The first thousand four hundred and ninety-eighth two tasks 1
After the court meeting, Liu Che specially left Zhidu and Zhou Yafu behind.
"Prime Minister..." Liu Che first said to Zhou Yafu: "Next year, the Prime Minister will serve for eight years. According to the system, even if I am reluctant to give up, I still have to ask the Prime Minister to step aside..."
To be honest, Liu Che was really reluctant to let Zhou Yafu go into office.
But the problem is that once the rules have been established, they cannot be changed!
Of course Zhou Yafu also understood this truth. He bowed slightly and bowed: "Your Majesty, I know what to do..."
Although it is said that his term as prime minister will last until at least next summer, he must prepare for a rainy day. From now on, he, the prime minister, must do all kinds of work for his abdication.
For example, when I resign, I tell the world that he, Zhou Yafu, is willing to resign from the position of prime minister.
Only in this way can a smooth transition in the political arena be ensured.
As the prime minister, Zhou Yafu was naturally prepared for this.
It's just... I don't know why there is some unknown bitterness deep in Zhou Yafu's heart.
After all, there are not many people in this world who are willing to put down their power and position, go behind the scenes and become a noble noble.
Liu Che looked at Zhou Yafu, the veteran assistant minister and Dinghai Shenzhen left to him by his father and grandfather. If Zhou Yafu and Zhi had not protected him, his position would not have been so stable.
but……
Liu Che knew better that letting Zhou Yafu continue to be the prime minister would be tantamount to harming him.
Therefore, Liu Che sighed in his heart and said softly: "Prime Minister, have you chosen the successor of Mount Wuyuan?"
Wuyuan was the contemporary Whampoa Military Academy. As the head of Wuyuan, Zhou Yafu had cultivated talents in Wuyuan in the past few years, making the Zhou family's influence spread throughout the county.
Hundreds of commanders and commanders in counties and even field armies regarded themselves as disciples of Zhou Yafu.
The letters these people write to Zhou Yafu every year start with the following sentence: Disciple xx County xx pays homage to the teacher, and the ending usually reads: Disciple xx bows his head before bowing.
Over the past few years, with the help of such relationships, and with Wuyuan as the starting point, the Han Dynasty military has weaved new factions one after another.
Zhou Yafu's Zhou faction is the most powerful and has the largest number of people.
As the emperor, Liu Che could no longer tolerate the Zhou family's power and influence to continue to expand.
If things continue like this, the Zhou clan may be about to emerge.
Therefore, before resigning as prime minister, Zhou Yafu had to step down as head of Wuyuan Mountain.
Hearing this, Zhou Yafu bowed deeply and said: "Your Majesty loves and protects me. I am grateful to you. I am willing to work for your majesty for the rest of my life. Once your majesty gives orders, I will go through fire and water, even to the death!"
This sentence is not a joke.
They were words that came from Zhou Yafu’s heart.
The prime minister of the Han Dynasty seemed to be majestic and powerful, but in fact, Zhou Yafu knew in his heart that the position of prime minister was a hot potato.
At the beginning, his father Zhou Bo, a lifelong hero, almost failed to get out of Tingwei's prison in his later years!
Even famous ministers such as Xiao He and Chen Ping were still in the position of prime minister.
Not to mention, he, Zhou Yafu, also holds the position of head of Wuyuan Mountain. If he is not careful, he will arouse suspicion.
Over the years, Zhou Yafu would break into a cold sweat every time he dreamed about it at midnight.
Now, the emperor was able to ask him to recommend the successor of Mount Wuyuan, which showed that the emperor did not doubt his thoughts, and also expressed the emperor's personal trust.
Otherwise, the emperor would not let him recommend the successor to Mount Wuyuan.
Just select a general to succeed him, and then after Zhou Yafu retires from the position of prime minister, you can find an excuse to deal with him anytime and anywhere.
Back then, his father was training soldiers in the feudal country and stockpiling some weapons, which could be used as evidence of rebellion. In this world, as long as the emperor wants to harm someone, what else can't be used as an excuse?
With the emperor's attitude, Zhou Yafu's life in his later years was guaranteed.
"The Prime Minister's words are serious..." Liu Che helped Zhou Yafu up, took his hand, and said: "Prime Minister, my humerus is the leader of rebellious ministers! For several years, fortunately, the Prime Minister has never left me, picking up the missing pieces and filling in the gaps. Only then can this country and the country be able to
So solid..."
To a certain extent, it is no exaggeration to say that without Zhou Yafu, there would be no Han Empire today.
In particular, after experiencing Zhang Ou's incompetence and stupidity, Liu Che became more aware of Zhou Yafu's abilities and the preciousness of his life.
"I heard that an elder in the village said: If you use people as a mirror, you can know gains and losses; if you use history as a mirror, you can know the rise and fall! The Prime Minister is my mirror!"
"Your Majesty..." Zhou Yafu was deeply moved after hearing this. He deeply thought that it would be enough for him to receive such an evaluation for the rest of his life!
