Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 163 Liu Bei is too arrogant, he fights both rebels and bandits (Please subscribe and vote for monthly tickets)
Liu Bei was well aware that the implementation of the three major decrees would cause dissatisfaction among the officials in Luoyang, as well as the officials and bandits in Henan, Hongnong, and Hedong.

Especially after discovering that Liu Bei has led his troops away, there will surely be villains who will take the opportunity to collude with the rebels and cause trouble in Luoyang.

However, what Liu Bei had to deal with was not only the rebel army, but also the rebel army's foundation: the powerful bandits who were scattered throughout the land.

The reason why the rebels were able to run rampant was because they relied on powerful bandits.

Therefore, Liu Bei's purpose in sending troops this time was not only to rescue Xiaopei and Xiapi, but also to lure out the powerful bandits in Luoyang, Henan Yin, Hongnong County, and Hedong County who were dissatisfied with the three major laws.

Just like when he was conquering Han Sui and Ma Teng, he took the opportunity to lure out the powerful bandits in Zuo Fengyi, Jingzhao Yin and You Fufeng, and executed their leaders as a warning to others.

Before sweeping across the land, Liu Bei had to win the support of most of the people in the Siyong region for the new policies, and use the Siyong region as a base to gradually conquer the land.

If he cannot eliminate the powerful bandits, even if Liu Bei becomes emperor, he will not be able to hold his throne, let alone command respect throughout the land and have all nations pay tribute.

In addition to powerful bandits, officials in Luoyang with disloyal intentions must also be eliminated.

After Liu Bei became the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, he rarely interfered with other departments, except for vigorously reforming the officials of the Imperial Secretariat.

Liu Bei needed to wait for an opportunity and a reason.

To kill a snake, strike its vital spot; one blow is all it takes to kill it.

News of Liu Bei's military expedition quickly spread throughout Luoyang.

The mobilization of 20,000 troops from ten battalions of the Lingyan Army could not have been kept secret from the officials in Luoyang.

Since he couldn't hide it any longer, Liu Bei didn't bother to hide it anymore. Instead, he took the initiative to show it to his officials, which was almost as if he was telling them directly: I've sent out troops. If you want to cause trouble, this is a golden opportunity.

And things turned out exactly as Liu Bei had predicted.

After Liu Bei's rear guard also left Luoyang, Wang Yun hosted a banquet for more than 20 officials, including Yang Biao, claiming that he had recently taken a wife and inviting the officials to join in the festivities.

To create a sense of realism, Wang Yun, an old man in his fifties, actually took a concubine to avoid being reported for secretly forming cliques and plotting wickedness.

After the banquet was halfway over, Wang Yun ordered his trusted confidants to guard the main gate and key positions, dismissing his attendants and leaving only Yang Biao and about twenty other officials.

All the officials had their own guesses, and seeing Wang Yun cover his face with his sleeve and weep, Vice Minister Huang Qiong stood up and asked, "Is the Grand Master of the Palace weeping because he has just taken a new wife today?"

Upon hearing someone ask the question, Wang Yun continued to feign grief, saying, "It is not tears of joy, but tears of sorrow."

Huang Qiong feigned surprise: "Why do you say such a thing, Grand Master of the Palace? If you have any difficulties, you might as well tell us, and perhaps we can help you solve your problems."

The officials all nodded in agreement, indicating that they would help Wang Yun and encourage him to speak his mind.

Seeing that the atmosphere was right, Wang Yun wiped away non-existent tears and sighed, "Your Majesty was intelligent from a young age, but your mother was poisoned by Empress Dowager He when you were still an infant. Fortunately, Empress Dowager Dong raised you in the palace."

"Your Majesty showed the qualities of a wise ruler in your youth and was quite favored by Your Majesty. However, due to the power of the eunuchs and the imperial relatives, you could only be a prince. I thought Your Majesty could live peacefully with Empress Dowager Dong, but unexpectedly, after He Jin took power, Empress Dowager He forced Empress Dowager Dong to her death, leaving Your Majesty alone and helpless once again."

