Great Han Empire

Chapter 783
"General..." Cao Renran's voice came from outside the door, "Master Li Wei is here..."

Li Hong was overjoyed, and just about to ask him to come in, Xian Yufu shook his hand, "Since Zhong Yuan is here, I'll go first. It's an extraordinary time, and the three of us get together, which will easily cause unnecessary trouble. "

Li Hong looked at him suspiciously.According to the usual practice, the court generally does not allow ministers with a rank and salary of more than [-] shi to gather together in private, and in order to avoid suspicion, the ministers are generally unwilling to take the initiative to gather together to provoke criticism except for special circumstances.But tonight when Li Hong just came back, it was reasonable for a few old friends to come to see him first, as if there was no need to be so rigid.

"Brother Yuxing, are you treating Zhong Yuan..."

"I don't want to see him now." Xian Yufu waved his hand vigorously, unable to hide his dissatisfaction, "He was the one who initiated the crisis in Jinyang. If he hadn't used the wealth issue to stir up trouble, and he hadn't contributed to it, how would things have happened?" Will it evolve into what it is today?"

Li Hong's head was a little dizzy.The three best and most trusted friends have many conflicts because of their different political opinions, and they seem to have developed resentment with each other.

"Brother Yuxing, are you too tired..." Li Hong asked with concern, "You and I have been together for more than ten years, and you have always been as stable as a mountain. As long as you are where you are, there will be no problems."

"The imperial court is the imperial court, which is different from states and counties. My ability is limited. Not only did I fail to help you, but..." Xian Yufu sighed sadly, "I have been in Jinyang for two years, and for two years I have not been able to help you stabilize the situation , I feel ashamed."

"Brother Yuxing..." Li Hong gratefully took his hand.

Xian Yufu smiled bitterly. He reached out and patted Li Hong's shoulder, and said in a hoarse voice, "You know who I am. I tried my best to stabilize the current situation, but the more I wanted to maintain the status quo, the more determined I was." Powerless. I am like a creature caught in a whirlpool, I can barely struggle and scream a few times, I can only watch everything around me being swallowed, I have no way to get rid of the disaster."

"The ministers in the DPRK are like a bunch of very hungry wolves. Some deliberately stir up troubles for ulterior motives, some fan the flames for their own interests, and some are swayed by the situation. Some people have to roll up their sleeves and punch out. Some people help out because of sympathy, or pretend to be confused or have ulterior motives. Some people have to fight for survival and dignity. Had to fight back."

"The imperial court is like a battlefield in deep struggle. The emperor, princess and ministers are like soldiers on the battlefield. They don't know why they are fighting, and they don't know whether they can survive. They are aroused by the bloody sky. Hatred, they shouted, they just wanted to kill their opponents at their feet. At this moment, except for the generals standing in the distance commanding, no one knows the cause of the fight, and no one knows the outcome of the battle."

Li Hong deeply felt Xian Yufu's frustration and pain. He looked at Xian Yufu helplessly, not knowing how to comfort him.

"My people, we will always be brothers. No matter what choice you make, I will stand firmly by your side and fight bloody battles with you."

Xian Yufu turned around and walked out of the study.He had a lot of things he wanted to tell Li Hong, but he couldn't and didn't want to.During the two years in Jinyang, he knew that he was a warrior after all.Although he also studied scriptures, was born in a wealthy family, and has been in the officialdom for many years, but when he faced the deteriorating situation in Jinyang and tried his best but was unable to turn the tide, he knew that he was just a warrior.

He doesn't blame his former brothers for betraying him at a critical moment, or for their unscrupulous means to achieve their goals, he only blames himself for his incompetence.I have no cold heart, no tenacious will, no keen sense of smell, no bold means, and no sharpness and momentum to forge ahead.It's really not suitable for me to stay in this bloody and cruel court.

=

Li Wei appeared.

His tall body has lost a lot of weight, there is no trace of blood on his fair face, his eyes are bloodshot, and his expression looks exhausted.

Seeing Xian Yufu's stumbling back when he left, Li Hong felt an impulse to scold Li Wei severely.When Xian Yufu needed support the most, Li Wei shouldn't try to help him.Xian Yufu's heart was full of resentment, disappointment and sadness.He once criticized Xu Rong for his betrayal, but he never accused Li Wei of a word.Li Hong knew that everything Li Wei did was for himself, but Xian Yufu definitely couldn't accept Li Wei's actions, so he was pained, resentful, but helpless.

