Han officials

Chapter 135: The Waters of Luoyang Are Deep! [4K]

"Mingsir, I have come to report back to you. Thank you for fulfilling your trust!"

On the Bingwu day of August, Liaodong Prefecture Governor's Office.

Xi Zhicai smiled and reported to Wei Zhe, "The people of Woju have rebelled. The land of East Woju is no longer under Goguryeo's control. Rebellious armies are rising up in the southern borders of Goguryeo, and they have been waiting for the royal army for a long time!"

It is said that after the rebels captured Woju City, Xi Zhicai did not give up.

Wei Muhua opened warehouses everywhere in Goguryeo to distribute grain, and he took his men to fan the flames everywhere.

Under his instigation, conflicts in many of the already unstable prefectures and counties escalated to the point of military action.

In the end, the Goguryeo people themselves rose up in rebellion, and for a time the southern border could be said to be full of rebel forces.

Of course, if the Han people just sit back and watch, giving Gao Nanwu some time should be enough to gradually quell the chaos.

But the question is how could Wei Zhe just stand by and watch?

Wei Zhe caringly helped Xi Zhicai up, held his hand, looked around at everyone, and laughed, "I have Zhicai, so I can rest assured!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many county officials in the hall could not help but show envy on their faces.

On the contrary, Xi Zhicai himself did not show any arrogance and remained calm.

……

The next day, when the two met privately.

Xi Zhicai's expression was slightly serious as he said, "My lord, although the Wokou people rebelled against Goguryeo, we cannot let them go, otherwise they might follow in Goguryeo's footsteps."

You have to know that when Goguryeo started out, it was just a small tribe.

If it were not for the fact that Xuanchu, the prefect at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, wanted to support Jumong, a "Buyeo descendant", to contain the Buyeo Kingdom, the ferocious beast Goguryeo would not have been nurtured.

Although East Woju is still in disarray at the moment, the Woju people have a strong foundation.

In particular, the Southern Woju tribes living in the Baishan and Heishui areas are more barbaric and belligerent than the Eastern Woju tribes.

If Southern Woju had not been so disorganized and each doing its own thing, there would probably be more Woju countries in Liaodong.

At the end, Xi Zhicai concluded, "Since coming under Goguryeo rule, the East Woju have become somewhat proficient in smelting and forging, and are also quite familiar with Chinese customs. If combined with the brute force of the South Woju, I'm afraid the consequences will be endless."

"That's a very good idea!" Wei Zhe nodded immediately upon hearing this and said, "We really need to be on guard against someone unifying the northern and southern Woju tribes!"

However, Goguryeo still exists, so Wei Zhe can only keep this idea in mind for the time being and implement it in the future.

After discussing the issue of Dongwoju, Wei Zhe handed a report to Xi Zhicai.

Wei Zhe said helplessly, "Let's see..."

After Xi Zhicai took it, he found that there were actually only three messages written on it.

The first one was very brief, it was just that the Southern Xiongnu rebelled and joined forces with the Baibo bandits to invade Hedong.

In the past, such a rebellion might have shocked the world, but now it is just a piece of cake.

Xi Zhicai quickly skipped over this one and looked down.

The second piece of news was not important either. It was just the appointment information of Si Tu Xu Xiang being dismissed from office, Si Kong Ding Gong being appointed as Si Tu, Guang Lu Xun Nanyang Liu Hong being appointed as Si Kong, and Wei Wei Dong Chong being appointed as General of the Cavalry.

Xu Xiang's position as one of the Three Dukes was originally supported by eunuchs, so it is normal that he did not hold the position for long.

In contrast, the appointment of Weiwei Dong Chong as General of Cavalry made Xi Zhicai take a second look.

Dong Chong is no ordinary person. He is a die-hard supporter of the emperor.

In fact, Dong Zhong’s biological aunt is the mother of the current emperor Liu Hong - Empress Dowager Dong!

The emperor appointed such a person to take up the position of General of Cavalry, which had been vacant for a long time, which must have a deep meaning.

Xizhi had just had this thought, and the next second he confirmed it.

why?

