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

Chapter 272 Master Wanru

To assassinate the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty.

Whether successful or not, it will be a world-shaking event and the agreed-upon call to action.

In an instant, powerful families, officials, wealthy merchants, and thieves will all be mobilized, inevitably causing the heavens and earth to collapse.

With a long sigh, Dong Zhongshu felt a surge of emotion. Perhaps this was the pinnacle of Confucianism's strategy for the past and future centuries.

There's nothing more to say about the failure. The Crown Prince's revenge will cause all Confucian scholars unbearable pain, and even Confucianism will temporarily disappear from the land of China.

If successful, His Majesty will regain power. Amidst anger, encouragement, and concerns, he will execute Empress Wei, the Crown Prince and his mother, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing (nephew and uncle), and Chancellor Gongsun Hong, restoring the once upright and righteous Han Dynasty.

However, Dong Zhongshu knew that the emperor, in his prime, could not tolerate the crown prince and his ministers, but the emperor, nearing the end of his life, would miss the crown prince and his ministers. Confucianism would eventually face a catastrophe.

For the next few decades, or even the next hundred years, Confucianism will not have a glorious moment. However, Dong Zhongshu was certain that Confucianism would eventually return.

It is impossible for the monarchs of the Han Dynasty or later dynasties to be powerful rulers in every generation, governing the country and controlling the people by a mixture of hegemonic and benevolent ways, as this does not conform to the natural order of rise and fall.

The Ying clan, building upon the legacy of six generations, established the Qin dynasty, but it perished after only two emperors.

From Emperor Gaozu to Emperor Huizong, Emperor Wenzong, Emperor Jingzong, and Your Majesty, plus the Crown Prince, the Liu family has produced six generations of wise rulers. Even if they do not perish, it would be difficult for them to continue their "brilliant" reign.

Weak and unwise monarchs will inevitably emerge sooner or later. In present-day China, no new ideas have been born, and the philosophies of the Hundred Schools of Thought have declined. Confucianism is the only choice for any ruler, whether capable or inactive.

One, two, three... after countless monarchs and dynasties, a Confucian empire stubbornly rose up in China.

The current hardships will only make future Confucian scholars more resilient, more tenacious, and more indestructible. History will prove the mistakes of all rulers who opposed or belittled Confucianism.

Confucius was the most revered teacher, while Dong Zhongshu was perhaps the "teacher of all scholars."

Dong Zhongshu was intoxicated by a dreamlike future.

Wuqiu Shouwang waited silently. He had recently noticed that his mentor was becoming increasingly absent-minded. Even though his youthful face and white hair remained unchanged, his hunched posture and unsteady gait proved the power of the Spring and Autumn Period.

Outside the hall, the cold wind howled, and the feverish spirit could not withstand the chill that seeped into his skin. Dong Zhongshu slowly came to his senses, and Wuqiu Shouwang spoke again: "Master, the court has also issued an edict to 'suppress the remaining bandits,' condemning all outlaws as lazy, unproductive, and unforgivable people, and ordering local counties to thoroughly eradicate bandits and outlaws within their borders."

The troops of several prefectures are permitted to coordinate their actions, arresting and killing wherever they are found, without even a trial. Anyone who colludes with, harbors, or protects thieves or bandits will be considered an accomplice and executed along with them.

Furthermore, "bad boys" and "vagrants" will be severely punished, with minor offenses resulting in exile to the north and serious offenses inflicted with beatings to death.

This can be described as the most severe edict issued by the Han Dynasty to crack down on lawbreakers.

All bandits and their accomplices are to be executed without prior notification. All idle youths who violate the laws of the Han Dynasty, including those who engage in cockfighting, dog racing, brawling, robbery, murder and burial, grave robbing, and illegal minting of coins, as well as the idle vagrants and ruffians, will be dealt with severely.

Moreover, the edict explicitly stated that if local "bad boys" and "vagrants" were rampant and the county government was powerless to deal with them, the county commandant and county constable were allowed to lead troops to suppress them, regardless of their lives.

