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

Chapter 131 Xu Min Arrives, Wang Mang Struggles for Power

Soon, Xu Yuan, Xu Min and others also rushed to the capital. The first thing they did was to meet Emperor Liu Xin, and then they went to defeat the Wang family's relatives.

Xu Min was simply feeling disappointed, because after all, this was not his biological father, and the most he felt for him was just respect, respect for a kind-hearted elder. Xu Bo's character was much better than his father Xu Ru, and he did things in an upright manner.

Even his old rival Wang Feng spoke highly of him.

You know, Wang Feng burst into sneers whenever he mentioned Xu Ming, and he did not hide his contempt for him at all, and he did not have any sense of superiority as a winner.

He thought that Xu Ming was not an opponent at all, just like the other relatives of the emperor in the past who were "decided in one battle" and had no ability to resist. On the contrary, Xu Bo was not simple.

We have achieved considerable results by expanding our advantages to compete with them.

"Brother, I haven't seen you for many years. You are still as charming as ever." Xu Yuan suppressed the sadness in his heart.

Xu Yuan is actually a bastard's son, and his dependence on his father is not that strong, but he is definitely sad. Xu Bo has always been a kind father, and he usually gives the best treatment to the bastards he notices.

But relatively speaking, the companionship he received was far less than that of the legitimate son. In this era, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate sons was still very obvious. In many cases, when the mother was not favored, the status of the illegitimate son was even lower than that of a servant.

That is why Yuan Shu dared to mock Yuan Shao for being a "son of a concubine".

However, Yuan Shao in the late Eastern Han Dynasty was also a typical example of a bastard's rise to power. His mother was just a concubine without a prominent family background, but through his own efforts, he was adopted by Yuan Cheng from another branch of the family. His father, Yuan Tang, was also a high-ranking official and a key figure of the Yuan family.

From then on, he became the legitimate son! His identity had undergone a huge transformation, and he received more family resources.

But obviously, there is only one future lord of Hebei, and not every illegitimate son can rise. Most of the time they are just like everyone else. Yuan Shao himself was born very outstanding.

Xu Yuan himself is also a typical example of a bastard's rise. Although he is the eldest son of a bastard, his mother is just a commoner woman, and Xu Bo has no feelings for him.

But in the end, he relied on his outstanding military ability to step by step become the governor of Liangzhou who controlled Xiliang! He was a frontier official with tens of thousands of soldiers under his command, and thousands of Xiliang cavalry, and had made great military achievements.

He is one of the few people with real power. Although he is only a local official, he can shake the whole world with just a stomp of his feet. No one with military power is easy to mess with, not to mention he has elite cavalry trained by himself.

The imperial court also needs him to suppress local forces. His status is far higher than that of ordinary illegitimate sons, and even the eldest sons of other families!

In addition to the two main branches, Xu Ye and Xu Nan, there are many side branches. In addition, the family power is constantly expanding and intertwined. These officials with the surname Xu have jointly built a powerful network of relationships.

Without them, the Xu family's control over the area would be greatly reduced.

Xu Zhong patted his shoulder with great satisfaction and praised him: "I heard that you did a good job in Xiliang. Very good. At least I am very satisfied with you."

"It's worth my father's promotion."

Xu Yuan also smiled. He had been following his half-brother since he was a child and respected him very much, almost to the point of following his lead. If his second brother wanted to compete for the position of head of the family, he would stand on his side without hesitation.

This favor of recognition is very important. He was able to become the prefect because of the recommendation of his second brother.

"Shuyi is here." Xu Hua also came out, with a kind expression at first. This younger brother was also someone he needed to win over.

The role played by a governor of a state is undoubtedly huge, not to mention that he has military power. If he openly opposes, he will not be able to maintain his position as the head of the family.

Without the support of the local bosses of the family, Xu Hua would be nothing but an empty shell no matter how hard he tried.

"Hello, big brother." Xu Yuan bowed respectfully. There was no frivolity in his eyes as when he faced Xu Zhong, but rather an extremely serious look.

Just like superiors and subordinates.

"Shuyi, you and I are brothers. Do we need to talk about these things between brothers?" Xu Hua didn't care and greeted him with a big laugh.

The two of them didn't have a particularly close relationship. As the eldest son and the future successor of the family, what reason did he have to be close to a bastard? But of course he did have regrets.

Who could be expected that a bastard's son could suddenly turn things around and become the governor of Liang Province?

So this kind of relationship is pretty good, as long as you obey his orders.

"I heard that you, Shuyi, have recovered the four counties of Dunhuang? This has been a headache for the imperial court for many years. That place has been in chaos since my grandfather died." Xu Zhong asked.

