Looking at the memorial in front of him, Emperor Wanchang closed his mouth tightly and didn't say a word. He was not overjoyed or angry, but the slightly twitching corners of his mouth and the hands with prominent veins betrayed his inner peace.
It’s been eighteen years, exactly eighteen years! After eighteen years of imperial rule, someone finally dares to say these words! What a person who “looks at the people in power in the world, there is no shortage of people like this”!
I thought about how prestigious the Wei Dynasty was when the country was founded, but unexpectedly, a rebellion seventy years ago forced the court to mobilize troops from border towns to quell the rebellion. From then on, the four inner and outer families joined forces to control the rebellion.
Lian Heng was so pressured that the court did not dare to act rashly!
The four foreign families have a large army, and they claim to be "environmental sanitation" in the Central Plains. In fact, they are just following the instructions and not the propaganda. It is better to say that it is a sanitation than a siege. As long as the imperial court has the slightest intention to reduce the border troops, the four foreign families can always agree on it.
If they find that the border is uneasy and the court issues an order, they may even dare to dispatch troops to the border between their jurisdiction and the area directly under the court's jurisdiction. Threatening the court with force is intolerable, but not intolerable!
It’s okay for the four outer families to listen to the advice but not the announcement. After all, it was the imperial court that caused the trouble for itself. If there had not been such a move to “register the generals at the border” when the country was founded, there would naturally not be such a difficulty today. But after all, this is the ancestor of the ancestors.
No one can blame it for becoming a law. And although the outer four families are in great danger, at least until now, no one has actually taken the initiative to confront the center. If it can't be dealt with, it doesn't mean that it can't be left alone.
On the contrary, these four families are in the biggest trouble. The military general's title is not hereditary, that is, he dominates in the border towns, and it is difficult to bring his prestige to the central court. But the civil servant's title is not hereditary, but he has to do it every day.
Standing in the Jinluan Palace! Standing there is the hereditary prince of the country. His status is actually higher than that of the Yiziwang, because even the princes and their descendants have to "extend favor" from generation to generation, and sooner or later they will be promoted to commoners, while the hereditary prince is
You will never be demoted!
Since then, the trouble has become bigger. Officials in the DPRK and the Central Government know that as long as these four hereditary and irreplaceable princes are not stupid enough to rebel, they will "never end". Everyone has to find ways to build relationships and find ways to do it.
, see if they can rely on the past. Over time, the power of the four inner families will naturally increase greatly. If the emperor hadn't been able to promote a group of poor people with no connections, they would have been ignored by these four families!
Wanchang knew how bad the situation he was facing from the day he ascended the throne. He was a very ambitious emperor. His greatest hope was to revive the prestige of the Wei Dynasty and recreate the glory of the founding of the country. To achieve this goal
, even if the eight major families do not say that they will be eradicated one by one, they will at least take away their power so that they cannot hinder his governance. However, Wanchang is not an impulsive and reckless person. On the contrary, he is extremely tolerant.
In fact, a big reason for the throne was that he waited until the brothers who were the greatest threat to him jumped out to seek death, and then suddenly took action while the old emperor was critically ill, and won victory in one fell swoop.
He can endure it, so he has endured it until now. In fact, in his opinion, the opportunity is still not mature yet. Unfortunately, he knows that he cannot wait any longer.
In the past six months, the Yun family has been severely beaten, and his move to allow the four families to use private money to recruit new soldiers like his own was an even better move. Now the new armies of the four major families are gathering in Yangzhou
They will have to spend a lot of money for training. As long as their finances are bankrupt or they are extremely stressed, they will have to rely on the support of the central court to maintain the army. In this way, the court will have the confidence
But what about the civil servants? Emperor Wanchang frowned deeply. He was only in his early forties, and the wrinkles on his forehead were as if they were chiselled with knives and axes. The slightly curved back also showed that he was different from his usual
The side that does not match the image in front of the ministers
"Sir, what do you think about Qiu Linjiang?" Emperor Wanchang's tired and dry voice suddenly sounded.
