Establishing a thousand-year family from the nobles of the Western Han Dynasty

Chapter 111: Rewarding according to merit, the power of the Imperial College
Zhang Ning has gathered more than 10,000 bandits around Mount Tai, and he is very satisfied. These people are more than enough to rule the mountain and become the king of Qingzhou.

People should be more pragmatic. Anyone with a bit of brains would not dream of attacking Chang'an.

Does Wang Tong think he is Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang? Although we are all knights-errant.

But there was a huge gap between the rangers, and as expected, the 300,000-strong army was nothing but a mob, who were beaten and fled in panic by just a few thousand soldiers, and they themselves died in the chaos.

It would be better to go to Qingzhou and become a mountain king, go down the mountain to plunder food and women, so that you can develop slowly and the government troops will not be able to do anything about it for a while.

According to Zhang Ning's own opinion, the Han Dynasty would continue to decline and would perish within 70 years. The reason for this would definitely not be the peasant uprising in the Former Qin Dynasty, but an internal usurpation of the throne!

After all, the Liu family's authority was declining, and by that time, the world would inevitably be in chaos. As a rich farmer, an official, and a poor farmer, he had a very clear understanding of the Han Dynasty's environment.

Land annexation is extremely serious and it is almost impossible to solve it through internal reforms, and it can only be solved by a reshuffle.

Therefore, after a change of dynasty, the world will be in chaos within two generations. By then, all the heritage accumulated by the village for hundreds of years will come out in full force, and maybe even get the posthumous title of emperor.

He was not worried about the encirclement and suppression by government soldiers. These guys were busy fighting among themselves and would not fight to the death if they could be recruited.

With the fantasy of foreign invasion in mind, he randomly ordered the army to move eastward immediately and enter Qingzhou!
The black mass of rebels began to march, and for a moment their momentum was overwhelming.

At this moment, something strange happened suddenly.

"Kill! Kill all these traitors!"

Some of the bandits suddenly mutinied, tore off their clothes to reveal the standard armor underneath, and started hacking and killing people around them with weapons in hand.

Because it happened so suddenly, no one could react for a while and they were quickly suppressed by the well-trained regular army. Zhang Ning was very panicked and ordered his men to resist.

But unfortunately it was of no use. These were a mob that had not received any training and had never seen blood, and they were only concerned with escaping.

The only thing that could stabilize the formation was the main body of Zhang Ning's bandits, which consisted of several thousand men and was also the real core force.

Whether it is the imperial court, local governments, or bandits, they all have their own regular troops and miscellaneous troops.

The direct line of the army is the real core, and the leader relies on them to control the entire organization. The core of the Han Dynasty is the North and South Central Imperial Army and the Youbing Border Army. For example, the troops under Xu Zhong's command are temporarily recruited ragtag troops, and they can only run away when facing the real elite.

But they were able to deal with these gangs of thieves with ease. Less than two thousand people were able to hold their own against an enemy group of over ten thousand.

Although they will eventually be defeated after a long time, their goal is not to solve the problem completely, but just to delay it.

Based on the idea that "a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall", Zhang Ning planned to quickly run into Mount Tai and enter Qingzhou.

He expected that his plan had been completely disrupted, and there would not be many people he could take away, so he might as well escape by himself. Life was the most important thing, and all the military strength was useless.

Of course, he still had to try to bring along his several thousand backbone members, as they were the foundation of his survival.

To be honest, Zhang Ning is a man of great potential and has some of Emperor Gaozu's spirit, although not much, because he was born at the wrong time.

The Han Dynasty is far from running out of energy.

He was very experienced in training his subordinates and selected a considerable number of elite management teams who obeyed his orders.

Didn’t Liu Bang rely on several brothers from Pei County to defeat the tyrannical Qin and powerful Chu and become emperor and establish his dynasty?

dong dong dong.

There were lightning and thunder in the sky, heavy rain was pouring down, and the dense sound of horse hooves stepping on the muddy puddles was approaching here at a very fast speed.

The undercover agent had left marks along the way, and the delay was enough time for the main cavalry to arrive.

Three thousand elite Xiaoqi can defeat these tens of thousands of peasant soldiers until nothing is left.

"Damn..."

The rain was getting heavier, and the strong winds were blowing continuously, which had seriously hindered the bandits' retreat.

Seeing that he had nowhere to retreat, Zhang Ning felt despair and knew he couldn't escape.

How could two human legs outrun four horse legs? The wind was from the northwest, and the Han army was just in the direction of the wind. He, who had never believed in ghosts and gods, was also a little shaken at this time.

How could it be such a coincidence? As soon as the Han army arrived, it began to rain heavily. You know, Yanzhou has been suffering from a severe drought for several years. This kind of weather is very rare!
Is it true that Liu Han is destined to be...