However, when Li Hong saw Li Wei, he couldn't say a word of reproach.Li Wei is overdrawing his life for the sake of the big man, what else can he say other than gratitude.

"I'm discussing tomorrow's ceremony with Zhao Jian (jian), Sima Lang, Liu Fang, and Sun Zi at the Shangshutai. I heard that you are back, so I rushed over immediately." Li Wei let go of Li Hong's big hand, Sitting down on the table in a daze, "Master Xian Yu came here just now?"

"He just left." After Li Hong ordered Anybody to get Li Wei something to eat, he turned around and sat opposite Li Wei. "After I came back, I met brother Zilie first."

Li Wei froze for a moment, "Master Xu Rong? What did he say?"

"What? After Zilie returned to Jinyang, you haven't met him?" Li Hong asked in surprise.

"No." Li Wei shook his head and said, "I'm not suitable to see him."

"Inappropriate?" Li Hong smiled, "What's inappropriate? What are you worried about?"

"Don't ask questions knowingly." Li Wei sat up straight, looked at Li Hong and said, "Why did the general rush back to Jinyang overnight? Didn't Lord Xun You explain it clearly to you?"

"Why do you have to hold such a grand ceremony?" Li Hongwei smiled, "If you can convince me, I will leave the city now and wait for you to pick me up tomorrow morning."

"I'm here to convince you." Li Wei said without hesitation, "What the general did not only embarrass the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but also undermined the minister's plan to regain the prime minister's power."

"The imperial line has been rebuilt, the court structure has been established, the implementation of the New Deal is advancing steadily, and we have won the Jizhou War. Everything is gradually on the right track. Why is there another disturbance at this time? What is the struggle for imperial power? What are the foreign ministers thinking?"

"General, it is precisely because everything in the imperial court is on the right track that there is another fight for imperial power and prime minister power today." Li Wei said solemnly.

=

What is the structure of today's imperial court?
The Son of Heaven is young and still growing.The eldest princess acts as an agent of state affairs and is in charge of power.The imperial courts are operating normally.Then there are the three states of Hebei.At present, the territory actually controlled by the imperial court is only the three prefectures of Hebei.

Da Sima General Li Hongdu led the military and political power of six prefectures and four counties.

The military and political power in the three prefectures of Hebei is controlled by the Great General Li Hong, and all matters in the three prefectures of Hebei must be reported to the mansion of the great general first, and then the mansion of the great general will report to the court.

All national policies of the imperial court must first be passed down to the Mansion of the Great General Sima, and then conveyed by the Mansion of the Great General Sima to the counties and counties in the three states of Hebei.

To put it simply, the Son of Heaven and the imperial court are now empty-handed, and the actual authority is controlled by Li Hong and Da Sima's Palace.Only when the imperial army regained the counties and counties other than the six prefectures and four counties, did the emperor and the imperial court have the actual control of the territory.

In a sense, the current mansions of Li Hong and Da Sima are equivalent to the emperor and the court, and the functions and powers of the two overlap.

This fundamentally unreasonable situation was considered normal by everyone when rebuilding the imperial system and the imperial court.Because without Li Hong, and without Hebei under Li Hong's control, it would be impossible for the imperial line and the imperial court to be rebuilt.But with the establishment of the imperial line, the improvement of the imperial court, and the implementation of the New Deal, and when the time to pacify the world is out of reach, this contradiction of unreasonable power distribution will immediately emerge.

For example, this time the eldest princess mainly implemented the policy of land cuts and renting shade households. Xian Yufu, acting as the chief general in the military, failed to get the approval of the ministers of foreign courts for this policy.In desperation, the eldest princess had no choice but to use her own power to persuade Xu Rong, Zuo Yan and Tian Yu to abandon the mansion of the Great General Sima and forcefully implement a new strategy.

The eldest princess acted beyond her authority, and the county officials below firmly supported it. As Xian Yufu said, he had no choice.He could neither openly confront the eldest princess nor the imperial power, nor did he have the power to withdraw or punish officials like Zuo Yan and Tian Yu with a salary of more than [-] shi.

