"My dear friends, now that Chao Cuo proposes to reduce the vassal state, the pressure is very tight, and I am helpless, what can I do?"
In the third guard pavilion of Daxia Kingdom outside the imperial palace, Liu Ci seriously asked the civil and military ministers under his command.
Dong Zhongshu was silent for a moment, and then replied: "Your Majesty, our Xia Kingdom will probably not be affected."
"Why is this?"
"Chao Cuo wants to restrict the military and financial power of the princes and kings, but we don't have these. He can't restrict it even if he wants to."
Liu Ci suddenly understood and no longer worried.
"That's right, I don't even have a single soldier under my command, so I'm afraid he won't be able to restrict my military power?! Dong Qing's brilliant plan!"
Xia Houci also hurriedly said, "Xiang Dong is wise!"
Dong Zhongshu was a little helpless, and he said again: "Your Majesty, you don't have to pay attention to the matter of reducing the vassal state. Among the kings in Chang'an, only King Dai is qualified to participate in it. However, Your Majesty should be concerned about another matter."
"Oh? What's the matter?"
Chao Cuo frowned slightly and remained silent.
It would not be a bad thing if the vassal states were responsible for part of it.
"Your Majesty, it is against the law to directly order the killing. The Han Dynasty governs the country with benevolence and righteousness, so naturally it cannot do such a thing. Moreover, these people cannot be killed cleanly, and their local power may exceed your imagination.
At first, most of the local powerful families were clans from various countries. When they were in the Qin State, these people struggled with their own strength and immediately launched a rebellion. People like Xiang Yu were the powerful families of the Six Kingdoms. Emperor Gao used the mausoleum to conquer the world.
The strategy is to call these powerful men from the six countries to guard the imperial mausoleum, make them leave their hometown, and take away their land so that they can no longer do evil."
Liu Chang chose neutrality again. Chao Cuo did not dare to show off to Liu Ci in front of Liu Chang, so he had to put on a relatively gentle face and said, "What does the king want to do with me?"
Dong Zhongshu laughed and said, "Your Majesty, this is the first policy of the Han Dynasty."
Seeing Xia Houci's frightened eyes, Dong Zhongshu smiled and comforted him: "Ci, you don't have to worry, you are from the Chehou family, a famous family, and are not on the relocation list. Just remember to pay the gold on time after you succeed to the throne."
Come on, in fact, the temple has been very harsh on the monarchs in recent years. In the past two years when Your Majesty was away, more than 30 people lost their princes because of the excessive gold. But we cannot treat the monarchs in the same way as the powerful ones."
The ministers did not support migration as much as everyone thought. They just did not dare to say it openly and were secretly thinking of ways. As early as Liu Ying's period, they had made a petition in the hope that Liu Ying could end such an unkind policy. They killed people with migration.
Many old people wanted to kidnap Liu Ying, a sincere gentleman, for moral reasons, and then they were killed by Cao Shen.
Liu Chang seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he just sighed.
Cao Shen killed seventeen people who signed the petition in succession, making them extremely well-behaved and began to praise this system with all their strength.
Liu Ci understood and touched his chin, "Then why do you have to use the name of the imperial mausoleum to do things? It would be great to use these people to enrich the Xia Kingdom."
"Your Majesty, if you use other names, the ministers will definitely object. After all, those in the local area are all relatives of the family. Not to mention the annual filial piety. With them, the clan's power can be even greater. But if it is the imperial mausoleum, there is no way.
, His Majesty wants to honor the Emperor Gao, who dares to stop him? And the prince wants to honor His Majesty, who dares to stop him? This is the imperial mausoleum of the Han Dynasty."
When Liu Ci saw that he was silent, he looked at his father again, but Liu Chang just looked at him with a smile and said nothing.
"Your elder brother."
Chao Cuo knelt down in front of Liu Chang and looked at King Xia on the side with some suspicion. I was busy trying my best to clean up the affairs of the powerful. You called me here just to listen to this little guy's nonsense? What's the truth?
?Why do people always come to hold me back every time I do something?
"Wrong, why didn't you speak? What are you thinking about?"
"The king has lived in Chang'an for a long time, and I don't know the reason for this. In the place, there are not only farmers, merchants, craftsmen, scholars, Chehou, but also other types of people."