There is someone else in this room
A man in black clothes with a strange black cloak on his head. His face has been covered by the cloak, and his appearance cannot be seen at all. In terms of figure, he is more than eight feet tall, neither fat nor thin, and full of features.
Dark, quite mysterious
A low voice came from the cloak: "Your Majesty, do you think that the Crown Prince, the King of Jiujiang and the King of Yueyang are as good as your Majesty in terms of the emperor's scheming and tactics?"
The emperor asked about Qiu Linjiang, but he asked something that seemed to be quite irrelevant.
However, when Wanchang heard this, not only did he not get angry, but he sighed slightly. It was obvious that he understood the meaning of this sentence.
"Xu'er is very forbearing, knows how to show weakness, and also knows how to cultivate strength secretly, but... lacks grandeur; Sheng'er is strong enough, but a bit slow in changing his mind; Xi'er is gentle and gentle, and is good at recruiting scholars, but there is nothing
If the majesty is not obvious, the emperor is not strict." Emperor Wanchang smiled bitterly: "I am not arrogant, I am afraid that these three sons will not be able to surpass me in at least ten years."
The voice of the man in black still did not waver at all: "Since your Majesty is fully aware of this situation, your Majesty should have already made a decision on how to deal with what Qiu Linjiang said."
Emperor Wanchang looked at the memorial and mused: "More than half of the official appointments are controlled by the four inner families. It is actually a major problem of the country. It is like a cancer in the heart that has to be eliminated... Once the ancestors became the law, even I can't
It cannot be abolished easily, not to mention that this matter involves the fundamental interests of the ruling family. I am worried that the country has been ill for a long time. If the medicine is suddenly too strong, the body will not be able to bear it."
The man in black said calmly: "Right now, your majesty is like a powerful Qin, and the eight major families are like the six countries. If you want to sweep the six countries, in addition to having a strong military and national strength, you also need to know how to unite vertically and horizontally."
Wanchang frowned slightly and said, "Sir, please speak clearly."
The man in black said: "The so-called Lian Heng strategy is when Zhang Yi is the leader. After Zhang Yi arrived in Qin, he took the initiative to ask the King of Qin to send an envoy to Chu to break up Qi. When the Chu Alliance met with the King of Chu, he said that among the seven heroes today, Zhang Yi
Qin, Chu, and Qi are the most powerful. Among the three, Qin is the strongest. Qi and Chu are equal. If Chu and Qin are in alliance, Chu will be stronger than Qi; conversely, if Qi first and Qin
Alliance, then Qi will be stronger than Chu. Therefore, the best way out for Chu is to ally with Qin. He also promised that after Chu breaks off diplomatic relations with Qi and forms an alliance with Qin, Qin will control the territory of more than 600 miles away.
Returning the Chu State to the State of Chu, the King of Chu was moved by the immediate interests. Regardless of the opposition of the ministers, he accepted Zhang Yi's seal, severed diplomatic relations with the State of Qi, and sent a general to follow Zhang Yi back to the State of Qin to retrieve Shang. Who knew where Zhang Yi returned to Qin?
After that, he pretended to fall and injured his foot and did not show up for three months. When the King of Chu learned about it, he thought it was because he had not broken off relations with Qi, so he sent people to Qi to scold the King of Qi. The King of Qi was furious and decided to form an alliance with Qin.
, Zhang Yi told the accompanying generals of the Chu State that what he promised to the King of Chu was not the six hundred miles of Shangyu land, but his own Fengyi Liuli.
The Qin coalition was defeated and lost 80,000 troops! Danyang was taken away by Qin. The king of Chu in Hanzhong was unwilling to fail and mobilized all the troops to attack Qin. He was defeated again and had to cut two more cities to make peace with Qin. King Qin proposed
In exchange for the Chu Kingdom's land in central Guizhou, the king of Chu actually replied that as long as he got Zhang Yi and killed him personally, he was willing to give the land in central Guizhou to Chu. Regardless of his personal safety, Zhang Yi paid for Chu alone and bribed his favorite minister Jin Shang and his wife Zheng.
