Zhou Yangong quickly straightened things out in Ping'an County with the help of Xie Huanran. It has to be said that this young scholar who insists on calling himself Jiangnan Xie family and is proud of himself is really very capable. Although since the demise of Nanchen
The Xie family began to decline, and now it has lost its former glory.
But having said that, the four words "Jiangnan Xie Family" are a shining gold sign. Ever since Xie An, a famous scholar in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, raised the prestige of the Xie family to its peak, this family has always had an inexplicable relationship with the royal family, regardless of dynasty.
Despite the frequent changes, the Xie family's reputation still occupies the top positions in the lists of various aristocratic families.
According to Xie Huanran himself, he is a direct descendant of Xie Xuan, but whether this is reliable or not is a matter of two opinions. Zhou Yangong has never been very fond of seeing the descendants of the aristocratic family. In his impression, these dandy children only rely on their family background.
Rhetoric is of no use anymore.
It’s no wonder Zhou Yangong had such a prejudice. From the Southern and Northern Dynasties until Wu Zetian, the rights of aristocratic families were reduced on a large scale. The countries that were collapsed by aristocratic families were definitely not just one or two. If we don’t talk too far away, let’s talk about things before the Tang Dynasty.
, the fall of the Sui Dynasty is not unrelated to the interference of aristocratic families in politics. It can even be said that the demise of the Sui Dynasty was caused by the children of those aristocratic families.
The Yang family seized power in northern China from the Yuwen family and replaced the Great Zhou Dynasty to establish the Great Sui Dynasty. Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty was killed in Jiangdu by Yu Wenhuaji. This story of seemingly reincarnation and retribution is full of conflicts between the various families.
Instigated by the Yuwen family, the Pei family, the Yu family, and the Dugu family, the founding generals of the Sui Dynasty, such as Han Qinhu and He Ruobi, all died tragically. Then Sui Yang Emperor Yang Guang gradually became more powerful under the influence of the children of these aristocratic families.
Having deceived the public, famous generals such as Zhang Xutuo and Yang Yichen died one after another with hatred.
Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty conquered Goguryeo three times. In the first battle, the most elite 300,000 soldiers of the Sui Dynasty were killed. Since then, the deterrence of the Sui Dynasty to neighboring countries began to decline. Before this, the Turks were crippled by the soldiers of the Sui Dynasty.
They began to covet the picturesque mountains and rivers of the Central Plains again, and launched wars southward again and again. The culprits who killed 300,000 soldiers were not all because of the great achievements of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, but more of those who came from big and small.
The powerful officials of the aristocratic family controlled the situation of the war.
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties before the Sui Dynasty, there were more than two dozen countries in the south and north of the Yangtze River that changed in large and small changes. Their three hundred years of history were the history of games between various aristocratic families. Even at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, with the strength of the Tang Dynasty's military power,
, and the aristocratic family cannot be allowed to surrender. Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty who was a literary and military man, could not really manage the country freely. How much of his orders came from his own heart despite the interference of the aristocratic family? I am afraid that he is not even 30%.
If a rebellious and ruthless Wu Meiniang had not appeared, I am afraid that no matter who becomes the emperor in many years, he will still be unable to escape the situation of aristocratic family being in power. Countless things that emperors wanted to do but did not dare to do were allowed to be done by a woman.
Since Wu Zetian, the influence of the family has declined sharply, and it no longer has the ability to control the government. However, I believe that even the founding hero of the Tang Dynasty, the warrior Ying Guogong, could not have imagined that his little daughter would successfully conquer the country in another way.
Let’s learn about the picturesque country of the Li family in the Tang Dynasty.
I just don’t know if Wu Zetian wanted to ascend the throne and taste the taste of an emperor because she was influenced by Chen Shuozhen, a woman who rebelled and became emperor during the Tang Gaozong period.
After entering the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, due to the great chaos in the world, countless aristocratic families were destroyed by wars. Although the Xie family mentioned by Xie Huanran was not greatly affected, its influence was not as good as before.
