Han family achievements

Chapter 552 New Trends and Newcomers
As Zhong Yao finished speaking, Xu Yan came over from not far away and said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Personnel is urging Minister Wang to return to Cao as soon as possible."

Liu Bian groaned and said to Wang Lang, "You can go home."

Wang Lang sat there, stunned. What was going on? Did the officials come to the palace to look for him?
Without waiting for him to figure it out, he looked at Liu Bian's gentle smile and quickly raised his hand and said, "Yes, I'll take my leave."

Liu Bian poured another cup of tea and drank it.

Liu Zhang, Yuan Shao and their ilk simply felt fear because the imperial court was becoming increasingly powerful, so they used various means to "appease" the court, delay time and observe the situation.

But Liu Bian's main focus was not on them. He drank a sip of tea, looked at Xun Yu, and said with a smile: "Prime Minister, I heard that many people defended those rebels, and the three judicial officials were under great pressure?"

Xun Yu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this is indeed true."

Xun You hesitated for a moment, paying attention to Liu Bian's expression, and said, "Your Majesty, recently there have been an increasing number of impeachments against the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Supreme Court, and there is quite a bit of evidence among them."

Liu Bian sat cross-legged, drinking tea, his eyes slowly swept over the faces of Xun Yu, Zhong Yao, Xun You, and Cao Cao, then he put down the teacup and said, "Put the teacup back, this one is not well brewed."

The four people didn't understand what Liu Bian meant, and responded by putting the teacups back one by one.

Liu Bian picked up the teapot again, changed the water, and changed the tea leaves. He performed the complicated process skillfully and smoothly.

Xun Yu, Zhong Yao, Xun You and others looked at each other secretly, with serious expressions on their faces.

After Liu Bian put down the teapot, Xun Yu said, "Your Majesty, the court has always been fully supportive of the suppression of rebellion, but other corruption cases cannot be tolerated, especially the criminal secretary Xu You. There are more than 20 letters and documents accusing him of seizing people's land, killing officials and civilians, accepting bribes, bullying subordinates, and even accepting expensive gifts from Liu Zhang, Yuan Shao, etc...."

Liu Bian looked at the teapot that was already bubbling with steam, interrupted Xun Yu and said, "Prime Minister, everything should be done step by step, don't be impatient, and don't try to become fat all at once. Xu You has many problems, but in this storm, he did not get involved and held on to the bottom line, which is commendable. In addition, I want to say that whenever there is a war, there are always people pointing fingers in the rear and attacking the generals. Since ancient times, there have been countless bloody lessons. I think that before and during the war, the court should not It is better not to discuss too much about the war in the front. Military affairs are different. Few people know about it. Those who know it should make the decision. Others should not get involved. After the war, this should also be said. If you lose, you must review it. That is also the job of those who know about military affairs. Especially after victory, some people will nitpick, sing and dance, drink and point out the situation, and criticize the victorious generals. Those who don’t know will think that they won the battle. This kind of counterattack and attack on meritorious officials must be sufficiently restricted..."

Xun Yu, Xun You, Zhong Yao, and Cao Cao all bowed, as if listening to the emperor's teachings.

Liu Bian glanced at a few people, picked up the teapot, slowly poured tea into the cup, and said lightly: "Not only the three judicial officials, but also all the reports of accusations, attacks, and framing of the generals who have recently suppressed the rebellion, I have kept them all and just pretended not to have seen them. From now on, all matters involving wars and military generals will be handed over to the Grand Marshal's Office and the Military Department for disposal, and will not be discussed by the court. For the memorials of remonstrance, the Shangshutai will screen and read them. Those who wantonly attack, talk nonsense, and point fingers at the country will be warned by the Shangshutai in advance. If they continue to act recklessly and seek fame, they will be expelled from the court and forbidden to submit letters. If they do not change after repeated warnings, they will never be employed again!"

When Xun Yu and the others heard Liu Bian's words, they knew that some of their plans had failed, and they all raised their hands and said, "Your Highness, I accept your order."

Liu Bian poured tea and handed the first cup to Prime Minister Xun Yu, saying, "Prime Minister, do you have any other questions?"

Xun Yu took the teacup, looked thoughtful, and said, "Your Majesty, the current priority is to keep the people safe, and the biggest difficulty in this regard is money and grain."

Xun You and Zhong Yao lowered their heads, raised their eyelids calmly, and pricked up their ears.

In this vigorous anti-bandit campaign, countless noble families were implicated, and the spoils were "considerable". However, it was learned from their channels that Zhang Liao had transported back twenty ships in Pengcheng, which contained no money or food, but only valuable items such as gold, silver, and jewelry.

The money and food filled up the military camp, and the soldiers took three days and three nights to count them!

All the huge wealth that Zuo Rong had accumulated over the years was confiscated.

This is only what Zuo Rong got. The spoils from other places, added together, may not be less than this!
Liu Bian drank his tea, raised his eyebrows, and couldn't help but smile and said: "Qingjia, I have already promised you millions before?"

