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

Chapter 128 Recruitment
Liu Che was unable to enter Wancheng County, the seat of Nanyang Commandery.

The countless refugees were like a vast ocean, making it difficult for Liu Che to breathe, as if he were drowning.

Liu Che did not believe the theft in Guandong, but thought it was the work of the Crown Prince, including the refugees, which were also fabricated by the Crown Prince.

Thus, the southern tour group traveled through several counties surrounding the Nanyang prefecture, including Nieyang County, Yuyang County, Jiyang County, Bowang County, and Li County, until it reached Xi'e County, north of Wancheng County. Everywhere they went, they were blocked by refugees and could not enter a single city.

Liu Che was already ill. He lay on a bamboo bed, covered by a large umbrella, his eyes were blue and his face was black.

A group of close ministers and favored officials, including Dong Zhongshu, Wuqiu Shouwang, Dongfang Shuo, Guo Sheren, Li Yannian, and Wang Wenshu, were all present, carefully observing His Majesty's condition in order to prevent any unforeseen events from occurring.

"Dong Zhongshu." Liu Che's anger had subsided, and his voice was filled with sorrow as he looked at Dong Zhongshu and everyone else. His gaze was no longer cold as it usually was, but rather revealed a lonely yearning for understanding. "I have been on the throne for so many years, and made so many mistakes. Why has not a single one of you dared to offer any advice?"

Dong Zhongshu was stunned for a moment. The names of Zhou Ren, Wei Wan, Chao Cuo, Ji An and others flashed through his mind. There were many people who had submitted remonstrances, but they were either dismissed or killed. In the past ten years, His Majesty had been obsessed with military achievements and virtues, and had carried out large-scale construction projects, exhausting the accumulation of the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing. He had also oppressed all his subjects equally. How could he listen to any different advice?

"Your Majesty has your own difficulties. The worries of Pingcheng have caused endless anxiety for generations of emperors of our Han Dynasty. In the past, Duke Xiang of Qi avenged the hatred of nine generations. The Spring and Autumn Annals praised this. There is no ruler who is not good. We, the subjects and the people, should just do our duty. How can we shift the blame to the ruler?"

Can you still argue sophistry?

Dongfang Shuo restrained the urge to rebuke Dong Zhongshu.

The worries of Pingcheng.

In the sixth year of Emperor Gaozu's reign, the Xiongnu invaded from Yanmen Commandery and besieged Han Xin, who was enfeoffed in Mayi. Han Xin surrendered, and from then on, this important pass on the Yanmen defense line was lost.

The following winter, Modu Chanyu led his people south through this gap, all the way to Jinyang. If they had gone further, they would have soon reached Luoyang in the heart of the Central Plains. At that time, the capital of the Han Dynasty was in Luoyang. Faced with the urgent military situation, Emperor Gaozu chose to personally lead the expedition, mobilizing 320,000 troops from across the country to drive the Xiongnu northward.

The depths of winter were not a good time for war for either the Han Dynasty or the Xiongnu. Nomadic tribes lacked water and pasture at this time, and their men and horses were exhausted. This was one of the reasons why the Xiongnu were able to penetrate deep into the Central Plains to plunder.

However, Modu made full use of this. Upon seeing the Han army, he deliberately retreated, hiding all his elite troops and leaving only weak soldiers and horses along the way to lure the Han army into pursuit.

Emperor Gaozu believed this was a golden opportunity. Even though his soldiers were suffering from severe frostbite, he kept urging the army to advance. In order not to miss the opportunity, he even led the cavalry to break away from the infantry and arrive at Pingcheng first, where they were stationed at Baidengtai.

Here, Modu Chanyu suddenly led 400,000 cavalry to surround Baidengtai, making it impossible to move. For seven days, "Han soldiers could not send reinforcements or supplies to each other." Just when it seemed that Emperor Gaozu, who had only unified the Central Plains for a little over two years, was about to lose his life here, the Xiongnu released Emperor Gaozu and the Han army.

The reason for this was that, in order to lift the siege of Baideng, the Han Dynasty suffered extreme humiliation, resorting to marriage alliances, annual tributes, and trade... even to the point that the Han and Xiongnu agreed to be brothers, but the Xiongnu were given the highest status.

