Chapter 98: Retreat to Advance
It was a long time after Liu Hong finished speaking, and everyone present was still in a state of almost thinking that they had heard it wrongly.
The promotion of Empress Dowager Dong's nephew Dong Chong to the rank of General of Cavalry was a result of the Han Dynasty's tradition of having foreign relatives in charge of the military.
Although it was surprising that Liu Hong actually wanted to support the Dong family to compete with the He family, it was obvious that he was wavering in choosing between Liu Bian and Liu Xie as the successor, but there is still an explanation for this.
But--
Order Leping Hou Qiao Yan to be the governor of Bingzhou?
Under the provincial governor system, a provincial governor was given the power to command troops in addition to his original power to supervise and select officials, which meant that he had dominance over both military and political affairs at the same time.
When local officials have such power, they are almost the same as separatist regimes.
Especially considering the geographical environment of Bingzhou, which is sheltered by the Taihang Mountains, it has the conditions to be independent. Although it is still inferior to Yizhou, which has thousands of miles of fertile land but is blocked by dangerous passes, and there are also the Hu Lu outside the pass eyeing it covetously, it is not a power that should be handed over easily.
Everyone subconsciously looked towards Han Fu, and as expected, they saw that the smile on his face had now frozen.
The previous moment, Han Fu still felt that he had taken on the important task of General Du Liao, supervising Bingzhou's military operations in the northwest and northeast, which was a great power bestowed upon him by heaven.
Although it is not an easy task to successfully keep the Xiongnu and Xianbei outside the Great Wall, the military power itself is already an incredible springboard. After all, Qiao Yan's grandfather Qiao Xuan started his career as the General Du Liao before being promoted to one of the Three Dukes!
If he could do what Qiao Xuan did and stabilize the border within three years, and the Hu people would not dare to invade, it would be a matter that would go down in history.
But the next moment, he received such an unexpected event.
If there is a Bingzhou governor present, since General Du Liao's base is also in Bingzhou, then the Bingzhou governor will be General Du Liao's immediate superior and can control the opponent's military power. In most of the time, Han Fu must obey Qiao Yan's supervision and deployment.
Even with the presence of this Bingzhou Mu, since he also assumed the task of Bingzhou Governor, there was an obstacle in Han Fu's promotion.
Han Fu's position at this time was particularly awkward.
If the Governor of Bingzhou had a personality like Liu Yu, Han Fu felt that they could still get along. However, if the power of the Governor of Bingzhou fell into the hands of someone like Qiao Yan who had a strong enterprising spirit and amazing ability to take action, it would definitely not be a good thing for General Du Liao.
Once she gets this position, she won't even need to write a letter of apology after coercing someone.
Because this really doesn't count as the governor of Bingzhou exceeding his authority.
Just as Liu Hong felt suffocated after finding out that those people were former officials of aristocratic families, the newly appointed General Du Liao is feeling just as suffocated now.
Not to mention that such great power was handed over to a child who is less than fifteen years old.
"Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate."
After a long silence, someone finally spoke.
However, when everyone heard this voice, they realized that it was not that someone was stubborn enough to protest against Liu Hong at this time, but that Qiao Yan himself had already made this response first.
No matter how much today's exhibition match is just an exhibition match, it is ultimately a cavalry clash. When she defeated Jian Shuo and returned to the stage, there were still some sweat stains on her temples. Now, due to standing outdoors for a long time, they almost condensed into a thin layer of frost.
This made her voice sound extremely decisive when she spoke, with a frosty and cold aura.
No one expected that she would be the first to reject this authority.
But what she said was particularly well-founded.
"Bingzhou Governor Cui Weikao performed his duties conscientiously and followed the teachings. He stopped slaughtering the internal bandits and sent messages to all counties. He appointed Wu Meng, a member of the Bingzhou Governor's staff, as a general and obtained the approval of the governors of Yanmen and Yunzhong. Only then did I achieve the merit of a surprise attack on the border. Since he has done nothing wrong, why do you want to replace him by making me the governor of Bingzhou?"
