Chapter 401: The Reaction of the Officials

"Father, are you saying that in such a short time, His Majesty has already conquered Liangzhou and Bingzhou?"

"How is this possible?"

A shocked Yang Xiu fired two questions in succession at Yang Biao.

Looking at the utterly astonished Yang Xiu before him, Yang Biao nodded affirmatively and remarked with emotion:

"The current Emperor's methods are unfathomable. Back then, who could have imagined that His Majesty, without a single soldier or officer, could regain power?"

"At that time, with Dong Zhuo's power, let alone toppling him, simply surviving in such a situation was already a feat!"

"And yet, His Majesty not only survived but forcefully killed Dong Zhuo and successfully took over the troops in his hands."

"Now, he has captured the entirety of Liangzhou and Bingzhou in one stroke, holding the territory of three provinces in his grasp."

"His own strength is terrifyingly powerful; he is the number one expert in the world today."

"With such a figure, let alone restoring the Han, even dominating the entire world would be effortless!"

For a moment, Yang Xiu was stunned by what Yang Biao had said.

Although he knew Liu Bian was strong—the entire city of Luoyang had witnessed the legendary Divine Dragon when Liu Bian confronted the World Will—

that was, after all, of unverified truth, and Liu Bian had never displayed his strength in front of others.

It had all been hearsay. But now, hearing it from his father Yang Biao, it was a different matter entirely.

One must know that Yang Biao was the current Grand Commandant and was in contact with Liu Bian every single day.

Therefore, his words carried a high degree of credibility.

After a long while, Yang Xiu finally regained his senses. Looking at his father, he couldn't help but remark:

"His Majesty is truly unfathomable!"

"To be able to take Liangzhou and Bingzhou in such a short time—I reckon that once the news spreads, those with ulterior motives won't be able to sleep!"

"Furthermore, I never expected General Zhang Liao to be so formidable; with only fifty thousand men, he managed to take the entire Bingzhou in such a short time."

"And he even captured the three commanderies of Shuofang that were occupied by the Xiongnu."

Upon hearing Yang Xiu's exclamation, Yang Biao reminded him:

"You are mistaken. Zhang Liao didn't just defeat the Xiongnu—it was more than that!"

"According to the battle report, Zhang Liao completely annihilated the Xiongnu in the three commanderies of Bingzhou; even Yufuluo and his only son, Liu Bao, were beheaded by Zhang Liao."

"It is said that not a single Xiongnu person survived in the three commanderies of Shuofang."

"They even seized one hundred and twenty thousand Xiongnu warhorses and countless cattle and sheep, which will be sent to Luoyang in a few days."

Upon hearing this, even just listening to such a scene, Yang Xiu couldn't help but shiver.

"Hiss, killing all the Xiongnu—isn't that a bit too cruel?"

"Isn't Zhang Liao afraid of the wagging tongues of the world? You must know, there were nearly one hundred thousand Xiongnu in the three commanderies of Shuofang!"

Clearly, those who have not experienced it do not know the cruelty of foreign tribes.

Especially for people from great clans like Yang Xiu, this sense of 'saintly' morality was even heavier.

In their consciousness, as long as the foreign tribes surrendered, they could not be killed; otherwise, one would be a brutal person, offending the harmony of heaven.

They always used the status of a "land of etiquette" and a "Celestial Empire" to justify their arguments.

They believed that foreign tribes could also be civilized, little knowing that without powerful strength, would their set of methods really be useful?

After hearing Yang Xiu's rhetoric, Yang Biao glared at him fiercely and warned:

"Dezu, I do not wish to hear such remarks from your mouth ever again!"

Hearing this, Yang Xiu asked quite puzzled:

"Father, why is that? Did I say something wrong?"

Looking at the still uncomprehending Yang Xiu, Yang Biao felt a bit disappointed. It seemed Yang Xiu was still too young and did not understand the principles within.

Immediately, he said with a tone of frustration that his son wouldn't live up to his expectations:

"Dezu, you are very clever, but not everything is something you can see clearly!"

"You know what kind of nature these Xiongnu have; do you think you don't know? Why do you think General Zhang Liao killed them all?"

"There must be a reason for this, and with such a big matter, do you think His Majesty wouldn't know?"

"Zhang Liao is His Majesty's trusted general; would he not consider things for His Majesty before acting?"

As Yang Biao's voice fell, Yang Xiu suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

Looking at his father's solemn expression, Yang Xiu said with some fear:

"Father, are you saying that His Majesty is also involved in this..."

Before Yang Xiu could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Yang Biao.

"What else did you think? Let's just keep this between the two of us. Remember, never show off or talk nonsense in front of outsiders!"

Thinking of Yang Xiu's tendency to show off, Yang Biao couldn't help but warn him.

Seeing Yang Biao's stern warning gaze, Yang Xiu also promised with a solemn expression:

"Father, rest assured. Your son knows the gravity of this matter and will never dare to speak of it again!"

Seeing that Yang Xiu understood the gravity of the situation, Yang Biao couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.

He was afraid that this kid would show off his cleverness outside and spill the beans—that would be fatal!

"As long as you know. Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's take this opportunity to prepare some good wine and food for your father; I want to drink until I'm drunk!"

Seeing that the time was about right, Yang Biao didn't want to continue talking to him and immediately said to Yang Xiu.

"Yes, your son will have someone prepare it right away!"

After bowing respectfully to Yang Biao, Yang Xiu walked away quickly.

Just like Yang Biao and the others, there was also the great Confucian Cai Yong. Upon returning to his residence, Cai Yong couldn't wait to enter his study.

He wanted to wield his brush properly to express his excited inner heart.

Having served as an official for so many years, the time since Liu Bian took power has been the most comfortable period he has ever experienced.

He didn't have to worry about anyone attacking him. In the past, he lived in constant fear, afraid that if he wasn't careful, he would become a sacrificial lamb in someone else's struggle.

But now, under Liu Bian, none of these things happened; all the officials were busy with their own affairs.

Moreover, even if someone wanted to suppress political rivals, it wouldn't work with Liu Bian, so the current administration was very clean.

Even someone like Cai Yong, who was solely focused on compiling the History of the Han and would not curry favor, was no longer afraid of others' framing.

After a good while, Cai Yong walked out of the study, came to the main hall, and asked the steward of the residence:

"Steward, why don't I see the Young Miss?"

The middle-aged steward behind Cai Yong heard this and immediately said respectfully:

"Master, the Young Miss is still in the back courtyard!"

"Oh, I forgot. Go and call the Young Miss over. I am happy today; tell the Young Miss to come and have a couple of drinks with me!"

Thinking of today's events, Cai Yong couldn't help but feel a bit excited and immediately wanted to have a couple of drinks to celebrate properly.

"Ah?"

Cai Yong's reaction actually surprised the steward.

One must know that Cai Yong rarely drank alone in the past; except when receiving close friends, he would drink a little, but otherwise, he basically didn't drink at all.

Not to mention, this time he even wanted the Young Miss to accompany him! ===== CHAPTER 402 =====