Chapter 56: Open Strife and Secret Schemes (Third Update, Please Collect!)

  Taifu is one of the top three officials, with a high position but no power. The main task is to teach the emperor. For Huangfu Song, who did not want to be suspected again, this position was very suitable.

  When Yuan Ang was the Taifu, he didn't actually perform his duties, and Liu Bian wasn't in the mood to study at that time. Now things are different, Liu Bian has "reborn from the bones", knowing that he is facing difficulties, if he doesn't work hard, there will only be a dead end, where can he still slack off? General Huangfu Song handed over power to him, hoping he could become a founding hero like Liu Bang, and he also needs to make an effort himself.

  So, Huangfu Song, this Taifu is indeed a real Taifu. He was responsible for teaching Liu Bian how to use troops and grasping the tens of thousands of soldiers in his hands, rather than just pretending.

  The 30,000 elite troops brought by Huangfu Song are different from the Pingzhou army and Liangzhou army. Although there are many people from Pingzhou and Liangzhou among them, they are not from border armies but rather from imperial guards or provincial garrisons. They have also followed Huangfu Song in battles for several years. In terms of military discipline, combat skills, or respect for the court, they are a notch above the Liangzhou army and Pingzhou army.

  This is the true elite of the Han Dynasty. In comparison, Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu's troops are somewhat like mercenaries, with decent combat capabilities but loose military discipline, making them difficult to manage.

  Huangfu Song was a renowned general with great military achievements. Liu Bian made him the Grand Tutor and learned from him the ways of warfare. For the generals under Huangfu Song's command, they had an additional fraternal bond with Liu Bian apart from their lord-subject relationship, so they would not reject Liu Bian, let alone think that he was usurping Huangfu Song's power; on the contrary, they became even more intimate with him.

  To further compensate Huangfu Song, Liu Bian appointed his son Huangfu Jian Shou as the Attendant at the Imperial Court, to attend him on either side; his nephew Huangfu Lü was made a Colonel of the Feathered Forest Guard, in command of the Feathered Forest Cavalry, and also took over the thousand elite cavalry under Zhang Xiu and Zhang Liao, forming a bodyguard of two thousand horsemen as the Emperor's personal mounted escort.

  For the next dozen or so days, Liu Bian stayed at Ping Le Guan to study under Huang Fu Song. During the day, he practiced military formations and at night, he studied the art of war, listening to Huang Fu Song recount his life's battles and evaluating the gains and losses of famous generals throughout history. Liu Bian was like a sponge, absorbing every bit of knowledge that Huang Fu Song imparted to him with all his might.

  Yan Zhong also gave lectures with Huang Fu Song. Liu Bian didn't have much impression of Yan Zhong, seemed to have heard of him but wasn't very familiar and didn't pay much attention. Huang Fu Song lectured on military affairs, while Yan Zhong interspersed some knowledge of politics and economics, he had been a local official and had quite good insights into politics.

  Liu Bian wasn't the only one listening to lectures, among his classmates who accompanied him in reading were Huangfu Sheng's son Huangfu Jianxu, Huangfu Lu, Zhang Liao, Zhang Xiu, Jia Xu and other close ministers. Among them, the most outstanding was classmate Zhang Liao, who listened very seriously and was the only good student besides Liu Bian to insist on doing homework after class.

  After more than a dozen days of intense study, Liu Bian decided to take a break and return to the city to relax, pay his respects to the recently deceased Empress Dowager, and report his academic progress to her spirit. Due to the tense situation, he couldn't observe the traditional mourning rituals or stay by the coffin all the time, so taking some time off to visit the coffin and report on his studies was a must.

  Hu Biao, the middle Lang general Yang Biao, led the Hu Biao Lang to escort Liu Bian back to the city. Halfway through, the exhausted Liu Bian leaned against the carriage, looking at the increasingly close Luoyang City, and suddenly became distracted.

  "Your Majesty..." Yang Biao walked quickly over, stroking his beard and glancing at Liu Bian.

  Liu Bian glanced at him: "Does Yang Qing have something to say to me?"

  "Wei." Yang Biao said: "Your Majesty has been training troops in Ping Le Palace these days, making great progress and bringing joy to the people. I am delighted for Your Majesty."

