Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 383: Auspicious Omens Inherited

"Fa Zheng pays respect to His Majesty, and wishes His Majesty everlasting happiness!"

Fa Zheng, wearing a black turban on his head, bowed quickly and spoke respectfully.

He didn't expect that not long after he arrived in Chang'an, he would receive news that the King of Han would meet him, and the location was set on the top of the Chang'an city gate tower, which instantly stunned him.

As he came, gusts of wind blew across the Han flags on the city wall. Looking at the busy civilians and craftsmen outside the city, Fa Zheng sighed.

He had been to Chang'an several years ago, and the people at that time were far from being like this...

"The talented Fa Xiaozhi from the Right Fufeng..." Liu Bei personally helped him up and said with a chuckle, "I don't know why, when I saw Xiaozhi, I felt a sense of familiarity and déjà vu."

Liu Bei looked at Fa Zheng carefully and found that he was very young, just in his early twenties.

He felt filled with emotion. He believed that in this life, he and Fa Xiaozhi would not have to waste their time in vain.

As time goes by, old age is approaching, and no achievements are made.

Life is only a few decades long, and it is all wasted in hardship. Isn't it a pity?

When Fa Zheng heard what the King of Han said, he secretly thought, "My grandfather was a great scholar from Guanxi, also known as Mr. Xuande. The King of Han also has the name Xuande. Could it be that he is related to the Fa family of Youfufeng?!"

He couldn't help but wonder whether the Fa family and the Liu family of Zhuo County had had contact many years ago. After all, his grandfather was well-versed in internal and external illustrations and had hundreds of disciples. Although he did not hold an official position, he was famous throughout the world.

It is not impossible that if a descendant of the Liu family happened to pass by Guanzhong and became his disciple out of admiration for him, it is not impossible.

But Fa Zheng did not intend to speak out this speculation.

The King of Han could use friendship to get close to him, but he could not directly break through this layer of paper and try to curry favor with him in order to seek promotion.

This would not only fail to please the King, but would also offend the King of Han.

"Your Majesty, there are many heroes in Guanzhong. How can I dare to call Fa Xiaozhi a talented person? For example, Meng Da, the son of the former governor of Liangzhou, Meng Zijing, is more talented than me."

When Fa Zheng heard the King of Han praising him so much, he immediately shook his head, smiled bitterly, and explained with his hands clasped.

He had just arrived in Chang'an and didn't know where he would be working as a clerk. He didn't want to be too conspicuous so as not to arouse resentment.

"Meng Da, Meng Zijing..." Liu Bei's expression was a little complicated when he heard this name. In history, Meng Da was wavering between the Han Dynasty and Cao Wei, and was eventually captured and killed by Sima Zhongda's army.

Let's just let things take their course this time. If he has made merits, he will be rewarded. If he has made mistakes, he will be punished. Whether he can make a name for himself in the Han family depends on his own talents and strategies.

Liu Bei came back to his senses, looked at the rather young Fa Zheng, and asked with a smile: "At present, Guanzhong has just been settled, and Yongliang and Liangzhou have not yet surrendered. The governors of various places are blocked by Han Sui and Ma Teng and are still waiting and watching."

"In addition, the Qiang Rebellion has not been quelled for a hundred years. The Qiang and Hu have repeatedly rebelled, and the Dingling have also participated in it. The Xiongnu have been vassalized for many years and have become a major threat to the Han Dynasty. If there is any change, they can invade Sili."

"The world has been at war for more than ten years, and the people have suffered heavy casualties. The population of Youzhou, Jizhou, Qingzhou, Yanzhou, Huainan, Sili, Yongzhou, and Liangzhou has dropped sharply, while the tribes of various Hu people in the border counties have grown larger and larger. In many places, there are fewer Han people and more Hu people."

"At this time when we are facing internal and external troubles and everything needs to be rebuilt, can Xiaozhi come up with a good plan to help the Han Dynasty solve the problem?"

Liu Bei asked Fa Zheng for advice with a serious face.

