Liu Xie promised to reward Li Que, which was considered a compromise to him. After all, some things could not be rushed.
Liu Xie's strategy can be regarded as an expedient. Tang Dezong was almost ruined because he couldn't calm down, couldn't stabilize, and was too eager for success.
"I don't ask for any reward. I just have something to ask for from your majesty." Li Que knelt down and said, "I have admired Princess Wannian for a long time. Please allow me to marry her."
As soon as these words came out, the whole court was silent. All the old officials of the Han Dynasty were shocked and angry. They were using the princess to force the palace. When the Northern and Southern Dynasties were in the Southern Liang Dynasty, the traitor Hou Jing did the same. Emperor Jianwen forced the palace to betroth the princess to He further controlled the power of the court because they needed a status.
"Li Que, what are you talking about! Did you marry Her Royal Highness the Princess at your request?" Situ Zhao Wen shouted sternly.
Li Que sneered, and the soldiers outside the hall received the instructions and immediately poured into the hall. They drew out the ring-headed knives at their waists, and aimed the cold light at everyone in the hall.
A cavalry captain who led the team said coldly: "Your Majesty, if you don't get a reward for your great achievements, then the brothers will no longer guard your Majesty!"
Liu Xie looked at those cold blades and couldn't help feeling worried. His hands were trembling, not knowing how to deal with the crisis in front of him. All the ministers were filled with indignation. At the same time, when Dong Zhuo was in power, he also demonstrated against the emperor and ministers. They did not expect that Li would dare to threaten the emperor so blatantly.
Although Zhong Yao, an official in his forties, was furious, he did not lose his composure. He looked at a civil servant behind Li Que. That man was also in his forties. He looked like a scholar, but his eyes were gloomy and unsettling. He was Dong Zhuo's son-in-law Li Ru.
Zhong Yao expected that Li Que's request to marry the princess was not just because of Liu Yan's beauty, but that Li Ru might be behind it. Once he became a relative of the emperor, Li Que's status would naturally become more respected. Moreover, there were regulations in the Han Dynasty that those who married a princess must have at least the title of a lord. This means that Li will be conferred as a prince in disguise, and then Li Que will be able to have more power.
Li Ru remained silent underneath, but a mocking sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth. It was his idea to marry Princess Wannian. Firstly, it could increase Li Que's reputation and increase his worth. Secondly, it could tighten his control over Emperor Xian.
Li Que has been kneeling in the palace since he proposed marriage. Following Li Ru's teachings, he turned a blind eye to what his subordinates were doing and allowed them to make trouble.
I remember that the same was true for Li Huaiguang, the rebel general of Emperor Dezong of the Tang Dynasty.
Facing the gleaming blade, all the ministers were speechless. Situ Zhao Wen was forced by several soldiers to the big pillar next to the palace. The rest of the Xiliang soldiers also stared at the old ministers with unkind expressions.
The cavalry captain walked less than ten steps in front of Liu Xie. "Your Majesty, please issue an edict quickly!" he pressed.
Those veterans were all pushed away by the Xiliang soldiers. Liu Xie's hands and feet were trembling. He closed his eyes and did not dare to look at the sharp ring-headed sword in the hand of the cavalry captain.
In the darkness, Liu Xie thought of the tearful face of Princess Liu Yan. The scenes together with Liu Bian and Liu Yan since childhood were instantly recalled in my mind. The thought was certain, and his heart had never been more firm and decisive.
Liu Xie opened his eyes. He slapped the imperial case with his palm and shouted sternly: "I am the emperor, are you holding a sharp knife to kill the emperor?"
The cavalry captain was shocked. He was just ordered to intimidate Liu Xie. After all, he was from this era. He really didn't dare to ask this little local captain to kill the king.
Forced by Liu Xie's frightening gaze, he still knelt down with his first sword and said in panic, "I don't dare, my general, my general."
Li Que, Li Ru, and everyone in the palace looked at Liu Xie in surprise. Liu Xie now exuded a majesty that he had never seen before. This was the power of the emperor.
"Where is the official Lang?" Liu Xie shouted loudly, "Take down these rioters who entered the palace with knives!"