Yes, there are no vacancies in the three highest positions now, and there is no obvious natural phenomenon that would allow Liu Hong to dismiss one of them.
Cui Lie obviously would not destroy his own reputation again to buy another chance to win the third place.
In this case, since the Bingzhou Mu was actually an upgrade from the Bingzhou Governor, what should Cui Lie do?
There is nothing wrong with Qiao Yan saying this, and she might even be criticized if she didn't say it.
After all, another responsibility of Cui Lie when he was sent to Bingzhou was to teach the unreasonable Marquis Qiao, which meant that there was a master-disciple relationship between the two.
In today's environment where filial piety is highly valued, it is a taboo to seize the position of a teacher by claiming to be a disciple.
But Qiao Yan also emphasized one thing in his words——
With her military merits in defending against the Xiongnu, she did have the capital to become the governor of Bingzhou.
Han Fu is really far inferior to her in this aspect of achievements, and this time he lost the selection for General Du Liao at her hands. If we really calculate according to this actual situation, then since Han Fu can be the General Du Liao, why can't Qiao Yan be a governor of Bingzhou?
Liu Hong looked towards Qiao Yan. Although he looked unhappy about her resignation, he was satisfied in his heart.
But at this time, both the aristocratic families and the relatives by marriage had forced him to the edge of the cliff with sharp blades. He had to hold a sharper weapon in his hand to tear a bloody path to protect the dignity of his Han royal family.
The few people among the eight schools in Xiyuan who can be considered his own are naturally weapons he can rely on, but the same is true for Qiao Yan.
He replied, "Appoint Cui Weikao as the governor of Taiyuan County and concurrently in charge of Xihe County affairs. The two governors above will be transferred to other places, and Cui Gong will still be responsible for your moral education."
This cannot be considered a demotion, but with the existence of the Governor of Bingzhou, the authority of the governor has been greatly reduced. Although Xihe County seems to be of considerable size, there is the Protector of the Xiongnu in the north, which will continue to divide the military power.
I don’t know how Cui Lie would feel if the appointment was really carried out in this way.
But no matter what, Liu Hong has already given an answer to Qiao Yan's rebuttal.
Hearing this, Qiao Yan still did not stand up, but continued: "More than three years ago, I wrote a policy paper in Dingzhongguan, Luoyang, which talked about the evils of feudalism in the state governors, and because of this, I was able to meet Your Majesty."
"At that time, Yan said in his policy paper: If one person governs a state, even if he rebels, he can just be treated with respect. If a rebellion arises here, and this place can be defended by taking advantage of the terrain, what can the court do?"
"I think so now. The harm of the governor is not in the present but in the future. Now there is the rebellion of the Bantun barbarians in Yizhou and Ba County, and Zhang Ju in Youzhou calls himself the emperor. It is indeed a temporary measure for the governor to supervise the military power and be called the governor. If we follow this method, Bingzhou, Liangzhou, Jingzhou and Yuzhou can also establish governors. But now the governors are all relatives of the Han Dynasty, and there are old precedents to follow. If Yan is appointed as the governor of Bingzhou, it will be inappropriate."
"Besides, how can one first rebuke it and then accept it?"
Her reason can still be considered plausible.
When General Xu Zi gave her the evaluation of a young phoenix with a clear voice, Qiao Yan cursed this system.
Although at that time she wrote this essay only out of the idea of establishing a name for herself and gaining some reputation from the monthly reviews.
She probably didn't expect that in the process of seeking opportunities for advancement step by step, she would actually have the hope of getting herself the position of Governor of Bingzhou while Liu Hong was still alive.
But at this moment, this prerequisite article undoubtedly became her guarantee for herself.
Now, in public, she once again expressed her position.