For decades, the Xiongnu always held the initiative. Whenever their desires grew and they had needs, they would break the marriage alliance and invade the border cities of the Han Dynasty, becoming an endless nightmare for generations of Han emperors.

The revenge of King Xiang of Qi refers to the state of Ji during the Spring and Autumn Period. In his early years, the Marquis of Ji spoke ill of the state of Qi to the Zhou emperor, which led to the execution of Duke Ai of Qi. Nine generations later, Duke Xiang of Qi went and destroyed the state of Ji. This is the basis of the Gongyang School's theory of great revenge, which expounds the great principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals: "The Marquis of Ji greatly destroyed his state" and "The hatred of nine generations can still be avenged, and so can that of a hundred generations."

To justify His Majesty's decades-long war with the Xiongnu by invoking a great revenge—only Dong Zhongshu could come up with such a thing.

However, the biggest reason for the poverty of the Han people was not mentioned at all.

Liu Che's complexion had clearly improved considerably, and his tone had become even gentler. "So many grievances, so many hardships, how did you manage to get through them?" Dong Zhongshu's eyes were just getting wet. "One word: 'respect' and one word: 'sincerity'. Just rely on these two words."

"Respect and sincerity are great principles in this world, but sometimes, great principles don't work. Since things have come to this, let's speak from the heart."

Liu Che nodded, then shook his head, tilting his head slightly as he gazed at the distant scene of refugees migrating. The boundless sorrow and introspection made his body feel increasingly heavy.

The scene of the next life seems to be vaguely visible.

Emperor Xiaowen lived to be 46 and reigned for 24 years, while Emperor Xiaojing lived to be 47 and reigned for 16 years. He, on the other hand, was 36 and had already reigned for 20 years, which is exactly the middle number of Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xiaojing's reigns.

Seeing that His Majesty was beginning to show signs of backing down, Dong Zhongshu knew he could no longer offer any grand pronouncements and earnestly replied, "Since Your Majesty has asked me this, I can only say something inappropriate."

"You said."

"Our dynasty governs the world with filial piety, and the world is one family. The Han Dynasty has more than 100 prefectures and tens of millions of subjects, just like the children of this family. Your Majesty is the father and grandfather of this family. As children, we should endure what we can and keep what we should keep secret. If we really can't care, we should suffer ourselves but not disobey our sovereign and father."

Dong Zhongshu, with the demeanor of a Confucian subject, said with tears streaming down his face, "For more than ten years, it is we who have failed to take good care of this family, thus disrespecting our sovereign and father. This is our fault."

Your Majesty possesses exceptional talent and wisdom, making you a worthy successor to Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang. All neglected matters can be revived, and this is only a matter of Your Majesty's efforts.

Your Majesty's great talent and strategic vision have aweed all the officials in the land. If you rashly announce your resignation now, the world will be shocked. The Crown Prince is young and will surely act rashly, finding himself in a difficult situation.

"I humbly beseech Your Majesty to take good care of your health before returning to the palace to resume court, to rectify all neglected matters and eliminate all abuses. Then, the glorious rise of our Han Dynasty can be expected, and its legacy will be passed down to future generations. This would be a great blessing for the dynasty and the world."

Liu Che was moved and tried to sit up, but before he could sit up straight, he said, "Now, I can't even deal with the bandits and thieves in Nanyang County, so how can I talk about eliminating all the problems and eradicating all the evils?"

After the bloody battle at Twenty Mile Pavilion outside Wancheng.

Mei Mian and Bai Zheng, the notorious bandits in Nanyang County, have temporarily retreated, but that doesn't mean they've given up. They've been keeping a close eye on the southern inspection team, ready to launch a surprise attack.

As the emperor, he is in this place, yet he cannot even quell the troubles of a single prefecture. How can he then govern the country and bring peace to the world?
Dong Zhongshu knew that his own calamity had officially begun, but it was also a calamity for Confucianism. His Majesty could not retreat, and they had no way out. He said in a calm voice, "Your Majesty, this humble subject is willing to go to the bandit's lair and pacify the bandits."

"Recruitment?"

"If I cannot persuade Mei Mian and Bai Zheng to surrender, I am willing to die."

"It's not that I don't trust the Doctor, it's just..."

"There is one thing I must say to Your Majesty: if I have accomplished my mission, I hope Your Majesty will show more respect to scholars in the future and entrust them with important responsibilities."

(End of this chapter)