Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 260 In this Great Han Dynasty, there is only one person who can command the wind and rain, and that is the emperor!

The tenth day of the third month of the first year of the Hanxing era.

A grand court assembly was held today. Although some people impeached Tian Fen, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, the number of people impeaching him was not large, and the impeachment was much less forceful.

The powerful court officials simply didn't have the energy to impeach Tian Fen. They were too busy with endless political affairs and the young man who was driving them crazy to the brink of despair. They simply didn't have the energy to impeach Tian Fen.

Based on the principle that if someone still had the urge to impeach Tian Fen, it must mean their workload wasn't high enough, Liu Bian increased the workload for all those who were impeaching Tian Fen.

Therefore, for those court officials whose workload has been increased, to hell with elaborate and simple burials, I just want to dig a hole and bury myself.

Only a few nominal, powerless scholars attempted to assert their presence, only to be refuted by Zheng Xuan, a man of great integrity.

As it turns out, your grandpa is still your grandpa after all.

At fifty-eight, Zheng Xuan remained sharp in his debates on classical texts, almost denouncing these self-proclaimed scholars who were trying to make their presence known as disloyal, unfilial, unkind, and unjust.

Today's court assembly went smoothly, but Liu Bian's mood remained terrible. His wolf-like gaze sent shivers down the spines of everyone who inadvertently met it.

Yesterday he hosted a barbecue party at Yuntai Pavilion!

Yes, he was the ingredient that almost got roasted!
A fire engulfed the secondary hall of Yuntai Pavilion. (Note 1)

The flames from the secondary hall spread to the main hall of Yuntai Pavilion. At that time, Liu Bian had just finished processing most of the memorials and was taking a nap on the second floor of Yuntai Pavilion.

Fortunately, the palace eunuchs and soldiers of the Left and Right Martial Guards reacted quickly and discovered that the fire had not yet spread too much. Gao Wang carried him on his back, and Dian Wei wrapped him in a wet felt blanket. Together they escorted him out of the first floor of the Yuntai Pavilion, where the door frames and windows were already ablaze.

Ah, the Yuntai Pavilion caught fire while he was asleep. If it weren't for Gao Wang and Dian Wei saving him, he might have been choked by the smoke in his sleep and burned to death in his dream.

Coincidence?
Liu Bian believed it was most likely a coincidence. Given Gao Wang's control over the Hanxing Palace, it would be difficult for such a blunder to occur. Moreover, even with the assistance of Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, Guo Sheng, and six eunuchs—Lu Qiang, Zhao You, Ding Su, Xu Yan, Guo Dan, and Li Xun—the investigation could not uncover any problems. It was likely simply due to careless use of fire.

In fact, it was quite normal for fires to break out in the palace. The main structure of the palaces in the Han Dynasty was made of wood, and the wood was regularly coated with tung oil to prevent insects and decay. The walls, doors, windows, and pillars in the palace were also coated with multiple layers of lacquer. Both tung oil and lacquer are flammable.

A single gust of wind could set off a chain of fires.

Therefore, the response of the palace eunuchs and the central army was already considered exceptionally fast. In addition, Shangfang Commander Chai Yu had improved the fire extinguishing system left by Bi Lan some time ago, greatly increasing its fire-fighting efficiency; otherwise, the entire Southern Palace could have been burned to the ground.

The final result was that several side halls of Yuntai Pavilion were burned down, but the side hall that stored a large number of books and treasures was not affected. The doors and windows of the first floor of the main building of Yuntai Pavilion were burned down, but it could be used for office work again after a little repair.

Only the exterior walls of the second floor of Yuntai Pavilion were blackened by smoke, but the master craftsman Cai Yong, considering safety issues, planned to reinforce and repair them.

However, the fact that the result proved to be an accident does not mean that Liu Bian cannot consider it not to be an accident.

The court officials who were swept by the emperor's fierce gaze couldn't help but tremble, especially the former protégés and officials of the Yuan family of Runan, who were afraid that the emperor would suspect that they were involved in this matter.

evidence?

Is evidence important?
The important thing is whether the emperor thinks it has anything to do with you!
In fact, Liu Bian's mood had not been very good since mid-February.

On February 14, Liu Zun, the governor of Yangzhou, submitted a memorial reporting that there was an epidemic in Kuaiji, Jiujiang and Lujiang counties.

On February 16, Wang Min, the governor of Jingzhou, submitted a memorial stating that there was an epidemic in Lingling County, Guiyang County, and Wuling County.

