A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 116 Killing Talent

It protects against sand and wind.

Liu Ju didn't care about Li Guang's "unlucky" fate, and even paved a road for him to become a marquis. However, Li Guang was worried that this was harming him.

In any case, Liu Ju could not go along with Li Guang's madness, much less risk the lives of ten thousand light cavalrymen.

Li Guang was asked to leave the main tent.

Subsequently.

The emperor ascended the tent.

Huo Qubing, Gongsun Ao, Zhang Qian and other generals came as ordered.

"Gentlemen, the General of the Valiant Cavalry has proposed a new plan for the expedition. The 30,000 light cavalry led by the Marquis of Champion will continue to attack Hexi, while the General of the Valiant Cavalry's 10,000 cavalry will advance from Youbeiping Commandery to attack the left flank of the Xiongnu, thus fighting on two fronts, east and west, and tying down the Xiongnu Chanyu's main force..."

Liu Ju recounted in detail what Li Guang had said and thought.

The tent fell silent instantly.

Why would someone refuse readily available military merits and instead choose to flaunt their military might? Is that even human?
"The general's concerns are not unfounded."

Huo Qubing's words immediately drew everyone's attention. He stated bluntly, "If we ever face each other again, I will kill him without hesitation!"

There are also differences between veterans.

Huo Qubing was willing to address Cheng Bushi as "Old General," but he failed to be granted a title for his military achievements. This was not a matter of the old general's ability, but rather a flaw in the military merit system of the Han Dynasty.

Who exactly is Li Guang?
To risk putting tens of thousands of imperial light cavalry in danger for a moment's sake, and to have them killed even if it means plotting against him if given the chance to fight together again.

Huo Qubing's murderous intent had never been so intense.

Gongsun Ao and his generals all nodded in agreement. There's a saying that goes, "Feng Tang grows old easily, and Li Guang is hard to be ennobled." Feng Tang is a case of time not waiting for anyone, and ordinary people can only sigh helplessly.

Li Guang served in the government for over forty years, holding the positions of general under Emperor Xiaowen, Emperor Xiaojing, and Your Majesty. Was it truly a case of his opportunity not yet arriving?
At least Emperor Xiaojing's suppression of the Wu-Chu Rebellion was not!
During the Rebellion of the Seven States, Li Guang was a subordinate of Grand Commandant Zhou Yafu. He captured the rebel army's flag. According to the military system of the Han Dynasty, the four merits of "first to scale the walls," "slaying a general," "breaking through enemy lines," and "capturing the flag" were eligible for marquisation.

But what did Li Guang do next?
He accepted the general's seal from Liu Wu, the King of Liang.

Prince Liang Xiao was the youngest son of Empress Dowager Dou. Throughout Emperor Xiaojing's reign, Empress Dowager Dou repeatedly suggested to Emperor Xiaojing that since he was often ill, Prince Liang should encourage him to succeed his brother.

Emperor Xiaojing always kept his stance hidden from Empress Dowager Dou's favoritism towards his brother, Prince Xiao of Liang. He never made a clear statement and would sometimes try to appease the Empress Dowager by saying things like, "After a thousand years, the throne will be passed to Prince Xiao of Liang."

Emperor Xiaojing also persuaded the Prince of Liang to fight to the death in the Rebellion of the Seven States. With Empress Dowager Dou as his backer, the Prince of Liang's dream of becoming emperor was stronger than any of the other princes who participated in the rebellion. In fact, the Prince of Liang made full preparations to usurp the throne.

The fact that the King of Liang bestowed the seal of General Li Guang upon him was an attempt to undermine Emperor Jing of Han and to plot against him.

Li Guang, as a general of the imperial court, actually accepted the general's seal from a vassal king without authorization.

It should be noted that the Han Dynasty was very wary of central officials interacting with local vassal kings, especially after the outbreak of the Rebellion of the Seven States of Wu and Chu, when central officials were strictly prohibited from interacting with vassal kings.

Zhuang Zhu, a senior official of the current dynasty, was killed because he had contact with Liu An, the King of Huainan. Even the Prime Minister Gongsun Hong's plan to "invite the king to the capital" did not allow the already disgraced princes to join the army, in order to avoid any possible contact with the generals and officers in the army.

Li Guang's arrogance suggests either stupidity or malice.

Do not live by committing sins.

