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

Chapter 157 Ascending the Throne
Liu Xiang looked quite "awkward", but he was actually very excited. He suppressed his beating heart and performed the whole play.

How could he not want to be the emperor? Who in the world dares to say that he is not interested in the position of the emperor? Almost everyone is just being stubborn, because this is the highest position for a man.

As the son of a prince, Liu Xiang could never become emperor unless he followed the example of Zhao Wang Liu Ruyi and Wu Wang Liu Bi and rebelled, which was of course impossible.

Even though Liu Ruyi had such a huge advantage before the Enfeoffment Order, it was still crushed by the Grand Marshal Xu Zhao. Committing suicide was his last act of pride.

But the change was too great. Emperor Li had no children, so he made Emperor Ai Liu Xin the crown prince. Emperor Ai did not live past the age of 30 and passed away early, leaving behind only a bunch of policies that had not been implemented.

This was the time when Liu Xiang had the best chance of succeeding to the throne in his life. With the strong support of the Xu family, a century-old powerful family, he had a very good chance of climbing to the position and saving the Han Dynasty on his behalf.

It was a pity that a Cheng Yaojin like Wang Mang appeared halfway through. With the support of Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun, he confronted Xu Hua and supported Emperor Ping, a child who was not even ten years old, to succeed to the throne.

Liu Xiang was dumbfounded at the time. What was the point of leaving an elderly monarch like himself and instead finding a young child?
Later I figured it out. This guy just wanted to be a powerful official.

After Liu Xin died, Liu Xiang thought it would be his turn, but it turned out to be even worse, a two-year-old child! How insulting.

Later, I figured it out. This guy not only wanted to emulate Xu Zhen and become a powerful official, but also had a bigger ambition, which was to usurp the Han Dynasty and establish his own kingdom! However, he was alone and weak, so he had no choice but to get close to the Xu family to attract investment for himself.

Finally, the day he had waited for finally came! Xu Yuan killed the imperial envoy in Liangzhou, gathered a crowd of 100,000, and raised the first banner of the anti-Mang movement!
The Northwest Army was so powerful and brave that it was known to the world. In a head-on battle, it had no rivals.

Under the leadership of Xu Yuan, the Xu family forces in other places did not dare to delay any longer. They lured and killed the customs envoys around them, deployed troops, prepared food and grass, and prepared to completely break away from the Chang'an court and establish a new Han Dynasty.

Xu Hua instigated civil strife in Chang'an, and under the protection of his 3,000 loyal warriors, he fled all the way south to Wancheng, Nanyang, and took charge of the situation.

With the support of the four main figures of the Xu family, Liu Xiang sat on the throne of the crown prince and changed the reign title to Shengding. He was unstoppable on the front line, while Wang Mang's main force was suppressed by Xu Yuan, and was defeated outside Sili.

Now he saw an opportunity, an opportunity to establish a great cause like Emperor Gaozu!

"Since Prime Minister Xu has advised me to do so, I will not spoil his fun any more. I will shamelessly steal the throne first, and when a more virtuous descendant of the Liu family appears, I will abdicate and give the throne to him."

"I have never believed that I have the ability to lead the world."

Liu Xiang’s acting was very good. Although Xu Hua knew the truth, he did not say it out loud. He did not want an emperor without ambition.

"I will make preparations right away and wait for Situ Xu to return to his position." Xu Zhong, who had been silent for a long time, also said.

This matter was a top priority for the Xin Dynasty. He was unsure if anyone else could do it, so he simply asked his younger brother, the current general Xu Zhong, to do it.

It just so happens that Wancheng is also his territory, so he must be more familiar with and more adept at everything.

Everything is for the revival of the Han Dynasty!

"We, your servants, take our leave." The two men clasped their fists and left the emperor's bedroom.

"How is it, did Yong Liang reply?"

As soon as he walked out, Xu Hua looked at Xu Zhong next to him. Although he had informed the other party of the withdrawal news, he was still unsure.

Xu Yuan was famous for his stubborn temper. As long as he still had it in his mind, he would never give up! Even if Xu Zhong tried to persuade him personally, it would not work. He would make verbal promises but forget them immediately in private.

"That guy agreed. He has some brains and can see the situation clearly. He didn't hold us back." Xu Zhong gave an affirmative answer. Xu Yuan replied as soon as he received the secret order.

He expressed his willingness to obey the court's orders, lead his troops back north, and personally go to Wancheng to attend the prince's coronation ceremony.

In fact, Xu Yuan had already started to back down. The visible loss of troops was too painful. Soldiers died every day. He had never encountered such a situation before.

As expected, the Han people still have to be ruled by the Han people, and foreign ethnic groups, whether Qiang, Xiongnu or Wuhuan, are all no match for them.

