Before Chen Chong and Liu Bei entered the city, Zhong Yao suggested that they let the soldiers rest outside the city. Chen Chong refused. He replied: "The soldiers have fought hard all day and are tired now. They no longer have the energy to camp outside the city. It is better to let them Everyone, come in and have a rest. Xijing is prosperous, but it has no chance to meet the soldiers. If you tell it, it will make people feel cold."
Having said that, he also knew what Zhong Yao was worried about, so he sent people to guard in front of the city gate and warned the sergeants one by one that they were not allowed to kill, bully the people, or steal. Anyone who committed the three crimes would be dealt with severely. . After the propaganda continued, Chen Chong, Liu Bei and other staff entered Chang'an City from Anmen.
After walking through the corridor, the dilapidated scenery of Chang'an City was revealed to Chen Chong. He raised his eyes and looked at the streets on the left and right. There were broken walls, rubble, and smoke marks. He couldn't see the bustling traffic of the past, with six cars rushing along the road, and the bustling scene. Only The streets are now empty, and some broken limbs can still be seen in the ditch beside the street. The contrast between the two cars is like a dream. Only then did people remember that Chang'an had experienced two major chaos. Until yesterday, the Liang people who stayed in the city saw that something was going wrong and fled from Zhicheng Gate in a hurry. Even if there was any prosperity, it had already been destroyed.
But fortunately the emperor and the court are still there. When everyone arrived in front of Weiyang Palace, Chen Chong heard snoring all over the place. It turned out that in the past three days, the palace sergeants had been guarding the palace gate day and night without sleeping. Yesterday, when the Liang people evacuated, they were extremely tired. Some people proposed a pursuit plan to Dong Cheng, but the result had not yet been discussed. Most of them The sergeants all fell asleep, and no one woke up until now.
The person in charge of the palace at this time was Zhang Liao. As soon as he met Chen Chong and Liu Bei, he remembered the time he spent fighting the rebellion in Xihe. He felt sad and said only: "Your Majesty and the gentlemen have been waiting for you for a long time." They informed the Emperor and the Chancellor, and at the same time led Chen Chong and his party to the side hall. This was Taiwei Ma Rixi's suggestion. He prepared imperial robes and crowns, clean water, and washbasins and pots for the people, allowing them to cleanse their faces briefly, take off their armor, and then see the emperor again in imperial robes.
When Liu Bei learned the reason, without waiting for Chen Chong to speak, he stepped forward and said with a smile to Sima Fang, the Jingzhao Yin who came to greet them: "Sima Gong, of course you should cleanse your face, but it is not necessary to remove your armor."
Sima Fang knew that Chen Chongben had a rift with Ma Rixi, and thought that Liu Bei was going to take this opportunity to demonstrate. After hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward to persuade him: "Now that the government is in danger, important ministers should put the overall situation first, and I hope Xuande will not act recklessly." He He, please show some sincerity to His Majesty."
But Liu Bei waved his hand and shook his head, indicating that Sima Fanghui was wrong. He replied sternly: "It is precisely because the situation in the court is difficult that it is more important to ask Sima Gong to convey my words to the emperor. Now that the world is in chaos and the world is in turmoil, it is right." This is the moment when the imperial court raises its troops and uses force, and all the ministers want to serve the country with their own lives. We do not want to take off our armor. This is to show our willingness to help, and we also hope that your majesty will cheer up."
Sima Fang turned to look at Chen Chong, who smiled and said, "If your Majesty doesn't allow it, I'll wait until it's too late to unload it."
Sima Fang had no choice but to let them wait and go to the East Palace to report to the emperor. After the group took a shower, Sima Fang walked back quickly and said to them, "The Emperor has agreed. If you are fully prepared, please follow me into Taichung to meet the Holy Spirit."
At this time, everyone in Shangshu Taichung walked down the stage and silently waited for the arrival of Chen Chong and his entourage. They all had different thoughts in their minds.
Dong Cheng, who served as temporary assistant to the government, breathed a sigh of relief at this time. He was not enthusiastic about his current status and was even afraid. Now that he could hold on until the chaos was over, he was satisfied and was already considering retreating.
Ma Rixishi, Sun Rui and others were unwilling to do so. They believed that they had the great merit of killing the national traitors, but in the end, because Wang Yun did not listen to the advice, they just died and handed over this great achievement to the king. In the hands of Chen Chong, how could they not be unhappy with the feeling of losing something again?
The rest of the ministers, such as Zhao Qi, Zhao Qian and others, are calm and composed. They have been running around in the past few years and have experienced too many twists and turns. Now they just want to restore peace as soon as possible. They have no grudges about who will be in power. Many of them have already thought about it. , and after a few days the situation was clear, they resigned.
