Chapter 42: Make the people suffer again? I can't do it!

"You can't kill me!"

After hearing this, Qin Qiong and the other generals looked at each other, and finally Qin Qiong asked with a smile: "Oh? Why can't I kill you?"

"Because I am still useful!"

Xu You held his head high and said confidently: "If you kill me, you will be in a passive position!"

"Tell me about it!" Qin Qiong asked curiously.

Xu You knew that if he wanted to survive, he needed to show his worth, so he said:
"Qiao Mao issued a forged imperial edict, called on the Suanzao League, and called on all the princes in the world to join forces and enter the capital to purge the emperor. Do you know the specific strategic plan? Don't you know?
“I guess you haven’t even received any specific intelligence information!
"but I know!
"I'm not afraid to tell you that most of the coalition's military strategy was designed by me. The situation in the world has changed because of my plan!"

Even in a difficult situation, Xu You still did not forget to show off, which fully revealed his arrogant nature.

Everyone looked at each other, seemingly calm, but in fact, generals like Qin Qiong, and Jinyiwei like Zhuque were somewhat surprised and doubtful!
Qiao Mao, the governor of Dongjun, issued a manifesto calling on the princes to hold a meeting in Suanzao.

Their political intention was to stop His Majesty from "executing the entire family of Grand Tutor Yuan Wei in three days". As you can imagine, Qiao Mao appealed to the forces representing the Yuan family, Yuan's students and former officials, and the aristocratic families that were closely connected with the Yuan family.

For example, Qiao Mao himself has a close relationship with Yuan Shao!

The Qiao family was from Liang State, Yuzhou, adjacent to Runan County, Yuzhou. In one state, the two families had close contacts and a complex network of relationships.

But the Jinyiwei could not figure out that Qiao Mao forged the imperial edict and issued a manifesto to call on Yuan's allies to form a meeting in Suanzao.

Suanzao was in Chenliu County, Yanzhou, not far from Dongjun, and even from Yuan Shao's Bohai, it was only a few hours' journey along the Yellow River. But the princes of other states and counties were thousands of miles away.

It was too late to gather the sour jujubes from all directions after traveling thousands of miles.

Because by the time the princes had traveled thousands of miles to Suanzao, Yuan Kui's entire family would have been executed. But the fact is that Your Majesty issued an edict "Yuan Kui's entire family will be executed in three days", and now, two days have passed.

Tomorrow at noon, Yuan Wei and his entire family will be beheaded.

By the time the princes gathered to form an alliance, the day lilies were already cold.

Then what is the significance of their Suanzao Alliance? !

Send a clock to Yuan Wei? !

Or did Yuan Shao and other Guandong lords near Suanzao attack the capital first, delay the war, and wait for the thirteen states under the heavens to respond to the forged edict and gather in Suanzao, and then launch a general attack together? !

This is not logical either!

The eight passes in Luoyang are all built on natural dangers. One man can guard the pass against ten thousand. As long as nothing goes wrong in the capital, the pass is easy to defend but difficult to attack!

Relying on the mere princes of Guandong, they are unable to intimidate the capital!

And the most important point -

The Suanzao Alliance was held in Yanzhou, and the governor of Yanzhou was Liu Dai, a relative of the Han royal family!
Is Liu Dai crazy?! He actually sided with the Yuan family and fought against the imperial power?! He betrayed his own class?!

This series of questions made the Jinyiwei confused and at a loss!

However, due to the unrest in the capital and the influence of the Xiliang Army and the Bingzhou Army, they were short of manpower and could only focus their main energy on the capital. They knew nothing about the local areas and the thirteen states in the world, and they were out of reach.

Now after hearing this, he became surprised and suspicious!
But no one spoke. In this kind of negotiation, whoever takes the initiative first loses!

Generals like Qin Qiong and Jinyi Guards like Zhuque can wait, but Xu You cannot!

He is now in a dilemma, not knowing whether he is alive or dead. Although he pretends to be fearless and facing life and death head-on, he is actually very panicked.

