Chapter 1958 Jizhou is a virtuous man, read Salt and Iron again
In Li's Wubao near Yecheng, a small banquet was being held in the flower hall.
This time it was just a family banquet, with no outsiders participating at all, and there was no bustle and bustle like a gathering of prominent people. There were only two people present.
One is Li Pan and the other is Li Cheng.
The two of them are Jizhou personnel and can be regarded as part of the Qingliu gentry. Although they do not hold any prominent positions under Yuan Shao, they have a good reputation and have good relationships with other gentry children in Jizhou. Therefore, compared with those Tian Feng, who was "obsessed with official career", seemed to be more noble and noble, and could be called the virtuous man of Jizhou. Therefore, this time Yuan Shao fell, the Li family seemed not only not to be affected much, but even lost his status because of it. Slightly improved.
After all, both the Tian family and the Shen family were important ministers under Yuan Shao. It is said that a big ship cannot be turned around. Therefore, after Cao Cao takes control of Jizhou, it is the Li family who does not embrace Yuan Shao's thighs. Of course, they will become popular.
Those who had said bad things about Cao Cao before and were hostile to Cao Cao naturally hid in their homes and were in panic all day long. However, people like the Li family were filled with guests and kept coming and going. Many people thought that this Once upon a time, Li's family was really foresighted and realized early on that Yuan's family was not going to last long, and then survived until now and ushered in a new situation.
However, strictly speaking, the two Li brothers are not biological brothers, but clan brothers. However, they know in their hearts that it was not because the Li family was too arrogant to kneel down and lick Yuan Shao, but because the Li family did not have the skills of the Tian family and others. Okay, I couldn’t lick it in place, and then I didn’t grab the position...
Of course, the Li brothers would never admit these things.
The furnishings of this banquet were very simple, with one person sitting alone. Apart from drinks and dried fruits, there were no seven bowls or eight dishes, and there was no room full of singing and dancing girls. Anyway, the two brothers were not thinking about the banquet. Li Pan sat behind a few tables with a calm face, not drinking, but frowning in thought, while Li Cheng was holding a wine glass and sipping lightly.
"The wine is too cold to drink..." Li Cheng said slowly.
Li Pan glanced at Li Cheng, not really thinking that Li Cheng was complaining about the temperature of the wine, but knowing that Li Cheng was referring to it, so he sighed slightly and said: "The wine can be heated when it is cold, but After it’s hot, you have to drink it quickly. It’s difficult to keep it warm or cold as you like..."
Li Cheng snorted and said it more straightforwardly, "Now the only one in the world who can talk about it is Fei Cao. But now that I see the Cao family taking over Jizhou, if I don't have the courage to do my duty, I'm afraid it will just be nothing!"
"I'm afraid..." Li Pan muttered, "If in the future... the Cao family will be like the Yuan family..."
"Nowadays, the court is in chaos and the country is in turmoil," Li Cheng said, cupping his hands toward the south. "The emperor doesn't know the future yet. Even if we are worried, what can we do? We might as well take care of the present first! Having said that, If it is true... At worst, no matter how much you are like the Shen family, you will still have some leisure time and wealth..."
They are all brothers in the clan, so they speak straightforwardly. Speaking from a larger perspective, as a Han noble family, they want to do something. Of course, party disputes are inevitable, and it is natural to increase the benefits of their own family.
Otherwise, how can we call it "Family World"?
Jizhou and Yuzhou can be said to be the biggest victims of the party's scourge, but they are also beneficiaries. The two emperors, Emperor Xiaoheng and Emperor Xiaoling, also wanted to become powerful emperors who wanted to rejuvenate the Han Dynasty, but...
Up to now, although the gentry children have indeed completely defeated the eunuchs and relatives, they have also defeated the Han Dynasty. Especially after the Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Yuan brothers who originally represented the interests of the gentry and scholar-bureaucrats fell one after another, the Han Dynasty has obviously become
Hemiplegia, even moving towards total paralysis.
The nobles thought that the big man's other two walking sticks were in the way, and after trying every means to cripple him, they suddenly found that they were also alone...
And now, many people are confused.
