Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 269: Being a dog for the emperor! Making the noble families bleed!

When people heard that 30,000 troops were entering Jizhou, the first thing they thought of was the remnants of Yuan Shao and Guo Yuan's troops.

But now it is the middle of winter.

Just as the ministers were surprised and puzzled, Liu Xie said, "Don't panic, they are the troops of General Zhenbei and the people in Taihang Mountain."

After he returned from Hejian County, Zhang Yan did not come back with him, but returned to Taihang Mountains to gather troops. This matter had been reported to him in advance.

After all, now that Yuan Shao has been captured, the Black Mountain Army and civilians in the Taihang Mountains also need to be resettled. They cannot continue to stay in the mountains.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this.

However, Cui Yan asked with some concern: "Your Majesty, how should we accommodate these hundreds of thousands of people who have suddenly appeared?"

These people came too suddenly.

With hundreds of thousands of people suddenly added, it is a big problem to accommodate them. Moreover, it is winter now, and many people may starve to death or freeze to death.

"I was just about to discuss this with you all."

"But let's go back to the palace first."

Liu Xie said that he had been busy dealing with the Yuan family these days. Now that the Yuan family has been exterminated, it is time to solve the problem of how to resettle these people.

"promise."

All the ministers responded in agreement.

After Liu Xie led the crowd away from the execution ground, the onlookers also dispersed. Zhang He escorted Yuan Shao back to the Northern Court, while Gao Lan stayed behind to command the soldiers to deal with the bodies.

"Sikong, His Majesty said that you are in charge of these bodies. What do you think we should do? Just give us your orders."

Gao Lan asked Yuan Xi.

His attitude was very polite, not because Yuan Xi was now the prime minister, but because his family had just been exterminated, which was honestly too tragic.

Yuan Xi raised his hand to wipe the tears from his face. He could not bear to look at the corpses behind him, so he said to Gao Lan, "General Gao, please dig a big pit outside the city and bury all the bodies together, so that I will have a place to go when I hold a memorial ceremony in the future."

"no problem."

Gao Lan agreed without hesitation.

Yuan Xi thanked him, then mounted his horse and headed towards Yecheng alone, his back looking desolate and determined.

He is the only one left in the Yuan family now.

The new Yuan family will start with him!

……

Imperial Palace, Tai'an Hall.

After Liu Xie and his ministers returned to the palace, they began to discuss the matter of Zhang Yan leading tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of thousands of civilians to surrender.

Sima Yi asked: "Your Majesty, the Black Mountain Army is a group of bandits, and they have a history of rebellion. Do you really intend to recruit them?"

To be honest, no one looks down on the Montenegrin Army.

Just a bunch of mediocre rabble.

Relying on the danger of the Taihang Mountains can still be of some use, but once leaving the Taihang Mountains, this group of people lacks equipment and training, and their combat effectiveness is truly appalling.

Previously, Zhang Yan had available as many as 70,000 to 80,000 troops, but in order to delay Yuan Shao's retreat, more than half of these troops were consumed, and now there are only 30,000 left.

But even if the Black Mountain Army fought with their lives, all they got in return was a loss of over 10,000 people in Yuan Shao's army. This shows how huge the gap between the Black Mountain Army and the regular army was.

Liu Xie said solemnly: "Recruiting the Black Mountain Army is an order I personally issued before. How can I go back on my word?"

"To put it bluntly, the Black Mountain Army is just a group of civilians who can't make a living. If they weren't desperate, why would they go into the mountains and become bandits?"

"And if these hundreds of thousands of people can be properly settled, the population of Wei County will increase significantly."

In ancient times, population was the most valuable resource.

Because a sufficient population is the guarantee of food, manpower, and tax revenue, many princes in history took the people with them when they were defeated and evacuated.

However, population cannot be converted into productivity all at once, at least not in a short period of time. The sudden arrival of hundreds of thousands of people will become a big problem if not handled properly.

And this is exactly what Liu Xie found troublesome.

He glanced at the ministers in the hall and asked, "What good ideas do you have for settling these hundreds of thousands of people?"

When the ministers heard this, their faces froze.

What good strategies can be used to settle the people?
It's nothing more than relying on money and food.

But after years of war, the emperor had just defeated Yuan Shao and gained control of these states. The treasury had no money at all. How could he settle hundreds of thousands of refugees?

Most of the ministers present came from aristocratic families and were all smart men. How could they not hear the subtext of Liu Xie's words?

I just hope they can pay money and food!

For a moment, there was silence in the hall.

