At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty

After more than four years of development, the four counties in Hexi and the Guanzhong area are not what they used to be.

Guo Peng has increased immigration to the four counties of Hexi for several consecutive years. The population of the four counties of Hexi has reached 80 by the beginning of the eighth year of Yande. Provided by Yongzhou.

The two states support the military operations of the Northwest Corps together, and the Northwest Corps can be said to have no worries.

All that was lacking was the military line and the emperor's order.

Now that the military line is in place, all it takes is the emperor's order.

Therefore, after the military meeting at the staff station was over, Guo Peng made up his mind to go to war, and the next step was an excuse for war.

It is not difficult to find an excuse for war. The so-called crimes are never excused. Just find an excuse for disappearance and start a war. Once a war starts, it is very simple and easy to expand it.

It's just ripe.

On the sixth day of May in the eighth year of Yande, Guo Peng called Guo Jin and asked Guo Jin to go to Liangzhou to find Cao Ren, tell Cao Ren the specific situation, and ask Cao Ren to secretly prepare an excuse to start a war, and then stay there , follow Cao Ren to finish the whole war together.

"When you go to Liangzhou, pay attention to Dunhuang County and Zhangye County respectively. Zhuge Liang, the governor of Dunhuang County, and Sima Yi, the governor of Zhangye County. These two were released from the cabinet for my father to practice outside. They were only county magistrates. Now They are all sheriffs."

Before setting off, Guo Peng told Guo Jin to pay attention to Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi.

"Father cares about these two?"

"Well, I released them from the cabinet. I am more concerned about their development. I still have great expectations for them. To be precise, I released these two people to practice for you. Now These two are still young, but with a little experience, the future is immeasurable."

Guo Jin suddenly became interested.

"Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi... the son understands, and the son will go and see how they govern the place."

"Well, I just went to see the development of Zhangye County and Dunhuang County. These two counties started construction when they were poor and white. They are adjacent to each other. Both of them are also the second local sheriffs. Let's see who manages the local area better."

"My son understands."

Guo Jin nodded.

A few days later, Guo Jin took the core team around her to resign as the county magistrate, handed over the county affairs to the next county magistrate team who was born in Li Shu, and then embarked on the journey.

The official edict to send troops can only be released after the battle begins. Guo Jin passed on the word in the past, and the mission is completed when the word is passed on to him. The next step is to see how the people in the Northwest Corps and the Western Regions Protectorate operate. This asymmetrical battle.

I don't know if this group of people realize that they are engaged in an asymmetric war...

After several years of meticulous governance, the land in Guanzhong and the four counties in Hexi have basically returned to the state of the Han Dynasty. Whether it is the number of household registrations, land reclamation or economic data, they have almost recovered, so the treasury accumulation has also begun. become more.

Guo Peng reduced the burden on farmers bit by bit, not all at once. In the current state, the amount of taxes farmers have to pay is still quite a lot, so the Yongzhou government treasury is very abundant.

After Guo Jin arrived in Yongzhou, he entered Chang'an City. With Guo Peng's imperial order, he asked Chen Gong, the governor of Yongzhou, to inspect Yongzhou's important granaries and arsenals.

Chen Gong did not expect His Royal Highness to come to Chang'an City suddenly.

Under the panic, there was also a kind of joy, feeling that it was definitely good for the future that he finally had the opportunity to get in touch with the crown prince.

Ever since the previous anti-corruption campaign, Chen Gong felt that the possibility of returning to the central government was unlikely, and now it seems that it is really unlikely.

But this is not without benefits. For example, he survived the previous Luoyang catastrophe and was not affected by this incident. He was still the governor of Yongzhou.

Compared with other people who lost their official positions, their lives and their families, they are undoubtedly extremely lucky.

Look at the people who were in charge of the central government and shared power with the emperor, such as Cheng Yu, such as Tian Feng, what are they doing now?

Almost turned into a mascot.

chapter 1240 one thousand 150 Guo Jin also likes to make money

After going through that kind of thing, Chen Gong felt that he also looked away.

The central government has the advantages of the central government, but there are many crises, and the local government has local disadvantages, but at least it will not be hit by the first wave, and there is still room for turning around, and it is still possible to wait and see the situation.

In addition, after the imperial examinations were held, scholars from Jingzhou entered the imperial court to become officials in large numbers, and there was a rising trend. Chen Gong had already realized the changes of the times.

So he no longer deliberately seeks to return to the central government to take up any position, as long as he can protect his position, that is enough.

He doesn't seek meritorious service, but seeks no faults, as long as he does well what the emperor told him to do, he doesn't want to do anything else.

It is one of the duties and obligations of local officials to ensure that the grain depots and arsenals under their jurisdiction are sufficient and complete. Although these treasuries belong to the central government office, if something goes wrong, local officials cannot escape.

