty of the imperial power.A barbarian is a barbarian, and he knows how to kill bloody people. It's too dangerous to keep this kind of person by his side, and he has no brains at all.The emperor frowned slightly, and then thought that although this kind of barbarian is simple-minded, he also has advantages. Once this kind of person is loyal to someone, he will never change until death.If I use Li Hong's blood and cruelty to deal with the treacherous people in the court, there will be unexpected results.

Li Hong led the army westward to Liangzhou to quell the rebellion, but when the battle was in full swing, he ordered the killing of corrupt officials. What was his reason?Li Hong must know that what he did not only violated the laws of the Han Dynasty, but also offended all the powers in the court and China, and even offended himself, so why did he seek his own death?Is he really crazy, idiot?Li Hong is openly provoking all forces in the DPRK and China at this time. What can he rely on?How could he be sure that he would protect him?Did he misunderstand the purpose of my sending people to Xiliang to reward the army, thinking that I was going to kill him, so he rebelled when he was dying?

Thinking of this, the emperor suddenly became nervous.If he rebelled because of this incident, it meant that this barbarian was a fool at all. Not only could he not use him, but he had to kill him immediately.Even if this kind of fool is loyal, he will ruin his own business in the future?
But if this matter is just because he misunderstood my meaning and tried to fight back to protect himself, use illegal killings to win the hearts of the people in the world, and hope to gain a little life for himself, then this person is very desirable.This kind of person who is not afraid in the face of danger and fights back from the jedi, his scheming and resourcefulness is still enough to take on the big responsibility, but is he loyal?
Now the middle officials and family bureaucrats jointly wrote a letter demanding that Li Hong be severely punished.Only Liu Yu entered the palace early in the morning and knelt down in front of him to intercede for Li Hong.Liu Yu begged bitterly, and even used his own head to guarantee Li Hong's loyalty.If I believe in Liu Yu, shouldn't I also believe that the leopard will not betray me?
Although he was not sure about Li Hong's loyalty to him, he still felt the benefits of Li Hong's existence, and he was relieved today.He saw the middle-ranking officials who usually show off their power, the domineering bureaucrats were so angry at Li Hong's brutal killing, their fingers and canthus were cracked, all of them became angry from embarrassment, beat their chests and stomped their feet, and cried bitterly when they were sad, he was happy, he was happy , he gloated.

He has been surrounded by these people in the palace and oppressed by them with all kinds of etiquette and laws. He has never done a thing that he thinks is satisfactory, and everything he has done has not been rewarded. The affirmation and praise of the ministers are all the insults behind the endless letters of advice and face-to-face flattery.He always wanted to take revenge on these people and make them feel uncomfortable, but he had no choice until this lawless leopard appeared, and he finally got his wish.He not only grabbed the painful feet of these people, but also severely cut a few pieces of their flesh, and abused them wantonly, he felt happy, he was happy.

The emperor looked at the ministers under the court, with a sneer on the corner of his mouth.Hmph... If you don't make me happy, I won't make you happy. Whoever you want to die, I want him to live. Let's see who is happy.

But if he insists on not punishing Li Hong, it is tantamount to publicly supporting Li Hong, and he will stand on the opposite side of the ministers of the DPRK and China. Using the ancestral laws to bombard the court, and possibly being remonstrated with death by some desperate ministers, when he thought of this, his head would explode.

He suddenly thought of something even more terrifying.Protecting Li Hong by himself means offending all the courtiers, including middle officials who are very close to him.What if they teamed up to kill themselves?Among the emperors of this dynasty, the cause of death was unknown, and many died suddenly.What he remembers most clearly is the death of Emperor Xiaozhi.Emperor Xiaozhi was an eight-year-old child who came to the throne. He died after only one year of emperorship. The reason was that he ate a bowl of noodles sent by the general Liang Ji.The day before eating noodles, he gave the general a four-character comment in front of his ministers: "General Domineering", and he died in the end.The emperor's eyes could not help looking at the general He Jin who was standing under the court hall.will he kill me

He thought of Liu Xie.If I reveal my intention to make Liu Xie the emperor, will He Jin kill me?He looked at He Jin and thought for a long time.He couldn't know the answer, but his heart became more and more disturbed and fearful.It's not that he doesn't know the answer, but that he doesn't want to think about it.