He collapsed on the spot. The situation was hopeless. It would be futile to escape. No, he couldn't even escape at all. There was no way his horse could compare to those sturdy Liangzhou horses.

Soon, after several rounds of cavalry charges, more than two thousand people fell in the rain, and their blood dyed the ground red.

The other insurgents immediately lost the will to resist and surrendered.

The morale of these people is quite stable. For example, Wang Tong's army can only fight when the wind is favorable. Once they encounter setbacks, the refugees will turn around and force the combat-capable soldiers to surrender.

People like to follow the crowd. The minority obeys the majority. It is almost engraved in their DNA. There are very few people who dare to question or disobey.

The Han army soon began to accept prisoners, most of whom were sentenced to death and there was no possibility of pardon.

As for the tens of thousands of captives in Yuzhou, Xu Zhong could unilaterally decide to pardon them on the spot and only execute the main culprits, but this was not the case for these, as most of them were thieves who had been causing trouble for many years.

It is really unreasonable not to kill them. At least those powerful people who have been robbed will never accept it.

“Go faster…”

In the nearby county government office, soldiers in armor escorted the bandit leader Zhang Ning into the building. This big bandit who roamed across Yanzhou had lost his former charm and looked decadent and haggard.

No one can remain indifferent when a great cause that was within reach is missed.

He originally wanted to take advantage of the situation to make a fortune, but he didn't expect to get himself involved, and he ended up losing more than he gained.

"Zhang Ning...right." Xu Zhong stood in front of him, looking down at him.

"In fact, you and I can barely be considered brothers, right? We have both attended Master Zhao's classes. It's a pity that you have so much talent, but you chose to seek the skin of a tiger. In the end, you will only end up dead."

"What a pity, what a pity." He shook his head and sighed.

This person's ability deserves recognition.

Zhang Ning sneered, with wrinkles on his face clearly visible: "I don't deserve it. I was just a poor man who failed many times. I didn't achieve anything. Instead, I lost all my family's wealth and eventually became a bandit."

"You are different. You are less than 40 years old, but you have already taken on the high position of governor or even general. You are in charge of the lives and deaths of millions of people in Jingzhou. How majestic you are."

Xu Zhong could tell that this was both a mockery and a self-mockery, and his expression did not change. "You should wait a little longer. Perhaps you are on the wrong path. You don't have to go through the Imperial Academy to become an official." "There are also many places for the local selection of filial and honest officials. You can slowly practice and accumulate reputation. Back then, the prime minister Wang Si of the Yuan Dynasty was even poorer than you. He was penniless and his family couldn't even afford to buy a book."

"But what happened in the end? He spent thirty years, and his students were all over the world. Finally, he was appointed by Emperor Yuan, and was recruited by the court to become a prime minister! Such a legendary figure is right in front of us."

"It is unprecedented that a poor peasant could be made a marquis and a prime minister."

Xu Zhong sighed, saying that apart from the issue of stance, Wang Si was really amazing and worthy of respect.

His father died early, and in order to take care of his mother, he once rejected the olive branch offered by the great scholar Qian Kong and resolutely stayed in his hometown to farm. In the end, it was only when his mother threatened to commit suicide that he chose to enter the Imperial College.

This time, he turned into a dragon when he encountered wind and rain, showing astonishing talent. He reorganized Confucian classics such as Analects and Mencius, and boldly integrated the Legalist thought, which was affirmed by many great Confucian scholars.

You know, this has never happened before.

Later, as a student, he single-handedly refuted the great Confucian scholar Li Ke and stopped the escalating dispute between Confucianism and Legalism. He became famous and his name was recorded in history. Such a person is truly admirable.

“Haha…” Zhang Ning smiled bitterly: “How can I be compared with a hero like Wang Si?”

"But I think I am quite capable, and that is true. But why did I achieve nothing in the end, while those who are worse than me took up high positions?"

"It's just that my last name is not Xu, that's all, that's all..."

Xu Zhong was silent, and then he said: "This is destined by heaven, and it cannot be changed by human power."

Zhang Ning said, "No point in talking any more. Please chop off my head. After all, you still have to go up and claim the reward, right?"

"My death is worthy of its own good, for it caused the Han Emperor to make such a big move."

"General Xu, you should make plans early. I have to say that within three generations, the Wang family's relatives will definitely usurp the Han Dynasty! What will you choose then? It's interesting, very interesting."

"I will wait patiently in the underworld to watch this big show."

Xu Zhong was a little angry, then waved his hand: "Take him away, execute him immediately, and send his head back to Chang'an."

"Yes." The soldier agreed and then dragged Zhang Ning away who was laughing loudly.

Afterwards, most of the bandits were beheaded and their heads were transported back to the capital.

