The short, dark-skinned old man leaned down to bow, but Liu Heng, who was standing in front of him, smiled and supported him, preventing him from saluting.
"You and I are both the kings of the Han Dynasty, why should we do this?"
"If it weren't for your Majesty, our country would be wiped out... Your Majesty, if you don't regard us as barbarians, and help us with all your strength, I will never forget your kindness and kindness!"
The old man bowed again, and Liu Heng helped him up again and said kindly: "Please don't do this, your Majesty. I heard that your Majesty is the direct descendant of China after the former King of Yue, so how can he be a barbarian? What's more, in my opinion,
Those who follow the Chinese style and have good conduct are all the people of the Han Dynasty. If there is any difficulty, please give me your instructions at any time..."
At this moment, it was the King of Minyue who paid homage to Liu Heng. The King of Minyue was sandwiched between Nanyue and Wu. Because the land was barren and there was almost no population, Liu Bang originally ennobled the King of Minyue as a buffer zone with South Vietnam, using barbarians to control barbarians.
The King of Minyue wiped his tears and said seriously: "Earlier, the King came to present food and supplies, and sent people to educate and teach farming methods... All the ministers thought that the King had other intentions, and so did I... Then the King said
You came to help me fight against the bandits. All the ministers thought that you would take the opportunity to seize my throne, but after you defeated the bandits, you left without telling me. We feel very guilty."
"Due to this catastrophic disaster, we in Fujian and Yue have no harvest, so we report to the temple. The temple is in the midst of a war with the Xiongnu and has no time to take care of it... Your Majesty uses the grain of Wu to relieve us..."
The King of Minyue looked at Liu Heng with tears in his eyes, his face suddenly became very serious, and he said: "Your Majesty, I don't have much talent. I only became the King of Minyue because of the kindness of Emperor Gao. But under my governance, Minyue
The people continue to suffer, and this is all my fault. I am willing to report to the emperor to eliminate the country of Fujian and Yue and make it the king's county, and ask the king to govern it on my behalf!"
Liu Heng immediately straightened his face and said angrily: "Is it possible that I helped Minyue just to take away your throne?"
"The Kingdom of Wu and Minyue are brothers. They help each other out of benevolence and righteousness, not out of any agenda."
"If you say such things again, I will never come to Fujian and Yue again!"
"Your Majesty! This is my sincere invitation!"
"You don't need to say more. I can send officials to help you and ask them to obey your orders, but don't say such things again. I am not a profit-seeking person, let alone someone who adds insult to injury..."
The King of Minyue was stunned. He looked at the young King of Wu in front of him and was even speechless. However, several ministers around the King of Minyue stepped forward and said guiltily: "We wrongly blamed you earlier and persuaded the king to
Beware of you...This is all our fault, please punish us!"
Liu Heng laughed and said, "You are all making suggestions for your own king. What's wrong with that? I have specially organized a banquet. Please come with me to the banquet!"
Wu Guo also hosted a banquet. Liu Heng sat on the upper seat, and the King of Min Yue sat beside him. The King of Min Yue wanted to sit down below, but Liu Heng refused and held his hand. Wu Guo and Min Yue's
The ministers sat on both sides
, everyone laughed, and the food they ate was very simple, and there was not much fish and meat. Liu Heng explained: "Wu and Minyue are not rich, so this is the best meal that a few people can come up with. Please don't
Blame.”
After the King of Wu arrived in the Kingdom of Wu, he lived frugally and always wore the same set of clothes all day long. He did not expand the palace or reduce the taxes of the people... Everyone knew who Liu Heng was, and no one felt offended.
Liu Heng's eyes were full of respect.
Liu Heng said with a smile: "This banquet is also to celebrate the widow's younger brother, the King of Tang. The King of Tang was in the north, defeated the Xiongnu, and captured countless crops... The Tang people have been selling livestock everywhere recently, and I heard that they all got it from the Xiongnu.
..Soon, we will also have a large number of cattle, and when the time comes, I will definitely give some to Minyue..."
While Liu Chang was fighting against the Huns in the north, Liu Heng was also fighting against South Vietnam in the south.
Liu Chang retook Henan from the Huns after a great battle, while Liu Heng won without a fight and brought Minyue, who was originally close to South Vietnam, to his side.
...
At this moment, Liu Chang was sitting in the palace, scratching his head.
In front of the eucalyptus tablets, there are piles of memorials from these days.
Zhang Cang sat aside, stroking his beard, waiting for Liu Chang to read all these memorials.
"Master, is this really necessary?"