Suddenly he made a decision.

"Your Majesty..." A minister shouted the Son of Heaven.The emperor raised his body slightly and looked down. It turned out to be Situ Cui Lie.

"Your Majesty, Li Hong disobeyed His Majesty's imperial decree and beheaded thousands of pardoned officials and their family members without authorization. Such atrocities are heinous. Li Hong can be called the number one cruel official in my dynasty. Your Majesty should quickly decree to punish him." , escort him back to the capital, and hand him over to the Tingwei Mansion for trial and punishment, so as to rectify the discipline."

The Son of Heaven nodded and said suddenly: "A few days ago, I went to visit the Empress Dowager and met Mrs. Cheng in Changle Palace. Mrs. Cheng asked me to tell Master Cui to go to her house to play when I have time. Don't forget her."

Cui Lie was taken aback for a moment, then nodded frequently, and hurriedly agreed.When the Son of Heaven interrupted him, it was difficult for him to continue talking, so he fell silent.

Cui Lie is a famous scholar in Jizhou, who was born in a famous family.His grandfather Cui Yi and uncle Cui Yuan are both great Confucians in the world.His cousin Cui Shi, who was the prefect of Liaodong, wrote the book "Politics", which is known as the rule of the emperor.Cui Shi himself was a clean and honest official, and his family was poor. When he died, his descendants were unable to bury him. Yang Ci, Duan Jiong, and Yuan Shao's two uncles, Yuan Feng and Yuan Kai, paid for the burial.Cui Lie himself served successively as the county guard, from the official to the court lieutenant of Jiuqing.The emperor Xiyuan sells officials and buys Situ for 3000 million yuan.Mrs. Cheng, the emperor's nanny, had a close relationship with the Cui family. Knowing that Cui Lie wanted to be among the third princes, someone told him that she could get a discounted price.In the end, Cui Lie gave half of the money to Mrs. Cheng.Soon, he got his wish and sat on the position of Situ.Later, the emperor regretted that the position of Sangong was sold too cheaply, and told the left and right middle officials that he sold it too cheaply and lost too much.Mrs. Cheng knew that the emperor was not happy, so she ran to the emperor to explain, saying that Cui Gong is a celebrity in the world, how could he spend money to buy an official?I paid the money on his behalf, so don't feel bad, just give me a face.When the words came out, Luoyang was shocked.It is better to spend a few dollars to get an official by a woman.As a result, Cui Lie's reputation plummeted, and he was often ridiculed by others.

"Your Majesty, what Li Hong did is clearly contemptuous of His Majesty, deceiving the Emperor, and should be executed."

The emperor looked up and saw that it was Yang Biao, the son of Yang Ci.Yang Biao is about 40 years old, with a slightly fat body, a long face and long beard, and an extraordinary bearing.He is the eldest son of Yang Ci, an official servant, the title of Marquis, and the patriarch of the Yang family.

The emperor immediately put on a smiling face and said, "Aiqing, the Jiaozhou government recently sent a batch of precious flowers and trees to Lingkun Garden. Tomorrow, Aiqing will accompany me and the Hongdumen scholars to tour and make Fu."

Yang Biao hurriedly knelt down to accept the order.

In recent years, the emperor's interest has increased again, and he is very keen on building gardens.A few years ago, he planned to build two botanical gardens, Bigui and Lingkun, outside Xuanping Gate in Luoyang.At that time, Situ Yangci advised the emperor that there are five gardens in the capital, Xiyuan, Xianyang, Pingle, Shanglin and Hongde, which are enough for His Majesty to roam freely.Seeing the teacher's objection, the emperor immediately planned to stop the construction.Soon he went to ask a group of famous scholars and Confucians who studied in Hongdumen. Of course, these romantic scholars hoped that there would be more places to enjoy flowers and make gifts, so they tried their best to encourage the emperor, saying that His Majesty's gardening is for the enjoyment of the people. How can a good thing go by the wayside?The emperor thought about it, so he ignored the objections of his ministers and built two gardens, Bigui and Lingkun.

