Chương 217: Liu Hong's Panic, Deyang Palace Debate

Liu Hong reached out and took the urgent military intelligence letter—it was in a lacquered box with three feathers stuck in it, representing the highest level of authority.

He muttered to himself, "What big thing could it be? It's just another locust plague in some county..."

Open the box, take out the silk scroll, unfold it...

The ease on Liu Hong's face vanished instantly.

His eyes were wide open, almost popping out.

The silk scroll in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

He slid off the recliner with a "whoosh"—if it weren't for the quick reflexes of the eunuch beside him, this Han emperor would have landed hard on his bottom.

"Your Majesty!" The eunuchs panicked.

Liu Hong's face was deathly pale, and his lips trembled as he stammered, "Xian... Xianbei... Goguryeo... these barbarians... they've actually gotten together!"

He pointed at the silk scroll on the ground, his voice trembling: "A massive invasion! They want to plunder Youzhou and Bingzhou! This... this... the Wuhuan were only recently pacified by Bo Lue's younger brother, how dare they be so arrogant!"

The young eunuch picked up the silk scroll, glanced at it quickly, and was also terrified: "Your Majesty... the letter says that 80, 000 Xianbei cavalry and 20, 000 Goguryeo soldiers are attacking in two routes..."

Liu Hong jumped up and asked, "Have they already broken in?"

He spun around on the spot, the hem of his dragon robe getting tangled around his legs, almost tripping him.

"Quickly! Quickly summon all the officials! Summon all civil and military officials to me!" Liu Hong paced anxiously.

"If we delay any longer, Youzhou and Bingzhou will be looted! My fine salt! My fine wine! My paper! All gone! My Western Garden's finances depend on the salt and wine trade in Youzhou!"

See, at this crucial moment, His Majesty is still concerned about his "specialty products".

(Protection fees? The martial arts world isn't just about fighting and killing; it's about human relationships and social interactions.) The young eunuch dared not delay and ran out as fast as he could, shouting, "His Majesty has decreed! All civil and military officials must immediately assemble at Deyang Palace for a meeting! Military matters are urgent! Anyone late will be executed!"

In less than half an hour, Deyang Palace was packed with people.

The ministers stood below exchanging glances and whispering among themselves.

"What happened? Why the rush?"

"I heard something happened up north..."

"Wasn't the Wuhuan just pacified? What happened again?"

"I don't know, I was just eating at home, I hadn't even put my chopsticks down when I was called here."

"Could it be... that His Majesty is short of money again?"

"No way, I just received a payment yesterday..."

Just then, Liu Hong came out. His dragon crown and robe were neatly arranged, but his face was still pale, and he was walking a little unsteadily.

He sat down on the dragon throne—no, he was practically sprawled on it.

"Look, everyone! Look, everyone!" Liu Hong pointed to the military intelligence report in the eunuch's hand.

"The Xianbei and Goguryeo have joined forces with an army of 100, 000 to invade, intending to plunder Youzhou and Bingzhou! What do you think we should do?"

The ministers quickly circulated the military intelligence.

After reading it, the hall erupted in chaos.

"An army of 100, 000? Didn't the Xianbei split up? How can they still muster 80, 000 cavalry?"

"Goguryeo is joining in the fun too? Those poor wretches! Weren't they always been pretty honest?"

"The rebellion in Liangzhou has not yet been quelled, and now flames of war have broken out again in the northern frontier. Is Heaven decreeing the destruction of our Great Han?"

"It's over, it's over. Youzhou just finished fighting the Wuhuan, they definitely don't have the strength to fight again..."

"Bingzhou is in an even worse situation; the border troops were even beaten by the Qiang people last month..."

It's a mess, like a vegetable market.

Liu Hong, his head throbbing from the noise, slammed his hand on the imperial desk: "Quiet! All of you, be quiet!"

The hall became a little quieter.

Liu Hong, panting heavily, said, "Give me a suggestion! What's the use of just arguing!"

Only then did someone step forward to speak.

The first one is Zhang Rang—this eunuch will always be His Majesty's "close confidant," even though this confidant may be leaky.

