Chinese New Year

Chapter 615 Two Emperors
The emperor left in a hurry, and returned to Zhaoyang Palace angrily without even waiting for the musicians to play the BGM of his departure.

Queen Liang Lanbi is writing a letter.

She had few friends. After entering the palace and becoming the queen, it was even less likely that she would have any contact with the outside world. It was only because of Yu Wenjun's magical powers that she was able to keep in touch with her through letters.

She cherishes this friend with whom she can talk very much.

Before writing the letter, Liang Lanbi read the letter from Yu Wenjun again.

In the letter, Yu Wenjun mentioned the sweet life they lived at home before Chen Gong went to war, including things like eyebrow drawing in the boudoir, strolling under the moon, and outings. She even mentioned that Chen Gong used the silk thread he got from raising silkworms to weave a piece of clothing for her and her daughter.

At the end of the letter, Yu Wenjun briefly mentioned that there had been little news since Chen Gong went to war, and even vaguely mentioned that when he returned to Xuchang at the beginning of the year, he passed by Kaocheng and stayed there for more than a month.

For more than a month, he spent the night with the other woman, woke up with her, and had breakfast with her. While working, the two of them exchanged glances...

There aren’t many words, but everyone knows that this is the point.

Liang Lanbi put down the letter, closed her eyes and thought for a while.

She didn't know how to comfort her little sister.

The way she and the emperor get along doesn't seem to fit the situation very well, after all, it's her one-sided admiration. Plus, she was taught since childhood that even if she doesn't love him, she has to force herself to love him because he's her husband.

Therefore, she needs to put herself in Yu Wenjun's shoes so that she can give better advice.

But as she thought about it, Liang Lanbi blushed a little, because when Shao Xun pinned the wild flowers he picked in her hair, she actually blushed a little.

When Shao Xun told her daughter's interesting stories, she felt warm in her heart.

When Shao Xun pointed at the moon and said sweet words to her, her heart beat faster.

No, that's not right!
Liang Lanbi opened her eyes and stared blankly at the plum blossoms outside the window.

He is self-admiring, but all alone.

She felt a little melancholy and even a little lost.

A snowstorm came, and the plum blossoms swayed, fell into the snow, and turned into mud.

She put herself in the shoes of the plum blossoms and felt the biting cold and extreme sadness.

In this world, she could not feel a trace of warmth, only malice.

There were the sounds of footsteps and the palace servants saluting outside.

Liang Lanbi suddenly woke up, immediately calmed herself down, stood up and went to the door of the palace to greet him respectfully.

When Sima Chi saw the queen's expression, he was very unhappy and scolded her, "Shao Xun wants me to die, but I'm not dead yet, and you are crying like that. Who are you showing it to?"

Liang Lanbi was panicked and murmured, "Your Majesty, I——"

"That's enough!" Sima Chi said angrily, "If I didn't think you were still useful, I would have sent you to Jinyong City long ago."

Liang Lanbi's face turned pale, and she lowered her head with a sad look on her face.

Sima Chi waved his hand, dismissed the palace servants, then looked at Liang Lanbi and said, "I am being closely watched by the traitors now. You should leave the palace tomorrow to pay homage to the Buddha."

Liang Lanbi looked up, confused.

"It's just worshiping Buddha." Sima Chi said impatiently: "In the next few months, worship Buddha a few more times until people get used to it."

Liang Lanbi's beautiful eyes widened instantly, with a hint of fear in them.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Sima Chi was so angry when he saw the queen's expression that he pushed her to the ground and said angrily, "The ministers are asking Shao Xun to become the Duke of Liang. What do you think is the meaning?"

Liang Lanbi fell to the ground, but she was not surprised. Wasn't this step inevitable?

Since Shao Xun won the battle, perhaps he would be more tolerant and treat the emperor and empress with more dignity.

If he had lost the battle, he would not have been so magnanimous and forgiving because he did not have the confidence.

However, she could also understand her husband's concerns.

There is an absurd rumor outside: Shao Xun is the reincarnation of Cao Mengde.

During the Warring States Period, King Hui of Wei moved the capital to Daliang. For more than a hundred years thereafter, the State of Wei was also known as the State of Liang. There is a chapter called "King Hui of Liang" in Mencius.

Cao Mengde founded the foundation of the Former Wei Dynasty, and Shao Xun was about to be promoted to Duke of Liang, with their capitals in Daliang, which inevitably arouses associations.

