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

Chapter 153 Returning
Wang Mang issued an imperial decree in the name of the emperor, dismissing Prime Minister Xu Hua from his post, and at the same time announced that Xu Zhong, Xu Yuan and others would also be dismissed from their posts.

Claiming that he was rebelling against the court and intending to treason!

The 100,000 imperial guards in Guanzhong began to strictly control each checkpoint and carefully check passers-by. Once they encountered suspicious persons, they would be arrested, and even killed directly in special circumstances.

He was really panicked.

Wang Mang was afraid that the Xu family would rebel, and the 100,000 northwestern troops of Yongliang alone were not easy to deal with.

Those were elite soldiers who had fought on the frontier for more than a decade! The Xiliang Iron Cavalry was able to roam the world, terrify the Xiongnu, and conquer the Western Regions.

Xu Yuan's Xiaoyong is even more well-known.

So he planned to take the initiative and attack! Take advantage of the opportunity before they could react.

Wang Mang guessed that this must be an emergency situation and the Xu family forces in various places did not have time to prepare, otherwise how could the envoy not have informed them?

As long as we gather the troops first, we may be able to defeat the Xiliang Army, which is known as the Iron Army.

Of course, it would be better if Xu Hua could be captured back, which would greatly boost the morale of the troops and serve as a warning to others.

As for leaving the other party leaderless, it is unlikely, Xu Zhong is fully qualified to take over as the head of the family.

Outside Chang'an City.

The soldiers on martial law patrol were constantly searching. They did not dare to slack off as they had done before because the court had already entered a state of preparation for war.

The troops in Luoyang were also mobilized and began to be stationed near Nanyang to guard against sneak attacks by the rebels. Xu Zhong did not dare to act rashly in the short term, after all, his brother's life or death was still uncertain.

“Help…Help…”

A dirty man in tattered clothes came running over tremblingly. The huge dirt stains on his body were a manifestation of endless fear.

"who!"

The soldiers immediately surrounded him, fearing that he was a suspicious person.

"I am Yongliang's customs envoy... Hurry, hurry, I want to see the Prime Minister. If I delay important matters, none of you will be able to bear the responsibility!"

He roared loudly, and after a moment seemed to have thought of something, and pulled out a brass token from the hole.

Upon seeing this, the soldiers dared not to stop them and reported to their superiors.

.........

Dazai's bedroom.

Wang Mang paced back and forth worriedly. He had received a report from the soldiers that the customs envoy from Yongliang had escaped back alone and in a miserable state.

What it represents is self-evident.

"Dazai... it's bad, something terrible has happened! The traitor Xu Yuan has rebelled! He has rebelled!"

The messenger who was brought in by the soldiers fell to his knees with a thump, sobbing and speaking loudly.

"When did it happen?" Wang Mang was well prepared, so he didn't seem too surprised.

But after confirming it, I couldn't help feeling a little scared.

The Northwest Army, one of the most elite armies of the Han Dynasty, is about to become their enemy. I wonder if the imperial guards of Chang'an can stop them.

Not only the rebels in Yongliang, but also the rebels in Hebei and Nanyang must be guarded against.

Fighting on multiple fronts is not a good option.

"About 23 days ago, everyone was lured and killed by the thief Chen Xiang! If I hadn't pretended to be dead and escaped, I'm afraid I wouldn't have had the chance to tip off the enemy!"

He knelt on the ground and told him everything. The soldiers did not kill him but buried him shallowly and left.

His voice was trembling, and it seemed that the entire journey of escape had caused him great psychological damage.

After all, he was an envoy appointed by the imperial court. It was hard to imagine living in hunger and cold, not to mention having to face countless pursuers.

It's even a miracle that he could escape back!
"It's been more than half a month...this Xu Yuan." Wang Mang seemed to be thinking about something. He understood the whole story.

It seems that Xu Hua did not want to rebel, he was forced to do so! Yong Liang could not turn back after killing the imperial envoy! He could only go all the way, including Xu Min, the Zhenbei General of Youzhou, and Xu Zhong, the Huqi General of Jingzhou, who were probably forced to rebel, and their original intention was to wait a little longer.

"This is not going well... Pass the order to focus the defense on the northwest of Chang'an! I'm afraid the first place we will face is the Zhenjun Dudu Mansion."

Wang Mang looked worried. The situation was worse than he thought! He originally thought that he was not fully prepared, but now it seems that Yongliang has at least allocated enough food and grass for the army.

As soon as the news of Xu Hua's escape from Chang'an spreads, Liangzhou will immediately send troops!

Xu Min of Youzhou will also march towards Hebei, while Xu Zhong needs to win over Zhu Chun, the governor of Yangzhou, first, and then support the Liangzhou army after taking Huainan and Jiangdong without bloodshed.

Then, Wang Mang looked at the embarrassed messenger on the ground with a gentle expression and said softly: "You go down first and have a good rest. You are a meritorious official of our Han Dynasty. This time I am sorry for you and for so many loyal officials who died tragically."

