flstandardbreds Chapter 108 The Grand Unification Has Been Decided
Chapter 108 The Grand Unification Has Been Decided
Chapter 108 The Grand Unification Has Been Decided
Taiyuan City.
Liu Bian was patrolling the city, followed by Lu Zhi and Zhang Liao.
Lu Zhi was calm and serious.
Liu Bian held the victory reports from various places in his hands and said with a smile: "When I was in the capital, Huangfu Qingjia once told me that Lu Qingjia was far better than him in state affairs, military management, and military strategy. I originally thought that Huangfu Qingjia was too modest, but today it seems that Huangfu Qingjia was telling the truth."
Lu Zhi bowed and said, "The Grand Marshal is indeed too modest. In these aspects, I am far inferior to the Grand Marshal."
Liu Bian smiled.
Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song had a very good relationship. During the suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Lu Zhi was framed by the Twelve Eunuchs and was imprisoned. It was Huangfu Song's repeated efforts that saved him.
After a slight pause, Liu Bian looked at the victory report in his hand again. Xubu Gudu Hou was dead, Yufuluo ran back, Sun Jian and Zhao Yun fought with the Black Mountain Army, and Gongsun Zan rushed over.
Bingzhou was basically pacified.
The next thing to consider is the aftermath.
Liu Bian intended to transfer Lu Zhi back to the capital to assist Huangfu Song and promote military system reform.
But Bingzhou was a place of chaos, and it needed a talented person, or even an all-round person, to guard it. Liu Bian thought about it but could not find another suitable candidate.
Liu Bian paced while thinking, and said, "I am considering conducting a land survey and population census in Bingzhou, and then redistributing the land. What do you think?"
Lu Zhi heard this, his face remained unchanged, he thought carefully again and again, and said: "Your Majesty, if this is the case, you need to completely wipe out the banditry in Bingzhou, stabilize the counties, and also... a large amount of money and food."
Bingzhou had been in war for years, with people fleeing and people's livelihood in decline. After the chaos, it was a great order, making it the most suitable place for the Han Dynasty to reform. Surveying the land and verifying the number of households required a lot of manpower and material resources, and the post-war relief was also an astronomical figure.
Liu Bian pondered and said, "I know all this, but no matter how hard or difficult it is, we have to do it. We can't just keep putting it off."
Lu Zhi knew everything that was going on in the capital. He looked up at the young emperor in front of him and remained silent.
Liu Bian walked for a while, then suddenly turned back and said, "My dear, it won't be long before the court will send people to each county. In addition, as for the governor of the state, I think he should focus on government affairs, and military affairs need to be assisted by someone else... What do you think?"
Lu Zhi immediately understood Liu Bian's idea, thought for a moment, and said, "I think it's possible, but we shouldn't be too hasty."
Liu Bian nodded slightly. Lu Zhi agreed, and it would be easy to use Bingzhou as a test field for reform.
His idea was simple: the governor of a state should not be allowed to hold the military and political power alone and become a local emperor. But the reality was that the governors of various states had to hold great power, otherwise they would not be able to control the local areas.
The emergence of provincial governors was intended to suppress local tyrants, but it would inevitably lead to the formation of larger independent forces.
His cheap father wanted to use someone from the Liu family as a governor, similar to the feudal system. This was repeating the old path. The people from the Liu family also had ambitions. Some wanted to go to Beijing to sit in that position, while others wanted to sit in that position locally.
Lu Zhi's "don't be too hasty" also meant very simply that, apart from the need to suppress the local forces, these people already actually hold power. If the court wants to divide their power, it would be asking for trouble, which would further encourage them to hold more power and be one step closer to an independent kingdom.
Liu Bian knew this situation well, and smiled and whispered to Lu Zhi: "Don't let too many people know about this for the time being. We will quietly promote it in Bingzhou and see the pros and cons. When the time is right, we will promote it widely."
"I understand." Lu Zhi said calmly. He had the same attitude as Huangfu Song. He was deeply worried about the excessive power of local governments, but he also opposed overly drastic actions that would cause local backlash and chaos in the country.
With Lu Zhi's support, Liu Bian felt relieved. He looked up to the north and said, "What do you think about the Black Mountain Army?"
