Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 125 Heroes Respond, Grain and Scenery Follow

martial arts.

Su's Dock.

Ever since the emperor arrived here from Wuzhangyuan, the Han army has taken over the defense of the fortified village.

All the houses in the fort were cleared out and made available for the accompanying civil and military officials, as well as the Longxiang Lang and Huben Lang, to temporarily reside in.

The banners of the Imperial Guards, representing the emperor's personal presence, were hung ostentatiously atop the city wall of Sushiwu, fluttering in the wind.

Several elders of the Su clan, all in their sixties and seventies, received the news and came to the fortified village from the manor. Upon seeing the golden banner, they all wept, saying they had no regrets about dying and that they could enter the earth with a smile.

Liu Shan personally received these clan elders in the ancestral hall in the core area of ​​the fortified village.

The open space outside the ancestral hall was filled with members of the Su clan who had come to pay homage to the emperor.

The elders of the Su clan, fearing they would disturb the emperor's presence, ordered Su Wei to drive them away, but the emperor stopped them.

Then, the clan chief Su Wei summoned all the young men under the age of thirty in the clan to the ancestral hall.

Thus, the two youngest generations of the clan, regardless of age, kinship, distance, or wealth, all saw the true face of the Han emperor.

Including the Dragon-Soaring Gentlemen and Tiger-Ben Gentlemen who had already served the emperor, there were a total of 136 people.

The emperor then bestowed upon them a warhorse and an ox, a set of armor, a sword, and a bow, and those who wore brocade were given hemp, while those who wore hemp were given brocade.

The youngest child, barely able to walk, also received a reward.

Such a reward naturally led many insightful people to speculate on the emperor's intentions.

Warhorses, oxen, armor, swords, and bows go without saying; the most important matters of the state are farming and warfare. In addition, these are all precious and rare items. Giving them to young people will surely make them happy and grateful. The armor is an extra reward beyond the usual standards, which can be regarded as permission for the Su family to have an army for self-defense.

As for hemp and brocade, they are probably encouragement and a little reminder. As long as you shed blood and sweat for the Han Dynasty, those who wear hemp can also wear brocade. And those who wear brocade but cannot encourage themselves may not be able to wear hemp in the future.

Whether or not this was truly the intention, only the emperor himself knows.

After bestowing a series of rewards, the emperor personally inscribed a plaque for the Su family ancestral hall.

The inscription above reads "Loyalty and Integrity Forever".

Then he wrote two more couplets.

A lone minister, holding the imperial staff for three thousand miles, endured snow and ice, returning after half a lifetime to win a vassal state.

Nineteen years spent in a foreign land, in sheepskin clothes and cow huts, how many people here regret being granted titles and honors?

Then, he ordered Jie to retrieve the gilded bronze staff that had been prepared beforehand from Longxiang.

The top of the staff is decorated with yak tail and inscribed with the words "Loyalty that shines like the sun and moon".

He then issued another decree, praising Su Weishi, the military commander, for his unwavering loyalty and integrity, and for carrying on the legacy of his ancestors. He was granted permission to inherit the title of Su Wu, a subordinate state of the Han dynasty, and to be made a Marquis within the Passes.

This decree of bestowing the title undoubtedly affirmed the Su family's merit in welcoming the royal army and was also a declaration by "Shu Han" of the legitimacy of the Han Dynasty.

The Former Han Dynasty bestowed upon you your ancestral title, and now I, the Emperor of the Great Han, allow you to inherit it. This is because I and the Former Han Dynasty share the same lineage, which has never changed.

Liu Shan originally wanted to visit Su Wu's tomb.

However, they were told that the tomb of Su Wu, the official of the State of Dian, was located north of the Wei River, not south of it.

Moreover, it is more than 30 li away from Wugongwu, and the journey is difficult, making it inconvenient for the emperor to mobilize a large army to go there.

Upon hearing this, Liu Shan did not insist.

His emphasis on Su Wu was clearly intended to promote Su Wu's loyalty to the Han Dynasty and to call upon the Guanzhong youths, who had once been core members of the Han Dynasty, to take him as an example and serve the Han Dynasty with utmost loyalty.

