The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 542: Aristocratic Family in Shu

Qin Shou's pupils suddenly contracted when he heard this. He slowly walked to the edge of the city wall, and the rain flowed down along the lines of his armor, forming small puddles around his boots.

"Gongda is saying that these noble families want to repeat the events of the Eastern Han Dynasty?" Qin Shou's fingers unconsciously stroked the worn lines on the hilt, his expression cold.

Xun You took out a silk handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped his beard which was wet by the rain, and analyzed: "The Qinghe Cui family and the Taiyuan Wang family are about to marry, and the Fanyang Lu family just accepted the grandson of the Yingchuan Chen family as an apprentice last month." Every time he said a name, he put a copper coin on the blue brick, and the last five copper coins were arranged in the shape of a plum blossom.

"Bang!" Qin Shou punched the pillar of the arrow tower, causing the copper bells on the eaves to jingle.

I have fought on the battlefield for so many years and now I have unified the world, but these guys still haven't given up their delusions. They still want to let the aristocratic families rule the world like the previous dynasty.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Second Prince will surely return victoriously from this expedition, with minimal casualties in his troops." Xun You suddenly showed a smile on his face.

"Do you think those aristocratic families in Bashu will help?" Qin Shou quickly understood the reason.

"Since they see no hope in Your Majesty and the Crown Prince, they will certainly place their hopes on other princes. But to do so, they will have to pay a price!" Xun You chuckled.

"So, should I still pretend I know nothing about this matter?"

Qin Shou nodded and immediately understood the reason. Without some support, Qin Chengji would never become the crown prince. The simplest way to support him was to help him establish military merits.

"Your Majesty has unified the world, and the ministers following your Majesty come from all corners of the country, but most of them are from Yingchuan, Xuzhou, and Jianghuai, followed by Hebei, then Xiliang and Jingzhou, and Bashu is last. I'm afraid those aristocratic families in Bashu have already had ideas in their minds." Xun You analyzed.

"Humph, so what if they have ideas? The court needs military merits, and without merits, how can they get any benefits?" Qin Shou said disdainfully: "This time, let me see how these aristocratic families operate."

"Your Majesty is wise." Xun You stroked his beard and laughed.

In the Dong Mansion in Chengdu, the copper bells on the eaves occasionally chimed. The main hall of the mansion was brightly lit, with twelve bronze lamps lighting up the hall as bright as day. Dong He knelt in the main seat, tapping the table with his fingers, and his eyes swept over everyone in the hall.

"Everyone, the second prince is coming to Bashu soon. How should the Shu noble families deal with this? We must discuss it today." Dong He's voice was not loud, but it made the hall quiet instantly.

Pang Xi stroked his gray beard and spoke first: "Mr. Dong is wrong. Qin Chengji is only the second prince. He was ordered to march south this time. Why should we make plans for him? We won't get any benefit from it."

"Mr. Pang is wrong." Qiao Zhou, who was sitting on the right, put down his teacup and explained, "The southern barbarian Meng Huo has repeatedly invaded our territory. Last year, he looted three villages in Zhuti County. The second prince's expedition to the south is to eliminate this scourge for Shu."

There was a lot of discussion in the hall. The young and energetic Dong Yun couldn't help but slammed the table and said loudly: "Father, I think we should fully support the second prince! If the southern barbarians are not eliminated, Shu will not be at peace. Besides, this is also a good opportunity for us to gain a foothold in the court."

Dong He's eyes sparkled, and he raised his hand to signal his son to sit down. He turned to Huang Quan, who had been silent on his left, and said, "Gong Heng, what do you think?"

Huang Quan raised his head slowly, the wrinkles on his forehead were as deep as knife cuts: "If the Second Prince wins, he will reward the meritorious officials; if he loses, the southern barbarians will take the opportunity to go north. Regardless of public or private, we should support him."

