novelSusiti Chapter 168 The Sword Is Drawn
Chapter 168 The Sword Is Drawn
Chapter 168 The Sword Is Drawn
Emperor Ling, his head throbbing from the noise, slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Enough!"
The hall was quiet.
"On the contrary, suppressing the rebellion is the only option." Emperor Ling rubbed his temples. "Who is willing to go?"
No one said a word.
Yizhou is a place with high mountains and long roads, where barbarians roam and rebels have risen up again. Going there would be suicide. Even if the rebellion is quelled, there would be no benefit, and one might even incur the wrath of the Xi Jian and Liu Yan factions.
Only a fool would go.
After a brief standoff, a young imperial censor close to Lu Zhi stepped forward: "Your Majesty, Liu Bei, the Commandant of Hanzhong Commandery, is a member of the Han imperial family, and his loyalty and bravery are commendable. He previously quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and this year he has commanded troops in Hanzhong, earning considerable renown. Why not order him to quell the rebellion nearby?"
Liu Bei?
Most people in the hall had forgotten this name.
Emperor Ling frowned: "Liu Bei... is he usable?"
Zhang Rang suddenly opened his eyes, took half a step forward, and said in a shrill voice, "Your Majesty, Liu Bei is the Commandant of Hanzhong. He is Lu Zhi's disciple and previously distinguished himself in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion. This year in Hanzhong... well, he did a good job."
He paused, then added, "Moreover, it's closer. From Hanzhong to Mianzhu, via the Micang Road, it's only a ten-day journey. If we send troops from Luoyang... it would take three months, costing countless amounts of money and provisions."
These words struck a nerve with Emperor Ling: money.
The imperial court is out of money.
Most of the money from selling official positions in the Western Garden was spent on palace construction. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, local taxes failed to come in, and the national treasury was empty. Send troops? Where would the money come from?
Emperor Ling hesitated: "Liu Bei... holds a lowly official position and is probably not up to the task."
"He may be given an additional title," Zhang Rang said. "He shall be appointed General Who Pacifies the South and oversee military affairs in Yizhou. This is to be done as a matter of expediency."
As he spoke, he twirled his fingers in his sleeve, recalling the thin gift list that had been delivered by fast horse from Hanzhong the previous night: five hundred gold ingots, one hundred bolts of Shu brocade, and a pair of jade discs.
Enough quantity.
Liu Yan became anxious.
If Liu Bei were to enter Yizhou, his entire plan would be ruined.
"Your Majesty!" he prostrated himself, "Liu Bei is young and inexperienced, and I fear he will find it difficult to command respect. Yizhou is a large province, and a rebellion here is no small matter. We should send a senior official..."
""
"A high-ranking official?" Zhang Rang interrupted. "Did Lord Liu recommend himself?"
Liu Yan choked.
He dared not say, "I'll go," for to do so would be like jumping into a fire pit. He had originally started the fire for Ma Xiang, but it had started too early, and the extent of the fire was unclear; he dared not rashly enter.
Emperor Ling looked at Liu Yan, then at Zhang Rang, and then at the empty palace ceiling, where a coiled dragon was carved, its eyes inlaid with luminous pearls—it was valuable.
"Draft an edict," he finally said, "promoting Liu Bei to the position of General Who Pacifies the South, overseeing military affairs in Yizhou, and ordering him to quell the rebellion within a specified time."
Liu Yan gritted his teeth, but could only kowtow and say, "Your Majesty is wise."
Zhang Rang lowered his eyelids, and the curve of his lips deepened.
After the court session ended, Liu Yan returned to his residence and went directly to a duty room in the side hall of the south courtyard.
The door closed, and he slammed his fist on the table.
boom!
The teacup on the table jumped up, fell to the ground, and shattered.
"Liu Jun..." he spat out two words through gritted teeth, "Useless!"
The plans are all messed up.
Ma Xiang rebelled beforehand, and Liu Bei intervened. With the imperial edict issued, Ma Xiang was completely put on the defensive. Now, not only could he not go to Yizhou, he had also shot himself in the foot.
The door to the duty room was gently pushed open.
A trusted aide slipped in and whispered, "My lord, Liu Jun... has gone missing."
Liu Yan turned around, her eyes bloodshot: "When did this happen?"
"We should have received news in the first month of the lunar calendar, but we haven't received any yet. The messenger sent to meet us has reported back... we haven't seen any trace of him."
Liu Yan's mind went blank.
Is Liu Jun already dead?
Could it be that Prime Minister Ma acted on his own initiative? But how could a salt worker like Prime Minister Ma have the audacity to rebel in advance? And why did he choose to do it when the court was holding a meeting to discuss him as the governor of Yizhou?
coincidence?
Liu Yan did not believe in coincidences.
He took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.
"Have you investigated Liu Bei's background thoroughly?"
