Han Dynasty Achievements

Chapter 93 I'm starting to get angry

Cai Yong stood there, staring at Liu Bian's back in a daze.

He was not implicated and was even promoted?

Cai Wenji watched Liu Bian walk away in shock, then walked up to her father and whispered, "Father, is that His Majesty?"

Cai Yong suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly chased after him. When he reached the door, he bowed to Liu Bian's back from a distance and said loudly, "Your Highness Cai Yong, I accept your order and thank you for your grace!"

"No need to be so polite!" Liu Bian, who had his back to him, raised his right hand and responded loudly.

Cai Wenji followed him out, but she could no longer see Liu Bian. She pursed her lips and said, "Father, is he the emperor? Isn't it rumored that he is very domineering, stubborn and will not listen to anyone? He doesn't look like him."

Cai Yong frowned and said, "Don't talk nonsense!"

All his worries disappeared, and instead he felt a surge of excitement.

Cai Wenji saw her father's expression, which was slightly pale and sad, and there was some curiosity on his face.

Cai Yong stood there, somewhat full of confidence, and said: "My father has taken office as the Minister of Rites this time, so I have to do something!"

Although Cai Yong had made great achievements in the literary world in the past and all the dignitaries asked him to write epitaphs for them, he had no practical achievements in officialdom and basically held a nominal position.

"Hongmen Supervisor..."

Cai Yong murmured that with his reputation, it would be easy for him to establish private schools in various states, and he didn't know how many people would rush to help.

But thinking about Liu Bian's requirement of 'teaching without distinction', he became hesitant.

The private schools nowadays are basically attended by children from aristocratic families. Common people cannot afford even the minimum tuition fees, let alone admission.

Studying, practicing calligraphy, learning from a teacher, traveling, socializing... It costs a lot of money and food! And it's not just one or two years, it can easily take ten or twenty years. For ordinary people, a whole family may not be able to afford it.

Besides, how could the children of wealthy families associate with common people?

In an instant, Cai Yong thought of countless difficulties and fell into deep silence.

Cai Wenji looked at her father quietly. Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, she said softly, "Father, let's go back home."

"Oh..."

Cai Yong suddenly woke up, walked back, and said, "By the way, you should not leave the house these few days. Help your father copy some documents. His Majesty also wants me to write a memorial impeaching the Yuan family and talk to some people. There will be a banquet at home these few days, so you should not come out and have some peace and quiet."

Cai Wenji was a new widow. She smiled sadly and said, "Thank you, father."

Cai Yong walked with his head down, with thousands of thoughts and countless ideas running up and down in his mind.

On the other side, Liu Bian left Cai's Mansion and stayed not far from Yang's Mansion.

Liu Bian looked at Yang Mansion, thoughts slowly turning in his mind.

The Yang family is also one of the most prominent aristocratic families today, with one of the highest reputations. With the endorsement of the Yang family, the adverse effects of the extermination of the Yuan family can be further alleviated.

Zuo Li stood aside, waved away the guards who were reporting the news, and stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Jiyin Governor Liu Dai just entered the Sikong Mansion."

Liu Bian's expression changed slightly, he turned around and looked at him, and said, "Liu Dai?"

"Yes." Zuo Li said with his head lowered.

Liu Bian wrapped himself up in his clothes, looked at the bright moonlight in the sky, and tilted his head slightly.

Liu Dai, like Liu Hong and Liu Yu, is a relative of the royal family.

When his cheap father was in power, he felt that the world was about to fall apart, so he assigned the Liu family's relatives to various places.

Liu Yu was the governor of Youzhou, Liu Yan was the governor of Yizhou, Liu Biao was the governor of Jingzhou, and so on.

This Liu Dai was appointed as the prefect of Jiyin.

"Liu Dai, Jiyin County..."

Liu Bian said to himself, the location of Jiyin County is almost right in the center of Yanzhou!

'At this time, Liu Dai went to Beijing to avoid disaster or to seek official position?'

