Han family achievements

Chapter 226
Chongde Hall, apse.

Liu Bian looked at Cao Cao's "Apology Note", examined it again and again, and put it aside.

There were two people sitting in front of him, Xun Yu, who had wrinkles on his face and looked more mature, and Xi Zhicai, who was pale and sick.

Liu Bian picked up the teacup and said, "The two gentlemen are saying that last year's autumn grain had a problem at the root?"

Although Xi Zhicai was sick, he was full of energy and said: "Yes. According to my investigation and inference, as well as Yanzhou's field acres and population, the autumn grain of 20 shi is just a basis. The real number may be [-] shi. on the rock."

Liu Bian took a sip of tea lightly, looking thoughtful.

He was also very surprised by Xi Zhicai and Xun Yu's memorabilia.

He knew that the big noble families in Yanzhou hid their fields and households to avoid court taxes, but he never thought that the gap would be so big.

If there are really 20 shi, it is almost half of the imperial tax.

Yanzhou hides so much, other states and counties can be imagined.

Xun Yu raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, it is because the ministers and others discussed that this year's summer grain will be used as an opportunity to conduct a thorough investigation of Bingzhou, Sili, and Yanzhou to ensure that all summer grain will go into Taicang."

Holding the teacup in his arms, Liu Bian looked at Xi Zhicai and Xun Yu, and said with a smile, "It doesn't need to be so troublesome, and it only treats the symptoms, not the root cause."

Xi Zhicai was stunned, and said, "What does Your Majesty mean?"

Liu Bian put down his teacup and said leisurely: "The imperial court has been promoting the two matters of 'clearing Zhang Tianmu' and 'huding registration'. Because of various things, the implementation has not been smooth. From this year onwards, Shangshutai and Liucao must focus on Promote and complete as soon as possible. Only when the fields and households are clear, then the taxation will be clear at a glance."

When Xi Zhicai heard the words, he didn't react for a while.

The imperial court has actually been doing these things, but it seems that everyone is not too concerned.

Listening to Liu Bian's words now, Xi Zhicai felt a little offended, and the way he looked at Liu Bian couldn't help being a little weird.

Your Majesty, did you already know?
He immediately denied this idea. To be sure, they spent several months to investigate, and only now did they dare to report with certainty.

How could His Majesty in the palace know?

Xun Yu thought for a while, and said: "Your Majesty, the minister and the mind will work together to treat the symptoms and the root cause."

Liu Bian pondered for a while, shook his head and said: "The energy is too scattered, we still need to focus on the main issues. The six Caos must pay close attention to the main issues, and the household Cao is taxation and farmland. Eliminating the rule of officials is the first step in governing the country!"

Xun Yu, Xi Zhi only saw Liu Bian say this, so he could only raise his hand and said, "Your servant is waiting for the order."

Liu Bian looked at the two of them, paused, and said, "Since the Wang Yun incident, there have been various rumors, I need to remind the two Qings to concentrate on their affairs and ignore them, and concentrate on the government affairs of the court. "

Wang Yun was defeated, and various rumors arose in the court and the public. The most common one was that the imperial court wanted Liu Yu back to succeed Yang Biao as prime minister.

"I would like to abide by the hadith." Xun Yu replied.

Before Liu Bian nodded, a court lady ran to the door and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, the Second Highness is ill again."

Liu Bian's expression changed, he stood up and said, "You two, go and get busy."

Xun Yu, Xi Zhicai hastily said: "The minister waits to leave."

Liu Bian left the apse and went straight to Yong'an Palace.

In Tang Ji's bedroom, a group of people were crowded.

Seeing Liu Bian coming, Tang Ji's eyes were red and tears kept streaming.

Liu Bian patted her on the back and came to the bed silently.

Liu Yu's face was pale, and his brows were furrowed together in pain.

The doctor was taking the pulse. After a while, he raised his hand and argued to Liu: "Your Majesty, the Second Highness is fine. I will be fine after taking a few doses of medicine."

Chief Dean Liu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Pan Yin, you go with the doctor."

"Yes." Pan Yin responded quickly.

As soon as the doctor left, Liu Bian sat on the side of the bed, watching Liu Yu's soft voice from time to time, and felt extremely uncomfortable. He wanted to smooth his frowning brows with his hands, but was worried that it would add to the pain.

The reason why it was named 'Yu' was that the little guy was weak and sick after birth, and looked like he couldn't support himself.

Tang Ji stood behind Liu Bian, weeping silently, also worried.

After taking the medicine, after a while, the little guy's brows were relieved, the pain was no longer so painful, his face returned to rosy, and he gradually fell asleep.

Liu Bian stayed with him for a long time, until he was sure that nothing happened, and then he left Yong'an Palace.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is here to invite you." After walking a few steps, Pan Yin followed up and said in a low voice.

Liu Bian hummed, turned around and walked towards Yongle Palace.

Empress Dowager He was not in the palace, but hugged He Yan, looking out of the palace, quietly lost in thought.

When Liu Bian approached, Empress Dowager He became a little sober. She sighed, looked at He Yan who was peaceful in her arms, put him on the ground, and said with a smile, "Go and play."

