Chapter 266 A series of bad news

“I failed in my duty and did not find any useful clues.”

In the Crown Prince’s Palace, Jiaguan Palace, [Jia Cheng] Zhang Guang said with a look of regret, “The leader simply committed suicide, and the person they captured alive was just a small soldier who knew nothing.”

“Whoa!”

Liu Ju held the memorial in his hand and paced back and forth, saying, “Don’t be discouraged. Don’t you have a general direction for investigation?”

Zhang Guang regained his spirits and said in a rough voice, “I do have a direction. As long as the spy shows his head a few more times, I will definitely catch the bastards behind it!”

“that is……”

He paused for a few breaths, and when Liu Ju turned his head to look at him, Zhang Guang hesitated and said, “We ran into Xiu Yi this time, and they are chasing us closely.”

“If we collide, then we collide.” Liu Ju thought for a moment and said, “If something happens, we can give way and try not to cause a conflict.”

“I understand!”

In the eyes of outsiders, Xiuyi and Jiawei may be very mysterious, but in these two organizations, everyone is actually open about their identities.

I know who you serve, and you know where I come from.

When the East Palace collides with the West Palace, the East always has to take a step back. Zhang Guang is aware of this and applies it in his actions.

“I can rest assured that you can do the job.”

After finishing the business, Liu Ju smiled and said to Zhang Guang beside him: “The Hundred Refined Sword I mentioned to you last time has been forged in the Temple Workers’ Institute. You can go to Shanglin Garden to get it yourself.”

“Really?” Zhang Guang’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he grinned and said, “Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll go right away.”

After performing the salute, he turned and left, obviously not wanting to delay even a moment.

Liu Ju didn’t take it seriously when he saw this.

Everyone has a hobby or obsession. Some people love money and are obsessed with money; some people love sex and are obsessed with sex; some people love to be an official and are obsessed with power.

Zhang Guang, a retainer of Liu Ju, had a particularly unique hobby: he loved knives.

He used to be a ranger who was good at using a knife!
There are tens of thousands of knights in the world, most of them use swords, but only a few use knives. This is because the sharp blade “knife” has only been the mainstream weapon for a short time, not to mention the use of curved scimitars.

But Zhang Guang is just such a person, full of personality!
It’s okay to have a personality, as long as you have the ability to match it, no matter how eccentric you are, Liu Ju will tolerate it…

Under the corridor.

Zhang Guang could not hide his joy as he strode away, smiling at everyone he met on the road. He would bow and apologize to ordinary eunuchs and palace maids, but others could not help but ask a few more questions.

“Who is this?”

After Liu De bowed, he couldn’t help but ask the eunuch Wei who was leading the way, “Do you know the person I just passed by?”
“Haha, he’s just a retainer kept by His Highness in Bowang Garden. You don’t have to worry about him.” The young eunuch explained casually without stopping.

Liu De’s eyes moved slightly, and he smiled, but he didn’t ask any further questions. He walked through the corridor and went straight into the Jiaguan Hall without informing anyone.

“Your Highness, the head of the inner court has arrived.”

“Bring the tea. No need for formalities. Let’s get straight to the point and talk about how the Imperial Examination went.” Seeing Liu De come in, Liu Ju quickly waved his hand, motioning for him to take a seat.

The prince was friendly, and Liu De was not polite either. After taking a seat on the left, he said with a smile, “As Your Highness expected, there are many more sons of noble families in this spring examination.”

“Oh?”

Liu Ju showed an interested look and asked, “Tell me in detail, which ones are they?”

The Beijing test part of the second imperial examination of the Han Dynasty, namely, the Spring Examination, began yesterday.

Liu Ju specially sent people to keep an eye on them. Although he had expected this, after Liu De told him the details, Liu Ju still couldn’t help but sigh in his heart:
“Dynasties come and go, but families remain forever. This is indeed true.”

