Han Dynasty Achievements

Chapter 58: Not Moving

The eunuch knelt on the ground and said in a trembling voice, "It was a fast horse messenger from Youfufeng."

After being shocked, Liu Bian quickly calmed down, his mind racing, and he said, "Tell someone to take good care of the messenger."

"Yes." The eunuch responded, got up and walked out.

Liu Bian sat down slowly, not panicking at all, but he felt that something was very wrong.

Two years ago, the Han army repelled the Qiang people's siege of Yong County, which directly led to heavy losses for the Qiang people and subsequent serious division. The Qiang people have withdrawn from the Three Auxiliary Areas and are in a state of retreat.

"How could he suddenly appear in Sanfu without anyone noticing?"

Liu Bian sat on the chair, his eyes slightly narrowed, pondering in his mind.

The Three Auxiliary Prefectures, namely Jingzhao Yin, Youfufeng and Zuofengyi, were a barrier to protect Luoyang, among which Chang'an was under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Yin.

Liu Bian felt that there was something wrong here. He pondered for a long time and said, "Pan Yin, block the news, send an order to Huangfu Song to the palace, and then send an order to Lu Zhi in Chang'an, ordering him to temporarily lead the three assistants."

"Yes." Pan Yin responded solemnly and trotted out.

Liu Bian frowned slightly, his face still showing deep thought.

He now has many problems, one of which is that he does not have enough soldiers to deal with various disturbances.

The troops in the Three Auxiliary Prefectures cannot be moved, and the troops in other places are not in the hands of the imperial court, but are controlled by local tyrants. Not only do they require a large amount of money and food, but they may not be able to be mobilized. Even if they are mobilized, they cannot be used as easily as an arm, and there are many dirty things involved.

For example, the reason why Liu Bian insisted on transferring Dong Zhuo to the capital was not only because he was worried that history would repeat itself, but also because Liu Bian had no other way to deal with Dong Zhuo. Even if Dong Zhuo openly rebelled, the current imperial court could only resist at most and was unable to pacify him.

What's more, the Qiang people are on the border of Bingzhou, and the Yellow Turban Rebellion is getting more and more intense.

We cannot use force against Dong Zhuo unless it is absolutely necessary.

Liu Bian got a headache when he thought about all this. He needed time the most, but there was no peace and quiet inside and outside.

Liu Bian issued a blockade order, but the messenger kept shouting along the way and the news still got out.

Before long, there was panic and discussion everywhere in Luoyang City. Yuan Wei, the three ministers, and Wang Yun hurried into the palace, even faster than Huangfu Song.

Five people stood not far from Liu Bian's desk. Except for Yuan Wei who had an expressionless face, the others all looked solemn and worried.

Two years ago, the Qiang people reached Youfufeng and surrounded Yong County, shocking the whole country. The Han court had to work hard to repel them, but it also caused great damage to the court.

Liu Bian sat on the chair, looking thoughtful, and did not speak.

As the Grand Commandant, Liu Yu took a deep breath, raised his hand and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I request your permission to go to Jingzhao Yin to supervise the battle!"

Liu Bian glanced at him and continued to ponder.

"Huangfu Song, the Inspector of the Imperial Capital and Governor of Yanzhou, has arrived." The eunuch outside the door shouted.

Liu Bian immediately sat up straighter and said, "Please come in."

Everyone turned around and saw Huangfu Song in his official uniform. He had a cold face and bright eyes. He strode in, glanced at the others, and saluted Liu Bian and said, "Your Majesty, I, Huangfu Song, pay my respects to you."

"No gift!"

When Liu Bian saw him, he felt more confident and said, "Your family knows about this matter. What do you think?"

Huangfu Song remained calm and serious, saying, "Your Majesty, I have heard that I am somewhat suspicious of the sudden appearance of the Qiang people. However, since there are signal fire, we should mobilize the troops from the three prefectures to meet the enemy."

Liu Bian said: "Well, I have ordered Lu Zhi to lead the troops of the three prefectures. Do you have any other countermeasures?"

Huangfu Song had thought about it all along the way, and immediately said, "Your Majesty, I think there is no need to panic for the time being. The last time the Qiang people were repelled, they split into three and attacked each other, and they are not as strong as before. It will not be too late to discuss it after finding out the specific origin of this group of Qiang people."

As Liu Bian listened to Huangfu Song's words, his stiff expression slowly relaxed.