He Yan looked up at Liu Bian and Empress Dowager He back and forth with his small face, and then identified the direction, and turned to the direction of Yongning Palace.

Empress Dowager He looked at He Yan's back with a sad expression, and sighed softly: "He Xian is only a few years older than you, how can you say that he is gone?"

Liu Bian didn't know how to comfort Queen Mother He.

It is not surprising that people nowadays die at any age.

"When he was young, he liked to rely on me the most. He said that he would raise pigs in the future and buy me a big yard..."

Empress Dowager He was in a trance and kept talking to herself.

Liu Bian didn't speak, but just stood aside.

Liu Bian has no interest in the affairs of the old He family.

It took a while for Empress Dowager He to recover, shook her head, and said helplessly, "What did I tell you about this. What I want to tell you is about He Xian's funeral."

Speaking of this, Empress Dowager He paused, and said: "After his father's incident, He Xian has no friends. Only Cao Mengde is alone. I plan to leave the funeral to him. What do you think?"

Liu Bian originally wanted to suppress Cao Cao again, but seeing Empress Dowager He's bewildered face, he nodded and said, "Okay, I will send someone to pass on the message."

Empress Dowager He was relieved, sighed self-consciously, looked outside the palace, and said, "I heard that He Miao has been addicted to drinking and sex recently, and her health is very bad. I don't know when she will suddenly disappear again."

Liu Bian understood why Queen Mother He was so sad, and shook his head secretly.

Because of Empress Dowager He's soaring heights, the He family didn't know how to advance or retreat, and ended up like this today.

On the other side, Xun Yu, Xi Zhi just left the palace and went straight to Hu Cao.

Calling Xun You, the three of them sat down and discussed things.

Xi Zhicai coughed twice, and said: "From your Majesty's words, it is not difficult to judge that your Majesty is aware of the false reporting of money and food, corruption and lawlessness to the local government, but how much you know, it is impossible to judge."

Hearing this, Xun You said thoughtfully, "I'm afraid I knew about it before he succeeded to the throne. I remember that His Majesty had talked about this with me the year before last."

Xun Yu glanced at him and said, "Your Majesty wants us to concentrate on advancing the registration of Qingzhang's farmland and householders."

Xun You suddenly understood, and said, "Are you worried about the state treasury?"

Xun Yu said: "Jizhou, Qingzhou, Yanzhou and other places need a lot of money and food, and now they are basically raised by themselves. This is not a long-term solution."

Xun You and Xi Zhicai looked at each other, lost in thought.

Local governments raise money and food, recruit troops, and even appoint officials, big and small. Although it is a last resort, it also contains unpredictable dangers!
Now Yizhou and Yizhou Mu Liuyan, which are hardly mentioned by the ruling and opposition parties, are the biggest danger!

Liu Yan turned a deaf ear to the court's orders, and even used the emperor's utensils. The court could only pretend to be deaf and dumb, and had no choice but to do anything.

Now, except for Qingzhou, Sili, Yanzhou, and other places, this is the case.

For example, Lu Bu in Xuzhou, Gongsun Zan in Yuzhou, and Cao Cao in Qingzhou.

They have almost no reliance on the imperial court. Once they lose their 'awe' or 'loyalty', they will be a prince.

In the world of big men, let them compete!

"Now, the key place is Qingzhou!" Xun You said solemnly.

The northern states, aside from the two states, Bingzhou, Sili, and Yanzhou are all under the control of the imperial court, followed by the newly established Jizhou and Youzhou in the north.

Jizhou Mu is Ying Shao. This person has insufficient prestige, and there is a high probability that he will not mess around, and he is guarded by Zhang Liao.

But Youzhou is exhausted, with vast land and few people, little food and few soldiers, and Liu Yu is the shepherd of Youzhou, so there is basically nothing to worry about.

On the contrary, in Qingzhou, Cao Cao made an emergency landing of a million Yellow Turban troops, and got 10,000+ young and strong to form an army. Although he obeyed the order of the Da Sima Mansion to "garrison the fields", with so many soldiers and horses in his hands, the court was very uneasy.

Especially in the recent case of Xia Houyuan, the court tacitly magnified the matter, obviously to take the opportunity to suppress Cao Cao.

Xi Zhicai's eyes were a bit stern, and he said: "I see Cao Cao as a man with a fierce face, and he is not a person who is willing to live under others for a long time. Once he gains power, the court may find it difficult to restrain him."

At this time, a small official knocked on the door outside and said: "Shangshu, General Cao sent someone to ask for money and food."

Xun Yu looked as usual, and said, "As usual."

According to the usual practice, it is sent away directly.

The poorer the state treasury, the more people want money and food. The most important thing for Hu Cao every day is to deal with officials big and small from everywhere asking for money and food.

The little official didn't leave, but instead said: "Shang Shu, General Cao was ordered to host He Xian's funeral, and this is the reason why he asked for it."

Xun Yu didn't know He Xian well, so he looked at Xun You, who was once a staff member of the General's Palace.

