Chapter 21: The General's Eight-Sided Majesty (Part II)

Empress Dowager Dou had seen this letter a long time ago, but she knew nothing about military affairs. However, she was as smart as she still sent someone to summon Geng Bing to discuss countermeasures.

Geng Bing was a famous general of the Han Dynasty, who had been fighting and defending the frontier for many years, and knew the Xiongnu well.

He carefully read Nandan Yu's recital, and after thinking for a long time, he said to the Empress Dowager Dou, "The Empress Dowager, in the past, Emperor Wu exhausted the strength of the world and wanted to make the Xiongnu surrender, but he did not catch up with the good time, and the matter still did not succeed in the end. When Emperor Xuan was announced, he happened to call Han Xie to surrender, so the people on the border were able to temporarily tranquilize, so that the inside and outside became a family, and the people were able to recuperate for more than 60 years. When Wang Mang usurped the throne, changed the title of the Xiongnu, and endlessly consumed and harassed them, Shan Yupai betrayed. Emperor Guangwu received the mandate of heaven and appeased and accepted the Xiongnu, and the destroyed counties along the border were restored. And Wuhuan and Xianbei all want to return to the Han Dynasty because of this, and the Yiren of virtue and righteousness are powerful in all directions, which is a great achievement that can only be achieved through the ages! ”

Empress Dowager Dou asked, "I have heard the emperor talk about what you said, but the emperor has just died, and Zhao'er is young and weak, is the time to send troops to the Huns at this time?" ”

Geng Bing immediately knelt down and pleaded, "The enemy in the north is divided and fighting, this is a great blessing for our country, this opportunity is rare in a lifetime, as long as we use razing to defeat raze, attacking with razing, and using the southern Xiongnu to fight the northern Xiongnu, it will be beneficial to our country." The minister still hoped that the queen mother would not lose the opportunity and agreed to the request of the Southern Xiongnu. “

Mrs. Dou later paced back and forth a few steps, watching the light smoke in the golden feather crane bronze tripod incense burner float up, but she still couldn't make up her mind. She said to Geng Bing, "This matter is very important, and the mourning family will discuss it with my brother and the third duke, but if the mourning family agrees to the request of the Southern Xiongnu, then they hope that General Geng will come to the northern expedition against the Xiongnu, I don't know what the general wants?" ”

Geng Bing said, "The Queen Mother, since Guangwu, the minister Geng's family has been favored by the emperor, and the minister is also by the Ming Emperor and the ancestors. ”

Empress Dowager Dou nodded, "Okay, General Geng, your loyalty and patriotism can be learned from heaven and earth, but the mourning family has to think again, you go back for the time being, and wait for the will of the mourning family." ”

Soon, the Empress Dowager Dou issued an edict to the ministers to discuss the crusade against the Northern Xiongnu.

At that time, there were still two schools of opinion among the courtiers. Shangshu Song Yi said, "The Huns despise etiquette, and there is no distinction between kings and ministers. The strong are strong, and the weak are capricious. Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, the crusades against them have been frequent, but the gains outweigh the losses. Now Xianbei obeyed the Han Dynasty, killed and captured tens of thousands of Northern Xiongnu, we sit and watch the success or failure, enjoy the huge results, why bother to work hard, thousands of miles to fight? Moreover, the Northern Xiongnu had already fled westward, and asked for peace with the Han Dynasty, and should take the opportunity of their submission to make it a foreign vassal. There is nothing more majestic than this. If the army is requisitioned and the state funds are consumed, in order to obey the wishes of the Southern Xiongnu, it will not only cause Xianbei to suffer, but also be tantamount to self-defeat. ”

Song Yi's worries were not unreasonable, but at this time, there was a matter of Dou Xian being locked up in the palace. In order to find an excuse to release her brother, Empress Dowager Dou made up her mind, although the Southern Xiongnu were not allowed to return to the old capital and unify the Southern Xiongnu, but the Northern Expedition plan had been set and could not be changed. And what is even more shocking is that Dou Xian, the mastermind who killed Liu Chang, turned out to be the chief general of the Han army to attack the Xiongnu in the north.

