I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

"This Shuiheng Bank is actually like a lagoon. If there is more money among the people, they will save money. If there is less money among the people, they will release money. It is also of great use to the country and the people."

"So, I think this is a good thing that kills three birds with one stone. What do you guys think?"

Sure enough, under the emperor's new policies, some people always suffer, while others benefit.

This time, those who were injured were the Ziqian family who made money from lending, while those who made profits were the lower-level soldiers and people.

Different from the previous times, after the emperor made this proposal, all the cabinet academicians did not have any objection, and they all called the emperor a sage.

Compared with increasing taxes, the establishment of Shuiheng Bank only harmed the interests of Zi Qian's family. There was no need for Zhang Anshi and others to stand up and oppose it.

If the rain and snowflakes didn't fall on their bodies, of course they wouldn't feel cold.

Although aristocratic families and wealthy families are often referred to together, they are actually two different interest groups.

Aristocratic families expand their families by reading scriptures or serving as officials, while wealthy families accumulate wealth through trading.

Although both are "bigger" than ordinary people, they are very different in nature, and there are even many conflicts and entanglements.

Aristocratic families look down on the ugly face of wealthy families pursuing profit, and wealthy families always want to convert their economic advantages into political advantages.

For a long time, aristocratic families had a crushing advantage over wealthy families, but wealthy families were not willing to be lonely and were always looking for opportunities to turn around.

However, under the golden rule of focusing on agriculture and suppressing business, it is of course impossible for a wealthy family to overturn the world.

Now, the new policy implemented by the emperor can slightly suppress the wealthy family, and of course it will be supported by people like Zhang Anshi.

After all, I don’t know how long it will take for a second Sang Hongyang to appear in the court.

Soon, Zhang Anshi and others followed the emperor's words and began to criticize the "evil" of the Qian family. It seemed that all evil was caused by them.

Liu He looked at Zhang Anshi and others who were filled with indignation and just thought it was a little funny - how could he attack industry, commerce and handicrafts?

In Liu He's vision, only when the three legs of agriculture, industry and commerce are strengthened can the big man become more powerful.

This great victory in the northwest is a pile of good vegetables and meat. If you cook it carefully, you can make many delicious dishes.

Liu He's promotion of Shuiheng Bank was just a small test of his skills.

This move was not intended to suppress all merchants, as Zhang Anshi and others thought.

It is simply used to suppress those "financial giants" who exploit ordinary farmers and merchants by lending money.

The commodity economy of Han Dynasty was not developed, but farmers and ordinary industrial and commercial people had capital turnover needs.

The emergence of Shuiheng Bank can satisfy their financial needs and enhance their sense of security.

In this way, land annexation can be inhibited and the development of industry and commerce can be promoted.

If something that achieves multiple goals with one stone happens to have the support of Zhang Anshi and others, it will be much easier to implement.

Liu He asked Fan Ke to bring in several copies of "Qian Zhuang Hui Yao" and handed them over to Zhang Anshi and others.

The operation mode of the bank described in it was something new that they had never seen before. Although it was a little difficult to understand, they could still see the subtleties.

"Your Majesty, this Shuiheng Bank is excellent, and it will definitely benefit the people of the world and the soldiers of the Han army." Zhang Anshi praised continuously, and others also followed suit.

So, during this back and forth, the matter of opening Shuiheng Bank was decided.

In the history of the Han Dynasty, this was an unprecedented event, but it was just an appetizer for today and not a major event that Liu He wanted to discuss with Zhang Anshi and others.

Since there is good news today, what we want to discuss is of course "military affairs."

After Zhang Anshi and others put away "Qian Zhuang Hui Yao", Liu He cleared his throat and finally got to the main topic of the day.

"There is good news today, of course I still have to discuss military matters with all my dear friends..."

"These twenty Changyi Langs have all made great achievements. Only five of them can still stay in the army. I want them to be promoted to noble ranks."

It seems that being promoted to an official position can improve a person's status and power, but in fact they are two different things.

The Han Dynasty still retains the military title system in name, but it has tended to collapse after Emperor Xiaowu sold his officials and conferred titles.

Those who contribute more money will have a higher title; those who contribute less will have a lower title.

Although there is an upper limit on the number of titles sold, and there is a new name of "Martial Arts Lord", the proliferation of titles is an indisputable fact.

There are eleven levels in total of this martial arts knight's title from high to low.

They are respectively Zaoshi, Xianyuwei, Liangshi, Yuanrongshi, Guanshou, Bingduo, Qianfu, Yueqing, Zhirong, Zhengruosu chief, and military guards.