The imperial guards holding halberds guarding outside the palace have been afraid to take action. Most of them are descendants of aristocratic families. It was the fathers who brought him into the palace to be the emperor's personal guard. Some of them are also familiar with bow and horse, but they are all young masters who have never fought in actual combat.
How dare such guards dare to challenge the fierce Xiliang soldiers. But Liu Xie gave the order, and they had to rush into the palace and aim their halberds at Li Que's soldiers.
A middle-aged man wearing the official uniform of Dr. Guanglu came out from among the civil servants behind Li. He shouted to the Xiliang soldiers: "What are you doing? Why don't you put down your weapons and ask for your majesty's forgiveness!"
The Xiliang soldiers dropped their weapons in fear and knelt on the ground when he shouted. Li Que looked at his cronies behind him. Li Ru shook his head and signaled him not to act rashly.
The Guanglu doctor also knelt down to Liu Xie and said, "Your Majesty, we are here to fight Guo Si. These soldiers fought hard, and they were anxious to ask for rewards, so they collided with Your Majesty. Please forgive their sins."
Liu Xie also breathed a sigh of relief. If the two sides clashed, the consequences would be disastrous. Fortunately, Dr. Guanglu came to the rescue, so he followed up and said, "Jia Aiqing, I know their hard work and will not forget to reward them, as well as General Yangwu." .”
This kind of forced harem, and scenes of subordinates overpowering their superiors, occurred frequently during the rebellions in the feudal towns in the middle and late Tang Dynasty.
Liu Xie paused and said resolutely: "It's just that General Yangwu has a family, so it's not etiquette to marry the princess again. Li Que was granted the title of Marquis of Chiyang, and two hundred households were granted the title of food. The rest of the soldiers will also be granted the title of Marquis of Chiyang. There is a reward. We are facing a formidable enemy. I hope you all can work together to defend the country. That's it."
Several close followers behind Li Que also knelt down to accept the order and thank him.
Under the gratified eyes of Yang Biao, Zhao Wen and other veterans, Liu Xie personally wrote two edicts and said, "General Yangwu just now also felt that the generals in Guandong should be rewarded. According to new news, Yuan Benchuping If Youzhou has meritorious service, I will confer him the title of Chariot and Cavalry General and the title of Marquis of Ye."
This can be regarded as vindication of Yuan Shao's identity. After all, Yuan Shao's previous identity as a cavalry general was self-proclaimed, and it was also to win over the largest prince, the Yuan family, and also to use the power of the Yuan family to intimidate dissident forces in the court.
This is what Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty did, but he almost suffered the consequences due to improper operation.
Then Liu Xie asked Yang Biao to draft an edict and named Cao Cao, Tao Qian, Liu Biao, Sun Jian and other generals.
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Zhaozong was also controlled by Li Maozhen, Zhu Wen and others, so he awarded the princes all over the world to seek help from his diligent king. Liu Xie is young, but he has the potential to become a wise king. Unfortunately, this is a troubled time.
Li Que and Li Ru's plan to force Liu Xie failed. They were completely suppressed and could only watch Liu Xie and the ministers seal the generals from Guandong.
At the end, Liu Xie picked up another edict he had just written and said, "When my father was still alive, he had the idea of betrothing Princess Wannian to Yuan Benchu's second son, Yuan Xi. Today, Yuan Xi has made great contributions to the pacification of Qingzhou, and I Appoint him as General Zhendong, confer him the title of Marquis of Linzi, and marry him to Princess Wannian."
Before Liu Xie finished speaking, there was a burst of exclamation. Except for those who inherited the title of their fathers, there were less than twenty people, except for Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, who were awarded the title of Marquis based solely on military merit. Looking at the entire Han Dynasty, this was the third one.
From then on, the Yuan family had one family, two princes, five generations and four princes. The Yuan family's glory dominated the world and dominated the world's princes. The Yuan family officially became the Yuan clan, which was essentially different from other clans.
Zhong Yao shook his head, nodded again, and said nothing. Jia Xu guessed Liu Xie's purpose, and he was thoughtful.
Although Yang Biao, Zhao Wen and others felt that it was too hasty, it was better than pushing Princess Wannian into a pit of fire. This move could also bring in powerful foreign aid. So, under the leadership of Yang Biao, all the ministers knelt down and shouted long live.