At the court meeting, as soon as the will of the Empress Dowager Dou was announced, it caused an uproar among the ministers. Yuan An went out and said, "Queen Mother, the Huns did not invade the border fortress, but we have to travel far away for no reason, consume the country's resources, and seek merit thousands of miles away, this is not for the sake of the country, this is the way to take trouble." ”

Empress Dowager Dou sneered, "Oh? What the Qing family said is that the mourning family wants to excuse his brother's affairs, and find an opportunity for him to make meritorious contributions, what you said is not unreasonable, and the mourning family is exactly what it means. ”

Her sudden tough attitude made Ai'an speechless, and Song You saw that things were not good, so she had to come out to be a peacemaker. "Yuan Situ, the Southern Xiongnu fought the Northern Xiongnu, and we are profiting from it, and as for the meritorious service, it is also reasonable. Each has its own reason, Yuan Situ should think twice! ”

Yuan An glared at Song You fiercely, "Lord Song, this country's major event, how can it be child's play!" ”

He played again, "The Queen Mother, although I think so, but the ministers still can't agree, the first emperor died not long ago, the young emperor has not yet taken power, the people have lost the protection of the first emperor, summer, autumn and winter can not hear the sound of the Janissaries cheering when the Holy Lord goes out on patrol, people are all panicked because of their thoughts, as if they have a request but can't get it." Now it is not timely to levy military service at this time, and mobilize the whole country for the expedition against the Xiongnu. ”

Empress Dowager Dou said, "Is the Yuan Qing family using the first emperor to blackmail the mourning family?" ”

"Don't dare!" Yuan An said loudly, "But all the people are born from heaven. Born of God's love, it is like a parent who loves his children. As long as there is one thing in the world that cannot be comfortable, then the celestial phenomena will be disordered because of this, let alone for people? Therefore, those who love the people will be rewarded by heaven. The Rongdi alien race, like the visions of the four directions, is no different from birds and beasts, and if they are allowed to live in the interior of the Central Plains, they will disturb the heavens and defile the good people. Therefore, the practice of the Holy Time King was only to adopt a policy of constant entrapment and restraint against them, and this is how the first emperor acted. ”

Empress Dowager Dou stood up, pointed at Ai'an and said, "You also said that you didn't use the first emperor to suppress the Mourning family, do you think that the Mourning family is a female stream and can't manage the country, right, then let you sit on this throne." ”

At this time, Sikong Ren Kui came out of the class, "The queen mother is angry, the minister thinks that the Northern Xiongnu have been defeated by Xianbei, and hides far away to the west of the Shihou River, thousands of miles away from the border of the Han Dynasty, and we plan to take advantage of their emptiness to take advantage of their weakness, which is not a benevolent and righteous move." ”

"So what do you say is a benevolent and righteous act, at this time my soldiers are full of food, if the Southern Xiongnu is used to destroy the Northern Xiongnu, but there is less trouble on the border, isn't it a gratifying thing? What's more, the mourning family also asked Geng Bing, and he also said that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, do you, the literati who eat in the court, know what military is? Empress Dowager Dou lifted Geng Bing out and pointed the finger at Ren Kui again.

Shangshu Han Ling said, "Queen Mother, now that the levy has just begun, the materials can no longer meet the dispatch of the big Si Nong, the upper and lower officials are persecuting each other, and the people's hardship has reached the extreme. How can it be said that the soldiers are well fed? ”

Zhu Hui, the captain of the cavalry, also came out of the class and said, "Geng Bing is an old minister of several dynasties, he only knows military affairs, how can he know the suffering of the people and the difficulties of the country?" ”

Jingzhao people discussed Lang Lehui and said, "The Queen Mother, the ministers are small and small, they shouldn't have said this, but the ministers and the people all said that this matter was not feasible, and why did the Queen Mother only plan for Dou Xian alone, so she ruined the lives of thousands of people and did not sympathize with their cries of distress!" Looking at the heart of heaven and the public opinion, it is enough to understand the gains and losses of things. I am worried that the Han Dynasty will no longer be the real Han Dynasty, and the Xiongnu will not treat us as the Han Dynasty. ”

When Empress Dowager Dou heard him say this, she was furious and said, "The concubine dares, he dares to slander my Han Dynasty like this, and slander the mourning family's hard work for the country and the people. ”

Several palace guards immediately stepped forward to drag Le Hui, Yuan An and Ren Kui saw it, and immediately stepped forward and said, "Queen Mother, Le Hui is planning for the country, even if he is wrong, he is only reckless in words, how can he abuse and kill the minister so much!" ”

Liu Zhao has been silent, he couldn't stand it anymore at this time, and said to stop him, "Slow, the queen mother is angry, Lord Le is also a suggestion for this matter, and originally used this matter for everyone to discuss, if you kill people because of this, it will not be good for the queen mother!" ”