The emperor suddenly proposed to go on a trip, and asked Yang Biao to accompany him by name. Of course, Yang Biao couldn't refuse, but his words were interrupted.

The great general He Jinqiu said: "Your Majesty, Li Hong has committed a heinous crime and is about to be punished. Once this matter reaches the front line of Xiliang, it will definitely shake the morale of the army. If they collapse without a fight and let the rebels occupy Xiliang, Then Sanfu and Chang'an are very dangerous. I believe that we should send another talented person to take over as soon as possible."

Guang Luxun and Liu Yu hurriedly retorted: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible. The fierce battle on the front line in Xiliang is in full swing, and it is a big taboo for military strategists to change the commander at this time."

Duan Gui, the Zhongchang servant, heard the sound and said loudly: "It has been more than a month since the rebels attacked Yicheng. He commanded [-] soldiers and horses to stay in Zixiu Mountain, and did not send a single soldier to rescue Yicheng. Why? Why did he Aren't you going to rescue Yicheng? I just received an urgent letter from Zhang Taishou of Fufeng County, saying that Li Hong has a close relationship with the leader of the rebel army, and he has a very good friendship with Ma Teng, and he wants to rebel." He glanced at Liu Yu and continued. , "I agree with the general's opinion, and immediately send another general to command the army, rush to Zixiu Mountain day and night, take over the military power, and command the army to rescue Yicheng."

"Master Liu, what is your intention to defend Li Hong? Did Li Hong buy you off with money?"

"You spitting blood." Liu Yu was so angry that his little goatee was raised high, and he pointed at Duan Gui and cursed loudly, "Master Duan used his power for personal gain, accepted bribes, the evidence is solid, what face do you have to stand on top of this court and openly frame me? ?”

"Lord Liu, the Marquis has already written a letter of plea, and His Majesty has issued a decree for pardon, what are you talking about here? You roared at the court, and the crime will be aggravated." Duan Gui sneered and said sharply.

Lieutenant Zhang Wen hurriedly stood between the two of them, waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Both lords don't say a word, don't say a word. The general and Duan lord are very thoughtful and timely, and Liu lord's thoughts are also in line with the essence of the art of war. Your Majesty In the opinion of the veteran, it would be more appropriate to order Lord Gai to lead his troops to defend Huaili and order the Northern Army to go west again. After the Northern Army enters Chang'an, it would be more appropriate to send someone to Xiliang to replace Li Hong."

The Son of Heaven snorted twice, and asked, "Lord Taiwei, what's the price of donkeys in Luoyang recently?"

Zhang Wen snorted coldly in anger, and replied blushingly: "Master Duan raises donkeys, he knows, Your Majesty should ask him?"

The emperor of this dynasty has added many fresh items to the entertainment industry of the Han Kingdom.He ordered the construction of a bazaar in the harem, where transactions were held regularly.He asked court ladies and middle-ranking officials to pretend to be ordinary people and vendors, and performed performances such as selling, bargaining, booing, fighting, and stealing every few days when the market opened.The emperor himself put on the brocade clothes of rich merchants, feasted and entertained with these "common people", ran business, bargained, and was extremely busy.He also likes to keep dogs, and puts the Jinxian crown worn by bureaucrats on the dog's head.The emperor then invented the use of four donkeys to drive a cart. Compared with a horse-drawn cart, this kind of donkey cart is lighter and easier to control. The emperor himself drove the donkey cart around the market in the palace, feeling very uncomfortable.The emperor's novel way of playing quickly became popular in Luoyang, and the donkey dealers were overjoyed, because the price of donkeys exceeded the price of horses for the first time.The Son of Heaven has always been very concerned about the price of donkeys in the market, but when he asked this time, it was obvious that he was talking about him, trying to change the subject and get away with it.

