Tiger Guards

Chapter 582 Intricate Roots
The following day, General Wei Yue formally submitted a report to the court.

The Secretariat, the Provincial Secretariat.

Inside the pavilion, Fu Wan, the Grand Secretary, the General of the State, and the Marquis of Buqi, was reviewing Wei Yue's memorials, staring intently at the handwriting, and remained lost in thought for a long time.

After thinking it over, Fu Wan pushed the report to the Imperial Secretary: "Quickly present it to the Emperor."

"Here."

One of the secretaries on duty dared not be negligent. He reached out his hands, bowed, and stepped forward to receive the original memorial. He and another secretary officer then quickly left.

Fu Wan continued to ponder, then turned to look out the window, glancing at the figures of the two Imperial Secretarys. He then said to Zhao Rui, the Director of the Imperial Secretariat, who had already read the report, "General Wei is the General's trusted confidant. The General must have known about the unusual events in Hongnong a couple of days ago."

In his report, General Wei Yue described the assembly of Gan Ning's troops as an unusual move.

It was not only Gan Ning's navy, but also the joint operation of Han Meng and Wei Xing's forces; the mobilization of these three armies was not reported to the court in advance.

Fu Wan had some idea of ​​what was going on, but he felt that this didn't seem like Lü Bu's personality.

He didn't believe Lü Bu had such a long-term vision, nor could he possibly sever the ties of his nominal position as the head of the imperial court.

How many people can give up or relinquish their official positions and power in the imperial court?
Moreover, Fu Wan was well aware that Zhao Ji and Lü Bu had cooperated in battles many times before, but their conflicts were frequent, and they almost turned on each other each time. They were clearly two people who were irreconcilable enemies.

It was Zhao Ji's unparalleled achievements in conquering the various Hu tribes that forced Lü Bu to have no choice but to bring in Liu Bei, the governor of Xu Province and a vassal of the Lü clan, to participate in the administration. This was all to strengthen Lü Bu's power and continue to contend with the Zhao family.

At the same time, bringing Liu Bei into the court could help cut off the Zhao family's influence over Xuzhou, and Liu Bei could also gain a relatively complete Xuzhou. For example, Zhao Fan, the chancellor of Langya State, and the families of the four tribes of Qingzhou under Zhang Zhao's command would have a chance to be annexed by Liu Bei.

Even if they cannot annex it, they can use these people to blackmail and force Zhao Ji to make some concessions.

Fu Wan was genuinely puzzled. Even if he dared to guess Lü Bu's purpose, it seemed illogical to him.

Before things really break out, it's almost impossible to hide it from the other party. The reason the other party fell for it is because they lacked information and misjudged the probability.

For example, if Fu Wan were in his place at this moment, based on all the information he had, the current situation in the court was clearly that Lü Bu had lost popular support, while Liu Bei, after being brought into the court by the virtuous and benevolent, had gained more popular support.

With Zhao Ji's power growing stronger day by day, many officials and gentry in the court and the countryside had had enough of Lü Bu's weak and appeasing attitude towards Zhao Ji, and they wanted a stronger leader to wield power in the court.

Clearly, Liu Bei, who rose to power through military merit and came from a noble family in a border region, would do everything in his power to protect the Han dynasty and would never allow Zhao Ji to grow stronger step by step.

Therefore, after Liu Bei entered the court, due to a combination of factors, more and more people supported him; when he completely gained the upper hand, the fence-sitters would flock to support Liu Bei and clamor even more fiercely.

In other words, Gao Shun led his troops to withdraw from the front line, and the gleaming swords suppressed the calls for Liu Bei and Lü Buwei both inside and outside Xuchang.

They would rather support Liu Bei, a disciple of Lu Zhi, in governing the country than tolerate the combined rule of the two traitors, Lü and Zhao.

Fu Wan wanted to test Zhao Rui, and Zhao Rui also looked serious.

Zhao Rui, the Director of the Secretariat, hoped to stay in Luodu and work with the officials of the three provinces in Luodu to ensure the issuance of imperial edicts.

Occasionally, he would come to Xuchang on official business to receive questions from the emperor.

For example, recently, Zhao Rui was summoned to Xudu because the emperor wanted to consult Zhao Rui about some matters concerning Zhao Ji.

If the situation escalates further, granting Zhao Ji a princely title wouldn't be a big deal for the emperor.

As long as Zhao Ji still cherishes the royal title bestowed upon him by the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty's official rank system will still have considerable value, and the highest rank of the Han Dynasty's official rank, the Son of Heaven, will naturally also have value.

