Chapter 226

"Your Majesty, this subject disagrees with what the Grand General has said."

Yuan Huai, one of the Three Excellencies and the Grand Tutor, stepped out and said loudly.

He represented the power of the Great Han's aristocratic families.

The fact that He Jin, a butcher, could become Grand General was a resounding slap in the face to the aristocratic families.

Therefore, the aristocratic families led by Yuan Huai naturally had to constantly oppose He Jin.

Furthermore, these aristocratic families had all secretly supported Jianghu factions, and for them, the uprising of the Huang Jin rebel soldiers was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

As long as one is bold enough to take a gamble, perhaps one's status could be further elevated.

In particular, the Ruyang Yuan clan represented by Yuan Huai had held the position of Three Excellencies for four generations and was one of the top aristocratic families in the Great Han dynasty.

There was a high possibility they could ascend to the imperial throne!

Besides, even if the Great Han dynasty were destroyed,

it would not have much of an impact on these aristocratic families.

Once a new master and a new Emperor took over, they would still need to rely heavily on these aristocratic families.

At that time, they could still enjoy wealth and glory.

It was precisely because they understood this that Yuan Huai and the others could fearlessly oppose He Jin and repeatedly refute and even hollow out the power of Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong.

Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, clenched his fists tightly, a trace of very subtle resentment flashing in his eyes.

That the Great Han dynasty had fallen into such a state was entirely because of these aristocratic families.

From the imperial court down to the common people, they controlled the Great Han and sucked the blood of the Great Han.

Moreover, Liu Hong could not do anything to them; he still had to rely on them to handle various matters of the imperial court and the Great Han.

Every time he thought of this, Liu Hong felt extremely depressed in his heart.

He could neither stop the aristocratic families nor function without them.

Liu Hong felt extremely helpless in his heart.

Yuan Huai tidied his clothing, bowed slightly to Liu Hong, and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject believes we should strike with the force of a thunderbolt."

"Use the fastest speed to catch these Huang Jin rebel soldiers off guard."

"In this way, we can restore clarity and stability to our Great Han at the smallest cost and in the shortest time."

"When the Champion Marquis fought the Xiongnu back then, it was just like this: rapid maneuvering and attacking, taking advantage of the enemy before they could react to quickly eliminate them."

"Today, our Great Han is no less capable than it was during the time of Emperor Wu, and we will certainly be able to achieve this."

Yuan Huai's words sounded like they had significant loopholes.

However, there was deep meaning within them.

His words were entirely predicated on the current prosperity of the Great Han.

If He Jin dared to object or offer a different opinion, Yuan Huai could immediately counterattack on the grounds that He Jin was disparaging the Great Han.

The most vicious part was the last sentence Yuan Huai spoke.

In every respect, the current Great Han was not even fit to carry the shoes of the era of Emperor Wu.

Everyone from the Emperor to the officials, and even the common people below, understood this.

However, while everyone knew it in their hearts, it absolutely could not be said aloud.

From this, one can see how much was hidden within Yuan Huai's words.

He Jin cursed silently in his heart.

They say scholars have dirty hearts; this is not just dirty, it is rotten to the core.

If He Jin had just entered the imperial court, he might have fallen into this little trap, but now that he had been immersed in the officialdom for many years, he naturally would not be fooled.

He thought carefully, and suddenly a flash of inspiration gave him an idea.

"Since the Grand Tutor says so, then this subject suggests that each aristocratic family should provide troops and grain to help the imperial court quell the rebellion."

"As far as this subject knows, every family now has fortified manors and private soldiers within the limits permitted by the imperial court."

"If this force is gathered together, it is also a significant military strength."

"Presumably, dealing with the Huang Jin rebel soldiers will become much easier."

He Jin laughed as he spoke, the expression on his face very confident.

Does the current Great Han have soldiers and horses?

One could say yes, and one could say no.

What the imperial court lacks are trained soldiers; the court only has some weak troops who have not undergone training.

Except for the regions bordering foreign tribes—Liangzhou, Youzhou, and Bingzhou—there are no strong troops in the other regions.

The true elite are all held within the various aristocratic families.

Since the time of Emperor Wu, in order to guard against accidents, aristocratic families have built fortified manors where they reside.

Defensive works, grain, and soldiers are all available within the fortified manors.

Coupled with the slaves in the aristocratic families, even if the imperial court conducts a census, they will not be registered.

Therefore, apart from the heads of each family, no one knows how many private soldiers their own family has raised.

Furthermore, with the current corruption in the imperial court, every aristocratic family can use weapons manufactured by the court, and even have armor.

This has led to the private soldiers of the aristocratic families having extremely formidable combat power.

Although Emperor Guangwu ordered the destruction of the fortified manors, the prohibition could not be absolute, and since the aristocratic families control every part of the Great Han, as long as it is not too blatant, it does not matter.

After hearing He Jin's words, the expressions of Yuan Huai and the other aristocratic families turned ugly.

Yuan Huai, in particular, was so angry that his face turned blue and then purple.

He never expected that the butcher he had always looked down upon could actually come up with such a strategy.

It was truly somewhat beyond his expectations.

Seeing this, Emperor Ling of Han shouted with delight, and his gaze toward He Jin became increasingly favorable.

He is worthy of being his own brother-in-law, regardless of the original intention of these words.

But it helped him vent his anger properly.

This brother-in-law is worth having; when there is trouble, he really steps up!

"The Heavenly Demon Cang Qu who made the list this time is a person of our Great Han."

"Perhaps we can try to find him; back then, he had a friendship with the ancestors of our Yuan clan!"

Yuan Huai said after thinking for a moment.

This was not something he said randomly; there were indeed relevant records in the Yuan clan.

He only remembered this matter after seeing the Demon Sect make the list.

Speaking of this matter was also his way of breaking the trap He Jin had set for the aristocratic families.

It was not that Yuan Huai was particularly great.

It was just that He Jin's proposal had too great an impact on the Yuan family.

Secondly, he could take this opportunity to once again increase the Yuan family's status among the aristocratic families.

"Is what the Grand Tutor says true?"

Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong's eyes lit up.

At this moment, he felt as if he had grasped a life-saving straw.

If he could invite the help of the Heavenly Demon Cang Qu, what was there to fear from the mere Huang Jin rebellion?