The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

Luoyang, a side hall.

Liu Hong has already independently developed many new ways to play. After the battle, he continues to enter the Sage Mode.

Leaning against the dragon bed, he played with a jade disc, looking at Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong beside him.

"Is Liu Bei's army almost at Luoyang?"

"Your Majesty, we have arrived in Yanshi and will enter the city tomorrow," Zhang Rang replied, bowing.

Liu Hong nodded: "Tell me, how should I reward him this time?"

Zhang Rang lowered his head even further: "Your Majesty is wise and will make your own decision. This servant dares not speak presumptuously."

Liu Hong sat up straight: "Liu Bei is a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, and by seniority, he is my distant cousin."

But the descendants of Prince Jing of Zhongshan number in the tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands; they're everywhere. He had no power base, no background, and no cronies in the court.

"I feel at ease using someone like that."

He paused for a moment: "My health is deteriorating day by day. The Crown Prince is still young, and when he ascends the throne, he will inevitably face the constraints of powerful families and maternal relatives."

He Jin held military power, yet he was entangled with powerful clans, and these clans and scholars were deeply intertwined. Someone had to be there to check and balance them.

"Liu Bei is loyal and a capable general. He also has 20,000 elite troops. He's a perfect candidate to be entrusted to the Crown Prince as a regent."

Zhang Rang quickly echoed, "Your Majesty is wise! Liu Bei is unparalleled in loyalty and bravery; he will surely live up to Your Majesty's expectations!"

"What he lacks now is the experience of a local official." Liu Hong picked up a pen and wrote a few words on the paper...

The year is April of the second year of Zhongping.

Liu Bei led an army of 20,000 and arrived outside Luoyang.

The people lined the streets to watch, all wanting to see this legendary general who swept through 100,000 rebel troops in Liangzhou with only 20,000 troops!

The day after the money and grain were deposited into the warehouse.

Court meeting.

Liu Hong generously bestowed a reward on the spot!

The officials stood solemnly according to their ranks, and the attendant led Liu Bei and his entourage to the throne, where they sat and prostrated themselves.

Guanglu Xun stepped forward and bowed, while a junior eunuch stood by, holding the imperial seal and tally.

Finally, Guanglu Xun raised his hand and announced loudly:

"An imperial edict appointed Liu Bei as General Who Crosses the Liao River, concurrently serving as Governor of Bing Province, granting him the authority to act on behalf of the emperor, and making him the Commander-in-Chief of all military affairs in Bing Province! He was also granted the title of Marquis of Duxiang!"

The officials in the hall were in an uproar.

The title of General Who Crosses the Liao River is a military position with real power. Taking on the role of governor means that Liu Bei, with the status of a general, supervises a province. Apart from political, financial, and personnel power, he is almost equivalent to the governor of Bing Province!

This is a rare appointment in recent years!

Then, the new positions of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Pang De, Li Chang and others were announced one by one. With each name read, the atmosphere in the hall became more solemn!

Guanglu Xun continued to announce:

"Guan Yu is appointed Protector-General of the Xiongnu! He is granted the title of Marquis of Hanshou!"

"Zhang Fei was appointed General Who Subdues the Barbarians! He was granted the title of Marquis of Xinting."

"Li Chang is appointed Prefect of Yanmen! His rank is promoted to Marquis of Changping!"

"Zhao Yun is appointed Protector-General of the Xiongnu! He is granted the title of Marquis within the Passes!"

"Jian Yong was appointed as the Chief Administrator!"

"Xiahou Lan was appointed as the Inspector of Yanmen Commandery!"

After the reading was completed, the Imperial Secretary handed over the official seal and ribbon to the Imperial Censor, who stood facing east and solemnly presented them to Liu Bei and the others.

Liu Bei and his entourage accepted the seals of office with both hands and bowed three times.

The usher announced: "Your subject Liu Bei, newly appointed Governor of Bingzhou, thanks you."

The messenger replied, "Thank you."

……

Almost overnight, Liu Bei became famous in Luoyang once again.

But before Liu Bei and his party could even rejoice, a rumor soon emerged!

"Have you heard? Liu Bei bought his position as Governor of Bing Province for twenty million coins!"

