flstandardbreds Chapter 166 The ever-changing powerful ministers of the Han Dynasty, but the unchanging puppet emper
Chapter 166 The ever-changing powerful ministers of the Han Dynasty, but the unchanging puppet emper
Guanzhong
Chang'an City
Li Jue and Guo Si, one on the left and one on the right, each holding a sword, approached the dragon throne.
Looking at the trembling young Emperor Liu Xie before him, Li Jue revealed what he thought was a "kind and approachable" smile.
"Your Majesty, the traitor Fan Chou has been executed by us!"
"The Han dynasty has once again turned the tide and is safe."
Even though it was already spring, Liu Xie felt a chill run through him, making him want to sneeze.
But looking at Li Jue and Guo Si, who were "gentle and tender" and whose hands were already on his arms, Liu Xie forced himself to suppress his sneeze.
"My entire life has been like walking on thin ice..."
Liu Xie felt like crying but had no tears left to shed.
Which family has a good person who starts out under ten years old and then becomes a powerful minister one after another?
First it was Dong Zhuo, then Wang Yun and Lü Bu, and now it's Li Jue and Guo Si.
Who will be next?
When will this finally end?
However, this was not the first time Liu Xie had been a puppet.
One is born, the second is cooked.
The powerful ministers around him changed one after another.
As the saying goes:
The powerful ministers of the Han Dynasty came and went, but Liu Xie remained a constant puppet!
Li Jue and Guo Si reported to him that they had destroyed Fan Chou, and as the emperor of the Han Dynasty, he could not remain indifferent.
Both morally and logically, Li Jue and Guo Si should be rewarded for their contributions!
That afternoon, Li Jue was appointed General of the Cavalry, and Guo Si was appointed General of the Chariots and Cavalry.
Based on their positions, Li Jue is in a higher position.
But Guo Si could only swallow this bitter pill.
Unfortunately, although Jia Xu was the strategist for both Li Jue and Guo Si, he had always served under Li Jue in name only.
Compared to Guo Si, Jia Xu was clearly closer to Li Jue.
With Jia Xu assisting Li Jue, Guo Si dared not act rashly.
Furthermore, Li Jue's total troop strength was slightly greater than Guo Si's.
The two worked together to kill Fan Chou, who was also one of the "F4 of Xiliang".
The next one to deal with, naturally, is...
……
Hangu Pass
A young general, who looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years old and had a rather heroic appearance, strode into the council hall with eager steps.
Seated at the head of the council chamber was a middle-aged man in his early forties, Zhang Ji.
The young general, without even having time to salute, eagerly said to Zhang Ji:
"Uncle, according to reports from our spies stationed in Chang'an..."
"Li Jue and Guo Si lured Fan Chou to Chang'an, but then attacked him at the banquet, sending executioners to behead him!"
"These two barbarians have now absorbed the troops under Fan Chou's command."
"If Uncle continues to remain unmoved, I'm afraid these two will start plotting against him!"
Zhang Ji irritably touched his thinning hair and said earnestly:
"Xiu'er, what you're saying, your uncle understands perfectly well."
"But Li Jue and Guo Si's forces far outnumber mine, and with Jia Xu's assistance, they are truly difficult to defeat."
Zhang Xiu immediately retorted angrily:
"Could it be that my uncle intends to relinquish his military power and submit to those two?"
"Forgive my bluntness, but given their temperaments, I'm afraid even if you apologize to them, you might not be spared!"
"If Uncle cannot make up his mind, then I, your nephew, shall lead the troops to fight Li Jue and Guo Si to the death!"
"Even if it costs my nephew's life, I will use this spear to kill them both!"
Looking at the vigorous Zhang Xiu, Zhang Ji sighed helplessly.
Perhaps it was because he was middle-aged and lacked the strength to do what he wanted; or perhaps Zhang Ji's ambition was never that strong to begin with.
After Dong Zhuo's death, Zhang Ji seemed to have come to terms with things.
