Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 414 Visitors from the Western Regions
"Your Majesty, I am here on the orders of the General of the Cavalry to tell you that Liangzhou and Guandong are at loggerheads. Since Lord Dong killed the entire Yuan family, there is no possibility of peace."

"Your Majesty, why don't you think about it? The previous emperor used eunuchs to persecute scholars. How many clans were implicated?"

"Liu Xuande was the emperor on horseback, and the nobles of the world were in awe of his grace and power, and dared not speak nonsense."

"Your Majesty is different. Since the time of the Ruzi Emperor, how has the Guandong region ever respected you? You are still the emperor here, but if you go to Luoyang, you will probably be a prisoner!"

"Even if Liu Bei is enthroned as a prince, the scholars who are dissatisfied will think of the late emperor whenever they hear your majesty's name. If the guards are lax, it will be difficult to continue and there will be fatal danger. I hope your majesty will consider it carefully."

The middle-aged clerk who was assigned by Guo Si to look after the emperor and the empress curled his lips, raised his neck arrogantly and spoke with a bow outside the courtyard.

There was nothing false in what he said. They heard that Liu Xuande was like Guangwu, who liked to measure land and take care of administrative affairs. However, he was not like Gaozu who conquered the world on horseback and distributed land to soldiers. The nobles and powerful families who could not deal with Liu Bei were secretly resentful when they saw the son of the culprit who caused the chaos in the world returning to Guandong.

If a powerful person who was a little hot-headed sent an assassin to assassinate him, not only would it cast a shadow on Liu Xuande's reputation, but it would also avenge his early grudges, which would surely make people smile with joy.

It is said that Wang Fen, the governor of Jizhou in the past, wanted to kill Xiao Ling, which shows that many scholars hated Xiao Ling.

So why should the emperor still hate the soldiers of Liangzhou? You should know that there are soldiers from the Eight Commandants of Xiyuan in the army. Don’t they want to return to Luoyang?
No, but I know clearly that based on what I have done over the years, I will surely die if I go back, and I have no choice but to go down this path until the end.

Now we can say that we share weal and woe and adversity together...

Thinking of this, the middle-aged clerk heard no echo for a long time, so he tiptoed to look through the crack in the door, but unfortunately he saw nothing in the courtyard.

Even the several maids who were guarding the palace were nowhere to be found. If there were no soldiers guarding the courtyard, he would have been really worried that the emperor had escaped.

"Your Majesty, I have said enough good things. I will take my leave now if you have no further instructions."

The official from Liangzhou bowed casually, waited there for a few breaths, and finally shook his head and left.

In the house inside the courtyard, Liu Xie had a worried look on his face and his knuckles turned white as he clenched the carving knife tightly. Guo Si was afraid that he would use instruments to imitate Ying Ziying, so he took away all his swords, bows and arrows, leaving only a few yellowed bamboo slips and pen knives on the desk, which were all harmless medical books.

"This thief may have some truth in what he said. Now your majesty and I are really in a dilemma..."

Empress Fu Shou waved her hand to let the maid leave, and went to the door to look outside. When she turned around, she saw that the emperor was in a state of deep sorrow, so she stepped forward and held his hand, and after a moment she revealed her concern.

This sentence seemed to wake Liu Xie up. He stood up immediately, his eyes bloodshot, and said in a trembling voice: "No matter what, I cannot die in a foreign land. I am the descendant of Emperor Guangwu, and I must not let the emperors of the Han Dynasty be disgraced and laughed at by others."

"I have to find a way to go back, even if I die on the road, I have to find a way to go back. I can't die outside..." Liu Xie walked back and forth in the room with tears in his eyes, muttering to himself.

"His Majesty……"

When Fu Shou saw this, he felt tears in his eyes and called out softly.

How could she, the emperor, and Concubine Dong get out alone?
There were so many bandits that they could be easily stopped even with sticks, not to mention they were wearing armor and weapons.

If it really comes to that, the only way to avoid being taken to the barbarian land is to kill oneself and let the soul return to the underworld.

But since the emperor ascended the throne, how hard it has been... Why are there so many traitors in this world? Fu Shou wanted to say something to comfort him, but it turned into a sigh.

……

Coincidentally, not only Fu Shou was sighing at this moment, but Dunhuang Prefect Zhang Gong was also climbing up the city wall, looking solemnly in the direction of Jiuquan County, frowning and sighing.

The pot came from the sky for no reason. How come the emperor of the Han Dynasty crossed the Hexi Corridor and came to Jiuquan? What kind of thing is this?
Ever since Emperor Xiaowu sent General Huo Qubing to capture Hexi, we have never heard of the emperor coming here, and even then he was forced to come here by the rebels.

I also don’t know what the situation is in the heartland of the Central Plains. Is there any royal family member who can restore the Han Dynasty, or is power monopolized by foreign officials?
This concerns how to handle the affairs of the Son of Heaven and the consequences that may arise.

Unfortunately, Dunhuang is located in the extreme west. Many years ago, there was a great chaos in Hexi. Not only did the prefect Ma Ai die in the chaos, but the roads in the Zhangye County area were also cut off. People only heard that the two thieves Li and Guo occupied Chang'an and controlled the government.

Why did they suddenly appear in Hexi? Could it be that Yuan Benchu, a three-generation official, led the princes of Guandong to successfully fight against the rebels, so he forced the rebels from Liangzhou here?

Zhang Gong, with his lush beard, looked towards the east, unable to help but guessing, but his brows were furrowed for a long time.

Although he didn't know how the Guanzhong incident would end, the emperor's edict had already been sent to Dunhuang, asking him to lead his troops to the east to welcome the emperor.

Perhaps the Liangzhou bandits are planning to squeeze the blood out of the nobles of Dunhuang County?
He was born into a famous local noble family and was the county's Gongcao at the time. It happened that the prefect died and the court had no officials to send. As a temporary measure, he was recommended as the trial prefect. Over the years, he suppressed bandits and robbers, allied with the Qiang and Hu in the south, defended against the Xianbei in the north, and communicated with the Shanshan Kingdom in the west.

We have finally achieved the current situation, and we cannot allow the Liangzhou bandits to come and do whatever they want.

But how can we deal with the current predicament without taking responsibility?

Zhang Gong pinched his eyebrows and felt a headache.

No wonder the traitor Guo Si was able to bring the emperor here. I'm afraid the prefects and county governors along the way all simply ordered the city gates to be opened to let them pass.

But he is the last county in Hexi, and behind him is the Western Regions. Even if the Liangzhou bandits have no intention of invading, he can't open Yumen Pass and let Guo Si force the emperor to leave, right?

In this way, no matter who pacifies the world, Zhang will be held accountable.

"Your Majesty, why did you come to Hexi? This is unprecedented."

Zhang Gong held onto the city wall and could not help but sigh. In the distance from the west, there came the sound of hurried horse hooves. A group of knights rode their horses and shouted, "Lord Zhang, is that Lord Zhang on the city wall?!"

"Urgent news from Yumen Pass! The Western Regions countries want to send envoys to the Han Dynasty..."

The loud sound came from afar and immediately woke up the prefect Zhang Gong. He squinted his eyes and looked towards the northwest. It turned out that the soldiers sent to Yumen Pass had returned.

Zhang Gong then ordered the guards under the city to say, "Don't stop him. Bring him to me quickly. I want to hear what's going on."

Why did the countries in the Western Regions suddenly send envoys here? Could it be that they wanted to ask the Han Dynasty to send troops to attack the Xianbei tribe?
Zhang Gong looked at the knight who was getting closer and closer, and couldn't help but stroke his beard with one hand and thought.

(End of this chapter)