Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 422: Building a Mausoleum? Liu Xie's Insistence
When Ma Chao was gathering the various Qiang tribes.

Zhang He had already led his troops back to Chang'an City.

This time, he not only seized nearly 100,000 cattle, sheep, horses and other livestock, countless gold and silver, but also rescued thousands of Han people. It can be said that he returned with a great load.

Outside the city of Chang'an, cartloads of treasures were seen being pulled into the city.

Pang De was stunned when he saw this scene. He couldn't help but ask Zhang He: "General Zhang... have you moved the entire Qiang royal court back?"

The visual impact of so many trophies is enormous.

He had been in the army for many years, but had never seen so much spoils of war.

Zhang He looked regretful when he heard this and said, "The troops I brought with me this time were limited, and I couldn't take away many cattle, sheep, and treasures. I had to burn them all."

"If I had known that the Qiang people's royal court was so empty, I should have brought more soldiers and horses with me so that they wouldn't be wasted."

“What a pity.”

The spoils he brought back were only a large part of the royal court's wealth. There was still a lot that he didn't have time to take away, so he had to burn it.

Zhang He was a frugal person, and he was very sad to burn all these riches; but when he thought that all these riches belonged to the Qiang people, he felt much better.

Hearing this, Pound's mouth twitched slightly.

He originally thought that Zhang He would most likely return empty-handed when he led his troops into Qiang territory this time, but he was instead dealt a heavy blow and directly destroyed the Qiang royal court.

Even if so much spoils had not been seized, this achievement alone would not be much different from that of the champion marquis Huo Qubing who had gone deep into the desert to attack the Xiongnu royal court.

After suppressing his emotion, Pang De said, "According to the spies, not long after you led the troops back, Ma Chao led the rebels and a large number of Qiang people back to the royal court."

"If you had retreated two days later, you would have been caught up by them."

Zhang He's timing of retreat this time was just right.

The Modao Army is not as mobile as the cavalry. If they retreat too late, they will definitely be caught up, and then they will be in big trouble.

Upon hearing this news, Zhang He's eyes lit up instantly, and he said excitedly: "Great! I thought this traitor would not show up, but I didn't expect him to dare to lead his troops back!"

"General Pang, mobilize the army immediately, and we will fight this traitor to the death!"

Zhang He still had the obsession to capture and kill Ma Chao.

I wish I could lead my troops and fight back immediately!

Pang De quickly advised: "General Zhang, no! His Majesty's order has been passed on a few days ago, asking us to temporarily give up the pursuit of the rebels and start preparing for the relocation of the capital."

"If we lead troops into Qiang territory now, it would be disobeying the emperor's order!"

It would have been fine for Zhang He to lead troops to war before the emperor had issued an edict, at most it would have been considered a crime of desertion from duty.

This crime can be serious or minor. If you fail to win the fight and suffer heavy losses, you will definitely be punished; but if you win the fight, that is another matter.

But now the emperor has ordered a halt to the pursuit of Ma Chao. If we take the initiative to go on an expedition again, we will be disobeying the order. Even if we eventually eliminate Ma Chao, we will still be punished.

Upon learning that an imperial decree had been received, Zhang He had to give up the idea and abandon the plan to send troops to attack Ma Chao.

"Forget it, let's let this traitor live for now."

"But this is a lot of spoils. It should be enough as a gift to Your Majesty for the relocation of the capital."

Zhang He comforted himself by saying that he did not ask for any reward from the emperor, but only wanted to prove that the emperor had made the right choice in entrusting him with the command of the Modao Army.

Pang De smiled bitterly when he heard this.

These spoils are more than enough as gifts. When this news reaches Yecheng, I wonder what a shock it will cause.

After shaking his head, he said, "General Zhang, for now, we should strengthen the border defense to prevent the Qiang people from invading the border for revenge."

"In addition, we must also begin preparations for moving the capital."

Zhang He nodded in agreement.

……

Yecheng Imperial Palace, Tai'an Hall.

Liu Xie was holding a court meeting with civil and military officials. As the day of moving the capital approached, the court had more and more things to deal with.

In addition, spring has arrived and the flood season is approaching, and the floods in the Yellow River also need to be controlled. The embankments have reached the point where they have to be repaired.

Liu Xie attached great importance to people's livelihood.

The spring flood of the Yellow River can easily cause flooding. If the dams are not repaired in advance and preparations are not made in advance, there will be countless casualties once the Yellow River bursts its dam.

"Your Majesty, the repair of the Yellow River embankment requires a huge amount of funds, and the current state of the treasury is unable to afford this expense."