Only a few people thought on the bright side: "Today, the imperial court can be said to be in extreme decline. I thought that once Chang'an was destroyed, the Han Dynasty would be destroyed. Who would have expected that it would be able to return to the protection of loyal ministers! With Chen Chong and Liu Bei assisting the government, it must be The revival of the Han Dynasty can also be expected."
"Reincarnation Paradise"
The twelve-year-old emperor was talking to his eldest sister, Princess Wannian, in the apse. They talked for a while, and no one heard the conversation, but the conversation ended quickly, and the emperor walked back to the front of the crowd, still looking immature. The expression on his face has become extremely calm, and it is impossible to see what is in his heart.
Soon, a group of about forty people arrived at the stage around the corner. Yang Biao led the emperor to come forward to greet him. The group also knelt down and saluted. When everyone stood up, the emperor recognized Sima Fang and knew that behind him were Chen Chong, Liu Bei and his family. Official office. Although he had never met Chen Chong, he saw the leader wearing Confucian clothes with four fingers on his left hand, so he said, "Are you Chen Qing?"
This was the first time that Chen Chong met Liu Xie. He nodded slightly and responded with a smile: "I have heard of the emperor's virtuous reputation three years ago. When I saw him today, he is indeed a man of keen observation and good knowledge."
After that, Chen Chong asked Liu Bei to introduce the people under his command to the emperor. The officials who followed them into the palace were all officials with more than 600 shi in the state capital. In addition, there were also Prince Tuoba Xianbei Tuoba Pigu, Xiongnu Zuo The emperor was very happy when he saw that there were many young people among them, including Liu Bao, the wise king, and Liu Xuan, the king of Zuo Ri Zhu, unlike most old people in Shangshu Taichung. He asked Dong Cheng for advice and distributed a jade belt to each of them.
After thanking each other, everyone entered the stage together. The emperor sat in the chair, and Dong Cheng set up five seats under the chair. Sikong Chunyujia, Taiwei Ma Rixi, Bingzhou Mu Chen Chong, and Huxiongnu Zhonglang General Liu Bei sat with him, and the others sat on both sides.
Dong Chengben wanted to talk to Chen Chong immediately about abdicating the throne, but Chen Chong said: "Now that Xijing is in chaos, we are entering the capital for the first time. It is the time to stabilize people's hearts. It would be too hasty to talk about military and national affairs today. It would be better to stay outside." We will discuss with the court and listen to the opinions of the officials before making plans." Dong Cheng had no choice but to give up for the time being and asked about the losses caused by the merging of troops. Chen Chong also truthfully told the truth that the war ended in just one day, and Chen Chong's knowledge was only approximate. There must be some deviation, but everyone was shocked when they learned that the war was a waste of money, thinking that this kind of war might not happen again in three or four years.
Liu Bei asked about Lu Bu's condition again, and Dong Cheng replied that he was still recovering. After the injury, the imperial doctor pulled out the arrow for him, but he was still in and out of consciousness these days, and he didn't know if he could get better. Liu Bei was relieved after hearing this. He was deeply impressed by Lu Bu's charge in Qi County and admired him in his heart.
Unexpectedly, at this time, the emperor suddenly asked: "Chen Qing, when the late emperor was here, he once talked about the ministers to me, and he had the best evaluation of Chen Qing. He said that Chen Qing was knowledgeable and well versed in the ways of governing the country. I deeply admired you." Nowadays, the country is undergoing great changes and disasters occur frequently, and I am extremely worried. I wonder if Chen Qing can teach me the pros and cons of governing the country."
Everyone was stunned, not expecting the emperor to say such words, especially Chen Chong. Turning to look at Liu Bei, Liu Bei nodded slightly to himself. Chen Chong then lowered his head and thought. After a moment, he raised his head and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, governing a country is the way. The so-called way can be said, but it is not the way. It cannot be understood in words at a moment. Yes, if your Majesty is interested in knowing, it would be better to talk about the gains and losses of the characters."
The emperor was convinced when he heard this, so he asked instead: "How does Chen Qing think Situ is in power?"
Chen Chong said: "When Situ is in power, he only knows how to recognize people, but he has no ability to use them. I have already mentioned this before."
"It's better for you to express it tactfully than to say it clearly in Taichung."
Chen Chong held his forehead for a moment and said: "Situ is capable. He knows who is loyal and who is available, and can take them all under his command. But the difficulty is that Situ also knows Dong Zhuo's likes and dislikes, which makes Dong Zhuo doubtless, so he can use deception to get them. People and people can rise up violently and destroy the Dong family. The art of war says that if you know yourself and the enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger. This is what it is."
The emperor nodded and asked, "How can we start with the use of people?"
