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

Chapter 95: The family is weak, but things are looking up

Since the dispute between Confucianism and Legalism, Xu's influence has plummeted.

Families such as the Wang family and the Huo family took the opportunity to rise and began to seize a share in the Imperial College. Of course, with the trump cards of Xu Gong and Xu Zhen in hand, the Xu family was still able to compete with them.

When Liu Xun was in power, he was closer to the Legalist forces, and the hegemonic kingly way was prevalent, which he used to suppress his ministers.

This made the Confucian forces feel very uneasy. They could not bear to see their enemy grow stronger, so they madly bet on the prince who was close to Confucianism.

Crown Prince Liu Shi was born to the emperor's first wife. He was indecisive and not good at politics. In fact, Liu Xun was not satisfied with him, but considering his relationship with the queen, he still did not depose him.

He felt that they could still be educated. Nowadays, the court was becoming more and more difficult to control. The reason why the emperor could profit from the dispute between Confucianism and Legalism was that both parties had not grown big and were just fighting each other.

If one side decides the outcome, it will be the beginning of the decline of imperial power.

The Xu family was powerless to save the situation. They had long said that it was like a clay Buddha crossing a river, unable to save itself.

Wang Si, an elder of the Wang family, a relative of the emperor, gradually became the most prestigious Confucian scholar. Coupled with the political need for Confucian scholars in the court, Wang gradually became the new leader of the Confucian Party, replacing Li Ke.

The Xu family had a lot of say in the court, but after Xu Ru died of illness, the Xu family lost their say. Now the two Xus are huddling together for warmth and living a hard life.

No one from Henan Xu clan has become a Nine Ministers anymore, and only Xu Ning, the head of Qinghe Xu clan, is left struggling to hold on.

The emperor did not intend to kill him completely, so he gave Xu Ning the title of General Wei and conferred him the title of Grand Marshal. However, his actual power was still very limited, and he only had the power to assist in the administration.

Even so, due to the Xu family's loyalty to the emperor throughout the generations, the unconditional favor they once enjoyed no longer existed.

"Uncle, is there really any way for our Xu family to survive in this world?"

Xu Bo, the second son of Xu Ru and the chief secretary of the prime minister, looked worriedly at the extremely old Xu Ning.

They have a deep foundation, and their influence will not disappear completely for a while, but those students also want to be officials! If there is no one in the court, they will eventually choose a stronger force.

For example, the Xu and Wang families’ in-laws.

Now Xu Ning is the only one struggling to hold on.

"Huh... This is not an unprovoked disaster. Everything that rises must fall. This is the law of heaven and earth. How can our race be immune to this?"

Xu Ning sighed. In fact, from the moment Liu Xun came up with the idea of ​​weakening the Xu family, they were destined to decline.

Faced with a powerful king, they had no ability to resist at all.

Xu Ning originally thought that even if his family's influence needed to be weakened, it would be done slowly. He did not expect that the emperor was even more powerful than he had imagined.

He took the risk of directly inciting the dispute between Confucianism and Legalism, and eventually eliminated all the ministers he disliked and took control of the government.

His power was no less than that of the former Emperor Xiaowu, Liu Che.

Even worse, he didn't need to worry about people like Xu Gong and Xu Zhou. Huo Guang was suppressed by them, and although he was a powerful official, he could never escape from their control.

With their qualifications, how could they compete with this king? Unless the old Jing Hou Xu Zhen and Xu Gong were still alive, there would be no way they could do anything.

"Then we can only wait to die!" Xu Bo clenched his fists unwillingly.

The Xu family's huge business was about to decline at this moment, and they could do nothing.

In the previous dispute between Confucianism and Legalism, the emperor liquidated almost all of Xu's disciples, either killing them, dismissing them from office, or surrendering.

"No, no, there is still a lot of time. Your Majesty does not want to kill them all immediately. So we still have a chance. Time can change everything."

Xu Ning held the patriarch's jade pendant in his hand and said firmly.

A few days ago, his ancestor had told him in a dream that everything should take its course and I would help if necessary.

This sentence "I will take action" is the confidence of the Xu family! They are protected by a god, so there will definitely be no problem! He has already seen the miracle of this jade pendant.

Waiting for the opportunity, this is the only way for Xu!

.........

At the beginning of the seventh year of the Diyuan period, a rebellion broke out within the Xiongnu, conflicts intensified, and the harassment from the north gradually decreased, and they began to attack each other.

Obviously this was a battle for the throne, and Liu Xun, Huo Guang and others also keenly smelled the opportunity, the opportunity to completely resolve the threat of the Huns!

Although Emperor Wu had almost crippled the Huns, the nomadic people as a group have always been resilient and would regenerate again after years of recuperation.

