The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 352 Volume Axe
Xu County.

After being sullen for two days, Liu Xie finally convened a meeting.

Seeing Liu Bei smiling even after being punished, he could not help but rebuke him: "Uncle, do you think my punishment is too light?"

"I dare not!"

Liu Bei bowed again and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for showing mercy."

"That's not showing mercy."

Liu Xie interrupted Liu Bei without hesitation.

"I was just inspired by others and thought from my heart. Considering that you were trying to rescue Ma Chao and defeat Cao Cao, I sentenced you according to your crime, not out of favoritism."

"Uncle Emperor, please remember that it is a good thing to not be afraid of failure, but every time you fail, someone will pay the price."

"I won't talk about what if, what if the emperor's uncle loses to Cao Cao... Even if the emperor's uncle wins the Battle of Yingshui, what will happen? Are the soldiers who died on the battlefield human beings? Are the people of Yuzhou whose farmland was flooded by Cao Cao's digging of Yingshui human beings? Since the emperor's uncle has a kind heart, he should distinguish between great benevolence and righteousness and small favors. Because of his momentary impulsiveness, he disregarded the lives of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people. Is this really what a benevolent person should do?"

Liu Bei's face completely fell.

The emperor is right.

Although the Battle of Yingshui was won and the emperor gave more compensation to the soldiers who died in the battle, there were still tens of thousands of people who were affected by the Yingshui River that was dug up by Cao Cao.

These people are also subjects of the Han Dynasty. Neither the imperial court nor the emperor can ignore them.

When Liu Xie saw that Liu Bei fell silent, he knew that he was thinking seriously, and then asked Guan Yu and Zhuge Liang to step forward.

"Yun Chang, Kong Ming. I am about to go to Hebei, so I have no time to worry about Henan's affairs."

"But the local people are all Han people. I can't just watch them suffer."

"This time, you two will stay in Yuzhou and help me settle the people of Yuzhou."

When Guan Yu and Zhuge Liang heard that the emperor was going to attack Hebei without them, they became worried.

But when they thought that Yuzhou was now of utmost importance, the two agreed.

"After you two stay, repair the dam of Yingshui River as soon as possible. Kong Ming can also do more research on the hydrology and find a way to properly manage Yingshui River. When I was in Chang'an, I heard people mention that Yingshui River often broke its dam, causing great harm to the people of Yuzhou, so I need you to take care of it more."

"Here."

Zhuge Liang accepted the order.

"Yun Chang..."

Then Liu Xie looked at Guan Yu again with a complicated expression, as if he was struggling over whether to give Guan Yu such a task.

"Yun Chang, I heard that you have always disliked scholars and have always been arrogant towards them?"

If the emperor asked this question to others, I am afraid that the other person would immediately tremble and start to make excuses.

But Guan Yu just straightened his chest and said: "I dare not deceive your majesty."

"If they are scholars selected through the imperial examination, it's not a big deal. Not every one of them is as talented as Kong Ming and Shi Yuan, but at least they are good men who work hard and don't look down on ordinary people."

"But those who rely on their fathers' influence are mostly lazy people! Not only do they do things carelessly, they only know how to discuss matters and drink tea all day long. They also often order their servants to oppress the people and act tyrannically! How can Your Majesty expect me to be kind to such people?"

"If Your Majesty wants to punish me for this, I will accept the punishment but I will never admit my guilt!"

"..."

Even Liu Bei, Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang stared at Guan Yu in surprise.

This was the first time they had heard Guan Yu talk so long and nonstop since they met him.

It may be because Guan Yu was treated unfairly in the past, which led to his exile in Youzhou, causing him to be full of disgust towards the aristocratic officials who had the final say.

Moreover, the last sentence "refuse to admit guilt when punished" is a bit too tough, which makes people worry that Guan Yu will be punished by the emperor.

But Liu Xie, contrary to everyone's expectations, smiled faintly.

"Yun Chang is a man of high integrity. How could I not know that?"

"This is actually the reason why I kept you in Yuzhou."

He signaled to Yang Xiu with his eyes, and Yang Xiu immediately took the initiative to bring over a jade plate. The top was covered with a red cloth, so it was unclear what was on it.

"Yun Chang, you must listen carefully to what I say next."

Liu Xie solemnly arranged——

"The power of the Central Plains gentry far exceeds that of Guanzhong, Yizhou, Liangzhou and other places."

"Even if we defeat Cao Cao now, they will not stay quiet and accept their fate. If I lead the troops to Hebei, there is no guarantee that they will not make some small moves in the rear."

"My purpose of keeping you in Yuzhou is——"

At this point, Liu Xie pulled aside the red cloth on the table, revealing the true appearance of the objects placed on the jade plate.

Axe!

As soon as this thing came out, everyone in the room's eyes lit up.

So far, the emperor has only granted Liu Bei the axe, allowing Liu Bei to act at his own discretion in Yizhou and suppress the local nobles.

The rest of the people, even those close to him like Lu Bu, did not receive such treatment.

And today, the emperor once again handed out axes and halberds, and his purpose was still to target the local aristocratic families!

"Yun Chang, I give you this thing because I want to tell you that if you encounter someone who deserves to be killed, you must never show mercy."

