Shuhan

In the late autumn of the second year of Yanxing, the howling north wind was like a raging beast, carrying all the yellow sand and sweeping across the dilapidated city walls of Youzhou with overwhelming force. The cracks on the mottled city walls were like scars of time, crisscrossing, and trembling slightly in the strong wind, as if they would collapse at any time.

The huge "Han" flag on the tower, the fabric has long been worn out by the wind and sand, but it still flutters tenaciously in the wind, like an unyielding soldier, holding on to the last position. The mountains in the distance are shrouded in a dim yellow dust, looming, looking particularly desolate and lonely, as if telling the vicissitudes and sufferings of this land.

Crown Prince Liu Si stood alone on the watchtower, wearing a heavy black cloak. The mink fur on the edge of the cloak swayed gently in the wind, and the gold embroidery on the cloak was faintly visible in the dim light, making his posture even more upright and stern.

His eyes were deep and sharp. He looked over the city wall and towards the endless fields outside the city. At this moment, the crops in the fields had been harvested long ago, leaving only bare stalks shivering in the wind, like a deadly battlefield. Occasionally, a few jackdaws flew over the withered fields, making a few shrill cries, adding a bit of desolation to the bleak scene.

Liu Si held tightly in his hand a wrinkled land measurement book. The edges of the paper had become frayed due to repeated reading, and the ink was blurred by sweat. It was densely packed with records of the crimes of the local tyrants in various counties and prefectures who resisted the land measurement. Every word was like a thorn, piercing his heart and making his brows furrow more and more.

"Your Highness, the Xianbei cavalry has assembled in Huairong County." Sima Yi came hurriedly in the darkness.

He was wearing a dark brocade robe, which was now covered in dust, and a few yellow grass leaves were hanging on the hem, making him look a little disheveled. But his hawk-like eyes still gleamed in the night, revealing a chilling fierceness.

The personal guard following behind him was holding a secret letter soaked in blood in his arms, and his armor was still dripping with blood. It was obvious that he had just returned from the front line. There was a strong smell of blood on his body, which mixed with the musty smell in the watchtower, making people feel sick.

The Xianbei people were tricked by the Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty and lost 10,000 cavalrymen without gaining a penny. Naturally, they came to seek revenge.

Liu Si turned around slowly. The candlelight in the watchtower flickered in the wind. The dim light and shadow danced on his face, making his young face flicker.

His originally delicate eyebrows were now tightly frozen with frost, and his eyes revealed a ruthlessness and decisiveness that was inconsistent with his age. He seemed like a battle-hardened general, ready to fight at any time.

He reached out to take the secret letter, and the moment he opened it, a strong smell of blood hit him in the face, almost suffocating him.

"The Yu family father and son were killed by mountain bandits yesterday?" His voice was low and cold, with a barely perceptible sarcasm. His fingertips unconsciously stroked the letter paper, and a faint sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"The footprints of the bandits in the Yanshan Mountains coincide with those of the Xianbei cavalry." His words were full of sarcasm and disdain, as if everything was under his control, and the fate of those powerful people had long been manipulated by him.

At this moment, Fei Yi hurried in holding a pile of documents. He was wearing a wide-sleeved official uniform, which was still covered with morning dew and exuded a faint dampness. The delicate embroidery on the official uniform was a little messy due to running, and fine beads of sweat oozed out of his forehead.

"Your Highness, the patriarch of the Wang family in Yuyang County has requested to see you, saying that he is willing to hand over half of his land." His eyes inadvertently glanced at the secret letter on the table, and his pupils shrank slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and spoke in a calm tone.

"But you are requested to allow his son to serve as a servant in the Eastern Palace." As he said this, he placed the document gently on the table, moving cautiously as if he was afraid to disturb the slightly depressing atmosphere at the moment.

"Promise him."

Liu Si threw the secret letter into the brazier without hesitation, watching the flames greedily devour the paper and turn the evidence into ashes. When the flames rose, his face turned red, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

"Compile a list of the legitimate sons of the powerful people in Youzhou and hold a banquet at the governor's mansion tomorrow."

After saying this, he reached out and stroked the jade pendant around his waist, which was a gift from his mother before he left. The warm touch could not relieve the burning sensation in his palms, nor could it dispel the chill in his heart.

His thoughts couldn't help but go back to the scene of parting with his mother before leaving. His mother's worried eyes and earnest instructions formed a sharp contrast with the cruel reality before him.

