My father is Emperor Wu of Han, how can I be different from him?

Chapter 245 This is my fault

This scene in Chang'an was set against the backdrop of the sudden Huns' invasion of the border, with the enemy's rampant intentions, the tragic death of the Wuyuan prefect, and some special circumstances of the emperor.

all in all.

Many reasons aroused the anger of the Han emperor and his ministers, so much so that the emperor personally led the army north. The court officials and the emperor were holding their breath.

It looks like the killing will turn into a river of blood!

However, this blow, filled with anger and murderous intent, was indeed delivered successfully. It is unknown whether it might not hit the target...

Twenty-six thousand cavalrymen from the southern and northern armies marched out of Chang'an together. The emperor himself took command of the troops, appointing Huo Qubing as the vanguard, and Lu Bode, Li Gan, and Xu Ziwei as deputy generals.

Head east from the capital, pass Zuo Fengyi, and after reaching the Yellow River, turn north, pass Xihe County, gather 3,000 Xihe cavalry in Pingding City, and then continue north.

On the next day, they entered the southeastern part of Wuyuan County.

The vanguard led the way, and the emperor led the central army behind. Wherever they passed, they saw villages burned to ashes and corpses everywhere.

Men, women, young and old, without exception, all were missing their heads...

"The General of Cavalry has reported that the Huns are showing signs of advancing rapidly, and he has requested permission to march quickly!" In front of an unknown village, a captain came riding a horse to report.

Liu Che's face was stiff. He mounted his horse without saying a word and said in a vicious voice, "Pass the order, chase me as fast as you can!"

"Here!"

The army marched westward again, and tragic scenes of dead bodies were seen in villages and towns one after another. It was not until they approached Jiuyuan City that the situation improved a little.

The headless corpse is gone, but the burnt village is still…

After the central army arrived at Jiuyuan City, its speed did not slow down because the speed of the vanguard did not slow down. Liu Che may have been lacking in military command, but he was not lacking in the ability to recognize and trust people.

He followed Huo Qubing wherever he went.

The cavalry bypassed the city and continued to chase westwards, and the defenders in Jiuyuan City saw the emperor's dragon flag and responded quickly.

Not long after.

At the front of the galloping army, the imperial carriage commander Su Jia urged his horse to gallop over and shouted, "Your Majesty, the Wuyuan commander has caught up with the central army and said he has military intelligence to report!"

After getting the emperor's approval, a general wearing a crested crown approached the dragon flag and said with a sad face, "I, the guilty minister Lu Yangrong, see..."

"Cut the nonsense!"

The whistling cold wind hit Liu Che's face. He said without turning his head, "Tell me about the military situation!"

"Yes!" Wuyuan Commander Lu Yangrong said loudly: "50,000 Xiongnu attacked, raised the wolf flag of Wangting, and plundered Wuyuan County, but did not attack the city."

"Leave 5,000 cavalry to patrol the county, and the rest will all go to the north. The 5,000 cavalry outside the city will retreat half a day ago and head northwest!"

northwest?

Liu Che looked up to determine the direction. The direction they were chasing was northwest!
Half an hour later.

In the northwest of Jiuyuan City, in a valley.

"Uu——"

Liu Che reined in his horse and asked in front of the army, "General Huqi, why did you stop the pursuit?"

Huo Qubing pointed to the fortress a hundred feet away on the right and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, I have checked and found that the soldiers in the outpost have been dead for more than two days, which means that the Xiongnu have taken this place in advance as a retreat route!"

He pointed to the hoof prints in the southwest direction and said, "A large group of Xiongnu rushed here from Shuofang, then crossed the border and headed north to the desert. It took at least more than three hours."

"The Xiongnu only want heads when they go south, and don't want any living people or food. They don't have baggage to encumber them, so they can accomplish a lot in three hours."

talking.

Huo Qubing clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, if we continue to chase after them now, we will easily be ambushed!"

This place is located between two peaks of Yinshan Mountain. To the north, there are numerous valleys and mountains. If the Huns have already set up a trap in the north, it would be unwise to pursue them rashly.

If Huo Qubing led 30,000 cavalrymen alone, he would dare to lead his troops to charge even if he suddenly encountered 50,000 Huns on the battlefield.

But at this moment.

The emperor was in the army and faced the danger of being ambushed. Huo Qubing had to consider not only his own life but also his uncle's life...

Snapped!
The sound of the whip being cracked made a sudden sound in the air.

The emperor rode his horse back and forth, looking towards the mountains to the north, his eyes were filled with hatred, and he felt a deep resentment in his chest that was difficult to express.

Just at this time, a cavalry of more than a thousand people came galloping from the southwest. They were still far away, so the imperial guards stepped forward to stop them and negotiate.

After a while, several knights were brought before the emperor. The leader immediately dismounted and clasped his fists: "Your Highness, the governor of Shuofang, is too late to welcome you and was unable to repel the enemy."

"Your Majesty, please punish me!"

The emperor sat astride his horse and stared at him for a long time. In front of everyone, he said in a cold tone: "I order you to entangle the invading enemy and block the border."

