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

Chapter 252 Han soil
"I have used too many schemes and tricks in my life, which is forbidden by Taoism."

My family lineage may be ruined from this point on, never to rise again, because I have accumulated too much misfortune.

On his deathbed, Chen Ping made this self-assessment.

The fate of the Chen family seemed to be just as Chen Ping had predicted, declining one after another until the fifth year of the Yuanguang era of this dynasty, when His Majesty stripped the Chen family of their title of Marquis of Qu Ni.

Without the rise of a supreme ruler, the Chen family, or rather most meritorious families, would have essentially perished in this way. Among the Han emperors, weakening or even eliminating the group of founding heroes is a "correct understanding."

No matter how the disaster of the Lü clan is interpreted, the actions of the meritorious ministers and the princes of the imperial clan cannot change the fact that it was a "coup".

The emperors of the Han Dynasty did not allow the existence of the Lü clan, a powerful maternal relative, nor did they allow the powerful groups of founding heroes or the princes of the imperial clan to exist.

Today, thanks to the efforts of several emperors and rulers, the founding heroes and princes of the Han Dynasty have become irrelevant to the overall situation.

The Wei family, as imperial relatives, was indeed more powerful than the Lü family, which had been more powerful in the past. With two Grand Marshals and Generals, and both holding the titles of Marquis on the left and Lord on the right, no other imperial relatives family in the past five hundred years could rival them. However, the emperor had already "pruned" the Wei family ahead of time.

Most members of the Wei clan were sent to a "land of peace and happiness," where they would never appear in public for their entire lives, or even for generations.

Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, Wei Bu, Wei Guang, and the few remaining members of the Wei clan lived cautiously in the world. Even if there were any lawless clan members, these men were capable of putting righteousness before family.

In conclusion, the three major power groups in Han politics—meritorious officials, members of the imperial family, and relatives of the empress—were fundamentally resolved under the rule of the Supreme Ruler. The inherent defects in the power structure of the Han Dynasty were compensated for by the Supreme Ruler's unparalleled wisdom.

However, there may truly be a concept of the Way of Heaven: "The Great Way is fifty, Heaven evolves into forty-nine, and man escapes one of them."

The Wei clan, who had been pruned, shone brightly; the princes of the imperial clan, who had been exonerated, were granted the position of ministers who oversaw government affairs; and the declining Yuan Gong group, in this turbulent time, had the opportunity to "roar through the valley."

The Embroidered-Robe Envoy, who oversees the entire realm, seemed tailor-made for the Chen family. The Chen family seized the opportunity, integrated themselves into the ensemble, and became one with the emperor. Then, amidst the imperial family's predicament of the emperor's rebellion and the crown prince's disobedience, they found a way to resolve their dilemma. At the same time, this was also the Chen family's way of turning the tables and becoming the Embroidered-Robe Envoy.

The three major power groups that once considered "the nation to suffer" have all been reborn.

This is the wonder of creation.

The emperor and his ministers sighed deeply.

The Prime Minister's Office and the group of founding heroes will resolve the matter of His Majesty's restoration. Liu Ju knew the outcome in advance, but he could not reveal the process of how it unfolded.

Gongsun Hong returned to the normal content of the court audience: "Your Majesty, Han Shuo's army has successfully withdrawn to Youbeiping Commandery. In this mission of entanglement and harassment of the Xiongnu's left wing, Han Shuo's army has attacked and defeated dozens of Xiongnu Left Wise King tribes, killed and frightened tens of thousands of Xiongnu cattle, sheep and horses, and killed and wounded 3,652 Xiongnu soldiers. Many of them were not beheaded or wounded, which can be described as outstanding."

"How many soldiers does Han say there are?"

"Three thousand riders were born on the grasslands, and two thousand have now returned to China."

"A thousand deaths were exchanged for three or four thousand Xiongnu soldiers killed or wounded, along with numerous battle spoils. The killing of the enemy was excessive and not easy."

Liu Ju nodded, satisfied, and asked, "Were there any captured leaders?"

"Your Majesty, when we were attacking and harassing the Xiongnu tribes, we encountered a leader of the Xiongnu left wing who was out hunting. Han Shuo seized the opportunity to capture him."