Next, bandits and outlaws might not be able to participate in the restoration, but would instead face the brutal killings of local county and prefectural governments.

"Bandits and bandits are nothing but a mob, incapable of accomplishing anything significant. Whether they participate in the restoration or not is completely unimportant. What I want is for bandits and bandits to run rampant in the localities, causing chaos, tying down the officials and soldiers of the prefectures and counties, and diverting the court's attention. If they can cause such a huge upheaval that the Northern and Southern armies are forced to leave the capital to suppress them, that would be even better. Now, with bandits and bandits taking action and local officials and soldiers of the prefectures and counties taking action, it is no different from the restoration."

Hearing that the imperial decrees were always a step behind him and inferior to his own, Dong Zhongshu smiled from the bottom of his heart. What was the use of the Crown Prince and Gongsun Hong winning all the time? Whoever laughs last laughs best.

"How has the Yuan Gong family reacted?"

"My two senior brothers have largely persuaded the Yuangong family to agree to His Majesty's restoration. The Yuangong family is willing to provide support in terms of people, money, and grain, but they have indicated that they have no weapons or armor," Wuqiu Shouwang replied.

Yin Zhong and Ying Gong traveled with the Yin Talisman and Blood Pact to persuade the marquises, officials, powerful clans, merchants, knights-errant, and thieves of the world. Their efforts were largely successful. His Majesty's promise to rule the world for thirty years made many people hesitant but also willing to take a gamble.

There's nothing we can do; everyone is "dying," just in different ways.

First, regarding Your Majesty's restoration, let's set aside the promise of thirty years for now. While Your Majesty did indeed exploit everyone equally during your reign, with power, influence, money, and force at your disposal, you can use various means to shift the burden of exploitation onto the common people and prolong your own demise.

Second, support the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne. The Crown Prince does not exploit the common people, but only the powerful and wealthy. It is not the kind of quick and decisive action, but the kind of slow and gradual exploitation. He has ample time and means to prevent the powerful and wealthy from shifting the burden of exploitation. Since the Crown Prince took power, the powerful and wealthy have felt that their blood has been drained little by little. When the relocation order was completed, the powerful and wealthy feared that they would not even have the strength to resist, so they quietly died.

Both His Majesty and the Crown Prince want to take lives, but their methods differ. The wealthy and powerful of the Han Dynasty, whether they turn left or right, have the word "death" etched on their foreheads.

The former still has a chance to resist, while the latter leaves people powerless. Since His Majesty seeks restoration, the powerful and wealthy are willing to give it a try.

"A bunch of people who are afraid to risk their lives for great things, but forget righteousness for petty gains!" Dong Zhongshu said disdainfully.

The families of the founding emperors, officials and powerful clans, wealthy merchants and wandering knights and thieves were all worried about the failure of the restoration. They gave people money and grain, and even though no one was registered in the Han Dynasty, no one could prove their identity. Giving them money and grain, and having their names written on gold, silver and rice, proved even less. Once His Majesty "rose to" the position of retired emperor, and the crown prince launched a counterattack, these people could deny that they had ever participated.

Weapons and armor, however, are unacceptable. The style of weapons and armor is very obvious in every place and by every craftsman. This is rebellion. As long as the location is known, the crown prince and the court will not listen to any explanation and will order the killings.

They give people, money, and food, but not weapons or armor. The Han dynasty's wealthy and powerful are all bald.

"There are exceptions."

Wuqiu Shouwang pointed to the secret document and said, "The Zhou family, the former Marquis of Pingqu, the Xiao family, the former Marquis of Zan, the Zhang family, the former Marquis of Liu, and the Chen family, the former Marquis of Quni, are willing to give all their weapons and armor to serve Your Majesty. In particular, the Zhou family is willing to serve Your Majesty as members of their clan!"

Dong Zhongshu was astonished and exclaimed, "A strong wind reveals the strength of the grass, a time of turmoil reveals the loyalty of the minister, and Zhou was the one who brought peace to the Han Dynasty. Emperor Gaozu's ability to recognize talent is truly unparalleled in the world."

(End of this chapter)