Han officials

Chapter 142: Settlement and Opening [4K]

He Jin had long heard of Wei Zhe's great name.

There is no way. There have been frequent unrests in the world in recent years, and only Liaodong has some good news come from it.

To a certain extent, Wei Zhe did become a fig leaf for the late Emperor Liu Hong.

However, he was the emperor's confidant before, so He Jin did not dare to recruit him rashly.

But now that the previous emperor has passed away and his nephew has become the emperor, He Jin naturally wants to bring him under his command.

Anyway, Wei Zhe has no backing now, so wouldn't it be the best of both worlds to join his school?
Thinking of this, He Jin could not help but speak up: "Since the first year of Zhongping, Duke Wei of Wei has made many achievements. How about inviting him to the capital and appointing him as the Inspector of the Imperial Guards?"

Although Yuan Wei still smiled when he heard this, his heart tightened.

Firstly, he also intended to obtain the position of Inspector of the Imperial Capital for his nephew Yuan Shao.

If this position is given to Wei Zhe, then wouldn’t the descendants of the Yuan family have no position?
Secondly, the position of Sili Xiaowei was too important, and Yuan Wei was not confident in giving it to Wei Zhe, a military strategist.

Speaking of the post of Sili Xiaowei, it was originally to hold the authority to "supervise Sanfu, Sanhe, and Hongnong."

Although there were many changes in responsibilities during this period, after Emperor Guangwu of this dynasty established the country, he abolished the Prime Minister's Sizhi, which immediately greatly increased the power of the Sili Xiaowei.

Because he, the Shangshu Ling, and the Yushi Zhongcheng all had special seats during court meetings, they were known as the "Three Sitting Alone".

From the Three Dukes to the hundreds of officials, it can be said that all were within the supervision scope of the Inspector of the Capital.

In particular, this dynasty also established the seven counties of the capital as the Sili Department, making it one of the thirteen states. Naturally, the Luoyang area also became the jurisdiction of the Sili Commandant.

It can be said that in the Luoyang area, apart from the Southern Army and the Northern Army, the Sili Xiaowei has the largest number of soldiers.

Since Emperor Guangwu, the dynasty has often relied on the power of the Inspector of the Capital in the struggle between the imperial relatives and the eunuchs.

For example, after Emperor Huan of Han ascended the throne, in order to change the situation controlled by General Liang Ji, he took advantage of Liang Ji's relaxation of vigilance and sent the Inspector of the Capital, Zhang Biao, to lead troops to besiege Liang Ji's residence and execute his entire family.

Now that He Jin wanted to kill the eunuchs, he naturally wanted to emulate the successful experience of Emperor Xiaohuan.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with He Jin's idea, and even Yuan Wei had the same plan.

However, when it came to selecting the Inspector of the Imperial Capital, Yuan Wei felt that he could trust his own son more.

After a brief pause, he shook his head and said, "Not appropriate!"

He Jin frowned slightly upon hearing this: "What's wrong?"

Yuan Wei, seeing this, stroked his beard calmly and smiled, saying, "The Sili Xiaowei is only a 2,000-dan official. In terms of official rank, he's not even as high as a 2,000-dan provincial governor, and even lower than a marquis. How can this be considered a reward?"

"Appointing Duke Wei of Wei as the Inspector of the Imperial Capital would be tantamount to exile. Wouldn't that be harsh treatment of a meritorious official? If word gets out, who knows how the world will view the court, and how they will discuss you, General!"

It's no wonder that He Jin immediately became worried after hearing this.

Since taking office, this general, who is a relative of the emperor, has been particularly concerned about his reputation among the people.

However, he still couldn't bear to let Wei Zhe go, so he changed his mind and said, "Since that's the case, then let him be the Praefectus Imperialus!"

I have to say, He Jin is still something.

First of all, the Chief of the Imperial Guards was one of the Nine Ministers, and the ranks from the Minister of Rites to the Chief of the Imperial Guards were all above 2,000 stones.