Duan Gui saw the emperor's eyes looking at him, and hurriedly came out to answer.

Sikong Xu Xiang then went out to play and said: "Your Majesty, Li Hong has killed innocent people in Xiliang under the pretext of cracking down on corruption, harmed the country and the people, and even emboldened the army to self-respect, plotting evil. I think it's better to arrest him as soon as possible, so as not to be caught in time. After a long time, let him form a party with the rebels and cause trouble for Xiliang. I recommend Lu Zhi, Lu Shangshu, or Guanglu doctor Zhu Junzhu to go west to Liangzhou to take over the military power."

Zhao Zhong's fat body squeezed out immediately, and he said loudly: "Your Majesty, Lu Shangshu and Master Zhu are not familiar with the situation in Xiliang, and neither of them is suitable. I think it is better to send General Dong Zhuodong to lead his troops to the west. Now , he himself is in Luoyang, and his frontier army is killing the rebels in Beidi County. If he is in charge of the military power, the peace of Xiliang will be just around the corner."

Cui Lie immediately retorted: "Dong Zhuo has fought wars in Xijiang for decades, how has he ever pacified Xiliang? He was beaten by the rebels to the point of embarrassment, and fled across the river. Marquis, do you dare to guarantee His Majesty with your head?"

Zhao Zhong was so angry that he scolded him in a low voice, but did not answer.

Cui Lie continued: "Your Majesty, I think it's better to temporarily abandon Liangzhou and stick to Guanxi. My big man has been fighting every year, and the loss is huge, so he needs to recuperate. In a few years, when my big man recovers, your majesty can send If a general leads one hundred thousand troops to attack Liangzhou westward, he will definitely be able to go down with one blow."

"Your Majesty, abandoning the defense of Liangzhou is the next policy. It must not be done." Yilang Sun Jian was filled with righteous indignation, and he went out to play, "I have spent tens of billions and tens of billions of dollars in order to stick to the western border for decades. Thousands of soldiers dumped their corpses on the border of the desert, how could they give up lightly? It would be unwise to abandon Liangzhou for the sake of Li Zhonglang alone."

Cui Lie wanted to reprimand him, but remembering that Sun Jian was Zhu Jun's student, he quickly swallowed the words that came to his lips.You must tell Zhu Jun after the next court, let him go back and discipline this rude guy properly.

Wei Wei Liu Ting came out of the class and said: "Your Majesty, Liangzhou cannot abandon the defense. Do you still remember Master Fu Xie? At that time, when the Xiliang rebellion just started, Master Cui proposed to abandon Xiliang, but was rejected by Master Fu Xie. I strongly oppose it. Mr. Cui must not have forgotten Mr. Fu's words of advice."

Cui Lie glared at Liu Ting angrily, and said with a sneer, "How does Master Liu know that he has not changed his mind? Now that madman Fu is guarding Yicheng, being attacked day and night by the rebels, he is always in danger of his life. At that time, can he not change his mind?"

At this time, Zhijin Wuzhen took out the ban and said: "Your Majesty, Li Hong has repeatedly made military exploits and is famous all over the world. Recently, he has won the hearts of the people because of his vigorous efforts to rectify Xiliang officials. He is also very close to the Hu people in the north of the frontier. With the current momentum, it is better to reprimand him for the time being. Killing him alone will affect the whole body, and may complicate the affairs of Xijiang. Therefore, I think it is better to promote Li Hong's official position and make the situation more complicated. He called him back to the capital, and then took the opportunity to imprison him and punish him for several crimes. I think this method is safer."

As soon as Zhen Ju's suggestion was finished, it immediately received positive responses from more than a dozen ministers.

Liu Yu hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, Li Hong cannot be killed."

