Chapter 382

Chapter 382

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Final Volume: The Rise and Fall of Royal Power, Unification of the World Chapter 382: Retreat from Huayin

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Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 382: Retreat from Huayin

What was Liu Yu thinking at the moment he fell?

Was he thinking about the increasingly precarious dignity of the Han Dynasty after this shocking turn of events, or was he thinking that Qiao Yan, whom he most suspected of harboring intentions to overthrow the Han, had at least every action she took on the surface was for the sake of maintaining the Han rule? On the other hand, those he thought were loyal Han ministers like Wang Yun and Liu Bei had completely exposed the power struggles in Chang’an, shattering the face of the Han Dynasty.

His inability to stop Qiao Yan’s relentless advance was a sign of his incompetence as the Son of Heaven.

His failure to curb his son’s burgeoning ambition was a sign of his incompetence as a father.

Then, his inability to restrain the actions of Wang Yun and others couldn’t even be called incompetence—it was simply pitiful!

Such a pitiful and incompetent person, what face did he have to be the ruler of the world? What face did he have to sit in Chang’an and live in this world?

A surge of sorrow and despair instantly exacerbated his heart condition and physical weakness, causing his face to turn as pale as gold paper the moment he fell.

Driven by a physician’s instinct, Zhang Zhongjing, who was by his side, immediately rushed forward and caught him.

“Quick! Take His Majesty to safety and bring my medical kit!”

Although Liu Yu had been in good spirits just two days ago, today’s shocking turn of events was enough to completely knock him down.

The human body is the most complex entity, and the extent to which an illness can worsen is hard to predict.

This fall might be even more damaging to him than the time he was angered by Liu Yang, and it could take a long time to recover.

Who fell was not just a seriously ill Han emperor.

Qiao Yan watched as Liu Yu was carried away, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

But when she allowed Liu Yang and others to successfully ally and when she used Chang Yan as the first step of her counterattack, there was no turning back for her.

It was fine to pity Liu Yu in this moment, but—

Who could show a little pity for the common people suffering in the midst of the great disasters of the late Han Dynasty, where land annexation had reached its peak?

Qiao Yan spoke up: “Please, Master Zhongjing and General Huangfu, take good care of His Majesty. I will go and deal with the chaos in Chang’an.”

Although Wang Yun had set this ambush within the palace walls, first Qiao Yan had Zhao Yun lead the Huayin garrison to come, then Wang Yun recklessly ignited the explosives, and now Shi Sunrui led troops to support Chang’an, intending to join forces with Liu Yang. Even if the people of Chang’an couldn’t be sure what was happening at first, they must know now!

This was the Grand Marshal being targeted by the Han prince and ministers, aiming to kill her!

Even with the rumors that had been spreading wildly before, no one in Chang’an could have imagined such a scene.

The rumor of the red aura piercing the Purple Palace might have been due to the jealousy of a few towards the Grand Marshal’s position, or perhaps it was a desperate move by Yuan Shao in Ye City and another emperor who couldn’t effectively stop the Grand Marshal’s advance.

But today was different!

This was a real internal strife right before their eyes!

What had the Grand Marshal done to deserve such targeting?

At the moment this shocking news, like the Chang’an earthquake in the second year of Jian’an, spread, most people’s hearts were filled with this question.

Without the Grand Marshal, the Chang’an court would never have been established, and the years of natural and man-made disasters would have already made them victims of the times.

The most direct evidence was the deep wells dug to survive the drought, which were built under Qiao Yan’s arrangement, making them see this young powerful minister as their benefactor and savior.

But look at what they were hearing now!

They said the Grand Marshal was a traitor, luring her into the palace under the name of the emperor to kill her.

This was clearly not just some baseless rumor.

Those closest to the Chang’an palace clearly heard Wang Yun’s desperate struggle on the palace walls, saw him ignite the explosives, and saw Liu Yang’s undignified狼狈姿态, and his continued accusations against the Grand Marshal even in such a situation.

