12dz Chapter 273 Severe
Chapter 273 Severe
Chapter 273 Severe
Chapter 273
Chongde Hall, back hall.
Zuo Li stood in front of Liu Bian and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Liu came to the capital from Youzhou. He met Envoy Ying in Jizhou, Envoy Liu in Yanzhou, and drank tea alone with Envoy Zhu for half a day in Taishan County. Zhong Pushe met him outside the city gate and talked for a long time in the carriage. Not far outside the imperial city, he was stopped by the Prime Minister and taken to drink tea. Zhong Pushe was unable to go."
Liu Bian held Liu Jing in his arms, listened to Zuo Li's words, thought for a moment, and said with a smile: "It seems that everyone is a little anxious."
Zuo Li bowed his head and dared not say much.
The issue of 'changing prime ministers' has long been a hot topic in the government and the country. The court seems calm, but in fact, there are undercurrents, as if everyone has his or her own plans.
"Where are Wu Jing, Sima Jun and others?" Liu Bian suddenly looked at Zuo Li and asked.
Just as Zuo Li was about to speak, Liu Jing suddenly got up, quickly put on his shoes, and ran outside.
Liu Bian was startled, and had no time to catch him, so he could only shout, "What are you doing?"
The little girl didn't even turn her head and said loudly: "Big Brother must miss me. I will go and have dinner with him."
Liu Bian sighed and shook his head helplessly.
His eldest son was a taciturn person since he was young. He would only answer you after several questions. His second son was naughty and sick, and the whole palace was worried every winter. But his daughter was too optimistic. She only knew one word all day long: eat!
Zuo Li waited for a while, then smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Sima Jun, Wu Jing and others have not made any moves and are very well behaved. However, it seems that Envoy Ying of Jizhou is not getting along well with Zhong Pushe and has said a lot of bad things about him in private."
Liu Bian hummed and thought carefully about the matter of "changing prime ministers".
Not to mention the imperial court, local governors and officials of all ranks all had their own opinions about the court officials. A considerable number of them supported Liu Yu, and their voices had always been very loud.
As for "changing prime minister", it was something Liu Bian had been thinking about for several years.
Not only Liu Bian was dissatisfied with Yang Biao, but the criticism of this "inactive" prime minister from both the government and the public never stopped.
However, everyone knew that this person’s prestige was too high. During that period, no one else could sit on the prime minister’s throne except him!
However, four or five years had passed, and Liu Bian had already firmly grasped power. The military deployments in the northern states had gradually become appropriate, and there was no longer a need for people of sufficient reputation to guard the court.
On the contrary, he wanted to weaken the imperial court so that he could concentrate power in his hands and implement his will!
Zuo Li watched Liu Bian pondering, waited for a long time, and said carefully: "Your Majesty, Sima Shangshu, Zhong Pushe, Cai Gong, and Cao Cao, all took concubines during this period after the New Year."
Liu Bian raised his eyebrows and looked at Zuo Li with some confusion.
Nowadays, it is not strange for these big men in their seventies or eighties to marry a little girl of thirteen or fourteen. Not only will it not be looked down upon, but it will also become a fashion that attracts people from all walks of life.
As far as he could remember, Zhong Yao had a little son when he was in his seventies, and this little son was extremely remarkable!
Zuo Li met Liu Bian's gaze and said quickly, "I remember that your Majesty instructed the Secretariat to strictly limit the number of wives and concubines that officials of all ranks can marry."
"Well,"
Liu Bian remembered and nodded, "That's true. Let's wait until the new prime minister takes office."
Patting his butt, Liu Bian got up from the couch and walked towards his desk.
Zuo Li bent his head and stepped back, raising his eyelids to observe Liu Bian's feet.
As Liu Yu came to the capital, there was a dispute between the government and the public over the choice of the new prime minister. Some people thought it should be the highly respected Liu Yu, while others thought it should be Zhong Yao, one of the leaders of the powerful "Yingchuan Party".
Zuo Li followed Liu Bian and came to his side. He was also curious about the new prime minister candidate.
He was right next to Liu Bian, but from beginning to end, he could not guess who the new prime minister was.