Xun Yu remained calm and said, "Your Majesty, this chaos has had a huge impact on all states. If we want to calm it down as quickly as possible, smooth out government affairs, and calm the restless hearts of officials and people, money and grain...are indispensable."

Zhong Yao and Xun You bowed, obviously meaning the same thing.

Cao Cao seemed not to have heard it. He lowered his head, his beard covered, and his expression was unrecognizable.

Liu Bian took in the expressions of the people, and then looked at the clear tea in front of him, and suddenly smiled and said, "Second Master made a rough estimate, it should be more than 10 million strings of cash. With 10 million strings of cash, how much can the Shangshutai do?"

Xun Yu suddenly opened his eyes, rarely losing his composure, and said without thinking: "If there is 10 million, within the fifth year of Jian'an, the people of each state can be kept safe and the bad policies can be eliminated. I will definitely complete the initial goal of the 'New Deal'!"

Liu Bian took a sip of tea, looked at Cao Cao, and said, "Grand Marshal, tell me."

Xun Yu, Xun You and Zhong Yao were stunned. They had already started, so why did they turn to Cao Cao?

Cao Cao bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Grand Marshal's Office has formulated a plan for elite troops. Among them, the Imperial Guards Camp is divided into three camps, stationed in the east, west and north of Luoyang City. The Imperial Guards and city defense troops of each state will be streamlined simultaneously, and the total number of troops can be reduced by at least 100,000. Armor, equipment, and war horses will be further refined. The city defense troops will be assigned to the Shangshutai, and money and food will no longer be soldiers' wages. It is estimated that the Grand Marshal's Office can save at least one million every year..."

"This money should be given to the Shangshutai,"

Liu Bian interrupted Cao Cao and looked at Xun Yu and the other two with a calm and indifferent look, saying: "All the money and food saved from streamlining the military and government will be given to the Shangshutai."

Xun Yu raised his hands high, bowed deeply, and said, "I thank you!"

Liu Bian waved his hand and continued to make tea, saying casually: "There are many things that were difficult to do and could not be done before. Now the time is right, so take the opportunity to do them. I know that some noble families are difficult to move and cannot be killed, but they are involved in the rebellion. Youzhou, Bingzhou and many other places are sparsely populated. Move them there. Not exile, nor guard the border. Try to talk to them nicely and let them go on their own. Tian Feng... leave him alone."

Xun Yu, who had just stood up, suddenly looked solemn and said thoughtfully, "I accept your order."

Liu Bian poured the tea again, smelled the fragrance, smiled and looked towards the south, saying: "Let the Shi family and Yuan Shao continue to fight, don't stop. I have already made arrangements for Yizhou, don't worry, it won't be too difficult. The only trouble is the Three Qiang."

Zhong Yao immediately said: "Your Majesty, the Three Qiang have been divided. As long as the time is right, send a general and it will be enough to pacify them!"

Liu Bian glanced at him and said calmly: "If it were so easy, we wouldn't have let them attack Sanfu and continue fighting for so many years."

Zhong Yao was obviously worried that Liu Bian would rush to attack Liang Province, so he said again: "Your Majesty, today is different from the past. Liang Province is already poor, and the Three Qiang are in turmoil and can't take care of themselves. The Qiang, Hu and the Western Regions are divided and unable to help the Three Qiang... I think that at the latest five years, it will be a good opportunity for the court to send troops to destroy the Three Qiang and recover Liang Province!"

Liu Bian could see what he was thinking, so he looked at Cao Cao and asked, "What do you think?"

Cao Cao's expression changed, and he said, "Your Majesty, Liangzhou is a land of rugged terrain, far from the Central Plains, with a mixture of Hu and Han people, and fierce people. Once the imperial army penetrates deep into the land, it will be isolated. Even if it is conquered by force, it will not be easy to completely subjugate it. I think we should lure the three Qiang out of Qishan, gather them together and annihilate them, and then we can slowly plan for Liangzhou."

Liu Bian nodded slightly and said, "Your Excellency's words are wise and prudent. The best strategy is to attack the enemy's strategy, so let's use the strategy for now."

"I obey your order!" Cao Cao raised his hand and said. Liu Bian tasted the tea carefully again, but still shook his head and said, "Today's tea always has a strange taste. Forget it, I won't drink it. Let's just leave it at that for today."

Xun Yu, Zhong Yao, Xun You, and Cao Cao all stood up and raised their hands, saying, "We will take our leave."

Liu Bian put down his teacup and watched their backs. He glanced at Wang Lang's memorial and whispered, "There is still one thing missing."

At the same time, Wang Lang had returned to the Ministry of Personnel with a very unhappy look on his face.

"What's the matter? How dare you come to the palace to find me? Have you lost your mind? " As soon as he entered the room, Wang Lang shouted angrily, looking quite exasperated.