Even if other scenes were blocked within the palace walls, and they didn’t know that Liu Bei and others were also involved in this assassination attempt against the Grand Marshal, one was the emperor’s only prince, and the other was the second most powerful official after the Grand Marshal—

If these two could make such plans, what about the others?

Most importantly, what did the emperor think?

Especially the latter, which was something everyone who heard the news wanted to know.

While the common people could only listen to the unavoidable rumors spreading through the streets, the ministers of the Chang’an court heard the news with even more shock and immediately rushed towards the palace.

Upon hearing that Liu Yu had vomited blood and fainted, they had to suppress their unease and gather at the Purple Palace Hall, the meeting place for the court.

“What was Minister Wang thinking?” someone in the crowd blurted out.

To most, Wang Yun’s actions seemed like madness.

Anyone serving in the court had some insight. Unless they were completely blind, they should be able to see what kind of person Liu Yang was and whether he was fit to be the heir to the Chang’an court.

They should also see whether the Grand Marshal, as the most powerful figure, was someone they could contend with.

Helping Liu Yang was one thing, but using such a do-or-die method to assassinate the Grand Marshal and even imprison the emperor was like throwing his future into deep water, leaving no way out.

The impact of his actions was even more alarming.

No one could predict the consequences of this near-palace coup.

Everyone has a temper, especially someone as young as Qiao Yan.

Anyone who had worked diligently for the court for four years—no, if counted from her time as the Prefect of Bingzhou, it would be eight and a half years—and was now faced with such a betrayal and ambush would feel deeply disheartened.

If this were just a civil official, they might be exiled to the borderlands like Cai Yong, or seek refuge with a powerful family, unable to fight back against the world and the political situation, at most writing a few articles.

But when it was Qiao Yan, it was completely different!

Not to mention the prefectures and counties reclaimed, the generals stationed there were almost all cultivated by Qiao Yan, spreading her influence across the nine provinces. Even within and around Chang’an, apart from the troops controlled by Wang Yun and Liu Yang, the rest were all Qiao Yan’s people.

Since the previous emperor was her protege and was not closely related by blood to Emperor Ling, who had recognized her talents, she could easily depose the current emperor before Cao Cao and Yuan Shao could react.

Didn’t Huo Guang do the same in the past?

After Marquis Haihun was summoned to the capital and plotted against Huo Guang, he was deposed as the crown prince and sent back to his fiefdom.

The Han imperial family indeed had more than just Liu Yu who could be emperor.

At this thought, some even subconsciously glanced at Liu Qi, the Grand Coachman.

If nothing else, Liu Qi’s father Liu Biao seemed like a suitable candidate.

Like Liu Yu before he became emperor, Liu Biao was already in the position of a provincial governor.

From Qiao Yan’s performance during the Xu-Yang War, Liu Biao had shown enough cooperation with her.

When Zhang Jin of Jiaozhou invaded Jing Province, although Liu Biao was temporarily defeated by the elephant troops, his subsequent counterattack was commendable, certainly stronger than Liu Yu’s reliance on Qiao Yan’s aid.

More importantly…

Regardless of what Liu Biao’s other sons were like, Liu Qi was clearly not as clueless as that rebellious prince Yang!

But whether Qiao Yan would depose the emperor to ensure she wouldn’t be stabbed in the back when facing external enemies, one thing was certain—

Today’s shocking turn of events could not be easily brushed aside, otherwise it wouldn’t just be Qiao Yan’s downfall, but the face of the Han Dynasty would suffer!

The storm in Chang’an… was bound to get worse.








Their status is also bound to face a drastic change.

Among the Three Excellencies, Huang Wan, the only one present here, did not speak much at this moment, but instead looked calmly at the empty seat of the Son of Heaven in front.

Wang Yun had a close relationship with him over the years, and this bond was further deepened due to the Chang’an incident in the third year of Guangxi.

