Those who hope that Liu Xiu can make further progress include not only Liu Jie, but also Zhao Wang Liu Lin, Zhen Ding Wang Liu Yang, and Liu Xiu's generals Deng Yu, Wu Han, Jia Fu, Geng, Kou Xun, and Ma Wu.
However, in Liu Xiu's view, now is still not the best time, and he has to continue to wait.
Liu Xiu treated all these remarks to encourage advancement severely and suppressed them forcefully.
Not long after, the emperor's edict reached Handan.
In the edict, Liu Xuan praised Liu Xiu's deeds in Hebei. He praised Liu Xiu as much as anything in the sky and on earth. He even praised Liu Xiu's achievements to no end.
At the end of the edict, Liu Xuan canonized Liu Xiu as King of Xiao, and asked Liu Xiu to hand over the military power of Hebei to the minister Ling Xie Gong, and he himself returned to Chang'an to resume his duties.
Let anyone with a discerning eye look at Liu Xuan's edict. The things mentioned above are basically false, empty, and of no practical significance. Even the title of king to Liu Xiu was just a formality, only the title of king.
Without a fiefdom, it’s just an empty title!
What this edict really wants to express is to ask Liu Xiu to lay down his military power and return to Chang'an. It can be seen that Liu Xuan is very afraid of Liu Xiu's expansion in Hebei, and now plans to take back the military power in Liu Xiu's hands, return to Chang'an, and serve as a general.
He slaughters.
After receiving Liu Xuan's edict, Liu Xiu accepted Liu Xuan's reward and accepted the seal and ribbon of King Xiao. As for handing over his military power to Xie Gong and returning to Chang'an to resume his life, I'm sorry, but he couldn't do it.
The reasons given by Liu Xiu are also very sufficient. Although he quelled the Wanglang Rebellion in Hebei, Hebei was far from entering a peaceful and prosperous age.
Within the territory of Hebei, there were a large number of rebel armies, including Tongma, Youlai, Qingdu, Gaohu, Chonglian, Wuxiao, Fuping and other rebel armies.
Not to mention the Bronze Horse, the large-scale rebel armies in particular had a large number of people. Even the medium-sized rebel army like the Fifth Academy Army had more than 200,000 people.
Throughout the Hebei region, there are millions of rebel armies, large and small, and the people of Hebei are displaced and their lives are in dire straits.
When Liu Xiu was ordered to come to Hebei as governor, it was his job to put down the rebellion, and it was also his job to put down the rebels. Now that his work is far from finished, how can he give up halfway and return to Chang'an to enjoy a peaceful and prosperous age?
Regarding Liu Xuan's edict, Liu Xiu accepted the title of king, but refused to return to Chang'an to resume his duties, and he also gave reasons for refusing to return to Chang'an.
Liu Xiu refused to return to Chang'an, and the envoys who sent the edict could not do anything to him. Liu Xiu's attitude made Xie Gong even more convinced that Liu Xiu had a disobedient heart, and he became more wary of him, and even revealed it
hostility.
At this time, the situation in Handan was very interesting. Wang Lang was originally the one who made the decision, but now it was Liu Xiu and Xie Gong who made the decision.
The two had a tacit understanding to draw a dividing line in Handan City. Liu Xiu was in charge of the eastern half of Handan, and Xie Gong was in charge of the western half.
During the period when they jointly governed Handan, Liu Xiu and Xie Gong were not idle either.
Liu Xiu sent an envoy to Qinghe County east of Handan, hoping that Qinghe County would be loyal to him, while Xie Gong sent an envoy to Wei County southwest of Handan, hoping that Wei County would be loyal to the imperial court.
Both of their actions were effective. Lian Qi, the governor of Qinghe County, expressed his loyalty to Liu Xiu, while Chen Kang, the governor of Wei County, expressed his loyalty to Xie Gong. Speaking of which, when Liu Xiu and Xie Gong jointly governed Handan, both of them had good intentions.
harvested.
Liu Xiu refused to accept the call, which made Liu Xuan very angry. This was what Zhao Meng had expected. He asked Liu Xuan to write a letter to Zhao Yong, the prefect of Daijun, before Liu Xiu could divert his attention.