Besides, he actually had nothing to regret.
He served as prime minister for eight years. During his tenure, the Han Dynasty averted its previous humiliation and won many foreign battles. Not only did he regain the homeland of Gaoque, but he also took over the entire Muannan region.
Today's empire is at least twice as big as it was when the late emperor died eight years ago.
It extends to the South China Sea in the south, the East China Sea in the east, Linqiong in the west, and the desert in the north, spanning tens of thousands of miles in length and breadth, and has an innumerable territory.
The battle flag of the empire has been planted in almost every corner of the world that was considered in the past.
The Han's iron cavalry rumbled in, all nations bowed their heads, and thousands of tribes surrendered.
The foundation of the Central Empire, Heaven, and the Shang Dynasty has been formed.
There is no doubt that as the prime minister who assisted the emperor and created such a great era, his status in the history books in the future will probably be no lower than that of Duke Zhou who assisted King Cheng of Zhou and Guan Zhong who assisted Duke Heng of Qi.
Now that a man is here, what more can he ask for?
"Your Majesty, I believe that the elder of Wuyuan Mountain has a heavy responsibility to teach and educate people. You should not be careless!" Zhou Yafu bowed: "In my humble opinion, there are only three people who can be qualified to serve as the elders of Wuyuan Mountain..."
"Prime Minister, please tell me..." Liu Che sat back on the throne, sat upright in front of his lap, raised his head and stood up. He had done his best. This was definitely a foil for Zhou Yafu.
Otherwise, in the future, future generations will look through history books and see that before Prime Minister Zhou Yafu took office, he, the emperor, discussed state affairs with him, and the emperor looked careless. How should future generations evaluate this?
A more serious person might think that he and Zhou Yafu have a conflict!
"Dongchenghou Yizong is a man of both civil and military skills. He is young and promising, and has a reputation as a virtuous person in both the government and the public..." Zhou Yafu bowed and said, "I thought I could become a minister and succeeded to the position of mountain chief..."
Whether in private or public life, Zhou Yafu would recommend Yi Zong.
The reason is very simple. Privately, Yi Zong is Zhou Yafu's son-in-law. A son-in-law is half a son. It is natural for a son to inherit his father's legacy.
Moreover, Yi Zong was the emperor's brother-in-law, so he was naturally suitable to serve as the mountain chief of the martial arts garden.
As for Yu Gong, Zhou Yafu knew very well about Yizong's talents. He was indeed the best among the new generation of Han army generals. His merits were sufficient and he could fully support the reputation of Wuyuan.
But Liu Che shook his head and said: "Dongcheng Hou is too young! I am worried that he will not be able to convince the public! Besides, if a young man rises to a high position rashly, I am worried that he will not be able to control it!"
In history, there are too many lessons about young people being ambitious and arrogant.
Even the genius of a generation, Huo Qubing, is a representative who fell because he was too young to succeed - if Huo Qubing had been calmer and not made his own decisions and shot Li Gan, he would not have been punished by Emperor Wu to fight the Xiongnu, and he would not have been in the dark.
White's 'violent pawn'.
Liu Che himself did not want such a situation to occur.
Furthermore, Yi Zong is the uncle of the emperor's eldest son Liu, who has died of illness. Appointing him to be the head of Wuyuan Mountain is like telling the world nakedly that I have decided to make the emperor's eldest son the heir apparent! There is no big difference.
After all, Yi Zong himself was already the governor of the Chariot and Cavalry General Xing'an North Protectorate, and also served as the head of Wuyuan Mountain. Most of the power in the military fell into his hands.
With him protecting Liu Bing in the army, all other competitors may have been eliminated before they even started to play.
Zhou Yafu sighed when he heard this. He also knew that it would not be so easy for his son-in-law to rise to power.
"Wuyuan offers wine, specially recruits elders, and Qu Zhouhou Li Ji. He has always been highly virtuous and highly respected by the world. I think he can also be a candidate..." Zhou Yafu calmed down a little and continued to recommend.
When Liu Che heard this, he frowned slightly. Li Ji was not a bad person.
His ability, prestige, and qualifications are all sufficient.
It’s this reputation and character...
He is going to be the head of Wuyuan Mountain, and Liu Che is really worried!
The comments of the people in the world can be regarded as farts, but... this special hobby of Li Ji's own is something Liu Che is worried about.
Liu Che is really worried about what kind of scandal this guy will cause if he becomes the mountain chief...
For example, let’s say you fall in love with your student’s mother and then marry her back home…
He can really do this kind of thing!
Therefore, Liu Che asked directly: "Who is the third person?"
Obviously, the emperor did not like Li Ji very much.
Zhou Yafu could only sigh in his heart and said to himself: "Old friend, it's not that I won't help you, it's just that your reputation is too bad..."
In Zhou Yafu's eyes, Li Ji was the kind of general who was dragged down by his reputation.
If in the turbulent times like the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Li Jiyue would have prospered, and maybe he would be Wu Qi.
