The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 394: Triumphant Return
Baqiao.

Willow trees on both sides of the river are drooping and green;
The waves in the river are like scales, and the floating light is golden.

The people of Guanzhong gathered on both sides, standing outside the fence formed by the cavalry and the tiger guards wearing equestrian crowns, and tiptoed with all their might to look inside.

Because today is the day when the Emperor of Han returns triumphantly!

The expedition started in the middle of the fourth year of Jian'an, and now it is the end of the fifth year of Jian'an.

After such a long time, the people in Guanzhong should have known the news from outside.

Leave Luoyang, fight Cao Cao, and gain control of the Central Plains!
Cross the river, besiege Yuan Shao, and pacify Hebei!
Hearing the beacon fire, chase the Chanyu and pacify the northern border!
Nowadays, most people in Guanzhong are well educated.

The classics were too boring and vernacular novels had not yet developed, so only the historical books of the Pre-Qin and Han dynasties were the most popular.

Looking at the Zhou and Han dynasties, is there any emperor who has achieved such military achievements at this age?
No!

Although more than a year is indeed a bit too long...

But compared with the achievements made by the emperor during this expedition to the east, it can already be called a "quick victory"!

Thirteen years of chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty.

Wang Mang's rebellion lasted for fifteen years.

The first two great periods of turmoil lasted only a dozen years in total.

But since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the world has been in chaos for nearly twenty years!
This time is long enough for the people!
The emperor was able to defeat Yuan Shao and Cao Cao in just over a year, recover Hebei and the Central Plains, and then safeguard the stability of the northern border... With such a speed, he can truly be called the Holy Emperor in the eyes of the people!

In addition, the imperial examination was just held not long ago. Because the court was in urgent need of recruiting talents, a large number of children from Guanzhong were recruited as officials. This can be regarded as an absolute benefit!
Therefore, even though the pockets of the people in Guanzhong had been almost emptied in more than a year, when they heard about the emperor's victory, they could not help but feel at ease.

"The Son of Heaven is coming!"

On the shoulder of an old woman, a cute little kid with braids suddenly shouted, attracting all the people to look to the east!

The first person.

He was riding a sturdy Xiliang warhorse, covered in shining gold and silver armor, as if a god was walking down from the horizon!
He wore an eight-sided Han sword on his waist and a red cloak on his back.

He did not wear an iron helmet on his head, but instead wore the "Liu's crown" made by Emperor Gaozu, which added a bit of nobility and grace of the Han emperor.

Under the Liu crown was a face that was very familiar to the people of Guanzhong.

His face is as handsome as jade, his eyes are like morning stars, he has a handsome appearance and a clear expression.

As he got older, three tiny moles shaped like domes slowly emerged on his left eyebrow, but they were so intimidating without any hint of anger that people dared not look directly at him!

"Long live your Majesty, long live, long live your Majesty!"

The three shouts of "Long live the emperor" are so powerful that they shake the mountains!
Emperor Liu Xie looked around and nodded continuously.

After walking a distance forward, they saw Yang Biao, Liu Biao, Jia Xu, Cai Yong and others had already led the officials to wait here.

He stepped on the stirrup and got off the horse. His handsome figure caused some of the graceful ladies watching to exclaim in surprise!
"Greetings, Your Majesty. Your Majesty, your greetings!"

The three dukes and nine ministers performed the ceremony.

The emperor held his hands up in the air and said, "Gentlemen, please stand up."

Although Yang Biao and Liu Biao were both three highest officials in the government, their positions have basically become sinecure nowadays. The two hadn't seen each other for a year, but instead of looking tired, they looked radiant and much more energetic.

Yang Biao, in particular, was so happy that his face was full of smiles when he saw his son Yang Xiu coming back alive and well.

However, Shangshu Ling Jia Xu obviously had a lot of white hair, which made the emperor frown: "Why did Wenhe become like this?"

Jia Xu touched his hair awkwardly and asked, "Do I have any difference?"

"Wenhe looks much older."

Jia Xu laughed naively a few times: "But your Majesty looks more and more heroic!"

After a year of war, the last bit of childishness in the emperor's appearance was worn away, leaving only the majesty on his face.

When the emperor saw Jia Xu's silly smile, he immediately smiled.

Because he knew that Jia Xu had not changed after all.

When Jia Xu saw the emperor's eyes, he also smiled.

Because he also knew that the emperor remained unchanged.

"I understand. This time when I come back, I won't mess around so easily!"

The amount of money and food consumed in this campaign is absolutely staggering!
The personnel dispatch and military supply distribution in the rear were also a tedious workload that Liu Xie himself probably didn't even want to look at.

Not to mention, after the emperor left Guanzhong, there must have been many people who committed evil and committed suicide...

Even if Jia Xu didn't say it, Liu Xie knew that guarding the rear was not a pleasant experience.

Especially since he transferred Xun Yu to the Central Plains midway through the term, this was equivalent to cutting off a pair of arms of the Shangshu Tai.

Being able to maintain this mess until the emperor returns, Jia Xu has indeed done his best!
Upon hearing this, Jia Xu gave two dry laughs.

"Your Majesty, please don't lie to me. How can Your Majesty not make trouble for others?"

"Your Majesty, what you want to say is that you should not torment the people, but to torment us with all your strength, right?"

