Chapter 1 The autumn wind rises, thinking about the return of the child
A fire was extinguished in the rain.
Some people may think that it is impossible for rain to extinguish the forest fires that have started.
But in fact, how could rain have no effect on fire?
In later generations, wildfires spread in the beautiful country and the kangaroo country, and there were records of wildfires that burned for 15 days and were extinguished by rain in local areas.
Although not all wildfires were extinguished, at least the fires in the rainy areas were much smaller, which helped the firefighters a lot.
So as long as the rainfall is heavy enough and just covers the wildfire, it can definitely extinguish a fire.
What's more, in the battle of Woniu Mountain, the mountain fire had just burned the woods at the foot of the mountain, not even the mountainside. The coverage area was less than 0.5 square kilometers, and the fire was not huge.
Compared with those wildfires that spread over hundreds of square kilometers and have not been extinguished for a month or two, they are as different as clouds and mud. They are two completely different concepts.
So in summary, when the fire reaches a certain level, rain cannot put it out. But before the fire starts, rain can definitely put it out.
Small fire meets light rain, medium fire meets moderate rain, and large fire meets heavy rain.
Unless the entire Mount Tai burned down, or Chen Mu used gasoline when lighting the fire, the downpour would be enough to extinguish the entire Woniu Mountain, covering seven or eight square kilometers.
Lines of officers and soldiers escorted the Yellow Turban Soldiers down the mountain, but the people had to stay in the mountain tonight. After all, it was raining so heavily, and many people, including the elderly and the young, would get sick if they were exposed to the rain.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei continued to station at the foot of the mountain with ten thousand people to prevent accidents.
Chen Mu and Liu Bei led 20,000 people to escort the Yellow Turban soldiers to the county town. Although the dust had settled, it was impossible for them to continue to stay in the mountains. They must be separated from the people.
"Fourth brother, since you calculated that it will rain today and can use the rain to put out the fire, why didn't you tell me in advance."
Liu Bei complained: "If you had told me earlier, I would definitely agree to you."
Chen Mu chuckled and said, "Actually, I don't know if it will rain today, so I didn't dare to tell my brother at first. After all, I'm not completely sure."
"You dare to set fire without complete assurance?"
Liu Bei's eyes widened.
Chen Mu curled his lips and said, "The weather turned cloudy later. When I set the fire, I was sure that I was sure, so I gave the order."
"That's it."
After listening to his explanation, Liu Bei nodded: "Okay, but in the future, fourth brother, you still have to discuss it with me. If the strategy is reasonable? Doesn't it mean it can't be used? Don't make decisions without permission in the future."
"knew."
Chen Mu agreed.
This battle was considered a death for him.
Through weather observation, we know that it will rain today.
As the saying goes, swallows fly low and snakes cross the aisle? Heavy rain will come soon.
Ants are moving and toads are screaming? This heavy rain will not stop.
My geography teacher in high school taught me many meteorological proverbs like this.
The Battle of Changshe? It was also through this kind of meteorological knowledge that we could judge when strong winds would come.
But the specific time? When? How big it will be, I don’t know.
So you have to observe the weather and find the right time.
What if it doesn’t rain today, or it won’t rain until the evening? That’s a different matter.
Fortunately, before Chen Mu ordered the fire, he had already checked the sky and estimated that it would rain within an hour or two, so he lit the fire.
The control of timing is quite perfect.
After all, although the wildfire spreads quickly, if the fire cannot be controlled in a short period of time, maybe the entire Woniu Mountain will really be burned down? By then, it will be meaningless to rain again.
In September of the third year of Zhongping, the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Rebellion, which had not been resolved even more than ten years later, was finally put to rest because of Chen Mu's thunderous methods.
But wiping out the Yizhou rebellion and the Yellow Turbans doesn’t mean the end? Rather, it’s a beginning.
There is more to do later.
For example, relocate the people? Measure the land? Clean up the evil deeds, divide farmland for the people, arrange winter wheat cultivation, disband the army and retain a small number of troops, reduce military expenditures, and strengthen the farming labor force.
In addition to these, there are also local government affairs to be busy, such as some civil disputes, small-scale riots, local natural disasters, etc. There are things to deal with everywhere.
Fortunately, after the counties and counties were recovered, the court would soon send new officials. As long as these officials were not mentally retarded and followed the instructions of the Qingzhou Governor's Department and the prefects and ministers of the counties, the people's livelihood in Qingzhou would soon be restored.