Therefore, unless there are special circumstances, Su would not have been able to dissuade the emperor from sweeping the tomb.

Since they advised against it, it's highly likely that the Su family, who have left their ancestral homeland to develop their own, haven't tended to Su Wu's tomb for many years.

If the Emperor of Han were to see the dilapidated state of Su Wu's tomb, he might doubt whether the current Su family truly acknowledges the achievements of their ancestor, and whether they genuinely wish to emulate their ancestor's loyalty to the Han Dynasty, or are merely opportunists.

While their concerns were valid, Liu Shan clearly couldn't afford to care about such things.

It is true that Su Shi first welcomed the royal army, handed over the household register, sent her son to serve the emperor, and offered provisions. So this is what makes her a loyal and virtuous woman of the Han Dynasty.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Lady Su probably learned from the imperial guards that the Han emperor had not brought any women with him on his personal campaign and had not been intimate with any women for several months.

Therefore, during the lunch banquet, more than ten beautiful young women from the clan were specially invited to the emperor's residence to serve him food and wine, and to present several songs and dances.

It must be said that after not having been with a woman for several months, Liu Shan was indeed a little restless, not to mention that the women sent by Su were all beautiful young girls.

Through this incident, he, who had traveled through time, finally experienced firsthand the unique and wonderful aspects of power.

Many officials and eunuchs present at the banquet clearly sensed that the emperor seemed to have an intention. The elders and even the clan head of the Su family, Su Wei, also noticed this and couldn't suppress their restlessness.

Halfway through the banquet, just as Liu Shan, seated at the head of the table, was beginning to relax, Zhao Guang, the Dragon General, suddenly brought in a message from outside.

So he let Guo Youzhi and Chen Zhen, the two attendants, continue the banquet with the Su clan members, and then left the guesthouse under the protection of a group of Longxianglang guards, heading out of the fortified village.

The Su family members were somewhat surprised to see the emperor leave suddenly without giving any special instructions, but they were not disappointed.

After all, how could something as simple as harmonizing yin and yang be decided on the spot?
Everyone cares about their reputation, and the emperor's reputation is especially important. One must act with dignity and not be hasty.

The banquet dispersed.

Guo Youzhi, Chen Zhen, and five or six other attendants, including Chen Zhi, Li Yi, and Li Feng, along with the eunuchs who took care of the emperor's daily life, quickly gathered together.

The eunuch who had taken the initiative to stop and gather the crowd spoke first:
"My lords, you should all know that His Majesty is only twenty-one this year, in the prime of his life, yet... yet he has not even produced an heir..."

Guo Youzhi and Chen Zhen, two senior officials, immediately looked as if they had just realized something.

Those at the table also noticed that the emperor seemed to be somewhat interested in the woman from the Su family. They assumed that the eunuchs had received the emperor's permission, and they all exchanged glances.

Vice Minister Chen Zhi, however, had no reservations and asked directly, "Did Attendant Lai receive His Majesty's permission?"

Lai Zhi'er quickly shook his head: "No, how could His Majesty speak of such a matter personally?"

"But what we servants who are always by His Majesty's side do is to help His Majesty with things that are difficult to say, to speak words that are difficult to utter, and to share His Majesty's worries and difficulties, right?"

Guo Youzhi and Chen Zhen were both speechless upon hearing this.

Just before the emperor was about to take a concubine, he was rejected by Dong Shizhong, who held the most power and was in charge of all the affairs of the palace, on the grounds that there were already enough palace women and it was not appropriate to take any more.

If we were to take advantage of Dong Shizhong's absence to seek out women from the common people and select palace women for His Majesty, we might win His Majesty's favor, but we might also face ridicule and impeachment in the future.

Furthermore, as court attendants, they were important officials of the state, and their duty was to assist the emperor in handling important military and national affairs and governing the country. How could they disregard their status and go to find women for the emperor? Wouldn't they be looked down upon and criticized in the future?

