Chapter 47: Council of Chang'an City

Immediately, Liu Bian and his party, led by Cheng Yu, walked toward the interior of Chang'an City.

Along the way, Cheng Yu briefed Liu Bian and the others on various matters of Chang'an City, and Liu Bian nodded from time to time.

Soon, the group arrived at the City Lord's Residence.

Inside the Chang'an City Lord's Residence, Liu Bian sat high in the foremost seat, with Guo Jia, Cheng Yu and others below him.

Looking at Liu Bian seated at the head, Cheng Yu bowed to him and said, "Imperial Majesty, these four are the clan leaders of the four great families of Chang'an City."

At this point, Cheng Yu pointed to the four people beside him and introduced them one by one: "This is the head of the Li Family, Li Wei; the head of the Wang Family, Wang Cheng; the head of the Zhang Family, Zhang Mao; the head of the Zhao Family, Zhao Hu."

"Commoner, I salute Your Majesty!" the clan leaders of the four great families immediately bowed to Liu Bian.

"Rise, the swift restoration of Chang'an City cannot be achieved without the support of your four great families. Henceforth, I expect you to cooperate fully with the Imperial Court and govern Chang'an well; when the time comes, I will not shortchange you."

Liu Bian looked at the four, his expression solemn, and spoke.

"We will certainly cooperate well with the Imperial Court; our loyalty to Your Majesty and to the Han Empire is unwavering!"

Upon hearing Liu Bian's words, the four immediately knelt on the ground, their faces solemn, and shouted with loyal fervor.

"Very well, having this resolve, I am greatly pleased!"

Liu Bian looked at the four, their faces full of solemnity, and smiled as he said.

Afterward, Cheng Yu arranged a welcome banquet for Liu Bian and his party; shortly thereafter, Lü Bu, Cao Cao and several others arrived. After a round of toasting, everyone departed satisfied.

"All right, they have all left; now let's discuss which point we should first capture in the four commanderies of Liangzhou held by Dong Zhuo's Partisans."

After everyone else had left, Liu Bian addressed Guo Jia, Jia Xu, Lü Bu, Cao Cao and the others, and asked aloud.

Upon hearing Liu Bian, the group first exchanged glances, and then Guo Jia, as Grand Military Strategist, spoke.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I humbly suggest that we first capture Anding Commandery, which is defended by Duan Wei. After taking Anding, Tianshui Commandery is only held by an unknown subordinate of Duan Wei, and we can easily seize it."

"When the time comes, we need only send Cao General's subordinate Cao Hong with five thousand troops to capture Tianshui Commandery; its garrison consists of only five thousand troops, and our forces are strong enough that five thousand will suffice."

"Once we have taken Anding Commandery and occupy Longxi Commandery, Xu Rong of Beidi Commandery will inevitably have wavering morale; we need only send envoys to persuade him, and we can surely compel Xu Rong to surrender."

"Then the four commanderies of Liangzhou will be within easy reach!"

After Guo Jia finished speaking slowly, he looked at the group with a confident expression.

"Imperial Majesty, I think Feng Xiao is correct; Duan Wei is deeply favored by Dong Zhuo and will never surrender to us. As for Xu Rong, his position in the former Xiliang Army was low; initially he was only appointed to guard Longxi and the two Beidi commanderies thanks to Hua Xiong's patronage."

"If he sees our great strength, he will certainly not resist to the death; the probability of his surrender is still high!"

Jia Xu, standing nearby, also voiced his agreement with Guo Jia's suggestion and explained the reasons.

"Both of you, esteemed ministers, are exactly right; I had this plan in mind already. Since you all think we should first take Anding Commandery, we shall head to Anding first."

After hearing Guo Jia and Jia Xu's analysis, Liu Bian immediately decided to first capture Anding Commandery.

"Zhongde, for this period, Chang'an is entrusted to you. Once I have unified the realm, I will transfer you back to Luoyang; with your talent, serving as the modest Chang'an Magistrate would be a slight underutilization of your abilities!"

After finalizing the military arrangements, Liu Bian looked down at Cheng Yu, his face earnest, and said.

Upon hearing Liu Bian's words, Cheng Yu felt a surge in his heart, realizing he had not followed the wrong person, and felt the sentiment of a soldier dying for a confidant.

Immediately, he knelt before Liu Bian and shouted, "I thank Your Majesty; I will govern Chang'an well and will not disappoint Your Majesty!"

"Zhongde, rise quickly; I know your talent, and I believe this modest Chang'an will be well governed by you!"

Seeing Cheng Yu's excited demeanor, Liu Bian also smiled and said.

"I thank Your Majesty for the trust, and I vow to serve Your Majesty to death!"

Cheng Yu then solemnly said to Liu Bian.

"All right, it's getting late; everyone go rest, we still have to set out tomorrow!"

Afterward, Liu Bian clasped his hands in a bow to the crowd and was the first to rise and depart.

The next day, as dawn broke, the Seventy Thousand troops had already assembled and set out.

……

As for Zhang Liao, ever since the Fifty Thousand troops marched out, they have been moving grandly toward Bing Province.

At this point, after a night of rest, Zhang Liao's army also set out.

At this moment, within the ranks, Zhang Liao was discussing with Xi Zhicai which city to capture first.

"General, I think we should start from Shangjun and advance toward Niu Fu of Taiyuan Commandery, but our manpower is insufficient; the captured cities will need troops to garrison."

"Thus we would need to recruit surrendered soldiers, but without the Emperor's Imperial Edict, such private recruitment is a grave taboo!"

At this point, Xi Zhicai wore a troubled expression as he looked at Zhang Liao and spoke.

Upon hearing Xi Zhicai's concern, Zhang Liao immediately looked at him and laughed, "Hahaha, Military Advisor, any matter you can think of, do you think the Emperor and the various military advisors in the Court would not have thought of?"

"Before the expedition, the Emperor already issued a Hand Edict to me regarding the Bing Province matter, allowing us to act at a discount; we only need to submit a memorial to the Court afterward!"

Zhang Liao, smiling, explained to the troubled Xi Zhicai.

Hearing this, Xi Zhicai was overjoyed and immediately said to Zhang Liao, "Indeed, the Emperor's foresight is thorough; moreover, this further demonstrates the Emperor's trust in both of us, daring to issue even such a Hand Edict. The Emperor is Sage and Mighty!"

Xi Zhicai, happy after speaking to Zhang Liao, again clasped his hands toward Luoyang, and respectfully said to Liu Bian, "Hahaha, therefore, Military Advisor, the Emperor differs from every previous emperor; serving under such an Imperial Majesty is the fortune of us ministers!"

"Hahaha, so, Military Advisor, the Emperor differs from every previous emperor; following such an Imperial Majesty is the blessing of us ministers!"

Zhang Liao, also moved by Liu Bian's magnanimity, exclaimed to Xi Zhicai, "What you say is true; since ancient times, countless ministers have feared that when the good bow is spent, the flying birds hide, and the dogs are cooked."

"However, in Your Majesty's eyes, these things do not exist; Your Majesty's magnanimity and vision are beyond our comprehension!"

Regarding Zhang Liao's words, Xi Zhicai fully approved; after all, throughout history, an Imperial Majesty with Liu Bian's resolve has essentially never existed.

As for the High Ancestor Liu Bang, need not be mentioned; back then, the ministers who fought alongside him never met a good end.

And as the first emperor who unified the realm, initially he also feared Wang Jian's prestige and harbored suspicion.

And as the First Emperor who unified Tian Xia, he was initially also afraid of Wang Jian's prestige and harbored suspicion.