Chapter 58 Talents

  One morning's court meeting determined the Han Dynasty's struggle plan for who knows how many years to come: The 800,000-strong Imperial Guard Plan!

  Although many ministers do not think that this plan has the possibility of being implemented, it is a good thing for the emperor to have such ambition. From the emperor's words, it can also be known that the Son of Heaven wants to restore the prosperity of the dynasty. With such a goal, everyone also has a direction to strive for, which is better than wandering around in the original way.

  So, to sum it up, the whole imperial court's spirit changed that day. After dispersing from the morning court session, the three dukes gathered together and chatted, all saying: "Although the new emperor is still young, he has great ambitions and is diligent in handling state affairs... The revival of the Han dynasty is promising!"

  Of course, it is also necessary to mention a few words: "There are also public mutual assistance." and so on, praising colleagues at the same time also indirectly praised themselves, but at this time no one will mention this matter.

  During this time, there were also some people who privately said "The Son of Heaven is still young and indulges in women's favors, which may not be a blessing for the Han dynasty!" However, those who discussed this topic were mostly mid-to-low-ranking officials in the imperial court, such as the Three Dukes, Nine Ministers, and newly promoted officials from the Six Ministries, who would not participate.

  While the civil and military officials were chatting with each other, occasionally gossiping about the emperor's private life, Liu Xuan was talking to Liu Ye in his study.

  Liu Ye's identity as a member of the imperial clan has been recognized by the Imperial Clan Court, and Liu Ai, the head of the Imperial Clan Court, attaches great importance to this young member of the Han imperial clan. The Han imperial clan had declined, and many powerful ministers who controlled the government had emerged one after another. As a result, Liu Ai, as a member of the Han imperial clan, no longer trusted most "outsiders".

  It's actually people like Liu Ye, who are talented and knowledgeable, that he values more - this isn't anything unusual, anyone who goes through something like this would probably have a hard time trusting others again. Compared to others, Liu Ye is after all a family member, so it's easier for him to trust him a bit more.

  This is also the 'family' factor that has been at play all along. If it were Liu Xuan, he would never think this way. In his heart, people of the same clan are even more detestable to him. However, the person in front of him seems to have no great ambition, and his learning is indeed not bad, which makes Liu Xuan highly value him.

  At this time, Liu Ye was sitting below, and Zongzheng Liu Ai was accompanying him on the side. After asking each other a few questions, Liu Xuan directly cut to the point: "What does Zi Yang think about this trip to Western Liang?"

  Liu Ye is now only in his twenties, still very young, but has already grown a handsome beard, and his appearance and temperament are also not common. Whoever sees such a person will have a good impression, and Liu Xuan also secretly praised him in his heart: "He is indeed worthy of being an important strategist for Cao Wei, he is really not common."

  It is well known that Cao Cao was a Han minister all his life, but what he did was not like a minister at all. In this case, he himself was very wary of the descendants of Liu's family - and Liu Ye was the eldest grandson of Emperor Guangwu. This identity was very sensitive under Cao Cao's account, but it has always been valued by the forces of Cao Wei, which shows that he is not a common person.

  Liu Ye saw Liu Xuan's inquiry and cupped his hands, saying: "Your humble servant will not betray Your Majesty's trust, and will certainly persuade Ma Shi to come to the capital to meet with Your Majesty."

  Liu Xuan and Liu Ai both smiled and nodded, knowing that Liu Ye had completely understood the emperor's intention in sending him as an envoy to Western Liang.

  Na Teng is currently the Governor of Xiliang, basically controlling the entire Liangzhou region. Whether it's military or domestic affairs, he can make decisions with just one word, truly a figure like the Emperor of the Northwest Earth.

  Such a person, if he enters the capital to pay homage to the emperor, will undoubtedly hand over all his rights to the court. This is also a means of showing loyalty. If Liu Ye can persuade Ma Teng to enter the capital, it would be equivalent to perfectly completing the task assigned by the emperor.

  As for the specifics, Liu Xuan didn't ask, after all, the guest's approach, except for having a general idea in mind beforehand, most of it is to be decided on the spot according to the situation. You're asking too many details now, which is useless, so it's better not to ask and show your trust in Liu Ye instead.

  So for the next period of time, Liu Xuan asked about what Liu Ye had done before, who he had made friends with when studying in his hometown, and also asked about the customs and people of the southeastern region. He then asked about how the government's policies were implemented there and what the local people's lives were like.

  After the most absurd and ridiculous nonsense, Liu Xuan finally called for Liu Ai to take Liu Ye down. He naturally didn't know that as soon as they left the palace gate, Liu Ye turned his head and took a look at the tall imperial city gate, softly sighing: "The Han dynasty's revival has hope."

  His voice was originally extremely soft, and if you were three steps away, you might not have heard him speak. However, Liu Ai was right next to him, and although Liu Ai didn't have any other good qualities, his hearing was exceptionally sharp. Upon hearing the words, he couldn't help but turn his head to look over, secretly wondering why Liu Ye would make such a judgment.