"I've investigated." The aide handed over a scroll of silk. "Liu Bei, a native of Zhuojun, is a fourteenth-generation descendant of Emperor Jing. In his youth, he sold grain. Later, he became a disciple of Lu Zhi and followed him in suppressing the rebellion in Lujiang and the Yellow Turban Rebellion, accumulating merits until he rose to the rank of Commandant. Last year, he was appointed Commandant of Hanzhong, where he suppressed bandits, pacified the people, opened trade markets, and established military farms and training troops... He is quite capable."
Liu Yan quickly scanned the silk scroll, his heart sinking with each reading.
This is not a simple role.
"How many soldiers does he have in Hanzhong?"
"On the surface, there are 5,000, but they are expanding and may reach 10,000."
Ten thousand.
Liu Yan's hand trembled.
"My lord," the advisor lowered his voice, "if Liu Bei truly enters Yi Province and defeats Ma Xiang... then the position of Governor of Yi Province will likely not be yours."
"I know," Liu Yan said, closing her eyes.
After a long while, he opened his eyes: "Send a message to Prime Minister Ma."
"How do I send it? Liu Jun's line is broken..."
""
"Let's go to Jingzhou." Liu Yan walked to the window, pushed it open a crack, and let the cold wind in. "Have our men in Jiangling disguise themselves as merchants and enter Shu to find Ma Xiang. Tell him... the court has sent Liu Bei to quell the rebellion, so he should prepare in advance. If necessary... we can allow him to surrender and spare his life."
The advisor was taken aback: "My lord, Prime Minister Ma is a useless piece, why would you still protect him?"
"Even a useless son has his uses," Liu Yan said coldly. "Let him stall Liu Bei, the longer the better. Stall him until the court loses patience with Liu Bei, until... we have our chance."
"Yes."
The staff withdrew.
Liu Yan stood alone by the window, gazing at the gray sky beyond the palace walls.
He recalled the scene from six months ago, when he had a private conversation with Liu Jun at the Luoyang residence.
At that time he said, "Yizhou is a land of plenty; if we control it, we can conquer the world."
Liu Jun asked, "What if things don't work out?"
"It all depends on human effort."
What now?
Was it human intervention? Or divine intervention?
Liu Yan didn't know.
All he knew was that this unexpected turn of events occurred in the middle of the game.
Liu Bei...
He murmured the name to himself, as if he were chewing it up and swallowing it.
On February 22nd, the second urgent report was sent to Luoyang.
"When the rebels captured Luo County, Prefect Xi Jian died for his country."
Chaos erupted in the imperial court.
With Xi Jian dead, Yizhou was completely out of control. Emperor Ling panicked and urged the Grand Commandant to expedite the formalities. Liu Bei's appointment edict was stamped that very afternoon and sent out by express courier.
Also sent were a private letter from Lu Zhi, a secret instruction from Zhang Rang, and the first batch of military rations raised by the imperial court. The mere three thousand shi (a unit of dry measure) was a drop in the ocean, but the sentiment was conveyed.
When the imperial edict was sent out of Luoyang, it began to snow again.
The messenger, carrying a yellow silk-wrapped imperial edict box, mounted a swift horse, cracked his whip, and the horse's hooves pounded through the snow as it galloped westward.
As we passed through the city gate, several guards huddled in the gatehouse warming themselves by the fire and glanced at us.
"Yizhou again?"
"Absolutely, it's a mess."
"Liu Bei...who is that?"
"Who cares who he is? We don't need to go and die."
The horses disappeared at the end of the official road, leaving a trail of hoofprints on the snow, which were quickly covered by fresh snow.
Hanzhong, Nanzheng.
On the 25th of February, the imperial edict arrived.
Liu Bei and his men knelt to receive them.
The voice of the Imperial Attendant, who proclaimed the imperial edict, was high-pitched and carried somewhat weakly in the cold wind: "...Liu Bei is hereby promoted to General Who Pacifies the South, overseeing military affairs in Yizhou, to quell the rebellion within a few days, and to bring peace to the people..."
""
After the decree was read, Liu Bei kowtowed and said, "Your subject accepts the decree and thanks you."
He stood up and accepted the imperial edict.
The yellow silk was heavy, and the jade seal was bright red.
General of Pingnan.
Supervise the military affairs of Yizhou.
They have a formal title now.
He turned around and looked at the crowd behind him.
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Jian Yong, Qian Zhao, Zhang Wu, and the newly promoted generals stood in a row, their armor gleaming and their eyes burning with fervor.
Further away, ten thousand soldiers stood in formation on the training ground, their spears and halberds like a forest, their banners fluttering in the wind.
"Gentlemen," Liu Bei began, his voice not loud but carried by the wind, "the imperial edict has been issued, and our authority has been established. Tomorrow, we will march on Yizhou."
"Victory! Victory!"
The roar shook the heavens and startled the birds into flight.
Liu Bei gripped the imperial edict tightly and looked southwest.
There, in the direction of Chengdu, the sky was overcast.
But through the gaps in the clouds, a ray of golden light shone through.
Like the cold glint of a drawn blade.