Zhao Rui pondered for a moment, then said in a serious tone, "When I left Luodu, I heard that Lord Yuanming had supplied Gan Xingba with some warships. Three of these warships were destroyed when they passed through Sanmenxia."

Now Fu Wan also felt the pressure: "You mean to say that Gan Xingba's unusual behavior was at the behest of Lord Yuanming?" Zhao Yan still held the position of Commandant of the Capital Region. It was normal for the Commandant of the Capital Region to mobilize the garrison in Hongnong to send them to Hanoi County for exercises or to transport some supplies.

However, Sili Province is a sensitive area. When Lü Bu sent Wei Yue to manage Luozhong, any troop movements of even slightly larger scale would be notified in advance. How could there be such a direct troop movement as this time?

When asked the question, Zhao Rui shook his head: "I dare not be certain, but Gan Xingba is a tiger general of our time. If he makes a move, it means that the Grand Marshal may have already made a decision. I urge you, my lord, to persuade His Majesty to turn hostility into friendship."

Now, Fu Wan's expression turned even more sour. No matter what, Fu Wan certainly couldn't smile right now.

As they remained silent, a junior eunuch strode over: "His Majesty summons the Grand Secretary and the Director of the Grand Secretariat."

"only."

Fu Wan and Zhao Rui bowed together, straightened their robes slightly, and then followed the young eunuch to see the emperor.

In a garden, when they arrived, they saw the emperor standing sideways in the shadows of the corridor, holding a bow in a standard archery stance, shooting at the lotus flowers in the pond across the garden.

Liu Xie held his breath and concentrated, holding the vermilion bow and golden arrow. He shot an arrow that struck a blooming pink and white lotus flower. The bud was pulled into the pond, and the stem was probably broken as well, as it did not bounce back or return to its original position.

"Supreme."

Consort Dong was also present. She spoke up to remind him, and Liu Xie finally snapped out of his reverie, handed the red bow to Shi Qian, and took the handkerchief from Consort Dong to wipe away non-existent sweat.

Then Consort Dong led several palace servants away along the corridor. Liu Xie adjusted the jade belt at his waist, walked steadily out of the corridor, and still stood on the lowest step: "My two beloved ministers, what do you think of Gan Ning of Hongnong advancing his troops into Luozhong?"

"Your Majesty, I believe that General Luo Zhongwei has more than 20,000 soldiers, which is enough to deter the armies of Gansu and Ningxia."

Fu Wan bowed deeply and continued, "What I am worried about now is that the General of Chariots and Cavalry is growing in power, and the Grand General is struggling to cope. If the Grand General were to meet with misfortune, then the General of the Guards might misunderstand the court and possibly lead the troops of Luozhong to meet the rebel army."

Zhao Rui also bowed and saluted like Fu Wan, but did not express his attitude.

With his hands behind his back, Liu Xie raised his chin slightly and gazed at the distant horizon, increasingly disgusted by the bond between his ministers.

Zhao Ji and Zhao Yan were mutually dependent, and they also had Zhao Rui and Zhao Fan on the periphery; Lü Bu, a lone figure, also had his cousins ​​Wei Yue and Wei Xu.

Compared to Lü Bu and Zhao Yun, Liu Bei was a lone minister with no powerful or famous relatives.

After thinking for a while, Liu Xie felt powerless and said, "I would like to trouble you two ministers to go to the General's residence to consult on this matter. The sudden mobilization of troops in Xizhou could be a big or small matter. I hope the General can handle it properly and do his best to eliminate any misunderstandings."

The unusual transfers of Gan Ning, Han Meng, and Wei Xing could be a matter of great importance or minor significance.

To put it simply, the messenger delivering the official document to the imperial court encountered an accident, so the court did not receive the relevant notification of troop deployment.

On a larger scale, the Zhao family's goal was to seize the eight passes of Luoyang as preparation for their military campaign in Guandong the following year.

Lu Bu really can't afford to get into trouble now. Even if he accidentally falls to his death while using the toilet, it would scare Wei Yue into submitting the entire Heluo region to Zhao Ji.

However, General Liu Bei's power had already been established, and he had gained the unanimous support of officials and gentry throughout the court and the country. This was something that neither Lü Bu nor the emperor could suppress.

Too many people now want to take Lu Bu's head and ask Liu Bei for a reward.

In the emperor's view, Lü Bu had messed things up himself; this was no longer just inviting a wolf into the house, but inviting a tiger.

Compared to Lü Bu, the fierce tiger of Bingzhou, Liu Bei was the true tiger and hero of the world.

What Lü Bu couldn't do, Liu Bei could really accomplish... for example, the throne.

(End of this chapter)