Compared to Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao is even more hateful.
There are many diehards around him, and his banner is not only to resist Liu Bei, but more importantly, to oppose the eunuchs, and to kill all the eunuchs.
For this reason, the eunuch clan and industry in Jizhou have completely collapsed.
Those who followed Yuan Shao were not only members of the Yuan Group, but also those who boarded the pirate ship out of greed. After purging the eunuchs and seizing their properties, they had to follow Yuan Shao out of fear of revenge. In some way In a sense, he is more loyal to Yuan Shao than his disciples and former officials.
They will do their best for their own survival, which is different from Yuan Shu's situation.
Therefore, it is more difficult to deal with Yuan Shao.
But it doesn't matter, it's more difficult to deal with Yuan Shao, and the blockade Liu Bei arranged for Yuan Shao is also stronger.
Dong Zhuo, the pastor of Bingzhou, Liu Yu, the pastor of Qingzhou, and Gongsun Zan, the governor of Youzhou, were three strong armies waiting for him. Liu Bei did not believe that these three people could not deal with Yuan Shao before he was ready to go north.
On the first day of October in the sixth year of Zhongping, Liu Bei led his army and set off back to Luoyang.
On the eighth day of October, the army returned to Luoyang.
After returning from victory, under the advice of Zhang Rang, Jian Shuo, Dong Zhong and the Empress Dowager Dong, Luoyang City organized an emperor to lead hundreds of officials to greet Liu Bei outside Luoyang City in order to highlight Liu Bei's achievements. drama.
When Liu Bei first learned the news, he felt it was slightly inappropriate, but several senior staff officers around him felt there was nothing wrong with it.
First of all, Liu Bei is a well-established general. He holds the highest military position in the Han Dynasty, ranking above the Three Dukes. He is the first person below the emperor. His status is definitely worthy of such treatment.
Secondly, Liu Bei risked his life and personally went out to fight against the rebellion of the Han Dynasty. He eliminated the rebellion of the Han Dynasty and made great contributions to the Han Dynasty. It was normal for the emperor to go out of the city to greet him personally.
Liu Bei thought about it and still felt that something was wrong.
"Although I am a general, my time is still short, and the emperor is young. If I have to be greeted by the emperor when I return from the expedition, some people may think that I am arrogant and disrespectful of the emperor. I am afraid it will attract criticism. This is not a good thing for me.
I am now a general who is less than one person and more than ten thousand people. The previous general was just executed for rebelling. Now that I take over this position, I must be more careful and not follow the truth. Otherwise, once the situation is stabilized, someone will take advantage of it. . "
After hearing this, the senior staff officers around him felt that Liu Bei was a little too cautious.
But there's nothing wrong with being cautious.
The generals Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong agreed very much with Liu Bei's ideas.
"The general has only been in office for a short period of time and the foundation is unstable. It is natural to be cautious. Since ancient times, caution has been the prerequisite for prosperity. Arrogance and domineering are the precursors of self-destruction. The general is cautious. I I think this is the right thing to do and I should congratulate the General.”
So Liu Bei decided that when the army arrived outside Luoyang City, he would dismount his horse and walk to the city gate to worship the emperor. He would worship the emperor first to show his respect, in order to express that he had no arrogance and block the mouths of the insects in the court.
On the morning of October 8th, just before noon, Liu Bei led his army to arrive outside Luoyang City. Accompanied by the welcoming envoy, he saw the emperor and officials' welcoming queue from a distance.
So he ordered the troops to return to the barracks in accordance with the rules. He dismounted, straightened his clothes, handed his saber to the guards around him, and walked forward.
Arriving in front of the young emperor Liu Xie, Liu Bei glanced at the officials and found Lu Zhi, Cai Yong, Cao Cao, Yan Wen, and Zhen Yan.
After a pause, Liu Bei made a military salute before Liu Xie could speak.
"I came back from the battle. I was wearing armor and it was difficult for me to salute, so I met Your Majesty with a military salute. Please forgive me!"
Liu Xie blinked and turned his head to look at Dong Chong standing next to him.
Not the same as promised?
He didn't come on a horse.
Dong Zhong hesitated for a moment, then winked.
Liu Xie nodded.
"The general has worked hard to defeat the rebels and has achieved great results. I am very pleased to have triumphed today. I am willing to return to the city with the general and congratulate him again!"
"I obey the decree!"
Liu Bei performed another military salute: "Your Majesty, please go first!"
Liu Xie was stunned again, looked at Dong Chong, and frowned.
"General, please come first?"
"No human minister can come before the Emperor. Your Majesty invites you first."
Liu Bei stood still.
Liu Xie glanced at Dong Chong again, said nothing, and walked forward.
Liu Bei glanced at Dong Chong, said nothing, and followed the pace of the emperor.
The entire queue moved slowly, and a group of great men staggered back to the palace following the emperor and Liu Bei.
