Great Han Empire

Chapter 210
July of the third year of Zhongping in the Han Dynasty (186 AD).

===

Liu Yu slowly put down the letter in his hand, looked at Huangfusong and Lu Zhi, and was speechless for a while.

"Bo'an, this Li Zhonglang is an old official of your sect, and he was hand in hand with you. You should know it very well. Tell me, he suddenly exceeded his power in Xiliang to suppress corruption, and caused such a big disaster for no reason. What is he doing? What do you want to do? Is it ignorance of world affairs or another purpose?" Huangfu Song asked softly, stroking his long beard.

"He's an idiot." Liu Yu smiled wryly. "He lost his memory when he was in Xianbei, and he has never recovered. Although he can fight, has high martial arts skills, is gentle and honest, considerate of his subordinates, and is loyal to the Han Dynasty, but he He knows very little about this kind of power struggle and intrigue, so if he has a purpose, it is for his own subordinates, for the great Han country, just like what Lord Taiwei said in his letter, the treacherous eunuchs in the court and those in Xiliang The corrupt officials drove him into a hurry, and in the end..."

Huangfu Song couldn't help laughing.

Huangfusong is over 50 years old, tall and handsome.After he was dismissed from his post in the Xiliang counter-insurgency for a long time without success, he has been at home all the time.

After receiving the letter from Taiwei Zhang Wen, he was secretly surprised.He is from Xiliang, and his family is a well-known family in Xiliang, so of course he knows everything about Xiliang.Touching the bureaucratic inside story in Xiliang is also provoking a power struggle between traitorous eunuchs and family bureaucrats.Judging from the current situation, Li Zhonglang's malice has been magnified, and there is no room for maneuver between the two major forces, and the struggle with traitors is imperative.Huangfu Song didn't hesitate at all, and immediately set off to Shang Shu Lu Zhi's house.

Lu Zhi is a native of Zhuo County in Zhuo County, Youzhou. He has had the ambition of helping the world since he was a child.He is eight feet two inches tall, handsome in appearance, resolute in temperament, bold and uninhibited, and observes major integrity without sticking to minor details.Lu Zhi's voice was very pleasant, thick and ethereal, as if the copper had run out.Lu Zhi also likes to drink, and he can drink it very well. It is not a problem to drink a stone of wine.When he was young, he was a classmate with Zheng Xuan, a famous Confucian scholar in Beihai, Qingzhou, and they both studied with Ma Rong, a great scholar in Fufeng Maoling.Ma Rong is a relative of the emperor, with a luxurious house and a luxurious life.When he was teaching apprentices at home, he often set up a crimson gauze tent on the podium, and behind the tent there was a female musician, and he gave lectures in front of the tent.Lu Zhi listened so intently, that he hadn't even looked at the female singer behind the account for several years.Therefore, Ma Rong liked and admired him very much.Lu Zhi knows the past and present, and is also a master of Confucian classics.

When Lu Zhi was studying in Chang'an, he met Huang Fusong. The two had similar temperaments and their relationship has always been very good.When Huangfusong saw Lu Zhi, he hurriedly talked about Xiliang.Lu Zhi was quite surprised, and hurried to Liu Yu's house with him.

Huangfu Song sighed, and said: "The consequences of this incident can be imagined. Xiliang's officials have been corrupt for a long time, and the hidden secrets are intricate. Traitors, punish corruption from top to bottom. Li Zhonglang's bottom-up approach is purely to kill himself with eggs. Traitors are high above, hold power in their hands, and do whatever they want. How can they tolerate others harming their interests."

Liu Yu nodded slightly, and said, "Now that the Yellow Turban has not been leveled, Xiliang has not yet settled, the people's life is difficult, and the country's steps are difficult. If there is another disturbance in the court at this time, it can be imagined that the blow to the Han Dynasty will be great. It is really an eventful autumn. what."

Lu Zhi smiled slightly and said, "Yizhen, Bo'an, you seem to be worrying too much. Li Zhonglang killed Zuo Chang in Chang'an and attacked Qingwu in Maoling, which has already driven us to a dead end. Whether it's the Taiwei or not, Whether it's Lord Liu, you Huangfusong, Lord Gai Xungai of Jingzhao Mansion, or the treacherous eunuchs in the palace, there is no way out except to risk their lives. This is a good thing, maybe we should take this opportunity An opportunity to eradicate traitors and revive the great man."