If he really wasn't afraid of life or death, he would have committed suicide long ago. Why would he still be nagging here?

So when Xu You saw that no one was talking, he decided to continue throwing out bait and show his value.

"Can't guess it? Let me tell you, the content of Qiao Mao's manifesto, the so-called Sour Jujube Alliance, is actually just a trick to deceive people!"

Xu You laughed wildly and said:

"For the Suanzao Alliance, at most we can send trusted envoys to attend the meeting. How is it possible for the entire army to travel thousands of miles to gather in Suanzao? You are also talented generals who are good at fighting. Is this possible?
"Do you know what the strategic deployment of the allied forces is? Do you know how many princes responded to the forged edict? I'll tell you!!!
"Bohai Governor Yuan Shao, Chenliu Governor Zhang Miao, Shanyang Governor Yuan Yi, Jibei Xiang Bao Xin, Yanzhou Governor Liu Dai and other Guandong lords stationed their troops in Suanzao and attacked the east of Luoyang's eight passes: Sishui Pass and Hulao Pass.

"Han Fu, the governor of Jizhou, was stationed in Yecheng, Weijun, Jizhou, supplying food and fodder to provide logistical support. After all, Jizhou had been "sufficient for ten years" and "the people were prosperous."

"Wang Kuang, governor of Henei, and his men were stationed in Henei and attacked the northern passes of the eight passes in Luoyang: Xiaopingjin Pass and Mengjin Pass.

"Nanyang Governor Yuan Shu, Changsha Governor Sun Jian, Yuzhou Governor Kong Zhu and other lords in the south of the pass, stationed in Yingchuan and Nanyang, attacked the passes south of Luoyang's eight passes, such as Xuanyuan Pass.

"There is also Xiliang Governor Ma Teng, who led his troops to attack the three auxiliary areas of Liangzhou, affecting the security of the western part of the capital and involving the troops of Left General Huangfu Song.

"This is the strategic layout of the attack by the princes who want to clear the court of evil. They don't have to travel long distances, because that is the territory they have been managing. As long as they take action, the capital will be surrounded by enemies on all sides!
"All the princes will gather in Suanzao? What a joke! Do you really think that the heroes of the outlaws will hold a hero conference and the whole world will gather in one place to play house?
“In fact, as early as when Dong Zhuo occupied the capital and Yuan Shao fled the capital, he secretly used Yuan’s connections to form alliances.

"Of course, at that time we decided to attack Dong Zhuo, but the situation changed too quickly, and now it has become a matter of clearing out the emperor's entourage and punishing treacherous officials."

After Xu You finished speaking, he looked up with a scholar's arrogance and said nothing more. However, his words sold out the allied princes completely!

A perfect interpretation of "I would rather die than let my friend die"!
To be honest, no one in the capital knew how many princes would respond to Qiao Mao's forged edict and enter the capital to purge the court. There was only a rough guess that they were all Yuan's disciples, former officials and allies.

But they really didn't expect that there were many loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty among them, and even Han royal family relatives such as Yanzhou Governor Liu Dai, who responded to Qiao Mao's forged edict and went to the capital to purge the court.

If what Xu You said is true, the capital will be surrounded by enemies and in danger on every side!

So many princes, besieging the capital from all directions, with 30,000 or 20,000 soldiers under their command, that would be an army of 300,000 or even 500,000! Including logistics and civilians, it would be an army of one million!
Millions of troops besieged the capital from all directions. Even with the Eight Passes of Luoyang, the capital could not resist!

Even though they have defeated the Xiliang Army, the problem is that it is impossible for the more than 30,000 Xiliang Army prisoners to surrender and join the battle immediately, and they dare not use them without screening!

They also needed to send troops to guard these Xiliang army prisoners to prevent them from mutiny or being used by others to escape from prison and cause chaos in the capital.

With this division of forces, the total strength of the five schools of the Northern Army was no more than 30,000 soldiers. More than 10,000 soldiers had been lost since Qin Qiong and the Western Liang Army fought until now.