"In August of this autumn, there are tens of thousands of sparrows in Huailing, and the sound of mourning resounds all over the field. They fight each other, and countless people die. This is an ominous omen of cannibalism. The border has not yet been leveled. This month, the Xianbei people and Karasuma people in northern Xinjiang gathered troops at the border of Youzhou and Bingzhou. They were ready to move, and they had the intention of going south to invade. At this time, it is really unreasonable to suddenly kill the generals guarding the border. A wise move. Your Majesty, please think twice."

Tao Qian, the counselor, came out suddenly and shouted wildly: "When the four realms are in turmoil, the court will kill the general. This is a proposal for the subjugation of the country."

When Tao Qian called out, everyone in the hall was shocked, even the emperor stared at him with wide eyes.

Zhao Zhong was furious, pointing at Tao Qian and said angrily: "Your Majesty, this man's roar is like thunder, he is clearly roaring at the court, and he will be executed according to the law."

The emperor laughed and said, "Thunder? Why didn't I hear it? Aiqing is old, maybe there is something wrong with his ears?"

The ministers looked at each other and smiled wryly.This majestic son of heaven has never said a single serious word from the beginning to the end today.

Tao Qian was not afraid, and bowed down and said: "Your Majesty, those corrupt officials from Xiliang ruined the foundation of my great man. The crime is unforgivable, so what if they are killed? Your Majesty governs the country with benevolence and justice, and specially allows them to use money to atone for their sins. However, Your Majesty wants to However, the money for redemption is a huge amount. According to their rank and salary, can they save so much money? If this kind of person is not killed, who should be killed? Ministers in the court, I would like to ask Ask, which article in the Great Han Law stipulates that beheading corrupt officials is a crime?"

Cui Lie said angrily, "Isn't the crime of deceiving the king not fatal?"

Duan Gui said: "Your Majesty, Master Tao's defense of the guilty minister Li Hong is equivalent to an accomplice according to the law, and Master Tao should be escorted to the Tingwei Mansion for interrogation."

The emperor waved his hand and ignored Duan Gui at all.

He smiled and asked Shangshu Lu Zhi: "Ai Qing, how do I compare with the late emperor?"

Lu Zhi bowed and replied, "Your Majesty is like Yu Shun to Tang Yao to the late emperor."

The Son of Heaven immediately realized that Lu Zhi's answer was a great irony. What he meant was that His Majesty and the late Emperor were the tortoise and the bastard.

The emperor was stunned for a moment, and continued to ask: "In Yiqing's opinion, what kind of monarch am I?"

Lu Zhi replied: "Compared with our great Han ancestors, His Majesty is a middle-level monarch."

The officials and people of the Han family judged things and liked to classify them into three categories: upper, upper, and lower.Each grade can be subdivided into upper, middle and lower grades, which are divided into nine grades, or nine grades.In the handed down work "Hanshu" by Ban Gu, the greatest historian of this dynasty, he commented on the historical figures since the records have been recorded according to nine grades.A middle-level person is an ordinary person who is below the sage and above the villain.What Lu Zhi meant was that it is impossible for a monarch like His Majesty to make a difference by himself.If you are assisted by virtuous ministers, the world will be in great order; if you are surrounded by villains, the world will be in chaos.This evaluation is straightforward and not flattering, but more is the expectation of the emperor.The Son of Heaven is a smart young man, and he understands it as soon as he hears it.His mind became more determined.

At this time, there was an urgent book from the front line of Xiliang sent by a quick ride from Babaili.

There was silence in the Jiade Hall.

Zhao Zhong took out the bamboo slips from the soap pouch, put them on the table in front of the emperor and slowly opened them.

The emperor leaned over to glance around, suddenly laughed, and then laughed wildly.He suddenly grabbed the bamboo slips on the case table, threw all his strength into the air, and shouted: "Master Taiwei, take a look."

The bamboo slip fell to the ground with a "slap...".Zhang Wen hurriedly leaned over to pick it up.He hurriedly read it, feeling very lost in his heart.He suddenly understood why the emperor told him to take a look first.

The eyes of all the ministers in the hall are eager and expectant.

Zhang Wen said calmly: "Li Zhonglang wrote a letter, and Xiliang has won a great victory."

(End of this chapter)