Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 560: Difficulty Following Orders
"Huo Du said that the power of taking over counties and removing them, rural officials should be appointed by the central government. Chan thought it was very good, and it meant that the power of taking over the local areas should belong to the central government. However, the reason why the Han Dynasty was able to settle the world or prosper was because It all depends on the service of the governors of the counties.”

Wang Can thought for a while and said: "Therefore, Can can think that at present, it is better to proceed step by step, first inspect the administration of officials, and then discuss the matter. It is not appropriate to hastily abolish the old government, so as to hurt the hearts of the old people, and put everyone in the staff at risk."

The reason why the Han Dynasty formed unique dualist monarchical values ​​has a lot to do with the conquest system adopted by the Han Dynasty. The political system led to the pursuit of scholars, thus forming the corresponding social soil.

The prefect of a county is like a prince, acting on behalf of the emperor, and has the right to exclude scholars from serving as officials. Therefore, the pursuit of value goals of most scholars is not to go to the central government and serve as prime minister, but to "be a county magistrate, guard tombs, have enough food and clothing, and be known as a good person in the countryside." '

When the prefect of a county appoints a scholar to serve as an official, and the scholar adheres to the value of "eating the emperor's salary and being loyal to the emperor", the prefect of the county has the kindness to the scholar, and the scholar must be loyal to or serve the prefect of the county.

Under this kind of political system, it is natural for the unique dual monarch values ​​to be formed. In troubled times, the prefect of a county can not only win the loyalty of officials, but also wield military and political power. If he has the heart to rebel, he will be like a small kingdom, and it is very easy to form a separatist force.

Therefore, in order to strengthen the centralization of power, the abolition of the expropriation system and the transfer of power appointed by counties to the central government are actually an inevitable trend in the evolution of autocratic politics.

Of course, trends are trends, and their resistance is so powerful that it cannot be dealt with in just one or two words.

Wang Can's words pointed out the difficulty of implementation. The reason why Liu Bei was able to establish the Han Dynasty had a great relationship with the chiefs of various counties and counties. If we change the grassroots official system now, it will easily cause turmoil in people's hearts.

The taciturn Sun Shao said: "Although it is suspected that villagers are appointed as township officials, they are suspected of interconnected clans and rival parties, but people from foreign lands have many inconveniences when they want to deal with local problems. In today's situation, the priority should be to bring peace to the world, and to govern The world is second, and in order to avoid frequent chaos, Huo Du’s words should be followed by Shao’s advice.”

After saying that, Liu Bei looked at Zhuge Liang and asked, "What do Kong Ming think?"

One day, if the Han Dynasty can dominate the world. The Han Dynasty could quickly appease the people's livelihood, instead of relying more on local noble families. On the contrary, the Chinese gentry had to make sacrifices in order to integrate into the Han Dynasty.

People from the hometown who serve as local officials can be called local officials, and those who serve outside can be called local officials.

Sitting on the couch, Liu Bei looked at Ma Liang and asked, "What are you discussing today?"

"Although township officials have bad governance, there is no bad governance when they are removed from office." Ma Liang said with a frown.

While everyone was discussing among themselves, Liu Bei entered the hall from outside.

Sun Shao, as Shangshu Ling, saw further, and the power of collecting and expelling counties was transferred to the Shangshutai. In fact, the local officials were transferred to official positions, and there was a high probability that the scholars in the county would not stay as officials in the local area.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, county governors were responsible for governing counties and counties, and all the officials on the left and right appointed officials from the county to serve. The only exception is the Sanfu area, where people from Jingzhao can be subordinated to Fufeng. If you want to hire people from other counties, you even have to report to your superiors.

If Huo Jun's suggestions can be fully implemented, and in conjunction with the previously reformed official selection system, all ambitious people in the world will yearn for the capital.

Ma Liang raised his hand to Liu Bei and said: "Huo Du thought it would be better to clear up the affairs of county officials, take over the power of removing county officials, and move the appointment of county officials to the chancellery. The ministers thought it was impossible..."

Listening to the whole story, Liu Bei stroked his beard, sighed slightly, and said: "Emperor Shizu thought that the reason for the chaos in the place was mainly because the military power was vested in the prefect. However, I have experienced the troubled times. To be honest, if the power of taking over counties and removing them is as follows. It is difficult for a scholar to go to work in the local area, but most of the wise and capable people return to the capital."

After hearing the above words, Huo Jun fell silent. The reason why he proposed to collect counties and expand power was mostly for the sake of the Han Dynasty. Unexpectedly, as soon as it was proposed, many people opposed it.

Zhuge Liang hesitated for a long time, then cupped his hands and said, "Consider the complexity of government orders and the prosperity of the Han Dynasty. Liang thought that he could follow your majesty's words, act quietly, and gradually withdraw and expand power."

Although Liu Bei is not good at politics, as a monarch, he has extremely high sensitivity. Especially after experiencing troubled times, he has deep feelings about some things.