Because the third message clearly stated: On the first day of the lunar month, the emperor named himself the Supreme General, recruited able-bodied men in the West Garden to form an army, gathered people to show off his military power, and set up eight schools, with the Little Yellow Gate Jian Shuo as the captain of the upper army, the Huben Zhonglang Jiang Yuan Shao as the captain of the middle army, the Tunqi Captain Bao Hong as the captain of the lower army, the Counselor Cao Cao as the captain of the army, the Grand Herald Zhao Rong as the left captain of the auxiliary army, the Grand Minister of Agriculture Feng Fang as the right captain of the auxiliary army, the Counselor Xia Mou as the left captain, and Chunyu Qiong as the right captain: all eight captains were under the command of Jian Shuo.

If it were just that, it would be fine. The emperor would just be showing off his military power.

But the key point is that Yuan Jun stated in the palace report that the emperor clearly stated in public that the eunuch Jian Shuo was the marshal, in charge of protecting the generals, and the general was also under his command and must obey his orders!
When he saw this line of words, Xi Zhicai's pupils suddenly shrank.

The general obeys the orders of the captain?

Such a situation that goes against common sense in officialdom is truly an unprecedented event!
Thinking of Dong Chong being appointed as General of Cavalry, Xi Zhicai suddenly came up with a bold idea.

"My lord... the emperor may be interested in changing the crown prince!"

Wei Zhe was stunned when he heard this: "Why do you say that?"

Although he knew that the second son Liu Xie would later ascend to the throne, he was not aware of the entanglements involved.

It is said that the current emperor Liu Hong actually has two sons, Liu Bian and Liu Xie.

The eldest son, Liu Bian, was born to Empress He and was the legitimate eldest son. Therefore, he was always regarded as the crown prince by the court and the public.

However, since Liu Hong's children died frequently, after Liu Bian was born, the emperor and the empress listened to the advice of the alchemist and sent him out of the palace to be fostered in the home of a Taoist named Shi. Therefore, Liu Bian was also called "Shi Hou".

As for Liu Hong's second son, Liu Xie, his mother was Concubine Wang. Since Concubine Wang was poisoned by Empress He shortly after Liu Xie's birth, Liu Xie was raised by Empress Dowager Dong from an early age and was known as "Marquis Dong".

From this perspective, Liu Xie was neither a legitimate son nor the eldest son, and had no advantages.

But Xi Zhicai has a different opinion.

"If the current emperor wishes to make Marquis Shi the crown prince, he will absolutely not undermine the authority of General He Jin, let alone make him obey the eunuchs. Otherwise, how will Marquis Shi stabilize his foundation after he succeeds to the throne?"

"But if the emperor intends to make Marquis Dong the crown prince, then everything will make sense."

Having said that, Xi Zhicai pointed to the names of Dong Chong and Jian Shuo in the official newspaper.

"Dong Zhong also belongs to the faction of the foreign relatives. According to the rules, he can also be promoted to the rank of general."

"Furthermore, Dong Chong has always been friendly with Marquis Dong and has no connection with Marquis Shi."

"As for Junior Eunuch Jian Shuo, he is the emperor's confidant. The emperor has ordered him to lead the eight schools of the Western Garden and control the generals. This is undoubtedly paving the way for Marquis Dong to succeed to the throne."

Xi Zhicai said firmly, "Within a year or two, the emperor will definitely depose He Jin and order General Dong Zhong to cut off the He family's roots!"

"Mingsir, from now on, you must not have too close contact with He Jin!"

In fact, what Xi Zhicai said is a bit conservative.

He actually believed that the emperor would definitely get rid of He Jin before his death, otherwise the emperor's second son Liu Xie would never be able to ascend the throne.

After hearing Xi Zhicai's analysis, Wei Zhe suddenly realized it after combining it with the records of later generations.

It turned out that Liu Hong had already decided on the candidate for the crown prince since the establishment of the eight schools in Xiyuan.

However, Liu Hong overestimated his lifespan. Not to mention two years, he passed away less than a year after the Xiyuan Yaowu event, resulting in many arrangements being only half completed.

Although the eunuch Jian Shuo was loyal and still wanted to ensure that the second prince Liu Xie ascended the throne, he was ultimately unable to defeat the He family and even lost his own life.

