Han Dynasty Achievements

Chapter 81: Intolerable

The next morning, Liu Bian put on his clothes with the help of Tang Ji.

The two men left the bedroom and came to the side hall, where they ate breakfast and exchanged opinions on some words.

"This character has been constantly evolving, from bamboo slips to silk and now paper. It will continue to develop in the future and become more standardized, and the changes in fonts will become more diverse..." Liu Bian said slowly.

Tang Ji sat opposite him, her cheeks rosy and her eyes watery.

Pan Yin stood aside, his eyes on his nose, his nose on his heart, as if he heard nothing.

As Liu Bian was speaking, he saw a palace maid outside the door holding a pile of clothes.

She walked in facing Liu Bian's gaze, stepped over the threshold quickly, and said, "Your Majesty, these are the clothes that the Queen asked me to bring to Miss Tang."

When Liu Bian saw Tang Ji lowering her head, her pretty face turned red and she smacked her lips, saying, "This old lady is really considerate."

He coughed, stood up and said, "You eat, I have something else to do."

Liu Bian grabbed a piece of soup cake and hurried away towards the study. Faintly, he could still hear Tang Ji's sweet "hmm".

Pan Yin followed Liu Bian and saw that his face was full of smiles. He then said happily, "Your Majesty, the selection will be held in one month."

"Selection? What is selection?" Liu Bian asked while biting a soup cake.

Pan Yin said: "It is the selection of concubines. It will be held together with the tax collection in August. The Zhongdafu, Ye Ting Cheng, and Xianggong will be in charge of the selection. The Sili will select the best ones to enter the palace and be appointed by Your Majesty."

Liu Bian understood and waved his hand, saying, "Let them all stop. Did the Shangshutai come to any conclusion yesterday?"

Pan Yin said: "No, Situ and Sikong both disagree with the taxation."

Since the outbreak of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the imperial court has repeatedly increased taxes. The court officials no longer dare to increase taxes, but there are no other sources of taxes.

According to normal logic, it will continue to increase in the future, and will be increased again and again.

Liu Bian had anticipated this and said, "Send a message to the Shangshutai, asking them to cut unnecessary expenses and practice frugality in the palace."

"Yes." Pan Yin followed Liu Bian.

Liu Bian entered the study and looked at the half-finished "Increasing Income and Reducing Expenditure" on the desk last night. He said to himself with a relaxed look, "I have a solution for the money issue. All that's left is to select the governor of Yanzhou."

Zhang Wen is deliberately hiding from the court, so we have no choice but to choose another one.

Pan Yin poured tea for Liu Bian. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xun You hurried over and said to Liu Bian, "Your Majesty, Minister Xun is here."

Liu Bian hummed, sat on the chair and said: "Bring me the information about Huiji Governor Tang Mao."

Tang Mao, the governor of Kuaiji, was Tang Ji's father.

Pan Yin agreed, went out, and passed Xun You.

Xun You came in with mixed feelings and said, "Your Majesty, Yanzhou has reported."

Liu Bian looked at his expression and asked with a smile: "What happened?"

Xun You couldn't wait for Liu Bian to read the memorial, so he said, "Your Majesty, Yanzhou Governor Jin Shang led his troops to recapture six prefectures and counties, beheaded more than 3,000 people, and persuaded nearly 30,000 Yellow Turban bandits to surrender."

Jin Shang?

Liu Bian narrowed his eyes slightly and looked down at the memorial.

This was not a memorial submitted by Jin Shang alone, but a joint memorial submitted by the chief officials of all counties and prefectures in Yanzhou, with more than a dozen people praising Jin Shang for "remaining calm in the face of danger, being brave and resourceful, and protecting the country and the people. Please reward him."

“That’s a good trick…”

Liu Bian sighed in his heart, put it aside, looked at Xun You and said with a smile: "Xun Qing, I thought hard all night yesterday and came up with a way to raise money."

Pan Yin was standing outside the door, listening to Liu Bian saying "I've been thinking hard all night", he glanced at him secretly, then quickly retracted his gaze.

Xun You saw that Liu Bian did not mention Jin Shang, and he was thoughtful and asked, "Your Majesty, what is the solution?"

At present, the Han Dynasty's control over the local areas is minimal. It all depends on the mood of the local governors and prefects. They have the final say on how much money to give to the court. They understand the court's orders as "requests."

Liu Bian and Xun You looked at each other, their eyes flickering slightly, and said, "I plan to order the Censorate, the Secretariat, and the Grand Marshal to jointly send officials to deliver local taxes directly to Luoyang as imperial envoys."

Liu Bian originally wanted to collect the tax directly, but this was not possible for the time being.

Xun You listened and his expression changed suddenly.

