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

Chapter 169 Imperial Edict
The emperor was wronged.

Even the suppression by Empress Dowager Dou and Empress Dowager Wang at the beginning of his reign could not make Liu Che feel so wronged.

The Southern Strategy Plan was truly the culmination of his more than ten years of hard work. Whether it was the construction of the Southwest Yi Road or the deterrence of the Nanyue Kingdom through the upper reaches of the Zangke River, it was all the result of his efforts to overcome all opposition.

That wasn't thanks to the Crown Prince!

He vomited blood because of it.

This terrified Prince Wuqiu Shou, who instinctively tried to call for the imperial physician, but Liu Che stopped him, saying, "Medicine!"

After a moment's hesitation, King Wuqiu Shou took out a pill from the brocade box and helped His Majesty take it.

The medicine took effect, and Liu Che's emotions calmed down quickly. However, under the lamplight in the tent, the color of his skin seemed abnormal.

The Southwest Yi Road is not a single mountain road, but two: the Western Yi Road and the Southern Yi Road.

In the sixth year of the Jianyuan era, Tang Meng was initially ordered to open up the Southern Barbarian Road. However, this "road" did not simply refer to a road. Instead, it had the same meaning as "county" and was an administrative division specifically used in the west.

Of course, to integrate a wild and undeveloped area into the interior, it is also necessary to build transportation lines connecting it.

However, setting up new prefectures and opening up new transportation routes in the remote mountainous border region was no easy task. In order to open up the Southern Barbarian Road, Tang Meng mobilized tens of thousands of people from the nearby Sichuan and Chongqing areas to participate in labor service. Due to the harsh conditions, many died or fled.

Many of the people in Bashu were tribes, and their chiefs led their people in rebellion, which was then suppressed by Tang Meng using military law. The process was brutal and repeated, so the opening of the Southern Yi Road was delayed for a long time, and instead caused great panic, unease and hatred in Bashu.

It wasn't until the fifth year of the Yuanguang era that Gongsun Hong and Sima Xiangru, who were not yet the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty, successively went to the area to inspect the progress of the Southern Yi Road. After learning that there were many difficulties and it was difficult to open the road, Sima Xiangru took the opportunity to suggest that the court abandon the Southern Yi Road and open the Western Yi Road instead.

The so-called Western Barbarian Road refers to the Qiong, Zuo, and Ranmang areas west of Shu Commandery. In the sixth year of Yuanguang, Sima Xiangru returned to Shu Commandery as a General of the Palace Attendants with a mission to continue conscripting people from the two commanderies of Ba and Shu to rebuild the Western Barbarian Road.

For this reason, Sima Xiangru also wrote the essay "Difficulties for the Elders of Shu".

In this article, Sima Xiangru fictionalizes twenty-seven respected elders and gentry from the local area who come to visit him. Their purpose is to offer advice, arguing that the emperor should maintain normal diplomatic relations with the barbarians, and that opening up the southwestern barbarian route to bring them into the Han Dynasty is a waste of resources and manpower, and not worth the effort.

Immediately afterwards, Sima Xiangru persuaded the twenty-seven gentry members in unison, which led to the saying, "There must be extraordinary people in the world before there can be extraordinary things, and extraordinary things before there can be extraordinary achievements." Then, Sima Xiangru fabricated a scene in which the twenty-seven gentry members were moved and filled with gratitude.

No one can doubt the literary talent of Sima Xiangru's rhapsody, but on the surface, the text is an attempt to justify the emperor's burden on the people, and is full of flattery towards the emperor.

When Liu Che read "The Elders of Shu," he was extremely impressed with Sima Xiangru's "extraordinary achievements." The actions of such a wise and enlightened emperor were beyond the comprehension of the common people.

Opening the Southwest Yi Road was a great undertaking, serving two purposes: first, to control the southwestern Yi people, and second, to deter the southern Yue.

The suffering of the people in this era benefited future generations, which was the price of achieving "extraordinary feats." As the emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Che believed it was worthwhile. However, those who died and suffered during the creation of this prosperous era did not think so.

Over the course of more than a decade, countless people died in the two prefectures of Ba and Shu. It was only because the southern tour did not pass through the land of Ba and Shu that the Qimen Lang (a military officer) was able to wipe them out. The hatred of the people of Ba and Shu towards the Emperor of Han could not be resolved in any way.

Having paid such a high price and been hated and cursed by countless people of Sichuan, he gained the martial prowess and virtue of the Crown Prince. His refusal to shed tears even while vomiting blood was Liu Che's last act of defiance.

The Emperor of Han will never shed a tear!
Liu Che raised his dragon head slightly and asked in a hoarse voice, "Is there any way to reclaim my martial arts?" Wuqiu Shouwang remained silent.

People judge heroes by success or failure. The southwestern barbarians were swept away by Lu Bode, a strong crossbowman dispatched by the emperor. The southern Yue were also subjugated by the emperor after he subdued the crown prince Zhao Yingqi. Even the national history will only record the emperor's unparalleled wisdom and his victory in the battle of Nanping.

If the Emperor deliberately conceals His Majesty's hard work over the past decade, future generations will only know that the Emperor himself demolished that mountain.

His Majesty?

Later generations will only say that he gave birth to a good prince.

"hehe!"

Liu Che's laughter was so desolate, his dim eyes staring at the top of the tent, as if he wanted to look up at the sky through the tent. "I have also tasted the bitterness of having everything taken away from me."

He has exploited the people for twenty years, and now the crown prince has come to collect his debt on behalf of the people.

"Take it out from under the pillow."

Wuqiu Shouwang reached under Liu Che's pillow and immediately felt a decree wrapped in a piece of silk cloth, which he slowly took out.

"Uncover it and take a look."

Upon receiving the order, King Wuqiu Shou unveiled the silk cloth, revealing the imperial edict inside. The edict clearly read "Nanyang's Edict of Self-Reproach"!
"His Majesty?"

King Wuqiu Shou wept and broke down in tears.

"Since I ascended the throne, I have done some things that were too reckless and contrary to common sense, causing the people of the world to suffer. Looking back, I regret it deeply. From now on, all things that harm the people, waste their wealth and resources, or cause unrest in the world shall be stopped."

Liu Che turned to look at Prince Wuqiu Shou, "I have given the Crown Prince what he wanted. Tell me, can the Crown Prince and future generations give me a fair evaluation?"

King Wuqiu Shou choked up and could not answer.

The struggle between the emperor and his son is not a contest between the emperor and the crown prince, but a struggle between the emperor's faction and the crown prince's faction.

The Emperor has exiled Your Majesty, an undeniable fact. If the Emperor and the Crown Prince's faction do not wish to be remembered in history as unfilial and disloyal, they must tarnish Your Majesty's reputation.

A fair assessment is something the emperor can give, but the princelings wouldn't.

The struggle for imperial power has always been like this.

Liu Che saw the answer in the tearful eyes of Prince Wuqiu Shou. This edict of self-reproach was actually the court's demand for an explanation of the actual conditions of the people in Nanyang County. Changing it to an edict of self-reproach was merely to show the world the depth of his remorse and repentance. It was an unexpected joy that it could evoke the affection of the Crown Prince. Unfortunately, even to his face, he could not deceive Prince Wuqiu Shou, let alone the monstrous Crown Prince.

However, with this edict of self-reproach, the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister's office will likely not make things difficult for him and will allow him to leave Nanyang County to continue his southern tour.

He must complete his southern tour and return to Chang'an to demand the martial arts merits he deserves from the Crown Prince. He must persevere, not to prove how great he is as the emperor, but simply to tell the world that he will definitely take back what he has lost!
(End of this chapter)