Han family achievements

Chapter 592 Management
Luoyang.

Liu Bian walked slowly in the heavy snow, feeling the crispness of the ground under his feet, especially the squeaking sound, which made him feel very comfortable.

Behind him followed Prime Minister Xun Yu, Grand Marshal Cao Cao, as well as Minister of War Huangfu Jianshou, Minister of Personnel Wang Lang, and the head manager of the royal money shop Liu Ba.

Huangfu Jianshou held a stack of official documents in his hand and said to Liu Bian with a smile on his face: "Your Majesty, Yuan Shao was at least a hero. I never thought that his two sons were more incompetent than the other. The pacification of Yangzhou was not due to my bias, but it really cannot be attributed to the credit of the generals."

When these words were spoken, there was no objection, instead everyone laughed.

Cao Cao followed Liu Bian to the right and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I agree with Minister Huangfu's words. If I were not worried about damaging the morale of the army, I would have written a letter to reprimand them. They are just two ignorant young men. They are dragging their feet and acting as if they were facing a great enemy. This really damages the dignity of the court."

Liu Bian listened to their comments on Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang, and couldn't help but smile and waved his hand, saying: "This is something we should talk about between the king and his subjects, don't let it spread."

But I sighed in my heart, thinking that Guan Gong's heroic feat of flooding seven armies would never happen again.

Cao Cao and Huangfu Jianshou both responded with a smile, looking relaxed and without any restraint.

After walking a few steps, Cao Cao said again: "Your Majesty, I have already transferred 10,000 men from Huang Zhong's army. Huang Zhong will be transferred to Hanzhong, and Xiahou Yuan will continue to conquer various places in Liang Province. Zhang Liao and others will be responsible for the aftermath of Yangzhou. Guan Yu will retreat and station troops in Wuling to monitor Xichuan."

Liu Bian immediately understood what Cao Cao meant and turned around and asked, "Have you discussed this?"

Xun Yu sighed inwardly and said with a smile: "Yes, I think that starting next year, we can at least put pressure on Liu Zhang."

In his opinion, he was still a little anxious and could wait a little longer.

But the court easily pacified Yangzhou this time, which boosted the morale of the court and the people. The voice of "stabilizing the country in one fell swoop" was so loud that it reached Luoyang.

Even as prime minister, Xun Yu had to consider the attitudes of the court and the public.

Liu Bian glanced at a few people and continued walking forward.

Hanzhong is the bridgehead for entering Yizhou from the east, while Wuling County is the only way to enter Xichuan from Jingzhou.

The situation is very obvious as we are being attacked from both the east and the west.

Liu Bian paced back and forth, pondering in his heart.

Compared with the "radicalism" of the court, Liu Bian preferred to be more cautious.

The 'New Deal' has already begun to show results, and it would be best to stabilize it for three to five years. Liu Zhang is not Yuan Shao, so he can definitely drag it out.

"I heard that Liu Bei's takeover of Jiaozhi was not very smooth?" Liu Bian said.

Cao Cao and Xun Yu looked at each other, not knowing what the emperor was thinking, and continued, "Yes. The Shi family has been operating in Jiaozhou for many years and is deeply rooted. Many people resist the court taking over."

Liu Bian hummed and said, "We should use the means when necessary. Killing them won't be a big problem. Let's do this. Liu Bei will temporarily take over Jiaozhou and supervise the military affairs of Jiaozhou and Jingzhou. Huang Zhong can station troops in Hanzhong, but all the troops should be transferred to Xiahou Yuan. Tell Xiahou Yuan to be more ruthless, especially to the Qiang, Di and other Yi peoples. Some blood feuds should be settled."

"I understand." Cao Cao responded calmly.

The Qiang, Di and other ethnic minorities were the root cause of the chaos in Liangzhou. They were also the culprits who attacked the Three Prefectures and marked the beginning of the decline of the Han Dynasty.

Xun Yu remained silent. He heard the sound of swords and weapons in Liu Bian's plain voice.

It can be imagined that Xiahou Yuan would go on a killing spree in Liang Province.