She felt that the governor system was inappropriate then, and she still feels that it is inappropriate now!
How could he, while criticizing this system for being a breeding ground for rebellion, accept the position without hesitation after His Majesty offered it because of the alluring power?
This is obviously contrary to common sense.
Yuan Shao looked at Qiao Yan and suddenly felt that he had underestimated her.
If she had not said this beforehand, everyone would have thought that she was not suitable for this position and would have advised her against it with similar reasons.
But now she had finished her words. With this preemptive move, no matter whether Liu Hong would take back his order or not, and no matter whether her refusal was sincere or not, one thing was unchangeable.
No one can blame her from a moral high ground by using the appointment of Bingzhou governor as the subject.
At least you have to change your rhetoric.
He couldn't help but feel a little wary of the fact that Qiao Yan had previously asked Guo Jia to find He Yong to reveal the news.
But she had already said everything very carefully at the time, and also reminded him to be careful in selecting candidates and not to push people into a corner. This time it was He Jin's lack of restraint that aroused Liu Hong's vigilance.
Yuan Shao still didn't know what had caused the sudden change, but it obviously couldn't be blamed on Qiao Yan.
She had violated the rules and sent troops, and being able to escape blame was already a great gain. How could she have guessed that Liu Hong would actually let her skip so much level and inherit the position of Governor of Bingzhou?
I never thought of this in my dreams!
So why should she do such a unnecessary thing?
If Liu Hong knew that she had revealed this information and indirectly made friends with the aristocratic family, it would definitely not be good news.
Yuan Shao suppressed his suspicion after some analysis, and heard Liu Hong reply: "You are right, but as I told you back then, times have changed, and it is feasible to appoint governors of provinces now. I am also interested in appointing governors of Dingzhou to guard the four provinces of Liang, Bing, Yu, and Jing."
"Qingzhou Governor Huang Wan has made outstanding achievements in settling the people's livelihood in Qingzhou. I order him to be transferred to Yuzhou and serve as Yuzhou Governor."
"As for the remaining two governors, we will make a decision after we find suitable candidates."
He Jin was almost numb from listening to it.
Military power is just such a small piece of cake.
First, the Eight Schools of Xiyuan were established and directly under the current emperor. Even if the soldiers were not selected from the Five Schools of the Northern Army, they had to occupy the power to deploy troops in the capital. It can be said that a piece was divided first.
The establishment of the post of General of Cavalry was another part of the division.
General Du Liao was under the command of the general, but he was too far away to be in charge, so he was crossed out.
The governor of a province has the final say on local military affairs. Apart from Huangfu Song who has stepped down, the governors of Youzhou, Liu Yu, Yizhou, Liu Yan, Yuzhou, Huang Wan and the most controversial governor of Bingzhou, Qiao Yan, have divided up another four areas.
What's next?
Depose the queen, and then depose this great general who got to this position by virtue of his sister's and the prince's status?
Not to mention that Liu Hong felt that he was surrounded because of the people's relentless pressure, He Jin also felt that he was heading towards destruction from the scene of raging fire and boiling oil.
It took him a long time to calm down the stiff expression on his face, and then he heard Qiao Yan say at this time: "Although Your Majesty has his own considerations, I still want to ask Your Majesty to listen to the opinions of the ministers in the court."
"But if Your Majesty insists on making Yan the governor of Bingzhou, Yan will not forget Your Majesty's trust and my grandfather's teachings. I will definitely serve my country with my life and defend the border to the death. I will never let the war news of the Hu people disturb Your Majesty's sleep, and I will never let the people of Bingzhou suffer from chaos."
There is still nothing wrong with this third sentence.
He Jin just felt that he was really suffering from his lack of education and that one of his ways out was blocked.
But Qiao Yan didn't say this casually.
The so-called three requests and three resignations is a process that those who accept abdication have to go through. Doesn't Qiao Yan, who was parachuted into a high position, have to go through?