While arriving in Youzhou, capture Dai County as soon as possible, then replace Shanggu Prefect and Yuyang Prefect, then control the entire Youzhou and cut off Liu Xiu's Youzhou foundation.
Liu Xuan adopted Zhao Meng's advice, sent an edict to Zhao Yong, and transferred Zhao Yong to Chang'an. Zhao Yong thought that a piece of pie in the sky and a good thing had fallen on him, so he left Sangqian, the county town, and went south. Chang'an.
Before he left Dai County, the news reached Shanggu. Geng Kuang, the prefect of Shanggu, was shocked when he heard the news. He hurriedly wrote a letter and sent people to chase Zhao Yong all night.
The subordinates sent by Geng Kuang quickly caught up with Zhao Yong at the border of Daijun and handed him Geng Kuang's letter.
Zhao Yong is the prefect of Daijun, and Geng Kuang is the prefect of Shanggu. The two counties are adjacent to each other, so naturally Zhao Yong and Geng Kuang are old acquaintances.
Precisely because they were acquaintances, Geng Kuang spoke very straightforwardly in his letters.
Geng Kuang helped Zhao Yong do some analysis. The dispute over Hebei between Gengshi and King Xiao became more and more intense, and Youzhou was the top priority.
Now, what is the purpose of Gengshi transferring you to Chang'an? Your achievements in Daijun were so great that they spread to Chang'an, and even Emperor Gengshi favored you? Impossible!
The purpose of Emperor Gengshi sending you to Chang'an is to send people to take over Daijun, use Daijun as the foundation, and then control the entire Youzhou. In this way, King Xiao's strength in Hebei will be greatly reduced.
And you, when you arrive in Chang'an, you will definitely be put in a more important position by the reform. At best, you will have a casual position. The world is surrounded by nobles. You have no roots and no foundation. How can you be as free and easy as being the prefect of Daijun?
To put it bluntly, Daijun is in the northern Xinjiang. The sky is high and the emperor is far away. As the prefect, Zhao Yong is here. He is a veritable earth emperor. He stamps his foot and the whole Daijun trembles.
And when he goes to Chang'an, he, the emperor of Daijun, will suddenly turn into a little ant. Any powerful person who doesn't like him can trample him to death.
Seeing this, Zhao Yong quickly calmed down after being overwhelmed by the blood. At the same time, he broke into a cold sweat. Geng Kuang's analysis gave him a sense of enlightenment.
He continued to look back, and Geng Kuang warned him that he could not accept Gengshi's summons and serve in Chang'an. He should go to Handan, pay homage to King Xiao, and surrender to King Xiao. Only in this way can he continue to be the governor of Dai County. .
After reading Geng Kuang's suggestion, Zhao Yongshen agreed and immediately changed his mind and instead of going to Chang'an, he took the road to Handan.
Handan, Liu Xiu's residence.
This morning, after breakfast, Liu Xiu sat in the study for a while, calmed down, and wrote two letters in a row.
One was written to Yin Lihua to express his longing for her, and the other was written to Yin Shi, asking him to escort Yin Lihua back to her hometown in Xinye.
If he refuses to listen to the announcement this time, he will definitely make Liu Xuan very angry. He is far away in Hebei, and Liu Xuan can't do anything to him. He is worried that Liu Xuan will secretly point the finger at his family.
The eldest brother is dead, the second brother is dead, and the second sister is dead. The eldest sister lives in her mother's family, and the younger sister has married Li Tong. Now Liu Xiu is most worried about his wife Yin Lihua.
Let Yin Shi take Yin Lihua back to her hometown in Xinye, at least the safety can be guaranteed. He gave the letter he had written to Xu Ying, Xu Fei, and Xu Ting, and asked them to go back with their letters and tell them Yinlihua provides protection.
Xu Ying, Xu Fei, and Xu Ting all bowed and saluted, then picked up the two volumes of letters written by Liu Xiu, turned around and left. After the three of them left, Liu Xiu breathed a sigh of relief. He had been away from home for so long. , I don’t know how Lihua is doing at home.