"Imperial Mausoleum."
Xia Houci pursed his lips and asked uneasy: "Chao Cuo won't take me with him to do it, right?"
"So I just let them do it. When they grow up, it's time to do something and gain experience. Anyway, I'm in charge, so I'm not afraid of making mistakes."
Even the capital city became extremely chaotic. This hotbed of powerful people became a slaughterhouse for powerful people in just a few days. The powerful people had no room and no room. Chao Cuo was very forceful. His style of doing things was different from that of his predecessors. He
Regardless of the reputation of these people among the people, just like in the past, those who migrated were all powerful people. Powerful people do not mean rich people. Only those with bad reputations are called powerful people, and the others are just pure wealthy households. Chao Cuo is
The powerful and wealthy people were all involved. Such extreme behavior quickly aroused a lot of opposition. Chao Cuo seemed to be waiting for their objections and quickly arrested the opponents.
Dong Zhongshu was right. Liu Bang's Changling is no longer suitable for relocating people. The next step is to move to Hexi. They will continue to move to Hexi until there is no room for them to move to Hexi. If they can be moved to various places
Going up to the place can relieve a lot of pressure. For example, which one is more labor-saving, migrating the powerful people from South Vietnam to Hexi or moving the powerful people from South Vietnam to Dian? The big man does not want to murder the powerful people, but to escort them.
Give them food and drink, and let them settle down when they arrive.
Seeing Liu Ci jumping away from Houde Hall, Lu Lu couldn't help but sigh: "You have grown up, and even Ci has started to move around for political affairs."
"No, it's best to be the third prince."
The rot at the root of the Eastern Han Dynasty not only destroyed the empire, but even set off a frenzy of aristocratic families, almost taking away the whole of China. These people were intoxicated and superior to others. They talked about the madmen of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and talked about traveling south in clothes.
The dog that ran away with its tail caused China to suffer a dark period for hundreds of years. Until the Sui and Tang Dynasties, China got up again, covered in cuts and bruises, and there were still maggots crawling on the wounds. Ha, a noble family.
Dong Zhongshu said seriously: "That's why I asked you to participate in this matter. Although you are young and have no strength, you just mess around all day long. Even Chao Cuo is too lazy to deal with it, and no one looks down on you, but you are the prince after all.
, Your Majesty’s biological son is currently making a fuss about cutting down the feudal vassal. This is an opportunity. Chao Cuo will definitely do something special. If we can use this to gain benefits for the Xia Kingdom, wouldn’t it be great?"
"You have gone to the wrong person for this matter. What are you going to do with Chao Cuo?"
"Build the royal tomb. I want to build the royal tomb. Is Guanzhong overcrowded? Anyway, the purpose is to get them to leave their hometown, why not move to other places? The royal tomb is a mausoleum, and so are the royal tombs. If it can be built,
King's Tomb, can't the vassal states in the four regions use this reason to move powerful people? No matter where they are developed in the future, there will be sufficient reasons."
Liu Ci just felt distressed, "Why is this mausoleum not in my country, Xia?"
In just a few days, Chao Cuo raised his butcher knife, and his first target was the powerful Liang State.
"Your Majesty has been renovating the imperial mausoleum all year round, not for himself, but to suppress these powerful people."
Liu Ci's face suddenly fell, "Why do you think Father is so speculating on me? Does that mean he won't listen?"
"Okay, Ci, you continue to tell him, I won't interfere in this matter. If it's wrong, you can handle it yourself."
However, if you want to build another royal tomb on top of the imperial mausoleum, the pressure will definitely be huge.
"But the imperial mausoleum is not close to me at all? Do you still need me to make a memorial for the eldest father to make room for him? Dig out his old man and bury him in the Xia Kingdom? Isn't this inappropriate?"
"Chao Cuo is a difficult person to get along with. If the king wants to see him or discuss this matter with him, it will be very difficult. He will not pay attention to him at all. Moreover, he has always been hostile to the vassal king."
Liu Ci, like his father, was a do-it-yourself character. After Dong Zhongshu suggested it, he immediately began to think about meeting Chao Cuo. The first thing was how to meet Chao Cuo. Chao Cuo would not meet him.