Therefore, this sentence of listening to the opinions of the ministers in the court was exactly the third reason she found for resigning.
But one cannot just refuse, especially for Liu Hong at this moment. If she does not even have the courage to step into a position of power, and keeps saying that she is still young, or even uses her status as a woman to make an argument, then how can Liu Hong continue to regard her as a life-saving weapon?
So she wanted to quit, but she couldn't quit completely.
What's more, she must say at this moment with dignity that if His Majesty does not change his decision, then she can also accept this challenge, do her best for the people's livelihood in Bingzhou and the stability of the border, and will never let Liu Hong down!
When she looked up at Liu Hong, she had already taken off her cavalry helmet, and her face was reflected in the sunset. The decisiveness in her words seemed to be permeated by the setting sun, making people feel the courage of a young person.
Liu Hong became more and more satisfied with her performance.
Although he doesn't have Huo Piaoqi, having Qiao Bingzhou is not bad either!
Although the Bingzhou governor's decision came suddenly, it was only the result of the sudden news he heard. But the words had already been spoken, so it would be better to let him see how many people in the court were truly loyal to him!
"Well, let's go back to the court and discuss it in detail."
When the emperor's procession was leaving the western suburbs camp, Dong Min, who was drunk and venting his anger, arrived late.
Because Liu Hong had already suppressed He Jin's followers through Qiao Yan, Dong Min was only punished for disrespect. As a result, Dong Min, who was kneeling on the ground at this time, had no idea what role he played in it.
As a general of Xiliang, he was often looked down upon in Luoyang City. Only He Jin, a great general who came from a butcher's family, treated him favorably. However, in this selection, he was deliberately placed opposite to the Marquis of Leping.
Qiao Yan's action of attacking the enemy camp directly undoubtedly caused great psychological pressure on Dong Min.
This burden was further aggravated by her subsequent "coincidences" of appearing before him frequently and her apologies, which sounded more like provocations, in her conversations.
Until the person who was selected into the top nine, most of them were because of the news of the old officials of the noble families, which was delivered to him at a "suitable" time, and it happened that good wine to reward the soldiers was delivered to the military camp...
It made no difference whether he happened to be drunk and mad and was heard by the eunuch who came to look for him, or whether he went mad in front of the emperor, or whether he returned to the capital after the reward was announced and Qiao Yan continued to incite the conflict and delivered the news that should have been conveyed to the emperor.
Anyway, this matter must happen after the position of General Du Liao is confirmed.
Because only in this way can she get the position above General Du Liao.
But now everything happens at just the right time, and there is even a bit of drama that drives people to desperate measures.
If the time was not right, Qiao Yan would even like to express his sincere gratitude to Dong Min.
Although Dong Min probably doesn't want to listen.
He had just sobered up when he heard the news that Qiao Yan had been promoted to Bingzhou governor. Seeing that everyone was returning to the capital with the ceremonial guard, he subconsciously blurted out, "What kind of logic is this?"
Yeah, what kind of logic is this?
Huang Wan was promoted to the governor of Yuzhou. It can be said that he had a compliant process to follow from age to political achievements. In addition, Yuzhou and Luoyang are not far apart, so it is easy to control him.
But Qiao Yan's promotion to the governor of Bingzhou was like a bolt of lightning that struck the city of Luoyang.
Officials holding important positions in the court will probably have trouble sleeping tonight.
Even though Lu Zhi did not think that Qiao Yan was not qualified for this position, he could not help but put on his clothes and walked into the courtyard on this cold and dewy night. He suddenly sighed, "Tomorrow's court meeting will definitely be lively."
Just as he finished speaking, he heard Qiao Yan's voice coming from the other end of the yard, "From Lord Lu's point of view, would they be more inclined to argue whether I can be the governor of Bingzhou, or -"
"Who should be elected as the governor of Liangzhou or Jingzhou?"
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