Coupled with certain policies that benefit the people promoted by Chen Mu, development will become increasingly prosperous.
In October of the third year of Zhongping.
The memorial sent to Luoyang from the governor of Qingzhou has also arrived.
In addition to the memorial, there was also a large amount of gold, silver and jewelry seized from the powerful Yellow Turban clan thief.
Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty was in Yutang Hall at this time.
He likes to stay in Xiyuan in spring and summer because Xiyuan has countless exotic flowers and plants, the spring is warm and the flowers bloom, and the climate is pleasant.
In late autumn, he likes to stay in Yutang Hall, after all, there is heating here.
"Your Majesty, good news."
Zhang Rang walked into the main hall with small steps and beamed with joy.
Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty was lying on a wooden slump enjoying the fruits and melons brought as tribute from the Western Regions of Liangzhou. When he heard Zhang Rang's voice, he lazily opened his eyes and said with a smile: "Father Rang, what's the good news?"
Zhang Rang said cheerfully: "Congratulations to your Majesty, congratulations to your Majesty. Chen Zigui has wiped out the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans, and now Beihai Donglai has recovered the entire territory."
Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty sat up from the wooden collapse and said with great joy: "That is really great news."
Last time, I sold officials from Qi State and received tens of millions of dollars. Now I can sell officials from Beihai State and Donglai County, which will bring another huge amount of income.
Zhang Rang smiled and said: "Not only that, Zi Hui returned a batch of gold and silver jewelry as tribute, which were all captured and sent to Xiyuan."
Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty rubbed his hands excitedly and said: "As expected of my son Gui Xiandi, that Lu Zhihuang, Fusong and Zhujun are so abominable. They clearly captured a lot of people, but were unwilling to pay tribute to me. They really deserve to be punished."
If Lu Zhi, Huang Fusong and Zhu Jun heard this, they would probably cry out for injustice.
Where was the wealth of the Eastern Han Dynasty concentrated?
Concentrated in powerful hands.
Ten years later, warlords were everywhere. In order to raise military expenses, warlords always resorted to attacking powerful people.
The most typical example is Yuan Shao. In Gongsun Zan's denunciation of Yuan Shao, one of the articles was "cut off wealthy families and collect money for examinations".
It means to extort powerful people, list various crimes against them, and force them to pay money. If they don't pay, they will immediately "annihilate the clan in order to respect the majesty."
When Yuan Shao was in charge of Hebei, many powerful people were forced to flee to Xianbei, providing Xianbei with weapons and equipment and teaching them writing.
This point is clearly written in "Three Kingdoms".
"Three Kingdoms: Wu Wan Xianbei Dongyi Biography": "The tribe was close to the fortress. Since Yuan Shao occupied Hebei, many Chinese people defected and rebelled and returned. He was taught how to make weapons and armors, and learned a lot about writing."
Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun did capture a lot on the battlefield, but because Zhang Jiao spent most of his wealth on preparing for the uprising, what the three of them captured when they attacked the Yellow Turbans was far less than what Chen Mu captured when he attacked the powerful clan traitors.
Moreover, in order to reward their subordinates and motivate the soldiers to fight, they gave out all the rewards without leaving much. After all, they could not make money by attacking powerful men, so naturally they did not have any extra money to provide to Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty.
Regardless of the fact that the three of them broke into the county seat, they could often find tens of millions of dollars in warehouses, but that was only five baht, which must be kept in the place for post-war reconstruction. Otherwise, if the money is still looted, the people of this place will not have it. If they have any chance of survival, they will starve to death.
So the three of them were quite unjust.
But this did not prevent Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty from hating them, especially Huangfu Song.
Huangfu Song was now so powerful and powerful that Emperor Han Ling was no longer jealous of him, but fearful of him.
It's just that the Qiang chaos in the west is raging now, and Chang'an can't do without Huangfu Song at the moment. Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty can only endure it for now and look for opportunities to seize his military power later.
"Zigui did a great job in Qingzhou. In addition, Your Majesty, he also recommended some talents to serve as officials, about ten people."
Zhang Rang carefully reported again that these recommended people would occupy official positions that should be sold. He wondered whether the emperor would agree to Chen Zigui's request.
Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty pondered for a moment and said, "Who are they?"