Later, Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang and filled Jian Shuo's ecological niche, but the nature was completely different.

After all, Dong Zhuo is not a useless eunuch like Jian Shuo, and he is not that loyal to Liu Hong!
But when he thought of this, Wei Zhe suddenly felt a tightness in his heart.

No, if you think so, then there might be something fishy about the cause of Liu Hong’s death.

You have to know that the Ten Eunuchs were on He's side. When Concubine Wang was poisoned and the emperor wanted to depose Empress He, it was the Ten Eunuchs who begged her to save her.

In this case, there may also be huge differences among the eunuchs.

Jian Shuo wanted to follow Liu Hong's will and ensure that the second son Liu Xie ascended the throne, but the Ten Attendants might not be happy about it.

Because now the Ten Attendants have aligned their interests with He and the eldest prince.

Once Liu Xie ascends the throne, all their previous investments will be wasted, and they may even suffer a backlash. In this case, it is hard to say whether the Ten Attendants are still loyal servants of the emperor!

When he thought of this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but feel a chill on his back.

My goodness, Luoyang is really not a place for people to stay. There are too many secret plots here.

Even as the emperor, I'm afraid he can't even protect himself!

But soon Wei Zhe no longer cared about the poor emperor, because he thought of a very serious problem.

You must know that he is now a member of the Imperial Party, and the most capable general in the Imperial Party.

If Liu Hong loved his son deeply and his fatherly love outweighed his desire for posthumous fame, he might have transferred him to Luoyang to prepare for the succession of the emperor's second son, Liu Xie.

If this is the case, then Wei Zhe’s preparations in Liaodong will be in vain.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but frown.

Seeing this, Xi Zhicai did not dare to disturb them and just sat there silently thinking.

For a moment, the study fell into dead silence.

After a long moment, Wei Zhe's eyes suddenly widened as he decisively said, "It's time to send out the troops!"

No one knows what Xi Zhicai talked about with Wei Zhe in the study that day.

Many county officials in the prefectural government only knew that Wei Zhe decided to send troops not long after Xi Zhicai returned.

No one was too surprised by this.

In fact, it had long been an open secret that the Liaodong counties were planning to deal with Goguryeo.

In comparison, they were more jealous of Wei Zhe's esteem for Xi Zhicai.

After all, if Liaodong wins this battle, Wei Zhe will definitely be transferred to Luoyang to serve as a minister. By then, Xi Zhicai will probably be able to rise to prominence thanks to Wei Zhe.

When they thought of this, the Liaodong County officials really wanted to kill Xi Zhicai and take his place.

On the contrary, the officials under the Marquis' Mansion were so busy that they had no time to take care of these things.

……

The next day, in the back house of Wei Mansion.

I saw Guo Yuan, Shi Yi, Sun Shao and other officials of the Marquis' Mansion sitting casually.

After everyone arrived, Guo Yuan asked without further ado, "The troops must be prepared before the food and fodder. How many troops will you be deploying this time?"

Since these people in front of him were his trusted aides, Wei Zhe did not hide anything.

Wei Zhe called out his troops without hesitation, "Four thousand soldiers from Liaodong County, four thousand from Xuanchu County, four thousand from Lelang County, and two thousand from the Fuli Camp, a vassal state of Liaodong, as well as two thousand Hu cavalry from the Wuhuan and Xianbei of Liaodong!"

It’s not that Wei Zhe forgot that there was a Dongming County in Liaodong, but Gongsun Zhao really had no spare energy.

It was only two years after the Three Kingdoms of Korea were pacified. Even though Dongming County relocated more than 100,000 refugees from Qingzhou, it could not remain stable for long.

At best, with more than 100,000 Han people in charge, the people of the Three Han countries did not dare to attack openly.

If Wei Zhe transferred all the soldiers from Dongming County, the remnants of the Three Han would surely cause chaos.

Wei Zhe would never do such a foolish thing as robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Goguryeo must be destroyed, but the Three Kingdoms of Han cannot be given up either!