This was also a test for Fa Xiaozhi at the moment. Liu Xuande personally set the questions. Few people had the honor to do so. It depended on whether Fa Zheng could grasp the opportunity. Fa Zheng immediately understood the reason. Although he felt the pressure from the King of Han, which made his palms sweat subconsciously, this opportunity was rare. If he missed the opportunity, he would regret it.

Fa Zheng held his breath, thought for a moment, and immediately answered with his hands clasped: "Since the death of Emperor Xiaoling, the people have suffered greatly from the chaos. Now Guandong has been settled, Cao Mengde, Gongsun Du and others were defeated in an instant, and Liu Jiyu of Yizhou has had no intention of advancing for many years, so he is trapped in Shuzhong."

"Jingzhou and Hanzhong have already surrendered. It's like a sword at the neck. We only need to attack for a year or two to make Yizhou surrender."

"Li Jue, Guo Si, Ma Teng, Han Sui, Zhang Meng and others all have two minds, how can they be united? All you need to do is sow discord among them to make them suspicious and turn against each other."

"When they attack each other, we can send troops to capture them in one fell swoop, and then Yong and Liang can be pacified."

"The Dingling, Qiang, Hu, Xiongnu, Xianbei, Wuhuan, Mandi and their ilk are nothing more than a scab in the eyes of the Han people. Your Majesty should first conquer the world and then destroy the barbarians."

At this point, Fa Zheng hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted his teeth and made up his mind, saying, "As the ancients said, there is no two suns in the sky, no two kings on earth, and no one supreme being. Today, the emperor and the queen are being held hostage by the Liangzhou bandits, and their lives are unknown. The world is without a master, and the king cannot delay any longer. You should take the throne now and discuss the conquest later. Only in this way can you justify your actions and strive to pursue the enemy westwards."

"This matter concerns the whole world. I hope Your Majesty will consider it."

After Fa Zheng finished speaking, he bowed to Liu Bei again.

He thought about it and pointed out bluntly that now was not the time to consider other things. The most important thing was to decide on the name.

We can't delay it any longer. If we delay it any further, people will become unstable.

Even if he had to slow down the pace of unifying the world, he had to ascend the throne as the emperor first. Otherwise, on what pretext would he be able to pacify the three states of Yong, Liang and Yi, and appease the Qiang and Hu so that they would no longer follow the greedy people in rebellion?

At this point, it is only necessary to re-establish the imperial court. Many dissatisfied princes will not surrender immediately, but can also use justice to undermine the morale of the other side.

Liu Bei pondered over Fa Xiaozhi's words and discovered that his ideas were exactly the same as those of Xun Wenruo, Xun Gongda, Guo Fengxiao, Lu Zijing, Zhou Gongjin and others. They all advised him to ascend the throne as soon as possible.

There were even extremely obscure letters to the emperor, saying that auspicious signs were seen in various places. A hermit in the mountains saw auspicious clouds and mist rising in the sky, and that a unicorn, dragon or phoenix might appear.

Soon, another strange thing happened: people found two ears of wheat in the fields, and the story spread throughout the country in a short time.

Therefore, the astrologers and alchemists explained: "This is a sign that a king will spread virtue throughout the world and bring about a peaceful and prosperous era."

Although Liu Bei was a little amused and helpless when he saw these reports of auspicious signs.

But this has been an indispensable thing under the influence of Confucianism since the founding of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Although Wang Mang's restoration failed, the peaceful world he pursued was still passed down by Confucianism and continued to this day through the Han Dynasty.

In addition to rituals and music, the symbol of peace in the world is auspiciousness. Confucian scholars have always believed that only people with noble virtues are qualified to receive auspiciousness.

The way the King of Han pacified the country and governed the people, as well as his unwillingness to enjoy himself, just happened to fit the image of a king in the minds of many Confucian scholars.

Moreover, the King of Han was a direct disciple of Duke Lu and Duke Kang Cheng. Under such circumstances, many Confucian scholars in Beihai took action to make the emperor closer to Confucianism.

Who said that although Confucian ethics are highly regarded at this moment, it is difficult to influence the court.

After all, what is popular in the world are scholars who pay more attention to flexible and practical classics, rather than Confucian scholars who value etiquette and advocate moral governance and benevolent government. Who wouldn't be anxious?
(End of this chapter)