"The first one is Hua Xin from Pingyuan. He was Xiaolian in the fifth year of Guanghe. The imperial court recruited him as a doctor. Because he was ill and was recuperating at home, Chen Zigui recommended him as the prime minister of Beihai."
"Bei Haixiang?"
Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty was surprised and said: "How can a county governor be awarded so easily? Let him be a county magistrate."
"Um."
Zhang Rang continued: "The second one is Wang Xiu from Beihai. Because he has talents in the countryside, Chen Zigui recommended him to be a high-secret order."
"This person has no filial piety and integrity. How can he become an official? Just be a county magistrate and be a county magistrate."
"Wei, the third person is Sun Qian from Beihai..."
There are more than ten people in total.
Among them were local talents from Qingzhou, and some came to Taishan Academy to study, achieved success in their studies, and were recommended as officials by Zheng Xuan.
Some people are historical celebrities, and some people are ordinary people who are not famous in history.
But these people have all passed the examination and are indeed capable.
Chen Mu actually wanted to recommend Wang Lie to him. Even if he didn't become a county guard, he should at least be a county magistrate.
Because Wang Lie is so outrageous, he seems to have a peace of mind buff. As long as he is around, the atmosphere in the place will immediately change for the better.
The people all respected his character, and whenever there was a dispute, they immediately went to Wang Lie to resolve it. As a result, some people suddenly gave up the dispute halfway and the two parties reconciled. Some people felt ashamed when they saw Wang Lie's house and gave in to each other. .
It can be seen that Wang Lie has very high attainments in terms of moral conduct and educating the people. If he can be appointed as the chief official, then there is no need to worry about the land of a county.
It's a pity that Wang Lie, like Guan Ning Bingyuan, is not willing to serve as an official. He only likes to teach students and impart knowledge, so Chen Mu can't force it.
On the contrary, among Yilong, Hua Xin, who had been cut off by Guan Ning, was willing to serve as an official. He was also a top talent, so he naturally did not refuse.
But when Chen Mu recommended them, these people were all county magistrates at worst, which made Emperor Han Ling quite uncomfortable.
To know that more than ten people can occupy more than ten official positions, and for so little money, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty felt heartbroken. So seeing that Chen Mu offered so much gold, silver and jewels and pacified Qingzhou, he could only cry.
You can be an official, but you have to be downgraded one level, and you can't give anything you want.
certainly.
Those who are close to Chen Mu and have meritorious service will still be rewarded heavily.
For example, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Jushou, etc., due to their accumulated merits, one was named Lieutenant of Jinan, the other was named Lieutenant of Qi, Jushou was named Changshi of Jinan, and the others were Taishi Ci, Dian Wei, etc.
He was also promoted to lieutenant general.
The official position of lieutenant is not a low-level officer in the modern sense. In the Han Dynasty, it was regarded as a mid-level general, with a rank of two thousand shi. He was considered the second-in-command in the county and was responsible for local security, picketing and other matters.
A country and a county have the same status. Generally speaking, the obligations of local officials and officials are similar between counties and countries.
But because the county has an extra king, it is more troublesome than an ordinary county and requires more official positions.
For example, the current King of Jinan is named Liu Kang, who is the son of Liu Li, King of Hejian An. He was named King of Jinan by Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, and he was the heir to Liu Chang, Marquis of Jieduting.
Since Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty was adopted to Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty, his biological father Liu Chang legally had no son, so Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty found a son for his biological father, Liu Kang.
In this way, because Jinan Kingdom has an extra king, all the officials have to be gathered, including a prime minister, a lieutenant, a chief historian, a doctor, a lieutenant, and many servants, including governors, ministers, visitors, and chiefs of rituals and music.
Chief of guards, chief of medical workers, chief of Yongcang, chief of temple priests, etc.
The county is not that troublesome. Originally, the county also had a county captain, whose responsibilities were the same as that of a lieutenant, and responsible for local security. However, in the sixth year of Jianwu, Liu Xiu abolished the position, and the powers were merged with the county governor, so the county governor was also called a county general.
, in charge of the people's livelihood and military affairs of a county.
From this point of view, the prime minister is still a little inferior to the prefect. He only has the power to govern the local area, and the military power is in the hands of the lieutenant of the vassal state.
certainly.
This is only theoretical.
In actual circumstances, vassal states rarely send lieutenants, and local armies are also controlled by the prime minister.
For example, when Zhang Chun was the Prime Minister of Zhongshan, he also served as a lieutenant and could mobilize troops to besiege Chenjiacun. Therefore, whether the power of a Prime Minister is equivalent to that of a prefect depends on whether the country has a lieutenant.
