Chapter 61: A Han Traitor Emerges from the Liu Family

It seems that in the eyes of these ministers, the common rabble are always just the common rabble.

The key is the current Emperor; the Emperor recently seems to have become obsessed, as if he wants to drag everyone to their deaths every single day.

Liu Hong felt even more furious upon hearing the words of these ministers.

He was a qualified Emperor; how could he not know what these ministers were thinking?

Dynasties flow like water, while noble families are as solid as iron.

The Guangwu Emperor, Liu Xiu, did indeed restore the Great Han and re-established the Great Han for a second time.

Yet, at the same time, when Liu Xiu rebuilt the Great Han, he relied on the power of the noble clans and powerful families.

Consequently, from the very beginning of the Eastern Han, it was constantly under the constraints of these noble families.

Even the Guangwu Emperor, Liu Xiu, as the founder of the Eastern Han, sometimes had to compromise when facing these noble clans.

How much more so now?

Today, the deep-seated ailments of the Eastern Han are increasingly exposed, and the power of the noble clans is expanding ever further.

These great noble families likely have had other intentions for a long time, don't they?

After all, no matter who sits on that imperial throne, they need these noble families to help them govern the country.

Liu Hong sneered in his heart, but they do not know.

This time, who are they facing?

As the Emperor, Liu Hong could naturally obtain some information that others did not know.

Wherever the Yellow Turban Army went, the first thing they often did was to hold judgment assemblies to publicly judge members of the noble families.

They ordered all the common people to voice their grievances on the spot and judge the members of the noble families.

If these Yellow Turban Army members were not rebellious mobs, Liu Hong would have wanted to applaud them.

Since the Guangwu Emperor, Liu Xiu, re-established the Great Han, most of the Eastern Han Emperors have died young.

While a portion of this was certainly due to their own frail health, what was the greater cause?

It was because of maternal relatives, eunuchs, and powerful ministers, and even more so because of the noble families operating behind the scenes.

The holy Son of Heaven rules by doing nothing, and imperial power shares the world with the noble families.

But what if the Son of Heaven is not wise?

Just quietly kill him off and replace him with an Emperor who is easier to control.

Do not look at Liu Hong in the imperial palace indulging in eunuchs and living a life of dissipation.

The fact that he could keep imperial power in his own hands and not be at the mercy of the noble clans already surpassed most Emperors.

No matter how these ministers appeared on the surface, Liu Hong dared not gamble on their loyalty.

However, one thing was credible: at least these ministers would not betray him for now.

With the pride of these noble scions, how could they allow a group of common rabble to ride on their heads?

Thoughts flashed through Liu Hong's mind, and he said with an ambiguous tone, "The Yellow Turban Army can be wiped out with a flick of a finger? This Yellow Turban Army is about to reach the Imperial Capital; what do you suggest we do?"

"Your Majesty, the current strategy is to order the three great armies to unite, encircle and suppress the Yellow Turban Army with all our might, and simultaneously call upon the armies of the world to come to the rescue of the Emperor."

The Han Empire has ruled the world for four hundred years; although the noble families have different intentions now, there is still a portion that remains loyal to the Han Empire.

Immediately, someone gave a feasible suggestion.

Liu Hong also understood that the only strategy now was to forcibly order the three armies to unite and block the Yellow Turban Army.

At the same time, he would call upon the armies of the world to come to the rescue and quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

Liu Hong did not want to be a ruler of a fallen state.

He immediately adopted this suggestion.

The imperial clansman Liu Yan suddenly spoke up and said, "Your Majesty, the Yellow Turban Army is causing chaos everywhere. To suppress these Yellow Turban rebels, your humble servant requests the restoration of the Provincial Governor System, allowing local provincial governors to act at their own discretion to suppress the rebellion."

Hearing Liu Yan's words, Liu Hong looked at him with cold eyes and said, "What did you say?"

