The situation in the fourth year of Zhongping has been more than twice as good as the first year of Zhongping.
There were much less civil unrest across the country, and the Han Dynasty also won successive victories in foreign wars.
In June of the fourth year of Zhongping, the central Xianbei and Xiutu Huns in the northern part of Bingzhou went south to plunder the people, hoping to seize their food for the winter.
At this time, the governor of Bingzhou was not Ding Yuan, but Zhang Yi, who led his troops to fight against Xianbei Xiutu and won a complete victory.
Because Lu Bu from Jiuyuan fought bravely, leading dozens of warriors to charge into the battle, killing hundreds of people and defeating thousands of Xianbei people, Zhang Yi recommended him as the captain of Jiuyuan County.
In August of the fourth year of Zhongping, after four months, Zhang Wen led the army and finally defeated Han Sui in Jincheng County. Han Sui's kingdom was defeated and fled. The rebel officials Li Xiangru and Huang Yan were captured alive by Sun Jian and taken to Luoyang for trial.
Although Liu Bei, Gongsun Zan and Zou Jing have not captured Qiu Liju yet, the army has already pacified the three counties of Yuyang, Youbeiping and Liaoxi. Qiu Liju is left with only Liaodong County struggling to support itself. The situation is not good. To put down this rebellion
It's a matter of time.
It has to be said that Chen Mu made a plan to bring peace to the world, relying on the powerful bloodletting of landowners across the country to stabilize the country. If nothing unexpected happens, at least in the past ten years, the world should be peaceful and there will be no major changes.
certainly.
This is just for now.
Powerful landowners are not fools.
Two rounds of leeks have been cut by Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty. By the third round of cutting this year, he will definitely be alert and aware of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty's conspiracy.
For this reason, officials in the court have already petitioned Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty to restore the previous system and stop collecting land taxes arbitrarily.
One of the better things about the Han Dynasty is that there is no such thing as tax exemption for literati and officials. Everyone has to pay taxes, even if you are a landlord, powerful bureaucrat, gentry, you have to pay taxes.
But the disadvantage is that the land tax is too low and the population tax is too high.
Once the land is annexed, will the powerful not only own a large amount of land, but also own countless hidden households? Then only need to pay a small amount of land tax? Then they can embezzle a large amount of assets that should be handed over to the state.
Moreover, in this way, ordinary peasants not only have to bear a large amount of exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes? They also have to bear various obligations for these powerful people.
As a result? The court and the people are getting poorer and poorer, and the local powerful are getting richer and richer.
In times of famine, when the people have no food to eat, they will rebel against the court. When the court has no money and food to put down the rebellion, the world will naturally be in chaos and order will collapse, forming a dynasty in its final years, and so on.
Looking at the past dynasties, except for the Song Dynasty, many dynasties were destroyed in this way. Moreover, the land annexation in the Song Dynasty was also serious, but the development of commerce covered up this problem.
As for the powerful landlords, it doesn't matter. They just change their masters and they can still enjoy the glory and wealth.
Those who suffer in the end are still countless people.
Now, what is Chen Mu's plan to divide the country? Let the powerful people in the world pay taxes.
Originally, those powerful people thought it was just one or two times, so they had to bear the pain and give up.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty seemed to have the intention to completely abolish the population tax? and significantly increase the land tax.
How could the powerful people endure this and incited the officials above them to ask the emperor to change the policy? Stop collecting land taxes.
In October after autumn this year? When Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty asked Qing, Liang, You, and Bing to pay taxes to the five states, the whole court began to boil, and memorials flew like snowflakes to the Chancellery, demanding that Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty
Stop this plundering behavior.
Faced with this situation, Emperor Han Ling ignored it, but he also felt that something was wrong.
Because this is different from what Chen Mu said at the beginning. Chen Mu clearly said that the three states collect taxes separately. This is a plan of division. It is impossible for them to unite. Why are they so united now?
However, Emperor Han Ling didn't know that all this had been expected by Chen Mu.
After all, a round of leeks has been cut. If the same trick is repeated, there are so many smart people in the world who will definitely see through this strategy. How can they continue to fall into the trap?
Therefore, the implementation time of this strategy is at most three years.
This also means that after the last round of tax collection this year, if Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty still wants to cut another round from Yizhou, Jingzhou and Yangzhou next year, he will inevitably encounter opposition from the world's powerful powers.
If Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty insists on going his own way, the situation will inevitably be turbulent. Then the rebellion will no longer be caused by the common people like the Yellow Turban Rebellion, but by the powerful landowners.
Their destructive power and influence are much greater than that of ordinary people. For example, during the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion, seven of the richest landowners in the world rebelled.
However, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty was not yet aware of the consequences of doing so, so although he felt something was wrong, he still did not change the decree and strictly ordered the governors of various places to pay the taxes.