Huangfusong looked at the excited Lu Zhi, and asked puzzledly: "What Li Zhonglang did, in the eyes of the traitors, is the beginning of our bureaucratic family joining forces to deal with them again, so they will soon Fight back. What good will it do us if the party is imprisoned by the court again?"

Lu Zhi smiled and said, "How do you know that we will definitely lose?"

Huangfusong sighed, and said, "Zigan, I don't know why you are so confident, but I don't. I'm so disappointed in Your Majesty. Without His Majesty's support, we couldn't win."

Huangfusong went on to say: "What is Zhao Zhong? He sent some money to the emperor, and the emperor made him a chariot general. Eunuchs as generals are probably very rare in my dynasty. Let this eunuch be a general." Forget it, the emperor actually asked him to preside over the discussions on the merits of the Yellow Turbans, and reward and punish those who have contributed to the rebellion against the Yellow Turbans. What else would he do other than corrupting the law and slandering him? If you don’t give him money, don’t bribe him, no matter how great the credit is, he can’t do it. If you are an official, you cannot be promoted. As long as you give him money, you can earn an official position without credit. In the past few months, Zhao Zhong's mansion is full of traffic and crowds."

"The Yellow Turban Ant Thief was suppressed by us, and we don't even have the right to speak. Right from wrong, right from wrong." Huangfusong sneered helplessly, "Now the power of traitors is better than before, we want to borrow Xiliang It is too difficult to overthrow them."

Lu Zhi shook his head and said, "Brother Yizhen, don't be so unconfident. The current situation is a bit different from the past. Do you still remember the doctor Zhang Jun?"

Huangfu Song showed a look of unbearable, waved his hands, but did not speak.

Lu Zhi glanced at him and said: "The doctor Zhang Jun once wrote to His Majesty that the reason why Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Yellow Turban Ant Thieves, was able to raise troops and rebel, and he had millions of followers, was because the treacherous party held power. Let others be traitors, and send all their relatives, friends, disciples, and disciples to various states and counties as officials. These people are like locusts. Every time they go to a place, they will rob the people for money, plunder the people, and do all kinds of evil. The common people had no way out, and had no place to appeal for grievances, so that the people's grievances boiled, and the officials forced the people to rebel, so they had to cut trees and uncover poles, and gathered together as thieves. Zhang Jun begged His Majesty to punish the traitors and hang their heads in the capital In the southern suburbs, use this to apologize to the people of the world, and then send envoys to announce it to the world, so that everyone in the world will know, so that the rebellion can be put down without using a large army."

"The emperor has been deceived by the eunuchs in the past, and only then did he know the reason for the rebellion. The emperor took Zhang Jun's memorial and angrily reprimanded Zhang Rang and others. The eunuchs were so frightened that they all took off their hats and kowtowed to plead guilty. They were all willing to go to prison to serve their sentences, and they also used all their family wealth to help the military. His Majesty couldn't bear their coaxing, and immediately released them without charge after his anger subsided. However, His Majesty warned them many times later that everything should be restrained. , must not be committed again."

Huangfusong smiled faintly, and asked: "Zigan, do you want to say that Your Majesty no longer believes in traitors like in the past?"

Lu Zhi nodded and said: "The cause of the party's imprisonment in this dynasty is still the power struggle between the traitorous eunuchs' relatives and the family bureaucrats. Back then, the emperor was still young, and the treacherous eunuchs were in charge of the government, and the emperor was at their mercy. Fu and Hou Lan are powerful, we really can't beat them. But now the emperor has grown up..."

Huangfu Song shook his hand, interrupting Lu Zhi's words.

"Zigan, how did Zhang Jun die? When the emperor asked Zhang Jun and called him a crazy person, the emperor thought that there were good people among this gang of traitors. Zhang Jun was not convinced, and continued to impeach him. The emperor saw Zhang Jun has been pleading for rebellion, suspecting that Zhang Jun is a rebel party, in a fit of anger, he ordered Ting Wei and Shi Yushi to examine Zhang Jun, but Zhang Rang and others took the opportunity to collude with Ting Wei, framed Zhang Jun, and caused his unjust death In prison."