In the military merit system of the Han Dynasty, the Chancellor and the Head of the Household were already high-ranking officials of the Xiongnu. Although they were not killed or captured in battle, having captured the Xiongnu gave the court a reason to bestow favors.

Has the Prime Minister's office proposed any conferment of titles?

"I believe it should be 'Marquis of Andao'."

"What about the fiefdom?"

"Two thousand households." "Add one thousand more households."

Since the vassal kings of the Han Dynasty were removed from their fiefdoms and incorporated into the Han, the fiefdoms of marquises have also been quietly changing. Marquises lost all administrative power in their fiefdoms and were "only entitled to their fiefs." The court urged local authorities to pay the rent and taxes of their fiefdoms to the corresponding marquises on time, but the people and land in their fiefdoms were managed by the local government, and the marquises had no right to interfere in local affairs.

The tax on fiefdoms in the Han Dynasty was based on 200 coins per household per year. With 2,000 households, one could earn 400,000 coins per year, and with 3,000 households, one could earn 600,000 coins per year.

That's quite a lot. After the leader of the Mohist school, the imperial court abolished the law of "begging for one's life with money." Before that, 500,000 coins could buy a life.

The promise of an extra thousand households and an extra two hundred thousand coins was what Liu Ju told Han about as a favor.

My father's judgment of people is sometimes quite good.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Gongsun Hong accepted the order, paused, and said, "Your Majesty, Li Gan and his nephew Li Ling have surrendered to the Xiongnu Left Wise King Wuwei with more than a hundred cavalrymen."

Wei Qing's promise came too late.

Even if it weren't too late, it would be difficult for Li Gan and his nephew Li Ling to be willing to return to the country and face execution.

The rebellion of Li Ju of the Li family in Longxi had the greatest impact on the clansmen, especially on the uncle and nephew. If nothing had happened and the army had returned normally, even without capturing or beheading the enemy leaders, the merit would still have earned them two titles of Marquis within the Pass.

Especially Li Ling, three generations of the Li family, at such a young age, he had already achieved merit and honor within the pass, absolutely surpassing his peers except for the Marquis of Champion. A new star of the Han Dynasty rose and fell in the blink of an eye.

The fate of the Li family is truly extraordinary.

"Send angels to the grasslands and order the Xiongnu to hand over the Li family uncles and nephews, as well as all the Han traitors and rebels. Don't say you weren't warned," Liu Ju said directly.

He had no intention of letting go of any of those who had defected from the Han dynasty, such as Zhao Xin, Li Gan, and Li Ling. He believed that those who betrayed the Han dynasty should be prepared to die and have their families exterminated.

"Your Majesty, given the current situation between the Han and the Xiongnu, I'm afraid the Xiongnu Left Wise King Wuwei will find it difficult to obey orders," Gongsun Hong said tactfully.

The Han dynasty had just laid a trap in the Dai region, killing and surrendering tens of thousands of Xiongnu soldiers. Even the Xiongnu Chanyu was forced to flee into the mountains and disappeared. It was impossible for Uwei, who was vying for the Khanate, to obey the Han dynasty's orders at this time and hand over all the traitors. Perhaps even the envoys sent on missions would be in danger.

"If they refuse to obey the imperial edict, I will soon show the Xiongnu what a king's army is, and what it means to punish the guilty and bring peace to the people!" Liu Ju said indifferently.

I knew that Uvi wouldn't obey orders. If the Xiongnu obeyed, things would be difficult. Without a sense of righteousness, how could the Han Dynasty destroy the Xiongnu?

As for Han envoys, many of them braved the risks and ventured onto the grasslands.

An atmosphere of impending doom rose, and the old prime minister instantly understood Liu Ju's meaning, replying, "After I return to the prime minister's residence, I will immediately select an envoy to go to the Xiongnu."

“Zhang Tang.” Liu Ju looked at Zhang Tang.

Zhang Tang quickly replied, "Your subject is here."

"The Embroidered Robe Censor should not be confined to the domestic sphere; he can have a broader future. This land is the domain of all races, and it is also the future of the Han Dynasty. Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever the mountains and rivers reach, all is Han territory," Liu said.

Zhang Tang's eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again, and he said bitterly, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The Embroidered-Robe Envoy has a brighter future, but it will no longer be relevant to him.

"By the way, have we found Li Guang yet?"

(End of this chapter)