"Your Majesty...what do you think of these people?"
Zhang Buyi was sitting next to Liu Chang, holding a list of many promoted officials, and was seriously reporting to Liu Chang that this year's political performance examination had ended. Zhang Buyi found those who had performed well and recommended them to Liu Chang.
A capable official, an official with outstanding abilities, plays a greater role in the local area than the three Dukes.
“All good.”
Liu Chang nodded, and then asked curiously: "Why is there an embroidered garment here?"
"Your Majesty does not know that among all the embroiders, this person is the only one who has made the greatest contribution. He is good at weaving, diligent in work, and staunch... In the last year, he completed twenty-nine projects in a row...
..”
Zhang Buyu said seriously.
"If you are so capable, why did you draw a circle again?"
Putting a circle around a name on the list means that it is subject to discussion and it is not yet certain whether the name will be promoted.
Zhang Buyi hesitated for a moment and said: "His family is wealthy. The king initially sold his titles, so he and his brother spent money to buy them. Then they embroidered clothes and recruited people. Those with titles were recruited first, and then they became
Embroidered clothes... In the eyes of others, his official position is completely bought with money... If such a person gets promoted, I'm afraid it will be detrimental to His Majesty's reputation!"
"No doubt about it...you have already become the Third Duke, why should I worry about my reputation?"
"With you as the Third Duke, I will be in disgrace for thousands of years. You don't have to worry about this at all."
Zhang Buyu said displeasedly: "Your Majesty does not know that there are many traitors in this court. They hate that I am so loyal and good. Sima Xi and his ilk are just accomplices of traitors. Naturally, they want to frame your Majesty and me."
..."
"If your Majesty is worried, please give an order. I will lead people to kill Sima Xi now!"
"I am also well-read in poetry and literature. Can I be appointed as the Grand Historian at the same time? Sima Xi can write this history book, but I cannot write it?"
"Do you still have this ability?"
"Of course, I must be more practical than Sima Xi, record truthfully, not favor anyone, and write comments fairly!"
Liu Chang glanced at Zhang Buyi, "Okay, don't talk about these useless things, let's talk about Zhang Shizhi...send someone to inform Liu Zhang and let Liu Zhang take this guy back to Chang'an!"
"only!"
Zhang Buyi introduced several other talents to Liu Chang. Liu Chang was very satisfied with these people. The two were discussing, when a servant came closer and whispered: "Your Majesty! Mr. Zhao is asking for an audience outside the palace.
He said he had something urgent to see the king..."
Zhang Buyi was furious and rolled up his sleeves, "How dare this guy dare to urge His Majesty? I will definitely deal with him!"
"Forget it, who can you beat, this minister of the Manchu Dynasty? Even Zhao Yao can hold you down and beat you...you still want to deal with Zhao Ping?"
Liu Chang's eyes were full of contempt.
People like Liu Chang usually beat up old men, but Zhang Buyi was beaten by an old man or several old men. He had never defeated anyone in his life, and it was embarrassing to say that he was his own victim!
"How can you be made a marquis like you?"
"A great man cannot be a nobleman unless he has military merit... If he is not a nobleman, he cannot be a prime minister. Don't you have nothing to pursue?"
Zhang Buyi scratched his head, "I'm not in a hurry... I'll probably wait a little longer and I'll stay as a marquis..."
Liu Chang stood up and was about to kick Zhang Buyi, but Zhang Buyi hurriedly dodged, "Your Majesty, then I will contact Liu Zhang!"
Zhang Buyi and Zhao Ping passed by each other, and the two stared at each other, their eyes almost sparking.
"Your Majesty, the governors and ministers of the five counties in Hexi have made arrangements."
Zhao Ping sat in front of Liu Chang and said seriously: "In addition to the county guards, there are many officials and scholars from all over the country have arrived. I am planning to hold an assessment in the future. If the king can go there in person, it will definitely be a test for the scholars." A great inspiration to the children.”
"The governor has made arrangements? When will you come to see me?"
"They are waiting outside the palace right now."
"Let them in!"
Liu Chang was sitting on the upper seat, wearing rich clothes, with his hands on his thighs. His originally broad body looked stronger because of his movements, and he frowned, which made him even more powerful. Just sitting there, There was a strong sense of oppression, like a tiger or a bear, and his eyes were sharp and piercing.
