The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 116: The Five Northern Army Battalions
Of course there are more things!

Liu Xie said with a smile: "In this case, the ceremonial arrangements for conferring the title of Duke on the Grand Master will be completely handed over to Cai Zhonglang to arrange."

Dong Zhuo felt a little embarrassed when he saw Cai Yong at this moment.

After all, he not only suspected Liu Xie, but also Cai Yong.

Cai Yong was his closest confidant, but he was met with such suspicion. How could Dong Zhuo ever hold his head up in front of Cai Yong in the future?

"It's all your fault, you idiot! Why don't you thank me!"

He was so angry that he kicked Dong Min again.

Dong Min burst into tears of gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, brother! Thank you, Lord Jia! Thank you, Mr. Cai!"

Jia Xu returned to his previous attitude of being a good guy: "General Zuo, what do you mean by this? I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it."

Liu Xie glanced at Jia Xu from the side and guessed somewhat about Jia Xu's intention of letting Dong Min guard the ancestral temple.

However, since this solution could satisfy all parties, Liu Xie did not mind Jia Xu taking revenge on his personal grudge.

Liu Xie sighed, "What a pity. I really want General Zuo to take on the position of General Zhuguo. Even if he doesn't command the palace soldiers, he should be responsible for the defense of the palace. After all, it is better to put the military power in the hands of one of our own people than to give it to others."

Although Dong Min was hostile to him as the emperor, Liu Xie didn't care.

As long as Dong Zhuo kept silent, even if Dong Min was hostile, he would only be able to make small moves that would backfire and would not affect the overall situation.

On the contrary, what really worried Liu Xie was the fact that the military power that was suddenly vacant had no one to command it.

Liu Xie was not worried about Lu Bu and Niu Fu.

But Liu Xie had never even met people like Li Jue, Guo Si, and Xu Rong, so how could he let them continue to increase their power?
"Grand Master, is there another member of the Dong clan as brave as General Zuo? If there is, please recommend him and let him lead the army. If so, I can rest assured."

Liu Xie's words completely eliminated the last trace of doubt in everyone's hearts.

Even though Dong Min did such a thing, Liu Xie still trusted the Dong family and hoped that Dong Zhuo could recommend another person from the same clan to take control of the military power... With such an emperor, who could doubt his trust in the Dong family?

Dong Zhuo felt more and more guilty: "Among my clansmen, there is no one who can lead the soldiers. Your Majesty, please make the decision yourself!"

Half is modesty, half is truth.

If there really were talented people among the Dong family who could be of great use, why would we need to select them now?
"Grandmaster, there is no need to be modest. I am not familiar with the generals in the army, so it is difficult to select them."

Since Liu Xie couldn't get any information from Dong Zhuo, he decided to ask Dong Min.

"Does General Zuo have any recommendations?"

Dong Min also felt extremely guilty!

Even now, the emperor is still willing to ask for my opinion. What a broad mind he has!
How could I have described the emperor as "harsh and unkind" before? I'm afraid that even if I were cut into pieces, I wouldn't be able to atone for my sins, right?
"As my brother said, there is indeed no talent among my clan who can take on such a responsibility. I hope Your Majesty will make the decision!"

Liu Xie frowned.

That won't work!
What if someone like Wang Yun comes along?
Again.

No matter how hostile the Dong clan members were towards Liu Xie, they were still suppressed by Dong Zhuo.

As long as Dong Zhuo has no hostility towards the emperor, Liu Xie will be the safest after replacing him with a member of the Dong clan.

If even Dong Zhuo was hostile to the emperor, what would it matter even if Liu Xie was replaced by someone who was extremely loyal to himself and the Han Dynasty?
"Really? Grand Tutor and General Zuo, think about this carefully!"

Dong Zhuo racked his brains but still couldn't think of a clan member who could take on this task.

Dong Min thought about it and asked the emperor in a low voice: "Is half of the Dong clan okay?"

Liu Xie:?
"What? Is there another person like Sun Bin in the Taishi clan?"

"Not really."

Dong Min looked at Dong Zhuo cautiously and suggested to Liu Xie: "General Dong Cheng can take on the important task." (Note 1)

"Although Dong Cheng is not a relative, he is the nephew of the former Empress Dowager Yongle, so he can be considered half a member of the Dong family."

Empress Dowager Yongle was the biological mother of Emperor Ling of Han, and also Empress Dowager Dong who raised Liu Xie.

Dong Zhuo believed that he was related to Empress Dowager Dong, so Dong Cheng was of course half a member of the Dong clan.

Dong Cheng?

Liu Xie didn't expect that such a person would come out of Dong Min's mouth.

Liu Xie didn’t know anything else.

But the famous "Secret Edict" in history books was created by this person.

He dared to do such a thing under Cao Cao's nose. Regardless of whether he was talented or not, at least he was brave beyond ordinary people.

Letting such a person hold military power is at least more reassuring than those generals from other families.

Not to mention, Dong Cheng is the nephew of Empress Dowager Dong.

Empress Dowager Dong raised Liu Xie, and they were truly blood relatives. Compared with Dong Zhuo, Dong Cheng's bloodline was even closer to that of a "foreign relative".

While Liu Xie was still thinking, Dong Min, perhaps wanting to redeem himself for his crime, told all of Dong Cheng's situation.

"Dong Cheng is not only half a member of the Dong clan, but also related to the emperor. His daughter has already been sent to the palace to wait for him. If Your Majesty is worried, you can marry Dong Cheng's daughter to strengthen the relationship!"

"Cough cough cough cough cough cough!"