"In the temple, you are in charge of government affairs, the royal tombs are in charge of the officials, Gai Gong is in charge of ceremonies, Li Taiwei is in charge of the troops, Zhu Jian is in charge of supervision, Zhang Buyi is in charge of the trial, Ji Bu is in charge of Jinyang, Luan Bu is in charge of the palace, and Liu Guang is in charge of the clan.
Feng Jing governs Hu, Zhao Gong manages finances, and Chen Tao does work... These are all people I trust and can entrust me with big things..."
"Liu Buhai, who has a standing army, has been with me for many years."
"Above the local level, people like Zhou Zao, Ren Ao, Zhang Xiangru, and Sun Chi are all loyal and upright people selected by my mother."
"With these people coming to govern the Tang Dynasty, do we still need a few people to do everything by themselves?"
Even though Liu Chang ignored state affairs and left all important matters to the ministers, in fact, Liu Chang still had a very strong control over the Tang Dynasty. In the important departments of the court, all the important departments were close to him, whether they were teachers or sacrificial ministers.
People are either invited by themselves or kidnapped by themselves.
Compared with some kings who can't even look down on their own ministers, Liu Chang's control is already very scary. This is also the key to why Liu Chang can be the boss. There are powerful people in the court to assist the left.
These people are all trustworthy confidants, so why should he bother?
His sages are now distributed in various places, some are officials and some are orders. When they grow up, they can take over the duties of these confidants. Liu Chang is not worried at all.
Hearing what Liu Chang said, Zhang Cang said: "The king is right, but we are all ministers of the king after all. The king can trust the ministers, but he must also know what the ministers think and how they behave...
.Otherwise, how will your Majesty govern the Tang Kingdom?"
"With the teacher here, are we still afraid that we will not be able to govern the Tang Dynasty?"
Zhang Cang shook his head and sighed.
"Your Majesty, I am old...I wonder how much longer I can assist the Zuo King..."
"Don't say this anymore... The second brother and the two girls were having fun together before and they could hardly walk... I heard that Master, you don't just earn two dollars every day... but you are always like this
You are so lively and vigorous, no one is as brave as you. Master, tell the truth, do you have any unique skills? What do you eat on a daily basis?"
"What I eat on weekdays... It doesn't matter what I eat! What matters is what the people of the Tang Dynasty eat!"
Zhang Cangyi scolded him eloquently: "As the king, what you should care about is to ensure that the people have enough food to eat and clothes to wear! Now after the war, the accumulation of the Tang State for many years has been lost. It is exactly what you should be at ease to restore the national strength.
When developing people’s livelihood, please put your mind first on your family and country!”
Liu Chang looked helplessly at the teacher in front of him, "What you said is really nice."
"Of course it is necessary to govern. I have thought about it and sent the border guards to Shuofang County, where they will reclaim land, build cities... and establish military camps... Weren't the Hu people in the Xianbei Mountains defeated by the Huns?
Let their tribesmen settle in Shuofang County, and encourage people to go to Shuofang and other places. There is a lot of good land here, which is very suitable for farming."
"This time, we have gained a lot from the Xiongnu. We can use a large number of livestock to exchange materials, grain, and agricultural tools with other countries..."
"For the people in the country, let's exempt them from taxes for a period of time... Anyway, we are not planning to go to war or anything... By the way, it's time for Shang Fang to expand. I still have many ideas here, let Shang Fang do his best.
Let's invent..."
Liu Chang expressed several of his thoughts, but Zhang Cang just listened attentively and did not refute.
Liu Chang added: "The most important thing in governing a country is talents... There are too few Chinese studies at present. Build Chinese studies in various places in the Tang Dynasty. Don't just build one, cultivate more talents... Taixue should be able to
A lot of officials have been sent, let Wang Xiang go to greet them... There are also Chinese studies courses, I also decided to change them..."
The master and the apprentice talked seriously about the next direction. Liu Chang said with a smile: "Master, I have to ask you to take care of these things... When it comes to fighting, no one in the Tang Dynasty is my opponent.
But when it comes to running a country, there is probably no one in the world who can compare with you... My father once said, if a king has to do everything himself, what's the use of having ministers?"
"A king does not need to know how to govern a country, but he must know how to appoint talents who can govern a country!"
"You are such a talented person!!"
"What the king said makes sense...but it's a bit too much for you to leave everything to me and go off to play yourself."
...
"Master, why don't you stay?"
"I'll let you out anyway. Just stay in the Tang Kingdom and let Guan Ying and the others go back."