Originally, the generals of the Northern Army believed that Li Guang was old and had a taboo against the concept of fate, so he was not suitable to lead the army alone. If Li Guang could just obediently follow behind the Marquis of Champion and fight against the small tribes of the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu, it would be acceptable. But now, it was completely unacceptable.

"Your Majesty, let Li Guang be stripped of his generalship." "Yes, take away his general's seal."

"What level is this? It uses the same general's seal as the Marquis of Champion."

"After suffering defeat after defeat, this old fool still dares to boast of his bravery!"

"..."

The crowd inside the tent was filled with indignation.

They were determined to seize Li Guang's position as general.

Despite the pressure, General Su Jian spoke up, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid Li Guang's position as general cannot be revoked yet."

"What does the Right General mean?"

"Li Guang was not the only general in our dynasty who fought his whole life but was never granted a title; there was a group of people who were frustrated and unfulfilled."

Su Jian could sense the strong dissatisfaction in the eyes of his comrades, but he still insisted on continuing, "Your Majesty, I have presumptuously said that our dynasty's system of granting official titles and ranks is quite unreasonable, which has saddened and angered countless virtuous officials and generals."

Since the founding of the nation, discontent has grown day by day, almost to the point of exploding. The most direct question is whether the emperors and monarchs of our great Han Dynasty are capable of using talent.

Qu Yuan was exiled to Changsha, Chao Cuo was exiled from the emperor's side, and the lord's father, Yan, was executed... all of which were merits that outweighed their faults. As a result, the reputation of several emperors of our dynasty as wise rulers has been repeatedly criticized.

This is the price of 'killing talent'.

Li Guang, Li Ju, and the deceased Li Cai, the Li family of Longxi, were always good at cultivating talent and fame, which made the name of the Flying General known to women and children both at home and abroad.

The so-called two-front war is something that the ruler and everyone in this tent understand; it is Li Guang acting rashly. But how many people outside this tent do not understand?
Li Guang served as a general of the Han Dynasty for forty years. His love for his soldiers was widely known, and many soldiers were willing to die for him. Before Li Guang proved that he was not worthy of his reputation, whether he was dismissed or killed, it would be seen as the emperor intentionally suppressing talented people.

If this gets out, how will the ruler recruit talented people from all over the world, and how will he govern the country?
The people of the land have boundless sympathy for Li Guang. It would be one thing if he drowned us, but if he drowned the Emperor, that would be an unforgivable sin.

Li Guang's command of the army was not an ordinary military arrangement from the beginning; it was actually a political consideration.

During the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, the world was at peace. Emperor Xiaowen said to Li Guang, "It's a pity that you didn't encounter a suitable era. If it were during the reign of Emperor Gaozu, being a marquis with ten thousand households would be nothing!"

During the reign of Emperor Xiaojing, Gongsun Kunxie, the official in charge of the Imperial Household Department, also told Emperor Xiaojing, "Li Guang's talent is unparalleled in the world. He is confident in his abilities and has fought against the enemy many times." This statement was also affirmed by Emperor Xiaojing.

Surely, even under His Majesty's and Emperor's rule, and the reigns of four generations of Liu family rulers, there still hasn't been a suitable era for Li Guang?

This either proves that Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xiaojing misjudged people, or it proves that the Liu family rulers were incapable of employing people. Neither of these two possibilities is acceptable to a superior ruler.

The generals remained silent.

The Li family is like a hedgehog; they can catch and kill, but they can also easily prick your hands.

“Li Guang’s suggestion is reasonable. When the Marquis of Champion is conquering Hexi, we cannot allow the Xiongnu Chanyu and the Left Wise King to be free to provide support. Marquis of Champion, it is not that I do not trust you, but it is for the sake of the army. Please forgive me.”

Huo Qubing nodded.

"We can't just let Li Guang lead ten thousand cavalry on a rampage, can we?"

"Of course not!"

Su Jian looked at Liu Ju and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, since General Xiaoji has requested to divide the troops, we might as well grant his request and open up the eastern front. We will divide the eastern army into three parts: Li Guang will lead four thousand cavalry, and Li Gan and Han Shuo will each lead three thousand cavalry. They will travel separately. In this way, we can not only pose the greatest threat to the Xiongnu Left Wise King, but also reduce the losses of our dynasty in case of any unforeseen circumstances."

(End of this chapter)