"What have you done?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Gu was stunned for a moment, then he knelt on one knee and said with an unpleasant expression: "Your Majesty, the Xiongnu army is too strong, and we are outnumbered. We can only retreat to the city, and it is difficult to advance out of the city."

"Besides..."

He hesitated and said, "Besides, I have not received any military orders from Chang'an."

Hearing this, the cold light in Liu Che's eyes condensed into substance, and his cold words echoed in front of the three armies: "Where are the governors of Beidi and Tianshui?"

Yi Gu realized something and replied sternly: "Except for your Majesty's personal troops, I have not seen any other reinforcements!"

The words fell.

The generals who were listening to the conversation immediately looked unhappy. Huo Qubing even pointed out bluntly, "We came from Chang'an, and the northern counties are closer to Shuofang."

"We're here, but they're not?"

If Huo Qubing were to decide, such people would definitely be executed if they missed the deadline!
The emperor stared at the Shuofang governor who was kneeling on the ground, with neither sadness nor joy on his face, until the surrounding armies were affected by him and gradually fell silent.

"Hahaha!"

Liu Che suddenly laughed dryly and said self-deprecatingly: "It seems that when the Xiongnu invade, only I, who stay in Chang'an all year round, am anxious, while the local governors are quite relaxed."

"I came so quickly that it seemed like they came too slowly."

"hehe."

The emperor's smile faded, and he said in a calm tone, "This is my fault..."

……

Chang'an City, Weiyang Palace.

Since the emperor personally led the army to the battlefield, the crown prince entered the Weiyang Palace at the beginning of the morning hour every day. Regardless of whether he had government affairs to attend to or not, he would wait until the moment before the palace gates were locked before leaving.

During this period, the general, the prime minister, and the chief censor took turns to guard the palace.

This time the crown prince is regulating the country, it is completely different from the last time. Last time the emperor was on an eastern tour, but this time he is leading the army in person!
Say something disrespectful.

Swords and spears are ruthless on the battlefield. Once the emperor makes a mistake, Chang'an must be prepared. Perhaps this is an unnecessary worry, but necessary measures cannot be omitted.

Since this concerns the country and the people, even if the prince does not do so, the ministers will ask him to do so.

"Military report! Military report!"

Towards evening, loud shouts were heard outside the Xuanshi Hall. The emperor and his ministers who were discussing matters inside the hall were startled and all looked outside.

"Shuofang Army Report!" Little Eunuch Wei learned this from someone, but he ran and shouted at the top of his voice, and even wanted to slide down on his knees after entering the hall. "Alright, give it to me!"

How could Liu Ju have the time to watch his performance? Although he complained about his father in his heart every day, when the time came, Liu Ju still didn't want to end up losing his father at a young age.

"Your Highness, please have a look."

He took a few steps down the imperial steps, took the military report, and unfolded it to take a look...

hiss!
Liu Ju took a breath and his face showed a very strange expression. His expression scared the ministers who were staring at him.

Wei Qing asked in surprise, "Your Highness, how is the north?"

Gongsun He asked suspiciously, "But something went wrong?"

Dongfang Shuo... Before Dongfang Shuo could speak, Liu Ju handed the military report to everyone. When his uncle Wei Qing took it and checked it, Liu Ju's face showed a strange expression again, and he sighed:
"Father punched the air."

Not long after, the ministers in the palace finished reading the military report. When it was finally passed to Dongfang Shuo, he was surprised and said, "Didn't the Xiongnu have a tendency to go deep into the hinterland? How come they retreated so quickly?"

Hear the words.

Wei Qing looked thoughtful, "It's probably just a trick."

The other ministers exchanged glances, and their nerves, which had been tense for many days, relaxed a little. Regardless of whether it was an eye-opener or not, the news that the Huns had retreated and the front line was safe was always good.

At this time, the prime minister, the chief censor and others who had been keeping a close eye on the developments also received the news and hurried to the Xuanshi Hall.

After learning about Shuofang's situation, like the previous few people, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"It doesn't matter."

Prime Minister Shi Qing pounded his cane and said, "There are benefits to the Xiongnu's early retreat. Your Majesty will make the decision on the north. We can just sit back and relax in the court."

He looked at Liu Ju and said, "Since His Majesty has sent a message to inspect the border defense, he will not be able to return to Chang'an for a while. Your Highness should handle the government affairs accumulated in the past few days as appropriate."

The rulers and ministers in Chang'an thought that the emperor would be able to return to the capital soon this time. After all, the Huns had invaded their homeland, and the emperor had to lead the army personally to meet the enemy. If a war really broke out, it would only be a piece of cake.

Based on.

Some less urgent government affairs could be delayed as long as possible.

But now the emperor has sent a message, asking him to inspect all the way from the Hetao area back to Guanzhong, and it would take more time if he had to stop and go.

The Prime Minister's words made sense. Now that all the ministers had arrived, several important matters were dealt with.

"What arrangements did the emperor make for Zhao Guo and the other two before he left the capital?" Liu Ju asked a man behind the beam on the left.

