gnovel Chapter 23: A precious sword is presented to a hero, who is willing to die for His Highness the Crow
Chapter 23: A precious sword is presented to a hero, who is willing to die for His Highness the Crow
"The outcome is decided."
"Effective immediately, Zhao Anguo and Shi Gao shall serve as the Crown Prince's Left and Right Guards."
"Zhou Xing, Fan Wu, Xiahou Zheng, and Guan Min are appointed as military commanders; Wei Kang, Wei Buyi, Wei Deng, Fu Ping, Jin Xu, Wang Xiang, Chai Yi, and Xue Rang are appointed as chief commanders; and Wang Chongguo, Zhou Ming, Zhang Hu, Xi Guang, and Zhang Bingyuan are appointed as garrison commanders."
"We are short of eleven garrison commanders, so we will not select any for now. We will wait until we have recruited eight hundred guards before making a selection."
"promise."
Those whose names were called responded one after another.
At the same time, they were well aware that the rules of the Crown Prince's Palace had been set, and that in the future, all military achievements would be determined by horsemanship and archery skills. This meant that their military ranks were not fixed, and they would be replaced as soon as a stronger person appeared.
The fighting spirit in everyone present was ignited; no one wanted to be the one eliminated.
"Your Highness."
"I...."
The only one who was overlooked, Xiao Shoucheng, a descendant of Xiao He, the founding prime minister of the Han Dynasty, spoke up anxiously.
In an instant, all eyes were on him. The Xiao family had never been good at military strategy, but they were better at governance.
"I hereby appoint you as the Chief Clerk of the Crown Prince's Palace and a subordinate official of the Household Steward, in charge of all matters concerning the treasury."
"promise."
Xiao Shoucheng was overjoyed and responded loudly.
Back then, Xiao He did exactly these things under Liu Bang's command, so how could he not see the expectations that Crown Prince Liu Ju had for him?
"Someone come here!"
"Your Highness the Crown Prince."
One after another, eunuchs filed out, each carrying a tray covered with a red cloth, and appeared before the crowd.
"this....."
Everyone present was stunned and puzzled.
*Whoosh!*
Liu Ju stepped forward, walked to Zhao Anguo, lifted the red cloth, and revealed the silver-decorated, gilded-handled sword on the tray.
The other eunuchs also lifted the red cloth, revealing twenty silver-decorated, gilded-handled swords corresponding to the twenty people present.
"This is a newly acquired treasured sword of mine, capable of cutting through iron like mud."
"I bestow this upon you, that you may wield this sword and clear the thorns and brambles for me."
Liu Ju picked up the silver-plated, gilded-handled sword and handed it heavily to Zhao Anguo.
"promise."
Zhao Anguo accepted the silver-plated, gilded-handled sword with both hands, his eyes burning with unprecedented fervor and his face filled with reverence.
The others picked up their swords one after another, including Xiao Shoucheng, the Crown Prince's chief clerk. They could feel that the sword symbolized the Crown Prince's high regard for them and was a sign of his confidant. They were very excited.
"I am willing to die for His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Shi Gao was the first to kneel on one knee and shouted in a deep voice.
"I am willing to die for His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"I am willing to die for His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"............"
Seeing this, the others present followed suit.
The saying goes, "A scholar will die for one who understands him." These descendants of founding marquises and fallen nobles were looked down upon by so many. Past emperors of the Han Dynasty, including the current Emperor Wu, had never cared about them. Only Crown Prince Liu Ju gave them hope and respect.
How could they not be moved to tears!
"Good! Good! Good!"
Looking around at everyone, Liu Ju cheered three times. From this moment on, he could be said to have truly established his own team.
"Zhao Anguo and Shi Gao."
"Your subordinate is here!"
Zhao Anguo, the Left Guard Commander of the Crown Prince, and Shi Gao, the Right Guard Commander, stepped forward together, their eyes fixed intently on Liu Ju.
"You are all responsible for all matters related to recruiting soldiers."
"I don't want peasant sons with impoverished backgrounds; I want sons of noble families and fallen nobles like you."
"And those who have been reduced to commoners because of their crimes."
Liu Ju's resounding words echoed across the square in front of the palace.