"Don't worry, the imperial army will chop off the head of the traitor Xu Yuan sooner or later!"

Let’s put it aside for now whether it works or not, at least we can’t lose in momentum!
"Thank you, Prime Minister!" He kowtowed several times, deeply moved. Wang Mang was quite good at winning people's hearts.

.........

Jingzhou, Nanyang.

At this time, the General of Cavalry's Mansion also entered a state of combat readiness, and all the main officials, including Xu Zhong, were dressed in military uniforms.

Ever since the news of Xu Yuan's secret rebellion was brought here by spies, Xu Zhong has begun to prepare.

His first reaction was to scold this cheap brother. After all, he didn't even bother to discuss such a big matter with him! No matter what, the eldest brother, the head of the family, should know about it, right?

In the end, no one was prepared and the boy lost his patience.

But the same thing still applies, the die is cast, no matter how much resentment there is, we can only wait to meet in person and talk it out.

All we can do now is to prepare for war, and wait for our eldest brother to come and take charge of the situation, and then officially announce the removal of the emperor's side! Of course, we also need to support a reputable prince as emperor, so that we can have a legitimate reason to do so.

What the Xu family needs to do is to create an orthodoxy that can compete with Wang Mang!
Prince Guangyang is undoubtedly the most suitable one. He is the grandson of Emperor Yuanxiao. He has served his mother for many years and is kind to others. More importantly, he is brave and strong, well-versed in military books, not fussy about trivial matters, and has the style of Emperor Gaozu!
Originally, his warmongering nature was a demerit in the fight for the crown prince, because the world still needed an emperor with a kind personality.

But now it is different, the country is divided, the two dynasties are confronting each other! It is obviously not feasible to accept the fate and seek peace blindly, and the heroic King Guangyang happens to be the most suitable, which is also in line with the interests of the military generals.

Just waiting for the eldest brother to return to his position. "Mr. Xu, the envoy has persuaded Governor Zhu, and he has issued a letter of appeal to attack Mang in Yangzhou, and has handed over full authority to the prime minister to dispatch troops and generals."

The armored deputy general trotted in and reported.

Zhu Chun was originally from the Xu family. He was able to become the governor of the state because of good fortune, and he was grateful in his heart.

Moreover, the new dynasty is about to be established, and the original shares are undoubtedly better than surrendering halfway. By then, the benefits promised to me will certainly be great! Nine ministers or right generals are not too much, right?

He was satisfied with just one important general and the already existing Yangzhou governor Zhu Chun.

What's more, Yangzhou is close to Jingzhou. Whether in terms of military strength, sophistication, or armor and weapons, we are far inferior to the soldiers of Jingzhou. If we don't agree, we will be captured by the other side sooner or later.

By then, it would be useless even if he could escape. He would not have an easy time when he returned to the court after losing Yangzhou as a bargaining chip. He might even be wiped out by Wang Mang because of the past record of Xu's disciples. In short, resistance would bring more harm than good.

It would be better to surrender quickly and use the soldiers and land of Yangzhou as a token of your loyalty.

"Well... very good. Zhu Chun knows how to adapt to current situations and is worthy of being the person I have chosen." Xu Zhong nodded with satisfaction. Although he was his own man, rebelling against the court was risky after all.

Fortunately, that guy could see the situation clearly.

"Send the message to my generals, order Li Xuanqi to take command of 50,000 troops to intimidate Luoyang and Guanzhong!"

"When Grand Commander Xu Yuan sends out his troops, cooperate fully and contain the 100,000 imperial guards in the Luoyang area!"

Xu Hua had already discussed this with Xu Zhong in advance and they reached agreement on the corresponding strategic intentions.

The purpose was not to attack Chang'an and kill Wang Mang, but to establish a new dynasty to wash away the political decline of the Han Dynasty! Therefore, the top priority was to capture cities and plunder land.

We must have the confidence to fight a tug-of-war with them! Hebei will definitely be accepted, and the only suspense is Yanxuyu and part of Qingzhou.

Later, Xu Zhong would personally lead his troops north to Runan, first capture this wealthy county, and then gradually erode the remaining parts of Yuzhou.

Now that Runan is in our hands, there will be basically no problem with Yuzhou. It is only a matter of time.

As for Xuzhou and Yanzhou, they were difficult because they were Wang Mang's core areas and the people were quite supportive of the prime minister, making them very difficult to capture.

In fact, if we cannot capture Luoyang in one battle, the possibility of defeating Wang Mang in a short time is not very high.

Guanzhong, Bashu, Luoyang and other regions are firmly controlled by the Wang family. As long as there is a chance to catch their breath, they can rely on the large amount of gold, silver and grain in the Chang'an treasury to mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops!
The money and grain stored there were equivalent to the tax revenue of the Han Dynasty for four years, which, together with a large amount of funding, was more than enough to maintain a sufficient army.

