Great Han Empire

Chapter 249 The situation changes suddenly
Today in the court hall, some bureaucrats headed by Taiwei Zhang Wen, Situ Cui Lie, servant Yang Biao, and Shangshu Lu Zhi jointly wrote to the emperor, asking the emperor to register the prince as soon as possible.Zhang Wenwen, Cui Lie and other important officials gave a lot of reasons. They begged the emperor to start from the safety of the country and appoint the prince as soon as possible to avoid disasters in the palace.According to the law of the Great Han Dynasty, the ministers spoke clearly and logically, and none of the ministers in the court dared to jump out and openly sing the opposite, including Zhao Zhong, Zhang Rang and other middle-ranking officials who did not make a sound.

The emperor was very upset when he heard this, especially when he heard Lu Zhi say that if the crown prince was not established early, the palace might be disrupted. He could hardly help but curse, but he held back.My desire for the little prince Liu Xie to inherit the great rule has now been known to the government and the public. Although I have never expressed such thoughts publicly, the sensitive courtiers have already sensed the danger. For the safety of the country, they finally couldn't hold back Going to jump out and stop myself.

The emperor regretted that he had beaten Xiao Shihou that day.They are all his own flesh and blood. If he doesn’t like it, it’s relatively speaking. He hates the queen, so when he saw Xiao Shihou, he was so angry that he wanted to scold and beat people, but he beat Xiao Shihou himself. A slap.Little Shihou loves to cry, the queen heard the sound and came, crying endlessly. In his anger, he blurted out something that Shihou was not worthy of being the master.Unexpectedly, one of my unintentional and intentional words would cause a lot of trouble, which made the emperor very annoyed.

He kept silent all the time, and glanced at General He Jin from time to time.He Jin closed his eyes slightly, with a calm expression, as if he was about to fall asleep, and nothing unusual could be seen.The emperor suddenly felt a little fear in his heart, and he immediately thought of Li Hong who was far away in Xiliang.

Since the anti-corruption incident, the general's control over the Northern Army has been significantly strengthened. He has replaced three lieutenants of the Fifth Battalion one after another, and he even coaxed and persuaded the Zhijinwu Zhenju who led the Northern Army to work in Hongnong. The prefect went.Although the emperor was vigilant, he had no choice but to deprive the general of his military power.When he suddenly attacked the general without absolute certainty, he was in fact provoking a court battle and a battle for the emperor's order. The general was very likely to die back in order to survive. Once he...he dared not think Going on, there are too many such regicides in history, and several emperors of the Han Dynasty have died for no reason.

The old middle-ranking officials in the inner palace are all of one mind with the queen, and they all have a part in killing the beauty of the king. Without the help of these old middle-ranking officials, how can she, a woman, kill her beloved concubine so easily?Although Zhang Rang and Xia Yun knelt in front of him and wept bitterly a few days ago, and promised to help him to help the little prince inherit the throne, but he could see their hypocrisy and cunning, and he didn't believe them at all.Zhang Rang and the queen are in-laws, will he help him?Even if he is willing to help, can he trust such a duplicitous person?These old middle-ranking officials grew up with him, pampering and protecting him when he was weakest, so he always regarded them as his family in his heart, and never thought of killing them.He is eagerly looking forward to their aging, looking forward to their death, looking forward to Jian (reading) Shuo and other little yellow men occupying the place of these old middle-ranking officials as soon as possible, but life has to be passed day by day, and things have to be done one by one. not coming.

He believes that one day he can be an emperor who can do whatever he wants. After he can do what he wants, the first thing he has to do is to let Xiao Donghou be the prince, and the second thing is to expand the Wan Jintang. He moved all the money in the national treasury to his Wanjintang, and he was excited when he thought of the room full of money, silk, and rare things to play with.

The emperor and all the ministers who wanted to persuade him finished speaking, and finally said something that almost made them die.

"Twelve years later."

Twelve years later, it will be the year of the coronation ceremony of the First Prince.

The hall suddenly fell silent.

The emperor was very satisfied with the effect, and then he said that after the first lunar month, he would go back to his hometown in Hejian country with his mother, Queen Mother Dong, to pay homage to the ancestors.