He knew that this method could circumvent the layers of exploitation by the locals, but it would provoke local resistance and would inevitably lead to major disturbances!

But Xun You immediately lowered his head to think, and after a moment he said, "Your Majesty, this matter needs to be carefully planned and prepared. I think we should start from a certain state and push it forward step by step. We also need capable people to come forward to stop the gossips."

Liu Bian picked up Jin Shang's memorial and said, "You want to be the governor of a state? Am I so easy to trick?"

Xun You was startled and said, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's still not enough."

Jin Shang, a provincial governor, really couldn't do it.

Liu Bian looked out the door calmly and said, "I heard that Master Yuan has been taking sick leave from time to time recently."

Xun You listened to Liu Bian's calm tone, and suddenly he was shocked: "Your Majesty, are you ready to deal with the Yuan family?"

Liu Bian took a sip of tea from the cup, and said with a smile: "No matter what they are planning, whether it is for power, prestige or influence, they are always wrong about one thing, that is, I am not my father, and they have no say in anything. Everything is up to me! If I don't give it to them, they can't get it!"

Xun You sensed a certain firm attitude from Liu Bian's words. He paused and said nothing more. Instead, he said, "Your Majesty, I recommend Bingzhou Governor Ding Yuan to be Yanzhou Governor."

Liu Bian frowned and said, "Ding Yuan? Is his ability a little lacking? I am worried that he can't control Yanzhou."

Ding Yuan was still capable, but Yanzhou was too complicated. It bordered Sizhou and was the most chaotic place with various forces intertwined. Liu Bian felt that he might not be able to control the situation.

Xun You said calmly, "Your Majesty, Yanzhou is not far from Sili. We have the Grand Marshal above us and the powerful generals below us. To the north is General Liu of Youzhou and to the east is General Zhu of Qingzhou. As long as we work together, there is no reason why we cannot pacify Yanzhou."

Liu Bian thought about it again and again, nodded gently, and said: "That makes sense. Okay, let's do as you say in this matter."

Xun You saw this and took out a memorial from his bosom, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty. In addition, I have made a detailed plan for the 'Tuntian', please have a look at it."

"Tuntian" is also a good way to save money and food, increase revenue and reduce expenditure, and strengthen the army. Liu Bian quickly reached out to take it, opened it and took a look.

There are eighteen articles in total, describing the methods and approaches of "military farming" and their pros and cons.

Liu Bian read it carefully and remained silent.

This "military farming" naturally has many advantages, but there is one huge disadvantage, that is, once troops are stationed, the military power will fall into the hands of local governors, prefects, and generals, making it difficult for the court to control it.

"Unless, this military farm must be near Sili and handed over to a reliable person who can control it strongly..."

Liu Bian was silently thinking of several candidates in his mind, one for Cao Cao, one for Xu Rong, and one more, each leading 20,000 people, which should be enough to deal with the situation for the time being.

Once he has stabilized the court and sorted out the financial resources, he can add another 40,000.

"With a hundred thousand troops at hand, we can be more relaxed."

As Liu Bianpan calculated this, a smile appeared on his face unconsciously.

At this time, a eunuch came to the door and said, "Your Majesty, this is the memorial from the Minister of Justice."

Pan Yin quickly stepped forward, took it and handed it to Liu Bian.

"Ding Gong?"

Liu Bian opened it curiously, and after just a glance, a sharp light flashed in his eyes, and his expression gradually became indifferent.

Xun You saw this and asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, what is the memorial from Lord Situ?"

Liu Bian's expression quickly returned to normal, and he smiled and said, "Mr. Ding's family recommended Jin Shang to be the governor of Yanzhou."

Xun You was stunned for a moment, then he reacted immediately, with a look of astonishment in his eyes.

Has Situ Dinggong also sided with the Yuan family?

Liu Bian looked at Xun You quietly for a long time before he said softly, "Xun Qing's family, I think that the harmony between the monarch and his subjects and the unity of the court will benefit both the family and the country, so I have been tolerant and tolerant, but the Yuan family is pushing it further and further, and forcing me again and again. Tell me, what else can I do?"

Xun You's expression turned ugly when he heard this. He raised his hand angrily and said, "Your Majesty, the Yuan family has ulterior motives and is doing evil things. They are disobedient to the emperor and bully the people. All the subjects can see it clearly. Punishing the Yuan family is what the heaven wants and what the people want!"

Liu Bian looked obscure and said, "The Yuan family has three dukes in four generations. Their reputation is unrivaled in the world. All scholars in the world look up to them. What do the people want? What about the officials in the court and the noble families in the world?"

Xun Youmeng fell to the ground, his face livid, and said in a deep voice: "If the king insults me, I will die. Your Majesty, please hand over the Yuan family to me for disposal. I will never let your majesty's dignity be damaged!"

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