Chapter 033 What is the Imperial Censor?
Facts have proved that Chen Xi really overestimated himself and underestimated Liu Bang and the ordinary generals under his command.
When Liu Bang arrived in the Zhaodai area and the two sides really started to fight, Zhou Chang, the prime minister of Zhao, who was defending the area, hurried to meet Liu Bang. Liu Bang appointed Ruyi as the King of Zhao and Zhou Chang as the prime minister of Zhao. It was also Zhou Chang who passed the news of Chen Xi's rebellion to Liu Bang.
Zhou Chang did not look as respectable as he had in Chang'an, but he was still tall and straight. He greeted Liu Bang solemnly and said, "I served as the Prime Minister of Zhao, but I failed to stop Chen Xi's rebellion, and I failed to protect the cities and people of Zhao. Your Majesty, please punish me!"
Liu Bang smiled and helped him up. "You just arrived in Zhao State and found that Chen Xi had ill intentions. You reported it in time, so that I could make preparations... Besides, you don't know how to fight. If the city is lost, it is the responsibility of the county governor and county lieutenant. What does it have to do with you?"
Zhou Chang then said, "Changshan County has a total of 25 cities. Chen Xi rebelled and lost 20 of them. Since Your Majesty believes that this is the responsibility of the county governor and county lieutenant, please execute all of them!"
Liu Bang was stunned and asked, "Have the county governor and county lieutenant rebelled?"
"No rebellion."
Liu Bang sighed, "This is because of their lack of strength. They don't have many soldiers and can't stop Chen Xi. How can we blame them?"
"Pass on my decree: Pardon their crimes, restore their posts, and allow them to continue fighting!"
Liu Bang entered Handan and summoned the ministers of Zhao. Although Liu Bang was still there, Fan Kuai and others had already set out to fight the bandits.
Liu Bang did not hold the ministers of Zhao accountable, but instead used gentle means to appease them.
Liu Bang looked at Zhou Chang and asked, "Are there any brave men in Handan who can lead troops to fight?"
“There are four of them!”
"Great! Call them over to see me!"
Zhou Chang answered very quickly. The emperor and his ministers asked and answered each other, but the people below were a little confused.
This is especially true for the ministers of the State of Zhao. The most capable fighter in the Zhaodai region is Chen Xi. The rest of the capable warriors either rebelled or fought against the rebels on the front line. Where did the warriors in Handan come from? There are four of them? Why don't we know about it?
Zhou Chang received the order and walked to the minister of Zhao Dai below, whispering: "Your Majesty is going to reward our Zhao warriors! Go find four warriors!"
Hearing these words, the ministers of Zhao's eyes lit up and they instantly understood what Zhou Chang meant.
It is said that Prime Minister Zhou is an upright person. I thought he was unkind, but I didn't expect that he would take such good care of Zhao. It turns out that his own people are reliable. What a good prime minister! These ministers hurried out, and Zhou Chang continued to accompany Liu Bang. Just half an hour later, four people walked into the palace of Handan and came to meet Liu Bang.
Zhou Chang stood up, pointed at the four of them, and said, "Your Majesty, these are the warriors of Zhao who can lead troops into battle!"
Liu Bang nodded and looked at them.
Although these people tried their best to look mighty and mature in their dress, Liu Bang could smell the dandy smell from a distance. He was too familiar with this smell. Unfortunately, one of his children was like this. He was ignorant and knew how to brag all day long. He was full of dandy air and always talked about his father.
These four so-called warriors of the State of Zhao were obviously just a smaller version of Liu Chang. Sure enough, when I asked their names, they all started with "Zhao".
Liu Bang frowned and became furious.
"Can you brats lead troops to fight?"
Liu Bang started cursing loudly. The four young men didn't dare to face such an angry Liu Bang. They immediately knelt on the ground, trembling and not daring to say a word.
Zhou Chang stood up quickly and said, "This is indeed the most valiant warrior in Zhao State."
Liu Bang snorted coldly and was silent for a moment before he said, "Reward them with a fief of one thousand households and appoint them as generals!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!!"
The four young men were like chicken blood, and hurried to express their gratitude. The Zhao ministers who were kneeling on both sides with worried look on their faces suddenly smiled and expressed their gratitude one after another.
When Liu Bang arrived, these Zhao ministers were still worried and extremely depressed. But by this time, they all came out of that state and began to give Liu Bang advice and discuss how to deal with Chen Xi.