Zhu Jun commanded 20,000 soldiers and horses to guard the eight passes of Luoyang, with each pass receiving at most 7,000 to 8,000 soldiers. And they needed to face the siege of hundreds of thousands or nearly one million troops from the princes!
Can you stop it?!
Can they guarantee that the soldiers guarding these checkpoints are loyal to His Majesty? !
Could it be that there are traitors among the princes colluding with the outside world? !
Would he panic, flee from the battle, and surrender without a fight after hearing about the meeting of the princes and the siege of the capital by a million-strong army?

Thinking of this, generals like Qin Qiong, and Jinyiwei such as Zhuque, were already filled with turbulent waves in their hearts.

This is more than just a storm brewing! It is simply a world-wide trend sweeping over us!

"How much truth is there in what you said? How much lies? Yanzhou Governor Liu Dai is a relative of the Han Dynasty. Did he also support the forged imperial edict to purge the emperor's side? I'm afraid you are deliberately making false accusations and trying to fish in troubled waters?!"

Suzaku asked rhetorically.

At this time, the Jinyiwei could no longer sit still.

They had to figure out, was what Xu You said true or false?
If it's fake, then what is the truth?!

If it is true, then how did Qiao Mao's forged edict...or the Yuan family behind him, win the support of so many princes?
Even the Han royal family members are involved? !
Is it possible that their loyalty to the emperor and patriotism are all fake? !
After hearing this, Xu You was confident of victory and said:

“You must be very curious about why many of the Han Dynasty’s loyal ministers, who are well-known to the world, responded to the forged imperial edict and went to the capital to purge the emperor’s side, right?
"You should be very curious about why Liu Dai, a relative of the Han Dynasty and the governor of Yanzhou, came to the capital to purge the emperor, right?"

To be honest, at this moment, generals like Qin Qiong, and Jinyiwei like Zhuque finally looked at Xu You for the first time and realized that this man was indeed useful and could not be killed!

This time, Xu You is already firmly in control!

He had enough bait. If he threw too much, they would be fed. He had to keep them hanging. He said calmly:
"I only have one request, that your majesty pardon me! Well, it would be best if you could appoint me as the Minister of Chancellery.

"I believe you have also seen my resourcefulness and talent during these days of open and covert struggles, right?

"I am definitely a pillar of the country and a talent for governing the country and saving the world! I also know so many secrets, strategic deployments, and military arrangements of the coalition forces!
"Also... Yesterday, Taiwei Yang Biao led all the officials to knock on the door and cry loudly. His Majesty arrested them all and put them in jail. Are these people all traitors? Are they all biased towards the Yuan and Yang families?

"Do you know who is secretly leaning towards the Yuan family? Who is truly loyal to Your Majesty? Sorry! I know! I am Yuan Shao's chief strategist, and I know more inside information than you can imagine!

"Your Majesty, you have made a fortune by buying horse bones!"

...

"Are you threatening us?" Qin Qiong said in a deep voice.

...

"It's not a threat, it's just a deal to protect yourself!"

Xu You said calmly: "He who knows the current situation is a hero. I believe you will know what to choose! I believe Your Majesty also knows what to choose!"

...

Qin Qiong waved his hand, and the guards took Xu You away. He looked at everyone and said in a deep voice:
"I didn't expect this man to be so afraid of death that he sold out the coalition forces. I just don't know how much of it is true and how much is false. But it seems that if Your Majesty really agrees to pardon him, he will definitely tell everything!"

...

"But will His Majesty agree?"

Zhuque recalled the incident of shaking the door and crying yesterday. All the officials in the court, including Yang Biao, were arrested and imprisoned. There were still bloodstains on the bluestone slabs outside the Chongde Hall, indicating that the authority of the Han Emperor was unquestionable!
Xu You is now forcing His Majesty with words, will Your Majesty choose to compromise?

...

