Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 649: Yanzhou Movement
Du Ji said respectfully, "I think that the generals have worked hard and made great contributions, so it is natural for them to be rewarded. Meng Gongwei, Shi Guangyuan, Qian Daozhun and others have worked hard to govern the local areas, provide flood relief, collect food and grass, and herd horses, cattle and sheep. They have also worked hard and made great contributions. It is not unreasonable for them to serve as local officials now."

After listening to his words, Liu He knew that he would definitely say "however" next.

As expected, Du Ji immediately said, "However, the two positions of Shangshu Ling and Yushi Zhongcheng were originally subordinate officials. In the early years, treacherous and flattering people deceived the emperor, so that their power grew day by day, enough to hold all officials hostage and disrupt the government. Their crimes were not shallow. Since Emperor Guangwu, this dynasty has made many reforms to this problem, but the results are unclear. Therefore, the two positions were created to replace the Shangshu with the three officials."

"Throughout the dynasties, the Three Dukes were mostly men of both virtue and talent, rising from humble beginnings to prominence, with broad knowledge and loyalty, and their students and former officials spread all over the country. The Three Dukes assist in government affairs, and can assist the emperor, win over the ministers with virtue, and educate the people. This is the best policy."

"Therefore, I think it is absolutely inappropriate for Your Majesty to appoint Shangshu Ling and Yushi Zhongcheng again. As for Xun Wenruo and Xun Gongda, you can confer other official titles as a reward. I hope Your Majesty will accept my opinion."

After hearing his words, Liu He glanced at the many ministers present and saw that some of them looked normal, some were secretly delighted, and a few, such as Lu Zhi, Cui Lie and other ministers, frowned slightly, as if they were displeased.

Looking at the reactions of the ministers, Liu He had an idea in mind.

He cleared his throat and said, "What the Jingzhao Yin meant was that Wen Ruo and Gong Da were treacherous ministers who would bring disaster to the government?"

Upon hearing this, Du Ji immediately knelt down on the ground.

"I... I have absolutely no such intention. I just think... I think these two positions should not be established. I am not targeting you two. I have always admired you two. How dare I say they are treacherous officials?"

Liu He smiled and said, "My dear minister, please stand up. I don't blame you. Why do you have to do this?"

Du Ji stood up tremblingly, with cold sweat obviously running down his forehead, but he didn't dare to wipe it off.

The court judge Zhong Yao also stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think Jingzhao Yin has no intention of blaming Xun Yu and Xun You. I agree with what he said. The Shangshu Ling holds the power of government, and the Yushi Zhongcheng inspects all officials. They have too much power. All government affairs are controlled by the Shangshu Ling, and the government and the government are all dependent on the Yushi Zhongcheng. This is not good for the stability of the court, and it also weakens the authority of the emperor."

"I suggest that Xun Yu be promoted to the position of Shaofu and Xun You to the position of Military Advisor General. As for Cui Jun, he was already at the side of the emperor's carriage before the Taiping Dao rebellion. He is also the son of the Minister of Works. He is both civil and military, and has a high moral character. It is appropriate for him to be the Inspector of the Capital. Although my words are crude, they are from my heart. I hope Your Majesty will take them into consideration."

As soon as he finished speaking, more than half of the dozens of important officials in the court stood up.

"I hope Your Majesty will take good care of this!"

Just as Liu He was about to speak, a loud voice rang out: "What are you doing? Are you trying to use your power to force the emperor?"

Huangfu Song looked at the ministers with anger on his face. "Your Majesty is a young talent who has gone through hardships to achieve what he has today. You are a great ruler. The two Xuns are both talented and noble. They have made many contributions since they assisted the emperor. If you ministers have any suggestions, just say it directly. Why are you shouting in unison? Is this the way of a minister?"

Du Ji looked back at him and retorted, "General, what you said is unreasonable. We are here to give advice to Your Majesty. As for the ministers coming out to support us, it is because what we said makes sense. Your Majesty is a wise emperor and can distinguish right from wrong. If the general has something to say, he can naturally make a report. Why roar in the court and disrupt the meeting?"

"No, you guys..."

Huangfu Song was so angry that his face turned red and his neck became thick, so Liu He quickly interrupted him.

"Hey, old general, please step aside for now. I will make the decision myself."

Huangfu Song glared at Du Ji and the ministers before returning to his seat.

Liu He looked at the many ministers below and said, "I wonder what suggestions the three ministers have for this matter?"

Cui Lie was the first to come out. "I have never made any contribution to the court, and I feel guilty for holding such a high position. Now that Your Majesty has placed such high regards on my two sons, I will never be able to repay Your Majesty's kindness even if I die a thousand times. As long as Your Majesty has an order, I will support it until death, and I will never change my mind."

