"Your Majesty, these are the test questions for this year's examination. Please take a look at them..."
In Ganquan Palace, Zhou Yafu presented a thin booklet with both hands.
Liu Che took it and said, just like in previous years, the first two rounds of examinations only tested general knowledge to see if the candidates had above-average cultural and mathematical skills.
Only in the third round will there be some difficulty.
But it’s hard to go anywhere.
After all, this is the selection of about 400 stone sword and pen officials, and it is to ask them to do practical things, not to let them compete with Sima Xiangru to see who is more knowledgeable.
Since last year, Liu Che has left the task of formulating the questions to Zhou Yafu, and he only does the final supervision and ruling.
Liu Che opened the booklet and looked at the questions one by one, but found no problems.
"Let's print it according to the title drawn up by the Prime Minister!" Liu Che handed the pamphlet to Ji An and told him to deliver it to the Shaofu Yamen.
Then, Liu Che turned around, looked at Zhou Yafu, and said, "The Prime Minister came to Ganquan Palace today specifically for this reason, right?"
Definitely.
If it was just because of the examination questions, Zhou Yafu could have waited until Liu Che returned to Chang'an in a few days and then went to the palace to report that before the examination began, Liu Che, the emperor, would definitely return to Chang'an and take charge of the overall situation to show that he attached great importance to the examination.
"Your Majesty Sheng Ming Wu Guo..." Zhou Yafu bowed his head and said: "I heard that the Huns are sending envoys to Chang'an again..."
He raised his head and looked at Liu Che, his eyes burning: "I also heard that the Xiongnu Chanyu wanted to sell the land in Hetao to your Majesty..."
When Liu Che heard this, he chuckled.
He knew that Zhou Yafu was here for this matter.
The Hetao area is the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun in the Han Dynasty.
Its strategic value is beyond doubt.
"What do you think, Prime Minister..." Liu Che looked at Zhou Yafu and asked, "Can the Huns believe it?"
There is no need to think about this question at all!
In the Han Dynasty, the credibility of the Huns was equal to zero.
The two countries have signed at least seven or eight different versions of peace and affinity treaties in the past.
But each time, these peace treaties ended up being a piece of waste paper.
Moreover, it was the Huns who tore it up first every time!
Besides, Yi and Di have never been loyal. This is a Chinese value.
Therefore, Zhou Yafu shook his head affirmatively: "I think that the Xiongnu's words are certainly not credible..."
"It's just..." Zhou Yafu said with excitement on his face: "Why don't your Majesty take advantage of the plan! Talk to the envoy about purchasing the Hetao, and when the treaty is finalized, send troops to the Hetao immediately and accept the place! If the Xiongnu Lord reneges on his promise, Your Majesty will be justified.
Rebel division, crusade against the unjust!"
Liu Che looked at Zhou Yafu with a smile and shook his head in his heart.
Liu Che has long felt that Zhou Yafu has become more and more bellicose recently.
Now he doesn't even have time to wait until the agreement is reached, and will encourage Liu Che to start a war against the Xiongnu in advance.
Of course Liu Che also wanted to start a war against the Huns, the sooner the better!
However, Liu Che knew that the preparations were not completed yet.
The current Han army certainly has the ability to defeat the Xiongnu army.
However, it is still not possible to achieve a sure victory and a quick victory.
Liu Che did not want the Han-Hungarian war to turn into a tug-of-war.
Either don’t fight, or if you want to fight, it will take three years to eliminate the main force of the Huns, and five years to pacify the grassland!
To achieve this goal, the strength of the Han army must not be exposed prematurely.
Because once the Han army exposed the power of its advanced equipment prematurely.
The Huns are not stupid.
If I can't beat him, can't I hide?
All they need to do is shrink back to the southern part of the country and completely abandon all areas south of the desert.
Liu Che was at a loss to deal with them.
With the current technical conditions, the Han army could barely complete an expedition of three thousand miles.
But in the vast Gobi desert, an expedition of five thousand miles is impossible.
With such a long distance, the logistical supplies alone can make the Han army exhausted!
Huo Qubing and Wei Qing were so powerful that they were unable to command their invincible force, so they went deep into the south of the curtain to find the main force of the Xiongnu for a decisive battle.
"The Prime Minister's words are wrong!" Liu Che said calmly: "You never need an excuse to conquer the Huns!"
"The whole world is the land of the king, and the shores of the land are the king's ministers. I am the common master of the four seas, and it is my destiny to conquer the barbarians and the disobedient barbarians!" Liu Che said with a righteous look.
For China, using troops against the Yi and Di was not an invasion at all.
It is a symbol of the emperor's benevolence to the world.
