Huan Rong

The emperor drove into Youzhou and encountered the first heavy rain since his trip.

Dark clouds billowed and rain poured down.

In the rain, snow fell from the sky, intertwined in front of the eyes, instantly blinding the sight.The cold wind came from the north, whizzing past in bursts, and kept beating on the car body, making heart-palpitating blunt noises.

The canopy was lifted by the wind, and the five-element flag rang loudly.

In the cold rain, the steed neighed, and it became more and more difficult for the cart to move forward.The wheels almost sank in a muddy puddle.

Seeing this situation, Huan Rong made a prompt decision and ordered the team to suspend, seek an open place to shelter from the rain, and continue moving forward after the rain stopped.

The soldiers galloped to send orders, and the carts moved to the sides, and the baffles were raised one after another to surround the big 辂 in the center, blocking the wind and rain from the west.

Xie An and Wang Biaozhi wore coir raincoats and were invited before the emperor.

"I didn't expect to encounter this rain." Sitting in the car, Huan Rong asked the two to sit down, and asked the maid to bring tea soup and cakes, "Warm yourself up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Wang Biaozhi wiped away the rainwater from his temples and picked up the tea soup.

"There is a lot of rain and snow in winter, and Youzhou is near the north. This heavy rain is not surprising." Xie An pondered for a moment, and said, "It's just that since the beginning of winter, there have been frequent natural disasters in various prefectures. There are mountain people in Ning and Jiao prefectures who are in rebellion, and relief is needed as soon as possible. Chaos is."

Huan Rong nodded, without the help of servants and eunuchs, he opened the cabinet and found a map.

Dalujing Gongshu Chang and Xiangli Brothers jointly reformed it. From the outside, it is generally the same as the regulations handed down in ancient times, but the inside is completely different.

The space inside the car is fully utilized, and the walls of the car hide everything.If someone has evil intentions and intends to assassinate, just press the mechanism near the car window, all arrows will be fired immediately, and the assassin will become a hedgehog or a sieve.

In order to check whether there are any omissions, both Dian Kui and Xu Chao have personally experienced it.

Barely retreating from the whole body, both of them were covered in cold sweat.Afterwards, when they met Gongshu Chang and Xiangli brothers, they had to make a detour.According to the words of the two, such a horrible encounter, they don't want to experience it a second time in this life.

It can make the two members tremble with fear, and have nightmares for three days in a row, which shows how cruel the mechanism in Dalu is.

Xie An and Wang Biaozhi didn't know the layout of the car, and when Huan Rong knocked on the wall of the car, a palm-wide wooden drawer popped out, they just raised their eyebrows, feeling a little clever.

Spread out the map, Xie An pointed to Jiaozhou and Ningzhou, and said that the three provinces received urgent reports a few days ago that there were riots in both places, not the people in the state, but most of them were barbarians who had fled into the state.

"It is said that they are mountain people, but in fact they are barbarians sneaking into the border, killing and looting, doing all kinds of evil." Xie An said solemnly.

"There are [-] state soldiers stationed in Ningzhou, which can be used to encircle and suppress rebels. Jiaozhou is narrow and has few people. Since the previous dynasty, barbarians have often encountered rebellions, and the people have suffered disasters. , the barbarians fled into the mountains a long time ago, and it was hard to find traces."

Jiaozhou is located on the border, and it was established as a county in the Qin Dynasty. Its real name is Jiaozhi.In the Western Han Dynasty, it was established as a prefecture, and in the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was changed to Jiaozhou. Its jurisdiction included later Guangdong, Guangxi, and central and northern Vietnam.

At the end of the Han Dynasty, the world was in chaos, and all the heroes rose together, and the Three Kingdoms stood together.After the founding of the Sun family, Jiaozhou was included in the territory of Wu State and divided into two states.Although the name of Jiaozhou was continued, the area under its jurisdiction was reduced by more than half.

During the Western Jin Dynasty, Jiaozhou continued the old system, and the area under its jurisdiction did not change much.

After the Yongjia Rebellion, Sima Rui crossed the river to establish the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The imperial court faced powerful enemies in the north, and the elite government army defended Jiankang. .

From the establishment of the Eastern Jin Dynasty to Huan Rong's ascension to the throne, Jiaozhou was in chaos for several months, and it was difficult to have a stable time.

The Jiaozhou Assassin sent one form after another. It was either a natural disaster or a man-made disaster, and there was hardly any good news.Often, the three provinces received the upper form of barbarian rebellion, and before they had time to deal with it, the second upper form was already on the way.

After a long time, officials from the three provinces felt a headache when they heard the word "Jiaozhou".

In Ningzhou, which is adjacent to it, although there are mountain people and barbarians rebelling, they are far less frequent than Jiaozhou.

The reason is that the assassins of Ningzhou are ruthless in their methods. Anyone who makes trouble can't be caught. If he is caught, he will be executed immediately, and all family members will be imprisoned.

For those who are forced to follow the bandits, the people in the territory still have a chance of life. After interrogation and investigation, they can work hard to pay off their crimes.