Once officials are transferred to officialdom, although they can avoid malpractice for personal gain, officials and wealthy families will collude with each other. However, it is difficult for the exiled officials to solve the long-standing political difficulties in the local area. Moreover, because the exiled officials are not locals, it is very easy to exploit the local area without any scruples because of their hometown.

Of course, Sun Shao pointed out the current situation. In the Southern Han Dynasty, the priority is to secure the world, and to govern the world comes second. There should be no major changes at the moment to avoid more chaos.

"What you all said is not unreasonable. Today, peace of the world is the main priority, and then governing the world is the second priority. However, I believe that security and governance may not necessarily be used simultaneously, and the power of eradication cannot be suddenly withdrawn. Now it is better to work on it slowly and quietly. "

Although Ma Liang did not agree with the right to abolish counties and remove them, he still spoke out clearly out of a business-like attitude.

"Your Majesty!"

Now his body is getting older and sicker. In order to benefit his successors, Liu Bei needs to make a start.

"If the officials are to be purged next year, if there are those who are vulgar, derelict in their duties, or lazy in politics, they will be scoured according to the law. The Shangshutai will send a list of supplementary officials to the county, and the county governor will select officials to supplement them. Officials are selected regardless of their place of origin. He only avoids the county guards, villagers, friends, and clans.”

"The rest is the same as the old thing. We can first observe the reactions of the governors of the counties, and then test the new officials, and then discuss the matter again, either follow the old government, or implement new laws. In this way, we can not only stabilize the world, but also observe the new and old laws. The difference.”

Although Zhuge Liang was aware of the benefits of abolishing county governors and removing power, he did not dare to implement a political system that had never been implemented before, for fear of damaging the politics of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, Zhuge Liang, who has always been cautious, chose a subtle policy.

"good!"

Liu Bei nodded with satisfaction and said: "Next year we will focus on purging officials and then selecting good officials to go to counties to see how effective the government orders are!"

"promise!"

With Liu Bei's decision, everyone no longer struggled with the power of abolishing the county governor, but chose to report other important matters.

After the ministers retired one after another, Liu Bei finally had time to talk to Huo Jun.

Liu Bei asked the people around him to serve tea to Huo Jun and said with a smile: "At the end of the year, government affairs are complicated and most of them are burdened by paperwork. It will be easy for you and me to meet each other in a while!"

Huo Jun held the tea cup and said: "Your Majesty leads the troops to fight when you go out, and works on documents when you are inside. Your Majesty has been working hard for a long time, so it is best to take care of yourself first and worry about ministers as minor matters."

"They are all just to promote Han Dynasty!"

Liu Bei smiled and said: "You are not only capable of strategy, but also of the ability to govern the country and bring peace to the people. From now on, if you have any good words to say, please report them to me and share my worries." "Promise!"

In Liu Bei's eyes, Huo Jun really has the ability to be a general and a prime minister, rather than a simple martial arts general. In particular, several suggestions put forward by Huo Jun solved a lot of trouble for him.

The first thing was that when he took charge of Jingchu, Huo Jun suggested moving the government to Wuhan to avoid focusing on Chu and neglecting Wu, causing Jing and Yang to lose control.

It should be noted that during the Southern Dynasties, the fighting between Jing and Yang was very fierce. As a powerful ruler, Sun Quan saw the problems caused by the association of Jing and Yang states, so he moved to Wuchang in order to rule Wu and Chu together. As the scholars in Jiangdong grew stronger, Sun Quan had no choice but to move back to Jianye and let the prince govern Wuchang and manage the affairs of Jingchu.

Liu Bei used Chu people to reduce the influence of Wu people, and successfully placed the capital in Wuhan, thus ruling Wu and Chu together.

The second thing is that Huo Jun proposed rice and wheat farming many times and asked Sima Zhi to be the envoy to encourage farmers. The people worked hard to cultivate the fields, which improved productivity and greatly enriched the grain reserves, so that the Southern Han Dynasty no longer had to worry about food.

The third thing is that Huo Jun proposed the policy of strengthening the weak branches and selecting the best generals to serve as the center, which greatly enhanced the authority of Wuhan.

Needless to say, there is no need to say much about reforming the official selection system and abolishing the power of state and county chiefs. Either the system being implemented in the Southern Han Dynasty or the system that will be implemented soon.

Through these things, Liu Bei can easily see that Huo Jun's political talent, even if it is not as good as Zhuge Liang, is still among the best in the world. His far-sightedness is unparalleled by others.

Liu Bei sipped his tea and asked: "Zhongmiao lives far away in Jianghuai and now returns home. Do you know why I recruited you to the capital?"

"Your Majesty summoned ministers, could it be for the Northern Expedition?" Huo Jun asked.

"Of course!"

Liu Bei said truthfully: "I want to launch an army for the Northern Expedition, but Kong Ming and the ministers believe that the current political order has just been passed and the people are gradually becoming more peaceful, so it is not appropriate to engage in a major war, lest all the previous achievements will be wasted."

"What is your Majesty's intention?"