If Cao Cao can dominate Hebei as in history, then the Jizhou gentry will naturally have nothing to say. It is natural to turn around and throw themselves into Cao Cao's not necessarily warm embrace to seek love and pity. But at the moment, in the political situation of the Han Dynasty, there is not only Cao Cao
, and a Fei Qian.
This is more troublesome...
This is the conflict between Li Pan and Li Cheng.
The emperor Liu Xie cannot be counted on for the time being. Even though he is indeed sitting on the throne of the emperor now, everyone knows that, especially the series of things that happened in the past, many nobles have seen clearly that this emperor is actually
He doesn't have any big skills either.
Of course, such an emperor is not without benefits. At least such an emperor means that all power will fall on the nobles, and the problem of party supervision will not arise. If the powerful ministers can control the situation, it will not be possible for the big man to do so.
The country’s power can still be restored!
At the end of the Han Dynasty, the system that had been running smoothly for three to four hundred years seemed to begin to collapse. In this process, the power of the monarch and the power of the prime minister were also out of balance. Everything needed to be re-established and re-formulated, but in the process of establishment and formulation
Among them, interests are involved and entangled, making it seem more and more confusing.
After a long while, Li Pan said: "If Cao comes here, will it be possible?"
Li Cheng chuckled and said, "Aren't there still you and me? Now that the Cao family has arrived, they should stabilize people's hearts, and naturally they should look for a thousand-mile horse... By then, they will appease Jizhou and gain great power, but they are afraid that they will not be able to stand under the Sophora Hall in the future.
?』
When Cao Cao first arrived in Yecheng, it was the best time for the Li family, and there were suddenly a large number of guests at the door. Didn't it mean that many people saw this and came here to ambush first? If the Li family continued
If you stay behind closed doors, then this false prosperity will not be realized, and these "guests" will naturally go to other places soon...
So Li Cheng said it urgently and straightforwardly. Cao Cao needed to appease the people in Jizhou, so he naturally needed to borrow Jizhou's local power. Special arrangements were needed for military and civil affairs. If he could absorb part of the authority, he would be almost equal to the Li family.
In one fell swoop, he ascended to the position of the Tian family under Yuan Shao!
After gaining status, to put it more seriously, even if Cao Cao loses to Fei Qian in the future, it is not unreasonable to fall to Fei Qian's side...
Li Pan was still a little hesitant and said: "However, the matter of "examination"..."
Li Cheng smiled faintly and said, "'Testing for correctness' means just sticking to the mark, so what's the difficulty?"
Although Li Cheng said it lightly, both brothers knew that this matter was difficult to handle.
Regarding the examination, naturally some people are happy and some are worried.
It is difficult to say that all aspects of a system are good or all are bad. Just like Wang Mang's restructuring, the original intention is also good...
Those who are truly talented and learned, and sometimes come from a well-known family, naturally have no regard for the exam, and even think that the exam can eliminate those guys who are just pretending to be fake, but for those who only have a family, and then run around and fight with chickens on weekdays.
, naturally there are ten thousand unwillingnesses.
For the poor branch, it is also a mixture of joy and sorrow. The joy is that I can finally pass the "examination" based on my talent, but the worry is that the result will be "corrected" again...
When Jizhou is initially decided, it must be pacified, otherwise Cao Cao would not personally come to Yecheng to take charge. Moreover, Jizhou has always been prosperous in humanities, and there are many nobles. If it cannot be suppressed, chaos will inevitably occur, so Cao Cao wants to
If all parties are satisfied, the stolen goods must be divided well. Li Chengcheng wants to be the knife that divides the stolen goods. Even if he can't secretly cut more for himself, will the surface of the knife be stained with some oil and water...
The way to govern is to have a bowl of water balanced. Share the benefits with everyone to avoid resentment in the future.
Li Pan nodded slightly, then shook his head and said: "However, most of the official positions will be held by Henanzi..."
Li Cheng smiled and said, "What's so difficult about this? Just sit on the wall and watch, and see if the water is muddy!"
Li Pan thought for a long time and finally became silent, apparently agreeing.
……(*`ェ′*)d(·｀ω′·)……
In Xu County, above the palace hall, Liu Xie is sitting in the middle and Xun Yu is sitting at the bottom.
"Xun Aiqing, how much savings do the three divisions have in their treasury now? Is this new post of "examination and correction" funded by the three divisions' salary, or is it funded by each locality?"
