Pulling down the curtain, covering the window of the carriage, feeling the bumps, Liu Chengyou looked at Li Shaoyou and asked: "I'm afraid it's very lively here in Gyeonggi Province these days."
"It's not just lively, it's just a bunch of demons dancing around and chaos!" Li Shaoyou said with emotion and a serious expression.
"What kind of chaos?" Liu Chengyou asked calmly. His eyebrows were not too surprised. He had already heard about some situations.
"Civil chaos, military chaos, and political chaos." Li Shaoyou summarized the three chaos in a solemn tone.
At this time, hundreds of thousands of people had gathered in the Gyeonggi area. Originally, after the destructive plunder of the Khitan people, many people fled for refuge, but there were not so many people. However, as the situation in the Central Plains gradually settled down, many people heard the news. Return. At the same time, the economy of the entire Central Plains region completely collapsed, states and counties lacked survival resources, and many hungry people also migrated to the Tokyo area.
On Liu Zhiyuan's side, the victory of Tokyo was justified, and the country was determined, but in fact it was a huge burden. After entering the city, there were thousands of things, busy trying to win over the hearts of the founding officials and former officials and soldiers, and discussing merits. Rewards, titles and titles.
The reaction was slow and he didn't pay attention to the refugees who were gathering for a while. When he realized that more and more people were gathering, he belatedly ordered the generals of various states to restrain the people from all over the country and make sure they flow to the prefectures and counties. At the same time, , officers and soldiers were also sent out to guard the passes and set up passes to stop the refugees and keep them out of the capital. There were even cases where people were driven to death.
Under the tough measures taken by the Han court, the trend of "eating in Tokyo" finally receded, but how many people would die and how many people would lose in the process were not considered for the time being.
Even so, tens of thousands of people fled to Kaifeng with their families and families behind, and were blocked under the city walls. The court could not ignore these people completely, and simply opened some relief points and distributed some "food". The kind raised by livestock. Even so, these people are an extra burden for the new imperial court. Some people suggested that these refugees should be dispersed and left to fend for themselves. Fortunately, under the emperor's feet, Liu Zhiyuan deliberately retained this Fig leaf, didn’t listen.
Tens of thousands of people were in chaos in the capital, but in fact it was not a big problem and had always been within control. The civil unrest really broke out after the families of the Forbidden Army moved in from Hedong.
Including the Longqi Army under the command of Liu Chengyou, there were about 50,000 infantry and horsemen who followed Liu Zhiyuan out of Hedong to conquer the country. These troops were the imperial guards guarding the capital, and his family members who stayed in Taiyuan also migrated in batches.
Over and over, more than 100,000 people have come south. These people are family members of the Forbidden Army. They cannot be treated as roughly as ordinary refugees. They must be paid special attention to and must be resettled properly. The resettlement place is not difficult. Look, there are a lot of unowned land and houses around Kaifeng. Even if they don't exist, they can be temporarily built.
Not only the family members of the former Hedong Forbidden Army, but also the newly defected officers and soldiers of the former Imperial Forbidden Army. Fortunately, most of these people's relatives were originally in the Gyeonggi area, saving a lot of resettlement efforts.
However, hundreds of thousands of people gather together, newcomers and latecomers, outsiders and locals, plus refugees, all kinds of chaos. Conflicts are basically inevitable, land, housing, food, water... …Even a squabble can become the trigger for a conflict.
The original people of Gyeonggi had suffered enough, but Liu Zhiyuan's visit to the capital did not actually bring them any benefits. Not to mention nonsense like freedom, dignity, and the plundered property, they had to be satisfied with their food and clothing.
Unfortunately, this most basic thing cannot be done. Instead, hundreds of thousands of people migrated here, occupying or even seizing their living space and resources.
You should know that the family members of the Hedong Army who moved south are basically "property owners". They moved their families south to Tokyo to enjoy the blessings and be the masters. Since the middle of last month, there have been bad situations of bullying and robbery.
happened until a major riot broke out, targeting the newly arrived people from Hedong. Those refugees who were waiting for food also participated in it.
