Chapter 565 Heroes of the Five States
Liu Xiu went to Guandong with a group of brothers who were willing to follow him.
A group of people from Nanyang County were naturally unfamiliar with the place when they came here, so the importance of studying abroad and reputation was reflected at this time.
Through the introduction of his classmates and friends, and because Liu Xiu had a reputation throughout the world for being brave, loyal, and righteous, he successfully met the Marquis of Anyang in Anyang, Hebei.
Liu Xiu is no longer the farmer boy he used to be. After experiencing so much, he is now a true hero. He is the kind of person who has almost no shortcomings. From his personal morality to his civil and military achievements, he is admirable.
After talking with Liu Xiu, Anyang Hou said with emotion: "You are the descendant of Liu family. Please follow me to see Ying Hou. If you can get Ying Hou's approval, your great wish will be fulfilled."
Ying Hou!
Liu Xiu's heart was shocked. This was one of his main goals in coming to the five states of Guandong. He was the only one who he was sure would not watch the demise of the Han Dynasty, the Marquis of Jinling.
Moreover, Marquis Ying has a very strong network of connections, especially for a coward like the Lu family. Without Marquis Ying's leadership, they would never have been able to get out.
Liu Xiu was not prepared to meet Duke Zhao because he felt that it was impossible for Duke Zhao to take action, so Marquis Ying was extremely crucial.
Although the Ying State was greatly influenced by the Zhao State, it was a semi-independent state after all. As long as the Zhao State did not insist on destroying the Han Dynasty, the Ying State did not treat the Han Dynasty any differently from other states.
Luo Zhong did not expect that Marquis Anyang would bring a relative of the Han royal family, and a very famous one at that. The implication was too obvious.
Marquis Anyang wanted to support a descendant of the Liu family who was capable of pacifying the world and restoring the Han Dynasty.
He couldn't help but think of what Lu Hou said, "Wait for a descendant of the Liu family who holds the Mandate of Heaven!"
What is destiny?
Nobody knows.
The one we choose is the one destined by heaven.
These top marquises of the Han Dynasty made the same choice when faced with the same situation.
Luo Zhong did not ask those general questions, but said: "Uncle Wen, when you were studying in Zhaocheng, I remember that you supported Wang Mang's reform and confiscated the land of the powerful. Why did you suddenly change your mind now?"
Liu Xiu was originally feeling excited about seeing Luo Zhong, but his mood instantly became depressed when he heard this.
After a long while, he said, “In the past, I have seen that there are tyrants who are lawless and the people who resist, but they are weak and alone, so I think the tyrants must be eradicated.
But the world I see now is that the people are withering away like autumn leaves, and the number of people who die in the war far exceeds those who die from exploitation and oppression by the powerful and officials.
What will happen if the world continues like this?
With a population of tens of millions, how many will be left?
Mountains of corpses, rivers of blood, all the misery and tragedies that people can and cannot imagine will appear before me and erode my conscience all the time.
The ancients said that no matter what situation a person is in or what kind of blow he suffers in his life, he should never abandon two things: conscience and ideals.
I was probably wrong before, and I want to correct it now.
The powerful are not ferocious beasts like water and fire. As long as they can be controlled, who can say that the powerful will definitely be harmful to the world?
How many heroes in our Han Dynasty came from noble families?
Just don’t let it swell to a terrifying level.”
Luo Zhong did not comment on what he said, but pointed directly at Liu Xiu's inner thoughts and asked: "Emperors of all dynasties would rather pay a price to suppress the powerful. Now you want to compromise with the powerful. If the previous emperors of the Han Dynasty knew about this, they would definitely think you are unfilial."
After hearing this, Liu Xiu calmed down and asked, "What is the purpose of suppressing the powerful?
Is it to suppress the powerful just for the sake of suppressing the powerful?
Who will bear the cost?
Are they the ordinary people?
The price they paid was enough.
Let's first stabilize the world. This is probably what the people also want.
As for the evil tyrants, it will probably be easier to succeed if we wait until the world is stable and then govern them one region at a time."
It is easy to say that we should do it one step at a time, but it will be difficult to do when the time comes.
Luo Zhong looked at Liu Xiu deeply. There are two kinds of things in this world.
One type of behavior may benefit future generations but cause harm in the present. This type of behavior is not worth promoting.
The other is beneficial in the present, but if the descendants are not virtuous and fail to carry the cause consistently, it will bring disaster in the future. This depends on different people's opinions.
But there is no doubt that having the ability to comfort the present is already rare among people, and having a kind heart is even rarer.
"Go see Lord Lu."
…
The relationships among the various marquisates in Guandong were complicated. Now Liu Xiu understood why the Five States were also called the Five Clans' Lands. He almost went to one family, got recognition, and then got a letter of introduction and went to the next one.
Speaking of power, these marquis families are not the top ones, but they have been entrenched for so many years and have too many in-laws and old friends. Their influence in the counties is far beyond what those ordinary powerful people can achieve.
Many of these marquis families were related to Confucian classics families by marriage, and some even had Confucian classics families themselves.
As Liu Xiu left Linzi, he raised a large banner in Yanzhou, calling himself the "Xinghan Army" and using a red scarf as his banner. Soon, heroes from various counties went to join him.
There are merchants with millions of fortunes, heroes who are famous all over the world, scholars with great learning, and wealthy families who have come to surrender with their entire clans.
Liu Xiu was secretly shocked by the influence of the Five Surnames and Seven Families, but he didn't know that these families themselves were also murmuring, wondering if a certain family had personally taken action. The scale of the battle was beyond their expectations.
The reputation Liu Xiu gained in Heluo is still very useful, especially in today's world, he is the most outstanding one, and many people yearn for him.
If it were a suspicious monarch, even if he had to face reality, the seeds of doubt would still be deeply planted in his heart. But Liu Xiu was different. He was truly loyal.
He treated everyone who came to him with courtesy and sincerity.
General Pingkou who disappeared in Heluo land unexpectedly appeared at the junction of Yanzhou and Qingzhou. This was shocking news to any force, especially to King Jiaodong and King Zhao, who felt like their home was robbed.
Because of this incident, Luo Qi and Wang Mang almost parted ways in the court. The imperial edict to promote Liu Xiu did not arrive, but Wang Mang's did.
After Liu Xiu had thousands of elite troops, the pressure became even greater.
This is just like starting a business. The princes of Guandong gave him angel investment because of his status as a relative of the Liu clan and valued his personal abilities. However, whether they would continue to board his ship or not would depend on his subsequent performance.
Liu Xiu was very clear that he could be valued by these marquis families. His identity as a member of the Liu clan played a big role in this. Otherwise, no matter how capable he was, he would not be considered. However, the Han Dynasty, which had been thriving for two hundred years, had no shortage of members of the Liu clan.
The King of Zhao led his army to attack Liu Xiu, but Liu Xiu showed no fear and laughed loudly, saying, "How can we fail if we defeat the enemy with a small force?
He set up camp in Hebei, which reminded me of the battle in which Xiang Yu defeated the Qin army.
So he led his army across the river. Liu Xiu was not a military leader like Xiang Yu, but he was far more powerful than King Zhao and Zhang Han. Liu Xiu constantly harassed King Zhao's food supply, but in just a few months, he forced King Zhao to gather his main forces to fight him.
At this time, Liu Xiu instead fortified his defenses and cleared the countryside, beginning to wear down the Zhao army's morale.
After half a month of continuous attacks, they finally attacked the Zhao army at night, defeated it in one battle, and then headed towards Jiaodong, shocking the whole world!
(End of this chapter)
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