The mountainous ship was still heading south against the current, swaying slightly under the impact of the river. The autumn wind in September was already very cold, and the old emperor could not bear the blow, but his mind seemed to be clearer.
On the deck, under the canopy, the old emperor huddled in a wide chair like a rotten tree, but his old eyes were still wise, looking down at Guo Xin calmly.
As for Guo Xin, his performance at this time was a bit wonderful. On the one hand, he was trembling, but on the other hand, he kept looking up at the old emperor, cautiously, but with a guilty conscience, and his face changed, as if he was performing a funny show. After all, he was young.
For a person in his late sixties, it is really difficult to deal with such a commotion.
The autumn wind gently blew his hair and whispered in his ear. The old emperor's eyes gradually became trance-like. Gradually, what the old emperor saw was no longer the nervous, timid and even unbearable second uncle in front of him, but what he represented.
The Guo family.
Thinking of the development of the Guo family in the past few years, the old emperor couldn't help but wonder if he had relaxed his vigilance towards the heroes and nobles of the Guo family, and even allowed them to develop and flourish.
Taking the Guo family as an example, the old emperor's fear was extremely deep, but looking back, the old emperor's fear was more about Guo Wei personally. When Guo Wei was too old, he relaxed and waited for his death.
You will feel more at ease.
However, the negative impact of Guo Wei's death on the Guo family was only temporary. However, the development of the Guo family continued to deepen in the following ten or twenty years, influencing both the government and the public, and closely related to the country.
Although the current powerful class of the Han Dynasty does not have such ostentatious and eye-catching titles as the "Four Great Families" and the "Eight Great Wealthy Families", it is undeniable that there are some top powerful people at the highest level of the rule of the Han Empire.
The Guo family is a family that cannot be bypassed.
The Guo family became more prosperous and stronger than the Guo Wei period, but it was truly consolidated in the second generation. Guo Wei had three sons. The eldest, Guo Tong, inherited the Duke of Xing in a very normal manner. In his early years, he was also considered a talented person in the court and served as a minister.
From the local government to the central government, and then to the local government, he has a rich resume. From the age of thirty-five, his official rank has not been lower than the third rank, and he is also a feudal official or a key official.
However, Guo Tong is a very shrewd person, even to the point of being too shrewd, and he is also a person who is overly self-interested or family-friendly. But at the same time, this person is also considered to be knowledgeable about the times and interests. Before he was fifty-five years old, he wrote a letter requesting to be appointed to the official position.
With physical illness.
If you think about it carefully, you will find that the time when Guo Tong became an official was almost stuck in the period when the old emperor began to be "abnormal". In the past few years of recuperation, he also made a concubine pregnant, and he had a son all at once.
Two, they are still twins
Of course, the old emperor understood Guo Tong's "smartness", which certainly made him unhappy, but in the end he laughed it off. It would be better if he was smarter, and we could get along with him more happily.
Among Guo Wei's three sons, the one that the old emperor valued the most was undoubtedly the third son Guo Yi. After all, Guo Yi had formed a relationship with the old emperor when he was still an infant. The jade pendant he carried with him
, as long as you take it out and explain its origin, everyone present must salute.
Of course, Guo Yi is indeed worthy of training. He, old Guo Wei, spent the rest of his life carefully cultivating him. At the age of forty, he is already a pillar of the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty and a banner figure among the generals in the late Kaibao period.
The most significant thing is that after returning from Anxi, Guo Yi was awarded the title of Marquis of the Long March by the old emperor. If it weren't for the emperor's favor, Guo Yi's military exploits and qualifications would not be enough. How difficult is it for the Han Dynasty to make progress within the current system? It is far beyond the imagination of ordinary people. It is difficult for others to seek promotion to an official position, but Guo Yi can be promoted to a high rank in one step. This is certainly due to the authority of the emperor, and it also reflects the most common truth in the world: birth determines destiny.
Compared with his brothers, Guo Xin is much more ordinary, ordinary to the point of mediocrity. Of course, to put it nicely, he is honest. However, being an honest person does not mean that he is conscientious and diligent in doing things. On the contrary, It's so hateful that it can make people angry to death!
Guo Xin is a typical example. When he was in charge of Jinghu South Road, he did not do any bad things, but he did very little.
It's not that he is slacking in politics. He is very diligent. He has done a lot of things and has more ideas than a hair on his head. He is involved in all aspects of politics, economy, people's livelihood, water conservancy, transportation, farming, etc., but he has not implemented it, and even not only It did not bring any benefits to the people under its rule, and it also exhausted them from exhaustion.
In the end, even if he stood still or even regressed, he could still speak plausibly and feel that he was doing things with all his heart and doing his best for the people. If he was accused by his subordinates, he would retaliate. If he was corrected by the court, he would feel aggrieved.
To be honest, Guo Xin, the chief envoy, was not qualified for his duties. In Yuezhou, before entering the Hunan Taoist realm, the old emperor began to listen to these reports about Guo Xin, and at this time he personally visited and inspected him. Later, he realized that placing this person on Jinghu South Road was really a wrong decision, and it delayed the development of Hunan Road for more than three years.
Thinking back, who suggested that Guo Xin be transferred to Hunan Province? Well, it was him. Thinking of this, the old emperor's expression became even more ugly. He was not even sure whether he was mistaken or really old. Confused.