Immediately, five ministers came in. They announced their names respectfully, and then walked to Liu Chang one after another and knelt down together.
These five people are Ding Ning, Chen He, Chen Su, Qin Tong, and Yang Wu.
Liu Chang knew them. Fei Hou and Chen He were among the thirty-one founding heroes of the People's Republic of China.
Chen Su, the Marquis of the Yi clan, ranked fifty.
Peng Jianhou Qin Tong, ranked seventy.
Wu Fanghou Yang Wu, ranked ninety-four.
These are the top 100 powerful men among the feudal lords of the Han Dynasty. As for Ding Ning, Marquis of Yangdu, he inherited his title from his father, Ding Fu, who ranked seventeenth.
It can be seen that Zhaoping is quite concerned about things in Hexi, although ranking does not determine everything, because this ranking also takes into account contribution. For example, Zhang Ao relied on his father's submission to the founding hero. Third, it is obvious that some virtues are not suitable for the job. As for Xiao He, who won the first place due to his huge contribution in logistics, there is no objection.
The generals who may have entered the hundred are basically capable. After all, the generals' contribution comes from their achievements and there is no merit. These people Zhaoping found have their own characteristics. They must also be able to help Luan Bu make achievements in Hexi. For many major events, Liu Chang saw that they were a little restrained when facing him, so he asked people to bring them wine and meat. Facing these generals who had been fighting for many years, only wine and meat could quickly make them no longer restrained.
Sure enough, after Liu Chang ate meat and drank wine with them, these people let go and began to talk about their own ideas. Most of them were happy to go to Hexi.
"I thought none of you would be willing to go to Hexi... I didn't expect that those ministers are afraid of Hexi. Why do you seem to be in a hurry to go there?"
Chen He grinned, "Your Majesty, we are different from them. We are willing to serve your Majesty. We can go wherever Your Majesty wants us to, without any complaints!"
"Yes, yes, we are willing to die for the king!"
"So what about the land west of Hexi? It can relieve the king's worries, so why not go there?"
A few of them were probably drunk and started shouting, but Liu Chang laughed and cursed: "Tell the truth!!"
Chen He immediately became honest and said: "Military merit."
Needless to say, the importance of military merit in the Han Dynasty is due to it. The title of prime minister and generals all depend on it. Liu Chang reduced the difficulty of obtaining low-level titles, but increased the difficulty of obtaining high-level titles. Although these people are already marquises, who would Do you think he has too much food? Han Xin made an indelible contribution to the difficulty of improving high-level titles... The previous battle brought more than sixty princes to the Han Dynasty. How could the Han Xin bear this? , hurriedly upgrade the difficulty of enfeoffment and increase of food fiefs again.
Compared to the peaceful Central Plains, it was obviously the fastest way to gain military merit in Hexi. What's more, the captain guarding there was Zhou Bo, the fourth founding hero. It would be too easy to follow him to fight and gain military merit.
Liu Chang gave serious instructions: "The land west of Hexi is dangerous and dangerous. You must not act rashly. You must obey the orders of the Taiwei. You must not send troops arbitrarily just for the sake of military glory... As long as Hexi can be managed well, it will be the greatest achievement. If there are any differences,
, you can send someone to inform me!"
"only!!"
After seeing off these generals, Liu Chang finally no longer worried about things in Hexi. Although Hexi had Zhou Bo, he was too weak, and Jizhu was not incompetent. After Zhou Bo defeated Cha Shi, Jizhu also brought him with him.
The army looted in Hexi and caused a lot of trouble to the Han Dynasty. Jizhu also divided his troops to attack Longxi, hoping to target Chang'an and intimidate the Han Dynasty.
Not only was Liu Chang not afraid, he even wanted to laugh.
The strategy surrounding Hexi and the Western Regions will be long and will determine the future direction of the Han Empire. Jizhu's strategy in the Western Regions went very smoothly. If not for Zhou Bo's constant interference, half of the Western Regions would have fallen.
Among them, Kang Juguo, as the largest force against the Xiongnu, had sent people to contact Zhou Bo, and the two sides decided to deal with the Xiongnu together.
Jizhou seems to have carried out a series of reforms within the Xiongnu. There were not many opponents of the reforms, and most of the nobles who were qualified to oppose them had been killed by Liu Chang.
Jizhu established a group of military nobles, and the Xiongnu's combat effectiveness was strengthened.