When Xu Yuan mentioned this, he became more excited, but his face looked very modest: "It's nothing, it's all thanks to my father and two brothers. With soldiers in hand, it's easy to beat those rabble, isn't it?"

This seems a bit pretentious. The previous governor of Liangzhou also held the imperial seal and acted as the right general, sending 30,000 troops on an expedition to attack Dunhuang.

But the result was to return empty-handed. At the beginning, they were indeed unstoppable and the enemy was defeated at the first touch. However, as soon as the army left, the originally recovered areas rebelled again.

The army could only return to provide reinforcements, and the result was a repetitive cycle with no stability at all.

These Qiang tribes were too closely tied to the Dunhuang counties. They could only be conquered but not eliminated. There were a total of more than 400,000 registered people in these counties, of which the Qiang people accounted for more than 200,000. In addition, there were those who were not included in the government records.

It is simply unimaginable. If they were all slaughtered, it would be better not to take this place, and we would have to pay management costs for nothing.

Although Xu Yuan himself was a military general, he was very smart and knew that the reason why the Hexi Corridor was out of control was probably because the government had oppressed the Qiang people too severely. Once the troops were withdrawn, they would start to resist.

As long as we beat them hard first and then promise them equal treatment, everything will be solved. Xiaoyong's Qiang people will become excellent soldiers!

Of course, prefects and governors had done this before, but these people were too untrustworthy. What they said was completely different from what they did, and over time they lost trust.

Even if the court wants to change its previous attitude now, it is useless. No one will believe the story of the boy who cried wolf.

At this time, Xu Yuan's identity came in handy, because Xu Ning was a man of his word, and the Qiang people of all tribes were both afraid and respectful of him.

"Shuyi is too modest. This is a real military achievement. Don't worry, I will report it to Your Majesty truthfully. We must not let the meritorious officials feel discouraged."

Xu Hua also gave his affirmation. Of course, Xu Yuan was his own man. Taking over Liangzhou would be equivalent to the Xu family taking over Liangzhou.

With Xiliang, they could directly threaten Chang'an. Starting from Longxi, they could reach Chang'an in less than ten days! This undoubtedly made the Wang family feel uneasy.

For a moment, the atmosphere around became quite harmonious.

"Prime Minister, Youzhou Governor Xu Min requests to see you." The servant knocked on the door and came in to report after getting permission.

"Xu Min? Please come in... No, I'll go to greet him myself." Xu Hua tidied himself up a little and went out.

The two Xus were originally one family, and now it is an extraordinary period, so they can only rely on each other.

Hebei is also very important. Xu Min has tens of thousands of soldiers in Youzhou and is extremely powerful. He is also a powerful leader in Jizhou. If the influence of Chang'an is not counted, Qinghe Xu is not much worse than Henan Xu.

They are all leaders of the local faction, and the governor has to compromise in the past, otherwise he will be unable to move forward. "Go out and take a look."

Xu Zhong and the other man also followed. Calculating the time, they hadn't seen Xu Min for a while, so it was a good opportunity to catch up.

"Hahaha... Bofei, you're finally here. I've been waiting for so long."

Xu Hua was just as polite as ever. He greeted him with a smile, hugged him and asked about his well-being. No one knew what he was thinking, but at least he acted very well on the surface.

"Why does the elder brother have to come out in person? There are only examples of younger brothers welcoming their elder brothers. It is really unheard of for an elder brother to take the initiative to go out and greet his younger brother."

Xu Min had a smile on his face, and as they hugged each other, the two of them were like brothers who hadn't seen each other for many years, so harmonious and friendly.

"Brother Min, it's been many years since we last met." Xu Zhong also came over.

"Look at this, what kind of nonsense is this? I really can't save my old face." Xu Min seemed very uncomfortable.

Then he stepped forward quickly and said, "Brother and the two brothers, please come in quickly. Let's sit down and talk. It's not right to stand here."

After saying this, they returned to the room.

"Well, I've also visited my uncle. Please accept my condolences." Xu Min expressed his understanding of Xu Hua and Xu Zhong's feelings. He fully experienced this when his father Xu Ming passed away.

It really doesn’t feel good when a loved one passes away. My heart suddenly feels empty, as if something is missing.

But there is nothing that can be done about birth, aging, sickness and death. Xu Bo was over sixty years old, which was extremely long-lived in this era. He was actually living a long life. Wang Feng was even shorter-lived. He died in his fifties.

It's quite good that Xu Bo has managed to hold on until now. He has created quite good conditions for the younger generation, which are much better than the predicament he faced back then. At least Wang Gen is not in good health.

It is difficult for the new successor, whether Wang Mang or Chunyu Chang, to pose a major threat.

