Chapter 212 Meeting the Emperor in Hedong
Zhang Chao had just escaped from death, but Jian Yong now had the second greatest opportunity in his life, second only to meeting Liu Bei.
He unexpectedly met the emperor on the bank of the Yellow River.
It’s just that the emperor was in a very embarrassed state at this time. He was surrounded by only two palace officials including Empress Fu, Song Guiren, and Guo Zhao, as well as Taiwei Yang Biao, Zongzheng Liu Ai, Zhijinwufuwanwei General Dong Cheng, and dozens of others. people.
Jian Yong didn't know it at first, but he was shocked when he heard someone shouting from the front that this was the Emperor's vehicle.
Under the escort of Chen Dao, Jian Yong personally brought fifty soldiers out. Under the leadership of General Dong Cheng, he was able to meet the emperor.
After confirming that the young man in front of him was the emperor of the day, Jian Yong suppressed the ecstasy in his heart, respectfully paid homage to the emperor, and presented gifts.
When I learned that Jian Yong was actually an envoy sent from Xuzhou by Liu Bei, the shepherd of Xuzhou, who was traveling all the way to Guanzhong to meet the emperor.
Everyone present suddenly burst into tears, and even the emperor had tears in his eyes.
Taiwei Yang Biao immediately bowed to the emperor and congratulated: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, today's world is not all rebellious ministers and traitors, there are also loyal ministers like Liu Bei. The great Han Dynasty has hope, and the world can hope for it."< br>
It can only be said that Jian Yong's arrival was such a coincidence.
Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty returned east this time, and the journey was full of difficulties and obstacles. Even the team returning to the east was in intrigues, and the internal fighting even reached the point of life and death.
There are conflicts within and pursuers from outside. How can we still fight under such circumstances?
Driving back to the east in Hongnong Dongjian, Caoyang County was defeated one after another. More than ten senior central officials with more than 2,000 stone were killed, so that Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was forced to risk crossing the Yellow River.
The group of people were shocked, frightened, and hungry. At this time, they met Jian Yong, and he was a loyal minister who had traveled thousands of miles to pay homage to the emperor. How could they not make the emperor and loyal ministers burst into tears of gratitude.
Jian Yong's political ability may be slightly inferior, but his emotional intelligence and communication skills are full of him.
He immediately asked Chen Dao to stop the motorcade and set up a tent for the emperor and many important ministers to stay out of the cold. At the same time, people were sent to collect wood and make fires to boil water for cooking.
At the same time, two hundred soldiers were ordered to put on armor immediately and prepare for defense in case they encountered the enemy.
Under Jian Yong's assignment, the camp was quickly set up, and the emperor and others finally had a place to shelter from the wind and cold, and were quite satisfied with Jian Yong's response. And this satisfaction reached its highest point when Jian Yong served him sugar water.
"What position does Mr. Jian currently hold? Has he ever had any fame?"
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, fame did not refer to imperial examinations, but to filial piety, integrity, and talent, but the general meaning was the same. Those with meritorious status would always be looked upon with a high regard, or even a hundred glances.
The person who asked the question was Shizhong Zhongji.
This man is quite capable, but it is difficult to distinguish between loyalty and treachery.
After Dong Zhuo moved his capital to Chang'an, he became the public enemy of the world's scholars. He wished he could eat his flesh alive and sleep on his skin.
Xun You once conspired to kill Dong, and this was among the people who participated.
At that time, in addition to Xun You and Zhong Ji, there were also Yilang Zheng Tai, Chang Shi He Yong, and Yueqi Colonel Wu Qiong. Zhong Ji was the minister at the time, and Xun You was the Huangmen minister. Judging from the positions of these people , almost all of them are the future talents of the Three Lords and Nine Ministers, which is equivalent to two thousand stone reserves.
Their plot was actually synchronized with Wang Yun's plot, but neither side knew the other's plan.
But the result is quite interesting, because it was leaked before it was completed, and the endings of these people are also quite different.
Xun You and He Yong were both imprisoned and questioned. He Yong could not withstand the pressure and actually committed suicide. If he had not committed suicide, he would have lived like Xun You until Dong Zhuo died and was released from prison as a hero.
Zheng Taize escaped from Chang'an, went straight to the southeast, and defected to Yuan Shu, who was still in Luyang at the time. He was immediately recognized by Yuan Shu as the governor of Yangzhou, but he died of illness on the way to take office.
Wu Qiong, the Yueqi captain, was killed along with Zhou Ao by the suspicious Dong Zhuo when he tried to dissuade Dong Zhuo from moving the capital to Chang'an.
The only two people who really survived were Xun You and Zhong Ji. Although Xun You was resourceful, he was actually lucky enough to survive.