But Xu Rong, Zuo Yan, and Tian Yu had no choice.They can only choose one between the eldest princess and Li Hong, between the imperial power and the prime minister, but they have no right to make a choice under any circumstances, because choosing Li Hong is tantamount to betraying the emperor, which not only endangers them Personally, it is even more harmful to Li Hong, so they actually have no choice at all.

Therefore, Xian Yufu's life in Jinyang was very difficult, but compared to Xu Rong, Zuo Yan, and Tian Yu, his life was a bit easier, because the conflicts between him and the eldest princess were mainly limited to political opinions and power disputes , but Xu Rong, Zuo Yan, and Tian Yu were charged with betraying Li Hong.Once this power struggle is resolved, they may suffer unjustified disasters and lose their lives very unjustly.

Today's crisis in Jinyang seems to be a struggle between imperial power and ministerial power, but behind the dispute between imperial power and ministerial power is the emperor and the court wanting to regain the military and political power of the six prefectures and four counties controlled by Li Hong.

=

"In the past, the general worried that Hebei would be disrupted by the wrong national policies of the emperor and the court, which would lead to the failure of ZTE's great cause, so the general retained the military and political power to supervise the six states and four counties. At that time, no matter whether it was the eldest princess or the ministers in the court, I understand the general's worries very well, and I support the general to continue to supervise the military and political power of the six states and four counties, but it is different now..." Li Wei smiled wryly, "Now the eldest princess is in charge, and the courts are operating normally. The New Deal has also been implemented smoothly, if the generals continue to oversee the military and political power in the six prefectures and four counties, there will be violent conflicts in the distribution of power, which will seriously affect the stability of the imperial court and Hebei, and affect the development of ZTE’s great cause.”

Li Hong understood.

Xian Yufu was very excited and had always been very excited. He was unwilling to violate his loyalty to fight against the eldest princess and the court, and he was unwilling to see Li Hong lose more and more power. He was even more worried that Hebei would gradually fall into the abyss of ruin.Xian Yufu cannot predict the future, nor can he predict the future, so he is unwilling to change the status quo, surrender power, and lose control of Hebei. Had to bow his head.As a result, he was very hesitant, very disturbed, and very painful.

Xu Rong was very depressed and depressed all the time. He couldn't tell Li Hong the essence of the matter, so he avoided the important ones and quietly turned this power struggle between the imperial court and Hebei into a dispute over the strategy of governing the country. But in the end he still said, who can Whoever is in charge of the Lord can use his own governance strategy to lead the big man to an unknown direction.He actually didn't have an answer, and he didn't know whether Li Hong was willing to hand over his power, and he didn't know where the big man would go after Li Hong handed over his power.

The uncertainty of the future made all the officials in northern Xinjiang who worked so hard to conquer Hebei feel deep fear.

=

"Sooner or later, the general will hand over the military and political power of the six prefectures and four counties. This is an inevitability, the inevitability of the stable development of Hebei, and the inevitability of the great man's progress toward rejuvenation." Li Wei said frankly, "The disaster of the great man today, It was directly related to the division of power among the state and county officials, so the general and the ministers of the court and the central government agreed to abolish the state pastor, re-establish the state governor, and limit the power of the state governor."

"Although the three prefectures of Hebei do not have state herdsmen, there are generals who are the actual controllers of the three prefectures of Hebei. In the early days, the court needed generals to supervise the three prefectures of Hebei, but now the court is stable and on the right track. The power in the hands of the generals It is about to be handed over, which is not only consistent with the national policy of the imperial court, but also necessary for the development of ZTE's great cause."

"You have already seen it?" Li Hong asked with a smile, "So you deliberately provoked troubles on the pretext of lack of wealth, and even contributed to the flames?"

"You always leave Jinyang, doesn't that explain your true thoughts?" Li Wei also laughed, "The great Han Zhongxing needs a very authoritative emperor and court, not a mighty general, so You always leave Jinyang, let the eldest princess and the court quickly mature without restraint, and quickly establish supreme prestige. Your goal has been achieved, but have you thought about the danger involved in it? You are Make fun of Dahan Sheji, you know?"

Li Hong smiled, "Is there any credit behind the princess's efforts to implement the policy of land cuts and renting shade households?"

