An imperial decree came out of the Northern Palace in Luoyang.
"The Great Peace heretics have brought calamity upon the altars of state and left all under heaven tottering. I am deeply troubled.
Are there any great worthies who have been left forgotten in the countryside because of their association with the partisans?
Are there any heroes who have been denied important appointments at court because they came from frontier commanderies?
Are there any brave and martial talents in the countryside who wish to serve the court but do not know where to turn?
I have now resolved to change these things. Great worthies accomplished in both civil and martial affairs, heroes from the frontier commanderies, and brave and martial talents may come to court to seek office, or recruit local volunteers in the commanderies and counties to eradicate the Taiping Army.
I shall reward them all according to the extent of their achievements and shall never allow a single bright pearl to lie lost in the vast sea."
Lift the partisan prohibition and allow scholars to participate freely in government.
Recruit troops locally and allow the powerful clans to develop their own armed forces freely.
Like the wind, the decree traveled out across all under heaven along the roads that extended in every direction from Luoyang.
Luo Xiao was so close to Luoyang that he naturally received the news before anyone else.
Long before this decree appeared, Luo Xiao had known that things would inevitably come to this. The court's imperial guards could not be rebuilt in a short time, so reliance on local armed forces was inevitable.
The Zhou State had taken this same old road in its day, and in the end, the feudal lords had grown too powerful.
However, the Great Han court's circumstances were much