Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 247: The Hope of the World, Recording the Affairs of the Shangshu

Chang'an, inside the Weiyang Palace.

Liu Xie, who was only fourteen years old, stood on tiptoe at the palace gate and looked out, his acne-covered face showing anticipation.

"Sun Qing, I don't know when General Wei and the other generals will enter the palace!" Liu Xie asked.

Shi Sun Rui said, "Your Majesty, Zhu Jun and Yang Biao have brought other ministers to Baqiao to welcome you in person. We exchanged pleasantries on the way and I'm afraid there will be some delay. I hope Your Majesty will be patient and wait for you."

Liu Xie nodded and asked with anticipation: "If the generals defeat Li Jue and there are no more treacherous people in the court, can we return to Luoyang this year?"

Liu Xie's desire for Luoyang began when Dong Zhuo moved west. He grew up in Luoyang and spent his best years there, so Liu Xie was full of affection for Luoyang.

As for Chang'an?

In Liu Xie's eyes, his life in Chang'an was not easy at all. Dong Zhuo controlled the government and he was almost reduced to a puppet. Wang Yun endured the humiliation and killed Dong Zhuo, but was forced to commit suicide by Guo and Li.

After Li Jue came to power, Chang'an almost became the territory of Guanxi warriors. Li Jue, Guo Si and Fan Chou divided the area for looting. Almost all the beautiful palace ladies were divided up among the three of them.

Even if Jia Xu had not stepped in, even his sister-in-law, Concubine Tang, would have been abused by Li Jue. The humiliation he experienced in Chang'an could only be forgotten by leaving Chang'an.

Now Zhang Yu is the savior in Liu Xie's eyes. Not only does he have the blessing of being Wang Yun's son-in-law, but he is also promoting the slogan of welcoming him to Luoyang and emulating the story of Ji Zhou's revival. How can he not be happy?
Seeing Liu Xie's expectation, Shisun Rui secretly sighed. He had known Zhang Yu through his son. Zhang Yu was like a king in Bingzhou, appointing officials, setting taxes, and training troops, just like other separatist princes.

Now that Zhang Yu's troops have entered Guanzhong, and according to the edict, the Han Dynasty can still survive. What he is most worried about now is that Zhang Yu will return to being Dong Zhuo, rescue the emperor from one fire pit, and then throw him into another fire pit.

While Liu Xie was waiting, the attendant walked up the stairs and said happily, "Your Majesty, General Zhang has entered the palace and will go to Weiyang Palace now."

"it is good!"

Liu Xie was overjoyed and went down the stairs with his attendants to personally welcome the generals who came to rescue him.

"Your Majesty, be careful!"

Seeing Liu Xie walking as fast as running, Shisun Rui waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty must behave properly. Don't let the generals look down on you."

"I know it myself!"

Liu Xie's tone revealed joy. The arrival of the generals who came to rescue him would mean the coming of his happy days!

After a while, the emperor and his ministers met at the stone stairs of the Weiyang Palace.

Seeing Liu Xie coming down the steps to greet him, Zhang Yu took a few steps forward, led the other generals to salute Liu Xie, and said, "Your Majesty, I am Zhang Yu. I am sorry that I am late in coming to your rescue, and I have wronged your Majesty!"

Seeing Zhang Yu, Lu Bu, Liu He and others kneeling in unison, especially hearing Zhang Yu's apology for being late in coming to rescue him, Liu Xie almost cried. He felt so wronged staying in Chang'an.

"No need to be polite, Mr. Zhang!"

Liu Xie first helped Zhang Yu up, then Liu He and Lu Bu, and said excitedly: "You are all the backbone of the Han Dynasty. The rebels are the center of the rebellion. Fortunately, you have come to rescue us!"

In the crowd, Liu He choked up and said, "I followed orders to travel east, and now I have finally led my troops to the capital to rescue the emperor. My father and I are in Youzhou, but our hearts are in Chang'an, and we will never forget each other."

"The reason Youyan can be at peace is all thanks to the Grand Marshal and you who are in charge and protecting the Han Dynasty!" Liu Xie, a young and sentimental man, said with tears in his eyes.