"No matter what, you must immediately go to the palace to meet His Majesty and report the details of this battle. At the same time, report this matter to His Majesty and wait for His Majesty's decision."

Qin Qiong said in a deep voice:

"The Xiliang army has more than 30,000 prisoners. I need to lead the troops to suppress them. The battlefield needs to be cleaned up, and the bodies of the sacrificed soldiers need to be recovered. Please apologize to His Majesty for me. After I have completed the work, I will immediately go to the palace to pay my respects!"

...

Zhuque and other Jinyiwei nodded, and then left with Qinglong and Baihu who was disguised as "Wang Fang".

The troops of the Southern Liang Army under Baihu were temporarily handed over to Commander Xu Rong, who was to suppress the captives of the Western Liang Army and assist Qin Qiong in cleaning up the battlefield.

After leaving Shuaiying, they found Xuanwu.

Strictly speaking, Xuanwu, who was disguised as 'Diao Chan', was in a loving and affectionate relationship with Lu Bu, which made Baihu and others feel nauseous.

But they also knew that Xuanwu had no choice but to sacrifice his chastity to stabilize Lu Bu and the Bingzhou army.

"Diao Chan, Situ thought you were murdered and is feeling sad. Will you come back to the capital with us to report your safety?"

Zhuque gave Xuanwu a reason, and he immediately said: "So many things happened today, my godfather must be worried. I will go back to the capital with you."

"Chan'er, I will go back with you to see my adoptive father."

Lu Bu couldn't bear to leave Diao Chan and didn't want to be separated from her for even a moment. They were inseparable even during their passionate love period.

"General, you still need to stay and suppress the prisoners of the Xiliang Army. Moreover, today's incident was caused by Song Xian and Hou Cheng, generals of the Bingzhou Army. Chan'er is afraid that his adoptive father will vent his anger on you.

Chan'er thinks that you two should not meet for the time being. Wait until I appease my foster father, and then let you and your son-in-law meet, okay?"

Diao Chan said sympathetically. Although Lu Bu was reluctant, he could only nod:
"Please tell my adoptive father that this is all Song Xian and Hou Cheng's fault. It has nothing to do with me. I have devoted my life to serving my country. I am most loyal to my emperor and my country!"

"Well, Chan'er believes in the general~~~"

The two of them said goodbye to each other for a long time before Xuanwu was able to escape.

The Jinyiwei rode away on horseback.

On the way, Baihu joked: "Xuanwu, remember to turn off the lights when you are doing things, otherwise it will scare Lu Bu to death. Then, will you fight with swords or be hit by swords?"

"If you don't speak, no one will think you are dumb!" Xuanwu was too lazy to pay attention. "Xu You was so frightened when he entered the room just now, why did he leave with his head held high? Did something happen?"

While riding a horse, Zhuque told him what had just happened.

Xuanwu thought for a moment and asked, "Is Xu You lustful?"

"..."

Azure Dragon, Vermillion Bird and White Tiger were all speechless. Are they addicted to this "honey trap"?

In this way, he returned to the capital.

It was now about three quarters past midnight, almost nine o'clock in the evening, and the capital had already begun a curfew. However, the Jinyiwei, relying on their status, had no obstacles and returned to the imperial city and entered the palace.

...

In Deyang Palace.

Liu Bian summoned Cao Cao, Xun You, Xun Yu and other officials at about 2:00 p.m. today. These people were the ones who were planning or carrying out the assassination of Dong Zhuo, but in the end they were implicated and arrested before they even started.

From their words and actions, it can at least be proven that they are loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty!

Liu Bian summoned them and praised them for standing up, eradicating evil, not fearing power, and confronting Dong Zhuo.

Cao Cao felt a little guilty, and after thinking about it, he reported the truth, saying that it was not him who assassinated Dong Zhuo, but someone else.

Liu Bian certainly knew that it was "Xuanwu" who disguised himself as the "fake Cao Cao", but he did not point it out.

Next, Liu Bian asked these ministers some questions. They were all capable ministers and talented people who could govern the country and help the people. Finally, he turned to the "financial issues."