After the first imperial examination in the third year of Yuanding, the wealthy and powerful families who had been waiting and watching, hoping to get a piece of the pie, saw how much the court attached to the imperial examination system.

It’s uncomfortable.

If no action is taken, the court will not be able to stop them.

Judging from large-scale data, in terms of knowledge, talent, vision and so on, the rate of excellence of children from aristocratic families is far greater than that of children from poor families.

This is caused by a serious imbalance in educational resources since childhood and has nothing to do with personal talent.

While the children of wealthy families were hiring famous teachers to teach them and were well-read, the poor children could only chisel a hole in the wall to get some light, use their inkstones that were frozen solid, and borrow books and return them on a certain date.

While the children of the rich families traveled around the country and pointed out the world, the children of the poor might still have to face the earth and the sky…

This is the reality.

There is no right or wrong. There are many sons of noble families who are both talented in literature and martial arts and serve their country, and there are also children from poor families who are smart and studious and become honest and upright after entering officialdom.

But for Liu Ju, as the crown prince, from his own perspective, he hoped to see more children from poor families filling the court.

and so……

The necessary means must be used!
Liu Ju did not go too far and just instructed the chief examiner to be a little biased. This was the case for both the re-examination in the Imperial Academy and the final palace examination.

The only difference is that the latter did not need Liu Ju’s instructions. Liu Che, the emperor with a wise and arbitrary mind, also slightly deviated.

Not much, just a little.

The top three in the palace examination, the top scholar was from the Cheng family of Bohai, while the second and third scholars were all from humble backgrounds…

As in the past, after the results were announced, all successful candidates would have a Wenxi Banquet in Chunfeng Tower. However, this year the top three candidates in the imperial examination were also in Chunfeng Tower and were not invited to a banquet in person by the emperor.

Fortunately, the person who hosted the wedding banquet at Chunfeng Tower was still the prince.

The specifications are not low.

As for the reason why His Majesty no longer attends banquets, perhaps it is because the subsequent imperial examinations are not as important as the first one?
There are many speculations from the outside world, but only the top officials of the court know that His Majesty the Emperor has no time to deal with other matters now…

Northern Army News:

After Zhao Po Nu led his troops deep into the desert, the Julihu tribe sent 50,000 cavalry to attack the Wuwei tribe from the rear, making it attacked from both sides.

But the Wuwei army did not turn around to defend, but instead increased its offensive and attacked Zuo Xian Wang fiercely!
The intention is to swallow the east first, and then turn around to control the west.

King Zuo Xian sent an envoy to ask for help. Zhao Po Nu led 30,000 cavalrymen into the battlefield from the northeast of Shanggu County, raided Wuwei’s flank, beheaded more than 2,000 people, and then quickly withdrew.

Overall, Zhao Po Nu carried out the emperor’s strategy, rescuing Zuo Xian Wang but not completely, and attacking the Wuwei tribe but not killing them.

Zhao Po Nu reported: “I am leading the troops and waiting for an opportunity to fight. The situation in Mobei is still under control!”

however.

The military reports from another group were completely different, with a series of bad news.

General Yang Pu of the Tower Ship Army led his troops eastward and landed in Korea in midsummer. Then, without waiting for other troops to arrive, he directly led 7,000 people to besiege Wangxian City!

The army was defeated and scattered.

During this period, the main force of more than 40,000 people led by the Left General Xun Zhu was blocked by the Korean army at the Pei River and could not move forward.

Many days later, when Xun Zhui led his troops to defeat the enemy forces at Peishui and rushed to Wangxiancheng, the capital of Joseon, Yang Pu had already gathered the defeated troops, with two generals, one surrounding the southeast and the other surrounding the northwest.

One in the south and one in the north, the two generals are unwilling to join forces!
“General Yang Pu of Louchuan sent an envoy to report that King Wei Youqu of Joseon was willing to surrender, but only to him.”