There was anger and even resentment in his heart, but looking at Guo Xin's pitiful appearance, he also felt a sense of grievance that was difficult to vent. The emperor and his ministers stared at each other for a while, and finally the old emperor waved his hands impatiently and said: "Go away. Go! Get on your boat and lead the way to Changsha!"
The old emperor's tone was slightly harsh, but Guo Xin felt like hearing the voice of a fairy. He responded hurriedly, and then left with a smile on his face. His naive expression made the old emperor's tooth ache.
The Xiangjiang River, especially the section of the waterway under Changsha and Dongting, is extremely busy. It is the harvest season, and hundreds of boats are vying for the water with thousands of sails racing. The closer to Changsha, the more various types of river boats, traveling south and north to transport grain. There are shops for transporting salt and tea, and everything is available.
On the way south, you can see some special ships, large and small. The common feature is that they have green flags everywhere. They obviously belong to the same force. In the past twenty or thirty years, a group of ships has risen on the Xiangjiang River. A new force that is half black and half white: the Hunan Gang.
The Boat Gang, a force at the bottom of society, has existed since ancient times, but the Xiang Gang can be regarded as the most formal and complete system in history. It has a clear organizational structure, a mature operating mechanism, and most importantly, a reliable backend.
After all, some of the transportation tasks of the Hunan Provincial Government are entrusted to the Hunan Gang, and when it comes to civilian activities, they are often under the banner of semi-officials. The decommissioned ships of the Navy also flow into the Ship Gang. There is a local saying,
Half of the ships operating on the Xiang River belong to the Xiang Gang.
It can be said that the Hunan Gang is also a product of decades of development in Changsha. Now, its influence has touched all aspects of the bottom of society. The government seems to need such a flexible "toilet", and many Hunan Gang will be used as dogs for the powerful.
Big bosses are something you can meet but cannot seek.
The old emperor's southern tour had an impact on the local area in all aspects, including the untouchable boat gang forces. It was not a problem of social security, but the old emperor's visit affected a "jianghu" incident
event.
The Hunan Gang was actually just an external alliance. In the early years, its power was also very scattered. In order to fight for interests, they fought constantly. Later, under the orchestration of a "Mr. Wang", more than a dozen leaders of the big boat gangs gathered together and sacrificed their blood for the cause.
Alliance and established the Xiang Gang.
Well, there is such a legend in the rivers and lakes, and the story behind how so many brave and fierce ship bosses can put aside their conflicts and reach a consensus is obviously not that simple. The identity of that "Mr. Wang" is particularly intriguing.
Pay attention to what kind of virtues and abilities this person has.
It was not until later that it gradually spread that "Mr. Wang" was the chief arrester of Changsha Prefecture, Wang Jue. Now no one doubted it. Although Wang Jue was only a humble official within the imperial court system, in the eyes of ordinary people, he could
He is a very big person.
Especially for those who run around in the world, the deterrent is even greater, because he has been the chief arrester in Changsha for decades, and the whole of Changsha and even the whole of Hunan Province are full of his disciples and disciples. This is enough to shake the Xiangjiang River three times with a cough.
character.
Of course, allowing Wang Jue to do the laborious task of bonding the Hunan Clan, there is obviously a deeper background behind it, which is very tight-lipped in the Changsha area.
In addition to reducing armed fighting and stabilizing public order, the Xiang Gang was established for another very important reason, which was to expand outward.
The water network in the south is criss-crossed and the rivers are densely packed, so there are many people running boats. Although the Xiangjiang River is a major tributary of the Yangtze River, as long as you are a little ambitious, you can't help but go to the Yangtze River to fish for oil and water. But this is a great difficulty. There are many people on the Yangtze River.
The boat gang is not easy to mess with. The territory is divided and outsiders are not allowed to interfere.
After the Xiang Gang formed an alliance, the first thing they did was the "Northern Expedition", organizing people to explore the Yangtze River. However, as soon as they left Dongting, they were beaten back by the "Hubei Gang".
That battle is known as the "Battle of Baling" in the legend of the world, and thus started a nearly ten-year struggle between the two lake boat gangs. The two forces, like two domesticated dogs, fought for the interests of their masters and for the
A bit of dog food on the lips, in Dongting, on the river, bitten repeatedly.
The government generally would not intervene in this kind of armed fight between non-commoners, and there was a tacit understanding between the two parties. Even if the river was stained with blood, they would follow the rules of the world and never affect the government or cause trouble to the masters.
If the fighting is severe and the losses are great, then we will negotiate a truce, negotiate a balance of interests, and negotiate for a year and a half of stability, then continue fighting, over and over again. Interests are eternal, but human life is worthless.
Of course, there are also cases that go too far, affecting public order and endangering people's livelihood. At that time, there will be pressure from the government and the navy will be dispatched. And the most absurd thing is that the two sides fought the most fiercely, each gathering thousands of people.
The fighting on Dongting Lake, with the naval raiding formations of the two lakes next to it, can be described as acting training by the official, but the movement is a bit louder.
This time, if the old emperor had not patrolled the south, the Dongting Lake would have been bloody and all life would have stopped. In fact, no one dared to explode. There are many fierce desperadoes in the boat gang, but not being afraid of death does not mean that
Damn it, the Hubei Navy's massive overhaul has frightened not only the various naval forces.
During the internal rectification process in Hunan, the heads of three leaders of the Hunan Gang who had serious complaints from the public were also taken away to quell the public complaints.
Therefore, the situation in Hunan, from top to bottom, from officials to thieves, was in decline. What the old emperor could see was naturally a prosperous and peaceful southern country, its customs and customs.