Great Han Empire

Chapter 1041 The Banner of Heroes in Troubled Times Unrolled
Xu Rong has been paying close attention to the development of the situation in Chang'an during his stay in Xiliang. He took a cautious attitude towards Zhang Yan's policy of "aiding Taoism and becoming Confucianism". Immediately after the general married the eldest princess, the voice of "reviving orthodox Confucianism" came from Jinyang, which made him immediately realize that the situation had expanded and the situation in Chang'an would soon get out of control. For the reason, he asked to lead the army back to the court to control the capital.The emperor will play.

Xu Rong came back in time, and Li Wei, who was furious, was urging Zhao Yun, Liu He, and Tian Chou, the three prime ministers, to jointly petition the emperor, demanding that hoarders, money dealers, and some corrupt criminals detained in various states and counties be killed. Officials.

Grand Tutor Liu He disagreed. He said that the criminal law of the Han Dynasty had just been revised and implemented. The imperial court must maintain the majesty of the law and cannot tamper with it at will.Zhao Yun also disagrees. He believes that the hoarders and sub-money dealers currently in custody in various states and counties are small minions who "charged the battle" in the front. They are backed by powerful forces. Killing them will not solve the actual problem. Dig out the big hoarders and big money merchants behind them, and then dig out those aristocratic families who disregarded the interests of the country and resisted the court to the end.

Xu Rong supported Liu He and Zhao Yun's opinions, persuaded Li Wei to calm down temporarily, tried every means to lower the price of grain to appease the people, and went all out to do a good job of spring plowing and stabilize the prefectures and counties.

That night, Xu Rong summoned Li Wei, Zhang Yan, Zhao Yun, Tian Chou, Zhang He, Yang Feng and other ministers to discuss the countermeasures to solve the current crisis.The stability of the country is the top priority, so Xu Rong proposed to ask the emperor to withdraw his troops from Nanyang immediately, and at the same time invite the powerful families in Kyoto, merchants and rich men to discuss state affairs in the Kylin Hall, trying to satisfy the interests of all parties as much as possible, and quickly alleviate the crisis. Restoring grain prices within the country and stabilizing people's hearts.

After Xu Rong finished speaking, the room fell into silence, no one agreed with his suggestion, even Zhao Yun, the general of Hussars, furrowed his brows deeply and said nothing.

Xu Rong was slightly surprised, and looked at Li Wei.Li Wei smiled and said frankly: "Brother Zilie, the root cause of the current crisis is not His Majesty's insistence on attacking Nanyang, nor is it because Brother Feiyan's proposal of 'assisting Daoism into Confucianism' made the government and the public worry about the return of Taiping Dao, let alone Because Fu Wan, Xu Shao and other elders demanded the revival of orthodox Confucianism, which harmed the interests of various classics and literature, but because the general married the eldest princess, his power increased sharply, and Jinyang became the de facto power center of the great Han. Possess the strength enough to usurp the country. The government and the people are frightened and anxious about this. In order to prevent the country from repeating the same mistakes of defeat, many people jointly launched a war to seize power against Jinyang, trying to weaken and restrict Jinyang, so that the little emperor can rule smoothly. .”

"Today's so-called disputes between Taoism and Confucianism, and the school of classics and literature are just excuses for the ruling and opposition parties to launch a power-seizure war against Jinyang." Li Wei said, "The price of grain has risen, the people have fallen into panic, the states and counties have fallen into chaos, and the power-seizure war is on the way. The progress is in full swing, at this time we can only follow the general trend and add fuel to the flames, how can we do the opposite and confront the emperor and Hexingtai head-on?"

Xu Rong's face darkened, and he retorted sharply: "What about the people? What about the people? When you were fighting for power and profit, did you think about the life and death of the people?"

"At this moment, the country is in danger of being overthrown at any time, and the country can't be kept, so how can we care about the people?" Li Wei waved his hand indifferently, "In this life-and-death battle, someone will always have to pay the price, there is no way around it. "

"The people are innocent, why should they pay the price for your bloody slaughter?" Xu Rong asked angrily, "The general is loyal to the big man, he will never usurp the land, and the power in his hands will be returned to your majesty sooner or later. There is no doubt. What you are doing now will only cut off the people's way of life. Once the rebellion breaks out, how will the situation be controlled?"

