Han family achievements

Chapter 253 Xun You’s forbidden words
After Yang Biao, Huangfu Song, Xun You and others left, only Liu Bian and Xun Yu were left in the huge back hall.

With a smile on his face, Liu Bian got up from his chair and said with a smile: "Xunqing's house, take a seat."

Xun Yu felt inexplicably wary when he saw Liu Bian's smile, but his expression remained unchanged. He raised his hand in greeting and waited for Liu Bian to sit down before taking a seat opposite him.

Liu Bian picked up the teapot, poured a cup for Xun Yu, and said casually: "The Qing family built a step for me. Without what the Qing family said just now, it would be difficult for me to get down."

What he meant was the matter of 'dividing the land' just now.If Xun Yu doesn't answer and others object, Liu Bian will really have to work hard to convince others.

Xun Yu took the tea cup respectfully and said: "Your Majesty's sage move, other colleagues will certainly not object."

The smile on Liu Bian's face did not diminish, and he said: "The Qing family is only in their early thirties, and I can't bear to be so tired from work."

Xun Yu's face was already a bit mature, but over the past two or three years, he looked even more 'old'.

Xun Yu bowed and said, "It's not because of the government affairs, it's all because of the ministers themselves."

Liu Bian saw that Xun Yu was unusually respectful and talked more than usual. Knowing that he had guessed it, he took a sip of tea and organized his words in his mind, saying, "The Qing family really thinks that other Qing families will not object?"

Xun Yu looked thoughtful and said: "It should be five to five."

Among smart people, there is no need to point it out, their minds are like mirrors.

"The number of five or five?"

Liu Bian shook his head and said, "It would be great to achieve something. Do the Qing family think this can be done?"

Seeing Liu Bian going straight in, Xun Yu's face became serious, his eyes were very calm, and he said: "Your Majesty, more than [-]% of the land of my great man is in the hands of aristocratic families. If the imperial court wants to divide it further, there will be strong opposition from the imperial court to the local government. If If you insist on doing it, I'm afraid the world will be in chaos."

Liu Bian smiled, looked directly at Xun Yu, and said, "Then... what is the attitude of the Qing family?"

'Dividing acres' is a very sensitive and even terrifying matter.Even though the northern states have long been beaten to pieces, the aristocratic family is already a behemoth. If the court wants to divide their land again, their backlash will easily destroy the weak Han Dynasty!
Xun Yu's face did not change, he raised his hand and said: "I agree. The foundation of the country lies in the people, not the aristocratic families."

Xun Yu's words showed his attitude, but he stopped abruptly.

Liu Bian knew Xun Yu's scruples, and they were also his scruples.

However, Liu Bian smiled slightly and said, "Qing family, have you ever eaten tofu?"

Xun Yu was a little confused and said, "I have eaten it."

Liu Bian raised his hand, making a gesture of holding a knife, and said: "There are many ways to eat tofu. One of them is to eat it piece by piece. If you eat too much in one go, your mouth will be burned easily and your belly will be burst."

Xun Yu was a top-notch smart man. He understood it instantly and said: "What your Majesty means is not to be coordinated by the court, but to proceed from the local area, in small steps and slowly, bit by bit. To a certain extent, even those aristocratic families When the big players react, it won’t help?”

Liu Bian blinked. What he was thinking was that according to the imperial court's order, he should complete the work piece by piece from north to south, but Xun Yu's method seemed better and more appropriate.

Subconsciously picking up the tea cup to cover up his embarrassment, Liu Bian nodded after a moment and said, "The Qing family is right. The Qing family will take charge of this matter, starting with Sili, and divide the unclaimed land first."

Xun Yu felt relieved when he saw that Liu Bian was not impatient. He let go of his excessive tension. His thoughts gradually became more agile and he said: "Your Majesty, this matter must be kept secret. It can only be done but not said."

Liu Bian hummed, thought about it carefully, and said pretentiously: "Although I have hinted it many times, I have not said it explicitly. I guess they won't think too much about it."

Xun Yu pretended not to hear and said, "Sili, do you want to set up another Sili captain?"

Liu Bian shook his head directly and said, "No."