  Liu Bian smiled slightly, and Yang Bi came running over, not to flatter him with a few words. "Yang Qing, if you have something to say, just speak up, I've been tired lately and my mind is a bit muddled."

  "Your Majesty, the way of literature and martial arts is about balance and relaxation. You should pay attention to rest. The future is long, why be anxious about just one morning and evening?"

  Liu Bian hesitated for a moment, then understood Yang Biao's meaning. Yang Biao was saying that he was too focused on military affairs and had not simultaneously pursued literary studies. This was indeed true, as most of the people around him were military men, and even though Jia Xian and Yan Zhong were talented, they did not excel in literature.

  "Yang Qing, Shandong is in chaos, Luoyang is in urgent danger, I want to study literature now, but my heart has the desire while my strength is insufficient."

  "No." Yang Biao shook his head: "Learning is a cumulative process, and persistence is key. Reciting one article every day is ideal, but if that's not possible, reciting one chapter or even just one sentence, with long-term persistence, will still yield progress. I don't want Your Majesty to be an old scholar who has spent his whole life studying, but rather hope that you will make progress in both literature and martial arts, cultivate your virtues and governance, which is the way to achieve great peace."

  Liu Bian's eyes rolled around and he understood: "Yang Qing, is there any suitable talented person you can recommend?"

  "I have drafted a list." Yang Bi took out a memorial and presented it to Liu Bian with both hands. "Please, Your Majesty, consider using it to calm the people's hearts."

  Liu Bian took it over, opened and read through it once. On it were some young talents he had heard of or not heard of before. Among them was a name that caught his attention - Yang Xiu, the son of Yang Biao.

  For this famous child prodigy, Liu Bian naturally expressed his welcome. Although he was the nephew of Yuan Shu, the Yang family was the cultural leader in the Shanxi group and a representative of the aristocratic family that could rival the Yuan family. He needed to borrow the prestige of the Yang family to show that people's hearts were still with the imperial court. As Yang Biao said, he wanted to appease people's hearts through such actions, including Yang Biao's own heart.

  "How old is Lao Lai now?"

  "My son is fifteen years old and roughly literate."

  Liu Bian smiled and thought to himself, "Yang Biao, you're too modest." Even if Yang Xiu was only fifteen years old, he couldn't be just roughly literate. If he really was just roughly literate, would you dare to write more? "I am currently lacking a servant who is skilled in writing, I wish to humblely appoint you, Yang Gong, are you willing to accept?"

  Yang Biao let out a sigh of relief. The Emperor's words indicated that he had no suspicions about Yang Biao, otherwise he wouldn't have allowed his son to attend him by his side. He hastily bowed and accepted the order: "Your Majesty has decreed it, how dare I not comply? I will send him over tomorrow for Your Majesty to instruct."

  ……

  One corner of the palace, a young man's face was red with anger: "The people of Shanxi have ulterior motives and intentionally mislead Your Majesty, undermining the ancestral laws and disrupting the grand tradition of the Han Dynasty. If Your Majesty does not investigate, how can the imperial concubine just sit idly by and treat my plan as if it were nothing?"

  Tang Ying sneered: "Since you're in such a hurry, why don't you go say it yourself?"

  "I..." The young man wanted to speak but hesitated, his handsome face flushing bright red.

  "Your Majesty is returning to the palace today, I need to get dressed and made up, no time to listen to your nonsense." Tang Xing smiled and said: "You say that Shanxi people have ulterior motives, maybe it's not wrong. But are you Shandong people loyal ministers? Don't forget, the Yuan brothers are now raising troops to overthrow the Han dynasty, gathering more than 200,000 soldiers to attack Luoyang, wanting to establish a new dynasty again. If we talk about having ulterior motives, Shandong people are even more unscrupulous than Shanxi people."

  Tang Ying finished speaking and strode away. The young man was stunned for a while, let out a long sigh, his expression dismal, his face as white as the plain white mourning clothes he wore.

  The third update is here! Please recommend and collect!

  The data collection growth is not very satisfactory, brothers who have not collected yet, don't wait any longer, collect Lao Zhuang.