I will be the master of Xuande

Chapter 667 The Emperor’s Ambition

Hua Xiong clamored to see Dong Zhuo, but other generals in Liangzhou did not take the matter seriously. A group of Xiliang generals headed by Hu Zhen and others just looked at it with sneer expressions. Hua Xiong, then everyone returned to their respective camps to prepare.

Hua Xiong and Dong Huang came to Dong Zhuo's living place.

As soon as they met, Hua Xiong shouted to Dong Zhuo: "Prime Minister! Have you lost your heroic spirit? Have you become that weak person?!"

As soon as these words were shouted out, Dong Zhuo was stunned for a moment.

He looked at Hua Xiong in confusion, wondering why this loyal general was so evil today that he ran up to him and yelled.

But when Dong Zhuo looked at Dong Huang, he could read the truth of this matter from his face.

Later, Dong Zhuo understood.

"General Hua is really a loyal minister! Sit down quickly! Listen to me tell you in detail!"

Dong Zhuo straightened up from the bed, waved his hand, and asked Hua Xiong to sit next to him.

Hua Xiong immediately came to Dong Zhuo's side.

"Prime Minister, why did you surrender?"

Dong Zhuo let out a long sigh.

Then I saw him saying to Hua Xiong in a serious voice:
"General Hua, General Hua! I didn't want to surrender to Liu Jian, nor was Liu Jian the one who surrendered. I did it for the sake of the Han Dynasty."

Of course, Dong Zhuo could not tell Hua Xiong that he returned to Chang'an this time to preserve the Dong family. If he said so, his Dong Zhuo's cards would be completely gone.

He can only focus on the country and justice.

"Yes, Liu Deran has indeed cut off my escape route. If it were my original temper, I would definitely go back to Chang'an to capture him alive and kill him a thousand times!"

"But the more things I have experienced in the court over the years, the more I understand! General Hua, do you know why we Liangzhou people are looked down upon?"

Hua Xiong said: "It's not because those Dongzhou people think highly of themselves and rely on their family's power to monopolize the road to official career advancement, so they look down on us and other people from the border counties, thinking that we are just border barbarians!"

Dong Zhuo let out a long sigh and said, "That's exactly it."

"So over the years, I have tried my best to expand the New Deal. What I want is to change this situation in the Han Dynasty."

"Although General Hua is a military general, he has been in court for a long time. He must know the contents of this new deal... As long as the new deal can be implemented in all states and counties, then from now on, we Liangzhou people will There is also an official career. Although people from the Central Plains still have no advantage in being promoted to an official position, at least the road will not be blocked. Middle-class wealthy people and children from poor families will have more or less opportunities. The official career of Liangzhou people in this life There are many more ways to do it. Not only can you perform meritorious service on the battlefield, but you can also pass the imperial examination and become an official career. It is really a great thing!"

"The people of Liangzhou are compared to the people of the Central Plains, so there is nothing to say they are inferior."

"I have been in the court all these years just to achieve this goal... Now that I am old, I am afraid that I will not be able to do this anymore, and it is useless to depose the emperor. As soon as I leave the court, he will be in Wang Yun's house The New Deal was abolished under threats... If such an emperor is deposed, he should be deposed, I don't care."

"However, if you want to carry out the New Deal and let us Liangzhou people straighten our lives, the New Deal must be implemented. Not only must we use the original New Deal, but we must also add new New Deal provisions."

"And the only people who can implement this matter are Liu Jian and Liu Deran."

"I'm going back this time, not for Liu Jian, nor for myself, but for our Liangzhou! For the people of Liangzhou to be able to stand out, do you understand?"

Dong Zhuo deceived Hua Xiong with such earnest words. Dong Huang and Dong Min next to him were stunned for a moment. To be honest, if they hadn't told Dong Zhuo about this in advance, I'm afraid Dong Zhuo would be the same now. Everyone believed it.

Sure enough, Hua Xiong was shocked.

He immediately knelt down on one knee, kowtowed to Dong Zhuo and said: "The Prime Minister has been so humiliating and dedicated for the sake of the Han Dynasty and for us Liangzhou people. At the end of the day, he just spoke rudely to the Prime Minister. He really deserves to be killed." !Hua Xiong deserves to die!"

"Okay, okay, let's get up."

Dong Zhuo was always very thick-skinned, and he didn't feel any shame at all in this situation.

He waved his hand and asked Hua Xiong to stand up.

"General Hua, your ability to speak so frankly proves that you are my confidant. I have not trusted you wrongly these years."

"You know my physical condition best. When we withdraw our troops later, I will leave my own troops and direct troops to your command! You and my brother and nephew jointly control the three armies."

Hua Xiong said: "Here!"

Dong Min said: "Brother, will the soldiers of the three armies withdraw directly to Chang'an?"

"Our soldiers and horses will not return to Chang'an for the time being, but will go to Fufeng County first."

"You go live there first, and then make a decision after I enter the court!"

Hua Xiong said: "Xiong will obey the order of the Prime Minister."