"Brother Zilie, it's not that we don't trust the general, it's that the aristocratic family doesn't trust the general, they deliberately provoked the fight, intensified the conflict between the government and the opposition, and pushed the situation to the brink of explosion step by step. "Li Wei said excitedly, "Brother Zilie, even without Brother Feiyan's strategy of aiding Taoism and entering Confucianism, and without Fu Wan, Xu Shao and others' proposals to revive orthodox Confucianism, the powerful families will work together to deal with Jinyang."

"Think about the Luoyang mutiny and Chang'an mutiny back then. Do you still have any illusions about their so-called loyalty? For them, the condition of loyalty is that they control the emperor and the government, and others can only kneel at their feet Begging for the way to survive, this is the big man in their minds, the ideal big man, otherwise they will not be satisfied, and they must persevere in the struggle."

"Brother Zilie, don't have any illusions. We are still as united as we were in the past. Only in this way can we defend the country, protect the little emperor, and protect Jinyang. Only when the country is stable can the people live and work in peace and contentment, otherwise the people will live forever. It’s not going to be a good day either.”

Xu Rong narrowed his eyes slowly, showing contempt on his face, his eyes swept over everyone's faces one by one, and then stopped on Li Wei, "What is the difference between your ultimate goal and that of a powerful man? Don't you also want to win?" Jinyang's authority?"

"For the sake of the community, for the people of the world, and for the great cause of ZTE, it is best for the general and the eldest princess to hand over power as soon as possible, but to whom should this power be handed over? The emperor is still young, so we can only take over it temporarily, and only we can do it." To ensure the interests of the community, the common people, and the emperor, so..." Li Wei cupped his hands at Xu Rong, and said solemnly, "I know that brother Zilie is unhappy, but the situation has developed to this point, what do you want us to do? General Miracle General saved his life, and then married the eldest princess, what do you want us to do? Protect Jinyang and follow the general, or maintain Xingtai and follow the little emperor?"

"If we continue to maintain the power of the great general, the disaster of Dong Zhuo's arbitrariness and disorder of the country is close at hand. You must know that even if we want to stabilize the country and rejuvenate the great man, those elites who take it as their mission to save the great man will give us time and money." Is there a chance? No, they will fight to the death, so we can only maintain the Xingtai and the absolute authority of the little emperor. Only in this way can we win the trust of some elites, and only in this way can we share power with the elites Handle, maintain the stability of the country, and then realize the great cause of ZTE, and realize the long-term stability of the Han Dynasty."

"Do we have a chance to choose?" Li Wei shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Brother Zilie, we have no chance to choose. We can only help the little emperor seize power in Jinyang." He hesitated for a moment, then sighed "Isn't this a kind of relief for the general and the eldest princess? In fact, they also know that if they want to continue to control the power, they cannot be married. If they want to be married, they must hand over their power. Otherwise, the period of chaos in the world is just around the corner.”

"The current situation is obvious. After the general married the eldest princess, a nightmare that has worried the world for more than ten years has become a reality. Whether Han Zuo can be saved is only a matter of the general. Who dares to believe the general at this moment? Loyalty? No matter today’s day, no matter how rebellious the South is, no matter if the elites, or even some forces in our own northern border, they will immediately attack them, even if we use the powerful force of northern border to suppress bloody, How many years can it last? How far is this from the dream of our Zhongxing Dahan? How much suffering will the people of the world have to suffer?"

Xu Rong thought for a long time, and finally sighed, "That's all..."

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In March, Liu Bei in Yizhou led an army to attack Longnan, Hua Xiong, Chen Hao, Sima Yi, Wei Yan and others led an army to block it.

In March, Zhou Yu rushed to Lujiang to join Lu Su, and Sun Quan also sent Cheng Pu to lead 5000 troops to the south bank of the Huaihe River.

In March, when Cao Cao of Xuzhou took advantage of Lei Chong and led Chen Bing, the main force of Yuzhou, to the Huaihe River, he suddenly sent troops to attack Suiyang of Liang State.The Han army defended and asked Gao Shun of Yanzhou for help. Gao Shun ordered Wei Xu of Changyi to lead his army south to attack Xiaopei City and threaten Pengcheng.The two sides immediately fought continuously in Liang and Pei.

