Dahan: A 100-year-old veteran, I will build the strongest family

Chapter 118: The Li family controls two states, and the death knell of the Han Dynasty rings ( words long chapter)

That night, some of the top families in Luoyang were not only troubled by whether to leave a way out for the Yellow Turbans to disintegrate their morale, but also because Liu Yan proposed to restore the provincial governor system, which made them waver.

……

The general’s mansion was brightly lit.

He Jin looked at Zhang Rang, who came to see him at night, with some suspicion.

"Attendant Zhang, His Majesty sent you to see this great general so late at night. Is it about the matter of the Yellow Turban captives captured by General Li today?"

He Jin frowned and asked Zhang Rang.

Although Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and other ten eunuchs seemed to have a relatively friendly relationship with Empress He.

However, He Jin was used to communicating with aristocratic families and had no good feelings towards these eunuchs.

"General, Rang is here on His Majesty's orders. His Majesty told you to agree with General Li's suggestion in the court tomorrow."

Zhang Rang said to He Jin with a smile, but he did not act overbearingly towards him.

When Empress He gave birth to another prince, named Liu Yu, she now had two princes.

Liu Hong had three princes in total, and Empress He accounted for two of them.

Even with the outbreak of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, He Jin was promoted to general.

Zhang Rang naturally understood Liu Hong's intention. It was obvious that he wanted to strongly support the He family.

Therefore, Zhang Rang was still very polite when facing He Jin.

"Your Majesty, would you like me to agree with General Li's suggestion at the court meeting tomorrow?" He Jin was slightly stunned and somewhat surprised by Liu Hong's decision.

After all, the Yellow Turbans were rebelling against Liu Hong, and the situation was so serious.

However, He Jin could vaguely understand Liu Hong's thoughts.

Sitting in the position of general, He Jin knew more clearly that all the states of the Han Dynasty were now devastated by the Yellow Turbans. It was undoubtedly very normal for Liu Hong to be anxious and want to pacify the Yellow Turbans quickly.

He Jin smiled and said, "Please ask Zhang Changshi to report to His Majesty and tell him that this general will follow His Majesty's lead tomorrow."

He Jin had just taken office as the general and had not yet achieved any success. He was just a mascot and did not dare to be arrogant. He followed Liu Hong closely.

"Okay, then I will reply to your majesty and bid you farewell!"

Zhang Rang smiled and bowed to He Jin, then left in a majestic manner with a group of eunuchs and guards.

"Bah, you are just a bunch of eunuchs. If this great general was not so unstable, no one would bother with you." He Jin looked at the backs of Zhang Rang and others, spat fiercely, and said with disdain.

……

The night passed in a flash.

The next morning, at the court meeting time, Liu Hong showed up unexpectedly on time with Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and other eunuchs.

"My dear ministers, what do you think about the matter of the Yellow Turban captives that General Li asked for instructions yesterday?"

Liu Hong sat on the dragon throne and went straight to the point.

As soon as Liu Honggang finished speaking, Sikong Yuanfeng, who was standing first among the civil officials, still stepped forward first.

"Your Majesty, I still believe that the Yellow Turbans are traitors who slaughtered noble families, attacked government offices, killed officials, and shook the foundation of the Han Dynasty. They are unforgivable. Otherwise, wouldn't the laws of the Han Dynasty have no deterrent effect on the people of the world?"

Yuan Feng's voice was full of energy and serious, but his attitude was extremely firm.

The massacre of the Yuan family's stronghold in Runan made him hate the Yellow Turbans.

Liu Hong, who was sitting on the dragon throne, frowned when he heard Yuan Feng's words.

Yuan Feng is so stubborn.

"Canopy!"

Suddenly, Liu Hong slammed the table with a cold look on his face, which immediately attracted the attention of civil and military officials.

"I know what Sikong said. The laws of the Han Dynasty cannot be violated. If I can kill the Yellow Turbans, I would certainly like to kill them all."

"But, Sikong, you have disappointed me too much. You only care about the hatred of the Yuan family and have completely ignored the overall situation. If Yingchuan kills more than 100,000 Yellow Turbans, and the Yellow Turbans all over the country are ready to die and fight hard, if the imperial court is defeated, then my Han Dynasty will not be safe. Can you take responsibility?"

Liu Hong's face turned pale and he shouted angrily at Yuan Feng.

Liu Hong's eyes were filled with anger and fatigue.

He didn't want to kill the Yellow Turbans? Of course he wanted to, but what if the imperial court was defeated again? The Han Dynasty was in danger, which was definitely not what Liu Hong wanted to see, and he didn't want to take the risk.

The most urgent task is to quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion and maintain the rule of the Han Dynasty.

"This... Your Majesty, I dare not." When the emperor was angry, millions of corpses were buried and blood flowed for thousands of miles. Yuan Feng was startled by Liu Hong's angry shout and said hurriedly.