Only Zhongji disappeared without a trace after the incident. He reappeared after Dong Zhuo's death and became a close confidant of Dong Zhuo's old subordinates Dong Cheng, Yang Ding, Yang Feng and others.
This makes people wonder if he was the one who was covered up by Dong Chengren and others.
Although Zhongji’s clothes are ragged and his hair is messy, he still looks embarrassed.
But Jian Yong didn't dare to be arrogant in the slightest, and replied respectfully: "As a servant, I have no fame, but now I am working under Liu Shijun."
Zhongji smiled in a friendly manner. He nodded and praised: "The superior said to Ba: 'Everyone who has left me in Yingchuan has passed away, but I am left alone. Only when I experience the strong wind can I know the strong grass."
"Now Liu Shijun is not far away thousands of miles away. Coming to the pilgrimage, Jian worked hard and lived up to the destiny of the state. It shows that I still have loyal ministers, and I congratulate the emperor!"
Hearing Zhongji's words, the emperor's face became much rosier after he had just drank the sugar water.
Although Jian Yong did not seem to understand etiquette, the emperor liked him very much. He only felt that Jian Yong had a true temperament and did not know how to avoid flattery.
Next, Jian Yong brought a list of gifts and presented them to him. Liu Bei also spent a lot of money on this visit.
Among them, there is one stone of frost sugar, five stones of snow salt, ten buckets of furs, silks, pearls, ten branches of ginseng, one hundred catties of paraffin, and twenty cartloads of various precious tributes.
Even the emperor was moved by such a generous gift list.
You must know that the little emperor was really bullied by Li Jue and Guo Si in Guanzhong these years.
Even if Liu Biao paid tribute, the benefits were stripped away by Li Jue, Guo Si and others. As the two of them became more and more domineering, they even dared to openly embezzle the imperial property.
At first, Liu Xie was still able to open a warehouse to help the people.
But since Li Jue and Guo Si turned against each other and attacked each other, Liu Xie could not even protect his own safety.
For more than a year, Liu Xie didn’t know how he survived. The little emperor was smart by nature and had a soft personality but a strong personality. He could still hold his own during the day, but at night, The pillow was almost wet from crying.
After Jian Yong finished singing the gift list, respectfully handed it to the palace attendants, and then sent it to Liu Xie, an old man with pale temple hair and a dignified manner winked at a middle-aged official opposite.
The winking old man is none other than Taiwei Yang Biao, the pillar of the current Han Dynasty, the direct descendant of the Hongnong Yang family, the Han Dynasty's surname Ji, the Third Duke of the Third Generation, and one of the Three Dukes of the current dynasty.
The middle-aged official opposite him was Feng Shuo, the minister of the dynasty.
The ministers in the Eastern Han Dynasty were quite noble and had almost the power to govern.
Feng Shuoke politely asked Jian Yong about the situation in Xuzhou.
Jian Yong was secretly happy and quickly answered.
Liu Bei entered Xuzhou at the end of last year. Due to Cao Cao's massacre, Xuzhou was starved to death and ruined everywhere.
Liu Bei scrimped on food and clothing, worked hard to restore local people's livelihood, encouraged farming and educated the people. It is recorded that he defeated the imperial ministers, repelled the invasion of Yuan Shu, and supported the governor of Yangzhou and the governor of Yuzhou.
Especially the defeat of Yuan Shu made the emperor very happy, and he increasingly felt that Liu Bei was a loyal minister.
There is no way, Yuan Shu is a notorious rebel leader in the current emperor and the central court. The emperor hates Yuan Shu no less than Li Jue and Guo Si.
If Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty were asked to choose the three people he hates the most, even a public enemy like Dong Zhuo would not be on the list. The only difference is who among the three Li Jue, Guo Si and Yuan Shu would be ranked first. one.
I heard that Liu Bei not only repelled Yuan Shu's invasion, but also protected the Yangzhou Mu who were appointed and dismissed by the imperial court.
The emperor Liu Xie happily praised: "Unexpectedly, there are talents like Liu Qing in the clan. Liu Qing needs to work harder in the future. The Han family needs important ministers like Liu Qing to stabilize it."
< br>Jian Yong naturally thanked the emperor for Liu Bei and expressed the loyalty and respect of Liu Bei and Xuzhou.
At this time, Yang Biao realized that the emperor was looking at him, and he suddenly came over.
My little emperor has been very smart since he was a child. If it were a peaceful period, he might not be a wise king. It is a pity that the world is in chaos now.
Yang Biao opened his mouth and said: "The emperor and I are fully aware of Shijun Liu's loyalty and ability. There is an issue that requires Liu Shijun's efforts."
When Jian Yong heard this, although his heart skipped a beat, there was no hesitation on his face, and he immediately expressed his stance: "Before coming to the west, my lord had already given orders to his ministers. Whatever the emperor has ordered, my lord will obey them."