Sima Qian, who was sitting at his desk with a pen in hand, bowed and said, "Your Highness, at the banquet, His Majesty promised to grant official titles to the top three candidates, but he did not specify the specific rank."

"kindness……"

Liu Ju groaned, then turned to look at the others, "What do you think?"

Wei Qing kept silent. Shi Qing seemed to be considering it. Sang Hongyang suggested, "Zhao Guo can be appointed as the Grand Minister of Agriculture in the Ministry of Agriculture."

Wang Wenshu continued, "Bingji can come to the Supreme Court to serve as a clerk in the memorial office."

Han Shuo also spoke up: "Liu Deke can serve as a clerk in the Zongzheng Temple."

Everyone gave face to the top three in the imperial examination. To be more precise, they gave face to the three people who were invited to a banquet by the emperor!
but.

Liu Ju was still not satisfied, because none of the official positions they reported were higher than 600 dan. He nodded thoughtfully, and suddenly looked at Bu Shi beside him:

"Doctor Yushi, what do you think?"

Bu Shi was stunned when he heard this, and Sang Hongyang and others were also slightly surprised. Why did His Highness specifically ask the Chief Censor?
They didn't wonder for long.

Because Bu Shi was extremely good at judging the situation, he had long seen through the importance that Your Majesty attached to the imperial examination, so when the prince asked, he immediately tasted the meaning.

Although he was reluctant to give the prince a platform, Bu Shi had no choice but to hold his nose and say,
"I think that since most of the candidates selected in the first imperial examination are outstanding talents, we should give them more opportunities for training."

Na.

After these words were spoken, the ministers present were not fools and they immediately understood what the prince meant.

Sang Hongyang and the other two looked at each other and did not think for too long. They followed the words of the Censor and said that they really needed to give young people more opportunities.

That's it.

Zhao Guo was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture, Bing Ji as the Chief Justice, and Liu De as the Chief Internal Official. They all reached the rank of a thousand-stone official. This was very good, and Liu Ju was satisfied.

After nodding, he instructed the Minister of Agriculture Sang Hongyang: "Let Zhao Guo try out his method of farming as soon as possible, and implement it in the farmland outside the palace first."

"Yes." Sang Hongyang replied.

The appointment of officials to the top three in the imperial examination was decided. As for the other successful candidates, with the support of Liu De and others, the more than 20 people who could enter the palace examination would be properly arranged by the Prime Minister's Office.

Others will not be able to be too biased and will be gradually transferred to official schools in various places.

Guanglu Qing Xu Ziwei accompanied the emperor to the war, while Guanglu Cheng Ni Kuan was in the palace, receiving the mission assigned by the prince.

"And one more thing."

Liu Ju said calmly: "The report of the money laundering incident caused unrest among the people, why didn't the local authorities report it? The court didn't even know about it?"

Say it.

The officials looked at each other in bewilderment. Why didn't the local authorities report it? Why didn't the imperial court know about it? Your Highness, you really don't know. Who doesn't know what happened to Yi Zong, the last person who was accused of reporting corruption?
Who dares to report it?

By relying on the policy of reporting the corruption, the emperor collected billions of property, tens of millions of slaves, and tens of thousands of acres of land. With such a huge amount of financial revenue involved, who would dare to say anything?
Sang Hongyang, who knew the national treasury accounts clearly, lowered his head and remained silent. If the Minister of Finance, who was in charge of finance, did not speak, it would be even less likely for others to speak.

finally.

It was Prime Minister Shi Qing who stepped forward to take the blame. "Your Highness, this old minister failed in his duty. I will investigate this matter immediately after the court is dismissed."

Liu Ju nodded, "Not only do we need to check, we also need to revise after checking!"

Before everyone could look at him with suspicious eyes, Liu Ju said, "Father didn't know about the civil unrest before, but now that he knows, he intends to rectify it."

"The Prime Minister and the Imperial Court will investigate together. If the report of the money leads to any problems, the court will give an explanation."

Listen.

Sang Hongyang immediately suppressed the slight signs of doubt that had just appeared in his mind. It turned out that this was the emperor's intention, so there was no problem. Shi Qing and Wang Wenshu no longer had any doubts.

"I will do it immediately."

"Okay." Liu Ju nodded, a gentle smile on his face, "There aren't many government affairs left, thank you for your help."

No matter what everyone was thinking at this moment, the prince was polite, and they all bowed and smiled in response.

"Your Highness, your words are respectful."

"Haha, there is no need for you to be on duty in the palace today. You have been tired for many days. Please go back."

"Thank you, Your Highness..."

After exchanging greetings for a while, several important ministers left the Weiyang Palace one after another and bowed to each other outside the palace gate.

After getting on his carriage and being alone, the Imperial Censor, who had been smiling like a rich man, gradually became gloomy.

He stared at the carriage in a daze, as if he was looking through the wooden boards, the palace walls, and the distant distance, at the Xuanshi Hall that he had just left.

"Every time your majesty leaves the capital, the crown prince's prestige rises. The other side is cautious at every step... Alas!"

"What should the king do?"

(End of this chapter)