All the civil and military officials in the hall listened to Liu Hong's angry shout, and they all understood Liu Hong's attitude towards the matter.

He Jin looked at the crowd, stood up, and said to Liu Hong:
"Your Majesty, I, He Jin, think that General Li's concerns are reasonable. Giving the captured Yellow Turbans a chance to survive can undermine the morale of millions of Yellow Turbans. The most urgent task is to pacify the Yellow Turbans. In addition, it is not really forgiving these Yellow Turban bandits. Sending them to the border counties of Bingzhou, where they have to work hard and build city walls, may not guarantee that they will survive. This may be more cruel than killing them directly. Therefore, He Jin thinks General Li's advice is feasible."

He Jin stood up and agreed with Li Hong's advice, contrary to Yuan Feng's opinion, which made the civil and military officials restless.

Sitting on the dragon throne, Liu Hongqing breathed a sigh of relief, looked at the other officials, and said:

"What do you think of what the general said?"

Facing Liu Hong's questioning, all the civil and military officials had already made up their minds.

Yang Ci stood up and bowed to Liu Hong, saying, "Your Majesty, I agree with General Li's advice. Let the Yellow Turban captives live to destroy their morale. However, those who are truly loyal should still be killed!"

"Well, what Yang Qing said makes sense." Liu Hong said appreciatively.

"Your Majesty, I also think that we should agree with General Li's advice and quickly dismantle the morale of the Yellow Turbans." Huang Wan bowed.

At that moment, in the court, most of the ministers finally gritted their teeth and agreed to Li Hong's plan. In fact, Liu Hong had already taken the lead in expressing his position, saying, "If more than 100,000 Yellow Turbans are killed, the Yellow Turbans all over the country will fight to the death, and the imperial army will fail in the expedition, and the Han Dynasty will be destroyed. Who can afford it?" This sentence was enough to make many people temporarily put aside their hatred.

Seeing that most people agreed except for a small number of people who disagreed, Liu Hong breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"In that case, hurry up and convey my will to General Li. Everything will be done as General Li suggested. The Yellow Turban soldiers who are willing to surrender can be spared and exiled to Bingzhou!"

Liu Hong finally issued an edict, and the Shangshu Ling beside him agreed.

In the hall, just when Liu Hong breathed a sigh of relief after dealing with the difficult matter thrown by Li Hong, Liu Yan, the chief of the imperial clan who was standing at the front of the row of civil officials, stood up.

Liu Yan stood up and immediately attracted the attention of Liu Hong and a group of officials.

"Your Majesty, the Yellow Turban bandits have spread across most of the Han Dynasty. Apart from the four main Yellow Turban groups, there are still countless Yellow Turbans in every state and county. General Li can only attack the four main Yellow Turban groups with the Beiwei Army, and I'm afraid he can do nothing about the scattered Yellow Turbans in various places."

"Even if the main force of the Yellow Turbans is defeated by General Li, there are still scattered Yellow Turbans everywhere to reinforce them. The Yellow Turban Army may still survive."

"Your Majesty, as a clan leader and a relative of the Han Dynasty, I have to worry about the Han Dynasty!"

Liu Yan's voice, which sounded as if he was concerned about the country and the people, resounded throughout the hall. Liu Hong and a group of officials on the dragon throne were all shocked, and their faces turned a little ugly. It was Liu Yan's words that suddenly made them feel a little cold in their hearts.

Yes, the Yellow Turbans are all over the world. Even if Li Hong's Beiwei Army is very powerful, it is just one army. Even if the main forces of the Yellow Turbans are completely defeated, the Yellow Turbans will still exist in various states and counties, and will be replenished with the main forces of the Yellow Turbans, and will be resurrected one after another.

Only Liu Biao, Huang Wan, Yuan Feng and others looked at Liu Yan, knowing that Liu Yan was about to tell something explosive.

"Alas, Zong Zheng, you are worried. To be honest, I understand this and I am worried too. However, the only strong army of the Han Dynasty is the Beiwei Army. I only hope that General Li can pacify the Yellow Turbans all over the world. This is why I agreed to General Li to spare the lives of the surrendered Yellow Turbans in order to undermine their morale and reduce the difficulty of pacifying them." Liu Hong said to Liu Yan helplessly on the dragon throne.

As the head of the clan, Liu Yan was the leader of the Liu clan, so his attitude was very important, because Liu Yan represented many Han clans. Even if Liu Hong was the emperor, he should respect Liu Yan.

The position of Zongzheng can be traced back to the Qin Dynasty, when it was established mainly to serve as a close official for royal relatives. In the Han Dynasty, the status of Zongzheng was further elevated to become one of the Nine Ministers.

The main duties of the Zongzheng.