This matter caught Liu Bian's attention; epidemics were something that could not be ignored in this era.

In particular, Kuaiji Commandery experienced at least four major epidemics in the less than two hundred years of the Later Han Dynasty, each of which resulted in more than half of the population dying in Kuaiji Commandery.

Jingzhou is also a place where epidemics frequently break out. Due to the humid weather, bacteria are prone to breed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

In addition, since early February this year, the temperature suddenly turned cold, and this cold snap caught many people who were engaged in spring plowing off guard. This epidemic is probably due to this reason.

Liu Bian first issued an edict requiring the governors of each prefecture to investigate the epidemic in their respective prefectures, exempt the families of the sick from this year's land rent and poll tax, and require each prefecture and county to recruit doctors and purchase medicines to treat the people. The bodies of those who died recently from the disease must be cremated and buried, and their families could be given certain relief and subsidies.

According to the old system of epidemic relief, a family that died with six or more corpses was given 5,000 coins for burial, 3,000 coins for four or more corpses, 2,000 coins for two or more corpses, and 1,000 coins for one corpse.

The Imperial Medical Bureau also sent out almost all of its physicians, leaving only the older physicians and Zhang Zhongjing, the assistant physician, to meet with Ji Ping, the chief physician in charge of prescriptions, to discuss epidemic prevention measures.

There were slight signs of an epidemic in various counties of the Central Plains, but they were all nipped in the bud.

The north is alright; the temperatures in Liangzhou, Bingzhou, and Youzhou have never been high, so it's not too bad.

The epidemic in Jingnan and Yangzhou has also been brought under control. At least the number of new daily infections is dropping sharply, and the number of patients who were originally infected with the disease is gradually decreasing, either dying or recovering.

There was nothing he could do. Liu Bian was not a god; he was just an ordinary person with a few visionary insights and common-sense "common sense." He couldn't save everyone. Even with Zhang Zhongjing, the "Medical Sage," he couldn't snatch so many people away from Houtu, who ruled Youdu.

Moreover, some people actually recovered, but because of the serious illness, their already weak bodies became even weaker after the illness, and they ultimately did not live for long.

Poverty is a more terrible disease than an epidemic!
Liu Bian could not lift everyone out of poverty, but he would at least try to ensure that most people could have enough to eat and wear every day.

But... looking at the death toll reported by Liu Zun, the governor of Yangzhou, and Wang Min, the governor of Jingzhou, as a human being, it would be impossible not to feel a sense of sorrow and annoyance when faced with hundreds of thousands of cold, hard numbers.

The courtiers interpreted the emperor's distress at dying from the plague as his anger at suspecting that there were treacherous officials in the court plotting to assassinate him.

When the emperor was angry, he laid down millions of corpses!

When the emperor suddenly stood up, everyone turned their attention to him, wondering how he would handle the fire.

Liu Bian took a deep breath, concealing the gloom on his face. He looked expressionlessly at the assembled officials and slowly descended the imperial steps. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the group of people who were terrified because of their status as former officials and protégés of the Yuan family of Runan.

Liu Bian slowly walked through the seats of the Three Dukes and the Nine Ministers, then past the seat of the Commandant of the Capital Region and the seat of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, step by step, each step seeming to land on the ground as if landing on people's hearts.

As the emperor walked past him, Cavalry Commandant Zhang Miao slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, as if he had survived a calamity.

Liu Bian slowly squatted down and walked to the side of Cavalry Commandant Qin Jie, but instead slapped Zhang Miao hard on the shoulder.

Zhang Miao, also a cavalry captain, shuddered and nearly fell to the ground from the emperor's slap, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Zhang Miao lowered his head and saw the Crown Prince's left hand resting on the Yuanzhi sword at his waist, seemingly hesitating whether to kill him.

Immediately, a gaze that intensified his trembling fell upon him.

Xu Chu just stared at him expressionlessly, not even touching his sword, just clenching his fist. That fist, which seemed to be half the size of his head, could probably smash his head in one punch.

Zhang Miao's heart was filled with increasing panic; he was also a protégé and former subordinate of the Yuan family of Runan.

Although he has the title of "Eight Chefs", what does that mean to the current emperor?
The scholars of the Later Han Dynasty liked to elevate their own status by using terms like "Three Lords," "Eight Attendants," "Eight Advisors," "Eight Chefs," and "Eight Steeds," but the emperor didn't buy into it!
Names and tools, however, should not be given to others!
Honor can only be bestowed by the emperor, not earned by scholars themselves!
If you dare to claim fame today, you'll dare to seize the throne tomorrow!