Sima Zhi did not commit suicide this time, and was even a supporter of Emperor Ling's policy.
After all, the former Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty was cutting leeks from ordinary people in the world. Sima Zhi was an upright official, so naturally he was unwilling to do so. But now the Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty was cutting leeks from the powerful landowners, so of course he supported it.
It is a pity that there are too few officials like him, and more officials are doing nothing. Not only are they lacking in ability, but they are also the protective umbrella of powerful people.
After Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty issued the decree, not only the court officials but also the highland prefects also wrote letters requesting the emperor to withdraw the edict.
Under this situation, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty also felt some pressure. He originally planned to recall Chen Mu at the end of this year, but now he had to issue an edict in October, asking him to rush back to Luoyang as soon as possible to think of countermeasures.
After Chen Mu received the imperial edict, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he sent another memorial back to Luoyang. The memorial said that the new rice had a bumper harvest and the output was amazing, which could feed countless people. He also promulgated numerous policies to benefit the people.
It has just been implemented and it is hard to leave.
If the emperor must call him back, he was afraid that the next successor would undermine his policies, so he asked Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty to appoint Jushu as the governor of Qingzhou.
Jushou was a talented scholar in the second year of Guanghe's reign. He served as county magistrate several times. Now he is the chief historian of Jinan. He is over 30 years old. In terms of qualifications, he is definitely qualified to be the governor.
After Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty saw this memorial and Ju Shou's resume, he agreed to the letter of recommendation without any hesitation and only asked Chen Mu to come back as soon as possible.
By the time the official documents from Luoyang arrived in Qingzhou, it was already close to November.
"Respect the Emperor's edict."
In the governor's office of Jinan, Chen Mu received the edict.
The one who conveyed the order was no longer Wang Jun. After all, Wang Jun was now a regular servant and would not be able to come, so Zhang Rang sent someone close to him from the Huangmen.
The little Huangmen showed a flattering smile and said: "Chen Ci...oh no, Chen Shangshu, the emperor is worried about you, so you have to leave as soon as possible."
Now Chen Mu has replaced Liang Hu and has become a minister, a high-ranking official with a thousand stones, and is extremely powerful.
"I see."
Chen Mu nodded: "I will leave immediately after I hand over the handover with the new governor of Qingzhou. You can wait outside for a while."
"Okay, then please ask the minister to hurry up."
Go out through the small yellow door backwards.
"Zi Gui, congratulations on your promotion."
Jushu smiled and blessed from the side.
Liu Guan and Zhang are still in the Northeast to attack Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju. It is estimated that they will be completed by the end of this year. In Qingzhou, only Ju Shuodian Wei Jian and Yong Hou Xu are left.
Of course, there are others, such as Shiyi, Sun Shaohua, Xin, Sun Qian, Wang Xiu and others.
It's just that this group of people came to seek refuge in Qingzhou after all, and they are definitely not as good as the early group of people like Taishi Cidian, Wei Ju, Jian, Yong, and Hou Xu. The degree of intimacy is different.
Chen Mu nodded: "Originally, I only wanted to do six things when I came to Qingzhou, but now I have completed five, which is pretty much it."
Jushou thought for a while and said, "The sixth thing is the so-called counselor literacy class. I'm still curious about what it is."
"hehe."
Chen Mu smiled and said: "It's not a big deal, but we can't reveal it yet. We'll talk about it in two years."
"Mysterious."
Although Jushou was curious, he was not an impatient person. He just smiled and said: "Okay, let's talk about it in two years."
Chen Mu looked at Jushou and said seriously: "Brother, sir, after I leave, those powerful men in Qingzhou may become restless. If you should use thunderous tactics, you should resort to thunderous tactics. Don't be merciful."
"And Hou Xu, he controls the Military Intelligence Department and has a lot of power. He cannot be allowed to monopolize the Military Intelligence Department. You have to pay attention. His family has moved to Qingzhou, so be vigilant at all times."
"Do not change the various policies and laws I have promulgated. If you have any difficulties or if the changes are difficult to handle, you can write to Luoyang and discuss it with me."
"Nowadays, several canals have been opened and two lakes and reservoirs have been dug, but there are still too few. Planting more trees and building more water conservancy projects is the long-term solution that will remain unchanged for thousands of years."
"Okay, that's all for now. I won't go into details. I leave Qingzhou to you. We must not let those powerful men reappear and occupy the people's fields."
After saying all this, Chen Mu finally took off his official seal of Qingzhou governor and solemnly handed it to Jushou.
Jushou took the official seal and nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, leave everything to me."
"Let's go."
After the arrangements were made, Chen Mu came out of the hall.
Horses were prepared outside the house, surrounded by hundreds of guards, and Xiaohuangmen and Dianwei were waiting.
"Zi Gui, we are all waiting for you."
Dian Wei came over with his horse.
