Han officials

Chapter 221 Veteran Officials of the Han Dynasty [12]

Although the governor of Henan only governed one prefecture, he could not be judged by ordinary standards.

After all, this is the capital region, right under the emperor's nose!

In previous years, during times of peace, the registered population of Henan under Yin Guang was as many as one million.

If we include the servants of the powerful and wealthy in Luoyang and the gentry in Henan, as well as the hidden members of their families, the number would probably be even more exaggerated.

Even though Dong Zhuo swept through the area within two hundred li around Luoyang when he moved the capital, leaving no one alive, the cities east of Hulao Pass were spared from this sweep and survived.

Under these circumstances, the population under Liu Yu's jurisdiction as the Commandant of the Capital Region would definitely not be less than 500,000.

Even in the Central Plains region, this size would be considered a large prefecture.

Given Liu Yu's competence in domestic affairs and the favorable geographical conditions of Luoyang, how could he possibly claim to be willing but unable to act? Nobody would believe that!

However, Liu Yu was, after all, a veteran minister of the Han dynasty and a man of great prestige, so Tao Qiuhong did not directly point this out.

So when Liu finished complaining, Tao Qiuhong had an idea after a moment's thought.

He first shook his head and sighed deeply, then slapped his knees and began to sing a long song:

Once upon a time, there was a servant of the Huo family, whose surname was Feng and given name was Zidu.

Relying on the general's power, he flirted with the tavern owner.

The Hu girl was fifteen years old, and she was alone tending the counter on a spring day.

Long skirts with intertwined ribbons, wide sleeves with auspicious patterns.

On her head was a piece of Lantian jade, behind her ears a pearl from the Qin Dynasty.

……

Good heavens, Liu Yu's old face scrunched up as soon as Tao Qiuhong finished speaking.

As the saying goes: one can understand the refined meaning by listening to the music.

Upon hearing Tao Qiuhong recite this poem, Liu Yu immediately understood his implied meaning.

This poem, "Yu Lin Lang," from the Former Han Dynasty, satirizes men's fickleness, infidelity, and tendency to tire of the old and crave the new.

Sure enough, Tao Qiuhong then stood up and sang wildly and unrestrainedly:
They gave me a bronze mirror and tied a red silk skirt around my neck.

I would not hesitate to tear the red silk, nor care about my lowly body.

Men love their second wives, while women cherish their first husbands.

Life has its old and new phases, but the distinction between the noble and the lowly remains constant.

Many thanks to you, my humble disciple.

After finishing his song, Tao Qiuhong simply waved his hand and prepared to leave gracefully, truly embodying the refined and elegant style of a scholar.

However, given how things had progressed, how could Liu Yu dare to let Tao Qiuhong leave so easily?

After all, if this matter is not clarified, Tao Qiuhong could ruin his reputation with just a casual remark in the future.

Others may not know, but does Liu Yu, a Confucian scholar, not know the nature of those literati?

The saying "Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast" is fueled by this group of people.

If those idle scholars who enjoy recording unofficial histories were to find out, he might even "make a name for himself in history."
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For example, Liu Yu, the Commandant of Sili, was cold-hearted and ungrateful. Tao Qiu Hong, a famous scholar from Qingzhou, wrote "Yu Lin Lang" to satirize him and then left singing a long song!
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This wasn't Liu Yu being overly pessimistic; it was something that was indeed very likely to happen.

So, the real villains are these scholars who are cunning and deliberately stab people in the heart!

Originally, Tao Qiuhong should have been questioning Liu Yu and his son about the reason, but now it has become Liu Yu who has to give an explanation.

Moreover, he had to beg Tao Qiuhong to listen, and if Tao Qiuhong didn't believe him, Liu Yu would have to find a way to prove himself.

And just like that, in the blink of an eye, the roles of host and guest were reversed.

……

Not long after, in the main hall of the Sili Commandant's office.

Tao Qiuhong sat calmly in his seat, pouring himself a drink, showing no sign of being in a hurry.

On the contrary, Liu He, who was sitting opposite Tao Qiuhong, was somewhat uneasy.

Seeing this, Liu Yu sighed and then spoke the truth: "Since entering Luoyang last year, I have indeed focused on civil administration and restored people's livelihood, and have achieved quite good results."

"However, after autumn, I led my army out of Hangu Pass, but in the end, we failed and wasted our supplies."

Actually, Liu Yu had already been quite tactful in his words.