Because of Empress Cao's relationship, the relationship between Liu Xie and the Cao family seemed to be closer, so Liu Xie also made slight changes in matters in the court. As Liu Xie grew older, the situation over the years made Liu Xie
Compared with other emperors of the Han Dynasty, the emperor's mental skills have also made slight progress. Although they cannot be said to have reached the level of perfection, they are at least much better than those emperors who did not understand anything and could not understand anything. It was like
What I said just now is also to the point.
Officials, of course, must have a salary. If you get a salary from the court, you may not necessarily speak for the court, let alone those who can't even get a salary from the court...
The dual monarch-minister governance structure of the Han Dynasty resulted in many officials actually serving not Liu Xie, the emperor who represented the Han Dynasty, but local officials who paid him salaries. Therefore, if it is said that the central court is responsible for issuing salaries, it is natural.
You can hold the control, but if it is given to the local government, it may lose its original meaning.
Under the Dan level, Xun Yu pondered for a moment. As Cao Cao's chief steward, he naturally had a clear understanding of all the current figures. Liu Xie inquired about it, sorted it out a little, and then respectfully replied: "Although it is the time for planning in winter."
At that time, there was chaos in various places, and the calculation of the tributes had not yet arrived... Now only in Sikong's treasury, there are 5.1 million gold, silver, copper coins, silk utensils, etc. However, in winter, it is time to control the flood.
, so we want to allocate 800,000 yuan to manage the water canals in Hebei and Henan. There are also soldiers and soldiers from all walks of life in the capital who are also waiting to be paid... In addition, there are also more than 2 million yuan in salary and allowances for officials of all sizes in Xudu.
...』
If Cao Cao hadn't tricked the Wuhuan people and just paid for the mercenaries, Xun Yu would have gone bankrupt on the spot!
Even so, Cao Cao's rule was still in embarrassment. It seemed that he could still save several million yuan, but Xun Yu knew that this value was empty because there were still expenses for the New Year...
After pausing for a moment, Xun Yu said again in an upright voice: "As for the post of Kaozheng, it falls under Situ, and the salary he receives is all from the middle..."
"But Situ..." Liu Xie frowned and said, "I have been hanging for a long time..."
"Your Majesty, Liu Zi is highly virtuous and highly respected, talented and knowledgeable, and qualified for this position..." Xun Yu said.
"Liu Zigao?" Liu Xie pondered.
Liu Hong, whose courtesy name is Zigao, served as Guang Luxun when Dong Zhuo came to Beijing. He also served as Sikong for a short time, but was dismissed by Dong Zhuo on the grounds that he was "unworthy of his moral character."
Liu Xie seemed to remember that this Liu Hong seemed to be from Nanyang.
As a monarch, he has two important rights, one is personnel power and the other is financial power. However, unfortunately, Liu Xie has neither of them. He can only ask about it, which is more or less relevant. Therefore, for the Situ proposed by Xun Yu
He did not have much power to suggest or veto the candidates. After a moment of pause, Liu Xie said: "Maybe..."
"Your Majesty is wise." Xun Yu replied without much emotion.
Liu Xie was silent for another moment. No matter what thoughts were running in his heart, the world still belonged to the Liu family. Although he knew that his words were useless, if he didn't even ask, then how could he be called the Liu family?
In the world, it would be simpler for the Liu family to directly change their name to the Cao family, so Liu Xie still asked: "...We have been experiencing a shortage of goods for many years. I wonder if you have any good ideas?"
Everything requires money.
Xun Yu sighed incomprehensibly, and replied with some sadness: "I have lived up to your majesty's high expectations to manage the country's finances, and it is really a sin to fail like this..."
This financial problem confused not only Liu Xie, but also Cao Cao and Xun Yu.
Why is it that General Fei Qian's side seems to be prosperous and economically prosperous, while Jizhou and Yuzhou account for almost half of the population of the Han Dynasty, but the income is not as high as that of Pei Qian...
Liu Xie shook his head and said, "Xun Aiqing doesn't have to blame herself..."
Xun Yu was silent. In fact, he had some vague understanding, but it was difficult to say it out loud. After all, wherever you sit, you have to say something.