As soon as the emperor's words fell, there was an uproar in the court, and the ministers who came out to play were scrambling to be the first.

Da Sinonong Wang Han fought hard to grab the first place. He shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, there is no money in the national treasury. If Your Majesty must go back to the hometown of Hejian Country, please use the money from the Shaofu. Your Majesty will go back to the hometown to worship the ancestors." It is purely His Majesty's private matter, and the treasury must not be used."

There are two ministers in the outer court of the Han Dynasty who are in charge of finance and economy, namely Da Si Nong and Shao Fu.In today's terms, the Da Si Nong is in charge of the government's economy, and the Shaofu is in charge of the royal family's economy.Da Si Nong was in charge of the taxation and money of the whole country. It was the Ministry of Finance of the central government of the Han Dynasty. All national financial expenditures, military expenses, land rent, oral tax, salt and iron monopoly, water transportation, currency management, etc. were all handled by the Da Si Nong. Sinon management.The Shaofu is in charge of the royal family's money, the emperor's clothing, food, housing, transportation and other affairs, as well as taxes on mountains, seas, ponds, and lakes, and the income of the Shaofu is used for the royal family's private use.The royal family cannot use the money of Da Siong.At that time, the national land tax income was the bulk, and it was managed by the Dasi Nong.Industrial and commercial taxes, such as salt by the sea and mines in the mountains, generally have very little income and are managed by the Shaofu.The law of the Han Dynasty clearly stipulates that the government and the royal family are absolutely separated in the use of money.

When the emperor heard this, he became very angry.He stood up abruptly, staring at Wang Han, pointing at Wang Han and scolding angrily: "Da Si Nong is too stingy, and the money in the treasury is not yours, why don't you let me use it? What do you want?" What can I do? I haven’t been home for 18 years, do I have to pay for it when I go home?”

"As your majesty said, it is your majesty who needs to pay for it yourself." Taiwei Zhang Wenzuo said, "It is your majesty's private matter to go home to worship the ancestors..."

"The Shaofu has no money. Everyone knows that. Your Majesty will go home to worship the ancestors. It will take more than a month to go back and forth. The expenses are huge. Can it be done without more than a billion yuan? Is there more than a billion yuan in the Shaofu? Mr. Zhang , Lord Wang, when you say that, you intend to prevent His Majesty from going home." Shaofu Fan Ling played loudly without waiting for Zhang Wen to finish speaking.

Fan Ling is in his 50s, of medium build, slightly fat, with gray hair and beard, and small but energetic eyes.He is a famous scholar in Nanyang. When he was young, he wanted to be a disciple of Li Ying, a famous party member and great scholar, but Li Ying thought his character was not good, so he was unwilling to take him in.Later, Fan Ling was attached to Cao Jie as a regular servant in the middle school, and he was called a brother to Zhao Zhong. He was promoted many times in the court.

Cui Lie said: "Your Majesty, the war in Xiliang has just subsided, and the national treasury is empty, and the cost of your majesty's trip home is huge, and the treasury is simply unable to pay. Your Majesty, according to my opinion, we have to wait a few more years to go home to worship our ancestors." Bar?"

"Is Master Situ speaking human language?" Zhang Rang hadn't appeared in the court for a long time, but his first words as soon as he appeared shocked people, and he dared to insult the three important ministers.Zhang Rang's words shocked everyone, and dozens of pairs of angry eyes stared at the skinny Zhang Rang at the same time, wishing to tear him apart.

"Your Majesty wants to be filial and accompany the Empress Dowager Xiaoren home to pay respects to the ancestors. Master Cui actually stopped her. Is this something done by a person who is educated? I think Master Cui's books have been read to the bottom of his feet, right?" Zhang Rangang He nodded his head with a look of disdain.

Cui Lie was furious, and opened his mouth to scold: "A scumbag, how dare you talk about etiquette? How dare you talk about state affairs?"

