Han Shizu

Chapter 2044 The Last Journey 15
As the Han Dynasty continued to expand and develop, economic and cultural exchanges between the East and the West became increasingly frequent, and the number of foreign merchants and envoys traveling on land and sea trade routes naturally increased year by year.After decades of accumulation, the number of foreigners who have settled in the country has become extremely large. There are tens of 10 people within the jurisdiction of Guangzhou Prefecture alone, and nationwide.

With so many foreign visitors, it is not surprising that there is a place like Fanfang Street dedicated to the residence and business of foreigners from all over the world.Not to mention Guangzhou Prefecture, Fanfang exists in capital areas such as Liangjing.

Therefore, the old emperor's dissatisfaction with Fanfang in Panyu City was not due to the existence of Fanfang itself. The reason for his anger lay in the corresponding management system. In the final analysis, it was still in the local yamen in Guangzhou and even Guangnan East Road.

The Han Empire opened its doors to foreign exchanges actively, welcomed foreign businessmen from abroad to do business, and even allowed them to stay permanently.But one thing that must be made clear is that this openness is the bottom line, and there is an especially important premise, that is, all foreign merchants and guests must comply with government management, accept the constraints of Han law, and even have to follow the local customs.
To this end, the imperial court also issued a set of "Regulations on the Management of Foreign Affairs for Business and Civil Affairs", which strictly and clearly stipulated the management responsibilities of the government and the constraints for foreign affairs.

This stipulation system is naturally well implemented in the two capitals. However, in Guangzhou, the situation is not optimistic. It is not only a problem of poor implementation, but also a serious lack of management system for foreigners.The Guangzhou government gave too many freedoms to foreigners in the territory, to the extent that it exceeded the old emperor's bottom line.

The old emperor supported openness in action and welcomed foreign businessmen, but from the bottom of his heart, he was always on guard, with tolerance on the surface and suspicion on the inside.

In particular, these foreign merchants are not only barbarians from the "old, young, frontier and poor" areas of the Han Dynasty, but also include many people who are not even nominally from the areas ruled by the Han Dynasty, but come from another civilization——

It’s about cannibalism. Guangzhou Prefecture is the largest cannibal settlement in the empire. These people came across the ocean through the Maritime Silk Road. Some of them have a history of more than 200 years and settled in Guangzhou. In this place where the radiation power of the Central Empire is relatively weak, survival and reproduction...

In fact, even cannibalism is not that scary, and the old emperor's mind and tolerance are not so narrow-minded. What really scares him is the sect called YSL.

The old emperor's attitude towards religion has always been prejudiced. As for the YSL religion, he deeply hates it. His attitude of contempt and disgust can be said to be deep-rooted.

For the YSL world, since the Han Dynasty conquered the Black Khanate in the West, the two sides have been in a state of hostility.When Liu Min started to "exterminate religions" in Anxi, and the old emperor also implemented banning policies in China, excluding and eliminating MSL on a large scale, the conflict between the two sides would become deeper.

In China, it may not be obvious that a mere foreigner cannot change the world, but in Anxi and Gaochang areas, the hatred is as deep as the sea.As the Anxi Governor's Office began to carry out the religious reform of "remaining irreligious" under its rule, it was like a raging fire cooking oil, exploding.

The situation in Anxi is already like this. For the officials and people in the mainland, it is difficult to feel as deeply as if they were there. However, Guangzhou Prefecture thinks that the sky is high and the emperor is far away. They are not vigilant and even openly defy the imperial court. This was something the old emperor could no longer tolerate.

The numerous temples and daily worship activities on Fanfang Street in Panyu City were enough to make the old emperor furious.At that time, the imperial court issued an edict to ban the YSL religion, which started with the destruction of those temples. However, the Guangzhou Prefecture either did not realize that the imperial court attached great importance to this matter, or they did not take the imperial edict seriously. , no matter which point, the sin is difficult to redeem!

In addition to religious issues, what made the old emperor even more angry was the laxity of the Guangzhou government in the management system of Fan people. It was almost laissez-faire. Those Fanfang streets were all autonomous by it. The situation was so serious that it was even difficult for Han people to enter. The situation was difficult for Han officials to manage.