After getting the opportunity, Xu Yuan went down without hesitation and no longer stayed in Guanzhong to fight Wang Mang.

Anyway, we have bought enough time.

"Well... that's good. This Northwest Army is the most important army of our Xu family and even the Han Dynasty. It is completely under the control of the commander-in-chief and is not mixed with the will of others. How rare it is."

"The troubled times are coming, and we need enough strength to achieve what we want. Otherwise, we may not even be able to guarantee that the throne will remain in the hands of the Liu family."

"It's sad to say that Zhu Chun, the head of a state, is actually the easiest to deal with. He doesn't have any big ambitions. If we give him the vacant Grand Marshal's post later, he will be satisfied."

"If the court is willing to protect the positions of the three ministers, he is even willing to hand over the military power. People who only seek wealth and status are the best to control."

Xu Hua has been here for some time now, and he has made a certain assessment of the powerful figures in the two states of Jing and Yang. He has a general idea of ​​who is ambitious and who is content with what they have.

Zhu Chun is the actual controller of Yangzhou, but there are many factions within it. Jiangdong is such a place, and the power of local nobles is quite strong.

Even a powerful figure like Zhu Chun, who commanded tens of thousands of Danyang soldiers, had to compromise with the local clans in order to gain a foothold.

The idea that one should not put all his eggs in one basket is deeply rooted in the minds of the wealthy families. They also support other agents in the local area, namely the local governor or the commander-in-chief.

A situation of local separatism gradually took shape. Places like Jiangdong were easier to deal with, as they were vast and sparsely populated, but the situation in Hebei was very serious.

Jizhou almost fell to its knees on the spot without any decent resistance, so the power of the local governors was preserved the most. They still held the military and political power, but they were afraid of the 100,000-strong Youzhou army.

When Xu Min becomes weak, he can kill him without hesitation and take his place.

Xu Hua kept thinking about the solution, and finally the best conclusion he came to was to follow the example of his ancestor Xu Zhen who assisted Emperor Gaodi Liu Bang, and let a descendant of the Liu family start from the bottom and work his way up to the top, and annex the entire world.

Simple and crude, but very difficult.

Why did the Han Dynasty continue to decline? Emperor Xiaokang and Emperor Xiaoxuan had completed their cultivation and reversed the predicament of the empty treasury at the end of Emperor Wu.

However, there has been no wise ruler since Emperor Xiaoyuan.

In other words, the Liu family originally lacked a monarch who could stand on his own.

"Brother, now you know why I am so confident in using him." Xu Zhong also smiled. In fact, there are many people who are more capable than Zhu Chun.

But their ambitions are too big and difficult to control.

"My dear brother, you really have a good eye." Xu Hua nodded with a smile.

"Brother, let's leave Jizhou alone for now. Next, we should quickly let the crown prince ascend the throne. Only in this way can we restrain them legitimately."

"And I think this might not be a bad thing. Nothing can be forced. If I, the Xu family, really take control of the situation, how will we select the monarch in the future? What is the standard of virtue? It is impossible to define it. It may be another evil emperor."

"So let's just leave it to nature and let the world choose the right monarch."

Xu Zhong comforted.

"My dear brother, you are right. I think too much." Xu Hua also agreed with him.

.........

In October of the first year of Shengding, Xu Yuan led his troops back north, and 100,000 Northwest Army troops returned to Yongliang. In order to win over the people, the court was generous and gave a large number of rewards, and promotions were given as needed, among which the middle and low-level generals gained the most.

Basically, they all got a general with a miscellaneous title and gained tangible benefits.

The Northwest Army suffered considerable losses in the attack on Chang'an, approximately three to four thousand men, all of whom were elite soldiers, and there were probably tens of thousands of cannon fodders.

But it was all worth it, as it demonstrated the power of the Shengding regime and made people all over the world realize that this was not a rebellion.

It was Liu who was restoring order! Countless ministers who were loyal to Liu saw hope and fled Chang'an, abandoning their high positions and generous salaries, and went to Wancheng to join Liu Xiang.

This decision was undoubtedly crazy. A considerable number of people held high official positions in Chang'an and possessed wealth and status, but they chose to abandon it without hesitation. It seems that the idea of ​​loyalty to the emperor was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

Of course Xu Hua accepted all the requests from these ministers. He always had a good attitude towards his fellow men.

At the beginning of the second year of Shengding, Xu Yuan went to Nanyang under the escort of the Northwest Army, and also experienced the battlefield between the two Han dynasties on the way.

We arrived safely at the temporary seat of the imperial court, Wancheng... perhaps it should be called Wantu now.

All the ministers went out ten miles to welcome this war god of the Han Dynasty. Liu Xiang was especially attentive, as he was another person he needed to win over.