But even so, the aristocratic family still has unparalleled influence in society. Take the Northern Han Dynasty as an example, the former minister of military aircraft, Zhongshu Ling Ouyang Renhe, had colluded with the Zhou Dynasty. The fact is that the Xiao Emperor Liu Zhuo did not dare to kill him
Head. Although in the following years, due to the efforts of Emperor Xiao and Liu Ling, the power of the aristocratic families in the Northern Han Dynasty finally collapsed, for now, the influence of the aristocratic families in the Northern Han Dynasty cannot be underestimated.
Otherwise, Ping'an County Magistrate Su Hui would not regard a housekeeper in Su Xiu's family as more important than Zhou Yangong, a second-rank imperial envoy.
He is just a grandson in front of me.
Although Xie Huanran faced someone with such a high official position for the first time, he did not show any embarrassment in front of Zhou Yangong. No matter how harmful the existence of aristocratic families is to society, young people who come out of aristocratic families are indeed
His overall quality is more than one point better than those from a poor family.
Xie Huanran was well-spoken and had an extremely calm understanding of the current situation in Northern Han Dynasty.
"Sir, there is not much food in the granary in Ping'an County. According to the current number of refugees and people in Ping'an County, two bowls of gruel per person per day can barely last until the first month. If another batch of refugees come, even if there is only
With hundreds of people, the food stored in the granary will be stretched thin. If..."
He glanced at Zhou Yangong and hesitated to speak.
Zhou Yangong knew that he had a solution, so he smiled and said: "If you have any solution, just tell me. His Majesty sent me here just to solve the problem. I am the governor of the six states and have the power to make arbitrary decisions when the situation arises. You can say it with confidence."
."
Xie Huanran looked at Zhou Yangong's face carefully and saw that there was nothing false on the latter's face. On the contrary, it was transparent and sincere. So Xie Huanran clasped his fists and said seriously: "Thank you, Sir!"
Zhou Yangong waved his hands and said: "What are you thanking me for? You and I are also ministers working for His Majesty. It is our duty to serve His Majesty by doing our best. Before coming, I remember His Royal Highness King Zhong once told me
A quote from Confucius said, 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it!'
Zhou Yangong said: "Your Majesty, the court is just like a big ship that is preparing to set sail and anchor, and ministers like you and me are sailors. Your Majesty is at the helm, you and I are rowing, and the people in the world are like the ocean. The people are water, and they can
Carrying a boat against the wind and waves can also overturn the boat. His Highness King Zhong once said that the common people's affairs, including firewood, rice, oil and salt, may be trivial but nothing is trivial."
Xie Huanran said with emotion: "I only know that King Zhong is like a god with his troops and can fight a hundred battles without danger. But I don't know that King Zhong actually has such far-sightedness, and I respect him!"
Zhou Yangong smiled and said: "You can wait until you have the opportunity to meet King Zhong and tell him personally about this compliment later. Now we mainly talk about how to solve the people's problems. You don't have to have any scruples, just say it directly.
"
Xie Huanran said sternly: "Yes. This is what the official thinks. There are 200,000 dan of grain stored in the official warehouse of Qingzhou Prefecture. If you can order the county governor to allocate 10,000 dan of grain, then Ping'an County
Life is much better. With these ten thousand shi of food, we can even save some seeds for spring sowing. But..."
Zhou Yanggong said: "Just what?"
Xie Huanran glanced at him, sorted out his words and said: "It may be difficult to talk to Mr. Ouyang, the governor of Qingzhou Prefecture. The official warehouse of Qingzhou Prefecture has always been specially used to supply the Fuyuan Army. If the military rations are misappropriated, Mr. Ouyang is afraid
Will not agree."
Duke Yan of Zhou was not angry even if he didn't say this. When he mentioned that the official warehouse of Qingzhou Prefecture contained rations for the Fuyuan Army, Duke Yan of Zhou couldn't help but get angry. But he managed to hold it back and didn't get angry, but he was thinking in his heart.
He kept thinking about how to get Ouyang Zhuan to open a position.