"Kong Ming's words are reasonable. In today's politics, it is not appropriate to give up all the previous achievements. Moreover, I am ill and it is difficult to expedition to China. Therefore, I have thought deeply about it and want to order Zhongmiao to send troops to the Northern Expedition. I wonder if you think it is feasible?" Liu Bei asked.

Although Liu Bei agreed with Zhuge Liang's words, he gave up the idea of ​​a large-scale Northern Expedition. But it doesn't mean that Liu Bei doesn't want to send troops to the Northern Expedition. He also wants to listen to Huo Jun's opinion. After all, Huo Jun had proposed to him a decisive battle with Cao Wei in Jianghuai during his last eastward tour of Jianghuai.

"I find it difficult to do this!"

"Why?"

Liu Bei frowned slightly and said: "The war was peaceful the year before last, and the mountains and rivers were unyielding. You don't think about the power of the people, so you said that I have hope to defeat the enemy. Now I am calming the people to support the people, and the mountains and rivers will obey from time to time. How can it be difficult to store up food and store it in a hidden house?”

Huo Jun thought about it for a while and said: "I have spoken of the Northern Expedition in the past and wanted to use all the strength of the country to fight against the Wei Dynasty. Now Your Majesty alone orders me to raise troops for the Northern Expedition. I am afraid that I will be unable to do so."

"In the past, our army was victorious, Henan was empty, and thieves were intimidated. But now, Wei knows that Henan is weak, plows the fields quickly to produce food, moves the people south to make it rich, and sends out soldiers to guard the border. Repairing ships, building ships, and building naval forces. It is a difficult and dangerous city, with more than 100,000 people under its jurisdiction, and a mountain of grain, which blocks the throat of the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River."

"Now that we have launched an army to attack it, the thieves will definitely defend it and provoke their troops to fight, but they will not come out; if they surround Shouchun, they will not be defeated quickly; if they attack its cities, they will not be able to evacuate them even if half of the army is injured; and if they plunder their countryside, they will gain nothing. "

"I led my troops to surround Shouchun for a long time. The terrain is low-lying and prone to floods. At that time, the thieves spread across the country and headed south. I was unable to advance or retreat for fear of damaging the country."

"In the battle of Handan, the King of Qin wanted to attack but Bai Qi was unwilling. It was not Bai Qi who was afraid of the enemy, but forced by the situation. Today's Shouchun may not be inferior to that of Handan in ancient times."

Huo Jun has been in Jianghuai for many years, and the scouts have already clearly explored the inside and outside of Shouchun City. Shouchun City is so big that it can accommodate more than 100,000 soldiers and civilians. There are twin inner cities inside and a mountain city on Bagong Mountain outside.

Therefore, Huo Jun sought to mobilize the entire nation's troops to launch a long-term battle around Shouchun, seeking to annihilate the main force of the Wei army, so as to conquer Shouchun through siege or other methods.

Now Liu Bei asked him to lead the Northern Expedition alone, but Huo Jun was helpless. Fighting a war of annihilation requires a large number of troops, but there are not enough troops for him to fight.

Don't look at Liu Bang seizing Han Xin's military power, but in fact every time Liu Bang seized Han Xin's troops, he transferred a group of other troops to Han Xin to prevent Han Xin from having direct troops. For example, when Han Xin conquered Hedong, Liu Bang gave 30,000 people.

Liu Bei understood the implication of Huo Jun's words and asked: "If you can't do it with 50,000 troops, can you do it if you give me 80,000 troops?"

"It can't be done!" Huo Jun objected.

"One hundred thousand soldiers?" Liu Bei asked.

Huo Jun pondered for a long time and said: "Wei people are good at cavalry on foot, and ordinary sergeants are not enough. We need to use all the cavalry from the forbidden army in the capital. And send out 50,000 more sergeants to reach 150,000. Only then can I lead my troops to surround Shouchun inside and outside. Block the reinforcements."

Liu Bei frowned and said nothing. With the number of 150,000 soldiers and horses, there was no difference between him and his entire country's Northern Expedition. Moreover, the central imperial army is an important weapon of the Southern Han Dynasty. Now that all the troops and horses are out, once they are defeated or...

"Is it true that one hundred thousand is enough?" Liu Bei asked.

Huo Jun smiled bitterly and said: "Shou Chun, I have been thinking day and night to defeat Shouchun. But today it is really difficult to defeat Shouchun. Since your majesty is willing to send one hundred thousand, why not send out troops from the whole country to see if Shouchun can be defeated."

"Now that we have sent out one hundred thousand soldiers and horses, there will be no less than hundreds of thousands of households affected. If we are unable to defeat it, or if the army is defeated, the damage to my reputation and reputation will be slight. The people will suffer hardships, and the soldiers will not be killed or injured in the battle. This is the next best thing. It will dishonor your majesty's holy hope." , it is very important to damage the prestige of the Han Dynasty."

Hearing Huo Jun's words, Liu Bei no longer forced himself and said comfortingly: "I am not the king of Qin, and you are not the king of Qin. I just want to ask your opinion. If it doesn't work, you can wait until you have good political control and people to use the army."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

(End of this chapter)