"The Son of Heaven has grown up, but he has lived with these eunuchs since he was a child, and he is very close emotionally. His Majesty once said in front of all the ministers at Yong'an Houtai, Zhang Changshi is my father, and Zhao Changshi is my father-in-law." My mother. Your Majesty treats the eunuchs like parents, which shows his grace. Even if the eunuchs commit a heinous crime, the emperor will protect them. The emperor has always treated us as outsiders and will not trust us at all."

Lu Zhi thought for a while, and then said: "Several things happened later. The combination of these things made the eunuchs finally lose His Majesty's trust. This is what His Majesty told me personally, and it should not be wrong When His Majesty said this, Lord Liu was there."

Huangfu Song looked at Liu Yu.

Liu Yu nodded slightly, and said, "Master Hou should have confidence." After Huangfusong was dismissed, he was still the Marquis of Duxiang with a city of two thousand, so Liu Yu called him that.

"Zigan, tell me." Huangfusong said, "If His Majesty really no longer trusts the traitor, then our chances of winning will be great."

Lu Zhi said with a smile: "In the past few years, many things have happened in the Great Han Kingdom. The emperor has experienced it and finally understands a truth, that is, to govern the country, we still need talents, and we need scholars from the gentry. Without the Yellow Turban Army, the Xiliang rebellion cannot be put down. To rule the world, it depends on us in the end."

"Brother Yizhen, do you still remember that Zhang Jun's incident just ended, and then the Yuzhou Governor Wang Yunmi's report to rape eunuch Zhang Rang, Xia Yun, Guo Sheng colluded with the yellow scarf ant thief?"

Huangfu Song nodded.

Lu Zhi continued: "Wang Yun has letters between them and the ants, and the evidence is conclusive. The emperor was furious and accused Zhang Rang and others. The emperor said, you used to say that the Qingliu Party members in this dynasty were plotting evil, and you imprisoned them all. Killed. But now? Now those pardoned party members are still serving the country, but you are colluding with rebellion and attempting to subvert the country. How do you explain it? Zhang Rang and others can't shirk it, so they simply push it to the dead On the body, it is said that this is what Wang Fu and Hou Lan did in his lifetime. His Majesty knows in his heart that although he did not severely punish the traitors, it is obvious that His Majesty no longer trusts them."

"There is one more thing, which is very irritating to His Majesty. In February last year, Nangong Yuntai was destroyed by fire. Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and other traitors persuaded the emperor to make a decree to raise taxes by ten yuan per mu to collect money and use it Repair Nangong Yuntai. In addition, wood and aragonite from Taiyuan County, Hedong County, and Longxi County were collected, and the counties were ordered to send them to the capital for repairing the palace. Xiaohuangmen and the Zhongchang servants not only privately punished those who failed to meet the deadline Severe punishments were imposed, and without telling His Majesty, he bought timber and aragonite at a low price of [-]%, and then sold them to the imperial court at ten times the price, making huge profits from it."

"Those who have been promoted, the governor, the officials of Erqianshi, and those who have been promoted must go to the West Garden to donate money to His Majesty to repair the palace before leaving. Two or 3000 million yuan was handed over, and the rest of the officials at all levels also had to pay a certain amount of money to take office. Many officials could not pay the money and had to commit suicide. At that time, Sima Zhixin, the prefect of Julu in Hanoi, had no money and was unwilling Ren Qi exploited the people, so he had to say that he was sick and resigned to go home. When he came to Mengjin, he was really angry. He wrote to His Majesty, stating the mistakes of the world, the precepts of disasters and failures in ancient and modern times, because he was afraid of disasters, he swallowed medicine Suicide. His Majesty only knew that the traitors took advantage of the opportunity of repairing the Nangong Yuntai to deceive the superior and the inferior, accepting bribes and seeking personal gain after seeing the memorial. His Majesty was very angry and smashed Zhixin's memorial directly in Zhao Zhong's face Come on. Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang handed over all the stolen money, and also compensated His Majesty a large sum of money, so His Majesty just gave up."

"Your Majesty later said in front of our faces that traitorous eunuchs will harm the country, and traitorous eunuchs will harm the emperor. So, don't look at Zhao Zhong's happy collection of money now, he will soon be in trouble." Lu Zhi laughed.

