I, Liu Bian, the hero

Chapter 118 Discussion on the Recommendation System

On that day, Liu Bian set up the Gongwei Division, appointed Zhang Rang as the principal and Zhao Zhong as the deputy, and took the armed eunuchs in the province as the core to be responsible for defending the province.

Of course, in order to prevent eunuchs from monopolizing power and causing harm to descendants, Liu Bian also made some restrictions on the newly established Guard Division, such as including the Huben Army and Yulin Army into the defense of Nangong.

For example, eunuchs were appointed as eunuchs in each palace, but the guards on duty were selected from the Huben army.

Another example is the four gates of Nangong, the three Sima of Canglong, Baihu, and Beitun are under the jurisdiction of Huben Army, while the Nantun Sima who guards Zhuque Gate, Zhuque Que, and Pingcheng Gate is under the jurisdiction of Yulin Army.

So far, the Gongwei Division, the Huben Army, and the Habayashi Army have become the three forces defending the Nangong. control and influence over the entire palace.

The advantage of such an arrangement is that Liu Bian has completely controlled Nangong, and Yuan Shao will never use He Jin's influence to instigate rebellion against the Imperial Army.

Usually, Liu Bian can control the Huben and Habayashi armies through the Arch Guard Division, but if the eunuch in power in the Arch Guard Division tries to control the emperor in the future, the emperor can directly order the Huben Army. After all, the Arch Guard Division only has priority in authority, but its strength is still not as large as that of the Huben Army , and there is no elite Huben army, naturally they cannot withstand the attack of the Huben army; if even the Huben army is unreliable, the emperor can also use the Habayashi army to directly lead foreign troops into the palace from Pingcheng Gate and Suzaku Yemen.

As for whether it is possible for the Gongwei Division, the Huben Army, and the Habayashi Army to unite to evade the emperor, then Liu Bian can only say that if the descendants of the descendants can't even control one of these three parties, then they should just be a puppet obediently.

In fact, if Dong Zhong, who was serving as Wei Wei, was not the nephew of Empress Dowager Dong, Liu Bian didn't want to make the old lady feel wary, and he even planned to completely cut off Wei Wei's power in the two palaces, or simply merge Wei Wei with Chengmen school captain , Ask him to be in charge of Luoyang city defense.

However, because of the relationship between Empress Dowager Dong and Dong Zhong, this step can only be taken slowly, and we can wait until Empress Dowager Dong dies.

After the next dynasty, this matter quickly spread.

The general lost control of the two armies of Huben and Habayashi. Only He Jin was upset about this matter. Even the current generation of general He Miao didn't care. , It was the eunuch who became the chief of the Gongwei Division.

That night, Situ Cui Lie held a family banquet at home. His eldest son, Cui Jun, who was also the servant of the imperial court, joked to his younger brother Cui Jun: "The second brother used to tease his father for bribing officials, but now he is under the eunuch's hand. I don't know what to do." ?”

Cui Jun frowned and said, "Your Majesty just ordered me, Hu Ben, to assist the Arch Guard Division in guarding Nangong. I'm not Zhang Rang's subordinate, so what do you mean I'm subservient to the eunuch?"

In fact, he, the Huben Zhonglang general, is now on the same level as Zhang Rang, who is the supervisor of the Gongwei Division. Zhang Rang can order him, it is only because the new king authorized Zhang Rang, and Cui Jun can completely ignore Zhang Rang, and even his existence itself has the element of supervising eunuchs.

In the same way, the newly appointed Habayashi Zhonglang General Cao Chun did the same. While cooperating with the Gongwei Division, he also secretly supervised the Gongwei Division and the Huben Army.

Cui Jun smiled and said: "I know, but the adults in the court are very worried about this matter..."

Cui Jun frowned, and just about to speak, he heard his father Cui Lie say: "Okay, okay, don't mention the court affairs at home. In short, I, Cui Shi, only need to be loyal to Your Majesty, and I can't participate in certain battles." .”

Cui Jun and Cui Jun looked at each other and nodded in understanding.

As Cui Jun said, the establishment of the Gongwei Division really worried some ministers in the court, including Yang Biao, Ma Ridun, Cai Yong and others.

Among them, Zheng Tai, who had returned to Taixue, had the most violent reaction.

He visited Yang Biao that night, and said to Yang Biao seriously: "The new monarch is close to the eunuch, and the scholars are far away. This is the beginning of the disaster!"

In fact, Yang Biao was also worried about this matter, but he was dismissed by Liu Bian as a Wei Wei, and now he is studying books in Dongguan. Although he still holds the official position of Yilang, Yilang is just a consultant with a rank of six hundred , even the censor who can impeach officials is not as good, how can he intervene in this matter?
Of course, he can give advice to Xinjun, but the problem is that he was dismissed from office due to Canglong Sima's implication, whether Xinjun will listen to his advice is a question, and even if he does, he may not obey.