Even though Chao Cuo was beaten up in the temple all day long, he was the Three Dukes of the Han Dynasty. Not everyone could meet him, not even the foreign king. Chao Cuo had always ignored Liu Ci and wanted to meet him.
When you arrive at Chao Cuo, you need to be introduced by someone who can attract Chao Cuo's attention.
"Don't you know, Your Majesty? In yesterday's court meeting, Chao Cuo changed his tone and did not mention the matter of reducing the vassal state. Instead, he proposed that Your Majesty renovate Anling, maintain Changling, and many other royal tombs. As a foreign king, why not
How about getting involved?”
Dong Zhongshu laughed at himself and said: "Speaking of which, I am also the son of a powerful man. I have farmland and money, but my father is a generous man and has never done anything to bully others."
As Liu Ci spoke, he suddenly looked at Xia Houchi who was standing aside, "What do you think?"
Suddenly there was an exclamation at the door. Liu Changdu was stunned. He turned his head and saw Liu Ci standing aside with a look of grievance on his face.
Dong Zhongshu's face darkened, "Of course this is inappropriate. However, in recent years, the temple has been migrating people to Guanzhong. There are so many people in Guanzhong that they cannot be self-sufficient in food. If there is another large-scale migration, even if there is a large-scale migration
Question. Maybe Chao Cuo is also having a headache about this matter. What if we find a way to allow the king to build his mausoleum? If the imperial mausoleum is to be built, can’t the royal mausoleums in various places be built?"
"For example, the powerful families in Ruyin, your Majesty may not know that most of the powerful families there are named Xiahou. They are all relatives of Aci. Maybe Aci doesn't know them, but they rely on Ruyinhou's
Prestige, accumulating wealth everywhere, becoming tyrannical, and becoming a powerful family. Well, we can't call it a powerful family. Zi is a powerful family. They are just some powerful people, or even just domestic slaves of powerful families. Previously, there was a powerful man in Handan who was arrested for secretly mining mines.
Beheaded, but he turned out to be just Wang Tianqi's former follower. After retiring and returning home, he used the prince's reputation to accumulate a lot of wealth, and finally started to focus on iron ore."
"It's better to be a wealthy family then."
Xia Houci was shocked. He talked about punishing the wealthy clan every day, but in the end, the wealthy clan turned out to be me??
In history, these people finally waited for the "benevolent, righteous and Confucian" Emperor Liu Shi. This generous and benevolent king finally realized the difficulty of these powerful men and stopped implementing the mausoleum system. He was really considerate of the people. Then
, there was no more. Tyranny prevailed, a large number of lands were annexed, and civil conflicts were extremely sharp. In the end, the entire Western Han Empire was ruined. As for the Han Dynasty behind it, how should I put it? It was a dynasty supported by aristocratic families. I wanted to
It is impossible for them to attack themselves. Although the previous generations of emperors were aware of this and thought about repairing it, if there is a problem with the roots, what effect can building branches and leaves have?
"Then it depends on Mr. Chao. I just put forward my own opinion."
"Father!!!"
"This is your short-sightedness. Why is master involved in this kind of thing? Zhang Buyi doesn't even care. Only Chao Cuo regards this matter as his lifelong ambition!"
"Don't worry about it. If he wants to be a powerful man, all the ministers will have to support him openly. No one in the Han Dynasty can openly support a powerful man, not even the Three Dukes. But if he wants to run a powerful family like you, he will die of illness tomorrow.
, not even Sangong."
But these do not exist in the Han Dynasty, at least they do not exist in the Han Dynasty today. For the big tycoons, the Han Dynasty will lose their princes with gold and gold, and they will kill a group of princes from time to time. For the small tycoons, the Han Dynasty has the mausoleum system.
Harvest them like leeks.
Liu Ci looked at Dong Zhongshu with some confusion, "Renovate the imperial mausoleum? I don't understand. Hasn't my father always advocated frugal burial? Why are you so concerned about the mausoleum? Anling and Changling are being renovated every day.
, constantly expanding the city, the population of Changling is already hundreds of thousands, and Anling is even more so, more prosperous than the royal city of Hexi Kingdom. It doesn't look like a mausoleum at all, why does my father do this?
Woolen cloth?"
Liu Chang suddenly asked: "Teacher, where are they? Why haven't they come back yet?"