In the main hall of the Crown Prince’s Palace, Zhu He said with an unpleasant expression, “The Left General Xun Zhu also sent an envoy to report that he sent people into the city to persuade the King of Joseon to surrender, but the King refused to surrender.”

“He also sent someone to inform Yang Pu and ordered him to lead his troops to join him, but Yang Pu insisted on not joining forces.”

Zhu He said in a deep voice: “Xun Zhu reported that he guessed that Yang Pu was defeated earlier and was afraid of being punished when he returned to the court, so he probably had second thoughts and was in collusion with the King of Korea!”

After these words, several people in the hall frowned and remained silent.

Zhuang Qingzhai stroked his beard and thought: “The two of them have different opinions, and it is difficult to tell whether they are true or false, but there is no doubt that they have a conflict. It is the time to use troops…”

The two commanders were hostile to each other. Without Zhuang Qingzhai’s words, everyone present knew that the situation on the front line was terrible.

If you are not careful, you will suffer a disastrous defeat!

At this time.

Liu Ju looked at Zhu He and said coldly, “How is your father going to deal with this?”

“Your Majesty could not hide his anger. At the same time when I came to report to Your Highness, he had already urgently summoned the general, the prime minister and others to the palace to discuss countermeasures.” Zhu He said solemnly.

Hearing this, Liu Ju thought for a moment, then stood up and bowed to Zhuang Qingzhai, Liu De and the others, “I have to go to Weiyang Palace first.”

“Your Highness, please go…”

at the same time.

Weiyang Palace, Chengming Palace.

The emperor’s face was terribly gloomy at this moment, and his eyes seemed to want to devour someone as he looked around.

After Wei Qing, Shi Qing and others exchanged and read the military report, Huo Qubing was the first to speak, and he concluded: “They are vying for credit!”

Liu Che looked in the direction of the voice and said, “Go on.”

“Yang Pu and Xun Zhu, Yang Pu was defeated and was unwilling to join forces with others. He wanted to accept the surrender of Korea alone, so that he could make up for his mistakes and enjoy the credit of destroying the country alone!”

Huo Qubing said coldly: “Xun Zhui accused Yang Pu of having two hearts and was trying to curry favor with him. He probably wanted to gain credit, so he was so concerned about joining forces.”

Listen.

The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, and the vague outline in his mind suddenly became clear.

Yang Pu had served in the Han Dynasty for many years. Unless his army was completely wiped out, he would not be punished with death even if he returned to the court. Xun Zhi’s words were obviously exaggerating.

But what about surrender?
“His Majesty.”

After reading the military report, Wei Qing looked serious and immediately said, “If it is true as the two said, the King of Joseon told Yang Pu that he was willing to surrender, but told Xun Zhu that he was unwilling to surrender.”

“I dare to predict that the King of Korea, Wei Youqu, has probably discovered that the two commanders are not getting along, and is trying to sow discord between them!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the emperor stood up suddenly.

The prime minister, the chief censor and others were all shocked. Even Liu Ju, who had just entered the palace, couldn’t help but change his expression when he heard this.

Wei Qing said in a deep voice: “Yang Pu’s army is weak and suffered a great defeat, but the King of Korea only agreed to surrender to him. If Yang Pu has the slightest intention of making up for his crime…”

“They will definitely want to take all the credit!”

After the words fell, Prime Minister Shi Qing also said with a sullen face: “Judging from the current situation, the other party’s strategy has worked.”

Shi Qing might not be as proficient in military affairs as Wei Qing, Huo Qubing and others, but he could see through human nature at a glance.

He looked at the emperor and said worriedly, “The two generals have a grudge. The longer it lasts, the more likely it is that something unexpected will happen on the front line. If they fight, or even come to blows, the enemy will surely take advantage of the chaos to attack.”

Shi Qing cupped his hands, “Your Majesty, we should send an envoy to Korea immediately!”

“Of course we have to send envoys.”