The capital was already in fiscal deficit and facing a food crisis.

Liu Bian had to plan ahead and make preparations early. He wanted to pool the wisdom of everyone and see what ideas these resourceful and capable ministers had and pool their brainstorming.

I have to say that these people also gave some unique suggestions.

Cao Cao suggested:
"Your Majesty, the taxes of our Han Dynasty are mainly land tax and head tax.

"Due to the benevolent policy of light taxes and levies, the land tax did not have much impact. However, the head tax included the 'calculated tax' for adults and the 'oral tax' for minors, etc., which was a huge expense for ordinary families.

"If it is a normal year, they can barely make ends meet by living frugally and working hard. But if there is a natural disaster or man-made disaster, not only will the harvest drop sharply, but the poll tax will become the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

"In recent years, the Han Dynasty has been hit by droughts. It is not just one state or one county, but the whole country. The drought has affected a wide area and no crops have been harvested. However, the taxes have not been reduced. How can these poor people pay the taxes?

"At this time, they only have two choices - either sell themselves into slavery and seek shelter in a wealthy family, or become refugees. Either way, it will be a huge blow to the central government.

"Therefore, I suggest that tax reform is urgent. I think we can change the head tax from a single person to a household registration tax, which is a tax collected from every household. This will reduce the pressure on the people."

Cao Cao is worthy of being Cao Cao. Many people only see his military talent but don’t know his political ability.

This economic reform can ease the current major contradictions in the Han Dynasty. Of course, it is a bit over when it is proposed, because the local area has already lost control.

However, if this reform were implemented only in the capital controlled by Liu Bian, or in the Sili area, the results would be very significant.

...

Xun Yu also said:

"Captain Cao's tax reform is a move that benefits the country and the people. But it needs to be improved in two aspects -

"First, we need to stipulate the amount of land rent to be collected per mu and per household, that is, farmers only need to pay land rent per mu and household registration tax every year. Second, it is strictly forbidden for powerful people to annex land and pass the burden of rent and tax on to farmers.

"To achieve these two goals, we need to measure the land, check the population, clarify the laws and impose strict punishments, rectify the discipline, reward merits and punish crimes, and have enough talents."

Xun Yu touched upon the core issue.

Measure the land, check the population, clarify the law and enforce strict punishment, rectify the discipline, reward the meritorious and punish the guilty, and recruit enough talents.

These are the core of tax reform!
Moreover, these talents are capable ministers who are loyal to the emperor and patriotic, rather than corrupt and selfish people.

Liu Bian has an advantage in this regard, as he is very familiar with the talents of the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period.

But the question is, how can Liu Bian be sure of the loyalty of these talents? And whether they have any selfish motives?
For example, Cao Cao, who would usurp the Han Dynasty and lay the foundation for the Wei Dynasty in the future, was ambitious at that time, but now he is loyal to the emperor and patriotic.

So was Cao Cao in disguise at this time?
Or was it that as the Han Dynasty declined and Cao Cao's power grew, his ambitions also grew, which led to the idea of ​​usurping the Han Dynasty?
This is what Liu Bian needs to pay attention to!

Of course Liu Bian believed that he had enough personal charm to make these capable ministers submit to him!

After all, the Han Dynasty's 400-year history is deeply rooted in their bones and minds. Deeply influenced by the Confucianism of the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues, these people's mission is to be loyal to the emperor and patriotic.

Of course, he also has the Gou Di system.

...

Xun You also added: "In fact, in addition to this, ensuring the amount of 'public land' is also extremely important.

“Many wastelands opened up by poor people were soon taken over by unknown tyrants who colluded with grassroots officials.

"Land annexation and plunder are commonplace. Even because of war, there will inevitably be a large number of landless refugees, which will exacerbate national conflicts.

"If the 'public land' owned by the imperial court is rented out to refugees for cultivation, and seeds, food, and farming tools are provided, and the farmers are exempted from rent and tax burdens for the first three to five years, this will form a virtuous circle.

