Emperor Zhaolie of the late Han Dynasty: Rising to power in Liaoxi

After inspecting the horses and returning to the hall, Liu Bei revealed his intention to exchange them for oxen: "Gentlemen, to be honest..."

"The reason I invited you two here is to replace all of these hundred-odd warhorses with oxen."

"Tens of thousands of refugees from western Liaoning are reclaiming wasteland for farming and are in dire need of oxen. We would like to ask the two of you for your help."

Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping exchanged a glance. Although they already knew in advance, they still saw surprise in each other's eyes.

Having traveled all over the country for so many years, they have seen countless people trade oxen for warhorses.

Yet, no one has ever seen anyone replace all of their hundred-odd top-quality warhorses with oxen for plowing.

Ordinary officials, which one doesn't try every means to amass warhorses and expand their retinue?

Only this Prefect Liu was truly concerned about getting oxen for the people so they could cultivate the land.

Their admiration for Liu Bei deepened even further.

Su Shuang immediately spoke up, her tone solemn: "For the sake of the people, our lord is even willing to give up such a precious warhorse, how can we two not help him!"

"Therefore, we'll take all these warhorses!"

"We'll trade you ten oxen for one horse!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall gasped in shock.

Han Dang's eyes widened in disbelief, and he exclaimed, "Brother Su! You're not kidding, are you?"

"One horse for ten cows?"

"You're really getting the short end of the stick!"

"Even the best warhorses can only be exchanged for six or seven strong oxen at most, and yours..."

It should be noted that at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a strong ox in a border region was worth about three thousand coins.

A top-quality warhorse would cost only around 20,000 coins on the market.

Exchanging one horse for ten cows means that Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping were essentially paying 30,000 coins for a horse worth 20,000 coins, which was clearly a losing proposition.

Su Shuang waved his hand and said with a smile, "Brother Yi, we two brothers admire Lord Liu's benevolence and righteousness. We are willing to suffer this loss."

"Being able to contribute to the people of Liaoxi and make friends with the magistrate is nothing in comparison."

"Besides, the price you mentioned is for Youzhou. If we go through the trouble of transporting these horses to Luoyang or Sili, the price will be much higher!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei realized that things were not so simple. Even so, transporting hundreds of horses to the Central Plains would still incur costs.

I was filled with mixed feelings. These two people were either investing or trying to make friends with me.

Such a generous and righteous person is truly hard not to admire!

Liu Bei said gratefully, "I will accept your kindness!"

"Originally, Bei Shi shouldn't have been greedy for this profit, but western Liaoning truly lacks oxen for plowing, and tens of thousands of displaced people are waiting for resettlement!"

"I will remember this kindness and repay it handsomely in the future!"

After saying this, Liu Bei stood up and bowed deeply.

Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping quickly stood up to make way, repeatedly saying they dared not.

The two sides finalized the terms on the spot, and Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping immediately set off, mobilizing their trade routes in Youzhou, Jizhou, and Zhongshan to purchase cattle everywhere.

At the same time, the two also began to purchase shops and residences in Yangle City as a base for their long-term cooperation with Liu Bei.

Within a month, the two men had sent Liu Bei over a thousand fat and strong oxen, all of which were delivered to Liaoxi.

Tian Yu had already made arrangements, distributing all the oxen according to the number of households and the amount of land reclaimed in each fort.

Each fort was guaranteed at least five oxen for plowing, and for forts with a large number of refugees would receive additional oxen.

With oxen, the speed of land reclamation increased several times over, and the cultivated land expanded at a visible rate.

Preparations for the autumn harvest and repairs to water conservancy projects have also progressed exceptionally smoothly.

The people and refugees who received oxen were overjoyed and bowed in gratitude in the direction of Liu Bei.

"Thanks to Magistrate Liu!"

"If it weren't for him, we refugees wouldn't even know if we could survive this year, let alone farm and settle down!"

"Lord Liu is truly a second parent to me!"

