Han Shizu

Chapter 2095 Taizong Chapter 42 Three Appointments

"Your Majesty, Wang Xuanzhen, has been summoned to pay homage to you. May peace be with you, Your Majesty!" In the Chui Gong Hall, the former military envoy Wang Xuanzhen, with a solemn face, paid homage to the emperor Liu Yang who was sitting high on the throne.

"Be flat!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

He looked at Wang Xuanzhen condescendingly, wondering what his mental activities were like, but his face was always calm. Liu Yang asked calmly: "You have been idle at home for more than a year, right?"

"Your Majesty, that's right." Wang Xuanzhen thought slightly and responded respectfully.

"Do you have any resentment?"

"Your Majesty has a clear warning!" After hearing what the emperor said, Wang Xuanzhen immediately said solemnly: "I live in a place of right and wrong. Your Majesty's grace is actually to save me from the quagmire. I am so grateful that I shed tears of love. How can I have a grudge? "

Wang Xuanzhen explained, making Liu Yang smile and speak in a more relaxed tone: "What are you doing these days when you are free?"

"Your Majesty, I have purchased a few acres of thin farmland outside Longmen Town. I only have time to study, hunt, plow the land, and grow vegetables." Wang Xuanzhen replied.

Longmen Town is south of Luoyang, on the banks of the Yishui River, not far from the capital. Wang Xuanzhen chose such a place to rest, obviously because he was in the mountains and thinking about the court.

Liu Yang can certainly understand this. With a solemn expression and no more pleasantries, Liu Yang stared at Wang Xuanzhen and said: "You did a good job in handling the prisoner camp. I am very satisfied with the result!"

In the summer of the fourth year of Yongxi reign, after more than three years of hard work, Wang Xuanzhenfang barely completed the reform of the prison camp. As a result, the prison camps that once spread across all the states of the Han Dynasty and numbered hundreds of thousands have been greatly reduced. Including the newly added Shu rebels, under the leadership of Wang Xuanzhen, in more than three years, the court had a total of More than 400,000 people immigrated to the feudal states in the northwest, northeast and south.

Not to mention how many benefits were exchanged in this process, and how much cruelty and tragedy occurred, but the prison camp, the "sore" on the body of the Han Empire, was actually reduced and alleviated.

It is impossible to completely solve the problem, and it will never be solved as long as the prison camp remains. Even with Liu Yang's instruction and Wang Xuanzhen's rectification, as much "benevolence" as possible in the system and management has been achieved, as long as this system exists, there will still be problems, it just depends on the severity of the situation.

With the emperor's attention like this, the officials in charge of the prison camps in various places will naturally restrain themselves, and the prisoners' lives will naturally be easier. However, once the attention from above is diverted, the fangs and claws will inevitably open again.

As for abolishing the prison camp system, Liu Yang had not considered it, but in the end he decided on the idea. To be honest, the prison camp was an important supplement to the criminal punishment of the Han Dynasty. At the same time, the imperial court also needed such a batch of cheap labor force that could be used at will. They built bridges and paved roads, dug mountains and mines, dug canals and strengthened embankments. All these hard work was stolen. Living a dangerous life, there is always a lack of labor.

On the other hand, after so many years of development, in the prison camp, there are not only criminal Han officials and people, but also many tribes and barbarians who disobey the king, rebel and cause trouble, and are cultists. To a certain extent, the existence of the prison camp was almost a concentration of filth, filth, sin, and darkness in the Han Empire. It was a shadow in the sun. It was a garbage dump behind the Qingming Festival in the prosperous times. It played an important role in maintaining imperial rule and maintaining social order. Huge effect.

After the operation of Liu Yang and his ministers, it was nothing more than a "sewage discharge" to various feudal states. Once the scale of the prison camp was reduced, it not only facilitated control and management, but also made the emperor no longer have trouble sleeping and eating, and had to worry all the time. A prison camp riot occurred.

Of course, what Liu Yang has always been worried about is by no means a simple prisoner camp rebellion, which is not easy to accomplish. Instead, he is worried that the whole body will be affected by one incident, and he is afraid that it will be linked to the local evils. The Shu Rebellion has given an extremely profound impact. lesson.