Although he had planned to capture Chang'an and welcome back the emperor before setting out, he was actually defeated by Zhang Ji's troops stationed at Tongguan before he even saw it, with nearly half of his more than 10,000 soldiers killed or wounded. If Hangu Pass on the east side of the Xiaohan Ancient Road had not been still in Liu Yu's hands, he probably wouldn't have been able to hold onto Luoyang.

Furthermore, due to Liu Yu's lenient governance, he was highly respected by the gentry, and each family sent many private soldiers to assist him when he previously led troops. As a result, the major powerful clans within the territory of Henan Yin have also suffered heavy losses as a result of his actions.

This incident not only greatly diminished Liu Yu's prestige in Henan, but also exposed his weakness in military affairs.

That's why Ju Yi, who occupied Hanoi County, set his sights on the Governor of Henan on the other side of the Yellow River.

If it weren't for the natural barrier of the Yellow River and the fact that Ju Yi had no navy, Liu Yu probably wouldn't even be able to withstand Ju Yi now.

After learning the whole story, Tao Qiuhong was at a loss for words.

A person should have self-awareness... Clearly, Liu Yu did not!
Given Liu Yu's current situation, it would be good enough if he didn't hinder the allies' attack on Yan and Ji provinces, let alone cooperate with them.

Thinking of this, Tao Qiuhong's feelings were extremely complicated.

He never expected that his mission, which was about to be completed, would fail because of Liu Yu, this kind-hearted man.

Blame Liu Yu? It seems we can't really blame him.

After much deliberation, Tao Qiuhong had no choice but to give up. He comforted Liu Yu with a few words and then took his leave.

Instead, after Tao Qiuhong returned disappointed, Liu He couldn't help but speak up:

"Father, why didn't you tell me about Minister Wang's plan just now?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu shook his head with a solemn expression:

"A plan should be devised by a few, not by many, for a plan devised by many will be leaked."

“The matter that Minister Wang is planning is of great importance. Apart from you and my son, no one else can be trusted.”

“Then Yuan Shao…” Liu He hesitated.

Upon seeing this, Liu Yu immediately sighed and said, "There are priorities! As long as we can eliminate Dong Zhuo, we can temporarily disregard Yuan Shao's affairs. Moreover, if we can welcome back the Emperor and restore order, the Guandong region can be pacified with a single proclamation. What can Yuan Shao do then?"

After realizing that he could not defeat Dong Jun head-on, Liu Yu had placed all his hopes on Wang Yun.

It can be said that Wang Yun was among the first group of civil officials to pledge allegiance to Dong Zhuo.

After Dong Zhuo deposed and installed the emperor, Wang Yun was appointed as Grand Master of the Palace, and soon after, he was promoted to Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

In the first year of the Chuping era, Wang Yun was able to replace Yang Biao as Minister of Works and concurrently serve as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

Therefore, when Dong Zhuo decided to move the capital to Chang'an, he left Wang Yun in charge of all affairs in Chang'an.

From this perspective, Wang Yun can be considered Dong Zhuo's trusted confidant.

However, everything Wang Yun did was merely to appease Dong Zhuo. While gaining Dong Zhuo's trust, he was also secretly plotting how to eliminate Dong Zhuo. To this end, he even tried to secretly control some troops.

For example, Wang Yun once strongly recommended Yang Zan, the Protector of the Qiang, to Dong Zhuo as General of the Vanguard, and Sun Rui, the Commander of the Imperial Guards, as the Prefect of Nanyang. He also tried to get them to lead their troops away from Chang'an under the pretext of attacking Yuan Shu. However, Dong Zhuo was too suspicious and refused.

After his failed attempt to test Dong Zhuo, Wang Yun did not stubbornly follow suit and instead readily complied with Dong Zhuo's wishes, appointing Shi Sunrui as Minister of Works and Yang Zan as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. However, Wang Yun's actions in private became even more secretive.

While attempting to control the military through other means, he also tried to seek external assistance.

It was against this backdrop that Liu Yu's decision to lead troops westward to conquer Chang'an aroused Wang Yun's interest.

To be honest, it was fortunate that Liu Yu, a veteran minister of the Han Dynasty, occupied Luoyang and had a good reputation.

Otherwise, if anyone else were in Liu Yu's position, Wang Yun would not have taken this risk.

As it turned out, Wang Yun was right about him.

Despite having the resources to spare, Liu Yu refused Wei Zhe's invitation to join his alliance, all for the sake of Wang Yun's plan.

It can only be said that even the wisest person can make a mistake; no one can be perfect, not even a god!

Meanwhile, as Tao Qiuhong traveled wearily on his return journey, a grand ceremony was taking place in Ji County...

(End of this chapter)