"From now on, we'll follow Magistrate Liu. Wherever he tells us to go, we'll go; whatever he tells us to do, we'll do!"

The word-of-mouth among the people made Liu Bei's reputation not only more solid in Liaoxi, but also spread throughout the entire Youzhou.

Everyone knows that there was a magistrate named Liu in Liaoxi who was benevolent and loved the people. For the sake of the people, he was willing to exchange more than a hundred of his best warhorses for oxen. He was a truly good official who stood up for the people.

----------------------------------

Luoyang, the imperial capital, the Jiade Hall of the Southern Palace.

The court, which should have been solemn and dignified, was now in complete chaos.

Civil and military officials lined up on both sides of the steps, while the scholar-officials and the eunuch clique were at each other's throats, spitting as they argued fiercely.

Emperor Liu Hong of the Han Dynasty sat on his throne, his face full of irritation and anger, his fingers gripping the armrests of the throne so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

This argument has been going on for a whole month.

The root cause was the Xiping Plague that swept across the country.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic in the first month of the lunar calendar, tens of thousands of people have died from the plague in various states in the Central Plains. In Luoyang, officials in various government offices have died one after another, and the people have been displaced and there is widespread grief.

However, none of the officials in the court came up with any effective way to treat the epidemic. Instead, they used the epidemic as an opportunity to start a new round of attacks and infighting.

"His Majesty!"

Liu Tao, the Grand Counselor, stepped forward, holding a memorial to the throne, and bowed deeply, proclaiming, "This great plague is a warning from Heaven!"

"This is all because Your Majesty, since ascending the throne, has favored eunuchs and distanced yourself from loyal officials, thus losing your virtue as a ruler, and thus incurring such divine retribution!"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you issue an edict of self-reproach, reflect on your own conduct, dismiss treacherous eunuchs, and broaden channels for public opinion, so as to appease Heaven and bring peace to the people!"

Upon hearing this, the scholar-official class echoed his sentiments, bowing and shouting in unison, "We humbly request Your Majesty to issue an edict of self-reproach and dismiss the treacherous eunuchs to appease Heaven's wrath!"

"presumptuous!"

The eunuch Wang Fu immediately shouted to stop him.

Dressed in a scarlet eunuch's court robe, his face filled with malice, he bowed to the throne and said, "Your Majesty, Liu Tao's faction is spreading heretical rumors and misleading the public!"

"What does this great plague have to do with Your Majesty?"

"This is all due to the dereliction of duty by the three high officials, who failed to appease the people and harmonize the yin and yang, thus inviting disaster and epidemic!"

"If anyone should be held accountable, it should be the Grand Commandant, the Minister of Works, and the Minister of Agriculture—the three highest officials. How can His Majesty be made to bear this responsibility?"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you dismiss the three dukes who have failed in their duties, to appease the people!"

The eunuchs behind him immediately responded, their voices shrill and echoing, "Your Majesty! Attendant Wang is absolutely right! The Three Dukes have failed in their duties and should be dismissed!"

With a single sentence, Wang Fu absolved himself and his associates of all responsibility, directly directing Liu Tao's criticism at Emperor Liu Hong.

The two sides argued back and forth, getting into a heated debate.

The scholar-officials cursed the eunuchs for disrupting the court, saying that the emperor was deceived by treacherous officials and that the court was corrupt, which led to divine retribution.

The eunuchs criticized the three high officials for being mediocre and incompetent, saying they couldn't manage their local areas, which led to the rampant spread of the epidemic.

But no matter how you look at it, it's all just partisan attacks and denunciations.

Not a single person offered a suggestion on how to treat the epidemic or save people's lives.

Liu Hong sat on the throne, feeling his head buzzing.

These people in the court either used the pretext of "divine retribution" to force him to issue an edict of self-reproach, pushing all the blame onto him, the emperor.

They either use the pandemic to eliminate dissidents, busy dismissing officials, and vying for power and profit.