Seeing this, Zheng Tai decided to exert influence on Xinjun through Cai Langzhong, that is, Cai Yong.

Not to mention, Cai Yong was very enthusiastic. After listening to Zheng Tai's narration, he also thought that it was a disaster for the new king to favor eunuchs, so he wrote a letter to Liu Bian, stating his interests, and hoped that Liu Bian would be replaced by a scholar as the guard. the officer.

When Liu Bian saw the memorial, he shook his head secretly, and Zhang Rang and Zhao Chun, who were standing beside him, said helplessly: "Cai Langzhong is a man of Fengyue who is not familiar with temple affairs, so why should he get involved in it."

Zhang Rang didn't hate Cai Yong either, he said with a smile, "Your Majesty can ask the Queen to persuade Cai Langzhong."

So Liu Bian asked Zhao Chun to tell Cai Yan about it.

Cai Yan entered the palace at the age of 15 and lived in the palace for more than two years. At the age of 17, she is no longer the innocent and ignorant girl she used to be. On the contrary, her understanding of imperial power is higher than that of her father Cai Yong. This is to support the eunuchs to check and balance the scholars, so he invited his father Cai Yong to the East Palace, and tactfully reprimanded him: "...the solitary yin does not grow, and the solitary yang does not grow. Everything in the world is nothing more than balance. Now Your Majesty will It’s not about getting close to the eunuchs, and I don’t want to use the scholars alone, supporting the eunuchs is just to check and balance the scholars, this is the emperor’s technique, father, do you want to interfere?"

Cai Yong, who was over forty years old, was reprimanded by his 17-year-old daughter. When he was stunned, he didn't dare to say anything. After returning to Dongguan, he said to Ma Ridun: "Today I know the big Why is the general afraid of his sister?"

Ma Rixun couldn't laugh or cry, and after learning Cai Yan's remarks from Cai Yong, he also said with emotion: "This is indeed an emperor's technique, but it is not good for our scholars."

So far, Cai Yong, Ma Ridun, and Yang Biao no longer interfered in this matter.

But Zheng Tai and others did not give up, and asked Yuan Kai again. It happened that Xun Shuang, who had been made a mansion by He Jin before, also came to visit after learning about this, and the three had a private discussion.

It has to be said that even Cai Yan could see the intention of Liu Bian's arrangement, how could Yuan Kai, Xun Shuang, Zheng Tai and others not see it?

But understanding and accepting are two different things—Liu Bian wants to balance eunuchs and scholars, but as the leaders of scholars, how can Yuan Wei, Xun Shuang, Zheng Tai and others sit back and watch the new monarch make checks and balances and weaken their scholars? influence?
But the problem is that it is inappropriate for Yuan Kai to come forward to stir up Xinjun's nerves right now, and Xun Shuang and Zheng Tai are white, and their remarks cannot be passed on to the Xinjun's ears through official channels, they must be faked, and this candidate , the first is Lu Zhi, who is the most powerful in the court, and the second is Yang Xu.

In view of the fact that Zheng Tai had connived at the Tai students to slander Lu Zhi, Yang Xu and the eunuch, the two sides were unhappy, so Xun Shuang decided to visit the two on his own.

After seeing Lu Zhi, Xun Shuang said to Lu Zhi solemnly and sincerely: "The new emperor is close to the eunuchs and far away from the sages, which is not a blessing in the world. Lu Gong is now the grand master, the minister, and the head of all officials. You should seek profit for the scholars of the world, and you should not sit back and watch the eunuchs become big, otherwise, the country will be in danger!"

After hearing this, Lu Zhi said to Xun Shuang: "Brother Ciming (Xun Shuang's name) is probably here for the matter of Gong Weisi... In fact, your Majesty has no prejudice against scholars, otherwise Lu is only a middle-class person, how can he be a grand teacher?" Concurrent with the Book Order?"

"The grand master is humble." Xun Shuang cupped his hands, and at the same time he was puzzled.

Let’s talk about the eunuchs of the new monarch. Lu Zhi, who was born as a scholar, and Yang Xu, who was born as a party member, have all been reused. Even Zhang Rang and others dare not disrespect them; was suppressed.

While Xun Shuang was guessing, even Lu Zhi said in a low voice: "...In the final analysis, it's not that your majesty is close to eunuchs and alienated scholars, but that scholars have been talking empty talk before and formed cliques, so your majesty doesn't like it. On the contrary, if scholars can put aside empty talk and be pragmatic and serve the country, they will definitely be reused.”

Xun Shuang was skeptical and left.

Before the evening of the next day, Dong Zhong, who had a grudge for being deprived of power, left first. After he left, Lu Zhi said to Liu Bian who was about to leave: "Yesterday, Xun Shuang and Xun Ciming, a famous scholar from Yingchuan, visited our office. , wanting to persuade me to persuade Your Majesty to stay away from eunuchs and get closer to scholars..."