"Later, Dong Zhuo and others used a secret edict to support Your Majesty. I thought Your Majesty would be able to establish a wise and prosperous reign. However, I did not expect that Dong Zhuo was even more greedy than He Jin. Instead of rectifying the administration, he allowed his troops to run rampant and even desecrated the late Emperor's palace."

"When the Imperial Uncle entered Luoyang again, I saw that he had restrained the Luoyang troops, and I thought that His Majesty had finally met a capable minister who could govern the country and create a prosperous era. However, I never expected that the Imperial Uncle would forcibly implement the three major decrees. This is putting His Majesty in a precarious situation with enemies on all sides and the whole world against him."

"As His Majesty's subjects, how can we not think of the country and its people? If we continue to allow the Imperial Uncle to implement the three great decrees, the Han Dynasty will probably perish."

"How tragic!"

Wang Yun covered his face and wept again.

After spouting a bunch of high-sounding nonsense, Wang Yun finally pointed out the core of this banquet: the three major laws.

As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Qiong chimed in indignantly, "Does the Imperial Uncle still think he's in Yongzhou? The total number of registered households in Yongzhou doesn't even equal the number of people registered in Henan! The Imperial Uncle has no idea how many high-ranking officials and noble families are in Henan!"

“Such banditry will surely arouse resentment among the people of Henan, Hongnong and Hedong. If we anger these people, we will be finished.”

Huang Qiong is also good at spouting nonsense. It's clear that he, as a beneficiary, has suffered losses, but he insists on absolving himself, saying that others will complain and that he is worried about the country and the nation.

Immediately afterward, another person stood up and echoed, "What the Grand Master of the Palace said in the main hall, that governing a large country is like cooking a small fish, I wholeheartedly agree. Even if there are corrupt officials and lawless powerful families in the counties of Sili, they should be corrected gradually, rather than being forcibly ordered with a one-size-fits-all approach."

"Is it only the Imperial Uncle who is a loyal and virtuous minister, while we are all treacherous and corrupt ministers? The Imperial Uncle also accepted bribes from the eunuch Zhang Rang in the past and robbed the eunuchs of their gold and silver. Why didn't he return the embezzled money first?"

Then another person shouted in response: "In the past, Wang Mang wanted to convert all the fields in the world into royal fields and slaves into private slaves, which caused chaos in the world and everyone rebelled; now the Imperial Uncle wants to abolish slave farmers and slave laborers. Did I make them slave farmers and slave laborers? They should be grateful for the food I give them!"

"It's ridiculous that those who rent land and cultivate it with others have to sign a new contract. The new contract even says that no matter how good or bad the harvest is, the basic food supply for the farmers must be guaranteed first. How laughable! If the harvest is bad, it's because the farmers are lazy and don't work hard. How ridiculous that we have to beg a bunch of lazy and unruly people to cultivate the land!"

With someone taking the lead and echoing his sentiments, more than twenty officials present began to speak up, expressing their dissatisfaction.

During the implementation of the three laws, their relatives came to Luoyang to complain and accuse their family property of being seized by the three laws. Some relatives were even arrested as examples and severely punished.

Wang Yun listened quietly to the officials' complaints and dissatisfaction, and finally turned his gaze to Yang Biao.

Of all the officials present, Wang Yun and Yang Biao held the highest ranks and had the greatest family reputation.

Wang Yun was from a prominent family in Taiyuan, while Yang Biao was from a prominent family in Hongnong.

Yang Biao, in particular, was also from a family that had held high office for generations. Moreover, Yang Biao's wife was the great-granddaughter of Yuan An, the Minister of Works, and by seniority, she was Yuan Shu's sister.

He himself came from a family of high-ranking officials, and his wife's family was the Yuan family, whose members had served as high-ranking officials for four generations and whose students and former officials were spread throughout the country.

Although Yuan Kui and Yuan Ji were imprisoned and executed by Dong Zhuo for Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's rebellion, for high-ranking officials like Wang Yun and Yang Biao, who came from powerful families, Yuan Kui and Yuan Ji were merely killed in a power struggle, and it had nothing to do with right or wrong.

Wang Yun even had a plan: if he were to gain power in the future, he would release the Yuan clan members from prison and then ask Emperor Liu Xie to demonstrate his benevolence and magnanimity by exonerating Yuan Kui and Yuan Ji, thus showing his favor to the Yuan clan's former disciples and officials throughout the land.