If the emperor of China was not a compassionate person, how could he have spent so much effort and mobilized countless resources and a huge army to fight against the Yi Di on the grassland?
Isn't it just to educate the Yi Di, to let them get rid of the primitive life of eating hair and drinking blood, and feel the moisture of the king's rain and dew?
This is just like the lighthouse countries in later generations who used oil vessels to harass and stir up trouble all over the world.
In the worldview of classical China, all barbarians who disobey the king are guilty and need to be enlightened!
What's more, for the Han Dynasty, avenging Pingcheng and the shame of Queen Xue Lu was the sacred mission of all people in the country who thought they were loyal ministers and filial sons!
Zhou Yafu smiled awkwardly and said with some reluctance: "But, Your Majesty, this opportunity must not be missed and never come back!"
For Zhou Yafu, this was indeed an excellent excuse to start a war.
The Huns took the initiative to bring the Hetao to the door, regardless of what the Huns had in mind.
Anyway, from the perspective of the Han Dynasty, this is an excellent opportunity that cannot be missed!
Of course Zhou Yafu had considered this as a test before his military ministers led the main force of the Xiongnu to march westward.
so what?
Today's Han army is not what it used to be!
The cavalry force has expanded to as many as 150,000!
Moreover, most of them are equipped with saddles, stirrups and iron shoes, and are equipped with crossbows.
Many internal drills of the Han army have proved that cavalry equipped with these equipment can form a two-on-three or even one-on-two advantage over the old cavalry!
Especially in cluster battles, the advantages are even more obvious!
Not to mention the cuirassiers that have been formed in the past two years, they can crush all old cavalry!
Therefore, Zhou Yafu said, since now, the Han army has been able to defeat the Xiongnu.
Why delay?
He is getting older.
Soon you will be past your sixtieth birthday, and as soon as you reach your sixtieth birthday, your body will become completely weak.
Zhou Yafu has already felt it now. Three years ago, he could still ride a horse and lead an army on an expedition. But now, he is somewhat unable to do what he wants.
In another two years, he will probably be able to watch his children and grandchildren rule the roost in Chang'an.
As human beings, we have selfish motives. Of course Zhou Yafu has his own selfish motives.
His biggest wish in this life is to one day lead his troops out of the fortress and capture Shan Yu and offer him to the Imperial Ancestral Temple!
In this way, he can truly surpass his father!
Moreover, Zhou Yafu also gradually understood some things.
Especially after he became the mountain chief of Wuyuan.
He was shocked to find that those generals from humble families had potential far beyond that of the nobles' descendants!
Although they look a little immature, they have been fighting against the Huns at the foot of the Great Wall for a long time, fighting wits and courage.
Almost everyone has the potential to be independent.
Looking at his own son, there are also the children of other old brothers.
Although he was forced into the martial arts academy, his ability, knowledge and skills were all left behind by the generals from a humble family.
Zhou Yafu knew very well that in the future, those people who are still unknown now may become the emerging princes of the Han family.
On the battlefield, anything is possible!
And their rise will inevitably bring about the decline of the old nobles and princes.
This is not Zhou Yafu’s opinion alone.
The generals who serve as professors in Wuyuan basically see it this way.
Since ancient times, there have been many heroes in the grass. The reason why these heroes in the grass are dormant now is because the time has not come yet.
Once the opportunity comes, such as the outbreak of the Han-Hungarian War, they will immediately transform into dragons and fly away!
Therefore, when Zhou Yafu heard that the Huns wanted to sell the Hetao to the Han Dynasty.
He immediately consulted with other generals.
The final result of the discussion was to take advantage of this opportunity when the Huns were stunned to advance the Han-Hungarian war.
In this way, while their generation can still lead armies in battle and still have prestige, the best of the descendants will be supported on their horses and given a ride.
"Prime Minister, there is no need to say any more!" Liu Che shook his head. The established plan cannot be changed because of an unexpected incident.
Unless, the Huns are fighting among themselves now.
Otherwise, choosing to start a war at this time will hardly bring much benefit to China.
Since ancient times, the nomads on the grasslands have been like the Zerg in StarCraft.
Unless the Central Dynasty can use the force of thunder, their spirit and spirit will be defeated in one go.
Otherwise, even if you win for a while, you will still fall into quagmire.
Therefore, Liu Che's choice is to keep high-tech troops at home first, and then the population of two hundred will be leveled.
In this way, even if the Huns rebel against heaven, they will still kneel down and sing the song of conquest.
Of course, Liu Che also knew something about the thoughts of Zhou Yafu and other veteran aristocratic generals.
After all, Liu Che is an undercover agent among these people.