When Zhang Rang and Zhao Chun looked at Lu Zhi one after another, Yang Xu who had not yet left also said: "He also came to the minister's office last night, and what he said was the same as Lu Gong."

Liu Bian was not surprised when he heard this, he crossed his fingers while sitting in the main seat, smiling but not smiling: "Xun Shuang, Xun Ciming..."

Of course he knew about Xun Shuang, he snorted softly, shook his head and said, "I have always felt that the current system of recommending officials in the imperial court is not good. Not to mention, there are still some people who are proud of refusing to be an official and refuse to be recruited by the court. What is even more ridiculous is that this group of so-called wise men who refuse to be recruited as officials and refuse to serve the country are increasingly revered by scholars all over the world. On the contrary, the imperial court seems to be begging these people to become officials, even if they can't ask for it, Zhu Qing thinks it's ridiculous?"

Lu Zhi, Yang Xu, Cao Song, Cui Lie and others changed their expressions slightly, but Zhang Rang took advantage of the opportunity and said: "Your Majesty's words are very true. There are these people who don't know what is good and what is wrong, and turn right and wrong! Self-proclaimed celebrities, don't you?" Thinking of serving the country and sharing worries for His Majesty, but instead boasting of being lofty..."

Yang Xu was displeased, and interrupted loudly: "Who caused this?"

Afraid of Yang Xu's righteousness, Zhang Rang smiled coquettishly, and didn't say any more, lest if he said too much, it would involve some things that they had framed Zhongliang.

And Lu Zhi also looked at Liu Bian's face, did not attack Zhang Rang, but said euphemistically: "The scholars in the world have misunderstood the imperial court. They think that the temples are dark and mostly controlled by treacherous officials, so they don't want to be an official in the imperial court. , it’s not because they don’t want to serve the country.”

With Yang Xu looking at Zhang Rang and sneering, anyone can understand who the traitor Lu Zhi is referring to. Although Zhang Rang is annoyed about this, he dare not reveal it. After all, he also understands that his weight in Xinjun's mind may not be These two are very important, so I don't want to offend.

Liu Bian naturally understood it, and of course he didn't delve into the so-called treacherous officials. He shook his head and stated his opinion: "No, in my opinion, this is just one of them. As for the second, there are still some problems in the imperial court's current recommendation system. Problems, such as easy to breed cliques. The Yuan family has four generations and three generations, and the disciples and former officials are all over the world. I guess this is the reason. While talking about this matter today, I have an idea in my mind. Officer, I don't know which is good and which is bad."

"What is an imperial examination?" Lu Zhi asked curiously.

Liu Bian explained: "It means that the imperial court sets up an examination, and asks scholars from all over the world to take the exam, and the imperial court selects those with excellent grades to be officials."

"..."

Lu Zhi, Yang Xu, Cao Song, and Cui Lie suddenly changed their expressions, but Zhang Rang showed a gloating smile on his face after thinking about it for a while.

　When I read the previous comments, most of them tended to kill Yuan Shao immediately. I think most readers probably don’t know about Yuan’s former disciples, relatives and friends. I will give a few famous examples here.

　　Yuan Kui's wife, Fufeng Ma's family, and Ma Rixun's aunt, have been mentioned in the article.

　　According to records in the Later Han Dynasty, after Yuan Wei died, Xun Shuang kept his filial piety for him for three years, and Xun Shuang was the head of the Xun family in Yingchuan. Eight people died of the Xun family in the second party, and his reputation was comparable to that of the Yuan family.

　　Han Fu, former official, was born in the Han family of Yingchuan.

　　Dong Zhuo, former official.

　　Qiao Mao, Chen Gui, Tao Qian, Kong Rong, Zhang Miao, these are all related to the Yuan family, not to mention Yuan Yi and other Yuan family's children.

　　In addition, the Yuan family in Runan was only a branch of the Yuan family, and the Yuan family in Chenjun was the main family. Yuan An's grandfather was Yuan Liang, who gave birth to Yuan Zhang, who gave birth to Yuan Pang, and had a daughter, Cai Yong's mother.

　　Even Zhou Yu's grandfather was an old official of Yuan An.

　　There is also Fan Pang, one of the Eight Talents. When he was an official in Runan, the prefect had nothing to do with him.

　　And Gao Shun, who I originally wanted to be an Easter egg, where did Gao Shun come from?Chen Liugao!He is in the same family as Yuan Shao's nephew Gao Gao.

　　In short, the Yuan family in Runan, which has been around for hundreds of years, has intricate connections and forces. If it is not handled properly, the consequences will be more serious than the Yellow Turban Rebellion. It is not easy to kill. If I write the protagonist, I will kill Yuan Shao easily, and Lu Zhi and others will not dissuade him. That's pure nonsense, with no regard for reality.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)