Seeing this, Xun Yu was silent for a while and said: "Then, how about if Luoyang Mansion takes over again, let Luoyang Mansion take charge of Sili?"

Liu Bian understood what Xun Yu meant and looked thoughtful.

The reason why he refused to give up the Sili Colonel was because the Sili Colonel had too much power. Yuan Shu was the Sili Colonel at the beginning, and he massacred more than 5000 people in Luoyang City overnight!
This is shocking to everyone!

Now the entire Sili is under the direct jurisdiction of Shangshutai. Now if we want to promote the 'land division', Shangshutai cannot come forward and it needs to be implemented by the local government.

After thinking for a long time, Liu Bian nodded and said: "Yes, but the troops and horses of Sili are under the direct control of the Grand Sima Mansion. The commanders of the counties and counties are under the control of the Bing Cao."

Not long after Liu Bian ascended the throne, he had been promoting the "separation of military and political affairs", which meant depriving military power from local officials in order to curb the emergence of local princes.

Sili is a special place, and its implementation has always been very good, but there are also many remaining problems.

For example, the governor of Suzhou, the county and county governors, and the county guards and county magistrates often had to serve as concurrent responsibilities for each other to deal with emergencies.

In general, the Han Dynasty was not stable enough and its policies were not implemented thoroughly enough.

"I accept the order." Xun Yu raised his hand and said when Liu Bian agreed.

Liu Bian looked at him, leaned over, and whispered with cold eyes: "I know the attitude of the Qing family. I also know that Xun You and Zhong Yao are against it. What is the prime minister's attitude?"

Xun Yu's slightly mature face moved and said, "I don't know."

Yang Biao's attitude has always been ambiguous. Liu Bian always whips him before making any move. Normally, he always says "I know" to everyone and never expresses his position.

Liu Bian maintained his posture, stared at him closely, and said, "If he becomes an official, who will replace him?"

Xun Yu's face was slightly startled, but he immediately calmed down and said, "I don't know."

Liu Bian stared at him for a while, then sat back, reached for the tea cup and took a sip, and then said with a smile: "This year we have to pay off a debt of 20, and there is still a deficit of [-], what do the Qing family think? ?”

Xun Yu sat up straighter and said: "Your Majesty, Hu Cao has already made some arrangements. As for the debts borrowed, the debts can be temporarily repaid through the bank and the debts can be transferred to the bank. Regarding the deficit, Hu Cao can increase revenue and reduce expenditure. The northern states have just decided , although there is a lot of money, the bank, Shihouzhi, and salt administration can all be implemented smoothly. It is not difficult to collect [-] million before the end of the year. "

"Low taxes, big expenditures,"

Liu Bian smiled and said: "The national treasury deficit will only get bigger and bigger. Now that the situation in the south has suddenly changed, the Qing family must be more prepared."

Xun Yu's expression suddenly became serious. He sat up straight and raised his hand: "Your Majesty, we must contain Dong Zhuo and never start another war!"

From the time Liu Bian succeeded to the throne, no, it should be said from the Qiang rebellion, the court's expenditures have increased day by day, to the Yellow Turban Army and now, the Han Dynasty has been fighting almost non-stop for almost 50 years!

This kind of consumption is simply unimaginable!
When it comes to Liu Bian, even if he uses the so-called "New Deal" to try to restore some vitality, judging from the current situation, not only is it not helpful, but it has become a drag.

For example, since Liu Bian succeeded to the throne, the imperial court could not provide a penny of money or food for the conquests in various places. All the leading generals, state shepherds, and county guards had to raise their own funds.

Three or four years later, the court not only had no money, but also suffered a huge deficit.

So much so that Xun Yu said these words.

Liu Bian picked up the tea cup again and drank tea by himself.

Xun Yu had been in the imperial court for several years and had spent many days with Liu Bian, so he knew that his majesty often avoided problems by drinking tea.

He raised his hands and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, if Cao Cao's move does not comply with the orders of the Grand Sima Mansion and His Majesty, he is using his troops without authorization and deceiving the emperor. This is a serious crime that cannot be pardoned. Your Majesty must not tolerate it!"