The grand Yingchuan Wang Tong uprising came to an end here. This was another large-scale peasant uprising after Qin's Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, sweeping across the four states of Henan, Yan, Jing and Qing.

Although it was far from having the effect of shaking the rule, it was very representative, proving that the common people were not the kind of sheep that would accept everything, and would stand up and resist when they were oppressed! It can be suppressed once, but what if it happens the second, third, fourth... or even countless times?
The oppression of tenant farmers by local tyrants was also restrained for a short period of time, although the land divided up by the rebels was later taken back by the landlords.

The merger problem has not changed and is even getting worse.

.........

Half a month later, the news that Jingzhou Governor Xu Zhong had suppressed Wang Tong's uprising was sent back to Chang'an, with an urgent message of 800 miles.

The scouts on fast horses were galloping at high speed on the streets, and pedestrians along the way all tried to get out of the way, because in this situation they could avoid being held responsible if they killed someone.

"Your Majesty, the battle report from Governor Xu Zhong has arrived."

"Read." Liu Ao had a big smile on his face. He had been on pins and needles since Wang Tong's uprising. You know, there had been peasant uprisings during the reigns of Emperor Wu and Emperor Yuan, but they were all small-scale.

The scale was just a few hundred or a few thousand, tens of thousands at most. This is the first time that there has been a scale of hundreds of thousands. The historians will definitely make a note of it.

He was almost certain to be labeled a tyrant.

Therefore, Liu Ao's joy was predictable. During this period, he no longer felt attracted to the two beauties, Zhao Feiyan and Zhao Hede, who were bringing disaster to the country and the people.

I am always worried about the front line.

"I received the grace of Heaven and raised an army in Nanyang. I defeated the bandits of Sun Wu in Runan, killing 60,000 of them and beheading several thousand. After that, I gathered troops from Huainan and advanced towards the bandit leader Wang Tong's army. I fought a decisive battle with Yingchuan and defeated 300,000 of them."

"The Thousand Bandits of Yanzhou have evil ambitions and intend to retreat to Qingzhou, relying on the terrain and waters to confront the imperial court. I led thousands of light cavalry to attack thousands of miles away, defeated the bandits, and beheaded the bandit leader Zhang Ning..."

Next was the list of rewards based on merit. Xu Zhong put in a lot of effort and included almost every meritorious person, but he didn't write much about himself.

The position of rear general is already good enough. As long as the emperor does not take him back, he will make a fortune. You know, such important general positions are currently monopolized by Wang's relatives.

"Good, good, good. General Xu is truly a pillar of the country. I was not wrong about him." Liu Ao said three good words in a row with a smile on his face. It turned out that the Xu family was the most capable.

This is also the reason why he did not allow Wang Feng to lead the army to fight. He was already a high-ranking official. How should he reward him if he won the battle?

Do you think I'm going to give him the dragon throne under my butt?

"Give rewards to those who deserve them! The Han Dynasty has never been stingy with rewards." Liu Ao was so happy that he waved his hand. Although the Wang family controlled the government, he was not so helpless that he could not make a decision on such a matter.

"General, what do you think of this Xu Zhongzhen? How should he be rewarded?" After calming down, he finally remembered the real hero.

The son of the Xu family must be rewarded. He is currently the only force that can compete with the Wang family.

Although the Wang family's power permeated the central government and almost monopolized the three dukes and nine ministers, the Xu family still dominated the local areas.

Most of the local officials in the Thirteen States of the Han Dynasty were disciples or clansmen of the Xu family. The Confucian forces in the Imperial Academy supported the Wang family, while the Legalist forces supported the Xu family.

This evolved into a continuation of the dispute between Confucianism and Legalism, and in essence it was still a game between Confucianism and Legalism. This can be seen from the fact that the Doctor of the Imperial College had the power to recommend filial and honest officials.

The local quotas are actually also under the control of the Imperial College. If a powerful person wants to respond to the call, he must be recommended by one or more doctors from the Imperial College.

The Imperial College holds the final approval for the recruitment of officials. If the doctor holding the seal does not nod, the process cannot proceed and will be stuck, with no choice but to fight back.

It can be said that it has expanded to an extremely terrifying level. The foundation of a dynasty is the official channel!

Therefore, the Wang family did not dare to kill Xu Bo. Xu Bo was still the Imperial Academy Master, and those self-righteous doctors did not even bother to pay any attention to this great general.

Among the sixteen doctors in the Confucian Academy, only four recognized the Wang family, but thirteen recognized Xu Bo!

Those three also held a friendly attitude but did not express it explicitly. Not to mention the law school. Wang Feng, who held all the power, had no way to deal with it and could only go along with it.

"Your Majesty, you should reward me if I deserve it." Wang Feng said with a smile.

He is just a general with a high title and cannot affect the military power of the imperial guards at all.

(End of this chapter)