Three days later, the Youzhou Governor's Mansion was decorated with lights and was bustling with activity.

The stone lions in front of the mansion were covered with red silk, and the lanterns at the door illuminated the entire courtyard as bright as day. The gilded animal head incense burner was filled with borneol, and the fragrance filled the entire courtyard, but it could not cover up the tense atmosphere in the air.

The powerful new nobles of the thirteen counties of Youzhou were dressed in gorgeous clothes, well-dressed and adorned with jewels. However, their faces were full of anxiety and uneasiness. When their eyes met, they were all wary and tentative, as if sitting on pins and needles.

Liu Si sat upright in the main seat. The golden dragon embroidered on his black brocade robe appeared and disappeared with his every move, making him look even more majestic.

The jade beads hanging from his crown swayed gently with his movements, making crisp sounds. He raised the glass cup, and the amber wine glowed coldly under the candlelight.

"You are all the pillars of Youzhou, and now we are going to talk about the land measurement." His voice was neither hurried nor slow, but it carried an irresistible sense of oppression, as if it was an invisible command, causing everyone present to straighten their bodies unconsciously.

"Your Highness!" The powerful Li from Youbeiping County suddenly stood up. The feathers on his crown swayed slightly with his shaking body, making him look even more flustered. His face was full of fear, and his hands were shaking slightly.

"My Li family has guarded these lands for generations, and it's true." Before he finished speaking, the sound of hurried horse hooves suddenly came from outside the door, getting closer and closer, becoming clearer and clearer. A soldier covered in blood rolled off his saddle and rushed into the hall, shouting loudly: "Report! Xianbei cavalry raided Guangyang County, burning, killing and looting along the way, and countless civilians were killed and injured!"

Liu Si suddenly slammed the table and stood up, the glass cup shattered, and the wine mixed with the broken porcelain flowed on the blue bricks like blood.

He looked at the pale-faced tyrants, his eyes flashing coldly, like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath. His chest rose and fell violently, and he exuded a chilling aura: "Either hand over the land, or..."

Although he didn't finish his words, the threat he contained was self-evident.

At this moment, a shrill wolf howl suddenly came from outside the window. It was the communication signal commonly used by the Xianbei cavalry. It made everyone present even more frightened, and some timid heroes even began to tremble.

That night, in the secret room in the backyard of the Governor's Mansion, the candlelight flickered, and the light cast strange shadows on the wall.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of blood and burning candles. Liu Si sat in the main seat, looking coldly at the representatives of the powerful who were kneeling on the ground, playing with a bloodstained dagger in his hand. The blood on the dagger had solidified and turned dark red, which looked particularly hideous under the candlelight.

"You are all smart people." He inserted the dagger accurately on the table, and the cold light touched the sleeve of a new noble. "I can guarantee your prosperity, and I can also let you..." Before he finished speaking, the guards outside the door reported: "Your Highness, the descendants of Yuyang Wang have sent someone to deliver the seal and documents."

As time went by, a strange balance gradually spread in the cold wind of Youzhou. Liu Si's carriage frequently traveled between counties, and the wheels rolled over the stone road, making a "squeaky" sound. The "Prince" lantern hanging high in front of the carriage flickered in the night, like a ghost.

He would often suddenly appear in the manors of the powerful early in the morning. The gates of the manors were closed, and the guards would turn pale instantly when they saw the prince's carriage.

Liu Si looked at the numbers in the account book with sharp eyes. When he found that they were far from the actual acreage, he would raise the corners of his mouth, revealing a meaningful smile, and then quietly asked the accompanying clerk to measure the land.

The clerk who measured the fields held a measuring rod in his hand with a serious expression. When the measuring rod pierced through the carefully covered ridges and revealed the hidden private fields underneath, the faces of the powerful people turned pale instantly.

Liu Si just waved his folding fan and said in a relaxed tone: "It seems that the measurement is wrong. Please check it again."

However, there was a chilling threat hidden in that relaxed tone, as if something terrible would happen in the next second.

In the first month of the third year of Yanxing, the Taiji Hall in the Luoyang Imperial Palace was filled with sandalwood and smoke.

The golden bricks in the hall sparkled in the candlelight, and the exquisite murals on the walls were colorful and lifelike.

The Emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Chan, sat on the dragon throne, stroking the land measurement memorial on the table. The dragon pattern embroidered with gold thread glowed faintly under the candlelight.

He suddenly chuckled, and the jade beads on the crown tassel jingled. "This boy is even more ruthless than I was in my youth."

He looked at the flying snow outside the palace, and his thoughts went back to the past. He remembered Liu Si reciting the Book of Documents in the imperial garden when he was a child. The child at that time was innocent and cute, but now he can command foreign races and oppress the powerful, which made him feel deeply moved.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is using Xianbei cavalry in Youzhou." Prime Minister Jiang Wan hesitated, the tablet in his hand clenched white, his knuckles slightly white from the force. His face was full of worry, and deep wrinkles appeared on his forehead.

"This may not be appropriate. What if the Xianbei people take advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos?" Liu Chan waved his hand, a complex expression on his old face: "In times of chaos, severe punishments are used, and in times of chaos, extraordinary strategies are used. When Emperor Zhaolie started from scratch, did he ever abide by the established laws?"

He looked towards the north, with a look of both relief and vigilance in his eyes.

"Pass down the order, ordering the Crown Prince to return to the capital to report on his work before three months." After saying this, he leaned back on the dragon chair and slightly closed his eyes, as if thinking about something.

At the same time, in the Youzhou Governor's Mansion, Liu Si was carefully checking the last land measurement atlas. He took off his crown and let his black hair fall on his shoulders, with a few strands of hair falling on both sides of his cheeks.

His eyes were bloodshot, dark circles were thick, and fatigue finally crept up on his eyebrows. On the desk were documents sent by clerks from various places. Dense red circles marked the land that had not yet been measured, as if it was a huge net that trapped him.

"Your Highness, the Xianbei people are asking for an audience, saying they want..." Before the guard could finish his words, Fei Yi raised his hand to interrupt him. Fei Yi looked at Liu Si's tired appearance, frowned slightly, and a trace of heartache flashed in his eyes.

Liu Si looked at the map of Youzhou on the wall, his eyes sweeping over the strongholds of power marked with cinnabar, most of which had now been painted over with a light ink color.

"Tell them that we don't have gold or silver, but we can trade with them. If they are still not satisfied, let them see the power of our cavalry."

He suddenly chuckled, with a hint of fatigue and disdain in his laughter.

"By the way, send some strong liquor from the Central Plains so that they can get drunk on the grassland."

His voice was a little hoarse, as if the heavy pressure had worn away its edges.

After saying that, he stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the moonlight outside. The moonlight was sprinkled on the land of Youzhou, a piece of silvery white, but it could not illuminate the darkness in his heart.

As the night deepened, the entire Youzhou Governor's Mansion fell into silence.

Only the sounds of the night watchman's clappers could be heard in the distance, which seemed particularly clear in the silent night. Liu Si walked into the courtyard alone, the moonlight falling on his shoulders, dyeing his black robe silver-gray. He thought of the uneasiness he felt when he first arrived in Youzhou, the days of open and covert attacks, and the days of hypocrisy, and those who sacrificed their lives for farming, all of which turned into cold jade pendants in his hands.

He tightly grasped the jade pendant, feeling the familiar warmth, and having mixed feelings.

The sound of the night watchman's clappers could be heard in the distance, and it was particularly clear in the silent night. He murmured to himself, "Father, did I play this chess piece well?"

His voice contained both self-affirmation and a subtle firmness. In this vortex of power, he had never lost his original direction.

When the first spring breeze melted the snow in Youzhou, the prince's convoy finally set out for Beijing.

The snow on both sides of the official road began to melt, forming streams that gurgled. The people gathered on both sides of the official road spontaneously, holding new wheat and rice wine in their hands, with grateful smiles on their faces. Some children laughed and played in the crowd, while the adults talked about it, full of admiration and gratitude for the prince. Liu Si lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at this land soaked in blood and strategy, feeling a lot of emotion in his heart.

Suddenly, he remembered his father's parting words: "Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish, but the fish has already gone bad."

He tightly grasped the jade pendant at his waist, with a hint of confidence on his lips - the rotten flesh had been removed, and new buds were quietly growing in the spring rain, and he would also embark on a new journey with this glory and experience.

His eyes were firm and full of hope, as if he had seen a more glorious future for the Han Dynasty.

Am I, the crown prince of the Han Dynasty, still competent? (End of this chapter)