"This Li Xue, I don't even know what to say about him. He can really bring me a 'surprise'."
As the envoy Cheng Yu brought He Lian's head to Luoyang, the capital of Han Dynasty, the news that Xianbei leader He Lian was killed in the battle of Xihe City swept through every corner of the Han Dynasty like a whirlwind with the intervention of thoughtful people.
Therefore, the Han Dynasty, which seemed a little tired after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, seemed to have regained its majesty overnight when it rode on horseback to the Huns in the north and bloodbathed eight tribes of Western Qiang. Those enemies who were ready to move ranged from the Qiang and the remnants of the Yellow Turban in the north to the south.
It seems that at this time, the Baiyue and barbarians felt the still majestic power of the Han Dynasty that had been in power for hundreds of years, and became cautious.
As a representative of Li Shushi's report of meritorious service, Cheng Yu enjoyed a very high-level reception. Not only was Taiwei Deng Sheng traveling ten miles out of the city to greet the emperor on behalf of the emperor, but Liu Hong also summoned Cheng Yu at the court meeting and inquired carefully about the course of the battle.
Finally, he praised Li Shushi's achievements in the court hall, and at the same time sent a special person to "pass the heads of Helian to the counties of Shouliang, Si, Bing, and You to serve as a warning to others."
However, the rewards for Li Shushi and other meritorious personnel were not issued immediately, and the key to this was Li Shushi, if not for any other reason than that this child was too young.
In fact, although Li Shushi's achievements did not reach the level of annihilating the country or expanding the territory to shine in the annals of history, killing the leader of a large tribal alliance that was the most troublesome on the Han border can still be regarded as a first-class achievement. I guess it is quite a lot if you want to make an analogy.
At
In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, it was unbelievable that Li Shushi, a prefect, killed a generation of prodigy Maodun Shanyu. That was definitely the credit of the real marquis of Wanhu. It was not impossible that Liu Bang was so excited that he awarded a king with a different surname. Of course, he would definitely lose his head in the future.
.
But here comes the problem. Li Shushi is only fifteen years old. Although there is a precedent of Gan Luo becoming prime minister at the age of twelve (Note 1), times have changed. In troubled times, talents can be promoted exceptionally, but a stable bureaucrat is needed to govern the world.
System. Li Shushi Dang
It was initially possible to become the prefecture capital because no one wanted to go to Xihe, so Liu Hong, who was thought to be able to get one vote and count one vote, and the ministers who turned a blind eye to it, muddle through and become a fait accompli.
In fact, if it happens again, it will be a slap in the face.
Therefore, it is impossible to be promoted. After all, the opponent is a powerful figure with tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, and he is a figure controlled by the military and government. So an official position without real power like governor will chill the hearts of those who have done meritorious service. If he is transferred to the central government, there will be no place to intervene.
Even if he intervenes, he will probably die in various struggles within two years, but Liu Hong is reluctant to give up. There is no place for him to adjust - the fat and oily place Li Shushi still lacks a strong background after all, and other border county prefects
It seems that there is no need to bother like this.
Therefore, after much deliberation, we can only continue to let Li Shushi guard Xihe. And it seems that this is also the best choice. After all, the governor of Bingzhou has changed again. In order to cope with the war against the Western Qiang, Liu Hong took advantage of Li Shushi's
The opportunity to defeat Xianbei,
The original governor of Bingzhou, Ding Yuan, and his troops were transferred to Luoyang, and then Ding Yuan was promoted to the position of Jinwu, and his troops and horses were assigned to the general. As for the new governor of Bingzhou, Zhang Yi, he was allowed to continue on his own.
Go recruit troops and buy horses.
In fact, this means that for Li Shushi, Emperor Ling planned to let Li Shushi provide protection for Zhang Yi during the buffer period when Zhang Yi was not able to exercise the power of Bingzhou governor. Of course, before Zhang Yi had recruited all his men and trained them, Li Shushi
You can get some supplies from relatively wealthy counties in Bingzhou, such as Taiyuan County and Shangdang County, which can be regarded as part-time wages.
Of course, these are not the most important...
"This Li Xue, it would have been better if I had killed that Helian two years later. This would have made me a little happier. You said you have already plundered so much money, why do you still want to take money from me, a moneyless emperor?