After summoning the ministers of Zhao State, Liu Bang asked them to prepare for the war as soon as possible and put Zhou Chang in charge of this matter.
The Imperial Censor Zhao Yao stood beside Liu Bang, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.
Zhao Yao was not very old. He used to be the Imperial Censor of Imperial Seals and was a subordinate of Zhou Chang. At that time, someone said to Zhou Chang: "Although your subordinate Zhao Yao is young, he is a genius. The monarch will definitely treat him specially. You will find out later that he will replace you."
Zhou Chang smiled and replied, "He is a minor official who works as a clerk. He is young, has no authority, and has no qualifications. How can he replace me?"
Later, Zhao Yao gave Liu Bang a suggestion, saying: "Your Majesty, if you want to protect Prince Ruyi, then arrange for him to have a minister who is dignified, qualified, and old enough that even the nobles dare not attack him as prime minister!"
Liu Bang agreed with this, and the dignified, older, and more experienced Imperial Censor Zhou Chang went to Zhao to serve as prime minister to protect Liu Ruyi. The young, inexperienced, and less dignified Zhao Yao became the youngest Imperial Censor in the Han Dynasty...
Zhou Chang once protested to Liu Bang because of this matter. Although this protest seemed like Zhou Chang deliberately said to a nobleman: I have no choice, you have to give me some face, I have made great contributions in the affairs of the Crown Prince, you can't harm the prince who I am protecting!
Liu Bang looked at Zhao Yao and asked with a smile, "Does the Censor have anything to say?"
Zhao Yao hesitated for a moment , then said: "Prime Minister Zhou was my former superior, and I shouldn't have said bad things about him, but now I am the Imperial Censor, I can't ignore it!"
"Your Majesty, many people followed you into Shu and Hanzhong counties, and later conquered Western Chu. They made contributions but were not generally rewarded. What merits have these four Zhao people made to deserve rewards?"
"Besides, I don't think they are capable of leading troops to fight. It must be that Prime Minister Zhou deliberately arranged for the children of several Zhao ministers to deceive Your Majesty and ask for a reward!"
Liu Bang laughed and pointed at Zhao Yao, saying, "This is where you are inferior to Zhou Chang!"
"Chen Xi rebelled and occupied all the land north of Handan. I sent an urgent notice to recruit troops from all over the country, but no one has arrived yet. Now the only troops that can be used are those in Handan."
"Why should I be stingy with the 4,000 households given to four people and not use it to comfort the young people of Zhao?"
"Only by pacifying the people of Zhao can we defeat the enemy in Zhao!"
Zhao Yao's eyes widened and he asked, "Did your majesty agree with Prime Minister Zhou?"
Liu Bang did not answer. Some monarchs and ministers did not need to explain in advance. With just one sentence, the other party would understand what he meant, and then he could just continue. This was why he liked Zhou Chang so much. This man was definitely the minister who understood him best.
Zhao Yao was shocked and said ashamedly: "I am young and ignorant, and I actually slandered Prime Minister Zhou in front of Your Majesty. Please don't tell him about this..."
"Don't worry, you are doing this for the country, how could I harm you?"
"Your Majesty and Prime Minister Zhou... I really envy you. Your Majesty is wise, and Prime Minister Zhou is even more resourceful!"
Liu Bang was even happier. He asked, "Do you know who Chen Xi's generals are?"
"There are Wang Huang and Man Qiuchen. They used to be businessmen."
Liu Bang said, "That's right. Go find Zhou Chang and tell him my decree. I'm going to offer a reward to Wang Huang, Manqiuchen and other generals. As long as you can bring me his head, I'll forgive you and reward you with a thousand gold coins! The same goes for other generals. As long as they can turn from evil to good, I'll reward them with a thousand gold coins!"
Zhao Yao was shocked and asked, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this strategy won't be very effective! Even if we offer a reward for their heads, no one will be able to kill them and bring their heads to you!"
Liu Bang narrowed his eyes and said, "So what? After the reward was offered, they can't even sleep well."
Zhao Yao suddenly realized and looked at Liu Bang excitedly, "Your Majesty is wise! I...I will go find Prime Minister Zhou right away!!"
Amid Liu Bang's laughter, Zhao Yao walked out of the palace. The moment he walked out of the palace, the excitement on his face disappeared completely, and he became exceptionally calm.
Perhaps, this is why he was able to replace Zhou Chang.