Managing the affairs of the imperial family: As the chief of the imperial clan, the main responsibility is to manage the affairs of the imperial family. This includes compiling and updating the imperial family genealogy, recording the legitimate and illegitimate status of the imperial family and their blood relationship with the emperor. By updating the imperial family genealogy year by year, the chief of the imperial clan can ensure that even after more than ten generations, the generational relationships between the emperors can be sorted out.

Participate in the trial of cases involving the royal family: The Zongzheng also has the responsibility to participate in the trial of cases involving the royal family. Generally speaking, if the punishment level is above the punishment of shaving the head, it should be reported to the Zongzheng, who will report to the emperor before the case can be handled.

Participating in the dethronement and enthronement of emperors and empresses: As an official in charge of the imperial clan, Zongzheng was responsible for conferring titles and reading the imperial edicts. Although in the late Han Dynasty, the power of Zongzheng was usurped by the imperial relatives due to the rotation of power between the imperial relatives and eunuchs, his role in the dethronement and enthronement of emperors and empresses cannot be ignored.

Therefore, when he saw the Chief of the Imperial Clan Liu Yan coming out, Liu Hong would speak with a bit more respect.

However, Liu Yan shook his head slightly.

Liu Yan bowed to Liu Hong and said solemnly:
"Your Majesty, I think the Yellow Turbans are flooding the world like a tide. It is still too weak to rely solely on General Li to lead the Beiwei Army. The court needs to make other preparations and not put all hopes on the Beiwei Army."

"Oh? What does Zong Zheng mean by this? Are there other ways to defeat the enemy?" Liu Hong, who was sitting on the dragon throne, became excited when he heard Liu Yan's words. He looked at Liu Yan excitedly.

Inside the hall, many officials were looking at Liu Yan with great anticipation. They were all officials of the Han Dynasty and would rise and fall with the Han Dynasty together. Naturally, they hoped to defeat the Yellow Turbans and kill them all.

Liu Yan bowed to Liu Hong again, performed a great salute, and said solemnly:

"Your Majesty, apart from the Beiwei Army, which General Li is planning to build, the Han Dynasty only has the Northern and Southern Armies and the Border Army to deploy. However, the Border Army defends the borders of the Han Dynasty, and the Northern and Southern Armies need to protect the safety of the imperial capital. As a result, when the Yellow Turbans rose up, the states and counties seemed to be short of troops, which was also an important reason why the Yellow Turbans were able to develop on a large scale."

"The Yellow Turbans are now wreaking havoc in all the counties, and there is almost no military force in the prefectures to fight them. This is the problem. Therefore, for the sake of the Han Dynasty and to pacify the Yellow Turbans in the prefectures, I dare to ask Your Majesty to restore the prefectural governor system, reorganize the power of the prefectural families, and eliminate the Yellow Turbans!"

In the hall, after Liu Yan laid the groundwork, his words stirred up a huge stir. He suggested to Emperor Liu Hong to restore the provincial governor system and suppress the Yellow Turbans in the state.

"What? Restore the governor system?!"

Inside the main hall, Liu Hong, Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, He Jin, and a number of civil and military officials who were sitting on the dragon throne were all shocked, looking at each other and exclaiming in surprise.

"The Zongzheng actually suggested restoring the system of provincial governors? This system of provincial governors has existed for a long time. During the reigns of Emperor Cheng and Emperor Ai, the system of provincial governors was implemented, but the provincial governors had too much power. In the end, Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu abolished the system of provincial governors after he re-established the Han Dynasty. Now the Zongzheng actually suggested restoring the system of provincial governors?"

"But, let's not talk about it. If the provincial governor system is really restored, it can really deal a fatal blow to the Yellow Turbans in various provinces and counties. The provincial governor can gather the power of the noble families in a state, which is really feasible."

Inside the hall, as Liu Yan's suggestion to restore the governor's position came to an end, a group of civil and military officials began to discuss the matter. Although most of the officials were shocked, after thinking about it, they felt that "abolishing the governor and establishing the governor" was really feasible and seemed just right.

Liu Hong, who was sitting on the dragon throne, frowned and looked at Liu Yan with his eyes, thinking a lot.

As the emperor of the Han Dynasty, although Liu Hong was incompetent, he was not a fool. He naturally knew what a governor was and the difference between a governor and a provincial governor.

However, the more Liu Hong thought about Liu Yan's suggestion of restoring the governorship and letting the governor integrate the forces within the state to pacify the Yellow Turbans, the more appropriate it seemed to him.

However, Liu Hong also had some doubts in his heart.

"The Zong Zheng suggested restoring the system of provincial governors? I remember that it was to delegate power from the court to local areas. Emperor Guangwu felt that the provincial governors had too much power, so he restored the Inspectors to replace the provincial governors. Now, is it appropriate to use provincial governors again?" Liu Hong asked Liu Yan in a deep voice.