Wealthy and powerful families are all related by blood or marriage to each other to some extent.

We are all scholars, and we cannot act too ruthlessly, otherwise when disaster strikes us, we will be the ones who are pushed down by everyone.

“Now that the Prince of Hongnong is dead, Your Majesty is the only heir of the late Emperor. Although Liu Yu, the Governor of Youzhou, claims to be the Grand Marshal and has been granted the title, he has probably been deceived by Yuan Shao.”

Yang Biao slowly spoke, and said, "Therefore, I think we can send someone to contact Yuan Shu. As long as Yuan Shu is willing to acknowledge that His Majesty is the Son of Heaven who has been ordained by Heaven, the Son of Heaven can release the Yuan clan members in prison."

"I have long heard that Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao are at odds. If we say that we will only kill Yuan Shao and invite Yuan Shu to the court as a general, those former followers and officials of the Yuan family who were deceived by Yuan Shao will surely not rebel again."

"In this way, the three great laws of the Imperial Uncle can be abolished, and the rebels in the world can be quelled. The achievements of the Grand Master of the Palace will be unprecedented."

None of those who managed to rise to high office in Luoyang were without cunning and ruthlessness.

With just a few words, Yang Biao devised a plan to kill someone using another person.

Sacrificing Yuan Shao to make Yuan Shu a success would quell all the rebellions in the land, and Liu Bei would no longer be able to wield absolute power.

Ultimately, Yang Biao and his associates still held the reins of power in the imperial court.

Upon hearing that Yang Biao had directly revealed his trump card, the officials were all delighted and echoed his sentiments.

Huang Qiong exclaimed, "The Grand Master of the Palace truly deserves to be called a once-in-a-century hero of the Yang family. He made a great contribution when he eliminated the eunuch Wang Fu. If the rebels can be quelled without bloodshed, the Grand Master of the Palace will have made an even greater contribution!"

He then turned to Wang Yun and said, "I request that the Grand Master of the Palace submit a memorial to the Emperor, asking him to adopt the Grand Master of the Palace's plan to quell the rebellion and ensure the long-term stability of the nation."

The other officials also shouted their requests, their excitement suggesting that only those present could govern the country well.

Although Wang Yun appeared calm on the surface, he was quite pleased with himself inside.

Even if you could win the debate in the palace, so what?
The officials will not submit to you.

The people will not submit to you.

Now you dare to transfer all your troops out of Luoyang? You are utterly foolish.

After a moment's thought, Wang Yun continued, "That may be true, but Minister Jia Xu is still in the city, along with two thousand men from the Tiger Guard and Feathered Forest Guard. Without eliminating Jia Xu, we will find it difficult to carry out our grand plan."

Another person shouted, "I have a past relationship with Xia Mou, the captain of the Tiger Warriors. As long as we can persuade Xia Mou, what do we have to fear from Jia Xu?"

Immediately afterward, another person shouted: "Wu Kuang, the captain of the Imperial Guard, was once He Jin's subordinate. He is extremely greedy. I am willing to give up all my gold and silver to persuade him."

Huang Qiong further stated, "I have three hundred servants, all of whom are available for use."

Wang Yun and Yang Biao exchanged a glance and nodded.

Clearly, both Wang Yun and Yang Biao were very satisfied with today's banquet.

Wang Yun then said, “Since ancient times, those who do not keep their plans secret are prone to bringing disaster upon themselves. You should all heed my orders and not act rashly.”

Then he turned to Yang Biao and said, "I'll leave the matter of persuading Yuan Shu to the Grand Master of the Palace. If Yuan Shu agrees, we'll proceed with this plan. If he doesn't, just consider this our drunken ramblings."

He then warned everyone: "If anyone dares to leak secrets and falsely accuse us, given His Majesty's benevolence and my family background, I will at most spend some time in prison. But the one who leaks the secrets will surely die."

All the officials felt a chill in their hearts and shouted, "We dare not!"