Liu Xie and Dong Zhuo started coughing violently at the same time!

Liu Xie glared at Dong Min——

Why do you want me to marry another one?
Huh?
Why did I say "again"?
Dong Zhuo was furious again: "How can you interfere in the emperor's marriage? You really have no memory! I will beat you to death today!"

Dong Min didn't understand why and was beaten up by Dong Zhuo again... and this time, Liu Xie didn't stop him.

Jia Xu, Cai Yong, and the palace maids on both sides also pretended not to see.

Children still need to be beaten after all! If they are not beaten, they will not learn their lesson!
……

Tired of fighting.

Jia Xu and Cai Yong both left on the grounds of being busy with official duties.

Although he didn't know where such an idle person like Cai Yong got the official business, Liu Xie still let them go.

As for Dong Min, he was carried out by the palace servants while wailing...

However, Liu Xie did not care whether Dong Min was in pain or not. He only cared whether Dong Zhuo was tired of beating him.

"Master, why don't you take a break? You're sweating!"

Dong Zhuo sat breathlessly under Liu Xie, moving his aching wrists. "I am still old! If I had beaten Shuying like this before, he would have been speechless! How could he still howl like this?"

"The Grand Master is mighty!"

Liu Xie suddenly felt a little sympathy for Dong Min. After all, from what Dong Zhuo said, he must have been beaten by Dong Zhuo when he was young...

"But the person he finally recommended was quite suitable."

Dong Zhuo had actually been thinking about whether Dong Cheng could take on the heavy responsibility.

Dong Cheng...is just average in terms of bravery and intelligence, but his bloodline is just right between Liu Xie and Dong Zhuo.

He is a relative recognized by Dong Zhuo.

He is also the nephew of Liu Xie's grandmother, Empress Dowager Dong.

Pushing such a person to the top could actually make up for some of Dong Zhuo's guilt towards the emperor.

"I would like to recommend Dong Cheng as the commander of the Northern Army to protect Chang'an."

Liu Xie was puzzled: "Isn't he the General of the State?"

"Dong Cheng is not qualified yet."

Dong Zhuo waved his hands and said, "Even if Shuying wants to be a pillar of the state, he is barely qualified. How can Dong Cheng be qualified to directly command those soldiers? With his prestige, who among those generals and soldiers would obey him?"

Liu Xie was surprised again.

I didn't expect Dong Zhuo to attach so much importance to order in the army.

But this just shows Dong Zhuo's double standards!
When Dong Zhuo promoted civil officials like Wang Yun and Cai Yong before, he had no such awareness at all!

Especially to Cai Yong!

From Assistant Censor, Assistant Censor of the Imperial Secretariat, to Minister of the Chancellery, and then to Grand Tutor and General of the Left, he even created a miracle of "traveling through the three towers within three days", which instantly made Cai Yong the powerful "Cai Zhonglang" today.

But when he arrived at the army, he had so many concerns... Liu Xie didn't know for a moment whether to praise Dong Zhuo for his good military command or blame Dong Zhuo for disregarding the laws of the court.

"In addition, there are five battalion commanders under the Northern Army Lieutenant. I heard that Your Majesty praised Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, Xu Huang, Pang De, and Zhang Xiu as the 'Five Tigers' when you were in Meiwu. Otherwise, these five battalions can be handed over to them."

The two armies of the north and south have always been the backbone of defending the imperial capital since the founding of the Han Dynasty.

During the Later Han Dynasty, the Southern Army was abolished and only the Northern Army was retained. A Lieutenant General of the Northern Army was appointed to supervise the five battalions of cavalry, infantry, Yue cavalry, Changshui, and Shesheng.

Therefore, the name of the Northern Army is actually no longer commonly used.

Its real name now is - Imperial Guards!
Appointing Zhang Liao, Gao Shun and others as the captains of the imperial guards was obviously Dong Zhuo's further compensation to the emperor.

After hearing this, Liu Xie also felt that this arrangement was actually appropriate.

"But if that's the case, then who will be the last General of the State? Does the Grand Master have a candidate in mind?"

Dong Zhuo suddenly waved his hand and said, "I will not discuss the matter of the pillar state with Your Majesty today."

"What I want to discuss with Your Majesty now is actually a private matter."

Private matter?

The matter of Dong Min has been resolved, what other private matters are there?
Just when Liu Xie was at a loss, Dong Zhuo suddenly asked, "Your Majesty, what do you think of Lord Weiyang?"

Lord Weiyang?
Liu Xie smiled knowingly and was about to answer immediately: "She..."

……

and many more?

Who is the Grand Tutor talking about?

Lord Weiyang?
Dong Bai?

Liu Xie's pupils suddenly shrank, and the shock and doubt in his eyes almost overflowed!
"Master...what does this mean?"

What else could it mean?
Liu Xie's scalp tingled.

Why another one???
No, why did I say "again" again?
Don’t I still have one year to go before I reach adulthood?
Is it too early to discuss this now?

------

Note 1:

"Zhuo thought Wang was a virtuous man, and that he was raised by the Queen Mother Dong. Zhuo considered himself to be of the same clan as the Queen Mother, and he intended to depose her and establish her as the new ruler." - "Book of the Later Han: Biography of Dong Zhuo"

Dong Zhuo believed that he and Empress Dowager Dong, who raised Liu Xie, were of the same clan. This statement is clearly recorded in history books. I mentioned this once before, but I found that everyone always thought that this historical material was made up by me. In the previous part, it was all kinds of scolding... Crying~~~
(End of this chapter)