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

Chapter 129: Going to Beijing, Xu Zhen’s Plan
Changan.

Countless officials of the Xu family from all over the country were concentrated here, including local prefects, county governors, county magistrates, and county lieutenants. They all had to show off their talents to the highly respected old prime minister.

Of course, it would be great if you could be appreciated by a senior official.

There are quite a few officials at the level of prefect.

An official at the level of prefect was enough for an ordinary official to rise to prominence. Two thousand stones was not a lot in the entire Han Dynasty. Apart from the three dukes and nine ministers and generals with important titles, there were only prefects and governors in local areas.

For the county magistrate, this is undoubtedly a great opportunity. At the very least, it would be great if he could get the favor of a doctor from the Imperial College.

If the system of recommendation does not examine so-called ability, but morality or reputation, then if you are famous, you don't need to work hard at all, the court will actively recruit you.

Among those who used this method to enter officialdom, Wang Si was the most famous. He was appointed prime minister right from the start and held great power after Emperor Yuan ascended the throne.

He is the idol of countless students.

A well-equipped and well-trained cavalry of a hundred men slowly stopped outside Chang'an. The man in the lead was wearing an official robe, riding a tall horse, and looking out at this magnificent city.

"After so many years, I'm finally back..." Xu Zhong closed his eyes and couldn't help sighing in his heart.

When I was sent out of the capital to serve as the prefect of Nanyang, I should have had no future. I was just a local official, and the limit for me was the prefect and the governor. How much progress could I make no matter how hard I tried?

But no one, including Xu Bo himself, expected that Xu Zhong could actually achieve this! General of Chariots and Cavalry, Governor of Jingzhou, were both heavyweights who could rank among the top five in the entire Han Dynasty.

He also holds real military and political power, and has transformed himself into the second-in-command of the Xu family. It's really amazing.

Wang Tong's rebellion, the abolition of Shi and the establishment of Mu, the Jiangdong bandits...all these major events happened at the same time, which affected his position.

"Send someone to inform them immediately. We are foreign ministers now and it is absolutely not allowed for us to lead troops into the capital, so just pick a few guards."

"Even if something really happens in Chang'an, these one or two hundred people won't be of much use, so it doesn't matter if we abandon them. The only thing we need to pay attention to is the garrison in Nanyang, and we need to strike a balance."

"Yes, sir." The accompanying deputy general immediately agreed.

As the local leader, Xu Zhong could mobilize a lot of soldiers, but they were only limited to moving within his jurisdiction. If they left Jingzhou, he would be in trouble.

Suddenly you moved troops into other states. What are you trying to do? Rebellion.

Today, Liu Xin is extremely sensitive to rebellion. He can tolerate having his power stripped away and divided, but he cannot tolerate having his throne threatened!

No one wants to be a king who loses his country. If the country is destroyed in his hands, how will he face his ancestors when he goes to the underworld?

Therefore, one must be cautious. It is a taboo to even lead troops into other states, let alone into Beijing. Not only can one not enter Beijing, but even Guanzhong and Luoyang cannot be entered. The best option is to concentrate on Nanyang.

The first local military leader to lead troops into the capital of the Han Dynasty should be Dong Zhuo. Who is Dong Zhuo? He is a famous devil and the gravedigger of the Han Dynasty.

Xu Zhong just wanted to intimidate and warn Wang Gen without exposing himself to threats and suspicions, so he only brought nearly a hundred elite soldiers to Beijing this time, and he couldn't bring all of them in.

It is intolerable for local troops to enter the central government in any era, as military leaders are naturally susceptible to suspicion.

A scout holding the General of Chariots and Cavalry's seal approached the moat of Chang'an and successfully negotiated with the commander of the city gate after confirming that there was no intention of attack.

When the defending general learned that it was General Xu Zhong who returned to the capital, he went in to report without stopping, and then opened the city gate to welcome him into the capital.

The process for officials from outside the capital to enter the capital was quite cumbersome, but Xu Zhong was a General of Chariots and Cavalry, and was essentially a central government official, albeit in name only.

The General of Chariots and Cavalry was in charge of the palace guards and the Northern Army, but Xu Zhong had no say in the matter. He had not yet been promoted to the rank of Grand Sima, which meant that he could not reach out to the government and had to rely mainly on the Governor of Jingzhou.

"My humble servant greets Xu Cheqi." The guarding general saluted respectfully.

Xu Zhong had military merit in suppressing rebels and bandits, so he was still able to win the support of the people. The military generals did not think that he was unworthy of the position, so their attitude was still good.