In response to Liu Xie's questions, all the ministers remained silent, even Fu Wan, Yang Biao and Cui Yan were no exception.

The cost of resettling hundreds of thousands of refugees is simply too huge, and the key is that there is no benefit at all, so no one wants to be the scapegoat.

Liu Xie frowned slightly and said in a cold voice: "A room full of civil and military officials, can't you even think of a solution to resettle the people?"

There was already a hint of anger in his voice.

All the ministers trembled, but they looked at each other and tacitly chose not to speak. No one wanted to be the first to speak out.

"These guys..."

Liu Xie couldn't help but snort in his heart.

It is extremely difficult to get any benefits from these aristocratic families. The key is that it is not easy for him to say it directly, and it is useless even if he says it.

If they really don't want to spend the money and effort and insist that they have no money, what can he do?
Are they going to use knives to force them to pay money and grain?

That's not how politics works.

The reason why he was able to exterminate the Yuan family and kill Xun Chen was because he had sufficient reasons and the timing was just right.

But if he directly used force to coerce these aristocratic families, that would be breaking the rules and turning the table. His current strength is far from that level. Doing so would leave him with a reputation for tyranny and increase the difficulty of unifying the world in the future.

Not only did I not get to eat meat because of you, I also lost my life.

Which noble family would be willing to follow such an emperor who is moody and willing to use force to threaten others?

"His Majesty."

Just when all the ministers chose to remain silent, the elder of the Zhen family stood up tremblingly, bowed to Liu Xie and said: "I, the Zhen family, am willing to do my best to help your majesty share your worries."

"It's just that my Zhen clan has limited capabilities. We can only accommodate 30,000 people at most. If we want more, I'm afraid we won't be able to accommodate them. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

As the emperor's die-hard supporters, the Zhen family had to make a statement at this critical moment, so they took the initiative to assume part of the responsibility.

"Ai Qing is interested."

Liu Xie's expression eased a little, and he nodded slightly to the Zhen clan elder, then looked at the other ministers, "Where are the ministers?"

The ministers remained silent.

Seeing this, the elder of the Zhen clan said, "You are all important officials of the court. Now is the time when His Majesty needs your efforts. You should all express your opinions."

There are some things that are not suitable for the emperor to say.

So it can only be said by him.

But even though the words had reached this point, the ministers in the hall pretended not to understand and made various excuses.

"Your Majesty, I really have no good plan."

"My family is poor and I really have no power to help." "Hundreds of thousands of refugees are too many."

"Oh, I can hardly make ends meet at home."

"My old mother is still waiting for my salary."

The ministers either remained silent or complained, but it could be summed up in just two words.

No money!

The more Liu Xie listened, the uglier his expression became. Finally, he stood up and said coldly, "Today's court meeting ends here. Dismiss!"

After saying this, he turned around and left.

……

After returning to the Xuanshi Hall, Liu Xie was so angry that he swept the memorials on the table to the ground and said angrily: "These guys are just trying to show me their colors!"

These aristocratic families have been operating in one place for dozens or even hundreds of years. Who would believe them if they said they couldn't afford the money and food?

Even if it's not as good as Zhen's, it won't be that bad!

There are only two reasons why he is unwilling to pay. One is because there is no benefit, and the other is because of his clan's actions of exterminating the Yuan family and killing Xun Chen!

The extinction of the Yuan clan certainly made the major families terrified and put away their little thoughts. At the same time, they no longer dared to use the power of the families to coerce the imperial power.

But it is also more difficult to get them to sacrifice their own interests.

And as long as they followed the rules, he couldn't use force to coerce them.

After venting his anger, Liu Xie called Zhang He and said to him, "Call Jia Xu and Guo Jia over."

"promise!"

Zhang He accepted the order respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, the Minister of Works is outside seeking an audience."

Yuan Xi?

Liu Xie raised his sword-like eyebrows slightly, wondering why Yuan Xi came to see him at this time, but after thinking for a moment, he said, "Let him in."

Zhang He clasped his fists and retreated.

After a while, Yuan Xi walked into the Xuanshi Hall. As soon as he entered, he bowed respectfully to Liu Xie and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!"

Liu Xie asked, "Why do you want to see me, my dear minister?"

The Yuan family had just been exterminated, and he thought Yuan Xi would rest at home for a few days to adjust his mood, but he didn't expect him to come to him right after the execution.

Yuan Xi said respectfully: "Your Majesty, the Yuan family has been destroyed, but my disciples and former officials are still here."