In the grand propaganda room, Liu Chang looked at Han Xin in front of him and said seriously.
"What should I do if I stay in Tang?"
"Drill the army and command the army!"
"You can leave the training of the army to Li Zuoche, command the army, and there will be no need to go out to meet the enemy in a short time."
Han Xin said calmly: "It's better to return to Chang'an... In Taixue, there won't be nothing to do."
"But I finally got you out, why do you want to go back?"
"It's the same everywhere..."
Han Xin stood up and ordered: "The war between two countries is not just between the generals, but also determined by their national strength... After I leave, you should not always think about playing, but should govern the country well...
If you leave the affairs of the court to the ministers and do not interfere, it will easily lead to chaos... The Tang Dynasty cannot withstand a civil strife."
"Master... the standing army is in the hands of a few... the courtiers are all my confidants... who dares to cause rebellion? Who will cause rebellion?"
"Not to mention anything else, just Prime Minister Zhang can manage the Tang Kingdom in an orderly manner. As long as he is around, the Tang Kingdom will not be in chaos."
"Aren't you afraid that the people of the Tang Dynasty only know Zhang Xiang but not the king?"
"Well... Prime Minister Zhang actually prefers widows to rebellion."
"I'm not saying he will rebel... I know you don't like government affairs, but you can leave it to the ministers, but you need to let them know that you are aware of these things, otherwise, they will deceive you and deceive you.
"
"Even if your ministers have different thoughts, let alone so many ministers in the Tang Dynasty?"
Liu Chang grinned and said, "Master, do you know how to embroider clothes?"
"Um?"
.....
Han Xin left anyway, and Guan Ying and other generals followed him. Liu Chang saw him off in person. After seeing off the soldiers of the Northern Army, the other generals also began to return. Li Zuoche was returning from Beidi County, and Zhou Bo
He was also preparing to return to the Kingdom of Zhao, but at this moment, a mysterious man in black came to Jinyang.
This person hid among his cronies, did not show his face, and came to the Tang Palace secretly.
Liu Chang smiled and walked forward, "Brother!!"
The person who came was none other than King Yan Liu Bi.
According to the rules, princes and kings cannot leave their own fiefs at will, let alone go to the palaces of other princes and kings. But Liu Bi, like Liu Chang, is not very disciplined. Liu Bi smiled and wanted to give Liu Chang
After saluting, Liu Chang helped him up and sat him down, "Brother, why are you here in person?"
"I was still thinking about visiting you..."
"I came here specifically to thank you, Your Majesty!"
Liu Bi said proudly: "The Yan State has gained a lot in this battle, all because of the kindness of the king. The king lent me food, grass and weapons, and sent soldiers to help! For such a kindness, I can only thank you in person!"
"
It can be seen that Liu Bi was very happy. In this big battle, Yan State was the one who suffered the least loss. Tang State spent a lot of money and food and paid a huge price. Zhao State's army was completely destroyed.
Even the Northern Army suffered heavy losses under Mao Dun's charge, but King Yan had almost no contact with the enemy along the way.
Like Liu Chang, he defeated several tribes along the road, hollowed out the Xiongnu's rear area, and gained the support of the Wuhuan and Fuyu people. The forces have returned to the peninsula area again and captured a large amount of baggage. They are indeed Yingma.
.
And Liu Bi also knew very well in his heart that the reason why Yan State achieved such gains was all because of Liu Chang. Liu Bi had always been very close to Liu Chang and despised other princes and kings. The two brothers sat together and ate meat.
While drinking, we talked about things on the battlefield.
Although Liu Bi is not as brave as Liu Chang, he can still rank second in the clan.
He can ride and shoot, and has bravery. During this expedition, he killed more than ten people, and he can be regarded as a tiger general. At the same time, Liu Bi's political ability is also good. The Yan State is indeed countless times better in his hands than it was during Lu Wan's time.
, the only thing lacking is some inability to listen to other people's advice.
Although Liu Chang was irritable, he could at least listen to other people's persuasion. Although other people's persuasion would eventually become the King of Tang's own ideas... Liu Bi was completely irritable and ignored the thoughts of the officials.
He came to Jinyang this time not just to thank Liu Chang.
Liu Bi said seriously: "Your Majesty... Now neither the Wuhuan nor the Fuyu people dare to be enemies with the Yan Kingdom. I want to send people to recover the land of Liaodong! Outside of Liaodong, there are the remnants of the Yan Kingdom."