"promise."
Zhao Anguo and Shi Gao exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly.
The others present were even more moved. They had a natural sense of identification with people in the same situation, and the Crown Prince's request had found them a large number of like-minded people. This arrangement would allow the Crown Prince's guards to integrate with each other more quickly.
Only Zhang He, the Crown Prince's steward, understood that the Crown Prince was not selecting elite guards, but rather choosing death squads. Under the Crown Prince's command, they would become a sharp blade aimed at Emperor Wu of Han, cutting through this corrupt world and opening a new era for the country.
..............
Weiyang Palace, Xuanshi Hall.
Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, lay on his couch, and as he grew older, his energy waned day by day.
For an ordinary family, 46 years old is considered a long life. His father, Emperor Jing of Han, Liu Qi, lived to 48, his grandfather, Emperor Wen of Han, Liu Heng, only lived to 46, and before that, Emperor Hui of Han, Liu Ying, died young at the age of 23. Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, lived the longest, reaching the age of 62.
"His Majesty."
Su Wen, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, cautiously entered the Xuan Shi Hall.
"How is the Crown Prince doing lately?"
Liu Che's eyelids twitched slightly, and a chilling glint flashed across his eyes. The years had left their mark on his face, but instead made this emperor even more capricious, quick to kill and exterminate entire clans. Not a single official in the court was not afraid of him.
"Your Majesty, this is my report."
Su Wen answered tremblingly, "The Eldest Princess took the Marquis of Pingyang to the Crown Prince's Palace."
"Also sent were 100,000 catties of gold, 30,000 bolts of silk, and one million coins."
Princess Zhuyi sent 1.2 million coins, and Princess Yangshi sent 800,000 coins.
"They are siblings with a deep bond."
Liu Che said expressionlessly.
"His Majesty."
"The magistrate of Chang'an has arrived with a report."
"The day before yesterday, the Crown Prince ordered the execution of 348 wandering knights."
"Their property was confiscated, and their mansions, along with their relatives, were sold off."
"The people in the city were talking about it, and many said that the crown prince was cruel and heartless."
Su Wen glanced at Liu Che discreetly and added.
"snort!"
Liu Che snorted coldly, and an invisible pressure enveloped the entire greenhouse palace. The eunuchs serving there were so frightened that they trembled and knelt on the ground.
A hint of joy flashed across Su Wen's eyes; it seemed that this attempt to sow discord had been successful.
"If he had done this sooner, I wouldn't be in this predicament!"
"Some lowly people who are not worthy of respectability, they just die."
"What else did he do?"
"Your Majesty."
Su Wen continued to sow discord: "His Highness the Crown Prince summoned quite a few people to Bowang Garden today."
"He was a descendant of the three sons of Marquis Changping, the eldest son of Shi Gong, the governor of Liangzhou, and the Marquis of Liu, Marquis Zan, Marquis Jiang, Marquis Wuyang, Marquis Quzhou, Marquis Lu, Marquis Ruyin, Marquis Yingyin, Marquis Yangling, Marquis Xinwu, Marquis Anguo, Marquis Jipu, Marquis Qinghe, and Marquis Guangping during the reign of Emperor Gaozu."
*Whoosh!*
Liu Che's dragon eyes snapped open, a chilling glint appearing within them. He asked in a hoarse voice, "What does the Crown Prince intend to do?"
"The Wei and Shi families are not enough."
"With so many descendants of founding heroes serving in the Crown Prince's palace, are they trying to tell the world that I am inferior to them?"
Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, numerous princes and marquises have been enfeoffed, each of whom was a local emperor.
Emperor Wen, Emperor Jing, and even Emperor Wu of Han used numerous methods to weaken the power of the vassal kings and marquises one after another.
Now, the feudal lords and marquises can no longer cause any major trouble, and the imperial power has reached its strongest point since the founding of the dynasty.
At this very moment, Crown Prince Liu Ju openly recruited the founding heroes, which undoubtedly gave those descendants of marquises a glimmer of hope.
If the crown prince were to ascend the throne, wouldn't all the efforts made by generations of Han emperors have been in vain? This was something Liu Che absolutely could not tolerate.