Li Que's face was ashen, but the atmosphere in the court did not allow him to have an attack. Plus Li Ru. Jia Xu and the two shook their heads to dissuade him, and Li Que had to swallow his resentment.
Li Que angrily led his cronies out of the palace and returned to the barracks north of Chang'an. At this time, Li, Guo, Si and Fan Chou divided their forces to guard the Great Wall, each guarding its own boundary.
Among them, Li Que controlled the north of Chang'an City, including Gongcheng and Youfufeng County, and Guo Si controlled the southwest of Chang'an City, including Jingzhaoyin. Fan Chou was the weakest, with more than 8,000 troops stationed in the southeast of Chang'an.
As the saying goes, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. The conflict between Guo Si and Li Que intensified over the control of government affairs, and they officially fell out at the beginning of the year. The two sides fought several times in order to control Emperor Xian and hundreds of officials.
Under the dissuasion of Liu Xie, Jia Xu, Yang Feng, Zhang Ji and others. The two of them fought and fought, making Chang'an restless.
Because of Yuan Xi's changes. Xu Rong did not die in the battle. At this time, Zuo Fengyi was stationing troops, Zhang Ji was stationed in Hongnong, and Yang Feng was stationed in Hedong. The power of the three is weak, with only six to seven thousand subordinates.
Although they came forward to mediate from time to time, they were also happy that Guo Bang and Li Qiang were fighting.
Li Que was so angry that he kicked over the tables in the big tent and said angrily, "I will bring Yang Biao's people to the camp tonight to see if the emperor has any minions!"
"Absolutely not, General!" Li Ru advised, "Now that the general controls the palace, it is not just a word to hold the emperor hostage and issue orders. But the general's disobedient behavior just gave Guo Si an excuse, that is, Yang Feng and Zhang Ji , Xu Rong and others will also unite to fight against the general."
"Imagine how majestic Grand Master Dong was back then. Do I have to endure it?" Li Que said gloomily.
"At this moment and that moment, the general is not in the Xiliang army, and he is not talking about Dong Taishi." Li Ru said bluntly. "If you want to achieve the achievements of Grand Master Dong, you must first unify the Xiliang army."
Li Que finally sighed and said, "I also want to twist the Xiliang army into a ball, but Yang Feng, Zhang Ji, Xu Rong, Fan Chou and others each have their own troops and do not obey orders. There is nothing they can do."
"In this case, the general should be more careful with Yi Yi and not offend the public. We have to conquer Fan Chou and the others one by one. There is no rush." As he spoke, Li Ru looked at Jia Xu, who had been silent, and said, "Mr. Wenhe, what do you think?"
Jia Xu nodded in agreement and said, "Lord Li Ru is right. The general wants to revive the Xiliang Army's past glory. He must treat His Majesty well. Although the emperor does not have great power, he is the most prestigious authority in the world. The general supports the Han Dynasty, Obey Your Majesty. All the heroes in the world will come to join us. Zhang Ji, Xu Rong and others can't find any excuse to attack the general, so they can fight against Guo Si. As long as Guo Si joins, do you have to worry about the other generals of the Xiliang army not joining?"
"Guo Bang!" Li Que said in a deep voice with a cold light flashing in his eyes.
Liu Xie was crowded into the back hall by Yang Biao and other veterans.
With a look of relief on his face, Yang Biao said, "Your Majesty has finally grown up, and you are worthy of my and other veterans' dedicated assistance."
"Your Majesty denounced Li Que and other rebels, which is very satisfying!" Situ Zhao Wen said with a smile.
The remaining ministers also spoke highly of praise, but Zhong Yao had a worried look on his face.
"Yuan Chang, why do you always have a sad face? Today we have a big victory!" Zhao Wen scolded.
Zhong Yao cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Situ, Li Que is wild and arrogant. Your Majesty has suppressed his arrogance, but it is hard to predict what he will do next."
Yang Biao smiled and said, "Yuan Chang, you don't know something. We already have ways to deal with Guo Si and Li Que."