As soon as the words of defeat fell, Pan Yin hurried up and handed Liu Bian a memorial with a serious expression without saying a word.
Liu Bian glanced at him with some surprise, opened it and looked, and immediately raised his eyebrows.
This memorial was originally from Xun You, and it talked about a lot of political affairs, but at the end it seemed to be casually mentioned: The Empress Dowager misses Your Majesty and the King of Bohai very much and wants to return to the capital.
Liu Bian remained calm and said to Lu Zhi with a smile, "Please tell me about it."
Lu Zhi noticed Liu Bian's expression and said without asking any more questions, "I think that the Black Mountain Army has many civilians and is separated from us by mountains. It will be time-consuming and laborious to forcibly conquer them. We should try to appease them."
Liu Bian thought about it and said nothing.
After solving the problems of Dong Zhuo and the Huns, the two biggest problems in the northern states were the Yellow Turban Army and the Black Mountain Army.
The Black Mountain Army seemed to be quite honest on weekdays, but would pop up and make a scene from time to time, making Liu Bian feel like he had something stuck in his throat and he would not be happy unless he got rid of them.
But the situation was such that Liu Bian had no spare energy to "conveniently" deal with the Black Mountain Army.
Lu Zhi looked at Liu Bian's expression, his hair on his temples moved slightly, and a firm look appeared on the corners of his peaceful face. He said, "Your Majesty, in everything, excess is as bad as deficiency. More haste less speed. You need patience."
Liu Bian listened to Lu Zhi's persuasion and breathed a sigh of relief.
He has a clear mind. He has to be anxious, but he also has to be anxious!
Liu Bian thought carefully for a while and said, "In a few days, I will send someone to enthrone Yu Fuluo as Chanyu. Sun Jian will return to Hanzhong, and Gongsun Zan... will stay in Taiyuan temporarily. The others will follow me back to the capital. By the way, what do you think of Cao Mengde?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhi looked at Liu Bian and after a moment, he said, "He has the potential to be a great general."
Liu Bian felt a little strange. To be honest, many people were optimistic about Cao Cao, even though Cao Cao had no military achievements and had suffered repeated failures.
'Is this charisma?'
Liu Bian said to himself, but with Lu Zhi as a stepping stone, it would be easier for him to protect Cao Cao. He smiled and said, "Okay. I'll leave the next matter to you. I'll leave it to you in one more day and then I'll set off to return to the capital."
Lu Zhi raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, what about money and grain?"
Liu Bian said: "One hundred thousand dan of grain and ten million coins, to be given in two years. I cannot afford any more."
This amount of money and grain is just a drop in the bucket for a huge Bingzhou, and it lasts for two years.
Lu Zhi knew the difficulties of the national treasury. This was definitely beyond the limit. The young emperor would probably have to find ways to raise funds.
Compared with the previous emperor who was greedy for money, this Majesty is much more understanding and righteous.
Lu Zhi looked solemn, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Liu Bian waved his hand and turned to look towards Luoyang.
After nearly two months of hard work, I have to go back.
At this time, a soldier came up quietly, saluted Liu Bian, and whispered behind Lu Zhi.
Liu Bian ignored him and looked quietly in the direction of Luoyang.
I believe his predicament will be greatly improved when he returns this time, right?
The soldier left, and Lu Zhi said to Liu Bian, "Your Majesty, there is some urgent business. I will go and handle it."
After spending a few days with Liu Bian, Lu Zhi got to know the new emperor's temperament. As long as he didn't cross the line, everything would be easy to talk about.
This is a king with a strong personality and as gentle as jade.
Liu Bian nodded, and after he left, he picked up Xun You's memorial with a gloomy look in his eyes.
There must be some reason why Empress Dowager Dong wants to return to Beijing.
"Did I release Liu Xie and give this grandmother a different method? She has an idea. Will there be other people who have the same idea?"
Liu Bian talked to himself.
As for Liu Xie, Liu Bian hoped to get him to come out and help him, but once Liu Xie came out, some ambitious people would emerge.
His cheap father wanted to depose the legitimate heir and enthrone the youngest son, which left Liu Bian with a big trouble!