The bell outside the hall rang more and more urgently. Dong He stood up and walked to the window, looking at the mottled Chengdu city in the distance. Dong He suddenly turned around, his eyes burning, "Now that the Second Prince has marched south, it shows the determination of the court. My Shu family is familiar with the geography and customs of the southern border. If we can help the Second Prince pacify the southern barbarians in one fell swoop, we can not only ensure peace on the border, but also gain a place in the court."

Qiao Zhou's eyes gleamed with brilliance, and he said, "Mr. Dong, your opinion is great! My Qiao family can provide 50,000 hu of grain and 1,000 able-bodied men. In today's world, the Purple Star is shining brightly, illuminating thousands of places, and the surrounding stars are assisting. The new dynasty is about to rise!"

"My Huang family has three salt wells in Jianwei and are willing to supply salt to the army." Huang Quan immediately stated his opinion.

Pang Xi saw that the situation was set and was unwilling to fall behind: "Since this is the case, I, the Pang family, can contribute three million yuan and a hundred war horses."

Dong He nodded with satisfaction, walked back to the main seat and knelt down: "In this case, in three days we will jointly write a letter to the Second Prince, expressing the full support of the Shu family for the southern expedition. Yuner, you will be responsible for drafting the document."

Dong Yun agreed excitedly. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the sound of hurried horse hooves coming from outside the palace. Not long after, a soaking wet guard walked into the hall and knelt on one knee: "Report! The second prince's envoy has arrived at the Shili Pavilion outside the city. He will enter the city tomorrow to summon the officials of Bashu!"

Everyone in the hall looked at each other.

Dong He waved his hand to let the guards retreat, and looked around at everyone: "It seems that the Second Prince has been prepared. We must express our attitude before the Second Prince arrives, so that we can seize the initiative."

Qiao Zhou suddenly smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Dong. I have a good friend in the capital. Yesterday, I received news that the second prince values ​​the Shu family very much and intends to use the opportunity of the southern expedition to make use of the Shu people."

This news was like a stone thrown into a calm lake. Pang Xi's face changed immediately: "Are you serious? Why didn't Qiao Gong tell you earlier?" "If you had known this earlier, why would you have discussed it?"
"This is a serious matter, so I dare not speak rashly." Qiao Zhou stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Now it seems that supporting the southern expedition is indeed a wise move."

Dong He's eyes sparkled, and he immediately made the decision: "In this case, we will draft a letter tonight and send it to the Second Prince. Not only should we provide food and supplies, but we should also select young men from our clan to accompany the army to show our loyalty to the court. Yun'er, are you willing to go?"

He said, looking at his son

Dong Yun said without hesitation: "I am willing to be the vanguard!"

"Okay!" Dong He stood up, "Everyone, follow me to the study to discuss it in detail."

As everyone moved to the study, the rain gradually subsided. The housekeeper of the Dong residence had already ordered people to prepare pens and ink. Dong He personally ground the ink, and Dong Yun took up the pen. Everyone contributed their ideas and soon drafted an impassioned letter of request for battle.

“.We, the ministers, have received the grace of the country for generations. Now we hear that the king’s army is heading south. We are willing to devote the strength of Shu to provide military supplies and select young men to serve as the vanguard.” Dong Yun read aloud to the end, and everyone in the hall applauded.

Pang Xi suddenly remembered something: "Oh, I heard that there are many miasma and poisonous insects in the southern barbarians. My soldiers may find it difficult to adapt. My Pang family has a recipe for avoiding miasma passed down from our ancestors. I can prepare a thousand copies and offer them to you."

Huang Quan added: "There are Bo people in Jianwei County who are good at mountain marching. I can recruit a thousand people as guides."

The more they talked, the more excited they became, as if they had seen the scene of pacifying the southern barbarians and rewarding them for their merits. However, Dong He remained sober: "Everyone, we need to be cautious about this matter. Duke Qin is suspicious. If we show too much enthusiasm, it will arouse suspicion."

(End of this chapter)