"People can't always stay in grief. It's meaningless and useless. We should look forward."

"What we really need to do now is to take over my father's burden and support the Han Dynasty! My Xu family has been enjoying the Han Dynasty's salary for generations, and we are qualified to be loyal to Your Majesty, so we can't be decadent! We must restore the Liu Dynasty again!"

Xu Hua encouraged everyone. This was what Xu wanted to do.

"Brother, you are right." Xu Min looked at him for a few times and expressed his agreement.

"It seems that the situation is not serious." He murmured to himself.

Xu Min had already inquired about it. After Xu Zhong returned to Beijing, he was still as respectful to his brother as before. He had no intention of competing with him for the position of head of the family and put himself in the right position.

This is indeed the case. Xu Zhong doesn't have much ambition, which is a good thing. Now is not the time for infighting.

The two Xu must unite! After defeating the unified enemy, we can deal with those messy things.

.........

At the beginning of the first year of Yuanshou, Xu Bo, who had been worshipped by many parties, was officially buried. This last remnant was declared dead. The old era ended and a new era came!
As soon as Xu Bo died in the third year of Jianyuan, Wang Gen manipulated the censors to impeach Xu officials in Chang'an and local areas, accusing Xu Zhong of colluding with Zhu Chun, the governor of Yangzhou, and attempting to rebel with his own troops.

He accused Xu Yuan of colluding with the Qiang people to raise bandits and to gain power in order to defraud the imperial court of military pay, and Xu Min of corruption and joining forces with Bingzhou governor Dong Chong to commit evil.

Prime Minister Xu Hua failed to perform his duties properly, causing the anger of heaven to bring down many natural disasters.

The main focus was on treating everyone equally. Most of the main figures of the Xu family were impeached, and the censors close to the Wang family were constantly making suggestions.

Liu Xin was so annoyed that he replaced Xu Min as the governor of Youzhou and appointed Xu Yuan as the General of Pingxi, who was in charge of the troops of Liangzhou and was responsible for local taxation and the appointment and dismissal of officials. He also promoted Xu Zhong to the General of Zhengnan and supervised the military affairs of Jing, Yang and Jiao provinces, while he continued to serve as the General of Chariots and Cavalry.

This matter can be said to be over. Although the punishment was in vain, Xu Zhong was rewarded. His previous layout in Jingzhou did not change at all, and his control over government affairs was not weakened. He could even interfere in the military affairs of Yangzhou with justification!

If they really wanted to weaken the Xu family, they should have transferred them all out or swapped them, but Liu Xin did not do that. His trust in the Xu family was undoubtedly still there.

Although Wang Gen was helpless, there was nothing he could do. He was now powerless and facing Xu Hua who was pressing him step by step and fighting back, it was becoming increasingly difficult. He couldn't even make a last-ditch effort.

Because his health was extremely poor, he needed to stay in bed for a long time.

The competition for succession within the Wang family is also intensifying.

In a side house of the Wang family where they found a bargain.

Zheng Liangrong smiled and sipped his tea, his face full of pride. He looked at his beloved disciple with great satisfaction.

"From today on, you are a doctor of my Confucian Academy. You can't be proud and complacent. This is different from being an official in the court. You can't make money from this!"

"The biggest difference between us and those corrupt officials is that we are honest. If a person's conduct is not up to standard, he must not be allowed to be an official. Otherwise, he will be a disaster to the world!"

Wang Mang, who was standing respectfully beside him, nodded and said, "I will keep your teachings in mind."

Although Wang Mang looked calm, he was actually very happy. He had completed the most important step. The next thing was simple.

First, he had to defeat the biggest opposition force in the family, Chunyu Chang! Wang Zhengjun's nephew, and wrest the position of successor from him.

If he fails to successfully win the position of the head of the Wang family, then all the follow-up will be nothing but empty talk.

The next step is to gain the support of Confucian scholars, and it would be best if he could become the chief doctor of the Confucian Academy. In this way, everything the Xu family has will be gone!

Wang Feng did a very good job, but his reputation was not so good. This moral level is obviously not enough.

Before that, he needed to pretend to be weak and withdraw from the court.

As for how to come back, it’s also simple.

The current emperor is most likely a short-lived person and his health is very poor. It is estimated that he will not survive more than three years. By then, the Empress Dowager will be needed to preside over the reign.

The Queen Mother had no one to use, so the first person she thought of was her own family, and then Wang Mang would be able to return successfully.

"By the way, is what you said before true? You can't frame others just for power." Zheng Liangrong's expression was serious.

"Of course it is true. If you don't believe it, you can send someone to investigate." Wang Mang said slowly.

He has already learned about Chunyu Chang's scandal.

(End of this chapter)