Yang Biao nodded and said, "My son Yang Xiu is quite intelligent and young, so he won't arouse suspicion. I will send him to Runan to find Yuan Shu later. Just as the Grand Master of the Palace said, if Yuan Shu is unwilling, then let's pretend that today's events never happened."

"I'll also make this clear from the start: regardless of whether things succeed or fail, I and the Grand Master of the Palace will certainly not die. So those who are not resolute can feign illness and stay home, and must not make false accusations or plot against us."

After warning everyone, the officials left one after another, leaving only Yang Biao and Wang Yun.

"Grand Master of the Palace, are you confident in persuading Yuan Shu this time?" Wang Yun asked again to confirm. "Although I am not happy that Zhou Bi used me, based on Zhou Bi's experience of failing in his schemes, the Imperial Uncle's character is as unusual as the rumors suggest."

"I still can't understand why Dong Zhuo, who was so arrogant and conceited in Luoyang, would choose to relinquish power to the Imperial Uncle. The Imperial Uncle's methods far surpass those of ordinary warriors, so we must be cautious."

Yang Biao smiled confidently: "It's alright. The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind. You and I are both from powerful families with deep roots. As long as we act cautiously, we won't commit any serious crimes. Even if the Imperial Uncle wants to harm us, he will have to follow the law."

"As for others, the death of a few is not a big deal. On the contrary, it can be used as an opportunity to publicize the tyranny of the Imperial Uncle in killing ministers, so that more people will oppose the Imperial Uncle's three major decrees."

Wang Yun nodded in agreement and said, “That makes sense. We are both disliked by the Imperial Uncle, so we should work together from now on. If there is any news, we can share it with each other in time; if we encounter danger, we should protect one of us and then find an opportunity to rescue the other.”

Yang Biao also said, "We will follow the Grand Master's suggestion."

After Yang Biao left, Wang Yun summoned another group of dancers.

Many of these dancers had escaped from the palace during the chaos in Luoyang. Wang Yun kept them in his residence, providing them with ample food and clothing and even having them specially trained in etiquette.

At his age, Wang Yun had lost interest in beautiful women and focused more on cultivating relationships and exchanging favors with the beauties in his household.

Wang Yun's gaze fell on the dancer in the very center, and he couldn't help but nod in approval: "No wonder she was chosen as a beauty for the imperial harem. If the late emperor were still alive, she would surely have been favored."

"My uncle is a man with grand ambitions and is extremely difficult to deal with. If this plan fails, I can no longer confront him directly. I must use a clever strategy to win."

Thinking of this, Wang Yun couldn't help but sneer: "Those who achieve great things must combine firmness and gentleness, and not act like reckless fools. I, Wang Yun, will eventually rise to the top among all ministers!"

And the other side.

Upon returning to his residence, Yang Biao immediately summoned his son, Yang Xiu.

Although only fifteen years old, Yang Xiu's talents were fully developed under the nurturing resources of the Yang family of Hongnong. His vision, knowledge, and eloquence far surpassed those of ordinary people.

Yang Biao would also often discuss national and family affairs with Yang Xiu, in order to identify and address any shortcomings and to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.

“My uncle is ambitious but incompetent, and he was once defeated by the Imperial Uncle. He may not dare to enter Luoyang. Father, please think carefully.” Upon hearing about Yang Biao and Wang Yun’s conspiracy, Yang Xiu frowned, clearly disapproving of Yang Biao’s plan.

Yang Biao disagreed: "My son underestimates Yuan Shu. He was killed by the Imperial Uncle, who cut off his beard and abandoned his robe. He must hate the Imperial Uncle to the bone. Now that he has the opportunity to attack Luoyang, why would he hesitate?"

"Even if this plan fails, the Grand Master of the Palace and I will not lose our lives. At most, we will spend some time in prison. I have already thought it through. My Imperial Uncle likes talented people. If something happens to me, my son can take this opportunity to promote the reputation of 'filial piety and righteousness' and join the Imperial Uncle's ranks under the pretense of 'atone for his father's crimes'."

“With my son’s talent and reputation for filial piety, the Imperial Uncle will surely not refuse; in this way, even if the Yang family of Hongnong is temporarily declining due to the three major laws, there will be a day when it will rise again.”

(End of this chapter)