Liu Che could no longer sit still on the dragon couch. He stood up, put his hands behind his back and walked slowly, saying in a cold tone: “According to the original strategy of sending troops, we should have sent envoys to alienate and force the Korean monarch and his ministers to surrender.”

“When they set out, I have already ordered people to set off, and the envoy is now on standby in Liaodong County.”

“only……”

Liu Che’s eyes flashed with sternness, and he said in a cold voice: “I now doubt whether those two daring fools can be restrained by an envoy!”

As soon as the voice fell, the audience started to speak.

“Then send another one!” Wei Qing said firmly, in a rare strong tone: “Send an envoy of higher status, preferably one who can lead troops!”

At this point.

Seeing that the army on the front line was about to collapse, Wei Qing had already broken his silence, “Convincing the Korean monarch and his ministers to surrender is secondary, controlling the two generals Yang Pu and Xun Zhu is the most urgent task!”

“Is there anyone who can choose?” the emperor asked.

“General Li Guang is the most suitable. He is familiar with the military affairs and terrain of the Northeast. His status and qualifications are also superior to those of Yang and Xun.” Wei Qing clasped his fists.

Li Guang, who was also in the hall, glanced at Wei Qing, then stepped out of the line and asked for permission, “Your Majesty, I am willing to go!”

Upon hearing this, the emperor stared at Li Guang for a while, then glanced at Wei Qing and paused for a moment on Huo Qubing.

Liu Che’s eyes froze.

“Champion Hou!”

“I’m here!” Huo Qubing was stunned for a moment, then immediately responded.

The emperor said solemnly: “I grant you the staff of military authority and the tiger talisman, and you can take over the military power of Yang and Xun on the battlefield. Remember, in the war against Korea, you can only win, not lose!”

After saying this, Wei Qing frowned, and Li Guang was even more surprised.

But the emperor left no room for maneuver in this sentence. Huo Qubing was not frightened and clasped his fists loudly: “Yes!”

“I will set off immediately!”

The military situation was urgent, and the discussion in Chengming Hall was quick and ended quickly. Huo Qubing responded and walked out.

Li Guang was kept by the emperor. When Liu Ju was about to leave the palace, he heard the emperor’s words to comfort Li Guang, saying that he was too old and might not be able to carry out a rapid march.

No matter what is said inside the hall, let’s talk about what happens outside the hall.

Huo Qubing was in a hurry, so Liu Ju could only jog to catch up with him. As he walked, he said, “I shouldn’t say such things, but my relationship with my cousin is so deep that I have to say it. When we go to the front battlefield, I hope my cousin will not take away the military power of Yang and Xun.”

“Even if I take it…”

“You can’t take the credit for destroying a country!” The latter sentence was not said by Liu Chuan, but by Huo Guang, who also hurried out of the hall.

“Brother!”

Huo Qubing said nothing with a cold face, and walked away quickly. Huo Guang just bowed to the prince hastily, and said to Huo Qubing earnestly: “Brother, the military merit of destroying a country is really not worth taking!”

At this time.

Liu Ju also hurriedly replied, “To be honest, cousin, when we were discussing the generals to fight against the Xiongnu a few days ago, there was a voice in the court recommending your cousin. I later realized that someone was deliberately fanning the flames!”

kindness! ?

After hearing this, Huo Guang, who had an anxious expression, was stunned for a moment.

He was thinking a lot and immediately realized something. He was about to speak again, but unexpectedly, Huo Qubing, who was leading the way, waved his hand to stop him:

“Don’t tell me, I know what to do!”

He really knows.

Huo Qubing knew this when he put down the Qiang rebellion in Longxi County. Otherwise, why would he repeatedly fail to hear what his personal soldiers were saying?
Huo Qubing was not deaf, he could hear.

Huo Qubing, who successfully survived a disaster at the age of 24, was not stupid. He understood it!
(End of this chapter)