In this way, Hua Xiong was appeased by Dong Zhuo and helped Dong Zhuo command the Chinese army.

As for the other tribes, after Hu Zhen contacted most of the Xiliang generals, he began to infiltrate his rebellion into Zhang Ji.

In fact, when it comes to courage, Zhang Ji is far inferior to Hu Zhen.

According to Zhang Ji's wishes, it might be best for him to simply lead his troops back to Xiliang and hide...

However, Zhang Ji had no idea. His nephew Zhang Xiu strongly encouraged Zhang Ji to go back with Hu Zhen and make a decision based on the situation in Chang'an. Maybe he could accomplish something big.

Zhang Ji weighed the options and finally reluctantly chose to temporarily assist Hu Zhen, but he also kept his mind in mind.

If things go wrong with Hu Zhen's rebellion, Zhang Ji will definitely be the first to leave.

……

At this time, Liu Jian was in the capital, communicating with the new emperor Liu Xie about the situation at hand.

"Uncle Emperor... Oh, Prime Minister, why do you want Dong Zhuo's Xiliang army to be stationed in Fufeng County?"

Liu Jian said patiently: "Your Majesty, the Xiliang army has a large number of people. Although we have restricted their food this time, they are coming back in large numbers. It is difficult to guarantee that there will not be any second-guessing among them, and they want to take advantage of the imperial court's laxity and seize the opportunity in one fell swoop." Conquer Chang'an!"

"I asked them to station troops in Fufeng. Firstly, I can observe their actions. Secondly, although they are relatively close to Chang'an, with this distance as a buffer, I am confident that I can completely control them at the critical moment."

"And for me, it is not terrible that all the Xiliang troops have gathered together. What is terrible is that once they scatter and become thieves, it will be a headache for me. Let me lead the army to the west and wipe out these bandits one by one. It will have to spend a lot of money. It will not be enough to carry out the work, and it will also use up Taicang's baggage, which is extremely detrimental to the future strategy of the imperial court."

Liu Xie nodded suddenly: "The Prime Minister has been in the military for many years. He is good at running the country and even better at running the army. I am very relieved to leave the matter of dealing with the Xiliang army to the Prime Minister!"

"Prime Minister, just go ahead and do it. I don't know how to fight. Everything will be handled by the Prime Minister... But when I was in Jizhou, the Prime Minister promised me something, so please don't break the promise."

When Liu Jian heard what Liu Xie and Liu Jie said, he immediately became happy.

What Liu Xie said was indeed what he had promised Liu Xie and Liu Jin when he was in Jizhou. "Of course I know what your Majesty is referring to."

"Your Majesty wants to do business and own his own industry. I will definitely help you. Your Majesty, please rest assured that we have just arrived in Guanzhong. Many things have not yet started. This business... there are many in the world. Yes! The land of Guanzhong has just not been fully explored for the better. As long as it is dug deeper, the industries that the land of Guanzhong can shape are no less than those of Hebei."

"I will definitely take good care of various industries in Guanzhong and expand the chain of interests in Guanzhong and redistribute the interests of Guanzhong! Your Majesty will never suffer a loss."

What Liu Jian said made Liu Xie very happy. He nodded happily and said: "The Prime Minister has governed Hebei for ten years, and the Hebei Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also developed in the four states for ten years. During these ten years, the Prime Minister and Hebei have The achievements of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hebei are obvious to everyone in the world."

"So, I believe that the Prime Minister will not let me down."

Liu Jian respectfully raised his hands to Liu Xie and said, "Thank you for your majesty's trust. I will try my best to handle this matter for your majesty."

But Liu Xie suddenly said again: "But Prime Minister, don't forget, there is Liu Jin..."

After Liu Jian heard what Liu Xie said, he smiled and said, "Your Majesty really values ​​love and justice. Can you still remember the eunuchs around you at this moment?"

"Liu Jin is loyal to me, and he is older. He also has a close relationship with the late emperor. Just for the sake of the late emperor, I want to find a good family fortune for Liu Jin so that he will have no worries in the future. Please also The Prime Minister can make it happen."

Liu Jian nodded and said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will do my best."

Liu Xie and Liu Jin made their positions quite clear, and they also knew why they were able to enter Chang'an.

Both of them also knew that Liu Jian's current power and influence in the entire Han Dynasty was far beyond Liu Xie's reach.

So when they were in Jizhou, they had discussed it with Liu Jian. After the two of them arrived in Chang'an, they hoped to invest in Liu Jian and get a share of the new interest chain established by Liu Jian, so as to save their own money. Their children and grandchildren will seek a good family fortune.

To put it bluntly, they just want to make money.

Liu Xie and Liu Jin are quite smart, and they have fully understood what their positions are.

In this case, as long as the two of them continue to look at money, they will not only be able to have no worries about food and clothing in the future, but also live a very relaxed life. Liu Jian will never treat them poorly in the future.

This is completely a way of self-preservation. Compared with Liu Bian, who is ambitious and incapable of talent, although Liu Xie let Liu Jian spoil him and became a little ridiculous emperor, the child is actually very smart. At least Liu Xie knows that he himself What is his positioning and knows which path he should take in the future, so he is still a winner in life.

