Chapter 681: The Battle of Guan Zhu
This autumn, the Luoyang court was filled with joy.
Empress Zhang Yu gave birth to a prince again and was named Liu De by Liu He. At the same time, Diao Chan, the only Zhaoyi in the palace, finally became pregnant with a dragon seed.
In addition, the Empress Dowager's illness was completely cured, and the rebellions in various places were all pacified one after another. Everyone was happy, inside and outside the court, with lights and colorful decorations filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Liu He first visited Diao Chan in the harem, and then came to the empress dowager. The empress dowager and Zhang Yu's parents were also here. As soon as he saw him coming, the empress dowager smiled and walked over with Liu De in his arms.
"Your Majesty, De'er is so cute, especially her eyes are exactly the same as when you were a child."
Zhang Tong, who was standing beside him, smiled and said, "This is natural. The little prince is the emperor's biological bloodline, so he is naturally exactly the same as the emperor."
The empress dowager shook her head slightly after hearing this, "No, I think De'er is more white, fat and cute than the emperor when he was a child. When the emperor was just born, he was much thinner than this..."
When Liu He saw that the Empress Dowager wanted to reveal his shortcomings, he quickly interrupted.
"Let me hug De'er."
The Empress Dowager naturally refused and carried the little prince to Liu He. After Liu He took it, he saw the baby in his arms sleeping soundly, and from time to time he even smashed his mouth, and his heart felt extremely loving.
At this time, Zhang Tong and his wife and the Empress Dowager winked each other. The Empress Dowager smiled slightly and walked over.
"The emperor now has two princes and one princess, but he has only given a name and has not given a title yet. If he is not here to issue an imperial edict together today, what does the emperor want?"
Liu He was already happy and didn't think much about it.
"Well, what my mother said is very much. Wen Ruo, Yun Chang and others mentioned this before. After the birth of the prince and the princess, the court should have enthroned it. However, I have been busy with state affairs and have been forgotten, so I shouldn't have been."
When Zhang Tong and his wife heard this, their faces also showed joy.
Liu He thought for a moment and said, "I issued an edict to grant the emperor's eldest son Liu Zheng the Marquis of Yongyanxiang, the emperor's eldest daughter Liu Qian the Princess Ningyu, and the emperor's second son Liu De the Marquis of Fengshuiting. After he became an adult, he would go to the fiefdom."
Zhang Yu was still resting in the inner room, so Zhang Tong and his wife thanked her for giving her a favor.
At this time, Gong Saner came over.
"Your Majesty, General Zhenbei and General Zhenxi are asking for a meeting."
"Well? Second brother and fifth brother? Why did they suddenly enter the palace?" Liu He was slightly surprised.
The Empress Dowager said, "You are also confused. Yu'er gave birth to a prince. Of course, their uncles have to go to the palace to celebrate. I still have to ask? It's a pity that Cheng Liang and the others are not in Sili, so they can't come back for a while. In short, I might not have seen these children for a long time, so I miss them a little."
Zhang Tong said: "It's not easy for the Empress Dowager to see them? I think it will take a few days to come, and they will come to Beijing one after another. I think they will bring their children together. The Empress Dowager can enjoy family."
When talking about the children of Guan Yu and others, Xu's smile became stronger.
"That's right, these are my good grandsons. Now it's time to meet their new brother."
Liu He thought about it and it was indeed the case, so he said to the Empress Dowager: "Since that's the case, I have first met my second brother and the others, and then brought them to pay tribute to my mother."
Xu waved his hand: "Your Majesty will go by yourself."
She said this to Liu He, and she kept looking at Liu De, full of pampering her eyes, and never looked at Liu He from beginning to end.
Liu He curled his lips and got used to it, so he and Gong Saner left the harem.
As soon as they arrived in the study, Guan Yu and Zhu Ye immediately stood up and were interrupted by Liu He when they were about to salute.
"You and my brother, there are no outsiders here, so there is no need for these red tape. The second and fifth brothers are back, but are you going to visit De'er?"
Both of them were blushed and extremely happy. Guan Yu stepped forward and said, "Brother has only guessed one thing. This time I went back to Luoyang, in addition to visiting my nephew and the Queen Mother's godmother, there is another request. I want to ask my brother to agree."
Just as Liu He was about to ask what was going on, Zhu Ye came over again.
"The same is true for me. I want to ask my elder brother to agree."
Liu He looked at the two of them: "This is strange. The second and fifth brothers came to ask Brother Yu at the same time. We have known each other for more than ten years, and this is the first time. It's not that coincidental. You two are talking about the same thing, right?"