Of course, it would not be a problem if we walked all the way back. After walking for a while, someone would lead the horse and wait for it. Liu Xie got up first, followed by Liu Bei, and they went one behind the other.
Officials with a certain status behind them all have horses, so they can ride with them.
Officials without status really have no choice but to go back.
Obviously, there are grades of officials.
Later, Liu Xie prepared a celebration banquet for Liu Bei in the palace. Liu Bei attended the banquet with a group of generals who had established achievements, and received the royal wine and food from the emperor. The army would also be given special food and wine rewards. , you can eat and drink to your heart’s content until you can’t eat or drink anymore.
Regarding rewards and merit-recording policies, everything has been arranged according to the court's rules and Liu Bei's special arrangements.
Liu Bei is already a highly respected minister, so there will be no changes in his position for the time being, except for some material rewards and an increase of 5,000 households, reaching 25,000 households.
The banquet was of course a great joy.
After a banquet, it was already evening, and Liu Xie asked the meritorious soldiers to return to the camp and go home to rest. After a night's rest, the formal prisoner presentation ceremony would be held tomorrow, and then the rebellious execution ceremony would be held.
Liu Bei drank a little too much. With the support of the guards, he did not go home. Instead, he returned to the military camp outside the city and chose to rest in the military camp outside the city. The reason was that the prisoner dedication ceremony had not been completed and the commander could not remove his armor.
Returning to the military camp, Liu Bei washed his face and became a little more conscious. He called Jia Xu and Xun You, who had followed him back, into his military tent.
"What's going on with the Emperor? Do you know?"
Jia Xu and Xun You held the positions of Shangshu Zuocheng and Shangshu Youcheng. They did not accompany the army during this expedition, but stayed in Luoyang to handle logistical affairs.
At the same time, in order to show trust, the intelligence agency led by Liu Hui also opened the information to the two of them, so that the two of them could learn many important things in time.
To put it bluntly, they are the two pairs of eyes Liu Bei placed in Luoyang City.
This time, these two pairs of eyes saw a lot.
"As you have learned before, during the month or so you went on the expedition, Dong Chong got very close to Huan Dian and Zhang Xi of the Jinwen School. They had six banquets in a month, and these two people were present every time. Even though people don’t know what was said, they can still make a rough guess.”
Jia Xu whispered: "It must be something that is not good for you. Huan Dian and Zhang Xi are both members of the famous Jinwen school. The Jinwen school is obviously evil-minded."
"This is normal."
Liu Bei nodded and said, "Has Taichang Huang Wan joined in?"
"That's not true."
Xun You whispered: "We thought Huang Wan would join in at first, but Huang Wan did not. These days, Huang Wan appears in Taixue, Dongguan and other places all day long, all related to academic etiquette. There is no I’ve been to Dong Chong’s hussar general’s house.”
"By the way, there's one more thing."
Jia Xu said: "Yang Biao's period of observing filial piety is coming this month, but ten days ago, he reported to the court that his mother had died early. He was young at the time and didn't know what filial piety was. Now he is deeply uneasy and decided to make up for it. I will serve my mother in mourning, observe mourning for another twenty-six months, and will not return to the court for the time being."
After hearing this, Liu Bei thought for a while and nodded slowly.
"It seems that the Yang family has figured it out. Huang Wan and the Yang family are getting closer, so they don't care anymore. The Modern Literature School has always laughed at the internal divisions of the Ancient Literature School, isn't it the same for them now? Huan Dian, Zhang Xi, these two I am restless personally..."
"Dong Zhong is the nephew of the Empress Dowager. He has a special status. He is also a hussar general, and he can also run a mansion. He is a big threat."
Jia Xu said: "If the Jinwen School and Dong Zhong join forces, I'm afraid it will bring you some trouble."
Liu Bei sneered and said: "What trouble can they bring to me? When the Jinwen school was at its peak, I was just a small official in the Shangshutai. I was not afraid of them. Now, I am a general of the dynasty, but I have to be afraid. Have they?"
"Of course you are not afraid of them."
Xun You said slowly: "But Dong Zhong can use his status as the Empress Dowager to exert influence on the Emperor. He is not an easy person to deal with. Moreover, he can also open a mansion now. In time, he will also be there." The world has a certain influence, and this is something you have to take into account.”
Liu Bei nodded slowly.
"Dong Zhong's identity is a problem, but in my opinion, the Empress Dowager is not a person who likes trouble. If Dong Zhong wants to cause trouble, it will be difficult for him to pass the Empress Dowager's test. As long as he cannot pass this test, Dong Zhong will If you attach great importance to this noble disciple, you won’t be able to change the world.”
As he spoke, Liu Bei's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness.
"However, the Jinwen School is a bit interesting. I haven't thought about messing with them yet. They didn't have time to provoke me. Who gave them the courage? Huan Dian and Zhang X... OK, very good. It seems that this time, I am going to prepare to uproot them, but they must not think that I dare not take action against the Wenyue family!"
(End of chapter)