That being said, His Majesty has been on a personal campaign for more than three months, and is in the prime of his life, yet he has no wife to serve him, making him practically a widower. This is probably not good for His Majesty's health.
Moreover, there is another matter that must be considered. Since the Emperor's personal campaign, he has changed his previous attitude of avoiding soldiers and military affairs, spending his days mingling with the men of the army. Coupled with the fact that he has no women by his side and has yet to produce an heir, some unsavory rumors have inevitably surfaced. Therefore, at this moment, selecting palace women for His Majesty, whose prestige is rising after his victory in the campaign and who urgently needs an heir, to increase the imperial lineage, rectify public opinion, and appease the people, has become a serious and urgent matter.

But wouldn't it be better if you, the eunuch, secretly asked His Majesty about this matter and then took the initiative to handle it?

We, as foreign officials, can just pretend to offer a few words of advice, like Attendant-in-Ordinary Dong, and that will be enough. If anyone really thinks it's inappropriate, we can stand up and say a few good words for His Majesty.

Now that His Majesty is reluctant to bring it up due to his pride, and you servants dare not break the taboo, you've brought the pot to us.

But who among us wants to take the blame?

In short, no matter how reasonable or necessary such a thing may be, once you take the initiative to do it, it will inevitably affect your personal reputation. If you end up ruining your reputation, you'll be in big trouble.

Just as everyone fell silent, Li Feng, who had just been promoted to the rank of Vice Minister, looked at the Grand Eunuch and said, "Grand Eunuch, I will take care of this matter."

Seeing that someone was willing to take the blame, Guo Youzhi and Chen Zhen, who were at a loss for what to do, felt a great sense of relief and their expressions finally relaxed.

On the other side, Chen Zhi, Li Yi, and several other young vice ministers had somewhat complicated expressions.

Although this matter may indeed damage one's reputation and may lead to accusations of being a sycophant in the future, what time is it now?
This is a great era of contention that only comes around once every few centuries!

The unparalleled achievement of following the dragon and suppressing the rebellion, and reviving the Han dynasty, was right before their eyes!

And this time window may be very short!
Who knows, this chaotic world might suddenly be pacified in just a few years?!
These young people have so many old guys blocking their way.

If one wants to make a name for oneself and leave a mark on history within this fleeting window of opportunity, is there any other way besides gaining the emperor's favor and being entrusted with important responsibilities as soon as possible?

fight?

The emperor did indeed like soldiers, and soldiers always shone brightly in such matters of great contention.

But these vice-ministers know nothing about military affairs!
Governance?

They've never even served as a county magistrate!
Now, after personally leading the expedition, His Majesty has become an oddity, known for his "personal expertise in official matters."

In other words, they don't care about national affairs, but prefer to stay at the grassroots level and focus on trivial matters that should be the concern of "officials".

These officials, serving in the inner court, once offered insightful advice on the affairs of the country, assisted and taught the emperor how to handle some simple government affairs, and made suggestions. The emperor treated them with great respect.

But ever since the emperor personally led the expedition, this respect has long been gone. Their suggestions are often criticized by the emperor as mere theoretical talk, and he tells them to spend a few days turning over the soil in the fields and practicing flags, drums, and military formations with the soldiers before making any more suggestions.

Being criticized by a more knowledgeable leader and feeling a loss of imperial favor caused a great sense of disappointment among many ambitious young courtiers, prompting them to devise ways to make changes.

The first and foremost thing to do was to emulate the emperor by personally attending to official duties and going deep into the grassroots to understand the people's and the military's situation.

This is the meaning of the saying, "When the superiors have a certain preference, the inferiors will follow suit to an extreme degree."

Secondly, it allowed him to gain more exposure in front of the emperor.

It's not enough to just be good at doing things; you have to let the emperor know that you are good at doing things.

How can I let the emperor know that I am capable?
The most important thing is to get the emperor to notice you!

Hesitation leads to defeat. Now, an opportunity to win the emperor's favor was right in front of them, but they failed to seize it for fear of ruining their reputation and attracting criticism. It is a pity.

Outside the fortified village.

The emperor, dressed in silver armor and a red robe, arrived at Wugong Bridge under the protection of Zhao Guang and more than two hundred imperial guards.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed, and memories of chasing Cao Rui flooded back.