Several people present were veterans who were loyal to the Han Dynasty, but the matter was confidential and only Liu Xie, Yang Biao, and Zhao Wen knew about it.
Yang Biao withdrew his smile and said seriously: "Last year, we appointed many state shepherds and prefects, and issued secret edicts to ask them to come to the King of Qin to rescue him. But either the road was dangerous and the envoys returned without success. Or those people were on one side. Reluctant to send troops, in short, there are only a few to respond."
Upon hearing this, several ministers looked angry and disappointed.
"But there are also generals who are willing to send troops to serve the king." Zhao Wen whispered, "Ma Teng and Han Sui from Xiliang have a dispute with Li Que, and they have agreed to send troops. It is estimated that they will lead troops to Guanzhong this month."
Excitement immediately appeared on several people's faces. Zhong Yao suddenly realized that no wonder Liu Xie dared to resist Li Que's threat. It turned out that he had backup.
"The soldiers and horses of Ma Teng and Han Sui alone cannot defeat Guo and Li." Zhong Yao said.
"Of course it's more than that." Yang Biao stroked his long beard and said, "Even in the Xiliang army, there are generals who have agreed to assist His Majesty in returning eastward."
"Your Majesty wants to return east to Luoyang?" Zhong Yao was very surprised.
"Only by escaping Chang'an controlled by Guo Si and Li Que and summoning generals loyal to the Han Dynasty can His Majesty regain power." Zhao Wen said.
"Master Yang. Do you want Ma Teng and Han Sui to hold Guo Bang and Li Que away, and then we return east to Luoyang under the protection of the generals of the Xiliang Army who have surrendered to His Majesty?" Zhong Yao guessed Yang Biao once the point was made. Plan for others.
"Yuan Chang is indeed a good strategist. You should have been involved in the plan. It's just a matter of confidentiality and His Majesty's safety. Only Your Majesty, myself, and Mr. Zhao know about it," Yang Biao said.
"Who are the generals in the Xiliang Army who are loyal to Your Majesty?" Zhong Yao asked worriedly, "If the entrusted people are not the right people, not only will the great things not be accomplished, Your Majesty will also be in danger."
"We have been observing for a long time, and the people we summoned are all people who have a problem with Guo Lique and are willing to assist His Majesty." Yang Biao said confidently, "Guanglu doctor Jia Xu, Xingyi general Yang Feng, Yang Weijun Fan Chou, General Xu Rong who defeated the enemy, General Zhang Ji who defeated the enemy, and General Duan Xuan who defeated the enemy."
"Most of these people have a feud with Guo and Li, but they are all direct members of the Xiliang Army. Their intentions may not be the same as Guo Si's." Zhong Yao said worriedly.
"The reason why these people are called together is to restrain each other." Zhao Wen said, "Besides, Your Majesty made a wonderful move today, betrothing the princess to Yuan Xianyi. The war in Youzhou is over, and now we will return the favor. Are you afraid that the Yuan family will not send troops to serve the king?"
"The Yuan family currently occupies three states. It has no less than one hundred thousand soldiers. If it sends troops diligently, it can intimidate Zhang Ji and others. What a wonderful move!" Guang Luxun Wu Zilan praised.
Liu Xie looked displeased. Although what the ministers said was correct, he had no intention of taking advantage of Liu Yan at the time. He just wanted to achieve what his sister wanted.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid Dong Cheng has also arrived in Hanoi to ask Zhang Yang to send troops. By then, several groups of people will arrive. As long as we control them well, great things can be accomplished!" Zhao Wen's excitement was beyond words.
Liu Xie showed a rare smile. After all, he was still young, and he seemed to have seen the glory of the great Han's revival.
But a ray of worry lingered in Zhong Yao's heart, after experiencing the previous lessons. He had given up hope of controlling the unruly warlords.
But this might be the last chance to revive the Han Dynasty. He steeled himself and determined to do his best for it. Just like what Wang Sizheng thought in the late Northern Wei Dynasty, one worries about the immediate and the other worries about the long-term, treating a dead horse as a living horse doctor, escaping first.
Jizhou.
In the Jizhou Biejia Mansion, Jushou gently waved away the soldiers who reported the news, with a trace of helplessness and worry on his face.