Seeing Liu Zhao speak, after all, he was the emperor, so Empress Dowager Dou suppressed her anger, "That's it, cut off the official position, and never be hired." ”

Liu Zhao said again, "Everyone, the Queen Mother has indeed asked many people about this matter and brainstormed, and now although it is different from the views of the Secretaries, it is also considered by the country. Everyone should not speak too radically and make the Queen Mother embarrassed. ”

As soon as the emperor said this, Yuan An sighed, "Your Majesty, do you also agree to send troops to the Xiongnu?" ”

Liu Zhao glanced back at the Empress Dowager Dou, saw her gloomy face, and did not make a sound, and sighed in his heart, "The ministers only know-for-tat, but they don't know, the queen mother's heart has been decided, she is a strong person, and she cares about family affection, if she doesn't do this trip, Dou Xian will have life worries, this is the only way to save people, how can she give up." If I work with the ministers to stop her, not only will I not be able to achieve success, but it will also cause her to be even more suspicious, and it will be even more difficult to control herself in the palace in the future. ”

Therefore, he paused for a while and said, "Yes, I agree with the opinion of the queen mother, when Emperor Wu was in the past, he also sent Wei Qing and Huo to fight against the Xiongnu, the Xiongnu will be my trouble sooner or later, at this time the Northern Xiongnu are weak, it is the opportunity for me to send troops, and besides, we can strictly order the Southern Xiongnu not to return to the old capital, so there will be no worries." Although I am young, I also know the pros and cons of gains and losses, and the secretaries don't need to say much. I see that this matter is determined by the queen mother, and there is no need to change it. ”

Seeing the emperor say this, the ministers were speechless for a while. Empress Dowager Dou was very surprised by the little emperor's behavior, not only was she very satisfied in her heart, but also a smile appeared on her face, and she praised, "The emperor is really sensible, and he deeply mourns his family, since this matter has been decided, the emperor will give an order!" ”

Although Liu Zhao was extremely reluctant in his heart, he still made an order, "I ordered Dou Xian to be the general of the chariot and cavalry, and he wore a purple ribbon with a gold seal, and equipped his subordinates according to the specifications of the airfield." Appointed Geng Bing, the governor of Jinwu, as the deputy commander, and requisitioned the five school soldiers of the Northern Army, including the Tun Cavalry, the Yue Cavalry, the Infantry, Changshui, and the Shooting Voice, and the cavalry of the Liyang Battalion, Yongying, and the twelve counties of the frontier, as well as the Qiang and Hu troops, to fight against the Northern Xiongnu! ”

The will is that Dou Xian's expedition has been decided, but the voice of opposition has not stopped. Situ Yuan An, Sikong Ren Kui and others continued to play, and were very dissatisfied with the Empress Dowager Dou taking the opportunity to reward Dou Xian, Dou Jing, and Dou Du's house. At this time, He Chang had been promoted to a royal official, and he also wrote a letter of impeachment, and the Empress Dowager Dou was reined in.

At this time, Shang Shufu shot Zhishou and took the opportunity of the previous dynasty to attack Dou Xian and others on the crusade against the Xiongnu and the construction of mansions.

Dou Xian has long been dissatisfied with Zhi Shou. Zhi Shou is the son of Zhi Yun, who is famous for his uprightness and prestige. Back then, Dou Xian once sent his protégé to see Shang Shufu to shoot Zhi Shou, and asked him for a private matter, and Zhi Shou immediately sent the protégé to the edict. Not only that, but he also wrote many times, pointing out Dou Xian's arrogance, saying that once he monopolized power, he would plot against him and replace the Han Dynasty.

This time, when he heard Zhi Shou scolding him again, Dou Xian was furious and immediately accused Zhi Shou of buying public land privately and slandering the court. Empress Dowager Dou was already dissatisfied with these officials, and it was just what she wanted, so under the instruction of Dou Xian, Zhi Shou was sent to prison and beheaded.

When the imperial official He Chang saw it, he was busy writing a book to plead for mercy, thinking that he had contributed to the investigation of Liu Chang's case, and the Empress Dowager Dou sold him a face and exiled Zhishou to Hepu. But Zhi Shou understood that Dou Xian would not let him go on the way, so he committed suicide in prison, and his family was able to return to his hometown.

In just a few months, those who opposed Dou Xian either died or were relegated to another country, and no one could stop Dou Xian's northern expedition to the Xiongnu.