Liu Xie was stunned for a moment, then he burst into laughter!

"The one who understands me is Wenhe!"

"I really can't hide my thoughts from Wenhe!"

When the ministers saw the emperor laughing, they immediately relaxed.

Because the emperor had been away from Chang'an for so long, many officials could actually feel the estrangement between the court and the emperor.

Especially when the emperor personally appointed one of the Three Dukes and three of the Nine Ministers in Hebei, the officials in Guanzhong were really about to be scared to death!
They were really afraid that the emperor would "take root" in Hebei if he disagreed with them and move the court to Hebei... But with the emperor's laughter today, all the officials knew that the emperor's heart was still in Chang'an and Guanzhong after all.

For a moment, all the officials thanked Jia Xu from the bottom of their hearts...

After that, Liu Xie never rode a war horse into the city again, but instead rode on a jade carriage that had been prepared here.

After the emperor went up, he took the initiative to move a little closer to him.

"Wenhe, come up and sit with me."

The emperor actually invited Jia Xu to ride on the jade chariot with him!
Instantly! The officials who had just thanked Jia Xu suddenly turned into resentful women. They looked at Jia Xu with envy and jealousy, wondering whether they should report Jia Xu later.

Jia Xu did not dare to refuse, and after getting on the carriage he said with some resentment: "Your Majesty, you are bringing hatred upon me!"

"It's okay. You've been alone in Guanzhong for so long. If not 99% of the officials hate you, then at least 98% of them hate you. It's no big deal!"

The emperor replied to Jia Xu heartlessly, and Jia Xu showed a hint of relief: "That's true."

Liu Xie casually put his hand on Jia Xu's thigh, but frowned the next moment.

"Wenhe's body is still so skinny, not at all as plump and round as the Grand Tutor's!"

Jia Xu laughed awkwardly a few times and said, "I don't know why, but I don't gain weight no matter how much meat I eat."

"If Wen He's words get out, I'm afraid I don't know how many women will envy him!"

Liu Xie withdrew his right hand with a sense of boredom, and finally asked: "What is the current situation of the court?"

“There are some disturbances, but they are not a big problem.”

"It's not a big problem... so there is still a problem?"

Liu Xie looked at Jia Xu——

"Some things, if you don't deal with them, will always remain problems."

"Wenhe will give me a list later and let me do it!"

Jia Xu hesitated for a moment: "Actually... it's not necessary."

"What? Wenhe softened his heart?"

"no……"

Jia Xu said a little embarrassedly: "Those people...how should I put it? Although they have not been dealt with, they are basically half dead and living a life worse than death. In fact, Your Majesty does not need to do anything to them."

Liu Xie: …

Laughing dumbly.

"I forgot that Wenhe is known as a 'poisoner'. Why do you need me to help you with your funeral?"

Jia Xu was stunned, and then he became horrified: "Your Majesty! Who gave me this nickname? Slander!! This is absolutely slander!!! Your Majesty, please tell me his name, I want to have a good argument with him!!!"

"Ha ha ha ha."

Seeing Jia Xu suddenly go crazy, Liu Xie was even happier.

Seeing that the emperor did not tell him his name, Jia Xu began to think about it in his mind.

Who gave himself this nickname?
There are only a few ministers who are close to the emperor and who understand him!

Xun Yu, Xun You... Impossible. These two uncle and nephew are both upright gentlemen and are unlikely to gossip about others behind their backs.

Zhong Yao, Niu Fu, Lu Bu... are also impossible.

Sima Yi was mature beyond his years and would never do such a thing.

Moreover, Jia Xu felt that compared to himself, Sima Yi was more worthy of the title of "poisonous scholar".

In this case, I'm afraid there is only one person left?
Jia Xu glanced outside the car...

Yang Xiu, who was bragging to his father, suddenly felt a chill on his neck. He then looked around in horror and broke out in a sweat!
"Wenhe, I sent you a letter when I was in Hebei before, saying that I wanted to reform the official system."

After hearing the emperor talking about serious matters, Jia Xu withdrew his gaze.

Reform the bureaucracy...

This has always been a major event in every dynasty.

Moreover, once it is implemented, it will inevitably cause severe chaos in the Han officialdom.

But Jia Xu, the Minister of the Chancellery, was extremely in favor of this proposal!

“It’s time to reform the bureaucracy.”

"Otherwise, if the Shangshutai continues to expand, I'm afraid no one will be able to control it!"

The current Shangshu Tai is a monster among monsters!

Executive power!
Fiscal power!
Judicial power!
……

Apart from the fact that its supervisory power was taken away by the Emperor in the first year of Jian'an when he established the Censorate, the Secretariat was almost a monster whose power had expanded to a terrifying level!

Earlier years.

When the imperial court did not pass through the Guanzhong area, the centralization of power in the Shangshu Tai actually improved administrative efficiency.

But now that most of the world has been liberated, the complexity of the situation is definitely beyond anyone's imagination!
Even when the emperor went on this expedition, there were actually a lot of troubles behind the scenes.

If it weren't for Jia Xu and Xun Yu helping to correct the situation in the rear, I'm afraid the emperor might not be able to fight the battle in Hebei!
So as the emperor said, the reform of the official system... especially the splitting up of the Secretariat, is an urgent matter and cannot be discussed!

(End of this chapter)