He hurriedly stepped forward, bowing low, and said in a high-pitched voice, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Your health is of utmost importance! The northern frontier is bitterly cold, and the Xianbei are barbarians from beyond the borders, insatiably greedy. Moreover, the rebellion in Liangzhou has not yet been quelled. In my humble opinion, it is not necessarily necessary to resort to force..."

Zhang Rang's eyes darted around: "Why not send envoys with gold, silk, and beautiful women to the Xianbei, and grant Goguryeo the right to trade, thus temporarily ending the war? Besides, the national treasury is empty, and the newly accumulated wealth in the Western Garden cannot be touched. If His Majesty's expenses are affected, things will become very tight."

These words, ostensibly for the sake of the country, are actually a sign of fear that war will cost money—if money is spent, His Majesty will have no money for enjoyment, and the eunuchs will have no way to make a living.

Liu Hong was somewhat tempted—it would be best to avoid war, as war is very expensive.

But some people disagreed.

"Zhang Changshi is completely wrong!"

With a roar, Lu Zhi stepped forward.

The old man's beard and hair stood on end; he was so angry that his beard was sticking up.

He pointed at Zhang Rang's nose and cursed, "Zhang Changshi, you are utterly wrong! The Xianbei are wolves in sheep's clothing. Although Tanshihuai is dead, their tribes are still fierce and brave! Today they give you gold and silk, tomorrow they will surely demand cities! Goguryeo is a tiny country that profits by taking advantage of the Xianbei's power. If we continue to tolerate them, the northern border will be lost in less than half a year!"

Lu Zhi turned to Liu Hong and bowed deeply: "Your Majesty, I implore you to immediately order the war! Allocate provisions and funds, appoint capable generals, and rush to the aid of You and Bing! If Your Majesty grants your request, though I am old, I am willing to personally go to the northern frontier!"

These words were spoken with great conviction, and many ministers nodded in agreement.

Huangfu Song followed suit, stepping forward—he had just suffered a defeat in Liangzhou and was seething with anger.

"Minister Lu is absolutely right!" Huangfu Song clasped his hands and volunteered, "Your subject is willing to lead the army, mobilize soldiers from various regions to march north, and we will surely be able to stop the barbarians!"

Before Liu Hong could speak, Zhao Zhong—another eunuch and Zhang Rang's good partner—immediately chimed in, his voice sarcastic:

"General Huangfu, you have quite the audacity! The five Northern Army divisions have already been transferred to Liangzhou to quell the rebellion. If more soldiers are transferred from the surrounding areas of Luoyang, who will care about the safety of Luoyang? In my opinion, border affairs should be left to the border officials to handle themselves!"

These words were so shameless that even some powerful ministers couldn't stand them.

But Huangfu Song was even angrier, glaring directly at Zhao Zhong, gritting his teeth: "These corrupt eunuchs are ruining the country! If the northern border is lost, the barbarian cavalry will march south and head straight for Luoyang. Then you and I will both become victims of their swords!"

"Who are you calling a eunuch!"

"I'll curse you! You treacherous and disloyal minister!"

"you......"

They started arguing again.

They split into two factions: one advocating war and the other advocating peace. The military officers were mostly in favor of war, while the eunuchs, wanting to save money, advocated for peace.

The noise gave Liu Hong a headache.

"Gentlemen! Now is not the time for arguing!"

Lu Zhi took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty! The previous Wuhuan rebellion was quelled entirely by General of the Cavalry, Marquis of Champion! Now that the northern frontier is in crisis, only his troops can withstand the Xianbei cavalry! But..."

He paused, a troubled look on his face: "But we just took over his military power in Ji Province a few days ago, and now I'm afraid..."

The hall fell silent for a moment after these words were spoken.

Many ministers looked embarrassed – yes, it was they who had instigated the removal of Liu Ce's military power, saying things like "a general in a border town should not concurrently manage the military affairs of two provinces" and "we need to guard against him becoming too powerful to control."

Now that something has happened, the first person I think of is still that person.

Does your face hurt?

But the thick skin of powerful ministers has been honed through countless trials.