Normally speaking, it is true that the output of Jizhou and Yuzhou will be much higher than that under Fei Qian's rule. Even though Fei Qian used better farming tools and more advanced irrigation technology, the overall
Generally speaking, it is not possible to rely on technology to completely level the population gap, especially in a farming society like the Han Dynasty that still relied on manpower.
Therefore, the only problem is that there are fewer "middlemen" in Feiqian...
The "middlemen" on the side of General Fei Qian were not without troubles, but Fei Qian was so ruthless that he directly attracted a large number of "counting talents" to bypass the rural nobles, and even formed a direct transport fleet.
Collect taxes, rent, etc. directly from the place of origin...
Even the nomadic Hu people who surrendered did not hide away. The Hu people who were educated and needed to "respect teachers and value education" completed the homework assigned by the teacher perfectly. The number of cattle and sheep in the family was clearly reported. They wanted to pretend
I don't know how difficult it is to get through the test in a daze...
Therefore, in Cao Cao's case, on the one hand, the numbers reported by the nobles from various places were already somewhat watered down, and there were many who concealed the encroachment. On the other hand, these nobles were entrusted to collect and pay on their behalf. Naturally, there were also some handling fees, damage fees, transportation fees, etc.
, what really came into Xun Yu’s hands was that it was folded over and over.
So now Cao Cao's actual income is not as good as Fei Qian's, which is naturally normal. Then what Fei Qian can do, can Cao Cao do it now?
can not do this.
Cao Cao was different from Fei Qian from the beginning. Cao Cao relied on the support of the Cao family, the Xiahou family, and the gentry in the Chenliu area, especially the support of Yingchuan Xunyu and others, to survive and develop while moving from north to south and from east to west.
, so of course it is impossible to abandon these people.
However, the embarrassing predicament had to force Cao Cao and Xun Yu to have the idea of reform. After all, the pressure brought by Fei Qian beside them was too great. If they did not move and did not reform, they would not be able to compete with Fei Qian.
"I heard that there is a new theory on salt and iron in Xijing..." Liu Xie said slowly, "I have also re-read "The Theory of Salt and Iron"... I have heard about the way to govern people, the prevention of sexual misconduct, the principle of morality, and the suppression of profit.
But benevolence and righteousness should not be shown for benefit, and then education can be promoted and customs can be changed... When I first read it when I was young, I also felt that virtuous and reasonable, specializing in evil, but now I read it again... but I don't know why, I actually feel that so-called virtuous
, is not really virtuous, I wonder what Xun Aiqing thinks?"
"Lun on Salt and Iron" is a record-style political essay written by Huan Kuan based on the famous "Salt and Iron Conference" in the middle of the Western Han Dynasty. However, Hengkuan's butt is naturally a little crooked. The book describes many times the behavior of government officials.
Embarrassed, or silently disagreeing, or getting angry, or feeling ashamed...
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's salt and iron monopoly did indeed make a significant contribution to defeating the Xiongnu, but no policy was perfect or unchangeable for a hundred years. After a period of implementation of the salt and iron policy, problems inevitably appeared in
Economically, patented state-owned enterprises lead to corruption and inefficiency, while the unchecked power of the government makes it impossible to achieve equal competition in the market, further promoting the deterioration of the Han economy. This is indeed an indisputable fact.
We have also seen that these so-called virtuous Han people keep saying that the salt and iron franchise is "competing with the people for profit" and is not beneficial to the country. However, in fact, the "people" are not ordinary people, but "rich people".
Salt and iron, from another perspective, are strategic materials. Controlling strategic materials inhibits the development of local powerful forces. Therefore, those "virtuous men" in those days kept worrying about the country and the people, and then proposed the abandoned salt and iron franchise.
The shouts and shouts are actually part of the basis for the current rise of armed forces in various places and the separatism of the heroes.
Of course, more than two hundred years have passed since the salt and iron theory. Even if it were to be reversed now, it would not be of much significance. Therefore, Liu Xie's meaning did not refer to salt and iron, but to something else...
A slight breeze blew from outside the hall, shaking the curtains inside the hall, causing the light and shadow to sway along with it.
Xun Yu slowly raised his head, and his first smile appeared on his lips since he entered the palace to answer questions. It was like a reflection of light, "Your Majesty, if you read the salt and iron carefully again and again, you will know..."