In this case, it makes sense for Wei Zhe to be transferred from the Liaodong prefect to the Praetorian Guard.

Moreover, the Praefectus Urbi was nominally the superior of the five schools of the Northern Army, and was a military position!

However, the power of the Praefectus Urbi has been repeatedly reduced since the Western Han Dynasty, and now it is completely inferior to the Inspector of the Capital, who has a lower position but less power.

It can be said that He Jin's suggestion basically and perfectly met Wei Zhe's requirements for promotion.

However, the shrewd Yuan Wei made He Jin give up the idea again with just one sentence.

"Duke Wei was a close confidant of the late emperor. How could he know if he left any instructions?"

Yuan Wei looked at He Jin and said earnestly, "General, Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, so you should be cautious and prudent in everything you do."

As soon as these words came out, He Jin suddenly had no idea what to do.

He Jin didn't dare to gamble, nor did he want to gamble!

For the sake of his nephew's throne, he should indeed be cautious.

So when it comes to playing tricks, He Jin and Yuan Wei are not on the same level at all.

But then again, He Jin was the general after all, and Yuan Wei had to respect that.

So when He Jin expressed his willingness to appoint Wei Zhe as General Zhendong, Yuan Wei did not say anything more.

Of course he knew that He Jin had not given up on recruiting Wei Zhe and was still preparing for the future team, but Yuan Wei still had no way to stop him.

Because this is the inherent advantage of a general who is a relative of the emperor. As long as time is sufficient, he will definitely have extremely high power.

It is precisely because of this that the Yuan family of Runan chose to cooperate with He Jin.

Therefore, although the two sides had many differences, neither He Jin nor Yuan Wei had any intention of breaking up.

And because of the scene at the coronation ceremony, He Jin was a little worried about Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi and others.

Thinking of this, He Jin suddenly had an idea.

"The Andong Protectorate has just been established and needs an important official who is well versed in military tactics to oversee it. Otherwise, if there is any rebellion, it will bring disgrace to the late emperor." He Jin smiled and said, "How about letting Minister Lu take charge?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Huai immediately nodded in agreement: "Yes!"

"In that case, I will appoint Lu Zigan as the Protector General of Andong, with the imperial seal to control the fourteen states of Liaodong!"

Not long after, Yuan Huai and He Jin discussed the reward.

That is: Wei Zhe, the governor of Liaodong, was appointed as the General Zhendong, and was in charge of the three counties of Buye, Buqi and Dangli.

In this way, Wei Zhe's fiefdom increased by another 2,000 households, bringing the total to 6,000 households.

Although General Zhendong was still a general of miscellaneous title, he was much higher than General Xiaoqi.

It seems that the court did not treat meritorious officials harshly this time.

But how can I put it? Although such a reward is reasonable, it is still a bit stingy compared to the great achievement of destroying Goguryeo.

It can be said that Wei Zhe’s reward this time was completely mediocre. This is the disadvantage of having no one in the court.

If the late Emperor Liu Hong were still in power, Wei Zhe would probably be made a marquis by now, and would also receive other rewards!

However, Taishi Ci, the commander of the Eastern Army, was promoted to a higher level this time and was granted the title of Marquis of Duxiang.

So strictly speaking, Wei Zhe didn't suffer too much!
In fact, if this reward was not related to the posthumous title of the late emperor, Wei Zhe might not even get these.

This can be considered as the legacy Liu Hong left to Wei Zhe.

……

As the new emperor ascended the throne, frequent personnel changes soon occurred in the court.

First, Lu Zhi was sent to Liaodong to serve as the first Protector of Andong.

Although Lu Zhi knew that this was a plot by He Jin and Yuan, he still obeyed the order and left the capital.

Because he is such a loyal minister, a gentleman can be deceived by convenience!
Besides, after studying the situation in Liaodong, Lu Zhi also felt that the Andong Protectorate was of great significance.