The Inspector of the Han Dynasty was established by Emperor Wu, Liu Che, to suppress local powerful clans and the forces of the enfeoffed kingdoms, and to strengthen centralized power.

All along, local Inspectors only had the power of supervision; even in the Eastern Han period, although the power of the Inspectors increased, in name, they were still responsible for supervising the localities.

Yet Liu Yan petitioned to restore the Provincial Governor System, where provincial governors would enjoy many powers in their regions.

They could form their own armies, their official positions could be hereditary, and they would essentially be local emperors.

It can be said that it was this Provincial Governor System that drove the situation of regional warlordism at the end of the Han, and the expansion of local forces.

Provincial governors carved out their own territories, increased their own strength, and centralized power completely declined.

After that, the central imperial court was no longer able to suppress the localities, and it eventually entered the Three Kingdoms era of chaos and warlord hegemony.

Liu Yan petitioned to restore the Provincial Governor System, and Liu Hong, as a qualified Emperor, naturally understood the hidden dangers of this system.

Claiming it was to suppress the local Yellow Turban rebellion was actually just to seek benefits for himself.

No wonder Liu Yan had previously requested to be appointed as a local provincial governor; so he was waiting here.

Liu Hong looked at Liu Yan coldly, as if looking at a dead man.

As an Emperor trained to be qualified, he knew very well what the world would become in the future once the provincial system was implemented.

Perhaps at the very beginning, there would be no problems.

But when the power of these local provincial governors expanded and the central court became weak, would the local provincial governors still be willing to obey the orders of the central government?

What a good Liu Yan.

As a member of the Han imperial clan, he was actually digging up the roots of the Liu family itself.

Could Liu Yan not see the future consequences of implementing the Provincial Governor System?

He certainly understood, but for his own sake, he simply did not care.

Liu Hong's heart was filled with killing intent, and he wished he could kill Liu Yan on the spot.

Liu Yan still maintained an expression of worrying about the country and the people, and said, "Your Majesty, the local Yellow Turban rebellion is rampant. In order to pacify these rebellious subjects, your humble servant requests the establishment of the Provincial Governor System."

"Hahaha! Traitors and rebels, what a fine bunch of traitors and rebels. In my view, where are these traitors and rebels?"

Liu Hong stood up, slapped the dragon throne, and said, "These traitors and rebels are not only in the Yellow Turban Army, but also in the imperial court."

There are Han traitors in the old Liu family!

Liu Hong narrowed his eyes as he looked at Liu Yan; he truly had not expected this.

Liu Yan, a member of the Han imperial clan who appeared loyal and devoted on the surface, had just dropped a massive bombshell on him.

At a time like this, Liu Yan proposed establishing the Provincial Governor System; what was he trying to do?

Seeing the Emperor fly into a rage, the ministers present hurriedly spoke up.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Clan member Liu is only doing this because he sees the Yellow Turban rebellion and the people suffering, a move out of concern for the nation and its people."

Liu Yan knelt directly on the ground and said with tears streaming down his face, "Your Majesty, my humble heart of loyalty to the country is known to heaven and earth. Now that the Yellow Turban rebellion is raging and the local people are living in misery, only by establishing the Provincial Governor System can we curb the momentum of the Yellow Turban rebels."

Liu Hong did not speak, and the other ministers began to speak one after another.

"Your Majesty, what Clan member Liu says is the truth. With the Yellow Turban rebellion currently raging, I also believe that only by establishing the Provincial Governor System can we curb the trend of the Yellow Turban Army growing stronger."

"Your Majesty, the Yellow Turban Army's reliance for their rebellion comes from the rioters in various localities. Only by suppressing these local rioters will the Yellow Turban Army collapse without being attacked."

"I second the motion!"

"I second the motion!"

Almost all the ministers present spoke up to agree with Liu Yan's proposal.

As the supreme ruler of the Great Han Empire, Liu Hong now appeared to be fighting a lone battle.

(End of this chapter)