Just like what happened in Jizhou before, many officials were killed because they did not keep the integrity of the grain depot and arsenal well.

Chen Gong learned from his experience and took up this task himself, and the rest can be put aside for a while, the integrity of the treasury must be guaranteed, otherwise his life will be in danger.

This time, the Crown Prince's surprise inspection was obviously prepared.

But Chen Gong was not worried.

Because more than a month ago, he also conducted a surprise inspection to check the storage levels of important grain depots and arsenals around Chang'an to ensure integrity.

So when Guo Jin asked the officials and subordinates to check the reserves of the arsenals and grain depots in various places, he found no problems, and he felt very satisfied.

"Along the way, I saw that the land in Guanzhong is developing well, and the people live and work in peace and contentment, and work hard. This is what my father wants to see. Chen Shijun is worthy of being a good minister praised by my father. With Chen Shijun sitting in Yongzhou, my father will never worried."

For such praise, Chen Gong smelled something different.

"It's my blessing to be praised by His Majesty. These are the things I should do and my duty. I really dare not accept such praise."

Guo Jin smiled.

"Chen Shijun is also an old minister who followed his father. He has worked diligently in Yongzhou for several years without any slack. He has turned Yongzhou from a poor place into a prosperous place today. How can this not be done by Chen Shijun? What about credit?

The previous and upcoming wars also depended on the large amount of food, fodder and armaments provided by the land of Yongzhou. Aren't these also the credit of Mr. Chen?Chen Shijun's contribution to Wei is well known. "

The upcoming war?

Chen Gong immediately reacted.

Could it be that what the crown prince said was the war in the Western Regions?

It's possible!

"May I ask His Royal Highness, the upcoming war is the war in the Western Regions?"

"Oh? How did Mr. Chen know?"

Guo Jin looked at Chen Gong with a smile.

"The war that Yongzhou may support, besides the war in Yizhou, is only the war in the Western Regions. The war in Yizhou is already underway and has not yet ended. The only thing that Yongzhou needs to contribute to is the war in the Western Regions. I don't know which country in the Western Regions it is. Violated my Wei rules and regulations?"

Chen Gong didn't know the inside story, that is, he knew something vaguely.

Guo Jin shook his head.

"It's not that any country offended my Wei's majesty, but their existence made my father feel unhappy."

Chen Gong's eyes widened immediately.

This... Could it be that...

"Chen Shijun, do you know that when I reopened the Silk Road, how much of the profits from the goods along the way went to the countries in the Western Regions?"

Chen Gong is not very clear about this, but judging from the attitude of those Western Region merchants and Western Region dignitaries spending money lavishly in Chang'an City, they must have made a lot of money.

If you don't make enough money, how can you order hundreds of pieces and thousands of pieces of Shu brocade as soon as you sell it?

Shu brocade is a real luxury. Chen Gong himself often buys Shu brocade as a gift to his family and friends, or to make new clothes for himself. His salary is so rich that he can afford it completely, and people from small countries in the Western Regions can also afford it. , and consume so much, it can only be said that they are really rich.

The merchants in Chang'an City like to do business with these people from the Western Regions. They spend a lot of money and sweep up goods on a large scale. Sometimes, the east and west cities of Chang'an City are even swept up by them to the point of shortage of goods.

What a big dog.

Originally, Chen Gong didn't quite understand why they were so rich, but now Guo Jin said that he had realized that all of these feelings were due to the Silk Trade Road.

But when you think about it, how much money the Silk Trade Road can earn Wei Guo every year is a truly astronomical figure. Many people don't know the exact amount. Chen Gong also inquired about it from some special channels, and knew This terrible number.

That's why the imperial court has so much money. It has been immigrating to the four counties of Hexi for several years, building roads and doing construction, and doing this and that. It has not yet caused a financial crisis.

Guo Peng really has a lot of money in his hands. If you want to spend money lavishly, the rich and powerful in the Western Regions can’t compare to Guo Peng anyway, but Guo Peng spends money in a planned way. He spends money to make more money. Activate the local economy.

The money spent by the dignitaries of the Western Regions is pure consumption, and it greatly stimulates the external demand of the Wei Empire.

But in fact, how much demand can these guys have?

The small-scale markets of the countries in the Western Regions cannot be compared with the Kushan Kingdom of Anxi and the Roman Empire further west. The tolls they earn are far from what they should pay.

This is the reason why Guo Peng decided to destroy them from the very beginning.

They earn too much and give not so much.

The merchants of Wei State worked hard to prepare goods, someone Guo worked hard to spend money to build roads, and then the merchants worked hard to travel long distances. The small countries in the Western Regions lay down to enjoy the dividends of silk merchants and business reforms of the Wei Empire. Don't be too cool.

