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

Chapter 90 The second year of Zhenghe.

Xu Zhen looked at the image displayed on the light screen and nodded slightly. As long as the witchcraft disaster could be overcome, Liu Ju would be able to ascend the throne smoothly and his family would be able to prosper for at least two more generations.

The two people currently holding the key positions are Xu Ye and Xu Nan, both of whom are in high positions. One is the prime minister of the dynasty, whose power is at its peak and who is highly regarded by the emperor; the other is a general of cavalry, who has made great military achievements. Although he is suspected, he also controls a large number of border troops.

On the whole, Liu Che still used his talents and intentionally supported the two families to check and balance each other.

[You changed the ending of the witchcraft disaster, greatly altered the course of history, and obtained the red item, Dragon Blood Horse.]

[Red Dragon Blood Horse: Can improve the physical fitness of up to ten mares, allowing them to reproduce asexually, shorten gestation time, greatly increase fertility, and give birth to at least twenty-five healthy foals.

The physical condition of the young horses has improved, and they are all handsome and powerful. Their endurance, speed, physique, strength, lifespan, skin toughness, disease resistance and other aspects have all been qualitatively improved. They can travel 600 miles a day as if walking on flat ground, understand human nature, and are extremely loyal, as if they have bathed in dragon blood. 】

"Not bad, I feel my luck is getting better and better." Xu Zhen's eyes lit up instantly. This was a top-notch red item, which he had only obtained once in his previous lives.

Although it was introduced that there were at least twenty-five horses, in reality the number of cubs born would not be less than sixty, and even hundreds of them were not impossible, which was enough to raise an invincible cavalry.

In addition, BMW is very human-like and will choose to commit suicide if it falls into the hands of the enemy, so there is nothing to worry about.

"It's a pity that they can't reproduce, otherwise it would be perfect." Xu Zhen sighed, but it was understandable. If they could leave behind a bloodline, it would be truly amazing.

He remembered that among the golden props there was a BMW that could be used to produce offspring, but unfortunately that thing was not easy to draw.

Xu Zhen stretched himself. This time the harvest was good. He planned to continue watching and wait until Emperor Wu died before falling asleep. He hoped that there would be no accidents.

.........

Hussar General's Mansion.

Xu Nan was sitting at the desk handling military affairs, and in front of him stood a handsome young man.

The young man seemed quite respectful and did not make a sound.

Finally, Xu Nan raised his head, noticed him, and said, "Ning'er, why are you here instead of staying in the Crown Prince's Palace?"

That’s right, this young man was Xu Ning, who was admired by Liu Ju.

Xu Ning cupped his hands and said, "Father, the Crown Prince recently accepted Xu Ru as his subordinate, and he seems to be getting closer to Xu Ye recently."

He was not hostile to this "relative", but he couldn't say he was friendly with him either. After all, they were essentially competitors. There was only so much room, and if he gave it to someone else, he would have none left.

Xu Ning was very ambitious. He was not content to develop only in the field of military generals, and also wanted to reach the core circle of power. Although his family had great influence in the "Law School" of the Imperial College, it was still not enough.

Nowadays, the Qinghe Xu family has begun to get rid of their noble status. For example, a considerable number of local prefects and governors are their people.

Xu Nan put down the bamboo slips, smiled and said, "What does this mean? If you were the prince, would you only win over one family? Who would leave such a huge political power unused?"

"We have never had as much say in the central government as those guys, but the prince has a better choice."

In recent years, he has a more clear view of politics. It is frustrating, and compromise and checks and balances are the essence.

A gentleman can only get ahead in the Imperial Academy, as the court is full of intrigue and deception.

"But the prince clearly chose us, isn't this just breaking his promise?"

Xu Ning was obviously a little naive. He did not see the essence of the matter clearly and still naively believed that he would do it if he promised.

"Hehe... Xiang Yu also agreed to the covenant that whoever enters Guanzhong first will be king, but what was the result? Emperor Gao also promised the border between Chu and Han, but the facts are obvious." Xu Nan took a sip of tea. It seems that this kid still has a lot to learn. Xu Ru is more proficient in this aspect.

Xu Ru is Xu Ye's eldest son. He is a few years younger than Xu Ning, but his personality is much more mature. He is very similar to the former Grand Marshal Xu Zhao.

Xu Nan also warned: "Child, don't do anything in the future, don't think about anything, don't play tricks or have crooked thoughts, just do what you should do."

"It's not the time to fight for it yet. When the crown prince ascends the throne, he will use whoever he prefers. By then, you won't be at a disadvantage."

"Yes, I'm grateful for your advice." Xu Ning nodded thoughtfully. This is what is called "inaction is better than action."

"Well, you go back first." Xu Nan ordered him to leave and picked up the bamboo slips again to read them.

"Yes." Xu Ning bowed and left the Xu Mansion.

"Oh...when will it end?"

Xu Nan gazed at the night scene outside the window, and suddenly felt deeply moved. It was fine on his side, but the others had already gone crazy.

Various party struggles and blaming each other have never stopped. In this witchcraft case, both sides threw dirty water on each other frantically, causing Liu Che, who originally wanted to take this opportunity to eliminate dissidents, to be forced to give up.

These guys are ruthless when it comes to their own people.

This is the drawback of the Imperial Academy. Different ideas further fueled factional struggles, although this was intentional on the part of the emperor.

Everything has a bad side. The imperial court obtained a large number of capable officials through the Imperial Academy, but on the other hand, it also had to bear the backlash from these officials.

He began to miss the time when his father was in power. No one dared to do this at that time. The court was surprisingly stable. Even Zhang Tang's faction, who were dubbed "mad dogs", were extremely low-key.

Liu Che probably missed them the same way. He no longer had the energy to deal with these matters and now left all government affairs to the general and the prime minister.

After Liu Quti and his three clans were exterminated, no other right prime minister was appointed. The Confucian and Legalist parties were eyeing this position covetously, and there are probably two popular candidates now.

But it seems that the emperor has no intention of setting it up again.

.........

In the autumn of the first year of Zhenghe, a 100,000-strong Xiongnu army approached the border and launched a massive attack on the Central Plains. Zhao Po Nu, the governor of Bingzhou, struggled to hold on and asked the court for help.

The terminally ill Liu Che also took this seriously. Although he was afraid of death, he cared more about his reputation and would not allow an inch of land to be lost.

He dragged his body to convene a court meeting. The crown prince had been acting as regent for the past few months, and even if the emperor wanted to intervene, he was powerless.

Civil and military officials knelt in an orderly manner on both sides, their expressions somewhat heavy. This was the first large-scale attack by the Huns, and they must have known that Liu Che was seriously ill.

"The Huns are approaching in force. I wonder who is willing to fight."

Liu Che sat at the very top, his face was pale, and he spoke weakly, as if he would die at any time.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the troops to fight and provide assistance to Bingzhou." Huo Qubing stood up and asked for a fight.

"Well, you are worthy of being the champion marquis of our Han Dynasty." Liu Che was very satisfied.

(End of this chapter)