The official next to him followed closely in his footsteps and whispered, "Shangshu, it's not a big deal, but it's not a small deal either. Liu Bei, the right Sima, recommended hundreds of people in Jingzhou, some of whom were obviously to fill vacancies in the court. But according to the rules, some people have to participate in the imperial examinations and can only fill vacancies after being admitted. But many people's seals were stamped on Liu Bei's memorial..."

Before he could finish, Wang Lang grabbed him and said coldly, "No matter how big the matter is, you can't embarrass me in front of Your Majesty!"

As he said this, he opened it hastily, just took a quick glance, and suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Wang Lang frowned, and after reading the list, his eyes fell on the signatures at the back.

Under Liu Bei's name, some officials from Jingzhou who surrendered to him, including Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and other prominent figures from Jingzhou's great aristocratic families, were listed.

More importantly, there are also names such as Liu Biao, Chen Lin, Xi Zhicai and others.

Liu Biao is nothing, but why did Chen Lin and Xi Zhicai sign their names?

The "Yingchuan Party" has extended its hand to Jingzhou. What is their relationship with Liu Bei? Are they trying to win over Liu Bei and fight against Cao Cao?

Yuanwailang was waiting on the side. Seeing Wang Lang remained silent for a long time, he said, "Shangshu, these people don't really need to take the imperial examination. If we just let them go, I'm afraid someone will find out about it later, and it will be a handle no matter how big or small."

Wang Lang frowned and stood there thinking. Suddenly he turned to look at the official and asked, "Is that it?"

The official looked around and saw that no one was around. He walked closer and whispered, "I don't know where the news came from, but it said that the governor of Yingchuan will be chosen between Yang Xiu and Chen Qun."

"What!?" Wang Lang's face suddenly changed, and he shouted, "Where did you get the news?"

As he spoke, Wang Lang came to his senses, pulled him aside, and said with a serious expression, "Did it come from the palace?"

The official remained calm, nodded slightly, and said, "I used some connections and heard that it was spread from the Shangshutai."

Wang Lang's face was as hard as iron and his eyes kept changing.

Yang Xiu was his disciple and the only son of Yang Biao. He was the natural future leader of the "Yang Party". How could the "Yingchuan Party" allow Yang Xiu to serve as the prefect of Yingchuan?

And Chen Qun was undoubtedly a member of the "Yingchuan Party".

"What are they going to do?" Wang Lang was confused and couldn't help but talk to himself.

The Yingchuan governor has always been in the hands of the 'Yingchuan Party'. No one would touch this place, otherwise they would face a thundering attack from the 'Yingchuan Party'.

But why did the "Yingchuan Party" release the news and specifically mention Yang Xiu?

What is the conspiracy?
Wang Lang thought about it for a long time but could not come up with an answer. He asked, "Where is Yang Xiu?"

"In the palace." said the official.

Wang Lang frowned again and again, took a deep breath, and said, "I know, he's out, let him come to see me."

"Yes." said the official.

Wang Lang entered the duty room, but he was uneasy, as he couldn't guess what the "Yingchuan Party" was going to do.

The turmoil had not completely passed, but the biggest beneficiary was undoubtedly the "Yingchuan Party". The "Yingchuan Party" in various places took the opportunity to grow stronger, and almost all the people recommended were from the "Yingchuan Party". The court had no shortage of them. Even though Wang Lang was the Minister of Personnel, the real power was still in the Secretariat.

Now, the Secretariat has nominated Yang Xiu to be the prefect of Yingchuan County. What is the purpose?
Wang Lang even felt for a moment that the 'Yingchuan Party' was going to take action against him!
At this moment, Yang Xiu was indeed in the palace, in a relatively independent hall next to the Shangshutai meeting room - the duty room of Lu Yu, the Minister of the Secretariat.

Lu Yu sat in the main seat, and opposite him sat two people, Chen Qun and Yang Xiu.

In recent years, Chen Qun has spent most of his time following Zhong Yao, running around, and at the same time conducting in-depth research on the implementation and gains and losses of the "Nine-Rank Zhongzheng Method", striving to perfect it.

Therefore, his official position was not high, and even though he had a prominent family background, he had no achievements other than being famous for his talent and learning.

But Yang Xiu was different. He was a "young man" who was keen on fame. He often argued with others, quoted from classics, and his knowledge was highly recognized and praised by many great scholars.

Perhaps because his family background was too prominent, his official career was not smooth. He had a lot of experience, but he was never stable and never held an official position for long.

No matter what, these two people are outstanding among young people. If nothing unexpected happens, they will surely become prominent in the future and their names will go down in history.

In contrast, Lu Yu, who also came from a prominent family and whose father was one of the Three Dukes and a marquis, was much more low-key.

Since Lu Zhi's death, he has been kept by Liu Bian and served as the head of the palace for many years. He is not well-known, and except for the important figures in the court, not many outsiders know about him.

Chen Qun and Yang Xiu were obviously not outsiders.

They all knew that this peer of the same age was a hidden dragon in the abyss and a person who should not be underestimated!
(End of this chapter)