I had no choice but to let them enjoy it in order to gain enough time for road construction, and by the way, let them buy more things. The wool came out of the sheep, and it will be stewed by a spoonful at that time.

Now is the time for a spoonful of stew.

So Chen Gong also understood that Guo Peng wanted to settle an economic account with the countries in the Western Regions. After doing the calculation, he found that the Wei Empire was losing money, so Guo Peng felt dissatisfied and decided to get rid of these middlemen and make the difference himself.

Anyway, Chen Gong really didn't expect that Guo Peng would have such a strong desire for expansion and territorial ambitions that he wouldn't even let the Western Regions go, wanting to occupy them all.

But speaking of it, these places are not that difficult to occupy and govern.

Directly turn the former places of those small countries into counties, the big ones are counties, the small ones are counties, and the county magistrates are dispatched to take charge of governance, serve the Silk Road wholeheartedly, and develop agriculture.

In this way, the upper road is directly extended to Guishuang country and Anxi country, directly doing business with these two big countries, and directly earning that part of the profits.

"The minister understands what His Majesty means."

After Chen Gong figured it out, he felt that this was also the routine operation of the Wei Empire.

Anyway, even Xianbei was wiped out, let alone the countries of the Western Regions?

Seeing that Chen Gong understood, Guo Jin was very happy.

"Your Majesty understands the righteousness. Once Wei expands its territory to the Western Regions, we can directly do business with Guishuang Kingdom and Anxi Kingdom, and even do business with the more distant Great Qin Kingdom. Great Qin Kingdom is a real big country. , It is said that the territory has a radius of ten thousand li.

It is said that during the period of the former Han Dynasty, the Great Qin State came to communicate with the former Han Dynasty, saying that they liked the silk and fired pottery and porcelain from the Central Plains very much. The Former Han Dynasty also sent envoys to visit the Great Qin State, but unfortunately they failed. If the business can be done, how profitable it can be. "

Seeing the words "making money" written in Guo Jin's eyes, Chen Gong suddenly felt that even if Guo Peng was gone, the Wei Empire would continue to maintain this vigorous policy of pioneering and forging ahead.

Because Guo Jin also likes to make money, and especially likes to make money from other countries.

Chapter 1241 One thousand and one hundred and fifty one not desolate Liangzhou

The Guishuang Kingdom, the Anxi Kingdom, and the Great Qin Kingdom are all big countries that existed in the pre-Han period.

The consumption power and market possessed by these big countries are naturally not comparable to those of the small countries in the Western Regions.

Chen Gong also knew that the emperor had previously sent an official caravan to visit the Guishuang Kingdom, and had reached a mutual trade agreement with the Guishuang Emperor.

Over the years, Guishuang has sent envoys to Luoyang, and Wei Guo has also sent envoys to stay in the capital of Guishuang. The two sides have maintained a certain economic and trade cooperation relationship.

This relationship made the Wei Empire a lot of money, and I heard that Guishuang also made more money from other countries by being a second-hand dealer.

So Chen Gong suddenly thought that the Guishuang Kingdom might not want other countries to have the opportunity to do business with the Wei Empire, and might try to monopolize this opportunity, which should not be in the interests of the empire.

I don't know if the emperor strongly advocated the annexation of the Western Regions, and whether he also had concerns in this regard.

Guo Jing stayed in Chang'an City for five or six days, checked everything that needed to be checked, and then set off for Liangzhou.

After crossing Chang'an and Sanfu areas, you will enter the legendary desolate and dilapidated Liangzhou.

But in the eyes of Guo Jin and others, the Liangzhou they saw was not as desolate and dilapidated as they imagined.

The straight road, the merchants coming and going, the lush vegetation, and the greenery that can't be seen at a glance.

The city is not as terrifying as the giant city in the Central Plains, so tall, wide and deep, but although the sparrow is small, it has all internal organs, is just as clean, and does not smell like feces or urine.

Entering the city, you can also see locals coming and going, officials patrolling, and low but not dilapidated buildings belonging to the small town.

From the aspect of city construction alone, Guo Jin felt that these Liangzhou cities were no worse than the Central Plains.

Some small cities in the Central Plains are also low and low. They don't need to be as tall, wide and deep as Luoyang. They cover a large area and can accommodate the lives of millions of people.

It is enough to accommodate the lives of tens of thousands of people.

"I used to think that Liangzhou was still desolate and dilapidated, but now it seems that Liangzhou is not desolate at all. On the contrary, it looks quite prosperous."

Cao Zhen rode his horse beside Guo Jin, and said with some emotion.

Cao Tai on the other side also nodded.