Tiger Guards

Chapter 574 The Bond Between Ruler and Subject
Xudu, Beigong.

After a refreshing rain, the air was crisp and the night was pleasant, allowing the emperor to have a rare good night's sleep.

Before the morning bell rang, Liu Xie was awakened by the clear chirping of birds.

He arrived at the attic window wearing only his undergarments. Two young eunuchs, who were serving him, bowed their heads and stepped forward to open the window for Liu Xie, supporting it with a pole.

Liu Xie adjusted his robes and went to the window to look down at the various parts of the palace.

This place can be considered the highest point in the palace, but it is still not as high as the palace gate towers, nor as high as the gate towers of various cities in Xuchang.

Even though it was just the highest point in this remote place, it gave Liu Xie a sense of security.

As he gazed at the garden and breathed in the fresh air, the Grand Chamberlain Shi Qian, wearing a large crown that was not a cage-like turban, bowed and approached: "Your Majesty."

"What's the matter?"

“At midnight, the Tiger Guards and Feathered Guards were rotated with new personnel, and I did not inquire about it.”

"The Grand General is coming to the palace to see me."

Liu Xie looked up at the deep blue of the distant horizon. The sun had not yet fully risen, and a white hue permeated the horizon.

He was increasingly dissatisfied with Lü Bu, especially after Lü Bu brought Liu Bei, the governor of Xu Province, to the court to participate in governance.

Liu Xie was not worried about powerful ministers from outside the imperial family, but he was worried about powerful vassal states like Liu Bei, who held actual military power and had fought his way up from the bottom.

Even with Liu Ai and Liu Biao, Liu Xie wasn't particularly worried.

Liu Ai couldn't even hold onto Yangzhou, so how could he possibly have the power to interfere in the court? He certainly couldn't possibly disrupt the imperial lineage.

Although Liu Biao conquered Jingnan, the scholars of Jingnan were still unwilling to fully submit to him... Ultimately, Liu Biao lacked a stable and reliable military record, and the scholars of Nanyang, Jingbei, and Jingnan dared not rashly place heavy bets on him.

Liu Bei was truly different. Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Liu Bei had fought against various sides and had no shortage of reliable and loyal daredevils under his command.

At the same time, Liu Bei was a disciple of the great Confucian scholar Lu Zhi. Although Lu Zhi's scholarship had declined, Liu Bei still had a certain appeal among scholars.

One of the sources of Lu Xue's lineage is the Chen family of Xiapi. With the strong support of Chen Deng, Liu Bei had a solid foundation in Xuzhou and was well supported by local powerful families, clan leaders, and refugee leaders.

Zheng Xuan also thought highly of Liu Bei during his lifetime and introduced his close disciple Sun Qian to Liu Bei.

If the opportunity arises, Sun Qian could act as a go-between and gather Zheng Xue's classmates, centered in Qingzhou and scattered throughout the prefectures and counties surrounding Mount Tai. This would be a very powerful network of connections.

Liu Bei, having previously held the positions of Left General and Governor of Xu Province, found it difficult to wield this power.

Now that Zhao Ji's side is not interfering, Lü Bu unilaterally invited Liu Bei to the court and appointed him as General of Chariots and Cavalry. Liu Bei then established the General of Chariots and Cavalry's office to recruit talents from all over the country, which naturally brought together the disciples of Lu Xue and Zheng Xue.

By leveraging these man-made regional strongholds, powerful local figures could be mobilized to build a sizable army.

After Cao Cao, Zhao Ji, Yuan Shu, Lü Bu, and Sun Ce plundered the land, the remaining powerful clans, though weakened, still wielded considerable influence when united.

Liu Bei was born into the imperial family, had experienced the hardships of ordinary people, was skilled in military affairs, was a disciple of a great Confucian scholar, and was in the prime of his life. At the same time, his reputation for benevolence and fortitude was known throughout the country.

The fact that such a person was allowed to enter the court and participate in governance deeply worried Emperor Liu Xie.

He gazed at the garden for a moment, then said, “Prepare a banquet. If the General comes to the palace, entertain him. If the General does not come, summon the General of Chariots and Cavalry to the palace.”

Consort Dong's father, Dong Cheng, was also promoted from General of the Guards to General of the Cavalry and was granted the authority to establish his own government. However, the scholars considered it shameful to accept Dong Cheng's offer of service because Dong Cheng had attached himself to Dong Zhuo and served him.

Therefore, although Dong Cheng's General of the Cavalry's office was also a public office, it had only a small number of people since its inception, and could not gather enough staff members to expand its influence through staff members.