Liu Yu looked at Liu Bian, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

In addition to the troops in the Sanfu area, there is actually another one, and that is Dong Zhuo in Bingzhou!

But Dong Zhuo was a very sensitive person. The court had been wary of him for a long time and was unwilling to use him easily, especially at this special juncture when transferring him to the capital.

But, if the Sanfu area is really dangerous, we have to use it even if we don’t need to.

Liu Bian took in the expressions of everyone. Looking at Liu Yu's expression, he was moved and thought of this possibility.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Yuan Wei.

The old man lowered his head, his face was thin, and his expression was calm, without revealing any emotion.

Liu Bian's mind quickly began to calculate. No matter where this Qiang people came from, it would be almost impossible for him to transfer Dong Zhuo to the capital now.

"Still no soldiers!"

Liu Bian was secretly annoyed. If he had troops at his disposal, he would not be so restricted.

The reason why he had to lead two states alone was actually because he had no choice, because he needed people who knew military knowledge to govern the two states, who could both guard the local area and quell rebellions everywhere. Most importantly, he had to train soldiers!

He has Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi and Zhu Jun under his command. If the three of them have enough troops and horses, what is Dong Zhuo? He can destroy him with just a wave of his hand!

Liu Bian quickly came to his senses. Seeing the solemn expressions on everyone's faces, he suddenly laughed and said, "They are just a group of Qiang people. What do you have to worry about? The Lu family is more than capable of handling them. You should do whatever you need to do."

Ding Gong, Liu Yu and others felt a little relieved when they saw that Liu Bian was not panicking.

Liu Yu couldn't help but said, "Your Majesty, I request your permission to go to Sanfu!"

Liu Bian waved his hand and said, "Didn't I say that there is no need to mobilize a large army against a small group of Qiang people? You should make preparations and return to Youzhou as soon as possible. By the way,

At this point, Liu Bian looked at Yuan Wei and said, "Mr. Yuan, have you drafted the imperial edict?"

Yuan Wei raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, Yuan Hui is still suing..."

"Why take leave at a time like this?"

Liu Bian interrupted him and said in a deep voice, "Let him rest. Xun You, the Imperial Secretary, has been promoted to the position of Minister of State to replace Yuan Hui. Pan Yin, pass on my order. The imperial edict must be issued today!"

"Yes." Pan Yin responded quickly, turned around and walked out.

He didn't give Yuan Wei any chance to speak.

Yuan Wei frowned. The little emperor could remain calm at this time and was still thinking about the affairs of the seven governors.

Yuan Wei regained his composure instantly and remained silent.

Seeing that he was silent, Liu Bian asked again, "Mr. Yuan, has the imperial edict to Dong Zhuo arrived in Bingzhou?"

Yuan Wei paused and said, "There should be two days left. It's still not too late to retrieve it now."

Liu Bian stared at him with calm eyes, but turned to the three ministers and said, "I am considering separating the Shangshutai from the Shaofu. What do you think?"

Liu Hong did not expect that Liu Bian could "solve" such a big issue as the Qiang people invading the capital with just a few words, and turned to deal with internal affairs.

He calmed down a little before reacting and said, "Your Majesty, I have no objection."

The Shangshu Tai was nominally under the Shaofu, the Shaofu was nominally under the Sikong, and the Sikong had actually long been a nominal position.

The Secretariat had become the de facto central agency, and the Shaofu was no longer the same as before. Most of the power and authority was divided among the Grand Minister of Agriculture, the Yellow Gates of the Palace, and the Palace Officials.

Therefore, there was no obstacle in separating the Shangshu Tai from the Shaofu.

Ding Gong, Liu Yu raised his hand and said, "I have no objection."

After settling this matter, Liu Bian looked at Yuan Kui again and asked, "Mr. Yuan, when will Yuan Ji arrive in Beijing?"

Yuan Wei's expression slightly changed. He looked up at Liu Bian, was silent for a moment, and said, "Your Majesty, I will be back in Beijing tomorrow."

"Okay, now that we're in Beijing, let him come into the palace first so I can have a chat with him." Liu Bian said with a smile.

As Liu Yu listened to Liu Bian's words, he glanced at Yuan Wei beside him.

Yesterday, Yuan Shao was taken away from the Supreme Court by the eunuchs, and his whereabouts are still unknown!