Just as Wang Yun and Liu Yang had analyzed their advantages, Huang Wan was originally included in their plans.

But perhaps because Liu Yang acted against Xianyu Fu first, forcing Wang Yun to initiate this action prematurely, he not only missed the chance to persuade Huangfu Song but also, to ensure the information did not leak further, left Huang Wan out as well.

Thus, at this moment, Huang Wan could still stand in this grand hall, waiting for the situation to unfold, rather than being shot dead on the walls of Chang’an or detained in prison.

When Huang Wan first received the news, he was puzzled as to why Wang Yun would make such a foolish decision. But as he looked at the empty seat of the Son of Heaven before him, he seemed to understand the reasoning.

Wang Yun, Xianyu Yin, Chunyu Jia, and others clearly had their own logical reasoning and interests that they had to fight for from their positions. Faced with the choice of being assimilated like a frog in gradually warming water or attacking those by the pot, they resolutely chose the latter, opting for the most feasible path under the conditions they could present.

However, perhaps not every frog wants to jump out of the warm water.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the seventh year of Guanghe, Huang Wan was recommended by Yang Ci, freeing him from the constraints of the Prohibition of Factionalists. He rose to the position of Provincial Governor and was recalled to the court due to Dong Zhuo’s rebellion. Even without military power, his vision far surpassed that of most officials.

In his view, this turbulent situation might not last much longer.

At the moment this thought arose in his heart, Huang Wan couldn’t help but close his eyes.

In the dim darkness before him, he seemed to see an unstoppable future.

Whether the Han Dynasty had failed the Grand Marshal was no longer important at this moment, or rather, for the common people, it was never a fact they needed to delve into deeply.

They only needed to know one thing: who they could follow to survive, or at least survive with dignity, like a human being.

In this unstoppable trend, those who chose to oppose Qiao Yan might still be called supporters of the previous era. But the moment they chose such a hasty and self-serving way to achieve their goals, they were doomed to disgrace and abandonment in the cracks of transition.

Wang Yun had already died under the walls of Chang’an Palace. How long could Chunyu Jia and Shi Sunrui hold out?

Probably not for long.

When they raised troops from Huaili in Youfufeng, they still felt their future was bright.

Although Shi Sunrui had only recently taken over the position of Youfufeng and used the excuse of training troops to return to Chang’an, he believed that by the time he arrived, Liu Yang would have already dealt with Qiao Yan. By then, even if the soldiers did not obey his orders, they would have to follow the commands of His Majesty and the princes to stabilize Chang’an.

Thus, even if they did not participate in the siege of Qiao Yan and could not claim the primary merit, a secondary merit would still be acceptable.

Moreover, even a secondary merit would still be a contribution to the emperor’s cause!

If Qiao Yan could become so formidable by supporting Liu Yu to the throne, why couldn’t they seek more benefits due to Liu Yang’s incompetence?

They were indeed upholding the Han Dynasty, but it was a Han Dynasty that was more favorable to them.

But before Shi Sunrui and Chunyu Jia could reach Chang’an, they encountered the intercepting forces sent by Qiao Yan.

The moment the Huayin garrison under Zhao Yun’s command appeared before them, Chunyu Jia immediately realized a terrifying fact:

The conspiracy in Chang’an must have already failed!

Qiao Yan could even spare Zhao Yun and a considerable force to intercept them, clearly indicating that she had already eradicated all enemies in Chang’an!

This was a sign that the tide had turned!

Chunyu Jia, who had once been publicly insulted by Ni Heng to the point of vomiting blood, was not in good health. But at this moment, his instinct for survival made his attempt to flee on horseback appear incredibly agile and vigorous.

But he didn’t consider that the Huaili garrison, upon seeing Zhao Yun, due to years of training, reacted as if they had seen their superior, instinctively stopping their actions. This made Chunyu Jia’s attempt to flee stand out glaringly in the still crowd!

