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

Chapter 275 Loyalty
As dusk was just falling and the setting sun had not yet disappeared, a bronze chariot drove along the long street, its wheels rumbling and the horses' hooves clattering. Chen Mo entered Qili.

A bright sea of ​​lights ahead, and a heavy twilight behind, as if they were two different worlds.

Chen Mo's heart is as calm as a still lake.

Throughout history, dynasties have generally treated their founding heroes in three ways.

First, execute them; second, provide for them; third, appoint them to positions of power.

Taking the current dynasty as an example, after Emperor Gao established the Han Dynasty, he was wary of the kings of different surnames who held military and political power, especially Han Xin, Peng Yue, Ying Bu and others. He could not rest easy until they were eliminated.

Therefore, Marquis Han Xin of Huaiyin was murdered by Empress Lü, who lamented, "When the rabbit is dead, the dog is cooked; when the birds are gone, the bow is put away." Peng Yue, Ying Bu, and others were also eliminated one after another.

Emperor Gao, on his deathbed, issued an edict to the world, declaring that he would "jointly establish the empire with the heroes and virtuous officials of the land," and provided for the meritorious marquises of the land with fiefs, seals of office, and large mansions.

Then, during the reigns of Emperor Hui, Empress Lü, Emperor Wen, Emperor Jing, and Your Majesty, five emperors in total, there were marquises and nobles who held the highest positions in the court, and this was the process of appointment.

Throughout history, when the power of meritorious officials clashes significantly with the central authority, purges are often inevitable.

When meritorious officials voluntarily relinquish power, they receive relatively lenient treatment.

The reason why most of the founding marquises of the Han Dynasty met tragic ends was largely due to their excessive greed.

Figures like Zhou Gong, Xiao Qing, and Zhang Cheng, lacking the wisdom of their ancestors, still sought to participate in top-level politics, and at the slightest setback, complained about the ruler's incompetence.

He took credit without realizing it.

This world.

The incompetent occupy high positions through luck.

Chen Mo shook his head, got off the vehicle after it came to a stop, looked up at the lanterns with the words "Anguo" hanging high, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

They drove straight into the Marquis of Anguo's residence, and in the study, Chen Mo met Wang Bifang, the fourth Marquis of Anguo.

As the great-grandson of the first Marquis of Anguo, he is already an old marquis who has inherited the title for twenty years.

Chen Mo paid his respects on behalf of Zhou Gong, the leader of the restoration movement. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they got down to business, and Wang Pifang presented the Wang family's efforts in the restoration effort.

Three thousand well-trained private soldiers.

Five hundred gold coins and ten thousand bushels of grain.

This is the foundation of a family that has been noble and powerful for generations.

Even Chen Mo couldn't help but admire it and felt inferior to it.

Come to think of it, Wang Ling, the first ancestor of the Wang family, was one of the eighteen marquises in the early Han Dynasty. His fiefdom consisted of five thousand households. After Xiao He and Cao Can passed away one after another, Emperor Hui abolished the position of Chancellor and established the positions of Left and Right Chancellors, with the right being the most prestigious. Wang Ling succeeded him as the Right Chancellor of the Han Dynasty.

Chen Mo's ancestor, Chen Ping, was the Left Chancellor of the Han Dynasty at that time.

Until the first year of Empress Lü's reign, in order to enfeoff the Lü clan as kings, Empress Lü decided to bypass Wang Ling. So she pretended to transfer Wang Ling to be the tutor of the young emperor, but in reality, she wanted to take away his real power as prime minister.

Wang Ling was furious and resigned on the grounds of illness, staying at home and refusing to attend court from then on.

After that, Emperor Yuanzu Chen Ping was promoted to Right Chancellor, and Shen Shiqi became Left Chancellor.

From serving as Right Chancellor in the sixth year of Emperor Xiaohui's reign to being dismissed as Chancellor in the first year of Empress Gao's reign, and then passing away in the seventh year of Empress Gao's reign, the eight years that followed can be described as the golden age of the Wang family of Anguo.

When he held the power of prime minister, he amassed wealth by plundering and hoarding it; when he lost the power, he focused on consolidating his fiefdom, hiding people and annexing land.

The fiefdom was nominally for 5,000 households, but in reality, it had more than 15,000 households. Taking the minimum annual output of 200 coins from the fiefdom of the Han Dynasty as an example, starting from the seventh year of Empress Gao's reign, the royal family had an annual income of at least 3 million coins.

