Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 348 A sweeping leg kick takes down his comrade first!
July 28th, the second year of the Han Dynasty.

Luoyang, Shangshutai.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of ink and paper, mixed with the aroma of sandalwood in the hall. Grand Tutor Lu Zhi sat upright at his desk, reading several memorials that the Empress Dowager had reviewed and forwarded to the Ministry of Personnel the day before. He nodded from time to time, his eyes revealing a hint of approval.

In fact, although Lu Zhi initially expressed his support for the Empress Dowager to rule as regent during the emperor's personal military campaigns, he was somewhat apprehensive.

Since the Three Dynasties, apart from Taigong and Taizu Gao Emperor, when has there ever been such a strange sight of "two suns in the same sky"?

Now that the Empress Dowager is ruling as regent, the Han Dynasty is like three days under one sky, which is probably unprecedented and will never be repeated.

But you know what, with Liu Hong out of power, the court's operations became much smoother.

Even Empress Dowager He, who once plotted to harm the deposed Empress Song, has displayed such demeanor over the past month that the officials can only describe her as a model of virtue for the nation!
Who would have thought that this butcher's daughter would possess the bearing of an empress!

Some people disrespectfully and subtly satirized the retired Emperor Liu Hong in private, referencing Liu Xiang's essay "Yanzi's Mission to Chu," a representative of the New Text School of the Liu clan during the Former Han Dynasty, which states, "Oranges grown south of the Huai River are sweet oranges, while those grown north of the Huai River are bitter oranges." This was a veiled jab at the same person's behavior under different political climates in two different dynasties.

Even Xun Shuang privately praised the Empress Dowager for having inherited the style of Empress Dowager He Xi.

Of course, as one of the emperor's fathers-in-law, Xun Shuang naturally had to do his best to cooperate with the emperor. Therefore, he and other great Confucian scholars of the ancient literature school, such as Cai Yong, used the "Great Han Gazette" to maintain a positive image for the empress.

However, in Lu Zhi's view, although the Empress Dowager may not have truly possessed the demeanor of a "female ruler," she had indeed shown the qualities of a virtuous empress.

The memorials submitted in the past month have been quite numerous, ranging from sporadic conflicts between the Xianbei and the border regions of Youzhou and Bingzhou, to minor frictions between the Han and Qiang people in Liangzhou, and to the various sacrificial ceremonies in autumn.

Even when Huangfu Song, the commander of the northern army suppressing the rebellion, requested the court to allocate arrows, the Empress Dowager handled the matter in an orderly manner. She directly ordered Qian Zhao, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Guard, to allocate 100,000 arrows from the Luoyang Armory, with Zhu Zhi, the Yellow Gate Attendant appointed by the Emperor, in charge of the specific transportation and scheduling.

However, Lu Zhi saw things differently from others; he noticed the Secretariat, a staff agency.

This institution, which was originally created by the retired emperor to seize power from his officials, is now able to assist the retired empress, who has almost no political experience, with such skill. It is truly unbelievable.

Just as Lu Zhi was taking a rare moment to reflect amidst his busy schedule, the sound of rapid hoofbeats approached from afar, abruptly breaking the tranquility of the Ministry of Personnel. A clerk hurried inside, reporting that a fast-paced report from four hundred li had arrived.

"Is this another victory report from the front? Which unit has achieved this time?"

Upon hearing the good news, the officials of the Secretariat were naturally overjoyed. The Chief Minister, Liu Tao, rushed out of the Secretariat in his cloth socks without even putting on his shoes, and questioned the cavalrymen who had just dismounted in front of the Secretariat.

The three messenger cavalrymen, covered in dust and looking exhausted, were taken aback when they saw an old man running towards them, wearing only socks and with his official robe slightly disheveled. They looked at each other hesitantly.

Zhao Qian, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, happened to be returning from his trip and guessed why the three cavalrymen who had come to deliver the message remained silent.