Liu Bian sat down and started reviewing memorials when Liu Yu arrived.
Honglin Court.
Liu Bian sat in the pavilion, brewing tea while looking at the snow-covered Fanglin Garden. He smiled and said, "My dear, what do you think of Fanglin Garden in winter?"
Liu Yu was full of thoughts and didn't care about these things, but he still cooperated and looked back, saying: "It's very different from spring and summer, and has a unique style."
Everyone in the Han Dynasty knows that the current emperor loves snow, and especially likes to take a walk in the snow with an umbrella.
Liu Bian looked at the steaming teapot, picked it up and poured a few cups of tea, took a sip and said, "You have met many people along the way. What do you think?"
Liu Yu's expression tensed, and after pondering for a while, he said, "Your Majesty, I think the most urgent task is to pacify the south and completely put down the rebellion."
Liu Bian was a little surprised. He put down his teacup and asked, "Your family is saying that we should send troops to quell the rebellion first?"
The top leaders of the Han Dynasty all knew one thing very well - the imperial court was weak, the treasury was empty, and they were simply unable to send out troops.
Liu Yu raised his hand and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, if the rebellion is not suppressed, the world will not be governed. The court should do its utmost to suppress the rebellion. Once the chaos is resolved, the world will be at peace!"
Liu Bian narrowed his eyes slightly. After not seeing him for a few years, the old general seemed to be much more radical than before.
Liu Bian drank a sip of tea, and said, "My dear, tell me the truth. What is the situation of Wuhuan, Xianbei, Xiongnu, etc.?"
Seeing that Liu Bian refused, Liu Yu frowned and continued, "Your Majesty, the Xianbei and Wuhuan are ready to make trouble, and I am afraid they are connected with the rebellion in our Han territory. I have tried my best to appease them, but I dare not guarantee how long they can live in peace."
Liu Bian had seen similar words in Liu Yu's memorials before. His eyes turned colder and he asked, "How strong are they?"
Liu Yu paused for a moment and said, "The Xiongnu are generally not a threat. The Xianbei and Wuhuan have a combined force of more than 200,000 and are thousands of miles away from Luoyang. It will be difficult to conquer them. Your Majesty, please focus on appeasing them and use your military might."
"Two hundred thousand?"
Liu Bian was a little surprised. According to previous estimates, the total strength of the foreign barbarians was around 100,000.
Liu Yu nodded and said, "Yes. Right now Youzhou has no generals who are good at conquering. The Xianbei and Wuhuan are becoming increasingly arrogant. I cannot guarantee that Youzhou will start a war again."
Liu Bian put down the teacup, his eyes flickering slightly.
What Liu Yu could not say clearly in his memorial, he now said clearly.
If the Xianbei, Wuhuan and Xiongnu invade the border again, it will undoubtedly be a huge pressure on the Han court.
The current imperial court only wants peace and tranquility, and wholeheartedly promotes the "New Deal", eliminates bad policies, restores people's livelihood, and allows the Han Dynasty to slowly recover.
But obviously the opposite has happened, and unpredictable changes are taking place both at home and abroad.
"What do the Ying family and the Zhu family think?" After thinking for a long time, Liu Bian picked up the teacup again and asked lightly.
Liu Yu met many important figures along the way, and he did not hide. When Liu Bian asked about it, he said, "Your Majesty, the situation in Jizhou is not very good either. The bandits are rioting and the people are displaced. Envoy Ying and others are trying their best to appease them, but there is no money or food, and the officials are lazy. It will take time. The problem in Qingzhou is even more serious. The Yellow Turban Army rises and falls one after another. The largest one last year was as high as nearly 30,000 people. Many counties and prefectures have fallen. Envoy Zhu is exhausted and can barely stabilize it."
The tea in Liu Bian's mouth lost its taste, and he kept pondering over Liu Yu's words.
To put it bluntly, the reason why Jizhou and Qingzhou were difficult to completely pacify was that the imperial court had no money or grain to provide relief to the victims, and could only rely on a combination of soft and hard tactics by the local governments to stabilize the situation.
But this kind of 'delay' will only accumulate public resentment. Once it reaches a certain critical point, the Yellow Turban Rebellion may break out again!