The reason Zhou Yangong was angry was because when he was in Fengning County, he asked Pei Hao, the Minister of Punishment, in detail about the details of the Han-Zhou War. Especially in terms of rear supply, he asked carefully. Therefore, for Qingzhou
Zhou Yangong, the Ouyang master in the mansion, really didn't like him very much.
During the war, the people of Taiyuan Prefecture lived frugally, and the food and grass they saved were sent to the Yuzhou front line. Even the northern states where the Jianxiong Army was located squeezed out tens of thousands of stones of food and grass from their teeth and sent them to the south.
, in order to survive, wealthy families also donated a lot of money and grain. However, the official warehouse of Gyeongju Prefecture was the largest granary in the Northern Han Dynasty. The 200,000 stone of grain was enough to supply the 100,000-strong army in the early stage of the war. However, it was the first time since the war that
After Zhou sent 20,000 shi of grain and grass to Yuzhou, Ouyang Zhuan never sent a grain of grain to Yuzhou again!
His excuse was that the banditry was serious and the number of food guards was too small to safely deliver food to Yuzhou. The documents were sent to the military aircraft office, and Lu Sen personally ordered Ouyang Zhuan to supply the Pingnan army with food and grass at any cost. Ouyang Zhuan also
Still using the excuse of insufficient troops and rampant banditry, the imperial court asked the court to send 20,000 horses to Gyeongju to help transport grain!
Anyone with a discerning eye can understand what Ouyang Zhuan'an is thinking at a glance. There are as many as 7,000 food guards stationed in Qingzhou Prefecture. Zhou Yangong didn't even encounter a single thief along the way, and the people were so hungry that they had no strength.
How could he walk, where would he have the strength to rebel with swords and guns? Could it be that seven thousand well-equipped food guards couldn't transport food and grass? The excuse was that banditry was serious, and he was afraid that the Zhou army's light cavalry would detour into the country for a surprise attack. He had plenty of food and grass, so he wanted another 20,000.
The soldiers protect the food, and their rebellious intentions are clearly revealed!
It's just that there are no less than ten officials in the Ouyang family in the court, and among the county governors of the twelve local prefectures, four of the Ouyang family hold official positions. Therefore, Your Majesty knows that Ouyang Ren and Ouyang have a disloyal heart.
He still did not punish him severely. He just personally issued an order to tell Ouyang Zhuan that not a single soldier would be sent to him. If he did not dare to transport food, Emperor Xiao would personally go and pull the carts and horses!
His men had plenty of food and grass but only 7,000 soldiers and horses. There were tens of thousands of Jianxiong troops suppressing him in the north. Ouyang Zhuan thought but he didn't dare to move without permission. He had to wait and order his men to send the food and grass to Yuzhou, but when they were half way there,
By that time, the loyal king Liu Ling had already won a great victory.
Zhou Yangong clenched his fists in his sleeves, smiled and said to Xie Huanran: "Leave this matter to me. I am now in charge of the affairs of the six states. Lord Ouyang is also an important minister of the imperial court and a local official.
, there won’t be any obstruction. I will write an official document and have it delivered to Gyeongju Prefecture. If everything goes well, the food will be sent in less than ten days.”
Xie Huanran opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't say anything. He just smiled bitterly and shook his head and then said nothing. Thinking about it in his heart, it was obvious that Ouyang Zhuan had the intention to rebel. The food and grass in his hand was the basis for his army. He would
Distributing food for the victims? Not to mention that Mr. Zhou just wrote an official document as an imperial envoy. Even if His Majesty personally ordered him to distribute food, he might not be willing!
Zhou Yangong could see Xie Huanran's thoughts, but what could he say?
Just as he was about to find an excuse to talk about something else, he suddenly heard a policeman from Ping'an County shouting from behind: "Sir! Your Excellency! Something bad has happened!"
The yamen servant was panting and sweating while running.
"Sir, a large number of rioters came again at the North City Gate. The county magistrate Mr. Su asked them to enter the city in order, but the victims rioted for some unknown reason. Thousands of victims surrounded Mr. Su. There were only a few people around him.
If you go late, I'm afraid Mr. Su will..." (To be continued)