"It not only provides the poor and refugees with the conditions for production and living, but also increases the tax revenue for the state, which is conducive to the stability of social order and the development of production.

"besides……"

This was actually the "fake public land for the people" policy during the reign of Emperor Zhang of Han, which was improved and supplemented by Xun You.

But the problem is that nationalization of land is a punishment from God!

Wang Mang once did one thing - nationalization of land.

As a result, Wang Mang’s head was made into a specimen!

Of course, Xun You did not go into such depth. He only stated the importance of public land and proposed solutions to combating land annexation and resettling refugees.

There are other talented people who have put forward their own opinions.

These people are the pillars of the Han Dynasty, the talents who can govern the country and save the world, and they can serve as officials in the court. Which one of them is not talented? ! This is a gathering of the elites of the whole world, a real gathering of heroes!
And these talents all submitted to Liu Bian, the ruler of the Han Dynasty and the king of a country!
To be honest, even Liu Bian, a time traveler, was impressed by their suggestions and ideas!

During this period, Liu Bian also received a lot of news.

For example, Wang Yun urgently reported that his adopted daughter Diao Chan, the core figure in his serial scheme, might have been killed by the Western Liang army, which might trigger a chain reaction.

Sure enough, soon Lu Bu led the Bingzhou troops to surround the five schools of the Northern Army, and Zhang Liao was forced to retreat.

But soon, Lü Bu's Bingzhou Wolf Riders were defeated by Li Siye's Mo Dao Troops. Xuanwu disguised himself as "Diao Chan" and instigated Lü Bu to join forces with the five schools of the Northern Army to counterattack the Western Liang Army.

All the battles on the front lines were reported to Liu Bian's desk in great detail.

But Liu Bian did not use remote control!

Liu Bian believed that these capable and battle-hardened generals could handle the situation.

Liu Bian also knew that the battlefield was changing rapidly and remote control would only hinder the performance of these generals.

He trusts people he employs, and he won't employ people he doesn't trust!

Therefore Liu Bian did not intervene.

As expected, these generals performed very well, and in the end, they besieged the Xiliang army and won a great victory.

Liu Bian had been handling government affairs in Deyang Palace and discussing financial issues with capable ministers such as Cao Cao, Xun Yu and Xun You.

These political categories are the problems that Liu Bian needs to solve!

The discussions lasted from two o'clock in the afternoon until dinner time, and these ministers still had their meals with Liu Bian in Deyang Palace, which made them flattered, and many of them burst into tears.

Because they saw a wise ruler who worked hard to govern the country!

The discussion lasted until 12:30, almost 9:00. The Imperial Guards including Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise came to see them.

But Liu Bian was so engrossed in his conversation with Cao Cao, Xun Yu and Xun You that he asked them to wait in a side hall for a while.

This wait lasted until the hour of Hai, about ten o'clock in the evening. The meeting was finally over, and the ministers thanked the emperor and left.

Liu Bian originally wanted to invite them to have a midnight snack, but the ministers thanked him and left, saying that "it is not appropriate to go to bed with a full stomach late at night."

In fact, Cao Cao, Xun Yu and Xun You were all smart people. When they saw Cao Zhengchun reporting back and forth, they knew that someone had been waiting to be summoned, so they immediately stood up and left after the meeting.

As expected, after leaving Deyang Palace, they passed by Qinglong and other Jinyiwei. They just exchanged glances without any communication.

As a subject, you must understand that you cannot make friends with the emperor's attendants!

"Greetings to Your Majesty!"

"No need to pay tribute."

After getting up, Zhuque reported today's battle in detail again, and then told Xu You what he wanted.

Liu Bian fell silent for a long time. After a while, he asked again, "Suzaku, you just mentioned today's battle. How many casualties did the soldiers suffer?"

"The five schools of the Northern Army suffered more than 8,000 casualties, including more than 3,000 killed in battle. The Black Armor Army suffered more than 1,000 casualties, including more than 200 killed in battle. The Southwest Army, which was led by Wang Fang and Xu Rong, also suffered more than 1,000 casualties..."