"There are military expenses for moving the capital, and recently there has been a large expenditure of money from the Metallurgical Bureau, so the national treasury is a bit tight."

"I think we should cut some military spending and investment in the Metallurgical Bureau, and use some of the funds to control the flooding of the Yellow River."

Fa Zheng said with a serious look.

He is responsible for participating in the management of internal affairs, and he is very clear about the treasury's expenditure. Currently, there is a lot of pressure from all sides.

Although the financial power had been taken back from the Zhen family, after inspection it was discovered that the situation in the national treasury was far from as abundant as imagined.

Employment without working, false accounts, corruption... each and every one of them is so shocking that even if the assets seized from the Zhen family were used to fill these holes, it would not be enough, because more than just the Zhen family is involved.

If they were to dig deeper, the implications would be too big and might even shake the government, so the emperor issued an order to stop the investigation at the Zhen family.

Simply put, it's a big mess.

Even if the Zhen family escapes the audit this time, it won't be long before they can make ends meet in a few years.

Of course, the largest expenditure is still military spending. The strength of the Han army was earned with real money. Whether it is the quality of weapons and equipment or the pension and food standards, they are several levels higher than ordinary armies.

"No, the military budget and the Metallurgical Bureau's expenditures cannot be reduced. They must be supplied as usual!"

Liu Xie rejected Fa Zheng's proposal without hesitation.

"If the army is not strong, how can we go south to fight the bandits? The Metallurgical Bureau is the top priority. We cannot cut spending now that we have just started."

Military expenditures must not be touched. The imperial army must maintain its combat effectiveness. This is the fundamental thing.

As for the Metallurgical Bureau, Liu Xie had even higher hopes for them.

Fa Zheng could not help but feel a headache, so he said: "I understand... Then I will think of other ways to see if I can use some money and grain to control the Yellow River."

"No need, I have my own way."

Liu Xie waved his hand slightly and said lightly.

"I have read this year's fiscal budget. I remember that there is a sum in it for the construction of my mausoleum."

"Let's repair the mausoleum a few years later. I don't need it now because I am in my prime. Let's use this money to control the flooding of the Yellow River first."

The emperor's mausoleum had to be repaired from the day he ascended the throne, but Liu Xie had always been a puppet before, so no one cared about building a mausoleum for him.

Now that the capital is about to be moved back to Chang'an, the construction of the mausoleum must naturally be put on the agenda, so it has been added to this year's fiscal budget.

When these words were spoken, all the ministers were shocked.

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable!"

Kong Rong was the first to step forward upon hearing this. He bowed to Liu Xie and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, to build a mausoleum, we must also choose an auspicious time and auspicious place."

"Everything must be done according to etiquette and law." "It's too late for you to build a mausoleum now. If you delay any further, it will disrupt etiquette and law, and leave a bad example for future generations. This is really inappropriate."

"Your Majesty, please think twice!"

After Kong Rong finished speaking, several ministers spoke up to agree with him, because building a mausoleum was the emperor's top priority and could not be neglected lightly.

"I said I won't repair it, so I won't repair it!"

Liu Xie said this in a decisive tone, leaving no room for maneuver.

"Building a mausoleum is a small matter, but the people's livelihood is a big matter. Does it mean that if this mausoleum is built, we won't have to deal with the floods in the Yellow River? Will our Han Dynasty have good weather and peace?"

This one sentence choked Kong Rong to the point where he was speechless.

But as the Minister of Rites in charge of sacrifices and rituals, he had to say something even if the emperor didn't like it, so he insisted, "Your Majesty, please respect the ancestral rituals and laws!"

"Lord Kong, you don't have to say anything more."

Liu Xie did not change his mind because of Kong Rong's words, and said: "I said, I am now in my prime, and I don't need a mausoleum."

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

"Moreover, my intentions in this matter are righteous. Even if it sets an example for future generations, it will be a good example, not a bad one."

"Besides, how can a mere mausoleum be more important than the lives of the people of the Han Dynasty? If my ancestors knew, they would only praise me instead of scolding me for violating the etiquette and laws."

Liu Xie's words were powerful.

Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, Jia Xu and others were all moved, and then they bowed their heads respectfully and said in unison: "Your Majesty cares about the people, which is a blessing for our Han Dynasty!"

Liu Xie did not answer, but said to Fa Zheng: "Just do as I say. Put off the construction of the mausoleum for a few years and use the money to control the Yellow River first."

"I understand!"

Fa Zheng was filled with emotion and bowed his head deeply, saying that he deeply admired the emperor's broad-mindedness and courage.