I need money in my hand."
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. It is said that he has detained many shamans. It seems that his intentions are not small."
"My mother was joking. Even though this little guy is usually carefree and even a little timid, he is extremely proud in his heart. Although I don't need to be afraid of such a little guy, but I casually use a very useful and very...
Breaking valuable objects is not in line with my style of conduct, Liu Hong. Besides, this guy also likes me and has no ambitions. It just makes people unhappy."
"Then your Majesty will approve his petition to build Pioneer Pass and rebuild Mengmen Pass, and then give him an order to appease the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country, and finally give him a group of refugees and prisoners. This must be enough to satisfy Your Majesty, right?
.”
"It's my mother who knows me. It's interesting. It's really interesting. With so many things left to you, let's see how you can shirk the blame this time. But my mother, the Cheng Licheng and Cheng Zhongde who came on his behalf this time seem to be a talent. Why do you never
Didn't see the prefect of Dongjun
Recommended? Look at his performance and courage in Xihe. Even if he is appointed as the governor of a county, he is still rich. If this little guy is not bold and has the ability to know people, and tied him to Xihe, I am afraid I will have to do it again.
The villagers laughed at him."
Zhao Zhong did not respond to Liu Hong's complaint. The Han Dynasty's talented people had countless victories. If they were all given suitable official positions, it would be enough to double the territory of the Han Dynasty. Besides, they all gave it to those with high visions.
What should the scholars and eunuchs at the top do, and what should their relatives and those who depend on them do?
So, just shut up at this time. Anyway, the one who knows the most about this is His Majesty the Emperor. Well, if nothing else, if he does what he does, either no one will buy the official position, or they will not be willing to pay.
It's possible that he could run away before taking office.
However, the chain reaction caused by Li Shushi was obviously not that simple. At the court meeting the next day, before Liu Hong could announce the reward, Liu Yan, who had been transferred to Taichang, presented one. If Li Shushi was here, he would definitely grab it.
A petition for preserving family heirlooms.
"Investors and prefects, bribes to serve as officials, expropriate the common people, leading to rebellion. Select important ministers from the Qing Dynasty to serve as shepherds, to stabilize Fangxia. (Note 2)"
It's a pity that, as mentioned above, the emperor Liu Hong may just laugh and laugh when encountering other things, but if someone touches his money bag or the emperor's position, then his ruthlessness will definitely suit him.
The identity of the emperor.
However, Liu Yan's political IQ is very high, so his suggestion did not explicitly accuse anyone. He just told Liu Hong that you sold your official position too hard, and the result was that people are angry now, so he said you
You should add it to the heads of those officials you sell.
A cover, and then find some honest and reputable people to serve as this cover. What can this cover do? Of course, it is to monitor the lawless people and restrain them. Don’t do it too much, otherwise even a few Li Shushi will not be able to eliminate the rising and falling.
rebellion.
Regarding such a suggestion that might cut off his financial path, Liu Hong simply shelved it. Of course, Liu Yan was not punished. After all, there were many people who said harsher things than him. However, Liu Yan's suggestion was still Liu Hong's
Note it down - it's not that he really wants to find a bottle of pesticide for those corrupt officials, but that this seems to be a new economic growth point.
In fact, through the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Liu Hong also saw that because the county soldiers originally in the hands of the central government were gradually transferred to the local hands and were recruited and trained by the local governments, those guys who basically didn't care about anything other than making money wanted to reduce government expenditures.
Although there is such a name in the tax, there is no such expenditure. As a result, the general combat effectiveness of the county soldiers is low. Suddenly they encounter a caring person like Zhang Jiao, and there will be a battle in Xindu. The governor is killed in the battle, and both the prefect and the county magistrate are killed.
The tragedy of capture.
But what about the state pastor? At least it can coordinate the overall situation and ensure that each state has an available army to deal with increasingly complex situations. Of course, the position of state pastor cannot be bought by just anyone, it must be capable.
Only those with good official reputation can be candidates. As for the price, since the candidates are all people with good political performance and official reputation, it should be a little cheaper.