After making the King of Chu change his attitude towards him, he proposed to the King of Chu that he could suggest to the King of Qin that he should not give up the land in central Guizhou. The princes of the two countries were hostages to each other and formed a permanent alliance. The King of Chu was very happy about this, so that was it.
, Qi and Chu deviated from the "unity" and formed an alliance with Qin... The past serves as a lesson for the present. The trouble now for Your Majesty is that whenever His Majesty takes measures that endanger the interests of aristocratic families, these eight aristocratic families will abandon their prejudices and unite to oppose it.
, just like the six countries united that day... Do you think that your Majesty thinks so?"
Emperor Wanchang nodded: "Of course"
"Yes, this is your majesty's Hezong. If your majesty wants to break this method of hezong, he has no other way but to use Lian Heng's advice like Zhang Yi."
Wanchang's spirit perked up slightly: "What you said is true, but how should I keep up with you now?"
The man in black said: "The so-called alliance is nothing more than pulling together one faction and fighting another. The biggest obstacle between pulling and fighting is to make the faction being pulled feel that even if it fights the other faction, it will not threaten it.
What"
Emperor Wanchang pondered deeply and asked thoughtfully: "Sir, what do you mean...?"
"First of all, your Majesty's measures should make the faction being won over feel that this matter will not cause any harm to them; secondly, if they do not help the other faction, your Majesty should give them a generous favor; finally, the faction you are fighting against,
You can't hit them to the 18th level of hell with a stick, you can only seriously injure them at most, and you must not show your intention to completely eliminate them."
Wanchang was somewhat enlightened, but he didn't seem to understand everything. He couldn't help but ask: "Sir, why don't you be more specific? Sir, in your opinion, how should I win over one faction and fight another? Could Qiu Linjiang's trick be able to achieve this?"
What is the strategy of Lian Heng mentioned by sir?"
The man in black said: "Exactly." His voice was still as calm as water, without any abnormal fluctuations at all: "Qiu Linjiang's Zhezi can indeed provide a good opportunity for Your Majesty."
Wanchang looked happy and asked hurriedly: "Sir, please speak quickly!"
The man in black said: "Qiu Linjiang's memorial is mainly aimed at civil servants in the court. From his memorial, we can see that he is most disgusted with the unfair employment of people in the court. Qiu Linjiang comes from a poor family, and his opinions are basically
Scholars from poor families who should be able to represent other officials from poor families in the court have to study hard for many years before they have the opportunity to become officials in high school. However, even if children from famous families are known to be playboys, they can still be stuffed into various yamen as soon as they reach the age.
With such a comparison of being an official, the poor scholars naturally felt dissatisfied. But even if they were dissatisfied, they had no choice. The state system was like this. How could they, the powerless people, change it? However, Qiu Linjiang stood up this time.
When His Majesty came out, a memorial put the matter on the table. If His Majesty obeys his wishes and carries out reforms, the happiest people will be the poor scholars."
When he said this, he tilted his head slightly, and Wanchang suddenly felt that he was looking at him. The man in black's voice became deeper and deeper: "And the nobles from a humble family have the greatest dependence on Your Majesty."
He did not wait for Emperor Wanchang to say anything, and continued his analysis: "Personal loyalty aside, the more the poor people rely on His Majesty, the more they will obey His Majesty's orders. And if Your Majesty really takes over the power of the family, this will
The vacated power will definitely be controlled by them in the end, so how can they be unhappy and not support it? Of course, the support of the poor people is a matter of course, so there is no need to waste any words. The key point is the next point.
, the views of the four outsiders”
The man in black talked eloquently: "The fundamental interests of the four outer families are military power. In addition to military power, it is not that there are no other interests that can impress them. Take the Yun family as an example, Yanyunwei, Zhendingwei, Taiyuanwei
The military power of these three Davids is the foundation of the Yun family. Any move by His Majesty that threatens this will be regarded as something that the Yun family must resist. However, does the Yun family only have military power as an interest? No, the Yun family at least
There are two other big interests. One is financial power. The Yun family wants to support the army. The military pay and weapons allocated by the court alone are definitely not enough, so they also need money. The Yun family rarely buys them due to family rules.
