Han Dynasty Achievements

Chapter 22 Huangfu Song

Liu Bian had eaten outside the palace, so he reached out and took Empress Dowager He's bowl and served her soup.

Empress Dowager He immediately smiled and looked at He Jin and said, "Don't worry, brother. We will get rid of all your people. Once these people are gone, we will release Yuan Shao after Bian'er's coronation ceremony. Then our family can live in peace. The whole world belongs to our family. What is there to quarrel about..."

While serving the soup, Liu Bian casually said, "Then let the eldest uncle take the lead, and the eldest Changqiu assist."

He Jin nodded heavily, unable to suppress his excitement, his heart already flying out of the palace.

The corners of Liu Bian's mouth curled up slightly.

The followers of the Twelve Eunuchs are spread all over the country. If we want to completely eliminate them, we don’t know how many people we will offend.

Liu Bian gave the bowl to Empress Dowager He and then to He Jinsheng, glanced at Pan Yin, and said, "If you have anything, you should consult the general, understand?"

Pan Yin quickly bowed and said, "I understand."

He Jin took the bowl from Liu Bian without moving. Seeing that Liu Bian seemed to have grown up, he was very happy and smiled. He said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. With me here, I will make sure you can be a peaceful and happy emperor!"

Liu Bian sat down, served himself a glass of wine, and said, "I feel relieved when your uncle says so. Let's do it this way. I will ask the Grand Chamberlain to compile a list of Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and others' followers and hand it over to your uncle tomorrow."

He Jin was about to stand up when a eunuch suddenly appeared outside the door and said, "Your Majesty, Huangfu Song wishes to see you."

Liu Bian's heart was slightly moved. He looked at He Jin and said, "Uncle, I heard that you and Huangfu Song are not on good terms?"

He Jin moved his butt and sat back down, saying, "They are just a few trivial matters, not worth mentioning."

"Then let him in." Liu Bian looked at the eunuch and said.

So everyone kept silent and waited for Huangfu Song to come.

Huangfu Song was wearing an official uniform and holding Huangfu Jianchang in his hand. As soon as he came in, he pushed Huangfu Jianchang to his knees on the ground with a serious expression, saying, "I have not taught my son well and offended Your Majesty. I am here to apologize!"

He Jin turned his head and saw Huangfu Jian kneeling on the ground with half of his face touching the ground. He was wrapped in cloth, still bleeding and unconscious.

He was stunned, turned around and said to Liu Bian: "Your Majesty, what is this?"

Liu Bian shook his head and said, "This Huangfu Jian robbed a commoner girl in broad daylight. I caught him and gave him a lesson, but I didn't beat him so severely."

Huangfu Song knelt on the ground, his voice filled with regret, and said, "I was the one who beat him!"

Liu Bian looked at Huangfu Jianchang, who was lying on the ground silently and bleeding, and wondered if he was really dead.

He Jin was in a good mood. He stroked his beard and suddenly said to Liu Bian: "Your Majesty, Huangfu Song is an upright person and has a good reputation in the court. Please consider his merits in suppressing the Yellow Turbans and give him a lighter sentence."

Liu Bian had never thought of punishing Huangfu Song. Seeing what He Jin said, he went with the flow and offered a favor, saying, "Since the general has pleaded for mercy, let's forget about it. However, the children of the noble families in the capital are indeed becoming more and more outrageous. General, you should immediately draw up a set of rules and inform the noble families to strictly educate their children and take good care of them!"

He Jin immediately stood up and said, "I obey your order! I'll take my leave!"

Having said that, without waiting for Liu Bian to speak, he turned and walked back.

Looking at He Jin's hurried back, Liu Bian could guess what he was going to do, and couldn't help but smile and squint his eyes.

When Empress Dowager He saw He Jin suddenly leave, she was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was going on and hurriedly got up to chase after him, saying, "Brother, I'll see you off. I have something else to tell you..."

Liu Bian glanced at Pan Yin and said, "You should also go and see the general off."

"Yes." Pan Yin responded and trotted to catch up with Empress Dowager He.

Only Liu Bian and his son Huangfu Song were left in the room.

Liu Bian held the teacup and looked at Huangfu Song who was still lying on the ground, and then glanced at Huangfu Jianchang who was still unconscious.

Just as he was about to drink the tea, his hand paused. He noticed that Huangfu Jianchang was blinking. Liu Bian observed carefully and found that Huangfu Jianchang was secretly frowning, as if he was trying hard to endure the pain.