"Let's just leave it at that for now,"

Liu Bian smiled more and said, "The affairs in Yangzhou will be handed over to you nobles to deal with. The governor of Yangzhou and the general of Yangzhou must be decided as soon as possible."

"Yes." Xun Yu and Cao Cao responded.

Liu Bian arrived in front of the Imperial College and looked at the huge stone tablet in the distance. The word "Imperial College" on it was clearly visible. He seemed to suddenly remember something and turned around and said, "By the way, Mr. Liu, what's your business?"

Liu Ba hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I am here to collect a debt."

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows, turned around to look at Xun Yu, and said with a smile: "Prime Minister, are you refusing to pay your debt again?"

Xun Yu already knew Liu Ba's purpose, so he was not in a hurry and said, "It's not that I am refusing to pay the debt, but I am just delaying it. I have already discussed with Manager Liu and will pay it back in March next year."

Liu Ba's mouth twitched, but he still said with a stiff face: "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister borrowed more than 10 million from the Royal Money Shop. I used the principal of my deposit. If the Prime Minister does not return it on time, the money shop may not be able to exchange the depositors' money. This is related to the credit of the Royal Money Shop. I dare not be careless. Please understand your majesty."

Liu Bian frowned and asked, "Did you use the principal?"

Liu Ba looked at Liu Bian's expression, and his heart skipped a beat. He knelt on the snow with a plop and said, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is urging me to borrow money, and this is related to suppressing the rebellion. I, I, I have no choice but to borrow it..."

Liu Bian put his hands behind his back and said, "For the Royal Money Shop, breaking one's word is unacceptable even once. Prime Minister, how much more do you need?"

Xun Yu bowed and said, "The total amount is seven million strings of cash."

Liu Bian was startled and asked in surprise: "So many?"

He knew that Xun Yu had borrowed money from the Royal Money Shop, but he didn't expect the amount to be as high as seven million strings of cash!

Xun Yu said: "Yes, the expenses in the past few years have been very high, plus the debts accumulated over the years, they are increasing, reaching 7 million."

"I have really been a little lazy,"

Liu Bian blamed himself and said, "How much can I pay back now?"

Xun Yu lowered his head and said, "Two hundred."

"Two million?" Liu Bian thought about it, but felt that something was wrong.

Sure enough, Xun Yu then said, "Two million coins."

Liu Bian didn't know what to say, so he looked at Liu Ba who was still kneeling on the ground and said, "Stand up and talk." Liu Ba responded, stood up carefully, bowed his head and stood aside, not daring to breathe.

He was probably the first person in history to ask the prime minister for a debt in front of the emperor.

Xun Yu glanced at Liu Ba and said, "Your Majesty, Taicang really has no money now. We have to wait until March next year when the salt tax comes in before we can return part of it."

Liu Ba lowered his head and said nothing.

Those few words just now had used up all his courage.

Liu Bian subconsciously put his hands behind his back, looked at Xun Yu, then at Liu Ba, feeling a little strange.

These two people brought the lawsuit right in front of him. One of them demanded the money by force regardless of his official status, while the other refused to give it without caring about his dignity.

What is this for?
There must always be something to seek.

After careful consideration, Liu Bian suddenly had an idea and narrowed his eyes. He asked, "Are you planning to take the spoils?"

Just as Liu Ba was about to speak, Xun Yu spoke first, saying, "Your Majesty, this war cost a lot of money, and Taicang owed a huge debt. No matter from which point of view, the spoils of war should be disposed of by the Shangshutai."

Liu Ba wanted to speak, but he glanced at Liu Bian secretly and then lowered his head back.

Cao Cao and Huangfu Jianshou acted as if it had nothing to do with them and deliberately avoided the matter, as if they had not heard it.

Everyone knows that the Royal Money Shop is the Inner Treasury, which is the private property of His Majesty the Emperor.

Xun Yu is obviously trying to steal money from Your Majesty!

Liu Bian looked at Xun Yu, pondering in his heart.