"Is there any news from Yanzhou?" Liu Bian raised his foot and walked through the gate of Yang's mansion.

Zuo Li glanced at Yang Mansion and said quickly, "Yesterday's report said that the Grand Marshal and Envoy Ding had led 30,000 troops to the east and had already recovered the entire territory of Chenliu. They were preparing to divide their troops to attack Dongjun and Jiyin. Envoy Zhu led his troops from Qingzhou into Jibei State and Taishan County. It is expected that in five days, they will encircle Shanyang County."

Liu Bian knew that Huangfu Song and Ding Yuan submitted reports to the emperor almost every day, and at the end they would inadvertently ask for money and grain.

Recruiting young and strong people requires money and food, fighting wars requires money and food, and after pacifying the people, the money and food will be renewed!

"Money and food..."

Liu Bian took a deep breath. Now, the money and grain were the biggest stone weighing on his heart.

"Go back to the palace." Liu Bian said.

Zuo Li waved his hand and followed closely with his men.

After walking a distance, Liu Bian suddenly asked, "Is Jin Shang still not found?"

His mind was still filled with the situation in Yanzhou, and the more he thought about it, the more serious the matter seemed.

Zuo Li's expression tensed, and he said, "He disappeared in Shanyang County. I'm trying to find him."

As they walked, Liu Bian said, "Put your men in the capitals of each state, gather information, and keep an eye on the people I want you to pay attention to."

"Yes." Zuo Li's tone became more humble and cautious.

Liu Bian didn't say anything else and unconsciously quickened his pace.

At this moment, in the Secretariat, Wang Yun and Zhong Yao were still arguing.

Wang Yun looked at the two people opposite him and said, "The wording is not enough, it must be severe and alert enough."

Zhong Yao said solemnly, "My Lord, the judgment must be impartial, just and strict, without any emotion."

Wang Yun said, "This is your business. I request that the wording be stern to intimidate all Yuan's followers in the world!"

Just as Zhong Yao was about to say something else, Xun You could no longer bear it and suddenly interrupted, saying, "Prince, report the verdict to the whole nation, and issue an official document in the name of the Secretariat, severely condemning the Yuan family as a warning to Yuan's followers."

Wang Yun remained calm and said, "Okay. I'll draft it. When will you send it out?"

Seeing Wang Yun relent, Xun You immediately said, "After the execution of the Yuan family tomorrow, we will wait for the signature of the Minister of Records and leave Luoyang immediately."

Wang Yun looked at him and said, "Then, should I take on my appointment as well?"

Xun You was stunned. He almost forgot about Wang Yun’s appointment and hesitated to speak.

be cheated.

Zhong Yao thought to himself that Wang Yun seemed to be entangled in this verdict report, but in fact he was still trying to cultivate his personal power!

Seeing that the two were silent, Wang Yun suddenly realized something and asked, "Do you have a list too?"

Xun You and Zhong Yao didn't expect Wang Yun to be so sharp, and they couldn't help but look at each other.

Wang Yun stood up and said coldly, "Don't even think about appointing anyone without my permission!"

Xun You and Zhong Yao were about to speak when they heard footsteps outside the door. The three of them immediately turned around to look.

"What are the three ministers discussing?" Liu Bian walked in with a smile.

Wang Yun, Xun You, and Zhong Yao stood up, bowed, and said, "We pay our respects to Your Majesty."

"Thank you." Liu Bian waved his hand and sat on the main seat.

The three of them thanked him and sat down. Wang Yun glanced at Xun You and Zhong Yao and said, "Your Majesty, we have concluded the case on the Yuan family."

Xun You and Zhong Yao did not speak, and tacitly did not mention the matter of filling vacancies in the court.

Liu Bian looked at the three of them and said, "You guys can handle this matter. Yanzhou is in danger and urgently needs money and food. What do you think?"

Wang Yun heard this and thought without changing his expression.