Even though the boss Dong Zhuo was so powerful, he still died such a tragic death in the end.
Zhang Ji boasted that he wasn't particularly capable; his ability to command troops was inferior to Li Jue's, his ruthlessness was less than Guo Si's, and his martial arts skills were far inferior to Fan Chou's.
Only thanks to the favor of his boss Dong Zhuo was he able to rank at the bottom of the Xiliang F4.
Now, he is tired of it all and longs to retire from the military and return to his hometown, far away from worldly strife.
But given his status, retiring into seclusion is harder than climbing to heaven!
After Li Jue and Guo Si eliminated the most threatening Fan Chou, he would definitely be the next target.
Faced with such a desperate situation, Zhang Ji didn't even have the courage to decide whether to fight or surrender.
Zhang Xiu glanced at his uncle with disappointment.
Afterwards, Zhang Xiu went to the city wall alone to inspect the area.
They didn't leave even when it was late at night.
suddenly.
An arrow flew from outside the city towards the city tower of Hangu Pass!
Who is Zhang Xiu?
He was, after all, a man hailed as the "King of Guns in the North"!
Alert, he immediately raised his spear and cut the incoming arrow in half!
"Huh... what's this?"
Zhang Xiu discovered the letter attached to the flying arrow.
After reading it, Zhang Xiu's pupils constricted, and he immediately led a group of personal guards to the cave mentioned in the letter.
……
In the cave
Jia Xu lit a fire and, feeling utterly bored, warmed his hands by the fire.
Although it's early spring, the temperature difference between day and night is huge, and Jia Xu isn't going to be stupid enough to freeze here.
Suddenly, a glint of light flashed in Jia Xu's eyes.
"Come in, General Zhang."
"I am the only one in this cave."
Bathed in moonlight, Zhang Xiu's figure emerged from outside the cave.
Upon seeing that the person sitting in the cave was indeed Jia Xu, Zhang Xiu felt rather complicated.
I felt both excited and confused.
"Mr. Jia, if I remember correctly, you are the chief clerk under Li Jue, aren't you?"
Jia Xu responded irritably:
"So what?"
"You don't know yet, do you?"
"Just a few days ago, Li Jue wanted me to be the Grand Minister of Agriculture."
"Hehehe, I'm just an ordinary, honest commoner. How would I know how to be the Grand Minister of Agriculture?"
"Honest... honest guy?"
Zhang Xiu fell silent, somewhat vulnerable.
If Jia Xu can be described as "honest and simple".
Under heaven, all the people are good and honest.
"In short, I no longer wish to follow Li Jue."
"This kid is short-sighted and playing with fire."
Jia Xu commented without hesitation.
Zhang Xiu asked instinctively:
"Then why don't you go with Guo Si?"
Jia Xu snorted disdainfully:
"They only know how to play petty, underhanded schemes, and they're not even as generous as Li Jue."
"Am I out of my mind to follow him?"
Zhang Xiu suddenly realized.
So, Jia Xu came to him because he thought highly of him?
That's for sure!
Otherwise, how could the two have had this "meeting in the cave"?
Unexpectedly, the next moment, Jia Xu poured a bucket of cold water on him.
"In the Northern Ocean there is a fish, its name is Kun."
"General Zhang, you are different."
"You don't want to be a Kun, you just want to be a turtle."
"If I follow you, I should be able to live a more leisurely life."
Zhang Xiu always felt that Jia Xu was scolding him.
But when Zhang Xiu thought of Jia Xu's formidable record, he didn't dare say "no" at all.
Are Lü Bu and Wang Yun fierce?
The fragmented Western Liang army had originally planned to surrender to Wang Yun.
Who would have thought?
Jia Xu emerged out of nowhere, not only uniting the Xiliang army but also launching a counterattack into Chang'an, routing Lü Bu and Wang Yun's forces!
In just over ten days, one died and the other escaped.
With a smooth combo, he beat those two into submission!
Faced with Jia Xu like this, Zhang Xiu truly dared not show any temper.
……