If the Andong Protectorate can really be established, then the Han people in Liaodong will no longer be a threat to the border.

For the same reason, Huangfu Song was also sent to Chang'an to deal with the Liangzhou rebellion. This is the advantage of controlling the core, as long as the reason is justified, the ministers and officials will obey.

However, the two loyal ministers, Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi, were easy to deal with, but the others were troublesome.

Of course, Liu Xie's party would not allow He Jin, Yuan and others to plot against them.

After He Jin and others forced Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi to leave the capital, Jian Shuo also used the excuse that Han Sui was in rebellion and proposed that the general lead the troops west to quell the rebellion in order to transfer him out of the capital.

However, after analysis by many of his staff, He Jin saw through the eunuchs' tricks and directly declined on the grounds that the Yellow Turbans in Qingxu were resurrecting. He also requested to send Yuan Shao eastward to Xu and Yan, saying that he would attack Han Sui in the west after Yuan Shao's troops returned.

Seeing that his plan failed, Jian Shuo decided to use force to kill He Jin and then establish Liu Xie as the emperor.

So Jian Shuo sent someone to invite He into the palace to discuss matters, intending to kill him inside.

However, He Jin unexpectedly assembled his troops outside the palace, ready for battle, and claimed to be ill and refused to enter.

After a series of rounds of negotiations, Jian Shuo, who was betrayed by the Ten Attendants, was eliminated first.

Less than a month after the new emperor Liu Bian ascended the throne, the military commander Jian Shuo was imprisoned and died.

As for the crime, it was that Jian Shuo planned to establish King Xie of Bohai, which was a crime of high treason!
On the Xinsi day of May, General Dong Chong was also implicated and was imprisoned and died on this charge.

Not long after, Empress Dowager Dong also died in Nangong!
In contrast, Ma Riti and Cai Yong were both famous scholars in the country, and they were not military officials, so they escaped the disaster.

When the situation developed to this point, it seemed that He Jin and the Yuan family had already secured victory.

The officials in Luoyang also thought that the dangerous period of the transfer of the throne had passed and began to visit each other again.

However, it was precisely because the overall situation had been determined that He Jin began to gain confidence.

Under the instigation of many factions in the Shogun's court, he was actually preparing to completely eliminate the eunuchs' faction!
For a moment, Luoyang, which had just calmed down, was suddenly undercurrent surging again!

……

Not to mention the endless disputes in Luoyang.

The next day, at the Liaodong Prefecture Governor's Mansion.

When the eunuch finished reading the imperial edict, congratulations were heard all around. However, Wei Zhe, the person involved, was not so excited, and even felt a little lost.

It was not because of the reward, but because of Liu Hong's death.

To be honest, when Wei Zhe, who led the army back to Liaodong County last month, learned the news of the emperor's death, he was stunned on the spot and even stood there for a long time.

Taishi Ci thought that he was sad about the emperor's death, but in fact Wei Zhe was just feeling confused.

Admittedly, Liu Hong was not a good emperor.

But if you say that the demise of the Eastern Han Dynasty was all his fault, that would be a bit of a slander.

After all, since Emperor Guangwu founded the country, this empire has had many hidden dangers, and they are increasing in number.

The situation is getting worse and worse, unless Liu Hong can turn the tide, his reputation will definitely not be improved.

To be fair, Liu Hong was indeed nice to Wei Zhe.

Even though Wei Zhe has been through many life-and-death battles over the years, Liu Hong's role is crucial.

Without Liu Hong's support, Wei Zhe's development would probably be three or four years slower.

However, Wei Zhe felt that he had done his duty by securing the posthumous title of "Emperor Xiaosi" for Liu Hong.

After all, "Emperor Si of Han" sounds much better than "Emperor Ling of Han".

In this way, the relationship between the two of them as king and subject is not in vain!
So after calming down, Wei Zhe immediately presented a thank-you gift to the eunuch who announced the decree.

After he accepted it with a smile, Wei Zhe curiously inquired about the court's arrangements for Goguryeo.

