Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 428: Three Dukes’ Advice
Cui Jun followed and sat down in a seat below Liu He.

"My lord, don't be angry. When only a few dozen people came out of the city to greet us, Jun had already sensed something was wrong. My lord has been fighting against local tyrants in Bingzhou for many years. The interests of those tyrants are closely related to the noble families behind these court officials. Whether it is because of past grudges or considering my lord's attitude towards the noble families, there will definitely be many people who will oppose me."

"How hateful! These people have received favors from the country, but they don't think about repaying the country. They even dare to speak these high-sounding words in the court. They are hypocritical and hateful. I will kill them sooner or later!"

Liu He even began to empathize with Dong Zhuo.

With such a group of ministers holding back, being arbitrary like Dong Zhuo was the fastest and most effective way. However, Liu He still had some sense in the end, knowing that doing so would only suppress some opposition voices, but would not really eliminate the root causes of opposition to him. The more he suppressed, the more serious the problem would become.

"These people must have already figured out the character of our lord. They know that our lord will not be like Dong Zhuo, who kills people without caring about his reputation. That's why they dare to act so recklessly. We can't kill them. If we don't kill them, they will often oppose our lord in the future. It's really difficult to deal with them."

Cui Jun said with some worry.

When this matter was mentioned, Liu He's face was full of worry.

"Alas, Yuan Shao and his men were defeated in the battle outside Hulao Pass, and they must be unwilling to accept this. I'm afraid it won't be long before the war breaks out again. If the court is not stable, our army will always have concerns when it goes out to fight."

Liu He thought of the many troubles in front of him, and he couldn't help but slap down with his palm. Although he just did it casually, with his divine power, he forcibly slapped a huge crack on the table in front of him, almost breaking it into two pieces.

At this time, a man ran over to the door.

"My lord, Taiwei Yang Biao, Si Tu Wang Yun, and Si Kong Cui Lie are here to visit you."

Liu He was a little surprised when he heard this.

"Please come in quickly! Oh no, I will go to greet you personally."

Liu He took Cui Jun and walked out of the mansion quickly. As expected, they saw three carriages parked outside the door. Yang Biao, Wang Yun and Cui Lie came together.

"It is truly an honor to have the three gentlemen gather here in my humble abode. I hope you will forgive me for not welcoming you in person."

Liu He bowed respectfully to the three men, and Cui Jun also knelt down and bowed to Cui Lie.

The three of them hurriedly returned the greeting.

"The rank of Grand General is above the Three Dukes, so how can a Grand General come out to greet the three of us?"

"Thank you for your kindness. I still need your guidance. Please come in and chat."

Everyone came to the main hall in the mansion and took their seats.

"I wonder what advice you three have for me?"

Liu He spoke respectfully. Although the positions of Grand Marshal and Grand General were higher than the Three Dukes, and he held the real power, while the Three Dukes were just honorary titles, the other party was his elder and could stand up and support him at such a critical moment, so it was always right to be polite.

Among the three, Yang Biao was obviously the leader. He did not answer immediately, but his eyes turned and finally fell on the table in front of Liu He, which had just been slapped to leave an obvious crack.

Liu He also noticed this and smiled awkwardly.

"I was reckless at the moment, and I'm sorry to have made you three laugh."

"Haha, the general is a man of sentimental character. He was offended in the court, but he was able to hold back and not lose his temper on the spot. This is rare."

"Yes, I was afraid that the general would send the Yulin Army to kill those important officials in court. This would cause big trouble."

Listening to what Yang Biao and Wang Yun said, Liu He smiled helplessly.

"I did have this thought at the time, but I just forced myself to hold it back."

Cui Lie stroked his beard and nodded slightly.

"General, you are able to put the overall situation first and put aside the dispute for the time being. This is a blessing for the country. Otherwise, once blood is spilled in the palace, people will certainly judge you worse than Dong Zhuo, and I am afraid that the world will be in chaos again."

"The three of us have the audacity to come here to discuss an important matter with the general."

Yang Biao straightened his face and spoke.

Liu He said respectfully: "Please give me some advice, Commander."

"I think the general has already known that controlling Luoyang is only the first step to pacify the world. The situation in the court is complicated, and it is not possible to truly control the court by capturing Dong Zhuo." Liu He nodded: "Yes, I thought that Dong Zhuo was causing chaos in the court, and as long as he was killed and the princes in Guandong were conquered or defeated, the world would naturally be pacified. I didn't expect that the ambitions of the princes have grown, and it is not something that can be pacified overnight. And the forces within Luoyang are not much less threatening than those of the princes. How should I deal with it, please teach me."

Wang Yun snorted coldly, "These ministers are selfish. They are just afraid that after the general controls Luoyang and the court, they will not be able to easily arrange for their sons and nephews to take up confidential positions as before. They are even worried that the general will exterminate these aristocratic families as he did in Bingzhou, so they make things difficult for him. In fact, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the general is the source of the well-being of the Han Dynasty. If there is no general like the Han Dynasty's relatives to come forward, I am afraid that the chaos in the world will become more and more serious, and sooner or later the country will fall apart."

