Chapter 325 Borrowing Wealth
Night falls.
Six cities.
This should have been an ordinary night, but due to the return of the three kings, it was restless and countless undercurrents were fluctuating in it.
Liu Chen began to try to contact those smart people who could see the general trend of the world, and he spread the news vaguely.
The strength of the imperial court is obvious. The combination of the prime minister and the general is invincible in the world. They are definitely not something that the so-called Huainan Kingdom can resist. Even the union of various countries cannot resist them. If you don't jump off this ship now, you will have no chance later.
But even Luo Xin overlooked one problem, that is, Han Xin had not taken action for more than 20 years since defeating the Huns.
Among the Liu clan princes, King Xiang of Huainan was the last one to have seen Han Xin's elegance and terror in his former glory.
Ignorance is fearless.
A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger.
These two sentences combined together will produce a very terrible result.
For example, the King of Wu thinks he has the advantage, so he is so ostentatious.
For example, the King of Huainan felt that the emperor was far away and the court had been pursuing a non-interference policy for many years.
Now it is probably just a test. As long as he expresses a tough attitude, the court will definitely retreat. After all, this move by the court infringes on the interests of all the princes in the world.
So he accepted the advice of his ministers and brazenly sent assassins to kill the three princes who were carrying the imperial edict of enthronement!
In the southeast of Liucheng lies a courtyard with three entrances where Liu Chen and others live. Although it is already very late, Liu Chen has not fallen asleep.
"Your Majesty, I just received feedback that the King of Huainan was so foolish as to agree to the assassination plan. He has already started to contact some of the more powerful warriors in recent days.
Although this is something you have planned for a long time, I still suggest that you leave the Six Cities directly.
The ancients said that a gentleman should not stand under a dangerous wall.
There is really no need for you to fight to the death with a pile of bones in a grave."
Liu Chen smiled and said, "My younger brother is a spoiled child of the Queen Mother. He was able to obtain the throne only because of his status as a direct descendant and his elder brothers who died early.
The King of Wu sent letters to the princes, and he was the only one who replied, expressing his dissatisfaction, which had already been known to the court.
Originally, the imperial court only wanted to divide the land, and it had not yet reached this point where it was out of control.
At least he could still be the King of Huainan safely, but he had rebellious intentions in his heart, so the prime minister could not keep him.
It's really easy to defeat a fool like him.
As for a gentleman not standing under a dangerous wall?
I am not worthy of it now.
Only those who survive are noble men. As long as we can avoid the first wave of assassinations and obtain evidence, we will immediately report it to the Prime Minister. Once the imperial army arrives, we will completely eliminate the direct lineage. Only then can we be considered to have won a great victory."
His tone was full of ruthlessness. Although according to the practice of the Luo family, these people would not be killed, Liu Chen had already begun to think about exiling the Huainan King's line to some corner of Lingnan, or directly exiling them to the more distant Qiongzhou.
…
Changle Palace.
Ever since the establishment of the Huainan Kingdom, the strange atmosphere that had been lingering throughout the world finally reached the ears of the little emperor.
Liu Heng now is no longer the little kid who knew nothing. He has become much more sensible than anyone expected. Now he can even handle some matters independently. Even Luo Xin praises him.
Luo Xin was teaching Liu Heng. Even though he was extremely busy, he still took time out to teach Liu Heng. Then he saw that Liu Heng seemed to be thinking about something.
"Your Majesty, if you have any questions in your mind, you can ask me."
Liu Heng pondered for a moment after hearing this and asked, "Uncle, you seem to be breaking up the vassal states, but you have said countless times before that clan members play an irreplaceable role in maintaining the country, so I am very confused now. I hope you can explain the reason behind this."
Luo Xinwen smiled and said, “Your Majesty, this question is very simple.
If you are starving now, and there is a bowl of wild vegetables and a bowl of minced meat in front of you, which one would you eat to fill your stomach?"
Liu Heng asked curiously, "Of course it's minced meat. It tastes more delicious and can fill your stomach better."
Luo Xin said: "Now that the position of King Zhao is vacant, do you want to give it to your brother? Or do you want the current Liu clan member to take it?"
Although Liu Ying had only one legitimate son, Liu Heng, he still had illegitimate sons. Liu Heng thought back to his brothers and those Liu clan relatives whom he didn't know at all, and suddenly realized: "You mean, my brothers are minced meat, and those clan relatives are wild vegetables, so you don't want to abolish the clan relatives, but replace them with those who are close to me."
"yes."
Luo Xin sighed and said, “This world is like a vine. Only by removing the thorns can you avoid getting hurt. During the time of Emperor Gao, the clan members were the guards of this vine. With the guards, Empress Gao could use it to suppress the world.
But as time goes by, the guard that protects your hand will turn into thorns that hurt your hand. Now I want to wipe away those thorns for you and forge a new guard."
Upon hearing this, Liu Heng looked at Luo Xin deeply, and the admiration in his eyes became deeper and deeper. He bowed slightly and said, "Everything is up to you, uncle."
Luo Xin looked at the scene in front of him and smiled with some relief. As long as his efforts were rewarded, it was fine. The most frightening thing was that after raising a child for so many years, he ended up raising an ungrateful person.
"Report~"
Luo Xin was about to say something when suddenly a loud voice came from outside the hall, and then he saw three guards walking in with a man wearing only a middle shirt. This was the necessary attire when meeting the emperor. If he was a minister, he only needed to take off his sword.
