Guo Shengtong had a good relationship with Xu Xiling before, and she personally recommended Xu Xiling for the official position of Ye Ting Ling.
So much so that she always believed that Xu Xiling's rise to the top was just stepping on her shoulders and treating herself as a stepping stone. It was precisely because of this thought that she felt extremely disgusted with Xu Xiling.
This time Liu Xiu personally went to conquer Wei County, but after all he did not take Guo Shengtong with him, but Yin Lihua and Xu Xiling.
From Luoyang to Weijun, you have to go through Hanoi.
In the past, bandits were rampant in the Hanoi area and the cultivated land was abandoned. Now after Kou Xun's governance, the Hanoi area has been completely renewed. At present, Hanoi County is also the largest granary of the Luoyang court.
Liu Xiu felt the changes in Hanoi particularly clearly.
Sitting in the carriage, he raised the curtains and looked at the fields on the roadside. He smiled at Yin Lihua and Xu Xiling who were also in the carriage: "Back then, most of the cultivated land in Hanoi was abandoned, but now, it looks lush and green.
Finally, crops are growing again, all thanks to Ziyi!"
Xu Xiling said with a smile: "I still remember that when your Majesty went to Hebei, he took this road. At that time, there were thieves and natural disasters in Hanoi, and the people were miserable!"
Yin Lihua also looked out the car window at the fields, looking at the green crop fields, and said with emotion: "The crops in Hanoi are growing really well!"
Liu Xiu said with a smile: "The land in Hanoi is fertile and the rain is abundant. As long as there are no natural disasters or man-made disasters, there will be a bumper harvest every year. Therefore, growing crops well in Hanoi is not really a skill. A severe drought in Nanyang
If you can grow crops well even when you are young, then that’s called true skill!”
Having said this, Liu Xiu not only did not blush, but also showed a proud look.
Hearing this, Xu Xiling couldn't help but laugh out loud. Yin Lihua was also amused by Liu Xiu's stinky farts, but she had to admit that Liu Xiu's words were really not an exaggeration. During the drought in Nanyang, other people's
The crops either dried up or grew poorly. Only the crops planted by Liu Xiu grew vigorously and yielded good harvests.
As far as farming ability is concerned, Liu Xiu is very talented.
Yin Lihua suddenly thought of something, looked at Liu Xiu, and asked: "Your Majesty, I heard that Governor Kou is going to take up a post in Yingchuan?"
Seeing Liu Xiu nodding, Yin Lihua asked in confusion: "Since the Kou governor has managed Hanoi so well, why not let the Kou governor stay in Hanoi and transfer him to Yingchuan?"
Liu Xiu smiled and said: "It's not that I want to send Ziyi to Yingchuan, but Ziyi himself proposed that he no longer wants to be the governor of Hanoi."
Yin Lihua and Xu Xiling both looked puzzled. Liu Xiu explained: "In Hanoi, Ziyi not only excelled in governance and was very good at defeating thieves, he also defeated Su Mao and Jia Qiang's sneak attack.
He wanted political achievements, meritorious service, and high prestige that no one could possibly control him. Many bandits in the Hanoi area admired Ziyi's reputation and voluntarily gave up resisting the imperial court, dismissed his tribesmen, and returned to their fields."
After a pause, Liu Xiu continued: "As a minister, if your prestige in a place is higher than that of the emperor, it will inevitably arouse people's suspicion, and I am afraid it will also arouse the emperor's fear. Ziyi repeatedly submitted his resignation and requested for transfer. In fact,
It’s to avoid suspicion!”
So that's it! After listening to Liu Xiu's analysis, Yin Lihua and Xu Xiling finally figured out what Kou Xun was thinking. Yin Lihua couldn't help but admired: "Kou Prefect is a true gentleman!"
Xu Xiling shook his head disapprovingly and said: "The Chief Kou's avoidance of suspicion is not because he does not understand His Majesty and mistakenly regards His Majesty as someone who is jealous of talents and talents?"
Yin Lihua disagreed with Xu Xiling's statement and said: "When you avoid suspicion, you should avoid suspicion. This is the way to be a minister. Avoiding unnecessary suspicion is not only a wise way to protect yourself, but also for the sake of His Majesty."