The Han Dynasty had only a few sources of taxation, and if they wanted to raise military pay in a short period of time, they had to resort to "raising taxes."

Xun You had already been dealing with this matter, and immediately said, "Your Majesty, I think the salt tax should be collected in advance as soon as possible."

"No!"

Wang Yun immediately interrupted and argued with Liu: "Your Majesty, the people are already dissatisfied with the high price of salt and are suffering terribly. If you impose more taxes, the people will not be able to afford salt, which will inevitably lead to more disasters. The gain will not outweigh the loss!"

Liu Bian glanced at him and thought about the feasibility of pre-collecting salt tax.

The Han Dynasty changed the salt tax several times, switching back and forth between monopoly and taxation.

Monopoly means that the imperial court monopolizes production and sale; while taxation means that the private sector can produce and sell at will, and the imperial court collects salt tax.

This method of taxation directly led to the Han Dynasty's tax source being reduced by nearly half, while the price of salt among the people was high, and only the wealthy families and salt merchants benefited greatly.

Xun You ignored Wang Yun and continued to argue with Liu: "Your Majesty, I think we can set a price for salt and then impose taxes."

Wang Yun glanced at Xun You and said, "Your Majesty, if we do this, the salt merchants will not be able to sell the salt. What should we do?"

Xun You said: "Your Majesty, I request that another salt official be appointed to run both official and private salt, so that the price of salt can be controlled and salt tax can be collected."

"No!"

Wang Yun turned to Xun You and said, "This was the law during the reign of Wang Mang, which led to the turmoil in the world. Has Minister Xun forgotten it?"

Xun You also looked at him and said, "My Lord, the chaos in the world is not caused by the salt policy, but by the usurpation of the throne by the traitor Wang Mang. The whole world should punish him together."

Wang Yun wanted to speak more, but Liu Bian said calmly, "Okay."

Wang Yun turned around, raised his hand, and said, "Your Majesty, the salt administration is a matter of great importance and should not be taken lightly. If the court competes with the people for profits, it will cause endless harm. I ask Your Majesty to think twice."

Liu Bian looked at Wang Yun and frowned slightly.

To be honest, he was angry a little, but only a little. Wang Yun's intention was not bad, and what he said made sense.

Zhong Yao, who had been thinking, raised his hand and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, I have three plans. First, the court should cut down on expenditures. The salaries of officials and soldiers that are not in a hurry can be delayed by ten days to one month. Second, encourage wealthy merchants in Beijing to donate. Third, the summer grain harvest is coming soon, and the court can borrow money from the wealthy families in advance and repay them when the tax revenue comes in. It is estimated that 50 million yuan can be raised."

Fifty million coins, or fifty thousand strings of cash, is equivalent to fifty thousand taels of silver.

Although it is not much, it is enough to solve the urgent problem.

Just as Liu Bian was about to nod, Wang Yun said, "Your Majesty, delaying the court's salaries may cause officials to waver, especially at a time like this. Donations have already been made many times, and I dare not say how much can be raised. As for borrowing money, Your Majesty, during the time of the previous emperor... we also borrowed money, but we borrowed more and paid back less."

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows, and he started to get really angry.

Zhong Yao looked at Wang Yun, wanting to speak but hesitant, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Wang Yun was right, these methods were not new. If there were new methods, the Han Dynasty would not have been in such a predicament.

Liu Bian picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and said, "Wang Qingjia, do you have any good ideas?"

Wang Yun lowered his head, hesitated, and said, "I am still considering the appropriate method."

Liu Bian was too lazy to pay attention to him and said, "There is no time to wait. Just follow what Zhong Qing's family said. No delay for officials of low rank. For donations, ask some important officials and celebrities to come forward. For borrowing money, the Shangshutai will coordinate it, and some interest can be paid when necessary."

"His Majesty,"

Wang Yun stood up immediately and was eager to speak, but Liu Bian waved his hand, stood up and said, "It's late, everyone should go to bed early, there are still a lot of things to do tomorrow."