Over the years, he has been providing blood transfusions to the court. The money that the Royal Money Shop "lent" to the Shangshu Tai totals nearly 10 billion, but more has been taken out than returned.

This is an abnormal behavior and is not conducive to the future development of the money shop and the court.

'It's time to sort it out.'

Liu Bian thought for a while and said to Liu Ba, "How about this: all the spoils confiscated from Yangzhou will be given to the Royal Money House."

"His Majesty,"

Xun Yu wanted to speak immediately. The court was exhausted. All people and things were waiting to eat the spoils.

Liu Bian raised his hand to stop him, saying, "But the account between the Royal Money Shop and the Taicang should be settled here. From now on, if the Shangshutai borrows money, you must follow the money shop's rules and return it on time. If you don't return it, the money shop will follow the rules and go to the Supreme Court to sue, don't bother me."

Liu Ba opened his mouth, looking stunned.

He came to ask for money, but not only did he not get any, he also wanted to "settle the account"?
On the contrary, Xun Yu breathed a sigh of relief. With this money, he no longer had to pay off the debt to the Royal Money Shop. He breathed a sigh of relief and felt light all over.

Huangfu Jianshou and Cao Cao looked at each other and said nothing.

They all knew that the Royal Money Shop lent Taicang at least five million strings of cash, which was no small amount.

Liu Bian looked at Liu Ba's expression and said, "Your Wujun branch has received a large sum of money recently. You should go there in person, sort it out, and bring it back."

Liu Ba was stunned, somewhat confused, and asked cautiously: "Your Majesty, how many are there?"

Liu Bian glanced at him indifferently.

Liu Ba immediately said, "Yes, I will leave for Wujun today."

Huangfu Jianshou instantly thought of his eccentric younger brother and shook his head secretly.

However, I think the military pay will be there next year.

"Then this matter ends here."

Liu Bian solved this troublesome matter and continued to walk forward, smiling and saying: "I have heard a lot in the past few days. Many people sang praises to me, praising me to the highest level. Many people also shouted that they hope to move back to the old capital, and some even said that they want me to perform the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai..."

Xun Yu smiled and said, "The pacification of Yangzhou this time has established your majesty's supreme merit in reviving the Han Dynasty. The court officials' letters of praise are not all flattery. I agree with the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai."

"Your Highness and I also agree." Cao Cao and Huangfu Jianshou said in unison.

Liu Bian smiled and waved his hand, looking at the Imperial College which was just a stone's throw away, and said, "Alright, let's talk about these things later. Regarding the merger of Hongdumen School and Imperial College, I heard that there are still some different opinions in the court and the public?"

Xun Yu's expression darkened a little, and he said calmly: "Yes, some people think that common people are lowly, and allowing them to join the Imperial College will do more harm than good to the Imperial College, so it is better to separate them."

Liu Bian snorted and said, "If you look at the upper levels, which family or surname is not a commoner? Take Emperor Gaozu for example, isn't he a commoner? What's the difference between looking down on commoners and looking down on ancestors? Besides, the sage said: There is no distinction between people in education. How come they look down on even the sage? Prime Minister, you need to pay more attention."

Although he knew that the Emperor was making specious arguments, Xun Yu still raised his hand and said, "I understand."

As soon as Xun Yu finished speaking, he saw Cao Pi and He Yan sneaking out of the gate not far away and running away without looking back.

Liu Bian glanced at the two men, pretending not to see them, and asked, "Is Xun You still in Yangzhou?"

Xun Yu remained calm and said, "Yes. There are many things to do after Yangzhou is recovered. Gongda may not be able to return to Luoyang for a while."

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes. Was Xun You really going to Yangzhou for the public good?

Liu Bian hummed and said, "After Yangzhou is taken care of, let him go to Jiaozhou. The Shi family has been operating in Jiaozhou for many years, and it is not so easy for them to surrender. Let Xun You use some tricks. In addition to stationing troops in Rinnan, send another 5,000 naval forces. Yizhou and Zhuyazhou must be managed well, and can't be ignored just because they are remote..."

(End of this chapter)