Xun You knew that He Xian was gone, recalled some of He Jin's favors, nodded lightly, and said: "Most of the people in the court are related to the general, let's pay some."

Xun Yu turned his head and said, "How much?"

"Return to Shangshu, 300 million." The little official said.

Xun Yu was stunned for a moment, He Xian's funeral only cost 300 million?

"Give it to him." Xun Yu said.

The little official responded, turned and left.

Xi Zhicai was a little surprised, and said, "Your Majesty, is Cao Cao still important?"

Xun You thought that Liu Bian had forcibly protected Cao Cao along the way, and said, "Cao Cao is not necessary in Qingzhou. I suggest that Cao Cao stay in Beijing for now."

Xi Zhicai immediately said: "I agree, but, will His Majesty agree? Besides, what should we do if something happens again in Qingzhou?"

Xun You thought for a while, and said, "Then let Cao Cao move his army, and let Shijun Zhu take over the entire Qingzhou. With Shijun Zhu's ability, it shouldn't be a big problem."

But Xun Yu said, "Shijun Zhu is indeed capable, but lacks courage."

Xi Zhi took a look at him and understood what Xun Yu's 'courage' meant.

Zhu Jun has been in Qingzhou for more than two years, but he can only hold back the Yellow Turban Army, and he has been exposed repeatedly. It is not because he is not capable enough, nor is the court's support too little, but because Zhu Jun lacks Huangfusong's "spiciness".

Huangfusong was able to slaughter cities and build capitals, and he was merciless in killing and surrendering.

In this regard, Cao Cao is even more ruthless than Huang Fusong. For the sake of "victory", Cao Cao can do whatever it takes!

But Zhu Jun couldn't do it.

Therefore, once the Yellow Turban Army surged again, Zhu Jun would not be able to control the situation at all.

Xun You frowned deeply, and began to seriously think about candidates.

There is no shortage of generals in the current imperial court, but there is no second one who can control the complicated situation in Qingzhou!
Seeing that Xun You and Xi Zhicai were thinking hard, Xun Yu said, "Let's put this matter aside for now and talk about the Taicang matter."

Taicang, that is, the treasury.

Xun You suppressed Cao Cao's matter and said: "Your Majesty wants to clear the registration of Zhang's land and households, so that he can never keep up with solving the problem. This is a state affairs, and we should support it. However, we are also responsible for alleviating the emptiness of the national treasury." , can’t avoid it, otherwise, when the money is spent, I won’t be able to explain it to His Majesty.”

Xi Zhicai also nodded, the request from the palace, they have to do it, it is their responsibility, and they can't be perfunctory and ignore it because of this request.

Xun Yu said: "Well, let's make a detailed plan, cooperate with Li Cao and Yu Shitai, and keep an eye on Xia Liang."

Xun You sat up straighter and said, "Okay. Next month, I plan to go out of Beijing and walk around from Sili to Bingzhou and then to Jizhou."

Xi Zhicai glanced at him and said, "Should Yushitai send someone to be easygoing?"

Because Xi Zhicai is the performance of Sanyang County, he is highly valued in Yushitai, not only his quality has been improved, but his power has also been greatly increased.

Xun You thought for a while, and said, "My trip this time is mainly to appease, and I shouldn't make any big moves. I don't want Yushitai. By the way, I heard that Wang Jingxing is still in Beijing?"

Jingxing, Wang Lang's character.

Xun Yu looked at him with doubts in his eyes, and said, "Didn't you say that he is going to be transferred to Xingcao Youshilang?"

Xun You was taken aback, and said, "Official Cao didn't have such a proposal. Is it Shang Shutai's idea, or the palace?"

According to the current system, it is either recommended by a big person or appointed by the palace. Otherwise, the big and small officials are basically selected by Li Cao first, and then reported to the public for discussion.

When Xi Zhi saw Xun You say this, he said, "I've also heard such a saying, since Li Cao didn't have one. So, is it the Prime Minister's intention?"

As we all know, the only "partner" of Prime Minister Yang Biao is his family's Mr. Xixi, the prefect of Sanyang County, Wang Lang.

Xun Yu looked moved, and then said: "Leave him alone. The salt field in Jizhou has been cleaned up, Zhicai, I want you to watch over it."

Xi Zhicai was sickly, shook his head and said, "I don't have soldiers in my hand, so I can't stand it. You might as well go to Han Bin."

Xun You took a panoramic view of the conversation between the two, coughed, and pretended to cover up: "Not long ago, Huangcheng Mansion, Jizhou Mu, and Huben Zhonglang jointly wrote to me, saying that yes, they will jointly take over the salt farm. The operation and arrangement of officials are still decided by Li Cao and Hu Cao."

Xi Zhicai was stunned, and said, "This..."

Xun Yu said, "Imperial City Mansion?"

Xun You hesitated to speak, and glanced at Xi Zhicai.

Xi Zhicai smiled unconsciously, and said: "Why don't you and your uncles and nephews know me that well? The Imperial City Mansion, with the second son of Huangfu as the school lieutenant, specializes in spying. It is appointed by His Majesty, not under the Taiwan Pavilion."

(End of this chapter)