But this was not the time to think about Cao Rui, because Jiang Boyue from Tianshui, who had never met the Han emperor before, had arrived.

Accompanying Jiang Boyue to the audience were dozens of powerful families from Longyou, including both Han and non-Han ethnic groups.

Let's not even mention the minor vassal states.

Each of these powerful Hu tribes had thousands of households of followers, including Yang Qianwan of the Baima Di in Wudu, Lü Jian of the Di in Lueyang, Fu Jian of the Di in Linwei, Yao Kehui of the Qiang in Nan'an, and Lei Ding of the Di in Yinping…

In addition, there were several powerful Han families who left a deep impression on Liu Shan.

Li Yong, a descendant of the Flying General Li Guang, was from Chengji, Tianshui.

Shangguan Yong (yōng), a descendant of Shangguan Jie, one of the four advisors appointed by Emperor Wu of Han, was from Shanggui, Tianshui.

The Ma family is a descendant of General Ma Yuan, a great Confucian scholar of the Later Han Dynasty. The Ma family is now in decline, with few servants. The clan leader, Ma Zhong, is hidden in the crowd like a lackey. Liu Shan, however, glances twice at a young man named Ma Jun.

There was also Liang Xi, a relative of the domineering general Liang Ji, from the Wu clan of Anding, who was a relative of Liang Xi, the former governor of Bingzhou under Cao Wei.

Furthermore, Fu Ding, a relative of Fu Xie and Fu Nanrong, from Niyang in the north, was a member of the same clan as Fu Gan, the son of Fu Xie and the former governor of Fufeng under the pseudo-Wei dynasty.

Like the Su family of Wugong, many powerful clans, while still having members serving in the Cao Wei government, also began to send out some collateral branches to bet on the Han dynasty.

His silver armor and red robe accentuated his tall and broad figure, making him appear like a majestic Han emperor. He slowly passed in front of this large group of powerful Han and Hu people, solemnly accepting their greetings and noting their names and appearances. He was filled with indescribable emotions.

Is this the appeal of the "Han" character behind the rebellions in the three prefectures of Nan'an, Tianshui, and Anding?
Is this the reality that Zhaolie could not see: "The general personally led the troops of Yizhou out of Qin Chuan, and what common people would not bring food and drink to welcome the royal army"?
As long as the Battle of Chang'an is not lost, the Han Dynasty will truly have the foundation to contend for the throne and vie for control of the Central Plains.

"Bo Yue's contribution is truly remarkable; he managed to persuade so many Han and Qiang leaders to submit within a month on his own."

After meeting with the Han and Qiang chieftains who had submitted to him, Liu Shan then received Jiang Wei separately.

"Your Majesty is too kind!"

"We were able to accomplish such a great feat only by borrowing the power of the Han Dynasty and His Majesty."

"It is not that I have made any merit, but that the Han Dynasty, His Majesty, and the Prime Minister have given me an opportunity to use my sharp tongue and form alliances. I dare not take credit for what is rightfully mine."

Jiang Wei seemed surprised to meet the emperor, who had made a name for himself in just a few months, so soon; he was clearly excited.

This means that the emperor personally led the expedition. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult for Jiang Wei, a young general, a surrendered general, and a high-ranking official from Liangzhou favored by the prime minister, to meet the emperor so early.

Liu Shan said, “Boyue, there is no need to be so modest. As I said in my previous letter, if you had not risked your life to shoot Zhang He with an arrow, I am afraid that the Han Dynasty would not be in such a good situation. Follow the Prime Minister and do your job well. I believe that you will definitely have your time to show your talents.”

Jiang Wei was momentarily shocked.

After a moment of silence, he seemed to remember something and said:
"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has captured Baling overnight and is now at the gates of Xinfeng."

"General Zhao said that Sima Yi is probably going to abandon Chang'an and head to Xinfeng."

"Abandon Chang'an?" Liu Shan clearly hadn't expected this possibility. He gazed in the direction of Chang'an for a long time, pondering, before finally saying to Zhao Guang:
“Bijiang, leave this dragon banner here for now, let’s head to Chang’an.”

Zhao Guang paused upon hearing this.

Jiang Wei was also terrified.

(End of this chapter)