Chương 29: Liu Hong's Rewards

The approximate translation is as follows: Liu Ce, the Prefect of Zhuojun, has submitted a report to the Emperor: In March of the seventh year of Guanghe, the Yellow Turban rebels Cheng Yuanzhi and Deng Mao led 100, 000 men to wreak havoc on Zhuojun, burning and looting, and the people all fled in terror.

I hastily recruited several thousand local militia and staged a "luring the enemy deep into our territory" scenario. We pretended to be unable to defeat them, and once the thieves were halfway across the Zhuo River, we immediately started beating drums and calling for reinforcements.

When the ambush troops rushed out, the bandits were thrown into chaos, trampling each other. We seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack, beheading two bandit leaders, killing over ten thousand bandits, and capturing a large amount of weapons and food. Zhuojun was finally saved. Afterwards, we split into three routes to rescue other parts of Youzhou, and within a month, we had recovered all the lost counties.

It's not because I'm so great, it's all thanks to Your Majesty's support and the brothers' desperate efforts. We're currently pacifying the people and preventing a bandit counterattack, and I've come to report our victory and await your instructions!

(This battle report was fabricated by Liu Ce; it's impossible for him to have directly reported that he led a group of cavalry in a charge and defeated 100, 000 Yellow Turban soldiers in a single round.) Silence, deathly silence, then Deyang Palace suddenly erupted in chaos!

This was the first truly significant victory since the Yellow Turban Rebellion! Moreover, it was a victory against overwhelming odds, annihilating 100, 000 enemy soldiers! Even the old ministers who had been resting with their eyes closed widened their eyes.

Liu Hong was stunned at first, then his face broke into a wide smile, his expression shifting from surprise and doubt to ecstatic joy. Finally, he slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne and laughed heartily.

"Haha! Hahaha! Well done! Well done, Liu Ce! What a great victory at Zhuojun! Heaven has not forsaken our Han Dynasty!!"

He stood up excitedly and paced back and forth on the steps, his wrinkles beaming with joy.

Liu Hong wondered to himself, "Has the spirit of the High Ancestor appeared to me?"

The officials below reacted swiftly, kneeling down in a cacophony of cheers:

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! Heaven blesses the Han Dynasty, Your Majesty is wise!"

This flattery made Liu Hong feel incredibly pleased. He wasn't satisfied; how could he only hear such exciting news once? He waved to the messenger still kneeling on the ground:

"You, stand up! Read it aloud for me! Ten more times! Let all the civil and military officials hear the might of my Great Han army!"

The messenger and the officials were stunned, thinking they had misheard.

"Read it ten times?" Zhang Rang quickly whispered a reminder.

"Your Majesty, this..."

"Huh?" Liu Hong's eyes widened.

The messenger jolted awake, quickly scrambled to his feet, took a deep breath, gathered his strength, and began to read aloud: Liu Ce, Prefect of Zhuojun, respectfully submits this memorial to the Emperor.

In April of the seventh year of the Guanghe era, the Yellow Turban rebel leaders Cheng Yuanzhi, Deng Mao, and others gathered a force of 100, 000, claiming to be "under the command of the Heavenly General"...

Once, twice, three times... the messenger read it more and more fluently, and his voice became louder and louder.

Liu Hong squinted, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne in rhythm, swaying his head as if he were enjoying celestial music.

With each recitation, his smile deepened. The officials below initially echoed his words, but eventually their smiles became stiff, and they thought to themselves:

"Your Majesty's hobby... is truly unique."

After reading it ten times, the messenger's throat was practically parched. Liu Hong, satisfied, waved his hand dismissively:

"Well read! I found it pleasing to the ear! He deserves a reward! Let Father bestow upon him a hundred gold pieces! Let him go and collect his reward!"

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty! Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"

The messenger wept with joy. This mission had truly been a brush with death, yet he had also achieved great success. He kowtowed repeatedly.

