Chapter 2 Auspicious auspiciousness everywhere, direction of reform
With the victory of the Pingnan War by the imperial court, news of the unification of the world spread to all parties. When the fifteenth year of Qianyou was about to end, some strange phenomena happened invariably across the country.
For example, according to Luoyang Shangzou, deep in the Shaoshi Mountain of Songshan Mountain, there is a sudden crack in the mountain wall, and a clear spring flows out. The taste is sweet and the drink is refreshing;
Another example is the report from Hedong Road that there was the sound of dragon roaring in Jinyang Qiandi, which was heard throughout the city. As the place where dragons flourished in the Han Dynasty, it seemed to be responding to the achievements of the Han Dynasty;
Another example is that Yanzhou reported that there were nine colorful clouds blooming in Mount Tai, which lasted for half an hour before dissipating. When the news came, someone again mentioned old things to Emperor Liu and consecrated Mount Tai;
In addition, Guanzhong also reported that where Chang'an City once stood, there were strange sounds of animals, such as dragons and phoenixes singing in harmony...
One after another, for more than a month, there were constant auspiciousness and visions in various parts of the Han Dynasty. The last time the Han Dynasty court "erupted" on such a scale was when Liu Chengyou first succeeded to the throne. Of course, there were people behind it at that time In promoting, building momentum for Emperor Liu and creating an illusion of obeying heaven and destiny, it played a role in confusing and stabilizing people's hearts to a certain extent, and consolidated his throne as emperor.
But this time, Emperor Liu could swear on his conscience that he did not deliberately fix these fancy things. However, there were many smart people and speculators among the local officials. Someone took the lead and imitated them. Things came one after another. With Emperor Liu's vision and knowledge, he certainly knew what was going on behind these visions.
At first, Emperor Liu did not react much, just a symbolic "I know" response. Some auspicious omens are not a bad thing. The world will be united and the world will be happy. Millions of people may be able to strengthen their support for the country. confidence and recognition.
However, as various strange sights and phenomena were reported one after another, it gave Liu Chengyou the feeling that officials from all over the country were investing their energy and enthusiasm in discovering "auspiciousness". Emperor Liu was naturally dissatisfied and felt that this man should be killed. It's gone wrong.
"Where did so much auspiciousness come from in this world? Are they all concentrated in this withered deep winter moon? Or is it that the achievements I have made so far can really move the world?" In the Chongzheng Hall, he gently put down his After reading a memorial, Liu Chengyou couldn't help being angry and directly expressed his dissatisfaction. He turned to Lu Yin and ordered: "Draft an edict to announce to all the states in the world. It is a sign of good fortune and auspiciousness. If it is a gift from God, let it be. Let everyone take it as it is. Officials at higher levels should still focus on managing household registration and relieving the people's suffering!"
"Yes!" Lu Yin responded immediately.
In fact, even if Emperor Liu did not issue this edict, Lu Yin would have to give some advice. Although this truth is simple, there are not many people who can see through it and remain rational at all times. Fortunately, Emperor Liu Of course, the most important reason is that Emperor Liu didn't believe those things in his heart, and he would only get bored if he listened to them too much.
"Furthermore, Wu Xingxing has always been stable, why did he get involved?" Liu Chengyou seemed to be still angry and said: "Guanzhong is suffering from drought this year and the locusts are serious. He, the chief executive, does not want to care for the people, and he can still be distracted. Does he care?"
During the years when he was in power, many "models" were born in the military and political system of the Han Dynasty, and Wu Xingde was one of the more famous figures. Moreover, his experience was often praised and envied by others.
Originally, he was just an unknown ordinary officer in the Jin army. Taking advantage of the Khitan's destruction of Jin and the chaos in the Central Plains, he carried out righteous deeds and led the army to fight against the Liao. He also had the foresight to join the newly emerging Han Dynasty and jumped into the army. Became a vassal town.
For a long time, Wu Xingde has been adhering to two principles of governance: serving the court with loyalty, caring for the people, maintaining good governance, responding to national policies, and doing practical things. So far, he has been able to do this. These are not surprising anymore, but in the early days of the founding of the Han Dynasty, when warriors were in power and the power of vassal towns still had the afterglow, it was a breath of fresh air, which is very rare. And the most rare thing is that Wu Xingde is an authentic warrior. Origin.
In the early days of the Qianyu period, the country's finances were in dire straits, and Wu Xingde was unable to finance Heyang's finances to supply Tokyo. However, during the Qianyu period, he did not compromise at all in his new policies, and he was still the one who fully obeyed the imperial orders and implemented national policies.