He began to harass the Central Plains again, but because of Xu Nan's garrison, his attack was almost ineffective.

Since the death of Huo Xu and others, the border defenders have found it quite difficult to deal with these nomadic cavalry.

The imperial court would definitely not miss this opportunity.

"Whatever you think, please feel free to speak up."

Liu Xun sat at the very top, like a supreme ruler overlooking the world. He had the whole world under his control, and all the ministers were obedient to him.

This kind of natural contradiction and natural party struggle is like adding wings to a tiger for an emperor who is skilled in political tactics.

"Your Majesty, I think we should seize this opportunity to send troops, so that we can kill two birds with one stone."

A Confucian official said, of course this is nonsense, who doesn't know that it is time to send troops?
In fact, the purpose was to test Liu Xun's intentions. They had been frightened and no longer dared to go against the emperor.

Even saying you are afraid is a trap.

"Well, that makes sense." Liu Xun first affirmed, and then said: "But what I want is not just to defeat them, but to eradicate them!"

The ministers were silent for a moment, and then one of the Nine Ministers, the Doctor-in-Chief, stepped out:

"Your Majesty, I believe that the reason why the grassland forces have revived countless times is that they are too united and are united in facing the outside world."

"If you want to eradicate it, you have to start from within, otherwise it's just a stopgap measure."

The Langzhongling belonged to the Legalists, and several Confucian officials wanted to refute him subconsciously.

However, he suddenly discovered that the emperor was interested, so he chose to give up.

Liu Xun was delighted: "Your words are exactly what I want to say. This is the way to salvation! What I want to do is a feat that no one has ever accomplished since ancient times!"

"Completely solve the problem of the Xiongnu."

The ministers all agreed that this would be very helpful for them to gain credit.

At present, everyone is being suppressed by the emperor, and the only way to escape from the chessboard is probably through military merit!

The art of war was one of the compulsory courses in the Imperial College, and almost all officials, both Confucian and legal, understood it.

Liu Xun looked at them with satisfaction, and then said: "Who is willing to go to fight against the Xiongnu? This is a long-term campaign, and it will take a long time to achieve it."

He also had an idea in his mind on how to completely subdue the Huns.

Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, had proven that a head-on confrontation with the Huns was not feasible, so he had to change his strategy to a war of attrition and compete with them in national strength. With the vast territory of the Han Dynasty, no one had a chance of winning and could only be dragged to death.

During this period, the pastures and livestock on the grasslands were destroyed to remove the firewood from the bottom of the pot and fundamentally solve the problem of the resurgence of the dead ashes. Coupled with the internal contradictions, a little incitement will lead to the result that is self-evident. A fragmented Xiongnu will not be a concern, and the court can achieve the result as long as it maneuvers between them.

Checks and balances are the basic skills of an emperor, and Liu Xun is clearly the master of them all.

A fierce dispute once again broke out in the court over this candidate, with both parties vying to push their own people up and throw mud at each other.

He just looked like he was saying, "If I can't accomplish anything, neither can you." He was just throwing in the towel.

This was also the most troublesome thing for Liu Xun. After another round of incitement, the original efforts of Xu Ye and others were almost wiped out, and Confucianism and Legalism once again became old enemies.

The internal strife continued, and the emperor couldn't even choose a candidate to lead the army into battle.

The Wang family represents Confucianism, while the Huo family represents Legalism, so Huo Guang's side could not produce anyone.

Besides, there aren't many talented people in the Huo family. People like Huo Xian are typical mediocre people. Their abilities are not weak, but not too strong either.

This made Liu Xun very annoyed, and coupled with the verbal battle between the two sides, he could no longer tolerate it.

"enough!"

He called a halt to the verbal fight, and then said coldly: "Those guys who used force in the court should all be taken out and beheaded as a warning to the public!"

Groups of soldiers immediately rushed over and carried away those ministers who looked as pale as death.

Among them, Confucian officials are the largest, while Legalists are relatively rule-abiding.

Today's Confucian scholars believe in Gongyang Confucianism, which is the doctrine of great revenge. They are very radical and will take action without saying a word.

In fact, Liu Shi, who was at the front, looked very unhappy. He had always disagreed with his father being so harsh on Confucian officials.

I have never liked the Legalists, but my father likes them very much. This is where their philosophies differ.

"Why are you acting like a little girl, Shier? If you have any suggestions, just speak up. You are the crown prince and have the power to assist in governing the country."

Liu Xun also noticed all this. He was quite satisfied with his son's emotions, as his son had always been known for his indecisiveness.

How could he suppress the wolves and tigers in the court? It was possible that the imperial power would be weakened.