However, Shi Yi couldn't help but frown upon hearing this. "If the troops from the three prefectures are sent out in full force, wouldn't Liaodong be left empty? What if the Fuyu, Xianbei, and other barbarians are still determined to launch a surprise attack?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe laughed heartily and said confidently, "That's fine. Now all the counties in Liaodong have military settlements. After our army's northern expedition, we can order the military settlements to take over the defense of each county!"

After hearing what Wei Zhe said, Shi Yi was speechless.

The troops stationed in the various battalions are indeed the best candidates for guarding the area.

However, Sun Shao couldn't help but feel a little worried: "Fifteen thousand people...isn't this too few?"

Sun Shao then advised Wei Zhe, "My Lord, Goguryeo is a powerful nation beyond the Great Wall, incomparable to the other three Han tribes. You must not underestimate it!"

It is said that the last time Wei Zhe sent troops to attack the Three Han States, he also dispatched about 15,000 people.

However, Wei Zhe had his reasons and immediately explained, "Don't worry, Changxu. These 15,000 infantry and cavalry are far superior to what they were before. Their fighting power is far greater than before!"

Apart from anything else, the armor rate of these 15,000 infantry and cavalry is far better than before.

Although only a few elite soldiers wore iron armor and most of the infantry and cavalry wore leather armor or bamboo armor, the overall defense was already quite good.

What's more, the county soldiers are all young and strong people from Liaodong who are serving in the garrison. They have been trained in the army for two or three years and their combat effectiveness is not weak.

Although they cannot be compared with the 4,000 veterans under Wei Zhe, they are still better than the half-farmer and half-soldier garrison troops.

Using the county troops to conquer and ordering the garrison troops to stay behind is just the right way to make the best use of them!
However, Guo Yuan had a different opinion. As the chief steward of the Marquis's Mansion, he knew the food and grass situation best.

"Lord, given the food and fodder we have stored in Liaodong, we should bring more people with us!"

After all, the emperor exempted the four counties of Liaodong from taxes for two years, so Liaodong still has some financial resources.

Even though Guan had been trying his best to transport refugees to Liaodong County over the past year, Guo Yuan still had this confidence.

Seeing Guo Yuan's words, Wei Zhe thought for a moment and nodded, "Then let's select another 5,000 elite soldiers from each camp. With 20,000 soldiers, we will be able to pacify Goguryeo!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall immediately agreed.

So under the coordination of the Buyehou Mansion, the entire Liaodong soon entered a state of war readiness.

Not long after, Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou, learned about the situation in Liaodong.

……

The next day, Ji County, the governor's mansion.

Wei You, a clerk in the Eastern Division, solemnly addressed Liu Yu, saying, "Sir, the Liaodong Governor, Wei Zhe, has gathered troops without authorization. This may indicate treason. We must arrest him immediately. Delaying this will only lead to serious consequences."

However, Liu Yu waved his hand with a troubled look on his face when he heard this and said, "There is another reason for this. Don't worry about it. Go and handle your official business!"

Wei You was stunned when he heard this. If Liu Yu had not been known for his fairness and integrity, he would have really suspected that the other party had accepted bribes from Wei Zhe.

However, no matter how Wei You asked, Liu Yu refused to tell the truth.

Finally, unable to bear the harassment, Liu Yu even used illness as an excuse to avoid seeing him.

Seeing this situation, Wei You had no choice but to leave.

When Liu Yu in the governor's mansion learned that Wei You had left, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

There was no way. Was he going to tell Wei You that the emperor was fooling around?

To be honest, if the emperor had not told him in person when he left the capital to meet the emperor, Liu Yu would not have dared to believe it.

But what could he do? The emperor said frankly that he just wanted to have a better reputation after his death, so Liu Yu had no choice but to obey.

Besides, the emperor was not too reckless this time, and the manpower and material resources he mobilized were not too much.

Even if Wei Zhe messed things up in the end, the only loss would be the power of the Liaodong counties.

Among the emperor's many willful and reckless actions, this time he was considered reasonable!

In this situation, Liu Yu could only watch Wei Zhe's extraordinary actions.

Alas~ It’s not easy to be a minister!

If someone impeaches him for this in the future, just think of him as being senile and confused!
In the study, Liu Yu sighed and couldn't help but think...

(End of this chapter)