After so many years, Wu Xingde has always maintained this habit of serving politics, and every performance fell completely in Liu Chengyou's eyes, and he also had a good impression of Wu Xingde. Of course, Wu Xingde also got what he deserved In return, after more than ten years, I have been in many places, from Heyang to Xuzhou, from Xuzhou to Caizhou, and from Huaibei to Guanzhong, and I have always been a big official in the border areas. Moreover, there is no shortage of rewards for his family, and I have given him the title of wife. The son should be, and his younger brother Wu Xingyou is also a general.
To succeed Li Shaoyou, Duke of Shou State, as the chief envoy of Guanzhong is a further reflection of his official career. You must know that among the various chief envoys of the Han Dynasty today, only Wu Xingde is the old vassal minister who presides over the government. Just one person.
Therefore, Emperor Liu still admired the virtues of martial arts. Of course, the few words of instruction at this time were just a way to vent his anger. When mentioning the disaster in Guanzhong, Emperor Liu became concerned: "This winter, the people's mood in the states in Guanzhong has changed." What? After this calamity year, is it possible for someone to die of cold or starvation?"
After hearing the question, Lu Yin replied: "Your Majesty has exempted the people in the disaster-stricken prefectures and counties from two taxes, and also allocated money and food for disaster relief. According to the report from Guanzhong, the military commander set up relief centers in ten states and personally inspected them. No one died of cold or starvation. Report the matter!"
"It seems that Wu Xingde is still a good minister who cares for the people, and he should be praised!" Liu Chengyou showed a slight smile: "Next year, I will call him back to the court to report on his duties!"
Because of the disaster, Wu Xingde was not among those recalled by the officials from various places.
However, when he thought about the disaster situation, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but sigh. During the fifteen years he was in power, although he had reformed and reformed, he had formulated many policies to support the people, and every few years, he would reduce some of the people's burdens. .
However, when it comes to things, the life of the Han people is still not happy. In terms of the collection of the two taxes, the burden is still heavy. Moreover, the poorer the people in the place, the more difficult it is for the people to make a living. Although there is the most prosperous city of Kaifeng, it is difficult to cover up There are still a large number of people in various states who are below the food and clothing line.
Emperor Liu spent fifteen years to level the countries in the south, drive the Khitans in the north, and conduct repeated foreign expeditions, making war the main theme of the Qianyou era. What supported these military actions? Talking about the essence, it still relied on the oppression of the Li people. ...
The clever thing about the Han Dynasty court led by Emperor Liu was that it always had a certain degree of control, maintained a bottom line, and built a relatively complete and reasonable national social management system. When it was discovered that the national strength and the people's strength could not keep up, they decisively stopped. , do a good job of rest and recovery.
Throughout the process, although the Han Dynasty has continued to advance and social vitality has also increased, if the Han people were asked to talk about the "happiness index", not many people would be satisfied.
The Imperial City Department and the Wude Department investigated and paid attention to the public sentiment inside and outside Beijing. The feedback Emperor Liu received was that the taxes were too heavy and the burden was too heavy. After fifteen years of relatively peaceful and stable life, the Han people were no longer simply It would be enough to give them a stable environment free from the scourge of war.
The people in the north are still like this, but what's more, the people in the south have been at peace for a long time. As Liu Chengyou realized before, at this stage, the new generation of people has gradually grown up and become the main force of Han society. Their pursuits, their The life I wanted has also changed. At least, the taxes and corvee that were originally acceptable now seem outdated and excessive.
During the fifteenth year of Qianyou's reign, disasters were quite frequent. Although under the supervision of Liu Chengyou, every effort was made to cope with and actively provide treatment. However, even in the fifteenth year of Qianyou's reign, as long as a larger-scale disaster occurs, there will be refugees. There is a famine, and the court needs to help. Why, the family has no food left...
Therefore, after understanding the actual national conditions and people's conditions of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Liu knew the next direction of governing the country. No matter what means, policies, and purposes, there was only one goal: to reduce the burden on the people.
However, this will bring about financial and taxation problems. The burden on the people will be reduced, and the court's income will definitely decrease. This will definitely bring financial pressure to the country. Then, how to maintain the country's taxation at a qualified level? Reducing financial pressure may in turn bring about reforms within the court, improvement of systems, and updates of national policies...
As you can imagine, problems will arise one after another, but Liu Chengyou is determined about the general direction.