In March, under the command of Liu Qi and Cai Mao, Jingzhou reinforcements launched an attack on Xinye.

The Son of Heaven issued an edict to Chang'an, ordering Grand Sima Xu Rong and Prime Minister Li Wei to immediately supervise the transportation of grain and grass to help the army launch a decisive battle on the Nanyang battlefield.

However, in the midst of the massive debates among various schools of classics and literature, in the mutual accusations and criticisms of the state policy by the ministers, and after the assassination of the prime ministers, Chang'an gradually fell into paralysis, and was helpless against the increasingly chaotic situation. No effective measures have been taken for a long time.

In mid-March, Hushi General Zhao Yun was ordered to go north to Jinyang to consult the general and the eldest princess for their opinions on how to deal with the current situation.After Zhao Yun left, the ministers of the court and the central government were all waiting and watching. From the Da Sima, the prime minister and other ministers to the prime minister, down to the officials and subordinates of the various governments, none of them had any intention of handling government affairs.The situation in Chang'an is becoming more and more confusing.

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The imperial servant Cui Yan hurried into the study with a frosty face.Xi Xi, Zhao Shang, Gongsun Fang, Wang Ji, Guo Yuan and others who had been waiting in the study room stood up to greet them.

"What did Master Yang Biao say?" Cui Yan sat down and looked at Zhao Shang and asked, "Is he, like us, firmly opposed to the revival of orthodox Confucianism?"

Zhao Shang twisted his long beard with his hands, pondered for a long time, and shook his head helplessly under Cui Yan's expectant eyes, "I heard a bad news from the boss."

Cui Yan was expressionless, waiting for him to continue, "Jinyang Wang Zeshu told the old man that Prime Minister Li Wei had talked about the reform of the official school before he left Jinyang. Confucianism, even medicine, and Daoism were incorporated into official schools, with officials established, departments established, and doctors set up..."

"Shameless villain..." Cui Yan didn't wait for Zhao Shang to finish, and slapped the table with a slap, "Li Zhongyuan, a treacherous and treacherous sycophant. When the master passed away, he personally promised us that the New Confucian classics will be taught from generation to generation. It’s the official school of a big man. It’s only been a few years? He actually broke his promise and contradicted his promise..."

"Li Zhongyuan is not dead, the great Han society will be destroyed by him sooner or later." Gongsun Fang scolded a few words angrily, and said indignantly, "Once the ancient literature and classics become an official school like the new classics, then the official school will actually become an official school. It is the Confucianism that includes the literature of the Three Schools of Classics, so that the orthodox Confucianism can become an academic official in a dignified and justifiable name, and together with the Three Schools of Classics can become the official school of the Han Dynasty."

"Li Zhongyuan is too vicious. He actually used this method to win over the two schools of classics and ancient Chinese classics, split the family of classics, and then attack our new school of classics, making the new school of classics the target of public criticism." Gongsun Fang sighed, "Brother Ji Gui, The current situation is very unfavorable to us. Do you think of a way to go to Jinyang to seek the help of the general and the eldest princess? With the reputation of the master back then, once something happens, the general and the eldest princess will never sit idly by .”

"Brother Ji Gui, I also suggest that you go to Jinyang." Guoyuan said, "Li Wei asked Fu's school to raise the banner of revival of orthodox Confucianism. In my opinion, after the end of the Nanyang War, the Son of Heaven is very likely to decree that his grandfather’s family should undertake the important task of improving Confucianism, so it is obvious that it will not take long for classics and literature to suffer a fatal blow. New Confucianism The fate of a flash in the pan is inevitable. Mr. Yang kindly disclosed this news to us early, obviously to let you plan countermeasures as soon as possible. If the New Classics is to survive and develop, self-improvement is necessary, but it is even more necessary for the court to maintain its leadership status."

Cui Yan snorted coldly, "Look at the situation clearly. As long as the general is in a daze, especially under the instigation of a villain like Li Wei, he is very likely to follow the path of Dong Zhuo and usurp the state. If we bind him Together, once Li Hong becomes a traitor to the country in the future, the New Confucianism will never recover, and it will disappear overnight. What will we do at that time? We will die, and we will have no face to see the teacher."