< br>"Goodness!"
"Great Goodness!"
The former good thing was said by Yang Biao, and the latter great good thing was blurted out by the emperor in excitement.
Yang Biao glanced at the emperor, and then made a request: "The emperor is returning east now, and the rebels from Xiliang are chasing him behind him. He is in urgent need of loyal ministers to protect him. Moreover, when he returns to the capital of God in the future, Henan Yin has also In Chengbai, the emperor also needs soldiers to protect him. I wonder if Liu Shijun can send troops to escort the emperor's carriage back to Luoyang?"
Yang Biao had just made some calculations in his mind. Judging from what Jian Yong said, Liu Bei had at least 40,000 soldiers in Xuzhou, and at least half of them were elites who fought bravely.
As long as Liu Bei is willing to separate five thousand elite troops, plus five thousand auxiliary troops, these ten thousand people will hold the battle, plus the troops of Yang Ding, Dong Cheng, Yang Feng, Li Le and other generals , enough to resist the Xiliang pursuers.
And Yang Biao is not an ordinary corrupt scholar. He can be an official because of his good family background, but it does not mean that his own talents are not good. In fact, Yang Biao's ability is quite outstanding. Xuzhou seems to be far away on the coast of the East China Sea, thousands of miles away from Hedong.
But in fact, if we really want to send troops from Tancheng and march by water, as long as there are no obstacles along the way, we can reach Hedong within a month.
Because the waterway is so smooth.
Based on Yang Biao's experience, now that the emperor's frame, men and horses have all been damaged and scattered, if he doesn't rest in Hedong for a period of time, he may not be able to collect even the scattered accompanying soldiers.
As long as Liu Bei is willing to send troops, he will definitely have time.
Judging from Jian Yong's itinerary, Liu Bei is indeed a model of loyalty to the emperor, otherwise it would not be possible to explain that he had just taken over Xuzhou less than a year ago, and the state was in dire straits, with refugees inside and enemies outside. Next, I collected so many things to rush to see the emperor.
This is not a loyal minister, what is a loyal minister! ?
Now that they recognized Liu Bei's loyalty to the emperor, both the emperor and Yang Biao and others hoped that Liu Bei would quickly send troops to the west to greet him.
Jian Yong did not dare to hesitate and immediately replied: "If it is the emperor's wish, I dare not refuse and will definitely pass the decree back to Fang Bo."
Do you want to rescue or not? Go back After that, Liu Bei naturally had the final say.
But Jian Yong can't hesitate at all now, otherwise he will smash his loyal minister's card.
Sure enough, Jian Yong simply obeyed the order, which made the emperor and Yang Biao very happy.
At this time, Chen Dao brought hot food outside the tent again.
With the consent of the emperor, Jian Yong had the food delivered to the tent.
The emperor, Yang Biao and others were already hungry, but even so, the emperor asked first: "Can the queen have food? Can the ministers and soldiers who are accompanying you have food?"
Jian Yong sighed in his heart, the emperor seemed really not bad and had a good heart.
It’s just that fate is not good, and I encountered such a world.
"I report to the Emperor that the food is available and has been distributed."
Jian Yong said so, but the food given to the Emperor, the Three Gongs and the Nine Qings obviously cannot be the same as the food eaten by the people below. of.
But the emperor didn't realize it, he just started to eat the meal happily.
I found only three or four dishes on the road. The emperor's dinner plate only had a piece of dried meat, a piece of salted fish, some white cabbage, and two pieces of frosting sugar.
The emperor was also so hungry that he even ate up all the food and still had some unfinished food.
Jian Yong was stunned. The meal he prepared for the emperor was excessive, enough to feed a big man, but he didn't expect that the emperor didn't have enough.
Jian Yong hurriedly wanted to give the emperor some food, but was stopped by the emperor.
"No need, I'm full."
Liu Xie licked his lips to express that he was full.
Jian Yong didn't understand why the little emperor was duplicitous and insisted on saying he was full even though he was not full yet. But with his emotional intelligence, it was definitely impossible to expose the other party.
Liu Xie suddenly asked: "Jane Aiqing, this frosting sugar is really as white and crystal clear as frost snow. Is this also a specialty of Xuzhou? Why has it never been seen in the palace before?"
Liu Xie was also wealthy back then. However, when his father, Emperor Ling, was around, although the Han Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, at least it was still a unified dynasty. Prefectures from all over the country would bring tribute delicacies to the palace every year.
This frosting candy is so delicious and looks great, but Liu Xie has no memory of it, so he couldn't help asking curiously.
Jian Yong replied: "This thing was made by Uncle Fang's eldest son. It was just completed this year. It has never been sent to the palace in previous years."
"It is so."