"That's for sure! He took so much money and grain from the powerful families in Liangzhou, and used it all to buy official positions! All that talk of loyalty and patriotism was just an act!"

"Even members of the imperial family are buying and selling official positions; they've utterly disgraced the Han Dynasty!"

Some people questioned, "But weren't his military achievements genuine?"

"Tch, who knows how much of that is exaggerated! Twenty thousand to over one hundred thousand? And they even recaptured a prefecture?"

The news was so detailed and specific, even including the exact time and location of the transaction.

It seems like they're trying to elevate Liu Bei to a high position, only to suddenly bring him down!

It was as if they wanted to let Liu Bei see the true colors of those people.

The entire aristocratic families and scholar class in Luoyang despised Liu Bei.

Those who had originally wanted to befriend him all stayed indoors.

When Liu Bei heard the news, he was so angry that he almost overturned the table on the spot.

"Nonsense! When did I buy my way into this position!" he roared, furious. "I fought valiantly in Liangzhou, risking my life countless times, and this is the slander I receive in return!"

Zhang Fei was so angry he jumped up and down: "Which bastard spread this rumor! I'll go tear his mouth off!"

"Eldest brother, third brother, calm down." Li Chang stopped him. "This is not a rumor; His Majesty deliberately spread it."

Liu Bei was taken aback: "Your Majesty?"

"That's right." Li Chang nodded. "His Majesty is helping us."

"Help us?" Zhang Fei asked, puzzled. "How is ruining our reputation helping us?"

"It is precisely because our reputation is ruined that powerful families will not try to win us over, which is why His Majesty feels comfortable using us," Li Changdao said.

"Reputation is meaningless; territory and military power are what truly matter. Trading a hollow reputation for Bingzhou and legitimate command of 20,000 troops is an incredibly worthwhile deal."

Liu Bei fell silent. Sometimes, he really felt that his fourth brother was considering some extraordinary matters!

Some of the words were said too bluntly!

Jia Xu explained, "Perhaps His Majesty is telling us to be 'lone ministers.' Don't collude with powerful families, and don't have any ulterior motives!"

"I understand." Liu Bei sighed, suppressing his worries. "Send word that no one is to discuss this matter. Follow me to the palace to express our gratitude."

The day after he entered the palace to express his gratitude, another imperial decree was issued.

"Summon Cai Yong, former Imperial Advisor, to return to Luoyang immediately and appoint him as Attendant-in-Ordinary and concurrently Grand Astrologer."

"Cai Yan, daughter of Cai Yong, is hereby granted to Liu Bei as his principal wife. A wedding date shall be chosen!"

Then it was rumored that part of the money Liu Bei sent was for redemption and buying official positions!

The news sent shockwaves through Luoyang once again.

Cai Yong was a renowned Confucian scholar of his time, famous throughout the land. Countless scholars considered it an honor to become his disciple!

Liu Hong actually bestowed Cai Yan upon Liu Bei, this "scholar-official who bought his position"?

Countless scholars beat their chests in frustration, cursing Cai Yong for his disgraceful later years and for currying favor with eunuchs!

However, some scholars refused to believe it!

But the fact remains that a rift has already appeared among the scholars!

When Cai Yong received the imperial edict, he was so angry that he almost vomited blood on the spot!

He wanted to disobey the imperial decree, but looking at his daughter in the prime of her life and the imperial guards who had come with the eunuch, he had no choice but to accept it.

Not satisfied with that, Liu Hong immediately issued a third imperial edict.

"The emperor bestowed upon Princess Wannian the title of wife, and arranged for her to marry Li Chang, the governor of Yanmen."

"The daughter of the former Protector of the Qiang, Ling Zheng, is hereby granted to marry Guan Yu, the Protector of the Xiongnu."

"The daughter of Xiahou Ying's descendant was given to him to marry Zhang Fei, the General Who Subdues the Barbarians."

The four imperial decrees bestowing marriage were like four heavy hammer blows, striking everyone's hearts!

Now they all understood!

Liu Hong is trying to completely bind Liu Bei's army to the imperial court's war chariot!

