Everyone looked over and saw it was Chen Lin, the chief clerk.

"Kong Zhang, please speak quickly!" He Jin was overjoyed and said repeatedly.

All eyes were on Chen Lin.

"General, the struggle between Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo is nothing more than a contest over military and political power in Bingzhou."

"Why not let the two of them each lead troops out of the pass, one to take over Dingxiang and the other to take over Yunzhong!"

"Whoever can reclaim the counties first will become the ruler of Bingzhou."

"After all, the four counties of Yunzhong were originally counties of Bingzhou. As the governing body of Bingzhou, it was only their duty to take them back."

"In this way, the direct conflict between the two will be diverted, and the general's wish to recover the four counties of Yunzhong can be fulfilled!"

Chen Lin began to speak slowly.

"This is a brilliant plan! Since they suspect Ding Yuan of colluding with the Marquis of Yinshan, if he sends troops, everything will fall apart on its own. This is his best chance to prove his innocence!"

Kong Rong said, "I think Dong Zhuo is hesitant to leave the pass because he wants to control the military and political power of Bingzhou and plans his move carefully."

"With such a fair opportunity to compete, Dong Zhuo should not refuse it again."

Kuai Yue said, "A key issue is that the Marquis of Yinshan has already defeated the Xiongnu and occupied Dingxiang. Now he is probably plotting against Yunzhong."

Will he let us get a bargain?

"Yidu, what do you mean by 'getting a bargain'?"

"The Marquis of Yinshan was able to defeat the Xiongnu, which must be backed by the might of our Han Dynasty!"

"Do you think he can defeat the Xiongnu, who have an army of 100,000, with just tens of thousands of hastily recruited soldiers and the help of the Xianbei and Qiang tribes?"

"Moreover, the four commanderies of Yunzhong were originally part of the territory of the Han Dynasty, and the Southern Xiongnu were annexed by us."

Wang Lang said, "If it weren't for the fact that our main forces were focused on suppressing the Yellow Turban rebels this year, the recapture of the four prefectures of Yunzhong would have been a foregone conclusion sooner or later."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement with Wang Lang's words.

The Marquis of Yinshan was merely opportunistic, and the Xiongnu themselves were already afraid of the strength of the Han Dynasty.

It was perfectly normal for him to defeat the Xiongnu.

If Liu Wei heard these words from the officials, he would be furious and curse them out. If defeating the Xiongnu was so easy, why didn't you come?

With over 100,000 Xiongnu cavalrymen, they'd all be sticking their necks out for you to kill. Who knows how long it would take!

He Jin's gloomy face gradually cleared up after hearing Chen Lin and Wang Lang's conversation.

Unexpectedly, their analysis from this angle immediately dispelled his doubts.

At this moment, Chen Lin said again:

"The problems that Yidu was worried about do not exist."

"As the imperial edict stated, the Marquis of Yinshan's fiefdom is only Wuyuan City in Shuofang County. Yunzhong and Dingxiang are not his fiefdoms at all. It's perfectly reasonable for us to take over now!"

Kuai Yue said, "What if Marquis Yinshan refuses to give it up?"

"Haha, his previous recruitment of troops to defeat the Xiongnu can be understood as a result of his enmity with the Xiongnu."

"If we take over now and he doesn't listen, then he's defying orders and committing treason!"

“Even if His Majesty favors him greatly, he will not tolerate a prince who controls tens of thousands of troops.”

Wang Lang said, "I think the General will handle this nominal problem well."

He Jin nodded: "Your opinions are very much to my liking."

"Zhang Yi, the governor of Bingzhou, is dead, and the past will not be pursued further."

"Ding Yuan is hereby appointed as the Sima of Bingzhou, in charge of the troops in Xihe, Shangjun, and Yanmen, and to take over Yunzhong from Pianguan!"

"Dong Zhuo led his troops out of Yanmen Pass to take over Dingxiang, while the governors of Taiyuan and Shangdang were responsible for logistics and supplies."

"Whoever takes it first will be appointed Governor of Bingzhou and command the troops of Bingzhou."

"......."

"Chen, draft the memorial, and I will go to the palace now."

After a while, He Jin left everyone behind to continue discussing other important matters of the court, while he himself went into the palace.

———

"Minister He, are you saying that my son recruited soldiers outside the Great Wall and defeated the Xiongnu?"

"In just two or three months, he was able to raise tens of thousands of soldiers, and the foreign tribes beyond the pass all bowed down. He is indeed worthy of being my son, a descendant of the Liu family."

Chongde Hall, North Palace of Luoyang.

When Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, who looked sickly, heard the news about Liu Wei, his body trembled and a glimmer of light appeared in his eyes.

He Jin was taken aback. He hadn't expected that Liu Hong would not only not be angry when he heard that Liu Wei had troops outside the pass, but would instead become excited. This caught him off guard.

"It seems that sending him to the foot of Yinshan Mountain and establishing Shuofang County as a fiefdom was the right decision!"

"I spent all my time eating, drinking, and having fun in Beiman Mountain. I never imagined that I would achieve such success after being sent out to work!"

"Minister He, you are the Grand General. Now that the Yellow Turban Rebellion has been suppressed, let's discuss whether we should send more troops and supplies to the Prince so that we can take back the four prefectures of Shuofang in one fell swoop?"

ah!

Upon hearing this, He Jin was alarmed and quickly said, "Your Majesty, you have already issued an edict that the Marquis of Yinshan is to go to Wuyuan City in Shuofang to assume his fiefdom!"

"I have already dispatched a general to lead troops to take over Yunzhong and Dingxiang."

"Furthermore, if everyone knew that the Marquis of Yinshan possessed so many troops, it would surely cause a huge uproar and endanger the very foundation of the nation!"

Liu Hong frowned:

"What major upheaval could there be? I think you're worrying unnecessarily. There are many foreign tribes outside the Great Wall. Without troops, how can we survive?"

"When I was sick and confused, the censors issued this imperial edict, allowing my son to lead only a hundred guards, which really put him in a dangerous situation."

He Jin: "But...but recently many ministers in the court have been criticizing this. Could it be that Marquis Yinshan is also plotting to seize the throne?"

"Your Majesty should establish a crown prince as soon as possible."

"How dare you!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Hong angrily retorted, "I am merely ill, not dead yet! How dare you speak ill of me here? Cough cough cough!"

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