Liu Xie was a little surprised. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Confucianism was highly praised. Although scholars had a wide range of hobbies, a young master from Fang Bo's family actually went to study food. From all appearances, this seemed to be someone who was bored with things and was indolent.
Liu Xie wanted to ask something else, but suddenly he saw Yang Biao winking at him quietly, so he deliberately yawned and said, "I'm really tired after traveling all night."
When Jian Yong saw it, he immediately resigned and asked the emperor to rest in his tent before setting off for the nearest county.
At the same time, the other ministers also resigned, except Yang Biao who was left by the emperor.
After Jian Yong and many ministers left, Liu Xie was really sleepy.
After a night of chaos and chaos, I was already exhausted, but now I was full again. Staying in a warm tent, I was just curious, but now that the curiosity was gone, sleepiness immediately came back.
However, Liu Xie still felt sleepy and asked Yang Biao: "The Taiwei just looked at me, but what is the important matter?"
"There is indeed something important to report. Your Majesty."
Yang Biao put down his plate at this time, straightened up, and saluted the emperor: "Now the Xiliang thieves are chasing after them, and they are forcing the emperor to act like a traitor. After repeated defeats, the army was defeated and scattered, and there was no support for Liu Xie, who was still sleepy just now. among.
Li Jue and Guo Si are definitely among the top three on Liu Xie's most hated list.
These two people are typical examples of both stupidity and badness. They literally pulled off the man’s underwear. At the same time, they threw the emperor’s face to the ground and trampled on it repeatedly. They even threatened the emperor’s life. .
The emperor gritted his teeth in hatred, but said helplessly: "What the Taiwei said is true, but now I only have dozens of ministers and concubines left by my side. What can I do?"
Yang Biao But he said: "It is precisely because the emperor has no help around him that he needs to summon loyal people to protect him as soon as possible."
The emperor suddenly realized: "The captain is talking about Liu Bei?"
"Exactly!"
Yang Biao continued: "Although the road from Xuzhou to Hedong is long, the waterway is smooth. In as little as three months, as quickly as two months, the Xuzhou army can reach Hedong."< br>
"What the Taiwei said is true!"
The emperor Liu Xie suddenly became energetic. In his opinion, Liu Bei's current performance is indeed quite loyal. Mu Dang really couldn't find the second one.
Even Liu Biao, Cao Cao, and Tao Qian, the three uncles who paid tribute to the imperial court, had close contacts with Li Jue and Guo Si behind their backs. In the end, they relied on the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si. He was promoted to the rank of state shepherd and general.
But Liu Bei was only loyal to the emperor and did not understand the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si. This made the emperor Liu Xie particularly satisfied.
Liu Xie saw that Yang Biao had a plan, so he took the initiative to ask: "What do you think of the captain?"
Yang Biao replied: "I am thinking about whether it can be added A general was given to Liu Bei to show his loyalty and obedience and urge him to send troops to the west as soon as possible. Moreover, the land in Henan is now completely empty. After your Majesty returns to Shenjing, there will probably be a shortage of palaces and buildings, not to mention a place to stay. . At that time, a lot of money and food will be needed to repair Shenjing, and Liu Bei will be needed at the right time."
When Yang Biao said this, the emperor Liu Xie completely understood.
After careful consideration, the emperor felt that what Yang Biao said made sense, so he nodded and continued to ask for advice: "What the Taiwei said is a mature word. He can be given the title of General, General Jianzhong. What do you think of Yang Qing?”
The title of General of the Eastern Han Dynasty is naturally the Great General, ranking above the Three Dukes, and everyone below the Qing Dynasty worships him.
The next are the three generals, namely General Hussar, General Chariot and General Wei, whose positions are higher than those of the Three Dukes.
These four generals belong to the top three, and they all have the power to open a mansion. They can be said to be the top generals.
The next level is the heavy-numbered generals, which are the four generals in the front, back, left and right, and the number is Sifang General.
The Sifang generals were truly equal in rank during the Eastern Han Dynasty, in no particular order, but the title of General Zuo was very special.
The first left general in the late Han Dynasty was the famous Mi Shui Emperor Yuan Shu.
The second General Zuo is still the dutiful son Lu Bu who is famous all over the world.
The third general of the left, with a more prominent reputation, was Liu Bei, the great emperor of Zhaolie.
At this point, the title of General Zuo can be changed to Prime Minister Cao's mortal enemy. All princes in this position are Cao Cao's mortal enemies until death.
Under the generals from all directions, there are generals with various names.
This miscellaneous number actually means more unconventional.
Important generals are permanent generals, while miscellaneous generals are non-permanent generals.
It is now the second year of Zhongping (AD 195), and the value of miscellaneous generals is also extremely high. This is not the case in the Jian'an period when generals will fly all over the sky in the future, especially after the ten years of Jian'an.
(End of this chapter)