Huangfusong said with a wry smile: "According to you, who does His Majesty trust?"

Liu Yu modeled his goatee and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty trusts no one but money."

Huangfu Song was stunned, and then suddenly said: "Bo'an's words make sense. The year before last, when I went to the Yellow Turban of Yuzhou, I persuaded His Majesty to use the money from the Zhongzang Prefecture as military resources, and use the stables and horses in the West Garden to replenish the cavalry, but none Rejected by His Majesty. His Majesty is very stingy."

"It's more than stingy." Lu Zhi smiled, "He just doesn't take out any money. He built the Wanjintang in Xiyuan to store money for himself, and he always complained that he didn't have enough money. Some ministers said that the emperor was not born by the first emperor. Jiedu Tinghou of Hejian County, because his family was poor when he was young, he has this habit when he grows up. This explanation is very far-fetched, who knows what the emperor thinks?"

Liu Yu said: "Your Majesty has liked to accumulate money and treasures since he was sensible. Every year when the counties and states pay tribute to the treasury, they have to transfer part of it to the Zhongzang Mansion, which is called 'guide fee'. Shang Shu persuaded His Majesty, saying that the great man's country belongs to His Majesty, and all the money in this world belongs to His Majesty. These things belong to His Majesty, so how can there be any talk of public and private? He hopes that His Majesty will give up the habit of saving money, so as not to breed harm. But His Majesty turned a deaf ear to it, and still went his own way, and in the past few years, he has become even more aggressive and unscrupulous."

"He just likes money." Liu Yu sighed helplessly, "I really don't know why he accumulates so much money?
Huangfusong looked at the two of them and said, "Bo'an, Zigan, you all say that His Majesty doesn't trust anyone, but people's psychology is very complicated. When it's critical, who knows which side His Majesty will lean toward?"

"Your Majesty grew up under the care of these traitors. It would be a lie to say that he has no feelings. Zhao Zhong and Zhang Rang colluded with the Yellow Turban Bandit. His Majesty will not pursue it, let alone some things that are corrupt and pervert the law. This It's the relationship between them. If this kind of thing happens to us, [-] deaths won't be enough. So..."

Lu Zhi shook his head: "Brother Yizhen, if the matter in Xiliang is dealt with this time, and that bold Lord Leopard finds evidence that the traitors or their disciples are corrupt and perverted, at least we can protect ourselves." Yes, it won't be dug up by the eunuchs like the previous few times."

"We can take advantage of this opportunity to crack down on the clan's descendants who remain in various states and counties, and drive their power back to Luoyang. This is the only best result we can achieve." Liu Yu said, "The local It would be a good thing for the Han Dynasty, or for the local people, to have fewer corrupt officials."

Huangfusong stood up abruptly and said: "It's useless to talk too much. Our officials are small and humble, and we can't do anything. We have to rely on the three princes and nine ministers to deal with everything. We should follow the orders of the Taiwei and hurry up." Report the letter. That leopard roared in Xiliang, and it scared all the wolves in Luoyang out. We escaped today but not tomorrow, so we should do what we should do. I will go to Lord Situ’s mansion, Zigan. ?”

"Brother Yizhen, Lord Sikong, Lord Yushi's mansion, you should go and report. Bo'an goes to Lord Taichang Liu's mansion, and then directly waits at the palace gate with Lord Taichang. Once the palace gate opens, Go to see you." Lu Zhi said calmly, "I went to visit Yang's and Yuan's houses overnight. The fourth generation of Lord Yang's house is the third prince, and the fourth generation and five members of Yuan's house are the three princes. The disciples and former officials are all over the country, and the power is overwhelming. For this kind of thing, we must first greet them and obtain their absolute support."

"Zigan is still thoughtful." Huangfu Song praised, "Let's go, let's go."

===

Zhang Rang was awakened by a hasty knock on the door.He is taking a nap.

"Come in." Zhang Rang said.If there is no urgent matter, his chief steward, Diannu, will not disturb him at this time.

Diannu trotted in with a man.

Zhang Rang looked up a little, with a trace of displeasure on his thin face.

"What's the matter? Why are you in such a panic?"

"Master Hou, did Li Zhonglang capture Qingwu?" Dian Nu whispered angrily.