Through the reform and disposal of the prison camp, Wang Xuanzhen, the spy chief, finally gained Liu Yang's trust, at least affirming his ability.

This is a capable person who can not only understand what is wanted in place and act vigorously and resolutely, but also be flexible. It can also be understood that after the fall of his uncle Wang Yinwu, within a few years, Shizu appointed this person as the military envoy again. This was a person with "political flaws".

"You have served in the Wude Department for twenty-five years. You have always been diligent, self-denying and dedicated to the public. The court has never given many rewards!" Looking at Wang Xuanzhen in the palace, Liu Yang said slowly: "I will give you five hundred thousand yuan and one hundred pieces of brocade." , two royal horses, a set of royal porcelain, plus a special gift!"

"I thank your Majesty for your kindness!" After hearing this, Wang Xuanzhen immediately knelt down and bowed his head again to express his gratitude.

The things the emperor bestowed upon you were nothing to the rich and powerful, but the focus was obviously not on material things, but the emperor's recognition and attitude, which was the guarantee of long-term wealth and prosperity.

Liu Yang continued: "I feel it is a pity to leave a talented person like you idle. You have rested for a long enough time. It's time to come out and serve the imperial court!"

When he heard this, even if the city was as deep as Wang Xuanzhen's, he couldn't help but feel happy. There is nothing more real than official position and power. Therefore, he kowtowed again with a look of being dead-set: "Your Majesty, I have orders, and I will do whatever I can." !”

In response to his statement, Liu Yang did not have the slightest smile on his face and said: "Fan Zhigu, the chief minister of Jiangnan Province, has passed away. You go to Jiangnan to take over!"

Hearing this, Wang Xuanzhen couldn't help but be shocked. He never expected that Liu Yang would arrange such an errand for him. But immediately, he was ecstatic. Not to mention the increasingly important position of Jiangnan Road in the economic map of the Han Dynasty, the change of identity from military envoy to chief envoy contained grace and opportunities that others could not imagine. Understood.

It would be nonsense to say that he had no resentment against Liu Yang at all. Wang Xuanzan was not a saint, but at this moment, his "loyalty" was almost instantly full.

However, Wang Xuanzhen's strong psychological quality made Wang Xuanzhen behave very restrained and said: "Your Majesty has entrusted me with such an important responsibility. I am grateful to you. However, I have limited talent and virtue, so I may not be able to take on the important responsibility. What's more, if I fulfill my duties, I am afraid that the government will The rising criticism will only make things difficult for Your Majesty."

"Don't say too much in front of me if you are pretending to be humble!" After listening to his words, Liu Yang said slightly forcefully: "If you don't have this ability, I won't use you! As for the criticism from the court, will it be difficult for me? It's my business and has nothing to do with you!

Going to Jiangnan doesn’t mean you can enjoy the romantic scenery there! Jiangnan is a grand event in the southeast and the starting point of water transportation. I will not go into detail about its importance to the country.

Nowadays, many reforms of the imperial court still prioritize the administration of officials, and they have been changed from comprehensive implementation to targeted reforms. Jiangnan Road is a key area for improvement.

As for the situation in Jiangnan Road, you probably learned a lot about it when you were in Wude Division. Corruption exists everywhere, but it is easier in wealthy places. Go to Jiangnan Road and clean up the places that the court failed to take care of in the past few years.

The rule of officials and the rule of law must be constantly refreshed! In addition, business in Jiangnan Province is becoming increasingly prosperous, and business taxes are increasing year by year, but collusion between officials and businessmen, and power and money is also becoming increasingly rampant.

Due to commercial disputes, there are endless cases of people gathering to fight and killing people, which seriously hinders the normal operation of the commercial order and interferes with the stable life of the people. They must be severely punished.

Especially in Shanghai County, I heard folk rumors that Shanghai has many merchants and commodities, and there are also many corpses at the bottom of Songjiang River. I don't believe that such a statement is baseless. There must be disadvantages in it, and there are also conflicts between the two states of Su and Xiu. I will try to rectify them.