What Liu Chang didn't know was that Jizhou had done the same in history. He established a standing army, established military aristocrats, reused literati and craftsmen, and formulated etiquette and laws, which made the Xiongnu's combat power soar rapidly and even threatened Chang'an for a time.
, this man died early before he could complete other reforms.
Throughout the history of the Xiongnu, the only ones with great talents and strategies were Maodun and Jizhuer, while the rest were a little less interesting.
Maodun was the pioneer, while Jizhou was the founder. The relationship between the two was like dividing the First Emperor into two, with one responsible for destroying the country and the other responsible for establishing it.
At this moment, because of Liu Chang's disguised help to Jizhu, he weakened the strength of the opposition within the Xiongnu, causing Jizhu's reform progress to be several steps faster than in history.
........
In Ganquan Palace, Liu Xiang changed out of his dirty clothes and kept talking about today's interesting stories.
"Five generals came to see me. They are all generals with marquises. Father Zhong sent them to the Hexi Kingdom to assist Zuo Zu!"
"I have Luan Bu in literature, Zhou Bo in military affairs, and I have many capable generals under my command. I am not strong yet, but when I am strong, I will beat Ji Porridge!"
Liu Xiang looked very happy. He really wanted to grow up tomorrow and go to Hexi to compete with Naji Zhou.
Liu Ying listened to her son's bragging with a smile, and said to Queen Cao who was standing aside: "This Shuzi and his father-in-law are almost carved from the same mold... At the beginning, the eldest brother also clamored to go to the Tang Dynasty to fight against Maodun, oh,
No, what he said was...ahem, having such an ambition is not a bad thing anyway!"
There was no joy at all on Queen Cao's face.
She helped Liu Xiang change his clothes very calmly, and whispered: "You should always communicate with the generals and send gifts to their families on time..."
Liu Xiang changed his clothes and slipped out to play.
Queen Cao looked at him with a worried face, and then looked at Liu Ying beside her.
"Queen? What's wrong?"
"Your Majesty... you just want to seal the king. There is so much land in the Central Plains, why do you want to seal it to Hexi?"
"Your Majesty should really talk to the king about this matter."
"The land west of Hexi is particularly important. Today, Jianxiang is the eldest among the descendants of the clan. If not him, who else can be bestowed upon? Besides, Hexi is a treasured land..."
"Treasure land? There are less than ten thousand households there, there are more than ten cities, there are Qiang and Hu people inside, and there are Huns outside. How can it be a treasure land?"
Naturally, Liu Ying could not defeat Empress Cao. He hesitated and said: "I will treat Xiang as my own and will not harm him. Hexi will soon..."
"Your Majesty, let Xiang change his feudal state...Wei, Han, Hanoi, any of them are fine..."
"How can this be done..."
"Didn't the King of Han switch to the Kingdom of Wu back then? Why not?"
"this...."
Liu Ying was speechless. Empress Cao sighed and sat aside, "Your Majesty thinks that he cannot govern a big man, so why should he treat Xiang like this? What's his fault? If his father doesn't like him, he won't like his mother.
My love... His Majesty's legitimate son actually wants to go to a place like Hexi to be king... Why doesn't An go?"
"Stop saying that..."
Liu Ying looked at her seriously, "If my mother finds out, she will be angry again..."
Queen Cao fell silent.
"You are very affectionate...I just don't know if anyone will show mercy to Xiang in the future."
........
Regarding the assessment, Liu Chang informed the Queen Mother very early.
Before Liu Chang came to Chang'an, Empress Lu held it three times and indeed selected many officials. The current official system of the Han Dynasty is still relatively simple. It mainly relies on recommendations from various places, soldiers who have made meritorious services, and some famous people.
A wise man was invited by the emperor to serve as an official.
At the local level, it also depends on the situation. For example, small officials in li and ting can be appointed through assessment. They spend some money to study the law and then take the exam.
In the past, this kind of official system was not a big problem. Most of the officials of the Qin State came from the battlefield. But now that the Han Dynasty has unified the country, there are not so many battles in the country. The ministers in the past have died one by one, and the founders of the country have
Of the hundreds of princes, only half are left now. Many of these half are still recuperating at home, and very few of them can really do anything.
Therefore, the official system became a problem that troubled the Han Dynasty.
Liu Chang doesn't like to recommend people. These people usually recommend their own cronies or disciples. After being warned by Liu Chang, they start to exchange recommendations. I recommend your brother, you recommend my son... Let's all work together.