After bidding farewell to Liu Xie, Liu Jian immediately stood up and walked out of the palace.

When he arrived outside the palace, he immediately saw a man leading a group of young eunuchs to greet him.

There is no doubt that the man who met him was none other than Liu Xie's chief eunuch, Liu Jin.

As soon as he saw Liu Jian, he saw Liu Jin nodding towards him hurriedly, bending down and saying with a smile: "The Prime Minister is taking care of everything, pacifying Guanzhong, supporting the new emperor, and achieving great achievements. This old slave is here to congratulate the Prime Minister." .”

Liu Jian made an understatement and waved at him, indicating that Liu Jin didn't need to flatter him like this.

Afterwards, Liu Jian took a serious look at the people behind Liu Jin.

"It seems that the people you brought here are still the same people you brought with you when you were in Jizhou?"

Liu Jin said: "If the prime minister doesn't arrange new people in the palace, how can I dare to arrange new people in the palace at will?"

"Now that His Majesty has just ascended the throne, the position of chamberlain is very important. These people usually take care of His Majesty's food and daily life, and are also responsible for assisting His Majesty in governing the inner palace..."

"They all need reliable candidates. With such status as this old slave, how dare you arrange people in the palace at will? Naturally, everything must be left to the prime minister."

"Although the prime minister is responsible for the personnel arrangements in the palace, the old slave will use whomever the prime minister arranges for him."

Liu Jian nodded solemnly when he heard this, and then said: "Okay, in that case, I will be disrespectful. I will arrange suitable candidates for the palace later. As for how to use these people and how to support His Majesty, it is all up to you." Arrange the schedule.”

"This old servant must handle the errands in the palace well and share the worries of the Prime Minister."

Liu Jian added: "Although I don't care very much about eunuchs doing politics, I also hope that you can grasp your identity in the future, and have a consideration in your mind about what you should do and what you should not do. After all, this is It’s not the time when you were in Luoyang.”

Liu Jin sighed: "The New Year's event seems like a lifetime ago. I have long forgotten it."

"Okay... By the way, you have to train these people who have been arranged in the palace in the past. I know that you are very experienced in training eunuchs, especially those who are sensible, can understand people's eyes, and can do things. I hope you It can train them well.”

"promise."

When he said this, Liu Jian suddenly started to look Liu Jinlai up and down again.

This person used to be Zhang Rang in the past...

When Liu Hong was alive, Zhang Rang was extremely famous in Luoyang City. Although he lived in the inner palace for a long time, there were still many people who knew him.

Now times have changed, the older generation of ministers deserve to die and disperse, the people in the palace have been changed one after another, and the court has also moved from Luoyang to Chang'an. Logically speaking, the people who know Zhang Rang should be not enough.

Over the years, Zhang Rang has indeed aged a lot, and his appearance has changed somewhat. Compared with back then, he is no longer carefree, but rather senile.

But Liu Jian felt that it was better for him to keep a low profile.

"Servant Zhongchang, you have to remember that you are already Liu Jin, and your original identity has long since ceased to exist in the world. Although it is no longer the same as it was then, there is no guarantee that no one will still recognize you... You should know What should I do?"

Liu Jin naturally understood what Liu Jian meant, and he said hurriedly: "The old slave will never step out of the palace and let outsiders see the old slave at will... The old slave can't walk anymore when he is old. I assist His Majesty in the palace, train and train the young eunuchs, and I will definitely show less face to face on weekdays."

Liu Jian nodded with satisfaction: "That's good."

……

Liu Jian left all the personnel in the inner palace to Xun Yu. He had a lot of things to do now, especially dealing with the Xiliang army, so all the affairs in the court and the personnel in the inner palace were all left to Xun Yu, who had just been promoted to Shangshu Ling. Xun Yu.

Xun Yu, who was in charge of the Chancellery, would have to deal with the emperor a lot from now on. It was the right time to leave these matters to him now.

For Liu Jian, the key right now is the Xiliang Army.

Liu Jian concluded that the Xiliang army must be in trouble this time.

But Liu Jian is not afraid that the Xiliang Army will challenge him. How many unstable factors can be eliminated in this war and how many soldiers of the Xiliang Army can be gathered at the same time are the top priorities for Liu Jian.

After the Xiliang Army arrived in Fufeng County, Liu Jian decided to recruit Dong Zhuo into Chang'an to meet with him. After meeting Dong Zhuo, he would then make countermeasures for each department of the Xiliang Army. You can also see what the Xiliang Army is doing now. Want to do something.

After many years, Liu Jian and Dong Zhuo finally met again.

It's just that times have changed, things have changed, and people have changed. Dong Zhuo is no longer the Dong Zhuo of the past, and Liu Jian is not the Liu Jian of the past.

This time, Liu Jian is not Dong Zhuo's Jin Yan... he can be said to be Dong Zhuo's financial backer dad.

(End of this chapter)