"Of course I have the credit." Li Wei said proudly, "I am Da Si Nong, so of course I want to advise the Eldest Princess to do her best to tap Hebei's wealth. After this strategy is implemented, the blow to the rich and powerful will be long-lasting. Five or ten years later, if these noble families of the Han Dynasty want to continue to be brilliant, they can only control the power and use the national policy adjustment after the resurgence of the Han Dynasty to try to slowly recover from this long-term blow."

"So, what the ministers of the court and central government are most worried about is that the general will hand over the military and political power of the three states of Hebei, continue to support the eldest princess, and continue to rebuild the powerful imperial power."

"However, the general has long wanted to hand over the military and political power of the three prefectures in Hebei, and now the eldest princess is blatantly overstepping her authority, bypassing the mansion of the general of the Sima and directly commanding the counties, forcing the general to a situation where he has to hand over power " Li Wei looked at Li Hong and said with a smile, "If the general refuses to hand over the power, the eldest princess' imperial power will be restricted and weakened, and the prestige of the imperial power will be reduced sharply, while Xu Rong, Zuo Yan, Tian Yu They are about to be attacked, and the other officials in northern Xinjiang who follow them are bound to be purged. In this way, the emperor, the eldest princess, and the officials in northern Xinjiang will lose both, and the power of the rich and powerful will take advantage of the opportunity to increase. Although the general retains power , but it is possible to lose the opportunity to revive the big man."

=

"Zhong Yuan, if you dedicated this idea to the eldest princess, I will consider sending you to the desert." Li Hong punched Li Wei hard and laughed loudly.

"The eldest princess is a genius." Li Wei shook his hand, "The first emperor passed on his best talents to the eldest princess, and made himself the worst..." Li Wei paused, feeling that he was speaking ill of the first emperor in front of Li Hong. It's really not good, "If Emperor Xiaoxian can be like the eldest princess, then..."

"Forget it, don't mention the past." Li Hong said, "In the past two years, the eldest princess has changed too much."

"Personally governing and handling state affairs is a very heavy burden on the shoulders, which can inspire all the talents of the eldest princess." Li Wei said disapprovingly, "With another person, after two years in power, the changes are also great. "

Then he continued what he had just said.

"In order to prevent the infinite expansion of imperial power, the ministers of the court immediately came up with a countermeasure, rebuilding the official system, changing the three princes to the prime minister, Taiwei, and Yushi doctor, and let you sit in the position of prime minister."

"In this way, after you hand over the military and political power of the three prefectures of Hebei, you still control the three prefectures of Hebei, and because of your special status, the eldest princess has to give up part of the power you took away."

Li Hong shook his head and chuckled, "You spent a lot of money on this grand ceremony just to create momentum for me and force the eldest princess to agree to revise the official system?"

Li Wei smiled and nodded repeatedly, "This time, for their own benefit and power, the rich and powerful have no choice but to lower their noble heads and take the initiative to make concessions and show favor to you."

=

Once the official system is revised and the general becomes the prime minister, the Jinyang crisis will be completely resolved.

After the general became the prime minister, all the functions and powers of Da Sima's mansion were transferred to the prime minister's mansion, and Li Hong's power increased rapidly.This is the best result that the officials of Northern Xinjiang would like to see, and it is also Li Wei's ultimate goal.

The eldest princess got her wish and forced Li Hong to hand over the military and political power of six states and four counties, but she lost the prime minister power she controlled, and the imperial power was also greatly restricted.Although the New Deal will continue to be implemented, the eldest princess can no longer do whatever she wants.

The ministers of the foreign court successfully regained all the powers of prime ministers, but Li Hong's power was too great and the threat was too great. This emergency measure was purely a compromise out of desperation.In the future, the power struggle between foreign and foreign courts will be very fierce, which is the biggest hidden danger hindering the great cause of ZTE.

The question now is, will the eldest princess agree to revise the official system?

She forced the general to hand over power, but in the end she gave up power herself, making the general even more powerful.Would she shoot herself in the foot?

"Zhong Yuan, do you think I still need a grand ceremony to increase my prestige?" Li Hong laughed, "You just said that the eldest princess is a genius, so can you guess what the eldest princess's countermeasure is? "

Li Wei closed his eyes tiredly, shook his head, "I don't know."

=

(End of this chapter)