Guangzhou, an "international metropolis", actually has such a "state within a state". One can imagine how the old emperor would feel after seeing it.
Panyu Palace, Dacheng Hall, was the place chosen by the old emperor to stay.

After a day's inspection, he returned to the palace. Before entering the palace, the old emperor stopped and raised his hand. The servants, generals, and guards who followed him all subconsciously bowed and waited for orders.

"Go, call me Zhang Jie and Liu Changyan!" The old emperor ordered to Hu De, he thought for a while, and then added: "Call Hou Yanguang too!"

"Yes!" Hood responded decisively.

The old emperor's expression was natural and his tone was not harsh, but Hu De, who knew him well, knew very well that the official family was very angry and dangerous at this time.It gets dark so fast in winter, almost in a blink of an eye, the entire sky is covered in night.Of course, the lively and rich nightlife of Panyu City also begins. The city is filled with lights, and the palaces are also filled with lights.

Outside the brightly lit Dacheng Hall, three figures hurriedly arrived. The first one to arrive was an elegant old man, about 50 years old, wearing purple clothes and a careful look on his brows. He was Liu Changyan, the prefect of Guangzhou.

Liu Changyan was from Quanzhou. When he was young, he served under Chen Hongjin, who was the governor of Zhangquan at that time. However, before long, he had not made any achievements. Wang Shi had come south, swept across the southern country, and became a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty along with Chen Hongjin. .

It can be said that Liu Changyan grew up in the old society and lives in the new era.He first served as an official in Quanzhou, and later when Chen Hongjin returned to his hometown to visit relatives, he was recommended to Beijing for reference and was awarded a Jinshi in high school.

This is an authentic Nanchen, with a clear "Zhangquan" mark on his body.However, his own talent is one thing, and the help he received from Chen Hongjin in his early years is also another thing. But more importantly, he was later promoted by Prime Minister Zhao Pu.

He was able to become the prefect of Guangzhou because Zhao Pu recommended him to the post after he paid homage to the prime minister for the second time.Therefore, among the Taoist-level bureaucrats in Guangnan East Road, Liu Changyan has a profound background.

The winter night wind was still relatively cold on his body. Standing outside the hall, Liu Changyan couldn't help but shrink his neck and rub his hands.Looking at the open door of the palace, he couldn't help but hesitate. He really didn't dare to go to the old emperor alone.

Fortunately, before he could hesitate for a moment, a figure walked quickly under the lighted corridor. When he got closer, he saw a middle-aged man with a strong build and stern appearance, wearing a general's uniform. Hou Yanguang, the commander of Guangnan East Road.

Hou Yanguang has an extraordinary family background. His grandfather is Hou Yi, who was once the military governor of Fengxiang. He was also a man of great influence in the early Han Dynasty. He was related to the stability of the western frontier of the Han Dynasty and was suspected of colluding with Meng Shu. In the end, he was able to keep his family wealthy and was granted the title of Duke of Lu (later deposed).

His father was Hou Renju, the general of the Northern Expedition. During the Northern Expedition, he led the cavalry to gallop through the Western Liaoning Corridor and made great military exploits. Later, he led the army in the Northeast for a long time.When Hou Renju fell ill and died young, the old emperor even issued a special edict to commemorate him, saying that the great man had lost a pillar of his army.

Over the past few decades, the Hou family has become a big family in the Han Dynasty. It is quite influential in the military and government, and has a high success rate. Hou Yanguang is the leader among his third generation descendants.But to be able to become the commander of a city and take charge of the entire Guangnan East Road military at the age of less than 50 years old, in addition to family background factors, he also has some abilities.

When he saw Hou Yanguang, Liu Changyan immediately greeted him, raised his hands and saluted: "I have met General Hou Du!"

After taking a look at Liu Changyan, Hou Yanguang looked slightly surprised: "Prefect Liu is here too?"

Liu Changyan kept his posture very low and said softly: "Your Majesty summoned me, what is the matter?"

"You will know when you meet Your Majesty in person!" After hearing this man's probing intentions, Hou Yanguang said calmly without any emotion on his face.

While the two were trying to chat, the important person arrived late. Zhang Ji, then the chief envoy of Guangnan East Road, arrived.

(End of this chapter)