"Yes. For example, the position of Sili Xiaowei has been vacant since Yuan Benchu ​​fled. Many families and important officials have been eyeing this position, hoping to place their own children in this position after Dong Zhuo's death. The hundreds of thousands of troops under the general's command are a piece of fat meat in their eyes, and they all want to divide it up as soon as possible. If the general stayed in Luoyang, this matter would naturally not fall into their hands. How can they not hate the general?"

After listening to their analysis, Liu He sighed secretly.

"After all, I thought it was too simple."

Liu He was most annoyed by this kind of power struggle. When he was a student in his previous life, he had been troubled by this in the student union. The thought of facing such a complicated situation in the future gave him a headache.

When Yang Biao saw Liu He frowning, he started laughing instead.

"Haha, I don't want General Liu, who is so powerful that he can shake the world, to also have things to worry about."

"Don't make fun of me, Commander."

"I dare not. But the general must be careful in this matter. Otherwise, if we are not careful, the internal troubles may be worse than the external ones."

"Please give me some advice, Commander."

Yang Biao stroked his beard and said slowly: "Win over a group, suppress a group, and intimidate a group."

Liu He was shocked when he heard this.

“I don’t know how to win them over, how to suppress them, how to deter them?”

"The general is different from Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others. They are originally members of the aristocratic families. If they were to control the government, most of the noble families would support them. However, the general himself is not a member of the aristocratic family. When he was in Bingzhou before, he repeatedly showed his hostility towards the aristocratic families. Therefore, more than half of the ministers in the court are hostile to the general now."

Liu He was a little confused now: "The families behind the three of you are all first-class families in the world. Why can you support me so unhesitatingly? Can you tell me the reason?"

The three of them smiled at each other, and finally Cui Jun said: "If we, the nobles, want to truly protect the interests of our family, a stable government is the key. Since Emperor Guangwu, the world has been at peace for a hundred years, which has enabled the nobles to grow and develop, and their scale, status, and power are far beyond the previous dynasty. During the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, foreign relatives and eunuchs were vicious at home, the Xiongnu and Xianbei were rampant outside, and the Yellow Turbans and bandits were rampant in the wild. The world was unstable, and the government was unstable, which also dealt a heavy blow to the nobles."

"Although the general was not friendly to the local nobles and powerful families in Bingzhou, those who really took action to eliminate were those who were causing trouble in the area, disregarding the law, and even collaborating with the enemy and selling out the country. Those who abided by the law and treated the villagers well were not eliminated, and many talented people in the family were promoted and used by the general. Many families even participated in the reclamation and business of the six counties in the northern border and made great profits. Not only did it bring peace to the people and return the hearts of the Hu people, but it also made the status and wealth of these families rise. Such a situation is what the three of us are looking forward to."

Cui Jun's words suddenly enlightened Liu He.

"I see. I am truly humbled that you three attach so much importance to my small undertaking."

"Haha, General, you don't have to be so modest. However, there are thousands of noble families in the world, and even in the Sili area, there are more than a hundred of them. Less than 30% of them truly support the General. Those who followed me out of the city to welcome the General naturally had a clear stance. Among the remaining nearly a hundred families, some opposed the General, some remained neutral and ambiguous, and some had great respect for the General, but for various reasons, they never stood up to express their stance."

"That's right." Wang Yun took over the conversation.

"What the general has to do is to win over those who have already surrendered or intend to surrender, suppress those who oppose, and intimidate those who are neutral. However, all of this must be based on a fundamental principle."

"Please explain clearly, Situ." Liu He asked.

"In fact, this is the same principle as a general's command of the army. It's just four words: clear rewards and punishments."

Liu He's eyes lit up, as if he understood something.

Cui Lie said: "As long as the general follows the laws and etiquette of the country and carries out rewards and punishments, it will be justified. The root cause of Dong's chaos in the court is that he replaces the laws with his own likes and dislikes, rewards those who have no merit, and punishes ministers who are innocent. In this way, others can oppose him and it is justified. When Liu Taishou exterminated many powerful families in Bingzhou, didn't he also collect evidence of their crimes? Because of this, Yuan and others had to act against the general in secret. Otherwise, why would they go through so much trouble? Just one memorial can make the general fall into an irretrievable situation."

"This will at least make the court more stable, and the general will be able to go out to fight without worries. This move will also make the princes who have their own troops feel a little worried, and it is possible that some of them will return to the court because of this."

Wang Yun added.

"Well, what you three said is enough to wake me up!"

Liu He was overjoyed.

When fighting a war, it is important to have a pretext for doing so. Isn't it the same with government affairs?
"Today they are opposing me with national law and justice, so I will fight back."

Liu He clenched his fists, and suddenly he felt more confident, sweeping away all his previous depression.

(End of this chapter)