However, those who were the family members of the Hedong Army immediately triggered a crackdown, arresting and punishing the rebels. Now the surrendered old army quit, and they were also included in the forbidden army. They were all forbidden troops of the imperial court, and his family members were easy to bully.
?The military of this era dared to use knives, and almost did not directly cause a firefight.
Fortunately, Liu Zhiyuan was very sensitive to the changes in the army, and his control over the army was relatively strong. Seeing something was wrong, he directly sent people to kill the several generals and dozens of middle and lower-level officers who were leading the trouble, and the police were intimidated.
The killing of the whole army can sometimes make people lose their minds in excitement, but more often, it has a greater shock effect.
At the same time, Liu Zhiyuan sent people to mediate and divide the military and civilians. Finally, the blame for causing the riots was placed on the refugees from outside. Some of the people who caused the chaos and broke the law were caught and killed, and the army was sent to implement military control on the refugees, delimiting them in
Within a certain area, you can be beaten, punished, and killed at will, which feels a bit like a concentration camp...
When he heard this, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but said: "How could it be such a mess! What is the court doing? Why not evacuate the refugees and disperse them?"
Li Shaoyou shrugged his shoulders and sighed: "Is it so easy to support hundreds of thousands of people?"
"The summer harvest has passed, so we should have already put the summer grain into the warehouse. Also, what about the camels, sheep, and grain I captured from Hebei? Can't we still have some relief?" Liu Chengyou asked.
"We can't make ends meet! We have to raise troops and officials, and we have to reward meritorious officials and soldiers. How can we have any spare time to support the people? If we can give them something to eat and prevent them from starving to death, the court is already benevolent." Li Shaoyuan.
"That's not what it is!" Liu Chengyou said coldly. He remembered the previous situation in Zhenzhou, where there were hundreds of thousands of refugees. They also had to support the army and defend the Khitans. He couldn't handle it. In Liu Chengyou's case,
It seems that the situation in the Central Plains may be difficult, but no matter how difficult it is, it will not be this bad.
"The imperial court must have failed to deal with it!" Staring at Li Shaoyou, Liu Chengyou clenched his fist: "If this continues, I'm afraid the people will lose heart!"
Liu Chengyou's cold eyes startled Li Shaoyou, and there was a hint of paleness in his bitter smile: "People's hearts? I have made secret inquiries. In the eyes of those refugees, our Han Dynasty is worse than the Khitan people."
Li Shaoyou's words made Liu Chengyou's heart feel cold, and the hot blood that almost rushed to the top of his head immediately cooled down.
"How could it be?" Liu Chengyou asked, "Didn't the imperial court issue several edicts to benefit the people?"
"Let me sort it out for you." Li Shaoyou stretched out his left hand and clapped his fingers.
"Edict 1: All criminals in the world will be pardoned except for the ten evil and five rebellious crimes. Those who are in prison may have unjust cases, but there are many who committed crimes and violated the law. Pardoning their crimes to win the hearts of the people is what they did in the prosperous times. Matter. In this world, what benefit will it bring to the country if we release these criminals, and what benefit will it bring to ordinary people? Moreover, they are suffering from detention and have a lot of hatred towards the imperial government. Letting them out is not asking for trouble and harming the people. ?I can guarantee that many bandits and thieves operating in various states these days have been pardoned."
Curling another finger, Li Shaoyou continued: "Edict 2, all states will pay the last year's residual taxes at the same time. Within a hundred miles of the east and west capital, all summer taxes will be paid. A hundred miles away and the capital, this year's house taxes will be paid in half. . Taxes have been reduced a lot, but given the situation in the Central Plains at this time, there is very little that can be collected, and how much benefit can it bring to the people?"
"As for the rest, they are all similar to this." Li Shaoyou shook his head.
If you think about it carefully, what Li Shaoyou said is not without purpose. It is estimated that Liu Zhiyuan himself is wondering. What he did is not much different from the establishment of new dynasties in the past. I think that when the emperor Shi Jingtang entered Luoyang, it was basically the same. Why is the effect so different?