"Don't worry about killing the wrong person. As long as the other party shows any signs of killing, I will allow you to do it."

"At this moment, it is better to kill someone by mistake than to let him go!"

That's what it says.

If all the noble families in the Central Plains were tied up and chopped off, there might be some innocent people. But if we cut off every family one by one, there would definitely be a large number of people who would slip through the net!

Liu Xie was now heading to Hebei, so he naturally had no time to stay and slowly purge these people. He could only leave Guan Yu behind and give him orders.

kill!

Simple and crude, but also the most effective!
As long as Henan's stability can be guaranteed, even if Guan Yu causes a huge mess, we can wait until Liu Xie returns to deal with it!

Guan Yu stared at the burning axe in the jade plate. Even with his temper, he couldn't help but tremble his throat.

"Your Majesty, this matter..."

"I told you to keep it, so you keep it."

"Let me ask you, if I leave you to guard Yuzhou, what will you do if Cao Cao colludes with those remnants to attack you?"

Guan Yu clasped his fists and said: "I will defeat Cao Cao for your majesty!"

Liu Xie nodded: "If Sun Ce of Jiangdong colludes with Cao Cao, what will happen to Yunchang?"

"..."

Guan Yu was a little puzzled.

Is it possible that Sun Ce will also attack Yuzhou?

After hesitating for a moment, Guan Yu whispered, "May I ask Your Majesty, do you want me to "occupy Cao Cao in the east and ally with Sun Ce in the south"? "

Liu Xie shook his head: "That's not necessary!"

"There has been no news about Sun Ce recently, but if he comes along, Yunchang, please remember these four words!"

"May I ask your Majesty what four words they are?"

"Kill them!"

Guan Yu was stunned, but then he smiled from under his beautiful beard: "I understand!"

Liu Xie took out the axe from the jade plate, walked up to Guan Yu and placed the axe in Guan Yu's hand.

"I believe that with Yunchang's character, he would never let a bad guy go or wrongly accuse a good guy. If there is something that is really unclear, please discuss it with Kongming."

"When I go to attack Hebei this time, I will mainly call for grain and grass from Jing and Yi. These grain and grass will be sent to the front line through Yuzhou, so Yunchang must protect Yuzhou for me and prevent the scoundrels from doing evil!"

"Here!"

Guan Yu took the order seriously.

"also."

Liu Xie also informed Guan Yu of his other plan:

"I have already sent a letter to have Xun Yu go from Chang'an to Jingzhou to dispatch the money and grain to Jingzhou and Yizhou."

"For most matters, Yunchang can make his own decisions."

"If Yunchang cannot make a decision, go and ask Kongming."

"If even Kong Ming can't solve it, then go and ask Wen Ruo for help."

"Wen Ruo is from Yingchuan, so he is more familiar with the local noble families than you are. You can ask him to come and help you resolve the dispute."

……

The emperor actually transferred Xun Yu from Chang'an to Jingzhou!

In order to ensure the peace of Yuzhou, the emperor put three big locks on Yuzhou: Guan Yu, Zhuge Liang and Xun Yu!
Such a configuration is already luxurious enough. I believe there won't be any trouble in Yuzhou again, right?

After settling the affairs of Yuzhou, Liu Xie asked Yang Xiu to bring the map, intending to start studying the war arrangements on the Yanzhou front.

Just as the map was unfolded and everyone hadn't discussed for long, a soldier suddenly came to the door with a message -

As soon as the soldier entered the door, Sima Yi recognized that he was a personal soldier under Gao Shun.

Feeling bad.

Sima Yi asked, "But what trouble did General Gao encounter in Yanzhou?"

The other party smiled bitterly: "It turns out that nothing can be hidden from Minister Sima."

"good."

"After General Gao arrived in Yanzhou, he immediately took control of the two ferry crossings of Baima and Yanjin. His actions went very smoothly, and the local officials were very cooperative."

"But a few days ago, General Gao was sleeping soundly when he heard a noise in the house."

"General Gao shouted 'Catch the thief!' Unexpectedly, it was Wang Bi, a member of the Yanzhou Army, who sneaked into the house and tried to steal our army's deployment plan."

"General Gao was furious, so he sent people to capture Wang Bi's accomplices. After being tortured, Wang Bi was a tough guy and refused to confess anything, saying that he got drunk and lost his way. However, his accomplice's teacher confessed that Wang Bi had contacted Yuan Shao and asked Yuan Shao to send troops to fight for the Baima and Yanjin ferry crossings!"

"General Gao has left some troops to guard Puyang, and has to send troops to defend Baima and Yanjin. His military strength is really stretched. So he sent me to ask for help from Your Majesty!"

Yuan Shao actually dared to take the first step?
Wang Bi's alliance with Yuan Shao was obviously unexpected!
When Sima Yi heard that Yuan Shao's goal was the two ferry crossings, he was even more shocked, and then looked at Liu Xie -

"Your Majesty! These two ferry crossings cannot be lost. Please send troops to help immediately!"

"also……"

Sima Yi looked worried: "Your Majesty, is that ready?"

Liu Xie took a deep breath and said, "Zhong Yao and Xun You have sent me letters, and everything is basically ready."

"Now that we are ready, we must not let Baima and Yanjin fail!"

(End of this chapter)