Lu Bu thought that he had done great service to the Han Dynasty by killing the bandits twice, and emphasized: "Last year, I followed the prince to support the government, but failed at the last moment. Now I follow Lord Zhang and finally drive out the bandits for Your Majesty. I have assisted the Han Dynasty twice and saved the country from danger. Now I have no regrets in my heart!"

"I will never forget Lu Qing's contribution in helping the poor and needy!" Liu Xie said with emotion, holding Lu Bu's hand tightly.

Now I see that the emperor and his men have different expressions. Apart from Liu He and Lu Bu, the most eye-catching one is Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was in the second row. Thinking about what he had seen along the way and the difficult situation Liu Xie had faced before, he shed tears and sighed secretly.

Soon, Liu Xie noticed Liu Bei and asked, "I don't know your name, why are you crying now?"

Liu Bei wiped the tears from his face and said, "I am the great-great-grandson of Emperor Xiaojing and the descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan. Today, I am following Lord Zhang to fight against the enemy. Thinking of the decline of the Han Dynasty, I feel deeply for the hardship. If I have been disrespectful, Your Majesty, please do not blame me!"

Liu Xie was greatly impressed and said, "Although you are a distant ancestor, you have not forgotten the Han Dynasty. In the future, I will rely on the assistance of the other ancestor."

After a pause, Liu Xie did not dare to ignore Zhang Yu, so he personally took Zhang Yu's arm and said, "Your Excellency has made great contributions to the restoration of the Han Dynasty. You are the hope of the world today. I would like to thank you on behalf of the Han Dynasty."

"I am frightened!"

Zhang Yu took a step back, cupped his hands and said, "As a minister, I have done my duty to be loyal to my emperor. I am not worthy of your praise!"

Seeing that Zhang Yu was not arrogant, Shisun Rui, who was watching from the sidelines, felt relieved. At least he could be sure that Zhang Yu was not a person like Dong Zhuo.

Zhang Yu admired Liu Xie's intelligence because he knew how to win people's hearts at a young age. If it were a peaceful and prosperous era, he would at least be a wise ruler. Unfortunately, it was the end of the dynasty. Regardless of Zhang Yu or not, Liu Xie would eventually become a king who lost his country.

After some greetings, the civil and military officials escorted Liu Xie into the Weiyang Palace. However, in terms of the order of rank, everyone was humble and yielded to each other. "Ji'an has made great contributions to the Han Dynasty, so he can be ranked first now!" said Shi Sun Rui.

"Don't dare!"

Zhang Yu bowed to Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song and said, "Mr. Zhu is the General of Chariots and Cavalry, and Mr. Fu is the Grand Commandant. Although Yu has made great achievements, he dare not go beyond the rules. Thank you two for taking the lead!"

"Jian is being modest!"

Zhu Jun said: "Ji'an has made outstanding contributions and saved the country from disaster. If he doesn't take the lead now, how dare I take the lead!"

"You two have profound experience and are the country's support. I am ashamed that I cannot compare with you. Thank you for taking the lead!" Zhang Yu declined.

After a series of concessions from Zhang Yu, Zhu Jun, and Huangfu Song, despite Zhang Yu's strong opposition, Huangfu Song was finally ranked first, followed by Zhu Jun. The court officials were particularly pleased to see Zhang Yu's humility, and their worries about him were greatly alleviated.

Liu Xie sat on the couch and asked anxiously, "I wonder how Li Jue is doing? Can he move east to Luoyang this year?"

Zhang Yu bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, since I defeated Li Jue at Luoshui, I have no idea where he has fled to. I thought Li Jue would flee to Longshang to seek temporary safety. Although I have defeated the enemy army, there are still remnants in Guanzhong. Han Sui and Song Jian in Longyou will not be able to surrender for the time being!"

"Therefore, I implore Your Majesty to issue an imperial decree to pardon the remaining remnants of the Guanxi rebels, except for Li Jue and his relatives, so that I can help Your Majesty to eliminate the rebels!"

"As for moving east to Luoyang?"

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Since Dong Zhuo set fire to Luoyang, all the palaces have been burned down. Allow me to order Henei to provide materials to repair the palaces, and let the princes of Guandong send envoys to pay homage to Your Majesty and pay tribute to the prefectures and counties for money and grain."

Hearing this, Liu Xie smiled and said, "I am very pleased that you are loyal to the country. Thank you for sending envoys to help us move Luoyang eastward!"

