Chapter 373 Halfway through the nine years of opening the treasure
At the height of summer, the Han Empire fell into a new round of busyness from top to bottom. People everywhere began to brave the scorching heat of the sun to carry out summer harvest and summer planting. At the same time, they raised grain money, handed it over to the emperor, and paid taxes.
Due to the Northern Expedition, farming in the Han Dynasty suffered a great negative impact, especially in the Central Plains and the North. The impact was even more severe. The further north the prefectures and counties were, the more land was abandoned for farming. In some places, it was not even half as much as in previous years.
Therefore, in the new round of harvest, the imperial court showed great importance. The Zhengshitang issued several orders to the world and issued orders to local governments to strengthen the management and supervision of summer grain and summer tax collection.
Not only because they care about farming, but also because this also means that the court will have an objective new income to make up for the ongoing financial deficit.
During this period, many of the imperial court's measures basically revolved around "money" and "taxation", and not many people dared to neglect the matters involved. Especially Prime Minister Zhao Pu, in the past six months, he has been extremely aggressive.
Qiang, under his instruction, more than a dozen wealthy businessmen in the two capitals, as well as businessmen who had made a fortune during the war, were cleared of old scores and liquidated after the fall.
Although the purpose is somewhat impure, while confiscating a large part of the money and putting it into the national treasury, it also played a huge role in the implementation of the new commercial law promulgated by the imperial court. After all, it was for profit, even under the instructions of Emperor Liu
, the eating appearance is not that ugly, and the performance is not too naked, but the promotion effect is still obvious, shocking up and down, whoever dares to take the lead will be targeted.
After all, the Han Dynasty was an official-based empire with collusion between power and money. However, in the face of power, businessmen still did not have much ability to resist, and the so-called intricate network of relationships was even less able to withstand the test in the face of power.
That is to say, Zhao Pu's intention is not to attack merchants, and with the holy edict in front of him, Zhao Pu also knows how to stop when enough is enough, otherwise all the merchants will be in danger, and the commercial development of the Han Dynasty will stagnate even if it does not regress.
Of course, this attack is also targeted, and violations of laws and disciplines are inevitable. The most important thing is to see whether the backstage is strong and whether the background is deep. For example, those wealthy businessmen who are backed by ministers and nobles will be treated differently. As long as
Once you restrain yourself and support the court's policies, you will be able to stand firm and continue to maintain wealth and honor.
Compared with the turmoil in the shopping malls, the officialdom was even less peaceful. The Ministry of Civil Affairs launched an "anti-corruption" campaign, and the leader behind it was of course Zhao Pu.
However, the anti-corruption campaign is still superficial after all. In the name of fighting corruption and cleaning up the government, it targets those officials who have hindered the implementation of new financial policies by the court.
Those who fail to implement the policy will be reprimanded; those who oppose and obstruct it will be removed from office; and those who corrupt the New Deal will be investigated and prosecuted in the most severe manner. For Zhao Pu, such officials are the most abhorrent.
Therefore, in the first half of the ninth year of Kaibao, officials both inside and outside the imperial court felt the pressure, and Zhao Pu became a whip in the hands of Emperor Liu, a whip made of thorns, used to spur officials and ministers to work.
When Zhao Kuangyi was still running Luoyang and building up momentum, Zhao Pu was already truly in charge of the court and stimulating the world. After these few years, and the test of being in charge of dispatching during the Northern Expedition, Zhao Pu, the prime minister, has already stood up in the court.
It has gained a foothold, and through the New Deal, its influence has begun to spread to local areas.
After these few months, local Daozhou bureaucrats have gained a basic understanding of this prime minister: this prime minister is not easy to mess with.
In the past, Emperor Liu strictly centralized power in the Central Plains and supervised local areas. In the past, many local officials feared the imperial power and feared the central government. But now, what many people fear is Prime Minister Zhao. In March and April, the Han Dynasty In various places, four magistrates and more than a dozen county magistrates have been dismissed, removed from office, or questioned. There are also many high-ranking Taoist officials who have been reprimanded and relegated.
Zhao Pu's work was very popular, and naturally it was accompanied by criticism and criticism. During this period of time, Emperor Liu received no less than twenty impeachments and criticisms about Zhao Pu.
Emperor Liu naturally did not comment on these impeachments, and even asked Yantuo to find a small box for storage and lock it up. The news inevitably leaked into Zhao Pu's ears, and Zhao Pu also made a panicked gesture and went to Chui Gong. Emperor Liu naturally knew what he was thinking when he asked for forgiveness. How could Zhao Pu be nervous because of such things? All he wanted was the emperor's attitude and comfort. Emperor Liu also graciously satisfied him, expressed his details and let him Keep up the hard work and be bold in politics.
However, this still did not stop the criticism and criticism. There were fewer direct remonstrances, but there was no shortage of secret reports. As for those who submitted reports, Emperor Liu paid silent attention to them, and those remonstrating officials were just that, no matter whether they were asking for help or not. Whether it's fame or reality, it doesn't matter much.
The key is that there are many ministers and nobles among them. For these people, Emperor Liu had to carefully consider their intentions. Some people may be really afraid and worried about Zhao Pu's power, but for some people, it is naturally impossible. He wanted to attack Zhao Pu for no reason, and he attacked the current prime minister, who was also the most powerful prime minister in the Han Dynasty.
Politically, although there are constant turmoil, things are operating normally around the new fiscal policy, and the overall environment is stable. Economically, it is also recovering. Whether it is commercial law, salt affairs and currency reforms, they have begun to enter the trial stage, review and adjustment, There may be labor pains, but the stimulating effect is obvious.
The military has also been completely stabilized. The Privy Council's adjustments to the imperial army and border troops have been completed. In foreign military affairs, except for the Khitan affairs, all military affairs have been carried out.
The peace talks with the Black Khanate in the Western Regions have finally reached a conclusion with the arrival of the Black Khan's envoys in Beijing. The two sides have reached a consensus to reach a de facto and nominal peace based on the actual land occupied by the two countries, and to reduce the number of troops stationed there. , released the captives, each guarded his city, and each ruled his territory.
Territory is the fundamental issue, and if this issue is resolved, other issues will be easily resolved. The peace agreement has been established, and for the Black Khanate, it means that their eastward expansion, which has lasted for more than ten years, has a relatively certain result, with an eastward expansion of nearly a thousand miles. , the vast area dominated by Qiuci and Yanqi was officially annexed by it.
However, a price of blood was paid. Tens of thousands of Black Khan soldiers and civilians died in it, and their blood was almost drained. Moreover, due to the years of war, this vast land was almost in ruins. Occupation is one thing, and reconstruction is another. thing.
At the same time, the two sides agreed to open border markets, strengthen private economic exchanges, relax commercial trade restrictions, and at the same time, each provide protection for the other party's caravans. There is no reason to refuse such things that are beneficial to the development of both parties.
This also means that the Silk Road, which has been cut off for more than ten years, will be reopened, economic and cultural exchanges between the East and the West will also be revived, and silk, porcelain, tea and other commodities favored by foreign nations will continue to flow.
The land was transported westward, creating wealth for the officials and people of the Han Dynasty.
In addition, the Black Khan envoy suddenly had the idea of forming a marriage kingdom with the Han Dynasty and asked his monarch to marry a princess. Naturally, the court politely refused, not to mention that Emperor Liu was reluctant to give up his family.
Even the Black Khanate was not worthy of his daughter marrying far away and being defiled by the miscellaneous people from the Western Regions. In this regard, Emperor Liu's attitude was extremely arrogant.