However, an official position like Zhou Mu, which combines military, political and judicial supervision powers, even if it is held by a reputable official, still makes the emperor feel uneasy. Therefore, Liu Hong planned to observe first. After all, the Northern Territory of the Han Dynasty did not already have such an official position.
A prefect. "...The prefect of Jiaxihe studied as Pinglu Xiaowei (Note 3), added 500 households to the city, merged the first 700 households, and was granted the title of Marquis of Fan Yangting. He was given 20 kilograms of gold and 500 bolts of silk... the whole
Those who have meritorious service in the army will be rewarded with a thousand coins, two horses, and a third-level knighthood..."
Because although the results of Li Shushi's battle were very brilliant, the most important merit that could be reported was He Lian's head. In addition, although he killed a lot of enemies, there were not many heads that could be used to report merit.
Because the corpses of the Xianbei people in the ambush were turned into fly ash in the valley, and the burned and deformed heads showed
Although it is impossible to be adopted; although the siege battle also killed a lot of enemies, the Xianbei people would try their best to bring back their own bones every night when they retreated, leaving only a few heads left for Li Shushi to report his merits. Only.
In the last battle, I finally gained a lot, but the overall amount didn't seem that great.
Therefore, he did not win the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households through his conquests against the Western and Eastern Qiang like Duan Qiang did. Of course, this had a lot to do with him not explicitly seeking refuge with the eunuchs. After all, Lu Zhi was there
, the label on Li Shushi was always biased towards scholars. However, in the eyes of the emperor Liu Hong, Li Shushi actually had the blood of a profiteer just like him.
As for the "rewards" of prisoners and refugees, which were tasks for others but rewards for Li Shu, the court only gave a rough idea, because prisoners were easy to talk to and the eunuchs would never mind letting their enemies go to the cold.
They went to serve as soldiers in the northern battlefield and suffered the consequences, but for the refugees, it was not as simple as trying to accommodate them.
The reason why refugees are refugees is because they have departed from their place of residence and arrived in other areas. For areas where refugees appear, the officials of the original place of residence of the refugees will also be punished. However, after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the refugees of the Han Dynasty
There are really too many to count, not to mention that many of the refugees were civilians affected by the war. In addition, many officials in the places where the refugees were born were killed by the Yellow Turban Army as hens that laid golden eggs. Therefore, the Han government was not in the mood to pursue who was responsible in the end.
It’s a question of who is wrong.
Of course, Li Shushi felt that this was entirely because if he wanted to pursue the case, none of the upper-class people in Luoyang would be able to escape, so everyone just pretended to be deaf and dumb.
Liu Hong once moved 100,000 refugees to Chang'an to do paid labor. It was just an emergency measure to face the Qiang rebellion in the northwest. In fact, the common practice of the Han Dynasty was to guide the refugees back to their place of origin. Therefore, Liu Hong's work on the refugees
The only thing that can be given to Li Shushi is policy support. When it comes to the refugees themselves, it depends on Li Shushi's own methods.
Of course, what Liu Hong didn't know was that Li Shushi's farming regulations had been formulated with the cooperation of Cheng Yu, Lu Zhi and others, and were waiting to be implemented after the Xianbei people retreated.
In general, Liu Hong had to bleed a lot because of Li Shushi's military exploits. Although Liu Hong was very happy that it could calm down the Xianbei people who had troubled the Han Dynasty for many years, but who said that a certain emperor was the first emperor of the Han Dynasty?
What about a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder who is short of money?
Note 1: In fact, it is Shangqing, which means the highest-level talent. The treatment is the same as that of the prime minister but absolutely does not have the power of the prime minister. How could Lu Buwei let a little kid share his power?
Note 2: Although the governor at the end of the Han Dynasty only had 600 shi, in fact, under certain special circumstances, he could already intervene in local administration, and the prototype of state animal husbandry was already in place. In addition, Liu Yan's plan for state animal husbandry should have been brewing for a long time. After all,
The place he first wanted to go to was the more remote Jiaozhou. So it's not too early to make such a proposal now.
Note 3: Before the proliferation of generals in the late Han Dynasty, the rank of many captains was higher than that of generals. For example, General Xuande before Xiao Lizi (someone still remembers it), Sun Jian’s Polu General, and Sun Ce’s Rebellious General were both fifth-grade.