"promise!"

"cough!"

Liu Xie heard Zhu Jun's cough and understood what he meant. He asked, "Now you have convened an alliance with other generals to fight against the enemy and save the country from disaster. You have made great contributions to the country. I wonder what you want?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yu raised his head and looked around at the ministers. Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart. The court officials still had doubts about him and kept testing him.

Now Zhang Yu wanted to follow Dong Zhuo's example, send troops to take over the government, control all affairs in the court, and appoint officials to his will. However, for the sake of his image and to fulfill his political promises, he had to take it slow.

"Your Majesty, my achievements are humble and not worth mentioning. Yuan Gonglu is the leader of the alliance. Now he will lead the alliance to fight against the enemy. I beg Your Majesty to appoint him as the general."

Zhang Yu bowed and said, "General Lü Bu has killed the enemy twice and his achievements are outstanding. I think he should be entrusted with important tasks. Generals Liu Bei, Dong Cheng and Liu He are either distant relatives of Your Majesty or close to Your Majesty. I think you should recommend them to important tasks."

"The former Minister of Civil Affairs Wang Yun and the former Inspector of the Capital Huang Wan were loyal to the state and died for the country. Yu earnestly requests that Your Majesty issue an edict to confer titles and rewards on them in commemoration of their loyalty in killing the traitors."

Liu Xie hesitated for a moment and said, "I have agreed to all the matters you have mentioned. However, you have made outstanding contributions, so I must reward you."

Liu Xie said, "Mr. Zhu used to be the General of Chariots and Cavalry, but now he is the Minister of Horses. There is no one to take the position of General of Chariots and Cavalry. I now appoint you as the General of Chariots and Cavalry, and give you the title of General to Yuan Gonglu to encourage you to fight against the enemy."

As soon as Liu Xie finished speaking, the attendants stepped out and read out the imperial edict to reward Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu was promoted from General of Guards to General of Chariots and Cavalry, and was given an additional fief of 10,000 households. He was also appointed commander-in-chief of the military affairs of Hedong and Bingzhou, and was in charge of the Secretariat, and was granted temporary authority.

After hearing about the reward, Zhang Yu raised his eyebrows slightly. The position of Inspector of the Imperial Guards, which he had previously recommended himself for, was now taken away by Liu Xie. Could it be that the imperial court did this on purpose?

Forget it, it is not appropriate to refuse the official position granted by the Emperor in front of everyone!
Let him go back and make plans. As long as he has the military power, he can regain his lost official position through political means.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhang Yu's expression remained unchanged. He remained calm and spoke with a bow.

"good!"

Seeing Zhang Yu obey the imperial edict, Liu Xie let out a long sigh, glanced at Zhu Jun and Yang Biao, and said, "I am young and ignorant, and I don't know the depth of court affairs. The matter of rewarding meritorious generals can be handled by you and Lords Zhu and Yang. As for the matter of moving east to Luoyang, please send officials to see if it is possible to return to Luoyang in winter so that I can worship the former emperor of the Han Dynasty!"

"I obey!"

Zhang Yu understood clearly that Liu Xie's political tactics were taught by someone unknown, and now they were almost one thing after another, replacing the post of Sili Xiaowei with the co-record of Shangshu affairs. Now he also let him be responsible for the relocation of the capital, which was a disguised pressure on him.

Liu Xie is smart and has the guidance of an expert!

I wonder if it is Zhu Jun, Yang Biao, or Shisun Rui?
Zhang Yu stood up with a calm expression and thanked Liu Xie for his order. However, because Zhang Yu looked neither happy nor worried, the officials could not figure out what he was thinking.

People who were not familiar with the situation, seeing that Zhang Yu repeatedly acted in accordance with Liu Xie's edicts, could not help but admire that Zhang Yu was indeed not the domineering Dong Zhuo, and that now the Han Dynasty might have hope of revival!
Jia Xu, who was at the end of the seat, peeked at Zhang Yu's expression, and could not help but sigh. Zhang Yu was facing the court situation, and he remained calm in the face of all changes. He was much calmer than when Dong Zhuo entered the capital. Li Jue and Guo Si were no match for Zhang Yu!

Next, let’s see how Zhang Yu fights back!
(End of this chapter)