Chapter 150: Eliminating hidden dangers
Chapter 150: Eliminating hidden dangers
"A great gift? What kind of great gift would bring Uncle Liu to such a state?" Zhao Kuangyin was confused and couldn't help but look at the wooden boxes. Liu He did not continue to explain but raised his head and motioned to Zhao Kuangyin to open the wooden box and watch it himself.
Zhao Kuangyin immediately reached out and took down one of the wooden boxes without hesitation. When he opened the lid of the box, his expression changed drastically. It turned out that the so-called "gift" in the wooden box was actually a human head! Zhao Kuangyin pursed his lips tightly and then opened the remaining three wooden boxes one by one. Unsurprisingly, there was a human head inside. Zhao Kuangyin did not immediately question Liu He about the origin of the heads but observed by himself; since Liu He was not a murderous person, there must be a reason for calling these heads as a "big gift".
After careful observation, he discovered the owners of several heads. He also knew Wang Kuang, Luzhou Jiedushi, Meng Geguang, one of the three envoys, Zhang Taizhang, the chief envoy, and Ma Kui, the deputy envoy. They were all powerful and well-known. The character is now a cold corpse with his head cut off.
"What mistake did Uncle Liu and the others make? Why should they be executed?" Zhao Kuangyin was Zhao Kuangyin after all. He was very happy and calmed down his inner surprise and asked Liu He calmly.
"You don't need to be surprised that they are the most active figures among the forces that strongly oppose me to make you emperor. Even though I persuaded you in every possible way and even made many promises, I still didn't change my mind." Liu He sighed as he spoke.
"I know that establishing you as emperor will definitely affect the interests of many people, and it will not be smooth sailing and cause some shock. But they are the most representative figures among this group of people and have great influence. Even according to my collection After receiving intelligence, they clearly opposed your claim to be emperor and knew that they could not change my decision. They began to connect and organize activities in an attempt to win over more ministers to form an alliance to collectively oppose you. Meng Geguang even planned to return to his base to raise troops to rebel and join the Liao Kingdom!" said By now Liu He's voice had taken on an angry and sad tone.
"They are all my important ministers of the Northern Han Dynasty, Wang Kuang and Zhang Taizhang, and they are even elders of the Northern Han Dynasty. They have known each other since I was the governor of Taiyuan. Now our differences are getting bigger and bigger, which eventually led to the current situation. You should be able to imagine that if they really let them If I succeed, what will happen to me in Beihan! So I have to take advantage of them first." After Liu He finished speaking, he was already crying with tears in his eyes.
Zhao Kuangyin was also silent at this time. Of course he knew what situation the Northern Han Dynasty would face if Wang Kuang and the others succeeded. Nowadays, the Northern Han Dynasty seems to be prosperous, but in fact, it is because of the conflict. The surrounding countries are watching eagerly. They are not attacking at the moment because they are worried that the strength of the Northern Han Dynasty is still strong and the internal unity is not easy to defeat.
However, if Wang Kuang and others united with ministers to prevent Zhao Kuangyin from proclaiming the emperor, Liu He would definitely suppress it forcefully. The confrontation between the two sides would definitely lead to political instability; Meng Geguang's festival in Luzhou was just in time to guard the gateway of Northern Liao and attack Northern Hande. If he betrayed the country, Luzhou would be Immediately the door will be opened wide, and the elite soldiers of the Northern Liao Dynasty will be able to knock down the pass and invade the Central Plains. Once the war breaks out, the Northern Han Dynasty will immediately be in chaos. The political situation is unstable and the other countries are suffering from war. They will definitely take advantage of the Northern Han Dynasty when it is at its weakest. Like wolves that smell the fishy smell, they will swarm and carve up his land, people, and wealth.
This is the law of troubled times, the weak and the strong will never recover if they make a mistake! Zhao Kuangyin thought further: How many lives will be trapped in the flames of war, how many families will be torn apart, and how serious the losses of the Han nation will be. Will the situation of ten houses and nine empty houses in Central China happen again? These will become possible. Even if the Northern Han Dynasty had the support of a group of cultivators such as You Longzi and Zhao Kuangyin, Liu He and others were able to eliminate the civil strife and drive out other places, I am afraid that by then the Northern Han Dynasty would have been greatly weakened and would no longer have the ability to compete in the world.
After thinking about this, Zhao Kuangyin understood Liu He's intention: short-term pain is worse than long-term pain, and it is better to nip the trouble in the bud with thunderous force than to cause big trouble in the future! Liu He is also a hero of the outstanding generation, so he can naturally think of this truth. So he hardened his heart and immediately captured the four people and beheaded them all. Such vigorous and resolute measures immediately frightened all those with evil intentions. Those people who joined forces lost their leader and naturally had no confidence to fight against Liu He's authority. That's why the announcement of founding the country and proclaiming himself emperor could be released so easily, even without any attention. What a huge impact the Northern Han Dynasty had. From this point of view, Liu He is a qualified politician who can be ruthless at critical moments although he usually behaves calmly.
It's just that Liu He is also a human being. No matter how hard-hearted he is, he doesn't know how painful it will be when he personally orders the execution of his old subordinates and old friends. Even if he comforts himself with national justice and right and wrong, he cannot avoid the pain. I wonder what kind of heartache he will feel when he recalls those past events in his midnight dream. Frequently suffering from inner torture is probably the reason why Liu He's physical condition is so poor.
Zhao Kuangyin thought of many things in his mind for a moment. Then he looked at Liu He, who was still sitting in the chair with a depressed expression, and the look of reverence in his eyes became stronger. For this country, for the people, and for the realization of the ideal of world peace in the future, this old man has really sacrificed too much. He tried his best to do everything well and cleared the obstacles for himself, and then handed over the power to himself without any hesitation. The purpose is just to let myself, as the World-Honored One said, be destined to ascend to the throne and unify the world so that the people can live a good life. Such an old man is worthy of admiration.
He couldn't help but left his seat and bowed deeply to Liu He, "Uncle Liu, you have done so much for my nephew, so I bow to my nephew. Don't worry, my nephew has sworn to bring peace to the world!" His words were loud and intangible. The momentum rises like a coiling dragon, as if he has become a human king.
Liu He looked at Zhao Kuangyin and couldn't help but be shocked by his momentum. He secretly said in his heart that the Taoist priest was right. Kuangyin indeed has the status of an emperor and has a bright future. My decision was not wrong. As I thought about it, the kindness in my heart could not help but lighten a lot.
After Zhao Kuangyin finished expressing his position, he asked Liu He about some state affairs. Liu He answered him one by one without any secret, and they chatted all night without knowing it.
(I’m almost writing this in officialdom. I’ll return to Xianxia tomorrow to start a new journey.)