Guan Yu was about to answer, but Zhu Ye didn't speak quickly: "Hehe, my elder brother is so smart and wise. I met my second brother on the way back to Luoyang. What I asked for is indeed the same thing. However, my second brother has a heavy responsibility and cannot get rid of it for a while, so it's better for me to do it for the rest of my life."
"Hey, what are the fifth brother saying? I am loyal to the country and share my worries with my elder brother. My second brother is unavoidable. My 20,000 purple gold dragon cavalry has not been on the battlefield for a long time. I am so bored that I must let this matter go."
"No, right? Among the brothers, the second and fourth brothers are the heaviest burden on me. How can I stay away from them at will? I have always been idle, so I'd better do this."
Liu He was dizzy and completely confused by their quarrels.
"What are you saying? Why can't I understand a word?"
Xun Yu walked over and said, "Haha, your Majesty still doesn't understand? Did Your Majesty forget that when Han Sui and the Huns came to attack, several generals had submitted a request to fight?"
After his reminder, Liu He immediately understood.
"Ah, I understand. Are you two trying to send troops to Xiliang and attack Han Sui?"
"Yes, that's exactly that." Guan Yu answered in front of Zhu Ye this time.
"How can Han Sui be so good? Although there are 100,000 people, they are just the light of fireflies. As long as I lead 20,000 cavalry in my headquarters, I can beat Xiliang for my elder brother, capture Han Sui and Yan Xing alive, and hand it over to my elder brother for disposal."
When he spoke, he was full of arrogance and contempt. Liu He could tell at a glance what was going on.
"Haha, I'm afraid that Yun Chang was so angry that he was so angry when he heard about Yan Xing?"
Guan Yu was so happy that he admitted directly: "Brother is wise, that's true. I've seen Ma Chao and others. His three brothers were very afraid of Yan Xing in their words and expressions. They often said that this person was rampant in Xiliang and was brave enough. Humph, what brave generals are there in the barren border areas? I wonder if he can't resist my Qinglong Yanyue Sword."
"The second brother is right. I don't believe it. Can Yan Xing still have three heads and six arms? Don't you have to do more. You only need five hundred Thunder God Cavalry in the headquarters, and the eldest brother will send me another 10,000 invaders and three thousand crossbowmen. I can sweep Xiliang. Not only will Han Sui destroy the servant, but also take over all the Xiqiang tribes at the same time."
When he saw Zhu Ye praising Haikou was bigger than him, Guan Yu was immediately unhappy.
"If I go, I can go straight to the Western Regions. The 36 countries in the Western Regions have been separated from the control of our great Han for more than a hundred years. We can take this opportunity to recover them."
Guan Yu's words made Liu He feel moved.
Seeing that his face changed, Zhu Ye thought to himself that "not good" and quickly continued to increase his investment.
"If I go, I can still leave the Western Regions and then encircle the desert to bring the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu back to Luoyang together."
Seeing that this cowhide was too much, Guan Yu said it would definitely be impossible.
"The fifth brother is brave and is also the eldest brother's deputy general. He has made many extraordinary achievements. Others can't help finding the Southern Xiongnu royal court. Only the fifth brother has the ability."
When Zhu Ye saw that Guan Yu was actually talking for him, he immediately grinned.
"Hehe, it's really my good second brother. I'll ask you to have a drink afterwards."
"Hey, my second brother hasn't finished speaking yet. It will take a lot of time to find the Southern Xiongnu royal court in the vast desert. In my opinion, it is better for you and me to divide our troops and attack Xiliang. If you gallop across the desert, wouldn't you kill two birds with one stone?"
"Okay, second brother, you plot against me. You are disrespectful to me. I want to find the Queen Mother to judge..."
Liu He was frustrated by them and looked helpless: "Okay, okay, you are all thirty years old, and you are also a general of the court, and you are still tantrums like you were when you were young. Wen Ruo and the others are watching here, aren't you afraid of embarrassing? You also went to find the Queen Mother to judge. It would be strange to see that she doesn't laugh. You are so kind of heart."
After he said this, the two of them realized that Xun Yu, Xun You and Cui Jun both looked very uncomfortable when they were holding back their smiles.
Xun Yu reluctantly held back his smile and said, "Your Majesty, I think the morale of the two generals is available. The autumn harvest is imminent, and the grain taxes in Jizhou will be delivered this year. At that time, our army's rations will be available for more than half a year to go to the expedition. It is also time to conquer Xiliang and prepare for the future attack on the pseudo-Emperor Liu Yan."
Chapter completed!