After saying this, Liu Bian looked at Xun You again and said, "Mr. Xun, please discuss the method of changing luck with the other ministers carefully and come up with a detailed proposal."

"I obey your command." Xun You bowed quickly.

Wang Yun wanted to speak, but Liu Bian had already left.

Xun You and Zhong Yao didn't want to continue arguing with Wang Yun. They looked at each other, then stood up and left.

Wang Yun looked at their backs, his expression unchanged, but the anger in his heart was rising.

"Incompetent!" He snorted in his heart.

Liu Bian returned to Jingfu Palace from the Secretariat and was not sleepy at all.

He took the map, spread it on the table, and studied it carefully.

From north to south, from east to west, he patrolled back and forth between Yanzhou, Sili, Bingzhou and Liangzhou.

After a long while, Liu Bian couldn't help but sigh and said, "There really isn't a good place at all..."

There were problems everywhere, and there was no place that made him feel comfortable.

His finger lightly tapped Shanyang County, then slowly slid from east to west, passing Jiyin, Hanoi, Luoyang, Hongnong, Sanfu, and after a pause, his finger landed on Hanzhong.

"Hanzhong..."

Liu Bian's eyes flashed. Hanzhong is also a strategic place.

"Who should I send?" Liu Bian's mind flashed through many people quickly, and finally he found that there were only two people he could send who were qualified and capable: Gongsun Zan and Cao Cao.

There are two people, Gongsun Zan and Cao Cao he doesn't trust.

He still had to cultivate direct descendants loyal to him as soon as possible!

"time……"

Liu Bian sat back in his chair and nodded gently with a serious look.

He needs time now, time to train court officials and military generals.

But the Han Dynasty's rickety ship was ventilated on all sides and rain came from all directions.

Pan Yin stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, Miss Tang is here."

Liu Bian raised his head and saw Tang Ji quietly walking in with a bowl of porridge in her hand. She said softly with watery eyes, "Your Majesty, it's late at night. Have a bowl of porridge to warm yourself up."

Liu Bian smiled. He was also a little hungry. He took it and ate two bites. Suddenly he said, "By the way, let your father enter the palace tomorrow."

"Yes, I've made note of it." Tang Ji didn't ask the reason.

Liu Bian reached out and pulled her over. Just as he was about to speak, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door.

Tang Ji quickly stepped back and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I will take my leave."

Liu Bian nodded and looked at Zuo Li.

Zuo Li came closer and whispered, "Your Majesty, General Dong is disguised as a civilian and wants to leave the city. There seems to be someone outside the city to meet him."

The corners of Liu Bian's face straightened and he let out a breath through his nostrils.

"Have you found out about the people outside the city?" Liu Bian asked, picking up the bowl of soup.

Zuo Li said: "It's too dark, I don't know how many people there are. I'm afraid of alerting the enemy, so I didn't send anyone out of the city to investigate."

Liu Bian nodded. Dong Zhuo must be anxious and trying every means to escape from Luoyang.

The situation in Bingzhou is very complicated. There are various forces intertwined, and the Qiang people and the Xiongnu are eyeing us covetously. It needs to be handled with caution and without causing major chaos.

"Keep an eye on him, don't let him get away."

Liu Bian ate the soup and said, "I still have some use for him."

"I understand." Zuo Li said with his head lowered.

Liu Bian put down the bowl and looked out the dark door. He pondered in his heart and said, "Pass the order. Tomorrow, all the recorders, Xun You, and Zhong Yao will hold a meeting at the Secretariat. No one is allowed to ask for leave."

The court was basically stable, so he had one hand free.

"It's time to deal with Bingzhou," Liu Bian said secretly with a burning gaze.

Compared with Yanzhou, Bingzhou is more difficult to deal with, but it has to be dealt with.

By solving the problem of Bingzhou, he not only saved himself a worry, but also gained a group of elite soldiers, allowing him to deal with the increasingly complex and changeable situation more calmly.

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