Liu Bian took a sip of tea and said with a smile: "After all, he is a general who shows off his power and has the right to do things for his own convenience. If I use this reason to deal with him, I'm afraid the government and the public will not accept it. So, I will issue an edict to reprimand him. As for the Dong Zhuo that the Qing family said , I will discuss it with Grand Sima again. The energy of the Qing family must still be used on the 'New Deal'."

Xun Yu looked at Liu Bian and said sternly: "Your Majesty, if you love a minister too closely, you will endanger your life; if you are too noble, you will change the throne; if you have no concubine, you will endanger your legitimate son; if you disobey your brothers, you will endanger the country. A traitorous minister Fans are dying, and the main way is declining..."

Liu Bian's eyes suddenly narrowed and he stared at Xun Yu deeply.

These few words of Xun Yu obviously did not come out casually. Perhaps he had written the memorial long ago but did not submit it. Now he took advantage of the opportunity and blurted it out.

The 'loving minister' refers to Cao Cao; the 'concubine Wu Wait' refers to Liu Bian's failure to establish a prince; the 'brother' refers to Liu Xie; should the 'treacherous minister' refer to Dong Zhuo or Cao Cao?

In a few simple words, Xun Yu made the most important and taboo issues clear at the moment.

"Let me play it in your notebook." Liu Bian said calmly.Seeing Liu Bian's indifference, Xun Yu felt helpless and could only raise his hand and said: "I accept the order and retire."

Xun Yu stood up and retreated. Lu Yu happened to come in from outside and quickly turned to greet Xun Yu.

After Xun Yu left, Lu Yu came in, saluted, and held up a memorial: "Your Majesty, Mr. Zuo has arrived in Yingchuan."

Liu Bian hummed, took it over, opened it and looked at it.

The content of Zuo Li's memorial is rather simple. He bluntly stated that Guan Yu, who was stationed in Yingchuan, was extremely strict, supported by the officials and the people, and managed the army well. He missed his brother a lot.

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows and couldn't help but sigh: "What a good brother..."

Guan Yu wanted to transfer back to Hanzhong more than once to stay with his good brother Liu Bei.

Liu Bian put the memorial aside, smiled with Lu Yu, and said, "Have you noticed that people in Luoyang City and outside Luoyang City have their thoughts."

Lu Yu knew that Liu Bian had something to say, so he bowed and did not dare to say anything.

Liu Bian looked out the door, his eyes moving slightly.

Xun You and Zhong Yao were openly or covertly opposed to the "division of land". As the largest party in the imperial court, the leaders of the "Yingchuan Party", their thoughts were almost the same as those of the government and the opposition.

Xun Yu also had reservations and mentioned some sensitive things.

'After all, they are all from aristocratic families...'

Liu Bian looked outside the door, and in just a short moment, countless thoughts went through his mind.

The aristocratic families were entrenched in every inch of the blood vessels of the Han Dynasty, and they could not do without them. But if they were allowed to continue to gnaw on them, the Han Dynasty would only have one way to perish.

After thinking for a while, Liu Bian looked at Lu Yu and said, "How is Hongdu School doing now? Does it have any talents?"

Lu Yu bowed, with a fair but calm face. He recalled for a while and said, "Your Majesty, no, less than one-twentieth of Hongdu School has been admitted to the major exams."

Liu Bian nodded and sighed inwardly.

As the saying goes, "It is difficult for a poor family to produce a noble son," let alone the common people.

With solidified classes, meager resources, and fierce competition, the common people's way out is basically blocked.

"Take your time." Liu argued.

Seeing this, Lu Yu quickly said: "Your Majesty, there is news from Langya County that the old mother of the prefect Zhao Yu is sick and asks to return home to take care of her."

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows, couldn't help but sit down cross-legged, and began to think carefully.

Xuzhou is now divided into three parts, the northernmost Langya County is in the hands of the imperial court, the southernmost Guangling County is in the hands of Sun Jian, and the middle one is in the hands of Lu Bu.

"It's time to make some preparations..."