Even if the Northwest Army was brave, they would not be able to resist because of the lack of food and grass. Although the people of Liangzhou were brave, this place was too desolate and barren.

The environment created a martial spirit in Yongliang, but it also cut off the potential for war, and it was destined to achieve nothing great.

Once the offensive was frustrated and turned into a war of attrition, even if Xu Yuan had great abilities, he would have to lead his troops back to the camp, and the food and grass would be supplied for a maximum of one and a half months! He would have to wait until Xu Min occupied Jizhou and rely on Jizhou's large amount of food for replenishment.

It was almost inevitable that the two dynasties would join forces and divide and rule, and neither could do anything to the other.

.........

The outer suburbs of Nanyang.

A team dressed as a caravan appeared in the wilderness, and the man with extraordinary temperament on the horse in the middle was Xu Hua, the head of the Xu family who escaped from Chang'an!
It was too late for Wang Mang to react. By the time he got down to chase at full speed, the beast had already disappeared.

It was mainly due to a wrong prediction. He thought that Xu Hua would go to the nearby Yongliang and command the army, and take advantage of the court's failure to react to win the battle and regain power!
But he obviously underestimated Xu Hua's ambition. He didn't want everything to return to the status quo and start a new cycle.

Now that we have seen the sword and the blood, let's have a real reform! Fight the war that needs to be fought and establish a new court.

The Liu clan member who emerged from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood is the emperor recognized by the Xu family!
Anyway, if we wait any longer, the variables will be too great. Maybe in a dozen years, the Xu family's influence in the local area will fade away. In this way, even if we want to change it, we can't change it. How can we ensure that the Liu family will win?

So it is better to take the initiative, at least you have the initiative in your hands.

"The master is almost here, and is about ten miles away from Xinye County." The follower came over on horseback.

Almost all the members of the cavalry were surnamed Xu, and the guards did not necessarily have to be outsiders. Many of the clan members were also very skilled in martial arts. Apart from a few small groups of imperial guards, there were no obstacles along the way.

Of course, there was no loss of these people, only a few fell behind.

Xinye is the gateway to Jingzhou. After passing the Jingzhou military checkpoint, we have successfully escaped from danger. This is the territory of the Xu family!

Just show the seal of the prime minister and you will have smooth sailing.

Although the generals and soldiers had seen the legendary head of the Xu family, Yin Shou knew him.

"Very good, everyone has worked hard. After we enter Xinye, we will rest for a night and then move on to Wancheng tomorrow. According to my calculations, Liangzhou should have already sent out troops."

"Wang Mang is overwhelmed and has difficulty protecting himself, let alone other states and counties. We can welcome the new emperor with peace of mind. In any case, we cannot be accused of treason! The Xu family has been enjoying the Han Dynasty's salary for generations, how can we suffer an unprovoked disaster?"

The first thing he did when he returned to Wancheng was to establish a king! Confronting Chang'an, the candidate for the new emperor had already been decided, Prince Guangyang.

At least he is the King of Guangyang for now. The world will become more and more chaotic as time goes by. After the Xu family started their rebellion, the era of powerful governors in various places commanding their own troops has arrived. Dong Chong, Zhu Chun and others all hold the military and political power of a state, and there are countless people with military power under them.

Even within Jingzhou and Youzhou, the prefect monopolized the power of a county.

The only province that achieved centralization was Liangzhou, because the appointment and dismissal of officials in Liangzhou did not need to be approved by the imperial court, which was a natural advantage.

"But Prince Guangyang is in Youzhou now, and I'm afraid he won't be able to reach Wancheng for a while."

An elder of the Xu clan nearby expressed his concerns. Jizhou was indeed within reach, but after all, it was not yet in their grasp. It would take time for Xu Min to open up Hebei, and welcoming the new emperor would be risky.

They couldn't take any more risks. They had finally found a monarch who could unite all parties.

"We can first honor Prince Guangyang as the Crown Prince and the military commander, and let him supervise the country. This will also have a good effect."

Xu Hua had already considered this. He would first honor him as the crown prince and let him be in charge... at least nominally in charge of military and political affairs. He would paint the pie in the sky first, and then with the imperial court, he could reward people according to their merits and appoint officials.

This is the most important thing. Nowadays, what everyone cares about is the official position they hold. Only if you give them what they want first will they work hard for you.

At this time, the cavalry reached the outskirts of Xinye County and was stopped by the local garrison.

Jingzhou is under martial law and all suspicious persons are being checked and alerted. This is normal.

Soon, the seal of the prime minister was handed to the patrol commander.

The garrison commander had been warned by his superiors long ago, so he recognized it at a glance, and then hurriedly bowed: "I was blind and didn't know it was the prime minister's carriage. I hope you can forgive me."

"Please wait for a moment. I will go and tell them to open the city gates right away."

(End of this chapter)