"Oh." Zhang Rang snorted, and suddenly realized that he sat up suddenly.Looking at the pawn standing opposite him, he asked in disbelief, "Who said that?"

Dian Nu pointed to the middle-aged man kneeling on the ground.

"Why are you here?" Zhang Rang immediately recognized the man as Meng You, the younger brother of Meng Tuo, the former Governor of Liangzhou, and asked in surprise, "You came to report the letter?"

Meng You looked panic-stricken, he managed to calm down, and said with difficulty: "Three days ago..."

"Three days..." Zhang Rang was taken aback, and repeated in a low voice, "What happened three days ago today..."

"Master Yuan Pang, the deputy commander of the Western Expedition Army, ordered the blockade of Tongguan, so..."

Zhang Rang interrupted him with a wave of his hand, and asked, "What happened to Qingwu? Speak slowly, don't worry."

"The day before yesterday, my lord hurried back to Wubao and told me..." Mengyou immediately told what happened in Guanzhong, and finally said: "My lord asked me to go to Luoyang to report the matter to Lord Hou, but when I arrived in Tongguan, I bumped into it. I have no choice but to delay the arrival of the convoy transporting grain, grass and supplies to the Western Expedition Army for one day, so I ask the Marquis to make amends."

Zhang Rang stood up slowly, with a look of surprise on his face.Diannu hurried over to wait for him to put on his coat.

"Zuo Chang was killed, Cheng Qiu and Liu Zhong are dead or alive, and more than 50 Xiliang bureaucrats have been arrested." Zhang Rang whispered, and the anger on his face became more and more serious. "Is this news accurate?"

"Back to Lord Hou, this is what my lord found out from the Taiwei's mansion, and it is very accurate."

Zhang Rang sneered, and asked Diannu strangely: "Do you think Mr. Taiwei is old and confused, or is that Li Zhonglang crazy about money..."

"Lord Hou, how old is that barbarian from northern Xinjiang? What does he know?" Diannu snorted and said disdainfully, "He doesn't even have the right to deploy troops. Apart from serving as Zhang Wen's swordsman, he can What are you doing? Lord Marquis, I really can’t see how a very steady person, Lord Taiwei, would resort to such bloody means.”

Zhang Rang put on his clothes, and calmly ordered the Diannu: "Quickly inform the lords, meet up in the palace, and tell Xiliang that something happened. The party members in the court seem to be tired of work."

===

Zhang Rang was from Chiongchuan, Yuzhou, and Zhao Zhong was from Anping, Jizhou.The two entered the palace since childhood, and both served in the Xiaohuangmen during the first emperor's time.Zhao Zhong was a few years older than Zhang Rang. In his early years, he was granted the title of Marquis of the Capital by the late Emperor Jia because he participated in the action of killing his foreign relatives, the general Liang Ji.After pacifying the Yellow Turban Army the year before last, the Son of Heaven believed that the Zhongchang servants and the little Huangmen had meritorious service in begging for the Yellow Turbans, and granted Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, Xia Yun, Guo Sheng, Sun Zhang, Bi Lan, Li Song, Duan Gui, Gao Wang, and Zhang Gong , Han Kui, Song Dian and other 12 people are Liehou.

Zhang Rang was walking in the corridor when he heard Zhao Zhong in the room swearing bullyingly.They seldom get together, they are all busy with their own business.The emperor is busy making money, and they are also busy making money.When they get together occasionally, they often blame each other because of conflicts of interest, so they seldom get together.Among this group of people, Zhang Rang was the most courageous and the most dark-hearted, so every time he summoned them, more people would come.

Zhang Rang stood at the door and glanced, and was surprised to find that, for the first time, they all came.

Seeing him, Zhao Zhong immediately said, "Zi Cheng, this must be the old bastard Zhang Wen taking the opportunity to attack us."

Zhang Rang glanced at him while greeting the masters, and asked, "Why?"

"The army in Xiliang will run out of food next month. Recently, Zhang Wenwen and Gai Xun of Jingzhao Mansion have played repeatedly, and His Majesty was very annoyed by their urging them, so he wrote a letter to Gai Xun, asking them to find a way to fight in Xiliang. Liang solved it. Unexpectedly, Gai Xun and Zhang Wen would be so bold as to take our disciples under the knife. Lord Taiwei has ulterior motives."

