Finally, when the two empress dowagers and Empress Song presented the portraits of the selected women to Liu Hong, even Liu Hong couldn't help but marvel at his son's good fortune.
Not only can he inherit the powerful empire he has painstakingly built, but he can also capture all the beauties that countless people covet.
This is so much better than what I was like back then.
"People shouldn't have too much success, or they'll get arrogant!"
After sighing with envy, Liu Hong immediately began to think about his son's training.
Of course, in addition to Liu Cheng, Liu Hong also considered the training of the new generation of successors such as Zhou Yu and Lu Su.
Hearing his emperor's mutterings, Zhang Rang shuddered. He knew that the eldest prince's days were about to become difficult.
Subsequently, Liu Hong issued an edict formally establishing his eldest son, Liu Cheng, as the crown prince and granting him permission to establish his own residence and government offices.
Immediately afterwards, Liu Hong ordered the Ministry of Rites to appoint Zhen Mi of the Zhen family as the Crown Princess, and several daughters of the Mi and Qiao families as concubines, and to hold a grand wedding for the Crown Prince in September.
Several imperial edicts were issued in succession, and the court and the public were immediately filled with jubilation.
Now that the crown prince has been established and the foundation of the nation is secure, in the eyes of the people, this is a sign of the Han Dynasty's prosperity and enduring strength.
Crown Prince Liu Cheng, the protagonist, entered the palace to express his gratitude and then led his group of followers to busy themselves with future matters.
Liu Cheng was born to the Empress and was her eldest son, which destined him to be extraordinary from birth.
Despite being showered with love and affection, Liu Cheng, under Liu Hong's careful tutelage, not only did not develop an arrogant and extravagant personality, but also perfectly inherited Liu Hong's broad vision and long-term perspective.
Therefore, when Liu Hong made him crown prince and allowed him to establish his own government, Liu Cheng understood that it was time for him to go out and make his own way in the world.
Inside the council hall of the Crown Prince's residence.
Crown Prince Liu Cheng sat upright in the main seat, flanked by Zhou Yu, Cao Zhang, Lu Su, Sun Ce, Ma Chao, Sima Yi, Guo Jia, and others.
These people were Liu Cheng's companions when he was young, and they were also the group that Liu Hong arranged for him. Their level of luxury was no less than that of Liu Hong himself.
Looking around at everyone, Liu Cheng asked in a deep voice, "I've called you all here today to ask for your advice. Where do you all think Father Emperor will send me to gain experience?"
Zhou Yu stood up and said, "Your Highness, I believe that the storms at sea are unpredictable. As the crown prince, Your Highness's position is of great importance. His Majesty will obviously not allow Your Highness to take such a risk. Therefore, His Majesty's only option is to go to the west."
Now that the Western Regions are pacified and the Kushan Empire has been granted to the second prince, only Parthia remains as a place where Your Highness can truly unleash your talents!
Liu Cheng raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Gongjin means that Father Emperor intends for me to take over Parthia?"
Zhou Yu nodded: "Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and has created an unprecedented golden age of hegemony. His influence is deeply rooted in people's hearts."
With His Majesty's outstanding achievements as a precedent, one can imagine the pressure Your Highness faces.
Although Your Highness has now been established as Crown Prince, if you wish to gain the recognition of the people, you must at least demonstrate outstanding achievements, if not surpass His Majesty's!
Upon hearing these words, Liu Cheng couldn't help but sigh, "Father's achievements are beyond the reach of ordinary people. But as Father's son, I cannot tarnish his reputation. Even if I cannot be on par with Father, I would be content if I could achieve even a fraction of his glory!"
"Since Your Highness has such a mindset, we will certainly do our utmost to assist you!"
Upon hearing Liu Cheng's words, everyone present stood up and solemnly expressed their determination.
Although these people present were second-generation, their talent and abilities were no less than their fathers', and some were even stronger.
Faced with the great achievements their parents had built, they felt immense pressure, but more than anything, they were thinking about how to surpass them, or at the very least, to match their parents' achievements.
Therefore, as Liu Cheng's established core group, their biggest worry was that their crown prince would back down in the face of His Majesty's unprecedented achievements.
Now that the Crown Prince has been able to say these words, it is evident that he has lofty aspirations and ambitions, which naturally makes his followers the happiest.
"Alright, everyone, please sit down. Let's talk about the matter of rest in peace!"
"What do you all think Father Emperor will do? Will he send me on a diplomatic mission? Or will he send me to Yizhou?" Liu Cheng smiled and gestured for everyone to sit down, beginning their discussion about Parthia.
Before Zhou Yu could speak, Sima Yi spoke up first: "Now Parthia only has half of its territory left, and it is no longer qualified to stand on equal footing with the Han Dynasty. There is no need for Your Highness to go on a diplomatic mission."
As Your Highness is the heir to the throne, His Majesty's primary consideration is Your Highness's governing abilities, followed by your military prowess.
Therefore, based on my deduction, His Majesty will most likely send His Highness to Yizhou to oversee its governance and education. As for conquering Parthia, that's a matter for later!
“Zhongda is right!” Liu Cheng nodded, then looked at the others: “What do you think?”
That should be it!
The crowd largely agreed with Sima Yi's speculation.
The group then discussed governing Illinois and the matter of Restoration.
...
The next day, Liu Cheng, in the name of the Crown Prince, submitted a memorial to the cabinet, volunteering to go to Yizhou to take charge of the overall situation.
In his memorial, Liu Cheng did not request a single soldier, but only asked to bring a few companions with him.
"Are these kids planning something big?"
After reading the memorial, Yang Biao, the Grand Secretary, couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.
"These guys are really arrogant and ignorant. In my opinion, we should reject their proposal!"
The speaker was Tian Feng, who had served as the prefect of Yizhou for several years and was quite familiar with the situation there.
Although the people of Yizhou were relatively stable due to the court's favorable policies, many local leaders and landlords were still quite dissatisfied with the rule of the Han Dynasty.
It would be virtually impossible to completely eradicate and assimilate it without a decade or two of effort.
In addition, the Satya people in the north had always resented the Han Dynasty's separatist rule over Yizhou, and the Han Dynasty only had 30,000 troops stationed there, with the rest of the army being mostly auxiliary troops.
Once the crown prince goes there, it will inevitably cause instability in the local area.
Moreover, in Tian Feng's view, the reason why the Crown Prince wanted to go there must have been because he was encouraged by Zhou Yu, Guo Jia and their gang of lads, and wanted to go there to make a name for himself.
Tian Feng was naturally unhappy with their impractical and adventurous approach.
"Rejected?"
Upon hearing Tian Feng's suggestion, Yang Biao frowned, then turned to look at Ju Shou, Zhang Zhao, and the others beside him.
Zhang Zhao said solemnly, "In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with this matter. In addition to the 30,000 Han soldiers, there are also several hundred Han officials, more than 2,000 students, more than 10,000 wandering knights, and more than 4,000 medical students in Yizhou."
With these people around, His Highness the Crown Prince won't do anything, and His Majesty might even share the same intention!
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