Zhuque reported everything again, and at this moment, she seemed to understand Liu Bian's choice.

What the Jinyiwei didn't expect was that Liu Bian asked again: "What about the casualties and losses of the people around the capital who were affected by the rebellion of the Xiliang Army?"

"This……"

Zhuque immediately pleaded guilty, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have been involved in today's battle and have not had time to investigate. I will immediately order the Jinyiwei to investigate this matter thoroughly!"

"no need."

Liu Bian took out a report that Wang Yun had given him in the evening, which contained the losses reported by the county magistrates. He opened it and said:
"Seven counties around the capital were affected by the Xiliang army, of which Pingyin, Gucheng and Mengjin, which are close to the northern Mang Mountain, were the worst hit. A total of 1,700 households and nearly 10,000 people were affected, with more than 3,000 casualties. The economic losses exceeded hundreds of millions of five-zhu coins.

"These people woke up with hope and were about to start working day after day, working hard and desperately every day, just hoping that their lives would be better. But when they opened their eyes, what greeted them was not hope, but the butcher knives of the Xiliang Army.

“How innocent are these people?!
"Just because of Xu You's plan to 'cause chaos in the capital'? Just because he wanted to 'cooperate with the outsiders' to purge the treacherous officials and villains from the emperor's side? Did these people die in vain? Did they just become a number?

"Just because Xu You knows a lot of intelligence? He knows why so many people responded to Qiao Mao's forged edict? He has united front value?! And then ignore all the crimes he committed and put on a show of respecting the wise and humble?

"Make the people suffer even more? I can't do that!"

Snap!
Liu Bian threw Wang Yun's memorial onto the table. Due to the great force, the memorial slipped and fell in front of the Jinyiwei.

This made Cao Zhengchun, who was standing beside him, subconsciously straighten his back, look at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose. Even his breathing slowed down to be barely audible!

This made Zhuque and other Jinyiwei below feel a pang in their hearts, and they felt a thunderous wrath brewing!

When Zhuque lowered his head and listened obediently, he also saw the words in the report.

Why was Liu Bian angry?
The nearly one thousand words in the memorial describe how many tragedies of broken homes and separated wives and children?

This is the best place in the capital, right under the feet of the emperor!
Liu Bian doesn’t have the face to do that!

“I don’t know if the intelligence can be investigated, but can the dead come back to life?

"I am the ruler of a country, the ruler of the Han Dynasty, but I cannot even protect the people under the feet of the emperor. I am ashamed! The souls of those soldiers who died in the battle will not rest in peace in heaven!
"Pass the order down. Xu You and all officers and officers of the Xiliang Army will be detained temporarily, except for a few who defected from the dark side to the light side. The rest will be taken to the execution ground tomorrow, along with Yuan Wei's entire family, and all will be beheaded!"

...

"I obey your orders!!!"

The Jinyiwei immediately knelt down and kowtowed to accept the order. They felt a chill on their backs and their backs were wet with sweat.

Liu Bian did not roar or shout, but the rage of the emperor, like thunder, made them feel a depressing atmosphere, as if serving the emperor was like serving a tiger, which made them feel breathless.

Suzaku also realized by now that she shouldn't have reported the matter.

When Xu You pressed the issue with words, the Jinyiwei should have taken swift action, severely punished him, and reported the result, instead of coming to ask for the emperor's opinion.

...

Cao Zhengchun observed the emperor's words and expressions, and he finally understood where his majesty's bottom line was.

Those untouchables who are just numbers in the eyes of the noble families are the people that Your Majesty has always cared about, valued, and loved.

Compromise because Xu You is more valuable?
nonexistent!

In your Majesty's eyes, every subject is equal!

This also made Cao Zhengchun wake up, and he had to make sure the Dongchang men understood this at all times.

It is easy to abuse the common people, but it is hard to deceive God!
(End of this chapter)