I will give you another three years. After three years, I will see results! " The emperor had said this, and Wang Xuanzhen no longer pretended to be reserved. He immediately prostrated himself and swore an oath to promise that he would fulfill his duties faithfully, rectify the chaos in the south of the Yangtze River, and live up to his majesty's entrustment and trust.

As you can imagine, after the announcement of Wang Xuanzhen's appointment, there was an uproar and an uproar in the court. From top to bottom, there was almost no one who did not express opposition or dissent. For people from all walks of life, it was not only that Jiangnan Road was gone, but more importantly, it was Wang Xuanzhen's background.

When will the hawks, dogs, and claws of Wude Si be able to wear well-dressed clothes, appear majestically in the Han Dynasty court, accept the appointment of feudal lords, and rank alongside many sages?

However, no matter how big the controversy was, the emperor's edict had been issued and could not be changed. Liu Yang had no intention of taking back the order. No matter how much dissatisfaction he had, he would have to keep it in his stomach.

During the whole process, there was one person who was slightly embarrassed, and that was Murong Defeng, the Prime Minister and Minister of Civil Affairs. No matter from which point of view, Murong Defeng opposed Wang Xuanzhen's appointment as chief envoy to Jiangnan Province, but from the beginning to the end, he had no real right to speak, and the emperor even ignored his opinions.

Maybe it's just a matter of not treating the person, but for a civil servant, even if it is just an exception, he must not relax his vigilance. If even the power of the personnel organization is weakened, it will be equivalent to the most important thing for him as the prime minister. Authority is weakened, not a good sign.

In the winter of October of the fifth year of Yongxi's reign, a major event occurred in the remote Annan Road in the southern border of the Han Dynasty. On the third day of October, the Zhenla army suddenly invaded the border and broke through the small border town of Wenyang. They then crossed the Luolun River eastward and defeated the sunset. county.

By October 15th, Chenla's army had broken through Wushi Ridge, invaded the southern coastal area of ​​Annan Road, captured Huanzhou, and almost cut off Annan Road from the southern prefectures and counties and Linyi Kingdom from the land.

At the same time, in the central and northern areas of Annan, Dongman tribesmen rebelled, causing disaster to prefectures and counties. Among them were many indigenous tribal chiefs who had long been dissatisfied with the rule of the Han Dynasty. Now they are revolting, and Zhenlaguo is obviously behind it.

This Zhenla actually lost his mind and completely got into trouble with the big man.

Regarding the sudden invasion of Zhenla Kingdom, the imperial court was naturally furious. There was not much objection, and a consensus was quickly reached in the court that a severe crackdown must be carried out. For many years, only big men have been able to fight others. How come foreign countries take the initiative to provoke us? We are still a "barbarian" country on the Indochina Peninsula.

Although the Han Dynasty in Yongxi's era was committed to internal affairs, once it was invaded from the outside, the war machine could quickly start up.

The fight must be fought, but how to fight, who to send to fight, and to what extent were all discussed in detail. Zhenla was not worthy of the big man's attention, but because of his blatant provocation, he suddenly attracted the attention of the court.

Because when the candidates for the counter-rebellion were decided, one person took the initiative to ask for help. Liu Wenhuan, the eldest son of the emperor and Duke of Ruyang County, if he was connected with the matter of seizing the direct descendants, then even a "small conflict" on the southwest border could become a matter of concern in the court. The major event has become a wrestling ground for various factions.

Murong's group is of course firmly opposed to this matter. The reason is very simple. The military is a major event for the country and cannot be ignored. The eldest son of the emperor has no experience in leading an army. There is a small chaos in the southwest. Just send a good general. Why do you need to let the son of a rich man? , sitting in the hall

In tit-for-tat, Zhao was working hard, and had another argument. Liu Wenhuan had made a trip to Anxi and had observed and practiced in the army. As for the lack of experience, a general would be enough to assist him. On the other hand, having the emperor's eldest son as the commander-in-chief of the expedition can also boost morale and show that the court attaches great importance to Annan.