At the same time, a large group of people came to the gate of Taiyuan County Government.
When they saw Lu Zhi, they shouted and scolded him.
"Dong Zhuo is killing scholars, are you going to sit back and watch?"
"Since yesterday, Dong Zhuo has killed a total of 600 people in Xihe County. Lord, is this your order?"
"The Zhou family has been loyal for generations, and has made contributions to Bingzhou and the Han Dynasty. But now the whole family has been slaughtered. Your Excellency is the governor of the area for Your Majesty. Is this how you rule?"
"Sir, I am the only one who escaped from my Li family. If you think I am guilty, please execute me!"
"What law has my Wang family violated? Do you want to kill even the princes in the court?!"
Lu Zhi listened to these people shouting with an expressionless face.
They didn't know yet that Liu Bian had already arrived in Taiyuan City.
When these people paused for a while, Lu Zhi put his hands behind his back and said indifferently: "Dong Zhuo is the Grand Commandant, it is not my place to question. If you have any grievances, I can impeach you on your behalf."
When everyone saw Lu Zhi making excuses, they immediately went crazy.
Someone was about to rush forward and shouted, "Lu Zigan, Dong Zhuo slaughtered scholars wantonly under your rule, and you are just trying to shirk responsibility?"
"His Majesty!"
"Your Majesty! Let's go see Your Majesty. Let's go to Shangdang to see Your Majesty!"
"We don't believe it. I'm a man of great stature, so there's no place for reasoning!"
A group of people wanted to go find Liu Bian, but some people refused to leave and kept arguing with Lu Zhi.
Liu Bian came over and saw them from a distance. He said to Pan Yin without changing his expression, "Dong Zhuo killed so many people?"
Pan Yin's face tightened, and he said carefully, "I heard that Zuo Li also did something secretly."
Liu Bian hummed and continued looking at Lu Zhi.
Lu Zhi stood at the door with his hands behind his back, allowing these people to shout without saying a single definite word. He insisted that he could not control Dong Zhuo, leaving these "victims" helpless.
Liu Bian couldn't help but smile.
In fact, most of the names on his list were related to various rebellions, and some of them were closely related to Dong Zhuo, the Xiongnu, and the Yellow Turban Army.
In addition to settling accounts, Liu Bian also wanted to pave the way for future reforms.
These aristocratic families with ulterior motives entrenched in the local area will inevitably become stumbling blocks on his road to reform in the future!
A soldier suddenly ran up to Lu Zhi and whispered something in his ear. Lu Zhi didn't care about it and turned away.
Those people were shouting, but when they saw Lu Zhi greet Liu Bian and leave, they suddenly became quiet and looked at each other with different expressions.
"That is, your majesty?"
"No way? Isn't His Majesty in Shangdang County?"
"Who is that? Could it be the nobleman from Luoyang?"
……
Lu Zhi followed behind Liu Bian and said, "Your Majesty, Sun Jian has slaughtered more than a dozen Black Mountain Army camps. I heard that Zhang Yan is convening a meeting..."
Liu Bian raised his eyebrows, with a cold look on his face, and said: "If he dares to make a move, I will destroy his so-called Black Mountain Army!"
With the power of the imperial court, it is entirely possible to do so.
Lu Zhi paused and said, "He may not dare to act recklessly. I am considering recalling Sun Jian."
It is possible to do it, but the amount of money and energy the court would have to spend would be incalculable, and the cost would not be worth the gain.
Now is not the best time to defeat the Montenegrin Army.
Liu Bian looked towards Youzhou and said directly: "Pan Yin, pass the order to Zhang Yan and order the Black Mountain Army to withdraw south of Yanmen. Anyone who goes south without the order will be killed immediately!"
"Yes." Pan Yin responded quickly after hearing Liu Bian's murderous words.
Lu Zhi thought about it but didn't say anything. The imperial court had defeated the Xiongnu and was in high spirits. Zhang Yan definitely didn't dare to disobey the imperial order.
"My Lord, reorganize Niu Fu." Liu Bian said casually. Niu Fu's army was still in his hands. If he didn't take back his troops, it would always be a hidden danger.