As he said this, he knelt on the ground, put his hands on the ground, and kowtowed with his head, doing a great prostration. Wang Yun rolled his eyes, without directly expressing his opinion, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Yang Biao, on the other hand, stepped forward and sternly rebuked the ministers, "The emperor today is a wise ruler. Xun Yu and Xun You are both virtuous, honest, talented and knowledgeable, and are qualified to serve as assistants. Although the positions of Shang Shu Ling and Zhong Cheng Yu Shi are not permanent, God blesses your majesty and allows our dynasty to have these two talented people. This is the blessing of our ancestors and the country. Now that we have talented people, why not establish two positions? If the two ministers are transferred again in the future, these positions will naturally remain vacant. Your majesty is thoughtful, but you don't understand them well. Instead, you speculate recklessly and disturb the emperor's hearing. Don't you apologize?"

Wang Yun also stood up immediately and said: "The commander's words make sense. Your Majesty's move is in line with the will of heaven and the will of the people. It is perfect. My colleagues, such a move is really unbecoming of a minister."

Upon hearing this, Du Ji and others did not dare to hesitate and immediately knelt on the ground.

"We, the ministers, have judged the heart of a noble man with the heart of a villain. We hope Your Majesty will punish us!"

Liu He looked at Yang Biao, Wang Yun and others with great interest, and then said: "My dear ministers, you are also speaking out of public interest. As the saying goes, honest advice is unpleasant to the ear. Am I the kind of incompetent ruler who would punish his subjects for their advice? Please stand up, ministers."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Du Ji and others then stood up and returned to their seats.

Lu Zhi, Cai Yong and other ministers said in unison: "We will do our utmost to support Your Majesty!"

Liu He nodded with a smile: "I have the assistance of all the ministers, so why should I worry about not accomplishing great things? In this case, issue the decree immediately."

The grand court meeting was in full swing here, and Cao Cao was also gathering with many generals and advisers to discuss important matters.

Cao Cao had a serious expression, his brows were furrowed, and he seemed to be worried about something.

"Now Liu He has been crowned emperor and is the ruler of the Han Dynasty. In the past, we were subservient to the court on the surface, and at least nominally served as officials with him. We always had opportunities to take advantage of, such as the Luoyang incident that day. Although we failed, we could always find reasons to explain ourselves. Now we are the emperor and his subjects, and there are only two options: submission or betrayal. How should we deal with ourselves?"

Guo Jia said: "Given Liu He's wisdom and scheming, if the princes want to submit on the surface but govern themselves in private as they did in the past, it will be impossible. I predict that after he has completely stabilized the situation of the new dynasty and the autumn harvest, he will announce it to the world and urge the princes from all sides to come to the capital to pay homage and congratulate the new emperor, so as to force the princes to make a choice. If the princes obey, they will definitely not return to their territories after arriving in Luoyang. They will be promoted in name only and surrendered in reality, and the court will send someone else to take over. If the princes do not obey, I will immediately send troops to attack and kill them. With the current situation in the world, no prince can resist the court army."

Cao Cao nodded and said, "Yes, Fengxiao is right. This is what worries me. Our Yanzhou borders Sili, Bingzhou, and Jizhou. If we follow them, we will be harmed. If we don't follow them, they will attack us first to intimidate the other princes."

Xiahou Dun looked unconvinced: "If you want to fight, then fight. We have occupied Yuzhou now. In less than half a year, we will have an army of more than 300,000. Although Guan Yu and others are the best generals in the world, are we just good-for-nothings? If I attack Luoyang, I will not be sure. But if he wants to attack Yanzhou, humph, he will never succeed."

"Brother is right. As long as we work together, we will not be afraid even if he attacks us with all his might."

"Don't worry, Meng De. Just give the order and recruit soldiers. Leave the rest to us brothers."

Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren and others also echoed him.

Cao Cao was also comforted by their high morale: "Now that we are in trouble and facing a great event, we can still rely on our own family members."

But as he thought this in his heart, his face showed some displeasure: "This is not the time for you to show off your bravery."

Guo Jia looked at Cao Cao's expression, thought for a moment, and said, "Generals Xiahou and others are very brave, which is a blessing for the lord. What the generals said makes sense. With our army's strength and the cooperation of Generals Yu, Le, Li and others, our army will naturally have a chance of winning. But even if we win, we will suffer a great loss of vitality. By then, the surrounding princes will be eyeing us covetously and take the opportunity to seize our Yan and Yu areas, which will be difficult to resist."

Xiahou Dun and others also understood and looked ashamed.

(End of this chapter)