He had fought against the Yellow Turban rebels in the past and knew the rules for those who delivered military reports: victory reports should first be presented to the Emperor, and then to the Secretariat. However, the Emperor was not in Luoyang. Although the group saw Liu Tao rushing out of the Secretariat, they did not know Liu Tao's identity and dared not answer rashly. Zhao Sui introduced him gently: "This is Minister Liu, and I am Zhao Qian, Minister of the Central Capital Office, and the elder brother of General Zhao Wen and Zhao Zirou, who are both Generals who pacified Shu. Please speak freely."

Outside the Shangshutai Pavilion, it was clear that no one dared to speak recklessly or lie about their identity. The three cavalrymen also stopped keeping silent and reported loudly, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the western and eastern armies have joined forces with the central army, and the three armies have launched a three-pronged attack on the rebels, achieving a great victory!"

Liu Tao was stunned, a look of confusion on his face.

He was present on the day the emperor discussed war. They clearly only agreed on the northern and western routes, so why was there a central route?
Even if we include the troops from the prefectures and kingdoms of Yan and Yu, there shouldn't be an extra central route out of nowhere!
Liu Tao's heart tightened, and his face showed vigilance. He silently took two steps back, then suddenly turned and ran, shouting loudly to the guards on both sides: "Spy! Catch the traitor! Catch the thief!"

The guards standing guard on both sides of the palace were not the Imperial Guards, but the Three Departments of the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Guard under the jurisdiction of the Commandant of the Guards.

Although their reaction was a little slow, their eyes lit up as soon as they heard Liu Tao, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, cry for help.

This isn't a thief at all; it's clearly a merit that fell from the sky!
They captured the spies who broke into the palace and rescued and protected the current Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. What an incredible opportunity!
"Leader, step back!" a Third Department official shouted sternly, pulling Liu Tao behind him and drawing his sword to point at the cavalry.

The remaining guards immediately cursed under their breath for such a pity, and then swarmed forward like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey, all rushing toward the three walking heroes!
At this moment, all the guards wished their parents could give them an extra leg, so that they could immediately... sweep their comrade down with a powerful kick!
Dude, next time we meet, you'll have to bow to me!

The three cavalrymen, exhausted from traveling day and night and still in a daze, were brutally pinned to the ground by the fierce guards.

The few guards who had fallen behind caught up and rushed forward to pounce on their comrades. Some even hurriedly found ropes and, ignoring the cavalrymen's repeated cries of "injustice" and "misunderstanding," tied them up tightly.

"My lord, we are truly messengers, not thieves! This is all a misunderstanding!" a bound cavalryman cried out as he struggled.

But Liu Tao did not believe the explanations given by the cavalrymen; instead, he became even angrier.

If the emperor were in the palace, and these spies disguised as messengers met him, wouldn't they be plotting to assassinate him?

Liu Tao was so angry that his beard trembled slightly. He even prepared to impeach Fan Ling, the Commandant of the Palace Guards, and hold him accountable. How could a messenger with so many flaws in his words be able to sneak into the palace? This was a serious dereliction of duty!
However, Zhao Qian tugged at Liu Tao's sleeve and whispered, "My lord, perhaps it is a misunderstanding. The imperial court still has a large army in Yizhou to quell the rebellion."

"Yizhou?" Liu Tao was suddenly stunned.

Although the war in the four southern prefectures had been protracted, it had received far less attention than the nearby rebellion in Chen State and had long been overlooked by many. Even Liu Tao had not thought of it at the moment, but how could Zhao Qian not remember it?

General Zhao Wen, who was in charge of pacifying Shu, was his younger brother. He had always paid close attention to the war in the four southern commanderies, so he was naturally familiar with the so-called central, western, and eastern routes.

Liu Tao suddenly realized what was happening, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. He quickly ordered his men to untie him and bowed to the cavalrymen in apology.

After this farcical incident, the three cavalrymen, though bruised and battered and in a sorry state, dared not argue with the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. They could only accept their bad luck and were subsequently led into the Secretariat to report the victory.

(2132 words)
(End of this chapter)