Did you deliberately spread rumors to tarnish the reputation of Liu Bei and his entourage, making it difficult for powerful families and scholars to approach them?

Take advantage of this opportunity to arrange a marriage between Liu Bei and the other party!

The same tactic of suppressing Cai Yong's reputation was used again.

By marrying Cai Yan, Liu Bei essentially gained some of Cai Yong's reputation and a place in the scholar's circle.

However, because of the emperor's position on his reputation, he would not be truly accepted by the scholars, and he also implicated Cai Yong and Lu Zhi!

Li Chang married Princess Wannian, becoming a member of the imperial family, thus completely binding Liu Bei's army with the royal family!

The Xiahou family and the Cao family are related. Leaving Cao Cao aside, the Cao family is closely related to the eunuch faction!

After Guan Yu and Zhang Fei married so-called meritorious officials, they also became involved with eunuchs!

Liu Bei's army, which was originally isolated by the entire city of Luoyang, suddenly gained a deep and intricate network of connections!

Those powerful families who had previously been the most vocal in their criticism of Liu Bei have now fallen silent!

They discovered that Liu Bei, whose reputation was so bad, was no longer someone they could easily manipulate!

Inside the Jiade Hall.

Liu Hong looked out the window and smiled with satisfaction.

Distant relatives of the imperial clan commanded troops, imperial relatives assisted in governance, famous generals guarded the four directions, and royal Confucian scholars educated the world!

The imperial family, aristocratic families, and maternal relatives checked and balanced each other, and when necessary, he would use eunuchs to intervene!

He felt that the Han dynasty's rule was now secure!

It's about to flourish! We'll be able to speak with confidence and dignity even before our ancestors!

"Guards, keep the music playing and the dancing going! I, Liu Hong, am a dutiful servant of the Han Dynasty; what's wrong with enjoying myself a bit!"

Time flies.

While there was a chorus of curses outside, Liu Bei's army was filled with jubilation.

Bad reputation? No problem.

The benefits are all real and tangible; in two years, they'll be too busy envying us to even think about it!

This is a golden opportunity for development, several years in advance!

A few months later, after they got married.

According to the imperial decree, the original 10,000-plus elite Northern Army troops remained in Luoyang and were placed under the command of He Jin.

Liu Bei took away his loyal followers from Zhuojun, as well as several thousand carefully selected prisoners from Liangzhou.

It was still an army of ten thousand.

Lu Zhi, Cai Yong, and a few other officials in the court who were willing to associate with Liu Bei all came to see him off outside the city.

"Xuande, Bingzhou is bitterly cold, and the Xiongnu and Xianbei frequently invade the border. Your journey is arduous and far-reaching."

Lu Zhi patted Liu Bei on the shoulder.

"Thank you for the reminder, sir." Liu Bei cupped his hands in thanks. "I am determined to defend the northern border to the death and prevent the barbarian cavalry from advancing any further south."

Lu Zhi looked at his disciple with great satisfaction:

"Xuande, do a good job. Don't let His Majesty down, and don't let down the people of the world."

"Your disciple will remember your teachings."

Cai Yong stood aside, disregarding the emperor and the eunuchs, and focusing only on Lu Zhi and Liu Bei himself; he was quite satisfied.

Looking at Liu Bei, he sighed, "Xuande, I entrust Zhaoji to you. You must treat her well."

"Father-in-law, rest assured, I will never fail Zhaoji in this lifetime."

After bidding farewell to everyone, Liu Bei mounted his horse.

Behind him, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Pang Tong stood on their horses, swords drawn. Li Chang rode the precious horse bestowed upon him by Liu Hong, accompanied by Jia Xu, Jian Yong, Xiahou Lan, and a host of other civil officials.

The prosperity and strife of Luoyang have faded into the past.

Not long after leaving Luoyang, Li Chang asked, "Second Brother, do you have any close friends in Hedong? Like, someone skilled in using a large axe or something?"

Then he looked at the group of civil officials with dark circles under their eyes, except for Jia Xu.

"You guys... you'd better not go out."

He then turned to Liu Bei and said, "Brother, I will personally lead a group to search for great talents!"

After hearing this, Jian Yong and Xiahou Lan launched into a tirade of curses!