"Your humble servant pays respect to His Majesty! Your humble servant pays respect to the Prime Minister!"
A gleam flashed in Luo Xin's eyes. This was the person he sent to be with Hengshan King Liu Chen. He immediately asked, "But is there any news from Hengshan King?"
The messenger immediately said in grief and anger: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister, the King of Huainan is dissatisfied with the court and is plotting a rebellion, and he has even sent someone to assassinate the king.
The king was seriously injured. The princes of Yuzhang and Lujiang fled the six cities with the prince of Hengshan and were heading towards Nanyang.
I have come to Chang'an with the king's letter asking for help.
Your Majesty, please, the Prime Minister, do justice for the king!"
The messenger's voice echoed throughout the hall. Liu Heng was completely stunned. He could not believe what he heard, especially since Luo Xin had just explained the "vine and thorn" theory to him and it came true immediately.
He had not yet learned to hide his emotions, and his young face was instantly filled with anger. His voice, which had just entered the voice change period, shouted loudly: "Arrogant! Evil villain!"
"How outrageous this is!"
Luo Xin's voice resounded throughout the hall, and everyone could hear the undisguised anger in it, "In broad daylight, he actually openly assassinated a Golden Book prince. Does he think this is still a chaotic world with the breakdown of rituals and music?
He disregarded human ethics and assassinated his own brother, a filial son known throughout the world. How unkind and unfilial he was. He was simply a wicked creature.
The soul of King Xiang of Huainan cannot rest in peace even in the underworld!
If this kind of behavior is not punished, how can the imperial court still be so majestic?
Can the hearts of the people in the world be won over?
Will the princes still take the imperial court seriously?
Wouldn't the miserable situation of the Zhou emperor in the past happen again in the Han Dynasty?"
Rhetorical question.
It has always been the sharpest language to strengthen the tone and inspire people.
As Luo Xin spoke every word, the hall was filled with noise, and the dukes shouted loudly, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister, I am willing to lead the army to conquer the Huainan Kingdom. If you agree, I am willing to bring the head of the King of Huainan back to Chang'an and hang it on the top of the Changle Palace to warn the rebels in the world."
"The King of Huainan is an evil villain. If he is not killed, the people's anger will not be appeased. If he is not killed, the emperor's majesty will not be demonstrated. If he is not killed, the emperor's benevolence and filial piety will not be demonstrated. I beg you to fight!"
"I ask for a fight!"
The marquises were extremely excited. After waiting for so many years, the imperial court was finally going to use force again. The glorious days of these noble families were about to return.
They made a lot of political capital when they founded the country and pacified the kings of different surnames, which have not been used up for all these years. The court is full of people recommended by them. Now, when they are drifting away from the royal family, a person like King Huainan has emerged.
The dukes only wanted to grab the head of the King of Huainan and chop it off fiercely. "My king, thank you so much. I would like to borrow your head to make a fortune."
Liu Heng looked at this scene in shock. In the past, he had only seen literary men. This was the first time he saw so many high-ranking military nobles of the empire.
These people were completely different from the scholars of the past. They would kill at any time. He couldn't help but recall what Luo Xin said when he was teaching him the Tao Te Ching: "Weapons are dangerous tools. Sages use them only when they have no choice.
This sentence has many meanings, but you must remember that once a weapon is unsheathed, it will either hurt others or yourself. Never think that you can really control such a dangerous weapon forever.
Once you have this idea, your throne will be in jeopardy."
Liu Heng's body was trembling slightly, with both excitement and fear, and then he looked at Luo Xin.
Facing the noisy crowd, Luo Xin laughed loudly and said, "With all of you in the court, how can it not be prosperous?"
Han Xin rushed to Chang'an from Anyang Marquisate, and he was no longer the young man he used to be.
He sat quietly at the head of the crowd, just behind Luo Xin.
Because he was a general with the seal of prime minister, he ranked above the princes.
Using Han Xin would be like using a sledgehammer to kill a chicken, but Luo Xin had to be quick, accurate and ruthless. He not only killed the King of Huainan, but also the King of Wu who was jumping the most happily and was obviously attempting a rebellion.
————
Shen was rewarded by Dong'a for his filial piety, and then he went to Hengshan, his country.
Huainan ridiculed him, but Chen You responded with a smile, saying to his attendants, "Boy, I am not guilty."
When Huainan ridiculed Dong'e, Shen was furious, his hair standing on end, holding a knife, he said angrily: "Dong'e is like a father, if you say that again, you will either die or live!"
Huainan was afraid and fled in a hurry, secretly conspiring with others, "How can a lowly and wicked son be king?"
He secretly sent prisoners to Shen Zhuang and said, "This is Huainan's fault. Let's fight. When I visit Changle, Huainan will surely die."
When Shen fled to Nanyang, he sent an envoy to the court to tell him about the Huainan incident. At that time, Emperor Xiaowen was beside him. He was shocked and angry, and said, "Heaven will destroy such a rebellious person."
Dong'e summoned all his ministers, and they all volunteered to fight. Dong'e ordered Huaiyin to lead the army, but the ministers said, "Huainan is just a kid, why would we need a divine general? I'll ask him again."
Dong'a ordered Huaiyin to take charge of the army, and also appointed twelve marquises and five thousand generals, and summoned the good families in Guanzhong.
Shen went north, and the king's army went south and met in Nanyang. When Huainan heard about it, he was terrified and could not sleep. - "Historical Records: The Family of King Hengshan"
(End of this chapter)
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