Chen Chong replied: "After Situ gained power, he could not hire people based on their talents and character, but rather their relatives and party members, and more importantly their grievances, likes and dislikes. The people he hired were all close confidants. Although they had words of loyalty and advice, they were discarded. Therefore, there is a current situation. Chaos, a disaster of death!"
At this point, everyone present sighed with emotion, if Wang Yun could pardon Liang Ren, why would he do this?
The emperor was silent for a moment, thinking about the section of "Wan Zhang" taught by Wang Yun to him. He couldn't explain how he felt in his heart. He suddenly asked Chen Chong: "Chen Qing thinks that compared with Situ, how is the imperial master's governance?"
The atmosphere became deserted for a moment. The emperor was established by Dong Zhuo. Although Dong Zhuo was rude to many officials in the court, he was still respectful to the emperor. If he hadn't poisoned his brother, the emperor actually had no ill feelings toward Dong Zhuo, so his words were still Call him "Grand Master". But he is the emperor, so there is no need to be taboo. Chen Chong has to think twice.
Chen Chong was silent for a moment and replied: "Dong Zhuo has the wisdom of a person, but he has no knowledge of people. He is between five and five with Situ."
"What do you mean by Chen Qing's words?"
In a state of astonishment, Chen Chong said: "Dong Zhuo employed people before and after, regardless of their closeness, and he was able to control his likes and dislikes. In his army there were Yan people such as Xu Rong, as well as enemies such as Lu Bu and others, Huangfu Song and others. The case of Chen Fan was snowed in the past, and Zhao was later Zhao. Dangzhibai is the minister's post of Bingzhou Mu, which was also awarded by Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo's employment can be said to be of the highest quality. In terms of popularity alone, no one in the world can match him, so he can do what Yihuo did. An act of success or failure."
"But although he is good at employing people, he doesn't know them well. He first appointed Yuan Shu as a general, then moved Yuan Shao to the Bohai Sea, and granted Yuan clan to all the counties in Guandong. He didn't know the princes' ambitions to separate themselves, nor did he know the officials in the court. He had harbored resentment for a long time and was so drunk that he carried edicts and favors, but caused Guandong to be separated, the four seas collapsed, and then he encountered Lu Bu's assassination. This is not because of his immorality, but because he does not know people well. "
Chen Chong finally concluded: "Dong Zhuo lost to Situ's leadership, so he was executed by Situ. Situ lost to Dong Zhuo's leadership, so he was oppressed by the rest of the army. Therefore, I say, the two of them govern between five and five."
After everyone heard this, they fell into a long silence. The emperor said to Chen Chong with emotion: "Chen Qing is indeed a straight minister who tells the truth."
On that day, everyone had a meal in Weiyang Palace and arranged a room to rest. After being questioned by the emperor, Chen Chong had many thoughts in his mind. He couldn't sleep for a while. Late at night, he simply went out of the house and stood on the palace platform to watch the night sky. There was a pure full moon in the night sky, and Liu Bei's snoring next door made it very strange. It is unimaginable that yesterday they were still fighting in a bloody battle outside the city.
This reminded Chen Chong of many people who had died and who were still alive, and he couldn't help but ask himself, am I sure that I can do better than Wang Yun and Dong Zhuo in judging people and employing people wisely? Am I doing my best? How many more people have to die before I can fulfill my ideal? In a thousand years, how will the world evaluate me? He pondered for a long time, and became a little worried about gain and loss. He didn't notice anyone passing by the steps, and only thought about his own thoughts. In the end, Chen Chong didn't come up with the answer. He thought that he could only do his best in everything. So he chanted to the full moon:
"The troubles of the world go south together, and the Qing Dynasty returns to the north. White hair grows in foreign lands, and green mountains can be seen in the old capital. The full moon passes over the remnant barrier, and the stars are in the old pass. Cold birds and decaying grass fly together to Duanchou Bay."
He raised his head for a moment and then returned to the room.
When he was about to take a rest, someone suddenly knocked on the door. Chen Chong opened the door and saw an old woman holding a pot in her arms and bowing to him. Chen Chong was inexplicable, so the old woman explained her purpose: "When His Highness Wannian was admiring the moon, he heard Jun Chen's emotion by mistake and admired him in his heart, so he sent me to bring a jar of wine to Jun Chen."
Chen Chong was caught off guard and could only return the gift in a hurry and said: "Your Highness is caring, but Chong feels inexplicably."
The old woman smiled again and said, "Your Highness has one more thing to give to Mr. Chen."
"What sentence?"
"The clouds move in the sky, and the waves move in the river. Mr. Chen is named Dragon Head, and he just takes the revitalization of the Han Dynasty as his own responsibility. How can he be so easily moved by the Spring and Autumn Period as a woman?"
After that, the old woman bowed again and left slowly, leaving Chen Chong alone in the house, with only a pot of warm wine facing him.
(The clouds are moving in the sky)