Cui Lie's words immediately annoyed Zhao Zhong, Duan Gui, Guo Sheng and other Zhongchang attendants, and everyone attacked him.Zhang Wen, Yang Qin, Yang Biao, Lu Zhi, Zhu Jun, Tao Qian and other ministers were even more enthusiastic, and everyone immediately quarreled in the court.

General He Jin, Sikong Xu and others came forward to mediate, but as a result, everyone became more angry, and He Jin and Xu Xiang were involved in the quarrel, and the shouts resounded inside and outside the hall.

The emperor yelled twice, but when he saw no one was paying attention to him, he walked away angrily.

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General He Jin returned home in a hurry and called Wu Kuang and He Feng.

Wu Kuang is an old member of He Jin's family. He is loyal to He Jin and has superb martial arts. Now he is the military commander of the Yueqi Tribe of the Northern Army.

He Feng is a member of He Jin's clan. He has been fond of martial arts since he was a child. Because his family was poor, he came to the capital from Nanyang alone a few years ago to find He Jin to find a job to make a living. He Jin saw that he was good at martial arts, so he let him be the commander of the guards in the mansion. .He Feng is good at martial arts, has many friends, is loyal, and thinks he is a member of the general's family, so he runs amok in Luoyang, often leading people to fight, coming and going like wind, a group of young dudes who are almost the same age as him in Luoyang Call him "The Windbreaker".

Wu Kuang is in his 40s, tall and strong, calm and cautious.He walked into He Jin's study, saluted and sat aside.

"Zhong Fu, do you still remember what my father said to you before he died?" He Jin looked at Wu Kuang and asked with a smile.

Wu Kuang's expression froze, and he hurriedly knelt down and replied, "The kindness my old Patriarch has treated me is as great as a mountain. He has saved the lives of my whole family. Even if I am smashed to pieces, I will not be able to repay his kindness. If you have any orders from the general, you can just say it. Wu Kuang will go through fire and water, and he will not hesitate to do so."

"Zhong Fu, you're serious, you're serious." He Jin waved his hand to signal him to stand up, and said with a smile, "You take your clumsy words and go to Xingyang immediately."

Wu Kuang's expression changed slightly, and he said nervously, "Are you going to see Mr. Xi Da?"

He Jin nodded with a smile, and said, "Go and tell Mr. Xi Da that the opportunity has come. You can avenge his past revenge, and you can also repay me for helping me back then."

Wu Kuang lowered his head and thought for a while, then said, "General, what's the time?"

"Ching Ming in March next year."

He Feng swept in like a gust of wind, "General, I'm here."

He Feng is about four years old, tall and burly, with a tiger neck and swallow jaw, and a pair of eyes that are fierce and powerful.A person like He Feng with a thick, round neck, strong neck ridge (the so-called tiger neck), and a slope-shaped mandible (the so-called swallow jaw) is generally described as a tiger-necked swallow Hey, if you are not expensive, you are rich.It is because of this that He Jin likes him so much that he loves him very much. No matter how much trouble he caused outside, He Jin just laughs it off.

He Jin saw a big bruise on He Feng's cheek, and reprimanded unhappily: "What did you do yesterday? Who did you fight with again?"

"Hey..." He Feng smiled embarrassedly, and said, "Yesterday, Mr. Tiaohou Dong was entertaining guests at Wanggaolou. Mr. Yuan and the little Patriarch accompanied him. He happened to meet Xu Mazi, the son of Mr. Sikong Xu. General, do you know Xu?" What kind of thing is Da Mazi, he relied on his father's power to forcefully marry the most beautiful woman in Luoyang, how can there be such a reason in the world, don't you think so, General?"

"That's why you beat him." He Jin asked with a sullen face, frowning, "Just for this reason?"

"I didn't want to fight." He Feng shook his hands in horror, "General, Mr. Yuan and the little Patriarch also asked the media to speak, but they were all rejected, so Mr. Yuan was angry. Mazi jumped up and pointed at Sang and scolded Huai, but was beaten by Xu Mazi. Later..."

"Then you guys started fighting." He Jin said angrily, "You're both in their thirties, what's the point? Get the hell out of Luoyang immediately."

"Ah..." He Feng's eyes widened, and he said with a sad face, "General, I beg you, don't drive me away, my mother knows, she will hit me with a broom, I beg you... ..."