However, they have a lot of coal mines and other industries. Your Majesty, you can imagine how the Yun family would react if a decree were suddenly issued to take over the Yun family’s mines and industries? Financial resources can affect military strength.
Yes, and military strength is the foundation of the Yun family, so the Yun family will definitely not obey. In addition, the Yun family has another interest, which is the wordless alliance with the Shen family in the court. With the support of the Shen family, the Yun family will be able to
Someone has spoken for them. With the support of the Yun family, the Shen family has an army of 200,000 to assist them. So no matter how you look at it, the alliance between these two families is a matter of mutual benefit. However, if you look deeper, it will
It can be found that if the Shen family had not formed an alliance with the Yun family, although the Yun family would have lost a spokesperson in the court, it would have no impact on their basic strength... This is the key!"
After all, Emperor Wanchang was a smart man, so how could he not understand what he was saying? A happy smile appeared on his face at that moment: "In other words, the Yun family is no longer the Shen family, but the Gecko is no more.
Losing the tail will have no other impact except being ugly; and if the Shen family loses the Yun family, it will become a tiger with its claws pulled out, but it will only look majestic... Is this what you mean, sir?"
The man in black bowed his hand in a rare gesture: "Your Majesty is indeed very smart and can see thousands of miles."
Emperor Wanchang smiled and said: "Sir, you don't have to be polite... Well, what you mean is that the Yun family is extremely important to the Shen family, but the Shen family is dispensable to the Yun family?... So if I
If we really want to implement Qiu Linjiang's reform plan, can we win over the Yun family and isolate the Shen family? Yes or no?"
The man in black nodded: "That's about it."
"Then the same goes for the other three companies?"
"In principle, they are similar. Even if there are differences, it is just a matter of details."
Wanchang nodded and suddenly said: "But, how much does it cost to win over the border troops so that they will not come out to support the four inner families?"
The man in black said: "Your Majesty asked well, how much is the price? The key is that if the price Your Majesty is willing to pay is too small, I'm afraid they won't do it, but if the price is too high, it may not be cost-effective for Your Majesty, so here it is."
It’s so particular.”
Wanchang nodded: "Sir, please analyze it carefully for me."
The man in black said: "The four families of Shen, Gu, Qin and Du are all the families of hereditary and super-virtuous princes. Their reputations for loyalty, virtue, virtue and kindness are known all over the world." When he said this, he could naturally see Emperor Wanchang's face flashing.
There was a trace of disdain and displeasure, but he didn't care at all, and continued: "But the Shen family and the Gu family, Shen in front, Gu in the back, this is what happened after His Majesty ascended the throne. The world only knows that the Shen family served the dragon, so
The reason for surpassing the Gu family and becoming the first civil servant family is actually because the Shen family was the first civil servant family to join forces with the border town, and the Yun family happened to be the first border town in the country. The Shen family surpassed the Gu family.
The Gu family is naturally dissatisfied, which is why the Gu family borrowed the prince's hand to hold the Zhou family's hand... But according to the current situation, if His Majesty agrees to Qiu Linjiang's deal, the Shen family and the Gu family will definitely argue first and work together to safeguard the interests of the family.
, this can be seen in the fact that the cabinet directly submitted Qiu Linjiang's report without a vote - they share the same hatred. His Majesty wants to implement the strategy of alliance. The first principle is to appease the outside world and suppress the inside, and the second principle is to appease the outside world and suppress the inside.
The two principles are that if the Shen and Gu families cannot get along, as long as they are at odds with each other, the less resistance they will have to His Majesty, and the less resistance they have to His Majesty, the less His Majesty needs to appease the border town
The price you pay is less.”
Wanchang was a little confused, frowned and asked: "But how can we make Shen and Gu's family dissatisfied?"
The man in black said: "Nothing but profit"
"Sir, please stop playing riddles and tell me straight away."
"Don't worry about the shortage but the inequality... Your Majesty, you haven't approved yesterday's cabinet proposal on the governor of Jiangsu?"
Wanchang nodded: "Not yet, it's just the two of them.