Unidentified foreign barbarians were found, beheaded and half-cut, and the corpses were thrown on the border, so that people from neighboring countries could see with their own eyes, what would happen if they dared to spy on the land of the Han family and slaughtered the people of the Han family.

The assassin of Ningzhou has always been known for being greedy and violent, and the people have suffered for a long time.

Since forming an alliance with the Huan family, he has tasted the benefits of commerce and trade, and knowing that Huan Rong can't see things that exploit the people, he gradually restrained his actions.

Most of the exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes in the state were cut off, and commerce and trade gradually prospered. More powerful people organized caravans, relying on the unique local pony horses to climb mountains and ridges, and open up new trade routes.

Nowadays, people in Ningzhou talk less about the greed of Zhou assassins, and more about their ability to guard the border and defend the people, and drive away bandits and thieves.

All the barbarians who were crusaded by the assassins of Zhou, let alone die, and survived by luck, will leave a lot of shadow in their hearts.After learning his lesson once, he dared not set foot on Han soil again. When he heard his name, he would feel chills and his hands and feet would be cold.

According to the words of later generations, Zhou Zhongsun had a cruel temperament and was by no means a good official, even a cruel official.It happened to be such a person who guarded the border of Ningzhou, making the bandits dare not take half a step, and gradually gained the trust of the people.

In contrast, the Jiaozhou Inspector was quite famous, but was devastated by the riots, which is really jaw-dropping and puzzling.

Xie An and Wang Biaozhi didn't like Zhou Zhongsun as a man, but they had to admit that having him in Ningzhou was a great deterrent to bandits.More importantly, Huan Rong was able to control this person, preventing him from supporting himself, expanding his ambitions, and eventually becoming the root cause of civil strife.

"Since last year, Jiaozhou has reported several times that the barbarians have caused disasters on the border and harmed the people in several counties. Although the imperial court can send troops, it is difficult to put out fires near the water."

The biggest possibility is that, like the previous few times, the army was still on the way, and the bandits got the news early, fled into the mountains in advance, and disappeared without a trace.When the soldiers return without success and the rumors subside, the bandits will make a comeback and intensify their harm to the people of the prefectures and counties.

"The evil of barbarians is not inferior to Hu Kou!"

Huan Rong looked at the map, thought about what Xie An said, brushed his fingers across the border of Jiaozhou, but another thought came to his mind.

It turns out that this so-called Jiaozhi land was the territory of China in the Qin and Han Dynasties.If it weren't for the hundred years of war and chaos, if the Han family regime can continue to be strong, there may not be such bad things in future generations.

"His Majesty?"

Xie An talked for a while, but Huan Rong didn't respond for a long time.Looking up, he found that the other party's eyes were wandering, and he couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Ah?" Huan Rong was startled and regained consciousness in an instant.Seeing that both Xie An and Wang Biaozhi were looking at him with inexplicable expressions, he immediately realized that he was distracted just now, and couldn't help but twitched the corners of his mouth, feeling a little embarrassed.

Discussing the important matters of the border, but he was distracted in front of him. No wonder he was stared at by four eyes.

"Cough!" With a covert cough, Huan Rong pinched his fingers vigorously, concentrated his attention, and brought his thoughts back to the map.

"What I mean is that if bandits make trouble and harm the people, Ningzhou can send troops to suppress the bandits." While speaking, Huan Rong pointed at the map and circled a piece southward along the border between Ningzhou and Jiaozhou.

"After the thieves are expelled, the local household registration can be re-registered, and the mountain people and the infiltrated barbarians can be registered and recorded separately, so that they can take Chinese names and learn Chinese. Five to ten households are guaranteed."

"In case of war, each family recruits young and strong soldiers, rewards them for their bravery in battle, divides their fields, and allows them to cultivate."

"If a bandit chief takes the initiative to vote, he can keep [-]% of the captured foreign war."

"In addition, we can make caravans go to barbarian lands more, set up permanent business offices, and communicate with local officials more." Huan Rong said while pointing to the border of Jiaozhou.

"The barbarians wish to return to our dynasty, so they should be given their clothes and taught them etiquette. Thanks to the grace of God, they will definitely change their minds and deeply regret their past mistakes."

If you are interested, it will be easy to discuss and discuss; if you are not interested, hit until you are interested.

Staying in one's own house dishonestly, running to someone else's house to kill and set fire to others, you can't just leave without paying the price.

Xie An and Wang Biaozhi looked at each other and really realized what serious nonsense is.

"Bullshit" isn't quite accurate.

According to Huan Rong's method, the problem of Jiaozhou cannot be completely solved, and it can also be postponed for a period of time.Give the court enough time to prepare and mobilize state soldiers to solve border problems.

"This matter cannot be accomplished overnight." Huan Rong said earnestly, "The Central Plains has not yet been unified, and the trade routes in the Western Regions have just resumed. To ensure the continuity of trade routes, there must be a lot of generals stationed in Guzang and other places."

Xie An nodded, and Wang Biaozhi also agreed.