"Oh, about this matter? The court has already made a decision. Everything will be in accordance with Lord Wei's proposal."

Although the young eunuch was a stranger, he still followed the eunuchs' good habit of taking money to do things.

The man smiled and said, "The emperor has appointed Lu Zigan as the Protector General of Andong."

Hearing this, Wei Zhe felt very complicated.

How should I put it, I feel happy but also have a headache!
After all, Lu Zhi was a great scholar in the country, proficient in both civil and military affairs.

The Luoyang court appointed him as the Protector of Andong, which was naturally a case of knowing how to use people well.

To some extent, it's even a waste of talent.

Although Wei Zhe had never met Lu Zhi, he still admired such a person.

However, it was precisely because of this that Wei Zhe was a little nervous about Lu Zhi's arrival.

God knows what kind of changes will happen after this old minister of the Han Dynasty comes to Liaodong?
What made Wei Zhe most helpless was that he could not beat or kill a great scholar like Lu Zhi.

You should know that even when the world was in chaos and the princes of the late Han Dynasty were waging wars wantonly, Yuan Shao did not do anything to Lu Zhi who was living in seclusion in Shanggu County. Instead, he honored him highly and respected him as a military advisor.

However, after thinking it over again and again, Wei Zhe still couldn't come up with any effective solution. He was too lazy to think about it and decided to take it one step at a time. At least Lu Zhi's position as the Protector of Andong was much better than he had originally expected.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe simply hosted a banquet for his relatives and friends in the Wei Mansion and had a great time.

Apart from anything else, the Zhendong Shogunate can start preparations first.

In this way, Wei Zhe now has three teams around him: the county government, the marquis's government, and the general's government.

It seems a bit cumbersome and repetitive, but the number of official positions that Wei Zhe can arrange has actually increased.

This finally made Wei Zhe, who was feeling lost, feel a little better.

……

Compared to Wei Zhe who was giving up, Liu Bei of Anxi County, Zhongshan Commandery was in a more conflicted situation.

He naturally saw the notice from the court, but it also caused him trouble.

How to say it, Liu Bei wanted to follow the example of many famous predecessors of this dynasty and quit his official position to follow his own teacher, but he was reluctant to give up the position of Anxi County Magistrate, which he had obtained with great difficulty!
It’s not that Liu Bei was short-sighted or narrow-minded, it’s just that he had no chance to try and make mistakes.

After all, as a descendant of a poor family, it was already very good to start out as a county lieutenant.

He struggled for six years for this opportunity to become an official!
If he missed this opportunity, Liu Bei suspected that he might never have the chance to become an official in his lifetime.

Besides, he had served under Lu Zhi before.

When he was studying, he was not taken seriously by Lu Zhi, and the same was true when he joined the army in the first year of Zhongping.

Liu Bei still often thinks of the experience of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and cannot help sighing.

When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, Liu Bei would sometimes even think that if he had chosen to join Huangfu Song, perhaps he would have had a completely different ending. Even if he could not become as successful as Wei Zhe and make many achievements, he could at least become a prefect, right?

It can be said that Wei Zhe's existence gave Liu Bei unlimited room for imagination, since the two of them had similar starting points!
No, to be precise, Wei Zhe's starting point is not even as good as Liu Bei's.

If he came from a prominent family like Gongsun Zan, or had a father-in-law who was a prefect, Liu Bei would not feel anything. However, Wei Zhe's background was even worse than his.

In comparison, it was hard for Liu Bei not to think too much.

Over the years, Wei Zhe has almost become Liu Bei's inner demon!
For example, at this moment, Liu Bei was still a little hesitant, but when he thought that after joining his teacher Lu Zhi, he might have to deal with Liaodong County frequently, Liu Bei finally made up his mind and gritted his teeth!

"As a human being, you must rely on yourself!"

Under the boundless night, Liu Bei stood by the window, looking at the waning moon in the sky and secretly vowed...

(End of this chapter)