For more than sixty years, the Wang family's guaranteed income was no less than 200 million coins.

Adding in other income, and considering the small number of Wang family members, even a small portion of it was enough for his children to squander and maintain a private army.

Taking out another five hundred gold coins and ten thousand bushels of grain, while not a drop in the ocean, would be harmless.

“Nephew, our clan’s private army can be dispatched from the fiefdom at any time, and money and provisions can be delivered immediately to aid Your Majesty.”

Wang Pifang was very generous, showing no reluctance in giving away manpower, money, and food. He chuckled and said, "In addition, I have prepared five hundred taels of gold for my nephew, specifically for his use. I hope that in the future, my nephew will put in a good word for me before His Majesty." The Chen family loved money.

This is a well-known thing.

Upon hearing that His Majesty had appointed Zhou Gong as general, Zhang Cheng and Chen Mo as strategists, and Xiao Qing as the liaison, Wang Pifang specifically ordered his household elders to prepare an extra 500 taels of gold to bribe the four men.

He hoped that when His Majesty successfully restored the throne and bestowed titles upon his meritorious officials, Chen Mo could say a few good words in front of the Emperor. Even if it was just to gain a few hundred more households of fiefdom, such an expense would be a huge profit.

Wang Pifang wasn't worried that Chen Mo would take the money and not do the job; on the contrary, he trusted the Chen family's reputation.

Chen Ping, the ancestor of the Chen family, once said to Emperor Gao, "I take your money to do your bidding," a fact that has been proven by history.

The Chen family is trustworthy.

Chen Mo's lips twitched slightly. He was somewhat helpless about Yuanzu's "reputation" and did not respond. Instead, he asked, "What official position did the court grant Uncle Shi?"

"Commander of Youbeiping Commandery".

"A rank equivalent to two thousand shi?"

"Exactly."

Wang Pifang nodded.

Although he was a marquis, his title was hereditary. He had no merit, so serving as the commander of a prefecture was not a bad thing.

Chen Mo nodded and continued, "When does Uncle plan to set off?"

"The imperial court has urged us several times already. After speaking with my nephew, we should set off tomorrow."

"What are your prospects for serving as the Commandant of Youbeiping Commandery, Uncle?"

Chen Mo's continuous questions about the imperial court and its arrangements made Wang Pifang realize something was amiss, and his smile gradually faded. "After taking office, I intend to behave myself and remain law-abiding..."

The meaning is simple: the position of Commandant of Youbeiping Commandery is merely a transitional one. As long as His Majesty succeeds in restoring the throne, he will be rewarded according to his merits. Even if he cannot become one of the Three Dukes, he can still aspire to one of the Nine Ministers.

"I wonder what your opinion is, my nephew?" Wang Pifang continued.

"As a descendant of a meritorious official, does Uncle Shi not have the ambition to achieve great things?"

"Our dynasty's might has just dealt a heavy blow to the vast land of the Dai region, and the Xiongnu people will probably not dare to invade again."

"Does Uncle Shi not harbor the ambition to single-handedly plunge into the vast sea and eliminate our Han Dynasty's sworn enemy?"

"I?"

Wang Pifang was dumbfounded.

If he were to kill the Xiongnu single-handedly, wouldn't each Xiongnu person be able to drown him with a single spit?

However, Wang Pifang immediately sensed something was amiss, and a sinister glint appeared in his eyes. "Nephew, whose side are you on?"

"I am, of course, one of the Lord's people."

Chen Mo maintained his smile and readily admitted his identity.

"So, so... His Majesty's restoration..."

"The Emperor has always known this."

Chen Mo said what he hadn't said before, "Moreover, the two Grand Marshals and the armies of the North and South are ready to annihilate everyone at any time."

Wang Pifang felt as if he had lost his parents.

He knew nothing of military affairs, but he knew the ferocity of the Xiongnu, and thus knew the prowess of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing. Add to that the hundreds of thousands of elite imperial troops, and how many people could they possibly defeat? He couldn't figure it out.

"His Majesty is benevolent in his love of life and is willing to grant the Wang clan a way out. Therefore, I urge you, Uncle, to venture alone into the vast sea and exterminate the Xiongnu!"

(End of this chapter)