"Father, what is going on?" In front of Jushou, I saw a man about twenty years old, who was somewhat similar to Jushou, but his expression was a little less wise and decisive, and a little more honest and kind. The conscientious young man asked doubtfully.
"They are too anxious. They think that as soon as the lord comes back, he will choose the heir apparent, so they are forcing people to take positions." Jushou's eyesight is not ordinary. After just asking a few questions, he already got a rough idea.
"Then who intercepted and killed the second young master?"
"It doesn't matter who they are, Hu'er, they won't hurt the second young master. What's important is that the world has not yet been unified, and the heroes from all over the world are here, and the eyes of my four continents are no longer on the world, but on the fight between the princes. In the long run, If it goes down, it will definitely cause a huge disaster." Ju Shou slammed the desk and said with a trace of anger on his face.
"Father, don't be angry, take care of yourself." Ju Hu quickly expressed concern.
Yuan Xi Mansion.
Early the next morning, when it was just dawn and the streets were still a little deserted, a luxury car pulled by two horses had already parked in front of Yuan Xi's mansion. Many burly guards with swords hanging from their waists were guarding the carriage. both sides.
I saw Yuan Tan, who was gorgeously dressed and arrogant, walking slowly down from the carriage. When he saw Yuan Xi waiting in front of the mansion, he immediately rushed over and said loudly: "Second brother, are you okay? Why are you so late? ”
The words conveyed the deep care and love of an elder brother for his younger brother. It was truly a touching picture of brothers and sisters respectfully showing respect to each other.
Yuan Xi smiled bitterly and said, "Brother, I'm fine. I bothered you to rush back from Youzhou. I came so early. I'm really grateful..."
Hearing this, Yuan Tan suddenly said worriedly: "You were ambushed, how can I sleep?"
"Brother, please take the trouble." Yuan Xi quickly bowed.
"Second brother, tell me who is so audacious and dares to ambush you. This is an insult and provocation to our Yuan family. They must be eliminated. My Youzhou army is ready and can send troops later." Yuan Tan said with anger on his face asked.
Yuan Xi immediately shook his head and said with a smile, "I don't know, they ran away too fast."
"Isn't there any gain? Second brother, don't worry about anything. No matter who it is, eldest brother will support you." Yuan Tan asked slightly unexpectedly, with a strange look of expectation on his face.
Yuan Xi smiled slightly and said: "Brother, would I still lie to you? If so, I would have summoned the soldiers from the Tiger Guard Camp to kill him without you taking action."
Yuan Tan was stunned for a moment, his eyes wandered, and he said, "That's strange. Who wants to harm you, my second brother?"
"Maybe it's really a group of passing robbers! Brother, don't worry, my father just won a big victory, so it's better not to make too much noise on this happy day. Anyway, I didn't suffer any damage, right?" Yuan Xi said. said the voice.
"Hey!" After hearing this, Yuan Tan nodded helplessly and sighed: "My second brother is so wronged."
"Where, come, brother, I just got a batch of fine wine a few days ago. Let's have a few drinks today." Yuan Xi invited with a smile, very enthusiastic.
"No, my Youzhou Army still has something to do. Since you are fine, second brother, I can rest assured as a brother. I will come to drink your wine in a few days." Yuan Tan shook his head slightly and declined politely.
"How can this be done? Brother, it's rare for you to come here once, so you must come and sit in the house." Yuan Xi was immediately reluctant and invited.
"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future." Yuan Tan smiled and waved his hand, planning to get in the car and leave directly, drinking Yuan Xi's wine. What a joke, he still wants to live a little longer.
Yuan Xi looked at Yuan Tan's back and said quietly, "Brother, why did you suddenly come back from Youzhou? What a coincidence."
Yuan Tan's shoulders suddenly shook and he said, "Father suddenly called me back for something, and I don't know much about it, brother. Please take care of yourself, brother." Yuan Tan got in the car without looking back.
Looking at Yuan Tan who came in a hurry and left in a hurry, Yuan Xi smiled coldly. He originally thought that this guy would be a bit smart, but he didn't expect to be so anxious. To be honest, Yuan Xi really planned to use the poisonous wine given to him by Zhen Yao. , honor this brother.
