"In my opinion, General Guo's words make sense," a man stepped out from behind Zhang Ji and said loudly.
Upon closer inspection, everyone recognized the man as Jia Xu, who was currently serving as Zhang Ji's advisor.
"Let me explain in detail," Li Jue said.
Jia Xu said, "Currently, Chang'an has no more than 10,000 soldiers and only a few generals. The only force we fear is the Liangzhou army. As expected, the court will definitely target the Liangzhou army. If you generals cannot unite, you will surely fall into the court's trap, and then it will be too late to regret it."
"By capturing Chang'an, we will have the moral high ground. Even if the feudal lords are willing to invade Chang'an, a single imperial decree will be enough to make them wary and dare not act rashly."
Li Jue nodded and said, "Wenhe's words are reasonable, and I agree with them."
After a moment's thought, the other generals agreed with Jia Xu's words. The tense situation in the Liangzhou army meant that the generals dared not slack off in the slightest. Reaching their current positions was no easy feat, and no one wanted to give up easily.
"It would be difficult to launch a military campaign to capture Chang'an at this time, and it would be hard to justify our actions from a moral standpoint," Guo Si said. "What suggestions do you two have?"
Li Ru stroked his beard and smiled, "This matter is simple. We just need to spread the word in secret that the court intends to target the Liangzhou army and wipe them out. This will surely arouse the soldiers' will to resist."
"That's excellent." Li Jue clapped his hands and said, "After we capture Chang'an, we will reward those who have made contributions. I hope you will not slack off."
The previously heavy atmosphere inside the tent eased considerably.
A few days later, the Liangzhou army was abuzz with discussion. Rumors were rife that the imperial court intended to exterminate the Liangzhou army. Considering Dong Zhuo's previous perverse actions in Chang'an, it was not hard to imagine that such an outcome would occur.
As soldiers under Dong Zhuo, it was already difficult for them to escape unscathed at such a time. With Dong Zhuo gone, their safety became even more intriguing.
Such remarks aroused no suspicion among the Liangzhou soldiers, greatly fueling their discontent with the imperial court.
Seeing that the time was right, Li Jue, Guo Si and others gathered the Liangzhou army in Linjing, the county seat, and launched an attack on Chang'an under the pretext of "purging the court of corrupt officials". The army was huge and numbered more than 100,000.
In an instant, the city of Chang'an, which had been gradually settling down, was once again filled with tension and fear.
"What's meant to come will come sooner or later," Liu Xie said through clenched fists and gritted teeth.
At present, the population of Chang'an and the Three Auxiliary Regions is only about 200,000. This is because Dong Zhuo brought a lot of people from Luoyang when he moved the capital. Otherwise, the Three Auxiliary Regions would be even more desolate.
If the more than 200,000 people were allowed to recuperate, Liu Xie believed that he could make the Three Auxiliary Regions prosperous and attract more people within a few years. However, these rebels would not give him much more time.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Your health is of utmost importance." Fu Shou stepped forward, gently took Liu Xie's hand, and whispered her advice.
Liu Xie said, "How can I be at peace if the traitor is not dead?"
"Heaven will protect the Han Dynasty," Fu Shou comforted her.
Liu Xie laughed loudly: "Heaven's protection? Nonsense! Everything requires one's own efforts. If it were heaven's protection, how could the Han Dynasty be in its current state?"
Fu Shou was speechless. For the first time, she felt that Liu Xie was different. If Liu Xie, who was controlled by Dong Zhuo, was a puppet, then Liu Xie at this moment was radiating a dazzling light that made people dare not look directly at him.
However, this side of Liu Xie pleased Empress Fu Shou even more. Liu Xie was the emperor of the Han Dynasty. If he showed weakness, how easy would it be to restore the Han Dynasty?
"By imperial decree, the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, as well as Generals Zhang Liao, Fu Wan, and Huangfu Song, are to come to the palace," Liu Xie said.
After speaking, Liu Xie turned his gaze to the topographical map in front of him. In Liu Xie's opinion, the map was absolutely crude, and the number of troops on it was even from ten years ago.
When Wang Yun and others arrived, Liu Xie was staring blankly at the topographical map. It wasn't that he couldn't understand the map, but rather that he was concerned about the tense situation in the Three Auxiliary Regions. The Three Auxiliary Regions were currently under his control, but the forces of Zuo Fengyi and You Fufeng were too small. If the Liangzhou army attacked You Fufeng, they could probably conquer it in just a few days and even reach the gates of Chang'an.
This is the harsh reality: the enemy will not give you any more time.
"You are all aware of what happened in Liangzhou. The court has sent envoys to appease them, but these traitors have defied the Emperor's will and openly gathered troops to attack Chang'an. Such wolves in sheep's clothing must be eliminated," said Situ Wang Yun with a solemn expression.
Xun Shuang frowned slightly. "Minister, the current troops in Chang'an number no more than ten thousand, while the troops in Zuo Fengyi and You Fufeng number only a few thousand. The rebel army numbers over one hundred thousand. How can we eliminate them?"
It was normal for Wang Yun to act extreme when facing the generals of Liangzhou, but as the Minister of Works of the Han Dynasty, if he could not see the situation clearly at critical moments, he might bring about the destruction of the Han Dynasty.
"They are nothing but rebels. Once the royal army arrives, how can we not defeat them? Just issue an order to the feudal lords to send troops to defeat the rebels in Liangzhou. It will be a piece of cake," Wang Yun said.
Liu Xie coughed lightly and said, "Eliminating the traitors is imperative, but mobilizing the troops of the feudal lords must be done with caution."
Upon hearing this, everyone instantly understood Liu Xie's meaning. Back then, the situation in Luoyang was critical, and Dong Zhuo took advantage of the situation to seize control of the court. After the series of events that followed, it was only natural that the emperor was wary of the arrival of the feudal lords.
"What does General Huangfu think?" Liu Xie turned his gaze to Huangfu Song.
Huangfu Song was undoubtedly a shining star among the generals of the Han Dynasty. He made great contributions in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Even when Dong Zhuo controlled the court, he still respected and feared Huangfu Song.
After Liu Xie eliminated Dong Zhuo, he directly promoted Huangfu Song to the position of General of the Upper Army.
Huangfu Song clasped his hands in agreement, walked to the topographical map, and said in a deep voice: "Gentlemen, look, the rebels have gathered more than 100,000 troops in the Linjing area, and they can invade Zuo Fengyi at any time. However, Liangzhou is not solely controlled by the rebels. Ma Teng and Han Sui also have tens of thousands of troops under their command. If we order Ma Teng and Han Sui to go to Zuo Fengyi to stop the Liangzhou rebels, we will surely be able to buy more time."
Upon hearing this, Liu Xie's eyes lit up. Ma Teng and Han Sui were powerful warlords in Liangzhou. "General Huangfu's words are reasonable. I wonder who can go and persuade Ma Teng and Han Sui to send troops?"
After a brief silence, Grand Herald Huang Wan stepped forward and said, "Your subject is willing to go."
"With the Grand Herald going, I am much relieved," Liu Xie immediately decided.
"This is my duty," Huang Wan said.
Liu Xie said, "Whatever the conditions, we will agree to them for now. Ma Teng and Han Sui have played a significant role in stopping the rebels this time."
"Your subject understands," Huang Wan said with a resolute expression, bowing solemnly.