"There is absolutely no room for negotiation on this matter." Sima Chi looked at the queen with disdain and said, "Tomorrow you will ask to leave the palace and go to the Pagoda of Prince Minhuai first. After some time, go to the temple outside the city. Go there more often, act naturally, and don't arouse suspicion."

"Your Majesty!" Liang Lanbi stood up in a hurry and begged, "Your Majesty, please don't act rashly. Lord Chen has won many battles and is very confident. He really won't do anything to you and me. Besides, Lord Chen is kind and broad-minded, not a cruel and tyrannical person. Your Majesty, please don't act rashly."

"Shut up!" Seeing Liang Lanbi actually speaking well of Shao Xun, Sima Chi became even more upset and scolded: "How do you know who Shao Xun is? Xu Sizu (Xu Xia) died in Lantian. Who do you think killed him? You ignorant woman, if you fall into Shao Xun's hands, it will only take a glass of gold-dust wine."

After saying that, he turned around and left.

He knew that the queen was weak and tolerant, and would not dare to go against his wishes.

Of course, before implementing the final plan, he still had a lot of things to do, such as enfeoffing the leaders of Murong Xianbei, Tuoba Xianbei, and Duanbu Xianbei and increasing their food fiefs.

But he doesn't have anyone he can completely trust now, which is a bit difficult, alas.

After the emperor left with an annoyed look on his face, Liang Lanbi stood up in a daze.

The huge palace was empty and no one cared about her. It was really hard to bear.

She stumbled to the desk, took out Yu Wenjun's letter and read it quietly.

By putting herself in their shoes, perhaps she could find a little comfort and warmth, preventing her from breaking down and giving up.

In a trance, she seemed to see Shao Xun nimbly climbing up the tree, picking a large bunch of mulberries and handing them to her like a treasure.

******
In Pingyang, hundreds of miles northwest of Luoyang, another emperor was discussing matters with his trusted ministers. The King of Jin, the Prime Minister, and the Great Chanyu Liu Can were also present.

He secretly glanced at his father and found that his complexion had improved. He felt relieved, but also slightly disappointed, a very contradictory feeling.

Combined with the news from the palace, my father's daily routine has become much more normal in the past six months. He no longer plays with women in the harem for a month or even three months without stopping.

It was only because my father had a good physique that he could ride a horse and lead troops into battle. If it were a weaker person, he might have died from excessive indulgence.

"Shiguang, how about Lueyang?" After Liu Cong finished talking with Zhu Ji, Ma Jing, Chen Yuanda and others, he looked at his son with a loving face and asked.

"We haven't yet achieved complete victory in Lueyang, but the Jin bandits have already been frightened. After the spring sowing is over, I will lead the troops to fight against them, and we will surely defeat them." Liu Can said calmly.

"He is truly the tiger of our family." Liu Cong said with a smile to Zhu, Ma and Chen.

Although the three of them had different opinions about Liu Can, they would not offend the father and son at this time and said some flattering words to please the situation.

Furthermore, the King of Jin did make contributions.

If Zhongshan King Yao only made a start in Guanzhong, then the rest of Yongzhou was conquered by King Jin. The merits were clearly there, and everyone had to save face and could not pretend to be blind.

A while ago, when the army had finished resting and the horses were fat in autumn, the King of Jin, with the cooperation of the Lushui Hu, captured Anding County, and fought with the troops of King Bao of Nanyang of Jin in Lueyang, Qinzhou, and defeated them.

If it weren't for the freezing cold of winter, the war would have continued.

This time when the Prince of Jin returned to the capital, in addition to spending the New Year's Day and New Year's Day with the emperor and showing up in front of the ministers to make friends, the most important thing was to request troops.

There are only so many soldiers and horses in the country. The King of Zhongshan brought more of them, while the King of Jin could mobilize fewer.

Now the King of Zhongshan has been defeated in Hebei, while the King of Jin has won successive victories in Guanzhong, and the outcome has been decided.

In addition, the Prince of Jin is the son of the current emperor, so there is no suspense.

"My son, please mobilize all the troops to march west. What do you think?" Liu Cong looked at several important ministers and asked.

"No." Chen Yuanda was the first to stand up and object.

Liu Can lowered his head slightly, worried that the murderous intent in his eyes would be seen by others.

"Why not?" Liu Cong asked somewhat unhappily.

