Chapter 458: Fengtian Jingnan
Liu Dan's blatant rejection of the princes' petition instantly plunged the princes into silence. This was an unexpected outcome.
"How could he refuse, Your Majesty?"
"These are all words for the country and the people."
"Does the emperor really not care about the Han Dynasty?"
Questions appeared in everyone's mind. The princes thought about it for ten days and ten nights but could not figure out the emperor's thoughts.
"The emperor wants to arrest several county magistrates. Once they are brought back to Chang'an, they will surely be in great danger."
While the imperial envoy was still on the way, the news had already spread rapidly to Shandong, immediately causing a huge uproar.
"How dare the Emperor?
How could the emperor?
How can loyal people be killed at will?"
The princes spoke tremblingly, with fear, terror, and confusion about the future.
The previous petition was a just and frank statement. Now that the emperor has given his opinion, if you don't accept it, do you still want to insist on it?
That’s the emperor!
Countless people were questioning their own hearts. Some began to waver and wanted to surrender, but more people became more determined. They had spoken for justice before, but now they had completely turned to confrontation. With the emperor's character, if they surrendered, they would definitely face death. Countless voices were heard from all directions, and those voices were very loud: "Hold on, write again!"
Write another book!
One or two is fine, but not three!
When the imperial envoys arrived in Shandong, they did not see any trace of the county governors at all. Only the seals of the county governors' mansions were left. These people had simply resigned and left. Naturally, their families had already left.
The envoy was furious and immediately ordered a manhunt for them, but these county governors had already gone to the marquisates of various marquises.
Although the Han court had not yet formed a thorough system of inner and outer courts, according to political theory, the closer you are to the center of power, the greater your power will be.
As the emperor's close eunuchs, a few casual words from these people could even decide the life or death of an official. Sometimes they even looked down on the Nine Ministers, and even dared to frame the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince and the Empress, not to mention some heroes and meritorious officials who had long lost their power in their eyes.
These imperial envoys found out that a county magistrate was hiding in the Anyang Marquisate, so they came to demand the person.
The leading eunuch said to Anyang Marquis Han Lin in a rather arrogant manner: "I am here to arrest the criminals in compliance with the imperial decree. Do you intend to stop the imperial order?
You'd better hand over the criminal quickly so that I can respond to the imperial order as soon as possible, otherwise I will report you to His Majesty, and I don't know what the result will be. "
Seeing that a eunuch dared to be so rampant, Han Lin said coldly: "It's just a dog, how dare you bark in front of me?
For the sake of His Majesty, I will forgive you this time. Get out of here immediately!"
This angered the eunuch, and his eyes were full of resentment. He pointed at Han Lin and screamed, "How dare you, a lowly person, humiliate me like this? I will make you suffer a fate worse than death. Your Anyang Marquisate is finished!"
Han Lin's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he waved his hand gently, saying, "I don't know what will happen to me in the future, but you will not live past tomorrow.
Kill them all and feed them to the fish!"
…
The messengers were not only here in Hanlin, but also in other directions. Most of them died, and the rest fled back to Guanzhong in a panic after hearing the news.
Rumors spread like the wind.
"I heard that when the imperial envoys passed through Taihang Mountain, they encountered a landslide due to heavy rain and were all buried in the mountain."
"It is said that the envoys who were going to Huaisi had their boat break down and sink while crossing the river."
“…”
"There were also cases where they were beaten and killed by refugees. It is said that they encountered a refugee group with armored soldiers, and dozens of imperial guards accompanying them were killed. Now the refugees are becoming stronger and stronger."
Countless rumors circulated among the people, but there was no evidence.
The powerful and influential people remained silent. Not every marquis dared to take action like Han Lin, Marquis of Anyang.
Now, both the marquises of Guandong and the dignitaries of Chang'an are worried. Among the envoys going to Guandong, there must be some marquises who have dabbled in conspiracy, but probably no more than half of them.
The other half probably really encountered refugees. The problem in Kanto is really serious.
The princes of Guandong took this opportunity to write another letter, saying that the refugees in Guandong had grown to the point where they dared to intercept and kill the imperial envoys, and asked the emperor to issue an edict.
The powerful people in Chang'an hinted that it might be a self-directed performance by the founding princes, and the eunuchs also kept whispering in Liu Dan's ear.
Since ancient times, there have been few people who can constantly withstand the verbal provocations of those around them.
Slander is not a simple conspiracy, to some extent, slander is an open conspiracy.
Because even if the emperor did not believe it, or even killed the evil person who made the slander, those words had already reached the emperor's ears and left a mark in his heart. As long as the emperor felt bad for a moment, the slander would have succeeded.
Liu Dan's irritable and quick-tempered character has been completely grasped by the people around him, which is why there are these unscrupulous people who dare to put him on the spot.
After the confrontation over the envoy incident, Liu Dan completely exploded and issued a harsh decree without any evidence.
"Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, there have never been such rebellious ministers as you.
Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, there has never been an official who dared to kill the imperial envoy.
Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, all princes who rebelled against the imperial court have been beheaded.