"only."

Upon receiving Liu Xie's instructions, Shi Qian bowed respectfully, then stepped back several dozen paces to the steps of the pavilion before turning around and descending the stairs expressionlessly.

Shi Qian's face was covered in heavy makeup, making it impossible to discern any subtle expressions. Just as Shi Qian dared not look up to observe the emperor's face, the other eunuchs and palace maids also dared not look up to observe Shi Qian.

As for the Tiger Guards and Feathered Forest Guards on duty outside the palace, although they held their halberds and stood tall, they did not observe Shi Qian's expression; as for the palace patrol guards under the command of the Hook and Shield Commander, they were frequently changed and could not be influenced by Shi Qian at all.

The Ten Attendants bore the brunt of the resentment of officials and common people, to the point that Emperor Xie began to suppress the power of the eunuchs around him.

If possible, Liu Xie would also like to rely on these eunuchs from humble backgrounds or those who had committed crimes, but these people were either hopeless in their official careers or were people who had survived after their defeat.

These people had no one to curry favor with them in Xuzhou, and they lacked influence in their hometown, so they could not indirectly mobilize any manpower.

The eunuchs lacked mobilization power and were of no use at this moment, so they could only do some writing work or some heavy manual labor within the palace.

At this time, the power of the eunuchs was at its weakest. Even though Liu Xie trusted the eunuchs around him, he dared not rashly appoint them to important positions, for fear of provoking the collective anger and fear of the scholars.

Although the existence of eunuchs was highly dependent on the emperor, they did not have an easy life without the emperor's authorization.

While the eunuchs are not starving, they certainly don't eat or dress well, let alone keep dozens of beautiful concubines like their predecessors, such as the Ten Attendants. They also have no clans or neighbors coming to rely on them.

Dissatisfied with his life as an eunuch and his career, he naturally lacked motivation and became the most neutral force in Xudu City.

Just as Shi Qian finished arranging the banquet, Wei Xu, the Imperial Guard General, intercepted him outside the palace gate in full armor: "Grand Chamberlain, the General has submitted a memorial requesting an audience with His Majesty."

The sun was rising, and the imperial palace gates were just opening.

Shi Qian, with a solemn expression, asked as usual, "What does the General wish to discuss?"

"This is a memorial to the throne."

Wei Xu handed over a memorial with both hands, and Shi Qian immediately heard the sound of armor plates rubbing together on Wei Xu's body... This was not the sound of light ceremonial armor, but the sound of combat armor.

Although the armor designs are similar, Wei Xu wears a robe with both civil and military sleeves, making it difficult to tell at a glance whether it is ceremonial armor or combat armor.

Shi Qian immediately judged from the sound that Wei Xu was wearing heavy and inconvenient armor.

Without making a sound, he took the memorial with both hands, lowered his head and flipped through it, and saw that it was a petition.

In his edict, Lü Bu praised Zhao Ji for pacifying the various barbarian tribes and for his widespread influence, regarding it as an auspicious sign that the country was about to be restored and the state was about to be stable.

Therefore, Lü Bu believed that after the autumn harvest this year, the emperor and the court, who were eating in Xuchang, could return to Luodu and officially announce that the court would soon bring great order to the world and restore peace to all the people.

Therefore, Lü Bu wanted to bid farewell to the emperor and travel to Luoyang to personally oversee the restoration of the palaces and government offices in Luoyang.

The palaces and government offices in Luoyang had already been roughly restored with the assistance of Zhang Yang, Liu Biao, and Yuan Shao, and were now barely usable.

Shi Qian was well aware that Luoyang's biggest shortage was grain, and that it could only be self-sufficient and could not rely on transportation from Hebei and Guandong.

Therefore, the most important task for Luoyang this year is to increase the number of garrison troops and organize civilian settlements in order to restore Luoyang's grain production as much as possible.

At the very least, the grain produced within the eight passes of Luoyang must be enough to support a population of 100,000.

However, Lü Bu suggested going to supervise the construction of the palace, which was clearly not in line with the actual needs.

After reading the memorial, Shi Qian dared not delay. After a brief farewell to Wei Xu, he immediately went to see the emperor.

Liu Xie was not surprised at all, but asked Fu Wan, who had just entered the palace: "Grand Secretary, what do you think of the General's statement?"

"This is a test."

Without hesitation, Fu Wan said, "Your Majesty cannot grant this request. We should do our utmost to retain the General as a subject of the ruler."

Liu Xie listened and nodded slowly, his gaze deep.

(End of this chapter)