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows, then smiled, took a sip of tea, and said, "Mr. Huangfu, please stand up and sit down. I have something to ask you."

Since he learned on the street that Huangfu Jianchang was the son of Huangfu Song, Liu Bian had an idea in his mind. While eating, he did some superficial research on Huangfu Song.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Huangfu Song relaxed his frown and slowly stood up.

Perhaps because he had been kneeling for too long, Huangfu Song staggered as soon as he stood up on one foot and almost fell. He remained calm, supported himself with his hands, stood up, and knelt down opposite Liu Bian.

Liu Bian put down the teacup and looked at Huangfu Song.

He has a tuft of white hair on his head, a long and dark face, calm eyes, a straight nose, and slightly thin lips. He gives people the feeling that he is difficult to get along with and that strangers are not allowed to approach him.

Liu Bian said: "Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong have been imprisoned. They confessed that they framed your family. I will find an opportunity to redress your family's innocence."

Huangfu Song looked normal, bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Liu Bian looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "What do you think of the Yellow Turban Army?"

Huangfu Song sat up straight, his face, which was not open to strangers, was more serious than ever before, and he said: "Your Majesty, do not underestimate the Yellow Turban Rebellion! The court must use all its strength, and must distinguish between the primary and the secondary, move in unison, and use both suppression and appeasement, and both kindness and force. Concentrate troops, first conquer Yuzhou, and then divide them into Qing and Xu. At the same time, strictly control the local tyrants, do not trust the counties too much, and do not give them too much power. To suppress the Yellow Turban Army, the court must be the main force..."

Liu Bian just said something to test the waters, but he didn't expect Huangfu Song to suddenly say so much.

This also shows that as a commander who almost destroyed the Yellow Turban Army, Huangfu Song was still very wary of the Yellow Turban Army and believed that the court needed to do its utmost!

Liu Bian nodded slightly. It was indeed the Yellow Turban Army that shook the foundation of the Han Dynasty.

"Does your family think that we should not trust the local authorities too much and should not give them power?" Liu Bian asked after Huangfu Song finished speaking.

Huangfu Song said: "Yes. The Yellow Turban Rebellion is of course extremely harmful to our Han Dynasty, but we need to be more vigilant against the local aristocratic families. There are many prestigious families. As long as one person stands out, hundreds of followers will respond. In just a few days, they can recruit thousands or even tens of thousands of people. They have land and money, and they are expected to have power. They are not princes, but they are better than princes. If the Yellow Turban Rebellion is quelled, the court must be vigilant against the aristocratic families causing chaos!"

There was a hint of shock in Liu Bian's eyes, and he looked at Huangfu Song deeply.

He never expected that Huangfu Song could see so far!

The aristocratic families of the Han Dynasty today have indeed reached the point where they are out of control. The historical story of the eighteen princes fighting against Dong Zhuo has explained it all!

Liu Bian did not try again and said directly: "Your family is talented and far-sighted. I will restore your family to the position of General of Chariots and Cavalry and reorganize the troops of Sili, especially the troops of the Eight Passes!"

Sili, also known as Sizhou, was a state with Luoyang as its center. It was a directly affiliated state, and therefore had a very special status among all the states in the Han Dynasty.

The so-called "Eight Passes" were named because a few years ago the Yellow Turban Army was strong and was about to attack Luoyang. The imperial court hurriedly recruited young and strong men and set up eight pass commanders at the eight passes around Luoyang to defend Luoyang.

As the Yellow Turban Army declined and changed direction, the Eight Passes fell into disrepair and became useless, but they still exist in name.

Huangfu Song lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, this is not a difficult matter. The key lies in the military pay."

The seemingly powerful Han Dynasty revealed its weakness after the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out. The most important thing was that taxes were sharply reduced, the imperial treasury was empty, and the court began to live beyond its means and even borrowed money to make ends meet.

Liu Bian estimated the assets of Zhang Rang and others and said, "From the central government, within three days, I will give you 200,000 coins. After one month, I will give you 30 million coins. After that, I will give you 30 million coins every month."

One thousand coins is one string, thirty million coins, thirty thousand strings, are equivalent to thirty thousand taels of silver. Thirty thousand taels were quite valuable at that time!

Hearing that he had come out of the palace, Huangfu Song looked a little surprised and looked at Liu Bian more seriously. Then, he stepped back a little, knelt on the ground and said loudly: "Your Majesty, thank you!"

Liu Bian heard a tremor in his voice. The old minister seemed to be extremely excited about the fact that he was spending money from the central government to organize the troops.