It's a pity that in this peaceful world, the stain he bears has become his Achilles' heel.
No matter how talented he is and how lofty his ambitions are, he will always be the target of criticism from others.
Even the emperor would be concerned about this.
There was no other way, so Zhou Yafu could only worship: "Captain Hu Ben Wei Zuo, Xinchang Hou Cheng I don't know. He is courageous, capable of his duties, and can teach Xuan Ming. He can be the choice of the mountain chief!"
Liu Che was quite surprised by the candidate Zhou Yafu finally recommended.
To be honest, Cheng Bu knew this person, and he and Zhou Yafu were never from the same background.
Cheng Bushi was a representative figure of Legalism in the army. He himself publicly claimed many times that he was a "disciple of Wu Zi". He admired Wu Qi of Legalism so much that he almost didn't even hang it up to worship him.
And Zhou Yafu's butt has always been sitting between Confucianism and Huang Lao Sect.
At this moment, the recommendation process was not realized, something that Liu Che did not react to.
But thinking about it carefully, Cheng Bushi is really the best candidate.
First of all, he is young. Cheng Bushi is thirty-five years old this year, which is exactly the age when a military commander is at his peak. He became the head of Wuyuan Mountain. Apart from other things, at least in terms of thinking and understanding, he is in line with the young man.
Officers can have more to talk about.
Secondly, even though Cheng Bushi is young, he has already had a good reputation in the army.
He is the founder of the so-called "Hu Ben Law", the pioneer of Han cuirassier tactics, and the first author of the Han Dynasty crossbowmen's textbook "Qiannu Minutes".
In the past two years, he has also devoted himself to perfecting the "Book of Lihe".
Nowadays, Cheng Bushi’s famous name can be said to be resounding throughout the world.
He was highly praised by the military, and he was vaguely the Sima Xiangji of the current generation!
With so many works under his belt, Cheng Bushi's lack of qualifications was perfectly filled.
Finally, Cheng Bushi still had military merits. In the battle of Gaoque, he followed Yizong and captured Gaoque. After the war, he was named "Xinchanghou". In terms of merit, after Yizong, Zhidu and Wei Chi, he was granted the title of two counties.
Thousands of households.
The most important thing is - Cheng Bushi is Liu Che's own, his absolute confidant!
He was born and grew up in the Tiger Guard.
The Huben Guards and the Yulin Guards are Liu Che's right-hand men. Liu Che is even convinced that even if the world turns against him, the Huben Guards and the Yulin Guards will fight with him to the end!
What's even better is that Cheng Bushi has no foundation and no party members.
To a certain extent, it is almost impossible to find a more suitable candidate than Cheng Bushi.
After just thinking for a moment, Liu Che said: "Then please prime minister to talk to Hou Xinchang..."
This is actually the decision to appoint Cheng Bushi as the head of Wuyuan Mountain.
"No!" Zhou Yafu bowed immediately after hearing this.
After settling this matter, Liu Che looked at Zhidu and said to him: "Zhijinwu... I am ordering you to go to Munan this time for two things. I hope you will pay attention to one or two..."
"Your Majesty, please give me your instructions!" Zhi Du bowed his head and said. He was in a really happy mood at this moment.
Because, Cheng Bushi is going to be the head of Mount Wuyuan!
Although Zhidu and Cheng Bushi were actually just acquaintances, Cheng Bushi was a typical martial arts idiot and scholar-general. He never interacted with the nine ministers in the court. On weekdays, he was either training troops or busy organizing officers.
Discussing and studying tactics without thinking about politics at all.
But he is a Legalist!
that's enough!
Nowadays, among the Han army, Yi Zong favors Legalism. He is a die-hard Legalist disciple. Together with Cheng Bushi, the Legalist generals can be said to have an absolute advantage in the military.
After Cheng Bushi became the head of Wuyuan Mountain, he was more likely to train a large number of pro-French generals.
With the support of the army, no matter how Confucianism jumps, it can't escape the grasp of Legalism!
Liu Che looked at Zhidu and said with a smile: "The first thing is that Aiqing goes to Munan and finds a way for me to get a population of 100,000 in half a year!"
As soon as these words came out, both Zhou Yafu and Zhi were stunned.
At the court meeting just now, the emperor was still a righteous and awe-inspiring image of a holy king who wanted to make decisions for the poor herdsmen in Munan. Now he turned around and assigned task targets to Zhidu.
One hundred thousand people!
This is not a small number. The total population of Munan is probably less than one million!
With this opening of his mouth, the emperor wants to kill one hundred thousand people, one-tenth of the population!
Still limited to half a year to complete!
what does that mean?
It means that the emperor doesn't care about the life and death of the herdsmen in Munan!
Liu Che, however, looked at his prime minister and Jin Wu, and laughed and said: "Without these 100,000 people, how can I build the fortress feudal state?"
He stood up, his eyes under his eyes were cold and cruel: "Do you want to bring people from China to Munan for construction?"