"Well...you are all soldiers of our Han Dynasty. There is no need to do this to serve the court together." Xu Zhong patted his shoulder, and the other party showed a flattered expression.

"Xu Cheqi, I am not trying to make things difficult for you. It is really a military order that cannot be disobeyed. You can only bring in twelve of the hundred men, and you cannot wear armor. Weapons must also be strictly controlled."

"It's not that I don't trust you, but this is the rule, and we can't break the iron rule left by Emperor Gao."

A trace of embarrassment flashed across the guard's eyes. In fact, a foreign official could only bring six soldiers at most, and the twelve referred to his entourage.

He has already made a serious exception. If he makes any more concessions, he might not even be able to keep his position. After all, the city defense is also under the jurisdiction of the general, and there is no need to say much about the relationship between the general and the Xu family. They are almost like water and fire.

"I won't make things difficult for you. I understand the reason. Just do what needs to be done. Don't worry, if anyone causes trouble for you, the door of Jingzhou is always open to you."

Xu Zhong was very satisfied. He also knew the rules and knew that the defending general had done his best.

"Thank you Xu Cheqi."

.........

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the cavalry of Xu has entered the capital." The eunuch entered the Weiyang Palace and reported loudly.

"Xu Cheqi? Did he get the news so quickly?" Liu Xin stood up when he heard that, obviously a little surprised.

You have to know that this is not the Internet age. It takes time for information to be conveyed. Now it has not even spread to the people in Guanzhong, let alone Xu Zhong who is far away in Nanyang. It is indeed too fast.

"It seems that your intelligence organization is quite effective." Liu Xin muttered to himself. Although he didn't know that his trusted eunuchs including his bedmate were all spies of the Xu family, he had heard of this intelligence organization.

But no one has ever taken it seriously. No matter how big it is, it is just a family after all.

But it looks far more powerful than imagined.

"Change my clothes. Xu's cavalry should have come this way." Liu Xin said slowly. No matter what, this was also a frontier official with great military achievements. The foundation of the empire had to be more formal. He would need to rely on these governors in the future.

Although Jingyang has become calmer, the problem of bandits still exists. A strong leader is needed, and this person can only be Xu Zhong. Others are either incompetent or not loyal enough.

As for Liangzhou and Youzhou, it's far from over, especially Liangzhou. Xu Yuan is needed to manage the Western Regions! It would be difficult for someone else to suppress the big and small tyrants and the Qiang tribes in various places. It has been proven before that the situation in Liangzhou is the most complicated. There must be someone with both ability and status to mediate, and this important task must be carried out by the Xu family.

"There is still no one available. If there are enough talents, why would they be restricted like this?" Liu Xin sighed. In fact, he did not have 100% trust in the Xu family. No one in this world is absolutely trustworthy.

Because people change, their mentality changes, maybe the Xu family was absolutely loyal in the past hundred years, but who can guarantee the future? Although there is no basis for it, it is always right to take precautions.

But the problem is that now, apart from the Xu family, there is no capable minister who can take on the important task! Others are not worth using, so the only way to consolidate the imperial power is to use the Xu family. Although it seems very useful at present, Liu Xin still feels uneasy.

But he had no choice but to use the Xu family. History has proved that this decision was correct. His grandfather, Emperor Yuan, once lost trust in the Xu family and supported Wang Si.

But the result is that Wang Si is monopolizing power! Xu Ning is still needed to turn the tide, so it is really the stupidest thing to rashly replace the Xu family!
In fact, all the monarchs in later generations envied the Liu family for having the full support of the Xu family. Xu Zhen alone is hard to come by, let alone the long list of others that followed.

Whoever gets Xu Zhen gets the world. It's not only because of the affirmation of Xu Zhen's ability, but more because of the desire to own this family!

.........

"Wait a moment, I will go see His Majesty."

At this time, Xu Zhong had already arrived at a house of the Xu family. After making preliminary arrangements, he was about to go to the palace to meet Liu Xin. For a long time, the first thing the local governor did after returning to Beijing was to see the emperor.

Xu Zhong got on the carriage and arrived at the palace gate. The guards had been waiting for a long time. After verifying his identity, they let him go immediately. It was obvious that this was the order from above.

In fact, it can be guessed. This is Chang'an. The emperor will know what happens at the first time. Otherwise, the monarch would be a failure and unable to do even the smallest thing.

"Your Majesty, I, Xu Zhong, pay my respects to you. Long live the Emperor."

Arriving at the study in the Weiyang Palace, Xu Zhong bowed respectfully.