Each upgrade to these titles cost 170,000 gold, and in one year, they earned 300,000 gold for the Han Empire.

At that time, those who reached the "official head" title could be promoted to officials first and get the opportunity to serve in official positions. This made the officialdom of the Han Dynasty even more chaotic.

The proliferation of famous names has something to do with Emperor Xiaowu's "Venjue", but he should not bear all the blame.

On the contrary, it was Emperor Xiaowu who squeezed out the last bit of value of the title in exchange for a large amount of military spending.

During the Qin Dynasty and the early Han Dynasty, people valued noble titles because they could be awarded lands and houses, and lands and houses were the most important things to the people.

When dynasties changed, wars were frequent and many people died.

Not only are there opportunities to make contributions everywhere in the world, but there are also countless unowned fields and newly occupied fields. These two conditions are the basis for the implementation of the military merit and title system.

With the stability and development of the new dynasty, the trend of land annexation became more and more intense, the population continued to increase, there were fewer and fewer ownerless fields, and there were fewer and fewer fields that could be granted.

Therefore, with the frequent use of troops, more and more soldiers were awarded titles for their meritorious service, but they could not be granted land and houses, and the military title system became in name only.

Emperor Xiaowu conferred a title, which was to sell the title that was almost useless, and at least he could still receive some money.

In the Han army, holding a military position was related to a title, so for professional recruitment, the title still played some role.

But outside the Han army, the middle and low-level civilians had almost no value.

Military honors and titles are fictitious, so how could the Han soldiers sacrifice themselves to die?

The titles that people often mention refer specifically to Guanneihou and Liehou—these two levels of titles have weight.

Liu He proposed to give these five Changyi Langs promotion and nobility. Of course, Zhang Anshi understood the implication immediately.

Being promoted to a noble rank is secondary, being promoted to an official rank is the most important thing.

The emperor wanted to cultivate his cronies in the army.

Zhang Anshi was not surprised by this incident. It was already too late for the emperor to place close followers in the Han army now.

Within a few months of taking the throne, the emperor overthrew Huo Guang and received the support of Zhao Chongguo, Han Zeng and others. Wang Ji and Anle, old ministers of Changyi, also gained some military power.

However, these people are only the "high-level officials" of the Han army and do not directly command the troops.

If the emperor wants to control the Han army, he must not only control the "high-level" of the Han army, but also the "middle-level" of the Han army - naturally the captains and military princes who lead the army. On that day, Fan Mingyou and others suddenly rebelled, not only because Huo Guang was the general and Fan Mingyou was the general of Du Liao; but also because most of the lieutenant colonels in the army were descendants of the Fan Huo family.

A lieutenant of a battalion can live with a battalion of soldiers day and night, and a military prince of a battalion can sleep and eat with a battalion of soldiers. Their prestige among the soldiers is naturally very high.

It seems that the emperor wants these five Changyi Lang to serve as military princes or captains.

"Your Majesty, General Han and Old General Zhao are the backbone of the army. We can listen to their opinions on this matter."

Zhang Anshi was unwilling to interfere in military affairs, so he immediately left this problem to Han Zeng and Zhao Chongguo.

This is a smart approach. Military power is the most important thing. It is best not to participate if possible.

"Han Qing, what do you think of this matter?" Liu He asked again.

"Promotion to a noble rank should be based on military merit, and military merit should be measured by the number of enemies killed..."

"The victory report didn't mention how many enemies these five people killed, so they don't need to be promoted as usual."

Han Zeng said these words very euphemistically, but also very clearly.

The emperor's goal is to give them official positions. The title is just a criterion for adding officials, and there is no need to be too restrictive.

Whatever officials the emperor wanted to give them, he could just in turn give them the same title.

"I intend to promote these five people to the rank of five officers, and then put them into the army to become military marquises." Liu He said.

The princes were in charge of five hundred soldiers. Although these Changyi men were only about twenty years old, they had made great achievements and were able to escape unscathed. They were no ordinary people.

It is very reasonable and reasonable to let them serve as kings.

At this moment, Han Zeng and Zhao Chongguo had a little more respect for the emperor.

The emperor did not easily promote his cronies in order to control the Han army. This alone is much smarter than Huo Guang and Fan Mingyou.

So the two generals in the Han army immediately praised the emperor for "clear rewards and punishments."

In fact, Liu He didn't want to completely control all the Han troops, but now was not the time. Chang Yilang, whom he trusted, had to go through more training.

Junhou is already a good starting point.

Arranging five military princes is still a small matter, but Liu He finally wants to talk about something big.