"The year before last, more than 10,000 tribes moved to Jingzhao, and the prime minister settled them near Chang'an. Last year, more than 5,000 tribes of the Jin family moved to Beidi County. So far, more than 16,000 tribes have moved west. If they continue to move, the foundation of the country will be shaken and Tai'a will be upside down." Chen Yuanda said bluntly.

Zhu Ji and Ma Jing looked at each other, feeling a little awkward.

Chen Yuanda is too stubborn, he dares to say anything. But can others understand your loyalty? Don't end up alienating the father and son of the royal family, and you will be neither a human nor a human.

However, they also felt that what Chen Yuanda said was correct.

Yongzhou was conquered by the King of Jin, who took the position of Great Chanyu and settled his own tribes in several counties around Chang'an. The Jin family was a Xiongnu noble family with their own tribes. Now it seems that the Jin brothers have surrendered to the King of Jin and moved to Beidi County to farm and graze.

This time, the King of Jin requested to mobilize several tribes to travel west, totaling about eight or nine thousand tribes, all of which were led by Xiongnu nobles who were close to him, and even included nobles from the Huyan clan.

The King of Jin promised to give them Lueyang County in Qinzhou for farming and grazing. The nobles were not very happy, but in order to curry favor with this man who was not the crown prince but was better than the crown prince, they finally agreed.

Simply put, the King of Jin is now very clear that Guanzhong is his foundation and the backing for his fight for the throne.

The emperor is still hesitant and worried about the attitude of the Di and Qiang in Fengyi. He has not abolished Liu Yi's position as the crown prince. It is understandable that the Prince of Jin naturally has to make plans early.

But understanding is understanding, which does not mean they support doing so.

This is to split the Han Dynasty and create another core.

"The war in Hebei is over." After hearing Chen Yuanda's words, Liu Cong was silent for a moment and said, "After two years of fighting, we still couldn't take it. This is God's will. From now on, Xinxing, Leping, Taiyuan, and Shangdang counties just need to defend themselves and use the advantages of the terrain to resist the enemy. My son has made a great success in Guanzhong. It is time for him to be brave and make progress. How can we retreat?"

"Your Majesty, don't do that!" Chen Yuanda advised again: "Hebei is a fertile land with a rich population. How can we let Shao Xun take it? Even if you are defeated for a while, you must not be discouraged. After reorganizing, you can fight again."

Liu Cong shook his head and said, "I have made up my mind, so don't say any more."

After saying this, although he felt disgusted with Chen Yuanda in his heart, he still explained: "There is no place to stay in Hebei now, and there is no way to raise food, fodder, livestock, and horses. If we transport them hundreds of miles from Pingyang, not to mention the cost, we may be cut off by the Tuoba Xianbei and come back. This year, a war emptied the treasury. If we send another large army to Hebei, where will the money and food be?"

Chen Yuanda had his head held high, but he gradually lowered it after hearing this.

War is all about attrition.

Bingzhou is surrounded by mountains and rivers, which is very conducive to defense, but it is difficult to transport food and grass. If Jinyang is in hand, it will be fine, but if it is not in hand, what can we do? Liu Kun often invites Tuoba Xianbei to come south from Yanmen.

In fact, this was also mentioned when the national policy was discussed.

The Eastward Movement could never explain how they could rule Hebei for a long time and stably when Jinyang fell into the hands of the enemy. If they were not careful, the Tuoba Xianbei would cut the Han Dynasty into two halves.

When the previous emperor was in power, he only conquered Bingzhou, Guanzhong and even the counties in Hexi. Why did he entrust Hebei to Shi Le to fight? There is a reason.

In the end, because this flaw could not be resolved, "Crossing Yong and Merging" became the national policy.

What Liu Cong meant by what he said now was that if you, Chen Yuanda, have the ability, then you should take Jinyang despite the threat from Tuoba Xianbei, and then march north to Yanmen to completely drive Tuoba clan to the grassland.

At that time, let alone attacking Hebei, moving the capital to Jinyang would not be a problem.

Can you do it? If you can't, don't push it.

What is national policy? I'm afraid you don't understand the true meaning of national policy.

"After the grass turns green again next spring, all the troops will be mobilized to march west." Liu Cong made the final decision.

Liu Can showed a proud smile.

The area west of Tongguan is his territory. If he manages it well for a few years, he will surely become the crown prince.

(End of this chapter)