After the discussion was over, Liu Chong alone left the Jiedu judge Zheng Gong and the observing judge Zhao Hua behind and took them to the study for a secret discussion.
He sat down, leaned on the soft seat, closed his eyes and rested for a while, then Liu Chong opened his eyes, looked at the two of them, and said: "The two of you are Gu's right-hand man. Over the years, Gu has made many achievements in governing Hedong, and Gu has always relied on him." . The current situation is also clear to both of you. It is very unfavorable for Yu Gu. The emperor is suspicious and cold-hearted. Even if Gu has no rebellious intentions, I am afraid it will be difficult for him to tolerate him!
There is also news coming from Tokyo that Gu, the emperor's nephew, wants to cut down the feudal vassalage in order to target the world's Jiedu. He only wants to use me, the emperor's uncle, to scare chickens and monkeys and shock the world.
Just now in the hall, Li Xiang and others were frightened when Gu made a statement. It was obvious that they were not of the same mind. In this critical moment, there are only two decision-makers left to rely on! "
After hearing Liu Chong's plea, Zhao Hua, who had not spoken much in the hall before, solemnly asked him: "Please tell me the truth, do you really want to break with the imperial court and raise an army?"
Zhao Hua's words were already much more euphemistic. Liu Chong thought for a while, shook his head and said: "Gu Shi has no such intention! I just want to stay in the east of the river. However, the court will not tolerate this extravagant request. I have no choice but to seek change!"
Seeing Liu Chong's eyes twinkling, Zhao Hua sighed: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly. Since I am a subject of the Han Dynasty and the imperial court has the system, how can I disobey the order? If you want to fight, even if the king has no intention and falls into the eyes of the imperial court, he must have intention. So. Once this happens, there will be no room left between us and the imperial court, which may cause disaster!”
"Then according to your words, how about being alone?" Listening to Zhao Hua's words, Liu Chong's tone was already a little impatient.
Zhao Hua hesitated for a while, not daring to look into Liu Chong's eyes, but he gritted his teeth, stood up and cupped his hands and said: "In my opinion, the king must obey the imperial edict and hand over power to the capital. If so, the king is the emperor's uncle and the clan member. First of all, having an honorable status will ensure a lifetime of wealth and peace, and can also accumulate blessings for future generations!”
"Even you said that!" After saying this, Liu Chong showed annoyance as expected. He raised his finger and pointed at Zhao Hua, seeming a little disappointed: "Are you worried about your future?"
"I have been greatly favored by your Majesty. I have never repaid you. How can I care about my personal honor and disgrace!" Zhao Hua knelt down, buried his head and choked with sobs.
Seeing his condition, Liu Chong sighed, waved his hand impatiently to let him stand up, and looked at Zheng Gong again.
Facing Liu Chong's gaze, Zheng Gong, who had been observing Liu Chong for a long time, asked, "What is the king's plan?"
After hearing the question, Liu Chong's expression gradually became serious, and he said seriously: "The imperial court wants to reduce the vassal state, and Jiedu in the world will not sit still and wait for death. He will definitely turn his attention to Hedong and wait and see how the situation develops. After careful consideration, the imperial court has fought fiercely in Huainan for half a year. The loss of soldiers, horses, money, food, and people will be great.
Nowadays, the Shu army also invades the southwest and has not yet stopped. Under such circumstances, as long as Gu Xiang persists, the court will not dare to push too hard. If they are really forced to stand alone and fall into civil strife, Tokyo will probably not be able to bear the consequences.
On the contrary, if Gu Ruo chooses to listen and let it be confiscated, the management of Hedong for several years will be handed over to others, and everything in the future will be controlled by others. If the emperor is jealous, a jailer can take his life.
Alone in Jinyang, if Li Yiyin of Xiazhou is invited to help again, the imperial court will definitely use a rat weapon. At that time, Gu only needs to get the imperial edict to issue an edict to the east of the river forever, and then great things will happen!
The imperial court has failed, and if it wants to oppress Gu Gu again, it will not be that easy. The whole world is still watching! "
It is very rare to hear Liu Chongfa's "big talk" and see his eyes light up. It is obvious that he has really considered it.
"No matter what, the imperial court has taken action, and I have to adapt to the situation!" Liu Chong looked determined: "Let's test the bottom line first, but if you want to seize the military power in Hedong and take my Qiangu, you must not allow it! Otherwise, artificial Dao Zu, I am the fish and meat!"
In the final analysis, the imperial court wanted to seize military power, which somewhat irritated Liu Chong's nerves.
Seeing this, Zhao Hua wanted to say something, but Zheng Gong gave him a look and held it back. Zheng Gong said: "Since the king has made up his mind, I can only do my best to assist you and achieve the king's grand strategy!"
After hearing what Zheng Gong said, Liu Chong showed a satisfied smile. Obviously, this was what he wanted to hear. Rather than those so-called "loyal words" that destroy his ambition.