Liu Bian muttered to himself, and then said: "Send a message to the Grand Sima Mansion. First, transfer Huang Zhong to Yanzhou to replace Xu Rong. Xu Rong led [-] troops and stationed in Langya County to supervise military affairs. Cao Cao supervised Yingchuan and Runan. , Chen Guo's three counties. Then send a message to Shangshutai and order him to give orders to Sun Jian, Wu Jing and others, ordering them to recommend Yangzhou Mu."

The previous Yangzhou shepherd was Liu Biao, who was stabbed to death by his adopted son Lu Bu in public.

"Yes." Lu Yu responded.

Liu Bian picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea and said, "How is Liu Yan's condition?"

Liu Yan had been rumored to be seriously ill and asked Liu Zhang to return to Yizhou, but it took a year or two and he still didn't die.

Lu Yu said: "There is no news, but every now and then, Yizhou will send a letter to the court."

Liu Bian snorted and said, "Are you reluctant to die, or are you reluctant to leave Yizhou's foundation?"

Lu Yu bowed and did not dare to say anything.

Liu Yan's disloyalty has long been obvious. In Yizhou, not only the local emperors, but also the emperor's utensils were used!
……

On the other side, Xun You and Zhong Yao left the palace first and returned to Li Cao.

Xun You looked worried and said, "Yuan Chang, what do you think of today's events?"

Zhong Yao always had a serious face and said: "Judging from your majesty's understatement, I probably won't question Cao Cao."

Xun You frowned and said, "If Cao Cao is not punished, how will the imperial court suppress Dong Zhuo once he rebels? The state of the treasury cannot withstand the slightest effort."

Zhong Yao said: "I'm worried not about this, but that your Majesty seems to be confident and planning something else."

Xun You was startled, then he reacted and said, "Your Majesty is unwilling to speak out. Could it be that it's a big deal?"

Zhong Yao vaguely thought about it, and nodded calmly: "The summer grain is not increasing but decreasing, the national treasury is in deficit, and the debt is due, the total number is 30, and your Majesty has not mentioned a word."

Xun You looked at Zhong Yao, but didn't understand, and said, "You mean, your Majesty may have to raise taxes?"

Raising taxes is the longest thing that the last dynasties in history have done, but it is also a reminder. No one will do it unless it is a last resort.

Seeing that Xun You didn't think of it, Zhong Yao said, "Let's talk about Dong Zhuo."

Xun You was a little irritable and worried now, and his thoughts were not so clear. When Zhong Yao changed the subject, he said: "We must prepare early. Once Dong Zhuo openly rebels, we need to suppress it as soon as possible and make a quick decision without delaying it."

"What do you mean?" Zhong Yao asked.

Xun You said with a stern face: "We need someone with enough weight to 'explain' something to Dong Zhuo."

Zhong Yao shook his head and said, "Your Majesty has already refused."

Xun You said: "This matter cannot be done openly, so we need to do it secretly."

Zhong Yao immediately understood and said thoughtfully: "There is a way, I think, Fu Zhongcheng."

Xun You heard that he was done with it. He thought about it again and said, "It still doesn't work. It would look too cowardly for the imperial court."

Zhong Yao thought about the officials of the government and the public for a while, and said: "It is best not to have an official position, but to have an identity."

Xun You nodded and suddenly said: "Yes, Zhang Wen!"

"That's him!" Zhong Yao said excitedly: "In addition to Dong Zhuo, you can also go to Wu County."

Zhang Wen, this person is similar to the so-called "Three Heroes of the Late Han Dynasty". He made great contributions in suppressing the Yellow Turban Army and fighting the Qiang rebellion. He once held the rank of Taiwei.

People like Dong Zhuo and Sun Jian were all his subordinates!

Xun You felt reassured and said, "I will go and talk to him personally."

Zhong Yao also breathed a sigh of relief. If Dong Zhuo could be appeased, the pressure on the court would be greatly reduced. In another three to five years, the court would be able to recover.

Xun You looked at Zhong Yao and said, "The only one left is Cao Cao."

Zhong Yao frowned subconsciously and said: "Your Majesty's intention to protect you is very obvious, so don't move around for now."

Xun You said, "Cao Cao is so bold and reckless, can he be tolerated? Looking at him since he became an official, has he followed the rules at all? If he continues to indulge like this, is there anything else that he wouldn't dare to do?"

(End of this chapter)