Do you think you can stay out of trouble on your own?
The Han army wiped out the barbarians in all directions and defeated the powerful Huns. Even some small princes dared to protest.
Come to Chang'an to plead guilty and beg for my forgiveness. This is the only thing you can do."
…
Liu Dan would not know that his imperial edicts were like firewood, completely igniting the fire in Guandong.
It was not just the anger in the hearts of a few marquises, but the anger in the hearts of countless people in Guandong.
After the enfeoffment, the princes and marquises could not shake the central court unless they united.
But the people of the world can!
Because the people are the world, the foundation of rule, and the basis of all economics.
The fall of a dynasty is always due to the resistance of the people. Ordinary people may not have the power to overthrow the court, but they are enough to destroy the survival foundation of all dynasties.
The refugees in Guandong were filled with endless anger. The princes had a broad base here, and the letters and replies between them and the emperor were circulated to the east of Luoyang. The princes in those letters were too bright, and the emperor was too tyrannical.
The emperor won't let us live!
Every injustice has its perpetrator and every debt has its creditor. Now the displaced people have found this creditor and the anger in their hearts cannot be suppressed.
After the first person shouted the slogan "Kill the tyrant, eliminate tyranny", the voices of resistance could no longer be suppressed, and they rose and fell like endless waves.
“So that’s how it is!”
At this time Luo Sheng finally understood what his father said. A war between the two sides was almost inevitable.
What is even more frightening is that the alliance between the princes should have been a very troublesome thing. The problem of mutual trust alone was a huge one. Since ancient times, the alliances between local princes against the imperial court were always destroyed because they each had their own ulterior motives and lacked a unified consciousness.
However, this problem was solved by the siblings Lu Chan and Lu Ying. Countless marquises had stamped their seals on the previous memorials, and the emperor's edicts, one more fierce than the other, completely forced everyone together.
The fastest way to unite people with different opinions is to find an extremely powerful enemy.
…
A high-ranking marquis sat together with a gloomy face, and voices rang out.
"Everyone, the situation has reached this point. There is only one way to go."
"I will never watch the Han Dynasty fall in my generation. I once swore an oath under the Emperor Xiaowu."
"We are ministers of the Tianhan Empire, meritorious marquises of the Emperor Gao, and have enjoyed a hundred years of wealth and honor, and have received great grace. How can we sit idly by and watch someone wreak havoc on the world without stopping it?"
"The people are already very angry. Their anger is about to consume everything. If it is not vented, the entire Han Dynasty will be destroyed, just like the tyrannical Qin Dynasty."
"The achievements of Emperor Gao, the grace of Emperor Xiaohui and Emperor Xiaowen, the great cause of Emperor Xiaowu, and the ancestral temples of our ancestors will all be destroyed in his hands. I hate it!"
Some people even couldn't help crying out loud, as if infected by the atmosphere, everyone shed tears.
"Tianhan!"
"Yinhan!"
"We will never fall here. The people's hearts are with Han. The kindness of Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xiaowu is still in the hearts of the people. We can revive the world!"
There is no need to say much about Liu Heng's popularity among the people. Liu Che loved to give away money and exempt taxes, and he was like a father to the people of the world.
"A single husband!"
Everyone was silent. These two words represent different meanings. If they were spoken out, the person would be condemned by the whole world.
There was silence for almost a moment, and then a noisy sound resounded throughout the hall. Not only the common people had been holding it in for too long, but they as well!
"A single husband!"
Everyone shouted in unison, which was to characterize the matter. Moreover, everyone believed that their actions were just. We were all doing it for the sake of the Han Dynasty. Even if Emperor Gao was resurrected, he would still praise our behavior.
"Follow the teachings of the Su Wang Emperor and quell the chaos of the tyrants and traitors!"
Lu Chan stood up. He had never been so reckless in his life. He shouted, "Write down the crimes of the tyrant, and call on the people of the world like King Wu of Zhou did when he attacked King Zhou of Shang."
His voice seemed to shake the heavens. Inholos was the first to stand up and shouted, "Color!"
"color!"
Everyone in the hall shouted in unison!
————
In the autumn of the fourteenth year of Yuanzheng, the invasion of the emperor became more urgent, the people in Guandong became more violent, and the country was in danger of being overthrown. The princes drew their swords and looked around, saying: "The king said: Those who harm benevolence are called thieves; those who harm righteousness are called cruel. Those who are cruel and thieves are called tyrants.
This man is of the type of Jie, Zhou, You and Li. The downfall of the Han Dynasty is due to this thief.
We, the descendants of the ancient Han Dynasty, the sons of princes and nobles, are here to quell the crisis in obedience to Heaven, right now! "
The princes then joined forces to march westwards and revitalize the empire. Emperor Gaozu established the princes, and the cause is what we know today. - "Records of the Grand Historian: Chronological Table of the Princes with Meritorious Service Since the Rise of the Han Dynasty"
What the experienced old author said is indeed true. People like me with a bad mentality can only write good books without reading comments or looking at data. I have enjoyed writing these days.
(End of this chapter)
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