The two factions each have their own opinions, and the momentum is so great that it seems that they are going to recreate the fierce struggle for the throne in the first year of Yongxi's reign. This behavior of using military and national affairs as a battlefield for the throne obviously angered the emperor. After some thunderbolts, the two parties stopped again.

However, after careful consideration, Liu Yang finally decided to let Liu Wenhuan give Liu Wenhuan a try. Perhaps, Liu Yang was thinking of the story that Shizu asked him to go to the battlefield and be the commander-in-chief.

On the 20th day of the tenth month in the winter of the fifth year of Yongxi's reign, the emperor issued an edict to appoint the emperor's eldest son, the Duke of Ruyang County, as the general marshal of the southern expedition, and to mobilize 50,000 troops from Yunnan, Guangdong and Guangxi, and Annan to control the Zhenla Rebellion.

With the issuance of this edict, in the winter of the fifth year of Yongxi's reign, almost the entire Indochina Peninsula fell into a turbulent state of war, because not only the struggle between the imperial court and the Chenla Kingdom, but also the surrounding Linyi , Linhai feudal states, and even the remnants of the Zhitong Kingdom that were resisting Liu Wenhai's invasion and had been destroyed, all participated.

Basically, it can be divided into two camps, one is the Han Dynasty, and the other is the indigenous states of Indochina with Chenla as the leader.

In fact, as time went by, the turmoil even spread to Nanyang. At least there were several indigenous rebellions in Beijinzhou, where Qi King Liu Yun lived.

"Kou Zhun, to be honest, I really don't like you very much!" In the Chui Gong Hall, Liu Yang stared coldly at Kou Zhun, the magistrate of Xiangzhou, who was kneeling in front of the emperor.

Since the political speculation in the first year of the year, Kou Zhun has basically spent his entire term in Xiangzhou. This time when he returned to the court to report on his duties, other ministries and departments had basically passed the test, and he had also been questioned by several prime ministers, but he was here with the emperor. , was left to dry for several days.

Now that His Majesty Fang saw the emperor speaking like this, even Kou Zhun couldn't help but be frightened and kowtowed: "I am terrified!"

"Do you know why?" Liu Yang asked calmly.

Kou Zhun lowered his head deeply and said: "I have little talent and little virtue, and I cannot stand the eyes of a saint!"

"Haha! Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, how can I like and dislike this?" Liu Yang sneered and said: "Besides, if you Kou Zhun are not talented enough, how can I agree to make you the magistrate of Xiangzhou? I have listened to your assessment. Report, in the past five years, Xiangzhou has corrected its long-standing shortcomings, made the government harmonious and harmonious, and stopped picking up lost items along the way. Is this what a mediocre person can do?"

"You are always the one who is too scheming and too courageous!" Liu Yang said with emotion: "I admire your uprightness and decisiveness and dare to do things, but I also hate you for not knowing how to measure and pushing too far!"

"I'm terrified!" Kou Zhun bowed again, expressing this with his mouth and body, but it was hard to know what he was thinking in his heart.

However, Liu Yang did not intend to discuss it further and said directly: "As for your next appointment, I think you have heard about it. Don't be surprised. It is Annan Road, and he is also the food envoy of the Southern Expedition Army.

The current chaos in Annan is certainly due to the Zhenla raid, but the long-term laziness and lack of vigilance of local military and political officials is also an important reason.

You have always acted vigorously and resolutely, and I hope that after you take office, you can bring a new wind to Annan and restore peace to the south of the Han Dynasty."

"Your Majesty trusts you so much that I can only repay him by knotting a ring of grass. I will work hard and die, and I will live up to your Majesty's trust!" When the final appointment was implemented, Kou Zhun kowtowed fiercely.

In the winter of the fifth year of Yongxi's reign, 37-year-old Kou Zhun became the youngest chief envoy of the Han Dynasty, even though he was only the lowest-ranking Taoist priest in the Han Dynasty such as Annan Dao.

(End of this chapter)