Therefore, Zhang Miao no longer referred to himself as one of the so-called "Eight Chefs," and even said that it was just youthful arrogance.

Unexpectedly, the emperor, half-squatting, looked at Qin Jie, who was right in front of him, as if he were just using Zhang Miao's shoulder to lend a hand.

Zhang Miao breathed a sigh of relief and put his mind at ease.

Facing the emperor's cold gaze, Qin Jie felt somewhat apprehensive. He was not a protégé or former official of the Yuan family of Runan, but he had been recommended by Yuan Wei and was appointed as the governor of Nanyang County in a time of crisis from the position of Commandant of Jiangxia County.

But he only gave gifts during festivals and never did anything wrong. At most, he appointed some of Yuan's sons as his subordinates as a way of repaying the kindness of his recommendation.

Thinking of this, Qin Jie, though not exactly calm, was not particularly guilty either, and waited quietly for the emperor to ask him questions.

But then the Emperor suddenly said, "Zhang Mengzhuo, what are you panicking about?"

"minister……?"

Qin Jie had just opened his mouth when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Was the emperor asking Zhang Miao, who was being held down by the shoulder behind him, a question?
Why was the emperor looking at me like that?

The continuous cycle of relaxation and tension had almost broken down Zhang Miao's mental defenses. He had never imagined that such a young emperor could make him so trembling and uneasy.

Zhang Miao's body trembled even more violently. He had once been a good friend of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, and could even be said to be Yuan Shao's lackey. Therefore, when the emperor slapped him like that, he was extremely worried that the emperor was going to make an example of him. He said tremblingly, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I am not... I am not flustered."

"I not only heard you panting heavily, but I also heard your heart pounding!"

Zhang Miao was startled. He looked up slightly and saw the emperor turning around and staring at him with a cold and stern expression. He immediately knelt down and dared not say another word.

"Exit."

Liu Bian shook his head, turned around and walked to the seat of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, next to Zheng Tai, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and said: "Gongye, Zhang Mengzhuo is trembling with fear and dares not utter a word, so I will ask you."

"You were once a disciple of Yuan Kui and even served as his assistant to the Minister of Works. Are you flustered?" Zheng Tai smiled and bowed to the Emperor, calmly replying, "Not flustered."

"Why aren't you panicking?" Liu Bian glanced at him.

Zheng Tai laughed loudly: "Because I'm not panicking!"

"Although I was once misled by the traitor Yuan and went astray, I was awakened by the country and enlightened by the benevolent rule. After repenting, I devoted myself to the court and never committed any crimes. Why should I panic!"

I am the emperor's dog, and a dog that will be killed by those families who profit from salt and iron if I leave the emperor!

I have neither the means nor the reason to betray!
Would a loyal dog be afraid of its owner?
"Well, it's okay."

Liu Bian did not give high praise to Zheng Tai's almost obsequious words, and then looked at Dong Zhuo and said, "Zhongying, speaking of which, you, the Left General and the Marquis of Taixiang with a fief of a thousand households, were also Yuan Wei's former subordinate. Are you panicking?"

Dong Zhuo scratched his head. No wonder the emperor had summoned him to court today. Although they hadn't rehearsed their lines beforehand, he still followed his heart and said, "Why should I be afraid? It's those treacherous villains who eat human food and do no human excrement who should be worried. I am upright and honest, and my loyalty is as clear as day and can withstand scrutiny. Why should I be worried along with those villains?"

"Bah! Isn't it good enough to eat the Han's food but not be loyal to the Han? Why do you have to bring up that filthy thing!" Liu Bian spat at Dong Zhuo, pointing at him and saying irritably, "You're already a Left General, yet you're still just a local lord, and your words are still so vulgar!"

Dong Zhuo was not afraid and replied with his neck stiff: "I will tell the country what I think without hiding anything. I just despise these traitors and I want to curse them. I will curse them as harshly as I want. If you want to curse me, the country can curse me too. I will not lose out!"

"You, you."

Liu Bian was almost amused by Dong Zhuo's words, but he forced himself to suppress his laughter and looked at the assembled officials with a blank expression, saying, "However, Zhongying's words are not entirely correct either."

"My lords, some are like clouds in the sky, and some are like rain that falls from the clouds. It's just a matter of which cloud they fall from. They all fall on the land of the Han Dynasty. There are no treacherous ministers, only loyal ministers."