Lu Lingju, in Zhao Yun’s team, immediately noticed this change. As the distance between the two armies closed, she毫不犹豫地射出了一箭，直指那逃窜之人的马匹。

她虽年少，臂力却着实不小。

多年以武将身份要求自己的训练，加上太史慈数年前就开始对她的训练，让她虽还不能像乔琰和吕布那般轻易拉开二三石的重弓，所用的长弓却也绝非寻常士卒所用的那等。

在这一刻，弓箭离弦而出，宛如一道流光，霎时间贯穿了淳于嘉所骑乘的战马。

疾行中的马匹当即翻倒在地，直接将坐在马上的淳于嘉掀翻出去。

但他又哪里有当年同样遭遇的李儒那般反应敏锐，在这猝不及防的跌坠中，淳于嘉甚至没能做出一点自救的手段，就已经听到了一声骨裂之声，一口血闷在胸口，彻底失去了意识。

等到士孙瑞被人随即拿下，两方的队伍彻底归于赵云统辖时，这位光禄大夫早已经咽下了最后一口气。

吕令雎忍不住抓了抓脑袋，问道：“这应该算是拒捕发生的意外，对吧？”

不能算是她擅自击杀朝廷命官……吧？

“当然不算你做错了。”赵云看着面前的这些士卒浑然不知发生了何事，此时被他的下属一个个重新编入队伍中，将他们重新往右扶风的方向调动，一向神情温和的脸上都不由多出了几分被激怒的神色。“是他们先有擅自调兵之举，按照军中的规则，这本就是死罪！”

倘若前来拦阻这支队伍的人不是他，或者等到兵临城下之时这些士卒已在这两人的驱策之下做出了不可挽回的举动，到了那个时候，何止是士卒要面对交战之中的生死之祸，在将他们拿下之后，谁又能说他们是无辜的？这些被当做工具的士卒是必定要遭到问责的。

士孙瑞和淳于嘉的举动，分明是一点都没拿这些士卒的生死当一回事，死了也活该如此！

倘若那位天子还要因此问责于击杀了淳于嘉的吕令雎，那他们也更有了一份将这大汉江山掀翻的理由！

不过，他们还得守着一份理智，一份在当前的局势之下不宜越权的理智。

赵云已知乔琰的抱负，也知道她想要的不是倚仗于兵权的登高一呼，而是让眼下的局势虽因刘扬王允等人的举动而矛盾激化，却还是在朝着平稳过度的方向发展。

他们要的不是长安城内的腥风血雨，而是……

而是凭借着此刻长安城中的民声日盛，一举改天换日！

在将这支开赴长安的队伍拦截下来后，他并未做出任何一点多余的举动，只将自己所统领的那支队伍折停在了长安的城郊，而后与在长安城中压制了一番舆论的乔琰会合于这长安郊野。

“君侯眼下打算如何做？”见乔琰回头望向了那长安的城外流水和再远处的城墙，似乎露出了几分怅然之色，赵云开口问道。

乔琰叹了口气，回道：“先退一步，等陛下醒转吧。”

做的越多，错的越多，所以——

她更相信众望所归的力量。

刘虞的这场昏厥几乎持续了两天的时间。

当他醒来的时候，只觉面前都是一片摇晃的重影，足足过了有一盏茶的时间，这才终于辨认出了自己面前之人的身份。

不是太尉皇甫嵩又是谁。

刘虞连忙开口问道：“烨舒呢？”

按说在他倒下去之前听到的，乃是士孙瑞和淳于嘉从右扶风方向起兵的消息，乔琰此刻就算是去平叛了也并无什么不妥，可当刘虞望见皇甫嵩此刻神情之时，他却生出了一种说不出来的不妙预感。

乔琰不在此地，不像是因为平叛的缘故。

皇甫嵩苦笑了一声，说道：“烨舒带兵退往华阴去了。”