When it came to Liu Chang's time, they began to look for opportunities again, but Liu Chang was not Liu Ying. He was more cruel than Cao Shen. They couldn't find any opportunities at all, and they didn't dare to say anything, so they directly supported him with all their strength.
"It's probably because I have a lot of things to deal with when I arrive in Xiting Kingdom, so I can't come back quickly. I'm afraid I have to wait for a long time. I think it's better for the Taiwei not to come back too soon. Once he and Zhang Buyu come back, the temple will
There are too many changes here, and no matter which side the lieutenant is on, big things will happen."
Liu Ci slapped his thigh fiercely, "No matter! This is what we will do! Xia Kingdom currently only has three cities and more than 17,000 people, which is not even as good as a township! If you can build a mausoleum city, how can you build it?
How about a hundred thousand people? They are all high-quality talents, let’s do it!!”
"But most of today's wealthy families are related to the founding ministers and current Chehous from various places."
Chao Cuo was too conceited and arrogant. Even if Liu Ci was willing to support him in reducing the vassal status, he would not care.
Soon, Liu Ci met Chao Cuo.
"Don't worry, I've been smart since I was young, can't I even do this little thing? Today I'll let you see what I can do!"
He reported to Liu Chang, asking him to put these opponents to death and ban their descendants from holding official positions.
"Father, will he listen to me?"
Although Dong Zhongshu told his plan eloquently, he still didn't have much confidence in accomplishing it.
"Hahaha, if I say yes, you will say this is what I meant when you go out and force them to agree, right?"
In an instant, the paradise-like Liang Kingdom turned into purgatory. Officials were arresting people everywhere. The brutal officials broke into one luxurious mansion after another and dragged out the usually aloof people. Those people were like dead dogs.
There was a bloody conflict between the soldiers and the servants, and the scale became larger and larger. The soldiers patrolled everywhere, and even the naval forces began to go ashore. The streets were filled with the cries of powerful men. Some people had already started to set off along the way. They were crying and begging for mercy.
Under the beating of officials, they embarked on the road in despair. Many people were put on shackles because of their opposition, and some were beheaded because of their violent opposition.
People were fleeing everywhere, and people were so scared that they hid in their homes and trembled.
Liu Ci patted his chest, "Hahaha, this matter is not difficult at all!"
"That makes sense, but previously we were only building the royal tomb. If it were a royal tomb, would they agree?"
Liu Ci stuttered and repeated Dong Zhongshu's words. At the end, he reminded him, "I know that you want to reduce the vassal state. I actually support you. Xia Guo is willing to take the lead in implementing your policy."
Liu Ci was a little disappointed. After Chao Cuo left, he looked at Liu Chang at a loss.
Seeing Liu Ci's sudden move, Dong Zhongshu had no choice but to break through all the difficulties.
Although it is immature, it already has a bit of that flavor.
Heaven reincarnates and retribution is unhappy.
"This kind of people are called Hao. They don't have any official positions, but they have a lot of wealth. They bully the people at the bottom and resist the governance of officials. They occupy a lot of land and turn the people into their tenants. They do evil and control the place. Once
If they reduce the suppression on them, they will quickly evacuate officials, so that the orders of the temple cannot reach the grassroots. Therefore, some ministers came up with a way, which is to let them move out of the place and take them away by letting them guard the imperial mausoleum.
Their land and family property made them lose all influence as farmers in a strange place."
Moreover, Chao Cuo firmly believed that the problem of the princes and kings would be solved this year, the power in their hands would be taken away, and the temples would be taken back. By then, no matter how fast the development of the princely countries would be, it would be okay.
"I'm fine, I just feel a little sad when I think of your majesty working hard all day long for state affairs."
"Then who am I going to find?"
Chao Cuo did not give a clear answer. He just said that he wanted to go back and think about it.
Liu Ci suddenly understood, and then asked: "Why is it so troublesome? Why not just order the execution and kill them all?"
Liu Bi was furious and even more angry at Chao Cuo.
Forget it if you want to deal with me, why bother dealing with powerful people? In your eyes, is Nai Gong the same as those powerful people? You despise me so much?
This unprecedented blow made the ministers particularly dissatisfied.
Chang'an looked increasingly calm, but something seemed to be brewing.
At this moment, the Taiwei's vanguard troops passed through the Hexi Kingdom.