Get promoted, be granted the title of marquis together, and have fun together.
In order to get recommended places, wealthy households bribed local officials. In the last year alone, Xiuyi detected six such cases.
Therefore, Liu Chang believed that it would be best for officials to be trained through the Imperial Academy and then distributed to various places through assessment.
During the three assessments during the reign of Empress Lu, more than 460 officials were recruited.
Facts have proved that these officials who arrived in various places after passing the examination are still good. Compared with the soldiers who obtained official positions because of their meritorious service on the battlefield, the political ability of these people is definitely higher.
So far, among the more than 460 people, six have become county magistrates, and two others are already serving as county magistrates and county lieutenants.
This promotion speed is also amazing, after all, the assessment distance at that time was not very long.
Because it was the fourth assessment and all the officials had already gained experience, the location of the assessment was set at Taixue.
The surrounding area has also been deployed in advance.
When Liu Chang, surrounded by soldiers, strode into Taixue, the prepared scholars seemed a little excited and stood on tiptoes to look at Liu Chang. Liu Chang had a very good reputation.
Not good, but if there is a chance to be promoted by this foolish king, then of course they will not let it go. How can they advise the king if they don't become high officials?
In order to cultivate a clean and honest atmosphere, Taixue's decorations were not very luxurious.
Liu Chang sat in the upper position and motioned for Zhao Ping to start this assessment.
There were no more than a thousand scholars who came to participate in the assessment, and the content of the assessment was not complicated. First, they would comment on the classics and test their knowledge, and then they would conduct assessments on law, farming, water conservancy, etc. according to different positions.
, these are the experiences summed up by the Queen Mother after three assessments. Zhaoping, with the help of other officials, immediately started the assessment.
Liu Chang sat on top and soon became bored.
He held his chin with his hand and looked boredly at the scholars in the distance who were writing with their pens, and couldn't help but yawn.
"Master Zhao... I suddenly remembered that I have something important to do, so first..."
"Your Majesty! You can't leave! At least you have to stay here for the rest... How can you leave now? You will have to motivate these people later..."
Liu Chang touched his nose, "But I really have something important..."
"Your Majesty, please take a look at the content of this assessment."
In order to prevent the king from running away, Zhao Ping quickly took out the "examination paper" and placed it in front of Liu Chang. Liu Chang was indeed attracted to his attention. When he left without saying anything, he concentrated on reading the assessment content. Zhao Shi was also a little confused.
Curious, I stuck my head out and watched.
"Today the clouds are so thick that no one can ride on them, and the fog... the fog... the fog... the ants can't swim in the west!"
Zhao Shi read softly.
But Liu Chang laughed and said, "I asked you to study more, you are obviously a proficient person! Where is the Nianxi?"
Zhao Shi cleared his throat, "This word means "西" in South Vietnam! I didn't say it wrong! It's just a different habit. For example, if an orange is born in Huainan, it means wheat, and if it is born in Huaidong, it means "nai"! Don't you know this truth?"
Zhao Mei was stunned and said in a low voice: "Father... I am from Huainan to Orange..."
Liu Chang sneered, "If you know something, you know it. If you don't know it, you don't know it. That's knowing!"
Zhao Mei nodded, finally saying this was right.
"You should study more in the future, you know? It's wrong to tell an allusion!"
The two great Confucian scholars began to discuss, and Zhao Mei stuck his head out and took a look at the test paper. It was the word "鲲".
The assessment was over soon. Liu Chang stood up and felt sore all over. Under the leadership of Zhao Ping, he went to encourage these scholars. Although Liu Chang's cultural level was not high, he could inspire people.
He still had a skill, he used the ancestral level provoking method.
"Most of today's scholars are greedy for wealth and are unwilling to go to a difficult place like Hexi. Of course, if you are also afraid and unwilling, you can deliberately answer a few questions wrong, and then you won't go! I can understand
After all, it is a dangerous place and no one but a man can go there!"
"As for those who are greedy for wealth and do not want to serve the king, haha, they are not worthy of going to Hexi. People like them can go to Zhao Kingdom. King Zhao is the best villain!"
ps: The emperor has five sacrificers, among whom Yi Buyi is the most virtuous. The rest are mostly sycophants, and Zhao Ping is the worst. --- "Sheng Lue" by Zhang Buyi.