"The nation is wise!"

It's unclear who started it, but soon almost all the civil and military officials in the court joined in the chant.

Since the emperor has indicated that he will not use this matter to take action against the court officials, we should naturally express our gratitude. We should take this opportunity to solidify the matter now, lest the emperor change his mind later.

Suddenly, Guo Tu stepped out from the cheering crowd of officials, bowed to the emperor, and said, "We may be like clouds and rain, but the state is the heaven!"

"There is only one person in this great Han Dynasty who can command the wind and rain, and that is the Emperor!"

Guo Tu's flattering words were truly eye-opening. Zheng Tai stared at Guo Tu in disbelief. Could someone really flatter like that?
Guo Tu glanced at Zheng Tai and chuckled inwardly.

Hey kid, learn from this!

The emperor's most loyal dog will always be me, Guo Gongze!
What kind of class do you think you are, daring to compete with me for the position of the emperor's most loyal dog?
Liu Bian readily accepted Guo Tu's flattery... well, of course, he sternly refuted it: "What talk of summoning wind and rain? The theory of 'interaction between Heaven and Man' has been abolished. Do not speak nonsense in the future!"

Although Guo Tu's words were overly flattering, the emperor seemed much more at ease, and the courtiers felt more at ease as well.

Frankly speaking, if the emperor were to use the fire at Yuntai Pavilion as an excuse, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to kill several thousand people in one go.

Who caused the emperor to almost perish in the fire?
The emperor should be secretly glad that he didn't use the fire at Yuntai Pavilion to settle scores with his officials!

In fact, Liu Bian believed that most of the court officials in the capital had no other intentions. At most, they were concerned with some corruption and personal relationships. These petty schemings were nothing serious and would not endanger the foundation of the country.

However, handling with care does not mean there is no movement.

The people of Yangzhou and Jingzhou are suffering!

"All of you gentlemen are loyal ministers who have thoroughly studied the classics. Is there anyone who can relieve my worries?"

The emperor lamented the suffering of the people afflicted by the plague and hoped someone would come to relieve his worries and troubles.

But how can we resolve these problems?

Disaster relief naturally requires spending money!

If you don't have money, you can contribute food!
If you don't pay indulgences... no, if you don't solve the Emperor's problems, how will the Emperor know that he hasn't trusted the wrong person?

Hey, if any courtier dares to imitate that emperor who hanged himself from a tree in the southeast and solicit donations from his courtiers, don't blame the Court of Justice for being ruthless in sentencing you if someone finds evidence of collusion with the Yuan family of Runan in your home tomorrow.

The emperor is benevolent and believes you are all loyal subjects, yet there is evidence of treason in your families. Who can you blame for this?
The Emperor has already forgiven you, but you have betrayed his trust and benevolence, making the Emperor realize that he has trusted the wrong person. The Emperor has no choice but to painfully order the extermination of your entire family.

Forget it, let's just exterminate their entire clan. The emperor is benevolent and cannot tolerate such fratricide!

Regardless of the actual number of people implicated, just consider this: isn't the nine clans more than the three clans?

Well, to the emperor's delight, his court was indeed filled with loyal ministers; he had not misplaced his trust.

One family donated 100,000 shi of grain, another donated a million coins, and some people even provided medical books stored in their homes or provided doctors. Some court officials from Yangzhou and Jingzhou simply handed over several hundred hectares of land.

What pleased the emperor even more was that Cao Cao, the governor of Youzhou, had submitted a memorial requesting merit for General Guan Yu!
Did Guan Yu kill He Lian, the heir of Tan Shihuai?
Then, the tribes loyal to Helian believed that Helian was still alive and wanted to negotiate with Guan Yu.

But with both sides dead, what is there to talk about? (Note 2)

The Xianbei people believed that Helian was of such high value that he shouldn't be killed by the Han army directly. They thought he would be treated well and then sent to Luoyang to claim credit.

Xianyu Fu suggested that Guan Yu pretend he had no authority to make the decision and needed to consult Cao Cao, the governor of Youzhou. So the Xianbei people let the messenger leave.

Guan Yu, though he valued integrity above all else, was not a rigid or pedantic person.

Rather than letting a few Han men die, we should bring more brave and valiant men home, instead of handing their remains and compensation to their families. What's wrong with lying to someone?
What does "all's fair in war" mean?

