"Crown Prince? This is His Majesty's family matter. It's better for me not to express my opinion..."
Liu Zhang looked frightened. He knew what Liu Hong meant, but he still had to be careful.
"Hey! If only every minister thought like you!"
Liu Hong smiled bitterly and shook his head slightly.
"You should know that I am more fond of the second prince Liu Xie. The eldest prince Liu Bian is cowardly. If he ascends to the throne, the power of his relatives will expand infinitely, and I am afraid there will be another Dou Wu!"
Liu Zhang couldn't help but admire Liu Hong's foresight. History was indeed as Liu Hong expected. After Liu Bian ascended the throne, the power of General He Jin reached the level of Dengfeng. If he hadn't been stupid, he first summoned Dong Zhuo to the capital and then fell into the plan of the ten permanent servants. It is really difficult to say how history will develop after physical death.
"What does Your Majesty want me to do?"
Liu Zhang's words directly stated his attitude, and he was definitely on Liu Hong's side.
Liu Hong's eyes lit up and his face suddenly turned red.
"I really saw you right!"
"Now I have been forced into a desperate situation. The general He Jin, the Yuan family, and the Yang family ministers are all threatening me to make the prince Liu Bian the crown prince, but I am not willing to do it! So I have not been with you for a long time. I went to court this morning just to delay this matter!"
Liu Zhang really admired and despised Liu Hong. If you don't go to court, won't the power of He Jin and the Yuan family expand even more?
Stupid, just too stupid!
"What does your Majesty mean?"
After talking for a long time, Liu Hong didn't tell Liu Zhang what to do. Liu Zhang couldn't just send troops to kill all these people!
"You are twenty years old this year, right?"
Liu Zhang was slightly startled, but he didn't expect Liu Hong to mention his age.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, I went out to fight against the Yellow Turbans when I was fifteen years old. Today, I am exactly twenty years old."
If his age was not mentioned, Liu Zhang would still feel nothing. When Liu Hong mentioned it, he felt a little melancholy.
In the blink of an eye, five years have passed!
It took five years to create such a piece of land as Hanzhong County! There were a total of 104 counties in the Han Dynasty. How many years would it take to unify them?
"It's been five years. It's time for the post of general to change..."
"What does Your Majesty mean...?"
Liu Hong looked at Liu Zhang and showed an intriguing smile.
"Aiqing, do you still remember the military exercise a few years ago? I plan to restart this military exercise and see the majesty of Aiqing's cavalry at the Mangshan martial arts field. This will also allow the newly formed Xiyuan soldiers to see the elite soldiers. The style!”
Liu Hong did not answer Liu Zhang's questions directly, but instead brought up the old events of that year.
"Your Majesty is going to arrange for me to compete with the general?"
"good!"
Liu Hong nodded, and then looked at Liu Zhang hopefully.
"Ai Qing must win this duel!"
"Your Majesty, don't worry. I will definitely defeat the general and win this military exercise!"
Liu Zhang released his incomparable self-confidence. It was not that Liu Zhang was arrogant or looked down upon others, but that He Jin really did not deserve his attention.
Perhaps Liu Zhang would not dare to underestimate anyone in the General's Mansion, such as Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, or even Xu You! But he only looks down on He Jin, who has no talent, is indecisive, and loves success.
Winning this duel and defeating the general may not be easy for others to boast about, but Liu Zhang has absolute confidence!
"If my dear, you are so determined, that would be great! I will reopen the morning court in the next few days, and the matter will be discussed at the court meeting at that time! You go first!"
Liu Hong had already issued an eviction order, so Liu Zhang naturally would not stay here and left, so he resigned as soon as possible.
"Wei Chen resigns!"
After Liu Zhang left, Liu Hong also put away his happy smile and said to the air at the same time,
"How is it? Do you think Liu Zhang is worthy of my trust?"
At this time, a person walked out from behind the screen, and it turned out to be Zhang Rang who had been staying behind!
"Your Majesty, in the opinion of my veteran minister, the General Hou can be trusted. I just talked with the General Hou at the gate of the palace. His concern and concern for Your Majesty do not seem to be pretentious."
If Liu Zhang was here, he would definitely be shocked. He would never have imagined that Liu Hong was testing him!
Zhang Rang deliberately waited for him at the palace gate, and even more deliberately revealed this information to him!
Liu Hong nodded, but his face still looked cautious.
"I can only believe him for the time being. I really don't have many chips! Where is Jian Shuo? How is his control over the soldiers in Xiyuan?"
The Xiyuan Army is Liu Hong's last trump card. The 16,000 soldiers and horses were raised entirely with his own money, which shows how much pressure Liu Hong is under now!
The formation of the Xiyuan Army did not go smoothly. When Liu Hong proposed it, he encountered many difficulties. All forces blocked it one after another. Liu Hong spent many positions as a captain in the Xiyuan Army to gain the recognition of all forces!
If the Xiyuan Army cannot be completely controlled by Liu Hong, then he is really trying to draw water from a bamboo basket!
Zhang Rang naturally understood the significance of Xiyuan Army to Liu Hong, but his face was not very good.
"Your Majesty, Jian Shuo of the Eight Schools of Xiyuan can only completely control three schools. The others are controlled by the General and the Tutor respectively."
Liu Hong was very dissatisfied with this result. Although he gave He Jin and Yuan Wei some power over the Xiyuan Army, in order to check and balance the captains, he deliberately proclaimed himself supreme general and the supreme commander of the Xiyuan Army.
Since Liu Hong could not be in the Xiyuan Army all the time, he deliberately transferred his power to Jian Shuo, the captain of the Shangjun Academy. Unexpectedly, even so, he could only control three schools, or 6,000 people.
"I have given him such great power, why can't he still completely control the other five schools? What a waste!"
Although Jian Shuo was not a regular attendant, he had a close relationship with Zhang Rang and others, so Zhang Rang naturally wanted to intercede for him.
"Your Majesty, the other captains such as Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, etc. are all close friends of the General's Office or the Yuan family. Even if they are forced to surrender for a while, they must be entrusted to a false snake. Don't believe it!"
Liu Hong was also in a very difficult position. When the Xiyuan Army was first formed, if these captains were not separated, it would be difficult to get the approval of the ministers. Now that the captain has been assigned to them, the military power is naturally in the hands of others.
"Hateful! It seems that Jian Shuo needs to be given more power!"
"Your Majesty, Jian Shuo's power is already very great. If he becomes more powerful, he will reach the status of a general. How can they give up?"
Even Zhang Rang did not agree with this matter. He even felt that once Liu Hong proposed it, he would definitely encounter fierce resistance from the officials.
"It doesn't matter, I have already thought of a countermeasure."
Liu Hong showed a smile after a long absence. Why did he ask Liu Zhang to come back? Naturally, he wanted to act as a shield for Liu Hong!
As an emperor, he naturally has the power to control everything. However, Liu Hong has been pursuing it since he came to the throne. He thought he would succeed soon, but he did not expect to encounter the Yellow Turban Rebellion!
"This time, I must hold all the power of Luoyang in my hands! I will naturally have the final say on who will inherit the throne in the future!"