"Where is Fan Zhi now?" Liu Chong asked.
Zheng Gong replied: "I am in Fenzhou! An official document has been sent. I will arrive in Jinyang in two days to pay homage to the Northern Capital!"
"Fenzhou! This Fan Zhi, a scholar who is a prime minister, dares to make trouble in the east of our river! Send a message to Erlang and ask him to keep an eye on this person!" Liu Chong muttered for a while and ordered to Zheng Gong: "In addition, , to inform all states, if there is no order from Gu, the officials above and below will ignore it. My subordinates in Hedong will not have his turn to question him!"
When they walked out of the study, Zheng Gong and Zhao Hua couldn't help but sigh. The two returned to the Yamen hand in hand. Zhao Hua's expression was full of emotion: "Why is the king like this? He uses his uncle to bully his nephew and uses his ministers to rebel against the king. He has no reputation and loses his points. This is the way to cause disaster! But today's man is wise and capable in both civil and military affairs. , the government is stable, people are at peace, and wanting to use Hedong to fight against the world is not what a wise person would do!"
Zheng Gong looked back and couldn't help but shake his head: "The king loves power!"
Taking a deep breath, Zhao Hua said: "Even so, if you want to hook up with Li Yiyin, you are trying to bring chaos to the Han Dynasty. Having a rift with the imperial court is an internal issue, and if it involves the Dingnan Army, you will have to extirpate yourself from the world. !”
"Now, the king has made up his mind, and it is useless to persuade him. As his subjects, what can we do?" Zheng Gong looked serious and helpless.
"The same goes for the imperial court. We have the same bloodline, so why are we so forced to do so!" Zhao Hua said with a bit of lament in his tone: "If this situation continues, it won't be long before we all will be imprisoned!"
"Hedong's subordinates have 40,000 troops. They occupy a prosperous place and control the pass, which is enough to defend them!" Zheng Gong said: "As the king said, the court will not be able to use a large army in a short period of time. If we can defend it, we can defend it." Waiting and watching the situation change, the court may be able to compromise!"
Zhao Hua was shocked: "Brother Zheng really wants to help the king raise an army?"
Zheng Gong spread his hands and said: "The king obviously has this intention! He has a lot of troops and is unwilling to compromise. We and other civil servants are useless!"
"Brother Zheng, the king doesn't know what is going on in the east of the river. Don't you and I still don't know?" Zhao Hua said: "Forty thousand soldiers and horses, the elites are only five or six thousand. In the east of the river, Kelan's army, Zheng Qian, is The late emperor personally granted him the title, but he never agreed with the king. There is also Li Wancao, the governor of Liaozhou, who was ordered by the emperor. Outside Hedong, Wang Yan of the Jianxiong Army and Chang Si of the Zhaoyi Army guarded their throats. Once they raised their troops, they were labeled as rebels. I’m afraid that both jade and stone will be destroyed!”
"Furthermore, today's emperor is a heroic lord. Since he has the intention to cut down the vassal, how can he have no backup plan? How can he not worry about the king's reaction?" Zhao Hua said, feeling a little scared himself: "Obviously, only Prime Minister Fan will be sent." Where are the hostages and Zhao Kuangyin secretly?"
"Brother Zhao! No matter how much you and I worry about, it's hard to change the king's mind! It's useless to talk about it!" Zheng Gong spread his hands again: "Even if you give advice, the king will not listen. If you force him to remonstrate, I'm afraid Li Xiang will fall into the trap." The end!"
"Now, we can only take one step and watch one step!"
"well!"
Watching Zhao Hua sighing as he walked all the way, Zheng Gong's eyes flashed and he walked out of this magnificent palace.
Zheng Gong did not go to the government office, but chose to return to his mansion. There was already a person waiting in his mansion, drinking tea.
"I have met Duke Shouyang!" Zheng Gong quickly saluted.
Waiting in the hall was none other than Li Shaoyou, the military moral envoy.
After taking a slow sip of tea, Li Shaoyou glanced at Zheng Gong and said calmly: "Is the palace meeting over?"
"Exactly!" Zheng Gong responded with great respect: "As expected by Duke Shouyang, the king really has no intention of being submissive and has ordered the Jinyang garrison to maintain martial law!"
With that said, Zheng Gong quickly explained the situation of the meeting to Li Shaoyou in detail, and then stood quietly aside, waiting for Li Shaoyou's instructions.
"Uncle Liu Huang is a bit reckless!"
"The King of Taiyuan also had many complaints against the imperial court. He was even more dissatisfied with His Majesty's suppression of relatives and favored foreign ministers. In addition, he had guarded Hedong for many years, kept his word, and was greedy for power. The imperial court wanted to cut down the vassal, and it was natural that he would go against his will!" Zheng Gong said calmly.
Liu Chong didn't know that Zheng Gong, the Jiedu judge he relied on as his confidant, had already moved closer to the court.