Then... Cao Cao, the governor of Youzhou, personally led two thousand elite cavalrymen called the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, organized by the General of Anbei, and five thousand men from the Protectorate of Wuhuan, while also gathering four thousand Wuhuan cavalrymen who had submitted to Guangyang, Shanggu, and Dai counties, and marched over in a mighty force.

Cao Cao barely rested along the way; he was unwilling to let go of the opportunity that was right in front of him!

If I can't be the General Who Conquers the West, then surely I, Cao Mengde, can't be the General Who Conquers the North!

Some Xianbei people were also shrewd. They sensed that the Han army was up to something, and since they didn't have a strong sense of loyalty to Helian, they simply secretly withdrew ahead of time.

In the end, only 10,000 people were trapped in the encirclement, but the Han army mobilized 2,000 Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, 5,000 Protector of the Wuhuan Commandery, 4,000 Wuhuan Volunteer Cavalry, 2,500 Tanhan Battalion soldiers who came from their garrison to support their general, and the soldiers from the commandery and kingdoms conscripted by Wang Ze, the governor of Dai Commandery, as well as the soldiers in the city, totaling about 17,000 to 18,000 people to besiege more than 10,000 Xianbei people.

And what about the generals who participated in the war?
General Cao Cao of Anbei, General Guan Yu of Tanhan, Colonel Xianyu Fu of Tanhan, Military Officer Zhu Ling of Youzhou, Supervisor Cao Hong of the General of Anbei’s Office, Left Sima Yue Jin of the General of Anbei’s Office, Right Sima Yu Jin of the General of Anbei’s Office, Military Advisor Li Qian of the General of Anbei’s Office with his son Li Zheng and nephew Li Dian, Prefect Wang Ze of Dai County, and Prefect Xiahou Dun of Shanggu County.

Several previously unknown young people also emerged during this battle.

Taishi Ci, a native of Donglai County in Beihai Commandery who joined Cao Cao's personal guard in Qingzhou, was appointed as the commander of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry due to his skill in archery and horsemanship.

Wen Ji, a native of Qiao County in Pei State under Cao Cao, also served as the commander of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

There was also Shi Huan, a young and chivalrous man from Pei State who served Cao Cao as a retainer and was also appointed as the commander of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

The explosive emergence of talented individuals and the remarkable victories made Cao Cao unable to resist getting completely drunk at the victory banquet.

After all, the emperor's trust in and promotion of Cao Cao had drawn much criticism because of his status as the descendant of a eunuch.

The construction of Qingzhou ultimately failed in Cao Cao's hands, but this great victory, with eight thousand Xianbei killed and four thousand captured, was enough to vindicate him and the emperor's vision!
Let's see who can still say that Cao Mengde was just a lucky opportunist!
Overjoyed, Cao Cao composed a poem while holding a spear and performed a spear dance in front of everyone. The generals were all delighted and returned home drunk.

However, in a private letter to the emperor, Cao Cao stated that among all these excellent generals, he still liked Guan Yu the most.

It's a pity that Guan Yu was already Liu Bei's second brother, otherwise he would definitely have sworn brotherhood with Guan Yu.

But it doesn't matter, Guan Yu is now under his command!
General Tanhan is under the command of General Anbei!
He, Guan Yu, is now one of my men, Cao Mengde's man!

(6025 words)
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P.S.: Hey there, it's Friday today, so we can rest for the next two days!
So I'm in a particularly good mood, so I'll add another 2000 words.

Dear readers, please give me some extra monthly votes in recognition of the extra 2000 words I've added!
Note 1: Fires in the palaces during the Han Dynasty were actually quite frequent. In 185 AD, the entire Southern Palace, including the Secretariat, the Imperial Seal Platform, and the Censorate, was completely burned down. In the early Eastern Han Dynasty, several palaces were also burned down, and the fires often lasted for half a month or a month without stopping. This is not a fabrication by the author. The fire at Yuntai Pavilion is also a real historical event.

Note 2: Some people have complained that He Lian's death was too childish, but the historical He Lian died even more childishly.

In the fourth year of Guanghe (181 AD), Tanshihuai died. The Xianbei invaded Youzhou and Bingzhou. Helian succeeded as the leader of the Xianbei. Not only was he less capable than his father, but he was also greedy and lustful. Later, he was shot to death by the people of the north when he attacked the north.

Yes, no one knows who shot him; it was most likely a stray arrow from the battlefield.

So... dying at Guan Yu's hands at least means knowing who killed him, and you can at least leave your name by riding on Guan Yu's fame. Isn't that better than the pathetic way of dying by being shot by a stray arrow?

(End of this chapter)