In addition, we can also see how strict the Eastern Han Dynasty was in managing local clans.
Not only did it redundant officials and decentralize power, not giving local kings the power to control the army, it also allowed local officials to monitor the king to prevent the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms from happening again.
This is also the reason why at the end of the Han Dynasty, there were almost no vassal kings who could cause trouble.
Liu Bei's men were greatly rewarded for pacifying Qingzhou. Even Guan Hai, who was originally a Yellow Turban bandit, was made the capital of six hundred stones. This shows that Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty still favored Chen Mu's requirements.
After solving the issue of rewards in Qingzhou, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty said lazily: "How many official positions are still vacant in Qingzhou now?"
Zhang Rang thought for a while and said: "It should be about seventy or eighty."
"They're all listed for sale."
"only."
"How is the land tax paid in Jizhou, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou this year?"
"We have urged local officials to take action."
"Um."
Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty nodded.
Chen Mu used a strategy of differentiation to make all states in the world pay land taxes.
Last spring, we received taxes from Yizhou, Yangzhou, and Jingzhou, which solved many urgent needs. This year, it is the turn of Jizhou, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou.
Moreover, taxes can only be paid after spring or autumn, because spring is the harvesting season of winter wheat, and after autumn is the harvesting time of spring millet. These two seasons are when the powerful people are the richest, and it is also the time when Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty is the emperor.
When harvesting them.
Therefore, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty had already moved the annual tax collection time to October after autumn. Now the post-war reconstruction work in Jizhou, Yuzhou and Xuzhou has been almost completed. After two years of recuperation, this year is the time to collect taxes.
Since taxes had already been paid in Yangzhou, Jingzhou and Yizhou last year, not only tax exemptions this year, but also the newly collected taxes would be used for Liangzhou, Youzhou, Bingzhou and Jiaozhou, so there was almost no resistance from the court.
Even if officials from the three regions of Hebei, Henan, and Xu complained, they were quickly suppressed by officials from other states without the need for Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty to intervene.
When he thought that the person who proposed this policy was Chen Mu, and that Chen Mu had already managed Qingzhou in an orderly manner, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty had to sigh that he really had a national scholar who could help him govern the country.
Thinking of this, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty couldn't help but said: "It's been a year since my brother went to Qingzhou."
Zhang Rang replied: "I went there in November last year. In January, it will be exactly one year."
"I miss him a little, why not transfer him back to the court?"
Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty asked tentatively.
Such an official who flatters himself, can make money for himself, and not lose his reputation is simply too rare.
In the past, he used Zhang Rang and others to collect money, and was scolded as a coward by the people in the world.
Now we can collect taxes openly, and they are not taxes from poor people, but taxes from powerful landlords. How can we not let Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty know the taste by being scolded, and want Chen Mu to always be with him?
Where is he?
"I almost forgot. I returned the official document with it."
Zhang Rang thought of Chen Mu's festivals, his birthday, and the gifts he gave him this time. He smiled and said: "The letter said that he had discovered a new type of rice and was testing it. It won't be available until next year."
As a result. Moreover, Qingzhou has only been restored, but has not yet been governed. He wants to make Qingzhou more prosperous for His Majesty, so that he can provide billions of land taxes to Your Majesty next year."
After hearing Zhang Rang's words, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty sighed: "All the officials in the Manchu Dynasty are mediocre and incompetent people. Only my loyal father, my mother, and my younger brother can make me feel at ease."
"I will serve His Majesty even if I die without any regrets."
Zhang Rang quickly fell to his knees.
Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty smiled and said: "Get up. Since my brother Mu still wants to continue to manage Qingzhou, let him work for another year. He must be allowed to come back before December next year."
Zhang Rang smiled and said: "This is natural. I believe that Zigui will definitely give His Majesty a surprise when the time comes."
"No need for surprises. His coming back is the biggest surprise."
Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty looked outside the palace and smiled.
He felt very good when he thought that in the future he would have a national scholar who was both loyal and capable of governing the world, so that he could enjoy himself without having to deal with government affairs at all.
When my brother comes back, I will have to promote him and make him a marquis.
In the future, I must let him reach the top of his position as a minister and take good care of the world for me!
It's autumn.
The autumn wind blew the fallen leaves in the palace flying all over the sky.