  Since Liu Ye entered the border, Liu Ai has been paying close attention to this young man, often inviting him to drink and dine at his residence, during which they also discussed many major events in the world and their views on governance. Of course, Liu Ai also admitted that this approach was partly intended to test the young man's talent.

  The final conclusion made him very happy, feeling that this young man was a rare talent, especially as a member of the Liu family, a descendant of Guangwu's legitimate line, and even Liu Ai thought that Liu Ye could become a famous minister of the Han Dynasty's revival.

  At the same time, people with great talent generally have high vision. Although Liu Ye did not directly comment on the officials in the court, Liu Ai could still feel that this young man's evaluation of both the current three dukes and some of the warlords who held real power was not very high.

  But didn't expect that just today, after chatting with the emperor for a short while, there would be such high praise, and curiosity got the better of me, so I asked further.

  Liu Ye's answer was also simple: "Your Majesty has grand ambitions and is very practical. Although the question just asked may not seem important, it has great use in governing the country."

  After all, you have to know the situation of that place first, what problems have arisen, and then you will know how to deal with it.

  Moreover, Liu Xuan asked him about his hometown, naturally wanting to extend the imperial court's power to that place - and before that, the northwest region was not mentioned, and the lords of Guandong would not easily give up their own rights, there were many people to deal with.

  Liu Xuan would ask those questions, naturally having full confidence in his ability to solve these problems.

  Of course, if it were just that, he wouldn't think Liu Xuan was a wise ruler either. The real deciding factor is everything he has seen with his own eyes during this period of time.

  During Liu Yao's time, it happened to coincide with the six reforms, population census and vigorously encouraging farming and reclamation. In such a chaotic period and in this embarrassing environment, the emperor did not strengthen his military power, but instead started from people's livelihood, which shows that this new ruler is not someone who doesn't understand anything and acts impulsively.

  The six ministries reform also reveals the new emperor's intention to centralize power in the imperial court. However, he only appointed one position, the Minister of Revenue, and let the veteran officials choose the others, showing that the new emperor is not a person who rushes for success and loses his temper. He knows how to let go at the right time, giving himself more room for maneuver. From this point of view, this young emperor has already become a qualified ruler.

  But if that's all, at most it would only prolong the life of the Han dynasty for a few more years, and it would still be inevitable to fall into great chaos after another ten or twenty years.

  What truly earned Liu Xuan the respect of Liu Ye was his emphasis on military affairs and his reform of the existing unreasonable military system - and he did so with lightning speed, without any hesitation or delay.

  It was only when all these things were put together that Liu Ye would give such an evaluation.

  If it was said that entering the capital at first was because of the imperial court's recruitment, and it was not good to refuse, then he really had the idea of displaying his talents in the imperial court and helping the Han dynasty to rise again.

  He didn't say these words to Liu Ai, after all, if he said them out loud, he would probably make this Han family relative very dissatisfied, and might even incur the displeasure of this respectable elder. Although Liu Ye was young, he wasn't someone who didn't understand social norms; it was better for him to keep these words to himself.

  Liu Ye was probably never thought that while he was evaluating Liu Xuan in his heart, Liu Xuan was also evaluating him.

  "It's indeed a rare talent, and the imperial court is in need of such people now. The more talents we have, the better it will be." Liu Xuan smiled and said to Xun Yu beside him: "Take some time to talk with Liu Zi Yang and ask if he knows anyone who has great talent and learning."

  Xun Yu heard the Emperor say this and couldn't help but smile: "A talented person is not that easily encountered."

  Liu Xuan waved his hand: "Otherwise, people with similar interests gather together, and those with talent are also proud of themselves. They can't be friends with people who don't have similar talents. So, the close friends of great talents are often also talented people. Don't miss them if you're not careful."

  Moreover, Liu Xuan could have known that from this year on, for nearly a hundred years, how many talents emerged from this land as if they were free, it was simply the most prosperous period of talent explosion in this nation. He didn't expect to catch all of them at once, but at least he should have been able to get more than half of them under his control.

  "If I weren't the emperor, I would have gone to fetch Zhao Yun and Deng Ai myself, why bother with all this trouble, recruiting one person is like going around in circles?"

  But for now, it's enough anyway. After all, the Son of Heaven only has real control over this small piece of land in Chang'an.

  "This situation won't last much longer......" He secretly estimated in his heart: With the Imperial Guards reorganized, the Tiger and Leopard Riders began their actual reorganization and training, and with the Tiger and Wolf Army as well as the Feathered Forest Army on the side, Chang'an was no longer as fragile as it was two months ago.

  Moreover, Lu Zhi estimated that if he was given another year's time, he could expand the number of Imperial Guards to 30,000 men. At that time, the imperial court would not only have the power to protect itself but also have the strength to recover the northwest.

  Just as Liu Xuan was preparing to play dead and seek development in a low-key manner, an unexpected piece of news came from the east: Dong Zhuo had died, killed by a suddenly rebelling general.