The reasons may be complicated, but one thing is very clear. During that period, the people of the Central Plains were not plowed by the Khitans, and the mess that Shi Jingtang needed to clean up was not so bad. However, there are always pros and cons in everything, and the Central Plains Even the entire country was smashed and crushed, but it was conducive to reconstruction. However, the new Han Dynasty obviously failed to do it well. It could not even sort out itself, let alone rebuild the country.
"Why is the army in chaos?" Liu Chengyou asked, suppressing the uncontrollable impatience in his heart.
"It's not like you don't know the habits of the arrogant and powerful generals in Hedong. It was good that they were suppressed before. Before entering Bian, they were still able to do nothing in the face of military law. After entering the Central Plains, they easily broke into Tokyo. But they despise everything, the generals are arrogant and lazy, the soldiers also follow the same example, and the officials' control over them is not as strict as in the past..."
Li Shaoyuan said: "Since entering Bian, the strength of the former Imperial Forbidden Army has been gathered together with the Jiezhen soldiers and horses and the recruits recruited, and the number of troops has tripled. The contradiction between the old and new Imperial Army is not small at all. The officials needed Yuan Cong's imperial army from Hedong to suppress everything, so they kept letting things go."
"During this period, the military discipline of the forbidden soldiers has become worse and worse. I have seen many people walking around in a arrogant and domineering manner. I am afraid that their combat effectiveness has dropped sharply."
Liu Chengyou's brows furrowed even more tightly and he couldn't help but interrupt him: "Shi Hongzhao, as the commander of the Imperial Guard, hasn't he always been harsh and strict in running the army? What responsibility does he, the commander of the imperial army, bear?"
"It's true that Shi Hongzhao was harsh in running the army." Li Shaoyuan, the word "sarcasm" was almost written directly on his face: "That's for outsiders, but for those who are close to him, he always protects them. It can be said that , the most rampant imperial guardsmen in Tokyo right now must be Shi Hongzhao’s people!”
"Because of Shi Hongzhao's unfair treatment and partial punishment, the soldiers at home and abroad were indignant, and a fight almost broke out some time ago."
Liu Chengyou took a deep breath: "Father, are you just indifferent and doing nothing?"
"How could it be? It was precisely because the officials were furious that they punished a group of officers who committed crimes, and then they restrained themselves. However, as long as the generals commanding the troops are still those people, the frivolous atmosphere in the army will be difficult to eliminate. I heard, The officials are all sick with anger. Recently, plans are being made to rectify the imperial army and reorganize the armies..."
The fingers tapping on his knees moved very fast, and it took a long time to stop. His body faced back and leaned against the carriage. Liu Chengyou said quietly: "If the military is in chaos, what kind of chaos is this political chaos?"
"It's said to be political chaos, but in fact it's still chaos among ministers!" Li Shaoyao said.
After Liu Zhiyuan entered Kaifeng, although he retained a large number of ministers from the previous dynasty, such as Zhao Shangjiao (originally named Zhao Yuan, who changed his name to avoid taboos), Bian Wei, Wang Jingchong and others, all political facts were left to the "Er Su".
Although Su Fengji and Su Yugui each have their own strengths, their character flaws are extremely obvious, and they are basically talkative. They may not be able to govern a state or county well, and what's more, they are in charge of the governance of a country. There are nearly one For months, the government and opposition parties in Tokyo were in a state of chaos, which was not even as peaceful as the short-lived "Longde Dynasty" of Li Congyi. And the two Soviets were still fighting for favor and power.
Until Yang Bin and Wang Zhang brought Liu Zhiyuan's original domineering team from Taiyuan and quickly filled it into the central government, regaining control of the Privy Council and financial planning power. And Liu Zhiyuan obviously supported Yang and Wang. After all, for so many years, these two have always been responsible for their political affairs.