He was filled with emotions, and just as he was thinking about it, Guo Shengtong and Xu Xiling walked in from outside, the latter holding a cup of hot tea in his hand.
Entering the study, Xu Xiling said: "My lord!" Then she put the tea cup on the table and stood aside. wavv
Guo Shengtong glanced at her and asked Liu Xiudao: "I just saw Xuying and the others leaving the house in a hurry, and they were all carrying bags. Did your husband send them on a long journey?"
Xu Ying and the other three are all Liu Xiu's personal guards, and Guo Shengtong is Liu Xiu's wife. They also have frequent contact with each other, so they are naturally familiar with each other.
"Yes!" Liu Xiu nodded and said, "I asked them to go to Nanyang and escort Lihua back to her hometown in Xinye."
Guo Shengtong's eyes flashed and he murmured: "Sister, she..."
Liu Xiu smiled calmly and said: "The Emperor and I have gradually become incompatible with each other. It would be safer for Lihua to return to her hometown in Xinye."
Guo Shengtong snorted, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Why don't Axiu let Xu Fei and the others take their sister to Hebei?"
Hearing this, Xu Xiling frowned unconsciously and took a deep look at Guo Shengtong.
Before Liu Xiu could speak, Xu Xiling said slowly: "If Mrs. Lihua returns to her hometown in Xinye, she will be safe and sound. But if she comes to Hebei, she will encounter disaster along the way!"
Now Liu Xuan is very wary of Liu Xiu. Liu Xiu sent someone to send Yin Lihua to her hometown in Xinye. This may not be a big deal, but once Liu Xiu sends someone to pick up Yin Lihua and come to Hebei, it will stir up a hornet's nest.
.
What do you mean by bringing your family to Hebei? Are you already planning to rebel in Hebei? Liu Xuan would not let him go no matter what, and doing so also gave Liu Xuan an excuse to attack Lihua.
Seeing Liu Xiu looking at him, Guo Shengtong quickly explained: "I just think it's too hard for my sister to live alone at home. She should come to Hebei and reunite with her husband..."
In the middle of her words, her expression suddenly changed, she clutched her chest, and started retching again and again.
Xu Xiling was startled, and Liu Xiu stood up quickly, supported the swaying Guo Shengtong, and asked, "What's wrong, madam? Are you feeling unwell?"
Guo Shengtong retched for a while before finally suppressing the feeling of vomiting. She shook her head feebly and said, "I don't know what's going on lately. Maybe I caught the cold."
Liu Xiu raised his head and said: "Long Yuan!"
"My subordinate is here!" As soon as he finished speaking, Long Yuan came in from outside and saluted Liu Xiu.
"Go and ask the medical officer to come and take a look at Madam." Liu Xiu said.
"Yes!" Long Yuan responded and left quickly.
Guo Shengtong forced Liu Xiu to smile and said, "Husband, don't worry, I'm fine."
"Spring has just begun, and the temperature difference here in Hebei is huge, so we need to pay more attention." Liu Xiu turned to look at Xu Xiling and said, "Xiling, take my wife back to her room to rest for me."
"Okay!" Xu Xiling walked to Guo Shengtong, helped her out of the study.
When Guo Shengtong and Xu Xiling left, Liu Xiu sighed softly.
If possible, of course he would like to bring Yin Lihua to Hebei and reunite the couple, but as Xu Xiling said, once he does this, his disobedience will be obvious, so how can Liu Xuan let Lihua go?
Liu Xiu was unwilling to proclaim himself emperor now, and Yin Lihua was also one of the factors he considered.
While he was reading in the study room, there was the sound of hurried footsteps outside. Not long after, Long Yuan didn't even bother to knock on the door. He rushed in and said with a joyful face: "Congratulations, lord, congratulations."
Lord!"
Liu Xiu looked at Long Yuan in confusion, wondering what happened to Long Yuan, who was usually mature and steady. He asked, "What's the matter?"
"My lord, my wife is happy!"
Liu Xiu was stunned for a moment before he realized what he was doing. He stood up quickly, walked out quickly, and asked urgently: "Seriously?"
"The medical officer has checked Madam's pulse. It's absolutely true and can't be wrong!" Long Yuan said excitedly.