Liu She, Xu Jiu, Han Daidang, and Li Ji were all rushing to show their loyalty to Liu Che and make small reports.
Therefore, Liu Che knew about Zhou Yafu and others' worries.
"Prime Minister!" Liu Che looked at Zhou Yafu, took a deep breath, and then said: "This world is very big!"
He walked up to the "Picture of the Great Han Unifying the World" hanging in the palace and said to Zhou Yafu: "Prime Minister, please see, Longli recently went to the country of the Japanese slaves..."
"The country of the Japanese slaves is across the sea from North Korea. According to Chen Jiao's report, there are hundreds of islands in the area, and the islands are full of savages who drink blood from their hair..." Liu Che pointed to a newly added archipelago on the map.
"There are many volcanoes on it and frequent earthquakes..."
"But, after all, people can still live there!" Looking at the neon lights, Liu Che opened his heart to Zhou Yafu and said, "I have decided that my future will be on the Japanese slave islands, after the feudal heroes!"
"At present, all the princes and heroes of the country will have a son in the future, and they will be crowned dukes and marquises on the Japanese slave islands, just like the story of Zong Zhou!"
To be honest, there are still many places for farming in Neon Islands.
Although it is a bit remote, it is rich in resources!
What gold and silver, there are huge reserves!
Liu Che's plan was to wait until he finished digging the large gold mine on the island and then divide the place up.
Anyway, I don't feel bad for betraying my father Tian.
The Neon Islands were separated from the Han Dynasty by the sea, so it was difficult to effectively rule them.
Even if rule is implemented, I'm afraid it will be difficult to maintain.
In this case, just treat it as a gift and give it to the princes and generals as a reward.
Let them open a branch base somewhere in Neon!
As for whether the princes are willing?
This doesn't need to be considered, and it's not like dividing their direct lineage.
Just throwing away the unfavored son or something.
Of course, neon alone is not enough to buy this capital!
"In addition, there are body poisons, the Western Regions!" Liu Che said to Zhou Yafu: "In the future, after China determines these places, I will follow the story of Zongzhou, where feudal clan heroes will be in the local area, and even..."
Liu Che raised his voice and said seductively: "If there is a meritorious official with great achievements, I will not hesitate to use a different surname to make him king!"
The Western Regions, India and Central Asia.
To be honest, in these places, even if China conquered them, they would not be able to implement the system of counties and counties.
Not to mention the cost issue.
Communication problems alone can kill you.
The local area and Chang'an are often tens of thousands of miles apart.
It is not impossible for Chang'an's order to be on the road for a year and a half.
Now that there is no radio, Liu Che deeply feels that it is difficult to implement effective control over these places with the central government's capabilities.
In this case, we can only settle for the next best thing.
The feudal princes, even princes and kings with different surnames, learned from the Western Zhou Dynasty and established various kingdoms.
In this way, these places have real people in charge.
The local rule can also be stabilized.
Unlike the Han Dynasty and the prosperous Tang Dynasty in history, when the dynasty declined, these borderlands that were too far away had to be abandoned.
Of course, if you do this, there is still a problem that needs to be solved.
That is, how to ensure that these places will become Chinese rather than localized?
Especially in India!
Third Brother's weird caste system, on the one hand, makes him the best place to conquer on earth.
Basically, all the ethnic groups that have experienced greatness in Blue Star have gone to the third brother's house to be the masters and dominate.
Even the Tibetan Buddha has gone to send warmth and consecrate the third brother's wife.
However, the caste system of the third brother's family has an ability to assimilate that is no less than that of China.
Be it Aryans or Greeks, Cypriots or Buddhas.
After going to the third brother's house and becoming the master, he was basically assimilated by the third brother and became a part of their society.
After all, the Brahmins and Kshatriyas of the third brother are the best among men, even gods among men.
Liu Che also felt that if he did not think of a countermeasure first and take preventive measures, I am afraid that the nobles sent to the local area in the future may also be assimilated by the third brother in hundreds of years.
After all, if he puts himself in his shoes, Liu Che feels that even he would find it difficult to refuse. Becoming a Brahmin, eating and waiting for death every day, he can live a leisurely and happy life for the rest of his life.
What's even more frightening is that the third brother's caste system is hereditary.
Brahman is always Brahman.
This is an irresistible temptation for any noble!
Fortunately, Liu Che also has a reference object for reference: John Bull.
John Bull is one of the few colonists who reigned supreme in the third brother's family and was not taken away by the third brother's caste system. (To be continued.)
ps: I feel a little unwell today, so this is the update. Sorry for mobile phone users, please visit http://m.piaotian.net