"In the old days, Qin went to conquer Yan, and Yan was destroyed. Wei Man, a native of Yan, led more than a thousand people into North Korea, occupied Wangxian City, and established himself as king... They were just outside Liaodong... I am the king of Yan, and he
How dare Wei Man claim to be king?"
Liu Chang looked at him and asked: "Brother, do you want to recover the land outside Liaodong?"
"right!"
"It's just that our Tang country has run out of food and supplies and our soldiers are tired. I'm afraid I can't be of much help."
"Your Majesty, I don't need your Majesty to send soldiers to help. The State of Yan also has enough food and grass... However, our State of Yan does not have any generals... I want to go out in person, but I have to deal with state affairs...
Therefore, I would like to ask your Majesty to lend me a general to regain the land of Liaodong!"
"Borrowing a general? Okay! Tell me, who do you want to borrow?!"
"Zhou Bo!"
"Zhou Bo? Okay... I'll do it now... Zhou Bo??"
Liu Chang was stunned, "Brother!! Zhou Bo is the Prime Minister of Zhao State, and he is not one of my subordinates. If you want to borrow him, you should go to the King of Zhao. Why do you come to find me instead?"
Liu Bi smiled and said: "Who knows, the world in the north is dominated by the king, and Yan and Zhao are just the wings of the king!"
"Your Majesty can mobilize the generals of Zhao and Yan, and King Zhao and I are willing to obey your orders. Your Majesty is the Lord of the North, and the generals of Zhao are naturally your generals!"
Liu Chang scratched his head, "Brother... I am very close to Ruyi. If we borrow money, he will definitely not be stingy. But... the Zhao Kingdom was defeated and the entire army was destroyed, and Zhou Bo was their country.
Prime Minister, if you take the Prime Minister away at this time, what will Zhao do?"
"Your Majesty, Zhou Bo is good at warfare, but not good at government... I will not make things difficult for you. I am not very close to King Zhao. If your Majesty can write a letter for me, I can talk to King Zhao about other matters.
, I myself told King Zhao that I would not borrow his portrait in vain and would make some compensation."
"Opening up territory and expanding our territory is a big deal...Okay, I will write a letter for my brother. For the rest, it depends on whether King Zhao is willing."
Liu Bi thanked him again and again and dedicated the gifts he carried to Liu Chang. Liu Bi completely regarded Liu Chang as the overlord of the princes and treated him like a small country serving a king in the past. This made Liu Chang not know what to do.
, although this is wrong, but it feels good.
After Li Zuoche led his army back, the war finally ended.
The Tang State successfully recaptured the two counties of Shuofang and Wuyuan, and made numerous gains. Although the treasury was emptied, in general, it severely damaged the powerful enemy and brought back a lot of supplies. It was considered a huge victory. King Tang
He had already been dazzled by this huge victory and was so complacent that when he saw people, he would ask how his achievements compared with those of the virtuous kings.
However, Liu Chang did start to focus all his energy on state affairs.
He did not interfere randomly in state affairs. Instead, he summoned the ministers, listened to their suggestions, and asked them how to govern the country next.
This was the first opportunity for the officials of the Tang Dynasty to show themselves in front of the king. Naturally, they would not miss it and presented their memorials one after another. Everyone had different ideas, and some even conflicted with each other. For example, Zhao Ping advocated "Chongqing".
The "agricultural basis" advocated by "Shang" and Wang Ling, and the "regulation" advocated by Zhang Cang and the "laissez-faire" advocated by Gai Gong.
The ministers all said their own things, and the meeting soon became chaotic.
Liu Chang sat in the upper position, waved his hand and said: "No need to say more...In state affairs, just follow what Prime Minister Zhang said!"
When Gai Zhengzheng wanted to speak, Liu Chang was merciless and shouted loudly: "It is right to live in harmony with the people, but the Tang State is different from other vassal states. The people have already made up their minds. Anyone who dares to refute will be punished as not obeying the imperial edict!"
!”
Gai Gong did not retort and closed his eyes.
Next, Liu Chang made a choice among many suggestions. He was not as hesitant as Liu Ying. As long as he thought what the other party said was reasonable, he would make a decision directly and let the ministers do their best. If he felt it was wrong, he would directly reprimand and curse.
, the court meeting ended quickly, Liu Chang sat on the throne and spoke loudly of his decisions and arrangements, and the ministers all accepted the order.
Compared with the original chaotic court meeting in Chang'an, the court meeting in Jinyang was very normal and serious.
Liu Chang takes charge of major affairs and makes decisions. All ministers have their own duties and responsibilities, and everything is orderly and orderly.