After hearing what Liu Hong said, Liu Yan said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, as the head of the imperial clan of the Han Dynasty, I understand what it means to restore the provincial governor system."

"However, if each state is enfeoffed with a governor, firstly, the state and county forces can be gathered to wipe out the scattered Yellow Turbans in various places and respond to General Li. Secondly, troops can be recruited to serve as reserve forces for our Han Dynasty. Even if General Li's Beiwei Army is defeated by the Yellow Turbans, our Han Dynasty still has room for maneuver."

"Of course, the candidates for governors are all appointed by Your Majesty. Your Majesty can appoint people who are loyal to the Han Dynasty and Your Majesty. I really can't bear to see the Han Dynasty being invaded by the Yellow Turbans and the Liu family's world being replaced by these Yellow Turban rebels, so I dared Your Majesty to restore the governor system. Please think twice."

Liu Yan looked concerned about the country and the people, and his voice was heavy, which instantly dispelled all Liu Hong's doubts and even made him feel warm inside.

"Don't worry, Zongzheng. This world belongs to the Liu family. Zongzheng is thinking about the world with the surname Liu. I can feel Zongzheng's heart to protect the country." Liu Hong comforted Liu Yan, and he did not doubt what Liu Yan was thinking.

Just as he said, the whole world belonged to the Liu clan, and Liu Yan was a highly respected relative of the Liu clan of the Han Dynasty. He suggested restoring the system of provincial governors, and naturally he did not want the Yellow Turbans to take over the world.

"Zong Zheng suggested restoring the provincial governor system and integrating the power of provinces and counties to wipe out the Yellow Turbans. What do you think?" Liu Hong quickly looked at the civil and military officials.

All the civil and military officials listened to Liu Hong's questions but did not say anything. Instead, they stroked their beards and pondered.

However, many ministers from aristocratic families were quite moved at this moment.

Because, not to mention the campaign against the Yellow Turbans, just the decentralization of power by the imperial court and the fact that the governor of a state had the political and military power over a state was too disturbing.

If power is decentralized, it should be decentralized to the hands of these aristocratic families.

After all, the governor of the state will still be from their family!
Who knows, what if a provincial governor hits them?
Immediately, some of the civil and military officials stood up.

……

……

Yingchuan, Xu County.

"What? The court not only agreed to my suggestion, but also abolished the governor and established the prefecture governor system?"

In the hall of the county magistrate's residence, Li Hong's eyes widened as he listened to the words of the family member who was sent by his son Li Wen to deliver the message.

"Replying to Grandfather, this is true. Your Majesty not only agreed with Grandfather's suggestion, but also accepted the suggestion of Liu Yan, the chief of the imperial clan, to abolish the governor and establish the governor. Now Your Majesty has appointed eight governors, and my Li family occupies two of them."

"The eight governors are: my great grandfather was the governor of Bingzhou, my cousin Li Li was the governor of Youzhou, Liu Yan was the governor of Yizhou, Liu Biao was the governor of Jingzhou, Liu Yao was the governor of Yangzhou, Liu Dai was the governor of Yanzhou, Yang Biao was the governor of Jizhou, and Yuan Kui was the governor of Yuzhou. Because my cousin Li Li led troops to fight in the grasslands, the governor of Youzhou was temporarily replaced by the governor Ding Yuan."

Li Chen, the fourth generation descendant of the Li family, looked exhausted, but at this moment, his face was still flushed. It was obvious that he was quite excited because Liu Hong appointed eight governors, and the Li family had two of them.

"Okay, Chen'er, you've been running all the way, so go down and rest first." Li Hong couldn't express the turmoil in his heart, and made arrangements for Li Chen.

"Yes!" Li Chen left quickly, but Li Hong, who was standing in the hall, soon smiled with a gloomy face.

It was not surprising to Li Hong that Liu Hong agreed with his decision.

But it must be said that Liu Yan's sudden proposal to restore the provincial governor system surprised Li Hong.

Because historically, the restoration of the provincial governor system happened one or two years before Liu Hong's death, but now it has been brought forward.

However, although Li Hong was surprised, after tasting it, he was more pleasantly surprised.

The Li family occupied the governorship of Bingzhou and Youzhou. Although they were frontier governorships, they were still two major states, and they almost covered the north in their hands.

This was definitely a great thing for the Li family. Liu Hong's move was obviously to get the Li family to guard the border of the Han Dynasty for him.

What made Li Hong feel that Liu Yan had provided help was the restoration of the provincial governor system. This thing was definitely a powerful tool for cultivating ambitious people.

Think about it, whoever becomes the governor of a state, a frontier official, and holds great power, will not have ambitions at all.

Li Hong could even say that the restoration of the provincial governor system had sounded the death knell for the Liu family's rule.

(End of this chapter)