Liu Xiu listened carefully, thought about it carefully, and found that it made sense. Originally, he agreed with Xu Xiling's statement, thinking that Kou Xun didn't understand him too well, but after hearing Yin Lihua's words, he had a new understanding of Kou Xun.
Know.
While they were talking, the sound of horse hooves came from outside the carriage. Liu Xiu turned around and saw that it was Kou Zhang who was urging the horse to come.
Kou Zhang is the nephew of Kou Xun. He is in his early twenties and has a handsome face and a handsome appearance. Now he is riding a war horse, wearing a helmet, a robe and a belt, and a red cloak on his back. He looks even more heroic and outstanding.
group.
He stepped in and saluted on the horse and said: "Your Majesty, should we go to Huai County or Wude?"
Huai County is the county seat of Hanoi, but if you want to go to Huai County, you have to take a long detour. Liu Xiu thought about it and said, "Go to Wude."
"Yes! Your Majesty!" Kou Zhang agreed first, then raised his eyes to look at the sky and said: "Your Majesty, if you go to Wude, I'm afraid you may not be able to enter the city before dark."
"It's okay." Liu Xiu waved his hand and said, "You can camp in the wild and rest."
"Wei minister, please obey!" Kou Zhang stepped in and ordered, riding away.
Yin Lihua looked at the back of Kou Zhang as he rode away, and said with a smile: "The tiger father has no son, and the nephew of Kou Taishou is also young and promising."
Liu Xiu looked up and smiled, nodded in agreement, and said: "Kou Zhang and Gu Chong are very skilled in martial arts and good at riding and shooting. They are both rare generals!"
Yin Lihua smiled and said: "Your Majesty appointed the two of them to accompany you on the expedition this time. Is it also to appease the Kou governor?"
Liu Xiu laughed again, took Yin Lihua's hand, moved her back, held her in his arms, and said with a smile: "It's better that Lihua understands her as her husband!"
Yin Lihua's face turned red and she looked at Xu Xiling embarrassedly. The latter turned her head aside knowingly and looked out the window. Seeing this, Liu Xiu suddenly stretched out her hand and pulled Xu Xiling over.
To make a long story short, the 20,000 Han troops commanded by Liu Xiu personally followed Wude, won honors, and Ji County, and then entered Wei County from Chaoge.
Kou Xun governed Hanoi very well, and Wei County under Yao Qi was equally good. In the past, Wei County was even more miserable and desolate than Hanoi. Nine out of ten villages were empty, and people died of hunger everywhere.
However, Wei County has undergone earth-shaking changes now. Not only has the previously abandoned farmland been re-cultivated, but also a lot of newly reclaimed wasteland has been reclaimed, and the population has also increased linearly.
The reason for this is very simple. Yaoqi went to the court and asked the court to authorize Wei County to implement a thirty-year tax. The thirty-year tax means that the annual tax for farmers in Wei County is one-thirtieth of the total harvest.
.
This was extremely rare at the time. Even in the past, when the Han Dynasty was in its heyday, it was very rare to implement thirty taxes per one. Liu Bang had implemented fifteen taxes per one for a period of time, but in order to raise money to fight Xiang Yu, he later changed it to ten taxes.
one.
After Liu Bang's death, under Emperor Hui, it was changed to fifteen taxes and one tax. After the governance of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Hui, the world was settled, the country was peaceful and the people were safe. By the time of Emperor Jing, thirty taxes were implemented, but it was only implemented
Just two years.
Now that Wei County has implemented a tax of thirty-one, people from all over the country have come here after hearing the news. When the world is in chaos, the most indispensable thing is refugees. Wei County has implemented such a good policy, how can it not attract people to come here?
Liu Xiu agreed to implement thirty-one taxes in Wei County, which was equivalent to investing a lot of money in Wei County, which was to revitalize Wei County and add another large granary to the imperial court.
He had already invested the money and was about to see results. But at this moment, the troops of the Fifth Academy were making trouble again in Wei County. How could Liu Xiu tolerate it?
After the Han army led by Liu Xiu entered Wei County, they went north along the Qinghe River and headed straight for Huangze Lake where the five military schools gathered.