He controls the Northwest Army and is the absolute powerful figure.

"Xu Situ is still as handsome as ever, just like when you and I met in Guangyang that year, handsome and extraordinary."

Liu Xiang walked past the guards and greeted him with a smile.

Xu Yuan was a little flattered, and said repeatedly: "I dare not. Your Highness the Crown Prince is worth a lot of money, and you must not catch a cold or something."

No matter what, this is his monarch and he still respects him very much.

"Situ fought bravely on the battlefield and was not afraid of death. I just walked out of the city for a few steps. If I catch a cold, it would be too hypocritical."

"Emperor Gao was a horse emperor! He always led the troops. I can't forget those days."

The answer Liu Xiang gave was quite favorable, at least Xu Yuan had a very good impression of him.

"Brother Yuan, please come in, come in, let's go into the city first, why are we staying in this wilderness?"

General Xu Zhong said this with a look of great satisfaction, as if his rebellious son had finally grown up, and the follower who once followed behind him could now stand on his own.

A local governor who dominates a region!

"Hello, brother." Xu Yuan bowed solemnly. This was the person he respected the most. He hadn't seen him for many years and missed him very much.

"Well... no need to be polite, let's go into the city."

Xu Zhong patted his shoulder.

.........

In the second year of Shengding, the coronation ceremony was held as scheduled with the support of Prime Minister Xu Hua. Countless ministers and officials knelt solemnly under the altar and held an important ceremony to worship the sky.

This step is very important. Since ancient times, monarchs have always claimed that their power is granted by heaven.

Liu Xiang slowly walked up the long steps and looked at Xu Hua, Xu Zhong, Xu Yuan, Xu Min, Zhu Chun and others kneeling under the altar. He felt extremely excited and comfortable.

Aren't these local tyrants supposed to kneel respectfully under the emperor? The reputation accumulated by their ancestors has not yet disappeared. It is absolutely correct for Emperor Gaodi to entrust his son to King Jingxuan Xu Zhen!

If there was no Xu family, how could the Liu family fight against the evil-doing Wang Mang? How could they have made a comeback today?

A moment later, Liu Xiang had walked onto the high platform and gently grasped the jade seal engraved with eight large characters "Mandate from Heaven, May You Live Long and Prosperous", feeling extremely heavy in his heart.

This was not the jade seal carved by Qin Prime Minister Li Si, which was used by the Han Dynasty for 200 years, but a new seal that was carved temporarily.

Although it's not quite up to par, it can play a sufficient role in extraordinary times, and it also symbolizes the power of nearly eight states under the current Shengding regime.

"Long live my emperor!"

"Long live my emperor!"

All the ministers kowtowed to welcome the new emperor!

From then on, Liu Xiang was no longer the crown prince who served as regent, but a truly recognized emperor!
"No need to be polite, everyone." He couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.

The peak of my life!

The next step is to offer sacrifices to Emperor Gaozu’s Temple. Although this is not Chang’an, it is still possible to set up a tablet.

Next, the last process was also completed, and Liu Xiang’s biological mother, Princess Guangyang, was honored as the empress dowager. Because of her son’s status, she was transformed from the wife of a prince to the empress dowager!

The first formal court meeting also began. It was the time when the most ministers came. Except for some who were really unable to attend, a large number of high-ranking officials scattered in various places, such as prefects, were also present.

Expressing his loyalty to the emperor was actually done for Xu Hua to see.

So as to avoid yourself becoming the one being operated on.

"Your Majesty, Wang Mang is a traitor who has committed atrocities and should be punished by all! I request that he be removed from his position as Prime Minister!"

Xu Hua said.

This is a struggle for legitimacy, indicating that Wandu is the real Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty has only one court and one emperor!
Liu Ying of Chang'an was a fake crown prince, and Wang Mang's fake emperor was even more out of place.

He simply didn't admit it at all.

"Well...Xu Zaizhi's words make sense. Wang Mang is indeed a traitor to the country. We should mobilize troops to attack him as soon as possible!"

Liu Xiang nodded in agreement. He also had a deep hatred for Wang Mang. This guy's ancestors were highly regarded by Emperor Li Liu Ao, who gave him considerable favors.

But this guy didn't know the destiny, and he usurped power without authorization, creating a prime minister, and what the hell is a fake emperor? You can just let Liu Ying, the young man, abdicate.

Anyway, he is just a kid and doesn't know anything.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

All the ministers began to praise loudly in unison.

Next are some trivial matters of the country. After all, the Wancheng court had just been established and many things were not fully equipped.

For example, the three dukes and nine ministers were not complete, and the position of Grand Marshal was always vacant.

(End of this chapter)