This major event is naturally the third round of New Deal - the restructuring of the Han army.

The important affairs of the country are sacrifice and military affairs, so we must find a good entry point.

Liu He thought for a moment, then picked up the good news on the table. After looking at it for a long time, he finally put it back.

"My dear friends, whether it's setting up Shuiheng Bank or giving a promotion to Changyi Lang, these are all trivial matters..."

"Next, I want to discuss a major matter with you." Liu He said seriously and seriously.

"Your Majesty, please advise me, we will do our best." Zhang Anshi said in the lead.

"Before we discuss this matter, I would like to ask you all, what do you think of this good news?" Liu He asked, pointing to the good news on the case.

Liu He's question seemed to be asking about the victory, but it was actually asking "How should the Han Dynasty deal with the Huns in the coming year?"

After Emperor Xiaowu, the Han Dynasty did not use troops against the Huns for more than ten years, and the countries in the Western Regions gradually fell into the deterrence of the Huns.

Although the Han Dynasty could maintain its presence in the Western Regions by relying on the "boldness" of envoys such as Chang Hui and Fu Jiezi, it was inevitable that the countries in the Western Regions would be at odds.

Huo Guang was determined to restart the war against the Huns, but whether it was now or in the original history, it ended hastily. Instead, the Wusun Kingdom won a great victory.

At this moment, history has turned a corner again.

The next decision Liu He makes will affect the trends of the Han and Xiongnu, and even the entire Eurasian continent.

"Old General Zhao, you have led your troops to Mobei several times and fought against the Qiang people many times. I want to hear your opinion."

"The veteran believes that this great victory is comparable to the great victory of Mobei during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu. The Huns' strength was greatly reduced and they did not dare to invade our Han territory for thirty to fifty years." Zhao Chongguo said.

"How does Han Qing view this matter?" Liu He turned to Han Zeng and asked.

"Wei Chen also thinks that this victory is valuable, but unfortunately it was not won by the Han army." Han Zeng said with regret.

When the other civil servants heard this, they also expressed regret, and underneath this regret there was a hint of shame.

The dignified man sent hundreds of thousands of troops, but not only did he not achieve anything, but he also caused a turmoil that swept through several counties. It was really ugly.

As a vassal state, Wusun Kingdom achieved a great victory, which made the Han's face even more ugly.

And it is not only ugly, but it may also make Wusun Kingdom and other countries in the Western Regions look down on the Han Dynasty, and then become alienated from morality, triggering a new crisis.

This is the relationship between the Han Dynasty and the vassal countries, which is in a very delicate balance-if you are not careful, it may overturn.

Fortunately, Chang Hui took part in the great victory with twenty Changyi Langs, which saved a bit of face for the big man.

Thinking of this, the eyes of everyone looking at the emperor became respectful again.

When Huo Guang sent out troops, the emperor tried to dissuade him several times, but Huo Guang dismissed them all. Their ministers also secretly laughed at the emperor for not knowing how to fight.

But if the emperor, who knew nothing about war, had not prepared for a rainy day, the big man's face might have been lost in Jiaozhi.

"My beloved ministers seem to have something to say. You might as well say it bluntly. Cabinet duty is a place where you can speak freely." Liu He said.

"Last year, I led my troops to attack the Xiongnu, but failed to achieve even an inch of success. I am really ashamed and can't stand up to the people of the world." Zhao Chongguo blamed himself.

"Wei Chen feels the same as General Zhao. After seeing this good news today, I naturally feel even more ashamed." Han Zeng also sighed.

It can be seen that these two people have a desire to make achievements.

Although they did make great achievements, they were for suppressing rebellion and not for expanding borders. There will always be regrets.

"You two generals don't have to blame yourself. The blame for your failure to make achievements does not lie with you two, but with Huo Guang and his party members..."

"If Huo Yu and others hadn't had an affair with the Huns and informed the Huns of the Han army's campaign strategy early on, how could you have returned without success?"

"No matter how brave and skillful Wusun is, I'm afraid it will be difficult to achieve the great victory it has achieved now."

"There is no need to blame yourself for this matter. The past has passed. All the ministers should look forward and think about how the great man should plan."

Under Liu He's sincere comfort and encouragement, Zhao Chongguo and Han Zeng thanked them again, and their solemn expressions finally softened slightly.

Then, Zhang Anshi and others also expressed their opinions.

"Wei Chen believes that no matter how the victory was won, it is an undoubted fact that the Xiongnu suffered damage. The border fortress is peaceful, which is the great fortune of the Han Dynasty." (End of this chapter)