(Messenger: Luckily I was quick-witted, otherwise I would be keeping company with my previous colleague.) The news of the victory spread like wildfire from Deyang Palace, quickly reaching all of Luoyang.

The people spread the news with joy, and long-lost smiles returned to their faces. But after the jubilation within the Deyang Palace, undercurrents began to stir.

General He Jin smiled, but in his heart he began to plan how to win over Liu Ce's rising force to his own side, or... to guard against it.

Some officials from aristocratic families wondered, "Who is this Liu Ce? I've never heard of him before. Could he be from a humble background? It seems the political landscape of the court might be about to change."

Only Zhang Rang's lips curled up slightly.

Liu Hongcai ignored all of that; he was immersed in immense joy.

He seemed to already see the local government troops, encouraged by this good news, rising up to fight back, and the Yellow Turban Rebellion would be quelled in no time!

He even began to think about how he should enjoy the glory of being the "restorer of the dynasty" once the rebellion was quelled.

Of course, the prerequisite is that he first needs to figure out how to deal with this group of "loyal ministers" who each have their own ulterior motives, as well as the nearly empty silver in the national treasury.

……

After Liu Hong had the messenger read the battle report of the great victory at Zhuojun ten times, the atmosphere in Deyang Palace finally changed from the oppressive atmosphere of the past few days to the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

He was currently immersed in the joy of the great victory in Youzhou, feeling as comfortable as if he had drunk honey water. He was twisting and turning on the dragon throne in Deyang Palace, laughing so hard that his eyes were almost closed.

He scratched his chin and looked down at the group of ministers below, each with their own thoughts:

"A grand prize...!"

"But Liu Ce annihilated 100, 000 Yellow Turbans in one fell swoop and recovered the entire Youzhou region. His achievements are too great!"

"My dear ministers, please tell me, how should I reward you? I really can't think of a reward worthy of such a great achievement."

These words were like water being poured into a boiling oil pan, instantly creating a lively atmosphere in the imperial court.

But a careful observer would immediately understand that since none of the bigwigs had spoken yet, Situ Yuanwei was calculating in his mind:

"I don't know where this Liu Ce came from. He's not a disciple of the Yuan family. Why should I fight for the reward for him? No need, no need."

General He Jin, with his belly protruding, pondered whether he could win over this newly rising general to his side, and take the opportunity to suppress the arrogance of the eunuchs.

A short while later, He Jin was the first to step forward, his voice booming:

"Your Majesty! Liu Ce's achievement is enough to shake the world! If he is not richly rewarded, wouldn't that discourage the soldiers on the front lines? In my opinion, he should be granted a title and rank to demonstrate the boundless grace of Your Majesty!"

Before he could finish speaking, several senior officials on the other side frowned.

An official with white hair and beard said tremblingly:

"General, you are mistaken! Although Prefect Liu has made great contributions, he is still relatively inexperienced. If he were to be suddenly promoted to a high position, it would not be in the way to win the support of the people."

"This old minister believes that it would be better to record the merits first, and then reward them after more Yellow Turbans have been quelled."

Meanwhile, several officials who rose to their positions by buying their way in were sarcastic and obnoxious:

"General, you flatter me! Liu Ce only won a minor victory. If we reward him handsomely now, what will happen when someone makes a greater contribution in the future? Wouldn't His Majesty then have nothing left to reward? It would be better to wait until the Yellow Turban Rebellion is completely quelled before bestowing all the rewards!"

He Jin was furious upon hearing this and pointed his finger at the other person, cursing:

"A minor victory? You try leading 50, 000 men to wipe out 100, 000 Yellow Turbans? You probably wouldn't even be able to get on a horse!"

The three sides immediately erupted into chaos, and Deyang Palace turned into a bustling marketplace.

The three parties argued back and forth, creating a huge uproar.

Those who supported the reward said it was to "boost morale"; those who opposed it said "we must guard against arrogance" and "the merit is not great."

He Jin was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged. He almost pointed at the other party's nose and cursed him for being "pedantic".