"Xu Cheqi, you don't have to be so polite. You are a true beloved minister and an important official of the court. You should have the right not to bow when entering the court. Otherwise, it will inevitably disappoint the meritorious official Han Xin."

Liu Xin's attitude was very friendly, with a smile on his face. Although he was wary of Xu Zhong, he liked him very much.

Who wouldn't love a loyal minister who can fight wars, govern the country, and be both civil and military? He served as the governor of Jingzhou for three years and managed the place in an orderly and brand new way. This ability cannot be ignored.

"Your Majesty, etiquette cannot be abolished." Xu Zhong still did not dare to show any slackness. The emperor could say so, but you could not really do it.

Otherwise it would be too ignorant.

"Alas... Xu Cheqi's return this time is for Prime Minister Xu. The old man has devoted his whole life to the country and the people. I feel very sorry for his passing now."

"Unfortunately, life and death are the laws of the world. This is what Prime Minister Xu taught me. It makes a lot of sense. Perhaps this is the true way of ruling by doing nothing, and using inaction to defeat action."

Liu Xin showed a compassionate expression, this time he was sincere and not just showing off. He was really sad about Xu Zhong's death. He didn't have many ministers he could use, and many of them were untrustworthy. Now it was even worse.

It is still unknown whether Xu Hua can be of great use. Just because his father can, it does not mean that his son can too. Xu Nan, the General of the Northern Expedition during the Kang Dynasty, was already a famous general who terrified foreign enemies.

But no matter his ability to command troops or his military strength, he was far inferior to his father Xu Gong. He was truly a one-man defense against ten thousand men! Taking the enemy's head was as easy as taking something out of a bag.

"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. My father would not want to see this scene," Xu Zhongqiang said, suppressing his sadness.

He always felt absolutely empty whenever he thought about his father's death.

"I won't expose your scars any more. Come with me to Jinghou Mansion. It's a good opportunity to see the old prime minister again and make up for his regrets."

After Liu Xin finished speaking, he quickly arranged to prepare the horses.

Xu Zhong remained silent, his hands clenched tightly, and no one knew what he was thinking, perhaps he was feeling guilty.

As a son, I was not able to be with him at his last moment. How unfilial I am.

.........

"Huh, another generation is gone." Xu Zhen observed everything about the Han Dynasty through the mirror in the heroic spirit space. Now, at least thirty years have passed since Xu Ning's death.

A lot of things happened in these thirty years. The Liu family's authority further declined, the Wang family rose and competed with the Xu family. The two sides, one controlled the central government and the other controlled the local areas, and the open and covert struggles had already resulted in rivers of blood.

[Xu Bo: Politics (88), Command (71), Wisdom (86), Military Strength (70), Controlling People (84), Literary Strategy (82)]

These are Xu Bo’s attributes. There is nothing particularly outstanding about them, but they are relatively balanced. Most of the attributes are over eighty, which is already quite good in peacetime.

But now the situation is precarious. Wang Mang, the gravedigger of the Liu Dynasty, has stepped onto the stage of history and shined brightly. At least everything is moving slowly according to the trajectory.

Wang Mang's reputation was as good as ever, which was the basis for him to destroy the Han Dynasty. He had previously gained the support of Confucian scholars, and this time he was obviously going to go the same route and began to seek the identity of a Confucian doctor, and he was about to succeed.

His biggest obstacle has disappeared, and he will probably be nominated immediately after the funeral!

At that time, it would not be difficult to gradually gain recognition from the Imperial Academy, because Wang Mang was really too perfect, no different from the "sage" monarch pursued by Confucianism, and it would be easy to get support.

However, it is not realistic to defeat the successor Xu Hua.

It is impossible for all five governors to die suddenly, so they would not be completely powerless to fight back. Xu Zhen estimated that the world would be divided into two and a new small court would be established.

If he were to establish a small court, Xu Hua would not be afraid, because the system would recognize it. As long as the court was of a certain size, it would be a small loophole. Otherwise, once the central government was paralyzed, he would be completely finished.

"Wang Mang, Xu Hua, Xu Zhong...it seems that the protagonists of this play have been decided. According to the time, Liu Xiu should be born."

Xu Zhen murmured to himself. He still wanted to push his descendants to support Liu Xiu, otherwise it would be easy to fail.

Liu Xiu was still a much better emperor than others. At least the variables were not that great, and it was not out of his control. The only thing was that he didn't know how it would work.

"Xu Zhong... is good, with great potential. His highest commander rank can actually grow to level 93." Xu Zhen is very satisfied with his junior Xu Zhong.

Being able to command and control people up to level 90 is already a first-rate talent!
(End of this chapter)