"The Son of Heaven is weak. Even if the general delegates power, can he control it? Isn't it being firmly controlled by people like Xu Rong, Li Wei, and Zhang Yan, or is it under the control of the general?" Xi Xi said with a wry smile, " Don't be stubborn, let alone get too close to Yingru scholars."

"Think about it carefully, why did Zhao Yun go north to Jinyang? Why did Xu Rong, Li Wei, Zhang Yan, Tian Chou and others allow the price of grain to soar and the situation to get out of control? We have been in northern Xinjiang for so many years and have experienced many ups and downs. , Have you ever seen the people of Northern Xinjiang so helpless like today? Their goal is us, a powerful family, and they want to find a chance to eradicate their opponents."

"After experiencing several catastrophes in Luoyang and Chang'an, the Guanluo people made survival their top priority. Therefore, the Yang family in Guanxi, the Wei family in Hedong, and the Ma family in Guanzhong chose neutrality very wisely at this critical moment. Since Li Wei wants to revive orthodox Confucianism without letting himself suffer, why not support it? In the future, it is estimated that even if Li Wei proposes to include the theories of pre-Qin philosophers, including Taoism, into academic officials, they will agree. The Hu family itself is the northern Xinjiang faction, all prosperity and all losses, of course they will not object. The Qingyan scholars were severely injured last time, their vitality was severely damaged, and they were all silent. How could they dare to oppose the court? Those who confronted the imperial court were our Hebei scholars and Yingru scholars, but among the Yingru scholars, the Xu family with a prominent family background had already publicly supported the revival of orthodox Confucianism. With the influence of the Xu family among the Yingru scholars, some The Yingru scholars will definitely follow them. The remaining Yuan family, Ying family, Huan family, and Yingchuan's Zhong, Xun, Chen, and Han families have their own thoughts. Who knows if they will turn against each other when the critical moment comes? The Yingru people have betrayed us, and New Confucianism will be over."

"The two factions of modern classics and ancient classics have been fighting for more than 200 years, and both sides suffered losses. In the end, our New Classics took a big advantage and occupied the position of official school. The three schools have a deep hatred. If they see that the situation is not right, they will not hesitate to send us Betrayed. Have you forgotten how Zhang Miao and Kong Rong died a few years ago? Brother Ji Gui, be very careful and don’t repeat the same mistakes.”

Cui Yan glared at Xi Ji contemptuously, but ignored him.Now the scholars in Chang'an are becoming more and more spineless, just like Xu Xiang and Fan Ling back then, they kept selling their souls for the sake of glory and wealth.

Xi Xi sighed softly and stopped persuading.Cui Yan's expression caught Zhao Shang's eyes, and he immediately went on to say, "We discussed for a long time just now, and we basically agreed that you should not go with Xun You, Chen Qun, Yuan Yao, Yuan Huan and others. Get too close to avoid being tricked by them. The last time Zhou Ping (Cui An) escaped, Li Wei had already caught him. This time, if there is any trouble, you will be in big trouble. Recently, after Wang Jie fled from Xiangyang to Chang'an , visited old friends everywhere, came to your house, and attended a few chat parties with you. I advise you not to associate with him in the future. The desire to show great ambitions can be seen everywhere in his prose. This kind of high-spirited If you are arrogant, it is generally difficult to betray the master, this trip to Chang'an may have other purposes, don't be careless and fall into the villain's tricks."

Cui Yan sneered, and opened his mouth to refute, but Zhao Shang jumped ahead of him and spoke again, "Hongyu (Xi Ji) just said half of what he said, so I will continue with what he said. Judging from the current situation, the New Confucianism still has It is necessary to accept orthodox Confucianism. At that time, the master innovated Confucian classics, not only adopting the strengths of the two schools of modern and ancient Chinese classics, but also adopting orthodox Confucianism and pre-Qin theories, including Taoism. Therefore, if the new Confucianism wants to continue to develop, it must continue to To survive, we must also learn from the strengths of all families. If the teacher is still alive, with his inclusive mind, he will definitely be happy because of the revival of orthodox Confucianism."

Cui Yan was furious, but he restrained himself, his hands were trembling, he was gasping for breath, and he didn't speak for a long time.He never dreamed that the Confucian scholars of the New Confucianism would betray him.

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(End of this chapter)