Seeing his pitiful appearance, He Jin couldn't help laughing.

Wu Kuang said with a smile: "Zhuoyan, are you willing to follow me to Xingyang?"

"Yes." He Feng said happily, "Are you looking for Bo Er? He lost the last time, so I must win this time."

He Jin scolded with a smile: "Crazy boy, don't just focus on beating people, you must protect Mr. Wu, you know?"

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Li Hong personally went to the government office of Hanyang and transferred Li Wei to the army to serve as Sima.

Li Hong said to Li Wei: "You persuaded me to send troops into Beijing, and you called it to punish the traitorous eunuchs of the Qing emperor. To put it bluntly, it is a rebellion. It is no different from Yan Zhong who said Huangfu Song. Rape eunuchs abuse power and harm the country. Da, it is obvious to all that you are worried about the country of the Great Han, and I can understand that you are extreme, but there are many ways to kill them, and your method is too bad. Tens of thousands of my troops marched into Luoyang, and blood flowed like rivers along the way, whether successful or not, It is a disaster for the country, the people, and our subordinates. Look at the Yicheng battlefield and the dead soldiers lying on the battlefield. Don’t you feel the preciousness of life? Don’t they really die? Is it worthless?"

"Your words are only heard by three people. Shouyan is my brother who kills me and will not betray me. What about you? I can't kill you, so you can only stay and be my brother. There is no way, I can't let you go Come on, if you betray me, as long as there are rumors outside, I will die, I cannot be as lucky as Huangfusong, and I can find a chance to retire calmly."

"As for the matter of you sending Fu to An Ding, I think it's okay for now. You can't disappear from my sight for a long time, it is a very dangerous thing. I think you are very knowledgeable, so you should teach the teacher first. Do it, it won’t be much worse than the great Confucian Mr. Wang Jian. When things in Xiliang are stable in the future, when I lead my troops to Jizhou, we will send Fu Gan to Anding together.”

Li Wei smiled wryly and said, "It's more dangerous for you to stay with me. As long as I have a chance, I will persuade you to join forces."

Li Hong laughed and said: "As long as it is for the big man, I am willing to do anything, except rebellion."

A few days later, Li Hong received an edict from the emperor.Li Hong was very happy.The emperor praised him a lot in the edict, but he didn't say a word about beheading corrupt officials in Huaili.

Both Zuo Yan and Li Wei warned Li Hong that it is not a good thing for the emperor to write a congratulatory edict instead of issuing a reward edict.Now that the Xiliang rebellion is basically coming to an end, lawless and lawless generals like Li Hong have lost their effectiveness.

"Zhong Yuan, do you want me to die sooner?" Li Hong said with a smile, "I think His Majesty still trusts me, otherwise, what would he do with the eight hundred li fast ride to send the seal?"

A few days later, the emperor's imperial decree of reward arrived at Yicheng camp.

Because Li Hong violated the order and killed corrupt officials without authorization, his merits and demerits were balanced. He was still the protector of the Qiang Zhonglang and the temporary governor of Xiliang's military administration until the new governor of Xiliang and the prefect of Hanyang and other counties took office.

Xian Yufu, Xu Rong, and Qu Yi were promoted to captain.Xian Yuyin, Yan Rou, Yu Shi, Yan Liang, Heng Ji, Zheng Xin, Tian Zhongqian were promoted to the captaincy, and Lou Lu was also appointed as the captain because he was the son of Lord Shanggu Karasuma Nanlou.The rest of the generals are promoted to one level, and the soldiers are rewarded.

At the same time, the imperial decree ordered Li Hong to immediately lead his army to wipe out the rest of the rebel army.

Li Hong considered that the army had just gone through a war and needed to rest urgently, and the climate in Xiliang was getting colder and colder, and it might snow at any time. If the army fought long distances, it would be difficult to supply food and grass. I hope that the emperor will delay the attack until next spring.

The imperial decree soon arrived in Yicheng, and the emperor ordered Li Hong to go to Beijing to report on his duties immediately.

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(End of this chapter)