"What I want to ask is, if those students and former officials of the Yuan family come to me for surrender, should I use them or not? Please give me your instructions, Your Majesty."

He is now one of the Three Dukes, has the power to establish a government office, and is the only direct descendant of the Yuan family, so he is highly regarded by the emperor.

It is conceivable that once this news spreads, those disciples and former officials of the Yuan family will flock to him and join him.

However, he did not dare to decide on his own whether to use these people, for fear of being suspected of having any rebellious intentions, so he came to ask Liu Xie for instructions.

"That's it?"

Liu Xie was stunned for a moment, then patted Yuan Xi on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Just use it, feel free to use it."

"Since I have made you one of the Three Dukes and given you the power to open a government office, I want you to inherit all the connections of the Yuan family. If you don't use them, wouldn't it be a waste? How can you create a new Yuan family?"

"I believe in your loyalty."

Yuan's disciples and former officials were spread all over the world, and his original plan was to let Yuan Xi serve as this link to gather Yuan's power and use it for his own benefit.

Yuan Xi nodded heavily and said, "I will definitely live up to your Majesty's expectations. No matter who comes to surrender in the future, I will report to your Majesty as soon as possible!"

Liu Xie smiled and was about to say a few words to encourage Yuan Xi when Zhang He led Guo Jia and Jia Xu into the Xuanshi Hall.

Yuan Xi was a man of good sense. When he saw the two of them coming in, he immediately said, "Your Majesty, I will take my leave first."

"No need."

Liu Xie held Yuan Xi down and motioned him to sit down. He then said to Jia Xu and the others, "Feng Xiao, Wen He, you guys come and sit down too."

"promise."

Jia Xu and the other man glanced at Yuan Xi, smiled at him, and then went forward and took their seats.

Yuan Xi was shocked again.

Jia Xu and Guo Jia are the emperor's absolute confidants, and everyone in the court and the country knows them. Liu Xie must have important matters to discuss when he summoned them privately.

But now the emperor asked him to stay...

Yuan Xi's heart began to beat violently.

Feeling a little dry mouth.

Because he knows what it means.

This means that the emperor has regarded him as a confidant like Guo Jia and Jia Xu, and has given him his unreserved trust!

"His Majesty!"

Yuan Xi felt a lump in his throat and started crying.

He thought that after his clan was exterminated, the emperor would certainly be on guard against him developing disloyal thoughts and would ask him to cut off all contact with Yuan's disciples and former officials.

But the emperor's trust in him has only increased!

Not only was he allowed to use Yuan's disciples and former officials at will, he was even allowed to participate in this extremely private little court meeting!

The extermination of the Yuan family was all Yuan Shao's fault. The emperor not only spared him and his mother the death penalty, but also gave him great trust, allowing the Yuan family the possibility to regain its glory.

What a gift this is!
He would be willing to be a dog!
Seeing Yuan Xi crying, Jia Xu and Guo Jia were both stunned, wondering why this guy suddenly started crying.

Only Liu Xie knew what was going on. He said with a smile, "My dear minister, you are so out of control. How can you still be a high-ranking official? Don't cry anymore."

Yuan Xi nodded while crying, and at the same time made up his mind.

No matter who dared to persuade him to rebel and avenge the Yuan family, he would chop the person who said so to death!

He must not let the emperor down!

After pacifying Yuan Xi, Liu Xie said to Jia Xu and the others, "You all saw it at the court meeting just now. Those noble families were simply unwilling to help resettle those refugees."

"Fengxiao, Wenhe, do you have any way to make them pay?"

He summoned the two men to discuss this matter.

Yuan Xi wiped his tears and was the first to say, "I am willing to donate all of my Yuan family's property, food, and money for your majesty's use!"

The Yuan family had been exterminated, and the huge amount of money and family property became ownerless. Logically, these should have been inherited by him.

But he plans to donate all these properties!

"what?"

When these words were spoken, even Jia Xu and Guo Jia couldn't help but look sideways with a look of surprise in their eyes.

Is it necessary to work so hard?
Just as Liu Xie was about to speak, Yuan Xi said sincerely, "Your Majesty, please do not refuse. Only in this way can I express my gratitude to Your Majesty for your grace!"

"good."

Liu Xie coughed lightly. Actually, he had no intention of refusing. He was short of money at the moment, and the Yuan family's property could just fill part of the gap.

But the Yuan family's property alone is not enough, and all the major families must donate money and grain together.

So...how can we get them to bleed voluntarily?

(End of this chapter)