"Father, I believe that excessive punishment will displease the people of the world. The Qin Dynasty was destroyed because of tyranny, which proves that the Legalist's ideas on governing a country are fundamentally wrong."

"I personally think that the moral governance advocated by Confucianism is more in line with the national conditions of our Han Dynasty. The people cannot withstand overly harsh criminal laws, but they highly respect the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues. Doesn't this prove everything?"

"So instead of using punishment, it is better to make them obey the law voluntarily. Father, please... be cautious. The true way to govern a country is never violence."

Hearing this, Liu Xun's face immediately fell and became very ugly.

He understood what this whole string of words meant: reduce the number of criminal laws as much as possible, as too severe a punishment would be counterproductive, and more Confucian officials should be employed.

"Alas... the one who disrupted the Han Dynasty was the prince!"

Liu Xun cried out in grief from the bottom of his heart. He knew that the prince could not suppress this group of corrupt scholars. If he wanted to punish them, he had to use violence and criminal law.

You will never be able to win an argument with a group of them, and the emperor's advantage is not based on reason.

He said sternly: "Each dynasty has its own laws. What about the Zhou Dynasty, which only advocates virtuous governance? The emperor has lost his authority. This is the result of not having criminal laws to persuade people! If the day comes when rituals and music are destroyed, it will be the time for the country to fall."

"The system of our Han Dynasty was established during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu. It combines the kingly way with the hegemonic way. This is the true strategy for governing a country! Do you understand?"

"Those corrupt scholars are the least capable of perceiving the changes in the world. How can we expect them to govern the country? They only praise the ancient times and ignore the present. This view of history is very wrong."

"How can we give important tasks to a group of ordinary people who are not worthy of the title?"

This time, Liu Xun could be said to have severely criticized Confucianism, with the intention of awakening the prince and telling him not to get close to any school of thought.

It is not feasible to only respect Legalism or Confucianism. We have learned from past experience. The best approach is to combine the two.

Some time ago, Empress Xu passed away. Liu Xun had no place to vent his feelings for her, so he could only give her to the Crown Prince. No matter how disappointing the Crown Prince was, he never thought of changing the Crown Prince.

The legal officials have hinted at this more than once, and they almost said it outright: This kid is not fit to be the emperor, Your Majesty, please find someone stronger.

But without exception, they were all rejected.

Liu Xun has given countless chances, and it is obvious that he wants to give "one" last chance.

"I will accept your advice." Liu Shi replied with his head down.

He had said this countless times before, but he never took it to heart. His indecisive nature was not so easy to change.

Liu Shi favored Confucianism more and believed that Confucianism was the ultimate strategy for governing the country.

This idea is very dangerous. If there is another dispute between Confucianism and Legalism, Liu Shi will surely fail as expected. By then, the Confucian officials will become more powerful and the power balance in the court will be unbalanced.

Given the nature of Confucianism, it would definitely threaten the imperial power. They longed for a moral saint to become the monarch.

But it is not easy to be a "saint".

"Well, let General Xu Ning take charge of this matter."

Liu Xun looked at the prince with disappointment, but decided to get down to business first and decide on the person in charge.

At this time, he finally remembered Xu, who had been neglected for many years.

One very good thing about the Xu family is that their overall stance is neutral. When they take advantage of the situation, both the Confucian and Legalist schools have little to say.

As long as it doesn’t come at the expense of the other party.

In addition, Xu Ning is very capable, so he is the perfect person to be in charge of the expedition against the Huns. He has been neglected for so long, so he should be given some benefits.

Liu Xun didn't want this century-old family to end like this. He had to give face to the Buddha, as the great contributions of generations could not be erased after all.

This is also the reason why the imperial court never dared to be too ruthless. Even so, it could not escape the bad reputation of being a good person.

Xu Ning immediately trembled, as if he had not expected His Majesty to give it to him. After a moment, he stepped out:
"I will obey your orders and will definitely fulfill my mission."

Liu Xun nodded in satisfaction, and then said: "Remember that your Xu family and the Xiongnu are enemies for generations, so it is most appropriate to hand it over to you. I still remember the heroic figure of Xu Nan the Cavalryman."

"The messenger drafted an imperial decree to transfer Xu Ning to the position of Grand Marshal Zhengbei General, who will be in charge of all border military affairs. Do not act beyond your ability."

"What I want is eradication! Not defeat."

There has never been a precedent of giving the title of General Zhengbei a Sima in the past! Because the General Zhengbei was just a temporary position.

This has set a precedent, and there is no need to say how much importance Liu Xun attaches to it.

"I obey your order." Xu Ning bowed. He knew that his chance was coming. This was a position with real power.

As long as he has the power to appoint and dismiss and make recommendations, everything will be fine. It seems that God will not destroy the Xu family!

(End of this chapter)