After hearing the news that Liu Xiu had entered Wei County, Yao Qi recruited and assembled the county troops in Yecheng to form a force of 2,000 soldiers and horses to cooperate with Liu Xiu in the battle.
Liu Xiu's army moved from south to north, and Yao Qi's army moved from north to south. The two armies met at the southwest of Huangze Lake.
The Han army camp, the Chinese army tent. Yao Qi strode in from the outside with excitement and excitement on his face.
Entering the Chinese army tent, he saw Liu Xiu sitting in the middle. Yao Qi took a deep breath, bowed his hands and saluted, and said in a loud voice: "I am here to see you, Your Majesty!"
Liu Xiu stood up, walked around the handsome case, walked up to Yao Qi, looked him up and down, then patted his arm hard, and laughed loudly: "The situation hasn't changed at all, it's still the same! I
I thought that if I become a prefect and enjoy good fortune, my body will also gain weight!"
Yao Qi was one of the earliest confidants who followed Liu Xiu, and the relationship between them was so familiar that in front of Yao Qi, Liu Xiu spoke without scruples and could make fun of him at will.
After such a long time, the monarch and his subjects met again. Yao Qi was both excited and a little sad.
However, Liu Xiu's jokes were all washed away. He said happily: "Your Majesty, although Wei Chen is a prefect in Yecheng, he has never given up his martial arts skills. Every morning, Wei Chen has to do two sets of boxing.
Practice a set of guns!”
Liu Xiu put his hands on his hands and said with a smile: "Very good, very good!"
Yao Qi sighed: "Your Majesty came to Wei County in person and traveled and traveled all the way. It's all the fault of a humble minister!"
Liu Xiu looked at him puzzled. Yao Qi explained: "If it weren't for the incompetence of the humble minister, why would I bother Your Majesty to go on a personal expedition?"
"Hey?!" Liu Xiu waved his hand and said: "The five schools secretly colluded with Liu Yong, and now with the support of Liu Yong, Wei County is resurrected. This is not something Wei County alone can do, let alone Wei County alone.
!”
Yao Qi said: "Liu Yongzhen is my big man's thorn in the side!"
Liu Xiu said: "I have ordered Ju Qing to lead an army to conquer Suiyang. Even if Ju Qing cannot defeat Suiyang, at least Liu Yong can be distracted!"
Yao Qi said thoughtfully: "Liu Yong's power seems to be strong, but in fact it is not stable internally. Ju Qing is leading his army to the east this time. Wei Chen thinks that our army has a great chance of winning!"
On the battlefield, Gai Yan could be called a fierce general, but he was not a foolhardy man. In the eyes of Yao Qi, Gai Yan's ability to lead troops in battle was by no means inferior to his own.
Liu Xiu smiled, patted Yao Qi's arm again, then raised his hand and pointed at the second generals Kou Zhang and Gu Chong, and said: "This is Ziyi's nephew, Kou Zhang, and this is Ziyi's nephew, Gu Chong."
!”
Hearing that His Majesty mentioned themselves, Kou Zhang and Gu Chong immediately stepped forward, bowed their hands to Yao Qi and saluted, saying: "The last general Kou Zhang (Gu Chong), please see Yao Prefect!"
The two of them were very familiar with Yao Qi's reputation. Yao Qi pursued the Bronze Horse Army, entered Yanzhou, and fought against the Bronze Horse Army alone. It can be said that he shocked Yanzhou and became famous in one battle.
Yao Qi looked at Kou Zhang and Gu Chong with a smile, nodded, and praised: "That's right! Prefect Kou is an outstanding person among people, and you two should follow Prefect Kou as an example!"
"General, please remember the instructions of Governor Yao!"
Liu Xiu changed the topic and said: "Secondly, let's talk about the current situation of the fifth school army!"
Yao Qi's face straightened and he said: "Your Majesty, the strength of the Fifth Academy Army is close to 20,000. They often appear in the Neihuang and Fanyang areas, and local villages and towns are frequently harassed. The county soldiers have been defeated in their expeditions."
Liu Xiu was silent for a moment and asked: "Who is the leader of this fifth school army?"