Wang Zhang continued to work hard, grasping the shriveled money bag of the new dynasty, his hair turned gray in worry, and he wanted to increase his wealth. It is not an exaggeration to say that he was a man of action. Seeing that the capital was wasting a lot, he made a statement. Dozens of items, stop the urgent tasks and save useless expenses. In fact, Wang Zhang is very grateful to Liu Chengyou. At least the goods he took back from the Khitan people were of great use, otherwise he would have lost more. Lots of hair.
However, the poor are poor and the rich are rich. No matter how much they are supplemented from the outside, it is still not enough. The treasury of the Han Dynasty is still empty. The word "excessive expenditure to overcome support" only exists in the idea of the memorial.中. As a planner of the imperial court, he still had to work hard to increase his wealth. However, although Wang Zhang was in charge of the money bag all year round, he was not particularly good at "financial management". He was better at collecting money. .....
As for Yang Bin, he has a strong character, a bit arrogant, and a tough style. He is not afraid of offending others, and he can't get any sand in his eyes. After becoming the prime minister of the empire, and after assuming power, he vigorously rectified the government, clarified government affairs, and appointed and dismissed officials.
Reported to Liu Zhiyuan, dozens of incompetent officials were dismissed, and several people were punished for dereliction of duty. This time, he completely offended the two Sus, especially Su Fengji.
During his time in power, he did a lot of bad things, one of which was "selling officials to get titles". Before entering Kaifeng, he had already been granted dozens of official positions, big and small, and when he arrived in Tokyo, he cashed them in one by one. Most of those Yang Ping dismissed were mostly Some of them are officials who obtained their positions through bribery, which is very targeted.
Su Fengji was originally dissatisfied because his power had been usurped, but now he even more annoyed Su Fengji. Then he began to criticize Yang Bin's people. Officials in this period were completely wiped out, including Yang Bin himself, who used power for personal gain. He also did a lot of things.
"This Su Yugui, in my impression, is a mellow elder!" Liu Chengyou's mouth twitched.
"This mellow elder now owns a lot of properties in and around Tokyo. But he is also smart. If he can't compete, he won't fight at all. In the past two days, he even sent his servants to help the refugees." Li Shao said.
He glanced at Liu Chengyou and continued: "As for Su Fengji, Xianggong Su, he has built many fields and houses. Not to mention Tokyo, I heard that he occupies four or five manors with hundreds of hectares of land in Xijing. Now I want to bribe him, Erlang, You pay 100,000 yuan to come to the door, I'm afraid you can only meet in person..."
After listening to Li Shaoyou's report, Liu Chengyou's expression became extremely autistic.
"This is not the prosperity of the early days of the empire. It is clearly a sign of the country's demise!" After a long silence, Liu Chengyou suddenly shouted angrily in a suppressed voice, with murderous intent clearly in his eyes.
"Erlang, don't say this nonsense!" Although it was rare to see Liu Chengyou so excited, Li Shaoyou was startled and quickly advised him.
"When we were in Hedong, the civil and military officials still laughed at the Khitans for not adapting to our national conditions, and they would not be able to have China for a long time. Look at what these heroes from Hedong have done. How can they be better than the Khitans?" Liu Chengyou said in his tone. Revealing resentment, could he ever be so emotional? He just felt that his fight in Hebei seemed a little unworthy...
"That's not always the case." At this time, Li Shaoyou didn't dare to look directly into Liu Chengyou's eyes, and said sarcastically: "For example, Vice Privy Secretary Guo has always restrained his subordinates and worked diligently in royal affairs. Official rewards are also distributed more to subordinates. , to reassure people’s hearts.”
Hearing him mention Guo Wei, Liu Chengyou's eyes narrowed subconsciously.
Li Shaoyou continued: "The recent situation is much better than before. The chaos should not be chaotic anymore. Autumn has already entered. If we endure it a little longer, everything will be fine when the autumn harvest is over."
"I hope so!" Liu Chengyou opened the car curtain and looked outside. Looking outside, the sky was high and the clouds were vast.
During the conversation, Kaifeng City came into view.