Chen Mu nodded, got on his horse, looked back at the Governor's Mansion, where he had stayed for two years, and drove the horse without showing any nostalgia. He clamped the horse's belly and officially set off.
As early as when the last edict came, the handover matters had been taken care of. Clothes and other items were also packed and placed in the carriage.
Now that the second edict has come, there is no need to be busy anymore and you can go directly.
What is strange is that there are very few people on the streets that used to be bustling with traffic today, and there are almost no pedestrians.
The team walked to the north gate, and as soon as they left the city gate, Chen Mu was startled.
He saw that under the leadership of Wu Kuang, the Prime Minister of Qi, Linzi's officials, big and small, the city's powerful people, and a large number of people were all standing under the pavilion outside the city, waiting for him.
"What is this, everyone?"
Chen Mu quickly dismounted his horse and walked over quickly.
He had handled the matter in advance and packed his things, just to act more resolutely and leave Qingzhou as soon as possible.
It would be troublesome if Wu Kuang, Sun Zhao and others pestered me about having a farewell meal or something.
Unexpectedly, he still didn't escape.
"The common people are so grateful for Zi Gui's kindness that they voluntarily leave the city to see him off. I can't stop him, so I can only let him go."
Wu Kuang smiled sympathetically. He remembered that he was intimidated by Chen Mu two years ago. At that time, he was very unwilling to have his power taken away by a young man.
But in just two years, Qi State not only swept away its original poverty and became very wealthy, but also solved the banditry that had plagued it for many years. This made Wu Kuang slowly let go of his worries and willingly obeyed Chen Mu.
"Yes, we are deeply favored by the governor. Since the governor was promoted to the central government, we naturally want to send him off."
"I was a homeless person, but it was the governor who gave me the land to survive and food for the winter. If it had not been for the governor, I would have buried my body in the wilderness. Such a great kindness will never be forgotten."
"Back then, my land was taken over by powerful men. I had no choice but to join the thieves and fight with the Yellow Turbans. After I returned home and survived, the governor ignored my previous suspicions and did not punish me. He took my land back from the powerful men and asked me to support my family.
Old and young, I am willing to work as a cow or a horse to serve the governor."
"The governor suppressed the rebellion, pacified the people, and gave us a place to live and a place to cultivate. This is the merit of a saint and the virtue of a god."
The people shouted one after another, and some even knelt down and kowtowed to express their respect for Chen Mu.
In fact, after Chen Mu arrived in Qingzhou, he did not do what Liu Bei did.
What did Liu Bei do?
He is directly integrated into the people. He is like a common people. He allows the people to come to his house to eat and hang out. He listens to the people's wishes and helps them. From time to time, he spends his own money to relieve the poor. He even goes to the fields with Guan Zhang to help the people.
live.
Chen Mu, on the other hand, was just doing routine operations, suppressing the powerful, giving land to the people, collecting taxes, levying troops, and conducting corvee work normally, because he needed to dig canals to channel water and develop water conservancy projects.
Although many relevant policies have been introduced to benefit the people, they are also to promote local economy and development and do not specifically take care of the people.
But the people of the Han Dynasty were simple and honest. Originally, the officialdom of Qingzhou was dark, the country was in hot water, and the people were in dire straits.
The people had no land and either starved to death or rebelled.
After Chen Mu came, he pacified the place, suppressed the rebellion, gave the people fields and food for the winter, and gave them a place to live and work in peace and contentment.
It's just a trivial thing, something that officials all over the world should do, but it has made them remember it in their hearts and make them grateful.
This made Chen Mu sigh.
These are the people.
Even incompetent mediocre officials, although lacking in ability, can be considered normal officials as long as they do not harm the people.
Those who are a little talented and can handle their own duties are considered good officials.
This shows how hateful those corrupt officials who collude with local powerful people, oppress the people, and occupy the people's land are really.
I'm afraid that among these people, only Sun Zhao and other local tycoons are sad on the surface, but rejoicing on the inside.
"Everyone, thank you for sending me."
Chen Mu bowed to the people and said loudly: "Mu, you just did some trivial things, far worse than a saint. It's cold today. You should go back early and don't see me off anymore."
"Okay, everyone, let's go. It's hard to disobey the king's order. I'm going to set off."
Chen Mu got on his horse and said goodbye loudly.
"Congratulations to the governor!"
The people shouted one after another.
People moved out of the way, and every time he passed by on horseback, the people bowed their heads and bowed in salute.
The elderly, middle-aged and children all saluted him and congratulated him on his promotion.
Even a young woman boldly waved to him, and if he responded with a smile and glanced at her, a commotion immediately arose.
Chen Mu's motorcade slowly left the city. Looking back, the people were still seeing each other off in the wind.
In November of the fourth year of Zhongping, winter came and the new wind howled.
Chen Mu rode a white horse on the road back to Beijing!