"Perhaps they think they have done great feats, so they can fight us." Duan Gui laughed, "People with hot heads often forget themselves and die quickly." Duan Gui is from Jiyin, Yanzhou, clean and white , Thin and shrewd.Back then, it was because of the false accusation made by him and the Zhongchang servant Hou Lan that the disaster of party imprisonment in the second year of Jianning was caused, and many people died.

Zhang Rang nodded slightly, and said to Zhao Zhong: "Why did Zhang Wen kill Zuo Chang? What does it mean to occupy Qingwu? These party members want to make a comeback and plot to kill us."

Zhang Rang continued with a gloomy face, "It's been three days since this incident happened, and we didn't know until now. It can be seen that Mr. Taiwei has planned it for a long time, that is to say, they must have some evidence, so they acted quickly." It’s accurate. The party members above the government and the opposition are crazy about wanting to kill us, but this time they dare to use Xiliang as an issue. We are benefiting from Xiliang, don’t they? What a joke.”

Zhao Zhong cursed bitterly, and said: "The Son of Heaven probably already knows, and this time, His Majesty has been taken advantage of for nothing. His Majesty's Wanjin Hall is about to be expanded."

Duan Gui sighed: "Master Hou is still thinking about money? Let's think about how to deal with the aftermath. Your Majesty's temper is getting hotter every day, and he is becoming more and more cold towards us. This time, the family members will not hesitate to hurt both sides and make a comeback. , maybe we will suffer.”

"Brother Zicheng, what's your idea?" Asked respectfully with gorgeous clothes and a spotless body, "Although it is difficult for them to catch us, once Xiliang is turned upside down by Zhang Wen, I'm afraid our The horse's feet are about to show."

"Let's ask Brother Boyan what he thinks first?" Zhang Rang turned to look at Zhao Zhongdao.

Zhao Zhong patted the ashes on his clothes lightly, and said casually: "I will immediately resign this chariot general from His Majesty."

Zhang Rang nodded with a smile, and said, "Since Brother Boyan is so generous, I can't be too stingy."

Then he glanced at everyone, and said: "For decades, the matter of Xiliang has been more or less related to us. Everyone has a share, including the dead Boss Cao and Hou Lan. That Cheng Qiu is not important. We don't do many things through him. But we'd better keep him, lest he get involved too much, so we sent someone to Xiliang. Who wants to make a trip?"

Zhao Zhong glanced at everyone, smiled coldly and said, "Xiao Song, you should go there."

Song Dian is in his 40s, of medium build, handsome, and quiet.Among this group of marquises, he is the youngest and most qualified.He stood up and cupped his hands at Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhonggong.

"Xiao Song, when you go to Xiliang, the first thing is to keep Cheng Qiu, and if you can't keep him, kill him. The second is to find a way to search for evidence that the children of the aristocratic family have corrupted the law in Xiliang. As long as you find evidence, they will die." Zhang Rang said, "If you can't find it, you can find a way to frame it, and anyone's protégé or old official will do."

Zhao Zhong laughed: "This is the worst policy, the worst policy."

Song Dian pondered for a moment and asked, "Then do we need Fatty Dong's help?"

"Don't do it." Zhao Zhong waved his hand and said, "Fatty Dong is too important. I will immediately find an excuse to recruit him to Luoyang. Don't look for him."

"Fatty Dong is now surrounded by the Weishui River north of Wangyuan, how do you recruit him?" Duan Gui asked.

"That Li Zhonglang is now leading his troops to rescue him, and he is probably going to be fine. The treasury has no money, and the suppression of the rebellion in Xiliang is about to end. As soon as Zhang Wen comes back, these people will all return to Beijing." Zhao Zhong said.

"Zhang Wen is back, the matter of Xiliang..." Song Dian was interrupted by Zhang Rang waving his hand just as Song Dian was halfway speaking.

"Withdrawing the troops is not a matter of a sudden, it will take a month or two. In a month or two, the matter of Xiliang is already in sight, so we must seize this opportunity and let these Qingliu party members die There is no place for burial." Zhang Rang said, "This group of people are sinister and vicious, if they are not eradicated, they will inevitably resurface."

Zhao Zhong said with a smile: "Last time I didn't kill them, kill them, this time, don't show mercy, haha..."

===

(End of this chapter)