This is the true style of a wise ruler!

Just as the ministers were preparing to continue the discussion, another voice suddenly came from afar into the hall.

"Good news! Good news!"

"Eight hundred miles to Chang'an!"

This voice instantly attracted the attention of everyone in the hall.

Whenever there was any emergency military information, the soldiers responsible for reporting it could go directly to the palace to report to the emperor without going through any inquiries.

Soon, a dusty soldier holding a yellow flag broke into the hall.

As soon as he entered the hall, he knelt down before Liu Xie and reported excitedly: "Your Majesty, a great victory in Chang'an, a great victory in Chang'an!"

This sentence stunned everyone, including Liu Xie.

Didn’t the war in Chang’an end long ago? How come there is news of victory?

Liu Xie frowned and said, "Read it!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Although the soldier's throat felt like it was on fire, he was still very excited. He took off the bamboo tube on his back, opened it, took out a large piece of parchment, and then excitedly began to read:

"On the third day of the fourth month, Weiwei Zhang He led 5,000 Modao troops to raid the Qiang people's royal court! They defeated the royal court's garrison and beheaded more than 8,000 people!"

"In this battle, we captured 249 Qiang nobles and rescued 2,830 Han civilians!"

"We seized 80,000 cattle and sheep, 30,000 horses, and thousands of carts of gold, silver and other valuables!"

The soldier read out a string of numbers in a hoarse voice.

"In addition, General Zhang also ordered the burning of the Qiang people's royal court, leaving hundreds of miles of Qiang land barren and no grass left. The Qiang people's royal court is now only in ruins!"

This victory report was written by Pang De. It only recorded Zhang He's achievement of raiding the Qiang royal court, but did not record Zhang He's slaughter of the Qiang people, the elderly, the young, the women and the children, or the pollution of water sources.

The Han Dynasty attached great importance to benevolence, righteousness, and morality. Although Zhang He's actions made people feel refreshed, they could not be brought to the table for discussion.

As the soldier finished speaking, the hall fell into silence.

Everyone was stunned, and their minds were occupied by one thought - the Qiang royal court was actually destroyed by Zhang He!

And it only took 5,000 people!
This sudden surprise was so great that no one could react.

But just a moment later, the noise almost overturned the entire hall!

"Great victory! A truly great victory!"

"General Zhang is truly a god!"

"We are so proud! General Zhang destroyed the Qiang people's court and eliminated a great disaster for the Han border!"

"General Zhang's feat is comparable to that of a champion candidate!"

"Eight thousand Qiang people were killed and many nobles and high-ranking officials were captured. How can the Qiang royal court survive?"

……

All the ministers in the hall were extremely excited!
The generals were all confused.

Lu Bu looked at Zhang Liao and asked in disbelief, "Did you give the order for Zhang He to attack the Qiang king's court?"

"I, I didn't..."

Zhang Liao was silent for a long time before he spoke. Before he left Chang'an, he asked Zhang He to guard the city. How could Zhang He destroy the Qiang royal court?

what on earth is it?

Sitting on the dragon throne, Liu Xie gradually came back to his senses from his shock, and then he felt indescribable joy and almost wanted to laugh out loud!

"You really gave me a big surprise!"

This news came too suddenly. The Qiang people have always been a scourge outside the border, and their threat to the Han Dynasty is no less than that of the Xiongnu and Wuhuan.

Ma Chao's escape into Qiang territory raised the threat level of the Qiang people to a higher level, so he ordered to temporarily give up the pursuit of Ma Chao.

The Qiang Royal Court is the Qiang people’s base camp, located deep in Qiang territory. It is equivalent to the capital of the Han Kingdom!
Zhang He's behavior was equivalent to directly attacking the enemy's capital and catching all the officials, princes and nobles in one fell swoop!
What an amazing achievement!

The only people who have done this throughout history are the famous champion Huo Qubing and Zhang He!

Yang Xiu was filled with joy and congratulated Liu Xie, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! General Zhang has achieved such an impressive feat, defeating the Qiang people and enhancing the prestige of the Han Dynasty!"

"Congratulations to Your Majesty! Congratulations to Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, all the ministers opened their mouths to congratulate.

Liu Xie's face was full of energy. Although he tried hard to remain calm, the corners of his mouth could not help but rise.

Finally, he suddenly stood up and said to the soldier, "Come here, I have something to ask you."

"Today's court meeting ends here, adjourn!"

After saying that, he hurried out of the hall.

He needs to find out what's going on!

(End of this chapter)