"The Qin family moved the capital to Chang'an, so they must have the heart to proclaim the emperor and establish a system." Huan Rong's heart was heavy, but his tone was very firm, "I intend to unify China and end a century of troubled times. A war with the Qin family is inevitable."

In short, at this critical juncture, the North is the focus.

The rebellious barbarians will eventually be eradicated, but there are not enough troops, so we might as well use some means first to lure them into divisions and become enemies with each other, so that they can be defeated one by one.In order not to spy on the Han soil twice in three days, and harm the people of Bianzhou.

Xie An and Wang Biaozhi thought for a moment, and generally agreed with Huan Rong's proposal.

However, I am not satisfied with the minor details of the plan, and amend and supplement them separately.

After listening for a while, Huan Rong suddenly felt something was wrong.According to the revised plan, eliminating border troubles in Jiaozhou took the second place, and attracting internal strife in neighboring countries became the main purpose.

"If you want to cause chaos, you can't be soft-hearted. You need to hit it seven inches, and don't give it a chance to breathe."

Wang Biaozhi looked serious and serious.

The meaning in the words is quite clear, either do not do it, or do it to the extreme.One or two infighting is nothing, the standard of action is to split up and change the dynasty.

Gudong.

Huan Rong swallowed, really speechless.

Looking at Wang Biaozhi, who was full of righteousness, and Xie An, who was convinced, Huan Rong suddenly discovered that the routines of these historical masters were far deeper than he imagined.

In the afternoon, the heavy rain stopped.

The dark clouds dissipated, and the sky turned blue.

Xie An and Wang Biaozhi returned their cars, the five-element flag was hoisted, and the team moved on.

After the heavy rain, the dirt roads will often appear muddy, which often hinders the team's journey.

The land of Youzhou does not have this trouble.

Since Xun You became the Assassin, he has recruited young and strong during the slack season, repaired and broadened the official roads in the state, and set up post stations along the way as Huan Rong mentioned before, using villagers as postmen to ensure smooth roads. All can pass without hindrance.

However, the premise is that you can prove your identity.

When encountering people with unknown identities and suspicious origins, [-]% of them will be taken down, tied up and sent to the government office.

At first, there were still spies from the North who sneaked into the state. With the gradual improvement of various policies, roadside post stations were built one after another. The spies had nowhere to hide, and it was still useless to bribe the caravan.

After several visits, the spies in Youzhou almost disappeared.

Of course, there are also foreign caravans secretly spying on the news.All such caravans must be tracked and visited by scattered officials. According to the severity of the problem, there are different ways to deal with it.

Those who are light are expelled from the state, and those who are serious are all detained.

Even if he is acquitted, anyone who has such experience will definitely have their business in Youzhou hindered.Walking into Fangshi, not to mention the Han people, even the Hu people are full of disgust.

If things go on like this, the rules of Youzhou are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and all outsiders must either abide by the rules or leave altogether.

Dare to be unreasonable?

Without the need for state soldiers to do anything, the local people can gather around and kick them in circles.The barbarians in short robes and with profound facial features kicked especially hard. Swollen noses and faces were considered minor, and vomiting blood was common.

Huan Rong and his party passed by three post stations, and the caravan they encountered couldn't be counted in two slaps.

Passing through a county town and several villages, the officials waited respectfully in front of the city, the common people greeted them by the roadside, the old and the young supported each other, and when they met the emperor's car, their excitement could not be concealed.

"The official, the official is back!"

Huan Rong's vicious reputation spread far and wide, but in the eyes of the people of Youzhou, he was an out-and-out benevolent king.

The old man stepped forward to salute, Huan Rong hurriedly jumped down from the big scorpion, took two steps in three steps, helped the old man himself, and said: "Don't do this, old man!"

"Your Majesty's benevolence, we will have today." The old man's face was full of dimples, and he was already in the age of hearing, but his spirit was very good.Knowing that the emperor was driving by, he just grabbed the fat sheep at home and said that he would present it to the emperor.

Without exception, the people in the village carried their hands on their shoulders. The fat sheep and fine wine were delivered to the car one after another.

"We are all exiles in the north. We are not benevolent by His Majesty. We have already withered bones and wilderness. To see the sky today is the end of my lifelong wish!" The old man had tears in his eyes, his voice was hoarse, and he was about to bow down while speaking.

Huan Rong's nose was slightly sore, he hurriedly grabbed the old man to comfort him, and accepted the fat sheep wine brought by the villagers.Turning around, he ordered Dian Kui to take the wheat seeds and cloth and distribute them among the people.

If it is gold, silver and silk, it is not practical for everyone.On the contrary, wheat seeds and ordinary cloth can be used to the greatest extent when they are delivered to the common people.

Xie An and Wang Biaozhi stood in front of the car, watching the scene in front of them, they couldn't help feeling emotional.Looking at the fields and houses not far away, many thoughts flashed through my mind.

I have not yet arrived in Xuyi, but what I have seen and heard has exceeded my expectations.What will it be like in Xuyi City?

The gentry gentleman who accompanied him got off the carriage and was touched when he saw this scene.On the young and handsome face, a bit of deep thought gradually appeared.